Fairy Courts

"At the end of each day, the Kanoshi returned to their Courts in the realm of the Feywilds. This was not a realm accessible by any ordinary mortal."

— Extract from an Orc children's tale

Also known as the Kanoshi or Seelie Courts, the Fairy Courts are organised around each of the Elements. The courts are like families for the Fairies but function like a monarchy. Each court is headed by a King or Queen, and are seen as the safe haven for the Fairies. The head of the court is usually the same gender of the Dragon that first headed the court. While the Fairy Courts prefer to keep the tradition, there is nothing stopping a Fairy of the opposite gender from becoming the head.
All Fairy Courts are located somewhere in the Shattered Lands, and live close to Orc towns. Their activities were the subject of many Orc folk tales, which are still being told to this day.

Court of Nelor

The Court of Nelor is located somewhere in the Great Forest. It is the Fairy Court of the Nelam, the Tree Fairies. The court is disguised as a Nelor Tree, which is where this name comes from. But it never stays in one place because the Orcs are always around them.
The first head of the court was the Flora Dragon Kalico, and the Nelam duly followed his orders. But Kalico was not one to order people around, and simply treated the Nelam like they were his younger siblings. If a person ever mentioned the Dragon to the Nelam, they would simply call him "big brother" while talking about his feats.

However, Kalico disappeared one day and was never seen by the Nelam (or any other dragon) again. For the duration of the Age of Triumph, the Court of Nelor had no proper king or queen, out of respect for the Flora Dragon. It is only recently that they've elected a new King, on the orders of Kalico, who sent them a final message and an apology.
Of all the Fairy Courts, the Court of Nelor is the least deceptive because the Nelam are very playful and prefer not to disturb the Orcs. However, the bad reputations of all the other courts still affects the Nelam and their Fairy Court.

Court of Mardo

The Court of Mardo is in Maridago, the realm underneath Phadoya Sea and the neighbouring Kinjora Sea. It is the court of the Hijuro. No-one really knows what the court looks like, but most underwater civilisations have been built near it.
The court's King is the Hydro Dragon Rokai, who has remained their king for the entire court's existence. Like the Court of Nelor, the Court of Mardo have a deep reverence for Rokai, since he understands them and their desires well. However, while Rokai also loves his creations, he does not like being anywhere near leadership. So he has tried to escape the court many times and new leaders have been installed in his place. However, none of them felt they could do a better job than the Hydro Dragon, and so he is the longest-serving king of any Fairy Court.

Court of Ganshi

The Gashikan (or the Ice Fairies) are a weird group of Fairies, because they prefer not to sit in their court. The Court of Ganshi is located in the Outer Islands and is hidden among the snow. Surprisingly, the snow and ice remains all year long, despite the Shattered Lands existing near the Equator. The snow is limited to the small island where the Court of Ice is located.
The Gashikan do not sit in their court, unlike other Fairies. They prefer to spend their time in the Spirit Realms, or in the northern parts of the Mortal World. Other Fairy Courts consider them lazy or hedonistic. Even the Ganshi Queen prefers to spend time in the snow than doing any kind of spiritual work. It is thought that they have assimilated with mortals, but no-one knows where exactly they are.
The first leader of the court was the Cryo Dragon Kheros. He was the King for many centuries, until he felt the Gashikan were self-sufficient. Then he retired and went back with the other dragons to help other mortals. The current Queen prefers to let the Fairies enjoy themselves, so she does most of the work. She often helps mortals who are lost in the Spirit Realms, but also tries to keep them near her by making up nonsensical rules when striking deals with them.

Court of Orisho

The Court of Orisho is another deceptive Fairy Court. It is the court of the Orikhani, the Earth Fairies. The court is located in the Great Forest, but hidden in the mountains. The court is almost never seen and the Orikhani do not roam in the open. They share the space with the Nelam and are also very mischievous. But their reputation for wordplay and their deals means they have soured the reputation of the other Fairies in the eyes of the Orcs and other mortals.
The court is ruled by the King of Orisho, who is an expert at deceptiveness and treachery. He gets this from the first Orisho King, the Terra Dragon Fojin, who was very crafty. Although they elected him, the Orikhani have come to hate their King, who is very stern and unforgiving. He is also prone to humiliating and even insulting the Orikhani, although not openly. It is hard to find any Fairy with a good word to say about the King of Orisho, and, as per tradition, the Orikhani have been plotting to take him down for some time.
Unlike other malevolent courts, the Court of Orisho is very subtle about its deception. Most Orikhani are very nice and will act in a childlike manner towards mortals. They are very curious, and can also be quite nosy, like other Fairies. but if they are angered, then they will bind a mortal by using their words against them.

Court of the North Wind

The Court of the North Wind is the court of the Dizkani, who are the Wind Fairies. The court is located on the peaks of the mountains in the Great Forest and has a weathervane on the top. Every few months often, a special breeze comes to the region that activates the weathervane, and the breeze is said to carry the desires of all who wish into it. The Orcs called this wind the North Wind and speak their desires into it. The Dizkani, who are powered by the wind, renamed the Court of Dizrai to the Court of the North Wind.
The queen of the court is the Aero Dragon Akra. She is very much involved in the daily affairs of the Dizkani, despite the fact that she is very busy. Akra is known to spoil the Dizkani, which means that mortals must find elaborate gifts for them if they happen to be near them. A common mistake is for the mortal to find the rarest resources in the land, only for the Dizkani to completely disregard it. Like the other Fairies, they love the idea of being mortal, and so want items that mortals have. Unfortunately, this also means that mortals need to keep their bags closed, in case they find something missing when they return from the Spirit World.

Court of Isha

The Court of Isha is the court of the Ishokan, or the Fire Fairies. As their Element suggests, the Ishokan are feisty and very loud. Other Fairies prefer to stay hidden, but not the Ishokan. They are perfectly happy to announce themselves to both the Spirits and the Mortals.
Despite their charisma and confidence, not much is known about the Ishokan. They are not as deceptive as the other Fairies, and no-one knows anything about their Queen. The earliest queen was the Pyro Dragon Kayara, but she did not stay in the court for long. She left the Court of Isha and asked someone to take her place, because she had to step in to stop the Sentinels' constant infighting.

The Ishokan court is also in the Outer Islands, but by a large volcano. Old Orc tales say that the Ishokan love the sound of active volcanoes, and so will generate enough power for one explosion a year. The volcano doesn't explode nowadays, but in the past, it was a big problem because it killed so many Orcs. Of course, this was blamed on the Fairies - specifically, the Ishokan.

Type

Court, Royal

Alternative Names

Kanoshi Courts (Orcs), Darakano, Seelie Courts (Spirits)

Related Species

• Dizkhani
• Fairies
• Hijuro
• Ishokan
• Nelam

Names for the Courts

The reason for the names of the Fairy Courts can be found in many Orc tales. The legends say that the Fairies (called the Kanoshi) came from a place called the Feywilds. In the Feywilds, there were 6 regions for 6 elements: Nelor, Mardo, Isha, Orisho, Ganshi and Dizrai. This is where the Orcs get their names for each type of Fairy. The only element that doesn't have a court or a type of Fairy is lightning. If there is, it has not yet been discovered.

The Unseelie Courts

Most Orc tales also talk of the Unseelie Courts, which can be malevolent. Nobody knows if the Unseelie Courts actually exist, because they are only mentioned in Orc stories. The term Seelie is a Spirit word, and comes from the time when other Spirits used to warn mortals of the dangers of the Spirit World.
According to the stories, there are 2 Unseelie Courts: the Court of Light and the Court of Darkness. The courts are opposites and cannot function without each other. Even though there is a Court of Light, it does not mean this court is a "good" court. The opposite is true for the Court of Darkness.