The Feuds of the Southern Wood Elves: House Mephis and Their Dark Ambitions

The various houses of wood elves in Eren exiled dissenters from their own kind, House Mephis. These sinister and power hungry elves and their allies would leave Eren's shores and travel to Zul in 1100 BDR, eventually becoming what are now known as the Dark Elves.

In the verdant southern reaches of Eren, where the dense forests pulse with ancient magic and the harmony of elves, dryads, and humans has long been a cornerstone of coexistence, the noble houses of the wood elves once held dominion. Among these houses, none were as infamous—or as divisive—as House Mephis. Once regarded as a proud and influential lineage, House Mephis descended into infamy through their underhanded schemes, insatiable hunger for power, and willingness to exploit their neighbors in ways their kin found abhorrent.

House Mephis was known for its cunning and strategic brilliance, attributes that once brought them prestige among the noble houses of the wood elves. However, as generations passed, these qualities turned darker, giving rise to an ethos where ends always justified the means. To the shock and outrage of the other houses, House Mephis began preying upon the vulnerable: human villages and dryad enclaves near their borders became targets for covert raids, manipulation, and resource extraction. Under the dense canopies of their southern territories, away from the eyes of their kin, Mephis wove a web of deceit and exploitation.

Their actions were motivated by a desire to consolidate power, bolster their wealth, and secure dominance over the other noble houses. They justified their deeds by claiming that human encroachments and dryad independence weakened the balance of the forest, a pretext dismissed by most as self-serving rhetoric.

When rumors of their actions began to spread, the other noble houses grew increasingly suspicious. Despite the natural secrecy of elven politics, evidence of Mephis’s treachery eventually surfaced: dryad settlements razed to the ground, human emissaries disappearing near Mephis lands, and enchanted artifacts stolen from sacred groves. Outraged, several noble houses—led by House Syltherion, a house famed for their stewardship of the forest’s magical balance—publicly denounced House Mephis and demanded reparations. House Mephis, unwilling to admit wrongdoing, responded with defiance and veiled threats, claiming the accusations were baseless slander meant to weaken their influence. This marked the beginning of a bitter feud, fracturing the once-cohesive wood elven society of southern Eren. Lines were drawn, alliances were forged, and rivalries deepened.

Despite the condemnation of their peers, House Mephis was not without allies. Smaller houses, eager for protection or favor, sided with them, forming a faction that sought to resist the growing coalition against them. These houses benefited from Mephis’s strength but also adopted their darker practices, perpetuating cycles of exploitation. The conflicts between Mephis and their rivals rarely escalated into open warfare—such a breach of elven custom was unthinkable—but instead manifested as whispered plots, sabotage, and proxy skirmishes fought through mercenaries or manipulated pawns. Sacred groves were poisoned, trade routes were disrupted, and diplomatic efforts were sabotaged, plunging the southern woods into an atmosphere of mistrust and tension.

In a historic judgement, the council of southern Eren convened beneath the great canopy of the Evershade Glade in 1100 BDR, a sacred site where truth and justice were traditionally upheld. Before the gathered noble houses, representatives of the dryads, and emissaries of the human settlements, House Mephis and their allies were formally condemned. Their actions were declared a betrayal of elven honor, a desecration of the balance of the forest, and an unforgivable breach of trust with their kindred and the other peoples of Eren.

The council’s sentence was harsh but final: exile from Eren, with the vow that they would never return under penalty of death. Their lands were seized, their banners stripped, and their names recorded in history as a warning to all who might follow in their footsteps. Alongside House Mephis, the smaller houses who had allied with them—whether through loyalty, fear, or shared ambition—were also cast out, their fates bound to the disgraced house they had supported.

The sentence required them to depart by sea, crossing the Waytos Ocean, an expanse fraught with peril and uncertainty. The exiles were given no guidance or aid beyond what they could carry, and they were forced to leave behind their ancestral ties, their power, and their once-lofty place within the elven hierarchy. It was said that the ships that bore them away were laden with the weight of their shame, sailing into uncharted waters with no promise of sanctuary or safety.

Date Submitted
April 17, 2023
Contributors
Kashii