"Outrageous Fortune's" Faerie

Faeries are an immortal race of "real" beings sometimes referred to as elves, fey, feyans, or na siogai. Their height varies from a mere six inches tall with wings to a slender seven feet, but all possess pointed ears, large, slanted eyes, and a rather mischievous nature. There are four major types of faeries: earth, water, fire and air. The little winged faeries are of the air variety, while Rebmans are actually descendants of water faeries who, until recently, used glamours to conceal the obvious signs of their heritage. Existing before either Chaos or Amber, faeries speak a language that cannot be automatically understood, even by those with Pattern. They travel Shadow via the 'Tween, using the power of the Faerie Ring, which is also the source of their own form of magic, known, appropriately enough, as faerie magic. Because faerie magic did not draw its power from the Plane of Magic, it was the only form of magic to survive the destruction of the original Ygg, at least until the return of the Disc. Faeries are even able to shapeshift, although they use magic to do so, and they change both their forms and their names quite frequently. All faeries possess one true name, however, their soul name. These names are shared with very few, for if you possess the soul name of a faerie, you possess the faerie itself. Faeries can also be harmed by cold iron, or by items considered holy by their bearer. They tend to be very close to nature, and as such, do not view technology very kindly. Caution must be taken in dealings with them, for they will always seek to twist a promise to their advantage, obeying the most narrow, literal interpretation possible. It is rare that a faerie does a favor without expecting something in exchange, and a cheap-seeming price may turn out to be far more costly in the end. And woe to those who anger them, for even the smallest faerie can Curse.

It is said that when the Serpent first emerged from the Abyss, it bred with the faeries to produce the first Chaosites. Then it and its descendants turned on Faerie and proceeded to take much of Faerie's land. Chaos has warred with Faerie ever since. After enduring this for thousands of years, the faeries decided to aid Dworkin in stealing the Serpent's eye and creating Amber, since it gave Chaos someone else to deal with, and gained them some small measure of vengeance for the loss of their land. A more peaceful relationship existed for a time between Amber and Faerie, and Faerie even agreed to Oberon's request to keep the existence of Avalon a secret from all. Oberon's arrogance soon soured the relationship, however, and they withdrew from Amber entirely, becoming no more than legends to the populace. Despite this, when the Serpent regained possession of the Jewel of Judgment, they again lent their assistance, lest their ancient enemies gain too much power. Their role in Amber's history is still not generally known, however, nor is the fact that the Spikards are faerie in origin. The reason for the creation of the Spikards is a mystery, but the faeries had been making a concerted effort to regain possession of them, believing them too dangerous to leave in the hands of humans. With the destruction of the Orb, and with it the end or diminishment of the powers brought by the Serpent and the Unicorn, it remains to be seen whether this push to retrieve the Spikards will continue.

Faerie is divided into two courts, the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court, each with their own rulers. Although the lesser Faerie Shadows often have their own local rulers, the King or Queen of their court has final authority over them. The Seelie and Unseelie Courts possessed equal lands until the chasm created by the destruction of the original Ygg made more land available to Faerie. A civil war then ensued between the two courts, which ended in favor of the Unseelie Court. The Unseelie Court became much closer to the Courts of Chaos after this, interbreeding with Chaosites and teaching them faerie magic. The growth of a new Ygg brought an end to this, eliminating the chasm, and with it the extra land the Unseelie Court had gained, bringing the two courts into balance once more.

Like much of the land possessed by Faerie, the two courts actually exist in the space between Shadows. Access to these faerie lands is usually restricted to those who can travel the 'Tween, although Auberon or Finndo can allow others access if they will it. Non-fey must be careful not to drink or eat any of the native food, however, or they can be trapped in Faerie forever. The power of Trump in Faerie varies greatly, working normally at some times and places, while barely working at all at others.

Also known as Tir-Nan-Og, the Seelie Court is ruled by Auberon and Titania. It is a land of perpetual daylight, and holds the Faerie Ring deep in its heart. Tir-Nan-Og is also tied to the city of Tir-na Nog'th that appears in the sky over Amber. The visions seen in the ghost city are actually faeries acting out the parts of the vision on a set constructed to look like Amber. They take much amusement in how they fool the Amberites with this.

Inhabitants

Auberon: King of the Seelie Court, older brother of Loryn, married to Titania. Oberon was named after him.

Di'ghan: Former aide to the Amber ambassador to Faerie.

Drumm (deceased): Faerie sorcerer who aided in the recovery of the Jewel of Judgment from the Serpent. He bore a remarkable resemblance to Auberon and was supposed to be a nephew of his. He was executed for high treason for helping Ariana recover her memories of her previous life as Loryn, since those memories revealed the existence of Avalon.

L'Wren: Seelie Ambassador to Amber, she has pale golden hair and bright green eyes. After Macavery Mor was beheaded, L'Wren was ordered to deliver the body to Finndo, along with Nicholas' declaration of war.

Loryn (deceased): Princess of Faerie, younger sister of Auberon, Lucien's first wife, mother of Tamaryn, grandmother of Foster, Crispin and Donal, great-grandmother of Haris, Iseult and Elspeth. She was raped and killed by Lucien's father, who used Lucien's grief over her death to get him to finally agree to take assassin training. She is believed to be reincarnated in Ariana.

Titania: Queen of the Seelie Court, married to Auberon.

Also known as Tir-Nan-Sorcha, the Unseelie Court was ruled by Morgan until recently, when she was killed and replaced by Finndo. It is a land of perpetual twilight, and its inhabitants are often called dark faeries. They tend to look wilder than their Seelie brethren, with ears that are much longer and more strongly pointed.

Inhabitants

Caerdis: Faerie who killed Maddy's abusive uncle, in exchange for her promised silence on the matter. In his appearances to Maddy, he looked like a slender youth.

Macavery Mor (deceased): Unseelie Ambassador to Amber, she was beheaded by Nicholas when he declared war on the Unseelie Court.

Morgan (deceased): Queen of the Unseelie Court, she placed the curse that caused Nimue's death/transformation. She was supplanted and killed during the civil war that occurred in Faerie after the destruction of Ygg.

Nicnivin: Queen of the Unseelie Court, married to Finndo.

Jack o' the Willows: Former Avatar of Faerie, ex-husband of Alexandra, father of Arawn and Pwyll. He appears to be an Unseelie faerie, but even the Unseelie Court doesn't always trust him, as he is extremely devious and doesn't follow the Unseelie morality. While he was an Avatar, he was said to be impossible to kill and was the most powerful of all his race, although he lacked their ability to Curse. He instructed both Whimsy and Grayson in faerie magic and was one of Grayson's only friends in Chaos, which is ironic, since he was the one responsible for trapping Ariana in Loryn's body and selling Grayson to Chaos in the first place. He also crafted the curse that was placed on Nimue by Queen Morgan, at Brand's request, and allowed Brand to escape undetected from his imprisonment in Amber by taking his place. His latest escapade involved helping Finndo steal the Orb from Nicholas and then destroying it, bringing about an end to the power of conjuration and greatly reducing the effectiveness of Pattern and Logrus. With the balance of power now restored as far as Faerie is concerned, Jack has completed the task for which he was Named, and no longer has the power of an Avatar, although he is still a formidable opponent. It is unknown whether he will continue to make his presence known in Amber.

The Trump of Jack o' the Willows is the work of Wendi Strang-Frost and is © by her. Please contact her before reproducing it in any fashion. For more examples of her work, check out her web page, her online comic "Johnny Public" or the "Wavedancers" story in Elfquest.

Last modified on September 22, 1999 by Kris Fazzari.