Lore

Imarel Faerie-Folk - by T.A. Saunders ©2015 v1.0

The Nyseeli

Nyseeli, or Fairie-Folk can be found anywhere across Imarel, indeed across the Cosmos, at any given time. While not always seen, heard or detected, there are far more of them buzzing, floating and zipping around than most realize. That said, most of the Nyseeli are found in the Shei Greatlands of Ishaela, the Tallis-Kah Territories, around the town of Ta-Sayr and throughout Shalzaar, in particular around the area of Twilight Lake. Typically, they will be no more than three inches tall, have wings of some sort, and take a humanoid form. While they are often prone to use their cosmic power to make themselves look like anything from a flickering flame, to a hovering stormcloud, if caught in their natural state, it will generally conform to a humanoid form.

Fae are the embodiment of Zorah's dreams, in particular, her whimsy and her warmth. They are a reflection of life, and the purest and most innocent thoughts a being can have. They enjoy laughter, love the wild and above all things, they love mischief. While this can take many forms, it is rarely malicious, save for those the very occasional one, born from Zorah's nightmares. These fae, called the Tal-Nyseeli are malicious in their pranks and are cruel to all life they encounter. But so long as nobody actually dies, and these Fae don't actually incite direct violence on their own, Zorah allows them to keep their cosmic powers, and accepts them as necessary to maintain the balance of nature.

All Fae are repulsed and can be slain by cold-forged iron. Acting much like divine power acts upon the undead, cold forged iron disrupts the Fae's connection to Zorah, which is a pretty frightening experience! This scaring the fluff out of the Nyseeli is quite enough to drive most of them off, to never return, though Tal-Nyseeli might go out of their way to make life miserable for those who deploy such things against them.

This cosmic power all Fae have, allows them complete immortality. They can be shot, eaten, hit with Radiant blasts, and be utterly destroyed, but so long as they have kept Zorah's Rule, they will be born again the next day, fresh and new, in the leaves of a Hirsalas tree, in the Everwood, sans any memories they may have had in their previous life. Fae also have a fragment of Zorah's power, allowing them to change reality at a whim. This vast power is overruled by the fact that Fae simply don't consider ambitious endeavours or ventures into personal gain as important. Aside of finding sweet things to eat and drink (cream being above all, favored), and having fun, the thought to be either ambitious, or vindictive with their powers simply does not occur to them.

Those that do cross this path (typically Tal-Nyseeli, but not always), and actually attack a mortal, or use their power for a particularly cruel act (Fae curses, throughout history have been examples of this) cause the Fae in question to be immediately stripped of Cosmic power. For game purposes, these Fae statistically would be treated as wizards (non-paragon) of named rank and have powers similar to Moon Elves, except with all the drawbacks to being three to four inches tall, in a much bigger world. These combative Fae can be resurrected once, like mortals, at a +35% penalty and can be reincarnated as well, but Final Death is just that for these Fae.

Redemption from what the Nyseeli call ‘The Shadowing' is a rarer thing still, from breaking Zorah's Rule. The path to this for a Fae stripped of their cosmic power is always one of hardship and trial, that will most certainly require the help of the mortal they set themselves upon initially. Providing they can be forgiven by the mortal they wronged, these Fae are often tasked with doing many an act to the betterment of mortal kind, and will most certainly involve questing that more than one unfortunate hero has been suckered into!

The rarest of Fae, the Eihnaseeli, are taller, closer to their Shei cousins, but still have the touch of Zorah's Cosmic power, and are bound by Zorah's rule. This sort of Fae includes dryads, nymphs, nereids, sylphs, satyrs, and the like. Out of every ten thousand Fae born, one may wake as Eihnaseeli.

When Eihnaseeli undergo the Shadowing (Tal-Eihnaseeli), not only do they turn to a mortal creature, but many of them transform into things like redcaps, trolls and goblins. Others remain as they are, but gain an ashen hue to their skin, and a darkening to their eyes and hair, as a reflection of what they have become.