Forum:Faes

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Hello everyone!

This vote is in regards to a project brought to you by Liv, Maia, and myself! Specifically, this vote would introduce a new peculiar species in the form of Fae.

A faery is a type of mythical being or legendary creature. Due to the legend of their origins the faeries are associated with the beauty of angels and the viciousness and malevolence of demons. Faeries are the least understood species in the magical realm due to the secrecy and cautiousness of their people. What is known about the faery species however is the division into specific courts.

About the Species[]

Have you ever wondered why walking through a forest at night feels so unsettling? No it isn’t the Hidebehind looking out from behind a tree, it’s actually the Fae telling you to get out of their land. Their home, Tír na nÓg, is concealed from the muggle eye and is oftentimes deemed a supernatural island-like paradise for the Fae.

With portals to Tír na nÓg scattered across the muggle and wizarding world. Finding these portals is difficult however, as they look just like the rest of their surroundings but with an aspect of its appearance being “wrong” in one way or another. For a muggle or wizard to enter Tír na nÓg it is incredibly dangerous. Despite its dangerous reality, when a trespasser was to enter they would see only what they desired most, but with an evil and maddening twist. What would feel like only a couple days in the Fae realm would translate to nearly a hundred years in the muggle world. If the maddening sense of their own desires wasn’t enough of a reason for the trespasser to leave, if a wandering Fae finds a muggle in their realm, unless the Fae has ill intentions, they will whisk the trespasser back to the muggle world.

The Fae at one point were a unified species under one monarch. It was like that for many centuries, living under one rule with minor courts answering to the then Queen. The Queen’s throne was directly in the centre of the Summer and Winter Courts. The Winter Court grew tired of being aligned with the Summer Court, and by affiliation grew tired of the Queen who was more directly connected to the Summer Court. They wanted their own lead, thus a rebellion ensued. The Summer Court having heard whispers of a rebellion brewing amongst the Winter Court informed the Queen, but it was too late. Any attempts at calming the Winter Court fell short and ultimately resulted in the Great Fae War.

The Great Fae War, while short, had everlasting effects on the Fair Folk. In a week's muggle time, the Winter Court had taken over the Summer Court with some extremists of the Winter Court even going as far as beheading the Queen in the centre of where the two courts met.

After the Queen’s death and the subsequent death of her killers, the High Faes of each court met to discuss what they were to do moving forward. Some High Fae of the Summer Court advocated for the Winter Court and understood their outrage but disagreed with the end results, while some of the Summer Court just couldn’t understand why the Winter Court would do such a thing. Meanwhile some of the Winter Court High Faes were completely outraged by the Queen’s assassination while others justified it by saying it was a necessary step to better their species. The divide between the High Faes at the time was what resulted into the larger divide of the Fae species.

The High Fae of the Summer Court who understood where the Moon Court’s anger came from became the eventual Queen of the Seelies/Spring Court, and the High Fae of the Summer Court who disagreed with everything the Moon Court did became the new King of the Summer Court/Sun Fae. The High Fae of the Moon Court who disagreed with the killing of the Queen became the Queen of the Winter Court/Moon Fae, and finally the High Fae who preached that the Queen’s death was needed became the King of the Unseelies/Autumn Court. Together, these four ultimately became the Four Great Courts of the Fae realm.

At first, the Four Great Courts had nothing to do with one another. They remained separated for years to come aside from the odd interaction amongst Monarchs. That was until muggles and wizardkind began stumbling into their realm through the Tír na nÓg portals. As years had passed and the new monarchs of each court had moved away from the founding monarchs ideals, the Four Great Courts decided to meet for the first time since the Great Fae War in order to decide whether or not the Fae as a species would be allowed to interact with wizards and muggles alike.

The vote was a 3-1 in favour of interacting with humans. With the Seelies and Sun Fae being the ones most in favour while the Unseelies being a more malevolent court decided to side with them in favour of harming the muggles and wizards. The Moon Fae being the only ones against interaction with humans ended up feeling betrayed by their once fellow Moon Court Faes, the Unseelies. This resulted in the Moon Fae secluding themselves for the vast majority of the following years. While the Seelies, Sun Fae, and Unseelies had more of an open communication, the Moon Fae were far more closed off. As they were more reluctant to interact with humans, it also set them back in terms of modernization while the other three of the Great Courts propelled forwards in modernization. Of course the Fae still kept to themselves, but with being more responsive to humankind this resulted in half and part-Fae popping up and becoming more frequent in the muggle and wizarding worlds than they ever were before.

The Fae operate completely on their own still to this day, after using humans to modernize themselves and propel forward they still prefer keeping their seclusion in the Fae realm for the most part. It is tradition for all of the Great Court rulers to appear in a court that will be coronating a new king or queen. Despite the Moon Fae’s seclusion from the other three, the four courts still stay in good relations despite not sharing the same ideals and they will all come together in celebration of a new coronation.

While the Four Great Courts are the most known and most respected Fae courts, there are many minor courts scattered along the Fae realm. This includes ones who specialize in only one element and can’t access others, and ones who can access all elements but aren’t as largely populated as the Four Great Courts. There are also Fae who are of the Wild Hunt. These Fae were either born out of a court or left their respective court in favour of a life more free and less restrictive.

While there are many Faery courts, all with their own way of life, customs, and even abilities. There are four great courts that rule the Fae world and that all minor courts answer to.

Seelies / Spring Court

Derived from the word seely, meaning “happy”, “lucky” or “blessed”; seelies and the seelie court are known to seek help from humans, warn those who have offended them, and return human kindness and favours with that of their own. Faeries of the seelie court demand retribution and avenge what they see as an insult or an offence. Despite the facade of benevolence, seelies can in fact be quite malevolent, deceptive, and self-serving; prone to causing mischief and trickery. Just because they are inclined to a more benevolent life, does not make them any less dangerous.

This subspecies of faery is known for having a very light-hearted attitude while also possessing a pranking nature, they forget their sorrows rather quickly and they may not realize the effect they are having on those who fall victim to their playful and for the most part harmless pranks. Though Seelies cannot lie they may not always be fully honest, skilled in twisting their words and giving half-truths. The Seelie Court is also oftentimes referred to as the “Shining Throne”, and the “Golden Ones”.

Unseelies / Autumn Court

Derived from the word unseely, meaning “unhappy”, “misfortunate” or “unholy”; unseelies and the unseelie court are known to be the more dark-included subspecies, and an offence or insult is not necessary for them to assault. Their malevolent acts are also fulfilled more openly than that of the Seelies’ mostly accidental malevolence.

Oftentimes Unseelies will attack travellers at night in groups; doing so by carrying them through the air, beating them, and even forcing them into committing wicked acts. Similar to how Seelies can sometimes stray from benevolence and take on a more malevolent attitude, Unseelies aren’t always malevolent and at times Unseelies can even become fond of a particular human and treat them almost like a pet if they are viewed as respectful.

Moon Fae / Winter Court

As their formal court name suggests, Moon Fae tend to be rather cold individuals. They are traditionalists, wanting to keep to the old Fae ways. Their distaste of humans comes mostly from wix folks, whose arrogance clashes with the lofty pride of the Moon Fae. It was they that were the harshest to humans, luring them in with fae food and outright killing them at various points in history. In fact, it’s been rumoured that the beginning of lycanthropy may or may not be associated with them.

As traditionalists, they are the least modernized of the four courts. Moon Fae are also relatively closed off, having strict entry rules to even their fellow Faes of other courts. It’s rare to see one out and about, because most of them prefer to stay within their own court. However, a select few occasionally venture out to the natural world. They are the most dangerous to humans, with many not hesitating to harm them. Humans are banned from the Winter Court, and rumours swirl that most humans found are instantly killed. Beware of them during the full moon, where sometimes they will come onto Earth and unleash chaos.

Sun Fae / Summer Court

Similar to seelies, the Summer Court embraces humans and seeks to be of great help to them. They are generally benevolent beings, whimsical in nature. Sun Fae are bright, cheerful beings that have a love for celebration and happiness. The Summer Court is extravagant and dazzling, with long days and vibrant nights. Simplicity is not in their vocabulary, and their culture

Sun Fae were among the first of the Fae courts to start modernizing several centuries ago. They are considered to be the closest of the Four Great Courts to humans, with many tagging along on adventures and others even going as far as fighting and dying alongside them. The Summer Court has the largest number of fae with human ancestry. As allied as they might be, misconceptions still run wild and their pride is large. They might be more open, but it’s still advised to be respectful of them.

Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt is not a court, but is in fact the lack of a court. Fae of the Wild Hunt don’t belong to any court and either chose to travel and live alone or in small groups. These Fae may have been born out of a court or they chose to leave a court they once called home in favour of living a more free lifestyle. The reasoning behind their lack of affiliation differs from Fae to Fae, but the basis remains the same.

Abilities

Faes, similar to that of a vampire or a werewolf, possess the ability of heightened swiftness and grace, as well as a heightened sense of smell and hearing.
The magic Faes possess is believed to be unique in the world of magic, known for being very old and powerful.
Faes are able to harness magic from the ley lines and other strange forms of magic, this magic is believed to be a part of nature itself.
Fae are able to turn themselves into any size necessary. In terms of growth they are unable to be taller than two times their regular height and in terms of shrinking they are able to shrink to be the size needed to fit into a mouse hole.
Faes are able to create something called an “unbreakable vow”. This is where the old saying “never make a deal with a fae” comes from. If the vow is broken by either party, a punishment will be bestowed upon them.
Faes are able to use a glamour in order to change their appearance to seem less ethereal and more human-like. Changing one's hair colour or body structure is known to be more complex and draining.
Those with Fae blood are more likely to master the art of wandless magic, as Fae magic itself is wandless. Spells pertaining to the elements will come easier to them then say conjuration.
While each court is able to harness all elements for their magic, the courts do have a more prominent element to their name. Seelies have a more prominent earth and light population. Unseelies have a more prominent air and darkness population. Moon Fae have a more prominent water/ice and darkness population. Sun Fae have a more prominent fire and light population. It has also been reported that some Fae are only able to utilize magic of the element most connected to their court.
As each court is more in tune with a specific element, they are able to bend and manipulate it at their will. This includes but is not limited to; being able to conjure said element, manipulate them into forms of protection such as shields, and an increased attachment in wanting to protect said element.
As Fae of the Wild Hunt lack a court and thus lack an element they are strongest at, their control over each element is heightened slightly in comparison to a Fae in a court.
The current monarch of each court is said to be the strongest in the court. This isn’t something that a Fae is born with, but rather something the heir to the throne inherits upon becoming King/Queen. Once they step down or pass the role on their magic is weakened back to the original state.

Weaknesses

Iron, more specifically iron that has yet to be heated, enchanted or shaped, is incredibly toxic to the faery species. Similarly, silver has a burning effect on the Fae.
Holy water can cause faeries to fall severely ill if consumed or fooled into consumption. However, the presence and touch of holy water has little effect on them.
While not a weakness or even a factor for part-faeries, if one is to use/know the name of a full-blooded fae, it would give said person power over the fae in question.
Full blooded Faes are unable to lie, but that does not mean they are always truthful. In order to avoid telling someone something they would rather not, Faes are known to be quite evasive and they avoid directly answering the question. Half-Faes and Part-Faes however are able to lie, they just tend to lean more towards telling the truth.
Fae have been known to be easily distracted by shiny objects.
If one were to pour sugar or salt in front of a Fae, they must stop whatever they’re doing and count each grain one by one.
Regardless of blood status whether half, full, or part fae, if they were to venture into the wix/muggle world their fae magic is weakened. Full fae would still be able to utilize weakened magic of all elements, but half and part fae would only be able to access their court specific elemental magic. If a half fae or part fae were to venture into the fae realm they would be able to access elemental magic previously unavailable to them. But upon leaving the fae realm they would lose the elemental magic not related to their court.

Misc

The blood of a Fae has an intoxication or drunkening effect on a vampire or dhampir. If one were to drink blood from a Fae, they would experience a similar effect of alcohol on a muggle.
There is such a thing as Fae Food. Fae are able to enchant food and when it is consumed by a muggle or witch, they fall under the control of the Fae. Given its more malevolent nature, Fae Food is more associated with Unseelies while the other three courts have generally banned the usage of Fae Food.
For Faes, Fae dust is seen as a vitamin that can keep their wings and themselves healthy. For those who don’t have Fae blood it acts as a psychedelic. Over consumption for a muggle can even result in minor flight like levitation.
Such a thing as a Changeling exists. A Changeling is a sickly Fae child which was exchanged for a healthy human or wizard child.
The Monarch of the Fae Courts is decided by the current monarch before stepping down. While this may result in some bias towards any offspring of the king or queen, they are trusted to pick who they think will lead their court best. Reasons behind choosing differ between courts, but it has been said amongst the Fae that when someone is born to lead their court they exude a powerful like aura which is a sign for the current monarch to pick them. The heir could be chosen from someone of nobility or of someone of lesser blood. If the current monarch dies before choosing a successor, it is up to the monarchs of the other three Great Courts to decide.
Fae hybrids can happen, while they would be a documented member of both courts their parents belong to, their magic would be slightly weakened so they weren’t necessarily stronger in one aspect of elemental magic and it was more neutral.

Traits

Fae and part-Fae are said to have a sense of etherealness to them. Having sharper features than humans which is typically a sign of them being a Fae.
Faes move with an otherworldly sort of grace.
High Faes and the current King/Queen of each individual court are said to be terrifyingly beautiful.
Faes are extremely font and protective of nature as a collective. Though the reasoning behind why differs from court to court, it is the one thing that all courts can unify behind protecting.
The closer a Fae is born to muggles or witches, the more human-like they tend to appear. Faes born and raised in their courts are more easily distinguishable and they tend to have a defining look about them to symbolize the court they belong to.
Wings are a defining trait for the Fae species. Their wings are what can be used to tell which court a Fae belongs to as each court has a certain look when it comes to their wings. While most Fae are born with wings, those who aren’t can use a type of ink called Wieva which allows them to summon wings. Wieva is also what can be used so Fae are able to hide their wings.
While male Fae are known to have short hair as well, longer hair on a male Fae is typically a sign of some form of nobility within their court.
Generally speaking, Fae have a severe superiority complex and look down on witches and wizards. The Fae view their magic as being superior as it is a very old and powerful form of magic.
The Fae world isn’t known to have a sort of ethnicity. Not being human, muggle ethnicities have no grounds in the Fae world and a Fae in their purest form is normally just described as “otherworldly”. When a full blooded Fae ventures into the muggle or wizard world, they use glamours to appear human. In doing so they use whatever appearance they see as beautiful. Due to this, a half or part-Fae wouldn’t receive any appearance characteristics from their Fae parent and would largely take on the genes of their muggle or magical parent. When a Fae takes on a human-like appearance, it is typically the one they will keep with some alterations.

Court Specific Traits

Seelie / Spring Court

Seelies are the most benevolent of all Fae.
Seelies tend to have a very kind and helpful personality. Being more sociable than some Fae courts. Though, it of course isn’t unlikely for a more malice Seelie to exist.
They tend to be more keen on interacting with muggles, whether it be pranking, partaking in muggle activities, or simply observing.
Seelies tend to be more active during the day.
During human interaction, Seelies are typically kind and helpful towards them. Though it isn’t uncommon for them to prank the human as well.

Unseelie / Autumn Court

Unseelies are the most malevolent of all Fae.
Unseelies tend to be a bit harsh and have a more glum personality. They are some of the least sociable Fae. Though, it of course isn’t unlikely for a more pleasant Unseelie to exist.
While some Fae enjoy the company of muggles, Unseelies tend to frequent that of harming muggles rather than interacting with them.
Unseelies tend to be more active during the night.
During human interaction, Unseelies are typically rude and spiteful towards them. Though it isn’t uncommon for them to take a liking to a certain human.

Moon Fae / Winter Court

Fae of the moon court who are born with a birthmark are often seen as more beautiful within the court itself.
Moon Fae living in the Moon court are known to be exceptional archers. In their archery they tend to utilize something called dream thread, an arrow cut so thinly that it appears just like thread. By shooting it into the earlobe of their target they are able to connect into their dreams. However, dream thread is incredibly fragile and even some of the more skilled archers have broken dream thread. It must be handled delicately and with care.
Moon Fae tend to be more active during the night.
Moon Fae are the least likely to interact with muggles, though it isn’t unheard of.
Moon Fae are at the strongest during the full moon, and the weakest during lunar eclipses.

Sun Fae / Summer Court

Sun Fae tend to be more active during the day.
Sun Fae are able to look directly at the sun without any harmful impact to their eyesight.
Sun Fae tend to feel more at ease on sunny days.
Many Sun Fae enjoy having the spotlight on them and do not mind being the center of attention.
Sun Fae are the weakest during solar eclipses. While they’re not totally incapitated, their power is weaker than usual. Some fae that aren’t as proficient in magic may even see a total loss of their power during the eclipse.
Sun Fae tend to be talented gardeners.