The Seelie Court

The Seelie Court is made up all manner of Fae creatures, and legends suggest they have boosted powers during the Summer half of the year, starting at the Spring Equinox and peaking at the Summer Solstice. This is a large group of fae creatures who rule over part of the Otherworld, Faerie, or Alfheimr (which also goes by many other names!). The term "seelie" actually means happy, lucky, or blessed, and that represents much of what the Seelie Court is: good-inclined faerie folk. Most are Lawful Good, Nuetral Good, or Chaotic Good in nature, while the Court itself is Lawful Good.

The Fae kind have many other names, including Faery, the "good folk," their respective faction name, and the Sidhe.

## How to Identify the Seelie Court

The Seelie Court has many different species among its members, including but not limited to Fae elves, nymphs and dryads, giants, fairies, cu sidh, leprechauns, selkies, unicorns, centaurs, treants, sylphs, and undines. Its nobles are primarily Fae elves, though some are truly unique creatures and part elemental. Each and every one of them has magic, though their individual power levels vary, and most rely on magic to actually survive as part of their very being. Among the Seelie summer court, they tend to favor the colors of the summer, the sky, green forests, and sunlight. When on official court business, their faces are marked with **personalized blue facial designs**, and their **wings are usually recolored as blue or white**; sometimes their outfits are recolored to match.

Notably, despite a legendary "good" nature and often being called "the gentle folk," this does not necessarily mean "kind." Such placation is historically out of respect for their powers and tendency for long-held grudges. It is important to recognize that the Fae do not have the same concepts of morality as humans do. That said, most of the Seelie Court are benevolent and many can be playful tricksters, but Seelie Court officials can also be surprisingly stern and condescending! Many regard humans as weak, short-lived, impulsive fools: this may manifest in aloof disdain, or as patient amusement like how a grandmother would react to a toddler. They can also be quite amicable and mischievous, but are all extremely honorable in their own Fae way, and woe be to any they deem dishonorable or evil.

### Traits common among all Fae creatures

* The Fae cannot lie, but have perfected the art of the verbal dance. The Seelie will find loopholes in laws, rules, and agreements; while they will not usually be malicious about it, they do enjoy tricking and trapping others with their own words. They are also very skilled at telling half-truths, omitting details and leading the listener to the wrong conclusion. For example, "That warehouse was burned. The Unseelie do enjoy setting wildfires," may be quite true, but omits the fact that the speaker was the burning reagents in that warehouse that they did not want to leave in mage hands.
* The Fae are highly allergic to iron and steel. It burns their skin.
* Running water in rivers and streams has the ability to cancel the fae’s enchantments; however, it is not a weapon to be rained down upon them.
* Some fae are blind to the presence of anyone wearing the color red. Not all are, however. It is not advised to use this as a failsafe way to hide.
* Fae cannot cross the threshold of a private residence without a specific invitation. This occurs even in the homes of nonmagical people; there is an innate power in a home that creates enough of a magical boundary to bar entry.
* Court Fae are, in most cases, ageless: they stop aging once they are adults (which can,itself, take centuries to reach), and unless slain, they have no limit to their lifespan.
* Fae have the ability to reproduce both with their own kind and with humans. Several of such attend or teach at Trefoil Academy. Oftentimes Fae find such an unnatural union repulsive. Do not expect warmth from them. Some Seelie Fae are actually very fond of humans. This is not the majority.
* The Fae enjoy touring other realms, particularly on days and nights of celestial significance when more natural portals open up between the worlds. On our world, The Seelie Court can sometimes be spotted riding through the night air like a procession of brilliant light, and may get mistaken for a comet.

## Seelie Court Culture

The Seelie are very political. There are cliques, factions, gossiping, and rivalry. Overall, however, they adhere to the laws set forth by their Queen and operate within those parameters. Its members will only attack those who have broken the codes of honor and/or hospitality. These honor codes may not have been agreed to by the target, but that is the target's fault! For example, a young mage stumbling through a portal and picking a flower from a Fae garden without permission would be deemed a thief and thus targeted. However, if the thief shows remorse and seeks to make restitution for the accidental transgression, they will accept a debt owed.

The Seelie are **always willing to help those that need it.** They find those in need of help in their darkest hour and lend their aid, should they be willing to incur their debt. However, they expect equal kindness in return AND a repayment of debts, even if a debt owed was never specified in the arrangement. A debt is assumed to be an open "anything" debt, unless specifically agreed upon in advance. **Be forewarned: they believe in repayment of debts in a timely fashion**, or else immediately.

The Seelie believe **love is the purest manifestation of the soul;** nothing is more precious or beautiful to them. To them nothing is worth a higher price. For love, they would go to war happily.

Beauty is such a rare phenomenon. Due to its rarity and fragility, the Seelie find it pertinent to **protect what they find beautiful at all costs**. They often find beauty in nature, and so are often fierce protectors of the natural world, but also value the arts.

They love a touch of mischief, and **play tricks on mortals and each other in their free time**, of which there is plenty.

### Outcasts from the Seelie Court

The Seelie Court’s laws are indisputable to them. Any fae who breaks the court's rules is outcast without a second thought. All chaotic groups and races are considered dishonorable to the Seelie Fae, even those that mean well. Dishonor can only be punished with banishment. Many remorseful fae find death a more suitable answer than being disowned by their own kind, but those without remorse often join the Unseelie.

Notably, being outcast from the court has a substantial impact on a fae's access to magic, and without the support of a court behind them, their access to magic is weakened. They are still able to use magic, but it is not as powerful, and many lose their wings. This is a struggle that many courtless Fae face, and is why the Ankou are viewed as a petty nuisance rather than a threat.

### Seelie views on the Unseelie Court

The Seelie Fae are one of two Fae factions, each holding very different ideals. The Seelie view themselves as the original form of all Fae. The Seelie court has eternally been at war with the Unseelie Court.

The Unseelie Court is their ruthless and chaotic antithesis, and is also called the Winter court. Seelie suggest that it is entirely comprised of Fae that have been banished for dishonorable acts and have crudely embraced chaos, death, famine, and destruction. They look down upon the Unseelie as crude, dishonorable, vile, wicked wretches.

Because of this, the Seelie Fae are ever cautious to never make any transgression that might lead them down the path to being outcast and being lumped with the Unseelie. The Seelie Fae will also never accept a member of the Unseelie to "rise up" and rejoin their faction, as their hearts are considered forever tainted by their actions. The Seelie regret that their existence has spread to our realm (Gaia), and in their words, the descended “like a plague carrying across countries”. As long as the Seelie stick with their banishing traditions, The Unseelie will always exist and they will always be at war with each other.

### Rulers of the Seelie Court

The Seelie Court is ruled by a family of pureblooded Fae who rule strictly, maintain the structure of the Seelie Court, and enforce their laws. They are the most powerful Fae in the Seelie Court. The Seelie Royal Family are nine strong: Queen Titania (who has the most power), King Oberon, and her seven children, each more beautiful and powerful than the last. The youngest of which is Kheelan, a young prodigy in the making. Titania is reigning Queen by right of power, and if the “right of power” tradition continues, Kheelan should be the next heir. The family lives in a massive forest complex.

Seelie Court nobles are numerous, and often are the ones running the day-to-day workings of the court. The legendary Puck is one such noble.

Notably, King Oberon has no wings. Titania's own sister was also outcast and at one time was Queen of the Unseelie; reportedly, Queen Titania has eternal hope that her sister will be purged of the darkness and return to summer's light, despite the laws forbidding the return of any Fae who was banished.

## Seelie views on other Cultures

The Fae courts welcome magical creatures of all manner of species, provided one is willing to uphold the laws of the summer court, and wage war with the forces of chaos and destruction. Due to this, many species can be found among their lesser ranks. Additionally, many cultures have maintained good relations with the Seelie court over millennia.

**Nymphs** are viewed as brethren of the Seelie. They call them “meek, peaceful fae that spend their lives tied to the trees in our realm." Due to their nature, they are often less involved in the workings of the Court, but are most exceptional at espionage.

**Solarials** are held in Seelie esteem for their crusade against the shadows, and support them when able.

**Certain Human "Player" Bloodlines** have often made long-standing deals with the Seelie Court in the interest of mutual shared goals and protection of that which is "good." Their shared love of silver-tongued negotiation and finding loopholes is sometimes a bit of a game, though the consequences of such deals can last many generations within the human bloodline, whether an agreement of aid in fighting the Unseelie, a boon of power, an allotment of wildlands for the Seelie Court's use, or a debt of resources.

**The Shadow Realm:** to the realm-hopping Seelie, access to the Niflheim is simple, but rarely do they find such a place pleasant to be. It is a place of darkness and evil, and should a Seelie Fae find themselves there too long, they run the risk of becoming infected by the shadows. They view it as a land that matches the Unseelie, the winter court, and some have their own stories and legends claiming that the whole Shadow Realm was either created by the Unseelie, or is where they should all be banished to.

**The Sentinels**: Recently, the Seelie have found it beneficial to side with those in the Sentinels in the coming storm.

## Relations with Trefoil Academy

The Seelie say, “Adhere to honorable rules, little mortals. It would be sad to mark you among the evil that plagues your species. You may not find us so easy to manage then”.

The Seelie are currently using many student informants to seek out an alliance with the academy. It is unknown if this is for an actual alliance or just to keep the unseelie from allying with us. Either way, if we ally with the Seelie the Unseelie will probably attack us and take revenge due to the war.