Dark Elves

> "*A beast lives inside me, inside all of my kind. A monster that we keep imprisoned and starved. This monster never sleeps, it only rests, always watching with hungry eyes, always looking for an opening. The more we starve it, the more enraged and ravenous it becomes, gnawing at our minds ever more furiously. That is why I cannot break, why I must* never *break - for after starving this beast for so long, giving it a single morsel would shatter all its chains.*"
> ― Rixa the White-Eyed
>
>

## Dark Elf

### Species

Alaselva Tenebris

The **Dark Elves**, more properly called **Meliaavi**, were a species of Elfkin hominid which was driven to total extinction in the War for the World, after suffering a genocide at the hands of the Dragons in approximately 180BC. They were renowned for their extraordinary magical power, intelligence, physical prowess and extreme sadistic debauchery. Their origin is traditionally attributed to Lusira, an infamously hedonistic Titan who supposedly greatly resembled her creations.

The legacy of the Dark Elves is a very mixed one. Those nations which suffered at their hands still to this day do not forget the depraved horrors inflicted upon them by the Dark Elves, but to many across Inecuria, they are seen as having redeemed themselves through the uncompromising chivalry, honour and heroism of the Sherahavi, particularly such famous heroes as Queen Rixa the White-Eyed, whom Empress Rixa was named after.

The name "Dark Elf" is derivative of their obsessively indulgent, brutal and almost psychopathic nature and is not related to their physical appearance, unlike with the Black Elves, who are so called because they are literally black. Dark Elves did not call themselves Dark Elves, but rather *Meliaavi* (singular *Meliaava*). The translation of this term is disputed, as it may mean "Wing-Elf" (*melan*, "wing" + *iaava*, "elf") or "Warrior-Elf" (*melua*, "warrior" or "soldier" + *iaava*, "elf"). Historians who propose a more favourable view of this race typically refer to them as Winged Elves.

## Physical Traits

Dark Elves had a peculiar appearance for the Elfkin, one which was in some respects more alike some species of Dreadfolk - a fact which was certainly not lost on their contemporaries. Like other Elfkin, they had pointed ears, slanted eyes and a tall, slender yet muscular physique, but this is largely where the similarities end. Their most obvious trait was the colour of their skin, which came in several shades of dull purple, as well as their alien eyes; their sclerae were purple, typically a similar shade to their skin but brighter and more vibrant, and the iris was a darker shade of the same colour, with a seemingly absent pupil. Given that these eyes dimly glowed in the dark and appeared to softly sparkle, many scholars have theorised that this bizarre trait is evidence of a tiny Magestream circuit within each Dark Elf.

Very rarely, Dark Elves were known to have bright white rather than purple eyes - the most famous example of this by far being Queen Rixa the White-Eyed. This mutation had no discernable cause, not displaying a hereditary nature, but the Dark Elves themselves believed it was evidence of the individual having a special affinity with the Magestream - and individuals with this mutation almost always were capable of more powerful and more controlled magic than was typical for their race.

Dark Elves possessed black claws on their hands (but not their feet), which were completely capable of tearing through unprotected flesh. The black, tough, slightly lustrous material from which the claws were made was presumably also the same material from which their horns were made, which began on the forehead and curled around the skull, ending in a point at their pointed ears. This same material was also present on a shell-like structure consisting of segmented plates which covered their spine, running from the nape to the tip of their prehensile tail.

Intact skeletons of Dark Elves put their average height at roughly 6 feet and 4 inches (195cm), which correlates with contemporary descriptions of the race which assert them to be the tallest of all humanoid intelligent folk. Their tall height, combined with their significant mass from their naturally muscular build, is a possible reason for the shells on their spine; some scholars theorise that the extra support was necessary to physically hold them up. Other theories state that the Dark Elvish spinal cords were particularly dense with nerves and so required additional protection. Other scholars contend that the shell was purely cosmetic and developed to attract mates. Ultimately, the real reason for the presence of the shell can never be known.

Dark Elves were the longest-lived of all the intelligent folk, living even longer than Goldscale Dragons. The oldest known Dark Elf was said to live for 264 years, and their average lifespan was somewhere in the region of 200 years. They reached physical maturity at approximately age 25-28, and much like the other Elfkin showed little signs of aging until they became very elderly. Similarly, the gestation period of their children was very long, with children staying in the womb for 18 months.

Like the Vampires, the Dark Elves were a fully hermaphroditic race, possessing only one sex which included the necessary organs of both males and females. In the case of Vampires, it is nearly unanimously agreed upon that their hermaphroditism was the result of their Titanic designer attempting to maximise birth rates, but this is not necessarily the case for Dark Elves. Many scholars, both ancient and modern, have argued that the fact the race was designed by Lusira means it is far more likely their hermaphroditism came about because of Lusira's own hedonistic inclination and her desire for her creations to be able to mate both ways.

### Wings

Though some ancient sources mistake the wings of Dark Elves as physically part of their bodies, their wings (which they possibly took their name from) were in fact not part of them but rather a manifestation of their magic. Some Dark Elves were seemingly able to summon their wings at will, whereas most summoned them involuntarily with the fight-or-flight response, or more generally when threatened or stressed.

These semi-transparent, vaguely bat-like wings were often the same colour as the eyes of the individual - with the exception of white-eyed Dark Elves, whose wings were not white but purple. The wings were not large or powerful enough to permit flight on their own merits, but something approaching flight could be achieved by powerful air mages who could continuously blast air currents underneath the wings to provide lift. The wings also permitted gliding, and greatly extended leaping distance.

## Magic

It is commonly agreed upon that outside of the Titans themselves, the Dark Elves were the most powerful mages to ever exist. As mentioned before, most scholars believed that they contained a small circuit of the Magestream within them, but they had an unmatched ability to draw from the Magestream through the means of Chaos - which, briefly explained, is the tendency of powerful emotions to physically weaken the Magestream and enable more power to be drawn out of it. It is likely that the intense emotions of the Dark Elves were for the purpose of generating Chaos.

In fact, Dark Elves who were driven to the most extreme and quite literally insane degrees of emotion were capable of harnessing so much magical power that it physically destroyed them from the inside out. By far the most famous example of this appears in the Ticai Baca, the Elvetan holy scripture, when the orphaned and abused Dark Elf slave named Elasha generated so much Chaos from her bottomless rage, hatred and anguish that she harnessed enough power to slaughter hundreds of thousands before her own body melted and disintegrated before her.

All Dark Elves were naturally magically powerful, but since their magic was closely tied to Chaos, there was a significant imbalance between Dark Elves; those who practiced self-discipline generally had far less magic at their disposal than those who let their passions run free. Dark Elves were also peculiarly significantly imbalanced when it came to healing magic, as Dark Elves who could practice it proficiently were often totally lacking in other magical types whereas Dark Elves who were capable of other magic such as plasma and shield had little healing ability, if any.

## Psychology

Dark Elves were said to be more intelligent than Elves (whose average modern IQ is 112), but this usually went to waste due to their exceedingly intense emotions which often overpowered their rational thinking. As mentioned previously, many scholars assume that these emotions were for the purpose of generating Chaos.

It is debated amongst academics to what extent the Dark Elves were actually lacking in empathy, as is commonly said about them, or whether they were simply very good at discarding their natural empathy and training their minds to ignore the suffering they caused. The sickening savagery and appalling obscenity of many crimes committed by Dark Elves has led many scholars, both contemporaries and modern ones, to conclude that they must necessarily have a lower degree of innate empathy, or else they would find these acts too horrific. This is countered by the argument that other races often regarded as highly empathetic, such as Humans, are also capable of shocking brutality and depravity when they are sufficiently stripped of their care for others and are driven to emotional extremes.

The selfless acts of the Sherahavi are often used as an argument for why the Dark Elves were innately capable of great empathy, but their ancient society indoctrinated them from birth to strip them of it. To the contrary, this argument can be flipped on its head; some argue that the Sherahavi successfully taught themselves to have empathy (or, at least, sympathy, which is similar but not the same) for others where they previously had none. It is also argued whether the Sherahavi practiced their strict code of chivalry out of genuine care and concern for others or whether it was merely a means to redeem their race in the eyes of their deity Elua and therefore earn the right to heaven, as they believed they had been cursed for all time for their sins.

## Genocide

In approximately 210BC, the Dragons grew tired of the constant damage the Dark Elves were causing and annihilated the entire species with fire. Their neighbours - namely the Roulonnaise, the Ruawis and the Kuahis - were thankful and gave generous gifts in return for their service. This act expanded the influence of the Dragons and helped them become the dominant force in the southern reaches until the arrival of Emperor Athdus III.

Despite their best efforts, the Dragons did not succeed in exterminating all the Dark Elves. Most of the survivors banded together as a new tribe named the Sherahavi (literally "Remnants"), but there were others who scattered across the continent. The Sherahavi were made extinct during the War for the World, and the race ceases to appear in any records after the deaths (natural or otherwise) of the other Dark Elves who fled to other countries. As with virtually every other extinct race, though, rumours of them persist into modern times, but sightings of them have never been confirmed with evidence.

## The Last Dark Elves

The question as to who exactly the last Dark Elf was is one that has long been debated and will likely never come to a solid conclusion. Many historians assert the traditional narrative that the last Dark Elves were all driven to extinction in the War for the World, but there exists a great many rumours and theories contrary to this idea - and it is true that the corpses of a large proportion of the supposedly slain Dark Elves have never been found.

Throughout the ages, but particularly in times of extreme strife such as the Time of Troubles and Imperial Civil War, there have been unverified reports of creatures which closely match the description of Dark Elves who supposedly fought to protect the innocent. Some scholars speculate that the Dark Elves still live on in the Dreadlands to continue their redemptive crusade there, occasionally coming into this world but mostly waging war against the Dreadfolk.