Elves post the Great Rain of Fire
by John CalvinI'm trying to do some research and reconcile various aspects in elven history after the GRoF for my Mystara BC 2300 setting. Keep in mind I am mostly interested in how the elven history in that time could possibly interact with the dwarven history. Also keep in mind that when I refer to Dark Elves below, I am referring to their practices and not the colour of their skin. These are the forerunners of the Shadow Elves and Schattenalfen. Here is a (very) brief outline of what I have so far:
BC 3000 - GRoF. Elven colonists in Blackmoor seek shelter by going underground in the Broken Lands.
BC 2800 - Ilsundal leads first migration out of Vulcania.
BC 2500 - A second migration leaves Vulcania. Dwarves and gnomes settle in the Rockhome region.
BC 2400 - Vulcania is destroyed in volcanic eruptions.
BC 2200 - Some elves break away from Ilsundal's migration and settle in Glantri.
BC 2100 - Ilsundal reaches the Sylvan Realm
BC 1800 - Dwarves are remade by Kagyar.
BC 1700 - elves set off a Blackmoorian device destroying the Broken Lands and causing a mini-GRoF
BC 1650 - Icevale elves emerge in Neathar tribes territories. Atziann emerges near Azcan territory, the sole survivor of his clan.
BC 1500 - Atziann (now Atzanteotl) achieves immortality. He begins to corrupt the Azcans and Schattenalfen clan of Shadow Elves.
BC 1420 - Underground elves build Aengmor.
BC 1400 - Schattenalfen emerge in Kogolor lands. Denwarf is sent to help the dwarves.
BC 1395 - Schattenalfen are beaten back by the Kogolor and settle near Azcan lands. There they begin their never ending war with the Azcan.
BC 1300 - Halflings meet the Gentle Folk. They must have resurfaced from the Broken Lands disaster at some point prior.
BC 1290 - Aengmor surrounded by lava - many elves killed, others go deeper into the earth (Schattenalfen)
BC 1104 - Shadow Elves find Refuge of Stone.
In Gaz 7 there is also a mention of Modrigswerg interaction with Dark Elves.
Here is what I think might have been going on during this period. After the GRoF the elven colonists (ancestors of Shadow elves and Schattenalfen), escape the wasteland caused by the catastrophe by heading underground. They would have had a very hard life, and I think (like others in the area) may have turned to the worship of dark beings in order to sustain them. The Taymorans are a good example of this happening in another culture, and I think it could be a natural sign of the times.
Now, sometime between BC 2500 and 2200 the dwarves and gnomes of the area (also colonists of Blackmoor - and I'm postulating heavily ingrained by its culture), meet up with some of these elves (who are referred to by the Modrigswerg as Dark Elves - because of their dark practices). Gaz 7 says that the elves teach the dwarves the secrets of soul binding.
In BC 2200 another group of elves settle in the area, but why? They were part of Ilsundal's migration and he was essentially taking them to the "Promised Land" so why did they leave? Well, these elves became aware of both the Dark Elves and the dwarves in the Glantri-Rockhome region and they settled there out of a sense of duty and commitment. Duty to their fellow elves to try and bring them back into the light and away from dark arts and Blackmoorian technology, and a commitment to never let Blackmoorian technology reach a point where it could threaten the world again and cause another GRoF. Thus they would have seen the ancestors of the Mordriswerg as possibly the greatest threat to the world that could possibly exist.
In BC 1800 we know that Kagyar takes his loyal followers and creates modern day dwarves... but we also know that the Modrigswerg survived in some shape or form as well. What if the Moulder dwarves were working with the Dark Elves on something truly terrible in the Broken Lands? What if Ilsundal's immigrants discovered this and tried to stop them? And what if this is what caused the destruction in BC 1700? Not an accident, but a struggle.
After which history continues much as we know it. The Dark Elves see the destruction that they have cause and many start to be swayed by more benevolent immortal patrons. Some eventually find the Refuge of the Stone and become the Shadow Elves, but this takes nearly 600 years. In that time there could have been quite a struggle between the evil "Dark Elves" and the "good" Shadow Elves. If the evil elves lost, this may be the reason that Atzanteotl took Aengmor from them.
Some more thoughts on the subject - trying to get a geographical placement of all the clans in the area (KW) around 2300 BC.
Glantri:
Proto-Shadow Elves - These are elven colonists who journeyed to Blackmoor before its destruction. They currently live deep underground. These may be the Dark Elves that Modrigswerg legends speak of.
- 4 Shadow Elf Clans. Celebryl, Porador, Felistyr, and Gelbalf.
Vulcanian 1st migration - broke from the migration under Ilsundal to settle this land. These are the clans that will cause the 1700 BC disaster
- Schattenalfen
- Atziann's clan (all die in journey to HW)
- Icevale Elves
- Gentle Folk (Truedyl clan)
Vulcanian 2nd migration - Belcadiz? join those settling this area. Is this correct? I always thought that Belcadiz elves were in Glantri first.
Northern Lands (anything north of the Northern Reaches):
Wendar and Denagoth elves - possibly a colony before or during Blackmoor. These elves are natives to the land during Ilsundal's migrations.
Sea of Dread:
Vulcanian 1st migration - Meditor and Verdier clans leave Ilsundal's migration and account for many of the elves that settle here. Meditor closer to shore (Taymoran lands that will become Minrothad) and Verdier more inland (what will become Karameikos).
Aquarendi - settled the area before Ilsundal's migration.
Sylvan Realms
Vulcania 1st migration - This is the final destination for Ilsundal's migration.