Icon representing the Wood Elves of Athel Loren
Mureth Vai is an archery contest held among the Wood Elves of Athel Loren once every decade. Its outcome is said to determine the greatest archer in the Old World.
History[]
A common story amongst archers, woodsmen, and targeteers is that once every decade, the Elves of Athel Loren hold an archery contest. In the Wood Elves' own tongue of Fan-Eltharin this is called the Mureth Vai, and it is said to be an affair of rare magnificence and fey splendour. The Asrai lords and ladies gather to watch the tournament and to revel beneath the midsummer moon.[1a]
The prize, the storytellers whisper around campfires, is always the same -- an Elven bow of unparalleled craftsmanship, made from the heartwood of a tree older than any kingdom of Men. The tournament is an open invitation and anyone who can brave the dangers of the forest is welcome to participate, even Humans. No Human in living memory has ever won the tournament.[1a]
Indeed precious few can even honestly claim to have entered the Mureth Vai, and whether this tournament is even real is a matter of discussion. But if it were real, then whoever won it would likely be the Old World's greatest archer.[1a]