Although the Dark Elves and their slave races are hardly "evil," they demonstrate a certain moral flexibility and decidedly different set of ideals than their Sylvan brethren.

Built around an admiration of stealth, cunning, guile and other expressions of the ultimate virtue -- power -- the Dark Elves have rapidly risen to become a faction of importance in the world. The Dark Elves long ago realized that what is "good" or "evil" isn't necessarily what is most expedient, or most effective. In fact, some Dark Elven philosophers have gone so far as to suggest that by "coloring" power with a moral tint, you dilute power in its pure form -- which is neither expedient, nor efficient, and thus a sign of weakness (something no Dark Elf would ever want to show). Only one thing matters on the Dark Elven tally of means and ends: ends.

Some would say that the Dark Elves are little more than well-organized bandits. Others would say that the Dark Elves are shrewd, though untrustworthy, merchants. The Dark Elves would agree with both, as they draw no distinction between well-executed banditry and shrewd trading; the results are the same, even if the methods differ.

What is universally agreed upon is that the Dark Elves are cunning tacticians, and that they command a variety of incredibly potent forces. Since the Dark Elves primarily engage in small-scale warfare, their forces are well-suited to both the art of ambush, and the art of "tactical withdrawal." Ranging from the lowly Gremlin Carvers, to the infamous, and often dreaded Chaos Djinns, the Dark Elves command a wide array of battle thralls. Though Dark Elves are excellent fighters, such tasks are beneath them, as fighting in the front lines means you don't have the power to have others die for you.

Instead, the Dark Elves sit behind their thralls, unleashing potent magics upon their foes. While some Dark Elves, such as the Dark Elven Dame, use subtle magics to alter the abilities of enemy forces, others, like the eccentric and power-intoxicated Warlock prefer to rain down devastating magics that break bones, rend flesh, and split stone.

As the Strifeshadow casts its nefarious gloom upon the land, and a cataclysmic showdown between good and evil seems increasingly inevitable, the Dark Elven military becomes more and more active with every passing day. Why would the Dark Elves become involved in a conflict of no concern to them? Why indeed...