The Splinter
The Splinter (also occasionally referred to as Splintertown) is a small, hidden human settlement located in Muir Woods on the surface of Earth (Mar). Unlike the brutal, anti-elf Remnant strongholds such as Gulthurub, the Splinter serves as a peaceful sanctuary for human outlaws and exiles who wish to coexist with the Eldrim.
Geography and Environment
The Splinter is extremely difficult to locate unless approached from the air. It is situated in a meadow entirely surrounded by thick tree growth within the Muir Woods.
In contrast to elven architecture, which seamlessly integrates with the forest's natural curves, the Splinter is built by humans using straight lines and right angles. The town consists of predominantly wooden houses scattered throughout the grass, cleverly camouflaged in greens and browns to avoid detection. Notable buildings include a large converted warehouse, a courthouse where public hearings and government meetings take place, and a small hospital marked with a sign written in pre-Sundering English that reads "Medicine".
Culture and Factions
The population of the Splinter is small, consisting of fewer than three hundred humans. Its citizens are entirely made up of runaways or individuals banished from various Remnant outposts (such as the teenager Martan and his father Jalnab, who were exiled by the Warlord of Gulthurub). Because they defected from the main Remnant faction, the citizens of the Splinter are considered outlaws who would be killed on sight by other Remnant forces.
Despite living in the harsh, post-apocalyptic world, the Splinter maintains a surprising semblance of pre-Sundering normalcy. They have their own system of government, doctors, and a desire to live without the constant threat of guns and fences. Though they initially fear the Eldrim—knowing the elves' role in the apocalyptic Sundering—they desire peace rather than war.
Key Events
The Elven Refuge
When the Cothellon forces launched a devastating attack that burned the elven village of Sylrantheas to the ground, the Eldrim were left wandering the forest with their wounded. Jalnab intercepted the fleeing elves and offered them sanctuary within the Splinter. Opening their gates to the elves for the first time, the humans of the Splinter sheltered the displaced Eldrim, housing them in a large warehouse and treating their wounded.
The Courthouse Meeting
As the apocalyptic threat of the Twins and the Cothellon's planet-destroying device loomed, the surviving elven Council and the Splinter's human leaders convened in the Splinter's courthouse. It was during this desperate meeting that fourteen volunteers—including Melenora, Belstram, and Nuvian—stepped forward, willingly offering their lives to create a new set of Prime Trees to save the planet.
The Cothellon Massacre
Shortly after the new Prime Forest was created, Arra warned the Splinter that the heavily armed Cothellon army was marching directly toward the village. Rather than flee, Jalnab and the Splinter humans bravely volunteered to stay behind and fight the Cothellon on the ground to buy the elves time to deal with the sky cities. Tragically, the peaceful humans were no match for the Cothellon's advanced weaponry. When Arra and Trey later returned, they found the village in ruins, the buildings charred, and the unarmed Splinter humans decimated.
Legacy
Following the deactivation of all Prime magic and the end of the conflict, the surviving humans of the Splinter worked side-by-side with the elves to clear the burned sections of Muir Woods and build a new, integrated society. In honor of the humans who had sheltered them, the elves named this new city Pano Sylrantheas—with the word pano translating to "a piece of shaped wood" (a splinter) in the ancient Eldrim tongue.