Roles of the Fae Members

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by Eloy Lasanta
Playing Tips and interpretations of the three Origins in Dark Ages: Fae.
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This article is an explanation of how the different origins exist side by side with each Demon Faith Complications
by Madison
other and even with others of their kind. I hope that these interpretations of the Roles Big Day!
of the Fae help out any new player to Dark Ages: Fae with making fun and creative by Nightfall
characters. If you have any comments, questions or whatever you can send me an Ref: Notable Characters And
Other Notes
email at kendril1@gmail.com or take it to the forums. Peace! by Saint Michael
01 - Elspeth
by Saint Michael
Firstborn Big Night Out
by 198505
A Cry For Help
The firstborn, often called the true fae, are just that; they were the first to spring from by SBNa
Gencon - Indy
the very Mist itself.  They regard themselves as gods, creators of all things animal, by EnriqueDelaViega
vegetable or mineral and many would be hard-pressed to disregard these claims.  The Superhero Movies
by Misfit
history of the fae begins this way, and every fae is taught that the firstborn are to be The House Of Good Hope
respected above all others.  They are as kings and wield the immense power and by Misfit
The End Of All Things
legacy of the Great Unleashing.  by Araska

Birth or Spritehood Search

Even though the original firstborn sprang from the very Mists that created the chaotic
world itself, no firstborn has been born that way for as long as memory dictates.  New
firstborn are either the result of a pairing of two firstborn or the raising of a Sprite into Advanced Search

their ranks.  Both events are very important to the very workings of fae society.
S U B M IT
As many know, marriage is a very important event in a fae’s life.  This is even more
important to the firstborn, however, as their devotion to propriety shadows those of the Most recent articles
other origins.  There have been divorces within the firstborn, but both parties involved Chapter Five: Within and
are often ostracized from fae kingdoms.  When a firstborn makes a commitment, they Without
keep it and that is what is expected of them.  Old Realm
Chapter Four: The Loudest
Silence
The same comes from raising children.  Every true fae is expected to continue his or Never So Simple
Vermin
her legacy, no matter how tomboyish or playboy-ish the fae may be.   This is for two
good reasons.  The first is to cement their place in fae society.  The firstborn have no
Syndicate
plans of being over run by inanimae or changelings, who already outnumber them if
combined.  The number of other origins grows each day, while the firstborn population Atom
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suffers.  They will avoid becoming the minority by all costs.   The second reason
involves the feeling each of them that makes them really want to have children.  The Join our Mailing List
firstborn believe that the practice of and the feeling about childbirth was stolen from
them by the humans and horribly replicated.  Yet another thing to distrust humanity for.

When a true fae child is born, there is a huge ceremony among firstborn kingdoms. 
Each of the lords and ladies visit the realm of the parents and give their own unique S U B M IT
blessings upon the newborn.   More angelic, good-natured firstborn may give a
blessing of beauty or art upon the child, while the more monstrous fae bless him with
courage and the ability to learn the crafts of horror and warfare much easier.  The
ceremony last for the first month of the child’s life, because it takes time for every lord Have You Read?
and lady to visit and is the foundation to whether or not the child will be accepted. 
There are legends of fae who were cursed instead of blessed by their betters.  They
bore some mark, some taint that called the firstborn of the kingdom to damn the child
to a depraved and pitiful existence.  Firstborn parents are ashamed, for this is the
marking that could deny their child a life within the courts, forcing it to become a
Solstice fae.

The other method firstborn are created by is the brining up a Sprite to full-fledged fae-
hood.  Sprites come from all around and actually are the product of what happens
when you spontaneously spring from the Mists nowadays.  They come in varying
degrees of strength, from a generic low-leveled peon to a being very close to already
being firstborn, but that lacks the initial spark of creation – some say divinity.

The cultivation of a Sprite takes time, however.  Some need only to exist on their own. 
They despise any firstborn or inanimae that would claim they are better and survive on
their own, just fine.  They are able to slowly absorb more and more of the Mists from
the area, sometimes even attempting to kill and devour firstborn children, only to drain
their souls for the precious power to become one of them. 

Although, the most common way for a Sprite to achieve their power is to work under
one of the firstborn or inanimae in the hopes that they willing supply the Sprite with the
spark needed.   This is not an exact science, however.  Some masters are easy to Werewolf: The Forsaken
please, needing only the Sprite unending devotion and loyalty to prove himself worthy
the spark.  Other, crueler masters require the blood, sweat and tears of their Sprite for Random Project
years on end before parting with even a hint of the spark they seek.  These lines are
usually made when speaking of Courts, yet there are merciless Summer-kin, as well
as Winter-kin who don’t necessarily need to take their frustrations out on their Sprites.

Respect

The childhood years of a firstborn differ greatly from that of the other origins.  The
biggest difference stems from their lack of interaction with humanity and their almost
forced teachings about respect.  The true fae grow up and exist in a highly hierarchical
society and are most often the rulers of the faerie kingdoms.  This isn’t simply a
coincidental phenomenon; it is due to their intense upbringing, raising them to be
rulers.

All firstborn are put through schools, being molded into what they are destined to
become – or what their parents wish for them.  They have little time to run and play,
because of their harsh training schedule, teaching them the ways of philosophy,
history, Dominions, and knowledge about the other supernatural beings of the world. 
Instead, these schools provide a ripe source of contacts, allies and oaths that can be
cultivated between all of the young firstborn. 

While their schooling is severe, nothing goes deeper than their propriety to other
firstborn.  They are taught from birth that they are the rulers of the Earth, master and
creator of all they see.  Then they are educated to a simple fact: so is every other
firstborn.  The young fae are taught respect for their elders and for the ruling court. 
They are taught that the firstborn are the rulers, but the other origins have their place
as well.  Some, more liberal houses bring tutors of other origins to speak of their lives,
but the more traditional homes simply read stories out of history books. 

Their interaction with humanity parallels, even surpasses, their interaction with other
origins.  While they may not meet another origin until their Fostering – which is a long
time – some firstborn don’t see a human until they have finished their Saining and
developed their own home.  Most courts teach there is no need, until it is time to forge
oaths.  The humans are only a defense against echoes, after all. 

Yes, the true fae may seem arrogant at times and callous at others, but this comes
from years of reinforcement of this opinion.  Even other fae call the firstborn the true
fae, so this must speak of something.  They rule because they are raised to and
because it is their destiny, the will of the Mists and of their betters.  The firstborn fight
for their survival and their control of politics and will not be denied their power.

Faces of Firstborn

The true fae are first and foremost the leaders of many Oath Circles.  Very seldom will
one of the firstborn give up their right to rule, even if only over a small group.  They
are taught the skills of warfare, strategy and battle far beyond what other origins can
understand.  They have been engrained with the knowledge to administrate and to
reign supreme in almost all instances.

But there are other things that color their perspectives on life and all of existence. 
While they are all raised in roughly the same manner, different courts, different
cultures, all proceed with these in different ways.  This results with firstborn wielding
their power in different ways and having contradictory ruling habits and appearances. 
Below are a few examples of different types of firstborn and why they end up that
way.  The brands given are those that have been tainted by human perspective.

Angels and Demons

Those firstborn that exhibit a surreal and beautiful quality or have such a commanding
aura surrounding their very essence usually fall within the category of angelic
firstborn.  These firstborn are those that have grown up in the system and have
benefited from its strong presence in their lives.  They are usually rulers of their own
 realm and are proud contributors to their courts.  Because of this, they are often kinder
to their underlings, showing more compassion to all. 

This kindness even extends to humanity.  Angelic firstborn are very much fascinated
with humans and their short, pitiful lives, often taking enough interest to interject
themselves.  Their beauty and charm allow them to easily cajole humanity, as they are
seen as angels and saviors of the people.  This usually stands as the truth, as the true
fae honestly wishes to help, but others use this only as an advantage.  Good Oaths
are hard to find.  Many angelic firstborn create actual cults to worship them.  Their
glow and apparent good nature, makes it easy to gain respect from humanity, making
the church a part of their existence, instead of its bane.

While, the firstborn may display these characteristics that are thought of as “good”,
they need not be clichéd.  Some are the zenith of selfishness and greed, wanting to
keep all that they have worked hard for, while others become devilishly envious,
stealing others power for their own.  Angelic firstborn are not above the bloody act of
outright war; many of them were at the frontline of the War of Seasons, battling for
what they thought was right.  They are often zealots to their causes.

Other firstborn, who hated the hierarchy system of their upbringing or those who were
cursed from birth, usually don’t hide what they are.  They are monsters.  The category
of nightmarish firstborn encompasses a fairly large percentage of the true fae
population.  Few of them wish to mask any part of themselves, taking pleasure letting
everyone know where they stand. 

Obviously, these types of creatures are quite frightening to behold and are easily
angered or upset.  This brings many of these nightmarish firstborn to the Winter
Court.  This court accepts the fae’s true demon inside, helping to cultivate it into a
powerful soldier for the War of Seasons.  However, the Winter-kin are far from the only
ones that accept nightmarish fae, as all firstborn have their own reason to join each of
the courts.   Some may join the Summer Court, the extreme opposite of the Winter
Court.  The Summer Court deals in tradition and loyalty, leading many nightmarish fae
to aid them in their effort.  They wish to establish their own traditions, such as
sacrifices, wars, contests in their name, etc.  Those firstborn who are built monstrously
witty, but not physically powerful, usually flock to the Autumn Court, putting their
nightmarish brain to good use in manipulating humanity and learning their secrets. 
The Spring Court, which promotes growth and beauty, always find that this comes at a
price.  A monstrous fae may require the death of children and other atrocities for them
to build their luxurious gardens or for them to help humanity prosper.

These firstborn, however, usually end up in one court above any other… the Solstice
Court.  Especially if they were cursed at their birth ceremonies, the nightmarish
firstborn try not to rely too much on others.  They become quick outcastes, bringing
them closer to their inward darkness, only to be embraced by other outcastes and
rejects.

Animalistic Firstborn

Some firstborn may display the head of a cat, the snout of a wolf or even the tail of a
scorpion.  This comes from their affinity to animals, or rather the affinity of animals to
the fae.  To explain this further, you must think about the origin of all life on Earth… the
Great Unleashing.  The true fae’s simultaneously creative and destructive forces
created all creatures on this planet… in the firstborn’s image.  So it is not the fae that
emulate the wolf’s hearing or the firstborn that duplicates the eagle’s sight.  It is these
creatures that have received their gifts from the true fae, the true rulers of the world.

These animalistic firstborn resemble the creature that it gave birth to, but to a greater
extent.  A feline fae may be excessively sexual, bratty and self-centered, but would
also be a phenomenal huntress, always on the prowl.  On the other hand, a wolf
firstborn would exhibit ferociousness that few have seen in this world, but would ally
himself with others and be very loyal to his “pack”.  The Garou often collaborate with
animalistic fae, as they feel most understood by their wild friends.

These firstborn were some of the first to rule as gods, going south to Africa, where
humanity understood the firstborn relationship to the beasts that walked the earth. 
The Egyptian pantheon of gods, including Ra – the eagle-headed god, Thoth – the
crane-headed god, and Set – the jackal headed god, are all thought to be firstborn,
who forged powerful Gold Oaths with humanity of their country.  Even though their
power continues to grow, details of these Oaths have been lost, along with a few of
the more powerful gods that forged them.  Two younger gods, Montu – the hawk-
headed god and Sekhmet – lion-headed goddess, have died at the hands of Christian
missionaries in the recent decade. 

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