Admiral Squish
2010-07-30, 11:19 PM
Through man's history we have marked the passing of seasons with reverent precision. The passing of one season to the next, the slow, eternal march from spring to summer to fall to winter and back to spring, has held a sort of wonder. So it should be no surprise that the seasons have their heralds, their bringers of change, their lords and ladies to ensure that all goes according to plan, and everything stays in balance while the scales forever shift.
The fey recognize this, and the court of seasons ensures the continued motion of the seasons continues as it is meant to.
Great Court
The sovereign of seasons is the only member of the great court, his authority is enough to keep all the minor courts in line.
Sovereign of Seasons: The lord of all seasons, he is the one whose power dictates the flow of time itself through the world. This massive fey looks like an androgynous figure with flowing, chestnut hair and milky skin. A crown of branches on his head fades rapidly through the seasons, the leaves bugging and flowering, then growing larger and more vibrant, then turning orange and gold, then falling off completely as frost kisses the branches and the cycle starts over, all over a few seconds. His clothing is a simple tunic that ripples through colors from the neck down, always shifting. White, pink, green, orange, over and over.
Spring Court:
The spring court is abound with life and beauty. This is the least aggressive of courts, though a Sakura's mighty fists and the Lifebringer's summons are not to be trifled with.
Bud: These are the least of the spring spirits. They resemble floating flower buds with closed petals, an infant's face peeking out between them. These are the first of the spring court to be able to manifest on the material plane, and they begin the process of thawing out the world from winter's grip.
Blossom: These spirits resemble green-skinned children wearing clothes made of flower petals. These spirits are a measure more powerful than Buds. they manifest next as the grip of winter loosens and the spring really starts.
Sakura: The sakura are the muscle of the spring court, massive treant-like fey adorned with brilliant pink cherry blossoms that constantly rain around them. The sakura arrive once spring is well underway, stamping out the last bits of winter.
Lifebringer: Lifebringers appear shortly after the Blossoms. They are the lowest level of noble in the spring court. They resemble teenaged girls with short, bobbed hair and green skin. Their hair and clothes are alive with blossoms and plants of all sorts. The lifebringers manage the buds and blossoms, coordinating the true beginning of spring.
Lifebringer Lady: The lifebringer ladies arrive in the material after the Sakura. There are higher-ranking nobles, powerful spirits of life. One a few dozen are known to exist. These appear much like the lifebringer, but their hair is much longer and more lush, reaching the small of their backs. Lifebringer Ladies are rare enough that seeing one is enough to warn that something important is happening.
Lifebearer Queen: The lifebearer queen is the sovereign of the spring court, her power is second only to the sovereign of seasons and equal to the lords of the other seasons. The queen appears girlish, but as she flies low over the ground, her hair and clothes blurring into a trailing carpet of life behind her, there is no doubt of her power.
Summer Court:
The summer court is the peak of the sun's journey, the longest days, the hottest season. The summer court is known for it's rashness and destructive power, one of the most immediately dangerous of the fey courts. The light of the Sunbursts and the flames of the Scorcher Lords can render most beings to ashes.
Beam: These floating orbs of light bring an aura of heat as spring wanes. They look like tiny suns, but looking close one can see an infant-like shape within the light. The beams are the first of the summer court.
Ray: these floating childlike shapes seem to be made entirely out of light. They bring the true start of summer as spring wanes and the season shifts. Somewhat mischievous, these sprites occasionally start fires in the more vulnerable targets.
Sunburst: The strongest of the non-noble summer courts, these being appear as men made entirely of sunlight. They are nearly painful to look upon, and the power of their searing light starts forest fires sometimes.
Scorcher: the least of summer nobles, these beings appear as bronze-skinned teenaged boys with flames for hair. They wear bracers and greaves of gold-and-crimson steel. They are a carefree and amoral bunch, doing whatever they feel like as long as they enjoy it. They fall into line when the scorcher lords are present, though.
Scorcher Lord: The few dozen scorcher lords spread through creation appear as summer nears it's zenith. The scorcher lords would like little more than to reshape the world in fire, a task not entirely unimaginable to their powers, but the dictums of the solar lord and the sovereign of seasons restrain their desires. The scorcher lords appear as bronze-skinned adult men, with hair afire and the gauntlets and greaves of the scorchers. However, they also wear breastplates made of the gold-and crimson.
Solar King: The Solar king is the lord of the sun and the sovereign of summer. Few can rival him in pure destructive power, and he bears a wide array of fire and light abilities to incinerate those who question him. He appears as a huge man wearing a suit of gold-and-crimson full plate, with a head engulfed with a halo of flame. His eyes glow like suns in his eyes sockets, and his gaze feels almost painfully hot.
Autumn Court
The season of death and harvest, the autumn court treats their task of reaping souls to return them to the cycle with great stoicism. They are professional and efficient. Some call them heartless, but having been given the task of ending life so it may be renewed is not an easy job, and they have risen to it with a sense of duty. The Reaper's blades can sever souls and the Harvest Lord's every swing conjures images of your own demise.
Sickle: At first glance, these appear to be nothing more than simple sickles bobbing along in midair. However, looking at them through a see invisibility spell reveals a weasel-like spirit riding the handle. In fact, however, the sickle and the weasel are parts of the same spirit, the first among the autumn court. As summer ends and the harvest ripens, these spirits begin to arrive, impatiently awaiting the harvest's beginning.
Scythe: Scythes appear much like sickles, but instead of a sickle, the scythes ride proper scythes, their bodies scaled to match. These spirits arrivals mark the grim, proper beginnings of their tasks. The world must begin to die for spring to come again, and they begin to bring the magic of fear and death.
Reaper: The reapers are easily mistakable as large scythes at first, until one looks through see invisibility to reveal their towering humanoid frames cloaked in black, tattered robes that completely obscure their features. A reaper's scythe can sever heads and necks as easily as it severs souls from their earthly bindings.
Harvester: The harvesters look like scarecrows with jack-o-lanterns for heads, their carved mouth not actually opening and closing, but morphing the way it's carved to imitate lips as they speak. They wield scythes much like the scythe's blades, but their blades are jet black, and gleam in the light, their appearance somewhat disturbing. They organize the lower autumn court in it's task, preventing from running loose as they slowly kill the planet.
Harvest Lord: Harvest lords look much like the harvesters, but behind their carved eyes crackle malevolent flames which puff out through their eyes and mouths when they move suddenly or speak. These lords of harvest are powerful and terrifying creatures, and their massive, ebon scythes attest to that.
The Harvest King: When the harvest king arrives on the material plane, the harvest begins. The massive, lanky scarecrow and his honor guard proceed to a single field of ripened wheat and begin a ritual, harvesting the grain. Symbolically, this ritual is what allows the souls of the living to move on, severing their earthly connection as their blades sever the grain's stalks. While some spirits with strong binds remain behind, the vast majority of souls have their connections released.
Winter Court
The winter court is emotionless and cold. They freeze life with impunity and hold the planet in an icy grip for months before the cycle forces them to relinquish their hold on it. The winter court cares little for life. The Avalanches can engulf entire villages in suffocating arctic embrace, and the Frozen ladies spread ice and snow in their wake, freezing blood in the veins should the living draw their ire.
Snowflake: These fey look like blue-skinned infants with glittering butterfly-esque wings of ice formed like snowflakes. They have an aura of frost around them, and with a malicious cackle can let forth a frozen breath weapon. The snowflakes bring the first frost of the season, buzzing over fields and towns.
Snowball: These blue-skinned children bear white hair and blue eyes. Much like the snowflakes, they bear an aura of cold, theigh theirs brings a light powdering of snow with it as the and their allies begin their common goal of burying the world in frozen darkness.
Avalanche: The massive figures resemble female forst giants, but their hair is always as white as driven snow and instead of the crude furs of the giantkin, these massive fey are bedecked in crystalline armor of ice, wielding hammers with pure white heads. They bring with them heavy blankets of snow which follow them, giving them their name, as a moving avalanche brings an avalanche on flat ground with it.
Frostbearer:
The frostbearers are tall, pale-skinned women clad in flowing white dresses that meld into the snow at their feet as they stride gracefully through the frozen wilderness. The frostbearers are the lowest winter nobles, their status symbolized by their lack of jewlery.
Frozen Lady: These nobles of winter looks much like their frostbearer allies, but they adorn themselves with platinum and diamond jewelry and their silky white hair is longer.
Ice Queen: The Ice queen looks, at first glance, like a frozen lady, but her demeanor and presence swiftly indicate that she is much more powerful. Her skin shimmers like it's coated in frost, and she wears a fine, platinum tiara full of diamonds along with diamond-and-platinum necklace, bracelets, rings, and earrings.
The fey recognize this, and the court of seasons ensures the continued motion of the seasons continues as it is meant to.
Great Court
The sovereign of seasons is the only member of the great court, his authority is enough to keep all the minor courts in line.
Sovereign of Seasons: The lord of all seasons, he is the one whose power dictates the flow of time itself through the world. This massive fey looks like an androgynous figure with flowing, chestnut hair and milky skin. A crown of branches on his head fades rapidly through the seasons, the leaves bugging and flowering, then growing larger and more vibrant, then turning orange and gold, then falling off completely as frost kisses the branches and the cycle starts over, all over a few seconds. His clothing is a simple tunic that ripples through colors from the neck down, always shifting. White, pink, green, orange, over and over.
Spring Court:
The spring court is abound with life and beauty. This is the least aggressive of courts, though a Sakura's mighty fists and the Lifebringer's summons are not to be trifled with.
Bud: These are the least of the spring spirits. They resemble floating flower buds with closed petals, an infant's face peeking out between them. These are the first of the spring court to be able to manifest on the material plane, and they begin the process of thawing out the world from winter's grip.
Blossom: These spirits resemble green-skinned children wearing clothes made of flower petals. These spirits are a measure more powerful than Buds. they manifest next as the grip of winter loosens and the spring really starts.
Sakura: The sakura are the muscle of the spring court, massive treant-like fey adorned with brilliant pink cherry blossoms that constantly rain around them. The sakura arrive once spring is well underway, stamping out the last bits of winter.
Lifebringer: Lifebringers appear shortly after the Blossoms. They are the lowest level of noble in the spring court. They resemble teenaged girls with short, bobbed hair and green skin. Their hair and clothes are alive with blossoms and plants of all sorts. The lifebringers manage the buds and blossoms, coordinating the true beginning of spring.
Lifebringer Lady: The lifebringer ladies arrive in the material after the Sakura. There are higher-ranking nobles, powerful spirits of life. One a few dozen are known to exist. These appear much like the lifebringer, but their hair is much longer and more lush, reaching the small of their backs. Lifebringer Ladies are rare enough that seeing one is enough to warn that something important is happening.
Lifebearer Queen: The lifebearer queen is the sovereign of the spring court, her power is second only to the sovereign of seasons and equal to the lords of the other seasons. The queen appears girlish, but as she flies low over the ground, her hair and clothes blurring into a trailing carpet of life behind her, there is no doubt of her power.
Summer Court:
The summer court is the peak of the sun's journey, the longest days, the hottest season. The summer court is known for it's rashness and destructive power, one of the most immediately dangerous of the fey courts. The light of the Sunbursts and the flames of the Scorcher Lords can render most beings to ashes.
Beam: These floating orbs of light bring an aura of heat as spring wanes. They look like tiny suns, but looking close one can see an infant-like shape within the light. The beams are the first of the summer court.
Ray: these floating childlike shapes seem to be made entirely out of light. They bring the true start of summer as spring wanes and the season shifts. Somewhat mischievous, these sprites occasionally start fires in the more vulnerable targets.
Sunburst: The strongest of the non-noble summer courts, these being appear as men made entirely of sunlight. They are nearly painful to look upon, and the power of their searing light starts forest fires sometimes.
Scorcher: the least of summer nobles, these beings appear as bronze-skinned teenaged boys with flames for hair. They wear bracers and greaves of gold-and-crimson steel. They are a carefree and amoral bunch, doing whatever they feel like as long as they enjoy it. They fall into line when the scorcher lords are present, though.
Scorcher Lord: The few dozen scorcher lords spread through creation appear as summer nears it's zenith. The scorcher lords would like little more than to reshape the world in fire, a task not entirely unimaginable to their powers, but the dictums of the solar lord and the sovereign of seasons restrain their desires. The scorcher lords appear as bronze-skinned adult men, with hair afire and the gauntlets and greaves of the scorchers. However, they also wear breastplates made of the gold-and crimson.
Solar King: The Solar king is the lord of the sun and the sovereign of summer. Few can rival him in pure destructive power, and he bears a wide array of fire and light abilities to incinerate those who question him. He appears as a huge man wearing a suit of gold-and-crimson full plate, with a head engulfed with a halo of flame. His eyes glow like suns in his eyes sockets, and his gaze feels almost painfully hot.
Autumn Court
The season of death and harvest, the autumn court treats their task of reaping souls to return them to the cycle with great stoicism. They are professional and efficient. Some call them heartless, but having been given the task of ending life so it may be renewed is not an easy job, and they have risen to it with a sense of duty. The Reaper's blades can sever souls and the Harvest Lord's every swing conjures images of your own demise.
Sickle: At first glance, these appear to be nothing more than simple sickles bobbing along in midair. However, looking at them through a see invisibility spell reveals a weasel-like spirit riding the handle. In fact, however, the sickle and the weasel are parts of the same spirit, the first among the autumn court. As summer ends and the harvest ripens, these spirits begin to arrive, impatiently awaiting the harvest's beginning.
Scythe: Scythes appear much like sickles, but instead of a sickle, the scythes ride proper scythes, their bodies scaled to match. These spirits arrivals mark the grim, proper beginnings of their tasks. The world must begin to die for spring to come again, and they begin to bring the magic of fear and death.
Reaper: The reapers are easily mistakable as large scythes at first, until one looks through see invisibility to reveal their towering humanoid frames cloaked in black, tattered robes that completely obscure their features. A reaper's scythe can sever heads and necks as easily as it severs souls from their earthly bindings.
Harvester: The harvesters look like scarecrows with jack-o-lanterns for heads, their carved mouth not actually opening and closing, but morphing the way it's carved to imitate lips as they speak. They wield scythes much like the scythe's blades, but their blades are jet black, and gleam in the light, their appearance somewhat disturbing. They organize the lower autumn court in it's task, preventing from running loose as they slowly kill the planet.
Harvest Lord: Harvest lords look much like the harvesters, but behind their carved eyes crackle malevolent flames which puff out through their eyes and mouths when they move suddenly or speak. These lords of harvest are powerful and terrifying creatures, and their massive, ebon scythes attest to that.
The Harvest King: When the harvest king arrives on the material plane, the harvest begins. The massive, lanky scarecrow and his honor guard proceed to a single field of ripened wheat and begin a ritual, harvesting the grain. Symbolically, this ritual is what allows the souls of the living to move on, severing their earthly connection as their blades sever the grain's stalks. While some spirits with strong binds remain behind, the vast majority of souls have their connections released.
Winter Court
The winter court is emotionless and cold. They freeze life with impunity and hold the planet in an icy grip for months before the cycle forces them to relinquish their hold on it. The winter court cares little for life. The Avalanches can engulf entire villages in suffocating arctic embrace, and the Frozen ladies spread ice and snow in their wake, freezing blood in the veins should the living draw their ire.
Snowflake: These fey look like blue-skinned infants with glittering butterfly-esque wings of ice formed like snowflakes. They have an aura of frost around them, and with a malicious cackle can let forth a frozen breath weapon. The snowflakes bring the first frost of the season, buzzing over fields and towns.
Snowball: These blue-skinned children bear white hair and blue eyes. Much like the snowflakes, they bear an aura of cold, theigh theirs brings a light powdering of snow with it as the and their allies begin their common goal of burying the world in frozen darkness.
Avalanche: The massive figures resemble female forst giants, but their hair is always as white as driven snow and instead of the crude furs of the giantkin, these massive fey are bedecked in crystalline armor of ice, wielding hammers with pure white heads. They bring with them heavy blankets of snow which follow them, giving them their name, as a moving avalanche brings an avalanche on flat ground with it.
Frostbearer:
The frostbearers are tall, pale-skinned women clad in flowing white dresses that meld into the snow at their feet as they stride gracefully through the frozen wilderness. The frostbearers are the lowest winter nobles, their status symbolized by their lack of jewlery.
Frozen Lady: These nobles of winter looks much like their frostbearer allies, but they adorn themselves with platinum and diamond jewelry and their silky white hair is longer.
Ice Queen: The Ice queen looks, at first glance, like a frozen lady, but her demeanor and presence swiftly indicate that she is much more powerful. Her skin shimmers like it's coated in frost, and she wears a fine, platinum tiara full of diamonds along with diamond-and-platinum necklace, bracelets, rings, and earrings.