Fairies and Magic
the magic of the wood. Babylon Wood, unsurprisingly, draws its power from stories. There is a magic in stories, which the Wood can draw on just by having people living here, playing out their stories within the Wood's realm of influence. There is also a good deal of magic in changing stories, power released when every other possible future ceases to be - and changing stories is, of course, what the Wood does best.
The magic of the Wood, at its foundation, centers on changing the reality of a thing or its seeming - it changes objects from one thing to another, but it does not create anything from thin air. Any creature of the Wood has access to the magic of the Wood, though how well they are able to use it rather depends on what they are and how long they've been here - outsiders, until they decide Babylon Wood is their home, can't use the native magic of the Wood at all.
The lowest-level magics are illusory - they may make you believe something is there that isn't, or make a thing appear as something other than what it is. These magics are easy and cheap, but also easily broken; because there's no substance to them, it's easy to see through if you know how to look. With low-level magics, you may be able to make a tree look like a person, for instance, but anyone who touches it will still feel the bark and leaves.
More powerful spells can change the physical reality of a thing, though not what it is at its core. Only the elder fae and the spirits of the Wood are able to work this kind of magic, and you'll have to bargain away something important for one of them to perform this kind of magic for you. This is the kind of magic that can bespell an object for a purpose, bring people back to life, or turn a tree into a person in fact, rather than in seeming.
The important thing to remember, though, is that when it comes to living things, even the most powerful magics can only change the physical nature of a thing - the only way magic can change the essence of a person is for that person to let themselves be changed, essentially casting a spell on themselves. So, for instance, magic may be able to make a tree into a person - but it will probably just stand there and stare at you and act like a tree. Magic can turn a person into a cat, but that cat retains the mind and feelings of a person unless they decide they are a cat in fact.
However, the longer a person remains in the Wood, the easier it becomes for the Wood and its creatures to influence them. By eating the food here, drinking the water, breathing the air, you become more and more a part of this place - and giving the things in this place more power over you. There's a reason, after all, that hardly anyone who comes to the Wood leaves unchanged.
regarding outside magics: While outsiders can't use the magic of the Wood, this does not mean that mages who come into the Wood are necessarily powerless.
Anyone with magical abilities that come from a source inside themselves will have all their abilities untouched - unless they're so powerful that the Wood itself thinks it prudent to put a damper on those abilities, as she sometimes does in extreme cases. A magic user who draws on power that comes from things found in the Wood - wind, water, rocks, trees, or life itself - will also be able to use all their abilities, with the same possible limitations if their power concerns the Wood.
However, anyone with magical abilities stemming from a magic source only found in their own universe, from gods of some kind, or any other external source not found in the Wood will find themselves entirely magic-less here.
the fairies. There are essentially two kinds of fae in the Wood: those native to the Wood, and those who came from outside and were changed.
The native fae are the oldest and most powerful, so it's probably for the best that you don't see them much. They're not rare so much as antisocial, and generally above the little concerns of outsiders and the lesser fae. Some have sentience as we know it - they talk, plan, scheme, and there are a few who delight in playing tricks on their fellows and newcomers. Others are obviously intelligent, but their ways of thinking aren't so easy for a human to grasp.
Some are spirits of the trees, water, and plenty of other things in the Wood; it may be wise to ask permission before you eat those berries or take a swim in that pond, unless you want to risk angering the spirit it belongs to. (Of course, the pond may belong to no spirit at all, in which case, you may end up feeling a bit silly.) As long as you don't disturb them and their element too much, these fae will generally leave you to your own devices.
Some, however, are not tied to any particular place or object, and are generally more animalistic, using their magic to hunt or defend themselves. They may be dangerous to the unwary, but they're not monsters, exactly - and if you kill one, prepare to face the wrath of its family.
And then there are the lesser fae - not so ancient (though certainly very old, in some cases), and not as powerful as the others, but much more noticeable, and much more of a concern to outsiders.
The minorest are small, and common: witch-lights, pixies, the spirits of flowers and other small things... They are curious and generally harmless - as much as fae ever are. Treat them right and they'll probably help you survive. Treat them cruelly, and they can be viciously and creatively vindictive.
More powerful than those are the true monsters - some former visitors, some just animals twisted in some way. They're dangerous, almost always aggressive, and can usually draw power from blood, pain, and death. Some can speak, and some can even reason and plan, but the majority of them are near-mindless, and all are more or less impossible to reason with - though you're welcome to try.
The last, most powerful, and most tied to the Wood itself, are the non-natives, once-outsiders who stayed long enough that their essence changed, and they became more like their hosts than the people of their homeland. Most look human (though plenty are shapechangers, and have a second form as an animal), and most even act human, but none of them would quite qualify anymore. They have their own politics and power struggles, and there's an old tradition of using outsiders as pawns in those games. There are also fae sympathetic to outsiders, who will offer aid if they can - but good luck sorting out one group from the other.
For all fairies, their word is their bond - and they're bound to the word of a deal, not the spirit, so semantics are very important. They're not vulnerable to iron, like in the stories of many universes, but they can be injured, and killed - though the more powerful the fae, the more it takes to hurt them, and the more easily they can heal themselves.
Magic is the most surefire weapon against them - that, and cleverness. Fairies are not above violence, but it is not the first line of attack or defense for them - it's considered a last resort, and rather gauche. Because of this, you could probably take them by surprise at least once with an attack of brute strength, but they're far less likely to come seeking revenge later if you beat them with cleverness instead.
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The magic of the Wood, at its foundation, centers on changing the reality of a thing or its seeming - it changes objects from one thing to another, but it does not create anything from thin air. Any creature of the Wood has access to the magic of the Wood, though how well they are able to use it rather depends on what they are and how long they've been here - outsiders, until they decide Babylon Wood is their home, can't use the native magic of the Wood at all.
The lowest-level magics are illusory - they may make you believe something is there that isn't, or make a thing appear as something other than what it is. These magics are easy and cheap, but also easily broken; because there's no substance to them, it's easy to see through if you know how to look. With low-level magics, you may be able to make a tree look like a person, for instance, but anyone who touches it will still feel the bark and leaves.
More powerful spells can change the physical reality of a thing, though not what it is at its core. Only the elder fae and the spirits of the Wood are able to work this kind of magic, and you'll have to bargain away something important for one of them to perform this kind of magic for you. This is the kind of magic that can bespell an object for a purpose, bring people back to life, or turn a tree into a person in fact, rather than in seeming.
The important thing to remember, though, is that when it comes to living things, even the most powerful magics can only change the physical nature of a thing - the only way magic can change the essence of a person is for that person to let themselves be changed, essentially casting a spell on themselves. So, for instance, magic may be able to make a tree into a person - but it will probably just stand there and stare at you and act like a tree. Magic can turn a person into a cat, but that cat retains the mind and feelings of a person unless they decide they are a cat in fact.
However, the longer a person remains in the Wood, the easier it becomes for the Wood and its creatures to influence them. By eating the food here, drinking the water, breathing the air, you become more and more a part of this place - and giving the things in this place more power over you. There's a reason, after all, that hardly anyone who comes to the Wood leaves unchanged.
regarding outside magics: While outsiders can't use the magic of the Wood, this does not mean that mages who come into the Wood are necessarily powerless.
Anyone with magical abilities that come from a source inside themselves will have all their abilities untouched - unless they're so powerful that the Wood itself thinks it prudent to put a damper on those abilities, as she sometimes does in extreme cases. A magic user who draws on power that comes from things found in the Wood - wind, water, rocks, trees, or life itself - will also be able to use all their abilities, with the same possible limitations if their power concerns the Wood.
However, anyone with magical abilities stemming from a magic source only found in their own universe, from gods of some kind, or any other external source not found in the Wood will find themselves entirely magic-less here.
the fairies. There are essentially two kinds of fae in the Wood: those native to the Wood, and those who came from outside and were changed.
The native fae are the oldest and most powerful, so it's probably for the best that you don't see them much. They're not rare so much as antisocial, and generally above the little concerns of outsiders and the lesser fae. Some have sentience as we know it - they talk, plan, scheme, and there are a few who delight in playing tricks on their fellows and newcomers. Others are obviously intelligent, but their ways of thinking aren't so easy for a human to grasp.
Some are spirits of the trees, water, and plenty of other things in the Wood; it may be wise to ask permission before you eat those berries or take a swim in that pond, unless you want to risk angering the spirit it belongs to. (Of course, the pond may belong to no spirit at all, in which case, you may end up feeling a bit silly.) As long as you don't disturb them and their element too much, these fae will generally leave you to your own devices.
Some, however, are not tied to any particular place or object, and are generally more animalistic, using their magic to hunt or defend themselves. They may be dangerous to the unwary, but they're not monsters, exactly - and if you kill one, prepare to face the wrath of its family.
And then there are the lesser fae - not so ancient (though certainly very old, in some cases), and not as powerful as the others, but much more noticeable, and much more of a concern to outsiders.
The minorest are small, and common: witch-lights, pixies, the spirits of flowers and other small things... They are curious and generally harmless - as much as fae ever are. Treat them right and they'll probably help you survive. Treat them cruelly, and they can be viciously and creatively vindictive.
More powerful than those are the true monsters - some former visitors, some just animals twisted in some way. They're dangerous, almost always aggressive, and can usually draw power from blood, pain, and death. Some can speak, and some can even reason and plan, but the majority of them are near-mindless, and all are more or less impossible to reason with - though you're welcome to try.
The last, most powerful, and most tied to the Wood itself, are the non-natives, once-outsiders who stayed long enough that their essence changed, and they became more like their hosts than the people of their homeland. Most look human (though plenty are shapechangers, and have a second form as an animal), and most even act human, but none of them would quite qualify anymore. They have their own politics and power struggles, and there's an old tradition of using outsiders as pawns in those games. There are also fae sympathetic to outsiders, who will offer aid if they can - but good luck sorting out one group from the other.
For all fairies, their word is their bond - and they're bound to the word of a deal, not the spirit, so semantics are very important. They're not vulnerable to iron, like in the stories of many universes, but they can be injured, and killed - though the more powerful the fae, the more it takes to hurt them, and the more easily they can heal themselves.
Magic is the most surefire weapon against them - that, and cleverness. Fairies are not above violence, but it is not the first line of attack or defense for them - it's considered a last resort, and rather gauche. Because of this, you could probably take them by surprise at least once with an attack of brute strength, but they're far less likely to come seeking revenge later if you beat them with cleverness instead.
back to navigation