Fae Folk

The Fae Folk are creatures of pure magic from the Fae Realm.

## Culture

### Categorization and "Courts"

While many legends say that the Fae Folk divide themselves into “courts,” much like how the humans of the Mortal Realm have nations as a source of organization and identity, this isn’t exactly the case.

Since the Fae Realm lacks a physical landscape in the same, tangible way we understand it in the Mortal Realm, the concept of land, borders, and regional divisions is an alien concept to Fae Folk. Nor do they care about mortal politics and land boundaries, unless they are a particularly abnormal individual with a passion or interest that leads them to take a more vested interest in the Mortal Realm (i.e. Ocean Man, everyone involved in Fasithe, etc.). As a result, the politics and cultural divisions of the Fae look very different from those of mortals.

While it’s almost impossible for mortals to understand these dynamics, the Fae Folk do seem to create something akin to a group identity when they use similar physical forms in the Mortal Realm. The Fae can shapeshift into anything, yet many intentionally mimic the same form in the Mortal Realm. For example, Brownies are instantly recognizable as a specific type of Fae, both in form and deeds. The fact that a whole group of Fae Folk have dedicated themselves to being weird, cryptid housekeepers for the rest of eternity implies that there is some sort of group identity involved in that decision. As a result of this and other similar observations, most scholars on the topic believe that the Fae categorize themselves not according to politics or region, but by how they use their magic, somewhat akin to the guilds built to unite members of similar occupations. If this were the case, it seems that not all Fae Folk are members of such communities, but that this group identification is an optional preference. Additionally, Fae cults (such as Fasithe) would fall under a similar definition by Fae standards.

Even though the term “Court” is still associated with a physical location or political affiliation, many have taken to using the term for this new occupation-based way of categorizing the Fae. This is in part due to a lack of better terminology and a natural tendency to project familiar cultural norms in an attempt to understand the unfamiliar. Additionally, the Fae have made little effort to correct the use of this term. Much like how it is near impossible for mortals to understand the dynamics of the Fae in their own realm, many Fae Folk seem to view mortals with similar confusion. Between our limited magic, physical forms, verbal communication, and other strange superstitions regarding the Fae, many of the Fae seem to be convinced that mortals are completely inscrutable.

Additionally, it’s impossible to know how old a member of the Fae is. Time passes differently in the Fae Realm, and they rarely pay enough attention to mortal affairs to be able to remember historic milestones such as the Waldren Occupation or Interim Years. Age isn’t a factor in Fae culture or politics any more than our mortal ideas of national identity is.

### Language

There is no Fae “language” in the way beings in the Mortal Realm would define it.

In the Fae Realm, souls are free from the boundaries of a physical shell and communicate without using language at all. This form of communication is often described as being just short of mind reading. Without the physical body containing the soul, there are no walls preventing a soul from simply extending a piece of their soul towards the souls around it, thereby giving those nearby an insight into their “thoughts” and allowing them to understand their thoughts/instincts/emotions/whatever on a fundamental, intrinsic level. There are variations to this form of communication; much like how a person can mumble under their breath, speak out loud but to no one in particular, or project their voice to address someone directly, souls in the Fae Realm have similar degrees of specificity for how they project their thoughts.

This, btw, is the same thing that happens when a mage communicates with animals.

In the Mortal Realm, Fae Folk will either not speak at all, or use the physical form they’ve shaped for themselves to speak in whatever way they wish. Fae Folk seem to understand and speak most, if not all, mortal languages by default, though the physical limitations of the form they take might limit their ability to vocalize all of the sounds in every language. Be careful though; even if they don’t seem to speak your language doesn’t mean they don’t understand you.  You aren’t keeping secrets from them, not in that way at least. Thankfully, they cannot read the minds of beings in the Mortal Realm in the same way they can perceive other souls in the Fae Realm, but that starts to change if one strays too far into a Fae Garden where the border between those two realms is thin…

### Morality

The Fae Folk don’t have the same objective moral code based around the concepts of right and wrong that are prevalent in human society. As such, the Fae Folk are never intentionally malicious. Instead, the Fae Folk value honesty and the keeping of promises over morality or intention.

This is largely due to the way that the Fae Folk communicate while in the Fae Realm. As explained above, very few thoughts are private among the Fae. Imagine living in a world where everyone was forced to whisper aloud every thought that goes through their head, and you’d get the idea. This leads to two major differences between Fae communication and mortal communication:

* Stray intrusive thoughts that one doesn’t really intend to say would be heard regardless.
* Even in intentional conversation, there is no room for lies or wordplay; the only option is to be honest.

The first factor could be disastrous for any society, especially when taken in tandem with the second. Conversations would be virtually nonexistent as people jump to conclusions based on each other’s initial reactions. Perhaps this was once the case in Fae culture. However, the Fae as we know them today have a strict code of respect towards what is stated explicitly and “verbally” (i.e. intentionally) above all else. All other stray thoughts and feelings that broadcast throughout the Fae Realm are ignored as a matter of courtesy. Unlike mortals, who often take into account supplementary information perceived from physical, nonverbal forms of communication such as body language, sarcasm, and implied meaning, the constant background noise of additional thoughts and reactions in the Fae Realm is studiously ignored in favor of exact, precise interpretations of what has been stated intentionally.

The second factor has an additional consequence for Fae interactions with mortals. Not only is dishonesty nonexistent in Fae culture, but they presume that others will act the same way. Breaking a promise or telling a lie is considered to be unnatural, dangerous, and an outright declaration of hostility. Since only mortals are able to tell such lies and often come from cultures where some form of deception (whether out of politeness or security) is the norm, this fundamental breakdown in communication and difference in moral code is the source of the majority of “incidents” between members of the Fae and mortals.

For example, if a member of the Fae directly states “I am going to attack you,” and then attacks someone, they consider that to be a perfectly reasonable, morally acceptable act, since they were perfectly honest about their intentions. By contrast, a mortal would consider that action to be blatantly antagonistic. Likewise, a mortal might agree to something the Fae asked out of a desire to be polite, but never intending to follow through, only to be hunted down by the Fae when they realize the mortal was not telling the truth.

However, none of this means that the Fae are incapable of misdirection or subversion. In fact, they excel at stating one thing and meaning something entirely different. There might be multiple ways of interpreting a single statement, the most well-known example being the question, “May I have your name?” Much like a Magical Focus, as long as the speaker/listener truly believes that their interpretation of the sentence is applicable, then it’s considered “truth”. Mortals have to be careful when trying to play this game (it’s far safer to be outright rude and brutally honest than to mess up and be perceived as dishonest), but some are known to be very good at it.

## Magic

Fae magic has an element of "heck idk i guess anything works.” They're bound to a certain extent by the Laws of Magic of the Mortal Realm while hanging out in here with us, but even then, they can bend the rules a bit in ways we don't entirely understand, and likely never will.

Even in a physical form in the Mortal Realm, Fae Folk do not need a magical focus, and have at least some ability to shape fundamental aspects of Mortal Realm to their whim (i.e. Changeling bodies, Fae Gardens).

### Shapeshifting

Due to the nature of the Fae Realm, the Fae do not need physical bodies to contain their souls except when they enter the Mortal Realm, where they don various and ever-changing physical forms like a mortal might don different colors of tunic each morning. No one knows exactly how they create these physical forms, but many have been lucky enough to see a member of the Fae Folk slip from one form to another, as smoothly as the sun slipping behind a cloud.

Based on this information, we know that despite the different names given to the Fae creatures we discover in the Mortal Realm, all Fae creatures are the same sort of being. We wouldn’t call knights a different “type” of human, despite their similar attire, occupation, and use of violence under stress; the same goes for the creatures we have given names to such as “brownie” and “water horse.” One of the most common misnomers for the Fae Folk is "fairies," which is considered a slightly rustic, uneducated term by experts. Thankfully, the Fae do not seem to mind these categorizations, as mortals can be particularly obsessed with categorizing things sometimes.

The Fae also use this unique shapeshifting ability on other things in the Mortal Realm, not just their own physical forms. For example, Fae Gardens are known for their unique artistry, where the natural world is seemingly shaped by some invisible hand into a surreal piece of art. Most believe that the Fae Folk are responsible for these environmental changes within a Fae Garden, using their shapeshifting abilities to mold the world around them. Similarly, this shapeshifting ability also likely plays a role in how the Fae create physical bodies for changelings, using both the discarded shells of mortal souls that have passed on and any other materials found in the environment of the Fae Garden.

Shapeshifting to this degree of power is a skill unique to the Fae Folk. While mortal mages can shapeshift themselves or others to some degree, the amount of magical energy it requires to sustain the enchantment is immense, and extremely limited by the intensity of the change and the distance between themselves and their target. By contrast, Fae shapeshifting isn’t an enchantment at all, but some sort of inherent ability that leaves a permanent impact on the world around them.

## Soul Interference

### Dead Souls

While the Fae prefer to keep to themselves and stay out of mortal affairs, there is one interesting tradition with which they aid the souls of Mortal Realm. When a body is left behind in or near a Fae Garden, a member of the Fae will gather up the magic of the deceased’s soul and bring it with them to the Fae Realm. There, the soul will be offered a choice; to stay within the Fae Realm and become one of the Fae, or to pass on like other mortal souls. Those who decide to stay will retain only a faint memory of their past life. For example, it is said that the Fae who take the form of Brownies in the Mortal Realm are the souls of dead homemakers, caretakers, servants, or farmers who desired to continue caring for their land and/or home as a member of the Fae Folk. Since these souls have already lived a mortal life, the Fae cannot/will not give them the option to return to the mortal world and begin anew.

However, for souls that perished before they were able to experience more than the tiniest amount of life, the Fae Folk offer a special gift. Infants are buried in Fae Gardens in the hopes that the Fae will find the infant soul somewhere comfortable for it to spend its eternal rest. It is said that these infant souls who grow up in the Fae Realm will sometimes be given a chance to return to the human realm in the form of changelings, though how they acquire a corporeal and mortal body is a secret that the Fae Folk refuse to share, although it is likely similar to how the Fae shape their own physical forms when visiting the Mortal Realm.

It's not so much that they aren't allowed to reveal that secret, just that they DON'T. Don't or won't or can't. We aren't sure which. One member of the Fae explained it best by saying "we can't explain it in a way that you would understand." Whether that means they don't think we'll understand it on a cultural acceptance level or a fundamental can't-comprehend-the-metaphysical level, no one really knows.

Additionally, the Fae can also sense and communicate with souls that have dispersed themselves across a specific area after death, though they rarely choose to do so. While other beings with a certain affinity for magic can often sense a faint echo of a presence in these spaces, only Fae Folk can connect with the souls of the dead in this way. Even changelings lose this ability when they are reborn into the Mortal Realm. However, most Fae Folk don’t particularly care about such things.

### Living Souls

We know that the Fae Folk can take the soul from a dead body and escort it to the Fae Realm, but what about living souls?

While the Fae Folk can take the soul from a dead body in the Mortal Realm and escort it to the Fae Realm, they cannot steal the soul from a living being so easily. The soul is too tied up within its physical form and will refuse to be pulled away from their still-functioning body while within the Mortal Realm. However, once you enter the fringes of the Fae Realm, that begins to change.

Fae Gardens are technically still within the Mortal Realm, where a member of the Fae cannot remove your soul and take it back to the Fae Realm with them. However, if given the opportunity, a member of the Fae can temporarily grasp at your soul if you are in a Fae Garden, which can overwhelm you with their emotions and incline you to do their bidding.

This emotional “aura” is likely the result of the proximity between the Fae Soul and the Mortal Soul, similar to the mechanics behind Animal Communication magic or the non-verbal communication of the Fae within their own realm. Some have even compared this phenomenon to a subtler version of The Enemy’s abilities to manipulate and control others, as well as the mood swings experienced by people under the Influence Curse.

Thankfully, most people are not in danger of this soul-meddling, even those who often travel to Fae Gardens. The Fae Folk are always very explicit about their intentions, albeit in their own way, and if you have your wits about you, you can quickly leave the garden before the Fae Folk try anything.

However, the risk increases if you travel deep into a Fae Garden, due to the increasing proximity to the Fae Realm, or if you share your name or other significant identifying information with a member of the Fae, which gives them a better understanding of your soul (the source of your identity) and makes it easier for them to grasp.

Within the Imagination Dimension, on the other hand, souls are liable to slip away from their physical form, never to return. And if a mortal is ever unlucky enough to be pulled straight into the actual Fae Realm in some horrible, unprecedented act of Fae interference, their soul will be ripped from their body whether they want to or not. The Fae Realm is entirely made of magic, and while the Imagination Dimension is still enough of a middle ground to allow for loosely connected physical forms, the Fae Realm is not.

## Connection to The Enemy’s Magic and The Watch

There is an extremely likely theory that The Enemy’s magic, which can manipulate the reality of the Mortal Realm (especially souls) without a particular focus, is some corrupted form of Fae Magic.

This theory is backed up by an old Feadhainn account called The Ranger’s Tale, which was distributed throughout The Watch back in August 1614. Since then, Fae Studies have become something of great interest to The Watch.

* The Ranger’s Tale: Original Version, with notes on its significance
* The Ranger’s Tale: Vernacular Translation, for easier reading

Prior to this discovery, we assumed that the Fae Folk were so isolated and disinterested in the Mortal Realm. Common policy was “Don’t mess with them and they won’t mess with us.” As a result, Fae Studies were just seen as a scholarly hobby, with few practical applications.

Now, of course, things are different. As it turns out, they have been messing with us for decades, albeit indirectly. If The Enemy’s magic is truly a form of corrupted Fae Magic, understanding these inscrutable, otherworldly beings may be our only hope for survival.