“A monument of elven history”
The Nine Sisters are giant stone statues on a mountainside, visible from the road but difficult to reach. As one might expect from the name, there are nine of them, each depicting a female figure. The figures are elven, although this is not apparent from a distance since they are quite worn by many centuries of weathering. The statues are pre-Hyperborean, dating back to the time of the Great Akadian Forest
when it lapped like a green tide against the mountains here. This spot is considered a historical monument by the local high elves, although it is not a holy site or sacred ground.
A nest of 6 griffons shelters mid-way up the cliff behind and above the statues, not visible even from the statues themselves. It is on a ledge backed up from the cliff edge, sheltered from weather by a stand of tall fir trees and the surrounding rock faces. The griffons do not attack elves unless they are attacked, but swoop down upon anyone else, even those accompanied by elves.
Inspecting the statues reveals little of interest to treasure-seekers. The primary construction of the stonework is dwarven, but the detailed work is that of elves. The statues have deep foundations, and are all approximately 40ft tall. These are memorials to nine elven queens who ruled the area below when it was deeply forested, a dynasty that lasted three thousand years until the coming of the Hyperboreans. The area they ruled extended 50 miles or so in each direction from the statues (excluding the mountains), and there are no true records of their history other than these remaining monuments of eternal stone. Their names, which are not on the statues, appear in many elven songs from around this region, but their deeds are forgotten. The queens are, in order of age, Olsailalis, Peliwarin, Imildalis, Suwaline, Gyslaramil, Cymiscine, Berisailys, Wild Theral, and Vaissilune. Queen Vaissilune’s statue is of a noticeably lower quality of stonework than the other eight statues, for it was carved immediately after the war with the Hyperboreans, when the elves were in disarray and had suffered grievous casualties. She is also the only queen depicted with a weapon in hand (a sword), and she bears a quiver of arrows on her back.
There is a 25% chance (each day) that a group of elves arrives at the Nine Sisters. These elves are members of a particular elven faction called the Galanduil, found mainly in the forests of southern Aachen.
The Galanduil Faction
The Galanduil are drawn from numerous high elven families in southern
Aachen Province, although a few of them are scattered in the north as well. The Galanduil have been observing the slow dissolution of the human social order in the area, and they have concluded that in a century or so the human society of Aachen will collapse into chaos much like what is already happening in the Sundered Kingdoms to the east. The elves of the Galanduil faction are thus planning ahead to forge what they see as a more stable society than the one currently in place. They believe that humanity needs elven high lords with longer lives and a longer-term view than humans, an arrangement that would create a far better defense against the tide of war, monsters, and barbarity that periodically threatens human governments. They are not trying to take control at this time, which they believe would be premature; rather, they are waiting for the Lord-Governor of Aachen to fall, and the lands to collapse into chaos, before they step in to assume control over the ruins.
The Galanduil have no desire to hasten the fall of human order; they are convinced that it will be a terrible catastrophe for all concerned, including the elves. However, they consider it inevitable, to be staved off for as long as possible but ultimately something that requires planning for what happens during and after. Their plan focuses more on the elves than on the humans; they hope to re-create the old dynasty of the elven queens depicted in the huge statues. They have found an elf with a slight blood-connection to the queens, and are trying to get local elven communities and nobles to acknowledge the new queen. The Galanduil hope that if the broken elven monarchy of this area can be re-established, the queen will be able — when the collapse comes — to lead a better-organized assumption of control over the anarchy in the human realm.
Rather obviously, these elves hold humanity in low esteem. They will not care if the characters have killed the griffons here, but are suspicious of their motives for approaching the statues so closely. If the characters are mere fortune-seekers, the Galanduil lose interest in them. If, however, the characters are a heroic, civilization-protection sort of group, the Galaduil could certainly end up discussing their concerns about the fall of humanity, the need for staving off ruin, and even the solution of placing high elves at the top of the feudal hierarchies when everything falls apart.
As a further adventure hook, the Galanduil are fairly knowledgeable about trouble spots in the south of Aachen, and if the characters establish friendly relations with them, they can be a good source of general information.
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