Draidiff
Overview
Draidiff is a fractured city of shadow and bitterness, carved into the jagged cliffs at the edge of Mountainrun. Once a haven for the exiled followers of
Vaeril Dusktide, it now stands as a reminder of elven pride shattered and reforged in darkness. Shrouded in secrecy and warded by ancient magic, Draidiff is both fortress and tomb, its streets haunted by ambition, betrayal, and the lingering fallout of the First Elven Schism.
The city is divided between
Upper Draidiff, a grim sprawl of obsidian towers that serve as the center of trade and politics, and
Lower Draidiff, an ancient, half-collapsed undercity where reality frays and older powers stir.
Leadership
Lady Sylthra Nightshade, a direct descendant of Vaeril Dusktide, rules in name. Her control is tenuous—reliant on bloodline, fear, and mastery of shadow magic. In truth, Draidiff is fractured. Rival houses, independent warlocks, and forgotten horrors all vie for dominance.
Upper Draidiff bends, reluctantly, to her will. Lower Draidiff does not. It answers to no banner and whispers to no throne.
Government & Power Structure
The Duskring Council: A cabal of nobles and arcanists who pretend to advise Sylthra but often pursue their own schemes.
The Shade Pact: An ancient agreement—part law, part curse—that binds the Duskborn to silence about certain pasts. It is enforced by magic and fear.
Lower Draidiff Lords: No formal rule, but warlocks and necromancers have carved out territory in the depths. Some commune with entities not born of this world.
Demographics
Draidiff is populated almost entirely by
Duskborn Elves, descendants of those exiled during the First Elven Schism. A small number of outcasts from other races—humans, orcs, and dwarves—reside in Upper Draidiff under strict scrutiny. No outsider is ever truly safe here.
Upper Draidiff: Shadow mages, artificers, merchants, spies
Lower Draidiff: Warlocks, cultists, seers, and the mad
City Structure
Upper Draidiff rises from the cliffs like the blackened ribs of a forgotten god. Obsidian towers lean out over shadow-choked chasms. Bridges of enchanted glass span the voids. Every building is carved or conjured—there is no natural architecture here.
Lower Draidiff is older, rougher, and broken. Its halls echo with forgotten spells, and its tunnels pulse with magic that predates even the Schism. The air is thick with rot, mold, and memory.
Districts
The Hollow Hall (Upper): Seat of the Duskring, carved around an inverted leystone fragment
Shade Market (Upper): Where artifacts, poisons, secrets, and oaths are sold
The Obsidian Forges (Lower): Silent, haunted forges where masterwork blades and cursed relics are made
The Black Vein (Lower): A massive fracture in the bedrock—a place of ritual, mystery, and danger
The Forgotten Tunnels: Unmapped corridors that breathe and shift when no one watches
Defenses
Draidiff is hidden, warded, and vicious.
Shadow Wards: Complex enchantments of concealment, misdirection, and arcane traps
Sentinels of Night: Living constructs made of shadow, memory, and pain
Obsidian Gates: Magical barriers sealed by forgotten bloodlines—not all can pass
The Collapse: Ruined sections of Lower Draidiff serve as a buffer, trapping intruders in echoing labyrinths
Trade & Industry
Trade is limited but potent. Draidiff is not self-sufficient, but it exports power in many forms:
Exports: Enchanted weapons, shadow-forged jewelry, arcane reagents, secrets
Imports: Foodstuffs, surface metals, herbs, slaves, and information
The
Shade Market is the city's beating heart—equal parts bazaar and battlefield. Bartering is often done with memory, allegiance, or years from one’s lifespan.
Cultural Notes
Duskborn culture is layered in deception, ritual, and pain. Songs are sung backward to hide meaning. Oaths are sealed with sigils carved into bone. Names hold power—and often more than one.
Public loyalty is a mask; private betrayal is a game
Knowledge is currency; forbidden knowledge, even more so
Most children are trained in shadow magic before they can write
History
Founded after the First Elven Schism in 5700 BGW, Draidiff began as a hollow refuge beneath the cliffs. Vaeril Dusktide and his exiled followers sought safety from the High Elves of Lumispire. Here, they tapped into fractured ley lines and twisted magic to survive.
The
Crown of Dominion, forged under Vaeril's hand, led to the final collapse of diplomacy. While the High Elves sealed Lumispire’s gates, the Duskborn delved deeper. By the time the war ended in 3200 BGW with the
Sealing of Draidiff, the city was no longer recognizable—even to its founders.
Now, Sylthra rules over ruins, trying to bind a people forged from resentment and shadow.
Points of Interest
The Hollow Hall: A place where oaths are sealed in silence and memories are carved into stone
The Black Vein: A cursed chasm in Lower Draidiff that pulses with residual power from ancient rituals
The Bone Archive: A hidden vault of recorded spells, etched into skulls of long-dead mages
The Cradle of Silence: A place where it is said Vaeril Dusktide communed with Vyrakath. Silence is enforced magically here. Speak, and you bleed.
Architecture
Upper Draidiff: Jagged, elegant, threatening—obsidian towers, crystal bridges, and shadow-choked courtyards
Lower Draidiff: Ancient, crumbling, pulsing—deep halls carved by exiles and shaped by forgotten rites. Nothing here is safe, and nothing is still.
Geography & Climate
Located within the cliffs and hollows of Mountainrun, Draidiff is hidden in shadowed ravines and shrouded valleys. Few ever find it. Fewer return.
Surface Climate: Fog-drenched, cold, frequently overcast
Lower Draidiff: Lightless, humid, still—only fungi and crystal provide glow
Natural Resources
Ethereal Crystals: Arcane gems drawn from shattered ley lines
Shadow Moss: Used in potions, illusions, and necromantic rituals
Drakthorite Fragments: Rare but unstable—sometimes still warm with echoing power
Legacy
Draidiff is not a place—it is a scar. A wound left upon the soul of elvenkind, deepened with every spell and betrayal. Its people do not seek forgiveness. They seek only to remember—and one day, to reclaim.
“We were cast into shadow. So we learned to become it.”
