Faewyrd

"How does one begin to describe that which is paradoxical in nature? A thing more of exception than rule, the Faewyrd is best described in the form of a negation, starting with what it is NOT, and working back... for the Fae is too impermanent and illogical to codify.

''To begin with, the Faewyrd is not a contiguous realm. It consists of any and all places within the sphere of Munda '' ''which do not exist upon the physical world and do not follow the Strictum which bind it. Pocket dimensions, mirror worlds, the Underdark, these realms are not a part of the Dream, but resemble it in many ways. Reality is often more pliable here. And while the various realms of Fae do not form one contiguous body, they share a sort of metaphysical space, a sort of twilight between reality and dream. As such there are many individual points of contact between the realms, with varying degrees of permanence. One may open a pantry door in the Underdark to find themselves looking out upon a Fae Court of the Lychwood. Other crossings are more cryptic, or answer only to ritual--such as faerie rings, which dot the deeper glens of the mortal world's more magical woodlands.''

''The Faewyrd's beginnings are tied to the beginnings of Munda itself. At times called the “First World,” it appears to '' ''have been a sort of first draft for the world we live in. Many creatures and landscapes from the mortal realm can be found here, enlarged, dramaticized, or enhanced in some way. There seems to be very little limit or restraint on the forms they may take, though at heart they contain the seeds and prototypes of many things we are familiar with. In fact, the elder races of elves and gnomes are known to have originated in the Fae, later migrating to Munda once it was ready for them. Traces of this lineage may still be seen in their inherently magical nature, a contrast to the more mundane humans.''

''It is even theorized that the Fae realms have acted at several times in the past as a sort of seed-bank in the wake of a large scale catastrophe in the mortal realm. Following mass depopulation, denizens of the Fae would leak out and repopulate the devastated world, allowing life to continue in the ashes. Of course, it is nearly impossible for a mortal scholar to obtain concrete evidence of such happenings, if it exists. They would have to enter the Fae itself to find it, and it is difficult and dangerous for mortals to enter the Faewyrd. One never comes back quite the same, if they ever come back at all. As such, much of the scholarship on the subject is theoretical, and the rest is spotty at best. Choosing to specialize in Fae knowledge is often a frustrating business, but if you must begin somewhere, then you have found the right book.''"

-Prologue to On the Faewyrd, by Niklaus Sparruchus