Let's talk about Kortiki

Following suggestions from a recent thread, let's try to focus on a particular topic at the time ^^
and let's try with Kortiki.

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Kortiki is a town situated deep in the fairy kingdom. It's fairly large by fairy standards and represents a rare exception in Felarya. Indeed, for some unknown reason, the place was declared neutral ground long ago and thus, even though it's a fairy town, it's a relatively safe place for a human to visit or live in. Theories abound on the reasons for this, but when you ask a fairy, all you will get in reply is that eating a guest is "rude and not nice at all"! You can still end up in the stomach of a fairy if you do something stupid and rude yourself, but fairies are pretty tolerant and, as long as you don't act really foolishly, by attempting to steal the wares of a merchant for example, the risk of that happening is pretty low. Some humans and nekos have been living in this safe haven for dozens of years without the slightest problem. Living among fairies is a strange experience though, as they have very little sense of privacy and won't hesitate to invade your home and play pranks. You also can't completely shake that feeling that those friendly creatures remain fearsome predators and that some of them would see very little wrong in shrinking you and gobbling you down, should you encounter them in the wild.

The town is a peaceful, colorful, and beautiful place. Nature is everywhere with some houses built directly inside hollow trees and lianas and vines creeping their way inside. It's interesting to note that many fairies seem fascinated by human architecture and some have tried to build vague replicas of the houses the human inhabitants of Kortiki have built for themselves. Some fairies take an even easier route and decide to elect permanent residence inside a human's house, often much to the dismay of the owner. If a fairy moves into your house, you can expect things to get fun, really fast (and by "fun", read "fun for others to hear about"!). Some fairies have taken a liking to domestic appliances, and unaware of (or disregarding) their original purpose, prefer to live inside chests of drawers, clocks, or even pianos.

The Kortikian culture is an odd and unique blending of the original fairy culture and of that brought by humans over the years. Artists of all sorts are highly regarded in Kortiki and the city is full of painters, poets, and musicians. On some rare occasions, rosic nekos coming from the other side of the continent make their way here as well. Kortiki is also a great place to visit if you seek old, rare books as fairies are fond of reading and the town possesses several libraries. Reaching Kortiki can be tricky though, as it is situated deep in the core of the kingdom. You have little hope of making it there if you don't know a fairy who can help you either by transporting you or showing you a portal leading to the town.

Other races in Kortiki:

For a human, neko, or elf, living right in the midst of fairies is a strange and unnerving experience. You have to be pretty open-minded and patient, for sure, and having a certain fondness or fascination for fairies in the first place will also help you to not turn crazy. On the other hand, fairies are probably the best revelers in all Felarya and a big fairy party is something you'll never forget! Because they are so used to living among fairies, humans in Kortiki have a much better understanding on how their mind works, their quirks and those little things that you can pick up only after years of life in common. Thus, a human from Kortiki would be much less helpless when encountering a fairy in the wild, than say a Negavian, as they naturally interact better with them. They would have a real way to talk their way out of trouble, or even to get the fairy to help them.

That relation is mutually beneficial. Non-fairy inhabitants live in safety, while they can help fairies solve some of their problems. For example, a group of humans would have no trouble whatsoever in clearing a bush of feyweed, while fairies would be likely to suffer casualties. It's interesting to note that fairies don't really see sizes as relevant, so they will deal with tinies in Kortiki just as they do with its humans inhabitants.

Kortiki is a pretty unique place. Where fairies can live with others races such as humans.
So let’s think about it shall we ?

If you have some questions or you wonder how a certain aspect works, just ask out loud. We’ll attempt to find an answer, as outside of the wiki it remains a relatively undeveloped place ( and yet with a lot of potential I feel )

For example about the relations and interactions between humans and fairies, how the various residents see themselves and the city as a whole.
How the city trade, how it sustains itself etc..
If you want to point to a certain aspect you’d like to see more developed, of for which you think you have a pretty neat solution, or something you think doesn’t work, go for it  

Well, for starters, the big obvious question, if the humans there receive such a big influence from fairies, how does it affect their magic and technology level?  I imagine technology is fairly low due to living in the middle of the woods, but what about magic?

Are humans and elves there more gifted at spellcasting than, say, an average Negavian citizen?

Do their village routinely hunt beasts for food, or do they have farms?  Is it common for humans and elves to be accompanied with fairy companions like Kokiris in Zelda (notice anything?) for extra protection?  I imagine it is, since why wouldn't you want the extra protection from the superpowered little buggers?

On the subject of fairies, since human and elven interaction between fairies is perfectly normal, how often do marriage between human or elf and fairies happen, if they happen at all?  Is there a sizable population of human or elves who carry fairy blood in their veins from generations of unions between the two races?  Could this have an influence on Kortikian being more magically gifted than humans?

How easy can Kortikians travel about in the Fairy Kingdom?  Do the Dryads who grow there see them as food like all the, or can they tell they're from around and get special treatment?

Do they have superstitions or, pardon the pun, fairy tales?  Like, do they fear Sunfall Thicket because the forest is haunted and they tell kids all sort of stories to keep them from entering those woods?

Does Kortiki have schools or a school, or do parents teach their kids at home?

How do you think Kortikians see your fairy characters?  Temi is their doctor, so I imagine they're cool with her.  Lily and I wanna say Melany aren't winning a popularity contest anytime soon.  Subeta and Aya I imagine they like them, probably the latter more than the former.

Do other settlements know of Kortiki's existence?  I went with the idea that Negav isn't aware of it because the village is so remote and they believe no human could ever survive in the Fairy Kingdom, let alone build a thriving village there.  But let's say they did, how would they see Kortikians?  I imagine they'd look down on them and see them as traitors.  They did it for Mezzus, so logically, it would extend to hating their village as a whole.

Does Kortiki have traditions or special once-a-year kind of events?


Just a few starter questions.

P.S. Negav's page still needs to be finished.

Shady Knight wrote:

Well, for starters, the big obvious question, if the humans there receive such a big influence from fairies, how does it affect their magic and technology level?  I imagine technology is fairly low due to living in the middle of the woods, but what about magic?

Are humans and elves there more gifted at spellcasting than, say, an average Negavian citizen?

I would say yes to your second question. I'd think their interactions with Fairies would make them much more capable spell casters, possibly using magic to replace some forms of technology. I wouldn't be surprised if Fairies taught some of the kids of the other races magic.

Shady Knight wrote:

On the subject of fairies, since human and elven interaction between fairies is perfectly normal, how often do marriage between human or elf and fairies happen, if they happen at all? Is there a sizable population of human or elves who carry fairy blood in their veins from generations of unions between the two races? Could this have an influence on Kortikian being more magically gifted than humans?

I'd say yes and no to this. I can see relationships between Fairies and other species working out really well, and there being a fair amount of half bloods in Kortiki, and even across the Fairy Kingdom. However, I'm not so sure they would be married in the tranditional sense. I may be wrong, but I get the feeling that a species like the Felarian Fairies wouldn't really do many traditional marriages. Instead, I'd think they have a more polygamous structure without an actual form of legit marriage, with Fairies declaring their love to multiple partners instead of just one person. And that's not to say the Fairies wouldn't still love whoever they're with. They'd just have multiple lovers instead of a single wife or husband. Now, I can see Fairy marriages happening, but they'd be much rarer.

I'd add more, but I have to go to class. =/ Stupid chemistry.

First, since I'm tired of having to write "humans and elves" or "human-sized people", I'm going to start referring to them as "lower-tiers" for the sake of non-denomination and ease of use.

Reading this, it kinda sounds like lower-tiers are kind of getting a raw deal, or at the very least it'd be tough going for someone without the proper mindset to make residence here. Fairies barging into your home, playing pranks, squatting, and being altogether, by our standards, inconsiderate, and you absolutely must be on your best behaviour or one of them will just decide to eat you anyway, so you can't even have a fit about what they're doing to you, and you can't leave because if you do, you'll be outside the 'truce' zone and one of them will eat you then, too. Or that's how it comes across, at least. So I'd like to see at least one of two things happen: a) an explanation for why anyone would subject themselves to living here for a prolonged period of time, and/or b) some description showing that life with fairies isn't as bad as the article starts out making it sound. I dunno, maybe someone in town makes artifacts that ward off unwanted fairies (emphasis on unwanted), either underground so nobody knows who it is, or out in the open but the fairies don't mind because a) that's just how lower-tiers are and/or b) they just see it as being beaten at their game, for now. Otherwise there has to be some more redeeming qualities to the fairies than "they throw good parties and have lots of rare books and teach magic"...actually, on second thought, maybe the reasons are there already, they just need to consolidated into one section that explains that those are reasons why lower-tiers would put themselves in such an uncomfortable situation.

Another thing I want to know is, how big is "fairly large by fairy standards" exactly? If we're going to give Negav a concrete measurement, we oughta' do the same for other settlements, yeah?

Speaking of books, isn't it true that the translation spell over Felarya doesn't work on text? Do fairies have a spell that lets them translate books into their own language, whatever that is? Or do they maybe use enchanted reading glasses that do the same thing? Or are maybe all books written in Felarya enchanted to be readable by whoever picks them up, so long as they're literate?

@ Nyaha: I think you might be exaggerating a bit without realizing it. For one, I doubt the fairies squatting in your home or playing pranks would eat you for getting annoyed at them for doing some things. They may see the world differently, but I think they'd consider it rude to eat the person they're bothering, provided they've moved into that person's house. Especially since I get the feeling they'd only move in if they like you to begin with. I actually found a story where this sort of happens, with a tribe of Fairies moving into the one really old Elven farmer's land. They bug him, tease him, steal from him, and I think they even shrunk him once, and of course he got mad every time and either yelled or flat out attacked the tribe. Yet the tribe never actually struck back because they liked him too much. They saw it as a sort of fun little game, and they cared for the Elf in their own way.

I could easily see someone making a few devices that are non-harmful to fairies to keep them out of a house, and fairies seeing it as a game to beat. Heck, I could see fairies helping said person out, trying to outwit each other as part of the game.

Next point, leaving Kortiki. I feel like that line about "some of them would see very little wrong in shrinking you and gobbling you down, should you encounter them in the wild" applies to either strangers, such as travelers, or a rare few fairies. From what we've seen of Lea's interactions with Fairies, once they consider you a friend, that fairy is not going to eat you. I mean, Lea has a curse that makes everything want to eat her, yet only one fairy friend has succumbed to the curse and even then she was regretful. So if you're a friend, you're pretty much safe with that fairy. I have also noticed that fairies take care of their tribe-members. Judging by how the fairies treat lower-teir species living in Kortiki, as well as the general feel of the village, I get the feeling that the Fairies in Kortiki see it as a large, multi-species tribe. Again, something within the realm of possibility due to Crisis' relationship with her Fairy parents.

As such, if you live in Kortiki, and have been there long enough to be considered an actual resident, then I think you'd be safe from almost all of the fairies in Kortiki because you're a tribe member. There might be one or two that would still eat the lower-teir members of Kortiki, but I think they'd be the fairies most people would avoid. As such, villagers leaving Kortiki to explore would likely be safe from Kortiki Fairies, as well as most predators living near Kortiki. Because eating one person from Kortiki could potentially enrage a Fairy, who would gather their fairy friends, and exact some kind of vengeance for eating their friend.

Posting again because I wanted to break my posts up and not have a single massive post that no-one would read. X3

Nyaha wrote:

Speaking of books, isn't it true that the translation spell over Felarya doesn't work on text? Do fairies have a spell that lets them translate books into their own language, whatever that is? Or do they maybe use enchanted reading glasses that do the same thing? Or are maybe all books written in Felarya enchanted to be readable by whoever picks them up, so long as they're literate?

Last time I checked, it is true that the translation spell doesn't work with text. I think that book translation works like this: The fairies get an interesting book they want to add to the library, so they translate it into their language. Once they finish translating, they cast a spell on the book allowing anyone who is literate to read it. There are plenty of spells out there that allow people to read any language, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for Fairies to have such a spell. However, such spells usually have some kind of translation error. Think of it like the magical version of Google Translate. You can get the gist of something you translate in Google Translate, but there will often be some errors in the text.

In order to avoid such errors, the Fairies first translate the book into their language before casting the translate spell. And considering that the books are magical in nature, you have to avoid as many errors as possible. If you don't, you might go to cast a healing spell and end up with a fireball to the face. Also, I think the residents of Kortiki would be able to read both in the fairy language, and whatever other languages they might know. I can also see fairies translating books into other languages for fun, as I know a couple of book worms who enjoy doing that.

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Shady wrote:

How easy can Kortikians travel about in the Fairy Kingdom?

I would think that it really depends how far away from Kortiki they are. Going to that lake that's nearby? They're probably safe. Traveling to Subeta? Safe. Traveling to Sunfall Thicket? At some point preds aren't going to care anymore and it'll be just as dangerous for them as traveling is for a Negavian.

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I have a question. How do they conduct trade with other places like Safe Harbor and Negav? I've seen references of Kortiki art and such being found in places like Negav, and Kortiki has to get all of it's books from some place. So, do the merchants travel to them? Braving the dangers of the Giant Tree, the Forest of Whispers, and the Fairy Kingdom? Or does Kortiki send out its own group of traveling merchants, protected by a small team of Fairies from the Kortiki? I get the feeling that Kortiki sends people out instead of people coming to them, as Kortiki merchants would have a better chance of survival. Especially if they travel with Fairies for protection.

The better question would be: DO they conduct trade with Negav and Safe harbor?  Not how do they trade.  Don't assume they trade because of modern economics where man is the dominant species.  Remember, Felarya is a huge ass world where everything out there is out to kill humans.  If it's not worth the trip, i.e. too many casualties are likely to occur, then your best bet is to just be a self-sufficient community.

I would assume that they do trade. How else would they have "several libraries" as the Wiki says? Unless all the authors live in Kortiki of course. But that seems more far-fetched to me then a group of Kortikians and fairies traveling to different places to trade art and other things for books and such. Considering that fairies are easily able to change their size, and have been shown to change the size of different objects, I think it might even be easy to carry cargo. Plus who in their right mind would attack a band of merchants when they have 3 or more fairies flying around them?

Wild animals? The animals don't care what you are, they will attack you if they want to, and they are not to be underestimated. Also, the libraries can't be from old civilizations that were established there in ancient times? Do you also have proof that Kortiki trades with other settlements, or proof that the other settlements know that the place even exists? Kortiki barely had any involvement with any of the events that made Negav and the Safe Harbor. To trade with somebody, you need to be aware of their existence, and Kortiki Town is pretty much cut-off from all the known settlements, what with being in the middle of a region no sane person would want to venture to. Again, never assume anything because you have authorial knowledge. You, as an author, may know that both Negav and Kortiki exist, but does it make sense for the two to know of each other if no record of interaction between the two exist?

Wild animals would be the biggest problem. However, I think a group like that would be able to defend themselves or avoid the animals. If it comes to it, the Fairies could carry the humans/Elves/Nekos/ect to safety. Especially if the fairies are wearing something with pockets. I think Safe-Harbor might be aware of them, and while Negav on the whole wouldn't have to be aware of Kortiki I'd think some suppliers might be. Maybe there are a few merchants in Negav who specialize in selling art, and can trade books for Kortikian art and works. I know the Rosiac Nekos know of the place, as the Wiki specifically states that sometimes a Rosiac Neko will make their way to Kortiki.

And yeah, I know better then to assume most things. For example, I doubt many, if any, people know about those scribes that write down all of Felarya's history. It's just the mention of the libraries makes me feel like there'd be some sort of communication between them and at least Negav. Even if it's just book enthusiasts, authors, artists, and librarians. And yeah, they could find books from ancient civilizations, but again, the simpler answer is that they have some kind of trade, with Kortiki merchants doing the traveling. There are fewer assumptions for that to work then to say that the libraries are full of books they found from fallen civilizations, random adventurers, and wrote themselves.

Just because fairies carry humans and elves with them doesn't make them safe. Fairies can't waltz around like they own the place. They need to keep their guard up, and if they get ambushed and one gets injured, or worse, her wings get injured, she's as good as dead, along with the little humans in her pocket. Safe Harbor I see even less of a reason for them to be aware of the village than Negav. Its an even more recent settlement than Negav, which itself is pretty damn young, and gets far less traffic, so rumors of an alleged human village in the middle of the Fairy Kingdom would hardly, if ever, travel there.

I'm of the camp that merchants would hardly travel around, and the reasons for that are clear. Some small trade between Negav and Nekomura, and maybe the Safe Harbor, make sense since they are relatively close, so an expedition, while still dangerous, is possible, especially with Jade being able to meet the merchants ahead, cutting a good chunk of the trip. The Fairy Kingdom? From Negav, it would take at least months on foot, months where man, MANY things can go very wrong. And that's just getting close to the place. Next they have to find a way to cross the giant chasm, which needs picking one of the bridges, which I imagine are not exactly what you would call safe roads. Then, you have to find the settlement itself in the middle of a giant forest where fairies could literally be hiding anywhere. Now, tell me, would such a trip be worth it? Would the money you get from books and pretty pictures really be able to make up for the supplies you no doubt exhausted and all the people who most likely died on the way there? Oh yeah, that's also without the return trip. Would that money be worth it if you had a very high chance of being killed before making the trip back? I don't think so. Oh, sure, Negav has Jet Bikes and such, but not just anybody can afford a ride, nor can you guarantee the pilot to even agree to take you, what with going to a highly dangerous area and not necessarily having a clue where to land. The Rosaic Nekos make no sense at all. They're practically on the other side of the continent, how in the Hell would they even know of the village's existence? Let alone survive the trip, which would be, at the very least, twice as long? Hate to break Eric's bubble (actually, I very much enjoy it), but not all animals are Cerberus. A lot of them don't give a crap that you can play the flute real nice, they will devour you without giving you a say in the matter.

The Muroyo Library is clearly not the product of Negav. For starters, it's not even in the town itself, it's located several good paces away from the town. Second, it's not a library in the sense of a modern public library. It doesn't have any librarians and fairies are advised not to go far into it, lest they get killed, not that they listen. If the library is separated from the town, why would anyone trade books for it? Especially since that place isn't even safe? The Muroyo Library, logically, is a relic of an ancient civilization, most likely the ancestors of the Kortikians.

I'm actually with Shady on this one. I don't see why Kortiki having many libraries means they necessarily got them through trade rather than just stockpiling them over years of finding them or lifting them from the left-behind spoils of their prey or what-have-you. Yes, perhaps a small number of them here or there might have been given to a fairy in exchange for something at some point, but likely not as part of a large-scale business transaction like you're suggesting, Nergal. Shady is making a very good case against why anyone would want to make trade with the town, let alone have concrete knowledge of its existence.

That's another thing I'd like to touch on: knowledge of Kortiki in areas outside the Fairy Kingdom. In my mind, no, probably not common knowledge, but at the same time, it seems like perfect fodder for the very active rumor mill running within Negav. It doesn't seem too farfetched that someone, somehow, made the trip either to and/or from Kortiki, arrived in Negav, and told a handful of people about a mythical Village of Safe Fairies or some such nonsense. From there, gossip and rumor making would take its natural course until the point where, if you dig in the right places or are part of the right group of people, a lower-tier can hear about the place and possibly make the decision to try to find it, and depending on their success, viola, new resident, and maybe some new books for a library, too. Same with the Rosics, although, in my mind, it seems more likely that a Rosic would also have to learn of this mythical village by travelling to Negav, first, rather than someone spreading the rumor of it directly in the Rosic's village all the way on the east coast. Then again, that's not to say someone from Negav who heard about Kortiki and then chose to go to the Rosic Neko Village (which is probably something about which one can find more concrete knowledge in Negav) instead wouldn't bring the rumor of the fairy village with them and spread it once/if they reach the Rosics. There are a lot of different ways information can spread, many of which are quite subtle, unreliable, and often nondeliberate , and we should take these into account.

You two brought up good points that I hadn't thought of. =o There probably wouldn't be any trade with negav then. Maybe something with other fairy tribes within the kingdom? Fairies are less likely to eat fellow fairies.

Oh yes. Oh yes. I have been wanting this thread to come to be for a very long time X3

I think Nergal has a good idea. Fairies are naturally curious beings and the concept of trading for new or strange objects would appeal to them. This also brings up the point of farming. With such a diverse plant life, Kortiki town could grow almost any kind of plants they want. Maybe they decide to grow potatoes or similar for a time and some of those get traded for things they find in the forest through some ominous means. Perhaps even for some books from the Library to the North. Trade could be limited to the Fairy kingdom, but there would be little in the way of competition given how dangerous it is. The Rosic Nekos, Negav, and Safe Harbor are all too far away for the trip to be worth it like Shady said.

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Well, for starters, the big obvious question, if the humans there receive such a big influence from fairies, how does it affect their magic and technology level?  I imagine technology is fairly low due to living in the middle of the woods, but what about magic?

Yes the technology in Kortiki is low level and the magic ability among Kortikians is clearly a lot more prevalent than among Negavians. Firstly because the Fairy kingdom is highly saturated in magic in general, also because of the close relationship with fairies and the hybrids that can result of it. But also because as it's a common practice, it encourages people more to develop it themselves.

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Do their village routinely hunt beasts for food, or do they have farms?  Is it common for humans and elves to be accompanied with fairy companions like Kokiris in Zelda (notice anything?) for extra protection?  I imagine it is, since why wouldn't you want the extra protection from the superpowered little buggers?

as I see it there would be both. But there is an interesting thing to keep in mind : because of their size-shifting magic, some fairies would be able to enlarge various food items to make it more plentiful. That certainly come in handy when it comes to supplying the city ^^
And yes an human ( I'll use this word for other humanoid species like elves as well ) going into the wild is almost always going to be accompanied.

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On the subject of fairies, since human and elven interaction between fairies is perfectly normal, how often do marriage between human or elf and fairies happen, if they happen at all?  Is there a sizable population of human or elves who carry fairy blood in their veins from generations of unions between the two races?  Could this have an influence on Kortikian being more magically gifted than humans?

Oh definitely. To live in Kortiki, you must have a certain fondness toward fairies to start with I think ( or you’ll quickly turn crazy ). So I imagine inter-species relationship do commonly occurs. Marriages though .. mhh . That’s interesting. Maybe fairies have something roughly equivalent to it but without the contract and wife and husband for life aspect of it.. it strikes me as pretty un-fairy-ish now that I think about it. Fairies love freedom. If an human and a fairy are deeply in love, I could imagine the fairy proposing to live together forever from now on but  having a contract to seal the deal... Maybe that could actually be seen as a sign of non-confidence ? it's an interesting question.

Although some marriages do occurs in the end, Mezzus is one shining example. But then maybe it’s the fairy who want to try and embrace that strange human custom ^^

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How easy can Kortikians travel about in the Fairy Kingdom?  Do the Dryads who grow there see them as food like all the, or can they tell they're from around and get special treatment?

The rest of the Kingdom is a dangerous place even for a Kortikian. They generally don’t get special treatment per say there although some preds would give them safe passage indeed. However Kortikians have a big advantage compared to any others humans : they are used to be around fairies and have a good grasp on how they think. They are able to talk their way out of being a meal with fairies much much more efficiently than others humans in Felarya, even when far away from Kortiki of from the Fairy Kingdom.  But generally, yes it remains very dangerous to go alone.

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Do they have superstitions or, pardon the pun, fairy tales?  Like, do they fear Sunfall Thicket because the forest is haunted and they tell kids all sort of stories to keep them from entering those woods?

Definitely ^^ Fairies are a creative species with a lot of imagination and they LOVE to gossip. Rumors and legends would be abundant in Kortiki. And tales about Sunfall thicket certainly exist. it’s an eerie and pretty spooky-looking place after all.

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Does Kortiki have traditions or special once-a-year kind of events?

Oh yes. Fairies LOVE to party and celebrate. I can imagine they would have a lot of events around there.

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Does Kortiki have schools or a school, or do parents teach their kids at home?

Yes I can see at least one school in there. Fairies love to study, and humans would probably like their children to be used to be around fairies as they grow.

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Do other settlements know of Kortiki's existence?  I went with the idea that Negav isn't aware of it because the village is so remote and they believe no human could ever survive in the Fairy Kingdom, let alone build a thriving village there.  But let's say they did, how would they see Kortikians?  I imagine they'd look down on them and see them as traitors.  They did it for Mezzus, so logically, it would extend to hating their village as a whole.

Mhh as I see it many settlement doesn’t know of Kortiki at all. Negav is aware of its existence but it’s pretty vague and very disformed as well. The authorities would be probably eager to depict it either as a place where humans are slaves to fairies and can be eaten on a whim, after having been lured in ( but hey they had it coming for attempting to live with the enemy ). Or dismissing it as mere tales and silly rumors. Having the idea planted that fairies and humans can live in harmony is not a very healthy one for Negav.

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On the subject of books and trade in general

This is an interesting point and there can be a lot to debate here.
As I see, trade with Negav would be very low but still happening.  Mostly it would be the Kortikians themselves who temporally settle relatively near to Negav. They would then use a mean or another to let their contact know they are here, discreetly make the transaction and each going their way afterward. Transportation of the goods and people and security would be assured by fairies in giant size for the trip back to Kortiki.

Or it could happens through the use of portals and dimensional magic. Like some Kortikians and Negavians who trust each others well establishing a meeting point. the caravan from negav then hires a mage in order to create a portal that land to the rendez-vous. Some giant-sized fairies would be present to ensure no wild animals or predators disrupt the meeting. Of course hiring a capable mage is pretty expensive and risky ( you typically don't want the authorities in Negav to know about this business )  so the exchange would have to be high in value.
Or maybe there is a well hidden shortcut through portal that have been established long ago and is used by merchants. Maybe with a fairy living right on top of it to discreetly guard it and who won’t eat you and let you go through if you give a certain password ^^

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How do you think Kortikians see your fairy characters?  Temi is their doctor, so I imagine they're cool with her.  Lily and I wanna say Melany aren't winning a popularity contest anytime soon.  Subeta and Aya I imagine they like them, probably the latter more than the former.

Temi is popular indeed. She is seen as kind, wise, reliable and a good healer. She has quite a lot of influence among Kortikian fairies.
Lily and Melany.. yeah not so much. Lily would send a few alarm bells ringing if she was to come visit Kortiki. Melany I think gets a pretty neutral opinion. She has her temper but nothing exceptional as fairies go, plus she knows well Temi so that’s a plus. Subeta is pretty popular. Her bright and cheerful nature make her very open to others plus her collector side tend to fascinate and some wild stories circulate about her treasure vaults.
And Aya, is the type of fairies you just want to give a hug ^^  she is so kind and innocent. Many Kortikians are fond of her.

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Reading this, it kinda sounds like lower-tiers are kind of getting a raw deal, or at the very least it'd be tough going for someone without the proper mindset to make residence here. Fairies barging into your home, playing pranks, squatting, and being altogether, by our standards, inconsiderate, and you absolutely must be on your best behavior or one of them will just decide to eat you anyway, so you can't even have a fit about what they're doing to you, and you can't leave because if you do, you'll be outside the 'truce' zone and one of them will eat you then, too. Or that's how it comes across, at least. So I'd like to see at least one of two things happen: a) an explanation for why anyone would subject themselves to living here for a prolonged period of time, and/or b) some description showing that life with fairies isn't as bad as the article starts out making it sound. I dunno, maybe someone in town makes artifacts that ward off unwanted fairies (emphasis on unwanted), either underground so nobody knows who it is, or out in the open but the fairies don't mind because a) that's just how lower-tiers are and/or b) they just see it as being beaten at their game, for now. Otherwise there has to be some more redeeming qualities to the fairies than "they throw good parties and have lots of rare books and teach magic"...actually, on second thought, maybe the reasons are there already, they just need to consolidated into one section that explains that those are reasons why lower-tiers would put themselves in such an uncomfortable situation.

First, I want to make something clear:  when I wrote in the wiki « You also can't completely shake that feeling that those friendly creatures remain fearsome predators and that some of them would see very little wrong in shrinking you and gobbling you down, should you encounter them in the wild. »

I’m of course meaning a fairy who don’t know you. A Kortikian fairy who know a certain human and interacted with them daily for a long time, wouldn’t suddenly get some sort of predator switch turned on, and snack on that very same human because « hey you are just one meter out of the city border ! too bad »  It seemed evident to me when I wrote that but looking back at it, i see there can be some confusion here ^^;

As for the advantages of living among fairies : the exotism, the fascination of this species. As I said earlier, it's clear you have to have a certain fondness for fairies if you wish to live in Kortiki or you will quickly turn nuts. But maybe I made the negative sounds too strong ? I think living in Kortiki would be quite a good life for a human with an open mind.
I get the feeling you believe it would make an human in Kortiki a second class citizen of sort, like we can see in our world sadly, having less rights, being mistreated, oppressed etc.
I really don’t think it would be the case here though.
As i see it fairies would treat them well and would definitely not resorts to any serious coercion to get their way. ala " if you don’t allow me to move in your home and mess your day up, I’ll eat you"
That would strike me as first : pretty unfairy-ish, and definitely "rude". A behavior that would be frowned upon by others fairies. And for a fairy, that is a pretty big deal.
In my opinion, to get outright eaten in Kortiki, you would have to more or less to ask for it. Like committing crime, stealing, or being actively an asshole to everyone until you wear your welcome off. And even then I don't think a fairy would just come to your place and eat you. Instead you would be told you are no longer welcome here, and probably escorted out of the kingdom.
This is definitely not something that would happens just because you rebuff a fairy a little strongly for annoying you.

On your last point, I figured they wouldn't just eat someone under normal circumstances. As I said earlier, it seems like the fairies living in Kortiki see it as just a big, multi-species tribe, with everyone living there being their fellow tribe members.

Really sorry if any of this has been said in this convo already but I can't read much of it well on just my little cell phone screen. ^^;

Okay how do you improve Kortriki? Well let's see what's lacking:
1: More satellite settlements to trade with and make the Fairy Kingdom more of a believable royal realm.
2: Magical Merchant Gaurds. This may sound un-important but it is quite necessary for number of reasons. Normally it'd be bandits but unless they are the giant variety or are exceptionally skilled Highwaymen...Its more for the Tonorions and other nasty wild life that can even challenge a fairy. Now for not so obvious reasons they need to function less like the decadent Gaurds you see in media and games and more like a mini Isolon Fist. Two warrior's who's skill sets are complimentary and who's survival depends on one another. A human to ward off Faebanes and deal with threats fairy powers would be less effective against. And a fairy to add some muscle when needed to giant threats and spook off bandits when traveling outside the Fairy Kingdom.
3: Political Understanding of Kortriki's position in the Kingdom. Is it the trading center of their Kingdom or is it just the the largest and safest city? Does anyone govern it? If so who and how? Personally

1. That could work, though given it's the Fairy Kingdom, that'd probably mostly be fairy tribes.
2. Uhh... hate to break it to you, bub, but Kortiki doesn't have an army or some kind of fighting force. Why would they need one? Fairies are all they need. Also, Tonorions don't have hives in the Fairy Kingdom. They have a known hive in the Forest of Whispers, but that's on the other side of the chasm that separate the kingdom with the rest of the map.
3. That would imply that fairies have something resembling politics. Given how free-spirited they are, the only thing resembling rulership of any kind among their packs is one person keeping everyone else in line. And before you bring up the Crimson Maidens, they have a completely different culture from other fairies. They do not represent the average fairy pack. As for Kortiki, I'd personally say it's the only settlement in the Fairy Kingdom you could describe as a town and where humans are more or less safe. It's not a capital city, it's just a tight-knit community that happens to include fairies and humans. Nemyra is pretty much the Queen in name only.

1: I agree with you Shady, though there could be tribes that don't roam around as much and stick to one place.

2: They wouldn't need an army, but the Fairy Kingdom isn't exactly safe, not even for Fairies. A Fairy can be eaten. So it makes sense that they would have at least a couple of Fairies and humans who can defend themselves and act as a sort of guard. Heck, even if it is just to exterminate Feyweed, deal with Kensha Beasts, or act as a sort of law enforcment on the human side.

3: Fairies wouldn't really have a government. The humans? They certainly would, even if its just a mayor. I could actually see a sort of tribal-esque leader for the fairies and possibly an elected leader for the non-fairies who work together to keep things running semi-smoothly. Though I would suspect that the fairy leader would be a lot less worried about things then the non-fairy. Kortiki would need some kind of government to help run it since it is a multi-species village.

There are no Kensha Beasts in the Fairy Kingdom.

Fair enough, but there are Gloomglows and dryads, and other predators that could endanger a fairy. And while the dryads might not be a problem, I could see there being some group around to deal with a gloomglow that gets too close to the town.

I just thought of something else and it's Kortiki's economy. There's a mention of stealing from merchants in the wiki, but what exactly do they sell? What is their market like? Do they trade with other goods or with coins?

What about protection from other fairies? Nothing states that every fairy alive honours Kortiki as "neutral ground", so I could see certain kinds of fairies (for example, my Mirielle) trying to sneak lower-tier snacks from Kortiki, or, depending on their disposition toward the idea of fairies and lower-tiers living together, even outright attack the town, possibly in groups. You've already given us a prime example in the form of Lily. And if we're talking fairy-on-fairy action here, having an organized group dedicated to defending the place might be better than having every magic-wielding resident in the place slinging spells at their fancy.

Or maybe I'm wrongfully applying human thinking tropes to fairies. ^^;

Also thank you for addressing my concerns, Karbo. In truth, I think I was focusing a little too much on the negative when I wrote my first reply, but I honestly wouldn't mind seeing these negative points toned down in the article itself, either. Probably best to get some more opinions on that particular aspect.

That's already addressed.  Or, well, it would be if Karbo actually wrote down important details in the site that's supposed to be a guidebook to the setting.  It's a neutral ground for everyone.  Even other races, like the Deerataurs, follow the neutral ground rule and don't attack the place.  Cases like Lily are rare, isolated cases, and even she has the common sense to keep herself in line, lest she receives severe and possibly excruciatingly painful consequences for her action.  And just call them humans, lower-tiers is just way too bizarre, not to mention utterly out of place in a settlement whose whole gimmick is that everybody is equal.

Shady Knight wrote:

And just call them humans, lower-tiers is just way too bizarre, not to mention utterly out of place in a settlement whose whole gimmick is that everybody is equal.

First, I'll use whatever term I want. I don't feel that "humans" encapsulates every race being referred to well enough, and writing out each one every time is tedious. Secondly, I was going to have you explain where you got the notion that Felarya's main gimmick is that everyone is equal until I realized that you were referring specifically to Kortiki, so nevermind that part. I'll just explain that my tiers are organized purely by size. Tinies are bottom-tiers, humans, elves, nekos, inus, small nagas, seagull harpies, etc. are lower-tiers, smaller 'giant' species or giants in the midst of their growth are middle-tiers, giants like Crisis are higher-tiers, and leviathan mermaids and whatever is rumored to live in the uncharted north of the continent are top-tiers. So yeah, they might be equal from a social standpoint, but not from a purely physical standpoint.

Sorry for getting off-topic there. I agree with the other points you made.