according to bonds of personal loyalty.

Every fey creature, down to the lowliest

shimmerling, relates to others according to sworn oaths, pacts of friendship, and
more or less formal agreements, to the extent that a Court could be seen as a kind
of loyalty tree.
The pacts that bind the members of a Court are not seen as permanent, however, and
allegiances can and often do shift from time to time. Sometimes, the machinations
of powerful archfey can cause entire Courts to merge or split apart, thought this
is less common. Most fey creatures live long lives, and betrayals are not easily
forgotten, so the ancient lords of the Feywild only make such major moves when
there is a very good reason to.
Seven of the most powerful Courts are detailed below.
Emerald Court
Drawing their strength and unity from the immortal, colossal Great Trees that take
root in the Feywild, the Emerald Court safeguards the Feywild's forests from those
that might corrupt it. Emerald fey hold dominion wherever Great Trees can be found,
even on the Material Plane, where such a tree is likely to shelter a community of
dryads and other fey. Placing great emphasis on preserving the forests as pristine
habitats, this court is known to take swift and violent action against anyone they
see as a threat to the green lands or their precious Great Trees.
Though the Feywild is indeed the very picture of a magical wilderness, there is no
end to the number of those that would desecrate it. From the occasional fey witch
seeking to plunge the Feywild into eternal winter, to extraplanar agents with
designs on claiming the Feywild as their own, the Emerald Court must always keep a
watchful eye for new threats. Among the most serious recurring threats are the
armies of brutish giants that populate the hills and mountains of the Feywild.
Longing to despoil the perfection of the green lands below, these foul monsters are
ever rampaging forth from their
strongholds―but thus far the Emerald Court has always been there to turn them back.
The Court counts many druids among their ranks, so they can always obtain the
resources they need without disturbing the natural order. Nymphs and other fey
attuned with the land also gravitate to the Emerald Court, but all types of feykind
(and even some humanoids from the Material Plane) have joined the court on behalf
of the Great Trees.
Archfey. Unsurprisingly, the inner circle of archfey at the center of the Emerald
Court are almost exclusively nymphs and treants, specifically those which possess
the Gift of Voice, the ability to commune directly with the Great Trees. The
highest-ranking speaker of the trees in the Emerald Court is currently Raraebol
Otrium, an ancient treant that rarely moves from his brambly hollow in the Great
Grove. It is said that all of the stems and leaves of the Feywild heed Raraebol's
command, moving at his word, and whispering secrets to him at all times.
Convictions. The Emerald Court prioritizes the wellbeing of the forests over
everything else. Fey belonging to this Court subscribe to the following ideas:
• Wild nature, especially plants, must be defended at all costs. Green fey
adamantly oppose all farming, woodcutting and hunting.
• No life is more important than any other. It is acceptable to sacrifice a few to
protect many others.
• Brass, gold, and red dragons, as well as fire elementals and efreeti, are
unnatural abominations that must be destroyed without hesitation.
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Frolicking Court
There is more to the Frolicking Court than music and masquerades, but revelry is at
the heart of everything they do. As the self-appointed custodians of the many
holidays and festivals of feykind, they devote themselves to astrological
calculations and preserving their storied traditions. Fey of the Frolicking Court
are open and welcoming, being happy to tango with anyone who’s willing to dance.
In order to preserve the peace of the Feywild (and thus, the lasting traditions
they uphold), the Frolicking Court also maintains a force of sworn knights. Mostly
recruited from humanoid adventurers to ensure their neutrality, these Caelagarm
Oath-Keepers are treated with respect by all Courts.
Archfey. One of the most unlikely archfey in recent memory, Eydís Aonghuis is a
dwarf who was kidnapped by evil fey as a child, only to escape their clutches and
grew up among the fey elves of the Starlight City. There, she studied dance under
the legendary Lady Silvergleam and, with typical dwarven diligence, became one of
the greatest dancers to ever grace the ballrooms of the Feywild. Another archfey in
the Frolicking Court is Prince Hefeydd. A bard by trade, he drinks like a satyr and
loves like a sirine; it is rare indeed to attend a party in the Feywild and not see
his bearded face. Hefeydd is a popular patron of warlocks, since he takes an active
interest in their lives and always does what he can to help them towards their
goals.
Convictions. Many fey are attracted to the Frolicking Court because of the Court’s
relaxed approach to life. Their philosophy includes the following ideals:
• The most important thing is to celebrate the traditional festivals according to
the old way.
• The more the merrier! We should build bridges and resolve disputes, for the
benefit of all.
• You shouldn’t judge people out of hand, and it’s better to live and let live,
even when you disagree with someone.
Grimm Court
Whereas most Fey Courts point their attentions inward at the machinations of fey
politics, the Grimm Court is preoccupied the Material Plane and its residents. All
Grimm fey find some grand importance in manipulating the fates of humanoids, but
their motivations vary immensely within their own ranks. Some simply find great
amusement in meddling with humanoid affairs, setting up elaborate pranks involving
illusions, enchantments, and surprise transmutations to get a good laugh (for
themselves, if not for the humanoids involved.) Others view themselves as
indispensable moralizers, delivering ethical lessons to inferior humanoids through
curses and poetic punishments. Those in the latter camp rarely teach ethics with
any tact, often going to elaborate lengths to set examples of the wicked, no matter
how small the transgression, in order to illustrate a fairly mundane lesson.
These fey are likely to torment those who live near fey bridges, above all else.
Kingdoms and villages near these places become little more than chess pieces to the
Grimm Court, who from afar keep a close eye on their goings-on.
Archfey. The Grimm Court takes its name from the enigmatic Sister Grimm, who sits a
throne constructed of stones taken from fallen castles on the Material Plane.
Whether the throne stands as a monument to these forgotten kingdoms, or as a
warning for those to come, is perhaps known only to her.
Legend tells that Sister Grimm once had two immortal brothers, but they were slain
in days long past on the Material Plane. She founded her court to search for their
bodies and bury them with dignity in the Feywild, but no record tells how the
brothers died, or if she was indeed successful.
Convictions. The Grimm Court may walk the Material Plane at their leisure, but are
careful never to outstay their welcome. To be trapped there, divorced from the
magic of the Feywild, is a particular torment powerful fey are loathe to suffer.
Generally, members of the Grimm Court believe that:
• On the Material Plane, fey magic is special, and should be used with purpose.
• Outright murder of a humanoid is distasteful, unless their acts are genuinely
deserving of such a punishment.
• Humanoids should never be allowed to cross to the Feywild.
Lark’s Court
Pranksters and tricksters, the fey of the Lark’s Court have raised practical jokes
to an artform. Unfortunately for everyone else, there is nothing a Lark fey won’t
do for a laugh, and some of them have rather twisted senses of humor. Nothing is
off the table for their pranks, which can involve (among other things) injury,
kidnapping, robbery, and permanent disfigurement. Even murder is allowable, if the
punchline is good enough.
To rise to the Lark’s Court’s inner circle, a member must pull off a prank or joke
requiring at least 10 years of set-up. Sometimes, this is elaborate as convincing
someone they are invisible for a decade, other times, it’s as simple as