Description

The Fey of the Gleamvale are ancient, enigmatic beings whose customs, values, and very nature often confound mortals. Shaped by unshakable patterns of behavior rather than free will, Fey act according to their essential nature, whether playful, wrathful, or noble and rarely stray from it. They do not use money, but instead trade in favors, stories, gifts, and obligations, with a deep reverence for courtesy, reciprocity, and balance.

Once sealed away from the Material Plane during the dark times of the Hadar Crisis, the Fey have recently reopened their borders and now move among mortals with a mix of wonder and wariness. They seek to learn, assist, and meddle, but always on their own terms, and never without a price.

Though the Fey Courts appear disordered to outsiders, they follow an intricate web of allegiances and ancient customs under the watchful eye of the Archfey Venaiel. While he is their creator and ruler in title, his true authority is uncertain, and conflict among Fey, both subtle and spectacular is common.

Understanding the Fey means accepting contradiction: they are timeless yet impulsive, cruel yet courteous, whimsical yet bound by unspoken rules. To deal with them is to step into a world where words carry weight, gifts bind fates, and nothing is ever quite what it seems.

Worldview & Morality

The motivations of the Fey are not always easy for humanoids to understand. Each Fey court typically has its own unique goals, which are detailed on their respective pages.

One important and common trait among all Fey is their unfamiliarity with the concept of money. Instead of currency, they trade in favors and promises, an exchange system deeply rooted in their culture and traditions.

They are curious about both the societies and the magic of the Material Plane, and now move among its people, offering aid, seeking understanding, and weaving themselves into mortal affairs. But in true Fey fashion, no help ever comes without a price.

History

• Kildarian Retreat: Fearing Hadar, the Fey sealed off their Realm as the crisis grow near. Now the reopened their gates and are curious for what the material plan has to offer.

Structure & people

The Fey who dwell within the Gleamvale are loosely organized into shifting Courts, all under the distant reign of the archfey known as Venaiel. These Courts are fluid by nature, more social web than rigid hierarchy. Fey may change their allegiances frequently, often swayed by mood, whim, or the turn of a season.

Despite this volatility, Fey are bound by the deep-rooted customs of courtesy and obligation. While they may flit from one Court to another, most tend to linger near familiar faces and favored companions, if only for a time. Loyalty among the Fey is rarely permanent, but it is rarely meaningless.

Leader

Every court has their own leader, but they are formally all combined under Venaiel who created the Gleamvale

Opponent

The biggest Opponent of the Fey are the Fomorians, but they seem to be defeated, at least for the moment.

Furthermore, the fey like to fight under each other.

Nature

As opposed to humans, whose nature can change over time (becoming Good after seeing the evils of the world or Chaotic after being disillusioned with authority) and who can act other than their alignment (by pretending, lying or being tired), the Fey must be true to their nature. A Fey that loves tricking mortals will always aim to do so as often and as effectively as possible. They will get better at it and learn how to do it in a way that will not hurt them in the long run, but will never stop.

The Fey are highly aware of mortals and the way they differ from them. This creates very different responses that are often paradoxical. Mortals live much shorter lives and as such are looked down upon by Fey, as what importance could a creature with the lifespan like a speck of dust hold? On the other hand, mortals have free will to choose their destinies and nature, and as such hold more power over their own lives than even the most powerful Fey does. A Fey might grow both envious and disdainful of mortals, or grow interested or even enamored with our unpredictability. This results in the many different ways Fey interact with humans: hunting them, manipulating them, tricking them, helping them or kidnapping them.

Customs

Rarely do Fey ignore the importance of reciprocity, hospitality, and gifts.

Reciprocity

By and large, Fey feel strongly about quid pro quo and balance. If something is taken, then something of equal value must be given, and what Fey considers to be of equal value is the big question. A Fey might steal a human's beloved pet and leave in its place a brightly painted wooden effigy, or the Fey might take some gold and leave a bundle of bright, yellow buttercups. These exchanges satisfy the agreement of reciprocity, and a Fey who makes them sleep soundly at night, content that the exchanges were fair.

Hospitality

Hospitality is a pillar of Fey society. Treating a visitor to one's home with courtesy and generosity is important to most Fey, but the visitor must show their Fey host the same courtesy and not act boorishly or demonstrate blatant impropriety. Rudeness breaks the bond of reciprocity and frees a Fey host from the obligation to be hospitable. But each Fey has different ideas about what constitutes rudeness; even an ill-conceived gift to a Fey host might be regarded as an insult and cause a hubbub, if not a revocation of the Fey host's hospitality. A trusty Fey guide can provide invaluable assistance in navigating such delicate situations.

Gifts

Connected to both hospitality and reciprocity is the giving of gifts. Fey are avid gift-givers (partially because they like receiving gifts), and their gifts are usually very thoughtful. Good gifts have sentimental value to the giver. For example, a beloved heirloom makes a fine gift to a Fey creature. A throwaway gift is an insult that flies in the face of reciprocity and hospitality.

Gifts provide a kind of balance that many Fey obsess over. If there is a perceived imbalance, a carefully chosen gift can set things right; this is why refusing a gift from a Fey creature can cause them consternation, as they're trying to right a perceived imbalance by giving the gift. But accepting a gift from a Fey can cause problems for the uninitiated traveler, as it can indebt them to the Fey creature: "I gave you a gift, so now you must give me one in return." It can also lead to the formation of an accidental fey contract, as discussed in the next section.

Good Gifts to Give Fey

Family ring, Talisman sacred to your druid circle, Favorite hat, Piece of art that you made, Trinket from the Material Plane, Favorite dessert recipe, Sensational, applause-worthy performance, Haircut or bath

Bad Gifts to Give Fey

Item that has outlived its usefulness, Item you intended to get rid of, Half-hearted performance, Cursed, evil, or broken item

Morality

It is hard to fit Fey on the Good/Evil and Chaotic/Lawful spectrums. Their lack of free will insinuates Lawfulness yet their unpredictability shows they are Chaotic. They may help mortals, trick us, avoid us, actively harm us or just not care what happens to our already short lives. Often it depends on their goals and how they relate to the mortals' actions. Fey might kill a mortal in cold blood if the mortal is unwittingly destroying an important Fey location by bringing iron to it. Does that make the Fey evil or the mortal simply ignorant?

Member creation tables

A template with tables for generating members of this faction. One per member type (e.g. guard, bureaucrat, diplomat, commoner)

Roleplay

Locations

They Fey live in the Feywild (Gleamvale)