Unseelie fae, according to the classification system now in use by the Collegium, are those fae—that is to say, magical creatures who are not humanlike—whose behavior and motivations cannot be explained by any natural laws of the world or of magic. The definition is such that even beings that may be partly understood are classified as unseelie if they are hostile or otherwise unfriendly.

Many in the Collegium find this definition anthropocentric and unsatisfying, with many observing that “seelie” brownies and “unseelie” will ‘o wisps seem to be closely related. The classification of various risen spirits, ghosts, and zombies is also quite controversial, with the traditional classification placing them in unseelie fae while many Collegisters regard them as being wholly separate.

At one point, aided by a magic circle and a blunderbuss loaded with double shot, Collegistress Y’Wech interviewed an imp for its views on the matter. Asked why imps were hostile to humans and how they were able to teleport and assume gaseous form when not bound in a circle of iron shavings, the imp replied by asking how humans were able to move about without a brain in their head and detailing exactly how many blows from its claws would be needed to exsanguinate Y’Wech. Her response, to unload both barrels of the blunderbuss at the imp point-blank, is not regarded as a shining moment in Collegium scientific inquiry.

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