Children of Oberon

The Children of Oberon are one of the Three Races, and the most mysterious and magical.

They are also known as "Oberon's Children", the **Third Race** (by the Gargoyles), the **Fair Folk** (by the Scots), the **Sidhe** (by the Irish), and the **Dark Elves** (by the Vikings).

The lord of the race is Oberon himself.

They are the origin of many of humanity's legends about faeries, elves, and other otherworldly beings, including even some of the gods of mythology.

## Nature

Oberon's Children are beings of pure magic, not flesh and blood, although, as shape-shifters, they can assume human, gargoyle or animal bodies at will.

Indeed, to speak of their biology is utterly inaccurate, since they have none as we understand it.

They may not even have any true forms, as we understand them, but merely forms that they assume more often than others.

The Fair Folk are immortal, or at least, close to it.

None of them have died of old age as yet, although it is not an impossibility for the remote future.

They can be slain, but only with considerable difficulty.

Indeed, a Child of Oberon may appear to be slain, only to reappear later alive, as has already been the case for the Banshee and Anansi on the Avalon World Tour. *("The Hound of Ulster", "Mark of the Panther")*

Whether any of the Third Race have already perished permanently through battle is uncertain, although rumor has it that some of the Aesir branch of the Third Race, including Thor and Loki, were slain in a battle that became the original of Ragnarok in Norse mythology.

They are, more or less, an ageless race as well; they can take on any apparent age that they choose - as the Weird Sisters have already demonstrated - but it is only an apparent age.

They can even appear to look different to two or more observers at the same time, such as when Macbeth saw the Weird Sisters as three old human women at the same time Demona saw them as three ancient female gargoyles (it should also be noted that at that time they appeared in a third form, that of three young women in robes to observers of the scene). *("City of Stone" Part Three, "City of Stone" Part Four)*

Oberon's Children use words to focus their magic when casting spells, with rhyming being particularly helpful (for anyone less powerful than Lord Oberon himself).

Nevertheless, they all possess strong magical abilities, although the exact nature of these varies from each individual to the next.

There are "categories" among them, not only in terms of mythology (such as the Aesir), but also in terms of function.

Some of the Third Race, such as Anubis and Odin, are "death-gods", others, such as Puck, Raven, Anansi, and Coyote, are tricksters, and so on.

This bent (the result of the Third Race being tied to the pure magic of the Earth) apparently determines much of an individual's precise abilities and modus operandi.

Thus, a "death-god" can bring about the death of a mortal life-form or even accelerate or reverse its aging processes, while a trickster will specialize in magical pranks.

The preferred climate of the Child of Oberon in question seems to also serve as a factor; Odin, who primarily resides in Scandinavia when in the human world, can conjure up snowstorms and take on the form of a polar bear. *("Eye of the Storm]", "The Gathering" Part One)*It is possible that some Children of Oberon may have certain precognitive abilities, but likely with limitations.

The Third Race do sleep and are capable of dreaming, though not as much as mortals do.

They also do require food for energy, but what Oberon's Children would consider to be food is unknown at this time.

The Third Race have at least one great shared vulnerability: wrought (or "cold") iron.

Their magic cannot affect it directly, and a Child of Oberon bound by iron chains is powerless to escape them unless released by someone else. (Such fates have befallen Puck and the Weird Sisters in the chronicles; Coyote was likewise rendered a prisoner when trapped inside Coyote 4.0, who was made from iron melted down from the Cauldron of Life.) *("The Mirror", "Avalon" Part Three, "Cloud Fathers")*

A Child of Oberon wounded by iron, as Oberon was by Petros Xanatos's harpoon, will wither and age dramatically, and the sound of an iron bell can incapacitate a Child of Oberon and even, if prolonged, kill him or her. *("The Gathering" Part Two, "Ill Met By Moonlight")*

As has been said before, the Third Race are natural shape-shifters, and can (apparently) take on any form that they please.

While they are genuinely in a mortal body, however, (be it human, gargoyle, or animal), they are subject to all the restrictions of that form.

Thus, Puck, while in Owen Burnett's body, can use no magic (except to change back into Puck).

There is a consolation in that, coincidentally enough, a member of the Third Race will not be weakened by iron when they have taken the form of a mortal.

While in mortal form, the Fair Folk can have children with mortals of the species whose form they have taken. These "halfling" offspring often inherit a certain measure of their Third Race parent's nature, although this varies from individual to individual.

Merlin, the halfling son of Oberon, was one of the greatest wizards of all time, while Fox, the halfling daughter of Titania, has virtually no Third Race magic in her due to her having been raised strictly as a human (only using her powers once, under uttermost stress, to strike out at Oberon when he attempted to kidnap Alexander). *("The Gathering" Part Two)*

Most unusual of halflings are the New Olympians, although they are another story, discussed more properly in their own entry.

## Culture

Oberon's Children are governed through a sort of feudal system; indeed, their own feudalism may have become the inspiration for European feudalism.

Oberon rules over the rest of the Fair Folk.

The more powerful figures of the Third Race, such as Odin, serve as his vassals, and each one in turn has lesser Children of Oberon beneath him, such as the other Aesir under Odin.

But ultimately, all of the Children are subject to Oberon.

For the most part, Third Race society seems to be relatively informal.

While on Avalon, they engage in various activities, including small battles (such as that between Odin and the Banshee) and contests of various sorts.

The attitudes of Oberon's Children towards mortals vary.

Some, such as the Weird Sisters, Raven, Anansi, and the Banshee treat them poorly, viewing them with scorn or contempt, often behaving as if humans and gargoyles were only playthings or nuisances.

Others have been more benevolent or at least indifferent, such as Grandmother] Coyote, the Lady of the Lake, and Anubis.

Oberon himself fluctuates; he decreed that the Third Race was not to directly interfere in the lives of mortals, but will bend that law himself if he sees fit (as in kidnapping Alexander).

While the majority of Oberon's Children may indeed fall more into the "scornful" than the "helpful" element, it would be inaccurate and misleading to place them all in one category.

Oberon's Children have Avalon for their primary home, but many of them have local residences in the outside world, such as Asgard for Odin and the other Aesir.

## Known Faes

* Anansi
* Anubis
* Banshee
* Coyote
* Grandmother
* Green Knight
* Isis
* Lady of the Lake
* Mab
* Morgana le Fay
* Nought
* Oberon
* Odin
* Osiris
* Puck
* Raven
* Set
* Sleipnir
* Titania
* Weird Sisters

It is also possible that Pegasus, a centaur, a giant and a giantess are faes, too.

## Known Half-Breeds

* Alexander Fox Xanatos
* Janine "Fox" Renard
* Merlin
* The changeling boy from A Midsummer Night's Dream

## Powers, Skills & Abilities

Common abilities of the Third Race are:

* Shapeshifting
* Spell casting
* Teleportation
* Control over the power they are connected with.