Newbie Question on Faeries and the Dominion

Games Discussion Ars Magica
#1

Hi folks--

I realize this may be a bit of a basic question, and I apologize in advance if I have not read my source material closely enough!

I recently downloaded the Ars Magica 4th Edition core rules, and am developing ideas for an AM adventure. I am interested in both Dominion and Faerie involvement (actually, I'm interested in the interplay of Realms in general!).

In the AM description, on p241, I read that:

Faeries are spirits of places, attuned to the natural world.
There are faeries bound to forests, caves, lakes, mountains,
and oceans—all places primeval. Some, on the other hand,
make their homes in the world of humans: fields, roads,
farms, cities, and even churches (though priests hotly deny
it).

However, further on, p247, I see that:

If one truth may be applied to all faeriekind, it is that
they are universally repulsed by the divine. Faeries cannot
bear the presence of the Dominion and may go into hiding
where it holds sway, or move on to more secluded domains.

My question, then--how/why would faeries make their homes "even in churches" if they "cannot bear the Dominion" and "are universally repulsed by the Divine"? Unless, of course, their presence in a church means said church is not really part of the Dominion, or that they are conducting some sort of mischief to drive away agents of the Divine?

Are faeries similarly repulsed by the Infernal? Or are they likely to ally with Infernal powers against the hated Church?

Or, on the other hand, am I simply reading too much into these evocative passages?

Ordinarily, I don't trouble myself overly much on issues of this nature: My usual feeling is that if I'm GMing/running a game, I can tweak the setting as I like! However, when I'm potentially looking at sharing "storyguide" duties within a troupe, I want to be more careful!

Thanks for your insights!

#2

You are reading to much into the passages. For the most part, Faeries are repulsed by the divine. They are also repulsed by the Infernal even more strongly. Some faeries, however, do associate with the Divine. These are rare though. In fact, some pagan dieties may have converted to the divine and become tranformed as saints (St. Bridget comes to mind).

Just twist it into whatever works best for you.

#3

Also: some churches have lousy divine auras, for whatever reason.

A relatively new church in a faerie area might not have a divine aura during the night time or on solstices, so faeries could creep in then.

#4

Yes, as a matter of fact, RoP:I explictly explains that supernatural creatures may "switch sides" and convert from one Realm to another. The only forbidden move seems to be switching to "neutrality" (becoming Faerie or Magical) after being an active player in the cosmic game of good vs evil (being Divine or Infernal).

#5

Since Faeries are the product of popular myth and belief (as well as remnants of pagan beliefs), one could argue, that is said faerie doesn't conflict with the works of the Divine, they could peacefully coexist, as long as omeone believes and talks about it.

I think such Faeries living in smaller churches - certainly not high aura Cathedrals - without interfering. They would surely not be seen by a lot, and in all cases never during mass. But during the dark hours, in certain important dates regarding natural cycles and pagan holidays...
They probably have low Mights, seriouly hampered most of the time by the Divine aura. Perhaps they live in peaceful coexistence, or perhaps the Faerie is somehow bound or enslaved, and cannot escape or refrain from the work, under own power.
I seem to remember such a creature from the old faeries book, which came out at night to clean and polish the silver.

#6

Wasn't there something, somewhere (like Faeries Revised) saying that by having some of their members doing such works, the faeries would reduce or negate the effect of the Dominion on their communities?

#7

In many, many instances chuches were built directly atop sites which were once sacred to pagan belief systems. In Mythic Europe, quite a few of these were associated with the Faerie Realm, which is tied to the natural world as well as symbolic thought and imagination.

Conceivably, some of those Fay who dwelt in these places prior to the usurpation by the Dominion may have become gradually accustomed to the growing foreign Aura and continued to draw strength from the deeper Faerie Aura beneath it. Note that with the highly syncretic belief structure of the Church, many pagan rituals and customs were incorporated into local services and some brought into wider use. Whether they know it or not, worshippers at these places could be lending strength to the Faerie Realm as well as the Dominion.

There are also those Fay who have reached an accommodation with the Divine--or with the Infernal. They have strayed away from the core of Faerie, but now overlap Realms or are at least able to act with greater freedom inside Auras associated with their tacit allies. A few major ones have managed to become conflated with Saints. Brigid is only one of them, if perhaps one of the best known due to the nearly identical portfolio.

An Old One or Egyptian pagan deity of great renown who also made the transition, but who is less recognised as such is "Saint Christopher". The iconography and attributes associated with that "Saint" are, in fact, those of Anubis, though there is a separate story describing the "Saint" and his life.

Of course, one cannot be entirely sure where, when, or to what degree conflation has occurred, but these are two examples. Less dramatic cases likely abound.