[UA]: Faeries

[Ian Young]

Michael Daisey posits...

> Faeries in UA.
> 
> Debate.  Discuss.  Dissect.

I had been wondering about the fae myself.  I think the first, most
important thing to bear in mind when introducing a new element of the
paranormal or unnatural to the world of UA is to take a skim back through
the rulesbook.  Notice that virtually every element of strangness in the
book has its basis in humanity.

Vampires?  Humans.
Werewolves?  Humans, animal souls and demons.
Demons?  Unruly human souls.
Revenants?  Restless human souls.
The Invisible Clergy?  Ascended humans.

This is probably the thing I appreciate most about UA -- almost every
element of the game makes humanity somehow responsible for its own actions.
 There is no explanation for the unnatural outside of the domain of the
human soul (well, okay, there's astral parasites and entropics, but I'm
even a little suspicious of them).

So, back to the issue at hand, I'd have to say that faeries are somehow an
extension of the human soul.  Particularly, I'd be inclined to make them
something akin to demons, in that you have the soul of a dead human that
refuses to depart, and has some malicious/frivolous/curious reason for
hanging on.  Hmm...I have a thought...forming in my head...

How does this sound?  Faeries are the souls of children who died as
infants, but possess some kind of drive to hang on and not depart to
wherever dead souls go.  Deprived of human culturation, they create their
own wild, crazy, unprincipled, impish lifestyle.  Now, while they don't
depart for places unknown, neither do they actually hang on in this world. 
Rather, these souls of dead infants have created, through some kind of
collective consciousness, a nether world for themselves, reflecting their
own impish sensibilities of livability, but also reflecting a great many
archetypal human ideas "the most wonderful place".

Periodically, living humans lose consciousness and are able to "visit" this
place.  Maybe they fall asleep under a tree, maybe they trip over a rock
and get knocked out.  Most importantly, it takes a person of a particular
mind set to mentally or spiritually travel to these faerie lands -- perhaps
they're mentally ill, or just in the right suggestive mood.  Likewise, on
rare occasions, such a person of the right mind set can invite these
faeries into our world for brief periods.

As for the Seelie/Unseelie division, that's probably a human attribution,
and like the demons, faeries might be willing to go along with anything
humans think or say, just for the opportunity to visit on this side for a
while.  Or, possibly, there really is some kind of schism among the souls
of dead infants -- the mere fact that they were never learned the ways of
adult humans doesn't necessarily mean that they couldn't independently
develop their own moral codes and political behaviors.  Also bear in mind
that, just because they died as infants, that doesn't mean that they
necessarily mean that they will always be child-like -- as the years or
centuries pass, they may become very sophisticated, indeed.

So, how's that for starters?  Mind you, I just rattled this off the cuff,
and I'm not convinced that it necessarily captures the tone of UA well, but
it does address the whole faerie issue in some reasonable fashion. 
Besides, I've been chomping at the bit to come up with a new element of the
unnatural to add to the game.  Any and all commentary will be welcomed.

Gone,
Ian

(P.S.  Michael -- I understand *entirely* about the need to vent the
spleen.  Oh, mama, do I ever!)