Marcodurum
Marcodurum is a well protected, well guarded settlement, and it lies along the Rur river, a mere ten miles south of Juliacum. A half days travel.
None of the people from Aquae Grannis has heard of it, although they’ve known there are Elves “out there”. Theoderic is surprised that it is so close.
“We are well defended,” one of the Elves says. “And numerous here. They have tried, and they make the forests beyond our defenses dangerous. There have been bitter fights. But we hold. We know what happened in the winter. The main Hun attacks were elsewhere. We do not know what would have happened had they come here. We like to think we would have done well.”
The Elven town of Marcodurum is a different, for the Ardennes Elf settlements. Homes are built close to each other, and the whole settlement is designed for defense, with hidden archer’s platforms with strong wood parapets, and walls and obstacles on the ground. These include whole thickets of the plants with the glass thorns, forming deadly but innocent looking walls.
And close in to the core of the town, which is a riverside grove of giant trees, real walls. Walled towns are very rare among the Ardennes Elves, but they have done it- it is a strong wooden wall, made of giant rough hewn timbers backed by earth and stone and anchored by trees growing right up through it.
The party is met by the Chief Elder of Marcodurum. Leiki Glimmerdawn. He is over four centuries old, and there are many members of his clan here. He takes credit for the glass thorns. His invention- he is a wizard, he says, and finds glass an interesting and useful medium to work with.
The Elves here know of Theoderic, and Aelasuria, that story has spread all over the Ardennes. It is not clear, though, if they approve. And it seems that they did not expect Theoderic to be here. Which is only fair- Theoderic didn’t expect to come this way, and didn’t expect Elves here. They seem a little worried.
”I am a strong wizard,” Leiki says. “But I would not try my luck against Juliacum now. The losses would be too many. There is a terrible evil surrounding it. I fear the infernal power there is very strong.”