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Fey Politics
The politics of Faerie are diverse, usually quite dangerous, and often hard to comprehend for mortals. At the pinnacle, Faerie Lords and Ladies are godlike Powers whose might reflects aspects of the world around them. They can gain this power directly by mastering a part of their environment, or they can gain it indirectly through the sponsorship of a more powerful Lord.

Although some find a stable neutral position, most of the courts these fey rule are engaged in an intricate dance of alliance and warcraft with each other and outside forces. Many conflicts, especially at the highest levels, are ideological (usually based on different ideas of what - or who - should dominate the natural order). However, they may be simple power struggles. Conflicts with dragon, giant, or magical beast factions are usually for control of land.

Most prominent of all fey courts, the Two Courts both see themselves as true lords of Faerie and heir to the power of nature. Each acts as a counterbalance for the other, interfering with each other's plans and perhaps preventing the other from going too far. The cold war between them, fancifully called the Dance of Light and Darkness by many fey, has played a role in the climate of conflict between all the other courts for eons. Over the ages, the original and unified Faerie Court has fractured into many warring pieces, but every major break has involved the vitriolic dialogue and open war between the Seelie and Unseelie factions.

The Two Courts are divided as much by worldview as by bad blood. The Seelie Court is a culture of vitality, growth, and creativity which bestows life and beauty on all it touches in one way or another; the Unseelie Court is a culture of violence, death, and decadence which inflicts suffering and decay on everyone and everything, eventually.

However, the rift is not absolute. To an extent, the wiser of the Two Courts' members can recognize that their enemy stands for something necessary. Growth must come out of fertile rot and destruction can only come after creation. Too much death leaves nothing behind to continue the cycle; too much life chokes itself out by using up all food and space like a cancer crushing its host. But they will rarely condone the extremes their opposite number goes to. Even a very accepting Seelie is troubled by the amount of blood the Unseelie have spilled; even the most open-minded Unseelie laments the unsustainable overabundance the Seelie wish to spread.

Most fey courts have rather icy relations with many powers of the Realms Beyond. They resent the meddling of gods and cosmic entities, although this tension is not often brought to a head after the fey courts withdrew to Faerie during the rise of the modern gods. Most courts distrust the deities in general, but as an exception, the Seelie Court finds use in friendship with many gods.

Certain factions from the Realms Beyond find fey friends even outside the Seelie Court, however. The gods of nature have common ground with many fey and the fey tend to be fairly helpful allies to them, if sometimes only grudgingly. Even then, the majority of gods that ally with fey deal only with a single court. Some cosmic entities also find allies among the fey, including agathions, azatas, demons, night hags, rakshasas, rilmani, titans, and vaati.

Fey aristocrats may hold positions in multiple courts. For example, Ariel, Queen of the Pillywiggins, is also a Viscountess of the True Seelie Court. When a single aristocrat rules multiple courts, these courts are usually combined while the ruler remains on both thrones. Sometimes courts may combine permanently, or until internal strife drives the two apart again. For instance, Damh, is Prince of both the Satyrs and the Korred and Baron of the Atomies. In this case, the weak race of atomies offered their throne to Damh to gain protection under his court. Damh rules the other two races because the satyrs and korred have long been allies and have long had a joint throne.

Occasionally, a treant, unicorn, druid, or other non-fey creature with strong ties to nature may be permitted to gain membership in a court of Faerie. This is an uncommon honor, but is most frequently offered as a reward for helping a court in a time of great need. The Seelie are particularly reserved about such things, in part due to an old wound. In the time of Queen Aeval, a unicorn Faerie Lord called the King of the Forest fell to the depredation of the arch-devil Lilith. Many Seelie see this loss as evidence that non-fey are not competent enough to rule among them, a notion supported by their belief in the power of heredity. The Unseelie Court in particular scoffs at the Seelie's beliefs, but it is of course still cautious about whom it admits - most non-fey who join nonetheless have a bit of fey blood. Even if a court does not grant full membership to a worthy creature, it may offer some other status, such as knight or observer.

Note that there are some courts which simply defy categorization, and there may be more courts of similar power to those described here which simply have not been prominent enough to mention yet.

EXPLANATION OF TERMS
Below are definitions of some common terms in fey politics.
Faerie Lord: The greatest of fey nobles are Powers collectively called Faerie Lords or archfey. These beings have godlike might and some have small cults, but they do not rely on worship like gods. A few actively resist worship out of fear it could lead to distraction from their duties to Nature. Some Faerie Lords can be conjured somewhat like archfiends, but in most cases, a mortal who seeks an audience can only request an archfey's presence. The fey is not guaranteed to reply, least of all in a particular manner, so the mortal may have to seek the archfey out in person.
Faerie Gentry: Fey aristocrats not mighty enough to be true Powers are collectively called Faerie Gentry. To differentiate them from Lords, they are individually styled "Master".
Thane: A thane is an aristocratic member of a court. She answers to the ruler of that court and may keep her own smaller court within or beneath the court of her ruler. When a thane is replaced, her replacement as often as not comes from her personal court.
True Courts and Worldly Courts: Worldly courts are world-specific extensions of courts found in Ladinion. The Ladinion court which a Worldly Court represents is called a True Court.

The Sovereign Courts
There are three Sovereign Courts: the Two Courts and the Watchers of the Current. The Two Courts, the Seelie and Unseelie, are the greatest authorities in Faerie. They are empowered by two primary aspects of nature: growth and decay. The Watchers oversee the transitions of nature, best known in their guardianship over the many portals of Faerie. The Sovereign Courts once operated in harmony under a single ruler of Faerie, but now a feud divides the Seelie and Unseelie, with the Watchers refusing to take sides. The cause is obscured by rumor, but the most prominent tale places the split immediately after the death of Queen Gloriana. Others insist it happened when Queen Aeval purged the Seelie Court of those she deemed untrustworthy and the Unseelie or "unblessed" refugees formed their own shadow court. Arguably among the most influential of courts, the Sovereign Courts all trace their roots directly back to the original Seelie Court and Queen Gloriana. Each Sovereign Court counts among its members the rulers of several Blood Courts, Demesne Courts, or similarly important courts. These courts act as subject courts, paying tribute to the Sovereign, gaining his or her protection, and usually following his or her will. Other courts swear fealty to multiple courts, making them generally neutral and giving them the protection of each. Still other courts swear fealty to no one. The other courts often serve as proxies for the Seelie and Unseelie as they wage a constant cold war against one another.

Court Houses
Large courts generally divide into numerous factions. The fey are apt to style these factions as "houses", which can be thought of as clubs or secret societies within the larger court. Sometimes these houses can extend beyond a single court and form a link to equivalent factions in other courts. Houses may be organized with a single leader, an inner circle that makes decisions, or operate entirely by vote or common consent; it is this leadership that determines membership. House members generally congregate privately in a safe place removed from court, often in the realm of one of the key members. Prominent houses in the Sovereign Courts include the mainstream House of Winter and House of Autumn in the Unseelie Court and the radical House of Amaranth in the Seelie. While Faerie Lords need not be members of any houses to hold or advance their portfolios, the majority belong to one (usually a mainstream one), and some belong to several.

THE TRUE COURTS
The True Courts of Ladinion are often much more distant from mortal concerns than the worldly courts, but this is not always the case. The reasons for their distance are manifold; limited resources, non-aggression pacts with gods, Deus Fields or overpowers that restrict a world's interaction with Ladinion, and more can all play a role.

Sometimes, however, one or more True Courts choose to focus on a particular world. It may be that there are not worldly courts, but the world holds something pivotal to the wider Mortal Coil. It may be that the world's limitations on interlopers are weak enough to let the True Courts access it to a greater extent, and they are simply taking advantage of an opening in Terra and/or Annwn. Whatever the reason, when a True Court takes a direct interest in a world, it generally has significant numbers of mortal and fey servants (knights, cultists, etc) present while the True Courtiers themselves intervene only rarely.

Blood Courts
A given race of fey typically has a Royal Court in Ladinion which is its nominal representative. For the most part, only the more lawful fey actually seek or care about meaningful rule from their far-off Blood Court. Most other fey respect the rulers of their Blood Courts, but do not look to them for guidance very often (if at all). Blood Courts are often the ones most directly subject to the power plays between the Two Courts.

The rules for gaining power in each of these courts depends upon what is important to that race, so that the ruler of each Blood Court best exemplifies what that race cares about. For instance, the most bloodthirsty redcap is king in their court, and the most beautiful huldra rules her race's court. Daoine sidhe lack a Blood Court because their race specializes in living the life of politics, ruling and participating in many of the courts of Faerie and especially dominating the Two Courts. Amadans and other extremely solitary races also lack a Blood Court.

Demesne Courts
These courts seek to maintain their favored environment and encourage its spread. There is one for each climate/terrain combination from the following: cold, temperate, warm; forest, marsh, hills, mountain, desert, plains, waterways, lakes (freshwater), seas (saltwater), shores. There is also a Court of Caverns (encompassing all subterranean environments), a Court of Winds (for the atmosphere), a Court of Tides (for currents and tides in all aquatic environments), and a Court of Burning Earth (for geothermal vents and the deep, hot bowels of the earth). All told, there are 34 Demesne Courts, but they are especially prone to merging temporarily, and so at any given time there are fewer than half that many separate courts. The majority are independent of the Sovereign Courts, but the Courts of Tides, Winds, and the Burning Earth answer to the Watchers of the Current and the Court of Rivers swears fealty to the Seelie Court.

At present, there is a Court of the Frostfell (cold forest, marsh, hills, desert, plains, lakes, and shores), Rivers (all waterways), Winds, Caverns, Peaks (all mountains), the Wood (temperate forest), Coral (all seas and temperate and warm shores), and the Jungle (warm forest), among others. Perhaps the most dynamic of Faerie Courts, the Demesne Courts constantly fight over land with each other, with other courts, and with non-fey rulers such as fomorians and linnorms. The most visible are the Courts of Wind, Rivers, Coral, and the Frostfell. The Frostfell is ruled by the calculating, well-established, and ruthless Snow Queen, whose chief rival is the morose and young but terrifyingly powerful Siobhan Alastal of the Court of Coral. The Court of Rivers is represented by the sociable Seelie thane Always Falling. Finally, the Court of Winds is ruled by the accommodating King Aeolus.

Personal Courts
Faerie Lords who gain their power spontaneously may host personal courts, as may those who serve more powerful archfey.

Perhaps the most well-known independent archfey in Ladinion are the Princes of Passion and the Gatekeepers of Essence, who draw power from the Mortal Coil's interaction with other planes. Each Prince of Passion is dedicated to spreading the influence of one alignment for the betterment of Nature and generally operates independently of or even at cross-purposes with his fellow Princes of Passion. The Gatekeepers of Essence are concerned with elemental vortexes and other ways that the Elemental Realities affect material nature; they tend to cooperate more than the Princes of Passion. Both groups tend to attract a number of peris, outsiders reborn as fey. Although neither group answers to them, the majority of these archfey are on good terms with Queen Titania and the Watchers of the Current Borlung, Fate Weaver, and Bhalyoi.

The Seelie Court
The Seelie Court idealizes bounty. They develop and demonstrate their power by helping the world around them to grow, flourish, and improve. They protect life from premature or wasteful death, and encourage rebirth afterward. The most devoted Seelie, especially the courtiers, are associated with positive energy and tend to avoid destructive acts of all kinds. They usually banish, transmute, or befuddle enemies instead of killing them.

The Court's chief goal is to unite Faerie and all of nature under their banner of life, recreating the lost glory of the Faerie Court. Although the Seelie see themselves as the true heirs of Queen Gloriana, the last queen of a united Faerie Court (even calling their Queen Titania the Faerie Queen), few outside the court recognize their claim. Major obstacles to their recognition are the rival claim of the Unseelie Court, who hold the Queen of Air and Darkness to be the prime heiress of Gloriana's power, and the other courts' fear that an unchecked Seelie Court might overwhelm them all with cancerous growth.

The Seelie are perfectionists, and are less willing to admit those not of full fey blood. They put a lot of weight in potential and bloodline – they are known to manipulate these things in order to get what they want. For example, a Seelie may appear to a young child of great potential and bless him or save him from harm, making him indebted to her from an early age.

The majority of the Court seeks harmony among fey and mortals and other planes, but vocal minorities hold different goals. Some few in the House of Spring call for all-out war with the Unseelie Court. Some (generally of the House of Summer) favor cutting mortals off from their goodwill and/or fighting to rid the Mortal Coil of outside influence. An isolationist minority distrusts extraplanars and mortals and wishes to avoid involvement with matters outside Faerie.

Well-known servants of the court include the Order of the Lake, who channel Seelie blessings to those who properly respect their land, and the Order of Sowers, who deliver unborn souls. The Sowers carry fresh souls from Paradwys in Ladinion to the places where they will be born. Usually, these fey just guide the natural process for animals, fey, plants, and vermin, but occasionally they work with mortal souls as well. The largest groups of Seelie servants represent the Houses of Spring and Summer, who coordinate the shifting of their respective seasons.

The True Seelie Court is ruled by Titania, the Queen of Light, and her consort King Oberon. Their most important thanes are Adekagagwaa the Summer Chief, Grand Duchess Ruona Neida of Spring, and Talitu the Faerie Godmother (Princess of Birth).

The courtiers of the Seelie Court range in power from inferior to most demigods to competing with greater deities. Each member concerns himself with creation of and by nature in a different manner, and all ultimately answer to their Sovereign. In turn, Titania has some power over every one of her thanes' portfolios (in addition to things which may fall exclusively in her own portfolio). The Sovereign Court thanes all have various knights or other servants, and many have personal courts composed of lesser nobles that deal with various aspects of the ruling Power's portfolio.

Like most large political bodies, the True Seelie Court includes within it several major factions. Many are organized into houses: The House of Spring, the more liberal mainstream house; the House of Summer, the bare majority who holds conservative views and disdains mortals as beneath them; the House of Celadine, a group (often looked down upon) whose members seek to help mortals for the mutual benefit of mortals and fey under the guidance of Princess Talitu; the House of Worms is a secret group led by Margrave Touka whose members seek to integrate aberrations into nature; and the House of Amaranth seeks to stifle the power of death as much as possible.

The Court of the Undying Season (Harbingers)
The Harbingers of the Undying Season are members of an old and widely reviled group of outcast fey. They are drawn largely from the Unseelie, but also from the Seelie. They believe that the current natural order of life and death is meant to be replaced by pure stasis (which they call the Undying Season). Toward this end, the group spreads undeath, and occasionally other forms of immortality, far and wide in the hopes of eventually transforming the whole Mortal Coil. Most fey outside of the Harbingers hate undead and destroy them on sight as affronts to nature - hence their hatred of the Harbingers.

The group originated ages ago with a mysterious figure known as the Grey Shepherd. His dream of the Undying Season led to his execution by the Unseelie King Tethra when it became known, and since then the Harbingers have carefully guarded their intentions. They took refuge in the fringes of the Unseelie Court, particularly the House of Stormwind, and operated only in the deepest shadows of Faerie until recently. A few millennia ago, a charismatic young fey took control of the Harbinger movement. Led by visions she believes came from Nature herself, she took the movement public, calling herself the Queen of Frozen Twilight. She held supernal power despite her opposition to the Two Courts, and felt that this signified her right to oppose and supplant them. She declared the Harbingers to be a Court destined to replace the Sovereign Courts. Most fey dismiss this claim and simply call the Harbingers the Faithless Ones (as they have lost faith in the natural order of things).

The Unseelie Court
The Unseelie Court epitomizes loss. As it brings death and destruction, this court is associated with negative energy. The Unseelie draw power from filling nature with suffering, destruction, and rot. In turn, an Unseelie fey only truly respects power that is demonstrated by hurting, weakening, or killing. Compared to the Seelie, it is much easier for a non-fey to earn respect this way. Although the Unseelie tend to see all things as predictable (even moreso than other fey) and they are renowned for fatalism and prophecy, they make their predictions based on demonstrated ability and how a situation compares to similar ones in the past rather than focusing on mere possibilities and the vagaries of heredity.

In general, the Unseelie are not as restrictive as the Seelie, and are more willing to admit those not of full fey blood. This is necessary to maintain their numbers, due to the fact that Unseelie courtiers and their most fervent followers tend to avoid creative acts of any kind. They are also known to steal and transform others' young in order to increase their numbers.

Many of the Unseelie oppose extraplanar success in the Fleeting Realm as invasive or unnatural (some members defensively resisting interlopers, some devoted to destroying them). A small but vocal minority, usually members of the aforementioned group, considers everything outside Faerie to be tainted with the unnatural and wishes to destroy it all - typically starting with all mortals. A number of Unseelie expect an attack from the Seelie at any time and urge a preemptive strike. Until the departure of the Queen of Frozen Twilight a few millennia ago, the Harbingers of the Undying Season were a secret faction of the Unseelie; there is still a small group with some similar views called the House of Stormwind.

The Unseelie Court is served by many different groups. Perhaps the most important serve the Houses of Autumn and Winter, who maintain the cycle of seasons. The most feared Unseelie, however, are those who serve the Queen of Air and Darkness as her elite knights in the Dark Hunt. Another important group is the Order of Harvesters. The Harvesters escort dead souls from where they fell to Paradwys in the heart of the Tree of Life, where they are returned to nature. Usually, these fey just guide the natural process for animals, fey, plants, and vermin, but occasionally they will claim devout followers of nature.

The True Unseelie Court is ruled by the Queen of Air and Darkness. Her widely-feared chief servant is the Dullahan, Prince of Death and leader of the Dark Hunt. Other prominent leaders are Nirrta, Raja of Autumn, and Asketi, Grand Duchess of Winter.

The Queen of Air and Darkness rules a court system in many ways a dark reflection of Titania's. Her servants vary widely in power and her reach extends far and wide both within and beyond the Unseelie Court itself.

Major court houses of the Unseelie include: the House of Autumn, the liberal mainstream faction now waxing in power; the House of Winter, the main conservative faction; the tiny fringe House of Stormwind, concerned with harnessing every possible resource toward Unseelie goals (even questionable ones); and the House of Ashes, perhaps the most extreme, invested in ending Creation so that the cycle of history can begin anew.

The Wild Hunt
The most famous, and possibly the most powerful, of all the Royal Courts is the Wild Hunt. Everyone knows that the Hunt patrons hunting, but it subtly extends its reach to all aspects of living in harmony with nature. Its members stress an understanding that all alignments, elements, and energies (both Life and Death) are but aspects of the greater whole of nature.

Many Faerie Lords retain guards or even small armies, but no individual force (save for a united Seelie or Unseelie Court) matches the Wild Hunt. Indeed, the Wild Hunt's great (though little-exercised) political influence lies largely in its martial prowess. Consequently, many courts attempt to curry favor with the Wild Hunt and direct it against their enemies. Aside from the temporal and spatial isolation of Faerie, the Wild Hunt is the fey's greatest weapon against invaders.

The Leader of the Wild Hunt is Cernunnos, who speaks little and acts with devastating power respected even by the Two Queens. The focus of the Hunt on simple wisdom and prowess leaves little room within it for the politicking and bickering which plagues other Courts.

The Watchers of the Current (Court of the Fleeting Moment)
The Court of the Fleeting Moment, whose members are more commonly called the Watchers of the Current, is best known for guarding the portal system of Faerie. This system, also known as the Rivers of Time, is linked strongly to the shape of space and time itself. From the heavens above which carry echoes of both future and past, to the ley lines underfoot which shape and are shaped by the earth and sea and sky, space and time form a frame within which life and death transpire. Many fey refer to this frame as the Fleeting Moment, or simply the Current. Overseen alternately by Borlung and Ngalyod, the Watchers of the Current wield some influence over all these aspects of nature.

While of grave importance to Faerie, the Watchers have little direct power. They may influence events by reshaping the scenery within which the action takes place, but they themselves are rarely the actors. Ultimately, the Current is the insubstantial frame within which change takes place; true power lies with the change itself, not its framework.

On the sidelines of the Two Courts' conflict, the Watchers sometimes try to play the voice of reason to the other courts, but because their admonition is usually for moderation and restraint of rival courts, they are rarely listened to. Many a leader is too wary of treachery or too certain that she is right to listen to the enigmatic Watchers. The memory of the Peace of Paradwys, the Watchers' attempt to administer all the Royal Courts which ended in war and disaster, haunts the Watchers' every attempt to advise and threatens to undermine their credibility.

The Watchers of the Current are led by Borlung, King of Eventide and guardian of time. His chief lieutenant is Ifadoval, Watcher of Dimensions and protector of space.

Borlung has a narrower collection of thanes than other similarly far-reaching courts. Each thane is chiefly interested in a basic aspect of natural reality; taken together, these portfolios constitute Borlung's portfolio, which is the entire spatial and temporal framework within which nature's cycles exist.

THE WORLDLY COURTS
World-specific Faerie Courts are largely analogous to various True Courts but their specific situations usually differ significantly based on the conditions of the world they inhabit. The variation in courts from world to world is similar in scope to the variation between divine pantheons. Depending on the limitations of the world, worldly archfey may reside in Terra or alongside it in Annwn.

In general, worldly courts fall into one of three different scales of power:

When fey are at their strongest, they operate on the same level of power as gods, and court can rival a pantheon. Historically, these fey courts either never fought with gods, fought them to a standstill, or even outright defeated the gods. They generally play roles similar to those of gods and greater archfiends or archcelestials on a world stage, the great background forces which heroes may battle for or against the symbols of but can rarely challenge directly.

When fey have a more typical presence, they often stand somewhere between gods and mortals in the grand scheme of things. They may even be directly subordinate to nature gods, bound or created to serve. Alternatively, the fey may stand apart from the gods and simply concern themselves with their own devices. Or, they may lash out against the gods, too weak to unseat them presently but dangerous enough to pose a long-term threat. These forces are often just within the reach of exceptional mortal heroes to challenge or champion personally.

When fey are weak, worldly courts usually represent challenges of a similar scale to the heroes and villains of legend. Historically, these tend to be fey courts that arose in a manner similar to mortal civilizations or which were long ago badly defeated by gods and never recovered. These courts often wield influence more similar to parallel-realm nations than to nature gods (as some of their greater counterparts do) in terms of scope and scale.

The Seelie, Unseelie, and Demesne Courts are the most active sponsors of worldly courts, but there are also numerous worldly Blood Courts, Wild Hunts, Watchers of the Current, and Courts of the Undying Season.

THE LOCAL COURTS
The smallest and most plentiful kind of court is the local court. A commoner nymph in the Fleeing Realms would usually deal directly with a local court.

A local court is usually where the fey of any region can meet. Such a court may rule a region as small a hundred acres or as large as an ocean. Often these courts pay much more attention to the Annwn version of a region, but in any case they claim the same stretch of land in both Annwn and the Fleeting Realm. A given local court ruler might hold its position at the pleasure of a higher court or may be independent; sometimes, one has several superiors to deal with.

For instance, the sirine mistress of a sea might want to flood nearby swamps and permanently increase the size of her sea. She would be supported in her endeavor by that world's Lord of Lakes, opposed by its Seelie ruler (because the flooding would kill all the swamp life), and supported by its Unseelie ruler (for the same reason). The Lord of the Burning Earth might offer the help of using an earthquake to alter the elevation of the swamp. She could accept aid from any, but would be helped without a price. Finally, she might have to fight the patron spirit of the swamp, if there is one.

There are local courts in Ladinion as well as Annwn and Terra, but their members are usually little-known because they are overshadowed by the more powerful courts that reside there.

Sometimes, multiple local courts rule the same territory. This usually happens when a region's fey are polarized by the Seelie-Unseelie conflict into splitting a single local court in two, though sometimes the split follows other lines. A known tactic in conflicts between Demesne Courts is for an invading court to patron a new local court in a region already bound to another Demesne Court in an attempt to gain influence to change the environment toward their own portfolio.

COURT TITLES
The different courts of Faerie use a variety of titles, but the majority use some abbreviated form of the structure detailed below (many courts lack grand dukes, archdukes, etc; sometimes the highest title in a court is less than queen). The Two Courts use it exactly as described here; HD guidelines noted below apply only to those Courts.
Faerie Friend: This term is used for casual allies of Faerie, often bestowed as easily as carrying out one well-received venture into Faerie. This and other non-fey titles bestow no court standing.
Knight Bachelor: Ordinary Faerie Knights, these are mortals inured to Faerie. They often stick to one Faerie Lord's court, but may change allegiances. It is rare for a mortal to be recognized as a Faerie Knight without first spending at least three to seven years in Faerie serving the cause of nature. Faerie Knights and higher-titled beings are considered native to Faerie for purposes of resisting the time distortion imposed by leaving Faerie.
Knight, Order Member: Faerie Knights that please a particular Power or order of nature-defenders may be asked to join an order recognizing their achievement. Particularly well-known orders include the Dark Hunters (led by the Dullahan in serving the Queen of Air and Darkness) and the Order of the Lake (led by Vivienne, Chief Lady of the Lake). Most knightly orders have three internal ranks: junior member, median member, and senior member.
Knight Banneret: Knights Banneret are traditionally mortals who have earned great glory in the eyes of the fey. They may be nearing ascension to Faerie Lord status. Generally, a being must have at least 20 HD to become a knight banneret. Like knights bachelor, they need not be sworn to a single liege or court, but many are. Knights banneret are considered fey for effects that require the approval of fey; for instance, a knight banneret may allow a mortal to gain the Faerie Friend or Nymph's Kiss feats. Some knights banneret (such as Morgan Le Fay) even attract knights bachelor into their service.
Observer: Observers are powers recognized as closely allied with a court, but not accepted as an actual member of that court. They are of greater prestige and import than Faerie Knights - in fact equivalent to the thanes of the court - but lack true political power. The True Courts typically bestow this title on non-fey cosmic entities and gods.
Baronet: Usually only fey hold titles at this level and above. A baronet in the Sovereign Courts always has at least 15 HD. Each of the Two Courts has forty-five to sixty-five baronets.
Baron: Barons, courtiers on the cusp of Faerie Lord status, number between thirty and thirty-eight in each of the Two Court at any given time. At least 20 HD.
Viscount: Each of the Two Courts has eighteen to twenty-four viscounts with demigodlike influence over minor aspects of creation and destruction. At least 25 HD.
Count: Counts number between ten and fifteen in the Two Courts. At least 30 HD.
Margrave: The Two Courts have between seven and nine margraves each. At least 35 HD.
Duke: A Sovereign Court usually has around five dukes. At least 40 HD.
Archduke: There are typically three archdukes in each of the Two Courts at any given time. At least 45 HD.
Prince: A Sovereign court always has at least one prince (the Seelie's presiding over birth, the Unseelie's presiding over death, the Watchers' presiding over space), but may have more. A queen's consort often has this title if he would otherwise have a lower one.
Grand Duke: Each of the Two Courts has two grand dukes. These four split between them the four seasons, the four great stages of life. The Unseelie have winter (senescence) and autumn (decline); the Seelie have summer (strength) and spring (growth). At least 50 HD.
Queen: The ruler of the court is the queen or king. The queen of a Sovereign Court has at least 60 HD and 17 ranks.

Updated and revised, now including a few minor changes to the array of courts. The Gatekeepers of Essence (who deal with elemental vortexes) are no longer a major court. In turn, the Watchers of the Current (AKA the Court of the Fleeting Moment) have been added as a new major court.

Court Houses
Large courts generally divide into numerous factions. The fey are apt to style these factions as "houses", which can be thought of as clubs or secret societies within the larger court. Sometimes these houses can extend beyond a single court and form a link to equivalent factions in other courts. Houses may be organized with a single leader, an inner circle that makes decisions, or operate entirely by vote or common consent; it is this leadership that determines membership. House members generally congregate privately in a safe place removed from court, often in the realm of one of the key members. Prominent houses in the Sovereign Courts include the mainstream House of Winter and House of Autumn in the Unseelie Court and the radical House of Amaranth in the Seelie. While Faerie Lords need not be members of any houses to hold or advance their portfolios, the majority belong to one (usually a mainstream one), and some belong to several.

Some expansions and updates have been made here to leave this more or less up-to-date.


I'm in the mood for the name game, so I'd like to hear opinions and ideas on the terms for the courts concerned with natural environments and races of fey. "Environmental Courts" and "Racial Courts" seem pretty bland to me.

For Environments: Would "Domain Courts" be any better? How about "Realm Courts"?

For Racials: "Blood Courts"?

Remember, they shouldn't be so opaque that people can't remember or figure out which group they are.

I think Realm Courts would be less misleading, actually. The Environmental Courts actually care far more about their realms than other courts; their realms are far more dynamic than those of other courts. They are, to an extent, defined by their realms. So I don't think that would be a bad sort of name for them as a group.

In an IM, Dialexis has expressed some support for "Realm Courts" - not an ideal solution nor as accurate as "Environmental Courts", but moderately more appealing. He also offered "Clime Courts" as a potential rename.

Although it's of a lesser concern to me than renaming the Environments, I do like Blood Courts better than Racial Courts. However, we could also leave it as Racial Courts. Dialexis seemed to favor that as the way to handle a single common name for the group. In that case, we could perhaps add a mention of the Seelie referring to them as Birth Courts and the Unseelie referring to them as Blood Courts.

Any other opinions?

I've updated the first five or so paragraphs to reflect a change in tone, which I hope readers will find more interesting.


Back to renames. Here's all the options for the Environments suggested so far by myself or other members of DICE Songs:
Realm Courts
Clime Courts
Demesne Courts
Free Dominions
Demesnial Dominions
Demesnial Courts
Dominion Courts
Clime Dominions
Realm Dominions
Genii Dominions
Genii Courts
Great Dominions
Marl Courts
Vast Dominions

Notes: "Demesne" is pronounced "Dih-meyn" or "Dih-meen". It can mean a private estate, a dominion, or simply a region.
"Dominion" can imply dominance, legal authority, a sovereign nation, or a semi-autonomous dependency of a larger nation/empire.
"Genii" are members of a vague class of spirits in Roman mythology which includes genius loci, the spirits of place.
"Marl" is an archaic word for "earth".

Personally, I'd prefer calling them <something> Dominions. Unlike the other courts, these should feel kinda similar to nations engaged in land wars (with other Environments and with fomorians and linnorms), and I think leaving "Court" out of the name helps drive that home.

Unless there come further votes or arguments, Demesne Courts appears to be the favorite replacement for Environmental Courts.

Still not many opinions on the Racial/Blood Courts, though.