[✓] [World Lore] Faerie Rings

[Pengin 387]

Spoiler

 

~={ Faerie Rings }=~

“If you see a fairy ring in a field of grass, very lightly step around - tiptoe as you pass; Last night, fairies frolicked there, and they’re sleeping somewhere near.” - William Shakespeare

 

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

 

By Hester Margetson, 1890-1963

.✦ ݁ ˖𓂃.⚘. ݁˖

 

~= History =~

 

Whispers of yore tell of a time when the Aspects touched down upon the realm, vague recountings speaking of the sanctuary within nature that melded the Mortal and Fae Realms together. The Mani stood guard within this pure land where nature flourished, with fae in the forms of both fauna and flora alike thriving within it and driving out those who sought to sully it. The merge stood for centuries until the day the Betrayer and his undead army damned the ancient forest, blighting it with death wherever their unholy march trod through. Only after a long war did the Aspects and their creations, aided by the elves and the druids, eventually repel the unholy army, but by then the damage had already been done. The once pure lands were wrought with destruction, the realms severed from each other. Only silence ensued for the time to come, and the hope that the realms could be connected once again slowly faded over time.

 

That was, of course, until the day a discovery was made. Deep within the forest, a dedicant had lost their way from being sent to gather herbs for a task. The sun lowered over the horizon, drowning the forest in darkness. Fireflies flickered through the air, illuminating the aimless path that the dedicant wandered. The dedicant meandered the woods in search of an escape when they saw a glimpse of moonlight descending from the sky above. Drawn in by curiosity, they began to chase the falling light deeper into the woods, nearly catching up to it by the time it hit the ground. Breaking through the trees into a clearing, the dedicant witnessed a spiral of shimmering moonlight strike the ground, erupting into a brilliant glare. The clearing shivered as life erupted within it, flowers blooming and overgrowth running rampant. The dedicant, who had slowly walked forth as if in a trance, paused before the center of the clearing. In the wake of the light’s impact was a calm layer of grass encircled by an orderly ring of mushrooms and flowers alike. The air before the dedicant distorted, and a small figure forged from flora blipped into existence from within the ring with a brilliant glow. The dedicant stood in shock, staring blankly at the critter, who stared back, their eyes widening as more creatures began to spill out from beyond the veil of the ring.

 

The creatures erupted in cheer and dance as they emerged, pulling the baffled dedicant into their festivities as they guided them into the ring. Unassumingly following their lead, the dedicant collapsed upon entering the ring, voices immediately filling their mind. The flow of life itself could be felt within their very being, their thoughts splintering as the ebb and flow of nature tore at the seams of their mind with something so wondrous yet utterly incomprehensible. The dedicant pulled themselves together just enough to drag themselves from the ring, clarity returning to them in an instant as they idly observed the fae creatures continuing to dance in glee around the ring of flora. Only when the sun rose did the dedicant finally return to their guide, several of the critters accompanying their trip home. 

 

The news of what had happened was nothing less than shocking, and the very same day the dedicant had returned to their guide, they left for the forest once again, this time with a gathering of druids in tow. Upon returning to the location, the druids were stunned by the sight, many shedding tears at the realization that the connection to the Fae Realm had returned to their world. These thin points of connection where the realms melded once more were henceforth called Faerie Rings, named aptly after the creatures that the druids cherished ever so much.

 

.✦ ݁ ˖𓂃.⚘. ݁˖

 

By Olya Demidova, 2020

 

.✦ ݁ ˖𓂃.⚘. ݁˖

 

~= Description =~

 

Faerie Rings, in their simplest form, are rings of flora which act as anchor points for dense rivers of fae energy, mana graced by the Aspects, to bond to. These anchor points serve as both exit and entrances to these rivers of energy, enabling them to connect the Fae Realm to the Mortal Realm. Many stories and tales, whether they tell of caution or of whimsy, believe the Rings to be a mystical means through which descendants may accidentally slip into the Fae Realm. While there is some truth to such tales, that is anything but their main purpose. These mystical formations exist so that the Fae may slip into the Mortal Realm, and Druids may get but a taste of what awaits them in the afterlife.

 

The Rings themselves take on various appearances based on where it is they lead to. Most naturally-occurring Faerie Rings will adopt a simpler appearance, with their rings composed of a variety of mushrooms and flowers - perhaps even a particular pattern etched into the grass within the circle. There are more specific Faerie Rings that may be created based on the specific domains to which they are tied. 

 

Dayward Domain Rings may primarily find themselves composed of different colourful wildflowers and flora rather than mushrooms, with spires of Blooming and Evergreen Kuila growing within and around the circle - giving off a faint passive glow due to the thinning between the Fae and mortal realm. 

 

Twilight Domain Rings take on a more autumnal appearance as it’s made up of mostly mushrooms of different varieties, with small animal bones often appearing unearthed around the site of these rings. The grass nearby turns brown and leaves around it turning all shades of red, orange and yellow in various states of decay. 

 

Nightfall Domain Rings tend to look the most otherworldly out of the three, bearing bioluminescent flowers and mushrooms within its circle - motes and embers of fleeting fairy fire fizzling in and out of existence around it with a magical shadow creeping in at the edges as if night were truly falling.

 

These Rings now have become gateways to and from the Fae Realm itself, allowing fae creatures like Sprites to travel between worlds on a whim and to aid the balance of the mortal realm, while also allowing Druids to traverse to the Fae Realm via their spirits through Walk of the Aspects. The concentration of pure druidic energy may also be used as a brief funnel of power towards any druid within the Ring, working similar to the Power-sharing spell to mitigate any stress that casting may bring.

 

Spoiler

Redlines

➤ General Faerie Rings can be used to go to any Domain within the Fae Realm, while specified Faerie Rings will only bring a druid to that specific Domain.

➤ The 'Power-sharing' effect of the Faerie Ring may decrease any non-combative spell's length by [1] emote, although it cannot lower it below [2 Emotes]. This effect is limited to the confines of the ring, dissipating should the druid step outside of the circle.

 

 

.✦ ݁ ˖𓂃.⚘. ݁˖

 

~= Formation =~

 

Faerie Rings may be found in any open area with access to the night sky and teeming with nature. While they typically form within pure, untouched wilds, such as deep within forests, they can also form anywhere where natural energies densely gather, such as druidic settlements. They would not form somewhere within a cave or a lack of open air, given it would obstruct the moonlight, and any attempt at trying to create one within a closed space, or build over the Ring would result in the flora slowly withering and dying - rendering it unusable. There are two categories of Faerie Rings, Natural Faerie Rings and Inscribed Faerie Rings. 

 

Natural Faerie Rings are as described - naturally occurring circles of abundant flora consisting of various mushrooms, flowers, and even occasionally growths of Kuila crystals. These appear in the mortal realm in spaces rich in natural energy, under the light of the full moon. When the veils between the realms grew the thinnest, these Rings begin to form with a shimmery outline of a circle. The natural song within the Faerie Ring begins to change into something stronger, as the natural energy becomes more concentrated. As this coalescence of energy draws to its peak, a burst of moonlight erupts from the earth and impacts the land, causing a ring of assorted flora to bloom in its wake and cementing the newly formed Faerie Ring in its place. These Rings hold no alignment to any specific region in the Fae Realm, serving as a general connection to the realm as a whole.

 

Inscribed Faerie Rings are Faerie Rings that were artificially created via the Ritual of the Fae Ring, a rite passed down unto Transcendent Druids which allows them to make and tie Faerie Rings to Aspect Domains. Based on its name, the ritual requires druidic runes to be inscribed into the earth to summon the flora to make up the Ring the druids are attempting to create. 

 

Spoiler

Redlines

➤ Faerie Rings must be built / created with access to the sky, and should not be built underground or with a covering over top of it. 

➤ Every Faerie Ring, whether naturally formed or created, must be noted with an ST sign. The sign must dictate what type of Faerie Ring it is.

➤ Faerie Rings must be at least [50] blocks apart from all other rings, regardless of if it is natural or created.

➤ Minimum size for a Faerie Ring in terms of a build would be [5x5], while the maximum size would be [10x10].

➤ Faerie Rings cannot be formed in places such as the middle of a city, on a path, or common places where people walk. They can only form in natural areas.

➤ Faerie Rings would not form, and/or be created within [30] blocks of a Voidal Tear or Heath. Should a Tear already be present when a Faerie Ring is being created, it cannot be used to metagame the Tear’s location unless it is already out in the open.

 

 

.✦ ݁ ˖𓂃.⚘. ݁˖

 

~= Interactions =~

 

Conduit of Nature’s Song

Faerie Rings, being places with heavy concentrations of natural energies, can cause entities who enter them to forcibly resonate with such energies, the interpretation of which is commonly referred to as the ‘Song of Nature.’ Due to the inability for beings outside the Aspects influence to comprehend these energies, it can cause assorted effects on the minds of those subjected to something inherently incomprehensible. These effects, while incapable of causing lasting harm, greatly impact the senses and thought processes of those exposed to them while being unable to understand them.

 

This song provides a sense of serenity and peace to any Druid that listens to it, while the unattuned are typically greeted with a strange, indecipherable noise accompanied by an onset of disorientation and dizziness on par with inebriation. Some individuals may enjoy the feeling of being disorientated and may end up sitting in a ring for some time, unable to pry themselves away from the song should they become too sluggish. Sprites, while able to travel back and forth between realms, are able to withstand and understand the strange droning song that emits from a Faerie Ring, for they are purely Fae. The same ability to withstand and understand the song applies the Mori'quessir, children of Nemiisae, as well.
Demi-fae creatures, such as Epiphytes, are able to withstand the song without being disoriented - however, it is still uncomfortable to hear.

 

Should those of Undead origins enter a Faerie Ring, they would feel a sense of hollow unease - as if their absence of life is clashing with the very essence of the Ring. Practitioners with Unmodified Souls of otherwise Corruptive or Dark Magics will find themselves being able to experience the Faerie Ring as if they were mere unattuned mortals. Creatures of Undead, Dark, or Voidal origins would feel an intense scrutiny on top of the disorientating effect, culminating in a horrid sense of nausea. Voidal machinations and creations would immediately feel wholly unwelcome, with the song growing into a deafening uproar to assail the senses. The noise from within would be disorientating enough to prevent casting anything other than druidic magics. Any attempt to cast nefarious magics that may harm nature within a Faerie Ring would be met with absolute rage and anger roaring at them, accompanied by a sickening malaise - making it impossible to continue. Golems, being artificial entities with no soul nor organic matter, are unaffected by faerie rings and do not experience anything while within them.

 

Spoiler

Redlines

➤ The standard mental affliction of hearing the song of nature within a Faerie Ring to an average unattuned descendant is one of heavy disorientation.

➤ Non-druids / Non-sprites will be unable to decipher and or understand the song in any way.

➤ Playable entities who must respect these interactions are categorized as follows:
  ~ Dark Origins - Moroi, Corcitura, Naztherak (Revealed Form), Zar'ei
  ~ Undead Origins - Necromancers, Ghouls, Darkstalkers, Draugrs, Liches, Wights, and Spectres/Apparitions/Poltergeists

~ Voidal Origins - Atronachs, Yisar, and Voidstalkers
~ Mori'quessir who fall into any of these categories default to their respective interactions, overriding their innate tolerance of the song if applicable.

➤ Those who are not Druids, Epiphytes, or Sprites will struggle to cast magic within a Faerie Ring due to the mental interference of the song.

➤ While in dire situations, such as combat, the mind becomes pre-occupied with survival and stops attempting to interpret the song of nature. This alleviates most mental interference and disorientation, allowing individuals to move normally and utilize magics once again.

➤ The mental effects of being in a Faerie Ring will never cause permanent afflictions nor be fatal, and will disappear once the individual steps outside of the circle.

 

 

Corruption

Faerie Rings are able to be corrupted by an assortment of sources. While a corrupted Ring doesn’t heavily affect its environment due to the contained nature of Rings, it causes problems for druids and fae alike who attempt to utilize it, with the effects varying depending on the nature of the corruption. 

 

Natural and Fae entities will corrupt over the course of [2 Emotes] while within a corrupted Faerie Ring. Fae who attempt to utilize a fae ring to travel between realms will be immediately corrupted upon arrival or departure through said ring.

 

Blood Magic Variant

Rings corrupted by Blood Magic become sickly and partially wilted, their flora tainted by reddish hues and mutated to possess unruly thorns, or any other hostile quality as if mutated. The song becomes distorted and uneasy, greatly perturbing those who hear it. Animals in the nearby area will not willingly approach the corrupted Ring and will react hostilely when approached - senses on overdrive due to the corruption nearby.

 

[!] Tree Lords & Epiphytes that are Blood Mages will not be corrupted. Unattuned individuals will still experience the same effects as a regular Faerie Ring, as well as the added distortion and distress of being in a mutated space.

 

Voidal Variant

Rings corrupted by Voidal Magic become distorted by unnatural colors and mutate with tumorous blemishes, causing the flora within to warp eerily in an unappealing way. The song of nature becomes pained and agonizing, causing grief and anguish to those who hear it. Nearby animals may appear sickly or frail, refusing to eat or drink while within the vicinity of the ring and avoiding it when possible.

 

[!] Unattuned individuals will still experience the same effects as a regular Faerie Ring, as well as the sudden onset of sadness and pain.

 

Necrotic Variant

Rings corrupted by Necromancy have become all devoid of any type of life. All of the grass, and flora has turned various shades of black and grey, withering away and turning to ash and dust if touched without care. The song in the area has all but been snuffed out - silence reigning over the area in a suffocating manner. No animals would be found nearby at all, having abandoned the death-infested site.

 

[!] Unattuned individuals will still experience the same effects as a regular Faerie Ring minus the song, as well as an uncanny and uncomfortable fear in the silence. Should any individual find themselves staying within the ring for [5 Emotes], they would find their extremities slowly turning black and rotted akin to severe hypothermia.

 

Spoiler

Redlines

➤ In order to cleanse the corruption, one Blight Healer is required per one Corrupter. (i.e two Blood Mages corrupting a Faerie Ring would require two Blight Healers to undo the damage via Cleansing.)

➤ Rings may be corrupted by any spell capable of corrupting a targeted area or object. Alternatively, practitioners of a valid magic may perform a free-form ritual over the course of at least [3 Emotes] to infuse the energies of their respective magic into the ring to corrupt it.

➤ Corrupted Faerie Rings, no matter of the Variant, become an unsuitable medium for casting Druidic or Fae magics until cleansed.

➤ Blood Magic-corrupted Faerie Rings and their mutated flora may possess any of the following: sharp teeth, thorns, poison, and or noxious gas. These cannot be used in any level of combat, and any injuries garnered will never be fatal. 

➤ Any RP item attempted to be gathered from any Corrupted Ring is to be player-signed and bears no combative uses. Poisons and gases lose their potency, blighted materials will capable of spreading blight, etc.

➤ The blackened appearance of extremities within a Necrotically-corrupted Faerie Ring are purely aesthetic and for appearance - the body parts affected are still fully functional. They may fade after exiting the ring after [15 OOC Minutes], or the player may choose to OOCly keep them for aesthetic purposes. The 'rotted' effect would not extend to full limbs or body parts either - at most appearing on the fingers, toes, and ears.

 

 

Destruction

In regards to destroying a Faerie Ring, one must destroy what makes up the Ring in itself. Natural Faerie Rings may only be destroyed if its natural environment had been stripped away, such as a city being built around it, or excess pollution poisoning its space. Inscribed Faerie Rings are more artificial, and came to be through druidic runes written into the earth to anchor itself there, rather than occurring without interference. Given they were created with pure Fae energy, only select things may properly destroy them. 

 

Magical Fire, whether it be an Azdrazi's Flames or Voidal Fire, will require [5] continuous emotes to fully burn away the Ring. 

 

Mana-Nullifying Effects, such as Thanhium and Auric Oil-treated weapons, require [3] continuous swings and or blows to destroy the Faerie Ring. 

 

Purging of Deific Energy, such as through Shamanism, will completely dispel a ring should a spell capable of it be completed with the Faerie Ring in its area of affect or as its target.

 

Physical Disruptions, such as simply stepping on and stamping out the Ring,  simply makes it fall dormant and quiet. Druids and nature will hear a pained noise within the song [2] blocks away from the Ring before it falls quiet, in which a [2 OOC Hour] cooldown will be applied while the Ring attempts to repair itself. During this time period, the Ring is unusable to anyone and its once-vibrant Song had been reduced to a whisper.

 

Spoiler

Redlines

➤ Druids, Fauna, Flora, and Fae will all hear a sharp scream through the song within [5 Blocks] of the destroyed Ring, followed by an eerie silence. The song returns to normal after [1 OOC Hour], as the Faerie Ring is no more.

➤ Passive magical or general area effects (i.e Smoggers’ Smoke) will not completely destroy a Faerie Ring. It only causes the Ring to become dormant and unusable - this effect excludes Voidal Tears, Hollows, or anything causing the area to be devoid of life. 

➤ Stepping on the flora that made up a Faerie Ring will not destroy it completely - non-attuned creatures may step on the flora to no effect.

➤ A Transcendent Druid may regrow a physically disrupted ring to via the spell Growth to instantly complete its repair process.

➤ Natural Faerie Rings cannot be destroyed through magical means, only through pollution or the destruction of nature.

 

 

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

 

Purpose

The Fae Ring lore was submitted back in 2017, and its age is very evident when trying to read through the lore. With updates done to the general Druidism magic as of recent with the general Druidism rewrite and other parts of the general Druidic World Lore, the Fae Ring lore was the next to be updated to be more in line with current lore, other marriage pieces, and more recently-updated interactions. 

 

Credits

Authors: @marslol & @Pengin

Review: @Fleur___

Original Author: @NightcastorKitty

 

Citations

Original 2017 Write - https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/166951-✓-rewrite-~~fairy-rings~~ 

Blight Healing - https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/227298-✓-magic-lore-druidic-blight-healing 

Transcendence - https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/225732-✓-%C2%A0druidismfeat-druidic-transcendence 

Sprites - https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/242890-✓-ca-sprites-the-faeries-of-a-thousand-whims 

Epiphytes - https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/217365-✓-creature-lore-epiphytes-the-dryad-curse 

Druidic Blood Magic - https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/213242-✓-magic-lore-druidic-blood-magic 

 

 

[PrimnyaQuorum 3999]

Love this, but just a slight heads up

 

22 minutes ago, Pengin said:

Voidal Variant

Rings corrupted by Voidal Magic become distorted by unnatural colors and mutate with tumorous blemishes, causing the flora within to warp eerily in an unappealing way. The song of nature becomes pained and agonizing, causing grief and anguish to those who hear it. Animals may appear sickly or frail nearby, refusing to eat or drink or willingly go near the ring regardless.

 

[!] Unattuned individuals will still experience the same effects as a regular Faerie Ring, as well as the sudden onset of sadness and pain. Individuals within the corrupted Ring would also experience a temporary version of Voidal Poisoning - meaning no two-handed weapons or armour could be used and or held. Should anyone be wearing armour, they would find themselves extremely heavy and encumbered. 

 

22 minutes ago, Pengin said:

➤ The Voidal Poisoning within a Voidally-corrupted Faerie Ring is strictly within the area of the Faerie Ring. The effect dissipates as the individual leaves the circle.

This doesn't really make any sense. Voidal Poisoning is induced when something enters either a Hollow, or has a Voidal connection of some sort. I don't think a ring of plants being voidal corrupted is anywhere near the scale of a Hollow. Equally, Voidal Poisoning comes in 3 Tiers and you're not quite describing voidal poisoning well either. Mage's can still wear light armor

[Kudos 188]

I love you,@Pengin.  I will eat you, @Pengin.  I want to push more people into fae rings and give them an aneurism, @Pengin.

 

+1

[Junoix 2301]

Beautiful shit @Pengin The rest of you look dumb lol

[JJosey 1481]

goated af @Pengin
yall mad weird

[PrimnyaQuorum 3999]

32 minutes ago, Pengin said:

I will reword it, if not outright remove the effect. It was added with the idea that if the ring has enough energy to make the unattuned feel the effect of nature's song, then a voidally corrupted ring would have enough blighted energy to mimic the effects of something like voidal poisoning. It was mainly added because it seemed like a neat interaction, but if it doesn't make sense then it can just get scrapped.

I mean like the stuff beyond the voidal poisoning seems fine? its just rare for something thats not a voidal MA to cause it, and it will be a CRP balancing issue 

[Pengin 387]

Just now, PrimnyaQuorum said:

I mean like the stuff beyond the voidal poisoning seems fine? its just rare for something thats not a voidal MA to cause it, and it will be a CRP balancing issue 

I drastically dialed it back, so hopefully it's a bit more acceptable as just a flavor effect. As for the CRP stuff, I have never seen CRP happen in a fae ring or close to one. I also imagine that if CRP does happen around a fae ring, it will happen while people are outside of it. There is very little reason why somebody would want to enter a fae ring, let alone be near one - especially a corrupted one, in a potentially combative scenario.

[Pallodium 3775]

This Lore has been accepted. Moved to Implemented Lore, it will be sorted to it's appropriate category soon. Please note that if this is playable lore, such as a magic or CA, you will need to write a guide for this piece. You will be contacted regarding the guide (or implementation if it isn’t needed) shortly.