Shadar-kai Culture

The Shadar-kai now live in Shadaria in the Spiritroots of Subterranea, but their tenebrous history began in the surface world.

The Shadar-kai

by Kacy Humphrey and Kyle Herndon
Darkness smothers the land and memories of the Shadar-kai (lit. Banished Elf). Far below the surface of Archestria, in the roots of the famous Spiritwood, tribes of the Shadar-kai live in strange symbiosis with the shadows around them. Drow, Duergar, Illithid, and Svirfneblin all regard the gray-skinned Spiritwood descendents with cautious amusement, but respect the inked cavern walls and Spiritroots that mark the boundaries claimed by the fierce Shadar-kai.
At the start of the age, the elves were denizens of the Deepwood, well-adapted to the lightless regions of the Spiritwood. The memoryless years marked times of hardship, as any new birth does. Food had to be found, allies made - but with them, terrible mistakes.
Maesica, a charming leader of the elves, was quick to bring the tribes to order by allying with the nearby Illithids. The fey ancestry of Maesica’s people lent them natural resistances to the Illithids’ mental assaults, and the enslaving practices of the aberrations ensured ready access to valuable resources - the resources required to keep the elves alive and well.
Before long, the other denizens of the Spiritwood found themselves allied against a common enemy, cutting back against the brain eaters. Beneath the keen steel of elven blades and fiery spirits, the illithids and their Deepwood elf allies were driven into the Spiritroots in Subterrannea.
Pressed between the drow, dwarves, gnomes, and other more monstrous inhabitants of Subterranea, the Deepwood elves fled deep into the darkness, finding homes deep in the farther reaches of Subterranea. In those depths, they found homes in the ruins of inhabitants from previous ages.

Culture

Shunned by most races, the Shadar-kai have dealt with their Illithid “allies” for most of their history. Unfortunately, the Illithid are partners best kept at tentacle’s length; while they are powerful in the depths of Subterranea, they see other races as food, not friends.
The Shadar-kai have long been guarded against the mental tricks of the mind-flayers. Rogue drow with falsified memories and dominated umber hulks alike are threats to the tribes of Shadaria. The elves have learned not to trust the words of others and treat the spoken word as naturally untrustworthy.
In place of oral histories, the Shadar-kai see the inalienable truths in the literature written by ancients, untainted by the falsified memories planted by Illithid. The older the writing, the more trustworthy it becomes for having fewer opportunities to be manipulated and more opportunities to be corrected. They carry forth this practice by etching their important stories in stone using traditional rituals - and only in writing can the legends and histories of the Shadar-kai truly be expressed. A process involving the zone of truth spell is used to validate an author's writings before their work is added to the collective. Additions and edits are always “colored” to leave a trace back to the author for responsibility.
The heroes of the Shadar-kai are witnessed by the traditional trophies retrieved from their legendary conquests. The elves will wrap bones or rune-carved stones with colored thread or ink in unique color patterns that fit the elf in question.

Language

Shadar-kai speak primarly undercommon and sometimes elvish. While the elegance of the Shadar-kai’s written word is rivaled only by their elven kin, their speech is far blunter. Words are used only as necessary to drive action, or describe the present. Short commands dominate the discussion of the Shadar-kai, while evidence and trophies serve as the best proof of daring feats.
Shadar-kai’s spoken language is traditionally short and imperative, eschewing tensed verbs. The natural subject for any given sentence is the person being spoken to. Prepositional phrases are used sparingly, but as required for clarity. Passive verbs (e.g. ‘is’, ‘are’, ‘be’) are avoided completely.

• “Show me to the bathroom”
• “Wield no weapon”
• “Hear my thanks” (see also “Witness” and “Understand”)

When a subject is required for clarity, discussing the actions of another or answering questions about oneself, the subject is appended at the end of the sentence, following Verb-Object-Subject order.

• “Hunger, I”
• “Scout the Drow encampment, Erthia”

This sounds odd in Common, and more fluent Common-speakers will adjust the structure to follow Subject-Verb-Object to be better understood.
In traditional Shadar-kai culture, the past is not spoken about, and the future is only talked about when it is explicitly predictable or controllable by the speaker, especially the immediate future. I.e. Will be there tomorrow, I.
Simple affirmations or refusals are traditionally expressed by touching a hand to the expresser’s shoulder, the left shoulder for “Yes”, and the right shoulder for “No”.

Playing a Shadar-kai

When playing a Shadar-kai, understand that most of the traditions are confusing for folks that live on the surface. Many Shadar-kai that leave their tribal home adjust to the more verbal nature of other races. Like with most cultures, some elves that leave home will adjust, while others will remain far more traditional.
When playing a Shadar-kai:

• Consider how traditional you want your speech patterns to be.
• Avoid trusting spoken words, instead seek evidence or proof of boasts.
• Carry your own evidence of your past deeds, or your ancestors - colored by a pattern of colors unique to you.
• Treat the written word as sacred, which makes written lies all the more blasphemous.