Official art of Camellia Springshower in a corrupted fane, by Adrián Ibarra Lugo from Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, page 86.[art 1]
Fane is a term used to describe a place of power where there is a temple or altar; more broadly, the term describes any place of religious, spiritual and/or magical importance, both in Exandria and other Planes of Existence, that is considered a "heart of the land".[1][2] In this context, a domain is a fane ruled and protected by an archfey or a fey of similar power[3][4] in the Fey Realm. In the Shadowfell, "domain" is also the term used to refer to a place ruled by a powerful figure, such as Vecna,[5] although it is unclear if those domains share the same properties as their counterparts on other planes.
A fane can become corrupted and/or lose its protector,[6] and depending on how it happens, the place can either heal on its own[7] or start affecting others, such as some druids connected to the power of that land,[8] who become able of temporarily extending that corruption to other areas, and to summon/create creatures marked by the unhallowed influence of their fane.[9]
Known fanes[]
In addition to the list of domains in the Feywild, other Exandrian fanes mentioned in Critical Role are:
- The elemental rifts at Zephrah, Terrah, Pyrah, and Vesrah, protected by the Ashari tribes.[10]
- The Shadebarrow, once a sacred place for the druids of the Dawn Circle, now a forsaken place full of undead and dark influences.[11][12]
- Within the Mossmire Temple of Berleben, in the Labenda Swamp, kept by the local idolmaster, Julienne Droogba.[13][14]
- Inside the King's Cage, a fane of corrupt power that was used to lure and bind Torog the Crawling King during the Calamity.[15]
- Six places in Exandria (one of them being the Chantry of the Dawn) that act as shackles binding Tharizdun the Chained Oblivion. The locations of these fanes are kept in secret (and presumably protected) by members of the clergy of Ioun the Knowing Mentor and Pelor the Dawnfather.[16]
- A buried druidic fane in the Lotusden Greenwood whose power, in addition to empowering and protecting the forest, has caused the local fauna to grow to an unexpected size.[17]
- Various locations in Wildemount considered "miniature fey fanes", protected by nymphs and other similar nature-bound beings.[18] At some point before 585 PD Ludinus Da'leth visited eight of those places, using a strange arcane harness to consume the fey guardians of those fanes in order to prolong his own life, destructively mimicking an archdruid's merging with nature and natural spirits.[19][20] It is unknown what happened to the fanes he visited after the destruction of the fey guardians.
- The Emerald Tree, the resting place of the archdruid Oma-Dua, in which she transformed herself into a natural fane of power for the Irriam Canyon, with part of her spirit still sentient in her shrine, tended and protected by the successors of her teachings.[21]
Trivia[]
- The term comes from the Latin fanum (temple), which in turn derives from a Proto-Indo-European term that can be translated as "sacred place", or more simply as "god".
- If a good-natured fane or domain can become corrupted (even if it can be cleansed later), it might be possible for its evil-natured equivalents to do the opposite.
References[]
- ↑ See "Between the Lines" (2x78) at 2:53:43.
- ↑ See "Axiom Shaken" (3x43) at 3:43:55.
- ↑ See "Dark Portents" (3x29) at 3:13:16.
- ↑ See "Reunion & Revelation" (3x30) at 3:19:45.
- ↑ The Chronicles of Exandria - The Legend of Vox Machina Volume II, p. 150.
- ↑ See "The Echo Tree" (1x63) at 1:28:34.
- ↑ See "The Fate-Touched" (1x103) at 0:39:37.
- ↑ See "Chasing Nightmares" (3x11) at 0:05:15.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 172.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 31. It is safe to assume that the fanes are the rifts themselves, not the settlements built to guard them.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, pp. 55–56.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, pp. 86–171.
- ↑ See "Labenda Awaits" (2x20) at 2:59:37.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 80.
- ↑ See "The King's Cage" (2x69) at 2:59:37.
- ↑ See "Titles and Tattoos" (2x84) at 2:52:51.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 140.
- ↑ See the Veluthil Forest, the Ashkeeper Peaks, the northwest island, the Flotket Alps and the Rime Plains.
- ↑ See "Escape From The Past" (3x58) from 2:17:44 through 2:22:43.
- ↑ See "For The Tempest" (3x68) at 2:58:59.
- ↑ See "A Haunted Past" (3x63) at 1:52:33.
Art:
- ↑ Official art of Camellia Springshower in a corrupted fane, by Adrián Ibarra Lugo from Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, page 86. Used with permission.