John William Waterhouse's La Belle Dame Sans Merci

Oh what can ail thee, knight at arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has wither'd from the lake,
And no birds sing.

O what can ail thee, knight at arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel's granary is full,
And the harvest's done.

I see a lily on thy brow
With anguish moist and fever dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.

I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful, a fairy's child;
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.

I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She look'd at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.

I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend and sing
A fairy's song.

She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna dew,
And sure in language strange she said--
I love thee true.

She took me to her elfin grot,
And there she wept, and sigh'd full sore,
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
With kisses four.

And there she lulled me asleep,
And there I dream'd---Ah! woe betide!
The latest dream I ever dream'd
On the cold hill's side.

I saw their starv'd lips in the gloam
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here
On the cold hill's side.

And this is why I sojourn here,
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is wither'd from the lake,
And no birds sing

-La Belle Dame Sans Merci, John Keats

Overview

     Known by many names, the Fair Folk have dwelt among the throngs of Mankind since the beginning. Gods, angels, devils, faerie, the Fair Folk are intertwined with the dreams and terrors of humanity.
     The origins are lost in time, to even the oldest among them, as are the origins of the tribes and clans of the Folk. Some change shape, having great strength and speed, while others can fade into mist and beguile the unsuspecting. No matter their differences, the Fair Folk are all Gaki, spirits in mortal form.
     The majority of the Fair Folk maintain a lineage. They have children, down through long ages, and accumulate secret power over the world of Man. A few families of the Fair Folk can bring mortals into their fold, but this is regarded as a crime among the Folk. Many feed on the living, in a variety of ways, carefully tending herds of mortals.
     Often breathtakingly beautiful, the Fair Folk are also cruel. Raised among humankind to learn their ways, the children of the Folk soon learn to rejoice in blood and the free, wild ways of their ancestors.
     Many Fair Folk are nocturnal, but legends of their vulnerability to sunlight are incorrect for the vast majority. Most Fair Folk are simply listless during the day, and prefer the sanctity of Night.
     Fair Folk are vulnerable to a number of magical charms and wards, particularly the Elder Sign and the Pentacle rituals mentioned in Pagan Publishing's supplement, The Golden Dawn (now sadly out of print). Fair Folk are also particularly vulnerable with respect to Sanity.
     Given their natures, Fair Folk often have little-to-no Humanity. Though it is forbidden by their laws, using magic and dabbling in the Mythos often causes them to become tools of the Great Old Ones. Many Fair Folk assist in the actions of various cults.

The Laws of the Folk

     The Fair Folk have a strict organization, consisting of the High Council, the Council Solar, the Council Lunar, and the Council Viridis. The different Councils plan strategy, generate and enforce law, and plot how resources should be allocated.
     The lower councils are responsible for different areas of law. The Solar Council is responsible for the Laws of Oak, laws pertaining to security and worldly matters. The Lunar Council is responsible for the Laws of Ash, laws pertaining to resources, population, herds, and the creation of young. The Viridian Council is responsible for the Laws of Holly, laws pertaining to supernatural events, forces, and dangers. The High Council oversees the other three, particularly with politically sensitive matters.
     The Laws of Oak maintain the rule of silence. There are many forces at work in the world, and the Templars of the Oak work to ensure that the Fair Folk stay in the shadows. There are too many enemies who could destroy the Folk, or twist them to their own designs. The Templars of the Oak are also responsible for enforcing military actions, and draft members of the various families to their Order.
     The Order of Ash are regarded by others as mere accountants and tax collectors of the Folk. They do gather up resources, but are also the spies and secret police of the Councils. When the Folk become too concentrated in a location or attract undue attention, this Order informs the Templars of Oak.
     The elders among the Folk regard the Laws of Holly as the most important of the three, though younger Folk find it hard to see why. The Laws of Holly forbid all spells and rituals, forbid summonings and magic of all kinds to the Folk. Though sometimes the law is allowed to slide in a few cases, a known user of magic is under considerable scrutiny. The Folk know too well how close the maddening gaze of the Mythos is, how attractive the powers from spaces beyond can be to their kind, and how quickly a valuable member of their race can turn into a horror without equal.
     The Green Folk, as the Holly Order is called, do not restrict the natural and developed powers of the Folk. The powers listed in the section on Gaki are quite permissable. All other magic, however, is not.

Generating Fair Folk

     The player or Keeper should define what sort of family the character is a member of. Generally, a family has a number of powers that members will always have, and a number of other powers the character can learn. Unlike regular Gaki, Fair Folk are at Int/2 to learn powers beyond what is natural to the family line.
     Otherwise, creating a Fair Folk is just as described for the Gaki. Roll Int, Edu, and Pow. Simple powers cost 5 skill points. Standard powers cost 10 skill points if the character has a teacher or 20 without. Advanced powers cost 20 skill points with a teacher and 50 without. Occupational skill points can be used so long as the power is a required power. Powers not naturally part of the family line can be learned at 3x cost, if at all.
     After generating the base character, the player should then come up with stats for the body of the Fair Folk, depending on the nature of the Folk in question.

The Families
     Costs are listed for required powers, and assume a teacher/parent is available.