Woodhearth: A Pocket Guide
Since the disappearance of Falinesti, there is no city that completely expresses the character and history of the Wood Elves more than Woodhearth.
Situated on the southwestern shores of Valenwood, Woodhearth had humble beginnings as an Imperial settlement, constructed and maintained by the Emperors in order to facilitate trade with the region's Wood Elf settlements.
The Wood Elves of the region reacted with a mix of curiosity, friendship, and hostility to the city, which was part thriving port town and part fortress, protecting against the wilds of Valenwood.
Several times, hostile Bosmer led assaults against the city's walls. Several times, they managed to bring down sections of the wall with concentrated bursts of powerful destruction magics, only to be driven back by the tenacity of the Imperial forces and their superior equipment.
A peace was eventually struck with the Green Pact Bosmer of Valenwood, and in time a Bosmer settlement sprang up and even overtook the Imperial buildings, as that special connection the Wood Elves have with their forest was invoked to create the treehomes and walkways that are characteristic of Bosmer settlement.
As the Bosmer became an instrumental force in the Empire, control of Woodhearth was gradually ceded back to autonomous Wood Elf rule. A treethane was established in Woodhearth, and while the parts of the city that had been constructed by the Imperials fell into disrepair, the city as a whole thrived.
Within a generation, the treethanes of Woodhearth gained a reputation for determined leadership and fair judgment, among both the Wood Elves and their allies.
At the time of writing, the Treethane of Woodhearth is Fariel, and she governs both as Treethane and as a member of the Thalmor, under Queen Ayrenn of the newly-formed Aldmeri Dominion. Woodhearth continues to be a major port, along with Seaside Sanctuary, in Valenwood, and it is home to members of all races.
A Time of Troubles
Part Three: A Treethane's Dilemma
Loyalty, prized by friends and demanded of subordinates, must still be tempered with flexibility. Otherwise, loyalty is a trap, and a dangerous one.
Take, for example, the story of the former Treethane of Silvenar, Thalrinel. I served her loyally for her entire, if short, stint as custodian of the city, just as she served our lordships, and even the Aldmeri Dominion loyally during her term.
But when the Hound, Lord Ulthorn, arrived, he declared a new order, and his men enforced loyalty to the Bosmer first. Naturally, I saw the immediate wisdom of the Hound's position.
Unfortunately, Thalrinel did not. She resisted his welcome ascendance as the Green Lady's consort, and her misplaced loyalty was rewarded with nothing but pain. She fancied herself a representative of the Silvenar, an archaic symbol of outdated oaths, not a representative of Silvenar, a city full of mer who needed her loyalty.
Fortunately, I saw the wisdom in Lord Ulthorn's reasoning. And the Hound saw the benefits of my flexibility. He promised my ascendance to treethane if I would back him and help complete the inevitable union between the Green Lady and himself.
What could I do? The fate of the city was in the balance. When she arrived, I welcomed her and gave her the drink and food set aside for her by Lord Ulthorn. I'm certain he knew what was best.
All was going well until the Silvenar arrived. The Houndsmen were prepared, and I'm certain this business of "heroes" and "villains" will be resolved in our favor. My loyalty cannot be questioned. I'm certain Lord Ulthorn will remember me in the end.
If only I could—