The Lore

In the land of the Fair Folk—whether it is named as Elfhame or Fairyland or Faerie or otherwise—there is an island called Hy-Brasil. Roughly located in the Atlantic Ocean, the island is known to move of its own accord. Hy-Brasil can only be found by those who know where it is. It is protected and cloaked by mists except for one day every seven years, when it becomes visible to strangers.

It is home to a group of fairies who have lived there since the island dreamed of itself. The weather on the island is as mercurial as its location and so it is ruled by the seasons, who are deified: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn. They have no earthly incarnations but can be heard clearly with voices on the wind, in the water, through the mists, a whisper but identifiable nevertheless.

On Hy-Brasil, it is Winter and Spring that lean Seelie. The rest and respite of the cold allows warmth and kindness to become precious. The burst and bloom of the spring bears out renewal and hope. Summer and Autumn lean Unseelie. The heat and abundance leaves guards down for mischief. The harvest and decay brings cruel endings. No fae is simple; both Courts have bright and dark.

The Seasons choose a favored fae to rule in their stead, which is a lifetime appointment that can’t be denied. Fae do not volunteer, nor is it a lineage or a trial. The Seasons simply choose and train. There is no refusal of the call. It is as much a heavy duty as it is a high honor. Those who the Seasons choose are called Scions: local queens, ranked beneath the High Queens of Seelie and Unseelie.

Currently, Scion of Calluna Hill is Lux Starling, the Winter’s Doe. Scion of Calluna Mound is Ivy Darkling, the Summer’s Fox. Scion of Mistian Hill is Violet Ashling, the Spring’s Hare. Scion of Mistian Mound is Rue Westling, the Autumn’s Mare. There is never longer than a year and a day without a Scion. From a young age, they learn the art of collaboration, negotiation, and joint rule.

Each Scion is protected by a Knight, which is a fae who has proven themselves worthy to the Scion as confidant and guardian. Some would-be knights come from nothing and work their way into a hero’s renown; other knights come from families who specialize in these skills. A Knight must be lethal but also diplomatic. Once appointed and until dismissed, a Knight is never far from their Scion.

In addition to caring for their people, the Scions priestess over the purpose of Hy-Brasil: transition and transformation. Seekers who ache for release from sorrow and pain learn the art of becoming. Their souls are snared and trained to rise in willpower. Those who seek rebirth and freedom, seek Hy-Brasil. Those foundlings and changelings who seek themselves, seek Hy-Brasil.

Every seven years, the mist opens and the heather beckons. And yet, for the first time in ancient memory, two Scions left Hy-Brasil in 2024. The High Queens of the Courts called them to pass through the Twilight Border. The Seasons agreed: it was time to spread the word. The Hare and the Mare remain steadfast in Hy-Brasil. The Doe and the Fox preside as Elders of Calluna Embassy.

Queen Lux Starling, the Winter’s Doe, brings with her the Winter Knight: High Dame Noli Fernling, Arbiter of the Embassy, who underwent the 7 Trials of Knighthood for her position. Queen Ivy Darkling, the Summer’s Fox, instead selected her Summer Knight from the land of skyscrapers and stable shores as a gesture of connection and community beyond Hy-Brasil’s borders.

Serving New York City, New Jersey, and Long Island, Calluna Embassy is a unified sanctuary. Most in the Embassy do not hail from Hy-Brasil. Fae of both Courts are welcome regardless of how far their travel; all are honored Fellows within either the Seelie’s House of Morning or the Unseelie’s House of Evening.

Come, follow the heather to find haven.
Out of eternity, we rise.