Faery in Shadow - The Realm of Faery

The Realm of Faery

C. J. Cherryh's Faery is an alternate plane of existence where the Sidhe live, separate from, but still connected to, the mortal realm of humans. Long ago the Sidhe lived alongside man, tolerant of his indiscretions, but with time, as man's abuse of Nature increased and his respect for the Sidhe diminished, the Sidhe began withdrawing to Faery.

The Sidhe are generally free to "step" in and out of Faery at will, but only a select few mortals have that privilege (or misfortune), and then normally under the control of a fay. The Sidhe work with silver, but abhor iron.

Broadly there are two types of Sidhe, the "bright" Sidhe, which include the Fair Folk, or Daoine, and the "dark" Sidhe, including pooka and others. The dark Sidhe are often old creatures that have been corrupted by evil and then won back by the bright Sidhe, and are normally bound to the bright ones by bargains and geas.

Contrary to the popular notion that all fairies are good, the Sidhe are "practical" and will do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals, even at the expense of mortals. They speak in riddles and are forever striking bargains, which they stick to, to the letter. The dark Sidhe in particular are mischievous and enjoy playing tricks on humans. When it suits them, the Sidhe can take complete control of mortals. They can heal them, put them to sleep, touch their dreams and steal time from them.