By Master Guh'eal Naz'st, of the Brotherhood of Knowledge Submitted for addition to the Brotherhood’s library, a treatise on the mind of the dark elves. To Master Jacobis Dez’ry, and Headmistress Ceal C’Twan, both of the Brotherhood of Knowledge. In response to Master Alzane's reports regarding the dark elves, I have studied some of the dark elves imprisoned for various crimes within our own lands. I have not yet had the opportunity to travel to the dark elven city, so I fear my report is far less than complete. The dark elves are, quite rightfully, classified as an "evil" race. However, this should be stated with a few key caveats. Firstly, the dark elves typically don't associate in the random, "senseless" acts of destruction, killing and mayhem that stereotypes some of the other evil races such as trolls. Frequently, dark elves have been found to be polite, hospitable and in the appropriate situations even charitable and friendly. Dark elves frequently exhibit strong signs of honor and loyalty. Generally speaking, a dark elf won't betray allies or comrades even in the worst situations and exhibit signs of loyalty that would impress even the most stalwart of paladins. The word of honor given by a dark elf is almost without exception upheld, although frequently misinterpreted - if the dark elf says he will do something, but does not specifically word it as being his word of honor, he is not necessarily honor-bound to keep to it. Most of the time, however, they will do as they say they will - although given the importance placed on their honor it is rare that they will give their word so that they can't be placed in a position to be required to maintain it. On the rare occasion that a dark elf makes friends outside his race, they are under his protection and the protection of the dark elves around them - although are still counted as an "outsider" with regards to dark elf culture. Outsiders are rarely allowed to participate in or even witness dark elf rituals, and no non-dark elf has ever been allowed to enter the desert that any research has been able to find. These two factors, combined with their cities relatively high tolerance for outsiders would make them seem to be a less hostile or evil race, but this appearance is quite misleading. Dark elves move with a purpose completely alien to the minds of other races. They generally prefer slow, methodical actions to the random and capricious, so they are unlikely to erupt in a killing frenzy in the middle of a town square. However, it wouldn't be unheard of for the town slowly to be killed off one by one over the course of several months, towards the end the killings would steadily become more elaborate and demented. The dark elves also have a set of rules they seem to follow, and a set of rules they hold outsiders to. Outsiders are NOT welcome in the desert sands, although they are allowed on inside dark elf lands so long as they do not deviate from the road. I attempted to ascertain exactly why this is, but received no answer from any of the dark elves I spoke to except that outsiders are not welcome. The closest thing I can surmise at this point is that the dark elves are hiding something beneath the burning sands and don't wish for their plans to be thwarted. Another interesting note about the dark elves is that many of them, particularly those bred in the desert, refuse to use their names in the presence of non dark elves. Most dark elves are given a "warrior name" shortly after they have come of age (some gain this before, depending on the circumstances) and only allow themselves to be referred to by this name when in the company of outsiders. These warrior names usually take the form of a single word that describes the dark elf in some way. The two I spoke to were Slice and Gnash - which seemed fitting as Slice was in the prison for repeatedly slashing the still living bodies of his victims until they bled to death, and Gnash bit through the wrists of many of his as a grisly calling card to future victims. As a side note, Gnash was kept in a muzzle except when given food, where he was placed in full body restraints. A younger dark elf I met went by the simple name Boom, and if his guards were to be believed he was perhaps the most dangerous of the three, having killed over a hundred people in one night with a massive array of traps, sending thousands of pounds of small shrapnel through the air in a violent storm of metal and blood. The largest of the traps was a huge incinderary device which ignited the buildings around it, sending blocks upon blocks of thatched roofs up into a blazing inferno. A long standing rumor says that the dark elves hunt at night because they have a vision which allows them to see in the dark, so they can more effectively hunt their comparatively helpless prey. As far as I have been able to research, this does not seem to be the case. This can be evidenced by the fact that in a cave or subterranian environment, the dark elves usually cannot function at any level higher than their human counterparts - the only edge they have underground stems from not being intimidated by the darkness the way many other species are. While it is true that the dark elves do seem to work at night, particularly when carrying out some form of evil plot, they do so for far more practical and psychological reasons. First off, they originate in a desert. The desert of night, as it is usually referred to, is one of the hottest extremes in temperature in the known world. At night, however, the temperature becomes far cooler (and in the right season can even freeze, but all traces of the frozen landscape disappear upon the sunrise) allowing life to function more normally. The dark elves, although nomadic, dig underground caves beneath the desert sands that they live in. A small amount of farming is also done beneath the surface, although most of the plants are unfamiliar to non-subterranian species since they get little or no natural light underground. Due to the open landscape, the moons provide more than ample enough light for activity, after one has become accustomed to it. The slaves taken by the dark elves, not having grown up in the deserts themselves, also cannot function during the heat of day, so for all practical purposes the dark elves have to live a nocturnal existence in their homelands. The second reason for their night activities is that of the psychological. Tales of things that go bump in the night, live in the shadows and under our beds are told to frighten children, and even many otherwise brave adults are intimidated by the dark. Add to this the dark elf predisposition to inflicting not only violence, but terrifying their victims, and the night becomes the perfect time for them to conduct their horrifying "business". The knowledge of this psychological weapon only strengthens it, because people know that the night is the dark elf's domain. When a group of dark elves is known to be nearby, every creak heard at night becomes a thing of terror and every bump heard is thought to be the warning sign of a predator. In this environment, the dark elf - already one with the darkness from time spent in the desert - is at his peak, frequently toying with his prey before making the final strike. And because the strike has likely been planned weeks or even months in advance, it is unlikely that any survivors will be found the next morning unless the dark elf wishes there to be - often there is so the dark elf has entertainment ready for the next nightfall. Unfortunately I was unable to gain any more insight into the actual culture of the dark elves, I am hoping that Master Alzane was able to acquire this information in his studies. The main piece of information I can present at this time is that the dark elves should never be trusted, and one should always watch their step around them. Respectfully Submitted, Guh'eal Naz'st |