Shadar-Kai

Shadar-Kai, or Low Elves, are a subspecies of Elves. They are native to The Shadowfell. These Elves, like their Eladrin cousins, possess difficulties in processing emotion. However, unlike their more expressive and sensitive kin, Shadar-Kai are numbed to their emotions, only feeling them in the most intense of circumstances. This difficulty in experiencing emotions comes from their connection to the Shadowfell, more specifically their Shadow Curse. This strange affliction, somehow related to the travesty Vox, who is known as the manifestation of the Shadowfell, causes the cursed to slowly lose their personality as their emotions are drained piece by piece, until their very soul is torn from them and they are reduced to a Shadow. This curse is so potent that even Shadar-Kai who escape the Shadowfell and traverse Apa Axas are still affected by it. To combat this inevitability, the Shadar-Kai often engage in dangerous activities, such as reckless combat, self-harm and intricate and painful tattooing and piercing rituals, in order to bring some form of emotion to the surface, allowing them to stave off the curse for a little longer. The origins of the Shadar-Kai are unclear, with their lack of records and nomadic nature. Scholars have theorised several explanations, including being created by Vox himself, being descended from elves lost in the Shadowfell, or they were banished by the Vida Quda for some heinous unknown crime in the earliest days of their race, although the Shadar-Kai themselves deny all of these explanations. Shadar-Kai are rare in Apa Axas, as many tend to prefer to stay in their native plane, but the ones that do reach the roving reality are often met with scorn and trepidation.

Encompassed species

• Elves

Related Locations

• Blacklight Castle
• The Shadowfell