1. Timelines

Courts of the Fae

Fae Lore
Membership in the courts
  • Almost every fae belongs to a major court, the Seelie or Unseelie. Unless you are an Eldernymph, whose obligation is to the land and is not allowed to affiliate with courts, it’s frowned upon to be solitary, and generally unsafe as no one with any kind of power has an interest in protecting you. Solitaries that start to get powerful are often perceived as threats and either persuaded to join a court or killed. One need not join a minor court but most do.
  • Because of the way that fae are bound to their words, swearing loyalty is forever.
  • The major courts never banish or exile their members, but the minor courts sometimes will.
  • Firstlight and Eventide sometimes allow phrasing that sounds more like “accept membership” rather than “swear loyalty,” which in turn means other members may trust you less or feel less obligated to provide protection.
  • The ruling class is called the Daoine Sidhe (pronounced like deena she). These bloodlines are said to be closer to Danu.
Major Courts Minor Courts


It was very unnecessary for Emmy to do these numbers but she did them anyway. 

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Major Courts 1 — 1

  • Seelie Court

    The Seelie Court views itself as a higher structure to empower and govern the court of Daylight first and foremost.  They are also proud to have members amongst the Eventiders, which gives them information about what the Unseelie are up to.  Seelie doesn’t mind Eventide as long as they don’t get too aggressive, but they are happy that Nocturne has been on the decline. Compared to the other courts, Firstlight is like a cute pet. Some of the Seelie Court’s highest members secretly want Firstlight to fail or to get trampled by the Eventide, so that Seelie and Daylight can become one in the same as they once were. 

    Any fae can join the Seelie. Seelie is mutually exclusive with Unseelie and Nocturne. 

    49% of all fae are Seelie.  Of those, 8% are also members of Court of the Firstlight 76% are also members of Court of Daylight, 6% are also members of Court of the Eventide, and 10% have not chosen a minor court. The Seelie population is relatively stable. 
    Code of the Seelie
    • Death before dishonor.  Chivalry still lives.  Honor is the most important virtue, the source of all glory.  Personal honor must always be kept stainless.  Sometimes death is the only path which can erase a mark of dishonor. 
    • Love conquers all.  Love lies at the heart of the Dreaming.  True love transcends all and epitomizes what it means to be a Seelie.  Courtly love best expresses love in its highest form, although familial love and love of companions also serve as pure embodiments of that exalted virtue.  Anything is permitted in the name of true love. 
    • Beauty is life.  Beauty is a timeless, objective quality that, while it cannot be defined, is always recognized for itself.  Beauty is the muse of creation, the ultimate flowering of the Dreaming.  Once found, it must be protected, for it is both eternal and fragile.  To die in the service of beauty is an honor and a privilege.
    • Never forget a debt. One gift deserves another.  The recipient of a gift is obligated to return the favor.  Likewise, a curse should be returned in kind.  An oath of friendship should be answered with a corresponding oath.  Never refuse to aid anyone to whom you are indebted.  Never forget a kindness... or a curse. 

  • Unseelie Court

    Although publicly, any Unseelie Daoine Sidhe will insist that Nocturne has the purest Unseelie blood and convictions, deep down, they know that the future and growth of Unseeliekind lies with Eventide, if they could just get it to exclude Seelie. 

    Any fae can join the Unseelie. Unseelie is mutually exclusive with Seelie and Daylight. 

    47% of all fae are Unseelie.  Of those, 4% are Firstlight, 53% are Eventide, 26% are Nocturne, and 17% have not chosen a minor court. The Unseelie population is relatively stable. 
    Code of the Unseelie
    • Change is good.  Security does not exist.  The slightest of circumstances can transform a king into a peasant.  Nothing is certain in a world where change is the only constant.  Embrace change or else fall before its onslaught.  Chaos and discord rule the universe.  Adapt or die. 
    • Glamour is free.  Glamour is worthless unless used.  Hoarding Glamour makes no sense, since it is replenishable.  So long as humans exist, there will always be dreamers, hence, there will always be more Glamour.  Acquire it by any means possible, and you will never be without a constant supply. 
    • Honor is a lie.  Honor has no place in this world.  It is a fairy tale constructed to cover the essential emptiness behind most traditions.  Only through enlightened self-interest can any truth be attained. 
    • Passion before duty.  Passion is the truest state of the fae spirit.  Follow your instincts and act on your impulses.  Live life to the fullest without regard to the consequences - they will come about regardless of what you do.  Death can come at any time, so live without regret. 

Minor Courts 2 — 2

  • Court of the Firstlight

    The fae of this court are generally polite, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed. These fae are more apt to lure humans in with sweet dew. They also have blossoming curiosity.  Firstlighters tend towards seeking peace, and believe that seeking peace with mortals is best for everyone. They tend to be peppy, quiet, seductive, and emotional. Firstlighters often enjoy the company of humans. Many of them are changelings. 

    Although Eventiders often perceive them as weak and Nocturners disagree with their message entirely, Firstlighters try their best to be neutral in the affairs with the other courts.
    The Firstlight Court will take anyone, but is generally more attractive to Seelie. 

    In addition to many of the same titles the other courts inherit or appoint, the Firstlight appoints one of its members to every substantial human settlement, which they refer to as the Fiddlerfae.  Their duties include filling the settlement with music to make it a more pleasant place to be, protecting it, and reporting on what the humans in that settlement are up to.

    Firstlight consists of just 7% of all fae.  Of those, 57% are Seelie, 29% are Unseelie, and 14% are not affiliated with a major court. Their numbers are decreasing.  As humans keep learning more about this thing they call science, they become scarier, which makes the Firstlight message less appealing. 

    Code of the Firstlight

    • Protect the innocent whenever it’s at all possible. 
    • Honesty is honesty, and implied untruth is still a lie. Harmless pranks just for fun and happy surprises are okay but other than that, say what you mean and mean what you say. 


  • Court of Daylight

    Daylighters are bound tightly to their strict rules and honor. The Daoine Sidhe at the top govern with a very heavy hand, and fiercely protect those that answer to them.  The fae of this court are generally considered more polite or mannered, albeit they are still very capable of cruelty (but will be more subtle about it). They tend to be frivolous, venereal, and hot-headed.

    Daylighters don’t hate humans, but many don’t like them either.  The court as a whole tends to take a “live and let live” approach toward humans in most important matters, though they don’t reprimand their members for playing tricks on or helping humans. 

    Because the Seelie court cares about the wellbeing of the Firstlighters, the Daylight court has an obligation to prevent Unseelie from attacking the Firstlighters unprovoked (and Firtstlight doesn’t tend to provoke). Daylight is cautious of Eventide and outwardly distrustful and even antagonistic toward Nocturne. 

    The Daylight Court only takes Seelie.  This court is the largest and most powerful of all the minor courts, comprised of 37% of all fae.  Their numbers are stable. 

    The Daylight Court does not ask its members to swear to any sort of code beyond the Code of the Seelie.

  • Court of the Eventide

    The fae of this court are generally the ones doing the "dirty work" and "trooping". These fae are strong, mystique, eerie, ravishing, and devious. They believe that fae are forces of nature, no more and no less. As such, many nymphs are Seelie Eventide. 

    They tend to dislike Daylighters and will often go out of their way to foil their plans.  They have a strong alliance with the court of Nocturne, and view Firstlighters as weak. 
    The Eventide Court will take anyone, but is generally more attractive to Unseelie. 

    This is the second largest court, though still considerably smaller than Daylight. 30% of all fae are Eventide. Of those, 10% are Seelie, 83% are Unseelie, and 7% have not chosen a major court. Their numbers are stable or slightly increasing. 

    Code of the Eventide
    • When you return a favor, return greater than what was given. 
    • The strong survive; it’s wrong to perpetuate and enable weakness. 

  • The Nocturne Court

    This court is the most malevolent. The fae of this court actively dislike humans. They're more inclined to talk about their open cruelty.  Most of them are outright evil. They tend to be sensible, chilled, dark, and baleful. 

    Daylight is a constant looming threat for Nocturne.  The combined power of Eventide and Nocturne would be greater than that of Daylight, but they can’t seem to organize themselves enough to be a real threat.  Eventide and Nocturne have a strong alliance, but Eventide acknowledges Daylight’s strength and would rather negotiate favorable outcomes for Nocturne than to enter conflicts on its behalf. 

    The Nocturne Court only takes Unseelie.  In fact, they believe themselves to be the “true” Unseelie.  Nocturnals feel that any Unseelie who does not also swear themselves to Nocturne is not quite truly Unseelie at heart. 

    12% of all fae are Nocturnal. Their numbers are declining.  Children of Nocturne parents tend to choose Nocturne, but few born outside of this court choose it.  Nocturne families tend to sever ties with those who choose other minor courts. 

    The Court of Nocturne does not ask its members to swear to any sort of code beyond the Code of the Unseelie. 


Titles and Rankings 3 — 3


  • Daoine Sidhe

    The ruling class is referred to as the Daione Sidhe. 

  • Peerage and Inherited Titles

    • king/queen (only for the rulers of the major courts)
    • duke/duchess (only for the rulers of the minor courts)
    • marquess/marchioness (this would be the second-highest rank in both major and minor courts)
    • earl/countess
    • viscount/viscountess
    • baron/baroness

  • Some conventions for titles

    • The titles above are all generally inherited, granted only to the heir upon succession.  Descendants of these (though not peers) can be referred to as lord/lady.  In extenuating circumstances, these stations can be appointed as well. 
    • Unlike in human courts, the title of prince/princess is applied to children of kings/queens AND dukes/duchesses.  
    • Unlike in human courts, the spouse of a peer doesn't take on the matching title.  Instead, they are referred to as "The Virtuous Lord/Lady ___" if Seelie or "The Righteous Lord/Lady ___" if Unseelie. 
    • If a spouse already has a title of their own (as is common), then it gets added on, with the title originating from the highest rank first. 


    Example:
    Marchioness Chante Dayjewel marries Viscount Lark Cricketsprout.  Their titles would be "Marchioness Chante Cricketsprout, Virtuous Lady of Daylight" and "Virtuous Lord Lark Cricketsprout, Viscount of Daylight."  Chante took her husband's surname, but for both of them, the piece derived from Chante's rank comes first in their titles.  Marchioness is higher than viscount, so for Lark, Virtuous Lord has to come before Viscount in his title.  Their son Alaneo could be referred to as "Lord Alaneo Cricketsprout of Daylight" or variations of that such as "Alaneo Cricketsprout, Lord of Daylight."   

  • Military Titles

    • Grandmaster - each court has exactly one
    • Knight
    • Esquire
    • Other various titles

  • Appointed Titles

    • Chamberlain
    • Butler
    • Master/Mistress of Song
    • Master/Mistress of Art
    • Master/Mistress of Story
    • Master/Mistress of Feasts
    • Master/Mistress of Companions (which could mean animals and/or mortals)
    • Constable
    • Cup-Bearer
    • Jester
    • Lady-in-waiting to [someone]
    • Page
    • Secretary to [someone]
    • Counselor of [subject]
    • Peasant