Before the High Elves arrived, the Dark Isles were only known through sailors’ legends and tales, which spoke of the waters as dangerous and infested with sea beasts. High Elf sailors discovered the islands during their voyages, and soon found the islands were rich in spices and gold. The High Elven Kings sought out colonists to claim these once-mythical islands, but only the most daring and desperate Elves would venture out to the isles, since most ships sent to the isles were lost to the creatures beneath the waves. The colonists who arrived on the islands had to learn to survive independently, as shipments were often lost to the sea and many colonies were lost completely.
Those who did survive did so with the help of the Snake Elves. The Snake Elves had lived on the isles for centuries, and learnt how to tame many of the islands’ creatures. The settlers developed close relations with these Snake Elves, trading wealth and weapons from the mainland in exchange for the Snake Elve’s knowledge and skills. The High Elves took a more cautious approach, viewing the Snake Elves with scorn and attempting to subdue the sea-beasts by force.
Despite the dangers of the Dark Isles, the Elven Kings and their merchants expected their share of profit from the colonies. Colonists resented paying taxes to the supply ships that often were lost at sea before they arrived, because as ships left port, heavy with the wealth of the islands, they became tempting targets. Many settlers took on a life of piracy, returning with wealth that otherwise would have been sent to the homelands. These pirates soon filled the moneyed class of the islands, overtaking the old nobility in wealth and power.
The colonists rejected the taxes imposed on them to fight the distant Havoc Wars, and many began to speak of independence, calling themselves Dark Elves. The High Elves then sent a diplomatic mission to negotiate with the colonists, only to have their diplomats slaughtered, and the High Elven navy was thoroughly defeated by a coalition of pirates and Snake Elves using the monsters beneath the waves.
The Pirate Lords’ ambitions have only grown since they won their independence, and they have begun to pillage along Tyria’s coasts and through its Voidgates. Now it is unclear whether the Pirates’ alliance will last, or if the fiercely independent Dark Elves will collapse into civil war.
How will you bring fortune to the Isles?
History
The Dark Isles
Before the High Elves arrived, the Dark Isles were only known through sailors’ legends and tales which spoke of sea beasts.
Intrepid Explorers
High Elf adventurers discovered the islands. They explored the islands and found an unusual number of Voidgates, deep within the thick jumble of woods and volcanic rocks that covers most of the islands. Most of them are unstable but lead to planes that are filled with dangerous creatures but also rare minerals and plants. These Voidgates leak into the surrounding area, resulting in strange vegetation and monsters being found across the archipelago. The High Elves sent colonists to claim them.
Creatures of the Isles
The settlers met the Snake Elves, the people who had settled the islands before them. The settlers viewed the Snake Elves with respect and some fear. The Snake Elves helped the settlers understand and respect the islands and their beasts. The High Elves viewed them with scorn, instead trying to capture the Island’s beasts with little success.
Death...
Only the most daring and desperate Elves went to settle the Islands as the sea beasts attacked most ships that went near the Dark Isles. Supply ships were often sunk and many early colonies struggled or were lost completely.
...and Taxes
Despite the dangers of the Dark Isles, the Elven Kings and their merchants expected their share of profit from the colonies. Many colonists resented paying taxes to the supply ships that often were lost at sea before they arrived. While the High Elves pressured the colonists to go deeper into the Voidgates to collect the most precious material possible, the Snake Elves insisted that this was dangerous. The Voidgates were unstable, and moving a lot of matter from one plane to another threatened to cause a collapse that could endanger the Isles.
Piracy
As ships left port, heavy with the wealth of the islands, they became tempting targets. Many settlers took on a life of piracy, returning with wealth that otherwise would have been sent to the homelands. These pirates soon filled the moneyed class of the islands, overtaking the old nobility.
Independence
The colonists rejected the taxes imposed on them to fight the distant Havoc Wars. This saw an increase in the prosperity of the islands, and many began to speak of independence. The High Elves sent a diplomatic mission to negotiate with the colonists. The nobles were welcomed to port, only to be betrayed and killed.
Second Elven War
The High Elves gathered an armada but found themselves outfought by the Dark Elf rebels. Much of their armada was captured or sunk and the High Elves had to accept the loss of their colonies in the Isles as a reality.
Ambitions
Dark Elves are ruled by a loose alliance of Pirate Lords and Snake Elves. The Pirate Lords’ ambitions have only grown since they won their independence and they have begun to pillage along Tyria’s coasts and through its Voidgates. It is unclear whether their alliance will last or if the fiercely independent Dark Elves will collapse into civil war.
Society
With the Snake Elves’ mastery of Voidgates and the Dark Elves’ sailing skills, plus their beastly thralls, the Dark Elves were in a great position to become pirates. They use their network of Voidgates for travel, being careful not to risk collapse by taking too much from them.
The Dark Isles are rocky volcanic outcrops in a rough part of the ocean and are covered with thick jungle and stretches of jagged rocks. The dense forests of the Isles teem with vicious monsters, as do their surrounding waters. Port towns of wood and dark stone have been built in the most hospitable creeks, sometimes overlooked by a castle, with a tall tower that serves as a lighthouse.
Dark Elves
Most Dark Elves are sailors, whether they work on a fishing boat, hauling nets and spearing giant octopi, or they command a pirate fleet of dozens of ships. Their society is built around leadership by example and group solidarity. The ship captains push their pirates, but they also tend to be the first ones to put their lives on the line. The beast wranglers will face death to prevent an enraged monster from endangering their comrades. Each Elf has a personal loyalty bond with their Isle, their town and their captain. Wealth is shared in a more equitable way than in the High Elf fleets.
Snake Elves
When the first High Elves arrived, there were already inhabitants, the Snake Elves. They were not very numerous and the High Elves treated them harshly, using violence to seize their territories. Over the years, the Elves that settled permanently started developing a bond with the Snake Elves, first by hiring them as guides into the jungles and the Voidgates. They learned the Snake Elves’ magic rituals that allowed them to tame and even summon certain beasts, and in exchange taught the Snake Elves how to use metal. This fraternisation was disapproved of by the High Elf authorities, who deemed the Snake Elves nothing more than repulsive mutants. However, the Snake Elves’ knowledge and assistance was key in securing the Dark Isles’ independence.
A Hybrid Society
The Snake Elves have been partly integrated into the Dark Elf society. Many of them still prefer to live in the jungle with their tribe, hunting animals and studying the Voidgates. But there are Snake Elves living in every port town and serving on most ships. A hybrid language has emerged, a kind of patois that mixes words from both languages and is used as a lingua franca. Not many Elves live in the jungle permanently, but a lot of them do spend some time with the Snake Elves, whether to prepare a Voidgate raid, be initiated into their magical secret or commune in one of their famed religious festivals. Except for a few upper-class families, most Elves have adopted their own version of the Snake Elves’ religion.
Tensions
There are a few more radical factions in the Dark Isles. Some tribes of Snake Elves refuse to trust any Elf because of past persecution, and some Elves similarly maintain the old superior attitude towards their scaly cousins. Even in the more mixed port towns, there can be tension between the two species. Division does not just come from that; a captain’s position is just as good as their latest raid, and any downturn can cause an ambitious upstart to launch a mutiny. At a larger scale, the different Isles do not have any type of formal union. They will bicker over territory and raid each other occasionally, with conflicts intensifying whenever resources become harder to come by. The only things that might unite them are either a grave threat or a bountiful target.
Opportunity
The Rift opening was seen as a good omen by most Dark Elves, although it did wipe out several islands. More Voidgates have been revealed, and many led into Tyria, a less dangerous undertaking than some of the other planes they have access to. This might be what they need to prosper without resorting to infighting between islands, as there are more spoils at their disposal than ever before.
