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Dungeon



Introduction:

“Hide, listen, watch, learn… And when the time is right, strike from the shadow.”

Aka: The Dark Elves
Associated colors: black and purple
Worship: Malassa, the Dragon of Darkness, keeper of deadly secrets
Core philosophy: “We rule the shadows, and someday the shadows will rule everything.”
Country / kingdom: Ygg-Chal, the Dark Below
Home Terrain: Dungeon
Capital city: Konos, the Maze of Shadows.
Key symbols: Snake, featureless mask.

Description:

The Dark Elves are renegades from the Sylvan factions who long ago made a pact with the mysterious Faceless. As a result, the whole nation embraced the darkness and chose to live in the underground world of Ashan, building their cities in the huge caves there.

The Dark Elves worship the Dragon of Darkness, and because their deeds in her name are their worship, the Dungeon society is built around secrecy, plots, betrayal, and occultism. Each town is ruled by a clan with a High Priestess at its head. Women are almighty in the Dungeon society, for they lead the religious, political, and military powers. They do not raise their children themselves, but send them to the temple instead, where they will learn all the arts a young Dark Elf must know to survive.

In peace time, the Dark Elves use their very particular skills against other Dark Elf cities, to strengthen their own clans. But in war time, all these skills dedicated to murder and plots are turned on the common enemy. On the battlefield, Dungeon troops are renowned for their superior agility and power, even amongst their basic units. Fortunately for their enemies, this superiority is scarce and comes at a higher cost, for the Dark Elves are few in numbers and each loss is a severe blow to their military might.


Brief History:

The origins

> 528 YSD: Tuidhana’s Secession

Tuidhana, legendary founder of the Dark Elves, declares independence from the Elven Kingdom.

> 540 YSD: War of the Bitter Ashes – Birth of the Dark Elves

The Elves of Irollan and the Human Knights of the Holy Falcon Empire are at war, with Tuidhana's kingdom as the main battlefield. Her territory under attack from both sides, Tuidhana makes a pact with the Faceless for the power to protect her people. Those who follow her are changed by the blessing of Malassa, Dragon of Darkness. From this day on, they will be known as the Dark Elves. With the support of their new allies, they will expel both the Elves and the Humans from their land.

> 548 YSD: The Peace of New Spring

The Holy Falcon Empire forfeits any claim to elven lands and makes extensive reparations. The Dark Elf kingdom's independence is recognized – at sword point – by Elves and Humans, but intermittent hostilities persist across the borders.

> 566 YSD: Day of the Tears of Fire – Death of Tuidhana

A massive fire burns down the Elven capital. The High King dies in the flames with most of his court. Brythigga, the Mother of Trees, sacred to the Elves, is also consumed by the fire. The loss is devastating.

The Dark Elves are blamed and offered exile or death. Most choose exile; the rest are hunted down and destroyed without mercy. Tuidhana remains with her lands and is killed.

> 585 YSD: Discovery of Demon Implication in the Day of the Tears of Fire

The Dragon Knights bring evidence to the Elves that Brythigga’s criminal fire was set by a Demon spy.

Emissaries are sent from the forest to the wandering Dark Elves, offering amnesty and inviting them to return home. The offer is refused.



Creatures:



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Scout (Upgrade: Assassin)

Fresh from the temple, the scouts are young apprentices following their practical tests for their final examination, after which they will graduate and can become assassins. Although young and inexperienced, they already have strong theoretical and physical training in the art of killing. They are equally gifted in ranged and melee combat.



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Blood Sister (Upgrade: Blood Fury)

The Blood Sisters are the core of the Dungeon infantry. These servants of the dragon of darkness master a deviant form of the Sylvan martial art. They are so fast in combat that they can charge and evade in the same strike. As a result, they are the perfect troops for any strategy based on skirmish attacks. They will never get stuck in an endless melee.



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Minotaur Slave (Upgrade: Minotaur Guard)

In the Dungeon society, the Minotaurs are usually used as slaves to perform the most degrading and tedious works. However, the Minotaurs are known for their bravery and dignity. They will perform any task at their best, including fighting for their slaveholders. In fact, their prowess in combat gained them respect not only amongst the Dark Elves, but also within the other factions.



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Dark Rider (Upgrade: Dark Champion)

The Dark Raiders are the cavalry of the Dungeon faction. Mounted on their ferocious Cave Lizards, they will charge on the enemy, shattering its shield and blasting its armor. Their charge is so ferocious that even the biggest creatures may be unable to resist them. The Dark Raiders usually patrol the Dungeon maze, attacking any enemy foolish enough to venture that deep into the cave.



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Hydra (Upgrade: Deep Hydra)

The Hydras are, with the Black Dragons, the oldest inhabitants of the underground world of Ashan. They were already there when the Dark Elves arrived, and finally tolerated them. As time went by, both races drew closer and finally reached a tacit alliance grounded on a common desire to preserve the caves from any “luminous” influence. Hydras are slow creatures. They prefer to ambush their prey from the darkness of their den and then strike swiftly. Of course, they can strike up to three targets at once.



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Shadow Witch (Upgrade: Shadow Matriarch)

The Shadow Witches dedicate their lives to Malassa. They are granted supernatural powers that allow them to throw devastating shadow bolts at their enemies. They also can cast spells to weaken their attackers, or to urge their own troops into combat.



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Shadow Dragon (Upgrade: Black Dragon)

Sons and daughters of Malassa, the Shadow Dragons usually keep the entrances to the Maze of Shadows. The younger ones (meaning only a few hundred years old) sometimes assist the Dark Elves in exchange for untold secrets, rare and exotic gifts, or blood-sealed pacts.

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DUNGEON FACTION Q&A

1. Hello. First, please introduce yourself.

Hi, my name is Alexander Mishulin. I’m Creative Director for the developer, Nival Interactive, and one of the Heroes of Might and Magic® V game designers.

2. How did you come up with the idea of creating a new faction for Heroes V?

Actually, it was not a single idea but rather a chain of ideas and decisions. In Heroes of Might and Magic V we try to unite each faction with a sole idea. When we looked at the old Dungeon faction we saw various mythological creatures who were only united by the fact that they lived underground. (And even this was a weak uniting feature, because placing some of them – for instance, Medusas – underground was somewhat questionable.) And we wanted not just creatures in the faction, but a race, with its own philosophy, history, special features, and lifestyle.  Then we thought of Dark Elves. Dark Elf is a very popular fantasy race, probably one of the races with the biggest cult following – besides dragons, of course. They have their own distinctive style and features, and consequently they bring unique ideas not only to the Dungeon faction but to the whole game.

3. Why did you call this faction Dungeon? Does it mean that the old Dungeon faction will totally disappear?

In creating Heroes of Might and Magic V we follow not a revolutionary but an evolutionary path. The old Dungeon faction has not totally disappeared; it was just reorganized and now has a unique idea and unique race living there. We left some creatures that had been living in Dungeon in the previous games. It’s only natural that you can hire Minotaurs and Black Dragons in the Dungeon town, isn’t it? Plus, Dark Elves are living underground, so, again, their housing in the Dungeon is quite natural. And they are quite strong in magic, which again fits the classical concept of the Dungeon from the previous games.

4. What were your inspirations when creating this new faction?

We somewhat based ourselves on the classical fantasy descriptions and general idea of Dark Elves, yet changed it to fit the Heroes of Might and Magic V universe. Actually, we were inspired by two ideas: the conception of Dungeon in the previous HoMM games and the conception of Dark Elves in various fantasy worlds, especially those Dark Elves that live in the city of Menzoberronzan described by R.A. Salvatore. The idea of Dungeon underground faction inspired us because it brings in wholeness and completeness to the gaming world and has many distinctive features from the gameplay point of view, while the idea of Dark Elves brings in a new culture with its own bright characters, individuality, architecture, and beliefs, which are all very inspiring. This mix makes for a really interesting and attractive faction!

This nation is not as evil as Demons, nor do they worship death like Necromants. Dark Elves used to be Sylvan Elves, but one day they made a pact with Faceless and accepted darkness. That’s what we kept in mind when creating them. As fast, strong, free, and beautiful as common Elves, yet indifferent and merciless like one’s shadow. Their actions are not aimed at others’ sufferings nor do they try to bring good to the world. They follow their own way, and if you turn out to be in their way, they won’t even listen to your excuses.  

Classical Dark Elves worship spiders, but we replaced spiders with dragons – as dragons are very important creatures in the Heroes of Might and Magic V world, as well as in the Might and Magic universe in general. Visually, classic fantasy Dark Elves are pictured with purple skin and pale hair. As our Dark Elves are renegades from the Sylvan faction, they differ from the Sylvan Elves more in their morals than in their looks. However, their look delivers the general idea of this faction: free, strong, fast, and “dark.” Indifferent to others’ desires and sufferings, they follow their own way that lies through the shadows…  

5. Why are women that important in this faction? Is it to balance the game?

In all the fantasy origins Dark Elves live in a matriarchy – the status of women in their society is rather high. We decided not to change that. Not only does it bring some more diversity to the Heroes of Might and Magic V world, it also distinguishes the Dark Elves more from the Sylvan Elves. Plus, female units make the faction more pleasurable to one’s eye.

6. Why did you decide to create an “underground” faction?

We felt that there definitely should be a more cohesive underground section in the game to deepen the gameplay role of the underground level. An underground faction is not new to the Heroes of Might and Magic series. The first idea in the Heroes series was to make underground levels just like stocks of different bonuses and resource items, but then it was decided to create rather large dungeons with their own castles and creatures there. In HoMMV we extended this idea to the unique underground race, and it seemed only natural to us. The Might and Magic fantasy world wouldn’t be as rich without huge underground caves and dungeons, inhabited by an underground race that balances the game world and the gameplay.  

7. What will the dungeon faction bring to the mix in terms of gameplay? Is it might or magic oriented? Does it have any never-seen-before abilities?

Dark Elves are very good warriors, quite dangerous to their opponents. They are strong and rather fast, so they can throw mighty attacks on the enemy. Yet their numbers are scarce and the cost of warriors is rather high, so their power is balanced by smaller amounts of troops. Dark Elves are quite magic-oriented, as their heroes are good in magic resistance. In Heroes of Might and Magic V, each faction has its own unique abilities, and Dark Elves are no exception. They can receive bonuses for various combinations of strikes.  

8. What will be the role of the Dungeon faction in the story of Heroes V?

Their role in the story is rather big, but that’s all I will tell for now. I’m not trying to tease you; I just don’t want to spoil first impressions and the fun you will have from exploring the story of Heroes of Might and Magic V. Just believe me, as each faction has its unique features, each also has its own unique role in the plot of the game, making the story fuller and brighter.

9. So now that everybody knows about the six factions in Heroes V, would you tell us which one is your favorite and why?

That’s a difficult question! We created factions one at a time (first there were humans, then demons, and so on), and as each faction appeared in the game I thought: “This faction will be my favorite!” . I still can’t pick a definite favorite, as each faction is so absolute in its diversity and pre-eminence. However, if I had to name one, it would probably be the Necropolis. I’m very fond of Gothicism, and in this faction our artists followed Gothic architectural style. But Dark Elves are a very close runner-up, as they have this dark and shadow mood around them, too. Plus, I think it will be very interesting to play a Dark Elf in the Heroes of Might and Magic world!

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~ I hope you do not mind that I edited your post, I already had this post ready for some time ~

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Why dark elves don't have black skin?

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Why dark elves don't have black skin?

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yhis guy with halberd is strange, I mean that it's look np as he sitting but as he flying right up to him (and he quake strange ;p)

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This guy with halberd is strange, I mean that it's look no as he sitting but as he flying right up to him (and he quake strange ;p)

And in 1 frame dino have "cutted" his tail

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the Elf Lord from Disciples 2

Does it fit or not?

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I called this "Dino Square"

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so far the units,

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so far the units,

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Have you made defs, too?

They look great. That's five... two more to go!

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so far the units,

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Have you made defs, too?

They look great. That's five... two more to go!

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It would be 2 more to go if all have animation... I dont know but I think that only This centaur-elf and night elf have FULL animation and there is a upgrades, 8 lvl, commander so you see - 11 more to go if not 14:/

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