One night in the spring of 1156, in the Eldrannon capital of Alaterian, a group of elven and eladrin militia were woken with the most dire of news. The Eladrin Queen Linwë Ancalimë and her infant son Lúthien had been kidnapped! Apparently some sort of Necromancer had invaded the palace and killed everyone there, taking the Queen and her son and escaping the city. The band was mobilized along with the rest of the city to track them down and rescue them with haste. Wizards were dispatched to retrieve the Queen’s sister, Anaranë, from the port city of Eärlindë and to ensure her safety.
The band quickly mounted up and headed out the Southern gate, passing many fallen fae along the way. Out into the night they rode, their keen elven senses following the tracks of decay and rot, along with many of their kin. The further from the city they rode, the more the various bands branched out, blanketing the countryside. Additionally, many scouts had already left the city well ahead of them, so an occasional marker let them know that they seemed to be on the right track. For now the trail seemed to be paralleling the road west to the human kingdom of Helmon, but the crossroads near the Elven Wood was quickly approaching. Fearing an ambush at the crossroads, the group split up, sending the strikers ahead to deal with the situation, while the rest acted as bait.