Fae - The History of the Fae

The race known as Fae, or Faerie, have been around since anyone can remember. They are an ancient race that predates many of the other species besides humans. Fae began to exist right around the same time that humanity began, though neither race seems to be able to agree on when, where, and how their own species started. The Fae were born of nature and magic, and split into two courts: Seelie and Unseelie.

.The Seelie were those Fae who specialized in the lighter side of magic. They enjoyed spending their days dancing in the sunlight and helping nature to grow. They often teased and played with the humans as if they were dolls or pets, though they could certainly have a ruthless side. They were impish and beautiful, but dangerous, and sometimes even deadly. They were ruled over by a strong king, who has been their leader for millennia. The Seelie Fae developed food and drinks to ensnare humans and animals, forcing them to stay in their world of Underhill for as long as they wished. They were joyful, sweet beings, and yet they were also frightening.

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The Unseelie were those Fae who specialized in the darker side of magic. They enjoyed spending their days snoozing in the sunlight so that they could dance under the moonlight. Their magic made the night come alive as they protected nature and helped the nocturnal wildlife to thrive. The Unseelie were just as beautiful as their sunlit counterparts, though their beauty carried with it a certain mystery and danger. They were harsh, gorgeous beings who could be as charming as they were devious, and their queen was no different. The Unseelie were notorious for their deviousness and trickery, for their malice and the darkness that seemed to swell within them. The Unseelie often found great fun in what they could do to others.

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Both courts lived in the Fae world of Underhill, a different dimension from the surface world of the humans, for countless centuries, thriving in their own culture. They would come and go from the human world as they pleased, sometimes dragging humans and animals along with them, but once a human passed the walls of Underhill, they were rarely permitted to return to the surface. The surface presented all kinds of dangers to the Fae, but most often in the form of humans who would try to capture them and perform blood sacrifices in order to gain their powers. This would always end badly, of course, and the humans would end up turning into monsterous undead creatures of nightmare. Underhill was much safer, and when the Fae were together in a group, their power became stronger. Most of them preferred to live in the realm of the Faerie to avoid the dangers of the surface world, and enjoyed their lavish lifestyles. But even though trouble was rising on the surface, the Fae began to grow tired of their world and their king and queen’s rule.

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The Seelie grew bored with their king, and the Unseelie lost interest in their queen’s activities. They began to wish for a world where they could not be ruled by their royalty - where they did not have to serve their king and queen, and where they could make their own decisions and rule their own lives.

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One day, the group of Seelie and the group of Unseelie who felt most discontent decided they would leave Underhill for good. They teamed up and escaped the world of the Fae, bursting into the surface of a great wilderness. It would be here that they would settle down, in this place of green trees and wild flowers, the sounds of the river lapping against boulders not far off. This would be the place they would call home.

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Working together, the Seelie and Unseelie closed off the entrance to Underhill so that none could return through the portal, and no one else could follow them. They did not wish for their king and queen to discover the paradise they would build for themselves. So, after the portal closed, the Seelie planted and grew a great willow tree that would forever seal the portal to Underhill. The magic that flowed from the entrance was so great that it infused with the tree, turning each leaf of the willow’s branches into tiny, twinkling stars of light. The bark of the tree morphed and warped with scars, each of the Seelies’ incantations scrawled across it in raised lines of Fae’len, so that only the other Fae would know what this place was:

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“Here marks the place of our birth. And here marks the place of our freedom.”.

The Unseelie thought the tree would not be enough to dissuade the more adamant from attempting to enter, so they constructed a massive maze of bushes and thistles, placing the willow in the very center and extending the labyrinth out as far as they thought necessary. Only a Fae would be able to navigate its passages. The magic imbued in the labyrinth would turn others away, or confuse their paths until they were utterly lost and would die looking for the willow tree.

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Now, they would be safe from their king and queen following them. Now, they could construct their own home - a little safe haven - and protect it from the outside world. This would be the secret of the Fae, and soon, the secret of others as well.

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The symbol for the Seelie is a sunflower, opening toward the sun, representing their desire to turn toward a new beginning for their kind. The symbol for the Unseelie is a willow tree, wrapped in thorns, representing their memories and that symbolizing that they will not forget what life they came from.