Government
The Witch-Queen: The powerful monarch who rules over the Shadar-kai realm with absolute authority, wielding immense magical powers that keep neighboring realms at bay. The lack of witch queen after the extermination of the shadar kai as created an unbalance in the shadowfell.
Military
Bladesong
Those who see a bladesinger in battle never forget the sight. Surrounded by chaos and blood, the bladesinger moves in an otherworldly dance. Spells and sword act in concert, meshing awe-inspiring beauty with fearsome deadliness. When the bladesinger’s sword whirls through the air so swiftly that it keens and the air hums and whistles in chorus, the bladesong has begun — and it might be the last thing the bladesinger’s enemy hears.
The elves and half-elves who practice the art of the bladesinger, appear to be almost casual in combat, deflecting opponents’ blades while elegantly moving into position to score hits in return. A bladesinger wields a weapon one-handed, leaving the other free for spellcasting or to manipulate a wand that can be incorporated into the fighting style. This technique gives a bladesinger the freedom of movement necessary for the dancelike motions of the various forms of martial art, which allow both magical and physical attacks to flow freely.
Few among the elves, and an even smaller number of half-elves, have the honor of being inducted into the ranks of the bladesingers. One must have the mind necessary to be a great wizard, and also the agility of the greatest dancers.
Culture
Justice
Consistent with their long perspective on the world and their knowledge of its history, elves have a special view of morality. They abide by the traditional definitions of good and evil, but tinged with elven sensibilities.
In Shadar-kai society, justice is swift and uncompromising. Punishments for crimes against the realm are severe, often resulting in exile to the treacherous outer regions of the Shadowfell.
Wizardry
There’s a reason most powerful wizards are old. The special formulas of action, item, and sound that produce wizardly magic require precision, and such precision comes only from long practice. More than that, each spell a wizard might cast requires a portion of one’s powerful intellect to be dedicated to the task, with the necessary patterns of thought and proper mindset kept in stasis, ready to be unleashed. Even after these concepts are mastered, new knowledge of magic remains elusive, and a wizard must progress steadily through deeper levels of understanding, breaking through mental barriers in order to achieve ever greater mastery.
Of all peoples, elves are perhaps best suited to wizardry. They have centuries of life to devote to their studies, and their trance effectively gives them extra time to practice, as lessons learned during study can be reinforced by recalling them during resting periods. The patience and restraint for which elves are well known serves them well in this pursuit.
Elves are often seen as masters of magic because of how easily it comes to them, but the mightiest of their mages are always those folk who burn with ambition. The path to power is never smooth. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a fool or an enemy.
Names
Shadar Kai have a common naming habit, the first name followed by the last name which is generally extremely short, the two separate by an
'
Example: Zealdrin’at, Tom’el, Nael’an
History
Fiends and Angels
To fight the forces of mount celestia and bring the fight to them, Zariel ordered Malfuriel, her chancelor,l ed legions of devil into the shadowfel to battle the angels in the Syre Wood: a strategically-located shadow forest that, if conquered, could provide a position for the forces of hell to take the fight away from the first layer,
Luxuria. The legions’ relentless army of martial imps and devils took the forest by surprise, quickly slaying the
Shadar-Kai there and razing the villages in their path as they made their way to the heart of the wood. The forces of mount celestia finaly intervened to stop the infernal army, and
Freya managed to land a debilitating strike on Malfuriel charged with a curse:binding the legionnaires to the Syre Wood and turning Malfuriel to stone.
That night at dusk, Malfuriel’s petrified body suddenly erupted, releasing a foul wave of blood that tainted and stained the Syre Wood—a blight born of his intense hatred. Gushing waves of Malfuriel’s blood swept through the wood, corrupting the beasts that lived there and twisting its plantlife into a grim husk of its former beauty. Protected by Freya’s blade’s aura, the area immediately surrounding Malfuriel’s statue was spared from his lasting corruption: creating the Verdant Heart at the center of what is now known as the Bloodmire.
To this day, the Legate’s thousands of oath-bound servants are afraid of Syre’s blade and magically warded from entering the Verdant Heart. Trapped in this cursed swamp by the sword’s powerful magic, these fiends have slaughtered every fey that dared step outside of the Verdant Heart, and eagerly await their leader’s eventual return.
Vampire
The Shadar-kai city was once the largest elven settlement in the Shadowfell, an echo of Megima in the Plane of Shadow. However, the experimentation of Silver Remington, a higher vampire, with the Philosopher's Stone creation process led to a devastating ritual that eradicated all life within the city, leaving behind only ruins and despair. Though some survivors remain, their numbers are few, and the chances of the city reclaiming its former glory are slim.
Since this incident, they are now sworn enemies of the vampires, and they dedicate their lives to ensure the balance of power with these so-called vampires.
Notable members
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