The Dark Elves of Mundanus are regarded by most to be a vile, evil race, and the dark elves would certainly not disagree.
For millennia, the drow have raided, enslaved and destroyed settlements of every race, simply because of the ideals that "surface dwellers are weak."
The drow were always a populous race, despite their culture for murdering their siblings and family. Unlike many of the other elf races, the dark elves breed rather quickly, as a large family means more support. Until, of course, the younger sibling betrays the elder and the cycle starts anew.
When dark elves are young, they are given the option of studying at many different schools within the city. All dark elves start with basic schooling at Acadae, the school the focuses on general studies, as well as sciences and psionics. They can then choose between Guer'rae and Sorcae, taking martial training or lessons in spellcasting respectively. Females can also choose the Divinae school, where they learn about their culture's religion and can become preistesses. Some lucky few may be offered a place at the Stygae school, where the young elves are taught the arts of murder and subterfuge. None choose to study at Stygae; if Stygae wants you, they will find you.
Until recently, the drow had several major cavernous cities under the Empire of Lûeth, but now only Irandé remains fully populated after a plague struck the race, killing a large proportion.
After this plague, the dark elves blamed the gold elves who laughed at them, declaring war and striking swiftly. The dark elves held the upper hand for most of the war, until the gold elves were nearly extinct.
Contents
- 1 Racial Relations
- 1.1 Humans
- 1.2 Dwarves
- 1.3 Elves
- 1.3.1 High Elves
- 1.3.2 Wood Elves
- 1.3.3 White Elves
- 1.4 Tieflings
- 2 Notable Dark Elves
Racial Relations
Humans
- "Come, warriors! The rivvin flee! They make for fine sport this day!"
- ―dark elf priestess leading a raid on a human settlement.
The dark elves have always viewed humans as primative, even as they are impressed by the speed that they can recover and regrow. To them, however, this trait just makes hunting them more fun, as they it just means there are more prey to hunt.
The dark elves are, however, aware that the humans will fight back, and will encourage them to do so; they want a challenge. Sometimes, if a particularly stubborn or powerful human female is present, they will be left alive or perhaps even let go in a humourous hope that leaving a strong-willed female alive will lead to the betterment of the human race.
Dwarves
- "To the gates! It appears the dwarf ibliths want punch bags for their loss of their crude-built city! Show them that we will not lose our homes as easily as they do!"
- ―dark elf commander to his soldiers when the dwarves lay seige to Chel Asuur after the fall of Khûndil.
The dark elves and the dwarves have always been at odds. Unlike the other races, however, the dark elves do not see the dwarves as sport, rather as an actual worthy opponent. As both races have dwelled underground since time began, both believe they have the rights to all areas in the underdark. This leads to many conflicts, which are usually resolved with violence. More often than not, the dark elves cannot defeat the dwarves in open warfare, and instead resort to their cunning, often allying with orcs and other goblinoids in order to gain an advantage, often using their gullible allies to create a diversion.
Elves
- "And so we finally get to show our cousins our superiority over them. Each one of you is worth at two of them! And I am worth at least a hundred!"
- ―Matriarch Sayli Dar'en to her army before the battle of five paths.
High Elves
The dark elves despise the high elves with every fibre of their being. They have been mortal enemies since their creation, and will often slay high elves on sight, there being a hefty reward for each high elf slain. This is all there is to it. An undying hatred.
In 705 IC, the dark elves were laughed at by the gold elves for the plague that they suffered. Seething with rage, the dark elves marched to war, each dark elf killing at least a dozen high elves before being slain. This war against their hated enemy is regarded by the dark elves as their greatest success.
Wood Elves
The wood elves, like the other elves, are hated by the dark elves, albeit nowhere close to the hatred that burns for the high elves. Their isolation doesn't bother the drow, as they will attack wood elf settlements anyway. What does annoy them is the wood elves' natural talent for hiding in the forests, a terrain the dark elves are unfamiliar with. This comes across as cowardly to the drow, and is regarded as a nuisance.
White Elves
The white elves hold respect in the dark elves' eyes, but this doesn't mean the two races get along. The white elves understand the dark elves' culture, having a similar 'survival of the fittest' ideal. However, their leader is still male, and that is weak.
The dark elves appreciate the martial prowess of the white elves, knowing that their agility and bestial senses assist them greatly in a fight, but the dark elves know of their low affinity for magic, and thus believe that the white elves can never match the dark elves in power as a whole.
Tieflings
- "Hmm, you resist still. You will be a fine addition to my collection when you finally break. Now relax; you will need *all* your strength for the next round."
- ―a dark elf priestess to a tiefling subject.
Like the white elves, the dark elves understand that having an infernal taint in your bloodline is not necessarily a bad thing. However, unlike the white elves, a tiefling is not respected in dark elf society. A tiefling will be locked up and forced to fight creatures of the underdark until they grow strong. They are manipulated by the preistesses and made to believe that fighting for the dark elves is the only meaning in life, and the only way to stop the pain the priestesses inflict.
To be a tiefling in drow society is truly a horrifying experience.
