Chapter 1.1: The Sundering – The War of High Elves and Dark Elves
Before the dawn of the First Age, when the world of Eldoria was still young and the divine influence of the gods lingered upon the land, the Elves were the firstborn of magic. Created by the Elder Gods, they were meant to be the keepers of balance, wisdom, and harmony, standing as guardians over nature and the forces that shaped the world.
For a time, they flourished in unity, their great kingdom of Iltharis stretching from the golden forests of Evervale to the silver peaks of the Celestine Mountains. They built cities of light, harnessing the power of the stars, and stood above all other races in knowledge and grace.
But power breeds ambition, and ambition breeds division.
And so, the elves sundered—a rift that would never heal, a war that would forever change their fate.
The Birth of Darkness – The Forbidden Path
Among the elves, there were those who sought more than what was given.
Led by a brilliant yet arrogant mage, Kaelith Dravanor, these elves believed that the true potential of their kind had been restricted by the gods. The High Elves, bound by tradition, clung to their belief in balance and restraint, refusing to delve into the deeper mysteries of magic.
But Kaelith and his followers were not content with limits. They wished to master the forces of the world, to wield power that even the gods would fear. They turned to the Shadow Weave, an ancient form of magic said to be born from the remnants of the Titans of Darkness.
The High Elves declared such magic forbidden.
Kaelith refused to listen.
He and his followers began practicing dark sorcery, twisting the forces of life and death.
They experimented on themselves, seeking immortality beyond even the natural longevity of elves.
They made pacts with forgotten entities, beings older than the gods themselves.
Their transformation was gradual, but undeniable. Their once radiant eyes darkened, their skin turned pale as moonlight or deep as the abyss, and their very presence became something unnatural.
They were no longer High Elves.
They had become the Dark Elves—the Duskborn, the Forsaken, the Children of Shadow.
The War of Sundering – The Fall of Iltharis
When the Council of Elders discovered Kaelith's dark practices, they exiled him and his followers, casting them from the golden halls of the High Elves.
But exile was not enough.
The Dark Elves fled into the hidden places of the world, into the depths of Eldoria, where the sun's light never touched. There, in the shadowed ruins of an ancient civilization, they built their own kingdom—Vael'narith, the City of Eternal Night.
For years, they waited. They watched. They grew in number.
And then, they returned with fire and shadow.
The War of Sundering had begun.
The Great Battles
The Burning of Evervale – The first strike of the war. Under Kaelith's command, the Dark Elves unleashed the power of the Shadow Weave upon the golden forests, turning them into ashen wastelands.
The Siege of Iltharis – For a hundred days and nights, the Dark Elves laid siege to the High Elven capital, their dark magics clashing against the divine sorceries of the Elders.
The Betrayal at Moonspire – One of the High Elf Lords, tempted by the power of shadow, turned against his own people, leading to a massacre within the sacred halls of the Moonspire Temple.
The Final Battle at Celestine Peaks – Upon the highest mountain, the leaders of both factions met in single combat—Kaelith against the Elder Archmage, Vaelis Starborn. Their duel shattered the sky, tearing open a rift that still scars the heavens to this day.
The war ended, but neither side claimed victory.
The High Elves, though victorious in battle, were forever scarred. Their golden kingdom had been burned, their people divided, their future uncertain.
The Dark Elves, though driven back into the depths, had not been destroyed—they had merely retreated, waiting for the right moment to rise again.
The Aftermath – A World Divided
With the Sundering, the Elves were no longer one people.
The High Elves – Guardians of Light
They rebuilt their shattered kingdom, now smaller, but more determined than ever.
They sealed away the darkest of magics, forbidding their use under punishment of death.
They became reclusive, retreating to their hidden cities, no longer trusting the other races of Eldoria.
The Dark Elves – Lords of Shadow
They vanished beneath the world, carving out empires in the deepest caverns and shadowed ruins.
They turned to necromancy, blood magic, and forbidden rites, mastering the darkness.
They swore vengeance, believing that one day, they would claim their rightful place as rulers of Eldoria.
And so, the war never truly ended.
It became a war of shadows, of assassins and spies, of hidden blades and whispered curses.
The High Elves watch the skies, ever vigilant for the return of their fallen kin.
The Dark Elves watch from the darkness, waiting for the moment when they will rise again.
One day, the Sundering will be avenged.
And when that day comes, the world will tremble.