War of the Gloam Paths

Military: War

The Gloam Paths are ancient, twilight-lit corridors of magic that connect distant Fey realms. Part leyline, part living road, they allow swift passage for those who know their hidden entrances. These paths are older than the Fey Courts themselves and are whispered to predate the Feywild’s current form. Control of the Gloam Paths meant before Separation by Spear , the control of trade, diplomacy, and even war across the plane.   The War of the Gloam Paths erupted when Shadowborne Courts — alliances of umbral spirits, fomorians, and corrupted Fey — sought to seize every major Path, using them to launch surprise strikes on rival courts. Their aim was to dominate Fey travel and isolate any realms that resisted their growing shadow empire.

At the time, Helena's power as an Archfey was still consolidating, and many expected her to defend only her own territories. Instead, she shocked the Feywild by rallying disparate courts, even those that had opposed her in the past, to form a united front. She invoked every alliance, pact, and favor she could, calling mortals from the Material Plane to serve as Pathwardens.   In a decisive campaign, Helena personally led the defense of the Moonpetal Bridge, a key Gloam Path crossing where the Shadowborne nearly breached into the heart of her domain. Her strategies combined beauty and warcraft, luring enemies into illusory landscapes that collapsed into lethal traps, and using Fey magic to heal and rally allied forces mid-battle.   The united Fey courts broke the Shadowborne advance, reclaiming the Gloam Paths and placing them under shared stewardship. Helena’s choice to protect realms beyond her own brought her widespread admiration, shifting her reputation from a ruler of self-interest to a defender of all Feykind. Many historians see the War of the Gloam Paths as the moment her path toward becoming a Greater Power of Good truly began.