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Deep Elves call themselves the Ail'trist. They are playable at Early Access launch, they have the widest class list of any race in Monsters & Memories at thirteen of the eighteen classes, and their capital Ail'vorith is one of the four cities a character can start in.

Exile and descent

The Ail'trist were almost eradicated during the wars that followed the collapse of the Calafrey Conglomerate. Vanquished, banished and hunted, they fled deep underground, and it was there that they first heard the voice of the Shadow.

The Shadow warned them of the calamity that burned bright in the heavens. They took the warning and descended further, out of reach of whatever was coming, and found a thriving ecosystem waiting in the dark. They adapted to the deepest parts of what the lore calls the corrupt underbelly of the world.

What they learned there is described with a deliberate hedge that should be preserved rather than smoothed away. They learned to subjugate even the most demonic of forces, or perhaps they merely learned to coexist with the power they sought to control. The official text offers both readings and settles neither.

Masters of the Deep

They claimed the title Masters of the Deep for themselves, and the lore treats the claim as earned: they proved formidable against surface armies. Despite the near extinction that began their story, they are believed to be the most prolific elven race today.

Their capital is the ruined city the Cilindrine once drove them out of, reclaimed and rebuilt into the great capital of the underworld. The official phrasing for what goes on there is worth keeping intact: it is the city in which the Ail'trist scheme and the Shadow listens.

Appearance

No written description of deep elf appearance has been published as of September 2026. A mid-2026 development report recorded concept work on deep elf hair alongside deep gnome eye technology, which indicates distinct features exist in the art, but pipeline notes are not descriptions.

Homeland and starting city

Ail'vorith, the dark capital of the deep elves, lies far below the eastern lands of Calafrey. It is one of the four cities in the game at Early Access, and the official material says various evil race, faith and class combinations will be able to start there. The great capital of the underworld named in the deep elf lore and the Ail'vorith named in the Early Access material are the same place. See Starting Cities.

A dungeon called The Blind Midden was added near Ail'vorith, replacing a surface zone that had originally been slated for launch. See Zones and Descent into the Deep.

Classes

Thirteen classes are open to deep elves. Only five are missing: the Bard, the Beastmaster, the Druid, the Ranger and the Shaman. Every gap is a wilderness, beast or nature class, which is the one coherent absence a race that lives entirely underground could have. Deep elves are also one of only three races that can take the Monk.

The Shadow

The Shadow is one of the setting's named powers rather than a deity on any published list. It spoke to the Ail'trist underground, warned them of the coming calamity, and still listens in Ail'vorith. As of September 2026 nothing further about the Shadow has been published, and no pantheon or faith roster exists to place it in.

What is not published

As of September 2026, no racial stat block, attribute modifier, resistance value or racial ability list has been published for any race in Monsters & Memories. The official race material is lore plus a class list.