Post by Bluestorm on Jan 21, 2018 18:37:27 GMT
The Gnommish Wars
--The following is a translated extract from The Works of Nnumina, the Gnommish historian, during her lifetime in the Fourth Century of the Second Era of Civilisation, the Age of Known Dynasties. It was translated and collected within the volumes of the compendium Deverrin’s History, and is discussed, as is, seemingly, every other account, by Deverrin also, in a footnote.
“It was then in the year of Known History 473, upon the 3rd day of the eighth month that the aggressive Elven policies of purging marsh flora and fauna from across the neutral ground surrounding our land for purpose of monocultural agriculturalization (which would verily draw illicit food and revenue for the Elves from our borders) led to a unified decision within the Gnommish Court. For it was decreed justly upon that day that the only effective method of stopping this outrage, after diplomacy had failed so dramatically at the Elven-Gnommish summit two days previous, was to be through warfare; and so from the Court to the High Government and the Treasury and the Military the proposition was passed. And so it was that all able-bodied fighters were armed and deployed toward the lands of the Elves, to undo the damage the Elves had wrought with fire and thus cleanse the marsh, destroy the adulterine farms and trading outposts and allow the wild plants to grow afresh.
And upon the 24th day of the eighth month the Gnommish army confronted the Elves and in revenge for the environmental havoc they had caused launched an assault upon the city of Tri-ni-viel, but the cruel and cunning Elves used their longbows to tear into the brave Gnomes manning the siege ladders so no attempt could be made to breach the walls and they were forced to retreat. To add undue pain the Elves also hurled the individuals who did surpass the walls back over them, and they fell screaming to their deaths. The harried Gnomes retreated, hounded as they fled by the terrifying Elven Vanguard and their monstrous Forest Rocs which feasted on the flesh of those who fell to Elven steel. Over the coming days the Elves, finding their unlawful agriculture foiled and natural biodiversity in place once more, visited their rage upon the Gnommish towns further west of the marshes in three appalling strikes against civilisation, stealing what remained of the confiscated crop and decimating our industry, our furnaces and workshops, leaving many homeless and destitue without thought or care. However, come the ninth month, the gods smiled upon us in the face of such a wave of barbarians.
Upon the winter, the god-cursed pestilence of the Rocs flew home frozen, and the Elves found themselves unable, with their great size and lack of knowledge of the terrain, to walk through the marshes without sinking into the chill pools: the land saved us from villainy, as it had done before. Thus, their armies were called home, but as they moved away there was no celebration: for we had a great many houses, forges and marshland areas that were yet to return to their former glory, and did not for years hence.”
--A footnote from Deverrin. As charmingly linear as the Gnommic history is, it overlooks the things occurring around their own straight line: like the poems not mentioned in official Elven history (which I have found to forge its own, alternative straight line to that of the Gnomes) of the awful crop blight known as Rakyeev, or The Scourge, that had ravaged the Northern Elves with famine, forcing the Elves to seek new moist soil – like marshland - to support their starving families. Or the Gnommic persecution of the Elven farmers they caught, from which only 300 escaped, and the multiple skirmishes that reigned for over a year after the official end of the fight that culminated a bloody riot in Gnumton Square, forgotten by all but a plaque now – and by those who were there. Indeed, even today, it seems the straight line has circled to eat its own tail, for both sides resent the other, and neither speak of the truth of the matter, leaving it to gape in the scarred No Man’s Land between Gnummic and Elevn cities like an open wound. And so heroes and villains are made while the truth of the matter is forgotten, tales are forged and blood is spilt on old blood. All for hunger and care for the condition of the land, and this truth can only be found in archives. Only in history. Here, if you will permit me, we will observe a lesson: the importance of history is of not biting your own tail. So we learn more of history.