Freefolk

The freefolk are those native to the Feywild. They are typically fey, beasts, or humanoids living within the Feywild or hailing from that realm.

Mythology

The fey have a deep mythology within the world of Terra Caelum. They have an infamous reputation for being tricksters and creatures of chaos. However, the denizens of the Feywild are also regal, elegant, and some of the few ethnicities to possess power over their home realm. This article will deal with the culture of the freefolk and the fey, and the various mythologies surrounding them.

Aesir and Vanir

In the times of the old gods, the Aesir were the celestials that resided in Asgard. In their Yggdrasil cosmology model, where the nine realms were connected by the bifrost, the Feywild was known as Vanaheim, and its denizens known as the Vanir. Those of the Feywild most commonly consorting with the Asgardians were freefolk with immense power. The Asgardians, as well as the Jötunns recognised the power of the Vanir, and even accepted some into the halls of Asgard itself. The freefolk who settled in Asgard became a group of gods associated with health, fertility, wisdom, and the powers of scrying such as the ability to see the future. At some point before the destruction of the old gods, there was a war fought between the Aesir and the Vanir, with the title of Vanir become a subgroup of the Asgardian Aesir. Subsequently, members of the Vanir were sometimes also referred to as members of the Aesir. The only known survivors of the Vanir in the purging of the old gods were Mimír and Freja, who went into hiding like the other survivors. Firbolg are the result of freefolk influence on the Jötunns of Jötunheim. Many firbolg live in the Feywild and are freefolk traditionalists.

Olympians and the Satyrs

The Olympians of Mount Olympus rarely dealt with the freefolk, however the old god Dionysus enjoyed many a feast with them. Satyrs were the favoured freefolk of the Olympians.

Caelesti and the Fey

The freefolk are known to the Caelesti as tricksters, demons, and bad omens. Morgana LaFey and her tyrannical hatred of mortals contributed to the chaos caused by freefolk in Terra Caelum, and she had made parts of the Feywild spill into the Prime Material Plane, cursing forests and places of nature. In recent years, however, this attitude has shifted. With LaFey's death at the hands of Joseph Reynolds VI, the Collision and the rise of the Emerald Enclave, freefolk are more welcomed in the Prime than ever. Many live in the east, or even some parts of the west, as welcomed visitors. Dryads and satyrs are especially welcome. Spiritfolk are also slowly returning to the Prime, as well as gnomes.

The Seelie and the Unseelie

Since LaFey's fall, the celestial named Icarus rose to take her place. While he rules justly, two entities from hundreds of years ago have gathered freefolk into two main subcultures- the seelie and the unseelie. Their pull is stronger than that of Icarus, and his power over the freefolk has waned, leaving the power to these two entities; Maeve and Loht. Ruled by Queen Maeve, the Seelie Court is the more benign of the Two Courts that dominates the Feywild. Each of the Two Courts rules Feywild society six months during each of their years. The Emerald City serves as the seat of authority for whichever faction is currently in power. Maeve and Loht rule together during the couple of days between each regime rotation. In the months she is not ruling from the Emerald City, Queen Maeve holds her court in Dorado. To her Seelie followers, Queen Maeve is like a highly beloved, idolised, and venerated celebrity, where all power and favour issues forth from her decree. Therefore, despite the highly structured etiquette protocols of the Seelie Court, the balance of power between individual parties or groups remains ever fluid. Most of the Seelie freefolk in the Court contend constantly for her favour, and the Court sometimes holds great festivities and contests of skill to win said favour. Prince Loht is the prince of the shadow fey and indeed leader of all the Unseelie freefolk. Though Loht rules with an iron fist, his Unseelie followers view him with awe and reverence as well as fear. He speaks softly but elegantly, acting in such a fashion as to make his detached brutality the stuff of legends. Under Loht's rule, the Unseelie Court has a decidedly more organised and orderly bent than the Seelie Court. Loht is responsible for more twisted fey creatures, such as face-stealers and headless horsemen. Loht used to rule a Domain of Dread known as Arak, but when LaFey's rule came to an end, Maeve was able to bring him and the denizens of his domain into the Feywild.

Encompassed species