Valeskan Fae: Origins, Culture, Biology, Q&A
Jul 24, 2015 12:49:16 GMT -8
Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland), Reanna, and 2 more like this
Post by Piet / Creampuff on Jul 24, 2015 12:49:16 GMT -8
Disclaimer: The vast majority of this is not mandatory to know; there are hundreds of fae settlements with major differences. What is described here is "Mainstream" for fae culture and society for the Valeskan world.
Fae
Origin and Abilities: Fae are a varied magical species, some believed crafted from nature itself. The first fae is believed to be born of a withering sapling by the goddess/god of creation Elwon or her human-worshiped counterpart Ayn. All know this for sure, that some fae are born of a natural substance such as a spark of flame, a droplet of dew, a shadow of a flower or even a ray of moonlight. They call this their 'awakening' for they do not remember their time prior to being a fae, and simply seek out other of their kin during their existence. When a fae ‘dies’ it is viewed as their ‘return’ to the natural world.
Due to this commonly highly magical birth, the fae are extremely mystical creatures that frequently use magic and are aligned with a certain element such as: fire, water, air and earth. Thus why they are such fine Elementalists, because they understand their element on a level which most creatures cannot resonate.
But not all fae are so magically born, some are born biological like other races, a male and female procreating and spawning a fae child.
Appearance: Due to their many ways of being 'awakened' into this world, this explains the varied and vast appearance of the fae who can be seen as tiny humanoid looking creatures with wings to large tree-like people to a more monstrous animistic creatures with sharp teeth, clawed appendages, tails and horns. They are the most diverse race in the realm, and for good reason.
Culture & Religion: Some fae are selfish creatures who seem themselves as the end all be all, individualistic and opportunistic. Thus, fae culture reflects this by the existence of two courts: the Sunfire and Moontide. Both have a monarchy where a Qeno 'king' or 'Nama' queen rules followed by Naki(e) or 'princess(es)' or Qoin(e) or 'prince(s)'. They may not be related by blood but may be similar types of fae or be born of similar elements, often time the leader will select two Nakie and Qoine to do various tasks within the court or out. Other nobles of various rank are called the 'Naqe' who then find some way to flourish the title such as "Naqe of the Hollowcreek". When dealing with non-fae, they do use common terms such as 'King' or 'Noble of the Hollowcreek' for ease of understanding.
The Sunfire court is where fae of bright inner spark reside, warm ringing laughter filling their woods and a flaming passion within their character. Fae who feel a connection to light, fire, or the earth generally join this court. Considered the less threatening of the two courts, thought fae are noted pranksters no matter what court they do or do not belong to, those who 'follow the sun' are more likely to be nicer to non-fae... if they desire to be.
The Moontide court is where the fae of nefarious darker natures reside, far cooler than their other kin. A Moontide court is more likely to have more serious discussions and solid plans for material gain versus their wild and free siblings. Fae who feel a connection to shadow, water or wind generally join this court. Due to their more deviant vicious nature, those who are ‘guided by the moon’ are feared more by non-fae.
Though, there are always exceptions, there are courts who do not follow the Moontide and Sunfire ways, courts where all different types and elements of fae reside. Or they can be in nomadic groups, fae who wander their lands together without a care, even more uncaring of those of the courts. Fae are too varied to pinpoint a single 'correct' culture, for there simply are too many ways they coexist.
What is common in all fae is there deep understanding of the natural world and that they are in tune with it. Many fae worship the nature world as a goddess or god known as Elwon by leaving offerings or tending to plants, animals or others who wander the woods, often acting as protectors of nature. Due to this, they often have conflicts with those who try to civilize or colonize the wildlands, fighting tooth and nail to leave nature as undisturbed. A fae may also be the first to notice if something is tainting their environment and raise alarm if so.
Society and Military: Fae society is a strange and complex thing. The courts are so different, but what scholars can deduce is that there are more often three types of fae. Court fae, who follow one of the two courts, loose fae who belong to a court or/and group of fae that is more inclusive and wild fae who are fae that wander the woods alone or with a group of other fae.
Court Fae: Court fae has the most civilized structure of all the fae, filled with bizarre rituals to the commoner most likely with gifts of shiny objects or vibrant colorful things. Some courts are full of odd rules such as ‘none shall wear the color red’ or ‘one must always hop on one foot on the day of the full moon’ while others may have more serious rules that rival the elven courts and humans. Fae courts can be as large as hundreds of fae existing within a certain region to only a dozen fae. Some fae take pride in their court and standing while others could care less, it all depends upon the fae. The most civilized of all fae societies rests in the ‘Te’myra’ where a Sunfire court lives alongside a group of wood elves for centuries. Perhaps it is the elven influence upon these fae, but it can be hard to discern the elves from the fae in these lands and vise versa. Often these type of fae have a group of warriors or those who are assigned to protect their court leaders and nobles, but a full fleshed military is quite rare.
It is important to note that Sunfire and Moontide fae may not get along due to their differencing natures and elements. Sunfire finding the Moontide fae too harsh and unfeeling, not truly in tune with nature with their plots. While the Moontide fae can find the Sunfire fae annoying and dim-witted, lacking proper concentration to due anything then frolic about. However, this is not to say the a Sunfire fae cannot be devious and manipulative nor a Moontide fae be kind and passionate to a non-fae or that these two cannot get along.
Loose Fae: Loose fae are more lax than the court fae commonly, having less strict courts that could coincide with the seasons or with nothing at all. Some may just be a grouping of fae who have decided to live together with their rivaling natures or elements or could be all of one type, like a band of water nymphs or a ‘family’ of dryads. These type of fae are normally in smaller clusters, the largest being roughly a hundred fae and the smallest being two. They may or may not stick to a single area depending on their structure within their group and how they view their environment. There are such things as fae villages from fae who keep to their lands, generally formed out of natural substances such as mushroom, trees, and whatever else is available.
Wild Fae: Wild fae are the most uncivilized of all the fae, staying in groups and more often than not moving around a certain area as a hunter gatherer group. They are the most dangerous fae to deal with for they often show no concern for non-fae. There are rumors of wild fae that hunt non-fae for the sheer fun of it. These fae are more often tribal, protecting ‘their’ lands from ‘outsiders’ as they see fit. They are not to be trifled with.
Fae
Origin and Abilities: Fae are a varied magical species, some believed crafted from nature itself. The first fae is believed to be born of a withering sapling by the goddess/god of creation Elwon or her human-worshiped counterpart Ayn. All know this for sure, that some fae are born of a natural substance such as a spark of flame, a droplet of dew, a shadow of a flower or even a ray of moonlight. They call this their 'awakening' for they do not remember their time prior to being a fae, and simply seek out other of their kin during their existence. When a fae ‘dies’ it is viewed as their ‘return’ to the natural world.
Due to this commonly highly magical birth, the fae are extremely mystical creatures that frequently use magic and are aligned with a certain element such as: fire, water, air and earth. Thus why they are such fine Elementalists, because they understand their element on a level which most creatures cannot resonate.
But not all fae are so magically born, some are born biological like other races, a male and female procreating and spawning a fae child.
Appearance: Due to their many ways of being 'awakened' into this world, this explains the varied and vast appearance of the fae who can be seen as tiny humanoid looking creatures with wings to large tree-like people to a more monstrous animistic creatures with sharp teeth, clawed appendages, tails and horns. They are the most diverse race in the realm, and for good reason.
Culture & Religion: Some fae are selfish creatures who seem themselves as the end all be all, individualistic and opportunistic. Thus, fae culture reflects this by the existence of two courts: the Sunfire and Moontide. Both have a monarchy where a Qeno 'king' or 'Nama' queen rules followed by Naki(e) or 'princess(es)' or Qoin(e) or 'prince(s)'. They may not be related by blood but may be similar types of fae or be born of similar elements, often time the leader will select two Nakie and Qoine to do various tasks within the court or out. Other nobles of various rank are called the 'Naqe' who then find some way to flourish the title such as "Naqe of the Hollowcreek". When dealing with non-fae, they do use common terms such as 'King' or 'Noble of the Hollowcreek' for ease of understanding.
The Sunfire court is where fae of bright inner spark reside, warm ringing laughter filling their woods and a flaming passion within their character. Fae who feel a connection to light, fire, or the earth generally join this court. Considered the less threatening of the two courts, thought fae are noted pranksters no matter what court they do or do not belong to, those who 'follow the sun' are more likely to be nicer to non-fae... if they desire to be.
The Moontide court is where the fae of nefarious darker natures reside, far cooler than their other kin. A Moontide court is more likely to have more serious discussions and solid plans for material gain versus their wild and free siblings. Fae who feel a connection to shadow, water or wind generally join this court. Due to their more deviant vicious nature, those who are ‘guided by the moon’ are feared more by non-fae.
Though, there are always exceptions, there are courts who do not follow the Moontide and Sunfire ways, courts where all different types and elements of fae reside. Or they can be in nomadic groups, fae who wander their lands together without a care, even more uncaring of those of the courts. Fae are too varied to pinpoint a single 'correct' culture, for there simply are too many ways they coexist.
What is common in all fae is there deep understanding of the natural world and that they are in tune with it. Many fae worship the nature world as a goddess or god known as Elwon by leaving offerings or tending to plants, animals or others who wander the woods, often acting as protectors of nature. Due to this, they often have conflicts with those who try to civilize or colonize the wildlands, fighting tooth and nail to leave nature as undisturbed. A fae may also be the first to notice if something is tainting their environment and raise alarm if so.
Society and Military: Fae society is a strange and complex thing. The courts are so different, but what scholars can deduce is that there are more often three types of fae. Court fae, who follow one of the two courts, loose fae who belong to a court or/and group of fae that is more inclusive and wild fae who are fae that wander the woods alone or with a group of other fae.
Court Fae: Court fae has the most civilized structure of all the fae, filled with bizarre rituals to the commoner most likely with gifts of shiny objects or vibrant colorful things. Some courts are full of odd rules such as ‘none shall wear the color red’ or ‘one must always hop on one foot on the day of the full moon’ while others may have more serious rules that rival the elven courts and humans. Fae courts can be as large as hundreds of fae existing within a certain region to only a dozen fae. Some fae take pride in their court and standing while others could care less, it all depends upon the fae. The most civilized of all fae societies rests in the ‘Te’myra’ where a Sunfire court lives alongside a group of wood elves for centuries. Perhaps it is the elven influence upon these fae, but it can be hard to discern the elves from the fae in these lands and vise versa. Often these type of fae have a group of warriors or those who are assigned to protect their court leaders and nobles, but a full fleshed military is quite rare.
It is important to note that Sunfire and Moontide fae may not get along due to their differencing natures and elements. Sunfire finding the Moontide fae too harsh and unfeeling, not truly in tune with nature with their plots. While the Moontide fae can find the Sunfire fae annoying and dim-witted, lacking proper concentration to due anything then frolic about. However, this is not to say the a Sunfire fae cannot be devious and manipulative nor a Moontide fae be kind and passionate to a non-fae or that these two cannot get along.
Loose Fae: Loose fae are more lax than the court fae commonly, having less strict courts that could coincide with the seasons or with nothing at all. Some may just be a grouping of fae who have decided to live together with their rivaling natures or elements or could be all of one type, like a band of water nymphs or a ‘family’ of dryads. These type of fae are normally in smaller clusters, the largest being roughly a hundred fae and the smallest being two. They may or may not stick to a single area depending on their structure within their group and how they view their environment. There are such things as fae villages from fae who keep to their lands, generally formed out of natural substances such as mushroom, trees, and whatever else is available.
Wild Fae: Wild fae are the most uncivilized of all the fae, staying in groups and more often than not moving around a certain area as a hunter gatherer group. They are the most dangerous fae to deal with for they often show no concern for non-fae. There are rumors of wild fae that hunt non-fae for the sheer fun of it. These fae are more often tribal, protecting ‘their’ lands from ‘outsiders’ as they see fit. They are not to be trifled with.
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