Faerie (disambiguation)

## Appearance

While fae glamour makes faeries very hard to find, and is often used as a means of obscuring their inhuman characteristics, faeries have several distinct features that set them apart from the rest of the City's populace.

#### **Ears**

Their ears are perhaps faeries' most iconic biological features, while also being one of the most unreliable ways to identify the fae. Long and pointed, fae ears are very commonly depicted in pop culture fantasy races, and thus have fostered wave after wave of genetic editing fads. Pointed ears are one of the single most common alterations among counter-culture editors, although fae ears do tend to be longer and slightly different structurally from those of edited humans.

#### **Eyes**

Fae eyes are subtly distinct from humans'. While their appearance varies wildly, most fae eyes have a lighter, or colored, pupil, and darker irises. This can evoke a number of faulty conclusions, ranging from appearing to have cataracts to simply lack pupils altogether. Regardless of appearance, fae eyes function perfectly fine.

#### **Complexion**

A near-universal component of the fae's physical appearance is their sunken eyes and drawn faces. Some level of exhaustion and physical illness seems to plague all faeries.

## Abilities

Fae abilities not only vary wildly between individuals, but exist only rarely to begin with. While fae are generally understood to have some level of supernatural power, most faeries on the city streets seem to lack the fantastical powers of the mythical creatures that share their name.

On the most basic level, faeries typically can take advantage of, and struggle with, the nuances and loopholes of language. Even otherwise powerless fae are often very sensitive to attempts at deceit, while struggling to lie themselves. Quick-witted faeries will spin this trait to their advantage, learning the art of doublespeak while honing their lie-detection to a wicked edge.

Though their number seems to be dropping quickly, there do exist faeries capable of working several forms of magic. Glamour is a more common ability, permitting faeries to create illusions around or near their person. The duration and quality of these images is dependent on both a faerie's proficiency, and natural ability. Another staple fae ability is a sort of healing touch, wherein a faerie uses their own energy to expedite the recovery process of another. This sort of magic cannot be used to heal oneself, as obviously a user cannot generate energy with which to imbue themselves that they do not already possess. Additionally, faeries can occasionally manipulate the flow of energy in a person's body, permitting them some level of control over the emotional state of people within reach, though never more than one at a time.

Elementalism is an extremely rare gift among the fae, yet those born with such a gift often face ostracization in light of their disconcertingly common descent into madness and ruin.

## Behaviour

As demons are bound by their various contracts and treaties, fae are bound by promises and oaths. The average fae will struggle to break a promise once it's made, and people who break promises made with faeries often suffer dire consequences. The extent to which these effects are supernatural in nature is unknown. A vast majority of fae traditions and functions are unknown, in fact, due to their small, sequestered numbers and general enigmatic presence.

Faeries notoriously congregate in "Rings," tied to geographic locations around which they build elaborate and chaotic venues. Often lounges, nightclubs, and bars, these Rings seem to foster the abilities of the faeries within them, although non-fae outsiders are almost never allowed in. Or let out.

As fae abilities can come in any combination of abilities and magnitudes, faeries vary wildly in power and influence. While they are disinclined to interact with the world beyond their Ring, the fae can make for powerful enemies, and word travels amongst their social circles very quickly. That said, faeries independent of Rings often find themselves subject to some level of scorn regardless of their manners, as individualism is generally regarded as a very un-fae trait.

## Characters of Note

* Asa Meiri
* Lyric Uaithne
* Rain Caudell