Dark Elf

One of the cursed Elven races, the Dark Elves are amongst the three races who were banished to Underground by the Trogur Pantheon for choosing to worship other gods. In the case of the Dark Elves, it was Moruba the Scorpion Queen, and she made herself known to her first prophet to pique the interest of her people. In his anger at discovering this, Baresis sapped their strength, and altered their appearance: he made their skin as purple or blue as possible to as a form of ridicule, and turned their hair white to make them look more like senile old fools whenever they spoke. This was against Siarus' wishes, who felt pity for these poor, cursed beings: he ordered Baresis to undo it, but none of the gods could manage to do so. When Moruba took the newly made Dark Elves in, she managed to not only undo this stubborn curse for the most part, she also managed to strengthen the Elves' wits in order to make up for their lacking strength. In the present day, the Dark Elves are still as resourceful: their Rogues make for talented assassins, and are said to be able to tap into the magical energies of the world directly for their stealth. They also take in new information in at a faster rate, and with higher detail then a Human would be able to.

A History Bathed in Blood

While the Dark Elves were once ruthless conquerors, they have instead turned to diplomacy with what they call 'the surface world' after their infamous defeat at Valmont. While the relations between queen Feniphra and other countries are still somewhat strained, they have managed to broker a peace treaty with the High Elves long ago, and were wuick to ally themselves with the Wood Elves and the High Elves as well. Because of the High Elves extending the proverbial olive branch in those times, other kingdoms seem to at least be willing to engage in trade treaties with the Dark Elf kingdom. Their political structure is quite the sight: while they have a queen, she is largely a symbolic figure, save for her veto right. The Dark Elves live in an aristocracy: many of the noble families making the laws have been in power for generations, and the queen may only approve or repeal these laws. In this, her general tends to advise her, as the military is still highly respected in Dark Elf culture. Soldiers are still deeply respected to this day, and it's expected for both soldiers and Dark Elf adventurers to make their own armor. Blacksmiths often make basic swords to award them for managing to correctly fashion it.

Mother Knows Best

As Dark Elf society leans towards a matriarchal structure, the line of both royal and noble succession favors female heirs. It's also common for a man to take on his wife's family name. While some men still choose to be homemakers, some have joined the workforce, although they get paid slightly less, as employers assume that they will to care for children. Some even choose to join the clergy of their chosen god, although they cannot achieve any rank higher then Head Monk. A second wave of the men's rights movement seeks to change most of this after attaining the right to vote for men. Many Dark Elf men are still discontent with the current attitude towards them, sometimes being patronized or even harassed in the streets: this leads to many younger Dark Elf men seeking a life on the surface.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Nyxdrath, Ethdrae, Masamva, Thanzurth, Hedalvu, Dralmos

Masculine names

Khondrac, Drevath, Vocous, Gruhlvec, Vardrex, Nushrabo

Unisex names

Okhena, Briemruc, Dhaknose, Ghilruri, Dyrdrak, Aremvi, Rahindo

Family names

Eshrah, Kailzed, Drolzin, Vimrosh, Krasilva, Drabonvolth, Tordeen, Thadezia

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Dark Elves predominantly speak Elvish as a first language, and Common as a second.

Common Dress code

The more ornate the hairstyle, the higher the social status of the Dark Elf: nobles often wear ornate braids and bejeweled hair ornaments, but the regular Dark Elf folks only wear a few braids at most, and only wear hair ornaments on special occasions. Wealthy men often wear corsets on their outfits, as the regular folk often can't afford them.

Foods & Cuisine

Traditional Dark Elf cuisine consists mostly of mushrooms and seafoods; the fish found in the caves are a big part in an average Dark Elf's diet, and non-poisonous mushrooms are a big staple. Traditional dishes include kebabs, gratins, casseroles, stews, soups, chowders, and tajines. And increasing trade with the surface brought many new additions to Dark Elf cuisine: croquettes, risotto's and paella's have gained popularity recently. However, in the famous glow-worm escargots dish, they cook the luminescent cave snails found in the tunnels as well: mushrooms, garlic and cheese are common ingredients. This part of the cuisine often takes some getting used to for tourists, as eating snails is not common in most parts of the world, but many rave about the dish after trying it. The Dark Elf cuisine is also known for its fine wines: their glow-worm escargots are often paired with the equally famous Cave-Mouth Wine: a lovely dry white wine, and it was named for the tradition of growing the grapes for it either in the mouth of a cave or right outside of it. But nowadays, the Dark Elves often grow the grapes in greenhouses.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

When a child is born and both the mother and child are deemed healthy enough by a healer, then the child is brought to a temple to the Scorpion Queen for a naming ceremony. If the mother died in childbirth, then the surviving parent will be examined by the healer instead: this is to assure that this parent is in a stage of grief where the responsibility of a naming ceremony will not prove too much for them. This newborn child is often already named by the parents before they arrive, but this ceremony is a way of registering this name in several official documents. With a healer's approval, the parents will then contact the temple to schedule the ceremony: they will tell the Priestess their planned name for the newborn child. This Priestess will often congratulate the parents, inform them of the blessing involved with the ceremony, and write the child's name on a birth certificate. On the day itself, the parents bring their child for the local temple to the Scorpion Queen, and ask the Monk present to alert the Priestess to their arrival. The Monk will have prepared a safe, soft, and comfortable crib for the newborn on the altar to lie in during the process, and the parents will often comfort the child while waiting for her. When the Priestess arrives, the parents will carefully lay the child in this crib: the Priestess will burn some incense in the room, and bring both a small scorpion idol and a small vessel of blessed water. The idol is often painted in bright colours, and looks like a cuter version of a real scorpion: it holds a compartment that this small vessel is inserted into, while the Priestess prays for the child's good health. The idol will then be handed to the parents: the Priestess will then instruct the parents to use the blessed water for the baby's formula. After the parents return home and this is done, the idol itself is given to the child as a toy: many adult Dark Elves fondly remember these little scorpion idols as their first childhood toy.

Ideals

Courtship Ideals

The woman ideally initiates courtship, by sending the man of her romantic interest medium sized coin with a scorpion on it, along with a message signed by her. If the man accepts his suitor, then he will place the coin in his windowsill. Should the man not be interested, then he will send the coin back. The woman will visit him only once the man's family confirms that he received the coin, but won't enter the home yet: this is merely to check whether the coin is, in fact, placed in the first place. If it is, she will wait to be invited in by him. Should he do this, then he is expected to ask her on a date. The couple will go out a few times, to see if they're compatible. If they get married, this coin is placed on an altar during the ceremony, and kept by the couple as a souvenir.

Relationship Ideals

Traditionally, the woman was the dominant one in a romantic relationship. However, attitudes towards this have started shifting amongst younger generations: it's no longer uncommon for the man to be the dominant one, and participants in the relationship often treat each other as equals. Some traditionalists still refer to this practice in a derogatory way as 'being whipped', as the ancient female ancestors of the Dark Elves often held highly abusive relationships with their husband in this precise manner. But the saying no longer refers to literal whippings: the terminology of this phrase has over time come to become a slang insult to a woman's femininity, implying that her husband would symbolically do this to her instead. The woman is ideally the breadwinner of the household, while the man is a homemaker and child-rearer. However, political ideology is shifting towards a man having part-time work to provide for the couple's children. The younger generation often says: 'if two decide to have a child, then two should provide for them.' This has proved quite beneficial for both the men's rights movement in Dark Elf communities and the Dark Elf communities as a whole: it has attained them the right to vote, and these shifting attitudes have both opened many career options for them, and normalized men making more important and expensive purchases without accompaniment from a woman. This increase in purchasing power has had a positive impact on the economy of the Dark Elf kingdom, and has resulted in more market stability across several industries. However, it has benefitted Dark Elf women as well: they were often judged and socially outcast by their communities if word came out that they preferred to care for their children instead. However, this practice is slowly becoming more normalized through the men's rights movement as well, causing women to have more of a choice in the life they want to lead as well.

Encompassed species