Lokken
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Added 13 hours 19 minutes ago
Information about the Dungeon:
https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/discover-dungeon
Approximate translation:
Welcome, shadow advisors. Since I have given you information about the elves of Irollan and the dwarves of Grimheim, it is only natural to also share what I know about the mysterious dark elves from Ygg-Shail. Providence is truly with this Council, as I am one of the few lucky surface dwellers who visited their capital Konos in the past and survived—or, well, you know—to tell the tale. I believe it was around 660 GSD, plus or minus a few years. Back then, it wasn't even a real kingdom—merely a growing seed of a future nation.
I was one of the scholars accompanying Archon Belket, who had been granted safe passage to the library of the Faceless. We hoped to find a cure for a mysterious disease that was spreading among the Namtaru, liches, and vampires in Erathia. We suspected that this disease was linked to the use of Void magic, the same kind I had observed nearly a century prior in the pirate city of Krage. As I discovered, this knowledge of Void curses is why Belket thought of me for this mission. The fact that Hierophant Anastasia, whom I consider a friend, was among those afflicted was enough for me to abandon my research and join Belket on his journey.
But I have already drifted off, and of course, you are not here to listen to the story of my life. Let me read you a few excerpts from my journal pertaining to the dark elves and their mysterious mentors, the Faceless.
On the Dark Elves.
1. Ygg-Shail. Darkness Below.
The majority of the dark elf kingdom is underground, and more than once dwarves have found tunnels winding beneath the borders of other kingdoms. On the surface, the dark elves claim wastes and inhospitable stretches of desert landscape, with little sign that they are there.
I should add that entrances to the underground territory tend to be carefully hidden. The magic of Malassa—the magic of illusions and confusion—is a huge
advantage in preventing outsiders from penetrating Ygg-Shail uninvited.
No one, not even the dark elves themselves, knows all the creatures that live in the caves. Plant life is rare—most often consisting of giant mushroom forests and other fungi. The dark elves cultivate them and use them for everything from lighting to food and fuel. All their cities glow with the soft light of bioluminescent mushrooms, tinted blue or yellow here, or rarer species there. Nothing is wasted in the tunnels, and the dark elves give their dead to the mushrooms as compost.
Most creatures inhabiting the tunnels in the dark elf domains are blind. Bats, blind fish, pale snakes with filmed-over eyes, and other such beings dart quickly back and forth in the darkness. Deeper down are more dangerous beasts: things that look like stone but aren't, giant spiders, and other predators lying in ambush.
The mobile wildlife in the dark elf domains is primarily represented by reptiles. Black dragons roar in the deepest caves, while snakes slip through passages in search of prey. The coloration of most has faded to a ghostly pallor; others have long since become the color of shadow.
There are many strange things lurking in the darkness, indeed. Gloomstalkers, for example—strange, wild creatures with an equally feline and reptilian appearance, which the dark elves sometimes use as mounts. I have also heard tales of tribes of blind "troglodytes," who are sometimes described as reptiles and sometimes compared to living mushrooms. I suspect they may be lesser earth spirits, but it is also likely they are simply an old tale.
In a way, the entire kingdom of the Dark Elves is one massive city—Konos, a labyrinth. It is said that here and there are denser clusters of population, each considering itself its own city.
Well, that was true then. I believe we can safely assume that the dark elves have expanded their territory and established new settlements deep beneath the mountains—and perhaps even beneath the Empire.
2. The Dark Elf Community.
The founders of the dark elf nation entered into a pact with Malassa, the Dragon Goddess of Darkness. One consequence is that all dark elves are marked with the sign of Malassa and are forced to constantly hear persistent whispers carried by the shadows.
There are those who can channel this constant stream of information, and those who cannot, and this divides the dark elf community into two classes.
Dark elves who cannot endure the constant whispers sent by Malassa's mark are forced to establish a barrier to shield themselves from the rest of the world; otherwise, they go mad. To help themselves live with Malassa's gift, they burn specific varieties of mushrooms and inhale the vapors. The remedy acts as a painkiller that closes their mind to the incessant noise.
On the other hand, dark elves who successfully process the voices from the darkness without losing their minds possess great power.
Young dark elves who demonstrate this gift are chosen for the priesthood. Taken from their families as children, they are raised in the temples of Malassa as seekers of forbidden knowledge and masters of same-darkness magic. They grow up completely devoted, completely loyal, and completely fanatical toward the goals of the Dragoness of Darkness. Those who rise to higher ranks undergo a secret ritual that allows them to communicate with Malassa, making them capable dreamers. When the ritual is complete, their eyes become black and pupil-less, and they never blink again.
Joining the priesthood is the highest goal a dark elf can strive for, and competition for an exalted place in the temple is fierce.
The priesthood of Malassa maintains temples in every city and altars at every outpost. These sacred sites are open to all, as the Dragoness of Darkness will speak with anyone who calls her, but public rites are few. Perhaps this is because Malassa's teachings are esoteric and poorly understood, even by most dark elves themselves.
What unites the dark elves into clans is not blood relations, but a shared interest in a specific message found within Malassa's whispers. There are three main clans—Nightshard, Shadowbrand, and Soulscar, founded by the sons of the legendary Queen Tuidhana—who lead the smaller clans.
This information may be tragically outdated, but as I understand it, members of the Soulscar clan are fascinated by pain, suffering, and madness; members of the Shadowbrand clan listen to the secrets of the soul; and members of the Nightshard clan are preoccupied with emotions such as sorrow or happiness.
The political consequences of these differences are that Nightshard favors trade and neutrality, Shadowbrand favors secrecy and non-interference in the surface world, and Soulscar is the most aggressive and vengeful of all clans—and I recall they had fallen somewhat out of favor when I visited Konos.
In any case, this triumvirate somehow "elects" a common leader known as the Clan Lord. Whether this is done by ballots or blades, I cannot say, just as I do not know under what circumstances the Clan Lord leaves office.
What I do know is that Menan of Nightshard has been the Clan Lord since the end of the Under-War. I cannot recall exactly who ruled in 660.
3. Blades in the Darkness.
Only dwarves could give an accurate report on the current state of the dark elf forces. However, what I witnessed back in 660 will, hopefully, allow you to understand it for the first time.
Dark elf generals believe that war is best won with persuasive words, cunning tricks, and poisoned daggers rather than an army on the field of battle; as such, they have no qualms about sending spies, saboteurs, and assassins as tools of policy. They are pragmatic people, and bribery and murder are often cheaper than raising an army. If necessary, their shadow priests possess various spells for mind control and life-draining.
Dark elves may also use other tactics, such as sending waves of fast-moving skirmishers to distract the enemy and soften their flanks before striking with superior and powerful forces: beasts from the darkness and elite troops equipped with armor and weapons made of shadow steel—which some believe is infused with the blood of the Faceless. If forced to fight in the open, dark elves prefer to strike under the cover of darkness. If forced to fight during the day, they can hold their own, but they are more likely to retreat and wait for nightfall.
Mmm, I think I'm forgetting a major theme... But, of course! The Faceless!
It is often said that Malassa's children have gone extinct, but those I saw in Konos were quite healthy. The Faceless are striking winged beings wearing enigmatic masks that allow them to assume any form and appearance. Like their mother-Goddess, they tend to speak in riddles and metaphors, and one should always assume that for every secret a Faceless reveals, he actually keeps two more. While I can confirm that the Faceless are not extinct, I cannot say whether there are entire legions of them or only a handful of survivors left to mentor new proteges before they themselves pass into the Darkness.
That is all—everything I could tell you about the dark elves. Tomorrow, I will tell you more about the hellish inhabitants of Sheol.
But tonight I need to find some ingredients and reagents. All these memories have actually given me an idea for a new experiment that I hadn't thought of before. Perhaps this could be the first step toward a true remedy against Void curses, one that does not require dangerous journeys into the Spirit World to recreate ancient wars. I will let you know the results!