Thousands of years ago the Drow elves and their evil allies were driven from the face of the earth in the War of the Spirit Masters. While the Drow were defeated, the power of the good elves was broken and never again did they regain their former glory. The good elves who survived the final apocalyptic encounter; The Battle of the soul gems, formed themselves in small bands and settled down in distant lands. For many hundreds of years they lived little better than the barbarian tribes of humankind.
NOTE: There were some humans who had progressed well into the age of steel and, in fact, had been of great help to the elves during the war against the drow. These humans, however, were considered by the elves to be of a different race than other humans. The elves called these civilized humans Jarin, meaning 'tall brother.'
One of these splinter groups of elves moved into the far north where the snow and ice never disappeared. After a period of several millennia, the elves (known by the savage northern barbarians as snow elves), abandoned their barbarian lifestyle and build a magnificent city of ice and crystal. The city was designed by a young and talented elven artist named Emladis. When the city was completed it was named Emladistar after its designer and dedicated to the Hanali Celanil; the elven goddess of love and beauty.
Meanwhile, the Drow were licking the wounds and slowly recovering from their humiliating defeat. They were determined that they would rise again to the upper world and this time would not fail. They would bide their time until they wee certain of victory. One such Drow; however, was not so patient. He argued that the elves of the upper world were not as prepared as were the Drow for another war. His opinion; however was not shared by the Drow and so he decided to raise his own army and return to the upper world.
He spent many years in preparation of his return. He established a base for himself on a small island off the East Coast of Putarrha. There he raised an army of the night and fashioned huge and evil machines of war. The island he named Circe.
From the shadows of the earth he beckoned the restless dead to answer his call. He promised revenge against the living and the ultimate wish of the undead; a return to life. Many answered his call. For the bulk of his army he raided the scenes of deadly battles for corpses. These he animated and put under the command of his undead captains. He then surveyed the lands. He looked, with jealous and greedy eyes, upon the splendor of the north - Emladistar, the citadel of the Snow Queen Lindoran. Emladistar was isolated form all other elven communities by miles of foreboding mountains and snow-filled passes. His envy and greed for this effervescent city of light and magic grew by the day until it reached a point where it overshadowed his wisdom. His army was not yet ready. Their numbers were great, but not such that they could defeat all elvenkind. This no longer mattered to the Drow necromancer. He believed his army to be more than enough to handle the forces of the Snow Queen. One he possessed the ice citadel, he felt that he could repel any elven attacks while he sat back and gathered strength.
He was wrong.
His battle against the forces of the Snow Queen Lindoran was long and hard. He launched his army of the night against the crystalline walls of Emladistar time and time again and each time they were repelled. For many days the battle raged. After a while, the evil necromancer recalled his undead army and laid siege to the fortress. For many months the snow elves waited and hoping against hope that other elven tribes would realize their plight and send aid. This hope never realized.
With stores running low and morale deteriorating, Lindoran announced that they would wait no longer. At dawn of the following day, she would lead her troops into battle against the Shadow Lord.
Her attack took place as pronounced. Before riding into battle; however, she locked her symbols of office, her crown, her scepter and her ring, in her vaults and sealed them. She then rode off into battle and death.
With the defeat of the Snow Queen, the Shadow Lord possessed the magnificent city he had so coveted. With this came the realization that he did not have power enough to repel a full-scale attack by the civilized forces of the upper world. Nor did he have the power to break the seals to the vaults of the Snow Queen Lindoran. He was able to get some of his undead warriors into the vaults, but was not able to retrieve them. Thus the elven artifacts of power were not his to command.
When the Shadow Lord sensed the massing of the elves to march against him he knew despair. His power was great, but not great enough to withstand the onslaught of the combined forces of elves and Jarin and all their magical might.
Thus he formed a pact with a Demon Lord. The Drow necromancer bartered his soul that Emladistar might be his forever.
Before the massed army of the elves and Jarin could gather to march against the Shadow Lord, it was too late. Elven scouts reported to their commanders that Emladistar was no more. Overnight the splendorous city of ice and crystal had disappeared.
The story of Emladistar is now legend. To most humans it is nothing more than fairy tale to amuse and frighten children. Elves do not speak much of this time in history and, on those rare occasions when they do, it is with somber reflection and what they now refer to as the Year of the Darkening Shadow.
Nevertheless, rumors and stories have arisen, from time to time, of a city of ice in the far north that appears out of nowhere, dwells for a time, and then, just as mysteriously, disappears. Those sages, both human and elven, who have studied the legends of Emladistar have noted a cycle to the purported appearances. The ancient city has manifested itself on this plane of existence every thousand years since that fatal day when the Shadow Lord made his pact with the Demon Lord.
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