The Fae Folk
Nearly everyone has heard of the Fae in one form or another. Fae such as pixies and sprites take on a major role in children's tales as magical woodland tricksters and guardians. Fae monsters, like hags and trolls, haunt our nightmares. And the graceful Sidhe, the fae lords and ladies, are famous throughout the planes for their immeasurable beauty. Despite the stories, these creatures are rare. They are often seen only in fleeting glimpses, or in the wild, untamed lands of the world. Few, if any, doubt their existence, since just about everyone has met an elf or perhaps even a gnome, but next to no one has met a Fae creature, and even fewer have lived to tell about it. Why is that? The answer is that the Fae live separately from the material plane, or the "real world", on a plane of existence known as the Faewyld. Known to some as the Twilight Kingdom, the Eternal Glade, the Wicked Garden, or the Nevernever, the Faewyld is a place of beauty, grace, magic, and peril. Lanterns seem to float in the air, which is alive with butterflies and other insects. It is eternally twilight here, and the sun rests low in the sky, never rising or setting. Creatures that are harmed by the sun are safe here, and creatures that cannot see in the dark still retain their vision. The Faewyld, and its sister plane of the Shadowfell, are referred to by scholars as the "echo planes" of the material. Their layouts are very similar to the material plane, with much of the same geography. There are many differences between the planes, however. The Faewyld is a mystical place, and things tend to be more glorious and breathtaking in the Faewyld than on the material plane, despite the dangers. The land is ruled by two Fae Courts, the Seelie, and Unseelie, Courts. Each Court has a stronghold, which is located in the same place in the Faewyld as a castle on the material plane. Little is known about Fae Folk. Even such rudimentary knowledge as where they originate, how they procreate and exactly how their thought processes and society function, remain a mystery to humans and other "Big folk." Fae Folk have existed for thousand upon thousands of years. They are not magical creatures, they are magic. In addition to magic, however, Fae Folk seem to be creatures of nature too, for they are always found in greatest numbers in pristine woodlands, meadows, and grasslands. Fae Folk migrate to lush wildernesses and can be found all over the world, even if it's only in small clans and groups. Generally, Fae Folk embody a host of small to tiny magical people who seem to live in a world of their own. They have little concern about the affairs of man (or any of the other races) and live by their own unfathomable laws and ethics. These include a variety of Faes, Sprites, Brownies, Pixies, and others, most of whom are happy, freewheeling spirits, tiny in stature (rarely more than a foot (.3 m tall), often capable of winged flight, and glowing with magic. Most are deceptively attractive, cute, seductive, and friendly. We say, "deceptively cute and friendly," because Fae Folk seem to be lost in their own business and silly antics. By civilized standards these bizarre creatures of magic seem quite childish and even insane, content to living a bohemian, vagabond life of playing, singing, wandering and mischief. Volatile in temperament, Fae Folk can exhibit an extraordinary range of emotion and malice over the most trivial of matters (trivial, at least, from a human perspective). Like spoiled children, they do, say, and act as they please, and woe to the person who dares to interfere with their fun. They are given to temper tantrums, whining, and spiteful action (usually cruel pranks) when displeased, but can also be delightfully fun, generous, and kind when they like or take pity on someone. However, even a kind or playful Fae Folk is extremely dangerous. Fae kind has little understanding about the human condition or mortality, and their idea of fun is always mischievous and often tinged with a touch of malice. Their idea of fun may be forcing a human to run or dance till the point of physical exhaustion or playing pranks that can injure or kill somebody - the little people rolling with laughter, unaware of the discomfort, pain, or embarrassment of their mortal playmate (victim is more like it). If such a "playmate" falls over dead as the result of Fae fun, the Little People are more surprised and confused than anyone. There is silence and perhaps even sadness for a moment or two, but then they race off to engage in some new game or fun, quickly forgetting about the tragedy and without a bit of regret for what they have done. After all, they are only playing when their playmate suddenly well, just stopped playing. Time to find a new playmate. The mischief and seeming callousness stems from their selfish, carefree natures and the fact that they honestly don't understand much about mortals and are too self-consumed and busy playing to take the time to try and figure them out. Self-centered and wild, they have a complete lack of concern for non-Fae Folk and don't stop for a second to think about what effect their scatterbrained antics might have on big folk. The same applies to animals. Fae Folk love to steal horses and livestock and ride them wildly throughout the night, tease dogs, twirl cats by their tails, and chase around chickens, creating a ruckus that could wake the dead. Other fun and games include moving or hiding objects (often into the pocket of some poor unwitting bystander, then tattling on the poor fellow, accusing him of theft), picking pockets, tying shoelaces together, souring milk, slamming doors, hooting, howling, and stomping or banging around to scare people, whispering lies, telling wild stories (all or mostly true, however exaggerated and embelished they become), tattling on others, pinching, pulling hair, stealing fresh baked bread and fruit pies or milk, candy and wine (they love the latter two with a passion), and all manner of similar mischief. A wise person will mind his tongue when dealing with Fae Folk, not drink their drink, eat their food, or dance with their maidens, even under the friendliest of circumstances. The worst mischief arises from their spell magic and magic foods, which they use to make people dance till they drop, become charmed or enchanted, turn different colors, put to sleep, etc. Fae Folk enjoy playing pranks on, beguiling, confusing and deceiving those not of their ilk. Despite their tricks and volatile tempers, most are not evil and have been known to come to the aid of those in trouble. Frivolous, jovial people, Fae such as Pixies, Sprites and Brownies hate sorrow and despair, and often attempt to bring cheer to a sad person with gifts of fruit and flowers, or by the mending of clothes, or the performance of spectacular dances and acrobatics displays. Sometimes one or two may become attached to a particular household or individual and secretly perform chores and/or provide protection; a home with a guardian Fae-Person need never worry about intruders or bad luck. Although rumors of Fae gold abound, Pixies, Brownies and Sprites have no need or desire for gold, jewels, money, or other valuables and never keep them. They are more likely to keep something they find interesting or consumable, like a magic wand, bag of candy or bottle of booze. There are a few ugly branches in the Fae family tree. Goblins, Hobgoblins, Kobolds, are large, distant cousins to true Fae, but lack the innate magical abilities of true Fae Folk. And then there are a number of small and large evil Fae races who wield magic and whom even the tiny cute folk dislike or fear. A Note on Elves and Gnomes: Elves are descended almost directly from the Eladrin, but are still not Fae. Although not all realize it, elves live in the best of both the mortal and Fae world. They have all of the benefits that eladrin have, not having to sleep, being resistant to some magic, and being naturally good at learning and using magic, while not having the restrictions of being a Fae creature. Similarly, gnomes are distantly related to the Fae as well, although the extent of this relationship is unknown. Gnomes are a bit more removed than elves, although they still retain magical abilities. Additionally, gnomes retain a taste for adventure, which leads some to believe they were descended from the Summer Court. Both are still seen as mortals by the Fae, and treated much the same as other humanoids by just about every Fae species. Titania, the Seelie Queen, rules her land from Chateau Faria, an awe-inspiring palace of emeralds and other gemstones that teems with life. It is located in the southernFaewyld. The lands surrounding Chateau Faria are too beautiful for mortal eyes to comprehend. Flowers bloom eternally in the Summer Kingdom, where lakes sparkle as though made of sapphires. The air is always hot in the lands of Summer, and despite the constant twilight of the Faewyld, it is much brighter here. Mab, the Unseelie Queen, rules from Arctis Tor, an imposing castle of ice and black stone. It is located in the northern Faewyld, and is a keep in the Ice Spires on the material plane. The lands surrounding Arctis Tor are as harsh as winter itself. Icy cold and windswept mountains and dead forests. Only the strong survive in this land, where deadly predators hunt each other in the snows and struggle, both for survival and for the favor of their cold Queen. It is much darker here than in the rest of Faewyld. The lands outside the direct influence of either court are varied, ranging from copies of either Court to combinations of the two, to completely individual areas. Most lands of the Faewyld are subject to the changing of the seasons, unlike the lands of Seelie and Unseelie. Majestic castles and sunken mires dot the landscape, which is inhabited by representatives of both Courts, and by the Wyldfae, which belong to neither. Strange music can often be heard in the wild lands of the Faewyld, as can the laughter of the land's inhabitants. The Wild lands are just as perilous as either Court, but out here, it is much harder to let down your guard. Svartalfheim is the country of the Svartalves. The country has protected borders, and it guarded by powerful constructs, made of metal, wood, and stone, and use mechanics as well as magic. Some constructs are even made with iron weaponry. Svartalfheim has not been challenged in centuries, but the Korred do not let their guard down. Other Fae, like the Eladrin, the independent ArchFae and hags, or powerful mortal creatures or their ghosts, can shape areas of the Faewyld to their will. Over time, the land that one of these creatures has claimed transforms to fit their desire. Hysram's Woods, for example, are a large patch of forest untouched by the outside seasons. The domain of the ghost of a powerful mortal that has found its way into the Faewyld might appear like their home in life, or perhaps where they died. Any creature that has a domain in the Faewyld is significantly more powerful there. A Note on the Shadowfell: The Shadowfell, which will be discussed more in-depth later, is not so much a separate plane from the Faewyld than a darker area on it. Portions of the Faewyld are simply more in-tune with darkness and evil than with the natural grace and beauty of the Faewyld. Such places are ruled by the Dark Powers, mysterious figures of malevolent magic, rather than the Fae Courts, and are home to undead, shadow creatures, and hideous abominations of flesh and shadow rather than the Fae. Despite the physical similarities between the material plane and the Faewyld, the echo plane is much more complex. Rather than taking up all of the same space as the material plane, the Faewyld echoes its feelings. To put it more bluntly, a location in the Faewyld is connected to a place on the material plane not because of the physical similarities, but because of the feel of the location. A secret place on the material plane, such as a secure vault, will lead to a secret place on the Faewyld, such as a prison cell. In the same way, a dark plane on the material plane might lead to anywhere from a hag's den to a portion of the Shadowfell. Someone wise in the ways of the Faewyld might be able to use these connections to their advantage, traveling to the Faewyld from one location, walking a few miles, and returning to the material plane hundreds of miles from where they started. This is much more complicated and dangerous than it sounds, however, because of the fluid connection between the material plane and the Faewyld. The connections can change without prior notice, and it takes skill to tell that the feel of a location has changed. The Fae can naturally tell if opening a Way to the Faewyld will bring them where they want to go, but for most mortals, this becomes a guessing game, which can have deadly consequences. Elves tend to have a better time at this than most mortals due to their Fae ancestry, as do mortals who spend much of their time in the Faewyld. Time in the Faewyld is a tricky subject as well. Days spent in the Faewyld might turn out to be seconds on the material plane, or they might turn out to be centuries. Two creatures that both exit the Faewyld at the same time might end up being split up vastly by the passage of time, never to see each other again. Although this is an extremely rare occurrence, it is vital to take precautions against this time warping effect when entering or exiting this echo plane. Wearing or holding iron or steel materials appears to stop time from distorting itself, although it is rather difficult to bring these metals into the Faewyld in the first place. The Seelie and Unseelie Queens seem to have some sort of control over this effect, as do some other powerful Sidhe lords, ancient hags, and ArchFae. Simply traveling with a Fae creature or an Elf seems to stop this effect from happening altogether, which suggests that it is some sort of defense mechanism meant to stop mortals from interfering with the dealings of the Fae. The Laws of the Fae Nearly all Fae are bound to a specific set of rules. Some Fae can break some of these Laws, but for the most part, they can be seen as a static code among Fae. Fae are physically unable to break these laws. Moreso, they do not see these laws as boundaries, but simply as the way things are. A Fae creature cannot comprehend the idea of telling a lie, for example, although they know that mortals are able to, and are always on their guard. The rules of the Fae are known as the Laws, and are worded in three simple commandments.
Fae Weaknesses As varied as they all are, most Fae species share a variety of weaknesses. These weaknesses can be used as proof that a creature is of Fae origin, and they can be used as a weapon or as protection against Fae assailants. There are some Fae that are not affected by some, or even most, of these weaknesses, however.
Protection from Faes There are a handful of very strange but effective methods of protection from Sprites, Pixies, and Bogies. Some are quite ridiculous and are effective only because it strikes the Fae funny bone.
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