Fáorhi

Dimensional Corruption is a constant worry in the various other planes of the multiverse. Even a small amount of time spent in these places can begin to tug and pull at the various systems that keep sophont races grounded and, well, alive. Faerie is probably the more tame of these exterior dimensions, but humanoids who get trapped by the Fay will turn into terrible reflections of their former selves. These creatures are known as the Fáorhi, which means "the wretched" in reference to their terrible appearance.

Creation of the Fáorhi

Sophont races simply weren't meant to survive long outside of their reality. Too long, and their skin turns purple, like a carpet of bruises forming all over their bodies. They begin to forget the people that they left behind on their home worlds, their wits slipping out of their minds like water through a sieve. If they aren't returned before the purple colour of the bruises replaces their original skin colour, the effect becomes permanent, and the sophont in question is now a Fáorhi. Nothing short of divine intervention could possibly save them at this stage as they have now become creatures of instinct and unnatural strength.

Appearance & Mannerisms

The Fáorhi look like walking bruises; one Renathian researcher called them haavini, or "grape folk" for the wrinkled and dry-looking skin that they have. Their skin is extremely swollen and heavy, and any wounds that they sustain will reveal these sores to be filled with purplish-red blood. The weight of the sores causes them to hunch over when they walk, which is more of a shuffle. Any clothing that they wore from before their transformation will still be attached to them, if loosely and shredded if it survives the process at all.
"Wild" would be the natural word to describe a Fáorhi; the creatures cannot attack quickly but they will immediately try to fight most things that they encounter. "Friend" and "foe" are not words in their vocabulary; in fact, they are incapable of speech altogether, although they still can generally understand any spoken languages that they knew from before. Their hands, now claw-like from their lack of nail cutting, can be very vicious and there is even rumours that anyone who receives a wound from a Fáorhi becomes cursed to lose someone they love. The Fáorhi has no ability per se to inflict this curse, although a wild swipe attack in the twilight forests of Faerie is curse enough.

Fáorhi in the Wider Multiverse

It is extremely rare to find Fáorhi outside of Faerie, as Fay are loathe to bring them anywhere. That being said, the occasional ancient Fay clan might have one as a pet or as a personal attendant (the line between the two is always a bit blurry). In that case, they might bring the creature with them if they ever travel outside of Faerie. It is also not unheard of for particularly wicked Fay to send them through a Portal in order to cause trouble for their enemies.

Pronunciation

fa-ow-ri

Lifespan

Unknown

Average Height

Between 1 and 2 metres tall

Average Weight

45-85 kilograms

Geographic Distribution

• Faerie

Parent Species

Any sophont race of the Multiverse

Usage by the Fay

Lacking any semblance of intelligence nor recollection of who they once were, the Fáorhi are easily captured by the Fay. In fact, the most common way Fáorhi come to be is that a humanoid gets trapped in a deal with a Fay and the Fay refuses to let them leave.
The Fay often need mindless servants to complete physical labour, so Fáorhi are often brought in to do these tasks. Whether it be lifting stones for the construction of a pleasure palace or the farming of rare herbs in the forests or the clearing of a path up a soaring mountain, the Fáorhi's lack of intelligence or self-preservation makes them easy to coerce. The practice is thankfully not common due to the rarity of travellers from the rest of the Multiverse, but it is a somewhat barbaric tradition among the older Fay families.

All images in this article were created by me, EmperorCharlesII, unless otherwise credited.