Changeling

Changelings are a familiar feature in many cultures. Depending on the source, they are Fae children who were changed for a human baby, left to be raised by the human parents, or humans who wandered too far in the realm of the Fae and could not return. Despite their origin, the Changelings are always a bit out of place, always feeling like they don't completely belong to the mundane realm. Sometimes they are shunned by the community around them, sometimes revered as sages. For the Fae, they are still a tabu, not completely human but not completely Fae either.

Origins of a Changeling

As is with many myths and legends, there is a droplet of truth in the tales told about changelings. They are indeed born humans, but at some point of their lives, they are exposed to Fae magic, an amount big enough to change them fundamentally. This can happen gradually, if a human spends enough time in The Faerie Wilds, or suddenly, if the magical occurrence is strong enough. In the older days, many of the changelings were indeed human children, who were raised by a Fae, for one reason or another, but this is more rare nowadays.

Some have argued, whether Fae children raised by humans should be called changelings, in the rare cases it happens, but because being raised by a human does not alter the physical state of the Fae, this arguments have been so far dismissed.

Between Two Worlds

Back in the old days, a life of a changeling wasn't easy, if they ever returned to the human society. When the superstition was still a part of the daily lives of the humans, changelings were often shunned and even accused of being witches, or at least feared. In some cases, however, a changeling could become a spiritual leader, or a sage, among their people. 

Origin/Ancestry

Humans exposed to Fae magic