168PC War of the elves (Part II)

While the Kaalroen Empire was expanding and threatening the Elven Kingdoms to the south and east, the Elves once again involved themselves in a petty rivalry which threatened to see the destruction of both realms in the long run. The Wood Elves of Arnar had never accepted the superiority of the high lords of Mellvellon, and the High Elves were still stinging from their defeat to the Wood Elves in 93PC.

Some factions of Mellvellon were arguably looking for a reason to start a war with Arnar, and in 167PC they got their excuse. An expedition sent to the southern coast of Arnar was ambushed and forced to flee when approaching the circle of stones the High Elves had previously discovered ,then lost.

Mellvellon was outraged by this action and demanded that the lords of Calminaion recognise the High Elf claim to the land. The wood elves refused and a year later the dragon lords had arrived on the borders of the wood elf realm. The wood elves came out to meet them and the battle which became known as the second war of the elves climaxed with the untimely demise of the wood elf high mage, followed by a general collapse of their army.

Mellvellon utterly crushed the wood elves, got them to accept their claim to the southern coast of Arnar, then left, with no intention of stationing troops or colonists in the land. The entire affair had been an act of revenge, one which led to long feelings of bitterness between the two nations.

The difficulties for the wood elves were only just beginning however. Some years later a warhost of lizardmen from Cuitlaxaochitzin arrived in Arnar, having made a perlious overland journey from their home. This took a long time, and the Slann decided they would need a fleet to carry the armies of their realm, recognising they could not rely on the Ogres to fight all their wars for them.

In 172PC the Lizardmen arrived in Arnar and demanded to know why their Ogre allies had been ambushed in 143PC, and they also questioned the wood elves as to why they had been warring with the High Elves of Mellvellon. Neither query got a satisfactory answer and, enraged by the Lizardmen army on their doorstep the Wood Elves marched out to meet the host of Cuitlaxaochitzin. Once again however the gods did not smile on the land of the Quiet Glade and the Slaan's army resisted the most powerful attacks from tree-kin and glade riders. More Arnarian elves were slain and the lords of the wood elf realm were forced to call a truce.

The Lizardmen were compensated and forced the wood elves to declare their alliegance to the two "powers of light", Cuitlaxaochitzin and Mellvellon. The wood elves agreed, though more in order to rid themsleves of more unwanted attention from meddlesome outsiders. These two events, known as the War of Light, improved relations between the High Elves and Lizardmen, powerful "book end" nations at each end of the northern Palurin continent, while the Wood Elves of Arnar became ever suspicious and mistrustful of any other kingdom, whoever they worshipped and whatever values they held.