Indebted

When a mortal accepts a favor from one of the fair folk without providing immediate compensation, they become Indebted to them. Hypothetically, if they were to maintain a good relationship with their debtor, this would have no repercussions, but the fair folk have little understanding of the concept of mercy. Instead, they view such a debt as license to interfere with a mortal's life in a thousand tiny ways - typically not enough to interfere so much that they cannot provide anything of value when the time comes to call in that debt.

Styles of Harassment

The fair folk have three main approaches to harassing the Indebted, targeting their household, their health, their relationships. Most of those who find themselves in this situation experience household pranks, like laces being tied together, clothes folded and put away being messed up, dishes cleaned and put away being dirtied and set back out as if the table had never been cleared, etc. Many also experience a series of minor health concerns - indigestion, aches, twisted ankles, and so forth. Those who are particularly unfortunate find that the fey folk sabotages their relationships, spreading rumours and so forth to sabotage public opinion of them. The fair folk can, of course, do whatever they want, this is just a sampling of the more common minor torments visited upon the Indebted.

Time to Pay Up

When the fair folk debtor decides to call in a debt, most mortals are relieved enough to accept their task without complaint, even though this often involves knowingly betraying those they are closest to. Those who renege on their debt, however, quickly learn that the torments visited upon them thus far were far from the worst the fair folk could do. Where once, a freshly kindled flame might go out at random, now it might suddenly blossom into an inferno, consuming their home within a few hours. The penalty for reneging on a debt is nothing less than a systematic destruction of all that the Indebted holds dear. Many a soul who made this error has begged for death before the end...a request that may take months or years to fulfill.