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High Meadow
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they say the Elves are graceful, moving swiftly as the breeze
So graceful they could kill a man and slip into the trees
And by the time the other men realize the foul play
The Elf could have long since escaped to woodlands far away
They say the Elves are secretive, and thus they're hard to trust
But 'ere we judge the Elven folk who mean no harm to us;
It's vital that we realize, though the Elves seem fierce today
They say the Elves, with all their grace, are fearful the Fey
-Anonymous
Though the woods of Upper Ution are still filled with many small, independent Elven communities and clans, the Elven kingdoms of En'Ler, Ortman, and Thernt were formed to serve a single purpose - to create Elven communities strong enough to protect its members from the fey. In spite of their grace, agility, and masterful comprehension of magic, the Elven race has revered the power of the Fey with fear and respect to this day.
The Fey are creatures born from the introduction of magic into the realm, arcane might giving life to nature in a myriad of ways. Few types of fey are outright malevolent, but those that aren't tend to be either violently protective of their territory, or incredibly mischievous while displaying little understanding of morality in their pranks. Fay can be found in small numbers in any large enough forest or jungle, but the highest concentration of these creatures is in Upper Ution, where the most powerful and violent types of Fey reside. Being magical creatures, the fey are naturally capable of many powerful arcane feats, but all share a common vulnerability to weapons made of silver.
All fey speak feyspeak, an otherworldly chattering incomprehensible to other creatures. The Fey are an incredibly varied race, but common Fey types include;
Slimes: The most common and diminutive fey creatures, Slimes are small, shapeless barely sentient creatures composed entirely of an acidic, flesh-eating goo. Slimes are commonly found in swamps, caverns, and other damp areas, and survive by absorbing the nutrients in grass, leaves, and other plant life. Slimes split in two when they grow large enough or sustain significant damage, creating a second, living slime.
Mimics: Slightly more intelligent variation of a slime; capable of disguising itself as a variety of objects though an ability to alter it's shape and imitate metal, stone, and wood.
Dryads: One of the most dangerous and Malicious types of Fey, Dryads are walking plants with a humanoid form. Typically disguising themselves as trees and other plan life, Dryads reproduce through planting seeds under the skin of living creatures, which tear their way out of the host's body if not removed quickly.
Nymphs: Another incredibly dangerous fey race, the Nymph takes the form of an incredibly beautiful humanoid; however, this form is simply a means of attracting prey, as the creature is capable of rendering those who gaze upon it long enough blind, making them easier to catch and devour.
Fairies: The Fairy (or Faerie) is a type of Fey that comes in three variations. Fairies are noteworthy for being the only type of fey capable of speaking languages other than feyspeak.
Pixie: Small, winged creatures attracted to magic, pixies are often considered are the least dangerous of the Fey. Playful with a childlike demeanor, Pixies learn spells though "absorbing" them through drinking the magic from an enchanted item. In a constant competition with one another to learn as many spells as possible, Pixies often seek out adventurers and offer small magical favors or other aid in exchange for enchanted trinkets, playing tricks on those who refuse their services. They also have a tendency to play these pranks on travelers that, while usually intended as innocent fun, can often have disastrous results. While not usually dangerous by themselves, travelers in Elven territories are advised to take measures to avoid Pixies when possible - their presence can easily attract much more dangerous creatures, including other fey.
Brownie: Wingless Pixies who are only capable of "storing" spells instead of absorbing them, requiring them to "re-learn" them once cast. As a result, brownies usually offer advice or manual labor in exchange for enchanted items instead of magical favors, and their pranks played on those who refuse tend to be more malicious.
Leprechaun: Larger, fatter, wingless creatures whose magical power comes not through absorbing magic, but though how much gold they possess. Leprechauns often attempt to strike up deals with travelers for cash, but these deals are commonly lean heavily in the leprechaun's favor and in many cases are deliberate attempts to trick the person into giving up money for little in return. In spite of underhanded business tactics, leprechauns have been known to interact with mortals in ways uncharacteristic to other fey creatures, including mercenary work, running trade caravans, and in one case, even opening up a law firm.
The Goblinoid family is generally believed to have descended from the Fey, specifically an extinct fey type known as imps. During the Age of Giants, Imps were a small, mischievous race of fey which were commonly kidnapped by the Giants and the Beastfolk races transformed into warriors called "Hobs" and less often large, mindless brutes called "Bugbears" for use in battle against each other. When the Fair Folk, the kings of the Fey, grew tired of the constant intrusions into their forests to steal imps, they stripped the imps of their fey powers and turned them savage and violent to deter further intrusion. When these imps began to attack other Fey, the Fair Folk banished them all to the deserted islands of Nibgol. The imps would go on to find new guidance under the God of Brotherhood and God of Hunters, eventually growing more kibitzed and assuming the name of "Goblins." After the Fall of Giants, the Hobs traveled the realm in search of a new purpose and eventually reached Nibgol, where they were integrated into Goblin society and took on the new name of "Hobgoblin"
Feybloods are the result result of the mixing of Fey and mortal blood. Changelings are half-mimics which are born from the tricks of especially malicious fey, who steal newborn babies and carry them off into the woods to undergo a twisted transformation. (though stories are occasionally told of changelings also being born of unions between mimics and desperate adventurers lost deep in dungeons) Unions between changelings and other races produce "feral children," which mutate into wild creatures during childhood, and many stories exist of changelings assassinating kings or eating babies to take their place - most have a generally poor view of the race as a result. The other type of feyblooded, the Cyclopeans, are the result of experiments with fey blood by powerful human mages.
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