Dokkalfar (Dark Elves)
Deep beneath the crags and sun-starved roots of the mortal realms stretches the Obsidian Underreach, the eternal twilight domain of the Dokkalfar. Known commonly as Dark Elves, the Dokkalfar are a race forged by exile, depth, and ancient ambition. When the primordial world splintered, while their celestial kin retreated into golden forests and high peaks, the ancestors of the Dokkalfar followed the cold singing of deep crystal formations, carving out great cavernous city-states suspended over subterranean seas.
Physically, the Dokkalfar are arresting figures of predatory grace. Having lived for tens of thousands of years away from natural sunlight, their skin is unmarred pale marble, ranging from cold porcelain to ash-white with translucent hues that reveal faint, iridescent veins underneath. Their eyes possess no visible pupils, appearing instead as solid pools of luminous silver, violet, or liquid obsidian, naturally tuned to perceive the heat signatures and ethereal ley-lines that thread through dark stone. Their hair is uniformly pale—spun gold, frost-white, or raven-black—cascading down meticulously ornate armor fashioned from spider-silk weaves and darkmithril alloy.
The beauty of the Dokkalfar is notorious, yet it carries the terrifying thrill of a drawn blade. They view physical elegance as a necessity of power; to them, perfection is the ultimate tool of dominance. Their culture is governed by ruthless houses, court intrigue, and silent assassin guilds, all bound together by a cold, calculating philosophy. Weakness in Dokkalfar society is not merely discouraged; it is eradicated.
In combat and magic, the Dokkalfar are consummate hunters. They do not fight for glory, but for absolute victory. Their warriors utilize whisper-quiet crossbows tipped with paralyzing poisons, twin curved daggers that dance between armor plates, and shadow-weaving sorcery that blurs perception and converts ambient light into suffocating darkness. They harness shadow-magic, void-threads, and blood-binding rituals to bend subterranean horrors to their will. Though feared by surface dwellers as cruel and enigmatic raiders, the Dokkalfar view surface races with disdainful detachment, regarding the light-bound world above as a chaotic, unrefined realm waiting to be claimed.
Ljosalfar (High Elves)
High above the clouds, atop the shimmering peaks of the Eternal Spire and nestled within lofty, marble-walled citadel-states, reside the Ljosalfar. The High Elves are the majestic keepers of ancient cosmic order, proud guardians of celestial heritage, and masters of arcane artifice. Of all the Alfar, the Ljosalfar remain most closely attuned to the primal light that created the universe, viewing themselves as the rightful stewards of civilization, magic, and historical truth.
The Ljosalfar are magnificent in stature, tall, slender, and radiating an unmistakable, subtle luminescence. Their skin bears the warm tone of polished ivory or sunlit bronze, and their eyes shine with the intense, radiant brilliance of pure magic—hues of shimmering gold, sapphire blue, or star-fire white. Their hair ranges from rich spun gold and polished copper to immaculate platinum, usually styled in intricate braids that signify noble lineage, arcane rank, or centuries of martial achievements.
Ljosalfar culture represents the apex of high magic and architectural triumph. Cities built by the High Elves feature soaring towers of white stone, floating aqueducts, and vast celestial observatories that mirror the movements of the cosmos. Every aspect of Ljosalfar society is soaked in magic: enchanted lanterns light their streets without burning fuel, lyrical incantations perform daily chores, and ancient wards preserve their cities from weather and time. Pride is the defining trait of the Ljosalfar—a pride born of living for centuries, accumulating unmatched wisdom, and holding back dark, existential forces throughout the ages.
In war, the Ljosalfar are an awe-inspiring power. They field majestic legions of spearmen clad in gleaming dragon-scale mail, deadly arc-bow archers whose arrows trail starlight, and high mages capable of reshaping landscapes. Their magic is radiant and authoritative, drawing power directly from the sun, the stars, and the raw ley-lines of the world. Ljosalfar battle-weavers can conjure golden barrier shields that deflect catapult stones, call down bolts of pristine celestial fire, and banish otherworldly entities with a single spoken word. Though often perceived as arrogant and detached by younger races, the Ljosalfar bear the heavy burden of keeping primordial chaos at bay.
Vioalfar (Wood Elves)
Deep within the primordial, ancient forests where the canopy blots out the sky and the roots drink from primeval magic, live the secretive Vioalfar. Known as the Wood Elves, they are the quiet heart of the Alfar—stealthy guardians, nature sages, and fierce defenders of the natural world. While their cousins build grand stone cities or dark subterranean empires, the Vioalfar dwell in complete harmony with the living forest, carving home-trees out of gargantuan oaks without harming a single leaf.
Physically, the Vioalfar are built for agility, endurance, and camouflage. Their skin reflects the earthy tones of the woodlands—deep bark-browns, sun-dappled olive, and pale moss green. Their eyes shimmer like liquid amber, deep emerald, or forest hazel, capable of tracking the faintest movement across miles of dense brush. Their hair resembles autumn leaves, charcoal, or wild bramble-wood, often woven with living vines, feathers, and protective runes carved into bone beads. They wear light leather, woven leaves, and enchanted bark-armor that blends effortlessly into the surrounding foliage. Elders, or those with especially deep bond with the land, are distinguished by having antlers.
The culture of the Vioalfar centers around deep reverence for the Great Spirit of the Forest and the cycle of life and death. They do not possess formal kings or legislative courts; instead, they are guided by circles of Sages and Wild Wardens. To the Vioalfar, the forest is a living, breathing god, and every tree, stream, and beast carries a voice that must be heeded. They are notoriously isolationist, viewing outsiders with intense suspicion, for history has taught them that mortal expansion often brings ax, fire, and corruption to their sacred groves.
Defensively, the Vioalfar are unmatched. Rather than building walls of stone, their sages weave intricate, living barrier wards over entire regions. These grand plant-bound enchantments warp geography, causing unwanted trespassers to walk in endless circles, fall into enchanted slumbers, or become hopelessly lost in illusory fogs. Should an enemy breach these magical mist-curtains, they are met with invisible death: Vioalfar archers can loose fatal shaft-shots from tree canopies hundreds of yards away before vanishing into shadow. Through green-magic, wild shape-shifting, and animated forest-creatures, the Vioalfar ensure that their ancient sanctums remain untouched by time and war.
Regarding relations
Ljosalfar (High Elves)
Toward Vioalfar: View them with patronizing affection as wild, rustic kin who strayed into the dirt. While respecting their preservation of ancient green-magic, High Elves pity their refusal to build true, lasting civilization.
Toward Dokkalfar: Regard them with cold, righteous revulsion as tragic, fallen brethren. They view the dark elves' shadowy existence as a corrupt tragedy, though they quietly respect their martial lethality enough to avoid unprovoked skirmishes.
Vioalfar (Wood Elves)
Toward Ljosalfar: View High Elves as arrogant, out-of-touch snobs whose gleaming glass spires isolate them from the living world. They tolerate them as distant guardians of the sky, provided their grand spells do not burn the canopy.
Toward Dokkalfar: Treat the dark kin with deep, cautious anxiety. While recognizing that the Dokkalfar respect natural subterranean balances, their ruthless pragmatism and cruel poisons make them unpredictable neighbors to be watched from the shadows.
Dokkalfar (Dark Elves)
Toward Ljosalfar: View High Elves with cynical amusement, mocking their obsession with "pristine light" and cosmic morality as delusional fragility that will crumble the moment real hardship strikes.
Toward Vioalfar: Harbor a quiet, pragmatic respect for Wood Elves. They view them as fellow survivors who understand the necessity of lethal stealth, though they find their romantic devotion to trees and spirits hopelessly naive.
Across the vast divide of culture, environment, and philosophy, all three subraces of the Alfar hold a unanimous, deep-seated abhorrence for necromancy—though each views the dark art through the lens of their own core values:
Ljosalfar reject necromancy as absolute profanity. As guardians of celestial order and primal light, they view the reanimation of dead flesh as a perversion of the cosmic balance, corrupting the pristine arcane currents they strive to protect.
Vioalfar consider the practice a direct violation of the laws of nature. To shackle a departed spirit or force corpse movement disrupts the natural cycle of life and growth, death and decay.
Dokkalfar despise it for practical and visceral reasons: it is repulsive, aesthetically offensive, and draws dangerous, unwanted cosmic attention into the Obsidian Underreach.