Fae & Harm

Being a culture that has had to fight for eons to protect themselves and the world fae know what it means to be wounded, though the magic that is in all of them grants them healing from most any wound, naturally. A scratch is barely a thought, a knife of a knife often gone in a breath. Fae duel each other all the time, and strikes that might be fatal to humans are things the fae can heal from, or live through even if their body doesn’t repair. The headless horseman, after all. The severity of injury can make the healing take longer, and a well trained warrior can incapacitate someone for weeks.   There are few things that can bring true death to the immortals born of the faerie, but no creature lives without possibility for end, even the most powerful.  

Fae Weapons

There are weapons, rare, safely guarded weapons normally held in different Court armories that can give true death. The making of these is a deadly secret, and attributed to ancient powers, never to be used lightly.   Some may have names, though most have been forgotten by time; though it is whispered they were all forged in dragon flame, a thing of destruction magic regardless of the element they bind to.      

Human Created Risks

Human mining and use of iron presented another way for injury, and potentially death. Cold forged iron is a nullification of magic, and as fae are living, breathing wild magic and nature it harms them. A touch burns them, and it is like poison to them. Prolonged contact like manacles weakens them and increases the poisoning. Contact with cold iron will also typically destroy illusions unless the fae is particularly strong, and it makes it difficult to concentrate. Cold iron itself can not kill a fae, but if a sword of cold iron pierces their heart or beheads them true death will happen.   While true cold iron is very rare in the mortal world now, there are often traces of it in many things humans use regularly. Riding in cars deafens fae senses, and often leaves them feeling ill. Cellphones and computers will often glitch or combust, tech and magic not compatible. There are exceptions to the rule, and with the new focus on ethical sourcing and truly biodegradable materials the severity is lessening.  

The Voidborn

  The most commonly deadly thing the majority of fae face as a threat though is the Voidborn. An injury by claw, fang or weapon from a Void creature starts an infection within the fae. It steals their vitality, draining their magic ruthlessly, and once the magic is gone, so too is the fae itself. Healers may combat it, but the cost of the injuries is a hard struggle, as the Void wounds are not merely the wound, but also a nothingness, sucking up essence, hollowing out the one afflicted.   Due to the severity of these wounds the Cradle of Dawn was founded after the first Void war, by Meorise the Golden. Queen of Dawn and a Phoenix, she called on the other Courts to assist her and captured pure raw dawn light to fuse with waters blessed by the Enduring King, purified by Summer’s Flame and soothed by Autumn’s Kiss. It is a sacred place brimming with the magic of creation, and so it can serve to staunch the worst of wounds if reached in time. The earth, the water, air and very being of the Cradle is infused with magic to assist the healing process.