The current series that I am working on all takes place in a fragmented world; once a singular entities, it has been torn into three separate realms, all with their own cultures and attitudes and tendencies. This page is where I keep them straight in my mind!
The Realms
There are three realms, separated by the Four during The Great War. Though Humanity, Seelie and Unseelie tended to live within their own communities prior to the separating of the realms, some fae did end up trapped in the human realm. Their inter-mingling with humanity has resulted in the creation of a new species, the demi-fae.
The separating of the three realms results in unequal division of land and resources – humanity were left with little more than some scattered islands, whereas Seelie maintained much of their original lands with their four large continents and some islands. No matter the quantity land occupied by the Unseelie, they will always have Thirteen Kingdoms.
Human Realm
Smallest of the three realms and the most clearly fragmented of them, the human realms have no supercontinent but only clusters of islands of varying size. There is no clear unity even within the individual islands, but most of them operate under a feudal-like structure, with lords overseeing acres of land each. Remnants of previous technology exists in the larger cities, from when the Three Realms were One and humanity needed some way to hold their own against the Fae.
Unseelie Realm
Split into 13 Kingdoms, the Unseelie are spread across 5 continents. These Kingdoms are not of equal size, with the Thirteenth being the smallest – and the one that shares the greatest number of borders with other kingdoms. The Unseelie realms are led largely by milita, rather than anything else, and vengeance is an expected hazard in life. Oaths to leaders are commonplace to guarantee loyalty. Murder is tolerated as overpopulation is such a core issue for the Unseelie that a high death rate is actually beneficial.
Officially, the Unseelie all bow to Oberon, but the larger kingdoms withhold food to gain leverage over him, so their ‘unity’ is little more than a facade.
Seelie Realm
The largest of the Three Realms is Seelie, with 4 supercontinents – one attributed to each of the seasons. There are bigger rural areas than in Unseelie but each city is significantly larger and more powerful. Oligarchies and democracies are commonplace, and religion is the thread that connects the 4 continents. High priests/priestesses always have a seat on the Council of their city and have the final say in all matters.
They negotiate with each other, but do not bother to pretend to be unified or working towards the same goal. It’s less an alliance than a toleration of each other.
Religion in the Human Realm
Compared with the Fae, humans have pitably short lives. Therefore, it is perhaps not surprising that they have mistaken the Four Seasons as true gods, when they are in fact merely mortal fae imbued with greater magic than the average individual. None of the Four have bothered to correct the humans on this fact – after all, humans are so quick to die.
There are cults dedicated to the following of each of the Seasons, with their forms of worship differing for each of the gods.
Spring (Vernal) – associated with rebirth and therefore life itself. The magic of Spring encourages a greater connection with the earth and all it grows. Spring is a showy season, full of blossom and bloom, and so the god of Spring is one who does not fear an audience or admirers – of which he has many.
Summer (Xander) – associated with lingering sunlight and any form of luminescence. The magic of Summer brings with it a connection with the air and a resilience that surpasses all normal Fae. Summer has a quiet dignity that the other seasons seem to lack, viewing his fellow Seasons as his siblings, united in their gift of magical brilliance.
Autumn (Iphigenia) – the only of the Four to originate from Unseelie Lands. Some accused her of stealing the magic from a more deserving Seelie Fae, but the magic did choose her of its own volition. Autumn being a season of burning colours is associated with fire and death. Autumn was said to have fought herself in the Great War, defending the Human Realms from the annexation that Oberon threatened.
Winter (Nyx) – despite being associated with darkness and hopelessness, Winter has the greatest affinity for healing. Her connection with water and ice also brings the ability to wash clean, and a subtle beauty waiting to be appreciated by those who long for the quiet. Closest to Autumn, the Winter god spends much of her time being the emotional-support god, repairing the hurt feelings of the other three.
Religion in the Fae Realms (both Seelie and Unseelie)
Three sisters are given credit for the births of the three realms: Methusea, Stheno and Uryale. Though the same age, they are often thought of as maiden, mother and crone, and each take responsibility for different realms. Worship of each of the three has gradually fallen from habit, with Seelie preferring to acknowledge the Four mortal gods as living embodiments of the gifts from the Three. Despite their immortality, the Three have not been rumoured to walk any of the three realms for many, many centuries, and some Fae have begun to doubt their existence.
Methusea – the maiden god. Methusea is short-tempered and always striving for strength above all else. She crafted the Unseelie realms, insisting on the importance of earning one’s rank in society, and proving your worth through battle. Sometimes called the Warrior God, Methusea’s very name is used as a rank in Unseelie societies, labelling the highest officer in an army. Mythology is sketchy on the cause of her separation from the three, but all three realms tell of her imprisonment in the bowels of Unseelie, trapped in Fae form and bricked inside the walls of a prison itself.
Uryale – the mother god. Uryale is one gifted with foresight, valuing the place of knowledge above all. Her realm was that of humanity, abandoning the spreading of magic in place of something much more powerful – knowledge, ambition and innovation. She dwelt among the humans for centuries before revealing too much of the future and causing Stheno to deem her a danger to the realms. Mythology tells of the castle of Aegica, run through with the vines that grow from Uryale’s cage.
Stheno – a horrible, horrible gremlin of a god. She wants the destruction of all and thinks of her realm, Seelie, as superior to the other two. The imprisonment of Methusea was bred from jealousy, and Uryale from a need to control everything around her. She is the only god wandering the realms, and frequently interferes in the background to make things go bad. Information has been redacted for the safe-keeping of the individuals in all three realms. Any writings on Stheno are to reported directly to the Council of Aegica, Mahueii or any of the divine priestesses for their immediate approval and/or destruction.
Hannah J Boddy 