The First Kindred
Known as ‘Caehwyn Thylaed’ in Sylvan, the First Kindred is often shortened to ‘The First’, or ‘The Kindred’, and are the deified ancestors of the Fae. Long before the parlours and courts found their ways into the heartgroves and gloom lakes, the Kindred roamed the primeval wilderness. It was the Kindred who gave names to the forests and rivers, and who gave songs to the seasons. Most importantly, the First were the sires to all those Seelie and Unseelie (or so it is thought), through which these lands now turn about.
For most Fae, the First Kindred are revered as much as any gods in Rynn, though that reverence rarely is expressed in anything beyond superstitious rituals. In fact, were it not for the efforts of the planar refugee Eldari and Gnau, it is unlikely there would be any written account of the Kindred or their relationships.
While many archfey claim the First to be their blood and bone, the favor is seldom returned. The First are as much fae as a river is an ocean . Some ancient myths presuppose that some of the Kindred were never mortal at all, instead being fledgling gods runaway from their astral home, refugees from a war in the heavens - or else spurned children enacting their petulant rebellion against their forebearers.
In the uncounted time since their emergence, the First rarely make their presence known, and their will or ambitions can only be guessed at. Those few archfey that claim to speak on their behalf do so rarely, most likely out of fear of misspeaking on their behalf, and drawing their ire. For most Fae of the Wyld, the First are as inexorable as the tides or the seasons. One may plead or beg for deliverance or bounty, but one rarely expects an acknowledgement, or a response - but then, sometimes the wind listens.
Named Kindred
It is unclear if all of the First Kindred are remembered, or have ever had stories about them. But, several have made their names known in one shape or another.Cyhraid
The Beautiful Mother Considered the mother of the First, Cyhraid is considered as much a force of nature as she is any distinct being. Known by many other names such as the Primordial Empress, Janmir of Gnau, or the Lady of the Wellspring , Cyhraid is a spirit of change and creation. Cyhraid is a spirit of few words, and often makes her presence known in the beauty she imbues into a flower grove or the majesty of a sunset. In some stories, Cyhraid is depicted as dryad with hair down to her feet, eyes of radiant blue and gold, and skin the color of a summer sunset. Sometimes, she is depicted with four arms, one for each season, or a third eye - opaque white that is blind to the physical world. Sometimes she strodes the land bare as any creature - other times she wears a mantle of moss, leaves, and fallen feathers one may find on the forest floor.Anguath
The Woadfather Anguath is the dark shadow to Cyhraid, a spirit of somber quiet the stalks the footsteps of creatures fates. Also known as Maut the Patient, the Veilwalker, or Sigh of the Forest, Anguath is the harbinger of death and rebirth. Revered by predators and hunters alike, Anguath’s name is spoken of quietly, and never with disrespect - unless one seeks an early demise. According to those who worship Anguath, such as the Court priests, he is a creature beyond words, whose thoughts can only be felt like the cold ice of life on the brink of death. When depicted in stories, Anguath appears as a tall, bony-thin figure with no eyes or nose, and mouth that has never smiled. In every depiction, Anguath carries a staff of ivory white, topped with a single moving eye - one that sees all, and is sparsely adorned with a motley cloak of barkskins and bleached bone.Dyrwenau
The Sower Dyrwenau is an auspicious figure throughout Fae, the subject of much scorn and superstition, and not without cause. Known as the Fool, the Merchant, the Diplomat, or as Yaanraaj by the Gnau, Dyrwenau is one of the most active Kindred amongst the fae myths of the wylds. As legends go, Dyrwenau was discontent with the gentle beauty and tranquility of the early Wyld, and tired of the routine stillness that life seemed to ebb and flow through. Either due to an itch of one’s own desire, or else bolstered by the whispers of outsiders (as some stories say), Dyrwenau sacrificed a piece of himself to gift the gift of sentience to a new sect of fae - the Unseelie. These children were not content to simply sing songs and tend the groves as their cousins, but sought pleasure and pain, and new things that lacked words or songs. And these children were not content to be as patient. Seeds of the sower, as some fae are now called, brought mischief and ruin to the wyld. They knew the games the fae play, yet they enjoyed the winning and losing more than the playing, and spurred their kin till naought but blood would settle the debts. The other Kindred, fearing the death of the beautiful, pleaded with Dyrwenau to stay his seeds, and bring peace to the Wyld once more. At the end of the tale known as the Accord of Discord- Dyrwenau agreed to make peace, and fetter his children to abide by those rules. In exchange - though - the Kindred must allow their own children to act on their own accord, and make their own deals, without the interference of their charges. “The strands of mortal chaos seldom give, but often take. Yet a single string plucked can still a song make.” ~ Dyrwenau, in the Accord of Discord.Fyaidwch
Wyldspark Ansrong, also known as The Hermit - domains of defense, meditation, peace, insight, perception. Largely worshiped by certain Tuquet, but respected by the Maibusi.Gwaidulu
Starsister Hahnna, also known as The Star - domains of family, friends, kinship, bonds. Largely worshiped by the Zameen, but respected by the Maibusi.Lledrith
Magician Maaya also known as the Magician.
Related Myths
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