Conclave of Elynáile

The **Conclave of Elynáile** was a long running meeting of the various Wood Elf sallas' *Ceanns* and *Ceannas* to discuss the creation of an alliance to defend the Wood Elves against the Greentide Invasion of Deepwoods. Despite long standing misgivings between the clans, the conclave was successful, ending in the creation of the Verdant Pact.

## Background

By year 1441 , the Greentide had ripped through much of the Deepwoods and by extension the Wood Elf lands. The eastern clans of Salla Scotha and Salla Ahain were nearly destroyed and totally displaced from their home. The clans of Salla Myna and Salla Fealgarn had been devastated and sheared of half of their traditional lands. Salla Cenág was nearly entirely cut off from the other clans while Salla Drennen was pushed to the brink of destruction.

It was in this dire circumstance that the *Ceanna* of Salla Drennen, Narawen Drennen, concluded that her clan and all other clans would be soon destroyed if nothing soon changed. This change would come in the form of the unprecedented call to all *Ceanns* and *Ceannas* of the Wood Elf sallas to meet in the city of Elynáile. Of the nine clans, all but Salla Ghúl would answer her call.

## Timeline

### The Leaders Arrive

The conclave began in 1442, when the various elven leaders from across the Deepwoods finished arriving in Elynáile. It would be the first time in all of Wood Elven history there was such a gathering of elven leadership. Despite this historic moment, or perhaps because of it, the conclave would immediately open to shouting matches and endless arguments as centuries of grievances were aired out. The following days would prove little different as the elven leaders continued to lay their complaints into each other. It was not be until Narawen stepped into the role of mediating between the elven leaders that they began to make progress, and as the conclave continued, the Drennen *Ceanna* quietly become *de facto* chair of the conclave as she spent most days arbitrating between the various Wood Elf leaders.

While most of the older grievances would prove to be resolvable, the issues of the past decade would be far more difficult. According to surviving records, they most prominent issues were:

1. Cenága fury toward Salla Drennen over the Arun Drennen incident that ultimately resulted in the death of *Ceanna* Alara Cenág's two brothers.
2. The eastern clans of Scotha and Ahain anger over Oberon Fealgarn's decision to lead the Greentide into their lands to save his own clan.
3. Bricena Myna and Cinrthir Elyn disputing whether Salla Elyn betrayed its alliance with Salla Myna when it abandoned Myna's campaign against Beasteater to defend its own land.
4. Oberon directing blame for the Greentide toward Salla Myna and Elyn for pushing orcs into the eastern groves, starting with his people's land.

As the leaders became increasingly mired in these topics, the conclave would roll into 1443. By anniversary of the conclave, little true progress had been made toward any alliance. Instead, the days would be spent cycling between the above topics with Narawen deftly preventing any one topic from becoming too heated. It would only be the arrival of the avatar Corin and her circle in the spring that the conclave's impasse would come to an end.

### Outside Interruptions

According to contemporaries of the time, Corin would enter the Deepwoods in 1443 in search of Fey aid against the main Greentide host in Escann. After unintentionally crossing the Verdant Veil, she unexpectedly encountered the elves of Salla Myna during a battle with orcish Beasteater Clan. Upon learning of the ongoing conclave in Elynáile, she resolved to meet with elven leaders and gain their assistance.

On arrival in the city, Corin found herself barred from any entering the conclave due to their mistrust of this outsider. Undeterred, she instead snuck into the conclave with the aid of her companions. Making their way to meeting room where the *Ceanns* and *Ceannas*, the avatar reportedly broke the doors open, interrupting the ongoing arguments.

This interruption, combined with the sudden appearance of a human and a number of her companions, proved stunning enough that Corin was able to give a passionate speech requesting the Wood Elves rally to fight against the orcs in the Escann. Unfortunately for Corin, upon finishing her speech the Wood Elves regained their composure, with *Ceann* Cinrthir immediately ordering the arrest of the intruders. When it looked that Corin and the rest would resist, the chamber guards along with *Cean* Oberon and *Ceanna* Alara moved in to subdue the intruders. Yet, before steel could clash, one guard revealed himself to be a glamoured Arun Drennen. With revelation throwing the room into chaos once more, Arun invoked a powerful spell to successfully teleport himself and Corin's party away.

Some moments after Arun's appearance and the party's escape, *Ceanna* Alara Cenág decried the conclave and Narawen Drennen. She then declared her clan's involvement over and her intent to hunt down Arun Drennen before storming away. The remaining *Ceanns* and *Ceannas* soon departed declaring the conclave over leaving only Narawen alone.

### Saving the Conclave

The same night after the apparent collapse of the conclave, the fugitive Arun Drennen managed to meet with his grand-niece Narawen. After taking her to the hideout where he, Corin, and the rest were hiding, he then requested aid for the party and himself to escape Elynáile. By doing so, Narawen would enable the Wood Elf mage and Corin to kill the archfey known as the Eldest and free the Wood Elves from the Verdant Veil.

Realizing she had a chance to salvage the conclave with this information, Narawen agreed on the condition she be allowed to bring help. With the party tentatively agreeing, Narawen moved to meet her fellow *Cenna,* Alara. Despite Alara's disdain toward her, Narawen managed to convince her cousin to follow her by revealing that she knew Arun's location.

True to her word, Narawen then brought Alara to Arun. While the resulting confrontation almost resulted in violence, Alara was ultimately convinced to listen to Arun before moving to kill him. It was then that she learned the truth about the origins of the Verdant Veil. Furthermore, Arun explained the Alara's younger brother Eledas was not murdered by Arun but by the Eldest. By slaying the Eldest, Eledas' murder would be both avenged and his dream of freedom for the Wood Elves achieved. Though hesitant, Alara agreed to work with Narawen and thus enable Corin, Arun, and the rest of the party to escape and destroy the Verdant Veil.

Having managed to win over Alara, Narawen was then able to convince the other Wood Elf leaders to remain. The resolution of the Cenága-Drennen conflict proved to be a catalyst for Bricena Myna and her father-in-law Cinrthir Elyn to resolve their own differences. While the issues between *Ceann* Oberon and the eastern clans remained, the other collective breakthroughs enabled the conclave to continue.

### Birth of the Verdant Pact

With some level of trust established, the clans led by Narawen began to lay the foundations of an alliance to take back the Deepwoods. Questions of leadership and other sensitive topics were left vague with the simple goal of reclaiming the Deepwoods being elevated as the main purpose of the alliance. By the summer of 1443, the present *Ceanns* and *Ceannas* came to a signed agreement. The Verdant Pact was born.

### Sallas Scotha and Ahain's Departure

As the conclave to a close, the newly formed alliance was left with decision on its first moves. Unfortunately, the lack of detail with respect to leadership and decision-making that enabled to Verdant Pact to come to fruition would prove problematic almost immediately when Oberon shut down Sallas Scotha and Ahains' request for the alliance to prioritize the liberation of their groves. Instead, he countered that the alliance's focus should be linking the groves still under elvish control. The strategy’s apparent soundness (as well as matching the not-so-secret goals of the other clan leaders) resulted in agreement from every clan except Scotha and Ahain. Furious that the elf who was responsible for the loss of their homes was also preventing them from claiming their homes back, Ahain and Scotha would leave the alliance and Elynáile.

### Conclusion

Though the departure of Salla Ahain and Scotha would leave a bitter taste for Narawen, the conclave as whole would proceed without any notable issue. Aside from few revisions, Oberon's strategy was adopted by the remaining clans with little conflict. With the last orders of business concluded, the conclave's waning days would be spent on cordial feasts and other social gatherings, a sign of a growing trust between the *Ceanns* and *Ceannas*. By summer's start, the various leaders had begun to return to their respective groves, marking an end to the Conclave of Elynáile.

## Legacy

Conclave of Elynáile would prove to be one of the most pivotal events in the history of the Deepwoods. The formation of the Verdant Pact would sow the seeds that would enable the creation of the Wood Elven state of Cyranvar. In addition, the conclave was pivotal to uniting Corin with Arun Drennen , ultimately leading to the death of the Eldest and end of the Verdant Veil.