Dark Elves

Gallery
A thanks to Koshka07 for suggesting this race.

The Dark Elves currently inhabit Esalond, mostly. There they are enslaved by the Corrupted Elves, as their people has been for millennia. Their history is passed by word of mouth to all of their kin, but it is unbeknownst to the other Elves.

Unlike the High Elves, Dark Elves have rather dark skin, ranging from dark grey to pitch black. Their hair comes in two shades as well: white or black. Their eyes can be dark purple, dark blue, or grey. They are, on average, 6’1” in height. They have a lifespan of 800 years.

History
When Dara granted the High Elves an affinity for Celestial magic, many were pleased. Some, however, were not. These Elves who rejected the gift of Dara departed from Asalqua, heading to the distant wildernesses. There, somewhere, they found the Spire, and they were blessed with Eclipse Magic, granting them the adverse affinity of the High Elves. As a result, however, their skin was turned black and their hair darkened: they were Dark Elves.

They later came to Esalond, and settled, practicing Eclipse magic in peace. However, eventually, Lavina stumbled upon the Dark Elves. She admired their power over Eclipse Magic, and requested they aid her - with what is unknown even today. However, it is known that the Dark Elves denied her. Offended, she cursed most of them, turning them into Corrupted Elves, which would serve her without question. She commanded them to conquer the rest of Esalond, and such was done. The Dark Elves are now the slaves of their fallen brethren.

Now the Corrupted Elves wage war on Asalqua. The Dark Elves flee the bonds of slavery, heading to Asalqua to gain passage across the sea.

Geography
The land of Esalond is mostly a land of ruins, Corrupted Elf encampments, and Corrupted Elf fortresses. However, there are a few notable Dark Elven settlements:
 * Svalys - An abandoned city, long since taken by the Corrupted Elves. Its streets are lifeless and desolate; none walk there any more. It was once the capital of Esalond.
 * Kalaj - A large encampment, where Dark Elves who were caught attempting to flee slavery are taken, before they are sent back to enslavement.
 * Issast - A small encampment nestled within a gorge, hidden from the Corrupted Elves. Its Dark Elf inhabitants work to help send escaping Elves to Asalqua.
 * Synra - Once a great city of the Dark Elves, when the Corrupted Elves arrived, it became the refuge of most of the race. Sadly, though, Synra was built entirely beneath the ground of Esalond, and the Corrupted Elves caused the ground to fall in on it. There were some survivors who were taken into slavery, but most of the Dark Elves in Esalond died in the cataclysm. Synra is now buried under heaps of stone and earth, unreachable.

Religion
The Dark Elves do follow the religion of Deis. However, they praise Luxia the least, and Tenebrisia is their patron god. Those near the coast often send items of value, stolen from the Corrupted Elves, out to sea, as a gift to Tenebrisia.

Culture
Presently, the Dark Elves live desperate lives in the bonds of slavery. However, before the Corrupted Elves came, they had a true culture.

The Dark Elves worshipped Tenebrisia often (though they did pay tribute to all the gods to some degree). Unlike the High Elves, though, the Dark Elves believed that the individual could potentially speak with the gods, if he were a staunch enough follower of Deis.

The practice of Eclipse magic was not done by all citizens; however, none practiced any other form of magic, and those who were users of Eclipse were regarded as first-class citizens, honored for their prowess in magic.

Furthermore, though not all Dark Elven settlements were like this, they did have a habit of establishing villages within caverns under the earth, be it artificial or natural, like Synra. These caverns were illuminated by phosphorescent fungi, and were the pride of the Dark Elven race, due to their beauty as well as the immense skill required for such an undertaking.

Before the Corrupted Elves, the Dark Elves also were led by a monarchy, as is traditional among Elves.