Fasithe

Physical Map of Fasithe

Fasithe is a region of the Western Forest in Tirónar that functions as the semi-permanent residence of a group of Fae Folk and their human following in the Mortal Realm, which goes by the same name. Fasithe is run by a fae being known as Nate.

## History

### Before the Modern Era

Little is known about the origins of Fasithe or their history prior to the Modern Era. Waldren had no interactions with the group, and it’s hard to tell whether ancient records of Fae Folk are directly related to this specific body of Fae.

### Modern Era

In the aftermath of Waldren’s departure from Tirónar, Fasithe slowly began to make itself known to other nations. Its leader, who refers to himself as Nate, has expressed a desire to coexist peacefully alongside human kingdoms. Despite the rumors, the Fae being who runs this so-called “cult” is very amiable. By his own account, Nate had always been fascinated by humans and their customs, especially around the art of music and singing, and decided to create a place where he could take part in this mortal tradition. Of course, being Fae, Nate’s singing has a bit of an… effect… on people- the old tales would probably consider him a siren- and he rapidly gained a following of mortals who were passionate about the music he created alongside them.

However, despite the creative intentions of Nate himself, a dark influence began to grow on the sidelines. Two other members of the Fae were jealous of the influence Nate had in the mortal realm and decided to steal his followers for themselves. One called himself Natemare, in mockery of Nate himself, and desired a group of mortals to torture and toy with for his own entertainment. The other was known as Phantom, and simply wanted followers, slaves, worshipers… you get the idea. These two have formed a symbiotic relationship to prey on Nate’s followers and get the power they desire.

Little is known about how this scheme works, as few have returned to tell the tale and those who do die shortly afterward. However, we do know the basics:

Phantom promises his followers the power to have anything and everything they desire. This is the true cult of Fasithe. These people will follow him everywhere, convinced that someday, if they are loyal enough, he will give them what they seek. As a member of the Fae, such promises hold extreme moral weight, and indeed, Phantom follows through with his promise…

…by eventually trapping his followers in a weird, intermediate dimension between the Fae Realm and the Mortal Realm that no one really understands. Our best guess is that these dimensions are somewhat like Fae Gardens, but somehow closer to the Fae Realm than the Mortal Realm. Mortals can’t die within this dimension, but time, space, and basically all of reality is absolutely screwed in there. This dimension is so inundated with magic that the people trapped within have powers far beyond what is possible in the Mortal Realm. In this way, Phantom does keep his promise and gets a cult full of loyal followers to boot.

Meanwhile, Natemare uses this dimension as his personal plaything, toying with the souls inside and turning their greatest desires into a slow descent into madness. He plants ideas of power into the heads of some of his victims, causing them to use their powers to harass the others trapped with them. Apparently, this megalomania manifests itself in a massive murder maze, which these souls control to make the lives of their companions a living hell. Others, Natemare kites around with ideas of hope, freedom, power, only to laugh as it leads them into another trap. According to the few who have escaped, it’s impossible from within to discern his influence at work. To most of the people in this dimension, this insanity is simply normal.

This partnership works brilliantly for these two Fae. Natemare gets a plaything to toy with within the dimension, while Phantom gets a cult following outside of it.

Thankfully, another member of the Fae, going by the name Paultin, has joined Nate in an effort to stop Phantom and Natemare’s schemes. As a member of the Fae, he can pass back and forth between these dimensions with ease, heroically attempting to aid or rescue the mortals caught within Phantom’s trap. Sometimes he brings other Fae Folk with him to help! However, anyone who escapes from Phantom’s cult, either before or after they’re trapped, will die soon afterward under mysterious circumstances. After all, Fae folk are particularly nitpicky about keeping promises and agreements, and the death penalty would probably be considered an appropriate punishment for breaking one.

And then sometimes, Natemare decides to go after Paultin himself…

## Geography

### Major Regions

Fasithe is deep into the Western Forest, but there is no hard-locked location for Fasithe, since the people are semi-nomadic.

## Culture

### Language

Fae can speak all languages, so I'm assuming there is a very mixed language basket.

### Food Source

Whatever you can find in the Western Forest.

## Foreign Relations

### Opinions

Many people believe that all of Fasithe is a cult, which gives them a bad view of the place. And, of course, there ARE dark influences in Fasithe. Unfortunately, there’s next to nothing any of the other kingdoms can do about this situation. Fasithe is located deep within the unexplored reaches of the Western Forest, and if that wasn’t enough, they’re semi-nomadic, traveling from place to place within the trees. It’d be nearly impossible to track them down, and *definitely* impossible to do anything about the cult if we did. What are we gonna do? Stab the beings of pure magic and hope they go away permanently like mortals do when their fleshy soul-container breaks too much?

Plus, Phantom and Natemare only prey on Nate’s followers, so the entire conflict is fundamentally internal, and therefore, not our problem. Especially when something that *is* trying to prey upon the people beyond the forest has been threatening Duilintinn for the past two decades…