The fay race is divided into two branches, the Dverige and the Liassafar, who are eternally antagonistic to each other. The former are by natural form short and gnarly, strong of arm and unlovely of form, for they are generally born with all manner of deformities. Some have over-muscled arms, others cloven hooves for feet, yet others enormous noses or ears. They age early and unprettily, for in their hidden halls they labour day and night, a-building mighty arms for the prosecution of the war against the Liassafar. The Liassafar are other than the Dverige, being tall and slim, fair of face and cat-sure in motion. And this is the cause of the war between them, since the Liassafar spurn the Dverige, saying that they are made for servants and their deformities are a punishment for rebellion. The Dverige in turn say they were once as the Liassafar, their current forms being the result of a curse laid on their long-fathers in ages past, and this may be true, for both races show their fay heritage in their skill in shape-shifting and illusion. Perilous it is to bargain with a fay, for even if you gain what you seek (and that unlikely) it will probably to turn out to be other than what you bargained for.
All of the fay races have an antipathy to ferrous metals. Even to handle it galls fays and longer contact can burn. Wounds made by iron are slow to heal and for this reason fays shun iron and steel in every form, even the Dverige who in their halls beneath the roots of the hills have followed other ores down into darkness and become the world's premier smiths. So great is their fame that sometimes men will walk through the eternal darkness to barter for their wares.
In other ways too, their kinship is proclaimed. Both Dverige and Liassafar are long-lived and may survive generations of men. Both are capricious and impetuous in nature, given to chivalry, violence and prankishness in turn - although there is the legend of the fay Gremandel, who, reproved by his king for levity, became so deliberate in all things that he starved to death pondering what he should have for breakfast. Neither Dverige or Liassafar nor most of the lesser fays can stand the light of the sun - it blinds and maddens them, since their senses are keen in darkness and twilight. But the feature that foremost proclaims their nature is their unnatural fecundity. Members of the fay races can breed with almost anything. They do not mate as other creatures do, but by the casting of transformative magic. Even a single bout of loving is sufficient, as many a human maid has found to her woe. The offspring of such a union is a hybrid, showing features of both parents. The offspring of the Dverige are often more misshapen than their parents, and the Liassafar also breed many sports. These tend to express the worst in the Liassafar character, being small, delicate, vindictive and generally brainless. The subraces are usually short-lived compared to their parents, but even so they may often long outlive humans.
However, despite their enmity, there is some contact between Dverige and Liassafar - trade, contest and occasional interest. On rare instances, they have even fought together in the other great conflict that rifts the societies of the fays - the battle between Ciëre and Unciëre (forgetting and remembrance). These are the two factions of the fays, the first of whom are resigned to the passage of their realms of the dark millennia, when their sorcery darkened the sun and who have now turned to other pursuits. The Unciëre, however have not forgotten and they plague and puzzle their reluctant brethren and humankind alike. In true form, they are fays like their kin, though perhaps tending more to the grotesque, but they cloak themselves in forms of nightmare and on dark nights ride their horror into the hutments and steadings of men. By far the greatest portion of woe suffered by men at the hands of fays has been due to the Unciëre.
Fay society includes the wandering solitaries of the world's wild places and small bands of fays who roam woods and mountains. Most however, live in holdings hidden from the eyes of men. Only in Pesh, the land of shadow, do fays dwell openly. Although lords among the fays have their own halls, well hidden from prying eyes, all acknowledge loose fealty to certain powerful self-styled kings or queens, who govern the various Ciëre and Unciëre courts. In all cases, the fays of the subraces who are not cast out (see Beastman) make up the underclass - buffoons, servants, and occasionally and appallingly, sport for the hunt. The Unciëre often, and the Ciëre occasionally, will also hunt men. Although the Dverige generally scorn such pastoral pursuits, they are no less fierce in avenging a slight (real or imagined).
Due to their mutable nature, no accurate Stat.s for Fays can be given, but as a basis the following may be used:
The pure race are the nobles of the Liassafar. They are tall, slim and human-like except for their large almond-shaped eyes and high cheek bones. Their skins are pale, complemented by fine hair so fair it is often almost white. Their hands and fingers in particular, are longer than is normal in humans and extremely nimble
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The lesser race of the Liassafar are generally servitors and craftsmen. They range in appearance from similar to the pure race, with but a single defect (cat's eyes, dark hair, or low comeliness, for example) to creatures which are quite different. Lesser race creatures are often smaller and frailer than their cousins, but confoundingly, others are larger - sometimes even giant size. Common minor powers are thus 1 or 2 levels of growth or shrinking. Still other lesser race are human-like - perhaps the issue of a long ago union between the races, with generally one or two exaggerated characteristics such as a bulbous red nose or ankle-length beard.
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The least race of the Liassafar are similar to their higher caste cousins but with defects even more exaggerated. Some are quite monstrous, being born without skin, or with animal's heads or bodies. These creatures are often exposed at birth. Few of these survive, those that do often becoming furtive creatures, or baleful haunters of lonely places. More usually, however they resemble their kin, but they are almost all in some way caricatures. They may have greatly elongated limbs or giant heads, be very small or very large (2 or even more levels of shrinking or growth) or have overwide mouths or enormous noses. By and large they are not very smart, either. These creatures are anathema to the aesthetically sensitive high race, who have been known to thrash them within an inch of their life simply for the affront their appearance gives.
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The pure race are the rulers of the Dverige. They are short and muscular, and often have deformities that they hide behind bushy beards, long robes or elaborate hats. They tend not to practice the graceful airs and courtly talk that are the pride of the Liassafar, placing esteem instead in honest talk. Indeed, they are honest to the point of rudeness and like to talk almost beyond human endurance!
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The lesser race of the Dverige is as homely to look upon as its rulers - and often much less so. They show some of the same features as the Liassafar lesser races, but tend more towards stocky forms and rather more unruly body hair.
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