Feywild

The Feywild is a plane of existence that is inline and inseparably linked with the material plane, like the other side of a coin. It reflects the material world but is an entirely different place.

It is a land of lush forests, giant stone structures and huge mushrooms. Home to pixies and Eladrin, but also Hags and Blights.

Duality is in its nature.

## Traveling to and from the Feywild

While the exact specifics are a mystery, (as is the case with all things fey) there are a number of known ways to get to and from the feywild.

#### **Way-lines**

Way lines are points or areas in the material world that are linked magically to the feywild. They usually require some action to activate. It could be anything as vague as drinking form a cup, or as specific as falling asleep as the sun goes down on a winters night. They are the rarest and most unreliable.

#### **Breakpoints**

Breakpoints are entire regions in which the barrier between the Feywild and the material plane is thin. These are often, but not always, forests or other natural places. They often come to be the resting place of Druids. One example is the White Woods in the north of Bacland (where Drenn's from).

Oftentimes these places make it easier to access the Feywild through spells, scrolls, Travelers Tea, or other means. In extreme cases, even an upcast Misty Step might be enough to slip into the land of Fey. Sometimes, people who are lost will wonder into the Feywild by mistake. When something like this happens getting back can prove tricky, as a weak spot in our world may not be the same in the Feywild.

#### **Rabbit-holes**

These are the simplest form of travel between the two worlds, they are Dimensional Doors that link the two worlds. They are permanently open passageways between our two worlds. Often hidden in plain sight, for example one might fall into a rabbit hole and find themselves in the Feywild (hence the name). Most of the times these can simply be stepped back through, however some are one sided.

Common Rabbit-holes include; caves, ditches, ponds and lakes, fairy flower circles, the eye of a storm, glowing lights where there shouldn't be any, doors without walls, walls without doors, pits of quicksand and of course, rabbit holes and burrows.

### Using the Feywild for shortcuts.

However, the most interesting aspect is the way the Feywild can be used to travel great distances in a shorter time. Because the portals that connect our two worlds are scattered about the world randomly, one could enter the Feywild in one place on the east of Bacland, ride for a day or so, and exit on the south western side of the continent. These shortcuts allow for a great saving of time if you know where to find them, and are willing to risk traveling through the Feywild.

## Inside the Feywild.

When inside the Feywild it is important to remember that time and space do not work the same as they do in the material world. The time spent inside the Feywild, if more than 24 hours, seems to have little to do with how one has been gone in the material plane. Someone can spend a week their time lost in a section of feywoods, and come back only to find that they have not even missed that night's supper. However, this effect goes the opposite way as well. Some people who go for a trip they think will be only a few days may arrive back in the material world months or even years later. Time can stand entirely still in the feywild, casting sections in perpetual twilight, or frozen the very second before midday.

Similarly, space doesn't follow the same principals as it does in the material plane, What was to the east of a forest yesterday has no reason to be so today. This effect seems to happen whenever an area or landmark is not being watched, they can suddenly be located near something else. Residents of the Feywild, the Eladrin have had to create grounding spells to keep the lands around their kingdoms from being well tended gardens one day, and empty fields of sand another. This effect also makes traveling the feywild without a guide almost impossible.

## Known Fey (Residence of the Feywild)

The biggest names in the Feywild are the Archfey. Two of the biggest Archfey are the Two fairy queens.

Queen Titania - The Queen of summer, spring, daytime, and the Seelie court. She is light and airy .

Queen Mab -The Queen of winter, autumn, night time, and the Unseelie court. She is very heavy and moody.

However, both share far more in common than they do apart. As is the nature of the feywild. There are also several other known Archfey.

The Queen of Hearts - A violent woman. Renowned for offering a great number of pacts

The Queen of Spades - A calm and healing force on the world, Known to be the patron of Clerics.

The Prince of Winter, and The Prince Summer - Rulers of area's outside of the un/seelie courts. They are locked in eternal bloody war. or possible just child's play. its hard to tell.

## The Feywar

The largest and most notable interaction that the feywild has had with the material plane in resent years is the feywar.

### Intro to the Feywar

The year was 20,113. The last war was a distant memory in the minds of Humans, and the wiser (or at least older) elves were busy with their own affairs to caution human kings and queens.

The Feywild wasn't new. It had been around since the beginning, whatever that was. But it was always unexplored, a strange place that you told your children about so they didn't run off in the woods or follow strangers. They had been a few expeditions into it, the more plucky adventurers had been using it as a shortcut for twenty thousand years.

The last great discovery for explorers was ten thousand years ago, half of all history and far enough back that even to the high elves it seemed like ancient history. So, an idea was hatched. If we had sailed to all of Randore, and the lands to the far south were out of reach, why not go where none had gone in force before.

While war was not where this started, it was where it would end up.

### Exploring Fever

For around three years of time their was a great interests in exploring the Feawild. People went through in droves and there was a great hunt to find all the portals to it. Maps were being drawn of the lay of the land. Well, as well as one can draw an always changing landscape.

More and more people came through the feywild, using it like a great highway to ease them from long journeys. After a while, the amount of travellers going through was causing problems for the native fey. That was only the beginning of the problems, as some nations and armies had began lunching further 'expeditions' deeper into the feywild, claiming more and more area.

The Fey were initially very polite about it. Taking every courtesy and ensuring that we had every chance to leave the feywild alone of our own accord. Eventually they became more insistent. It was only a few months after they started creating blockades that nations began going to war. Some not wanting to loose their convenient new travel system, others glad to finally have an excuse to dust out the old cannons.

### Years war

In the year 20,117 The Daswer accord and Katos declared war on the fey. They were backed by many nations and other smaller peoples. For 12 months, to the day, the nations poured soldiers into the Feywild.

It seemed like the forces of Randore were winning, the Eladrin and other fey kept moving further back from the rabbit holes that were bringing Randore forces in.

Bases were built, sections of jungle cleared and further infantry bought in to expand further into the Feywild.

### The Sundering

It was then that all the portals to the Feywild closed. Suddenly and without warning. It's not clear how this was done, or even if it was an intentional decision by any of the Fey. The portals would stay closed for two years, making travel between the worlds almost impossible.

With the Feywild cut off from the natural world there was a number of effects throughout Randore. Animals were feral, plants grew twisted or not at all, some areas like the Rotted Woods (formally the black woods) are still recovering.

This unease in the natural world stayed for two years. Until, in the autumn of 20,119 the ill effects started to stop. Druids knew once again that the Feywild was open to Randore. However there were two further tricks that had been played on those who thought to try and conquer it.

First of all, the locations of all the Rabbit-holes and way-lines had moved, shrouding the Feywild, again, in mystery.

The second effect became apparent as survivors began to return to our world. While two years had past for those in Randore, much longer had passed for those who had been left in the Feywild. Some had aged 5 years, others 10, 20 or even 30 years. Others came back having thought they had gone only a week or two.

### After effects

The five years that have passed since the Feywar, some have reported finding more rabbit-holes, and safely left alone. The Nations of Randore that were foolish enough to go to war with the fey have learnt that they are entirely outclassed.

It was over the first six months that those who were going to return form the Feywild did return. Many were lost, and those who came back were scared enough of the Feywild that most folks have sworn off messing with the fey.