The Alfar of Nagast
A history of war, under the leadership of an evil deity, has turned the alfar into the mortal enemies of all other civilized races. They are the true outcasts of Agon, and they would have it no other way.

Physical description
The alfar have been shaped by millennia of dwelling underground: The eternal darkness of the caverns has paled their skin; some senses have been sharpened while others have been dulled; and a constant shortage of nourishing foodstuffs has given them a slighter stature than the 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 (say 155 or 175 cm.) 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 spent 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 sensitive to light. Alfar dislike the harsh glare of the sun, and they avoid its rays whenever possible. When travelling in daylight, they tend to wear clothes that cover as much pale skin as possible.

One striking aspect of alfar appearance is their outsized ears. This obviously enables them to hear very well, which is essential when hunting or navigating underground. The ears also give them a bat-like appearance, and the word for alfar in the mirdain language translates to 'bat people'.

In pitch darkness, the red-eyed alfar see naturally as humans do while holding a torch. They find bright lights repulsive, but not harmful, and illuminate their cities with orbs of softly glowing, richly coloured magical light.

Alfar hair colour ranges from pitch black to white. All shades of black, grey and white can be seen, but a grey colour, which matches the alfar complexion, is predominant. Alfar never have blonde, brown or red hair.

Weapons 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 flexible, and weavers fashion it into everything from trousers to leathery pieces of armour. For ordinary clothes, the alfar usually keep the original hue of the web, but they tend to dye the end product when creating armour - 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. The material is extremely durable, and able to absorb large amounts of physical damage.

While alfar architecture is opulent and rich in colour, their clothing habits are geared towards the Spartan and practical. Usually, they wear only a simple set of clothes, and dark boots crafted from the hide of the Manthe itself. When travelling in the cold tunnels of the underworld, alfar don long, grey cloaks, which double as blankets.

Through a time-consuming process, the web of the manthe can be turned into a fine silken fabric. The alfar use the manthe-silk when creating some items of clothing, such as underwear and fine cloaks, but it is most commonly used for decorative veils, which hang from the ceilings and walls of alfar hallways and bedrooms. Decorative veils are commonly coloured in deeps shades of red, purple or blue.

Blades for Melek
Alfar steel is famed for its combination of lightness and solidity. Their smiths create long, thin swords, which are particularly well suited to thrusting attacks. Alfar blades tend toward a scimitar-like shape.

For added protection, a type of chain mail is occasionally worn on top of the manthe armour. These pieces of armour are extremely flexible, and only marginally restrictive to a soldier’s movement. Though alfar chain mail makes little noise, they are usually worn only by heavy troops. Alfar raiders often prefer to leave their chain mail at home, so they can move in total silence.

Crossbows
Small crossbows are the preferred missile weapons of the alfar. Otherwise similar to those used by surface-dwellers, they are markedly smaller, and are made of an exceptionally light and smooth metal alloy. Commonly, alfar crossbows are black.

A human with the crossbow skill is capable of using a weapon of alfar make. However, big hands mean that mahirim and orks have some trouble operating these delicate weapons.

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 regularly used as weapons of assassination, or as a means of reducing an enemy’s combat capability before melee is joined. .

Crossbows are treated with various kinds of poison made from the juices of subterranean plants. These poisons emulate the effects of drain spells, draining the strength, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, vitality and quickness of the victim. Skilled brewers can create poisons of great potency, as well as poisons that combine several drain effects. Crossbowmen carry their poison in small earthenware vials, which hang in silver threads from their belts.

Sithras
Inspired by the legendary Sithra Ahra (see religion, below), highly skilled alfar smiths create swords called sithras. These weapons have blades made of a substance resembling compact shadow, which is solid when the blade is held still, but twists and writhes when it is swung. In action, the black sithra resemble a cross between an ordinary sword and a whip.

The sithra sizzles with elemental energy that becomes visible in occasional sparks that shoot off or run along the blade. When a sithra hits, elemental energy shoots from the blade to the point of impact, damaging the target. The nature of the elemental energy varies, with lightning, fire and ice all being common. When creating a sithra, the smith uses the ears of one or several slain enemies as ingredients.

Fire sithras are the most common and – relatively speaking – the least powerful, as well as the easiest to make. Cold and acid sithras are slightly more potent, while lightning sithras are rare, and imbued with great power. Alfar smiths have recently begun making sithras imbued with unholy magic, and these weapons are said to be exceptionally powerful.

Attikas
Alone among the races of Agon, the alfar use halberds extensively. However, their halberds are smaller than those used by humans, and the alfar generally wield them as single-handed weapons. One advantage of these weapons is their relatively long reach, which allows alfar to strike at enemies while riding long-legged spider mounts.

The alfar halberds – called attikas – are equipped with long, eight-ridged spearheads which are designed to glide easily into and out of enemy bodies. Further down the halberd’s pole, a slender, gracefully curving axe-blade is attached. The axe-blade is large but thin, and ornate patterns have been carved out of it, reducing weight further.

The bladeward half of the halberd’s wooden pole is covered by a layer of bronze-like metal, which in its turn is covered in intricate red etchings resembling those on the axe-blade.

Alfar Society
First among the members of an alfar clan is the chieftain, who takes care of the day-to-day running of its affairs. While power structures vary, alfar chieftains tend to be totalitarian leaders, who take decisions without much consultation.

Much power also rests with the high priests, who reside in clan temples, and who answer only to the religious leadership in Shoal. The high priest rarely intervenes in clan affairs, but when he does, the chieftain has little choice but to obey. The high priests are said to speak the will of Melek, and disobeying them might incur the wrath of both the Harn Mandean and the Black Robe Brotherhood.

Shoal
In the vast cavern of Dun Mardukar rise the tall spires of Shoal. This is the holy city of Melek. It was built in his honour, and its outlandish beauty reflects the alfar’s love of their God-King, as well as the dark awe he inspires in them. The city serves as an administrative centre for the entire realm, and it is jointly run by the priests and the knights of the Harn Mandean (Divine Hand), a powerful knightly order which functions as Melek’s bodyguard and his secret police.

Like the canals that connect all caverns to the capital, Shoal is considered neutral ground. All personal or clan-based conflicts end at its city walls, and any alfar who kills another in Shoal faces swift justice. Priests continually monitor the streets of Shoal from their headquarters in the Temple of Descent, and the army-run city guard patrols the streets diligently. Should an emergency arise, the guard calls upon the assistance of the Black Robe Brotherhood. The headquarters of the Harn Mandean and the Horned Circle (see below) also lie within Shoal’s walls, and these powerful groups will lend aid if needed.

The slaves of Nagast
Slaves carry out most menial tasks in Nagast. While alfar craftsmen excel in the arts of architecture and decoration, they leave heavy labour to countless slaves, who are important parts of every alfar community.

The large majority of slaves are Sarkih (see below) and members of this semi-mindless, diminutive race carry out the most menial tasks - such as harvesting food, tending livestock and cleaning dwellings. They cannot cope with heavy labour, however, and mentally challenging tasks are beyond them. Sarkih are kept away from slaves belonging to other races, and are kept in particularly crowded and prison-like conditions.

Alfar raiders bring home a wide variety of slaves that belong to other intelligent races. Quite a few Humans, Dwarves, Mahirim and Orks work on the slave teams of Nagast, as well as a large number of Kobolds, Svartdvergir and other subterranean races. The Mirdain prefer death to serving as slaves to the alfar, and are prized as ceremonial sacrifices in the temples of Nagast. Melek forbids keeping alfar as slaves.

Sarkih
These diminutive humanoids are a slave race, bred and kept by the alfar. Rarely more than 100 cm tall, and exceptionally puny, they perform simple domestic tasks and gather Manthe web in the tunnels, but are only capable of light manual labour.

The Sarkih have thick, wrinkly skin with a pinkish hue, and are completely hairless. Their build as well as their features are delicate, giving them a resemblance to particularly ugly, piglet-eyed human infants. Sarkih sport earlobe-less, oval heads that are disproportionately large compared to their puny bodies. They have short, pointed teeth that are capable of quite a nasty bite.

The Sarkih are a slow-witted breed, incapable of much independent thought. They have a vicious nature, though, and are capable of stunning cruelty towards each other, regularly ganging up on and devouring weak individuals. The Sarkih usually perform the orders of the alfar diligently, knowing that their masters kill without hesitation if they fail to oblige. On rare occasions where the odds are overwhelmingly in their favour, they might choose to attack.

Sarkihya
Also known as Greater Sarkih, these slaves are the result of several millennia of alfar- controlled selective breeding. They look just like ordinary sarkih, but are much more alert and intelligent. Sarkihya are, approximately, as intelligent as goblins, and are capable of performing relatively complicated tasks, such as serving as dammar farmers, shop assistants, domestic cooks, stable hands, wagoners, and so forth.

Physically identical to their lesser brethren, sarkihya are marked as different by a rather large red nose-ring, the first of which they are equipped with at birth. Some owners also dress their sarkihya in ordinary clothes, including jackets, shoes and trousers. Sarkihya workers tend to wear simple and durable clothes in various shades of brown or gray. Some domestic servant sarkihya are dressed in colourful silken clothes resembling those worn by the alfar themselves.

Sarkihya speak fluent alfar, and are capable of understanding advanced and many-segmented orders. They retain some of the rebelliousness found in their lesser cousins, and sometimes wilfully ignore orders given to them, or twist their meaning somewhat.

Melechar
These fanatically devoted creatures are the chosen of Melek, and they are imbued by him with both great strength and the seeds of madness. Melechar are used as bodyguards and temple guardians by the Nagast priesthood, and individuals who are both loyal and important – such as the leading business proprietors of Shoal – are sometimes rewarded with melechar servants.

Physical description
Melechar are the same height as Mirdain elves, and have approximately the same build and facial features: they are tall and lean, towering over the average alfar, and their movements are lithe and graceful. Melechar have long black hair, which hangs freely down their backs, and their skin is as pale as snow.

The eyes of melechar are as red as blood, and they stick out from their sockets in a bug-like way. Adding to the insectoid impression, the eyes have no visible pupils, but the faint lines of facets can be seen in them. Two small, finely shaped and softly curving tusks protrude from the melechar’s lower jaw, like miniature orkish tusks.

Melechar wear only manthe armour and dress in black, loose-fitting clothes that cover their bodies from neck to foot. They wear no jewellery, and while their weapons are well made, they are of simple design and unadorned. Melechar wield slender attikas held in both hands.

Behaviour and tactics
As long as the alfar they protect serve Melek faithfully, the melechar remain loyal and follow all orders to the letter. They go silently about their duties, calmly guarding the buildings or individuals they are tasked with protecting.

However, the true nature of the melechar emerges in combat: When fighting, it is an insane nightmare of impossibly swift movements: it seems to be everywhere at once, and its halberd is a constant blur of fatal movement. The melechar never breaks off a battle until all enemies are slain, no matter what its masters say or do.

Ultimately, the melechar’s loyalty is to Melek himself, and if its master falls out of the god-king’s favour, the melechar turns on him.

Subterranean nature
The realm of the alfar lies under the barren Moldar plains, and is known (in the alfar tongue) as Nagast. It consists of a network of huge caverns, some of which are of natural origin, and some of which were hewn out by Melek before he led the alfar underground. The major caverns are surrounded by a vast number of minor ones, many of which have been dug out by the alfar and their multitudes of slaves. Well-kept alfar-made canals and passageways connect the main settlements, while the rock between them is perforated by a countless number of cracks, tunnels and subterranean rivers.

Heavy cargo is transported on barges, which traverse the many canals and subterranean rivers of Nagast. Engineers (and the ever-present teams of slaves) are constantly expanding the network of navigable canals, and in most cases, travelling by barge is a comfortable alternative. All passageways and canals are considered royal property, and are under the direct jurisdiction of the army and the priesthood. Black Robe Brotherhood patrols keep the main travel routes safe, delivering justice to any highwaymen.

The central cavern, called Dun Mardukar, is the largest. The other main caverns lie in a loose pattern surrounding the Mardukar, and are connected to it by a number of broad canals and passageways.

The climate of the caverns varies, but is generally quite warm and humid. This is the work of Melek, who readied the caverns for habitation before leading his people into them. The variations between caverns are a result of the flickering, unpredictable nature of Melek’s will.

Trees and flowers
The Arkin is a tree-like plant that is common throughout Agon’s subterranean lands. Its solid wood is harvested by both dwarves and alfar, and is used for making furniture, siege engines, and support beams for buildings and mineshafts. To grow, the arkin needs darkness and a great deal of water. It tends to grow in shallow lakes, near subterranean river, or in caverns where the soil is exceptionally moist. When conditions are good, the arkin grows quickly and spreads quickly, colonizing the area.

Arkin wood is a dark shade of purple, with occasional patches of black. It has a rough, gnarled texture, much like an ancient oak of the surface lands; its trunk is thick but short, and a fully-grown specimen stands little more than two meters tall. From the trunk, a mass of purple branches spread in all directions, shaping a canopy overhanging the water.

Spindly dark green strands hang from the branches of the arkin tree, reaching down towards the moisture below. If the tree stands in shallow water, the strands are immersed in it; if it stands in moist soil, the strands lie stretched on the ground, sucking up moisture.

The djuprose is a beautiful, fragile flower, which grows only in the deep places of the world. Its petals are a light shade of red surrounding a black stigma. It has no stem, and appears to be attached directly to the rock from which it emerges. The djuprose is hard and exceptionally brittle, and at the slightest contact, it dissolves in a burst of colour which floats along with movements in the air. Within days, new flowers emerge from the rock where the scattered spore-dust landed. The djuprose grows on rock of all kind, but not on soil or dirt, and it does not thrive in sunlight. In some cavern, the djuprose grows on the stone floor, along the walls and in wind-shaped patterns on the ceiling.

While red is the most common colour, yellow, blue and orange variants are also found. In some places, djuprose of different colours grow side-by-side, forming beautiful patterns.

Religion and magic
All alfar fear and worship Melek, the evil deity who led them underground thousands of years ago. Melek is the undying god-king of the alfar, and he dwells among them, in a stalactite castle overhanging the capital of Shoal.

Melek is both temporal and religious leader of his people, and his power is absolute. His word equals the law, and the law is obeyed upon pain of death or worse. Melek occasionally walks among his subjects, but usually Nagast’s ruthless and highly organised priesthood carries out his will.

The alfar God-King is an unpredictable leader, and his orders are often contradictory. Like a petulant child, he sometimes changes his mind without warning, and when the mood takes him, he lashes out punishment or gives rewards seemingly at random. Melek 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.

Melek is utterly self-centred and quite mad. However, he is also a brilliant planner and strategist: If Melek 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 Myrthai and Lorathai, 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. Melek has long, straight, 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, his people also revere him.

Melek 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 Sithra Ahra, an ancient silver-bladed longsword with awesome magical powers.

The God-King keeps twelve of the most skilled smiths that ever emerged from alfar society as his personal servants. His will keeps these masters of the craft alive, despite the fact that several of them have been dead for centuries; their decaying husks still work in hidden smithies under Shoal. Because of this process, Melek has a veritable arsenal of powerful magical items at his disposal.

Sithra Ahra and the Silver Circlet
This silver longsword was reputedly crafted by Melek himself after the first great war between the alfar and the Mirdain, thousands of years ago. Ancient legends hold that no less than nine hundred Mirdain prisoners were slowly boiled alive while he worked on it. As they died, their souls were trapped in the emerging shape of Sithra Ahra, giving it immense power.

Sithra Ahra’s shining blade does not impact physically with the bodies of its victims, but seems to glide almost effortlessly through them; only slowing down momentarily as Melek strikes. Its name means 'Other Side', and the silvery blade of the Sithra Ahra is only a reflection - the sword exists primarily in some unseen dimension. Anyone casting True Sight (or a similar spell) while near Sithra Ahra, sees it as a black, thin and almost 2 m. long whip-like weapon - its blade covered in small, writhing humanoid shapes, existing in eternal, excruciating pain.

The Silver Circlet was a wedding gift from Lorathai (the male elven god) to his beloved Myrthai. However, on the eve of his rebellion, Melek stole the powerful artifact. He has since twisted its power to his own ends, and has worn it ever since.

The Circlet is the source of the shining white aura that surrounds Melek. Anyone entering its sphere of influence falls prey to one of its mind-influencing powers. Melek can activate and de-activate these at his whim, as often as he deems it necessary, and with no limitations to duration or frequency. Though it is possible, only the strongest of minds have a realistic chance of shrugging off the influence of the Circlet.

The Darkfall
Melek wants to conquer all the five non-alfar races, and subject them to an eternity of darkness and pain. Fuelled by the prayers and sacrifices of an enslaved world, Melek plans to ascend to the Halls of the Goddess and reawaken the power entombed there. Wielding it, he will slay all the other gods and rule Agon forever.

Lorathai and Myrthai who, according to Melek, dared spite him by refusing to relinquish his rightful inheritance, will be tortured for an eternity, their dying groans mingling with those of their children, the Mirdain.

Melek spends much of his time engrossed in magical experiments. He seeks new spells that will tip the balance in favour of the alfar, and he seeks to create powerful magical items for himself and his minions. In his work, Melek is aided by the mages of the Unseen Radiance (see below), as well as the undead mastersmiths of the Towers of Silence.

Recently, Mirdain intelligence claimed that Melek was planning to incite enough volcanic activity on Agon to cause a new ice age. Perhaps even more unnervingly, Mahirim priests have claimed that alfar mages are researching spells that could interfere with the orbits of Agon’s two moons.

While this might seem unfeasibly ambitious, the single-minded veneration of the alfar aids Melek. The power of gods is determined by the number of their subjects, as well as the fervour of the subjects' adulation. The alfar are, as should be apparent, perfect subjects for a god like Melek.

Fluctuating magic
Both the priestly and the sorcerous magic of the alfar are influenced by the chaotic nature of Melek. All magical energy originates with him, and its flow is as unsteady as the troubled mind of the god-king. Every time an alfar casts a spell, his or her effective skill level is increased or decreased slightly. It is believed to be impossible to predict or control this ebb and flow of magical power.

Melek Wills It - The hierarchy of power
The influence of the Melek priesthood permeates all of alfar society. From their headquarters in Shoal, 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. Therefore, they rarely run out of opportunities to expand their already formidable power base. Unseemly amounts of personal ambition might rouse the wrath of the God-King, however, so in order to remain in power (and alive) an ambitious priest needs to be subtle, lucky or both.

The Horned Circle
The Melek priesthood is led by a group called the Horned Circle. These supremely powerful individuals are the chosen of Melek, and no alfar alive would dare to oppose them. Upon being selected to join the Circle, the priests actually grow small, pointed horns, and increase in stature, reaching a height more commonly associated with surface Elves (180 - 190 cm.) They are blessed by Melek with great skill in all the magical arts, and become the ultimate enforcers of his will, feared throughout Nagast.

The priests of the Horned Circle stand directly below Melek on the Nagast pyramid of power. They command the Black Robe Brotherhood directly, and the army, the Harn Mandean, and the Unseen Radiance all answer to them.

Members of the Horned Circle wear heavy, dark cloaks hemmed with silver patterns, and their symbol is a circle of eight wide open burning eyes. They wear no armour, and very rarely draw their sithras, preferring to rely on spells. It is rumoured that the Horned Circle have been given the new unholy sithras, which were recently developed by the mages and undead smiths of the Towers of Silence.

When one Horned Priest dies, another is chosen to replace him, usually from among the officers of the Black Robe Brotherhood. There are always eight members of the circle, and they always operate in groups of two, four or eight. They are the highest leaders of the church and the ultimate enforcers of Melek’s will.

The members and headquarters of the Horned Circle are protected by a large detachment of greater melechar. When travelling, Circle members are escorted by knights of the Harn Mandean.

Harn Mandean (Divine Hand)
The Harn Mandean is an elite brotherhood of alfar knights, which serves as Melek’s internal security unit, enforcing his will throughout Nagast. Particularly important surface missions are also handled by these dark knights, who are recruited from among the officers of the Black Robe Brotherhood.

In their unceasing work to weed out traitors and incompetents, the Harn Mandean is given semi-free rein: their mandate is broad with vague limits, and its leaders answer only to the Horned Circle and to Melek himself. On exceptionally challenging or important missions, Harn Mandean units are commanded by priests of the Horned Circle.

Travelling in small groups, Harn Mandean knights can be encountered anywhere in Nagast, often aided by soldiers commandeered from nearby army outposts. A knight of the Mandean has the authority to serve as judge, jury and executioner to any perceived criminal.

The Harn Mandean operates out of the leftmost stalactite of the Towers of Silence in Shoal. A group of its members serve as the bodyguards of Melek, who dwells in a neighbouring stalactite.

Harn Mandean soldiers always wear black plate mail and long red cloaks. They use magical alfar crossbows with poisoned bolts and various types of sithra swords. Their breastplates and cloaks are adorned with the mark of the Harn Mandean: The thinly etched outline of a red hand with fingers spread.

Melek’s bodyguards – who are ten strong at all times - use lightning sithra swords, and are selected from among the Harn Mandean’s finest knights.

Black Robe Brotherhood
The Black Robe Brotherhood is a potent weapon at the command of Nagast’s priesthood. It is an elite taskforce, consisting of utterly loyal alfar, who were chosen for the Brotherhood at a young age. They are dispatched to remove threats to Melek and Nagast, and they answer to the Horned Priests and the knights of the Harn Mandean.

Members of the Brotherhood are trained in a broad variety of combat-relevant skills, with special focus on close combat and healing magic. However, those that show a potential for destructive magic are placed on a dedicated training program, and later serve as spellcasters in Black Robe Brotherhood patrols.

On particularly dangerous assignments, the Black Robes are commanded by knights from the Harn Mandean, which both outrank the officers of the Black Robe Brotherhood and are more powerful individually.

The members of the Brotherhood are organised in balanced task forces which operate independently. Black Robe task forces are sent on anything from raids and quests to crowd control and escort missions. Groups of Black Robes usually stay together throughout their careers, and move on to more challenging assignments together as they improve in skill. The very finest members become officers, and successful officers may hope to one day join the Harn Mandean or the Unseen Radiance.

The armour worn by Black Robe members varies with their field of specialization: Warriors wear chain mail over manthe armour, healers wear only the manthe armour, and wizardly types rarely wear any armour at all. The weapons wielded by warriors vary with preference and skill level. Scimitars, attikas and – for officers – sithras are all common. In addition to clothes and armour, all on-duty members wear unadorned black robes made of heavy manthe cloth.

The symbol of the Black Robe Brotherhood is the Orb of Melek (see Alfar art and architecture, below), which adorns any shield or tabard used by members of the brotherhood.

The Unseen Radiance
Many of Nagast’s most skilful spellcasters are members of the Unseen Radiance, an ancient organisation of Deathless Mages headquartered in the Towers of Silence. Like the knights of the Harn Mandean, the mages of the Unseen Radiance enjoy a great deal of autonomy, answering only to the Horned Circle and Melek himself. The mages of the Unseen Radiance rarely meddle in the everyday affairs of Nagast, preferring instead to focus on their magical research.

When encountered outside the Towers, Radiance members are commonly gathering ingredients or engaged on some quest for magical items. On important or dangerous missions, they travel in groups of three to five, assisted by eight to ten melechar and greater melechar.

Mages of the Radiance wear dark red robes with gold hem embroidering. Along the hems, intricate patterns indicate flames, while a subdued but even more intricate rendering of the Orb of Melek (in gold) decorates the back. While travelling, Radiance members carry heavy staves crowned by red crystal orbs, and wear a wide variety of powerful magical items.

The Unseen Radiance recruits from the ranks of the Black Robe Brotherhood’s specialised spellcasters. New members are immediately turned into Deathless Mages.

Alfar art and decoration
The alfar of Nagast decorate the inside of their houses with tile mosaics. Floors are adorned with simple but pleasingly colourful patterns, while walls and ceilings are decorated with more advanced artwork, which often includes complicated motifs.

The simple tile patterns on floors tend to come in the rich colours which the alfar prefer, such as purple, blue and red; the exact colour preference varies from place to place and from clan to clan. In most cases, each floor mosaic is made using only two colours.

In the houses of wealthy individuals and in thriving businesses, however, the floor mosaics are more advanced, and contain tiles with as many as four or five different colours. These mosaics often show simple motifs, such as the silhouettes of alfar spires, and the stylized outlines of dammar mushrooms and arkin trees. In some large rooms, lines of stylized djuprose flowers run along the walls or in large-scale patterns on the floor.

The walls of alfar houses are decorated with mosaics that are more intricate than floorbound ones. In many cases, wall mosaics depict more advanced and colourful versions of popular floor motifs, such as arkin trees and alfar spires. Other popular subjects for wall and ceiling mosaics include colourful depictions of the Orb of Melek (especially popular on ceilings) and the Towers of Silence.

The orb of Melek is a golden circle containing a field of black broken by arkinwood-like blotches of dark purple. The orb is surrounded by jagged, golden rays that resemble stylized radiation, and have the general shape of elongated versions of the letter ‘z’.

The Towers of Silence are generally shown in relief with the Temple of Descent underneath them. In cheaper mosaics, the motif is shown as black and white, while more expensive works include approximations of the genuine colours.

Another popular element in mosaic art is the Sithra Ahra (see religion, above) held aloft by a black gauntlet. Stretched and tortured humanoid shapes swirl around the Sithra Ahra’s silvery blade, and the unadorned shape of the Silver Circlet (see religion, above) is sometimes shown over or under it.

Melek triumphant
The most spectacular alfar mosaics – found only in public buildings and the houses of the extremely wealthy – show Melek in standard poses and situations. One popular motif shows Melek executing members of other races with Sithra Ahra, held in both hands. Rows upon rows of victims are shown awaiting execution, tied down to individual chopping blocks, while Melek is shown holding a crowned human head by its long hair.

Another popular motif is Melek leading the alfar underground, heroically shielding his children from the wrath of the mirdain gods. Melek is shown as an enormous figure, his hands spread protectively over fleeing alfar refugees under him. Melek’s features dissolving into a cloak shielding the hindmost ranks of the alfar.

In a third popular motif, Melek battles Myrthai and Lorathai, the two gods of the Mirdain, who are also the alfar god’s parents. In these mosaics, he seems to be driving back the Mirdain gods, who are cowering from him and from the tendrils of the Sithra Ahra. The battle between the three elven gods is usually shown as taking place in a withered and lifeless forest, under a red sun.

A fourth subject that is popular with makers of large, expensive mosaics, is Melek stealing the Silver Circlet, which was a wedding gift from Lorathai to Myrthai. Melek is shown as sneaking the shining artefact off his sleeping mother’s head.

Animal statues
The alfar decorate their rooms and public spaces with large and medium-sized clay statues, which are covered in colourful mosaic tiles. In general, the tiles on these statues are be more brightly coloured (orange, red and yellow is common) than those on wall- or floorbound decorations. All mosaic-covered statues depict an animal of some kind, with lizards, snakes, leatherwings and dark dragons being most common. The statues are placed on floors and ceilings, and small, lightweight ones are even attached to walls and ceilings.

Light orbs
Instead of torches and lamps, the alfar illuminate their settlements using orbs of magical light in three different colours: completely white, bluish white, and a stark yellow. The orbs are sometimes set to swirl slowly, in predetermined patterns, around the points they are set to illuminate. In general, they are designed to accentuate the rich colour-play of Nagast rock, rather than to be decorative in their own right.

Standard light orbs are approximately one meter in diameter. Individual houses are sometimes illuminated by orbs that are exactly half the size of those used on major buildings. Indoor lighting is provided by orbs that are little bigger than alfar fists, which are either swirling or fixed in place.

The orbs used for indoor illumination come in a greater variety of colours than those used outside. The preferred inside colours include red, green, purple, blue, and a golden shade of yellow.

Alfar architecture
The alfar shape their buildings out of cavern floors, giving them a natural, semi-organic look. Alfar structures tend to have rounded corners, sloping roofs, and arched windows and doors. Using the natural rock as a base, the alfar use magic to add colour patterns, and then decorate further with intricate carvings.

Alfar holdings are surrounded by very tall, slender stone walls. Tooth-like protrusions rise with regular intervals, and while these are mostly decorative, they also discourage attacks by Darkgliders and Dark Dragons.

Alfar clan halls are large buildings that stand in the heart of their holdings. These structures usually consist of a single round chamber which is connected to other buildings by tubular tunnels across the cavern floor.

Manthe tunnels
The large Manthe spiders spin the cloth from which most alfar garments are made. The body of the female Manthe is covered in grey, fur-like hair, and is approximately 80 cm long. When their equally fur-covered legs are taken into account, an average cloth spider measures a formidable 200 cm from front- to hind legs. The male Manthe are much smaller, and serve only breeding purposes.

Cloth spiders are fairly docile creatures, which are not equipped with poison glands. Their fangs are rather impressive, however, and Manthe will attack when provoked (bumped into, etc.) Consequently, Sarkih slaves (see below) are used for gathering the web, while the cloth weaving itself is performed by alfar specialists.

The Manthe are kept in long, tubular tunnels, which have been excavated on the outskirts of alfar settlements. Usually, the pens of the gatherer slaves and the huts of the weavers make a village unto itself, its inhabitants rarely mingling with the people of the town proper. The highly specialized weavers are not trained for combat, and they are therefore something of a pariah caste in alfar society. Occasionally, crippled individuals will be re-trained as weavers, but usually the less-than-coveted occupation is passed on from parent to child. Sarkihya slaves are occasionally trained as weavers, but they seldom attain the level of skill needed to create, for instance, armour and manthe-silk.

Mushroom farms
The alfar cultivate a wide variety of mushrooms, which thrive in the humid climate of the caverns. Mushroom fields surround every settlement and, while most strains are used as food, some have uses that are more sinister.

Alfar poison is extracted from various types of fungi. Fields of poisonous fungi are kept under constant guard, and the processes involved in creating different mixtures are known only to the priesthood, and to the specialized - often human - slaves, who do the actual mixing. These slaves are heavily guarded, and they usually grow weak rapidly from inhaling poisonous fumes.

Mushrooms called dammar are an important part of the alfar diet. Vast fields of these giants, which stand almost 3 meters tall when fully grown, dominate the outskirts of alfar caverns. Dammar are white in colour and give off a yellowy sheen which cover Dammar fields in a faint, ghostly light. These giant mushrooms tend to droop slightly unless their surplus growth has been harvested recently. Slaves under alfar supervision tend the crops by slicing off ready-to-eat meat at regular intervals.

Sandor
The sandor is a large, subterranean lizard, which is used as a beast of burden by the alfar. While quite slow, they are immensely strong, and capable of pulling heavy loads. Sandor are used for construction work, and for transporting cargo on the passageways which connect the cities of Nagast.

An adult sandor is approximately 250 cm from snout to tail. Their yellow, rugged hide is very thick, and they are well suited for enduring the low temperatures of unsettled caverns and long passageways. Alfar equip sandor with leather harnesses that cover their torsos, to which straps and ropes are attached when there is work to be done.

For the purpose of pulling wagons, a single sandor will usually get the job done, no matter how heavy the load is. During construction work, however, entire teams of the huge lizards are put to work - pulling slabs of rock, raising pillars, etc.

Sandor are peaceful creatures, which only put their sharp fangs and claws to use if there are no escape routes available. Female Sandor have been known to become aggressive, and occasionally turn on their keepers, in the period directly preceding childbirth. Thus, they are usually taken out of service while pregnant. An enraged and cornered Sandor can be quite a formidable foe.

The alfar keep their sandor packs in sunken pits on the outskirts of their holdings. The pits are encircled by tall stone walls with a single large gate on one side.