The Fey Wilds

The Fey Wilds is one of the many planes throughout the countless dimensions. The Fey Wilds is a land of mass jungle and tropical terrain, filled with strange and unique fauna, animals, cultures, and people. It is comprised mainly of the Fey, an elven-esque race with fairy like wings which were the first truly mortal race to exist, as well as Sinnehliv and Dryads, plant and animal-like people who are the secondary groups that roam the lands. While travel can be drastically different depending on where in the wilds you visit, most will find that the previously peaceful land is now awash with strife, though still lacks much in the way of direct violence. The people, while on edge, are still mostly peaceful, as are most of the animals and creatures that make their home.

The Fey Wilds is a very spiritual place, and enchantingly beautiful with every season of the world displayed in each corner of its realm. From the colored leaves which dot the mountains and swamps of the Fall Court, to the immense wintery tundra's which sweep across Winter, to the fertile forests of Spring and the great valleys of Summer, in terms of natural beauty there is no second which can compare to the natural beauty of the Fey Wilds. Once, these wilds were the divine realm of Arvora herself, but due to her disappearance, the Janziyo has withered away, and the Fey Wilds is now fully ruled by the four courts, each vying for supremacy over the other in an unchecked cold war.

Geography

The fey wilds is dominated by five different biomes throughout the lands that stake the claim of the divine and the leaders of each court of the lands. Where the heart of the wilds lie lays the now withered "Janziyo", otherwise known as the world tree. It is often rumored that this massive tree that once towered across the wilds provided life to all the realms, and should it be fully destroyed, life itself would follow. The area surrounding the tree is a massive jungle land that is extremely dense, and is where the more tribal and devout wildlings of the realm inhabit, once protected by the Arvora's Ascended, now left to their own devices and the whims of the four courts. The land now seems quieter, with the chirping, howls, clicks, and croaks being softer and more sorrowful. At night, it is no different, and the realm is filled with the noises of those that mourn the loss of their goddess. The domain of Arvora ends by a large ring of fungus that surrounds the domain which has now infested additional areas, and a large river that seems to originate from the base of the tree. This massive river splits the world into four quarters, branching into all the areas like the roots of the tree itself.

One of the four corners of the land closely mimics that of the heart of the wilds, a vast land of great forests and thick jungles not unlike the first where villages in the trees dot all over and townships tend to prosper away from the ground. While not fertile to agriculture, the land itself is extremely giving, as every fungus, fruit, vegetable and plant has some sort of use or edibility to allow the people to thrive. While hunting is not inherently against any laws, most prefer to simply live off the land via foraging, and the spring court is by far the most populous of the five areas of the wild.

Another of the four corners is a massive flat plaints where no major hills lie, and herds of animals and people alike roam free with little desire to settle down. The plains of summer are often viewed as the perfect hunting grounds, for what the fertile land does not provide in agriculture, it provides in the bounty of animals which roam it. Far in the corner of the plains lays a desert where many of the hardiest fey and dryad exist, rivaling that of the winter court of snow and frost. Within this land many oasis lie, but the environment is no less forgiving to its travelers then to its denizens with its frozen nights and heated days.

In what is by far the most mountainous and rough terrain in verticality, the fall court sprawls. Large mountain tribes live just below where it become difficult to breathe, living off scarce resources and traditions that allow them to not only survive, but thrive in such conditions. Often rather melancholy and silent, the deeper valleys that dot the mountainous land are often fitted with gunk filled swamps and much half sunken land where the more isolationist fey reside. While not the least populous area, not many desire or are forced to come through this land, as the thunderstorms and rain that billows through often makes the journeys even more taxing.

The final land of the quarter covers itself with a thick sheet of permafrost across a deadlands that spans the farthest out of any of the courts. Very few villages dot the land where it is possible to farm in the snow and frosted areas, but most stick to the major cities where the ice itself has been sculpted and magically infused to repel against the outside lands many blizzards, storms, and worse. With by far the least amount of people living inside of it, the vast wastelands of always winter do not often see much travel or desire thereof, and is only rumored by many to be a darker place then just the long nights that plague it.

Government

The Fey Wilds has no form of centralized government or Kingdom that rules through all the lands. Instead, there are four major courts that dot the land in its different quarters, while at the center the divine Arvora and her Ascended reigned. Since her dossapearance however, it has now become a cold war of conflict, with each court attempting to grab land from the other and lay claim over the entire Fey Wilds. From the four corners extremely powerful magical beings know as the "Archfey" preside, acting as the lords over the domains of the wilds and also controlling the minor mayors and villagers over the land.

From the spring court comes the father of spring, Oberon. From the lands of summer, a man named Galadan reigns over the hunt. Through the fall of mountains and swamplands, Agalia watches over her people dutifully, and over the lands of always winter the ever enigmatic and mysterious Chione dotes over her beloved subjects. All structures of government more or less run the same in these lands, and from their seats of power, the Archfey ensure that all the problems, qualms, issues and necessities of running such vast lands is handled, and their stewards often do not spend long at the court, as they travel from village to village assisting or learning about any problematic occurrences that may have happened of late. In the general lands of villages many fill the roles of things such as priests, doctors, shamans, hunters and farmers. Though there was next to no warriors originally, many have now begun to prepare for war, as the courts engage in a silent war against one another for dominance.

Culture

Culture varies as one heads out further away from the World Tree. In the heart itself, tribal traditions and animist faiths toward the mother of life gave way toward the center, where the Ascended and the guardsman of the tree used strive for a peaceful and serene way of life with little need for violent tendencies. But with the dissapearance of the goddess, everything is up in the air. In the spring court, the webs of politics all end at the spring archfey, where the land prospers from the straightforward, simple and tactful governance. Keeping stability, the flower girls, fey who were trained at the court at a young age, mostly of female orientation, are made to walk the realm and assist in any way possible for the populations and their times of need.

In the land of summer, the law of the hunt rules. Many within Galadan's court do not even speak known languages, and use their arrows and skill to do the talking desired to sustain themselves. In Agalia's court of fall, words are silent and whispered, their voices silent so it doesn't travel the echoing cliffs of the vast mountain ranges. Couriers specializing in rough terrain are often the message bearers and couriers, and most settlements hardly interact with the court itself. In the frosted lands of winter, teleportation pads to breach through the storms are quite common, and every mayor, village chief and trader are under an extremely tight leash to the archfeys whims and wishes for her populace.

Religion

The Spiritual beliefs of the Fey Wilds vary. In the center around the Janziyo, the religion was dominated by that of Arvora, and while some retain hope, others have lost their way and have become faithless. Being around the World Tree heavily influences their belief, along with the more civilized cultures present in the Janziyo. There are shamans present along with these that follow the Vaya, but the amount is minuscule if noticeable at all, especially with their disappearance into the fracture. As one may venture out further though, notably beyond the reach of the World Tree, shamans begin outnumbering the Arvora followers by far. At the edge of the known world is where the highest percentage of shamans are, being far away from the influence of ‘civilization’ and Arvora, and far closer to the wild and the spirits.

The World Tree

A special aspect of the Fey Wilds, and the most recognizable landmark, is the World Tree. Sitting in the direct center of the known realm, this gargantuan tree is the metaphorical heart of the Fey Wilds. It is the centerpiece, and keeps the land around it a protected and safe sanctuary. Outside of its natural magical influence, many animals run wild and free, though inside, are pacified. Even the people who enter and those who live there can feel it, and its roots are rumored to run through the entirety of the realm spreading magic like the leylines themselves. It is the reason why the Fey Wilds are brimming with life, and the reason why the Fey Wilds are filled with magic influence. With the disappearance of Arvora however, the tree has withered, and much of the protections it once granted have weakened or fallen to the wayside in disrepair.

The Lost Realms • The Fallen Forces