Boggan
As industrious as any Goblin, as honorable as any Troll, the Boggans are often overlooked among the commoner fey. Short of stature, and devoted almost entirely to the comfort of others, Boggans tend to be homebodies by nature. They are hard workers, and generous hosts; Boggans always leave lanterns burning for travelers, and there's always more room around the table, and an extra helping of stew on the fire. Boggans cannot help extending a hand to those in need; it's in their nature, and they take great pride in their ability to make others feel at ease.

In ancient times, the Boggans were the early spirits of hearth and home. They were the protectors of the simple folk, and offerings of food and drink were left out for them by those they favored. When the oppressed were unable to complete their tasks, and lay in bed exhausted and weeping from their troubles, Boggans would sneak out at night and perform the chores, reap the fields, and clean their homes, so that these mortals awoke to find the work complete.

For these fey, recompense is almost never necessary. Many Boggans take so much pride in the completion of their work that they feel no payment is necessary. However, Boggans hate to hear a simple "thanks" from those they assist. Such a summary dismissal of their deeds is anathema to them. Boggans aren't praise seekers, but to dismiss what they've done so simply wounds their pride, and makes them think that they haven't really been as helpful as they could have been.

Boggan social customs are often perplexing to other fey. The surest way to win their appreciation is to praise their work, and not simply accept it without question or dismiss it with a summary "Thank you." Complimenting them on the delicious cookies, the soft bed, or the finely stitched clothing causes them to beam with joy. Showing admiration for their work proves to them that you took notice and actually appreciated it, and assures that more favors will always be forthcoming.

Boggans are very nervous about matters of debt, to the point where many of them give favors without any expectation of being repaid. Offering money for a Boggan's service is another sure way to offend them; the idea that a simple price could be laid on their labors, especially with something as banal as hard currency, fills them with rage. Unseelie Boggans maneuver social situations so that others feel that they owe the Boggan a great deal, and make sure that others are never able to repay these debts, always keeping the scales tipped in their favor. Seelie Boggans are less concerned; they simply don't accept anything other than the gratitude of their guests. Implying that a Boggan did less than quality work sends them into a fury; this will never, of course, be taken out on the questioner. Still, the Boggan will consider himself deeply in debt to the offended party, and will work tirelessly and in misery to redeem himself somehow. It's not uncommon for such Boggans to perish from Forgetting as the work loses all meaning for them, depressed and sullen all the time. Though Boggans are happy to work with others, their nervousness about debt means they rarely enter into Oaths with others.

This is not to say, of course, that Boggans can simply be tricked into service for others. All Boggans appreciate the value of hard work, and will not simply be a subservient fool to another changeling or mortal. Boggans have a strong sense of self-worth; they believe that their tireless efforts and generosity endow them with a nobility beyond any title or position. If a Boggan is undervalued, or insulted, he is likely to pack up and leave, never coming back.

Boggans believe in making the places they live happy and healthy. There are few fey with a better sense of whether times are lean or prosperous, and no other fey has a better sense for how to care and maintain Freeholds than the Boggans.

There is another reason why Boggans stick close to households; despite their love of work, they are also incorrigible gossips. Many of their number consider the secrets they gather, and their entertainment from watching other fey, to be fair payment for their services. Seelie Boggans are busybodies who listen in on conversations to try and promote the health and happiness of those around them; the Unseelie Boggans are more likely to hoard a few secrets for their own protection, which they can use for blackmail, or at least to defend their own kind from abuse at the hands of cruel masters. For the most part, even the most Unseelie Boggans don't like to disrupt the places they live in, and so their abuse of the information they gather is rare. If many Boggans work together in a large Freehold, they are likely to pool their information, sharing secrets in the kitchens, laundry rooms, and gardens.

Those fey who know the Boggans' penchant for digging up dirt have occasionally been able to use them as spies and information gatherers in the camps of their enemies. For the most part, however, Boggans decry being manipulated in this fashion. They make better personal assistants and staff than spies.

Just as Boggans have contempt for simple, trivial words of thanks, they are also opposed to mass-produced materials and services. Fast-food turns Boggan's stomachs, and any of them would quickly whip up a delicious home-cooked meal rather than let anyone each such horrors. Similarly, Boggans prefer bed-and-breakfast inns to hotels, home-made clothing to machine-made, and good old fashioned labor. Boggans distaste for the machine age has caused a serious rift to form between them and the Goblins; this is more ideological than anything else, but the Goblins so delight in sour attitude that they continue to harp on the issue long after the gentle Boggans wanted to bury the hatchet over it. Just as Goblins have no kind words for Boggans, most Boggans tend to grumble when they see Goblin artifice.

Boggans are almost uniformly short of stature, with thick downy hair and a tendency towards plumpness. They have large hands, and dexterous fingers, and their tiny, bright eyes emphasize their already large noses. Boggans wear simple, hand-made clothing, fairly plain compared to the garb of most fey. Their skin browns and wrinkles with age, and even their Wilders often look like Grumps.

The heart of a Boggan breaks whenever someone is in need. When confronted by someone with a legitimate need, a Boggan must make a Willpower to avoid assisting that person in some way. Some clever fey have used this penchant of Boggans against them; reprisals from both Seelie and Unseelie Boggans are not uncommon when this occurs. Even the most cruel Unseelie boggans don't like to see their extended family taken advantage of.