The Sidhe

What It Means to Be “Sidhe”

First things first - the term “elf” of “elven” is a slang term, referring to “Eleven” or, “more than ten”. It’s intended sarcastic. The term “elf” or “elven” in the Dreamlands transcends mere physical traits, referring instead to beings that embody an ideal—a state of being “more than perfect.” This designation, often sarcastically coined in Anglais as “more than ten,” captures their otherworldly beauty, power, and detachment from mortal concerns. All Sidhe beings carry the essence of the Great Ones, whether pure or diluted. This legacy manifests as a connection to the Dreamlands’ balance and beauty. The suggestion being that there’s a bit of “Dragon Essence” in Sidhe.

1. Nelra

Gregarious, social, and aesthetically mutable; their Wild lets them borrow minor animal traits (horns, fur, tails, eyes) for style or survival. Warm and charming but cautious toward humans.

2. Nilri

Brimming with wild, taller than Feral Gnomes but just as untamed and uncompromizing, Nilri are aggressive, savage and territorial. Nilri are shapeshifters that form bonds with one animal per season and then are able to change to that animal shape.

3. Colwyne

Colwyne are as Gods, Immense, over 2.3 meters tall, and Leonine in presence—lazy, decadent apex predators with territorial tempers. They are Grande and statuesque and infused with magic. Colwyne can manifest simple objects “at will”, and most have the ability to create an array of several dozen “remembered” objects from thin air - mostly these being ornate weapons, tools. A tribe will have access to a wide array of conveniences, including ornate luxurious tents, composite bows, etc.

4. Zhaeidra

Adjacent to Djinn, deeply mysterious and mercurial, Zhaeidra traffic between the spheres with ephemeral flying ships, traversing the skies, the dimensions, far regions across the dreamlands. They have six arms, of which two arms rest on their backs arches much like if if these were the wings of a Dragon reverted to arms. It is said the Zhaeidra still serve the Dragons of old directly.

5. Drokka

Cut off the The Sacred Spark, the Drokka or Drakka were at one time faced with horrific atrociy and disaster and had to flee under the lands to survive. They became a stunted, twisted species, barely recognizable as Sidhe. Exclusively female, they carry their males as living, insertable parasitic organisms within their wombs. Fierce, cunning, and tragic, their society is fundamentalist matriarchal and defined by survival, secrecy, and whispered vengeance.

6. Haehanil

Existing in the “opened up” part of the Netherworld, these Sidhe, “born or trees” are created when ever anyone visits their lands and die. All there are then reborn as Haehanil, trapped in a cycle of poetic doom. They are emotional extremists—poetic, bombastic, and theatrical, their lives are operatic tragedies.-+

7. Castor (D’Fey)

Small, secretive, and razor-intelligent—natural-born sorcerers and analysts. They are prideful, quick to take offense, and disdainful of “lesser minds.” Their Wild leans into subtle enchantment and mental dominance, making them the wizarding caste of Sidhe society.

8. Zhedara

The warrior Sidhe, forged for battle and discipline. They embody martial elegance—every gesture purposeful, every movement lethal. While not feral like the Nilri, they are predators with code and ritual, defining the Sidhe approach to organized war.

9. Aureannu

The most humanlike Sidhe, yet traumatized by history and loss, having suffered massacres and cultural upheaval at human hands. They are bitter, introspective, and politically fragmented, occupying a Highland plateau east of barbarian lands. Their culture reflects melancholy survival and realism, making them the most approachable—yet least trusting—of their kind.

10. Lyyre (“Liars”)

Opportunistic, magical, Machiavellian aristocrats, reminiscent of Italian Renaissance schemers. Three genders: volatile and dominant females, small submissive males, and a female-with-phallus caste barely functional in human society due to emotional volatility. They despise the Kingdom, “precariously” ally with Dylath-Leeen, and thrive in political intrigue and betrayal.

11. Daoine Sidhe

Pale, luminous, and cruelly beautiful, living in icy palaces of decadence and orgiastic excess. Among their own, they are tyrants and libertines, indulging in theatrical cruelty and ritualized debauchery. When abroad, they don a mask of civility, masking their contempt for mortals and casual sadism.

12. Lastrauri

The Strange Sidhe of the Island over the Sea, detached, ephemeral, and ever-changing in appearance—skin, hair, cartilage, and markings shifting like living art. Recognizable yet never the same twice, they embody detachment, curiosity, and wanderlust. To humans, they seem whimsical and warm, yet ultimately alien, like passing starlight in a living city of dreams.