[1k], Sharks sensed the blood in the water and gathered to feast on the dead and the living alike. Girathon continued to serve the Witch King for another three hundred years, during which he returned to Ulthuan eight more times. The auspices cast by Morathi were good, but she warned that he must await the right time to strike.[1k]. He wished to request control of Ulthuan's armies so that he might cast out the cults of pleasure. Tethlis' army regrouped according to the Phoenix King's plan and cut off the Witch King's escape from the pass. He is a master assassin that works for Crone Hellebron, and has appeared in every Dark Elf army book. With her dark oracles to aid her, the paths of the future were laid out before Morathi like an insane map, and with this knowledge she charted the course of destiny for her son. This paradise was shattered and the Elves doomed to a slow dwindling by the coming of Chaos.[1k]. A dark underworld sea glittered in the lantern light, fed by dozens of small streams from the heart of the mountains. In a final act of defiance, the army of Ulthuan drew what little strength remained at Finuval Plain. Knowing that to retreat would be to give the Dark Elves an opportunity to counterattack, Caledor pushed onwards, fighting for every hillock, valley and isle. His experience at war was equalled only by his hatred of the Dark Elves, who had left him an orphan after one of their many raids. Eventually, Girathon's natural talent for schemes and politics caught up with him -- he finally died at the hands of his master when the Witch King learnt of a plot by Girathon to seize control of Ghrond. The Convent of Sorceresses spied a fleet leaving the port of Lothern, and aboard the flagship was the Phoenix King. The war at sea swung back and forth as much as the war on land, but after two hundred years of naval battles, the High Elves were gaining the upper hand. Slaves can also be sacrificed in rites (see below). With so many warriors lost in the attack on Naggaroth, Morvael was forced to institute a system of militia levies on the people of Ulthuan, insisting that all High Elves be trained for military service. Then word arrived from Druchii ships that had travelled further east, to the forests and mountains of the eastern Elven colonies where Malekith had once fought alongside the Dwarfs. The baying and roaring of their beasts could be heard for miles and the bitter cold did not slow nor turn their headlong attack.[1k]. Despite the best efforts of Malekith's assassins to hasten his demise, Caradryel reigned for just over six centuries, during which Malekith continually tested the defences of Ulthuan. Chaos has left its mark upon the Elves, just as it has on almost all the races of the world. Sulekh was her name and she was a fearsome beast, much scarred by fighting, the sole survivor of a brood of eight. Such import was placed on these visions that Malekith and Morathi travelled to Ghrond to witness the unfolding scenes of slaughter and misery for themselves. His heart burned with the dark fires of battle and his prowess with blade, spear and bow remain unmatched to this day. Yet for all the power of Chaos unleashed by the sorcerers, they could not prevail and were forced to flee Saphery and seek refuge in Nagarythe and the kingdoms of Ulthuan its armies now occupied.[1k]. Advised by Morathi, Malekith poured support into the many cults and sects that the Dark Elves participated in, openly supporting High Priests and High Priestesses like Hellebron, Aegethir and Kherathi. Their orders were simple: take the Inner Kingdoms or die at the hands of the Witch King and his torturers.[1k]. The Dark Elves are one of three elven civilizations and are the followers of Malekith. Anethra Helbane.jpg 827 × 815; 110 KB. Dark Elf ships broke through Lothern into the Inner Seas, and victory was within Malekith's grasp. Shadowblade is a prominent character from the tabletop version of Warhammer. Malekith is the undisputed ruler of the Dark Elves. In him, the mightiest warrior spirit was kindled, and it was Aenarion who would rally the Elves and teach them the ways of war. Tormented by the god's judgement, Malekith summoned the last of his power and hurled himself into the Realms of Chaos to escape the crushing agony.[1k]. Thus do their Black Arks and Corsair Fleets ply the great waters of the world, raiding and enslaving all before them as a tribute to their own avaricious desires. They take food and treasure, but the main purpose of their raids is to obtain slaves. Cities were washed away and tens of thousands of Elves perished. They call themselves the Druchii in most Warhammer fiction books. They have embraced this revelation with a burning passion that shames the cold hearts of their ancient cousins. Malekith's screams echoed around the chamber, silencing the fighting. Messengers were sent to the east and west, declaring that the Queen of the Elves would handsomely reward any who would fight for her.[1k]. Here, the Dark Elves turned and faced Mentheus, determined that Anlec would never again fall. Both their legendary lords (Malekith and Morathi) are spellcasters. In celebration, he hosted a vast ceremony in Naggarond. It is an age of battle and death, and of the world's ending. Dark Elves factions do not gain the shield of civilization trait during a Chaos Invasion. The flames engulfed the prince of Nagarythe, stripping away hair, skin and flesh. Over the coming years, Hag Graef attracted other Dark Elves seeking to elude the Witch King for some real or perceived misdeed. Menreith was determined not to suffer the same fate as his forefather, and the Battle of the Waves is remembered as one of the most closely fought and bitter naval battles between the two nations of Elves. The gods, or fate, would decide who reached Imrik first.[1k]. There are 7 products. Even those who approach them in skill and intellect, the Naggarothi dismiss as weaklings, sneering at the laws and traditions that waste resources nurturing the weak even as they shackle the ambitions of the strong. Particularly in the freezing winter months, travelling under the surface proved much safer than overland or across the storm-wracked Sea of Malice. Many things can affect loyalty, causing it to rise or fall. cabulo Eindhoven. Mounted Masters can fight with a Barbed Blade in each hand, their banner strapped to their steed’s side; you can re-roll hit rolls of 1 for this model’s Barbed Blade. Nobody was above Malekith's scrutiny, from the lowest Elven farmer to the most vaunted prince. The stones of the buildings were stained red with blood. Swooping down from the dark skies, Sulekh and Malekith crashed into the Elven host. Any Dark Elf with the right blend of determination, bravery and ruthlessness could make his or her fortune fighting on distant shores. As word spread, tribes travelled hundreds of leagues to seek out Morathi, and she created a palace of frozen ice and jet black rock to welcome her visitors. Many were natural formations, while some had the disturbing look of having been hewn by mortal hands in ages past. Yet from the blood and slaughter emerged the greatest Elf hero to have ever walked the world: Aenarion. Rather than quell these excesses, Malekith sought to focus the devotion of these Dark Elves and turn it to his own ends. He was using his magic to visit nightmares upon the Phoenix King, testing his sanity with visions of Ulthuan engulfed in flames and Morvael's family lanced upon spikes amidst the ruins of the White Tower of Hoeth. This is a list of all characters belonging to the Dark Elves faction. Now formally trained in their towns and cities, these warriors fought for their homes and out of love for their king. While Imrik ascended to the Phoenix Throne and rallied the armies of the other Elven kingdoms, the rulers of Nagarythe acted to forestall their foes. The Dark Elves have a unit roster which is decently varied. [1l], This honour is not granted out of filial regard, but because the Hag Sorceress can be trusted only when kept in plain sight. With a host of levy spearmen, mainly from Chrace and Cothique, Mentheus marched to Griffon Gate, accompanied by a cadre of mages from the White Tower. The Assassins seeking the Everqueen came upon their prey one night, almost by chance. Over the two hundred and fifty years since his ascension to the Phoenix Throne, Tethlis had waged war upon his dark cousins, and now the army of the High Elves was ready for the final push. Iron discipline, backed by fear of their leaders, drove the legions of Nagarythe. The Hag Queen Hellebron, leader of the cult, once refused her ritual bathing, but became so decrepit and age-worn that her loyal followers had to sustain her with their own blood until she repented and bathed in a Cauldron once more. [1c], Long ago, compassion could have been said to be the Elves' defining trait, for such was the nature granted them by the Old Ones, but now generosity has been eclipsed by narcissism, empathy by conceit. Warhammer is all about over the top and in your face, and the Dark Elves are a stark testament to that. They instead made landfall on the coast of the Sea of Malice many miles south of Naggarond, and here they built a new city for themselves. With promises of blood and slaughter, and dire threats of pain and humiliation, Malekith had broken Sulekh to his will and fed her upon magical warpstone so that she was truly monstrous. If anything, Finubar the Seafarer, the newly crowned Phoenix King, succeeded in uniting his people to a degree unseen since days of Aenarion. Morathi nursed her son for a year, pouring all of her vile magic and malice into his soul to revive him. Aenarion himself slew four Greater Daemons of Chaos, with the help of faithful Indraugnir. [1c], Indeed, some of the more capable barbarians can even be wielded as weapons in their own right, manipulated by threats, trinkets and empty promises into assailing the shores of hated Ulthuan or else wreaking havoc upon the high seas. Yet, whispered rumours persist to this day that the Witch King's killers were slain by the White Lions who guarded Tethlis, and that it was the bodyguards themselves who slew the Phoenix King when he tried to take the Sword of Khaine; an act that would have plunged all of the Elves into a new age of darkness and bloodshed to rival the times of Aenarion. Freezing winds howled down from the north, bringing snowstorms and chilling ice. It was a metal crown imbued with powers of sorcery, now known in myth as the Circlet of Iron. As the Dark Elves extended their terrifying raids to the remotest regions of the world, the augurs of Ghrond began to see stark changes within the Realm of Chaos. With prayers upon his lips, Aenarion hurled himself into the white-hot flames. From hidden coves, Dark Elf raiders looted gold convoys and slave-traders, and brought back the riches of kings to adorn the palaces of Malekith. The Greater Daemon descended upon Tyrion and Alarielle in the last twilight hours of the night. At the head of a black fleet, he travelled the far reaches of the world, wreaking ruin and bringing dismay wherever he went.[1k]. Here rose the great fortress of Anlec, a bastion against the Daemons from which the armies of Aenarion could sally forth. This was the Sundering: a brutal civil war that nearly destroyed Ulthuan, sinking parts of the island and leaving others as wasteland. Dark Elves have access to 4 rites, which provide various bonuses at the cost of sacrificing slaves. Deeper into the ancient jungles, the Dark Elves discovered the soaring temples and hidden treasure vaults of the Slann and their Lizardmen servants. The Chracians slew the assassins but at great loss, and Imrik was saved. When the Naggarothi assassins struck, Imrik was alone and vulnerable. They were within a few days march of the Shrine of Asuryan but their attack could go no further. The Dark Elves are a sadistic, cruel race who dwell in the cold, bleak land of Naggaroth after long ago being exiled from Ulthuan. [3m], Slave revolts are rare, harshly suppressed, and due to the brutality of the Dark Elves, usually only the "new stock" have the will to participate in any revolt. Their commanders were veterans of the war against the Daemons and many had been trained by the hand of Aenarion himself.[1k]. The High Elves hit the Dark Elf convoys hard and then retreated, sapping the strength of Naggarond's fleet. While Malekith explored the wider world, new travails beset Ulthuan in his absence. Climate preferences for Dark Elves factions: The following minor Dark Elves factions are found in campaign mode. These beings are divided into two main spheres of influence, with neither having dominance over the other. Citadel/Marauder Dark Elves. When they wished it, the Witch King's ambassadors could speak charmingly enough to soothe even the rawest of grudges, and they were wealthy enough to awaken the most closely-guarded avarice. Seeing the constant stream of politicking, disgrace, betrayal and assassination, they confuse an attack upon the person holding a particular position with an attack upon the position itself. With the power of Chaos strengthening, more tribes of northern Marauders tried to breach the cordon of the watch towers. With a bellow of hatred N'kari attacked, but a great coruscation of energy engulfed Teclis. Malekith had chosen his landing site well, amongst the overgrown fortifications of ancient Anlec. Malekith and his followers were willing to risk everything for victory -- even the future of the whole world. This time the cults were insidious and subtle, daring none of the flamboyant rituals that had exposed them in the time of Bel Shanaar. Fuelled by Daemonic pacts, their magic was the stronger and the shields of the Phoenix King's mages began to crumble. Malus and Lokhir can avoid other dark elves completely, but even Malakith spends a larger amount of time fighting skaven, tombkings, norsca, and high elves in my experience. Tethlis had been one of the generals discarded by the arrogance of Caledor II, but Caradryel put his faith in the coldly determined commander. Dark Elves have access to Black Arks that are floating cities. Bel Shanaar seemed powerless to quell the growing unrest in his realm. Their naval dominance was supreme, and the Dark Elves isolated on Ulthuan grew weary of their master's constant attacks against the impregnable fortress-gates of the Annulii passes. Then came a great divide: The Daemons came and Aenarion strode forth to vanquish them. Yet with his dying breath, the last Assassin sent forth a Daemonic familiar to bring word to the Witch King of the Everqueen's location. Ulthuan's rivers ran red with blood as wanton slaughter engulfed the isle. In the bleak, chilly lands of the continent of Naggaroth in the New World lies the Dark Elven kingdoms of the Witch King Malekith, a realm born from the depths of malice and hate, a kingdom that seeks nothing more than to despoil a world its people believe loathes their existence. Many of the raiders who travelled back from across the ocean first put in to Hag Graef, to unload a portion of their slaves and spoils before Malekith took his share. He instigated the construction of a chain of fortified towers along the border with the Chaos Wastes, to aid Ghrond in its eternal vigilance. At the top of the steps, the altars flowed with blood as sacrifices were made on an almost industrial scale.[1k]. Sensing that not even his personal attention could hold back Tethlis' vengeful advance, Malekith left the Blighted Isle on the back of a Manticore and sent word that his fleet was to return to Naggaroth. More dangerous than the perils of frostbite and starvation were the many vicious predators that stalked these strange lands.