Elson Zidar: The First Home of the Dark Elves

[The King Of The Moon 5122]

A black scroll marked with silver ink was penned and copied, dispensed across many elfish settlements and dropped into any scholarly hands which sought it. Each bore the same emblem; an old House's crest which had hung from no banner since the fall of Asulon. 

 

Those who cared to read it, discovered thus:

---

 

Elson Zidar
The Home of the Dark Elves

---

Elson Zidar, now translated as ‘Free City’ in Vel’luah, was the first dark elfish settlement known to have formed under the Aegisian Diaspora.

It is important to recognise such may not have been the categorical first city of Maehr the world over, however; many believe that title belongs to the Kingdom of Magara'lin (the mythic birthplace of the Maehr upon on the Isle of Ceru).

 

Founded and ruled by the once royal House of Thyone initially upon Aegis before being formalised on Asulon in 1364, it is noteworthy not only due to its status as the earliest home of malyker, but also as the first elfish state to have splintered away from the then-unified Nation of Malinor, where the remnant dark elves concurrently lived as third-class citizens under the segregated wood elfish and high elfish majorities. 

Elson Zidar remained unique as an independent subracial state of elves for some decades, until Malinor’s schism and the founding of Haelun’or in the early days of Asulon.

 

Due both to its age and the many controversies surrounding its populus, there is very little known of day to day life in Elson Zidar. This is in no small part worsened by efforts made by Ker’norian and later Shamanistic dark elves to erase Elson Zidar from the historic record, likely due to its incompatibility with their own contemporary state myths. 

 

What is known is that the city was for almost its full duration led by the Matriarch, Princess Keziah Thyone. She ruled alongside her supporting royals Bayde Thyone, Uldrivt Thyone, Sprat Thyone, Kvothe Thyone as well as a handful of adoptive non-maehr family. Though military and financial management remained the exclusive domain of the Monarchy, it is also understood that Elson Zidar was loosely democratic. There is said to have been a Council of common maehr responsible for the general management of the city’s population, trade and wellbeing atop what little law and order the city observed. 

 

Beyond the aforementioned the city was largely anarchistic. Composed of a malyker majority alongside a small human minority, much of the citizenry was made up of veteran members of the Black Hand (whom served the Betrayer during the Second War) and it is also believed the infamous Dark Brotherhood was integral to the city’s economy as well as security. As such, life in Elson Zidar appears barbaric through a modern lens; there remain accounts of slavery, murder, excessive violence and even cannibalism linked to the city’s inhabitants. It is possible that later generations seeking to defame Elson Zidar intentionally spread - or even forged - such records whilst destroying others (which might have depicted the city and culture in a more favourable light) to further their contemporary agendas, though this cannot be proven.

 

We have no concrete record of Elson Zidar’s dominant religion. It is a common misconception that the dark elves of the past had always worshipped their ancestors and the same spirits as the orcs (as many modern dark elves do), though there is simply no evidence to support this in Elson Zidar’s case. 
We do know that House Thyone retained cordial relations with the Teutonic Order and had been housed by them before and since, suggesting the city was likely accepting of the humans’ “True Faith” (proto-Canonism), though it is highly unlikely any maehr subscribed to their said religion. Given its Black Hand influenced populus, Iblees worship was a more likely practice at the time. Though this heavily contrasts the ill-remembered teachings of the Yyrul Coth - a Velulaeya centred philosophy pertaining to dark elfish worship of the Moon and resistance to moral and spiritual corruption, or, ‘Derangement’ - which traces its origins to later members of the House of Thyone. It is unclear as to whether this philosophy was popular in Elson Zidar’s heyday, or if it came after.

 

The exact date of or cause for the dissolution of Elson Zidar is unclear. Historians tend to agree that some time toward the end, Princess Keziah Thyone disappeared from public life and left a vacuum which her successor, Prince Bayde Thyone, was never able to fill. Though it is unknown if this is the sole reason for Elson Zidar’s collapse; the rise of the neighbouring human kingdom of Renatus, growing racism and resentment toward dark elves and Asulon’s political climate at large likely all had a part to play in the nation’s downfall. 

---

Author's Note:

As so few, if not zero paper records remain of its Elson Zidar, oral accounts remain the sole source for answers to such questions. Therefore, the author does humbly request any ancient elves who had once lived in the free city to seek out the remaining descendants of House Thyone for their accounts to be put to paper. 

 

---

 

[ThatFunkyBunch 2066]

Letter after letter came in, to a tired office worker within the isle of Reza'jer. A passing glance nearly escaped them, before the Ker lofts up the paper.  

 

"Interesting. It seems after the great displacement of hallow Magara'lin. Many attempted to reclaim what we had." 

 

The Ker frowns, towards the end, at the mentions of worship. Narrowing their eyes to scan it over proper. Pursed lips protrude as the Ker grabs a stamp, and slams it down on the paper. Marking it with the label. 'Extreme Caution And Observation required.' 

 

"Dark tidings be those that scorn Luara."