The Court is a perfectly normal, boring group of seven young gembound: The Queen of Lies, Trot of Sorrowed Fox, Six Stripes, Walks Like Rain, The Wanderwilde, Not, and Smallwing. They live in the tangled trees of Tunnel F and do normal animal things like intaking air, putting sustenance into their mouths, and making vocalizations.
That is all there is. Perfectly, absolutely mundane.
Don't try to dig any deeper. Don't try to learn their real names.
What's that?
The Court is a group of secretive and elusive creatures who refer to themselves as the "Fair Folk", or "Faeries". Little information about them is publicly known, save for their unnerving nature and near-complete disregard for morality. They may save a life one moment, or comfort a crying gemling, only to turn around and kill someone just because they felt like it.
Another thing to note is the way they look. With a few exceptions (see "Culture"), all Court members have insectoid and/or humanoid features, preferably both. Please remember that this means most Folk will require UCS, RCS or Mutation Slots to fit this criteria.
As a general rule when designing gembound specifically to join the group: the creepier, uncannier, or more disturbing it is, the better. Spider legs in place of eyes. Crawling around on dozens of hands. Go the whole ten miles.
The Court's Folk live in the boughs of Tunnel F. Most members life in dens weaved from the branches or slip in between cracks, though it's larger and less aboreal members may opt to sleep closer to the ground. Special care is taken so their location is secure, and most gembound traverse through without noticing a single thing.
Themes: Twisting woods, occult, insects, body horror, gold and blue, old fairy tales
Archetypes: Tricksters, liars, merchants, criminals, lawless types and those who simply do not fit in. Chaotic neutral with leanings towards an antagonistic role.
VALUES: At the heart of this strange society is the belief in family. It’s what keeps them together, and while they aren’t expected to love each other they should still put their kin first. Laying a finger on another of the Court is strongly opposed; expect to have a lot of teeth tearing into you if you do.
Past that gets a bit more... complicated. And gruesome. As mentioned the fairies have a very loose and incoherent sense of morality. "Good" and "Bad" mean nothing to them; importance is placed on RISK instead. Some believe high risk (genocide, defying the masters) equals high reward, others believe low risk activities (trickery, manipulation) are the better choice. The entirety of their alignment system is based around those two axes.
LIFESTYLE: The Court is split into two factions, based loosely on the above alignment system. The COURT OF LIES is full of warriors, assassins, and other sorts not afraid of violence. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the COURT OF LIGHT: craftsmen, merchants, and more “low risk” sorts gather there. Both sides live in the same base and both have the capacity to be good or evil, it’s simply a difference in roles and leadership.
Private Property means little among them. All dens are communal, no tools belong to anyone in particular, and they even have hidden supply stores in the trees anyone can borrow from. Most outsiders have different views, of course, and don’t react kindly to a faerie rummaging through their stuff.
Festivals happen from time to time but have no consistent structure or dates. The only one that does is the TRIAL OF WORTH, a ridiculous, luck-based challenge initiated whenever a non-faerie wants to join the Court. The gembound is given an unusual prompt, and must roll three times (or five if it’s a fight) while reacting to the event in an entertaining way– if it totals over 30 (or 50 for fights), they pass. Those who fail can always try at a later date.
IDENTITY: Privacy of one’s identity is very important among the group. It’s hard to commit murder when your name’s on wanted posters, after all. That’s where FALSE NAMES come in. While their real name is reserved for close friends and family, the false one– typically a poetic description of their traits– is the one given to unfamiliar faces. Body paint, costumes and the group spell “Glamour” are also used to further obscure oneself.
And of course, they are very, very proud about their faerie status. Regardless of Court there is a distinction between humanoid / insectoid members (Fair Folks) and "mundane" members (Minor Folk). Fair Folk can be accepted with little more than an introduction, but others must go through the Trial of Worth to join. Even those who pass may be seen as simply a talking pet or asset. There can never be more Minor Folk than Fairs (excluding births/deaths), and their children will only be members until their fourth cycle. Unless they’re hybrids with a Fair, they must take the Trial themselves or risk being kicked out.