The Elven Court

So, the first thing I wanted in my world was an Elven Court. Like the one in Ellen Kushner's Thomas the Rhymer, or Midsummer Night's Dream, or even the one described in Through Countless Doorways by Malhavoc.

So I started with the idea of a mythical plane of Avalor, which would not only be the realm of the Faerie, but also double as my campaign's plane of shadow. Since the Shadow realm is supposed to be a fractured reflection of the Material, and it's magic is illusion turned reality, it seemed like a good fit to me. And I decided that the elves, gnomes, and halflings are the weaker, watered-down cousins of the true elven court, the true fey.

The next thing I wanted to do was have these Elven Lords not be gods per se, but nobles of the Elven Court worshipped as gods. To me, these Elven Lords make great druidic gods for humans, elves or what have you. So, I took a couple of my original AD&D deities, and then the model from Countless Doorways, and created an Elven Lord for each season, and a Queen to rule over them. I also then read up on Paizo's Caiden Callaine and decided he'd make a great human hero living amongst the fey, in a Chu Cullain meets Thomas the Rhymer. Here's what I made ...

Amon (the Red Archer) is the fey spirit that embodies war. He wears burnished gold armor and bears a burning longbow into battle. His spirit is mercurial and hot-tempered.
Alignment: CG
Domains: Celerity, Fire, Sun, War
Favored Weapon: Longbow
Symbol: A burning or red arrowhead

Avalor: The otherworldly realm of the fey, also known as the Empyrean Wood or the Plane of Shadow. It is said the Elven Court now dwells here, in castles of glass amongst emerald forests, where fey creatures seek refuge from mankind on the Material Plane.
Avalor is divided into Seasons, and ruled by each of the Fey Lords. Kelael, the crystal castle of the Silver Queen, is said to move amongst these realms, appearing and disappearing at her mistress’ whim.

Caiden Kallaine: Known as the Hawk of Nordell, and the God of Bravery, Ale, and Freedom. Caiden was a mortal warrior-hero of legend, and the tales of his defeat of many evil creatures, great feats of strength, foes of the Nordic people, and his drunken revels are long and varied, and are quite popular among the bards and skalds of the north.
Legend says that Cayden fought to rescue a dryad queen from a fiendish worm, and upon doing so, the maiden, Dendrelass, rewarded him with eternal life, and took him to the Empyrean Wood, where he was never seen again on mortal soil.
Cayden is the only mortal human to go dwell among the fey of Avalor willingly, and while he is worshipped by those humans who revere the Elven Court, he is not serene or sylvan, and it is said that in his drunken state, eternal crystal fountains have been shattered, fey maidens have been deflowered, and the quiet hum of the forest realm is often shattered by off-key singing and the sounds of mayhem and destruction.
Members of Cayden’s faith make excellent guides and explorers, quick to smile at danger and always willing to have fun even in the direst of circumstances. His temples are nothing more than ale halls with a shrine to him upon the bar. Formal raiment is a simple brown tunic or robe with a wine-red stole bearing his ale-mug symbol (adventurer-priests of the faith sometimes carry a magical stole that doubles as a rope). His simple holy text is the Revel Blessing, condensing his divine philosophy into a few short phrases suitable for hanging on the wall. His faithful recite the Revel Blessing upon the commencement of any festivity or evening of drinking, and his clergy are often called upon for their knowledge of songs and riddles.
The faithful of Cayden Cailean often carry tankards with them for luck, or pause before a particularly dangerous or stressful task to drink holy water from their tankards. Caiden shows his approval through his holy water tasting of fine ale, but in cases where a mortal has instead drawn his ire, such drinks invariably taste of vinegar or sewage.
Alignment: CG
Domains: Chaos, Charm, Good, Strength, Travel
Favored Weapon: Club
Symbol: A tankard

Churcainn (the Green Rider) leads the wild hunt, wearing leaf armor and a helmet adorned with great horns of a stag. He often attempts to make bargains with mortals that never end to their benefit. Churcainn is also worshipped as a keeper of animals by farmers and others who use domestic creatures, and his followers are encouraged to wander, much as a river wends its way through the land.
Alignment: CN
Domains: Water, Chaos, Animal, Travel, Trickery
Favored Weapon: Longsword
Symbol: ???

Kelael: The moon, named after the crystal spired castle of the Silver Queen in Avalor. It is said that the moon is her scyring device that watches the world that they fey have left, searching for something unknown to the people of the Western Marches.

Laerith (the Silver Queen) dwells in a silver-spired city called Kelael at the center of the Empyrean Wood, and the moon itself is named after her crystal-spired castle. She rules over the Elven Court.
Alignment: CG
Domains: Magic, Healing, (Moon?), (Light?)
Favored Weapon: Star Knife
Symbol: ???

Maelbine (the White King) is the father of the giants, and holds the secrets of the mountains. His followers cannot be moved by snow or weather, and they command the strength of the giants.
Alignment: CN
Domains: Air, Strength, Cold, Strength, Weather
Favored Weapon: Any spear
Symbol: ???

Maglaura (the Raven Witch) lives deep in the forests, calling all sorts of dark spirits and unnatural creatures to do her bidding. It is even said that she can raise the corpses of the dead and bend them to her will.
Alignment: CE
Domains: Earth, Plant, Darkness, Corruption, Death
Favored Weapon: ???