The Courts of Rhimn

As discussed in the worldlore, the feyrie folk of Rhimn are reincarnations of the gods shattered in the Reckoning. In Ullua, they are tolerated, and in Gadhi, they are actively hunted down. A majority of Rhimn’s fey protect themselves by living in congregations known as courts. Some courts are comparable to family units, while others are large, self-governing clans with leadership positions and internal laws.

This page will get artwork after we get the world lore page further furnished. There are many, many courts on Rhimn, but the ones we will discuss will be;

The Talimourian Courts

Much like humans, fey can’t really help where they’re born. It is generally agreed that fey who grow up in human cities often have the unluckiest lot. Confined to an abandoned district plagued by Irongardhe raids and resource insecurity, Talimourian Courts can be some of the most territorial courts in Gadhi. But, much like a dandelion growing in the cracks between cobblestone, they’re also quite hardy and hopeful.

Courts in Talimour can be founded and felled within a matter of generations due to the perils of living so close to the Irongardhe. As of Book One of Heralds of Rhimn, three courts make the Upper Reaches of Talimour their home;

The Earthsung Court

Colloquially known as “Earthsingers,” this is Talimour’s oldest and most religious court.

Outsiders usually lump the Earthsingers in with the other Talimourian fey as a “thieves’ court.” However, most Earthsingers protest this; the court primarily gets by on begging, hushed house-help, and favor-barter. Romne worshippers are few and far between in Irongardhe society, but those that do favor the seasonal gods often seek out like-minded friends in the Reaches. While the other two courts can be hostile to unannounced visitors, the Earthsingers that live on the outskirts of the Reaches are more willing to nod from their porches and let outsiders pass on by, or even to welcome them in for a chat. If one seeks advice or prophecy from an Earthsinger priest, it’s considered common courtesy to come bearing gifts.

Thanks to their friendliness, the Earthsung Court has slowly become the largest court in Talimour. They house a surprising number of humans. Romne priests, homeless folk, and non-feyrie orphans all have a propensity for showing up at their doorstep.

Despite this court’s meekness, their numbers and Romne-favor cause Windrider and Frostbiter thieves to pause before making an Earthsinger their next mark.

This does not mean that they get along with the other two courts.

The Earthsingers are governed by Courtfather Orlen. He is the fifth leader so far — an impressive testament to his court’s longevity. After they are pulled out of isolation, the Earthsingers become amicable with the equally-hospitable Mirthful Ones.

The Windridden Court

Colloquially known as “Windriders,” the Windridden Court is the oldest thieves’ court in Talimour, and the “middle child” between the three courts. The Windrider’s first leader founded her court out of frustration with the other fey around her, believing that the reason why they were so easily kicked around by the Irongardhe was because they weren’t strong enough to dare fight back. She decided from then on to only accept the strongest as her true children and to teach them to take their means of survival by force if need be. This philosophy had often made the court something of a nuisance — at best — to the other courts in the Reaches.

Windriders get by in a variety of ways. Many of them are in the business of smuggling goods into the Reaches to sell to the other fey there, and some follow the Earthsingers lead and act as secret backroom help to shops that are willing to hire feyrie hands for cheap.

Younger and more irascible Windriders take their court’s philosophy seriously, and work together as muggers and burglars in a bid to toughen up and strike fear into the humans of Talimour.

Occasionally, Windriders mug fey from the other courts as well. This is often done to punish trespassers who intrude on their territory. They’re also known to target returning Frostbiter pickpockets for whatever wallets they’ve fished out of the marketplace. In turn, Frostbiters are perfectly happy to sneak the money back out of Windrider pockets whenever the chance arises.

This is one of many reasons why the two courts are on strained terms.

Still, neither goes far enough to declare an open feud. It is well known that Windriders believe in paying evil unto evil and that a quarrel begun with them will follow you to your grave. So far, they’ve outlived two other courts that made the mistake of picking a fight with them.

The Windriders are run by Courtmother Rhiallon. She is their third courtmother thus far. When introduced to the wildercourts, the Windridden Court finds kinship with the Mystral in spite of their courtleaders’ distaste for one another.

The Frostbitten Court

Colloquially known as “Frostbiters,” this is Talimour’s newest and fastest-growing court, founded in direct retaliation to the Windridden Court’s social darwinism. Sickly babies picked up by the Windriders and Earthsingers are often passed along into Courtfather Snow’s care. Sometimes, the other courts do this with the intent of shedding a potential liability. At other times, it’s because they must admit — begrudgingly — that he is their best chance at keeping the infant happy, healthy, and alive.

These relinquished children settle down with the Frostbiters permanently. As a result, a significant portion of the court is disabled in one way or another. The smattering of deaf, mute, and hard-of-hearing kids ensures that everyone is bilingual in Talimourian Gesture as well as Gadhin.

Working Frostbiters prefer to earn their keep through subtle and independent means. They mostly survive on pickpocketry and, occasionally, burglary in the night. Windriders consider this to be cowardly, while the Earthsingers believe this is tempting fate. Frostbiters think of this as smart. Though this court is young and still working out its shared identity, most of its children become proud fey who enjoy frank honesty almost as much as they enjoy loopholes.

Due to a certain member of the Frostbitten Court (if you know, you know), rumor has it that Frostbiters are literally willing to bite back when offended.

Several Windriders have the scars to prove it.

The Frostbitten Court was founded by Courtfather Snow, and is still in his care at the beginning of Heralds of Rhimn. Once the Talimourian courts are pulled out of their isolation, they come to get along well with the Lycarious and Mystral courts.

The Court of the Encanted Eye

After the Frostbiters, the Encanted Eye is one of Rhimn’s newest surviving courts. Most of their older members are runecarvers who escaped captivity at the hands of the Enchanter’s Guild. Unified under the tutelage of a fey named Tincre, these survivors have made it their duty to teach other courts how to weave glamour enchantments in order to protect themselves from the Irongardhe’s scrutiny.

culture of this court is quite mixed. Most Encanted fey were originally from other courts, and either came with Tincre out of captivity, or joined with the intent to spy on and sabotage the Irongardhe. One distinctly Encanted sentiment is a focus on blending into surrounding society. This means both feyrie culture when they’re with their kin, and Irongardhe society when they’re intent on infiltrating their enemy. Picking out an Encanted Eye fey is difficult if you don’t know what to look for; wooden jewelry, precise handwriting, and an interest in runework are all potential tells.

In recent years, their studies have been branching out from glamour enchantments to ritual circles of other kinds. In particular, a detonation ritual that the miners in Ferheim use has caught their interest . . .

Most courts have an amicable relationship with the Encanted Eye, as the Eye eagerly shares their knowledge with other fey. While the court is widely dispersed in their mission, they keep in touch with each other mainly through trained crows and messages passed on through the Romne at secret shrines.

This court was founded by — and is still in the care of — Runewise Professor Tincre.

The Mystral Court

Gadhi’s eldest court. Mystral fey travel alongside the forested trading roads of Gadhi, living off of the land and looting Irongardhe merchant caravans whenever the chance arises. Alongside the Talimourian courts, the Mystral have a complicated relationship with the association between fey and thievery. Archery is one of the court’s most prized skills.

While most courts disdain everything the knights touch, Mystral fey like to reappropriate Irongardhe symbols and valuables for their own ends. They frequently steal deer from the caravans they attack, and accomplished archers of the court take hairjeweling from the knights and nobles they kill; since white and silver-beaded hairjeweling matches their gray cloaks, clerical and military families are their favorite targets. A Mystral archer draped with chains and beads is truly a foe to fear.

It’s illegal for untitled peasants to wear hairjeweling, but when feyrie existence is illegal anyway, one might as well do it out of spite.

The Mystral court, along with friends in the Lycarious court, is also notable for introducing acorns into the Romne’s symbolic lore. Ainzel explains it thus;

The Mystral Court is currently led by Huntmaster Hollihart — known also as the Vixen-Reynard, the Silver Fox, and the Gray Terror of Caraghmagh.

The Lycarious Court

A semi-nomadic court inhabiting Kavia. This court centers itself around the worship of Lykari, a half-dead goddess of beasts and moonlight, kept hidden from Gardhe. Her blessing of lycanthropy lends the wyfwolves of the court an almost folklorish protection.

Out of all the courts, the Lycarious has the most matriarchal structure; around ninety percent of the court identifies as female, feral, or both.

They’re also the most likely to draw humans into their ranks. The pack is prone to adopting women — feyrie or not — who find themselves dissatisfied with their lot in life. The draw of wyfwolf kinship is strong. Some even prefer to live as a wolf rather than a person.

Most of the pack lives in a constant seasonal migration between the different regions of Kavia. Their nomads tame direwolves, subsist off of hunting and foraging, and put on glamour when they need to trade goods with Irongardhe society. Most of their sedentary members live in Ferheim, a mining town in the middle of their migration route.

Ferheim’s human residents know better than to yap about the wyfwolf rumors, lest they lose neighbors and colleagues to the Irongardhe.

Crows came into the Romne’s symbolism partially through this court. The scavengers came to learn that the wolf hunts were a good source of carrion pickings; over time, the birds domesticated into reliable messengers. This practice was quickly shared with the Mystral court, who mingle with them during the spring.

The pack leader of the Lycarious Court is presently Alya the Brewster. Despite being courtmother, Alya spends most of her time in Ferheim, managing her tavern and keeping an eye on the going-ons of the local knighthood and nobles.

The Shorecrest Court

A feyrie court living off of Gadhi’s southern coasts. Shorecrest fey weave seashells into their hair like hairjeweling, similarly to other Lyreth and Edah Fyr seafaring cultures. Powerful swimmers and spear-fishers, these fey have an envious reputation among the other courts as competent knight-killers.

Unlike other courts, Shorecrest fey tend to despise the use of glamour magic. They interact with inland Irongardhe society seldomly, if at all; for them, it is considered distasteful to disguise oneself and mingle with enemies.

Despite their different views on this matter, Shorecrest and the Mystral Court have close ties. The tail end of the Mystral’s winter migration leads them into Shorecrest territory. The two courts often mingle during these months of shared proximity, sharing stories, seafood, and the Mystral’s summer loot.

Aside from their kinship with the Mystral, Shorecrest is relatively aloof compared to most courts. They are one of few courts to disdain the methods of the Encanted Eye. They do have a loose familiarity with the Mirthful Ones, being the original court of several Mirthful founders, but rarely travel far enough inland to bump into them, even when both courts are passing through Edah Myar.

Keeping to themselves and taking to the sea is simply what they do.

Shorecrest is currently governed by an old oarmaster known as Captain Tyde.

The Court of the Mirthful Ones

A nomadic entourage of jesters, circus-performers, and storytellers. The Mirthful Ones belong neither to Gadhi nor Ullua. Their court was founded in Ullua, but has a unique culture from taking in Gadhian runaways and traversing freely between the two countries after the Encanted Eye brought them glamour enchantments.

More than any other court, the Mirthful Ones pride themselves on their quick reflexes and even quicker tongues.

Most fey go through at least one name change during their life — shedding their baby name for one of their own choosing. The Mirthful change their names significantly more often than other courts do. Oftentimes, the renaming holds personal symbolic value. It is traditional for them to rename themselves after virtues, vices, and other qualities of interest. Examples include Makemerry, Good Merit, Damned-By-Faint-Applause, Meticulous Effort, Whimsie, Mystique, Joyous Unreason, High Praise, Vindication, Righteous Mischief, Salacious Misconstruance, Benevolence, Lesser Divinity, Beholding Gaze, Flight-Of-Poetry, and Minimal-Agonies-Upon-You.

Part of the reason why Mirthful names are as conceptual as they are is so that they can be translated between different languages with ease.

The Mirthful Ones are not the source of all Ainzel tales, but they meticulously memorize and keep any new tales they stumble across. They have historically had close ties with Ullua’s Matrius. Firstly, for offering up their stories to be recorded in the Royal Library, and secondly for sheltering the Romne’s Heralds for her in the past. The Encanted Eye is also gracious with them thanks to the hospitality they have shown Tincre.

The leader of the Mirthful Ones is presently known as the Beldam of Bedlam and Bemusement; this is the fifth name of her life, and she is their seventh courtleader thus far.

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