Dark Elves

Azari'lunn (Dark Elves)
Nicknames	Children of the Night
Spoken Languages	Azari Linguae Anjyarri Common tongue
Average Height	1.6m-2.2m
Average Weight	60kg to 90kg
Location	The Empire of Anjyarr
Capital	Al-Khadir (city)
Stat bonuses	+2 strength +1 intelligence

Introduction:

The surest blow is delivered from the shadows. None know this better than the Azari’lunn, they who have drenched the glade of dragons in the blood of countless amounts of ‘cill and pretender Kings of the Azari people.

Let the Azari’cill and the Humans of the Empire shake the earth beneath the tread of colossal armies, playing out their ancient hatred upon a hundred war fronts. Let the Orcs of the red wastes and the pretender kings of Al-Khadir indulge in primitive savagery. Burning and pillaging in an aimless, mindless orgy of destruction.

In the midst of such calamity there is a golden opportunity – And the Azari’lunn ambitions transcend mere conquest. While our enemies tear themselves to bloody shreds upon the spears and blades of their rivals, the Azari’lunn will play a more subtle game. Deceit and deception shall be our weapons, betrayal our most potent poison.

Bonds will be broken, alliances will be shattered, and powerful enemies made. And when the dust settles, the Azari’lunn will be the ones left standing.

Appearance

The Azari'lunn as they call themselves are, just behind the high elves who have a slightly taller average height, the tallest race inhabiting Eden. The men grow to an astonishing maximum height of 220cm, while the women reach a still impressive maximum height of 205cm.

Dark elves have a dark gray-purple skin, often bordering black tones. Rarely though, more pale skin tones are seen due to crossbreeding with other elven races. Their hair is also mostly colored black or in similar dark tones, but sometimes there are bleach-white hair colors.

Their eye color comprises a range of shades from blue to purple and even yellow. Their ears are comparatively long and pointy, growing to a length of up to 25 cm. Due to this being a feature exclusive to the dark elven race, extremely long ears are considered to be a sign of superior wisdom.

Male dark elves are surprisingly often hard to tell apart from their female counterparts, owing mostly to the fact that they are, as all elven races, unable to grow facial hair.

Languages

Elves generally speak the common tongue. This language, through its extreme popularity, has been adopted and normalized in Elven culture. A dialect has sprung up in Aerial from a combination of Ancient Elvish and the common tongue. The ancient elven language is a mostly forgotten one. Scholars in Aerial are trying to rediscover their ancient language and bring it back to the vocabulary of the Elves.

Often used ancient elven words that found their way into common speech:

Greetings

Vale - Hello/Greetings

Vale’tar - Farewell

Fílo(s) - Friend(s)

Races

Azari - Elf

Azari’cill - High Elf/pure elf

Azari’cerr - Wood elf/wild elf

Azari’lunn - Dark elf/Moon elf

Azari’soll - Fire Elf/Sun Elf

Dur’arum(s) - Denur

Vari(s) - Human(s)

Ghesiri(s) - Faulskins(s)

De’nevir - Tiefling

Titles

Bessi’inn - Blessed one

Scin - (Young) Student

Scini - (Older) Student

Scinar - Priest

Scinari - Priestess

Scinar(i)’cilus - High Priest(ess)

Ar’mágoi - Mage/Magic user/Spellcaster

Ar’mágoi’cilus - Arch-Mage/Magic user/Spellcaster

Visera - Minister

Kerri’lunn - Herald of the Night/Bringer of Night

.

“Cilus” is a word without a specified meaning. When someone bears a title with the word “Cilus” in it, it is generally seen as a high ranking person.

Culture and Society

Structure of Elven society

The Azari’lunn people are extremely loyal to each other as they want to see their own race strive and work together on being better as a whole. Dark elves often stick together and live near each other, due to them always wanting to be with the people they trust. They believe that a community is only as strong as its weakest member, so they take great measures to elevate each other. This can be seen in their dedication to training the next generation, and assisting in work. Although he couldn't give them a better life, Fineall wanted what was best for his children.

The Azari’lunn wish to defy their kin by being the superior Azari. They are a determined people, striving to be the best they can be, and bringing out the best in others. The Azari’Lunn are known for having good leadership traits such as; integrity and communication. This is good for the Azari’lunn but also means they do not like following orders from outsiders, especially by the other elves. In these instances they can come across as prideful and vindictive.

While dark elves are loyal to their race, they are even more loyal to themselves. Having survived the attempted genocide by their fellow elven kin, the dark elves perceive self-love as self-preservation, and therefore its own act of defiance. As a result, their culture encourages one to pursue mental and physical well-being. Often, dark elves will surround themselves with things that make them happy, such as fine jewelry, fabrics, and pleasant iconography. In the interest of furthering one’s position, dark elves are encouraged to be subtle and resourceful, as the aim is to not resort to violence as their elven kin had. This makes dark elves extremely effective salesmen and politicians.

While loyal and dedicated to each other, dark elves can come across as cunning and vindictive when they interact with outsiders, especially their elven kin. Their values of self-preservation result in being defensive against potential threats. As the Azari’lunn praise cunning and resourcefulness amongst themselves, they are just as wary of it in outsiders. But should their trust be earned, a dark elf is a devoted ally for generations to come. Should one break that trust, they become a very dangerous enemy.

You will often find dark elves being jewelers and tailors. Most dark elven pay will often go back into their wellbeing and their appearances, by purchasing more clothing, jewels or items that could go into manufacturing of more materialistic items. The Azari’lunn are a very social race due to their trades. The dark elves are good salesmen and are very persuasive. This is because of their influences with the Khadan people, The Al-Khadir humans have helped the Azari’lunn adapt more to the Al-Khadir society.

Another part of the Azari’lunn is their markings, this is because they get markings (tattoos) of symbols which have all different meanings to themselves, their family and their line of work

This is so that other Dark elves are able to see and understand more about a person from these markings, This is due to the fact they do not want to be associated with the High Elves, the dark elves do not care for impurities or differences like the high . These markings could mean many things, the most common ones are when a dark elf is married each of the betrothed get the same mark somewhere on their body that signifies that they are one. There are markings to show age and standing in the ranks. The nobles of their nations have markings of white to stand out amongst the other people to really show that they should be spoken to with the utmost respect.

Criminals also have markings, this helps people know who could be trusted and who to watch out for.

The Azari’Lunn are often extremely Vindictive though this isn’t always the case. This ties back to the Civil war, the other Azari races blamed them for most things and after the Azari were unable to remove the ‘lunn , they were exiled.

The Dark elves are big on celebrations, they love coming together as a race to celebrate how far they have come from being the abominations and the outcasts, and now they are a striving race living alongside the humans of Al-Khadir. These elves love music, festivals, food and all the likes that come along with them. Often their festivals will include a feast and a dance. The Azari’lunn tend to extremely love dancing and music and a lot of festivals will have this included. Do not be shocked if music is played somewhere and a group of Dark elves appear out of nowhere. The feast will most likely have some form of sacrifice in which Elves in the higher standing will get first choice. One of the main reasons for why the dark elves love to hold festivals and celebrations is because it is an excuse to put on their fine clothes and their fancy jewels and share this time together.

Holidays and celebrations

• Mereth

-A feast which celebrates generations that lived and those that are to come. During this feast the entire village will often sit and prepare special dishes. Each household is required to prepare at least two dishes of their specialty, food will be shared and a massive gathering will take place.

• Linnas

-A massive parade which is a big part of the Azari’Lunn’s calendar, is held to celebrate their music and their wealth. This means they all dress up in their finest of clothing and parade around listening and dancing to the music being played. The music is often from lutes or a drum, their music is very up beat and the dances are a lot more lively.

• Gwinnig

-This is a festival that will celebrate new life and elven fertility. Much like the High elves, reproduction is important to the Dark elves. This is why Gwinnig is a festival that takes place three times per elven year to celebrate the younger elves and the fertility of an elf.

Romance and Marriage

Romance is often seen in the Azari’lunn culture, due to the fact they can be lustful. The ‘lunn are a very social race and proof of this is on occasions when a marriage is seen in the society a massive celebration is held in the Bride and grooms honor. A wedding celebration takes place over 3 weeks excluding the engagement months.

The wedding celebration:

-A massive feast in honor of both families, where the village prepares food and beverages as gifts for the couple wishing them power and wealth in their marriage and future generations to come

-the marking ritual is a ceremony that takes place a few days before the wedding. During this ceremony The bride and groom are marked with similar markings/tattoos symbolizing their love, dedication and loyalty to one another.

-During the wedding ceremony itself a Horse provided by the bride's family in slaughtered and the blood is consumed by both the Bride and groom to symbolize prosperity, growth and loyalty

-The wedding party is a massive festival that takes up 3 whole days, during this there is a sacrification of an animal, a Feast , Music and dancing

Divorce is allowed in the race if either of the partners no longer wish to be married but this is rarely the case of a betrothed couple

Life & Reproduction

Dark Elves, as they are a race blessed by Fineall, age in a very specific way. The first 21 Years of an elven life are spent growing up like any other race. However after that, Elves are long-lived creatures. They don't show any major signs of aging processes until they approach the age of 500. After the regular aging process has started, elves still live up to a hundred years, with most dying between 550 and 600 years of age. Reproduction is quite important all throughout Azari’lunn Society. Family is often a huge factor even though Romance isn't. A ‘lunn is often very loyal to their family and will put their life on the line for them. Dark Elves are usually fertile around one week per year, as all elven races share the same reproduction cycle. In honor of a family's pregnancy a celebration will be held. During a Dark Elf's pregnancy, the pregnant elf will often pray daily to the son, Fineall. This is seen as respectful and doing this will signify the babies bravery, loyalty and health.

Death and Funerals

Death for the Azari Lunn is often a very sad time for the close friends and family. There will be a period where the people will come together for the family of the deceased and help out in any way they can. The dark elves would like to see the good in death. This would mean they would mourn the death but then celebrate the life because they believe in death they would go and be with their God Fineall. Most elves Seeing the good are able to see that the deceased is going to be in a happier place. They would celebrate the achievements and what they accomplished in their life.

FUNERAL

• Bathing of the body

- The body of the deceased is bathed by the close family members with the purpose to physically cleanse the body. This should occur as soon as possible after death, usually done within hours.

• Honoring the dead

- The body is usually dressed in the finest clothes depending on political status and wealth. The body is often kept this way for up to 3 days in a blessed building or area, where the village may pay their respects to the deceased and the family.

The Burial

• When the head of a household passes on, a tomb is built in honor of the family and the deceased. After the Bathing of the body and the Honoring of the dead, The deceased is placed in the tomb and the tomb is sealed until another body needs to be buried. Stepping into a tomb without a valid reason for being there is seen as the highest form of disrespect and you will be executed or Trialed heavily on behalf of the deceased and their family.

Religion

The Azari’lunn follow the religion of the Pantheon of the Phoenix, they follow the God of Fineall, the son of the pantheon. He created the Azari’lunn and protected them from the other gods during the age of the fallen spires. He gave them a chance at life and wants them to prosper and prove themselves to all other races. The dark elves do not have a temple for Fineall, they believe that they can worship him anywhere and feel better doing so in private. Fineall does believe in freedom for his people and they can choose to live whatever way they want whether that be bad or good. Although Fineall’s one rule is that they have to be loyal to their kind and if any were not loyal and went against their kind, he would be thought to be an abomination to Fineall and would not be gifted with his protection and love. This was interpreted from Fineall’s last message to his people: ``Let your loyalty lay with your kind.``

History

Origins:

The origins of the Azari are mostly unknown. It is mostly believed that the race of Elves was gifted with life by the gods of the Elven Pantheon. The elven race has its roots in the valley of dragons, also known as Arda. This time is known as the Age of enlightenment.

It was in this age that the Gods of the Pantheon walked among their children. The gods of the Pantheon each gave the Azari a piece of themselves to shape their children.

The father, Kharash, gifted the Azari strength, courage and skill of being a father to their families.

The Mother, Aerièlle, gifted her children wisdom, the ways of being the most enlightened and pure being on Eden and the knowledge on how to wield the sacred blessings of Eden in the form of magical powers.

The daughter, Aestaena, gifted her children fertility, love and the need to procreate.

And at last there was the Son, Fineall, he was left with nothing but bad traits for his children, He gifted his children the challenges of life.

The Age of Fallen Spires:

The Gods looked down upon the Azari’Lunn viewing them as abominations. They despised the Azari’Lunn and did everything they could to destroy them, body and soul. After all these efforts they could not destroy the Azari Lunn. Fineall was not to give up on his creation, his efforts protected the dark elves from the pantheon of the Gods.

After their efforts had failed, The gods ordered the Cill and the ‘cerr to finish what they started, their city of Thelkorath was burnt and the dark kin were attacked. This sparked a civil war between the races as the Azari’lunn fought back, with the honor they were not going to surrender. The earth drank much blood that day and many good Azari Lunn’s lives were lost. Their bodies lay broken and scattered across the battlefield, like brown leaves blown by the wind.

In the end, The Azari’lunn lost. Fineall, for the safety of his children, took the battle with the rest of the Pantheons to the heavens, but left a message to his elves ``Let your loyalty lay with your kind.” The Azari’lunn were left weak and extremely low in numbers, their king, Zebrac Torsec led his people away from the other Azari. Meanwhile, an attack on the Azari’soll wiped them out and In the end, The blame for such deaths was placed upon the dark elves. No one knows what happened that day, except for the people responsible.

The Difficult days of the Azari’lunn:

The Azari’lunn were drained, they had nowhere to go and no one to help them. So they started traveling, all sticking together. They were the gypsies of eden. Zebrac Torsec then led his people traveling along the lands trying to find somewhere to call their home. Often spending time at other towns living in barns and the slums of the land, they would attempt to make coin in any way they could, some would do the labor work and others got lucky using their skills of tailoring to do repair work, which they learnt from traveling, making their own clothing and sleep sacks. They would scrape by, barely being able to afford food for themselves, they didn't grow much in numbers because of this, they did not want to bring in loads of children to this unforgiving world and make them suffer. Only enough children to keep them from going extinct.

The Dark elves would go between towns and villages so they could find more work to be done, also in hope of finding someone to take them in, rekindling their once striving race. 150 years after the war, they were in between lands heading south, on the roads they were attacked, Mercenaries or bandits came for blood. On this day they were still weak and still low on numbers, they did what they could. Storm clouds filled the sky with darkness, Rain came and the four winds blew with such anger. Their leader, Zebrac Torsec, was slain, one of the foes had pierced him in the back, the blade carried straight through him. After his death the enemies had fled them, leaving the Azari’lunn leaderless. This day was a massive loss for all, a great loss had occurred. In the time of morne they kept heading on in search of somewhere to rest safely. The day of Zebrac’s death will always be remembered, but Hope was lost.

The Rebuilding Of The People:

200 years after the events of the civil war the Azari’lunn started to grow larger, they were starting to rebuild their race, traveling in larger groups they were stronger and knew the lands well. They were leaving the lands of Hadriana, they headed more south following the coast. They came across a landscape of sand, crumbling rock, and harsh sunlight. They wandered through attempting to find any sign of life in this barren place. A sandstorm had struck, disorientating them and losing their bearing, this was a hard journey for the dark elves they became dehydrated and exhausted. Some of the older dark elves took charge of the expedition. They wanted to find their way out and come back to this land at a later time, then all of a sudden their eyes caught a glimpse of a massive palace top, heading towards it they all saw the beautiful sight of sandstone housing, colorful banners all around, the massive palace with a point on top and the sounds of people cheering and musical instruments playing. The Azari’lunn were in shock, They rushed to the land looking for aid but also examining closely to see whether these people would be an ally or an enemy.

Entering the city of Al-Khadar they were greeted by humans, they made arrangements to let the Azari’lunn stay in their city. The Dark elves and the humans got on well with each other and grew closer towards one another. They exchanged knowledge, the dark elves would show the humans their different crafts, showing them their skills in tailoring and jewel crafting, While the humans taught the elves the secrets of haggling and selling. They both shared their love for music mixing their different dances and instruments to create lovely, upbeat melodies with a mix of the dances making beautiful body movements. They grew more fond of each other, a strong relationship was built, the foundation of a great nation was formed. Their beliefs with each other were different but most dark elves can see each other's beliefs and understand their meaning, although some don't like it.

The dark elves are still rebuilding themselves and are working with the humans of Al-Khadir to grow and be stronger than the other Azari. They will help the humans with their goals on the way. Their difficulties are exactly what would bring forth success.