Fay

Some spirits are content with dwelling in the far realms as entities of Platonic thought. Others yearn to be bound with weight and hunger, and so come into the plane of Flesh. We call these spirits the fay.

In the earliest ages of the world, troops of the fay came into freshly formed creation, eager to try out the pleasures and perils of wearing skin. It was to their very great surprise that it was easier to enter the realm of Flesh than it was to leave it. Those who did not go insane from this realization became known as the elves.

Elves consider themselves the eldest people for they existed outside the circles of the Wide World long before it was even formed. (The oldest living sentient race that actually physically dwelt in the Wide World is, of course, the orcs.)

And “being old” is one thing the elves do very well. They are ageless, and never die from old age or infirmity. Some elves alive today are, indeed, very, very old. And when you are very, very old, you have a lot of experiences to draw upon—you can be very, very wise. Hence, elves are commonly thought to be both the eldest and the wisest folk.

It is noteworthy that elves do not breed and create clans like men do. Though their bodies have all the functionality of mortal life, immortality cannot generate life. All elven births are stillborn—with two exceptions. The first exception is if one of the elven parents lays down their life for the sake of a child: either parent can pass on their own spirit to reincarnate into their own child at the moment of birth.

The second exception is gnomes.

When elves realized that they could not generate new life (only reincarnate), they decided to solve the problem like they solved many other problems: magic. They stole the children of mortal mothers, rationalizing that they would “save” the children from eventual old age and death. They used rites from the realm of dreams, transforming the children from mortal to immortal.

The early elves first assumed this would change the infants into elven children. They were mistaken. It transformed them into gnomes, their skin wrinkled and their forms hunched and twisted. Instead of being eternally beautiful and youthful, they became eternally bent and aged.

Elves and gnomes, on the whole, differ in opinion about whether or not the creation of gnomes (and the continued practice) was good and justifiable or not. But one thing almost all fay agree on is to not share this secret with the mortal races.

Gnomes are immortal, just like their elven “parents.” Unlike the elves, however, gnomes are hunched and wizened, not eternally youthful. Elves, as spirits, embody concepts easily. Gnomes lack this purpose and so are prone to feelings of existentialism. The largest problem that gnomes face, however, is a sense of otherness and exclusion. Gnomes don't “fit in” with elves easily and struggle to be fully integrated into the rites and rituals of the fay. Elves understand that the gnomes feel excluded from their society, but rarely know what to do about it.

Unlike humankind, which has sprawled into many clans and principalities, elves and gnomes live together in Alfheim, the singular kingdom of the fay. The goddess and queen of the fay is a strange three-part spirit named the Tripartite. It is said that she (they? it?) is a single entity that coexists in three places. One of the Tripartite's three faces rules each of the three elven courts.

The Maid of Mists, who rules the Court of the Sun, is a young queen of sixteen apparent years with a gentle and courtly demeanor. For her sake, elven knights ride out on errantry to do good works throughout the Wide World. Every winter, she holds a feast for her court where their tales of bravery and chivalry are recounted.

The Witchmother is a potent huntress and warrior woman that leads the Court of the Maimed Moon. Horns spring from her head and she can assume many bestial shapes. Once a year she leads her court on a crazed hunt across the Wide World pursuing some unlikely game. This event is called the Wild Hunt.

The third face of the Tripartite is the Crone, who rules the Court of Fallen Stars. The Crone is the stuff of children's nightmares. The less said about her, her loyal hairy skulls, her detachable eye, and her chicken-legged hut, the better.

A myth of the fay

There was, o’ what there was in the oldest of days and ages and times. The Sun ruled as king in Heaven, and the Moon was his queen. Together, they kindled innumerable Stars to be their children, and arrayed them in gold and silver. The Citadel of Heaven was beautiful and its people were happy.

Among the people of the Sun’s retinue was one named Abyss, who wore a cloak that looks like the space-between-stars. The Sun called on Abyss and asked her to tell him of the goings-on of Earth, where water and sand were being scattered. Abyss told the Sun that the dragons had invented a thing called Death. The Sun became quite fearful.

The Sun called on his eldest child, who was named Second Sun, to serve as his personal guard. He sealed the Citadel of Heaven to ensure that Death could not enter. He quieted the celebrations of the Stars so he could ensure he could always hear Death coming. He had Abyss forge a sword named Eclipse for Second Sun to wield in his defense.

And o’, what a sad thing happened with that sword…

Fay names

Fay names mean something. They are rendered in the fay tongue, Tylwyth, and followed by a translation in Vulgaris (in the style of a human surname). For the fay, it is the meaning of the name that is particularly important, not just the collection of syllables and sounds. Names are not gendered; any name can be carried by a person of any gender.

Fay names (with Vulgaris surname):

Adahay Lives-in-Woods, Bidziil He-is-Strong, Cha Tima the Caller, Dadgayadoh Gambling-Men, Elsu Flying-Falcon, Fala Crow, Honiahaka Little-Wolf, Ituha Sturdy-Oak, Kizikoni Burning-Fire, Makya Eagle-Hunter, Nahiossi Three-Fingers, Onacona White-Owl, Qaleteqa Warden, Sakuruta Coming-Sun, Takoda Friend-to-Everyone, Vaive Atoish Alights-on-the-Cloud, Waban East-Wind