Fay

Also called faeries (but not to be confused with fairies); fay refers to vexotrophagic animates that practice fay magic.
The Fay aren't a species, but the result of consuming victuals from fay realms. Fay all have the common trait of practicing vexotrophagy (the obligation to feed off of feelings of annoyance from others) and living in the fay realms (lest they age rapidly). Fay rarely leave their realms, unless to feed.
== Biology ==
=== Races ===
Since the Fay aren't a species, but several species tend to become fay more often than others. Fairies, Elves, Trolls, and Gnomes are the most common type of fay.
=== Appearance ===
Fay often ressemble their former selves but in an idealized form of beauty, known commonly as glamour; When speaking to non fay, some faeries appear as dead people known by the observer, how this works is unknown, but is thought to be part of their predatory tactics. Fay also age very slowly, unless they are outside of their realms.
=== Vexotrophagy ===
Vexotrophagy is the ability to feed off of feelings of annoyance from others. Fay are characterized by the obligation to feed by this method. Fay people quickly learn to use baiting, thievery, fairy locks, kidnapping and misdirection on the other races. These activities are meant to cause grief in the target, who then exudes a sentiment of frustration, which feeds fay people, and powers their specific kind of magic.
=== Fay reproduction ===
Fay aren't born from fay, to become a fay one must consume food from a fay realm.
==== Changelings ====
Individuals born from Fay parents aren't born with vexotrophagy, as such some parents wish for a better life for their child, far away from the addiction. The parent(s) will leave the realm of fay so the child will not eat its food and become a faerie itself. They then swap the child with that of an other race.
=== Relation to fairies ===
Fay and fairies aren't the same. Unlike fairies, fay do not necessarily have wings, but can fly using ragworts, though most simply tame birds to ride. 
== Realms of the fay ==
Main article: Fay realms
Fay realms are areas where the fay influence affects the land. In fay realms food and drink is cursed to turn the consumer into a fay. 
== Society ==
Fay society is very heteroclite, given the inherently random species that compose it, some fay are solitary, living in tiny realms they make for themselves, while others live in their own cosmopolitan societies and kingdoms known as troops.
=== Solitaires ===
Some Fay, by choice or circumstance live alone, away from the rest of the fay people. They are still forced to commit vexotrophagy and live in fay realms to survive. These fay often live in small realms they made for themselves, nearby a source of vexation sentiment they can feed upon.
=== Troops ===
Fay troops resemble most cosmopolitan civilizations with the head of state often being a monarch of some kind, a court of nobles and a militant order of knights. 
=== Fay Monarchs ===
==== Kings ====
Fay Kings build the fairy paths between fay realms using their magic. Forest Fae show fealty to their leader by submitting their literal seed, so that only their leader can reproduce. Those who detain these seeds can ask a favor of the leader, or challenge its position.
==== Queens ====
Fay queens are known to have fearsome illusions they use to defend their realms.
=== Courts ===
==== Seelie ====
==== Unseelie ====
* Bells
=== Knights ===
Main article: Fairy knights
Fairy knights are horse riding fay and constitute the minor nobility of fay courts. Fairy knights are often nobles that have become fay. Fairy knights are either sworn to a monarch, or are errant.
== Foreign policy ==
=== Warfare ===
Fay rarely engage in open conflicts, not being particularly fit for combat or cooperation amongst themselves. When one kingdom goes to war with another, tactics are usually focused around stealth and harassing the enemy in order to supercharge their spellcasters magics. Warriors wear green and have a focus on camouflage, and are trained to detect traps.
=== Defense against Fay ===
Protections against faeries include church bells, herbs, four leaf clovers, bread, and any products from the taming of nature (though the latter more often enrage rather than protect from the fay).  
Fay aren't immune to predation from one another, some even use bells to protect themselves from each other. Court faeries use this method to protect themselves from solitary fay. Some faeries are repelled by a cocks crow, others keep poultry.
Cold iron is an effective ward for faerie, these come in several forms, horseshoes, buried daggers and cemetery gates left outside, but naturally are no longer effective during summer time. Rowan tree: Rowan trees keep faeries away, and are used to mark borders between fay realms and other race territories, but also between different fay kingdoms. Fairy ointment is not a protection but allows the user to detect fay is applied to the eyes. Rooks are natural predators of fay creatures. Destroying a nest of rooks in a tree surrounded by a fairy ring will grant their gratitude, such as daily currency until their existence is revealed to others.
== Relation to the Other races ==
=== Rovers and wise woman ===
Rovers and wise woman are titles given to experts on the fay and are consulted when dealing with them. They are knowledgeable in the charms and protections that can turn the fay away or break their curses.
=== Helpful relations ===
Good quality clothes will appease some faeries. Faeries will sometimes help out in exchange for the offerings, which can lead to problems in itself, as the services rendered can be to the detriment of others. Faeries often use utilities during the night, such as mills, kilns and other machines. A ritual to make a handful of meal inside a store infinite (as long as it is taken a handful at a time). Knowing a faeries real name forces it to obey and grant its gifts and powers. Millers and bakery related professions often have professional relationships with faeries, usually exchanging fairy labor for their services after dark.
=== Harmful relations ===
Harmful relations with the fay is often because of their feeding habits, swapping babies for their own and slave taking. As vexotrophs, the fay have to be annoying, but some communities accept that they prey on them for the benefits of their presence, both as deterrents and helpfulness doing chores. Changelings are left in the place of stolen babes. What happens to the kidnapped child isn't known, but it is assumed to be enslaved in the realm of the fay. The fay are fond of slave labor and fairy knights are the main suppliers of slaves to their lords.
== Magic ==
Fay are sorcerers, or natural magic practitioners, with many different abilities at their disposal. While some are natural, most are oriented towards the annoyance and torment of their prey. 
=== Innate magic ===
Flight: Most of the smaller fay can use their dust to fly.
Animal taming: Fay are naturally able to charm animals to do their bidding.
Slow aging: Fay age very slowly when in their realms.
=== Spells ===
Dead relative spell: A notable illusion magic used by fay is to appear as dead people known by the observer. 
Fairy gold: Fairy gold is often transmuted leaves, panasseries and other less valuable things, other times it vanishes altogether.
Fairy locks: A spell that creates knots in hair.
Infinite meal: Gives the illusion of a never ending feast.
True name: Reveals the true name of a target, which in some cases gives dominion over the target (such as some demons). Inversely, knowing a faeries real name forces it to obey and grant its gifts and powers.
== Items ==
Any vexotroph can practice fay magic, which is focused around illusions, enchantments and situations that would embarrass, annoy or grief people or cause chaos. Fay react violently when they themselves are tricked or vexed, because they feel they are being fed upon. When an animate or object has this ability, it is sometimes given the prefix "fairy" or "fay". For example, a sword enchanted to toy with the opponent by always blocking strikes and wounding the target but never give the killing blow can be considered fairy or fay.
Fairy ointment: used to see through fairy illusions, the use of it on one's eyes is punishable by blinding of the anointed eye. Newborn faeries are given the ointment upon birth. 
Fairy stone: A stone that the fay can make appear and disappear. Using white quartz in stonework is hazardous, as it is often confused with fairy stone and thus prone to disappear.
Vex gloves: Gloves that only fit mothers of children who are or whose fathers are Fay. Commonly sold by wise women and rovers to orphans who suspect fay ancestry.
Meal bag: A ritual to make a bag of meal infinite (as long as it is taken a handful at a time).
== Culture ==
As vexotrophs, baiting, thievery, fairy locks, kidnapping and misdirection are practiced by fay. These activities are meant to cause grief in the target, who then exudes sentiment of frustration, which feeds the fay. Reveling is an important tradition for faeries, to tire each other out in a ruthless test of endurance. They also hold processions to create fay paths and funeral rites for their dead. A well known funeral practice is laying the deceased fay on a rose leaf.
Fay people tend to haunt specific areas, and lead people away using will o the wisps.
== Religion ==
Fay worship is diverse, some continue their worship from past lives, but due to pragmatism forest spirit worship is also common among fay due to their realms commonly encompassing forests and areas of wilderness. The worship mostly focuses on spreading the wilds. These fay are extremely averse to products from the taming of nature and will actively avoid them. Demon worship is also common amongst the fay, where the worship mostly focuses on bringing souls to their object of worship as tithes, in exchange for the demons favor. 
=== Emovere Worship ===
It isn't uncommon for Fay to serve demons and deities alike. Many pay tithes to demons. Some Faeries offer their kidnap victims to demons as slaves.
 
Category:Fay
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