Unseelie Basics
the word "unseelie" means "dangerous, unlucky, unfavorable, unhappy, ungodly". the unseelie court is described as always unfavorable to human and is closely linked to the slua si, the malicious fairy host who torment people and cause illness and death wherever they go. they are known for kidnapping mortals and using them for entertainment before dropping them back far from where they were taken.

just as the seelie court could cause harm if motivated, so too the unseelie denizens may act kindly toward humans.

a note on the unseelie: although it's trendy now to see the darker fae as just as kind and helpful as the seelie court, merely grumpy and misunderstood, in folklore there was usually a good reason people feared them and that reason was their tendency towards homicidal reactions and eating people. contrary to what most young adult novels and paranormal romance currently on the market like to say, the unseelie court aren't the emo bad boys of the fae world who just need a big hug and some understanding. while it's true that it is not a cut and dry situation, we need to be careful not to romanticize the more dangerous fae based on our own desire for them to secretly be kind and gentle (fairies: a guide to celtic fair folk, morgan daimler; 2017)

Unseelie Court
known as dark court, they lean towards seeing people as a resource whether it be for food or entertainment. the unseelie court is comprised primarily of solitary fae of a malicious nature who feed on or enjoy hurting mortals. however, they do still have a system similar to the seelie consisting of the sidhe who rule over a more structured monarchy. the magic of the unseelie court tends towards decay, ill-luck, and transformation. the magic of the aos si of this court tend to be of the elements of fire and air.

Slua Si
group of malicious unseelie fae that is a combination of fallen aos si, other unseelie and the living undead. they hunt in a raid at night and attack humans that get in their way along with any solitary, unaligned fae who have either never been aligned, or have fallen out of favor with either the seelie or unseelie court. they are hunted down by the fairie rade.
Seelie Moral Code
Change is Good - just as honor is important to the seelie, change makes it to the number spot for the unseelie. and not change for the better, or even change for the worse. change for the sake of change. imagine the most trendoid fashionista you can imagine. now, imagine that guy who doesn't own any cds because by the time he's made 20 bucks to buy something by his favorite band, he's bored with them and listening to the next new thing. now, imagine the other guy who always is upgrading his computer and buying the newest high tech gadget because it's "cutting edge". and then imagine the person who closes their eyes in the voting booth and randomly selects who they vote for, because "they're all essentially the same anyway". now, roll all these people into one. that is the purest embodiment of the unseelie.

the unseelie have a well-earned reputation for unreliability because changing your plans is good. changing your mind is good. an unseelie redcap may (as unlikely as this is because of their own kithain nature) get bored in the middle of torturing you and take you out for ice cream. he changed his mind. unseelie courts barely resemble courts because every noble involved has changed the rules of courtly behavior to suit their own mood.

this love of change for the sake of change attracts those dark fae souls who thrive on chaos. it doesn't take much of a push for whimsy to turn into a nightmare. read an unabridged alice in wonderland some time

Glamour is Free - this precept has done much to give the unseelie their bad rap, because of the highly visible ravagings some of the more impatient or cruel unseelie perpetrate. one can easily see why a precept that essentially says, "take what you want, it's free." can attract unsavory elements.

but what this also means is that an unseelie is going to be giving glamour away like it's going out of style. glamour is free -you shouldn't hoard it! glamour is worthless unless used. acquire it by any means possible, and you will never be without a constant supply.

Honor is a Lie - this is the other precept that attracts the most "evil". if you will not be held by oaths, by traditional codes of behavior, by your word - you're free to do whatever you want. claim undying friendship to your enemy to get close enough to stab him in the back. he was the idiot for believing your word of honor.

but, when not taken to this extreme, "honor is a lie" is not so terribly far off from modern 20th century situational ethics. honor binds you to a course of action, honor removes the need for thought, honor can easily be used to justify injustice because of tradition. one should base their morality on a case by case basis. one should understand that mercy is oddly important to the mortals.

bear in mind that in the ancient times when the codes were, ah, codified, this was a horrifying thought. situational ethics flew in the face of everything the church taught, everything taught by the pagan philosophers, everything people knew of war. why did the faerie forgive this person but punish this person. it was the height of capriciousness and unpredictability -bringing us back to change is good. just because we approve of it today, doesn't mean the unseelie are better "people" for it.

Passion Before Duty - if you have an unseelie noble over you, you'd best hope he gets his thrills from paperwork, or that he has a seelie vizier -because otherwise, the day to day running of a fief isn't going to get done. a seelie in love will do unthinkable things to please their lover, but at least he's honor bound to fulfill his responsibilities first. the unseelie will do these unthinkable things, and then do them again rather than doing his duty. because passion is more important.

this aspect of the unseelie can make them fun to be around,but the unseelie are the winter court. in the winter, if one doesn't chop wood for the fire, one freezes. if one doesn't make sure you have all the sheep in the fold, starving wolves will eat them. duty is important in the winter. passion leads to people dying. again, in these modern times, people are less likely to die from winter carelessness, but bearing in mind the times when fairy stories were made helps explain why the unseelie got the reputation as the "evil" court. and when your passion is scaring people or eating them - well, one might see why a darker soul wouldn't be put out by a court that places those desires above mowing the lawn or herding unicorns.