* Restricted: Moriquendi only
During the initial diaspora of the Peoples of Anarea the Elves spread out across Minduinath and Taur Galen. Some preferred the sea, and stayed on the coast, some preferred the trees, and ventured into the Greenwood, but others preferred the stars, and crosssed the Wall at the Edge of the World into the Lost Country of the Underworld. The Twelve Tribes of the Sindarin Elves crossed the Wall in the Year 442, but the High Elves had gone before them. Small groups of the Moriquendi (as they called themselves) had setled in various places, but moved away as the Moredhil (Sindarin Dark Elves) expanded their nomadic wanderings across the wilderness area of the Lost Country. Some Moriquendi survive on the Isles of Dreams and of the Lost, but the largest surviving colony is at Tavas Taulë at the far end of Vahairė in the ash desert of Sindalóna. Here the rainfall is higher than elsewhere and a small pine forest grows, in which the Moriquendi have grown a Sacred Grove of giant sequoia trees, the Taulėrindė, on top of a low hill beneath which they discovered a cave complex, the Lócėrotelė, that they (mostly) cleared and have subsequently extended.
The Moriquendi of the Underworld retain Quenya as their formal tongue, but for day to day speech they mostly use a somewhat corrupted dialect of Sindarin. Their place names and the names of their Cults are always spoken in Quenya, but the proper names of individual Moriquendi usually have both Quenya and Sindarin (Moriquendi dialect) forms.
The Moriquendi of Tavas Taulë are mostly Evil and Neutral. The prominent Cults amongst them are the Tree, Bat and especially the Saurian Cult of the Raucoliė, who breed, ride and sell Nazgūl. This is a highly profitable business, with the main customers in Hell, but also across the Underworld; Zarmator in particular. The Raucoliė are based in the Lócėrotelė but go to their customers, as the Moriquendi are reclusive and prefer to keep their home at Tavas Taulë secret. They have permanent markets in the First Circle of Hell, Nârsh in Zarmator and Ashazôrg in the Great Orcish Empire. The Nazgûl are bred in the Lócėrotelė and sun themselves on flets (wooden platforms) at the tops of the sequoia trees of the Taulėrindė. The SOROK sub-Cult of the Raucoliė train live Nazgûl to bear Undead riders (especially Ghosts) and also do a profitable line in skeletal and zombie Nazgûl (ghost Nazgûl being generally avoided as being too troublesome to keep under Control).
The main Gods worshipped amongst the Moriquendi are KOROS, HAERIM and OUROBOROS, though WAGREN, SOROK, ZAKEL and DALA also have followers. Their Elementalists favour Fire and Planist Spells.
The Moriquendi are well-versed in the Mysteries of Binding, Dreaming, Madness, the Otherworlds and the Dark Side of Nature. Some of them are Anti-Druids, usually in addition to conventional (Cultist) Druids. But despite their fascination with the Dark Side, most of them appreciate there needs to be a balance between growth, fertility and birth on the one hand and decay, corruption and death on the other. They co-operate with Evil factions that seek to exploit the Dark Forest (which they consider to be seriously undervalued by the Calaquendi of the Overworld), but generally seek to be a temporising influence upon Them. However, there are of course fanatics amongst the Moriquendi, who believe the triumph of Evil can be achieved by the primacy of the Dark Forest.
In the depths of the Lócėrotelė is the lair of Culśrien, a large old N/N Copper Dragon who is said to have dwelt there since before the Moriquendi discovered the caves. He is almost worshipped by the Raucoliė, who pay him tribute for his hoard of 5% of all treasure (cash, gems and jewellery) they discover (as opposed to profit on trade or thievery) and speak with him to learn the will of OUROBOROS (usually in return for a tribute of treasure).
The Moriquendi are ruled by a King and Queen (though Culśrien perhaps has more influence, especially amongst the Raucoliė). The kingship is hereditary and their honorific titles are Norebo and Ainatit, but they are usually known by their given names. Their palace is high in the sequoia trees of the Taulėrindė, just beneath the Nazgûl flets. The Moriquendi are independent types, and generally consider the King and Queen to be first amongst equals, rather than absolute rulers.
© P.R. Wild, 4 November 2012/16 February 2013
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