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majorasnightmare · 2 months ago

Note

would you like to share some of your dnd homebrew? :-)

(author's choice!)

YOU (general you not you specifically) MAY HAVE THOUGHT MY DND HYPERFIXATION WAS BHAALSPAWN. OR FIENDS. OR ELVES.

MAYHAPS YOU NOTICED MY LOVE OF ILLITHIDS AND ABOLETHS AND FIGURED I WAS ACTUALLY AN ABBERATION STAN.

WRONG. ALL OF YOU.

ITS FAERIES.

WOE! FAERIE HOMEBREW LORE BE UPON YE

Faerie Lore And How It Applies To YOU

-Archfey are broadly aligned to two courts. The Seelie Court, ruled by Titania, Queen of Summer, and the Gloaming Court, ruled by the Queen of Air and Darkness. The two are on somewhat friendly terms, and often engage in good sport competition with each other. Fey can choose to align with either of these courts, or strike out as independent.

-Court Fey enjoy several benefits, such as allies and manpower, but are also beholden to the relationships of power within that court, even ones that do not directly involve them. Independent fae do not have access to these resources, but their allies and their enemies are solely their own.

-The Seelie Court is associated with the warm half of the year and the season Summer, and on the whole embodies active change, that which changes because you influence it. Culturally, the Seelie Court is known for their decadent and hedonistic lifestyle, valuing passion and excitement above all else, and will take any excuse to party and celebrate to excess.

-The Gloaming Court is associated with the colder half of the year and the season Winter, and on the whole embodies passive change, that which changes without your influence, such as the passing of seasons or the growth and decay of nature. Culturally, the Gloaming Court is known to be more restrained and melancholic, and while still prone to the decadence inherent to all Fey, they take a particular delight in guilty pleasures, and that hidden behind closed doors. Instead of the unrestrained festivities of the Seelie Court, the Gloaming is known for several annual balls and masquerades.

-Archfey embody certain specific concepts found in existence. While a god may embody “Life” or “Death”, an archfey will embody something like “the feeling of being caught between two somethings, such as the two halves of one’s heritage, or the in-between space between planes”.

-The more powerful an archfey, the broader and more encompassing their domain. A weaker fey may embody something as “this specific tree I reside in”, a weak archfey may embody something like “the feeling of creating something from clay”, but Titania, the Queen of the Seelie Court and an entity of near God-like power, embodies the entire breadth and width of the concept and reality of Summer, the pleasure, the hedonism, the heat, the storms, the leisure, and the tragedy.

-As long as a concept exists in this world, when the Archfey embodying it is slain, they will inevitably be reborn. While there isn’t an Archfey embodying *every* concept, the older a concept is, such as ones found in nature like the seasons, the more likely it is for an Archfey to govern it.

-An Archfey may shift their perspective or the aspects of their embodying concept throughout their life, although being reborn almost always results in a shift in personality and thought. As a result, even fey aligned with the more positive and uplifting Seelie court can be cruel and malicious. An Archfey may embody the concept of “gatherings that bring you joy” but instead shift their focus to “gatherings of evil people that delight in causing suffering”. While the overall concept is the same (they still embody gatherings that bring you joy), the focus is drastically different, and thus so is their behavior.

-The language of Fey, Sylvan, reflects their natural, conceptual origins. To speak Sylvan is to communicate a concept in its breadth of your understanding to another person. In this sense, one cannot say something that they do not believe or does not exist, as the concept for it would also not exist. Thus, lying is impossible in Sylvan, and other means of deception must be employed instead.

-For this reason, Fey became masters of circular logic and twisting words to deceive others. This is also what led to the perception of Fey themselves being unable to lie. This however, is not true. A fae is perfectly capable of lying in any other language, and some will even take advantage of that perception.

-Titania travels in a travelling procession, her court a constantly moving caravan, as she brings the entirety of her retainers, attendants, advisors, knights, cooks, musicians, and a retinue of followers who are free to travel alongside or leave as they desire. While she does visit some locations with regularity, Titania mostly travels the breadth of the continent as she whims, making locating her a matter of luck rather than skill. Despite the massive procession of traveling carts, Titania’s presence invigorates and replenishes the surrounding nature, and the damage wrought by the many wheels and hooves is healed in moments after they’re gone.

-By contrast, the Queen of Air and Darkness resides in a castle set far into the frozen north, hidden deep within the mountainous taiga. She communicates exclusively through an artifact known as the Black Diamond, and her name and appearance are unknown to all.

-Archfey are powerful enough to have their own demiplane, nestled within the Feywilds. These are known colloquially as Wonderlands, though some may have their own names. These spaces are made by the sheer power held by the Archfey and are entirely at their whim. The architecture, the wildlife, the local flora, everything within exists at the behest of the Archfey. Some Wonderlands have existed for so long that, suffused with power as they are, they begin to produce their own Fey native within.

-Fey have an inherent appreciation and adoration of beauty, but the manner they define it is different from mortal perceptions. Being entities of nature and concept as they are, to a fae, what is “beautiful” is less determined by physical appearance (which is transient and varied, and thus entirely secondary to beauty) and more by the expression of one’s true self, and the natural changes one goes through during their life, both physically and emotionally.

-One who acts according to one’s nature is “good” and “beautiful”, while those who strain against it and fight it, to be someone they are not, have their beauty diminished. Those who work to corrupt and twist people away from their true natures are “evil” and “ugly”. Hags are considered hideous to Fey because of their love of corruption, and twisting those with strong convictions and beliefs. The Hag’s repugnant physical appearance isn’t even considered a factor to other Fey.

-In that sense, beauty to a fey is not limited by personal alignment. An Evil Aligned person can be considered beautiful to a fae, as long as they don’t restrain their true natures. However, if that person also seeks to corrupt and twist the natures and selves of other people, a fae may find them hideous.

-Manipulation and taking advantage of others' natures is not considered ugly, as it is the natural way of things, generally. All living things manipulate each other for their own and others benefits, and the action is considered neutral.

-Beauty is also in change. Fey are born with a connection to Chaos, and as such are aligned with Chaotic ideologies, and above all value change and freedom. As such, one's nature is expected to change, and their beauty along with it. Stagnation, especially forced stagnation, is considered hideous, be it in nature or in one’s self. By denying the truth of yourself, by ignoring it, or fighting it, you corrupt that which makes the world beautiful.

-By nature, fey are also tricksters and bargain makers. While their keen senses are honed towards the art of debate and verbal battle, a fey can be tricked or manipulated by the promise of bargains or deals. This aspect is one of their greatest strengths, and most vulnerable weaknesses. One does not defeat a fae by a battle of swords, but through a battle of wits, and as such even a child is capable of besting them, yet even mighty warlords may be laid low.

-One of the more extraordinary senses of the Fey is their ability to sense one’s true self, and how in line the person currently is with it. This is best embodied by the Sprite’s heart sense, as they have taken this perception and refined it to the point of being able to glean mood, and even alignment. For others, it is akin to a tingling sense that the person they’re engaging with is restraining or battling themselves in some way. They appear “off” or “sideways”.

-Fey often speak in metaphor, used to the lilting concept of Sylvan as they are, and phrase things strangely, though those with frequent interactions with mortals may adjust their vernacular to something more appropriate or understandable.

-Fey have a keen awareness of the dynamics of power between themselves and the person they’re engaging with, and use this sense to guide conversation and action accordingly, although their perceptions of power differ from typical mortal understandings. Power is determined by who is doing what, at whom’s behest. When you ask someone to do something for you, you are giving them a modicum of power over you, as you now rely on them. As such, servantry positions are highly respected, and disrespect towards the servants or the work they do is seen as incredibly rude, disrespecting not only the servant but the host they work for.

-A Fae with a great deal of political power may boast by having a large retinue of servants, indicating that they feel free to give so much power away to show that it does not threaten them. On the other hand, a lack of servants may indicate paranoia. As servantry is a highly respected position that comes with an amount of power from the host, servant positions for the most powerful Archfey are often declined, due to the sheer amount of pressure and responsibility foisted upon them. Taking power from Titania is incredibly stressful, as you now have a responsibility to use that power appropriately, befitting the Queen of Summer. Very few will seek that position out, and Titania usually has to request servants personally.

-It is because of this that manners are so intricate, and that violating them has such severe consequences. Partaking of a meal offered to you without negotiating a means of repayment means that you have taken power that was not yours, and that now a debt is owed, in addition to the disrespect paid, which exacerbates the punishment. You have disrespected the servantry, both the cooks and the servers, by eating before permission was given, thus disrespecting the work it took to create the food and serve it to you. You have disrespected the host, by disrespecting their servants, and by ignoring courtesy by taking what was not yet yours, that you had no right to, and further by declining to engage in good faith negotiation that would treat your host as an equal, instead simply taking it and by doing so indicating that you believe your host beneath you. And finally, you have created a debt with no set terms, by not negotiating repayment beforehand, even simply in good hospitality, that the host is now free to determine as they please. Hence such a drastic punishment, such as no longer being capable of leaving, being cursed to no longer gain sustenance from non faerie foods, falling into an eternal slumber, or being transformed into a pig for their gluttony. While it is commonly believed that the food of faerie possesses such extraordinary tastes as to render other food inedible, in truth it is simply the curse of impoliteness that binds one.

-Because the Fey have such a strong focus on being true to oneself, this also translates into an ambition that reaches only as far as it feels right. Overstepping one’s bounds, reaching too far, or selling oneself short are all anathema to true fey. While a fiend may have unbridled ambition, seeking the position that is on top, a fae instead seeks for the position that's right. Not too high, not too low, a position that both caters to one's natural talents, but also provides just the right amount of challenge, providing plenty of opportunity to grow and change, but not so much that it is an impossible standard to meet.

-All of these contribute to an overwhelming amount of Fey pact warlocks. Archfey have an inborn inclination to bargain and deal, and for a patron, the sheer amount of power wielded feels like a kettle about to overflow. There is a strong drive to seek out those with the inclination to make a pact, or simply those with a particularly eye catching appeal to them. Warlocks are born, not made, after all. As such, Archfey will often bring non fey into the circle of Sylvan politics, sometimes just as trophies to show that they can divide their power amongst so many and remain undaunted. Other times, it is because the Archfey seeks agents to help enact its schemes and to carry its will beyond its Wonderland into the Material. None of this necessarily means that the warlock is informed of its newfound position in the sprawling hierarchy of faerie power dynamics, which often leads to an early death.

-Some Fey Pact Warlocks have taken it upon themselves to correct this issue, by founding an academy that seeks to educate newly pacted warlocks upon their newfound position and responsibilities.

#theo homebrews lore #<- NEW TAG FOR THIS #maud-lin #ITS NOT LIKE WOTC CARES ABOUT FAERIES OR THE FEYWILD.#MY. CITY. NOW.#note. all of this was written in 2016. NOTABLY WELL BEFORE WILD BEYOND THE WITCHLIGHT #so i HAVENT UPDATED IT #i was in a massive depressive period when WBTW dropped i couldnt touch my lore #BUT NOTABLY. IM PRIMARILY A WORLDBUILDER WRITER #sidenote. if anyone has the miku variant of that pipebomb meme. id love it

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