The Feywild is, as the name suggests, a wild place. Straight roads are a deceptive illusion, the light is brighter as the shadow is darker, and even the grass beneath your feet may lurch out to chuckle at your misfortunes. But it isn't all bad! It's a truly beautiful place, with magic around every corner and a menagerie of sights to see. But it is dangerous for those unprepared, so I've collected the vital information needed for a visit to the plane, condensed to a few points.
The Fey Outlook: While Fey are as varied as us mortals, they are inherently different beings. The magic of the Feywild enforces certain expectations which have become part and parcel of their societies. I'm not sure why, but these must be obeyed regardless, unless you fancy yourself a nasty curse.
1.) Reciprocity: By and large, Fey feel strongly about quid pro quo and balance. If something is taken, then something of equal value must be given, and what a Fey considers to be of equal value is the big question. A Fey might steal a human's beloved pet and leave in its place a brightly painted wooden effigy, or the Fey might take some gold and leave a bundle of bright, yellow buttercups. These exchanges satisfy the agreement of reciprocity, and a Fey who makes them sleeps soundly at night, content that the exchanges were fair.
2.) Hospitality: Hospitality is a pillar of Fey society. Treating a visitor to one's home with with courtesy and generosity is important to most Fey, but the visitor must show their Fey host the same courtesy and not act boorishly or demonstrate blatant impropriety. Rudeness breaks the bond of reciprocity and frees a Fey host from the obligation to be hospitable. But each Fey has different ideas about what constitutes rudeness; even an ill-conceived gift to a Fey host might be regarded as an insult and cause a hubbub, if not a revocation of the Fey host's hospitality. A trusty Fey guide can provide invaluable assistance in navigating such delicate situations.
3.) Gifts: Connected to both hospitality and reciprocity is the giving of gifts. Fey are avid gift-givers (partially because they like receiving gifts), and their gifts are usually very thoughtful. Good gifts have sentimental value to the giver. For example, a beloved heirloom makes a fine gift to a Fey creature. A throwaway gift is an insult that flies in the face of reciprocity and hospitality.
Gifts provide a kind of balance that many Fey obsess over. If there is a perceived imbalance, a carefully chosen gift can set things right; this is why refusing a gift from a Fey creature can cause them consternation, as they're trying to right a perceived imbalance by giving the gift. But accepting a gift from a Fey can cause problems for the uninitiated traveler, as it can indebt them to the Fey creature: "I gave you a gift, so now you must give me one in return." It can also lead to the formation of an accidental fey contract, as I'll discuss below. I've also provided some examples of good and bad gifts for those who may need the extra assistance.
Good Gifts to Give Fey
Family ring
Talisman sacred to your druid circle
Favorite hat
Piece of art that you made
Trinket from the Material Plane
Favorite dessert recipe
Sensational, applause-worthy performance
Haircut or bath
Bad Gifts to Give Fey
Item that has outlived its usefulness
Item you intended to get rid of
Half-hearted performance
Cursed, evil, or broken item
4.) Fey Contracts: A fey contract is formed when one receives a gift (or the promise of a gift) from a Fey and is expected to give the Fey something in return. The gift can be almost anything, and the contract forms as soon as the gift is received.
Accidental Fey Contracts: A mortal can accidentally stumble into a fey contract in a number of ways. The one bit of good news for the novice Feywild explorer is that most fey contracts can be broken with a remove curse spell or similar magic. Only the most powerful fey contracts are hard to break—ones woven by ancient hags, the queens of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and other powerful archfey. Such contracts usually require a wish spell or an elaborate ritual to negate.
Here are a few ways one might become unwittingly bound to a fey contract:
Accepting a gift from a Fey (prompting the Fey to expect something of perceived equal value in return)
Stealing something from a Fey (creating a metaphysical imbalance that must be rectified)
Taking the life of a creature that made a contract with a Fey (thereby inheriting the creature's debt to that Fey)
Accepting Gifts
Some Feywild guides recommend never accepting gifts from a Fey and, more importantly, never expressing thanks. While the power and importance of a gift can often be swaying, I would express great caution when in such a situation. A Fey's boon can be great. But the more powerful the gift, the higher the price.
To accept a gift from a Fey is to enter into a contract with it, especially if the gift is received with gratitude. Effusive thanks increase the gift's perceived value, and the Fey will expect something more in return, so it is recommended to avoid using the word.
Stealing From A Fey
Even if a Fey creature is unaware something has been stolen from them, they sense that they have been deprived of something. This nagging sense doesn't go away until the Fey figures out what they lost and who has the stolen item. Moreover, the Fey might not want the stolen thing back, but rather something of equal or greater perceived value.
Taking a Life in Debt
Before taking the life of a creature in the Feywild, a wise individual makes sure that creature has no outstanding debts to Fey. Any Fey the creature was indebted to look to the killer to make good on the creature's unfulfilled debts.
Fey are understandably cautious when collecting debts from a person who is prone to violence. They usually make their demands at times when it's safest for them to do so, such as when the killer is bathing or in a crowded place. Generally, try to avoid murder.
Making a Contract
Fey contracts can be divided into two categories: greater contracts and lesser contracts. Greater contracts are made with archfey, ancient hags, and other powerful Fey spellcasters. Lesser contracts are made with Fey of all other sorts. Here are some examples of gifts Fey can bestow as part of a greater or lesser contract:
Greater Contract Gifts
Audience. You and your companions gain a private audience with the Summer Queen, the Queen of Air and Darkness, or both.
Major. You gain a very rare magic item that is yours to keep, or a legendary magic item for a number of days.
Safety. One creature that previously regarded you as an enemy no longer remembers you at all.
Time. You and your companions can return to the Material Plane up to fifty years from now without having aged a day.
Title. You gain an important title and all the rewards that come with it.
Wealth. You receive up to 50,000 gp worth of coins, jewelry, or property.
Lesser Contract Gifts
Charm. You gain a charm of your choice that the Fey is able to grant.
Fey Kinship. For a number of days, you gain either the Fey Ancestry or the Speak with Small Beasts trait.
Guide. You and your companions receive help from a guide who can guarantee safe passage through a particular region of the Feywild (such as a Domain of Delight).
Inspiration. You gain magical inspiration each day at dawn for a number of days.
Invitation. You receive an invitation to the Summer Court or the Gloaming Court (though this invitation does not guarantee an audience with the Summer Queen or the Queen of Air and Darkness).
Minor Magic Item. You gain a common magic item that is yours to keep, or an uncommon magic item for a number of days.
Proficiency. You gain proficiency in a skill of your choice for a number of days.
Spellcasting. You gain the ability to cast a spell of 4th level or lower once, without material components. You choose the spell, and your spellcasting ability for it is Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom.
Price of a Contract
A Fey's desires are as diverse as any mortal, perhaps even more given their immortal lifespans. I'd suggest reconnaissance or research before making a deal, to find out what that Faerie may want. Though again, express great caution. They may request anything from your funniest joke to your firstborn child.
To collect something intangible, such as a mortal's singing voice or the color in its eyes, a Fey must tap into the magic of the Feywild. In other words, it's the magic of the Feywild, not the Fey creature, that allows a character to claim what would otherwise be impossible to obtain. For this reason, a Fey can't claim such a thing unless they and the creature with which they made the contract are both in the Feywild, or another location closely attuned to the plane.
Breaking a Contract
The Feywild can punish a creature for breaking a fey contract, but the creature must be on the plane or an attuned location to be affected. The penalty imposed on a creature who breaks a lesser contract can be removed by any magic that ends a curse; a wish spell is needed to remove the penalty for breaking a greater contract. Greater penalties can render one petrified, cursed to a beast form, or left to succumb to a slow and painful death. Lesser penalties are annoyances by comparison, yet they can hamper ones self esteem and ability to interact socially, especially with the superstitious or judgmental sorts.
Fey Curses
Curses are common punishments among archfey and other powerful Fey creatures. An adventurer might be cursed for any number of reasons, such as offending a powerful Fey or entering an important location without permission. A remove curse spell or similar magic is usually enough to end a Fey curse on a creature, but some Fey curses are tenacious and resistant to all magic except a wish spell. A creature can also remove such a curse on itself by learning and performing a specific task or ritual, though this is often quite the quest, even for one experienced in the Feywild and it's ways.
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