Siochain

You do not need to know or memorize this lore to play in Siochain. This is completely optional information if you are wanting to play one of our fae or understand the setting a little better! The fae in the Sisceal Continuity are based on a unique canon designed by the dream's owners with input from several other sources. Many people are familiar with this canon, but if you aren't this is the place to start! Due to the length of each section, I will be making them clickable, so you can collapse things rather than have to scroll through an ocean of text.

If you are familiar with Celtic fae mythology you will find a great deal of similarities inherent in this canon because this was taken in part from Celtic mythology.

While you are free to use this lore for your characters without seeking explicit permission, please be aware that the unique fae lore here is legally copyrighted to Elizabeth and Jason Prybylski. I know that sounds extreme, but given that we are writing novels to be published using this lore it bears stating. If you wish to create characters using this lore for any purpose outside roleplay purposes please contact us for permission at e.harvey830@gmail.com.

The Seelie court is comprised of the Seven Great Houses. These Great Houses are each led by a patriarch or matriarch who, by blood, has lineage back to the founder of the House. They are strict and rigid about their leadership and heavily focused on politics. War between Houses is unheard of, and all disputes are settled in a "civil" manner. Duels are not unheard of, but typically disputes are settled either in court or through talk.

The politics of the Summer Court are cutthroat and often involve backdoor deals, rumors, and social events. To the Summer Court, the dance floor or any sort of social gathering of one's peers is a battlefield. Deals are made, unions created, treaties won, territory conceded, all of these things can occur during one of their feasts or dances without literal bloodshed.

The Great Houses
The Seven Great Houses are:









The fae of each of the Great Houses tend to have a different skill that tends to run in the House's genetics. The royals and nobles of the House tend to have that skill more intensely than others, and their innate glamour abilities lend themselves toward that skill. Mixed lineage children often favor one parent, though may have aptitude in both types of glamour.

The fae of the Great Houses tend to be deeply specialized in their House's field and weaker with other forms of glamour. They are not incapable of performing other types of glamour if trained, but they will always be most powerful with their House's focus.

The Great Houses rule the Seelie portion of Elsewhere, the realm of the fae. Each of the Seven has a territory in Elsewhere, though the Lesser Houses are scattered without lands of their own. They often reside within lands belonging to the Great Houses.

Lesser Houses
The Lesser Houses often rally behind the Great Houses, though they have less influence in politics and do not possess seats on the Council. However, their presence or absence from various lands often has an impact on the Great House they most often affiliate with. These lesser houses often have specializations of their skills, though they are often seen as less powerful than the Great Houses in terms of glamour and skill. This perception may be inaccurate, but it is a common stigma amongst the Summer Court fae.

Many of the Lesser Houses are comprised of non-sidhe fae (though there are a scattering of non-sidhe fae who are in the Greater Houses by marriage). Some houses are exclusively one type of fae (phooka, pixie, brownie, etc.) while others are created of many. Houses may also be created and dissolve around particular ideals and skills, even if they are not of the same genetic line. Becoming recognized as a Lesser House on an official level requires approval of the Council, however.

There are far too many Lesser Houses to name, so if you would like to play a fae from one of these Houses please feel free to create your own House. If you would like your House considered canon please let an administrator know, and we can talk it over with you!

The seelie language and naming conventions use Irish Gaelic as their base. If you are looking to make a character of the Summer Court we recommend you look up Celtic nomenclature.

The Winter Court, unlike the Summer Court, is a far more brutal and unforgiving world. Following the Sundering, the unseelie were driven from seelie lands and trapped in their half of Elsewhere. During the following 1,500 years or so they developed clan structures and have created a loose society.

The governing body of the unseelie is called the Cyngor (pronounced: k'ngor). Comprised of the leaders of the largest and most powerful clans, the Cyngor meets infrequently and only to settle disputes between large clans or address matters that affect all unseelie fae. The members of the Cyngor are determined by the size of the clans they represent and the power of those clans. Often this power is represented in battle.

Unlike the seelie fae, the unseelie have a looser social structure comprised of often nomadic clans battling for territory. Tribes and clans are often created or dissolved into each other through warfare on one another. Though many unseelie are well educated and intelligent, their culture tends to put emphasis on survival skills, crafting, and warfare more than it does on academic prowess.

Each clan determines its leader a little differently, and bloodlines are less of a concern to the unseelie, leading them to be far less specialized than the seelie in their magic use. This lack of specialization leads to unseelie being more "jack of all trades, master of none", magically speaking.

There are far too many Clans and Tribes to name, so if you would like to play a fae from a clan or tribe of your own creation please feel free to do so. If you would like your clan or tribe considered canon for Sisceal please let an administrator know, and we can talk it over with you!

The unseelie language and naming conventions use Welsh as their base. If you are looking to make a character of the Winter Court we recommend you look up Welsh nomenclature.

The Sundering, also sometimes called the Great War, happened between the seelie and unseelie fae some 1,500 years ago. Various historical records from the time disagree on the origins of the comflict, though seelie historians trace the conflict to a single Winter Court king: Darren Drwg (pronounced: droog).

Prior to the Sundering, the seelie and unseelie shared power in equal measure. Elsewhere was united, and all lands were one. The social structure was dramatically different in that time, possessing none of the Great Houses nor clans that dominate the political landscape of the fae in current times. Instead, there was a single king or queen for the Summer and Winter courts. This king or queen ruled their people and shared equal power with their counterpart. Together, they made decisions for all fae.

King Drwg had the seelie queen assassinated in a bid for power over all fae. Power hungry and half-mad he waged war on the seelie, causing the Sundering. During this time, seven great leaders rose up from amongst the seelie people: Scathach, Faobhar, Liam, Eliuned, Arnwynn, Gwydion, and Aesin. Possessing great power, they were organized armies against the unseelie and repelled their forces, protecting the seelie fae from being overrun.

While many of the unseelie fae chose not to participate in the war (some even joined the seelie in their fight against the unseelie), all unseelie were banished following the triumph of seelie forces. King Drwg was imprisoned for eternity somewhere in the seelie lands. Many suspect he has long since perished. The casting out of the unseelie split Elsewhere into two separate, mirrored worlds--hence the name Sundering. No fae have ever been entirely certain the mechanics of how the Sundering occurred, but they all know it happened.

The unseelie were neither seen nor heard of by the seelie fae for close to 1,500 years. During that time the House structure was established based on the bloodlines of the seven heroes of the Sundering, and the seelie rebuilt their society out of the ashes. Twenty years ago, the unseelie returned.

The war, foreseen by Archimedes ta Scathach, was a fierce one as the leaders of several unseelie clans invaded Elsewhere to attempt to take back what they believed rightfully theirs. After several years of fierce fighting, the war came to an uneasy truce, and the unseelie have again begun to emerge into the world. At first they faced terrible racism from those who had fought with the seelie (and from the seelie themselves), though that has faded somewhat with time. The capitol city of Sisceal, Urraim, remains somewhat polarized on the subject, though most of the outlying cities are more forgiving.