The Night Court
The Night Court is one of the four celestial courts that govern different groups of fae. Unlike other fae who live side-by-side with mortals who often do not know they are there, the fae in the Tundra have not bothered with glamours or pocket realms. Instead their cities are just hard to find or get to for normal people. However, they do not get involved in mortal affairs nor interact with them other than to butcher them for sport. They prefer the company of other fae and as such are rarely seen by their mortal neighbours. Some of the darker fae creatures call the Night Court home which is why many of the Tundra tales of fae are far more bloodthirsty and cruel than those of the south.
Currently, the Court is far more concentrated also on fighting one another than anyone else. Since the death of the last King, his twin sons have fought tooth and nail for the crown to the whole of the Night Court. Evenly matched with forces quite well balanced their wars have been bloody and catastrophic on both sides. Losses are high and often stretch out the gaps between confrontations as they try to recruit or breed new soldiers. Very slightly the favour is tipped towards Toluk at the moment who has won the last two great battles.
Probably one of the worst Courts out there for inequality, the Night Court do not accepts humans within their court unless they are on the menu or bought in as toys for a game. Lesser fae are treated poorly and with little to no rights, and those in the higher fae tend to be unseelie rather than seelie, though technically there is no strict law favouring one or the other. This is rightly thought amongst fae as a dangerous place even for the strongest amongst the other courts.
Overview
Purpose
In its birth the Night Court had a clear purpose in its founders eyes: to punish those who deserved to be punished. This purpose began to blur as it became clear as to who exactly deserved to be punished. Over the centuries this went from fae who had done wrong, to those who had wronged the Night Court, to those the King himself did not trust. Now it seems to be a Court without a purpose other than to remind other fae courts of their own vulnerabilities. Fierce fighters and warriors with a low regard for their soldiers lives, their army and navy are both ruthless fighters that most courts rightly fear. Those within the Court would argue it still holds true to its original purpose which is a twisted version of the purpose the Wild Hunt holds: to punish those who are deserving.
PC & NPC Members
- Tulok - Prince of Tatkret
- Kana'ti - Prince of Unnuaq
- Glendora - Princess, residing in Unnuaq
- Saang Lusce - High Lord, eldest of the Lusce siblings, Commander of the Kelpies under Prince Kana'ti
- Sadie Lusce - High Lady, 1st sister of the Lusce siblings, living at the Lusce Estate in Unnuaq
- Seryn Lusce - High Lady, 2nd sister of the Lusce siblings, living at the Lusce Estate in Unnuaq
- Signe Lusce - High Lady, 4th sister of the Lusce siblings, living in Winter Court
- Siobhan Lusce - High Lady, 5th sister of the Lusce siblings, living at the Lusce Estate in Unnuaq
- Sybil Lusce - child, youngest sister of the Lusce siblings, living at the Lusce Estate in Unnuaq
- Ianthe - Kelpie Warrior under the command of Lord Saang
- Dagda - Treasurer to Prince Tulok
Culture
The Night Court is not as refined as the others with their artists, musicians and the like. There is no longer balance in these lands but a darkness that has twisted and tainted the hearts of fae who live here. Their enjoyment is linked heavily to the pain and suffering of others. They reveal and celebrate in death and murderers are often rewarded more than punished in this court. It is common to be challenged to duels to the death by strangers in the street who seem constantly to be looking for a fight. The fae here value strength, cunning and skill above all else. Book-based knowledge is sneered upon and those who cannot wield a weapon are considered as pitiful excuses of a fae and often tortured for their lack of understanding.
Location
Set up in the wintery depths of the Eretejva Tundra, the Night Court made its home as as unwelcoming to the type of fae they despised as possible. The harsh climate creates the harsh fae best suited to the blood-thirsty court. Over the years their reach had also stretched to the Isles of Sheketh, though they tend to favour the Tundra to be further from the Autumn Court.
There are three main cities in the Night Court.
Alfheimr is the ancestral seat in which Kings are made. It is also the most developed city and is seen as the gem of the Courts crown with palaces made from crystal and ice. The city exists half above the waves but also half below for the large population of water fae the Court attracts.
Tatkret is the city from which Prince Tulok rules. Dubbed the City of Nightmares, it is by all accounts an even sinister version of his fathers court where lesser fae are hunted and tortured for sport by the nobility and is made up of a series of underground tunnels.
Unnuaq is the city from which Prince Kana′tĭ rules. Similar to Alfheimr the city is partly above water but partly below too to account for the water fae that fled with him after the civil war. Less wintery than what the court is used to, the city does however get buffeted often by the large storms that are created by the storm giants that live on the island.
Structure
The Night Court is a Court and thus sovereign fae state ruled over by a King. Upon the Kings death the right of the crown passes to the first born son and so on and so forth. Women cannot inherit the Crown of Bones and so any females of the line are discounted, though sons may claim the throne through their maternal lines.
King
Currently there is no overall king of the Night Court. The last ruler had triplets, two twin sons and one daughter born by caesarean and as such the three children were born at the same time. Due to the sudden and unexplained nature of the old King, he did not name his heir though many believed it was his crueller son, Tulok who he favoured to take the throne. Instead of a smooth succession a civil war broke out between Tulok and his twin brother Kana′tĭ who broke the court practically in two. Some of the Night Court have sworn allegiance to Tulok and the other half to Kana′tĭ. Both claim to be 'king' of the Night Court though neither truly will be until they are crowned officially in the ancestral seat. Glendora, being female, is purposefully overlooked and chose to go with Kana′tĭ during the split.
High Lords
Below the King are the heads of the eldest families, families which helped found the Night Court as it was. There are six of these families and each of their patriarchs are the strongest of fae within the Night Court. Again, these positions are passed down through the male line and never to women. Inter-marriages between the families are very common to keep the blood pure and the families have even been known to ignore mating bonds in order to honour these political marriages.
High Fae
Underneath the ruling six families come the rest of the Duanann and the rare few sidhe. Families amongst these groups can also enjoy high favour but can also suffer big falls if the king or families tire of them. This is where most of the plotting happens.
The Lesser Fae
Below are the lesser fae. Kept as barely more than servants for the above they live sad or gruelling lives, with some such as the kelpies being considered as little more than cattle.
Women
And at the bottom of the pecking order comes women. If a lesser fae male finds himself in a room with a sidhe female, he will automatically have the higher rank. They are seen as the property of their fathers and then of their husbands when they marry. Of course, many women operate in the shadows still and have a considerable amount of power, but they are the first to lose it and the greatest at risk if discovered to be playing games of politics.
Night Court Factions
The Night Court is split into two factions currently: the supporters of Tulok and those of Kana′tĭ. Tulok is thought to be the real protege of his father with an even crueller streak, whilst Kana′tĭ favours reform and changing some of the medieval ways in which the Night Court has operated.
Tulok's faction:
- Delights in the pain and misery of others
- Wants most fae and women to continue to be lesser citizens
- Champions the Hunt of Bones where a random fae is selected to be prey and nobles will hunt it down and rip it to shreds
- Palace contains intricate torture mazes and fighting rings they throw mortals and fae in for amusement
- Regularly uses lesser fae and mortals as living candles
Kana′tĭ's faction:
- Whilst cruel, sets more 'limits' on the reasons for cruelty
- Still consider all lower fae as lesser beings, but that they shouldn't be tortured unnecessarily
- Believe women are more than just the means of delivering children (mainly so they can use powerful women in their armies)
- Wants some reform in the treatment of Kelpies and other creatures
- Despises mortals
- Has introduced the first educational institute to the Night Court and encourages people to learn
Tulok's faction:
- Delights in the pain and misery of others
- Wants most fae and women to continue to be lesser citizens
- Champions the Hunt of Bones where a random fae is selected to be prey and nobles will hunt it down and rip it to shreds
- Palace contains intricate torture mazes and fighting rings they throw mortals and fae in for amusement
- Regularly uses lesser fae and mortals as living candles
Kana′tĭ's faction:
- Whilst cruel, sets more 'limits' on the reasons for cruelty
- Still consider all lower fae as lesser beings, but that they shouldn't be tortured unnecessarily
- Believe women are more than just the means of delivering children (mainly so they can use powerful women in their armies)
- Wants some reform in the treatment of Kelpies and other creatures
- Despises mortals
- Has introduced the first educational institute to the Night Court and encourages people to learn
History
The Four Solar Courts are relatively new in the history of the fae and appeared long after the four great Seasonal Courts. First came Day then came Night, split from the courts of Spring and Autumn, but then came Dawn and Dusk, split from Summer and Winter respectfully. Each has their own muddied history as to the ins and outs of why these small factions of fae decided to break from their pledges and seek refuge elsewhere.
In the beginning, when the Wild Hunt was first created it was handled by the Hunt Master for it was deemed that to old the Hunts reins would make the King too powerful and the Hunt a tool for his own emotions. The Hunt Master was a revered position and fae vied for the spot almost more eagerly than they did the position of ruler. Once, many centuries ago, that Master was Mortega. Mortega was feverish in his devotion to the Hunt and the list passed on to him from his ruler who, at the time, also happened to be his twin brother. The two worked well together and for a time the Autumn Court was at its most prosperous. Overtime however, Mortega became affected by the things he saw when out with the Hunt. There were fae, in his mind, who had been missed off the list for crimes that were evil. But his brother reminded him that the Hunt was not about justice, but about balance. The two began to drift apart and with it, the Kingdom began to suffer. All of it came to a head on one sorrowful hallowseve when Mortega led the Hunt on his own bloodthirsty agenda across the fae realm. When it was discovered what had happened, the other Courts became hostile and demanded justice.
Loathe even then to kill his own brother, the King banished Mortega from the Autumn Court.
Up in the Tundra wastes with only a few feverish followers, Mortega slowly drove himself insane. To his own mind he was still bound as Hunt Master to rid of fae who in his mind deserved justice. As he grew more insane that 'justice' grew twisted and soon began to encompass punishing anyone who he didn't trust. Out of this was born the dark and horror-filled court the Night Court is today.
Approximately 250 years ago, King Mortega of the Night Court died. Having never named either of his sons as official heir to the throne, this gave way to an almost immediate explosion of war as both of them vied for the throne they believed to be their own. It rendered an irrevocable split in the Night Court between the brothers, who fled their ancestral home to create their own bases of power. They have been locked in vicious civil war ever since.
In the beginning, when the Wild Hunt was first created it was handled by the Hunt Master for it was deemed that to old the Hunts reins would make the King too powerful and the Hunt a tool for his own emotions. The Hunt Master was a revered position and fae vied for the spot almost more eagerly than they did the position of ruler. Once, many centuries ago, that Master was Mortega. Mortega was feverish in his devotion to the Hunt and the list passed on to him from his ruler who, at the time, also happened to be his twin brother. The two worked well together and for a time the Autumn Court was at its most prosperous. Overtime however, Mortega became affected by the things he saw when out with the Hunt. There were fae, in his mind, who had been missed off the list for crimes that were evil. But his brother reminded him that the Hunt was not about justice, but about balance. The two began to drift apart and with it, the Kingdom began to suffer. All of it came to a head on one sorrowful hallowseve when Mortega led the Hunt on his own bloodthirsty agenda across the fae realm. When it was discovered what had happened, the other Courts became hostile and demanded justice.
Loathe even then to kill his own brother, the King banished Mortega from the Autumn Court.
Up in the Tundra wastes with only a few feverish followers, Mortega slowly drove himself insane. To his own mind he was still bound as Hunt Master to rid of fae who in his mind deserved justice. As he grew more insane that 'justice' grew twisted and soon began to encompass punishing anyone who he didn't trust. Out of this was born the dark and horror-filled court the Night Court is today.
Approximately 250 years ago, King Mortega of the Night Court died. Having never named either of his sons as official heir to the throne, this gave way to an almost immediate explosion of war as both of them vied for the throne they believed to be their own. It rendered an irrevocable split in the Night Court between the brothers, who fled their ancestral home to create their own bases of power. They have been locked in vicious civil war ever since.
Court Relations
Below is the current status of their relationships with other Courts.
The Summer Court: Poor
The Winter Court: Unsteady
The Spring Court: Poor
The Autumn Court: Very poor
The Dawn Court: Moderate
The Dusk Court: Ambivalent
Lore
References
- https://chroniclesrp.net/threads/aftermath.3651/
- https://chroniclesrp.net/threads/the-goblin-market.3743/
- https://chroniclesrp.net/threads/the-futures-of-fae-winter-court.3588/
- https://chroniclesrp.net/threads/the-fortunate-damned.3779/
- https://chroniclesrp.net/threads/the-es-cah-pay.3747/
- https://chroniclesrp.net/threads/night-fever.3776/