Note: For the convenience of the players, the year the Palace landed is considered to be year 0. The Wolfriders themselves don't have any method of reckoning the passage of years.

The history of the Grey Falls Wolfriders begins when the Palace landed. When humans stormed the Palace out of superstitious fear, the elves fled to the east, plotting to steal it back someday. For 700 turns they skirmished back and forth, but were eventually driven away. For 2000 turns the elves wandered as the lands turned colder. Their children and grandchildren were born stronger, but with weaker magic. There came a terrible winter, the worst the tribe could remember, in which many of the Firstcomers, or High Ones, died. Anlari, one of the last of the High Ones, asked two of the Firstborn healers to help her change her shape into that of a wolf so she could hunt more effectively. Anlari enlisted the aid of a local wolf pack and helped bring about animal bonding. Working together helped both elf and wolf live.

However, once in wolf shape, Anlari couldn't (or refused to) change back. A turn of the seasons later she bore twins who were clearly a hybrid of elf and wolf. The boy was named Arran, and the girl was Nimor. Anlari stayed with the tribe to raise her strange cubs for about five turns, after which she disappeared.

As the twins grew, they Recognized many pureblooded elves, giving rise to the Wolflings (later called Wolfriders), all of whom have a bit of wolf blood in them. They also bred back to the wolves, resulting in the true bond-wolves who all have a bit of elf blood. (Because of their wolf blood, all Wolfriders are mortal, though they have much longer lives than humans. Bond-wolves have longer lives than normal wolves because of their bit of elf blood.)

Arran took the role of chief by about 2040, as much by force as by consent. He was a hard-hearted and selfish leader, cruel at times, disdainful of the purebloods whom he saw as weak and dependant.

It was during Arran's time that Drianah, the last of the High Ones known to the tribe, gave birth to her son, Allim. No one knew who the father was. Drianah died when Allim was about nine turns old.

Toward the end of his reign, Arran was showing definite signs of madness. Nimor challenged him several times during his reign and finally succeeded in 3580. Arran fled the tribe with some of his loyal followers, two bond wolves, and his firstborn son. None were seen again by the tribe. (Thousands of turns later the Grey Falls tribe discovered the Moon Lake Wolfriders, founded by Arran and his followers. Arran's madness runs strong in the Moon Lake tribe.)

Nimor established the Wolfriders as we know them, and many consider her the first true chief. The was quick-acting and quick-thinking, though living almost completely in the Now of wolf thought. She was as sympathetic to the purebloods as to the Wolflings, which did much to mend the rift between the two groups. Many of the purebloods under her reign learned to hunt and howl. Nimor was a mother to the tribe, which was what many of the Wolflings needed, particularly those who had gotten little mothering from their pureblooded mothers, who felt alienated by these strange children who were born without soul names.

Eventually humans discovered the elves, who were living in the sparse, far-north forests and hunting the tundra at the time. Nimor was caught in a fight with them and was badly injured. She handed two mementos she had of her mother (a large crystal pendant and a High-Ones-forged knife) to her eldest daughter, Tarryl Moonstalker, then disappeared across the tundra. She was never seen after that.

Tarryl Moonstalker was the last chief to use her elfin name. She was tough, fearless, and domineering. Once she became chief in 3800, no one rememberd that she had been aloof and shy. She led her people off the tundra and onto the eastern coast. There the Wolfriders (as they were now called) lived for centuries before the humans came, following herds of seals. Tarryl advised caution to her tribemates; by avoiding humans, no member of the tribe died save by rare accident. Tarryl Recognized Icestorm (once a challenger, later devoted to her) in 3801. Their son, One-Howl, was born in 3803. He was the only cub either of the pair ever had. When Tarryl died in 4729 by a misstep off of a cliff, Icestorm abandoned the tribe in grief &emdash; although some wits among the tribe said later that it was to avoid his son's reign.

One-Howl became chief in 4729, and was a sorry one at that. He was a good hunter and a keen tracker, but the hunt and dreamberries were all that he cared for. He had a fierce temper and an equally fierce fear of anything larger or stronger than he was. When not cursing him for his bad disposition, the Wolfriders mocked him for his cowardice, which made him even meaner. He got a truly bad scare when the humans overran the holt at the height of the seals' breeding season in 5019. He immediately has the tribe packed and off for new territory, a long journey that led them to the west coast of the continent. The purebloods, who had advised the move all along, applauded his caution despite the hardship of the journey. The Wolfriders, however, took it as proof of his cowardice and disliked him even more. The rift between pureblood and Wolfrider once again widened over this issue, for the Wolfriders believed the purebloods wanted a spineless and ineffective chief to further their own power in the tribe.

One-Howl Recognized Sundance in 5020. She was a perfect match for One-Howl, being as ineffective as he. She was timid and shy, afraid of the spear and the hunt. The disgusted Wolfriders turned to the tribal elders, even some of the purebloods, for leadership. One-Howl and Sundance were too wrapped up in themselves to care. They bore three daughters: Sunlight,was born in 5022, Brightfur came in 5238, and finally Firstmoon was born in 5320. Sunlight and Brightfur were like One-Howl and Sundance, respectively. Firstmoon hearkened back to her grandmother, Tarryl Moonstalker. The Wolfriders admired her hunting and fighting skills and soon looked to her to be chieftess. Firstmoon, who was deeply ashamed of her father, promised to challenge him as soon as possible. One-Howl provided that opportunity by ruining a hunt; having spent three nights drunk on dreamberries, he tried to bring down a deer and missed, even at point blank range. Firstmoon challenged and broke him completely. Humiliated, One-Howl left the tribe and died soon after.

Firstmoon became chief in 5691, and moved the tribe to a valley, far away from the coast. In 5692, Firstmoon Recognized one of her hunters, Surelance, and the tribe discovered humans in the valley. Far from agreeing to leave, Firstmoon decided to stay and fight for the holt. The purebloods were dismayed at the thought of losing more lives to the humans; the Wolfriders were eager to kill the memory of One-Howl's retreat once and for all. Their first battle was successful in 5894, Firstmoon had a daughter she named Lightheart, promising the little one that she would never want for anything food, love, or peace. However, as the humans learned to fight, the battles took a turn for the worse. The purebloods soon weren't the only ones complaining; more and more of the Wolfriders were beginning to see the war as hopeless. Yet Firstmoon was implacable, and demanded that her tribemates stand and fight. When Surelance died in 5829, everyone thought Firstmoon would give up, but Lightheart Recognized Obsidian soon after, and the chieftess declared it a good sign of victory to come. When Lightheart had a boy in 5831 that she named Wanderer, Firstmoon took it as an insult; the child, she said, would have no reason to wander anywhere. Mother and daughter quarreled bitterly after that, with Obsidian desperately trying to keep the peace between them. In 5834, Obsidian himself was captured and killed by humans. Lightheart went to Firstmoon and pleaded with her to stop the war; Firstmoon refused.

Heartbroken and furious, Lightheart took all of the purebloods and a third of the Wolfriders and left with her son. She led her band south, going back to the western coast. They settled there, as there were no signs of humans nearby. In 5835, half of the tribe came to join them; the rest of them, they said, had perished with Firstmoon in a mad attack on the humans' village. They acclaimed Lightheart as their chief, and she is known as the Life-Giver for saving so many of her people's lives. Lightheart never lifemated again; she took many lovemates, but her one joy was her son Wanderer. She did her best to spoil him, but while Wanderer grew up a cheerful, easygoing youth, he was also wise and insightful. After the tribe had been settled for several turns and it looked like they would stay, the treeshapers, led by the pureblood Allim, began shaping the huge spruces into a vast network of dens and living spaces. The tribe named the holt Seahaven.

When Lightheart died in 6512, Wanderer's first act as chief was to put together scouting parties to look for any traces of humans. His and Lightheart's reigns were the most peaceful the Wolfriders have ever known. Wanderer was a popular chief, loved by the Wolfriders and purebloods alike; the purebloods actually applauded his Recognition of Vrelen, a true-elf, in 7875. They had a son, Darkarrow, in 7877. The tribe looked forward to a long, comfortable life under Wanderer, but in 7885, scouting parties came back with evidence that the humans had made camp some distance from the holt. At once Wanderer forbade anyone to leave Wolfrider territory for any reason. Yet while he was on the beach the Wolfriders claimed, a human came out of the woods, scouting for his chief. Seeing Wanderer, and knowing that the elf was an "evil spirit," he shot the Wolfrider chief. Wanderer's wolf-friend Skybolt carried him back to the holt, and the tribe mourned a full moon for him. His son Darkarrow became chief, even though he was only 18 turns old at the time.

Darkarrow decided, from hearing the tales of the tribe's encounters with humans, that they were making a mistake in settling. Why settle down when the humans would follow? Better to keep moving and avoid them altogether. He ordered the tribe to leave Seahave, over the violent protests of the purebloods, especially the treeshapers who had put their heart and souls into making the holt. They thought his decision to be rash and thoughtless. The Wolfriders didn't care for it either, but assumed that Darkarrow was still in shock over his father's death and would grow out of it. They were wrong; Darkarrow kept the Wolfriders on the move until his death. In 7890, Darkarrow lifemated with Nightsong, an orphan who'd been raised by one of the purebloods, Orelan. Nightsong was a joyful, upbeat elf who loved the hunt and was a persuasive voice in the councils; she kept the purebloods from leaving the tribe altogether, and kept the Wolfriders loyal to Darkarrow. Though she and Darkarrow never Recognized, she remained with him. Then Darkarrow Recognized Rainshadow in 9210. Rainshadow was a cynical, hot-tempered elf, determined to get her own way in all things. She wanted Darkarrow for himself, but also so that she could be Chieftess; Nightsong had long hated her, and that hate doubled when Rainshadow gave birth to Starwing in 9212. Bickering and sniping gave way to prolonged quarrels and backbiting between the two; the rest of the tribe was divided between the two chieftesses, and Darkarrow (who loved both) would not give either one up, nor judge them.

Starwing grew up torn between her mother and father and Nightsong, whom she knew she had to respect. Rainshadow was uninterested in being a mother, and Nightsong taught the cub basic skills. Darkarrow let her have her way, a dangerous move for the headstrong cub. In 9270, Starwing Recognized her lovemate Quickdart by bullying him for his soulname; it happened so fast no one, not even they, could tell if it was really Recognition, or voluntary. At any rate their twin sons, Wolfrunner and Sharpwit, were born in 9272. In 9335, Nightsong and Rainshadow called a truce, aided by that spring's dreamberries and an unusually attentive Darkarrow. It developed into a friendship that looked to last for turns, and the two chieftesses went hunting often. One day in autumn, they went after a herd of deer, and were caught when it stampeded. Nightsong went under the deers' hooves; Rainshadow tried to save her and was killed instantly when a deer stamped over her back and neck. The tribe found them both, and the double loss sent Darkarrow mad. First he refused to talk, eat, or sleep; then one day he picked up his dagger and thrust it through his heart. The suicide horrified every elf in the tribe, for it was the first time that an elf had taken his own life.

Starwing didn't want to stay in that place, and led the heartsick tribe away back east, to a forest they called the Redwood Forest for its trees. In 9337, Starwing had her daughter Nighthawk, and in that turn, the tribe discovered there were humans living in the forest. However, the humans were friendly to the "little spirits," even leaving gifts for them in the woods. Starwing grew bold, sometimes riding into the human village and demanding food and gifts. When her last child Darkeyes, a daughter, was born, Starwing demanded, and got, the human's chief's best robe for the cub's blanket, as well as a pretty necklace of amber beads. As a chieftess, she was arrogant, bad-tempered, and willful, and her tribemates barely tolerated her -- many wondering how on earth her lifemate Quickdart could. Starwing also held the purebloods responsible for Darkarrow's death, saying that if they hadn't sniped at him for keeping the tribe wandering all those turns, he wouldn't have blamed himself for the deaths of Nightsong and Rainshadow. Her accusations were hurtful to the purebloods, and a few spoke out against her openly; to one, Starwing said that if her chieftainship was so intolerable, the elf could try living out in the open without friends or tribemates. Exile had never been threatened simply for dissatisfaction, and so the pureblooded elf, named Kirrah, grew to resent the chieftess.

Kirrah had the potential for firemaking, and she planned to force it to come out so that she could prove herself useful to the tribe. Unfortunately, when it did come out, it was uncontrollable. It was late summer, in 9871, and no rain had fallen at all; the forest was dry as a bone, and the fire soon devastated the wood. The elves barely got out in time, running into the human camp. When the humans saw the forest was destroyed, they blamed it on the elves' magic, now considered evil. Rising up at once, they managed to kill a third of the tribe before Starwing could gather them together and escape. Starwing eventually led the tribe, skirting tribes of humans for five turns, to a forest at the foot of a long mountain chain. It was incredibly ancient, beautiful, and near a waterfall that foamed a mist that seemed silvery grey. Starwing named it the Grey Falls, and that is what the holt has been called ever since. A tribe of humans was discovered, but Starwing had learned caution. This time, she warned her hunters to stay close to the holt territory; but the humans caught unwary elves now and again.

After seventy turns or so, Starwing and the tribe made grisly discoveries not only were there dead elves, but the corpses were headless, with some pretty trinket left on the body. Horrified, Starwing ordered the tribe to keep trespassers away at all costs. Yet in 9996, Starwing led a hunting party into human territory. No one knew why she decided to break her own rule and leave the holt; nor would she listen to anyone, not even her lifemate. She paid the price the chief of the Sky People, the human tribe, and a band of his hunters met up with hers; in the fight, the chief killed her, cut off her head, and claimed her topknot and the chief's crystal for his own. Several other hunters died in the fight, including Quickdart.

The tribe finished their mourning rather quickly -- Starwing was competent but had not been liked terribly -- and decided that instead of choosing between her twin sons Sharpwit and Wolfrunner, they decided the twins would help each other to lead the tribe. However, the twins surprised the elders by declaring that Grey Falls belonged to the Wolfriders, and if anyone was leaving, it would be the humans. The purebloods felt it was another mistake, and started muttering about Firstmoon; the Wolfriders were in grim agreement.

Here begins the roleplayed history:

Sharpwit and Wolfrunner: During the reign of the twin chiefs, Kestrel's return to the holt (turn 10,007) wearing the amulet of her dead human lover caused the humans to think she was the reincarnation of the long-dead (as they thought) Mage. They ended the practice of taking heads, adding "Spirits" to their list of creatures that human spirits could be reincarnated into. The truce between the two tribes was tenuous, for Forest House posesses many tales of betrayal by Spirits. Most Forest House humans hate Spirits.

Lulled by the temporary peace, both brothers took to wandering, particularly Sharpwit, whose "hunting trips" could take a full season or more. It was during one of his rare returns to the holt, while Wolfrunner was away, that the holt was attacked by a group of Forest House warriors. The great battle has gone down in history as the Forest House War, in year 10,012. Sharpwit and his lifemate Feathersilk were both killed and the tribe was without a chief until Wolfrunner returned.

Even after his return, Wolfrunner was seldom in the holt as often as he should be. He wandered north to Four-Prong, leaving Greywolf in charge, and returned with a band of Go-Backs just in time to defeat the northern trolls and the Sun Warriors in the last battle of the Troll wars (Troll wars lasted from 10,018 to 10,023). Soon after, he left the holt again, feeling he was unable to properly lead the tribe. Yharren was left in charge. Wolfrunner returned some turns later, after Yharren had left to find Bristletail, and took charge again. His reign was terribly shaky, for he was given to making rash, illogical decisions. No one ever knew quite what to expect from him. It was during this time that a vistor named Liafair came to the holt. She said she came from a colony of purebloods called the Gliders. She Recognized Allim, but left immediately after Recognition was fulfilled, as she was disgusted by the Wolfriders. Several years later she returned just long enough to drop Allim's first pureblooded son, Tito, on his doorstep and disappear again. Though five turns had passed, the child was but a newborn. Liafair had spent the time in Preserver wrapping, hoping the pregnancy would pass while she slept. It didn't.

In the year 10,043, a new crisis came to Grey Falls. During the Forest House War, a youth named Lomar found and attempted to burn the Grandfather tree. Some thirty years later Lomar sought out and rediscovered the approximate location of the holt. A plague was sweeping through the human village, and Lomar decided to blame it on the Spirits. Wolfrunner offered to heal the sick humans, but Lomar turned the situation against the elves, using Wolfrunner's compliance as proof that the Spirits had started the plague. Chief Berian and his Shaman died of the fever, and Lomar seized power.

Wolfrunner was unexpectedly defeated in a challenge by Birch who changed her name to Nightfire. He left the holt, accompanied by his lifemate Leafdance and his daughter, Soulsinger.

Nightfire, then, was in charge when Lomar led the humans in battle against the Wolfriders. The tribe fought back but the losses were too heavy, coupled with the losses from the Purge and the Troll Wars. Nightfire called a retreat, and led the tribe away from Grey Falls.

Nightfire eventually led the tribe to the Palace, where she was wounded in the head and succumbed to a madness of sorts. Her mate, Beartooth, succeeded her, when she remained behind at Darktree holt in the care of Horizon.

Beartooth is the current chief of the tribe. He was "Chief Regent" until his son, Ripple, took over after his disappearance and presumed death, and when Beartooth was rescued and returned, he decided to let Ripple continue. Ripple was unable to hold the tribe together, however, and Beartooth is now chief again. Ripple and his sister Stillpool left for Darktree.