Fae Folk

The Fae are supernatural beings that have existed secretly alongside unsuspecting humans for thousands of years, emerging only to wreak havoc upon human society. They are vain, crafty creatures, who closely resemble humans in appearance. The most telling difference, however, is an appealing, otherworldly aura that all fae give off.

## Politics

The Fae have strict sets of laws and rules of behavior which enable them to stay hidden in plain sight. They are split into two Factions, the Light and the Dark.

The Light and Dark are opposed to each other, but generally operate on a policy of a guarded peace, adhering to essential rules such as neither side crossing into the other side's territory without permission, and ensuring that knowledge of their existence is kept secret from the general public.

Fae Children are raised within their families' Faction, when they come of age, usually around 20 years old, they participate in a ceremony where they select a Faction for themselves. Most choose the same Faction as their family, but there are a few outliers that choose to switch. Those that do switch are disowned by their families and most rarely ever communicate again.

### Fae & Non-Fae Interactions

A majority of Fae generally ignore non-Fae or treat them with disdain. The consensus of the species is that they are superior compared to the rest. Though there are a rare few that take non-fae as their property, such as pets or servants. Non-Fae who are claimed as property may interact within Fae society and are not to be harmed by other Fae.

## Factions

### Light Fae

The Light Fae are made up of members that are ruled over by a strict set of rules and an even stricter sense of justice. They like to think of themselves as the better of the two factions, but in truth, they are simply better at concealing things. They are led by a council of Fae headed by **The Ash**.

While the Light don't have as many casualties staining their ranks as the Dark may have, they aren't clean either. They claim that their body count only comes from necessity, to protect the secret of their existence from the outside society. But as the Light is made up of mostly smooth-talking politicians, it's hard to determine how much truth there is to the statement.

Light Fae tend to keep tabs on the political and law enforcement elements of the local territories. They will plant their own people in key positions so they can keep an eye on events and manipulate them if needed.

They consider themselves morally superior to the Dark and look down upon the other faction in almost everything. They respect the tentative peace that exists between the Factions and that last thing they want is to upset the balance.

### Dark Fae

The Dark Fae are made up of members who can be at best described as free-spirited at best, and at worst, pure evil. In this, they might be seen as equating with the chaotic spirits of many mythologies, as opposed to those of a more ordered tendency. They are led by a Fae known as **The Blackthorn**.

The Dark are known for leaving a higher body count than the Light, and have little to no qualms with murdering for pleasure. Because of their more self-centered ideologies, the Dark Fae do not look down upon the needless killing of humans, as long as they remember to clean up after themselves. They don't want to bring the Law down upon them needlessly.

The Dark seem to have a hand in all the industrial and criminal elements of the local territory. Everyone is expected to pay a quota to The Blackthorn from their businesses, and punishments are considered "unpleasant" if the quotas are not met.

The Dark Fae appear to follow no rules but their own; unlike the Light Fae, who follow a strict set of rules. However, they are respectful of the Laws and the truce between the two clans; and of laws governing a territory. Despite animosity with the Light, it has been made clear that the Dark Fae collectively have no interest in starting a war.

## Biology

All Fae appear to be physically strong and extremely long-lived compared to humans; however, they are not immortal. They live until they are approximately 10,000 years old. As such, many young Fae aren't considered true adults until they reach their late hundreds. Young Fae age and develop at nearly the same rate as humans until puberty, after which they become physically matured and thus no longer age as humans would. How they age is unclear, as age doesn't seem to affect appearance.

Only a coupling between two Fae can produce a Fae child. If a Fae and a non-Fae were to have a child between them, the child would be born as the same species as the non-Fae. Fae parents are discouraged from having contact with their human children, as it increases the chance for the Fae to be discovered by general society, but it is not forbidden.

## Behaviors

All Fae have an incredibly close relationship with nature. They often decorate their homes with herbs and plants to make the place seem warm. They often draw strength when surrounded by nature and without it for prolonged periods of time, it can actually negatively impact their health.

Fae also tend to hoard items. Most are habitual kleptomaniacs, randomly picking up bits and bobs that catch their attention. Half of the time they don't even realize that they do it. They are particularly adept at going unnoticed when grabbing things, so a lot of Fae make rather good thieves.

## Bonding

While Fae from both factions have casual flings throughout their lives, sooner or later, most will find someone (*or someones*) that they will want to spend the rest of their lives with. They can then choose to enter into what is known as a Bond. This ties the Fae's life to their partner(s), making them become closer than words can describe. If a Bonded Fae were to die, then their partner(s) would succumb to heartsickness until they perished as well.

The Bond doesn't have to be a sexual relationship, nor does it even have to mean that the Fae are now monogamous. It simply means that the Bonded are closer to each other than any other. Like a soulmate. Bonds show up as matching markings on the bodies of the Bonded, usually in the shape of something that has significant meaning to the partners.

Relationships, casual or Bonding, between Light Fae and Dark Fae are forbidden by both Factions, and are punishable by death. There are only two days out of the year, Midsummer and Midwinter, that Dark and Light Fae are allowed to socialize freely.

Casual relationships between Fae and non-Fae are allowed, but Fae are warned not to get too attached as they tend to be extremely short-lived. Bonds with non-Fae aren't outright forbidden, but they are extremely discouraged. A Fae Bonding with a non-Fae is basically signing an early death warrant, as there are few non-Fae who can live as long as the Fae.

## Abilities

* **Photokinesis -** Faehave the ability to project and control light and nature. Fae and Witches are the only species shown to possess this power. A Fae with this ability can channel nature through their body and project it in a concentrated and powerful blast of light which seems to manifest as kinetic force, conclusively throwing or repelling objects a considerable distance. Most fairies use this ability to attack an enemy. They can even turn the energy into an explosive ball that they can throw at their enemies, somewhat like a grenade
* **Telekinesis -** Fae folk are able to move objects and interact with them without physical contact. The larger the object, the harder it is to control. Using this ability too much can lead to exhaustion where a fae will sleep for nearly 24 hours to recuperate.
* **Telepathy -** As a group, the Fae can communicate with each other telepathically, within limits. Once a fae is outside of 5 miles, it becomes more of a general understanding of the intent behind the communication, and after 10 miles, nothing.

## Weaknesses

* **Salt -** There's a rumor that says if you spill salt or sugar in front of a Fae, they will be compelled to stop and count each and every grain. This isn't the least bit true, but salt itself does have detrimental effects on Fae. It can burn on contact and kill if ingested.
* **Iron -** A very deadly substance to all Fae, simply being in the presence of iron can cause a Fae to weaken and become lethargic. It will burn on contact and prolonged touch is would be enough to kill the Fae. If by some chance a Fae ingested iron filings, they would succumb to extreme pain before dying.
* **Bites -** Bites from both vampires and shifters are extremely dangerous for Fae as the viruses that cause the changes are deadly to them. Even a small bite is lethal.