Faerie

History:

The very first Faerie was an alluring petite creature by the name of Drenaar.
Although her ways were new to the world, the very essence of magic was woven
into the fabric of her being and she was immediately drawn to the bookish
intrigue of Savants and pressed herself to protect magic. With the emergence
of this faerie Drenaar, strange and grave occurrences soon began happening in
the lands. Young children were said to shout unheard of obscenities. Dark
clouds rolled in from the horizon and the seas slowly heated to a boil. As
fiery meteors set fields of crops ablaze, all fingers pointed towards Drenaar.
Try as she might to convince the people that this was not her sorcery, prophets
and clerics began to rant and rave about how the heavens were angered. After
about a week of this madness, Drenaar herself was captured by a small band of
Chaos Demons to be carried away into the planar prison of Crypticant.

What happened to Drenaar after this abduction remains to this day unknown, what
is certain however, is that now different groups of faeries inhabit Aabahran.

The most vicious group are the Kaddar fae, who have settled to the southeast of
Val Miran. Preferring thick jungle or swamplands where non-flying competitors
have little chance against their surprise attacks, they have been the death of

many an unwary traveller. Kaddar are known for their short temper as well as
their tendency to kill first and ask questions later. They alone among the fae
are followers of the dark path in life. Most Kaddar stay in their homeland,
fortunately, however in rare cases they also have proven very competent at
carving out a place for themselves among foreigners. A prime example of such
a Kaddar would be Piva, also called the "Tiny Fury", who showed such viciousness
coupled with deadly skill that she was hired as an instructor by the Institute.

While the Kaddar are very aggressive, the Ylsae faeries usually exhibit a more
defensive nature. Located between the Kaddar tribes and the forest south of
Val Miran, they often have a buffer effect, keeping the other races from more
serious harm. The Kaddar mostly tolerate them, as the Ylsae are their only
means to trade with the rest of Aabahran. The most famous trader of the race is
Fransiz, who's managed to sell things to the unwary traveller he'll never in
his life will have a use for. Another reason for the truce between Kaddar and
Ylsae is the Ylsae's famous midwife Mab. Skilled beyond any other, she has
saved countless young faeries, both Ylsae and Kaddar. Just as the Ylsae stand
in between their darker cousins and the Bastion of Light, most also choose to
follow the way of balance, ever mediating between the more extreme views in
life.

The third group of faeries is the most commonly seen as they are most wont to
travel. Their cheerfulness, love of life and playfulness generally makes them
good travelling companions and so over time the term faerie has become to
mainly indicate this group. Many of these faeries have made their homes in the
city of Val Miran, a few also in Maelbrim, what few outsiders become aware of
however, is that the majority of these light-walking faeries, who decide
to stay at their reclusive home settlement Gualorum, are not open towards
foreigners at all. The fact that Gualorum can only be reached through a magical
portal suits them well and if those traditionalists would have their way, no
outsiders at all would be welcome in this save haven where the young faeries -
the faerline - whose wings are not fully formed yet, are raised. This rift
in faerie society has become so grave over time, that nowadays any faeries
disagreeing with the policy of separation often just leave their home,
travelling the lands of Aabahran instead. One exception to this trend is the
faerie trader Milikin, (un-)famous for his imported foods from all over
Aabraham, who has not given up yet on the venture to educate his fellow
citizens to become more cosmopolitan.

While the reason for the self chosen seclusion of the majority of the faerie
race is not readily apparent, the faeries themselves tell dark tales of a
brutal war fought long ago, the details now lost in the mist of history. What
most faeries agree on is the fact that in this war faeries were fighting on
both sides, and it is only through the sacrifice of three great faerie heroes
by the names of Kremenian, Driaka and Mualore that their home was saved from
oblivion. It is said that the essence of these three heroes still lingers in
Gualorium, forever trying to educate their people and to protect them from
harm. Some faeries argue that those of their race fighting on the "other" side,
became corrupted and thus the Kaddar came into existence. Whether this is
really true however will probably never be fully determined. Fact is, that the
Gualorium faeries despise the Kaddar, though most of them never have met and
never will meet one of their dark cousins. The Kaddar are only to happy to
reciprocate this feeling, and so the rare faerie who finds itself walking
through their territory often gets killed on sight.

Usual Height:

The Fae are the tiniest of Aabahran's major races. Even the most aberrant of
Fae are no taller than 2 feet. Meanwhile, the smallest of their kind have been
known to measure in the centimeters.

Hometown:

Many faeries make their homes in the city states Val Miran or Maelbrim, though
the more reclusive ones never leave their home settlements.

Religion:

Being that their origins lie in magic itself, Faeries are known for their
devotion to arcane arts. Their connection and manipulation of the Vortex is
second to none. Even those that do not directly worship the religion still pay
their respects to the ways of the Mystic.

Physical Features:

The most prominent and recognizable feature of the Fae are the auras that
are produced naturally from their body. Scholars have theorized that these
diminutive creatures are in constant connection with the Vortex -- the source
of all magic in Aahbaran -- and literally emanate said power. Each Faerie's
glow is distinctive in luminosity as well as color. The variations are, of
course, only detectable by the Fae and those who have excessive knowledge of
their kind; to an outsider most Faeries look the same. The only time a Faerie
will not produce this light is during extreme duress or in death.

Their spellcasting talents are therefore marred only by their inability to use
the spells of faerie fire and faerie fog which are disrupted by the faerie's

own magical aura. For the same reasons they are also immune to those spells
allowing a faerie to become quite an accomplished thief. With their superb
dexterity and natural flying ability faeries are able to travel the realms with
great speed as they glide silently through out the areas. They are extremely
intelligent and extremely fast. The weakness of the faerie lies only in their
lack of strength and stamina.

Their appearance tends to be quite elvish. They have pointy ears and slightly
tilted almond shaped eyes. This has led some to theorize that elven stock was
used in the creation of the first Faerie. Adding to their insectoid appearance,
most breeds of Faeries have a pair of antennae sprouting atop their heads. All
Fae have wings protruding from their upper backs. Only three classifications of
wings have been discovered on the Fae. They are, listed in order of common to
least common: Clear dragonfly wings, Colorful Butterfly wings, and the rare
wings of pure magical energy.

While the Kaddar usually sport dark translucent wings, their skin color varies
from a pale, sickly white to grey to a deep ebony. Most Kaddar faeries are red
haired and have sharp teeth, some let their fingernails grow and sharpen them
to points, gaining an additional advantage in battle. The Kaddar share the
feature of pointed ears with all other faeries.

The Ylsae are usually dark haired and look less vicious than the Kaddar by far.
Their features are less sharp than the Kaddars', their eyes usually a deep blue;
thick lashes and full lips give them a less sinister and more mischievous look
than their darker cousins.

The Gualorium faeries are the most beautiful of the faerie races. Even features,
often called beautiful even by other races' standards, graceful limbs and
translucent wings sparkling in the full spectrum of a rainbow give them an
otherworldly appeal. Those faeries sporting butterfly wings or wings of pure
magical energy are solely found amongst the Fae deriving from Gualorium.

Society:

Due to their energy, Faerie society is very fast paced.

Faeries, even the Gualorium born ones, are quite easily offended. Some of the
most egregious insult is to call them a firefly or a bug.

Faeries that are born with wings of pure magical energy are considered to be
the highest class of Faerie.
Those with Dragonfly wings, while the most common, are considered to be low
class. This is because they are the most insectoid in appearance. Their
connection to the Vortex is called into question.

Faeries often live in birdhouse-like containers which have been attached to a
tree-trunk.

Relationship With Other Races:

Most other races find Faeries to be quite bothersome. Their insect appearance
and constant light have caused some to treat them like pests instead of
sentient beings.

Humans have been specifically known to believe that faeries are evil. Due to
the events surrounding the appearance of the very first Faerie, many legends
have sprung up in Human lore in regards to faeries - most of them not positive.
Tribal races, such as Ogres, Werebeasts, and Minotaurs are also wary of Faeries
for the same reason. The Faeries, however, have historically resented this
misrepresentation, feeling that they have been improperly portrayed.