Here is the part of the character creation process.

You have some questions to answer, in addition to providing me with a quick idea of the character.

If you wish to have a Human character:  Why did he or she become associated with the Morgan Library?  (No need to worry about how, yet).  What kind of skills or knowledge does he or she have that is important?  What motivates the character?  What frightens or bothers the character?  And what is your character’s social background?

And of course, you must name your character.

If you wish to have a Fey character:  In addition to the above, into what general category does this character fall?  (See the list below.  This is not an exclusive list of the Fey folk in New York, but it’s a good guide for characters.)

In New York City (and immediate area) the mysterious Veil hides the Fey and their activities from (most) Humans, making them blend into the mundane world.  So, what do Humans see when they see your character's Veil?  Some Fey choose to live as a part of Human society, for them, this is how they are normally seen.  For others, it is a rarely seen thing.

Then, I would like to know two things about the players themselves.  First, how familiar are you with fairy lore in general?  Do you know what the difference is between a Dryad and a Naiad?  Second, how much do you know about New York City?  It’s not required for you to know anything but it helps to match player knowledge, where possible, to character knowledge.  Have you ever schmeared a bagel?  If you don't know the Bronx from the Battery you can still join, but your character will, like you, a newcomer to the city.

One more thing we will do is this:    I ask that each character have at least one connection to one or more other characters.  They may be old friends, or even family members.  Perhaps one recruited and taught another.  Perhaps they are roommates.  But connections are important, and you will create them.  This is not going to be seven strangers dumped in a story together.

Here is a general guide to Faeries:


Faerie types:

Domestic Faeries:  Brownies, Duende, Domovoy, these little people have always lived in the shadow of Humanity.  They are basically benevolent, though if angered or abused, they can turn into wicked, dangerous versions of themselves- Brownies become Boggarts, and Domovoy become Barabashka.   These Fey tend to enjoy Human style comforts and life in general.  They are diligent and skillful artisans, often capable of incredible feats of craftsmanship.  They are more comfortable around Humans than most Fey.  They have lived around Humans so long that Human cultural heritage has rubbed off on them.  Brownies, Duende, Domovoy, Tomtes, and Kabouters are basically the same creatures, despite being, respectively, British, Hispanic, Eastern European, Scandinavian, and Dutch.

Nature Spirits:  These beings can manifest a Human size and shape but can also be formless, blending in with a feature of nature to which they are bonded.  They are usually female- there is something about the force of nature which seems to manifest more easily as feminine.  These include the Sylphs, Nymphs, Dryads, and similar creatures.

True Fairies.  Small, very magical beings, usually winged but sometimes not.  The category includes the Leprechauns and Pixies, and various types of Nature Fairies.  Nature Fairies have a nature orientation, such as flowers, animals, birds, snow, etc, and they tend to look at this as their "job".  They have magical powers associated with their orientation- for example, an animal fairy can talk to animals.

Animal Faeries:  While this includes the Japanese “Kitsune”, those creatures are almost never seen in New York.  This is probably because of the relatively small Japanese population here.  Much more common are the Gumiho and Huli Jing, identical to the Kitsune except for being Korean or Chinese, respectively.  These Fey are among the least trusted by others, because unlike most Fey, they are carnivores.   Very much so, though most of the bad reputation they have is unearned.  Stories made up by Nature Fairies upset at finding out that the local Juli Hing ate their rabbit friend.   The Animal Fey includes other types closely bonded to a specific kind of animal, such as the Selkies (Seals), and possibly, a few left over Shapeshifters from Native American times, when they were much more common.   There are also some who don’t have an Human form- they are Fey creatures, but they are animals.  Cats are the most common, though horses have been seen as well as other types.

The High Faeries:  Beings as tall as Humans or taller, with strong magic.  They are smart, and very proud.  Also called Sidhe, and sometimes Elves, they were aghast at the portrayal of “Elves” in the Harry Potter movies as some sort of corrupt Goblin-Brownie thing.  This was especially painful to them as they all know the derivation of the word Elf, which means white, a reference to their pale, almost luminous skin.  From the same ancient Human word which also is the root of Albino, Alps (mountains capped in white) Albumen (Egg White), etc.
Some of the High Faeries are not nice, but proper Elves don’t like to talk about those.

Trolls, Goblins, and their kin:  These are Fey, but not Fairies by any stretch.  Unlike other Fey, the beauty of Faerie seems to have eluded them.  (Some female Goblins reach the conventional standards of beauty.  One of the secrets known to the Morgan Library is that Frank Zappa’s “Goblin Girl” was written for a real Goblin he knew, and he was fully aware of this. The song’s references to Halloween were intended to throw other, less informed Humans off the track.   Often, when Fey are forced to “make contact”,  they’ll choose someone like Zappa, knowing that if he tries to give away the secret, other Humans won’t believe him, but instead believe it to be an effect of drug abuse.)

This class of Faerie often shows very loose regards for morality- that is, they act like Humans, and not how Humans wish to believe Humans act.  They are stronger than most Fey, especially the trolls.  But they are clannish, and don’t generally accept other Fey as easily as most do.  In turn, they tend to have a  harder time being accepted.

(Trolls are not recommended as player characters, as they are too big, and generally not intellectually gifted.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:07, Thu 07 May 2020.