Dark Elves

"What are we, but vessels of knowledge?"

The Dark Elves were the epitomy of learning. History, literature, geography, science- there were no people, there was no culture, which could claim to know more of the world than the Dark Elves did. And of course, this extended to magic. If you wanted to learn magical secrets, if you wanted to grow in power, you all but needed the aid of the Dark Elves. It was this demand from outside which drove them to ever innovate and learn more. It didn't take long before one of them took the next step.

It was during their period of greatest prosperity that an influential Noble took charge of the council which governed Dark Elven society. His magical power was undeniable, his intellect irrefutable, and his will unquestionably self serving. He believed that the next step for their society was to limit magic usage even amongst themselves, driving intense competition amidst the remaining magic users to retain their rights to the trade. In a way, his plan worked. Competition was indeed intense, to retain rights to magic. Eventually these rights were driven down to close-knit circles and the Lord himself, who all constantly lied to or even killed eachother, all to advance and retain their positions. This constant infighting, this restriction of information, drove them to uselessness by the time of the Great War. It had also, unbeknownst to the Old King, opened up the path to his downfall.

Left without higher magic, what were his people to do against this Lord and his circle of immensely powerful Wizards? All of the greatest of spells, the most potent of magical items, had been lost to all but them. It was not any great Wizard or Lord who rose to defend them, and to dethrone their oppressor- it was a humble craftsman. With little magic to his name, and even less material wealth, he made due with his humble surroundings. This craftsman used his skilled hands and only the most minimal of magic to craft numerous useful tools and inventions. Minorly enchanted weapons and armor, no overwhelming power dwelling within but clever force, conservative and well applied. He taught his brothers and sisters to use magic as he did- along with their trades, with their own hands, and to use the least of magic to its fullest.

Without the Lord's knowledge, a revolution sprang up beneath his feet. His people had found ways to match the greatest of spells with only the most meager amount of magic, ways to craft weapons just powerful enough to be used in skillfull hands to great effect. When the Lord was finally pressed himself, he called upon a duel with the craftsman who had pulled together these men and women. Each combatants were to be armed only with what they could muster from within their own homes. With an arsenal of the most ancient of tomes and powerful enchanted items within his manor, the Lord was confident he could strike down this craftsman.

When the time for the duel came, the Lord was stumped. The brunt force of his spells were knocked aside by a tower shield the craftsman carried. He was no armorer, but he knew well enough how to build a sturdy shield- what he could not cover himself in the forging, he used minor spells to supply. The Lord found no openings to prepare larger spells- each time he came to rest, the craftsman let loose a bolt from a crossbow he'd fashioned. He was no bowyer, but once more he supplemented his meager talents with minor magic to forge a wonderous crossbow. Finally, the Lord resolved to enter into close combat with the craftsman. Taking up in arms a rapier he had forged for himself, and had placed the most powerful of chilling enchantments upon, he rushed the craftsman. The exchange was lighnting-quick, and at the end, the Lord lay dead. When asked what weapon he had used to do him in, the craftsman presented a simple wooden rod. You see, the craftsman was a carpenter by trade. He had carved and hardened the rod himself. And once it was finished, he had used spellcraft which all others had dismissed as pointless, spells which hardened wood, spells which he had developed purely for the civillian uses of his craft. And that hardened rod of wood was what parried away the Lord's rapier, and what struck his chest in.

The Carpenter was a humble man, and was not interested in taking any sort of high seat for his people after the revolution. Still, the new council which was established followed his example and the Dark Elven society which came out of that revolution was a new one. Built on the idea that it is often the simplest of tools, and the humblest of hands, which craft the most useful weapons. Higher magic was not barred as a study, but the Dark Elves prided themselves on their ability to forge ingenious, valuable spells from the smallest of components. They focused on enhancing the quality of life with their magic, and spread its usage to all. In the modern age, the Dark Elves live primarily in hilly villages, nestled at the bases of mountain ranges or on the edges of forests, situated to allow trade with nearby civilizations. A Dark Elven town could be found almost anywhere, so long as it lay between two people in need of knowledge. Though it is unclear where the Carpenter went after the revolution, he did leave his people with a piece of advice.

"What worth does knowledge have, but as a tool? If our knowledge is to be worthless, then as its vessels, surely we are even moreso."