Dark Elf

To the outside world, the Dark Elves are a harsh reminder that even those who have everything can be lured by the promise of more. Dark Elves, also known as Drow, or Shadow Elves, were the result of a ritual gone awry. Aralkor cursed them with sensitivity to the sun, but through Amil's grace they remain nearly identical to their distant cousins the Elves. Barlow seeks to bend them, Amil cannot reach them, and Aralkor tried to smite them. A Dark Elf is a walking enigma.

Dark Elf life is an embodiment of frantic, paranoid action and reaction. To this end they are masters at quickly judging others as someone to watch out for due to their power, or prey to be consumed due to their weakness. There are no Dark Elf failures, as one misstep is all it takes to end up meat for the creatures of shadow. Owing to this sense of accomplishment simply by surviving, Dark Elves are haughty and prideful even by Elven standards. They are shrewd, pragmatic, and drawn to those who embody their ideals of strength, power, and intellect.

Many Dark Elves never make a real choice in their life. They are groomed from childhood to fill the role chosen for them by their ruling castes. Though rare, some Dark Elves do make it to the surface and escape. In most cases it is almost certain that they would meet a horrible end at the hands of someone who hates their kind.

Loyalty is not a word the Dark Elves know. They live for their own survival. Those that escape and find a way to survive, though, are masters of stealth and cunning tacticians. Removed from the shackles of their society, the Dark Elves make a terrifying opponent or perhaps in rare cases a wildly successful roguish ally.

Appearance
Much like the shadows they were banished to, Dark Elves key trait is their shadowy black skin tone. This aids in hiding in the shadows of Meerdistrin, but makes them stand out on the surface out in the sunlight. Those accustomed to life in the tunnels may find the sunlight harsh and painful to their vision or skin.

Lifespan
Much like their surface counterparts, Dark Elves experience long lifespans. Their early years keep pace with the youthful races like human, reaching maturity at around 18. Whispers in the tunnel says some live to be as old as 400. Whether this is a residual effect of their origin as Elves, or their own spite to keep pace with their surface half is not for us to say.

The Age of Strife
The Dark Elves were originally Elves who began to shirk their communal duties, instead pursuing self empowerment. If this was due to manipulation by Barlow or simply their own desires and ideas is a subject still debated by Elven Scholars. At the end of the Age of Strife, the Elves encountered the fledgling humans of Estvale. Eager to amend the strife in their own society that was beginning to splinter their race, the Council of Nique Taure agreed to allow their kin to study alongside the Humans at their newly built Enclave.

What they could not have known was that Barlow had made his way into the hearts of Humanity, and through his servants in the Eld Family he sought to steal some of the longevity gifted to Amil's Elves, and grant it to his creations. In contrast, Kalen Eld, the most ambitious member of the Eld family, sought to ascend to the pantheon and ultimately wield Barlow's power as her own.

The Great Calamity
The ritual that created the Dark Elves, and spawned the first Darklings, would become known to the Elves as The Great Calamity. Barlow's shadowy grasp was finally able to reach the Elves and were it not for Amil's intervention and pleas to the enraged Aralkor the Dark Elves may have become as twisted and deformed as some Darklings. Barlow's touch bent them to the shadows, and Aralkor sought to burn away their manifestation from her sunlit world. These mislead Elves were spared her wrath only by Amil's grace. They were left with an extreme sensitivity to sunlight, and eyesight that worked best in a world of darkness and shadow. As told in the history of the Wardens of Nique Taure the newly created Dark Elves would battle Kalen Eld and her Darklings in the depths of the Enclave for some time after they were first changed.

The Rise of House Izron
Escae Izron, whose mate had died during the Great Calamity was left to take the reigns of House Izron. They were a minor house in Nique Taure, but they were the largest house among what had become the Dark Elves. She was said to have a particular affinity for Amil even beyond that of most Elves. She lamented how distant Amil's voice had become, and at how hollow those faint words felt when they reached her. House Izron's family historians have said Amil showed her a vision of what would one day become Meerdistrin nestled deep in the caverns below the surface as a parting gift. Alongside Anlyth Fentoris and her Wardens House Izron gathered the Dark Elves and lead them into the depths of Terra.

A Brief History of Meerdistrin
The cavern that would eventually become Meerdistrin was occupied by a massive horde consisting of Those Without Words. All throughout the cavern they had established tribal strongholds. Previously they fought each other. Now their sole enemy became their would be conquerors. It took a little more than a decade before  the more severe fighting finally subsided. During the decade Meerdistrin took to settle it began as a fortress city divided into five rings, each successive ring was smaller than the previous ring that encircled it. Of course the innermost ring was the best secured. In later eras these would eventually become districts home to the various levels of society where the casteless and common laborers occupied Meerdistrin's outermost district, immediately around the city walls. Craftsman and soldiers would occupy the next district, the third district was the realm of warlords, priestesses, and minor houses. The fourth district was occupied by the greater houses. The fifth district was exclusively the domain of the Mother Superior's House. The journey to Meerdistrin is known as the Great Descent while the decade long war to settle Meerdistrin is referred to as the Settlers War.

The Great Descent/Settlers War
The Dark Elf Houses that participated in the Settlers War are as follows:


 * House Izron
 * House Zoliir
 * House Zaumtor
 * House Dilaer
 * House Zaphres (Absorbed by House Beltaulur to form House Niranath in a later era)
 * House Ilsund (Fallen to minor house status)
 * House T'sal (Destroyed by House Zoliir)
 * House Dyurr
 * House Vyruil
 * House Keteeruil

Escae Izron, and by extension House Izron, occupied the inner ring of Meerdistrin as the first Mother Superior following the conclusion of the Settlers War. It is the only time in Dark Elf history that the Grand Fray was not held.

Life in Meerdistrin
House Izron, along with the remaining great houses, implemented Meerdistrin's caste system. In truth it was not an attempt to suppress their society given that when they were Elves members of these houses had attempted to move away from the collectivist mentality of the Elves. However, Meerdistrin does not have the abundant resources enjoyed by those on the surface. Their warrior culture stems from the hostile nature of their environment. Barlow continues to dream up horrors to throw against Meerdistrin, and Those Without Words frequently test the city's walls. For this reason the Dark Elves are continually attempting to train and breed stronger warriors, more talented mages, and smarter craftsman. Their survival depends on it.

The Grand Fray
The Grand Fray is the trial by combat the major houses participate in to decide the next Mother Superior.

A Grand Fray can be declared if one of the following conditions occurs:


 * The Mother Superior's House is considered a danger to Meerdistrin
 * This can only be decided by a vote taken up by the Major Houses, the Minor Houses get a collective singular vote.
 * The Mother Superior Dies
 * If the Mother Superior has a female heir, her heir can participate in the Grand Fray to claim the title for herself.
 * The Mother Superior Steps Down
 * If the Mother Superior has a female heir, her heir can participate in the Grand Fray to claim the title for herself.

The minor houses can decide amongst themselves to send a single representative, from a single house, who can also compete for the title. If their representative places second during the conflict, in other words dies last, that minor house assumes the role of a major house and is given the estate vacated by the major house that assumes the mantle of Mother Superior.

If their representative is killed before placing second then a contest is held between the minor houses to decide which minor house will become a major house.

A Tribute System
Each major and minor house pays tribute to the House Superior. This ensures that the Mother Superior can keep control of Meerdistrin as her house would have resources and materials that would far outpace any one individual house.

How the Tribute System Works
Penalties for Major Houses that fail to fulfill their tribute obligations


 * Demoted to Minor House Status.
 * Banished to the Third Ring.
 * Barred from participating in the Grand Fray.
 * The other Major Houses, including the House Superior, can opt to take members of their house as their own.

Penalties for Minor Houses that fail to fulfill their tribute obligations


 * Forced to participate in a Fray to determine if they will maintain Minor House Status.
 * If they are defeated by one of the other Minor Houses in this Fray their resources and families are divided up amongst the other Minor Houses.
 * Barred from potentially participating in a Grand Fray (If they survive).
 * They can help choose a representative, but they are not permitted to send their own.
 * The House Superior assumes control of their records, resources, and finances until they are solvent.
 * Their guard barracks is downsized and their district in the Second Ring is reduced.

To achieve Major House Status


 * Must be a Minor House that has consistently paid all of their tributes
 * Must have achieved something significant to Meerdistrin.
 * Must have kept their district in the second ring prosperous

To achieve Minor House Status


 * Must be a family recognized by the other Minor Houses for some kind of contribution
 * Those meant to lead the new minor house must be an accomplished Warrior, Merchant, Arcanist, or part of the Clergy.
 * Cannot be considered casteless

The Outer Ring
The Outer Ring does not enjoy the formal protection of Meerdistrin's walls. Rather it is a horde of small buildings, huts, and low walls that make up a giant slum encircling the city. If the city faces a siege residents of the outer ring, which would also include the populations of Orks and Darklings, usually suffer the majority of the losses. While Darklings usually fend for themselves alongside the casteless Dark Elves, the Ork clans allowed to do business in Meerdistrin typically keep their strongholds on the outskirts of the city. While most of the outer ring may appear rundown the Ork Strongholds along the Outer Ring are formidable fortresses and it is no secret that the Major Houses intentionally settle Ork clans strategically along the perimeter to force them to deal with threats to Meerdistrin, and the Ork clans are more than willing to take resources and treasure from the Dark Elves in return for settling where they're told. For their part these Orks, descended from Those Without Words, do a robust trade with the Dark Elves. Their ancestors allied themselves with the Dark Elf houses during the Settlers War. Like the casteless Dark Elves, the Orks are allowed to do as they please in the outer ring. Their people come and go from Meerdistrin with little overall concern from the Dark Elves. That is not to suggest the Orks extort the other races in the outer ring. Far from it. While they do not police the Outer Ring on behalf of the Dark Elves, they do police their own. In the past the Dark Elves have closed Meerdistrin to the Orks as a penalty if one clan should overstep. This almost always leads to infighting amongst the Ork clans until the offending clan either has suffered enough punishment, or pays sufficient tribute to stave the other clans off. There are arenas in the outer ring, but most of the money that flows to these places is minor. They aren't generally well managed, in fact their management can change hands if too many bets go badly.

The Second District
The Second district, immediately inside the wall, is the largest walled district in Meerdistrin. It houses large, and small, barracks belonging to the great and minor houses with the largest portions coming from House Superior. Each Minor house is charged with securing the gates leading into the third district, and they effectively control the second district. The ring is carved into territories controlled by each Minor House where their guard barracks is responsible for collecting taxes, enforcing laws, settling disputes, and keeping the peace within the second district. House Superior is charged with securing the wall that encircles the the second district and her guards defend the gates that enter and exit the city proper.

The Third District
The third district, home to the Minor Houses, the clergy, and various warlords is secured by guards from each minor house, and the gates leading into the fourth district are secured by guards from the Major houses. The arenas, gardens, and places of worship in the third district are open to all but the casteless. Prominent Merchant families, and the families of Warlords and the Clergy quietly hold sway over large parts of this district though they pay deference to the Minor Houses. Warlord Families generally run the Arenas within the district with assistance from the Merchant families. The finest shops, and the best supplies available to all castes, can typically be found in this district.

The Fourth District
The fourth district is divided up into the estates of the current Major Houses. They jut up against each other, but there is a sizable guard contingent from the House Superior. Most Dark Elves who do not belong to at least a Minor House will never set foot in the fourth district. Each Major House is responsible for securing the gate to the fourth district that is closest to their estate. Any disputes that erupt between houses are usually settled indiscriminately by the House Superior's guards. For this reason, the fourth district is generally quiet. No Major House wishes to expend more resources than they have to, and the House Superior usually does not play favorites. If a dispute cannot be settled then usually the Major Houses declare a Fray that is settled in one of the Arenas in the third district.

The Fifth District
The fifth district is, in it's entirety, the palatial estate of the Mother Superior. While it is well maintained, and looks as extravagant as Meerdistrin allows, make no mistake if all the other districts fell only the fifth district is entirely self sufficient. They have access to their own mines, forges, shops, armories, and various buildings all to house soldiers, craftsman, arcanists, and clergy. It is a city unto itself, albeit a small one. Anyone beneath the Matriarch of a Minor House has likely never been inside the fifth dstrict, and even then the Minor Houses are only admitted as a procedural necessity. There is an arena in the fifth district. It is only used by the House Superior's household guards and soldiers, or for the Grand Fray.

The Fray
A Fray is a general term for a battle staged to settle disputes between Dark Elf groups, guilds, or houses both major and minor. While it typically involves battles between warriors, it does not have to. Frays have been 'fought' between craft guilds attempting to prove their craft, arcanist houses willing to prove the depth of their magic, or just about any other competing interest with a score to settle.

Contests between individual Dark Elves are simply referred to as duels.

Castes
Casteless - These are houseless, or deprived, Dark Elves who do not owe an allegiance to any house. They are the primary occupant of the outer ring. The goal for most casteless involves joining a caste, and some Dark Elves will go to extreme lengths to achieve that goal.

Low Caste - Any member of any caste who is not part of a House, but does not qualify as Casteless. Keep in mind that this is not a reflection on the skills, abilities, or wealth of an individual Dark Elf. Instead it is their standing in society.

Warrior Caste - This caste includes Gladiators, Guards, and Soldiers. Extremely gifted warriors sometimes rise to be recognized as Warlords by the minor houses. Most female Dark Elves do not join the warrior caste, as it is considered a lower caste, but a female who rises to the rank of Warlord is referred to as a Virago. While not a House unto themselves, any Dark Elf who attains the rank of Warlord/Virago often breeds or trains warriors who are sent to serve in the Minor and Major houses.

Merchant Caste - This caste can technically encompass any caste, even the casteless, as merchants have varying levels of success within Dark Elf society. It has been many generations since a primarily merchant house has held a spot amongst the major houses. That said, there are several merchant houses who wield a great deal of influence amongst the Minor Houses.

Clergy Caste - The clergy caste largely consists of priestesses, though there are a small number of priests, who teach the word of Barlow and to a far lesser extent Tsern. While it is not impossible that a Dark Elf would worship other deities, it is extremely unlikely they would do so within Meerdistrin proper. They are highly prized by the Major and Minor Houses, as such their membership is usually exclusively comprised of families or branch families that hail from those walks of life.

Arcanist Caste - The arcanist caste is entirely comprised of those skilled with elemental magic or communing with the dead. As with the clergy, it is not impossible but extremely unlikely that anyone with the capacity for magic would have been born in a lower caste.

High Caste - Collectively refers to any major/minor house and members of their house.

Groups
House Superior - The current Mother Superior's House. Comprised of any caste except for the casteless.

Major Houses - Any of the Dark Elf Houses that occupy the fourth district. These houses generally specialize in breeding and training a particular caste, they are considered second in power only to the House Superior.

Minor Houses - Any of the Dark Elf Houses that occupy the third district. Though they are referred to as Minor Houses, this is not a reflection on their abilities or even their wealth. It is a question of prestige and resources. As the Major Houses are expected to suppress the House Superior if it comes to that any Minor House wishing to rise to the rank of Major House must be enormously successful beforehand.

Families - These could consist of a single Dark Elf family, or a group of families, that do not have enough wealth or prestige to be considered a House. They are typically specialized to a caste, and angle to rise to the rank of Minor House.

Ork Clans - One of the four Ork Clans that occupy strategic spots along the outer ring.

Hand of the Mother - The Hand of the Mother are effectively Meerdistrin's secret police and intelligence arm. They are an elite unit of Dark Elf warriors, arcanists, clergyman and even merchants who are selected to assist with hunting down Dark Elf criminals, especially smugglers, troublesome upworlders, and also gathering information on the movements of the other races. They are duty bound to report any concerning behavior within House Superior to the Major Houses, but they also keep tabs on the Major and Minor Houses on behalf of House Superior. Their command structure, selection process, and training is a closely guarded secret. The only thing that is known is that their membership is comprised of Dark Elves who served both current and past House Superiors.

Tunnel Runners - Dark Elf colloquialism for a smuggler. These Dark Elves typically fall afoul of House Superior and will smuggle Dark Elves, and Dark Elf goods, up to the surface. Most are considered extremely dangerous, as no Dark Elf without considerable skill would dare braving the tunnels coming and going from Meerdistrin.

Upworlders - Any Dark Elf who lives on the surface.

Factions
Barlow - Dark Elves who worship Barlow. Though he twisted them during the calamity many have still accepted his teachings.

Tsernites - Dark Elves who worship Tsern. It is the second largest recognized religion in Meerdistrin.


 * This faction would also include minor groups such as The Cursed Knights of Tsern. They have a small presence in Meerdistrin, and spend most of their time frequenting the third ring's arenas. They are a constant presence amongst the merchant house caravans given that they travel to and from the surface quite often. Given their generally aimless and wandering nature House Superior generally views them as practically casteless with only a few notable exceptions.

Ancestral Worship - There are Dark Elves who worship and revere their dead ancestors.


 * One notable minor groups that exists within this small faction is the Order of Nightfall. The Order of Nightfall is a cult of Shadow Walkers hailing from Meerdistrin. This group is ruled by a succession of priestess-queens devoted to death magic. They are obsessed with unlocking the secrets of immortality both in life and after death.

Conqueror Faction - The Conqueror faction is perhaps the least 'liked' of all factions within Meerdistrin. They preach a vision wherein Dark Elves will march a great army up to the surface and reclaim it. They had a presence amongst the Houses when House T'sal still stood. They attempted to destroy Z'resre Zoliir and trigger a Grand Fray. Their presence has dwindled sharply in the time since. Nowadays they keep their activities to the Outer Ring lest they risk the wrath of House Superior.

Amil's Shadows - This extreme minority faction preaches attempting to invoke Amil that they might be allowed to return to the surface as Elves. They rarely appear in Meerdistrin beyond the inner ring, and most who adhere to this belief do so quietly if they choose to continue to reside in Meerdistrin at all.

The Historical Fray
The Dark Elf Warrior and Arcanist castes are commonplace in Meerdistrin's third ring arenas. Here they frequently put on reenactments of the Dark Elves greatest battles.

Notable Battles

The Settlers War - This reenactment takes months to complete, and is only put on when one of the Major Houses is willing to bear the expense or a collaboration of Minor Houses will do the same. Great festivals, and trade, frequently take place around the third district during this time.

The Destruction of House T'sal - This reenactment portrays the destruction of the treacherous House T'sal, who tried to kill the Mother Superior.

House Izron Battles the Clans - This reenactment portrays the great battle during which House Izron gained fealty from the Ork Clans. House Izron portrays the storied role of their ancestors, and the Orks are allowed to enter the third district to participate. Each time reenactment takes place the Orks send their strongest warriors. Meerdistrin was in an uproar the last time this was held, as the Orks managed to defeat House Izron.

The Last Stand of Anlyth - This reenactment portrays the last stand of Anlyth Fentoris, the First Warden, who was killed during the Settlers War while fighting alongside the Dark Elves. Each time it is held an invitation is extended to the Warden Commander, and the Council of Nique Taure. While the Warden Commander has historically attended the Council of Nique Taure has never sent a representative. House Superior's eldest female heir plays the role of Anlyth while House Izron's eldest female heir plays the role of Escae Izron.

Notable Houses and Clans
Note: Zonde Gorestorm is the only current female clan leader. As with Dark Elves Orks who want to hail from one of these clans do NOT need to have the same last name.

The Upworlders
Upworlder - Any Dark Elf who was born in Meerdistrin who chooses to live on the surface is effectively an upworlder. That would include Dark Elves who, through no fault of their own, were born on the surface. If they were a member of any caste of note, they are effectively rendered casteless. Generally speaking if they are not born on the surface a Dark Elf is either a criminal, a smuggler, casteless, or someone who was smuggled to the surface.

Note: It is considered extremely offensive to refer to any Dark Elf living in Meerdistrin as an upworlder.

The largest known gathering of Upworlders is a Dark Elf community based in and around Blacksands. Theirs is a frequent target from members of The Hand of the Mother.

High Caste Privilege
Members of the High Caste are, with permission, permitted to travel to the surface though most do not. Dark Elves from Merchant Houses come and go from the surface more often than most other houses in order to procure goods and establish trade. They are usually well protected, and raiding a Dark Elf Merchant mission would almost certainly provoke a response from Meerdistrin. Due to the suspicion it would bring this sort of behavior, if discovered, would even provoke a response from the Upworlder community. The routes that the Merchant Houses use to navigate the tunnels leading to and from Meerdistrin are considered extremely vital information and are shared and coordinated among Merchants and House Superior even if they have competing interests.

Relations With Other Races
Generally speaking the Dark Elves, and by extension Meerdistin do not pay an excessive amount of attention to the other towns and races, even if The Hand of the Mother, does monitor their movements. Few races, other than the Orks, have any real reason to visit or trade with Meerdistrin and it's inhabitants. The Dark Elves are very protective of their trade goods, supply lines, and technology as it helps maintain their edge against their foes. The only town Meerdistrin's forces regularly visit is Blacksands. That is especially true of their merchants, and The Hand of the Mother. The former trades with the Upworlder community, and anyone else they can do business with, and the latter searches the Upworlder community for fugitives, and smugglers.

On Humans
The Dark Elves, like their Elven cousins, have extremely long memories. While they do not blame all Humans for the Great Calamity, they are extremely wary of humans as a rule. There are some factions who still blame the manipulations of the Eld family on humans as a whole. Generally speaking these more militant Dark Elves are not among the majority in Meerdistrin as many have moved on from the ritual that first created them.

On Elves
The Dark Elves still see some of themselves in their Elven cousins, but they do not harbor any ill will for what may have happened during the Age of Strife or leading up to the Great Calamity. Most Dark Elves will insist that the Elves are too slow to react to a changing world that involves a race like Humanity. The House Superior still maintains lines of communication with the Council of Nique Taure if only so they can be apprised of surface world politics. Due to their warrior culture the Dark Elves have some respect for the Wardens of Nique Taure. Some extremely haughty Dark Elves might insist that the modern day Wardens are a far cry from those of Anlyth Fentoris' era. There are even rumors of a contest referred to as the Moonlit Fray where Dark Elves and Wardens meet to test their skills at discreet locations under the cover of night.

On Orks
Dark Elves were the first race to encounter the Orks, and have the longest history with them. Some may think the Orks are simpletons, but the Dark Elves know better. They may be territorial, and their older generation may be rather warlike, but Orks are a force to be reckoned with if their power can be wielded. They are given some deference by Dark Elves living in Meerdistrin's Outer Ring, as those who live in close proximity to their strongholds generally enjoy Orkish protection. The Orks have done well trading with those in the Outer Ring, and learning from them. They are not fools, no matter what other races may believe, and so the Dark Elves keep a close eye on their Orkish neighbors. Most importantly, the Dark Elves recognize that Orks do not suffer from Aralkors light the way that they do. Some Dark Elf merchant houses will enlist Ork guards for their caravans given that Orks generally don't ask a lot of questions, will do what their Clan's Leader tells them, and they don't suffer from those same weaknesses on the surface.

On Darklings
Some Dark Elves have a sense of kinship with the Darklings given their origins. Others would see them driven far from Meerdistrin were it not for the intervening hand of the House Superior which has traditionally forbidden this sort of behavior, at least in the open. They have no home of their own, and so Darklings tend to wander the highs and lows of Terra. Meerdistrin is as good a home as any. No Darkling has ever been allowed into Meerdistrin further than the third ring, though a few have tried without exception they have ended up caught and captured. Well not all Dark Elves dislike Darklings, the House Superior, and the High Houses, would outright refuse to accept one into their service in any capacity. Only some of the more pragmatic Minor Houses will take them on.

On Treekin
The Dark Elves have stories of the Treekin going back to when they were still Elves. These strange woodland beings have never been seen in Meerdistrin, and so most Dark Elves can only speculate what one might look like. In truth it is the Upworlder community who deal with them most. If anything Dark Elves are often exasperated at how deliberately slow Treekin are. True to their name they take a vast amount of time to do anything, even hold a conversation, and so while some Dark Elves will put on an air of politeness, most will avoid Treekin entirely unless they absolutely have to deal with them.

On Dwarves
The Dark Elves have not forgotten whose deity attempted to smite them. Some parts of Montset go deep enough into the depths of Terra that Dwarven expeditions sometimes encounter Dark Elf patrols, or Merchant caravans. Circumstantially this has lead to skirmishes, or an unexpected opportunity to exchange news and trade. Meerdistrin has very little in the way of formal relations with the Dwarves, but of all the races wandering the surface of Terra the Dwarves are the sentient race that Dark Elves like least.

Rolling a Dark Elf/Drow
This is to help players plan their Dark Elf Character. Keep in mind that what is on this table is just a suggested chart you can follow if you are having some trouble planning your character. If you have questions you can definitely reach out to staff. We're happy to help, take suggestions, and answer any question we didn't answer on this page.