Posts from The Faceless race.

In Ashan, it's not high elves, but drow; high elves were in Might and Magic 8 and TES III, but here it's clearly drow, with their way of life, matriarchy, etc.

- yes, there are no Dark Elves in Heroes 5, I agree with Silvanis, they only have elements of matriarchy. And the Dunmer from TES are also not quite Dark Elves; their way of life is different and doesn't resemble any of the known Dark Elves in fantasy.

What kind of matriarchy is there when the leaders are men and half of the heroes are men? And this Ilia, the guardian of the law, almost grovels before Raelag - with the Drow, she would have whipped him and sent him to punish those she disliked.

In Heroes of Might and Magic 5, throughout all the campaigns, the Dark Elves' Heroes were led by men. Where is the matriarchy? If there is no matriarchy, it doesn't mean that women are powerless. They can lead, but they don't lead clans or the entire society (but they can), so it's neither a matriarchy nor a patriarchy.

The Dark Elves separated from the Wood Elves, making a pact with the mysterious Faceless Ones. Then, their entire people embraced Darkness and began to live in the underground world, building their cities in huge underground caves. The Dark Elves worship the dragon of darkness and prove their devotion to it through actions in its honor, so the Dungeon society is built on secrecy, intrigue, betrayal, and occultism. Each city is ruled by its own clan, headed by the High Priestess. Women are all-powerful in this society, as they control the religious, political, and military power. They do not raise children themselves; instead, they send them to the Temple, where they are taught all the sciences that a young Dark Elf must know to survive in this world.

In peaceful times, the Dark Elves use their very specific skills against other Dark Elf cities to strengthen their clan. But during wartime, all their skills will be directed at killing, and the power of intrigue will be unleashed on the common enemy. As warriors, the Dark Elves are known for their exceptional strength and agility, which even their lower-ranked troops possess. Fortunately for their enemies, their exceptionalism is very expensive, and the growth of warriors is small, so the Dark Elves are few in number, and the loss of each warrior is a serious blow to their military power.

Magnus, then we see another example of Nival's idiocy. They contradict themselves. Magnus, I hope you've read Salvatore??? I tried reading it a bit. So, if the dark elves in Heroes are drow, then I am Peter Blood :).
Regarding the Faceless – I must say that yes, Ursula K. Le Guin came up with this idea first, but someone didn't present it quite right. The Faceless, also known as Shadows, are the dark side of every person's soul. Which, if we follow Le Guin's version, gains strength only if a person is afraid of their own Shadow...
So, the connection, Sylv, does exist... it's roughly the same as the connection between Hjedvard and Middle-earth: similar, but changed. The Faceless don't care about demons or angels... they are darkness, not Evil, but Darkness.
(All of the above is my IMHO)

Magnus, come on, if it were a drow, they wouldn't have let Railag compete for power:)
The Faceless are an unnecessary race...
Well, Ksel, you're on fire... how is it that "only one Faceless remained"? I admit, I might not know something, but, come on, they pray to the Faceless!!! And one more thing... Malassa is just a RATIONAL LIZARD:) so to speak. And Elrath is a descendant of Asha. And even if that's not the case, who are the Black Dragons then? They must be clones:) Plus, in the end, Malassa is not opposed to Eldar! She's on the sidelines!
(Magn, if you've read Le Guin, here's a thought - T.E. is a mix of drow and Karg.)