What is an Alfar?
The alfar are, in many ways, very archetypal elves. Their alabaster skin is compared by some to porcelain, and though somewhat delicate in appearance they are as hardy as any human. Like the elben, all alfar have dazzling green eyes that seem to sparkle in the light. Unlike the elben, whose hair is black, the alfar all have blonde hair, which ranges in tone from yellow to pure white. It is common for both males and females to wear their hair long.
Like the elben, an alfar’s facial features are well defined, but unlike the elben, their features are not severe; rather, they tend to be quite attractive, almost perfect physical specimens. The primary departure from the common appearance of an elf is that the alfar’s ears are not pointed, but are instead rounded like a normal human’s. Because of the alfar’s greater tolerance for the cold, they are often seen wearing less cold weather clothing than others, and in the warmer months often wear little more than a loincloth.
What are Alfar like?
What most alfar have in common is a strong sense of intuition. They value their gut feelings tremendously and as a result are often arrogant. They especially see themselves as being above those who spend long hours agonizing over decisions, because an alfar simply makes a decision and moves on with his or her life, living with the consequences if necessary. Alfar rarely change their minds after the fact, believing that their first thought on the matter is the purest and is therefore correct.
Despite their arrogance, the alfar are generally a kind people. They are happy to give food and supplies to those in need, following their natural instinct for community and trusting that they will be helped in turn if they are ever in need. Alfar are also very loyal to their friends and family, supporting them no matter the situation, and so they have proved a powerful force in the defence of the Bay from external threats. Their loyalty and stubbornness, however, are the primary fuel behind the war, and the reason why a diplomatic solution is unlikely to be accepted.
Alfar Society
In many ways alfar society is very simple; you do what you need to survive and you never second guess yourself. Respect and equality are very strongly linked; if you are able to earn people’s respect through your actions you gain elevated status. The other side of this is that if your family has high standing, then you don’t actually need to earn respect yourself, though it is fully possible to lose respect, and thus status, especially by changing your mind on a subject. As a result, there is a pressure to fit in with society or risk bringing dishonour to your family, diminishing the status of them all.
Many alfar spend much of their time in the wilderness, being one with themselves and with nature. The kinship and trust in the natural order is what drives so many of them to join the Kindred. It is also very common for alfar to keep pets, often wild animals that they have tamed themselves; these pets are viewed as members of the family, effectively a brother, sister, or child to their owner. There is even at least one notable instance of an alfar family raising a varker as one of their own, and she went on to become the Arch-Shaman for a time.
Alfar Faith
The way the alfar view their faith and the Order is in many ways the same as the elben, but differs on key points. The Libram is viewed more as parable that statement of fact, almost fable-like with a specific lesson to take away from each one. Again, however, Voland and Bishal are important figures, and their story is central to the way the alfar view the world. When Voland was born he began to craft the world, creating the earth and the sky and the sea, creating every leaf and every seed, creating every creature from the lowliest worm to the fiercest whale. He finally created the thinking beings, but that final act was not separated from the rest, it was simply the last step. Alfar and the other races were not distinct from nature in the eyes of Voland, and so they should not act as if they were. Like a worm, or a wolf, or a whale, they should strive to follow the instincts and intuitions that Voland instilled in them.
While Voland was doing his work, Bishal was watching and plotting, studying Voland’s creations and trying to comprehend what he was doing and why. Bishal dissected creatures and plant, experimented on nature, perverting it into demonic forms with his unnatural magic. And when, finally, he believed he had learned all he could from Voland, he set out to destroy him once and for all and claim the world himself. In short, instinct is of Voland and of nature, thought exists so that instinct can be understood, not so it can be reasoned against and countermanded.
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