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Insectafae

Insectafae

Insectafae are a race of creatures from the Fae lands. They live in families or clans centered around their "mother" Tree. There are only six Insectafae Trees. The Insectafae themselves generally live to be 125 years old. Most are vegetarians, but some do not restrict themselves to certain types of food.

There is some division on how the Insectafae were and are viewed within the court. During the reign of Oberon, the Insectafae were allowed only the smallest roles in the court, only to the level of peon. Currently the Insectafae are accepted as fae (some accept them begrudgingly) and one family, the Coupants, have a strong connection to Duchess Ophelia.


History

The beginning of the Insectafae as a race of creatures begins with the story of a Fae elf named Veryan. A knight of some renown in Fae, Veryan often ventured across Fae and into the mortal realms. While in the mortals lands, Veryan fell in love with a human named Sarah. The two courted for a time, but soon tragedy struck. Sarah was slain under a tree in a �soft spot� between Faerie and the mortal realms by a jealous Fae known now as Black Annis. Veryan was unable to revive his love when he came to the �soft spot�, armed with six seeds to grant her as gifts. His tears feel upon her body for days and nights, until the six seeds sprang up from the body of Sarah, as the Children (who became the Trees later). There was a girl for Baldaquin, a girl for D�amandes, a boy for Coupant, a boy for Lumineux, a boy & girl for Fleuris, and a girl/boy for Miserable. Veryan asked the Children to help him revive his lost love, but they could not (for they were only Children). Filled with anguish, Veryan cursed and grieved for years upon years. He wandered the mortal realms in his sorrow until all that was left of him was a powerful Sidhe. This Sidhe was filled with bitterness, anguish and hatred for all creatures that reminded him of the lost love. Those creatures were the Insectafae and the lone Sidhe became known as the Shadow.


The Trees and their Children

The �mother" Tree, for each Insectafae clan is not only a physical home they live in, but also contains the Spirit of that family. If the Tree is destroyed while the Spirit is inside of it, the bloodline will by and large be wiped out. There may be some survivors but there are no future Children. There are only six Insectafae Trees: Baldaquin, Coupant, D�Amandes, Fleuris, Lumineux, and Miserable.

Insectafae must return to their Tree four times a year (on the Solstices and Equinoxes) to maintain their connection to it. If they do not do so, they have until the following season�s change to return, or else become "Rogue Children". It is unknown at this time if they can simply choose to go Rogue; in most cases Insectafae that were separated from their Tree and unable to return took on this trait. The most well known �Rogue Children� are the Ducheneux twins, one is a scribe and adventurer while the other is a mage and seer.

Baldaquin: Dressed in all shades of green, these Insectafae are closest to being like dragonflies. Llike dragons, they tend to keep to the skies and canopies and can travel great distances in hours. They are extremely quiet, and are neutral towards humans. They would rather take to flight than fight. If a Baldaquin feels threatened, it will leave silently. However, If a Baldaquin ever has to defend itself, they only use missile-type weaponry (javelins, concussive magic missiles, and bow and arrows. Because they keep so much to themselves and never ask for any help, they tend more often to get poached, sick from encroaching humans, and basically preyed upon by other creatures while on the ground.

Coupant: Coupants embrace the colors brown, orange and all their shades and tints. They rarely wear black unless called for it or their wings are showing. They were hearty warriors, faithfully devoted to their Tree and to the continuation of the other branches. They were fighters, with the occasional healer and blacksmith, because they were bred for battle. They were quick to annoy and to anger, and they had no problems starting and finishing fights. Coupant was an Insectafae branch that swung first and asked questions later.They were second in stubbornness only to Lumineux, but Lumineux professes it is the other way around.

Now, Coupant is a 'last name' or a clan name to describe Sir Vawn Coupant and (at that time) the living Insectafe of that branch, now transformed into Seelie Fae Elves. The Tree, Coupant, still exists, and after two years is now able to bear new Insectafae children in Faerie. As for the rest, they are beholden to Sir Vawn Coupant, a Lord in the Seelie Court.

D�Amandes: D'Amandes's most unique characteristic is adaptation. Many Children have gone on to become other things, usually taught by other fae beings or even the occasional mortal. Due to this, D�Amandes has the second highest Rogue count. D�Amandes dress in varying shades of blue to mark their roots, and sometimes will pick up a second or third color to denote their life as it were. This is actually a culture display. If a D'Amandes has only one or two colors, they haven't lived very long.

D'Amandes children tend to be the most curious, optimistic, and perhaps naive. They are the 'most human' one would say. This means that like humans, D'Amandes can adapt to any sort of life-style or choice. Fighter, caster, priest, thief, it matters not. The argument stands that D'Amandes are the 'most human' in personality only, for their looks make it very obvious they are Insectafae.

Fleuris: Red and pink are characteristic of Fleuris. They love pretty things or beautiful things, but love flowers and blossoms the most. The children of Fleuris are said to be the most beautiful of all the Trees. The children are always a set of twins(either identical or fraternal), that share a name. The twins usually work in tandem or are complimentary to each other. Fleuris tends to produce the most Rogue children as well.

Lumineux: Lumineux are very strict in their choice of dress, wearing only white or shades of white with gold or silver to accent them. These bright children hate to be alone. Children of Lumineux can be found in pairs or small troupes. Some have even acquired non-Insectafae entourages. Lumineux can display a wide variety of attitudes from greedy and rude to charismatic and manipulative. Above all else, they are shrewd beings with a focus on survival. Lumineux itself remains in hiding far to the north past the Church of Joseph where they have been granted sanctuary, and there is rumor at the time of this document that a Lumineux child has been seen.

Miserable: The children of Miserable are shamanic, druidric, and feral in both nature and appearance. They are shrouded in different colors of violet and purple in the form of make-up and tattoos but otherwise dress in furs, feather, bones, leather or anything natural they can find. Miserable are thought by the others to be the least intelligent of the Trees, but some would argue they are the most wise. They understand nature, spirits, and 'The Ways' which speaks of older ways of Faerie.

They are also tribal in nature and have a great sense of honor, but only to themselves. When called upon to defend a home, a glen of magic, or something similar, all can transform into larger beings. Some transform into wolves or cats, but most choose fae creatures that are a mix of the imagination of a human and of their own Tree.


War of the Shadow

Throughout the year 1004, the Insectafae saw that they needed help fighting the ghost (the Sidhe known as the Shadow) attempting to wipe them out. Plans and preparations were made but little to nothing came of them. Finally, they made one last desperate attempt to save themselves and reached out to various people in the mortal Realms. Those mortals became Guardians that worked with the spirits of the Trees and their children to defend them from the Shadow.

This Guardianship imbued them with certain abilities that vary from Tree to Tree. It also enabled the Spirits to move and hide where they could not while they were bound to land in the form of a great Tree. The secondary purpose of the Guardians, beyond protecting the spirits, was to teach and nurture them, for the Spirits were really still children in many respects. Lastly, they were to help the Spirits fulfill their goal of bringing back the One, probably fending off an attack from the Shadow while they perform the ritual to bring Her back. The Insectafae refer to Sarah as �the One� or simple as �Her� as she is the "mother" of the Spirits that became the Trees.

Waking �the One� was the primary goal for the Insectafae to end the threat of the Shadow. Once the spirit of �the One� was awoken, Sarah and Veryan were granted a peaceful rest. Many of the Guardians lost their lives during the process but Faerie, combined with the forces of the Realms, was able restore (after a time) each fallen hero to their friends and comrades. Some Guardians remained changed after their experiences, becoming a fae elf or even an Insectafae themselves.


Recent Activity

While many Insectafae remain outside of the politics of the Court of Fae, the Coupants (through no fault of their own) were thrust into the Seelie aspect of Fae. They refer to Lord Sir Vawn of Eagle�s Rook as �father� and Duchess Ophelia as �mother�. Though Ophelia remains apart from the Court, her children have access to the ins and outs of Court life and intrigues. It is unknown if there are other benefits from this development.
Created by Faelinn Shadowmoon (Leanne Micciche) at 05-26-11 12:48 PM
Last Modified by Faelinn Shadowmoon (Leanne Micciche) at 05-26-11 12:50 PM