Gold Elves

When the fallen elves exiled from Sindorien laid claim to The Fey Ring Isles, some of their number chose to stay at sea, remaining permanent corsairs. That is not to say, however, that none of these pirates longed for a (potentially safer) land-based home...

In 168MR several fleet-bands, each comprised of a handful of ships, sailed into the harbour of a Maphitahn city called Zoh'faheen. Hiding their vessels under layers of illusory spellcraft, the elves embarked on a campaign of infiltration, assassination, and intimidation, with the goal of taking Zoh'faheen for themselves. Alas, for reasons unknown, the illusions failed... the discovered elven ships were sunk by vengeful human defenders, who then set about hunting down the interlopers in their midst. A bloody street-war ensued, and the elves who survived (through a mixture of stealth, baleful arcana, and sheer viciousness) fled into the Bone Dust Desert.

Several generations have passed, and much like their grey-skinned cousins, the fallen elves of the Bone Dust Desert have physically mutated to suit their environment. These younger elves possess golden skin, allowing them to blend with the sandy dunes and the heat haze rising from them; for this reason they are most often called gold elves (but also sand elves, dune elves, and other less flattering monikers).

As fractious as any other fallen, gold elves live in small competing tribes based loosely upon their original fleet-bands... almost like extended pirate crews. They camp in well-hidden canyons, often guarded by diabolic curses and tamed desert monsters, venturing out to raid nearby settlements or nomads that wander too close. Should a gold elf band find any unlucky high elves (for such do indeed dwell in hidden enclaves far from human interest... albeit rarely in the desert) the victims will be slaughtered out of spite or sold to the nearest orc horde or human city, adding to Frael's notorious elf-slave population.

It is important to note that gold elves will rarely outright kill another gold elf, even in times of anger, for they are the rarest form of fallen, and thus have fewer kindred that they can afford to lose...

Gold elf sorcery is malevolent (to be expected) and very similar to that wielded by Fey Ring Islanders, but with a heavier emphasis on deception. Afterall, they cannot rely on dense forests or creeping mists for cover as they stalk their targets. Among the slave traders of Frael who know gold elves exist, this penchant for illusions has bred a great deal of paranoia. For who can say if the human stranger perusing your wares is truly what they seem? Perhaps they are a gold elf scout polymorphed by foul rituals...

Gold elves are known to ride enormous thorny lizards (called Thorn Hides) rather than horses or camels, partly to cultivate fear among the mounts of their enemies, and partly because the scaly brutes are adept at climbing canyon walls and slithering over shifting dunes at terrible speed!

During the Pharidae War some gold elf tribes were able to remain hidden and unmolested, others were rooted out and added to the ranks of undead, while a few even joined the mortal war effort, operating secretly behind the Pharidae lines as saboteurs.