Fae

[undergroundmods]

Fae

Powers ♦ Relations with other species ♦ Roles Fae are denizens of the Other Realm. They dwell in that part of the Other Realm overlapping with Earth; every place on Earth has its Other Realm equivalent. There is no neat way to categorize the fae, for they come in many kinds, both singular and plural. Some people shun them and call them demons, which fae find highly offensive. Their kinds variously include fairies, elves, pixies, goblins, imps, and all manner of spirits. Fae of low intelligence and little power (e.g. pixies, goblins, imps) are mortal creatures like anyone else. The higher fae may be long-lived or even immortal. They are the fairy-tale characters you hear of in stories. Fae are notorious for their capricious nature. They may never tell a lie, but they are very good at twisting their words in order to deceive others. They are sharp, curious and quick to avenge any perceived slight. They have been known to kidnap humans, including children, only to grow bored and abandon them later on. The offspring of fae and humans have ties to both Earth and the Other Realm. Fae are classified into three groups: the Seelie Court, the Unseelie Court, and outcasts. Changelings may belong to any of these groups. The Seelie Court The Seelie Court are the rulers of summer. They are associated with summer, the sun, light, day, love, beauty, honour and order. They delight in music, harmony, nature, poetry and the beauty of life. While they generally act more favourably to humans than the Unseelie Court, they are still mischievous and tend to treat humans more like playthings than people. For the fae of this Court, duty to their own comes before all else. They despise dishonour and betrayal. A Seelie will consider themselves honour-bound to pay a debt, but likewise they will aggressively pursue any debts owed to them. Do not make a deal with a Seelie that you cannot fulfil. The Unseelie Court The Unseelie Court are the rulers of winter. They are associated with winter, the moon, dark, night, passion, freedom, trickery and chaos. They love the stars, wild open spaces, the strange and the uncanny, and the transformative power of magic. The Unseelie care little for humans, their rules or customs, and do as they please regardless of consequence. The fae of this Court value their own autonomy before all else, and believe that it is more important to follow the heart than to act for the sake of duty. Beware of summoning an Unseelie; the price of taking away their freedom will be paid in your blood. Outcasts These are fae who have been banished forever to the mortal realm. As a result, they lose many of their powers including the ability to move between the realms and must scratch out a living among humans. Some of them travel the world alone, bitter and lonely, never settling in one place. Others adapt to human society, with varying levels of success. Supernatural communities can be a haven for outcast fae, who may pretend to be meta humans in order to be accepted. Changelings Changelings may come from either Court. They are fae who are left in the place of a human child in the mortal realm, while the human child is taken to the Other Realm. Human children may be taken to act as servants, as a price for a magical favour, or simply because the fae take a liking to them. Meanwhile, the changeling is magically disguised so that it will be accepted by the human parents, who may never realize that their real child was kidnapped. Most changelings will at some point abandon their human family and return to their Court, but there are some who forget that they are not human. Powers Strength: 1-8 | Magic: 2-8* Being magical entities, fae tend to rely on magic more than physical strength. The most powerful fae combine both and are not to be messed with. Unlike witches, who must learn their craft, fae magic is instinctive and natural. They may be able to accomplish similar things with their magic as witches, but the way they do it is different. For example, a witch would have to learn and utter a particular spell to break a lock. A fae would just break it, in their own way and with their own magic. Fae have greater power in the Other Realm which is their domain. Their magic is diminished in the mortal realm (assume Seelie/Unseelie magic is reduced by 1). Outcast fae are cut off from the Other Realm, and are therefore not only less powerful but also have fewer abilities. This will be reflected in their strength and magic rating. When you apply for a fae character, you do not need to list the standard fae abilities that all fae have. You do need to list the abilities of your character that are only possessed by some fae. Strengths All fae, including outcasts, have the following abilities: • Can see ghosts, spirits and detect supernatural activity. • Can sense magic of any kind. • Can recognize all supernatural types. • Can heal quickly. • Can become a familiar. All Seelie/Unseelie fae have the following abilities: • Can create or close doors to the Other Realm, and move between realms at will. • Can lead others into the Other Realm and trap them there. • Can enter into a contract with a witch, where the fae agrees to perform a service (usually a piece of magic) on the witch's behalf, in return for a favour. Some witches will force fae to serve them without giving anything in return. • Humans may enter a dreamlike state when among the fae, particularly in the Other Realm. They snap out of it away from the fae's presence, but as with most dreams will find themselves unable to clearly remember what happened. Some but not all fae have the following abilities: • Can grant powers or wishes, for a price. • Can change shape and choose a different form when visiting Earth. • Can disguise objects, people or places with illusory powers e.g. disguising worthless items as gold, replacing kidnapped children with changelings. • Can see through illusions. • Can deflect or break witch magic, if they know the true name of the witch (i.e. their birth name). • Can confuse and bewitch humans and other living creatures into doing their bidding. If the fae knows the true name of their victim, this can be achieved by speaking their name, then giving instructions while maintaining eye contact. (Consuming fairy food, drink or accepting fairy gifts tends to exacerbate this effect.) • Can influence the environment of the Other Realm, shaping it according to their whims. It is usually the ruling fae that have this power over the areas that they control. • May specialize in magic relating to an element, concept or geographical location. These are usually tied in some way to nature e.g. a particular river, a species of bird, the concept of luck. • The well-being of a fae may be tied to an object, place or other living thing, making them impossible to destroy unless said object is destroyed. *The greatest entities surpass this, but they are rare. Weaknesses • Poisoned by iron and silver. Silver is worse than iron: touching iron will burn them, whereas fae feel sick and nauseous even in the presence of silver. • Can be warded off by the use of herbs such as rosemary. • Cannot enter a household unless explicitly invited in by someone who lives there. Invitations can later be rescinded, forcing the fae to leave. • Cannot make false promises; all fae must keep their word. • Cannot tell a direct lie. (Although they are very good at lying by omission.) • If the true name of a fae is known, witches can use it to summon the fae and force them to do their bidding. • Can be trapped or bound by magic. • The use of fairy ointment allows other species to see through fae illusions. Relations with other species Fae: Relations among the fae are complex and ever-changing. The Seelie and Unseelie Courts are opposed in principle, but not in fact; rather, they keep each other in check. Personal relationships are highly valued among the fae and these are often more important than anything else. The only real consensus is that outcasts are ignored, as they are no longer considered fae. Ghosts: Certain fae have dealings with ghosts, either banishing or helping them, and they may be able to offer advice to others on how to deal with malevolent spirits. Some even eat them. (When a fae makes a deal with you in exchange for your soul, this is what they mean.) Others take no interest in ghosts and are unaffected by them. Humans: The playthings of the fae, if anything. Some fae are capable of reproducing with humans. However, their affections tend to be fleeting and superficial. For the most part they don't think like humans, and if they interfere with human business it's mostly for their own amusement. The fae of the Seelie Court act more favourably to humans than the Unseelie Court, relatively speaking. Outcasts, on the other hand, are stuck in human society and thus have to make more of an effort to fit in. Meta Humans: The magic of the Other Realm is often responsible for a meta human's powers. They may even be the offspring of a human-fae relationship. Some fae champion meta humans, guiding them and sometimes offering additional powers (for a price). Again, their interest may wane quickly. There's a saying that fae loyalty can never be counted on, and it's often true. Shapeshifters: Considered close to vermin by many fae, who are perhaps slightly jealous of another species being able to change form. Still, on rare occasions they may look upon a shapeshifter with a benevolent eye and grant them extra powers, such as more shapes or the ability to shift into human forms. However, the price for this may be steep. For example, fae require a shapeshifter to kill a member of their own family in order to grant them the ability to take multiple human forms. Vampires: Fae are rarely if ever friends to vampires; they find them quite alien. Fae blood is very attractive to vampires, granting them temporary immunity to the sun. Consequently, vampires may consider them worthwhile prey and fae are really not fans of that. Fae cannot be turned into vampires. Werewolves: Unfortunately, many fae find the werewolf curse to be funny rather than deserving of sympathy. Add that to the fact that a werewolf bite can really hurt a fae, if not kill them, and the two species have very little in common. Outcast fae are the most likely to befriend werewolves, recognizing a fellow misfit. Witches: It's not uncommon for witches to use fae in their magic, summoning them to perform a task or ask a favour. There are some independent fae who choose to tie themselves to witches and belie the saying about fae loyalty. Far more likely, however, that the fae refuse to bend or bow and therefore twist a witch's request whenever they can. Weaker fae can be bound by witches, either trapped or made to serve them, while stronger fae demand a price for their help. Fae must keep their word, but they often try to misinterpret a deal to their advantage. Every witch learns this early on: Be careful what you wish for. Roles The fae dwell in the Other Realm and as such have their own rules and ways of going about things. Their customs are entirely foreign to others. For example, the Seelie and Unseelie Courts are in principle opposed, and yet their conflicts can range from serious battles to minor, even jovial tiffs, with no real rancour on either side. Both sides know that there must be a balance between the two, and this keeps them in check. In summer, the Seelie Court claims victory and celebrates the warm summer days. In winter, the Unseelie Court does the same, with feasts that go on for days in the cold winter months. Outcast fae are immediately demoted regardless of their previous status, and may not hold any fairy rank. Level 1 The rank and file. Level 2 Knight Well-regarded champions and defenders of the Court. Level 3 Lord | Lady (other) Lords and ladies of the Court are respected figures who are leaders in their own right. Level 4 Lord | Lady (seasons) The lords and ladies of the Court who represent the four seasons. Spring and Summer are in the Seelie Court, while Autumn and Winter are in the Unseelie Court. Level 5 King | Queen The Faery King and Queen are the rulers of their respective Courts. back to navigation

profile codes