When the world was young in the ages before the existence of man and a time long before the Fell Ice the mighty powers of the White Magic and the Black Magic made war on each other for dominance of the earth. They floated along the ground as specters in the form of billowing clouds huge in size and almost solid in form. Amongst their many abilities they were able to change anything they touched as they rolled across the lands. Epic battles raged on every part of the globe as the two forces fought for control with neither having the power to destroy the other, only the strength to eventually banish the other away.

In that time the White Magic formed Elven-kind to fight as its soldiers against the darkness. They were made as a warrior race, much different from the Elves of today and had but only one purpose, to fight the minions of the Black Magic. They battled the fire wryms that came out of the earth from caves that led down deep to the molten bowels of the under ground. They fought tides of evil black warriors that rose out of the seas, monsters in the shape of men that tried to wipe the White Magic off the earth. The Elves, carrying sharp swords and wearing heavy armor, also fought waves of beings that came down from the stars in bright metal ships. Beings with hearts as dark as that of the Black Magic, whose call they came to answer.

For thousands upon thousands of turns the Elves fought for the White Magic. They battled everything the Black Magic could compel down from the heavens or create from the earth, sea and fire. Many of the battles they lost, but many more they won, always with the White Magic at their side. Mages were born, Elves gifted in the use of the White Magic, that were able to bring down terrible destruction upon their enemies. For many a millennia the Elves fought until finally the Black Magic was subdued and stowed away to the dark places of the earth. The Black magic was not defeated, only weakened, and still able to create evil havoc upon the world.

The first wave of the Fell Ice came upon the world as a friend and ally to the White Magic, the Elves and all the creatures of the lands. It came with a promise to lock away the Black Magic deep in the bowels of the earth with the power of its mighty glaciers. A promise to wipe the world clean of its foul stench with the strength of its eternal cold.

Almost too late did the White Magic see the deception of the Fell Ice as it slowly crept to cover the whole of the world in its icy grip. The White Magic called upon the Sun to aid in stopping the Ice before the globe was completely covered in it's freezing embrace and all life was destroyed. The Sun came to the aid of the world and after thousands of turns beat back the Fell Ice saving the earth and all that lived upon it from certain death. The only good thing that came from the first freeze was the entombment of the Black Magic deep under the earth. It was never to be seen again for many, many ages.

The White Magic was much weakened after the millennia upon millennia of war across the earth and became much less of a force upon the world. It was reduced to a white mist floating through the lands where once powerful white clouds of magic stormed. But the White Magic still held power and still had much influence on the earth and the many races it watched over.

The Elves had grown into a race of great warriors and wise Battle Mages and were left with no one to fight once the Black Magic became imprisoned deep within the earth and the Fell Ice retreated back to the top of the world. The White Magic rewarded the Elves for their thousands of turns of service and their many heartbreaking sacrifices in their fight against the darkness that had threatened every living thing. It gave the Elves peace in their hearts without taking away their skills as warriors. It bestowed on them long life immortal so they could see the fruits of their labors as a new world of beauty blossomed around them. And it infused in them a part of itself to every Elf that lived and to every Elf that was to be born. The White Magic resided within each and every one making them the most powerful of the magical beings that lived upon the earth.

In the time before man invaded the lands four tribes of Elves came down from their hidden Vales and mingled together to form one large kingdom. They made their home in a huge valley of the north lands that they called 'Al Serin il al Sharan', The Valley of the Sun, in honor of the mighty force that had saved them from the Fell Ice. It was the land that men now call the Wolf Lands. The great Elven Realm stood for thousands of turns until the last attack of the Fell Ice.

The Valley of the Sun was bordered on the south by the Ironore Mountains, named so because of the rich amounts of ore that ran through the humble range. The summits of the Ironores did not tower high in the sky like other mountain ranges, but their chain was long, stretching from the Shimmering Sea in the west to run into the Tallspine Mountains in the east. They were a range of cliffs, peaks and thick forests that created a barrier from the lands of men that lay to the south. Only the Elves knew the hidden ways of the few passes that led over the mountains and into the lands where man was becoming more prevalent.

The Tallspine Mountains lined the eastern border of the Elven Realm. The huge mountain range started as low lying hills deep in the south-lands beyond the Ironores. They grew into the tallest mountains in the world as the chain made its way up north to the top of the world. In the turns before the Fell Ice attacked from the north their peaks and summits rose so high in the sky they were very rarely seen as they were always shrouded in the clouds. Once the Ice had retreated back to the top of the world it left the Tallspines lowered by the grinding force of the glaciers, but they still remained at impressive heights. To the east of the Tallspines lay great rolling plains, home to wild horses, relatives of the little three toed horses that ran in the mountains. After the attack of the Ice the plains would become home to men that the Elves called the Mongol Horde.

The north of the Realm was bordered by a forest of huge trees that stretched from the Tallspines all the way to the Northern Sea in the west. The great Dire Wolves lived there and called the forest their home. They named it the Wolfswood. North of the Wolfswood lay grassy plains that rolled up to a range of mountains called the Grimfangs. It was a frozen range of ice, snow and jagged rock as long as the Wolfswood that held back the Fell Ice in its frozen kingdom at the top of the world.

To the west of the Elven Realm lay cold seas that bordered the rocky coastlines of beaches, fjords and cliffs. Beyond the seas were lands that man was making their homes in and beyond that the mighty oceans. The cold Northern Sea ran along the northern part of their realm while the warmer Shimmering Sea was to the south.

The Elves lived at peace in their huge valley with each other and all of the races and creatures that lived around them. With the help of the Giants that dwelled in their caves on their southern border they built a beautiful kingdom of stone and wood. They remembered their ancient warrior ways and taught their children but they never had to use them in the peace of their valley. For thousands of turns they lived in a land filled with plenty and very rarely ventured forth to see what was happening in the rest of the world.

Each tribe maintained their Vales of old that were located around the Realm, not willing to leave their ancient strongholds to the elements. The Vales had been the homes to the four tribes of Elves from this part of the world in the ages before, when the Black Magic roamed free upon the world. They were remembrances and shrines of the battles and sacrifices of their ancestors during those dark times so the Elves would never forget.

The four Vales sat at each point of the compass surrounding the Valley of the Sun. They were huge swaths of land that had been carved out amongst the mountain tops. All but the Northern Vale could only be found by the Elves or friends that they allowed to enter. The Elves of the Northern Vale marked their entrance with huge statues, unafraid and confident in their strength to protect it. Each Vale was in the shape of an oval, as if the hull of a huge longship had been laid within the mountain tops. They were ringed by peaks and summits with their passes disguised and protected by the White Magic so none but Elven or the invited could get in. Along the inside perimeter of the Vales tall, hallow stone pillars topped with glass covered domes had been built for the Elven Mages. These the Elves named the Mage Towers and every Vale had them. The Mages sat within the domes using the power of their White Magic to keep back the howling winds and the eternal cold that constantly attacked the Vales in the mountain tops, seeking a way to get in. From these towers the Mages also controlled the weather of the Vale, bringing rain or sunshine as needed.

Within the Vales it was a peaceful and warm land parceled by forests and farms. Wild animals and herd animals roamed the Vales and Elven villages called 'dells' dotted the countryside. The Elves that stayed behind and lived in the Vales maintained the cottages and lands and the Stronghold that was the home of the Elven King of their tribe and his family. It was a land filled with rivers and streams and where gardens filled with every flower imaginable grew. Placed all throughout the Vales were statues carved in stone to honor mighty warriors and warrior-maids and standing stones carved with scenes depicting great battles in remembrance of the dark days of the Black Magic.

The Vale of the Northern Elven Tribe sat located in the tops of the Grimfang Mountains and the Elves called it 'Elisven Nase Serin'. They named their stronghold and the home to their king and royal family at the western end of the Vale, 'Morfgroth Dorthore' . Even though it was located in the most forbidding of mountains it was the most beautiful and largest of the four Vales. It was filled with cascading waterfalls, warm bubbling pools and hanging gardens throughout making the Vale beautiful to behold and the clean air fragrant to breath. It was a Vale of rolling farmlands bordered by forests of every kind of tree where wild animals lived in peace and harmony with the herd animals that roamed about freely. The land inside the Vale provided the Elves with everything they needed to survive if ever the tribe had to return to it. Because of the extreme weather that the Vale was surrounded by it had many more Mage Towers standing along its inner perimeter. The Elven Mages were kept very busy looking towards the sky warding off the brutal icy cold winds and snow and the constant push of the Fell Ice with their spells of the White Magic.

The Western Vale that the Elves named 'Elisven Ellan Serin' was not located in the mountains like the other three Vales. The ancestral home of the Western Elven Tribe was located along the coastline of the Northern Sea, just to south of the Wolfswood. Miles of huge razor sharp boulders and hills made of sharp volcanic stone surrounded the Elven home on the land side. Extremely high unscalable cliffs of sharp dreary gray stone bordered the sea side of the oval Vale. Several narrow hidden fjords jutted into the cliffs and turned into coves within the Vale. The fjords gave the Elves access to the sea and the coves allowed the Elves to dock their longships safe and secure. It was impossible to get into the Western Vale unless one knew the secret paths that were veiled in the White Magic.

Located in the center of the Western Vale was a very tall pillar of naturally formed volcanic glass that rose to a great height and made one think of the main mast of a longship. Around the base of the pillar the Elves had built the Stronghold for their king and his family and called it 'Imarion-Thulas'. Long ago the Elves carved steps into the hard volcanic stone of the pillar that snaked its way all around the exterior to the top. The top of the pillar had been naturally flat and from this vantage they could see all of the Vale and the miles of land and sea that surrounded it. But the main passion for making the long climb to the top of the pillar was not to look upon the land but to view the stars and the planets in the night sky. Being sailors as they were the heavenly bodies of the night sky were their guides on the water and they had a love to study them. It helped to make the Western Elves better navigators as they sailed the seas and oceans of the world.

The Western Vale was the smallest of the four Elven valleys and out of them all it was the most secure. The weather was not as severe around the Vale and the Elven Mages could spend as much of their time seeing to the safety of their borders as they did to fending off any harsh weather. Many of the Elves that stayed in the Vale spent their time sailing the seas alongside their friends the Sea Lords. They built swift longships that were not only powered by the wind but also by the power of the White Magic. The Western Elves explored much of the lands beyond their realm, always keeping a watchful eye on man from afar. They also provided most of the fish that the Realm ate. It was their favorite pastime to fish the seas with their nets made of gossamar thread and share in their catches with all of the tribes.

The Southern Elven Tribe was the most secretive of all the Elves. The paths and trails that led to the Southern Vale were warded by powerful spells of White Magic and known to only a trusted few. The Elven name for the secluded Vale was 'Elisven Sila Serin'. It was located in the center of the Ironore Mountain range, nestled within its tallest peaks. The mighty stronghold that housed the Southern King and his family was named 'Asegroth Dorthore'. Through a long line of tradition the Southern Royal Family lived in the Stronghold all turn long, instead of making their home in the valley below like the other Royal Families.

The Southern Vale Elves had more contact with man than any of the other tribes and they did not like what they observed from afar. It was they that claimed Black Magic was seeping back into the world from its deep underground prison. They gave warning the evil magic was roaming the lands of men and influencing their actions. It was the only way they could explain the terrible atrocities men did upon their brethren and the other races living among them. Although the rest of the tribes listened to what the Southern Elves had to report they did not believe that the Black Magic could ever escape its eternal imprisonment.

The only tribes of men that the Southern Elves came to trust were the small men that worked the mines they had delved deep into the Ironore Mountains. The little men called themselves the 'Suthurne Manse'. They mined the rich iron ore from the bowls of the mountains, turning it into the finest ingots of steel and iron from their deep underground smelteries. They traded their fine metals with the Elves and the men that lived in the lands to the south. The iron that the little miners produced was of the best quality in all the world. It was sought out by all that had the need of metal. The little miners were not skilled at forging the metals they mined into any fine works, their blacksmiths only made the items they needed to work the mines and keep their equipment going. As a byproduct they also mined many other metals and dug out wondrous gems from the earth. The gold, silver and many other metals they set aside along with the many gems they found and piled them high in unused mined-out caverns. They only traded the rare metals and gems with a trusted few as their main focus was the iron that they loved so dear.

The little miners were almost as wide as they were tall, with strong broad shoulders and big powerful hands with which to dig deep into the earth. After many centuries of watching the Manse at work and at trade with the men of the southern lands the Southern Elves finally befriended them. They observed that the little men did not trouble themselves with the conflicts of other tribes of men, their only focus was on their families, their brethren, and producing the finest iron the world has ever seen. They were not perfect by any means and many of them were very hard-headed but they were loyal and peaceful and became good friends to the Elves. The Southern Elves never trusted them enough to show them their magical Vale but they did visit them often and traded with them for the fine metals they brought from the earth.

The Eastern Vale of the Elves was the mightiest of all the Elven Strongholds. It sat within the tallest parts of the Tallspine Mountains deep within the high peaks and summits that surrounded it. The Vale that the Elves named 'Elisven Ellel Serin' was not as large as the Vale in the North, not as secure as the Western Vale, nor was it as secretive as the Vale in the South. What made the Eastern Vale the mightiest of the four were the Houses of Lore they maintained to teach the ancient ways of the Elves. The learning that had made them strong in the dark ages when they fought the Black Magic alongside the White Magic. Within the Vale were also the Battle Houses and the Battle Grounds that taught and trained the Elves to be mighty warriors as in the days of old. The Eastern Vale was open to all of the Elves of the tribes so they could learn from the Masters, the Elven Mage Craft, and the Ways of the Warrior.

All throughout the Eastern Vale smithies rang as they forged weapons of the same quality and strength as the weapons of the ancient age. They made armor from the fine gold, silver and steel they acquired from the Suthurne Manse. The armor was just as strong and protective, if not better, than what the Elves had worn in the past against the minions of the Black Magic. The past was kept alive in the Eastern Vale as they practiced the old ways in teaching and training and keeping alive the crafts of metal, stone and wood work.

It was still a beautiful Vale and quite able to sustain the Eastern Tribe if they ever had to retreat to it with its checkered farmlands, fruit bearing trees and herd animals that lived there. The Mages that kept the Vale safe from the freezing cold and windy storms that raged along the mountain tops did not have to work as hard because it rested deep within the peaks of the Tallspines. The only open part of the valley was along its eastern edge that looked out over cliffs and waterfalls so tall it was hard to see the bottom. The waterfalls roared over the cliffs and fell down to the lands of the Mongol Horde to trail off in the vast rolling plains whose expanse went far into the distance to where the sun rose.