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Faun

"I was born under a Quithayran oak. I have lived two-thirds of my life on Trophy soil. I do not know which is my home anymore. Most days, I do not care."
— Velhar of the South Field, in a Standing-wind tenancy interview

The sylvan goat-folk of Quithayran — distant cousins of the Daïkinee by long forest alliance, half their height by horn but twice their height by hoof. Came to Cadwallon in waves during the magical disruptions of the mid-900s, settled in the agricultural fiefs as tenant farmers and shepherds, and have, in the half-century since, become the backbone of the city's food supply. Most Cadwës don't realize this. The Standing-wind decline is therefore not just a peerage problem — it's a Faun problem.

What They Are

  • Goat-folk — cloven hooves, short curling horns (longer in males), goat-like ears, otherwise sylvan in build (slim, woodland-quick)
  • Native to Quithayran — they share the elven cradle as the elder forest race that predates the elven schism, though they refused the Light/Darkness/Destiny split entirely (similar to but distinct from the Daïkinee)
  • Strongly grove-affiliated — Fauns feel a grove before they see it; a Faun farmer can predict which field will sprout a grove next season
  • Vegetarian by tradition, omnivorous in practice; the dietary law lapses by the second generation in the city
  • Lifespan: ~150 years; their elders remember Quithayran personally

Where They Live

  • The Fields (Trophy) — the largest Faun population in Cadwallon, perhaps 4,000 individuals, mostly tenant farmers on Standing-wind land. They are why Trophy has a food surplus.
  • Western pastures of Gamehead — Faun shepherds work the Wolfen-edge pastures (a precarious arrangement that has somehow worked for forty years)
  • Petropolis (Ghieronburg) — the Cal Ka Dum orc worship grove is co-tended by a small Faun community
  • The [[Outskirts]] — the older, wilder Faun population that came pre-fief, still semi-sylvan

In Cadwallon

  • The Standing-wind alliance is two generations old. Bran Standing-Wind's grandson Gwan inherited a Faun-staffed fief and does not fully understand how much depends on Faun goodwill. The decline in Gwan's standing has been quietly cushioned by Faun loyalty.
  • Markropet's 100-year buyout target is land — but it is also the Fauns living on that land. The Fauns have not been asked their opinion.
  • Yalin Aoue has invited the senior Faun elder Hethriel to the Automaton court four times. Hethriel has declined every time. The Daïkinee-Faun alliance is old and not for show.
  • Guild relations — the Guild of Tailors grow their famous "magical wood" galleys with Faun consultation; the Guild of Ferrymen use Faun rivermen on the lake

The shepherd's witness

A Faun shepherd in the western Gamehead pastures has seen the Bloody Creek ritual smoke rising from the [[Outskirts]] for three consecutive autumns. The shepherd has reported it to the Howlers (who didn't believe him) and to Gwan Standing-Wind (who couldn't act). The shepherd is now offering the same testimony to free leaguers, in exchange for protection if the Akkyshans realize who has been watching.

The eviction

Markropet has purchased a Fields parcel with 160 Faun households on it. The eviction notice is for the end of the season. The Faun community has not appealed to Gwan, the Duke, or any Cadwë institution — they are quietly preparing to walk back to Quithayran. If they leave, Trophy's grain supply collapses within a year. The party can broker, sabotage, or witness.

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