Chapter 3 . The Laford Fires

In the far north of Cylinder, a thousand miles east of Draconia, a wood elf in reverie basks in the warmth of the first moments of the sunrise. Sitting in a bed of flowers in a circle of trees that offered the quiet the forest denied, the wood elf meditated. Visions dance through his mind of gods and existences of pure happiness, memories of nature spirits, and lives as beasts and things hard to explain, or even experience. He struggles to control the visions, Aiero Dejackalope was 30, he is a child from the perspective of the elves and has just begun revery which he will do daily for the next 900 years. Meditating is hard for him so his father helped sculpt this small hideaway for better concentration. Birds were chirping. The sounds of the morning are creeping through the dense circle of oaks. Bees and butterflies carry through the garden of wildflowers as the dew starts to catch the sunrise filling the meditation cove with sparkles of light. Aiero loses focus and again finds visions. Then, he feels a presence in the garden with him. Peaking through one eye, he sees small flowers and petals lifting upwards. The twinkles of the dewdrops coalesce with lifting flowers and loose peddles into a shapely form. Arms extend from the form seeming to stretch into existence in the sunlight and smile down at Aiero before popping sending small peddles everywhere. Aiero, now completely distracted, stands up and looks around through the falling peddles for his newfound friend.

Looking for another abjuration, but instead, a woman stands behind Aiero surprising him and he trips backward. The naked woman floats the peddles twirling with her. Long green hair filled with thousands of tiny white flowers lift and wrap around her as she appears almost weightless swimming in the golden sunlight. “Hello?” Aiero reaches out a hand towards the woman still stunned by her beauty and otherworldly appearance. Her skin seemed to radiate the sunrise she almost seemed a part of. The entire meditation grove seemed to glow with her and the flowers bloomed around her. Fine tattoos of runes and shifting imagery run from her slender shoulders to her thick waist. Her gaze reaches out to Aiero who pulls back his hand when she looks at him. Her eyes, they seem to grow projecting a magical seduction pulling him in, he finds it hard to meet her stare which locks on him. His heart is racing. He looks down feeling blinded needing to look away. A hand on his chin then lifts his view past her naked body suddenly hovering weightless above him. He slides backward afraid and she moves closer, her breasts rub against his stomach, her thighs press around his legs as her hand runs down his arm. Face to face she holds his cheek with her other hand peering into the wood elf, her eyes like pools of magic shifting in color mesmerizing Aiero and she pulls him still closer her body pressing against him. With a kiss, the exhilaration lifts him off the ground lightning shooting through his limbs as he reaches out for her body. The two of them drift in the morning light as Aiero’s mind goes blank in passion and a vision of fire and death overtakes him. Wood elves screaming as the forest burns, the air is choked of all oxygen, Aiero looks around seeing his family in torn pieces around him, his sisters burning alive as they call out for him reaching from a wall of flames. “Aiero!! AIERO!!!”, and then he is back. Sitting on the patch of flowers he looks around in a panic. Nothing has changed. No one is there. Was it a dream? 

“You alright?”, Aiero’s older brother sticks his head around the corner of the wall of trees. “I heard something.” Theirid, Aiero’s half brother, is a full 10 years older, though this almost made them twins from the perspective of an elf. Aiero’s father, Conrd Dejackalope, was a natural engineer and powerful druid from a prestigious family and had raised the two boys alone. Theirid could tell something had happened to Aiero. He had a panic in his eyes. Theirid smiled, “What happened, you ok?”

Aiero didn’t have the words. Taking a moment to collect himself he started from the beginning. “Something just appeared.”

“Like a boar?” Theirid was confused but still Aiero’s older brother. He took a personal interest in instructing Aiero with his 10 years of additional experience being 40. Though also a child in the eyes of the elves.

“No, like tits and magic and visions.”

“Wait did you see a Nimph?! They are nature spirits, manifestations of pure beauty.” 

“Yes! It was amazing, she kissed me, I had my hands on her body and she showed me something, I saw..”

“STOP.” Theirid sticks out his hand hushing Aiero. “ You are supposed to speak directly to a chief or it might not come true, if you tell anyone you could get in trouble because it could change the future you saw.”

“No, you don’t understand, I saw,”

“STOP!!” Theirid puts his hand on Aeiro’s mouth, “Go directly to Dad. Don't talk to anyone about this. This is important, you don’t know this yet but this is really important.”

The colossal pines of the Laford forest were hardy and well cared for by the wood elves. The oldest of them was a thousand years old, set down by the Dejackalope family. The elves expand their territory across the largely rocky grassland creating a rich and diverse ecosystem out of the barren terrain. Elven rituals to summon earth elementals to inhabit large swashes of land are used to pull aside creating tiered depressions in the hillside. A foundation was then laid of rock and clay creating underground water basons that were filled with layers of various mycelium, insects, and natural fertilizers which were laid at specific depths while layer after layer of dirt and mulch were carefully stacked on top of the water basons. Trees are then transplanted and their roots are magically accelerated to create a net to hold it all together as the next layer is then placed going down the hillsides. Smaller plants are then placed meticulously and cultivated for the needs of the wood elf community. Food, medicine, and useable goods were planted and cultivated by the wood elves and naturally by the forests that they inhabit, this was all free and plentiful to everyone. Aeiro slept on the ground and had little to no possessions but also had never wanted for anything his whole life.

Rows of berry bushes line the forest pathways, and huge reindeer and snow gorillas eat and travel alongside the elves that cultivate the forests. Though the gorillas are aggressive towards outsiders, wood elves are a part of the forest and are accepted as friends by all beasts and creatures from the woods they are tied to. Aeiro pulls fist sized berries from the more protected part of the plant which leaves some for the wildlife to enjoy. This balance, giving to nature as much as you take, is a crucial part of being a wood elf. They do not own the ecosystem, they are a part of it. They do not take from the forest, they work together and are grateful and generous. Aeiro wears living clothing grown and weaved from living plants still in the ground, when he needs clothes he simply pulls up the plant and puts it on. Before the plant dries out too much or starves from lack of nutrients it will be planted and likely retended to so it can serve as clothing again, if not it will go feral and grow as intended. Aeiro walks past the living rope bridges and treetop houses used mostly for ceremonial and religious purposes. Inside clerics to nature gods and elven gods conduct business with druids and leaders from the forest communities. His father would be there though he knew he was a part of the new forest development.

Elephant caravans were being loaded in the central trading grasses. Very little commerce is conducted by the wood elves, personal wealth is a taboo, though as a community they trade in goods that are dispersed amongst everyone, other than that which is partitioned, kept, and used by those empowered by the Laford Forest wood elf circle.  Herbs and wild plants are being loaded to be hauled to Laford, the high elven city that trades with wood elves and sea elves. Several older community leaders oversee the trading, though wood elves don’t have systems of hierarchy as many would recognize it. Instead, ideas and evolving group discussions are communicated through the trees in a network of stored information and communication. Some can even travel through the trees to any tree that they have seen in the past. Hierarchy is largely a matter of those who are elevated in status in this collective thought exchange that can contain hundreds of thousands of wood elves localized to a specific forest. This “Woodway” was how the wood elves became so powerful and most see it as the true leader of their thousands of independent communities though it was a silent ruler, authority was a power of the masses and the Woodway gave them the ability to pass thoughts and vote on ideas. Leadership is a privilege won through ambition in a meritocracy giving power over others to individuals though always accountable to the will and needs of the whole. This system of government spread throughout the forests of the world and created a basis for their collaboration and prosperity. This has all made the wood elves the world's most powerful force in the war against the dragon empires. Conrd Dejackalope, Aiero’s father, was a powerful druid in the war, known throughout wood elf forces, though he was now retired on his family's land. 

Aiero sees his father at the edge of the forest surrounded by high elven soldiers. The wood elf laborers laughed as they picked at wild produce and passed around a bottle of wine their work at a standstill. Outside the forest construction area, dozens of elves in wizard robes draw marks on the ground using glittering white chalk dust in large ornate buckets. In the distance, he can see other groups around the valley doing the same. Each had wizards, campfires, and soldiers standing guard. It was a common spectacle, his sisters and many of their friends had gathered to see the soldiers and runic magic, the high elves were known for their military operations that would often border the forest. The elven general had been given orders to draw these huge runes specifically where the new development foundations were being laid. Conrd was angry. Several elves in shiny armor stand around him weapons drawn at the veteran. A high elf commander is yelling at the Conrd whose hands are outstretched towards the circle of wizards. Aiero calls out for his father just as Conrd causes vines to explode from the ground destroying the runic circle being built by the tree line entangling several wizards. He then explodes into a large bear just as the spears come for the druid his form expands pushing the spearman back. They find their purchase in the side of a massive bear that rears up and roars towering over the armored elves. A crashing paw crumples one of the warriors as the bear bites two of the spears in half. A spear in the back causes the bear to spin throwing the elf still holding by the staff just as two arrows bring down the beast. In a flash, the druid manifests unharmed throwing a fireball towards the source of the arrows as he transforms into a charging elephant bursting toward the treeline. The elves dive to the side to avoid, while firing more arrows that barely register with the huge animal. The directed charge lands hard into the hillside a moment before an elf glitters away in a teleportation spell. Turning toward another archer the elephant charges into another glittering teleportation. A sorcerer walking toward the fight calls out a warning to the soldiers while saving them from the raging druid.

“Save yourselves, Conrd Dejackalope is beyond you.” The high elf sorcerer wears long military robes. Around his waist, a dozen wands and magical items sit lightly next to alchemy pouches. Dondei Cilvice was a royal sorcerer from the high elven high family. He is nearly as well known as Conrd and the two are well acquainted with each other. The cultural differences between high elves and wood elves had caused a void between them as they pursued different agendas, but their common enemies had made them tolerate and work with each other if only out of necessity. This line had been crossed with the elven encampment which was more than Conrd could take. “May Corelleons grace fall upon us both brother.” The elf bows before the elephant on his way to the crumpled dead elf.

A hard scrape of Conrd’s tusk kicks up dust as he simultaneously transforms, shrinking instantly morphing back into himself. Snow gorillas of the forest begin gathering and stomping around in circles making a show of defense, the laborers stand by holding tools ready to fight though mostly trying not to get in the way. Wood elves were naturally peaceful but a millenia of war had changed them. A raise of Conrd’s hand silenced the readying gorillas. “This is what we get for fighting your battles and restoring your men! You have torn up trees of the Laford, what you have done is punishable by death!” The gorillas begin hooting feeling the threat in the conversation being almost as much a part of the wood elves as the trees.

“And you have killed. The debt has been paid and on behalf of the high elven military we are mortified and eternally sorry.” Dondei walks casually to the bloody smashed tin can of an elf mending the armor first, it smears body parts as it expands back into its original shape, then with the crushing of a diamond in a sparkle of light, the blood and body parts start to stitch themselves back together. Much of the body lies outside the armor so the spell compensates by magically creating flesh in a bright flash of light with the diamond and the elf snapps back to life breathing heavily and hugging the legs of Dondei. “They are just, stupid, Conrd. You know how it is. Don’t continue punishing them, you are making this very expensive.” Dondei lightly pets the head of the sobbing soldier clutching his knee, “There there, it’s ok, now stop it.”

Conrd didn’t like Dondei, he found him undisciplined. He had gained his powers and prestige by natural inheritance instead of study and effort. Dondei was the head of a high elven high family. He grew up with servants and owned large amounts of property and land. His family even did trade with the giants though this relationship had gone sour over the years. This trade and exponential gravitational wealth gave the Cilvice family the ability to fund armies and castles and great magical items that were crucial in the war even though the high elves were of a much smaller number both in military and population, they were a major player in the global war and had accomplished more than the sum of their parts. High elves and wood elves have philosophical issues that create a divide between them. In Dondei’s world, he is seen as someone to aspire to through hard work achieving privilege. Conrd was similarly seen as someone to aspire to in wood elf culture, though this was a goal that was rewarded without much privilege and ability. Instead, the rewards are for everyone instead of being hoarded for individual wealth. The wood elves tended to criticize the high elves as much as the high elves criticized the wood elves, it was merely a difference in philosophy between otherwise nearly identical races. This was a divide impossible to bridge or fix. And yet, they needed each other.

“I am the high speaker of this forest, you will answer me. What were you doing that you should scar the land outside your baron castles of stone?” Conrd spoke with the stern resolve of a captain accustomed to respect which Dondei seemed to respond to with levity and sarcasm. This, has for decades, infuriated Conrd. He had led groups of mounted wood elves, hundreds of thousands strong, against draconic forces in battles that have written history. He was given honors and a place of respect as a result of his centries of service and now sits as a leader of thousands. Dondei was a high lord who spent his time away from the front lines, powerful in his own right but quick to use others to achieve his means. He was also a leader of thousands but had done nothing to earn them. Their communication was always that of a warrior at work and a lord who had invested interest in the wars outcome donating soldiers before waiting for thanks.

“Making sure you were safe, ironically enough, but we will leave now if we are so unwanted.” Dondei clapped his hands at the group of high elven soldiers. High elven wizards, frantically trying to fix the vine riddled chalk runes, throw their arms up at the remark and begin yelling about the scale and expense of the work that they would be abandoning. Dondei laughs over their speaking and wipes the blood from his pant leg with a fine silk handkerchief. In Dondei’s experience titles are irrelevant and only results matter so he ridiculed the idea of status while also being one of the most powerful elves on Cylinder, and money and effort are just tools of power so he would waste them as he saw fit. In his opinion, the wood elven leaders tend to underperform held back by their own philosophies. They spend too much effort discussing and determining and they squander opportunities out of inaction, bureaucracy, and overblown ideas of minimalism. Instead of simply collecting and applying power to achieve what needs to be done. Dondei had financed and secretly instigated the fall of Draconia and the death of the Dreadless dynasty, as well as a few dozen others in a single act. He had commissioned spells that have turned the tides of the war. He was here because one such spell of divination that said a massive threat would overtake this valley so a field of capture was supposed to change things though this was all unlikely in Dondei’s opinion and a big waste of time. Dondei had “mixed results” working with divination specialists, like most, but this was an order from the highest authority given to his family that he would cover all possible outcomes that the diviners and sages said might happen if his plan were to fail, or to succeed in ways he was not expecting. “It’s fine. It’s not like anything is going to happen.”

As quickly as the words escaped his lips a sweeping darkness covered the area. Lightning started crashing from spontaneously forming thunderclouds that took over the sky. The booming and darkness of the clouds came a moment before the winds which took everyone by surprise. “Somethings happening!!” yelled Conrd pointing out the obvious. The snow gorillas and waiting elephants begin running away, a sign to the other wood elves to do the same. As the wood elf laborers scramble to gather their things they scatter objects on the floor, a glass bottle, soft grasses woven into a blanket tossed to the side, Aiero could feel his heart drop recognizing the scene. It was the same he had seen in the vision. Looking over at his father they lock eyes through the trees. Without a word, he can see the desperate terror in Aeiro’s eyes and Conrd turns to Dondei with a look of murderous blame, pointing a finger he yells “What did you do?”

“This wasn’t me,” Dondei yells over the howling winds mostly unheard as a roar drowns out the deafening thunder from within the spontaneous storm. The lightning forms a ball of fire that fills the sky pushing apart the clouds while the rolling storm grows darker. Wizards and soldiers scramble to their places as hot rain begins to fall carrying the smell of sulfur and death. Conrd weaves spells at the treeline summoning weapons and courage for the terrified animal protectors of the forest. Wizards yell to Dondei about how the runes are not ready just as a rune circle in the valley fire. A bright white light beams from the starlight chalk and elven cooperative magic, and then another, and another fire off with groups of wizards panicking and going early. “Fuck! FUCK!!” Dondei starts shuffling through his magical items on his person as Lucidiouser, the gargantuan monstrous dragon, forms from lightning in the ball of flame. An explosion pushes down trees at the forest edge and sends elven units flying around the valley, the roaring dragon covered in warrior draconians bursts into existence and falls from the sky. Humanoid draconian’s in magical armor leap from Lucidioucer plummeting toward the forest and valley as the dragon hits the ground in a meteoric crash throwing dirt into the air that overtakes the treeline, rocks and debris are thrown snapping limbs and pelting the screaming wood elves. Aeiro standing unsure of what to do looks as a draconian warrior drops from the sky crushing an elf in his landing, the black armored draconian stands 8 feet tall wielding a halberd axe, and leaps as if it weighed nothing at all. Its blade cleaving in half close friends and family as the winged dragon humanoid leaped from fleeing elf to elf. Aeiro watched helplessly stunned and surrounded by the sudden appearance of Draconia’s best and death incarnate out for revenge.

Hours ago Lucidiouser, finally awakened after the bloodbath of the dracorage, found he had largely leveled the city and killed everything that moved ending most of what was left of the old chromatic bloodlines. Lucidiouser, using a harness created by craftsmen across the multiverse at an expense hard to quantify named the God Sadle, communicated across the planet to his most loyal draconian generals and angry dragons wanting to decimate the elves after such a crippling blow. Teleporting in from across the planet to the God Sadle, the draconic force came to the call of the world's most powerful dragon wielding the might of a ten-thousand-year-old empire now lost and bloodthirsty. Lucidouser wrapped his body with his small loyal army and used a dragon's spell whose name doesn't translate to humanoid languages, which teleported himself and all mounted riders to the edge of the elven empire. Now awakening, Lucidouser rolls off his side the motion throwing dust into the air and pushing over trees. Such a large creature, his footfalls sink into the earth and he struggles to stand again. To those still alive on the ground it's as if the hillside stood up and a hurricane of dust overtook the bloodied forest as his wing lifted.

Dondei had a plan, not a good plan, but a plan. Lifting a sending stone to his mouth he speaks to the groups of wizards around the valley, “Target Lucideouser, not the Draconians. Create a perimeter and take cover, this whole place is about to be in flames! I have an idea of how to take the monster away from here, then it will be up to you and the druids to clean up the rest. Move it you wizbangs!” Three adult dragons fly overhead throwing fire and lightning to the encampments around the valley while staying out of range and letting the draconians take care of the fighting. The storm surrounding the area begins to circle throwing endless heat-lightning as the daylight penetrates the center of the dense clouds. The light reflected against their magical shield walls already in place. The elven soldiers and wizards work in tandem repelling the dragon and draconian onslaught but struggle against the overwhelming force. The armored elves are an equal to the draconian's agility but not their strength, they rush forward just to be pushed back to the wizards behind magical fortifications already fighting back with acid and lightning and preparing for the coming flames. The traditional high elven “Wizbang” unit consisted of mostly wizards, clerics, sorcerers, alchemists, and artificers in a tight magically defended bubble with few foot soldiers and archers for support, these had their weaknesses but played to the high elves' strengths and were scaleable and versatile. Dondei knew he didn't have long, he had 3 uses on his teleportation amulet, but that wouldn't work on Lucideouser, for that, he would have to use the God Saddle itself. He wasn't sure, but he was pretty sure he could activate it. Unfortunately he never actually read the reports on how to use it, just on how much it was worth if they were able to acquire it, but he was a master of winging it and was confident he could figure it out.

A ways behind the treeline, the forest rises to the call of defense and the message sent through the webway for aid. Bellowing elephants charge the treeline toward the attacking draconians just to be cut down with little effort by magical blades. Gorillas, reindeer, and all manner of small creatures run forward into the fires just to be cut down as quickly as they come, but as the view of Lucidiouser rose from the dust a draconic fear overtook their conditioning and the forest began to retreat again. Conrd had never seen the great dragon general himself but had heard stories like most elves of that time. The standing Lucideousers face was too high to reach with a sufficient attack so he would have to fly. The lumbering form had a shoulder in the ground the leg buried under the hillside the hard ground acting like soft mud to such a creature. Conrd, his body instantly shrinking into a falcon, begins franticly flying upwards trying to get to the neck or some other vital portion to see if he could deal damage to such a creature but had to climb hundreds of feet to do so. From up high his forest was already becoming a battlefield. Explosions and fires litter the fresh treeline. A moment of irritation at the realization of all his hard work being lost made Conrd run into the huge red dragon scales each like 30-foot shields of old beaded iron of an old forge. Conrd adjusts and focuses as the scales at the base of the chest begin to glow hot, the gargantuan beast lifts its long neck a deafening roar accompanied by the rising tide of flames. “NOOO!” Conrd, changing back into his humanoid form, glave in hand strikes at the kneck infusing his weapon with druidic explosive power, the blast opens a weak point to the esophagus which ruptures with a flamming torrent that engulfs Conrd throwing him towards the ground. Lucideousers flames fall like a blanket across the forest just as the blast causes him to turn. As the forests turn to a hellscape the armored draconian warriors, magically unaffected by the fires, roar in praise of their leader.

Everything was burning, Aiero couldn’t breathe. It was midday but it was so dark he couldn’t tell which direction was the edge of the forest. Burning limbs are falling all around him, his eyes burn but he must move. He stumbles into a body its limbs severed and head decapitated staring back at Aiero. He tries to scream but his voice is gone, scorched by the hot air and choking smoke. He hears voices, holding the head of his dear friend, he turns to see a wall of flames reaching out for him. His dear half sisters reach out through the fire calling his name crawling in agony, “Aeiro! Aeiro!”, just as a spear cuts through their heads falling like flaming dolls. Fire given form floats above the bodies, horns glowing and massive wings extended swirling the billowing flames with a slow hovering beating. Pointing his spear at Aeiro the draconian leaps toward him with a quick finishing blow. The blade finds purchase in a wooden shield of twisted vines as a huge, relatively speaking, wood elf warrior misty steps between them to guard Aireo. A quarterstaff of black and red branches swings from the side of the shield catching the hilt of the blade and growing around the gauntlet of the draconian still in flames. The draconian swings his blade with the wood elf still attached and hovering in the air. Crashing down the flailing woodelf, the draconian beats his sword trying to detach the shield and staff growing up his armor. Lightning shoots from the smoke hitting the draconian who is flung to the ground with the blast. An old wood elf surrounded by birds and insects emerges from the darkness with glowing eyes casting spells while moving on a mass of bugs and small beasts. Behind him, dozens of other wood elves begin emerging from the trees, and smoke coming from a quarter mile behind the woodline teleporting in through the trees after the call for aid was sent through the Woodway. Hails of arrows begin driving back the draconians who move towards Lucideouser already healed from Conrd’s attack seconds after the deadly shot. 

Dondei appeared too late to catch Conrd, a wave of his hand and sparkling cucumber fizzy water falls putting out the flames. “Sorry, no time to explain.” Placing a hand on Conrd and another on his teleportation amulet he speaks a word of activation and they appear on the back of Lucidiouser. The two of them are instantly thrown as the dragon thrashes back and forth at the incoming attacks while readying to breathe flames on the valley again. Dragons overhead dive toward Conrd and Dondei who are in midair after failing to grab hold of the saddle. Dondei fires a bolt of lightning at the closest red dragon while Conrd transforms into a giant eagle grabbing Dondei and narrowly rolling to avoid the incoming attacks from the dragons defending Lucideouser. Dondei points toward the huge saddle horn. “Take me to the helm!” Conrad dives toward the saddle as wood elf druids begin their assault on the guarding red dragons distracting them just in time. Landing with a crash Conrd transforms back into himself rolling across the saddle and taking the brunt of the impact. Dondei, clutching his ankle, cries out in pain. Taking a small ampule from his robe he cracks off the glass top and downs the liquid, his ankle instantly healing. A blast of fire rises in the great dragon as the saddle pitches backward. Conrd looks at Dondei realizing there is no time, and he grabs him and throws him to the saddle horn without warning. Dondei smashes into the 30ft magical structure. Like gargantuan ivory and covered with intricate runic carvings the huge saddle horn called out to Dondei just a moment before he bounced off from the hard impact. Lucidiouser glows red with the rising fire, stomping its right foot into the ground and aiming down toward the forest, the dragon let loose his breath with enough force to rip whole trees that incinerate in the torrential blast leaving nothing but beaded glass and a megaton explosion rippling out in all directions. His hand now finally on the horn Dondei speaks a word of activation and clouds in all directions are lit up with lightning as a sphere grows around Lucidiouser pushing away his dragon guard and obliterating an enveloped wizbang.

“Where are we going?” Yelled Conrd over the thunderous lightning holding onto the saddle. Lucidiouser began thrashing as his massive body began lifting into the air roaring in frustration his flames were caught by the magical sphere rising and filling with flames. Dondei, Surrounded by fire and lightning smiles at Conrd. “Somewhere he’ll do some good!”