Category:The Arak: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:28, 25 November 2016

This section contains canon info from officially published sources

The Arak are the race that once inhabited the domain of Arak and now inhabit the Shadow Rift. Note that, as originally imagined in Realm of Terror red box and Ravenloft Campaign Setting black box sources, drow were the inhabitants of Arak and the Shadow Rift. After it was determined by the Ravenloft designers that drow were unsuitable for such an inclusion in the setting, the Arak were created as replacements and introduced in the Servants of Darkness and the Shadow Rift modules and carried over into sources postdating them. This is explained in character as humans mistaking the Arak for drow due to the corruption of several Arak by the Cult of the Spider Queen. Such corrupted fey begin to physically resemble drow.

Despite replacing the drow as the inhabitants of Arak and the Shadow Rift, the Arak are neither humanoids with the elf subtype nor are all evil. Rather, the Arak are fey, divided into numerous "Breeds" that shape their abilities and general alignments. The origins of the Arak lie in the Plane of Shadow instead of the Underdark.

Overview

Also called shadow fey for their association with that plane, the Arak's origins are not natural. Gwydion, an ancient fiend of god-like power lodged within the Shahdow Plane, ferried away their ellefolk ancestors and made them his race of thralls many eons ago. Gwydion imbued them with the power of darkness, transforming them into the Shadow Fey.^[1] After they were liberated by their now-late leader Arak the Erlking, the shadow fey adopted Arak as the name of all their kind in his honor.

Despite being all technically part of the same race, the Arak are divided into several different kinds of Breeds. There are nine major breeds, along with several Lesser Breeds that are much fewer and more specialized in nature. Breed is not inheirited but rather a development of focus and devotion. Each breed has its own role within Arak society.

The Nine Breeds comprise the political leadership of Arak society. They are split into two courts, the Seelie Court and the Unsellie Court Led by Queen Maeve, the Seelie Court is generally comprised of she,Alven, and portune. Led by Prince Loht, the Unseelie Court is generally comprised of sith, muryans, teg, and powrie. Whereas the Unseelie Court's intentions towards humanoids are definitely evil and exploitative, the Seelie Court's intentions are fairly benign but dismissive and amoral, thus not being entirely good. Fir may belong to either court.^[1]

Society

The Arak live in a strange society marked by distorted caricatures of human civilization marked by haphazard blends of cultural practices and fashions. With a few exceptions, their lives are shaped by the avoidance of boredom and the pursuit of pleasure rather than mortal, biological concerns.^[2] The adoption of Breeds is to further the pursuit of particular trades individual shadow fey find interesting.

Unlike most of the human societies of Ravenloft, Arak society is steeped in magic. Most if not all are natural spellcasters. As such, magic is seen as a natural part of everyday life.^[2]

Conversely, true faith is much less natural among the fey than among humans, and thereby Arak society is not religious in the same sense of human religion. Individual shadow fey may become followers (and divine spellcasters) of varying deities, but this service is more of a pleasurable hobby rather than true devotion.^[3] The Church of the Spider Queen was perhaps one notable, and altogether horrific, exception to the Arak avoidance of organized religion. its vile rites and corrupting nature, even among the Arak, have made it the only religion almost universally hated among the shadow fey living in the Rift today.

Law

The Arak that reside within the Shadow Rift exist in a multi-tiered, vaguely hereditary aristocracy sort of social structure. The Two Courts politically govern the Arak, alternating rule over the Malachite Palace.

Few laws are applied or obeyed all of the time, but Loht and Maeve dominate their own courts in their own ways. Bolstered by a complex code of social nuances, Maeve governed essentially as a highly beloved and even venerated celebrity figure, rapidly exchanging favors and shaming or otherwise psychologically punishing those whom transgress her. By contrast, Loht's rule is more ordered but also more tyrannical. His whips, a title unique to the Unseelie Court]], help drive obedience and steadfastness into his subjects.

Alias

Arak
The Arak
Sneeuane Feallagh
The Sneeuane Feallagh
Gossomar Folk
The Gossomar Folk
Fey
The Fey
Shadow Fey
The Shadow Fey
Shadow Elves
The Shadow Elves
Dark Elves
The Dark Elves

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

		The Shadow Rift Denizens of Darkness - p13
		The Shadow Rift - p123, 141
		The Shadow Rift - p123, 141 Denizens of Darkness - p13
		Arak The Arak Sneeuane Feallagh The Sneeuane Feallagh Gossomar Folk The Gossomar Folk Fey The Fey Shadow Fey The Shadow Fey Shadow Elves The Shadow Elves Dark Elves The Dark Elves

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Gaz V p. 151-152 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Gaz V 114-115" defined multiple times with different content
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Gaz V p. 109
↑ Gaz V p. 110

Subcategories

This category has the following 36 subcategories, out of 36 total.

A

Alven‎ (2 C, 4 P)

B

Bane (Fey Vulnerability)‎ (3 P)
Black Mithral‎ (3 P)
Brag‎ (1 C, 3 P)
Breathstealer‎ (1 P)

C

Church of the Ancestral Fey‎ (1 C, 2 P)
Community of the Arak‎ (2 C, 3 P)

F

Faerie Drink‎ (1 P)
Faerie Food‎ (1 C)
Fey Priest‎ (2 P)
Fir‎ (2 C, 10 P)

G

Gwytune‎ (1 P)

H

Half-Fey (Arak)‎ (empty)
Huldrow‎ (empty)

L

Lesser Breed of the Arak‎ (4 C, 4 P)

M

Muryan‎ (2 C, 5 P)

N

P

Portune‎ (1 C, 3 P)
Powrie‎ (2 C, 5 P)
Prince of the Arak‎ (1 P)

R

Regalia of Arak‎ (9 P)

S

Seelie Court‎ (4 C, 14 P)
Shee‎ (3 C, 7 P)
Sith‎ (1 C, 6 P)

T

Teg‎ (2 C, 4 P)
The Two Courts‎ (2 C)
The Umbra (creature)‎ (empty)
Tools of Transcendence‎ (1 C, 4 P)

U

Unseelie Court‎ (6 C, 12 P)

V

Vilay‎ (empty)

W

Waff‎ (empty)
Widderìbhinn‎ (3 P)

Z

Zelldrow‎ (1 P)

Pages in category "The Arak"

The following 60 pages are in this category, out of 60 total.

[Gaz_V_114-115-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Gaz V p. 151-152 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Gaz V 114-115" defined multiple times with different content

[Gaz_V_109-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Gaz V p. 109

[Gaz_V_110-3] Gaz V p. 110

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[2]

[3]

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 [[The Arak]] are the race that once inhabited the [[domain]] of [[Arak]] and now inhabit the [[Shadow Rift]]. Note that, as originally imagined in [[Realm of Terror]] [[red box]] and [[Ravenloft Campaign Setting]] [[black box]] [[source]]s, [[drow]] were the inhabitants of Arak and the Shadow Rift. After it was determined by the Ravenloft designers that drow were unsuitable for such an inclusion in the setting, the Arak were created as replacements and introduced in the [[Servants of Darkness]] and [[The Shadow Rift (Module)|the Shadow Rift]] [[module]]s and carried over into sources postdating them. This is explained in character as humans mistaking the Arak for drow due to the [[corruption]] of several Arak by the [[Cult of the Spider Queen]]. Such [[corrupted]] fey begin to physically resemble drow.
-Despite replacing the drow as the inhabitants of Arak and the Shadow Rift, the Arak are neither [[humandoid]]s with the [[elf]] [[subtype]] nor are all [[evil]]. Ratehr, the Arak are [[fey]], divided into numerous "Breeds" that shape their abilities and general alignments. The origins of the Arak lie in the [[Plane of Shadow]] instead of the [[Underdark]].
+Despite replacing the drow as the inhabitants of Arak and the Shadow Rift, the Arak are neither [[humanoid]]s with the [[elf]] [[subtype]] nor are all [[evil]]. Rather, the Arak are [[fey]], divided into numerous "Breeds" that shape their abilities and general alignments. The origins of the Arak lie in the [[Plane of Shadow]] instead of the [[Underdark]].
 ==Overview==