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"Of course it bit you, what did you expect a fairy to do?"
- Hoggle, Labyrinth.

Do you believe in Fairy's?

Well you must do, because if you didn't they wouldn't exist, and take it from me, they do! Invisible Fairy Bowers are more common than you realise, there might be one at the bottom of

your garden. A lucky few of you might even be the unwitting host to an entire Court, led by a Fairy Queen of unparalleled beauty and splendour. Take care where you tread my friend for those who lack grace may fall foul of an elf shot cantrip!

The tiny, gossamer winged companions of Peter Pan, the Flower fairy's of Victorian Art, the Imps and sprites feared by country folk for their elf shot, the Nevers are an enigmatic Kith that don't exist. In other words, they have crafted their web of illusion so well that not even the majority of Changeling know of their existence. Of course Changelings know of Nevers, its just that they consider them to be mindless Chimera and not a fully fledged Kith with their own society. For all I know nobody outside of the Seven sisters knows this secret and this is possibly the only text on their Kith.

Seemingly born from dreams of make-believe, of belief in the fantastic, Nevers are not a recent arrival from the Dreaming. Some scholars of the Dreaming believe Nevers are changelings who were adept at the Art of metamorphosis before they underwent the Changeling way. This is certainly backed up by the seemingly universal mastery of that Art. I have never yet met a Fairy without at least a basic understanding of this Art and it seems many of them become expert long before they have come to grips with any other Art.

As the Sidhe hold their banquettes and the Boggans bustle to and fro, sometime an enigmatic stranger pays a visit to a freehold. His lineage uncertain, his House often remains undisclosed. If the Changelings only knew how many of their courtiers hide their true natures behind Arts such as Metamorphosis and delusion to spy upon them they would be amazed. Of course not every Never is a phantom spy at court, only the bravest or most foolhardy risk themselves to the clumsiness of the lummoxes (their charming term for us larger beings), the majority of Nevers steer clear of such dangers. Wise Troll guards might do well to double check visitors from strange lands, most especially those with Fae wings. Not that I am suggesting that the Nevers would spread lies about such a emeritus effect of the Dreaming's touch, I am certain that some other Kith truly do produce Children with wings. Neither would I be so gauche as to claim that every Changeling at court with such appendages IS a Never in disguise, no, not I!

'Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantisies.
Elves are glamourus. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are Terrific. They beget terror.
- Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies

Our limited understanding of the Nevers seems to suggest that they are far from a uniform Kith and certain differences do exist. Perhaps these differences are as stringent as the Sidhe houses or just as random as a Pooka's animal affinity, the truth of such matters remains to be seen. So far the Sluagh have met only four classifiable types of never and the names we use to identify them are ours not theirs.

First an by far the most common are the Tinks, the winged sprites so entrenched in the mortal mind and the plethora of fantasy art. Flittering, giggling children for the most part, Tinks are the rank and file of the Never courts, but almost as populous are their wingless cousins the Elves. Although I have yet to see an Elf wearing a cap made from an acorn or a dress made from spider silk, they do still remind me of those Flower Fairy's painted by Cicely Mary Barker that were so popular when I was a little Girl. Elves seem to be drawn to the martial life more often than Tinks as the tales of men and cattle being 'Elf shot' attests. The Never herbalists and magicians can create several kinky potions, well powders in fact, that when sprinkled on darts and arrows cause all sorts of mischief to unlucky mortals. As with all Kith, the Nevers have their Thallain, the Imps. Imps are the darker side of the cutesy stereotype, using Elf shot and cantrip to prey upon unsuspecting humans. Tales of spoiled milk, sudden insanity and even travellers lost while following Willow-the-Wisps are often the work of these spiteful little creatures. Finally come the Gremlins, almost nothing is known about these creatures and I cannot even conform them as Thallain or Changeling. They prey their pranks on machinery are could match even the Goblins for their understanding of modern technology. I heard one Elf maid sing a song about the Imp's that claimed the gremlins (I cannot translate their word for this mysterious creatures) were born during the sundering. Certainly their ability to foul farm machinery has grown to a talent for buggering up VCR's and even my trusty laptop (this is the fifth time I have retyped this and another crash will have exhausted all of my counter measures).

ROOLZ

Seemings
The Nevers have two faces, the form they wear for the benefit of 'Lummox', and the tiny forms they wear in their own kingdom. The ability to switch between 'lummox' and Fairy has allowed them to weather the wars and other nonsense of the rest of the Changeling nations. The fact that while mortal sized the Nevers are almost as attractive as the Sidhe, even though they lack the Birthrights that accentuate that sovereign beauty, allows them to visit the lummox courts from time to time masquerading as members of that lofty Kith. A Never has a normal, if typically elfin, mortal mien, but her fae mien is very different. Nevers in their true form are tiny, few larger than a mortals hand, and the majority have wings. When visiting freeholds in which they feel safe,

a Never is a curious sight. The mortal mien of a six footer with a sparkling Tink flittering around within the same space is truly something to wonder over.

Whatever their size, the Nevers are always youthful in their Visage, underdeveloped one might say. All through thier lives up until Grumpdom the usual ravages of age pass the Never by. Bright eyes and childlike glee are evident in even the most wanton Elfmaids. And the most noticable paradoxical feature of all Nevers is thier innocence and sexuality. Perhaps sensuality is a better word, one might almost be battered black and blue in thier courts by kisses and flirtacious caress. I have no idea if they understand how promiscuous they appear as they flit, mostly naked around me giggling and chirruping like schoolgirls.

Childlings Young Nevers resemble the Water babies and cherubs of New Age gift shop art. Podgy and rosy cheeked infants with unfailingly cheerful dispositions, or so the stereotype goes. Almost all are happy and inquisitive about the world. I found it almost impossible to work for their insistence that I explained everything or stopped writing to play ring-a-ring-of-Roses with them.

Wilders Wilders lose their puppy fat and most are slender and well proportioned. The Inquisitive nature increases and they find it almost impossible to resist watching children of the mortal world at play. This wonder they have for the Lummox world does not however prevent them from their duties to their nobles. The fairy kings and Queens are served by countless minstrels, maids and subjects in their Bowers and they can match the Sidhe for pomp and ceremony.

Grumps What few grump Nevers survive tend to be very gnome like, spending more time in Glades watching over the youngsters or as favoured 'Chimera' of other Changelings. Each Grump is treasured by the Nevers for his or her rarity, commanding respect and attention at court.

Size doesn't matter!
Apparent size is deceptive. A punch from an seemingly inch high Never hurts as much, and inflicts the same amount of damage as a punch from Joe average. They have the same amount of Health levels and strength in Mortal and Fae mien. No matter the size the Never wears, his attributes and abilities remain unchanged.

NICKNAME: Fairy's

AFFINITIES

..ELVES..	..GREMLINS..	..TINKS..
Actor	Prop	Fae

Birthrights
Eat me, Drink me. A Never can, for short periods of time, assume both mortal and Fairy mien to the same size with the powers of Wyrd. This can either mean a human sized Never (which resembles a Sidhe of pretty, if not stunning, looks) or a Never sized Human (which if Identified is subject to being forced into the Dreaming like a chimerical creature that comes under mortal scrutiny). Thus not only can the Never hide among other Changelings, but she does not need to contend with a mortal mien too large to go through apertures her fae mien can access.

Chimerical Wings. (Tinks only) Many Nevers have wing in their fairy Mien, gaining for them the Nickname 'Tinks' after J. M. Barrie's famous Nevermaid. A Nevers wings are usually similar to those of Dragonfly's or Butterfly's, but feathered or even bat wings are not unheard of. These wings act in precisely the same manner as those gained by the Merit Chimerical wings

Elf Shot (Elves only) Those fairy's without wings seem to have gained another way to extend their tiny grasp with their darts and bows. The Elf shot was feared in days of yore for good reason, for it brought malady and misfortune. Elves may lay a curse, usually non fatal in nature upon those shot with his missiles and cause anything from a wasting sickness to financial ruin on those who cross him. These missiles are aided in their flight by +2 to Firearms/archery/thrown weapons skills and the fact that they can never botch a Dexterity roll.

Murphy's law (Gremlins Only) The Elf shot of the Thallain carries a poison as potent as that of the Elves, but it works not on the living but upon banal machinery. Unlike the detrimental effects created by the Goblins in their manufacturing the results of Murphy's law cannot do the impossible. Computers will crash, and VCR's will chew tapes but neither can explode because they just don't do that! Destruction and mischief are their own reward, but this birthright has also served to save the Nevers from the dangers of modern media. Should somebody try to photograph or capture the Fairy court, the Gremlins go to work to ensure the equipment fails is expected ways.

Frailties
Banalities dagger. Each point of banality gained inflicts a health level of Damage upon the Never. Furthermore, each Permanent point of Banality removes a Health level permanently. The Banality at start of play does not effect health in any way, only those that are gained during play. In this way Nevers nearly always Die before they become undone. The only way to cure this Damage is by a huge influx of belief. Glamour gained from Children can be used to heal this damage but at a high price. Five points of Temporary Glamour may heal one Health level, but ONLY if it was provided by Children. [You've seen Peter pan asking the Children to clap if they believe in Fairy's, you know how this works! - Spike]

EMPIRES of THE NEVERS

COMMING SOON

Cocqcigrues
an imaginary creature regarded as an embodiment of absolute absurdity. François Rabelais in Gargantua uses the phrase à la venue des cocquecigrues to mean "Never." Charles Kingsley in The Water Babies has the fairy Bedonebyasyoudid report that there are seven things he is forbidden to tell until "the coming of the Cocqcigrues." The word is of French origin.
Copyright © 1994-2002 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc

QUEEN MAB
In English folklore, Mab is the queen of the fairies, a mischievous but basically benevolent figure. In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, she is referred to as the fairies' midwife, who delivers sleeping men of their innermost wishes in the form of dreams. In Michael Drayton's mock-epic fairy poem Nymphidia (1627), she is the wife of the fairy king Oberon and is the queen of the diminutive fairies. Mab is similarly mentioned as a pixielike fairy in works by Ben Jonson, John Milton, and Robert Herrick. Her place as queen of the fairies in English folklore was eventually taken over by Titania.
Copyright © 1994-2002 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc

PROJECT KHAOS