Dark Elf , the lure of evil ! Here's the background: all races in Norrath were hand created by one god or another in their quest for power and balance. However the "good" and "evil" gods weren't very good at communicating. This made Innoruuk, the Prince Of Hate , very angry. As revenge, he he slowly crafted his own brood (the Teir-Dal), which turned out to be as evil as himself. Like their creater, Dark Elves are deceitful creaters who love to inflict pain anf suffering on anyone around them - especialy if they benefit by it, Loyalty isn't really in the Elven vocabulary, and many and many a Dark Elf are backstabbed her own brethren in order to achieve some goal .
While other races screaming a war cry and wading into battle, Dark Elves prefer to hide ans cast magic . (It's much more fun to watch your opponents panic and run around in circles while you cast a painfull spell on them.) Dark Elves feel it's perfectly within their right to create chaos and spread evil. They often take great pleasure in misleading others, perhaps by sending newbies into the nearest Piranha-infested pond to retrieve a few platinum. Dark Elves have no use for timetables, do-gooders or promises. Instead, life is guided by their immediate wants and pleasures.
Much to their disgust, Dark Elves share the pointed ears of other elves - but have white hair and bluish-black skin. They're quick to dismiss all other races with disdain, especially if someone dares to compare them to lowly Wood Elf. Unlike their arboreal cousins, Dark Elves prefer roots to branches. They live underground and can see perfectly well in the dark.
The enjotment of conflicting pain and suffering is the hallmark trait of a Dark Elf. Likewise, hiding is both the preferred defense and attack for Dark Elves, no matter what they do for a living. Some choose magic, while others prefer to sneak behind-the-scenes as a Rogue, Warrior, Shadow Knight or Cleric.
Except for similarly twisted individuals, most Dark Elves won't tolerate other races in Neriak That feeling's quite mutual throughout Norrath. Because of this bad rap Dark Elves have a hard time getting from point A (Neriak) to point B,C,D,E.... you get the idea. The only way to travel is to kill someone that's hated in your destination city - Orc's, Gnolls, Rogues, Elven Slaves. That's always a risky, double-edged sword, though, since raising your faction standing outside Neriak usually alienates Dark Elves in your hometown.