The Tears of Kas̆dael

A Brief Introduction to the Fey Races - Jahdiel, High Priest of Tsiāhu, in the 127th year of Emperor Eligon I

As the great sage Asparna once wrote, “The Fey are perhaps the most famous race to not actually exist.” To those only familiar with the bitter history of the Fey wars, this statement might seem extraordinary - even offensive - but anyone who has traveled through the Fey realm can attest to this simple truth: there are as many different kinds of Fey as there are leaves on a tree, and very little binds them together.

Ostensibly, all Fey trace their origins back to the god Tsiāhu or one of his children. In truth, many of these claims are dubious at best, but the collective fiction of their shared origins is the primary characteristic that distinguishes a race as Fey.

While no primer can hope to provide a comprehensive catalog of Fey species, the most important can be noted here. In the aftermath of the Fey wars, the empire has severed almost all contact with the surviving factions, and our knowledge of their current political situation is woefully incomplete. Only two factions still retain cordial relations with the Empire and can be encountered, however rarely, within its borders.

The first of these is the Children of St. Martin. This faction of the Fey is by far the most numerous still remaining, as they refused to take up arms against the empire during the wars. In appearance, they could almost be mistaken for a human, if it was not for their curious pale green skin.

The Children of St. Martin are a largely peaceful faction, rarely going to war, but their lack of aggression should not be mistaken for weakness. The location of their realm has never been discovered, for it is hidden deep underground. The few travelers who have been fortunate enough to enter their lands have returned with tales of vast cities filled with architectural wonders and strange magic, and of a great sea that lies deep beneath the surface.

By all accounts, their realms rival the greatest of the elven enclaves, and there was a time when relations between them and the Empire were quite cordial. Unfortunately, since the start of the great invasion, the Children of St. Martin have increasingly withdrawn into their lands, and fewer come to the empire with each passing year. A few claimed to have heard tales of war beneath the surface, but these rumors cannot be verified.

The second race of Fey welcome within the empire is the satyrs. They are unique amongst the Fey races, as they are the only known faction that does not reside in the Fey lands. Perhaps their shared origins were not enough to permit them to dwell in peace with the rest of the Fey, or perhaps they were forced out due to some long-forgotten political intrigue, but the satyrs had already migrated far to the northwest by the time the first Corsythian settlers founded Sicya.

The satyrs eventually found refuge in the halls of the dwarven lords, and like the Children of St. Martin, took no part in the wars. Much like their dwarven allies, the satyrs rarely venture to our shores, although a small and valiant contingent serves in the Imperial Guard.

Of the hostile Fey, their numbers are too vast to be counted. The most powerful of their kind are those we call the Ya’ari, although they call themselves the Tār-Antuḫs̆a. With their dual affinities for earth and wood, the Ya’ari are masters of their environment, able to turn even the simplest battlefield into a deadly trap. Even with the aid of the Mwyrani, the Empire was unable to remove them from their strongholds. As a result, their power over the other Fey only grew in the aftermath of the three great wars.

Their ruler, the Is̆ḫa of the great fortress of As̆awar, is said to be immortal, a god dwelling on earth. He has gone by many names through the years, but his most enduring title is Taks̆ulatar, “peace,” as only the fear of his power keeps peace among their people. In the Empire’s final war against the Fey, Taks̆ulatar did not appear in battle, so there are some who claim he is dead. But the sway of As̆awar over the Fey shows no signs of weakening, so I believe those claims are misguided, and Taks̆ulatar will be seen again.

The only other faction believed to have power equal to the Ya’ari are the Ḫuedar. Little is known about these Fey, as they live far to the south, in regions that we have never mapped. Legends claim that the Ḫuedar are ruled by a Queen, Ḫatalkis̆, who is, depending on the version, said to have either been the spouse or the daughter of Taks̆ulatar.

It is unclear whether such a ruler actually exists, but there are a handful of verified encounters with Ḫuedar, including battles with the Ya’ari, which suggests that there is some truth to the legends. During the Fey Wars, the Empire sent scouts looking for the Ḫuedar, hoping to forge an alliance, but they never returned.