[center][hr][hr][h1]||| The Lands of the Faerie |||[/h1][hr][hr][/center]


[indent]The Fae Realm is as vast as the Earth it was created from however unlike its counterpart the Fae Realm is not a globe but instead a flat landscape with limited space culminating in the edge of the world that leads into an abyss no one has ever returned from.

At the center of the land is the greatest tree to ever live. The mortals called it Yggdrasil, the World Tree. It stretches so high its branches disappear into the clouds. It is said that the roots reach down into the underworld itself. It is an ancient thing that some fear to approach and the only structure that is visible from all four courts.

The four Courts form a wheel in the center of the Fae Realm that occupies the majority of the landmass. When the first of the fae civil wars settled the surviving leaders from both sides knew that a declared boundary between them would only postpone further hostilities. They could not rely on themselves or the other side to guard a border without it eventually devolving back into war. To resolve this problem the leaders sought out the spirit of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. Both paid a heavy price for favor from the World Tree. Yggdrasil whose roots stretched throughout the land reached into the ground and tapped into the primal powers of the earth itself. From these it formed a barrier from north to south that separated the newly formed Seelie and Unseelie Courts. 

Thousands of years later when they splintered the wording of the agreement between Yggdrasil and the first Court leaders forced it to create another barrier from east to west that separated Summer from Spring and Winter from Fall. This barrier that keeps the fae separate and limits travel between the lands is known to everyone as [i]The Great Boundary[/i], or simply just [i]The Boundary[/i].

Each Court is made distinct not just by the season it embodies but also by the like of the fae that live within it and the ilk of the power they hold. These things reflect the Court as surely as a mirror reflect the face of any who look in it. (To be continued)

[color=Gray][i]Royal Titles:
[indent]Realm Ruler: High King/High Queen
[indent]Seelie Ruler:
Unseelie Ruler:
[indent]Spring Ruler: Archon/Archousa
Summer Ruler: Dauphin/Dauphine
Autumn Ruler: Emperor/Empress
Winter Ruler: Archduke/Archduchess[/indent][/indent][/indent][/i][/color][indent][indent][sub]To be incorporated[/sub][/indent][/indent]

There is little of value beyond the Court boundaries however that is not to say there is nothing. Bordering the Summer and Spring Courts is a great ocean the fae call the Styx. It is greatly feared and though it can be sailed most fae would not dare as no one that has ever touched the water has ever resurfaced. Any attempt to bottle water from the Styx fails as no matter how strong the container it shatters the moment the water is separated from the ocean. As though the Styx is unwilling to give up any of itself. The Styx houses the only islands native to the fae world. They are a terrible place known only as [i]The Never Isles[/i].

Meanwhile bordering the Winter and Autumn Courts is a stretch of desolate land known to the Courts as [i]The Far Lands[/i].[/indent]

[hr][h2]|| [color=LimeGreen]The Court of Spring[/color] ||[/h2][hr]
[indent]Spring is the land of eternal youth and rebirth however take care not to be fooled by its appearance. The trees that grow in Spring are young and new, their wood pliable and their color green. In many places in spite of their youth the trees form dense canopies that let only the merest trace of sunlight beneath them. Compared to the other realms Spring has blended much more thoroughly with the nature of the land. Rather than build houses or pull stones from the Earth for their roads most everything in Spring is created from the Earth. The fae live in houses sung from the trees or burrowed into the earth. The paths that line the land are hard packed dirt from millennia of travelers crossing them. Spring possesses no farms for the time of harvest never arrives in that realm. Instead the fae seek out the ripe fruits and lush berries of the woods to feed themselves. Spring is dainty but never be fooled by the appearance for it is also the deadliest of the four realms. Deadly because it pretends its weapons are welcomes and its curses blessings. Berries of vile poison cannot be discerned from those of rich sustenance. The prettiest of trees have leaves so sharp they may slit the skin. Blessed springs guarded by the Naiads are safe to drink should their spirit be willing but those without a guardian may look pure and clean but house deadly acids.

[hider=Mimameith]
Not long after the forming of the Spring Court the Archon Cernunnos decided that Spring needed to make a show of influence and power as amongst the other courts Spring had gained a reputation as being the [i]young[/i] and [i]inexperienced[/i] of the four lands. To this end Cernunnos journeyed to the heart of the fae realm, the World Tree itself and with the spirit of the tree struck a deal in exchange for a living seed with which to grow another tree.

Returning to his homeland Cernunnos reached to the very limits of his power to grow the seed into a tree that while dwarfed in comparison to its parent was still a massive structure to behold. The Palace of Spring was housed at Cernunnos command inside this great tree. The tree was given the name [i]Mimameith[/i] by Cernunnos to honor Yggdrasil's gift.

The Archon's hall was sung into the very edge of Mimameith's trunk. Behind the throne the wood had been stripped away leaving the entire Court with a brilliant view of all the Spring Lands. The opening has been cleverly enchanted to prevent any from entering from the outside though that is a hazard only from the winged fae for the hall's terrace stands several hundred feet up the side of the tree. As for the rest of the hall, small tree trunks grow up from the floor forming pillars that keep the hall standing. The hall spans two stories in height, along the edges is a great balustrade that wrapped the upper floor of the hall. From here many curious eyes may watch the proceedings of Court meetings below.

In contrast with the rest of the hall the throne which stands alone on a dais is a new addition to the hall only six hundred years old or so. It is made from a dark obsidian, the throne outlined in a sleek black wood frame polished to a shine to match the dense material that it complements. This throne was commissioned by the current Archon Nyx after the death of the previous Archousa Ceridwen. Speculation about the throne's replacement vary greatly.

Hanging on the walls of the Court is a great green tapestry trimmed with earthly brown designs. It has stood in the hall so long that it has in some sections fused itself to the walls that grow around it. The tapestry was and continues to be weaved by the chroniclers of Spring's great library. It denotes much of the history of the Spring Court for those who know how to read it.[/hider]

[hider=The River Lethe]
The Lethe is the river of forgetfulness.[/hider]
[/indent]

[hr][h2]|| [color=Green]The Court of Summer[/color] ||[/h2][hr]

[indent]

[hider=Mag Mell]

[/hider]

[hider=The River Cocytus]
The Cocytus is the river of wailing and woe.
[/hider][/indent]


[hr][h2]|| [color=OrangeRed]The Court of Autumn[/color] ||[/h2][hr]

[indent][hider=The River Acheron]
The Archeron is the river of pain and lamentation.
[/hider][/indent]

[hr][h2]|| [color=6ecff6]The Court of Winter[/color] ||[/h2][hr]

[indent][hider=The River Phlegethon]
The Phlegethon is the river of fire.
[/hider][/indent]

[hr][h2]|| [color=Gray]The Never Isles[/color] ||[/h2][hr]
[indent]The Never Isles represent the only bodies of land in the sea off the coast of the Spring and Summer Courts. The fae fear the ocean and so the Never Isles were turned into a prison. Not simply a prison though for every court ruler had his own dungeon, no the Never Isles became home to the cage for the most violent and vicious of the fae. To the ones who represented such a threat not just to one land but to all four that their escape could never be risked. Their imprisonment had to be assured.

The prison complex is a cruel and terrible place, nearly a Court unto itself, everything within the walls is determined by strength. The Warden, a pixie by the name of Belladonna, was the first prisoner to be exiled to the Never Isles. Malicious and calculating she controls the prison with an iron grip. Some say she had once upon a time a deep infatuation with a human boy who stumbled into her lands. She was so enamored of him that she gave him everlasting life and a place by her side. However it was not meant to be for many years later when a group of three siblings stumbled onto the island Belladonna's love defied her to help them escape back home. His name was Peter and in a fit of vengeance for that act Belladonna ripped his shadow from his body leaving him in a state of living death. It is said the shadow of Peter still wanders the island prison searching for a way home.[/indent]

[hr][h2]|| [color=SandyBrown]The Far Lands[/color] ||[/h2][hr]
[indent]A stretch of land bordering the Winter and Autumn Courts. The Far Lands are a desolate wasteland with very few resources. It is the dwelling place of wild fae. Those that cannot exist inside the courts either because they've fled from persecution or have been exiled. Those resources that do exist in the Far Lands are fought over desperately by any fae surviving. It is not uncommon to find remnants of the Tuatha living in the Far Lands where survival takes precedence over racial prejudices. In fact in that place Tuatha are actually considered valuable as they are the only ones capable of opening the boundary between the Far Lands and the Courts. The Tuatha are often used by the wild fae during raiding parties into the Courts. 
[/indent]