Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning PC Video Game
Zone Overview - Avelorn
The verdant realm of Avelorn is among the most ancient of Ulthuan’s kingdoms. A vast, magical forest bathed in the warm light of eternal summer, Avelorn is land of great cultural significance to the High Elves. Since the dawn of time, this idyllic land has been ruled by a line of queens who are counted among the most beautiful Elf maidens ever to draw breath. When Aenarion the Defender took his place as the first Phoenix King, he chose Astarielle, ruler of Avelorn, to be his Everqueen. Since that time millennia ago, each queen of Avelorn has fulfilled the same role, keeping alive one of the most important and ancient traditions of the High Elves.
The trees, glades, rivers and even the earth of Avelorn are suffused with potent magic. These wards and spells, many of which are nearly as old as Ulthuan itself, serve both to protect the woodland kingdom and also to preserve its verdant beauty. The forests are filled with growth and life, and when their hearts are troubled, it is in the tranquil glades of Avelorn that the High Elves seek spiritual renewal.
The forests of Avelorn are not without peril. Where the Winds of Magic are strong, Chaos inevitably follows. In the Age of Reckoning, there are dark places in the deep woods where Beastmen hold dominion. Daemonic minions of the Ruinous Powers dwell in cold, forbidding marshes or deep caves beneath ancient, rotting trunks. The High Elves of the wood must be vigilant, lest these dangers threaten the Everqueen and her court.
But the danger that these scattered pockets of Chaos pose to the wardens of Avelorn pales in comparison to the growing shadow of war. The Dark Elves have returned to Ulthuan, and their hearts are filled with malice and vengeance.
Though their true objective is the Phoenix Throne in Lothern, the enchanted forests of Avelorn hold a great opportunity for the invaders. The Dark Elves know that Alarielle the Everqueen and her court will seek refuge deep in the woods, hoping to elude the encroaching legions of Naggaroth. If she can be found, her captors would have quite a prize to present to the Witch King. Moreover, the forest itself is of great importance to the High Elves. To ruin and despoil the ancient woods of Avelorn would strike a crippling blow to the spirit and morale of Ulthuan’s noble protectors.
As their treacherous kin scour the forests for any trace of Alarielle and her retainers, the High Elves find themselves confronting an unexpected crisis. The Everqueen has disappeared, and not even her closest advisors know where she has gone. Meanwhile, as the armies of Malekith continue their campaign to destroy and pollute the forest kingdom, the powers of Chaos are on the rise. The despoilment of Avelorn has attracted the vile attentions of Nurgle, the foul Lord of Decay. The agents of the Great Changer are also present in increasing numbers, for the spies of Tzeentch watch all that the enemy does with cold, unblinking eyes.
Is it possible that the disappearance of Alarielle and the rise of Chaos are somehow linked? If so, then the High Elves must find their lost matron quickly, or they may never see her again.
The attack on Avelorn has raised the stakes in the battle for control of Ulthuan. Far more than just a land of pastoral and timeless forests, Avelorn is an ancient and magical kingdom that is sacred in the hearts of nearly all High Elves. Its loss would be unbearable for the noble heirs of Aenarion, and as the Dark Elves press further into the woodland deeps, they will see the full fury of their kinsmen brought to bear.
If Malekith’s warriors wish to lay claim to Avelorn and the Everqueen, they will learn that there is a heavy price to be paid.