Munin
First Post
The daoine sidhe, or elves, are the second of the two principle villains of the S-files.
They are the eldest inhabitants of planet earth, and see themselves as her true rulers. The sidhe are endowed with incredible arcane abilities, well beyond the reach of mortal man. They are immortal, though not in the truest sense of the word. They posses an arrogance well above the human potential to achieve. It’s more than ethnocentricity on the part of the elves, it is an absolute certainty that they are living gods worthy of worship from lesser creatures that gives them their brilliant haughtiness.
History
Humanity did not stand much of a chance against the elves, at least not at the start. Humans were quickly enslaved and put to whatever uses the sidhe could find, from forced labor, fodder in endless squabbles, experimentation, and agonizing deaths in the torture symphonies.
Centuries of arcane manipulation led to the creation of several subspecies of humans, who according to the myths of old are the goblins, orcs, halflings and dwarves of legend.
Each breed was made with a specific purpose in mind.
Toward the end of their rule, the sidhe became increasingly distracted with various secondary pursuits and their imperialistic grip of the world slowly began to weaken. When the subjected races sensed this, revolts became more and more common and a series of wars were fought over a period of several centuries. These conflicts were documented (though with a heavy pro-elven slant) in a historical work known as the Red Book of Westmarch, and culminated in a particularly bloody conflict known as the War of the Ring.
Little is known of that time, but it seems a human sorcerer of incredible power devised a way to corrupt the flow of arcane power on earth. Innately magical creatures, like the elves, were faced with the choice of continuing on this world without their powers, or retreating into a ‘realm of shadow’. Even though this sorcerer, referred to in the texts as ‘Sauron’ (evidently a derogatory term coined by the elves), was ultimately defeated in the War, his strategy was a partial success.
The sidhe, for the most part, chose to retreat into the Shadow. Those who stayed slowly began to ‘fade’, becoming the fey of popular Celtic legend.
For the past 6000+ years the elves have reached beyond the Shadow into this world, seeking to reclaim what was lost. These instances seem to coincide with the ‘tide’ of Shadow that has waxed and waned throughout history, a phenomenon that we do not yet fully understand. This phenomenon is termed the ‘Dark Tide’.
In concurrence with the rising of dark tide, the sidhe have invaded established footholds in the world, wreaking havoc where they can.
Starting in the late 19th century and continuing to the present, the dark tide has steadily risen, and the sidhe have once again invaded our world, though with far greater strength and cunning than in prior centuries. Several human agencies fear that the wall between this world and the Shadow is failing, and may crumble altogether in the next few decades.
Roleplaying notes:
Elves face none of the problems that humans do when harnessing arcane power, being naturally inclined to do so. Though certain human casters have nearly reached the ability of their elven counterparts, this has come at a terrible price to the caster. Mental disorders and insanity are common side effects.
Elves have as their allies the orcs, goblins, dwarves, fey and even dragons that they had in centuries past. Though few in number in comparison to humanity, they wield extraordinary power through their lackeys and unmatched arcane might.
The overall sidhe strategy is naturally the opposite of the illithid. Where the mindflayers seek to enslave humanity under one world government, the sidhe aim to divide and conquer.
They foment chaos and anarchy wherever they can. Any cause that can divide humanity is a worthy cause to the sidhe. Racial, religious, national and economic divisions are typical areas the elves love to exploit, and humans are just so gullible to the sidhe, it is laughable.
Terrorism is another key tool of the sidhe, as is anarchism. They have been quite successful in the 20th century with these tactics, as the two world wars and countless others can attest.
The elves know that despite their power, they are still no match for the technically superior and prodigious human race. For the past century, they have sought to undermine human authority and divide the masses in any way they can, religiously, nationally, economically or ethnically. They particularly target the United Nations whenever they can, seeing that organization as one the greatest threats to their ultimate goals, especially since the U.N. is apparently under the control of their archrivals, the Ithillids.
Despite all of this, the sidhe still have a number of things working against them.
They are nearly as divided as humans. Both in the shadow world and our own, there are several factions involved in bloody turf-wars. The governmental structure of the sidhe follows a loose hierarchy vaguely similar to the medieval feudal system. For them, near constant infighting and betrayal is the norm.
There is at least one sidhe group sympathetic to the human cause. These elves envision a friendly co-rulership of the earth with humans ruling along with them as equals. This group has been a tremendous help to the Hoffman Institute’s understanding of the sidhe culture and strategies.
They are constantly under threat against their most tenacious enemies: the Ithillids. These two groups have fought vicious wars both in the shadow realm and in this world.
The daoine sidhe are evil, but more importantly to themselves and to the dm, they are evil with style.
Ithillids are cold, detached, emotionless. Clinical killers who see humans as nothing more than food or fodder.
Simply dispatching an adversary is far too simple-minded for a sidhe. Oh no, instead they first ruin their lives, hunt down their families, and drag them back to their lairs. Then they torture them slowly while they dine on caviar. All the while maintaining perfect poise and taste, while some poor halfling slave does his best Chopin, praying the master does not catch that last missed note. Whatever they do, it has to be more extravagant, evil, bloody, or just plain cool, than their rivals.
The sidhe are not opposed to technology, but they do prefer to let their dupes handle the less elegant weaponry and gadgets of the age.
They are the eldest inhabitants of planet earth, and see themselves as her true rulers. The sidhe are endowed with incredible arcane abilities, well beyond the reach of mortal man. They are immortal, though not in the truest sense of the word. They posses an arrogance well above the human potential to achieve. It’s more than ethnocentricity on the part of the elves, it is an absolute certainty that they are living gods worthy of worship from lesser creatures that gives them their brilliant haughtiness.
History
Humanity did not stand much of a chance against the elves, at least not at the start. Humans were quickly enslaved and put to whatever uses the sidhe could find, from forced labor, fodder in endless squabbles, experimentation, and agonizing deaths in the torture symphonies.
Centuries of arcane manipulation led to the creation of several subspecies of humans, who according to the myths of old are the goblins, orcs, halflings and dwarves of legend.
Each breed was made with a specific purpose in mind.
Toward the end of their rule, the sidhe became increasingly distracted with various secondary pursuits and their imperialistic grip of the world slowly began to weaken. When the subjected races sensed this, revolts became more and more common and a series of wars were fought over a period of several centuries. These conflicts were documented (though with a heavy pro-elven slant) in a historical work known as the Red Book of Westmarch, and culminated in a particularly bloody conflict known as the War of the Ring.
Little is known of that time, but it seems a human sorcerer of incredible power devised a way to corrupt the flow of arcane power on earth. Innately magical creatures, like the elves, were faced with the choice of continuing on this world without their powers, or retreating into a ‘realm of shadow’. Even though this sorcerer, referred to in the texts as ‘Sauron’ (evidently a derogatory term coined by the elves), was ultimately defeated in the War, his strategy was a partial success.
The sidhe, for the most part, chose to retreat into the Shadow. Those who stayed slowly began to ‘fade’, becoming the fey of popular Celtic legend.
For the past 6000+ years the elves have reached beyond the Shadow into this world, seeking to reclaim what was lost. These instances seem to coincide with the ‘tide’ of Shadow that has waxed and waned throughout history, a phenomenon that we do not yet fully understand. This phenomenon is termed the ‘Dark Tide’.
In concurrence with the rising of dark tide, the sidhe have invaded established footholds in the world, wreaking havoc where they can.
Starting in the late 19th century and continuing to the present, the dark tide has steadily risen, and the sidhe have once again invaded our world, though with far greater strength and cunning than in prior centuries. Several human agencies fear that the wall between this world and the Shadow is failing, and may crumble altogether in the next few decades.
Roleplaying notes:
Elves face none of the problems that humans do when harnessing arcane power, being naturally inclined to do so. Though certain human casters have nearly reached the ability of their elven counterparts, this has come at a terrible price to the caster. Mental disorders and insanity are common side effects.
Elves have as their allies the orcs, goblins, dwarves, fey and even dragons that they had in centuries past. Though few in number in comparison to humanity, they wield extraordinary power through their lackeys and unmatched arcane might.
The overall sidhe strategy is naturally the opposite of the illithid. Where the mindflayers seek to enslave humanity under one world government, the sidhe aim to divide and conquer.
They foment chaos and anarchy wherever they can. Any cause that can divide humanity is a worthy cause to the sidhe. Racial, religious, national and economic divisions are typical areas the elves love to exploit, and humans are just so gullible to the sidhe, it is laughable.
Terrorism is another key tool of the sidhe, as is anarchism. They have been quite successful in the 20th century with these tactics, as the two world wars and countless others can attest.
The elves know that despite their power, they are still no match for the technically superior and prodigious human race. For the past century, they have sought to undermine human authority and divide the masses in any way they can, religiously, nationally, economically or ethnically. They particularly target the United Nations whenever they can, seeing that organization as one the greatest threats to their ultimate goals, especially since the U.N. is apparently under the control of their archrivals, the Ithillids.
Despite all of this, the sidhe still have a number of things working against them.
They are nearly as divided as humans. Both in the shadow world and our own, there are several factions involved in bloody turf-wars. The governmental structure of the sidhe follows a loose hierarchy vaguely similar to the medieval feudal system. For them, near constant infighting and betrayal is the norm.
There is at least one sidhe group sympathetic to the human cause. These elves envision a friendly co-rulership of the earth with humans ruling along with them as equals. This group has been a tremendous help to the Hoffman Institute’s understanding of the sidhe culture and strategies.
They are constantly under threat against their most tenacious enemies: the Ithillids. These two groups have fought vicious wars both in the shadow realm and in this world.
The daoine sidhe are evil, but more importantly to themselves and to the dm, they are evil with style.
Ithillids are cold, detached, emotionless. Clinical killers who see humans as nothing more than food or fodder.
Simply dispatching an adversary is far too simple-minded for a sidhe. Oh no, instead they first ruin their lives, hunt down their families, and drag them back to their lairs. Then they torture them slowly while they dine on caviar. All the while maintaining perfect poise and taste, while some poor halfling slave does his best Chopin, praying the master does not catch that last missed note. Whatever they do, it has to be more extravagant, evil, bloody, or just plain cool, than their rivals.
The sidhe are not opposed to technology, but they do prefer to let their dupes handle the less elegant weaponry and gadgets of the age.
