Dark elves

The so-called dark elves (occasionally referred to by the slur "drow") are a race of dark-skinned humanoids from Equis. They are distant descendants of the offspring of elves and svartalfar, a proto-race created by Orillion to eventually spawn the dark elves.

Description
Dark elves resemble elves in many respects, though they are slightly shorter and leaner, and have dark skin, monochromatic hair, and eyes that appear completely white. Their skin is highly sensitive to direct sunlight, which causes them considerable discomfort.

Personality
The stereotypical dark elf has a bleak demeanour and a bitter attitude about most things. A great deal of dark elves also have deep-seated violent tendencies.

Society
Because of their aversion to sunlight, dark elves tend to dwell in places that are not frequently exposed to it. For this reason, many dark elven settlements are underground, or in the region of Noctis that never sees sunlight. Society tends to be highly stratified based on purity of blood, where the highest noble ranks are held by those with a pedigree that is purely dark elven (seen as half svartalfar and half elf). Strangely, actual svartalfar or "normal" elves are not commonly seen in these places as the dark elves tend to revile them.

History
The race of dark elves is more accurately a half-even race, but is normally considered a subrace of elves anyway. They are the descendants of the svartalfar, a hairless race somewhat resembling elves found in the Grey Demesne who were created by Orillion to breed with elves and produce a race of shadow. This is precisely what the svartalfar did, giving rise to a race of bastards, just like their patron god.

Notable Dark Elves

 * Trath, the former Immortal of shadow.