Changeling Primer:
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the_big_oocChangeling Primer
Faeries are creatures of the Dreaming, the collective imagination and dreams of all the world. Some are born from dreams of fancy; some from dreams of nobility and honor; some from nightmares and horror. But all are tied to the Dreaming – the Dreaming is their very lifeblood. Without Glamour (the energy and essence of the Dreaming), a faerie will wither and die. Over time, related sorts of dreams formed into similar groups. Many of the dreams of passion took similar forms, and the Satyrs became their own group, while dreams of honor merged to create the Trolls, and so forth. But even among these groups, or Kith, there were often subgroups and variations, for no faerie is identical to another – for what two dreams are identical?
At one time, the Dreaming and the physical realm were one and the same – they were indistinguishable. But as time progressed, the realms began to divide. Arcadia, the heart of the Dreaming, drifted further and further from the physical realm. The trods, or pathways, to Arcadia grew longer and longer. This time period was known as the Sundering, and it lasted for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
Finally, several hundred years ago (at the birth of the Age of Reason), the Sundering culminated in the Shattering, as the paths to Arcadia closed. Despite the name, it did not happen all at once; there was time for the fae to flee. However, the nobility, the Sidhe, began to argue over which of the houses should be allowed to travel the trods first. They warred, while many commoner fae waited. Once the Sidhe had settled their order for leaving, they left – but while many fae escaped the world, many were still left, trapped in the mortal world which was growing toxic to them. Banality is poison to a faerie, and the world was growing so very banal.
Thankfully, those faeries who remained in the mortal world found various methods for survival. The majority found that they could bind their essence into an unborn human child. The faerie nature would slumber within the child, but someday, that child (or adult) would be exposed to the Dreaming, and would touch creativity. This touch would awaken the faerie nature, and the Changeling – neither fully human nor fully fae – would have a life between these two worlds. Eventually, the mortal body would die, and the faerie essence would reincarnate – sometimes with vague memories of previous incarnations. Other faeries hid their essences within inanimate objects, or animals, but they were in the minority.
The next several hundred years were something of a dark age for the Kithain (as the European-based changelings called themselves). With the exception of a single noble house of Sidhe that remained, they were mostly commoners, on their own. During this period of time, known as the Interregnum, the commoner kith learned how to rule themselves. Taking a page from the mortals, they developed democracy and similar ideals. And so things remained for many years.
But in 1969, something happened. Mankind set foot on the moon, enflaming the imaginations of every man, woman, and child on earth. This huge surge of Glamour reopened ancient paths to Arcadia. Unfortunately, they only led out – and five houses of Sidhe came riding out. Their reasons for leaving Arcadia have been lost – for as one leaves the Dreaming, their memories of their time there can fade due to the Mists, like a dream fades from memory as a sleeper awakens – but the rumor persists that the five houses were exiled. Still, there were five noble houses back now (followed by a small number of sidhe from the remaining eight houses) – and they were ready to return to their old positions, ruling over the common folk.
The commoners did not appreciate the Sidhe declaring that they were their leaders once more. They wished to continue as they once had – there would be no more “nobles.” Tensions grew, until one Beltane night, many commoner leaders were invited to a peace meeting. The leaders of the Sidhe claim to this day that they did not extend those invitations, and they do not know who was responsible for the atrocity which followed. What is said, however, is that the commoner leaders, gathered at a table, were ambushed by sidhe wearing masks to protect their identities. These sidhe murdered every last commoner leader with cold iron. This event, the Beltane Night of Iron Knives Massacre, sparked a brutal civil war known as the Accordance War.
The Sidhe were led by High King Dafyll, who wielded Caliburn, a powerful sword forged from potent dreams. When Dafyll was ambushed and killed by Redcaps in the subways of New York, Caliburn vanished without a trace. After several years of battle, a Sidhe scholar protecting a group of Childling Sidhe was shocked when one of the young children fled the battle – only to return with Caliburn itself. This young Sidhe, named David, was soon proclaimed High King. He met with the Sidhe kings and queens as well as with the commoner leaders, and soon hammered out a truce which made most Kithain very happy. And there was peace – at least in the Kingdom of Concordia (North America).
While the Sidhe remain nobility, other kith can earn a noble status as well. In addition, there is a Parliament of Dreams, which serves as a senate that can overrule the High King from time to time. Members of the Parliament can be commoner or nobility, with different Freeholds each determining their own method for sending a representative. In the Parliament, all representatives are equal, regardless of status.
High King David still rules today, and, while tensions often flare between commoner and noble, and some organizations dislike David and his politics, he is loved by the vast majority of his kingdom.
The Kith
The Kithain, as the European-styled changelings call themselves, have a number of different Kith, or families of faerie. While there are countless Kith in theory, there are several which are most common. For more details on any of these kith, see the next OOC post.
Boggans: Sturdy craftspeople, the boggans are the dreams of hard work and practicality. They tend towards smaller, stockier statures, and most cannot turn their back on someone in true need.
Eshu: Wanderers and storytellers, typically (though not exclusively) of North-African descent, the Eshu have a knack for finding the most interesting path to wherever they are intending to go.
Nockers: Tinkerers and craftspeople, Nockers are capable of making ornate machines that strain the limits of credulity. They also tend to have a foul (if highly creative) mouth – no one can outswear a Nocker.
Pooka: Animal pranksters, Pooka are each tied to a single animal, which often reveals a hint as to the Pooka’s personality. Pookas have a significant difficulty in telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth – they tend to exaggerate or evade rather than outright lie.
Redcaps: Redcaps are creatures born of nightmares. Violent hunger incarnate, they are capable of eating almost anything, and they are rumored to be cannibals.
Satyrs: Creatures of passion, ranging from the artistic to the sensual, satyrs are athletic and romantic.
Sidhe: Nobility, the Sidhe (pronounced “shee”) are mostly newcomers to the world, having returned from a several-hundred-year absence only a few short decades ago. All Sidhe are nobility, and belong to one of several noble houses, each with their own culture.
Sluagh: Born of the nightmares of the unknown things in the dark, the Sluagh are quiet lurkers in the darkness. They are excellent spies, and they can fit nearly anywhere.
Trolls: Gaining their great strength from their honor, the trolls are said to be the original nobility before the arrival of the Sidhe. Trolls are massive, often blue-skinned, with impressive strength.
Other, less common kith include offshoots of the more common kith, such as the river hags (related to the redcaps), Oba (noble cousins of the eshu), or less common kith such as the passionate imps, the revelrous clurichans, the natural ghille dhu, or the mischievous piskies.
There are also other types of fae beyond the Kithain, known collectively as the Gallain. Some Gallain are regional – such as the Nunnehi of the Native Americans, the Hsien of Asia, or the Menehune of Polynesia, each with their own kith-like groups. Others are fae more connected to the natural world, who bound themselves into elements of nature or inanimate objects, the Inanime – including the mysterious Mannequin people. Some, the Denizens, are more primeval, with such sub-groups as the predatory Fir-Bholg, the mortuary Keremet, the inspirational Aonides, or the mysterious Moirae. Still others are just… different, including the seal-skinned Selkies or the sea-dwelling Merfolk. For more details, see the next OOC post.
The Nunnehi and the Kithain typically do not get along – in most parts of the Kingdom of Concordia, the Nunnehi still recall the Kithain’s ancestors pushing their people out of their sacred lands. In some parts of Concordia, particularly in the Kingdom of Feathered Snake (Mexico), there is active war, while in other places, such as Pacifica (the West Coast), there is relative peace. Regardless, many of the non-Kithain have their own culture and rules which are often considered somewhat alien to the Kithain. In New Orleans, it must be noted that there are the Motey, a group of fae originally from Africa who are now absorbed within Kithain (or sometimes Nunnehi) society, but still retain strong ties to Africa.
While in the physical world, Changelings resemble normal mundane people. However, when a faerie soul is awake, those attuned to the Dreaming are also capable of seeing a changeling’s fae side. One might think of it as “superimposed over” or as “a shift of perspective,” but regardless of how one tries to describe it, a creature of the Dreaming can see both mortal and faerie Seemings simultaneously. This can be fainter in areas of strong Banality, while more vibrant in areas of high Glamour, but regardless, it can be seen. When in trods through the Dreaming (for while the heart of the Dreaming is still lost to the faeries in the world today, the Dreaming itself remains around them), the mortal seeming vanishes, and only the faerie seeming can be seen.
Fae also have the ability to “Call Upon the Wyrd,” which enables a fae to force their own Glamour into the physical realm. They take on their full fae appearance, their chimerical weapons inflict real damage, and so on. Those who see this and survive will forget, as the Mists again take the memory. This can be dangerous to utilize too often, but without it, a Changeling’s fantasy world would never directly affect the mortal plane.
Autumn and Winter
The fae believe that the world was once in a state of Spring and Summer, when the world was rich with Glamour. Now, the world is currently in Autumn, a time when banality strangles Glamour. Soon, very soon, the world will be plunged into a deep Winter. Some fae believe they must find a trod to Arcadia to escape before this happens, for the Winter will be endless. Others believe they must stockpile as much Glamour as they can to survive, even if this means pillaging resources available in the world. Others believe that if the fae can inspire more creativity, the Winter will be short and mild, and the fae will be able to survive. Regardless of their beliefs and tactics, all fae agree the world is deep in Autumn; the evidence of a lack of Glamour is all around.
Autumn has its own forces, known as the Autumn People. The Autumn People are the armies of banality. They are unaware that they serve anything; they merely dislike the imagination and uniqueness of the fae, and will crush it with reason and banality when they find it. Autumn People can be scientists who refuse to allow their imaginations see possibilities beyond hard facts; librarians who refuse to let children read books outside of their age group; or even the eccentric bus-rider who is obsessed with pointless minutia. Autumn People are incredibly dangerous to Changelings, for their Banality is poison to a Changeling’s faerie essence. It can crush the faerie soul into slumber or even kill it. When a Changeling loses their faerie essence, the Mists erase the memory of that Changeling of their entire faerie life. Since most have been achieving a balance between faerie and mortal lives, they simply forget their entire faerie half and remember only their mortal half. They rationalize what they can, and embrace the Banality which poisoned that faerie side.
The worst of those fae are known as Dauntain – former faeries who now serve as generals of Banality. Some Dauntain have no memories of the fae, such as the infamous Doctor Anton Stark, who believes in Kithain society – but believes them all to be mentally ill. He has “cured” dozens of Kithain, and to be sent into “treatment” with Stark is usually a death sentence for the faerie side of a changeling. Others may remember everything and seek some form of power in Banality.
Faerie Nature
Glamour is the lifeblood of a faerie, and as such, must be replenished. Glamour powers all a faerie’s magics, and to run low on Glamour is to endanger losing oneself to Banality. Thankfully, there are ways to replenish one’s supply.
Many Changelings have Dreamers they know – regular mortals, who likely know nothing of a faerie’s true nature, who have a spark of true creativity within them. Most people lack this spark, but a magical few have it, and Changelings know how gather that Glamour in a process called Epiphany. Many prefer to nurture and inspire it, harvesting Glamour from the Dreamer’s creative process, which is called Reverie. Others prefer to Ravage their target, ripping the Glamour directly out of the Dreamer. This can be spiritually damaging to the Dreamer, and after repeated Ravagings, the Dreamer might lose that spark that once made them special. A third, though rare, path to Epiphany is known as Rapture, when the faerie bypasses the Dreamer altogether and creates a work of incredible art through their own connection to the Dreaming. This is incredibly difficult, but some fae have managed it. Lastly, though incredibly illegal, there is a fourth method, called Rhapsody. This involves shoving a great deal of Glamour into a Dreamer, causing him to create a masterpiece work before his spark dies completely. This can be so traumatic that the artist often dies a short time later; even if they live, they will never practice their art with any creativity again.
A final method for restoring Glamour involves Freeholds. Freeholds are fonts of Glamour, and they often serve as the homes of the nobility. At the heart of the Freehold is the source of Glamour – often a roaring Balefire in most Kithain-made Freeholds, but it can be anything in a naturally-occurring Freehold. Those who sleep in the light of the Balefire will have vivid dreams – and awaken having replenished their Glamour. Still, sleeping every night before Balefire can be dangerous, too.
All Changelings are creatures of duality. They must balance their human and their faerie sides at all times. Those who descend too far into their human sides risk losing themselves to banality and forgetting their faerie side, but likewise, those who descend too far into their faerie side (such as spending every night sleeping in the light of a Freehold’s Balefire) risk falling into complete insanity. Bedlam, as it is known, is dangerous not merely to the fae who is lost to it, but to others around them. It can start slowly and insidiously, as the first threshold causes problems with perception, as they begin to hear voices, feel a sense of dread, or see strange colors. The second threshold is more dangerous, as their personal reality begins to affect their way of thinking, believing that they are superior to all around them, or seeing everyone as either predator or prey. The third threshold is the most dangerous, and it takes the earlier stages to an extreme. In addition, they begin to birth chimera (see below) which can endanger others around them. Third threshold Bedlam is also highly contagious, so other changelings nearby might begin falling into Bedlam themselves. Eventually, it is possible for a Changeling in third stage Bedlam to simply fade into dreams altogether, vanishing from the world. First stage Bedlam can usually be treated by simple exposure to Banality and the mundane world, while second stage requires a balance of Banality and magical healing. Curing the third stage requires nothing less than powerful quests to find cures.
Changelings are also creatures of balance in another way – they possess two aspects of their personality. All Kithain have a Seelie and an Unseelie side. The Seelie court is associated with summer, with justice, with honor; the Unseelie court is associated with winter, with passion, and with dark cunning. Still, this is not to say a Seelie cannot be passionate, or an Unseelie cannot be honorable – indeed, the only absolutes one can say of a Seelie is that it is not Unseelie, and Unseelie is not Seelie. Every Kithain has two Legacies – roles within their respective courts. Some Kithain live primarily in one court, but occasionally swap for short (or sometimes extended) periods. Others live constantly vacillating between the two courts. Others chose a primary court and never let their other side out. Regardless of how they choose to balance these two sides, even if one side is forever buried, both are always a part of the Changeling.
The Seelie Code notes the following tenets: Death before dishonor. Love conquers all. Beauty is life. Never forget a debt. The Unseelie Code notes the following tenets: Change is good. Glamour is free. Honor is a lie. Passion before duty.
As a Kithain ages, they go through several stages in life. These three Seemings are known as the Childling, the Wilder, and the Grump. The Childlings see the world in wonder; anything is possible. As they reach adolescence, they become Wilders, who have been tainted by the banality of the world, but bring maturity and perspective. Lastly, after aging out of adolescence, by about one’s mid-20s, one transitions to Grump, which are those who may lack the wide-eyed view of magic that Childlings once had, but they possess wisdom, foresight, and a great deal of maturity. Because one’s exposure to the Dreaming can happen any time in the changeling’s life, a new Changeling can awaken into any stage of life. Changelings also tend to live longer than mortals, for one’s aging is actually arrested while within a Freehold or in the Dreaming; a Changeling’s mortal side only ages when in areas where Banality holds sway.
While the Dreaming has separated from the world, creatures of the Dreaming still exist in the world. Strange beings which have crawled from various dreams and imagination can be found all over the world, not bound into physical form; these beings are collectively known as Chimera, but they can be in the form of dragons, pixies, tentacled horrors, or anything one can imagine. There are also chimerical objects, as simple as swords or bowls or as complex as a Nocker’s death-machine, and even chimerical locations (flying castles and the like). However, only fae can see and interact with these chimera; mortals simply do not see them. While chimera can kill a Kithain, “Chimerical” death does not kill the physical body. Instead, it knocks the Kithain into a coma. When they awaken, their faerie soul may be slumbering once again, and even if the faerie self is awake, they often forget details of the battle which “killed” them.
One can also enter the Dreaming itself. Paths through the Dreaming, called trods, can link far-distant Freeholds, and some fae will go on quests into the Dreaming to find knowledge or power. It can be dangerous to leave the path, however, for one who leaves the “Silver Path” in the Dreaming can be lost forever. Typically, trods will lead a faerie not merely from place to place, but through a story as well.
Some Kithain often enchant mortals. They will imbue a bit of their Glamour into a bit of food, a ribbon, or something else. One who eats that food or wears that ribbon will be Enchanted, able to interact with the fae on their level. They will see a Kithain’s faerie side, interact with chimera, and so on. When the enchantment fades, if it is not renewed, they will forget all they know about the fae, as the Mists wipe memories of dreams from one’s mind.
Faerie Magic
All faeries have magic. A single effect is known as a cantrip, and requires a few things. The first thing all faerie needs is knowledge in one of the magical Arts. Some Arts are found only among certain types, as only the Inanimae have their specific types of natural magic, or only the Nunnehi have their spirit-magics. The common faerie arts include:
Chicanery: The art of mental deceit. At its lowest levels, it can confuse and befuddle; at its highest levels, it can bend another’s mind to your will.
Dream-Craft: The art of exploring and manipulating the realm of the Dreaming. At its lowest levels, it can help one find one’s trod through the Dreaming after they have lost it; at its highest levels, it can create whole regions of the Dreaming.
Legerdemain: The art of illusion and sleight of hand. At its lowest levels, it can manipulate small objects; at its highest levels, it can create complex illusions.
Metamorphosis: The art of transformation and transmutation. At its lowest levels, it can camouflage; at its highest levels, it can transform a target into a creature of legend, such as a dragon or gryphon.
Primal: The art that connects fae to nature. At its lowest levels, a faerie can speak to virtually anything or heal others; at its highest levels, it can allow one to transform oneself or others into another shape.
Pyretics: The art of fire. At its lowest levels, it can create a will o’ the wisp, a ball of fire that leads one to a set destination; at its highest levels, it can ignite a target harmlessly, turning them into living flame.
Soothsay: The art of prophecy and fate. At its lowest levels, it can provide good or bad luck to a target; at its highest levels, it can balance a target’s karma all at once.
Sovereign: The art of nobility, it cannot affect a faerie of a higher noble rank than oneself. At its lowest levels, it can force others to obey Kithain protocol; at its highest levels, it can place a geas, or a required quest, upon a target.
Wayfare: The art of travel, the lowest levels allow a target to leap great distances or travel quickly; at the highest levels, teleportation itself is possible.
More limited arts include:
Chronos: Found almost exclusively among the Sidhe, Chronos is the art of temporal manipulation. At its lowest levels, it can confuse the temporal sense of a target; at its highest levels, it can actually undo events which have occurred.
Contempt: An art found primarily among the Shadow Court, this is an art of stirring discontent. At its lowest levels, it can counter elements of the Sovereign art; at its highest levels, it can convince those listening to a speech of the rightness of the cause.
Delusion: Another primarily Shadow Court art, Delusion is an art of manipulating the Mists to cloud minds. At its lowest levels, it can hide secrets from magical scryings; at its highest levels, it can set someone to a geas, after which they will forget the task.
Discord: An art found among the Denizens, this is an art taught of combat, said to be taught in a Denizen’s dreams by the great dragon Ouroborous. At its lowest levels, it makes a target see distracting illusions in the corner of their eyes; at its highest levels, it can maim a target far beyond what a combat blow should normally do.
Infusion: Found mostly among the nockers, this art allows one to alter, change, and build chimerical items. At its lowest levels, it can solidify fleeting chimera into something more permanent; at its highest levels, it can breathe sentient life into a golem.
Naming: An art found only among powerful sorcerers such as the Crystal Circle, it is a powerful art that works with something’s true name. At its lowest levels, it can allow the sorcerer to read any text, regardless of language or code; at its highest levels, it allows the fae to rename something, fundamentally changing its basic nature.
Oneiromancy: Said to have been created by the Fomorians and today found primarily among the Denizens, this is an art of affecting and controlling dreams. At its lowest levels, it can send dreams to a target; at its highest levels, it can turn a target into a dream, at least temporarily, making them Chimera, as those who knew them are affected by the Mists.
Spiritlink: An art known to Nunnehi and a few other tribal fae around the world – but not the Kithain – this art allows a fae to interact with the spirit plane. At its lowest levels, it allows one to see into the spirit planes; at its highest levels, it allows the fae to summon, control, and banish spirits, including the restless dead.
Talecraft: A storytelling art known primarily to the Eshu, this is an art that allows a story to be enhanced by the telling. At its lowest levels, it can determine the “mood” of an audience; at its highest levels, it can create substantial illusions out of the telling of a story.
To use faerie magic, one also needs a Realm. A Realm describes the target that the faerie is able to use with his magic. The realms include:
Actor: Humans and people who are not a part of the faerie realm (including other supernatural beings).
Nature: Plants, rocks, and other elements of nature.
Fae: Things of the fae or the Dreaming, including Changelings.
Prop: Crafted objects, from a broom-handle to a computer.
Scene: Areas, including area-effects.
Time: Used only for time-delays on a cantrip.
For example, if a faerie wanted to make a rock leap into the air, they would need the art of Wayfare and the realm of Nature. To make a Changeling leap would require the art of Wayfare and the realm of Fae.
Lastly, once one has their Art and Realm, a single spark of Glamour is needed to light the magic, called a Bunk. This requires some creative, unique act. The more powerful the magic, the more complex the Bunk required, and the Bunk often is related to the magic being utilized. For example, to perplex a person’s mind with Chicanery, a Kithain might recite a silly poem; but to balance fate on a target with Soothsay, one might make a doll of the subject, embedded with hair or toenail clippings from the target, then smash it with a hammer or throw it into the sea.
Kithain Society
Changelings tend to gather in Freeholds, or in groups. Most Kithain belong to some group or another, simply because isolation breeds Banality. Some are tied to a household, often of a single noble to whom they swear fealty and who in turn serves them. Some are commoner bands known as Motleys, who have no leader and who can be somewhat radical in their political views. Lastly, there are Oathcircles, where all members of the circle have sworn oaths of loyalty and friendship to each other. Oaths, after all, are very important, and they are witnessed and enforced by the Dreaming itself – to break an oath often has the Dreaming punish the oathbreaker in some fashion.
The Seelie Court is in power right now. High King David is primarily Seelie, and most of the other kings and queens of Concordia are Seelie as well. While the Unseelie Court is also known as the Shadow Court, there are rumors of a “true” Shadow Court existing within the Unseelie, seeking to overthrow David and take control of faerie society.
Every noble, whether Sidhe or otherwise, is a member of a house. This house determines the Sidhe’s lineage, and it also establishes some advantages, disadvantages, and political outlook found among its members. Commoner Kith made noble need a house that vouches for them and sponsors their growth into nobility. Sometimes, this is merely a political alliance; sometimes, oaths are taken that make the Kithain a full part of the family, with all the strengths and weaknesses thereof.
Five houses, all primarily associated with the Seelie court, were apparently banished and emerged from Arcadia in 1969, and remain the most common of the Houses. In addition, one house remained on Earth during the Interregnum, and an additional seven houses had several of their number follow the five banished houses – whether to pursue an enemy or to follow in aid, no one can recall (and may even vary depending on the house). For more details on these houses, see the next OOC post.
House Dougal, the first of the five banished houses, is a house of builders and tinkerers. Solid and practical, they typically possess a small infirmity which they cover for with some device, such as a cane for a club foot, or a hearing horn for poor hearing.
House Fiona, another banished house, is passionate and fiery. Warriors and lovers both, Fiona are cursed with tragic love affairs.
House Elunid, the House of Secrets, is the most Unseelie-leaning of the five banished Seelie houses. It is mysterious and enigmatic. They love secrets, and seek out mysteries to keep for themselves.
House Gwydion is one of the most noble of the five banished houses. David is of Gwydion, and they are known for their honor, their strength, and their sense of duty.
House Liam is considered the lowest of the five banished houses. They are called “Oathbroken,” though the oath they broke has been forgotten. They typically stand up for mortals and attempt to defend the downtrodden.
House Scathatch (pronounced Skaw-thuk) remained on Earth during the Interregnum, and as such, most Sidhe look at them as barely better than commoners. They are known for their fierce warriors, their talent with reading Fate, and for their strong alliances with the commoners.
The three most common of the other houses are all strongly Unseelie. House Balor are tainted by the blood of the ancient Fomorians, and all possess some foul physical mark, such as a massive bloodshot eye, a claw, or some other deformity. House Ailil is the dark cousin to House Elunid (Elunid and Ailil were siblings), focusing on ruling from the shadows. And House Leanhan, considered the least Unseelie of these three houses, are known for their shallow snobby ways, with strong ties to the art world.
Of the remaining houses, House Beaumayn does not exist and never has so far as anyone knows right now, but is available for a player character if you want someone who Gavin will use as a plot-bitch-character. House Aesin are the Scandinavian Sidhe, harsh and stark as the icy lands from which they hail. House Daireann is a house favored in war and knowledgeable in the ways of healing and harming. Lastly, House Varich, the Russian sidhe, have minds for patterns, even when in combat; they are bound to accept any challenge presented to them.
Among the nobility, there are several ranks. The height of nobility in Concordia is the High King, which has been held by David since the birth of the unified nation of Concordia. Below High King are several Kings and Queens, who each rule a large swath of territory; the Kingdom of Willows, for example, covers most of the Southeast of the United States. Below the High Kings are the Dukes, who typically control large areas, such as a single well-populated city, or larger areas of less populated lands. Under the Dukes are the Counts, who often control whole city-sized neighborhoods or smaller towns. Counts are reputed to often be covetous of the power of Dukes, for they are high enough on the totem-pole of power to see true power, but low enough to lack it for themselves. Below the Counts are the Barons, who usually possess their own Freehold, but little other territory. Knights are often landless, and lack their own freehold (but often serve a higher noble and share their territory). Squires are the lowest of the nobility, and are typically in training for full knighthood.
There are laws among the fae. While the authority of the Escheat is not backed by Glamour on Earth, it is backed by whatever law any fae tend to follow, and it is said that the Dreaming sometimes enforces the Escheat through subtle methods, but that does not stop tenets from being ignored from time to time (or even commonly). There are six laws of the Escheat:
The Right of Demesne: A lord is the king of his domain.
The Right to Dream: Mortals have a right to dream unhindered by our needs.
The Right of Ignorance: Do not betray the Dreaming to Banality, and do not reveal yourself to humanity.
The Right of Rescue: All fae have the right to expect rescue from the foul grip of Banality; we are together in danger.
The Right of Safe Haven: All places of the Dreaming are sacred; they must be protected, and all those who seek refuse in such places must be admitted.
The Right of Life: No fae shall spill the lifeblood of another fae. Many fae obey this to the letter – and merely use chimerical weapons to kill each other, sending their opponent into slumber within the mortal self again.
Several important organizations within Kithain society include:
The Beltaine Blade: A shadowy secret organization, the Beltaine Blade is made up of Sidhe nobles dedicated to returning to the old traditional oligarchy.
The Catacomb Club: A “gentleman’s club” (with female members), the Catacomb Club is made up of commoner-kith nobles attempting to regain the power they once had before the Sidhe returned. They tend to enjoy popular commoner support.
The Cat’s Cradle: Only whispered about in small circles, the Cat’s Cradle is a secret mysterious organization who works to ensure the long-term survival of the Kithain.
The Crystal Circle: Only the most talented of fae sorcerers are considered for this powerful cabal of Seelie mystics. They are generally perceived as benign, and are often associated with the Red Branch Knights, but they keep their true motives and goals secret.
The Golden Sickle: A group of nobility who are interested in the acquisition of earthly wealth and power. Unafraid of modern technology, they often play the stock market and live in penthouse apartments.
The Monkey’s Paw: A cabal of Kithain assassins who hire themselves out to the highest bidder, and who also seem to have their own agenda.
The Ranters: A radical group of Changeling commoners who despise royalty and seek to overthrow any form of rule over the fae.
The Red Branch Knights: Brilliant warriors, the Red Branch Knights (commonly, though not exclusively, traditionalist Sidhe) are some of the best fighters in Kithain society. They are required to aid those in true need, regardless of who the individual is, and they never break their word.
New Orleans
During the Concordance War, something occurred in New Orleans. Overnight, any fae within the city and its immediate surrounding regions vanished without a trace – no one could contact anyone there. Scouts who went to investigate also vanished without a trace. Even after the establishment of High King David’s rule, several scouts went to investigate; those few who returned at all reported the whole area a “dead zone” of Glamour, which seemed very strange – for it should have been rich with the Dreaming. Over the years, most fae have come to consider New Orleans and the surrounding zones “cursed,” and though over the years, more scouting missions survived to tell the tale of a dead-zone of Glamour, most fae continued to avoid the territory at all costs.
A short time ago, a troll Baron of Gwydion named Redgrave earned an unnamed favor from the Unseelie King Meilge of the Kingdom of Willows. He used this favor in an unconventional way – he earned permission to solve the mystery of New Orleans. He has managed to establish a new Freehold – which has not been possible since the Accordance War - lighting it on the night the Saints won the Superbowl following the flood. He has sent out invitations, not merely to Kithain, but to Nunnehi and all other creatures of the Fae, saying that what has happened here is part of the heritage of all creatures of the Dreaming. He wishes to get to the bottom of this mystery, and has invited all those willing to help. All fae, he says, are welcome at his Freehold. New fae are starting to awaken again in New Orleans, and Chimera are being born again; new Freeholds are being established. But whatever caused the problem in the first place might recur…
Faeries are creatures of the Dreaming, the collective imagination and dreams of all the world. Some are born from dreams of fancy; some from dreams of nobility and honor; some from nightmares and horror. But all are tied to the Dreaming – the Dreaming is their very lifeblood. Without Glamour (the energy and essence of the Dreaming), a faerie will wither and die. Over time, related sorts of dreams formed into similar groups. Many of the dreams of passion took similar forms, and the Satyrs became their own group, while dreams of honor merged to create the Trolls, and so forth. But even among these groups, or Kith, there were often subgroups and variations, for no faerie is identical to another – for what two dreams are identical?
At one time, the Dreaming and the physical realm were one and the same – they were indistinguishable. But as time progressed, the realms began to divide. Arcadia, the heart of the Dreaming, drifted further and further from the physical realm. The trods, or pathways, to Arcadia grew longer and longer. This time period was known as the Sundering, and it lasted for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
Finally, several hundred years ago (at the birth of the Age of Reason), the Sundering culminated in the Shattering, as the paths to Arcadia closed. Despite the name, it did not happen all at once; there was time for the fae to flee. However, the nobility, the Sidhe, began to argue over which of the houses should be allowed to travel the trods first. They warred, while many commoner fae waited. Once the Sidhe had settled their order for leaving, they left – but while many fae escaped the world, many were still left, trapped in the mortal world which was growing toxic to them. Banality is poison to a faerie, and the world was growing so very banal.
Thankfully, those faeries who remained in the mortal world found various methods for survival. The majority found that they could bind their essence into an unborn human child. The faerie nature would slumber within the child, but someday, that child (or adult) would be exposed to the Dreaming, and would touch creativity. This touch would awaken the faerie nature, and the Changeling – neither fully human nor fully fae – would have a life between these two worlds. Eventually, the mortal body would die, and the faerie essence would reincarnate – sometimes with vague memories of previous incarnations. Other faeries hid their essences within inanimate objects, or animals, but they were in the minority.
The next several hundred years were something of a dark age for the Kithain (as the European-based changelings called themselves). With the exception of a single noble house of Sidhe that remained, they were mostly commoners, on their own. During this period of time, known as the Interregnum, the commoner kith learned how to rule themselves. Taking a page from the mortals, they developed democracy and similar ideals. And so things remained for many years.
But in 1969, something happened. Mankind set foot on the moon, enflaming the imaginations of every man, woman, and child on earth. This huge surge of Glamour reopened ancient paths to Arcadia. Unfortunately, they only led out – and five houses of Sidhe came riding out. Their reasons for leaving Arcadia have been lost – for as one leaves the Dreaming, their memories of their time there can fade due to the Mists, like a dream fades from memory as a sleeper awakens – but the rumor persists that the five houses were exiled. Still, there were five noble houses back now (followed by a small number of sidhe from the remaining eight houses) – and they were ready to return to their old positions, ruling over the common folk.
The commoners did not appreciate the Sidhe declaring that they were their leaders once more. They wished to continue as they once had – there would be no more “nobles.” Tensions grew, until one Beltane night, many commoner leaders were invited to a peace meeting. The leaders of the Sidhe claim to this day that they did not extend those invitations, and they do not know who was responsible for the atrocity which followed. What is said, however, is that the commoner leaders, gathered at a table, were ambushed by sidhe wearing masks to protect their identities. These sidhe murdered every last commoner leader with cold iron. This event, the Beltane Night of Iron Knives Massacre, sparked a brutal civil war known as the Accordance War.
The Sidhe were led by High King Dafyll, who wielded Caliburn, a powerful sword forged from potent dreams. When Dafyll was ambushed and killed by Redcaps in the subways of New York, Caliburn vanished without a trace. After several years of battle, a Sidhe scholar protecting a group of Childling Sidhe was shocked when one of the young children fled the battle – only to return with Caliburn itself. This young Sidhe, named David, was soon proclaimed High King. He met with the Sidhe kings and queens as well as with the commoner leaders, and soon hammered out a truce which made most Kithain very happy. And there was peace – at least in the Kingdom of Concordia (North America).
While the Sidhe remain nobility, other kith can earn a noble status as well. In addition, there is a Parliament of Dreams, which serves as a senate that can overrule the High King from time to time. Members of the Parliament can be commoner or nobility, with different Freeholds each determining their own method for sending a representative. In the Parliament, all representatives are equal, regardless of status.
High King David still rules today, and, while tensions often flare between commoner and noble, and some organizations dislike David and his politics, he is loved by the vast majority of his kingdom.
The Kith
The Kithain, as the European-styled changelings call themselves, have a number of different Kith, or families of faerie. While there are countless Kith in theory, there are several which are most common. For more details on any of these kith, see the next OOC post.
Boggans: Sturdy craftspeople, the boggans are the dreams of hard work and practicality. They tend towards smaller, stockier statures, and most cannot turn their back on someone in true need.
Eshu: Wanderers and storytellers, typically (though not exclusively) of North-African descent, the Eshu have a knack for finding the most interesting path to wherever they are intending to go.
Nockers: Tinkerers and craftspeople, Nockers are capable of making ornate machines that strain the limits of credulity. They also tend to have a foul (if highly creative) mouth – no one can outswear a Nocker.
Pooka: Animal pranksters, Pooka are each tied to a single animal, which often reveals a hint as to the Pooka’s personality. Pookas have a significant difficulty in telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth – they tend to exaggerate or evade rather than outright lie.
Redcaps: Redcaps are creatures born of nightmares. Violent hunger incarnate, they are capable of eating almost anything, and they are rumored to be cannibals.
Satyrs: Creatures of passion, ranging from the artistic to the sensual, satyrs are athletic and romantic.
Sidhe: Nobility, the Sidhe (pronounced “shee”) are mostly newcomers to the world, having returned from a several-hundred-year absence only a few short decades ago. All Sidhe are nobility, and belong to one of several noble houses, each with their own culture.
Sluagh: Born of the nightmares of the unknown things in the dark, the Sluagh are quiet lurkers in the darkness. They are excellent spies, and they can fit nearly anywhere.
Trolls: Gaining their great strength from their honor, the trolls are said to be the original nobility before the arrival of the Sidhe. Trolls are massive, often blue-skinned, with impressive strength.
Other, less common kith include offshoots of the more common kith, such as the river hags (related to the redcaps), Oba (noble cousins of the eshu), or less common kith such as the passionate imps, the revelrous clurichans, the natural ghille dhu, or the mischievous piskies.
There are also other types of fae beyond the Kithain, known collectively as the Gallain. Some Gallain are regional – such as the Nunnehi of the Native Americans, the Hsien of Asia, or the Menehune of Polynesia, each with their own kith-like groups. Others are fae more connected to the natural world, who bound themselves into elements of nature or inanimate objects, the Inanime – including the mysterious Mannequin people. Some, the Denizens, are more primeval, with such sub-groups as the predatory Fir-Bholg, the mortuary Keremet, the inspirational Aonides, or the mysterious Moirae. Still others are just… different, including the seal-skinned Selkies or the sea-dwelling Merfolk. For more details, see the next OOC post.
The Nunnehi and the Kithain typically do not get along – in most parts of the Kingdom of Concordia, the Nunnehi still recall the Kithain’s ancestors pushing their people out of their sacred lands. In some parts of Concordia, particularly in the Kingdom of Feathered Snake (Mexico), there is active war, while in other places, such as Pacifica (the West Coast), there is relative peace. Regardless, many of the non-Kithain have their own culture and rules which are often considered somewhat alien to the Kithain. In New Orleans, it must be noted that there are the Motey, a group of fae originally from Africa who are now absorbed within Kithain (or sometimes Nunnehi) society, but still retain strong ties to Africa.
While in the physical world, Changelings resemble normal mundane people. However, when a faerie soul is awake, those attuned to the Dreaming are also capable of seeing a changeling’s fae side. One might think of it as “superimposed over” or as “a shift of perspective,” but regardless of how one tries to describe it, a creature of the Dreaming can see both mortal and faerie Seemings simultaneously. This can be fainter in areas of strong Banality, while more vibrant in areas of high Glamour, but regardless, it can be seen. When in trods through the Dreaming (for while the heart of the Dreaming is still lost to the faeries in the world today, the Dreaming itself remains around them), the mortal seeming vanishes, and only the faerie seeming can be seen.
Fae also have the ability to “Call Upon the Wyrd,” which enables a fae to force their own Glamour into the physical realm. They take on their full fae appearance, their chimerical weapons inflict real damage, and so on. Those who see this and survive will forget, as the Mists again take the memory. This can be dangerous to utilize too often, but without it, a Changeling’s fantasy world would never directly affect the mortal plane.
Autumn and Winter
The fae believe that the world was once in a state of Spring and Summer, when the world was rich with Glamour. Now, the world is currently in Autumn, a time when banality strangles Glamour. Soon, very soon, the world will be plunged into a deep Winter. Some fae believe they must find a trod to Arcadia to escape before this happens, for the Winter will be endless. Others believe they must stockpile as much Glamour as they can to survive, even if this means pillaging resources available in the world. Others believe that if the fae can inspire more creativity, the Winter will be short and mild, and the fae will be able to survive. Regardless of their beliefs and tactics, all fae agree the world is deep in Autumn; the evidence of a lack of Glamour is all around.
Autumn has its own forces, known as the Autumn People. The Autumn People are the armies of banality. They are unaware that they serve anything; they merely dislike the imagination and uniqueness of the fae, and will crush it with reason and banality when they find it. Autumn People can be scientists who refuse to allow their imaginations see possibilities beyond hard facts; librarians who refuse to let children read books outside of their age group; or even the eccentric bus-rider who is obsessed with pointless minutia. Autumn People are incredibly dangerous to Changelings, for their Banality is poison to a Changeling’s faerie essence. It can crush the faerie soul into slumber or even kill it. When a Changeling loses their faerie essence, the Mists erase the memory of that Changeling of their entire faerie life. Since most have been achieving a balance between faerie and mortal lives, they simply forget their entire faerie half and remember only their mortal half. They rationalize what they can, and embrace the Banality which poisoned that faerie side.
The worst of those fae are known as Dauntain – former faeries who now serve as generals of Banality. Some Dauntain have no memories of the fae, such as the infamous Doctor Anton Stark, who believes in Kithain society – but believes them all to be mentally ill. He has “cured” dozens of Kithain, and to be sent into “treatment” with Stark is usually a death sentence for the faerie side of a changeling. Others may remember everything and seek some form of power in Banality.
Faerie Nature
Glamour is the lifeblood of a faerie, and as such, must be replenished. Glamour powers all a faerie’s magics, and to run low on Glamour is to endanger losing oneself to Banality. Thankfully, there are ways to replenish one’s supply.
Many Changelings have Dreamers they know – regular mortals, who likely know nothing of a faerie’s true nature, who have a spark of true creativity within them. Most people lack this spark, but a magical few have it, and Changelings know how gather that Glamour in a process called Epiphany. Many prefer to nurture and inspire it, harvesting Glamour from the Dreamer’s creative process, which is called Reverie. Others prefer to Ravage their target, ripping the Glamour directly out of the Dreamer. This can be spiritually damaging to the Dreamer, and after repeated Ravagings, the Dreamer might lose that spark that once made them special. A third, though rare, path to Epiphany is known as Rapture, when the faerie bypasses the Dreamer altogether and creates a work of incredible art through their own connection to the Dreaming. This is incredibly difficult, but some fae have managed it. Lastly, though incredibly illegal, there is a fourth method, called Rhapsody. This involves shoving a great deal of Glamour into a Dreamer, causing him to create a masterpiece work before his spark dies completely. This can be so traumatic that the artist often dies a short time later; even if they live, they will never practice their art with any creativity again.
A final method for restoring Glamour involves Freeholds. Freeholds are fonts of Glamour, and they often serve as the homes of the nobility. At the heart of the Freehold is the source of Glamour – often a roaring Balefire in most Kithain-made Freeholds, but it can be anything in a naturally-occurring Freehold. Those who sleep in the light of the Balefire will have vivid dreams – and awaken having replenished their Glamour. Still, sleeping every night before Balefire can be dangerous, too.
All Changelings are creatures of duality. They must balance their human and their faerie sides at all times. Those who descend too far into their human sides risk losing themselves to banality and forgetting their faerie side, but likewise, those who descend too far into their faerie side (such as spending every night sleeping in the light of a Freehold’s Balefire) risk falling into complete insanity. Bedlam, as it is known, is dangerous not merely to the fae who is lost to it, but to others around them. It can start slowly and insidiously, as the first threshold causes problems with perception, as they begin to hear voices, feel a sense of dread, or see strange colors. The second threshold is more dangerous, as their personal reality begins to affect their way of thinking, believing that they are superior to all around them, or seeing everyone as either predator or prey. The third threshold is the most dangerous, and it takes the earlier stages to an extreme. In addition, they begin to birth chimera (see below) which can endanger others around them. Third threshold Bedlam is also highly contagious, so other changelings nearby might begin falling into Bedlam themselves. Eventually, it is possible for a Changeling in third stage Bedlam to simply fade into dreams altogether, vanishing from the world. First stage Bedlam can usually be treated by simple exposure to Banality and the mundane world, while second stage requires a balance of Banality and magical healing. Curing the third stage requires nothing less than powerful quests to find cures.
Changelings are also creatures of balance in another way – they possess two aspects of their personality. All Kithain have a Seelie and an Unseelie side. The Seelie court is associated with summer, with justice, with honor; the Unseelie court is associated with winter, with passion, and with dark cunning. Still, this is not to say a Seelie cannot be passionate, or an Unseelie cannot be honorable – indeed, the only absolutes one can say of a Seelie is that it is not Unseelie, and Unseelie is not Seelie. Every Kithain has two Legacies – roles within their respective courts. Some Kithain live primarily in one court, but occasionally swap for short (or sometimes extended) periods. Others live constantly vacillating between the two courts. Others chose a primary court and never let their other side out. Regardless of how they choose to balance these two sides, even if one side is forever buried, both are always a part of the Changeling.
The Seelie Code notes the following tenets: Death before dishonor. Love conquers all. Beauty is life. Never forget a debt. The Unseelie Code notes the following tenets: Change is good. Glamour is free. Honor is a lie. Passion before duty.
As a Kithain ages, they go through several stages in life. These three Seemings are known as the Childling, the Wilder, and the Grump. The Childlings see the world in wonder; anything is possible. As they reach adolescence, they become Wilders, who have been tainted by the banality of the world, but bring maturity and perspective. Lastly, after aging out of adolescence, by about one’s mid-20s, one transitions to Grump, which are those who may lack the wide-eyed view of magic that Childlings once had, but they possess wisdom, foresight, and a great deal of maturity. Because one’s exposure to the Dreaming can happen any time in the changeling’s life, a new Changeling can awaken into any stage of life. Changelings also tend to live longer than mortals, for one’s aging is actually arrested while within a Freehold or in the Dreaming; a Changeling’s mortal side only ages when in areas where Banality holds sway.
While the Dreaming has separated from the world, creatures of the Dreaming still exist in the world. Strange beings which have crawled from various dreams and imagination can be found all over the world, not bound into physical form; these beings are collectively known as Chimera, but they can be in the form of dragons, pixies, tentacled horrors, or anything one can imagine. There are also chimerical objects, as simple as swords or bowls or as complex as a Nocker’s death-machine, and even chimerical locations (flying castles and the like). However, only fae can see and interact with these chimera; mortals simply do not see them. While chimera can kill a Kithain, “Chimerical” death does not kill the physical body. Instead, it knocks the Kithain into a coma. When they awaken, their faerie soul may be slumbering once again, and even if the faerie self is awake, they often forget details of the battle which “killed” them.
One can also enter the Dreaming itself. Paths through the Dreaming, called trods, can link far-distant Freeholds, and some fae will go on quests into the Dreaming to find knowledge or power. It can be dangerous to leave the path, however, for one who leaves the “Silver Path” in the Dreaming can be lost forever. Typically, trods will lead a faerie not merely from place to place, but through a story as well.
Some Kithain often enchant mortals. They will imbue a bit of their Glamour into a bit of food, a ribbon, or something else. One who eats that food or wears that ribbon will be Enchanted, able to interact with the fae on their level. They will see a Kithain’s faerie side, interact with chimera, and so on. When the enchantment fades, if it is not renewed, they will forget all they know about the fae, as the Mists wipe memories of dreams from one’s mind.
Faerie Magic
All faeries have magic. A single effect is known as a cantrip, and requires a few things. The first thing all faerie needs is knowledge in one of the magical Arts. Some Arts are found only among certain types, as only the Inanimae have their specific types of natural magic, or only the Nunnehi have their spirit-magics. The common faerie arts include:
Chicanery: The art of mental deceit. At its lowest levels, it can confuse and befuddle; at its highest levels, it can bend another’s mind to your will.
Dream-Craft: The art of exploring and manipulating the realm of the Dreaming. At its lowest levels, it can help one find one’s trod through the Dreaming after they have lost it; at its highest levels, it can create whole regions of the Dreaming.
Legerdemain: The art of illusion and sleight of hand. At its lowest levels, it can manipulate small objects; at its highest levels, it can create complex illusions.
Metamorphosis: The art of transformation and transmutation. At its lowest levels, it can camouflage; at its highest levels, it can transform a target into a creature of legend, such as a dragon or gryphon.
Primal: The art that connects fae to nature. At its lowest levels, a faerie can speak to virtually anything or heal others; at its highest levels, it can allow one to transform oneself or others into another shape.
Pyretics: The art of fire. At its lowest levels, it can create a will o’ the wisp, a ball of fire that leads one to a set destination; at its highest levels, it can ignite a target harmlessly, turning them into living flame.
Soothsay: The art of prophecy and fate. At its lowest levels, it can provide good or bad luck to a target; at its highest levels, it can balance a target’s karma all at once.
Sovereign: The art of nobility, it cannot affect a faerie of a higher noble rank than oneself. At its lowest levels, it can force others to obey Kithain protocol; at its highest levels, it can place a geas, or a required quest, upon a target.
Wayfare: The art of travel, the lowest levels allow a target to leap great distances or travel quickly; at the highest levels, teleportation itself is possible.
More limited arts include:
Chronos: Found almost exclusively among the Sidhe, Chronos is the art of temporal manipulation. At its lowest levels, it can confuse the temporal sense of a target; at its highest levels, it can actually undo events which have occurred.
Contempt: An art found primarily among the Shadow Court, this is an art of stirring discontent. At its lowest levels, it can counter elements of the Sovereign art; at its highest levels, it can convince those listening to a speech of the rightness of the cause.
Delusion: Another primarily Shadow Court art, Delusion is an art of manipulating the Mists to cloud minds. At its lowest levels, it can hide secrets from magical scryings; at its highest levels, it can set someone to a geas, after which they will forget the task.
Discord: An art found among the Denizens, this is an art taught of combat, said to be taught in a Denizen’s dreams by the great dragon Ouroborous. At its lowest levels, it makes a target see distracting illusions in the corner of their eyes; at its highest levels, it can maim a target far beyond what a combat blow should normally do.
Infusion: Found mostly among the nockers, this art allows one to alter, change, and build chimerical items. At its lowest levels, it can solidify fleeting chimera into something more permanent; at its highest levels, it can breathe sentient life into a golem.
Naming: An art found only among powerful sorcerers such as the Crystal Circle, it is a powerful art that works with something’s true name. At its lowest levels, it can allow the sorcerer to read any text, regardless of language or code; at its highest levels, it allows the fae to rename something, fundamentally changing its basic nature.
Oneiromancy: Said to have been created by the Fomorians and today found primarily among the Denizens, this is an art of affecting and controlling dreams. At its lowest levels, it can send dreams to a target; at its highest levels, it can turn a target into a dream, at least temporarily, making them Chimera, as those who knew them are affected by the Mists.
Spiritlink: An art known to Nunnehi and a few other tribal fae around the world – but not the Kithain – this art allows a fae to interact with the spirit plane. At its lowest levels, it allows one to see into the spirit planes; at its highest levels, it allows the fae to summon, control, and banish spirits, including the restless dead.
Talecraft: A storytelling art known primarily to the Eshu, this is an art that allows a story to be enhanced by the telling. At its lowest levels, it can determine the “mood” of an audience; at its highest levels, it can create substantial illusions out of the telling of a story.
To use faerie magic, one also needs a Realm. A Realm describes the target that the faerie is able to use with his magic. The realms include:
Actor: Humans and people who are not a part of the faerie realm (including other supernatural beings).
Nature: Plants, rocks, and other elements of nature.
Fae: Things of the fae or the Dreaming, including Changelings.
Prop: Crafted objects, from a broom-handle to a computer.
Scene: Areas, including area-effects.
Time: Used only for time-delays on a cantrip.
For example, if a faerie wanted to make a rock leap into the air, they would need the art of Wayfare and the realm of Nature. To make a Changeling leap would require the art of Wayfare and the realm of Fae.
Lastly, once one has their Art and Realm, a single spark of Glamour is needed to light the magic, called a Bunk. This requires some creative, unique act. The more powerful the magic, the more complex the Bunk required, and the Bunk often is related to the magic being utilized. For example, to perplex a person’s mind with Chicanery, a Kithain might recite a silly poem; but to balance fate on a target with Soothsay, one might make a doll of the subject, embedded with hair or toenail clippings from the target, then smash it with a hammer or throw it into the sea.
Kithain Society
Changelings tend to gather in Freeholds, or in groups. Most Kithain belong to some group or another, simply because isolation breeds Banality. Some are tied to a household, often of a single noble to whom they swear fealty and who in turn serves them. Some are commoner bands known as Motleys, who have no leader and who can be somewhat radical in their political views. Lastly, there are Oathcircles, where all members of the circle have sworn oaths of loyalty and friendship to each other. Oaths, after all, are very important, and they are witnessed and enforced by the Dreaming itself – to break an oath often has the Dreaming punish the oathbreaker in some fashion.
The Seelie Court is in power right now. High King David is primarily Seelie, and most of the other kings and queens of Concordia are Seelie as well. While the Unseelie Court is also known as the Shadow Court, there are rumors of a “true” Shadow Court existing within the Unseelie, seeking to overthrow David and take control of faerie society.
Every noble, whether Sidhe or otherwise, is a member of a house. This house determines the Sidhe’s lineage, and it also establishes some advantages, disadvantages, and political outlook found among its members. Commoner Kith made noble need a house that vouches for them and sponsors their growth into nobility. Sometimes, this is merely a political alliance; sometimes, oaths are taken that make the Kithain a full part of the family, with all the strengths and weaknesses thereof.
Five houses, all primarily associated with the Seelie court, were apparently banished and emerged from Arcadia in 1969, and remain the most common of the Houses. In addition, one house remained on Earth during the Interregnum, and an additional seven houses had several of their number follow the five banished houses – whether to pursue an enemy or to follow in aid, no one can recall (and may even vary depending on the house). For more details on these houses, see the next OOC post.
House Dougal, the first of the five banished houses, is a house of builders and tinkerers. Solid and practical, they typically possess a small infirmity which they cover for with some device, such as a cane for a club foot, or a hearing horn for poor hearing.
House Fiona, another banished house, is passionate and fiery. Warriors and lovers both, Fiona are cursed with tragic love affairs.
House Elunid, the House of Secrets, is the most Unseelie-leaning of the five banished Seelie houses. It is mysterious and enigmatic. They love secrets, and seek out mysteries to keep for themselves.
House Gwydion is one of the most noble of the five banished houses. David is of Gwydion, and they are known for their honor, their strength, and their sense of duty.
House Liam is considered the lowest of the five banished houses. They are called “Oathbroken,” though the oath they broke has been forgotten. They typically stand up for mortals and attempt to defend the downtrodden.
House Scathatch (pronounced Skaw-thuk) remained on Earth during the Interregnum, and as such, most Sidhe look at them as barely better than commoners. They are known for their fierce warriors, their talent with reading Fate, and for their strong alliances with the commoners.
The three most common of the other houses are all strongly Unseelie. House Balor are tainted by the blood of the ancient Fomorians, and all possess some foul physical mark, such as a massive bloodshot eye, a claw, or some other deformity. House Ailil is the dark cousin to House Elunid (Elunid and Ailil were siblings), focusing on ruling from the shadows. And House Leanhan, considered the least Unseelie of these three houses, are known for their shallow snobby ways, with strong ties to the art world.
Of the remaining houses, House Beaumayn does not exist and never has so far as anyone knows right now, but is available for a player character if you want someone who Gavin will use as a plot-bitch-character. House Aesin are the Scandinavian Sidhe, harsh and stark as the icy lands from which they hail. House Daireann is a house favored in war and knowledgeable in the ways of healing and harming. Lastly, House Varich, the Russian sidhe, have minds for patterns, even when in combat; they are bound to accept any challenge presented to them.
Among the nobility, there are several ranks. The height of nobility in Concordia is the High King, which has been held by David since the birth of the unified nation of Concordia. Below High King are several Kings and Queens, who each rule a large swath of territory; the Kingdom of Willows, for example, covers most of the Southeast of the United States. Below the High Kings are the Dukes, who typically control large areas, such as a single well-populated city, or larger areas of less populated lands. Under the Dukes are the Counts, who often control whole city-sized neighborhoods or smaller towns. Counts are reputed to often be covetous of the power of Dukes, for they are high enough on the totem-pole of power to see true power, but low enough to lack it for themselves. Below the Counts are the Barons, who usually possess their own Freehold, but little other territory. Knights are often landless, and lack their own freehold (but often serve a higher noble and share their territory). Squires are the lowest of the nobility, and are typically in training for full knighthood.
There are laws among the fae. While the authority of the Escheat is not backed by Glamour on Earth, it is backed by whatever law any fae tend to follow, and it is said that the Dreaming sometimes enforces the Escheat through subtle methods, but that does not stop tenets from being ignored from time to time (or even commonly). There are six laws of the Escheat:
The Right of Demesne: A lord is the king of his domain.
The Right to Dream: Mortals have a right to dream unhindered by our needs.
The Right of Ignorance: Do not betray the Dreaming to Banality, and do not reveal yourself to humanity.
The Right of Rescue: All fae have the right to expect rescue from the foul grip of Banality; we are together in danger.
The Right of Safe Haven: All places of the Dreaming are sacred; they must be protected, and all those who seek refuse in such places must be admitted.
The Right of Life: No fae shall spill the lifeblood of another fae. Many fae obey this to the letter – and merely use chimerical weapons to kill each other, sending their opponent into slumber within the mortal self again.
Several important organizations within Kithain society include:
The Beltaine Blade: A shadowy secret organization, the Beltaine Blade is made up of Sidhe nobles dedicated to returning to the old traditional oligarchy.
The Catacomb Club: A “gentleman’s club” (with female members), the Catacomb Club is made up of commoner-kith nobles attempting to regain the power they once had before the Sidhe returned. They tend to enjoy popular commoner support.
The Cat’s Cradle: Only whispered about in small circles, the Cat’s Cradle is a secret mysterious organization who works to ensure the long-term survival of the Kithain.
The Crystal Circle: Only the most talented of fae sorcerers are considered for this powerful cabal of Seelie mystics. They are generally perceived as benign, and are often associated with the Red Branch Knights, but they keep their true motives and goals secret.
The Golden Sickle: A group of nobility who are interested in the acquisition of earthly wealth and power. Unafraid of modern technology, they often play the stock market and live in penthouse apartments.
The Monkey’s Paw: A cabal of Kithain assassins who hire themselves out to the highest bidder, and who also seem to have their own agenda.
The Ranters: A radical group of Changeling commoners who despise royalty and seek to overthrow any form of rule over the fae.
The Red Branch Knights: Brilliant warriors, the Red Branch Knights (commonly, though not exclusively, traditionalist Sidhe) are some of the best fighters in Kithain society. They are required to aid those in true need, regardless of who the individual is, and they never break their word.
New Orleans
During the Concordance War, something occurred in New Orleans. Overnight, any fae within the city and its immediate surrounding regions vanished without a trace – no one could contact anyone there. Scouts who went to investigate also vanished without a trace. Even after the establishment of High King David’s rule, several scouts went to investigate; those few who returned at all reported the whole area a “dead zone” of Glamour, which seemed very strange – for it should have been rich with the Dreaming. Over the years, most fae have come to consider New Orleans and the surrounding zones “cursed,” and though over the years, more scouting missions survived to tell the tale of a dead-zone of Glamour, most fae continued to avoid the territory at all costs.
A short time ago, a troll Baron of Gwydion named Redgrave earned an unnamed favor from the Unseelie King Meilge of the Kingdom of Willows. He used this favor in an unconventional way – he earned permission to solve the mystery of New Orleans. He has managed to establish a new Freehold – which has not been possible since the Accordance War - lighting it on the night the Saints won the Superbowl following the flood. He has sent out invitations, not merely to Kithain, but to Nunnehi and all other creatures of the Fae, saying that what has happened here is part of the heritage of all creatures of the Dreaming. He wishes to get to the bottom of this mystery, and has invited all those willing to help. All fae, he says, are welcome at his Freehold. New fae are starting to awaken again in New Orleans, and Chimera are being born again; new Freeholds are being established. But whatever caused the problem in the first place might recur…
no subject
Date: 2011-09-27 11:45 pm (UTC)