Morn'fal

Written by CrazyJack

From the short passage they emerged into an enormous cavern, a seemingly endless void so massive that the light from their torches could only penetrate a few metres, all else was devoured by the eerie stillness. A stale and unsettling scent lingered in the air, and none of the party could quite place it.
"There is dark magic in this place," whispered Eren, lifting his staff slightly higher, "we shouldn't have come here."
"Shhhh," hissed Nerva in reply, her blade singing as she drew it from its scabbard. Dravek hefted his axe, and Meravyn took his shield from his back. In the darkness, a pair of evil yellow eyes emerged, they were soon joined by another, and then more, until all around them were eyes glistening in the light of the torches.
"Morn'fal," said Meravyn, the fear in his voice making it barely more than a whisper. The sounds of evil little snarls and roars suddenly arose all around them, and then the first arrows were unleashed from the blackness.
"MOVE!" screamed Nerva, but it was too late. Morn'fal can be referring to any creature born of dark magic, but most commonly describes the creatures created and spread across the mortal plain by Umbral'ogh in the Age of Origination, during the Endless War. When they were first created these creatures were more magic than living matter, but as the age of origination came to an end, and as Umbral'ogh's powers waned, they were reduced to mortal flesh. During the 1st age, the Morn'fal fought continuously with Humans, Elves and Dwarves, until the crusades of King Laédin the Pure and his son King Idril Laédin drove them out of the lands and into the deep dark places of the world. In these places they stayed and have remained until today, making frequent incursions above ground to raid and pillage throughout the many centuries. Over time their many twisted and evil forms have developed into a few sub-species. Sometimes these sub-species, categorised as Gorvar, Bekvar, Eshvar, and Demovar band together in huge warbands which threaten entire towns or even regions. Mostly, however, they reside underground or in uninhabited places, fighting amongst themselves.

Sub Species

Gorvar - Ogres, Orcs and Goblins

By far the most common type of Morn'fal to inherit the mortal plains, the Gorvar are made up of creatures such as Ogres, Orcs and Goblins, who often mass together in great hordes to raid and pillage. In a Morn'fal warband, Gorvar usually make up the majority of the force, and act as standard warriors, although some Orcs and Goblins can also cast simple magic, most commonly destructive spells. They can be found throughout Tal'rond, and prefer to reside in abandoned ruins and cave networks, although some can also be found in the deepest parts of the great forests and jungles. The Gorvar are not very bright, and communicate primarily through their own guttural and snarling language, they exist solely to plunder and slaughter, to gain greater riches and glory in battle. In numbers the are fearsome but alone or in small groups can be cowardly, which is why they usually only attack when they far outnumber their adversary. Wherever they reside, gorvar construct makeshift dwellings and erect shrines to their dark gods, most of whom consist of different forms of Umbral'ogh and his many servants.

Bekvar - Beasts of Darkness

Any Morn'fal who takes the shape of a beast with horns, hooves or hair is considered a Bekvar, or a beast of darkness. While less common than Gorvar, they can still be numerous in certain regions of the world, and are usually bigger, stronger, more intelligent and more aggressive. In a Morn'fal warband, the Bekvar usually have the role of shock troops, using their strength and ferocity to smash through enemy lines. The Bekvar also reside in ruins and caves, but prefer deep, dark forests and jungles. Their main drive is to sate their hunger for flesh, and their animalistic desire to hunt and kill anything that isn't Morn'fal. Bekvar are able to speak but only through strained snarls and angry roars. Gnolls and Minotaurs are the most common Bekvar, but there are also many other forms.

Eshvar - The Scaled

The Eshvar are a rare sight among the ranks of the Morn'fal but are far more intelligent than Gorvar or Bekvar, They are able to fully speak, and often act as captains and minor leaders who hiss out orders to lower ranked Morn'fal. Any creature that has scales, or takes the form of a lizard or snake humanoid is considered an Eshvar. The Eshvar are also capable of higher forms of magic than Gorvar, some wreaking havoc with their spells threaded throughout their enemies. They are strong like their brethren, but are also incredibly fast, and prefer to use dexterity and skill rather than brute force when fighting. The Eshvar are a rare sight above ground, but can be found deep in caverns and tunnel networks where other Morn'fal reside. The main goal of Eshvar is to impress their masters, the greater Demovar.

Demovar - Demons

The Demovar consist of two types of demon, greater and lesser demons. They are extremely rare, so much so, that it is said that only a handful of people have seen one in the last century. This could also be in part thanks to the greater demon's cloaking magic. Lesser demons are much more monstrous in form than greater demons, can often fly and are gifted mages. They are the servants of greater demons and act as advisors, wizards and in some cases commanders of lesser Morn'fal. They are also usually smaller and weaker than other Morn'fal, relying on their twisted magic to fight. Greater demons are the rarest and most powerful of all Morn'fal, and are said to be the descendents of Umbral'ogh's most powerful Morn'fal during the Endless War. Their true form is much more human or elf-like than other Morn'fal, and they are masters of illusion and possession magic, as well as possessing great intelligence. When large warbands or armies of Morn'fal band together, it usually a greater Demovar that leads them. Each greater Demovar has their own thoughts and ambitions, and are thought to have been removed completely from Umbral'ogh's darkness, some even preferring to distance themselves from other Morn'fal and use their powerful magic to disguise themselves a ordinary beings, most commonly as nobles, and living relatively normal lives in the mortal world. Greater Demovar can therefore range greatly in their alignment, in the same way that Elves, Paédor, Dwarfs and Humans can. Despite this, due to their ancestry all Demovar have a knack for deceit and intrigue, and are gifted at manipulation, often infiltrating noble or even royal courts in order to satisfy their own goals.

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

Over the many millennia since their creation, the Morn'fal have devolved into mortal beings, and thus they reproduce like any other of the mortal races, however due to the divergence of the sub-species they tend to mate only within their own sub species, with the exception of greater Demovar, who only reproduce with other greater Demovar, or in rare cases, with Elves, Humans, Paédor or Dwarves. Occasionally reproduction between different sub-species can occur, but usually results in deformed or stunted offspring.

Growth Rate & Stages

Each sub-species of Morn'fal have different approximate life spans:
Gorvar - up to 45 years
Bekvar - up to 60 years
Eshvar - up to 120 years
Lesser Demovar - up to 170 years
Greater Demovar - up to 300 years