Plane of Faerie

[Tonguez]

Faerie dwell in the realm of dreams which is a plane comprised of all the dreams of mortals. Seelie manifest hopes, passions, whimsy, desires and all the things of Daydreams whereas unseelie manifest fears, anxieties, lusts, terrors and all the things of Nightmare (Shadow)

Elf don't exist imc they have become Sidhe which is not a PC race. Sidhe are immortal but ephemeral they are psychic manifestation of emotion and not to be trusted

 

[Turanil]

I run an persian-themed game. All the djinn (even the bad ones) are in Jinnistan, which is a magical parallel world sort of like the Umbra. You access Jinnistan through special gates, if you know how to see them. In general, a sure way to get there is be led by a djinni or someone who has been there before. However, this is risky business, because depending on what kind of gate you use you could end up in Ahrimanibad - where the shaitan serve their master Iblis/Ahriman, or the City of Brass - fiery home of the ifreet, or Ghulistan - horrifying home of the ghuls. Follow the right gate and you'll end up in Shad-u-Kam - the province of pleasure and delight, where you can visit Amberabad - City of Amber, or Jauherabad - Abode of Jewels, or the City Beneath the Waves - home of the marid.

Returning home can be very difficult once in Jinnistan. Selfish djinn may fall in love with you and try to keep you, they may serve an enemy of yours on "earth" and seek to imprison you, or they may trick you. Of course, if you've ever killed a Jinn (which is quite easy to do without realizing it apparently) then you'll be hauled off to their fantastic courts.

The normal fairie rules (Don't eat the food, don't lie, don't tell the whole truth) are usually not relevant in Jinnistan. However like in most fairie tales, one's faith, sheer luck, good deeds in the past, ability to solve riddles, charm and performing skill, humility, and open-mindedness are the key to surviving/escaping Jinnistan.

This is really cool!

 

[fusangite]

I run an persian-themed game. All the djinn (even the bad ones) are in Jinnistan, which is a magical parallel world sort of like the Umbra. You access Jinnistan through special gates, if you know how to see them. In general, a sure way to get there is be led by a djinni or someone who has been there before. However, this is risky business, because depending on what kind of gate you use you could end up in Ahrimanibad - where the shaitan serve their master Iblis/Ahriman, or the City of Brass - fiery home of the ifreet, or Ghulistan - horrifying home of the ghuls. Follow the right gate and you'll end up in Shad-u-Kam - the province of pleasure and delight, where you can visit Amberabad - City of Amber, or Jauherabad - Abode of Jewels, or the City Beneath the Waves - home of the marid.

So, what about the Peris? Where are they? I thought this was what this thread was about! Persia is, after all, where we got the word.

 

[VirgilCaine]

I (plan to) use the Plane of Faerie, with the elves with celestial/fiendish templates. Indeed, these are some of the only elves left.
Not that I have much call so far for it, but it's in the mix.

 

[Ghostwind]

Bastion Press has a book(Faeries) that puts the faerie realm on a separate plane or reality. I like a lot of the things they do with that book.

 

[NewLifeForm]

Arcadia, The Elflands

The cosmology of my campaigns often owes more to folklore or the Infinite Earths of comic book fame then to D&D. Faerie, the Faelands, Arcadia or any of a dozen other names, describes the original realm from which all faerie creatures (including Elves) come from.

To call it a plane of reality would be somewhat inaccurate, though not entirely so. A plane of dream or unreality would seem more appropriate. It is a place yes, but it is generated by the dreams, nightmares and beliefs of humanity and the other "Dreaming Races". It is accessible, largely by accident, through various points such as rings of mushrooms, long dried out wells and the like. Reaching it on purpose is extremely difficult, though it can be done (say by opening the door that appears once a year in the right rock, by the right lake, and then not staying past sunrise the next day).

One of my biggest complaints and pet peeves about D&D is that complete lack of magical atmosphere it's magic has. I really can't see an ecology or geography of Faerieland. It seems counter to it's very nature.

NewLifeForm

 

[Quickleaf]

This is really cool!

Thanks Turanil! You've got some great ideas yourself!

So, what about the Peris? Where are they? I thought this was what this thread was about! Persia is, after all, where we got the word.

Hmm. I always thought djinn and peri were interchangeable? Fusangite, if you've got some different information, please hit me with it man! The only peri I have in the game so far is a reluctant wife of an evil noble who has captured her; so far I'm treating her as a nymph-like djinn who is good as playing the bandat, is so enchantingly beautiful she must wear a veil at all times, and is a skilled sorceress who weaves spells into her performances (a new feat). But I want to hear anything you've got!

 

[fusangite]

Thanks Turanil! You've got some great ideas yourself!


Hmm. I always thought djinn and peri were interchangeable? Fusangite, if you've got some different information, please hit me with it man! The only peri I have in the game so far is a reluctant wife of an evil noble who has captured her; so far I'm treating her as a nymph-like djinn who is good as playing the bandat, is so enchantingly beautiful she must wear a veil at all times, and is a skilled sorceress who weaves spells into her performances (a new feat). But I want to hear anything you've got!

The Peris come from an indigenous Persian tradition whereas I believe the Djinn are of Arabic origin and were imported into Persian myth somewhat later, displacing the Peri to some extent. The Peri is notable mythologically because originally, in the pre-Islamic period, the Peris were evil evil demi-humans but, at a certain point, the Peris became good or simply mischevious characters. The last time I searched, there were some good web resources on them; however, it's been about two years since I last researched them and none of the books and articles I found have really leapt to mind.

During the Islamic period, the Peris had a hierarchical court-like structure in many tales with people interacting with Peri nobility, conceived-of as a sort of a higher order version of human aristocracy. This is one of the reasons people suspect that more recent (post-Celtic/Norse) faerie myth in our culture was heavily informed by Middle Eastern ideas of faeries in the Middle Ages. Like other sophisticated creatures in Middle Eastern myths in the period, the Peris typically inhabited hidden cities.

 

[Quickleaf]

I like that idea about a hierarchical court structure.
To my understanding, the peri are the children of fallen angels (demons). They behaved wickedly for a time, then *something* happened and they all turned to the side of good, though they kept their mischevious tendencies. They are denied from paradise until they atone for their ancestors' sins...which would take a loooong time.

It's interesting that they are the basis for modern fairy tales, yet we only have one archetype about them: A beautiful woman who springs from a pumpkin or changes form from a ringdove or is summoned by a magic flask. She visits the prince at night, but returns from whence she came during the day. Other relatives grow jealous and conspire against her. Prince becomes distraught. Finally the treachery is revealed and prince + peri live happily ever after.

I mean come on! Where's the creepy, mischevious stories that parallel Frankish fairies?

 

[Tonguez]

I
I mean come on! Where's the creepy, mischevious stories that parallel Frankish fairies?

I beleive they were appripriated by the Djinn