Children of Oberon
From Grimorum, the Gargoyles Wiki
Oberon's Children - Also known as the Third Race, the Fair Folk, by the Scots, the Sidhe by the Irish, and the Dark Elves by the Vikings. One of the Three Races, and the most mysterious and magical. They are the origin of humanity's legends about faeries, elves, and other otherworldly beings, including even the gods of mythology.
[edit] History
Exactly when Oberon's Children came into existence is unknown, although they appeared some time after gargoyles did. They were formed from magic, as was their home, the isle of Avalon.
At an unspecified date, Oberon took the place as ruler of the Third Race. It was after his ascendancy that they began to be known as Oberon's Children. They are not - for the most part - his biological children; the title refers rather to the fact that he rules over them as a sort of "pater families".
Oberon's Children have spread throughout the world, and made themselves known to humans, who came to believe them to be gods and worshipped them, such as Odin and Anubis. Even those who did not receive worship, such as Oberon and Titania themselves, found their way into human folklore and legend. At some point, however, Oberon passed a decree which magically forbade any of his race, including himself, from directly interfering in the affairs of mortals. This did not prevent them from finding loopholes, however, something which even Oberon has done from time to time.
Despite this, many of the Third Race, including Titania, continued to hold a strong sense of contempt for mortals, and finally in 995, Titania committed some unspecified act that angered Oberon enough to banish all of the Fair Folk from Avalon, commanded to live in the mortal world until his anger passed. The Weird Sisters alone were left behind to guard Avalon from intruders, and even they were confined to a barge floating in the waters off its shore.
They did not remain guardians for long, however, being soon expelled by the Magus when he and Princess Katharine came to Avalon.
The overall history of Oberon's Children during that time is unknown, although the activities of a few individuals have been recorded, such as the Weird Sisters' involving themselves in the affairs of Demona and Macbeth, Titania taking on the identity of Anastasia Renard, and Puck taking on the identity of Owen Burnett. Several, however, came to encounter Goliath and his companions on the Avalon World Tour. At last, in 1996, Oberon decided to return to Avalon and summon back the rest of the Third Race for the Gathering. All of them obeyed except for the Banshee, who had to be dragged back by the Weird Sisters, and Puck, whom Oberon in the end condemned to remain in the human world as Owen Burnett. Currently all of the Fair Folk except for Puck are on Avalon for the Gathering, although for how long is as yet unknown.
The true existence of the Third Race is unknown to humans, who, for the most part, believe them to be only mythical.
[edit] Nature
Oberon's Children are beings of pure magic, not flesh and blood, although, as shape-shifters, they can assume human, gargoyle, or animal bodies at will. Indeed, to speak of their biology is utterly inaccurate, since they have none as humans understand it. They may not even have any true forms, as we understand them, but merely forms that they assume more often than others.
The Fair Folk are immortal, or at least, close to it. None of them have died of old age as yet, although it is not an impossibility for the remote future. They can be slain, but only with considerable difficulty. Indeed, a Child of Oberon may appear to be slain, only to reappear later alive, as has already been the case for the Banshee and Anansi on the Avalon World Tour. Whether any of the Third Race have already perished permanently through battle is uncertain. They are, more or less, an ageless race as well; they can take on any apparent age that they choose - as the Weird Sisters have already demonstrated - but it is only an apparent age.
Oberon's Children all possess strong magical abilities, although the exact nature of these varies from each individual faerie to the next. There are categories among them, not only in terms of mythology, but also in terms of function. Some of the Third Race, such as Anubis and Odin, are "death-gods", others, such as Puck, Raven, Anansi, and Coyote, are tricksters, and so on. This bent apparently determines much of a faerie’s precise abilities and modus operandi. Thus, a "death-god" can bring about the death of a mortal life-form or even accelerate or reverse its aging processes, while a trickster will specialize in magical pranks. The preferred climate of the faerie in question seems to also serve as a factor; Odin, who primarily resides in Scandinavia when in the human world, can conjure up snowstorms and take on the form of a polar bear.
Oberon's Children have one great shared vulnerability: iron. Their spells cannot affect it directly, and a faerie bound by iron chains is powerless to escape them unless released by someone else. Such fates have befallen Puck and the Weird Sisters in the chronicles; Coyote was likewise rendered a prisoner when trapped inside Coyote 4.0, who was made from iron. A faerie wounded by iron, as Oberon was by Petros Xanatos's harpoon, will wither and age dramatically, and the sound of an iron bell can incapacitate a Child of Oberon and even, if prolonged, kill him or her.
As has been said before, the Children of Oberon are natural shape-shifters, and can apparently take on any form that they pleased. While they are genuinely in a mortal form, however, be it human, gargoyle, or animal, they are subject to the restrictions of that form. Thus, Puck, while in Owen Burnett's body, can use no magic except to change back into Puck.
While in mortal form, the Fair Folk can mate with mortals of the species whose form they have taken, and even have children by them. These halfling offspring often inherit a certain measure of their faerie parent's nature, although this varies from individual to individual. Fox, the halfling daughter of Titania, has virtually no faerie magic in her due to her having been raised strictly as a human, only using her powers once, under uttermost stress, to strike out at Oberon when he attempted to kidnap Alexander, who himself already surpasses her in terms of magical abilities. Most unusual of halflings are the New Olympians.
[edit] Culture
Oberon's Children are governed through a sort of feudal system; indeed, their own feudalism may have become the inspiration for human feudalism. Oberon rules over the rest of the Fair Folk. The more powerful figures of the Third Race serve as his vassals, and each one in turn has lesser Children of Oberon beneath him. Ultimately, all of the Children are subject to Oberon.
For the most part, faerie society seems to be relatively informal. While on Avalon, they engage in various activities, including small battles (such as that between Odin and the Banshee), love-making, and contests of various sorts.
The attitudes of Oberon's Children towards mortals vary. Some, such as the Weird Sisters, Raven, Anansi, and the Banshee treat them poorly, viewing them with scorn or contempt, often behaving as if humans and gargoyles were only playthings or nuisances. Others have been more benevolent or at least indifferent, such as Grandmother, Coyote, the Lady of the Lake, and Anubis. Oberon himself fluctuates; he decreed that the Third Race was not to directly interfere in the lives of mortals, but will bend that law himself if he sees fit, as when kidnapping Alexander. While the majority of Oberon's Children may indeed fall more into the "scornful" than the "helpful" element, it would be inaccurate and misleading to place them all in one category. Oberon's Children have Avalon for their primary home, though some may have homes outside of Avalon.
