Chaotic Good

The Feyfolk of the Sylvan Circles

Origin

The Warden embraced the fall to Primordias, seeding a great primordial forest and becoming one with the land. The forest burst from the point where it fell, forming a pattern of interconnected nodes and concentric rings that create a network of divine energy, feeding all life in the region. This region has become known as the Sylvan Circles and as it matured, the Feywild, an upper plane of enchanted twilight, blossomed in reflection. The Feywild solidified the spirits of nature, giving form and focus to the energy of The Warden. These manifestations became the Feyfolk.

Oldest of the Feyfolk are the dryads, spirits of ancient trees given form and consciousness. Those that are born of the mighty tor trees have the potential to grow into powerful Archfey. Archfey are the sovereigns of the Feyfolk, charged with maintaining the natural balance that keeps the Sylvan Circles vital and strong. Sprites are the tiny guardians of the Circles. Their homes are among the tors with the rest of the fey but they also establish garrisons deep into the surrounding forests, where they watch for signs of danger and intrusion.

Pixies are free spirits, embodying the chaos of nature and blurring the lines between the Feywild and Primordias. They maintain the balance of nature, using enchantments from the Twilight Realm to equalize the energies of the forest. Treants serve the fey as shepherds and builders, orchestrating the growth of the forest. They cultivate the tors into beautiful living cities, adorning their limbs with arching corridors of living branches and delicate terraces that fan out in layered balconies. The tors exist both in Primordias and the Feywild, bridging the two planes.

Domain

The Sylvan Circles is a primordial forest that rises far above the other forests of western Sanctus, reaching thousands of feet high in places. It is a region steeped in enchantment and illusion, harboring sites of incomparable beauty and unimagined horror. It takes its name from the pattern in which it grows, a legacy of the descent of The Warden. Vast circles are formed from unnaturally tall and dense flora, criss-crossed by perfectly straight lines of the same.

At the center and major intersections of the great pattern lie the highest concentrations of The Warden's power. They are the sites of the tor trees, tall as mountains and cultivated into living cities that support and shelter the Feyfolk. These cities stretch from the highest bows to the deepest roots, naturally and seamlessly forming passages, structures and causeways from the the trees themselves. The veil between worlds is thin where the tors connect the Circles to the Feywild. The Twilight Realm bleeds through in the cities of the fey, warping reality and icing it with enchantment.

Igdrasil is the greatest of the tors, situated at the center of the great pattern. It reaches a mile into the sky and hosts a thriving hive of Feyfolk, including the upper and lower courts. The Seelie Council, which crowns the highest bows, governs matters of life and growth. The Unseelie Cabal, which anchors the great tree deep below the surface, sees to matters of death and decay. Each role is necessary in the balance of nature and preservation of the Circles.

Society

Elven society is based around the courts of Igdrasil. Each court is ruled by an Archfey, born and bound to the tor. The Archfey speak for The Warden and act as moderators in the affairs of the Feyfolk. They rarely intervene unless something concerns the whole of the Circles, leaving everyday governance to the noblesse. The noblesse are the upper class of elven aristocracy that contend for their privileged positions within the courts and without. This struggle is called The Dance and those that perform it well wield great influence in the Circles, both above and below the surface.

Below, where the roots of the tors form the ceilings of expansive caverns, live the drow, dark elves that owe allegiance to the Unseelie Cabal. The drow see a very different world to that of their cousins above. Illuminated only by the glow of the glimmercaps, they embrace the darker aspects of nature's balance. Though they too serve The Warden, their methods and philosophy are in stark contrast to the surface dwelling elves of the Seelie Council. These two courts compete constantly for the upper hand in both the Sylvan Circles and the Feywild.

Elves are an extremely long-lived race and this has given them a broad perspective. Their libertarian society creates a culture that many see as hedonistic and indifferent. On the contrary, elves invest themselves deeply in their communities and environment, though they do so carefully and consciously. The freedom cultivated by elven governance allows each individual to contribute to society when and how they please, ensuring that what they choose truly fits their skills and beliefs. This has created a successful, if chaotic, social structure that is a constantly shifting balance of forces and factions.

Paths

Woodward

Cleric (Nature Domain)

Woodwards devote themselves to the will of The Warden. They eschew The Dance and the noblesse of the fey courts, attempting a more direct connection with The Warden without the politics. Woodwards maintain hidden sanctuaries within the tors, secret groves that are pockets of the Feywild accessible only to those that know the proper path. Here they commune with The Warden through rituals and meditation.

Woodwards are treated with respect but also suspicion by the greater elven society because they operate outside the dictates of the courts. None can argue that they serve The Warden however, for their actions invariably show that they protect the natural balance. Their dedication is rewarded with an enhanced connection to the Feywild, which manifests in strange and subtle ways as their power grows. Truly venerable woodwards are no longer even mortal but have become more akin to Archfey in their own right.

Gloompriest

Druid (Circle of the Moon)

Gloompriests rise from the Below, during the depths of night, to cull weakness from the Sylvan Circles. They are drow, and serve the will of The Warden through the Unseelie Cabal. They are the instruments of ending and reclamation, reaping what has been, to make room for what will be. When an elf becomes terminally ill or enfeebled by age, they come. Elven mothers hang sunblooms over the beds of sick children in hopes of staying their hand.

Gloompriests are a part of the natural cycles of the Circles, serving an integral role that keeps the fey strong and the forest vital. They are nonetheless feared, even fought, for some refuse to let go. Despite their dark duty, Gloompriests are not evil, nor cruel. It is with love for the Feyfolk and a dedication to the Circles that they deliver their mercy and reap their harvest.

Feyknight

Paladin (Oath of the Ancients)

The Feyknights serve the Seelie Council. They are the elite amongst the Greenshields, who are the trained militias of the tors. To become a Feyknight one must not only be an exemplary soldier and leader but also a paragon of good. The Oath of the Ancients is the culmination of an aspirant's path to knighthood. It is made before the Archfey of the council, and is called for only once a Feyknight has completed a pilgrimage into the depths of the Feywild and returned with an eternal rose.

The Feywild is not a hostile place to the elves for they are born of it, but they are still mortal and belong to Primordias. As a Feyknight ventures deeper into the Feywild, the Twilight Realm becomes less and less familiar. The eternal rose is only found in the farthest reaches and it is here that the Feyknight must face their darkest dreams and desires, learning their true nature. Only the pure of heart and purpose survive to take their oath and earn their armor and unicorn mount.

Wildwalker

Ranger (Beast Master)

Wildwalkers spend most of their time ranging the primordial wilderness of the Sylvan Circles. They prefer the companionship of their bonded beast to the activity of the tors. The gift of bonding is a rare skill that is born to only a few. With it comes a connection to nature that defines the life of it's bearer. Wildwalkers lead a solitary life of simple pleasure and serenity. They are one with the forest and know its secrets better than any other.

With this life comes danger, for Wildwalkers are not the only ones that take refuge in the feral depths of the Sylvan Circles. Savage centaur and satyr vie for territory and hunting rights while mighty apex predators stalk the ancient forest. Beyond the beasts and tribal humanoids there are older and more powerful dangers as well. There are thin spots between the Circles and Feywild where dark enchantments ensnare the senses and strange creatures prey on the unwary.

Fathomfey

Warlock (The Archfey)

Drow are not evil. Their hedonistic culture is a dark reflection of the surface, that embraces mortality with an almost fatalistic enthusiasm. This mindset sometimes leads to extremes. When a drow seeks forbidden knowledge and power, unsatisfied by what is offered by their people and the court of the Unseelie Cabal, they turn to the Hags.

Like the surface, there are deep places in the Below where the boundary between worlds is thin, and here, in these twisted and warped caverns, is where the Hags make their nests. They are ancient and evil Archfey, begot as the Circles aged like a cancer festering in its bowels. Only the most cunning will survive the journey into the depths to treat with the covens, but those that do are granted dark knowledge and dangerous powers the likes of which their kin can only dream.

Dreamweaver

Wizard (School of Enchantment)

Dreamweavers are those that have been chosen to learn the secret enchantments of the Twilight Realm. They have dedicated their long lives to the pursuit of knowledge and with their academic accomplishments have earned the patronage of a powerful Archfey. This relationship takes an elven scholar far beyond what they could accomplish alone in the arcane lyceums.

Dreamweavers are taken into the Feywild and trained to attune themselves to it's energy. This process changes the way they think and perceive the world, cutting them off from memories of the past and thoughts of the future. Dreamweavers come to live their lives in a timeless perpetual moment. This frees them to open themselves fully to the present and engage it with all that they are. They interact with the world in a new way that allows them to manipulate The Weave and even the minds of others at will.