DARK ELVES

By Nuada Silver-Arm (lrobinstch@qnet.com)

Description

There are creatures that live in our dreams, beings that guide our unconscious minds to their desire. While we sleep do things hover over us? Do they guide our dreams to their pleasure? Nightmares, erotic dreams, prophetic dreams: all these can be guided. All these are the realm of a forgotten kith.

Once the fae did not inspire the waking fantasies of mortals. In a time long forgotten the connection between humans and the fae was the dreams that came while mortals slept. It was these early, unformed, unrecalled dreams that gave the fae their form. In these dreams the fae used to ride, but over the ages they grew away from this. The waking, formed and believed fantasies of humans became more important to them. But one group remained true to gaining glamour from the sleeping minds of man. These strange beings are now known only as Dark Elves.

Dark Elves appear to be kith much like a combination between the Sidhe and the Sluagh. In fact they are often mistaken for members of one kith or the other (though it would be strange if one individual could be taken for both types). They are well formed, often tall and very attractive both in face and from. Also there is a dignity about their carriage that seems to imply they are noble. However, they are silent -- much as the Sluagh, rarely speaking. (However they are not bound to whisper as the Sluagh are). This strange combination of features seems to indicate that this race shares a common ancestor with both Sidhe and Sluagh -- but this remains a guess only.

Members of this race often hide among kith, acting as either Sidhe or Sluagh as their natures dictates. Most of them are never discovered, as they take human bodies as changelings do, they have forms and thoughts and a nature much as the changelings do. In fact they are much like all other kith except that they gain glamour from a different source.

Dark Elves have returned to the ancient practice of Dream Riding. They gain glamour by entering and manipulating the dreams of mortals. In order to do this they must have some level of familiarity with their hosts, usually about the same level as another kith trying to gain an epiphany from a mortal. The Dark Elf must then wait for their hosts to fall asleep -- and it must be a deep sleep in which dreams occur naturally; the darklings can only manipulate dreams, not create them. When this state has been reached Dark Elves must make physical contact with their hosts. Those who use this technique to ravage often transform themselves into mundane objects such as feathers or pillows, so that if their hosts awaken, or if they are intruded upon, they will not be discovered. Once contact has been achieved Dark Elves enter the dream of their hosts and can began to manipulate them. They can either make the dreams pleasant, giving joy or insight or confidence, or they can make them into a night terror that saps the strength and will of their victims. In either case the process usually takes all of a night, as the dream riding must have some time to take effect. However, there is one massive advantage to gaining glamour this way -- the host of a Dark Elf needs not be a dreamer. Any human who is not an autumn person, any person who has some bit of humanity in her soul can be used for glamour from dream riding. Of course dreamers, with their deeper connection to the dreaming produce more glamour more consistently -- but they are not necessary to the process.

Currently there is no policy towards the Dark Elves, as very few know of their existence. Those who do know of them find them to be confusing. Other than their method of glamour gathering they seem much like the kith. They even often live among the kith, sometimes not even knowing how different they are. Many of them use their dream riding to ravage mortal minds, but not all. Until more is known about these beings nothing definite can be said.

One of the reasons for this is the Dark Elves' view of the world. To the Dark Elves our waking world seems shallow and without much meaning. You have not lived, they will tell you, until you have ridden in the unbounded world that hides behind human eyes. There in that world your power is all; you can make anything happen. Mortals can be inspired, can be terrified even unto death. That world is more real, more vibrant than this shallow earth. Perhaps the Dreaming that has been lost could equal this vista -- but most among the Dark Elves doubt it. To ride free while the Dreaming of the other fae rots and the World becomes bound down -- such is the glory of the Dark Elves. It is no wonder that they consider the affairs of humans and kith alike as shallow and trifling.

Appearance

There are two different types of Dark Elves. One type is fair to look upon, upright and beautiful. They walk with nobility and confidence and are very, very attractive. They are often confused with Sidhe, or occasionally Eshu. They tend to dress as nobility in order to continue the mispreception.

The other type of Dark Elf is much like a Sluagh in appearance. They are not so thin or snakelike as the underfolk, but they have the same pallid skin and haunting eyes. Thin, white, and almost skeletal this type of dark elf often dresses in black and loiters softly in shadows.

Seemings

As a Sluagh or Sidhe of the same seeming.

Lifestyles

Dark Elves have no known culture of their own. Many live among the fae, hiding their natures as best they can. Many wander, playing at being knight errant or exiled Sluagh. These often move into an area and invade the dreams of as many as they can. At the first sight of notice from the kith of the area they move on. No one knows if they avoid revealing themselves from fear of persecution, or for some more insidious reason.

Affinity

Actor

Birthrights

Dream Riding: Dark Elves have the ability to dream ride. Rather than inspiring or ravaging they actually enter the sleeping dreams of humans and manipulate them. During this time the human is unable to wake without getting two successes on a willpower test with a target number o 9. There are two different forms of this. The first is Morpheus' Blessing -- to do this the Dark Elf must make contact with a dreaming human. She then enters the dream and manipulates it in ways that give the human joy, peace, and/or understanding. She uses Empathy + Charisma, with a target number equal to 10 - the number of hours spent riding the dream. The number of successes is the amount of glamour gained. However, any non-dreamer can only have this used on him once. Dreamers can be blessed as many times as the Dark Elf wishes. The second type is known as Night's Terror. Once again the Dark Elf makes contact with the dream of the mortal and rides it, but this time into nightmares, fear, and unconfidence. There are two different systems that can be used for this. The first is the same as ravaging -- the Dark Elf rolls her banality with a difficulty of 10 - the number of hours spent riding. The number of successes is the amount of glamour gained. However, as with ravaging, a botch indicates that you gain a permanent point of banality. The other method removes the danger of banality, the Dark Elf rolls her Empathy + Manipulation with a target of 10 - the number of hours spent riding the dream. However, this method exhausts the victim so badly that he can not be used again until a day has passed for each success gained. If the Dark Elf ever gets 10 successes (or more) the poor victim dies of fright.

Exactly what happens while the Dark Elves are Dream Riding is up to the ST. It is possible that they enter the dreamrealms of the sandmen. It is also possible that they don't, but instead have a direct link into human minds and dreams. Truth or Beauty: This birthright depends on which type of Dark Elf the character is. One that seems to be a Sidhe gains 1 point of Appearance and will never botch an etiquette roll. One that seems to be a Sluagh gains the Sharpened senses of a Sluagh and will not botch alertness rolls.

Shape of the Mundane: All Dark Elves have the ability to transform their bodies into 1 ordinary seeming object. To do this they must be unobserved and spend a point of glamour (much like a Pooka), changing back is automatic, but still must be unobserved. This shape is often used to keep from being observed while Dream Riding. Common examples are feathers, pillows, sheets, or anything else that might logically be in contact with a sleeping person.

Frailties

Shape's Weakness: When in their mundane shape Dark Elves are very vulnerable. They are bound by the physical limitations of their new form. They cannot move or exert themselves in any manner that a common pillow, feather, sheet, ect., could not, nor can they speak -- although they can still use arts. Also they have the health levels of the object they have become and suffer damage as it does. So a Dark Elf in the form of a small feather could easily be ripped in half and killed.

Cut from the Dream: Because of the connection between a Dark Elf and the sleeping dreams of humans this race is cut off from the Dreaming much as the nunehi are. They cannot gain glamour from Reverie, Ravaging, or Rapture. Also sleeping in a freehold gives them no glamour. Finally they can never learn the dream-craft art or operate trods (although they can walk them if another opens them).

Runaway: For some unknown reason the Dark Elves fear being discovered. Whenever another, be they mortal or fae, finds out what the Dark Elf is, or discovers them dream riding an uncontrollable fear overcomes them. Whenever a Dark Elf is discovered for what he is he must make a willpower test with a target number of 8 and at least three successes to avoid fleeing.