Unfortunately the discussion has been fostered by persons of Uzcentric and Humanocentric bent! (Maybe I missed some but, I've been skimming...) Why would such an elven population remain? It's simple - to kill trolls!
If the trolls just loooove Aldryami-on-a-stick, and are willing to go to almost any lengths to get this delicacy, I think the elves would realize this, no? Add to this the simple rule - nobody wins a war on defense - and you have a perfect reason that there are elves in the troll woods.
My picture is that this is NOT a huge, well established neo-elven-wood
community. It's (pardon the modernism) a collection of temporary firebases,
where extremely competent elves rest and recoup before continuing the
OFFENSIVE against trolls. Elves don't have a world machine to rebuild, or a
lost home to return to - all they have to do is wage a continual
low-intensity war against the trolls. I think it's evident that the elves
would have the upper hand much of the year - given the setting, your average
elf warrior is more than a match for your average dark troll (in melee, no
way. But who is stupid enough to get into melee? Here's my example: 10
elven scouts spot 10 dark trolls. The elves (in the forest, remember) can
move faster, hide better, AND deal more damage *at range* than the dark
trolls. Try another (more realistic example) -10 elves spot 6 dark trolls
and 30 trollkin. *IF* the elves decide to stick around, I think they could
waste the dark trolls and many of the trollkin before being smushed. I
think the loss of 6 dark trolls is, proportionately, a much more significant
loss to the troll community.
Winter - the elves are either green elves (unlikely, IMO) or simply LEAVE.
(BTW, I think that the trolls have no particular advantage in the dark, in a
forest. I think the breeze-blown undergrowth would play merry havoc with a
troll trying to use darksense. RW example - you don't see a lot of bats go
diving through bushes.)
Also, one thing more: I think the assumption that there "must" be caves around is flawed. If the trolls had such totally secure quarters, the area would be denuded ala Dagori Inkarth. The fact that the elves hold on, and that the forest REMAINS at all indicates that there must be some factors mitigating against the trolls (so in a sense, I am agreeing that - ceteris paribus - the trolls "should" have won after 1600 years._ But that they haven't is proof that there must be something in the elves' favor....)
Anyway, </ramble>
styopa_at_iname.com
http://umn.edu/~liebx004
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