StarTower

StarTower was build as one of two great cities for the ancient elves of the N'ndasha Tel'Quessir. (The other city is hidden in the depths of the N'ndsha Obi (Kangrel Woods) and is thought to have fallen into disrepair.) It houses temples to many of the elven gods (although the temple to Corellon Larethian surely dominates), the Council Chambers where the elders of the surviving Houses meet to discuss the war policy, and storehouses of elven knowledge and art. More recently, it is also the primary training grounds for the youth of the race and the center of the manufacture of weapons and armor for the war effort.

The following is a description of the city as it stands today.

The city is about a mile in diameter and sunk into a steep-sided pit, so that it's tallest buildings do not jut above the treetops. Its main defenses are that invaders would have to come through the rest of the N'ndasha Euli (Legasha Forest) to get to it, and they'll have a hard time finding it if they do get that far.

StarTower feels very empty, as if it were built to hold more than double the number of elves living here now. Some buildings - the temples, the Council Chambers, and a museum of sorts - are made of stone. Others are built into trees, much like the elves did in Hope. There is a marketplace, and the traders operate mostly out of large fabric pavilions. There are one or two wooden buildings as well.

The Population

The population of StarTower is mostly very young or very old. Older elves are found in the halls of government, in the temple, or training the younger elves in the arts of war. There are elves who appear to be in between, and most of them they serve as the city's defenders, patrolling the woods just around its perimeter. Many of the merchants are of this middle age, but nearly all are injured or maimed in some way that would prevent them from taking up arms. There are a rare few individuals in town who are young and healthy: they are usually very skilled in some craft or skill and are deemed to important to risk in battle. The weaponsmiths, armorers, fletchers and some researching mages fall into these categories, as does at least one composer whose inspiring battle songs are on the lips of nearly every Euli archer. Calligraphers are actually needed, to copy missives and inspirational pieces (usually sent to human allies; the propaganda spreads by word of mouth in the forest). Poets in the city compose the propaganda. Young mages and warriors typically send a few years on city guard duty before heading to the front. A small cadre of stoneworkers and woodworkers keeps the city in good repair. There are a few gardens grown for vegetables and fruit kept by entrepenurial gardeners, and there are professional hunter/gatherers who bring food in. There is at least one vintner/brewer in the city as well. There are furriers and tanneries. A small fleet of weavers is kept employed by the High Council, making sturdy fabrics for tents, warm blankets, and a special elf-cloth that resists snags in the woods (favored by scouts). Leatherworkers take the fruits of the tanneries to make straps, scabbards, quivers, shoes and boots, sturdy satchels and bags, belts, and so on.

Pregnant elves and children are also protected in StarTower. All pregnant elven women are supposed to return here, for the safety of the rare, precious child. Not all do, especially in the early stages - they feel that they can't be spared from the military front.

The Economy

StarTower is the manufacturing center of the Euli. Some settlements might have small smithies for repairs or casting arrowheads, but StarTower is about the only place you can get a sword. The entire economy is geared to supplying the army.

This might be a nearly cashless economy, a sort of near-perfect Utopia (in that respect, at least.) The elves are facing extinction here. Everyone is expected to put the shoulder to the wheel and contribute to the effort to keep the race alive. Soldiers are supplied for free. Their materials are produced at no cost. The food is possibly distributed to the city at no cost, and the hunter-gatherers have their physical needs taken care of by the city and its citizens. There is a marketplace. It has a very flea-market feel. Locals come here to trade bowls for rugs or procure freshly-gathered produce. Soldiers coming in for supplies might stop here, or might go directly to government buildings which distribute certain items to them at no cost.

In the past 20 years, when the elves have traded through Hope, the most-requested goods have been things like grain that the elves don't have the time or inclination to grow. Citizens provide trade goods (almost never weapons that could later be used against elves; wines, meads, furs and leathers (sometimes ornamented) are popular exports). The incoming grain is then distributed where it is needed.

The local government has a series of highly-coveted honors which they distribute to elves who seem to give more than most. This emotional compensation does a great deal to help feeling "cheated." The government mostly makes sure the cashless economy keeps working; that everyone's needs are being met. They occassionally try to dabble in war theory, but they've pretty much held fast to a defensive approach for 500 years with good success.

The Utopia will probably collapse if it seems that the human threat has really, finally abated.

The War Effort

The best research wizards and the highest-ranking clergy are kept safe in StarTower. The best tacticians usually are not - they're in the field. They have proxies (trusted members of their House) to whom they have explained their current strategy. It is the proxy's job to argue this strategy in the occassional planning discussions.

Throughout the forest are smaller settlements (outposts or forts, although not usually built-up or barricaded). These operate mostly autonomously on general directives from StarTower. Usually, all of one settlement is made of troops from one of the elven Houses. This makes command decisions easier. These settlements are self-supporting, for the most part, with soldiers hunting and gathering in the elven tradition to feed themselves. Most have at least 1-3 low-level clerics on hand for emergency healing. Most also have 1-4 mages. All have scouts, numbering from 10-30% of the total force. Scouts are usually trained in stealth and prefer bows to swords. They are quiet and fast, conducting hit and run raids on Imperial encampments as well as merely gathering information. Every so often, a messenger is sent to StarTower to check on new orders, get supplies, and so on.

On the up side, the elves are a highly-motivated, highly-flexible fighting force. You can't foul their communications or supply lines, because they don't have any. On the down side, no more than a few close settlements can really coordinate anything massive in a short amount of time. If the elves wanted a timed, mass attack, they'd probably need the better part of a year to make sure each unit got their orders and understood them.

The Prophecy

The debate on the Prophecy is still in full swing. Some elves are warming to the idea, seeing it as a way to perpetuate their culture and beliefs if, indeed, they are fated to pass from this world. Most are resistant, believing the Prophecy to be false and hoping that an answer more to their liking will arrive in the future.

The recent news of the emergence of the half-elven god Dafyn has only added fuel to the fire. His prophet's emphasis on the synthesis of cultures sounds suspiciously like the N'Tiran Prophecy. Those who have always doubted the authenticity of the Prophecy point to Dafyn as the source, not the elven Seldarine. Supporters either point to N'Tira's testimony or acknowledge possilbe Dafynian influence. But if the new god is half-elven... well, he's half elven. Who's to say that he isn't part of the Seldarine?

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