The Alfar

Alfar "history" is a tangled mess of braggartry and arguments about whose lineage was the most Glorious. The only agreement they have is that it was an Alfar who developed the Rituals of Protection able to shield a body from mundane blows. As the tale goes, they did it in order to crush all comers in the fighting pit before their advantage was uncovered. There’s barely an Alf alive who doesn’t claim descent from them and argue about their identity.

That story is something of a creation myth for the Alfar, as since then they’ve been furiously competing to enhance themselves further with ritual changes to their bodies. The pointy ears seem to be a side-effect of this.

Alfar naturally live a long time due to their extensive biomantic enhancements but this has been compensated for by a society big on martial glory and promotion by way of dead Alf’s boots. You’re typically lucky to hit 60. They are the Nation least satisfied with the last 20 years of peace.

Life as an Alf

Alfär are given a life-path when they are young. An important result of this is that Alfär have a lesser understanding of gender than Ozgur or humans. Many choose to present with gender-neutral pronoun of "they" rather than "he" or "she" and mix clothing styles based on how GLORIOUS they look as opposed to by gender.

Alfar have a strong concept of Glorious Combat. To show your superiority over another Alf is Glorious. To raid in warfare or piracy is Glorious, but doing so in the local continent these days is considered Foolhardy and Laughable. This is due to the other two Nations ganging up on Pirates and sinking your longship and everyone else’s with extreme prejudice. They tend to range further afield now, trading and pillaging far-off lands. (Please note this should not be used to portray attitudes close to real-world colonialism or racism)

Showing superiority over another Alfar is the most Glorious pursuit. Continuing rivalries with the Ignoble Species is considered somewhat embarrassing, as it is not devoting your time to sparring worthy rivals. You're already better than them, you don't need to waste time showing off about such petty achievements.

Alfär are not a romantic race. Their actions are not designed to win hearts, but for the story. Every Alfär has a narrative, that they spend their lifetime crafting, and which they wear in the form of their trophies. Indeed, any passerby who is foolish enough to look long enough at one of them will usually get part of the dramatic spiel. Emotions are part of this, but love is not one of them: it drives the Alfär too close to their natural habit of exploding in a flame of ship wreckage and experimental weaponry.

Playing Alfar

Alfär should appeal to players who want to act, fight and generally enjoy the concept of bragging over a pint. An Alfär can also be played as a strategist, or alternately someone who leaps into things without a second thought: though ideally one should be tempered by the other. Dead fools tell no tales, but without the courage to take risks, how will you be Glorious?

There is also room for the more eccentric Alfär: a trader who is well known for obtaining the rarest goods from the most dangerous location, and is known to brag about it, is always . Similarly, Alfär can find glory in the most surprising things, but they should have to expect to defend this To play an Alfär, extroversion is key.

Fictional Inspirations

• The Viper from Game of Thrones is a good example, with his intelligent plans alongside a tendency to embrace life in all its forms. Similar, his daughters, the Sand Snakes.
• Starbuck from the new Battlestar Galactica.
• River Song's flair for drama and show tempered by intellect would make her an excellent Crusader. Similarly Captain Jack Harkness.
• Lord Flashheart from the Blackadder series.
• Gimli and Legolas's rivalry is a truly Alfar friendship. Eowyn would also make an excellent Alfar, though wouldn't need to disguise as a man to go challenge some horrendous monster.

What they are not

• 18th Century Pirates
  • No frockcoats and tricorns please.