Shadow Elf Lineages
by John CalvinThis will include Shadow Elf ans well as Schattenalf lineages (since the two seem to be intertwined to some extent).
I think we should start gathering as many canon sources as possible here. I'll organise those in this first post, so that we can keep track of them all.
BC 3000
- They (Shadow Elves) lived peacefully, developing their culture and magic, until their lives were suddenly shattered by the Great Rain of Fire (3000 BC). The planetary axis shifted, causing incredible climatic upheavals. Blackmoor was forever covered in ice. The elves in Glantri fled to what is today the Broken Lands. They were then driven underground, for the first time in their history, to escape the fiery holocaust that ravaged the surface. Glantri, only a little later, underwent its own temporary ice age.
Gaz13 - pg 5 DM's Guide - Atzanteotl was a hero among a splintered, tiny fragment of the ancestors of the shadow elves isolated from the bulk of their folk after the Rain of Fire. This splinter group first built Aengmor in the long-lost past. Then, this small group of elves was ousted by the Azcans, who took over the city. By this time, Atzanteotl had achieved Immortality in the Sphere of Entropy.
Gaz13 - pg 44 DM's Guide - At the time of the Great Rain of Fire, in BC 3,000, the ancestors of the Shadow Elves were four ordinary elf-clans: The Celebryl, the Porador, the Felistyr, and the Gelbalf. They lived not too far from Blackmoor, having colonised these new lands with the permission of the Blackmoor humans.
Then those Blackmoor humans blew themselves up, scattered rotting, corrupting energies to the four winds (poisoning many elves of the four clans), and altered the very climate of the world. These colonist elves fled for shelter, finding it in deep caverns beneath the area later called the Broken Lands.
Hollow World boxed set, Dungeon Master's Sourcebook, page 83
BC 1950
- Then the small band travelled back to the surface, cautiously and with great apprehension. The holocaust seemed to be over, and they settled in Glantri again, in 1950 BC. It seems that they did not meet any of the elves from the second migration, since they were separated by many hostile humanoids and human tribes.
Gaz13 - pg ? DM's Guide
BC 1700
- Glantri elves discover a lost Blackmoor device and detonate it, destroying their nation. The survivors begin a migration deep underground as the blast sends a huge cloud of ash and smoke into the air that does not dissipate for many years.
Gaz14 - pg 5-6 - An event occurs on the outer world which will profoundly affect the course of Azcan civilisation, Elves in Glantri discover and accidentally detonate a Blackmoor device, resulting in a minor cataclysm. The survivors hide in the caves beneath Glantri and the Broken lands. Split into tribes, they travel widely; these are the ancestors of the Hollow World's Gentle Folk, Icevale Elves, and the Azcans' mortal Hollow World enemies, the Schattenalfen. A fourth group, led by an elf named Atziann, had no survivors save that king.
HWR1 - pg 10 Adventurers Book
BC 1650
- Atziann, one of the surviving Glantri elves, comes across the Hollow World Azcans. He spends several years living among them (in disguise) and studying their ways before leaving to pursue his dream of Immortality.
Gaz14 - pg 6 - Atziann, king and sole survivor of a clan of Glantrian elves who had been driven underground, emerges in the Hollow World near Chitlacan. Fascinated by the Azcans, he spends several years travelling unseen and disguised among them, before continuing his quest for Immortality.
HWR1 - pg 10 Adventurers Book
BC 1500
- Atziann achieves Immortality and adopts the Azcan form of his name, Atzanteotl. He begins to manipulate the priests that rule Azcan society, turning them to evil and entropy. Only Atruatzin, who would later become Atruaghin, resists the Immortal.
Gaz14 - pg 6 - The elf-king Atziann, now calling himself Atzanteotl (a name in the Azcan fashion), achieves Immortality in the Sphere of Entropy and begins his plan to corrupt the Shadow Elves and the Azcan race. He begins whispering to selected Shadow Elves and Azcan rulers of the power and glory he can bring them, and lures them away from their faiths. Increasing numbers of Shadow Elves (especially those of the Schattenalfen clan) turn from the worship of Rafiel to that of Atzanteotl;
Hollow World boxed set, Dungeon Master's Sourcebook, page 13 - The elf, Atziann, achieves Immortality in the Sphere of Entropy, and takes the Azcan formulation of his name: Atzanteotl, "Atziann the Divine." He begins whispering to selected subterranean elves and Azcan rulers, tempting them away from their old faiths with promises of gain and glory. Atruatzin, the Azcan priest-king, resists.
HWR1 - pg 10 Adventurers Book
BC 1494
- Atruatzin, ruler of the Azcans, and his most faithful followers are driven out of the Azcan lands in the Hollow World by his philosophical and political rivals (who follow Atzanteotl). They settle in the fortress of Quauhnauhac.
Gaz14 - pg 6 - A terrible plague strikes Chitlacan, killing almost two thirds of its population. Atruatzin, himself a survivor of the disease, is driven from Chitlacan by his rivals, who are secretly supported by the Immortal Atzanteotl. Atruatzin and his loyal followers retire to the mountain fortress of Quauhnauhac.
HWR1 - pg 10 Adventurers Book
BC 1484
- Following the guidance of Atzanteotl and out of fear that Atruatzin might reclaim the throne, the Azcan usurper leads an attack on Quauhnauhac. There is no trace of Atruatzin or his inner circle.
Gaz14 - pg 6 - Driven by the whispers of Atzanteotl, and his own fears that Atruatzin may reclaim the throne, the treacherous new Azcan emperor leads a massive assault on Quauhnauhac. Everyone found in the fortress is slain or sacrificed, but of Atruatzin there is no trace. The priests curse the land on which Quauhnauhac is built, and sow salt among the ruins.
HWR1 - pg 11 Adventurers Book
BC 1468
- Atruatzin and his loyal companions establish Mictlan, the "Land of the Dead."
Gaz14 - pg 6 - Atruatzin and his followers find a resting-place, where they build a temple to the old gods. They name it Mictlan, after the legendary land of the dead.
HWR1 - pg 11 Adventurers Book
BC 1420
- Underground elves discover temple to Atzanteotl, build the city of Aengmor around it.
Gaz13 - pg 8 DM's Guide - The main body of the shadow elves fell upon the Azcans rather later, in 1420 BC.
Gaz13 - pg 44 DM's Guide - Outer-world Shadow Elves called the Schattenalfen, following the guidance of the Immortal Atzanteotl, complete the construction of their underground city of Aengmor.
HWOW - pg 13 - Schattenalfen (the survivors of the Glantri explosion) begin to follow the Immortal Atzanteotl. They come across Mictlan, destroy it, and build the city of Aengmor upon its ruins. All of Atruatzin's followers are slain; he alone escapes.
Gaz14 - pg 6 - The underground elven wanderers stumble upon Mictlan, and overthrow the humans. Those elves who have been seduced by Atzanteotl declare that the temple is sacred to him, and he has given them victory over their enemies and a place to call home. These elves become the Schattenalfen. Most of the elves are uneasy about this alien Immortal, but they are weary, and so they settle and build the city of Aengmor. Atruatzin escapes alone.
HWR1 - pg 11 Adventurers Book
BC 1410
- Atruatzin reaches the surface world in his quest for meaning in his life. He finds the lost descendants of the surface world Azcans and Oltecs living in the shattered lands north of the Sea of Dread.
Gaz 14 - pg 6
BC 1402
- Yet even in this darkness, there seemed to be hope. In a very deep cavern below the Broken Lands they found a temple, built in a strange and unfamiliar style and the centre of a community of barbaric humans, the Azcan (somewhat akin to the Aztecs of our world). The elves drove the humans out after prolonged battling, occupied the area, and adopted the central religion of the humans. Such a fearful and unfortunate people were very ready to worship the Immortal to whom this temple was raised, taking their discovery of it as a sign that he might favour them. Atzanteotl was the Immortal's name, and around his temple they built a great city, which they named Aengmor.
Gaz13 - pg 6 DM's Guide
BC 1400
- A colonising party of Shadow Elves, mostly Schattenalfen followers of Atzanteotl, retraces the path of that earlier, lost expedition and finds the Hollow World. They emerge just north of the great equatorial mountain range, right in the middle of the Kogolor Dwarf territory.
Hollow World boxed set, Dungeon Master's Sourcebook, page 13 - Schattenalfen Caverns [...] Outer-World Origin: Centre of the crust of the world, ca. BC 1,400.
Hollow World boxed set, Dungeon Master's Sourcebook, page 80 - A group of Schattenalfen are driven out of Aengmor (by the will of their patron). They retrace an earlier expedition's path to the Hollow World. More will follow their path a century later when (apparently) Aengmor is destroyed. On the surface, Atruatzin has united the Atruaghin clans; changes his name to Atruaghin.
HWR1 - pg 11 Adventurers Book
BC 1395
- After an unsuccessful bid to unseat the Kogolor dwarves, the Schattenalfen move on to settle near the Azcans, with whom they immediately make war. Atzanteotl delights in and encourages the instant, uncompromising enmity among his followers.
HWR1 - pg 11 Adventurers Book
BC 1352
- After nearly 50 years the construction of the city of Aengmor is completed.
Gaz13 - pg 6 DM's Guide - Atzanteotl was the Immortal's name, and around his temple they built a great city, which they named Aengmor. Construction of the city, which lasted nearly 50 years, was ended in 1352 BC.
Gaz13 - pg 6 DM's Guide - They slew most of the Azcans and drove them from the area, building up the city of Aengmor around the central temple of Atzanteotl and completing the city in 1352 BC. Here their numbers slowly grew and they were drawn into the barbaric worship of Atzanteotl, sacrificing both humanoids and even some of their own number to the evil entropic Immortal.
Gaz13 - pg 44 DM's Guide
BC 1290
- Aengmor is destroyed by Atzanteotl as part of a grand scheme. The Schattenalfen descend deeper underground.
Gaz14 - pg 6 - The outer-world Shadow Elf city of Aengmor is "destroyed" (actually, merely surrounded by lava and made uninhabitable) during a volcanic eruption; many Schattenalfen escape, burrowing deeper into the crust of the earth.
Hollow World boxed set, Dungeon Master's Sourcebook, page 14
BC 1104
- Underground elves discover the Refuge of Stone and take the name of shadow elves unto themselves. Building work begins on the City of Stars.
Hollow World boxed set, Dungeon Master's Sourcebook, page 14
Condensed timeline:
[Note: I have modified most of the below events slightly and we will continue to do so. For the unaltered references, see the above post.]
BC 3000
- The ancestors of the Shadow Elves were four ordinary elf-clans: The Celebryl, the Porador, the Felistyr, and the Gelbalf. They lived not too far from Blackmoor, having colonised these new lands with the permission of the Blackmoor humans. They lived peacefully, developing their culture and magic, until their lives were suddenly shattered by the Great Rain of Fire (3000 BC). The planetary axis shifted, causing incredible climatic upheavals and scattered rotting, corrupting energies to the four winds. Blackmoor was forever covered in ice. The elves in Glantri fled to what is today the Broken Lands. They were then driven underground, for the first time in their history, to escape the fiery holocaust that ravaged the surface.
BC 1950
- Then the small band travelled back to the surface, cautiously and with great apprehension. The holocaust seemed to be over, and they settled in Glantri again, in 1950 BC. It seems that they did not meet any of the elves from the second migration, since they were separated by many hostile humanoids and human tribes.
BC 1700
- Glantri elves discover a lost Blackmoor device and detonate it, destroying their nation. The survivors begin a migration deep underground as the blast sends a huge cloud of ash and smoke into the air that does not dissipate for many years.
Elves in Glantri discover and accidentally detonate a Blackmoor device, resulting in a minor cataclysm and sending a huge clouds of ash and smoke into the air that do not dissipate for many years. The survivors hide in the caves beneath Glantri and the Broken lands. Split into tribes, they travel widely; these are the ancestors of the Hollow World's Gentle Folk, Icevale Elves, and the Azcans' mortal Hollow World enemies, the Schattenalfen. A fourth group, led by an elf named Atziann, had no survivors save that king.
BC 1650
- Atziann, king and sole survivor of a clan of Glantrian elves who had been driven underground, emerges in the Hollow World near Chitlacan. Fascinated by the Azcans, he spends several years travelling unseen and disguised among them, before continuing his quest for Immortality.
BC 1500
- The elf-king Atziann, now calling himself Atzanteotl (a name in the Azcan fashion), achieves Immortality in the Sphere of Entropy and begins his plan to corrupt the Shadow Elves and the Azcan race. He begins whispering to selected Shadow Elves and Azcan rulers of the power and glory he can bring them, and lures them away from their faiths. In Azca, only Atruatzin, who would later become Atruaghin, resists the Immortal.
BC 1494
- A terrible plague strikes Chitlacan, killing almost two thirds of its population. Atruatzin, himself a survivor of the disease, is driven from Chitlacan by his rivals, who are secretly supported by the Immortal Atzanteotl. Atruatzin and his loyal followers retire to the mountain fortress of Quauhnauhac.
BC 1484
- Driven by the whispers of Atzanteotl, and his own fears that Atruatzin may reclaim the throne, the treacherous new Azcan emperor leads a massive assault on Quauhnauhac. Everyone found in the fortress is slain or sacrificed, but of Atruatzin there is no trace. The priests curse the land on which Quauhnauhac is built, and sow salt among the ruins.
BC 1468
- Atruatzin and his followers find a resting-place, where they build a temple to the old gods. They name it Mictlan, after the legendary land of the dead.
Note: To be determined - was Mictlan populated before Atruatzin arrived?
BC 1420
- The underground elven wanderers (led by the whisperings of Atzanteotl) find Mictlan, and overthrow the humans. Those elves who have been seduced by Atzanteotl declare that the temple is sacred to him, and he has given them victory over their enemies and a place to call home. These elves become the Schattenalfen. Most of the elves are uneasy about this alien Immortal, but they are weary, and so they settle and build the city of Aengmor. Atruatzin escapes alone.
Note: This was the most detailed source for the 1420 event, but we may still need to clarify some points. Was the temple to Atzanteotl pre-existing? - Atzanteotl sends a second group of Schattenalfen further into the earth. These elves will eventually emerge in the Hollow World.
BC 1410
- Atruatzin reaches the surface world in his quest for meaning in his life. He finds the lost descendants of the surface world Azcans and Oltecs living in the shattered lands north of the Sea of Dread.
BC 1402
- The elves begin construction on their city of Aengmor (which will require 50 years to complete).
BC 1400
- The second group of Schattenalfen (followers of Atzanteotl split from his main host in BC 1420), retraces the path of that earlier, lost expedition and finds the Hollow World. They emerge just north of the great equatorial mountain range, right in the middle of the Kogolor Dwarf territory.
- On the surface, Atruatzin has united the Atruaghin clans; changes his name to Atruaghin.
BC 1395
- After an unsuccessful bid to unseat the Kogolor dwarves, the Schattenalfen move on to settle near the Azcans, with whom they immediately make war. Atzanteotl delights in and encourages the instant, uncompromising enmity among his followers.
BC 1352
- Construction on the city of Aengmor is completed. The numbers of the Schattenalfen slowly grow and they are drawn into the barbaric worship of Atzanteotl, sacrificing both humanoids and even some of their own number to the evil entropic Immortal.
BC 1290
- The outer-world Shadow Elf city of Aengmor is "destroyed" (actually, merely surrounded by lava and made uninhabitable) during a volcanic eruption; many Schattenalfen escape, burrowing deeper into the crust of the earth.
BC 1104
- Underground elves discover the Refuge of Stone and take the name of shadow elves unto themselves. Building work begins on the City of Stars.
Unknown Dates
- Atzanteotl was a hero among a splintered, tiny fragment of the ancestors of the shadow elves isolated from the bulk of their folk after the Rain of Fire. This splinter group first built Aengmor in the long-lost past. Then, this small group of elves was ousted by the Azcans, who took over the city.
Notes: Aengmor is probably founded between BC 3000 and BC 1950. The Azcans probably attack either on BC 1950 and BC 1750.