Adapted from OPR- Age of Fantasy- Wood Elves
One of my FLGS is hosting an escalation campaign for One Page Rules. From Monday nights until July, we steadily build warbands into armies of 3000 points. Having recently received an FDM printer for Christmas, I’ve been eagerly building my forces to participate.
The Heartwood Defenders are a global faction on Tyria that represents the typical depictions of Wood Elves in fantasy fiction. They are explicitly accounted for in the Age of Fantasy Wood Elves Army book. While hardly a cultural monolith, the sub-factions of the Heartwood each take on the unique aspects of their home glades.
Heartwood Defenders Faction
Wood Elves live in harmony with the forest and the magical beings within. Although lightly armored, they can move quickly and strike at foes from far away while relying on the trees to slow their enemies. Over the centuries, Wood Elves have been betrayed by outsiders and even their kin, who have cut away at the edges of the forest. Now, they look on outsiders and new ideas with suspicion, unwilling to bend in their traditions, even as their forests continue shrinking and the world threatens to leave them behind.
The ancestors of the Wood Elves migrated to the Heartwoods to find a new home, as human tribes had begun to encroach on their ancestral lands. Here, they met the Treelords, powerful beings who dwelt in the Heartwoods. The two forged a pact: The Elves would protect and nurture the forest, never harming it without need, and in exchange, the Treelords would protect and provide for them.
When Humans arrived at the forest's edge, they cleared land for farming and cut trees for fuel. Together, the Elves and Treelords drove the humans back, though they held onto the land they had cleared. While many Elves viewed the humans and their ways with distrust, others learned from their foes, taking metal weapons and tools from them and even began trading with them. They called themselves High Elves, as they built stone towers and carved out Kingdoms in the Heartwoods, claiming the forest lands for themselves. The remaining Wood Elves and their allied Treelords fought back against their former kin.
The Wood Elves won a costly victory, exiling the High Elves and leaving their old towers to rot. They renewed their pacts and clung closely to their traditions, distrusting anyone who strayed from them. Thus, the Wood Elves remained isolated for centuries, maintaining their old ways of life until the Havoc Gods arrived.
The followers of the Havoc Gods raided the forests, taking lumber for their weapons of war, and burning what they did not need. The Wood Elves fought desperately to drive them back, but it was soon apparent that their enemies were too many. So, when the High Elves offered an alliance, the Wood Elves reluctantly accepted it. This alliance quickly grew, and the Wood Elves conceded large parts of their forest to give their allies lumber for weapons, ships, and fortifications.
Yet when victory came, the Wood Elves had little to show for it, as their former allies claimed the land where the woods had once been, and some even sought to encroach further. Now, the Wood Elves fiercely guard what remains, but the forest continues shrinking each year. Even some Treelords believe their days are numbered as the forest shrinks.
History
Early Elves
Initially, the Elves lived as hunter-gatherers in the grasslands of Tyria. As the Humans developed farming and began to spread over the central plains, the Elven people were forced to migrate away. Most fled into the vast and ancient Heartwood forest. The Elves met the Treelords already living there. To avoid conflict, the two sides made several pacts that defined their way of life until the present day. The Elves vowed never to cut a healthy tree or destroy the land by mining or cutting, while the Treelords taught them magic and forest secrets.
Outside Threats
When Humans arrived at the forest's edge, they cleared land for farming and cut trees for fuel. Together, the Elves and Treelords drove the humans back, though they held onto the land they had cleared.
Internal Tension
Some of the Elves who fought against the Humans looked jealously at Humanity’s wealth and comfort. They wished to learn and adapt their ways to live more like humans. These Elves called themselves the High Elves. They traded for metal, made farms, and built towers like the Human Kingdoms.
War of the Elves
As the High Elves grew in power, they began to resent the pacts and look down on those who wished to live in harmony with the forest. They claimed more and more of the woods, clearing more land and breaking more pacts. The other Elves and Treelords soon started to fight back. This escalated into a long civil war, which destroyed many parts of the forest.
A Divided People
The Wood Elves won a costly victory, exiling the High Elves and leaving their old towers to fall to ruin. The Wood Elves renewed their pacts and clung closely to their traditions, distrusting any who strayed from them as the High Elves.
Havoc Wars
The Wood Elves remained isolated for a long time until the Havoc Gods arrived in Tyria. Their followers proved too powerful to defeat and burned much of the forest. Bitterly, the Wood Elves accepted the help of the High Elves. They allied with the High Elves and others, allowing large parts of the forest to be cut down.
Friendship
After defeating Havoc, their former allies claimed the land where the woods had once been. The forest has shrunk over the centuries, and outsiders are still trying to cut down more and more.
Outlook
The Wood Elves fiercely guard what remains, but the woods continue shrinking each year. New ideas are looked on with suspicion, as the Wood Elves fear repeating the mistakes of the High Elves. Even some Treelords believe their days are numbered as the forest shrinks.
Society
The Wood Elves are deeply dedicated to the Heartwood. Everything about their way of life revolves around protecting the health and safety of the forest. However, this is a slow, losing battle. Outsiders, hungry for timber and land, have been eroding the Heartwood's borders for centuries. This, in turn, has made the Wood Elf society harden, becoming more conservative and defensive.
The Peoples of the Forest
The Wood Elves are deeply attached to the forests and their people; most feel closer to a Treelord or beetle than to other Elves who dwell outside. The Heartwood is an incredibly ancient forest with magical origins. The Forest has a spirit that floats in the air like pollen; the Treelord is its purest embodiment, vegetal matter inhabited by the spirit. Spell weaving is based on communing with this spirit, and after generations of practicing it, the Elves’ nature has been subtly but fundamentally altered by it. Other Forest creatures (like insects and animals) also share this connection, which allows all these species to collaborate and communicate.
The Elders of the Forest
Like trees are deep-rooted and slowing, Wood Elf society is slow to move and change. Their traditions are carefully preserved, and few decisions are taken that break from them without good reason, and even then, only after significant meetings and debates. While there is no formal rulership over their people, elders are revered and tied to their territory. The larger the decision, the more elders to consult. Old elves or Elf-spirits, moss-covered Treelords, ancient beetles with their rocky carapace… each of them might be the warden of a spring, a clearing, or a grove. Of course, anyone is free to do what they wish, but many a young hotheaded elf paid a harsh price for doing something daring without consulting the local elders.
The Gods of the Forest
The Wood Elves primarily worship three gods: the Owl God, the Beetle God, and the Steer God. In their beliefs, these gods are children or facets of the Heartwood spirit. They are primordial forces that dwell in the darkest reaches of the forest. One can invoke their protection or ask for their help through prayer and magic, but they are wild, untamed spirits that are never entirely predictable. In times of need, they may manifest as an avatar to aid the Wood Elves in battle. Even for an experienced elf, encountering a God’s avatar in the depths of the woods can be a terrifying experience.
Cities of Living Wood
Wood Elves reject the tenets of civilization that are at odds with the Heartwoods, dwelling in settlements of living trees that they have shaped and existing in perfect harmony with the wider forest. They may sleep in the vast branches of giant trees, under enormous roots, in caves, or on a bed of leaves. Over the years, as their connection to the Heartwood grew, the forest changed to accommodate its new protectors. There are many cozy nooks and crannies, secluded clearings with soft grass, and nests of vines suspended above the ground. Of course, the Elves have excellent survival skills and can easily fashion shelters from dead wood, but they only do it when traveling outside the Heartwood; within it they know there’s always a good spot nearby. The Treelords and other dryads can simply plant themselves anywhere.
Similarly, Elves do not use metal but only natural materials: pelt, wood, stone, bone, insect carapace, hair, grass, and leaves… Many of their wooden objects are shaped not by carving the wood but by using magic to make branches grow into the desired shape. Most Elves are skilled in crafting, and their priests and druids can use magic to help with more complex tasks.
A Wild People
While the Wood Elves take great care of the forest, they are not simply peaceful guardians of harmony. The forest has a feral, violent side. Elves hunt animals for food and sometimes for sport. They can fight amongst themselves over a kill or because of a disagreement. They see violence as a necessary part of life, a sign of vitality. The Treelords mostly feed on the humus and rotting organic matter of the forest ground, but they still attack intruders, or those they feel have disrespected them.
Secrets in the Woods
The Wood Elves' home in the Heartwood is past its prime, but it is still immense; one can travel for weeks from branch to branch without ever touching the ground. The forest has swallowed back High Elven territories abandoned during the great Civil War, and these overgrown ruins sometimes hide forgotten treasures. In other deeper places, one can find stone statues and ruins of older, unknown civilizations. The deepest parts of the Heartwood are damp, cold, and lightless, frightening even the elves and the young Treelords. Ancient things dwell there, and the murmur of the Heartwood spirit can be heard clear as day.
The Old Ways
The Rift's opening was a disturbing event for the Wood Elves. The ground shifted, and many trees and ancient pathways in the Heartwood were disturbed or harmed. It also revealed several Voidgates which were previously hidden in the undergrowth. Wood Elves are split on whether these newly revealed Voidgates offer the chance to raid enemies and travel or whether they are too much of a risk and should be sealed. Rumors say that in the deepest parts of the Heartwood, giant trees have their roots going into Voidgates and that the forest may be far wider than suspected, extending into other planes. These parts are hard to access, and many dismiss the rumors outright. But as the pressure increases on the edges of the Heartwood, some of the youngest elves are starting to see this as potential hope for the future.
Ancestries of the Heartwoods
Dryads
As the Heartwood is receding and wounded, the number of Treelords has dwindled over the years. The Elves have resorted to alternate, faster methods to shore up their forces. They create Dryads, constructs in the effigy of mythical creatures that they infuse with the Heartwood spirit. They also offer their own lives; dying elves go into enchanted cocoons that slowly morph into creatures animated by the Elf’s soul.
Treelords
Powerful beings who dwell in the Heartwoods, Treelords are the purest embodiment of the Heartwood spirit, vegetal matter inhabited by the spirit.
Wood Elves
As ancient people, the Elves have seen great change and have a perspective that can only come from watching the arc of history. After leaving the world in ancient times, they returned to a changed land, and they still struggle to reclaim their ancestral homes, most notably from terrible demons that have invaded parts of their lands. To some, the elves are objects of awe—graceful and beautiful, with immense talent and knowledge. However, the elves place far more importance on personal freedom than on living up to these ideals.
Creatures of the Heartwoods
Great Owls
Great Owls are seen as messengers of the gods, protectors of the forest, and symbols of wisdom and guidance. Their presence could be interpreted as a sign of good fortune or a warning of impending danger. The Wood Elves might have rituals or traditions that involve interacting with Great Owls, such as leaving offerings, seeking their advice, and interpreting their calls and behaviors.
Scourfloor Beetles
Scourfloor Beetles are forest scavengers; they aid in reabsorbing fallen trees, deceased animals, and forest waste into the Heatwood’s ecosystem. They symbolize the natural cycle of life and death, representing the forest's ability to renew itself. The Defenders view them as diligent workers, ensuring the forest's health by breaking down and recycling organic matter. They even have practical uses for the beetles, such as using their shells for crafting and their secretions for medicinal purposes.
Factions of the Heartwood
Grimfire Grove
Once residing in a lush verdant grove on the southwestern flank of the Heartwood. The defenders that would become the Grimfire Coven allowed a clan of goblins to take sanctuary under their canopy. For their mercy, a contingent of Humans and High Elves set the grove to the torch. The days followed were marked by the screeches of animals and cries of goblins, elves, and dryads as the grove burned away. In the aftermath, the survivors of the conflagration surveyed the smoking ruin, many bearing the blackened scars of the burn. Instead of stamping out the remaining embers, these defenders pulled the fire of their destruction into themselves. Fostering the rage of their betrayal as a sacred rite that binds them together in a renewed coven.
The Grimfire Grove faction embodies the fury of the betrayed. Their home was ravaged by fire, leaving them scarred and vengeful. They harness the destructive power of the blaze that nearly destroyed them, wielding it against those who threaten their forest home. Theirs is a relentless pursuit of vengeance, fueled by the flames of their past and the burning desire to protect what remains of their beloved grove.
Rootmire Conclave
Hidden deep within the murky depths of the Heartwood lies the Rootmire, home to those who have embraced the inevitable cycle of death, decay, and rebirth. Their home is a sprawling marsh shrouded by the towering trees of the greater Heartwood and veiled from outsiders' prying eyes. The air hangs heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying vegetation, a testament to the Conclave's reverence for the transformative power of death.
The Rootmire Dryads are deeply connected to the wild creatures inhabiting their marshy domain. They see beauty in the grotesque and value the untamed spirit of the natural world. This kinship extends to certain clans of beastmen and plague demons, whom they consider allies in their mission to protect the wild places of Tyria. These unlikely alliances testify to the Conclave's belief that all life, no matter how reviled, has a role in the grand scheme of nature.
While other Heartwood Defenders may view death with fear or sorrow, the Rootmire Conclave sees it as an integral part of the life cycle. They understand that death is not an ending but a transformation, a necessary step in the continuous renewal of the forest. This acceptance of mortality allows them to harness the power of decay, using it to nurture new life and maintain the delicate balance of their marshland home.
Sunlit Canopy Guardians
The Canopy Guardians reside in the uppermost reaches of the Heartwood, where sunlight is abundant. They foster a close connection to birds and flying creatures, and their magic focuses on light and life energy. Compared to other Heartwood factions, they tend to be more open to outsiders and new ideas.
Deeproot Wardens
Hidden in the subterranean depths of the Heartwood, among the roots and caverns, the Deeproot Wardens have a close connection to the earth and its creatures. Their magic is focused on earth and stone, and they can be insular and protective of the Heartwood's hidden secrets.
Wild Hunt
This faction comprises skilled hunters and trackers who roam the Heartwood, protecting it from threats and maintaining the balance of nature. They are rumored to have a close connection to the forest's animals and can shapeshift into animal forms. They tend to be fiercely independent and wary of outsiders.
Key Features
Heartwood Bond: Heartwood Defenders have an innate connection to the forest, which grants them bonuses when fighting within its boundaries or near ancient trees.
Nature's Wrath: Their magic is intertwined with the primal forces of nature. They can call upon the fury of storms, the strength of earthquakes, or the entangling grasp of roots to defend their home.
Guardians of the Glades: Each sub-faction has a unique bond with a specific aspect of the forest (e.g., sunlit canopies, murky marshes, or ancient groves). This could manifest as unique abilities or units.
Shapeshifting: Certain Heartwood Defenders, especially those of the Wild Hunt, can temporarily assume the forms of forest creatures, gaining their abilities and attributes.
Living Armor: Their connection to nature allows them to craft living armor and weapons from the trees and plants of the Heartwood, which provides them with unique protection and regenerative abilities.
Secrets of the Heartwood
Hidden Pathways: The Heartwood contains ancient, hidden pathways known only to the Wood Elves, allowing them to move swiftly and unseen through the forest. Illusions may conceal these paths, revealed only through specific rituals, or guarded by powerful forest spirits.
Lost Grove of the Ancients: Deep within the Heartwood lies a hidden grove untouched by time, where ancient trees and mythical creatures still dwell. This grove may hold the key to powerful magic or forgotten knowledge.
The Heartwood's Voice: Certain Wood Elves may be able to access the collective consciousness of the Heartwood, granting them visions of the past, present, and future. This connection could be used to warn of impending threats, reveal hidden truths, or guide the faction's actions.
Pact with the Wild: The Wood Elves' pact with the Treelords may have more profound implications than initially revealed. It may grant them unique abilities, ties their fate to the forest's health, or require them to uphold specific duties to maintain the balance of nature.
Fallen Elves: Some Wood Elves who stray too far from their connection to nature may become corrupted, transforming into monstrous creatures known as Fallen Elves. These beings may lurk within the shadows of the Heartwood, posing a threat to both the Wood Elves and outsiders.
Adventurer Hooks
Investigate the Spread of a Strange Blight: A mysterious blight affects the Heartwood, causing trees to wither and animals to fall ill. The Heartwood Defenders must find the source of the blight and stop it before it spreads further.
Defend the Heartwood from Outsiders: A group of loggers or poachers has entered the Heartwood, threatening its delicate balance. The Heartwood Defenders must drive them out and protect the forest from harm.
Recover a Stolen Relic: A sacred artifact has been stolen from a Heartwood shrine. The Heartwood Defenders must track down the thieves and recover the relic before it's lost forever.
Explore Ancient Ruins: The Heartwood has discovered the ruins of an ancient civilization. The Heartwood Defenders must explore the ruins, uncover their secrets, and protect them from those who would exploit them.
Negotiate with a Rival Faction: Tensions are rising between the Heartwood Defenders and a neighboring faction. The Heartwood Defenders must find a way to negotiate a peaceful resolution and prevent a war.
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