True Fae (CofD)

The True Fae (the Others, Gentry or simply Fae, among many other names) are the native denizens of the Faerie realm of Arcadia which lies beyond the Hedge, who abduct humans from the mortal realm, transforming them into changelings.

They seem to have no names for themselves as a "race", and indeed do not think of themselves as such; each of the Fae is unique, and they refer to other denizens of Faerie by titles and names. The euphemisms used by changelings are many, which helps to prevent them being summoned at the sound of their names. When used to mean the True Fae, "Fae" is always capitalised; "fae" without the capital refers to any creatures touched by faerie, including changelings.

The Fae's perceptions, motivations and actions are alien to humans. They seem to understand the world through relatives rather than absolutes; many are bound by obscure and bizarre oaths and rules; others act seemingly at random, obeying a logic opaque to all humans. While they may sometimes take the form of human-like beings or animals, they are often incapable of understanding mortals, one of the reasons they find them so fascinating.

In their home realm, and to a lesser extent the Hedge, they possess god-like abilities, able to shape and command all the elements of their domains at will. Their powers in the mortal realm are greatly lessened, but still awesome; their influence extends there by means of Contracts they made with the mundane elements long ago.