Greentide Invasion of Deepwoods

**The Greentide Invasion of the Deepwoods** (known to Wood Elves as **Thyr Gaethneán**, translated as "the Whirlwind") was an offshoot of the Greentide that lasted from 1428 to 1444. It is commonly divided into three phases: the initial orcish incursion of orc raiders, followed by a second incursion by the Bloody Tusks orc clan, with the final incursion entailing a combined host of three major orc clans (Cursed Howl, Blackmoon, and Silentblade) and a number of minor accompanying orcish clans.

Unlike the Greentide of Escann, the initial conflict between those native to the Deepwoods and orcs received little notice by contemporaries. The first group of orcish invaders were fended off by Salla Myna, led Galyndor Myna. The following invasion by the orcs of Bloody Tusk found initial success against Galyndor and the Myna elves. However, a marriage-alliance between Galyndor's heir, Bricena Myna and a scion of Salla Elyn turned the tide against the orcs. The final invasion, however, proved too much for Salla Myna and Salla Elyn, who were forced to retreat to Ciranmyna. The orcs then ravaged through much of the central and eastern groves of the Deepwoods. The threat of complete defeat prompted the remaining elven clans to come together for the Conclave of Elynáile. There the Wood Elves agreed to form an alliance to face the orcish invaders known as the Verdant Pact.

However, before any major battles could be fought between the Verdant Pact and the Greentide, the invasion ground to a halt. While elves had worked to form an alliance, the Greentide in the Deepwoods had shattered. Internal strife caused Cursed Howl to break away, while Blackmoon left due to conflict with the Ashentree Fey. At the same time, the Verdant Veil suddenly collapsed and with it soon came news of Korgus Dookanson's death at the hands of Corin. With Dookanson's death went any semblance of orcish unity.

## Background

From the Day of Ashen Skies to 1443, a magical veil had encompassed much of the Deepwoods, known as the Verdant Veil. Due to the Veil, few creatures from the Material Plane could crossover to the Feyrealm. Similarly, creatures from the Material Plane, such as the Forest Goblins were trapped in the Feyrealm. For its nearly one and half millennia duration, only a few notable crossings between planes by mortals occurred. The first was by an army of Moon Elves during the War of the Sorcerer-King. Once crossed over, the elves became trapped, like the Forest Goblins.

The resulting isolation would lead these Moon Elves to eventually became the people known today as the Wood Elves. And, despite their relative proximity to Escann, neither elf nor goblin were influenced by the Escanni chivalric states or initial Greentide. Instead, the political environment of the Deepwoods settled into a fragmented one dominated by various elven "sallas" (roughly translated as "clans") and forest goblin clans.

## Initial Orcish Incursion

### Encounter with Salla Myna and Bloody Tusks

During the summer of 1428 AA, a group of clanless orc raiders were routed by knights of the Blademarches. Without any leadership or clan backing to fall on, the orcs fled into the Deepwoods. It was then, by what is believed to be chance, the orcs were able to cross the Verdant Veil and enter the Mountain Grove of Salla Myna. The orcs seemed to have been confused by the sudden loss of their pursuers and more confused by the sudden appearance of the elvish villages. However, the orcs quickly set upon continuing their work of raiding and successfully sacked a few Myna settlements. These small victories were then followed with a swift defeat the hands of Galyndor Myna, the leader of Salla Myna and known as "the Old Fox of the Mountain".

Lost in the hostile Deepwoods and hounded by enemies native to it should have been the end of the orcs. Instead, the orc raiders were saved by the most unlikely persons, orc scouts from Clan Bloody Tusk. Escaping into the Hunter's Grove, the raiders learned that the Bloody Tusk orcs had been living in the Deepwoods for a few generations. During that time, they had settled into a corner of the Hunter's Grove and squabbled with the elves of Salla Faelgarn and goblins of Groundhawk.

As a result of this mingling, a number orc raiders elected to stay with the Bloody Tusks while many younger Bloody Tusks rose up to join the raiders in attempting to escape the Deepwoods. After learning that Salla Myna was amongst the stronger of the Wood Elf clans, the orcs elected to travel south into the Thorn Grove where one of the weakest clans, Salla Drennen, was. Upon entering the Thorn Grove, the orcs stumbled upon a contingent of Drennen elf soldiers preparing against an invasion from Salla Cenág.

### The Formation of Clan Sapchopper and Its Disappearance

Seeing an opportunity to seize the initiative, the orcs attacked. One orc notorious for his berserking, Khagur, managed to cleave through the elven frontline and decapitate the elven commander and leader of Salla Drennen, Celadil Drennen. With Celadil's death, the elven line shattered. The victorious orcs declared Khagur "the Sapchopper", in reference to his axe cleaving through elves. In return, Khagur declared the orcs present to be clan Sapchopper.

Riding high on victory, Khagur and the orcs continued to advance through the Thorn Grove, in plans of burning Drennen villages and taking elven slaves. These plans would be unexpectedly thwarted by the young daughter of Celadil Drennen, Narawen Drennen. In a desperate bid to save her clan from the two invaders, Narawen used her magic to invoke the aid of an unnamed trickster fey. The result was a mysterious fog overtaking the orcs and redirecting their march. When the orcs emerged, they found themselves in the midst of the invading army of Salla Cenág. A battle soon erupted as the lost orcs began attacking the confuse elves. The ensuing melee proved to be a chaotic one with neither side having any chance of forming battle lines. This chaos was proved favorable to the orcs though as they relied shock and might over drill. After an hour of fierce and bloody fighting, no victor had emerged. Indeed a victor would never emerge, as the orcs found themselves taken once more by a fog and were lost leaving behind a battered and baffled Cenága army. These orcs would not be seen again by the mortals of the Deepwoods until well over a decade later.

## Second Orcish Incursion

*The following section includes confirmed instances of time travel.*

### The Second Invasion of Salla Myna

The next major invasion of orcs came in at the height of the summer in 1433 AA. During this time, the orcish clan of Bloody Tusk was repeatedly skirmishing with adventurers of the Stalwart Band. After one such skirmish, the clan entered the Deepwoods in an attempt to bypass or out maneuver the adventurers. In what was believed to be fey intervention, the orcs crossed the Verdant Veil and entered the Mountain Grove just as the orcs of the first incursion had. They then soon encountered the elves of Salla Myna, who recognized the orcs as invaders, and were attacked.

However, being better organized and having greater manpower to draw on, the orcs were not routed like before. Instead, elves and orcs settled into a stalemate with the elves being unable to meet the orcs in open battle and orcs being unable to force such a battle. The stalemate would remain until marriage of Bricena Myna, first daughter of Galyndor and heir to Salla Myna, to Arfil Elyn, the youngest son of Cinrthir Elyn, the Ceann of Salla Elyn. The act of union secured an alliance between, arguably, the two most powerful wood elven clans of the Deepwoods.

### Orcish Defeat and Time Travel

With this new found might, Galyndor mustered the elves of Myna into a new band and began a campaign to draw the orcs of Bloody Tusk out into a trap. He would find field of choosing in Prehnryn. There, Galyndor feigned being trapped and allowed the orcs to charge and engage his forces. The orcs initially saw success as the Myna elves buckled against the orcish charge. This success swiftly dissipated when Cinrthir and the Elyn elves emerged from the hills and began to rain missiles on the tied up orcs. As the orcs began to realize the tide had turned, they began falter and flee. Retreat turned to route and the battle swiftly closed with the two Sallas in pursuit of the orcs.

Luckily for the orcs, their choice to flee toward the outskirts of the Mountain Grove where the Deepwoods turned into a darkened mass of trees and canopies would a life saving one. The reason was, while the Verdant Veil still stood, entering these parts of the Deepwoods was a certain way to lose yourself in the Feyrealm. Only by travelling down one of the "Vyrs" (elven for road) could one safely travel from one grove to another.

It is unknown how long the orcs were lost in the Feyrealm, but what is known is this. First, clan Bloody Tusk would find itself not in the Mountain Grove, but instead in the Hunter's Grove. Second, the orcs would find themselves 75 years in the past.

Exhausted and lost, the orcs chose to make camp and settle the area. The settling land, nominally under Salla Faelgarn and often contested by the Forest Goblin Groundhawk Clan, would spark a long standing three way conflict between the orcs, wood elves, and forest goblins who each claimed the area. This conflict would be shook up by the arrival of the orcish raiders who later become Clan Sappchopper. But, ultimate resolution would not occur until the arrival of the main orcish host.

## The Greentide Invasion

### Ashentree Fey Intervention

The final and greatest orcish invasion would in the fall of 1439. By this time, much of Chivalric Escann had fallen to the Greentide and the orcs were focused more in pushing out from Escann. In the south, this attempt to push out was held back by the citadel of Bal Dostan. The long siege of the fortress had made little progress causing many of the orcs there to consider a different path into Courvia to cut off the supplylines to the fortress and enable further conquests.

It was here that an Ashentree archfey named the Prince of the Blackened Branch (also known as the Blackened Prince) intervened. Glamoured as an orc, the Prince infiltrated the orcish host and sowed rumors of a possible route through the Deepwoods. The promise of easy resolution convinced the clans Blackmoon, Cursed Howl, and Silentblade and a number of minor clans to form an expedition into the forest to find this route. When the horde entered the Deepwoods, they unknowingly crossed the Verdant Veil thanks to the Blackened Prince's machinations.

Upon their arrival in the Mountain Grove, the host was immediately assaulted by Salla Myna, who was accustomed now to weaker incursions. These attacks would be ineffectual as the sheer orcish numbers prove far to much for the Myna elves to overcome. *Ceanna* Bricena Myna, who had recently taken leadership from her father Galyndor, immediately sent word to her father-in-law Cinrthir Elyn for assistance against another orcish attack. Bricena then had her elves retreat to their fortress of Ciranmyna in order to withstand the orcish invasion.

Upon reaching Ciranmyna, the orcs immediately attempted an assault against the elven defenses, but make any break through. It was here that the first faltering of orcish unity began as the clans realized they have traded one siege for another. But, before any major development could occur, the Blackened Prince (still glamoured as an orc) stepped in to Troknar Silentblade, chief of clan Silentblade, the gladeway into Hunter's Grove. News of a path avoiding the siege and allowing the orcs a way forward proved to be a massive boost to Troknar's prestige. With this sudden boon, the Blackened Prince found himself with Troknar’s trust as his right hand man.

While most of the orcs advanced into the Hunter's Grove, there was the exception of clan Beasteater. Its chieftain Vord Beasteater, hungry for glory and having led the assault on Ciranmyna, demanded to remain and besiege Ciranmyna. The demand is met with a muted response, leaving Vord to get his way.

### Oberon's Flight

Much like when they first entered the Mountain Grove, the orcish host was immediately beset upon arriving in the Hunter’s Grove. This time it was not the Wood Elves but the Forest Goblins of the Groundhawk clan. Groundhawk, experienced in fighting the orcs of Bloody Tusk, shocked the orcish host with its grit and organized guerrilla tactics. Neither of which the orcs had ever seen or expected from goblins. While the Forest Goblins did not truly affect the orcs' advance, their actions marked the beginning of the steady attrition of orcish goblin slaves, whose freedom became the primary objective of Groundhawk.

Pushing through Groundhawk lands, the Greentide orcs were once again shocked again. This time due to their encounter with the Bloody Tusks clan. As the orcs intermingle, news of how the Bloody Tusks had been trapped in the Deepwoods for decades spread throughout the host. Worse was new came when the Bloody Tusks explained that the wood elves and forest goblins had been trapped for centuries. Panic that horde was lost to the Deepwoods began to fracture the already shaken orcish unity. Before too much damage could be done, the still disguised Blackened Prince reassured Troknar that escape was possible. In turn, Troknar then convinced the other two major clan leaders of Cursed Howl and Silentblade to work together long enough to escape. Upon agreement the trio then moved to secure the host's loyaltyby making an open challenge to Orzam’Chadash for any dissenters to take. However, none would do so.

As the Greentide began to move once more, they then encountered Oberon Fealgarn and the elves of Salla Faelgarn. A gifted stag rider and commander, Oberon boldly engaged in various skirmishes against the orcs. Lacking the natural defenses of Salla Myna, Oberon instead relied on stag mounted archers to stem the orcish advance. This strategy proved effective until an orcish shaman by name of Og used his magic to ensnare the mounted elves with roots and undergrowth. The success Og's response led to him earning the name Og Blightseed. Quickly, various clanless orcs joined him resulting to the birth of the Blightseed Clan.

Oberon, for his part, ended his attempts to stop the orcs and instead moved to redirect them out of his clan's grove. Leveraging himself and his best troops as bait, Oberon goaded the orcs to pursue him. These jibes proved to particularly effective against Chieftain Bolk Cursed Howl who had been humiliated by Oberon in the initial encounter with Faelgarn forces. Thus began a pursuit that would later be called "Oberon's Flight".

Initially, Oberon made his way to the Flower Grove, home of his ally Salla Scotha. Confident that the orcs would take sometime to arrive, Oberon informed his allies of the pending invasion. The elves of Scotha reacted with fury and indignation that Oberon was using them to protect his own lands. Nevertheless, they agreed to combine forces and leverage their home's hostile environment to stop the invasion. Unfortunately for the elves, the orcs would arrive in short order thanks to the quiet guidance of the Blackened Prince.

The invasion in the Flower Grove would be result in some of the most savage events of the entire Deepwoods Greentide. A vengeful Bolk Cursed Howl gave no quarter to any elven villages or villagers caught by him and his clan. The local Forest Goblin clan Petal Mashers, lacking the same fighting experience against the orcs as their cousins in Groundhawk, quickly folded and found its people enslaved. Sharing the same inexperience as the forest gobins, the disorganized Scotha elves were forced to look to Oberon for military leadership.

Initially, Oberon attempted to leverage his original strategy of making a stand in the Flower Grove. Darting across the grove, he struck the orcs where could and let the various venomous and toxic flora and fauna of the Flower Grove continue his work when he retreated. The strategy was successful in bleeding the orcs. However, Bolk's viciousness against undefended Scotha settlements made it likely that the many Scotha elves would not survive the either. This pushed Scotha leadership to demand Oberon fall back from the Flower Grove and pull the fighting elsewhere.

Unwilling to risk his already shaky alliance with Salla Scotha, Oberon complied and repeated his efforts to goad the orcs to pursue him out of the grove. The attempt proved as successful as first time thanks to a combination of Bolk Cursed Howl forcing his clan as the vanguard and the rest of the horde's eagerness to leave the grove.

As Oberon led mix of Faelgarn and Scotha elves out of the Flower Grove he was left with either decision to return to the Hunter's Grove or enter the River Grove, home of Salla Ahain. With no intention of allowing his grove any more harm, Oberon pressed on into the River Grove despite knowing he was trespassing on Ahain lands. Indeed as soon as the army entered the grove, it was quickly intercepted by a small group of Ahain border guards who demanded they turn back. Lacking the tact or patience to deal with diplomacy, Oberon threatened the Ahain guards into submission before marching on the capital of Imyhain. There, the Faelgarn *Ceann* plainly explained that either the Ahain elves would join him to face the orcs or fight him and then be destroyed by the coming invaders. This abrasive ultimatum would have sparked war had it the news of a second unknown invading force not arrived moments later.

Fortune would smile twice on Oberon as another chance event aided his effort. As the Greentide entered the River Grove, the warlock Oubblig and a large raiding force of Forest Goblins emerged from Verdant Link. The goblins were almost immediately encountered by the arriving Greentide. The orcs, having already met two hostile goblin tribes, engaged in battle. However, before any blood letting could begin, the goblin army disappeared due to mysterious figure, leaving only Oubblig behind to be captured.

Certain that another archfey was involved, the Blackened Prince plays up the strangeness of the event to Troknar so that the chieftain would demand the horde stop and search for clues. To surprise of both the orcs and the Blackened Prince, they are unable find any explanation for what had happened. Attempts to pry information out of Oubblig fail as the goblin proves just as ignorant, though his claims to be a powerful mage amuse the orc chieftain Relgakk Blackmoon. With little else to gain, the horde finally began to rumble on while Oubblig was given to rising orc of clan Cursed Howl known as Gordak.

In the meantime, thanks to these distractions to the orcs, the elves of Ahain were able to organize their forces and combine with Oberon's. With an unprecedented alliance of three elven sallas, the question was left on how leverage these forces. On one camp, Oberon advocated dividing the orcs and picking them off. On the other camp, the Ahain elves wanted to face the invaders before too much destruction was caused. Empathizing with the Ahain camp and bitter with Oberon's abrasive attitudes, the Scotha elves elected to follow Ahain's strategy.

On the outskirts of unwalled Imyhain, the Greentide and elven Sallas met in open field battle. Just as before, the elves proved most effective during the initial skirmishes. However, when one of elven lines skirted to close to the orcs, melee erupted. While the elves did not break on impact, their formation buckled under the pressure of continual orcish charges. After two hours, to elvish line cracked and broke. What started as a rout was salvaged into a semi-orderly retreat as Faelgarn stag cavalry screened fleeing infantry. With elves defeated, the orcs began to surge toward Imyhain to sack the unguarded city.

With the fall of the Ahain capital and elven manpower scattered or exhausted, Oberon declared a general withdraw from the River Grove toward the Shadow Grove. While the Ahain elves protested, the sting of recent defeat caused the Scotha elves to side with Oberon. When the battered elven forces reached the Shadow Grove, they were not only rebuffed but attacked by elves of Salla Ghúl. Word of Oberon's march on the River Grove combined with still ongoing hostilities between Ahain and Ghúl had convinced the Shadow Grove elves that there was no room for dialogue.

Oberon, unwilling to be caught by the Greentide again, ordered a general attack on the border guards beginning a harrowing journey through Salla Ghúl lands that would exhaust all parties involved. By the end, the army of the three tattered clans would emerge in the Arrow Grove, where they would be greeted by Salla Ayeth with news of a conclave.

### The Greentide Cracks

The sack of Imyhain would prove to be a bloody one. After constant bitter fighting and with the encouragement by Cheftian Bolk Cursed Howl, victorious orcs cut down much of the population of the city instead of traditional enslavement. This slaughter would prove to be the last straw to Gordak Cursed Howl. Displeased with the wanton cruelty of the host and its general aimlessness, Gordak openly challenged his clan leader Bolk Cursed Howl to Ozarm'Chadash in the closing day of the sack. The duel would end in Bolk's swift death and Gordak taking control of clan Cursed Howl.

The consequences of this would be immediate. Like many orc grunts, Gordak had long felt that escape from the Deepwoods was folly. In his victory speech, the new cheftain called out how orc, goblin, and elf had been trapped for years on end. He then concluded that Greentide’s fate would be no different. While the speech won over Gordak's clan as well as some number of other orcs, Troknar Silentblade remained convinced by the Blackened Prince that the journey was almost over. Between the two was Relgakk Blackmoon who held his own doubts but did not trust Gordak. With this impasse, the great orcish host’s advance ground to a halt.

Displeased at the independent mindedness of Gordak Cursed Howl, the Blackened Prince pushed Troknar to take over Cursed Howl through Orzam’Chadash. Troknar, however, refused citing that some time would need to pass before he could issue such a challenge. Unwilling to wait and already angered by another display of orcish independence, the Blackened Prince used his power to magically dominate Troknar. Under the Prince's orders, Troknar then moved to challenge Gordak.

The confrontation began later that night with Troknar calling out Gordak. However, instead of escalating to a duel, the two orcs unexpectedly began to laugh and revel. This laughter and reveling soon swept over the tense camp. On the next day, Troknar and the other orcs awoke to the vague memories of partying and amicably splitting with Gordak and the Cursed Howl orcs. With Cursed Howl's departure, Relgakk decided to agree Troknar and continue forward toward the Shadow Grove. Thus, the Greentide began to rumble on once more, with exception of a few minor clans such as the Bloody Tusks who remained mop up the last bits of resistance. All this while the Blackened Prince would seethe as he realized another powerful fey had intervened in his efforts.

### The Reappearance of Clan Sappchopper

While the main host ravaged through the eastern groves, the lost of orcs of clan Sappchopper would make a sudden reappearance in the Thorn Grove as they phased back in from the Feyrealm. Despite being lost for over a decade, the orcs themselves would only perceive a few hours having passed.

Upon rallying once more, the orcs reengaged their plundering as they looked for an exit from the Deepwoods. Having already been constantly pressed by the goblins of Oubbligsband and later the Brambleskinner Clan, the elves of Salla Drennen found themselves forced out of much of their lands. It was only when a magical line powered by Narawen Drennen was established that the orcish rampage halted north.

Unfortunately for the Wood Elves of Salla Cenág, Khagur then turned his warband south toward the Bone Grove. There the elves under Alara Cenág, exhausted by continual fighting against Oubbligsband and one of its successors, the Skull Drummers, were forced to retreat back against the arrival of another invader. Here, once more Khagur found his band stopped as the Cenága elves viciously peppered his orcs with constant, but short raids.

### The Conclave of Elynáile

*Main Article: Conclave of Elynáile*

As news of each Wood Elf clan's struggles spread, Narawen Drennen realized that the chance of the complete destruction of her salla as well as every other salla was becoming imminent. Desperate to change this fate, she sent messengers to every elven clan calling for meeting at the city of Elynáile to discuss the creation of an elven alliance to drive back the invaders.

The call would eventually be answered by every elven *Ceann* and *Ceanna* with the exception of Salla Ghúl whose bitter fight with Oberon and deep mistrust of the other clans led them to reject the meeting.

In Elynáile, there would be over a year of argument and debates as the clans worked to form an alliance. Although Sallas Scotha and Ahain would ultimately reject the alliance, conclave would close successfully as the remaining clans came together to form the Verdant Pact.

### The Fall of Verdant Veil

*See also:* The Fall of the Verdant Veil

As the conclave was ending, Corin, her circle, Arun Drennen, and the goblin warlock Oubblig succeeded in slaying the Eldest. With the Archfey's death, the Verdant Veil fell and receded to only certain parts of the Deepwoods. With the Deepwoods once more accessible to the outside world, Corin, her companions, and a number of displaced would exit woods to return Escann.

Along the way, the group would meet the Groundhawk Clan in midst of trying to escape the Deepwoods. After Corin's intervention, the goblins would be allowed to join the group to fight the orcs and find a new home outside the woods.

Meanwhile, with Greentide in the Shadow Grove, home of the Ashentree Fey, the Blackened Prince calls upon his followers to attack the elves of Salla Ghúl with the orcs. The result the near complete annihilations of elven salla. Troknar Silentblade, whose mind never recovered after the Blackened Prince’s domination spell, then accepted the archfey’s request for the Greentide to settle in the Shadow Grove. The sudden about face disturbs many orcs and Relgakk Blackmoon. Unwilling to give up on escape and aware of dark magical presences in the grove, Relgakk and the Greentide remnant began a desperate escape out of the grove.

Without the Blackened Prince to guide the horde though, escape seemed impossible. It was only thanks to the timely fall of the Verdant Veil that remains of the main Greentide host successfully fled the Shadow Grove into the neighboring Arrow Grove. There they would encounter the prepared elves of Ayeth led by *Ceann* Irvah Ayeth. With the horde depleted, it appeared that orcish defeat imminent against the stubborn elven defense. That was until the chance killing of Irvah Ayeth’s consort Irann during a minor skirmish.

Frozen with grief, Irvah abandoned his command and any semblance of leadership as he took Irann's fallen body back to the capital of Ayethstir. The abrupt absence of leadership paralyzes the Ayeth defense and begins a general collapse of the clan. Retreating from public life, Irvah did nothing to stop the Greentide approach on Ayethstir. Salla Ayeth's survival during this dark time was only due to the sudden mass revolt of the goblin slaves who believed the weakened orc army would be unable to stop them. The revolt complete halts any attempts to siege the Ayeth capital.

As the orcs reorganized, Relgakk concluded that retaining any number of goblin slaves, who had now proven time and again as unreliable in the Deepwoods as battlefield fodder or even servants, was too much of a risk to the orcs. Thus the Blackmoon chieftain ordered that no goblin be taken as slave again. Instead he declared that every goblin be killed on sight.

While this was happening, the remnant armies of Sallas Scotha and Ahain found themselves scattered due to the Verdant Veil's collapse. The shifting of the gladeways resulted in part of the elven army in the Flower Grove and the rest in the River Grove rather than arriving together.

In the Flower Grove, the scattered elves were taken by surprise routed by Gordak Cursed Howl and his orcs whose clan had strangely found itself in the grove after the encounter with Troknar. Those elves captured were brought in as slaves while the few lucky ones that escaped would disappear into the grove's bogs. With this elven defeat Cursed Howl would claim complete control of the grove, marking the end of general elven resistance here.

Meanwhile, the elves lost in the River Grove found themselves able to rally, thanks to forgiving terrain of the River Grove. Upon grouping up, they then found initial success against the orcish clan Silvertusk, led by a former orc of the Bloody Tusks called Kharag. As the orcs began to be pushed back, the elves would have their victory snatched away when the goblins of Verminhusk attack at the behest of the exiled Wood Elf mage Selsusa Ghúl. Crushed between goblins and orcs, elven army melted under the pressure. While many would successfully retreat back to elven lands, some number of Ahain elves would grudgingly accept Selsusa’s offer to stay in their home in exchange for serving her.

### The End of the Greentide

By the year 1444, the Greentide in the Deepwoods had been stretched thin. The main host consisted only of clan Blackmoon and few minor clans while the rest of the clans loyal to Korgus were scattered throughout the woods. Orcish invasion gave way to steady, but static skirmishing with the elves of the Verdant Pact and the few remaining Forest Goblin tribes. In fall of 1444, news from Escann of Korgus Dookanson's death began to reach the orcs in the Deepwoods. With Dookanson's death was the death of any reason for further orcish attempts to leave the forest. Thus, the Greentide came to a quiet end.

## Consequences and Legacy

Like the Greentide in Escann, the Deepwoods Greentide would have enormous consequences for all of the Deepwoods. The sudden rise of an existential threat would bring the Wood Elves closer together than ever before and bring them toward eventual unification. Meanwhile, the success of the Prince of the Blackened Branch in luring the orcs into the Shadow Grove would eventually enable the Ashentree Fey to execute their plans for avenging the World Tree. Additionally, the sudden influx of orcs would permanently change the racial make up of the Deepwoods setting the scene for futher conflicts.

## References

1. ↑ (Author's note - the orcs of Bloody Tusk are the ancestors of the orcs met in the first orcish incursion)
2. ↑ another instance of time travel