Fair Folk

**The Fair Folk**are sentient creatures that have an innate connexion with natural magics. There are two types: Greater Fae and Lesser Fae.

Greater Faeare roughly humanoid*.* They are closely related to the elves: some Greater Fae species are often confused with elven species, and vice-versa. Greater Fae appreciate beauty to the point of incorporating it into their mottos, and their dwellings are elaborate structures built from natural materials.

Most Greater Fair Folk are tricksters who enjoy making mischief. Some are downright malevolent. It's impossible to tell their motivations for doing anything, but the worst should be assumed.

Lesser Fae are more animalistic, with many remaining in animal form their whole lives. They tend to live in natural habitats rather than man-made dwellings, though they may shape their habitats to provide better comfort. Lesser Fae may be co-categorised as werecreatures depending on which forms they can take.

## Greater Fae

There are several species of creature within the Fair Folk.

### **Aes Sidhe**

Also see the full article about Aes Sidhe.

The most common creatures are the Aes Sidhe, the humanoids who dominate the Fair courts and hold most positions of authority. They are also called the *Daoine Sidhe* (singular: *Duine Sidhe*), but never just *Sidhe* (which by itself means "mound," as in a lump of earth)*.*

Aes Sidhe are rarely seen in their natural forms, which are said to be horrifically ugly. Instead they use glamours to make themselves look fantastically beautiful. Aes Sidhe have slightly larger, more intense eyes than humans. They never exactly smile. They never exactly frown.

### **Merfolk**

Fair Folk who live in waterways are called merfolk (male: *merman*, female: *mermaid*). They tend to favour salty water but can be found in some inland lakes and rivers, especially in larger bodies of water. Merfolk look human from the waist up, fishlike from the waist down. Underneath their glamours they look very frightening.

Merfolk can breathe, see, smell, hear, and speak underwater as well as above. They are able to grant those abilities to other races, too, for limited amounts of time. Merfolk are typically the nicest of the Seelie Court, especially toward other races, but they are notoriously distractable and forgetful and may forget that their landlubber companions cannot breathe water.

Merfolk are sometimes derogatively called "sea elves."

### **Lythari**

Lythari are probably extinct. They were a species of werewolf-like creatures that existed before the Daoine Sidhe split into two courts. The lythari never developed any of the malevolence that characterises the Fair Folk now. Instead they remained peaceful, gentle folk in perfect harmony with nature. Lythari often traveled with packs of werewolves or actual wolves, where they were treated as respected guests. They were great hunters. Supposedly the blood of a lythari could heal any wound or poisoning and could even revive the dead, given certain circumstances. Which was why they were harvested like cattle during every later war.

## Lesser Fae

Lesser Fae are categorised by their abilities.

### **Ignions**

Ignions draw their power from fire. There are three widely-known types of ignion: phoenix, salamanders, and barghests. For more information, see the *full article on Ignions.*

### **Seorsai**

Seorsai is a lump term for all forest-type lesser fae. Seorsai are tied to natural magics, such as earth, plants, and life. Some seorsai serve as guardians of the places they live. This category includes gnomes (chthonics), nymphs, fauns, and centaurs. For more information, see the *full article on Seorsai*.

## Courts of the Greater Fae

There are two distinct ways of thinking among the Greater Fae, each with its own code of honour. Individual Fair Folk are recognised by other Folk as belonging to one of the two "courts." There is great rivalry between the courts, but in typical Fair fashion it's taken out on other races, never in battle between Fair Folk themselves.

### **Seelie Court**

Also called *Blessed Ones* or the *Shining Court*. Seelies are the good-ish guys, the aristocrats of the Fair world. They pride themselves on meting out justice. They like to think they're helpful toward those who help them, even toward members of other races. Their sense of good is a little skewed, though, and always somehow tends to play out in their own favour. Although they profess not to mean any harm, their pranks often cause terrible damage.

**The Seelie Code:** *Death Before Dishonour. Love Conquers All. Never Forget A Debt. Beauty is Life.*

### **Unseelie Court**

Also called the *Unblessed Ones.* Unseelies are definitely bad. They purposefully, artfully ruin lives for entertainment, reveling in the torment their mischiefs cause. Because they can't reproduce they often concoct elaborate tricks to trap and enslave mortals, who slowly devolve into Unseelie Folk themselves. Members of the Unseelie Court often go on wild, spontaneous hunting parties all together for new members. The group of hunters is called the *Sluagh*.

**The Unseelie Code:** *Honour is a Lie.*  *Passion Before Duty. Change is Good. Glamour is Free.*

## Terms

* *Fair Folk --* A collective term for all natural-magic races.
* *Fair* -- An adjective used to describe people (as belonging to the Fair Folk).
* *Fae* -- An adjective used to describe things, categories, or magics (as originating in the Fair Folk).
* *Fey* -- An adjective used to describe traits (as being similar to the Fair Folk's).
* *Gentleman/lady, Gentry, Good Neighbours* -- Polite terms for individual Fair Folk.
* *Faerie* -- A polite term for the Fair Folk's home country, a completely racist term for an individual.