Fae

Description

Fae is the catch-all term for all creatures originating from the Weald (a.k.a. Faewylde), a parallel plane that is the inverse of the Principal World. The majority of them remain in the Weald, however some have traveled to the Principal World using portals leading there. One particular hot spot of these portals is the Duwalan Forest, where quite a few Fae can be found. While they are no longer immortal outside of the Faewylde, they do bring some of the magical power of the Faewylde with them when they cross over and this means they have a constant mental and spiritual effect on their surroundings. Usually this is generally nothing more than a slight shift in perception, however a very powerful Fae or a large group of Fae can bring about significant changes in the surrounding population. There is a large variety of Fae, who are generally split into two categories: the evil Godless such as Fomorians and Hags or the more esoteric Fair Folk.

Personality

By and large the Fae have no such thing as societies. They are more individualistic and tend to purely pursue their own personal goals, for which they have plenty of time considering that they are immortal within the bounds of the Faewylde. What few organized groups or communities they have are generally ruled and held together by a Fae Lord.
The Godless are generally characterized by an immense arrogance and distaste of the civilized species. Twisted in both body and mind, they envy those who are born without their deficiencies. And they view any malevolent act they commit onto the more fortunate as a just punishment. As nasty as their attitudes are, they are something that can at least be understood by the people of the Principal World.
The Fair Folk are not nearly as well understood on the other hand. While these creatures tend to mimic the shapes of humanoids to some extent, their mindsets are distinctly different. Their sense of morality and general worldview are vastly different and due to their own immortality they do not realize the dangers others are exposed to. Despite not understanding the civilized species, the Fae are still quite curious about them and they do try to interact with them, often leading to misunderstandings. A Fae taking away a child might be trying to show them something to gauge their reaction, but in the process exposing them to the dangers of a swamp. The human community would consider this an abduction or murder, while there were only innocent intentions.
On the other hand, the lack of understanding also means that civilized species give their own interpretation to the Fae. As such they are sometimes worshiped as well, for example as harbingers of nature trying to protect the forests from rampant civilization. Worship of the Fae is especially common among the Elves known as the Faeborn, who claim to be descended from them and try to mimic their behavior.

Laws of the Fae

While Fae are capable of making choices, feeling emotions and acting in surprising ways, they have one distinct trait that truly sets them apart from other creatures: they do not have free will. They are unchanging, forever. They cannot turn over a new leaf, they cannot act against their nature and they do not even consider acting against this nature. It would be entirely incomprehensible to them to do so, and it is part of why they are so fascinated with mortals who can change significantly over the course of a few years. Their natures vary massively between individuals however, allowing for different personalities.
The rigidity that they display as a result of their incapability of free will is most strongly seen in their laws. These are strong rules that the Fae consider to be part of themselves, rather than a set of boundaries. They cannot physically break these, in fact they cannot even comprehend the idea of doing so.

1. Harm No Equal

The first law among them is that the Fae cannot harm those belonging to their own courts unless they rank below them. This extends to guests, at least temporarily. If a Fae invites another into their home, they are considered to be a part of their group and of the rank of the one who invited them. It is important to realize that this rule only applies within the Faewylde, and it is null and void outside of it. For this reason, if one wants to visit the courts of the Fae, it would be prudent (if not outright necessary) to obtain an invitation first. If a Fae wants to work around this, they have to trick their target to slight them in some way, upon which they are a valid target for retribution. Different Fae have different ideas of what constitutes a slight, and these definitions are absolute and unchanging for each Fae.

2. Violate No Oaths

A Fae's word is absolute, sacred and not subject to interpretation by another. They cannot willingly break a deal they have entered themselves, and they have absolute power over anyone who breaks a deal with them. They love making deals with other creatures, often trying to make the payment seem smaller or different from what it truly is. Wording in deals is terribly important, both for the payment as well as what constitutes a deal. Unwittingly entering into one could cost someone dearly. A deal they offer will always be equal in their mind, and anything offered that they do not consider equal is seen as an insult and cause for retribution. They hate being in debt and cannot take anything for free, even if it was something they desired. Forcing a gift upon them is sure to earn their ire, as they are now forced to repay the debt which they see as humiliating. And while they will abide by this and repay their debt, they will also look for ways to harm the one who gave them the gift in any way they can. They do not have the same limitations when it comes to gifts however. Accepting a gift from a Fae is considered the same as entering into an open-ended deal, and the Fae can then extract payment as they see fit. Needless to say, accepting a gift from one is a terrible idea and rarely ends well. Oaths and promises are treated in a similar manner, they are binding and must be fulfilled at all costs. An oath of fealty or vassalage can only be broken by an agreement between both parties, and in the meantime the subservient party has to follow all orders. Failure to comply will result in the master having absolute power over the oathbreaker. Prisoners of the Fae are automatically considered vassals, and live a hopeless existence.

3. Utter No Falsehoods

The Fae cannot knowingly tell lies, but they are more creative than anyone else in working around this limitation. They are masters at spreading deceit, or tricking others in believing imagined falsehoods. They weave words in such a way that they can avoid outright lying, while leaving the impression of some falsehood in the mind of their audience. In fact, they rarely if ever tell the full truth. Not even out of malice, it is simply part of their nature. Their twisting words are ironically enough an absolute truth of their own being.

Fae Lords

The more powerful Fae that can create Warlocks and hold significant influence within the realm are called Fae Lords or Archfae. These are not to be confused with the four Fae Sidhe, godlike beings who control the seasons within the Faewylde. Becoming a Fae Lord is something that happens naturally if a Fae increases in power enough, and it is something they and other Fae can instinctively recognize. Some examples of Archfae include:

• Damh, a powerful satyr who likes to sing, dance and have parties.
• Fionnghuala, a nymph of great beauty and charm, revered by nymphs, dryads and oreads.
• Thuaghthighern, a gruff who embodies protection and loyalty.
• Nuklavi, a stag-bugbear hybrid of awe-inspiring proportions. A mediator and warden who maintains balance between courtless communities of Fae.
• Granncaomhair, a lord of bugbears who represent hidden magics and sagely wisdom.
• Rípuimci, a mischievous fey lord who hides within crop fields and brings forth the weary spirits of the dead to haunt his victims. He derives his strength from causing fear.
• Seadderung, an inhumanly tall goblinoid Fae who leads the Wild Hunt. He is one of the most physically imposing Fae and is surrounded by a dread aura when he puts on his mantle as king of the Wild Hunt.
• Beàsi, the scorched lady. A Fae with a burnt-out throat who represents autumn pyres and the transition of life to death.
• Calsith, a powerful spirit that embodies the freezing northern wind of winter. Stubborn and unrelenting, he will not bow nor bend for anyone, simply continuing along his path and stomping anyone in the way.