Dark Elves
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Overview
“Hear my lord of the Druchii. From the distant Cathay to the usurped lands of our accursed kin, from the cold lands of Norsca to the steaming jungles of the Southlands, our armies are rightfully feared. We alone keep alive the great and noble traditions of our ancestors of Nagarythe. Only we follow the path laid by mighty Aenarion the Defender. Only we follow the true way.”
Long ago, when Chaos was first unleashed upon the world, the Elven champion Aenarion drew the dread Sword of Khaine from its altar and used its terrible power to save his people from annihilation. When Aenarion died, his son Malekith was deemed unsuitable for the throne. Although he was a mighty warrior, a great sorcerer , a brilliant general and the rightful heir, many Elves opposed his coronation. They feared he was too focused on war, and potentially a de-stabilizing influence on the High Elf race. In retaliation, over many years Malekith engineered a terrible civil war that divided the race of Elves into two factions.
It was the High Elves who emerged victorious and drove the evil Dark Elves out from the ancestral home of their race. Under the leadership of Malekith the Witch King and his Sorceress mother Morathi, the Dark Elves sailed across the Great Western Ocean and founded for themselves a new kingdom in the northern reaches of the New World. This land they called Naggaroth, meaning 'land of chill'.
Unlike the High Elves, who continually seek to suppress their passions lest they be overcome by them, the Dark Elves willingly embrace their hedonistic nature. Dark Elf society emphasizes individualism, selfishness, and pride. They have little regard for one another and even less for the other races of the world, whom they see as potential slaves and subjects.
In battle, the ruthless warriors of Naggaorth blend Elven discipline with savagery and ferocity, for the patron deity of the Dark Elves is Kaela Mensha Khaine, the bloody-handed God and the Lord of Murder. Nowhere is this more evident than in the beautiful and deadly Witch Elves, who serve in the Temples of Khaine and revel in violence and bloodshed.
Since their expulsion from Ulthuan, the Dark Elves have desired nothing more than to return to Ulthuan and avenge their defeat, reclaiming the land they believe to be theirs by right. In the Age of Reckoning, Malekith learns of an impending Chaos invasion of the Empire and uses this knowledge to set in motion a chain of events that will leave the island home of the Elves defenseless against an invasion. At the Witch King's command, a great fleet of Black Arks – great floating islands laden with soldiers, monsters, and engines of war – sets sail across the sea to conquer the island kingdom of Ulthuan and fulfill the destiny denied the Druchii so long ago.
Careers
Zones
- Tier 1: Blighted Isle
- Tier 2: Shadowlands
- Tier 3: Averlorn
- Tier 4: Mountains of Caledor
- Capital: Fist of Malekith
House Uthorin
Of all the noble houses of the Dark Elves, few can boast the power and influence of House Uthorin. As patriarch and ruler of the house, Lord Uthorin is a master of intrigue and politics. Rumor holds that his eye is fixed firmly upon the Witch King's throne; if that is his ambition, he has wisely kept it hidden, preferring to play the role of loyal advisor.
Through cunning and treachery, Lord Uthorin's eldest son, Kaloth Coldshadow, earned for his House the privilege of drawing first blood when the Dark Elves attack Ulthuan. Along with every warrior of the House, the Black Ark Nemesis conveys Beastmasters and their fearsome creatures of war, fanatical devotees of the Temple of Khaine, and powerful masters of Dark Magic across the sea. The full might of his armies now gathered, Lord Uthorin chooses to strike first at the Blighted Isle, near the Altar of Khaine.
The Witch King has plans of his own, however. Well aware of Lord Uthorin's desire to rule the Dark Elves, Malekith commands Lady Arkaneth, Uthorin's most powerful rival, to land her invasion force on the Blighted Isle as well. The cold and calculating Witch King has pit two of his most powerful rivals against one other, so that both will be weakened by the conflict and post less of a threat to him.
Lord Uthorin will need every measure of cunning and skill that he possesses to outmaneuver Lady Arkaneth, the Witch King and the High Elves all at once. If he should succeed, the reward for those loyal to his House will be almost beyond measure.
Dark Elves vs. High Elves
Of all the innumerable conflicts that have defined the history of the Warhammer world, there may be none as lengthy or as bitterly fought as the ongoing war between the noble High Elves and their evil kin, the malicious Dark Elves.
This ancient struggle is very much at the heart of the Age of Reckoning. Malekith, Witch King of the Dark Elves, is obsessed with reclaiming the Phoenix Throne, a birthright denied him by the High Elves millennia ago. When he learns that a new Champion of the Dark Gods is marching to war with the Empire, the diabolical ruler of the Dark Elves hatches a sweeping plan to conquer the isle of Ulthuan and install himself as the true King of all Elfkind.
Knowing that the plague-ravaged Empire will call for aid when the Chaos warhost reaches its northern borders, the Witch King conspires to prevent the Dwarfs from answering that call. Through vile sorcery, the Witch King crafts amulets of power and gives these to the leaders of the Bloody Sun Boyz, a powerful greenskin tribe. The Orcs quickly amass a great army and attack the Dwarfs, and war spreads across the Worlds Edge Mountains.
Sure enough, the Chaos Warhost descends upon the Empire's northern provinces with terrible fury. The Emperor knows that the Dwarfs are fighting for their very survival against the green horde, and so he must turn to the Lords of Ulthuan for relief. In the gilded city of Lothern, Finubar, Phoenix King of the High Elves, receives the urgent plea.
The wise Phoenix King knows that the fates of men and High Elves are intertwined. If the Empire falls to the Ruinous Powers, Ulthuan will be next. Finubar appoints Prince Tyrion as General of the Shining Guard, an elite regiment formed to defend the High Elves' homeland in the absence of the king. With that, Finubar and his legions set sail for the Old World.
No sooner have the flowing white sails of the High Elves' longships passed beyond into the horizon when shouts of surprise and fear fill the streets of the glittering city. Great black shadows fall across the marble streets and silver towers. A fleet of Dark Elf Black Arks fills the seas, great floating fortresses of stone filled with legions of Druchii warriors and their vicious, hate-filled beasts of war. The invasion of Ulthuan has begun.
Days later, following a great Council of Wisdom, Finubar pledges his aid to the Empire and the realms of the Dwarfs. That night, the dreadful news of the Dark Elves' attack reaches his ears. Leaving some of his warriors behind to fight alongside his allies, the Phoenix King returns to his ship and races homeward. Will he arrive in time to aid his people, or has Malekith's insidious plot already succeeded? If all hope is lost for the High Elves, then the fates of Men and Dwarfs are already sealed.
