Titannica
Register
Advertisement
Dark Elf
Dark Elf
skill 5-10
stamina 4-13
Habitat Dungeons, Forests, Hills, Plains, Ruins
Number Encountered 1-3
Type Elf, Humanoid
Reaction Hostile
Intelligence High

The Dark Elves are a group of renegade Elves who rebelled against their good brethren and embraced the cause of Evil.[1][2][3] Dark Elves are infamous for their cunning, vanity and delight in every conceivable kind of spiteful cruelty.[2]

Dark Elves dwell deep underground, but often send raiding parties or armies to attack the surface world, whose inhabitants they loathe.[1][2]

Dark Elves are also known as "The Servants of the Night".[2]

Origins[]

Birth of a Nation[]

Disaffection with Tradition[]

During the first ages of the world, a number of Elven clans argued that as Elves were the wisest and strongest of the First Races, it was their duty to lead the other races of Good in a campaign to cleanse the land of all Evil.

The leader of this argument, and of the greatest of these clans, was the warrior-prince Viridel Kerithrion, respected by many as a great hero in the wars against Evil, yet also feared by some for his unusually active nature. However, none knew that Viridel was in fact a secret acolyte of Ar Anwar Gerithan, whom Humans call Slangg.

Eventually, the urgings of his master and the frustration with what he perceived as blind conservatism from so-called "wise" councillors led Viridel to march against the Elven Council in an attempt to destroy it and take over control of the Elven Nations.

The Civil War[]

Unluckily for him, Ariel Aurlindol, the wife of King Glorien Thelemas had been gifted with the power of prescience, and warned her husband and many of the strongest clan leaders to avoid the Council. Nonetheless, over two dozen were slaughtered by Viridel.

Within three days, Viridel and his forces were surrounded by a vast Elven host. The walls of the Council palace were slowly pounded to dust by catapult and spell, until after twenty days, several messengers appeared in an apparent attempt to negotiate a truce. Having dragged out the talks until after sundown, they returned to the palace.

However, this was only a ruse, buying time for the rebel clans to escape down passages that had been dug over the past seventeen days. Viridel attempted to declare an independent nation after this escape, but King Thelemas, in an unusually swift move for an Elf, proceeded to invade that territory. In the year 588OT, the King pursued the rebel Elf clans all the way into an abandoned Dwarf complex. The rebels sealed the tunnels behind them and the chase was abandoned.[4]

The Dark Elven Nation[]

Adapting to the Darkness[]

The rebel clans were forced out of necessity to adapt quickly. They learned how to work rock, grow fungus and moss for food, tame and train the great beetles and lizards found in these underground realms. Having expanded westwards for years, they chanced upon a series of natural caverns beneath Darkwood Forest and gradually began to build their great city, Tìranduil Kelthas.

Over the centuries, they grew strong again, and began to change in physical form as well. Their eyes became like those of cats, green and able to see in the darkest of conditions, their hair silvered or white, and their skin as smooth as velvet and black as pitch. Having abandoned Erillia and other Elven gods, they swiftly turned to the worship of the Dark Gods (especially Ar Anwar Gerithan) and Demons such as Myurr.[1]

The Rebel Clans[]

It was around this time that a number of lesser clans, horrified at the extent to which they had fallen from the path of Good, managed to band together and flee from the city. In time, they would become the Black Elves, and would look upon all Elves warily.

Of the clans that remained, four rapidly gained the most power and influence, so that the remainder simply became affiliated or even totally integrated into them. These were the Kerithrion Clan, the Camcarneyar Clan, the Mirisgoth Clan and the Tesarath Clan. It was the Kerithrion Clan that became the master of the Dark Elves, their laws enforced by the Camcarneyar, though each have several laws and traditions unique to themselves, and are sovereign in their own parts of the city.

Siege of Carsepolis[]

In 1999OT, an number of Dark Elves served as military commanders for the Orc and Goblin army during the Siege of Carsepolis.[5]


Description[]

Darkelves

Two dark elves in the midst of an attack.

Originally, Dark Elves resembled their Wood and Mountain Elf brethren. Over centuries of living underground, their appearance altered. Now Dark Elves are tall and rangy humanoids, with black or grey skin, and strangely attractive faces with deep green eyes.[1][6] When on the surface they usually dress in long, dark, cloaks with large hoods. In their underground cities they wear strange, expensive clothes and decorate their hair and bodies with flamboyant jewelry.[1] Dark Elves raiding the surface usually carry longbows and short daggers (with magical runes upon their blades) for use when attacking. Dark Elf soldiers engaging in warfare tend to favour crossbows for ranged combat, and battle axes, halberds, and scimitars as melee weapons.[7][8] Despite their aristocratic bearings, every Dark Elf has a strong streak of malice in their personalities. Dark Elves are extraordinarily imperious and merciless, and their great intelligence makes them very dangerous enemies.[8]

Society[]

Dark Elves dwell in deep underground settlements. Every Dark Elf belongs one of the Clans, and he or she is devoted to the Clan's service. There is often infighting and even violence between the rival clans, as they all struggle for power. However, severe conflicts will be immediately and harshly stopped by Clan Camcarneyar, who are loyal only to the city of Tìranduil Kelthas and feared by all other Dark Elves.[2] Elves from Tìranduil Kelthas tend to be very wealthy because of the silver mined there. They often wear silver jewellery and ostentatious, expensive clothing. Dark Elves are governed by sorcerer-kings and witch-queens.[2]

Dark Elf architecture consists of twisted, unusually shaped buildings, bridges and stairs. Non-Dark Elves find such buildings disorientating; to their eyes such buildings "seem to defy all the laws of nature."[2][9] Dark Elf settlements are often guarded by dog-like monsters called Obligaths. [10] Dark Elves have also created new humanoid species, such as the winged Black Flyers and the dog-faced Trackers, to carry out various tasks for them.[11] [12]

A large part of Dark Elf society is built on slavery. Dark Elves are feared for making slaves out of any non-Elf humanoid race. Dark Elves often trade slaves with Orc and Hill Troll tribes for precious stones. Humans, Dwarf and Goblins are most often used as slaves; these unfortunates are sometimes randomly tortured or killed by their Dark Elf masters, when the latter act on their cruel whims.[2][13]

Dark Elves have a fanatical hatred of all other Elves, such as Wood Elves, Half-Elves and Black Elves.[2][14] Any such Elves that are not immediately killed in battle with the Dark Elves will be taken alive to the Dark Elf sorcerers and witches. Here they will be slowly tortured before being sacrificed in the Dark Elves' unholy rites.[2]

Distribution[]

Darkelfsettlement

A dark elf settlement undergound.

Dark Elves are mainly found in Allansia. They are commonly found near their city of Tìranduil Kelthas in Darkwood Forest, where the infamous "Darkside Elves" destroy settlements and abduct humans and Dwarves to be their slaves.[15] Dark Elves also have a base in the Freezeblood Mountains.[2][16] Dark Elves have also been encountered in the Old World, in the Witchtooth Line mountains, and the "Badlands" frontier region.[17][18]Master of Chaos states that "Dark Elves are rare in Khul."[19] Despite this, Dark Elves have been encountered in northern Khul, near the Affen Forest [20] and in the kingdom of Zamarra in the south-west of the continent.[21]


Further Information in Canon[]

More information can be found at:Source[22]
 

The Fighting Fantasy 10th Anniversary Yearbook

(pg24-25*, pg58, pg60)
 

Out of the Pit

(Large) (pg46-47#, pg64*, pg126)
 

Allansia

(pg59, pg150, pg152)
 

Blacksand!

(pg118)
 

Caverns of the Snow Witch

(para9, para26*, para32, para38, para144, para173, para227, para239, para289)
 

Temple of Terror

(pg20, pg22, para113#, para316*, para400)
 

Masks of Mayhem

(para254)
 

Creature of Havoc

(para14, para63*, para99, para109, para260)
 

Phantoms of Fear

(para8, para14, para19#, para54, para66, para107, para113, para146, para155, para170, para176, para223, para226, para228, para229, para233, para258, para317, para320, para323<now iki>#</nowiki>*, para336#, para392)

Chasms of Malice


(para3, para86#, para119#*, para129, para162, para192, para253, para337, para378*, para398)
 

Battleblade Warrior


(para385)
 

Stealer of Souls


(para61, para96, para132, para281#, para325)
 

Daggers of Darkness


(para212#)
 

Fangs of Fury


(para64, para80, para252, para256, para283, para288, para386)
 

Master of Chaos

(pg30, para11, para21, para43, para52, para55, para90, para100, para111, para118*, para177, para210, para216#*, para227#, para2 45, para253, para257, para315, para325, para334, para357, para400*)

The Keep of the Lich-Lord

(para40)
 

Legend of the Shadow Warriors

(para68#, para95, para127, para150, para192, para202, para224, para246, para261, para278#, para283#, para295, para297, para309# , para316, para320, para327, para343, para355, para361, para374)

Tower of Destruction

(para4, para9, para35, para45, para47, para59, para63, para70, para84, para156, para160, para186, para196#, para202, para218, para229, para234, para245, para256, para292# *, para295, para310, para316, para326, para336, para338, para348, para356, para380, para384, para389, para392)
 

Siege of Sardath

(paraCover*, para7, para11, para14, para18, para26, para31, para37, para56, para58, para62, para63, para65, para76, para78#*, para81, para 86, para91, para98, para100, para102, para103, para109, para110, para123, para135, para139, para141, para144, para152, para153, para164, para176, para180, para186, para189, para200, para203, para205*, para209, para215, para216*, para222, para226, para233*, para238, para239, para243*, para245, para246, para247, para249, para250, para261, para268, para270, para272, para277, para280, para282, para287, para299, para300, para307, para309, para311, para312, para314, para317, para324, para328, para329, para334, para335, para337, para338, para351, p ara352, para353, para354, para359, para360, para363, para365, para366, para368, para369, para373, para374, para382, para383, para389, para391, para395, para396, para399, para400*)

Return to Firetop Mountain

(para1, para72)
 

Night Dragon

(pg24-27, para62, para155, para167, para194, para261, para280)
 

Deathmoor

(para176, para220)
 

Magehunter

(para17, para26, para53#*, para62, para109#, para142, para160, para173, para179#*, para230, para240, para258, para281#, para307, para329, para344, para389)
  Template:Eyeofthedragon(para5)
 

The Trolltooth Wars


(pg17)
 

Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World'(Large) (pg12, pg26, pg41, pg42, pg45, pg53, pg55, pg57, pg58, pg64, pg83, pg86, pg94-98, pg95*, pg97*, pg98*, pg99, pg100*-pg101)
 
Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World'(Small) (pg16, pg45, pg82, pg84, pg91, pg108, pg111, pg113, pg115-116, pg119, pg137 pg139, pg184, pg185, pg192-193, pg213-226 (pg214*, pg219*, pg222 *, pg224*), pg227, pg230* pg231-232, pg234)

See Also[]

Appendix[]

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

Adventures

Sourcebooks

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Out of the Pit "Elf", (pgs. 47-48 )
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World - pgs. 94-98
  3. Advanced Fighting Fantasy – The Roleplaying Game - p. 25, 96, 105, 122, 124, 137, 155
  4. Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World - pg. 53
  5. Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World pgs. 41-42
  6. The Dreaming Sands, Warlock Issue 9 , pgs. 7-8
  7. Chasms of Malice - para. 192
  8. 8.0 8.1 Siege of Sardath paras. 124, 169
  9. Siege of Sardath - para. 124
  10. Siege of Sardath - para. 362
  11. Siege of Sardath para. 299
  12. Return to Firetop Mountain - para. 1, para. 72 para. 306
  13. Siege of Sardath - para. 3, 237
  14. Skullcrag p.120
  15. Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World - pg. 12
  16. Siege of Sardath, - p.363, 395
  17. Legend of the Shadow Warriors - p. 95 - 68
  18. Moonrunner - p. 212
  19. Master of Chaos - para 111
  20. Phantoms of Fear, paras. 14, 19
  21. Fangs of Fury para64, para80, para252, para256, para283, para288, para386
  22. Complete list of references catalogued by FF Titan Bestiary
Advertisement