Chapter 603 454 Asrai's History of Illness (Not Recommended)

In fact, the history of the Asrai is inextricably linked to their predecessor, Ulthuan.

A long time ago, before the advent of Chaos, even before the rise of the elves, the magical forest created by the Old Saints took root in the medieval world. Like many things that emerged from that halcyon time, the Great Forest was the work of the Old Ones, who planted seeds and saplings as part of a grand plan and a great experiment.

And the scope of the Great Forest is huge, unlike now, when the entire Bretonnia and the southern city-states south of the Empire and Black Mountains, that is, the entire Elsin Alvin, were covered by the Great Forest. It even expanded to the forests in the Norsca Mountains at one time, which is why there are tree people active in the Norsca Mountains.

Powerful spirits dwell among its trees, and no one knows their origins. Some elves believe they were designed by the Old Ones, others believe they are the work of the elven gods, or that other influences seeped into the trees. soul. Over time, the trees began to think in ways they were not meant to, and learned emotions such as anger and hatred.

Soon after, the Great Forest awakens to itself and notices the flesh-and-blood creatures that inhabit the world like reptiles. By this time, the Age Oak in the heart of the Great Forest had extended its roots to many lands, forming a web of world roots through which powerful spirits could reach distant lands.

This is also the reason why the Asrais can come to Naggaroth. The roots located in the southwest can even reach the Cawchen Plain of the Lustria continent.

In the year 2174 of the Imperial Calendar, the future Araloth went to the country of Yris in Ulthuan through the roots of the world to visit his ancestral homeland. At that time, the Kingdom of Yris was being attacked by Druch. Prince Morarion of Yris and his eldest son Aessarion fought against Druch, but the army of the Kingdom of Yris was too small, and some of them were still under attack. Deployed in overseas colonies, Druchi was unable to end the threat. His joining made up for the lack of military strength of the Kingdom of Yires, and in the end, Druchi's army was defeated.

Afterwards, Morarion asked Aralos why he chose to intervene. Aralos simply replied that his ancestors were from Isolta Maha, and that he could not stand by and watch the forests of his homeland be destroyed. He was surprised but heartened by Alalos' response, and they said goodbye. It was not until years later that he discovered Alalos had lied, but he couldn't figure out why Alaros did what he did.

At the end of the day, Asrai's entire army was sent to Ulthuan. When Ulthuan sank, the remaining elves were sent to Athel Loren. However, most of these roots are now necrotic and no longer function.

At that time, Avalon in Ulthuan was discovered, and the spirits met the elves living there. No race is closer to the spirit of the forest than the elves, who, in their innocence, marvel at its wondrous nature, whisper with the ancient spirits to learn the secrets of the spirit.

There is a special soul named Dursu, which the elves call "Heart of Oak". It developed a fondness for the inhabitants of Avalon, especially the Everqueen Astarielle. Soon after, it agreed to teach the elves how to shape trees without harming the branches or trunks, and granted the elves many other secrets the spirits possessed. After that, Avalon ushered in a golden age, surpassing any since.

Under the joint management of elves and spirits, the woods and meadows flourish and glow with incredible vitality. Many spirits abandoned their homes and traveled to Avalon, determined to awaken the trees as they themselves were awakened. However, things did not happen as they expected. Although Avalon became more and more wonderful and beautiful, the trees remained silent and did not become the same kind as the spirits who came there expected.

Soon after, the devil came.

With the collapse of the polar gates and the coming of the Great Invasion, the power of Chaos swept over the world. Civilization burned everywhere, madness replaced order, and Ulthuan suffered more than anywhere else, as many of the demonic hordes lusted after the emotionally powerful elven souls.

The Elves were not completely destroyed, nor did their lands turn into the courts of Chaos, for the great hero Aenarion emerged. At his call, the elves took up arms to resist the waves of demons. As an example, he continued to inspire his compatriots to perform greater feats. As the Phoenix King, he married the Eternal Queen Astarielle, who gave birth to two children for him. As he fought to protect Ulthuan, the Everqueen retreated to the sacred groves of Avalon to raise their children as far away from the war as possible.

Avalon was not invaded by demons at first, because the demons sensed that Dursu and those spirits were not much different from themselves in nature, so they were hesitant to attack Avalon. Besides, there were Easier prey is in sight.

However, this state did not last long. When Aenarion's army was on an expedition, Na'kari appeared. It led the army of Slaanesh to Avalon, and the massacre began.

As Avalon burned, Durthu and its kind fought alongside the elves. They could have returned to their forests, but they chose to live and die with their allies. Many souls were destroyed, others were driven mad by despair, but the spirits continued to fight. What is disappointing is that Avalon can neither be saved by bravery nor force. As time goes by, the elves and spirits are gradually driven into the hinterland of Avalon, until finally there is nowhere to retreat.

On the evening of the last day, the Everqueen came to Durthu with a desperate request, asking Durthu to save her children from impending doom.

As the surrounding forest burned, Durthu remained silent for a moment, seemingly unheeded by the tears and pleas of his supplicants. Teleporting a living creature through the roots of an Age Oak would undoubtedly be considered a serious transgression, and it is reluctant to anger its companions. However, in its time living in Avalon, it has been seen that elves and spirits are more powerful and wiser together than alone, and if either survives the darkness, this power will undoubtedly serve the purpose of the Great Forest in the future. Serve.

Therefore, Durthu finally agreed to the Everqueen's request, but it warned the Everqueen that there would be a price to pay for doing so. If it saves the Everqueen's spawn, the Great Forest will one day claim many elves as its own, serving and protecting the Great Forest just as the spirits once cared for Avalon.

This time it was the Eternal Queen's turn to be silent. She could feel the ominous premonition in Dursu's tone, but she had no choice. If Elena died, the Eternal Queen's bloodline would die, and the elves would also die. Will soon be gone forever.

At this moment, a huge demon broke through the elves' defense line, waving its four strong arms, sweeping away the last Eternal Queen guard, roaring in victory and madness. This day was already full of horror, but this moment was a cruel fate. This demon is none other than Nakali, the chief archmonarch of Slaanesh, and its cruel embrace brings not only death, but also the annihilation of souls.

The Everqueen kissed Morelion and Elaina at the last moment before handing the children over to Durthu. As Durthu departed with Morellion and Elaina, the Everqueen calmly entered the fray to meet her fate.

When Durthu returned to the Great Forest, he was dismayed to find that his home was no different than Avalon. The great forest that once spanned the world is now a fraction of its former size, the once-thriving land is scarred by fire and magic, and the borders of the great forest are still attacked by countless demons. It just seems like it's going from one hopeless fight to another, but appearances are often deceiving, and as the struggle for survival in the Great Forest becomes more desperate, something essentially happens to some of these souls, especially the younger ones. The change.

Many spirits become more wild and aggressive, perhaps even cruel, and their lithe, slender bodies become more suited to combat. Durthu discovered that most of the forests that had been destroyed during his absence had disappeared and turned into plains and hills. These new landscapes had cut the great forest into pieces. The remaining outposts, located between the two mountain ranges, had held out for decades and were now starting to spread out.

Although Durthu was wrong about the forest's plight, it was correct in predicting the reaction of its fellow creatures. Adanhu, the wisest, resented the destruction of the sanctity of the world's root web, while Cordir, who had long commanded the Great Forest to rage against the blasphemers, was consumed with bitter rage and demanded the death of the interlopers.

At first Adanhu agreed with Cordir, but eventually gave in and agreed with Durthu's actions. Although it is the oldest, it is fearful of change, though it is also concerned that the forest's survival may come at the expense of its peaceful nature. If left unchecked, the spirits of the Great Forest can become as terrifying as the enemies they fight, and Durthu's bargain offers a glimmer of hope that this fate can be avoided.

An angry Cordier firmly opposed the decision, but the two-to-one decision could not change anything. The spawn of the Phoenix King and the Everqueen remained in the Great Forest, forever magically slumbering, until Avalon was safe again.

After the Maelstrom was built, Durthu fulfilled its original promise and traveled through the roots of the world again, returning Morellion and Elaina to Avalon, where they were left to be discovered. The brother and sister, who had been falling asleep, did not remember what happened after leaving Ulthuan. They only remembered that Oakheart saved them the night their mother died. Soon after, Elaina became the second Everqueen, and Morellion, the eldest son of Aenariel, gave up everything to stay by Elaina's side.

Durthu longed to restore the glory of Avalon, but he also knew that the Great Forest needed its guidance even more. It gathered nearly all the spirits who had survived the Great Invasion of Ulthuan and returned home. As the centuries passed, the spirits of the Great Forest and the lessons they taught gradually disappeared from elven lore, leaving only a few traditions and folklore.

Over time, Ulthuan grew in power and glory, establishing many colonies overseas. The world was torn apart by earthquakes, and the roots of the world were severed, isolating the Great Forest from the outside world. The elder of the ancient tree people watched with patient eyes, waiting for the opportunity to collect debts from the Eternal Queen.

Scores of centuries would pass before the fates of the Elves and the Great Forest were once again intertwined. At this time, Ulthuan's power was at its peak, and the elves established colonies across many lands. Most settlements are along the coast, but many elves head inland. Some elves are guided by dreams and visions, or driven by unexplained impulses, while others are driven by a thirst for adventure, setting foot on paths untrodden since the dawn of time.

These elves encounter the Great Forest for the first time and are curious about what they find. At night they saw strange lights dancing in the darkness beneath the branches, and huge figures lingering at the edge of the woodland. Attracted, they tried to go deeper into the forest, but were blocked by the unpredictable paths every time. Despite the obstacles they encountered, they never considered settling elsewhere. The magic of the forest ran in their blood, a legacy of ancient covenants that could not be ignored.

The elves named this forest Athel Loren, which means "noble forest". They settled on the edge of the forest and placed huge obelisks at the border to limit the movement of the spirits. Despite all precautions, occasionally spirits would disappear into the forest, driven by strange visions or seduced by ghostly river spirits, never to be seen again.

Then came the Great Schism and the War of Vengeance. With the defeat of the war, the Assur colonists abandoned everything and returned to Ulthuan under the orders of Karadrell. But some of the Assur refused, and they declared their independence from Ulthuan's rule and entered Athel Loren.

The dwarves who followed attacked Athel Loren as the first snows of winter began to fall, slashing and burning them. This callous behavior angers the forest, but spirits are sluggish and weak during the frosty months. The spirits were either dispersed or killed, and Durthu, who was not asleep, was seriously injured by the dwarf's sharp axe.

Realizing that the forest could not defeat the dwarves alone, Durthu ordered the spirits to begin their retreat, waiting for the arrival of spring while creating passages to lead the dwarves to the edge of the elven settlement. So, the elves and dwarves fought under the guidance of the spirits, and the air was filled with rows of arrows. The forest twisted the dwarves' forward path and guided the elves' steps. Whenever the dwarves launched an attack, the elves disappeared into the trees. , appeared in a place far out of reach of the dwarves a moment later.

After realizing that they could not repel the elves, the dwarves made a cruel decision and chose to retreat. After the victory, the elves chose to settle within the borders of Athel Loren. They were more worried about the revenge of the dwarves than the capricious will of the forest. They were baffled by the fact that the forest did not resist their approach.

The lost Assur never heard the heated argument between Adanhu and Cordir about their fate, and as the instigator, Durthu remained silent. It was seriously injured by the dwarf's axe. The dwarf's ax not only caused it pain, but also took away its former good nature. It can no longer fully trust its own judgment. Eventually, Adanhu's will once again prevailed, and the forest revealed many secrets to the asur, although the dryads and treants were careful not to deliberately expose themselves.

In Tarsain, under the ancient oak tree of the King's Forest, Ariel, who had powerful spellcasting ability, had his first dialogue with the forest. From then on, all agreements were made. Soon after, the elven spellcasters learned the tree song. It was at this time that the Asur called themselves Asrai. They respected all natural things and truly regarded Athel Loren as their home.

Asrai treat the forest with due reverence and respect, viewing its seasonal cycles as manifestations of their ancestral spirits. They swore that what they took from the forest would be repaid with equal amounts of service and sacrifice. When they needed wood to survive the harsh winters, they would take only fallen branches and in the spring they would nurture and tend new ones. of saplings, encouraging trees to form elegant halls above and below ground. As they hunted forest animals for food and clothing, they made the best of what they could and expressed their gratitude to the forest through blood rituals.

However, the beginning is good, but after that... it can be said to be a long and stinky one, a medical history that takes turns?

Soon after, the dwarves again marched into Athel Loren, this time with a very powerful army, numbering tens of thousands. After learning about the dwarves' attack, the Asrais held a meeting under the Oak of Time. Even the elves came closer intentionally or unintentionally, as if they wanted to know the final decision of the meeting. The followers of Loic performed ritual dances, and the seers observed the alignment of the stars and the appearance of fire.

However, these Asrai are not the protagonists. When the meeting was going on, Ariel and Orion hooked up. At that time, Orion was still an elf, brave and handsome, and Ariel was the smartest and most beautiful among women. of. Ariel found that she was attracted to Orion. The two of them ignored the immediate life and death situation and started a conversation. Afterwards, they left without leaving a trace, that is, into the woods.

There was no substantial progress in the meeting. After all, the strength of both sides was there. It was impossible for the elves to defeat the dwarves on the battlefield. What was even more tragic was that the prophets saw that the dwarf army was only relatively weak, a very large orc Waaagh! Approaching the forest. In a desperate moment, Adanhu appears and tells the elves that as long as the battle takes place before winter comes, the spirits will fight side by side with the elves.

Asrai was inspired by Adanhu's words. Facing an irreversible situation, they began to fight. At this time, because they could not find them, the rebellious lovers Orion and Ariel were temporarily forgotten.

The next day, Athel Loren's army met the dwarves. As Adanhu promised, Asrai did not fight alone. The tall tree people reinforced the elves' line, and the tree demons hid in the forest on the flank. The dwarves switched from offense to defense and used the tenacity of the race to defend, but in the end the defense line collapsed. The corpses of the dwarves covered the ground, and only a few dwarves escaped.

Unfortunately, due to the arrival of winter, the orcs accelerated their pace of advance and set the forest on fire. The elves and spirits fought hard, but there were too many orcs, and the spirits were also restricted by the cold winter.

The Asrai, who were fighting and retreating, gathered under the Oak of Ages, ready to make a last-ditch effort. Their morale was extremely low at the time, and they did not think they would win again, but they did not seem to have any good choices. After dawn, the heavy snow stopped, the animals came out of their nests, and the air was filled with anxiety.

When the sun rose, the sound of a horn came from the wind, and the incarnation of the hunting god Kurnos rushed out of the forest. When the horn sounded again, the orcs ushered in the end. Orion turned on the unparalleled mode, angrily slaughtering the greenskins who appeared in front of him, and the awakened tree demons gathered around him, eager to release their cruel desires.

When the sun set, the orc army was gone.

The Asrai gathered under the Oak of Ages, and they found that Orion and Ariel had become the incarnations of Kurnos and Aisha respectively, and then the forest lords swore allegiance to Orion and Ariel. Some Asrai were attracted by Orion, and they gained part of Kurnos's power, and they became the original wild cavalry.

As winter turned to autumn, Ariel's power remained unchanged, with no signs of decline, but Orion was different. His power and anger changed with the seasons, and when winter came, his power completely dissipated.

As the snow fell, a huge bonfire was set under the Oak of Ages. Under the gaze of the Asrai, when the midnight bell rang, Orion walked into the bonfire naked with his arms raised. When the morning came, he turned into ashes.

Many Asrai did not know what happened. They were sad about the death of their king, but Orion was reborn the next spring. Only then did they understand the nature of Orion and Ariel, and that the Asrai were bound to Athel Loren forever.

Many centuries later, as the incarnation of Aisha, Ariel healed the forest, and the ancient tree elders watched quietly. The forest flourished and the wildness was controlled. However, one night, the spirits let out a painful wail, the roots of the world were disturbed, and a terrible thing was born.

At first, Ariel didn't care, she didn't understand its nature, just regarded it as a threat, but she still tried to understand the truth under the persuasion of the ancient tree elders. The Asrai didn't find the terrible thing, but they found that wherever this creature passed, there were insect corpses everywhere, rivers were diverted, and the air was filled with the breath of fire.

This creature was none other than the "Shadow Evil" Morgul. His existence was an offense to Ariel. Ariel finally crossed the roots of the world and rushed into where he was. When Ariel saw him, she almost laughed out loud. Originally, Ariel thought she would meet a powerful warlock, but it turned out to be just a poor creature, a rude and ignorant beast who didn't have enough intelligence to understand his own nature.

Ariel purified Morgul, her mission was completed, and she was arrogant at that time and thought Morgul was over. What she didn't know was that when she turned and left, Morgul's wounds began to heal. Worse still, Morgul could only understand a small part of what he saw at that time. Thoughts and words were unfamiliar concepts in his twisted mind. He remembered Ariel. After feeling Ariel's power, he longed for more, and a bad relationship began.

During this period, human tribes began to try to cross the Grey Mountains to the west. The Asrai in Athel Loren watched the embarrassment of humans facing the abandoned castles and settlements they left behind with a funny attitude. The beautiful halls were reduced to rubble or burned. This was the masterpiece of the dwarves and orcs. Humans in the tribal era would avoid staying in these places. Humans were afraid of being harassed by the ghosts in the buildings.

Asrai watched the battles between these primitive tribes and watched humans fight orcs. Only when the battles affected the borders of Athel Loren would they take action, which was the origin of the Wild Hunt. Every summer, Orion would lead them to the human territory to hunt. Whether it was humans or orcs, as long as they had two legs, they were within the hunting range. The terrifying Wild Hunt penetrated the hearts of humans. From then on, humans realized that once they invaded the forest, they would encounter terrible consequences.

The nature of the elves always lingers in the hearts of the Asrai. They not only fight against humans and orcs, but even lead the confrontation between humans and orcs to escalate. They think that doing so is to maintain balance, to control the number of enemies, just as they control dangerous beasts. However, as they continue to move away from Athel Loren, they have wavered in this idea, but they don't mind continuing to incite war on the edge of the mountains.

What is Green Chaos...

The Asrai, who were fighting everywhere, did not notice that the real crisis was coming. When they realized it, countless beastmen entered Athel Loren. They cleaned up the beastmen like cleaning cockroaches, but there were always more beastmen every year, as if they would refresh infinitely. But they still didn't take the beastmen to heart. The arrogance of the elves filled their hearts. Some forest lords believed that the flow of time under the shadow of the trees was changing, and their battle with the beastmen fell into a cycle. This kind of speech caused them to relax their vigilance until the beastmen made a big wave.

It was two centuries after Ariel killed Morgul, and Morgul had accumulated a big wave during this period. Even if Asrai joined forces with the spirits, they still couldn't stop Morgul's attack. Morgul even whispered to the forest. Under the disturbance of primitive nature, some of the most vicious and capricious tree spirits betrayed the forest.

Morgul cannot be killed, and even the most fatal wounds will recover as before. The most noisy thing is that the spirits cannot resist his corruption. Several times, when the Asrai army was about to win, he was rescued by the rebellious tree spirits, and this madness continued.

The catastrophe was finally ended until Kodir appeared, scattered the beastmen and pinned Morgul. When Morgul resisted, Ariel's magic severely damaged him.

This time, Ariel decided to kill the monster once and for all. She gathered her own power and the power of the forest. Morgul could not withstand the huge force, and his twisted body was disintegrated. The battle was won, but the price was that the forest would forever suffer the corruption left by Morgul. Creatures that came into contact with his blood could not truly heal. The place where he was killed became known as the Sorrowful Wood, where twisted and withered creatures could only live after his death.

Ariel did not rejoice, because she realized that Morgul could not be killed. Even if Morgul's body was destroyed, his soul would be reborn somewhere else. Morgul is the spirit of chaos, a group of evil spirits far beyond the capacity of a single body, and the epitome of the will to burn civilization.

Morgul's death represents the beginning of eternal disputes. The war between Asrai and Beastmen is actually a war in which Ariel seeks to completely destroy Morgul. While Asrai is planning to destroy Morgul, Morgul is also racking his brains to completely destroy the entire Asrai.

Because Kodir had substantial contact with Morgul in the battle, it was corrupted in the fifth century after Morgul's death. As a hawk, it was already dissatisfied with Asrai, and the irreversible corruption completely ignited its heart, and it tried to prevent Orion's rebirth.

When winter came, Kodir and its maids did not hibernate, but waited until Ariel fell asleep. When the forest fell silent, it rushed into the King's Forest and a massacre began. It killed the Asrai it saw, thinking that when the Wild Riders were gone, Orion would be weakened and even unable to be resurrected.

When the first drop of Asrai's blood fell to the ground, Ariel woke up from her sleep and came to the place where the Wild Riders fought hard. Cordiel and its maids could not resist Ariel's unreserved rage, and it was suppressed by Ariel's power.

But Ariel did not completely destroy Cordiel, because she knew that doing so would hurt herself. Although Cordiel was corrupted, he was still connected to Athel Loren, and she was also bound to Athel Loren. In the end, she imprisoned Cordiel and the dryad maidens in the Wild Forest in the southeast corner of Athel Loren, surrounded by guide stones, and Cordiel was exiled to the Wild Forest forever.

Cordir fell into stillness, but its maidens, those spirits trapped in darkness, gnashed their teeth at the circle of waystones that bound them. Driven by cruel desires, they wandered the woods without sleep, thinking of revenge on those who stole their homes. Therefore, the task of guarding this isolated prison fell on the shoulders of the Watchers of Cythera.

After the events of Cordir, Athel Loren entered a relatively golden age. Under the careful guidance of Ariel, the Asrai became closer to the forest, and the wounds of the past seemed to be healing. The Asrai were not like before, rarely going out of the boundaries of the waystones. Only the Wild Riders would go out under the leadership of Orion to remind the outside world that Athel Loren was still strong.

What was coming finally came. Although he was repelled by the Asrai, Morgul still led an almost endless army of beastmen to kill. Now, he planned a cruel goal: to capture the Silver Spire and poison the water source that feeds a large area of ​​land here, thus turning it into a barren land. This time it was Orion who struck, defeated him, dismembered him, and threw his remains into the fire.

Centuries later, Morgul reappeared, and his target was Silver Spire, but this time Orion did not resurrect, and Athel Loren was covered with snow, but Silver Spire became a holy place for humans at this time.

Morgul failed again, and the victorious Asrai ignored the humans who wanted to trade and went directly into the shadows, but this did not prevent humans from telling stories of fighting together with the immortals.

Years later, the descendants of the Bretonnian knight ventured into Athel Loren, hoping to establish a long-term covenant with each other. Orion disagreed, but was rejected by Ariel. Because Ariel knew that Silver Spire would distract Morgul, and there was a strange existence in Silver Spire, which was called the Lady of the Lake by humans...

Orion resented this, stating that he would not curb the rage of the Wild Hunt to satisfy the queen's whims. Ariel smiled back and told him that he could go hunting wherever he wanted. It would be great if he chose to go to Bretonnia. A common cause might bring about friendship, but humans must remain humble towards the elves.

To a certain extent, Orion's thinking was right that year. Bretonnian bards in the outside world began to tell stories about meeting fairy people in the forest, and Aslay found that it was difficult for them to hide themselves. These stories reached the ears of some orcs, and since then Asrai has discovered that a large number of enemies are coming towards Athel Loren...

As news of Athel Loren spread to the outside world, news from the outside world also flowed into Athel Loren. Many of the messages were ignored by Asrai who was indifferent, but the long-term war between Ulthuan and Naggaroth was not ignored. Most Asrai were indifferent to this meaningless war, but some Asrai were sad about it.

Among them is Alishara, Ariel's sister, Malekith's wife... (This paragraph has been mentioned before)

When Ariel learned of her sister's death, the entire Athel Loren fell into silence. Winter came very early that year, and the wind and snow were heavier than ever before. Her sadness turned into pain, pain. It turned into anger again.

Ariel knew that although it was Azul's cousin who killed her sister, there was more to it than that. Morathi knew early on that someone would be after her, so she cast spells to cover her tracks. Ariel discovers that she can't break through the hidden spell, so driven by revenge, she delves deeper into forbidden knowledge and masters the Deha that only the Drukki can master.

A portion of the world's roots moved to connect to Naggaroth, driven by Ariel, because she finally discovered Morathi hiding behind it. Previously, Orion launched an attack on the Kingdom of Elion in Ulthuan through the roots of the world. The reason why he attacked the Kingdom of Elion was because Asur who killed Alishara came from there.

The counterattack launched by the Kingdom of Arion was slow, because Kunos was the main god they believed in there, and the Assur did not dare to take up arms to resist their god. Their hesitation cost them blood. The Wild Hunt was held there that year, and the grasslands of the Kingdom of Elion were dyed red with the blood of its residents until Orion could no longer derive any pleasure from the experience, because this was not hunting, but massacre.

The Asrai arrived in Naggaroth with a vengeance. They did not linger, for the trees here were unpleasant and lifeless, and the cold air of Naggaroth weakened even the cruelest dryads. They quickly launched a siege on Gorund. Since the defenders of Gorund usually need to resist the attacks of northern barbarians, their military forces are deployed relatively north. The Druchi did not expect that an enemy would suddenly appear in the hinterland. , Grond's outer city wall was quickly breached.

In despair, Morathi appealed to her son in the south for help. Malekith already knew of her role in Alishara's death. Although Malekith forgave her, he was indifferent to her plea for help. , and prohibited any Druchi troops from marching north.

After losing thousands of troops, Asrai's army finally invaded the inner castle of Grond. Faced with reinforcements that would never come again, Morathi began to think about a way out. She humbly expressed her regret to Orion and Ariel. . If Ariel hadn't been there that day, Orion would have ripped out her heart, but Ariel was there that day. She senses Deha surrounding Ariel and says that if she is let go, she will teach Ariel to master Deha.

Ariel agreed, agreed! She wouldn't have accepted it if she hadn't been seduced by Deha, but she was so haunted by Deha that she finally agreed to Morathi's proposal.

This incident is iconic because it was the beginning of tragedy. Morathi, true to form, tricked Ariel by not telling Ariel how to use Deha correctly.

After returning from Naggaroth, Orion had a dispute with Ariel. Their quarrel lasted for several days without reaching a consensus. Winter came very early that year. And the next spring, the unimaginable happened. Orion was not reborn, and Ariel drove away the wild horsemen gathered under the Oak of Ages.

Since then, Ariel has become more and more irritable, and many maids and woodland lords think she has gone crazy. Since Orion did not appear, Aslay, who was unable to vent his anger through the Wild Hunt, also became more and more irritable. The ecology of Athel Loren has undergone subtle changes. In those decades, the original harmonious coexistence turned into a fight. Both parties were unaware of what changes would happen. Even if it happened, they would not care, because their perceptions would change with each other. The forest changes.

Only a few Asrai can recall the past days, and everything before them is nothing short of a nightmare for them. Dursu and Adanhu remained sane, but there was nothing they could do about the growing madness.

Asrai became more aggressive, and they hunted farther than ever under Ariel's guidance. Bretonnia, which was located on the edge of the forest, was driven back. Dwarves and human caravans walking in the Gray Mountains died. Under the arrows, the orcs were also driven out of the Gray Mountains.

Ariel began to use dark magic without restraint to fight the enemy's attack. She vowed not to let Athel Loren be harmed by greed and primitive cruelty. However, she did not realize that she was bound to Athel Loren. The more she used Deha, the weaker Athel Loren became, and everything in Athel Loren was weakened.

Soon, Morgul was reborn again, this time he appeared in the Shadow Forest. Ariel decided to put an end to him once and for all and absorb all his power.

Ariel sent a large army through the World Roots to unite with Aenil in Lauren Loren to fight Morgul's tribe. This time, unlike the previous battles, she summoned a large number of spellcasters to trap Morgul, and then teleported Morgul back to the Oak of Ages in Athel Loren through the World Roots. She planned to bind Morgul under the Oak of Ages with the dark magic she mastered.

However, an accident happened. When the ritual was halfway through, Durthu appeared. It felt the disturbance of Morgul's passage through the World Roots and was angry that the Oak of Ages was violated. It hurried to the Oak of Ages, raised a 40-meter machete and killed Mogul before the ritual was completed.

Ariel, who fell into a frenzy, screamed hysterically and accused Dursu, but she did not dare to attack Dursu. Even in her madness, she knew it was better not to attack Dursu, so she let Dursu leave, claiming that she did not do it out of kindness...

Ariel always refused to let Orion be reborn, and minor conflicts with other races would also attract Asrai's crazy revenge. Dwarf merchants were brutally slaughtered, the imperial army that insulted the forest was wiped out, and the towns of the Kingdom of Paraon and Quinaris were destroyed. A large number of nobles and old farmers had to abandon their homes and flee to the west to avoid the crazy elves.

The population of Asrai has been decreasing. In addition to some who died in battles in other lands, more died of weakness and disease. Ariel's madness destroyed Athel Loren, but even in the face of such a disaster, she could not stop her crazy behavior. Her soul had been completely corroded by black magic.

Finnubar was not the first Ulthuan envoy to come to Athel Loren. During that time, Ulthuan had sent envoys to try to improve relations between the two sides, but Ariel rejected them contemptuously and imprisoned the Asur envoys in the wild forest. Unlike the Asrai, the Asura did not have forest instincts. They were trapped in the forest for many years, but eventually they escaped, just like Decha, but their good luck ended. When they escaped from the forest, they encountered the Bretonnian army attacking Athel Loren. They had the same face as the Asrai and were tied to the fire and burned to death like humans treated witches...

Finally, the ancient tree elders could no longer tolerate Ariel's behavior. After the arrival of spring, they felt that the forest was slowly dying. They knew that only when Ariel's soul was purified would everything return to normal. With the help of Liv, they mobilized all the troops they could mobilize and marched towards the Oak of Ages.

Ariel rejected Adanhu and refused to return to the right path. She only saw an army coming to depose her. She screamed and called the crazy elves and spirits, and ordered the tree people to leave.

The civil war broke out, and the army of the ancient tree people fell into a passive state. Their number was too small. Helpless Adanhu could only choose to go all out. It found Ariel's soul through the webway and transferred the corruption to itself.

The hymn of the tree people is a hymn of sacrifice, and the greatness of the tree people is the greatness of nature! The inheritance of the forest spirits cannot be cut off even across the ages!

Unable to bear this darkness, Adanhu sacrificed, its soul collapsed, and part of its power was absorbed by Dursu. Its tree body remained forever under the Oak of Time, like a symbol. At the same time, madness disappeared from the forest, and Asrai and the spirits seemed to wake up from a nightmare, and the hatred shrouded in their hearts melted like ice and snow.

Adanhu's sacrifice made Ariel sober up. She saw everything she had done and the damage her selfishness had caused to the cycle and balance of nature. She cried and hid in the depths of the Oak of Ages, where she would atone for her sins and heal the damage she had caused.

It was already 1703 in the Imperial Calendar, and Athel Loren had the so-called redemption.

Before Ariel closed herself off, she resurrected Orion. After returning, Orion was in grief, and even he could not communicate with Ariel who was in a closed state. Since then, Ariel has not appeared again. Every year, the Wild Riders will perform a ceremony to resurrect Orion. For many years, Orion has governed Athel Loren alone.

Ariel was too guilty and sad to face her people. She hid in the Oak of Ages alone without saying a word. The Asrai were in a panic. They thought they were abandoned by the queen, but they could not summon Ariel no matter what method they used.

Although Ariel was closed off, the four seasons were still circulating, the borders of the forest were more tightly protected, and the forest resumed prosperity. Liv walked in the Twelve Territories and called on Asrai to abandon isolationism. This was also the reason why Liv was not welcomed. Her unorthodox ideas were opposed by the forest lords, but in the end she convinced the forest lords and they compromised.

The woodland lords believed that past conflicts were caused by a lack of understanding of each other, rather than deliberate actions, so they agreed to abandon isolationism and open up to the outside world. With the change in foreign policy, the Asrai no longer clashed with humans and dwarves, but helped humans and dwarves fight. It was they who rescued Bretonnia in the Red Bean incident. They fought side by side with the knights of Bretonnia and drove the Skaven ratmen out of the surface. The Skaven society also erupted in violent political conflicts due to this failure, which led to the second civil war...

To commemorate this great victory, Bretonnia awarded Areda the title of Honorary Knight. When she came into contact with humans, she always remained polite, but when she left humans, she took off the medal awarded to her by humans and threw it on the ground.

Slowly, perhaps because of the passage of time, or perhaps because of what the Lady of the Lake did, Bretonnia once again regarded Athel Loren as an ally. The dwarves accepted the kindness of the Asrai, but had no intention of crossing out the previous hatred from the Book of Hatred.

In the process, Orion fought bravely, because he knew how much Ariel blamed himself, even if it meant fighting side by side with the filthy dwarves. However, as the saying goes, you sing and I come on stage, he has the signs of illness after Ariel, and each year of the Wild Hunt becomes bloodier than the previous year.

Ariel knew what was happening outside, she knew that if Orion's wildness was not restrained, it would cause the same mistakes as before, and at this time, she also understood that the balance between her and her spouse was important to the survival of Athel Loren. But she was not ready to come out, so she sent her messenger.

The Twilight Sisters appeared on the political stage of Athel Loren, serving as a mouthpiece when Ariel was not there, until Ariel appeared.

After three centuries of isolation, Ariel returned, she sensed the presence of Morgul, and this time Morgul was stronger than ever, so strong that it took the power of all Athel Loren to fight. However, she had not fully recovered at this time, and her soul was still eroded by darkness. It was impossible to completely eliminate the darkness after it took root. She would bear this burden forever, and she did not know whether her future decisions were made out of reason or malice. But she knew that delaying time would cause huge casualties, so she finally walked out of the Oak of Ages.

Athel Loren was boiling. Asrai thought they had lost their queen forever. Even the tree people who had been hurt by Ariel were happy, although the tree people did not admit it. Of course, the happiest one was Orion.

Morgul was gone again, his throat was cut by the sharp blade in Arohan's hand. In the end, the beastman army collapsed, and they sneaked into Athel Loren in small numbers. However, he did not fall down immediately without being hit hard. In the end, it was Skarlok's black feather arrow that hit his eye socket. From then on, Skarlok showed his talent.

The Season of Redemption ended, Orion and Ariel returned, and a new era for Asrai arrived.

It was the year 2007 of the Imperial calendar, the year before Daxus appeared. In this year, Liv foresaw a future in which Athel Loren was set on fire and Chaos raged in the forest. The dream was shrouded in mist as always, but she was sure that the omen was not only for Athel Loren, but also for the whole world. She shared this with the Council, and as before, as after, the Woodland Lords were as distrustful of her as before.

But Ariel believed Liv because she felt the disturbance, and she soon confirmed that this was the precursor of the destruction that Liv had predicted. She and Liv gathered hundreds of spellcasters and ventured into the other side of Athel Loren, a dangerous area where the inner time flow was unstable. After several months, after losing half of the spellcasters, and after many of the others fell into madness or were driven crazy by fate, they got some answers, but these answers were not necessary. Ethereal, untraceable.

Ariel told the forest lords what she saw, and the quarrel began, because no one believed or dared to believe that this was about to happen. In the end, she rejected the proposal to maintain the status quo of Athel Loren. From this time on, Green Chaos became the Shield of Civilization, and Liv's adjusted diplomatic measures became more open.

Then... In the year 2026 of the Imperial Calendar, the escaped Dacha summoned some crazy spirits and ravaged the southern part of Bretonnia. Before the arrival of the Bretonnian army, she destroyed the Holy Grail Cathedral and took away the remains of the Holy Grail in the church.

Then, Finnubar came, and Dacuus came too. If calculated according to normal time, there are still five hundred years before the end. During this period, Orion began to get sick.

Due to a series of operations, only Dursu is now standing in front of Dacuus.

"Back."

"Back."

The conflict did not occur, and the scene of Dursu killing all outsiders that Asrai expected did not appear. The two simple conversations between Dacuus and Dursu expressed everything.

To some extent, Dursu's position is like those first generation Slann magic priests. Unlike the Slann magic priests below the first generation, they know some of the deeds of the ancient saints, but only some. Unfortunately, one of the three ancient tree elders went crazy and one died, and Dursu's mind also became abnormal.

Darkius understood why the white deer had such a reaction after seeing him. (End of this chapter)