Dark Elves

Elven justice tends to be very merciful. Elves extend every effort to bring elven criminals back into
the fold. Punishment is certain, but for most elven criminals, if repentance is genuine, forgiveness is
certain as well. One of the strictest taboos among elven nations is that one elf may never ntentionally slay another; even the most heinous elven criminals are allowed to keep their lives. The gallows and the headsman are saved for non-elves: ogre brigands, minotaur spies, human lumber thieves, and similar foreign criminals.

There are a small number of irredeemable criminals among the elves—those who will not reform
or those crimes are unforgivable. Those worshipping the gods of darkness, wizards who take the black robes, unrepentant murderers, traitors, those who consort with the enemy, and those who repeatedly defile the forest are among those for whom the ultimate punishment in elven society is reserved:

banishment and exile.

Elves are an extremely communal race. Without the support of their culture, history, and peers, elves succumb to despair, as many in the Diaspora have discovered. Elves who are banished as punishment for unforgivable crimes are labeled dark elves. This term is metaphorical, not literal—they are “cast from the light.” They are forbidden from any contact with any elf of any nation and are warned never to return.

The different elven nations have different techniques for declaring a dark elf. A Kagonesti banished as a dark elf faces a council of his clan’s elders. They put the accused through a sacred trial; those who fail find their tattoos twisted and ugly, now a permanent reminder of their guilt and their
lost heritage.

A Qualinesti is tried in a setting many humans would find familiar; a legal scholar and
representative of the Speaker preside, witnesses are interviewed, and an impartial panel of the accused’s peers determines his fate.

The Silvanesti use a more mystical ceremony called the Ceremony of Darkness. Through magical means, the accused is forced to view his crimes through a mirror while bound tightly by a platinum chain. His reaction is observed carefully through divination magic. Representatives of House
Cleric, House Protector, and House Mystic vote on his punishment. If banished, House Advocate removes his name from the birth records and adds it to the roll of dark elves.

Once an elf has languished in exile for a length of time commensurate with his crimes, his home
nation may entertain a plea for forgiveness. If the supplicant is determined to be sincere, the dark elf may—may—be provided an opportunity to redeem himself. The Kagonesti usually require the dark elf to combat a terrible evil or undertake a dangerous quest. The Qualinesti and Silvanesti may require a test of combat, a dangerous quest, or may instead require some act of selflessness on a grand scale; each case is tailored specifically for the dark elf in question. Even those who do not survive their redemption ordeal sometimes have their names cleared anyway, if the judges determine the dark elf had purified himself through his actions and intent.

Dalamar the Dark, the powerful Silvanesti Black Robe mage who studied under Raistlin Majere, is
perhaps the most famous dark elf. Even his calloused, granite-cold heart still occasionally longs for the verdant hills of his homeland.

The sea elves have dark elves, as well, known as Mahkwahb