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Hi everyone,
I've started a Kingmaker campaign with a group of non-optimizing players, who are really more interested in story and fun than in min-maxing. Frankly, this suits me fine, except for one small aspect. There's another thread out there where someone put forth the point that there isn't really a lot of suggestion of the BBEG to come in part 6 of the AP. For that matter, there isn't much to foreshadow the future sections at all. Background-wise, everything is tied together loosely, but nicely. However, I'm worried that with it being really open and sandboxy, they won't choose to actively seek out the kind of information that might give proper hints as to what's to come.
So, what I'm wondering from GMs who have run or are running this AP is:
1) Is this a problem? Is foreshadowing lacking?
2) If so, what kinds of encounters/information/whatever have you included to remedy this?
For example, my players expressed absolutely no interest in the other groups of explorers, so the first time they hit a hex on the far east of the Greenbelt map, I had them encounter a small party of the mercenaries, so they can really identify with "the missing people" in VV.
Thoughts?
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All I can say is realy read the Kingmaker Obituaries. My group is optimized to the point they optimized the classes they picked. Then optimized the characters they made. Using a 15 point buy. They have hade truble with some of the encounters.
The AP dose not do forshadowing to keap players out of areas they should not be in. My players wander out of there exploration area in the first AP. I let them know they where out side the area they where sent to explore. After there first random encounter 5 CR above there level. They moved back to there area. So doing to much forshadowing can have bad effects becous of the sandbox nature of the AP.
My Kingmaker campaign is in book 6 now. My players are on their way to deal with Nyrissa, and I feel that they have learned enough in this final part to prepare for her and her allies.
I don't believe that foreshadowing her is necessary.
Well, there are little things you can do in every module of the AP. The dead Unicorn in Stolen Lands is an obvious one and rattled my players quite nicely ( "What, someone used a FINGER OF DEATH on the Unicorn? Holy %$&$!". ), since they are all third level. You can also play up the connection of the Stag Lord to Nyrissa by having the player find a tress of green hair in his possessions... and having that tress appear with important NPC's who were influenced by Nyrissa, too. That way they will get aware of some threat lurking beyond those petty evil lords.
The VV teaser you put out there was a good start. Once the PCs get to know lasting allies like the Cleric of Erastil, Oleg, etc. have that NPC say he's going off (during book 2) to visit a relative who has recently relocated to Varnhold. It'll have a strong enough pull to get them there when they realize he/she is long overdue.
As for Nyrissa's foreshadowing, Start seeding clues like Magnuskn's above example.Then......
OR you can just make your own agent to avoid an extra purchase :/
Or something like that :)
late edit*** The module in the spoiler tag is also chock full of other encounters which are great for a Fey-themed campaign like Kingmaker. I keep my copy with the 6 Kingmaker books instead of its usual place stacked with the other Paizo modules. Im weird like that.
Does anyone have a handy list of the NPCs who have been influenced by Nyrissa?
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In my original turnover for Blood for Blood there was a lot more foreshadowing of Nyrissa. But it had to go for space reasons and other factors. Basically...
...The adventure ended with a feast where the PCs got to celebrate their victory over Armag and the Tiger Lords. It took place in Drelev as they consolidated that duchy into their growing kingdom. In the midst of the dining hall in Fort Drelev's keep, a chill wind blew a group of leaves (i.e., my last leaves of the autumn dryad from RPG Superstar) through one of the windows. They reshaped into the visage of Nyrissa and she went all BBEG by monologuing about how their triumph would be short-lived. She never introduced herself. So, the PCs didn't get to learn her name or anything more about her...just that obviously, she was a potent force to be reckoned with if she could send such a missive. When her speech ran out, the leaves exploded outward and left a dusting of debris across their dining table, spoiling all the food in an act of spite.
My two cents,
--Neil
Does anyone have a handy list of the NPCs who have been influenced by Nyrissa?
** spoiler omitted **
In my original turnover for Blood for Blood there was a lot more foreshadowing of Nyrissa. But it had to go for space reasons and other factors. Basically...
** spoiler omitted **
My two cents,
--Neil
Okay - that rocks! I will be stealing that for my game. Good stuff!
In my original turnover for Blood for Blood there was a lot more foreshadowing of Nyrissa. But it had to go for space reasons and other factors. Basically...
** spoiler omitted **
My two cents,
--Neil
Yoinked for future use in latter half of the AP with minor changes...
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Does anyone have a handy list of the NPCs who have been influenced by Nyrissa?
** spoiler omitted **
In my original turnover for Blood for Blood there was a lot more foreshadowing of Nyrissa. But it had to go for space reasons and other factors. Basically...
** spoiler omitted **
My two cents,
--Neil
That sounds excellent. Adapted. Thanks! :)
Cool. I'm glad a few of you liked the idea. Honestly, one of the main aspects of what I enjoy so much about writing for the APs is that you get to do a large-scale adventure (35,000+ words or so), but you also have the opportunity to ensure that adventure supports the overarching story of the whole campaign. I'm really big on not just analyzing my specific adventure assignment and what it's supposed to entail...but to also look beyond that and make doubly sure it supports the entire direction the campaign should be taking at that point in the 6-part story arc.
For instance...
In Blood for Blood, I knew I was writing Chapter 4...which is kind of the midway point to the whole AP. As such, much like any writer of a story or novel, I knew this part of the overarching plot needed to start turning the story towards the end-game. Not fully, of course. There was still Chapter 5 to go through, which would ramp up the conflict in Kingmaker one more notch before diving into Pett's excellent Sound of a Thousand Screams.
But, for the purposes of Blood for Blood, I not only wanted to introduce players to the Drelev Demesne as the third "mini-kingdom" in the Stolen Lands...but also to make certain the action ramped up with the attacking barbarians (whom Nyrissa and Irovetti schemed to send in their direction)...and, ultimately, at the end, I wanted a cliffhanger dun-dun-DUN moment where the heroes realized Armag was the least of their worries compared to what was yet to come...but, and this is important, without any of the specifics they'd need to march off and face down that threat right away. This would purposefully drive up the paranoia and keep the PCs focused on ensuring their kingdom remained safe.
So, the Nyrissa cameo by proxy of the last leaves felt like a good thing to include as the story started to turn away from sandbox-sandbox-sandbox in the first three adventures. I was kind of sad to see that element hit the cutting room floor. But I'm still really happy with how the developers turned it out...especially since it was my first time writing for the APs.
Another two cents,
--Neil
These suggestions and points of view are really helpful, and I greatly appreciate the support that you're all showing by posting them here. Thanks very much.
As an aside, one of the neatest things about this community is that the AP authors even stop by to offer insights. :)
As someone more concerned with story myself, I don't think there needs to be much buildup to Nyrissa. To do so would be to imply that the campaign is "about" her or is "leading up to" her. Which is a tremedous disservice. The game is about the PC's Kingdom.
In contrast, RotRL
However, this game isn't about Nyrissa. This is a sandbox. Lots of things attack the PCs Kingdom. First trolls, then an owlbear, then a cyclopes lich, then snivelling upstart, then a barbarian, then bardic kingdom, then a nymph, the their original home country, then an elder red dragon. I don't view Nyrissa as the "culminating force" that drives the story along, she's just one of the many things in the sandbox. Don't elevate her above that.
That's a very good point regarding Nyrissa. The other thing to note is that although she represents the final threat to their kingdom, she's not really out to get the PCs...
** spoiler omitted **
Well, it's always the defender who starts the war...;)
As someone more concerned with story myself, I don't think there needs to be much buildup to Nyrissa. To do so would be to imply that the campaign is "about" her or is "leading up to" her. Which is a tremedous disservice. The game is about the PC's Kingdom.
In contrast, RotRL ** spoiler omitted **
However, this game isn't about Nyrissa. This is a sandbox. Lots of things attack the PCs Kingdom. First trolls, then an owlbear, then a cyclopes lich, then snivelling upstart, then a barbarian, then bardic kingdom, then a nymph, the their original home country, then an elder red dragon. I don't view Nyrissa as the "culminating force" that drives the story along, she's just one of the many things in the sandbox. Don't elevate her above that.
+1
The beauty of a sandbox campaign is that every GM is free to run it however he wants. But, for my game...and hence, foremost in my thoughts as a designer for this AP...Nyrissa's hand is involved in the Stolen Lands from the outset. The PCs are most certainly on a collision course with her. And, that culminates in Pett's Sound of a Thousand Screams. Every adventure which precedes that comes about as a result of both the growth of the PCs' kingdom and (perhaps, more importantly) the reactions of others to that kingdom. Individually, the Stag Lord, the owlbear, the cyclops lich, the barbarian overlord, and the envious neighboring king are pretty much all prodded into action against the PCs not just by their own design...or even just the act of building their kingdom. It's Nyrissa who moves and manipulates them. That's what makes her the BBEG of the campaign.
To me, stories are about conflict. To have conflict, you have to have an antagonist. The PCs' kingdom isn't what the story is about. A kingdom cannot be an antagonist...especially when it's their own that they're responsible for building. So, while I can appreciate sandbox campaigns for what they are...i.e., a playground which serves more as an outline than a linear story...the sand in that sandbox is meant for you to build something out of it...i.e., sandcastles or whatever. It's the choices you make in how to use that sandbox as a storytelling medium that will lead to some amazing RPG moments for you and your players. But it's not just PCs wandering around through one string of unreleated encounters after another. Or, if it is, I'd find that kind of game incredibly boring and purposeless without some overarching story to connect it all together. The building and defense of a kingdom isn't enough of a story by itself. You need an overarching conflict. Not simply many smaller, individual conflicts over the course of a span of time.
Nyrissa provides the larger story element. Thus, that's why as authors we often talk about laying at least some kind of "rails" through a "sandbox" campaign. She's what ties it together. Ultimately, however, this is still a sandbox. Nyrissa represents one such "rail" you can explore. If that one doesn't do it for you, you've got free rein to spin the story of the Kingmaker campaign according to your wishes. But, regardless, decide what story you want to tell. Then, look for the pieces that help guide it to its natural (and exciting) conclusion. Let it all culminate in a collaborative storytelling experience between PCs and GM. And I believe your campaign (sandbox or otherwise) will benefit greatly from it.
But that's just my two cents, ;-)
--Neil
It's an interesting point, Erik, and I can certainly respect that point of view. I think that's actually where the discussion in the other thread went - it became a discussion about whether Nyrissa was actually the BBEG, or just another antagonist.
Personally, though, I tend to fall square on Neil's side of the opinion line. I think a well-crafted story does foreshadow its own conclusion, and I believe that this story is ultimately about the PCs thwarting her plans for the Stolen Lands. Inadvertently at first, but as they grow to recognize the threat she represents, setting out to defeat her personally. (I haven't done an exhaustive reading of some of the later APs yet, but my impression of Nyrissa is that she is one of those types my friends refer to as the "anime villain." She's doing what she feels is best for her vision of the world to be, and gods-damn the consequences to anyone else.)
Regardless, you write:
I don't view Nyrissa as the "culminating force" that drives the story along, she's just one of the many things in the sandbox. Don't elevate her above that.
and that's where you lost me, I'm afraid. We'll have to agree to disagree on that point, because that's not how I see her at all. Not that there's anything wrong with your opinion; I just don't happen to share it.
To me, stories are about conflict. To have conflict, you have to have an antagonist.
At the risk of a thread derail, I'm going to disagree here. I will use The Grapes of Wrath as my counterexample. It is universally accepted to be one of great classics of modern American fiction... in other words, it has a "story." However, you'll note, there is no antagonist, at least not a personified villian. The story is about the Joads' trek across America during the Great Depression, in hopes of finding work in California. There are numerous hardships they endure as a family, and they are face many encounters versus "evil NPCs", but there isn't any one person that dogs them. It's never even implied that the governor of California, or some other distant entity, is against them. Because it's not about California, or the road leading there, it's about the Joads and the Great Depression.
I view Kingmaker in that light. The Stolen Lands are their California, and she's a harsh mistress. Nyrissa might be akin to the deputy that's hunting down Tom. But The Grapes of Wrath isn't about that deputy, it's about the Joad clan. Just like Kingmaker is about the PC's Kingdom.
We've spent entire sessions in our Kingmaker game, just rolling kingdom events (from the expanded table available on this forum), and roleplaying out the consquences of those rolls, and engaging on council power struggles. Or just random other stuff, for example, our high priest had a baby last year. That's what the game is about. Will they one day fight Nyrissa? Yep. But that game's not about her.
And, yes, games can be villian focused. Most are. Not arguing that. I'm just trying to make a point that it's not a strict requirement that all games do so.
Regardless, you write:I don't view Nyrissa as the "culminating force" that drives the story along, she's just one of the many things in the sandbox. Don't elevate her above that.and that's where you lost me, I'm afraid. We'll have to agree to disagree on that point, because that's not how I see her at all. Not that there's anything wrong with your opinion; I just don't happen to share it.
Interestingly, that's how I view Choral the Conquerer. And he is coming back in a big way in my game. And that individual was foreshadowed during chargen. ;-)
So maybe I'm justing punting my BBEG down the field. It's not Nyrissa, it's Choral. But still, the game isn't about "Choral's Legacy" (though that is a major plotpoint in my games). It's about the PC's Kingdom, and how they react to all the things in the sandbox. And the sandbox includes unrelated elements. Elements such as a Cyclopes Lich, a Twice-Born Barbarian, a Loveless Nymph, and a Red Dragon who wants it all back.
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I also am firmly on the side of "Nyrissa as antagonist." And since this thread's stated purpose is to find ways to foreshadow that...here's what I've got so far:
1) Dead Unicorn.
2) Finding the items with which Nyrissa has "favored" some of those she has influenced.
3) The wonderful image/scene Neil shared with us from his original turnover, above. (Thanks, Neil!)
4) The suggestion of using "Realm of the Feynight Queen" - I've made a note to order it from my FLGS.
5) A high incidence of fey in the area. This is front-and-center in the early parts of the path, but becomes less of an emphasis later on, although I suppose there are still a fair number in the random encounter tables.
Related to the fey presence, I'm wondering...
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That's a very good point regarding Nyrissa. The other thing to note is that although she represents the final threat to their kingdom, she's not really out to get the PCs...
** spoiler omitted **
And she would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for those meddling adventurers! *shakes fist* I for one welcome our new fey overlords.
Whenever I run the game, I'll probably play up on the hair and such, maybe/maybe not use the image/scene Neil has provided. I love the idea of using the Realm of the Feynight Queen.
Cintra, I love the idea you suggested of the fey presence. Consider it yoinked... with some modifications.
@Cintra - Probably not.
As added flavor, its certainly an interesting idea. It depends how far you want to go with Nyrissa. Excellent suggestion nonetheless.
Regardless, you write:I don't view Nyrissa as the "culminating force" that drives the story along, she's just one of the many things in the sandbox. Don't elevate her above that.and that's where you lost me, I'm afraid. We'll have to agree to disagree on that point, because that's not how I see her at all. Not that there's anything wrong with your opinion; I just don't happen to share it.
Im with Feegle, Neil, and Cintra on this. Sandboxy as Kingmaker is, having a detailed story complete with BBEG at the end, as the Kingdom building and defending is going on is perfect. Id want the Nyrissa story elevated to the same level as the founding of the kingdom. Not just Nyrissa but all the seeded foreshadowing, her agents through the volumes, etc.
Otherwise it's essentially just a campaign about clearing out a piece of land, building a town or three, rinse and repeat with an occasional side-trek peppered in.
I prefer an epic main story with the BBEG showdown (or two if Choral shows up later) at the end as an integral part of the story of how the Barony of Sunderstone was forged (along with the obligatory blood, sweat, tears and Jessica Alba that helped shape the kingdom). YMMV of course.
Uebelator's idea may be too specific for other GMs to use, but I embrace and endorse any opportunity to make BBEG confrontations *personal* for your PCs. If there is a way to tie Nyrissa into a PC's heritage, legacy, or destiny, then conflict with her becomes far more significant and climactic.
As far as foreshadowing goes, I have used RP with fey NPCs (eg. Melianse and Tiressia in Book 2) to suggest that (a) the Greenbelt is contested territory amongst more powerful few, and (b) one arch-fey in particular is setting her sights on the PCs' kingdom.
However, I have borrowed a page from Harry Potter, and made Nyrissa's name a forbidden utterance. Melianse (a very tenuous ally of the PCs') has described Nyrissa as "sleeping uneasy," and each mention of her name will bring her closer to waking. This will keep the PCs in the dark about their BBEG for a long time. Since the fey won't even disclose her name, there's no way for them even to research her history, much less consider taking the fight to her 4 books too early.
(By the way, this "sleeping" state doesn't preclude her influence over other NPCs. She visits them in their dreams, and may eventually do the same to the PCs.)
I haven't decided yet how/why Nyrissa will awake...currently, the other "Big Bad" in my campaign is the Cult of Gyronna, and I could see them teaming up with a few evil fey to rouse Nyrissa, in an act of vengeance against the PCs. But Irovetti might do something similar...
I haven't decided yet how/why Nyrissa will awake...currently, the other "Big Bad" in my campaign is the Cult of Gyronna, and I could see them teaming up with a few evil fey to rouse Nyrissa, in an act of vengeance against the PCs. But Irovetti might do something similar...
Wow - that's an amazing suggestion! Irovetti doesn't particularly want to move forward with Nyrissa's plans until the PCs are obviously in a position to defeat him, at which point he has nothing to lose by awakening her...
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I have a question regarding Nyrissa's plans:
If there isn't already something better, I want to add something that makes this information available to the PCs.
And I'm considering letting them recover a related piece of evidence: A wine-bottle-sized bottle resting on its side on a stand, with a tiny landscape of hills/grassland (as appropriate) contained inside; miniscule creatures can be visible living out their lives inside. My thought is that Irovetti might have stolen this keepsake from Nyrissa, and the PCs can recover it when they defeat him.
I have a question regarding Nyrissa's plans:** spoiler omitted **On my read through, I didn't notice anything that let them know that's what is coming if they fail.
If there isn't already something better, I want to add something that makes this information available to the PCs.** spoiler omitted **
I believe, according to the book, that the PCs don't learn the truth until they confront her.
I like you're idea, though.
I think I've just decided what the very first bloom will be in my campaign - Levetown in a bottle. Thanks very much, Cintra Bristol
I think I've just decided what the very first bloom will be in my campaign - Levetown in a bottle. Thanks very much, Cintra Bristol
No, thank you - that's far more evil than my initial idea. I love it!
Does anyone have a handy list of the NPCs who have been influenced by Nyrissa?
** spoiler omitted **
Well, without looking right now I can recall...
Heck, if you like, you could always have one of the PCs start getting dreams from Nyrissa, maybe even before the campaign starts. It might explain why he went to Brevoy if he's not a native, and why he's trying to become a king.
One of the things I did in my campaign was to use the unicorn's death as a tool to leverage more foreshadowing of Nyrissa. One player was going to be absent that game so I chose that moment to suck the rest of the group into a bubble dimension akin to the first world where they had to get through a series of challenges and as one of their rewards, they got to relive the scene in which the unicorn actually died, as if they were "a fly on the wall."
They definitely know there's something major afoot in their area though they've really not put much thought or energy into further investigation. The pieces will start falling together in time, though.
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I"m currently half way through RRR and have taken some foreshadowing here on board. Thanks guys.
ALL SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU REALLY SHOULD NOT BE READING THIS THREAD IF YOU ARE A PLAYER ANYWAY!
I'm not running with Doom Crow's monster kingdom, the uniting of disparite monster races under the one banner didn't sit well with me and the PCs have been very diplomatic in all their encounters, but have adopted a lot of ideas from that thread (thanks to you guys too). I agreed that the human element in the enraging of the Owlbear seemed out of place so have gone with direct action by the Trolls and their halfling slaves (some of which ended up on the Troll's dinner plate when they had outlived their usefulness). I've had the Trolls intimidating and standing over the other monster NPCs that are allied to the new Kingdom. The PCs were pretty freaked out by the Unicorn is are on the look out for what may have done this. The Trolls will be the first direct strike by Nyrissa's minions (the Stag didn't appear to have any connection to her by the PCs).
I've been playing up the fey connection to the Stolen Lands. Old Beldame got the party tripping balls on Black Cap mushroom tea and incited the Carroll's Jabberwocky to them. The next morning they asked about the Jabberwocky, the Tane and learnt that the border between the First World and the Stolen Lands was particularly thin.
My other plot driving tool becomes from one of my players's characters, the summoner. He had a twin who was still born at birth. His parents where distraught and tried on bring his brother back to life by burying him in a Fey mound and reciting a ritual given to them by the local herbalist and midwife (a hag in disguise). The ritual didn't work but the surviving son always thought there was something missing, a presence just out of reach. He researched and trained for many years before he was finally able to manifest his long lost brother in physical form (a biped eidolon). His brother grew up in a wild, wicked and terrifying land were he is routined hunted and often captured and tortured to death, only to reform and rise again the next day to suffer the same fate. He is grateful to his brother for giving him some relief but is resentful when he has to return to "the other place". Since forming the kingdom the persecution and torment has gone up a notch and one particularly gruesome death (which supported one of the eidolon's evolutions but that's another story) came with a warning that if his brother really loved him, he would stop playing Kings in a land where he didn't belong and pack up and go home. The PCs are now freaking out.
The other place is the First World, I may even make it ThousandBreaths. I was also thinking of have the brother's soul trapped in a soul jar (similar to Vordakai's) sitting as a trophy in the House at the Edge of Time. How I resolve this when it is discovered I'm not sure....
I think I'll also knock off the bottle idea by making one of the yet unexplored Hexes in the south unusually barren with a pervading background aura of Transmutation magic. I might put the bottle in Irovetti's castle.
I have been chewing for a long time on why Nyrissa doesn't visit the PC king in dreams (in my game she can't do it physically until the "stars are right": her appearances to the Stag Lord and Irovetti were by proxy).
I have finally decided on the following, scheduled to happen part way through War of the River Kings:
The PC king has a dream clearly from Nyrissa in which she offers him rulership by her side. I expect he will refuse (though the player has surprised me before). She'll laugh and say that he has time yet to change his mind, and she will send him a gift.
A few days later a merchant arrives with a mysterious artifact-potion. The PCs' centaur sage will be able to say what it is: it transforms the drinker into the form of whatever immortal heritage he may possess, or kills him if there is none. The PC king, as is well known, is descended from a dragon....
I kind of doubt he'll use it, though he could. But if he doesn't, what will he do with it? It's a frightful prize. People would come from all over Golarion to try to buy it, steal it, or seize it by force.
This may work only for the unusual circumstances in my game--my PCs have known about Nyrissa since rather early on. (My player pursues knowledge with fanatical intensity, so he almost always knows the plot well in advance--I just have to roll with that.)
** spoiler omitted **there is one that was left out from the post and is way cool I think:
** spoiler omitted **
I say go with it and let it be.
I think the often mentioned Realm of the Fellnight Queen by Neil is perfect for foreshadowing Nyrissa.
Plus, I will let it start with the Rezbins ruling Tatzlford inviting the PCs for their wedding - so I can have that in a bottle or even better in a snow dome like bubble.
I have used dreams so far to foreshadow Nyrissa, so far everybody in the group has had them.
Also, Nyrissa has/will have gifted everybody with a ring formed by a tresses of her green hair, each with a unique effect (first beneficial, after this wears off, turning into something nasty).
RUyan.
I use an expanded version of the events table for my game, and as one of the early events was the presence of an ancient ghost that lends its wisdom, I used that for early forshadowing. While the ancient ghost and advisor for a previous Taldan attempt to colonize the area remembers little, he knows that 'the very land rose up against us', giving them their first clue.
I've also added a magic item to Hargulka (who already has a very 'foreshadowy' map in his room, BTW), A headband with +2 INT & WIS with the Linguistics Skill. The delicate silver filigree on the headband should be enough of a trigger sitting on the troll's head, that combined with the map it will point solidly at the idea that someone put him up to trying to make his own little kingdom. (The languages granted by the headband from Linguistics are all various languages local to the area, designed to allow Hargulka to make effective contact with others nearby to rally them against the kingdom.)
In my game, Nyrissa herself has not yet come up with the 'Ship in a bottle' idea, though she may in a while.
My players aren't sure *what* is going on, but they're worried about it. The chief diplomat is considering proposing a diplomatic marriage to a Dryad, one of Tiressia's sisters (IMC, Tiressia has four sisters, and is an analog for the dryads in Fellnight Queen). He wants to 'marry the land' to strengthen their relations with the Fey...I plan on having their wedding occur in Tatzlford, where I've already altered the terrain a bit so the I can have the wedding (and a desire to stop it) be the trigger for the Fellnight Queen's actions.
My group is about to finish the second book and I have had a lot of Fae involvement thus far. Instead of will-o-whisps I used lurkers-in-light. All the Fae 'allies' from the first two books are make numerous appearances. Gyronna was instead 'The Angry Queen'. Most monsters are animals, magical beasts, or Fae. My players have an appreciative fear of the Fairy Realm. They also don't know which Fae will be an ally or enemy.
But I've never used her name. The next few books will have her name, but I'm making it hard for them to put 2+2 together. I'm even thinking of having her 'ally' with them against Pitax if it feels right.