The Courts

Home



Major Courts
The majority of Irish and British Fae belong to the Seelie or Unseelie Courts, Fae outside of these cannot belong to either Court. There are no mechanical advantages or disadvantages to being Courtless, but it is likely that both Courts will mistrust or even shun you, and you have no Monarch to protect you. Furthermore, there are spells that only the Seelie or Unseelie will have access to.
 * The Seelie
 * The Unseelie

Humans have often confused these Courts, or been confused by them. Many people referred to all Fae as Seelie, in the hope of not insulting the Unseelie, but this is based on ignorance - the belief that Seelie means blessed, lucky, good and that Unseelie means evil, unholy, unlucky.

To describe the Seelie and Unseelie as good and evil is to describe night and day the same way. Human morality simply does not apply to the Fae. While it is true that these Courts are in constant opposition to one another, and are in many ways direct opposites, both realise they cannot exist without the other, whatever they might wish. This does not stop occasional wars from breaking out, some even resulting in the death of Fae, but usually, there is an uneasy truce and balance.

They are also not at war with each other most of the time, and in fact, some of the greatest and most tragic love stories in Fae history have come from doomed lovers of opposite Courts.

Instead of thinking of Seelie as good and Unseelie as bad, think of them as light and dark. Light can be joyful, safe, beautiful and warm, but it can be blinding, burning, leaving you exposed with no place to hide. Similarly, the darkness can conceal terrors, disorientate, be cold and dangerous; or it can be comfortable, safe, hiding you from predator's eyes

It is not unheard of for a Fae to switch Courts, but it is exceedingly rare and would normally involve a major quest following a life-changing event, and is thus unlikely to happen in game.

Seasonal Courts
Any Fae (not just Irish & British) may belong to one of the Seasonal Courts, although many do not. Some creatures may also do so (please speak to the refs). A very few Fae (will be severely limited) may be Equinox Fae in that they are either a cross of Winter and Spring (Vernal) or Summer and Autumn (Autumnal). Each Court will have its own unique spells to choose from. It is possible to change Seasonal Alignment but this would usually be done over a long period of time and so would not be expected to happen in game.
 * Spring
 * Summer
 * Autumn
 * Winter
 * Equinox Fae