Fey

A manifestation of the kami, the Name-Bound tied to Life, and thus the Mortal plane. Unlike the other Name-Bound, they are wholly native to the Mortal, even if some have taken residence in Shadow. Immortal, but not undying. Human-like...but also not. Warped mirrors of mortality.

Origin

In places and situations of strong emotion, as well as on the borders of civilization, where the wild runs into the work of Mortal hands or in places where elemental power runs rampant, the kami find themselves drawn into the vortex of aether and merge with each other. If there's enough residual aether, they take on physical form, although this is more like a puppet rather than a body; the new-born fey can discard the body and, given enough aether, reform it without harm. When the emotions subside, so often do the bonds holding the fey together, dispersing it into its constituent elements who return to their natural state, memories in tow. Sometimes, however, a fey has a strong enough focus, nay obsession that they retain coherence and continue to seek out the object of their obsession. The longer they remain coherent, the more powerful and subtle they become, eventually becoming able to effortlessly take on mortal-appearing forms. Only one who can read auras can truly tell the difference between these mortal-seeming shells and a real person, and that often only with difficulty.

Varieties

Scholars categorize the various fey in multiple ways--the fey courts being one of them. But not all fey are court-aligned; another categorization is on power and freedom.

Ephemeral

The ephemeral fey are the least of them. In a sense they are artificial--clusters of kami drawn to strong emotions and given form by aether. They tend to only last an instant, but sometimes up to a few hours. Spells, too, can bring these ephemeral fey into being, clothing them in aetheric shells for the duration. They also flit around primal-path practitioners--shamans, druids, rangers, and even ragers. They tend to avoid the more meditative kinds, as they rarely have the kind of strong emotion necessary. The shapes they take depend entirely on the drives and spells used to summon them.

Lesser

Lesser fey are those who have enough of an obsession to exist on their own more than temporarily. Generally they are incapable of taking true humanoid shape, at least of the correct size, and appear more like distorted mimicries of mortals--the faeries, pixies, brownies, and other such beings. They have little more than their obsession--they are truly shallow. This does not make them safe--in fact, these lesser fey are some of the most dangerous since they truly do not understand mortality or even really individuality.

Place-bound

The place-bound fey are those anchored to a location or natural feature--a mountain, a river, a great tree, etc. These rarely take physical form and cannot travel, but within their ambit are some of the most powerful. Since their nature is bound up in the elements themselves, they are the least "fey" of the fey. Instead they are bound to the elemental nature. Take care not to anger a mountain spirit...it takes a lot to do so, but they have eternal anger. These fey often find mortals to bond with, creating a fusion of mortal and kami. Through the mortal they understand and sense and gain a source of independent action (a set of hands, as it were); the mortal gains extremely extended life and enhanced power...at the cost of their freedom. For they, too, are bound to the feature. Humans bonded to tree-spirits are often called dryad (of either gender); those bonded to rivers are neriads, and those bound to stone are oreads.

Notable Examples

• The tree known as the Heart of the World (Pactum Grove) is home to the place-bound spirit Maeva. Unusual for tree spirits, she frequently takes humanoid form. Her relative power is that of an arch-fey.
• The tree at the center of the Lady's Grove is home to the dryad known as Sarah. Also unusual for a tree spirit, this one enjoys people.
• A huge oak tree near Freeport is home to an ancient, but unnamed spirit.
• There is an ancient volcano spirit contained/imprisoned at the center of Mount Nyx.
• Rouva (called the lady of the lake...as are so many others) is a water nymph bound to a small lake in the hills of the central Lupaus Plains east of the Red Hills. Very friendly, she has become lonely after centuries of no one visiting and playing with her.

Great Spirits

These are fey who take on aspects either elemental or bestial but are not bound to a place. They rarely manifest directly, but might be considered the platonic ideal of their kind. Generally much more alien than most fey, as their nature is wholly of the wild and not of Mortal ken.

Notable Examples

• The great wolf "spirit" Fenrir (although she resides in the flesh). Also simultaneously an ascendant. Said to be the spiritual and somewhat literal ancestor of all intelligent canines.
• The Firebird, the ur-phoenix.
• The unnamed great mountain spirit said to reside among the Three Crones of Southmount.
• Reports vary, but Leviathan is often considered to be at least part spirit.

Court-Held

These are the more-or-less humanoid fey tied to Mortal obsessions, divided among the fey courts. The most "human-like" of the fey. But still alien in thought.

Arch-Fey

The elders of their kind, these have existed since the early days in a single form. Their power is akin to that of a Major Ascendant or minor-demigod, although they are more vulnerable...but only slightly. They tend to reside in Shadow and only interact subtly with mortals. The most human in thought, they might pass as mortal...if it were not for their aura of power.