Fay

Some people show a sufficiently strong affinity to one of the elements that it actually changes their appearance and psyche. These remarkable few are known as the fay or spirit-touched.

It has long been observed that the proportion of fay is high in Arginet and especially so in the nobility. Indeed, in past ages it was believed that the ‘touch’ was hereditary, and the noble houses obsessively recorded their bloodlines in an attempt to keep it to themselves. The last century saw this disproven by Reformist-minded scholars. It is now known that the touch comes from the actions of an individual. Long devotion to the philosophy of an element, contact with its spirits, and actions aligned with its principles can, in time, bring about a transformation in which a person becomes suffused with the energies of a particular element. This can occur at any point in a person’s life although it is extremely rare before adolescence.

In most respects fay are no different from other humans, but the markings on their skin make them instantly recognisable. Their temperament also leans strongly towards that exhibited by spirits of their element, and those spirits will tend to regard them as one of their own - while spirits of the opposing two elements are likely to be suspicious of or even hostile towards them.