Elves are beings with a close bond to the magical. All elves are capable of at least a few magical feats and those with a command of magic good enough to be considered mages are far more common among elves than humans. More subtly this affinity for magic gives the High Elves and Wood Elves ("True Elves" in the terminology of the High Kingdom) lifespans in the area of a Millennium and an ability to recover from damage. However this comes at a cost of dependency which has restricted them to High Magic environments. Elves can survive in more typical environments just fine for the most part, though years away from their homeland often leaves them somewhat diminished in magical ability until they return. The more pressing issue is that of reproduction, High Elven pregnancies outside of a high magical enviroment take twice as long and the resulting child will often be less powerful magically and have a considerably reduced lifespan to about 200 years or so. This can be offset by not casting spells and supplementation of magic by other means (mana potions and similar), but in general this limitation has largely prevented the elves from spreading beyond a few hotspots of supernatural activity. The same principle applies to much of the flora and fauna of Ilvannas, including the domesticated deer used by the High Elves as Beasts of Burden and mounts.





The Dark Elves are the descendants of outcasts driven out during the wars of the Age of Discord to fend for themselves in mana poor territories and barred from returning by the High Kingdom. For millennia they scraped by among human tribes and dwarf holds as nomadic herders tending to their goats, sheep and pigs, latter supplemented by oxen, mules and horses which they would acquire from human states. During that time they had a high attrition rate, but through adversity they persevered until mutations cropped up among their children and spread. They turned their skin ashen grey and made their bodies extra efficient at gathering background magic. This came at the cost of reduced total lifespan (5-600 years on averge) and a lower maximum mana capacity, but it meant that they could thrive in areas where high elves could not.







Eventually they would go on to establish civilizations of their own that would be unified by the First Dark Emperor who's desire for World Domination still echos through Drow society Millennia onward in the War of Four Centuries. Among her most notable assets was The Life Weaver, who's magics combined traits from various creatures to fight in that war, notably Goblins Orcs and Nightdrakes . Among her most successful projects was one designed to produce mounts for the armies of her mistress. The Dark Elves made use of regular horses to carry their warriors to battle, though there was a desire for an upgrade. Giant Spiders were useful to some degree in that capacity, even if they were often more hassle than they were worth. For general cavalry, her ultimate creation was the Nivoth, more commonly known in human lands as Nightsteed.





To a casual inspection a common Nightsteed looks a lot like a regular warmblood horse with a Dark Coat, averaging about 165 cm tall at the withers and weighing in at 700 to 800 kilograms with the Janilonas breed being a bit larger and stockier. There are a few visual distinctions. Their fore legs have a spur of nail on the outer side which serves roughly as a weapon. Their eye are catlike and are forward oriented. Finally there is the teeth. In a regular horse the teeth canines are diminished dental nubs. In Nightsteeds they are large pronounced flesh piercers. All of which belies the predatory nature which has been instilled in these beasts. Human cavaliers often train their mounts to kick and bite those that their riders drive them towards. Nightsteeds do so instinctively and are infamous for going for the throats of their enemies. And while they still subsist primarily on grass, hay and other such plant materials night steeds do have a craving for blood and meat and the consumption of nutrient rich flesh is a considerable boost to the vitality of these beasts. Many a proud warrior who stood up against Drow Cavalry during a reaping would end up as fodder. While their raw aggression and hostility is overestimated by many, they are still quite deadly beasts.







In addition to this, there are some more subtle changes. Notable among these is the fact that Nightsteeds can effectively recover from broken legs. A few months taking it easy is usually enough for a Nightsteed to be as good as new after. Their Lungs are also different, being more akin to those of birds. Among other things, it means that Nightsteeds are infamous for their stamina and their ability to run down fleeing prey. Finally, Nightsteeds have a psionic receptiveness. If a Dark Elf rider gets onto a Nightsteed, the beast shall inevitably become more accepting and compliant to it's commands. Nighsteeds still need training to be at optimum effectiveness and work best with those that they have had regular contact with, but the process of "Breaking" them is a lot easier for a Dark Elf. The same is technically true of Wood Elves and High Elves, but the normal response of said cultures to Nightsteeds is to kill them for being perversions of nature.







Nightsteeds do take longer than regular horse to mature (5-6 years compared to 4 years for most regular breeds), can be more expensive to care for, need to be watered more often and are ill suited for use as draft animals (the Drow Idiom of a "Nivoth Drawn Dungwagon" refers to something which technically can be done, but is a major waste of potential through misapplication, occasionally carriages are drawn by teams of nightsteeds as a display of conspicuous wealth). For this reason they exist alongside regular baseline horses in the Drow States. Nightsteed Cavalry is usually reckoned as light or medium cavalry, staying away from the main enemy lines while releasing bow, crossbow and (in more recent times) gunfire and striking enemy formations where they are vulnerable. A few houses have a heavy cavalry tradition and their ranks have produced some of the most respected and feared chivalry of the world. Beyond combat roles, they are also often used by Drow Drovers (especially in their Colonies), racing animals, signs of status and as personal transportation.

