A Primer on the Fey, Written by Wendelous Datzlef
Oct 17, 2018 19:22:22 GMT -5
Marten Eltoren likes this
Post by Dr. Osmond Sterm on Oct 17, 2018 19:22:22 GMT -5
Thanks to the Academic Efforts of Ahri Suvaerna, we are able to present this wonderful Primer on Fey that I recommend for any soon to be, or Current, Expeditioner. In Galdria, The Fey are a common occurrence so this should give a good background on their type both in physicality and behavior.
I hope you enjoy the works.
Dr. Osmond Sterm
I hope you enjoy the works.
Dr. Osmond Sterm
A Primer on the Fey
Written by Wendelous Datzlef
With Research Assistance by Kannenburg University and the Great College of Azbarat
With Research Assistance by Kannenburg University and the Great College of Azbarat
Thoughout the history of Ora, especially the North, the Fey have taken on a variety of roles; early Throðic people worshiped some Fey as something akin to patron spirits associated with aspects of their pantheon, while the medieval Sea Duchies viewed them as a sort of worldly tempter similar to Sins in the modern Althaenian understanding. The Central Kingdoms, and most likely the entirety of the Galdrian Empire, treated powerful Fey as Gods and less powerful Fey as divine servants and patrons, honoring them in ways small and large; modern Althaenian church doctrine does tend to find this history uncomfortable, and anything approaching worship of Fey is, of course, considered heresy, but strong folk traditions of honoring the Fey never the less remain. Modern Rukazen religious doctrine, of course, teaches that Fey are lesser Gods and divine servants, ones who are in charge of specific undertakings within the grand divine bureaucratic system. However, aside from the Rukazen faith, most modern religious scholars and thaumaturges agree that Fey are not Divine beings, as their nature does not seem to incorporate the elements of the Divine any more than such is present within mortalkind. Also worthy of note is that, outside of reports from Rukazen, no evidence or credible report has been produced of any Fey capable of wielding Divine power. Whether these creatures worship some Gods of their own, or honor a faith of mortalkind, is uncertain, but it does seem that they do not receive blessings and divine spells or powers.
Concerning Fey physiology, consider the 1067 works of Sofia Isabella d'Leroux, the Royal Magi of the Sovereign Court of Valicia. D'Leroux was given leave and support by the Crown to perform thaumaturgical experiments into the nature of Fey, and her work is both exhaustive and enlightening. Among her discoveries, she confirmed that most Fey can be vivisected, and unlike Sins, seem to posses a fixed anatomy; however, she noted that the more powerful the Fey was, the more complex and possibly functional the inner anatomy of a Fey was. Things such as simple as Fairies and Blue Caps seem to posses only the most rudimentary sort of innards, and certainly did not posses the natural means to survive and yet did so, whereas powerful and unique Fey posses an inner physiology as complex as any living beast, though often strangely so, and not always strictly arranged in a manner that makes physiological sense.. For instance, when vivisecting a potent unique Fey related to a specific pine forest, d'Leroux discovered that the apparently wooden creature had a full skeletal system of some sort of oakwood, organs made up of a variety of fungi, a heart comprised of a tangle of root-like glowing tendrils, and an apparent brain of hand-carved and tooled pinewood. Ultimately, d'Leroux's conclusion was that Fey have more in common with elementals and outsiders than they do with beasts or mortalkind, but that Fey are never the less truly native to Ora. These works are especially valuable, given that no more recent study on Fey physiology as been as comprehensive, and none have had different findings.
As to Fey nature, examine the works of Johanna Ridorf, the famous folklorist. Regarded as one of the definitive researchers of folk beliefs in Northern Ora by the University of Kannenburg, Ridorf's research and field work into the nature of Fey explores the similarities seen across the Fey native to different lands and involved in different cultures. Within the treatise “The Otherworldly Actors”, Ridorf uses the helpful analogy of a classic theater production to explain the nature of Fey, which can be summed up as followed. To understand the Fey, consider them thusly; they are all part of a large play, with reality itself as the audience. None of them are exactly as they seem, just as the actors within a play are not the characters they are taking the role of; instead, they follow the beat of some script known and understood only by them, playing out roles according to a script they do not let on. That is to say that Fey are shaped and defined by the role they exist within; a Fey dedicated to hunting, for instance, will attempt to encompass as much of that concept as their power allows, even if it would seem to violate their moral character, such as an otherwise kindly Fey murdering those that trespass onto a game trail for sport. However, by the same token, the more powerful a Fey is, and the more encompassing its' role, the more the Fey seems capable of deciding its' own behavior within the confines of its' role; this allows for some powerful Fey to redefine their role to a certain extent by incorporating related concepts or purview, such as a place Fey incorporating the protection of a local mortal settlement as part of their “role” a local guardian. They seem immune to appeals that would have them work outside of their role, but have been known to be swayed within the context of the role they are meant to embody. As a curious note, Fey are capable of deception, but seem to have express rules or laws they do not violate; they do not knowingly speak anything directly untrue, and they do not violate the letter of an agreement unless another party violates the agreement first. This seems to be a trait of their existence as trying to play a role; they seem somehow governed here by the rules of dramatic irony if they wish to be deceptive. It is theorized that Fey gain sustenance, and perhaps power, both from the embodiment of their role, and also from pacts and tributes that reinforce or acknowledge their role.
The least powerful and most common Fey can be thought of as the stage hands; like Blue Caps, Fairies, or Domovoi, these Fey strive to work unseen, supporting their narratives as quietly as possible. However, these Stage Hand Fey can become extremely disruptive if their contributions are not appreciated, and are prone to sabotage when this happens. This sort of Fey tries to avoid any direct contact. Slightly more potent are the Fey that can be thought of as bit players; these Fey serve as support to more powerful Fey, completing minor tasks, providing muscle, or simply being present in the affairs of more powerful players. Bit Player Fey, such as Wild Hunters and Red Caps, work to involve themselves in the affairs of more powerful individuals, and thus are some of the easiest to summon; however, by their nature, they are ill equipped to act as major players within any narrative, meaning they tend to speak little and often wield little power. These Fey tend to have very simple goals, defined by something more powerful than themselves, but they can be very helpful for small tasks. Actors make up the most powerful of non-unique Fey, such as Satyrs; they posses their own “roles” or set of concepts to embody, but those concepts are meant to be personally embodied. For instance, Satyrs are debaucherous, well known as powerful fighters and prolific drinkers, but outside of their personal debauchery, they have no special power to enforce or reward the concepts of their role. Actor Fey can be difficult to deal with, as they are, at least at first brush, the most similar to mortalkind or beasts in mindset, in that their motivations seem understandable and they are often the sort most likely to have any extended contact with mortalkind; however, it must be remembered that their existence within their role will almost always breed problems, and that their alien mindset becomes more apparent with time. Finally, there are the Principles, extremely potent and unique Fey; these Fey often control a variety of lesser Fey, and embody roles that command power and authority within a region. One might serve as the guardian of all fungus within a cavern complex, demanding placation from those that wish to harvest said fungus and punishing those that do not offer such tribute. These Principles can bestow gifts of power to mortals who embody the concepts of the Principle's role, as well as gifting unique powers to other Fey within their cohort. Principles seem capable of manifesting powers that fit within their role, such as clairvoyant knowledge of events that transpire within their demesne, changing landscapes in ways both subtle and evident, and other wondrous things. Principles also enjoy the most ability to stretch the meaning of their “role” in order to incorporate new concepts, reject portions of concepts, or shift the nature of concepts. Generally speaking, it is these Principles that have been given worship and been the center of much folklore throughout much of history. It is worth noting that Ridorf theorized that there may be a sort of “Playwrite” Fey, above even the Principles; some force that determines what role each Fey is to exist within, but no evidence of this have been found, and the Fey themselves have revealed nothing.
In summary, all current research suggests that Fey are physiologically magical creatures, even when appearing similar to beasts or mortals, similar to elementals, but none the less are native to Ora. Fundamentally, they function as “characters” or “roles” within a story or play, acting in a way prescribed by the concepts their role embodies, which seems to take precedent over any other factor in their behavior, yet they can sometimes shift their “role” within the confines of the concepts it embodies. These things should grant a good foundation knowledge of Fey, and allow for further study to be build upon these basic facts.