"Elves of the Northern Vale" A Tundrawolf Story

The Land of Plenty

     The long time away from their homeland changed both of the Esari tribes and they were much different once they came out of their caves and returned back to their ancient lands. The ones that had gone south had grown much larger in size so they could defend themselves from the many predators about and the rising threat of man. They learned to ride the sturdy and swift Mongol horses and became a warrior race. These tribes of Esari were called the Warrior Caste once they eventually returned to their ancient homeland.

     The Esari that stayed and went underground also grew larger, but not as large as their brethren in the south lands. The warrior Esari grew to around five feet tall where the cave dwelling Esari between three and four feet tall. What mostly changed in the underground Esari were their eyes. They grew larger in their heads, almost twice the size of normal, and they gained the ability to see in the dark and watch the movements of the hot and cold air waves throughout the caverns. They had no need of torches to hunt in the tunnels or fish in the streams and pools beneath the earth.

     When these Esari emerged from the caves and once again began growing their beloved gossamar trees they dreamed of flying the skies as their ancestors had done before them on the backs of the Red Wing Hawks that were returning to the land. The big birds were some of the largest in the land, standing taller than the little people. Even so, no longer could they take the Esari into the air, for they had grown too much. But the Esari, a very clever people, will work hard to devise a way to get what they want. Eventually, after the gossamars had grown a generation, the Esari learned how to make gliders from the strong, light wood they harvested from the trees and the fabric they wove from the silk around the gossamar seeds. The little Esari could once again sail the skies along with their friends the Red Wing Hawks. With their large farseeing eyes they could see the hot and cold air movements and ride their gliders high on the thermals for days on end if they wanted to. They sailed all about the Wolf Lands, observing and being warriors from the air when needed. They were called the Flier Caste.

     The Elves also befriended the race of people known as the Sea Lords. They numbered few before the Ice keeping mostly to the sea and survived the freeze by sailing away to warmer waters around lands unknown. Once the Fell Ice retreated and the land became livable again the Sea Lords returned and built their shining castles out of the silver and crystal that they treasured so much.  They built their fortresses along the coasts of the cold northern lands in hidden coves along the Northern Sea. The Sea Lords were most akin to the Elves in stature and stance but they used a different form of the White Magic and their only desire was to sail the immense oceans of the world exploring far off places. The Western Tribes of Elves that lived in the Western Vale that overlooked the Northern Sea took interest and learned the ways of the Sea Lords. They built swift ships to sail the seas in, they just did not travel quite as far.

     There were many tribes of Giants about the land well before the time of the last battle of the Fell Ice and Sun. They lived in the grand caves that bordered the lands of the Elves. Most of the Giants resided in the caves that were formed along the southeastern corner of the Elven Realm when the world was young. What are now called the Ironore Mountain Range collided with the tallest mountains on earth, the Tallspine Mountains, creating miles and miles of vast and beautiful caves. After thousands upon thousands of turns as the earth settled and water trickled and ran through the caves they had become a wondrous marvel to look upon. When the Giants were a young race they traveled to the caves, almost as if being called to them. They named them the Glittering Caverns, or 'Qrezurst Vretgand' as the Giants called them, and the grottos provided them with everything they needed. They would stay in their caves turns on end never seeing the light of day as they explored their way through the mountains making great homes and cities in the volumeous caverns throughout.