Fey Feature Archive

Fey Feature Archive

Seelie and Unseelie Courts

By Gwendolyn F. M. Kestrel and Faith M. Pricef
"They are two sides of the same coin, or let us say . . . the same side of two coins."

-- Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
The Seelie Court
" . . . the single assumption which makes our existence viable -- that somebody is watching . . ."
People tend to think of fey as lovely creatures of almost unearthly beauty and grace. This image epitomizes the
fey of the Seelie Court. Many artists and bards, both fey and other, have striven to capture the beauty of the
Seelie Court. Most have gone mad; none have truly succeeded. Pure manifestations of nature and beauty, the
members of the Seelie Court view themselves as the pinnacle of perfection. This elitist attitude restricts status
in the court to only pure-blood fey. A court fey can trace his or her lineage back several millennia, showing
nothing but true fey (no templates, no transformations such as from the monk class or various prestige classes,
and no other creature types by blood or breeding).
Fey high society and the fey realms, be they on the Plane of Faerie or fey high-society enclaves on the
Material Plane, contain the only creatures whose opinions matter. Politics thrive in this elitist environment.
Seelie fey form cliques and factionalize amongst themselves. In the endlessly politicking and gossiping world of
the Seelie Court, status can be won by hosting guests (willing or unwilling) or attracting followers with great skill
in a craft or performance art.
Seelie Court fey occasionally tolerate the company of beautiful or gifted creatures, preferring those of fey,
elven, or celestial blood. These "court friends" may provide companionship and amusements, but only those
with pure lineage may hold positions of importance.
Admittance to the Seelie Court for outsiders is extremely rare, even more so if the outsiders are not of pure fey
blood. Upon entrance to the court, visitors must be prepared with valuable and unusual gifts for the Queen of
Light, or they might find themselves lost in an endless hedge maze. Suitable gifts for the Queen
include figurines of wondrous power, gems of brightness, and magical jewelry.
The physical appearance of the Seelie Court mirrors nature, to which the fey are intrinsically linked. White ash
trees, strong and stately, with their branches intertwining to create a living ceiling, line the throne hall like
marble columns. Gossamer streamers of iridescent blues, pinks and purples wind their way through the
boughs. Phosphorescent flowers gleam like lanterns amidst the treetops. Semi-precious jewels of amethysts,
tiger's eyes and topaz decorate flowers that float down the waterways lining the path to the throne. Statues
carved of gold and adorned with gems further attest to the wealth and beauty of the current ruler, as each
queen must display more splendor than the previous one or risk the gossip and scorn of her subjects. The
throne itself, a and queen who sits on it, are the focal points of the room. The throne of the Seelie Court is
shaped like a large ice dragon, as brilliantly cold and glittery as the fey nobility.
Queen Tatiana and King Oberon are the current rulers of the Seelie Court. An undisputed beauty, Tatiana
looks unfavorably upon female courtier or visitors whose appearance rivals hers. This attitude is caused, in
part, by the occasional wanderings of King Oberon's affection.
The Seelie Court fey find the Unseelie Court fey absolutely repellent.
The Unseelie Court
"Blood is compulsory."
Unlike the selective, restrictive Seelie Court, the Unseelie Court welcomes anyone and everything with even a
drop of ancestral fey blood. Fey can and do breed with anything, creating odd, mixed creatures. Most species
consider the offspring grotesque monsters. The mutant creatures gravitate towards the Unseelie Court, which
welcomes them and gives them an environment where peculiar physiologies and abilities are the norm.
The Unseelie Court is a more hospitable place for non-fey as well. Court nobles eagerly provide patronage for
creatures who are extremely strong, dexterous, clever, beautiful, or talented. Obtaining the sponsorship of a
court noble is not without its rewards, nor without its dangers. For instance, a gifted bard whose playing
impresses a fey nobleman might be invited to his castle as a guest. Once there, the bard will be feted and
asked to play every night -- and never be permitted to leave.
Ruling over all these oddities is the Queen of Air and Darkness: a fey of unsurpassed beauty and grace. The
Queen of Air and Darkness has no current consort and no surviving children. The court is rife with gossip and
political maneuvering as each noble curries the queen's favor in the hopes of being named the royal heir.
Outsiders not of fey blood are rarely admitted to the Unseelie Court. Visitors must be prepared with unusual
and powerful gifts for the Queen, or they might find themselves the quarry of a nightmarish hunt. Suitable gifts
for the Queen include figurines of horrific power, gems of darkness, and cursed jewelry. (Details on
the figurines of horrific power and gems of darkness will appear in a future fey column on the Wizards website.)
After a millennia of indiscriminate breeding, the physical appearance of the Unseelie Court mirrors the
macabre. Twisted columns, trees forced into unnatural growth by royal gardeners, are scattered haphazardly
through the hall. Curtains of shadows hide blood-soaked alcoves. Drawn back for times of celebration, the
gaping crevasses reveal uninvited guests captured for the amusement of the court. Riotous blooms of
nightshades and blood warts glow red in the evening, providing a maddening light to the misshapen court. The
throne of the Unseelie Court is shaped like a great shadow dragon, a creature of midnight and darkness, like
the queen herself.
The Thrones
Both the Queen of Air and Darkness and Titania, Queen of Light, hold court from ornately carved, dragon-
shaped thrones. Commonly thought to be magical, the thrones' abilities are a matter of much speculation
among the Courts. None but the queens know the truth.
Both courts are matriarchal monarchies. Sometimes males endeavor to take the throne, but none have
survived the Rites of Succession. Each prospective ruler undergoes a lengthy rite of passage. Not every
candidate survives these secret tests and rituals. The heir undertakes the trial when the former queen dies or
expresses a willingness to abdicate her throne. In the final Rite of Succession, the aspiring queen ascends to
sit on the throne. Sometimes a candidate dies at this point, rejected in some fashion by the throne. If the
prospective queen lives through this final ceremony, the court acknowledges her as its rightful ruler.
Throne Guardian
Huge Construct
Hit Dice: 30d10 (165)
Initiative: +5 (Dex)
Speed: 60 ft., fly 90 ft. (perfect)
AC: 23 (-2 size, +5 Dex, +10 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 18
Attacks: 2 slams +26 melee
Damage: Slam 2d8+7
Face/Reach: 10 ft. by 20 ft./10 ft.
Special Qualities: Construct traits, detect thoughts, etherealness, fast healing 10, guard, plane shift, shield
other, spell storing, telepathy, true seeing
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +15, Will +10
Abilities: Str 25, Dex 20, Con --, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 1
Climate/Terrain: Any land
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 15
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Throne guardians are rare and powerful creatures. The Huge constructs can be made in almost any shape with
a throne-like seat as a central focus. The two most spectacular are shaped like dragons and serve as the
queen's throne in the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. The throne guardian in the Seelie Court appears as a stately
carved dragon made entirely of ice. The Unseelie Court's throne looks like a grand dragon made of shadow
and darkness.
Combat: A throne guardian exists for one purpose: to protect its master. It pursues this goal to the best of its
ability, usually aware of the threat of combat (by using detect thoughts and true seeing to scan creatures in the
vicinity) even before the first action is taken. It telepathically communicates all information to its controller.
Construct Traits: A throne guardian is immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning,
disease, death effects, necromantic effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works
on objects. The creature is not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy
drain, or death from massive damage. It cannot heal itself but can be healed through repair. It cannot be raised
or resurrected. A throne guardian has darkvision (60-foot range).
Detect Thoughts (Su): A throne guardian can continuously detect thoughts as the spell (caster level 20th;
save DC 25). It can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.
Etherealness (Su): This ability functions just like the spell of the same name (caster level 20th).
Fast Healing (Ex): A throne construct regains lost hit points at the rate of 10- per round. Fast healing does not
restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation, and it does not allow the throne construct to regrow
or reattach lost body parts.
Guard (Ex): The throne guardian moves swiftly to interpose parts of itself to protect its seated master by
blocking blows and disrupting foes. Each attack against the seated controller takes a -2 penalty.
Plane Shift (Su): This ability functions just like the spell of the same name (caster level 20th).
Shield Other (Sp): The designated controller of the throne can activate this defensive ability if within 100 feet
of the throne guardian. If the controller is seated in the throne, the ability is always active. Just as the spell of
the same name, this ability transfers to the guardian half the damage that would otherwise be dealt to the
master.
Spell Storing (Sp): The throne guardian can store one spell of 9th level or lower that is cast into it by another
creature. It "casts" this spell when commanded by its master or when a predetermined situation arises. If
seated in the throne, the master can opt to have the spell affect her as well. Once the spell is used, it can store
another spell (or the same spell). The fey queens usually have time stop stored in their throne guardians.
Telepathy (Su): A throne guardian can communicate telepathically with its master.
True Seeing (Su): Throne guardians continuously use true seeing as the divine spell (caster level 12th).
Construction
A throne guardian's body must be sculpted from a single block of material weighing at least 5,000 pounds. The
throne guardian costs 500,000 gp to create. This includes 50,000 gp for the body.
The first task is creating the body, a figure made from a large block of any one substance. Fashioning the body
requires a successful Craft (sculpting) check (DC 25).
The second requirement is establishing the ritual or item required to designate ownership and control of the
throne. The creator must labor for at least 8 hours each day in a specially prepared laboratory or workroom.
The chamber resembles an alchemist's laboratory and a smithy, and costs 1,000 gp to establish.
When not working on the ritual, the character must rest and can perform no other activities except eating,
sleeping, or talking. If personally constructing the creature's body, the creator can perform the building and
ritual together. If the creator misses a day of the ritual, the process fails and must be started again. Money
spent is lost, but XP spent are not. The throne guardian's body can be reused, as can the chamber.
Completing the ritual drains 10,000 XP from the creator and requires detect thoughts, etherealness, limited
wish, locate object, make whole,plane shift, shield other, and true seeing, all of which must be cast on the final
day of the ritual. The creator must cast the spells personally, but they can come from outside sources such as
scrolls.
Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item feats, 20th level and able to cast arcane or divine spells.
Ritual or Amulet
The creator establishes a mechanism to designate dominion over the throne guardian. It may be a ritual or an
item. Only one person at a time may be the throne guardian's master. In the case of a ritual, such control lasts
until death or until the master uses a limited wish, miracle, or wish to remove ownership. If an amulet (or other
item) is created as the control mechanism, the wearer has control. If the keyed amulet is destroyed, the
guardian ceases to function until a new one is created. If the wearer dies but the amulet remains intact, the
throne guardian carries out the last command given.
Throne Guardian Ritual, Seelie and Unseelie Courts
The creator of the court thrones preferred Lawful Neutral rulers upon the Seelie throne and Chaotic Neutral
rulers upon the Unseelie throne. To take control of the throne is a simple matter: when the old queen dies or
willingly abdicates, the candidate mounts the throne clad only in a simple gown without any magic equipment.
(Though many suspect that candidates have cheated, no one has any proof.) When the supplicant is seated for
the first time, a saving throw against a finger of death spell is made. If successful, the throne accepts her; if the
save fails, the person dies.
Seelie Court Throne Unseelie Court Throne

Alignment DC Alignment DC
Lawful Good 30 Lawful Good 40
Neutral Good 35 Neutral Good 35
Chaotic Good 40 Chaotic Good 30
Lawful Neutral 20 Lawful Neutral 30
Neutral 25 Neutral 25
Chaotic Neutral 30 Chaotic Neutral 20
Lawful Evil 30 Lawful Evil 40
Neutral Evil 35 Neutral Evil 35
Chaotic Evil 40 Chaotic Evil 30
The Seelie Court's Turning of the Seasons

Celebrations
By Gwendolyn F. M. Kestrel and Faith M. Price
The fey thrive on parties and galas, seeing them as a chance not just to break up the monotony that can come
with a near-eternal lifespan, but as a tool in their endless quest for social status. Celebrations offer
opportunities to flaunt connections and curry the favor of those in power. Hence, the fey celebrate a myriad of
festivals throughout the year.
Much of the fey's power and longevity derives from the living energy found within nature on the Faerie Plane
that serves as their home. Because of this, festivals often serve as a reminder of their dependence upon the
flora and fauna in which they dwell, as well as upon the heavenly bodies that control life cycles. While many
festivals are newly created and draw mainly local fey, celebrating the Turning of the Seasons is a Seelie Court
tradition from millennia past. These festivals draw fey from every plane and region.
Summer Solstice
While an occasional absence from the lesser solstice and equinox celebrations is vaguely frowned upon, no
fey of any good standing in the court would wish to miss the spectacle of the Summer Solstice, a month-long
celebration that begins on the longest day of the year. It commences with an elaborately choreographed dance
that tells the history of the Seelie queens, starting with the most ancient of queens, the Queen of Original
Illumination. This opening ceremony can take up to five days, and is held on the grounds surrounding the court
of the present Seelie Queen.
Following the dance, fey sponsors bring forth their protégés to perform for the court. Stories are told, poems
recited, and ballads of great beauty sung, all honoring either the queen or nature. After the queen has listened
and seen all the players, she bestows a prize on her favorite. The artist may receive a blessed pen or voice-
enhancing bauble, but the fey sponsor receives the true honor and her prize is far greater. To her, the queen
gives a garland of starfire. Each flower on the garland is made from the essence of the stars.
Garland of Starfire: This beautiful garland has eternally fresh flowers. Plucking a flower from the garland
activates the spell associated with it. When created, it has between two and five blossoms (1d4+1). A tiny
violet creates dancing lights. A purple carnation conjures glitterdust. A multi-hued dahlia produces a prismatic
spray. A yellow rose brings forth a sunburst. The garland occupies the headband, necklace, or amulet space.
Caster Level: 15th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, prismatic spray; Market Price: 375 gp per violet, 1,500
gp per carnation, 5,250 gp per dahlia, 6,000 gp per yellow rose; Weight: --.
During the Summer Solstice festival, the queen also chooses a new Master of Gatherings. He takes
responsibility until the next Summer Solstice for ensuring that the court is suitably amused with entertainment
at all court gatherings. Winning this office is an extremely prestigious honor, but dangerous as well, since the
queen does not tolerate failure or mistakes.
The celebration ends with the giving of gifts to the queen. Each noble knows that her gift will be judged by the
queen and all the fey in attendance, and that social status may be gained or lost based on her choice. Gifts are
often prepared months in advance, resulting in elaborate offerings, each more unique than the last.
Members of the court are not the only ones who use this occasion to gain favor. Any of the common fey can
petition the queen's steward to have his gift opened personally by the queen. If she finds the offering amusing,
the giver may receive a small token of the queen's appreciation. If the gift is judged ordinary, the fey may find
himself an object of ridicule or much worse.
Fall Equinox
The Fall Equinox is celebrated in the oldest forest, the Oaks of Beginning Earth. This five-day celebration
begins with the Feast of Bounty. Rich food and wine are brought forth, and toasts of thanks are proposed for
the provisions of the year. The feast can last for several days, as each fey in attendance is expected to make a
toast.
While the Queen attends the festival, she is not the central focus. The hunt, held on the day of the equinox, is
the premier gala event. Each year a new quarry is chosen and armed with certain magical charms and
disguises. Hunting parties of all sizes ride in pursuit. The queen presents a horn of bounty to the fey who
captures and returns the prey.
Horn of Bounty: A horn of bounty greatly resembles a cornucopia. Once per day, the user can endeavor to
play the horn for 10 minutes and make a Perform (trumpet) check DC 15. If successful, the horn produces the
effects of the heroes' feast spell.
Caster Level: 11th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, heroes' feast; Market Price: 26,400 gp; Weight: 1 lb.
Winter Solstice
The 10-day Festival of the Winter Solstice celebrates endings and rest. It begins on shortest day of the year,
and is traditionally held among the ruins of the ancient Stonehart Giants. These ruins remind the fey that, as
they replaced the giants, at some point they too will be replaced by a newer species.
During this gala, the fey are uncharacteristically tender towards each other. While jockeying for position still
occurs among the nobles, many small slights that would normally cause elaborate displays of offense are
overlooked. Even the Seelie Queen has been known to (very occasionally) overlook a small breach of
etiquette.
Gifts are exchanged among the fey, primarily to show affection and appreciation of friendship. Many fey bring
extra gifts as a precaution; to be caught without a reciprocal gift for an acquaintance is considered a grave
insult.
The festival ends with a masquerade ball. Glowing balls of lights glitter in the night, casting a rainbow of colors
on the snowy ballroom. Outrageous costumes of feather, flora, and fauna cast the fey in an even more
otherworldly light. In this moment, an outsider would see the intrinsic elegance and pathos of the faerie
kingdom. During the last moments of the ball, the queen bestows a final gift on the subject whose costume
most pleased her. The gift, a cloak of sheltering, protects the wearer from the hazards that mark the winter
months.
Cloak of Sheltering: This beautiful gray velvet cloak is lined with silver fox fur. It continually provides the
wearer with life-sustaining nourishment. The cloak also refreshes the body and mind, so that its wearer need
sleep only 2 hours per day to gain the benefit of 8 hours of sleep. In addition, the cloak continually protects the
wearer from cold. When the wearer would normally take cold damage, subtract 15 points of damage per round
from the total to account for the cloak's effect. Lastly, once per day, the wearer can speak a command word to
produce a comfortable place to stay per Leomund's secure shelter spell. The cloak must be worn for a full day
before it works.
Caster Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, create food and water, Leomund's secure shelter,
protection from elements; Market Price: 40,800 gp; Weight: --.
Spring Equinox
The celebration of the Spring Equinox marks new beginnings. After the long dark of winter, a breeze of youth
blows across the plane. Even the eldest of the fey experience renewed vitality.
This five day festival ends on the equinox, and focuses on birth and play. It is traditionally held in a meadow
near the court of the Seelie Queen. Many fey come dressed in garments consisting solely of leaves or spring
flowers, and wear garlands of white or yellow on their heads.
Riddles are told and plays produced for the amusement of the queen and her court. It is at this time that any
new births, on the rare occasion that they occur, are announced. The period of celebration ends with a
scavenger hunt. Impossible clues send seekers across many planes in pursuit of imaginary items. The winner
of the hunt receives a treefriend pouch of liveoak acorns.
Treefriend Pouch: This simple pouch made of thin, finely crafted doe skin contains 1d6 acorns. On command,
an acorn grows into a Huge oak tree that comes to life per the liveoak spell.
Caster Level: 11th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, liveoak, plant growth; Market Price: 4,125 gp per
acorn; Weight: --.
The Unseelie Court's Phases of the Moon

celebrations
While the Seelie Court celebrates the turning of the seasons, the Unseelie
Court chooses the phases of the Moon as the focus of its merry-making. Much
more comfortable with the shadows of the night, they feel a special kinship
with the cold and harsh lunar mistress. These celebrations are sometimes a
parody of the pomp and elegance of the Seelie Court, sometimes homage to
their own twisted states of being, and at all times a chance to enjoy the misery
of unfortunate "honored guests."
Festival of the Blood Moon
When the unfortunate fey formed their own court, they took the traditions of
the Seelie Court and twisted them to fit a more macabre sense of self. Hence
the Festival of the Blood Moon, a version of the Seelie's Fall Equinox festival,
has been celebrated nearly as long as the Fall Equinox itself.
Like its Seelie counterpart, the Festival of the Blood Moon centers on a grand
hunt, presided over by the Master or Mistress of the Hunt. This person,
appointed by the queen from among the most skillful Dark Hunters (see next
month's article), is responsible for choosing the quarry. Generally, it is a
humanoid from another realm who has been first tortured to the point of Circe, John William
insanity, then enhanced with camouflage, quickness, and other spells to make Waterhouse, 1891
it difficult to catch. Preparations for the festival require many weeks, as
members of the Unseelie Court who wish to increase their standing seek suitable prey to offer to the Mistress
of the Hunt. If their prey is chosen and provides a particularly stimulating hunt, they may even receive a small
gift from the queen herself.
The Unseelie Court holds this seven-day gala beneath the oldest tree in the forest. The dark fey cast numerous
magical spells (many Evil) upon this tree, and at the end of the gala the tree is chopped down and burned in a
huge bonfire. The remaining charcoal fuses into a solid disc the size of a fist. Upon command, the lump of
charred wood becomes a forcecage. The winner of the hunt receives the cage, which, the spells having
rendered the wood nearly invincible and invisible, can be used to catch all kinds of creatures unaware.
Blood Moon Forcecage: This lump of charcoal transforms into an immobile cubical prison (per
the forcecagespell) when the correct command is uttered. The cage can take either shape described by the
spell; the utterer of the command word determines the shape when activating the blood moon forcecage. This
item can be used only once.
Caster Level: 13th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, forcecage; Market Price: 33,350 gp; Weight: --.
Ceremony of the Dark Moon
The Ceremony of the Dark Moon is held every four hundred and thirteenth year. The 41-day event is the most
highly regarded by the Unseelie Court, for during this time two important astrological phenomenon occur
simultaneously.
First, the comet Sharani Kel appears. Its orbit brings it close enough to be seen in both the day and night sky
for forty days. Lying low on the horizon, its trailing asteroids and galactic dust create the effect of a red claw
ripping a gash in the fabric of the universe.
During this event, the fey druids offer sacrifices of rare creatures, one for each of the elements (fire, water,
earth and air) each day, thanking the deities for the fey's long life and health. The ceremony takes place at the
ruins in the center of a large crater. The fey believe that the crater, caused by a bolt from the sky that
destroyed the stone dwellings of an ancient religious order that had fallen into apostasy, was a warning from
the deities against forgetting who granted the fey their powers. Each member of the fey is expected to bring a
memento that is valuable to him or her, and cast it into the fire at the center of the ruins.
On the last day of the ceremony, the moon travels in front of the sun, causing the land to grow dark around
midday for about an hour. During this time, parents bring their offspring to be blessed by the chief druid. As
faerie births are rare, even among the less discriminating fey of the Unseelie Court, there are generally no
more than seven children brought forward. Each child receives a small vial of blackest night on a leather cord.
This vial, when opened, causes the land to darken while still allowing the wearer sight.
Vial of Blackest Night: Once per day, speaking a command word causes this vial to activate a deeper
darkness effect that functions per the spell, except the vial has no effect upon its holder's vision. Only one
person at a time can hold a vial and gain the benefits of seeing through the spell. The vial does not grant the
ability to see through other deeper darkness spells.
Caster Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, darkvision, deeper darkness; Market Price: 5,000
gp; Weight: --.
Festival of the Waning Moon
Gaining sustenance mainly from the fruit of the land, the Unseelie Court places vital importance on the success
of the crops each year. Indeed, the popularity of the queen among her people and her ability to rule effectively
are directly related to the harvest.
The Festival of the Waning Moon takes place at winter solstice. Held amidst the barren branches of the
Queen's Orchard, the gala involves five days of feasting and gift-giving. Each member of the court brings gifts
to the queen in keeping with his or her material success during the last eleven months. As all fey wish to be
respected by their peers, as well as seek to make their rivals look bad, gift values can far outweigh any gains
during the year. In addition, expensive, rare or extremely elegant and fragile gifts are given to friends and
acquaintances, all in efforts to increase in standing within the court.
On the last day of the gala, the shortest day of the year, the queen walks to the center of the grove. There she
pricks her forefinger with a dagger. Nine drops of blood fall to the ground; the queen is thought to be
replenishing the health of the soil with her own life force. If the crop for the next year is good, then the life force
of the queen is strong. If not. . . .
Next, the queen is given five small stones, upon each of which she smears a drop of blood. She places
these briar blood stones into a small pouch and gives it to the fey whose gift most delighted her. To be used
during times of pursuit, each stone can cause a wall of stone briars 10 feet thick to block the way, effectively
keeping people either out or in.
Briar Blood Stone: Throwing down the stone causes a wall of thorns to spring up per the spell.
Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, wall of thorns; Market Price: 2,250 gp (per
stone); Weight: --.
The New Moon Celebration

The New Moon Celebration occurs during the week of the first new moon of summer. This seven-day carnival
of games, feasts and hunts takes place around the Ellaurial Lake, a mountain lake of glacial depths. The
moon's reflection across the water causes the surrounding shore to glow an icy blue.
Each night, small boats built and decorated with flowers, feathers, rich cloth and glowing globes of light, sail
across the lake for the amusement of the court. The Master of the Masquerade bestows prizes nightly to the
sailors of the boats that gain the most accolades from shore watchers.
In the middle of the week, a masquerade ball is held on floating pavilions in the center of the lake. Fey use
special potions or spells that enable them to become creatures of great oddity. Some more daring fey even
create potions that turn them into creatures that have never existed or combine many features from a variety of
animals and plants. The queen awards a pendant of true sight for her favorite costume. This pendant allows
the wearer to see through any disguise, charms, and spells to perceive the true nature of others. It lasts until
the next New Moon Celebration, at which time it loses its special abilities and reverts back to a sliver, leaf-
shaped pendant carved from jade.
Pendant of True Sight: Upon speaking a command word, the wearer of this necklace can see as though
affected by a true seeing spell. Each pendant has 10 uses before it becomes a pretty but nonmagical gem
worth 1,000 gp.
Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, true seeing; Market Price: 11,500 gp; Weight: --.
The Dark Hunters

The Queen of Air and Darkness honors the

most skillful hunters of the Unseelie Court by
making them members of her Dark Hunt, also
called the Wild Hunt. Sometimes she even
recruits extremely talented nonfey who have
shown themselves adept at the hunt. At any
one time, between 10 and 30 dark hunters
serve the queen. She sends them on a
variety of missions, ranging from fetching fey
nobles with whom she's displeased to
hunting new entertainers to perform at her
feasts.
Rangers and rogues are the most natural

candidates for becoming dark hunters. Often,
they're a multiclassed combination of the two.
Bards and fighters also do well as dark
hunters. Specialized spell progression makes
it unlikely that dedicated sorcerers, wizards, or clerics will find the prestige class attractive, though the
rangers, rogues, bards, and fighters who become dark hunters often have dabbled in the pure spellcasting
classes.
Dark Hunter Missions
The dark hunters perform the Queen of Air and Darkness's bidding. The tasks she sends them on vary
greatly. Characters might encounter a group of dark hunters on any of the following missions:
 Seeking a talented bard or other entertainer to play for the queen. The dark hunters invite the
singer or storyteller cordially at first, but ultimately use force if that's the only way to get the
performer to come with them.
 Hunting a former member of the Wild Hunt who disobeyed the queen.
 Hunting a pack of winter wolves (or other exotic furry creatures) to gift the queen with a new fur
cloak.
 Tracking a fey noble who insulted the queen.
 Inviting fey to a festival the queen is hosting. (Their attendance is requested in a mandatory sort
of way.)
 Collecting tribute for the queen from her fey.
 Traveling to a remote vineyard for a vintage wine the queen especially likes.
 Hunting a young red dragon to add it to the queen's menagerie.
 Hunting a nest of griffons to steal the eggs, which will be hatched and raised as dark hunter
mounts.
 Seeking a sphinx or copper dragon because the queen wants to hear an amusing riddle.
Remember that the queen is evil, whimsical, and very much accustomed to having her every desire
instantly fulfilled. She's purely fey and very much a creature of the moment. The dark hunters exist to get
her what she wants.
NPCs compose the majority of the dark hunters. Sworn to serve the Queen of Air and Darkness, they are
elite troops. Though found most often in the Plane of Faerie, dark hunters travel extensively on a variety of
missions for their monarch.
Hit Die: d6
Requirements
To become a dark hunter, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +5.
Skills: Hide 5 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 3 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks, Ride 5 ranks, Wilderness Lore 8
ranks.
Feats: Improved Initiative, Track.
Special: Entry into the class must be approved by the Queen of Air and Darkness, and each Dark Hunter
must swear an annual oath to obey her.
Class Skills
The dark hunter's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Animal Empathy (Cha, exclusive skill),
Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump
(Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex),
Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex), and Wilderness Lore (Wis). See
Chapter 4 of thePlayer's Handbookfor skill descriptions.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Table: Dark Hunter
Base --Spells per Day-- --Spells Known--

Attack Fort Ref Will
Level Bonus Save Save Save Special 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1 +0 +2 +2 +0 Spells, low-light vision 0 --- --- --- 2* --- --- ---
2 +1 +3 +3 +0 Fast mount, fast movement 1 --- --- --- 3 --- --- ---
3 +2 +3 +3 +1 Darkvision 2 0 --- --- 3 2* --- ---
4 +3 +4 +4 +1 Uncanny dodge (Dex 3 1 --- --- 4 3 --- ---
bonus to AC)
5 +3 +4 +4 +1 Fast mount, fast 3 2 0 --- 4 3 2* ---
movement,
6 +4 +5 +2 +2 Scent 3 3 1 --- 4 4 3 ---
7 +5 +5 +5 +2 Uncanny dodge (can't be 3 3 2 0 4 4 3 2*
flanked)
8 +6 +6 +6 +2 Fast mount, fast movement 3 3 3 1 4 4 4 3
9 +6 +6 +6 +2 Freedom of movement 3 3 3 2 4 4 4 3
10 +7 +7 +7 +3 Discern location 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4
*Provided the dark hunter has sufficient Wisdom to have a bonus spell of this level.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the dark hunter prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A dark hunter gains no new weapon, armor or shield proficiencies.
Spells: Beginning at 1st level, a dark hunter gains the

ability to cast a small number of arcane spells. To cast a Dark Hunter Spell List
spell, the dark hunter must have a Wisdom score of at
least 10 + the spell's level, so a dark hunter with a Wisdom
of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. Dark hunter bonus 1st Level -- alarm, command, create water,
spells are based on Wisdom, and saving throws against detect animals or plants, detect magic, detect
these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + the dark snares and pits, expeditious retreat,
hunter's Wisdom modifier (if any). When the dark hunter message, mount, spider climb, true strike.
receives 0 spells of a given level, such as 1st-level spells
at 1st level, the dark hunter gets only bonus spells. A dark 2nd Level -- bull's strength, cat's grace,
hunter without a bonus spell for a particular level cannot detect thoughts, endurance, hold person,
yet cast a spell of that level. The dark hunter's spell list invisibility, locate object, pass without trace,
appears below. A dark hunter prepares and casts spells speak with animals.
just as a sorcerer does and the spells are arcane. He has
a limited number of spells known. 3rd Level -- clairaudience/clairvoyance,
dispel magic, fly, haste, hold monster, keen
Low-Light Vision (Su): A dark hunter gains low-light edge, phantom steed, see invisibility, slow.
vision. A dark hunter can see twice as far as a human in
starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of 4th Level -- dimension door, dimensional
poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color anchor, displacement, ethereal jaunt,
and detail under these conditions. If the dark hunter freedom of movement, greater command,
already had lowlight vision, his ability increases by one improved invisibility, locate creature, scrying,
factor (if previously able to see twice as far as a human, he sending.
can now see three times as far).
Fast Mount (Su): A dark hunter can spur his mount to speeds faster than the norm for its kind by +10 feet
when wearing no barding (and not carrying a heavy load). At 5th level, the speed increases by an
additional +10 feet (to +20 feet), and at 8th level, the speed increases again by an additional +10 feet (to
+30 feet). Thus, a light war horse ridden by an 8th-level dark hunter moves at a speed of 90 ft.
Fast Movement (Ex): At 2nd level, dark hunter has a speed faster than the norm for his race by +10 feet
when wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor (and not carrying a heavy load). At 5th level, the
speed increases by an additional +10 feet (to +20 feet), and at 8th level, the speed increases again by an
additional +10 feet (to +30 feet).
Darkvision (Su): A dark hunter can see in the dark as though he were permanently under the effect of
adarkvision spell.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a dark hunter gains the ability to react to danger before his
senses would normally allow him to do so. At 4th level and above, he retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if
any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. (He still loses his Dexterity
bonus to AC if immobilized.)
At 7th level, the dark hunter can no longer be flanked; he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him
as easily as he can react to a single attacker. This defense denies others the ability to use a flank attack to
sneak attack him. The exception to this defense is that a
rogue at least four levels higher than the dark hunter can
flank him (and thus sneak attack him). Dark Hunter Associates
Scent (Su): The dark hunter can detect approaching Dark hunters rarely hunt alone. They're most
enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of often in the company of other dark hunters.
smell. He can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of It's also customary for them to keep a pack
smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 (3-5) of doglike animals and ride an
feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. When a dark hunter extraordinary mount. The hounds and mount
detects a scent, the exact location is not revealed -- only can vary depending upon your campaign.
its presence somewhere within range. The dark hunter can Mix and match from among the following
take a move action to note the direction of the scent. possibilities:
Whenever the dark hunter comes within 5 feet of the
source, he knows the source's location.
Hounds: Shadow mastiffs, winter wolves,
displacer beast, dire badgers, dire wolves,
A dark hunter can track by scent, making a Wilderness yeth hounds, worgs.
Lore check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a
fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the
Mount: Nightmare, half-dragon pegasus,
scent). This DC increases or decreases depending on how
half-fiend unicorn, griffon, dire lion, giant
strong the quarry's odor is, the number of creatures, and
eagle, giant owl.
the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the
DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules
for the Track feat. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the Interesting hounds and creatures can also be
effect of surface conditions and poor visibility. made using the templates in the "Fey Born
Fair and Foul" article in Dragon#304.
Freedom of Movement (Su): For a total time per day of 1 round per class level, the dark hunter can act
normally regardless of magical effects that impede movement (similar to the effects of the spellfreedom of
movement). This effect occurs automatically as soon as it applies, lasts until it runs out or is no longer
needed, and can operate multiple times per day (up to the total daily limit of rounds).
Discern Location (Sp): Once per day, a dark hunter candiscern location as the spell.
Code of Conduct: A dark hunter is sworn to unquestioningly obey the commands of the ruler of the
Unseelie Court, the Queen of Air and Darkness. The queen is a capricious creature, quite chaotic and quite
evil.
Ex-Dark Hunters
A dark hunter who disobeys the Queen of Air and Darkness or refuses to swear his yearly oath (or his oath
upon gaining a new level) cannot gain new levels as a dark hunter but retains all dark hunter abilities.
mmortality and Mortality

This month's column examines fey campaigns, looking at the issues of immortality and mortality.
The Immortal Life
The clouds that gather round the setting sun

Do take a sober colouring from an eye
That hath kept watch o'er man's mortality;
Another race hath been, and other palms are won.
Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.
-- "Intimations of Immortality" by William Wordsworth
Folklore and legends often portray fey as

immortal, but the core D&D cosmology is silent
on the issue of fey immortality. If a Dungeon
Master chooses to make fey (or any broad
category of creatures) immortal in her
campaign, she needs to carefully consider the
consequences.
First, the conditions of immortality should be

defined. There's a full menu of ways to
implement immortality.
I. What happens after a fey reaches adulthood?
A. The fey does not advance age categories

and aging has no effect.
B. She advances age categories, gaining both the positive and negative adjustments to ability scores due
to aging. This results in fey who grow wise but older and less physically able -- making long life both a
blessing and a curse.
1. She advances at a very slow pace with age categories spanning hundreds (or even thousands) of years,
rendering her virtually immortal.
2. She advances identical to elves or another long-lived race.
C. He advances age categories, gaining solely the positive adjustments to ability scores due to aging.
Following this philosophy, fey mostly benefit from their long lives.
1. He advances at a very slow pace with age categories spanning hundreds (or even thousands) of years,
rendering her virtually immortal.
2. He advances identical to elves or another long-lived race.
II. Can a fey die from disease and disease-like afflictions?
A. Yes, the immortality applies only to aging effects.
B. No, fey have immunity to diseases (specify which of the following).
1. Natural diseases
2. Supernatural diseases (such as mummy rot)
3. Supernatural afflictions (such as lycanthropy)

III. Can a fey ever lose her immortality and begin to age (like a human or other creature)?
A. Yes, through a personal ritual, she can renounce it and become mortal.
B. Yes, as a dire consequence of an acquired template, poison, disease, spells, or other forces, a fey can
lose his immortality.
1. The loss is permanent.
2. Immortality can be restored.
C. No, fey are always immortal creatures.
Poison Type Initial Damage Secondary Damage Price

Kiss of the Grave Contact DC 20 1d4 Con Mortality* 5,000 gp
Crafting this poison also carries the prerequisites of Craft Wondrous Item and bestow curse. *The
secondary damage causes immortal creatures, such as fey, to become mortal and renders all
creatures unable to be raised or resurrected. The secondary damage is permanent and can be
reversed only with a miracle or wish spell.
Depending upon the options you choose, fey in your campaign are likely a bit stronger than in a baseline
campaign that assumes fey are mortal like other creatures. The differences described above are not
sufficient to increase a fey creature or NPC's challenge rating, but optimal combinations may merit an
increased level adjustment for fey player characters.
Supposing fey are immortal, why haven't they become so numerous as to crowd out other types of
creatures? Immortal beings capable of reproducing (as fey certainly are) logically need some sort of
limitation on their population growth rate. Possibilities include:
 Low fertility rates, causing children to be rare and special.

 Lack of interest in having children, leading to low birth rates.
 Susceptibility to disease or illness, especially as infants or children.
 Lack of maternal and paternal interest, leading to high infant mortality.
 A violent society with deadly duels and/or murder as a political/social tool.
 Civil strife between factions, possibly between the Seelie and Unseelie courts.
The Immortal Life
Fey possess a worldview that differs dramatically from that of humanoids. Some attribute this difference to
fey immortality, or the reasons may be much more complex.
Now vs. Later
Fey care intensely about the moment and little about the future. Both Seelie and Unseelie fey who
participate in court life devote substantial time and energy to keeping up with the latest fads and fashions
(most of which are set by the respective queens and their closest associates).
Longevity (or immortality) causes daily activities to become stale and unexciting, requiring change and
novelty to relieve the tedium. One week, riding clothes may be haute couture, with the fashionable folk
discussing their mounts and equipment. Racing exotic mounts on tracks of various terrains is the most
popular entertainment, and betting on the races provides much amusement and competition. The next
week, the topic is passé and those who continue to focus on riding and mounts develop reputations as
being unfashionable bores.
Good vs. Evil

Chapter 6: Description in the Player's Handbook discusses alignment and
the topic of good vs. evil. This text does apply to fey creatures, but one
must consider the issues from the perspective of fey folklore. Faeries are
often portrayed as egocentric and little able to think beyond their own
needs. Their focus is on the pursuit of pleasure, and consequences are
rarely calculated.
Consider the story "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving (full text
at http://www.bartleby.com/195/4.html).Rip accompanied a fey gentleman
to faerie revels, spending one night among them, and awoke 20 years later
to find his wife and friends long dead, his children grown, and his house in
ruins. Was bringing Rip to a place where time passed differently an evil
act? The fey may have felt he acted kindly, bringing this lonely mortal to a
party with dancing and drink. It was merely an act of the moment without
regard for future consequences.
Consider also the poem "La Belle Dame sans Merci" by John Keats (full
text at http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem1126.html). The pale
knight, like many mortal men before him, falls in love with the beautiful fey
woman. When he wakes without her, he pines for her and lingers longingly
by the lake waiting for her unlikely return. Was she evil for letting the knight
fall in love with her?
Fey morality is a thought-provoking topic. How do you define good and evil for nonhumanoid types of
creatures? Each DM will develop her campaign using a personalized approach based on her perceptions of
the species' roles in her world. This can be of negligible import or something which drives the campaign,
informs her players' actions, and provides the basis of many adventures.
The Darkest Hunter

Ice: Leader of the Dark Hunters
The Queen of Air and Darkness honors the most skillful hunters of the Unseelie Court by making them
members of her Dark Hunt, also called the Wild Hunt. A fey known only by the name Ice leads these
impressive hunters. Who is he and why does he serve the Queen of Air and Darkness?
Few notice the silent elf who often stands in a quiet corner of the
great hall when the Queen of Air and Darkness hold court. Any
courtier whose eyes light on the gaunt man quickly look away,
unwilling to meet the flat, gray eyes of Ice, the leader of the Dark
Hunt.
Ice says little, but his gray eyes see much. He silently observes
the queen and her court, his gaze penetrating and disquieting.
Even an innocent person with nothing to hide would feel
uncomfortable under his assessing stare. But at the Unseelie
Court, there are no innocents and everyone has much to hide.
Quiet as falling snow, Ice can slip by an opponent unseen and

unheard. He often appears unexpectedly beside a noble fey with
a message or a summons from the queen. Sometimes, fey
nobles deep in what they believe is a private conversation will
see him pointedly step from the shadows and smile at them before he disappears again.
His presence at court generates almost as much speculation as it does fluster. Even so, only minimal facts
are known about Ice, the queen's current favorite dark hunter. Because of his high standing with the queen,
many seek to find secrets from his past or personal attachments with which to gain hold over him.
Orphaned by an orc raid on his parent's tribe early in life, the elven child I'ckle was captured and sold as a
slave. For many years he was one of the nondescript servants of a merchant in a port city, surrounded by
the noise, bustle, and filth of this crowded environment. His master took little note of the quiet, unobtrusive,
but eminently observant boy. When a violent dockside altercation turned into a full-scale riot, much of the
port town burned, including the manor house where I'ckle served. In the confusion, I'ckle managed to
escape. From there he made his way back to the forest where he had been born. For a time, he lived
among elves that had resettled the area, but, though he dwelled with others, he felt separate and apart. He
spent most of his time alone with nature, learning to stalk and hunt.
Once he'd honed his skills, he shortened his name to "Ice" and started hiring himself out as a tracker. It
mattered not who or what he hunted, or whom he hunted for, as long as his employer of the moment paid
well. Ice was very good at his profession. Nothing and no one he sought evaded him. Soon the challenges
of pursuing thieves, finding a prince's kidnapper, or kidnapping a prince lost their appeal. Just at the point
where life started to seem tedious, Ice encountered the Dark Hunt pursing a half-fiend medusa for sport
during a festival hunts.
Intrigued by the thought of stalking creatures across dimensions and planes, Ice agreed to join the fey. He
ended up bringing down the quarry, seeing through all of its disguises and forms, and trapping it live to
bring back to the queen. Since then, he has been a part of the court of the Queen of Air and Darkness,
offering her his allegiance. In return, the queen made him one of her elite dark hunters.
Some courtiers whisper that perhaps Ice is the queen's newest consort. Others believe it is solely his skill
at the hunt, one of the queen's favorite pastimes, that has made him such a favorite. Either way, none
speak too loudly, for Ice's hearing is as good as his eyesight, and no fey wishes to become the quarry of
the next Wild Hunt.
Ice: Male elf Rogue 7/Ranger 3/Dark Hunter 10; CR 20; Medium-size humanoid; HD 7d6+14 plus
3d10+6 plus 10d6+20; hp 115; Init +10; Spd 60 ft.; AC 27, touch 18, flat-footed 27; Atk +22/+17/+12
melee (1d8+9/19-20, +3 longsword), or +22/+17/+12 ranged (1d8+1/x3, oathbow); SA sneak attack
+4d6; SQ elf traits, evasion, favored enemy (fey +1), low-light vision, traps, uncanny dodge (Dex
bonus to AC, can't be flanked); AL N; SV Fort +14, Ref +19, Will +8; Str 18, Dex 23, Con 14, Int 14,
Wis 14, Cha 8.
Skills and Feats: Diplomacy +1, Gather Information +9, Hide +36, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (nature)
+19, Listen +24, Move Silently +34, Ride (horse) +19, Search +4, Sense Motive +20, Spot +24,
Wilderness Lore +23; Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility,
Spring Attack, Track.
Elf Traits: Ice is immune to magic sleep spells and effects. He has a +2 racial bonus on saves
against enchantment spells or effects. He is entitled to a Search check when within 5 feet of a secret
or concealed door as though actively looking for it. Ice also has a +2 racial bonus on Listen, Spot,
and Search checks (already figured into the statistics given above).
Evasion (Ex): If exposed to any effect that normally allows a character to attempt a Reflex saving
throw for half damage, Ice takes no damage with a successful saving throw.
Discern Location (Sp): Once per day, Ice can use discern location as the spell (caster level 10th).
Fast Mount (Su): A dark hunter can spur his mount to speeds faster than the norm for its kind by
+10 feet when wearing no barding (and not carrying a heavy load). At 5th level, the speed increases
by an additional +10 feet (to +20 feet), and at 8th level, the speed increases again by an additional
+10 feet (to +30 feet). Thus, a light war horse ridden by an 8th-level dark hunter moves at a speed
of 90 ft.
Fast Movement (Ex): Ice has a speed faster than the norm for his race by +30 feet when wearing
no armor, light armor, or medium armor (and not carrying a heavy load).
Favored Enemy: Ice has selected fey as a favored enemy. He gains a +1 bonus on his Bluff, Listen,
Sense Motive, Spot, and Wilderness Lore checks when using these skills against this type of
creature. He gets the same bonus to weapon damage rolls against creatures of this type. He also
gets the damage bonus with ranged weapons if the target is within 30 feet. The bonus doesn't apply
to damage against creatures that are immune to critical hits.
Freedom of Movement (Su): For a total time per day of 10 rounds, Ice can act normally regardless
of magical effects that impede movement (similar to the effects of the spell freedom of movement).
This effect occurs automatically as soon as it applies, lasts until it runs out or is no longer needed,
and can operate multiple times per day (up to a total of 10 rounds).
Scent (Su): Ice can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
He can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range
increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. When a dark hunter detects a scent, the exact
location is not revealed -- only its presence somewhere within range. The dark hunter can take a
move action to note the direction of the scent. Whenever the dark hunter comes within 5 feet of the
source, he knows the source's location.
A dark hunter can track by scent, making a Wilderness Lore check to find or follow a track. The
typical DC for a fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the scent). This DC increases
or decreases depending on how strong the quarry's odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of
the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the
rules for the Track feat. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effect of surface conditions and poor
visibility.
Dark Hunter Spells Known: (4/4/3/3; base save DC 12 + spell level; spell failure chance 10% due
to mithral shirt): 1st -- expeditious retreat, mount, spider climb, true strike; 2nd -- endurance, hold
person, locate object, pass without trace; 3rd -- dispel magic, haste, hold monster, see invisibility;
4th -- dimension door, improved invisibility, locate creature, sending.
Possessions: +5 mithral shirt [26,000 gp], oathbow [27,875 gp], +3 longsword [18,315 gp], gloves
of Dexterity +6 [36,000 gp], belt of giant Strength +4 [36,000], periapt of Wisdom +4 [16,000 gp],
boots of elvenkind [2,000], cloak of elvenkind [2,000], ring of protection +2 [8,000 gp], rod of enemy
detection [23,500 gp], bead of force [2,000 gp],medallion of thoughts [12,000 gp], necklace of
fireballs (Type VII) [9,150 gp], potion of cure serious wounds [750 gp], potion of fly [750 gp].
Magic of Delight and Despair

(Part 1 of 2)
In general, fey take magic for granted. Most have innate spell-like abilities they do not have to work to
understand or improve. Magic and magic items are for them what electricity is for the modern world. While
we enjoy its benefits and accept its shortcomings, most of us never stop to ponder how electricity affects
our lives, what we would do without it, or even how it works.
Both beneficial and cursed magic items play integral roles in the highly competitive court environments. Fey
use them to promote themselves, aid their allies, and hamper their enemies in their constant political and
social struggles for superiority.
Altruistic fey (usually good) often take a special interest in mortals and reward these favored pets with
interesting magic items. Petty, vindictive, or simply bored fey (usually chaotic or evil) will sometimes gift
mortals with cursed items and enjoy the mayhem that ensues (more in next month's column).
Spells
Nondescript
Illusion (Glamer)
Level: Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None or Will disbelief (if interacted with)
Spell Resistance: No
This spell make you seem ordinary and nondescript to others. If asked if they had seen you or someone
matching your description, creatures who saw you would be unable to recall you.
This spell does not make you invisible, and a guard protecting a restricted area would not let you pass by.
Regal Procession
Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One mount/level
Duration: 2 hours/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
You create a procession of finely arrayed light horses for you and your companions. They come with a bit
and bridle, riding saddle, saddle blanket, ribbons, adornments, and a
banner. The caster selects the colors of the horses and the livery,
either or both of which can include a heraldic or personal symbol.
Material Component: A bit of horse hair.
Magic Items
Basket of Delights: Once a day, when activated with a command

word, this basket fills with all manner of ripe, delicious-looking fruit,
sufficient to feed three humans for one day.
Aura: Faint conjuration; Caster Level: 1st; Prerequisites: Craft

Wondrous Item, create food and water; Price 1,080 gp; Weight: 1 lb.
Distillate of Dew: A vial of distillate of dew contains a mere drop of

liquid. The drinker of this elixir momentarily experiences the exquisite
taste of dew on spring mornings and is rendered immune to poison
for four hours.
Aura: Faint conjuration; Caster Level: 4th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, neutralize poison, creator
must be fey; Price 400 gp;Weight: 1/10 lb.
Figurines of Wondrous Power: These follow the same rules as figurines described in the Dungeon
Master's Guide.
Beastly Boar:When animated, a beastly boar acts in all ways like a normal fiendish dire boar under the
command of its possessor. The item can be used twice per week for up to 6 hours per use. When 6 hours
have passed or when the command word is spoken, the beastly boar once again becomes a tiny statuette.
Aura: Moderate transmutation; Caster Level: 10th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, animate objects;
Price 10,000 gp; Weight: 1 lb.
Dark Beauty: This statuette is a finely detailed representation of a winged, fiendish unicorn. On command,
it assumes life-size form and possesses all the abilities of a winged fiendish unicorn except the ability
to teleport. The figurine can be used once per week for one continuous period of up to 24 hours.
Aura: Moderate transmutation; Caster Level: 10th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, animate objects;
Price 25,000 gp; Weight: 1 lb.
Gem of Darkness: A gem of darkness looks like a simple black hematite prism. Upon utterance of a
command word, the crystal creates one of three functions. One command word causes the gem to
extinguish all ordinary flames within a 20-ft.-radius; this use of the gem expends 1 charge. A second
command word causes the gem to create a darkness spell with the effect centered on itself; this use of the
gem expends 2 charges. A third command word casts darkvision upon the holder; this use of the gem uses
2 charges.
A newly created gem of darkness has 50 charges. When all its charges are expended, the gem becomes
nonmagical.
Aura: Moderate transmutation; Caster Level: 10th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous

Item, darkness, darkvision, pyrotechnics; Price 11,700 gp; Weight: --.
Laurel Crown: This circlet of leaves is worn on the head in place of a

hat, helmet, or other headgear. Once worn for a full week, it imparts a
+5 competence bonus to Knowledge (nature) checks to the wearer.
Aura: Faint transmutation; Caster Level: 3rd; Prerequisites:Craft

Wondrous Item, creator must be fey; Market Price:2,500
gp; Weight: --.
Living Landscape: This lovely oil painting always depicts a place, in

incredible detail. A living landscape depicts a single location, but the
setting can be a room, a cityscape, or a countryside. Anyone viewing
the living landscape sees an accurate image of what is happening in
the location depicted.
The lighting is as it is in the scene. Any people or creatures in the

scene appear as they would to someone of ordinary vision. For instance, an invisible person would not be
seen. A creature or object protected from scrying also would not appear. Low-light vision and darkvision do
not work on images seen through a living landscape. No spells function through the item.
A lesser living landscape does not provide sound. A greater living
landscape does, but as if heard by a person of ordinary hearing
standing at the vantage point of the viewer.
Aura: Moderate conjuration; Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft

Wondrous Item, scrying, creator must have carefully studied the area
depicted by the tapestry; Market Price:50,000 gp (lesser); 100,000 gp
(greater); Weight: 25 lb.
Mirror of Fate: This beautiful mirror is adorned with a gold and

mithral frame cunningly wrought into shapes of hour glasses, dice,
and other symbols of time and chance. The mirror and frame alone
have a value of 1,000 gp.
In addition to its aesthetic beauty, the owner of the mirror of fate can
touch it and speak a command word to ask a question. This function
is identical to the divination spell. Some mirrors of fate are created
with whimsical requirements for use, such as requiring the questioner
to speak in rhyme.
Aura: Moderate divination; Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, divination;Market
Price: 11,500 gp; Weight: 1 lb.
Tapestry of Travel: This large wall hanging depicts a particular place. Once a day, speaking a command
word enables the speaker, and up to three Medium or smaller creatures (carrying gear or objects up to its
maximum load) or their equivalent, to teleport to the depicted location. A Large creature counts as two
Medium creatures, a Huge creature counts as two Large creatures, and so forth. All creatures to be
transported through the tapestry must be contact with one another and at least one of those creatures must
be in contact with both the speaker and the tapestry.
Aura: Moderate conjuration; Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, teleport, creator must
have carefully studied the area depicted by the tapestry; Market Price: 16,200 gp; Weight: 25 lb.
Artifacts
Gray Portrait: Initially only a blank canvas, a gray portrait becomes a picture of the owner after one week.
After this time, it magically absorbs all the negative effects of aging and prevents the owner from dying of
old age. If the portrait is destroyed, the owner immediately suffers all the negative effects of age and
instantly dies if he has outlived his natural lifespan. If the owner is killed by any means, the canvas
becomes blank again.
Aura: Strong necromancy [Evil]; Caster Level: 20th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, temporal
stasis; Weight: 10 lbs.
Magic of Delight and Despair

(Part 2 of 2)
In fey court life, hurting your rivals by means of magic is a common, and even expected, way of achieving
social and political dominance. Harmful magic plays an important part in fey life. This month's Fey Feature
examinesbaneful spells and cursed magic items.
Petty, vindictive, or simply bored fey (usually chaotic or evil) will sometimes gift mortals with cursed items
and enjoy the mayhem that ensues. Altruistic fey (usually good) may take a special interest in mortals and
reward these favored pets with interesting magic items. (See last month's article.)
Spells
Block Crossroads*
Transmutation
Level: Drd 3, Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One portal
Duration: 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
You temporarily cause a crossroads and backroad to cease functioning for the duration of the spell. The
spell itself has no effect upon the crossroads guardian, but guardians with hostile attitudes toward the
caster generally view having their crossroad blocked as a personal affront and may well attack.
*This spell complements the crossroads and backroads spells in Magic of Faerûn.
The Sky is Falling

Evocation
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, M
Range: 30 ft.
Area: Cylinder (20 ft. radius, 40ft. high), centered on you
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex half
Spell Resistance: Yes
You create a shower of pebbles that fall from the sky around you. (The bottom of the cylinder is centered
on you.) The shower deals 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage per caster level (maximum 10d6) to every
creature except the caster within the area. Unattended objects also take this damage. The pebbles
dissipate immediately upon striking.
Material Component: A pebble.
Cursed Items
Basket of Tainted Delights: This cursed item appears

identical to a basket of delights. Once a day, when activated
with a command word, this basket fills with all manner of ripe,
delicious-looking fruit, sufficient to feed three adult humans for
one day. One piece of fruit is specially tainted and exceptionally
beautiful. A creature that comes within 10 feet of the basket
experiences a suggestion that it immediately eat the pretty fruit
(DC 22 Will save negates). A creature that comes within 10 feet
of the basket experiences a suggestion that it immediately eat
the pretty fruit (DC 22 Will save negates); once a creature has
made a successful save against this effect, it cannot be affected
by the suggestion power of the same basket of tainted
delights for one day. Creatures that bite into the fruit must make
a DC 22 Fortitude save or fall into a state of temporal stasis,
which functions as though cast by a 15th-level caster.
After the tainted fruit is bitten into or one day passes, the fruit becomes nonmagical. The owner of the
basket is immune to the allure of the tainted fruit and knows which piece it is.
Aura: Faint conjuration; Caster Level: 15th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, create food and water,
suggestion, temporal stasis; Market Price: 67,080 gp; Weight: 1 lb.
Decorative Statue: This statue was created by a cruel fey sorcerer. Originally, the statue was a servant
who angered the sorcerer by breaking one of his figurines while dusting. In a fit of rage, he turned her into a
statue. She remained in that state until the master's dog wandered into the library. When the canine
brushed the statue, the spell transferred to him, and the dog became stone, freeing the servant. This
pattern continues, so whenever a living creature of medium or large size (including invisible creatures)
touches the statue, the trapped creature becomes free and the new creature turns to stone. The statue can
be indoors or outside, such as in a garden or mausoleum.
Aura: Strong transmutation; Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, flesh to stone; Market
Price: 132,000 gp; Weight: 100 lbs.
Figurine of Horrific Power: Identical in appearance to figurines of wondrous power, the creatures created
by figurines of horrific power do not serve and obey their owners; they attempt to kill them.
A figurineactivates 1d4 hours after acquiring a new owner; it ceaselessly pursues and attacks the
owner. Remove curse cast on the new owner or on the figurine will return it to its miniature, inanimate
state.
Aura: Identical to noncursed figure; Caster Level: 11th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, animate
objects, bestow curse; Market Price: Half that of the noncursed figure.
Jewel of Deceit: This pendant is a large, tear-shaped jewel
attached to a chain. When a creature puts on this pendant, her
soul becomes trapped in the gem per the magic jar spell,
except that the victim can't leave the gem on her own. The
victim's soul is sucked into the gem, leaving her body alive, but
soulless and unconscious. In addition, a doppelganger takes
her place and endeavors to impersonate her. The
doppelganger does its best to hide the body. .A successful
dispel evil or dispel magic cast on the gem frees the trapped
character, who can return to her body, provided its still in
range of the gem.
Aura: Strong transmutation; Caster

Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, magic Storytellers speak of beautiful M'Ara, a
jar; Market Price: 90,000 gp; Weight: ---. lady-in-waiting to the Queen of Air and
Darkness. While at court, M'Ara dared to
M'Ara's Shoes: These appear to be nothing more than finely love Shadowsigh, one of the
crafted leather shoes. A creature that puts on a pair of M'Ara's queen's dark hunters. Shadowsigh
shoes immediately begins moving, subject to the effects returned her love and planned for them to
of Otto's irresistible dance with no saving throw and no leave the fey realms during the festivities
duration. The shoes may be removed with a remove on the night of the New Moon
curse spell. For every hour the creature wears the cursed item, Celebration.
she takes one point of Constitution damage. If the creature
dies while wearing the shoes, her feet will continue to twitch The unseelie queen discovered their
for 1d4 minutes after death. deception, but let them continue it. On
the day of the gala, she gifted M'Ara with
Aura: Faint transmutation; Caster an elaborate costume to wear to the
Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, bestow curse, masquerade. The ensemble included a
Otto's irresistible dance;Market Price: 2,500 gp; Weight: 1 lb. pair of exquisite leather slippers.
Mask of the Beast: This item appears to be an animal-shaped The moment M'Ara donned the shoes,
mask worn over the face at masquerade balls such as that she began to dance uncontrollably. She
held during the New Moon Celebration. Once donned, the cried, she suffered, she tried to remove
wearer must make a DC 17 Will save or suffer the effects of the shoes, all to no avail. On she danced,
a baleful polymorph spell, becoming the kind of creature the growing more and more tired. By
mask depicts. After it has transformed a creature, the mask midnight, she was dead.
becomes nonmagical.
What of Shadowsigh? He still serves as a
Aura: Moderate transmutation; Caster dark hunter of the Unseelie Court. The
Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, bestow curse, queen seems to have entirely ignored or
polymorph other or baleful polymorph; Market Price: 2,250 forgiven his indiscretion except that on
gp; Weight: 1 lb. each New Moon Celebration, she sends
him a pair of finely crafted leather shoes
that he must wear to the masquerade.
Staff of Disintegration (Perverse): This staff casts the
spell disintegrate and appears normal in all respects. When first created, it has 50 charges. Each activation
of the staff costs one charge.
However, after the staff is used 1d8 times, instead of the spell being cast at the target creature, it targets
the caster and automatically seems to hit. A green ray springs from the staff to strike the holder. If the
caster succeeds at a Will save (DC 19), nothing else happens. If she fails, she is transported to a location
designated by the creator, such as a dungeon, or a cage in the unseelie queen's court.
Aura: Strong transmutation; Caster Level: 13th; Prerequisites: Craft Staff, disintegrate, greater
teleport;Market Price: 105,375 gp; Weight: ---.
Artifact
Kira's Necklace: This necklace, when touched by a creature
with an Intelligence of 9 or higher, drains 1 point of Intelligence
from the creature upon contact. The wearer of the necklace
gains a bonus arcane spell slot of the highest level the wearer
can cast for each point of Intelligence the necklace holds. The
necklace is an intelligent item, base scores: AL NE; Int 10, Wis
18, Cha 18, blindsense and hearing; Ego score 22. Its
Intelligence and Ego increase as more victims touch it. Victims
lose 1 point of Intelligence per wearing -- that is, as long as the
victim keeps the necklace on, it does not continue to drain
Intelligence unless removed and worn again later. Destroying
the necklace restores the lost Intelligence to its victims.
Life in a Noble House

The family unit is an important part of fey life. While some fey choose to set out on their own, breaking ties
to families and becoming wanderers without a place to belong, most remain vital members of their house or
kelir, enjoying the prestige and support that only family can offer.
In the seelie and unseelie courts, family name and lineage are important. Genealogy adds another layer of
structure and hierarchy to the self-concerned courtiers, from orphans to the queen herself. Like the court's
own ruling system, the structure of the family is generally matriarchal. While a gentle noblewoman mounted
on horseback and protected by male escorts may seem like a delicate vision, in reality she could be a cold
and ruthless matron, riding in command of her familial forces.
Within each family, the matriarch leads the kelir, making or approving all
decisions regarding alliances, marriages, and court announcements. In
addition to possessing high levels of magic, the matriarch also controls
the many magical treasures belonging to the family. Family members
who try to undermine the matriarch's rules will find themselves
disciplined most unpleasantly.
In addition to the matriarch, there are two other positions of importance

in the family: the co'matri and the kelir heir. The co'matri is generally
around the same age as the matriarch, and is perhaps a sister or cousin.
The co'matri concerns herself with the daily running of the families
estates. She is a steward of sorts, who reports regularly to the matriarch
on the state of the kelir's holdings.
The kelir heir is appointed by the matriarch when she is within a century
of stepping down for her position. The heir, who must already be a
courtier, is then expected to devote her time to learning the finer points
of courtly intrigue and increasing her magical abilities. A matriarch must
be strong to keep a family of self-involved fey bound into a cohesive unit,
and it falls to the heir to prove herself during the time of training. If the
heir proves weak, another female may challenge her.
In seelie kelirs, most families accept their matriarch and allow her to
guide them as long as she chooses. An unseelie matriarch, on the other
hand, can be challenged every hundred years to a quest of skill,
cunning, and strength. The victor usually banishes the rival or imprisons her. In some cases, ambitious
family members choose not to wait until the next quest time; they instead take care of the matriarch
permanently and claim the matriarchy for themselves. Of course, informal challenges and threats from
within and without the kelir are not uncommon. Attempted assassinations typically take the form of
poisonings, arranged "accidents," or direct attacks by hired killers.
Because of numerous feuds and fallings out with past queens, only
several dozen houses remain that can claim noble kelir status. Once
a queen has declared a kelir disgraced, the family must wait for either
a new matriarch to become head of the family, or for a new queen to
ascend the throne before seeking a boon to change the status of the
house. Since both options can take thousands of years, many fey of
the family simply leave to seek their fortunes in other realms.
The matriarch of a noble house will generally concern herself with the
many intrigues of the court. The prestige of the family falls to her to
maintain and increase. The running of the estate is left to the co'matri,
a title bestowed by the matriarch on the second most powerful female
in the family. By, in effect, banishing the co'matri to the estate, the
matriarch places the family's holdings in competent hands while
ensuring her closest family rival is kept away from the queen and
other important court dignitaries.
For fey families who are not a part of the Seelie or Unseelie courts,
life is filled with the activities of a country life. Wild hunts, celebrations
and balls held on the family estate are opportunities to impress
neighbors or visitors from other realms. There are castles to grow,
lands to create and miniature realms to rule.
Beauty's Bounty [General]
An Intriguing Situation (Part 1)
You rely on your charm and physical good looks to keep you
safe from harm
Silent as a gliding falcon, M'hele Greelyn
crept behind the tapestries. She had seen
Prerequisite: Fey the furtive glances between the lecherous
Elok and Brina, one of the Queen's ladies-
Benefit: At 1st level, you may use your Charisma modifier in-waiting. Neither was to be trusted. Elok
instead of your Constitution modifier to determine bonus hit was easy to understand -- the man
points. At each level thereafter, you use your Constitution chased anything with legs and didn't
modifier normally to determine bonus hit points, but you also always care how many. But why would
gain +1 hit point for every point of permanent Charisma you Brina be interested in Elok? M'hele
gain. In addition, Charisma increases can retroactively credited Brina with a bit more
increase the bonus hit points from your first level. selectiveness in her sleeping companions.
Should you suffer any Charisma decreases, your bonus hit Faint voices alerted M'hele that Brina and
points from your first level also decrease, and you lose any Elok approached. Not wanting to be seen,
extra bonus hit points you have gained from Charisma M'hele quickly turned herself invisible.
increases. These hit point decreases persist for as long as
your Charisma decrease lasts. "You have the necklace?" Elok asked,
peering around to make sure that no one
Example: Suppose Pinsom starts out at 1st level with a was in the darkened hall.
Charisma score of 15. Pinsom gets +2 bonus hit points at first
level (because his Charisma modifier is +2). When he reaches "Right here." Brina drew a small pouch out
4th level, Pinsom add +1 to his Charisma score, giving him a from her bodice. "It was easy. The queen
Charisma modifier of +3. Pinsom gains +1 hit from his first hit asked me to select her scarf, and I slipped
die (due to his increased Charisma modifier) and +1 bonus hit this out while she wasn't looking."
point because he has added a point of Charisma. If Pinsom
later takes 3 points of Charisma damage, his Charisma score
drops to 13. He now gets only +1 hit from his first hit die (a net "And the queen--"
loss of 2 hit points) and he loses the +1 hit point he gained
from adding a point of Charisma at 4th level, for a total loss of
"Won't miss it for several days. She plans
3 hit points. to wear it to the masquerade next week.
When she asks me to help her prepare,
Normal: Your Constitution modifier determines your bonus hit we can discover its absence together."
points at every character level. Brina chuckled at the thought. "I will let
her know that I saw Sor'k lurking in the
hallway of her private quarters a few days
Special: You may take this feat only as a 1st-level character. ago. Several of the servants saw him
there as well."
Charmed Life [General]
Elok smiled wickedly. "Convenient, isn't it,
Fortune smiles on you, making you inordinately lucky. that Sor'k met you there? And that you are
willing to point the finger at your lover?"
Prerequisite: Fey; and Great Fortitude, Iron Will, or Lightning
Reflexes. M'hele stifled her gasp of surprise. Her
cousin, Sor'k, was Brina's lover? The
Benefit: Once per day, this feat allows you to reroll one roll matriarch would turn him into a gargoyle
that you have just made before the DM declares whether the for sure. The feud between the Greelyn
roll results in success or failure. You must take the result of the and Elylys kelirs had been raging for at
reroll, even if it's worse than the original roll. least a millennia, and it looked like the
Elylys house was trying to end it once and
for all, by disgracing her cousin and all of
Charming the Arrow [General] Greelyn with him. It was her duty to figure
out how to turn their plans to her house's
You have a gift with ranged weapons. The force of your advantage.
personality enables you to "convince" them to fly straight and
true.
Prerequisite: Fey
Benefit: With a bow or crossbow made for a creature of your size category, you may use your Charisma
modifier instead of your Dexterity modifier on attack rolls.
Special: A fighter may select Charm the Arrow as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Seelie Court Member [General]
Through birth or deed, you achieve some status in the Seelie Court.
Prerequisite: Fey
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Charisma-based skill checks

involving Seelie Court fey. You suffer a -1 penalty on all Charisma-based
skill checks involving Unseelie Court fey.
Special: You may not take both this and Unseelie Court Member.
Unseelie Court Member [General]
Through birth or deed, you achieve some status in the Unseelie Court.
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Charisma-based skill checks

involving Unseelie Court fey. You suffer a -1 penalty on all Charisma-
based skill checks involving Seelie Court fey.
Special: You may not take both this and Seelie Court Member.
Seelie Court Noble Kelir [General]
You belong to a noble family with status in the Seelie Court. The Queen of Light invites your house to
general Court functions.
Prerequisite: Fey and Seelie Court Member, or Fey and Diplomacy 5 ranks
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to saving throws from spells and spell-like abilities from fey creatures.
In addition, you may use your Bluff or Diplomacy skill to influence others' opinions. In a social situation, you
may make a "cut direct," or a ridiculing comment at a target. The target opposes with either a Charisma
check (if not a Seelie or Unseelie Court Noble Kelir) or a Diplomacy check (if she has the Seelie or
Unseelie Court Noble Kelir feat). If your cut direct succeeds, the crowd's attitude toward your target
degrades one step (for example, from friendly to indifferent).
Special: This feat is a bonus feat to anyone with two Seelie Court Noble parents who have presented the
child to court.
Unseelie Court Noble Kelir [General]
You belong to a noble family with status in the Unseelie Court. The Queen of Air and Darkness invites your
house to general Court functions.
Prerequisite: Fey and Seelie Court Member, or Fey and Diplomacy 5 ranks
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks.
In addition, you may use your Bluff or Diplomacy skill to influence others' opinions. In a social situation, you
may make a cut direct or a ridiculing comment at a target. The target opposes with either a Charisma check
(if not a Seelie or Unseelie Court Noble Kelir) or a Diplomacy check (if she has the Seelie or Unseelie Court
Noble Kelir feat).
Special: This feat is a bonus feat to anyone with one Unseelie Court Noble parent.
Fey Feuds
Feuds and their outcomes constitute serious matters among the fey. To be on the losing side of a feud is to
watch all of your allies, one by one, desert your family. To be uninvited to celebrations and court events. To
lose your status with the queen, to hear the room grow quiet as you walk in, to know that other fey talk
about you in hushed tones. To the proud fey houses, this is a fate worse than death.
In the Unseelie Court, feuds can indeed be a matter of life or death.

When the insult is felt deeply, a fey family may retaliate with an
untraceable poison, sudden attacks by marauders from another
dimension, unexplained magical mishaps and other demises that can
never quite be traced. In instances where a feud could endanger the
life of a newborn, a fey mother may take her child to another realm
for safety, leaving the child with a mortal family. In other severe
cases, younger family members may be sent off to adventure for
several centuries in other realms or dimensions in hopes that
distance will enable the young folk to escape use as pawns, or that
the feud may resolve during the youths' absence. At best, the exile
returns powerful with skills, wealth, magic, and allies to add to their
family's forces.
Feuds stem from a variety of causes, some seemingly

inconsequential and others much more serious in nature. Forgetting
to invite a fey to a christening, toying with the affections of a favorite cousin, or giving a thoughtless gift can
often start a feud. The small feuds caused by these slights can last several hundred years, but they tend to
be more of an amusement, containing no true hostility. Serious feuds are caused by deliberate attempts to
discredit kelirs, such as stealing important magic items, sabotaging a visit by the Royal Court or injuring a
member of the family. A member of one clan killing a member of another clan frequently starts a vendetta.
Feuds can last hundreds and even thousands of years. If the feud is
mainly motivated by individuals, a matriarch may try to arrange peace
by gifting the opposing matriarch with a special artifact or a choice
piece of land. But if the whole house is involved, one of the houses
may have to be destroyed before it ends. At other times, drastic
circumstances may bring ends to feuds, such as a member of one
house saving the life of a member of another house. In rare
instances, a queen's edict will end a feud (or at least the outward
manifestations of one, with heavy punishments for anyone found
continuing it).
While the queen enjoys the intrigue of feuds, on rare occasions she may step in to end them if the families
are both valued members of her court, or if her consort belongs to one of the houses. Arranging to become
the queen's consort is a powerful but potentially risky move. While she can be exceedingly generous to her
lovers, she will react violently if she believes she is being manipulated.
An Intriguing Situation (Part 2)
"You were kind to ask me to go riding with you." Sor'k slowed his winged charger to a walk. "But
would you mind telling me what this is really aboou-- Owww!"
Sor'k hit the ground with a thump, then looked up to see M'hele glowering over her horse at him.
"Brina," she fumed. "If the matriarch even gets a hint of this affair, you will have to go to another
realm for at least 500 years. How could you be so stupid?"
"It's not what you think." Sor'k stayed on the ground, figuring it was probably best to be out of arm's
reach. "Brina approached me to try and end the feud. And, well, one thing led to another."
"You're wrong -- it's not what you think. It's much worse. Brina is setting you up as the thief who
stole the queen's necklace."
"Stole the queen's necklace? What are you talking about?" Sor'k looked at his cousin. "You're
serious, aren't you?"
"Think." M'hele looked scornfully at Sor'k. "Look with your eyes and brains, not with your heart
and . . . ahem. Everyone knows how jealous Brina is of her sister, the heir. Brina wanted to find a
way to become heir instead. And you provided her with the perfect opportunity."
"You're right. How could I not see this myself?" groaned Sor'k. He looked at M'hele and saw how
calm and confident she seemed. "I bet you have a way to turn this around."
M'hele smiled sweetly. "Certainly. What is family for? Of course, you'll be in my debt. And I will
expect to be repaid. Now, you're going to be the bait. . . ."
Courtier
The Seelie and Unseelie courts form the nexus of fey society. To
succeed in such a competitive political and social environment, a
character needs persuasive skills and the ability to find out
information. No one succeeds alone. A cadre of devoted followers
provide essential contacts and support. A character with these assets
who wishes to further his or her court career often pursues the path
of the courtier prestige class.
Members of almost any class can meet the requirements. However,

few pure clerics, sorcerers, or wizards will choose to sacrifice their
magic studies to gain status at court. Sometimes a bard pursues
advancement as a courtier. Rogues with a focus on social skills most
easily transition to the prestige class.
NPC courtiers are more common than player character ones. They
populate the fey courts, vying with each other for prestige,
prominence, and the queens' favor.
Hit Die: d6
Requirements
To qualify to become a courtier, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
Skills: Diplomacy, 8 ranks; Gather Information, 4 ranks.

Feats: Leadership, plus any one of the following: Seelie Court Member, Unseelie Court Member, Seelie
Court Noble, Unseelie Court Noble.
Class Skills
The courtier's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration
(Con), Craft (any) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (local)
(Int), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive
(Wis), and Spot (Wis).
Courtier
Base
Attack Fort Ref Will Spells Per Day/
Level Bonus Save Save Save Special Spells Known
1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Bonus Feat +1 level of existing class
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 Enhanced Leadership -
3rd +2 +1 +1 +3 Court connections -
4th +3 +1 +1 +4 Bonus Feat +1 level of existing class
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the courtier prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The courtier gains no new weapon, armor or shield proficiencies.
Spells per Day/Spells Known: At 1st and 4th level, the courtier gains new spells per day (and spells
known, if applicable) as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which she belonged before
adding the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would
have gained (improved undead turning, metamagic or item creation feats, or the like). If the character had
more than one spellcasting class before becoming a courtier, the player much decide to which class to add
each courtier level for determining spells per day, spells known, and overall caster level.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level and at 4th level, a courtier may select Investigator, Leadership, Negotiator,
Persuasive, Skill Focus (any class skill) as a bonus feat. The courtier needs to meet all prerequisites for a
bonus feat.
Enhanced Leadership (Ex): The courtier receives a +2 bonus to her Leadership score.
Court Connections (Ex): At 3rd level, the courtier gains a +4 bonus on Gather Information and Knowledge
(nobility and royalty) checks pertaining to fey.
Fey Kelir Magics

Power among the fey kelirs, or houses, balances precariously. Family members, especially the matriarch
and heir, use every resource available to secure and strengthen their family's position. Powerful magic
items play a key role for the matriarch, augmenting her strength and enhancing her house's prestige. The
kelir fiercely guards these items, as their loss could cause the matriarch to lose face with her family or
damage the status of the house.
Seelie Court
Seelie Court fey prefer defensive, protective, and enchantment-focused magics items. Even low-ranking
fey families frequently ward their lands from enemies using
a circle of friends spell or enhance their gardens with
magic statues. Rare items, such as jewelry made from "Epicarica Grominia, more commonly know as
the dazzling stone, can be found in the high-ranking kelirs the Dazzling Stone, is valued for its property
of the court. of adding desirability to whatever surrounds it.
Found only in the deepest underground
caverns, it is difficult to mine, as exposure to
Circle of Friends
light causes viewers to find themselves so
Enchantment (Charm) [Mind-Affecting]
attracted to the dank landscape that they are
Level: Bard 4, sorcerer/wizard 5
loath to destroy any part of it. The stone itself
Components: V, S, M
is indistinguishable from an ordinary opal to
Casting Time: 1 hour
the untrained eye."
Range: Touch
Target or Area: Object touched or up to 5 sq. ft./level
Duration: Permanent until discharged (D) Properties of Earth, Both Rare and Common:
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: No (object) and Yes, see text A Comprehensive Look at the Formation of
Rocks in One Hundred and Thirty Nine
This spell functions as a very specific glyph of Volumes
warding except it is always a spell glyph with a charm
monster spell effect that makes the target regard the
owner of the property as a good friend.
This powerful inscription takes hold of those who enter,

pass, or open the warded area or object. A circle of
friends can guard a bridge or passage, ward a portal or
boundary, trap a chest or box, and so on.
You set the conditions of the ward. Any creature entering

the warded area or opening the warded object without
speaking a password (which you set when casting the
spell) is subject its magic.
"The last remaining natural deposit of
The creature triggering the ward receives a charm epicarica grominia lies in the lair of the
monsterspell effect that makes the creature regard the tarrasque. Those who venture there must
owner of the property as a good friend. Except as noted contend with the allure of the stone. The only
here, circle of friends functionsexactly like a glyph of reliable sighting of the stone comes from a
warding that stores a targeted spell. survivor of an expedition that sought to find
the tarrasque. She tells of her companions
Material Component: You trace the glyph with incense, standing enraptured, staring at the cavern
which must first be sprinkled with powdered diamond worth wall, and offering no resistance while the
at least 200 gp. great creature ate them one by one."
Artifact Annotated Version of Properties of Earth,

Both Rare and Common (Volume 79 of 412)
For the last millennium, the dazzling stone teardrop collection has been the property of the Tel'Andarial
Kelir. Typically the matriarch wears the necklace, the heir wears the bracelet, and one to three favored
family members each wear a single piece of jewelry.
Dazzling Stone Teardrop Collection: This set of jewelry consists of five items: A necklace with a single
large white teardrop stone attached to a silver chain, a pair of teardrop earrings, a teardrop bracelet, a
teardrop cloak or tunic fastener, and a teardrop pin. The set is more powerful when worn by several
different creatures.
The wearer of the necklace receives a +6 enhancement bonus to Charisma, as well as an additional +2 to
all Charisma-based skill checks. The necklace also provides a +4 resistance bonus on saves against
enchantments. All enchantments she casts are at +1 caster level. She can cast a suggestion spell three
times per day (using her own, adjusted, Charisma modifier to determine the DC).
All the other pieces of jewelry convey the following benefits: +4 enhancement bonus to Charisma. +2
resistance bonus on saves against enchantments.
When two or more pieces of the collection are worn by different creatures within 30 feet of each other, the
wearers gain a +2 deflection bonus to Armor Class.
When all five of the pieces of the collection are worn by different creatures within 30 feet of each other, the
wearers gain the effect of a heroism spell.
Strong abjuration, enchantment, and transmutation; CL 20th; Weight ---.
Unseelie Court
"Many tales abound concerning Merinda's
Unseelie Court kelirs control magics that allow them to fascination with music and the properties of
dominate those around them through superior physical sound. She is believed to have discovered a
strength or will. Common items include weapons that way to imbue vibrations of air with magical
increase the damage of the attacking force, artifacts (such qualities. One of the many instruments she
as the Harp of Simmering Beauty) that can ensnare minds, created to do this was the harp of shimmering
and magical traps that cause trespassers to vanish with beauty. It is supposed that when the harp is
agonizing screams. played, the air around it shimmers and
transforms into a sea of iridescent butterflies.
Artifact Rumor credits these colorful creatures with
the ability to infest the mind of a nearby
creature, causing the creature to be controlled
Harp of Shimmering Beauty: When played, this powerful
by the possessor of the harp. Unfortunately,
artifact creates a swarm of burrowing insects that are
the exact workings of the harp are unknown --
capable of understanding a simple mental command to
Merinda's journal on the subject, as well as
search for and infest a single creature.
the harp itself, was destroyed along with her
workshop in the implosion of the island of
To the casual observer, these insects appear to be scarlet Kant four thousand years ago."
red maggoty creatures with sharp mandibles that wiggle
through the air until they locate their target. However, this
From the Unofficial Lore of Merinda Orindell
vile mien is mere illusion. If a creature makes a Will save
(DC 20), it sees small, fluttering butterflies in a rainbow of colors. Those seeing the butterflies for what they
really are must make another Will save (DC 25) or become fascinatedby them.
The player of the harp sends the swarm after a single individual and it will unerringly seek
out its target (as long as it is on the same plane). Once the harpist selects a subject, she
has no further control over the swarm; however, the harpist is continually aware of the
condition and location of the swarm as if she had cast a status spell on it. If the swarm
reaches and touches its intended target (and only its target), the harpist can take control of
the creature. The target must succeed on a Will save (DC 19+ Cha modifier of the harpist)
or fall instantly under the harpist's influence as though by a dominate monster spell (caster
level 20th).
The harpist can dominate a number of creatures equal to her Charisma modifier. Attempting
to control an additional creature automatically releases the victim who was longest under
the control of the harpist.
The harp cannot create a second swarm while the first one exists. A shimmer swarm dissipates 5 rounds
after first touching its target or after a year and a day.
Strong conjuration and illusion; CL 20th; Weight 15 lbs.
Shimmer Swarm
Diminutive Vermin (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 6d8 (27 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 40 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 18 (+4 size, +4 Dex), touch 18, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/--
Attack: Swarm (2d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (2d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./--
Special Attacks: Distraction, dominate monster
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immune to weapon damage, seek target, swarm traits, vermin traits
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 19, Con 10, Int ---, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: --
Feats: --
Environment: Any
Challenge Rating: None (creature summoned by the harpist of the harp of shimmering beauty)
Treasure: None
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: --
A swarm of scarlet red bugs with sharp mandibles wiggles through the air.
Only shimmer swarms created by the harp of shimmering beauty have ever been encountered.
Combat
A shimmer swarm seeks out its target and ignores all

other creatures.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to the

swarm's damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its
square is nauseated for 1 round; a DC 13 Fortitude save
negates the effect. Even with a successful save,
spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of
a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell
level). Using skills requiring patience and concentration
requires a Concentration check (DC 20). The save DC is
Constitution-based.
Dominate Monster (Su): See text of the harp of shimmering beauty.
Seek Target (Su): A shimmer swarm always knows the direction and distance to its target, if on the same
plane.
Swarm Traits:A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernable anatomy, so it is not subject to
critical hits or flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing
weapons. A swarm composed of Fine or Diminutive creatures is immune to all weapon damage.
Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or fewer causes the swarm to break up, though damage taken until that
point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a
dying state by damage. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple
another.
A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target
spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects if the swarm has an intelligence
score and a hive mind. A swarm takes a -10 penalty on saving throws against spells or effects that affect
an area, such as many evocation spells or grenadelike weapons. If the area effect attack does not allow a
saving throw, the swarm takes double damage instead.
Swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds such as that created by
a gust of wind spell. For purposes of determining the effects of wind on a swarm, treat the swarm as a
creature of the same size as its constituent creatures. Wind effects deal 1d6 points of subdual damage to
the swarm per spell level (or Hit Die of the originating creature, in the case of effects such as an air
elemental's whirlwind).
A swarm rendered unconscious by means of subdual damage becomes disorganized and dispersed, and
does not re-form until its hit points exceed its subdual damage.
Vermin Traits: A shimmering swarm is immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions,
phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It also has darkvision (60-foot range).
An Intriguing Situation (Part 3: Conclusion)
Misfortunes one can endure. But to suffer for one's own faults -- ah! -- there is the sting of life.
-- Oscar Wilde
Sor'k tensed as he heard the door to his quarters open. When he saw M'hele enter, he relaxed back
into his bath with a groan.
"I hope you are not looking for sympathy from me." M'hele sat down on a stool in the corner. "You
are lucky I agreed only to let Elok use you for target practice. Those bruises will heal in a couple of
days."
"Just tell me that the rest of the agreement -- the part that didn't include me screaming in agony --
secured the necklace."
M'hele held up a gold choker encrusted with amethysts, sapphires and emeralds. "Brina should have
known better than to trust a greedy man with a hunger for inflicting pain. A little bit of gold -- and you,
of course -- and he was more than willing to give me everything I wanted."
Sor'k stared at the jewelry that could have meant the end of his life, or at least banishment from the
court and disgrace to his house. "How do you plan on getting it back to the queen's room before she
notices it is missing?"
"Who said anything about returning it to the queen? Just arrange for another one of your picnics in
the woods with your lover tomorrow."
***
Startled shouts dragged Brina from her unconsciousness. She struggled to open her eyes. What had
happened?
Sor'k had been feeding her. He had dipped his hand in the wine, brushed it over her lips, and . . .
Brina instantly realized three frightening things: She had been drugged with dream draught, both she
and Sor'k (who was lying half on top of her) were naked, and the queen -- along with her sister, the
Eylys heir, and M'hele, Sor'k's cousin -- were galloping towards them on horses.
"Get off me." She untangled her limbs from Sor'k, grabbed the blanket, and wrapped it around her
torso. As the Queen of Air and Light rode up, Brina sunk into a graceful curtsey. She snickered to
herself as she realized that beside her, Sor'k was trying to manage a nonchalant bow -- somewhat
difficult to do in his state of undress.
"Your Highness, I apologize." Brina began in what she considered to be an appropriately humble
manner. "If I could just explain-- "
"What would you care to explain?" The queen's gaze settled on Brina's throat. "Why you disobeyed
me by taking a lover without my approval, or why you believed you could 'borrow' my jewelry without
bothering to ask my permission?"
Brina reached her hand up in disbelief, feeling around her neck the necklace she'd believed to be in
Elok's possession. Her fear overcame her anger at having been set up, and she threw herself down
on the ground before the queen.
M'hele kept her features sympathetic as she watched the arranged scene play out. It was delicious to
see Brina begging for her life, and the Eylys heir struggling to prevent Brina's insult from tainting the
rest of the kelir. Not that the heir could, of course. It was all over. The Eylys house was now
disgraced, which meant the family would have no support left for its side of the feud. All that
remained was for M'hele to bring her version of these events to the attention of the Greelyn
matriarch, and wait to be chosen as the heir.
Dream Draught: Small quantities of this sweet-tasting poison are vary hard to detect. Noticing the dream
draught in a drink or dish requires a DC 25 Spot check. Creatures with the scent special quality gain a +5
bonus. Type: Ingested DC 20; Initial Damage: Sleep; Secondary Damage: 2d4 Int and 2d4 Cha; Price:
1,500 gp.
Energy Fey: Forestfolk
(Part 1 of 5)
From the Journals of Krenn Elias, Court Anthropologist
Day 27
After a successful trip through the Barrens, I have at last

reached the Eastern Forests of the Shimmering Lands. As
requested by the queen, I will study the habits of the many
elemental fey that roam these lands. The forestfolk, reclusive
sonic elementals, are rumored to live in this forest. I have
every hope of tracking them to record their habits.
Day 30
I am deep within the Eastern Forests now, but so far I have

seen only a few dryads, will o'wisps and sprites.
Occasionally I hear the sound of gibberish floating down
from the tops of the trees, but when I use my spyglass, all I
see are birds and squirrels.
Day 32 Where the forestfolk hide
No forestfolk today.
Day 35
No forestfolk today.
Day 38
Nothing today but birds, vixen and squirrels. One of the squirrels decided to take an interest in my hiding
place. I got a nice sketch of him for my book before enjoying a tasty squirrel stew.
Day 40
I decided to move further into the forest and had a stroke of luck. While looking for a new hiding place, I ran
across an ingenious trap hanging from a branch. It appears to be a normal vine, but if you look closely, you
can see the pull mechanism in the tree above. I think this will be the perfect place to watch for the
forestfolk.
Day 41
I was awakened this morning by the sound of yipping. As I

looked out of the bushes, I saw a fox caught in the vine trap.
After several minutes, a small figure dressed in furs, with a
necklace of teeth around her (?) neck, appeared on the
branch above. After looking at her for a few moments, I
realized why these fey were so difficult to spot. Her ruddy
skin, rather than being a single shade, was a splatter of
browns, reds, and the occasional spot of green. She blended
so closely with her environment that it was difficult to
distinguish her from the larger leaves.
Another forestfolk, this one holding a small spear made of rock and wood, joined her. They spoke to each
other in a language of clicks and grunts. After listening to them, I think that "kil'k" might mean "fox" or
"prey." I must hear more of their speech before I can be sure.
Day 43
Following the faint throbbing of drums last night, I was able to catch a glimpse of the forestfolk village:
seven huts built into and around the trees, connected by hanging bridges. It appeared the forestfolk were
having a celebration, as there were small bonfires with fey dancing around them. I believe this will be a
perfect place from which to watch them for the next few days.
Day 85
I can barely lift my fingers to write today. My body aches all over. My silent observations of the forestfolk
were going well until a young one jumped into my tree. The moment he saw me he let out the most horrific
yell. The sound filled my mind, and I lost control of my limbs. Unable to maintain my perch, I fell nearly sixty
feet to the ground. A simple healing spell took care of most of the damage, but I think it best if I find another
village to study. Perhaps in the Northern Forests.
Forestfolk
Small Fey
Hit Dice: 4d6+4 (18 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft., fly 10 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 16 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +2 leather), touch 14, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/-4
Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d3-2/19-20) or dart +6 ranged (1d3-2)
Full Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d3-2/19-20) and bite +1 melee (1d4-2) or dart +6 ranged (1d3-2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Hunting cry
Special Qualities: Gliding, low-light vision, resistance to sonic 5
Abilities: Str 7, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 9, Wis 8, Cha 8
Skills: Climb +6, Escape Artist +8, Hide +14*, Listen +5, Move Silently +10, Spot +5, Survival +6,
Use Rope +4 (+6 bindings)
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse [bonus feat]
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary, pair, or clan (5-20)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1
The short creature is barely discernable against the browns and greens of its forest surroundings, so
closely does its splotchy skin color match its natural habitat.
Forestfolk are small, elusive sonic elementals found in only in the deep, dense forests or on fey
planes. An adult forestfolk stands about 3 feet tall and weights between 30 and 35 pounds. Mostly
humanoid in appearance, their skin is thick and leathery, lending added protection from the elements.
Their skin color ranges from ruddy to dark green, most having a mottled appearance that gives them
a natural camouflage.
Forestfolk are born with a thin, wet membrane attached to their underarms and torso. As they grow
from infancy to childhood, this membrane dries and lengthens, eventually allowing them to glide
through the air for short periods of time.
Reserved and distrustful of outsiders, forestfolk are almost exclusively tree-dwellers. They see the
world down below as full of dangerous predators and descend only in groups to hunt for foxes and
other smaller animals. Their natural climb abilities and high dexterity allow them to run and glide
among the highest treetops, making them difficult to observe or capture. Although of limited
intelligence, forestfolk are clever with tools and traps. They dress in furs and pelts equivalent to
leather armor. Forestfolk speak their own language, comprising clicks and grunts.
Combat
Forestfolk usually hunt squirrels, foxes and other small game. They tend to be shy and reclusive,
even a bit xenophobic. They avoid strangers, but will fight fiercely if cornered, using their hunting cry
to optimal effect.
Glide: Forestfolk are not true flyers. A forestfolk always must dive at least 10 feet when using a move
action to fly; if the forestfolk makes a double move, she must dive 20 feet (10 feet per move). The
forestfolk flying speed doubles when it dives, just like any other flying creature with average
maneuverability.
Hunting Cry (Su): A forestfolk can emit a high piercing shriek that can damage and paralyze its
prey. 30-foot cone, once every 2d4 rounds, damage 2d4 sonic plus paralysis for 1d4+1 rounds,
Fortitude save DC 13 halves damage and negates paralysis. This is a sonic mind-affecting effect. A
creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same forestfolk's hunting cry for 24
hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: A forestfolk receives a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on
Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. *A forestfolk gains a +8 bonus on Hide checks in forests
or overgrown areas.
Society
Forestfolk are generally found in clans of 5 to 25 fey. Two

leaders, a hunting chief and a ceremonial chief, rule these
clans. The hunting chief ensures that the clan has adequate
provisions of food, especially during harsh winters when
larger prey may be hibernating. She also ensures the
protection of the clan from other fey or animal predators.
This leader is generally the quickest and cleverest hunter of
the clan. She can be challenged at any time, but the
challenger must also win the support of the other hunters
and the ceremonial chief before being declared the new
leader.
Where the forestfolk dwell
The ceremonial leader is responsible for all aspects of the clan's homelife. He settles grievances between
clan members, organizes ceremonies, and ensures that huts and bridges in the village remain safe for use.
Although the ceremonial chief may be challenged for rule, most choose several apprentices, with the most
promising one trained to take over the duties of the leader. Although forestfolk speak a common tongue,
they have no alphabet or written language. There is no schooling system for young forestfolk, who instead
rely on family members to teach them survival skills.
Although some members of the clan may be more skilled at carving spears or building huts, the clan is
divided into only two groups: those who hunt, and those who care for the young. Once the young can use
their membranes to glide, they are expected to join the hunters until they are old enough to start their own
families.
Like many of the fey, forestfolk celebrate a number of ceremonies related to nature and the moon. Turning
seasons are often marked with feasts, while Blood Moons are celebrated with special night hunts.
When clans grow to 25 members, the largest extended family (usually containing five or six members) will
break off to form a new clan. Because of the low birth rate among fey, new clans form only rarely, which
accounts for the lack of overcrowding in forested areas.
Forestfolk clans are highly territorial. They often mark their lands with wards of bones carved with a symbol
representing their village. This area is then recognized by other clans as their hunting grounds, and
members of other clans who trespass can expect to be chased out or even killed.
Energy Fey: Hoarfrosters

(Part 2 of 5)
Day 296
I am filled with hope and dread as I reached the next leg of my journey. While the fire elemental was
dangerous, nothing can compare to the possible threat that awaits in the frozen east, where the hoarfroster
dwells.
Very little is known of these elementals, as they dwell in areas uninhabitable by most creatures. Bits of lore
allude to them as "cursed spawn of Arik," the mad fey necromancer. It is thought that he, in his dangerous
quest to overthrow the Unseelie Court, created an unstoppable weapon of destruction. Working to bind the
very elements of the planes, his experiments produced nightmarish creatures of evil. In the battle that
ensued, his creations managed to destroy half of the queen's armies before they fell. Although the queen
announced that all of Arik's creatures were annihilated, rumors of the hoarfrosters' existence continue.
Perhaps this is fact, perhaps not. As it has been a dozen millennia since that failed rebellion, the past has
swallowed up the truth. At most, I can but hope to be the first to write a personal account of the
hoarfrosters.
Day 297
We have stopped for supplies at the last village before

the frozen wastelands begin. We managed to secure a
guide, although the price was substantial. Only by
offering her several powerful magic items and an
introduction to the court for her handsome son, were we
able to persuade Yolla to lead us into the hoarfroster's
territories. Even then, she would not agree until we
showed her that we have several spellcasters in our
expedition. Indeed, were I not certain that failure on this
task would result in a slow and painful death from the
queen, I would not be making this journey myself.
Day 298
A storm moved in last night, keeping us here for the next day or two. I have decided to continue my
research by interviewing the villagers. Most have never seen a hoarfroster, and never wish to. One fey,
older than half the village put together, has memories from her youth of a beautiful blue creature with
glowing eyes, clothed only in flowing white hair, floating across the plains. She had been lost in a blizzard,
and was near freezing herself, so even she did not know if the apparition was real or a product of a
delusional mind.
Day 301
At last, we are able to continue on our journey. We know from the reports that hoarfrosters are most active
at night, so we should be able to travel safely by day. Once we are far into the wastelands, we will set a
trap for a hoarfroster. If all goes well, we will all be back to a more temperate climate within two weeks.
Day 304
So far the frozen east has been quiet. Our guide says that we are now in the dangerous territories of the
hoarfroster. We have switched to sleeping during the day and traveling by night. As hoarfrosters are
rumored to aggressively attack all heat sources, we use only magical lights to guide the way.
Day 306
We came across a horrible spectacle tonight: three fey,

with looks of terror on their faces, frozen as statues
running from some sort of attack. A thin layer of frost
covered their skin. How long ago this occurred is
impossible to tell. As I touched the hand of one of the
creatures, it fell to the grounded with a sickening thud.
Then, the entire body collapsed, leaving nothing but a
pile of gray dust on the ice.
Looking at the two remaining frozen faces, I wonder if

risking the queen's wrath might not be safer than
continuing our quest. But we have come this far, and my family will gain much by my success. Tomorrow,
we set our trap.
Day 307
We started a fire in the late afternoon, with enough fuel to burn into the night, in hopes of attracting a
hoarfroster. Our valley offers little cover, but we were able to dig a cave in the side of the hill. We used
snow to block off the entrance; a series of clairvoyance globes gives us a view of the valley. I had wanted
to see the creature in person, but the guide has persuaded me that it is not safe. We are still taking a
chance, hoping that the heat generated by the fire and the snow covering our cave will mask our body heat.
Tomorrow, I hope to record my observations of one of the most deadly elementals in the fey realms.
Day 308
I have now seen a hoarfroster with my own eyes, although the cost was great. Our trap was not perfect.
While the bonfire did attract one hoarfroster, our body heat attracted a second. As I watched the globes,
jotting down impressions, a scream came from behind me. A hoarfroster, with glowing eyes cold and
terrible, passed through the ice and into our cave. Before a single spell could be cast, it grabbed my little
assistant and breathed its foul breath over her body. She shivered and turned blue around the face. I
rushed to help her, but too late. She fell down unconscious and never awoke. Our guide, Yolla, fought
bravely beside my companions, but she, too, was touched by the elemental and eventually froze in place.
Five others of my party died from the injuries they sustained. Only I and my strongest fighter remain. We
now face the task of making our way out of this wasteland alone. If another hoarfroster attacks us, we have
not the power to fight it off.
Hoarfroster
Medium Fey [Cold, Incorporeal]
Initiative: +7
Speed: Fly 40 ft. (perfect) (8 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+3 Dex, +3 deflection), touch 16, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/ --
Attack: Incorporeal touch +11 melee (2d6 cold plus fatiguing touch)
Full Attack: Incorporeal touch +11 melee (2d6 cold plus fatiguing touch)
Special Attacks: Chilling breath, consuming cold, fatiguing touch
Special Qualities: Immunity to cold, incorporeal traits, low-light vision, vulnerability to fire
Abilities: Str --, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 5, Wis 11, Cha 17
Skills: Hide +22, Listen +21, Spot +21
Feats: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Spring Attack
Environment: Cold plains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 17-32 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: --
A chill aura precedes a ghostly apparition. It resembles a elfin humanoid, but its skin is a transparent,
icy blue, and its eyes are cold sapphires.
Hoarfrosters are incorporeal fey, born of hatred and ice. They dwell alone or in pairs in the frozen
plains and arctic wastelands of the farthest reaches of the fey lands. They live in small caves or
underground burrows, preferring small caverns that have no openings, allowing them to drift through
the solid matter to enter, while keeping all light and heat outside. They are nocturnal creatures,
choosing to stay inside during the bright hours of day. They are most active and dangerous at dusk,
when their vision is sharpest. They feel no hunger or thirst, and will not die from natural causes.
Averaging around 5 feet in height, hoarfrosters appear to be humanoid in form. Created only by
another hoarfroster's attack, they resemble their corporeal shapes in life. Hoarfrosters do not speak.
Combat
Hoarfrosters operate on basic instinct, thinking only to protect their territory from anything warm or
warm-blooded, including almost all living creatures. They especially target anyone carrying a torch or
other open flame.
Chilling Breath (Su): 30-ft. cone, every 2d6 rounds, 6d6 cold, Reflex DC 20 half. The DC is
Constitution-based.
Consuming Cold (Su): Supernatural disease -- touch, Fortitude DC 20, incubation period 1 minute;
damage 1d4 Con and 1d4 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Unlike normal diseases, consuming cold continues until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies)
or is cured. An afflicted fey that dies of consuming cold becomes a hoarfroster a year and a day after
death. Other creatures simply die, and their bodies slowly disintegrate over the next year, along with
any clothing or items touching the body.
During the metamorphosis, a fey creature lies dead, but all of the creature's hair or fur gradually
fades to white, while its skin changes to an icy blue hue. A hoarfroster retains its basic facial
features, but all previous memories, thoughts and skills are completely gone and can never be
regained. Any clothing or items touching the creature turn to dust.
Fatiguing Touch (Su): A hoarfroster's touch is tiring. A victim touched by it must make a DC 21
Fortitude save or become fatigued. A creature already fatigued becomes exhausted. The save is
Charisma-based.
Incorporeal Traits: A hoarfroster is harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons,
spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. It has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from
a corporeal source, except for force effects or attacks made with ghost touch weapons. It can pass
through solid objects, but not force effects, at will. Its attacks ignore natural armor, armor, and
shields, but deflection bonuses and force effects work normally against them. An incorporeal creature
always moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it doesn't wish to be.
Energy Fey: Storm Riders

(Part 3 of 5)
Day 98
Left my family's lands today. After the events in the Eastern Forests of the Shimmering Lands, I decided
that a few of the family retainers would come in handy, as well as an assistant (my third cousin, the only
tolerable one on my Aunt Illa's side).
The matriarch also gifted me with a magical ring. It holds a number of useful spells that will aid and protect
me on my journey. When I complete my travels and give my account to the queen, the matriarch will gain
much honor. Perhaps then my cousins will stop reminding me of that unfortunate incident with the dark
hunter's falcon. I mean, it wasn't like the feathers didn't grow back, and it was 65 years ago.
Day 100
Of the five elementals indigenous to this realm, the storm rider is the only one the queen has ever seen.
According to historical documents, the storm rider Alazu was summoned by the queen to help settle a land
dispute between the Eloyan family and a tribe of storm giants. They say she flew into court in the midst of a
tremendous thunderstorm, the lightning flashing and splitting the sky. Her pale gray skin had just a tint of
purple around the edges, and her midnight blue eyes spit electricity at any who dared to address her.
Those with whom she was forced to interact described her as reserved, fair, and intelligent, with a cold
stare that quickly ended unnecessary conversation. She remained in court only a few days and refused to
answer any of the court historian's questions about energy elementals. Since that time, no other storm rider
has been seen in the Seelie Court.
Day 102
We are off to the Pinnacle Peaks, which split the Southern Reaches from the barren plains beyond. Rising
up thousands of feet, the peaks attract fierce storms that make climbing them dangerous and almost
impossible, so I have acquired the use of a giant eagle for this phase of my travels. Several of the peaks
are known to host storm riders. I hope to fly up undetected and watch one in its natural habitat.
Day 107
Practiced riding the eagle today. I discovered something new: I am apparently not comfortable riding flying
creatures. Luckily, it is a short trip, only up the mountain . . . and down. Maybe I can take something for it.
Like a swift blow to the head. I have practiced using an invisibility spell to cloak myself. I would prefer not to
be a target on my way up. So little is known of their actually abilities, I have no idea if the elementals can
detect the spell.
Day 113
We have been camping at the base of the mountains for two days now, waiting for the storms to die down.
Riding a bird is harrowing enough without having to worry about getting hit by lightning.
Day 126
The storms have continued for weeks, but tonight I saw something
that made the wait worthwhile. This afternoon, the clouds were an
angry purple, with the threat of rain making most of my companions
seek shelter in a nearby cave. I climbed up a small cliff to look for
wildlife; then the winds started to pick up. As I watched the storm
clouds roll closer, I saw a humanoid form break through them. He
was graceful, his white skin standing in stark relief against the black
clouds, his blue hair whipping behind him. Not wanting to startle
him, I turned myself invisible as he flew closer. He must have ridden
the air currents for hours, darting around bolts of lightning,
seemingly impervious to the rain and cold. By the time he flew
away, I was so stiff that I could barely move, but I am so excited
that I have at last seen a storm rider.
Day 128
I write from the highest mountain of the Pinnacle Peaks today. At last the storms calmed, and I was able to
ascend. The eagle has returned down the mountain to its trainer. She will send it back up in two weeks.
I have made camp under a little outcropping of rocks. While flying up here, I saw what looked like a small
tower not half a mile away. I plan to set out tomorrow to see if it is inhabited.
Day 130
The tower exhibits signs of life: vegetation that has obviously been planted and tended to, light shining from
a window, recent footprints in the area. But so far I have not seen a storm rider.
Day 131
I caught a glimpse of a storm rider today. She appears to be a young female, with dark gray skin and
silvery hair. She wears a simple tunic made from leather, and has a knife hanging from a belt around her
waist. She ate dinner on her front step, watching the sun sink below the horizon. She looks friendly enough,
but I still think it best to stay out of sight.
Day 133
I have seen the storm rider several more times. Each day she flies off to soar among the clouds, but she
also takes care of more menial chores. Today a small mountain goat tried to make a meal of the garden,
but before it could take more than two bites, she came running out the door and let loose a bolt of lightning.
It landed right beside the goat, making both of us jump. I must have made some noise, because after the
goat took off she started towards my hiding place. After staring in my direction for a while, she shrugged
and walked back inside.
(In Sylvan)Storm riders are highly intelligent, deadly fey. They enjoy looking down on the world from atop
mountain peaks. They love the solitude of nature and the excitement of racing lightning through the skies.
They care nothing for the petty squabbles of other fey. Storm riders are dangerous when annoyed.
The following things annoy a storm rider: other creatures, being disturbed by other creatures, having to talk
to other creatures, having to listen to other creatures, having to look at other creatures, being watched by
other creatures, and being observed and written about like a caged animal.
It is safest to leave a storm rider alone.
Day 135
I have such a headache, but at least I have stopped twitching. I was in my hiding spot yesterday, marking
observations in my journal, when the storm rider flew off. I knew from experience that she would be gone
for two or three hours, so I decided to take a closer look at her home. I had gotten close enough to peek in
the windows when I felt a shadow pass over my back. Before I could turn around, my brain felt like it
exploded and I lost all conscious thought.
When I woke up, I lay at the base of the mountains. My companions tended to my injuries. My assistant
said that the storm rider flew by and dropped me at their feet, literally. From 30 feet up. Luckily, I was
carrying my journal, since all of my other supplies are still atop the mountain.
When I opened my journal this morning to write my latest results, I discovered that She had added an
entry. Imagine that -- an actual entry from an elemental. My journal will be famous.
Storm Rider
Medium Fey
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft. in full plate armor (6 squares); base speed 40
ft.; fly 30 ft. (perfect) in full plate armor; base fly speed 40 ft.
Armor Class: 20 (+1 Dex, +9 +1 full plate), touch 11, flat-
footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+6
Attack: +7 ranged (1d8+3 plus 1d6 electricity/x3, +1 shock
composite longbow [+2 Str bonus]) or +7 melee
(1d8+4/x3, +1 spear)
Full Attack: +7 ranged (1d8+3 plus 1d6 electricity/x3, +1
shock composite longbow [+2 Str bonus]) or +7 melee
(1d8+4/x3, +1 spear)
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, low-light vision, wild empathy +8
Skills: Balance +8, Concentration +13, Diplomacy +13, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (nature) +12,
Listen +11, Spellcraft +12, Survival +0 (+2 in aboveground natural environments)
Feats: Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes
Environment: Temperate mountains
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: Standard
Level Adjustment: +3 (cohort)
The human-shaped creature wears full plate armor. Its skin is the color of rain clouds and its eyes
spark with blue electricity. It holds a spear wreathed in crackling energy.
Storm riders are reclusive fey. Rare sightings usually occur in the midst of a vigorous storm.
These fey can inhabit any climate and terrain, but tend to live in remote areas, inaccessible to
anyone who cannot fly. Although they do seem to like storm giants, they rarely socialize with other
fey or nonfey. On occasion, a storm rider has served one or the other of the queens, but they rarely
stay at court long.
About the size of an elf in weight and height, a storm rider's skin ranges from the pure white of fluffy
clouds to the dark gray, almost black, of a lowering storm. Its eye color can be any shade of blue.
When upset, a storm rider's eyes crackle with electricity.
Storm riders speak Common, Giant, and Sylvan.
Combat
Storm riders avoid initiating combat. If threatened or attacked, they use their spell-like abilities and
longbows. They join in melee only as a last resort.
Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At will -- gust of wind (DC 14), shocking grasp; 3/day -- call lightning (DC
15), lightning bolt (DC 15). Caster level 8th. 1/week -- control weather, hallucinatory terrain (DC 16).
Caster level 13th.
Wild Empathy (Ex): This power works like the druid's wild empathy class feature, except that the
storm rider has a +6 racial bonus on the check.
Energy Fey: Calientos

(Part 4 of 5)
Day 201
I feel like I have crossed the fey lands twice over at this point. After spending some time recovering from
my close encounter with a storm chaser, I decided to return to court for the celebration of the Summer
Solstice. I would slight my house and the queen were I absent from such an important event.
My sister Anjika attended the celebration. She presented her latest pet, a human poet, to the queen.
Apparently, her poet proved much more entertaining than her last plaything. The queen enjoyed his poetry
and gave Anjika a garland. Now Anjika will be quite intolerable with her success.
I told her majesty about my adventure with the forestfolk,

and she was quite enchanted with their ways. If she is as
pleased with the rest of my studies, I will gain quite a bit of
honor. Perhaps then the rest of the court will realize that the
station of court anthropologist is nothing to be sneered at.
Day 205
We have made it to the desert at last. It is amazing how the

scenery can go from almost oppressive humidity and jungle
as far as the eye can see to nothing but sand and dry,
blinding heat. The dunes stretch for days in front of us. My
guide tells me that the northern cliffs are still a week away.
Several tribes of calientos are supposed to be living in the caves there.
Day 208
It rained last night, making the whole company wet and

miserable. But this morning we were able to witness the
miracle of the desert coming alive. A strange pink flower
(see drawing in the margin) sprang up from the sand. Like a
giant carpet, it covered the brown earth as far as the eye
could see. The flowers seemed to pulse with energy,
sucking the air through their petals. Then, as the sun
climbed overhead and the heat once again made the
landscape shimmer, the flowers shriveled and crumbled into
dust.
Day 210
Nothing but sand, heat, a few poisonous reptiles, more sand, and more heat. The cliffs loom on the horizon
now. It is hard to estimate how far away things really are. The desert seems to enjoy playing tricks on us.
Several of my companions reported seeing mirages. I wish to experience one myself, just so that I can
document it. But so far all I have seen is sand.
Day 213
I know that we must be close to the calientos now. Last night, as I lay watching the stars (they are so much
brighter out here), I saw a brief glow to the north, like a
bonfire had been lit for a few seconds, and then it was
gone. I have heard that the calientos hunt at night, attacking
their prey with balls of fire. I believe that must have been
one of their hunting parties. I hope they will not consider us
prey.
Day 215
I had our caravan approach the cliffs at an angle, away from

where I saw the fire two nights ago. We have camped in a
small canyon set back from the cliff. I believe my
companions will be safely hidden here. I am setting out
today with my assistant and a small pack of camping gear.
Day 216
Last night, we heard activity several hundred feet away. We made our way closer, keeping well hidden in
the rocks and boulders that line the base of the cliffs. In the dark, we saw five crawling forms dragging what
looked to be a giant lizard up the face of the cliff. After about 40 feet, they disappeared from sight.
I chose to set up my observation camp here. I have several camouflaging spells ready in case the cloaks
don't work. So far today I have seen only a head or two poke out from the holes in the cliff. In the daylight, I
can see that the creatures' eyes are much larger than I expected, perhaps three to four inches in diameter.
They protrude from the face, and are like solid jewels, shimmering red or purple. I would like to see them
up close to find out what sort of membrane protects them.
Day 219
I made an important but painful discovery today. I confirmed that calientos do indeed possess a communal
consciousness.
It was the hottest part of the day, and I had believed all the calientos to be asleep -- otherwise I would not
have left my cover. But I thought I saw an extremely rare lizard crawling among the rocks, and wanted to
do a quick sketch. I had almost finished drawing when I had a sudden sense of being observed. I turned,
and not ten feet above my head was a baby caliento, no more than 18 inches long.
He climbed down and sniffed me. I didn't dare move, not wanting to scare him and have the entire tribe
come after me. I felt the dry sand against my skin as he moved across it -- cool, not burning like desert
sand usually feels. I sensed curiosity from him. Then, before I could react, he batted my leg with his hand.
It was like having scalding water thrown across my bare skin.
My scream alerted the entire tribe of calientos. Several dozen heads popped into view on the cliff. One of
the largest ones, probably his mother, came scurrying down the rocks, blasting fire balls around me. As
soon as I backed away from the baby, she stopped. I watched as she shooed her child back up the cliff.
My assistant and I packed up soon afterwards. The faster we get back to our companions, the sooner
these burns can be healed. I quite enjoy anthropology, but I underestimated how dangerous a field it is.
Caliento
Small Fey (Fire)
Hit Dice: 6d6 +6 (27 hp)
Initiative:+7
Speed: 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 18 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/-1
Attack: Claw +8 melee (1d3 plus 2d6 fire)
Full Attack: 2 claws +8 melee (1d3 plus 2d6 fire)
Special Attacks: Fire volley
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, immunity to fire, hive mind, vulnerability to cold
Skills: Climb +11, Hide +16*, Move Silently +12, Spot +9
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (claw)
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary, company (one subchieftain plus 2-4 scouts), or tribe (15-30)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard (nonflammables only)
Level Adjustment: +3
A humanoid-shaped creature with webbed appendages and thick claws moves about on all four
limbs. It regards you with large, multifaceted eyes in glittering jewel tones.
Found in dry, hot climates, calientos dwell in desert sands. Their thick, leathery skin ranges from
shades of brilliant gold to weathered gray and provides them camouflage and protection. They grow
to be 3 to 4 feet in length. Although they can walk upright, they generally move by crawling along the
ground in a manner similar to that of a large lizard.
Calientos live in caves formed in the sides of cliffs. Solitary caliento can occasionally be found in
crevices or burrows belonging to a vanquished prey. They do not like moving water and will not
usually cross a stream or river. (Attempting to do so requires a DC 20 Will save; failure indicates the
caliento becomes panicked.)
Calientos communicate with each other using telepathy. They also speak Common, but rarely do so
with other calientos.
Combat
Calientos attack when hungry or threatened. They usually hunt at night in groups of four or five, when
desert creatures are most active. Their attack consists of surrounding a creature, then bombarding
their prey with their fire volleys. Their camouflage coloring makes them nearly impossible to detect.
Fire Volley (Su): Whenever two or more calientos are within 30 feet of each other, they can work
together to create a fiery blast. This effect has a radius of 20 feet, centered on any one contributing
caliento. The fire deals 2d8 points of fire damage for each calientos contributing to it, to a maximum
of 12d8. A Reflex save (DC 10 the number of calientos contributing) reduces the damage by half.
Heat (Ex): Merely touching or being touched by a caliento automatically deals 2d6 points of fire
damage.
Hive Mind (Ex): Calientos are all part of a communal consciousness. This shared consciousness
facilitates communication between calientos near and far, and contains the memories of their entire
species. A group of calientos within 30 feet of each other are in constant communication. If one is
aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flat-footed, none of them are. No
caliento in a group is considered flanked unless all are.
Vulnerability to Cold (Ex):A caliento is vulnerable to cold. It takes half again as much (+50%)
damage as normal form cold effects, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or whether the
save succeeds or fails.
Skills: Calientos use their Dexterity modifier instead of their Strength modifier for Climb checks.
*In desert areas, calientos gain a +4 racial bonus to Hide checks due to their coloration.
Caliento Society
The leader of the caliento tribe is the fiercest and strongest hunter. Below her are the several
subchieftains, each the head of its own hunting party. All mature calientos are expected to be
members of the hunting party unless they are breeding.
Calientos are fiercely protective of their dwellings, which consist of a large cave for communal eating,
along with several smaller caves for sleeping quarters and nurseries. The caves are not necessarily
interconnected, but each opens to the cliff face.
Calientos tend to be xenophobic, and rarely interact with nonfey species. While they accept most fey,
most other fey view the calientos as primitive and beneath their notice.
Energy Fey: Bile Wrapped in Beauty

(Part 5 of 5)
Day 381
It has been many months now since I began to journey around these fey lands, searching for elementals.
Today I commence my last expedition with a heavy heart. As I depart my family estate, I leave behind a
grieving aunt and the remains of my cousin, my former assistant. The knowledge that we gained of the
hoarfroster will be of great interest to the queen. I know that she will reward the family for our sacrifice. That
will be a small comfort to my aunt.
Day 395
We are in the middle of the Palewood forests. Occasionally, we meet hunters and other forest dwellers. In
return for news from court and tales of our travels, they give us information about the last elemental we
seek. A race of creatures known among the fey as "Bile Wrapped in Beauty" and by some human
barbarian settlers as "acid spitters" dwells beyond these forests, in the Palewood swamps to the west.
Their true appearance is said to be horrific, but they allegedly possess the ability to hide their shape behind
a pleasing form. Using this subterfuge, they get close enough to attack. The results can be quite deadly.
Day 399
We ran into another party of hunters today. One had survived an acid spitter's attack. She told me it ruined
her best sword. Then she showed me her back and arms. They were covered with large patches of shiny
red skin, all shriveled and pock-marked where the acid had burned deep. The scars look very painful.
Day 402
We are coming to the end of the forest. The trees grow farther apart, and moss and mold replace leaves.
Occasionally, our path is blocked by water, murky and vile-looking, that forces us to carefully backtrack and
find another way. The guide says that it is not safe to wade in these waters, and I am inclined to agree.
Day 411
Being in this swamp day after day is making everyone a

little nervous. We have been warned of other
dangerous creatures besides the acid spitter: some sort
of carnivorous serpent/insect hybrid called a chuul,
which submerges itself in swamps to wait for victims,
and a type of ooze that disguises itself as a puddle of
water. Since we in a swamp, there are puddles
everywhere. I find myself constantly staring around me,
watching the water for movement. I will be glad to get
out of this dank land.
Day 423
We have wandered around in circles for days now, and still see no sign of an acid spitter. I know the
creatures live here, yet I cannot find any traces of them. The little bits of information that have been
recorded about them state that they are drawn to creatures of beauty. I have decided to test that theory.
Tomorrow I will case a glamour spell on myself. I plan to sit in a clearing a few lengths away and play my
flute. Perhaps the noise and the results of the spell with entice an acid spitter to show itself. My
companions will hide nearby; keeping watch to ensure no harm comes to me.
Day 425 (Written in a different hand)
I am dictating these observations to my guide, O'raan. She has agreed to help me until my hands heal.
While I eventually should regain full use of them, I fear I will always carry the scars of my journey in pursuit
of knowledge.
My plan worked: I did encounter an acid spitter. Unfortunately, the meeting had unforeseen and painful
results.
I sat in the clearing, playing my flute hour after hour. Around midday, I saw what looked to be a traveler
walking through the swamp towards me. Our party had not seen another soul in several days, so I was a bit
surprised and wary. I called to him in greeting. He responded in a friendly tone, answering me in Common.
I recall thinking that he appeared a good-looking chap. A respectable fey. His clothes were shades of
greens and browns, appropriate for a traveler.
I asked what he was doing in these swamps. He stated that he was looking for ruins, and had found a
fascinating one a day's journey away. He held out something as he walked towards me. He said it was an
artifact from the ruins. I walked towards him, still cautious but interested in seeing what a fellow explored
had discovered. As I approached him, one of the guides ran into the clearing, screaming at me to stay
back.
Before I could move, the hunter's guise fell away, and there stood a horrific creature, all mottled gray and
purple. His skin seemed to drip with pus and other fluids. I tried to turn, but he lunged at me and grabbed
my hand. Unbelievable pain shot through my body. I struggled to escape, but he gripped my arm, burning
right through my clothing.
One of my guides hacked at the creature with a sword, which only caused the sword to disintegrate.
Fortunately, O'raan had prepared for this possibility, and had several staffs and arrows ready to be lit.
When the fire contacted the acid spitter's skin, he shrieked and let go of me. I managed to limp away and
let the others finish the battle. Faced with the flaming weapons, the acid spitter chose to retreat back into
the swamp. I was quite happy to see it go. I may not have discovered much about these creatures, but I do
know that they should be left to fighters, not scientists.
Day 458
My journey is ended, and I have presented my notes to the queen. She rewarded me generously. My
house and matriarch are pleased with the notoriety my quest has gained our house. My sister should have
no problems becoming a lady-in-waiting now.
I have decided that I am more suited to a life of scholarship, not exploration. I am not sure that rewards are
worth all that I have faced on my journeys. I believe I will leave the next quest to a hardier, more gullible
subject. I am content with my books, and my new position in the court.
Bile Wrapped in Beauty

Medium Fey
Initiative: +8
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+4 Dex, +4 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+6
Attack: Slam +8 melee (1d4+3 plus 2d6 acid)
Full Attack: Slam +8 melee (1d4+3 plus 2d6 acid)
Special Attacks: Acid flesh, acid spray, improved grab
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, immunity to acid, low-light
vision, mending, reflectivedisguise, vulnerability to fire
Skills: Bluff +14, Diplomacy +5, Disguise +14 (+16 acting), Escape Artist +15, Intimidate +5, Listen +6,
Speak Language (Dwarven, Elven, Halfling, Orc, Sylvan), Spot +11, Survival +11, Use Rope +4
Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate swamps
Organization: Solitary, pair
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Level Adjustment: 3
A traveler in simple garb approaches.
Biles wrapped in beauty, also known as acid spitters, are thoroughly evil and wantonly destructive. They
enjoy inflicting pain and suffering upon other creatures.
The origin of these creatures remains mysterious despite the efforts of several scholars to determine it.
Many theorists dispute any connection between fey and the hideous acid creatures. Nevertheless, testing
with bane weapons and cold iron show them to be very much fey.
In its natural form, a bile wrapped in beauty looks like a hideously deformed human covered with oozing
sores. Clothing proves a challenge for a bile wrapped in beauty. Most materials rot and disintegrate after
only a day or two's wearing. Special care and treatment with wax and herbal-infused oils or daily
application of a mending spell can extend the utility of the item for up to a month.
Acid spitters speak Common. Though not exceptionally intelligent, they have an innate ability to learn
languages (Speak Languages is always considered a class skill). Most learn several to facilitate their
disguises.
Combat
A bile wrapped in beauty prefers to attack characters who wear light or no armor. It endeavors to use
its reflective disguise ability to get close to its target and then initiates a grapple. If beset by multiple foes, it
uses its acid spray ability to cause as much damage as possible. Vulnerable to fire, a bile wrapped in
beauty often chooses to flee if confronted by open flames.
Acid Flesh (Ex): The skin of a bile wrapped in beauty oozes a highly acidic pus. Merely touching or being
touched by the creature automatically deals 2d6 points of acid damage. A metal weapon that deals
damage to a bile wrapped in beauty takes 4d6 points of acid damage with no saving throw.
Wooden, stone, and other nonmetallic weapons are unaffected.
Acid Spray (Ex): Once per day, a bile wrapped in beauty can spray acid in a 20-foot cone, dealing 4d6
points of acid damage to everything in the area.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a bile wrapped in beauty must hit a creature one size larger, the
same size, or smaller than itself with its slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action
without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold.
Mending (Sp): At will, a bile wrapped in beauty can use mending per the spell.
Reflective Disguise (Sp): At will, a bile wrapped in beauty can use reflective disguise as per the spell (see
below).
Reflective Disguise
Illusion (Glamer)
Level: Bard 2, sorcerer/wizard 2
Components: V, S
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 minutes/level
A reflective disguise spell causes any intelligent creature viewing you to perceive you as the same species
and gender as itself, provided that its size category is no more than one away form your own. The viewer
sees your clothing and equipment as they would normally appear; the spell changes only perceptions of
race and gender. Reflective disguise does not give you any knowledge of the abilities or mannerisms of the
reflected form, nor does it alter the perceived tactile (touch), audible (sound), or olfactory (smell) properties
of your or your equipment.
A creature that interacts with the glamer gets a Will save to recognize it as an illusion. For example, a
creature that touched you and realized that the tactile sensation did not match the visual one would be
entitled to such a save. A creature with the scent ability automatically gets a Will save if you are within its
scent range. Spell resistance also applies to this effect.
Reflective disguise was first published in Underdark.
Cold Iron Warrior Prestige Class

"Fey are manipulative abominations that deceive and

delude the unwary. It's my job to stop them."
--Pershingly Iron Soul
Humanoid parents sometimes jokingly threaten their children with various fey boogey men. Humanoid
children might blame a broken vase or other minor mischief on a pixie, grig, or gremlin. For most people,
these creatures are just fanciful tall tales. A few, however, take them seriously -- indeed, with deadly
earnestness. The moral ambiguity of fey disturbs, frightens, or threatens their philosophies. To them, fey
are not lovely creatures with a somewhat whimsical worldview; instead, the Fair Folk are hideous, aberrant
creatures that manipulate minds and hearts. The most fanatical of the fey haters become cold iron warriors.
Individuals from any class can find themselves at odds with individual fey, a fey community, or even one of
the courts. Few choose to become cold iron warriors who focus their time and effort on killing fey.
NPC cold iron warriors tend to be fanatics who pursue their quarry with unswerving devotion. They work
alone or in small groups with others who share their loathing of fey. On rare occasions, a cold iron warrior
will suppress his disgust to work with one fey faction against another, to most effectively kill fey, but these
relationships rarely last long and the cold iron warrior often turns on his fey sponsors.
Hit Die: d8.
Requirements
To qualify to become a cold iron warrior, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
Base Attack Bonus: +5. Dark Tales
Skills: Knowledge (nature) 4 ranks.
Feats: Iron Will.
Special: Must have fought a fey. Stories of fey abound, depicting the
creatures as mysterious, mischievous, or
malicious, depending on the tale and teller.
Class Skills Cold iron warriors, however, have ears for
only the dark legends.
The cold iron warrior's class skills (and the key ability for
each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (any) (Int), Hide
(Dex), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently
(Dex), Profession (any) (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot
(Wis).
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the cold iron warrior
prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The cold iron warrior is

proficient with all simple and martial weapons and all armor
and shields.
Spells per Day: You have the ability to cast a small number
of divine spells. To cast a cold iron warrior spell, you must
have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level, so if
you have a Wisdom of 10 or lower, you cannot cast these
spells. Bonus spells are based on Wisdom, and saving
throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level +
your Wisdom modifier. When you get 0 spells per day of a
One tale tells of a sad knight waiting by a
given level (for instance 1st-level spells for a 1st-level cold
lake for the beautiful fey woman. The man
iron warrior), you gain only the bonus spells you would be
starves to death straining for a glimpse of
entitled to based on your Wisdom score for that spell level.
the water sprite with whom he fell in love.
Your spell list appears below. You have access to any spell
on the list and can freely choose which to prepare, just as a
cleric. You prepare and casts spells just as a cleric does
(though you cannot spontaneously cast cure or inflict spells).
Smite Fey (Su): Once per day, a cold iron warrior can smite
a fey with one normal melee attack. He adds his Charisma
bonus (if any) to his attack roll and deals 1 extra point of
damage per cold iron warrior level). If the cold iron warrior
accidentally smites a creature that is not a fey, the smite has
no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day.
At 5th level, and at every five levels hereafter, you may smite
evil one additional time per day, as indicated on the table
above.
Detect Fey (Sp): Beginning at 2nd level, a cold iron warrior

can detect the aura that surrounds fey creatures. This
functions like the detect undeadspell, except it detects fey.
Iron Mind (Ex): A cold iron warrior gains immunity to magic

sleep effects and a +2 bonus against enchantment spells or
effects. At 8th level, the bonus increases to +4. In another fable, the Queen of Air and
Darkness arrives at a castle during a party.
Using magic, she put all of the women to
sleep. She then dances with all of the men
until they die of exhaustion. The castle's
queen awakens to find the corpses of her
husband and sons.
Dispel Magic (Sp): Starting at 3rd-level, a cold iron warrior can use dispel magic once per day as the spell.
Every third cold iron warrior level, he gains an addition use per day. His caster level is equal to his cold iron
warrior level.
Mind over Magic (Su): Starting at 4th level, a cold iron warrior can cause a spell or spell-like ability
targeted against him to rebound onto the originator; this does not require an action, but the cold iron warrior
must be conscious and must decide whether to use this power before knowing what the incoming spell or
spell-like ability's effect is, before rolling any saving throw allowed, and before the attacker rolls to
overcome the cold iron warrior's spell resistance (if any). This power is similar to the spell turning
spell, except that there is no die roll to determine the number of spell levels affected; one use of the power
turns one spell or spell-like ability targeted at the cold iron warrior. Effect and area spells and spell-like
abilities are not affected, and this power doesn't work on spells or spell-like effects with a range of touch. A
cold iron warrior can use this ability once per day at 4th level and twice per day at 8th level.
Unmaking Magic (Su): Beginning at 5th level, a cold iron warrior gains a bonus equal to his Wisdom
modifier to caster level checks when attempting to dispel magic. The spell's maximum caster level bonus
(+10) still applies, but character can exceed the bonus when adding the Wisdom modifier. For example, a
10th-level cold iron warrior with a Wisdom score of 18 would have a +13 bonus on a caster level checks for
dispel magic.
The bonus applies to dispel magic spells the cold iron warrior casts, to the cold iron warrior's dispel magic
spell-like ability, and to other dispel magic abilities the character might have, but not to dispel magic effects
from magic items.
Cold Iron Strike (Su): Beginning at 7th level, a cold iron warrior's unarmed strike or any weapon he wields
bypasses cold iron damage reduction.
Slippery Mind (Ex): On attaining 10th level, a cold iron warrior can wriggle free from magical effects that
would otherwise control or compel him. If a cold iron warrior with slippery mind is affected by an
enchantment spell or effect and fails his saving throw, he can attempt it again 1 round later at the same
DC. He gets only this one extra chance to succeed on his saving throw.
Cold Iron Warrior Spell List
Cold iron warriors choose their spells from the following list:
1st level -- bless, detect snares and pits, doom, entropic shield, sanctuary, true strike.
2nd level -- bull's strength, cat's grace, darkvision, owl's wisdom, moment of clarity (Book of Exalted
Deeds), protection from energy, see invisibility, silence.
3rd level -- dispel magic, helping hand, invisibility purge.
4th level -- break enchantment, spell immunity, true seeing.
Table: Cold Iron Warrior
Base
Attack Fort Ref Will Spells
Level Bonus Save Save Save Special 1 2 3 4
1st 1 0 0 2 Smite fey (1/day) 0 --- --- ---
2nd 2 0 0 3 Detect fey, iron mind +2 1 --- --- ---
3rd 3 1 1 3 Dispel magic (1/day) 2 0 --- ---
4th 4 1 1 4 Mind over magic 3 1 --- ---
5th 5 1 1 4 Smite fey (2/day), unmaking magic 3 2 0 ---
6th 6 2 2 5 Dispel magic (2/day) 3 3 1 ---
7th 7 2 2 5 Cold iron strike 3 3 2 0
8th 8 2 2 6 Iron mind +4, mind over magic 3 3 3 1
9th 9 3 3 6 Dispel magic (3/day) 3 3 3 2
10th 10 3 3 7 Slippery mind, smite fey (3/day) 3 3 3 3
Garrek
Cold Iron Warrior
Garrek pulled the rope tight, ignoring the muffled sounds from beneath him. The night was pure, the air
crisp and cold. The pale moonlight permeated the forest. Harsh shadows threw the landscape into stark
relief.
Methodically, he scanned the undergrowth, searching for signs of pursuit. Garrek believed that his quarry
was alone -- the ill-fated creature had said it was alone -- but one could never be too cautious. Animals like
these often traveled in packs.
Movement below him brought Garrek's attention back to the matter at hand. Apparently, the creature was
not through struggling. Easy enough to take care of, thought Garrek, as he backhanded it several times.
When the head once again hung limp, he continued tightening the rope. It seemed like a small detail, using
the correct knot for the task. But he knew better. Shortcuts, his master had taught him, were for fools who
were already dead. Bringing the gag around, he remembered his training.
*****
"Success is in the details!" Master Iron Soul thundered, his sword

hacking away at Garrek's defense. "We must be perfect." He feinted
to the left and the sword swung around again. "We are not like those
foul creatures, inhuman for all that they look like us. Always wanting
to deceive, they are. If you give in even the slightest bit, allow pity to
sway your hand, you will doom those you love."
Garrek stumbled back, blocking the swing, the words continuing to

pound him. "You and you alone protect them from those who would
destroy with their crafty ways. Others may be taken in by the
beautiful mask that the faerie-kind wear, but you must not be. Never
believe their lies. Never trust an offer of friendship." Again sparks
flew as the swords struck each other. "Never trust an offer of trade.
Always look for the true motive."
Tiring, his child's body still unable to keep up with his fierce
determination, Garrek tripped and landed on his back. The words
kept coming as his master held a sword to his throat. "This is your
mission, why you exist. To keep those you love safe, to protect them, even from themselves. Normal
humans are too trusting, too soft. That is why you train; that is why you fight. You are their strength, their
weapon, their defense."
*****
Memories, still clear after fifteen years, steadied Garrek's hands as he finished with the ropes. His
movements were swift and sure as he set out the blades and prepared a small fire in a covered pot. His
mission -- always, his mission. Never again would this fey's tongue deceive. Never again would its eyes
cast a spell over a person's soul. His cause was true. He would succeed.
*****
Zellan moaned again. His hair, matted with dirt and blood, flowed over his face, obscuring his vision.
Through the blond strands, he could see the human laying out his instruments. Garrek, he recalled.
Standing in the corner at the ball, watching all the dancers. Talking with, Katrina, he thought, or Katherine?
Zellan had been introduced to her, had talked with her, made her laugh. She had pointed out her betrothed.
He wished he knew what he had done during the few hours to anger this warrior.
His journey had been nearly over. Zellan had secured the supply of rare gems his cousin needed for her
amulets. He knew that Arisa would be pleased with the quality of the stones he was bringing home. Family
fortunes had been rising this past century. His aunt had become a court favorite, relied upon by the queen
for her knowledge of the latest gossip as well as her cruel, but quick, wit.
Arisa was being trained by the matriarch to take over the ruling of the
family. Once Great-Grandmother was gone, she would be the one in
control. Zellan had never had much use for Arisa when they were
younger. She had not seemed very promising. Now he needed to
make up for his lack of attention, to find a way to make her notice him
amongst all the cousins.
Rumors had reached him on this last leg of his journey. Rumors of a
new mine that produced purer, clearer fire gems, capable of holding
magic without cracking. That was always the trick. So many amulets
never made it to market, their fragmented pieces lying in the dust of
the workshop floor.
So he had taken a longer route back to his lands: through the

Emerald Pass into Sir Usuuke's realm. He had been welcomed with
enthusiasm. Filled mostly with farmers and woodsman, the small
kingdom had had little to offer the outside world before this. The
prospect of setting up trade negotiations with one from the faerie
realm had excited the local lord. Zellan had agreed to attend a ball
that evening, then view the storehouse of gems the next day.
The dance, as social events go, had been acceptable. Granted, it

was nothing like the grand affairs the queen held. For once, Zellan
had used his glamour to tone down his appearance so as to not outshine the country gentry. It wouldn't do
to give Lord Usuuke ideas about overcharging him on the gems. Instead, he went out of his way to be
charming, routinely complimenting the ladies on their appearance, even though the gowns his cousins wore
for everyday affairs were more fashionable than most of these.
Just after midnight, he had begged leave of his host, citing his long
travels that day as the reason. Wishing to avoid the crowd, he had
slipped out through the gardens. A light noise had alerted him to the
presence of another, but by the time he turned around, it was too
late. His world went black -- then red, as he awoke to pain.
*****
Katherine glanced around the room, her annoyance giving way to

anger. The Dance of Promise was coming up in a few minutes, and
Garrek was nowhere to be seen. This was their dance. Tonight, for
the first time, they would get to dance with all of the other betrothed
couples.
She looked around the room. The fey merchant had disappeared as
well, she noticed. Irrational fear filled her mind. She remembered little
comments Garrek had made whenever the subject of the fey had
come up. He made no secret, at least to her, of his dislike of that
race. But he wouldn't, he couldn't . . .
Katherine was in the midst of questioning her host when she felt a presence behind her.
"Garrek." She sighed in relief. "I thought you were going to miss our dance."
"Never." Garrek smiled gently down at his love. "I promised you I would be here, just as I promised to
protect you. I always keep my promises."
Garrek: Male human fighter 5/cold iron warrior 3; CR 8; Medium humanoid; HD 5d10+10 plus 3d8+6; hp
56; Init -1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 21, touch 9, flat-footed 21; Base Atk +8; Grp +11; Atk +13 melee (1d8+6/19-
20, +1 longsword); Full Atk +13/+8 melee (1d8+6/19-20, +1 longsword); SA smite fey 1/day; SQ detect fey,
dispel magic, iron mind +2; AL N; SV Fort +7, Ref +1, Will +7; Str 16, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha
14.
Skills and Feats: Climb +0, Concentration +6, Handle Animal +7, Jump -9, Knowledge (nature) +7, Listen
+7, Ride +9, Search +2, Spot +3; Alertness, Blind-Fight, Cleave[B], Iron Will, Power Attack, Weapon Focus
(longsword)[B], Weapon Specialization (longsword)[B].
Smite Fey (Su): Once per day, Garrek can smite a fey with one normal melee attack. He adds 2 to his
attack roll and deals 3 extra points of damage. If he accidentally smites a creature that is not a fey, the
smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day.
Detect Fey (Sp): Garrek can detect the aura that surrounds fey creatures. This functions like the detect
undead spell, except it detects fey.
Dispel Magic (Sp): Garrek can use dispel magic (caster level 3rd) once per day, as the spell.
Iron Mind (Ex): Garrek is immune to magic sleep effects and has a +2 bonus on saving throws against
enchantment spells or effects.
Cold Iron Warrior Spells Prepared (3; save DC 11 + spell level): 1st -- bless, doom (DC 12), true strike.
Possessions:+1 full plate, +1 heavy steel shield, +1 longsword, dust of appearance, potion of cure
moderate wounds.
Sleeping Blossom Sprites

From a record of correspondence between Lallnik Elljin, Royal

Court Horticulturist for the Queen of Air and Light, and Janisk Elljin:
My dear great-great-nephew Janisk,
I was pleased to learn of your appointment as the Head of Gardens

for the family lands. I remember quite fondly designing those
gardens when I was in only my fourth century. Your cousin-by-bond
twice removed, Tunaka, succeeded me when I was called to tend
the queen's gardens.
I confess to continued disappointment in having left the care of our

family lands to one so lacking in talent. My heart broke upon
discovering that the sapphire trees had died, and all the sprites had left. I had spent fifty years building a stable
sprite population. Now that Tunaka has left for the mortal planes, I trust you will work hard to restore beauty
and fame to the Elljin Gardens. As for your questions concerning which type of garden sprites to cultivate, I
believe I can offer some advice.
One of the most difficult, yet rewarding, varieties of garden sprites to breed are the sleeping blossom sprites, or
genus flora sophoria. They have a good feel for plants. Many a time they warned me when one of their favorite
flowers was fighting disease and helped me save it.
The sleeping blossom sprite can be distinguished from its relatives, the starlight sprite and the morning rose
mallow sprite, by its coloring. Sleeping blossom sprites tend to have pale skin, with red- or orange-tinted wings.
Starlight sprites are vibrant blue- or violet-skinned, with florescent wings. Morning sprites have a dark brown
coloring, with green mottled wings. They tend to blend in to their surroundings, making them less desirable. If
you are going to cultivate a sprite, you want it to be one of the showpieces of your garden. Many horticulturists
shy away from them due to their volatile nature, but their rarity makes them all the more prized, in my opinion.
Sleeping Blossom sprites are attracted to flowering plants with large, bright petals. I recommend the begonia
semperflorens, or the nicotiana alata grandiflora. These plants will each sustain three to five sprites.
The begonia semperflorens has strong, waxy petals with hues varying from azure to crimson. The color, in
particular, along with the light, sweet fragrance, seems to attract the sprites. This plant is also hardy, and with
careful tending, can bloom all year round. Nicotiana alata grandiflora have trumpet-shaped flowers that close
during the evening and during rainstorms. Their colors range from chartreuse to lavender, so they should
match whatever color scheme you choose for that section. These plants are more susceptible to infestations,
so you will need to watch them carefully.
Once an ideal environment has been created, there are two ways to acquire a sprite population -- neither,
unfortunately, perfect. The first, and the most tenuous, is to attempt capturing wild sleeping blossom sprites
and transplanting them into your garden. One highly recommend method suggests capturing them at night and
keeping them contained with wind-based spells. However, if you do not gather up the entire swarm (and there
is no way of knowing whether you have them all), when they wake up they go on a rampage, destroying your
garden and injuring any creatures in their path as they try to find their missing members.
A safer but much more costly way is to have a sympathy spell cast. This attracts any sprites in the area to your
garden. If they find it acceptable, they stay. The drawback is that you may have to cast it many times before
you attract the right type of sprite. Driving off unwanted starlight or morning sprites requires much work: Once
the spell has ended, they must be caught and released back into the wild.
Once you have your swarm of sprites, it is best to cordon off that area of the garden for several years. Contact
with the queen of the swarm should not be attempted for at least a decade. During this time, you should
regularly supply honey and fragrant herbs to the sprite community. Sleeping Blossom sprites require some time
to settle in. If they are disturbed, they will either react violently or leave. Be sure you never allow an open flame
anywhere near the sprites for they hate fire above all.
Sleeping blossom sprites can be dangerous if provoked to attack. They cause a great deal of damage and
have an ability that makes their victims sleep, which can prove most inconvenient when fighting or trying to
escape from a swarm. The unwary gardener may be injured if he should annoy the swarm, but with a few
precautions, the dangers can be minimized. First, try casting a sanctuary spell before you enter the garden. I
would use this precaution for the first several years, or until the queen of the swarm has accepted you. If the
spell does not work, have a skillful bard accompany you while gardening. A bard's fascination ability usually
has a calming, almost tranquilizing effect on the sprites. (Of course, make sure your bard companion is not
especially favored at court, in case the sprites attack.) When soothed by music, my sleeping blossom sprites
liked to gather around and watch me work.
Once you have a thriving, stable sleeping blossom sprite population, your garden is ready for parties and
showings. (Do not forget the centennial judging that is coming up in three decades. While I was head gardener,
we never failed to place.) Happy sprites allow visitors to watch their frolicking, and may even offer a short
performance for your guests. Their lively dances and light displays in the evening hours are always a crowd
pleaser, and make your garden the talk at court.
I trust this advice will help you, dear nephew. I expect to be home for Aunt Illisu's 700th birthday celebration in
five years. I look forward to seeing what you have done with the family lands.
-- Your Great-Great-Uncle Lallnik
Sleeping Blossom Sprites

Diminutive Fey (Swarm)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 40 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 17 (+4 size, +3 Dex), touch 17, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/---
Attack: Swarm (2d6 plus deep slumber)
Full Attack: Swarm (2d6 plus deep slumber)
Special Attacks: Deep slumber, distraction
Special Qualities: Immune to weapon damage, low-light vision,
swarm traits
Skills: Hide +30, Knowledge (nature) +12, Listen +14, Move
Silently +18, Spot +14, Survival -1 (+1 in aboveground natural
environments)
Feats: Ability Focus (deep slumber), Alertness, Improved Initiative,
Stealthy
Environment: Temperate forests
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: ---
Miniature faeries flit among the flowers.
A single sleeping blossom sprite looks like a miniature humanoid with translucent wings. It stands only a
handspan tall.
Sleeping blossom sprites speak Sylvan.
Combat
A sleeping blossom sprite swarm seeks to surround and attack any creature it perceives as a threat, especially
one bearing an open flame or other obvious threat to its garden home.
Deep Slumber (Su): A sleeping blossom sprite swarm attack often causes creatures to fall asleep. Any living
creature that begins its turn with a sleeping blossom sprite swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 22 Will
save or be affected as though by a deep slumber spell. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Swarm Traits:A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernable anatomy, so it is not subject to critical
hits or flanking. A swarm comprising Fine or Diminutive creatures is immune to all weapon damage.
Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or fewer causes the swarm to break up, though damage taken until that point
does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state
by damage. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple another.
A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target
spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects if the swarm has an intelligence score
and a hive mind. A swarm takes a -10 penalty on saving throws against spells or effects that affect an area,
such as many evocation spells or grenadelike weapons. If the area effect attack does not allow a saving throw,
the swarm takes double damage instead.
Swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds such as that created by a gust
of wind spell. For purposes of determining the effects of wind on a swarm, treat the swarm as a creature of the
same size as its constituent creatures. Wind effects deal 1d6 points of subdual damage to the swarm per spell
level (or Hit Die of the originating creature, in the case of effects such as an air elemental's whirlwind).
A swarm rendered unconscious by means of subdual damage becomes disorganized and dispersed, and does
not re-form until its hit points exceed its subdual damage.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to the swarm's damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its
square is nauseated for 1 round; a DC 15 Fortitude save negates the effect. Even with a successful save,
spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 +
spell level). Using skills requiring patience and concentration requires a Concentration check (DC 20). The
save DC is Constitution-based.
Lifecycle and Deathcycle

Most mortals see life as a straight line. You are born, beginning the line. You live your chosen path, and then
you die: the end of the line.
A few, more philosophical, souls realize that life more closely resembles a circle than a line, with birth joining
together with death to complete the cycle. Very rare mortals understand that life is not just one circle, but rather
a series of endless, interlocking circles, many of whose circumferences an individual will not live long enough
to traverse.
Fey, on the other hand, with their millennia-long lifespans, see life and time as cyclical. Cycles, like the
seasons of nature or the phases of the moon, surround one's destiny. At every point, one is beginning a circle,
ending a circle, and traveling around the midpoint of countless other circles. Birth is just the beginning of one
such circle.
Love, loss, betrayal, honor, fame, friendship: A true fey knows that each one of these begins a cycle and ends
a cycle. One might have his honor held in the grasp of a rival, only to later hold the honor of an enemy in his
hands. One might betray a friend, only to find herself, decades later, betrayed by a friend. These small circles
join with the larger circle: the rise and fall of houses, the birth and death of gods and planets and planes. All
part of circles that even the oldest fey will admit they do not begin to know or understand, or hope to live long
enough to see completed.
When Fey are Immortal
In a campaign where fey are immortal, they disregard the prospect of a natural death. Their births are the
beginning of an endless spiral of emotional highs and lows, triumphs and failures.
An Untimely End
Unnatural deaths occasionally occur among the fey. An

accident in the wilds or a misstep in the mortal realms are
unusual, but expected every century or two. The death of a fey
at the hands of another fey is rare. It is common, during travels
to other planes, for fey to take part in raids or adventures that
cause the death of a mortal; for the most part, those are
overlooked, as mortals are not considered to possess the same level of sentience as the fey. But murder
amongst the fey is nearly unheard of.
There are several possible reasons for this unspoken taboo. The first is that the strict punishment imposed
upon a fey committing such a crime is strong enough to deter most attempts. Indeed, any fey responsible for a
death, even inadvertently, can expect not only to be punished as an individual, but also to have his or her
entire house dishonored for a several millennia. Most times, committing murder results in the fey becoming an
outcast from his or her family, stripped of name and status. If the death was accidental, the fey may be
banished from the fey realms until a new queen takes the throne. If the death was premeditated, the fey can be
given to the bereaved family for enslavement and torture.
Another potential reason for the rarity of murder is that fey generally prefer humiliation with a good dose of
violence to lethal force. With careful planning, revenge over a slight can be enjoyed for centuries,. The
monotony of endless days can be filled with schemes, whispers and delicious thoughts of one's enemy twisting
on the end of a string like a puppet forced to dance. Death, in its finality, brings only a quick release.
Of course, the worries of the fey concerning their small numbers also increase the value of every fey life. With
low birth rates making new children a rarity, many petty squabbles that might lead mortals to kill are never
considered possible justifications for murder among the fey.
When Fey are Mortal
Life is a beautiful symmetry, to be celebrated and embraced. And among the rarest and most celebrated cycles
of the fey, is the final journey of an elder fey.
Death, natural death, when it comes for the fey, is neither fast,
nor surprising. A fey can tell -- through seers, through the
feeling of his skin as it thins over his bones, through the dreams
of the moon on a cold winter night -- that death will come in
another several decades. This short time left is spent in
transferring wisdom, history and knowledge to the next
generation of the family and in celebrating the events of life.
Feasts, dances, and months-long celebrations held at the
family's lands are all part of the last days. If the elder fey is in
good standing at the court, the queen herself may arrange for a
party in his honor, or the planting of a garden that will forever
bear his name.
In the final weeks, a scribe is commissioned to sit with the fey and listen to the story of his life. This written
history is added to the family treasures, as it is considered the essence of the person: all the good and bad
done over a lifetime, all the cycles delineated with pen and paper. Because of the longevity of the fey, even the
largest of families possess only a few hundred volumes at most.
After the last party has ended and last song of honor has been
sung, the elder is ready to depart. Any personal magic items
are passed to the younger generation, to be used for the good
of the family. Ceremonial robes are donned, and a solemn
procession glides into the forest. A favorite granddaughter or
great-great-great nephew is chosen to spend the final hours
alone with elder fey. Seated in a circle of flowers, trees or
stones, they spend the last hours together until the moon rises
full overhead. In the morning, the young fey comes back alone,
and the elder is gone forever.
The Rite of Ultimate Passage
When death approaches, a fey may choose to undergo a

complex rite to pass on her knowledge to her heirs. The ceremony is both time-consuming and costly: It takes
a week to complete and costs 1,000 gp per participant (including the elder fey).
The rite of ultimate passage must be undertaken willingly by a fey with at least 10 Hit Dice or class levels or
any combination of the two that totals 10 or more. She declares that upon her death, her chosen heirs will
benefit from her knowledge. For every 5 ranks in a Knowledge skill, she can grant an heir a +1 bonus in that
Knowledge skill. The bequest functions only if the fey dies of old age.
The recipient need not be a fey. No individual may receive or possess bonuses totaling more than +2. If the
individual later becomes an heir to another fey, the beneficiary decides which bonuses to keep. Once a
recipient refuses or gives up a bonus, it is forever lost.
For example, Elodoria, an ancient matriarch, has 13 ranks each of Knowledge (arcana) and 17 ranks of
Knowledge (nature). She may choose to honor up to 5 individuals with the gift of some of her knowledge.
(Thirteen ranks of Knowledge [arcana] provide 3 points of bonus on Knowledge [arcana] checks that Elodoria
can distributed. Seventeen ranks of Knowledge [nature] provide 3 points of Knowledge [nature] bonus that can
be gifted.) Elodoria chooses to give a +2 bonus to Knowledge (arcana) to her favorite niece, Adrianna. She
gives her dear friend M'hele a +1 bonus in both Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge (nature). She decides that
no one else is worthy of the talent she can bestow. The old fey continues to live another decade. Both
Adrianna and M'hele now have as many bonuses as they are allowed from death rites. When Elodoria dies,
Adrianna gains her bequest: a +2 bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks. M'hele had been the recipient of
another bequest and already possesses a +2 bonus on Knowledge (history) checks at the time that Elodoria
dies. M'hele chooses to keep a +1 bonus on Knowledge (history) and add the +1 bonus on Knowledge (nature)
checks left to her by her friend. The +1 bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks from Elodoria is lost, as is the +1
bonus on Knowledge (history) checks that M'hele gave up.

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Seelie and Unseelie Courts

-- Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

The Seelie Court

-- Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

-- Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Throne Guardian Ritual, Seelie and Unseelie Courts

Seelie Court Throne Unseelie Court Throne

The Seelie Court's Turning of the Seasons

The Unseelie Court's Phases of the Moon

Festival of the Blood Moon

Ceremony of the Dark Moon

Festival of the Waning Moon

The New Moon Celebration

The Dark Hunters

The Queen of Air and Darkness honors the

Rangers and rogues are the most natural

Dark Hunter Missions

To become a dark hunter, a character must fulfill the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +5.

Feats: Improved Initiative, Track.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: Dark Hunter

Base --Spells per Day-- --Spells Known--

Spells: Beginning at 1st level, a dark hunter gains the

mmortality and Mortality

The Immortal Life

The clouds that gather round the setting sun

-- "Intimations of Immortality" by William Wordsworth

Folklore and legends often portray fey as

First, the conditions of immortality should be

I. What happens after a fey reaches adulthood?

A. The fey does not advance age categories

2. She advances identical to elves or another long-lived race.

2. He advances identical to elves or another long-lived race.

II. Can a fey die from disease and disease-like afflictions?

A. Yes, the immortality applies only to aging effects.

B. No, fey have immunity to diseases (specify which of the following).

2. Supernatural diseases (such as mummy rot)

3. Supernatural afflictions (such as lycanthropy)

1. The loss is permanent.

2. Immortality can be restored.

C. No, fey are always immortal creatures.

Poison Type Initial Damage Secondary Damage Price

 Low fertility rates, causing children to be rare and special.

The Immortal Life

Now vs. Later

Good vs. Evil

The Darkest Hunter

Ice: Leader of the Dark Hunters

Quiet as falling snow, Ice can slip by an opponent unseen and

Magic of Delight and Despair

Material Component: A bit of horse hair.

Basket of Delights: Once a day, when activated with a command

Aura: Faint conjuration; Caster Level: 1st; Prerequisites: Craft

Distillate of Dew: A vial of distillate of dew contains a mere drop of

Aura: Moderate transmutation; Caster Level: 10th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous

Laurel Crown: This circlet of leaves is worn on the head in place of a

Aura: Faint transmutation; Caster Level: 3rd; Prerequisites:Craft

Living Landscape: This lovely oil painting always depicts a place, in