Fae

Morphic and Mischievous Creatures, Possibly Natives of the Duskscape or the Veil Itself

Fae (sometimes called fey or faeries) are a bizarre and highly morphic group of creatures, seemingly native to the Duskscape, though they're an adventurous species, often crossing the Veil to explore Waking Materia and study its inhabitants. It is difficult to understand their parabiological natures and almost impossible to recognize their motivations.

Theories on their nature vary greatly (which is unsurprising given their inherent resistance to objective observation). Some believe they're a very early, prototypical form of life, one of the first, flickering emergences of intelligence from the chaos of a newborn universe. For this reason they are sometimes called firstfolk or elderfolk. Others believe they're direct manifestations of The Veil: eyes, ears and hands used to carry out some unfathomable objective.

Appearance

For examples, see: Image Gallery: Fae (External)

or The Toadstool Queen & Queenschosen Image Gallery (External)

or The Valrav Knight Image Gallery (External)

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There may be no limit to the forms fae can take. Nonetheless there are forms most commonly chosen (see also Parabiology, below).

Behaviour

What is known is fae are generally intelligent, with a fondness for exploration and observation; a favourite method of studying other species is to target them with trickery and harassment, and observing their reactions. As a result, no matter their form, they are near-universally skilled at illusion and enchantment.

Unlike most biological or parabiological groups, fae seem to have no trouble crossing The Veil between the Waking and Umbral realms; only chimerae come close, but still seem to require natural weaknesses in this dimensional curtain with which to cross. As a result, some scholars believe fae are more "native" to the Veil than they are to the realms on either side of it. This would mean that the Veil is more than simply the divide, but rather an unfathomable dimension all to itself.

The majority of fae, like vilderavn, pucas, dryads, bandersnatches, etc. are solitary, though pixies, sprites and hengeyōkai sometimes form fleeting collectives, sometimes called cliques, parliaments or unkindnesses.

Parabiology

Fae tend to be "resistant" to rational observation. They are poorly understood... and for poorly understood reasons. Much like the behaviour of light changes depending on the methods used to observe it, too much observation of fae almost seems to fundamentally change what the observer is seeing.

Most often, they are not classified by what they are, but by what they are not: chimerae tend to have more bestial intellects and take on characteristics that reflect Waking fauna more directly; demons can sometimes be similar in appearance or behaviour to certain fae, but almost universally regard them as nuisances so there is very little overlap (aside from when a hapless demon is the target of firstfolk harassment).

One major distinction between groups, though not especially useful, is between humanoid fae and bestial fae. Examples of humanoid fae include:

• Pixies
• Sprites
• Dryads
• Hengeyōkai
• Vilderavn/Valravn/Tengu
• Kindercatch
• Phuccas/Pucas

Examples of bestial fae include:

• Bandersnatches
• Jubjub Birds
• Yōkai (not to be mistaken for Yaoguai)
• Nekomata
• Displacer Beasts
• Tatzelwurms

Divinity

Rare stories exist of a supreme Archfey most commonly called The Toadstool Queen. An inherently chaotic species, it's unknown exactly how much command, if any, this entity has over lesser fae. What is known is that their realm seems to have some overlap with the shimmering jungles of Jabberwock, Duskscape Regent of art, insanity and theoretical physics.

One of the Archfae's most famous playthings has since become a Material demigod known as The Valrav Knight. She is a member of the The Unwelcome Order: repentant monsters who seek to counter the machinations of their former masters.

The Cenobite Behemoth is strongly associated with bestial fae, particularly a group of lithe, two-tailed bandersnatches called 'cats' or 'nekomata'. They are sometimes called The Cat God.

Kaleva and Jarl Juulnir are sometimes worshipped as gods of fae-slaying, in addition to their primary domains. Kaleva collects the heads of slain opponents (which she dons to gain their knowledge and power), including some powerful archfae. Juulnir is famous for defending his homelands against the depredations of eight great Kindercatch Lords, who are now under his control. Alongside other duties, they are assigned to return the gifts of the children they stole to needy youngsters during certain holidays, most prominently Juultide in Valamon and some parts of The Broken Empire.

The Totem Kami of The Izuka clan of the Commonwealth of Marai is the nekomata. The Totem Kami of The Shan is the great raven or tengu, who are close cousins to vilderavn. The Totem Kami of The Iname is the tsuchigumo or spider yōkai (who are actually benevolent insofar as they enjoy trapping and killing other yōkai in the Waking world, which only benefits the local humans as fae are rarely up to any good).

Banner art: (Left to right): A dryad, an unkindness of pixies and a kitsuneyōkai.

Banner art credit: (Left to right): Sandra Duchiewicz, Rebecca Guay, Muzinabu