Dwindling Leystone Power

The gradual decline of elven civilization can be traced to the Dwindling of Leystone Power—a slow, but inevitable collapse of the magical monoliths that once sustained the elven cities and strongholds. By 2570 BGW, the fallout from the War of the Two Moons had left deep scars upon the leylines, weakening the Leystones that drew from their power.

The Aftermath of War

The War of the Two Moons had ravaged the arcane foundation of the world. The Duskborn’s manipulation of shadow magic and their siphoning of leystone energy during the conflict fractured the leylines beneath elven lands. Though the war ended with the Sealing of Draidiff, the damage lingered, spreading like cracks beneath the surface.

Elven arcanists, once the caretakers of the Leystones, had been decimated by war. Those who survived retreated to Lumispire, leaving many Leystones untended and vulnerable. Without the arcanists to reinforce their bonds to the Weave, the Leystones began to weaken.

A Precious Resource

As the Leystones dimmed, the lands they had protected—forests, cities, and ancient roads—began to unravel. Enchanted groves withered, arcane barriers flickered and died, and once-thriving settlements were swallowed by wilderness.

Fully intact Leystones became rare and deeply coveted. In the decades following the war, controlling an active Leystone could determine the survival of an entire region. High Elves and Duskborn alike vied for these dwindling sources of power, resulting in skirmishes and secretive raids long after the formal war had ended.

In the elven heartlands, the Leystones that remained became sacred, their care entrusted to a dwindling order of arcanists who believed the fate of the elves was bound to the health of these stones.

Causes of the Decline

• The Scars of War – The immense strain placed on the Weave during the war caused fractures in the leylines.
• Loss of Caretakers – Many elven arcanists died or withdrew from the outer reaches, leaving Leystones to deteriorate without the rituals required to sustain them.
• Corruption of the Hollowwood – The Naerdrith’s consumption of the Hollowwood left leyline pathways broken, severing connections to the Leystones anchored nearby.

Consequences

• Elven Retraction – As lands returned to wilderness, elven borders shrunk dramatically. The High Elves abandoned distant settlements, pulling back to Lumispire and the few places where Leystones still held power.
• Fragmentation – Without the magic that once unified their territories, the elves fractured further. The Wood Elves of Mountainrun distanced themselves, choosing to adapt to nature rather than rely on the fading power of the Leystones.
• A Mortal Ascendancy – As elven lands waned, humans, dwarves, and other mortal races expanded into the regions once protected by elven enchantments. The age of elven dominance gave way to an age of mortal ambition.

A Quiet Resignation

Efforts to restore the Leystones were fleeting. Even the greatest surviving arcanists could not mend the severed bonds between the stones and the leylines. Some believed the leylines themselves had grown weary of elven arrogance, withdrawing their favor as a final reminder of the consequences of war.

"Let the stones rest. The land will remember us long after the last stone crumbles." – Elenion Starleaf, addressing the Council of Lumispire

Legacy

The Dwindling of Leystone Power marked the turning point that led to the slow dissolution of elven unity. While Lumispire remained the last bastion of High Elven civilization, much of their former empire returned to wilderness and legend.

This decline created fertile ground for new powers to rise—and for Vyrakath’s whispers to once again echo through the forgotten places of the world.