Western Elven Empire

The **Western Elven Empire**, also known as the **First Elven Empire**, was a poorly understood nation, even in ancient times when it existed, it has long been the target of hateful propaganda and historical revisionism.

Fey can be found throughout the world, but the most numerous and powerful tend to be concentrated in the northwest of the main continent. The most powerful of them are known as the Faerie Lords and other such whimsical names, each of whom is highly unique and near godlike in their power, and who between them are believed responsible for the creation of dozens of races.

There is no clean line between who is and isn’t a fey. Generally only those with innate magic and the ability to cross over into one of the fey realms is considered a true fey, but many races are said to have fey origin, or at least connections. For some reason, the more mundane races associated with the fey ended up being the most numerous, the hobbits, the goblins, certain types of gnome and elf, and some say even the humans and dwarves.

It is said in ancient times, humans, hobbits, and other races not possessing innate magic were highly respectful to the fey, worshipping the most powerful as gods, and leaving alone the sacred glades and circles of the rest, but in parts of the continent where the fey were few, but the land was arable, humans began to multiply in vast numbers over time, and they discovered other gods, both good and bad, whose power often outclassed all but the strongest Faerie Lords. Over time, humans also discovered scholarly ways to teach those with potential magic, and some of the mages themselves grew quite powerful.

Along the west coast, the Azan/Dragon Empire was formed and expanded rapidly thanks to its large armies, moral authority, and promise of a more structured, lawful society.

This did not appeal to some of the inhabitants of the northwest however. Some feared a loss of personal power, others feared environmental devastation, others simply didn’t like change, and more than a few feared persecution, particularly the so-called unseelie fey, the dark, barely tolerated underbelly of the lands inhabited by the fey.

The First Elven Empire was formed from these fears, though of course it wasn’t called that at the time (the name only came into use after the formation of the Second Elven Empire by the drow). Nor was the Empire really an Empire. For starters it had no Emperor, or other clearly identifiable leader. Leadership tended to shift around between coalitions of the Faerie Lords and other leaders most willing to contribute to the nation at any given time. The Elven Empire was ironically enough not even particularly Elven, many humans, dwarves, drow, gnomes, hobbits, ogres, goblins, and assorted fey among others were members of the Empire.

However, the Elven Empire did have enough size and magic might to be taken seriously as a power on par with the Dragon/Azan Empire, and the Khenomeric Empire, so for that reason alone the name “Empire” was generally seen as appropriate by outsiders.

Throughout its long existence, the Empire split up, expanded, contracted, dissolved, and reformed countless times. Its core was the lands north of the Azan Empire, but it also sometimes included lands south of the Azan Empire, or lands in the northeast, and sometimes the Scimitarian Subcontinent, though more often than not this area was at odds with their eastern neighbors, which led them to often be referred to as the Western Elven Empire instead.

The wood elves, aka primal elves, or primordial elves, were the most visible members of the Elven Empire armies. Strange (to humans) asexual beings who could mate with essentially anything, and whose tree like nature gave them long lives and much durability, they were ideal as shock troops, but also as skirmishers, mages, and diplomats in the forces of many of the Faerie Lords. They were once concentrated around what is now known as Elfwood, but at the behest of their masters also migrated to Scimitarian, and other locations along the western coast. Many elven and fey races are believed to be descended from them in some way.

Humans were also quite prominent. The ancestors of humans now living in North Scimitaria, Isle of Wizards, Gvilderstaaten, Baalps, and Daligrad, among other places, many were simple folk who farmed and fished and minded their own business, much like many of the hobbits, but others were skilled raiders or fanatical shock troops in the service of the wilder seelie fey, or certain unseelie fey.

Then there were the drow and their cousins the sea elves. Their origins are unclear. At the time it was widely assumed they were related to wood elves, but the massive migration of drow from parts unknown about a 1000 years ago has caused many to doubt this.

There were also of course hobbits, gnomes, dwarves, ogres, goblins, and many others.

The Dragon/Azan Empire fought many inconclusive wars against the Elven Empire, including their involvement in the Battle of Empires, but it was only after the Khenomeric Empire collapsed that Azan could throw their full weight against the elves and their allies.

The key to victory for Azan was the distrust between the different factions within the Elven Empire. Many beings disliked the dominance of the Faerie Lords, the grudging tolerance of the unseelie fey, and the many limitations on clearing land, fishing, mining, and hunting. This mean that Azan could often quickly establish control over new areas once its more diehard opponents had been driven out.

Over time, the Dragon/Azan Empire took nearly all fey/elvish holdings along the western coast, in Scimitaria (the Western Elvish Empire), and other minor holdings, though some pockets persist to this day. However, the Dragon/Azan Empire itself when into decline around a thousand years ago with the arrival of large numbers of drow and witch elves. This stopped Azan's expansion, leaving the Faerie Lords unchallenged in the Lands Behind the Hedge, though Azan likely would have found absorbing this area extremely difficult due to the lack of humans, dwarves, or other natural allies.

The title of "Elvish Empire" has fallen into disuse, the last to use it were the drow for their short lived "Second Elvish Empire" or "Second Elven Empire". But the wood elves and the Faerie Lords remain, and have the power to become a potent force once again should they choose to.