Fae

Strange folk live in the Great Wood and Ferrier's Fen.

Wondrous and dangerous, beings out of legend. The Forest Folk called them "Good Neighbors" and "Hidden Ones," and took pains to avoid insulting them. They cautioned Stonetop to do the same. And while the Forest Folk are gone, the Fae remain.

The Green Lords bred the Fae long ago, to herd spirits and to weave wondrous realms. They relied on the Fae to manage their estates, to build the waystones, and, later, to create the Green Lord's idyllic afterlives.

Some Fae resented their servitude. Some found loopholes in the promises and oaths that bound them. Ringleaders arose, creating webs of debt and obligation that undermined their masters' hold.

An uprising began. Rebels gutted tombs, burned plantations, put their masters to the spear. Gangs of free Fae roved the Great Wood, burning, liberating, recruiting. Gangs became armies.

The Green Lords grew desperate. They called on the Things Below, corrupted themselves with unholy power.

They bred living weapons, hunted down the rebels, and took terrible vengeance.

The uprising nearly failed, but the Green Lords had drawn the ire of their fellow

Makers. The Stone Lords, in particular, were horrified by the Green Lords' corruption. They worked a terrible spell to shatter the heart of the Green Lord's domain, turning it into the ruined bog that today we call Ferrier's Fen. Then they allied with the Fae, and waged war against the Green Lords who survived.

After the siege of Vor Svetelik, the Fae found themselves adrift and bereft of purpose. Many were no longer bound by oath or obligation. Ringleaders bickered and squabbled. Factions formed.

Armies disbanded. And the Fae became the fractured people they are today.

The good neighbors

Fae and mortals cross paths, of course. The Forest Folk descended from the Green Lord's mortal servants, and dwelt in the Great Wood for centuries. Fae fought side-by-side with the Stone Lords' human slaves. And some Fae, certainly, know of the humans living on their borders: Stonetop, Marshedge, the Manmarchers, even some Whitefang villages. There have always been dealings between them and us.

But Fae are not like us. They breathe magic. Time means little to them. They have no base needs. They are driven by pride, boredom, and obsession. They are shaped by their debts, their obligations, and the ancient scars of servitude and war.

Fae are dangerous to mortals. Maybe not hostile (though some are), but alien. Some admire our spark of life, our creativity and passion. Some find our memories and our emotions rich and heady. Some delight in our dignity or our short-lived antics. Some might even care about us. But they also think no more of stealing an infant from the crib than we would at picking a pup out of a litter.

The Fae

Themes

Choose or roll 1 (or 2 and combine).

Hooks

• A local family claims their infant has been replaced with a Fae changeling.
• A widower wants a Fae to take away the memories of his lost love.
• A hunter naively offers Stonetop's hospitality to a mischievous Fae.
• A zrajedak is released from stasis; terrified Fae seek help.
• An NPC is indebted to a Fae; it wants what they cannot bear to give (a child, their love, a marriage, etc.).
• A Fae falls in love with a villager, and tries to live a mortal life.

Questions

In general:

• Who among you has lost a sibling or a child, stolen from the crib?
• Who in the village is said to have Fae blood?
• Who in town once made a deal with a Fae? What did they lose? What did they get in return?
• What Fae being did you once meet in the Wood? How did you get away unscathed?

About any given Fae they meet:

• What about their presence fills you with awe/longing/sadness/joy/__?
• What forgotten memory do they stir?
• What detail about them will you struggle to remember later?
• What detail could you never forget?

Lore

Everyone in Stonetop knows that:

• Strange, magical folk dwell in the Great Wood
• They vary greatly in appearance, ability, and disposition
• That they are strange, dreamlike, fickle, wondrous, dangerous

One might know:

• Details of a given Fae: behaviors, demeanor, abilities, limits, names, etc.
• The specifics of Fae nature
• That iron is anathema to them
• Proper etiquette for dealing with one
• Ways to protect yourself from them
• About domains: their entrances, the dangers they pose, specific examples
• Tales of the Wandering Market
• That they served the Green Lords

Very few know:

• The specifics of their history, their origin, their rebellion
• The nuances of their politics, debts, relationships, obligations
• How to find the Wandering Market
• The metaphysics of their existence

Names

Fae "names" tend to be titles, nouns, or descriptive phrases or borrowed from those they've met—simple, whimsical, ominous, or grandiose as befits their nature.

Mix, match, and riff on words related to plants and beasts and rocks, features of the landscape, natural phenomena, colors, mundane objects, emotions or emotional activities, titles, relations, and local names.

Some simple names: Acorn, Cobweb, Hob, Jackdaw, Kettle, Lark, Moth, Quills, Rill, Robin, Stewpot, Trillium, Uncle Whiskers, Whistler, Wobbles, Yellowtail Some whimsical names: Bellweather, Bitterlips, Moonbeam, Peasebottom, Poppy o' Twilight, Rainpetal, Stagthorn, Thistledust, Whiteoak, Yellow Britches

Some ominous names: Bonekettle, Father

Longfingers, Grinning Nel, the Hangman, the King of Dirges, Old Sorrows, the Pale Sisters, Stonetooth, the Weeping Rose Some grandiose names: Dawnwhisper, Fireblossom, Breath of Thunder, Hare

Starblade, the Midnight Mare, Rain Upon the Valley, Silverstag, the Storm King Some Fae might go by many names, or change their names over time. If a given

Fae is known to the locals, consider what they call it in their local tongue. A Fae named Moonbeam, for example, might be called "Pelydrlloer" in Stonetop or "Mondstrohl" by the Manmarchers.

Perhaps each Fae has a true and secret name, by which they can be commanded and bound. If so, it must be their most treasured and precious secret.

The Fae are living beings made of spirit-stuff. They aren't quite spirits, but interact with spirits as if they were. They're made of flesh and bone, or close enough, but it is strange, malleable, and resilient. They…

• need not eat or drink, but can enjoy such fare;
• need not sleep, but often choose to;
• can suffocate or drown, but usually recover when they can breathe again;
• feel no drive to reproduce, but might enjoy sex, fall in love, sire or bear children, steal them from mortals;
• do not grow feeble with age, but can grow bored, deeply set in their ways;
• cannot break a promise or an oath, but are keen at finding loopholes; and
• feel the weight of debts and insults as though they were heavy chains.

Injury

Fae are unnaturally tough (Armor 4) and can heal any wound not caused by iron. A Fae who suffers a "mortal" wound might pass through the Last Door. But they might also change their mind and come back later, for Fae are fickle things.

Iron

Iron (including steel) is offensive to Fae.

Its presence insults them. It disrupts their magic. It burns their skin, ignores their Armor, leaves scars that never fade. Iron can kill a Fae, truly kill them dead.

Black iron is even worse. Its presence unravels their magic. Its touch doesn't just burn, it suppurates their flesh (+1d6 damage, ignores armor, messy). It leaves vicious, gaping wounds that never heal and that eventually turn them into Hollow Fae.

Magic and the Fae

Fae are Fae, neither spirit nor mortal. As a rule, magic that specifically affects "spirits" or "mortals" does not apply to the Fae. They are their own thing.

With that said, magic is fuzzy and each Fae is unique. When in doubt, consider what feels right in this particular case. A ploy that would work in a fairy tale should probably work against the Fae!

Illusions and glamours

Illusions are lies. They have no substance.

An illusionary chair bears no weight; the illusion of a sword does not cut. A skillful Fae might create the illusion of pain and blood when you are cut with an illusionary sword, but the wound has no lasting effect.

Glamour is more profound. It changes a thing and how it interacts with the world, at least until the glamour fades. Glamour a rock into a chair and sit comfortably.

Glamour a stick into a sword and it will cut, make you bleed real blood. When the glamour ends, the wound remains.

Glamours are like poetry. One might glamour an acorn into a gem, or fluttering leaves into butterflies, or a braying mortal's head into that of a donkey. But one does not just, say, glamour a spear into a puddle of water. These things must rhyme!

Fae can see through each other's illusions and glamours, but as a rule they play along.

Doing otherwise can be insulting.

Glamour affects neither iron nor steel, and the touch of either causes illusions to flicker and fade. The touch of black iron dispels both illusions and glamours, like soap dropped in oily water.

Language

Fae understand anyone they meet, and can always make themselves understood. Many speak in an affected manner (accented, in verse, with odd sentence construction, etc.) to amuse themselves, to annoy others, or because that's just how they think.

Debts and promises

Fae are bound by debts, obligations, and promises. This applies to mortals who treat with them, too. A Fae might:

• Make an offer (fair or lopsided)
• Politely decline or dissemble
• Insist, ask for more, offer less
• Call in a debt, use it as leverage
• Make or demand a promise
• Find/exploit a loophole
• Trade a debt to another Fae

When a Fae is beholden to you, you have advantage on any roll to resist or defend yourself against it. When you leverage a debt that they owe you or a promise they've made, gain advantage to Persuade or otherwise influence it.

When you are beholden to a Fae, you have disadvantage on any roll made directly against them (including damage rolls). When you fail to uphold a promise you've made to a Fae, for any reason, either you are beholden to that Fae or they take it as an insult (their choice).

When you pass through the Last Door, all debts you owe and promises you have made are null and void.

Insults and etiquette

Fae are also bound by insults, pride, and etiquette. An insulted Fae feels the need for satisfaction like a mortal feels hunger, as a gnawing and physical thing. Their culture is full of little rules and points of etiquette that mortals often stumble over.

One might insult a Fae by…

• rudely refusing an offer;
• failing to honor a debt or promise;
• taking what they think they own;
• making demands or threats without the proper leverage;
• sneaking iron into their presence;
• failing to play along with their games;
• disparaging their honor/their power/ their cunning/whatever they value about themselves; or
• accusing them of any of the above.

When the PCs deal with a Fae, that Fae might:

• Set the PCs up for a faux pas
• Make an accusation
• Act affronted, genuinely or as a ploy
• Truly take insult

And if insulted, they might:

• Demand satisfaction
• Storm/scamper off
• Offer their forgiveness, as a gift
• Ignore all other rules of etiquette
• Spread tales or rumors
• Hold a grudge, lay plans for revenge
• Resort to violence or magic

Creating Fae

To create a Fae or a group thereof, think about what you already know, and the context in which they'll appear. Decide what they're like: pick or roll for their preoccupation, their size, and 1-3 aspects.

Fae domains

Fae domains are hidden realities, existing between the physical and spirit worlds, touching and overlapping both but part of neither. Some are tiny, intimate, cozy.

Others are vast and grand.

Not every place where a Fae dwells is truly a domain. Plenty of Fae squat in ruins or caves or hollow trees, perhaps spruced up with glamour but fully in this world.

Domains are different, set apart.

To create a Fae domain, start with the real-world terrain it borders or overlaps with. Most are found in the Great Wood, in the Foothills, or in Ferrier's Fen; those in the Fen are often corrupted. Many are part of Green Lord ruins.

Once the real-world terrain is established, pick or roll for its entrance. Interpret the result in light of where it's found.

Fae, dwelling (trapped?) within

3 A shard of power left by a powerful

Fae, buried or hidden away

The PCs are exploring a Green Lord's tomb, approaching the burial vault in which the mummified Maker lies. Its spirit lingers on in a Fae domain.

The terrain is established (the inside of the tomb). I choose a "door/gate/opening" for the entrance and the purpose is clearly "pleasure… a false afterlife." I roll a 5 for theme ("promises, deals, and loopholes…") and a 5 for the anchor ("rune-covered stone"). For elements, I get 6 ("decay/squalor/disorder") and 5 ("a vast and shifting place").

despondent Fae servants, bound by ancient oaths. An endless series of dusty halls, rooms and feral gardens, full of discarded wealth and surly Fae avoiding their master. The Green Lord's soul swings from boredom to manic fits, during which whatever Fae is at hand conjures

Entering domains

Some entrances work only at particular times: under a full moon, during winter, at sunrise or sunset, etc. This holds true for both Fae and mortal alike.

Otherwise, Fae can freely use the entrance of most domains, like you or I might open a door. For mortals, it's more involved.

Something interesting: A mortal might blunder into a Fae domain by accident, or follow a guide, or be drawn into one by a mischievous or malevolent Fae. Or they might fall asleep near an entrance and visit the domain in their dreams. Iron or steel might protect you, or not; you might just find that all your iron was left behind in the world.

Something useful: To enter a Fae domain on purpose, you must leave behind all iron and steel, plus one of the following:

• Follow the footsteps of a Fae guide
• Addle (open?) your mind with drugs/ alcohol/madness/intense emotion/etc.
• Have Fae blood in your veins
• Be able to see through Fae magic and glamours, via Old Mother's Wine or a similar effect

Locked entrances

Some entrances have special requirements to open them, for both Fae and mortal alike. These requirements might involve…

• singing/reciting/inscribing the proper words;
• doing something dangerous, without flinching (like running at the wall);
• doing something daft (like spinning 'til you fall);
• paying the toll (a secret, a story, a thing of beauty, a promise, etc.);
• convincing the guardians to let you in;
• some variation or combination of the above; or
• something else entirely.

The residents of a domain might ignore the requirements of a locked entrance; the creator of a domain almost certainly can.

I think my Green Lord's afterlife must certainly be locked. I imagine a grand archway with a pair of powerful Fae guardians watching over it, demanding a toll: none can enter without giving an oath of good behavior.

Some Fae domains

• A little door in a rocky outcrop, leading to a dying crystal city of tiny Fae and their talking vole subjects.
• A natural arch of hawthorne trees. Beyond: a tree-lined hall, a runecarved hearth, endless drink & dance.
• A knot in a large dead tree. One must recite a certain poem to enter. Inside is a crowded theater, where callous Fae call up long-dead shades to play out their mortal dramas.
• A waystone in the mire. A crossroad of many Fae paths, oftused but one must pay a toll of beauty to the wretched troll who guards it.
• A wide stream. Fall face-first into it and enter a watery, dreamlike realm. A catfish-like Fae arranges stones, treasures, and lost memories into a beautiful, ever-shifting mosaic.
• A circle of menhirs, entwined in thorns. Can only be entered in moonlight. Inside, all the stones but one are revealed to be Forest Folk, bound in agony.

The Wandering Market

Little ties the Fae together, except for a desire to show off. And for that, they need an audience. A place to meet and gather. A place to trade stories and wonders and lies.

They need the Wandering Market.

Questions

• According to tales, when does the Wandering Market convene?
• If you could purchase any treasure from the Fae, one wondrous thing, what would it be?
• What is your single most treasured possession? Why do you value it so?
• Who among you is most beautiful? Has the best singing voice? Dances the finest? Makes the best food?

Getting there

The Wandering Market is a Fae domain, made anew by a different host each time it convenes.

To find the market, one must know when it is happening and find an entrance. The entrances are many, but different each time.

Any Fae knows where the nearest entrance lies—pick or roll for the terrain near which it is found (The Great Wood for the Great Wood, Ferrier's Fen for Ferrier's Fen), and pick some whimsical requirement such as:

• Climb the seventh alder tree you find; it's up there
• Blindfold yourself; follow the bird who calls your name
• Lay a path of stones into the hollow of a tree; walk the path at sundown
• Go to sleep in a patch of bluebells, and visit the market in your dreams

Impressions

• Sensory overload: crowds and barkers, silks and spices, perfumes, feathers and flowers, leering inhuman faces
• Wonders for sale: distilled friendship, liquid silence, crystalline sorrow, etc.
• Snide comments about how this Market pales to previous ones
• Squeals of delight at your smile, your wry comment, your whistled tune
• How long have you been here, again?

Chance encounters

Pick or have someone roll the Die of Fate.

Moves

trade opportunities

If the PCs get a trade opportunity (from the Seasons Change move), the Fae might offer the following. The PCs still need to Haggle for it, though!

• An impossible task, like a whole season's worth of work done in a night
• A secret, a memory, an answer to a mystery, help with a sticky problem, etc.
• Fantastical trade goods (Value 2 or 3): cloth-of-clouds, mead brewed from dreams, dyes of glamour, etc.
• A Fae artifact
• An artifact of the Green Lords, the Forest Folk, the spirits of the wild, or perhaps the Things Below.

Artifacts

• an honest merchant touches them;
• their current owner tells a lie;
• someone sees through the glamour;
• something dispels the glamour; or
• the new moon comes and goes

Dangers

Hazards

• Offending/insulting a Fae
• Ending up in their debt
• Making a promise, honestly or not
• Drawing their attention, becoming an object of their obsessions
• Stumbling into a Fae domain

Related entities

• Spirits of the wild, quite possibly at some Fae's beck and call
• Any of the dangerous beasts who dwell in the Great Wood
• Crinwin, enchanted or manipulated or deceived
• Perhaps the Pale Hunter, who might be a Fae himself
• Stone Lord constructs, left over from the war
• Ghosts of mortals who died in their thrall
• Shades of Green Lords that they've called up to torment
• Danu's blessed, some of whom will gladly deal with the Fae

The Four Chieftains

The chieftains are among the most powerful of the Fae, personally and politically. The Bear of Winter is one of them. The others might include:

• The Warbler, who dwells in the springtime canopy and fills the world with song. An incorrigible gossip, who pretends to be a fool. Often goes incognito. Extremely well-informed.
• The Crowned Stag, who troops through deep summer woods with their court and hangers-on. Beautiful, proud, dashing, and noble. Lusty, too, and prone to fall in love.
• Longshadow, a stately old tree-wife, bare of leaves. Found brooding in the autumn forest, attended by skittish minions. Speaks prophecy, lays subtle plans. Knows that the war isn't over.