A common story amongst archers, woodsmen, and targeteers is that once every decade, the elves of Athel Loren hold an archery contest. In the elves’ own tongue this is called the Mureth Vai, and it is said to be an affair of rare magnificence and fey splendour. The elven 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 human kingdom. 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]
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