Fuinedhil Hîr Eöl

'The trees of Nan Elmoth were the tallest and darkest in all Beleriand, and there the sun never came; and there Eol dwelt, who was named the Dark Elf. Of old he was of the kin of Thingol, but he was restless and ill at ease in Doriath, and when the Girdle of Melian was set about the Forest of Region where he dwelt he fled thence to Nan Elmoth. There he lived in deep shadow, loving the night and the twilight under the stars. He shunned the Noldor, holding them to blame for the return of Morgoth, to trouble the quiet of Beleriand; but for the Dwarves he had more liking than any other of the Elvenfolk of old. From him the Dwarves learned much of what passed in the lands of the Eldar'

~ Tolkien J.R.R., The Silmarillion; XVI On Maeglin ~

Fuinedhil Hîr Eöl

The Fuinedhil Hîr Eöl are the former servants of Eöl the Dark Elf. The Fuinedhil are a small number of wayward Elves that once lived in the realm of Nan Elmoth in Beleriand. They left their master's halls when he did not return from his search for his son Maeglin and his wife the White Lady Aredhel of Gondolin. Today only a handful of their secretive kind remain, though their fate is largely unknown. They are a mysterious people forsaken by their own kin, and they have taken to wandering the many lands of Middle-Earth.

Like their master, they shun the sun and prefer to toil at night. They look back with longing to days long gone, when the only light that shone on Middle-Earth was the light of the stars. The sun is a sign of the passing of the Elves and the beginning of the era of Man. And though they do not shun the moon, they like it best when it is sickle shaped.

These Elves are averse to concourse of people, taking great delight in peace and quiet. They are not ill-disposed towards their kin and definitely not to Dwarven kind, but they do greatly despise the Noldor, who they blame for the coming of Morgoth, the kinslayings and subsequent warmongering in Beleriand, and of course the death of Eöl. Men they simply avoid out of disinterest.

The Ancient Realm of Eöl

Nan Elmoth (Forest of Starry Dusk) was a mysterious forest that lay in Elu Thingol's realm of Doriath during the First Age. It had the largest trees in all of Beleriand and their foliage allowed little to no light to penetrate through it. This made Nan Elmoth a gloomy place to live in, perfectly suited for Eöl^* and his servants who fled thence when the Girdle of Melian was raised. Eöl and his followers felt at ease in the dark confinement of the maze-like forest and so they founded their own realm. Eöl offered his sword Anglachel as payment to King Thingol, so that he may live there. For many years Eöl and his servants lived in this dark forest with its moths, quiet pools and glowing flowers, until one day a beautiful daughter of the Noldor lost her way in the woods.

The Former Servants of Eöl

We roleplay that some of Eöl's servants left the confinement of Nan Elmoth after their master did not return. Some joined with their kin in Doriath, others left and were never heard from again. But a few became wayward Elves and travelled the many lands of Beleriand and Eriador, staying nowhere for long. Shortly before the destruction of Beleriand, they sought refuge in other forests from the wars that threatened their secretive existence. For without the enchantments of their master Eöl, Nan Emoth lay largely unprotected. Whatever happened to them in the many years that followed remains a mystery, though Elves, Dwarves and Men alike may have caught a glimpse of them under the forest eaves, passing swiftly and silently out of view.

*The Fuinedhil follow the writings of the Silmarillion. In other writings Eöl has been described as being of the Avari or even closely related to the Noldor. Tolkien seemed to lean towards the idea of him being one of the Eldar (Sindar) as is apparent from his earliest and latest writings. The only attested text where he describes him as being an Avar who crossed the Hithaeglir was eventually accompanied by a note of Tolkien himself saying: 'But the relationship to Thingol would have point', dated 1971(J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, editor, History of Middle-earth, Vol. XI. 1994)

'But Eöl, though stooped by his smith-work, was no Dwarf, but a tall Elf of a high kin of the Teleri, noble though grim of face; and his eyes could see deep into shadows and dark places. And it came to pass that he saw Aredhel Ar-Feiniel as she strayed among the tall trees near the borders of Nan Elmoth, a gleam of white in the dim land. Very fair she seemed to him, and he desired her; and he set his enchantments about her so that she could not find the ways out, but drew ever nearer to his dwelling in the depths of the wood. there were his smithy, and his dim halls, and such servants as he had, silent and secret as their master'

~ Tolkien J.R.R., The Silmarillion; XVI On Maeglin.

During twilight we come out,

The stars we hail, the sun we flout,

In the darkness we're at ease,

'Tis in memory we find peace

Sources pictures used in order:

Nan elmoth by Manadhiel on DeviantArt

Eöl posted by Manotas on www.lotr.wikia.com/wiki/E%C3%B6l