Fae Courts
Overview
The Fae Courts were the reputed political and social structures organizing the Fae in their domain. According to A History of Rislandia, the courts were rumored to be divided into Summer and Winter factions, or alternatively described as Seelie and Unseelie — two frameworks of classification that mortal scholars recorded without being able to confirm or reconcile. Whether these represented two names for the same division or distinct and competing traditions of understanding remained a matter of speculation. The true structure of the Fae Courts was unknown to mortals.
Description
Beyond the broad outlines of a dual-court arrangement, no reliable mortal account described the internal hierarchy, membership, or governance of the Fae Courts in detail. According to A History of Rislandia, the courts were rumored to operate according to ancient laws, the enforcement of which fell to specialized figures known as Bargain Keepers.
Bargain Keepers
Bargain Keepers were agents or functionaries of the Fae Courts charged with enforcing the ancient laws governing Fae bargains. Their precise nature, authority, and methods were not recorded in mortal sources. Their existence implied that formal agreements between Fae — and potentially between Fae and mortals — carried binding weight within whatever legal or customary framework the courts maintained.
Legacy
The Fae Courts and their Bargain Keepers represented one of the more persistent mysteries documented in Rislandian scholarship. The Islands of Fae and associated legends, including the Fae Island Legend, preserved fragments of mortal encounter with Fae society, but none resolved the fundamental uncertainty surrounding the courts' true organization.