Fey Courts & Archfey: An Introduction
The Courts of the Feywild
On the surface, the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court make up two the two primary political factions of the Feywild; in reality, the importance of the Courts goes far beyond politics. Colloquially referred to as the Summer and Winter Courts throughout Raen'dor, the two Courts are theorized to have existed since the creation of the Feywild; the Queens of these Courts are ancient beyond understanding, and are undoubtedly the most powerful of all Archfey. While there are other old and dangerous beings who live in the Feywild and are not beholden to the Courts, most true Fey are tied to one side or the other– often by nature rather than choice. It is said that no true Fey can disobey an order spoken directly by their Queen, and are bound by ancient and primal magic to their beholden Court. The two Courts are always opposed, and are constantly vying for power and control (be it through direct conflict or indirect schemes). These conflicts send ripples throughout the Feywild and even into the Material Plane, affecting the seasons and warping the landscape depending on which Court currently has the upper hand. The seasons in turn affect the Courts; during Spring and Summer, the Seelie Court is ascendant and has the most influence/power throughout the Feywild while during Winter and Autumn it is the Unseelie who are ascendant. The Spring and Autumn Equinoxes mark this changing of the guard between ascendant courts, while the Summer and Winter Solstices are the days on which the Courts (and their Queens) are at their most powerful. Generally, Fey of the Seelie Court are seen as mischievous and tricksy, but mostly harmless; they are generally considered to be good-aligned, without reason to harm each other or mortals. Fey of the Unseelie, by contrast, are often seen as cruel, dangerous, and generally considered evil-aligned. The truth of each Court's motives and characteristics are much more nuanced in reality, and vary greatly based on a given situation. In addition, Fey of either Court can be dangerous if not properly understood. The goals of the Courts rarely align perfectly with the goals of mortals, and when they do alliances should always be approached with caution. Archfey
Archfey is the umbrella term used for the most powerful of all True Fey. These individuals are surrounded by myth and mystique, at the center of Sylvan stories and songs known throughout the Feywild and the realms of Raen'dor. The Summer and Winter Queens are the prime examples of an Archfey, but there are others both within the Courts and without. Archfey command power far beyond the reaches of most mortals (or Fey), becoming also like Feywild deities in terms of magical ability (though they are certainly not Divine creatures). A common thread among Archfey is often that they are either the most powerful/best at what they can do, or they are the first/oldest of their kind. The origins of the Archfey, as mentioned above with the Queens, is unknown, but it appears that both mortals and lesser Fey can ascend to Archfey status through a variety of wonderous means (although many of such transformations seem to be by accident, or at least not the direct result of the Archfey's own actions).
On the surface, the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court make up two the two primary political factions of the Feywild; in reality, the importance of the Courts goes far beyond politics. Colloquially referred to as the Summer and Winter Courts throughout Raen'dor, the two Courts are theorized to have existed since the creation of the Feywild; the Queens of these Courts are ancient beyond understanding, and are undoubtedly the most powerful of all Archfey. While there are other old and dangerous beings who live in the Feywild and are not beholden to the Courts, most true Fey are tied to one side or the other– often by nature rather than choice. It is said that no true Fey can disobey an order spoken directly by their Queen, and are bound by ancient and primal magic to their beholden Court. The two Courts are always opposed, and are constantly vying for power and control (be it through direct conflict or indirect schemes). These conflicts send ripples throughout the Feywild and even into the Material Plane, affecting the seasons and warping the landscape depending on which Court currently has the upper hand. The seasons in turn affect the Courts; during Spring and Summer, the Seelie Court is ascendant and has the most influence/power throughout the Feywild while during Winter and Autumn it is the Unseelie who are ascendant. The Spring and Autumn Equinoxes mark this changing of the guard between ascendant courts, while the Summer and Winter Solstices are the days on which the Courts (and their Queens) are at their most powerful. Generally, Fey of the Seelie Court are seen as mischievous and tricksy, but mostly harmless; they are generally considered to be good-aligned, without reason to harm each other or mortals. Fey of the Unseelie, by contrast, are often seen as cruel, dangerous, and generally considered evil-aligned. The truth of each Court's motives and characteristics are much more nuanced in reality, and vary greatly based on a given situation. In addition, Fey of either Court can be dangerous if not properly understood. The goals of the Courts rarely align perfectly with the goals of mortals, and when they do alliances should always be approached with caution. Archfey
Archfey is the umbrella term used for the most powerful of all True Fey. These individuals are surrounded by myth and mystique, at the center of Sylvan stories and songs known throughout the Feywild and the realms of Raen'dor. The Summer and Winter Queens are the prime examples of an Archfey, but there are others both within the Courts and without. Archfey command power far beyond the reaches of most mortals (or Fey), becoming also like Feywild deities in terms of magical ability (though they are certainly not Divine creatures). A common thread among Archfey is often that they are either the most powerful/best at what they can do, or they are the first/oldest of their kind. The origins of the Archfey, as mentioned above with the Queens, is unknown, but it appears that both mortals and lesser Fey can ascend to Archfey status through a variety of wonderous means (although many of such transformations seem to be by accident, or at least not the direct result of the Archfey's own actions).
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