the Shroud

the Faer

The Faer, more commonly known as 'the Shroud,' is an aspect of the Anon (Magic) created by Fairy and their Elder Tree to hide their kind from the hostile Human world. The Shroud is believed to cover all Aldern, though it is strongest in lands where elder trees exist. It is an aura around the fairy that creates a perception filter to any intelligent creature in line of sight. The brain will simply not acknowledge the fairy being present. This is not invisibly. If the person is forced to see the fairy, such as the fairy being in confined space that a human looks into, the fairy will be seen. Once the particular entity sees the fairy, the Shroud is broken for that creature, and they will always be able to see any fairy from then on. A fact that fairies are keenly away of, as it could mean the doom of their people if the wrong person breaks the Shroud. Note: The Shroud only works on adult brains, young children (under the age of 12 in humans) are unaffected by the magic. As the person ages, the Shroud alters their perception, and memories of fairies.

A Druid, during the Rite of Blood perform a ritual known as the Faerrai. This ritual and the results break the Shroud for that druid, giving him, or her, the ability to see any fairy.

The Shroud varies slightly in the different reaches of Ethae.

In Jerain the Shroud is strongest, with two surviving elder trees powering it. Here the Shroud is much closer to invisibility. A fairy can be standing on a desk in front of an intelligent creature, and they will not be seen or heard. If the fairy causes harm to a person, the Shroud shatters for that person permanently.

In Anbar, with no surviving elder trees, the Shroud is much weaker. While the above still apply, those that have magical abilities (i.e., wizards, clerics, etc.) can break the Shroud any time they are in the visual presence of a fairy, even of that fairy is in their peripheral vision. As such, those very rare fairies that travel away from their forests on Inage Island try to keep out of sight, just in case.

The Shroud fails completely in Novyum, its magic corrupted by the residual energy of the dead elder trees. Generally, there are no known fairies native to the Northern Reach in the modern day. As such the citizens of the nations believe fairies are only fantasy. A fairy-tale as they call it. Fairies from other lands known this well, any traveling to Novyum, for whatever reason, avoid human populated areas.

As for the rest of the world, the Shroud is weak but functioning in the oceans around Ethae and the rest of the Light Hemisphere. It covers the Dark Hemisphere as well, and considered stronger there than in Ethae, with the Aziza able to keep it active and unbreakable at their will. An effect that the few fairy that have gone to Dergonhad have found true for them as well. It is unknown why it is stronger on the far said of the world from where it was created.

The Shroud's effects do not work on other fairy, nor do it work for other magical creatures. Nymph are immune to it and see the fairy instantly. Elf and Dwarf are influenced by the Shroud, though high wisdom members of these races seem resistant to it. That said, elves living in communities near fairy, are aware of them, and thus unaffected by the Shroud.