Fae

Fae

Courts

The Fae, also know as the Splendid, live in and through stories to an even larger extent than Named. Historically, they are split into four courts, at least two of which (Summer and Winter) are diametrically opposed to one another. The first courts encountered in the story were Winter and Summer, but it was said that should one of them win, it too would soon die and the courts of Spring and Fall would take their place, locked in a similar contention, and when in turn they would die Summer and Winter would rise again. This cycle had apparently run through countless revolutions, possibly since before Creation itself. This only changed when Cat and Malicia negotiated with the King of Winter and provided him the chance to marry his court together with Summer so that the cycle would come to an end, a new court rising in place of the old two. The name and nature of this new court has not yet been revealed, but shortly after Catherine finally released her own claim on Winter (as the Sovereign of Moonless Nights) to Sve Noc, she fulfilled her oath to Larat to create a second new court, the Court of Twilight. Due to his subsequent abdication and the Grey Pilgrim's donning and sacrifice, it was short-lived, becoming the Twilight Ways instead.

Powers

Fae exist eternally, dying and returning to life in a continuous story. They are interwoven with stories so much that simply attaining a title can give them a great deal of power. The average fae soldier is tall, skinny and adept with magic [source]. A single contingent proved a great deal of trouble [to whom?]. Also the fae have an ability to "claim" locations in Creation, allowing them better access to the Fae plane of existence allowing them to continually transport fae to Creation.

Fae have demonstrated a wide range of abilities depending on the specific fae that can include hydromancy, opening gates between Arcadia and Creation,

Weakness

Fae are particularly susceptible to their stories. An individual who uses witty banter can cause a fae to give up vital information even if the fae knows what the individual is doing, thus individuals who know how to story-craft – such as Amadeus, the Bard, or Catherine – can confront Fae who are considerably more powerful than them by leaning into stories and roles to bridge the gap.

Fae, while extremely powerful in their own plane of existence, are hampered significantly when they enter Creation, since they lose their perfectly fitted role in Arcadia's age-old stories and must act with agency instead. On the other hand, in Arcadia, Fae nobles or armies can be defeated with storycrafting even more effectively than in Creation. In the Battle of Four Armies and One, Catherine's numerically inferior armies smashed a sixty-thousand-strong Summer army with remarkably low losses, by arranging a "Summer walks into a dreadful trap" narrative.

Titles

Each of the four Fae Courts (Summer, Winter, Autumn and Spring) is ruled by a King or Queen. Which entity holds the crown of each Court changes between story cycles, with the other Sovereign candidates being princes or princesses on off years. Some entities also exist in different Courts with different titles; for instance, the slain Summer Duke of Green Orchards later reappeared as the Autumn Count of Green Apples. However, it's not certain if this is an instance that could have happened in the previous cycle of Arcadia or if it was only possible because of the unique shifting that occurred when the new Court was formed.

Knowing an individual's title can tell you much about their specific modus operandi and the powers they can bring to bear. Fae nobles' power typically scales in accordance with the rank of their title. However, nobles with particularly strong story roles can be far more powerful than they should be. The Lady of Cracking Ice is a standout in this regard; she was by far the strongest in a party that also included the Duke of Sudden Rime, despite having the lowliest title present.

Winter	Summer	Winter II (Court of Moonless Nights)
Prince of Bleak Solstice Prince of Nightfall Princess of Silent Depths Duke of Boreal Lights Duchess of Moonless Nights Duke of Sudden Rime Duke of Violent Squalls Marchioness of the Northern Wind Count of False Blooming Count of the Last Gasp Baron of Blue Lights Lady of Cracking Ice Lady of Snags and Bones	Prince of Burning Embers Prince of Deep Drought Princess of High Noon Princess of the Morning Star Duke of Green Orchards Duchess of Restless Zephyr Countess of First Bloom Count of Golden Harvest Count of Green Yew Count of Olden Oak Countess of Wrathful Skies Baron of Dawning Day Lady of Bright Meadows Lady of the Verdant Orchard	Queen of Air and Darkness Lord of Fading Echoes Lord of Shallow Graves Lord of Silent Steps
Riders of the Host Swords of Waning Day	Immortals	Wild Hunt

Autumn	Spring
Prince of Falling Leaves Duchess of Rash Tempest Duchess of Red Sunset Duke of Unrelenting Landslide Count of Green Apples Count of Ravenous Flame Countess of Still Amber Baroness of Red Hunt Lady of Cooling Nights Lord of Plentiful Harvest
Lords of Dwindling Warmth