Callela

[ cah·leh·lah ]

Overview:

Split down the middle, Callela is an unusual landmass. The western province of Cycammoo makes up the Kingdom ruled by the Seelie Court. To the east, the Anasne province serves as the Kingdom to those belonging to the Unseelie Court. Separated by the Mylvadorei Lagoon (also the location of the Betwixt, home to those Uncourted and the Dædscúa Mercatus), the two halves of this continent are connected by intricate constructs of magickal design, acting as a bridge between them with two guards stationed at each point at any given time. The continent on whole breathes an unearthly beauty, moving as if it were a painting come to life. Vibrant colors of reds, oranges, purples, splashed with the occasional hint of cooler tones, paint across the landscape and foliage in overwhelming abundance, with leaves in a seemingly perpetual state of plummet. Fantasy and reality alike converge here in a symbiotic relationship, proudly cultivated into a working society predominantly comprised of creatures with fae origin.

Government:

Aristocratic - Dual Primary Courts. At the top of the nobility chain, each court has a King or Queen, and the fae of that court is fervently loyal to them to the point of laying down their lives. Fae law is as mischievous as the creatures that wrote them, and it is written ambiguously as to be interpreted as the fae see fit. This often results in fun for Callela residents themselves, though it means the humans and elves are less keen on doing business with them. The Faunfolk are more prone to dealings with the Fae, and Yrineglen and Callela have a good working relationship as a result.

Seelie
Summer & Spring Courts
King: Tavyth
Predominant Races: Eladrin, Fae-Elf, Gnomish.

Unseelie
Winter & Autumn Courts
Queen: Anlenae
Predominant Races: Eladrin, Changelings, Spriggans.

Ásolcenu
Uncourted
No King or Queen, but the leader, or “Aldorseer” has the final say and keeps things as in-check as one can given the group’s nature.
Aldorseer: Eyrynnhv
Predominant Races: Changelings, Spriggans, Hobgoblins, Gnomish.
Underground market: Dædscúa Mercatus.
Operates very much like the modern-day Black Market, with some Fae from either primary Court frequenting its grounds.
Located in the “Betwixt”--the magickal area that separates both halves of Callela.

Continent Lore:

The most notable history of Callela states it was once one single continent; however, after the War of the Ancestors, it was violently separated so no Seelie or Unseelie fae would have to intermingle. This was changed in recent years with the Bridge of Union being constructed with magick to reunite the two halves.

Exports

Unseelie Timber (Rare, but acquirable.)
Seelie Medicinal Remedies
Airships/Magick Transportation

Cultural Norms

Fae are not given a name at birth, but rather they choose one upon what is referred to as their Dawning around age ten, when their magickal essence infuses with their being.

The Seelie are fond of humans, if only because they’re delightfully gullible, though the Unseelie do not care to interact with them at all beyond meddling in their affairs.

An annual celebration is held between Aelfort and Fairfront to honor the Wildmother, while Faewind and Mossmaw celebrate in honor of Yllvashara.

Magick

All fae are magickborne, though they are unable to use it until their Dawning at age ten. Prior to this event, they are instructed in a class-like setting, though it is nothing like the Elven or Human academies and they learn and hone a more natural connection to magick.

Seelie magick tends to be used for good, while Unseelie is typically the opposite. Ásolcenu magick can be either; however, there is frequent usage of what is considered Obscurum Magicae, a much darker form that comes at a mental and physical cost over time.

Magick is typically evoked by singing as it is the driving force behind the continuous cultivation of Callela’s fantasy-like landscape. Items can be imbued with magick; Seelie tend to do this through lyrical ballads whereas Unseelie do so with melodious chants, though the art of doing either is said to be a practice that is decades-long to learn.

Capable of using their magick to glamour themselves to live amongst the Human and Elven populations undetected.

Fae Race

Seelie Capital City

Windpass

Physical Traits

As if having absorbed every ray of sunlight possible, skin tones vary shades of brown, olive, and bronze. Lighter or darker tones are rarer, but not unseen.

Hair colors are those of a normal human and some unnatural as well, though there have been cases of these hues appearing more ‘saturated’ in tone.

Nature-bound Seelies tend to take on the coloration of their concentration.

Unnatural eye colors are more prominent than natural, though both exist.

Height ranges from as short as 5'0" to as tall as 6'0", though shorter tends to be more common.

Unseelie Capital City

Rosegrasp (City of Thorns)

Physical Traits

Reflective of their environment, the Unseelie exhibit paler skin tones and more often range between grays and purples. Deeper shades have been witnessed on those dwelling in the Southernmost regions of the continent.

Hair shades include black, gray, brown, and silver, and deep auburn in rare cases. Other colors can be noted, but they are typically far darker versions.

Eyes can be any color on the spectrum; however, they tend to present in cooler tones rather than warm or bright.

Height ranges from as short as 5'0" to as tall as 6'0", though shorter tends to be more common.

Religion
Seelie Fae
Although the Seelie fae worship the Wildmother and her Three, the fae in particular seem more concerned with their own well-being and so worship has fallen to the wayside save for the annual.

Unseelie Fae
Fervent in their reverence of Yllvashara. Her ideals of mischief making have been warped over the centuries into unkindly tricks and magicks with the intent to maliciously antagonize.