Elves

## Introduction

Elves are, from the perspective of most races, the most beautiful beings in the world. They are tall, slender, but muscular, have pointed ears and light skin tone.

Elves possess excellent sight, which allows them to see even in dim light. They are also blessed with better hearing than many other races. Their skill, prestidigitation, concentration abilities and wisdom is admired or even hated by other races.

Elves can grow very old and only show no or minimal signs of aging. There are some rare cases of elves reaching over 1000 years, which is why elves younger than 100 years are considered children. Because of the high life expectancy, their will to breed is very limited. In addition  many elves have problems to procreate and thus every birth is celebrated and well supervised.

## High Elves

High Elves are famed for their knowledge of magic and ability to build the best ships in the world. They live in ivory towers and cities and love the extravagant life. Sadly they are also known to be arrogant and presumptuous.

### Eldar

Eldar is the origin kingdom of the elves and a small neighboring island of Firûn.There are living only those elves, who did not participate in the resettlement.The island consists almost exclusively from forests and the south part of pasture land. In the forest are very high and old trees and in between the normal deciduous trees. Many rivers rise on this island which flow into the sea.

The southern part where the forest ends, starts a huge willow landscape on which runs to the south coast, there where the famous snow coast begins, as this is covered with limestone.To the west of the small island close to the edge of the forest, there is a harbor where ships can transport the residents to Firûn.

The realm of elves begins on the edge of the forest where the Pastureland begins.Their living areas lie in the tall trees of Eldar where they have perfect vision and surveillance on the pastures as well as the forest. Even at the port there is a settlement.

### Alewor

Alewor is the realm of the elves, those who left Eldar to create another civilization on the island of Firûn.Densely covered by trees Alewor does have the largest woodland of the island. At the edge of the forest around, large areas of fertile fields are available and many herb gardens are there where the elves learn their art of healing. Countless springs rise in the forest of Alewor where also the mountain of light dragon Lumen exists. Alewor is not a dangerous place, the well-guarded borders prevent from danger and so a settlement of monsters is impossible. The mystical creatures living in the forest are friendly and harmless. In the heart of the forest so the city of the elves, is the largest library of the island where all the knowledge of the island and even of the mainland is written down. Their diversity of information and books ranging back into the origin of the island.

## Wood Elves

Wood Elves live close with the nature and are nearly part of it. Seen as wild and barbaric by the high elves, wood elves have learned to manipulate and live in harmony with the forests. Wearing leather, fur and magically formed wooden armors they are not very welcoming of any outsiders that enter their forests.

## Dark Elves

### Introduction

The Dark Elves are a race of harsh, warlike and vicious elves. They are also known as the Druchii.

They have the same physical attribute as their cousins the high elves. With difference of their skin tone, which can vary from black to light blue or grey. When they get angry they eye color change to black and in some cases black veins grow visible on the neck and around the face. Like many other elves they own very good eyes and are able to see in the dark.

Like their cousins, dark elves, have problems to bear children. The women in their culture that were able to bring living offspring are venerated and well respected in their culture. Underlining the importance of the women in their culture can be seen in their political life, where leader roles are filled with powerful female dark elves.

### History

The Dark elves of Firûn were one of the last races to populate the isle. Even though they are more vicious then their cousins over time they began to live separated from the other communities of Firûn and only enslaved people that got lost in their territories. After the first Chaos War against Khorn, they have been entrusted with a part of the battleaxe, which the champion of Khorn used during the battle. The Queen Jadersa Spiderdust was slowly corrupted by the artifact and declared war on the High Elves that lived next to them. Blood rituals were performed in such extend that even her own populace began to rebel against her, marking the end of the elven wars. In shame the dark elves retreated and closed all their borders living ever since excluded from the rest of the island.

### Language

The language of the dark elves is known as Druhir. Druhir is a harsher language than the pure elvish counterpart and although it has the melodious sound and flowing rune-writing of all elven languages, Druhir has an air of cruelty and malice to it that is not present in the other elvish dialects. This is perhaps due to the use of harsh consonant sounds like "K" and "G" along with more traditional guttural sounds.

### Government

Queen Hesnarim Blackshine is the new undisputed ruler of the Dark Elves. Second only to her is her brother Malaketh Blackshine, who acts as her regent and warlord when needed. Below them are the female councilors known as the Daradrims.

Dark Elves have one major source of income: slave labor. The Dark Elves used raid all other lands, particularly the human states and provinces. They took food and treasures, but the main purpose of their raids was to obtain slaves. But over time the dark elves were able to maintain a constant ratio of slaves and as such did not need to continue to raid their surroundings after a treaty with the human king Gondal the Young.

Slaves play an important part in Druchii society, as they perform
 the menial chores that an enterprising Dark Elves deigns too be below them. Slaves also make up the bulk of the ritual sacrifices to the god Khaine. Dark Elves do not value their ´slaves' lives, and often kill one or two to show the other slaves their brutality. Slave revolts are rare, harshly suppressed and since many years the slaves that now live in Druchii territories accepted their faith as servants.

### Geography

The Druchii of Firûn colonized the island north-west of Firûn and called it Agaroth. The last reports of the island tell of a mystical dark forest that covers the entire island. This forest is so dense and the trees so high that one has always the impression to be inside a huge cathedral.

Their capital is known as Agar.

### Religion

The Dark Elves primarily worship Kaela Mensha Khaine, the Bloody-Handed God and Thousand Faced Lord of Murder. While the High Elves only invoke this wrathful god in times of war, the Dark Elves are wholly devoted to him. All over then peninsula are temples and shrines devoted to Khaine where blood sacrifices are made. Dark Elves are required to donate a percentages of the slaves they own and entertain as sacrifices on many rituals.

The most savage sect of Khaine worshipers are known as the Brides of Khaine, more commonly called Witch Elves (or *Maibd* in the Dark Elf language). They are an all-female cult of warrior priestesses, who pray to their god in bloody arena fights or on the battlefield.

## Mist/Water Elves

The Mistelves also called Waterelves are living in the area of Norsil. They often are mistaken called Darkelves by the humans because of the glimmering dark lake they protect and the black forest around it, but in fact the Mistelves are a very shy folk, living just with their own kind. From origin they arrived from the sea escaping from a great danger.

A Seamonster destroyed their home under water and they were forced to leave. After a long journey they located the border of Norsil wich was not occupied because of the massive fog in the forest. For their advantage Norsil posses a great lake which was a perfect home for the elves. And since their arrival they live and protect the area with all forces. There are just a few tribes left in the world of that kind of elves.

Even if they got the name Darkelf of the humans, Mistelves are not related with the common Darkelves. They are a own species and are not of the evil kind. Their duty is to protect the lake of Norsil and to keep the water clean as it is considered as sacred. They hunt in water but also outside but mainly in water. Mistelves have a great mistrust towards other races as they never had the chance to know other folks during their lifetime in sea.

Slowly they began to cooperate with the other elven races but still not very often. The greatest fear they posses is against humanity since the wrong king orders to investigate the lake and perhaps desecrate the sacred realm of the elves. Fortunately they form a strong bond and are capable of protecting Norsil of any danger.