Overview
Dark Elves are cold, calculating, and prideful. Over time, they have built a robust society far from the rest of the world in the snowy peaks of the Snowfell Mountains, believing Varos abandoned them. Their realm is made up of towering, exquisite obsidian palaces, full of roaring hearths and bedecked in evergreens. Carved sleighs are their preferred method of transport, hauled by velvet-antlered reindeer whose splayed hooves are ideal for ice and snow. Their forces are well-trained agents of shadow and stealth. The great white bears that stalk their realm take care of any unwanted visitors.
The Dark Elves are led by four prominent clans; Beastmasters, Warriors, Mages, and Artisans. These clans represent each important part of Dark Elf culture -- a symbiotic relationship with the land and its wildlife, a strong defensive force, wielding dark and astrological magics, and relying solely on themselves to craft everything without having to trade with other civilizations (with the notable exception of trading with Dark Dwarves).
The Dark Elves are very pious and devoted to their goddess, Selune. Selune's values of honesty, quiet reflection, solitude, and peace resonate strongly with them.
History
Long ago, a group of Sun Elves adventured into the furthest reaches of the Snowfell Mountains above ground -- a feat no other race had ever attempted. The ever-present blizzard that howls through the peaks was thick enough to blot out the sun. Deep within the mountains, starving, hypothermic, and on the brink of death, the elves prayed for Varos to save them, but it was Selune who answered with a gleaming aurora borealis that the elves followed to a safe haven. From that point forward, the Dark Elves pledged themselves to Selune. Centuries away from the sun bleached their skin pale white and they began to build a society in solitude. Believing Varos abandoned them, the Dark Elves shun their heritage and have adopted traditions that set them apart from the Sun Elves.
In recent times, many Dark Elves have turned to worship Vandun alongside Selune due to the influence of the Dark Dwarves. They believe that, were Selune and Vandun to wed, the Dark Elves could bring about an eclipse to shroud the land in shadow and become Avatars of Night. As Avatars with the power of shadow on their side, the Dark Elves could shatter the Confederacy and eradicate the Orcish Warbands, thus bringing an era of “peace and quiet” to the world.
Appearance
Dark Elves have pale, snow-white skin. Most have dark purple or black hair with a sheen like raven feathers, though other hair colors exist. White hair is uncommon, but not unheard of; children born with white hair are considered blessed by Selune.
Dark Elves wear black tattoos on their face corresponding to their family clan. They often wear furs, leathers, or cloth. Rarely, plate made from meteoric ore can be obtained from their allies, the dwarven smiths.
Alliance with the Dark Dwarves
Dark Elves seek power, knowledge, and the destruction of worshippers of Varos (who they believe betrayed them). They are often cynical and unforgiving, and like to operate from the shadows. They mostly keep to themselves aside from working with their only allies, the Dark Dwarves who live beneath their mountains.
The Dark Elves welcomed the Dark Dwarves as allies because they too were shunned by their own people, and the alliance is convenient. Dark Elves provide ore from frequent meteor showers to the dwarves in return for mystical weapons, and the dwarves are kept well-fed and provided for by the Dark Elves’ hunting parties and tundra crops (herbs, mosses, berries, and lichen). The Dark Dwarves also have a system of tunnels they've cultivated and allow Dark Elves to use. Dark Elves have passage underneath the Mountains of Thrain with the help of the Dark Dwarves.
The Dark Dwarves introduced the Dark Elves to Vandun, whose power ran rampant in the reaches of Snowfell without the other gods to hold it in check.