Changeling
The custom of exchanging changelings has been one that has existed since the discovery of the human realm.
Changelings are Fae that were swapped with humans when still in their infancy. The baby is given a glamour to appear as the human child and is left in the human child's place. The glamour that mimics the human appearance also ages the child at the same rate as a human, shortening what should take a century to only a mere 20 or so years. At that point of physical maturity, the glamour fades and the parent that cast it senses such. They return to collect their child and return them to their homeland.
After the changeling is returned home, the parents give them schooling on the ways of the Fae and their court. This continues until it is time for the next group of matured Fae to attend Nasrelts at which point the changeling, now a full Fae, attends as any other.
(Changelings returned to the Fae Realm within six months of the new school decade beginning are allowed to join late so as to avoid a 10 year wait for their Nasrelts Education.)
There are many reasons a Fae parent may exchange a changeling.
The sicknesses that can affect a Fae are tied to magic. It is the only way a Fae creature can be sickened. As such when a babe is born of a sickly constitution the parent has the option to swap out their child with a human one. Once the child is separated from the magic of its homeland the sickness can be healed.
Some Fae parents do not wish to raise a child. For whatever reason, be it not having enough time to raise the child or merely disinterest in doing so, they prefer would to have their child removed for what is a blink of an eye in time for them and have them returned fully grown.
Changelings are Fae that were swapped with humans when still in their infancy. The baby is given a glamour to appear as the human child and is left in the human child's place. The glamour that mimics the human appearance also ages the child at the same rate as a human, shortening what should take a century to only a mere 20 or so years. At that point of physical maturity, the glamour fades and the parent that cast it senses such. They return to collect their child and return them to their homeland.
After the changeling is returned home, the parents give them schooling on the ways of the Fae and their court. This continues until it is time for the next group of matured Fae to attend Nasrelts at which point the changeling, now a full Fae, attends as any other.
(Changelings returned to the Fae Realm within six months of the new school decade beginning are allowed to join late so as to avoid a 10 year wait for their Nasrelts Education.)
There are many reasons a Fae parent may exchange a changeling.
The sicknesses that can affect a Fae are tied to magic. It is the only way a Fae creature can be sickened. As such when a babe is born of a sickly constitution the parent has the option to swap out their child with a human one. Once the child is separated from the magic of its homeland the sickness can be healed.
Some Fae parents do not wish to raise a child. For whatever reason, be it not having enough time to raise the child or merely disinterest in doing so, they prefer would to have their child removed for what is a blink of an eye in time for them and have them returned fully grown.
Execution
To swap a changeling, a parent or family member of the child travels to the human realm and locates a human family of similar appearance to their own with a newborn or a babe of similar human age to the Fae child.
After a child has been located, the Fae child is given a permanent glamour that cannot be dispelled. The glamour is maintained by a small magic crystal placed under the skin of the foot. The crystal ensures the glamour cannot be dispelled by iron or any other means. It slowly degrades over time. By the time the child reaches maturity the crystal is completely gone and the glamour fades.
As the one who cast it, the parent senses the fading of the glamour and returns to collect the child.
After a child has been located, the Fae child is given a permanent glamour that cannot be dispelled. The glamour is maintained by a small magic crystal placed under the skin of the foot. The crystal ensures the glamour cannot be dispelled by iron or any other means. It slowly degrades over time. By the time the child reaches maturity the crystal is completely gone and the glamour fades.
As the one who cast it, the parent senses the fading of the glamour and returns to collect the child.
Observance
The Blood Folk are especially fond of the changeling custom. As a warrior people, many struggle to lay down their weapons to raise a child for a century and they struggle more with having an obvious weakness.
On the other hand the Plains Folk despise the custom. They are the reason for the recent drop in changeling swaps over the last new centuries as they see the custom as a sin against their faith.
They have developed methods to locate and track decaying magic crystals. In the Fae realm such a thing is useless as the crystals are a common resource. However in the Human realm, magic crystals exist only under the skin of changelings. They began to hunt emerging changelings and once they found them, capturing the young Fae, many not yet aware of what and who they are. Once captured the Plains Folk take the changeling to Ryren Thalor where they publicly execute them. The most favoured method of execution is to burn them at the stake.
Since the recent persecution of changelings, many Fae parents will seek out their child before their glamour fades in the hopes of saving their child such a fate.
On the other hand the Plains Folk despise the custom. They are the reason for the recent drop in changeling swaps over the last new centuries as they see the custom as a sin against their faith.
They have developed methods to locate and track decaying magic crystals. In the Fae realm such a thing is useless as the crystals are a common resource. However in the Human realm, magic crystals exist only under the skin of changelings. They began to hunt emerging changelings and once they found them, capturing the young Fae, many not yet aware of what and who they are. Once captured the Plains Folk take the changeling to Ryren Thalor where they publicly execute them. The most favoured method of execution is to burn them at the stake.
Since the recent persecution of changelings, many Fae parents will seek out their child before their glamour fades in the hopes of saving their child such a fate.
Related Ethnicities
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