anachronauts by stefan gagne - witchipedia

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The Fae Encyclopedia
(For Curious Humans)

The Summer Court

The court of life, the court of what which is green and grows. The "good" Faeries.

When humans imagine Faeries of legend, the ones that supposedly lived in Europe thousands of years ago (I think) they're usually imagining people like members of the Summer Court. In many cases, there's a one to one mapping of expectation and results; the elves are of Summer, so are pixies. But so are ogres. And so are strangling vine shamblers. And so are sentient diseases. Just because something GROWS doesn't mean it's full of sparkly delight and joy.

Curiously, the ratio of Summer to Winter in terms of sheer numbers of Fae is really unbalanced. Summer loyalists comprise 75% of the population (guessing!). But that's because by and large, Summer Fae aren't very powerful... many elves have no magic to speak of, and are little different from humans other than their looks. Pixies are nothing to write home about in terms of being badasses. Ogres are dangerous, but weak willed, and impossible to herd. Etc.

So, whenever a human deals with the Fae, odds are they're dealing with the Summer Court. And if not... turn and run. Trust me on that.

The Summer Court has a top-down hierarchy of power, beginning with Lady Summer, then the Archmagii, then various noblemen and noblewomen, and their own courts, and followers, and so on, and so forth. Internal politics can get a little wacky, since climbing the social ladder is only possible over the ruined lives of your rivals and higher-ups. In the end, the only one with absolute, unshakable authority is the Crown of Flame herself, the Queen of Light, Lady Summer. Nobody usurps the boss. (My theory on why she's so rarely seen is that she may not even exist. Not that I can prove it one way or another.)

Be VERY careful when accepting gifts from the Summer Court. Even lowlies on the totem pole like to ensnare humans into contracts, swapping and trading favors like minted coin. Everybody wants a little power over someone else, and if anything, the lowlies are more dangerous than the top dogs... they're more desperate to say they rule over someone or something.

Still, despite all these warnings and ominous notes... I like the Summer Court. The few Fae I genuinely trust hail from it. If you can speak their language, work around or work with the pomp and circumstance, you can get along just fine with them. I'm not saying don't watch your back, but I'm not saying you have to constantly watch it. Just use caution, and you may find those mythical Fae delights and wonders awaiting you in your interactions with the Summer Court.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I may talk the smack about my people a lot, but like Emily, I'm down with the Summer. I trust them more than I trust the creepy crawlies of Winter, and more than I trust MOST humans.

I also agree that just because our domain is Life doesn't mean we aren't killers when need be. The war of the seasons is eternal, like the ancient Cold War of America and Russia, and the war with the humans seems some days like it'll be eternal as well. Hug trees all you like, but be ready to draw sword when need be. Maybe one day that won't be the case, but for now...