Awnsidhelien - Dark Elves

What there are dark elves you ask? Well of course there are those of the Sidhelien that still ride the gheallie Sidhe and the Manslayer still lives. But that is not all, the true Dark Elves of Cerilia, the Awnsidhelien (awn-SHEE-lin), are totally different; yet the share a past with the other Sidhelien.
More so than any other hinted race on this orb, the Awnsidhelien are few and far between, they are a reclusive race, suspicious of all others. Early in the history of man the elves contested human settlement in Cerilia. It is well known that during the War of Shadows they allied with Azrai. It is also well known that at the height of the battle of Mount Deismaar most of these same elves changed to the side of the Five Tribes. What is left out, and never spoken of when in the company of an elf, is that there were some of their kin that stayed loyal to Azrai and retreated with the Empire's forces. As these defeated forces gather together they considered themselves to be the only ones that stayed true to their heritage. This scattered remnant joined together as a single tribe and moved far to the east to find refuge among those Vos that continued to hold to the way of the shadows. Once there they tried to return to the old ways and continue the fight against all others. They settled in the provinces of Kurmansk and Liispyk. The elven leaders that had joined the five tribes declared these elves Awnsidhelien, or Dark Elves and started a campaign to destroy them. These battles were long and bloody, but kept secret from the other races to preserve the honor of the Sidhelien. With three Elven realms so close the Awnsidhelien, a name they now took upon themselves with pride, there was no peace. After a few pitched battles the surviving Awnsidhelien once again retreated, this time they thought they could find refuge with the younger realm of Tuar Annwn. But that realm had only given a small number of warriors to Azrai?s army and never really embraced the way of the shadow. In secret Cwmb Bheinn and Taur Annwrn warriors attacked the last group of Awnsidhelien. It seemed that after a span of almost 500 years of secret war the last of the Awnsidhelien were destroyed, but again that was not to be. A small number had moved out of Tuar Annwn earlier and made a hiding place in the eastern part of the Grovnekevic Forest where it meets the Orlenaskyy Mountains. They would have been hunted down and finally found had not the realm of Taur Annwrn disappeared in a mysterious manner. Now the Awnsidhelien have hidden for many years and their number begins to grow. They have kept themselves hidden even from the Sword Rust Tribes and kill any that come close to their home. The battle between the Awnsidhelien and the Sidhelien, at lest in these dark elven hearts, still continues.
The Awnsidhelien (awn-SHEE-lin), or Dark Elves hold court in the deepest, most secluded dark woods in northern Vosgaard. They stand slightly taller then most humans and they are far more graceful and slender. Most average six to six ½ feet in height, and weigh 130 to 150 pounds. All have dusky gray skin, like a light ash, and dark hair. The total population of dark elves is roughly 2500. Because of an enforced interbreeding program most carry at least a taint of Azrai, the distribution is as such; 1 True, 6 Great, ~15 Major, ~75 Minor, the rest tainted. Those elves that carry more than a slight taint have pure white eyes, devoid of pupils and irises as a blood mark. These are considered the nobility and given much. All dark elves cannot tolerate bright lights. (-2 to attack if unblooded, -4 if blooded). Dark elves posses an unnatural beauty, and their voices carry a spellbinding quality. They are a brooding race and treat others with coldness.
Dark elves have been given priestly powers, same as the goblins, by Azrai to prove his power. This makes the dark elves believe even stronger in their own superiority over their cousins. They are creatures created with faerie dust and starlight, blasted by the power of the shadow. They have lost touch with the true magic of the land so now have begun to slowly age. They still live much longer then any of the other races, but this makes the dark elves value each day a little more then their cousins. The dark elves heart is one of conflict. They feel emotions to each extreme; they can be moved to wild delight in one instant, dark brooding the next, then suddenly unyielding anger all in the span of a few minutes. More then anything else these elves feel the lose of their heritage and the hatred toward the cousins they felt betrayed them.
Dark elves have a resistance to sleep and charm spells (90% resistance). Since they have lost their immortality, they are affected by aging attacks, but not normal disease. Dark elves have infravision and can see 60 feet in darkness. They also can see by starlight or moonlight as if it were day. They do not need sleep, but must rest the same amount of time a human needs to sleep. If they don't, they will become physically exhausted.
Dark elves have no special attack bonuses and no ability to detect secret doors or concealed objects, but are able to surprise opponents as described in the Player's Handbook. Dark elves can pass without a trace in all natural settings and ignore ground characteristics when moving.
Dark elves follow any non-good alignment. Since the lose of their touch with true magic dark elves regents do not get the population and source bonuses that other elves get for ruling provinces. Their woodland homes are very dark and the heart of it is a twisted mockery of nature. The society has developed that only blooded females are taught to be priests, the reason being that the first Awnsidhelien priest was a female, Lwlewellyn Ergsbane. She fought at Deismaar alongside Rhuobhe Manslayer, and was the first elf to accept Azrai as a god and worship him as such. In addition, since the race started with only about 500 elves after the battle, females were a prized commodity. The dark elves practice a strong breeding program and women have taken over the leadership of the race. All males are taught magic, but blooded males are the only ones taught true magic, they are mostly Fighter/Wizards. Since these elves have lost their connection with true magic, non-blooded dark elves cannot be true wizards.
Racial Ability Adjustments:

+1 Wisdom, +1 Dexterity, -1 Constitution, -1 Strength
Racial Level Limits

Fighter -12

Paladin -N/A

Ranger -9

Priest -9

Wizard -12

Thief -12

Bard -6

Characters of Note:

Queen Lwlewellyn Ergsbane - High Priestess of Azrai
(FAs, Pri 9, Azrai; Az, true, 75)