Solarean Adventures LARP Lore
The Fae Wilds
The Fae Wilds, also known as the Fae Realm, is a realm that can be reached by traversing from the mortal realm through the Ways by those skilled enough to navigate it. The Fae Realm is home to the original Fae, though these days many fae creatures call the mortal realm home for a variety of reasons. In recent history, the Fae Wilds experienced a civil war between Hjornne's Court of Bones and the old Seasonal Courts. The Fae Wilds are now undergoing a phase of Reconstruction, though not everyone involved is content with this attempt.
Hjornne and the Court of Bones
by Sarah Davidson and Cian Girven
Long before the existence of Fae and even longer before the four Fae Courts were created, there was Hjornne. Hjornne is the first of all Fae, and from them, all Fae were created.
During Hjornne's reign, there was the singular Court of Bone to which all Fae were subject to - either willingly or unwillingly. Hjornne ruled with an iron fist, not caring for any life other than their own. They were a cruel being whose games would consist entirely of life or death consequences. You win, you live. You lose, you die.
However, Hjornne did not attempt to deceive or trick anyone, the rules laid out for their games had no hidden meanings. They were straightforward in how they approached things.
After ages of what the current Fae courts called tyrannical oppression, the Fae decided to rise up and overthrow Hjornne. However, due to the sheer amount of power that Hjornne possessed, their defeat required all other Fae to work together.
From this collaboration, four great artifacts of power were created: The Bow, The Axe,
The Shield, and The Sword. Individually while capable of many fantastic feats, they were
no match for Hjornne. Only together could they bring about the downfall of Hjornne.
Once Hjornne was defeated, Hjornne was dismembered and spread their immense power
across 13 individual pieces. These Bones of Hjornne were then scattered to the four winds
with the intent to never be reunited.
Along with Hjornne's downfall, the Court of Bones was dismantled, and from those ashes
came the four Fae Courts as they are known today; Wyntor, Sprynge, Sommar, and Autumn.
The four courts had power consolidated and distributed amongst themselves to begin a
new era of the Fae Rule. No court was above the other, but they each had their own
season in which their power was slightly stronger than the rest.
Knowledge of Hjornne is kept hidden from Mortals, for if they discover Hjornne, they could easily be tempted to reassemble the remains - especially if they had an intense dislike of the Fae. Reassembling Hjornne could result in the destruction of the Courts themselves. For the protection of the citizens of the four Courts, knowledge of Hjornne is kept from the majority of Fae beings through use of a collective memory spell.
Hjornne is not a deity. Instead, they are a primal force of nature who gained godlike powers through the collective fear and loyalty of the Fae that they ruled over. One of the reasons the leaders of the Courts created and cast a collective memory spell was to lessen Hjornne’s power. Even torn asunder and in 13 pieces, Hjornne still has the power to corrupt those around them to do their bidding. Hjornne has spent all the time since their downfall biding their time and influencing the Fae when they can utilize what little power that still resides in their Remains.
If Hjornne were to be reassembled, they would gain back an immense amount of power. It would require the Four Courts to work together once again and have their Champions and their Artifacts battle Hjornne. Only when Hjornne is in pieces can there be some semblance of peace.
Crest of Hjornne by Sarah Davidson
The Four Seasons and the Four Courts
Autumn Court
Temperaments: Fae from the Autumn Court live by their code and uphold it above all else, taking actions that are sometimes considered Good and sometimes considered Evil by others. They do not care about what others think of their actions, they only care about their actions being correct according to their code - but they do not lecture their beliefs to others and try to convert them. Moral decisions don't come into the equation for them so even if they hurt others in carrying out their duty, they don't feel bad. It's just business. At the end of the day, Autumn Fae aren't out to get you, but they also aren't out to help you, they just want to look after their own while maintaining an existence where order and organization are at the forefront.
Alliances:
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Winter Court - there is an understanding about the rules/laws that they share
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Spring Court - both are 'lesser' courts and bond over being considered afterthoughts
Enemies:
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Summer Court - too chaotic for Autumn's liking. Akin to teenagers finding a young kid loud and obnoxious
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General chaos
Crest of Autumn by Sarah Davidson
Crest of Spring by Sarah Davidson
Spring Court
Temperaments: Fae from the Spring Court are individualists that follow their own heart and generally shirk rules and traditions. They promote ideals of freedom, however it is their own freedom that comes first - they don't like being what to do or being controlled. That being said, if they are, they won’t necessarily work to change these restrictions, instead, they will just try to avoid them in the first place. Since “Good” and Evil” are mortal ideals that essentially mean nothing to the Fae, their actions cannot be defined as such.
Alliances:
Enemies:
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Anything to do with too much Law and Order
Summer Court
Temperament: Fae from the Summer Court can most easily be described as selfish and self-serving. They will do whatever they want as long as they can have fun and be amused. This is often the cause of choosing to play games with Mortals. In general, they will focus on one thing until it bores them. After that, whatever they were focusing on could cease to exist and they would not care. Out of all of the Courts, they are the most fickle.
Alliances:
Enemies:
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Anyone who denies them what they want
Crest of Summer by Sarah Davidson
Winter Court
Temperament: Members of the Winter Court are most known for their cold cruelty. They take what they want within the limits of their own code of conduct without regard for whom it hurts. Although to outsiders it may look lawless, insiders know that everyone in the Winter Court must follow the rules - albeit without mercy or compassion. Their hierarchical system is ordered with codes, honor, and a strict hierarchy.
Alliances:
Enemies:
Crest of Winter by Sarah Davidson
Unaffiliated Fae
Long ago there were the Four Courts of the Fae Wilds, each named after the ones who founded them. With this, each court adopted a demeanor similar to their namesake.
Spring was known to be lighthearted, carefree, and mischievous.
Summer was passionate, keen on playing tricks, and always ready for a celebration.
Fall was a bit more timid yet secure in their customs, gentle in the wake of the coming end, and steadfast in their duty.
Winter was commanding and harsh, unyielding, and quick to twist the words of others.
Not long after the four Courts were established, some residents found that their outlook no longer aligned with the Court they chose to call home. Rather than continue to affiliate themselves with the closest fit, they chose to break away and forge a new path for themselves.
The Unaffiliated Fae were united only by their agreement that all Fae should live by their own code of conduct wherever they choose to be.
As years went on their numbers only grew. To this day there are scores of groups of beings with Fae Heritage who have no ties whatsoever with any of the courts.
Other Names:
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Unaligned
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Wild Fae
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The Disgraced
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Shifters
Hjornne's Reunification
In 1022, the people of Evermire discovered and invaded a Watchtower base. Inside it was
empty of combatants or enemies. However, there was one Fae who looked as if they were on
the precipice of death. Before he could say anything, he passed away. The only item inside the
base was a box. Inside the box was a a large bone and an almost countless amount
of letters in a never before seen language.
As time went on the people of Evermire found themselves drawn to different parts of the world.
Unbeknownst to them, it was Hjornne pulling the strings. The original bone recovered from the
Watchtower base allowed the primordial being to subtly influence the people of Evermire into
doing his bidding in order to reconstruct his physical form.
In November of 1023 the final piece of Hjornne, the skull, was retrieved from a dungeon in the
Winter Court. Hjornne left Evermire for the Fae Wilds in order to reestablish The Court of Bones
and closed The Ways so there would be no interlopers getting in the way.
Cian Girven as Hjornne
The Seasonally Afflicted
When Hjornne made his way back to the Fae Wilds the essence of the four seasons slipped through to the mortal realm in the same moment and inhabited the body's of some of the people in Evermire. They called themselves the Seasonally Afflicted. Those chosen were marked by their respective seasons. Though the four seasons have their disagreements, they knew they would not only need to work together to defeat Hjornne, but that they would need help. Over the next two years the Seasonally Afflicted discovered The Bow, The Axe, The Shield, and The Sword: weapons that represented the strength and lifeblood of the seasons for Fall, Winter, Summer, and Spring, respectively. The Seasonally Afflicted dedicated their time to learning how to wield their new weapons including their latent abilities in preparation for the inevitable battle that lie ahead.
The Markings of the Seasons by Kaylah Crepps
September 1025
At midday on a late summer afternoon, a portal was opened by one of Hjornne's generals. Water poured through in an attempt to flood Evermire and rid it of its people. The war had begun. Hjornne's generals attempted to lay waste to Evermire. Some by water, some by air, some by wit, and some by charm. And of course, some by brute force.
While the generals were occupied, the people of Evermire sent a small team through
The Ways to a library that exists at the intersection of many known realms
with no guarantee of safe return. There, the adventurers hoped to find a way to defeat
Hjornne. After discovering multiple rituals that could help reach their goal, the group
needed to retrieve certain artifacts from the Fae Wilds in order to complete any of the
rituals. The assembled team broke into a base, freed the prisoners they found,
defeated Hjornne's strongest general, and retrieved the artifact. When the freed prisoners
asked for their names, the group collectively referred to themselves as Tempest. However,
during the adventure one party member succumb to old wounds and perished.
There was little time for grief and remembrance when the team came back though.
The adventurers shared the knowledge they gained from the library with the rest of town
so they could make a decision about the future of the Fae Wilds. The rest of Hjornne's generals invaded Evermire and besieged the town with a variety of challenges. A myriad of heroes stepped up to meet whatever the opposition threw at them. Though not all of the generals were defeated, enough of them were beaten so the town was not lost.
Still, the question remained: what should be done with bones of Hjornne? The town decided. They would follow the path of Restoration and Remembrance. Not only did Evermire restore the weapons to their mortal forms, they decided to restore Hjornne as Flesh and Blood. Hjornne and his children had a long overdue reconciliation. Together, they decided to return to the Fae Wilds, not to reestablish the courts, but to create something new altogether.
Cian Girven as Hjornne as Flesh and Blood