Fae phantom (Phantom fairy)

Other names: Guardians of the Inbetween, undead fairies, skel-fae, fairy ghost, corpse fairy, goth fae

Fae phantom are a unique case in magiontology, since they are not a biological species per se, but a species defined by their position as guardians of the Inbetween. Because of that, there is a long debate on whether or not they should even be considered a species. However, most magiontologists today agree that Fae phantom can and should be considered a species since the process required for them to become guardians of the Inbetween does create some unique biological commonalities as well as a distinct culture.
The Fae phantom themselves do not seem to care much, if anything, they find the debate amusing. Earth is only one of the many worlds they have contact with, and their exact perception by Earthlings does not make much difference to them. But they are willing to indulge us, to a degree.

Description:

by Peculiaris

Fae phantom vary quite a bit in their appearance because, as is often the case with undead, they do not start their lives in this form. All Fae phantom are fae, and most of them are winged, because the ability to fly is useful for guard duty. They also tend to come from the larger fae species for the same reason. Their transformation into undead affects their appearance, especially their skin tone, pushing it to extremes. Those who had pale coloring before their transformation become paler, and those with dark coloring become darker. There is often a blue or green tinge to their skin and hair, and their lips become permanently tinted to near black. However, these visual characteristics are somewhat irrelevant to us, because while in our world, only the skeletons of the Fae phantom is visible. The wings also remain visible, and those familiar with magion lore can usually tell what fae species a Fae phantom originated from by the shape

by Peculiaris

and color of their wings. The Fae phantom body seems to emanate a low glow, creating a vague halo around the skeleton form. The reason for this is unclear, but it seems that this phenomenon is quite common, and in most cases when Fae phantom step out of the Inbtween they look like softly glowing winged skeletons.

---

Habitat:

Fae phantom live in the Inbetween, the interval between worlds. Very little is known about the Inbetween, because living creatures cannot exist in it. Some creatures can pass through the Inbetween in order to reach other worlds, but if they remain there too long they will perish. Fae phantom are the only magions we know of that take residence in the Inbetween.¹ Their ability to do so is granted by the the transformation ceremony into a Fae phantom. It is generally assumed that it is their immortality that allows Fae phantom to exist continually in the Inbetween, but it is unclear whether this is true for immortals in general or is specific to Fae phantom.

---

Diet:

As long as they remain in the Inbetween Fae phantom do not need nourishment of any kind. However, if they leave the Inbewteen for a long period of time, they might feel the need for food and drink. While they may have personal preferences, Fae phantom can digest just about anything. Due to the changes their transformation made to their bodily systems, they are not affected by substances such as alcohol, hallucinogenics or poison.

---

Habits & Culture

Many millennia ago, Fae² and other world-exploring species signed the Realm Separation Decree with the aim of regulating movement between the different realms.³ However, it soon became clear that if the decree was to have any effect, someone had to keep watch. Some magical beings opposed to the idea of movement regulation, and others were just terrible at keeping time (or geography). There were several attempts to establish a guard, both local and inter-world, and various species were involved. Over time more and more fae were enlisted, because many of them have the innate ability to move between realms at will. However, guarding inter-world travel was very difficult because many world (including ours) did not have it regulated and had no official gates. Ultimately, it became clear that the only way to efficiently oversee inter-world travel was from the Inbetween. This

by Peculiaris

brought about a period of trial and error that unfortunately claimed quite a few lives, as staying in the Inbetween for long periods of time proved fatal. The experimenting continued, and eventually a method was found to turn fae into what is essentially a living dead.
The process became a highly guarded secret and now, centuries after its initiation, it is known only to Fae phantom. The creation of new Fae phantom is extremely rare since they do not die naturally and, for the most part, it is only when one is somehow killed that a new guardian is needed.⁴ The process is long, starting with selecting a candidate from a number of volunteers. All guardians volunteer for the position, and must go through intensive interviews and simulations to decided if they are capable of leaving their former lives and take on immortality. The chosen fae goes through a secret ceremony during which their physical transformation occurs. The ceremony is a closely guarded secret, but rumor is that it takes six days and nights, and involves the ingestion of a fairly nasty potion. The blue-black tinge of the Fae phantoms' lips led many to suspect that this potion is blue or black. There have been several open debates about the exact shade of potion, but the Fae phantom never got involved, though they do seem quite amused by such debates.
As guardians, Fae phantom are assigned to specific worlds or intersections. They generally do not get involved with said worlds and stay their watch from the Inbetween. Our world is a rather unique case because it is not only a rare case of a world that has both magical and non-magical beings, but also magical life is a fragile minority. In the 14th century, as fae of all kinds left our world (see The Departure), Fae phantom helped not only fae but also endangered native magions to leave our world. This set a precedent of low level involvement of guardians in case of endangered magions.
The Fae phantom are the only fae presence that remained continually in our world after The Departure,⁵ and have developed close relationships with some magion communities. They became key figures in the development of communications between the different groups, utilizing both their ability to travel quickly between places via the Inbetween and the ability to build connections generation after generation due to their immortality.

by Peculiaris

They developed particularly close relationships with local undead magions, such as Vampyrus. Over the years Fae phantom played important part in the protection of magions, and aided in the creation of the Magiontology Society. The creation of the Society allowed them to take a step back, as the agents of the Society took on the mantle of protectors. But they remain close, both to assist and to keep an eye on future developments.
A more recent development is a unique Fae phantom tradition around Halloween. It is quite common in the different worlds that the boundaries between realms become thinner on specific days. During such times, Fae phantom are often visible in their full-bodied true form, possibly because some influence of the Inbetween leaks into the worlds. Many worlds celebrate the thinning of the boundaries, but not many associate it with visits from the world of the dead, and fewer still celebrate it with costume parties. When, then teenager, Mabyn Pryce found out about the visual change Fae phantom have around Halloween, she convinced them to join her to a local Goth Halloween party. They enjoyed it immensely (Mabyn still claims it is because they won the costume competition). Since then they have been visiting parties on Halloween almost every year, sometimes bringing more Fae phantom friends along.

---

¹ There are theories suggesting lifeforms (or un-lifeforms) that exist in the Inbetween, but currently there is no evidence to support them.
² When discussing inter-world and inter-realm events, it is important to remember that the definition of 'fae' is Earthen. We tend to think of all otherworldly species as fae (with the occasional 'demon'), however many of the species we consider fae have no relation at all and some do not even know of the other's existence.
³ "Realm" in this case is used as a general term for worlds, realities, or spheres of existence.
⁴ Another possible reason for the need of a new Fae phantom, is the joining of a new world to the Realm Separation Decree, but that is as rare as a Fae phantom being killed.
⁵ Aside from a few rare cases of fae communities that chose to remain in our world because they believed they can remain safe. For example, the Fae nix, a species of 1.5-2mm tall fae who prefer arctic environments.

Fae phantom

by Peculiaris

---

Taxonomy Chart

Magion - Fae/Undead - phantom

Basic Information

Lifespan

Immortal

Average Height

Varies

Average Weight

Varies