Winter Court

Autumn wanes as the cold and darkness sweep through the land. Winter has come. The air is frigid and unforgiving. Trees become leafless, the area covered in ice and snow, many creatures take shelter from the lower temperatures while others thrive in it. The days are short and the nights are longer, various creatures who prefer the dark often lurk and roam in the land of endless winter. The undisputed ruler of Winter is Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness, though her original name is lost the ravages of time. There is also the The Prince of Frost, a creature who ripped their own heart out their devotion only to be forsaken by his love, leaving a cold, empty void that can never be fulfilled. While the Prince of Frost is a deadly and powerful force on his own, all Winter fey know that the Queen is the real supreme leader. Winter often symbolizes death, the end of a cycle, cold and harsh weather, but through Winter, Spring shall bloom again. So Winter has a vital part to play in the sequence of the seasons, often severing as the time nature sleeps to be born again. Darkness is usually an excellent symbol for secrets, mysteries, and illusions. But during these harsh times, creatures often bond and form communities to ensure the tough times, there are fey that reside within Winter but serve to bring warmth and good tidings to all beings. If you’re a fan of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, Santa Claus is a Winter fey folk. I’m not joking. The D&D 5th Edition lore has established the Winter court as the Gloaming Court or sometimes referred to as the seat of the Unseelie Court. Further, the widespread folklore maintains this predisposition that the Unseelie fey are inherently evil or evil-aligned. As we’ve discussed in multiple articles about the Feywild, the mortal morality of the good & evil axis do not apply to the fey. For game mechanical purposes, most Unseelie fey would be attributed to some sort of evil alignment. But like anywhere, there is bound to be exceptions, as I said, Santa Claus as a Winter fey is a side of “good.” The Frozen Lands or Wastes of Winter are a desolate land of ice and freezing gales. Vegetation is virtually nonexistent in this realm of the Feywild, food is scarce and ultimately the embodiment of the phrase: “life is harsh.” Creatures in the mortal coil typically work hard up until the last harvest and bunker down for the long nights of the winter season. In this part of the Feywild, darkness dominates the landscape, with only pockets of light for their “dawn.” Imagine a world where light is in a dusk/twilight phase for probably 4-6 hours and then darkness for 14-20 hours afterward. Far in the distance of the flat and icy lands, tall mountains loom over the horizon, a sky often diluted with grey clouds. Sudden snow storms and blizzards are familiar, creatures not adequately prepared can quickly succumb to a frozen death with the land serving as their icy tombs. There are patches of leafless forests, or forests covered in layers of snow, hidden away. Mortals may make offerings to winter fey in the hopes of a less-harsh winter season or to ward them from the volatile winter season. Such offerings usually do little to appease the whims of a winter fey, stern bargains are the way to deal with such entities. While most winter fey can be emotionless, the notion of a promise carries a higher weight concerning currency for a wandering adventurer in this part of the Feywild.