Fey

The definition of “**The** **Fey**” has long troubled scholars. In the west, its a shorthand for any race associated with the Elven Empire, and this definition also spread to the northeast. However, in the south and east, many of these same, or at least similar races get lumped with “Animal Spirits”, “Beast Races”.

The most common traits associated with the fey are:

* strong ties to nature.
* unwillingness to break promises or oaths (though many delight in misleading wording).
* innate, but often whimsical and inconsistent magic.

However, some races not associated with the fey also have some or all of these traits, and many “lesser fey” have none of these traits and merely follow the orders of their masters.

Most scholarly attempts to categorize fey focus on lineage. At the top are certain gods strongly associated with the fey, who in turn are said to be responsible for creating the main Faerie Lords and the True Fey, who in turn created the Lesser Fey. However, even these attempts at categorization are riddled with exceptions.

## The Gods of the Fey

Few true fey worship gods, but most acknowledge that a group of powerful gods were involved in the creation of the universe. There are many distinct creation myths among “fey” cultures, but there are certain reoccurring figures that all seem to have. There is an impartial “earthen” creator god that did much of the initial heavy lifting in the creation of the universe, a somewhat bipolar creator god (or perhaps two separate gods) associated with creating both magic and life (and the fey in particular), and a series of imposter gods who slipped in from other universes.

A common belief among the true fey is that they (and perhaps certain similar entities) were the original creations of the creator gods, and other races are just lesser copies of themselves, creations of the Faerie Lords, or creations of the imposter gods.

The line between the gods and the most powerful of the Faerie Lords can be somewhat blurry, with some Faerie Lords demanding to be treated like gods, and other Faerie Lords being added to the theology of certain cultures whether they ask for it or not.

## The Faerie Lords

Another confusing term for many, it is often used by Azanese influenced cultures to describe any individual from the Elven Empires or various successor states who has enough political sway to be the equivalent to a senior Azanese noble. However, in the northwest it is usually used to describe a select group of magical beings whose powers range from “powerful wizard” to “demi-god”. Essentially immortal and often one-of-a-kind, they dominated politics in the northwest for millennia, and remain powerful to this day. Some of the oldest are said to have been directly created by the gods, but most were likely created by other Fairie Lords, via a range resource intensive rituals.

The most powerful magic wielded by Faerie Lords is their ability to manipulate the forces of nature. Some have created entirely new ecosystems over wide areas, or created whole new races. Although some wizards can be said to have done the same thing, the creation magic of the Faerie Lords is often innate rather than learned, and in some cases is subconscious.

Faerie Lords are typically treated with great respect by their followers, which often crosses the line into outright worship. This is done for a range of reasons, including:

* The Faerie Lord is seen as a paragon for a certain set of behaviors, ideals, etc.
* Faerie Lords can grant powers to their most favored followers, and lots of brown-nosing increases the chances of being one of said favored followers.
* Some Faerie Lords are more fond of tampering with the physical forms of their followers than others, and have essentially created new races, and therefore seen as creator gods by said races.
* Some Faerie Lords seem to have influence over death itself and are said to be able to reincarnate followers, though concrete evidence of this is hard to find.
* Some of the most tyrannical Faerie Lords simply expect it, so not being sufficiently worshipful is bad for one's long term health.

## The True Fey

The True Fey see themselves as the first living creations of the creator gods. They are effectively immortal, and often very hard to kill, though luckily few in number and seemingly unable to reproduce with their own kind (but some can reproduce with other races, creating mortal half-breeds in the process). Like the Faerie Lords, creating new ones typically involves divine invention or resource intensive rituals. They often have innate magical abilities, which can blur the lines between True Fey and Faerie Lord in some cases. The line between True Fey and Lesser Fey is also blurry, as some True Fey physically resemble a race of Lesser Fey. There are many types of True Fey, most of which are exceedingly rare or one of a kind, but certain traits are relatively common, allowing some to be lumped into the below categories:

- **Dryads and Ents** – Tree-like fey of varying shapes and sizes, they can be found in many parts of the world, though are most common in Elfwood. They are often very loyal to a particular Faerie Lord, which can lead to a wide range of motives and behaviors. However, even the friendliest are dangerous when their favorite forests are threatened, while others are extremely territorial, or even sadistic predators. Aside from their own innate durability and strength, they often have innate magical control over the movement and growth of branches, vines, or grasses, which can make them even more dangerous on their home terrain.

- **Hags** – Sadistic and cynical fey resembling ugly woman (though many can disguise themselves with illusions), they can be found in many parts of the world and have a number of subraces adapted to specific climates, though are mostly found in the northern third of the continent. They are almost always unseelie fey, and most see the dark goddess of magic Murga as their creator (or equivalent depending on their culture), though many lesser hags were created by stronger hags via rituals, and others were created by rituals developed by the Bog-Witch and the Demon Lord Gogotha instead. In some areas, particularly the Bog-Witch’s territory, the terms “hag” and “witch” are used interchangeably.

- **Nymphs** – Fey that resemble stunningly attractive women and have an affinity for water. Sirens and rusalka are closely related. Nymphs range from friendly to murderous depending on personality, culture, and affiliation. They are almost always innately magical, with a specialization in mind controlling enchantments.