Post by Nobody on Dec 25, 2015 22:48:42 GMT
Arcadians
Arcadian – is the actual name for all inhabitants of the fae races; Much as Asian denotes any person of Asiatic origin. There are many types of Fae. To be honest the Arcadians are as myriad as there are dreams and nightmares in the world. They have worn just as many names throughout the millennia that man has known of them. The names given by the Arcadians and to the Arcadians are wholly artifice. They are in truth Aliens to this dimension. Why they came or were banished in the long forgotten past no one knows, not even the Arcadians themselves.
Arcadians are not only strangers to this dimension but also to the United States. The Arcadians on American soil are always the descendants of the Court given leave to stay by President Jefferson. They have adopted a hidden in plain sight nature. There are few recognized Arcadian American citizens. However in Europe and certain other continents they are decidedly more public, even grandiose in their exploits. Even in the United States known heirs of any of the major courts are hounded by the paparazzi and accorded the fame of movie and sports stars. However known Unseelie Arcadians are barred from legally immigrating or even visiting. Because of the stringent barring of Arcadians there is an underground railroad of sorts providing the illegal immigration of Arcadians to the United States.
The Sidhe are the highest ranking, most powerful members of the Arcadians. The Sidhe are the lords and nobility of the highest courts. There are of course lesser non-sidhe arcadians, many of whom have interbred with humans as a way to increase their gene-pools. The fae themselves are hardy creatures, gifted with true immortality never knowing the taste of death illness or infirmity, but they can be killed under the right influences. A fae creature can be injured by mundane bullets, beatings, hitting them with a speeding car, but these things will not end a full blooded fae they can put it into a sleep until it’s body can repair itself and they will rise again without a mark on their flesh in a short space of time depending on how much damage was done to their form. The exception to the fae resilience iron, the metal is anathema to fae and all their works.
There is actually more than one kind of iron with varying effects of the fae. Alloys of iron such as steel while irritating and painful is not actually deadly to the fae the alloying process removes much of whatever it is that makes the metal deadly. Regular iron such as you might find in a wrought iron fence or in a cast iron pan, can harm and kill the fae in the same way it can a mortal if they were say bludgeoned or stabbed with the tool and usually a fae will retreat back to Arcadia after receiving such a wound before they are slain. Cold Iron though is different, it is hand forged by a smith from raw ore to its finished shape, this contact puts a touch of mortality into the metal causing it’s mere touch to burn the skin of the fae. All fae can sense the presence of cold iron and generally avoid coming near it, which is why a horseshoe forged of cold put above a door could ward off faeries, though more powerful fae can and do ignore such wards. Another kind of iron is black iron this iron is much like cold iron in its creation. The difference is that during the whole forge the smith focuses on killing a specific fae. To truly be black iron the forger must start his forge the a piece of paper written with the true name and all the Titles of the intended fae written in his own blood, doing so erases the name from the forgers memory forever and this sacrifice gives the iron power. Repugnant in the extreme to the fae the can smell the burning human blood on the metal and see the name of its intended written in blood on its surface, the iron will protect its holder from all the intended faeries powers and the slightest touch of it to their skin can kill them instantly. Black iron is only this effective against the fae for it was forged against others it acts like mere cold iron. Interestingly enough once it’s intended is killed the iron will rapidly break down and rust apart as if it has no more reason to exist in the world.
Half fae only share a portion of this strength and weakness, cold and black iron are no more effective than regular iron, and alloys like steel hurts them more deeply than true fae. However, they have a touch of immortality giving them long life and great strength keeping them safe from illness and infirmity, but the mortal half also makes them more vulnerable too. A half blood could be beaten to death with bare fists, run over by a car or burned to death things which could never kill a full blood. Also there wounds will heal with a scar unlike the true fae who only scar from the touch of cold iron.
Laws and Customs of Faerie
There are many elaborate laws of Arcadia. They could populate the pages of every book ever written and still need more. For simplicities sake they are generally pared down to just two. One is as hard as iron itself the other more a social contract.
One's word is one's bond
Once a fae has given their word, they are honour-bound to keep it. An oath-breaker may be punished by death. However, careful wording of oaths can allow 'loopholes', so one should take care when asking for promises from the fae.
Acknowledge Beauty
It is considered rude, or bad form, to ignore the beauty of another fey. While this may seem like outright flirting to those around them, this is a simple matter of etiquette.
Sidhe
The royalty of Arcadia, the Sidhe or Tuatha Dé Danann are divided into the high courts of Seelie and Unseelie. Usually marked with triple irises and bright glowing skin these signs have been taken to mean that one is of pure Sidhe blood but in fact are just common genetic modifiers not solely dependent on the purity of a Sidhe’s family line. Sidhe literally means "people of the hills". Which is where they returned after their defeat at the hands of the Milesians. Regarding the Arcadian systems of governing the Arcadians style their government after the feudal system. Royalty assumes the highest positions. Followed closely behind by the noble families. Then their knights and guards from there everyone else.
The Sidhe are ruled in a byzantine court structure with numerous smaller fiefdoms(Freeholds) and kings owing unswerving allegiance to the two major courts of the Seelie and Unseelie. There are kings for almost every species and organization within the fae people, but there is on one king and queen for the Seelie and Unseelie courts and they have ruled since time immemorial. Within the courts there are many lesser nobles and entitlements each holding a place and a responsibility within the court and Arcadia itself, such as the Duchess of bright waters and hidden meadows, or the Viscount of the crimson web forgotten in shadows, these individuals have their own powers and responsibilities to the land and their respective monarchs.
The Titles and names of the fae are extremely important as they define not only what a fae does but also the very essence of who they are. It is rumored that the surest way to destroy a fae for all time is to rob them of all their Titles. It is believed that doing so strips them of their reason for existing and makes them cease to exist.
The Seelie Court
Also called "the Bringers of Beauty and Wishes" or “Glittering Throng” whose power descends from their King or Queen. The Seelie Court is ruled by King Taranis. It is the court of light.
The Unseelie Court
Also known as the lesser court or the dark court ruled by Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness. They take in all those turned away from the Seelie court.
Crowns of the Seasons
All fae share a strong affiliation with nature and this is shown most prominently in the crowns of the seasons. These powerful artifacts are bestowed at the beginning of each season, and are given only to those most in touch with the true meaning of each season and what it stands for. Any fae may make a bid for a crown be they noble or common; usually the commoners don’t have the capacity to fully embrace what a season encompasses, though it is not unheard of for even the lowest of goblin grunts to be given a crown. Each court has two seasons with which they share the strongest natural affinity, spring and summer for the Seelie, autumn and winter for the Unseelie. When it is time for the crowns to be given out they are brought by appointed representatives of the courts and presented to their bearers formally. However, in the rare cases where the bearer is courtless or not of the affiliated court, an avatar of the season itself will come to present the crown. There are two types of crown greater and lesser, there is only one greater crown and it is given only to the true monarch of season, to date no one other than the kings and queens of the Seelie and Unseelie courts have received these. The lesser crowns are many and the bearers of them tend to shift around a lot to be given a seasonal crown more than once is very rare and to receive more than one even more so, presently only the Unseelie princess has received both crowns of her court each season for the past few centuries.
The seasons are divided in purpose and power, based on what each season means and does to nature. Autumn is a transitional season, a time when the power of summer begins to pass into winter, it is a time the time when fear grows powerful as the world looks forward to the coming winter and the shadows grow longer as the days grow shorter. Winter is a high Season the time of sorrow when nature looks back on what it has lost and the white snow throws all the hard truths into stark against naked branches. Spring is another transitional season when winter must start surrendering to summer; it is a time of desire as the world wakes up and starts to discover itself again. Summer is the other high season the time of joy as all revel in the soft bounty that nature provides so freely without thought to what the future may bring or what the past might hold. The power of the crowns reflect these philosophies offer their bearers greater strength or new powers based off of what the season has to offer, but their gifts are as varied and unpredictable as the seasons which they embody. Also in addition to the crowns there are the veils of the seasons, these belong to crown holders out of their season, though they have no real power to offer there wearers they are symbols of who and what they were for a season. A veil wearer may keep their veil forever, but it is considered bad form to wear it in public for more than one season.
Arcadian – is the actual name for all inhabitants of the fae races; Much as Asian denotes any person of Asiatic origin. There are many types of Fae. To be honest the Arcadians are as myriad as there are dreams and nightmares in the world. They have worn just as many names throughout the millennia that man has known of them. The names given by the Arcadians and to the Arcadians are wholly artifice. They are in truth Aliens to this dimension. Why they came or were banished in the long forgotten past no one knows, not even the Arcadians themselves.
Arcadians are not only strangers to this dimension but also to the United States. The Arcadians on American soil are always the descendants of the Court given leave to stay by President Jefferson. They have adopted a hidden in plain sight nature. There are few recognized Arcadian American citizens. However in Europe and certain other continents they are decidedly more public, even grandiose in their exploits. Even in the United States known heirs of any of the major courts are hounded by the paparazzi and accorded the fame of movie and sports stars. However known Unseelie Arcadians are barred from legally immigrating or even visiting. Because of the stringent barring of Arcadians there is an underground railroad of sorts providing the illegal immigration of Arcadians to the United States.
The Sidhe are the highest ranking, most powerful members of the Arcadians. The Sidhe are the lords and nobility of the highest courts. There are of course lesser non-sidhe arcadians, many of whom have interbred with humans as a way to increase their gene-pools. The fae themselves are hardy creatures, gifted with true immortality never knowing the taste of death illness or infirmity, but they can be killed under the right influences. A fae creature can be injured by mundane bullets, beatings, hitting them with a speeding car, but these things will not end a full blooded fae they can put it into a sleep until it’s body can repair itself and they will rise again without a mark on their flesh in a short space of time depending on how much damage was done to their form. The exception to the fae resilience iron, the metal is anathema to fae and all their works.
There is actually more than one kind of iron with varying effects of the fae. Alloys of iron such as steel while irritating and painful is not actually deadly to the fae the alloying process removes much of whatever it is that makes the metal deadly. Regular iron such as you might find in a wrought iron fence or in a cast iron pan, can harm and kill the fae in the same way it can a mortal if they were say bludgeoned or stabbed with the tool and usually a fae will retreat back to Arcadia after receiving such a wound before they are slain. Cold Iron though is different, it is hand forged by a smith from raw ore to its finished shape, this contact puts a touch of mortality into the metal causing it’s mere touch to burn the skin of the fae. All fae can sense the presence of cold iron and generally avoid coming near it, which is why a horseshoe forged of cold put above a door could ward off faeries, though more powerful fae can and do ignore such wards. Another kind of iron is black iron this iron is much like cold iron in its creation. The difference is that during the whole forge the smith focuses on killing a specific fae. To truly be black iron the forger must start his forge the a piece of paper written with the true name and all the Titles of the intended fae written in his own blood, doing so erases the name from the forgers memory forever and this sacrifice gives the iron power. Repugnant in the extreme to the fae the can smell the burning human blood on the metal and see the name of its intended written in blood on its surface, the iron will protect its holder from all the intended faeries powers and the slightest touch of it to their skin can kill them instantly. Black iron is only this effective against the fae for it was forged against others it acts like mere cold iron. Interestingly enough once it’s intended is killed the iron will rapidly break down and rust apart as if it has no more reason to exist in the world.
Half fae only share a portion of this strength and weakness, cold and black iron are no more effective than regular iron, and alloys like steel hurts them more deeply than true fae. However, they have a touch of immortality giving them long life and great strength keeping them safe from illness and infirmity, but the mortal half also makes them more vulnerable too. A half blood could be beaten to death with bare fists, run over by a car or burned to death things which could never kill a full blood. Also there wounds will heal with a scar unlike the true fae who only scar from the touch of cold iron.
Laws and Customs of Faerie
There are many elaborate laws of Arcadia. They could populate the pages of every book ever written and still need more. For simplicities sake they are generally pared down to just two. One is as hard as iron itself the other more a social contract.
One's word is one's bond
Once a fae has given their word, they are honour-bound to keep it. An oath-breaker may be punished by death. However, careful wording of oaths can allow 'loopholes', so one should take care when asking for promises from the fae.
Acknowledge Beauty
It is considered rude, or bad form, to ignore the beauty of another fey. While this may seem like outright flirting to those around them, this is a simple matter of etiquette.
Sidhe
The royalty of Arcadia, the Sidhe or Tuatha Dé Danann are divided into the high courts of Seelie and Unseelie. Usually marked with triple irises and bright glowing skin these signs have been taken to mean that one is of pure Sidhe blood but in fact are just common genetic modifiers not solely dependent on the purity of a Sidhe’s family line. Sidhe literally means "people of the hills". Which is where they returned after their defeat at the hands of the Milesians. Regarding the Arcadian systems of governing the Arcadians style their government after the feudal system. Royalty assumes the highest positions. Followed closely behind by the noble families. Then their knights and guards from there everyone else.
The Sidhe are ruled in a byzantine court structure with numerous smaller fiefdoms(Freeholds) and kings owing unswerving allegiance to the two major courts of the Seelie and Unseelie. There are kings for almost every species and organization within the fae people, but there is on one king and queen for the Seelie and Unseelie courts and they have ruled since time immemorial. Within the courts there are many lesser nobles and entitlements each holding a place and a responsibility within the court and Arcadia itself, such as the Duchess of bright waters and hidden meadows, or the Viscount of the crimson web forgotten in shadows, these individuals have their own powers and responsibilities to the land and their respective monarchs.
The Titles and names of the fae are extremely important as they define not only what a fae does but also the very essence of who they are. It is rumored that the surest way to destroy a fae for all time is to rob them of all their Titles. It is believed that doing so strips them of their reason for existing and makes them cease to exist.
The Seelie Court
Also called "the Bringers of Beauty and Wishes" or “Glittering Throng” whose power descends from their King or Queen. The Seelie Court is ruled by King Taranis. It is the court of light.
The Unseelie Court
Also known as the lesser court or the dark court ruled by Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness. They take in all those turned away from the Seelie court.
Crowns of the Seasons
All fae share a strong affiliation with nature and this is shown most prominently in the crowns of the seasons. These powerful artifacts are bestowed at the beginning of each season, and are given only to those most in touch with the true meaning of each season and what it stands for. Any fae may make a bid for a crown be they noble or common; usually the commoners don’t have the capacity to fully embrace what a season encompasses, though it is not unheard of for even the lowest of goblin grunts to be given a crown. Each court has two seasons with which they share the strongest natural affinity, spring and summer for the Seelie, autumn and winter for the Unseelie. When it is time for the crowns to be given out they are brought by appointed representatives of the courts and presented to their bearers formally. However, in the rare cases where the bearer is courtless or not of the affiliated court, an avatar of the season itself will come to present the crown. There are two types of crown greater and lesser, there is only one greater crown and it is given only to the true monarch of season, to date no one other than the kings and queens of the Seelie and Unseelie courts have received these. The lesser crowns are many and the bearers of them tend to shift around a lot to be given a seasonal crown more than once is very rare and to receive more than one even more so, presently only the Unseelie princess has received both crowns of her court each season for the past few centuries.
The seasons are divided in purpose and power, based on what each season means and does to nature. Autumn is a transitional season, a time when the power of summer begins to pass into winter, it is a time the time when fear grows powerful as the world looks forward to the coming winter and the shadows grow longer as the days grow shorter. Winter is a high Season the time of sorrow when nature looks back on what it has lost and the white snow throws all the hard truths into stark against naked branches. Spring is another transitional season when winter must start surrendering to summer; it is a time of desire as the world wakes up and starts to discover itself again. Summer is the other high season the time of joy as all revel in the soft bounty that nature provides so freely without thought to what the future may bring or what the past might hold. The power of the crowns reflect these philosophies offer their bearers greater strength or new powers based off of what the season has to offer, but their gifts are as varied and unpredictable as the seasons which they embody. Also in addition to the crowns there are the veils of the seasons, these belong to crown holders out of their season, though they have no real power to offer there wearers they are symbols of who and what they were for a season. A veil wearer may keep their veil forever, but it is considered bad form to wear it in public for more than one season.
