On Death

True death among the faerie largely comes from battle with the Voidborn, or fading due to loss of one killed in the ongoing battles. As such life is highly valued among the fae and when death comes it impacts not just those nearest to the lost one, but the community as a whole.  

Warrior Deaths

  Death in battle, in protection of others is seen as the glorious death, not sought, but revered and those who are lost are honored in ways special to their own Courts. It is a grim cost, for beings that otherwise would be immortal to gamble with their lives to be a living shield for those unable to fight. For nearly as long as the fae have been living they have faced this loss, and the community will host a gathering in memory of the one lost. Those nearest to the deceased frequently attend, but it is understood if grief is too sharp they can not bear to witness the memory sharing. Often those so beset by grief will sink into a deep slumber, to let their souls process through the strongest parts of the grief only to wake and finish the healing when they are ready.  

Fading

  Death by fading is understood when a bonded couple is broken by the demise of one of them. Typically the surviving bonded is carefully watched, often given over to a protector, a Guardian, who can hold part of the bonded magic. Sometimes the Guardian and their charge fall in love, other times a bond like family is formed. Typically, regardless of the type of relationship formed, the Guardian and ward remain incredibly close for the rest of their lives. To take on the role as a Guardian is not something done lightly.   Fading normally takes place over decades, if not longer, the stronger the fae the longer it can extend. Only in extreme cases can a fading turn a fae to only their essence of magic, returned to the universe, within a short period of time. These are normally met with profound sorrow, that there was not a chance to anchor the soul, to attempt to save a life. The extended period of fading often is a mercy for those weary of life, but part of their communities, giving the time for farewells and readiness for when they have left the realms.   Suicide is a shock every time it happens, though it does happen. To take one's own life, not simply fade, but violently, is considered one of the greatest tragedies and often when this happens healers and dreamweavers try to unravel what happened to provide support to communities so that it will not happen again, at least, not of the same reason.  

After Death

  Once a fae dies, either in battle or by fading, they are no more, their soul either taken to another plane entirely or becoming a part of the world again. Some say the souls of the lost become stars in the night skies of Autumn and Winter, others say they are reborn into the world, as nothing is ever fully lost. It is part of why life is so sacred to fae, there is no way to recover it once lost.  

Spirits - of Humans, Animals and Nature

  There are spirits in the world, though they are never fae. Human souls can linger with unfinished business, their tie to the mortal earth considered to give them more of an anchor that permits them to remain past death, at least by fae scholars speculation.   Animal spirits also linger, those in any realm, if they were closely tied to the space. There are also nature spirits, sometimes they gather enough energy and focus to become something more, a type of fae that calls to them, other times they remain incorpreal and close to the place they first appeared.   There are also eddies of magic that tend to be attracted to those who have half fae blood, unformed spirits that can use the half blood's latent magic to help give themselves shape and sometimes purpose, resulting in some of the myths about familiars and the like over the centuries.