The Darker Side of the Fey

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The Darker Side of the Fey

When it comes to the magical Fey, there is rarely a type one could call truly "good" or "bad". The creatures of Faerie, from which Sylvaeon sprang, are guided by their own ethics and customs, which seem strange to mortal men.

Humans are the late-comers to Sylvaeon and are often at best seen as a nuisance to the Fey - or at worst the target of faerie ire and malevolent pranks of retribution. Humans are loud, they and their animals trod upon Fey dwellings and sacred sites, they cut Fairy trees down without a care and many other offences against Faekind. These things and more make most humans seem foolish to the Fey and to be pitied by those that know better.

Fairy ire against a humans or livestock may be fatal! "Elf-shot" are magical flint darts or arrows that are fired against the worst offenders. If struck, a creature must save vs. magic and poison seperately or slowly lose their strength at 1 point per week (A fail of either saving roll causes the curse to go into effect, otherwise the shot does .5 Damage).  Death is the ultimate result of this, unless the wrath of the fairies is appeased. This is just one reason why the Folk try to stay on the good side of the Fey. If the fairy(s) are not appeased, the only way to lift the magical strength-sapping curse is to perform a Curse Disease ritual on a night of the full Silver Moon.

Goblins, Hobgoblins, Kelpie, Phooka, Brownies, Orculli and Trolls are perhaps some of the most vicious Fey creatures. Even these are shunned by most others of Faekind. Any human that encounters these is surely in for trouble!

Several  "dark" tactics of Sylvaeon's fairy creatures include:

• luring travelers to an unsafe area, such as a cliff or river, etc. to meet their demise. Lorelei and Merrow are examples of those that do such things.
  
• Elf shot, as previously described.
  
• theft of valuables perceived as precious to humans. This can be annoying or even fatal!
  
• "fairy terror", which is a kind of mental attack causing confusion and panic. A humanoid that does not save vs. Charm (note: elves are immune to this) is struck confused, may lose time or be overcome with maddening fright. A frightened person will flee in any random direction away from the faerie being.

In game terms, the Fey are simultaneously revered, feared and misunderstood - or perhaps even disbelieved in by some, especially city-dwellers. While there are innumerable kinds of Fey, some appear again and again in various guises and names. They tend to take on the language, customs and culture of those they live near, which has baffled many sages.

Some are benevolent, some are tricksterish, but all are driven by their own particular behaviors. Either way, one should never underestimate the wrath of a disgruntled fairy!