Lingering in the Twilight

The Elvenking of the Woodland Realm has ruled over his subjects from the time when Mirkwood was called Greenwood the Great. For centuries, travellers and wanderers have heard the eerie sound of their laughter echoing in every corner of the wood; today, the court of Thranduil is an underground fastness in the northernmost region of Mirkwood, a bastion protected by magic and held in arms against the Shadow that has fallen on the forest. Its denizens are ever-vigilant sentinels, members of a diminishing people that have suffered greatly in many wars.   They have grown suspicious of trespassing foreigners and what they may bring. Now, however, the great victory at the Battle of the Five Armies has somewhat eased the relationships between Elves, Dwarves and Men living in the area, and trade has increased after years of seclusion.   The Elves of Northern Mirkwood are members of the Firstborn, the earliest denizens of Middle-earth. Also called Wood-elves, the followers of Thranduil the Elvenking are a reclusive folk. They may be less wise or ambitious that nobler Elves, but they have chosen to live a simpler life.   Their attachment to all things natural lets them rejoice in leading hunts and holding feasts, even under the threat of what lurks in the dark of Mirkwood. It is this love for Middle-earth and their hopes of reclaiming the entire forest from the Shadow that prevents them from abandoning their home and sailing to the uttermost West.