The Pale Court was once a gathering of the most beautiful and wondrous Eladrin artisans and nobles. Through the use of illusions and similar magic, they clad themselves in unearthly wonder. Tales abound of worldly explorers who stumbled across the Pale Court's fey realm and starved to death, transfixed by its beauty and unable to look away.
In time, the Pale Court's arrogance grew so overwhelming that its members refused to associate with any but the most beautiful creatures. Other Eladrin were allowed into the glades of the Pale Court only if they were deemed to be of acceptable aesthetic value. The court's hunters tracked down malformed creatures such as Trolls and Fomorians not out of any desire to drive back evil, but because such creatures offended their sight.
In time, however, the Pale Court began to lose its luster. Even the graceful aging that Eladrin exhibit became a source of unrest among its members, for whom the illusion of youth was not enough. Marred by the ravages of time, the Eladrin of the Pale Court soon fell to infighting and teetered on the brink of destruction. Even as anger and hatred threatened to undo the Pale Court, an Eladrin of unmatched grace and beauty appeared among its members. With his pale skin and raven-black hair, he was the envy of even the most arrogant nobles. Dazzled by this wondrous creature, many of the Eladrin quickly embraced his offer of the secret of eternal youth. However, that gift carried a dark price.
Those Eladrin who rejected the newcomer fought bravely against their fellows, but to no avail. When the battle was done, those who accepted the newcomer's boon were undone by treachery - given the gift of eternal life and youth, but as vampires. After slaking their newly awakened hunger on their defeated kin, the surviving Eladrin traveled to the Shadowfell. There, the Pale Court persists, still clinging to its obsession with beauty and its hatred of imperfection.
Across all Eladrin lands, rumors tell of how particularly beautiful Eladrin sometimes disappear from their chambers in the dead of night without a trace. In this manner, it is said, the reputation of the Pale Court continually grows.