-Matter of Fae-
Fae, the Firstborn, children of Farore, the Caretakers.
They are a species as alien to man, which they refer to as 'huma', as any race could ever hope to be. Fun loving and mockish, yet wise. Aloof and apathedic yet dutiful and prideful. While the Goron, Zora, and other species and children of Farore, Din, and Naryu can claim to have "mortal needs", the Fae are entirely outside of these needs, creating a very mythical and almost holy identity. They do not eat, drink, reproduce through intercource, suffer weather conditions, and do not produce any form of bodily waste that we know of. All species, even the Goron, have one of these conditions of mortality and the fact the Fae do not suffer one of them has made them as alien to mortal understanding as the dieties themselves.
The first and foremost thing to understand for all of this to be clear is that Fae do not have flesh. They are beings entirily of spirit and light. There is no skin, no blood, no stomach with which to digest or any other organs of any kind, no hair, no face, and all other features associated with mortal races and their ability to establish identity or physical difference. With no organs with which to provide purpose or need, such as how sexual organs create needs in lust or a stomach creates a need in hunger, then conserns are different with these beings.
Without hands or skin, I would think it would mean they would be incapable of interaction with mortals or the physical realm, as hands and skin is the means by which mortals interact, but the Fae were given different means tied to a divine purpose. Without flesh, they enter into the world as a fish takes to water. They swim through earth, dance through air, and fly through water without being effected, and in reverse, can extend the reach of their soul into any object they are within to manipulate it. It could very well be that the light through which we perceive them is just another form of air manipulation so as to establish the most basic form of communication in recognition that they are in our presence. Fae are regurally manipulating forms, they call 'shells', of earth, water, wood, hard light, and miniature tornado so as to further increase their interaction with others. (There are rumors that some have event used Shells of hot lava and rock.) This is probably akin to a diety lowering herself to our mortal level to speak, as a parent would lower herself to a child.
There are a few known elements, though, that have been known to affect Fae differently. The most dangerous is any touch of 'Twilight'. Due to the origins of the Fae, Twilight is akin to poison in their soul and quickly kills them from the faintest touch. The second is fire. Din had gone to war with the Fae and either created fire, or reshaped fire, with the intent of it doing them harm. Since then, the Fae see fire as predatory and dangerous. Fire wounds them horribly and extended exposure will kill them. Taking fire further, other elements affected by flame gains the 'property' of being able to directly touch the Fae. This touch is rarely harmful, short of the finest knives, but can act as 'physical barriers' to them as they would other mortals. These physical barriers include shaped glass and shaped metal heated in an intense furnace. Natural glass and natural metals have no effect on them. It is these elements which the Fae cannot manipulate and are wary of.
The last element by which they can be directly interacted with is that of spirit. As Fae explain: "Every child of Farore, Naryu, or Din has an innate spirit within your 'flesh shells'. We are without the 'flesh shells' you possess, but you have 'spirit flesh' as we do." Due to this, physical contact between human and Fae is possible, as well as any other sentient race. However this is seen as harmful as a byproduct of extended exposure leads to the 'spirit flesh' merging together and the two spirit identities entering a rapid succession of tearing one another apart while merging deeper until finally either both die or they become a singular being. Brief exposure is accepted at rare occassion and might be like a slap or brief shock to them, but it should still be taken with extreme caution.
Along with this power, this 'Gift', comes purpose. The Fae were the first given to the world and were given two purposes: To shape it and to be caretakers to the races to follow. Through their ability to manipulate the elements of the world, they shape it. This is likely not the important purpose, but is a means by which to fulfill the next. Fae are ageless and devoid of all needs of mortals short of identity, and so are beyond and above war. Yet mortals, in their need for war and bigotry, do harm to one another and, if left to their own devices, will leave all races but one as extinct. The Fae then have been given the divine purpose of safeguarding and hiding races, whether animal or sentient, so as to preserve life. The Fae have also, as an extension of this purpose, been known to spirit away orphaned children close to death. It is unknown where the Fae take their charges and wards, and my colleagues and I do not expect we will ever know, as the very purpose of these locations would be to hide the last of these races and orphaned children in locations away from the masses. Whether the Fae's holdings are far beneath the earth, on islands in the sky, in magical valleys.
The Fae's homes have been spoken of in legends and myths in remote places. When asked, the Fae have compared their homes to ant hills, not to fulfill any mortal needs, but to fulfill needs of spirit, namely in self-identity and community.
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The Fae do not have names as mortals do, but have what they call "True Names". Names given to them, on birth, by Farore tied to their souls. To know their true name is to own them and know them as intimately as they know themselves, and it is speculated to know a true name might actually kill them as they would lose their individuality. To compensate and form relationships with each other and mortals, the Fae instead provide 'titles' of position. It is unknown how this affects them internally as there may be multiple with the same outspoken name.
Without physical senses, they instead claim to have a sense of spirit akin to "smelling" souls.
Though the Fae are without needs by which war might be started or established, they have been known to make war on rare occassion in history based on duty. They are fiercely protective of the other sentient races hidden in their hidden places, they are extremely prone to violence towards any Twilight they find and will leap to war with them in an instant, and they have been known to take sides in mortal wars when the war itself furthers their agenda of preserving life. Outside of these instances they are neutral and even friendly with all beings, though cautious and unwilling to divulge secrets. An understandable precaution given their history.
The memory of Fae are very long. They do not age.
history:
There was a war of heaven between the Twilight Pantheon and Triple Goddess. At the forefront of this war was three spirits: Power, Courage, and Wisdom. Following the war, and the claiming of the physical realm, the Goddess Farore made the Fae from the same manner by which the former three spirits were made. These spirits were named "Fae" and told their purpose was to shape the physical realm and to safeguard and preserve the races to follow.
Ever jealous, Din tried her hand at molding a race that would shape the world too. Not known for her imagination as Farore, but her crude and direct methods, she made the Goron. Farore looked on the Goron and laughed. Angered by being mocked, Din made the dragons, put her fire in their mouths, and the beginning of war started. The dragons hunted the Fae with Dinfire. To counter this, Farore made the Zora and other races, and to counter them, Din made races of her own. The war rose, and in the conflict Twilight and Daemonic forces peeked in through the cracks. The wounded spirits of Power, Courage, and Wisdom took sides against one another.
With the war reaching its peak, Naryu, the oldest, stepped in, made her sisters apologize to each other, and set things to order. The mortal races were set to rules and standards to keep them cooperating, and the three champion spirits were set into a rotation of healing. However, the mortals still continued their wars in one way or another through these rules. This is a trait that would never leave them.
Time continued on. In the Fae's immortal memory, one generation is the same a thousand. They would set to work to heal the world, and they would seek to heal the anomisity between races they had started in joining Farore in mocking the Goron. In time they would succeed in part. The Fae are accepted by Goron and Zora equally, acting as intermediary and link between them. When the dragons were rendered nearly extinct, it was the Fae who safeguarded their predators of old to safe havens and watch over them, giving them peace. They would often find kinship with the Champion Spirits of Courage and Wisdom. They seek the same kinship with Power, but the Champion Spirit refuses them, lashing out when they are near, as he does to all things of the Triple Goddess.
The same sickness in Power would one day spread to Courage and Wisdom, destroying their unity and with it, Hyrule. In this shattering, the mortal races fell apart and took to war on all sides. For the first time in their history, the Fae found themselves divided and taking sides as well against one another.
Hundreds of years of endless war on all sides would pass before King Shorlin of Qin. The land of Qin would unite children of Wisdom, Courage, and Wisdom, and so the Fae Grove saw purpose in this war, and in turn took side. The Fae believe that if the Champion Spirits splintering was the cause of the war, then their unity would end it. The king of Qin would share in this belief, and they would form a strong, mutual goal.
The goal was shortlived as with all things mortal, men die. The King of Qin died and was passed on by his son. This son saught power in a darker fashion then his father. While the father saught unity towards power, the son saught power for his own sake. The son would forge an alliance with a being named "Wish Granter" in claiming wealth. The means they would choose is to kidnap ally Fae in cages of glass, and sell them across the land for healing properties. A myth that would end in many a Fae being torn in pieces or fused with human spirit, resulting in death. The son would also push the children of Wisdom, Power, and Courage to rivalry and competition so as to gain his favor, or suffer. The competition came to its climax in brief civil war.
The Fae took side in preserving life and safeguarding the victims of the king's genocide. For the king's crimes against them and great betrayal against them all, the Fae would declare him "The Betrayer King" and spread the word throughout the world on the winds so that all, near or far, heard it. The Fae disappeared and safeguarded all with them they saw as victims of evil intent, and in their departure tarnished the king's name forever.
Just as a good king may die and leave behind tragedy, so might an evil king die and allow renewal. The king would pass, and the king after would pass, until a new king rose that was the Great-Grandaughter of King Shorlin. King Zelda. Zelda shared their belief in the King Shorlin's goal. As the reincarnation of Wisdom, the Fae decided to take their place among the mortal races and take a side by her so as to end the war. With her they have brought together the Champion Spirits of Wisdom, Power, and Courage. The Fae are cautious, as history has shown of mortal nature, but they are hopeful and so long as this generation continues to enforce that hope, they choose to be at the forefront of a war to do what they are born to do: Preserve life.