The Summer Court is the political party most often associated with the seelie fae. Located in Vhora, in the remote mountain valleys northwest of the Spine, it is far removed from the ivory halls of the Summer Court.

These days the hostility between Courts is minimal and the fae know peace. The Winter Court now exists primarily as a political center for unseelie fae and the backdrop to the Game -- a dance of power played by the elite. Mab's power may seem diminished, her court self-policing and running smoothly without much of her involvement, but her word remains law.

Beyond its political purpose, the Winter Court stands as a sanctuary for fae and half-fae that would otherwise be persecuted by the Summer Court. Originally formed as a safe haven, it has grown from a small gang of misfits and troublemakers into a Court that truly rivals its adversary. The rights and individuality of these faeries is protected by Winter's dominion over the Epressan continent, affording them lives and privileges the seelie would deny them.

The shining star in the alabaster halls of the White Spire is her Queen. Another pearl in a long, glorious lineage, the Summer Queen is the paragon of seelie culture. Honorable, honest, strong, and beautiful, she embodies everything that her court holds dear. The Summer Monarchy is absolute and their Queen's birthright is unquestionable, as it is an act of destiny that she is born into the royal family. There have been two successful coups of this throne, the legacy of the last of which continues to rule today.

Unlike the Winter Court where change is encouraged, it is the solemn duty of the Summer Queen to uphold the true traditions of the fae, resisting the change that would distort their culture.

Beneath the Queen is the stiff caste system of seelie fae. Divided into eight castes -- four of nobility and four of laborers -- every faerie has their proper place in the grand scheme.

Born and raised in the thick of Vhora's seelie society, Titania is the sweetheart of the Summer Court. She has been Queen for a thousand years, and is considered to be entering the prime of her rule.

Style: Her Radiance
Species: Duanann
Affinity: Wildfires
Element: Fire & Air
Celestial Body: Solar
Animal Shape: Kestrel
Alignment: Seelie

It comes as no surprise that the royal family of Summer should be distinguished by their fortunate birth. The House of the Phoenix has changed hands a few times in the Courts history, but these matrilineal lines champion the hereditary nature of Summer’s culture. Each member of the family is recognized, even after marriage into other Houses, and they hold a great deal of respect and fame in the Summer Court. They often inhabit powerful positions inside the Court -- positions they were born to fill when they were fated to belong to the Queen’s family.

Members of this caste are styled uniquely based on their relationship to the Queen in a hierarchical fashion.

• Heir Apparent: Royal Highness
• Heir Juvenile (both children and siblings of Queen): Highness
• Royal Consort & Dowager Consort: Royal Highness

These courtesy titles are carried throughout their life but are not hereditary outside the Queen’s household and descendants.

A caste made up entirely of duanann nobility, the 100 Houses of Summer are the cornerstone upon which Summer culture is built. From these noble families come the elite of Vhora who set the example of law, fashion, and etiquette, guiding their society by their perfect example. Each House is unique and heads a corner of Vhora's economy and state. From the Marshal of Agriculture to the Marshal of Medicine, these hereditary roles have lived within the 100 Houses for thousands of years with little change.

Members of this caste are styled Lord. Heads of families are titled Marshal of their domain.

To serve the Queen and to be born wealthy and landed are incredible honors to anyone outside the 100 Houses of Summer. These titles are often rewarded to Her servants by Queens for incredible loyalty, but can sometimes be earned by dedication and hard work.

While the latter is rare, a few base requirements must be met to become a member of the Fidelity. One must own land within the domain of the Summer Court, must be a member of Her Radiance’s retinue, must be recognized as having Flair and Merchant vassals, and must have the social clout or wealth to carry such a bold claim to this title.

Members of the Fidelity caste often hold important positions on top of their responsibilities as business owners and landlords. These roles, while not as illustrious as those granted to Lords, generate a degree of power in judicial, economic, and public circles.

Members of this caste are styled Magnate.

Not all members of Court are landed as well as titled. These individuals and their families belong to the Flair, and are the least of the Summer peerage. These courtiers may own townhouses and have trades and enterprises, but their notoriety primarily stems from titles granted to the family by Queens.

Members of this caste are styled Comes, or Comites.

Standard in most societies is the merchant class, and the Summer Court is no different. Merchants make up what can best be considered the middle class of Summer and the uppermost crust of the laboring castes. Business owners and traders, they are distinguished from their lower counterparts by circumstance alone. They do not own land, often employ lower rungs of laborers, and have had a thorough education to further separate them from other laboring castes.

Members of this caste are styled Master.

Skilled laborers and artisans establish the Bent caste. These individuals work for themselves but often supply and are employed by others. Blacksmiths, carpenters, sculptors, potters, and farriers are a few examples of Bent workers. They may own their own homes and workshops or may not, but are always esteemed in their trade and generally well educated in it.

The Summer Court's working class, members of this class own neither home nor business and make their way by working for those who do. This is the largest caste in all of Summer, making up well over half of its fae population.

The poor, homeless, enslaved, and indentured form the lowest caste in Summer society. These individuals come from nothing and often accomplish nothing under the heel of Vhora'a boot. With few rights and little representation, their position is a difficult one to overcome. Nearly three quarters of the Scratch are unseelie fae.

Seelie culture focuses heavily on social hierarchy, and nothing embodies this more than Court.

Similar to their beliefs in regards to racial purity, everyone is born into their right place. If one is meant to be a lofty Lord with land and renown, they will be born the child of a noble house. If, however, one is destined to a life in the Scratch district in Vhora, so will they arrive in the world.

One is generally born into the caste they will occupy forever. Raising oneself up from the position of their birth is an uphill battle and the social tag that comes from it is not easily shaken. Subsequent generations benefit from advancement, however.

The first and foremost tenet within the Summer Court is to be beautiful. To belong in seelie society, a fae must be beautiful, free of visible mar and imperfection. Irregularities are subjective, some considered beautiful while others grotesque. Scarring and maiming are ultimate forms of punishment in the Summer Court, as to be dishonored and ugly are fates worse than death. Beauty is fiercely protected, and to harm another, resulting in any form of disfigurement (even bruising), is punished.

Among seelie, honor is the highest form of glory and recognition. Integrity and order manifest in every aspect of faerie life in the Summer Court, from strict social protocols and class structures to the Court workings itself. Seelie will protect their honor to the death, and a true seelie will rather die than live with dishonor.

Seelie give no social standing to mortals, even those born to faerie father. They do, however, make them into pets, servants and slaves, warlocks and soldiers, and all manner of entertainment. Half-breeds born to faerie mothers are viewed as inferior, regarded more like changelings in Summer. While they are still full-blooded faeries, they do not have the same rights and the social stigma of mortal bloodlines will taint their social reputations.

There is nothing more beautiful than love, and this perfect expression of the soul transcends all things. Seelie honor all varieties of love: romantic, platonic, filial, spiritual, or vocational. As happiness breeds love, this further encourages seelie to pursue the aspects of life that are most fulfilling and satisfying to them. Kindness and courtesy to strangers is a type of love among seelie, and to be unkind to one’s guests is considered poor decorum and, though is not punishable by law in most cases, colors an individual in an unfavorable light -- which, among seelie, may be worse than death.

Debt is a coin with two faces: what is owed and what is due. Seelie are bound by strict codes of honor to repay debts to their full extent and as promptly as possible. This includes favors and insults, all of which seelie repay in equal measure. Seelie like to be timely in regards to their debts and are quick to fulfil their agreements. However, it would be foolish to believe a seelie faerie’s intentions and deals to be wholly good and pure.

Though the seelie are generally considered to have a “good” alignment, this is not always the case. Seelie pursue joy without inhibition, even when their games become dangerous or lethal. There is a gray area between good and evil, which seelie dance upon joyfully. In some cases, this pursuit includes things mortals may deem immoral or wicked. It is no less honorable among fae to value these.

Children born of unions between mortals and fae are a controversial subject across all platforms. Within the Summer Court, however, the consensus is clear: half-fae, whether born mortal or fae, are no fae at all. In a society where beauty and purity supersede all else, the inclusion of a mortal bloodline (no matter how minuscule its contribution) is a stain to an individual's worth.

Changelings in the Summer Court are more akin to pets than children. They cannot be naturalized nor can they obtain legal rights, but are the property of their "parents".

While the methods of marriage are same among all faeries, believed to bind two souls to each other across lifetimes into eternity in a pact that transcends death, the ways the Courts approach it is different.

In the Summer Court, where love is the perfect expression of one's soul, faeries are eager to show off their signs of marriage and commitment. Marriages are rare, and the symbols of a married couple revered and almost holy.

Whether pierced in the nostril or the septum, nose rings are the Summer equivalent of a wedding ring in human cultures. Large, ornate hoops with chains connected to the ears are considered more extravagant, while simple hoops free of adornment are modest though no less impactful. There really is no right or wrong way to wear these nose rings.

Civil unions and domestic partnerships are far more common among fae, providing legal rights and benefits to the partner. These may be as simple as a private agreement between individuals to thoroughly drawn contracts. While these still call for a degree of commitment, they are not as intense as marriages.

Dissolution of these civil unions is commonplace and easily accessible. Some fae have various ceremonies and rituals that satisfy this, but an attorney can just as easily oversee the severance of a legal union. There is little fanfare to dissolutions.

Divorce, however, is a widely controversial subject and the focus of a great deal of public attention and gossip. As fae believe to marry is to bind two souls together as soulmates for eternity, choosing to break such a union is a statement.

Image credit to Kurt Huang