The Fae

[Rissa O'Sullivan]

The fae - and really all creatures that inhabit Faerie - are long-lived beings. Old age to them is 400 years old, with the most ancient of their species living well past 500 years. However, due to their longevity there are not as many fae as there are humans. Historically, only a hundred or so are born each year, and in recent decades that number has drastically halved to just 50 a year in the last couple years. They are considered young up until about 100 - the 100 mark is about equivalent to the 20-year mark for humans. In terms of physical maturity, their bodies are mature by age 30 or so.

Unlike humans, there are no differing races to the fae. There is no mistaking a fae from a human, however. Their hair and eyes are vibrant hues not seen on earth, they stand easily a foot taller than the average human, are thinner than the average human, and they have pointy ears. They are also lithe and deadly fast.

They have a strange honor code – outright lying is strictly against their culture, but that doesn’t mean they will tell you the truth either; half-truths and twisted words are the norm. Because of their long lives, conflicts in the present may have roots long into the past.

All fae are able to cast a glamour over themselves. Glamours are illusions cast to alter the appearance of a fae. They're most often used to appear human, but they can also be used to appear to be another fae. The strongest glamours can even pass inspection from other fae, but even the weakest glamour works on most humans. The fae-blooded sometimes can see through glamours though. All but the weakest glamours also come complete with smell, touch, and so on to those viewing the glamour.

Aside from glamours, fae also have the ability to manipulate their environment through song. Humans call it magic, but the fae have no word for it in their tongue. Down below is an in-depth description of song.

Also, the fae are separated into two courts. The seelie, or light fae, and the unseelie, or dark fae. The light fae were the more peaceful-minded of their society, while the dark fae tended to cause mischief and harm with their abilities. Some hypothesize that the inclination runs in the blood, for whole families fell into the seelie or unseelie distinctions. Whichever way, there have been two courts for over 10,000 years. Both courts are led by a king or queen, with lords and ladies most active in the court. The other fae are more or less active in their court, with some belonging to it only in name.


Song

Song is very much like doing incantations to perform magic. It essentially is magic, though the fae don't see it that way - it's a part of them and always has been. The key to song is the pitch the word is "sung" at. Song can be used to coax trees to grow into tree-homes... shape metal through song... kill an enemy through song. But just a note off, and a song meant to heal a wound could cause the wound to open further.

While fae are born with the ability to use song, each fae has a different level of ability and are not born with the knowledge of it. Starting as a young child, they are taught the basics of song. How much they can do depends on how much they've learned, and the innate level of ability they are born with. The masters can create a song on a whim to use, but there are few and far of those - most people must memorize the songs they use, and for that reason many fae have books passed down through their family carrying songs. Some fae also specialize in different types of song, whether it be for protective purposes, healing, songs dealing with plants or water.

There is also one song that takes nearly a full court to sing. It is the song of unmaking, and it is only used on the most heinous of crimes. In those cases, when the person who committed the crime deserves a punishment worse than death, the song of unmaking is sung to strip them of what makes them fae. It changes the very dna of a fae, so that they have the lifespan of a human and they can no longer use song. The fae is then cast out to live their life on Earth, though most do not survive past the first year.

Note that while yes, the fae can use song, they are not all-powerful beings. They have their flaws, their song may fail them at a time of need, and they do not know every song out there.