Dark Elves (Tenemir)

*“To pity the Tenemir or to resent them, with a past filled with treachery, greed and abandonment such as theirs, it is rare to find one neutral in opinion of them. Oh how bitter and pathetic Elves can be…” - Dame Fellendar Fellenis, Arch-Magister of the Oushivia Tower, circe 914.*

**Rarity**

Common

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**General Overview**

It is believed that the Drow were the former inhabitants of the Aetherian Depths, though there is no proof other than the Dark Elves preference for living underground or in the Aether’s darkest regions.

Once they were one of the rarest Elves until their population boomed around the time that Bephine became a Blighted God which saw the rise of their once great empire, now they are relatively commonplace, living in cities and clans with such diluted culture that theirs has been slowly losing itself over the last 1000 years.

Dark Elves have a history of deep-rooted prejudice and passionate conflict stemming from when once they were the great empire Nechatan that sought to leash all other Elves under their iron, tricking Snow Elves into being their allies, deceiving Ambar Elves to craft their weapons, hunting down Wild Elves, consistently at odds with High Elves for the sake of it and pathetic rivalry.

They have a bitter, resentful stereotype that longs for the days of the Drow Empirical era that was greater than that of men and rivalled that of the Sun Elf Empire of the time.

Now, Drow are resigned to being commonly found in the lower class, trying to pave their way in a world that still has a bad taste in their mouth from o’ so long ago, commonly becoming desperate and kept as slaves to human nobles, nursemaids and carers for other’s babies or regularly taking to a life of sly crime of which they seem to have a knack for.

Drow were also commonly sought for organ harvesting, though recent efforts in the major Kingdoms has seen a reduction in Dark Elf victims.

Drow lean heavily towards worship of the Blighted Gods, consequently they can be lumped in with the Blood Elf zealots though this is not entirely unfair, for many Drow are indeed resentful creatures who see Blood Elves as their saviours and desire to be them.

Drow can live up to 300 years old.

Common Dark Elf Languages:

Drow do not have their own language, they speak whatever they are taught based on their environment and rarely branch out for no reason.

Drow do not have any known clans anymore, if they exist then they have retreated so far underground they have not been heard from for hundreds of years.

Drow tend to have short, snappy and sharp names, often having several handles to go by and many monikers to the point where many forget their original name.

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**Race Alignment**

Neutral Evil / True Neutral

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**Natural Race Abilities/Affinities**

Drow are capable of infrared vision of up to 30m, cold objects will appear grey, while heat was seen, in ascending order of intensity, as blue, purple, red, and warm yellow.

Drow can see in the dark in shades of grey as though it were evening up to 40m.

However, while a Drow is heavily reliant on their impressive eyesight, their eyes are very sensitive to heat, much more so than normal human eyes.

Drow also have excellent hearing due to their days spent underground, so they could hear rocks shifting, hazards and water. They are sensitive, but they can listen to sounds twice as far as a human can.

Drow have long, slender fingers and a keen tactile sense, to the point of being able to read subtle markings on stone as if they were Braille. This was used to leave secret messages.

While not having an affinity to magic, Drow are quite resistant to it, taking half damage from any form of magic dealt to them.

Drow’s fighting ability, unlike most Elves, comes from bows, daggers, and other sly magics. They prefer to fight from the shadows and have a knack for it.

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**Appearance**

Drow always have grey skin tones, most commonly having white hair but other colours are not too rare. They also commonly have red eyes more than any other colour, with blue being the rarest.

**History**

The ruins of the Drow empire that dwelt along the banks of the great River Vitae was known as Nechatan. Of all the Witch Kings, none could match the splendour, cruelty, and arrogance of Setut, the first Witch King of the city-state of Kahnet. Under his inspired leadership and unparalleled ruthlessness, the many independent city-states of Nechatan were conquered and forced to pay tribute and acknowledge Kahnet as the greatest city of the land.

But Setut was unsatisfied, knowing that one day death would rob him of all he had accomplished. In his arrogance he vowed that the grave would not claim him and proclaimed that he would cheat death, setting his wisest and most powerful priests towards working on a means of preventing his passing.

Soon all Nechatan became preoccupied with death and the afterlife, building many huge temples and monuments to the dead. These huge tombs became so frequent and huge that the rulers blocked them all into the giant cities of the dead called Necropoli.

It was into this culture that Magas was born, brother of the Witch King Setut. Magas was the first son and was given to the mortuary cult as tradition demanded. He observed the morticians as they prepared the dead for interment and soon rose to the position of a high priest. He learned all their ancient spells but he was too weak to cast them.

Magas took to unspeakable experiments in his quest for immortality and soon all the citizens of Kahnet shunned him. Magas travelled Nechatan searching for answers for years, eventually, he found his answer. A strange creature unlike any he’d encountered before taught him how to reap souls and use their energy to cast spells on his own.

With this knowledge, he created a way to resurrect the dead. Magas experiments met with limited success: the dead could be resurrected, but they returned as indentured servants of flesh and bone.

He shared his spells with depraved nobility, building support for himself before he finally killed his brother Setut and seized power in Kahnet. Magas and his Necromantic supporters created a new house system to help govern their new empire and depose the old regime.

Magas crowned himself The Emperor, Grand Witch King and Arch Lictor of Nechatan. This new regime took to the mass slaughtering of many citizens in Kahnet to create their undead hordes. With their newfound power, they constructed the Black Library and Black Citadel.

Slowly the other Witch Kings and some of the Houses of Nechatan became afraid of Magas and formed a confederation against him. A bloody war broke out, which culminated in the collapse of Nechatan the first and last Drow Empire.

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**Houses of Nechatan**

I – The Emperor, Grandest Witch King, Arch Lictor

II – The Emperor’s Strength, House of the Black Shield.

Deeply connected with the army of the emperor, this house frequently ascended the ranks of military leadership. Their devotion to rank and order and penchant for taking charge did not make them favourites with the others.

III – The Mouth of the Emperor, The House of the Shining Dead, The Procession.

The third house was known for its fashions and gossip. Its leadership could be easily torn apart by internecine squabbles. Beneath this flashy exterior, they were a front of personal and political intelligence.

IV – The Hope of the Emperor, The Emperor’s Sword.

The vanguard of the empire, this house was the first into battle and often the youngest in the field. Their skills in battle make them powerful warriors, but their age and demeanour are frequently ill-suited to military leadership.

V – The Heart of the Emperor, The Watchers over the River.

The cultural centre of the empire.

VI – The Emperor’s Reason, The Master Wardens.

The centre of academic study, Warden of the Black Library. Their bookish nature leads many to underestimate their necromantic skills.

VII – The Joy of the Emperor, The Rose Unblown.

Victims of a hereditary disease, this house developed an obsession with the beauty of death. The house hoped to ‘perfect’ their illness.

VIII – The Keepers of the Tome, The Forgiving House.

The most religious of all the houses. This house had a reputation for secrecy and zealotry.

IV – The House of the Sewn Tongue.

The last house was often regarded by many as a mistake. Some even went as far as to say that it was never meant to last. It is famous for its prison the Black Citadel.

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This information died with the collapse of Nechatan. The Dark Elf ruins on the west of the continent are old, is mentioned early in the history of other civilisations as ruins. The date of their collapse is difficult to pinpoint exactly, but all the evidence is present.

Up until very recently the intricacies of Nechatan society and history was lost to the rest of the world until an Oushivian historian managed to excavate and translate preserved carvings. The writings spoke of the Nine Houses of Nechatan, their involvement in perfecting early Necromancy and their roles in society.

Like noble families in today’s courts. This information, although interesting to a historian, was of no use to Oushivia until it fell into the hands of one of the Magistrates.

This Magistrate was a Necromancer and slowly they became fascinated with the self-governing body of Nechatan. A nation founded on Necromancy, which functioned all be it for a moment in history. The Magistrate had always been concerned with the threat that Necromancy unchecked could be to the known world...