Apr 26, 2018 21:02:37 GMT
Post by Nobody on Apr 26, 2018 21:02:37 GMT
Arcadian – is the actual name for all inhabitants of the fae races; Much as Asian denotes any person of Asiatic origin. There are many types of Fae. To be honest the Arcadians are as myriad as there are dreams and nightmares in the world. They have worn just as many names throughout the millennia that man has known of them. The names given by the Arcadians and to the Arcadians are wholly artifice. They are in truth Aliens to this dimension. Why they came or were banished in the long forgotten past no one knows, not even the Arcadians themselves.
Arcadians are not only strangers to this dimension but also to the United States. The Arcadians on American soil are always the descendants of the Court given leave to stay by President Jefferson. They have adopted a hidden in plain sight nature. There are few recognized Arcadian American citizens. However in Europe and certain other continents they are decidedly more public, even grandiose in their exploits. Even in the United States known heirs of any of the major courts are hounded by the paparazzi and accorded the fame of movie and sports stars. However known Unseelie Arcadians are barred from legally immigrating or even visiting. Because of the stringent barring of Arcadians there is an underground railroad of sorts providing the illegal immigration of Arcadians to the United States.
The Sidhe are the highest ranking, most powerful members of the Arcadians. The Sidhe are the lords and nobility of the highest courts. There are of course lesser non-sidhe arcadians, many of whom have interbred with humans as a way to increase their gene-pools. The fae themselves are hardy creatures, gifted with true immortality never knowing the taste of death illness or infirmity, but they can be killed under the right influences. A fae creature can be injured by mundane bullets, beatings, hitting them with a speeding car, but these things will not end a full blooded fae they can put it into a sleep until it’s body can repair itself and they will rise again without a mark on their flesh in a short space of time depending on how much damage was done to their form. The exception to the fae resilience iron, the metal is anathema to fae and all their works.
There is actually more than one kind of iron with varying effects of the fae. Alloys of iron such as steel while irritating and painful is not actually deadly to the fae the alloying process removes much of whatever it is that makes the metal deadly. Regular iron such as you might find in a wrought iron fence or in a cast iron pan, can harm and kill the fae in the same way it can a mortal if they were say bludgeoned or stabbed with the tool and usually a fae will retreat back to Arcadia after receiving such a wound before they are slain. Cold Iron though is different, it is hand forged by a smith from raw ore to its finished shape, this contact puts a touch of mortality into the metal causing it’s mere touch to burn the skin of the fae. All fae can sense the presence of cold iron and generally avoid coming near it, which is why a horseshoe forged of cold put above a door could ward off faeries, though more powerful fae can and do ignore such wards. Another kind of iron is black iron this iron is much like cold iron in its creation. The difference is that during the whole forge the smith focuses on killing a specific fae. To truly be black iron the forger must start his forge the a piece of paper written with the true name and all the Titles of the intended fae written in his own blood, doing so erases the name from the forgers memory forever and this sacrifice gives the iron power. Repugnant in the extreme to the fae the can smell the burning human blood on the metal and see the name of its intended written in blood on its surface, the iron will protect its holder from all the intended faeries powers and the slightest touch of it to their skin can kill them instantly. Black iron is only this effective against the fae for it was forged against others it acts like mere cold iron. Interestingly enough once it’s intended is killed the iron will rapidly break down and rust apart as if it has no more reason to exist in the world.
Half fae only share a portion of this strength and weakness, cold and black iron are no more effective than regular iron, and alloys like steel hurts them more deeply than true fae. However, they have a touch of immortality giving them long life and great strength keeping them safe from illness and infirmity, but the mortal half also makes them more vulnerable too. A half blood could be beaten to death with bare fists, run over by a car or burned to death things which could never kill a full blood. Also there wounds will heal with a scar unlike the true fae who only scar from the touch of cold iron.
