Seelie/Unseelie Court

[Deadguy]

The Manual Of the Planes talk about it a little in the section of the Realm fof Farie. Things to think about
Seelie
Light, Summer and Spring, "good", nobility
Unseelie
Dark, winter, fall, "evil", unhonerable.

The only thing I would add is that if you want to hold true to at least some of the myths, then the Fey are beyond simple human morality. I agree that 'good' and 'evil' need to be in quotes for the Seelie and Unseelie. They both operate under arcane rules, and if you offend on them you have committed crimes that can put your life and soul in danger. If your players are expecting cute Victorian fey, then emphasising their abhuman nature can scare them senseless, particularly when you also emphasise their advantages when dealing with them on their own ground!

 

[Aitch Eye]

Bastion Press has something coming out on fairies, but not 'till April:

http://bastionpress.com/Products/Faeries.htm

 

[rounser]

I suggest tracking down PC1 Tall Tales of the Wee Folk and Dungeon magazine 42 for the adventure Legacy of the Liosalfar.

PC1 has a whole heap of mythological and Shakespearian source material on the fey adapted for D&D needs and some fine adventures - it's invaluable for a campaign with fey or fairytale themes. Legacy of the Liosalfar presents an alternative Seelie/Unseelie model for D&D elves, disposing of the unnecessary Tolkien themes and tying them strongly to the faerie realm. The Dockalfar in that adventure makes the Drow seem vulgar by comparison.

 

[Alzrius]

Since everyone is pointing out 2E references, I'll toss one out also: the 2E Ravenloft products The Shadow Rift detailed the Seelie and Unseelie Courts of that realm. While there is some campaign-specific information, its nothing a good DM couldnt lift and put in his own world with a little bit of tweaking.

 

[mythago]

It's not d20, but the Ars Magica book Faeries is a great source for background material.

Ditto on what was said about Seelie vs. Unseelie. "Good" is perhaps too strong a term for the Seelie Court--"not foully malicious and cruel" is more accurate.

 

[Golem Joe]

Mythago's right. With the Fey, you have to remember they are far above the ways of men. It doesn't work very well with DnD, where elves and such are on the same footing as men. The Tuatha de Danu might be powerful enough to be considered demigods, as would the Unseelie Host. Games like Ars Magica, Exalted, Castle Falkenstein, among others do a better job of reflecting the nature of the relationship between fey and mortal because they were designed to do that, rather than put men and fey on equal footing.

Still, if you are willing to go outside the d20 lexicon for information, there are plenty of resources.

Katherine Briggs, IIRC, has written several books on faeries. Good solid ones, not the glorified coffee table books so common now.

Ars Magica should have plenty of info. I second the Faeries recommendation there.

Castle Falkenstein had Lord Auberon's Guide to Faeries, which has a ton of info about the fey, Seelie and Unseelie courts, and how they interact with mortals. It was written by Jeff Grubb, of 3e fame.

 

[LoneWolf23]

One book I found myself liking quite a lot is the Castle Falkenstein sourcebook "The Memoirs of Auberon of Faerie", describing how to use faeries in the CF system, including numerous types of faeries based on old Europeean myths.

I find it to be a very good book, complete with Creature write-ups that are just begging to be converted.

 

[hellbender]

Katherine Briggs wrote 'The Encyclopedia of Faeries' (that is a book from her that I have, I cannot vouch for any other titles). This book is an excellent source of inspiration and material regarding the Fey, and a good read.

hellbender

 

[hellbender]

By a curious turn, I was reading through An Encyclopedia of Faeries and noticed on page 94, under the Denham Tracts (published in two volumes, in 1892 and 1895), that the word 'hobbit' is used in an exhaustive list of various faeries, spirits, goblins etc. Could it be that the Good Professor did not coin the term?

hellbender

 

[Sarevok]

By a curious turn, I was reading through An Encyclopedia of Faeries and noticed on page 94, under the Denham Tracts (published in two volumes, in 1892 and 1895), that the word 'hobbit' is used in an exhaustive list of various faeries, spirits, goblins etc. Could it be that the Good Professor did not coin the term?

hellbender

So... Tolkien is a thief ? I knew it! I knew it! THIEF!!!