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The Alfar
A history of war, under the leadership of an evil deity, has turned the Alfar into the mortal enemies of all other races on the continent. They are the true outcasts of Darkfall, and they would have it no other way. Physical description Millennia of dwelling underground has shaped the Alfar. The eternal darkness of the caverns has paled their skin; some senses have been sharpened while others have been dulled; a constant shortage of nourishing foodstuffs has given them a slighter stature than most surface-dwelling races. The Alfar are, in other words, a well-adapted and highly specialized race. The Alfar average height is approximately 165 cm. Few individuals deviate measurably from this average, and those who do are considered freaks of nature. An abnormally short or tall Alfar will probably never survive adolescence, and certainly never be allowed to breed. Alfar females have the same average height as males. Alfar build is generally slight, and few individuals are notably overweight or muscular. The dextrous Alfar body is perfect for moving swiftly and silently, and while they are incapable of the most extreme feats of brawn, their lithe forms conceal surprising amounts of sinewy strength. Generations without exposure to sunlight, has coloured Alfar skin in a greyish white hue which most other races find repulsive. Their skin is perfectly suited to life in the depths, where it blends nicely into the shadows, but it is extremely sensitive to sunlight: Alfar who are subjected to the harsh glare of the sun suffer serious, potentially life-threatening burns. One striking aspect of Alfar appearance, is their ears, which are huge. This obviously enables them to hear very well, which is essential when hunting or navigating underground. The ears also give them a certain bat-like appearance, and the word for Alfar in the Mirdain language translates to 'bat people'. Like their skin, Alfar eyesight is tailor-made for dark caverns but ill-suited to daylight. In pitch darkness, Alfar see naturally as humans do while holding a torch, but in daylight their vision range is limited. Alfar characters suffer severe penalties when fighting in sunlight, but man-made sources of light do not affect gameplay in the same way - though the Alfar find bright lights annoying. The Alfar themselves use various weak sources of illumination in their cities. All Alfar have red eyes. Alfar hair colour ranges from pitch black to white. All shades of black/grey/white can be seen, but a grey colour which matches the Alfar complexion is clearly predominant. Alfar never have blonde, brown or red hair. Clothing and equipment Most Alfar clothing is made from the web of the Manthe; huge domesticated spiders which have been purpose-bred for centuries. The web of the female Manthe is thick, grey and and flexible, and through several complicated processes, weavers fashion it into everything from trousers to leathery pieces of armour. For ordinary clothes, the Alfar ususally keep the original hue of the web, but when crafting armour they regularly dye the end product - black or a dark shade of red being preferred colours. The nature of the clinging, thick Manthe web means that Alfar garments are tight-fitting and relatively heavy. They material is extremely durable, and able to absorb great amounts of damage. Alfar dress in a practical manner. Usually, they wear only a simple set of clothes and dark boots crafted from the hide of the Mathe itself. When travelling in the cold tunnels of the underworld, Alfar don long, predictably grey, cloaks which double as blankets during periods of rest. Blades for Marduk Alfar steel is famed for it's combination of lightness and solidity. Their smiths craft long, thin swords which are particularly well suited to thrusting attacks, easily penetrating regular chainmail, but which also are effective as slashing weapons. Alfar blades may most fittingly be likened to the longswords of the Mirdain (surface Elves) but they are slightly heavier and, due to superior smithcraft, they are better balanced, sharper and inflict more damage. For added protection, a type of chainmail is occasionally worn on top of the aforementioned Manthe armour. These pieces of armour are extremely flexible, and are only marginally restrictive to a soldier's movement. Though Alfar chainmail makes much less noise than those of human make, they are usually only worn in all-out melee battles. Alfar reivers prefer to leave them at home, so they can move in total silence. Small, highly portable crossbows are the preferred missile weapons of the Alfar. These weapons are very similar to those used by surface-dwellers; only their dimunitive size, and the (predictable) fact that they are frequently coloured black, single them out as Alfar crossbows. A human with the crossbow skill is fully capable of using a weapon of Alfar make, and vice versa. The Alfar load their crossbows with tiny wooden bolts, whose points are jagged and hooked, making them hard (and dangerous) to remove. The Alfar frequently dip these bolts in poison, and crossbows are most regularly used as weapons of assassination, or as a means of thinning out the numbers of an enemy during an ambush. Their lack of immediate stopping power, means that the crossbows find little use during melee combat. But all-out, toe-to-toe melees never were a preferred combat tactic of the elusive Alfar. Alfar soldiers often carry with them a vial of fairly mild, standard Alfar poison. All victims struck by an arrow dipped in this fluid take damage unless a saving throw is successfully made. Weak victims may be paralyzed for a few seconds if they fail a saving throw. In addition to this 'army-issue' poison, the Alfar make several more potent or more specialized poisons, but the use of these is usually reserved for the Marduk priesthood. Geography, flora and fauna The underground realm of the Alfar lies under the barren Moldar plains, and is known (in the Alfar tongue) as Nagast. It consists of eight huge caverns which either are of natural origin, or were hewn out by Marduk before he led the Alfar into the depths. These major caverns are surrounded by a vast number of minor ones, many of which have been dug out by the Alfar and their multitude of slaves. The caverns are connected by a confusing network of tunnels. Well-kept Alfar-made canals and tunnelways connect the main settlements, but the rock between them is also perforated by a a countless number of cracks, natural tunnels and subterranean rivers. All major settlements are connected by fairly straight passageways, which are designed to be broad enough for two wagons to pass each other without trouble. Heavy cargo is transported on barges, which traverse the many subterranean rivers of Kebra Nagast. Engineers (and the ever-present teams of slaves) are constantly at work expanding the network of navigable canals, and in most cases travelling by river barge is the safest and most comfortable way for Alfar players to travel. The canals are considered royal property, and are under the direct jurisdiction of the Marduk priesthood. Harn Mandaean patrols, assisted by the occasional Ghost Robe Brotherhood unit, keep the canals safe for travellers, delivering justice sans merci to highwaymen and murderers. The central cavern, called Dun Mardukar, is the largest. Here lies the capital Kebra Nagast, and this is where Marduk, the god-king of the Alfar, keeps his court, and where his powerful clergy are headquartered. The seven other main caverns lie in a pattern around Nagast, each of them in one of the main directions (N, NE, E, etc.) at approximately the same distance from the capital. The climate of the nine caverns varies slightly, but is generally quite warm and humid. This is the work of Marduk who, before leading his people into the depths, equipped each of the main caverns with magical rocks called Godstones, which control the temperature of the area surrounding them. If a Godstone is destroyed or removed from a cavern, it will revert to it's original, much colder (or warmer, in one case) climate - and subsequently be ill-suited for habitation. The enormous main caverns are home to a surprisingly wide range of flora and wildlife. The year-round heat, as well as magical radiation emitting from the Godstones, has shaped and twisted life according to the will of Marduk. Since the will of Marduk is a fickle thing, life has been shaped slightly differently in each cavern, but some important species are found (with only minor variations) throughout Nagast. Religion of the Alfar Marduk All Alfar fear and worship Marduk, the evil deity who led them underground thousands of years ago. He is the undying god-king of the Alfar, who rules through direct intervention and a powerful priesthood, from his citadel in the central cavern of Dun Mardukar. Marduk is, in other words, both a temporal and spiritual leader, and his power is absolute; his word equals the law, and the law is obeyed upon pain of death or worse. He occasionally manifests among his subjects, but usually his will is carried out by the well-organised and ruthless Alfar priesthood. The Alfar God-King is an unpredictable leader, and his orders are often contradictory. Like a petulant child, he regularly changes his mind without warning, and as the mood takes him, he lashes out punishment or gives rewards seemingly at random. Marduk is prone to fits of rage as well as bouts of sentimentality, and he has been known to brood for weeks in solitude, before emerging in a flurry of activity. Marduk is utterly self-centered and quite mad. However, he is also a brilliant planner and strategist: If Marduk can be bothered to focus on any single task or problem long enough, he might very well come up with an ingenious, completely original solution. The God-King is the estranged son of Myrthaim and Lorathaim, the male and female gods of the Mirdain (surface Elves.) Compared to his subjects, he has changed little over the years, and he still appears as a strikingly handsome, unnaturally tall elf male. In recent centuries, he has taken to appearing with grey skin resembling that of his subjects. Marduk has long, staight dark hair, and always wears a simple silver circlet, but little else in the way of jewellery. He is extremely charismatic, a master of eloquence, and can be a truly inspiring leader when he puts his mind to it. While fear is the main pillar of his millennia-long rule over the Alfar, he is also revered by his people. Marduk appears to be surrounded by a flickering, shining white aura with a radius of approximately 2 m. He is usually dressed in long, flowing robes, preferring them to be coloured black or a deep shade of red. When on the warpath, he dons a black suit of plate mail, and wields Sitra Ahra, an ancient silver-bladed longsword with awesome magical powers. Twelve of the most skilled smiths to ever emerge from Alfar society are kept as personal servants by the God-King. His will keeps these masters of the craft alive, and despite the fact that several of them have been dead for centuries, their decaying husks still hammer the anvil in hidden smithies under Kebra Nagast. In arcane, deeply secret rituals, priests of Marduk work with the undead smiths, sacrificing hundreds of slaves and Alfar to imbue freshly crafted items with magical powers. Marduk keeps those items which take his fancy, giving others as gifts to exceptionally faithful or successful subjects. As a result of this process, Marduk has a veritable arsenal of powerful magical items at his disposal. The Godstones These artifacts appear as large, round and completely smooth stones with a clear blue colour. The Godstones exude magical radiation, which influences all life in the area surrounding them. The stones give the Alfar caverns their warm, steady climate, and shape all living beings within their radius according to the will of Marduk. Without the Godstones, the halls of stone would be colder, more barren and generally ill-suited for supporting dense populations of Alfar. As a result of the unpredictable nature of Marduk, the radiation of the stones works slightly differently in different parts of Kebra Nagast. Indigeneous lifeforms have been shaped differently, giving rise to species and sub-species which are specific to certain parts of the realm. The energy which emanates from the stones comes directly from Marduk, and he can change any aspect of their influence as he pleases. He might very well use this life-or-death power to reward his entire people by altering the stones' influence slightly, or to punish a single community by removing the Godstone from its cavern. Only Marduk himself, other deities, or Marduk priests of Shadow Robe status or higher, may touch a Godstone without dying instantly. The reach of a stone is indicated by a yellowy light - pleasant to Alfar eyes - which is quite intense near the source, and progressively dimmer the farther away from the Godstone one goes. The strength of this radiance also indicates a corresponding difference in temperature and soil fertility. Outside the influence of the stones, domesticated Ma'hag die and no food-giving mushrooms grow. Marduk Wills It - The Alfar Priesthood The influence of the Marduk priesthood permeates all of Alfar society. From their headquarters in the central cavern of Kebra Nagast, the High Priests run a vast organisation; their clergy, agents and elite soldiers are present in every sizeable Alfar community. Interpreting the often vague and contradictory instructions given by the mad deity is the sole preserve of the priesthood. Thus, they never run out of opportunities to expand their already formidable power base. Unseemly amounts of personal ambition might rouse the wrath of the God-King, howerver, so in order to stay in power (and alive) a powergrabbing priest needs to be subtle, lucky or both. Though the priests are no strangers to in-fighting and personal power struggles, the Priesthood remains a stabilizing factor in an otherwise chaotic and fragmented society. The Towers of Silence The headquarters of the Marduk Priesthood is The Towers of Silence, a huge complex in the central cavern of Dun Mardukar. The surrounding city - the capital of Kebra Nagast - serves as an administrative centre for the entire realm, and is not under the sway of any single tribe. Nagast is jointly run by The High Priests and the officers of the Harn Mandaean (Hand of God), a powerful guard which doubles as a standing army in times of need. The Towers of Silence is a teeth-like formation of stalagmites and stalagtites which dominates the innermost parts of the Nagast cavern. While natural in origin, it's pillars have been vigorously re-shaped during centuries of use, and today they resemble generously overwrought spires from some dreamland Gothic cathedral. Lazily swirling, colourful magical illuminations combine with complicated decorative patterns, creating a fever-dream vision of otherworldly decadence. Spindly walkways connect the dozen-or-so stalagmites and stalagtites which constitute the Towers. The Harn Mandaean (Hand of God) This is the standing army of Nagast, serving both as guardians against threats from the outside, and as an internal security force, enforcing the will of Marduk and his priesthood. Based in Kebra Nagast, the Harn Mandaean has military bases in all major Alfar settlements, as well as along the tunnels and waterways which connect the caverns. Harn Mandaean soldiers are trained to be warriors from childhood, and are unswervingly loyal to Marduk, carrying out every request to the letter. In addition to Manthe armour, Harn Mandaean soldiers always wear black chain mail and long cloaks. They use standard Alfar crossbows with poisoned bolts and (often magical) black longswords from the forges of Dun Sadayel. They wear thing, grey tabards over their chain mail, always adorned with the mark of the Harn Mandaean: The thinly etched outline of a red hand with fingers spread. Kebra Nagast In the central cavern of Dun Mardukar lies Kebra Nagast. This is the divine city of Marduk; a holy place built in his honour, it's dark, outlandish beauty reflecting the Alfar's love of their God-King, as well as the sense of awe he inspires in them. Most Alfar cities blend into the surrounding rock, their simple architecture brought on by necessity as well as the straightforward mindset of their inhabitants. In stark contrast to this, the spires of Kebra Nagast reach for the ceiling of Dun Mardukar like deeply colourful, spindly and otherworldly fingers, pointing the way to the surface. Deep blue and red rock predominates, the colours accentuated by swirling magical illuminations. Suitably coloured rock of the highest quality is brought here on river barges, most of the material originating in Dun An'shar and far-away Dun T'orgom. Kebra Nagast is home to the Towers of Silence, the headquarters of the Marduk priesthood. The entire city is run from the Towers: All major decisions are taken by the leading priests and most daily goings-on are overseen by an ever-present priestly bureaucracy. The headquarters of the Harn Mandaean also lie within the walls of Kebra Nagast. This is an enormous, low and flat-roofed military complex, with four towers reaching up from the main building like sentinels looking out over the city. In theory, The Harn Mandaean is run by the priesthood, it's generals being answerable to the Horned Priests. In practice, however, the Horned Circle of Eight are often busy with other affairs of Marduk and Nagast, and the generals have grabbed much independence and political power for their organization. While they do the bidding of local High Priests, all Harn Mandaean patrols and outposts are ultimately commanded by the military leaders residing in Kebra Nagast. Like the canals which connect all caverns to the capital, Kebra Nagast itself is considered neutral ground. All personal, clan-based or tribal conflicts end at it's city walls, and any Alfar who kills another within the city limits faces swift justice. Through magical means, priests continually scry the streets of Kebra Nagast, and they will immidiately alert the Harn Mandaean of any serious crime. No murderer has ever escaped death at the hands of the Harn Mandaean's city guard, which is aided by priests of the Ghost Robe Brotherhood whenever the need arises. Kebra Nagast is home to the only arena in Nagast. Here, Alfar warriors from all tribes can meet, and fight each other for glory and riches, without fearing the loss of life, bel-Marduks or equipment. The arena is a large, colloseum-like building situated at the centre of the town, constructed hundreds of years ago using slabs of volcanic rock from Dun Sadayel. Before fighting each other within the arena, both combatants give an equal amount of gold to a presiding priest of Marduk, and whether the kitty contains 2 gp or 10000, the winner walks away with it all. Most often, players decide the sum to be fought for beforehand, and the priest starts combat shortly after being given the same amount of money by both players. Alternatively, one player places an amount of money with an arena priest and awaits any challenger who wants to fight him and is willing to match his stake. The slaves Most menial tasks in Nagast are carried out by slaves. While Alfar craftsmen excel in architecture and decoration, they leave heavy labour to the countless number of slaves who are kept in thronged, miserable slave pits throughout the realm. The large majority of slaves are Sarkih (see Geography, flora and fauna, above) and members of this semi-mindless, dimunitive race carry out the most menial tasks - such as harvesting food, tending livestock and cleaning Alfar dwellings. They can not be used for heavy labour, however, and mentally challenging tasks are beyond them. Sarkih are kept away from the slaves of other races, and dwell in particularly crowded, particularly nasty hive-like pits. Alfar raiders bring home a wide variety of slaves from other intelligent races. Quite a few Humans, Mahirim and Orks work on the slave teams of Nagast, as well as a large number of Kobolds, Svartdvergir and members of other subterranean races. Dwarves and elves prefer death to serving as slaves to the Alfar, and are prized as ceremonial sacrifices in the temples to Marduk. Marduk forbids keeping Alfar as slaves. The tasks given to slaves, as well as the conditions they serve under, vary a great deal. While the endless hardship of working in the many mines of Nagast means that miner-slaves seldom last more than a couple of years, trusted servants in Alfar households often enjoy fairly decent conditions. The life of a non-Alfar is worth very little in Nagast, and even the most minor of transgressions often spells certain death for an unfortunate slave. Killing slaves for sport is frowned upon, however, since slaves are a valuable resource to all Alfar communities. All Alfar players have a command slave skill. With a high level of proficiency in this skill, the player can get large numbers of slaves to perform a wide variety of tasks for him. Slaves can be liberated by members of other races, either following raids on Alfar communities or after slaying a wandering Alfar who had slaves with him. The clans To an Alfar player, belonging to a powerful clan can mean the difference between life and death. While members of the same tribe trust each other to a certain degree, the only real sense of trust and safety for most Alfar lies with the closely knit brotherhood or sisterhood of the clan. |
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