The Vale of the Fairies is the largest and perhaps the oldest bridge between regular Gaia and the Otherworld, the land of the dead.
Why are the fairies living in the Otherworld, you ask?
For as long as there have been Fairies, Fairies have loved Gaia. They were once Angels, but when the Angels turned against one another, the ones who refused to partake in the battle and instead turned their efforts to the defense of the battleground, Gaia, became the Fairies.
However, Gaians have not been grateful, and for a long time Gaians loathed the Fae and their magics. Fairies were pushed away with the growth and spread of modern society. Some learned to adapt, and took up residence in the Gaian homes, but they were not always welcomed. Others moved away or were driven away by the Gaians.
The final home of Fairies on Gaia was called the Green Isles. The Gaians followed, and when they could not share the isles in peace, the Gaians declared war on the Fairies. It was one-sided from the start. Some Fairies embraced the wickedness and vengeance buried in their natures, but even they could not learn to slaughter as ruthlessly as the Gaians. The Fae spoke amongst each other and decided the only way to end this was to surrender.
The Gaians' terms for surrender were steep: "Never again must a fairy be seen on the Green Isles." The Fairies were forced to agree.
However, clever as they were, they found a loophole. They forged a path into the Otherworld, where the spirit takes physical form. And so they still live on the Green Isles, but only in the Otherworld, invisible to Gaian eyes.
The Vale of the Fairies can still be found on the Green Isles, but only if one knows where to look. In the center of the Vale is a large burial mound, a tumulus, which acts as a liminal point between Gaia and the Otherworld. This is the road to Elphame.
Other graves can serve as liminal points into the Otherworld, but few Gaians have the spiritual power to manifest this sort of gate. The Vale of the Fairies is flooded with the magic of the Fae, which protects the road to Elphame and keeps it open at all times.
Why are the fairies living in the Otherworld, you ask?
For as long as there have been Fairies, Fairies have loved Gaia. They were once Angels, but when the Angels turned against one another, the ones who refused to partake in the battle and instead turned their efforts to the defense of the battleground, Gaia, became the Fairies.
However, Gaians have not been grateful, and for a long time Gaians loathed the Fae and their magics. Fairies were pushed away with the growth and spread of modern society. Some learned to adapt, and took up residence in the Gaian homes, but they were not always welcomed. Others moved away or were driven away by the Gaians.
The final home of Fairies on Gaia was called the Green Isles. The Gaians followed, and when they could not share the isles in peace, the Gaians declared war on the Fairies. It was one-sided from the start. Some Fairies embraced the wickedness and vengeance buried in their natures, but even they could not learn to slaughter as ruthlessly as the Gaians. The Fae spoke amongst each other and decided the only way to end this was to surrender.
The Gaians' terms for surrender were steep: "Never again must a fairy be seen on the Green Isles." The Fairies were forced to agree.
However, clever as they were, they found a loophole. They forged a path into the Otherworld, where the spirit takes physical form. And so they still live on the Green Isles, but only in the Otherworld, invisible to Gaian eyes.
The Vale of the Fairies can still be found on the Green Isles, but only if one knows where to look. In the center of the Vale is a large burial mound, a tumulus, which acts as a liminal point between Gaia and the Otherworld. This is the road to Elphame.
Other graves can serve as liminal points into the Otherworld, but few Gaians have the spiritual power to manifest this sort of gate. The Vale of the Fairies is flooded with the magic of the Fae, which protects the road to Elphame and keeps it open at all times.
