The Betrayal

The goddess Aristis went insane and turned on her mate, Sorellyn. Her attack was unsuccessful and she left with their young son, Vethune, banished from the panthenon. Determined to twist the knife in his heart, she convinced Sorellyn that the night elves, his chosen people, had plotted with her to kill him. In his already anguished state, he believed her, banishing them from the surface world with Aristis.

Blind with rage, Sorellyn turned the entire elven people againstthe L'Sheriss Empire. The elves were instructed as to how to break the defenses of Rylithian, Citidel on the Water and blocked all the secret exits. Even with this help, they chose to seal off the Citidel and trapped some 3000 of its inhabitants inside, all of which eventually suffocated. Rylithian's population of 80,000 was nearly 20% other mixed races with only a fraction of that being non elf. Those that were unable to evacuate were killed. The city was leveled and druids 'cleansed' the land, making it as if nothing had ever been there. The entire existance of the night elven people was to be forgotten.

Emperor Crescent L'Sheriss, however, knew he and his people were innocent. Although persued, he had sworn to protect elvenkind, and did everything he could to avoid killing them even though they were out to destroy him. He refused his banishment and prayed every day, hoping his god would listen and see the truth. He was ignored. For 506 years he was able to defy the will of a god. Finally, he refused to run anymore, resulting in the Final Stand at Last Hope. In his dying breath he told Empress Arielle to "Go down. It is the only way that what is left of our people can survive."

The elven soldiers that persued the 'traitors' came home to find their cities destroyed, their families dead, their land belonging to humans or worse. The Empire's most basic purpose was to 'protect the elven people from any and all that may harm them." It had been their sworn protector, and without the Empire, the elven people found themselves defenseless. Where as they learned to fight, it was too late. Elven lands fell into the hands of the humans.