The Battle for the Sacred Enclosure

Deathless Battle

The Battle for the Sacred Enclosure was a conflict that took place in the Elven Forests on the 28th day of the eighth month in 792, between two tribes of elves, the Negila and the Eltashi.
A whole day of dances and chants took place instead of a traditional battle, earning it the alternative name of "the most civil battle" since no one died. It assumed a proverbial role in describing the elven society.

The Conflict

Prelude

The Negila tribe, at that time a small group, was travelling as usual when their leader died of old age at the end of summer. They buried him in a clearing, marked the place with carvings and a small wooden grave, and set camp in the forest nearby. As it was (and still is) their tradition, they had to wait for the winter to pass, driving away any person or animal from the clearing so that their leader's soul could gather strength and pass away.
At the start of the eighth month, the Eltashi tribe found the clearing and set camp there for the winter.
The Negila were busy gathering food for their stay and, being too few to stand a proper uninterrupted guard to the grave, only discovered the unwanted invasion a week later. They explained the situation to the Eltashi and asked them to leave.
The trespassers let them know it was too late now, that they had already set up camp and had no intention to move. Besides, they replied, in the Eltashi culture, the traditional waiting only lasted a month, instead of a whole season as in the Negila's, so the leader's spirit was fine.
Unsatisfied with the response, the Negila threatened a conflict. Believing they could easily defeat a smaller tribe, the Eltashi followed with a declaration of war.

Deployment

The conflict took the shape of a cultural disagreement. The Eltashi considered their culture and tradition superior to Negila's, thus claiming one month was enough for a spirit to pass away. On the other hand, the Negila claimed to know more meaningful chants and dances than the trespassers, proving that their lore was, in fact, better.
They decided to meet on the last day of the month to settle the dispute.
Each side chose their best bards and dancers to perform against the enemy, showing off their respective cultural achievements.

The Engagement

The Eltashi walked into the battle sure their numbers would give them an edge. They thought a more numerous tribe would produce more songs of higher quality. They started off showing their best pieces first, to intimidate their opponents.
The Negila strategy was the opposite. Convinced they knew more chants than the Eltashi, they started with simpler dances and songs, building up a crescendo to their best pieces.
At first, the Eltashi seemed to emerge victorious. Their traditions seemed much more complex and beautiful. However, when the challenge was already ongoing, the Negila started pulling out better and better music while their opponents were scrapping the bottom.
In the end, the Eltashi ran out of material to show, while the Negila's performers were going for the most engaging pieces.

Outcome

After the battle, the Eltashi recognised the Negila's cultural superiority, apologised and left, moving to a nearby spot. The victory reinvigorated the people mood after the death of their former leader.
Their bards wrote songs on the battle, praising the storytelling and skill of their predecessors, who made achieving the victory possible. They also showered their enemies in praise for the humbleness in admitting their chants fell short compared to Negila's.
The new songs immediately entered their cultural tradition and spread quickly among other tribes.

Historical Significance

Legacy

The battle showed it was possible to handle disputes in a peaceful, violence-free way. It became the flag of the Elven Forests as a tale of harmony found in the differences among different people. A large part of the traditions, behaviours and beliefs of the forest elves developed over the following centuries from the solid roots that the deathless battle planted deep into their culture.

I heard of a tale, over night at a lake.
Whispering fairies intoned me the song,
of a skirmish, but deathless, they witnessed along.
A clearing two tribes, for tradition and lore,
with dances to sort it, like never before.

— "Deathless Battle" incipit, by Vela Fenii.