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[nofrodelius]

The Windrunners

Shade and sweet water! We are eager to announce the introduction of a new Elfquest Roleplaying Forum, The Windrunners, which opened mid August 2016. Feel free to peruse the forum at www.windrunners.freeforums.net. We are currently accepting new players!

You are welcome to contact the Admin account with any questions at eqwindrunners@gmail.com or on the forum at http://windrunners.freeforums.net/thread/146/guest-chat.


3,000 turns ago, our ancestors left the Sun Village; a mixture of immortals and wolf-blooded jackwolfriders, treading an unknown path toward a new destiny. We did not know where we would end up, but we had a purpose and a vision of a future that we wished to grasp. Though we have not forgotten where we came from, a new culture has developed around the ‘no humps’ of our land. We embrace the duality of our ancestry, governed by a succession of wolf-blooded Chiefs, and guided by the Council of Five: immortal elders who have seen and learned from the experiences of our past.

We wield magics that once lay dormant within our ancestors, now newly-awakened and singing through our blood. We are hunters and farmers, jewelry-makers and brewers, herdmasters and guardians of the Way. To serve our people and to ensure our survival, we always run with the wind at our backs. We are the Windrunners and we invite you to run with us for so long as the winds will carry us!

[Vashti]

Nearly 500 turns after Rayek stole the Palace, kidnapping Cutter’s family and the troll princess Trinket, the Sun Village was attacked by Kahvi in an attempt to steal the Little Palace. Her mission was thwarted, but not before Chot was able to return to the Lodge and tell the Go-Backs what had happened. Wanting to claim the Little Palace for his own glory, Chief Zey led his own attack on the Sun Village, resulting in lives lost on both sides, and many more wounded. Those who could not be healed in time were placed in wrapstuff, to wait for a healer who could save them. Several of the wolf-blooded elves of the Sun Village elected to enter the Deep Sleep as well, to wait for the return of the Palace.

Those who did not enter the Deep Sleep set about rebuilding the Sun Village, but to many, including the maiden Vashti, it had become a constant reminder of those they had lost, and they decided to set out and find new lands to call home. Taking with them their jackwolves, a few zwoots, and three Preservers, they traveled South through the Bad Lands, where they found an old abandoned system of troll tunnels underneath the mountain range known as World’s Spine. The zwoots were sent back to the Sun Village, too large for the tunnels, though the jackwolves remained. Following the tunnels to the Southern end of the mountains, they established Stonehold, living in the remains of the troll kingdom that had once flourished there.

They stayed for nearly 800 turns before disaster struck. A tremendous earthquake caused a cave-in while the scouts and hunters were away, ending several lives, and trapping nearly half of the tribe inside. Unable to rescue them without risking another cave-in, those who were free to move sent a Preserver into the cracks between the ruins, who reached the survivors and placed them in wrapstuff. There they would sleep for nearly 1,000 turns, watched alone by Briarbloom, before the rockshaper Sikeen was born to the Windrunners.

The Windrunners had changed in the time they had slept: under the leadership of the new Chief, Longtooth, they moved further to the South-East, settling in the walls of Sunspear Canyon. The land was less hospitable, but they slowly developed a working relationship with the ‘two-horns’ (goats) and ‘no-humps’ (horses) of the land, allowing them to make the twice-a-turn journey along the canyon river to a planting area known as River’s Hand. The jackwolves mated with wolves from the new land, creating a stronger breed.

3,000 turns have now passed since the Windrunners left the Sun Village (4,000 since Rayek stole the Palace), and though the tribe has not forgotten where they came from, an entirely new culture has developed. They are a tribe of dual-natures: the leadership consists of a wolf-blooded Chief and the Council of Five, made up of those with Sun Villager ancestry; Jackwolfriders guard and hunt for the tribe and the Horsemasters keep the herd strong and trained; traditions harken back to their shared heritage.