The Fae

The Fae owns very few items. She is filled with an internal light and never wears clothing over her crystalline body. She does, however, have access to two magical items that were the traditional emblems of the Aerseghlien: the Wand of the Wych Elm and the Acorns of the Aereneh. She sometimes lends out the Grey Wand to other elves and has been known to give Acorns to sorcerers who respect the land and work against the Gorgon. She has used the Acorns to quickly build her own Source network in the region.

The Grey Wand: This wand appears to be a simple gnarled branch of smooth, bare gray wood that tapers to a point. It is, however, a potent focus for magical energies. It acts as a Ring of Spell Storing and when it is carried all of the spells she casts are treated as if she used the metamagic feats Empower Spell and Extend Spell. The Wand only works for elven sorcerers.

The Acorns of the Aereneh: The ancient oak bears a small handful (1d3+1) of acorns every autumn. They are potent reservoirs of the magical energy of the Aereneh and have three abilities. Any wizard or sorcerer who has one of these seeds may consume its power (a standard action) and instantly regain all of the spells that they have cast for that day. Secondly, in the hands of an elf, it functions as a Mebhaighl Stone (BOM 75), except that it is consumed with a single use. Finally, when any of these acorns are planted, it grows into a mighty mature oak tree within a few hours. Once grown, the trees no longer radiate magical energy; however, they can become potent manifestations of mebhaighl. Any elf who plants one of these trees in a province that he or she wishes to create a Source holding gains a +5 to all Contest, Create Holding and Rule Holding checks for the next year. Also, Rule Holding checks cost 1 less RP than normal (minimum of 1 RP).

[top]Origins of the Fae

The ehrsheghlien now known as the Fae was once Ryllimahr, a powerful and breathtakingly beautiful elven sorceress. She was the Aerseghlien (the Blood of the Tree), the guardian of the Aereneh (the Tree of Life) a mighty caerbhaighlien in what is now the province of Zilber in modern Dauren. This sacred spot was an incredible oak tree that grew in a secluded vale high above the cold dark waters of the Great Bay. The tree was seen by the elves as the source of life and magical power; many believed that it was within this tree that the first elves were incubated after forming out of the merging of the elements. For millennia, they appointed an Aerseghlien who was bonded mystically to the tree and carefully guarded it against outside influence. The creature that is now the Fae (her name has been lost) was appointed the Aerseghlien roughly 1,000 years before Deismaar.

As the unofficial spokesperson of the scattered elven tribes living along the western edge of the Great Bay she led a small but potent contingent of warriors and sorcerers alongside the elves of Coullabhie at the Battle of Deismaar. However, she soon saw that Azrai only brought darkness and sided with Tuar, lending her magics to the side of Light.

After the battle, she was filled with the bloodline of Reynir but gravely wounded by the dark magics of the Lost called Atar. The elves carried her back to the Aereneh and when they arrived, they found that a crack had appeared in the base of the tree. They entered the oak and found a small chamber with what appeared to be a huge knob of wood shaped like a bed or cradle in the center. They left the Aerseghlien inside this cradle and departed the Aereneh; as they left, the crack snapped shut.

Occasional divination determined that the Aerseghlien still lived within the Aereneh and so no new guardian was appointed. The elves of the region themselves were devastated in the wake of the conflict and the encroachment of the Brecht; many left to join their fellows to the south and those that remained retreated to the high, ancient forests of Zilber.

The elves grew even more troubled as the Gorgon began his rise to power in the west. They worked hard to conceal the Aereneh from his sight, weaving powerful magics around the tree and the province of Zilber itself. Besides this increased caution, though, their lives changed little from the time before the arrival of humans. They still lived in the groves about the Aereneh, constructing no buildings, but holding court under the cathedral of the trees. In those deep valleys, the Brecht winter was mellowed and near the Aereneh snow never fell and the plants bore fruit all year long.

This simple life was next challenged a mere 20 years ago when the Gorgon finally stretched his hand eastwards and destroyed the human citadel of Adlersburg in Wierech. He had conquered Kiergard to the south in 1320 HC (184 years earlier), but had not expanded from there so the elves had been content to wait and watch; after all, they were few in number and could mount no resistance to him. However, the attack on Wierech was considered to be too close for comfort and the elves quaked as his magics reached deep into their region.

It was then that the miracle happened. For several decades, the Aereneh had been acting strangely. It seemed to pulsate in the quietest hours of the night and the sorcerers who drew from its power said that they had a sense of a growing, pregnant power within it. All of the elves experienced an increasing feeling of expectation; something was going to happen. The day that the Gorgon?s magics toppled the great tower of Adlersburg, the Aereneh reopened and a creature emerged.

The Aerseghlien emerged from her 1,504-year slumber a changed woman. She was no longer an elf but a magical, winged crystalline creature of incredible beauty and power. Though the humans do not know it, it was largely the appearance of her unexpected magics that forced the Gorgon to retreat from Wierech and reanalyze the situation. He was not expecting the appearance of an ehrsheghlien sorcerer of great power right in the path of his armies and pulled back rather than risk the destruction of his forces.

Today, Ryllimahr has become increasingly active and has even appeared before the humans of Wierech and Dauren who call her 'the Fae'. She is greatly limited in her powers as tied to the Aereneh in a way similar to that of a dryad. She cannot leave the provinces that are not linked by ley lines to that great source and would sicken and die outside of its influence. Though she is limited in this way, she has become increasingly active in the affairs of the surrounding regions, gathering magical power to counteract the strength of the Gorgon himself. She is, though, immensely patient and careful, shrouding herself and her magical network from the spies and scryings of the Gorgon.

The goal of the Fae is to slowly increase her magical holdings until she dominates Dauren and Wierech and then to fortify them against the depredations of the Gorgon. Her ultimate purpose is to protect the Aereneh and, by extension, the elven society that is based around that tree. She believes that the Brecht and dwarves of the region are excellent buffers against the Gorgon and often works to improve their position vis-à-vis the Gorgon.

57 elves still live within the province of Zilber and many of them are incredibly ancient, remembering the days before the arrival of humans to the region. They live simple lives similar to those of the earliest elves, wandering the high valleys alone or in small groups, living off the land.

They gather in the grove before the Aereneh for great festivals on regular occasions, when the trees are hung with colored lanterns and there is dancing, fey wine and music enjoyed by all.

Though they are not a militant people, most are skilled with the long bow and knife if pressed. However, many of them are sorcerers of some skill and use magic to confuse and ensnare their opponents. The few humans that live in Zilber cling to tiny settlements along the coast near Greugarten and never dare to enter the great forests in the interior valleys.