A Unique Alliance

Skannar Hendricks, a powerful chieftain of the Reyhu group of bandits, is a lot smarter than most. Fleeing from Iuz, attacked by a band of 200 Dazark encountered on the first day in the forest, his men then took something of a drubbing from the eastern wood elves, though they managed to slay a powerful fighter/mage. He decided that he really needed some allies. The wood elves didn't seem to want to simply murder the bandits wholesale, so Hendricks talked peace with them.

Incredibly, this alliance has worked. Hendricks' men include fewer evil, and more neutrally aligned men than most bandit gangs. Likewise the elves have many neutrals. There was some room for understanding, since both hated Iuz and his orcs. So, the wood elves have allowed Hendricks' men to build a couple of strongholds in the Fellreev and after a joint battle against a large force from Fleichshriver in Patchwall, 584 CY, some kind of friendship has been cemented.

The two races have begun to develop a wary respect for each other and teach each other their skills. The elves have shown the bandits the skills of forest hunting and snaring, and how to mount forest ambushes. The bandits brought very good weaponry with them and have given the elves some, and they even managed to bring a hundred good horses which have been bred successfully at Fort Hendricks. Wood elves are now to be seen galloping along the Fellreev margins on raids against Iuz's supply lines. Skilled rope use and the building of fortified forest villages have also shown the elves talents some of them have found worthy of learning. There's a mutual admiration in combat skills too. The bandits respect the elves' agility, speed, and their talent for ambush, while the elves respect the bandits' brute strength and mastery of two-handed weapon use.

However, it is the intelligence and charisma of Hendricks and the Clanmaster of Fanlareshen which have cemented this alliance, together with Hendricks' very public proclamations of what penalties will befall any of his men harming any of the elves. Swift execution was meted out to-one group who slew and looted the bodies of a wood elf outpost, with their goods and a dozen horses being given to the elves in recompense. The elves now know that Hendricks is a man of his word, and his own men have a very healthy respect for their smart and powerful leader.

Finally, this alliance has some magical strength at its disposal. Elven mages and fighter-mages are not generally of high level, but there are many of them, and Hendricks brought two high-level specialists with him, a 13th-level Conjurer and a 12th-level Invoker, both of whom provide devastating magical strength in battle. The alliance of elven scouts, spies and ambushers with human battle and strike forces has proven very effective. To date, they have held their lands and even begun to inflict annoying losses to Iuz's forces in terms of both supplies and casualties.