Legends of Belariath

Dark Elf Houses

House Nesk`Itan

The third continent of Belariath is not home to just one House of the dark elves...

Originally born of a faction of Dark Elf determined to preserve music and the arts even during their dark descent, they have none the less become one of the most stable of all Dark Elf houses. While somewhat shunned for their "abnormal" behaviors socially, their services are also highly sought after as they are one of the best there is at information gathering and subversion. A single member of the house has been known to enter into another house and have gained every secret there is to be had in a matter of weeks.

This does not mean in any way that the House of Music is necessarily a House of espionage. It just means they are very good at legerdemain and skullduggery without the usage of weapons and threats in order to do so. This house is a firm believer that "the tongue and ear are more deadly than the dart with poison, for it takes three seconds to kill a man once, but within thirty minutes can you destroy him and all he holds dears forever."

Never one to miss a plot or an opportunity, they used their self-imposed exile to commandeer a small mountain filled with caverns the previous inhabitants left abandoned. The mountain dwarves of the Riltan Groundriver Glens had claimed the mountains were haunted with the souls of the damned.

A great war had taken place between an underground splinter faction of the dwarves and a great number of displaced minotaurs (most of them exiled magically by the minotaur pantheon for crimes against their own people) hundreds of years previous. The resulting magics and massacres left the tunnels and caverns underneath Riltan's Dazzling Peak radiant with flowing rivers of freshwater - all the color of blood. The gemstones found in the mines were also tainted with the horrific deeds of that war as well: what used to be diamonds were now bloodstones, sapphires interchanged with rubies, and emeralds were perfect crystals of rose quartz now. Still, the dark elves insisted this would be the perfect place for them to work on their craft.

The dwarves, in a very uncharacteristic gesture for the sturdy race, gave the Dark Elf their blessing. To this day, strangely enough, there are no quarrels ever between any member of this House and the dwarves of the third continent. In fact, you may even see a bard of House Nesk`Itan sharing a mug of thick beer with a dwarven smith or runecrafter, laughing and joking with them. This phenomenon has not gone unnoticed, and Kirva has her eye on her "wayward children."

The members of House Nesk`Itan are not known for their prowess in spells, or their talent in slaying, but their voices and tales. Each member of the House has to write at least one new work each month, and present it to their elders. Those that do not must have a very good reason for doing so - becoming an expert player of an instrument qualifies, but learning the finer arts of business does not. (A few have gone on to become clever and shrewd business people, but most of them were exiled from their House until they regained favor in the eyes of both Kirva and their patron.)

Art is the way of life for the Dark Elf of this House. Those whom refuse to accept it are often exiled and sent to the first city of the Dark Elf on the first continent. The House of Asvenas Njoh readily accepts these outcasts as their own, for they send those unwilling to learn the proper ways of the dark elves to become members of either Houses Tintoreda, Shearwater, or Nesk`Itan itself. (Houses Tintoreda and Shearwater both have representative manses in the city of Erotsni`Vir, thereby keeping travel down to a minimum.) And where the House of Asvenas Njoh specializes in transportation sorcery (such as ~Dimension Door~ and ~Flight~), House Nesk`Itan favors the more subtle magics (namely ~Distraction~, ~Lurk~, and ~Laugh~ to name a few).

The House of Nesk`Itan has no real goals for the future outside of its continued existence. The House is very satisfied with what it has done for itself, and what its many patrons of the mortal plane will do for it. The Mehrials are rolling in by the bucket loads, and their children are being born at a more rapid rate than ever before.

There is also now a new construction outside of the mountain caverns which they call home, where they hold professional "bard classes" for the other races. Having attracted some of the freshest and finest minds from that region to teach there, House Nesk`Itan has proven itself to be a "beneficial member of society" in the eyes of the human kingdom of Hcnefr-Szlyiadus to their eastern borders. Members of the Dark Elf House are welcome to play at any major human gathering, and even at a few dwarven and Halfling get-togethers as well.

The other elves of the continent, however, place not so much stock into this "benevolent" house as their shorter lived associates do. They remember they are Dark Elf first, and then entertainers. This has not caused any outward strife between House Nesk`Itan and the surface elves, but there is no end to their mutual animosity.

Artifacts and Relics

The House Of Bardic Learning is not without its own special artifacts. News of certain relics which have come into the hands of the slave girl Naiya have traveled all the way to their ears, and soon they have plans to "enquire" about these artifacts and how she managed to come across them...

The following artifacts are ones currently in the possession of the House of Nesk`Itan. All of these are on the third continent, and clearly impossible to be acquired by the average individual.

Venom Fang Flute

This flute, made out of what seems to be a large, but slender black spider leg allows a chosen of Neran`Potha to play a song that poisons the very souls of a target, causing them to waste away, slowly develop darker aspects to their personality, or in some cases transform them into twisted Drider like creatures...

Touch of the Shadow

A strange, pulsing onyx stone sitting in an amulet of twisted black metal. When activated, it drains away much of the wearers strength but causes the wearer to appear to be the person the viewer desires to see. However, one problem with this artifact is that if the viewer most desires to see someone they wish to kill, the amulet will make the wearer appear as such.

Blood Lyre

Feeding on the bearer's blood, the lyre imparts onto them knowledge and power, but drains away their strength rapidly. When played while active, it emits strange piercing music that can cause the body those that listen to it to slowly twist upon itself, making them feel unimaginable pain and torment. Only those of a strong will AND a strong body may play this instrument without inflicting serious permanent damage to their own person.

Primary Deities

Kirva, Qy`Livarn-Jetzra, Neran`Potha

Neran`Potha is the ever ambiguous Dark Elf deity of all things "beautiful" created by the dark elven artisans. Also known as "The Shadow Player," it is unsure if this deity is male nor female, for it can appear as either. The only constant is the massive black Lyre of twisted metal and the six slender arms that it plays it with. The patron of the Dark Elf fine arts, it speaks in a flowing, charming voice that seems to seep into the very soul of the ones that hear it. Neran`Potha is a very charming being, and incredibly manipulative in its actions.

Matron

Your Matron Of The Hour: Seresanala`kalas

Descended from a faction of the original fallen elves that refused to give up their love for the music and the arts, she is an excellent musician and actor, a bard in the truest definition of the class, subtly playing with the hearts and minds of those around her. If given the chance, she will pull anyone into her web of words and manipulations, and very few have the skills to escape. Thanks to her skills, she inspires a love amongst those whom she rules over. However, despite her seemingly benign rule, she is an utterly ruthless creature like all Dark Elf matrons. She takes many lovers, and should one even appear to show the signs of betrayal, they will find their body parts used to create instruments.