The Feywild, also called the Plane of Faerie, is a land of soft lights and wonder, a place of music and death. It is a realm of everlasting twilight, with glittering faerie lights bobbing in the gentle breeze and fat fireflies buzzing through groves and fields. The sky's suffused with the sheen of a moon that never moves, which never truly sets, or rises for that matter; it remains stationary at the apex of the sky. Away from the settled areas ruled by the seelie fey that compose the Summer Court, the land is a tangle of sharp-toothed brambles and syrupy fens-perfect territory for the unseelie fey to hunt their prey.
The Feywild exists in parallel to the Material Plane, where Kildar is located. The landscape of the Feywild mirrors the natural world but turns its features into spectacular forms. Where a volcano stands on the Material Plane, a mountain topped with skyscraper-sized crystals that glow with internal fire towers in the Feywild. A wide and muddy river on the Material Plane might be echoed as a clear and winding brook of great beauty. A marsh could be reflected as a vast black bog of sinister character. And moving to the Feywild from old ruins on the Material Plane might put a traveler at the door of an archfey's castle.
Kildar's Domain of Delight (the Gleamvale)
A part of the Feywild called the Gleamvale that separated from the rest of the plane when shaped by its Archfey, Venariel. Many locations in Kildar are mirrored in the Domain, albeit wilder and more magical. People can travel between the planes in these locations. The only constant in this domain is the never-setting giant Moon which outshines the Sun.
Goals and Motivations
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, an exchange system deeply rooted in their culture and traditions.
Venariel's Fey Courts (Organizational Structure)
Venariel's Court is attended by countless courts that mostly mirror Kildarian Guilds:
Court of Scribes (Scribes Guild)
Court of Gifts (Merchants Guild)
Court of Guids (Explorers Guild)
Important Locations
The locations in the Embervale are as diverse as you can imagine, from stinking bogs with trees that try to grab you with their withering branches to serene glades that levitalize travelers and everything in between. Some of these locations are controlled by Archfey, who shape the location as they wish and influence its inhabitants. The center of it all is the Gleaming Court, where most of the intrigue happens.
Important People
People that mainly shape Kildar's Domain of Delight sorted by court.
Venariel, Half Fairy Dragon (Archfey of the Embervale)
Important Events
Common features (Feywild in gerneral)
The Feywild responds to unfettered emotion. It's not uncommon for flowers to turn and tremble if there's a heated argument nearby. If someone is filled with malice, their footprints might wither the grass under their feet or cause underground insects and worms to burrow to the surface. Birds chirp merrily in the presence of those who are joyous and squawk angrily at those who are perpetually dour. Nosy trees lean in to overhear whispers of conspiracy, eager for delicious tidbits they can gossip about later, and a rock might reshape itself to look like the creature that's happily sunning itself on the rock's surface.
Time and distance in the Feywild are mutable, as is the plane's geography. Roads are uncommon, and those that exist are as likely to change as the land around them. Because the distance between locations is not fixed and dilations in time are commonplace, a journey that took one hour yesterday might take three days tomorrow. Feywild natives are accustomed to the plane's mutability. For them, it's no more peculiar than the sun rising and setting on a Material Plane world.
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?
Fey Crossings
Fey crossings are places of mystery and beauty on the Material Plane that have a near-perfect mirror in the Feywild, creating a portal where the two planes touch. A traveler passes through a fey crossing by entering a clearing, wading into a pool, stepping into a circle of mushrooms, or crawling under the trunk of a tree. To the traveler, it seems like he or she has simply walked into the Feywild with a step. To an observer, the traveler is there one moment and gone the next.
Like other portals between planes, most fey crossings open infrequently. A crossing might open only during a full moon, on the dawn of a particular day, or for someone carrying a certain type of item. A fey crossing can be closed permanently if the land on either side is dramatically altered-for example, if a castle is built over the clearing on the Material Plane.
Nowadays the planes have separated so much that they only connect strongly enough for us to pass to the Feywild in very specific places, and sometimes only during a full moon when the light illuminates the area just right. Most of these places occur in nature because we have not altered those places too much. The Fey on the other hand are much more magical by nature and can cross over in dim light, or at borders between two things such as light and darkness, doorways and hedges. More powerful Fey can cross at will.
Throughout history the Fey have crossed over to the mortal plane. Their reasons for doing so vary wildly, from exploring our world, tricking mortals for fun, to manipulating us for their own gain.
Feywild Magic
In the Feywild magic is much more common than in the mortal plane. Almost all beings interact with it in some way. For Fey, magic is as ordinary as air to mortals. Creatures do differ in magic prowess, however. A small pixie may be stronger than the largest troll. This also allows Fey to cross over to the mortal plane much more easily than for mortals to cross to the Feywild.
Tales speak of children kidnapped by fey creatures and spirited away to the Feywild, only to return to their parents years later without having aged a day, and with no memories of their captors or the realm they came from. Likewise, adventurers who return from an excursion to the Feywild are often alarmed to discover upon their return that time flows differently on the Plane of Faerie, and that the memories of their visit are hazy. You can use these optional rules to reflect the strange magic that suffuses the plane.
Memory Loss
A creature that leaves the Feywild must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. Fey creatures automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do any creatures, like elves, that have the Fey Ancestry trait. A creature that fails the saving throw remembers nothing from its time spent in the Feywild. On a successful save, the creature's memories remain intact but are a little hazy. Any spell that can end a curse can restore the creature's lost memories.
Time Warp
While time seems to pass normally in the Feywild, characters might spend a day there and realize, upon leaving the plane, that less or more time has elapsed everywhere else in the multiverse.
Whenever a creature or group of creatures leaves the Feywild after spending at least 1 day on that plane, you can choose a time change that works best for your campaign, if any, or roll on the Feywild Time Warp table. A wish spell can be used to remove the effect on up to ten creatures. Some powerful fey have the ability to grant such wishes and might do so if the beneficiaries agree to subject themselves to a geas spell and complete a quest after the wish spell is cast.
Spells in the Feywild
Spells that manifest one way in the Material Plane might do so differently in the Feywild. A magic missile spell might take the form of a giggling sprite that materializes next to the caster, fires off a barrage of tiny, glowing arrows, and disappears in a puff of sparkling fairy dust. Here are some other examples of how spells can be cosmetically reinterpreted in the Feywild:
Crown of Madness. The crown is made from gingerbread with icing filigree and candy gems.
Find the Path. A pixie-like spirit appears and guides the caster to the desired location. The spirit can't be harmed.
Gust of Wind. The wind carries the scent of flowers.
Maze. The demiplanar labyrinth created by the spell resembles a thorny hedge maze.
Phantom Steed. The steed looks like a giant, fuzzy caterpillar.
Revivify. A creature restored to life by this spell wakes up wondering if their entire life was all just a dream.
Fey Courts
Fey do not cling to authority for protection like mortals cling to their kings. Fey follow a Court because their nature aligns with the Court. The Courts are structured similarly to mortal political structures of the Guilds with merchants, experts, courtesans, nobles and commoners vying for power, creating alliances and plotting intrigues. Except the Fey, in an attempt to prove they are better than mortals, turn it up to eleven. Alliances are more fickle, power fluctuates constantly and intrigues are much more deadly than the games mortals play.
The most common courts from traditional legends are the Seelie or Summer Court, and the Unseelie or Winter Court. The Seelie consists of more benevolent fairies, while the Unseelie consists of more malevolent, demon or goblin-like figures. However, that does not mean all Seelie fey are good in the sense we use it. They may trick mortals for fun in ways that are absolutely not funny to the mortal in question.
Two queens hold court in the Feywild, and most fey owe allegiance to one or the other. Queen Titania and her Summer Court lead the seelie fey, and the Queen of Air and Darkness, ruler of the Gloaming Court, leads the unseelie fey.
Seelie and unseelie do not directly correlate with good and evil, though many mortals make that equation. Many seelie fey are good, and many unseelie are evil, but their opposition to each other stems from their queens' jealous rivalry, not abstract moral concerns. Ugly denizens of the Feywild, such as fomorians and hags, are almost never members of either court, and fey of independent spirit reject the courts entirely.
The courts have warred at times, but they also compete in more-or-less friendly contests and even ally with one another in small and secret ways.
Seelie Fey and Unseelie Fey are two groups that often find themselves at odds. Seelie Fey cling to the trappings of civilization, value protocol, and uphold traditions. Unseelie Fey indulge their primal instincts, abhor adherence to protocol, and shun conformity. The two groups are not opposites morally or ethically; good and evil Fey can be found in both.
Seelie and Unseelie Fey gather in courts. The Seelie court is called the Summer Court, and the Unseelie court is called the Gloaming Court. Both courts stretch to the far corners of the Feywild, so their representatives can be encountered almost anywhere on this plane of existence. The Summer Court and the Gloaming Court are by no means the only great Fey courts, but they're the most wellknown to creatures on the Material Plane and the most widespread.
How the Summer Court and the Gloaming Court came to be is a mystery. Perhaps some Fey felt a deeper affinity with the natural world and chose to emulate it, while other Fey began to control nature, using magic to invent new ways of living. Whatever the case, innumerable Fey pursued these two paths, which became the two courts, and there have been squabbles between them ever since.
Each court tries to destabilize and demoralize the other. Both Fey courts have spies who dig up dirt, sow seeds of dissent, and cause mischief. Captured spies are either ransomed or made examples of in various humiliating, nonlethal ways.
Much of the gossip and chatter within the Feywild is fueled by the intrigue and drama between the two queens that rule the courts. Titania, the Summer Queen, is the regal and charismatic ruler of the Summer Court. Her court enjoys a tenuous peace with the unearthly ruler of the Gloaming Court, the Queen of Air and Darkness, who allows her kin to dabble in magic forbidden by the Seelie Court.
Conflicts between the Fey courts are often ritualized. Representatives of both courts gather in an amphitheater or field to have heated debates or energetic dance competitions that simulate combat, and these events are often laced with bawdy insults and lewd gestures. Only on rare occasions do things get physical, and even then, the Fey do little more than bite, scratch, and hurl mud at each other.
Every now and then, the two queens lock horns, causing tensions to rise throughout the Feywild. If only one of them can get her way, what would normally be a squabble can turn to bloodshed. But only the Fey queens can declare all-out war against each other, and it would take something extreme to have them abandon their relative peace and hurl their courts into violence and chaos.
The Summer Court and the Gloaming Court have nothing akin to a mutual defense pact, and the very thought of one is greeted by jeers on both sides. If a rising army of fomorians or some other threat endangers one court, it's widely understood that the other court will not intervene unless it, too, is threatened by the same enemy.
Summer Court (Seelie Fey)
Favors sunshine, butterflies, flowers, music, and singing birds
Values ceremony and refinement (for example, proper ways of speaking, formal etiquette, and extravagant dinner parties)
Favors elaborate, manufactured costuming with immaculate tailoring
Harshly judges those who don't exhibit the proper etiquette (adventurers who commit social blunders make fools of themselves, might be labeled buffoons, and might be laughed out of court)
Gloaming Court (Unseelie Fey)
Favors gloom, twilight, cobwebs, fireflies, hooting owls, and croaking frogs
Values the intuitive and instinctual (for example, mystical rituals, visionaries, and firelit parties)
Shuns the constraints of civilization (instead wearing only unfinished natural materials and sleeping under the stars)
Dabbles in mysterious magic and rituals (adventurers can run afoul of curses if they don't follow the Unseelie ways)
Outside the Courts
Some regions in the Feywild were known to attune to the most powerful Archfey nearby. These regions would warp to reflect the emotion or attitude of the Archfey to which they were attuned, with everything from the weather to the landscape changing to be more dismal, peaceful, or dangerous as best befitted the creature's mood. The Archfey could shape these domain to their whims, with lesser creatures in them abiding by rules set by the Archfey. If such a domain is controlled to an extreme extent, it separates from the rest of the Feywild, creating a Domain of Delight.
Archfey this powerful can usually fend for themselves and do not require allegiance to a Court. They have their own relationships with fellow Unaligned Archfey and Court-aligned fey.