Post by ETITERUM on Jun 8, 2015 12:11:03 GMT -6
FAERIES
i don't even have wings
Faeries, also known as fairies, fae or fey, are magical species that are probably one of the best concealed, given they are considerably more common than the rare, harder to find species.
N.B. ‘Faerie’ can refer to a single individual or the Faerie Realm. 'Fae' and 'fey' can be both singular and plural.
» APPEARANCE & PHYSIOLOGY.
Faeries appear human, or almost human. It would be quite hard to define what exactly it is that doesn’t quite look right, but sometimes their eyes are just a little too vivid a colour, their features too angular and sharp, and they have an odd ethereal look to them overall. Although often-times they tone down their looks to appear softer and more human so as not to draw attention to themselves. Any that don’t live amongst humans and therefore don’t have access to human clothes tend to wear strange garments made out of natural materials such as leather, wool, furs. grass, and even bark. They do also have access to forges and metals such as copper and gold. Other than these minor differences they are built remarkably like humans. They also reproduce like humans although often less frequently because they're so long-lived. Faeries age much more slowly than humans once they're past puberty, they can live to be 1500, sometimes even a little older.
» ATTITUDES & CULTURE.
While faeries can vastly differ in personality as much as any other creature, the court they were brought up in (or lack of) will have an effect on their views and beliefs. Faeries believe the earth is alive, since that is where they draw their magic from. Gaia, Mother Earth, the Goddess (or a male variant), they may choose any of these names to try and express this concept to outsiders, but it’s not necessary. It’s important to remember only the faeries that want to live among humans will follow their rules. Faeries are otherwise wild and for lack of a better word, amoral. They can be downright cruel to humans and other species, whilst avoiding demons and vampires for obvious reasons, and being very amiable towards unicorns and other forest dwellers.
» ALLEGIANCES.
Faeries are gregarious and tend to associate with courts. A faerie's allegiance is flexible up until maturity. The reason for this is because the courts are divided along two different sides of the light and dark spectrum. Seelie faeries are typically seen as virtuous, noble, these are the harmless ones who might play a few tricks on you here and there but really mean you no harm. The unseelie tend to be more ruthless, without strict morals, and vile beings, these are the ones who are more likely to hurt you. A faerie's power is largely determined by their allegiance. They are free to explore both sides but upon turning twenty-five a faerie's alignment is set. Though their attitudes may change and the seelie may do the occasional bad thing while the unseelie may do the occasional good thing, that would not be nearly enough to sway their internal balance. Rogues in this spectrum will have weaker control over both sides of the spectrum. While this might sound appealing it is actually quite troublesome because the powers are unpredictable and weak, a rogue fae may never truly have control over their powers.
» Seelie Court --//
Governed by a single monarch. Seelie are not always the friendliest towards other species but for the most part they are civil and harmless until pushed. They will reward kindness with great favours and punish any misdeeds against them, tit for tat if you will. They clash with the Unseelie Court because they’re constantly having to protect their own from them and are a little more sympathetic to victims. For the most part they prefer tending to nature, keeping order in their land and protecting their kind. This involves executing traitors who might give their secrets away and any Sighted mortals. The monarch chooses the heir to the throne, usually someone they trust and not necessarily a blood relation.
» Unseelie Court --//
Once again, governed by a single monarch. They are wilder and much more aggressive than the Seelie faeries. Power is gained by usurping or assassinating the previous leader. While they do care about nature and will react to anyone trespassing or damaging their land, they often lose themselves in the chase and do not care if they smash a few things up for the sake of a good game. They will actively kidnap and torture humans for the fun of it, and aren't particularly pleasant to each other either. It's up to their leader to stop infighting. Because of this hostile atmosphere, it's very risky to give birth to and raise a child, therefore it's common for Unseelie fae to steal faerie children from the other fae.
» Rogues --//
Living alone is incredibly dangerous for fae. They must be strong, experienced and smart enough to stay out of Court business if they want to live. Some faeries are born outside the courts, but usually they choose to be alone or are exiled. They're often hunted by their own kind since there's no one to protect them, and as a result are the hardest to find since being caught can result in their demise. Sometimes they might group with other faeries in a rogue band, but these are hunted even more fiercely to prevent attacks on the court.
» HIERARCHY OF THE COURT.
» Monarch
The most powerful faerie, they draw their power from the earth and their courtiers. They rule their own court and any land that they own. Their word is law to their followers.
» Royal consort(s):
Only a single monarch may rule, if they fall in love or get married, their partner (who may be titled however they and their spouse wish) will be treated with a great deal of respect but not as a ruler. There is no law however saying that the partner cannot advise the monarch or have a say in political matters. It is expected that the monarch will only take one partner at a time.
» Right Hand
This may be an adviser or a highly trusted servant of the monarch. They must keep any and all secrets, and carry out any of their monarch’s commands on pain of death.
» Courtiers
Normal members of the court.
» Guards
The guards are the force behind the monarchs. They're also like the police, the army, and hunters all rolled into one. They enforce the law and protect their court.
» EARTHLY TERRITORY.
Faeries prefer to live in the wilderness. The more traditional among them will avoid the city altogether, and often humans. The main reason to avoid civilization is the high levels of iron and steel. The common misanthropy is partially because humans have a reputation of being a blind, money-grabbing nuisance to some, and also because lots of humans will attract vampires.
It depends on the faerie’s personal preference as to where they live. Some like to run free in the forests, others live amongst humans. Court fae are highly territorial, roaming the moors and meadows and protecting the portals to their realm. If an area has an unsettling feel, or said to be haunted, cursed, or hallowed in local folklore, it is often a place of importance to them; perhaps a meeting place or where one of their hidden doors is located.
» FAERIE REALM.
The Faerie Realm, usually just called “Faerie” is where faeries originate from. There are hidden portals to this realm dotted all over the countryside, in the sides of fairy forts (abandoned hill forts), in caves, behind waterfalls, sometimes even hidden amongst trees. Some are guarded by the Seelie, some by the Unseelie, and only they should know where these portals are as they lead directly to their settlements in Faerie. Other portals are “public” to other fae. Only faeries can find and use these, anyone else must be accompanied by a fae.
Faerie is surreal and warped, and looks a little archaic since faeries don’t have much technology there. Humans often can’t comprehend what they’re seeing and are subsequently overwhelmed. To them, faerie food and wine is highly addictive and makes them lose their sense of self.
» STRENGTHS & POWERS.
» Telepathy --//
Faeries can hear the thoughts of unprotected folk. They can also speak to people in the local vicinity telepathically. With practice, a faerie can shield its mind from hypnosis and other telepaths.
» Telekinesis --//
Faeries can move objects with their mind, although it is draining and near impossible if they seemingly focus this gift on trying to move anything of excessive weight and/or substance; such as trying to move a car or a house or even a large group of people all at once.
» Glamours & Illusions --//
This is all about tricking the mind. Glamours are a very simple kind of spell that helps keep faeries concealed. For example, faeries may make themselves hard to detect or even invisible. A powerful glamour may conceal even an entire building. It is said you may be able to see through a glamour briefly if you glance at it out of the corner of your eye. Some glamours are more comparable to hypnosis, only one or a few individuals have a spell cast on them so that they perceive a different reality to others, this commonly comes from ingesting faerie food and drink.
» Teleportation --//
Faeries can travel almost anywhere they like, porting from one place to another in the blink of an eye. However they cannot teleport between Earth and Faerie, they must use a portal, and they can't teleport across running water and oceans.
» The Sight --//
The Sight or being Sighted is the ability to sense and see through glamours. All faeries can do this, unless it is a particularly powerful spell (e.g. one set by a monarch or several fae). Many supernaturals are Sighted but not as strongly as faeries, with the exception of most humans, psychics and several witches. With practice, a telepath or illusionist should be able to at least learn how to differentiate between glamours and reality and in time--pierce through the illusions. Faeries can grant others faerie Sight but the punishment for the faerie and Sighted individual is death.
» Photokinesis --//
Faeries can control light in a limited way. They can make things (including themselves) sustain a soft glow, or they can project a strong, dazzling blast of light that temporarily blinds their enemies in order to make a quick getaway. It burns vampires and is also one of the ways they can stimulate plant growth.
» Commune with nature --//
Faeries are incredibly in tune with the earth. They intuitively understand what animals need, know how to maintain balance, and encourage plants to grow. Now, they can't produce a giant oak tree in a flash but they can make plants healthier and make seedlings sprout. A tree might take decades to grow but under the love and care of a devoted faerie, it could mature in less than a year. Smaller plants will obviously take far less time and effort to tend to.
» Healing --//
Faeries can heal others and themselves, although as with any magic, it fatigues them and healing their own wounds may do more harm than good. Healing usually requires them to lay or hold their hands over a wound, and the magic makes their hands glow.
» Supernatural perception --//
Faeries can innately sense what species other people are.
» WEAKNESSES.
» Iron & Steel --//
Faeries avoid iron as much as they can. Extended exposure to these metals causes faeries to become sick and feverish. They become nauseous, hypersensitive and ache all over. Touching the actual metal causes a great deal of pain. It's one of the reasons, aside from superstitions about luck, that iron horseshoes are sometimes nailed to the wall: to keep pesky faeries away. Bear in mind that iron does keep fae away but they'll also feel insulted that someone would resort to that method. This is why faeries prefer to avoid people and the towns. When they're so badly affected by the metal, it's hard to focus enough to use their magic.
» Magical backlash --//
The more a faerie uses their powers, the more wear and tear on their bodies. In the short term, using a lot of magic tires them out, but it also ages them prematurely. Monarchs for example, tend to burn brightly and briefly due to the amount of magic they have to channel.
» The City --//
Being away from nature takes its toll on fae, especially royalty. Being in the city piles on top of the iron intolerance, and faeries very quickly tire and struggle to use their magic.
» Shiny things --//
Yes it's true, fae have a weak spot for shiny things, although this doesn't apply to the light they produce. They can be easily distracted by shiny sparkly things, and offering one as a gift to a faerie may earn you a favour.
» Vampires --//
Faeries are almost irresistible to vampires and don't have a great deal of defences against them aside from a flash of light and running for their life.
» FAERIE HOUNDS.
Faeries have a special race of dogs that they use in their hunts.
They're known by various names in folklore: Cŵn Annwn, Gabriel Hounds, Yell Hounds, Ratchets. They are associated with hunting, death, and the "otherworld". They are typically large, white hounds with red ears. Others are the massive black dogs with burning red eyes that roam moors and graveyards on dark night.
They have a variety of names, and are believed to guard special places, or just scare humans witless in the middle of the night. Both types are faerie hounds, unusually large and fast, and impossible to catch for anyone but a faerie.
There is also believed to be a giant, bright green hound with red eyes and a braided tail named Cu Sith, but this might just be a legend among the fae and humans.
Court faeries also commonly keep horses but these aren't particularly magical or unique.
N.B. ‘Faerie’ can refer to a single individual or the Faerie Realm. 'Fae' and 'fey' can be both singular and plural.
» APPEARANCE & PHYSIOLOGY.
Faeries appear human, or almost human. It would be quite hard to define what exactly it is that doesn’t quite look right, but sometimes their eyes are just a little too vivid a colour, their features too angular and sharp, and they have an odd ethereal look to them overall. Although often-times they tone down their looks to appear softer and more human so as not to draw attention to themselves. Any that don’t live amongst humans and therefore don’t have access to human clothes tend to wear strange garments made out of natural materials such as leather, wool, furs. grass, and even bark. They do also have access to forges and metals such as copper and gold. Other than these minor differences they are built remarkably like humans. They also reproduce like humans although often less frequently because they're so long-lived. Faeries age much more slowly than humans once they're past puberty, they can live to be 1500, sometimes even a little older.
» ATTITUDES & CULTURE.
While faeries can vastly differ in personality as much as any other creature, the court they were brought up in (or lack of) will have an effect on their views and beliefs. Faeries believe the earth is alive, since that is where they draw their magic from. Gaia, Mother Earth, the Goddess (or a male variant), they may choose any of these names to try and express this concept to outsiders, but it’s not necessary. It’s important to remember only the faeries that want to live among humans will follow their rules. Faeries are otherwise wild and for lack of a better word, amoral. They can be downright cruel to humans and other species, whilst avoiding demons and vampires for obvious reasons, and being very amiable towards unicorns and other forest dwellers.
» ALLEGIANCES.
Faeries are gregarious and tend to associate with courts. A faerie's allegiance is flexible up until maturity. The reason for this is because the courts are divided along two different sides of the light and dark spectrum. Seelie faeries are typically seen as virtuous, noble, these are the harmless ones who might play a few tricks on you here and there but really mean you no harm. The unseelie tend to be more ruthless, without strict morals, and vile beings, these are the ones who are more likely to hurt you. A faerie's power is largely determined by their allegiance. They are free to explore both sides but upon turning twenty-five a faerie's alignment is set. Though their attitudes may change and the seelie may do the occasional bad thing while the unseelie may do the occasional good thing, that would not be nearly enough to sway their internal balance. Rogues in this spectrum will have weaker control over both sides of the spectrum. While this might sound appealing it is actually quite troublesome because the powers are unpredictable and weak, a rogue fae may never truly have control over their powers.
» Seelie Court --//
Governed by a single monarch. Seelie are not always the friendliest towards other species but for the most part they are civil and harmless until pushed. They will reward kindness with great favours and punish any misdeeds against them, tit for tat if you will. They clash with the Unseelie Court because they’re constantly having to protect their own from them and are a little more sympathetic to victims. For the most part they prefer tending to nature, keeping order in their land and protecting their kind. This involves executing traitors who might give their secrets away and any Sighted mortals. The monarch chooses the heir to the throne, usually someone they trust and not necessarily a blood relation.
» Unseelie Court --//
Once again, governed by a single monarch. They are wilder and much more aggressive than the Seelie faeries. Power is gained by usurping or assassinating the previous leader. While they do care about nature and will react to anyone trespassing or damaging their land, they often lose themselves in the chase and do not care if they smash a few things up for the sake of a good game. They will actively kidnap and torture humans for the fun of it, and aren't particularly pleasant to each other either. It's up to their leader to stop infighting. Because of this hostile atmosphere, it's very risky to give birth to and raise a child, therefore it's common for Unseelie fae to steal faerie children from the other fae.
» Rogues --//
Living alone is incredibly dangerous for fae. They must be strong, experienced and smart enough to stay out of Court business if they want to live. Some faeries are born outside the courts, but usually they choose to be alone or are exiled. They're often hunted by their own kind since there's no one to protect them, and as a result are the hardest to find since being caught can result in their demise. Sometimes they might group with other faeries in a rogue band, but these are hunted even more fiercely to prevent attacks on the court.
» HIERARCHY OF THE COURT.
» Monarch
The most powerful faerie, they draw their power from the earth and their courtiers. They rule their own court and any land that they own. Their word is law to their followers.
» Royal consort(s):
Only a single monarch may rule, if they fall in love or get married, their partner (who may be titled however they and their spouse wish) will be treated with a great deal of respect but not as a ruler. There is no law however saying that the partner cannot advise the monarch or have a say in political matters. It is expected that the monarch will only take one partner at a time.
» Right Hand
This may be an adviser or a highly trusted servant of the monarch. They must keep any and all secrets, and carry out any of their monarch’s commands on pain of death.
» Courtiers
Normal members of the court.
» Guards
The guards are the force behind the monarchs. They're also like the police, the army, and hunters all rolled into one. They enforce the law and protect their court.
» EARTHLY TERRITORY.
Faeries prefer to live in the wilderness. The more traditional among them will avoid the city altogether, and often humans. The main reason to avoid civilization is the high levels of iron and steel. The common misanthropy is partially because humans have a reputation of being a blind, money-grabbing nuisance to some, and also because lots of humans will attract vampires.
It depends on the faerie’s personal preference as to where they live. Some like to run free in the forests, others live amongst humans. Court fae are highly territorial, roaming the moors and meadows and protecting the portals to their realm. If an area has an unsettling feel, or said to be haunted, cursed, or hallowed in local folklore, it is often a place of importance to them; perhaps a meeting place or where one of their hidden doors is located.
» FAERIE REALM.
The Faerie Realm, usually just called “Faerie” is where faeries originate from. There are hidden portals to this realm dotted all over the countryside, in the sides of fairy forts (abandoned hill forts), in caves, behind waterfalls, sometimes even hidden amongst trees. Some are guarded by the Seelie, some by the Unseelie, and only they should know where these portals are as they lead directly to their settlements in Faerie. Other portals are “public” to other fae. Only faeries can find and use these, anyone else must be accompanied by a fae.
Faerie is surreal and warped, and looks a little archaic since faeries don’t have much technology there. Humans often can’t comprehend what they’re seeing and are subsequently overwhelmed. To them, faerie food and wine is highly addictive and makes them lose their sense of self.
» STRENGTHS & POWERS.
» Telepathy --//
Faeries can hear the thoughts of unprotected folk. They can also speak to people in the local vicinity telepathically. With practice, a faerie can shield its mind from hypnosis and other telepaths.
» Telekinesis --//
Faeries can move objects with their mind, although it is draining and near impossible if they seemingly focus this gift on trying to move anything of excessive weight and/or substance; such as trying to move a car or a house or even a large group of people all at once.
» Glamours & Illusions --//
This is all about tricking the mind. Glamours are a very simple kind of spell that helps keep faeries concealed. For example, faeries may make themselves hard to detect or even invisible. A powerful glamour may conceal even an entire building. It is said you may be able to see through a glamour briefly if you glance at it out of the corner of your eye. Some glamours are more comparable to hypnosis, only one or a few individuals have a spell cast on them so that they perceive a different reality to others, this commonly comes from ingesting faerie food and drink.
» Teleportation --//
Faeries can travel almost anywhere they like, porting from one place to another in the blink of an eye. However they cannot teleport between Earth and Faerie, they must use a portal, and they can't teleport across running water and oceans.
» The Sight --//
The Sight or being Sighted is the ability to sense and see through glamours. All faeries can do this, unless it is a particularly powerful spell (e.g. one set by a monarch or several fae). Many supernaturals are Sighted but not as strongly as faeries, with the exception of most humans, psychics and several witches. With practice, a telepath or illusionist should be able to at least learn how to differentiate between glamours and reality and in time--pierce through the illusions. Faeries can grant others faerie Sight but the punishment for the faerie and Sighted individual is death.
» Photokinesis --//
Faeries can control light in a limited way. They can make things (including themselves) sustain a soft glow, or they can project a strong, dazzling blast of light that temporarily blinds their enemies in order to make a quick getaway. It burns vampires and is also one of the ways they can stimulate plant growth.
» Commune with nature --//
Faeries are incredibly in tune with the earth. They intuitively understand what animals need, know how to maintain balance, and encourage plants to grow. Now, they can't produce a giant oak tree in a flash but they can make plants healthier and make seedlings sprout. A tree might take decades to grow but under the love and care of a devoted faerie, it could mature in less than a year. Smaller plants will obviously take far less time and effort to tend to.
» Healing --//
Faeries can heal others and themselves, although as with any magic, it fatigues them and healing their own wounds may do more harm than good. Healing usually requires them to lay or hold their hands over a wound, and the magic makes their hands glow.
» Supernatural perception --//
Faeries can innately sense what species other people are.
» WEAKNESSES.
» Iron & Steel --//
Faeries avoid iron as much as they can. Extended exposure to these metals causes faeries to become sick and feverish. They become nauseous, hypersensitive and ache all over. Touching the actual metal causes a great deal of pain. It's one of the reasons, aside from superstitions about luck, that iron horseshoes are sometimes nailed to the wall: to keep pesky faeries away. Bear in mind that iron does keep fae away but they'll also feel insulted that someone would resort to that method. This is why faeries prefer to avoid people and the towns. When they're so badly affected by the metal, it's hard to focus enough to use their magic.
» Magical backlash --//
The more a faerie uses their powers, the more wear and tear on their bodies. In the short term, using a lot of magic tires them out, but it also ages them prematurely. Monarchs for example, tend to burn brightly and briefly due to the amount of magic they have to channel.
» The City --//
Being away from nature takes its toll on fae, especially royalty. Being in the city piles on top of the iron intolerance, and faeries very quickly tire and struggle to use their magic.
» Shiny things --//
Yes it's true, fae have a weak spot for shiny things, although this doesn't apply to the light they produce. They can be easily distracted by shiny sparkly things, and offering one as a gift to a faerie may earn you a favour.
» Vampires --//
Faeries are almost irresistible to vampires and don't have a great deal of defences against them aside from a flash of light and running for their life.
» FAERIE HOUNDS.
Faeries have a special race of dogs that they use in their hunts.
They're known by various names in folklore: Cŵn Annwn, Gabriel Hounds, Yell Hounds, Ratchets. They are associated with hunting, death, and the "otherworld". They are typically large, white hounds with red ears. Others are the massive black dogs with burning red eyes that roam moors and graveyards on dark night.
They have a variety of names, and are believed to guard special places, or just scare humans witless in the middle of the night. Both types are faerie hounds, unusually large and fast, and impossible to catch for anyone but a faerie.
There is also believed to be a giant, bright green hound with red eyes and a braided tail named Cu Sith, but this might just be a legend among the fae and humans.
Court faeries also commonly keep horses but these aren't particularly magical or unique.
