The Fae

"...Ahh, yes... the Fae.

I have... mixed feeling about the Fae as a whole. In my journeys, I have heard many things about them ranging from good to bad... to a wide spectrum in between. However, I tend not to give rumors much weight without first verifying them myself. Appropriately, after precautions were taken, I sought out a meeting in order to get to the heart of the matter. Our interaction was... interesting, to say the least. I left with more questions than answers, but still with my mind and free will intact.

Afterwards, I gave much more weight to some of the rumors.

Not that it did me any good during my next, quite unintentional, meeting with a member of the Fae... While surprising and unexpected, this second encounter with the Fae was much more pleasant and less stressful. I don't know whether they were just different types of the species known as 'Fae' or if, like any other race, they don't follow any ironclad set of rules or generalizations.

Still, I feel that by taking some simple precautions and following a few general rules, one can prevent unintentional breeches of etiquette or insults... while also keeping themselves safe from any 'pranks.' However, before anything else, it cannot be overstated that the one thing that anyone meeting a member of the Fae should absolutely do, without fail, is to *be polite*. The first Fae I met gave off quite the vengeful air and was very easily offended.

That being said, it is important to understand that Names have Power... and that one should never give their true name to a Fae. By giving your true name, you are potentially giving them power over you (perhaps even complete control) with their unique magicks. Many of the rumors were rather explicit in this warning and I felt it would be prudent not to test it due to my curiosity, instead giving my name as 'T' to the Fae I met.

And while I mentioned being polite, one must also be careful about giving thanks to a Fae. To most of the races, especially humans, giving thanks for a gift or assistance is as commonplace and, dare I say, ingrained as breathing. It is simply something that is *done*, many times without any true expectation of any sort of actual debt being involved. When offered a gift or assistance from a Fae, especially one you don't trust, I would recommend either politely declining it or give proper deference to it without actually giving thanks... and destroying it when far away from where the Fae was met. If one gives thanks to a Fae, it is highly likely that they will take one at one's word and determine that they then owe the Fae a debt... which may be something as simple as a morsel to eat or as important as your firstborn child. This brings me to my next point...

I highly discommend eating or drinking anything a Fae gives you. Supposedly, Fae food will do two things to anyone that partakes... first, if one is in the Land of the Fae, it will prevent them from ever *leaving*... and secondly, it will make them no longer hunger for normal foods. This is another of the rumors I did not have the courage to test, however the reason for such should be readily apparent.

The Fae, as a general rule, are highly intelligent and experts at wordplay. It is best to assume that anything they tell you is the truth, but it is also imperative to be aware of the specific wording used and any potential *alternate* meaning those words may have. The easiest explanation or meaning may not actually be the correct one. I would also warn against attempting to out-clever a Fae... I feel they would either relish the 'game' by attempting to lead their opponent into a verbal trap (like a Gaes) or they would be offended at being challenged and make the last moments of the individual's life as unpleasant as possible.

Frankly, I would *personally* go so far as to categorize all Fae under two overarching 'headings': Capricious or Malevolent. The issue is that by the time one figures out which heading any particular Fae falls under, it's usually too late.

But I digress...

From my two meetings with the Fae, I made sure to follow these guidelines during my interactions. However, only the first seemed to have these 'rules' apply... which lead to my suspicions that they simply don't apply to all Fae. Still, I intend to remain wary in my interactions with any Fae that I may meet in the future... while taking each meeting as their own unique experience.

~T~"