Cabochon and Birchrow Wood

The trees were evenly spaced, having been planted meticulously many years ago. The path through them was distinct with years of traffic between the two villages. The forest, known as Birchrow Wood, was beautifully planted and nurtured by the elves. Even more impressive was the fact the elves had elected to share their home with dragons.

The elves were able to grow many foods in their forest. Whatever steel they needed fashioned into swords came from the two dwarf villages on either side of Birchrow Wood. The dwarves often traded their craft for safe passage through the forest.

One fall day, a young dwarf toddler had stopped to admire a silver birch. Unlucky for the young dwarf, it was a full grown dragon that found him instead of an elf. The dragon huffed and puffed, and the toddler cried and cried. Eventually the dragon was able to determine which village the dwarf was from and walked him home.

The southern dwarf town, Cabochon, was the mining town at the base of Paragon Mountain. Everything in the town was a result of the gems being tunneled out of Paragon Mountain. As soon as the toddler was near enough to Cabochon, he ran home as quick as he could. Meanwhile, the dragon heard a few be-gones and go-homes. Dwarves, notoriously protective of their treasure, were a bit skittish around the dragons of Birchrow Wood.

The dragon, black as night and named Jett, took to the sky to speed back home. Jett’s tree was on the other side of the wood, near the northern dwarf village of Alloy. Jett liked to fall asleep to the sounds of the dwarves smelting the treasures hauled from Cabochon to Alloy.

It was outside of Alloy that things were quite dangerous. The land was wonderfully fertile and filled with humanoids. As you know, humanoids can be quite self-centered and greedy. As Jett was taking the little dwarf home, the humanoids were finalizing plans to invade Alloy, Birchrow Wood, and Cabochon on their way to the treasures of Paragon Mountain.

The humanoids had a wonderful plan with two small weakness. They didn’t believe in dragons or understand how important Birchrow Wood was to the elves. However, the humanoid population was overwhelming compared to the elves, dragons, and dwarves.

As the fateful day of invasion approached, the dwarves, excellent with underground listening in the fertile land, had decided to surrender Alloy and fortify Cabochon. The dragons and elves did not believe the dwarves’ intelligence of an impending invasion, but they did send sentries to Alloy, just in case.

Jett sped through the air. The humanoids, finding Alloy empty, were trying to get through it to Birchrow Wood as fast as they could. Jett flew to elf and dragon posts, alerting them of impending war. The estimates of 700,000 humanoids were not meant to intimidate but to stir a strong response. There were 10,000 dragons, 50,000 elves, and 100,000 dwarves between the humanoids and the greatest treasure trove to be found.

Nearing Birchrow Wood, the humanoids began to get as many torches and flaming arrows ready as possible. Rather than see their precious wood burned down, the elves decided to attack instead of picking the humanoids off from their trees. Any dragon is naturally riled up by flames, these particular blazes really worked the dragons into a frenzy, but it seemed like the battle would hinge on the dwarves. To the elves and dragons, it would take a miracle for the dwarves to leave their treasure behind and set out to join the battle at the edge of the forest.

The battle started quite predictably. The dragons and elves were far superior fighters than the humanoids, but 700,000 fighters versus 60,000 is still nearly impossible to overcome. The difference it turns out was five years in the making.

The dwarves had been tired of needing elves to escort them through Birchrow Wood. They were struck by a new idea five years ago. What if they, the expert diggers that they are, had a tunnel from Paragon mountain right underneath the path all the way to Alloy? Five years of tunneling and stabilizing the path above had paid off. As the humanoids passed through Alloy, they assumed the dwarves were miles away. Instead, they had made their way back to Alloy via the new tunnel under the path. Just as the dragons and elves of Birchrow Wood were beginning to panic, dwarves flooded out of Alloy toward the battle at the edge of the forest, taking everyone by surprise. The humanoids, having their backs turned with a formidable force on both sides, were massacred.

It would not be long before the fertile plain attracted some other creatures, and once they heard of the treasures of Paragon Mountain, their would probably be more war. However, the dragons and elves now considered the dwarves as equals in their shared community, and their collective battle acumen would be difficult for any creature to beat.