D&D 5E (2024) Feywild technically doesn't mention the Seelie and Unseelie Court

[Charlaquin]

In Scottish folkbelief, the "unseelie" associate with fiends and undead, whence the Shadowfell court of the Raven Queen has some coherence.

Relatedly, Fey Crossings between the Feywild and the Celestial dominions, especially Arvandor, make sense. In parallel there be Shadow Crossings between the Shadowfell and the Fiend dominions, especially Hades.

In this way, Celestials often travel to the Material Plane via the Feywild, and Fiends via the Shadowfell. Hence, Fiends are sometimes present in the unseelie court gatherings along with Undead.

I like to treat the Feywild as very much like Pangea in the Neolithic Dark Era for Werewolf the Forsaken (shoutout to my nWoDCofD homies!) - a transitory plane that bridges the gap between the Material plane and the various Outer planes, where the features of the Material plane are reflected and exaggerated according to their sympathetic proximity to the Otherworlds it bridges the gap to.

 

[Yaarel]

I like to treat the Feywild as very much like Pangea in the Neolithic Dark Era for Werewolf the Forsaken (shoutout to my nWoDCofD homies!) - a transitory plane that bridges the gap between the Material plane and the various Outer planes, where the features of the Material plane are reflected and exaggerated according to their sympathetic proximity to the Otherworlds it bridges the gap to.

I think this makes sense for the 5e cosmology as well.

Because Humanoids have "souls", it is possible to enter the thoughtstuff of the Astral Plane, and from there the Celestial and Fiend dominions within it. But it is also possible to physically walk from the Material Plane to the Celestial and Fiend planes, via naturally forming Fey and Shadow Crossings. These crossings translate the physical body into the new planar environment − and sometimes the journeyers dont even realize they entered a new plane of existence.

The areas around a crossing exhibit aspects of both planes that are bridging. In 5e, the High Elf culture intentionally inhabit Fey Crossings with the Material Plane, and are especially Fey compared to the Material Plane, and especially Material compared to the Fey Plane.

 

[Charlaquin]

I think this makes sense for the 5e cosmology as well.

Because Humanoids have "souls", it is possible to enter the thoughtstuff of the Astral Plane, and from there the Celestial and Fiend dominions within it. But it is also possible to physically walk from the Material Plane to the Celestial and Fiend planes, via naturally forming Fey and Shadow Crossings. These crossings translate the physical body into the new planar environment − and sometimes the journeyers dont even realize they entered a new plane of existence.

The areas around a crossing exhibit aspects of both planes that are bridging. In 5e, the High Elf culture intentionally inhabit Fey Crossings with the Material Plane, and are especially Fey compared to the Material Plane, and especially Material compared to the Fey Plane.

Yes! Someone gets it!!

 

[Corinnguard]

I’d say it’s less Blue and Orange Morality, more Blue and Orange legal code.

How does less morality lead to more legal code?

 

[Charlaquin]

How does less morality lead to more legal code?

Oh, the ambiguity of text-based communication! What I was intending to express is that my interpretation of the fickleness and mischief of the fey is not so much a product of them having “Blue and Orange Morality.” rather, I view it as something akin to “Blue and Orange Legal Code” - a term I made up to express the idea of applying the “too alien to be understood by humans” aspect of the Blue and Orange Morality trope, but to a legal code rather than to a moral framework.

 

[Pale Violet Light]

I’ve long been a fan of the interpretation that Unseelie believe non-fey that end up in the feywild should be held to the local laws.

I love this. If they want to come here, they need to respect our way of life! Mortal “culture” is just fundamentally incompatible with faerie law!

 

[Corinnguard]

Oh, the ambiguity of text-based communication! What I was intending to express is that my interpretation of the fickleness and mischief of the fey is not so much a product of them having “Blue and Orange Morality.” rather, I view it as something akin to “Blue and Orange Legal Code” - a term I made up to express the idea of applying the “too alien to be understood by humans” aspect of the Blue and Orange Morality trope, but to a legal code rather than to a moral framework.

It's cool. There are many words in the English Language that are ambiguous and prone to interpretation by the reader.

I was wondering what you meant because the human legal code in RL is a by-product of morality. And it might be the same thing within a fantasy or in an alien setting. The Fey legal code could certainly be beyond our ability to understand. They have had the time to understand and develop it as it could be full of long-term stuff. Humans seem to be too fixated on the short term.

 

[Charlaquin]

I’ve long been a fan of the interpretation that Unseelie believe non-fey that end up in the feywild should be held to the local laws.

I love this. If they want to come here, they need to respect our way of life! Mortal “culture” is just fundamentally incompatible with faerie law!

Lol Unseelie court coming in with the anti-immigration rhetoric

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I like the idea of Seelie and Unseelie being purely things mortals call different Fey, while the Fey don’t ten to even know what the terms mean or where they came from.

 

[Corinnguard]

Even though the 2024 Goblinoids in the MM aren't mentioned outright as being Unseelie Fey, a bit of their description certainly makes them sound like they are. Which IMO is cool because I am currently playing a Bugbear Ranger. A friendly ambush predator.