Warlock Patrons: Noble Fey
Oberon, the Green Lord (Seelie Fey) CG, CN
Concerns: Nature, Wild Places, Animals
Symbol: White Stag
Descriptors: Strength, Stern, Non-political, Hunting, Stalking, Solitary, Protector
Stern and strong, Oberon is the Lord of Beasts among the Seelie Court and the greatest of the Seelie fey of nature. He could be mistaken for an elf, albeit one a head taller and far more muscular than any other elf in existence. Oberon’s wild eyes are jet black and set in a rugged face the color of oak. His thatched hair is a mess of brambles and long braids. As a hunter and woodland warrior he is unrivaled. It is said even the god Corellon regards him with a cautious respect. If Oberon has one weakness, it is the wild nature of his heart. He can fall sway to mood swings as violent as thunderstorms. Oberon spends much time away from Titania and is happier hunting and prowling sylvan woodlands than he is dealing with politics of the Court. Oberon relies less on illusion, camouflage, and the like than most of the other sylvan gods; he is quite ready to offer physical force to those who attack or persecute faerie folk.
Thunderstorm Creed
Strike like Lightning: Oberon has great strength. You must show pride in your physical strength and utilize direct martial combat over stealth and deceptions.
Speak like Thunder: There is no shame in being forthright. Oberon expects you to not hide your feelings. Speak openly and honestly about how you feel.
Wild Heart Creed
Embrace the Wilderness: Civilization is artificial and can never rival the perfection of nature. You must avoid lingering within civilization.
Shelter Nature: Where there are plants and animals, stand against those who would seek to destroy them out of selfishness. Spare those who must take to survive, and consider those who fairly replace what was taken.
A Green Heart: Those who embrace civilization can never truly understand you. You may never take a partner in love who does not follow a path of nature.
Verenestra, The Oak Princess (Seelie Fey) CG, CN
Concerns: Female Faeries, Charm, Beauty, Passion
Symbol: Filigree-edged silver mirror
Descriptors: Fickle and vain; dryads, nymphs and sylphs; self-beautification; jealous and snobby; loyal despite her inconsistent nature
Verenestra, the Oak Princess, is the daughter of Titania and Oberon. Fickle and very vain, she possesses an unearthly beauty of which she is not afraid to use to her advantage - something she’s said to have passed on to her faerie creature charges. Verenestra also possesses a fiery passion that capriciously ebbs and flows. Few other of the sylvan gods pay much mind to her attention for as soon as they do, it comes to a ceasing halt. Mortals however are more tempting and Verenestra delights in playing games of affection with mortals, going so far as to granting pacts to warlocks to continue her whimsical mischief on the Material Plane. Verenestra believes that magic exists in the charm and beauty of everything and that it can be tapped into to assist and protect creatures of nature. Everyone should be mindful of their own beauty, and they should seek to exude as much allure and attraction as possible.
Creed of Magnificence
Shine Upon Others: Ugliness in anything is unacceptable and you’re expected to always present yourself in an attractive and appealing manner. Dirt and dishevelment must be remedied as soon as possible.
Leave Light Wherever You Go: It’s not enough to be a beacon of beauty if the world’s unsightliness returns after you’ve left. You’re expected to leave places you visit prettier or cleaner - though not necessarily healthier - than when you arrived.
Petals of Pulchritude Creed
Blossom Building: True love for another is beyond Verenestra’s fickle nature, however, the bud of passion is always just a gasp of her fist away. Regardless of compatibility, Verenestra expects you to create or encourage amorous passion between others. You’re certainly not responsible for the outcome!
Hold the Reddest Roses: Being the most beautiful rose is important, but a rose among weeds is undesirable. Keep other attractive beings close, and spurn those ‘weeds’ who are destined to never flower.
The Greatest Gardener: While no ugliness can obviously be acceptable, neither can a garden that is more splendid than your own. Do not let others' beauty challenge your own or your group of friends. Avoid others who are of a greater beauty or act to reduce it.
Tuxil, the Trinket Lord (Seelie Fey) CG, CN, CE
Concerns: Gnomes, Lost Objects or Beings,
Symbol: A Golden Ring with a Sparkling Emerald
Descriptors: Rescuing lost things or people, Bargaining for being found again, Escaping slavery and attacking slavers, Not knowing one’s place in life, Finders keepers, Rewards success and punishes failure, mentor of arcane lore, generosity, aggravated with bad offers, loner,
Where do lost things go? Some say that such items vanish to a special place reserved for misplaced objects. Others insist that nothing is ever lost, only stolen. And still others believe they know exactly where lost things go, for they were once lost themselves. The stories told by the formerly lost are as varied as the people themselves, though, wherever these lost individuals were, one thing was clear: They had no direction and no hope.
Although the tales of the lost unfold differently, all of them end the same way. At some point, a small brown fox appeared in the path of the wanderer. Each person chose to follow the fox as it bounded away out of the mountains, toward a small oasis, or to a place where the trees weren’t so thick. Eventually, the traveler stood before a small ring of trees, and the fox leaped through the branches ahead. Pushing through the foliage, each wanderer encountered the same thing: a great heap of possessions - weapons, armor, statues, paintings, wagons, baubles, and much more. Atop the heap sat a gnome with reddish hair, examining a plaything he had plucked from the pile. He sat for a moment before smiling broadly and acknowledging the new arrival. “What would you lose,” he asked, “in order that what is lost become found?”
Some gnomes believe that the Trinket Lord was enslaved in a fomorian kingdom. Every day of his captivity, Tuxil saw the river of cool, molten gold that ran through the kingdom, and he saw how the gold was used to purchase many great treasures for the fomorian overlord. Even though he lived among fantastic splendor, the gnome was allowed to own nothing but the hovel he inhabited. Eventually, Tuxil escaped with the other gnomes. The group made for the surface, and the newly freed gnomes settled in places of their choosing. But Tuxil had no place to call his own. There were many places to dwell within the wild, but none seemed fitting to him. Eventually, Tuxil wandered to a place where the trees grew thick and the paths were uncharted. Every turn he took seemed to bring him back to where he started. Panicked and confused, he ran, winding through the trees and shrubs until he came to a clearing. The gnome stopped to catch his breath for a moment and was awestruck by what he saw. In the center of the glade was a pile of treasures both mundane and magical. As Tuxil walked closer to investigate, he heard a clatter as more items appeared atop the pile, causing some of the objects to roll down to his feet. The gnome didn’t know what he had found, but he didn’t care. At that moment, he realized that he enjoyed being lost - just as lost as was the small mountain of treasures before him. Those items belonged to the person who discovered them, and that person was Tuxil. Finders keepers, indeed.
As time went on, Tuxil realized that other things of value were waiting to be collected. The world held great secrets and treasures that were locked away, not possessed by anyone. His new home provided him with weapons and armor that amplified his magic, giving him the skills he needed to search for anything he desired. Tuxil’s cache grew ever larger, and he documented everything he owned and stored it in its proper place. His prowess in matters of thievery and magic far sur- passed that of the rest of his race. Tuxil was no longer an escaped gnome slave, but a master of treasures. The Trinket Lord was born.
Many adventurers refer to the Trinket Lord’s dwelling as the Hovel of Hansels because discovering the location is considered a sign of good fortune. Tuxil refers to it simply as his home. The gnome often disguises himself as a fox to guide those who are lost to his demesne. He offers them a place to rest and, most important, the chance to trade with him. The prospect of acquiring new objects brings out his generous nature. Thieves and treasure hunters with fey origins pay tribute to the Trinket Lord, hoping that he will favor them as they plunder ancient tombs and lost hordes. Tuxil revels in all such tributes, and chooses individuals who demonstrate great potential to become his servants. To some people, he is merely a patron, one who rewards success and punishes failure. To others, he is a teacher, passing down parts of his arcane knowledge and item lore. To a lucky few, he is both.
Tuxil is always after new items and eagerly trades with adventurers, but he is no fool. He becomes aggravated with those who make bad offers or seem to insult his knowledge of valuables. The most likely way for adventurers to meet the Trinket Lord is as a patron. Over the years, Tuxil has granted portions of his power to numerous warlocks in the hope that they will bring him new treasures from across the planes.
Creed of Discovery
Finders Keepers: What was once lost should be found. While living a life of adventure and exploration, Tuxil expects you to never leave treasure behind. Make every reasonable effort (and mayhap some unreasonable ones too) to recover what is lost.
Hoard a Heap: Tuxil is always on the lookout for new trinkets, and magical items. You must amass a horde of items for the Trinket Lord to pick from should you ever encounter him.
Lost and Found: Tuxil was once lost himself, both in location and in spirit, but all need not stay as such. You are expected to help find others; this may mean searching for those who are physically lost or it may mean helping someone find their place in life.
Hyrsam, the Prince of Fools (Seelie Fey) CG, CN, CE
Concerns: Satyrs, Korred, Dance, Song, Revelry, Rebellion
Symbol: Flute, pipes, and drum
Descriptors: Jesters, Strong drinks, Self indulgent, Gratification, Druidic, Old, Strength, Nostalgia, Purification of Nature, Restoration of the Feywild, Sedition/Rebellion, Travel, Clandestine politics and ambitions, Accepting of all races, Letting beasts roam free
Hyrsam is one of the most ancient fey creatures in existence. The eldest son of Oberon, the Green Lord, and Titania, the Summer Queen. Hyrsam remembers the earliest days of Faerie. In those days, Faerie was a brutal but beautiful realm occupied by the fey creatures who would one day become the members of the Court of Stars. No elves, no eladrin, and no drow existed then. Gnomes, satyrs, dryads, and treants frolicked and capered in the brightest sunlight, unfettered by the strictures of court or church. Hyrsam remembers those days well, and his fondest desire has always been to restore Faerie to that pristine condition. In public, he plays the consummate bon vivant, traveling from court to court with his coterie of musicians and minstrels, entertaining the various fey courts. But in the shadows, he sings secret songs of sedition and rebellion. His father, Lord Oberon, actively refutes the rumors about Hyrsam’s involvement in the fall of various kingdoms that have collapsed in the wake of his visits, but only because Hyrsam is so careful to keep his hands clean. Not even Hyrsam knows whether the Green Lord actually believes the stories about his son’s political intrigues. Though Hyrsam plays the fool for the nobles of Faerie, he is both clever and erudite, with an in-depth understanding of how to manipulate others. His true goals are both far-reaching and ambitious: Hyrsam seeks no less than the complete collapse of all fey kingdoms so that Faerie might return to its original pristine state. To that end, his songs sow the seeds of rebellion wherever he goes, and his revelers offer whatever clandestine assistance they can to rebels and traitors. Because Hyrsam seeks the complete collapse of civilization and a return to the natural anarchy of the original Faerie, he deliberately foments discord within the kingdoms through which he travels.
Origin Creed
Brutal Purity: Hyrsam believes there is beauty in nature’s purest savage form. Those who have become weak because of civilization have no place in this rebirth. Do not aid those who cannot survive the wild on their own.
Singing Sedition: Subtle and subconscious messages are the bread and butter of Hyrsam’s circle. Through acts of song and revelry, you are expected to sow the seeds of sedition and rebellion. Only the collapse of government and civilization will allow for nature’s reincarnation.
Rebel Rousing: Sedition leads to rebellion and rebellion requires rebels and Hyrsam’s revelers covertly aid those rebels. You are expected to aid dissenters and anarchists when their goals fit Hyrsam’s narrative.
The Prince of Frost (Seelie Fey) CN, CE
Concerns: Cold, Ice, Revenge
Symbol: Black snowflake on red
Descriptors: Heartache, Sorrow, Bitterness, Possessiveness, Revenge, Wrath, Mourning, Searching, Love
The Prince of Frost, also called the Pale Prince is a mighty fey. A heart frozen by lost love drives the actions of the Prince of Frost. He's bitter and merciless, though not unnecessarily cruel. As powerful as his possessiveness is, the prince is driven by a desire for revenge. He hates the mortal world for luring Sharaea from his side. More than that, he hates bold and brave folk who help those weaker than they are for no other reason than compassion. He rules over the Vale of Long Night in Faerie. It’s a place where the sun never rises and the moon never sets, a frigid place where the snow never melts and the trees are eternally covered in frost. The wind seems to sing a song of pain and loss, and the cold seems to reach through one's body to freeze even their dreams. Among the other fey, the Pale Prince was shunned by those of the Summer Court, and even hated by a few of those faeries, but the older and more powerful of them only pitied him. The fey of winter, however, united under him when they united at all, although he was by no means their ruler.
The Pale Prince is also served by various fey associated with winter, as well as some white dragons and other creatures of cold. However, despite his normal hatred for mortals, he has some mortal servants, called the Wintertouched; he is known to make pacts with warlocks. Warlocks who make pacts with him are called Long Night Scions. Cultists can be involved in specific plotting, or they can spread sorrow in the name of their dark master, harvesting tears for his frozen citadel. Depending on the nature of the Wintertouched, they can accomplish this through force - such as the slaughtering of loved ones, but leaving someone behind to mourn. It could be a subtle sport, wherein they manipulate events to tear apart a royal wedding or bond between allies. The Prince of Frost despises mortals as a rule, but he particularly hates selfless champions who dedicate their lives to noble causes. He enjoys making fools of such heroes. Sometimes he works slowly and subtly, by striking at lovers and relatives and stripping away everything that brings joy to the heart of such a one. He hopes to show that even the noblest mortal can become cold and cruel if he or she suffers enough.
The servants of the Pale Prince lurk in numerous lands. The most faithful of his followers are his warlocks, who are pledged to him in exchange for arcane power. These servants choose the darkness and callousness of winter embodied in the Prince of Frost. As such, those who oppose the Prince of Frost might be faced with strange servants of Lord of the Long Night, from a cabal of wintry arcanists to a tribe of barbarians dedicated to ice and death. Those who draw on the Pale Prince’s gifts can be altered by his touch. Their blood runs cold, leaving their skin pale and chilly to the touch.
Bitter Creed
Never Love: You must show that a life without love is worth living.
Be Cold: Your heart must be as cold as ice. The interpretation is broad, but the character might be callous and cruel, especially to enemies. He or she must also remain somewhat aloof from companions and, perhaps, eschew true friendship.
Never Steal: In the eyes of the Pale Prince, Sharaea was stolen from him. You must show that not all mortals are thieves. However, theft can be defined in many ways. The Prince maintains that Kasar stole Sharaea’s heart from him. It might be simple enough to avoid stealing objects, but can the warlock avoid stealing ideas?
Vengeful Creed
Seek Vengeance: You have been granted power to punish your enemies. He or she is expected to pursue this quest without hesitation or remorse.
Show No Mercy: You must be as cold and ruthless as those of the Winter Court. Any sign of weakness or compassion to enemies cannot be tolerated.
Punish the Deserving: Although your personal quest for revenge is top priority, you must avenge other slights as well. In the case of the Pale Prince, this revenge should bring loss and sorrow to those who survive it.
Queen of Air and Darkness (Unseelie Fey) CE, NE
Concerns: Magic, Darkness, Murder, Air, Illusion, Evil Fey
Symbol: Black Diamond
Descriptors: Elven and Faerie slaves, Hell Hounds, Corruption of good to evil, Corruption or destruction of sylvan races, Destruction of forests, Patience, Cold & calculating, Utterly Evil, Emotionless, Draining beings of self-will and autonomy,
The wretched Queen of Air and Darkness haunts the Unseelie Court as a hovering, unseen, but very definitive perceived malign magical presence. From her twisted throne in Faerie she snaps her fingers to her enslaved evil elven and faerie servitors, the mindless undead which perform menial duties, and to the hell hounds and Yeth hounds who slaver at her feet. The Queen is truly only a husk of a being, utterly corrupted by the ten-faceted Black Diamond, an artifact of vast magical strength and ineffable evil. The Queen deals with no other evil deities and simply ignores them. Wretched beyond any hope of her own physical death, the soul-dead Queen is driven to destroy what she herself once was, to drive the Seelie Court and the deep sylvan races down into darkness and destruction, leaving only the shells of their bodies remaining. She is patient, cold, utterly evil, emotionless, and calculating, her hatred delighting in the triumph of turning good to evil, of draining beings of their self-will and autonomy just as the Queen has lost hers.
Black Tears Creed
Spread Sorrow: Every tear the character squeezes from foes is fuel for darkness to grow. Turn lovers into enemies or friends into opponents. Make heroes into villains or turn fame into obscurity. Destroy important history or corrupt truth with lies. All of these are acceptable examples of black tears for the Queen of Air and Darkness.
Dark Presence: Your very presence beckons discomfort and malice. Let none around you feel comfort and pleasure while you feed your need for vile and emotionless misery.
Soulless: People think they are special and unique. Tear down everything that makes them feel important. Reduce their self-will and individuality; steal or destroy things they identify with; and restrict their free-thinking.
Abolition Creed
Ruthless Heart: The Queen of Air and Darkness seeks nothing but the eradication of all the faerie races. No mercy or compassion can be made for any fey who will not submit to corruption.
Shadows Upon Nature: Nothing is more dear to the hearts of faeries than the natural world. Sow the seeds of nature’s destruction.
In Shackles: While the downfall of the faerie races will involve countless deaths, enslavement and oppression are not an unacceptable mechanism to their despair.
Kannoth, the Vampire Lord of Cendriane (Unseelie Fey) CE, NE
Concerns: Undeath, Vampires, Blood, Debauchery, Moral Decay
Symbol: Fanged mouth with blood dripping from the top right fang.
Descriptors: Drinking blood; Gluttony; Never satisfied; Corruption of soft, warm beauty to frigid, haunting elegance (yet not ugly or deformed); Solitary but friendly to strangers
Once a fair noble eladrin, Lord Kannoth refused to leave his city after it was abandoned following a devastating war. The lord began to experiment with necromancy, turning himself into a vampire and kidnapping other fey to turn into undead subjects. When the Queen of Air and Darkness came to him and demanded his loyalty he agreed, something very few powerful fey did. Kannoth is allowed to continue ruling his city of undead under the queen's protection. He now serves as the foremost master of necromancy among the fey, court mage of the Unseelie Court, and patron fey for undead throughout the plane.
Bloodlust Creed
Wine of Life: The fountain of youth isn’t a fantasy; it’s inside each one of us. Kannoth has convinced you that the key to eternity is through the literal consumption of your enemy’s blood.
A Connoisseur: Search out and acquire all manner of strange and unique bloods for your collection.
My Life is Yours: Convince, con, trick or force others (especially the innocent and pure) to drink your blood.
Creed of Haunting
A Crown of Maleficence: Kannoth feeds off the decay of morality and goodness - yet despises the ugly and deformed. Nurture virtuous and beautiful innocence into frigid, haunting, and elegant debauchery; but discard those who have their beauty corrupted or damaged.
The Inaction of Good: Nothing bankrupts a moral society faster than keeping the strong from standing up for the weak. Influence the powerful and protective to look out for themselves first leaving those who need their help to fend for themselves.
Baba Yaga, Mother of All Witches (Hag) CE, NE
Concerns: Witches, Hags, Magic,
Symbol: Mortar and pestle
Descriptors: Unpredictable, Fickle, Secrets, Bargains, Dangerously worded agreements, Horses of all kinds, Occasional Mentor, Vast Knowledge
Baba Yaga, the hag who eats heroes and places their skulls on pikes, has a long history of being one of the most evil and dangerous old women in stories. The only way a hero can outsmart her is with the help of peculiar artifacts or with assistance from the animal kingdom. And yet, Baba Yaga is not always the clear villain in these tales. She does eat people, and there is no doubt she is evil. But sometimes she offers a hero assistance or employment, or she raises a foundling as her own, bestowing gifts upon the child as she sees fit. People who travel to Baba Yaga’s hut (which typically resides in Faerie, but also appears at times on the Material Plane) do not typically do so in hopes of defeating the witch and ridding the area of her evil Influence. The adventurers might instead seek magic items her hut supposedly contains, or they come seeking the hag’s wisdom, hoping to be some of those polite few who survive their encounters with the witch.
Baba Yaga is unpredictable. In some tales, a good child receives wealth in return for service to her and a bad child is eaten. But the heroes, regardless of their actions, might be offered food and shelter, or they might be chased away by the witch, shouting curses at their fleeing backs as she glides along in her oversized flying mortar and pestle. Being polite is not a guarantee of good treatment, just as being rude is not an instant death sentence. Baba Yaga has her own motivations, which are beyond an adventurer’s understanding.
Baba Yaga frequently takes servants into her home. She sometimes has daughters; these girls might love their foster mother and be content to bake their guests in a large oven and feast alongside her, or they might want to join the heroes in escaping the witch’s hut.
Foolish Pawns Creed
Be the Puppeteer: Hags can be as manipulative as fiends. Use others as a means to further your own agenda. This could be creating allies, or using people to soften your enemies.
Be the Shepherd: What is life without family and friends? It gets lonely out there. Take people under your wing; teach them your ways so that they may grow strong and aid you.
Be the Artist: Unpredictability is your paint and everyone is a canvas. Within your nature or not, you’re expected to be fickle and full of uncertainty. Do you kill and eat the hero, or send him on a whimsical (yet pragmatic) errand for the secrets he seeks?
Conspiracy Creed
Keep Stars in your Pockets: You live for secrets. Scheme, plot, and dig to learn everything you can.
Steal the Moon: Those who serve “Little Grandmother” are not so easy to predict. Devise elaborate bargains and carefully-worded agreements with those who you would trade information with.
Animal Control Creed
Tastes like Chicken: Maintain an avid interest and pleasure in consuming different raw meats, regardless of origin.
Skull Cap: You may not always have a pike laying around, but the least you can do is bring them along for the journey. Hang from your pack, or otherwise display, the pristinely cleaned skull of the last thing you ate.
On your High Horse: Avoid harming any breed or quality of horse - celestial, fiendish, or mundane. If you have the opportunity to own or stable horses it may be the path towards a bargain.