Against this host, the Dwarfs stood little chance. Mighty Durthu led the charge, an unstoppable force of nature who sought revenge upon those who had scarred him. Colossal Treemen strode amongst the Elven lines, and great hosts of Dryads swarmed about the flanks. As Adanhu had promised, the Elves did not fight alone. Next day, the great host of Athel Loren brought the Dwarfs to battle. It was not until many hours later, when the feast was over, that the absence of Ariel and Orion was noted, but when no amount of searching would reveal them, the errant lovers were reluctantly forgotten. In their enthusiasm, they were heedless of the ancient one's warning that a great sacrifice would be required. Emboldened by Adanhu's words, the Elves prepared their plans anew. He pledged that the spirits of the forest would fight alongside them if only the battle was brought before winter came.
It was in that moment of despair that Adanhu finally revealed himself to the Elves. Worse, the seers had determined that the Dwarfs were but the lesser of two nascent threats - a great horde of Greenskins was but a few days from launching their own assault. The mood of the council was otherwise bleak, for it was apparent to all that they could not best the Dwarfs in battle. Finally, they slipped away, unnoticed and unremarked. Whilst the council debated how best to oppose the Dwarfs, Ariel and Orion were deep in a conversation of their own, seemingly oblivious to the great matters that were discussed around them. He was the bravest and most handsome of his folk as Ariel was the wisest and fairest of hers. In that fire-lit glade, beautiful Ariel found herself drawn to the Lord Orion. The devotees of the trickster god performed their ritual dances, and the seers and prophetesses read the skeins of fate in the stars and patterns of flame. When they learned of this threat, the great lords and ladies of the Wood Elves held council at the foot of the Oak of Ages, and even the trees of the glade crowded close, as if paying attention to what was said. It was a force the likes of which can bring low an entire kingdom. This time they came in a throng many tens of thousands strong, with warriors drawn from dozens of holds. Before long, Dwarfs marched upon Athel Loren once more. It is said that the original Elf who was named Orion was a mighty Elven Lord sometime after the Wood Elves had aligned themselves to Athel Loren, during which time a crisis eventually reached the boundaries of their forested homeland. The origins of Orion is unclear, for he is not a single entity but rather comes from many different individuals whom sacrifice themselves so that Orion may be reborn upon this world, each individual soul merging with those of its predecessor and Kurnous own spirit. Drawn to their king's side, they gladly abandon their civilized concerns for the thrill of the hunt and the heady tang of blood upon the wind. Every Elf feels the lure of their king's wild summons, and many are overcome by this most primal of urges. Taking up his mighty weapons of war, he winds his great horn and calls Athel Loren to the Wild Hunt. When his realm is threatened, Orion is the first to fight in its defence. On the following morning, the chosen one emerges from the Oak's embrace, a mortal Elf no longer, but reborn as Orion, god-king of Athel Loren. There, she works the miracle of rebirth, sculpting her lost husband anew from the chosen one's flesh and Kurnous' spirit. This chosen one is led to the Oak of Ages and given over to Ariel's keeping. Each year, on the eve of the vernal equinox, the Wild Riders selects a young prince who will bear the mantle of Orion for the coming year. Thus does he pass willingly into his own funeral pyre each midwinter, only to be reborn into thunderous life on the first day of spring. He is immortal, but his existence is irrevocably tied to the seasons. Orion, known by many titles such as the King in the Woods or the Master of the Wild Hunt, is the everlasting Lord of Athel Loren and co-ruler of the Wood Elven race. Do you understand? You are more than you were – more than just flesh and bone you are everything that defines us. You have held a mirror up to your subjects and shown them the truth of what they are: proud, noble, but most of all wild. " My king, you have performed deeds others could not achieve in a thousand lifetimes.
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