Government: The Alfar Nation

Structure of the Government

Similarly to the Human and Hodekin nations, the Alfar nation is divided into a number of townships each with their own leader, but one of them is superior to the others. In the Alfar nation, however, the townships are somewhat larger as there are only three. Paradoxically, the townships ruled over by the Alder, who also serves as leader of the nation as a whole, is not the largest, rather he rules Benshaw Township which controls the Alfar territory on the islands, including Usk, Felling, and Gordon. The other townships are led by individuals called Onders. The Onder of Ringwood Township has control over Tantham and Upham, as well as the villages in Willem’s Land and Sulliver. The last township is Nefyn Township, which includes the villages of Ruthin, Pallywick, Castol, and Yonder. All of the smaller villages are led by a Ritter.

The positions of Alder and Onder are similar in many ways, particularly in their method of selection. Each year the currently serving Alder and Onders declare their choice of successor should they die that year; most years this is little more than a formality as the choice will not have changed from the previous year. On occasion, however, the chosen successor might die himself or perhaps earn dishonour to the point that he or she is no longer considered worthy, and this process allows a new selection to be made. The position of Ritter is treated differently, in that it is appointed by the Alder or Onder of the township. A currently sitting Ritter cannot be forced out of his or her position, but ultimately don’t control who succeeds them, though they may be consulted for a recommendation. Though death is the usual mode in which any of these positions become vacant, the individuals holding the positions can also choose to step down.

Geography

The Alfar nation controls four rather distinct areas, largely divided along townships lines. At the core are the islands, which fall into Benshaw Township. The western half of Perry Island is part of this region, as well as Doal, Usk, and Sholner Islands. The bamboo forest covers most of this area, though Doal island is an exception as it is treed with blackwoods. Across the main Bay from Perry Island is Nefyn Township; this region is almost entirely fertile farmland, though it becomes somewhat rocky further north, and a fraction of the Wachoer Forest extends into the territory near Pallywick. At the northern end of Nefyn Township the border with the Elben nation is delineated by the Canal River.

Returning west, Willem’s Land is a long peninsula extending eastward. It is separated from the Human nation by Prewett Sound on the south side, and separated to the north from Perry Island by the waters of South Circling and from the Ringwood by the Solsund. Two rivers mark the edges of the region on land, the Silver River, and the Coney River. Most of the area is grassland and farmland; the Roscoe Forest has a foothold in the south around Sulliver, stretching almost to Darby. On the other side of the Coney River is the Ringwood, a heavily wooded area dominated by conifers such as pines and firs, with blackwoods spattered about liberally. The Fairdon River flows through the forest in the north before it gives way to a large rocky hill riddled with caves called the Mound that splits Tantham Bay from the Narsund. Though the mound is rather geographically distinct, there are no real settlements there, and so it is generally considered to be part of the Ringwood. The Ringwood and Willem’s Land together comprise Ringwood Township.

Industry

Farming is important in the Alfar nation, especially in Nefyn Township, which is part of the same fertile stretch of land as Tideswell Township in the human nation. Ruthin, Nefyn, Pallywick, Castol, and Yonder are all either devoted to farming, or lean heavily in that direction, though Nefyn itself is also a food distribution centre. There is also a fair amount of farming in Willem’s Land, though there it shares equal dominance with herding. Fishing also has a presence in the nation, particularly in Ruthin and Gordon, though also in Castol, Tantham, Darby, Upham, and Benshaw. Hunting parties venture into the uninhabited wilds beyond the Friar’s Wall regularly. The last food industry in the Alfar nation is on Usk Island, where they grow several different species of bamboo, harvesting new shoots before they have really begun to grow.

Reindeer herding provides not only meat, but also leather and fur; some are even kept as pets or pack animals. In the same area, Darby boasts one of the major horse-breeders in the Bay. On Perry Island, the bamboo that grows there is harvested for timber, being the principal industry of Felling and Benshaw. In the Ringwood as well, lumber is the principal industry, occupying many of the people of Ringwood, Upham, and Tantham. And finally, Sulliver, near the border with the Human nation, is the site of the Bay’s only silver mine. Some of that silver is sent to the mint in Mortehoe, but a fair amount of it goes directly to the vaults in Benshaw for potential future use.

Possible Adventure Hooks

The fertility of the Nefyn region is a significant factor in keeping the people of Butter Bay fed each year. Perhaps the boats carrying food from Nefyn are mysteriously disappearing; a hefty reward would likely be offered for anybody able to find the cause and put an end to it. Potential causes could range from particularly aggressive butterbasts, to elben-uruk naval vessels capturing the boats, or even alfar-hodekin vessels trying to frame their enemies for the crime. The land itself could also come under attack; one unscrupulous and malicious arcanist, perhaps even expelled from the Academy, might concoct a spell or ritual to poison the land. If using the second, you could tie this into retrieving tomes from Tolling Keep, the adventurers themselves gave the arcanist what he needed to perpetrate this act.

The caves within the Mound could hold unknown secrets to be discovered, there might also be unknown dangers lurking there. Exploring these caves could be an adventure in itself, or the adventurers could simply end up there in the course of another mission, such as finding a lost child. A scholar of ancient history might present a theory that the Mound holds the tomb of some long forgotten monarch, along with many treasures, or it could contain the lair of a dragon, in a thousand-year hibernation. It might be more interesting to combine more than one of these ideas.

The politics of the alfar are full of potential plots. Rival families trying to discredit one another, assassinations, manipulations, individuals seeking positions of power, or trying to protect the power they already have. The Vo Nayer family should always figure into these plots in some way, as they are the single most powerful alfar family with members serving as Alder, Seer, Arch-Seeker, and two of the three Arch-Druids.

Wednesday: Death

Race: Alfar

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.

Monday: The Alfar Nation