#fae lore

This suggests to me that the "six common types" of fae probably have at least some sort of alignment to six of the seven elements of Teyvat, with one element missing--possibly for plot-related reasons. It wouldn't really make much sense to bring up the seven elements in conjunction with the six types of fae if there wasn't some connection there, right?

If Waterborn cover hydro, Aarnivalkea cover pyro, Domovoy cover geo, and Vila cover anemo, that leaves us with cryo, dendro, and electro.

Theoretically, the Belyi Tsar was from the type of fae aligned to cryo. There's overlap with the Tsar and the Tsaritsa to the Morozko and Snegurochka legends, but (also theoretically) those are completely different characters from a completely different part of Genshin's history, so rather than the Belyi Tsar being Ded Moroz himself, there should be a general type of fae that are aligned with cryo, for whom we're currently just missing the group name.

Complicating this is the Belyi Tsar's claim that he came from a "sacred bloodline" that made him different/better than other fae. The readable suggests this is just propaganda, but we have no way of knowing right now. If the Belyi Tsar's bloodline really was unique, it may actually be that cryo is the element not included in the "six common types" of fae. (There's a tiny bit of evidence for this idea in the fact that Miscislav's armies were defeated by an "unexpected icy fog," with the readable clearly stating that no one knew where the icy fog came from. This suggests that none of Miscislav's forces were expecting/knew of a fae who could control snow or ice...)

Anyway, cryo should be covered by whatever the Belyi Tsar was. That just leaves us with dendro and electro. It's unclear what (if any) element the Volkodlak might have been associated with (although they were all animals, so I guess there's at least some nature connection?), so it's difficult to say whether they fit the bill for either dendro or electro currently, and which (if either) element is missing and for what reason one element is missing from the fae.

We just don't have enough info yet. Linnea's character stories and voicelines, we are all counting on you!

But What About Changelings?

Linnea's drip marketing suggests she might count among another group called "Changelings"; however, I'm hesitant to suggest that "Changeling" is a specific type of fae in and of itself without the game giving us more evidence of that.

As I mentioned in the last post, in real world folklore, Changelings aren't one specific type of supernatural creature, but the umbrella name applied to a wide variety of fae who disguise themselves (or their own children) as human children, then swap out the actual human child, allowing themselves (or their fae children) to instead be raised by humans. Changelings can come from any variety of fae--this term applies just to the act of "changing out" a human child for a fae.

Linnea's drip marketing might hint that she experienced this herself:

But again, even the idea that she may have been raised by/among humans hasn't been confirmed.

I know others have suggested that Filipov, the fae who's best known for shapeshifting, might be a "Changeling," but I think it's just the case that many different types of fae can shapeshift, and Filipov just happens to be super good at it. I don't think the current lore out there is enough to say he belongs to any specific type of fae yet, given that being able to change forms is a key feature we've heard about in numerous types of fae already. Filipov is also a "let's wait and see" from me!

THE NIGHT THEY REALIZED EVEN YOUR TEARS WERE WRONG

No one notices at first.

That’s the worst part.

It’s late—far too late for students to still be awake—but NRC has never respected sensible schedules. The fallout from the cafeteria incident is still rippling through the school. Wards are being recalibrated. Professors are arguing. Crowley has locked himself in his office with three grimoires and a bottle of headache medicine.

You’re sitting alone in one of the unused common rooms near Diasomnia.

You didn’t mean to cry.

You really didn’t.

But it’s been a day.

You stare at your bandaged hands, at the faint metallic scent that never quite leaves anymore, and the weight of it finally hits you.

“I just wanted to go home,” you whisper.

Your chest tightens.

Your vision blurs.

And then—

A tear slips free.

It lands on the stone floor.

Ping.

Not a splash.

A sound.

Like a drop of rain hitting metal.

I. The First Witness (Silver)

Silver is the one who hears it.

He pauses mid-step, brow furrowing.

“…That wasn’t water.”

He looks up.

You’re sitting there, shoulders shaking, another tear trailing down your cheek.

It falls.

Ping.

The light around the room flickers.

Silver’s breath catches.

“No,” he says quietly. “No, no, no—”

He moves closer, carefully, like approaching something wounded and dangerous at the same time.

“Yuu,” he says gently. “Please look at me.”

You do.

Your eyes are red, glassy, human.

But the tears clinging to your lashes—

They gleam.

Not like magic.

Like metal.

Silver feels sick.

II. Confirmation (Lilia)

Lilia appears without warning, because of course he does.

“Well, this ward just shorted itself out again—oh.”

He stops.

Really stops.

His smile vanishes.

“That,” he says slowly, crouching to your level, “is not supposed to happen.”

You wipe your face hastily. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

Another tear escapes.

It hits Lilia’s glove.

The fabric smokes.

Just a little.

Enough.

Lilia sucks in a sharp breath.

“…Oh. Oh that’s bad.”

Your voice breaks. “Please don’t look at me like that.”

He does anyway.

Not with fear.

With awe.

And something dangerously close to grief.

III. Malleus Arrives (The World Responds)

The moment your tears hit the ground again—

The castle feels it.

Ancient stone hums.

Dragon wards recoil.

Malleus appears in a crack of lightning and shadow, eyes blazing.

“What has happened,” he demands—

Then he sees you.

Sees the tears.

Feels the magic die around them.

His knees hit the floor.

Not because he’s weak.

Because his body forces him to kneel.

Iron does that to dragons.

“…Your sorrow,” he whispers, “is poisonous to us.”

Your breath stutters. “I don’t want it to be.”

“I know,” he says hoarsely.

The stone beneath your tears has begun to pit—tiny marks, like corrosion.

Nothing dramatic.

Nothing violent.

Just enough to prove it’s real.

IV. The Horrifying Truth

Lilia straightens slowly.

“Blood carries iron,” he says. “That we knew.”

Silver nods faintly. “But tears…”

Lilia’s voice goes quiet. “Tears come from the soul.”

The room goes still.

“…In fae lore,” Lilia continues, “tears are a gift. They’re pure emotion. Unfiltered magic.”

Malleus looks at you like he’s seeing a prophecy unfold.

“And yours,” he says, voice reverent and terrified, “carry anchoring metal.”

You laugh weakly through tears. “Of course they do.”

Another tear falls.

The air warps.

A nearby enchantment collapses entirely.

Silver reaches for you—and stops inches away, afraid to touch.

“…If you cried hard enough,” he whispers, “you could strip magic from a room.”

Lilia nods. “From a realm.”

You cover your face.

“I don’t want this,” you sob. “I don’t want to hurt anyone just by existing.”

Your tears fall faster now.

Each one rings softly against the stone.

Ping. Ping. Ping.

Like a countdown.

V. The Fae Reaction (Collective Panic)

By morning:

It is officially documented that Yuu must not cry near spellwork

Emotional distress protocols are established (Crowley invents “mandatory comfort”)

Fae students are instructed not to offer tear-collecting rituals near you

One ancient spirit flees NRC entirely

Rumors explode.

“I heard their grief can kill enchantments.” “I heard their tears rust blessings.” “I heard dragons bow when they cry.”

That last one isn’t entirely wrong.

VI. The Final Moment (Quiet, Devastating)

Later, you sit with Malleus beneath the night sky.

You’ve stopped crying.

The world has stabilized.

“I’m sorry,” you say again.

Malleus shakes his head slowly.

“Do you know what iron symbolizes to fae?” he asks.

You sniff. “Death?”

“Reality,” he corrects. “Finality. Truth that cannot be rewritten.”

He looks at you, eyes soft.

“Your blood binds you to life,” he says. “Your tears bind you to truth.”

Lilia watches from afar, unusually silent.

Silver sits close enough to protect you—but not close enough to burn.

“You are not a curse,” Malleus says firmly.

“You are a reminder.”

You look up at him.

“Of what?”

“That even magic must answer to something,” he says.

Above you, the stars shine.

And for the first time, the fae understand:

If you ever truly broke—

The elves and other monsters of these Courts do come to our realm though the ruling elves of the Court themselves do not. With the Court of Old Growth the elves and monsters there are more dangerous to humans and are what in common parlance people would call unseelie. The elves and monsters of the Court of Renewal are much friendlier, though can still be dangerous if you upset them; they have even worked alongside the Forest Amelioration Engineers (FAE) to help rebuild forests in the Federal States. However, friendly or not, do remember that the Federation of American States does not have any treaties with either of these Courts to aid an individual who becomes trapped in their lands.

Along those lines there are known stories of people being trapped or tricked by Fey in the area currently known as the Federal States. In fact, the historic story of Rip Van Winkle does seem to align with a real event from early colonial days where recently imported Fey tricked a man into slumbering for decades. More recently there have been reports of people who disappeared in the northern woods during the Great Incursion returning the same age and claiming to have been trapped by beautiful creatures on the other side. These individuals were either treated like amusing pets or servants but managed to bargain or trick their captors into releasing them. However, it is believed that most people who do fall into the Courts' grasp, if they do escape, maybe still stuck in the realm of myth.

It should be noted that if you come across elves or other fae creatures in the Federal States the vast majority are safe to interact and engage with. Elves from both Courts and other places across the Veil are known to bind their powers to walk and learn among the mortal races. Creatures like fauns, brownies, kobolds, goblins, and other friendly fae creatures are also known to willingly interact with mortals and integrate into our daily lives. For example, you may be familiar with the indie music artist Puck, who is a faun that performs regularly across the Federal States and Great Lakes Union.