The First Elven Schism

The year 5700 BGW marks the fracturing of elvenkind—a sundering not born from war, but from fear, ambition, and the lure of forbidden magic. This division, known as the First Elven Schism, would drive a wedge between those who sought to preserve the fragile order of the world and those who dared to reshape it, birthing the first Dark Elves.

The elven people, blessed by Leyara, the Root of Magic, lived as the first stewards of arcane power. For centuries, they shaped the land, wielding magic to raise cities like Lumispire, where the air shimmered with the hum of ley lines. But even in those golden days, a question lingered—was magic meant to be harnessed, or was it meant to flow wild and untamed?

Seeds of Dissent

This question gave rise to two factions:

• The High Elves, led by Elandriel Starmirror, believed in restraint. To them, the Binding of the Leylines through the Leystones preserved balance. The chaotic, unpredictable nature of raw magic was viewed as a threat not just to the elves, but to the world itself.
• The Disciples of Dusk, led by Vaeril Dusktide, rejected this view. They believed the Binding weakened elvenkind, cutting them off from the full extent of their divine birthright. To them, the ley lines were arteries of the world, and the Leystones shackled their potential.

Vaeril’s followers argued that the elves had grown complacent, their gifts dulled by caution. Whispers spread through the halls of Lumispire—that Nyara’s gift was not one of preservation, but transformation. The Disciples began experimenting with shadow magic—a branch of arcane power drawn from the Weave’s frayed edges, where ley lines bled into the void between realms.

The First Corruption

Shadow magic bore fruit, but at a cost. Those who delved into these arts found themselves changed. Their once-radiant skin darkened, their eyes flickered with violet or crimson light, and the very air around them seemed heavier. While their newfound power allowed them to manipulate magic in ways High Elves could not, it also marked them as other.

At first, the changes were subtle—a slight shift in complexion, a growing affinity for nocturnal magic. But over time, the Disciples of Dusk began to draw too deeply from the shadows. Their features sharpened, and their connection to the Weave grew unstable. Rumors spread that some of Vaeril’s followers could no longer cast reflections, while others spoke of seeing the Disciples walk paths beneath the world that no High Elf dared tread.

The High Elves, fearing the corruption would spread, imposed strict sanctions on shadow magic. Vaeril’s followers, undeterred, retreated to hidden sanctuaries beneath the roots of Lumispire, continuing their studies in secret.

The Sundering of Lumispire

The breaking point came at the Sundering Council, a gathering meant to reconcile the growing divide. As Elandriel and Vaeril debated beneath the boughs of the First Tree, Vaeril’s closest disciples attempted to unbind Starheart, the first Leystone, hoping to reclaim the leyline’s raw power.

The ritual failed catastrophically. Starheart’s protective wards shattered, unleashing a surge of uncontained magic that rippled through Lumispire. Districts crumbled, forests withered, and entire sections of the city fell into ruin.

In the aftermath, Vaeril and his followers were exiled, condemned not just for their defiance, but for the physical changes wrought by their pursuit of shadow magic. To the High Elves, these darkened figures were no longer kin—they were Duskborn, tainted by their ambition and stripped of their place in elven society.

Descent into Darkness

Driven from Lumispire, the exiles fled beneath the surface, seeking refuge in the vast caverns beneath Mountainrun. There, they founded Draidiff, the first city of the Dark Elves. Far from the sunlit towers of their former home, the Duskborn’s transformation deepened. The absence of natural light and their constant proximity to leyline fractures accelerated their physical divergence.

Their skin grew ashen or obsidian, their hair pale as bone or streaked with silver. Shadow magic became their lifeblood, shaping their cities and culture in ways the High Elves could scarcely understand. Yet, despite their exile, the Duskborn thrived, forging a new identity from the ashes of Lumispire’s ruin.

The Birth of Prejudice

Though the High Elves declared the schism necessary to preserve balance, fear and distrust festered. Stories of the Dark Elves twisted into superstition—tales of soul-stealers lurking at the edges of the Weave, waiting to claim unwary travelers.

Even as the centuries passed, the legacy of the schism endured:

• The Hollowwood, once a thriving elven forest, twisted into shadow by the lingering fallout of the Sundering​History of the Elves.
• The Shadowfront, a jagged border where High Elven patrols dared not cross, marked the line between light and darkness.
• Draidiff, now a bastion of power in the underworld, became a symbol of defiance and forbidden knowledge.