Creatures of the Fae forest

 

The Seelie And Unseelie Courts

Most Fae choose to live in small communities known as troops. Fae of this kind can be divided into two distinct categories being the "seelie" or light Fae and the "unseelie" or dark Fae. While neither group is inherently good or evil, the seelie tend to be of a light-hearted and mischievous nature while the unseelie tend to be more malicious and cruel. Fae that choose to lead a solitary existence free of allegiance to either court are known as "lone" Fae, and are often dangerously aggressive and wild, though this is not always the case.

 

Lone Fae

- Banshee (air):  Banshees at first sight resemble thin, pale women of elfish features draped in an ethereal long white dress that blends seamlessly with the mists of the forest. Banshees can "swim" through the mists granting them a limited form of flight and are often heard wailing amongst the tree tops.  Cursed with visions of the deaths of all the banshee come in contact with, these solitary Fae prefer to avoid company in the deeper areas of the forest and are easily riled to anger when disturbed.

- Black Dog (air): The black dog is a feral, savage Fae resembling a large muscular hound with long yellow teeth and coarse, coal-black fur.  The black dogs of the Fae forest are avoided by both the seelie and unseelie and have been known to make a meal out of either. The very presence of these Fey charge the air with electrical energy which can grow into full scale electrical storms if the beast should become aggravated.

- Kelpie (water): The kelpie is a dangerous and cruel water Fae, most commonly encountered in the form of a hulking black horse. The only features distinguishing the kelpie from a normal horse are its dark green mane of kelp and river weed and its hooves which are reversed as opposed to its equine counterpart.  Kelpies make their homes upon the banks of ponds or streams and are violently territorial, attempting  to drown those who invade its waterways .

- Pooka (earth): The pooka are shape-shifting Fae that assume a number of animal and humanoid forms but always covered in thick, black fur. Migratory in nature the pooka roam the Fae forest and are for the most part indifferent to the forests other inhabitants, though are known to attack humans and other Fae unprovoked.

- Will-o-the-wisp (air): Will-o-the-wisps are near invisible air Fey that could easily be mistaken for mist if not for the shimmering halo of red light that frames their heads like a burning ember. Much like the banshee, the will-o-the-wisp can "swim" through the mists giving it a limited form of flight. The will-o-the-wisps are well known for luring humans and young Fey to their demise with their glow by weaving in and out of the trees and mist and over cliffs or into a resting pooka.

 

Seelie Fae

- Alseid (water): The alseid is a river dwelling Fae and one of the numerous Fey races loosely referred to as "Nymphs". These Fey keep their rivers and nearby groves free of sickness and predators but as with most nymphs, will shy away from contact with strangers. Alseid take the form of beautiful, fair skinned women clothed in woven reeds and water-lilies and are most often encountered in or nearby running water.

- Brownie (water): The diminutive brownie is good natured Fae race roughly one third of the size of an average human with long straw coloured hair. Brownies prefer to make their homes beside or behind waterfalls and fountains, though their natural curiosity often draws them to secretly live amongst humans.

- Changeling (air): Changelings are not a separate race of Fae but rather the offspring of any Fae union with a human. Changelings never fully mature, and cease aging during their seventh year causing them to be shunned if not put to death by human communities and therefore are usually found in the care of seelie Fae. Changelings are identical in appearance to a human child, other than their slightly mirrored eyes that allow them near perfect night-vision. Changelings are the favoured prey for unseelie races like lamia and hags.

- Dryad (earth): Dryads are oak tree nymphs, humanoid in form with coarse bark-like skin similar to that of an oak tree. Dryads tend to their oak groves and share a symbiotic bond with the trees causing the oaks to grow unusually large and healthy. Dryads will gather in number to protect oak groves from harm but are otherwise a peaceful and well natured race.

- Elf (water): The elves are the native Fae race to the Fae forest and the living world, though most have long ago retreated to a different realm as the human settlements grew in size and number. Elves resemble tall, fair skinned humans with piercing green eyes and long red hair which is often worn in intricate braids. Powerful wielders of dweomer, the elves use their magic to form living homes amongst the branches of trees along river banks. Guardians of wildlife and nature, elves often make it their business to drive off less friendly Fae that draw unwanted attention or cause too many problems in the area.

- Eliai (earth): Eliai are ash tree nymphs and much like dryads they are humanoid in form with coarse bark-like skin similar to that of an ash tree. Eliai tend to their ash groves and share a symbiotic bond with the trees causing the ash trees to grow unusually large and healthy. Eliai will gather in number to protect ash groves from harm but are otherwise a peaceful and well natured race.

- Ghillie Dhu (earth): Ghillie Dhu are birch tree nymphs, humanoid in form with coarse bark-like skin similar to that of a birch tree. Unlike other nymphs the ghillie dhu do not tend to one particular grove of trees but instead tend to the health of the forest as a whole, moving unseen through the underbrush concealed beneath their hooded cloaks of moss and woven grass.

- Maenad (fire): The maenad are a race of nymph that exist in a state of near permanent frenzied intoxication and are often referred to as "the frenzied". The maenad adorn themselves in deer skins and wreaths of ivy and often wear the severed heads of bulls and stags as helms. Of all the Fae, the maenad are the only race to be unaffected by fire or the presence and touch of iron, remaining uncut by even the strongest blow from human forged weapons. Though aligned with the seelie court, the maenad are lovers of combat, dancing into battle reciting verse and woops of excitement while twirling long staves of oak wrapped in ivy and tipped with pinecones.

- Naiad (water): Naiads are freshwater nymphs that prefer to inhabit springs, wells and fountains. The naiads posses an almost supernatural beauty that is unparalleled even amongst the races of the Fae and can be jealous and cruel to those who are considered beautiful by their own kind. Waters inhabited by naiads take on healing properties which often lead to individual naiads being venerated or worshipped by nearby human settlements, a situation of which most naiads feel they are deserving.

- Oread (earth): Oreads are earth nymphs that inhabit mountains, caves and rocky outcrops. Oreads have hardened, grey, moss-covered skin  which makes them almost indistinguishable from a large stone while remaining still. Like most nymphs the Oread is a shy, carefree creature that is rarely encountered by humans or other Fae races. Oreads have an affinity for precious gems and minerals making them a preferred target for adventuring humans and unseelie Fae.

- Puck (fire): Pucks have the appearance of a short human with the ears, horns and lower torso of a goat. Pucks are renowned musicians and pranksters, and the most social of all the Fae. Pucks mainly concern themselves with acquiring new friends, though the manner in which they go about this can often be irritating or even frightening for the other party.

 

Unseelie Fae

- Ballybog (fire): Ballybogs are foul-tempered Fae with rounded, almost spherical bodies supported by long spindly arms and legs. The Ballybogs misshapen, goblinoid head sports long black teeth and ears similar to that of a mule, with glowing ember-like eyes. These foul-smelling Fae inhabit bogs and marshes and are usually coated with a thick layer of mud and slime.

- Bugbear (air): Bugbears are terrifying unseelie Fae that appear in the form of a massive, spectral bear. Bugbears delight in causing harm and are quick to attack humans and seelie Fae, even turning on other unseelie Fae on occasion. Bugbear have been known to uproot entire groves in the forest in attempts to provoke the seelie court into confrontation and will not hesitate to attack even the largest of seelie troops on sight.

- Cait Sith (air): Cait Sith resemble a large black cat in appearance with a tuft of white fur upon its chest and long white whiskers. These nasty Fae sustain themselves by stealing the life force of humans and other Fey, sucking the breath from the lungs of their sleeping prey. Cait Sith will on occasion take up residence amongst humans, posing as a house cat for easy access to victims.

- Far Gorta (air): The far gorta are spirits of hunger and famine which appear as emaciated humans with long filthy hair and sharpened fingernails. A region inhabited by a far gorta will slowly become barren of edible fruits, grass will wither and vegetation will grow stunted and sickly. The far gorta themselves usually hold no malice to other Fae or humans but due to their nature they are rarely tolerated by either group.

- Fear Daerg (air): Fear Daerg are similar in appearance to a dark skinned elf clothed in blood-soaked rags and red dyed clothing salvaged from the dead. Much like pucks, fear daergs revel in practical jokes and pranks though the result of these pranks is often gruesome if not fatal. Fear daerg have the ability to sense a beings greatest fear and often project images of these fears to intimidate and torment. Many fear daerg become lone Fae, though the fear daerg of the Fae forest are solidly aligned with the unseelie court.

- Gnome (earth): Gnomes are a subterranean race of Fey, measuring roughly a third of a humans height and covered in dark, wiry bristles of hair. Gnomes can pass through earth and solid stone as easily as if walking down a garden path, and make their homes deep beneath the roots of the forest floor. While not being overly aggressive or cruel minded, the gnomes strong dislike for noise and merry making finds them aligned with the unseelie.

- Goblin (earth): Goblins are one of the most common race of Fae in the unseelie court, making up the bulk of the unseelie armies and population. They are similar in stature to that of a gnome or brownie and have the features of a malformed dwarf with blood red eyes, sharp crooked teeth and long pointed fingers. Goblins are cruel and greedy creatures that delight in causing mayhem and misery for humans and seelie Fae. Goblins are adept wielders of dweomer and often use their magic to cause landslides, pollute waterways or uproot ancient trees.

- Hag (water): Hags are unseelie water Fae resembling a bent old crone with pointed teeth and blank milky eyes. while some hags have been known to become lone Fae or even members of the seelie court, the majority are spiteful creatures well deserving the company of the unseelie. Hags will feed on the flesh of almost anything they can capture or drown, a favoured tactic being to lurk in dark waters beside paths and dragging passersby to the murky depths and a watery grave.

- Lamia (water): Lamia are predatory water Fae with the upper body of a beautiful young maid and the eyes, fangs and lower body of a serpent. Lamia attract prey by posing as water nymphs in lakes and streams, snatching up and paralysing those who venture near with a venomous bite. Changelings, young humans and Fae children are the favoured prey of lamia, making them one of the most reviled of the unseelie Fae.

- Spriggan(fire): Spriggans are very similar to Pucks in appearance with the lower torso and horns of a goat, though the spriggans skin and hair resembles that of a dryad. Spriggan posses the natural ability to instantly grow in size until they reach almost three times the height of a human, though can only sustain this towering form for a very short time. Spriggans are thieves and snatchers of children that have become widely feared by human settlements and strongly disliked by the seelie court. These unseelie Fae harbour an immense hatred of nymphs and will take any opportunity to cause the gentle creatures pain and suffering.

- Troll (earth): Trolls are large, immensely strong earth Fae with thick, rock like hides and a body like a pile of poorly stacked stones. These cave dwelling Fae are slow moving and docile, yet territorial and easily manipulated by gnomes who utilise the trolls as enforcers and guardians. Trolls spend most of their time in hibernation and while in this state can easily be mistaken for a collapsed cave wall or rock pile, a fact that has caused many an explorer to meet a sudden and violent end.

 

Creature Card Properties

Printed on poker cards. A 54 card deck containing 27 individual creature cards (2 copies of each).

 

-Title: the name of this creature.

-Health: the amount of damage sustainable before death.

-Combat Dice: the number and type of attack and defend dice this creature rolls in combat at levels 1,2 and 3.

-Alignment: this creatures alignment (seelie, unseelie or lone).

-Element: this creatures native dweomer (fire, water, wind or earth).

-Exp value: the amount of experience gained from slaying this creature.

-Fade cost: the cost of fading this creature into a players troop.

-Ability: any special rules or abilities that apply to this creature.