Beyond the mortal world lies the Everweave, a plane where thought and feeling shape the land itself. Two courts rule it, one crowned in summer gold and one veiled in winter frost. They are opposites in all things but one: each knows the other must endure, for without pruning there is no bloom, and without renewal there is only the long dark. Mortals speak of them in hushed tones, in legends full of wonder and peril.

What it is: The twin fey powers that govern the Everweave, the plane holding the lands of Aurorathil and Noctharis.
The divide: The Sylthariel Court holds summer, light, and vitality; the Morindral Court holds winter, shadow, and endings.
The rulers: The Summer King crowns the Court of Dawn; the Winter Queen reigns over the Court of Dusk.
The balance: Neither court can endure alone. Summer's bloom needs winter's pruning; winter's silence needs summer's renewal.
The Trial of Seasons: A ritual game that mirrors the cosmic cycle, said to shift the balance of power between the two thrones.
The danger to mortals: Fey festivals spill into the mortal world at the turning of seasons, enchanting, and sometimes claiming, those who stumble upon them.

The Sylthariel Court, the Court of Dawn, holds summer, light, and vitality; its land is Aurorathil. The Morindral Court, the Court of Dusk, holds winter, shadow, and endings; its land is Noctharis. Both draw their power from the Everweave itself.

The Summer King rules the Sylthariel Court, a radiant monarch whose laughter is said to breathe life into dying fields. The Winter Queen rules the Morindral Court, a figure of shadow and frost whose whispered commands can still a storm.

The Necessity of Balance

Despite their differences, both courts agree on one truth: balance must hold. The Sylthariel Court cannot thrive without Morindral's winter pruning, and the Morindral Court cannot endure without Sylthariel's summer renewal. Seasonal transitions are marked by fey festivals that spill into the mortal world, enchanting those who happen upon them.

The Trial of Seasons

The Trial of Seasons is more than a game. It is a ritual that reflects the cosmic cycle keeping the Everweave in motion. Some believe the outcome of a match can shift the balance of power between the Summer King and the Winter Queen, making every game a matter of consequence.

Mortals invited to play in the courts of the fey often wager more than pride. Many have lost their names, years of their lives, or their memories when bested by fae opponents. For the few who win, the rewards can be immense: a boon from the Summer King, a secret from the Winter Queen, or a favor from an archfey.

The division of the two courts traces back to a primordial schism in the Everweave's early days. Legend holds that the Sylthariel Court was born from the first dawn, a burst of radiant creation, while the Morindral Court emerged from the first shadow, an act of preservation and inevitability. The two have vied for supremacy ever since, all the while keeping the delicate equilibrium of their world.

• The two courts are opposing but complementary forces of nature; to honor one and scorn the other is thought to invite ruin from both.

• Portals to the Everweave are said to open in places of great natural beauty or strong magic. Folk mark such places and step carefully around them.

• Where the seasons turn, the veil thins. Villagers hold festivals at these transitions, half in celebration and half to keep the fey at ease.