By [ad_1]
We don’t yet know who the major non-player characters will be in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, the forthcoming adventure book set in the Feywild. However, we can look back at lore from previous D&D books and editions to guess at key players you might encounter or hear of on your journeys.
Here’s a breakdown of characters who have presided over factions in the Feywild in previous works:
Queen Titania
Queen Titania of the Summer Court is a being of such ancient power that many consider her the most powerful of all the archfey. Like many fey, she can change her appearance at will, though she most often wears the guise of a beautiful elf with honey-colored skin and hair that shimmers through all the colors of autumn leaves. Her eyes differ based on her mood, ranging from an emerald green when she is calm to an amber-gold when she has been angered.
Though Titania is seen as the driving force of good in the Feywild, she is not above burning her enemies in the fire of battle. Above all, she understands that wildfires are a necessary stage in a forests’ lifecycle. Her main concern is the health and safety of the Feywild, and she will do anything in her immense power to ensure that the lands within the Feywild’s borders remain beautiful and pristine.
Out of all of the archfey, Titania is the most amenable to mortals. She delights in the innovation and creativity that results in the brief life span of those that travel from the Material Plane, and frequently requests mortal artists at her court’s gatherings. Stemming from her love of mortals, Titania is known to hear out the pleas of adventurers that travel the dangers of the Feywild to seek her out. Even though she is not as fickle or volatile as other archfey, none of what she offers those who seek her help is given for free.
Queen of Air and Darkness
The Queen of Air and Darkness is an archfey like her sister, Queen Titania. In opposition to the Summer Court and the seelie fey, the Queen of Air and Darkness rules over the unseelie fey and the Gloaming Court. Though not inherently evil — as nothing is truly good or evil in the Feywild — she represents death and the cold, utilizing unforgiving power that resides in places where the sun’s rays never touch.
The Queen of Air and Darkness feels no need to manifest herself as a relatable, sentient creature like her sister. Instead, she projects her presence from the Night Diamond, a hovering black gem the size of a human head that glimmers with captured stars. Because of her naturally suspicious, mysterious nature, not much is known about the Queen of Air and Darkness. It is not even known whether her true name has been lost to the passage of time, or whether those that know it are too afraid to speak it.
The Queen of Air and Darkness is said to hear out those that call to her in desperate times, when the queen’s enigmatic power is the only hope they can see in their black pit of despair. Those that are answered and are offered her power must trade more than secrets or favors. The poor souls that accept the terms usually wish before long that they could crawl back to the comfort and familiarness that was their pit of despair.
Seelie and unseelie fey
Seelie and unseelie do not directly correlate with good and evil, though many mortals make that equation. Many seelie fey are good, and many unseelie are evil, but their opposition to each other stems from their queens’ jealous rivalry, not abstract moral concerns. Ugly denizens of the Feywild, such as fomorians and hags, are almost never members of either court, and fey of independent spirit reject the courts entirely. The courts have warred at times, but they also compete in more-or-less friendly contests and even ally with one another in small and secret ways.
Source: Dungeon Master’s Guide
Oberon, the Green Lord
Oberon, the Green Lord is the archfey of the wilderness and animals in the Feywild. Known as the greatest huntsman and woodland warrior in the plane, he is said to be attuned to every branch and bough in every forest of the sprawling, wild land.
Oberon’s rigorous defense of the natural world has gained him the loyalty of all woodland creatures, and at times, the love of Queen Titania. The relationship between Oberon and Titania is as tumultuous as one could expect between two of the most powerful archfey in the Feywild. Sometimes Oberon and Titania are lovers, other times they have fought to the brink of their own destruction.
If mortals go seeking the Green Lord, they will most often be disappointed. Tracking him is next to impossible in the fey woods that he calls home. However, if a mortal seeking help is noble enough and has desire to protect nature, Oberon will reveal himself and allow the mortal’s plea to be heard. Whether or not Oberon does anything to help is entirely dependent on which way his chaotic nature is pulling him in the moment.
Prince of Frost
It is said that the Prince of Frost was once known as the Sun Prince, but he was betrayed by the woman he loved. On that day, the Prince of Frost’s heart froze solid and his domain became an endless tundra of freezing winds and dangerous beasts known as the Vale of Long Night.
While he is not unnecessarily malicious, those that seek his help will not be spared an ounce of mercy for any slight or mistake they make. He does not bother with scapegoats and politics like the rest of the fey. Instead, those that earn the wrath of the Prince of Frost are dealt with quickly and viciously. Even mortals who seek his aid might meet their end. The Prince of Frost keeps in the throne room of his Fortress of Frozen Tears frozen statues of those who have begged him for help.
Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga is known to be one of the most powerful hags that has ever existed. As is common with hags, Baba Yaga delights in all things ugly and terrible. Her inhuman intellect and unfathomable magical abilities have caused her to ascend into one of the archfey, something that no other hag has managed before.
Like all hags, Baba Yaga is neither a member of the Summer nor Gloaming Court. Whether this is because the fey courts admire beauty above all other traits or because Baba Yaga refuses to sit through the drivel and politicking of the fey is unclear. Begrudgingly, both seelie and unseelie fey acknowledge that Baba Yaga’s wise words and prophecies play an important role in the landscape of the Feywild and the Material Plane, though it doesn’t make them any more likely to invite her to one of their court gatherings.
When not traveling the planes looking to add to her collection of ancient secrets, Baba Yaga resides in a swamp known as Murkendraw. This foul bog is some of the most treacherous land in all of the Feywild, playing host to giant insects, mutant alligators, and terrible swamp creatures. Those that are skilled enough to navigate the treacherous terrain and evade deadly beasts can find the dilapidated hut that Baba Yaga calls home. At first glance, the hut appears to be standing out of the mud on stilts. But the misconception quickly vanishes when the legs lift out of the stinking water to reveal that the hut is walking around on gigantic chicken legs.
Though she has been known to provide charitable services — such as raising the famous adventurer Tasha, author of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything — make no mistake that Baba Yaga is self-serving and evil. Baba Yaga craves power above all else and will not let morality nor kindness cloud her judgement when it comes to acquiring it.
Striking deals with Baba Yaga
Adventurers that seek the secrets and power of Baba Yaga must beware. Baba Yaga is a master of treacherously worded bargains, even more so than the Queens of the Feywild. Only a fair few have ever come away from negotiations with the hag with the upper-hand. Those with true wisdom know to stay away from Baba Yaga and her duplicitous bargains.
Thrumbolg
Fomorians are not known for their ability to agree on anything with anybody, especially with other fomorians. However, all fomorians will grudgingly admit that the tyrant Thrumbolg, Lord of Mag Tureah, is the mightiest among their number.
To know Thrumbolg, one must also understand the great fomorian fortress of Mag Tureah. This ornate, iron walled fortress stood empty for centuries after its discovery. No fomorian that has entered the cursed halls of the citadel was ever heard from again. It became known that a nameless, unknown horror stalked its halls, devouring everything that entered. Everything, that is, until Thrumbolg.
Thrumbolg, or the First Lord as he is now called, managed to make it to the center of the fortress and claim the citadel for his own. Now, as the ruler of this crucial strongpoint in the Feywild’s Underdark, he has been able to unite the warring factions of fomorians, expanding his empire from the iron towers and coal-black walls of his fortress. No one knows for sure how Thrumbolg managed to defeat the evil denizens that lurked in Mag Tureah before its occupation. Some speculate, rather nervously of course, that perhaps he did not defeat the evil that lurked the dark halls of the iron citadel for centuries, but that he allied himself with it.
As if the threat of fomorians finally gathering under one leader wasn’t bad enough, the citadel of Mag Tureah is known to hold countless portals to and from the Material Plane. These portals are extremely sporadic, coming and going with no apparent reason or pattern. The First Lord has been working on mapping the portals in an attempt to plot the timing and locations they will appear. Once mastered, Thrumbolg and his army of fomorians will have the means and numbers to attempt to press their rule upon the mortal world.
Lady Shandria
Lady Shandria is the ruler of the largest eladrin city in the Feywild — Astrazalian, the City of Starlight. Astrazalian is one of the oldest and most politically important locations in all of the Feywild because of one specific property: It exists in the mortal realm for half of every year.
Because the city reliably transports itself to the Material Plane, it has become an extremely prosperous center for trade between the two worlds. The unique and magical products of the Feywild can be found alongside the goods of many nations when the city crosses the border over to the mortal realm in the spring and summer months.
Lady Shandria is a veteran warlord that has shown her abilities to command an army in battle, and is just as capable of governing a massively important centre of trade that spans the planes. Though the posting of a warlord to be a city’s ruler might seem odd — and Lady Shandria obviously chafes against the politicking involved in running such a city — Astrazalian resides on the borders of fomorian territory. The city must be on constant alert against raids.
Some say that her inherent ability to lead stems from the fact that she is a distant niece of Queen Titania. While she is on good terms with the ruler of the Summer Court, Lady Shandria is forever striving to make a name for herself rather than relying on the connections granted to her by Queen Titania.
Roll a Persuasion check
Those looking to work their way into fey politics would find Astrazalian a perfect melting pot of influential eladrin nobles to petition for quests. Lady Shandria herself is known to hire mortal adventurers to carry out hazardous tasks so that she does not waste her valuable eladrin reserves on dangerous missions. If one can impress Lady Shandria, an introduction to the Summer Court is all but guaranteed.
Keep your friends near
As you journey into the Feywild, keep these important non-player characters in mind. You might hear whispers of them or meet them or their advisers along the way. But be wary of cutting deals with them and other fey, lest you be trapped in an agreement that is as brutal as an infernal contract.
The information presented here isn’t meant to be all-encompassing but rather serve as a starting point for planning sessions and combats based in the Feywild. If you liked the article and want more content like this, or if you have any information to add about the Feywild, leave us a comment below!
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight is D&D’s next big adventure storyline and is now available for preorder on D&D Beyond! It brings the wicked whimsy of the Feywild to fifth edition for the first time and offers new characters, monsters, mechanics, and story hooks suitable for players of all ages and experience levels! Master-tier subscribers can share their books and other compendium content with friends in their campaigns!
Mike Bernier (@arcane_eye) is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his girlfriend, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.
[ad_2]
