The Fey Courts

[Fox²]

The Fey Courts

Required Reading: Of Bloom and Blood: The Courts of the Fey

• Titania
  
• Mab
  
• The Stag Lord
  
• Caoimhin
  

[Fox²]

Titania
Queen Titania, The Lady of Skylight

Demigod
Home Plane: Faerie
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Worshipers: Seelie Court fey, dryads, blodeuwedd, nereids, calientos, siabrie, shimmerlings

Domains: Chaos, Charm, Fire, Luck, Plant, Sun

Nature Deity: Yes
Cleric Alignments: CG, TN, CN, CE

Favored Weapon: Dagger

Rose and Thorn: The Summer Court of the Seelie:

"They were beautiful beyond words, beautiful beyond understanding. So beautiful, I wanted to tear out my heart and hand it over, because after seeing them, I surely wouldn't have any more use for it."
-Sarah Zettel, "Dust Girl"

The Seelie Court, also known as the Summer Court, are often the type fey that most mortals think of when describing "fey." Seelie fey are nearly universally described as beautiful, enchanting, and pleasing in demeanor and appearance; they are likewise generally considered mischievous, playful, spontaneous, but not necessarily malicious. However, these assumptions are not necessarily accurate.

Seelie fey are residents of the Summerlands--the demesne of the Summer Queen, Titania, and her sídhe entourage. Summer fey are associated with the aspects of nature attuned to growth and creation, such as life, light, birth, and fire. They embrace and embody the primeval natural tendencies towards proliferation and expansion of the species, the tendency of creatures to develop into the hierarchy of their environment, and the persistence of survival in the face of obstacles and opposition.  The types of fey usually associated with the Seelie Court include dryads, blodeuwedd, nereids, calientos, siabrie, and shimmerlings.

This by no means implies that Seelie fey are commonly benevolent in nature. After all, rampant growth and unchecked vitality are not always healthy for mortals. Seelie fey seem to see little difference between the abundant proliferation of animals and useful plant life and that of disease, harmful weeds, and swarming insects. Areas under Seelie influence are filled with rampant, unchecked plant overgrowth, animals that grow to great size and produce immense amounts of offspring, and an extremely prolific volume of insect and vermin ecology. The weather in the Summerlands is almost always persistently clear and sunny, with the occasional sudden storm or long slow drizzle.

The ruler and leader of the Seelie Court is Queen Titania, The Lady of Skylight. Titania generally manifests as either a large (as in halfling-sized) pixie or small winged nymph outlined in a corona of sunlight, her gossamer wings scattering rainbows in all directions, clad only in either sparse garments of leaves and vines or nothing at all save the glow that constantly surrounds her. Her heiress is the Lady Verenestra, known as the Princess of Nymphs, and her consort Oberon the Noble Hunter. Her court is served by the trickster and herald Robyn Goodfellow, known as Squelaiche or The Puck. These leaders of the Summer Court are Chaotic Neutral and grant divine followers access to the Chaos, Charm, Fire, Luck, Plant, and Sun domains. Their favored weapon is a thorned rose (represented as a dagger).

[Fox²]

Mab
Maedbhb, the Queen of Air and Darkness, Medbh, Maeve

Demigod
Home Plane: Faerie
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Worshipers: Unseelie Court fey, spriggans, winterwights, fossegrimen, redcaps, glitterhaunts, mimis, rimefire eidolons

Domains: Air, Chaos, Darkness, Moon, Trickery, Water

Nature Deity: Yes
Cleric Alignments: CG, TN, CN, CE

Favored Weapon: Spear

Ashes and Oak: The Winter Court of the Unseelie

"Think of every fairy-tale villainess you've ever heard of. Think of the wicked witches, the evil queens, the mad enchantresses. Think of the alluring sirens, the hungry ogresses, the savage she-beasts. Think of them and remember that somewhere, sometime, they've all been real. Mab gave them lessons."
-Jim Butcher, "Small Favor"

The Unseelie Court, or Winter Court, is the opposite and counterpart of the Seelie. Whereas the Seelie are seen as beautiful, kind, and benevolent, Winter fey are often described as cruel, vicious, evil, and ugly. Like those perceptions of the Seelie, such descriptions of the Unseelie are inaccurate at best.

The Winter Court is the court associated with destruction, as the counterpart to the Seelie's focus on creation. It is comprised of fey who are associated with the aspects of nature attuned to death, decay, cold, and darkness. They manifest the aspects of nature that deal with the end of cycles, the destruction of life required for other life to thrive, the hollow cold that clears dead waste and old fading life from the world to make space for new growth, and the culling of the weak, old, ill, and infirm.

While they may seem cruel and heartless to the sentiments of mortals, Winter fey are not always malicious; they are simply pragmatic and calculating, understanding that their place in the cycle of existence is a necessary but unpleasant one. Many Winter fey are also plain and unprideful creatures, uncaring for the adoration or allure of mortal or fey (save their Queen), and as such often do not bother with the use of glamour to conceal or disguise. As a result, the perception of Unseelie fey as cruel, vicious, and horrific creatures in opposition to the beautiful, gentle, and carefree Seelie has been allowed to take a stronger hold in the minds of mortals. Most Unseelie fey neither care to correct this mistake nor care for how they are perceived; they have more important things on their minds. As the manifestation of growth and life among Seelie is not always to the benefit or happiness of mortals, so the focus on death and destruction among the Unseelie is not to their disadvantage, either. Rather than evil or malicious, Winter fey are better described as focused upon the "survival of the fittest", cutting away the dead, dying, and weak aspects of existence so that there is room and resources to spare for the rest to survive on.

However, this is not to say that Winter fey are in any way kind. Their pragmatism, focus on survival by strength and skill, and willingness to cull and cleave away anything that strikes them as weak, old, or useless makes them often sinister creatures--lacking any sense of mercy or capacity for gentleness. It is not in their nature to consider peace or coddling the innocent, if they have deemed them in need of destruction. While not universal, some species of Unseelie fey are actively malevolent in their methods--taking pleasure in death and pain and suffering; thus fear and care in dealing with them is often highly advised. Types of fey usually associated with the Unseelie Court include spriggans, winterwights, fossegrimen, redcaps, glitterhaunts, mimis, and rimefire eidolons.

The Unseelie Court is located within the demesne of the Winter Queen, the Arctic Tor. A harsh and unforgiving place, the Tor exists in a perpetual winter, alternating between cold dark nights to sharp windy days with vicious blizzards and thunderstorms that last for weeks on end. The wildlife there is harsh, hardy, and vicious; only the strongest specimens of each species are able to survive the unforgiving climate. What plant life exists is adapted to the extreme weather, powerful fauna, and unrelenting cold. They often form crystalline shapes and coloration that blurs the line between flora and ice formation that are regularly covered in barbs, blades, thorns, and/or natural toxins.

The ruler of the Winter Court is Maedbhb, the Queen of Air and Darkness; she is sometimes also referred to as Mab, Medbh or Maeve. Mab generally appears as a tall, icy-skinned sídhe woman of stern demeanor and sharp countenance, with glassy hair, a crown-like a halo of darkness, and wreathed in a robe of glacial blues and purples. Her heiress is Isolde, the Lady of Frost, and her consort a warrior sídhe known only as the Lord of Winter. The court is served by the trickster herald Greymaulkin, Cheshire Lord of the Caitsídhe. Winter court patrons are Chaotic Neutral and grant divine followers access to the Air, Chaos, Darkness, Moon, Trickery, and Water domains. Their favored weapon is an icicle (represented as a spear).

[Fox²]

The Stag Lord
The Lord of the Hunt, the Horned Lord, the Stag Lord, the Erlking/Elf-King, the Lord of the Wyldfae, the Master of Hounds

Demigod
Home Plane: Faerie
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Worshipers: Wyld Court fey, half-fey, feytouched creatures

Domains: Animal, Chaos, Plant, Strength, Travel

Nature Deity: Yes
Cleric Alignments: CG, TN, CN, CE

Favored Weapon: Longbow

Hunt or Be Hunted: The Wyldfae

"And he got going from there to America. Worked his passage, I s'pose, like a lot more. And I heard he did well in America, too. Got married there. Had a family. But never came back. And you know why? 'Cause if he did, if he ever set foot in Ireland again, you know who'd be waiting for him, don't you? That's right. The three of 'em. And their box. And the second time they'd make no mistake.
It is a much-overlooked fact that not all of the thousands who fled Ireland in former times did so to escape hunger, deprivation, and persecution. There were also those who went to escape the wrath of the Good People. Many stories illustrated this, the one here being typical."
-Eddie Lenihan, "Meeting the Other Crowd"

Not all fey are associated with the Courts; in fact, it might even be said the vast majority of fey are not. Between the cold and unforgiving harshness of Winter and the bright and unrelenting light of Summer, there exist the Wyldfae--all fey who are either not attuned to the two Courts or who have refused a place among either the Seelie or Unseelie (whether due to their nature or by active choice).

Wyldfae who are so by nature are the fey whose design or purpose serves neither creation nor destruction, life nor death, in any specific manner. They tend to be bestial creatures, strongly in tune with the natures of their animalistic traits. Wyldfae typically either lack greater intelligence or are beings whose natural state makes the desire for pursuing higher thinking undesirable or unnecessary.

Wyldfae who are so by choice, on the other hand, are more varied. In some cases, these creatures are members of one of the other two Courts who have rejected the nature of that Court without embracing the ethos of the opposing one. Finding no place for themselves in their Court of birth--and finding nothing worth seeking in the other--they instead drift toward a state of natural neutrality among the Wyld.

However, there is a third group of fey that comprise the Wyld Court--the fey who are neither bestial, stupid, nor uncaring, while also not naturally attuned to either Summer nor Winter. These usually tend to be fey who have more temporal natures, tend to dwell on the Prime rather than in Faerie, or have lifespans or personalities more akin to mortals. Fey with mortal blood, such as Half-Fey and Feytouched creatures, are among this group. These fey are Wyldfae as a sort of default; they are expected to either choose to align themselves to Summer or Winter either when they come of age (which can vary by individual) or to deliberately choose to remain among the Wyldfae.

The Wyldfae are well-known for the Wyld Hunt--a treacherous and harrowing pursuit where a vast horde of fey hunters gather together in search of exceptional prey in an untamed, chaotic cacophony of bloodshed and conflict. While Wyld Hunts can occur whenever the Lord of the Wyldfae calls for them, they are most commonly seen near the spring and autumn equinoxes. Competition is inherent to the Wyldfae, and this frenzy is contagious to any swept up into the Wyld Hunt: the only choice is to join as a hunter or be hunted as potential prey. Conflict among hunters is not uncommon, particularly over the chance to claim the most impressive game. As such, most of the Hunt is uncontrolled and haphazard, the very definition of organized chaos only loosely overseen by its leader.

The leader of the Wyldfae is known as the Lord of the Hunt, though he wears other titles such as the Horned Lord, the Stag Lord, the Erlking/Elf-King, the Lord of the Wyldfae, the Master of Hounds, and many others. A towering figure of enormous size, the Lord is easily identified by the patchwork armor made from skins of the most potent creatures he's hunted and his hooded helm topped by a pair of gargantuan antlers. A similar set of antlers also adorn his massive hunting bow. The Lord of the Hunt is an ancient being, possibly older than the current Queens of the Courts, and as untamed as the wilderness he calls his territory and where his people roam. The Wyld Court patrons are Chaotic Neutral and grant access to the Animal, Chaos, Plant, Strength, Travel, and War domains. Their favored weapon is the longbow.

[Fox²]

Caoimhin

Demigod
Alignment: Neutral
Symbol: Tiny bowl and pin
Home Plane: Faerie
Realm: The Seelie Court
Serves: Titania

Portfolio: Food, shy friendship

Worshipers: Killmoulis

Domains: Chaos, Charm, Trickery

Nature Deity: No

Cleric Alignments: NG, LN, TN, CN, NE

Favored Weapon: Dagger

Caoimhin (pronounced koo-ev-inn) is the demigod of killmoulis and a member of the Outer Circle of Queen Titania's Seelie Court. The translation of his name is "kind". Beyond any other traits, Caoimhin is shy to the point of cowardice, only able to be pressured into fighting if no other option remained. However, he would not desert his people and would fight bravely for them. He had a strong sense of morality, which made him lean toward chaotic good actions.

He was prone to grumble. He liked being warm and comfortable and having a full stomach. He enjoyed the tastes of honey and sweatmeats. Beautiful music and the tales of bards entranced him.

Caoimhin only ever had one avatar at a time. Titania was willing and able to send him throughout the planes, but he was rarely brave enough to go unless accompanied by another powerful member of the Seelie Court. Rarely, driven by curiosity, he would leave the Seelie Court, but he would never wander far from the others.