#Ipseity: His Tattered Mantle

[miisfits-toys]

Some world-building thoughts as I solidify/hammer out the details of my personal project...

With The Fae being a prominent group within the lore, it's a no-brainer to distinguish them not just from the "normal" groups, but distinguish each season from one another. Give them that unique visual style for Visual Storytelling......

In order is: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.

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Each of the seasons are split off in their own domains, but all occupy the same "realm." The in-universe name is currently pending, but for simplicity's sake will be referred to as The Fae Realm.

The Fae Realm itself is incredibly... Nebulous. It manifests not as a place, but a series of places. Entering The Fae Realm is less being transported to a Strange, Greater place, as much as it is that feeling of realizing a bit too late "Uh oh, I took a wrong turn and I'm only now realizing I don't recognize this place at all." It's very much about "boiling the frog," and very much a consequence of the nature of the realm itself. A realm supported by finicky and volatile magic,, is finicky and volatile !!

The places that are less volatile are that way from active effort, often public/community spaces that are maintained from a consolidated effort of keeping it maintained. If you want to support your local bakery, you're going to stop by often and shop from them, you know? This is done in both the literal sense and the metaphorical sense; The rotation of bodies and the respective, passive magic from each individual being consolidated helps to maintain a location.

More powerful/innate magic users are far better at supporting locations by themselves, but Fae are such Communal Creatures that it's not really necessary. Everyone is chipping in and no one is getting burnt-out. (As mentioned before, magic here is super finicky, so the more powerful users are just people who know how to "wrangle" it better.)

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The largest/most prominent of these spaces are the season's domains themselves. These spaces are supported by none other than the season's personal representations, the Heralds.

As the representatives and actors for these forces of nature, they are granted far more power than any other magic user. The Heralds are The Seasons, and The Seasons are The Heralds. For these strong, inherent ties, each domain heavily reflects their Herald.

And for some brief descriptions of each domain:

Spring

Formally known as Mirth of Reverdure, this domain is headed by its herald, The Enchanted.

Playful, flighty and frivolous, those within this domain are guided by their whims. The most chaotic of the domains, Fae from this domain have no qualms mingling with the human and living realm, even going as far to bringing them "back home" to get as much as they can out of them. This domain is where a majority of your "doppelgänger" and being "spirited away" myths come from.

The Enchanted is well regarded within her domain; She and her folk are nothing but enablers for one another.

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Summer

Formally known as Her Incandescence, The Incandescent, and Aestiver, this domain is headed by its herald, The Wayward.

A domain of glamour and grandeur, those within this domain enjoy any opportunity to flaunt. Between loud and open celebrations, displays of opulence, and treating non-Fae as novelty, Fae from this domain are very much the meddling type. This domain is where a majority of your "siren" and "changeling" myths come from; They simply cannot help being conspicuous.

The Wayward is a source of contention within her domain. As a domain that has prioritized prestige for many many years, this blatantly unruly force, one that bastardizes the grandeur, is not a welcome one.

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Autumn

Formally known as Eventide, this domain is headed by its herald, The Warden.

Prioritizing order and normalcy, those within this domain aren't of the meddling type; A Fae from Autumn's domain is much more concerned with the goings-on of their home community. Those who do opt to travel to the human and living realm are non-obtrusive, doing so with a purpose. This domain is where a majority of your "helper/house spirits" myths come from.

The Warden is a somewhat controversial figure, primarily for their openly human appearance, and open ally-ship with those "other" deities. Despite this, the relations with The Empress do aide in keeping everything where it should be, so it's not necessarily unwelcome.

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Winter

Formally known as The Mantle, The Gelid, and Penumbra, this domain is headed by its herald, The Huntsman.

Though highly inquisitive, these Fae have strange ways of going about this curiosity. A nuisance even within the Fae realm, Fae from this domain are determined to get what they want, often in overt and messy ways. Treating non-Fae as a novelty, interactions tend to border on the extreme. This domain is where a majority of your "malicious Fae" come from, and they often get pinned as "poltergeists" as well.

The Huntsman, is a source of strife among those within the domain. Though his erratic behavior bodes well for those equally sporadic, this leaves everyone else scattered. One of the names for this domain, "The Mantle," has become "His Tattered Mantle" as reference to the tumultuous state of the domain itself under his influence.

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With the Heralds being a relatively new aspect to the Fae lifestyle, each domain is very much going under their own reckonings. Being a Herald was regarded as a form of medium ship, a way to communicate with/on the behalf of your season/its force of nature; It has never manifested as a walking, tangible embodiment before.

Shifting and moving between domains has always been a neutral act, many Fae unaligned even, but those who do devote to a specific domain are now grappling between sticking with what they know, and sticking with what they prioritize.