So this is another expansion of the work i have been doing on my lakeport setting. Today i’m going to talk about the Fey of this world, and how they helped shape it into what it is. There’s a companion article (really four companion articles) that detail the Fey Gods, and then a companion piece about Elves and half Elves. This group of articles should do a fairly solid job of putting these three races together and give you a wealth of information on who they are and what they do. Let’s dig into the Fey.
The History of the Fey
The world of Lakeport began in darkness and slowly took on form of its own. In this time, the sun and stars didn’t burn, and it was a formless mass of rock and water. Two divine sparks found this nascent world and bent and shaped it into their home. They made a hospitable land that life could grow out of. They ignited the stars and brought light into this world of their design. These two beings planted a great seed of energy that blossomed into the Fey. These original Fey took on aspects of the world around them, and for every plant and animal that grew or walked, a Fey claimed it as their own. Some Fey took ideas and nature as their own, and the Fey of the elements were born. They built a great city to live in, and worshipped their makers as Gods. these two deities coalesced into Grandfather Oak and Grandmother Lion, and they ruled over their people with kindness and wonder.
Ages passed (time mattered little to the immortal Fey) and others emerged in the world. The great Wyrms of Dragonkind and the Giants appeared on the edges of the Fey’s forest home. The first Orcs migrated into the world, taking a corner of the forest as their own. The first humans were encountered by a party of Fey nobles, and the ones that survived the hunting trip were brought back to Feyhome. The Fey even met the first of the Walkers and the Watchmen during this time, but they were the undisputed masters of the world...for a time.
The Fey War
The war that crippled the fey as a dominant power was an ugly brutal affair that damaged the world. Mountains were shattered, sections of the great forest burnt to ashes, and the rivers and lakes were unmade and reshaped to suit another purpose. Eventually, with the intervention of the new deities, the Fey War ended with a narrow victory for the world. The Me’Ah’Chin were destroyed and their factories removed from reality. The cost to the Fey had been tremendous.
Grandfather Oak and Grandmother Lion both survived the war, but were greatly diminished in power. The first generation of their Fey children had only two survivors, The North Wind and the Black Ocean. The Fey as a people were diminished to the point that their immortality faded away, and the current Fey know all the struggles of the world. They shied away from contact with most others, and their ancient seat of power, Feyhome has vanished into the forest.
Modern Fey
The world has been kind to the Fey after the end of the war. Small communities of Fey started to appear throughout the Great Woods, and the Fey emulated their neighbors. They were fierce warriors around the Orcs, studious craftsmen around the gnomes, and seemed to borrow the best traits of their neighbors. These Fey are tied to the ideas and concepts of the world around them and are more likely to claim a city, a stretch of river, or a family as theirs. Where their ancestors claimed the entire world, the modern Fey claim only a portion of it. Many of them become adventurers to see the world their ancestors built, but just as many are looking for a place to call home.
Appearance
Fey have a wide range of appearances and most take on a similar appearance to the dominant culture near them. Fey who live near Orcs take on Orcish characteristics for example. They do not match the colorations of their neighbors, so are very rarely mistaken for them except by the most naive. When living by themselves, the Fey take on an echo of the appearance of their ancestors. Thin humanoids with long silver or white hair and eyes that are all iris. They are a tall people, with heights over six feet common across all Fey.
Personality
Fey don’t have a specific personality as a population. Depending on which of their gods the follow, they can be aggressive hunters, watchful guardians, or anywhere in between. Every Fey looks for a link to the world that they can Claim as their own, and this is the closest thing that they have to a common interest. Every Fey has a connection to their ancestors that allows them to tap into the knowledge and secrets of bygone eras and hidden pathways. Some Fey use this as a mysterious gift but most explain how it works to their close companions.
Society
Because the Fey draw on characteristics of other cultures, most Fey behave in a manner typical of their neighbors. They are good neighbors in most cases, and prefer to avoid conflicts with their nearest neighbors. Most Fey believe that the world is a happy and wonderful place as it stands, but there are some among their number that wish to turn the world back to the way it was before the war.
This is the central conflict that modern Fey struggle with, and the two groups that are most likely to change the world fall into one of two ideologies. The Cult of the Wayward Star believes that the Fey have lost something inherently amazing when they turned away from the natural world. These Fey advocate to a return to the wild world and try to restore the connection to the ancient fey powers. The Cult of the Black Ocean (and his church) believes that the new gods are a burden on the Fey and that only by destroying them in their entirety can the Fey reclaim their position of power and authority in the world.
The Claiming
Every Fey seeks a place to call their own. Through an ancient ritual, a Fey can lay a claim to an object or a place. The Claiming ceremony bonds the Fey to the object or place and ties the Fey’s wellbeing to that of the Claimed. As it flourishes, so to does the Fey. Finding a place to Claim and receiving the blessing of the thing to be claimed can take a lifetime, but every Fey seeks out a place of their own.
Adventurers
Fey adventurers are a curious lot. With their knowledge of lost eras and the world that used to be, they are uniquely suited to seeking out lost sights and treasures. The Fey that buy into the Modern world make friends and allies freely, and go out of their way to try and make other people happy. They are friendliest people and often try to communicate before resorting to violence.
Religion
Fey follow one of the four surviving Archfey. Grandfather Oak, Grandmother Lion, The North Wind, or the Black Ocean. The Grandparents are the progenitor gods of most living things, and have much in common with other nature gods. The North Wind is a champion of virtue and honorable conduct who seeks to elevate the culture of his worshippers. The Black Ocean is a dark deity who seeks to remake the world into a more pleasing version for the Fey, consequences be damned.
Rules addendums
Fey Traits
Ability Score Increase: Fey have a +2 bonus to Wisdom and a +1 bonus to Charisma.
Age: Fey mature quickly but age slowly. The Fey reach maturity around 20, but can live up to 400 years. Fey who’ve completed the Claiming ceremony can live longer, but there health is tied to the prosperity of the Claimed.
Alignment: Fey fall mostly in the neutral spectrum of the alignment grid, but are capable of extreme alignments.
Size: Fey are around 6 feet tall and weigh approximately 150 pounds. They are Medium creatures.
Speed: Fey have a base movement speed of 30 feet.
Proficiencies: Fey are proficient in the Insight and Persuasion skills.
Memory of Many Things: The Fey have access to a racial memory that gives them Advantage on checks to remember details and to identify things that any Fey has experienced.
Echoes of Immortality: The Fey has advantage on Death Saving Throws. At 10th level, the Fey automatically passes Death Saving Throws.
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