Even a casual acquaintance with Kalafein reveals his obsession with the arcane. It is a relationship akin to worship, to a love affair, to imprisonment. Magic to Kalafein is not inanimate, but alive, sentient, jealous and sublime. Kalafein can no more imagine going without magic than he can going without air. If he were trapped in a no-magic zone, or suffered prolonged exposure to the various artifacts that nullify magic, he would likely lose his sanity.

After magic he values monetary wealth, both to afford his obsession and as a security for his independence. Keeping oneself detached from the treacherous alliances that define drow life, especially when one is male, is neither an easy nor a cheap feat. However, Kalafein destests his fellow dark elves, seeing their concern with power, dominance, and manipulation as barbaric compared with his "higher" interests, and refuses to become entangled in others' schemes whenever possible.

No matter how much he demonstrates contempt for other drow, Kalafein uses their tactics for his own ends, and his mind is as twisted as any of his kind. While he may accompany and aid a group, you can be sure he is doing it for his own reasons.

The last few months have been spent on the surface, waiting for certain tempers below to cool. Kalafein's hatred of the surface world is readily apparent, and he longs for nothing more than to be "home", back in the familiar caverns of the underdark where he is comfortable, where he understands how things work. His sarcastic tongue has not endeared him to those he has met on the surface, nor have his frequent outbursts, but he retreats back into the familiar embrace of his magic and his concern for what others make of him dissolves. Yet, Kalafein is running from his own inner demons, ones whose reach is not so easy to escape as the jibes of his companions.

Portrait can be downloaded here: http://nwvault.ign.com/Files/portraits/data/1073440997695.shtml