The Elves of Arkain

[The_Messenger]

As we all know the Elves of Arkain are a strange race to say the least. In this thread I hope we get to discuss the Elves' history and characteristics in a healthy debate. Note that this is only my personal speculation and theory.
If this thread is in the slightest bit offensive to Shar Dundred's universe then it can be removed and I will appologise as of now for any mistakes or offenses I might have made.

Let us begin.

The Elves of Arkain are an odd bunch, not like the highly intelligent and graceful beings you see in your avarge fantasy universe. They have always kept to themselves, probably holding some races at arm's length for various reasons (such as humans). They are probably one of the oldest races to inhabit Arkain with the exception of the Arkanians themselves that wen't extinct.
Army wise they are focused mainly on magic, mounted units both flying and ground, archery and fairly decent melee units.
It is known that the Queen of the Elves (both late and current) have used Human Kings to defend their lands from invaders. But we don't see the usual Elves in this universe. They aren't a magical and tactical force to be reckoned with, or the wise long lived race that rarely made a huge blunder.

1) Where is the Elven King?
- From the beggining only two Queens are mentioned by name and their attempts to marry Human Kings in an attempt to solidify an alliance between races. My personal theory is that these Elves believe that a Matriarchal Heirarchy (ruled by women only) is the best way to lead their people, though we do see Elven men as members of the Royal Court. So the system isn't entirely based on the belief that women are the superior side of the race.
It isn't fully explained if there ever was an Elven King to begin with, only the Queens are ever mentioned. It is possible that the line of Queens has always (and probably for ever will) rule over the Elves. My belief is that the Queen chooses a Chonsort (probably someone skilled and high ranking) and bares an offspring from this one time union, then part ways.

2) What happened to the Elven Army?
- From the start it is made clear that the Elves' millitary force is lacking. It is insufficient to match up to the might of the Demons that can afford to send waves of attackers to their deaths while wearing out the defenders. This isn't eplained why. Humans are everywhere, have the numbers to fight Demons toe-to-toe and have fought Demons for a few generations while the Elves are possibly a step or two away from extinction.
My personal theory is that the Elves might have carried out a separate war during the Voidwar and took a heavy toll on their numbers. It is highly unlikely that the Elves have high standards on who they want to marry and due to their life span they can afford to wait till the time is right. Another theory is that the Elves might have went through a civil war for various reasons or have even fought againts other Human Kigdoms also for various reasons.

3) What is the extent of Elven technology and magic?
- In most fantasy works or universes, Elves possess a high or advanced knowledge on magic to the point where they are unrivaled. In Arkain it's almost the same. The Elves have a good grasp on magic and even dable in Demon type magic as well for more power. It's even plain to see that magic has an influence on them judging by their buildings and unit armor. Magic can compleetly turn the tide of battle, it's a force to be reckoned with. There are even flying units that have high magic attack. Judging by these factors it could have been possible to easily develop arcane towers capable of shooting chain lightning and make any enemy army think twice before making another step. But we don't see this full magical might in them.
It's highly likely that they rely on cunning, tactical advantage and terrain, as there is a saying: "he who knows the field has already won the battle".
The question stands: If such a race had this level of knowledge of magic and can explore other types, then why isn't is capable of holding back the Demons or even incorporate it in their buildings/weapons? Even I cannot think of a reason why...

4) Are the Elves cowards?
- It is made clear that the Elves rely on Human armies and alliances with Human Kingdoms for protection. Their very Queens offered themselves into marriage with Human Kings (one of which cheated on his wife) for the sake of solidifying and guarateeing the support of Human armies. It is understandable that they seek aid because of their lacking millitary force, but in my personal opinion this act of marriage is the very height of desperation. Of course you can't exactly say that the Elven army hasn't contribuited to the war effort, they were there in a fight when it was needed as trusted allies.

5) Will the Elves be gone for good in the near future?
- Given the way that the Elves have been portraied in such a way there is a possibility that they might be lost in the near future. In the First Human Book, one (two if you count the ranger hero) of the Elven Council members had already given in to desperation and/or temptation and betrayed his kin in favor of working for the Demons in an attempt to save himself (in the cinematic he sounded like a bumbling idiot when his idea was shot down). We know that there is another member of the Elven Council that dables in Demon type magic and is a potential point where a second betrayal might take place. For me this knowledge is enough to add a few more odds to the possibility of the Elves becoming extinct.

 

[Boriss]

We know that elves are more of a separatist faction in this.
For all we know their numbers may never have been big. Maybe they pay for their longevity with low birth rates, similar to Warhammer universe.
You need to balance this to avoid overpopulation. We know they are extremely long lived species, since Renova´s mother actually knew Rahandir and could (but did not) prevent his death.
Given their generally passive nature in this, their need for army was never any great. Thus they only had minimal army, using their Queen´s.... royal abilities to get humans to do their dirty work. And humans basically had to do it, since leaving the elves to die would only open a new frontier for them. So its better to use elven fortifications than to build your own on an absolutely new frontier.
Chain lightning towers would be so cool. Nice replacement for the cannon towers in the first book I´d say. They have spellstealers tho. Those boyz can negate any magic your enemy brings onto the battlefield. Their walkyries are also extremely dangerous with their spell and magic dmg immunity.
You can´t aoe them, you cant control them so you need to autoattack them. If they come in a big group they are the dominant force. Especially against heavy armour demons. The rest is just to fill the gaps in my opinion.
Cowards? Hard to say. But they have never been confirmed as monogamist society. Only know of Larine having one chosen mate. Others, who knows. For all we know they may view sex as just another form of relax and fun (as Larine demonstrated). And to me they seemed pretty emotional. Maybe they just dont join the fight because their queens cant make the sacrifices wars demand.
And gone for good? Doubt it. After all no matter your choices demons are being kept in check by that BFG thing (Doom reference) Marin created.
With Gardon´s side of things undead even claimed that Gate of Hell for themselves and I highly doubt that they will ever run out of corpses with almost infinite number of demons to slaughter and raise again.

I feel like if you push elves in the right way they can actually be quite... elemental and wild. Their long life would grant them strength of character unparalelled. Always liked certain level of animality (not animosity!). Girl seems civil and all until she lets out a roar and charges you head first.
It could also be very hard for them to let go of something. Like losing a mate. Or dying. Or getting screwed.

 

[The_Messenger]

We know that elves are more of a separatist faction in this.
For all we know their numbers may never have been big. Maybe they pay for their longevity with low birth rates, similar to Warhammer universe.
You need to balance this to avoid overpopulation. We know they are extremely long lived species, since Renova´s mother actually knew Rahandir and could (but did not) prevent his death.
Given their generally passive nature in this, their need for army was never any great. Thus they only had minimal army, using their Queen´s.... royal abilities to get humans to do their dirty work. And humans basically had to do it, since leaving the elves to die would only open a new frontier for them. So its better to use elven fortifications than to build your own on an absolutely new frontier.
Chain lightning towers would be so cool. Nice replacement for the cannon towers in the first book I´d say. They have spellstealers tho. Those boyz can negate any magic your enemy brings onto the battlefield. Their walkyries are also extremely dangerous with their spell and magic dmg immunity.
You can´t aoe them, you cant control them so you need to autoattack them. If they come in a big group they are the dominant force. Especially against heavy armour demons. The rest is just to fill the gaps in my opinion.
Cowards? Hard to say. But they have never been confirmed as monogamist society. Only know of Larine having one chosen mate. Others, who knows. For all we know they may view sex as just another form of relax and fun (as Larine demonstrated). And to me they seemed pretty emotional. Maybe they just dont join the fight because their queens cant make the sacrifices wars demand.
And gone for good? Doubt it. After all no matter your choices demons are being kept in check by that BFG thing (Doom reference) Marin created.
With Gardon´s side of things undead even claimed that Gate of Hell for themselves and I highly doubt that they will ever run out of corpses with almost infinite number of demons to slaughter and raise again.

I feel like if you push elves in the right way they can actually be quite... elemental and wild. Their long life would grant them strength of character unparalelled. Always liked certain level of animality (not animosity!). Girl seems civil and all until she lets out a roar and charges you head first.
It could also be very hard for them to let go of something. Like losing a mate. Or dying. Or getting screwed.

Their exact numbers are vague indeed. All that is punctuated is that they lack the millitary might (possibly even the numbers) to defend themselves from Demons. A low fertility in their race didn't cross my mind to be honest, it also seems somewhat improbable since they would still be able to have kids though not as many as other races could.
I dislike hearing this "excuse" of their millitary lacking in might when the Elves could have easily developed magicaly enhanced defenses or more powerful artilery to secure their borders without the need to flirt with Humans. Of course they do show some mastery in magic given their units, but in my opinion they are mediocre compared to the Orcs or Karskin.
The Elves' magical rezistence/imunity is all well and good but is it a mach for a Demon's chaos damage and stat superiority? They were made to wreak havoc and be a challange in battle, they aren't necesarily bound to use magic when their physical prowess is superior to other races. Even Bloodclaw's Ironfist (strongest Human units I've seen) with all of their training and numerical advantage, they still took some serious casualties againts the Demons when they overrun Aurius' outpost (although Bloodclaw wouldn't care about the deathtoll or would give numbers).

Chain Lightning tower defenses was something I definetly expected them to have. For example: when Arthas invaded Quel'Thalas, the borders were secured with dense forests and advanced magical towers that could easily knock weak targets out of the sky or seriously damage any ground unit. But that was all that there was to them and I felt a little bit dissapointed that the Elves were so "thin" compared to the other races.

It is difficult to see a form of... mercy? Or emotional weakness when it comes to giving yourself up to the lust of a Human King. It is as if the Elves have little to no pride in their race or heritage.
Yes, it is true and I admit it that intercourse/sex is possibly the best way to get rid of stress, have fun or feel good but given the Elves' current status its hard to view this as a good thing to do when things are dire.

 

[Boriss]

It is also possible that they simply felt no need to have a standing army when they can literally pussy-force them humans to do the dirty work for them.

Edit 5.5.2018:
May I suggest giving spellstealers heavy armour and shield block?
That would make for a decent main liner, which you sorely lack in the elven chapter of the first human book.

 

[Hinata28]

Let me answer those questions:
Elves were strong with their magic and their territorial advantages when fighting in forests. They had strong weapons and magical spells on their disposal. But their xenophobia, hesitation in supporting the Imperials and Royals, and overt race bias made them pathetic allies.

For the numbered questions:
1) Maybe there are Elven Kings during the older times, but as we know, they shared the Dark Elven tradition of women-centric leadership, being the Dark Elves as their forgotten ancestors.

2) Then, the Elven Army was just a territorial force only, being xenophobic they are. Now, with them under Ironfist, later Zyainor, they can now see themselves armed to the teeth with Zyaise weapons.

3) The Elves have had excellent magical capabilities. Their magical prowess is strong, but they are just stagnating on without sharing it. Their weapons tech was for their own use. But now, they will share it to Zyainor, and vice versa.

4) The Elves were not cowards, they were just xenophobic superiority complex creatures. They shown their bravery on their own way.

5) With them under Zyainor, their futures were secured. But if the fate of them still under Queen Renova, their race was doomed. With Larantos and his ilk joining the Demons, and the Undead under Queen Keera preying on them. Had the Empire took them, well, we know how the Imperials treats their own people. Their race was secured, but they were in trouble with the some of the Imperials.