Plane of Faerie / Feywild

“The Plane of Faerie, sometimes referred to as the Feywild, is a vibrant echo of the Material Plane, and in this it is similar to the Plane of Shadow. Along with the Plane of Dreams, these echo planes coexist with the Material Plane, highlighting and accenting different aspects, and for the Feywild, life, nature, and its various dangers are pushed to extreme levels. The seasons are varied and static, changing from one to another in stark contrast in varying regions, and the capricious archfey that rule over it all have their own petty squabbles and political discourse. Lost relics and overgrown ruins of ancient primordial elven people litter the Feywild, but travelers should be warned that rarely are these treasures left unprotected.”

On the other side of a thin planar barrier surrounding the Material Plane sits a place of wonder and beauty, terror and darkness, hope and fear. It is the realm of ancient archfey and powerful elves from times long since passed where the seasons stand frozen at the whim of bickering fey courts. This is the Plane of Faerie, also known as the Feywild, and it is a place of terrible beauty and glittering shadows.

Like the Plane of Shadow and the Plane of Dreams, the Plane of Faerie is an echo of the Material Plane, sitting like an overlay over the entire plane. Most people do not know it exists, though in certain areas known as ley lines the border becomes blurred, and in other regions spontaneous gates and portals open up allowing free travel between the two. Capricious fey creatures, from sprites and pixies to hags and quicklings, populate the realm. Many owe allegiance to one of the faerie courts, including the Summer Court, the Gloaming Court, and the Winter Court, but not all do, and some actively work against the powerful archfey that rule these powerful organizations. Fey are not the only inhabitants of the Plane of Faerie. Long ago, a race of giants pierced the planar veil and marched a mighty army through with intents to conquer the lush and bountiful land. They were not successful, and for their transgression they were cursed. These fomorians lurk in the darkness and shadows of the Feywild now, striking against all native creatures with as much power as they can muster, and their ruined fortresses still dot the landscape.

The Plane of Faerie is a place of natural danger, where the weather can turn deadly with no warning and the beasts of the forest prey on travelers with malice and hunger in their hearts. Time is a strange thing in the Feywild as well, and some travelers that leave find that more or less time has passed since when they left. For immortal fey creatures, this isn’t a problem, but mortal short-lived creatures can find their lives wasting away the instant they leave. This is one of the many reasons travelers to the Plane of Faerie end up staying. There’s also an intoxicating flavor that permeates the plane, and for non-fey it can prove an addicting experience. It’s difficult to describe – the air is thicker, more alive, and all scents and aromas are enhanced a hundred-fold. Beyond this olfactory enhancement, the very land of the Feywild is lush and vibrant, filled with life and beauty, but there’s always a trick in the Plane of Faerie. Sometimes, a verdant forest clearing dappled with pure sunlight turns mortals into gold, as is known to happen in the Golden Glade, while in the vast swamp known as Murkendraw creeping yellow vines obey the commands of the hag covens that fill the region, choking and pulling down travelers.

Treasures abound in the Plane of Faerie as well, relics from ancient kingdoms of primordial elves known as eladrin. The Scepter of Starlight, the Diamond Staff, and the Leaves of All Seasons all originated from the Feywild and have found their way across the multiverse at one point or another, yet they always seem to find their way back to the Plane of Faerie.

Powerful archfey, wicked hags, twisted fomorian kings, and more lurk in the Plane of Faerie, each with their agenda and plots. Some of those plots involve invasion, some heroes would be wise to learn all that they can about the movers and shakers of the Feywild before they blunder into a castle belonging to someone much more powerful than they are!

Hags are as much a part of the Plane of Faerie as any of the other fey creatures. They are typically solitary beings, owing loyalty to themselves or a small group of sisterly hangs known as a coven. But in the vast swamp known as Murkendraw, the most powerful and wicked of the hags in all of the Feywild have combined forces and formed the Blighted Mothers, a particularly ruthless coven that demands fealty from all other hags. There are four hags in the Blighted Mothers, each representing a different type commonly encountered in the Plane of Faerie. Mother Brona is an annis hag, Mother Blagovesta is a bheur hag, Mother Zabyna is a sea hag, and Mother Vaclava is a green hag.

The Blighted Mothers work in the deepest darkest heart of the Murkendraw, and they honor the greatest hag of all time – Baba Yaga. In her name, the four have performed terrible atrocities across the Feywild and beyond, and they have networks of spies and informants from the courts of the archfey to the most influential nobles of the Material Plane. Nothing moves in the Murkendraw without the Blighted Mothers knowing about it, or so it is whispered, and they are known to cast their spirits far and wide to oversee their plots and schemes personally.

What do the Blighted Mothers want? Their motives seem rooted in spreading chaos and disorder in the name of Baba Yaga as far and wide as possible. But the four hags do not always see eye to eye, and they occasionally work against one another. Direct conflict is forbidden by Baba Yaga’s ancient decree, but the Blighted Mothers still use their pawns to thwart or delay the plans of the other hags in the coven. But when they are united, such as to recover a stolen item or to fulfill some obscure prophecy, their powers are formidable and their wills like iron.

Great swaths of the Plane of Faerie is under the direct influence of powerful archfey, fey beings of enormous power and age. Some are noble, some are wicked, but many of them obey ancient traditions of the Feywild that organize their powers into distinct courts. There are four primary courts – the Court of Summer, the Court of Winter, the Court of Green, and the Court of Coral. A fifth, the Gloaming Court, was cast out originally for crimes against the Feywild, but it remains an influential and important member of the balance of power.

The Court of Summer is ruled by Queen Titania, arguably the most powerful archfey in the entire plane, and her powers are near infinite while on the Plane of Faerie. She is amused by the actions of mortal creatures and often sends her agents to bring specimens back from Material Plane to act and cavort for her and her attendees. But her wrath when crossed is deadly and her moods can shift suddenly and without warning. Queen Titania rules from Senaliesse, a city built within towering silver trees.

The Gloaming Court is ruled by the Queen of Air and Darkness, whose real name has been lost to time. She commands legions of unseelie faeries to do her bidding, and she has engaged in a life-long cat-and-mouse game with Queen Titania and the Court of Summer. Sometimes, the Queen of Air and Darkness is able to convince one of the other archfey courts to ally with her, especially the Court of Winter which often finds its needs aligned with that of the Gloaming Court. Truces and pacts among the archfey are fleeting at best, however, and these alliances rarely last more than a few decades.

The Courts of Green, Winter, and Coral do not have dedicated leaders, but they count many powerful archfey among their members. Rarely do these lesser courts convene together, as the individuals hold more sway over local forces and regions, but Queen Titania has called all of the courts together several times to discuss matters of importance that affect all of the Feywild. Unseating the Gloaming Court and casting out the Queen of Air and Darkness was one of these times.

All of the courts, and many independent archfey, operate across the multiverse through the actions of proxies and agents. Some of these agents are warlocks dedicated to the power of the archfey, while others are simply mortals caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Often times, the communicated desires of their patron to a fey agent make little sense, such as moving a certain stone in a certain place several feet in a single direction. There is always meaning in these actions, however, it just requires a level of perspective that most mortals do not possess.

Long ago, a force of giants entered the Plane of Faerie with dreams of conquest. They pushed into the Feywild through faerie crossings and forced gates, and they established several strongholds to fortify their positions. The largest and most complete of these was the fortress-city known as Mag Tureah, and from there the giants struck out against the archfey with murderous intent. Ultimately, however, the giants were defeated, but the archfey were not content to simply cast out the invaders. They cursed the entire race, turning them into hideously twisted fomorians and spreading madness among their ranks. Mag Tureah, once a beacon of conquest, was cast down deep into the Feydark.

A fomorian king has ruled Mag Tureah since, but each has been afflicted with madness and insanity that seems to far outstrip the rest of their kind. The current ruler is King Jarrhild, and he is determined to master the network of portals that exist below Mag Tureah. Fortunately for the Material Plane, Jarrhild’s faculties are fleeting and his mind scattered, so he continually seeks and finds the same passages. Over the years, the fomorian presence in Mag Tureah has been reduced, but other sinister and evil forces still lurk within the fortress-city’s walls and tunnels. But King Jarrhild is concerned with none of that.

Faerie dragons are native beings to the Feywild, and they claim to be the first and oldest creatures of the entire plane. This type of boasting is not uncommon for faerie dragons, so few pay them any heed, but there is one that might just prove it all to be true. Tasmiira is the oldest faerie dragon in the multiverse, and she rules as the de facto queen of the faerie dragons in the Plane of Faerie. Her memory is long and flawless, but unlike many of her kind her arrogance and pride do not cloud her judgment. Tasmiira is interested in only two things – keeping her subjects safe, and protecting the great treasure hoard of her people.

For years, Tasmiira has been the custodian of a great treasure hoard, representing the accumulated wealth of all faerie dragons everywhere. It is rumored that anytime a faerie dragon gains treasure, a portion is given over to the collected hoard through ancient magic, and the gathered wealth has become quite legendary among certain seekers and adventurers. Tasmiira and a small contingent of loyal faerie dragons are the only ones that know the location of this fabulous treasure, but it hasn’t stopped them from being hunted down. To this end, the Faerie Dragon Queen and her loyal subjects move from place to place within the Feywild, sometimes even crossing into the Material Plane, never settling in one location for too long. Their forced exile is necessary to protect the wealth of their people, but it wears on Tasmiira that she cannot find a home for the faerie dragons.

Stars are a funny thing in the Plane of Faerie. Those regions that are blanketed under darkness have skies filled with stars, but they are not the same stars as seen in the night sky of the Material Plane. These stars, it is said, are the spirits of powerful beings that have died in the Feywild and have ascended to pure light. This may be true for some of the lights in the night sky, but the Cult of the Star Children believe that there is more up there than meets the eye.

The Star Children believe the night sky in the Plane of Faerie opens up to a place of madness and utter chaos known as the Far Realm, and that some of those stars are actually openings between the planes. The Far Realm exists outside the accepted boundaries of the multiverse, or so most planar scholars believe, and it is an alien realm home to beings that operate on completely different levels of existence, mentally and physically. Most cannot even exist outside the Far Realm, but the Star Children claim to have seen and communicated with these entities through the holes in the Feywild night sky.

Followers of the Star Children are patient and thoroughly malevolent, waiting in their twisted citadel for the day when the stars are right and the Far Realm can invade the Plane of Faerie once and for all. Membership in the cult requires undergoing a secret ceremony, the most prominent result of which is the hollowing out of the member’s eyes and replacing them with black nothingness. Most Star Children can disguise this unsettling feature for a period to blend in with others, but in their citadel their madness and cruelty hold supreme.

Creatures & Denizens

Numerous creatures inhabit the Plane of Faerie, from dryads, pixies, and satyrs, to blink dogs, yeth hounds, and faerie dragons. Some of these creatures are intelligent, many are playful, and more than a handful hold a dim view of mortal life. Travelers to the Feywild should trust no one, as illusion magic is common and enchantments can sometimes fall like rain.

Bramble

Outside the boundaries of the fey courts and the powerful archfey lords, the Plane of Faerie gives way to the dangerous and overgrown region known as the Wild Lands. Gray, bleak, and filled with thorns of all kinds, the Wild Lands hold numerous threats, but few are so vicious or direct as the bramble faeries. These tiny fey monsters are about the size of a pixie, but their skin has turned to ash and thick thorns protrude from their bodies. They are cruel beings who delight in causing pain and spreading the blight of their Wild Land homes across the Feywild.

Fallen Faeries. Brambles are believed to be pixies, nixies, grigs, sprites, and other fey denizens of the Plane of Faerie that have fallen to the blight of the Wild Lands. The exact process isn’t known, and some fey creatures are able to resist the transformation longer than others, but the consuming gray blight of the Wild Lands leeches life and hope from the fey. Eventually, spines grow along their body and they become consumed with spreading the blight of their new home, and a new bramble is born.

Fearless and Overconfident. Brambles are ridiculously overconfident in their own abilities and believe no bargain or trust to be too sacred to break. They often challenge larger creatures to wrestling matches in elaborate wagers, though a bramble never has any intention of honoring the terms of such deals. For whatever reason, a bramble never feels fear as well, and they remain defiant in the face of all odds, believing that their Wild Lands will eventually consume all of the Plane of Faerie and the Material Plane beyond it.

Clawrg

Burrowing beneath the ground of the Plane of Faerie, the clawrg dig continuously and without end. They are voracious hunters and serve the plane by churning the dirt, renewing it and refreshing it for future growths across the Feywild. Physically, a clawrg looks like a massive badger, about the size of a horse, with brown and green stripes along its furred back. Its front claws are massively oversized, allowing the creature to churn through dirt, earth, armor, and flesh when necessary. A clawrg has been known to strip armor from opponents, rendering it useless before it finishes off foes.

War Machines of the Fomorians. Clawrg were originally bred by the giants that came to the Plane of Faerie with dreams of conquest. These giants brought with them packs of massive badgers from their homes, and the magical nature of the plane warped them and enhanced their natural tools. The giants used the clawrg to dig out tunnels in the Feydark, allowing them to burrow up and surprise their archfey foes in a series of daring raids. When the giants fell under the curse that transformed them into fomorians, the clawrgs were released and spread out into the wilderness.

Rocky Diet. Clawrg eat rocks, but they are very particular about which rocks they eat. Veins of unusually brittle stone cut through the Feydark at irregular intervals, and these ribbons are the choicest foods a clawrg can dine upon. They often dig for days in search of the next pocket. Geomancers who have studied the chosen rocks of the clawrg have determined that the creatures are actually weeding out the weakest and least stable portions of the Feydark, and are making the plane stronger by systematically devouring these brittle sections.

Feystag

Feystag are unusual creatures of the Plane of Faerie with an innate control over magical items and objects. They are intensely curious and usually seek out travelers from outside the Feywild in search of new and interesting objects to study and control. A feystag appears as a large house cat, roughly four feet tall, that can walk on its hind legs or on all fours as it chooses. A pair of antlers rise from their heads, and their front paws end in long clawed fingers and a thumb that allow them to manipulate objects. They often speak multiple languages picked up in their travels.

Curious Cats. Feystags can control magical items, but rarely do they use this ability for harmful or evil ends. Often times, they simply explore the capabilities of such items, which can often lead to dangerous results for those around them. They can sense magical items in the same way that a cat can smell a mouse, and once they hone in on an item they begin to puzzle through what it can do. They automatically pick up command words but using their innate abilities they do not need to speak them aloud to trigger desired effects.

Solitary Hoarders. Feystag rarely gather together, preferring instead to keep to their own lives and secrets. They hoard magical trinkets of all kind, usually minor baubles and the like, and they can be bargained with for new and interesting items. They have long memories and are sometimes sought out specifically for their extensive knowledge of magical items and artifacts.

Gnasher

Lurking in the treetops and mountains of the Plane of Faerie are packs of wicked dog-like monsters known as gnashers. These evil creatures look like wolves with oversized mouths filled with jagged teeth, and a pair of bat-like wings attached to their forelegs and running the length of their bodies enable them to fly and leap with ease across the landscape. They howl and bray when they sense weak targets, moving in to attack at the most opportune time.

Nocturnal Pack Hunters. Like their Material Plane kin, gnashers are pack hunters and are usually encountered in groups of six or more. They are nocturnal and actively avoid the sun, which usually doesn’t pose a problem in the Plane of Faerie as they frequent regions that are blanketed by continuous night. The howling and barking of the gnashers in the Feywild night can strike fear into the most hardened of travelers.

Gremlin

Gremlins are sneaky fey that enjoy messing up plans and wreaking as much havoc as possible. They are usually about 2 feet tall, with hideous faces split with an unnaturally wide mouth and broad ears flanking their oversized heads. Gremlins are hairless and their skin color ranges from dark brown to black, allowing them to better sneak around in dark underground places away from the prying eyes of larger creatures.

Petty and Vengeful. Crossing a gremlin is never a good idea. They are petty to a fault, and if one of them detects any sort of slight against them they go to great lengths for revenge. What could raise the ire of a gremlin? Anything really, but examples include stepping on a leaf meant for someone else, taking a left turn rather than a right at a fork in the road, or speaking the wrong words in the moonlight. Gremlins have been known to follow the perpetrators of such slights for days or weeks, crossing out of the Plane of Faerie when necessary, waiting for the right moment to strike with their jinx.

Spies for the Queen. Gremlins do not pay homage to any of the archfey courts, but they are often used as independent spies by the Queen of Air and Darkness of the Gloaming Court. Even she knows not to trust a gremlin with too important a task, but the small fey creatures do have a knack for getting into places others may find difficult. The Queen of Summer despises gremlins and seeks to eradicate them at every possible moment, so many gremlins sign up with the Gloaming Court out of sheer spite.

Grig

Rare even in the Plane of Faerie, grigs are fun-loving fey creatures that look like a cross between an elf and a grasshopper. They have the upper body of a delicately beautiful elf with the lower torso and six legs of a grasshopper, along with thin membranous wings that allow them to fly. Each grig stands about 1 foot tall, and while they carry a delicate rapier at their side for defense they abhor violence.

Dance the Night Away. Grigs are famed throughout the Feywild as being expert musicians, and many archfey and powerful fey lords welcome the presence of a grig to their court for the sheer entertainment value. By rubbing its legs together, the grig is able to produce fiddle-like music that inspires others around it to dance, and some dance parties with multiple grigs have lasted days and nights.

Lilah and the Glitterbuds. The most famous grig in all of the Plane of Faerie is Lilah and her band of fellow faeries called the Glitterbuds. Lilah has performed for the Queen of Summer herself, and usually tours around the Feywild with an entourage of followers and admirers. Lilah enhances her fiddle playing with bardic magic, but she needs no such trickery – her natural skill is legendary. She has been known to ask the favor of adventurers from time to time, especially as her schedule with the Glitterbuds keeps her busy and always under scrutiny.

Nightlock

Nightlocks are fey spirits of poisonous plants like belladonna, mistletoe, and hemlock. They look like feral dwarves, with tangles of gray or green moss serving as hair, beard, and clothing, and their skin has a dusky violet color to it. They hate all life and hide from sunlight, though it does not actually affect their senses. Nightlocks grumble and mutter to themselves at all times.

Servants of Ainecotte. Ainecotte, the Princess of Hemlock, is the most powerful nightlock in the Plane of Faerie, and she serves the Queen of Air and Darkness in the Gloaming Court. Most nightlocks revere Ainecotte in one form or another, with some worshipping her as a goddess and offering sacrifices in her name across the Feywild. Ainecotte relishes the attention shed upon her by the nightlocks and has been known to grace some nightlock communities with a visit.

Guardians of the Uncared For. Nightlocks believe it is their sacred duty to protect the poisonous plants of the forested realms, which are often pulled up and destroyed by callous humans in the name of “safety.” Nightlocks have witnessed this level of destruction for too long, and as a result they have become cold and uncaring for the mortal world, only caring about their precious plants under their charge. Some nightlock bands have made peace with nearby druid circles as they can sometimes see eye to eye on these types of protections.

Spider, Puppet

Puppet spiders are unusually intelligent and wicked spiders that inhabit the darkest forests of the Plane of Faerie. They are roughly the size of a large dog, with elaborate blue and red patterns decorating their shaggy black-furred bodies. The poison of a puppet spider has an insidious mind control component to it that allows the creature to control the movement of poisoned victims.

Enhanced Ingredient. The venom of a puppet spider is known to enhance the compulsion spell. When puppet spider venom is used in conjunction with the casting of compulsion, the target suffers disadvantage on the saving throw to resist the spell, and even creatures that can’t be charmed can be affected by it. The puppet spider venom is consumed with the casting, and enough can be harvested from a deceased puppet spider for 1d4 such uses.

Whetted Blades. Puppet spider venom is a favored poison by the cruel fey of the Gloaming Court. It is rare and difficult to harvest, so they usual reserve it for special occasions, but those that suffer damage from a weapon coated with puppet spider poison must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned, half of their movement on their turn is spent moving in a random direction.

Triath

The Plane of Faerie is a world of wild, untamed natural beauty. One of the greatest defenders of that beauty are the triath, massive boars that roam the landscape seeking to punish those that would spoil the landscape. Triaths look like huge boars, with great tusks that change color to suit the mood of the creature – when it is foraging for food, the tusks are pale, but when enraged they glow red. The triath’s tail is long and ends with a bladed edge sharper than most swords. While intelligent, triaths usually keep to themselves unless called upon to defend the Feywild.

Surly Protectors. A triath can talk, but when it chooses to do so it keeps its words brief and to the point. They don’t like the mischievous fey creatures that they share a home with, but they tolerate them as part of the natural order. Travelers that come into the Plane of Faerie intent on stealing or harvesting rare foliage best be wary, however, as a triath can sense such motivations from miles away.

Cursed by the Fey. Long ago, it is said that the first triath was created when a greedy nobleman stumbled into the Plane of Faerie with a pack of hunting boars. He was searching for a fey creature for sport, and in coming to the Feywild he was led to a small village of tiny fey folk. Cruel and uncaring, the noble scattered or killed the helpless creatures and stole rare herbs from their home. His actions brought down the wrath of an archfey, who cursed the noble and transformed him into a massive boar that would forever be linked to the Plane of Faerie as a hideous defender. Since then, more triath have appeared, though it is unclear whether they are all cursed mortals who upset an archfey or if the Plane of Faerie has spawned them naturally in the intervening years.

Hazards & Phenomena

Travelers to the Plane of Faerie need to be wary of the natural hazards that come with the region. The most prominent and obvious is the forgetfulness and time loss that can occur when leaving the Feywild, but other phenomena should be known and avoided as well.

Befuddling Rain

Falling rain is not an uncommon feature in the Plane of Faerie, especially around archfey or other powerful denizens that have a deep sense of melancholy or loneliness. Occasionally, however, the falling rain takes on an otherworldly quality with an ability to confuse and bewilder travelers. This befuddling rain is usually the result of an archfey’s sour mood mixing with a natural weather phenomena in the Feywild, so it’s difficult to predict or control. Befuddling rain does not fall hard, but the falling rain shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow giving it a beautifully distinct look.

Non-fey creatures caught in an area of befuddling rain must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they are affected by the confusion spell for 1 minute. Befuddling rainstorms last only 1d4 x 10 minutes, but some denizens of the Plane of Faerie have learned to watch for the signs of the phenomena and strike affected travelers. Gremlins especially love this tactic.

Forgetfulness

The Plane of Faerie is a land of magic, beauty, and strange wonder, and for non-natives their memory of time spent in the echo plane can fade to a simple dream-like remembrance. This forgetfulness affects any non-fey creature leaving the Plane of Faerie, though creatures with the Fey Ancestry trait (like elves) are also immune. Other creatures must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw when they leave the Feywild. On a failure, their memories of their time spent on the plane quickly fade away and are easily confused with dreams and fanciful imagination.

Oblivion Moss

Some darker forests and mountains in the Plane of Faerie grow a strange plant known as oblivion moss in shadowed corners. It never grows in full or partial sunlight, and some innate defensive mechanism within the non-intelligent plant retreats from such light automatically (albeit slowly).

Oblivion moss can sense creatures with memories around it, and when it does so it shoots spores into the air in a 30-foot radius sphere. Any living creature must succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence saving throw or have some of their memories leeched from their mind. While affected, the target must roll a d4 and subtract the number rolled from any ability check or attack roll it makes. The throws stop when the target succeeds at one of the saving throws, and the effect lasts until the target finishes a long rest. A greater restoration or heal spell also restores lost memories.

The memory loss becomes worse quickly, and after each minute affected targets must succeed at additional DC 12 Intelligence saving throws. For every failure, the memory loss penalty die increases, from d4 to d6, d6 to d8, d8 to d12, and d12 to d20. The memory loss saving throws stop when the target succeeds at one of the saving throws, and the effect lasts until the target finishes a long rest. A greater restoration or heal spell also restores lost memories.

Time Loss

Time behaves differently on the Plane of Faerie than it does on the Material Plane or elsewhere in the multiverse. Non-native creatures that depart the Plane of Faerie after spending at least 1 day on the plane roll 1d20 on the Faerie Time Loss table below.

Some powerful archfey have the ability to reverse this effect, though none do it out of charity. Parties that find great lengths of time have passed may need to deal with one of the archfey courts in order to regain their lost time.

Wild Thorns

Between the lush and verdant lands of the Plane of Faerie exists a twisted, gray region known as the Wild Lands. Harsh thorns tear at flesh, hungry for blood and eager to pull down living creatures into its dull expanse. The pain-filled nature of the Wild Lands affects creatures traveling overland or flying over them, as the thorns and brambles expand out to surround and pull down even flying targets. Creatures that are not native to the Wild Lands traveling through such regions must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw every hour of travel. On a failure, they gain one level of exhaustion from the draining power of the wild thorns that permeate the land. Any creature that takes a short rest in the Wild Land automatically gains one level of exhaustion as well, and taking a long rest results in an agonizing death that only a wish spell can restore life from.

The Plane of Faerie is an echo plane filled with wonders, strange sights, powerful denizens, and exotic treasures from ancient fey kingdoms. It’s close proximity to the Material Plane draws all sorts of adventurers and treasure seekers into its realm, but all such travelers should be cautious of the dangers and monsters that lurk in the Feywild.

The greatest cities on the Plane of Faerie belong to the courts of the archfey. While each member of the court can hold sway over a castle, refuge, or individual site, the leaders of each rule from sprawling cities that have become beacons across the Feywild. Queen Titania of the Summer Court rules from Senaliesse, a city built in the boughs of towering silver trees the likes of which have never been seen elsewhere in the multiverse. Rope elevators lead guests honored enough to be invited to Queen Titania’s home up into the heights of the treetops, where the true breathtaking beauty of Senaliesse is beheld. The city is constructed of delicate crystal stone that blends naturally and effortlessly into the silver trees, creating a sense of otherworldly wonder.

Lord Oran of the Green Court rules from Shinaelestra, a city that has become nearly engulfed by the Howling Forest around it. The transition has been natural and harmonious, with more and more of the city’s once elegant stone streets and pavements becoming forested woodland. It was claimed by Lord Oran as his home for its peaceful quality and he does nothing to stem the flow of the Howling Forest. It is rumored that Shinaelestra was once a Material Plane city that was transported into the Plane of Faerie by some ancient elven magic, but that was long before Lord Oran took over.

The Winter Court’s greatest archfey, the Prince of Frost, rules from beneath a titanic mountain of crystal-clear ice called the Summit of Stars. Kathrius, City of the Ice Moon, sprawls beneath the mountain’s peak where night reigns supreme. The brilliant moon and star-filled sky provide ample illumination for the Prince of Frost’s court, who take time to regularly gaze out through the icy mountain’s clear exterior and into the wild night beyond.

Elias and Siobhan Alastai are the archfey twins that rule the Court of Coral and they command the smallest of the archfey cities. The Lake of Dreams is a deep body of water that pulls in currents from the twin rivers Azure and Cerulean, creating a natural whirlpool in the center that constantly draws objects and creatures to the bottom. There, the city of Shale Dothore sits at the bottom, with the Coral Court commanding the lake, current, and surrounding region. Shale Dothore is constructed of multicolored coral crystals naturally harvested from the bed of the Lake of Dreams.

The Queen of Air and Darkness rules the Gloaming Court from no city, but she and her kin once held the city of Cendriane as their home. When the other archfey courts cast them out, Cendriane fell into ruin, and has since become the home of numerous evil creatures, including drow, spiders, and a powerful elven vampire.

Each of these wondrous cities holds a common feature – they do not allow visitors unless explicitly invited. The archfey are capricious and follow their own strict sense of morals and honors, but one of the threads learned by planar sages is a disdain for mortals that do not follow protocol. Accessing the greatest lords and ladies of the Plane of Faerie requires no small amount of courtesy for those that seek an audience with them for one reason or another.

Cendriane was once the beautiful home of the Queen of Air and Darkness, in the time before her banishment from the archfey courts. Its spires and towers were delicate and radiant, and the wonders of Cendriane were unmatched by any other city across the Plane of Faerie. Then, darkness struck, and the Gloaming Court was created. The Queen could no longer dwell in such a place as Cendriane, and so she moved herself and her followers out in haste. Were they pushed out? Did some ancient ward prevent her from holding on to the ancient throne? None know for sure. Cendriane is now a dark, shadow-haunted ruin of elven wonder. Giant spiders of all sorts can be found lurking in the ruins, along with bands of drow from House Vrammyr who have vowed to claim the ruined city for their own home in the Plane of Faerie. Much of the city’s ancient elven vaults still remain sealed in darkened tombs and ancient holdings, protected by potent magical power. An elven vampire, an original consort to the Queen of Air and Darkness, commands a cult of blood-thirsty undead that rule over a portion of Cendriane, with intentions of reclaiming all of the city in his queen’s name. Rumors persist that the city’s Great Library has yet to be recovered by any faction, and that its knowledge could further arcane and divine studies of all kind.

Cendriane is hidden in a twisted forest covered in summer night known as the Onyx Woods. Magical protections keep the city from being discovered by accident, but those that seek it out deliberately can navigate the hidden forest pathways to the ruined archway leading into Cendriane’s Avenue of the Gods.

Citadel of the Star Children

The most deranged cult in the Plane of Faerie are the Star Children, who believe the stars in the sky of the Feywild are actually gates and holes that lead to an otherworldly alien place called the Far Realm. They believe this so fervently that they work to bring their alien masters out of the Far Realm, and they believe the Plane of Faerie is the best chance for an invasion to start. The epicenter of their efforts is a pulsating red crystal citadel where the most favored Star Children tend towards the cult’s goals.

This citadel is located on a rocky mountain, and the unnatural work done by the denizens inside has driven all natural life from around the region, an unusual site in the Feywild. The red crystalline structure was built by the founder of the Star Children, an elven diviner now known only as Hollow Eye, and the architecture of the citadel defies logic and natural form. Angles inside and out are incorrect, and anyone with an eye for engineering can tell right away that the building should not stand upright. But yet it does, in defiance to the natural order, and this architectural oddity is but a taste of the terrors held inside.

On the Material Plane, in the realm of Toril, an artifact has recently surfaced that has grabbed the attention of numerous factions. Known as the Diamond Staff of Chomylla, it was discovered to be in the lair of an ancient dracolich, and forces moved to reclaim and study its secrets. The exact location of the relic is currently unknown, but rumors persist that it could unlock an ancient elven vault. The truth is that it is one of a set, built by ancient elves of the Plane of Faerie, and that its true potential has yet to be revealed.

Each Diamond Staff appears as a slender quarterstaff constructed entirely of pale blue diamond. It is topped with a transparent globe and carved from a single enormous crystal. The construction of the Diamond Staves dates back to a time when the line between the Feywild and the Material Plane was thinnest, and the realm of Uvarean straddled the line between the two planes. Ultimately Uvarean was destroyed by a falling star, but the legendary Diamond Staves survived the cataclysm. One of them, possessed by the wizard Chomylla, was kept on the Material Plane, but the others were scattered across the Plane of Faerie. Their whereabouts are currently unknown, but with the appearance of one in recent years, the others are likely to turn up as well for good or ill.

The Plane of Faerie contains its fair share of strange and unexplainable phenomena. One of these is a small forest meadow known as the Golden Glade hidden in the center of the Heart’s Wish Woods. The summer sunlight that dapples the region passes through the boughs of a series of enchanted trees, with bark like gold, and when the filtered light touches any material object it turns to gold. This includes creatures as well as objects. Objects transformed to gold through this process disintegrate when removed from the Plane of Faerie, so would-be treasure seekers have written the site off as a curiosity rather than a get rich scheme, but the truth behind it has eluded planar sages.

The golden oak trees seem to be the catalyst for the transmutation power of the Golden Glade, but some argue that the truth is hidden in the forest around it. The Heart’s Wish Woods earned its name from a nymph who fell in love with a mortal man. Their love was forbidden by ancient decree, but they managed to conquer the odds and the mortal moved into the Feywild to be with his beloved. Or so she thought, for when he arrived, his heart’s desire was not the nymph, but instead material goods. Stories of the region say a golden statue of a man has been passed around from collector to collector in the Plane of Faerie, but so far it has not found a permanent home.

The seasons of nature have a profound influence on the Plane of Faerie, owing to its strong connection to the Material Plane and the Positive Energy Plane. Spring to summer, summer to autumn, autumn to winter, each has its place and a distinct power over the landscape of the Feywild. Ancient elven legends actually attribute this connection to a single source, a tree of great power that the elves held in highest reverence. The exact location and nature of this tree has not yet been found, but leaves from it have been uncovered across the Plane of Faerie, and they are potent items in the hands of those who know about them.

Each Leaf of All Seasons appears as a broad oak leaf, about a foot across, with a thick stem. The membranes of the leaf are strong and course with radiant power, giving off a scintillating glow that can illuminate as well as any torch. When held by an elf or other creature with a strong connection to the natural world, the leaf shifts quickly between bright green, lush red, vibrant orange, and sparkling white, representing the power of the four seasons. The exact abilities of the Leaves of All Seasons have not been catalogued, but stories say that possessors have been protected from elemental damage and can in turn command great elemental power, reflecting the season of choice – acid for spring, lightning for summer, fire for autumn, and cold for winter.

Many assume that since the Leaves of All Seasons are real, they must have originated from somewhere. Parties have scoured the Plane of Faerie in search of the source of the leaves, a mystical tree with command over the seasons of the plane itself, but to date no one has found it. If the archfey of the plane know its whereabouts, none so far have revealed it, and no one fey lord claims dominion over multiple seasons.

The greatest fortress of the giants that came into the Plane of Faerie with dreams of conquest was undoubtedly Mag Tureah. Built to be impregnable and to serve as the giant’s base of operation in the plane, it was constructed using powerful magical processes the giants had perfected. The iron walls and towers were elegantly engineered, ruthlessly beautiful and ornately purposeful, and it became a beacon for the giants’ campaign of slaughter and conquest.

Until the curse befell them, transforming them into fomorians and casting aside their mighty weapons of war. In a flashy display of power, the archfey courts banded together and created a rift in the earth below Mag Tureah, sending it tumbling into the Feydark. Most of the residents were killed or driven off in the process. The world sealed around the tumbled fortress-city, which now lay deep in the Feydark, and the fomorians have been trying to reclaim it ever since.

By some strange quirk of the Feydark, Mag Tureah sits on top of a massive network of portals that connect to many other places in the multiverse. King Jarrhild currently occupies the ruins with a force of goblins and fomorians, but his mind and the minds of those around him are corrupted by chaos, and so far they have been unable to fully utilize the network of portals and gates beneath Mag Tureah. Lord Oran and his consorts of the Green Court keep an eye on the Feydark, and Mag Tureah in particular, to ensure that the fomorians or any other force do not reclaim the iron fortress-city or its portals.

Dryads are no stranger to the Plane of Faerie, and many owe allegiance to one of the archfey courts across the land. But few argue that the strongest among them is Queen Fathaghn, who guards the most sacred tree in all of the Feywild – the Mother Tree. Fathaghn and the massive sprawling oak tree lay hidden in the center of a maze that bears her name.

Travelers who stumble upon the Maze of Fathaghn find themselves trapped in a forest of thick undergrowth that resists fire and chopping. Passages open up suddenly, allowing travel deeper into the maze, but the magic of the maze keeps most from finding the Mother Tree or the dryad queen at its heart. Minotaur warriors, more wood than flesh, act as guardians of the Maze of Fathaghn as well. It is said that a staff fashioned from a branch of the Mother Tree has tremendous druidic potential, and that the acorns that fall from it can be used to grow entire forests. Queen Fathaghn takes her charge seriously, however, and few have managed to deal with the testy dryad and return alive.

Senaliesse, Shinaelestra, Kathrius, and Shale Dothore are the greatest cities of the archfey, each holding the most powerful and influential members of the courts that rule much of the Plane of Faerie. These cities are off limits to strangers, however, so few have laid eyes upon them. However, in stark contrast to this policy, the Autumn City of Mithrendain welcomes all travelers from across the planes to its forest-halls. Long ago, the Court of Spring held as much influence as the others, but their leader found the bickering and infighting among the archfey to be more and more distasteful. King Oberon wished to open up the Plane of Faerie to more trade and exchange ideas with the other powerful races of the multiverse. This view was not shared by any other archfey, so Oberon broke with tradition and disbanded the Court of Spring and opened the gates of his fair city of Mithrendain to the world. In doing so, the City of Spring transformed overnight into the Autumn City, and Oberon has ruled it ever since.

Mithrendain is built in the boughs of the treetops within the Sunset Forest. Like most ancient elven cities, it is a beauty to behold, but unlike others King Oberon welcomes travelers to Mithrendain. One quirk of the city is its timeless nature – Oberon has a deep hatred for time, and does everything he can to ensure no one notices and sees the passage of time within the Autumn City. Magical wards ensure time keeping devices and methods simply do not function.

In recent years, King Oberon’s forces have been occupied with a growing connection beneath the Sunset Forest to the Feydark. He has sent numerous expeditions to cleanse the tunnels of goblins and fomorians in order to keep Mithrendain safe, and so far his efforts have kept travelers and his people safe. Oberon is loathe to ask for help from the other archfey, most of whom have shunned him and his ways, so he often turns to outside help to deal with threats.

The largest swamp on the Plane of Faerie is the Murkendraw by far. As large as any sea, it stretches out for miles, filled with weeping willows and gnarled roots of the dead or dying plants. Night holds permanent sway over the entire swamp, where unprepared travelers can easily get lost or swallowed by patches of broad quicksand. Numerous beasts prowl the Murkendraw as well, including swarms of bloodthirsty insects and alligators the size of dragons.

The Murkendraw is the home of the hags, and many dwell in the dank sodden swamp, living in magically enchanted huts and hovels. The most feared hags are the Blighted Mothers, who dwell in the darkest heart of the Murkendraw, but it is rumored that the witch Baba Yaga keeps a chicken-legged hut in the swamp on the rare occasion of her visit. The Blighted Mothers do a good enough job of keeping tabs on creatures coming and going into the vast swamp, so travelers that wish to remain unseen by the powerful hags had best take extra precautions against their potent divination abilities.

The symbol of Cendriane’s ruler is a potent relic known as the Scepter of Starlight. It is a thin silver rod, roughly 2 feet long, topped with a scintillating blue and white crystal shaped like a flaring star. The handle is decorated with delicate golden runes that glow under detection spell with abjuration and enchantment magic. The Queen of Air and Darkness held the Scepter of Starlight when Cendriane was at its height, but when she and her kind were banished from the archfey courts the scepter was lost. Rumors persist about its possession in the hands of the drow of House Vrammyr who seek to occupy the City of Fallen Stars and claim it as their own, but so far none have come forth with the relic.

Whomever possesses the Scepter of Starlight is said to control the magical wards in and around Cendriane itself, as well as command powerful bolts of star light that can burn foes. It is also said that there are secret vaults beneath the ruined Palace of Twilight that can only be opened by the possessor of the scepter, and considering how much the drow have controlled the city districts around the palace and have not claimed such treasures there seems to be truth to that rumor. Other tales say that the possessor of the Scepter of Starlight can also ascend to the status of archfey and rule a new court, thus making it an attractive object for ambitious fey seeking to ascend to higher heights.

The strongest fibers and ropes found in the Plane of Faerie originate from the spiders that call the Silken Steel Forest home. Spiders of all kind can be found in the dark forest, from giant spiders to puppet spiders, but the true gem are the steel spiders that weave delicate yet immensely strong webs. With the appropriately skilled craftsman, such webbing can be turned into armor that is a light as leather but as strong as plate, making it a valuable item for fashion-minded fey seeking protection. A gnome armorer in Mithrendain is said to be the only known artisan capable of such a feat, and she works for King Oberon himself as his personal crafter.

Few sites in the Plane of Faerie are as breathtaking as the coming together of the Azure and Crimson Rivers over a near mile-high cliff face, creating a spectacular waterfall of deep blue and bright red waters. Known as the Tears of Endings and Beginnings, the mixing of the two water sources cascading down over the cliff face creates a magical place where memories can be cleansed or returned. The stories about the waterfall say that anyone that sheds tears at the top and then tumbles over the edge with the water will have ancient memories restored or painful memories erased. Unfortunately, there’s no way to guarantee one or the other, and some creatures that choose to take the plunge do not survive the fall to the lake below.

Behind the Tears of Endings and Beginnings lay a series of caves carved into the cliff. Some say these caves hold portals that lead through time itself, allowing travelers to walk back to the days when the Plane of Faerie was young and more wild. Shadowy guardian creatures stalk those caves, however, and some magic of the waterfall prevents straight transportation through the curtain of blue and red waters.

The faerie dragons of the Plane of Faerie are playful and enjoy cavorting around with no real purpose or direction. They are carefree and truly belong in the Feywild, and few things seem to bother them. Some owe fealty to one of the archfey courts, but they all honor Tasmiira, the queen of the faerie dragons, as their one and true sovereign. Tasmiira doesn’t ask much of her subjects, except for one thing – to never reveal the secret location of the treasure-hoard of their people. Few faerie dragons know the exact location of the vast treasure, but most are aware that it exists and that it holds wonders and splendors of all kind.

Queen Tasmiira’s greatest charge is ensuring that their treasure hoard does not fall into the wrong hands. Its location is truly a secret, with some say that it exists in a pocket dimension only accessible by faerie dragons, while others whisper it has been shrunk down to miniscule size and carried around in the stomach of the faerie dragon queen herself. Many creatures have tried to pry the secrets of the treasure out of Tasmiira and her loyal faerie dragon knights, but to date none have successfully prevailed. And with each passing year, the treasure of Queen Tasmiira grows as faerie dragons across the multiverse send back a portion of their own treasure to join the collective.

What wonders does this massive treasure contain? The rumors are beyond counting, but include powerful magical items, ancient relics, and gold and silver beyond counting. Queen Tasmiira knows all of the contents of the faerie dragon hoard, down to the last copper, so if there is an item that someone seeks that happens to be in the treasure, the good-natured queen can sometimes be inspired to part with it – for a good cause and under the right circumstances.