Revenge of the Dark Elves

Era of Elves / ~200 thousand years ago
Over thousands of years the Elven Empire weakened greatly and lost much, but withstood the collapse of their civilization from the roaming hordes of orcs. Most historians believe the human civilizations of today would never be able to weather such a controlled storm of orcs, but the Eldarian were very gifted in the ways of magic. Their sheer technological and magical advantage held the Empire together despite the vast numbers of the enemy. However, elves lived very long lives and reproduced much more slowly compared to their greenskin foes. Over this period, this breeding racial imbalance began to weigh on the Empire as the numbers of well trained soldiers and wizards became difficult to keep sufficient against the swelling hordes. Locations that millennia ago never had seen an orc were being overrun, and areas that were once the frontlines became barren greenskin territory.

As the Elven Empire began to truly fracture and was at their weakest, the dark elves struck. Having waited and prepared for many generations at the guidance of their dark gods they caught the Empire by surprise on all fronts. Erupting from the very earth the dark elves attacked surgically, with planning and widespread coordination to destabilize the Empire’s defenses against the orcs. The Empire was also not prepared for their new dark powers and technological war machines, and over just one generation splintered and broke completely. During this generation of war on two fronts, the elves of the Empire fought bravely to save their cities and people, but eventually the battles became about saving things for the future. To escape annihilation. But also to cripple those that betrayed them again.

Then it was just accepted that the Empire would never be again. The hordes of orcs cared not for their enemy, and slaughtered all elves equally. However, the inner contests of the various orc clans and warlords eventually broke down their coordination, and the elves began to stem the green tide. The Empire’s forces for their part did terrible damage to their dark elven foes, weakening their legions and pushing them back to defend some of their Under-Earth cities. But the Empire was in ruins, the populations and armies having been decimated and their culture destroyed. The continent of Valdemar was again covered in destruction and everywhere elven cities lay crumbling. Orcs roamed the countryside and wilderness uncontested, as the surviving elves looked to the future.

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