The Making of the I'tel'gothrim (The Dark Elves)

[DM Jack Frost]

I’tel'gothrim
(The Dark Elves)

“It is whispered among common folk that the dark elves are the scum of the earth. More foul than demons the dark elves are driven only by the darkest desires of their hearts. They live in places where nightmares dwell and the bravest of grown men dare not tread.”

An older man with pointed ears paced before his captive audience. The eyes which gazed intently at him belonged to dozens of small children clad in black mourning robes. Their oculars were fearful yet glazed with wanderlust; that thrill for adventure every heart desires when the quotidian motions of life become dull but cannot be cast aside.

“Young ones you may have heard of A’thien Myel. The elf calls himself a scholar of our past yet he is blind to the truth that lies before him. Our great Rian is the oldest forest in the realm yet A’thien has the audacity to claim that our race sprang from somewhere else. The magnificent trees of the Naithe have lived long before us or our ancestors. Ki planted them long ago and it was there that we first called our home. This scholar who studies among the short lived men would have us believe that the dark elves simply fled into the twilight world and embraced dark power offered to them. These sources A’thien Myel studies…”

The old elf paced back and forth even more heavily now.

“…Lies, lies is what they are. Stories conjured by men, and even elves too afraid to learn the truth.”

He stopped pacing in the room, which was dimly lit by a small crackling magical fire, and leaned in towards his audience.

“What the dark elves truly are is far more terrible then any of these fables portray. For you see, the dark skinned are near as ancient as us and far more vicious and twisted”

The speaker paused for a moment as he gathered his thoughts.

“Long ago eight of the ten trees existed in harmony. Magic from the trees provided the forest with life and beauty. Our people respected these gifts from the gods, as we do now, by coexisting with the creatures and plants within Rian. The forest gave us strength and we returned that gift to it. Most were happy with this way of life, but some were impatient.

The trees and dryads whispered of arguments between priests, soldiers, and mages. Unrest was growing in the forest and the queen of Rian was not blind to it. A differing of opinions existed over what course the elves should take to ensure their station in the world. Our wise queen wished for our glory to prosper as it always had through balance with the world around us. Some of her more distant advisors felt that following such a path would lead to the inevitable waning of our strength.

It was suggested by these advisors that we ensure our hold over all the lands and create a vast empire with strong roots. But, doing such a thing would upset the balance of nature and the queen would not hear of it. Many of her advisors were dismissed and left the sanctuary with their small group of supporters. It was a sorrowful time for our people but ensured that peace would finally return.

For many ages things existed as they once were. Until one day a strange group of Elven people appeared at the borders of Rian and demanded entrance to the Naithe. They were led by a powerful female who was recognized as a former aide of the queen. She had been outcast along with her supporters during the time of unrest and told never to return until she had seen the error of her ways. Stories passed down by our bards and lore masters say that when she gazed upon the scouts of our queen, she had fierceness in her eyes not seen in any creature that walked the land. Her entourage was small but well equipped. They carried many things with them and it was clear that they were intent upon returning.

Spirits of the forest moved quickly to alert all within the sanctuary of the outsiders return. The Queen went to meet those that had returned in order to see where the true devotion of their souls lie. Our wise ruler was accompanied by the finest priests and soldiers of the forest to ensure her protection.

It is said that both parties stood there gazing upon one another for a long time without speaking a word. The Queen’s entourage was protected by the mighty oaks of our great forest while the outsiders had only the grass and earth to protect them. Finally, after the gentle breeze had played with their cloaks and hair for what seemed like ages, the leader of the outsiders stepped forward and spoke.

“Mae govannen my Queen. Oio naa elealla alasse'.”

The queen smiled and came forward with her protectors. The two parties met under the canopies of the trees.

“You have finally returned to us Aemorniel,” the queen spoke with a strong yet soothing tone. “Yet my heart is filled with sadness that so few of you have come back. Tell me what happened to the others?”

“They are all gone. They have destroyed themselves, but we survived by embracing the old ways.” Aemorniel replied with tears forming in her eyes. Her body language showed no sign of deception and it is believed that the Queen formally welcomed them home from their long trial.

A great feast was held to greet them. Beautiful dances were performed, and joyous music was played throughout. The bards eagerly devoured the tales which Aemorniel fed them, taking in every word as if it were true. Eventually the party dispersed with many happy elves wandering back to their homes and scribes working diligently to record the history of those that once were lost.

However, all was not well. Sometime in the early morning a great cry erupted from the forest that was more painful than anything our people have ever felt before. Texts from this time say the sky was dark red; the color of blood. The heavens even wept crimson droplets their sorrow was so great.

Soldiers, guards, magistrates, women, and children rushed to see what could cause such great agony. The forest itself was bellowing a song of terror. So great was the agony, many of our people had trouble remaining conscious. An overwhelming sea of magical energy filled the air.

To the surprise of all Aemorniel was standing before one of the old trees. One of the very 10 that gave life to Rian so long ago. Its great trunk was split in half and the wood looked as if it had been burned by a raging fire. Charred corpses littered the ground around the tree as they had fallen when the tree was sundered.

The dark haired Aemorniel was still chanting her foul craft, manipulating the now free magic of the deceased tree, as the first blow was struck to her followers gathered to protect her. One of the most treacherous battles in our history followed the ringing of that first attack. Countless lives were lost on both sides. The traitors seemed to have an upper hand as they were using the magic from the great tree to fight against their own kind. Spells proved completely ineffective against them as they were absorbed by some form of perverted barrier. Aemorniel lead them on a path of destruction with the magic she had released and perverted to her old agenda she had conceived of ages ago.”

The speaker paused for a moment to remove the dry feeling in his throat by taking a sip of fine elven mead. He looked out across his audience to see eager faces waiting for the story to finish.

“Hope was not lost that day. Though our mages had great difficulty piercing the enemies’ defenses, blows from our blades and arrows still struck fear into their hearts. We had superior numbers and were able to drive the invaders out of the blessed city.

They were driven to the edge of the forest over many nights of fierce fighting. Then suddenly the dark magic in the sky faltered as a great light came from the heavens and pushed away the red clouds. As it struck Aemorniel and her remaining forces they fled in terror from the brightness of day clasping their eyes in pain.

Some of the ancient texts say that this light was a gift from Utu. Many proclaim that Ki had pleaded with Utu to place a curse upon them as justice for their transgressions against the balance of nature. Whatever divine presence struck the betrayers the result led to their flight from the surface. They became as they are now with with hideous features through countless ages of practicing their dark magic and living like beasts where there is no light.

Our people held a great mourning, which we now observe, to remember the lives lost during that terrible battle. We must never forget what the Tel'gothrim have done to us. They can never be trusted, befriended, or welcomed again. They must remain our enemies for eternity because they are only capable of deceit and death.


~~Submitted by Elrith