Exiles 06: The Courts

Fey society is organized into Courts. Certain Fey Lords gather around them other Fey that they trust, or have proven useful to the Lord of the Court. No one Court has official higher status than any other, but some Courts are more powerful, and thus garner more respect.

The Two Courts

Belonging to the courts is a matter of personal choice and family legacy. Houses tend to belong to one Court or the other, but there is always that Aunt who prefers the safety of the Bright Courts, or the uncle who betrayed his brother and accepted the judgments of the Dark Courts. Then, there is the intermarriage that can really confuse things

The Bright Courts

The Bright Courts are ruled by the idea that Fey Life Force is sacred. They tend to get high and mighty about this point, but they have agreed upon a set of laws and traditions to support this claim.

“Thou Shall Not Feed From Fey” is the first law. Any Fey that subscribes to the Bright Courts, and gains recognition, will be protected by the Bright Courts. Protection does not always come with respect and honor, however, as it is the law that is being protected, not the individual.

The Bright Courts also have laws concerning Fey interference with mortal society. These laws do not carry as much weight, but they can have significant consequences. They are more like misdemeanors, while laws governing Fey life force are more like felonies.

The Dark Courts

The Dark Courts are ruled by the idea that nothing is sacred. They tend to be devious and mischievous. They do not call their rules laws, as the Bright Courts do. Instead, they have traditions, which are upheld by precedence.

Since the Dark Court do not hold Fey life force sacred, the stronger are relatively free to feed upon the weak. Alliances form, and there are many factions with different interpretations of the Traditions. The value of a Fey’s life force is determined by her alliances. With careful negotiations and clever political maneuvering, even the most powerful Fey of the Dark Courts may be up for auction.

Attacks upon other Dark Courtiers may be sanctioned before the attack. This is a very strong Tradition, and is often the best way to prevent retribution, or at least know what to expect from the allies of the target.

High and Low Courts

Low Courts handle day to day minor infractions of mundane Law and Tradition. Fey Lords occasionally preside over these matters, but often, they assign a trusted advisor to see to settling disputes. Any decision can be appealed, but this puts the Lord in a bad mood, so it is rarely done except when the appealing courtier has a strong argument. Theft, assault, and deception are dealt with in the Low Courts. If someone is messing with your source, you can bring it to a Low Court

High Courts handle the more serious displays of uncivilized behaviors, such as murder, draining, or theft of House Artifacts. At least one Fey Lord will preside, but sometimes, multiple Lords will be involved, each casting their judgments, and debating the merits of the other Lords opinions. High Courts also handle more intangible indiscretions such as a lesser Fey offending a Full Fey Lord.

The Twilight Courts

Twilight Courts are universally High Courts. They deal with severe crimes that involve both the Bright Courts and the Dark Courts. An attack by a Bright Courtier upon another Bright Courtier would bring a harsh sentence. A Dark Courtier attacking another of his kind would bring about some harsh negotiations that the attacker may not be able to pay. The Twilight Courts occur when Courtiers of opposite courts interfere with each other’s lives. An attack from a Dark Courtier on a Bright Courtier or vice versa, brings the courts to bear and this is not insignificant. Basically, you are forcing the lawyers to get off their asses and stand by your side. And, they may not appreciate it, so they may not negotiate strongly

Normally, when a Bright Courtier breaks a Law, regardless of who the victim was, the Bright Courts claim jurisdiction, and met out punishment. However, if the victim has powerful alliances among the Dark Courts, the Bright Courtier may be thrown to the mercy of the dark courts. If he has his own bargaining leverage, he may find a better home among the Dark Courts. This is often the best way to change Court allegiances.

When Dark Courtiers interfere with the lives of Bright Courtiers, emissaries are sent to the Dark Courts. Many of the larger Dark Courts have ambassadors from the Light Courts. These ambassadors maintain relationships with the rulers of the Dark Courts to which they are assigned. This helps smooth the way for quick justice. The Bright Courts will take in to account any previous activities of a Dark Courtier thrown on their mercy.

The Exiles

There are some occasions when a Fey breaks the Laws or Traditions of the courts, then survives or defies the punishment proclaimed by the courts. If changing Court allegiance is not an option, there is the possibility that the Fey will lose all court status. Sometimes this happens when a Bright Courtier believes her actions were right and despises the Dark Courts, or, when a Dark Courtier breaks Dark Court Traditions, but has such a reputation with the Bright Courts that he would be put to death immediately. When a Fey is exiled, other Fey will turn their backs on you and refuse you aid, hospitality, or even acknowledgement.

While it is frowned upon by the Bright Courts to hunt individual Exiles, there are no Laws pertaining directly to this, although feeding upon the Exiles is still unlawful. The Dark Courts see the hunting of Exiles as sport. An Exile that causes trouble will see both courts setting out blood hunts, and the Exiles bloodline, including everyone related to the individual, will be hunted down or brought to trial.