Grey
Dialectical Hermeticist
Just some stuff for Crucible and an eventual Fae-based RP.
The Fae are a collection of powerful, fractious entities that dwell in a reality just left of the material world; a number of pocket realms that slide invisibly across the surface of the physical world. Technically, the Fae are trapped there - but where those pockets intersect with a properly prepared portal, the Fae can enter the world. Fae are bound to their realms, and so Fae trapped in the world are forced to adapt to survive.
In the North, the Fae can be divided into four main types - Nobility, Courtiers, Commoners, and Earthbound.
Nobility are the ruling Fae; they are the heart and soul of their Realms, the progenitors of most of the lesser Fae, and almost godlike in power - indeed, some Imerian faiths are based around Fae Nobles posing as gods. Nobles embody concepts, such as Justice, Death, Night, Summer, or War. They rarely leave their desmenses, too busy squabbling with each other, quashing internal power struggles, or acting through mortal proxies and supernatural minions. Nobles are typically concerned with expanding their purviews - Winter wants Winter to last forever, Spring disputes this; the changing of the seasons is rendered unpredictable, by a matter of days, by their dueling to decide the changeover. War would prefer that the mortal realm be consumed by conflict; Hope and Order are disinclined to permit such a thing. Thus the courts of the Fae are a complex web of alliances, feuds, infiltrations, blackmails, bribes, affairs, and gambits.
Courtiers (sometimes called elves) are a step below Nobility, and certainly more comprehensible, closer to human. They typically embody sub-elements of their Noble lords, such as the Jack of Swords who serves War, or the Moontouched Sage in Night’s court. Less powerful than Nobles by quite a margin, they are a diverse and unpredictable lot, as inclined to intricate conflicts as their masters but more mortal in their desires. Courts are a mess of love triangles, vendettas, ambitions, obedience, betrayal, and simple bad decisions. Some Courtiers, such as the Muses, are not bound to a single Noble, and wander the realms as their desires and circumstances suit.
Commoners are practically animals - a pinch of ego wrapped in Gossamer. Simple creatures like gremlins, will ‘o wisps, and fire sprites that embody simple concepts or elements. Driven by esoteric hungers, their desires are smaller than those of Nobles, but frequently even less logical. Saucers of milk on doorsteps, ribbons tied just so, offerings of old shoes - they can be easily placated, but incredibly dangerous when angered. Unlike Courtiers, Commoners cannot disobey or betray their Noble masters.
Earthbound Fae were trapped in the world of men following some disaster or other. Lacking a means by which to survive and sustain themselves when cut off from their realms, they bound themselves to the world. Dryads are bound with trees; Ogres are bound to entire forests; Trolls to hills or rocks, Pixies to flowers, Naiads to rivers. Earthbound are stuck in one location, normally, and motivated principally by duty or boredom. Ogres, for example, defend and tend their forests with merciless violence and remarkable tenderness.
Spirits, worshiped in Lama, are technically Fae, too. In fact, many Nobles serve as the Laman gods, changing their form to suit the audience between cultures and times. The hierarchy is broader in Lama, however, with many Spirits sustaining themselves in the physical realm thanks to the fear and worship of the local mortals.
Fae are comprised of Aspects, up to a limit of 10, each Aspect rated 1 - 5.
A 1-Point Aspect is something simple, like Fire.
A 2-Point Aspect is more complex, like a Hearth Fire, or alternatively, an intensification of Fire.
A 3-Point Aspect is either still more complex, like The Fire of Vengeance, or still more intense.
A 4- Point Aspect by nature must be more complex, and broader - The Flame Which Burns Weakness, for example.
A 5-Point Aspect is a defining Aspect, normally the cornerstone of a Noble’s power. 5-Point Aspects include things like War, Autumn, etc.
Nobles have 10 points of Aspects, Courtiers 6-8, and Commoners have 1-5. Earthbound have condensed their power into physical form and no longer function in the same way as True Fae, being more akin to mortal beings.
Each Aspect point confers 10 points of Gossamer. Gossamer is used to enact a Fae’s powers by committing it to an effect. An ifreet commits a point of Gossamer to generate a candleflame, or five to fill a fireplace. These fires can ignite new, natural flames if the Fae so wishes, or leave the world untouched. They vanish when the Gossamer is recovered, but any flames they ignited remain. The more Gossamer poured into an effect, the more powerful. Gossamer use is bound by the Fae’s Aspects - they can only create effects associated with their Aspects.
Gossamer can also be turned into physical artifacts - such as Faerie gold - which vanish once the Gossamer is revoked, or those same artifacts and effects can be rendered permanent. This costs half the usual Gossamer, but it cannot be revoked.
Gossamer is recovered by stealing it from other Fae, or accepting mortal acts and offerings of occult significance. A bowl of milk on the doorstep can feed a Fae a couple of Gossamer, while human sacrifice in their name might refresh their reserves entirely.
Gossamer can also be used to create new Fae.
In their own Realms, Fae can freely use their powers. In the mortal realm, Fae have no physical form. They must commit Gossamer to generating a shape for themselves, and must create at least a small body, or body part, or other sign of their existence in order to apply their powers to the world.
Fae are vulnerable to iron, cold iron especially, meteoric iron most of all. They are immortal unless killed by cold iron weapons, the talons of a Vampire, or a Demonic source of harm.
Fae can, with difficulty, become more powerful. By consuming other Fae, they can add those Aspects to their own. Alternatively, if they can gorge themselves on Gossamer, they can convert it to Aether, a special XP-Analogue which can be spent on new Aspects.
The Fae are a collection of powerful, fractious entities that dwell in a reality just left of the material world; a number of pocket realms that slide invisibly across the surface of the physical world. Technically, the Fae are trapped there - but where those pockets intersect with a properly prepared portal, the Fae can enter the world. Fae are bound to their realms, and so Fae trapped in the world are forced to adapt to survive.
In the North, the Fae can be divided into four main types - Nobility, Courtiers, Commoners, and Earthbound.
Nobility are the ruling Fae; they are the heart and soul of their Realms, the progenitors of most of the lesser Fae, and almost godlike in power - indeed, some Imerian faiths are based around Fae Nobles posing as gods. Nobles embody concepts, such as Justice, Death, Night, Summer, or War. They rarely leave their desmenses, too busy squabbling with each other, quashing internal power struggles, or acting through mortal proxies and supernatural minions. Nobles are typically concerned with expanding their purviews - Winter wants Winter to last forever, Spring disputes this; the changing of the seasons is rendered unpredictable, by a matter of days, by their dueling to decide the changeover. War would prefer that the mortal realm be consumed by conflict; Hope and Order are disinclined to permit such a thing. Thus the courts of the Fae are a complex web of alliances, feuds, infiltrations, blackmails, bribes, affairs, and gambits.
Courtiers (sometimes called elves) are a step below Nobility, and certainly more comprehensible, closer to human. They typically embody sub-elements of their Noble lords, such as the Jack of Swords who serves War, or the Moontouched Sage in Night’s court. Less powerful than Nobles by quite a margin, they are a diverse and unpredictable lot, as inclined to intricate conflicts as their masters but more mortal in their desires. Courts are a mess of love triangles, vendettas, ambitions, obedience, betrayal, and simple bad decisions. Some Courtiers, such as the Muses, are not bound to a single Noble, and wander the realms as their desires and circumstances suit.
Commoners are practically animals - a pinch of ego wrapped in Gossamer. Simple creatures like gremlins, will ‘o wisps, and fire sprites that embody simple concepts or elements. Driven by esoteric hungers, their desires are smaller than those of Nobles, but frequently even less logical. Saucers of milk on doorsteps, ribbons tied just so, offerings of old shoes - they can be easily placated, but incredibly dangerous when angered. Unlike Courtiers, Commoners cannot disobey or betray their Noble masters.
Earthbound Fae were trapped in the world of men following some disaster or other. Lacking a means by which to survive and sustain themselves when cut off from their realms, they bound themselves to the world. Dryads are bound with trees; Ogres are bound to entire forests; Trolls to hills or rocks, Pixies to flowers, Naiads to rivers. Earthbound are stuck in one location, normally, and motivated principally by duty or boredom. Ogres, for example, defend and tend their forests with merciless violence and remarkable tenderness.
Spirits, worshiped in Lama, are technically Fae, too. In fact, many Nobles serve as the Laman gods, changing their form to suit the audience between cultures and times. The hierarchy is broader in Lama, however, with many Spirits sustaining themselves in the physical realm thanks to the fear and worship of the local mortals.
Fae are comprised of Aspects, up to a limit of 10, each Aspect rated 1 - 5.
A 1-Point Aspect is something simple, like Fire.
A 2-Point Aspect is more complex, like a Hearth Fire, or alternatively, an intensification of Fire.
A 3-Point Aspect is either still more complex, like The Fire of Vengeance, or still more intense.
A 4- Point Aspect by nature must be more complex, and broader - The Flame Which Burns Weakness, for example.
A 5-Point Aspect is a defining Aspect, normally the cornerstone of a Noble’s power. 5-Point Aspects include things like War, Autumn, etc.
Nobles have 10 points of Aspects, Courtiers 6-8, and Commoners have 1-5. Earthbound have condensed their power into physical form and no longer function in the same way as True Fae, being more akin to mortal beings.
Each Aspect point confers 10 points of Gossamer. Gossamer is used to enact a Fae’s powers by committing it to an effect. An ifreet commits a point of Gossamer to generate a candleflame, or five to fill a fireplace. These fires can ignite new, natural flames if the Fae so wishes, or leave the world untouched. They vanish when the Gossamer is recovered, but any flames they ignited remain. The more Gossamer poured into an effect, the more powerful. Gossamer use is bound by the Fae’s Aspects - they can only create effects associated with their Aspects.
Gossamer can also be turned into physical artifacts - such as Faerie gold - which vanish once the Gossamer is revoked, or those same artifacts and effects can be rendered permanent. This costs half the usual Gossamer, but it cannot be revoked.
Gossamer is recovered by stealing it from other Fae, or accepting mortal acts and offerings of occult significance. A bowl of milk on the doorstep can feed a Fae a couple of Gossamer, while human sacrifice in their name might refresh their reserves entirely.
Gossamer can also be used to create new Fae.
In their own Realms, Fae can freely use their powers. In the mortal realm, Fae have no physical form. They must commit Gossamer to generating a shape for themselves, and must create at least a small body, or body part, or other sign of their existence in order to apply their powers to the world.
Fae are vulnerable to iron, cold iron especially, meteoric iron most of all. They are immortal unless killed by cold iron weapons, the talons of a Vampire, or a Demonic source of harm.
Fae can, with difficulty, become more powerful. By consuming other Fae, they can add those Aspects to their own. Alternatively, if they can gorge themselves on Gossamer, they can convert it to Aether, a special XP-Analogue which can be spent on new Aspects.
