Dargonesti

Dargonesti Elves are one of the two primary types of sea elves that are also known as the deep elves. Like their cousins the Dimernesti, they originally hail from the land elves, but were altered by the Graygem and leapt into the depths of the seas in the early ages of Krynn. The Dargonesti are known to be a particularly proud and haughty folk, with an attitude that is rather akin to the Silvanesti. The deep elves are led by the Speaker of the Moons, who traditionally ruled from the ancient kingdom of Watermere.

When first entering the sea, the deep elves founded the great kingdom of Watermere, and then spread outwards across the sea floor, where they established other settlements. Near the Dragon Isles are located the two mighty Dargonesti cities of Darthalla and Dargonest and southwards of Ansalon is the Dargonesti city of Urione. Following the Cataclysm and the fall of the holy city of Istar, Dargonesti elves claimed the ruins of Istar and this also became one of their chief settlements. In the years following the Cataclysm, the Dargonesti offered their aid to the Dimernesti, seeing how tidalwaves and undersea earthquakes decimated the settlements of the shoal elves. However their cousins refused the offer of assistance and the two underwater elven races grew apart.

During the Age of Mortals, the cities of Darthalla and Dargonest annexed themselves from the kingdom of Watermere, believing themselves isolated and too far removed, and nominated their own Speaker of the Moon to lead their new kingdom. It wasn't untilfollowing the War of Souls that the Dimernesti and Dargonesti united as a singular people after joining to battle against the undead hordes of the fire dragon Blazewight. The two elven races stand as one people in the new age, and even the Dargonesti elves of Dargonest and Darthalla are again opening up communication with the kingdom of Watermere.
Characteristics

The average male Dargonesti elf stands at seven feet tall, whilst females normally stand at six feet in height. Considerably taller than their elven cousins on land, they are slightly bulkier than their land cousins, however they are still more agile and slender than the typical human. The Dargonesti bear dark blue skin that is compared to the deep blue of the ocean, and have long webbed hands and feet that allow them to glide through the water. Dargonesti can breathe air easily enough, however they also possess small-feathered gill slits below each ear that allows them to breathe underwater with ease. Hair color for Dargonesti elves ranges from dark green to pale gold, and a few rare deep elves have been known to have black or silver hair. The deep elves have large eyes with small pupils that range in color from blue-green to deep indigo, and a small few sometimes have either yellow or black pupils. Dargonesti elves are considered adults when they reach 40 years of age, and the average Dargonesti can live up to 1000 years of age.

In the depths of the ocean, Dargonesti wear very little, usually only bits of seaweed or the occasional bit of clothing crafted from sea plants. Above the waves, they tend to wear cloaks or robes that hide their blue skin from the eyes of strangers. The Dargonesti are devoutly religious and worship three main gods. Most deep elves worship either Abbuku the Fisher (Habbakuk), Kisla the Mother of the Sea (Chislev) or Zura the Maelstrom (Zeboim). The worship of Zura was once considered outlawed and not acceptable, however the inhabitants of Urione openly worshipped her in the Age of Dreams and have continued to do so even beyond the War of Souls. There is some minor worship of other gods such as Estarin (Branchala), Ke-en (Mishakal). Krijol (Kiri-Jolith) and Matheri (Majere). The deep elves also revere the three gods of magic, as they recognise that the three gods even control all magic under the waves.

Dargonesti elves possess the traditional elvensight that all members of their race have, allowing them to see twice as far in the dark as humans. Sea elves also possess seasense, which allows them to sense differences in the water, alerting them to pollutants, changes in pressure or depth. The deep elves also have the gift of being able to polymorph themselves into a dolphin up to three times a day, a form that they can maintain indefinitely.

Dimernesti

Dimernesti Elves are one of the two primary types of sea elves that are also known as the shoal elves. Like their cousins the Dargonesti, they originally hail from the land elves, but were altered by the Graygem and leapt into the depths of the seas in the early ages of Krynn. The Dimernesti are known to be a proud folk and are led by the Speaker of the Sea, who is a position held by the ruling matriarch of the Windspeaker clan, long considered the royal line of the people.

When first entering the sea, the shoal elves founded the great city of Dimernost, and then built a number of smaller settlements around their new capital, titling their kingdom as Dimernesti. The elves then turned to the development of other coastal areas, and built great cities along the coastlines of Ansalon in particular. The Cataclysm resulted in great change for all of Ansalon, and the Dimernesti were not spared. Great tidal waves and undersea earthquakes destroyed all the coastal settlements of the Dimernesti, and the sole surviving city was their capital of Dimernost. With the exception of the residents of Dimernost, the Dimernesti elves became a nomadic people, living in small family groups that moved from coral reef to kelp bed.

Following the Cataclysm, the Dimernesti became bitter towards the Dargonesti, believing that their sea-elf cousins should have been punished just as much as they were. When the Dargonesti offered their aid to the shoal elves in rebuilding their settlements, the proud Dimernesti refused and turned their backs on their cousins. It wasn't until after the War of Souls that the Dimernesti finally united once more with the Dargonesti, forging an alliance to stand against the enemies of all elves underneath the waves.
Characteristics

The average male Dimernesti elf stands at six and a half feet tall, whilst females normally stand at six feet in height. Considerably taller than their elven cousins on land, they are slightly bulkier than their land cousins, however they are still more agile and slender than the typical human. Dimernesti possess light-blue skin and have long hands and feet that are webbed. Whilst they can easily breathe air, they also have small slitted gills below each ear, which allows them to easily breathe underwater as well. Dimernesti have silver hair and on average can live to about 500 years of age. Underwater, the Dimernesti sometimes clothe themselves with seaweed or with clothing made from plants, but otherwise wear very little. On land, they are usually covered in cloaks or robes to hide their blue skin.

Dimernesti elves possess the traditional elven sight that all members of their race have, allowing them to see twice as far in the dark as humans. Sea elves also possess seasense, which allows them to sense differences in the water, alerting them to pollutants, changes in pressure or depth. The shoal elves also have the gift of being able to polymorph themselves into a sea otter up to three times a day, a form that they can maintain indefinitely.

Sea elves are a deeply religious folk, although following the Cataclysm, many Dimernesti elves turned their backs on the gods. Throughout history, the Dimernesti have chiefly worshipped Abbuku the Fisher (known to others as Habbakuk). They also are known to worship Kisla the Mother of the Sea (Chislev), as well as a few others to a minor degree.