Fey Courts

The **Fey Courts** are the three groups or factions of Fey who rule over each land in the Feywild. Each court is ruled by a Queen, and usually has a number of Princes, Princesses, Lords, and Ladies loyal to their ruler. Loyalties are subject to change however.

Sometimes, powerful Fey (like all of the ones listed below) will offer a mortal power in exchange for service, making them a warlock under the Pact of the Archfey.

## Fey Society and Archfey Hierarchy

The intricate tapestry of Fey society is a world apart from the structured political systems of mortals. Fey, encompassing various species with diverse temperaments and alignments, do not form large-scale governments or conventional communities. Instead, their hierarchy is a complex weave of personal connections, loyalty, life debts, friendships, oaths, family ties, and countless other factors. In the Feywild, a single sentence may hold multiple meanings, known only to those who understand the intricate context of the speaker's life and relationships, which can span centuries.

Some exceptional fey, through adept political maneuvering, personal power, manipulation, and even occasional acts of treachery, rise above the rest and command the loyalty of a diverse group of followers. These remarkable fey are known as Archfey and are often considered rulers of the Feywild. However, loyalty among fey is a fluid concept, and while many may follow an Archfey, others remain independent or change allegiances.

The Archfey operate independently, and alliances, rivalries, marriages, and relationships between them are commonplace. Among the Archfey, the three sisters—Titania, Medbh, and The Queen of Air and Darkness—stand as the most powerful figures, with many Archfey pledging allegiance to one of these three. Those who do not follow them are referred to as "wild fey." It's important to note that Archfey can only swear loyalty to one of the three sisters at a time, although this allegiance may shift over time. Regular fey, on the other hand, can be members of multiple Archfey courts, leading to loyalties with more than one sister.

The archfey act independently of one another and alliances, rivalries, marriages, and relationships between archfey are very common. Amongst the archfey the three sisters Titania, Medb and The Queen of Air and Darkness are by far the most powerful and most archfey are loyal to one of these three. Archfey who do not follow one of these three are referred to as wild fey. *(To be clear, archfey can only be loyal to one of the three sisters although their allegiance could change over time. Normal fey can be a member of several archfey’s courts and so could have loyalties to more than one of the sisters.)*. Archfey loyal to Titania are said to be in the Summer Court, those loyal to Medb are in the Winter Court, and those loyal to The Queen of Air and Darkness are in the Unseelie Court.

## Philosophical Divide

The division between the three sisters initially stemmed from philosophical disagreements regarding the purpose of life and how one should spend their time. Initially, this disagreement played out through friendly competition, with Archfey striving to demonstrate the superiority of their way of life through tournaments, grand deeds, and gaining the support of influential fey.

However, the Queen of Air and Darkness grew increasingly frustrated with her sisters and resorted to violence to enforce her beliefs. Seeking support from the devils of Baator, she launched a war against her siblings, which nearly devastated the Feywild and had repercussions across the planes as the natural world itself teetered on the brink of destruction. Following a long and bloody conflict, the Queen of Air and Darkness and her supporters were banished to the Feydark—the Feywild's equivalent of the underdark—and their names were erased from the universe, leaving only their titles.

In the wake of this conflict, relations between the two remaining sisters, Titania and Medb, grew strained, casting a shadow over the Feywild's intricate balance of power..

## The Summer Court

The Summer Court is a place of beauty, warmth, abundance and pleasure. The archfey of this court are focused first on enjoying themselves. Beauty, wit and charm are the most important aspects for the Summer Archfey. Mortals aren’t accepted in the Summer Court except as trophies. A beautiful mortal or an exceptional musician may be invited (or kidnapped) to a court and briefly doted upon until they become bored and move onto the next thing at which point the mortal is hopefully returned to the mortal world but more often simply abandoned. When interacting with a party of mortals and/or a warlock a Summer Archfey would seek entertainment. The quests they give would revolve around things they find interesting or fun. This doesn’t mean the tasks will be easy or safe, in fact they may be deadly for mortals but the archfey would see it as a success if the deaths were sufficiently entertaining. Annoying a Summer Archfey is a bad idea as if they tire of someone’s company they will likely transform them into something more entertaining. Major archfey of this court include:

### Titania the Maiden of Summer

Titania can change appearance at will but usually appears as a beautiful eladrin maiden with hair which looks to be made of gold. She generally wears simple but finely made clothes, a circlet of woven leaves, and carries a wand made of beech wood. She can usually be found waited on by nymphs and other beautiful female fey in forest clearings. She is also closely associated with swans, does, and stoats. She possesses extreme skill at illusion and enchantment magic along with a great deal of skill at diplomacy. She is also able to move far quicker than any mortal and has a much greater degree of strength than would be expected from her slight frame.

Titania keeps her emotions carefully guarded and around mortals will rarely show more than a slight smile when amused or a frown when angry. It is almost impossible to read her true feelings or predict her actions. She rarely intervenes in the goings on of the Feywild directly, preferring to watch the dramas and conflicts of her followers, discussing the highs and lows with her attendants in the way a modern person might discuss a reality TV show. Where she does have to intervene, she prefers subtlety, a word in the correct ear or the organising of a “coincidental” meeting between two fey. It is heavily debated between scholars whether Titania is orchestrating some long term, hidden, complex scheme or simply making it up as she goes along.

When interacting with the party and/or warlocks Titania will give quests that generally require more brains than brawn and will usually have benevolent aims to either help fey who are in trouble or to reclaim items stolen from the Feywild by mortals.

### Oberon the Lord of the Green Wood

Oberon takes the form of a tall, muscular sprite with dragonfly wings. He usually wears a kilt of dark green material and a cloak of golden fur and carries a huge oak spear and a longbow. He is accompanied by the most physical of the Summer Fey, mainly sprites, centaurs, satyrs and eladrin. He rides on a giant elk and is accompanied by eagles, lions and other majestic beasts. Oberon is an incredibly skilled physical combatant and rarely uses magic although he is skilled at nature magic when he choses to be.

In contrast to Titania, Oberon freely displays his emotions. He is generally boisterous and loud, quick to laugh but also with a fiery temper. He spends most of his time engaging in contests of strength and skill with others in his court or with the archfey of other courts. He is constantly on the move, seeking out new challenges and opportunities to earn glory for himself and his court.

When interacting with the party and/or warlocks Oberon provides quests that allow the party to prove their glory and might through combat or competition. He prefers problems that can be solved head on rather than through trickery or stealth.

### Verenestra the Daughter of Delight

Verenestra is the daughter of Titania and Oberon and is the most attractive of the Summer Archfey. Her form changes to most closely match the observer’s ideas of physical beauty. Her clothing also frequently changes to move with fashion and to complement her current appearance as much as possible. She carries a wand made of cherry wood and often wears a circlet of cherry blossom. She is accompanied by nymphs and pixies although only the most beautiful are allowed in her presence. Her beauty is further amplified by illusion and enchantment magic, in particular she possesses an aura that causes all but the strongest minded to fall in love with her when in her presence.

Verenestra appears very shallow, spending her time at balls and social events at different courts and talking and gossiping about the social lives of the fey however she possesses an incredibly sharp mind and her court is the most well informed of all the Summer Courts. She frequently informs her mother and father of developments in the courts allowing them to maintain an overview of what is going on throughout the Feywild.

Verenestra rarely interacts with mortals finding them ugly and boring.

### Dagda the Jolly

Dagda is one of the oldest archfey dating from long before the split between the courts. He appears as a portly, red faced eladrin with small, feathered wings. He generally wears finely made but simple tunics and has long, braided hair and beard and a small wand of maple wood. He welcomes all his feasts and so is usually accompanied by a wide range of creatures from across the planes. He can magically create delicious food and drink using a huge, claw footed cauldron, he is also supernaturally bound to offer hospitality to all who request it from him. If someone breaches the rules of hospitality when in his presence, he is incredibly strong and can go into a form of berserker rage which complements his natural strength and toughness.

Dagda is usually jolly and will listen with interest to any tales people bring to him. His love of hospitality shines through at the many balls, feast, and banquets he organises. He generally stays out of fey politics, allowing any who come to his hall to feast with him as long as they obey the rules of hospitality.

In his interactions with mortals Dagda will be friendly and hospitable. Quests he give will likely revolve around finding entertainments or rare ingredients for his feats. On occasion he may also charge mortals with tracking down and exacting vengeance on those who break the rules of hospitality.

### Robin Goodfellow

The origins and race of Robin Goodfellow are unknown. They may be a fiend bound into service by long forgotten pacts, they may be one of the Unseelie Fey, twisted by some dark deal, or the might be a unique species of fey. They appear as a small, purple skinned creature with short, curled horns, bat wings, a long cat-like tail, and bird’s legs. They usually wear a small dirty loincloth with pockets filled with potions and powders. Robin Goodfellow does not fit with the beautiful, proud Summer Archfey but has somehow avoided being banished from the courts for several millennia. They are not powerful compared to the other archfey but are still far above most mortals. They are particularly gifted in alchemy and can fly incredibly fast.

Robin Goodfellow is incredibly mercurial and loves puns, wordgames and riddles. They will talk around points and attempt to befuddle and confuse their listeners wherever they can. Robin spends most of their time with Oberon acting as a jester and confidant to Oberon however Robin Goodfellow has also been seen at Dagda’s feasts and travelling with Hyrsam (a wild fey). Robin also visits the Winter Court and may visit the Unseelie acting as an intermediary between the warring factions. What Robin Goodfellow’s aims are and whether they are good or ill is unknown.

Robin Goodfellow interacts heavily with mortals, often playing apparently harmless pranks and games for their own amusement but sometimes acting more officially on behalf of an archfey. Many of their quests involve stealing or otherwise obtaining rare ingredients or magical items for them but others will simply cause mischief, either for the party or for powerful mortals, or both.

### The Dawn Fey

The Dawn Fey are a council of five esteemed duchesses within the Summer Court. They serve as Queen Titania's most trusted advisors, wield her authority in her absence, and their leader, the Duchess of Dawn holds a significant position, being the next in line to ascend to the throne of the Summer Court should Titania ever fall from grace. *For more information on this group please see Dawn Fey.*

#### The Duchess of Dawn

Leader of the Dawn Fey and next in line to the throne of the Summer Court, The Duchess of Dawn is an easily offended and uptight noble who appears as a Spring Eladrin. It was after offending the Duchess of Dawn that Althea and Amity had to flee the Feywild and come to the material plane.

#### The Duchess of Wrath

The manifestation of the fury of faeries throwing a tantrum, the Duchess of Wrath is a quick tempered and violent fey who appears as an Ignisar Eladrin.

#### The Duchess of the Harvest Moon

A loyal and devoted follower of Dawn, the Duchess of the Harvest Moon is a quiet and reserved fey who appears as an Autumn Eladrin.

#### The Duchess of Mountains and Rivers

A stone cold and unfeeling bitch, the Duchess of Mountains and Rivers is the ice princess of the dawn fey and appropriately appears as a Cryonix Eladrin.

#### The Duchess of Starlight

A beautiful and elegant princess, the Duchess of Starlight, who also happens to be the mother of Althea, is a noble and honourable Fey who appears as a Stellara Eladrin.

## The Winter Court

Medb formed the Winter Court which is very pragmatic, and survival focussed. Any creature is welcome in the Winter Court so long as they have some skill that can contribute to the survival and strength of the court of the whole. Many of them are also warriors involved in a war to prevent the Unseelie Court from escaping from the Feydark and regaining its strength. In their interactions with mortals winter archfey will give quests that provide resources to the archfey or that weaken their enemies. Major archfey of this court include:

### Medb the Whisperer

Medb spends much of her time invisible but when she chooses to she appears as a diminutive pixie riding on the back of a spider. She carries a wand of willow wood and a small pouch of coins made of black metal as well as a silver mirror. She is often seen in the presence of Banríon the Mother and is also strongly associated with black cats, bats, and ravens. Medb is incredibly knowledgeable about goings on throughout the planes and can use her silver mirror and coins to create and monitor vast networks of unwitting spies.

Medb is generally cold and indifferent to those she speaks with. She is always seeking an edge in a conversation, attempting to extract information from those she speaks to whilst giving nothing away. She is always worried about betrayals and conspiracies being levelled against her and so spends most of her time gathering information. Her avatars ride throughout the planes granting people dreams of their greatest desires and deepest secrets as a means to understand what they may be planning. They also take teeth, nail clippings and hair from mortals, leaving behind a black coin. Anyone who takes this coin becomes permanently bonded to Medb who can then see through their eyes and call upon their service if required.

Medb will work with mortals to gain information although she will try and persuade them to take one of her black coins and thus bind themselves to her service. She will give out quests around gathering information, sabotaging other intelligence networks, and tricking key people into taking her black coins.

### Laochra the Bloodied

Laochra is the soldier of the Winter Fey. He appears as a 10 foot tall eladrin in shining silver armour stained red with blood His entire body is scarred and burned from millennia of war. He carries a sword, and a spear and shield made of alder wood and is accompanied by a host of fey warriors. His skill in both physical and magical combat is peerless amongst the fey.

Laochra is almost permanently surly and focused on his next battle. He is polite and respectful to those who prove themselves to be skilled warriors however he shows only contempt to those who chose not to fight and is incredibly hostile to any who support the Unseelie Fey, generally killing them on sight. While he can sometimes be found at the courts of other Winter Archfey he spends most of his time patrolling the border of the Feydark and launching raids and sorties against the Unseelie Fey, particularly against his twin brother the Prince of Frost.

In his interactions with mortals, he will give quests which weaken the Unseelie Fey and their proxies. He may also give quests to acquire magical weapons that he can use to equip his ever growing armies.

### Banríon the Mother

Banríon is an ancient archfey and a veteran of the first war between the three courts. She appears as an aged but incredibly tough female redcap dressed in a red cap and leather apron and she carries a spiked club and made of buckthorn. In combat she is vicious and inflicts injuries gleefully, attempting to cause as much pain as possible.

Banríon is quick to anger and incredibly violent but also fiercely loyal to Medb. In conversation with her anyone who insults her or Queen Medb will rapidly find themselves in a lot of pain however those who help her are well rewarded and she has a strict sense of fairness. As one of the few fey Medb trusts Banríon is very close to Medb and acts as Medb’s enforcer. Outside of her work for Medb Banríon spends her time expanding her influence, demanding tribute in return for protecting fey from danger. Fey who decline her protection often find themselves being attacked by redcaps the very next day and this continues until they chose to accept Banríon’s help.

In her interactions with mortals she will look for opportunities to push her own and Medb’s agenda. This may include asking mortals to carry out an assassination of someone Medb has identified as dangerous or it may involve “reminding” a town that they owe Banríon a tribute.

### Dian Cécht

Dian Cécht is a skilled healer and often appears as a kindly satyr carrying a goblet and a staff made of myrtle and accompanied by a Caldrius *(a mythical snow white bird that absorbs illness)*. He can heal any injury and cure any ill but he cannot restore lost limbs, instead crafting metal replacements for any injuries.

Dian Cécht is a great healer but is also incredibly prideful and vain. He will not heal anyone for free and will only heal those he deems worth his time. Questioning his skill as a healer or surpassing his healing skill will arise his anger and he will likely poison or behead anyone who does so. Providing a service to him or his followers may persuade them to heal you but their prices are usually steep.

In his interactions with mortals Dian Cécht will ask them to aid in his research of new medicines. This research is usually difficult and dangerous such as bringing him back undead specimens to experiment upon or going into building which he knows are filled with deadly traps so he can attempt to piece you back together afterwards and thus learn more about what makes you tick. He may also have new medicines he wants to test on the party which will likely have both beneficial and harmful effects.

### Gaibhne the Builder

Gaibhne is a young archfey who originally served under Laochra the Bloodied. He appears as a stocky Korred and carries a huge hammer with him at all times. He is a skilled warrior relying on his strength in physical combat.

Gaibhne is an exceptional smith and forges most of the Winter Court’s magical weapons and armour. He is solitary, preferring his forge and mine to the company of other fey but he is generally amicable and happy to help anyone who finds his forges.

While Gaibhne rarely seeks out mortals he will happily help those who summon him. His quests will usually revolve around gathering rare materials or accessing special forges to improve his craftsmanship even further.

## The Unseelie Court

The Unseelie Court still exists deep in the Feydark. As part of the spell that stripped them of their names the Unseelie Fey are unable to leave the Feydark although the archfey are able to project avatars to communicate with those outside of the Feydark. The centuries deep underground and constant dealings with fiends have twisted the fey of the Unseelie Court, warping their minds and bodies. They are willing to consider any deal or action that will help them return to the surface in triumph although they are hampered in this aim by constant raids and skirmishes organised by Loach the bloodied and his allies. The Unseelie Fey will kill or torture mortals who fall into their clutches purely for entertainment unless the mortals are able to offer a compelling reason that the archfey should spare them. All archfey in this court had their names removed from the universe after their defeat and so go only by their titles. Major archfey of this court include:

### The Queen of Air and Darkness

The Queen of the Unseelie Court appears as a dark haired, pale eladrin with sharpened teeth and wings made of shadow. When in direct sunlight her body appears faint and gauzy. She wears a crown of black metal and a dress made of pure shadow. She wields a wand made of yew and a dagger made of blue flames. She can chose to appear out of any shadow and is a skilled necromancer and can manipulate emotions with ease.

The Queen seeks to conquer the Feywild and schemes constantly towards these ends. Her court lacks the power to directly confront the other two courts and so she seeks allies wherever she can, striking deals with devils, and demons as well as with the fomorians and with other disaffected fey such as Hyrsam.

The Queen will seek any who can aid her in retaking the Feywild. As such she will happily command powerful mortals on quests either to gather powerful magical items or to kill servants of other archfey who she considers enemies.

### The Prince of Frost

The Prince was once a handsome warrior and twin of Lpach. In the war between the courts he made deals with two demon lords to grant him the power to kill his brother. This deal deformed him causing spikes and thorns to sprout from his body. He tends to forgo weapons and armour and is generally accompanied by armies of formorians and sometimes minor demons.

The Prince has lost most of his sanity and generally simply charges into battle relying on his vast strength to tear apart his foes. He is entirely loyal to the Queen of Air and Darkness and he is generally found attacking any fey who stray too close to his realm.

The Prince will generally kill any mortal foolish enough to come near him but occasionally his former intelligence shines through and he will ally with mortals willing to attack his enemies.

### The White Rose

The White Rose’s appearance is unknown. She appears rarely, preferring to act from the shadows. When she is seen she wears a white veil and long robes which entirely disguise her appearance. She carries a single white rose which contains an infinite amount of poison. She also carries hundreds of daggers concealed within her robes. She almost always acts alone or with the aid of mice which are the only living things she shows any compassion towards. She is the only Unseelie Fey able to leave the Feydark without an invitation and she is impossible to detect by magic.

Since the White Rose can leave the Feydark she spends most of her time seeking out ways to break the spells that trap the rest of the court. She also works tirelessly to prevent knowledge of her quest leaking to the Winter Court, generally by killing anyone who she encounters.

White Rose will work with mortals to gather information and techniques to break the spells binding the Unseelie Court however anyone who deals with her should be careful to watch out for her tendency to backstab and kill those she works with.

### The Lady of Glass

The Lady of Glass lives up to her name, appearing as a statue of a women made of glass. She is able to tell a person’s deepest fears and innermost desires simply by looking at them and can also see memories and appear as characters from the memories of those she speaks to.

The Lady of Glass uses her powers to manipulate people into making deals with her. These deals are complex and labyrinthine and generally promise irresistible rewards for a seemingly inconsequential price. Those who make these deals quickly find they are trapped, usually forced to live a half-life trapped between the Feywild and the Material Plane. The Lady of Glass uses these trapped souls to influence the Material Plane which she herself cannot directly affect. People who have outlived their usefulness are sacrificed to the nine hells as a tribute every seven years.

In her dealing with mortals the Lady will likely promise huge rewards (which she cannot actually deliver) in return for simple tasks but will then slowly and subtly change the terms of the deal until the players are trapped in her service.

### The Three Eyed Giant

The giant is technically a fomorian rather than an archfey. He led the forces of the fomorians who allied themselves to the Unseelie Fey and is still a key member of the Unseelie Court. He is a 15 ft giant with pale, grey skin, a permanent stoop and two small squinting eyes. He also possesses a much larger third eye in the centre of his forehead. This eye is kept permanently closed as when opened it destroy anything upon which its gaze falls.

The Three Eyed Giant is mostly solitary, travelling through the Feydark building his strength and waiting for the day the Unseelie Fey call upon him to go to war once again.

The One Eyed Giant does not interact with mortals.

## Wild Archfey

Fey who do not swear loyalty to any of the three original queens are known as wild fey. Many of these fey are entirely solitary or only associate within small groups of their on kind, for example hags. Some wild fey do form courts outside of the three sisters, these courts are generally centred around a particular archfey and usually travel around the Feywild visiting the courts of both the Winter and Summer Archfey. Notable wild archfey include:

### The Green Lord

An incredibly ancient creature from before the Feywild was inhabited by the current fey. The Green Lord appears as a vast tree creature wrapped in ivy and flowers. They are accompanied by animals and nature spirits. The Green Lord has an immense amount of power over the natural world however they very rarely chose to act.

Due to their great age and preoccupation with the natural world the Green Lord is difficult to relate with. They speak and act slowly, allowing months and years to pass without them taking action. They will however act if large areas of the Feywild are threatened by great calamity.

The Green Lord is benevolent to mortals but sees them as too hasty and short lived to really pay much attention to them. They may ask mortals to intervene if someone is causing large scale destruction of the natural world and/or upsetting the natural order.

### Herne the Hunter

Herne appears as a tall human with the antlers of a stag. He rides upon a tall, black stallion and carries a yew bow and hunting horn. Herne is the leader of the Wild Hunt and is often accompanied by any fey who wish to hunt and have the skills to ride with him as well as hunting hounds and falcons. Many powerful archfey, including Oberon, are members of the Wild Hunt and while in the hunt they will follow Herne’s instructions without question. As well as his extreme skill as a hunter and tracker Herne possesses the ability to transport himself and his followers to other planes to continue the hunt.

Herne is cold and calculating, desiring nothing save the joy of pursuit and the thrill of the kill. He cares little what he hunts, beasts, fey, and humans are all fair game, as long as the chase is interesting.

Herne will aid mortals who prove themselves to him, usually by hunting and capturing some particularly hard to catch creature however mortals who fail in his task are likely to find themselves as the Wild Hunt’s next target.

### Hyrsam the Prince of Fools

Hyrsam is a tall satyr who dresses simply on his travels and formally when visiting the courts of other archfey. He carries with him instruments, usually a lyre and pan pipes. He is accompanied by a band of nymphs and satyrs who dance, sing, and entertain alongside Hyrsam. His music is incredibly enchanting, and he can draw the unwary easily into dancing until they fall dead of exhaustion. He can also use his music to drive his followers into wild revelries where they care little for their own safety and will violently attack any who interrupt their revels.

Hyrsam spends his time travelling between courts as an entertainer. His true motivations behind these visits are to spread anarchy throughout the Feywild and to destroy any attempts to impose order onto the Feywild.

Hyrsam will interact with mortals, drawing them into his revels. He will also set mortals with quests to subtly disrupt the status quo and drive the courts closer to anarchy or war.