From TES issue 35 (September 2005)

Series 3/4/5/6. Level 1/2/3.
ELVES

Elves are one of the most famous faerie creatures in folklore. Mostly secretive, sometimes mischievous and very occasionally evil, these small woodland-dwelling magical creatures are to be found in many myths and legends. There were three elfin characters in Knightmare, all of them slightly different. A very different version of the elfin race can be found, however, in the second Knightmare book, The Labyrinths of Fear.

King Arawn and his court of elfin knights are presented as ruthless, unholy and evil, and are clearly a lot larger and taller than traditional elves. Dave Morris has used the term elf in a wide sense here, describing faerie creatures which do not necessarily fit the same criteria as Velda, Pickle and Elita. Since elves are creatures of folklore, this interpretation of them is, of course, just as valid as any other.

Velda (Natasha Pope) was the first elf we saw on Knightmare, in the first episode of series 3. She was a nervous, suspicious wood elf who hated goblins, and carried a crossbow and several daggers. She would have used these against dungeoneers if they had given her reason to do so, although they never did. Velda required patience and courtesy if she was to be dealt with effectively.

Like Velda, Pickle (David Learner) was a wood elf. He, of course, was Treguard's assistant during series 4, 5 and 6, providing a friendly face to encourage the team in times of trouble, and to help Treguard explain various things about the Dungeon and, in particular, the Greenwood. I think Pickle did a fantastic job of this, and I think it’s a shame he was replaced, particularly when you consider his successor.

Elita (Stephanie Hesp) was a very rude cavern elf, who totally disproved Treguard's theory of series 3 that elves were keen on courtesy. Her small stature fitted the role well, although I found her quite annoying.

Killer Instinct: 2 Velda would certainly have killed if given reason to do so.
Gore Factor: 3 Some very foul language, certainly.
Humanity: 7 Mostly like us... mostly.
Fear Factor: 6 Armed with a spear of ice, a crossbow or a sharp tongue, these elves were no pushovers.

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Elves are perhaps the most famous creatures of fantasy (unless, of course, you count humans). Tall, thin, athletic creatures with their own brand of magic (often a very powerful one), it's a good thing that some of them are on 'our' side!

Rather than going into all the various elf races, I'll restrict myself to talking about the races we saw in Knightmare...
The first elf we saw was Velda from Series 3. She described herself as a warrior elf (which isn't really an Elvish race; lots of them are warriors), so we would be in a bit of a bind to decide what she was, if the puzzle wasn't solved by Treguard; during the dungeoneers' first encounter with Velda, he revealed: "this... lady is a wood elf!"
One, therefore, has to wonder what Velda was doing in the Dungeon, if she was a wood elf. Maybe she got lost on the way to Dunkley Wood and ended up in Anglia Television Studios instead. Or maybe not. Anyway, Velda never actually used any Elvish magic, but she did seem to be quite deadly with weapons, and rather paranoid of humans. I'll let her off for that.
The next elf we saw was Pickle, who merely appeared in Tregard's antechamber in Series 4, and vanished from Knightmare Castle after Series 6. Treguard briefly introduced him, however, describing him as "not really one of them... but not exactly one of us. Human, I mean." Right, well, thanks for clarifying that, Treguard.
This mystifying sentence appears to suggest that Pickle was not a full elf. He could well have been a half-elf, but that's unlikely. All his manners and traits were purely Elvish, he knew a lot about Dunkley Wood, and used some very elf-like exclamations like "Rook and fen!" at regular intervals. Let's face it, Pickle made for the most convincing wood elf in the original Knightmare.
The next elf in line was Elita, who like Velda was neutral, but appeared to be slighty disposed towards the Powers That Be. She also knew Pickle personally. Elita was a cavern elf, which explains quite a few things, namely: why she was seen in the Dungeon, rather than in the surrounding woods; why she made it into Level 3 on occasions; her love of treasure; her knowing of passwords.
She also never used any Elvish magic, although she did give out magic, and seemed more concerned with drawing complex patterns on the floor in chalk, which looks more like a séance or a divination to me.

Those three were the only elves we saw in the original Knightmare, but KM's legacy has carried the noble race on.
Kulaemii, or Kully as she prefers to be called, first appeared in the word of fanfics, and made an appearance in the Knightmare RPG during RPG Season 5. Like Pickle, she appears to be a wood elf, and also assists Treguard. There are rumours abound, however, that she is not a full elf, maybe even Pickle's sister (which would explain a few things). She also might be the illicit daughter of King Tharadus.
Kully's main problem came about in RPG Series 6 with the appearance of Saié, Knightmare's first dark elf (or drow). Because she lacks the necessary pointed ears, Saié may well have also been a half-elf, which actually brings the total of true elves in Knightmare down to four out of seven.
Saié, like Velda and Elita, was neutral, but posed much more of a threat to dungeoneers than any other elf did. She also hated Kully, for more personal reasons than the usual drow/wood enmity.
By RPG Season 7, both Kully and Saié were gone, but the Elvish race continued with the appearance of Isilme Tindómerel. Although her appearance evoked a wood elf, Isilme was a wild elf. Okay, so there's not much of a difference there, but Isilme was more chaotic than any other of the elves we've seen so far. In her own words: "A child of the Forest, I wish only for peace and the majestic green. Cross me and I shall tear you to pieces..."

Kully was played by Emii, Saié by Anna, and Isilme by Lucy.
And finally, KMVR introduced a new elf to Knightmare's ranks! Ellie appeared in the KMVR pilot, and immediately started being haughty, offish, and shunning iron (it's deadly to elves), not making the dungeoneer Arthur a welcome guest. Still, he freed her from Despair's ice trap. See the entry on Ellie for more information.

To sum up:
* Elves are great.
* There have been seven elves in Knightmare so far: Velda, Pickle, Elita, Kully, Saié, Isilme and Ellie.
* It's unknown where they all are at the moment, but elves are meant to be immortal (Pickle is allegedly 356, and Isilme 714), so they may all make a return!

For more information on this race, read Lord of the Rings.

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