Long time ago on an Isle not that far away...
Thought to have been ousted from the mainland as tribes touched by ancient dragons rose to prominence, or perhaps sharing an ancestral heritage, or maybe even something altogether different; one thing is certain; though details are all but lost to the ravages of time, a strong presence of Orcs and Elves once laid claim to an island which lay some 300 plus miles offshore.
So strong was each claim, that both peoples set up, maintained and ardently defended territory they regarded as sacred. Ardent defense served only so long as limited expansion allowed rivals too close. And expand they did. Carving out swaths of land, building defensive structures and outposts that their heart of hearts may respectively flourish in peace.
Unfortunately, their prized isle was smaller than the sum of their collective ambitions. And their expansionist agendas clashed most violently in a state of near-perpetual conflict.
While near the heart of hearts, peoples lived idyllic and carefree, ever on the front towers, machines and machinations of war swung back and forth.
Naval sorties were taken by both sides, with heavy timbers sunk in wretched waves as ballistae and flame rained down from towers on any afloat long enough to try flee.
Entrenchment intensified, with countermeasures against naval, air, and ground invasion built up on both sides. After a few sorties broke behind lines, bores and burrows were taken into account, legends say that monstrosities such as Bulette and Umber Hulk were leveraged by both sides as they took the fight below ground. Sages doubt these notions.
However there is little doubt that in this ever-escalating conflict, no effort was spared, and indeed the land itself was left changed, broken, ragged, raised. The very isle split at the seams by bombardment and all manner of magnificent magics unleashed in the service of a people and a war that ultimately sought peace, ownership, certainty.
To this day the isle is still 'at war' however it has long since cooled. Each side clearly defined their territory along the mountain pass which marks the site of their unrelenting stalemate.
They have also subsequently returned to the mainland, though still in a war-like state they tend to build strongholds and outposts, and secure territory to call their own, and operating as far apart and with as little knowledge of each other as possible.
Early Concepts and explanations
Elves-at-war
Elves-at-war use a style which naturally leverages 'that which grows', however they are not beyond smithing, or delving as shall be detailed in descriptions of some of their typical faction structures.
Top Left: Elves-at-war outpost (side view)
Features:
A dome of trees woven, bent and grown around a single far taller tree. The top of the dome, the canopy of those trained trees houses the primary platform, which itself is also a sprung and pivotable ballistae.
Above the dome, at their heights of the highest canopy is a smaller platform for lookouts and also serves for casters or even communication via animals. This tree typically somewhat breaks surrounding canopy.
The dome itself provides living quarters and armory for the live-in elves who guard the outpost.
Below ground, the roots of all trained trees are similarly trained away and around the central tree, which extends below ground. The trained roots integrate with the taproot below a highly defensible spiraling inverted tower.
In short, this structure may be far more guarded than it appears if seen these are best given a wide berth due to the unpredictable attitudes of elves-at-war who feel trespassed on.
Top Right: Elves-at-war outpost (plan view)
Bottom: Elves-at-war Stronghold homestead (plan view)
This seldom seen structure resides at the heart of elven society, in a similar fashion to the outpost, it is built atop a foundation of numerous woven, packed trees, drawn together as veins in a much larger organism. The upper branches are trained outwards, and towering, curving elder trees planted atop, which themselves reach overhead in a near embrace, open to starlight as is the elven way.
On the quadrants, groups of trees, hundreds strong are pulled back, leaning, straining, into the microstructure, providing tension for numerous structures and hangings. Not least enormous, near hundred foot across bladed ballistae heads capable of wreaking destruction on even armies should they dare approach.
Orcs-at-war
Orcs-at-war leverage their surroundings in a 'take all fashion', they mine, log, and heavily utilize the land extracting what they need and centralizing it within encampments usually build near some sacred site or wooded area. If these encampments succeed, they are duplicated, triplicated and so-on until a vast ringed orcish city is built. During this process, numerous outposts are built to secure the outer boundaries of ever-growing control, and to give advance notice of any would-be assailant.
Features:
Top Left: Orcs-at-war platform (plan)
Top Right: Orcs-at-war platform (side)
This iconic structure does not have a particularly consistent shape, though always the bent pitted iron and copper dress is present beneath a squat squarish frame from which rises several levels of lookout. Beneath the frame are strung and sprung a rotatable array of heavy bladed weaponry which may be released, rotated, and flung at any intruders giving guards in the metal dresses below time to assemble and rush out to defend their position to the death if needs be.
Bottom: Full Orcs-at-war stronghold
Made up of a series of encampments usually surrounding a sacred site, this densly populated settlement is surrounded by a thicket of pikes and spikes, houses multiple trebuchets and thousands of Orcs ready to rush out in defense of their chiefdoms.
Concept sketch of a single orcish encampment.
If you liked this post the concept artist is tippable at the below address:
Alternatively take a look at my public page to find out more: