Fey Courts
Often also referred to as the First Courts or the Old Courts, the Fey Courts is a pantheon of powerful fey beings, lead by the four Seasonal Lords. While all apart of the same pantheon, the members of the Fey Courts rarely interact and often even act against each other in their own mysterious goals. It is often associated with druidic orders, most notably Green Order, the Wild Order, and the Order of the Beast.
Mythology & Lore
To its fey members, following the Fey Courts is just the natural order. To its mortal followers, many find that the power primal magic offers is to much to deny, and that while other magical orders are easier to access, the Fey Courts magic is pure, powerful, and untainted by mortal meddling. Thus the prevailing ideals among the courts is that the Fey have the "natural" and "correct" way to wield magical power. Many are also fearful of new technology and advancement, hoping to leave the natural world completely untouched by the "ravages of civilization."
Divine Origins
The Fey Court dates back to the primordial days of mortal life and the emergence of the Seasonal Lords and the Fey Sovereigns. Many legends state that the Pumpkin King organized the Fey Court and bestowed the titles of Sovereign upon the most powerful of fey as a joke, making a mockery of the little mortals who attempted to bestow order on the chaos of the wilds.
Tenets of Faith
The Fey Court is less of an organized religion and more a moniker for those who worship the various Seasonal Lords and Fey Sovereigns, and thus their tenets of faith are wildly different depending on which particular deity one is venerating. However, common goals of all of the courts included the protection of nature and to push back against the complete encroachment of civilization.
Ethics
The Fey Courts follow their own set of ethics, far removed from what is considered "civilized". Blood sacrifice or servitude, of the asker or even their yet to be born children is often used as bargain payments. Many fey have desires and methods that seem nonsensically to typical mortals, and often have nearly incomprehensible rules, such as to never displace a certain ring of sticks or to always bow when turning to the east. These many strange rules often find mortals begetting some slight, and often leading to the courts demanding reparation from the mortal, their bloodline, or even their entire settlement.
Worship
Worship of the Fey Courts is often dark, strange, or primal, often involving intimate acts or sacrifice, but worship differs wildely from deity to deity.
Worship of the Seasonal Lords include carving pumpkins or raking leaves; cloud gazing or dancing in the rain; dancing in fields of flowers or around a bonefire; or laying bare in the snow or bathing in ice cold water.
Common worship of the Fey Sovereigns includes planting and tending of trees, mushrooms, and other plants or packs of animals; patrolling woodland areas, caves, or lakes; inacting various rituals at surise or sunset; or hunting and slaying creatures to act as sacrifice or prove the strength of your lineage.
Priesthood
Priests of the Courts vary wildly by individual courts, and rarely resemble a priest of a traditional religion. Many are druids or witches who work under powerful fey, or are fey themselves.
Despite their fearsome name Priests of the Dire Maw are rather peaceful, dedicating most of their time to growing ancient trees and ensuring the proper growth of nearby wildlife. They may often even take in abandoned and orphaned children, ensuring that they grow to adulthood.
Priests of the Golden Court are often gardeners and farmers, working to ensure that all living creatures can gain the substances they need to thrive. They are stewards of places of natural beauty, working to cultivate areas were nature can be observed in all of its glory.
Priests of the Red Court are often cooks and brewers, able to brew potent cocktails to bring to the many Red Court revelries. They are often trained in midwifery and in sexual health practices, to help their Sovereigns desire to increase the amount of procreation that can occur in the world. Some are also sent out into the world to find those who won't be missed and can easily taken back to the Red Court, willingly or not.
The Court of the Day/Night Market don't have priests in the traditional sense. Instead, they have merchants who attend the markets and sell their wares, as well as guards who ensure that no violence takes place inside the markets, and messengers who travel the world, guiding mortals to attend the markets.
The Wild Hunt has those who train the tracking hounds, steeds, and boars of the hunt, as well as scouts who scour the world for worthy prey, be it beast or man.
The Silent Knights have knight-priests who watch over ancient forests, groves, and other places of natural power. Many either take a vow of silence, or magically mute themselves, so that their only communication is with their plant creatures that they guard over.
The Missing Court has only those spelunkers and divers who seek their mysterious Sovereign. After years of searching, many often find themselves in positions to guide younger members who are just starting their journey. Often, teaching grants them some insight that will eventually renew their own journey.
The Fungal Church has the closest thing to traditional priests, with their fungal evangelists. Such priests travel the world, cultivating vicious fungal diseases that "return the mind and body to its roots." They will often attempt to convert whole towns utilizing mind altering substances, or failing that, will utilize making fungal infiltrators to slowly replace and destroy a town from the inside out.
Those Who Survive have battle-priests who train all those they come across in the art of combat and survival. Such priests are vicious and brutal, and often "impart their training" on those who have no interest in fighting, and the only way to become a battle-priest is to slay a previous one.
Granted Divine Powers
The powers granted by the Fey Courts are often based on nature, but are often primal and more powerful than traditional religions. While it varies based on individual deity, most grant influence over animals and plant-creatures in some form.
For those who worship the Pumpkin King gain powers such as speaking omens of the future, summoning Pumpkin Golems, aging creatures and objects with a touch, creating strange disguises, and transforming creatures into a more monstrous version of themselves.
Those who venerate his wife, the Ice Queen, gain the ability to survive in harsh cold conditions, increased power in their cold magic, the ability to enhance weapons with intense cold, plunge areas into a frozen winter-scape, or even return to life when buried in a snowbank.
Those who follow their eldest son, the Prince of Rains, gain power over the weather to create rain, mighty winds, or vicious thunderclouds, curse a creature with a rain cloud that constantly drizzles on them, rapid healing while in the rain, or are gifted with a fortress that can float on the top of the clouds.
Those who worships the youngest daughter, the Princess of Summer, gain the ability to grow healing herbs, summon empowered creatures, move with great speed and leave flames in their wake, light an area up in intense light and heat, and inspire others to move into great dances.
The Fey Sovereigns powers are often stranger; Those who worship the Sovereign of Growth can draw out the strength of weak creatures; manipulate the age of creatures; grow to immense sizes; and increase the power of their magic.
Those who worship the Sovereign of Bounty can create small, bountiful demiplanes; enhance food and drink; teleport creatures to remote islands; force a creature to remove its clothing to reveal its true self; enhance the beauty of the land around them; and curse creatures to rapidly starve.
Those who venerate the Sovereign of Desire gain a supernatural stamina and ensure the impregnation of creatures when mating; gain the ability to steal a creatures reason; force a creature to act on its intrusive thoughts; gain insight to the most damaging areas on a creatures anatomy; and even ensure their souls rebirth through their unborn children.
Those who follow in the pack of the Sovereign of the Many usually are granted several pack beasts; they can share the senses of their pack and ensure it acts in perfect coordination; teleport their entire pack to surround a single creature, and even create duplicates of themselves to act as their own pack.
Those who worship the Sovereign of the Green often bond with a single forest; are able to teleport from tree to tree or move much swifter in wooded areas; are granted plant-like mounts; can curse creatures to slowly transform into trees; and even allow the spirits of dead trees to slay those who have harmed them.
Those who search for the Hidden Sovereign gain the ability to travel and survive in remote environments; use magic to scout natural places; cause brutal cave ins; pull creatures down into the depths of the earth or water; or even utilize magic to truly conceal a creature or object from all divinations and sight.
Those who worship the Sovereign of Decay gain fungal growths that act as armor and sustenance; the ability to survive on rotten and fouled foods; the power to create fungal clones of creatures; and the ability to decay or even kill things with a touch or even just by being nearby.
Finally, those who follow the Sovereign of Conflict gain a clarity of mind whilst in battle; the ability to spread violent rages; the ability to pinpoint vital areas; and the ability to fight on even after receiving deadly wounds.
Political Influence & Intrigue
The courts most major interaction is with the Sika Empire in Usoram, as most of the fey reside in the neighboring Feywilds. While most of the courts prefer to stay out of mortal affairs, they love to meddle and interfere un the Sika Empires attempts to colonize and expand into the Feywilds.
In the past, the Fey Courts, especially the Eldest Courts, have been known to utilize their powers to decimate entire settlements, or on rare occasions, even entire countries, so most local governments know to leave areas of ancient mystique well enough alone. However, many tales speak of heroes or settlements seeking the fey courts when threatened by primal magic, ancient threats, or even a rival court, with many mixed results. Some tales have the heroes receive what they need after a service, while others have the settlement's debt to the court leaving them in a worse position than with the original threat.
Sects
There are countless fey courts, but they are divided into three categories; the lesser courts, the Eldest Courts, and the Court of the Four. Most of the Lords and Sovereigns prefer to remain distant from most affairs, leaving powerful servants in charge of any "official duties."
The lesser court includes any fey creature who is not officially a part of one of the other two courts, and are divided into numerous sub-groups. While each of these groups claims often claim independence, and some courts are even as small as one ambitious fey, they all pay at least nominal homage to the King and Queen of the Lessers, who are considered the most powerful fey outside of the Sovereigns. These positions have changed over the years, but are currently held by a Erlking named Erein and a Hamadryad named Tarris. Such courts usually have establish territories that expand and fall over time.
The Eldest Courts are those directly ruled over by the nine Fey Sovereigns. Such courts are usually incredibly small and hold immensely long-lived and powerful fey, although powerful mortals or other creatures who have impressed the Sovereigns are occasionally found among them. These courts generally have no set location or territory, as most of the Sovereigns move around, absorbing or destroying lesser courts that they interact with. The courts are as follows
- The Dire Maw: Ruled over by the Sovereign of Growth, Ancient Ajaw. It mostly includes the first of dire animals enhanced by his magic and fey of exceptional physical strength.
- The Golden Court: Ruled over by the Sovereign of Bounty, the Beautiful Baroness. It is the largest of the Eldest Courts, as many of the lesser courts often join it for a brief period of time. Members of the court tend to ancient groves and restore damaged natural places. It often also associates with the Red Court, as together the two courts hold massive feasts and prolific revelries.
- The Red Court: Ruled over by the Sovereign of Desire, the Carnal Count. It is filled with the most hedonistic of the fey, and often kidnaps mortals to fuel their constant drunken celebrations.
- The Night/Day Markets: Ruled over by the twin Sovereigns of Cycles, the Duke of Dusk and the Duchess of Dawn. They are hidden markets where nearly anything can be traded, bought, or sold.
- The Wild Hunt: Ruled over by the Sovereign of the Many, the Joined Jarl. It travels the world, often together with the demigod Brici, to hunt the strangest and strongest of creatures.
- The Silent Knights: Ruled over by the Sovereign of the Green, the Kudzu Knight. It is one of the smallest courts, often utilizing plant-based creatures and fey. Most members of the court are solitary wanderers protecting specific forests.
- The Missing Court: Ruled over by the Hidden Sovereign, the Murky Marquis. Instead of ruling over this court, this members of this court instead search for the Murky Marquis, as they believe that the closer they get to finding it, the more power it grants them.
- The Fungal Church: Ruled over by the Sovereign of Decay, the Pope of Putrefaction. This court seeks enlightenment through the cycle of death, and has many fungal creatures as well as fey.
- Those Who Survive: Ruled over by the Sovereign of Conflict, the Vizir of Violence. This court is often the smallest, even among the already slim Eldest Courts, as its followers constantly kill each other in the efforts to prove their supremacy. The final goal of all in this court is to challenge and slay the Vizir himself, proving that they are the new apex predator.
"Follow the Old Ways"
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Alternative Names
The First Courts; The Old Courts
Leader
Deities
Notable Members
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