The Fey, The Courts, and the Faeries
For as long as the world has stood, floating in the endless black of space, there has been a realm beyond our own. There exists two parallels of this realm, one of death, and the other of life. This other of life can be found everywhere, and leaks into our world in different places. It is a place that is both alien and yet also known amongst common life in the mortal realms, though rarely truly understood. It is the land from where the fey reside, and it is a realm as alien as can be. Welcome to the Wyld Realm.
In truth, we know nothing of their origins or how they came to be. Like the gods, they have simply always been there, and have existed since existence could be understood. The elves and other fey related species trace their origins to the Wyld Realm, but in terms of the actual origins of the fey themselves, it's doubtful anyone will learn of it in any lifetime. It is also unlikely that the fey would willingly give this information, if they even did have it, for the fey are tricky indeed. Commonly also referred to as "fey folk", the fey are a vast and diverse collection of spirits and sprites that reside from the Wyld Realm. They can also be found in the mortal realm semi-frequently, as the Wyld Realm has leaked into the mortal one since the dawn of the planet.
Naming all the types of fey would take centuries, but there are some widely recognized families of fey creatures that have sine been categorized and cataloged:
- Fairy/Faeries: Fairies are perhaps the largest and most diverse class of fey creature in known lore. On average, most fairy resemble diminutive humanoids, typically no more than a few inches. Many sport insectoid like wings on their backs. There are 3 main types of faerie, being trooping, house, and solitary. Trooping faeries can be found making tiny, unseen homes in mostly vegetation and nature, and typically are highly defensive of their land. Sprites mainly fall into the category of Trooping Fairy. House Faeries are those that can be found hidden in many households amongst the world. The most common type is by far the "brownie" though there are countless variants. Most house faeries are wingless, and use discarded household items as clothing or equipment. While solitary, they consider the houses of larger creatures their home, and typically have rules or desires that they will always work to maintain in secrecy. Sometimes they do make themselves known, but very rarely. They can prove to be either a nuisance or a benefit to a homeowner, depending on how the faerie feels they are being treated. Solitary Faerie are the final type of fairy, being those typically found alone in the forests and woods of the world. Typically, they become almost personifications of the dangers posed by the wilderness, and their appearance can vary wildly.
- Boogeymen: Boogeymen are often discarded as merely old children's tales told by tired mothers and fathers to get their kids to behave. Oh, if only they were but mere stories. Boogeymen are incredibly real, and are even more horrible than the stories tell. They are creatures sustaining themselves on the fear of mortals, and as such want to create as much creeping terror as possible. They are obsessed with taboos and rules, and from this they will enforce such rules as being in bed by nightfall and other similar rules. Though not commonly, it is not rare for boogeymen to even kill their victims to reinforce the fear in other people nearby, and unfortunately most of its targets are scared children that they harvest their fear from.
- Hags: While a scroll has already been penned on the hags, a refresher is always good. Hags are ancient creatures, perhaps even some of the first creatures to exist ever. They are typically wicked and cruel beings taking on the forms of women, typically hiding their ugly appearance with magics or some maintain their good looks via dark magics. They are incredibly dangerous and powerful spell casters, and are known for curses and hexes, perhaps being the source of learned hexes mortal spell casters use in the modern age. They are sometimes associated with being the first people to teach magic to hedge mages and witches, always at great cost, however. Furthermore, they can offer many powers and boons, but deals with hags rarely have happy endings, as the payment they request is always something awful. Also, they are also said in legend to eat children, though this is sometimes debated as if this is actually true.
- Nymphs: Nymphs are spirits of nature, and so are closely tied with particular elements and ecosystems. They tend to reside hidden in the environment, able to manipulate their environment in subtle ways. They are also commonly able to use pheromones to alter their appearance to appear as something that is most alluring or attractive to wandering people. However, when needs arise they can take on a monstrous appearance, and be terror incarnate. Some have been known to take joy in luring passersby to them to then kill them, others very much want to be left alone. In truth, the nature and behavior of a nymph varies wildly, and typically goes by a case by case basis.
The Seelie and Unseelie Courts
There is no wide, organizing group to wrangle all the fey together, as they are too chaotic and wild for that. Or is there? While not necessarily in charge of every fey in the realms both mortal and wyld, there exists courts that seem to hold large sway amongst the fey folk. These are, of course, the Seelie and Unseelie courts. The Seelie courts are separated into the spring and summer courts, while the Unseelie are separated into the Fall and Winter courts. These courts are made up of strange and regal fey folk that have seemingly have endless processions of feasts, festivals, and courtly intrigue. No mortal court could ever hope to compare to the schemes wrought in such places however, for the seelie are still utterly alien to us. Courtiers seek to amass favor as gold is of little value, and typically instead look for forms of ephemeral sensations, creations, or representations of sentiment given physical form. These courts have seemingly inspired some of the wood elves, as the Great Dale Woods is roughly broken up into similar court environments. The Spring court tends to be focused on creation, renewal, and the fragile nature of new life. The Summer Court tends to focus on sustaining, maintenance, and flourishing, mature life. The Fall court focuses on natural destruction, decay, and endings. Finally, the Winter Court focuses on death, stasis, hibernation, and the recovery period between death and life. While some may sound "nicer" than others, make no mistake that all Seelie and Unseelie are untrustworthy and dangerous individuals. Making deals and promises with them is always a recipe for disaster, and their senses of humor can seem "cruel" to others.
