Setting

[faerycourts]

❧SETTING

❦ The majority of the terrain is taken up by an old growth deciduous forest - it is full of towering trees and undergrowth, creeping moss and ferns and wildflowers, patches of weeds and grass growing between the half-decayed leaves of last autumn still on the ground. Most of the space is taken up by trees, but there are clearings that range from small to large scattered through, as well as several ponds - including one large enough that it could be called a small lake - and several streams. In the distance, rarely, shapes can be seen that are probably mountains. Notably, the further into the woods anyone attempts to venture, the deeper the woods become, and the harder and more dangerous to transverse. If a character continues trying to push on regardless, they will eventually find themselves coming back out in familiar areas, but whether that is simply them getting turned around, some redirection magic of the forest itself, a trick of the world that will always push them back towards they started, isn't known. No matter the reason, getting lost in the woods will always draw you back towards the center. Characters who fly will find that the situation is much the same - if they fly high enough they will see nothing but trees stretching on and out until the view dissolves into mist, and should they attempt to fly to the edge of the forest, no matter what direction they choose they will become lost in the mist and eventually find themselves back in the clear areas, maybe roughly where they started, maybe halfway round the patch of forest that can be explored.

❧NOTABLE PLACES

☙TOWN ❦ In the middle of the forest is a small very old-fashioned (think 16/1700s, like, old fashioned) European style town/village surrounded by a broken circle of weather-worn stones of varying sizes, from ones the same size or smaller than the cobblestones of the streets to boulders. This ring marks the boundries of the protections laid on the town, and prevents the most dangerous fae from entering. It contains a fair number of houses (none very large), a few cobblestone or dirt paths/roads, and even a town square. Everything is very green - there's grass and ivy and wildflowers that are all extremely happy to be here - and very quaint; it could be on a postcard. There is no well, but there is a little freshwater stream that winds in from the forest and runs for a space along the edge of town before wandering back into the trees. The water of the stream is very cold regardless of the weather and perfectly clear and sweet. Inside the ring of stones the water is always safe to drink (unless something is done to it after it is removed from the stream) - outside the town, however, this might not be the case. Overall things are dusty and a little derelict - there are some stones that are cracked or missing, there's weeds growing between others in the paths and square - but it is otherwise perfectly preserved, down to a substantial store of unspoiled food that even includes things that would normally go bad fairly quickly, like fruits and vegetables. After characters begin to move in small animals like birds and mice will slowly begin to appear within the borders of town as well, but will be noticeably absent when they first arrive. In the exact center of town is the most noticeable feature - a large bell tower. The bell it houses is extremely loud and very difficult to miss, in town or almost anywhere else, and without fail rings once a day at exactly midnight. It does not sound at any other time. ☙FAERY HILL ❦ A little distance through the forest to the northeast of town is a large hill, from and around which winds a shallow stream, sometimes wider and sometimes narrower, of the blood spilled on earth. It is usually quite shallow and can be forded, but if necessary there is a low stone bridge spanning it. The blood is perfectly safe to drink and will quench thirst, but tastes like exactly what it is. Underneath this hill is the Faery Court. That said, it is impossible to find without the right kind of magic, and trying to dig it up would just make the faeries mad, so don’t do that. It is partially located in what would probably have been the largest clearing in the forest were it not for the sprawling apple orchard whose trees that are always in full bloom or full of apples. Some of the apple trees seem normal enough and some… don’t – the fruit they bear is golden, or blood-red when cut into, or catch the light strangely and give it back like stars. The orchard begins some little distance up its slope on one side and gradually spreads across the hill to completely engulf the top until it sweeps down the other side like a train and the apple trees fade away into the normal trees of the forest. The trees are well tended and healthy, but they are not neat, and the orchard looks like it ran wild some years ago. There are the remains of a ruined something or other scattered through the apple trees – bits of stone wall and steps, occasionally remnants of what might have been a path, and near the very top what might have once been a tower, but which has been reduced to little more than a heap of stones with uneven and broken steps leading up to a small platform. At the outskirts of this orchard is a well full of pure water as sweet as nectar – however, unlike the water in town, this water is not safe to drink. It does not do anything in particular to those who do, but it does put them in the power of the Court for a full night and a day. Eating any of the apples is worse. They look, smell, and taste delicious, but eating even one puts you in debt to the Faery Queen, as this is her orchard, and they all belong to her. That debt puts any who waver under the power of Faery, and the Queen, until they fulfill that debt. Unfortunately this is usually hard to do – good luck if you need to, and better hope the fae aren’t bored. The apples and the water both, additionally, hold the addictive quality of faery food. Once one is eaten or the water is drunk, it is difficult to go back to ordinary fare. Some of the apples are also enchanted, and what they do to any who ventures one is not generally pleasant. The easiest way into the Court is to be invited, but others do exist. A way will sometimes open for those who get lost in the orchard, especially near noon or midnight – but that’s only getting in, and those who stumble in may sometimes find it difficult to leave. After drinking from the stream of blood it is possible to enter and leave unmolested, if and only if a bargain is made while within. ☙FAERY COURT ❦ The pathway into the Faery Court can be found in multiple locations, under the right conditions, but is always begins as a largeish dirt tunnel lined with a lacework pattern of roots. It varies in both length and size, depending both on the size of the one entering and the distance from the faery hill. The floor is relatively smooth and level, with rarely anything to trip over, and always with one message left in the floor, where there’s still light enough to read it: take nothing that is not yours. There are, at the beginning, no sources of light save whatever streams in from the entrance, but if ventured into, points of light can be seen in the darkness after sufficient distance from the entrance is traveled. These are gems, caught in roots and dirt, which shine through like stars, as can be seen when approached. These gemstones cannot be taken – they’re almost impossible to remove, no matter how simple it seems it would be to reach out and take them, and if somehow a character manages to pry them loose the gem will vanish, the tunnel will collapse, and the floor will give way, trapping them somewhere deep in Faery until they pay back the debt their attempted theft incurred. If followed without mischief the tunnel turns from dirt to stone, then stone to silver, as light without an obvious source slowly builds, until by the end it’s quite bright and easy to see, and flowers climb the walls. The tunnel opens at last, usually to a vast hall with golden walls and crystal floors, watched over by a dais with two tall thrones covered with furs at the far end. The hall is usually lively and full of noise and activity and color, and often enough presided over by at least one of the monarchs. There are always many doorways and openings to tunnels leading away again, to antechambers or caverns, storage areas and kitchens and workshops and treasuries and these, especially to those who are not wanted or have ill purpose, can be exceedingly difficult to navigate as they can change, depending on the day or the hour or which direction they are followed in. There are several ways out, but many are difficult or dangerous, and all are usually difficult to find. Newcomers to the Court, whether or not they belong there, can find it very difficult to navigate, but those who have lived there at length do not encounter such difficulty. ☙CAVERNS ❦ Completely separate from the Court are still caverns and caves, some deep and full of tunnels, some shallow. These, however, are overall much more mundane - they can be found, entered, and exited mostly without more than the usual difficulty. The main potential for worry is anything that might be using the caves already. Things like bears or wolves might be in them, or less mundane creatures, such as dragons, or trolls. The largest of the caves is difficult to find, as it's at the edge of the map, almost beyond the edge of where characters are able to travel, and is inhabited by a dragon who matches the cavern in its extreme size. This is the largest dragon that can be found within the travelable area, though other caves may house smaller ones, though they are still fairly rare. The largest network of caverns can be found partway through the marsh. It also has several good-sized caves and multiple entries of various sizes scattered throughout the marsh. The caves themselves spiderweb together, and house a good number of trolls. Be careful transversing them. ☙MARSH ❦ To the west of the town is a large wetland, more of a marsh or a fen than a swamp, though some areas are forested. It's closest edges are safe, for the most part (albeit very wet), but the further you go in the more dangerous things become, and the deeper the water. There's more and more sinkholes full of peat, or sand, or mud, places covered by layers of moss or weeds that appear to be solid but which aren't, jagged rocks and snakes, going on towards the center. There is also a network of caverns, most of which are interconnected, which are chiefly inhabited by trolls, who are more than willing to eat almost anything they come across. When they are not in their caverns they are chiefly in the water, and - like crocodiles - can be very difficult to spot. There is almost always a layer of mist that makes it very easy to get lost, here, and will-o-wisps who are more than willing to help in that process - they will always lead anyone who follows them deeper into it, and into more dangerous areas, with more dangerous creatures, or more dangerous natural hazards. It is, with the sometime exception of the Court, the area easiest to become lost in, and once lost it is hard to find your way out. The majority of the fae, who do not make it their home, avoid it. Despite all this, for those who are willing to venture into the depths, there are significant rewards. In the heart of the marsh are islands of firm ground, on which grow a species of small golden flower not found anywhere else. Eating one of these flowers will cure any injury or illness, in seconds, no matter their severity or cause. Their power is one of the few sure ways to break malignant magic that the fae may cast, even transformation spells. If their roots are collected, anyone fed them must obey any order from the first to speak after they are consumed for 12 hours. In addition, and far easier to locate, one may find many of the armor, weapons, and other treasure that those who have died there carried. Some of these are magical in nature, and can be traded for significant favors. ☙LAKE ❦ North of the town, and a little to the west, is the largest and deepest body of water within the explorable area, a small lake, which several of the streams feed into. It is difficult to get down to the shore in most places, as the banks are very steep, and as they become shallower the ground becomes marshy - the lowest edge begins to blend with the top of the swamp, with trees growing in the areas shallow enough for them to grow, and only a thin sliver of dry(ish) heavily forested area to separate the lake from the swamp. It is more dangerous than most of the water, as the lake is the home of the lone Each Uisge, who can be unpredictable in his wanderings, but it is also the home of many nixies, more than any other body of water or waterway, who make venturing near both more tempting and potentially worthwhile. They can chiefly - but not exclusively - be found at the mouths of the streams or in the lower edge, in the shallower water among the trees, and are usually singing.