Fae¶
Contested
Named in the open question Do the Fae have souls: Fae Magic gives the Fae a spirit tied to the earth and no soul, while Souls, Outsiders and Cycles of Life says in one place that they have no souls and in another that they have mortal souls with immortal forms.
"Fae is elemental energy + intelligence." — the Acadian Outline (S358)
The Fae are the creatures of Fae energy: the elemental intelligences that the creator "put in place to control and distribute elemental energies and their expression on the material" (S358). They rise through natural stages from mindless Flora to the rare Elder, and the Faeries proper, Pixie, Sprite, Praent and Archon, are bound to a demesne on the material plane and die outside it. "Fae are all naturally immortal, and spawn around concentrations of uncontrolled elemental magic" (S434). This page is about the Fae as beings; the Fae Realms are under Cosmology and Fae magic under Magic.
Nature and spirit¶
"Fae Magic (Faerie Magic, Elemental Magic) existed when Elemental Chaos ruled. The majority of it became bound under Astral Law at the end of the Primordial Wars, when the Chaos was defeated and order was brought to the Material. Fae (Elemental) creatures are bound to and part of this energy. They use it natively and rely on it for their very lifeforce (Fae creatures do not have a lifeforce associated to Ethereal energy, unlike 'normal' beings.)" (S279, S208).
"The Fae do not have souls like other creatures. They have a fae spirit tied to the earth which returns the to elemental plane upon death. There, the intelligence is eventually reformed by an Archon or Primordial into a new Fae being... While waiting for reincarnation, powerful fae spirits remain tied to the material plane and are contactable. Since the imprisonment of the primordials there are many more fae spirits than free fae energy available to make Fae beings" (S279). The Fae intelligence is not a mortal one: "Fae intelligences are accustomed to absolute control and domination and don't naturally fit into good or evil. A Wood Fae may 'seem' good, but has an absolute conviction about the way things should be and will do what they know is necessary to bring about correction" (S358).
The Cycles of Life treatise tells it differently in its own classification: "The Fae have mortal souls (singular spirits) with immortal forms (reincarnate automatically). They were built as the servants of the Titans to maintain and nourish the material planes. They generally do so with a single minded purpose. Fae creatures are bound to a Titan and their spirit will reform there in the Fae Realms after death and detachment from their corpse. For Fae creatures whose Titan has been destroyed, they will need to bind themselves to a new Titan, or they will not be able to reform and their ethereal energies will slowly dissipate into the Ethereal Plane" (S018). The same document's opening block says "Fae creatures & Animals (creations of the Einar) also do not have a connection with the outside and do not have souls, they have Fae essences (similar, but distinct to elementals)" (S018). The disagreement is the open question named above.
A Faerie's life has a token: "The token of a faerie is what binds them to the material plane. The person in possession of the token holds the power of life and death over the faerie. Faeries must return to their token to regenerate and gather power, but keep its location a closely guarded secret" (S224). Fae energy "tends to be more limited and fickle than other kinds of energy" (S246).
The natural stages and the Faeries¶
Fae Magic sets out the hierarchy (S279).
The natural Fae stages, also called Elementals:
- Flora: "no intelligence, instict-level intelligence only. They are anchoring and foundational."
- Aphit: "short life-span expression of energy, with low level intelligence. They are changers, fixers and infantry. Most simple animal forms such as frogs, snakes, worgs, salamanders, etc are often Aphits. Mephits are common bird-like Aphits."
- Elemental: "high order animal levels of intelligence. Capable of shaping fae energy around them. stability and lifespan varies. They are the workhorses and heavy infantry. Many are powerful animal forms or pure energy forms." See Elementals.
- Elder: "very rare pure energy form, moderate intelligence. Most of these have been reformed into Faeries. Only primordials can form them. Many of the remaining elder elementals serve Titans."
The Faeries, "Limited to a Fae Demense on the material plane. They lose energy and die/disintegrate outside their demesne":
- Pixie: "humanoid-level intelligence. Pixies have more fae power than a Sprite, but are unable to summon Aphits, Elementals and Flora, unlike Sprites. Pixies are also loners and generally are given a dominion(task/responsibility) by an Archon or Praent. They are the maintainers/fixers."
- Sprite: "humanoid level intelligence being capable of shaping the fae energy around them. They often work in communities with specific tasks/roles assigned to their community. These are often low-fae-power and make use of elemental intelligence instead to use high energy forms more efficiently... They can normally fly (except Earth-ones). They are the builders/creators."
- Praent: "highly intelligent, long lifespan capable of directing fae energy and lesser fae creatures around them (the captains and generals of the archons). Normally given masculine form and serve the Archons as a sort of consort. Their names most commonly end in -or -ar -ir."
- Archon: "immortal fae energy expression with high intelligence capable of directing/forming/shaping fae energy around them. On the material plane, these have to be tied to a Fae well in order to feed them the fae energy required for their survival. Archons are normally referred to in the feminine form, as they are regarded as a queen (-rigan, -rogan and -raggen is a common suffix on their names) and control the birth of all lower forms of Fae. While archons have a natural form, they can often project themselves in any form within their demesne."
Above them stand the Primordials, who "don't really like the Faeries... they consider them usurpers" (S279). The Kalari goddesses made Faeries of their own: Arya is "Creator of sylvan creatures such as Treants, Slyphs, Brownies, Sprites, etc.", and Vana "Creator of Nymphs" (S429, S372). Three fairies held by witches in the elven ruins of Angorath were "in bad shape. 2 are missing wings, all look drained and sick. They have no glow"; a green fairy, Syrlandia, guided their rescuers (S328).
The Fae Archons¶
"While the Fae population was utterly decimated at the end of the Age of Fae, some did survive, including some that had reached Archon status, which represents the pinnacle of evolution for the Fae, and an enormous amount of elemental energy. Fae are all naturally immortal, and spawn around concentrations of uncontrolled elemental magic. The reduction in the number of faeries is due to the reduced amount of unbound elemental energy in the world. The vast majority of Fae live in hiding, affecting the world indirectly. A Fae Archon's power in relation to a mortal would be immeasurable. However, this same power makes them a target for others in search of sources of elemental magic. In some places in the world, the Fae appear as gods in various physical manifestations, and have many mortal followers" (S429, S372, S434). The alchemists price an Archon's Heart above everything but Adamantium: "The heart of a Fae archon possesses tremendous Fae power of the domain associated to the Archon. Collection requires special preservation techniques, otherwise the heart will lose its power quickly after death" (S224).
In the Fae Realm, Faerie creatures gather "especially in the more well-maintained havens (usually controlled by a Fae Archon or sane Titan)" (S001, S013). The Boreal Elves of Brae'Dal keep a Frost Archon, Uiren, as patron, in "The Glittering Caverns of Uiren", and his amulet carries "protective magics" (S005, S010); the fire cult of the Illuri Fold "need[ed] a Frost archon heart to douse the flame wards" around a Primordial's prison (S010). The first Fae archon of the Sancturi age was recorded in 200 SM, together with the first Fae demesne (S132).
Earlier accounts¶
The 2014 Demi-Gods has the Fae "utterly decimated at the early in the Second Age" (S434); the 2019 conversion makes it "the end of the Age of Faerie" (S429). The Compendium's Age of Faerie has the Faeries themselves as "some of the most powerful titans" who "ruled the Elemental and Material Planes" and "transitioned to the Elemental plane where they were less vulnerable and more powerful" after the demons came (S372, S384).
The Faeborn¶
"Dragons, Titans, Gnomes, Goblins, Trolls, Dire Wolves are all Ethereal beings with a Fae connection. This means their physical forms are tied to Fae energy, but they are NOT true Fae creatures. They have souls and they are not created from elemental intelligences. Creatures which are Faeborn tend to flourish in their natural demesne, and struggle when outside of it. (Faeborn was chosen because true Fae creatures are not born, but are formed by other Fae)" (S279). "Gnomes and Goblins are natural descendants of Faerie creatures" (S208), and Gnomes "a hybrid of Fae and Innus" (S372); the Gnomes "'Fae Gnome' nickname comes from their connection to magic, especially elemental magic" (S372). The Pneumatologists' circles of protection name Faeborn among the spirit-kinds they ward against (S295). The Faeborn kinds have their own pages: Dragons, Titans, Gnomes, Goblins, Trolls and the dire wolves under Beasts.
The Fae in the Fifth Age¶
In the 200s SM "Faewilds are documented in numerous locations around the world. Scholars believe they are a natural result of the widespread disruption of the elements and part of process of Terrun restoring the natural order." By the 300s "Faewilds are becoming increasingly common and problematic. Conflict and competition for land and resources with the Fae is commonplace. The Fae are increasingly assertive and expansionist", and the 400s were the Faewild Wars (S326). When the Fae were defeated after the Third Great Fae Resurgence, "one of three things happened: They were subjugated by Daemiveus and his minions and corrupted/merged into Hollows. Their connection to the Material Plane was abstracted even further as they were bound/enslaved as sources of Rune Magic. These bindings take physical form in monoliths of stone carved with Runes to keep the Fae Spirits bound... They went into deep hiding. They are hunted by the mortal races as a source of magical power, but also by those seeking to ensure another Fae resurgence does not take place. Fae-aligned races, such as gnomes and wood elves are also in hiding" (S132). Gnomes and Wood Elves "did not fare well during the War of the Faewild. Being associated with Fae meant they were targeted by many civilizations that had been tolerant of them in the past" (S327). After the Sancturi fall, "Fae and Dragons continue their steep decline since the Faewild Wars. Most have retreated (if they can) fully into the Elemental Planes" (S112). "Natural Fae creatures have felt this shift and seen their power diminish or have embraced their new masters and evolved into something else" (S014). A Fae is still worth capturing: outcast demons sought "a summoned/captured/enthralled Fae" as a living form for a Demon Prince (S340).
The Fae of Acadia¶
On Acadia a sanctioned Fae Conjunction went wrong and "led to the destruction of Acadia and the creation of many Fae-based abominations and monstrosities". Three Fae factions rule its ruins. The Verdant Assimilators, wood fae who "assimilate biomass to fuel verdant growth", with human Mulch-hewers and Architects. The Crystalline Concord, crystal fae who "petrify matter and stabilize structures. Motion and change are the enemy. They are not interested in going back (restoration), nor going forward. They prize the status quo", with Warders, "crystalline skeleton foot soldiers", and Purifiers who "can petrify with touch". The Pyric Renewal, fire and air fae who "revere the cycle of renewal through destruction. They see every iteration as an improvement on the last. Flame Harvesters (swirling fire vortexes similar to fire elementals) carefully prune areas that have reached maturity, so as to start the cycle anew... Ash-Storms are fae animated storms which whip up and distribute ash while deploying Flame Harvesters at the front" (S358). The Netherworm born of the same tear is under Outsiders.
Gap
No source describes a Pixie, Sprite, Praent or Archon's appearance beyond the forms they project, names any Fae Archon other than Uiren, or says how the Fae demesnes of the Fifth Age relate to the Fae Realm. The Sylphs, Brownies and Nymphs of the Kalari are names only.
In Play¶
A Faerie away from its demesne is dying; one whose token you hold is yours. Fae-aligned peoples hide, and the hunters of the Sancturi and the Divine treat Fae and their kin as sources of power or as heresy (S132, S004). The Fae-touched ruins of Acadia are deadly to fly over (S358).