Fairy Knight
Elves possess an unceasing curiosity for mortals and their peculiar, short, and unfettered lives. Occasionally one of the Fair Folk will copy some human custom to experience them firsthand, and this is the origin of Fairy Knights.
In a woodland clearing or where a road passes close by the forest edge, a strange knight may emerge to challenge warriors to a joust or passage of sword or spear. On occasion, they may even venture to a human settlement, even entering a castle to lay their contest down.
The weird knight will display some unsettling characteristic: they may be unusually large or small, be of a strange hue (green, white, or jewel-tinted), they may be wrapped in ivy, or glimmer as if by moonlight. If their face can be seen, it may be astoundingly beautiful, bestial, or even seemingly fashioned from wood. Their horse, if they are mounted, will be of an unmatched and beautiful pedigree, adorned with an intricately embroidered silken caparison edged with silver bells.
The challenge will be the same, however – a passage of arms according to human traditions against a single warrior, the terms to be agreed beforehand. This can be a fight to the death or to surrender – in the latter case, the loser owing some obligation or service to the victor.
| FAIRY KNIGHT | RE 7 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ATTACK | 22 | Lance (2d4 +2, 8), Spear (2d4 +2, 6), 2H Sword (d10 +2, 7) | |
| DEFENCE | 16 | Elfin Plate (AF 7) | |
| MAGICAL ATTACK | N/A | Magic Points | None |
| MAGICAL DEFENCE | 12 | Health Points | 1d6 +12 |
| EVASION | 6 | Movement | 12m (25m) |
| STEALTH | ??? | PERCEPTION | ??? (Elfsight) |
Fairy Knights always fight with elaborate +2 magical weapons and armour.
A Fairy Knight will possess one of the following unnatural powers:
- Cloaked in an aura or fear or glory – anyone of less than Rank 3 flees, everyone else is Weakened as the Sorcerer spell
- Heals 3 HP every round
- Can only be harmed by magical weapons
- Extraordinarily strong – +2 to Armour Bypass and damage
- Unnaturally fast – +4 to DEFENCE, +3 to EVASION, and always wins Initiative
- There is a 1-in-3 chance that any blow inflicted during the combat will be inflicted upon the attacker instead of the defender
Once defeated, the Fairy Knight will often disappear, leaving some trophy behind, or (if slain) will rise up from the mortal blow to deliver a prize or challenge. If compelled to obligation or service, it will fulfil this to the letter as it understands it.
Typical rewards include:
- The knight's +2 weapon
- The knight's helm that grants +1 Armour Factor and Elfsight
- A strange jewel worth 3-600 (1d4+2 × d100) Florins
- A belt granting +2 Strength
- A girdle granting Reflexes of 18
- An item central to a quest
This article first appeared in Casket of Fays Issue 9.