Source: Exploring Eberron
Thelanis is home to fey in all their forms. Sprites flit between trees, singing to the dryads that dwell within them. There are birds in the trees, and if you talk to them, one might answer— either a bird or a tree, depending on the story. Most of the denizens of Thelanis fall into one of four categories.
Supporting Cast
The vast majority of the creatures of Thelanis—the sprites in the forest, the dryads, the birds, and for that matter, the trees themselves—are manifestations. These members of the supporting cast exist because the story needs them to exist, and they have a specific role to play. While most supporting cast are fey, any creature can appear if the story requires it. A pack of wolves? An angry giant? A white horse that appears just when it’s needed? Anything is possible.
Supporting cast generally use the standard stat blocks for each creature, though they might be considered fey instead of other creature types. These creatures don’t think of themselves as manifestations; it’s simply that they have no real depth, no desires other than the drives they need to fill their role in the story, and no care for the passage of time. The sprite never gets bored of its song, and it never stops to question anything about its existence.
The supporting cast reflects the fact that the stories of Thelanis don’t change. The hungry giant will always be guarding the well. If adventurers defeat the giant, they’re the heroes of the hour and it feels like a triumph; but if they return to the barony at a later date, the giant will be back—or at least, a remarkably similar giant—and it won’t remember them or acknowledge their previous victory. As a general rule, supporting cast can’t abandon their posts or leave their layers.
However, more than the manifestations of other planes, the supporting cast of Thelanis can evolve. When an anchor baron gives the white horse to an adventurer, it becomes a mortal horse and they can ride it home. Supporting cast that drift into manifest zones become mortal fey, dwelling in the zone until they die. A supporting cast member can also evolve by gaining a greater role in the story. An individual sprite doesn’t even have name, but if the adventurers convince the sprite to help them, and it plays a critical role in their defeat of the giant at the well, it’s no longer a nameless sprite; it’s Clever Jack, or whatever name they gave it. If a manifestation becomes mortal, it can go anywhere it likes, even leaving its layer and following the adventurers back to Eberron . . . but if it dies, it’s gone forever. On the other hand, a manifestation can evolve to become a greater fey; if this happens, it remains immortal, and it’s still tied to its story, just with a bigger role and more personality.
Eladrin and Other Mortals
There are two types of mortals in Thelanis. The first are the supporting cast that have become real and split off from their original stories. The second are natural-born mortals who do have their own cultures and cities; chief among these are the eladrin, who dwell in the feyspires of the Moonlit Vale. Each spire is ruled by an archfey, and each has a distinct story that shapes the personality of the local eladrin. The eladrin aren’t as bound by story as other fey, but the magic of the plane encourages a deep devotion to their spire and their ruler. They hunt, they hold revels, they serve their ruler in the intrigues of the Moon Court; it rarely occurs to them that there could be more to life. However, they’re indeed mortals; they fall in love, they have children, they are born, and they die. If an eladrin leaves their spire—whether to roam across Thelanis or into Eberron—they often gain a greater appreciation of the passage of time. Living among mortals in a mundane world can be a hard transition for an eladrin; compared to the wonders of the Faerie Court, there is little fey beauty in Khorvaire. The longer an eladrin lives in the mortal world, the more mortal it becomes; this is why eladrin player characters are considered humanoids (and elves) rather than fey.
For the eladrin of Thelanis, the seasonal aspect remains a statement of their current mood and nature. However, seasons are also used as a political statement, reflecting a degree of support for that season in the Moon Court; there may be times when an eladrin will resist assuming a particular aspect so as not to offend a host. The eladrin are the most common mortals in the layer, but there are also a handful of mortals who have been drawn in from Eberron—the gnomes of Pylas Pyrial, wandering Greensingers, mortals personally chosen by one of the archfey, or creatures who accidentally wandered through manifest zones and are trying to find their way home.
Greater Fey
Greater fey are tied to a barony or have a role in the Moonlit Vale, but they have their own names, identities, and distinct personalities. They can have their own agendas and schemes within the grander story of the archfey, seeking love or revenge or other ambitions. Sometimes the protagonist of the story appears as a greater fey; in the case of the Sleeping Prince, perhaps the adventurers can actually meet the clever Woodcutter’s Daughter. However, often the role of protagonist is left for the adventurers to fill; in Thelanis, they are the ones who must wake the Sleeping Prince.
Despite their individuality, these greater fey are still fey; they remain attached to their layers, and don’t experience the passage of time as mortals do. They want to achieve things within their story, but few have any thoughts or desires that go beyond Thelanis. However, it’s possible for them to go wherever they want. A greater fey could establish its own domain in a manifest zone tied to Thelanis, or be found selling strange trinkets in the Immeasurable Market of Syrania. When greater fey do leave Thelanis, they generally seek to create their own stories; they still want to be part of a narrative that makes sense to them. Any fey creature can be used as a basic foundation for a greater fey, possibly with additional powers tied to the story they tell. A greater dryad might be able to see through all of the trees in the manifest zone she calls home, and to control its beasts. This isn’t represented by a spell, as she couldn’t control beasts in other places; it’s simply part of the story.
As the story of a greater fey grows, its abilities can grow as well . . . but these are often tied to storybook logic, and power could be balanced by a weakness. A greater dryad could be immune to fire unless someone knows her name, at which point she is vulnerable to it. Or she might be immune to piercing damage but vulnerable to slashing damage—arrows and spears refuse to strike her, but axes hunger to cut her down.
Archfey and Anchor Barons
The archfey are the foundation of Thelanis, the force that sets a story in motion. Where greater fey may be tied to a single story, most archfey have inspired countless tales—often as the antagonist, though they can also be benevolent. The Lady in Shadow is the archetype of the mighty witch who lives apart from society, whose anger can bring a terrible curse. She’s the villain of the Sleeping Prince, but she also curses those who steal from her secret garden, and may have advice for those who approach her carefully and with gifts. In some cases, stories refer to the archfey by name. When something goes missing in the Five Nations, people in Eberron know the Forgotten Prince stole it; his story is explored in chapter 8. Other archfey inspire tales, but those stories are seen through a local lens. The Lady in Shadow set the story of the Sleeping Prince in motion long ago, but in Eberron, the villain of the story is Lady Narathun, or Hezhaal the dirge singer, or Sora Katra. This is fine with the Lady in Shadow; she doesn’t need mortals to know her name.
Many archfey dwell in the Moonlit Vale. Some rule over feyspires, while others dwell in the Palace of the Moon; the intrigues of the Court are their defining stories. Archfey that rule layers are known as anchor barons, as each is the anchor that defines the barony. They come to the Palace of the Moon for revels or conclaves, but prefer to dwell in their own story.
Archfey possess great power within Thelanis and its manifest zones, but to act in the world beyond, they need agents. Some recruit agents directly, working with Greensingers or training warlocks or other emissaries; an archfey could serve as an immortal group patron for a group of adventurers. Typically, an archfey wants its agents to take actions relating to its story; the Forgotten Prince charges his agents to steal secrets and unloved things. Others don’t want agents; they want mortals to reenact their stories, as in many versions of the Sleeping Prince. Hezhaal the dirge singer really did curse the marhu’s son long ago, and Sora Katra is another real person who just happens to resemble the Lady in Shadow in some ways. Neither Katra nor Hezhaal knowingly served the Lady in Shadow—but she may have secretly aided them, or placed gifts or obstacles in their paths that might make them reenact the stories, unknowingly becoming avatars of the archfey. Archfey can’t be permanently killed; as long as their stories are told, the archfey will reform. However, this usually involves a greater fey being promoted to fill the role; the archfey still exists, but they aren’t exactly the same as the one that came before.
Chapter 8 includes two archfey, the Forest Queen and the Forgotten Prince, along with descriptions of their layers, their goals, and how they can assist adventurers—or oppose them. Additional archfey are mentioned in the Archfey of Thelanis table, just a few examples of the dozens in Thelanis. In creating new archfey, consider the stories that are told about them and how those stories could play out again in the current campaign.
Archfey of Thelanis
| d8 | Archfey |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Forest Queen reflects the mystery and danger of the dark woods. She is protective of her beasts and despises the encroaching cities. In her tales, she rewards those who respect the wilds and show kindness to her beasts, but she is cruel to fools who stray from the path or hurt her subjects. |
| 2 | The Forgotten Prince steals things that are forgotten or unappreciated, hoarding them in his castle. This can be done to teach a lesson—in many tales, people don’t appreciate something until after the Prince steals it—but other times, the Prince is merely indulging his own desires. |
| 3 | The Lady in Shadow is the witch who stands outside society, possessing dangerous knowledge and power. She curses those who offend her or steal her things, but her knowledge can be quite valuable—if she is approached with care. |
| 4 | The Harvest Monarch is tied to the land they govern. When their people suffer, they’re sickly. In prosperous times, they’re strong and vital. Sometimes they’re deposed and forced to walk their land in hiding; during these times, they’re known as the Long Wanderer or the Exile. But they’re the rightful ruler and are always restored, and those who aid them are rewarded. |
| 5 | The Mother of Invention is a brilliant artisan. What she invents depends on the story; she can be an alchemist, a smith, or even a wizard devising new spells. She often creates things that solve problems, but other stories begin when she creates something that causes a problem—a metal beast that ravages the land, or a potion of immortality that doesn’t grant eternal youth. Depending on her depiction, she’s also known as the Forge Maiden. |
| 6 | The Second Son is the jealous heir who stands just beyond the claim to a title. He is always scheming to usurp power or steal the things that belong to others. In most tales, his gambits ultimately end in failure, further driving his bitterness. His formal title in the Moon Court is the Count of the Barren Marches, as his lands are always inferior to those of his siblings. |
| 7 | Fortune’s Fool is forever stumbling into a new disaster, though miraculously she invariably emerges unscathed. Her arrival usually bodes ill for those unfortunate enough to be around her, though sometimes others can profit from the chaos that follows in her wake. Her formal title in the Moon Court is Lady Perilous. |
| 8 | The Prince of Frost was once the Prince of Summer, but his heart froze when his beloved fled with a mortal hero. The escaping lovers cast their spirits forward in time, and the Prince waits in his castle of frozen tears for their return and his revenge. Until then, he torments all virtuous heroes who cross his path, reflecting the story of a good person turned cruel by loss. |
Dryad, eladrin (all), lillend, nymph, satyr, sprite (all), triton.
Monster Manual II: Sylph.
Monster Manual III: Petal, shimmerling swarm, thorn