High Elves
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Overview
“We the Asur are a noble people, our long and proud history stretching back to a time when Men were still fur clad savages. Living in our fair isle of Ulthuan, set in the centre of the Great Ocean, we are far removed from the petty squabbles of the lesser races. Here we are able to practice magic and our arts, perfecting them for no reason other than the sheer joy of it.”
The High Elves are an ancient people with a history that spans millennia. While the ancestors of man were little more than cave-dwelling primitives, the Elves built magnificent cities of glittering silver and white marble on their island home of Ulthuan. Elven scholars and explorers were the first to chart the stars and sail the world's oceans. The Elves were also the first race to mount an organized defense against the invading hordes of Chaos, beginning a war that continues to the present day
Early in their struggles against the Ruinous Powers, the Elves discovered that negative emotions such as fear, rage, jealousy and greed serve to fuel and strengthen the power of Chaos. Since that time, the High Elves have struggled to keep their intense passions tightly under control. Though intelligent and enlightened, all Elves have the capacity for savage violence.. In order to suppress this dangerous and unpredictable aspect of their psyche, the lords of Ulthuan continually strive to eliminate all extremes of emotion; in High Elf society, to surrender to anger or lust is to show weakness. As a result, the High Elves live by a strict regimen of rules and codes and embrace a way of life that emphasizes harmony, balance and inner peace.
Magic is the lifeblood of the High Elves. With millennia to hone their skills, it is little wonder that the Mages of Ulthuan are among the most powerful practitioners of magic in the world. Their thoughtful, meticulous approach to the study of combat, coupled with their patience and mental discipline makes the High Elves deadly fighters, as well. On the battlefield, High Elf swordsmen are graceful, lithe, and lethal when they detect a weakness in their adversaries.
The High Elves will need all of their wisdom and skill if they are to survive the Age of Reckoning. When Finubar, Phoenix King and ruler of Ulthuan, gathers his finest warriors and sets sail for the Old World to aid the beleaguered Empire, he is unaware that he and his allies are pawns in an elaborate plot designed to leave Ulthuan vulnerable to an invasion. As Finubar's fleet of longships pass beyond the horizon, vast shadows fall across the island of Ulthuan. The skies are darkened by a great swarm of Black Arks laden with hateful Dark Elf warriors seeking to reclaim their ancestral home and destroy forever their despised cousins, the High Elves.
Careers
Zones
The Shining Guard
The Shining Guard is the elite band of warriors that lead the High Elves’ citizen militia, which is charged with the defense of Ulthuan when the Phoenix King sets out to aid the Empire. The Shining Guard is led by the famed Prince Tyrion, Defender of Ulthuan, and is a comparatively small, but very elite force. Prince Tyrion personally selects the High Elves who will be elevated to the ranks of the Shining Guard from among the best and bravest of the citizen militia, and these prestigious warriors stand as an example of the highest honor that a High Elf in the militia can hope to achieve.
When word reaches Tyrion of the Dark Elves' landing on the Blighted Isle, he leads the Shining Guard from the gates of Lothern and races northward to meet the enemy. As the invasion spreads, the Guard and the militia split up into several smaller regiments, each tasked with resisting the Dark Elves' attack in a different part of Ulthuan.
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.
High Elven Homeland (Ulthuan)
The arrival of House Uthorin's massive Black Ark at the northern coast of the Blighted Isle represents the first strike in the Dark Elves' invasion of Ulthuan. Just as the legions of Druchii warriors spill out onto the craggy, mist-shrouded bluffs of black rock, they are ambushed by the warriors of the Shining Guard. The Blighted Isle is a place of particular importance to the Dark Elves, for it is home to the dread Shrine of Khaine, the Lord of Murder that the Druchii revere.
To the south of the Blighted Isle lies Chrace, where the land rises steeply to meet the pine-covered slopes of the Annulii Mountains. Here, the legendary White Lions of Chrace make their home. They are among the fiercest and most courageous warriors in all of Ulthuan, and will show no mercy to any Dark Elf invaders they meet on the field on battle.
Like the Blighted Isle, the Shadowlands are a bleak, rocky region blanketed in perpetual gloom. Over the millennia, many epic battles have been fought in this place, and the land itself seems cursed for it. Once, in an age long past, a great Elven kingdom called Nagarythe flourished in the north of Ulthuan. Malekith inherited this realm, and during the Sundering it was utterly destroyed. The Shadowlands are all that remain, its shores patrolled by the grim and silent Shadow Warriors who watch for threats from the Dark Elves.
The Dark Elves have for millennia gazed with envious eyes toward the plains of Ellyrion, for this kingdom of gentle summers and mild winters is home to the finest breeds of swift-footed steeds to be found in Ulthuan, and perhaps in all the world. The horses of Ellyrion are renowned for their courage and loyalty. Thundering across the golden steppes in great herds, these exceptional mounts are prized by the noble lords of Ulthuan, and frequently stolen by raiding parties form Naggaroth.
In stark contrast to the foreboding islands of the north is Avelorn, a woodland realm of eternal summer. The oldest of Ulthuan's kingdoms, Avelorn is blanketed in ancient magic that preserves its unearthly beauty; a beauty eclipsed only by its ruler, the Everqueen. Should the Dark Elves come this far, they will not hesitate to despoil the serene groves, poison the trickling streams of clear water and wreck down the vine-covered trees, for to do so would be to strike at the very heart of the High Elves.
Saphery lies to the south and east of Avelorn, on the shore of the Sea of Dreams. Called the land of wizardry, Saphery is home to some of the most powerful mages in all of Ulthuan. Among these, few as more potent that the Loremasters of the White Tower of Hoeth, a massive edifice that stretches skyward into the clouds. Protecting these scholars are the fearsome Sword Masters of Hoeth, who spend their lives mastering the art of combat with the greatsword.
A realm of tall mountain peaks and vast, deep valleys, Caledor is home to the proud Dragon Princes, noble warriors of ancient tradition. In the southern reaches of Caledor, on a great peninsula of rock, is Vaul's Forge. In this great workshop, the acolytes of Vaul, the blind Elven god of the forge, work day and night to craft enchanted armor and weapons for the Phoenix King's armies.
In the eastern reaches of Caledor , not far from the border of Eataine, is a large expanse of rugged terrain known as Dragonwake. Legend holds that one day, the ancient dragons who slumber here in deep caves will be roused to battle once again alongside their ancient allies, as they did in the old wars against Chaos. Now, the earth beneath Dragonwake rumbles and shakes, and black smoke rises once more from volcanoes long dormant.
Still further east is Eataine, homeland of the Phoenix King and crown jewel of Ulthuan. Here, sloping green plains roll gently down from the peaks of Caledor to meet the sea. Eataine is home to Lothern, the capital city of Ulthuan. The glittering silver spires and pristine marble walls of Lothern are an awesome reminder of the majesty and craftsmanship of the ancient High Elves, but now the great city has come under siege as the second phase of the Dark Elves' invasion begins. The cunning Druchii have blockaded the Straits of Lothern in order to prevent reinforcements and supplies from reaching the Inner Kingdoms of Ulthuan by sea.
From the forbidding northern reaches of Ulthuan to its glimmering capital in the south, war is spreading rapidly across the island home of the High Elves.
