Geographics.

[Nahemah]

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The Dark Elves of Naggaroth are as cruel, malicious and spiteful as they are deadly in combat. Long ago, they broke away from the High Elves in a civil war which shattered their island home and migrated west to the unknown continent of Naggaroth to plot, scheme and foment evil in the name of their bloodthirsty god Khaine. Similar in build and appearance to other Elves with the exception of a commonly pale complexion, the Dark Elves are murderous slayers on and off the battlefield and they give their enemies no quarter or mercy!
 
     Dark Elves, or Druchii as they call themselves, dwell in the realm of Naggaroth, the Land of Chill, far in the northern part of the New World. From their six menacing fortified cities, they march forth to enslave the free peoples of the Old World. The bulk of the Dark Elf army is made up of Spearmen & Warriors drawn from amongst the citizens of the Dark Elf cities. Sacrifices of blood are made in the name of Malekith the Witch King, and the bodies of slain victims litter the battlefields of their armies. [/i]

There are six major cities in Naggaroth which contain a significant portion of the Dark Elf population. These cities were built as multi-walled fortresses and almost all life in Naggaroth is centered around them. Naggarond, the capital, is one of the largest population centers in the Warhammer world. It is the seat of power for Malekith, the king of the Dark Elves, and his royal court. Ghrond is the northernmost city and is the main center for the Temple of Kaela Mensha Khaine. Karond Kar is an island fortress that houses the holding pens and slave markets of the Beastmasters. Har Ganeth is home to the infamous Executioners. Hag Graef is a mining and production center. Clar Karond hosts the Dark Elf shipyards and lumber mills.


Naggarond, the Tower of Cold

Naggarond is the most evil city in the world and the most mighty of all the cities of Naggaroth. Its black stone walls rise a hundred feet from the ground and set within them are four vast gateways with doors of iron fifty feet high. Above the walls are set a hundred towers, which rise as high above the walls as the walls rise from the rock. From these towers fly the banners of the Witch King. The severed heads of those sacrificed upon the altars of Khaine are displayed from the spikes upon the battlements, and the skins of those flayed alive in the god's honour hang from the walls. Within its walls the city rises higher and higher, and at its pinnacle stands the tower of the Witch King, the Dark Lord of Naggarond, formerly Malekith heir to the Phoenix throne. From his tall tower the Witch King rules his domain with a will of iron. His tower rises high above the city and from it spring battlements and lesser towers, for it is a great and impregnable fortress in its own right.

It is said that the sorceries of the Witch King enable him to look out upon the whole world from his tower, to direct his withering gaze where so ever it pleases his malicious intent. If his eye should fall upon a man then the Witch King's evil gaze can cause his mind to break and the flesh to fall from his bones, for such is the Dark Lord's evil power. He watches his armies ride to war, and sees the dark-clad messengers scurry about his land. Far off he watches the land of Ulthuan behind its protective mists of magic, and he feels the keen hatred burning within his heart.

The city is shrouded in a perpetual pall of sacrificial smoke that rises from the burning altars of Khaine, the God of Murder. Upon these altars the Hag Queens tear Men and Elves apart. They pluck beating hearts from living bodies and pull entrails from bellies and burn them in the sacrificial flame of the God of murder. In the temples of Khaine blood flows night and day, and more honour Khaine with their deaths than anywhere else except perhaps the city of Har Ganeth itself, where even the pavement is stained with blood.


Ghrond, the North Tower

Ghrond lies in the bitterly cold north of the Witch King's domain. In shape it is like the great city of Naggarond, yet in size it is far smaller, a fortress to be garrisoned rather than a place in which to dwell. Its single massive tower, grim, black, and slender like a spear, rises from its mountain spur.

From this tower sorceresses watch over the ever shifting Realm of Chaos, place of gods and source of all magical power for good and ill alike. Within the Realm of Chaos the lands seethe with energy, rising like the sea, whilst the air is bathed in competing colours of sorcery, turning and twisting, howling and crying like the wind. The sorceresses observe the changes in the Realm of Chaos, for it is said that the patterns of change hold the secrets to the future, and that all secrets are contained therein for those who dare to look.

Every day dark clad riders gallop away from the tower of Ghrond bearing the reports of its guardians to Naggarond. These foretell of things to come, of auspicious moments when the Witch King's armies may meet with success, or of the growing power of his enemies. From these observations the Witch King plots his strategies and launches his armies upon the World.


Karond Kar, the Tower of Despair

In the tongue of men the city of Karond Kar is called the City of Despair. It is to this terrible place that thousands of slaves are brought; men from the Old World; Elves from Ulthuan, and more from across the world, all destined to serve the Witch King. The wailing spirits of dead slaves are said to haunt the whole city. The Dark Elves love to hear this sound of dread and despair. It fills their dreams with delicious images of suffering and pain.

Many slaves die upon the altars of Khaine, their hearts torn from their bodies, whilst others are sent north and south to labour in the mines and quarries of the Witch King.

Thousands die as they cross the seas to Karond Kar, stifled and suffocated in the holds of the slave ships, or tortured to death for the entertainment of the black hearted crew. From the docks the slaves are driven in chains amidst the jeering crowds. As the slave masters beat them forward many stumble on the steep rock and are trampled to death by the chained feet of those who follow. At this sight the crowds laugh all the louder and cry with pleasure, for such is their love of cruelty that this sorry spectacle is rated a great entertainment.

The Beastmasters hail from Karond Kar and the mighty hydras and manticores follow. When a druchii child shows aptitude for taming beasts he is sent to the Tower of Despair to study under the masters that dwell there.


Hag Graef, the Dark Crag

Hag Graef is named the Dark Crag, and of all the cities of the Dark Elves it is feared the most, for no captive man or Elf has ever escaped from this place. It lies at the bottom of a cold, dark valley and is completely surrounded by mountains of bare black rock, higher than the highest walls. No sunlight reaches the city of Hag Graef and it is shrouded in gloom and shadow.

All about the city lie many mines and quarries from where the Witch King takes iron and stone to arm his warriors and build his fortresses. Thousands of slaves labour in his service. Chained together they scrape and hack at the rock, often deep underground in narrow tunnels and dark passages. The chill winds bite deep and there is little to eat but scraps of foul dark bread, for the Dark Elves enjoy to see their slaves cold and starving, and beat them all the harder when they fall faint with hunger.

All the black mountains about Hag Graef are riddled with tunnels and excavations, and it is during their excavations for rock and ore that the Dark Elves discovered the great subterranean lake they call the Underworld Sea. Beneath Hag Graef the mountains rise and buckle, so that as the peaks rise into the air a gigantic cavern lies beneath the earth. This Underworld Sea was first discovered by the Dark Lord of Hag Graef, Kaledor Maglan. So great is its extent that the dark Elves have sailed upon this sea and explored its counless caves and branches, though doubtless the Underworld still holds many secrets.

In the deepest caverns of this Underworld the Dark Elves discovered strange reptilian creatures which they called Cold Ones. The stables of Hag Graef are full of these monstrous beasts, and many Dark Elves descend into the depths to hunt them.


Har Ganeth, the City of Executioners[/b]

The very name of Har Ganeth is cursed with evil. In Ulthuan none will even speak of the city which they call only the cursed place, whilst to the Dark Elves it is the city of the executioners.

Once the High Elves brought battle to Har Ganeth and attacked the city with as great an army as had ever fought in the Witch King's land. For many days and nights the battle raged and at last the High Elves were driven from the field. Many fell as they turned to flee, yet many more were taken captive. Too exhausted to fight on they collapsed and woke to find themselves upon the altars of Khaine. The celebration of the Dark Elves was a terrible thing to behold. Captive after captive was brought to the altars and slain in the most cruel ways imaginable. The screams of the dying mingled with the shallow laughter of the Witch Elves as they danced naked about the bodies of the slain. Wine and blood flowed from the altars, and drunkenly the Dark Elves praised their evil god. For many nights the sacrificial fires burned and the Dark Elves feasted upon raw flesh. It was a madness of death and when it was over the sun rose upon a city stained red with blood.

Blood fountained from the windows of the high citadel and ran down the streets like a river. Crimson gore spattered the temples of Khaine and stained his brazen idols. The steps of his temples were littered with the dismembered corpses of the slain. Everywhere lay Dark Elves entwined and covered in blood, stupified with wine and gorged upon raw flesh, sated upon the horrors of their own inhuman depravity. Har Ganeth is the city of executioners. To those who retain a shred of decency it is known only as the cursed place.


Clar Karond, the Tower of Doom

In Clar Karond untold slaves labour upon the fleets of the Witch King, for here are his principle dockyards, where the raiding ships are built that harry the lands of the Ulthuan and beyond. The city is vast and sprawling, and all around it is surrounded by forests of towering pines, black trees that harbour few creatures and cloak the ground beneath so that all is darkness in the forests of shadows. Chained slave gangs work the forests, cutting and dragging the massive timbers into the city of Clar Karond - the tower of Doom as it is called by men.


The Watch Towers

Across the Northlands of Naggaroth the Witch King has raised many watch towers upon the borders of the Realm of Chaos. Though mighty he is ever fearful of treachery, for betrayal and treachery lay heavily on his mind, for such is his nature that he supposes others to be as greedy for power as himself. He sees enemies to the south in Ulthuan, to the east he spies the men of the Old World whose power grows by the day, further still are the Dwarfs - enemies of old who plot with men to overthrow him.

Yet the greatest enemy of all, but lies to the north, in the realm of Chaos. Here the Chaos gods watch and listen, gathering their armies for the time when chaos shall inherit the whole world. The Witch King watches also. His towers guard against the warbands that would harry his lands. His armies wait for the invasion of the gods, safe behind their stone walls in the bitter cold of the north[/align:bb0fc5c00d]

[align=center]NOTE:Naggaroth reference taken from  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naggaroth[/align][/size]

[chandra]

[align=center]MAP OF NAGGAROTH

http://www.thedarkrealmz.com/Com.Signatures/nagmap.jpg
click.to.view.link[/align]


[align=justify:cad2390754]Religion

The Druchii primarily worship the Elven God Kaela Mensha Khaine, the Bloody-Handed God and Thousand Faced Lord of Murder. While their kindred, the High Elves of Ulthuan, only invoke this wrathful god in times of war, the Dark Elves are wholly devoted to him. Each city has temples and shrines devoted to Khaine where blood sacrifices are made. Dark Elves are required to donate a percentages of the slaves they capture on raids to the temple but most Dark Elves make several additional sacrifices a year.

The most savage sect of Khaine worshippers are known as the Brides of Khaine, more commonly called Witch Elves (or Maibd in the Dark Elf language). They are an all-female cult of warrior priestesses. Witch Elves consider the battlefield to be a holy place and are suicidally fanatical in proving their worth to Khaine by spilling the blood of their enemies. The cult is lead by high priestesess called hags, who bathe in blood to retain eternal youth. Morathi founded the cult of Khaine, yet it is currently led by Crone Hellebron, eldest of the hags.

The holiest time of the year for Dark Elves is Death Night. During this night the Witch Elves rule the streets of the Dark Elf cities, capturing anyone they find (whether they are slaves or Dark Elves) and dragging them back to the temples as sacrifice to Khaine. The Witch Elves will even go so far as to break into houses, which has led to Dark Elf families barricading windows and doors during this night. On Death Night the Witch Elves will also steal away a number of children. Girls captured like this will be trained to become Witch Elves. Boys are tossed in a cauldron of boiling blood. Those that survive are trained to be true adepts of Khaine: the feared assassins. As dawn breaks after Death Night it is customary for those who lived through the night to make a sacrifice from their own houshold (usually a favoured slave or elderly relative) as a thanks to the Lord of Murder for sparing their family.

Besides the worship of Khaine, a sizeable portion of the population has also secretly kept alive worship of the Chaos God of Pleasure, Slaanesh. The Cult of Pleasure, led by Morathi, played a major role in the Sundering of the Elves of Ulthuan, but was considered heretical after the founding of Naggaroth and was suppressed as the worship of Khaine became prevalent. Centuries passed, and the Cult grew stronger in the shadows and secret places of the six cities. The Convents of the Sorceresses, also headed by Morathi, are implied to be power bases for the Cult (this is why there is a sect enmity between the Convents and the Cult of Khaine). As the Storm of Chaos engulfed the old world, the Cult rose to prominence once more when Morathi and her sorceresses recruited warbands of Hung tribesmen (human followers of Chaos) to the Cult, and marched them through Naggaroth. In response to this, underground members of the Cult openly joined Morathi's growing war host. Using her supernatural beauty and powerful magic she turned the Cult and its allies into her own private army and invaded the lands of Lustria to the far south.

Though they were repulsed, the Cult of Pleasure returned to Naggaroth in strength and openly displayed their status as devotees of Slaanesh. Because of this, and with the armies of Malekith attacking far-off Ulthuan, Naggaroth currently stands on the brink of civil war.

Army Composition

Dark Elf armies are fast and dangerous but potentially fragile. They are more fleet of foot than humans and favour speed and maneuverability over heavy armour. Characteristics of Dark Elven armies include armour forged with all manners of wicked barbs, hooks and blades, and their uniforms tend to be dark sombre colours such as purple, indigo or black. Human skin is a highly prized material for durable military garb, and their graceful swords and spearheads tend to be hooked and serrated for catching enemy blades and inflicting severe injuries.

Druchii infantry consist of spear phalanxes and repeater crossbow regiments which are supported by shock infantry such as Executioners, who wield heavy two-handed blades called Draich, heavily armed Corsair raiders, or scores of Witch Elves that are drugged up into a killing frenzy. The most elite fighters are chosen to join the fanatic bodyguard of the king, the infamous Black Guard.

Cavalry often plays a key role in engagements. The elite Druchii cavalry are the Cold One Knights: Druchii nobility that ride carnivorous reptiles known as Cold Ones into battle. Not used by the Elves prior to The Sundering, they are native to the caves beneath the Blackspine Mountains and are a separate breed from those used by the Lizardmen of Lustria. These fearsome beasts are also used to pull heavy Cold One Chariots. They are often deployed alongside Dark Riders; fast and highly manoeuvrable warriors swathed in black robes who ride upon swift Elven steeds.

The Dark Elves use a rather vicious war machine known as the Reaper. Similar to the original design for the Repeater Bolt Thrower of their High Elven cousins, the Reaper is a large, ballista-style torsion weapon. It is capable of hurling either a single harpoon-like projectile with devastating force or a volley of multiple smaller bolts. They are usually found mounted on the bow of Dark Elf raiding ships or on the parapets of a city wall. However, they are also frequently taken into major combat engagements, as they are both lightweight and extremely effective in the hands of a skilled crew.

Dark Elves display a talent for taming and training the gigantic monsters that stalk the mountain ranges of their homeland. It is not uncommon for a Druchii Beastmaster to drive a monstrous, dragon-like Hydra or a towering, winged manticore into battle. Off of the battlefield, these Beastmasters are also responsible for training Cold Ones and elven steeds, and the subjugation of the endless supply of slaves.

Harpies often accompany Druchii forces into battle. These beasts have the appearance of winged women with talons and fangs. Possessed of a savage beauty, they are believed to be the reincarnations of slain Witch Elves of Khaine. Harpies are utterly untamable by the Beastmasters, and thus are somewhat unreliable. They follow large Dark Elf war parties to prey upon the fallen and wounded.

Magical power on the battlefield is supplied by the six Convents of Sorceresses, who refine the inherent magical aptitude of Dark Elf women into a deadly force. Though the Sorceresses are vulnerable in close combat, the sinister power that they wield is potent enough to ensure that almost every significant Dark Elf force will have at least one Sorceress. (It should be noted that Druchii males are not allowed to be trained in magical arts, and renegade Sorcerers are killed without question.)

Overall, the Druchii are devastating on the offensive. Every Dark Elf spends their entire life drilling and training in military maneuvers. Units working together in concert can break or destroy nearly any enemy that dares underestimate them, yet their fragile constitution means they are not able to absorb much damage in return. This forces Dark Elf commanders to rely on sound tactics rather than brute force. Thus Druchii generals are considered some of the best tacticians in the Warhammer world.

Enemies and Allies

The Dark Elves believe themselves to be superior to all and equal to none. Their principle enemies are the High Elves for obvious reasons, but over the centuries have been given reason to take up arms against all races of the Warhammer World.

Since they are situated north of the jungle covered continent of Lustria, the Dark Elves organize frequent raiding parties on the Lizardmen temple cities for magical items, gold, and slaves (although Lizardmen don't make good slaves due to their coldblooded stubbornness).

It has been known for Dark Elves to recruit Ogres, Greenskins or Beastmen as allies, though they would never see them as equals and send them to their deaths without a second thought.

On several occasions the Dark Elves joined forces with the fleets of the Undead Tomb King Settra to raid the Human kingdoms of Tilea for slaves. The Human realms of the Empire and Bretonnia are favored targets for slave raids as well.

Perhaps the only faction that the Dark Elves have a recurring partnership with are the Hordes of Chaos. These creatures' twisted intellect mirrors that of the Dark Elves, and they share the same goals: take over Ulthuan and by extension the world. This alliance however, is a fickle one and usually does not survive long in the face of the Dark Elves' Machiavellian schemes or the warp-spawned barbarianism of Chaos.

Paths

Path of Carnage
The Path of Carnage is mainly concerned with quickly and directly slaughtering anything that presents itself to the Witch Elf. Eschewing subtlety, a specialist in this path prefers to confront her enemies face-to-face...or at least, face-to-what's-left-of-their-face.

Path of Suffering
The Path of Suffering focuses more on effects that linger for some time, and a master in this path takes pleasure in leading her victims into a false sense of security. While her attacks may not seem dangerous at first, it's only moments later that the Witch Elf's enemy suddenly realizes that their death is imminent and there's nothing they can do to stop it.

Path of Treachery
The Path of Treachery appeals to those Witch Elves who prefer to stalk their prey, attacking when the target is unsuspecting. A master of this path performs best in the thick of large, chaotic combats, where her victims are kept busy and unsuspecting, and she prefers to strike the enemy at their unprotected flanks.
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NOTE: Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Elves_(Warhammer) & http://warhammeronline.wikia.com/wiki/Malekith

[Nahemah]

Could this please be moved to the Underdark section. Thank you

[The End of All Light.]

[mod:fe87bf0411]Done as requested.[/mod:fe87bf0411]