Editing Autia (section)

==='''Introduction to Fey Beings, Alkorian School Textbook Excerpt:'''===

Fey creatures are believed to originate from one of several dimension with strong ties to this world, as a result, most fey are able to sense and access the many hidden portals that cover Autia and other neighboring continents. Some fey in fact spend almost all their time in alternate dimensions, only occasionally visiting this one to explore or be a nuissance. Fey races tend to have the ability to innately cast certain types of spells without training, though ability varies by individual. Thanks to their chaotic nature, and the ready availability of food and other resources in their home dimensions, fey tend to be whimsical, and seemingly uninterested in pragmatic matters like nation building, farming, or economics. However races with fey ancestry that have lived in our dimension for many generations tend to lose many of the traits associated with the fey, including the ability to detect and use portals, their innate magic, and their eccentric nature.

Partial List of Common Fey:

'''--- Elves ---'''

- Fairie Elves: Resemble short, young-ish elves. Despite their youthful and bright appearance, Fairie Elves are sadistic and cruel, using their magic to torture others to death. Frequently ride large fey corgis and associate with evil hags. Common in Fluffwood, but occasionally show up elsewhere.

- Nymphs: A notoriously attractive and wanton race of all female elves, nymphs are generally found near portals located in pure lakes and rivers.

- Other Elves: Most elves are believed to have fey origins, but some races have arrived more recently than others, and some races are said to have lived in non-fey dimensions for generations before coming here. Aside from some Lapus Elves and a few others, most elves have lost their ties to the fey worlds, though they retain high magical potential, and some retain innate fey abilities.

'''--- Giants ---'''

A category for humanoid fey much larger than a human. Not all giants have fey origins, some came from other worlds (non-fey giants are not listed here).

- Cyclops: One eyed giants found mostly in Rinolsol, and occasionally in parts of western Autia. Ill tempered and territorial, they are best avoided. The Soukos Republic sometimes uses them as shock troops.

- Frost Giants: Large giants found mostly on the northern continent, but stories suggest they once lived on the southern continent as well. Often powerful magic users in addition to their sheer size, they have been the bane of colonial attempts for ages, though luckily they seem to have no expansionist tendencies of their own.

- Hill Giants: Large lumbering dull-witted brutes. Most have lost their connection to the fey worlds. Not particularly cruel by fey standards, but lazy and hungry. Prone to stealing large vegetable and livestock, but can also be bribed to fight or do heavy labor in return for food. Found mostly in remote grasslands, foothills and mountains.

- Minotaur: A fairly rare giant found mostly in southern Rinolsol and the western Autian mountains. Aggressive and with dark tendencies, many become worshippers of Deadicorn. Sometimes they are tamed by Soukos City States to serve as shock troops. The Eldrians made their own version which remain common to this day in some former Eldrian territories.

- Ogres and Ogrillon: A large, aggressive race, orgillons forged a massive empire on this world in ancient times and gradually lost their ties to the fey realms. However, they were destroyed by the Sartyrian Elves, and only small pockets remain on the northern continent. Their inbred, mentally stunted descendants can be found in small pockets in the remote swamps and hills of Autia.

- Oni: Powerful magic users with an unknown connection to the ogrillon/ogre race. Very rare, only isolated pockets are now believed to exist in eastern Autia.

- Stone Giants: Large giants that seem to be carved from the living stone. They prefer to be left alone, but sometimes can be lured into the service of humans in exchange for favors and oaths. Generally only found in the most remote mountain regions.

- Trolls: Large cannibalistic race with an unnaturally quick healing ability. They live mostly in the fey realms, but sometimes cross over to feast on anything too slow to outrun them. Can sometimes be bargained with or enchanted to serve as deadly shock troops.

'''--- Gobinoids ---'''

A name for the several fey races that resemble goblins in appearance and temperament.

- Goblins: One of the most common fey descended races, goblins can be found in fairly large numbers in most parts of the world, though like harpies they rarely form large nations of their own. Known to be fairly intelligent but ill-tempered, those that live along humans sometimes find niches as tinkerers, merchants, and bankers, but tribes the retain strong ties to the fey worlds generally reject technology in favor of wild and unpredictable magic. Despite their own capabilities and generally disagreeable and somewhat cruel nature, most fey goblins have a strange drive to serve those they see as stronger than themselves, usually other fey.

'''--- Ents ---'''

A slow-witted and tranquil race that prefers to be left alone and that reproduces by performing complex rituals on living trees. Found mostly in the most isolated sections of forest like The Soulwood and isolated parts of Lapus.

'''--- Fairies ---'''

Blanket term for fairies, pixies, sprites, and other small humanoids with wings. Many different types exist, and naming conventions vary by area. Most are fairly harmless aside for their love of voyeurism and petty tricks, but some are cruel and sadistic, particularly when they spend too much time with darker fey like hags and red caps. Generally prefer enchantment and illusion magic, but some have been known to use life magic.

'''--- Half-Men ---'''

Category of fey that have a human head and torso, but legs and sometimes arms are animalistic. Frequently mistaken for demon half breeds or creations of the Eldrian Empire, both of whom sometimes come in forms that greatly resemble certain types of fey half-men, to the point that they are basically indistinguishable and carry the same name.

- Centaurs: Torso of a human attached to the body of a horse. Most are in fact demonic half breeds created by Deadicorn, or creations of the Eldrian Empire meant to resemble the real thing. Most "true" centaurs are now found in Rinolsol. Most avoid magic, but some are good at divination and weather magic.

- Gepids: Upper body of a human, lower body of an octopus. Found mostly in a coastal region of the Fairy Lands known as Halem.

- Harpies: One of the most common fey descended races, they can be found almost anywhere, but prefer mountains and coastal areas, though some breeds live in deserts, forests, or jungles. Most harpy clans have dwelt in this world for generations and have lost their connection to the fey worlds, but some, like those in parts of Lapus and the Fairy Lands still have strong ties to the fey. Culture and appearance varies greatly by breed and region.

- Merfolk: The most common of the aquatic races, they possess many sub races that taken together can be found in any ocean, and some lakes and rivers. Many sub races are female only. Appearance, culture, and magic varies greatly between sub races.

- Satyr and fauns: Lazy, party loving fey with little appreciation for other people's boundaries. Found in small bands in temperate forests all over Rinolsol, Autia, and Tismo. Some tribes are fairly harmless, but many other tribes have gained a reputation for banditry, rape, and slavery. Many tribes in Tismo are Deadicorn worshippers. Some are known to be skilled at enchantment and divination magic. Definitions of "satyr" and "faun" vary by area.

- Snake People: Human upper half and snake lower half. Like dryads they sometimes declare themselves guardians of large sections of forest, particularly the warm, dry forests along the border of the dry grasslands of central Autia. Sometimes giant, many armed versions have been encountered in the deepest forests.

'''--- Shape Shifters ---'''

- Dryads: Forest dwelling fey that have the ability to transform between an elf-like shape, a tree, and a hybrid shape. They spend most of their time in their home dimension, but will sometimes declare a section of forest under their protection. Unpopular with hunters and tree cutters for this reason. Skilled at life magic and animal control.

- Lycanthrope: Technically cursed humans, but usually encountered in areas of strong fey magic. Lycanthropes usually possess an animal form and a hybrid form, along with their original form. Despite popular belief, it is actually fairly difficult for a lycanthrope to transfer their curse onto another, which typically involves powerful rituals. Several types exist, though werewolves are the most common and famous. Their strong urge to feast on the flesh of humans means they are unpopular, and are frequently targeted by bounties.

- Hags: Cruel and spiteful race obsessed with acquiring magical knowledge. Some can function within mainstream human societies despite their love of acts of petty cruelty, but others are as insane as the worse Unravellers or demon worshippers, and can only operate in remote areas like Fluffwood or Hagarta. Several sub races exist specializing in different environments like subarctic forests, deserts, swamps, hills, or deep forest. Usually resemble monstrous old women, but sometimes will shift to a more attractive form when needed.

- Spirit Animals: A magically powerful people who always have one humanoid form, and one animal-ish form. Found mostly in Napan. Fey dragons are a subcategory of this race, but are usually treated as a separate race in Napan due to their immense power even compared to other Spirit Animals.

'''--- Wee Folk ---'''

Catch-all category for fey that resemble humans, but are smaller.

- Gnomes: Resembling small humans, often seemingly old, but still with boundless energy. Gnomes once conquered most of Tismo, and occasionally invaded even Autia. Like their close cousins (and hated enemies) the leprechauns, they have powerful magic which they like to use for tricks. Not particularly evil, but frequently possessing of a strange, sometimes perverted mindset. Still possess fairly strong ties to the fey worlds despite the large civilizations they have established in the past on Tismo and Autia.

- Monkeymen: A strange type of fey that looks like a cross between a human and a spider money. They are usually found in the Emerald Isles, but sometimes show up on other continents, with known populations in Afrozil, Napan, and Lindgrub. In Autia and Lapus they are usually seen as harmless, attention seeking jokers, but in the Emerald Isles many have fallen under the influence of cruel demons and have become twisted and foul. Like other wee folk, they use their magic mostly for tricks.

- Leprechauns (Lepre Khans): Visually somewhat similar to gnomes, though easily distinguished by their bright orange hair and strange accents. Leprechauns have strange and powerful magic which they use for trickery that ranges from harmless to cruel. Mostly found in central Lapus, but do occasionally appear in other forests, hills, and mountains where portals to the fey worlds exist.

- Red caps: A small but cruel race, they resemble a mix of gnomes, leprechauns, and goblins depending on the subrace, usually a mix of all three. Skilled at life magic, they are fond of binding victims in magical thorned vines, or using life magic to temporarily enhance their own strength. They boast their magic by collecting the blood of those in pain. Usually found in the darker parts of Fairy Land and the Bloodsap Forest, particularly in area where hags are found.