The Elven Divide: Dakar and Valis
In ages past, the Elven people were one, their societies a beacon of harmony, wisdom, and peace. They were a unified species, living in balance with nature and each other, their civilizations founded on deep-rooted traditions and shared values. However, an event—long lost to time and memory—shattered this unity, driving a wedge between the Elves and dividing them into two distinct factions. What began as a dispute grew into a cataclysmic event, sparking a civil war that would change the course of their history forever. In the end, the losing faction was driven underground, forced to retreat into the depths of the world to escape complete annihilation.
The Surface Elves: Valis
The Valis, or Surface Elves, sought to rebuild their lives after the war. Those who survived clung to the old ways, their culture defined by traditions passed down through generations. They rebuilt their cities, their temples, and their connections to nature, attempting to restore the peaceful society they had once known. Though they strove for normalcy, their society was irrevocably changed by the horrors of the past.
The Valis continued to live above the ground, among the forests and cities they had once flourished in. Their appearance remained largely unchanged by time, their skin still fair and radiant, their hair rich in color, and their eyes sharp and keen to the world’s surface beauty. Yet despite their external semblance of peace, there was always a shadow of grief, a lingering sadness from their broken unity. The Valis are a people bound by tradition, but they can never fully escape the history that haunts them.
They remain somewhat closed off from the world of the humans and other creatures of the surface, holding tight to their own culture and rarely venturing beyond their borders. This self-imposed isolation is a direct result of their years of war and the division it caused. The trust they once had in others is now a precious commodity, and many of them believe that only among their own kind can they find solace from the pains of their past.
The Underground Elves: Dakar
In contrast, the Dakar—the Elves who fled below the surface—embraced a completely different path. With their numbers decimated by the war, they had no choice but to abandon the traditions of their forefathers. Beneath the earth, they built a new world, a subterranean realm that came to be known as Val’Tekallas. Here, they established a new society, one that was shaped by the harsh realities of their dark, underground existence.
The Dakar rejected the old customs that had once bound them to the surface. They embraced a new identity, one that was defined by survival, strength, and adaptability. Over time, their bodies changed to suit the subterranean life they had to endure. Their hair, once vibrant, turned stark white, and their skin became a pale, ashen gray, a result of their constant exposure to the dim, flickering light of underground caverns. Their eyes, once sharp and bright, had to adjust to the complete absence of sunlight, growing larger and more sensitive to the smallest movements in the pitch-black darkness.
The Dakar are, by nature, a more solitary people. They do not easily trust others, for their existence has been one of survival against all odds. The underground city of Val’Tekallas is a marvel of engineering, a hidden kingdom full of winding tunnels and grand caverns, protected by both its remoteness and the fierce determination of its people. The Dakar’s culture is more focused on strength and independence, with a deep respect for the land they’ve claimed as their own. Yet, despite the advances they’ve made, they carry the weight of their exile, and the bitterness of their past never fully fades.
Though the Dakar now view themselves as the true inheritors of Elven history, they can never entirely escape their origins. The wounds inflicted by the war, and the betrayal they felt, run deep. To this day, they harbor a sense of resentment towards the Valis, whom they see as weak for clinging to outdated traditions. And while they may not speak of it often, the Dakar’s relationship with their surface kin is one of simmering tension, rarely addressed but always present.
The Rift Between Kin
Despite the passage of countless centuries, even by the long lives of the Elves, the animosity between the Valis and the Dakar has not dissipated. The division between the two factions is as deep as it is unhealed. Time has allowed for some healing, but the scars of the past remain etched in the very souls of both peoples. The surface Elves and the underground Elves are forever changed by the war, and though many generations have passed, their peoples still view one another with distrust and suspicion.
The appearance of each faction speaks volumes about their divergence. The Valis, with their fair skin and golden hair, represent the old ways of peace and harmony—at least, in their minds. They believe in unity, though it is a unity now forever tainted by their past. The Dakar, by contrast, with their ashen skin and stark white hair, are a people who have been forged by hardship, living in a world of eternal darkness. They embody the strength and resilience that comes from surviving in such harsh conditions.
Although some members of both factions have attempted to bridge the divide, there remains a palpable tension between them. The Valis often see the Dakar as corrupted by their abandonment of tradition, while the Dakar view the Valis as weak, clinging to an idealized past that no longer serves them. The two peoples have not fought a full-scale war in centuries, but the possibility of violence remains ever-present. Even the slightest spark of conflict could ignite a firestorm, as both sides remember the bitterness of their shared history.
The tension between the Valis and Dakar is not just one of politics or history; it is woven into the very fabric of their culture. The two factions rarely interact, and when they do, their meetings are charged with an almost electric hostility. There are those among the Valis who long for the return of unity, who believe that healing is possible. But for the Dakar, the wounds of the past are too deep, and any attempt at reconciliation is often met with cold resistance.
The Future of the Elven Divide
As the centuries continue to pass, the question of whether the Valis and the Dakar can ever truly heal their divide remains unanswered. Both factions are changing, adapting to new realities in a world that is far more dangerous and uncertain than it once was. The world around them is shifting, and both the Valis and the Dakar must decide whether they will remain locked in the past or whether they will find a way to move forward, together—or apart.
One thing is certain: the Elven Divide is far from over. The legacy of the war that tore the Elves asunder still lingers, and the future of both factions rests on the choices they make in the years to come.
