Tell me about your fey court

[Minigiant]

THe fey in my game live on the 2nd plane, the Plane of Emotion. Each fey nation has a senator in the Fey world court.

The Earth fey are the elves and dryads. The Sky fey are the slyphs and harpies. The Water fey are the merfolk. The cyclopi left the Earth Fey to make their own nation. Likewise with the gnomes, and each type of nymph. The other races don't care enough to follow rule.

The fey are constantly arguing and fighting over how to deal with non-fey and how to pay thier debt to the titans.

 

[Quickleaf]

I've opted away from the standard model, though not entirely.


My setting has the Fey more like Hellboy 2. The Sidhe Courts are organized around the seasons, and in their own Realm one court rules while its opposite is moved into the Mortal Coil. Right now the Winter Court is laying claim to the world, and a long, bitter winter is soon to come... though it's still a cold autumn, with a cursed harvest, etc. (Nature ain't doing so hot right now). Deep in the Other World, Summer is holding sway, but mortal PCs likely can't get there.

However, rather than a Plane, the Fey are organized around small pockets; travel in this otherworld is possible, but I'm going for more of a Neil Gaimen feel, or David Bowie, than I am FR's happy-clappy woodsy realm. For example, I'm going to use the info from Thunderspire Labyrinth, but have it ruled by some Eladrin Nobles. As well, all sorts of non-human creatures dwell in these pockets, with non-mortal ethics deciding how things are run. Strange bargains abound, for instance.
Also, Eladrin are very pale, and not as nice as Tolkien. We had one in the party (but the player was soooo nice, so it didn't come through; but we like him anyway), and I'm about to bring in a host of them to meet the party. As an added bonus, when in Fey Zones, if you will, Eladrin and Elves (and goblins and dwarves; fey, basically) don't age.
In general I'm trying to have the Fey Courts look more like a DiTerlizzi picture, or Mignola, with all sorts of creatures that hang out there (minotaurs, goblins, Trulls (goblin-like artificers; troll name was taken), eladrin, salamanders, gnomes, human wizards, etc.).
This to contrast a regular setting that feels like Gears of War or Artesia: brutal, pointless mortal world with lots of mud and moral ambiguity.

Awesome. I'm taking a similar approach, and think you hit the nail on the head with comparing the fey courts to a DiTerlizzi/Mignola picture. IMC, the summer court ain't all peaches and cream either, they've just "officially" outlawed stealing human children (though not leaving behind changelings for a bereaved family whose child "happens" to disappear).

 

[Rechan]

IMC, the summer court ain't all peaches and cream either, they've just "officially" outlawed stealing human children (though not leaving behind changelings for a bereaved family whose child "happens" to disappear).

Heh. IMC, the Parliament had made a deal with one of the Houses; the Parliament get every child born in the colony for a full year, in exchange for three years of double the crop yield in new cash crops (fruits/herbs/etc).

Alas, it never came into play.

I try to avoid the typical "Summer/Winter/etc". I mean, I anticipate that those courts Exist in the Feywild, but they're like the UN, or some equivalent Very Large Body.

I'm more intrigued by the smaller entities. The Local/State government equivalent fae. You can have little fiefdoms, etc. The River King of "Wrath of the River King" is a good example.

It's actually kinda funny. I really dig fae stuff, but dislike Eladrin/Elves, because as PCs, I rarely see players play that stuff up. So elves/eladrin get in the mix, and sort of "de-mystify" it all.

 

[Wik]

Well, my court is based in the Feywild (it's 4e). You have the Eladrin (the Twilight Court) and the Drow (the Dusk Court). Both are the exact same species, but manifest a different appearance depending on which political side you belong on. So, it is possible for Eladrin to change into Drow, and vice versa (there is actually a Drow Priestess NPC in my campaign who is slowly becoming Eladrin, and is tryign to hide it).

The Eladrin believe in isolation from the material world, relatively peaceful existence with mortals, and following their path of decadent immortality in the Feywild. They believe in letting humanity lead, as it were, and look back on their past as the original "civilizers" of the world with pride.

The Drow, on the other hand, refuse to submit to humanity, and believe that they should never have emigrated to the Feywild. They believe their species is superior to all others, and the rest of the world needs to recognize this.

The eladrin live in several cities in the heart of the feywild (the Feywild in my setting being something of a finite plane), while the Drow live in numerous armed camps on the border. A pure darkness is on the edge of the Fey realm, and it slowly leeches in, unless the Drow hunters are able to hunt and kill the darker fey creatures. So, the Drow preserve the fey kingdom, while the Eladrin live in magical cities at the heart.

Neither faction likes the other, and so to keep the court together, each side puts forth one leader - the Eladrin, a King, the Drow, a Queen. These two usually hate each other, but cannot scheme against one another, as law states that were one to die, the other must abdicate the throne. And no blood relative can attain the throne of his/her parent. So, the rulers must rule over numerous noble rivals, and each other, to keep the court in some semblance of order. In reality, the numerous Eladrin Dukes and Duchesses, as well as the Drow Barons and Baronesses, control the various cities, towns, and armed hunter camps in the feywild.

Also, there are gnomes as a minor faction, as well as Dwarves (those dwarves who followed the Eladrin/Drow in their exile from the material plane) in small numbers. Fomorians (and those related to the Fomorians) exist in the Feywild as well, in armed camps usually at the edge of the encroaching darkness - they fiercely hate the drow, though it is said by some that they have alliances with various Eladrin Dukes.

Elves, by the way, are simply the descendants of Eladrin who refused to enter the Feywild as part of the exile. They are more attuned to the natural world, and can only sense "echoes" of the feywild when it is particularly strong. An Eladrin (or Drow) who spends too much time away from the Feywild will begin to turn into an Elf... offspring of an Eladrin or Drow born in the Material plane will almost certainly be an elf (and unable to ever become something else).

All three races (elves, eladrin, and drow) argue about the original form of the Eladrin race, when it once ruled the Material plane, with each proclaiming it's own form as being the "original" form. Logic would dictate the elves as being the "original" form (as it is what Eladrin and Drow revert to in the material plane), but this is strongly fought by the other two races - the Eladrin claiming they are the original because they are the "highest" form and can best wield the magical energy that was said to be the lifeblood of the ancient empire, while the drow proclaiming the "true" form out of their own views of racial superiority and arrogance.

 

[Nikosandros]

My Fae court is based heavily off of the Dresden Files.

Mine too.

Last session, the group had just freed the slaves from the Duergar slavers in H2 and asked them to stay put while they went south to attack the leaders. Among the slaves was a crazed gnome, blind and frost bitten that kept mumbling about Arctis Tor and Mab.

While the final battle was in progress, a snowstorm erupted to the north were the slaves had remained. Nothing could be seen through the whiteout, but the howling of many hounds could be heard... when the storm abated no trace of the gnome could be found save a few blood stains. The group has had the first taste of the fury of Winter.

 

[avin]

I'm using Titania and Oberron.

Check "Beyond the infinite doorways" for a very cool court.

 

[Gwaihir]

What a great (and timely) thread for me!

About 4 months ago we started an All elves campaign. the characters include a Warlock - substituted fey power for demonic and a cleric who worships the fey court.

I'd conceived of the faerie court being light/dark depending on who was doing the encountering, but have put off defining it any further and have recently reached a campaign crossroads where I need firm up a few things about the court(s).

theres lots of great ideas here. I especially like the Eladrin/Drow light/dark idea.

Know if only i'd seen the Dresden files...

 

[Gwaihir]

What a great (and timely) thread for me!

About 4 months ago we started an All elves campaign. the characters include a Warlock - substituted fey power for demonic and a cleric who worships the fey court.

I'd conceived of the faerie court being light/dark depending on who was doing the encountering, but have put off defining it any further and now I have recently reached a campaign crossroads where I need firm up a few things.

theres lots of great ideas here. I especially like the Eladrin/Drow light/dark idea.

Know if only i'd seen the Dresden files...