Sidhe
Contents
Introduction
The Sidhe are the kith born of the dreams of kings and queens - both noble and otherwise. Regal, beautiful and graceful, they are power and coldness personified. They are tied intimately to the Dreaming and are new to the Changeling Way - most of the Sidhe on Earth are either exiles or escapees from Arcadia, unable to return home. As a result, they feel the cold sting of Banality far more harshly than commoner kithain, but they still command both the Seelie and Unseelie courts and are determined to survive the coming of Winter.
History
As exiled nobility, the sidhe remember a time when they ruled proudly in a living dream. Known and feared as the Good Folk, their whims enchanted and terrified mortals for millennia. Now that tale has ended. The gates to Arcadia have closed, the song has ended, and their new kingdom grows cold. For sidhe, the age of wonder has died, and they mourn its passing.
This mourning,however,has not ended their lives. Though they fear death like few fairies ever could, they are facing their fate with regal bearing. While others consider them cold and arrogant, the sidhe refuse to lie down and die. For them, the dream is still alive, and they strive to awaken the world from its slumber. The very presence of a sidhe inspire supernatural awe. The sight of a sidhe in her true form captures the hearts of mortals and the essence of the Dreaming.
Faerie passions run deep -- love of vengeance is never forgotten. The ideals of the sidhe are even fiercer, and cost them dearly. Such passion has it's price though. Even Seelie heroes would rather destroy themselves in a blaze of glory than fade away. Their less energetic brethren lose hope and become self-indulgent, letting their freeholds fall into despair as easily as they fall into melancholy. Others become Unseelie tyrants, ruling through cruelty and intrigue. Though exotic in their beauty and lost in their ideals, a few travel among commoners. No matter what path they choose, sidhe are far from human and always stand out among those with whom they associate.
The blessing and curse of the sidhe is to live deeper in the Dreaming world than most fae ever will. This walking dream-state gives most sidhe a glazed look and unfocused air. Bards' songs say that the eldest sidhe live in the past, present and future all at once. Sidhe are also notorious for switching between Courts without warning. Considering their whims, it's no wonder few changelings trust them.
Banality is a deadly curse, and sidhe suffer more from it than any other Kithain. Death is an even greater fear, for sidhe are not believed to be reborn as other changelings are. In these dark times, most never return from death; and it is speculated that the few that do are reincarnated as commoners -- for them, a fate worse than death. Faced with this dire fate, they resent the Arcadian sidhe for exiling them from paradise. The most hopeless of the Earth-bound sidhe quest in vain for Arcadia or throw themselves into orgies of Glamour-gathering to sustain themselves. The thought of simply fading away is too much for them, and they will do anything to stay alive. Tormented by their dreams, the beautiful sidhe are outsiders in a human world.
Known Sidhe
- -- Beli Mawr -- Sidhe lord and Duke of the Kithain of Yorkshire.
