Far Darrig & Others h The far darrig (fear dearg), which means the ‘red man,’ for he wears a red cap and coat, busies himself with practical joking, especially with gruesome joking This he does, and nothing else —William Butler Yeats, Fairy Folk Tales of Ireland FAR DARRIG With their penchant for illusions and tendency to harass travelers, far darrig are best described as tricksters And they take their actions very seriously To fully understand a far darrig, however, one must first understand their world view, for the whole of our reality, to them, is but an illusion—to be molded and shaped, to be tested Why all that we know should be an illusion and what lies beyond it, if anything, are heatedly debated topics among the far darrig, and there are many opinions, but most far darrig trust in the sanctity of the illusion They treat their daily interaction with the illusion as a deeply devotional and artistically expressive act Some believe that with proper training and sufficient understanding of the illusion, they can ultimately disbelieve this existence and escape the cycle of life and death to whatever lies beyond That the far darrig’s intentions are not—quite—as malicious as they appear and, indeed, merit “deep artistic and devotional consideration” gives little comfort to travelers who have experienced these infuriating creatures first hand Typical Characteristics: But for the pale-red cast to their skin and the ever-present red, floppy hat on their heads, far darrig appear very much like lean gnomes Their name actually means “red man,” and this serves as a colloquial name for these fey Their resemblance to gnomes is believed to be more than merely cosmetic, — 58 — as some scholars believe that present day gnomes are distantly related to the far darrig and similar fey, such as cluracan, leprechauns, and redcaps Far darrig typically carry little more than a walking stick when they go exploring the world They enjoy exploring for the sake of exploring and furthering their understanding of the Illusion but take little interest in collecting baubles as those illusions can be recreated anytime by a far darrig with sufficient skill Far darrig can be extremely affable, but it’s rare to get to know one very well, and even if you can get them to stop harassing you long enough to chat, their view of the world can become quite disconcerting Environment: They typically make their homes in heavily forested areas There, they live tribally in small villages Their thatched-roof huts are completely illusory In fact, aside from those tools deemed essential, it is rare to find anything of physical substance in a far darrig village That is not to say that they live dull lives, however, as the illusion of vibrancy and wealth is everpresent Society: Far darrig have a tribal culture and each tribe consists of several villages Within each village, there is a hierarchy based on experience, but it is primarily a display of respect, and everyone shares in the necessary duties of the village The elders from each village form a council that makes the decisions that affect the entire tribe All in a village are treated as family, and when not exploring, days are typically spent playing illusory games Few far darrig even try to understand why one would be interested in magic not dealing with illusions With regard to their reactions to others, it’s difficult to spare much love or hate for illusions—you’re just an illusion they haven’t disbelieved yet Relationships: The far darrig loathe Jasmine She is the bump in their nights She is what they warn their children of, for her words are sweet and her hooks sink deep And those consumed by her darkness are lost forever Strategy & Tactics: Though tastes differ, far darrig rarely use lethal force when interacting with the world and other creatures The intent is to understand the illusion of the world through interaction However,