The Sidhe
Species and Variations
Of the three magical peoples the most varied and unique of all three is the Sidhe, (pronounced "shee" in Irish).
There are many types of beings, creatures, and monsters that are technically included amongst the sidhe. The Sidhe pretty much is a being that manifest magic of themselves or in their being in a physical way is part of the sidhe. Wizards, witches, faeries, phoenixes, thunderbirds, elves, trolls, zombies, vampires, were-people, were-wolves, were-cats, or were-chickens, banshees, leprechaun, clurichaun, little people, goblins, orcs, or anything that waves a wand, conjures a spell, awakens a curse, or exists or awakens through the practice of outwardly manifest magic is included in the sidhe. There is not a comprehensive list of shee, as not all have been found and categorized. But fauns, centaurs, minotaurs, harpys, sirens, satyrs, krampii, talking animals generally, cheshire cats, mermaids, chimaeras such as griffins and hippogriffs, manticores, pegasus, jabberwocky, yetis, sasquatch, jackalope, basilisk, chupacabra, selkies, wyrms, wyverns, dragons, and lungs are all included. Not least, nor to be forgotten are man-eating plants, as well as many other odd and bizarre magical plants of many shapes, colors, sizes, and countries of origin.
They can be intelligent, stupid, humanoid, animal, and plant. They can look normal and act magical, or be fantastic, and just look bizarre. The thing that unites them is their ability to conjure and/or manifest magic in a physical way.
It almost begs the question what isn't sidhe.
Humans are not sidhe, but there may be those who appear to be.
Jinn are not sidhe, but can act through them.
The Sidhe evolved much like life did; beginning with basic shapes and filling niches, specializing until it no longer served a purpose, to die and have its niche filled by something else. Actually the sidhe only die when their purpose has been filled, and are reborn, or reincarnated until they serve their purpose. They then can die and go to the world beyond this one.
The Scattering
Once Avalon disappeared, the remaining sidhe of that area scattered to various places. Without the protection of the city, the peoples knew it would only be a matter of time until the competing kingdoms would come upon the land with vengence.
Two groups went to deserts of the east and south. Some went to the far east. Some went north into the cold lands, and others went traveling with no land as a destination. And some stayed as close as they could, just onshore. And some stayed. These would later regret their complacency.
But no matter where they fled, the Flood wiped out the memories of the sidhe across the world because they had become corrupted and selfish, and had lost their way in achieving their purpose. They needed a new start, and the flood did this. They were all reincarnated, but their individual memories were wiped. However, the centers of knowledge were left behind, and could only be accessed and benefited from by those who find the key to it. And servants of the Jann were the only way. They would be shown who they really were, but only under certain conditions they might fulfill; they had set it up in this way with the knowledge that some day they would be wiped out, and they wanted those who would come to be able to find it and learn who they were and achieve their ultimate purpose.
The Mortimer goes on a search to find the land of Atlantis. He even goes under water to figure out from the mer people that Atlantis never was under water, and that it never sunk into the ocean. It leads him back up above ground, where he eventually learns that it might have been taken up.
The Great Magical Migration
In the early days of the Blackburn Brothers' protection of the ostracized and rejected dark creatures they found, they never could have imagined where that protective and paternal instinct would have led them. But as it happens, one good thing leads to another, and before they were fully aware of it, this bastion of freedom and security they had established in the top of the mountains became a fully fledged depot for monsters, creatures, and all sorts of fantastical people and beings on the run from the real monsters and tyrants that emerged in the twentieth century throughout Europe and Asia. And it wasn't just the dictators, but the spirits or jinn who possessed them; if it had just been normal, average humans doing terrible things, these beings would have had no issue with keeping them in check. But because they were possessed by such powerful and evil beings as the dark jann, or djinn, they were powerless, and had to run or face extinction. Even some dragons run in the presence of the djinn. The djinn had power that the sidhe could not fathom, and had never found out how to best.
So it goes, that the Blackburn Brother's small setup became a portal through which the majority of magical creatures in the old countries came seeking protection and a place to be themselves in peace.
Luckily through the instrumentality and prescient foundations established to serve the earlier needs of Kris Kringle, they had what they needed to orchestrate such a massive and unprecedented flight of so many peoples and individuals. And of course, magic came in handy, despite Mortimer's somewhat reluctance to do so. Magic does as magic requires, he'd say. And Benjamin's adept knowledge finally came in handy as the need for systems, processes, and magical places came to pass, and the magical folk of the north, as they became, gained safety and sanctity in their new home.