Travelers, when directed by a guide, are always warned about the "rules" of the Fey. These laws of conduct are seemingly ingrained into the livelihood of every feyfolk. It is uncertain where they are derived from; maybe from the Tuatha De Dannan during the first few years of the Feywild, but regardless of where they came from, it is imperative that travelers abide by these rules, or they could put their entire lives at stake.
Rule of Reciprocity
The rule of reciprocity states thatwhen a friend, an enemy, or stranger offers you a gift, you are obliged to accept it and offer something of comparable value (be it a gift or a service) in return. Such reciprocation need not happen immediately
By and large, fey feel strongly about quid-pro-quo and balance. If something is taken, then something of equal value must be given, and what a fey consideres to be of equal value is the big question. A fey might steal a human's beloved pet and leave in its place a brightly painted wooden effigy, or the fey might take some gold and leave a bundle of bright, yellow buttercups. These exchances satisfy the agreement of reciprocity, and a fey who makes them sleeps soundly at night, content that the exchanges were fair.
Rule of Hospitality
The rule of hospitality states that when a friend, an enemy, or stranger enters your home, you are expected to be gracious and accommodating to them until such time as they prove, by their words or actions, as undeserving of such hospitality.
Hospitality is a pillar of fey society. Treating a visitor to one's home with courtesy and generosity is important to most fey, but the visitor must show their fey host the same courtesy and not act boorishly or demonstrate blatant impropriety. Rudeness breaks the bond and frees a host fromt the obligation to be hospitable. But each fey has different ideas about what constitutes rudeness; even an ill-conceived gift to a fey host might be regarded as an insult and cause a kerfuffle, if not a revocation of the fey host's hospitality. A trusty fey guide can provide invaluable assistance in navigating such delivate situations.
Rule of Ownership
The rule of ownership states that you must not steal from a friend, an enemy, or a stranger. To take something that does not belong to you without the rightful owner's permission is a crime and unforgivable breach of etiquette.
To travelers, this is admittedly one of the more nuanced rules of etiquette within the Feywild. On one hand, you have the rule of ownership, which forbids stealing anything that doesn't belong to you. On the other hand, a clever fey may take something from someone, and leave something in return, satisfying the rule of reciprocity. Furthermore, who defines what belongs to who? You may think that a fey is stealing your family's prized heirloomed longsword, but in reality, the fey claims that anything within their domain belongs to them, which in turn indebtens you by the rule of reciprocity.
True Names
It is said that true names are more than just a being's full name, acting as a label. True names are often hidden names that metaphyically truly belong to that creature. In the Fey, anyone who correctly speaks a being's true name gains great power over them, and travelers are advised by their guides to never speak their true name aloud.
Little is known about the mysticism of true names, but it is better to approach this with great caution. If an innocent traveler gave their name to a seemingly well-meaning elderly woman in the Feywild, that woman could reveal herself to be a powerful hag who can control the fate of that traveler in unforseen ways.
Oaths, Promises, and Intent
Thanks to the wondrous power of the Tuatha De Dannan, the Feywild is shaped by stories, oaths, and willpower, and such things have tremendous power there. Entire domains and kingdoms have been created by a sufficiently epic dream, and an existing kingdom has been brought down by the same.
Oaths made to the feyfolk or within the Feywild, regardless of the seriousness with which the speaker makes them, have power to bind the maker in strange and mysterious ways.
It is thought that a promise invokes the person's will upon the land, already rooting their promise within the bedrock of reality. And when that promise is broken, there could be severe consequences.
Children
While traveling through the Feywild, you might encounter children who were lured into the Feywild by fairy tricksters, or who stumbled into a Domain of Delight by other means. Most of these children have been stuck long enough to forget about the world they come from, yet they haven't aged at all.
In the Feywild, youthfulness is coveted and protected by any means necessary. This magic, instated by the Tuatha De Dannan protects all children within their realm (but not creatures disguised as children). Any child who would take damage as a consequence of another creature's actions vanishes in a burst of multicolored light and is spirited away to a safe corner of the Feywild, unharmed and unreachable by the aggressor. Children within this plane can also not be located or scried upon using magic.
"Thank You"
Travelers to the Fey should absolutely avoid saying "thank you" to any fey denizen. Upon the Material Plane, a "thank you" is a typical reply to express gratitude for a good deed done or kindness shown. However, in the Fey, a "thank you" is viewed as a sign that a kindness or deed is eternally finished and will be forgotten. It is considered transactional, as if the relationship with the feyfolk meant nothing to the other.
A better response is something along the lines of, "your kindness is much appreciated and will not be forgotten."
