Smurf Village (AoC Universe)

The Smurf Village was the third and final abode of the smurfs, as well as their second following the War of the Ancients which destroyed Old Vigrith. Build along the High Weald area of New Vigrith, the Village neighboured Storm Island, and stood a boat's distance from the settlement of Everwood in Faerun.

Back to square one
After the destruction of Infalion in -102, Tiberian, the only Smurf left in his generation, became known as Papa Smurf, the single male custodian of around 100 younger male smurfs; they had all lost their parents during the fall of their previous settlement. In the months after the loss of their second home, the smurfs lived like nomads, settling wherever they were able to. In this time they were met with harsh opposition from rival races, notably centaurs as well as their own progenitors, the trolls. This evoked age-old memories of the undertrolls the smurfs once were, and reminded them just how much they depended on the Cerulean Plateau. Indeed, some of the smurfs slowly began to degenerate into more primal forms over the course of their nomad status.

In the last months of -102, the smurfs came across Dar'han (the 'hellish plane'), a former stronghold of the Anx'xi demons loyal to Sathanas during both Sin Wars and the War of the Shifting Sands against the night elves. Although its grounds were perilous, Papa Smurf knew his little smurfs had little choice, and thus, they made a makeshift home on the territory from whatever they could find: since raw materials were in short supply, they took to using giant mushrooms from the Midnight Glade - an action that would have later proven disasterous.

Smurfs vs Night elves
As there were 100 smurfs, about 100 giant mushrooms were needed, yet these came few and far between. It took the smurfs a great deal of foraging to collect the pieces needed for finishing the houses. Their intentions were pure of heart, but their constant foraging annoyed the night elves, particularly the leader of the wardens, Leria Mosswing, who had taken a particular dislike to nifty little creatures. The goblins, whose trade empires were leading to expansionary raids on the Glade and its natural treasures, already irritated the Warden - and now the smurfs were just as guilty. On her command, a party of nine elite Wardens - the Moon Guard - intercepted a smurf escort carrying tonnes of mushroom back to Dar'han. The escort was arrested and its cargo promptly captured.

Papa Smurf was clueless as to what had happened. An entire band of smurfs had gone missing overnight, and without the magics of the Plateau to guide them, contact was impossible. Meanwhile, the captured smurfs were subject to the harsh inquisition of the wardens, who demanded to know why they were smuggling. This quickly led to tensions between two races which had been allied during the War of the Ancients against the Marching Horde, with the smurfs asserting that they were now homeless and needed somewhere to stay, and the night elves arguing that they were in violation of respect of nature. In response to the growing crisis, Vesperion Evenshade agreed to meet with the leader of the smurfs for them to fairly present their case, as he took pity on the captives, while at the same time maintaining that the sanctity of the forest had to be conserved. Thus, Leria sent two of the wardens to find Dar'han and bring the smurfs to Nythsandr for the trial.

Once in Nythsandr, Papa Smurf took on the role of advocate for the smurfs, arguing his case in succinct terms before the inquisitorial council. He argued that the smurfs were a twice-displaced people looking for a home, and were prepared to do anything to have stability. Conversely, Leria and the Wardens argued that conservation of the Midnight Glade was vital to balancing the ecosystem, and the smurfs, in exploiting its resources unsustainably, were putting that ecosystemic balance at risk - selfishly. It was at this point that General Faena Shadowsong spoke up, stating that she remembered Tiberian (though he had apparently aged, something Papa Smurf didn't react well to) and his friend, Lord Shen'Gan Muzinjo, with whom she had fought alongside in the War of the Ancients. Vesperion was moved by this revelation, only for High Priestess Lylandris Skyweaver to speak up, reminding the night elves of their sacred duties to Mother Moon and Her earthly properties. The smurfs' arguments in favour of the motion were subsequently refuted, and the case ultimately went against them. This perceived betrayal stunned Papa Smurf, and was the beginning of much animosity between the smurfs and night elves.

Dejected, the smurfs returned empty-handed to Dar'han, only to be interrupted by Shadowsong. Unwilling to see her former allies left in the cold, she suggested a new design for the houses that would not use as much raw material. Handy, then only 57, agreed with this notion and began strawing up blueprints for Mushroom House 2.0. The new plan was successful, and Shadowsong gave her approval. With the material crisis out of the way, the smurfs were able to complete their village, naming it Smurf Village, and the first homeowners moved in in spring of -101. The Smurf Village Dam was completed on the edges of North Weald in -100, and, at the turn of the century, the last thing Papa Smurf did was weave a powerful spell around the mushroom village, to ensure that it was invisible to all outsiders. That way, never again would they be disturbed - until the events of -86 saw yet another tragedy strike the blue-skinned race.

Trivia

 * The dispute between the smurfs and night elves highlights the effects of cultural conservatism on societal interactions, as the night elves, despite seeing the plight of the smurfs and how their actions were intended to rectify this, were unwilling to concede on seemingly arbitrary grounds.
 * And yet, despite having an admittedly good case, the smurfs did not communicate their intent with the night elves beforehand, something which could have prevented this unfortunate situation.
 * Despite being invisible to outsiders the use of magic tore at the invisible barrier surrounding the Smurf Village, which not only lured the Nightstand Guard, but also drew them into the village.