their muilitary includes US
The Elves has established a spire in an area they believe to be rich in resources. They have begun extraction and built a gateway there to allow for the fast transportation of resources. The Elves have begun to research automatons to make up for their lack of a major military.
The Elves have finished making a powersource for there technologies. It is a small capsule that extracts magic from its surroundings to power the device. It then returns this energy back to its environment after use. This can be attached to a gateway but it requires activation from an elf to function.
The Icyheads have found that certain clays found in the soils of their forest that when exposed to heat can become solid and waterproof. This has lead to the construction of pots allowing for water to be stored effectively.
idiot. the jontunn are maniacs
Send some citizens to Jotunheim to see what resources they have.
Halfway to the Alpines, the Jotunn horde is split by a quarrel. The Ruthless King is challenged by an underdog, who insists they are going the wrong way to Jotunnheim. They do not agree, giving no logic for either side. 3/4ths of the Jotunn follow the Ruthless King to continue toward the alpines, while 1/4th follow the Underdog King and, still going the wrong way, are now headed to the elves.
The Jotunn are stupid, yes. The thing is, they spent 50 years dreaming of killing and eating all the dragons, but there weren't enough dragons to eat. The people needed to be placated.