A Far and Distant Outpost of Dark Elves

Rokyliarc: A Dark Elven Outpost (#27/30; #178/365)

While the decadent and depraved race of Dark Elves are known from other continents, it is in Allansia that their main settlements lie, such as the ancient capital of Tiranduil Kelthas, deep beneath Darkwood Forest, as well as other smaller communities recorded near Bellisaria, in the Glimmering Sea region, and, latterly, from Sardath. However, only relatively recently have the Dark Elves discovered these south-western regions of the Down Below, including the great caverns bordering the Sunless Sea.

The current Dark Elf incursion to this area, the outpost of Rokyliarc, may be the third or fourth attempt at striking a presence here; it is definitely not the first! Earlier settlements brought typical Dark Elven attitudes of xenophobia, superiority complexes, and over-confidence, and were swiftly overcome by well-organised subterranean satrapies only too happy to slaughter a small group of uppity pointy-ears and nick all their stuff! (Bands of Troglodyte braves proved a particularly troublesome menace.)

Instead, the current and most successful incursion is led by a minor princess, Lilithiel Ithilkir (plain, hard-working), who seeks to collect information and understand the local polities, rather than engage in wanton combat and dark sorcery. Lilithiel realizes that a friendlier colony footprint, at least at a superficial level, has greater odds of survival in these densely populated underground domains.

Given that such an approach is vastly at odds with standard Dark Elf operating procedure, it is perhaps not surprising that mishaps still occur. Some Dark Elves go insane due to the lack of respect accorded to them by so-called minor races, and have to be shipped back home, either heavily sedated or in a funeral casket after yet another trading mission went awry.

Others suffer the reverse, becoming so attenuated to circumstances they actually go local. A current scandal involves a princeling of the  Garathrim family who went rogue while on an outpost expedition up the uncharted reaches of the N'ung River, deep within the Fungal Forest. There they are rumoured to lead Gleff tribesfolk in bloody raids against all-comers, their base a ruined Brain Slayer temple dating to far older times.

Also complicating the proceedings are the presence of other hostile varieties of Elf. On and close to the surface can be found rival groups of Black Elves and Desert Elves who are only too happy to put all differences aside and slaughter any Dark Elf encountered, even if they do appear to be weird and unusual peacelovers. More intriguing are the recently discovered Cavern Elves; who frustratingly and politely ignore all Dark Elf contact and prefer to curry favour among the Brain Slayers.

And so the Dark Elf outpost of Rokyliarc ('Death of a Priest') is a small and strange community, a walled fort on a gloomy headland above the Sunless Sea, where a now-martyred missionary of Slangg was foully slain, hence the name. There is some trade here, for Dark Elf goods are of high quality and eagerly bartered for emeralds, obsidian, iron and tin, and some low-key proselytizing of Dark Lords and Demon Princes, and occasional missions to Grx and elsewhere to gather information, but for now, the Dark Elves appear to be waiting, patiently...