7254 The Punishment for Hubris, Book 4 Timayame After the Humans had placed tree branches to cover the entrance to the Cavern, a group of Elves ventured into that area, hearing the call of the wounded trees. They discovered the branches and removed them, wondering what foul creature had despoiled the trees in such a way and for what cause. Into the cavern they ventured, discovering the notes from Nemiisae and the portal to the Verge. This group did not go back for more, though others would soon come in their wake, as they were immediately forced through. Running from a threat, they entered the Verge and discovered the portal to the new world. Fleeding still, they had no choice but to enter. They too fell into this trap, the portal closed behind them, no way back, though they would only find this out after returning later to investigate. For now, they still had running to do. Immortal though they were, this land was still rife with danger. Forced to settle in it, the Elves would follow in the footsteps of their cousins, perishing within the strange lands within half a Millenia. In these lands they were susceptible not just to the terrors, but also their own curse. Far more infertile than they were in their original lands, they died out merely due to lack of numbers. While some of them eventually interbred with Nemiisae's children, those who refused would only gain numbers through other poor fools coming through the portal. In this way the Elves too, were tapped. When the Elves first found the broken and disturbed trees as well as the secret they hid, they did not realize they were being hunted. Following them from Malinor been an Orc hunting party, searching for slaves, meat, or blood to spill. The Orcs assaulted the Elves at the entrance to the crevice, and having no other way to go, the Elves immediately fled into the crevice and down into the cavern. The Orcs pursued the Elves, following them through the Verge and to the next portal, into the new world. The Elves had gotten ahead, fleeing to the nearest forests they could find. In the thick cover, the Orcs lost sight of them. They began to investigate the land as their cousins had. They settled, adventured, and fought. Fighting was what they were good at and they were much better equipped for the trip into this new world, to face the terrors that haunted it. But their own aggression killed them in the end. They perished at the hands of beasts, monsters they should have known they would never defeat, at least not permanently... Within a half Millenia, the Orcs too were extinct, leaving behind only the skeletal ruins of their previous homes and their old enemies they had died out battling.