An introduciton to the races of Darkfall

The mirdain are a sophisticated and cultured people, who tend to prefer diplomacy to warfare, and subtlety to brute force. Theirs is an empire of influence and trade, and of intelligence networks which extend like sinuous branches from their forest-clad homeland.

In combat, mirdain warriors move with innate grace and fluidity, seeking the perfect opening before striking with surgical precision. The mirdain are renowned tacticians, who may overcome near-insurmountable odds through brilliantly deployed maneuvers, ruses and stratagems.

Like axe-bristling avalanches, dwarven legions surge across Agon's battlefields, neither wavering nor resting until victory is secured. At any stage in any battle, no matter how ridiculous the odds may be, dwarves believe - with unblinking certainty - that they will prevail through superior skill, rock-hewn strength and indomitable bravery.

Today, the dwarves are nearing the final page of the book of instructions, which is said to contain a special task that Ymir believed the dwarves would only be ready for after 20,000 years of preparation.

By the light of the Ghost Moon, mahirim packs strike deep into enemy territory, plundering and killing without mercy. They vanish as quickly as they came, leaving devastation in the wake of their lightning raids.

The mahirim are a fierce race of predators, whose society has only recently moved towards civilization. And while they may have cities and laws now, they retain the wolf-eyed wildness, the finely honed instincts, and the uncaring cruelty of their pack-hunting ancestors.

The putrid swamplands of Morak are home to the orks, a fierce race of dedicated warmongers. Orkish history is dominated by an endless series of under-organised military campaigns against all cultures and creatures within reach.

In recent centuries, however, an evil but civilizing influence has worked on the minds and culture of the orks. Under the aegis of Azhi Dahaka, also called the Fire Dragon, they have built cities, enslaved other races, and begun to master the arts of strategy and tactics. Instead of aimlessly inflicting war-bands and tribal expeditions on the rest of Agon, the orks are now a military force to be reckoned with.

No trace of kindness exists in the world of the alfar, a race whose minds were shattered and then erratically rebuilt by a cruel and insane deity. To the alfar, pleasure is derived from the suffering of others, and the only impulse that can override their urge to torture and destroy, is a marrow-seated need to please their god-king.

Like poison darts, alfar night raiders strike deep into the lands of the foreigner. Appearing out of nowhere, they cut bloody swathes of death and destruction, before vanishing just as tracelessly as they came. To their victims, it seems like the night itself shapes the alfar, then dissolves them again when their butcher's work is done.