Post by Nazerine on Dec 2, 2011 16:47:15 GMT 10
"In the darkness crawls many things most foul and beautiful. It is a plane where many fear to tread, even those whom have become corrupt by the very force they serve. And in that plane of silence and eternal black, I find comfort. " - Zenafein Versoldas, Warlock. |
Name: Dark Elf. Plural form:- Dark Elves. Nicknames: Shadows, Tainted Ones. Lifespan: 400-600 years. Reputation: Cruel, malicious, cunning and racist. Common Classes: Clerics, Assassins, Sorcerors. Racial Gods: Zephon. Racial Attributes: +5 Agility, +5 Knowledge. Gain darkness, allowing them to summon a small globe of shadows to confuse enemies or to allow stealth for a short period of time. Slight resistance to fear, sleep and charm. Capital: Amerkanth |
Origins
There was a time when mighty white towers rose to touch the clouds and the very air hummed with magic, when the elven nations were at the height of their power long after many left their solitary lives in the secluded high forests. Amaranthine was the crowning jewel of the north, famed for its libraries and sculptures, the capital of magic in all of its forms. There was no higher power nor military force in all of Verenthia that could compete with, and yet they sought not to bend the ‘lesser’ races into servitude and slavery but to teach them their ways, the ways of the ‘superiors’. Elves were arrogant and patronizing, and their aim ambiguous. Whether they truly desired to establish their superiority through their deed or whether they sincerely wanted to banish the very evil that lurked about the borders from the bottom of their hearts of Verenthia remains veiled by mystery.
Within the inner sanctum of their prime wizard’s tower, they accumulated the richest quantity of ascentium. The crystallized essence of dragons was gathered there to be used as a weapon against the darkness for the elves deeply believed this was the key to its demise.
The most venerable of elven sorcerers and mages with a select few humans converged to weave their magic and commence a ritual. They were to summon the darkness itself, quite certain that it would simply wither away once it neared the flaming heart that was ascentium.
An so it came to pass that the darkness was involuntarily bound to listen to the mighty chants of the wizards that had gathered for so powerful was their spell. Through the aperture atop the mighty tower the darkness was sucked into only to meet an insurmountable barrier. The radiance emanated by ascentium dissipated the first wave of darkness.
Much to the wizard’s dismay, they soon discovered that the force they trifled with was far too unwieldy and chaotic to conform to their spell. It began to diffuse not long after, to the horror of all the living that resided within the prosperous nature. And no sooner had it established its grasp over Amaranthine than the mages realized they lost the battle that had not yet even begun.
The whole nation was caught in the ghastly embrace of the shadow for the panic and despair that ensued was enough for it to consume everything in its blackness. Amidst the chaos, the arch-mages managed to create a barrier to deter their amorphous enemy from breaching the borders as their last noble deed.
Since the tragic day whence it was believed all life met perdition, fifty years passed until the darkness finally receded. Yet the once lush forests and majestic waterfalls were gone. Like some divine disease, the darkness altered the face of the land forever. Every speck of green was gone to be replaced by an ocean of high rock formations that looked like giant teeth of a beast.
It was a labyrinth, and amidst resided a towering monstrousity that was once the capital of elves. Petrified as if by the gaze of some basilisk, the once beautiful Amaranthine was turned into a fortress of sorrows, like a colossal tower with a powerful stone base and the vestigial remains of elven structures still showing through hard gray stone.
The elven inhabitants were also changed, having grown desperate during the years spent in darkness that they had turned to the fallen deities for power and guidance. The Dark Elves, up until only recently, have begun to venture out of Amaranthine now known as Amerkanth. Their exploitive nature and common hatred has given them few allies, even amongst their own societies.
Biology
The dark ones look greatly alike to their kin in stature and their near unearthly grace of movement but their skin and eyes give them away as the touched by the darkness. Their skin tones can vary from light gray to nearly ebony. Their eyes vary from completely pale white to pitch black with variations of yellow and red. Their hair, much alike to their skin, can either be ghostly white or black as the wings of a raven, with many somewhere in between. It is as though the darkness itself had drained them of colour except for the eyes of many which evince great passion for inflicting pain.
Many have retained their angelic facial features but some have deviated further. It is as though their skulls slowly ate away at the flesh to form itself out of their visage. Their cheeks sunk, and their sharp cheekbones protrude heavily below the sunken eyes, surrounded by even darker skin that so well contrasts with their smouldering demonic eyes. Some have grown strange bumps above or/and below their eyesockets or on around their temples, akin to vestigial horns.
Males have a slight advantage in height as well as muscle mass and while they still have a certain androgynous appeal to them it is easy to tell the two sexes apart because dark elven females are more voluptuous than their cousins while males have remained firm and well-built in general. Children with deficiencies are disposed of swiftly.
Age and Reproduction
Under normal circumstances, the average lifespan of a dark elf is less than that of their cousin. The estimate is about 400-600 years but a rare few ever get to venerable age for their mortality is quite high due to inner disputes.
Unlike their cousins, the dark elves happen to be promiscuous. The birth rate is considerably higher. Whether such a change was induced by their deities remains veiled in mystery, however, it prevents the constantly warring elves from genocide.
Rituals in forms of orgies are not all that rare among the dark elven society as much as the sacrificial ones. Women that have continuously provided their houses with children are highly valued as well as set to be the first priority among the assassins and plotters of the rival houses.
Marriage no longer exists as such among the dark elven people. They no longer see the need for it, and love is to be mocked for it is a weakness. Those few elves that have somehow retained their capability for deeper feelings must hide it well for otherwise they might end up being persecuted, exiled, or even killed in the form of public execution or sacrifice.
Despite that, the females are the ones that usually decide with whom they will commence their mating rituals, especially the ones at the height of power. This is due to the belief that the women have a sixth sense when it comes to choosing a fertile male with whom they can successfully conceive children. The luxury of having more than one male to provide them with what they need is not unheard of either. At this point it should be noted that the term ‘whore’ within the dark elven society is a more serious insult than in any other culture.
As with any society, sometimes males are put to the test. And dark elven sports are often fatal to the loser. Sometimes females may neglect their best mate just to see him struggle for another chance at continuing his family line with her, often leaving many of their offspring without their rightful fathers. The children are usually raised by servants, however, and rarely remain under the care of their mothers who have far more important things to do. The only time when a woman is truly obliged to look after her child is when she gives birth to her first one, or if she happens to have no servants.
Social Structure
Dark elves are ruled by the Council of the Nine, consisting of the main houses of the given circle following their old tradition. Predominantly, the female ratio to male presides in the councils under normal circumstances. And yet in a dark elven society the houses are not quite equal amongst each-other. Some have more saying than others, depending on many factors. One is the size of their army, usually consisting of male soldiers as well as slaves that are often used as cannon fodder. Usually the houses that have the biggest number of fertile females manage to grasp the most power but that is not always the case.
Sometimes the leader of the most prominent house of the given dark elven society takes on the role of a matriarch(or in rare cases, patriarch) while the remaining eight houses are reduced to mere advisors whom cannot have direct impact upon important decisions that lie upon the shoulders of the matriarch. It is a rather prestigious position yet at the same time precariously dangerous for any mistake can be fatal. Dark elves are power hungry, and thus houses may ally in order to exterminate a house that happens to have more power. This, by law, is forbidden, however, usually when such a plan succeeds, they are silently commended for a job well done, and nothing is done other than the change of order in the city’s power scheme.
Houses with no place in the Council are especially prone to often attempt attacks upon the smaller ones that are in order to take their place. However, should their plans be foiled, the attackers are to be publically humiliated and executed how the defenders see fit.
Females of the dark elven society are held in high regard. It was predicted by the elven scholars that the dark elven society is slowly crawling towards absolute matriarchy where men will have no say. As of now, most of the rulers are women since they are rarer and far more important. Males are expendable due to the fact that they are born more often, and can be easily utilized as soldiers.
Psychology
Dark elves are a hateful race that seeks dominance over everything. Rarely do they care about anything but their own benefit. Everything they do is aimed towards achieving their own goals which are more often twisted and cruel than not. Dark elven disregard for the well-being and life of others is the stuff of legends. Altruism is nearly none-existent, an alien concept. This often leaves the elves short-sighted despite their intellect, blind to everything but their goal and the means to achieve it. If murdering their own family member is what it takes they shall do so without hesitation. Paranoia is a common trait among the more prominent citizens and other members of the society due to the growing threat of death or even worse.
Racial Traits
Just like their cousins, dark elves have lighter bones and less muscle mass, which allows them to move quickly but makes them frailer. They are naturally gifted at crafts that require intricate attention, sharp eyes and nimble fingers although dark elven art and depictions have changed dramatically since their initial emerge from the darkness.
Dark Elves have a higher resistance to the ever-consuming darkness, having gone through it once. They feel right at home in any environment that has little to no light exposure while direct sunlight stings their eyes and can easily make them dizzy.
Dark elves have retained their intellectual capacities. They have become more attuned to black magic, while white magic has become less accessible. Unlike the remaining arcane elves, dark elves tend to keep their secrets even better. Their arrogance has grown into outward hatred towards any other races of Verenthia.
In addition, a trade that dark elves truly shine at is brewing effectively fatal poisons, some specially designed for certain races and beasts that may otherwise be resistant to such.
Art, Clothing and Industry
While the depictions and style in art have taken on a more twisted turn, one can easily tell the work is still elven. The architecture is a reflection of their new surroundings, portraying well the alien beauty that was left behind by the darkness. Carved of onyx stone by means known only to few, the elven houses stand out yet blend with their subterranean surroundings in an ineffable manner.
Dark elven armouries are full of wicked weapons. Light, and perhaps slightly frail, dark elves love to coat their weapons in nasty concoctions with debilitating effects. Most long blades end with a nasty spike or are curved to leave deeper wounds. In addition to elegant swords some dark elven warriors fancy jagged axes, something their cousins rarely fancy. While there is certain beauty to these instruments of destruction, they are usually treated as tools and only that. Dark elves, though excellent artists, pay little heed to such things. As long as it can kill swiftly, or excruciatingly slowly, depending on the situation, it will serve well.
Religion
Before the elven nations fell, most political and military power belonged to the arcane towers that soared above even the rest of the city. Religion was never deemed as important as it was within human societies.
Things changed dramatically in this department, however. Dark elven societies focus around worship of dark deities now. It is believed that the arcane elves would have perished without a trace had they not sworn allegiance to unknown forces that preside over their daily lives and demand intricate rituals to be performed almost daily. Most of them consist of elements generally considered taboo in other realms. For example, cannibalism can be an integral part of a certain ritual to appease the evil gods.
While those that are usually sacrificed must have transgressed in some way, it is still considered an honour to be given into the embrace of gods nonetheless. Every third son of a house is usually sacrificed as a rule of thumb. Slaves are rarely fit to be seen as sacrifices and are thus disposed of with other methods that are far more cruel.
The main subject of worship is Zephon, followed by Slan among a few other less important deities that govern certain aspects and ideals deemed important by the dark elves.
Priests of Zephon are the most revered and feared members of the society. Although they are equal before their goddess, their ruling structure is subtly shaped by their social and political standings. A priestess of a lower house would still be considered inferior to a priestess of a bigger house. Below them are acolytes that serve each and every whim of the cleric they are assigned to. The head of worship is a high priestess who consists in the Council of the Nine but even she is not the last instance between her people and their dark goddess.
The most loyal of high priests are given audience with the divine itself. Once they have been proven worthy after many years, they are ritually blinded, defeaned, and their tongue cut out. Only then can they hear the voice of their goddess clearly. They are sent to a large chamber secluded from the rest of the city, Hall of Zephon, that is rumoured to be inhabited by a creature, the alleged emissary of Zephon. Its whispers and chattering could drive any mad, thus a priestess must have gone through the most strenuous and horrifying trials and maintain her sanity in order to be allowed admission. At a time, three priests are allowed into the Hall of Zephon. When the Council of the Nine cannot reach a decision, they address the priests that reside within there though only through the High Priestess who had been taught a sign language that allows her to commune with the maimed chosen ones.