Planartouched: Shadar-kai/Shadow Elf

Long living like any race. These elves not only look different than their cousins but their personalities as well. They feel much colder than other elves, maybe due to lost empathy or similar effect. Some say that they aren't elves anymore as they even do not refer to themselves as elves, even if others call them Shadow Elves, they use the name Shadar-Kai, which means Shadow Brethren in Qenya. They are intimately connected to the Shadow Reflection as their homeland isn't the Elven Lands but in the shadowy plane, there exist a metropolis of this race.   It all began in the Second Age, Godswar, when the elven forces during The Elder War built a forest-fortress in the deserts of Fiends called Veilishaar. It was magically defended against the forces of evil thus allowing the elves to work against their draconic enemies. When the Godswar ended, the magic shattered and they were vulnerable. Massive forces of devils and demons attacked their forces and the elf commander, Yshara Raven Leaf, had to use the High Magic of the forest to save them. This backfired as the magic was corrupted by the fiends over the millennia on their lands. The forest disappeared, leaving only dark fog. Their forest was transported to the Shadow Reflection, where the elves did everything they could do survive. Their leader had to do something and on brink of extinction, she made a pact with the Lady of Darkness, Nus. The elves were transformed and founded a new home in this strange plane. Their cities grew swiftly in numbers, creating a new culture. Their leader named herself as the Raven Queen and lives to this day, becoming the oldest living elf in existence. They renamed themselves the Shadar-Kai (Shadow Brethren) and began plans to conquer their lost lands. Using their powerful magic, they returned to the Material Plane with their forest but saw it changed forever as they now stood in a "new" continent of Arakhor and the children of fiends walked on their ancient lands. Furious, the shadar-kai waged a long war with the Tieflings, called the Shadow War of Arakhor and were enormously successful. They conquered over half of the continent, stopping at the Despair Mountains where they built massive fortresses, before the next stage of their plan - the destruction of demonic tribes in the west. This plan was shattered as the Tieflings used powerful magic to raze the mountain range (creating the now Willow Hills). Their army decimated, they retreated to their forest of Veilishaar, where they could stage a defense and finally lock themselves. For nearly two millennia, they were isolated from the continent. While some shadar-kai could enter the Material Planes from other places, they never waged another war and didn't reunite with their elven brethren. Everything changed in the Fourth Age, The Calamity, when the Icons came to the continent of Arakhor. At first, the shadar-kai decided to work with the Icons but after seeing what the Iconian Empire does, they changed their minds. In the shadows, they worked with the Tieflings to rebel against the Icons and Divine Hollow. They were successful and gained the trust of many saved Tieflings. The race wouldn't make any major move until the end of the Post-Calamity Era of the Fifth Age, Current Age when they tried diplomacy. At first, non-aggression pacts were signed and after two centuries, trade opened up. The race might become a major player in the politics of Arakhor or maybe even start contact with the Elven Lands.  

On Tethys

The Shadar-Kai are a rarity outside their home of Veilishaar or the Shadow Reflection and even rarer outside the continent of Arakhor. They tend to stay away from other elves as they do not see themselves of the same race anymore, worshiping the Shadow Masters.  

First World

There were no Shadar-kai in the First World.
Genetic Ancestor(s)

Shadar-kai

Ability Score Increase Dex +2; Con +1
Size Medium
Speed 30 ft.

Age. Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old.   Alignment. Elves love freedom, variety, and self-expression, so they lean strongly toward the gentler aspects of chaos. They value and protect others' freedom as well as their own, and they are more often good than not.   Size. Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.   Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.   Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.   Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.   Trance. Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is "trance.") While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. If you meditate during a long rest, you finish the rest after only 4 hours. You otherwise obey all the rules for a long rest; only the duration is changed.   Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elvish ballads to their repertoires. Necrotic Resistance. You have resistance to necrotic damage.   Blessing of the Raven Queen. As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.   Starting at 3rd level, you also gain resistance to all damage when you teleport using this trait. The resistance lasts until the start of your next turn. During that time, you appear ghostly and translucent.

Comments

Please Login in order to comment!