When the Arhainii abandoned the forest of Athel Loren, they were cut off from the traditional sources of magical energy that the Wood Elves have used for centuries. The ley lines that are common in the forest are rare elsewhere and the wild powers of nature are considerably reduced outside of Loren.
To compensate for this lack of magic, Kry'el and Lithar decided a drastic solution was needed. They decided to form the Coven. The Coven is a group of 15 of the most powerful Shadow Mages. It is led by Thon'eth, a Shadow Mage of great power and the most senior of all the Mages. The role of the Coven was to find an alternative source of magical power for the Arhainii to use.
The first discovery that the Coven made, was how to combine their ancestral magic of nature with the potent power of dark magic. This was a great achievement and has more than made up for their original loss. The Coven however decided that they could do a lot more than originally planned. While researching dark magic, an unwitting Mage discovered the Shadow Paths. The only other race that uses these Paths are the Lizardmen and it was this that led the Arhainii to their discovery. The Mages wondered how the Lizardmen had been able to transport an army into Shadowkeep without the Night Walkers knowing about it. They set one Mage, Talorr Grey, the task of finding out.
Talorr Grey discovered that the Slann Mages had used a stone circle that was discovered just outside the keep. He managed to work out the energy used to power the circle and unwittingly transported himself half way across the Old World. The other Mages believed he had been killed and left the Stone Circle alone but when Talorr managed to return, they realised the potential of being able to teleport people around the world. After a bit of experimentation, they discovered that there was not one but many thousands of gateways across the length and breadth of the world. Talorr called them Shadow Paths and if you use them you are said to 'walk the Shadow Path'. The stone circle at Shadowkeep is never without a guard and the Coven have set up a magical alarm system should anyone utilise the gateway without their permission. One thing scares the Coven more than anything else and that is that the Lizardmen may use the circle as they did before and attack Shadowkeep with force. They are determined that this must never occur.
Shadow Paths are natural gateways that can take people instantly from one place to another if they have the key to open the gate. Entrances to Shadow Paths can be found all over the world. They come in many different sizes. To transport a large number of people a large Path is needed and this can only be done at special locations around the world where the magical energy is strongest. To transport only one person is a lot easier. A single person can tap into the Shadow Paths from anywhere and use them to transport themselves to anywhere else. The Mages call this 'walking the Spirit Path' and most Mages around the world use this to teleport themselves even though they don't realise they are tapping into a vast network.
The Shadow Mages are therefore a vital part of any Arhainii raiding party. They are able to instantly teleport whole regiments from one part of the battlefield to another allowing the Arhainii to constantly surprise their foe.
After the discovery of the Shadow Paths, the Coven realised how much magic there was in the world that they didn't even know existed. They became a research and experimental institution, constantly investigating and experimenting with magic in all its forms. Research can be as easy as sitting in a laboratory and trying out various spells or it can require the use of armies to recover artifacts that contain magical secrets. These raiding parties always have a high proportion of Shadow Mages accompanying them and if the mission is really important a member of the Coven will usually go as well. This has led to many great achievements. The most successful of all are the Raptors and the Dark Sylphs.
RAPTORS
The Night Walkers of the Arhainii are effective scouts but sometimes the Shadow Elves require detailed information that even the Night Walkers cannot provide. The Shadow Elves realised that from the air they could spot their targets from miles away and organise a rapid assault force to attack at the right moment. Large monsters were unreliable at this and were easily spotted. The Arhainii needed something else. The Coven discussed the problem and decided that using smaller birds was the answer. They began to use their powers to try and bind the birds to their will. Some found this to be impossible but there were a few to whom it was easy. They became the Raptors.
DARK SYLPHS
The Coven, no longer able to call on the spirits of the woods for assistance, scoured the magical planes to discover spirits that they could bind to their will. They found them in the form of Dark Sylphs. These creatures exist apart from reality but a powerful Shadow Mage can bind them to his service making them more substantial. Summoning these creatures is dangerous as they have a thirst for life force and will, if not properly controlled, attack the very Shadow Mage that summoned them.
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