The Fae Realm
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Introduction
In many ways, the Fae Realm (Or the Eternal Forest, as it is known to druids) much resembles our own. The wild grass and trees grow from fertile soil, the air is breathable, and an all too familiar moon crosses the sky in predictable cycles, whether or not one stands in the dayward lands or twilight bound.
The Fae Realm is a land created by, and under the full control of the Aspects. Cerridwen, the mother of spring and summer, Cernunnos, the father of winter and fall and Nemiisae, the patroness of shadow. The realm, its lands and its inhabitants are reflective of their creators: wild, free, chaotic, unstructured in many ways. Yet, balanced. Every fantastical and alien creature or creation has its place in the ecosystem of the Fae. This realm is both the testing ground, and the paradise of the Aenguls of Nature.
Origins
In short, the Fae Realm is the plane of existence created and ruled over by the Aspects- the duo (or trio) of Aenguls who take up the mantle of the gods of nature within the mortal realm. Indeed, the Aspects hold a lot of weight within the realm of mortals, acting through their intermediaries and servants- the Druids, to maintain the wilds. However, an Aenguldaemon can rarely if ever directly intervene in the affairs of the mortals. On top of that, the main realm of existence is highly coveted, and many deities compete for influence and power over the descendent races.
The Aspects would come to realize they would never hold complete dominion over the mortal realm, and thus, created the fae. Before recorded history, and even before the first druid was born, Cernunnos and Cerridwen poured their energies and will into birthing a new realm of existence somewhere between the void and the spirit realm. It was the Fae. A land of which they had full control, and freedom to experiment, rule, and learn in which to better themselves in preserving balance among the Descendents’ world.
Interaction Between Worlds
“Superstition? Myth? Let me tell you, my friend, let your child elope into the forest on a night with no moon, and you will understand our fears are all too real.”
If the circumstances are right, it is possible for beings of the Fae Realm to pass into the mortal plain of the descendents. Infact, such has occured for millenia. After all, the Aspects have influence in both and deliberately let slim gateways between the worlds remain open so the beings of Fae can help right the imbalance in nature of the mortal realm.
The moon is the key to the passover. As a little known fact, the moon lives in both the sky of the fae realm and the mortal world. As such, the lunar phases of the two planes directly mirror each other. A full moon in the land of the Fae means a night with no moon for the Descendents. And it is indeed the power of the full moon, when the gateways between the worlds are strongest, that creatures of the fae pass into our world.
Fairy Rings - the doors between the Fae and Mortal
Fairy Rings are notorious among many for being both awe inspiring and deadly. Any elf, man or dwarf who steps foot in one finds themselves overwhelmed with the sudden ability to hear the thoughts, instincts and raw emotion of all living beings nearby. This is not a coincidence. Fairy rings are imbued with powerful magic cast by the Aspects themselves, and on nights of a full moon (or no moon, in the mortal world), they serve as the path from the Fae Realm to the Mortal.
Fairy Rings exist simultaneously in both plains as well, with a fae ring in the mortal realm always being the mirror of an identical one in the fae realm. Fae creatures who step into a fairy ring on the night of a full moon will find themselves transported into the mortal world. For the descendent races, this has often had dire consequences...
Realms of the Fae
The Fae is the product of the two (fine, three, whatever) most powerful deities of nature having full and complete reign over a plain of existence. As such, the ecosystem of this land is so hopelessly complex and intricate that no mortal mind could hope to understand it. Thousands upon thousands of plant and animal species inhabit every single nook and cranny of the Fae realm. Biomes are not separate as they would be in the mortal plain, where desert would give way to forest, but instead all meshed together in a chaotic melting pot of pure wild overgrowth.
It is near impossible to tell where one is in the Fae Realm if one judges by geographical markers. A human attempting to navigate the land would surely find himself hopelessly lost within minutes. Instead, the realm is split up by ‘time’. Indeed, the contrast between day and night does not occur via a time cycle as it does in the mortal realm, but is instead split by land. As such, the Fae Realm is divided into three regions. One of perpetual daylight, one of neverending twilight, and one of forever nightfall.
Even these regions have no defined borders, as they change with the seasons. The Dayward Lands will encompass most of the Fae Realm’s landmass in the summer, yet in the winter, the lands of Twilight and Nightfall dominate the continent. The various sentient races who live in these regions thrive whenever their peak season is upon them.
Dayward Lands
The land where the sun always shines. The Dayward lands are vibrant, colourful, energetic and loud. Home to the Satyrs, Cervitaurs and and sometimes the trickster imps. Although all realms of the Fae boast stunning biodiversity, it is perhaps the Dayward lands is the most so in terms of the sheer number of species which take advantage of the sun’s constant and plentiful rays.
Twilight Bound
Twilight bound is the smallest of the three realms, reflective of how brief the sunset is in the mortal realm. It is a quiet, somber land, where the sky is painted a perpetual subtle orange. In many ways, this is a land of transition and passing. Like all the other lands of the day cycle, Twilight Bound is host to thousands of life forms, almost all of whom are by nature quiet, contemplative and slow, often taking the form of both youth and elder simultaneously.
Nightfall Domain
Within the south-east of the Fae lands lies the Nightfall Domain. A land of perpetual midnight. Yet nightfall need not mean darkness. This region is alight with eerie beauty, its wild, narrow paths alit with playful will-o-wisps and its massive trees and fungi emitting an otherworldly glow. Nightfall in many ways resembles an exotic snake, colourful, mesmerizing- yet deadly, aggressive, and toxic. Many predators dwell within the Domain of the Dark, most notable the spiders, and the mischievous Imp-folk of the Nightfall Court.
Peoples of the Fae
Tens upon tens of thousands of animals, let alone plant forms inhabit the Fae Realm in an endless chaotic blend. However, among these, the Aspects have seen to grant sentient to a select few. Of course, as befits a realm of the Aspects, sentience is not the trump card of evolutionary advantage as it is to humankind in our own world. Sentience and intelligence of the brain is akin to the speed of a wolf, strength of a bear or gills of a fish, an evener of the playing field for those species that have none of the latter.
All species live in a incoherent, chaotic, yet somehow perfectly balanced harmony in the Fae Realm, as sentient or no, no creature could ever hope to rise to rise above their place in the balance nor would they dare in the first place to affront the very creators of their world. The following species have created a niche for themselves within the anarchy of their world.
The Imps of Twilight Court
No one could be blamed for assuming these doe-eyed, miniscule creatures could ever do them any harm. However, this misconception would certainly lead to that person’s demise. Sharp, deceitful, and cunning to a fault, the Imp-folk of the Twilight Court dominate the Sunset Domain of the Fae, a land they consider their own. After all, while they would never dare to assume themselves above the balance, every ecosystem needs an apex predator, surely.
The Capital of the Imp-Folk is a lavish palace deep within the southern tip of the Twilight domain, known as the Twilight court. It is a construct woven into the giant luminous fungi and moon-trees with eerily beautiful perfection. There, the Imps revel and feast on alien beasts they’ve hunted that stand twenty or thirty times their size.
Indeed, the Imp-Folk are deadly, unrivaled hunters. Many believe this is because they have been shown direct favour by the Horned Lord himself, Aspect of the hunt. Their small form allows for natural stealth, and as if that was not enough, they possess the ability to cloak themselves in shadow and go unseen for long periods of time. Their weapon of choice is the blowdart, small enough to handle efficiently, and usually coated in the hundreds of different poisons the Imp-Folk’s master alchemists have concocted for different types of prey.
Imp-folk may hunt with the savagery of tribals, yet possess a very complex society. The Imps are ruled by their High King, an elected position for life. Political intrigue among the nightfall court rivals, if not outdoes the complexity and intricacies of that of humans and elves in the mortal realm, with constant power plays, seductions and assassinations.
On the night of the full moon, it is the Imp-Folk who pass through the fairy rings in greatest numbers, into the mortal realm. This is because that the greatest catch of all for the small hunter is no beast, but is infact, manling. Imps will cloak in the shadow of night, prowling the woods near human settlements to search for children who have wandered off alone, or babies abandoned in the forest. They take these human infants back through the fairy ring into the Fae Realm, where they become adored as prized pets in the Nightfall Court. However, when the humans grow too old, big and unattractive, they are soon disposed of…
One thing is certain, many a mother would rather set herself aflame than let her children run alone into the wilds during a night with no moon.
The Satyroi and Cervitoi
Lazy, promiscuous and carefree, the Satyroi and Cervitoi are two cousin races that are not only the one of the more prominent in the Eternal Forest, but also commonly seen in the world of the Descendents. For not only are they one of the few races that cross regularly between plains, they are the only ones to have integrated among the society of Elves and Men, to the point where many believe they are actually natives to Axios, and not emigrants from another world.
In the realm of the Fae, the Satyroi and Cervitoi are nomadic beings who roam from place to place, primarily within the Dayward Realm, where their magic is strongest. Their passion for music is unrivaled. With exotic instruments like the pan flute and sitar, it is said they can weave the nature around them with their melodies in such a way that a path through the overgrowth is always made for them. It is unknown why the Satyroi and Cervitoi of the mortal realm do not possess this magic of song, but it could be something to do with the lifestream of the Fae and their connection to it, some claim it to be the direct blessing of the Springmother herself, Aspect of Life, who favours these races with her gift of life magicks.
In the Fae Realm, these cousin species have seen better days. Their nomadic nature and song-spells brought them deep into the Nightfall Domain, where their presence interrupted a very delicate state of balance among the Imp-Folk’s sacred hunting grounds. As a result, the Satyrs and Cervitaurs were mercilessly hunted out of Nightfall, their numbers diminished significantly. Sometimes, the Imp-folk venture into the Dayward Realm to hunt the Satyroi once more for their insolence. It is during these brief phases of warfare that many Satyroi and Cervitaurs flee to the Fairy Rings to seek passage into the mortal realm, where they can join their cousins in among the descendent races for refuge.
The Zhuanth
Deep in the heart of Nightfall domain lies a sea of silken webs. Strands of wiry white stretching from branch to branch of old elder trees, tall as mountains, now withered and dead. Any who stumbles upon this site will know they’ve come upon the gossamer citadel of the venerable spider-folk of the Fae Realm.
The Zhuanth vary massively in size. While some can be as tall as 14 ft and twice as long, others could fit in the palm of an adult human’s hand. Despite that, no matter the size, all the Zhuanth are equally intelligent. They possess a form of telepathic communion between one another that is easily as subtle, complex and nuanced as human or elvish language. Despite their intimidating appearing, the Zhuanth are not aggressive. They do not attack unprovoked and in general roam the Fae Realm, methodically going about their business, grim as that business may be.
The purpose of the Zhuanth is macabre indeed. For, peaceful as the creature is, they spend their days (or nights, depending on where you are) finding the deformed, the old and the terminally ill of plant and animal species alike, and euthanizing them. A gentle touch from one of a Zhuanth’s eight legs will sap the lifestream out of an organism and put it to rest.
No one knows why the Zhuanth do what they do. The Imps and the Satyroi believe that the spider-folk are servants of the Spider Maiden herself, Nemiisae the Aspect of Darkness. But whatever they may be, they have become a staple among the ecosystem of the Fae, seen as accepted harbingers of ends. Rarely beast or sentient creature resist when a Zhuanth comes to put them to rest, for they know they are part of a balance, and that the old, sick and unfit must give way to new life.
The Soulbound Servants
Guardians, oracles, sages, and immortals. The Soulbound of the Fae Realm are akin to demigods in the world that they inhabit. However, they were infact once mortals. Druids from the mortal realm, to be precise.
It has always been taught among the Druids that when a brother or sister of the order passes on, their soul passes on to the Eternal Forest, the Aspects realm. That much is true, and when a druid dies, their soul is lifted into the Fae Realm, where they transcend out of their physical bodies and become guardian spirits, become a Soulbound Servant of the Fae Realm.
The Soulbound can take the form of an incorporeal spirit, or the physical body they had in life. They can switch at all. Respected and revered by all races as the chosen vessels of the Aspects themselves, the Soulbound enjoy their life after life by serving as wise men and priests. The most dimwitted of rock-creatures to the most cunning of Imps will travel across the entire Fae for the chance to meet one of the Soulbound and receive words of wisdom.
What the soulbound looks like, how they act and where in the Fae they reside generally is reflected by how they were in life. A fiercer warrior druid would find himself as a spirit of war, blessing fighters in the Twilight and Nightfall Realms, whereas a gentler druid of the harvest would likely find herself tending to softer creatures in the Dayward Way.
Other Sentient Species
Many species with the gift of intelligence have found niches for themselves in the Fae Realm.
The Featherfolk
Living in cocoon, hive-like structures dangling off the highest of elder trees in the Dayward Realm, the Featherfolk are a wise, pragmatic people that have the beak and feathers of an avian, yet the bipedal posture of a man. This has not made their flying any less skilled, however. The featherfolk soar effortlessly through the sky. They subsist on a simple hunter/gathering lifestyle using their bird-like assets.
The Unicorns
In the plains of the Twilight Realm, the Unicorns ride. Resembling a horse from the mortal realm, yet far more intelligent, the Unicorns have a language of their own with a subtle sophistication that no outsider can learn. Whoever manages to rub the horn of the Unicorn is supposedly blessed with tremendous luck by the Aspects, prompting (foolish) Satyroi, Impfolk and Featherfolk to travel across the entire Fae Realm to seek out these four-legged oracles.
The Sprites
Another species seen fairly commonly in the mortal realm, the Sprites are indeed a people originating in the Fae. Small, palm-sized creatures with bug-like wings and mono-coloured human shaped bodies, other species rarely give Sprites a second glance. The small beings tend to revel in mischievousness and troublemaking.
The Petrusites
Living in intricate, maze like warrens dug deep into the wondrous hovering mountainsides and inverted cliffs of the Nightfall Realm, the Petrusites are creatures made entirely of rock. While somewhat simple and dimwitted, they are by definition Sentient and possessive of language, communicating through a series of rock-like grinding and groans.
Petrusites are not born, but instead formed out of the earth itself. Rarely, they can be gifted with rare minerals embedded within their rocky bodies. The Imp-Folk of Twilight have hunted Petrusites for centuries, seeking the prized jeweled buried in their rocky hides.
Conclusion
The Fae Realm exists as a plane of existence separate from our own, yet connected by thin threads. For now, the effect the Fae has had on the world of elves, men and dwarves has been minimal, but who knows what the future will bring- for those who are faithful to the Aspects, and those who are not.
