Dark Elves

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A Dark Elf warrior^{Needs Citation}

The Dark Elves, who call themselves Druchii, are the arch-enemies of the High Elves. Expert corsairs and pirates, they are the scourge of the seas responsible for countless raids.^[6]

The Dark Elves were cast from their homeland of Ulthuan following a bitter civil war. They are now merciless raiders, dedicating their lives to the infliction of pain and misery on others. The Druchii are united in their hatred of all other living things, ruled over by Malekith - the dreaded Witch King of Naggaroth.^[6]

Appearance

Dark Elves are both more slender and taller than humans, with long limbs and adept, slim fingers, their skin is invariably pale, their hair dark. Often the natural beauty of their features is marred by a sneer or a scowl, their large oval eyes showing little but contempt to others.^[3a]

Both sexes favour armour of ornate and sinister design, often with swirling designs in gold, black and silver.^[2a]

Calender

Seeing little change in the weather through the year, the Dark Elves divide it into four seasons, each with its associated god or goddess.^[4a]

• Blood: Khaine^[4a]
• Despair: Ereth Khial^[4a]
• Decadence: Atharti^[4a]
• Savagery: Anath Raema^[4a]

Cities and outposts

Naggaroth which means the Land of Chill is a harsh mainly flat wilderness with bleak pine forests and poisoned blackwater streams. ^[6] The Dark Elves dwell in six heavily fortified cities that tower of the icy land and are filled with bitter hatred and heinous evil. Should an enemy dare to aassault them the City Garrison is summoned to the defence, slaughtering the enemt and enslaving the survivors. ^[7]

• Clar Karond, the Tower of Doom.^[6]
• Ghrond, the North Tower which watches the shadowy borders of the Realm of Chaos. ^[6]
• Hag Graef, the Dark Crag.^[6]
• Har Ganeth, City of Executioners or the Cursed Place. ^[6]
• Karond Kar, the Tower of Despair.^[6]
• Naggarond, the Tower of Chill, capital of the realm and oldest settlement.^[2a]
• The Watchtowers guard the northern border of Naggaroth against the innumerable Chaos warbands.^[6]
• The seaworthy Black Arks are home ports of the most important raiding fleets. Most of them seem to be of the size of a small city.^{Needs Citation}

City Garrison Army

• Lords: Dark Elf City Commander. ^[7]
• Heroes: Dark Elf Noble, Sorceress. ^[7]
• Core: Cold One Knights, Dark Elf City Guard, Dark Elf Warrior. ^[7]
• Special: Cold One Chariots, Dark Riders, Reaper Bolt Throwers. ^[7]
• Rare: Harpies, Shades. ^[7]

Culture

Dark Elves live for many centuries, able to perfect their skills and abilities over their long lifetime. They seek to dominate others and gratify their own desires, seeing their hated High Elf cousins as foolish and weak – a people to be exterminated if the elven race is to remain the pre-eminent power of the world.^[3a]

"Completely ruthless" and "utterly merciless" are the most appropriate words to describe Dark Elf society. Its economy is based mainly upon slave labour. like the land they now inhabit, the Dark Elves have become harsh and unrelenting with a burning core of hatred against thier kinfolk of Ulthuan.^[3a]

Female Dark Elves are at least and often more terrifying than their male compatriots.^[1a]

Their culture is built around raiding and slavery, they take what they want, when they want with slaves to undertake all the menial tasks below the notice of a Dark Elf. Untold thousands of slaves labour in the mines, the forests, the fields, cities and forges of Naggaroth.^[3a]

There is a rigid code of etiquette to help protect the nobility from assassins. Unless summoned, a lowborn elf may not approach withn three sword lengths of a noble, and a retainer must not move within 2 sword lengths, a bodyguard or supposedly trusted lieutenant may stand just outside a swords length. Only a lover, plaything or a foe in battle can breach the single sword length rule.^[3b]

Government and organisation

Malekith is the undisputed ruler of the Dark Elves. Second only to him is his mother Morathi, who acts as his regent when needed. Below them are the rulers of the cities, the Drachau, aided by the Vaulkhar, commanders of the city-armies. A fringe benefit of these positions is that their lives belong to Malekith; only he may order their execution and he will punish those who kill his lieutenants.^{Needs Citation}

History

End Times

Naggaroth was invaded on a massive scale by the Bloodied Horde, the vast army led by the Gorequeen, Valkia the Bloody. Finally she was defeated by the Witch King but more armies continued to pour out of the northlands which reached as far as Clar Karond which was laid to waste. Har Ganeth was virtually destroyed, with only warriors of the blood god and followers of Khaine left to continue fighting each other in the ruins, Hellebron herself finally accepting the slaughter as a gift from her god.^[8a]

Warlords of the Bloodied Horde launched an sea-borne attack on Karond Kar, Drane Blackblood and Lokhir Fellheart joined together to meet them in battle, destroying much of the enemy fleet but they could not stop all of them. An earthquake broke the cities walls and the Skaven emerged from below - forcing Blackblood and Fellheart to evacuate what citizens they could.^[8a]

As war raged across Naggaroth, Malekith marched to Grond as Malus Darkblade made a big show of escorting the survivors of Clar Karond. Nearly a third of the Witch King's army was lost as they fought their way to the fortress-home of Morathi and when they arrived they found that it was surrounded by a vast thorn forest. They were greeted by Drusala who announced that Morathi was Hekarti reborn and she would see her son alone.^[8a]

Malekith told her that We had grown fat and lazy, a herd of dull-witted beasts no longer fit for the great destiny I shall provide. Now the herd has been thinned, the weak slaughtered by the northlanders’ axes. I have you to thank for that, though I am sure you did not intend matters to unfold thus. Those who remain are warriors and survivors all. They will be my army, and Ulthuan’s ruin, for they will survive only through seizing the land that is theirs by right. The throne of the Ten Kingdoms will at last be mine.^[8a]

The Witch King summoned the surviving members of the Black Council to Naggarond and told them his intention to leave their homeland to make one last attempt to retake Ulthuan. The last three cities were burned and the slaves killed so that as the last Black Arks left port, the only Dark Elves left in Naggaroth were in Har Ganeth, still fighting for Helebron.^[8a]

Magic

The Dark Elves excel at the use of Dhar. Due the Prophecy of Demise officially only Dark Elf women may study the secrets of magic. They become Sorceresses, with many joining the Dark Convent and obliged to swear a life of celibacy.^{Needs Citation}

Religion

Druchii religion, like their culture, is ruthless. They worship the Cytharai, first among them bloodthirsty Khaine.^{Needs Citation}

Gallery

• 

  A Highborn - a Dark Elf noble^{Needs Citation}

• 

  A Sorceress^{Needs Citation}

• 

  A Witch Elf^{Needs Citation}

• 

  Darkshard^{Needs Citation}

• 

  The Black Gaurd^{Needs Citation}

Quotes

The weak Elves of Ulthuan fear us, for our ways are the true ways. They fear what they cannot understand and instead cower behind the lies of their false history. Fools and cowards, it is but a matter of time befoe we wipe them from Ulthuan and regain our rightful place as masters of that isle. And from there, we shall take the world. ~ Keress, Witch Elf.[5]

Sources

• 1: Ravening Hordes (2nd Edition)
  • 1a: Dark Elves, pg. 25
• 2: Warhammer Armies (3rd Edition)
  • 2a: Dark Elves, pg. 32
• 3: Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (7th Edition)
  • 3a: Dark Elves, pg. 5
  • 3b: Dark Elf Bestiary, pg. 60
• 4: Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (8th Edition)
  • 4a: Annals of the Black Tower, pg. 15
• 5: Total War Warhammer III
• 6: White Dwarf 250 (UK): The Dark Elves, pg. 30-31
• 7: White Dwarf 264 (UK): Warhammer Chronicles: Cities of the Damned, pg. 84-88
• 8: Warhammer: Khaine, Book I:
  • 8a: Chapter I: The Widowmaker, pg. 14-17