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{{Breadcrumb King Who Never Was}} | {{Breadcrumb King Who Never Was}} | ||
[[File:seans.png | 400 px | x 600 px | right | border | frame | A rare depiction of The Fortunate King.]] | |||
[[File:the-coin.png | 600 px | x 400 px | right | border | frame | A rare depiction of The Coin.]] | |||
=Overview= | =Overview= | ||
The King Who Never Was ( | The King Who Never Was ([[Commonspeak]]), formerly known as Seans {{lang|Feytongue|ʃɑnts|\ʃɑnts\|coincidence}}, the Fortunate King, founded the Court of Circumstance, one of the [[Ancient Courts]] of [[Arcadia]]. | ||
Among mortal scholars, The King Who Never Was is the least understood of the Fey Gods. Knowledge of him derives entirely from censored Arcadian histories, corrupted oral traditions of Orisons, and other less reliable sources. [[Lolth]]'s erasure of the Fey God and his Court was so thorough that no complete record of him survives. | |||
=History= | =History= | ||
Seans was | =Origin= | ||
Before Arcadia, Seans was an [[Elf]] of the early [[Shattered Age]], c. NIR 250, born into what can only be described as a cursed life. Every misfortune save death seemed to befall him and those near him. Before he was fully grown, he exiled himself to the wilderness of [[Pelithos]]. There he began to explore the purpose of such a cursed life. This eventually entered his dreams, and he was transported to Arcadia, following whispers of meaning. | |||
Seans was among the earliest migrants to Arcadia, arriving soon after the first two Ancient Courts were founded. He aligned loosely with the [[The Keening Women]], from whom he learned the principles of philosophical power, though he never fully adopted the form of a [[Hag]]. | |||
==Ascension== | |||
Seans ascended c. NIR 420, founding the The Court of Circumstance. He taught that Meaning arose not from intention, action, or belief, but from circumstance — from forces beyond control. To him, luck was not randomness, but a hidden structure only visible in retrospect. His philosophy was popular among the lost, dispossessed, and unlucky, which swelled the ranks of his Court in the Shattered Age. | |||
His followers became the [[Pucks]], Fey who embodied mischance, coincidence, and near-misses. The Forgotten Court flourished quietly, its philosophy difficult to refute and impossible to predict. | |||
==War of Erasure== | |||
Seans was a pivotal figure in [[The War of Erasure]]. It was Seans who invented Cruthúnas (Denial), a form of philosophical warfare capable of disproving a Court’s theory of Meaning (though it is widely believed that he could only do so with help from The Keening Women. This form of warfare, when successful, would unravel the source of a Fey God's power and dissolve their Court. | |||
It is unknown why he aggressed against other Courts with this tool of philosophical violence. Several Courts were dissolved in this way. Emboldened, Seans attempted to apply Denial to the [[Court of Alignment]], seeking to disprove one of the other Ancient Courts. | |||
He did not succeed. Where his prior targets tried to rebut the attack, [[Lolth]] was more clever by far and realized how to win. She accepted the argument, but then turned it against Seans own philosophy. Once she had the upper hand, she deployed her own terrifying form of philosophical violence that would become known as [[The Erasure]]. | |||
This did not stop at stripping Seans of his godhood or dissolving his court. The Erasure removed the entire Strange Essence of Condition from philosophical consideration in Arcadia. The Forgotten Court ceased to exist. Seans was annihilated completely. A terrifying prospect considering no Fey had been known to be able to die. | |||
==Aftermath== | |||
There are no modern incarnations of this Fey God or his court. The Erasure ensured that what remains of Seans is only structural absence. Histories skip him. Philosophical lineages terminate without explanation. The Strange itself behaves differently where Condition once applied. | |||
Fey scholars refer to him only as The King Who Never Was. | |||
=Description= | =Description= | ||
Seans appeared as a | In his anthropomorphic form, reconstructed from fragmentary accounts, Seans appeared as a genial elven man of unremarkable appearance, save for a persistent sense that he had arrived at exactly the right moment. His clothing and features were said to change subtly with circumstance, never drawing attention. | ||
In his surreal form, | In his surreal form, called The Coin, the King Who Never Was appeared as a colossal coin of dull silver, spinning endlessly in place. No face is ever revealed. Around it orbit rings of combinatoric devices: dice rolling endlessly, spinning cards with changing faces, colored beads. The air is heavy with unresolved outcomes. To witness this form is to feel that something decisive is about to happen—and never does. | ||
=Personality= | =Personality= | ||
Seans | Accounts of Seans describe him as calm, amused, and deeply patient. He rarely acted directly, preferring to wait until events aligned in his favor. He believed that control was an illusion and that true power lay in understanding inevitability after the fact. | ||
He did not hate his enemies. Is is reported that he felt his war was an act of kindness to lost children. | |||
==Philosophy== | |||
* | * Meaning arises from circumstance beyond intention | ||
* No one controls (or even fully | * No one controls (or even fully perceives) the beginning or the forces that shape them | ||
* | * Obsessed with probabilities, misfortune, and luck | ||
= | =Society= | ||
The Forgotten Court was subtle, informal, and strangely resilient. Its members avoided grand rituals, preferring small wagers, casual risks, and unplanned encounters. Pucks were known for appearing at moments of transition, disaster, or narrow escape. | |||
After Diothú Brí, no member of the Forgotten Court remained. Fey culture bears scars where their practices once existed, though few can articulate what is missing. | |||
Revision as of 19:55, 25 December 2025
Main > Compendia > Creatures > Strange Gods > Fey Gods > The King Who Never Was
Overview
The King Who Never Was (Commonspeak), formerly known as Seans (Feytongue \ʃɑnts\ for coincidence), the Fortunate King, founded the Court of Circumstance, one of the Ancient Courts of Arcadia.
Among mortal scholars, The King Who Never Was is the least understood of the Fey Gods. Knowledge of him derives entirely from censored Arcadian histories, corrupted oral traditions of Orisons, and other less reliable sources. Lolth's erasure of the Fey God and his Court was so thorough that no complete record of him survives.
History
Origin
Before Arcadia, Seans was an Elf of the early Shattered Age, c. NIR 250, born into what can only be described as a cursed life. Every misfortune save death seemed to befall him and those near him. Before he was fully grown, he exiled himself to the wilderness of Pelithos. There he began to explore the purpose of such a cursed life. This eventually entered his dreams, and he was transported to Arcadia, following whispers of meaning.
Seans was among the earliest migrants to Arcadia, arriving soon after the first two Ancient Courts were founded. He aligned loosely with the The Keening Women, from whom he learned the principles of philosophical power, though he never fully adopted the form of a Hag.
Ascension
Seans ascended c. NIR 420, founding the The Court of Circumstance. He taught that Meaning arose not from intention, action, or belief, but from circumstance — from forces beyond control. To him, luck was not randomness, but a hidden structure only visible in retrospect. His philosophy was popular among the lost, dispossessed, and unlucky, which swelled the ranks of his Court in the Shattered Age.
His followers became the Pucks, Fey who embodied mischance, coincidence, and near-misses. The Forgotten Court flourished quietly, its philosophy difficult to refute and impossible to predict.
War of Erasure
Seans was a pivotal figure in The War of Erasure. It was Seans who invented Cruthúnas (Denial), a form of philosophical warfare capable of disproving a Court’s theory of Meaning (though it is widely believed that he could only do so with help from The Keening Women. This form of warfare, when successful, would unravel the source of a Fey God's power and dissolve their Court.
It is unknown why he aggressed against other Courts with this tool of philosophical violence. Several Courts were dissolved in this way. Emboldened, Seans attempted to apply Denial to the Court of Alignment, seeking to disprove one of the other Ancient Courts.
He did not succeed. Where his prior targets tried to rebut the attack, Lolth was more clever by far and realized how to win. She accepted the argument, but then turned it against Seans own philosophy. Once she had the upper hand, she deployed her own terrifying form of philosophical violence that would become known as The Erasure.
This did not stop at stripping Seans of his godhood or dissolving his court. The Erasure removed the entire Strange Essence of Condition from philosophical consideration in Arcadia. The Forgotten Court ceased to exist. Seans was annihilated completely. A terrifying prospect considering no Fey had been known to be able to die.
Aftermath
There are no modern incarnations of this Fey God or his court. The Erasure ensured that what remains of Seans is only structural absence. Histories skip him. Philosophical lineages terminate without explanation. The Strange itself behaves differently where Condition once applied.
Fey scholars refer to him only as The King Who Never Was.
Description
In his anthropomorphic form, reconstructed from fragmentary accounts, Seans appeared as a genial elven man of unremarkable appearance, save for a persistent sense that he had arrived at exactly the right moment. His clothing and features were said to change subtly with circumstance, never drawing attention.
In his surreal form, called The Coin, the King Who Never Was appeared as a colossal coin of dull silver, spinning endlessly in place. No face is ever revealed. Around it orbit rings of combinatoric devices: dice rolling endlessly, spinning cards with changing faces, colored beads. The air is heavy with unresolved outcomes. To witness this form is to feel that something decisive is about to happen—and never does.
Personality
Accounts of Seans describe him as calm, amused, and deeply patient. He rarely acted directly, preferring to wait until events aligned in his favor. He believed that control was an illusion and that true power lay in understanding inevitability after the fact.
He did not hate his enemies. Is is reported that he felt his war was an act of kindness to lost children.
Philosophy
- Meaning arises from circumstance beyond intention
- No one controls (or even fully perceives) the beginning or the forces that shape them
- Obsessed with probabilities, misfortune, and luck
Society
The Forgotten Court was subtle, informal, and strangely resilient. Its members avoided grand rituals, preferring small wagers, casual risks, and unplanned encounters. Pucks were known for appearing at moments of transition, disaster, or narrow escape.
After Diothú Brí, no member of the Forgotten Court remained. Fey culture bears scars where their practices once existed, though few can articulate what is missing.