(A Brief History) The Fey, Faerie, and Fairy Tales

A ForewordBy Jeff Grubb

Let’s go back to the earliest years, to before the roll of dice, before the platonic solids, and even before Plato himself. Way back to when the gods were responsible for the lightning and the thunder.

The fey were there. They were unseen, spiritual creatures—always present, always lurking at the corners of our vision. They were responsible for effects that did not seem to have causes. They haunted our buildings and dogged our steps. They were always watching . . . and waiting.

They went by a plethora of local names and had a bevy of regional habits. Some washed their hats in the blood of their victims. Some knocked the stones deep within the mines. Many would lure the unwary and unwilling to their dooms. Some of them gave their names to other, more tangible, more terrestrial creations—dwarves and elves and kobolds and goblins and gnomes. Ultimately, in those earliest of days, the fey could claim kinship with the Fates themselves, and like the Fates, they could move among mortals, working their deadly and capricious magics.

Indeed, Faerie was a place for the fey, much like a nunnery was a place of nuns and a heronry was a place for herons. It was where the fey were when they weren’t here. It was where the fey lived, where they plotted, and where they ruled. And if you happened to find your way there, well, too bad for you.

We called them the Fair Folk and the Little People although their power was not little and their attitudes were often far from fair. They were not worshipped so much as they were propitiated. Bowls of milk and small cakes were left out, not in hopes of reward, but as payment, so these spirits would turn their attentions elsewhere and leave those who believed in them in peace. They were little gods, masters of domains that only extended as far as they could reach and for as long as they chose to pay attention.

These ancient fey were by turns both noble and mischievous, both superior and stealthy, both wise and capricious. This dualism has remained with them through the ages. Shakespeare presents us both with royal Oberon and Titania and with prankish Puck. They had the wisdom of things unseen and the mercurial selfishness to get their way.

By the Victorian era, though, the fey diminished, both literarily and physically. This was a time of rings of stones or mushrooms ascribed to the power of these people, and when portrayed (or even photographed), they were small and childish and winged and in no way a threat to the greater world. So they threatened to diminish into nothingness. They became cautionary figures in old folktales and creatures to entertain children. Fairy tales lost their fearsome edge, and the word itself became a hallmark for the childlike and the imaginary. The fey entered the nursery and threatened never to leave.

J.R.R. Tolkien sheered the elves clean off from the rest of the fey, hewing more tightly to noble Oberon than to flighty Puck. They were magical and mighty and benign, and their time had come and gone. And they were disappearing themselves. Tolkien, though he hewed the elves from the rest of their fey brethren, also split them into twain as well: there were the wood elves of The Hobbit and the high elves of The Lord of the Rings, which would have repercussions further down the line.

Fired by a growing interest in fantasy in the 60s and 70s, Dungeons & Dragons arrived with the central casting of its player character races right out of The Lord of the Rings. Now, elf was different from dwarf, and neither was an ethereal spirit. The dualism between high and low, between the noble elves and the more arboreal versions continued through to the present edition when they were split once and for all into elf and eladrin.

But the pucks, the fairies, the little people remained diminutive. Griggs, spriggans, nixies, pixies, leprechauns, quicklings, dryads, and all manner of other regional

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folktales were now catalogued and defined—and always in their smallest and most benign forms. They filled slots and environments, but they were always more cute than dangerous, more irritating than perilous. Having already been romanticized, the little people were now in danger of being quantified and demystified entirely.

And that changes here. The dark side of the fey—including the sidhe and the courts Seelie and Unseelie—has always remained as a shadow cast by the encouraged brightness of the fey. They have always been wonderful and awful in the traditional meaning of those words—brimming with wonder and power, invoking awe in those who encounter them (and survive). With this volume of fey lords and fey lands, the old straight paths are brought back up to the surface, and the deadly nature of the fairies and their rulers is made clear.

But indeed, where do the fey rule? The old Celtic tales tell of sunken kingdoms and realms beneath the barrows, but in the catalogued world of Dungeons & Dragons, where would a truly fairy tale kingdom belong? The organization of the Great Wheel of the Outer Planes had a large number of advantages, but it also had the disadvantage that it would be difficult to add anything to it once it was in place. Yes, there was an outer plane of Arborea, but the elven gods of Arvandor were time-sharing with the Greek gods of Olympus, and besides, its placement made it more Good than Chaotic. It was a place of gods and faithful petitioners, more solemn and less deadly, perhaps, than the roads that the fey walked.

So that left the demiplanes—small chunks of unreality, bits of extraplanar real estate where a particular fey lord could manage some small kingdom. A more fitting place for their wild craziness, but again, the fey face the threat of being diminished, confined to a lesser location in the greater

scheme of things. Yet in The Faerie Ring, we look at the fey and their

worlds in a different fashion. Now, those old demiplanes are knitted together into a new fabric. Here are Hob, Manitou, and Red Jack, and the lands of Purgatory, the Eternal Twilight, and Shambala. Here are empires worthy of the fey lords. More than mortals but not quite gods, unfettered by mortal morals, the fey lords rule their lands utterly and often cruelly.

And it breaks the shackles of European visions of the fey, for these spirits have been world-wide in our mythologies, and they come from all corners of their lands to seek proper respect and propitiation.

The kindly ones are back, and they are far from kindly. The wee folk have returned, and they are not as wee as centuries of propaganda would have you believe. They are as dangerous a group of lords and ladies as you would ever care to encounter, and they control their lands. Woe to any mortal who crosses them without their permission.

But of course, you have that chance. Go right in. I won’t stop you.

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(In Defense of the Fey)A PreFAce

We’ve never really had an overabundance of gaming material for the fey in this game we all love. Of course, there have been a few standout pieces here and there, but they seem so few, especially when compared to the quantities available for the various humanoid races or for outsiders. Why should this be the case? More fey was always something that my table, for instance—players and GMs—would have eaten up.

So was planted the seed of The Faerie Ring.But how to start? So many questions arise . . .What are the fey? In flavor and mechanics, what are

they? How do they fit with everything else? Where do they live? What do they do when they’re not tormenting adventuring parties? Why do they torment adventuring parties?

What is their story? The fey must have a story just as anyone else does. What is their history? Where have they been, and where are they going? Who are the important personalities of the fey? How do they relate with the rest of the multiverse?

Where are the others? The majority of the existing fey are built from a very select portion of folklore and mythology—primarily that of Western and Northern Europe, largely Celtic and Germanic. This is great material, but what about other cultures as sources?

Well then. Done and done. Easy peasy. Time to see what might be. Dragons are dandy, and fiends are fine; but fey are feisty, ferocious, finicky, flighty, flirtacious, fractious, frenetic, frightful, furtive, and fussy—all at the same blessed time.

The Faerie RingThe plan was clear for the Faerie Ring: somehow, make the fey awesome. How to attempt that? What were the fey to us?

Define the fey: In defining the fey, we actually expand our options. An unspoken default definition for fey might currently be “those creatures called fairies in our real-

world mythologies.” Unfortunately, there’s little room to expand beyond that. If given a more in-game definition, it should actually be easier to create new paths for the fey—not excluding what came before but building upon it.

First and foremost, it’s important to acknowledge that the fey are different. They don’t think the same way as we do. Theirs is not always a morality that we can understand. They are more than the chaotic tricksters of legend. They are complicated. A lawful fey should be just as valid as a chaotic one. There is just as much variety in their personalities from individual to individual as there is in humans—perhaps more.

Some are utterly alien to us. Odd as it may sound, the fey share more with the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft, in some ways, than the majority of evil outsiders. The outsiders of the game are defined by ideals: idealized Good and Evil, Chaos and Law. The fey are not, instead typically being viewed as completely amoral creatures. Lovecraft’s horror was always about our insignificance in the face of uncaring, alien intelligence. That sounds kind of feylike to me. Well, it’s time to unleash that overwhelming, amoral tide of fey!

Broaden the fey: The term fairy may have come from Western Europe, but that doesn’t mean that other cultures don’t have equivalent notions. Call them fairies, spirits, yokai, peri; they’re all over the place. Folklore, mythology, animistic religions, even literature all offer a plethora of ideas amenable to the fey, just waiting to be used.

And it only makes sense that all of these fey interact with one another. A given humanoid culture may only know of a handful of fey, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t others out there. Just because a farmer has only seen a leprechaun doesn’t mean a kitsune is any less real. You can see this in such works as Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, in which all myths can be connected (whether fey or not): Bast (let’s say an outsider or god) freely interacted with Titania (a fey sovereign), for instance. It wasn’t as if any one culture’s ideas had any more sway over another’s.

Give them a story: Just making the fey have more

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monster entries, though, isn’t going to make them more compelling. For that, you need to tell a story. You need to paint a history as if these personalities have always been there. You need to introduce conflict, give them a reason to exist. You need to tie them together, so they have a framework in which to live and breathe.

The accounts of Lafcadio Hearn, the folktales about Baba Yaga, the stories of the Brothers Grimm: this is how a mythos is built.

It’s time for the fey.This is the Feynomicon.

What is the Faerie Ring?The Faerie Ring is many things, whatever you need it to be. Really, it comprises a little bit of everything, slowly mixing and building a new, detailed world of the fey. There’s tons of new flavor and mechanics in roughly equal parts. Built around the strongest personalities of the

faerie realms, a new mythology is developing with new fey options for both players and GMs.

Sourcebook: At it’s core, it functions as a sourcebook or even a mini-setting. What’s a mini-setting? In this case, that’s a section of a larger setting. An expansive and developing cog that, hopefully, seamlessly slides into place in your current favorite setting, providing new, rich forays to the lands of the fey. It’s a corner of your greater world devoted to the fey that you can incorporate into your game whenever you desire: a growing world that can be tied into your current game, complete with new rules, NPCs, plot seeds, monsters, and more.

Player’s Guide: Even as the behind-the-screen world unfolds, there is the ever-present player material: playable fey races, archetypes, incantations, and other character options—all centered on the fey.

Setting: If you’re feeling like something truly different, as The Faerie Ring expands, you should be able to play entirely within its boundaries. There are new races, new lands, new adventures to be had entirely in its lands . . .

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Dear Titus,Originally, I had no intention of responding to your query, let alone honoring your request. There is certainly little

love between the fey—my brethren—and humanity. And, really, what would it accomplish?Needless to say, I’ve had a change of heart. I have come to appreciate that sharing my knowledge and insight with

you might go far. Not in the useless notion that you harbor of bringing our peoples together, but in instilling the proper respect—and perhaps even a little fear—for us. Humanity knows so very little, after all. I believe they need a glimpse of what is out there in order to better appreciate their own insignificance.

More selfishly, I am limited by the scourge of time—though perhaps not as much as you. The fey are so scattered and diverse that even being one of their own, I could not hope to catalogue them all in one lifetime. Together, perhaps we can learn a bit more about the fey.

So where to begin? Perhaps by laying the foundations . . .

—Zheddo the Bluetongue, Most Knowledgeable Sage-in-Exile

of the Darkling Dominance

The Realms of the Fey are a great diversity of the wonderfully odd and richly fantastic.

CosmologyThe Outer Planes: Looking at the typical model of the multiverse, we see the Outer Planes forming its outermost sphere. These planes are held to be the domain of the gods, of morality, and of final reward and retribution. And they are of so very little use to the fey. If they were smart, humanity would take the lesson.

The Inner Planes: Just inside the Outer Planes are the Inner Planes. These are the very foundations of the Material Plane, the raw material from which everything else is forged. This is matter and energy churning to a cosmic tune in service of all things material—the bones and blood, if you will, of the Material Plane. In this fey’s opinion, these planes are not terribly welcoming . . . or

interesting, for that matter. Let us pass on.The Material Plane: Arguably, the heart of the

multiverse. The Material Plane is commonly accepted as the center of everything, and it is where you call home. This all seems simple enough, but it gets complicated very quickly when you consider that there is more to the Material Plane than simply your own world. Countless stars swarm the plane, and about each twirls a multitude of worlds. Beyond that, speculation by many a reliable source says there are alternate versions of your world and all those other worlds, continuously forking their way through time and space.

Without the Material Plane, the Inner Planes would have no purpose. Without it, the high-and-mighty Outer Planes would have no future, starving from a lack of belief, a lack of souls to feed them.

Above all, the Material Plane is a terrific source of amusement, and I can think of no greater purpose for its existence. I could go on and on, telling you things of this,

(The Realms of the Fey)An IntroductIon

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their usefulness in travel, both within the Material Plane and beyond it.

Those more interested in essence than utility would label these as part of the Preternatural Planes, viewing the Transitive Planes as simply highly specialized specimens on the spectrum that is the wide variety of Preternatural Planes. After all, many of the Preternatural Planes are just as accessible to travel as the Transitives: Dream itself comes immediately to mind. The more traditionally minded, while perhaps aware of these facts, keep the Transitive Planes separate as their own distinct category, recognizing that these three planes have unusual characteristics that set them apart. But really, what plane doesn’t?

To be clear, from here on when I refer to Preternatural Planes, that includes the Transitive Planes. Perhaps, it’s the perceived lack of utility in the other Preternatural Planes that have led to their obscurity in mortals. The fey know better.

your own plane of existence, that would shake you to the very core and melt your mind like wax. But such is not our object just now. Later, perhaps.

The Transitive Planes and the Preternatural Planes: Finally, we come to the point of our little tale. Largely misunderstood and oft ignored, the Transitive and Preternatural Planes are the playground of the fey. In fact, they are often collectively known as the Realms of the Fey.

That’s not to say that the Material Plane isn’t important, but really, you live there already, and you hardly need me to provide a map to your own backyard.

The Transit ive PlanesThe Transitive Planes are the Astral, Ethereal, and Shadow Planes. A convenient grouping of planes based entirely on the humanoid fascination with the concept of utility, for these planes are known—and named—for

Notes on Design: The Preternatural PlanesWhy is there a need for the Preternatural Planes?

There’s a twofold answer to this question and to why the Preternatural Planes should be deemed important enough a concept to develop. The first reason is generic in scope. It’s nice to think that there’s a place somewhere in the multiverse that is a suitable fit for any kind of story. That, no matter what kind of tale you want to tell in your games, there’s a place for it within the rules system.

For instance, what about an insanely massive jungle with miles-high trees, no sight of land or sky, and cultures that rise and fall without ever leaving its branches? You could try to shoehorn such a realm in somewhere—perhaps a new continent? But then you may be concerned about how that would affect the rest of your world. Perhaps as an outer plane? But suddenly you’re faced with a question of good and evil or order and chaos that you may not have wanted. Perhaps a demiplane somewhere? But that may feel tacked on. The Preternatural Planes were created to provide a place for a type of adventure that may be hard to place otherwise. Likewise, concepts for planes of dreams and mirror worlds and similarly irregular locales never seem to find a solid place to sit in the multiverse. The Preternatural Planes enable you to include these places in a way that feels more natural to your cosmology.

The second reason is more about the fey, specifically. They just never seem to have had a place to call their own. Where are the “Otherworlds” and “Underworlds” of fairy tale?

The idea of Preternatural Planes provides a place to have adventures that don’t fit comfortably anywhere else and it provides a home for the fey. This is a purely optional element that is not required to enjoy and utilize the other elements in this book.

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The Preternatural PlanesAh, the Preternatural Planes. A vast array of planes—countless in number and constantly changing—sharing a complex relationship with the Material Plane. The Preternatural Planes are inextricably linked to the Material Plane, existing on its very edges and orbiting like moons. Sheathing the Material Plane, they dance around it in complex patterns, each plane’s cycle as unique as the plane itself. At one extreme is the Astral Plane, stubborn and still, content to fill its given role and never budge its course. Others go so far as to periodically overlap and coexist with the Material Plane. And just as the analogous moons, the planes are constantly waxing and waning in relation to the Material Plane, advancing and receding in their influence.

Were the Preternatural Planes around from the beginning, born from the same events that shaped the Material Plane—sibling planes, if you will? Or were the Preternatural Planes created one by one, well after the Material Plane was spawned and in response to key triggers, spontaneously erupting from the Material Plane itself?

As a whole, it’s u nc lea r.

However, some of the Preternatural Planes have arisen in recorded history, seemingly created from nothing. Others have been annihilated, every trace of their existence obliterated. A pity that our information on both processes, and what triggers them, is woefully incomplete.

Some of the more daring scholars have even suggested that the Material Plane as we know it is only one Material Plane of many—the current one. According to this line of thought, eventually one of the Preternatural Planes will take the Material Plane’s place as the dominant regime while the current Material Plane falls into succession as the newest Preternatural Plane—just as had befallen its predecessor—in an eternal cycle. Perhaps one of the fey’s worlds will one day take over the realms currently dominated by your people. A delightful prospect, is it not?

Whatever the case, the Preternatural Planes, with the exception of the Astral Plane, are entangled so closely with the Material Plane that they often behave as a single, highly complex plane. Perhaps the Preternatural Planes are simply layers in a vaster Material Plane within which what we now call the Material Plane is but the dominant layer—for now, anyway.

For the most part, the Preternatural Planes (or Preternatural Realms) are reasonably similar to the Material Plane, sharing many qualities but for a significant emphasis on some force or characteristic. The Plane of Shadow, for instance, resembles a Material Plane engulfed and twisted by shadow. Planar traits can vary widely, of course, and some Preternatural Planes are so bizarrely idiosyncratic that they seem baffling and unsettling to those from more “normal” realms. Scholars busily try to make sense of it all, of course, using science and magic to seek patterns to the mysteries, plotting the vastness of unlimited realities on complex maps and in intricate orreries that seek to mirror reality itself. Some secrets, however, may not be coaxed away from the selfish planes so easily, and it can be perilous to pry.

Some of the Preternatural Planes follow.Aralu (or the Gaol of Always): The endless subterranean

labyrinths of Aralu serve as a terrible, secret prison for the fey. No one admits to knowing its origins although, of course, one hears rumors. I’m told the chambered caverns seem to extend to forever, no one knowing just how far or the number of prisoners held within. Many

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of the inhabitants are artifacts of forgotten ages. What secrets must they must hold.

Dream (or Dreamtime, the Dreamlands, the Plane of Dreams): A meandering but pervasive realm of dreams and nightmares, this plane connects all those entities with the capacity for dream. A constantly changing realm, whose natives flit along, following the currents of dream.

The Eternal Twilight: When many speak of the “Faerie Realms” or some similar appellation, the Eternal Twilight is what they truly mean. Considered by most of my people to be the heart of the fey, its idyllic lands of gorgeous, untouched wilds call fey to its embrace like nothing else. As its name suggests, the plane is eternally sheathed in the spectrum of muted shades that make up dusk and dawn.

In one way or another connecting to more Preternatural Planes than any other plane, the Twilight serves as an important crossroads. Because of this, the fey deem it the center of their world. A massive continent at its center known as the Embassy serves as neutral ground where the various courts meet, whether in grievance or revelry, in accord with ancient treaties.

Those lands peripheral to the Embassy are claimed by various of the more powerful fey lords and are anything but neutral ground, being typically strongly contested.

Forever Sea (or Isles of the Blessed): A sea not of water but of sky. A vast multitude of islands, each teeming with its own rich and seemingly unique ecosystem, float in the wind. They cluster into archipelagos and drift in the complex airstreams.

Glassway: Made up entirely of a seemingly living crystal and glass, this plane is among the strangest of the Preternatural Planes with truly alien vistas. And, perhaps, the most beautiful I’ve ever visited. Here, living glass trees cover crystalline mountain ranges as the refracting light permeates the whole realm in a dazzling cascade of color. An eerie and dangerous intelligence—slow, deep, and deliberate—seems to pervade the land.

The Green Expanse: The greatest of all forests. Korapira has planted her roots here, utilizing her demesne, the Heartwood, to broaden this plane’s reach and connect to all forests everywhere. Imperceptible to most, the influence of the Green Expanse is slowly driving all the remaining wild lands throughout the multiverse to reclaim those lands stolen by civilization.

Nowhere (or Plane of the Lost): Where do lost things

go? Nowhere. All of the things ever lost can be found in Nowhere. And once things find their way to Nowhere, they typically stay. This junkyard realm is not an easy place to leave, for Mahu is the door, and he jealously guards what he considers his—which includes anything and everything within Nowhere. It is not just objects, though; creatures are caught within its borders as well, giving rise to odd ecologies as creatures of random races are forced to make do within the vast fields of junk.

Purgatory: A plane of lost souls, and not at all a pleasant place. To many, Purgatory is thought inseparable from Sheol (see below), the latter existing as the Shores of Purgatory. In truth, Purgatory is a kind of soul trap and exists in an almost parasitic relationship with Sheol. Those souls that enter Purgatory (or are consumed by it, as some say) are trapped here, prevented from reaching the Outer Planes to finish out their journey. While here, they continue to behave as if still alive. This has led to the development of a unique culture, a hodgepodge of all the various cultures to which those souls trapped here once belonged. The plane’s most noted feature is the enormously vast necropolis of Perdition. Here, the resident lost souls are lorded over by mysterious fey, the so-called angels of death. Are they jailers—or are they prisoners, too? All the plane’s inhabitants cling to mythical claims of a path out of Perdition but continue in their unending unlife as its citizens.

Sea of Rahab: As if entrapping the darkest and most terrible depths of the sea, the Sea of Rahab is a watery nightmare created during the fall and rebirth of the Chaosbringer, Rahab. Forever, she occupies her throne within, choreographing the chaos. Of late, her twisted children stir more than usual and are beginning to cast their gaze beyond the borders to which they had grown accustomed.

Sheol: The front door of death, a brief rest for the recently deceased before they move on. Call it a staging area for the afterlife, if you will. This is death in its purest state, free of punishment or reward. Many souls stay only very briefly, some longer—waiting for another to join them, trying to complete some unfinished business, vainly hoping for resuscitation. It’s unclear what decides one’s readiness to move on; perhaps merely accepting the inevitable. Some never do, instead eking out a monotonous unlife in the shadowed wastes, a pale attempt at recreating a

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life once lived but now never to return. Such deniers risk being drawn into Purgatory every day they malinger, but without the desire to move on or the ability to reclaim the living world, there is little else. A few manage to claw their way back to the Material Plane to haunt the living.

The Wasteland: On the surface, the Wasteland is a blasted land supporting nothing. Constant giant hurricanes ravage back and forth across its cracked, parched earth, pockmarked with craters and scoured by wind. Beneath the surface, though, those who insist on surviving here have secured themselves. And these Hidden People more than survive; they flourish in vast underground cities.

The FeyMost cultures easily recite stories of the fey. From region to region, the tales vary greatly but always portray these creatures in the most colorful ways. On the surface, the accounts seem little more than entertainment and whimsy with perhaps a moral interjected here and there. Concrete details are scarce and, more often than not, so contradictory or ridiculous as to be easily dismissed. However, those most intent on their study eventually realize that the fey are more diverse and complicated than ever imagined. For every truth you try to pin on the fey, there is an exception—not so unlike you humanoids.

OriginsThe fey are tied inextricably to the Material and Preternatural Planes—one presumes, even, they emerged from the same churning vastness, the same sea of primordial chaos and cosmic order, from which these very planes arose.

Many of the fey’s own myths recount this creation as an intentional act performed by the planes. These tales paint the fey as the eyes, the fingers, and the fists of the planes. It should be noted here that their personification of the planes is typically as an amoral and uncaring juggernaut, not the vague benevolence held by many humanoids.

Other myths hold that the fey are merely by-products in the incessant process of change these planes go through. In this view, sloughed-off planar debris from the earliest

of times gained sentience as the first fey, who proceeded to carve out a life for themselves as free-willed entities.

It had been all too easy to discount these myths as fancy, but our recent understanding of the sovereigns forces us to reconsider every shred of these myths.

Phi losophy Frequently, the fey are mashed into just a handful of archetypes, ranging from the stalwart defender of nature to the psychotic child-thief. Certainly, these traits exist in the fey, just as they do in the humanoid races, but it’s just not that easy. Nothing related with the fey is ever easy. I will repeat: we fey are much more varied and complex than such simple portraits would suggest. Hells, any given fey has likely acted out both those extreme personas at multiple points in his or her long life, along with a million other personas.

There are only two generalizations I will admit to regarding my people. The first is that we do not think in the same ways you humanoids generally do. By your standards, the fey are completely amoral and alien. We may follow a code of conduct within our own cultures, but any basis we have for right and wrong exists entirely outside of the frame of reference of most humanoids. Typically, we fey view you in the same ways that you view animals. Even those fey that favor humanoids likely view you as little more than favorite pets. Present company excluded, of course.

The second generalization is that the fey are very individualistic. That is not to say that we are the completely random and reclusive creatures as so often portrayed. Quite a few of us, in fact, belong to strongly disciplined cultures and rigid social hierarchies. And, very much like your folk, we have beliefs and opinions that are not identical to others of our race. We make choices. We do not necessarily share the same philosophical and moral underpinnings. You never know what you’re going to get with any given fey. That’s what makes my people so very interesting . . . and so very dangerous.

The fey are never simple. I can say without pride but as simple fact that we are among the most complex entities in existence.

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Habitat & SocietyThe sheer variety of fey makes it impossible to effectively generalize. Fey live in countless habitats and are at home anywhere in the Material and Preternatural Planes. Of course, there are exceptions in that some fey have an incredibly strong tie to a single plane. The mogwoi, for example, share an extremely strong connection with the Material Plane. Attuned to the plane, they—and those others tied to their respective planes—possess a level of kinship with their homeland greater than most fey. Some say they are merely extensions of the plane itself, a guess that may come closer to the truth than generally believed.

Social structures of the fey, too, see incredible diversity and cover all of the possible social structures seen in the humanoid cultures. Many fey follow paths wholly different from yours and exhibit behavior that would come across as strange and even shocking in a mere humanoid . . . sorry; I mean, in a humanoid such as yourself.

Anatomy & PhysiologyFey typically exhibit forms and features similar to those of natural creatures, whether humanoid, animal, or plant. Often, these characteristics mix in individuals in what, to you, must seem strange indeed, creating beastly or plantlike mosaics of life. Though tantalizingly similar in ways to what you know, they unsettle your sensibilities all the more for their juxtaposition to your expectations. Physiologically, most fey are very similar to the natural forms you’re used to: they eat, sleep, breathe, breed, and exhibit many other hallmark features of the natural world. Of course, again, these are merely generalizations; there exist many exceptions. For instance, most fey are what I believe you call “sexually dimorphic” and breed sexually, yet certain fey, reproduce asexually. Of course, this is common in some of the simpler creatures of nature, but among humanoids, it’s unheard of—not so for the fey.

After the occasional difference in appearance, there also looms the fey’s propensity for astounding supernatural

Dissecting the Fey The various fey lords are analogous to the various lords of the outer planes. Just as demons and devils and angels have their own lords, those incredibly powerful entities whose reach threatens the gods themselves, so too the fey. The fey lords play the same “ecological” role as any lord of the outer planes.

The differences are largely the same as the differences between fey and demon, or fey and angel, or fey and any other outsider. The biggest differences can be summed up by what the base creatures represent: demons represent Evil and Chaos, angels represent Good, fey do not “represent” anything but themselves.

The fey are representations of neither Good nor Evil, Chaos nor Law, though any given individual fey may be good or evil, chaotic or lawful. Not to put too fine a point on it, we fey are a great gray morass of morality and ethics. And any given individual fey may espouse different beliefs and motivations at different points in his or her life—or even at different points in the week.

The hallmark of the fey, if such a thing exists, is complexity. We are unpredictable. But this is not the same as being chaotic, as is often presumed. Some fey have strict codes of honor or lead regimented or courtly lives that favor a more lawful bent (sometimes known as “the iron silk,” those unwritten laws of courtly custom and etiquette to which all courtiers adhere). But even those lawful fey have a certain unpredictability about them—a certain feyness.

Simply, fey sometimes don’t do what others (especially non-fey) expect. It doesn’t change what they are; in truth, this is what they are. Fey do good things for bad reasons and bad things for good reasons. They are complicated and composed of a million, billion contradictions and motivations. In many ways, we fey are very much like the humanoids. Perhaps “more humanoid than the humanoids” would be an apt description.

— 14 —

powers as a most notable difference between fey and “natural” creatures. Where do these powers come from? Prevailing theories suggest our very nature simply makes us more capable of tuning into the warp and weft of reality, the planes themselves, in order to perform miraculous feats of magic. We are nothing less than conduits for the power of the planes.

Finally, we should not overlook the odd phenomenon of fey adoption. Though normally not capable of such feats, natural creatures occasionally rise to a similar state of being, achieving wondrous ability. And, in so doing, they become fey.

VarietyVarious subtypes, or families, of fey exist, some of which are explored further within the chapters of this volume, The Faerie Ring: Along the Twisting Way. Others will be explored in future volumes. Just a few of those existing are listed below.

Changeling: Changelings are fey that were once something else, such as humanoid. Twilight children are the best known of changelings.

Devata: A devata is a unique fey that has taken on the role of spirit guardian. They are typically individuals from any given race that have been chosen for—or tricked into—this esteemed role; however, some races, such as the lokapala, have given themselves entirely to this devotion.

Dream/Nightmare: The dream and nightmare fey are a unique, dichotomous family that calls the Dreamlands home. They flit through the multiverse, traveling the dreams of sentient creatures.

Elemental: The elemental fey are a family that, in addition to their ties to the Material and Preternatural Planes, has a link to one or more of the Inner Planes. There are few elemental fey left, for a great war ravaged their kind in which the salamanders violently renounced their ties to the fey realms, destroying the ancient gnomes in the process. The sylphs and undines remain, but only as a pale shadow of their former glories.

Fata: The fata fey each possess an uncanny ability to see through time and space—foretelling possible futures, recounting distant pasts, viewing other worlds. The wyrd, the furies, and twisted Decade number among the fata.

Geist: We fey can be a tenacious lot, and even death

may not stop us. Rather than dying, some instead transform into another state, called a geist, in which they avoid—or postpone—their natural

death. This can be a natural progression for certain fey races, a unique occurrence for a specific individual, or a forced, artificial process (as with Korapira’s sentinels). Geist often form strong ties to certain creatures, objects, locales, or even concepts. (Technically, geists can form from any intelligent creature with a soul, but the fey seem especially attuned to the process.)

Gloom: A gloom is a fey that never should have been. These twisted horrors are remnants of tragic accidents and horrible experiments.

Gnomekin: Despite the tragedy of their past, with the destruction of the ancient gnomes, modern gnomes and their kin—such as far darrig, black hats, redcaps, and cluracan to name a few—have become quite prolific.

Lost: The lost fey are a sad case indeed, one which we don’t like to talk about. These fey technically no longer exist, having been destroyed or in some other way lost and forgotten. But that doesn’t stop them from influencing the multiverse and, on occasion, even appearing briefly as vagrants in time. The ancient gnomes are typically the first of the lost that spring to mind.

Mogwoi: The mogwoi are an ancient family, perhaps the oldest among the fey. While many fey have a connection specifically to the Material Plane, the mogwoi’s link is more profound: they actually grow more and more dependent on the plane as they get older. Mogwoi exist on the Material Plane in remote regions, typically, away

Epic PlayThe standard fey presented in this volume span a wide range of CRs. However, the fey lords themselves are all high-level creatures, hovering around CR 20. Most of the lords are also deliberately designed to have a second stage of power (maybe more in some). Each of these can draw power from their demesnes or something else to reach epic levels.

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The Faerie Ring

from prying eyes. The oldest are unable to leave the Material Plane—even for the Preternatural Planes. These effects are less insistent for younger mogwoi.

Peri: The peri are a family of fey that, in addition to their ties to the Material and Preternatural Planes, has a link to one or more of the Outer Planes. This may be through heritage, such as with the nephilim, or through some other process, such as those “fallen angels” the Grigori and the Hagfish.

Sidhe: A race all their own, the sidhe have taken a darker path than most. Their influence, typically unwanted, has reached far.

Yokai: The yokai are fey that have an especially strong association with nature—to the plants and animals, to the elements, to their environment, to each other.

HierarchyAll fey exist within a natural hierarchy of power. Certainly, there is always power to be earned or taken, with kings, dictators, and tribal elders willing to step forward to take it. Some power, however, is not so easily gained. This power comes from the blood, from the land, from the vagaries of fate. And it always chooses its own vessel.

Sovereign: Sovereigns are the natural lords of the fey. These entities possess incredible power that they wield at their whim. They are not promoted from lesser fey but born directly from the very fabric of the Material and Preternatural Planes. Bits of extraneous reality periodically slough off from the planes, and just as in our most ancient fey creation myths, on rare occasions some of these bits take on a sentience of their own, becoming fey sovereigns.

This process can be very violent: Korapira’s birth left behind a 50-mile-diameter crater although this particular birth is thought to be exceptionally destructive. Each sovereign is believed to come into being in a different way: whether a devastating explosion, a fire from the sky, a virgin birth, a coalescing of shadows, or any other number of ways. However they come into being, sovereigns are fully-grown from birth, or achieve that state with extraordinary rapidity. All of their great innate power is there

at their fingertips (for those who have fingertips) right from the beginning although they are not always fully capable of controlling it at first.

Sovereign births are quite rare with Korapira’s being the only one recorded with any certainty within the last 1,000 years or so—perhaps within the last 10,000 years. It is also the only one to have been observed at the time (though most of the observers perished) or to have been documented with conclusive, extant validation in non-fey races’ annals, the origins of other sovereigns being largely shrouded in myth.

Most sovereigns are extremely old and many, including all the mogwoi lords, predate the advent of the humanoid races on the Material Plane. Luckily, my people have been around quite a bit longer than yours, so we have been able to obtain a good deal of information on our sovereigns that would otherwise be lost. These entities are elusive and dangerous, seemingly inscrutable and very, very powerful. It is always wise to remember that even we do not know everything about them.

Some see the sovereigns as embodiments of various principles of nature. This may be true; I really cannot say.

— 16 —

Although it seems a bit simplistic, so it must be wrong since we fey are never simple. But even if it’s right, I pity the soul that thinks this knowledge will grant them any power over a sovereign.

Demesne: Sovereigns possess a connection with their demesnes from birth. These demiplanes are an extension of themselves: sovereigns are either born in the demesne’s tender grasp or immediately hear its call and seek it out. Their demesne is specifically linked to them. It is theirs. Its traits and landscape are completely controlled and alterable by the sovereign, slowly molding and remolding in tune to each sovereign’s subconsciousness over the course of a lifetime or rapidly shifting in response to conscious manipulation.

Sovereigns can travel back and forth from their demesnes at will and, seemingly, even draw power from

them when needed. Each demesne can exist either as a pocket dimension (a demiplane with attributes according solely to its sovereign’s whim) or superimposed over part of another plane, again at the sovereign’s whim. For most sovereigns, this latter method is typically only possible with the Material and Preternatural Planes serving as host planes although certain lords have been known to travel the multiverse, latching on to whatever plane is available. When superimposed, the host plane is pushed from the demesne’s insertion point to its periphery, possibly creating an incongruous seam. Kept too long like this, the demesne risks becoming a permanent addition to the host plane: Manitou’s abdicated lands, for instance, have long since “taken root.”

Mogwoi sovereigns are alone in possessing no true demesnes. However, they can form permanent links with

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portions of the Material Plane; such a territory acts as a surrogate demesne and, indeed, is typically called their demesne. These mogwoi territories are typically remote and dangerous. Though not as malleable as the true demesnes of other sovereigns, they still respond and lend their power to their mogwoi lords in a limited capacity.

Should a sovereign be permanently destroyed, his or her demesne collapses if a demiplane. However, those demesnes that have bonded to another plane—and, of course, mogwoi territories—remain but become twisted and warped.

Servitors and heralds and other favored creatures of a sovereign typically have free passage into and out of that sovereign’s demesne. Others, however, may have more trouble.

Servitors: One of a sovereign’s earliest actions is typically to create servitors, something they seem almost compelled to do. Sometimes these creations are individuals, sometimes entire races, but always fey. Each servitor begins life as an autonomous entity although it may choose or be forced into servitude soon after. No matter their circumstances, all share a spiritual link to the sovereign that created them. What this means for a particular servitor is a personal matter.

Sovereigns typically perform this spectacular act of creation only once, for it takes much time and expends much of their initial essence. Servitors tend to take on certain aspects of their sovereign. Raised and bred to serve the sovereign’s needs—whether out of respect, fear, or force—ultimately (barring special circumstances), they are nonetheless free-willed and make their own decisions. Rogue servitors are certainly known, but they are usually viewed as enemies of their former sovereign and of their own kind. Though sovereigns may also command other creatures, they typically do not share the same connection with them as with servitors.

Mechanically, being a servitor of a particular sovereign allows a creature access to certain abilities and feats associated with that sovereign. It is similar to the connection that clerics have with their gods. Many of the playable fey races are servitors to various sovereigns.

Herald: Heralds are powerful servants of the sovereigns. They can be created, like servitors; transformed from lesser creatures, like the Hagfish of Rahab; or be the sovereign’s own offspring, like Puck. Most heralds serve

their sovereign of their own volition although some may have been pressed into service (details are usually unknown to all but the sovereign and herald involved). They are a sovereign’s right hand, functioning as inspiring lieutenants, trusted advisors, and wily ambassadors.

Mechanically, each herald is a unique individual capable of channeling a portion of the sovereign’s power for his or her own use. It is similar to the connection of a servitor to its sovereign but much stronger. It is not unknown for high-level PCs to be granted herald status by various sovereigns as a boon for extraordinary services rendered.

Quiddity: Sovereigns are born in a seemingly random fashion, apparently directed by the planes themselves. Sometimes, though, through incredible circumstances—powerful and ancient magics, reality-shifting cataclysms, intense emotion—similar entities known as quiddities arise (sometimes known as artificial or accidental sovereigns).

Quiddities, unlike true sovereigns, are always created from a previous creature—which is almost always fey. Unlike sovereigns, they do not control demesnes or create servitors of their own although they may still take lands and command armies as any normal creature. However, despite this lack of some defining qualities of sovereigns, quiddities are still extremely powerful entities.

The birth of a quiddity typically entails either intense and painful emotion or tremendous violence, and the life of a quiddity usually follows a similar pattern. Born of tragedy, they tend to burn ferociously bright, even brighter than sovereigns over short periods, and they heavily impact those along their trajectory. But they often flare out just as fast and bright, as one fey poet put it, “once they’ve said their piece.” It’s thought they’re impossibly focused and driven by something—greed, love, vengeance—and that this is the only thing keeping them going. Once it’s gone, once their love is requited or their vengeance slaked or whatever purpose created them is served, they are finally released to oblivion. Or so the story goes.

If you remember that there has only been one sovereign born in the last millennium, it might prove enlightening to know that there have been seven known quiddities born in the last century alone. For some reason, this number seems to steadily climb through the centuries.

— 18 —

... there was a young fox of exceptional wit and astounding grace—of course, this is the case with all foxes. One day while playing near the human village, as was typical, he spied a young lady working in the field. Goaded by curiosity, the fox, unseen, watched her for the rest of the day as she quietly finished her chores. With no real

understanding of why, the fox returned to his watchful post every day for the next year,

never once showing himself. He simply couldn’t get the girl out of

his mind.This simple, daily ritual gave

the fox so much joy that, in order to repay the girl for her unintended kindness, he left for her a small doll that he had found near a neighboring village. He watched, waiting, until she came across the doll. The beautiful smile that lit up the girl’s face after finding the doll made the fox’s heart leap, and he nearly gave himself away with excited yipping. Thereafter, the fox brought the girl small presents daily, and her smiles brought him the greatest joy.

Wanting nothing more than to spend every day with her, he studied with great zealousness to perfect his natural vulpine aptitude for shapeshifting. Once he was confident in his abilities, he worked up the courage to approach the young woman. With great awkwardness, in the shape of a young man, he introduced himself.

(Once Upon a Time... )

Red

Jack

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The Faerie Ring

Though frightened away that first day by his unexpected visit, she found her bravery on subsequent days. They so quickly grew infatuated with one another that, within the month, they were wed.

The fox never wavered in maintaining his appearance as a man, and for 3 years, the two lived happily. That third year marked the arrival of their first child, a beautiful baby girl. Unfortunately, in the excitement of his baby’s birth, the fox’s resolve slipped, and his fox tail became apparent to his wife. Terrified, she screamed, then railed at this monster who had seduced her into thinking he was a fellow human. Her cries brought the wrath of the village down upon this fox.

With fear in their hearts over this creature’s invasion of their lives and violation of one of their daughters, the village was roused. The fox, forced back into his natural form, was judged by the mob to be guilty of crimes against humanity and burned on a pyre of rural justice. His wife never lifted a finger in his defense. His last vision as the flames licked at his fur and his throat tore raw from screaming was that of his daughter being laid into the flames by the villagers; his mind broke just before he escaped into death.

Fortunately, whether for motherly instinct or for some lingering shred of guilt over the demise of the creature that was her husband, this woman—the baby’s mother and fox’s wife—grabbed the baby from the flames and ran off into the forest where the villagers would not pursue.

If only such a tale could end there. However, the fox’s spirit could not rest, and it roiled in rage and madness in the hereafter.

And so, after three years, the fox’s spirit was reborn—as a terrible engine of vengeance.

Red

Jack

— 20 —

No sign in the cicada’s song that it will soon be gone —Basho

The foxes knew him as Redtail, but non-fey have built their own legends around his brutality. They refer to him as Red Jack to avoid calling his attention by speaking—or even thinking—his real name. And they spit after, so even that name cannot fester and gain power. A monster that couldn’t be kept even by death, he single-handedly destroyed hundreds. Or so the legends maintain.

Those in certain rural areas still tell the stories of the village that was lost, and many are the fears of being

“the next to go” simply for knowing someone who knew someone who knew someone who may have lived in that village. And so Red Jack has become a nightmare tale, and his name keeps children scared and safe in their homes at night.

Red Jack is the right hand of the grave, the paramour of Death. Through him, she will gain the world.

OriginTrapped between life and death, Red Jack repeatedly refused the next world, fighting tooth and nail with everything he had. Apparently, it was enough to ultimately regain the living world. But did he really do it on his own? Or was he chosen to return? Did he make a deal with the darkness for his freedom?

This struggle didn’t happen overnight. Or even in the three years of his absence. For him, in the mutable realms of death, 300 years had passed, and this long and difficult struggle changed him to the very core. He was slowly transformed by his rage and the mysteries from beyond the veil into a ghostly vision of his former self before slowly clawing his way back to the Material Plane.

He was reformed in body and mind. He had power now. He had purpose.

History With a shudder, the afterworld reluctantly released the insistent Red Jack back to reality, disgorging him unceremoniously at the site of his death. Blinded with all-consuming rage, he immediately set upon the village responsible for his murder, slaughtering every living creature there. More than anything else, he wanted to kill his once-beloved wife. He tried to throttle what little information he could about her from the villagers before they died, but it wasn’t enough to locate her.

Afterward, he sought out his old tribe of kitsune. Most who knew him in life despaired at what he had become, despite any lingering sympathies for his circumstances. Even in his rage, Red Jack knew the kitsune weren’t his enemy; he would forever love his brethren and wanted never to battle them. He honored their requests to leave. His words, however, would take on a life of their own, spreading far and wide to foxes everywhere, and hang sweet in the memories of many. Before long, a scattered handful of foxes sought him out, choosing his path.

With the help of his newfound followers, Red Jack began his campaign to track down and slay those few remaining former villagers responsible for his death—and their relatives—as his terrible rage required. And with each, he came closer to his wife.

A Final RevengeRed Jack’s young wife had run away from the terror of her past. Needing to forget her tragedies, she left her baby anonymously at a monastery, wishing the child happiness while she lost herself in a new land, a new identity, a new life.

It was only a matter of time until Red Jack found her, though. Finding her was the culmination of his revenge, of his incessant hate, and he vowed to draw out her punishment. She must suffer all the indignities that he suffered. Through his capable magics and various

(Death) By Any Other Name

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The Faerie Ring

influences, he made sure she was noticed, making her appear smarter and more beautiful than those around her. So much so that the king took notice. But that’s where any happiness would end for her as Red Jack’s complex web snapped shut. He planted clues—subtle, at first, then overt—that she was a deceitful fox sent to replace the king. He even made her appear to be a fox as the mobs were chasing her, calling for her blood. She was stoned for her supposed treachery, dying in agony. And upon her death, Red Jack’s twisted magics triggered a sinister miracle: she transformed into the Murder Stone, binding her in death with vicious spite and vengeance.

Red Jack was finally free and unburdened of his hate. The deafening madness within his head subsided. So what was that faint, familiar voice lying just behind his consciousness? Calling to him. Demanding his attention.

Red Jack’s rage had been screaming in his ears, leaving him unable to attend to or focus on anything but revenge: without that, he wouldn’t have been able to return to the world of the living. But now, there was something else. Something that had been drowned out until now by his madness. Something that he could now confront. Something dark and familiar. Something he could now approach with his full, undulled rationality. A new love to embrace. But Red Jack needed time to reach out to and understand his new mistress: sweet, sweet Death.

Fated MeetingsIt was during one of these many days spent meditating on—courting—his new mistress that the forest began to twist and shift. Trees melted; water surged out of the ground in sudden torrents only to drift off into the sky. Vine-like tendrils would suddenly appear from nowhere only to snatch at insects and disappear; the land itself convulsed and buckled as if breathing. A serene walk had become a crazed, surreal nightmare; sudden alien thoughts assaulted Red Jack’s mind. This land, the former demesne of the Wild Hunt, was vying for purchase within Red Jack’s psyche and trying to consume his power.

Despite the initial crushing assault, Red Jack was quickly able to tame the jumbled, clumsy “mind” of the demesne, which was merely trying to survive. Without a strong mind to anchor it to reality, it would quickly fade away. Red Jack was not unsympathetic and saw great

compatibility and potential in the demesne, and he took it on as his newest servant. So was born Strangle Grove.

Now with a demesne of his own, Red Jack could return to discovering his new mistress without distraction. That is, until recently. Shortly after retrieving the Murder Stone, its whisperings told Red Jack his daughter lived on. He is very excited to meet his daughter and is having trouble thinking of anything else.

AttributesRed Jack’s return was marked by vicious, maddening rage against those who had wronged him, and all their kin. He wanted nothing less than absolute revenge on his murderers. But with the deaths of those responsible, his mind has quieted. Now, he has found a new focus. He now considers himself the avatar of death.

MotivationCurrently, he wants nothing more than to please Death, to become one with her. He spends most days meditating, wandering in reflection, or in some way communing with Death. It is only with a calm body, mind, and soul, that he can serve her. Even though it has its beauty, rage is of limited use, so he is learning to bury his passions, to let them go. He seeks peace to better serve Death.

To be sure, very little warmth remains in his heart. He is still the fallen, cold soul that returned to this world—perhaps colder. His only concern now is Death. Others are more than capable of carrying out the day-to-day work of translating the living into the dead—Strangle Grove, and even Korapira in her own way, feed Death on a daily basis. No, his is a longer, more important voyage. His goals are nothing short of cataclysmic. And with calm and patience, he will achieve them—he will realize his dream.

Avatar of DeathWhether Death truly exists as an intelligence to be communed with or whether it’s all a grand hallucination of Red Jack’s madness, he believes he is the avatar of death. What that means, however, is so far unclear.

— 22 —

I nteraction with Other CreaturesDespite what most would think of his new path, Red Jack is not without his charms. Honor is deeply important to him, though he abides by his own code of ethics. If you can earn his promise, it will be honored. His friends are treated handsomely. For example, all foxes everywhere are forever and always considered most-honored guests and are welcome in Strangle Grove. No harm will come to them. However, individuals of other races should not expect the same treatment. It is said that if you want to unleash that hidden, chained-up rage within, betray his trust. There is nothing Red Jack won’t do, no lengths he won’t take, to avenge a betrayal. Even other foxes must beware this.

Red Jack is passionate and charismatic in his pursuits. His words are his most powerful tools and weapons. Quite a few foxes have flocked to his honeyed words, especially those who are already outcasts. These are his Ghosts, his eyes and ears in a world that he too rarely has the chance to visit himself anymore.

Currently, Red Jack is most excited to hear that his daughter may still live and is anxious to be reunited after so very long. His Ghosts are searching far and wide for any sign of her.

Physical CharacteristicsRed Jack typically appears as a man-sized, ghostly fox. He still has the red coat of his previous life, though it appears dulled due to his ghostly nature. It is assumed that his greater size—and really all these details—is simply a personal preference.

He is capable of taking other ghostly forms but appears to prefer his characteristic one. His abilities at possessing others provide him access to any physical form he might need.

Murdered so young, he has only a single tail. It appears, he cannot grow more tails.

Strategy & TacticsRed Jack actually prefers not to fight. His words are his most potent weapons. If in a good mood, he will simply try to convince welcome guests of the inevitability, the power, the love of death. (He would refrain from signifying

her, Death, as his lover, but would refer to death in the feminine.)

If he was in a bad mood, he would take delight in tormenting his unwelcome guests. This would entail separating parties in order to crush their minds and spirits one on one by playing on their fears. He would also possess certain members to better torment and even attack their friends.

It is when he loses his memento mori or when something happens to his daughter Ren that Red Jack goes feral. Then, though weaker, he becomes far more physically aggressive and bloodthirsty. There is no reasoning with him at this point, and he wades into combat without hesitation.

Red Jack’s DemesneStrangle Grove has the following traits:

Sentient: ❖ Strangle Grove can morph its features at will and obeys all of Red Jack’s commands. Plant creatures abound within Strangle Grove, and the demesne can direct existing plant creatures or create new ones whose total combined CR is 10 or lower once per 10 minutes, or whose total combined CR is 20 or lower once per day.Impeded Magic: ❖ Spells and spell-like abilities with the fire descriptor or that use or create fire (including spells of the Fire domain, spell-like abilities of the elemental [fire] bloodline, and spells that summon fire elementals or outsiders with the fire subtype) are impeded. This arises from Red Jack’s subconscious fear of fire, which has shaped Strangle Grove without him even realizing it over the years of telepathic contact they’ve shared.

Even when overlaid on another plane, Strangle Grove’s other traits are identical to that of the

Material Plane.

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The Faerie Ring

Creeping with silent feet over the shifting sands, drawing imperceptibly nearer by soft, unhurried movements, the willows had come closer during the night. But had the wind moved them, or had they moved of themselves? I recalled the sound of infinite small patterings and the pressure upon the tent and upon my own heart that caused me to wake in terror. I swayed for a moment in the wind like a tree, finding it hard to keep my upright position on the sandy hillock. There was a suggestion here of personal agency, of deliberate intention, of aggressive hostility, and it terrified me into a sort of rigidity. —Algernon Blackwood, “The Willows”

Red Jack shouldn’t even have a demesne since he’s not a sovereign. The fact, then, that he does presents quite a few questions. The demesne Strangle Grove is actually the tattered remnants of that previously possessed by the Wild Hunt (a history guessed at by relatively few); after the latter’s destruction, Red Jack somehow gained control of it.

Red Jack had no hand in the Wild Hunt’s destruction and no designs on the demesne. Rather, in sudden isolation and drifting without purpose, the demesne attached itself to a convenient well of strength. Was it random chance that led it to Red Jack? Or was this a deliberate choice? Either way, it couldn’t have survived much longer without a potent energy source to tap into.

Strangle Grove, as the demesne has come to be known in relation to Red Jack, has always been a strange place, even by the rather loose standards of the fey. While a part of the Wild Hunt, it was never cultivated, and it lay for aeons in isolation, trapped in an in-between state of potentials, slowly developing dreams of its own. Now, Strangle Grove appears to have developed a spark of sentience, suggesting it may have chosen Red Jack. Perhaps it recognized in Red Jack similar circumstances of abandonment and loneliness. Perhaps it saw in Red Jack someone who could help feed its needs. Perhaps it simply had no other choice. Whatever the case, the two seem to work well together.

With its budding sentience, Strangle Grove has much more control over itself than other demesnes do. It is capable of morphing its features at an alarming rate and has developed quite the imagination over the years in shaping itself. With these abilities, however, comes the need to feed. Strangle Grove is a predator and devours those hapless souls that find themselves within its borders. Furthermore, it appears to gain more than just sustenance from its kills—it seems to enjoy the killing. Whether it developed its bloody predilections on its own or this is just an effect from being connected to the mind of Red Jack is unclear. In any case, it is allowed to pretty much do as it pleases as long as its actions support Red Jack’s goals. It prefers meals of sentient creatures but, in a pinch, animals suffice.

Strangle Grove travels—as some other demesnes and liminal outlands do (see “Korapira” chapter for more on liminal outlands)—by insinuating itself between the folds of space, superimposing itself on the pre-existing reality. Its appearance in a location can be so subtle as to easily go unnoticed at first. In Strangle Grove’s case, it initially appears identical to the existing land. Sooner or later though, according to its needs, Strangle Grove begins its nightmare assault on the locale. This can take the form of upheaving land, reforming features, and unleashing grasping appendages, gaping maws, and whatever hellscape of earth and plant that it fancies.

All creatures travel the grove at their peril with one exception. Red Jack has willed that all kitsune may travel his demesne without fear; they alone are truly welcome here.

The Green ExpanseThough Red Jack served as the focal point for Strangle Grove that it needed to survive, Red Jack hadn’t the skill or power to stave off the demesne’s rapid unraveling for long. Ultimately, Korapira offered to help stabilize the demesne by anchoring it to the Green Expanse in exchange for knowledge (see “Korapira” chapter for more on the Green

(Strangle Grove)

— 24 —

Expanse). Korapira’s goals overlap generously with his own (and those of his mistress), so he could hardly refuse. And he gladly honors his part of the deal, as is his wont.

This attachment to the Green Expanse is metaphysical in nature. It was needed to help stabilize Strangle Grove’s deterioration. It in no way hinders Strangle Grove’s ability to function and travel, but it does open it permanently to the Green Expanse.

The Hanging GardensPrime evidence that Strangle Grove gains a perverse delight in its killing can be found in the Hanging Gardens. This rather large section of the demesne exists as a showcase for its kills; all the remains here are of sentient creatures. As its name would suggest, there are a plethora of hanging corpses, dangling from vines as a sort of nature’s gallows displayed in a wide range of decay. Strangle Grove treats this as an evolving work of art and constantly creates new displays for its treasures: corpses rotting in thorny gibbets, splaying across tree trunks, serving as flower beds and playgrounds for gibbet poppets, posing for perverse dioramas, or any number of grotesque arrangements and corpse-art.

The Murder StoneIn the wild fields Burning passionately—fox fires Burning with memories, Longing for the past— Tamamo-no-mae, Heedless of the dew In the bush clover, Her back to the moon, Laments bitterly. —Kengyo, Nasuno

When Lady Tamamo—as Red Jack’s wife had come to be known—fled from pursuers who wrongly thought her a fox because of Red Jack’s magics, she was struck down. As she lay dying, she transformed into a horrid stone.

Any creature who touched this stone fell dead. Simply being within its vicinity is dangerous for the living, and even the nearby plant life begins to wither. Those close to the stone sometimes hear faint, discomforting whispers, unintelligible echoes of the past. Soon, the lonely site was completely shunned. It became known as the Murder Stone, or Sessho-seki.

With her death, Red Jack had succeeded in his revenge, giving her a taste of his own torment. Strangle Grove, at Red Jack’s behest, has since taken the Murder Stone into itself, and it now stands permanently affixed on an island at the center of Willow Lake, a deadly memorial to a satisfied vengeance.

The stone’s whispering is normally very faint and seemingly random, but after so many years, it has become more insistent, voicing Tamamo’s thoughts from beyond death, whispering that his daughter lives.

The Silent ShrineThis quiet little shrine tucked away in a secluded part of the grove is where Red Jack spends much of his days, communing with his mistress. Slowly, he is discovering Death’s secrets and her desires. He is most anxious to lavish her with gifts, but he knows he must wait.

Willow LakeWillow Lake houses the Murder Stone at its core, but around that sinister eidolon are beautiful, meandering landscapes: well-kept hedgerows, babbling brooks, small ponds filled with koi and water lilies, rock gardens, cobbled mosaics, and (of course) frequent stands of willow trees. Strangle Grove meticulously keeps these grounds for Red Jack’s pleasure, changing the landscape on a daily basis. Red Jack walks these paths as meditation.

Though the demesne is largely empty of animal life, primarily due to its hungers, Strangle Grove takes pains to populate this area with a modicum of animals, especially the cicadas and crickets that Red Jack enjoys so much.

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The Faerie Ring

Red Jack began life as a kitsune, so he shares a particular bond with fey that fall into that family. He has no particular control over them, except that which his words give him.

Kitsune (Gloom Fox)When a [fox spirit] comes to your house at night and knocks, there is a peculiar muffled sound about the knocking by which you can tell that the visitor is a fox—if you have experienced ears. For a fox knocks at doors with its tail. If you open, then you will see a man, or perhaps a beautiful girl, who will talk to you only in fragments of words, but nevertheless in such a way that you can perfectly well understand . . . Then, if you are a friend of foxes, the visitor will present you with a little gift of some sort, and at once vanish away into the darkness. Whatever the gift may be, it will seem much larger that night than in the morning. Only a part of a fox-gift is real. —Lafcadio Hearn, Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan

A fox is a fox is a fox, right? Well, you might be surprised to learn that foxes are as varied and complex as any humanoid race. Foxes begin their long lives as the animals with which you are no doubt already familiar—intelligent, resourceful, charming. These qualities only increase as the fox matures. By the time a fox reaches its 100th year, it’s at least as intelligent as a typical humanoid.

The surprises don’t end there, though, for right around a fox’s 100th year, it undergoes a transformation. This transformation is typically subtle but of tremendous importance. The fox enters a new phase in its life where its connection to the Material Plane reaches a new level. In short, it becomes a fey and begins to develop strange abilities.

From the fox’s point of view, it is still a fox and has simply entered a new stage in its life. Others typically distinguish this new form with a different name, the most common being kitsune or, colloquially, gloom fox. The latter is thought to be a corruption of an earlier name,

gloam fox, and illustrates the somewhat negative attitude directed toward these creatures so often viewed only as tricksters, thieves, and ill omens.

Typical Physical CharacteristicsThe physical appearance of kitsune is subject to a lot of variation, but an average specimen is 3 ft. long (nose to tail) and 10–15 lb. Coloration is highly variable and includes white, silver, red, brown, and gray. An individual’s size and weight remain the same upon transforming into kitsune, but coloration often changes slightly, becoming more intense. Some have drastically altered coloration, such as to magenta or dark blue or black.

All agree on the unfailing hallmark of kitsune: their multiple tails. They start with the single tail they already had. Then, as they grow older in this phase of their life, they grow additional tails. The oldest of kitsune may have up to nine tails, and this is thought to be a maximum. Contrary to popular belief, the tails are not the source of or containment vessels for the fox’s magic; they are merely features of age. However, it is rumored that some foxes have learned to better utilize their tails, granting them new abilities and strengthening their spellcasting. All foxes can use their tails in place of hands for the purpose of somatic components for spells.

SocietyLike any fox, kitsune are relatively solitary creatures, living as hunter-gatherers. Achieving their 100th year, however, instills in them a sense of community, and previously solitary foxes start to gather together into small groups for friendship and protection.

A tribe of kitsune is a simple affair, really just a bunch of localized dens with no central leadership. Though they won’t always actively seek a mate, when they find one, kitsune do mate for life and prefer to raise families within the protective environment of the tribe. In general, kitsune don’t need much, and while within the tribe, they share necessities. However, each kitsune has a weakness for baubles—shiny stones, colorful balls, exotic sachets—

(Other Fey)

— 26 —

and tend to obsess over a given item. Though they do not horde many items, they are extremely protective of the one or two that they have identified as theirs (even if others would have reason to argue ownership). Strangely, after obsessing over an item for years, kitsune may shift their obsession over to a new item, losing interest in the old.

Kitsune often live in close proximity to other cultures. Whether that culture knows it or not, its members might be interacting with one of these shapeshifting fey on a daily basis. Sometimes kitsune fall in love with members of other cultures and raise families, all the while keeping their identity as kitsune secret. Children coming of these unions always appear as the non-kitsune parent when small. However, as the child grows, the fey heritage blossoms and grants a special affinity for fox magic.

Discovering the Inevitabi l i ty of Trouble Kitsune essentially do as they please. Usually, the knowledge that their actions will reflect on the whole tribe is enough to keep a kitsune’s actions in line with the collective voice of the tribe. Self-imposed exile, however,

is quite a common occurrence for when, not if,

a kitsune

incurs the wrath of other races. Most races have a low tolerance for the escapades of kitsune, whether one has been caught stealing or discovered married to a youngest daughter.

Really, it’s in their blood. Kitsune just can’t suppress their mischievous ways for long. Stealing, playing tricks, and generally confounding other creatures seems to be the “reason for being” for most, if not all, kitsune. It never starts with malicious intent—it’s all fun and games; can’t they see that? Unfortunately, “they” rarely “see that,” and confrontations inevitably ensue. While unwarranted attacks on kitsune by other creatures find swift retaliation from an entire tribe, individual kitsune are expected to take responsibility for any ill will they themselves bring about.

The strongest kitsune own up to their actions when those actions begin to affect the tribe and may exile themselves to spare loved ones excess trouble. Others, a not insignificant minority, become bitter and vengeful and seek to punish those who have taken offense. These destructive kitsune are often pushed from the tribe into forced exile and resume an existence as loners. Recent rumor would have it that small tribes of these embittered exiles are now springing up: an ill omen indeed.

Fol lowing Your Tai l

Gradually, all kitsune leave the tribe. Those who haven’t already left prematurely in exile will eventually leave anyway, usually about the time they gain their fifth tail (there are an exceedingly small number of five-tail kitsune in a given tribe and almost never any older than that). This stage in their lives demands travel, reflection, and solitude. Although mated couples frequently begin this journey together, the final stage must always be taken alone.

The end of the journey—or the Longest Step—is the transition into the nine tail (or kyubi). Though promising great power and wisdom, this is a dangerous stage and not all kitsune undertake it, some preferring to remain with their mate and others holding back from fear. Not all who attempt the transition make it through unscathed. Those who succeed become transcendent beings: a nine tail. Although wise and powerful, it is unwise to think of these creatures as “good”; the successful transformation

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simply reflects the kitsune’s heart. A failed transformation turns the kitsune not into a nine tail but into a violent, raging beast whose sole purpose seems to be to consume and destroy. This nine-tailed horror is known simply as the demon fox.

Delving into the MysteriesThe world of foxes is filled with mysteries undreamed by non-foxes. Beyond even the winding life path of the typical kitsune, culminating in the Longest Step, there lie deeper mysteries still—some mere myths even to kitsune. A couple of the more common among these are the ghost fox and the pipe fox.

Relationship with Red JackAs Red Jack is not a sovereign, kitsune hold no special allegiance to him. However, with his impassioned words and his shared heritage, Red Jack swayed many kitsune to his cause. All kitsune are ultimately free to make their own judgments regarding Red Jack. Some follow him loyally (or as loyally as a kitsune can ally itself with anybody). Many find Red Jack to be repulsive and want no part of his vileness. The majority has little opinion one way or the other, being wrapped up in their own concerns.

Strategy & TacticsEach kitsune can be quite different depending on what classes they advance in. However, they always take full advantage of their size and dexterity. They, also, generally take great pride in their heritage and wield an array of fox magic.

Ghost FoxIf nothing else, Red Jack’s travails have certainly given him a unique perspective and control of death, and he has learned to bestow a bit of that power onto other foxes. Like fragments of himself, ghost foxes live in a constant in-between state: still part of the living world but infused with necromantic energies and strangely in tune with the realms of the dead.

Typical Physical CharacteristicsGhost foxes appear largely as they did before their transformation. Now, however, their bodies are insubstantial and their previous coloring somewhat dulled.

Envi ronment & SocietyGhost foxes don’t occur naturally, only with Red Jack’s intervention, so most reside in Strangle Grove, enjoying much the same activities and customs they always had. Squads of ghost foxes alternate in taking missions beyond the demesne, but since they are no longer accepted by normal kitsune, they are usually eager to return to Strangle Grove.

While many of those foxes in Red Jack’s service aspire to become ghost foxes, it always remains their choice. Red Jack would never force a fox to undergo the irreversible transformation. Most treat it with great respect, as something to earn. Those who undergo the ritual are showed great respect.

The GhostsThe Ghosts is the name given to those foxes that follow Red Jack, and even Red Jack has taken to using the term. Despite the name, the Ghosts are not composed solely of ghost foxes, but of all the foxes in Red Jack’s service: predominantly kitsune and ghost foxes. Kitsune remain important to Red Jack as his eyes and ears in the world of foxes where ghost foxes would be unwelcome.

Relationship with Red JackRed Jack holds the ghost foxes in high regard, perhaps because they are now in the best position to truly begin to understand him. But he treats all those foxes that follow him as loyal students.

Strategy & TacticsLike other kitsune, ghost foxes can be very different from one another. However, much more than other kitsune, they are far more likely damaged psychologically due to the ritual that transformed them. Psychological disorders

— 28 —

are far more common for them. They also tend to have a darker outlook on life, having gazed upon death: they frequently utilize terror as a weapon and have lost the playfulness that commonly marks kitsune.

(A sample ghost fox statblock and rules for their creation are located in Appendix I: Fey Bestiary.)

Pipe FoxSo very little is known or understood about pipe foxes. It’s not even clear whether there is any link between them and other foxes. What is known is that they crave knowledge and trade in secrets. They are information mercenaries for any who meet their fees. To gain a secret, you must pay a secret, and the worth of your secret decides the worth of the secret they’ll retrieve for you. They are fearless when it comes to finding information, and if your payment is worthy of the effort, there is nothing they won’t find out for you if it exists to be known.

They are seekers and finders, often petitioned for their assistance.

Typical Physical CharacteristicsPipe foxes are small, long, fox-headed creatures. They rather look a bit like stretched-out kitsune and are even more diverse in fur color and patterning.

They are capable of flight and ritual magics, including possession. All pipe foxes are extremely knowledgeable, owing to their obsessive seeking after secrets. Though they loathe fighting as low

and unrefined, they are more than capable of taking care of

themselves.

Envi ronmentPipe foxes live primarily in bamboo forests, nesting within the bamboo hollows. They are masters of their bamboo realms, chasing one another at blinding speeds through the cramped spaces, curling around each stalk with unnatural deftness.

Their numbers are especially high in the mountainous bamboo forests of Sojobo, the tengu lord of the mountain, with whom they are widely known to be allied.

They are thought to have a special link to the spiritworld, possibly even be capable of navigating it freely—a rumor they neither confirm nor deny.

SocietyLittle is known about pipe fox society but that it is built on secrets. An individual’s accumulation of secrets is an indicator of status within their ranks. It is widely held that if you really want certain information fast and can afford the added cost, buy the services of two or three—or even more—pipe foxes to find the same information. For

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The Faerie Ring

while a pipe fox will generally do what it can to meet your needs, the job will be on its schedule, not yours. With competition from other pipe foxes, however, nothing else can be more important than being the first to find the secrets.

Everything really appears to be little more than a terribly complex game to them, which they play brilliantly and obsessively.

Relationship with Red JackRed Jack has no special influence over pipe foxes but makes use of their services when other resources fall short or when time is of the essence.

Strategy & TacticsPipe foxes really aren’t interested in fighting. They will try to evade and escape from any aggression. The exception to this is when knowledge is at stake. They become decidedly more daring and confrontational in situations that block them from what they want. They rarely ever get overly reckless, however. They still play to their strengths in any encounter and if an opportunity arises to get what they want and avoid further confrontation, they take it.

(Pipe fox statblocks are located in Appendix I: Fey Bestiary of this book.)

Mokuren Kamura (Ren)They are fox-women... and their supernatural character is suggested by a peculiar expression of the eyes and a certain impossible elfish grace. —Lafcadio Hearn, Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan

Left on their doorstep, the young child was taken in by the monks, who gave her a name, Mokuren Kamura, and all the love and care they could, raising her as one of their own.

Over the years, as young Ren developed (for she insisted on being called by her nickname), her fiery spirit and precocious nature shone through more and more. She was certainly not one for the ascetic life of the monastery.

Like a whirlwind, she tested their patience every day. But it was always received with love—exhausted love. And though she loved her adopted family in return, she knew she didn’t belong there. As soon as she knew she was old enough to leave without the monks trying to bring her back, she left.

From there she wandered, trying to discover who she was. She needed to quench this anxious desire burning in her belly. She has traveled all the lands she could, met countless people, and been banned from more places than she cares to remember. She never truly feels at home in any one place, only on the road.

OriginRen is Red Jack’s daughter, so she is fox-blooded. She has just recently learned this fact. (Fox-blooded have tails and can access fox magic.)

MotivationRen is kind and affable, laughing easily. She makes friends quickly but not deeply, for she may have to up and leave any minute. She’s really just looking for the next big thrill.

HistoryRen’s life has been a whirlwind of adventure. She’s been in more brawls, thrown out of more taverns, talked her way out of more trouble, and been run out of more towns than most would even think possible. She’s just got a knack for causing trouble—saying the wrong thing, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, not knowing when to quit. But she also has the same knack for getting out of trouble.

She chose her education to be that of the streets once she decided the monastery wasn’t for her. She enjoys living with only what’s on her back and fending for herself, even when the times are hard. She’s learned to do what she has to do and supports her lifestyle primarily as a burglar or grifter. Only the most daring and exciting jobs interest her and only from those that can afford to lose it. In her view, if she’s able to take it, then its previous owner must not have wanted to keep it badly enough. She works alone

— 30 —

when she can because others just get too serious about it and spoil her fun.

She never stays anywhere for long: partly because of her wanderlust and partly because the locals rarely let her: she wears out her welcome quickly. But most importantly, because she just never seems to fit in. Watching friends grow old and frail doesn’t help either. So she reinvents herself as often as she needs to, enjoying a new city until it no longer welcomes her.

Having passed her 100th year and acquired a tail, she has recently started to take more interest in what sort of being she might be and has befriended a kitsune couple to help her figure out her life. With their help, she has been able to determine what she is and, with the rumors circulating of Red Jack looking for his daughter, who she might be as well. But she is not ready to face her parentage just yet, for she has much still to learn about herself.

She has just met another fox-blooded, Genkuro (“Ro”). He has been looking for others of his kind and, with Ren’s help, hopes to find more.

Physical CharacteristicsRen always felt a bit different, but doesn’t everyone? For her, though, strange things would regularly happen: floating balls of light, strange visions, the ability to manipulate others; things like that. Though she could never control these things, they always seem to appear when she needed them to get her out of trouble (though they usually got her into even more trouble). She also has this knack for not aging.

Having just recently celebrated her 100th birthday, things have changed. Most notably, she has grown a tail—a big red, bushy tail to match her hair. She just woke up one morning, and there it was. This and suddenly gaining some measure of control over the strange powers she has manifested sporadically throughout her life have finally intrigued her enough to seek guidance.

She is able to suppress her tail and pass for normal just as before, but stress can make the tail appear whether she wants it to or not.

Relationship with Red JackRen has just learned that she is Red Jack’s daughter. She was taken from him while still a newborn and hasn’t seen him since. She has mixed feelings about this new knowledge and has decided that she’s not ready to confront it, yet. Until she is ready, she will try to stay hidden from those who seek her, including her father.

Red Jack very much craves a reunion with his long-lost daughter and his agents are scouring far and wide for information about her.

Strategy & TacticsThough Ren has spent most of her life as a daring rogue, her newfound abilities are pushing her down another path: that of the exorcist.

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The Faerie Ring

A man-sized, ghostly fox floats before you. Is that a smirk on its face?

Red Jack CR 27XP 1,638,400LN Medium fey (incorporeal, kitsune, quiddity,

shapechanger, yokai)Init +18; Senses darkvision 60 ft., life sight 60 ft., low-light

vision, scent, true seeing; Perception +58Aura visions of death 120 ft.DEFENSEAC 40, touch 40, flat-footed 25 (+15 deflection, +14 Dex,

+1 dodge)hp 777 (42d6+630)Fort +29, Ref +37, Will +36Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, incorporeal,

living death, rejuvenation; DR 20/cold iron and magic; Immune cold, death effects, disease, electricity, mind-affecting effects, poison; Resist acid 30; SR 38

Weaknesses vulnerability to fireOFFENSESpeed 60 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect)Melee corrupting touch +35 (27d6, Fort DC 46 half)

or bite +41 (3d6+28/19–20/×3 plus 1d6 electricity plus draining touch), 2 claws +41 (2d6+20/19–20 plus 1d6 electricity plus draining touch)

Special Attacks corrupting gaze (DC 46), draining touch, frightful moan (DC 46), ghostly visage, malevolence (DC 46), materialization, sudden teleportation, telekinesis (DC 46)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; concentration +35)Constant—detect thoughts (DC 27), true seeing (DC 31)At will—animate dead, antilife shell, circle of death (DC

31), command undead (DC 27), finger of death (DC 32), greater dispel magic, greater teleport (within Strangle Grove only), speak with dead (DC 28)

6/day—any necromancy (Red Jack can cast any combination of necromancy spells without metamagic effects; he knows them all)

3/day—control undead (DC 32), create undead, quickened greater dispel magic

1/day—create greater undead, symbol of death (DC 33), time stop

STATISTICSStr —, Dex 39, Con —, Int 32, Wis 36, Cha 40

Base Atk +21; CMB +21; CMD 61Feats Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes,

Critical Focus, Dodge, Fang of the Fox (B), Flyby Attack, Greater Feint, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Critical (bite, claw), Improved Feint, Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Lightning Stance, Mobility, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (greater dispel magic), Spring Attack, Stand Still, Vital Strike, Weapon Finesse, Wind Stance

Skills Acrobatics +59, Bluff +62, Diplomacy +60, Disguise +60, Escape Artist +59, Fly +67, Knowledge (arcana) +53, Knowledge (geography) +56, Knowledge (local) +56, Knowledge (nature) +56, Knowledge (planes) +53, Knowledge (religion) +53, Perception +58, Sense Motive +58, Sleight of Hand +59, Stealth +59, Use Magic Device +60; Racial Modifiers +2 Bluff

Languages Aklo, Common, Elven, Fox, Gnome, Goblin, Sylvan, Undercommon; telepathy (within his demesne Strangle Grove)

SQ alternate form, fox magicGear Death Bloom (+5 ghost touch oversized shocking

burst star ball with subsumed wand of lightning bolt [20 charges, CL 10th])

SPECIAL ABILITIESAlternate Form (Su) When materialized, Red Jack

can utilize his alternate form ability from his kitsune heritage. However, it works a bit differently for him. He can transform into a Medium fox, in which he can also walk upright (this is his natural appearance while incorporeal) or into a normal Small fox. In his Medium form, Red Jack has bite and claw attacks that he can make sized for a Huge creature, and his bite attack receives 1-1/2 times his Strength bonus to damage.

Fox Magic (Su) Red Jack is capable of utilizing fox magic, but because in life he died so young, he has only a single tail. While materialized, he can make use of Fang of the Fox.

Ghostly Visage (Su) While incorporeal, Red jack can change his appearance at will, as disguise self. He is capable of appearing as up to one size category smaller or larger.

Life Sight (Su) Red Jack gains blindsight to a range of 60 ft. This ability only allows him to detect living creatures and undead creatures. It also tells him whether a creature is living or undead. Constructs and other creatures that are neither living nor undead cannot be

(Red Jack )

— 32 —

seen with this ability. Living Death (Ex) Red Jack is fey, but he has the traits

of the undead creature type. So while he maintains the HD, BAB, saves, and skills of a fey, he possesses the immunities, the lack of a Constitution, and other traits of an undead, including being healed by negative energy (see negative energy affinity in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2). The only exception is that, since he is still living, he is still required to breathe, eat, and sleep.

Materialization (Su) As a move action, Red Jack can become corporeal. It requires another move action to become incorporeal again. While corporeal, Red Jack has a Strength equal to his Charisma. (This is already calculated into Red Jack’s bite and claw attacks.)

Memento Mori (Su) Red Jack’s memento mori is a rosette of his daughter Ren’s hair. Though he is still searching for her, his ghost foxes were able to retrieve a lock of her beautiful red hair. Red Jack tied it into a flawless rosette with loving care, transforming it unknowingly into his memento mori. It is tied to Ren’s existence: it is indestructible while she lives, but it fades of color and crumbles to dust on her death. Losing his memento mori, his tie to Ren, or having it crumble to dust would immediately depower Red Jack and send him into an undying frenzy (see statblock for CR 23 version of Red Jack).

Sudden Teleportation (Su) While incorporeal, Red Jack can teleport twice his fly speed (60 ft.) as a move action.

Visions of Death (Su) Creatures entering the aura see visions of those they know dying and decaying. They are targeted as if by an eyebite spell (Fort DC 31 negates). In addition, living creatures that succeed on a melee attack against Red Jack take 2d6 damage (Fort DC 46 for half).

Red Jack CR 23XP 819,200LN Large fey (incorporeal, kitsune, quiddity,

shapechanger, yokai)Init +18; Senses darkvision 60 ft., life sight 60 ft., low-light

vision, scent, true seeing; Perception +53Aura visions of death 120 ft.DEFENSEAC 36, touch 36, flat-footed 21 (+12 deflection, +14 Dex, +1

dodge, −1 size)hp 574 (37d6+444)Fort +24, Ref +34, Will +33Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, incorporeal,

living death, rejuvenation; DR 15/cold iron and magic; Immune cold, death effects, disease, electricity, mind-affecting effects, poison; Resist acid 30; SR 34

Weaknesses vulnerability to fireOFFENSESpeed 60 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect)Melee corrupting touch +32 (23d6, Fort DC 40 half) or

bite +34 (4d6+29/19–20/×3 plus 1d6 electricity plus draining touch), 2 claws +34 (3d6+29/19–20 plus 1d6 electricity plus draining touch)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks corrupting gaze (DC 40), draining touch,

frightful moan (DC 40), ghostly visage, malevolence (DC 40), materialization, sudden teleportation, telekinesis (DC 40)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; concentration +32)Constant—detect thoughts (DC 24), true seeing (DC 28)At will—animate dead, antilife shell, circle of death (DC

28), command undead (DC 24), finger of death (DC 29), greater dispel magic, greater teleport (within Strangle Grove only), speak with dead (DC 25)

6/day—any necromancy (Red Jack can cast any combination of necromancy spells without metamagic effects; he knows them all)

3/day—control undead (DC 29), create undead1/day—create greater undead, symbol of death (DC 30),

time stop STATISTICSStr —, Dex 39, Con —, Int 32, Wis 36, Cha 34Base Atk +18; CMB +19; CMD 56Feats Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes,

Critical Focus, Dodge, Fang of the Fox (B), Flyby Attack, Greater Feint, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Critical (bite, claw), Improved Feint, Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Mobility, Spring Attack, Stand Still, Vital Strike, Weapon Finesse, Wind Stance

Skills Acrobatics +54, Bluff +54, Diplomacy +52, Disguise +52, Escape Artist +54, Fly +62, Knowledge (arcana) +48, Knowledge (geography) +51, Knowledge (local) +51, Knowledge (nature) +51, Knowledge (planes) +48, Knowledge (religion) +48, Perception +53, Sense Motive +53, Sleight of Hand +54, Stealth +50, Use Magic Device +52; Racial Modifiers +2 Bluff

Languages Aklo, Common, Elven, Fox, Gnome, Goblin, Sylvan, Undercommon; telepathy (with his demesne Strangle Grove)

SQ alternate form, fox magicGear Death Bloom (+5 ghost touch oversized shocking

burst star ball with subsumed wand of lightning bolt (20 charges, CL 10th))

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The Faerie Ring

SPECIAL ABILITIESAlternate Form (Su) When materialized, Red Jack

can utilize his alternate form ability from his kitsune heritage. However, it works a bit differently for him. He can transform from a Medium fox, in which he can also walk upright (this is his natural appearance while incorporeal), or from a normal Small fox. In his Medium form, Red Jack has bite and claw attacks that are sized for a Huge creature, and his bite attack receives 1-1/2 times his Strength bonus to damage.

While affected by undying frenzy, Red Jack can become Large, increasing the base damage of his attacks by an additional size category and applying 2 times his Strength bonus to damage on bite and claw attacks. (This is already calculated into Red Jack’s bite and claw attacks.)

Fox Magic (Su) Red Jack is capable of utilizing fox magic, but because in life he died so young, he has only a single tail. While materialized, he can make use of Fang of the Fox.

Ghostly Visage (Su) While incorporeal, Red jack can change his appearance at will, as disguise self. He is capable of appearing as up to one size category smaller or larger.

Life Sight (Su) Red Jack gains blindsight to a range of 60 ft. This ability only allows him to detect living creatures and undead creatures. It also tells him whether a creature is living or undead. Constructs and other creatures that are neither living nor undead cannot be seen with this ability.

Living Death (Ex) Red Jack is fey, but he has the traits of the undead creature type. So while he maintains the HD, BAB, saves, and skills of a fey, he possesses the immunities, the lack of a Constitution, and other traits of an undead, including being healed by negative energy (see negative energy affinity in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2). The only exception is that, since he is still living, he is still required to breathe, eat, and sleep.

Materialization (Su) As a standard action, Red Jack can become corporeal. It requires another standard action to become incorporeal again. While corporeal, Red Jack has a Strength equal to his Charisma. (This is already calculated into Red Jack’s bite and claw attacks.)

Sudden Teleportation (Su) While incorporeal, Red Jack can teleport twice his fly speed (60 ft.) as a move action.

Undying Frenzy (Su) While in this state, Red Jack can become Large (see alternate form ability above). Red Jack can’t use any skills based on Charisma, Dexterity,

or Intelligence (except Acrobatics, Bluff, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride), during combat. In addition, he must make a Concentration check (DC 30 + spell level) to use any spell-like abilities during combat, except for those listed as constant in duration.

Visions of Death (Su) Creatures entering the aura are inundated by visions of everyone they know dying and decaying. They are targeted as if by an eyebite spell (Fort DC 28 negates). In addition, living creatures that succeed on a melee attack against Red Jack take 2d6 damage (Fort DC 40 for half).

Death Bloom (Major Artifact)Aura strong evocation and necromancy; CL 20thSlot none; Weight 1/2 lb.DESCRIPTION

Red Jack wields Death Bloom, a +5 ghost touch oversized shocking burst star ball. The polished banded onyx of the artifact was cherished and carried by Red Jack before he became a quiddity, and the same process that transformed Red Jack gave Death Bloom its power. Its surface crackles constantly with electricity. This weapon is considered epic and can penetrate epic DR.

The star ball’s wielder can use vampiric touch as a ranged touch attack (1/min., 30 ft.), quickened lightning bolt (3/day), and shocking grasp (at will). In addition, Red Jack can release Death Bloom and command it as if it were a familiar: it has a fly speed equal to Red Jack’s and Int 3. Red Jack can control it telepathically over any distance and, with concentration, see and hear through it. The star ball can defend itself with any of the abilities available to it. As a free action, Red Jack can recall Death Bloom via teleportation no matter the distance, even on other planes.

New magics can be subsumed into Death Bloom using star ball convergence if it is willing, but its current weapon abilities cannot be removed. (It currently has subsumed lightning bolt (20 charges, CL 10th).) (See Star Ball (Hoshi no Tama) section for more information.)DESTRUCTION

Death Bloom’s fate has become entwined with Red Jack. It can only be destroyed upon Red Jack’s final destruction. In that instant, it crumbles to dust.

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There is so much more variety in the worlds of fey than would be believed . . .

Fey SubtypesFey come in many varieties. Some are distinctly humanoid, some are more animal-like, and some are completely alien. All have strange, supernatural powers, though. Three new subtypes are presented here: the common kitsune, the yokai (to which kitsune and some others are a part of), and quiddities, enigmatic and powerful fey lords.

Kitsune Subtype: This subtype is applied to kitsune and creatures related to kitsune. Creatures with the kitsune subtype have access to fox magic.

Quiddity Subtype: Quiddities are powerful fey entities born of incredible circumstances—powerful and ancient magics, reality-shifting cataclysms, intense emotion. They are always created from a previous creature—which is almost always fey. Some actually die, like Red Jack, but for others, it might be some other intense transformation—

physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.The birth of a quiddity typically entails either intense

and painful emotion or tremendous violence, and the life of a quiddity usually follows a similar pattern. Born of tragedy, they tend to burn ferociously bright and heavily impact those along their trajectory. But they often flare out just as fast.

They’re impossibly focused, obsessed even, and driven by something—greed, love, vengeance. This is the only thing keeping them going. Once it’s gone, once their love is requited or their vengeance slaked or whatever purpose created them is served, they are finally released to oblivion. Or so the story goes.

Quiddities are each unique, varying greatly from one to the next, but some traits appear in them all.

Darkvision 60 ft. and true seeing (constant effect ❖as the spell).Immunity to death effects, disease, poison. ❖Magical Essence (Su) ❖ All quiddities are immune to the effects of at least one broad series of spells. These could consist of common descriptors, such as

mind-affecting; subschools, such as shadow; or even entire schools of magic.

Memento Mori (Su) ❖ For every quiddity, there is a memento mori tied to them. Each memento mori is an item significant only to that individual—it’s a connection to the quiddity’s previous life. While a quiddity is in possession of its memento mori, that quiddity is more powerful. What this means mechanically is differently for each individual.

Rejuvenation (Su) ❖ It’s difficult to destroy a quiddity through simple combat: they simply restore themselves in 2d20 days. Even the most powerful spells are usually only temporary solutions. A quiddity is only permanently destroyed once it has fulfilled its obsession. This is different for each quiddity.

Appendix I (Fey Bestiary)

Adding ComplicationComplication is the hallmark of the fey: what would they be without it? If you use the characters and concepts detailed in here, consider the following questions:

Is Death real? Is red Jack communing with a real entity, ❖whether actually Death or something claiming to be? Is it all just in his head?Red Jack’s already a massively powerful supernatural force. ❖What happens if he achieves the next level that he’s striving for? What if he truly becomes the avatar of death? Or even if he just thinks he is? Red Jack would never harm Ren, but what if she grows to ❖despise him? How would he respond? How will Ren react to

Red Jack as she learns what he is and what he’s done?

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The Faerie Ring

Weakness (Su) ❖ Each quiddity has a certain weakness unique to it. This is often a standard vulnerability, such as to fire or another energy type. However, it could be something more exotic, such as losing certain powers during a full moon. Whatever it is, it is usually tied to the event that created the quiddity in the first place.Except when otherwise noted, quiddities speak ❖Aklo and Sylvan.A quiddity’s natural weapons, as well as any weapon ❖it wields, are treated as epic for the purpose of resolving DR.

Yokai Subtype: Yokai are a race of fey native to the Material Plane and Preternatural Planes (see The Faerie Ring for more on the Preternatural Planes). Though they vary greatly, they often have animal-like features and many are shapechangers. They have a strong connection with the spirit world. A yokai possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).

Low-light vision and scent. Yokai with 10 HD or ❖more can smell incorporeal creatures.Yokai gain a +2 bonus to saves against charm spells ❖but a −2 penalty on saves against compulsion spells.Yokai suffer an additional point of damage when ❖hit by jade weapons.Speak with Animals (Su) ❖ All yokai can communicate with animals, as if using speak with animals. This ability is always active.Except where otherwise noted, yokai can speak ❖Aklo and Sylvan.

BestiaryKitsune and their kin, ghost foxes and pipe foxes, share a common heritage with Red Jack. Typical specimens of each are presented here.

Ghost Fox CR 9XP 6,400 Male kitsune rogue 8NE Small fey (incorporeal, kitsune, yokai)Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent;

Perception +18DEFENSEAC 20, touch 20, flat-footed 16 (+5 deflection, +3 Dex, +1

dodge, +1 size)hp 59 (8d8+23)Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +1Defensive Abilities evasion, improved uncanny dodge,

incorporeal, trap sense +2 OFFENSESpeed 40 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect)Melee corrupting touch +11 (9d6, Fort DC 19 half) or bite

+12 (1d4+6) or dagger +10/+5 (1d4+5/19–20)Special Attacks corrupting touch, ghostly visage,

malevolence, materialization, sneak attack +4d6STATISTICSStr —, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 20Base Atk +6; CMB +4; CMD 22Feats Dodge, Fang of the Fox (B), Improved Initiative,

Mobility, Weapon FinesseSkills Acrobatics +15, Appraise +11, Bluff +18, Climb

+3, Disguise +18, Fly +14, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (local) +4, Knowledge (religion) +7, Perception +18, Stealth +27; Racial Modifiers +2 Bluff, +2 Disguise, +8 Perception, +8 Stealth

Languages Common, FoxSQ alternate form (fox and human; polymorph), fox

magic, fox tails, quadruped, rogue talents (bleeding attack +4, fast stealth, resiliency, surprise attack), trapfinding +4

ECOLOGYEnvironment temperate forestOrganization solitary, pair, or skulk (3–6)Treasure NPC gear (+1 human-bane star ball, dagger

[human], leather armor [human], other treasure)

Ghostly FoxesA ghost fox is a unique type of kitsune. They are created in a dreadful ritual that presumably only Red Jack knows. Each kitsune that undergoes the ritual submits willingly to a symbolic death. While their bodies generally remain whole and intact (some, in fact, do not survive), their minds suffer as though by true death. The process transforms the kitsune, using their all-too-real anguish to transform them into ghost foxes. Though they gain significant power, their minds are scarred by such proximity to death and can never be quite whole again.

A ghost fox is nearly identical to a ghost with a few

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exceptions: most notably, a ghost fox still lives. It is fey instead of undead and does not acquire the rejuvenation ghost ability.

Creating a Ghost Fox“Ghost fox” is an acquired template that can be added to any living kitsune that has a Charisma score of at least 12. A ghost fox retains all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2.Type: The creature’s type remains fey. It gains the

incorporeal subtype.Armor Class: A ghost fox gains a deflection bonus

equal to its Charisma modifier. It loses the base creature’s natural armor bonus, as well as all armor and shield bonuses not from force effects or ghost touch items.

Hit Dice: The fox’s HD remain unchanged.Defensive Abilities: A ghost fox retains all of the

defensive abilities of the base creature. Ghost foxes also gain darkvision 60 ft. and the incorporeal ability.

Speed: Ghost foxes gain a fly speed of 30 ft. (perfect), unless the base creature has a higher fly speed.

Melee and Ranged Attacks: A ghost fox retains all of the base creature’s natural attacks, but it can only use them when corporeal (see materialization ghost special

ability). Having a ghost touch star ball, however, allows its natural weapons to have the ghost touch quality. It can also wield ghost touch weapons while incorporeal when in its alternate form.

Special Attacks: A ghost fox retains all the special attacks of the base creature. In addition, a ghost fox gains one ghost special attack from the list below for every 3 points of CR (minimum 1): the first ability chosen must always be corrupting touch and ghost foxes receive materialization as a bonus ability. The save DC against a ghost fox’s special attack is equal to 10 + 1/2 ghost fox’s HD + ghost fox’s Charisma modifier unless otherwise noted. A ghost fox’s possible ghost abilities include all those designed for typical ghosts, including corrupting gaze, corrupting touch, draining touch, frightful moan, malevolence, and telekinesis (see Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary). Some additional ghost abilities beyond these are listed below, and others can be designed at the GM’s discretion.

Ghostly Visage (Su) While incorporeal, the ghost fox can change its appearance at will, as disguise self. It can modify either its fox form or its alternate form.

Life Sight (Su) The ghost fox gains blindsight to a range of 10 ft. per 5 HD. This ability only allows it to detect living creatures and undead creatures and whether a creature is living or undead. Constructs and other creatures that

Memento MoriFor each quiddity, there is a unique memento mori. They are links to the quiddities’ prior selves, and with them, quiddities wield even greater power. That is, assuming they’ve even found them. Some quiddities never find theirs.

Red Jack’s is his daughter, Ren. As long as he knows she’s alive and well, his power surges, calming his inner turmoil and bringing him closer to Mistress Death. Though he is still tracking Ren down, he knows she is well because of the rosette he keeps of her hair—the physical manifestation of his memento mori. Should it crumble and fade, then tragedy has befallen her.

Should that eventuality come to pass or should the rosette be lost, Red Jack’s mind would be overcome with grief and rage. He would become savage and lash out. Gone would be all the brilliance of his wit and charm, twisted as they may be, and in their place, blood-red vengeance. All the progress he made at Death’s alter would be gone, and the crazed maniac he was just after returning to this world would return. If the intact rosette is found once more, his center would miraculously return. But should Ren’s death be the culprit, then no rest would come until those

responsible died at his hands 1,000 times and Ren was brought back to the living.

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The Faerie Ring

are neither living nor undead cannot be seen with this ability.

Materialization (Su) As a move action, the ghost fox can become corporeal. It requires another move action to become incorporeal again. While corporeal, a ghost fox has a Strength equal to its Charisma.

Sudden Teleportation (Su) While incorporeal, a ghost fox can teleport twice his fly speed (60 ft.) as a move action.

Abilities: Cha +4. As an incorporeal creature, a ghost fox has no Strength. Since they are still living, a ghost fox retains their Constitution.

Skills: Ghost foxes have a +8 racial bonus on Perception and Stealth skill checks. A ghost fox always treats Climb, Disguise, Fly, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Perception, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, and Stealth as class skills. Otherwise, skills are the same as the base creature.

Special Abilities: A ghost fox retains all the special abilities of the base creature, such as alternate form and fox magic. However, any abilities relying on physical qualities require the ghost fox to be corporeal (see materialization ghost special ability).

Alternate Form (Su) A ghost fox’s alternate form ability is usable while incorporeal.

Fox Magic (Su) A ghost fox can use its fox magic normally while corporeal (see materialization). It can also use fox magic while incorporeal provided that the given fox magic doesn’t require corporeality.

Fox Tails (Su) A ghost fox grows more tails as normal if it continues to gain in levels.

Kitsune CR 1/2XP 200Male kitsune rogue 1CN Small fey (kitsune, yokai)Init +3; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +3DEFENSEAC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 11 (+3 Dex, +1 size)hp 10 (1d8+2)Fort +2, Ref +5, Will −1OFFENSESpeed 40 ft.Melee bite +4 (1d4−1) or dagger +3 (1d4−1/19–20)Special Attacks sneak attack +1d6STATISTICSStr 8, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 15

Base Atk +0; CMB −2; CMD 11Feats Fang of the Fox (B), Weapon FinesseSkills Acrobatics +7, Appraise +4, Bluff +8, Climb +3,

Disguise +8, Knowledge (local) +4, Perception +3, Stealth +11; Racial Modifiers +2 Bluff, +2 Disguise

Languages Common, FoxSQ alternate form (fox and human; polymorph), fox

magic, fox tails, quadruped, trapfindingECOLOGYEnvironment temperate forestOrganization solitary, pair, or troop (3–12)Treasure NPC gear (dagger [human], leather armor

[human], other treasure)

Pipe Fox CR 2 XP 600CN Tiny fey (kitsune, yokai)Init +6; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +7DEFENSEAC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 14 (+2 deflection, +2 Dex, +1

dodge, +2 size)hp 23 (5d6+5)Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +4Defensive Abilities evasion; Immune paralysis,

petrification, sleep, slow; SR 13OFFENSESpeed fly 60 ft. (perfect)Melee bite +6 (1d3−2) Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.STATISTICSStr 6, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 13Base Atk +2; CMB +2; CMD 13Feats Dodge, Fang of the Fox (B), Improved Initiative,

Weapon FinesseSkills Acrobatics +9, Bluff +8, Diplomacy +8, Escape

Artist +13, Fly +18, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +8, Knowledge (engineering) +8, Knowledge (geography) +8, Knowledge (history) +8, Knowledge (local) +8, Knowledge (nature) +8, Knowledge (nobility) +8, Knowledge (planes) +8, Knowledge (religion) +8, Perception +7, Sense Motive +7, Stealth +15, Use Magic Device +7; Racial Modifiers +4 Escape Artist

Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Fox, Sylvan, Undercommon; telepathy (60 ft.)

SQ fox knowledge, fox magic, spell turningECOLOGYEnvironment temperate or mountain forestOrganization solitary, pair, or lead (3–9)

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Treasure standardSPECIAL ABILITIESFox Knowledge (Ex) All Knowledge skills are class skills

to a pipe fox. In addition, a pipe fox adds half its HD (minimum 1) to all Knowledge skill checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained.

Fox Magic (Su) While pipe foxes can access fox magic, they never grow more than one tail.

Spell Turning (Su) If a caster level check made to bypass the pipe fox’s SR fails by 5 or more, the spell is affected as if by spell turning.

Special: Pipe foxes can be taken as familiars by arcane spellcasters (CL 7th) using the Improved Familiar feat.

Pipe Fox, Elder CR 13XP 25,600CN Small fey (kitsune, yokai)Init +12; Senses information attractor, low-light vision,

scent; Perception +23DEFENSEAC 30, touch 30, flat-footed 18 (+7 deflection, +11 Dex, +1

dodge, +1 size)hp 187 (22d6+110); fast healing 5Fort +9, Ref +19, Will +15Defensive Abilities improved evasion, improved uncanny

dodge; DR 10/cold iron and magic; Immune paralysis, petrification, sleep, slow; SR 24

OFFENSESpeed fly 90 ft. (perfect)Melee bite +19 (1d4+5 plus 1d6 cold plus slow) Special Attacks hypnotic gaze (DC 28), slow (1 round,

slow, DC 20), sneak attack +6d6Spell-Like Abilities (CL 18th; concentration +25)Constant—detect thoughts (DC 19), tongues, true seeing

(DC 23)At will—freedom of movement, greater teleport (self

only), message, plane shift (self only)3/day—confusion (DC 21), locate creature, locate object,

mind fog (DC 22), scrying (DC 21)1/day—greater scrying (DC 24), insanity (DC 24)STATISTICSStr 18, Dex 32, Con 20, Int 25, Wis 20, Cha 24Base Atk +6; CMB +9; CMD 35Feats Blind-Fight, Dodge, Fang of the Fox (B), Improved

Initiative, Iron Will, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse

Skills Acrobatics +29, Bluff +25, Diplomacy +25, Escape Artist +34, Fly +39, Knowledge (arcana) +36, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +36, Knowledge (engineering) +36,

Knowledge (geography) +36, Knowledge (history) +36, Knowledge (local) +36, Knowledge (nature) +36, Knowledge (nobility) +36, Knowledge (planes) +36, Knowledge (religion) +36, Perception +23, Sense Motive +23, Stealth +33, Use Magic Device +25; Racial Modifiers +4 Escape Artist

Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Fox, Gnome, Goblin, Ignan, Infernal, Sylvan, Terran, Undercommon; telepathy (120 ft.)

SQ fox knowledge, fox magic secret, spell turning, tenacious mind

ECOLOGYEnvironment temperate or mountain forestOrganization solitary, pair, or assemblage (3–12), council

(13)Treasure standard (+1 frost star ball, other treasure)SPECIAL ABILITIESFox Knowledge (Ex) All Knowledge skills are class skills

to a pipe fox. In addition, a pipe fox adds half its HD (minimum 1) to all Knowledge skill checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained.

Fox Magic Secret (Su) Elder pipe foxes can access fox magic without the need for additional tails. They replace number of HD for number of tails when qualifying for fox magic feats.

Hypnotic Gaze (Su) Fascinated as if by hypnotic pattern, 30 ft., Will DC 28 negates. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Information Attractor (Su) An elder pipe fox can sense information that it doesn’t possess within 60 ft. The rarer the knowledge, the stronger the pipe fox feels it. Likely, the pipe fox will obsessively attempt to discover the information or, at least, note it for another time.

Spell Turning (Su) If a caster level check made to bypass the pipe fox’s SR fails, the spell is affected as if by spell turning.

Tenacious Mind (Ex) An elder pipe fox can make one new Will save per round against any ongoing effects governed by Will saves.

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The Faerie Ring

Kitsune characters possess the following racial traits:Fey: ❖ You have the fey creature type and yokai subtype.

−4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma: ❖ You are quick and self-assure but physically weak. Small: ❖ You are Small and gain a +1 size bonus to AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a −1 penalty to CMB and CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.Fast Speed: ❖ You have a base speed of 40 ft.Low-Light Vision: ❖ You can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.Quadruped: ❖ You are unable to hold items, such as wands, weapons, and shields. (You may be able to wear properly sized barding and certain magic items with body slots, but this requires a discussion between player and GM. If you are able to wear certain magic items, they count against slots available for items subsumed in your star ball.)Scent: ❖ You have the scent ability.Natural Weapon: ❖ You possess a bite natural attack that inflicts 1d4 damage on a hit. Fox Tails: ❖ You can use your tails for somatic spell components. At 1st level, you have one tail. An additional tail appears every 2 character levels thereafter. (No kitsune has ever been known to possess more than nine tails. The kitsune have a legend, though, of a kitsune with 1,000 tails.) Quick Tongue: ❖ You receive a +2 racial bonus on Bluff skill checks.Alternate Form: ❖ You can transform into a specific humanoid at will as a supernatural ability. (Except as indicated here, this ability is identical to the change shape universal monster ability in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary.) At character creation, you must choose a single humanoid type within one size category of you to be your alternate form. While in humanoid form, you lose the ability to use the following traits: fast speed, quadruped, scent, natural weapon, tails, and fox magic. You

can transform (including back to fox form) as a standard action. Your fox form is your natural state, and you revert to it upon death. In addition, you receive a +2 racial bonus on Disguise skill checks.Fox Magic: ❖ You gain the ability to use fox magic. You can use these innate supernatural effects a number of times per day equal to the number of fox tails you possess (that is, 1/day at 1st level, 2/day at 3rd level, and so on). Each effect requires one use of your daily fox magic (unless indicated otherwise). You gain Fang of the Fox as a bonus feat, but other fox magic feats are acquired normally, so they often have minimum requirements. While many potential fox magic effects exist, only a few are revealed here. You must seek out and learn new ones. While you are limited in the amount you can use per day, there is no limit to the amount you can know. The caster level for these effects is equal to your character level. The DCs for effects are equal to 10 + your number of fox tails + your Charisma modifier. Languages: ❖ You begin play speaking Common and Fox. If you have a high Intelligence score, you can choose any of the following as bonus languages: Aklo, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Sylvan, and Undercommon.

Fox Magic FeatsThe following are new feats especially for kitsune.

Ci rcle of Foxes (Fox Magic)You can summon illusory foxes to surround and confound your foes.

Prerequisites: Kitsune, four fox tails.Benefit: As a standard action, you can create a number

of illusory duplicates of yourself equal to your Charisma modifier. The duplicates appear anywhere along the

Appendix II ( Kitsune as Characters )

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border of a 50-ft.-diameter circle beginning and ending at your position. As a move action, you can swap places with one of the duplicates by surreptitious teleportation.

Each turn, the duplicates mimic your actions in relation to a specific target (a creature, an object, or a location in space). For instance, if you make a ranged attack against a target, the duplicates make simultaneous illusory ranged attacks against the target. If you close to enter melee with the target, they close to enter illusory melee with the target, moving the same number of squares. If you move directly away from the target, they move directly away from the target the same number of squares.

All actions taken by the duplicates are illusory, but the duplicates do provide flanking opportunities. The duplicates use your AC (excluding armor) and saving throws, and they dissipate in a puff of smoke if damaged. Undamaged, the duplicates dissipate after a number of rounds equal to your level, upon traveling 100 ft. or more from you, or at your will.

Fang of the Fox (Fox Magic)Your tenacious personality carries you through.

Prerequisites: Kitsune.Benefit: For 3 consecutive rounds, you can add your

Charisma modifier to attack and damage rolls when using your bite attack. With each successful bite attack, you gain a free 5-ft. step.

Fox Step (Fox Magic)You take advantage of any situation in combat.

Prerequisites: Kitsune, four fox tails.Benefit: If an attack misses you, you can teleport (as

dimension door) as an immediate action a distance equal to your Charisma modifier × 5 ft.

Fox Wit (Fox Magic)You are especially attuned to fox magic.

Prerequisites: Kitsune.Benefit: You can use your fox magic an additional

number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier.

Foxfi re (Fox Magic)You summon a ball of fire and lightning that floats gently around your head and unleashes fury upon your foes.

Prerequisites: Kitsune, two fox tails.Benefit: As a standard action, you can summon a ball

of foxfire and direct a bolt of fire and lightning from the ball toward one target within 30 ft. With a successful ranged touch attack, you deal 1d6 fire and electricity damage (half each) per number of fox tails you possess. The effect can be maintained in subsequent rounds as a standard action, on the same or on a new target in range. Once you miss or reach a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier, the effect ends.

Foxhole (Fox Magic)You can access an extradimensional space.

Prerequisites: Kitsune, four fox tails.Benefit: You take your lair with you. As long as you

have at least one use of daily fox magic remaining, you can open or close an extradimensional space, as if created by a rope trick spell, at will as a standard action. Unlike the spell, however, there is no rope involved, and the space is permanent. In addition to holding up to 8 creatures (as the spell), up to 250 lb. (or 30 cubic ft.) of objects can be stored indefinitely within the space.

Ghost Eyes (Fox Magic)

Your strong connection to the spirits lets you interact with them.

Prerequisites: Kitsune, three fox tails.Benefit: You can see the invisible (as see invisibility

spell), and your attacks are treated as if having the ghost touch ability. This ability lasts for 1 round/fox tail.

Special: If your star ball has at least a +3 armor enhancement, you also gain the ghost touch armor special ability for free while using Ghost Eyes.

Hidden Fox (Fox Magic)Foes don’t see you coming.

Prerequisites: Kitsune, three fox tails.Benefit: As a standard action, you can make your

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The Faerie Ring

attacks more difficult to avoid. For 1 round/fox tail, you are invisible for the duration of your turn, as the greater invisibility spell. You become visible at the end of your turn but invisible again at the beginning of your next turn.

The Unseen Path (Fox Magic)You know the secrets to step from one plane to the next.

Prerequisites: Kitsune, seven fox tails.Benefit: You can create a portal to the Material Plane

or any of the Preternatural Planes that you’ve been to before. The portal exists for a number of round equal to your Charisma modifier. (For more on the Preternatural Planes, see The Faerie Ring: Along the Twisting Way Prelude.)

Star Ball (Hoshi no Tama)No material item is cherished as highly by a kitsune as its star ball. Created ritually from a polished precious stone—possibly opal, jasper, ruby, or hematite—each is different and uniquely crafted for, and attuned to, an individual kitsune. These items typically lie embedded within the forehead, serving as foci for fox magic, although kitsune often release them (as a standard action) for a time to admire and play with them. An extension of its kitsune wearer, a star ball is a physical, emotional, and spiritual manifestation of the kitsune; the theft or desecration of a star ball is met with fierce retaliation.

Unable to use the implements of humanity while in fox form for lack of hands, kitsune also rely on star balls as the foci for other magics (see star ball convergence spell below). Kitsune need not necessarily be in fox form to benefit from the power of star balls, although fox magic still requires being in fox form.

A star ball is a multi-purpose tool in the hands (make that forehead) of a kitsune. In addition to being a focus for magic, it can be a weapon and suit of armor, and as such, it can be magically enhanced. A given star ball cannot have an effective bonus (enhancement plus special ability bonus equivalents, including those from character abilities and spells) higher than +10, just like weapons and armor. Up to that +10 limit, you can decide what

portion is devoted to being a weapon and what portion is devoted to being armor. Weapon enhancements and special abilities are applied to your natural attacks. Armor enhancements and special abilities are channeled through an invisible but tangible field of force that surrounds you, granting you an armor bonus equal to any armor enhancement you incorporate and any armor special abilities (similar to bracers of armor). These weapon and armor enhancements may also modify fox magic in certain ways (see individual fox magics).

All of these effects are incorporated by subsuming actual weapons and armor using the star ball convergence spell (although it is rumored that the eldest of kitsune can bestow abilities directly into a star ball). For example, a bite from a kitsune wearing a +2 flaming star ball would add an additional +2 to attack and damage rolls and an additional 1d6 fire damage beyond the damage that just the bite would do. Only one star ball can be worn at a time, but additional qualities can be added to a star ball using the star ball convergence spell.

Fox SpellsThough others may use this spell, foxes understand it best and make the most use of it.

Star Ball ConvergenceSchool transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 3Casting Time 10 min.Components F (star ball), M (magic item to be

subsumed), S, VRange touchTarget 1 magic itemDuration instantaneousUpon completion of this spell, you can subsume the power of a magic item, including armor and weapons, rings, rods, scrolls, staves, wands, and wondrous items that occupy a slot on the body (and psionic equivalents) into your star ball. However, you can’t subsume a wondrous item that doesn’t occupy a slot on the body, such as a bag of holding. The star ball gains the abilities of the newly subsumed item in addition to still possessing those it previously had.

For armor and weapons, magical enhancements

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and special abilities are subsumed up to the star ball’s enhancement limit. If there is insufficient space, the spell fails. Physical properties are not subsumed. Enhancement bonuses do not stack, and the star ball takes on the highest of these from all combined items. However, all charges and special abilities are available, provided you haven’t gone over your limit. For example, subsuming a +2 flaming weapon and a +1 shock weapon would yield a +2 flaming shock star ball.

Rings and wondrous items that require body slots are limited in number in the same way that a humanoid is limited. There is no limit to the number of rods, scrolls, staves, and wands that can be subsumed.

All items are used in the same fashion as before they were subsumed except that they are all considered at the ready. You must still qualify to use a given subsumed item: for example, in the case of a wand, you must still either have the spell on your spell list or succeed on a Use Magic Device check to use it, and in either case, you use a charge to cast the stored spell from your star ball as if you had done so from the same wand.

Effectively, this spell allows you to store the armor and weapon abilities, the magical adornments, and the charges of wands and similar devices in a magic item that you can actually use as a kitsune. (You must still track charges and daily uses of specific items separately.) Otherwise, without hands, that sword and necklace and wand you found in the crypt are useless to you. This spell is not reversible, and targeted items crumble to dust. However, this spell can be used to erase a subsumed item from a star ball, making room for something else.

Fox IncantationsKitsune have a long tradition of ritual magic.

Fox Possession (or Kitsune-Tsuki)

School transmutation; Effective Level 6th Skill Checks Knowledge (arcana) DC 28, 3 successes;

Knowledge (nature) DC 28, 3 successesComponents F (star ball), M (currency and shiny baubles

worth 500 gp), S, V; caster must be kitsune Casting Time 60 min.

Range personalTarget one humanoidDuration 1 hour (see below)Saving Throw see below; SR yesUpon completion of the ritual, you take on a spirit form, invisible to the naked eye and possessing a fly speed equal to your base speed.

You have 1 hour to find and initiate possession of a living humanoid target before reverting to normal form. You can automatically enter a host, and once inside, you may remain there indefinitely without the target’s knowledge. You can leave whenever you want, but when leaving the body, your spirit form lasts only 2 minutes before you revert to normal form. Because of this, kitsune typically leave when the target is sleeping to avoid detection.

If you remain in the target for 3 hours, you can insinuate your will without your target’s knowledge. This requires the target to make a Will save (DC 10 + your number of fox tails + your Charisma modifier) for each hour you’re in control, outside of combat. If the target enters combat, new saves must be made every round to insinuate your control. When the target succeeds at three such saves, no matter the situation, the target becomes aware of you.

Once the target is aware of you, you may only take control of the target forcefully, but this effect ends with a single successful save by the target, after which you are forced from the body. The target can make this save once per hour outside of combat and once per round within combat. You can forcefully take control of a target at any time after you have been within the target for 3 hours.

You can access the target’s senses when you have control—whether insinuated or forced. You can control the target to do anything that is not obviously suicidal. If you ever try to make the target do something completely against its nature, like try to kill itself or attack a friend unprovoked, it immediately becomes aware of you.

If the target dies while you are possessing it, you are ejected from the body and appear next to the target at −1 hp and dying.

You must be a kitsune and in fox form to perform this ritual.

Backlash: All the power of your star ball is suppressed for 24 hours.

Failure: If you fail two consecutive skill checks, you fall asleep for 24 hours.