To speak their True name of "Sluagh" calls them to the speaker. The folk of the Highlands merely refer to them as "The Host". Common folk make certain that they are indoors well before sunset, and in bed asleep before the midnight hour to avoid being taken by The Host. Working in homes after sunset seems to call The Host to the dwelling place. No mere walls can keep them out.
Some scholars view the Sluagh as spirits of mortals who have died, while some view them as fallen angels. whatever they may be, they are the Most formidable of the Highland Faery people.
The Sluagh are described as having the abilities to fly very quickly through the air in formations of great clouds, shrieking and croaking like a covey of birds. They visit places inhabited by mortals. Their souls are dark, like the storm clouds they take the form of and are said to dim good deeds & bright works, looking only to do evil.
When viewed as spirits, it is said that they cannot leave or pass from this form to a better place until they have attoned for their evil deeds that they had performed when they were living, yet, this seems to be the furthest thing from their minds.
The Sluagh can be seen fighting battles in the sky, much as men do on the earth. They can especially be seen on frosty nights advancing and retreating against one another. Often after a battle evidence of their engagements can be seen as crimson stains of their blood upon the stones and ground below their battle. "Fuil nan sluagh", the blood of the Host, is the name for the beautiful red marks on the rocks where the frost melts.
Sluagh have been known to take cattle & leave behind old men wrapped in the hides of the cattle. upon inspection of these hide-wrapped men, they often are said to disappear like the mist, leaving nothing behind. Sluagh kill cats, dogs, sheep and cattle with their envenomed darts called "Elfshot". They are said to cause sickness and death. They have been known to take children from their beds.
They can command men to follow & fight for them, and men have no choice but to obey for they cannot resist. The Sluagh use men to kill the man's own livestock, often after an option to shoot their animals or one of their loved ones is first presented to them. Sometimes the option is never given and a man may be commanded to kill someone they hold very dear. These men must then show blood on their weapon to the Host to prove the deed has been done. These men who fight for the Sluagh are treated poorly after the deeds are performed. They are often dragged, rolled, and beaten through mud, moorlands, thorns, mire and brackish pools.
The Sluagh are seen, generally, after or around sunset. They love to travel around the hour of midnight. They often take the form and appear as mortals. They walk in the air above the areas where mortals dwell. On bad nights, the Sluagh shelter amongst the stalks of ragwort and russet docken. The Host is strongest and often fight great battles on Samhain (pronounced "Sow-in"), All Hallow's Eve, also known as Halloween. This is the time when the Veils between the Realms of Mortals, Faery & the Dead are the thinnest.
The Sluagh have their own Traditions and Rules, as do most of the Unseelie Courts. These may make no sense to the Mortals & may be very harmful to mortals and those whom do not follow or respect these rules, but the Host are very strick in adhering to their ancient "Wayes".
The Sluagh whose Realm abuts the Realm of the Myste seem to be broken up into households, armies or factions, called "Black Ordos", each lead by a "General". These Generals rule what they call "Kaluths", great, maze-like territories where the General's say is absolute and law. The Sluagh who dwell near the Realm of the Myste are strict followers of Tradition & Writ, to the letter. Woe to those who break a pact or overstep the boundries set by a "General".
The Sluagh of the Kaluths wear Black Armor of some sort of hide. This armor seems to repell magic and any sort of weapon attack. The Sluagh are mistletoe berry-white, with blue highlights to their skin. They often bear strange tattoos or facial scars that seem to denote rank or have other magical significance. The Sluagh who rank high in the Black Ordos seem to ride skeletal mounts, while the lower Sluagh run along side, very quickly, when the Host rides out. They carry sharp, curving blades & weapons that would put even the fiercest Drow weapon to shame.
