Fae

## Beliefs

### **Characteristics**

Fae are entities known for their connection to the Looking Glass Realm. They often exhibit magical or near-magical abilities, and their interactions with humans overlap with death or mischief. They are believed to be minor Divines in the religion of the Mortal Vow.

### **The Looking Glass Realm**

The Looking Glass Realm is the Plane in which Faeries dwell. Parallel to The Mortal Realm there are many ways in which Faeries can cross over, and very few where a Human can cross over into The Looking Glass Realm, both of which include Mist Gates. The Looking Glass Realm takes its name from the the nature of The Looking Glass Realm itself, with its true origin and full power just out of a mortals reach, more often obscured than not. The Looking Glass Realm has gone by many other names throughout the history of Deurlyth including "The Otherworld".

Many stories depict The Realm as the gate between The Mortal Plane and The Realm of the Eternal, many figures have been depicted as the keepers of of said gate, including Éag. Divine of The Eternal.

If a Deurlen person believes in Faeries from this plane, they tend to regard them as Minor Deities. The Divine of the Mortal Vow are noted as having full power over all three realms, doing as they please between them.

## Types

### **Boggart**

A Brownie that grows angry with the human owner of its dwelling becomes a Boggart. Where Brownies clean and help, Boggarts wreck and destroy. Every day a Boggart is left to its own devices, it gets worse and worse. Starting from simple messes, growing to breaking glass and other things, until finally they start fires or push the owner of the building down stairs. They will do anything to drive the human away.

The most extreme Boggarts may end up killing the owner. A Boggart's size will increase with the amount of chaos it creates, but they still avoid being seen. To deal with a Boggart, one must flatter the Faerie until it decides to stop causing chaos, but this method works less and less as they get worse. However, some tales also tell of people successfully trapping a Boggart in a hole, lined with salt and iron, with a large stone placed on the top. The stories say that the Boggarts were successfully lured with a combination of milk and blood. A Brownie that has been a Boggart at any point in time will be more likely to revert to those ways than a Brownie that has been kept happy.

### **Brownies**

Thought to be the smallest of the faeries, the Brownies normally dwell in old buildings. They gravitate more towards those that have been exposed to the Arcane. The Brownies are benevolent, known to do chores around the building they reside in. Brownies have been known to clean and keep hearths warm, and those that grow more comfortable will even begin to cook and fix things. Tales have been told of a very comfortable Brownie setting up a small hole in the wall, and fixing broken objects left before it and preparing food if provided ingredients.

Their appearance is heavily debated by Deurlen Folklorists, as nobody in living memory has actually seen a Brownie. They prefer to avoid sight. It's said that the best way to keep a Brownie happy and content is to praise its work often. They've also been known to enjoy warm milk during the winter, left out in little saucers.

### **Changeling**

Replacing a human child at birth in order to secure their well being, a changeling is the child of a Faerie. Usually dying before the age of three, a Changeling can manifest strange abilities and behavior. If the child does survive through its terrible constitution in the early stages of its life, at the age of twelve the child is usually whisked away by the Faeries and never seen again.

Some stories tell of a basket of sweets and items favored by the child to show up on the doorstep of the surrogate family, and when consumed by the mother the child returns to take the mother to The Looking Glass Realm with them.

There are no stories of a Changeling staying with the surrogate family after the age of twelve however it is debated between the folklorists of the Mortal Vow if this is at all possible.

### **The Cursed**

Mortal souls cursed to walk the realm with terrible disability or new found power with underlying consequences. These people have usually fallen to the wrath of bored or insulted Faeries, cursed for all eternity and it is not known if one can undo such a terrible deed. There are many stories of the origins of The Headless Rider, one being the curse placed upon a mortal who insulted a Faerie and felt its full wrath. Cursed to forever guide other mortals to The Realm of the Eternal, a place they cannot cross into themselves.

### **Dryads**

The Dryad is a rare type of Faerie, as it is uncommon for Faeries to become guilty or depressed due to their close relationship to death and the unknown. Any Faerie can become a Dryad once they lose the will to live, often due to guilt or depression, these traits are said to manifest only in Faeries who have become close with mortals. Once a Faerie begins the transition into becoming a Dryad, they begin to grow moss and lose the ability to move often attaching themselves to trees and wooded areas.

This is described as the transition over to The Mortal Realm, becoming Mortal themselves but continuing to display immense power. Forests with Dryads within are said to be extremely healthy and can live for centuries. It is said that the bark and moss from a Dryad's tree has immense magical power, and can be used as a catalyst in major alchemical concoctions.

### **The Headless Rider**

The terrifying embodiment of the balance between life and death within the Deurlen Faith, primarily appearing as a messenger of death to those who follow the teachings of the faith. When the displaced Volvarians and their Alenthylian brethren first set foot in Deurlyth, many people caught glimpses of a disoriented and far more ruthless Rider. The Headless Rider has not been seen since.

### **Phooka**

The Phooka is a benevolent shapeshifting Faerie which frequents around the wilds of Deurlyth, sometimes making its appearance in small villages or around farms. The Phooka is described as a three foot tall dark furred creature, with the horns of a small deer upon its tiny head displaying a twisted grin on its face. The Phooka is said to have the ability to shapeshift into a variety of animals, namely cows and horses and when in these forms its fur is almost always a dark color.

While The Phooka is dangerous and mischievous, it is rarely heard that a Phooka will attack a human. Rather than injuring them, many Phooka derive pleasure from scaring humans and playing nasty tricks on them. The Phooka is capable of human speech and will sometimes even help humans in time of dire need, such as major droughts or when crops fail. Some Phooka are said to recite riddles to humans and give rewards for answering them correctly.

### **Wendigo**

A beast born from the lust of power and a deal with the Faerie itself, the wendigo is a malevolent faerie. They torment their target's mind, breaking down the will to live and feeding off of the paranoia and flesh of mortal victims. These fae are described as a large creature with some kind of antler or horn, usually the form of an elk, walking on its hind legs with a gutted chest cavity and a long, lolling, bloody tongue. The wendigo has the power to control the weather and perceptions of reality, and will use the memories of their victims against them.

The wendigo can only be seen by those it allows. They are said to be sadistic, loving to torture the minds of it's prey. Feared by the Deurlen, many refuse to speak its name. Sightings and encounters with this faerie is extremely rare. There are some rumors suggesting that something has happened to banish the wendigos, but this remains unconfirmed.

### **Wisp**

A Wisp is a manifestation of a spirit, usually a child's who has become lost on their way to The Realm of the Eternal. After some time, the spirit begins to make its transition into The Looking Glass Realm. Many Wisps who have been sighted appear only in forests, close to loved ones and familiar places such as homes and villages. Wisps are usually reform in their timid behavior and orb like transparent glow, but can differ in color.

### **Wraith**

A debated topic among many Deurlen who have heard the tales, a Wraith is sometimes described as a beautiful maiden dressed in all white and to others it is described as an ugly hag dressed in a gray cloak over a green dress. The Wraith is said to accompany The Headless Rider whenever she is sighted, however rare that may be. Many Deurlen are wary of The Wraith, enough so not to utter the name.

Various stories of The Wraith conclude that when its terrible wailing is heard, someone has died. This signifies the grief and sadness that can accompany ones death as they cross over into The Realm of the Eternal, possibly the origin behind its lesser known name "The Wailing Wraith".