Shadar-Kai (SHA-dar KAI)
"My people are almost as unwelcome as Drow in the polite society of the Elvenkind."
~Medea Vuthakorna, Queen of the Shadar Kai
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Cemina
Arralri
Zalle
Narvin
Innela
Rilvalnass
Segla
Valilra
Nelathri
Anantill
Masculine names
Cevo
Mival
Comes
Thowik
Meti
Hutiethan
Onin
Agol
Mimil
Crunas
Family names
Shadar-Kai family names are usually emotive elf words: Ava (Happy), Gyrah (Songbird), Avae (Joy), Drag (Hate), Mestar (Lonely), Teushtasa (Weeping), Vaendan-thil (Fatigued by sorrow), etc. The royal family is Vulkathorna, which means "Masters of Existential Dread."
Other names
In addition to their given and family names, Shadar-Kai also have a 'secret name' that represents something that makes them happy. Sharing this name is an intimate experience.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Shadar-Kai speak elvish, though their accent is archaic to other elven ears.
Culture and cultural heritage
Shared customary codes and values
Shadar-Kai live in the Shadowfell, and have developed a unique culture to counter the challenges it presents. They stave off the creeping drain of their realm by living life and keeping busy, even on frivolities. Most Shadar-Kai that reach an old age have learned dozens of instruments, had thousands of romantic partners, gotten dozens of tattoos, dyed their hair every shade of the rainbow, and fought hundreds of monsters just for the rush.
They call this constant thrum of desperate thrill seeking the Athfaenatri (The dance of life)
Common Etiquette rules
Shadar-Kai love to brag, reliving their most exciting moments. It's usually considered rude to interrupt such an exercise.
Common Dress code
Shadar-Kai sometimes wear black. Doing so is considered a trait of the elderly, however, and most dress in bright flourishes of any color that strikes their fancy, often clashing obnoxiously.
Art & Architecture
Shadar-Kai are unusual among elves in that they prefer to build from basalt. They use precisely carved 'logs' fashioned into hexagonal prisms, which are both incredibly sturdy and can be easily rearranged should the whim strike.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Shadar-Kai are constantly engaging in the Athfaenatri. This isn't a mere cultural more, however; the sucking emotional morass of the Shadowfell makes the act of feeling as important as food for its residents.
This adaptation presents a problem for Shadar-Kai away from their depressing home; they may actually die of emotional overload if they spend too long in the material plane.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
When a Shadar-Kai is born, they are baptized in the River Styx as a way to symbolically wash away their past lives.
Coming of Age Rites
When a Shadar-Kai attains adulthood, a party is thrown for them. This is usually an elaborate affair that can last the better part of a week, often bleeding into each other and almost as often resulting in the conception of a few new Shadar-Kai.
Funerary and Memorial customs
When a Shadar-Kai dies, their body is carried with as many mourners as can be mustered. They parade the corpse around on a flat board, weeping and gnashing their teeth, and then lay the body down on a table. Friends and family hold a wake for three days, usually accompanied by a drunken party and more than a few dalliances, and when the three days are over and the deceased has been given every opportunity to awaken from any coma they may have found themselves in, the body is cooked on a large grill and eaten by their friends and next of kin. Traditionally, this is when they use the most expensive spices and herbs while preparing the final meal.
Common Taboos
Shadar-Kai have few taboos, which slowly disappear as they continue on with the Athfaenatri; feeling the guilt and shame of breaking a personal is a powerful blast of emotion, and they typically do it whenever they can.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Shadar-Kai are pale, with their skin ranging from porcelain to blue or violet hues. Their hair is a glossy black, though they often dye it. Their eyes are always a jet black, a trait that persists even in their half-elf offspring. Shadar-Kai are attracted to energy, innocence, joy of life, and athleticism. Unique among Elvenkind, they may have the long, pointed ears of most of their race all the way down to the rounded ears of human ancestors who entered the bloodline through the Athfaenatri.
Courtship Ideals
Shadar-Kai dating is a combination of adventures and sharing conversations. Most of these relationships will be shallow and meaningless fun to stave off the ennui, but when they get serious they share their 'secret name' and become bound closer together. Athfaenatri demands new experiences, and any Shadar-Kai that lives long enough will find themselves in dalliances with other species just for something new.
Relationship Ideals
Most Shadar-Kai relationships are simply recreational. For a partnership they seek close ties through interests and the promise of mutual excitement.
Comments