Fomordrin

## Description:

The Fomordrin, sometimes referred to as Shadow Elves or Void Elves, are a subrace of Elves native to The Unbeheld, a Realm of pure void and darkness used to imprison and contain beings deemed antithetical to the natural order of the K2 Universe, including eldritch abominations, Outer Gods, and the Fomorians, the Celtic gods of destruction. The Fomordrin were created to worship the Fomorians and fight against the other Elves and Fae in an unending conflict for revenge and supremacy; as such, the Fomordrin and other Elves hate each other with a burning passion and will kill each other on-sight if possible. Other Elves are preternaturally repulsed by Fomordrin, and Fomordrin feel disgusted in the presence of Fae and other Elves. Fomordrin exist almost solely in The Unbeheld, and can survive for long periods of time in darkness, as light is actively draining for them. They generally stood taller than normal humans and equivalent to other Elves, often at around six and a half (6.5) feet tall, and weighed around two hundred (200) pounds, more than most Elves of equivalent height. Fomordrin were often more physically imposing than other Elves, being designed by their creators as bringers of destruction.

Fomordrin eyes were always pure black, appearing unnaturally dark and non-reflective regardless of light-level. Fomordrin hair is always black, and blends into shadows as if it was made of the abyss itself. Fomordrin skin color can range from deathly pale to slate black; darker skin is associated with greater power and status, as it is superior camouflage in the darkness and indicates a healthier relation to the Fomorian gods. Fomordrin will dim light sources and draw in shadows when undergoing intense emotion and will passively appear dimmer even when present in bright light.

Fomordrin are generally perceived as monstrous and evil by other humanoid races, often as a result of Elf propaganda. Some humans see Fomordrin as tragically beautiful and hauntingly attractive but are usually misguided in their assumptions. Drow are known to look down on Fomordrin, but the two (2) subraces share a twisted sense of comradery nevertheless. Beastmen revere Fomordrin as messengers of their horrid gods.

Fomordrin were not made to be intelligent or wise; they were created to worship their makers and wage war on their masters' enemies. Despite this, Fomordrin culture has led to the rise of intellectuals and strategists, masters of deception and military tactics, and experts in stealth and subversion; their war on the Elves has also bred clans of infiltrators, masters of disguise, and assassins unparalleled by other races. Fomordrin intellect is designed to perceive violence as a first resort, especially when dealing with Elves, and Fomordrin are taught from birth to use their minds for slaughter. Fomordrin are capable of great feats of learning and academics, but only if it advances their goals. Fomordrin are not wise, and indeed were created to be the opposite; while many Fomordrin are perceived as rule-breakers and troublemakers, the Fomorians wanted unwavering worshippers, not free-thinking citizens. Fomordrin listen to what their gods or priests or commanders tell them, often without question, as long as the one giving the orders is deemed acceptable to the Fomordrin; unacceptable people of authority are ignored or killed outright. Fomordrin are considered less intelligent, less creative, less curious, less emotional, and less wise than other Elves; this stereotype is correct, as Fomordrin lack conventional empathy towards anyone that is not a Fomordrin. Fomordrin spend little time on art that does not serve to venerate their gods. Fomordrin maintain an incredibly high level of magical ability, but little in the way of conventional technology; The Unbeheld's unique physical reality prevents Unbeheld technology from functioning in other Realms, and so Fomordrin must resort to Magic instead.

Fomordrin can reproduce sexually, but do not derive pleasure from doing so. Instead, they are compelled to mate with one another on special religious holidays or do so on orders of their commanders; massive city-wide orgies are known to occur in The Unbeheld, whenever the Fomorians need more soldiers for their armies. Similarly, Fomordrin can be created by the Fomorians themselves, formed of Unbeheld energies or drawn from tainted, corrupted Elves of other subraces. Elves who travel to The Unbeheld will naturally mutate into Fomordrin over a period of months (*Note: Elves who enter and later leave The Unbeheld display marked personality shifts and long-term changes in demeanor and appearance, lasting for several years after initial exit from The Unbeheld*), and Elves who fall to worship of the Fomorians or similar false gods will conduct occult rituals to mutate themselves and unwilling victims into Fomordrin, who serve as warriors of destruction on Earth. When birthing naturally, Fomordrin can reproduce many times over the course of their infinite lifespan; Fomordrin do not become infertile with age and can be made extra fertile via Magic. Fomordrin have, on average, twelve (12) to twenty (20) children every one hundred (100) years. Fomordrin treat children very poorly compared to other Elves, even the Drow; Fomordrin children are raised semi-communally, sent off to be educated and trained by the Fomordrin's warrior-priests from the age of seven (7) to fifteen (15), at which point they undergo a coming-of-age ritual and, if they pass, are considered adults. Before they are educated, Fomordrin children are taught the basics of life by their families and are taught the basics of their family's caste-assigned jobs.

While living in The Unbeheld, priests and ruling Fomordrin have infinite lifespans and do not die of old age; lower-class Fomordrin live for around fifty thousand (~50,000) years in The Unbeheld (*Note: Time dilation in The Unbeheld means that low-class Fomordrin life for ~50 years from the perspective of other Realms*). When outside The Unbeheld, all Fomordrin have a lifespan of only one hundred (100) years due to their bodies' dependence on The Unbeheld's energies. These lifespans can be artificially extended via Magic and/or favor from the Fomorians.

### Personality:

Fomordrin exist to wage war on the Fae and the Elves, and as such are designed to carry out that purpose with grim, unquestioning determination. Fomordrin are known for their perseverance, lack of self-preservation, loyalty, and violent tendencies. Fomordrin will not hesitate to kill, torture, maim, and conquer anyone and everyone that gets in the way of their goals. Fomordrin prioritize their gods over all else, including their own lives.

The unique situation surrounding the creation of the Fomordrin means that their temperaments are exceptionally unsteady. Fomordrin will kill anyone who insults or disrespects their gods, mostly out of compulsion or reflex; similarly, Fomordrin are compelled to kill Elves and Fae that they see and must consciously repress the need to do so. Fomordrin are also described as sociopathic, with little to no empathy for non-Fomordrin and little else in the way of emotions; they are stone cold, unemotional, and non-expressive in body language or speech. They are single-minded and obsessive. Despite their self-important attitudes towards other Elves and Fae, Fomordrin individually are not egotistical; they defer their self-worth to their superiors and masters, and derive their sense of ego from their culture and religion, which dictates their superiority over Fae and Elves. If someone of authority over a Fomordrin tells them that they should feel superior to any other race, then they will; if a commander tells a Fomordrin to feel inferior to a race, they will. The Fomordrin sense of free will has been questioned on multiple occasions, with generally inconclusive results (*Note: JPCU Personnel are prohibited from further testing of Fomordrin psyches, including the application of Psionics; attempts at understanding their minds have proven detrimental to humanoid psyches*).

Fomordrin rarely take slaves; their enemies in the Fae and Elves are to be given no quarter, and all other non-Unbeheld races that could be taken prisoner would die to exposure to Unbeheld energies, so capture is worthless. Fomordrin are fiercely loyal to one another and will come to the aid of a fellow Fomordrin at the cost of their own lives; lower-class Fomordrin can be compelled to sacrifice themselves for their superiors if necessary. Fomordrin treat other races with apathy unless told otherwise by a priest, god, or commander.

Fomordrin lack most human(oid) emotions, and as such are not conventionally hedonistic; their spartan lives are devoid of color, love, and pleasure to prepare them for combat against the Fae, and as such they are expected to avoid unnecessary indulgences. Even high-class Fomordrin use wealth as a means of proving their status and maintaining respect as opposed to genuinely enjoying the fruits of their labor; Fomordrin in the Material Plane are often chosen as bodyguards for this reason, as they are difficult to bribe and resistant to persuasion. Fomordrin deem all forms of art which do not venerate the Fomorians to be worthless; Fomordrin music is somber, low, and bass-heavy, and is used as a means of oral record-keeping; Fomordrin statues, carvings, murals, tapestries, and paintings are used to depict historical or religious events of importance or celebrate important figures. Fomordrin art is also used as a means to keep pace when marching or conducting drills, and most are even incorporated into combat itself, combining the death throes of enemies and clashing of metal with the beat of heavy drums and hums of despairing Fomordrin soldiers. Fomordrin have excellent memories, and most are well-versed in the ballads and songs of their people.

Fomordrin have no trust for other races, especially Fae and Elves. They almost never trust a non-Fomordrin, and only do so after an extreme act of dedication is exhibited by the non-Fomordrin. Fomordrin are not inherently paranoid, but are instead bred to be prepared for combat, and so are always at a passive level of combat readiness; the unpredictability of the Fae mean that an assault could come from anywhere at anytime, disguised in any of a million forms, so keeping on one's toes is evolutionarily advantageous. Similarly, Fomordrin are known as very perceptive, and excellent at seeing through illusions and lies.

### Abilities:

Being made the warriors of the gods of destruction, Fomordrin are physically imposing compared to other Elves, and receive considerably more martial training than other Elf subraces, especially Sun Elves. Fomordrin have a poor perception when not in The Unbeheld, due to the light, but possess perfect night vision and even meta-night vision, which allows them to see through all Magical darkness. Fomordrin do not taste most flavors; spicy food and overly flavorful food will make Fomordrin sick. Smell for Fomordrin is similarly dulled, due to their home Realm's lack of matter to smell. Fomordrin's sense of touch is acute, however, to compensate for the low light levels and unsure nature of reality in The Unbeheld.

Fomordrin possess more innate Magical capabilities than just the ability to ignore Magical darkness. Fomordrin can also disappear into shadows, appearing as if invisible; similarly, Fomordrin can teleport between shadows. They are resistant to necrotic energies, their bodies tempered against The Unbeheld's withering stare, and are potent spellcasters with Umbramancy and other Evocation fields. Like other Elves, Fomordrin do not require as much sleep as other races, and cannot be put to sleep by Magic; Fomordrin have also devised ways to weaponize their willpower to break free of Fae Magic, but this is not innate and must be learned via training as an elite warrior. Due to being created in and by The Unebeheld, Fomordrin are akin to Fae, Elementals, and Demons, in that if they die outside The Unbeheld they will not die permanently; Fomordrin who die of any cause, anywhere, do still die, but are reincarnated into a new body. If a Fomordrin lived a good life venerating the Fomorians, they are born into a higher caste, but if they lived a bad life in the eyes of their gods, they will be born into a lower one. Fomordrin possess an affinity for Umbramancy, Illusion, and Evocation Magic.

Fomordrin have few physical weaknesses. Light is blinding to them and remaining outside The Unbeheld's influence for too long will begin to weaken them physically and mentally.

### Culture:

Fomordrin culture is dedicated to one (1) thing alone: Eliminating the Fae. Fomordrin are warriors, loyal only to the Fomorians, and their lives are forfeit from the moment of conception; this is instilled into the hearts, minds, and souls of every Fomordrin from birth to death. Thanks to this, Fomordrin culture is caste-based and very hierarchical; Fomordrin are born into a specific caste and there they will live and die. They live militarized lives dictated by their masters, and their culture reflects this.

Fomordrin culture is divided into castes, organized in a militant manner to provide a clear system of organization for every Fomordrin; everyone has a superior, and they always know who they answer to. As a result, Fomordrin lean towards feudal systems of organization or other forms of military dictatorships, designed with only one (1) person at the top and everyone else down below.

Fomordrin speak their own language, one designed to carry through the chaos of The Unbeheld's swirling reality. This language is unexpressive and literal; humor is difficult to convey in Fomordrin, a language nicknamed "Shadowtongue," and the vocabulary is generally very limited. The Fomorians provided words only for the concepts and objects that Fomordrin should encounter and did not bother to fill out the language with other words deemed useless. Fomordrin language does not distinguish between male or female except in people's names, and is composed of low tones, grunts and growls, and snarled words; while these sounds may seem hostile or angry, they are likely not, as Shadowtongue is designed to sound hostile and violent.

#### Cuisine:

Fomordrin cuisine is dependent on whatever can be found in The Unbeheld. Local flora and fauna compose the Fomordrin's cultural foods, which makes them actively deadly to most other humanoid races, except the Dwarves, whose hardy constitutions keep them from dying outright. Fomordrin food is also bland in comparison to most other race's cuisines, designed for nutritional value and nothing else; Fomordrin's limited sense of taste is designed to discourage overindulgence and prevent a wasting of resources, as food is hard to come by in The Unbeheld, even for native entities. Fomordrin are stereotyped as cannibals by other Elves and Fairies, said to consume the corpses of slain Fae or indulge in feasts of Elf-flesh; this is, in fact, nothing but propaganda. The Fomorians, however, do eat Fae, and often while the Elf is still alive.

#### Hierarchy:

Fomordrin society is organized into a long list of castes; each caste is tasked with handling one (1) major aspect of life in Fomordrin society, and the castes are rigidly set at birth. The only way to rise through the ranks of Fomordrin society is through military action and acts of extreme faith, often through feats of physical might in battle or success on missions when sent abroad.

#### Military:

Fomordrin are known to employ a wide range of strategies and tactics when fighting. Their martial training means that even the spellcasters among them are capable in hand-to-hand, and in larger formations Fomordrin war beasts and siege engines are known to make quick work of entire enemy formations. Their frontal assaults and blind rage are tempered by Fomordrin's innate spellcasting and stealthy proclivities; just as many Fomordrin are assassins, spies, and disguised infiltrators than there are knights in shining armor. Fomordrin are not above using any underhanded tactic and subscribe to no honor system or code of conduct to temper their sadistic imaginations.

## Religion:

Fomordrin religion is polytheistic, directed externally, and focused on venerating the Fomorians and destroying the Fae. Divine interaction comes in the form of prayers and worship, sacrifice, and combat. The Fomordrin faith features a specialized ritual language, known only by their warrior-priests and the Fomorians. Fomordrin believe in no Afterlife, as they are known to undergo a process of reincarnation; the ultimate goal of this reincarnation is to ascend to become one with the Fomorians. The supernatural exists everywhere for the Fomordrin, who are born into Magic. Worship is conducted individually through prayer at shrines and meditation and communally via sacrifices and religious services. Holidays celebrate specific Fomorians and memorialize special historical events; they are infrequent.

### Clergy:

Fomordrin warrior-priests, called **Deathsayers** for their mythical ability to kill with words alone, serve the purposes that their titles imply: as commanders on the battlefield and commanders of Fomordrin Souls off the battlefield. The warrior-priests serve to provide spiritual guidance to Fomordrin in their everyday lives, but also to lead troops and wield potent Magic against the Fomorians' enemies.

Fomordrin warrior-priests are allowed to have families and reproduce as they see fit; they fit within their own designated caste tier, and so must reproduce within their caste to keep the numbers of warrior-priests up. They live lives of luxury and violence, leading services, studying the word of the Fomorians, and training for combat; many older warrior-priests are expert martial fighters and powerful spellcasters.

### Cultural Aspects:

The Fomordrin use symbols of darkness, ships, mist/fog, storms, etc. The Fomordrin faith considers black and pale, bone white to be holy. Learning is passed down via the Deathsayer warrior-priests and their teachings, the Fomorians themselves, and the oral traditions passed down through the castes. The creation myth claimed by the Fomordrin is one of militant servitude, where the Fomorians needed worshipful soldiers in their new war and so they created the Fomordrin. The only other major myth surrounds the Fomorians' war with the Tuatha De Danaan which is prophesied to end at some point in the undetermined future.

For Fomordrin, deadly sins include cowardice, irreverence for the gods, and mercy. Conversely, virtues include bravery, stoicism, piety, and mercilessness.

Fomordrin art includes somber songs, statues, and murals, all of which are used as a means to venerate the Fomorians and preserve knowledge.

Fomordrin culture considers an individual to be an adult when they reach the age of sixteen (16). Coming of age rituals include the individual's first Fae kill and/or first bout of battlefield experience; for members of higher castes, their coming-of-age rite involves leading troops into battle for the first time, casting a potent Spell, or entering and winning a debate with a Deathspeaker on matters of faith.

Fomordrin culture heavily encourages reproduction, but not necessarily marriage; marriage is considered too emotional a bond, and one which could be dangerous should one half of a couple perish in battle and thereby cripple the other. The next generation must be made, however, and so Fomordrin marriage is carried out when individuals are not on the battlefield; members of higher castes receive the benefit of encouraged marriages and less time spent fighting to conduct the appropriate ceremonies. Fomordrin are forbidden from marrying outside of their own caste; attempts to break this rule are met with execution.

Fomordrin consider death to be an expected and necessary journey to become one with their gods. Reincarnation is expected and understood in Fomordrin culture, and while death is unpleasant and depressing for those left behind, the grieving and funerary processes are drastically less important in the eyes of a people bred to fight and die. Fomordrin do not grieve in manners similar to other humanoid races; Fomordrin funerals are brief, and the specific manner in which the deceased is buried, treated, or respected does not matter. Instead, emphasis is placed on avenging the deceased through a collective series of prayers, speeches, and chants conducted by the gathered Fomordrin, who swear to repay the individual's death tenfold upon whomever killed them; once the deceased is considered "avenged," all grieving stops and no further discussion of it occurs. This is because Fomordrin are expected to vent their anger and sadness when avenging their fallen comrade.

Major cultural taboos include displays of emotion, excessive body language, and eye contact, which is seen as a physical provocation.

Fomordrin societies rarely, if ever, include outsiders due to their homeland being in The Unbeheld. When there are occasionally visitors, they are rarely received warmly or pleasantly, and are often shunned if not attacked outright.