In Fallen Throne, all Elves are hypersexual, being extremely sensitive to oral, anal, and vaginal sex. Indeed, many Elves (Nualia included) can reach orgasm just from the lip stimulation that giving head yields, and deepthroat is analogous to human clitoral stimulation. Anal sex is similar in stimulation, with some Elves claiming to have more powerful orgasms from anal sex than clitoral stimulation.
Dark Elves have no refractory period or post-sex sensitivity, meaning that they can continue to have sex and orgasms after their initial orgasm. Similarly, they suffer no drop in libido after orgasm - it is not uncommon for a Dark Elf to reach ten or more orgasms in a typical sexual encounter. Similarly, it is not unheard of for a Dark Elf to have sex for many consecutive hours, since the only limitations to having sex is physical exhaustion or their partner disengaging.
Tied inherently to their hypersexuality, Dark Elves not only achieve orgasm much more easily than human women, but their orgasms are also much more powerful. Sex addiction is a common ailment among Dark Elves, especially teens and young adults (in relative human terms), and there exists an extensive infrastructure for helping addicts control and recover from their sex addiction.
While it isn't uncommon for aristocrats to undergo sex-addiction therapy - even queens have had popularized sessions in the past - sex addiction is a much more subdued creature amongst the elites. Just as rampant as amongst any other caste, they often forego therapy in favor of indulgence: celebrations of major events in the form of giant orgies is a common manifestation, and rumors run rampant of certain aristocrats having an open-and-revolving door policy to their bed chambers.
A natural consequence of their sexuality, though not indulged by all Dark Elves due to personal preferences and moral resistance, group sex is an especially powerful sexual experience for many Dark Elves. Their sensitivity lends well to indulging in gangbangs - where multiple partners focus their sexual efforts simultaneously on a single individual - and their sexuality longevity translates cleanly to trainbangs - where a group of partners take turns having sex with a single partner.
A designed consequence from the history of the Dark Elves, there are no Dark Elf men - the empire of Vael'Aser is populated wholly by Dark Elf women, and serfs. This is unique to only Dark Elves - all other races of Elves have a sexual binary of males and females, and reproduce in the classical way.
To circumvent this intentional Dark Elf single-sex paradigm, "Unity" magic was engineered, in the form of rings to be worn on the finger. Under the influence of Unity, a Dark Elf develops fully-functional male genitalia, allowing impregnation in the classical way.
There are no inherent negative consequences of Unity, but addiction to its effects can form, with some Dark Elves wearing their Unity ring consistently, engaging in constant classic sex or even just chronically masturbating. Elvish history tells of two previous queens in particular who grew addicted to their Unity rings: one whom ended up fathering children with nearly 40 different women, including several peasants; and another whom had a strong bukkake fetish and would adopt uncomfortable and extreme positions such that she could ejaculate on her face and breasts.
Reproduction through Unity does, however, have an inherent consequence. As a result of the extensive manipulation involved in removing men from the gene pool, magic attenuation - the natural sensitivity to magic and the proclivity to learn how to use it - is not hereditary. As such, an Elf born through Unity, to two Dark Elf parents, is guaranteed to have zero magical aptitude, and training in magical arts will be physically impossible for that individual.
Fortunately, a natural consequence of Elvish hypersexuality is their ability to mate and breed with any semen-based species, with the off-spring always being an Elf. As such, there is a strong motive for Dark Elves, especially those with magically-inclined family, to breed with non-Elves, to perpetuate the utilization of magic.
An imperial people with strong xenophobic tendencies, as a result from the historic abuse of their people, non-Elves are considered inherently inferior to Dark Elves, considered in many ways to be nothing more than slightly-more-intelligent dogs, or other household pets.
A consequence of this, coupled with the "open breeding" trait of Elves, is for the practice of "war breeding" amongst the Dark Elves of Vael'Aser. When a group of people are subjugated by the Vael'Asean military, they are assimilated into Vael'Asean culture. Women, children, and the elderly are fitted into roles as serfs, predominantly domestic, while most of the men are pushed into roles as laborers.
However, a special subset of men are hand-picked by the aptly named "War Breeders", the selection based on favorable traits such as strength, docility (submissive men are seen as weak and unfavorable, but unnecessary aggression is also unfavorable; independent yet malleable is the ideal), youth, and penis size. To most War Breeders, the last is of special importance, being the tie-breaker: all other traits being equal, only the men with the thickest penises are chosen.
These specially selected men are then given a choice, unlike all other subjugated groups: join their compatriots as laborers, or serve the Vael'Asean aristocracy as a breeder. Most men, captivated by the inherent beauty of the Dark Elves (not many are as idealized as Nualia, but most all are beautiful and attractive nevertheless), choose life as breeders.
However, most all men soon come to regret the decision, exercising their right to revoke the choice and join their peers as laborers. The reason for this is simple: the fantasized life of lavish, cushy living and making love with beautiful Elvish women whenever they wanted is as far from the reality as can be. Instead, they are under a constant onslaught of Elvish women whose only interest is in using the man's penis for pleasure. Sex with a beautiful woman once or twice an evening is paradise: 14 non-stop hours of having a rotating door of women bouncing on your dick is just short of torture. There is no love in the coupling, and the only reason they are given rest or food at all is because they cannot breed if they are malnourished or dead.
The high turnover rate of breeders is inconsequential to the Dark Elves, however: it is just as well, stimulating genetic diversity. Having 30 or so women breeding with the same man is not conducive to such diversity, after all.
It is worth noting that, while Dark Elves are naturally xenophobic and have a strong contempt for non-Elves, the assimilated individuals are not treated cruelly or as slaves. Indeed, the breeders are often treated worse than any other group of servants, and that is largely because they have free agency to stop their role as a breeder at any time.
The serfs are often taken in by Elvish families, and while they are considered and treated as pets, they are still given proper accommodations, food, and even affection - especially from the Elvish children. Additionally, both serfs and laborers are given a large degree of agency. It is a common arrangement for masters to set "free times" for their servants, during which time they are free to roam within the family's caste-district, as well as specialized "serf districts", so long as they return to the family home before curfiew.
Laborers are less often taken in by Elvish families, instead given housing within the aforementioned serf districts of Vael'Aser. a this way, laborers are very much like any classical employee: they have an obligation of hours to the Vael'Asean labor forewomen, and the rest of the time is their own, free to roam the serf district and mingle.
All servants are paid respectable, if not small, sums for their services, which they can use to purchase goods for themselves. Upgrading to their own, individual housing in the serf districts is perfectly possible, though many serfs consider such a move to be downgrading from a loving home; laborers, however, often see it as a goal to attain, to escape the inherent discomforts of group housing.
It is even possible for servants to purchase their "freedom", signified by a tattoo on the side of their face. While still not allowed to leave the confines of Vael'Aser unless accompanied by a master, these "unserfs" have no inherent obligations upon them, and are free to roam not just the serf districts, but the entirety of Vael'Aser.
All in all, assimilated servants are generally treated with, if not respect, then at least tolerance, by the Dark Elves. The abuse of servants is not unheard of, but is strongly acted upon by Vael'Asean authorities. Abuse is sadly more common among the aristocrats, due to the inherent influence their position holds, but even they are not fully immune to the law. Famously, a former queen was arrested and stripped of her rulership over the discovery of a "fight dungeon" she housed in the catacombs of the royal chambers: she would regularly have serfs fight each to the death, completely naked and armed with blunt weapons such as chair legs, and would often have multiple serfs gang up against individuals she had particular animosity toward; and when they were not fighting, they were chained to the walls of the dark and damp side-chambers, where they were forced to sleep and be fed liquid food through straws. Such extreme abuse has never been reported since.
In the face of this apparent high degree of freedom granted to servants, they are still heavily regulated, and the punishments are extreme. It is forbidden for servants to leave their masters' district, with the exception of entering a serf district. Speaking to any Dark Elf without being directly addressed is also a criminal offense, perfectly justifying judicial punishment. Unwarranted looking at an Elvish woman at or above her hips is technically an offense as well, occasionally reported by more prudish women, though most Elves - particularly young adults - enjoy the attention, often going so far as to tease serfs into ogling them and giving them compliments.
The punishment for servants is a two-strike policy. The first offense is met with a public lashing, often executed by the arresting officer on the spot and without trial. Certain offenses have additional punishment, such as the dismembering of a hand for theft or the castration for raping another servant (raping a Dark Elf is met with immediate execution). Additionally, a brand is seared onto the forehead of the offending servant, marking them as an offender.
The second offense is met with undue execution, also often without trial and by the arresting officer.
Vael'Asean culture is split into several castes. These castes are represented by the verticality of Vael'Aser, which is built in a roughly pyramid shape. Each caste has all of the privileges of the caste below, as well as additional social rights. In general, social status is downstream, meaning that an individual may interact with any member of an equal or lower caste, but it considered offensive to unduly interact with a member of a higher caste. There is virtually no social mobility, meaning that an individual born into a caste will mostly likely forever stay in that caste, except for rare instances of escalation, such as being drafted into the Military or marrying into a higher caste.
The very top-most cast is the Regal caste, and is the family of the current ruler, reaching two generations: their immediate family, the families of any immediate sisters to the ruler or her partners, the families of her daughters, and the families of the parents of the ruler and her partners.
After the Regal caste is the Aristocratic caste, referred to more simply as the Aristocracy, and is composed of roughly twenty-five bloodlines, many of them tracing their origins all the back to the original construction of Vael'Aser. The majority of political power resides in the Aristocracy, where laws and policies are drafted, discussed, and voted into action through forums. The ruling Queen may overrule and destroy any law that the Aristocracy puts into play, without provocation, and any law that aversely affects the Regal caste in any way must be explicitly approved by the ruling Queen.
Below the Regal caste are the Judicial and Clerical castes, equal in social standing but diametric in purpose, and uniquely exempt from downstream social politics, meaning that they can interact with anyone, including even the Queen herself, without social consequence. The Judicial caste is composed of the individuals involved with the judicial system, and includes officers, prosecutors, attorneys, and judges, all tasked with upholding the laws that the Aristocracy employs. The Clerical caste is composed of the individuals composing the Clergy, and are tasked with maintaing the religious health of Vael'Aser.
The Military caste resides beneath the Judicial and Clerical castes, and consists of the members of the Vael'Asean military and their immediate families. A member of any caste lower than the Military caste is eligible to be drafted, without reason, into the Military caste. Refusing any such draft is subject to judicial repercussions.
The Common caste houses the middle class, representing the bulk of the Vael'Asean community. Merchants, artisans, caravaneers, and various other occupations, and the families of such individuals, all reside in the Common caste. This is the lowest caste that are legally allowed to leave Vael'Aser.
The Labor caste exists below the middle class, and is commonly referred to as the "Peasantry" by the higher castes. This caste is home to the large group of minimally educated, financially stressed, and generally dispossessed. Most physical occupations, such as construction and carpentry, exist in this caste, hence its name.
Finally, the Serf caste resides at the very bottom of the caste pyramid, representing the non-Elves that have been assimilated into Vael'Asean culture.
As with most any civilization, there is a thriving underground culture in Vael'Aser. Widely recognized and largely blindly turned away from by the classical castes, this underground knows no social bounds: an aristocrat is just as valuable as a peasant, in the underground.
Underground culture mostly deals in three things: excursion, trade, and sex. Excursion is predominantly focused toward the Labor and Serf castes, whose members are not legally allowed to leave Vael'Aser, but also receives traffic from higher casts, even Aristocracy, who wish to leave the empire limits without the parade involved in legal departure.
Trade is a classic black market, where heavily regulated goods such as weapons and psychedelics can be obtained with no questions asked, and even downright contraband like heavy tranquilizers or contraceptives can be acquired.
But the underground's most interesting offer is sex. Unserfs who prostitute themselves, and shady Dark Elves who pimp their serfs, are wildly popular among the lower castes: those who are legally denied breeding with non-Elves, and who are socially chastised for breeding with their serfs. The Military caste, to whom the War Breeders belong, are notorious for indulging in this underground market: being exposed to sublime breeders all day, and yet being denied access to enjoying the assets they so carefully choose, leaves many a War Breeder aching between her legs at the end of the day's duties.
The opposite end of the sexual serfdom is the prostitution of Dark Elves themselves, targeting largely the Labor and even Serf castes. Indeed, sex with serfs is widely considered a fetish, much like zoophilia - which is also offered, for those into it - and the idea of indulging in such taboo as having sex with serfs is alluring to many young Dark Elves of the Common caste and even the Aristocracy. Some Elves, referred to as "serf breeders" or simply "serfers" in the community, even discourage the use of contraceptives, finding the risk of becoming pregnant with a serf's child exceptionally arousing.
Like most undergrounds, there is no one location that these activities can be pinned to. However, due to their high proclivity to catering to the Labor and Serf castes, the Serf Districts are by and large the most common area to find an underground establishment, referred to in common slang as "underdens."
Vael'Asean rulership is not a bloodline monarchy, but is rather a religious monarchy. A special task of the Clerical caste is to manage the process of Divination: the communion with the Veil Goddesses, ever listening to whom they deem should sit atop the throne of Vael'Aser.
For virtually all of a monarch's life, the Veil Goddesses simply reiterate their name. Upon the Queen's death, a Divination is held immediately, where the Veil Goddesses almost always have a new name ready for the throne: this is known as Divining.
Often, a daughter of the Queen is Divined, though there is no real pattern related to age. If a Queen has no children, often a sister or niece is Divined. Rarely, someone not in the Regal family is Divined. Though there is no technical restriction of such Divinations pulling from the Aristocracy, there has never been a Divination of someone from a lower caste.
Extremely rarely, a new Queen is Divined during the active rule of another Queen. To date, this has only occurred three times in Vael'Asean history, and all three times, was a result of a malicious Queen who was working to undermine the Empire or insult the Veiled Goddesses.
In recent years, an ideological division has escalated amongst the Common caste and leading up to the Aristocracy themselves, leaving, for the first time in nearly forty centuries, a divided house.
This ideological division has mostly been focused around the perpetual of Vael'Asean bloodlines. The practice of war breeding has recently come under fire by a minority group of very vocal purists, lead by the young elf Mujeri. These purists believe that breeding with non-Elves is diluting not only Elvish bloodlines, but is undermining the very purpose of Unity: removing men from Vael'Aser altogether, and keeping the empire purely dependent on women. If the Ancestors wanted Dark Elves to breed with men, these Purists argue, then they would not have created the Unity rings.
Diametric to the purists are the conjugists, whose platform is one of breeder diversification, as opposed to breeder restriction. It has been the inherent ability of Elfkind since the Predecessors, the conjugists argue, to mate and breed with any other species - not just sapient ones. The conjugists argue that breeding with common serfs, animals, and other creatures such as monsters and even dragons, should not only be legalized but encouraged, for the sake of genetic diversity. One of the most vocal proponents of the conjugist party is Caldreth, the only daughter of Queen Nualia.
The purist party has been gaining traction among the Aristocracy, creating undue friction in the forums and causing general upheaval and discomfort all through the populace. Of particular contention is the conjugist party, whom while still a minority, have been gaining attention in recent years. The purists call for the arrest or even exile of conjugists, and accuse the Queen of nepotism for her inaction, claiming that it is because her daughter is a representative of the movement.
The Aristocracy is further divided by unsavory rumors of the Queen's private antics: from taking breeders for herself as personal comfort dolls, all the way to accusing Nualia of being a serfer, being unfit to rule the empire as she lays with common serfs and gambles against bearing their children.
The purist party's influence has grown so strong that there is even cracks in the confidence the populace has with the Clergy, amid rumors that the Clerics are falsifying divinations, hiding the name of a true Divination. Many purists purport that it is Mujeri who is being sincerely Divined, and that she should usurp Queen Nualia and take her rightful place on the throne.
The alleyways are awash with rumors of an imminent coup being launched by the purists, in an attempt to forcefully overthrow the Queen and possibly even dispose of the loyalist Aristocratic families. And every day, those rumors grow just a little bit louder.