And so it came to pass that a great battle was fought, and the orcs were eventually scattered across much of the land that is now named Stânfolde, and driven back across the Great River. Daerdagor 'the great battle' it is named in the elvish tongue - though great also was their sorrow at the loss of so many elven lords.
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After the Daerdagor, the nephew of the fallen dwarven king held council with Caranmír and sought his aid for the retaking of the dwarven kingdom. Yet the elf king was unwilling to do so - deeming it unwise at this time, and advising that they should instead bide their time and rebuild their own strength before undertaking such a campaign. Needless to say, this was not received well by lord Deepforge's heir, and relations between the two peoples became strained (and so it has remained).
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Yet during the years that followed the woodland folk dwindled rather than thrived, and thereafter none dwelt north of the Thunder Mountains (for most of Stânfolde had been laid to waste). At first, those that forsook the realm of the king were few in number, and dwelt upon the island that men name Alucinor. Though others there were, and ever greater in number as the years passed, that took to the sea in search of Dór-Aduial 'the land of twilight' - where it is said that no man has ever set foot.
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Indeed, much of their passing is attributed to the migrations of men (who first began to appear in Brimdenn some 400 years after the great battle), for though there was little strife between the kindreds, the race of men multiplied quickly and took for themselves wide lands to dwell in (sometimes with the elf king's leave, though often not). And so it was that the realm of the woodland elves of old was lessened until most of that folk dwelt within the forest of Ithiltaur (that men translated to Luna Silva in their own ancient tongue), slowly becoming more secretive and distrustful of outsiders …and thus their decline was hastened further.
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