Living, for the most part, on an island far to the north of Marduk, the dark elves are one of the most isolated races in the world. Given their relatively unsettled lifestyles, it is generally assumed that the dark elves and wood elves are closer to each other than either are to the high elves.

The choice of ‘dark’ is rather a misnomer, as they are—if anything—paler than the other elves, referring more to the way that their large island spends much of its time in darkness, or alternately the tendency to build downwards (or utilise natural caves) and consequently spending a lot of time in the depths of the earth. This has given them a vision in darkness equal to the subterranean dwarves, though the prevalence of green eyes is an unrelated oddity.

Due to the climate and geography, agriculture would be effectively impossible—especially without effective ploughs. Instead, the dark elves derive sustenance almost entirely through animal sources—either hunting the large game that can survive on the grasses, ferns, and other vegetation that manages to survive; fishing in the cold waters for everything from mackerel up to whales and giant squid; or the odd mix of domestic livestock and used for other uses than meat. This mostly animal-derived diet is supplemented by an array of cave-grown fungi, along with honey from the bees that somehow managed to survive the winters.

Due to having few easily-available natural resources other than furs and whale by-products, the dark elves often find themselves as traders, comfortable with navigating river systems to reach more populous lands, or outright raiders at times. Some choose to instead become mercenaries—many forming the human emperor’s elite guard, uninvolved with their politics.