The Summer Court

The Summer Court is ruled by Aurath the Ever-Burning, a figure described in the oldest Halvaen texts as neither male nor female but perpetually aflame with desire, fury, and generosity in equal measure. Aurath governs a fey domain where emotions are literal weather -- joy produces golden light, grief summons downpours, and rage ignites the sky.

The Summer Court's relationship with mortals is the most frequent and the most dangerous of the four. Summer fey are interested in mortals in the way a child is interested in insects -- fascinated, largely benevolent, and not particularly careful. Mortals who attract Summer Court attention often receive gifts of beauty, inspiration, or passion. They rarely receive what they asked for specifically.

Aurath's central edict is that all things must be felt fully. Mortals who suppress their emotions, who live cautiously and without risk, strike Summer Court fey as pitiable to the point of offense. Their interventions tend to correct this. The mortals in question do not always survive the correction, but they rarely die bored.

The Court stands in a state of perpetual seasonal war with the Winter Court -- a conflict that has lasted longer than most mortal civilizations have existed and shows no sign of resolving. Summer fey find Winter's cruelty genuinely repugnant. Winter fey find Summer's recklessness genuinely dangerous. Both assessments are accurate.