Chapter 92: Dark Elves Lands, Darveim

There are many tales about Dark Elves that people heard in their lifetime. There are those claiming the dark elves are monstrous creatures. Others consider them cruel and monstrous. Most just leave them alone.

Whatever the case may be, not many know about the nation, or even the land inhabited by the dark elves. Other than the vague name, people have no idea what the nation looks like. Or maybe they do. Perhaps they remember the vague vision of the capital of the country.

Dark Elves Lands, otherwise known as, Darveim

Darveim has existed long before many new elven nations, yet strangely, they have been fairly isolated up until recent years. While people could occasionally see dark elves wandering from the nation’s depths before going back as if shunned by others, there were no known friendly contact from outside of the nation. However, Darveim was more than just the scattered groups of elves in the heart of the wilderness.

It was a civilization.

A kingdom with cities, villages, and towns. In the center of the kingdom stood it’s capital.

Duskryn.

The capital has been built inside and enormous stretch of forest surrounded from all sides by the tall evergreen trees forming a canopy of emerald above the city.

Unlike the dark green mass of wood and leaves forming the elven forest surrounding Eldoris that have been shaped mainly by evolution and magic, the trees of the capital have been grown by the dark elves to provide shelter and resources to the citizens.

Tallest trees had bent to form natural roadways, buildings have been constructed between their roots, bridges connect various parts of the capital above the street level. Numerous pathways made of dark stone led across the flowing streams and rivers. In the nights, glowing flowers and floating orbs of arcane energy provided ample lighting to illuminate the streets filled with wonders from the capital.

It was magnificent, yet the beauty was hidden behind the grand yet intimidating architecture. Most buildings were made of black stone, dark wood and metal. Most roofs were pointed to prevent water buildup, an issue in the raining climate, walls were reinforced with runed stone bricks. Massive walls surrounded the city, punctured by towers allowing archers to keep watch on the roads approaching the city, the capital of the dark elves nation existed in a constant state of war footing.

At the heart of the city stood the Lord’s palace, the Duskryn palace, housing the local ruler of the nation. The current Lord of the city and all of Darveim was Vaeron Duskryn. Surrounded by ancient trees and massive stone walls, it stood vigilant above the capital. Though the Lord’s palace stood in the center, it was not the only significant structure of note. Darveim, despite the isolation had a complex system of trading and barter.

First district surrounding the palace was the noble’s district. It housed prominent families, military commanders, officials, and successful merchants. It’s architecture was grander, buildings towered higher, the street were cleaner and wider, floating torches provided bright illumination, and gardens decorated the streets.

Following the nobles’ district, shopped the merchants’ district.

Weapon dealers, potion makers, herbalists, food vendors, clothing shops, armors, everything from the black market could be found on the streets of this part of Duskryn.

Herbalism was dark elves speciality, the forest surrounding Darveim providing an ecosystem hosting magical fauna and flora that couldn’t be found elsewhere. Even in the common people district, the shops contained various herbs, roots, berries, mushrooms, flowers and other plant life that could be used in alchemical or magical utilities.

The medicinal plants in the dark elves’ kingdom are highly sought after in the outside world. Foreign merchants regularly visited the capital to trade, barter, and even steal the plant life from various shops only to be punished later for theft and trespassing. While Duskryn is renowned for it’s herbalism, it also has a few more ’common’ things not found in other elven nations.

The crafters, blacksmiths, leather workers, wooden carvers, bow makers, steel smiths, and various weapon smiths, armor crafters and enchantment smiths also call Darveim home. Dark elves weapons are lighter, designed for fighting forest predators, yet can be relied upon in a longer fight, and often enchanted.

Weapon’s district was located close to the palace, where it’s resources are plentiful to forge weapons and armor suited for dark elves warriors. The military district took residence near the outside walls, where young warriors would practice their archery, dagger and sword skills, magic abilities, and survival tactics. And finally, there was the people.

Commoners with their wares, the families playing, laughing, talking with one another and haggling over a few coins, the young playing all over the streets, children running from one shop to another looking for sweets. While it didn’t have the bustling crowds of markets or the merry atmosphere of holidays, the capital was well liked by it’s inhabitants. Darveim has its own celebrations, music, and traditions, songs passed from one generation to another, as well as values. The dark elves have always prized hard work, for survival requires each person do their best to contribute to the whole.

The greater elven civilization slowly drifted apart, each taking more and more from the other, until the elves of the outside world, decided that ’in order to preserve our bloodline, we must become isolationists in order to prevent taint.’

The dark elves disagreed.

’The world around us is dangerous," the dark elves replied.

"Monsters dwell within the deep woods, humans colonize our lands, demons lurk beyond the known world, wars and betrayals from our own kind, are far too numerous."

While most elven kingdoms practiced isolation or even segregation to secure their future prosperity, dark elves believed that self-preservation and independence were the only ways to ensure survival. The cultural revolution between the dark elves and light elves was inevitable, sooner or later it would come to a boil, and it did. There was an argument between the two nations, over politics and territory, magic and war.

The events would have had an entire book devoted to just the war and peace talks between the two nations if not for the final straw. Dark elves were cast off, pushed toward the deep dark woods, which in turns provided resources and inspiration to the developing nation. The first fledgling settlement eventually grew to be Duskryn.

Many dark elves came to join their brethren in their own dark nation, forging a better future, one step.

So many years have passed since Duskryn was founded, but the nation still remained a self-sustaining territory, not allied with anyone. Darveim still remained a proud capital of a proud nation, even if it’s population were considered to be second class elves by the outside world.

Not that dark elves cared, they have long since outgrown the need for validation from others, and rather, focused their time on preparing for the day when their ’betters’ would come to try to absorb Darveim again.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, workers already gathered in Duskryn, rebuilding the destroyed structures, hauling supplies from the nearest village district to reinforce the broken, damaged parts of the capital, mages healing the wounded, soldiers equipped and ready to march, the merchants reopened shops, setting stalls out, ready to barter for supplies.

The attack still weighed heavy on people’s chests. As much as everyone wanted to move on from this, it was impossible, it would take years to recover, rebuild, recover more resources, and retrain the army.

Vaeron walked up to Nira, who had spent the earlier part of morning staring into the distance toward the tree line.."You have been staring into the woods this entire time.".Nira simply smiled as she responded "Yes."

"I was thinking,"

"Thinking of what?"

Darveim’s territory stretched as far as the eye could see, the river winding past the town to the distant canopied forest, the mountains in the far distance.

"Of Darveim?"

She said. Vaeron watched in the distance as the capital of the nation stretched out before them. "I have lived here a long time, and I have thought about how amazing it is to call it home." Vaeron gently chuckled, "You do realize, your father isn’t going to listen to you ramble for a while, don’t you." Nira turned her gaze towards the capital, and smiled slightly, "I know." Nira paused for a few minutes before she said "I have called this home my whole life, however, it has just now it really sank in that it is more than a place."

"It is Duskryn, the capital, which leads our country. Darveim is our home, not just of my father’s house, or where the queen lives, My home is the people, the families, the soldiers, and the merchants. It is where we eat, sleep, and laugh together."

Vaeron smiled. "The nation was, and still is, beautiful. Though it had to bear those monsters, fires, ruins, and death, and it still stands. I know it will still stand long after I am gone, because that is the character of Darveim, not to mention it’s people."

The nation had a long, complicated history with the outside world, one that Nira knew little about before her awakening. And, even then, she knew little more about the world outside her home. She knew of monsters, spirits, and the various types of other beings. She knew of the kingdoms and nations, even ones that were not yet established or discovered. What she did not know was how to handle her new self or, perhaps more importantly, what to do with it. She especially did not know how to handle change, a topic that she thought she would never have to deal with.

Vaeron turned to face Nira, his gaze gentle, "Darveim is lucky to have you, as well as your talents. I can’t deny that this is a burden that could cost us if we don’t take precautions. However, I don’t think change is always a bad thing." Nira looked to the floor before asking quietly, "What do you mean?" "It will have to change soon. This place can’t be this isolated," "No." Nira said before looking up at her father, "It can’t change just because of the attack. Vaeron smiled slightly before his gaze turned towards the capital, once again.

"It’s not the war, or even the attack. The world is going to come to find us anyway, sooner or later." Nira looked towards the capital once more before replying, "How is the world going to come for us?" Vaeron smirked and said, "It is already here."