Aracoix: Enslaved by Elves?

Original: My question comes from the inference that the Dar Kelegar hunterd or enlsaved the Aracoix. Is this really true? (Judging from the number of people who guessed this answer, I am not alone in my thinking.)

Well lets look at this issue...

There are rumors that perhaps could be taken to indicate that at least some Aracoix were enlaved by Elves: At first many thought them to be nothing more than a strange, sorcerous fusion of Man and Hawk, perhaps created by the Elves to use as slaves and soldiers. When I read that I assumed that the rumors where created due to the origin of the Minotaurs, so people who encountered the Birdmen would grasp for the most familiar explanation. I personally did not think there was any truth to the fact that Aracoix had been enslaved, but perhaps there is.

The race description actually indicated that Humans have been the primary hunters of the Aracoix since their appearance:When first encountered, Humans judged the Aracoix to be primitive and savage aberrations, but time has proven these assumptions completely incorrect. Hunted without mercy and driven into hiding, the Aracoix are fierce warriors and brilliant hunters that bear little love or trust for any of the peoples of the World. Rumors tell that the Aracoix disdain all Gods and religions, and are profoundly suspicious of all Magic.

And a post by Meridian on 3-11-01 shows that current relations between Aracoix and Elf are rather healthy as far as things go in the Shadowbane Universe: The Elves have a pretty complete Disdain for just about everybody. They are outright hostile towards Humans and absolutely hate Irekei. Interestingly enough, the only race the Elves seem to be neutral toward are the Aracoix...

The Aracoix are Not From Here - they showed up through a Runegate. As a result, they consider all of the other races inferior (and all of the other races tend to really distrust the Aracoix in turn). They didn't come to settle, they came to conquer. Most Aracoix are uniformly hostile to all the other races, although the Aracoix born in the World since the migration tend to be much more neutral toward the other races, particularly the Elves. I think this is further evidence that there is not significant conflict in the past between these two races.

Any thoughts? So Gradishar, are the Aracoix creation rumors the cause for the trivia question answer? Meridian, care to elaborate on the official history between these two races?

By Ren Keenblade

Answer: No, the Dar Khelegur did not ever enslave the Aracoix. They didn't getthe Shades, either.

Now, those impressions of the Bird Men being of Elf manufacture were indeed Human inferences based on Minotaurs.

I'm sure that Gradishar will be able to het out of trouble by citing the "according to what we know now" at the beginning of the question.

In the end, both the Aracoix and the Shades are newcomers, only seen since the Turning. As to why some Elves and some Aracoix seem to get along so well, that has yet to be revealed...