by Angelus Michaels

Dreams of Delirium

by Angelus Michaels

Introduction
Faerie Tales are one of the most culturally significant forms of story. As childhood acquaintances, they are capable of evoking terrible, profane and powerful symbolism when we read them, even as adults. Stories, dreams, fiction, and faeries all share a common element. They are all linked to the crucible of our imagination and creativity our minds. They say there is a fine line between inspiration and madness, and somewhere upon that line is where this book exists. It is a product of sublime inspiration and fevered madness. This is the place of Reverie the fifth and hidden season. Dreams of Delirium is a supplement that explores the links between madness, dreams, inspiration and faerie tales. It explores the concept of faeries being more than just creatures, but the living embodiment of our stories. Whether that is their origin, or just a convenient niche that the Fae have found is entirely up to your point of view. personally who has died a horrific, and often unexplained death. It is through the cracks of our fantasies and fictions that they find their way into our world. Here there are many stories for them to thrive on, many fictions that can feed and sustain them. Our dreams and fictions are their godhood, just as they are our own. What is presented here is a haunted world where alienminded beings live a twilight existence of fantasy, fear, heroism, tragedy and loss all wrapped up in a neatly bound package of madness.

Themes of Madness
While it certainly may be fun to read up on a lot of Faerie Tales there are many more diverse options for the contemporary Storyteller to draw upon. Sometimes the best sources are the original Faerie Tales, to see where all the later day inspiration comes from. Madness: The overarching theme for Dreams of Delirium is one of deviance. When a person no longer behaves within the conventions of social behavior they are labeled deviant; extreme deviant behavior is often assumed to be an aspect of insanity or dysfunction. For Changeling, eccentricity is an integral part of their being. Each and every one of them is an alien creature with an alien mind-set that sets them apart from the average person. Theirs is a search and a question of identity, as each changeling must reconcile the opposing forces of her lost human identity and her faerie nature. Caught in the middle, a changeling struggles to find a balance yet they must, lest they be undone. Alienation: Faerie madness manifests in a way that disconnects the changeling from social convention. There is something not quite right about them and many of their behaviors make them stand out as something unusual. Humanity has a subtle sense about the fae and bears an inherent distrust for their kind and ways. To be different is to be outside the normal conventions, and whether willingly removed from the social mores of human society, or forcibly ostracized, the faerie nature of a changeling makes her a stranger in her own familiar haunts. Dreams: Changeling: the Lost deals with a lot of issues revolving around the mind and its psyche. Changelings are like living daydreams that promenade through the waking world. However, these are not the child-like dreams of wonder and innocence that many have come to consider. Dreams have changed in their understanding, from supernatural phenomenon to manifestations of the unconscious mind. In telling stories about Urban Faerie Tales a Storyteller should consider the modern relevance of dreams and dreaming. It is an avenue into the subconscious of the human psyche, the tumultuous surreal chaos that lies beneath the veneer of conscious thinking. In the World of Darkness, dreams of delight and fantasy have transfigured into dreams of the delirium.

The Urban Faerie Tale

Dreams of Delirium draws upon a modern literary idea that I term the Urban Faerie Tale. It is the product of the evolution of faerie tales and their role in contemporary society. Throughout history, our literary sources contain many forms of faerie tales. Such tales are not merely stories for children, but are tales of personal transition achieved by journeying from the ordinary into the realm fantastic. Certain cultural researchers have attempted to find commonalities in these myths (in particular is Joseph Campbells monomyth.) Yet, unlike myths, faerie tales dont strive to tell epic journeys. They tell profoundly personal stories of transformation and human folly. A faerie tale, as told through the medium of Changeling: the Lost may not be like the faerie tales told to you as a child. Changeling: the Lost is a game set in the World of Darkness. The backdrop for these stories is evocative of darker themes of human nature. Just because this is a Faerie Tale doesnt mean it is an exception. Before the spread of popular culture, Faerie Tales also had a much darker tone that reflected the medieval viewpoint of the world. It is to this page that we turn, in an atmosphere of eerie horror and suspense. When telling these stories around the firelight, the shadows seem to be that much deeper. Eyes stare from their depths with menacing intent. In telling an urban Faerie Tale, you are placing the monsters on your doorstep. In our urban environment, the monsters are social predators of mobsters, gangs, corrupt politicians and violent police officers. The veneer of civilization seems stretched only a little too tightly over habitats of humanity. Those who are foolhardy, or unlucky enough to venture beyond the edges of the shadows will discover, albeit only briefly, a world populated with supernatural horrors. Almost every character in the World of Darkness knows someone 2

by Angelus Michaels

How to Use This Book

Dreams of Delirium is a supplementary book that allows players to indulge and explore more succinctly the themes of the Urban Faerie Tale. In some ways, there is a particular irony about this book, as it becomes a form of Storytelling about stories, the telling of tales, and how this impacts upon the audience. Chapter One: Legend explores the living story. It goes into the myths and legends that changelings tell each other, and how changelings can draw upon the power of legends themselves to augment their own power. It explores the relationship between dreams and stories, and the landscape beyond the Hedge known as the dreaming realms. It also introduces changelings to the secret season of Delirium, the season of Carnival. Through this chapter, the world of the Lost expands off the edge of the map into the unknown places beyond the hedge and its denizens. Chapter Two: Reverie examines the politics and structure of changeling society giving Storytellers and players ways to expand upon the basic models given in the core book. It explores the fundamental drives and urges of a changeling psyche, introducing many new systems to entreat

with the supernatural madness of Faerie. Lastly, it speaks of the dark and dangerous aspect of the changelings psyche known in horrified whispers as the Shadow. Chapter Three: Graymayre opens the page to dark arcane secrets of the Fae. It explores how changelings, using their very own Wyrd, can rip open the powers of a contract to unleash hidden powers upon the world. It explores how changelings, using the lost arts of Gramayre can weave living elements of stories. It explores how changelings, by rendering glamour into a tangible substance, can work it through subtle means to create strange and unique charms. Chapter Four: Oration explores the art of storytelling itself, including the structure of many faerie tales. It covers details on character types that frequently appear in Faerie Tales, and a break down of the structure of the Heroes Journey, thought to be the formula behind most (if not all) Faerie Tales.

by Angelus Michaels

Chapter One: Legend

But I dont want to go among mad people, Alice remarked. Oh, you cant help that, said the Cat: were all mad here. Im mad. Youre mad. How do you know Im mad? said Alice. You must be, said the Cat, or you wouldnt have come here.
- Alice In Wonderland
The Fae are alien and unconscionable. Why do they continue to come into a world that is inherently hostile to them, to fade away or fall to madness? What is it about humanity that appeals to them so much, why do they favor human form over any other when they have so many others to chose from? Humans have stories. They have small and large fictions, which they tell to themselves and each other, they have large and vivid dreams that shape and change conscious minds. In such dreams, the Lose find a strange accordance with Faerie. Whereas humanity, for the most part, prides itself on its rationality and its reason, the logic of Faerie works according to fiction and fable, the logic of rhyme. Some changelings have described this process as a narrative imperative. Whereas a mortal may seek to make a choice based on individual experiences and instincts of self-preservation, a Fae will often pursue agendas that behest the progression of some narrative, or fiction and this is the way of dreaming. If they envision themselves as a gleaming knight, it is not a code of chivalry that bids them to behave as such, but rather the weight of fiction that demands it of them. However, not all stories are kind to the fae. Folklore exists that describes anathema to faerie kind. Such things as iron, church bells and consecrated ground are written as baleful to their ilk. These fictions can become true, at least some of the time. Though such anathemas are a subject for later exploration. villain and hero are not truly decided until the final conflict is resolved. It is a maxim of history that it is written by the victors and the Lost are right at home with the fictions of propaganda. Some Lost simply suggest that it is a means to an end, a necessary evil if you will. In every story someone must play the villain, and quite often these stories portray him or her with grand and powerful scopes. In many stories, such villains are defeated, only to rise more powerful than before. This line of thought suggests that villains never truly suffer a defeat, only considerable setbacks. The Lost have followed these options many times throughout history, so the question begs which of these is true? The answer to that is, of course, all of them; it simply depends on whose telling the story.

Mythic Cycles
Every single myth that speaks of the Fae speaks of them in mixed terms. The Fae, as told by humanity, are creatures of weird and ethereal beauty, creatures of wild an exotic passions and creatures of strange and cruel humor. It would, however, be a mistake to think that the Fae are nice. The Fae are strangers to this world, their origins lie far beyond the mundane world around us. If youre lucky enough, you may be told some about their origins and if youre luckier still, you might walk away to be able to tell others. Little, too, is known about Faerie itself, except that it is a place outside our normal perceptions of space and time, moving according to its own particular flow of time known as the Wyrd.

The Trials of Good and Evil

In keeping with the themes of narrative imperative, one might very well ask why faerie creatures would choose to be anything but the hero in their story. Many stories evoke conflicts between good and evil forces, often with good triumphing over evil. Why would a fae pursue the role of the villain if it would only lead to their downfall? A number of thoughts exist on this matter by the Lost, and all are readily explored. The first line of thought suggests that good and evil is simply one of those fictions humanity has created, and that good and evil, black and white, day and night are beyond the conventions of the Gentry. For other fae, it is merely one side of a coin, one half of their duality. To deny one aspect is to deny oneself and to defeat the story itself. Another train of thought is more contemporary. Many stories depict villains who suffer a righteous cause, believing their actions to be for the greater good. Such fallen heroes with corrupted ambitions are true to the stories told in the past and present day. Such Lost suggest that the role of 4

Origins of Faerie
There is no one story that tells of the origin of Faerie. It is far too wild and untamed. There are a number of stories in common circulation amongst the Lost, to try and explain or discuss their experiences whilst there. Recognition of these myths is one of the key features that separates the elder changelings from the younger, a division between adherence to tradition and ancient lore and exploration of modern ideas. For a traditionalist, these myths are more than stories, that are the fundamental definitions of their nature, explaining who they are and what they are about. For modern changelings, such myths are little more than the relics of a nostalgic past of small import in modern times. Interestingly enough, of the older myths, stars feature as a frequent feature of Faerie origin. For the light of the stars seems to hold a strange sense of comfort reminding them

by Angelus Michaels
of their more fondly remembered dreams of Arcadia. The exact nature of this relationship is disputed by the Lost, with many ideas or theories being posited. mortals home a little more quickly then they might otherwise take.

The Living World

Many changelings observe the close affinity that the Fae have with the natural world and the affinity the Lost themselves have in forming great compacts with fundamental structures of nature; the Great Courts being only the most obvious example. For many Fae, particularly Elementals, Faerie is not another world it is the living spirit of nature itself and its denizens are its voices and consciousness. Indeed, many choose to see the alienity of Faerie simply part of the wild and unknowable aspects of nature itself. It is only alien because humanity has separated itself from the wilderness. Some changelings even go further, granting Faerie a form of personification even identifying it with mortal concepts of mother nature. Faerie becomes like a living goddess beating tree of life itself and call her Gaia, Maya, and many other names of the Earth. In this rhetoric it is suggested that the Earth sprang from the womb of Faerie, and they changelings have a role of stewardship over the natural and living world. For such changelings, the soft lights of the stars are the fragments of natures mind, her gleaming memories watching down from on high. Such advocates of this myth say that all secrets of the past can be discerned from enough stargazing. Adherents of this position have complex thoughts and feelings towards humanity, seeing them as one creature amongst many that live upon the world. While some suggest that humanity is little more than an animal who has overstepped their bounds, others treat them as wayward children. In any case, these Lost feel a strong connection to the condition of the Earth and the way mortals taint her with their effluence. The changelings likely feel physically ill in the presence of such contamination, and fare poorly in dense urban environments without some glade of natural beauty in which to refresh and renew herself.

Dreams Given Flesh

One particular origin claims that Faerie is not truly a place, but a memory. It is the land of dreams, from which all things emerge. While Earth may be a place where the living give birth to dreams, it is in Faerie where dreams give birth to living beings, and Arcadia is the wellspring of dreaming dreams of mortal minds, of animals, or plants, and the unloving rocks and skies. Arcadia is the dream of everything, and such changelings have been known to call the Fae by the term Dreamborn. The capriciousness of the Fae is attributed to the nonsensical flow of such dreams. There is no true rhyme of reason to their nature, just whim and fancy. Such changelings relationship with humanity is typically far more interconnected than others, seeing a deep and personal investment into the dreams of humans. If the Fae are ultimately the creation of dreams then they must be tied to the dreamers. They attribute their affinity to the stars as the stars being a bastion of dreams and wonder citing their nighttime affinity when dreams are strongest. Changeligns who hold to such notion may find themselves far too easily losing Clarity. By submerging themselves into a world of dreaming and reveries, they lose their tenuous connection to the physical reality.

Into the Chaotic Void

Fae are chaotic creatures and Faerie is a mutable land. Some changelings look to this fact and suggest that Faerie is nothing more than, the void outside of creation, a place of indefinable nothingness. They suggest that the Hedge, and its many paths are actually ways through into the world from beyond a mystical barrier that should have separated the two. This Wyrding Wall, as it is sometimes called, was never meant to be breached, and the Fae pushed their way in this world forcibly. This makes their entry into the world a hostile invasion, which each gleaming star a physical sympathetic tear in the wall, manifesting in the dome of the night as radiant stars. For these changelings, the Fae are seen as alien gods, inimical to the world of humankind, ones whose influence over the world is un unwelcome presence that they must rail against. Faerie represents a truly primal force bringing everything in its wake to entropy, or exploding into uncontrolled outbursts. For these changelings, the divide between Faerie and the Earth (and therefore the conflict between their faerie and mortal natures) is exacerbated. Such Lost often have hard work empathizing with humanity and their own human past. Dancing on the edge of chaos has consequences, as these changelings can fly into fits of hysteric madness with haunting ease.

The Undying Lands

More than a few stories equate the Fae to the restless dead, or at least draws strong correlations between the world of the dead and the Fae. This is also true of some changelings, who describe Faerie as a place beyond death, and grant it the sobriquet of the Undying Lands. Such changelings ascribe the eternal nature of the Fae and Faerie as a consequence of this fact describing the Fae as creatures not bound to the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. They also point to the infertility of the Fae, and the poor adaptability of ideas as support for this notion. To such changelings, true death represents not a departure, but a return to the Undying Lands instead, while for others, that they walk upon the earth itself has consigned them to oblivion upon death. These changelings feel little regard for humanity, who consider those who walking among the living to be wayward souls in restless incarnation. For these changelings, the stars are the softly glowing candles of the souls that have gone before, lighting a way in the darkness to call the restless living back home. Some even elect to help usher such

Between Damnation and Grace

The medieval churches once considered the Fae to have been angels who neither stood for the host or the rebels in the war of heaven. Such creatures were cast down to live alongside creation, neither damned, nor truly welcome into the grace of heaven. Such legends make direct correlations to the stars as heavenly bodies, as perfect spheres of its magnitude. The Fae, according to the most vulgar form of 5

by Angelus Michaels
this rhetoric, are nothing more than fallen stars. Each star is the birth-shell of a Fae and their light winks out upon their death. Yet, the adherents of this myth hold themselves with a terrible pride. They see themselves touched with a spark of divinity, however distantly reflected. They are plenipotentiaries of providence, but are not under the aegis of any celestial mandate. Their relationship with humanity can be best summed up in terms of noblesse oblige; they claim their right of primacy through their exalted (or divine) status. They carry with them a strange potency and elegance, that empowers them amongst mortal kind. It is a fair divide between such Lost who treat humanity as unenlightened masses that must be cared for and those who see them as little more than chattel, walking as gods among them with a sense of superiority. most profound memory of this time is but a whisper on the surface, and many changelings cannot be sure what they have learned is sooth or fiction.

The Silver Age

The Silver Age is reckoned to begin when the first of the Fae stepped from Faerie and into Earth. Though alien to this world, they quickly adapted to its ways. The roads between were plentiful and many. Its borders were indistinct and passage was easier than imagined. In the wake of these travelers, Faerie followed. Earth is a world of shape and for, and the Fae were formless and shapeless beings. They passed through the world like shadows on the wall. It was only after long and patient observation that the Fae learned the manner of shape and substance. They spoke to the world and listened to its ways, and with it they bartered the use of its form in exchange for their stewardship. So through contracts forged with the world, the Fae were able to force the wild and impulsive nature of Faerie into coherent things things that would abide the linear measure of the world. Eventually the Fae assumed the manifold shapes and forms of the world. They became tree, beast or ocean floor upon a whim. Thus it was that the Fae claimed sovereignty of this world long before humanity existed. Through the compacts of their oaths, the Fae saw this world as theirs by right of concordance with it. The world was their playground, walking as giants within it, and in their wake Faerie came. Each shape they assumed was suffused by Faerie. Like ripples in the pond, the passing of the Fae disturbed these shapes, giving the very nature of the world borrowed votive force of Faerie. Just as the Fae had borrowed power of the earth to take shape, the static world took some of the power of Faerie and gave itself new shape and animation. The living rock and tree of the world made half-fae through their contracts with Faerie - creatures born of Faerie but of made in the crucible of the elements of the world itself. The name for these creatures is half forgotten these creatures, and the places they claims as their own, they called the Wyld.

Legends of the Fall

Though Fae may walk amongst prosaic world, they live and breath a landscape that is entirely otherworldly. Fae are strangers to this world, and for many of the older changelings too. The Fae in the prosaic world have stolen mortal identities, and become Charlatans amongst humankind. There is one legend, however, that speaks of a time when the Fae were the rulers of this world. Many changelings have been told by their Keepers that they were once Lord and Master of such a place on Earth, perhaps providing a reason for their strange affinity with specific localities. As told by the Fae, the prosaic world of Earth was very different to how it was today, under their stewardship. Not so now, for it has been claimed that Fae were cast down from their ascendancy and many of the once proud Fae that remained in the world no longer walk upon it, having fallen to a slow and sessile languor. This legend of exile is one that many changelings tell. It is a story of the smaller forces that they represent overthrowing the might of the Fae. It also speaks of the original compacts and interaction that existed between Fae and humanity, and perhaps why the Fae take such an interest in human beings.

The Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is marked by the discovery of humanity. No lucid remembrance holds any account of their coming or creation, only that they were there. The Fae met humanity with a mixture of suspicion, curiosity, fascination and envy. Where Fae worked hard to earn their place within this world, these creatures had a native affinity for it. By this affinity, they seemed to challenge the Faes hold and claim over the world. For with them, humanity carried a concept of time unlike the Wyrd; linear and restricted to the passage of memory. The Wyld retreated from sight, making the untamed wildernesses hostile to them as a measure of sanctuary. Many of the Fae spurned these pitiful creatures, who could not even master their own destinies. While other Fae revealed themselves to humanity in various guises. Though some were rebuked and reviled, others were honored as gods before these mortals to be worshiped and admired. These Fae found themselves empowered, there was something strong about the weight of human belief that gave them inordinate strength. They lived and thrived upon the

The Golden Age

The first age spoken of by the Fae is this one. It was a time before time was, it was an eon of shapeless void. It did not take place in an event before now, nor did it take place in an event after now. It simply was a time far different from our own. This was Faerie, a place outside of creation and outside of the world as we know it today. Faerie was boundless, and ever-changing. Within Faerie was an eternity of continually shaping possibilities. There was no past or future, only the eternal moment of the now. Within Faerie, this single moment of continuous dynamic change and being was called the Wyrd, the time of eternity. It is said that Faerie itself gave birth to its own entities, those we call the Fae. Before the Fae came to Earth they existed solely in Faerie, and it is believed that they made their world as they saw fit. Everything existed as a dream; never according to any rhyme or reason, but by whim and will. Of this time, little more is known. The deepest and 6

by Angelus Michaels
worship and superstition that evolved around them. They discovered human dreams. Simple, yet capable of forging and shaping worlds within their minds, and these dreams held strange affinity to the Hedge and Faerie itself. Within each mortal dream, the Fae discovered a pale reflection of Faerie. Such Gentry claimed their right of sovereignty and took their mortal chattel, kept ignorant of the enigmatic affairs of their Lords and Ladies. However, with their proximity to Faerie, it would only be a matter of time before mortals became exposed to the caresses of Faerie and were changed changelings. Such milking brood were kept as pets by the Fae, and rejected by the Wyld, who saw their minds too clouded with mortal thoughts. advantage of the fact that humanity began to draw upon iron implements and tools. Each iron forged tool was a nail in the coffin of Faerie rule. The dominions of Faerie began to fade away into legend, becoming mere ghosts of a misremembered past. What remained of Faerie in the prosaic world retreated into the Wyld. As old strongholds of Faerie were severed from the flow of the Wyrd, things of Faerie origin would fall to wrack and ruin, crumbling to dust as ages of history caught up with them in mere moments. The creatures of the Wyld caught in the wake of time would suffer a terrible somnolence. The living mountains would come to a still, and walking forests would move no more, and eventually all creatures of Faerie retreated into its wilderness. These places, hidden from the eyes of humanity, twisted in upon itself its denizens equally twisted and horrid. It is thought that this is the true origins of the Hedge and its Hobgoblins.

The Heroic Age

The Heroic Age was an age of war, struggle and grief. It was the time when humanity defied the Fae; when Fae mastery of the world was challenged and won. The Fae discovered that the dreams that empowered them, also enchained them. In exalting themselves upon the altar of mortal dreams, they found themselves defined by the limitations of them. Abilities not held to be within the purview of the icons they portrayed were denied them and conflicts began to grow amongst the Fae who sought to control more human dreams to expand these limitations. This conflict would grow and would soon draw in the creatures of the Wyld and the denizens of Faerie who had never left for Earth. Those outside creation felt it should be destroyed for deigning to limit the grace and power of the Fae. In this chaos, changelings saw an opportunity to move against their immortal masters. Gifted with unique preternatural talents from their association with Faerie as well as their knowledge of humanity, they began to twist and shape the dreams of mortal man influencing the stories and narratives that the mortals told. Here they encouraged stories and other innovation that would allow ordinary mortal men to become heroes. So were the legends of old born. Changelings, gave away the secrets of Faerie to humanity, and used the flow of the Wyrd to affect the flow of mortal destiny and used oaths to forge ties between humanity and the land. As lands became claimed by human hand, cultivated and churned under their tools, it was severed from the Wyrd and flowed to the march of time as reckoned by humanity. So it was that the flow of time, of history, began.

Off the Map

Beyond the Hedge lies Arcadia, the realm of Faerie. However, Arcadia is not the only destination that can be reached in the depths of the Hedge. Long changelings have known the Hedge to share a strange affinity with dreams, and many a traveler has walked old and ancient Trods to places neither Earth nor Faerie. These are the dreaming realms, the great wilderness, the Wyld. Just as the waking world is a material reality, the dreaming realms are dark reflections of the same reality but representing a wild subconscious of the waking world. Such a place, is neither forged solely from the collective dreams of humanity, nor solely the purview of Faerie. It is a wilderness, claimed by no one; a landscape of dream, of immaterial substance both made of pure and formless thought. When dealing with the wilderness, one must know that it is a vastly complex and interwoven tapestry of dreams, broken nightmares and fantasy. From the shallowest projections to the darkest voids, the dreaming realms are neither safe to explore nor a welcome sojourn for the unwary faerie creature. They are not the native homeland to the Fae, but a place to explore at their peril.

At the Crossroads of Never and Where

All around us is an unseen state of existence. Unseen, but not unfelt this is Twilight, where things exist without form or substance, but still have a presence. Ghost, spirits and other intangible creatures live such a Twilight existence, touching the world only with gossamer hands and unsung words. Many changelings can be unnerved by Twilight, especially for those who have the arts to perceive into its state or interact with it. Talking to spirits, and ghosts and dealing with phantasm with no presence can lend some changelings to questioning their sanity, and perhaps losing their own Clarity.

The Iron Age

The Iron Age is the first age counted in a measure of years, rather than an aeon as a whole. As humanity reclaimed more of the world, Faerie rolled back away from its order. The Fae shied away from these lands where Faerie boiled and destroyed their illusions. The paths between Faerie and the prosaic world began to fade and many routes of escape were cut off. Many Fae found themselves earthbound, denied access to Faerie. Some even suggest that the denial is a forbiddance placed upon the Fae who remained as revenge by those in Faerie. It is also reckoned, that in this age, Fae broke their contract with iron, and changelings were quick to take

Descent into Madness

The world inhabited by mortals goes by many names, for it is a nexus of many things. While Earth is the common parlance to delineate the mortal world from Faerie, the other common euphemism is the term, prosaic world. The other common epithet is the term the waking world. This is a 7

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term more commonly used by changelings who have visited or even frequent the dreaming realms. For such a term describes the mundane world as only the very surface layer on a much stratified reality, with the dreaming realms deep beneath. Some changelings even go a step further and suggest that the waking world is nothing more than a carefully shared delusion, that mortals only shake themselves of its delusion when they reach states of lucid dreaming, other altered states of consciousness or even madness itself these mortals, known as the Inspired by the Lost, have their own strange connection to the dreaming realms that mimic the changelings own sympathy. Such Inspired, allow the fetters of their rational mind to wander as they plunge into the depths of dreams. The dreaming realms themselves are not easily mapped. What changelings know about the geography of the dreaming realms is not accurate paths, but generalized description. If the waking world is the realm of consciousness, then these other places are its subconscious. Some places are more shallow than others, bearing closer resemblance to the waking world, while other places are dreams of the deep, dark soporific places of the unconscious mind and like eldritch leviathans, sometimes these deep dreams rise to the surface and break like bubbles in the waking world, carrying with them dreams that are not of human reckoning, pure and utter madness. Some of these fragments are memories of events once seen, and others are events as they might have been. The nave may call them fantasies, or nightmare, but they are far more surreal than either. As they draw closer to the waking world they begin to intrude on a world of ordered thoughts and imaginings. Those that are completely unintelligible tend to dissolve long before they reach the surface. Yet others, some not quite normal but close enough, make it all the way and breach the surface. The geography of the dreaming realms mirrors that of the mind. There is the waking world on the surface and deeper levels of dream. The deeper you go, the further from the logical and stable reality you voyage. Though the borders between the dry land of the waking and the waters of dream seem clearly defined, waves may rise and fall, even crashing on the shores and breaking into flood, but by and large the waters stay where the waters are. These are the layers of the dreaming realms as known by the Lost: Eidolon: Unlike the other layers of the dreaming realms, this one exists in the waking world. If the analogy of the mind map can be maintained, Eidolon is the daydream. It is the fragments of the dreaming realms that creep into the waking world in a state of Twilight. When the dreaming realms erupt into the waking world, the Twilight can be transformed into a mythic tapestry. The sun moves across the sky because it is driven by a fiery chariot or giant beetle, and set because it has been swallowed by a giant snake and requires a period of time before it can be reborn. The sky may become a literal dome or ceiling, and the earth the physical body of some giant. It is said, that it was through Eidolon, that changelings manages to meet the personification of the seasons and form their pledges with 8 them. Such things in Eidolon are not real. They have only a small fictitious existence, kept alive by dreams. Only those creatures that are bound to the Wyrd or otherwise Inspired can perceive Eidolon in Twilight. The Widderslainte: The Widderslainte is a mirror world of our own. It is a phantasmagoric and nightmarish landscape populated with cruel parodies of the real world. Buildings seem to climb like claws bent at impossible angles, its denizens seem like creatures of mythic yore and of other bizarre ken. The Widderslainte is the realm of madness and absurdity, being equated to the unreason of the mind. The Widderslainte is the half-waking reverie between the shores of wakefulness and the depths of sleep. A visit to the Widderslainte may seem quaint and curious to the unaware, but the wise know nothing is as it seems here. Here a dangling participle can be eaten by a run-away metaphor. The Widderslainte is populated too; in these in-between places, many creatures of the wilderness have found a place to habit, if not to live. Though it is a world that shares much with the illogic of Faerie and changelings, who were once mortal, are not always welcome here. Somnus: The realms of Somnus are the realms of deep and dreaming sleep. It is the world of the deep unconscious where little to nothing makes coherent sense, a realm of little to no logic, order or even stability. The very unreality of this place makes it dangerous to walk in, let alone reside. No one knows how deep the Somnus goes, but some have proposed a trip far enough down will eventually lead to places far beyond the world we know. None can say for certain, for the few who have made the journey, have not returned. The Labyrinth: Not truly a realm of its own, the Labyrinth is a network of routes and paths that connect the various realms together, of which the Hedge is only a part of. The Hedge represents a small portion of the Labyrinth, and represent the in between places that lie closest between Faerie and Earth. Yet other paths, some older, some younger, exist that are not part of the Hedge and do not go to Faerie. When viewed as a whole, the Labyrinth is a massive network of locations, which lie in wait between many, many worlds. It is a realm whose geography is so twisted that the casual relationship between locations bears no resemblance to normal space. For more information on the Hedge, refer to pages 210-219 in Changeling: the Lost. The Oubliette: Deep within the pits of the Labyrinth are a number of realms, which are realms in their own right. Collectively they are called the Oubliette, for they are places that lie forgotten. Though not truly places of their own, they are the cul-de-sacs of reality; places that couldnt or should not be. They are dead end and fabricated worlds, memories of the world that never reached the waking world. They are the dreams that never were, or dreams best forgotten hazy and unstable ranging from the mild to the quite impossible. In many places, one may find the physical laws are far different from those in the waking world.

Sight Beyond Sight

The wilderness is not safe for changelings to linger in. The denizens of the Labyrinth and wilderness, often see

by Angelus Michaels
changelings and their ilk as prey or worse. In many cases changelings are a quick and easy source of glamour that many dreamborn creatures hungrily yearn. A changeling off their guard becomes easy prey for some of the denizens of the dreaming realms. The first experiences that most changelings have of the dreaming realms is Eidolon. Changelings describe perceiving Eidolon like as seeing something more real than the mundane experience of the waking world. The trappings of mortal concerns fall away, some describing it as akin to lifting the veil of Maya. The way in which a character can perceive Eidolon is through a special type of Kenning, where the changeling imbues her mundane eyes to see past the waking world into the waking dream. For a character to perceive Eidolon in this fashion they must spend a mote of glamour and roll Wits + Lucidity (or Wits + Inspiration for an Inspired) as an instant action. However, once perception into Eidolon is engaged, it becomes difficult to switch off. The impressions of Eidolon will typically fade at the end of the scene, but until then a Fae is usually left without choice to stop observing. The world falls partly away, to be overlaid with the figments of Eidolon. Essentially, the changeling retains awareness of her mundane surroundings, but her perceptions are distorted by what she sees in Eidolon. In Eidolon, there may be a beautifully carved staircase may seem to stretch out before her, only when she steps forward she discovered that there is nothing there in the physical, with the depth and presence of this landscape varying from place to place. However, Eidolon is just an imposed delusion upon the waking world, canny changelings must endeavor to discern which is real and which is fictitious. While some are easy to discern, such as creatures of bygone eras, many more are subtler in their difference. Much of Eidolon conforms to the mundane landscape of the waking world. partially mad, with derangements induced by the dream-like reverie of the Wyld.

Fading ( to

Prerequisite: Changeling with no Fame Merit Effect: The changeling has built a strange affinity with the Mists of the wilderness. Changelings with this Merit have developed such a synergy with the Mists that they can cloak themselves in its concealing power to cloud the minds of mortal-kind. At lower levels the character is able to simply blend in with a group of people, pass unnoticed as people assume that she has some purpose or role here. At higher levels the character is virtually ignored by all who pass her by, walking unseen amongst the streets. The eyes of those who catch sight of her pass over in an almost unconscious way. The character is rejected in the minds of those who observe her. People have no desire to pay her attention and go blatantly out of their way to avoid her if they can. If confronted with this person they may become distressed in they are forced to. For every dot of Fading the character has subtract, 1 die from all rolls that attempt to perceive her or remember her. Drawback: Characters with this Merit are not invisible to those who ignore them. It only ensures that they are overlooked, not forgotten. The Merit assumes that the character is not interacting with people in any way. She cannot talk, attack or do anything that would otherwise draw attention. The moment she does so, the effects of this Merit no longer apply. Furthermore, for a mortal to be able to interact with the character they must have more dots in Empathy than she has in Fading. This can prove to be a problem if that changeling is injured or needs assistance in some way. Its mechanical benefit applies only to mortals, supernatural creatures are unaffected by its touch.

Other Experiences
Most creatures not of Faerie have no ability to perceive these strange manifestations of the dreaming realms. However, there are a number of ways for nonFae to perceive Eidolon. Principally, ensorcelling a creature will allow it to perceive past the Mask, and grant them the ability to see such enchanted wonders. Simialrly, certain phenomena (such as drug usage, certain magic or trances) can cause a person to become unstuck in a state of reverie, able to see past the Mask and more. Lastly, folklore is peppered with myths of people perceiving things of Faerie through various methods or manners, such as peering between your legs or holding up certain glasses to the eye. Usually for this to work, the person must have some inherent extra sensory perception (such as the Unseen Sense Merit in the World of Darkness Rulebook pp. 108 that is keyed towards such phenomena).

Lucidity (

to

Wilderness Merits
The following merits are available to changelings who have a strong affinity to the Hedge or the wilderness of the Labyrinth. To acquire these Merits, the changeling must be

Prerequisite: Changeling with the Nightmares Mental Flaw Effect: Most changelings have only hazy dream-like recollections of their durance in Faerie. Some changelings, however, after their close experiences with the Hedge, develop a more lucid recollection, granting them strange insights into all things fae that they encounter. This Merit has a number of potent uses. Primarily it can be drawn upon like a well of subconscious information to glean information on anything relating to the Hedge and Faerie, or things of those locations. Lucidity assists changelings in identifying and understanding what is illusory and what is real, what is dream and what is flesh. At any point a changeling encounters something she believes to be of Faerie (or Hedge) origin she may substitute the relevant skill with her dots in Lucidity (so a Wits + Investigation role on investigating a Charlatan might be replaced with Wits + Lucidity). This substitution can only take place where remembrance plays a huge role in the information gathering process.

Sojourner (

to

Prerequisite: Changeling with the Wanderlust or HedgeCalling derangement

by Angelus Michaels
Effect: Investigative changelings who have spent much time in the Hedge and Labyrinth have gained some knowledge of the vast and complicated system of travel networks that interconnect the different spaces. This Merit indicates how well the character knows this interconnecting suite of tunnels in the local commons. At lower levels the changeling is familiar only with pathways of the local Hedge, knowing only the most common and major routes through its twists and turns. Those who have higher levels of the Merit have plumbed the depths of the Labyrinths more arcane routes and hidden passages. The character knows the Labyrinth in an up-close and personal way. This gives the changeling a number of mechanical bonuses. Firstly, the changeling may add her dots in Sojourner for any roll associated with navigating through the wilderness, be it the Hedge or the Labyrinth, or even the dreaming realms. Secondly, for every dot that the changeling has the Sojourner may reduce negative modifiers associated with traveling through the Hedge by one. Lastly, for every dot the changeling possesses, she may possess knowledge and access one sure trod to a destination of her choice that can be accessed via the Hedge. Ambient glamour Any place with an ambient level of glamour such as Hollows, or other bastions of changeling activity. When changelings perceive Eidolon in places of Ambient Glamour, the world is almost entirely subsumed by its sight. High glamour Places with high amounts of glamour, including various places of power. Here, Eidolon conforms to the normal perceptions of reality, but almost everything is transformed in some way or another. Moderate glamour Places that have an average amount of glamour are human locales that arent inherently magical, but are overflowing with emotional energy, such as art colonies, sporting arenas, places of worship, and jails. Eidolon is very much as the waking world appears, but with odd eccentricities and highlights. Buildings or locations must have a minimal level of significance for it to be transformed. Low glamour These are places that are exceptionally entrenched in the mundane lives of human ritual and behaviors, such as corporate offices, middle suburbia, shopping malls and industrial complexes, where people act more like machines than emotional creatures. Most things perceive in Eidolon are faded into background. Mortals have no reflection as the area subsumes their idealized self, supernaturals and truly unique people may stand out. No glamour These are places with virtually no ambient Glamour. While these places are rare, they can sometimes be the result from strict social order or regimes designed to squash identity or expression such as military barracks, courtrooms and certain educational facilities. There is no Eidolon to be perceived here. No people, buildings, landscape nor supernatural creatures leave a reflection.

Walking in Wilderness
Eidolon is a delusion superimposed upon the real world around us. It reflects the real, and is affected by the real. More importantly, its also affected by memories of things that once were. A building that collapsed, but is remembered by many people may still be standing proud in Eidolon. Unlike the waking world whose cause and effect seems to be dictated by a number of physical laws, Eidolon functions according to mythological laws. The cultural myths of any given region are one of the most blatant to manifest their effect on Eidolons landscape. For those who observe Eidolon can see the large mechanics of the world being driven by gods of various sizes and other mythical beings. If this is true, then how does the landscape take on a mythical quality? The answer is in integration. Eidolon doesnt merely overlay its fantastical landscape; it incorporates the mundane into it. So instead of seeing a forest for its trees, in Eidolon one may see a forest of dancing dryads or nymphs. A tall majestic skyscraper becomes a claw-like and thunderstruck stone tower. Even the urban environments have their own twisted visions, though they tend to be far more subtle and covert than their rural counterparts. If a changeling is unsure at to whether something they perceive is real or not, they may make a reflexive Wits + Lucidity roll upon investigation. A simple success is typically needed for innocuous deceptions, while truly masterful delusions may require more. Changelings have passed on through oral tradition that Eidolon was once a beautiful landscape, but has become twisted and distorted in modern times. Mortals no longer dream of myths and fables as they once did. As a general rule of thumb use the following guidelines to determine how strong the presence of Eidolon is in any locality. This is directly proportional to the ambience of glamour in specific vicinities. 10

I Spy With My Little Eye

It is pointed out here that Eidolon is entirely a projected figment. It is a dream-like hallucination that is somewhat true. Everything in Eidolon obeys the normal physical rules of things in Eidolon. That is, those things that are only in Eidolon and have no physical substance. They cannot be picked up or manipulated unless the changeling has some special ability to interact with things in Twilight physically.

Lifting the Veil of Unreason

The supernatural in the World of Darkness has an inherent ability to keep hidden. When perceiving Eidolon, it must not be assumed that this ability can see through all forms of mystical shrouding or other supernatural powers designed to conceal their presence or activities. When confronting supernatural things that are not of Faerie origin, the changeling must compare her Wyrd against a relevant statistic of the target. For supernatural creatures themselves, the changeling must compare against the other creatures relevant power stat (Blood Potency for vampires, Primal Urge for werewolves, Gnosis for mages and Azoth for prometheans, Synthesis for spirit-claimed etc). When confronting objects of supernatural power, the changelings Wyrd must be higher than the dot value of the object (for objects that are created by virtue of a supernatural power, but not represented by the

by Angelus Michaels
presence of a Merit value, treat them as a contest against supernatural powers). If the changeling instead encounters something that is the result of a supernatural power, or the active presence of a power, such things may only be discerned if the changelings Wyrd is higher than the number of successes invested into that power. What follows is a breakdown of how things, places and objects may appear in Eidolon. figure as they move always silent, always watching and never responding. The animation that these objects have always leaves changelings with the unnerving sensation of being watched, but never the satisfaction of interaction. Objects of a mystical nature, will manifest something similar to a mien (in the fashion of Tokens). They will attempt to reflect the nature of their mystical function. Further, objects that are invested with power through vampiric blood sorcery will often look blood-stained themselves. Objects invested with spiritual power will look to move with a certain animation, much like the objects of higher complexity mentioned above, even having faces where there shouldnt be any. In particular Fetishes will seem completely alive and animated, with their own alien personalities. Objects made through magic will attempt to be shaped according to the idea that went into the spells creation, reflecting the intention of the mage when he created the spell. Objects formed from the magic of Pyros will be shrouded by flickers of flame of ever changing hues.

Personal Manifestations
Changelings perceiving Eidolon will see people overlaid with ideas about themselves. Like a shadow that has its own personality, perceiving Eidolon can give away what a person is truly thinking in a metaphorical sense. A person sitting next to an attractive figure may mentally change their own thoughts of themselves and become more enchanting than they really are. While in the waking world this may not be the case, they are faintly overlaid with the way they see themselves. As for seeing other changelings, part of this ability is naturally extended to things of Faerie origin. Indeed, changelings often correlate the fact of Eidolons perception to the inherent ability to see through the Mask. Similarly, other supernatural creatures may demonstrate themselves in strange fashions. Vampires may manifest as shadowy figures (and perhaps somewhat indiscernible from ghosts perceived in Twilight). Werewolves are reasonably easy to perceive as aspects of their bestial nature colors their own image (though a changeling may simply mistake them as a Beast changeling, which are more familiar to them). Mages are an entirely different issue like mortals, they tend to display and actualized or ideal representation of themselves. However, this representation is distorted by the persona of their Shadow Name (the fake magical identity they have assumed). This means that their appearance will most closely mirror the nature of what their Shadow Name depicts, whether they see themselves as heroes, wizards, or clandestine and Machiavellian nobles they take on a guise that expresses their truest and deepest nature. As a final note, things, places and people that are hidden as a result of mystical concealment will not show up at all in Eidolon. It is the intent of these things to stay hidden, and Eidolon will reflect that ideal by making them inconspicuously absent. Naturally, this is one of the downsides of Eidolons perception as it can make sneak assaults far more effective. Any attempt to discern subjects that are intending to remain hidden through mundane methods only will inflict a 2 penalty upon the changelings perception rolls.

The Language of the Mind

Language in Eidolon tends not to follow its own unique style. The symbolism of intent weighs heavily on what is written. Words have a very real power here that will often override what is actually there. Books: Books are perhaps the most normal conveyers of language when viewed in Eidolon. The content of the books seems to reflect what the book would normally say, but the words themselves seem to have a life of their own. Some of the more tamer tomes, typically narrative fictions, will simply manifest visual representations of their stories across their pages. Other tomes that have a weighty volume may feel heavy to the hand and its words may seem to run off the pages like running water. Advertisements: Slogans and adverts in Eidolon are semiotic. Typically, such slogans represent the intention of the ad being as blatant as buy me or we want you money, others may be more derisive of their adverts you dont want this shit or this product is overpriced. Signs: Any object that can potentially direct a person somewhere (such as street signs or maps) will speak some strange truth about the direction or nature of the location it indicates, such as this way home, rest here for the night, whore street or even more blatant stuff like dangerous ally. If a street has a moniker that is common it will typically assume that name, such as the golden mile for the infamous Oxford Street in Sydney. Hand-written messages: These are simple enough; they too are somewhat semiotic, as they always suggest what the person was thinking at the time of writing. Beautiful love letters may actually say things like oh god I really hope you like me, Im so alone. Pages, however, written by the hand of a supernatural creature will not manifest this tendency instead, the words and letters will seem to reflect the personality of the author in someway, either through their style or through their animation.

Treasured Things
Objects seen in Eidolon can range from the beautiful to the disturbing. Objects that are lost or forgotten tend to look more run down and broken than they might otherwise be. Objects that receive frequent attention tend to seem more alive than they should be. Glassy eyes have an inner light to them that seem to watch wherever they go, same too for the eyes and figures in paintings. Objects that have no natural locomotion seem to sprout gears, or wheels or half-sunken appendages that make no sense. Objects of higher complexity, such as televisions or computers may have animated faces that turn to watch the

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Mirrors have a special power all of their own. There is something resonant about their nature that seems to lead to truths beyond the current world. It is said that a mirror never lies, and while this is certainly true of mirrors seen in 11

by Angelus Michaels
Eidolon the truth they tell may not be the truth that was expected. When looking at ones own person in a mirror, one tends to see the true inner self. So while a person may be in a terrible shouting match, and his shadow in Eidolon is distorted into a monstrous ogre, his reflection may show the truth of his thoughts, showing a small and weak person terrified of the conflict. Similarly, a homely woman with the sweetest disposition, but terrible lack of self-confidence may appear to be a more beautiful version of herself in Eidolon, the mirror will reveal a nasty creature that seems to cut herself with loathing. While the guises that people wear in Eidolon may reflect their surface thoughts, their reflections in mirrors show their deepest and truest thoughts on the matter. Typically these reflections relate to the emotional state of the mind and so people of little or fleeting emotions may simply seem very pale. Furthermore, the reflections in mirrors can often have a life of their own. They may move within the frame of the mirror with animation independent of the movement of whom they double. Objects or animals seen in mirrors may also have a strange animated quality to them. Objects may be facing the wrong way in mirrors or placed oddly. Otherwise certain animals and objects may have anthropomorphic characteristics to them (such as human smiles or faces). This anthropomorphism happens more commonly with animals and objects that have regular contact with people, such as treasured toys and personal belongings and pets. Similarly, mirrors may not necessarily reflect the landscape of this area. Often, they can seem to lead into places in the Hedge, or deeper into the Wyld. Other times, they may show how the landscape looks on the other-side of the Gauntlet and in the shadow, typical in places under the influence of a locus (for more information on the Shadow and loci, see Werewolf: the Forsaken, pp. 250-285). Alternatively, a mirror may show a place in the Astral Realms that have a corresponding significance to the location (for more information on the Astral Realms, see Mage: the Awakening, pp. 250-285). This sort of vision is not uncommon in Hallows, or places where a person who frequently projects into the astral sleeps or meditates. However, it would be wrong to assume that mirrors are safe. Mirrors have deep sympathetic connections to the darker parts of the dreaming realms, and while changelings can look through the looking glass and see things beyond its pale, often things can look right back at you, and mirrors have been known to augment the connection between a changeling and her Keeper or her Fetch as they are both distant reflections of the self. Yet these are not the only horrors that can stare back from beyond the mirror, there are creatures in the dreaming realms that will use mirrors as portals into your soul and many other legends portray creatures in the mirror that are not pleasant to entreat with the most infamous of these being Bloody Mary and Red Jack. Suffice it to say, that if a figure appears in the mirror that is not the reflection of anything, changelings are best to depart the vicinity.

Beyond the Threshold

Eidolon is only the shallowest remnants of the dreaming realms. Beyond its surface lays deeper realms. Changelings can utilize the Hedges sympathetic connection to the dreaming realms to journey there and many speculate as to the reasons behind this. Whatever the truth is, there is only one way forward if one wishes to cross the threshold into the wilderness the Labyrinth. It is a place that lies in between, but is not really a place in itself. The Labyrinth is formed from the cracks of reality where the unreal creeps through into the real. Though you can walk in it, it has no actual space or time. When a changeling journeys beyond the Labyrinth into the dreaming realms, they become subject to a new set of laws that govern these new worlds. While in these realms, all the rules of dreamcrafting can be used to affect the world around them, just as though the changeling had entered into a mortals dreams. In particular, the Dream contract has a stronger potency here, gaining a +2 to all rolls. With the first steps into the Labyrinth, a person will notice the strangeness of its geography. The pathways of the Labyrinth have a strange logic all of their own, and many nooks and crannies in between. The path that was taken last time might not be the same a second time around. Travel through along the pathways of the Labyrinth is not as simple as normal travel. Its paths tend to defy the laws of normal space-time, with journeys taking as long as they need to and allowing the travelers to arrive at times that would belie the amount of time traveled. Those who understand the maze of the Labyrinth can often find quick method of traveling the worlds, or even using correlating paths in the Hedge and Labyrinth to quickly travel from one place in the world to another in a short amount of time (see the Sojourner Merit, p. 9). Those who do not understand its ways will surely find themselves lost as well. The routes of the Labyrinth are thusly consisted of a long series of tunnels, passageways and paths. Conversely, travel through oriels, though providing quick journeys, are often experienced in some hectic manner, such as the sensation of falling from a height, the sensation of shattered glass abraiding their flesh as they pass through a mirror or even the feeling of being swallowed whole by some monster. Features of the Labyrinth tend to demonstrate both landscapes common to natural environments and cave systems, or The later of these two geographies resembles human architecture up to a certain point. In many situations there is no logic to the architecture, instead presenting a mesh of walls, roofs, windows, and similar features in haphazard fashion. Such as it is, even these localities of the Labyrinth do not look built, but grown.

Trods
The most common route to journey into the dreaming realms, most changelings will utilize various trods that they have marked as paths into the deeper wilderness. These trods are often hidden in the Hedge, and may take a concerted effort of searching to locate them. They can be as innocuous as a small crack into the heart of a mountain or

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as blatant as a winding brick road of golden bricks. Fairly typically, faerie rings of mushrooms will frequently denote the presence of a trod into the dreaming realms. These deeper roads have a few features that deviate from the usual trods. The first point at which one knows that one has passed from the Hedge into the Labyrinth beyond is when the path leaves the Thorns and enters a crack or a cave, or some other entry into the underground beneath the Hedge. The following examples are some frequently encountered pathways within the Labyrinth: Tunnels: The most common form of pathway for the Labyrinth to take is that of the tunnel system. These tunnels can take on the appearance of natural caverns or seem more like underground tunnels created by subways and sewer systems. There is always some strange wind that seems to echo through the tunnels giving travelers the feeling that there is a train or oncoming monster around the bend that never arrives. The walls are plastered with ragged posters covered in nonsensical writing or graffiti, or scribed with strange and arcane sigils and runes. Alleyway: Another typical form of pathway for the Labyrinth to take is that of the alleyway maze. This consists of many twisting turns of seemingly endless and directionless alleys. The walls of the alleys are twisted and disjointed. The walls seem to lean in towards the walker as though threatening to topple over. The walls themselves are punctuated with windows at various heights. Many of them are blacked out and reveal nothing but an inky reflection. A number of them, however, seem to peer out of windows into the waking world. Where this goes is completely random, but sometimes if the journeyer is lucky it can show them something pertinent. the denizens of the dreaming realms to have discerned the exact route from the dreaming realms through the Labyrinth, and the Labyrinth has a habit of keeping its residents in. As a rule, Hollows with the Security Merit can be considered to have made sufficient measures to prevent such erstwhile breaches (with the exception of direct passage into the Labyrinth via oriels. To determine the likeliness of a breach, compare the Hollows Door Merit to the Hollows Security Merit. If the Hollow has a high Door Merit than Security, this is an indication that more pathways open into the Hollow than the Security can account for and breaches may occur more easily. Conversely, Hollows with high Security and low Doors almost never worry about breaches, as the few passage in are well protected.

Oubliettes
In many places within the Labyrinth, the pathways will open up onto large vistas, these are little pockets of dream that have been tangled up somewhere in the Labyrinth. These places open up into an expanse that seem uncovered by cavern roof unto open sky. However, there is no sun overhead, only an every-presence glow with no obvious source, casting a dull ochre light, or obscured entirely by violent storm clouds clashing across the sky in lightningstruck turbulence. Bitter winds scream passed carrying a burnt smell of ozone, and the plains are blasted and dull. These regions are cast in eclipse, as the light is neither that of night nor day but rather an everlasting twilight. The light seems to make things loom above the characters. Like the Hedge, these realms are populated by Hobgoblins, but the more wary traveler may surmise that it actually rare to encounter them while in these realms. Travelers may catch shining eyes peering at them from the shadows, or even hear strange and alien animal calls, and perhaps the rustle of leaves or a padding shadow drifts just beyond their senses. What follows are some sample geographies available for Oubliettes: Forests: The forests in the Labyrinth are dim and haunted and, like the Hedge, is frequently composed of vegetation that is bracken and hostile. Its trees are tall and twisted, leaving only a scattered pattern of light to see by. Branches and roots reach out to snare and entwine the traveler. Travelers who do not watch where they wander may quickly find themselves snared in their tangles. Such woods are plainly ominous. The message is quite clear to any who walk these woods. They are an intruder in a place far older than they could dream. Urban Sprawls: In some places, the pathway opens up onto a sprawl of city buildings. They are often little more than a corral of dirt streets and bazaars amid impoverished slums. These places are rarely pleasant as there is evidence of desolation, disease and extreme poverty wherever the traveler goes. If such locations contain relics of modern life, they are idle and corroded things. Phones ring and when answered provide nothing but static and noise, computer screens blaze incoherent messages, and wire scrawls across the floor in messy tangles, as balls of crumbled paper seem to tumble by in an unseen wind.

Oriels
Beyond the more common trods there are a number of unique and rare portals directly into the heart of the Labyrinth known as oriels. It is also possible an Oriel to bypass the Labyrinth all together, creating a direct and singular link to a specific place within the dreaming realms, though such oriels are very typically in the form of mirrors and do not always provide a link to places of safe harbor and many such oriels can lead directly into an Oubliette. Mirrors are always double-edged swords for changelings, as they are far more prone to becoming oriels especially when kept inside Hollows. It is a lucky changeling indeed that possesses an oriel that leads to a benign location in the dreaming realms. A most famous example of an oriel in changeling lore is that of a wardrobe that when closed from the inside leads to deep places in the Labyrinth. Such doorways are valued but well guarded, and more than a few Hollows had to be abandoned when a denizen of awesome power moved in and took it over as their own personal haven. Whatever the case may be, all oriels require a certain key is used to unlock it, these keys function identically to the keys that can be used to open portals into the Hedge.

Monsters on the Doorstep

While it is possible for creatures of the Labyrinth to come crawling into a changelings Hollow, it is not that frequent an occurrence. For this to happen, it requires

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Escher Maze: The rarest, and most bizarre Oubliettes to manifest are those that have no logical spatial geometry. In these mazes, the direction of down is always subjective to the traveler, even if they can clearly see other travelers who are experiencing down in a different direction. This can lead to travelers walking on opposite sides of a suspended path thinking the other to be upside down or watching a friend walk up a wall into a door on the roof. There is simply no common point of reference. When access to electricity is secured, or even data cables, the flavor of the society tends to evolve even further. In such societies it is not too uncommon to see strange clockwork men patrolling the avenues as a security force.

Through a Mirror Darkly

Now we turn to the Widderslainte, a mirror world that reflects our own. It is the world that we know, but seen through the strangeness of mirror logic. Rhyme becomes reason and reason becomes rhyme. The Widderslainte is a strange realm that shares many of the features of Oubliettes. Some even claim the Widderslainte to be nothing more than a large and powerful Oubliette at the center of the Labyrinth itself, except that it has a few distinguishing features, which will be discussed below. If th The Widderslainte is a bizarre landscape found on the other-side of the mirror, and has earned many names over the years (such names as Wonderland or Closet-land may sound familiar, but they are only names given by mortals who were exposed to this place). The architecture should not be, the plant-life is strange and twisted. People mill about in strange and routine manners and all plethora of things show strange mannerisms. In observing the Widderslainte one sees a land strangely similar to the waking world, but skewed. Any time spent in the Widderslainte should make the person there feel awfully uncomfortable. Neither scared, nor terrified, only uneasy as the place has a strange knack for being able to creep visitors out and some even seem to suggest it does it on purpose. There is still a land, sea and sky, yet most of these are shrouded in fog and shadow. Here the Mists are quite prevalent and can obscure all visibility as close as two feet away at its thickest. One better days, it is nothing more than a gray haze that slightly obscures sight. Colors in the Widderslainte seem somehow off, often a little faded or gray. Things seen only through the periphery vision are blurry at best and never seen with any clarity. There is always some sense of trying to turn the head fast enough and catch the world not quite formed. Sounds are strained and tinny, nothing is heard with beautiful clarity. The atmosphere of the Widderslainte is filled with offputting noises and sounds. Often youll never find the source of these noises and theyre never quite consistent enough to become used to. The air is filled with a scent of burnt ozone, trash or more commonly, just no scent at all. This last one leaves a gnawing sensation in the persons mind that may not have the acuity to understand what her brain is telling her is missing. If a person is plucky enough to taste the food of the Widderslainte, they will find it flat and tasteless and will provide them no sustenance. Perhaps odd, the sensation of touch seems to be normal out here. The scene that greets the traveler when departing from the Labyrinth is entirely dependent on the route taken. Travelers are advised to keep in mind their entrances and exits, for they will wait there for their traveler but not too long (perhaps no more than a day or so). Mirrors themselves, have a most potent power here. Just as mirrors in the waking world can connect directly into the deeper parts of the dreaming realm, the mirrors here often

Underworld Dystopia
These Oubliettes are home to various groups of residents; Hobgoblins seeking haven in these places. A civilization created from conclaves of Hobgoblins, building palaces among slums and forts within sewers and wearing finery of rags and baubles. Society amongst these hidden people is exceptionally feudal. With territory being as a premium, especially stable territory, the residents here are eager to maintain what bits of it they can and grant the boons and protections such stability offers to those who travel. Every autocratic figure builds themself a little hidden place that is a veritable kingdom unto itself. They build palaces among slums and forts within sewers, wearing finery of rags and baubles, with a circlet of broken mirrors for a crown, bottle caps for coinage and broken dolls or toys as sacred treasures. To appreciate the societies within the Oubliettes, one must understand that the underground dystopia is set in stark contrast to that of mortal society, a supposed mocking reflections of mortal trappings. Without the moderating rule of many human social conventions they live according to whatever deviate principles they decree and satiating whatever desire their society takes a whim to. The Hobgoblins are avid hoarders and packrats. They like to collect an endless number of odds and ends that in some way fascinate them. These items do not by any means have to have any actual value as accorded by others, for many it is simply a matter of kleptomania. Among the Labyrinth this has lead to a strange form of barter and exchange based upon subjective values given to plastic jewels, cellophane crowns etc A method of trade those familiar with the Goblin Markets would have encountered before.

Technology
What technology that can be built or maintained in Oubliettes is largely dependent on the resources an Oubliette offers. In many parts of the Labyrinth pipes of sewerage or steam, maybe cables of electricity or even fiber optic network for data streams exist, though the more modern the contrivance is, the less likely it is to manifest within the labyrinth and the more desperately fought over they are. Consequently, the residents and their apparel are often highly anachronistic in both styles and mannerisms, carrying items of technology of divergent or outdated technology. Steam-based technology seems to be fairly prevalent as the steam pipes of the Victorian and Industrial eras are not uncommon. The sweat and swelter of steam hanging low in the paths of the Labyrinth is often a sign that a large enclave of Hobgoblins is to be found ahead. 14

by Angelus Michaels
have direct sympathy back to mirrors in the waking world. Furthermore, any single mirror, every single pond, tarn or large lake is an expanse of viscous gray liquid the consistency of Mercury. Each single pool of this mercurial liquid is a veritable window into dreams of a sleeping mortal. By staring deep into these liquid mirrors a traveler can pierce its depths and see the individual dreams of other creatures, even use this method to spy on the dreams of their friends and enemies alike. An even braver traveler may attempt to physically plunge into these depths and go to these dreams. Sometimes this allows them to project into dreams, other times it lets them into the very thoughts of dreaming sleepers. However, beware this route, for such travelers are often at the whim and will of those minds that they invade. like the dreaming realms that they inhabit, are creatures of thoughts. They give life to stories, fears, hopes but more important dreams. Changelings who travel here know that outside of the Widderslainte, Chimerical beasts are rare, seeming to be unable to leave the Labyrinth (for more information on Chimerical beasts, refer to Secrets of the Ruined Temple p. 119). As creatures of thought, they are creatures with thoughts all their own. Each of them functions according to their own motivations and wants, each wishing to fulfill their own little fantasies and needs, and not all are friendly. They are as wild as the Fae themselves, sometimes habituating in the dark recesses of the Widderslainte while others wander in search of easy prey. Yet, the most imposing and confronting creatures that travelers to the Widderslainte can encounter is the small population of exiled Fae. These Fae are known as the Harelequins. Like Charlatans, Harlequins are bound to the world they reside it, stuck in the Widderslainte and rejected from the Labyrinth. Harlequins have a tendancy of assuming miens that are reminiscent of various characters from stories, or fables of old, such as the Big Bad Wolf, the March Hare and Mat Hatter, and the witch in Gingerbread cottages may all be found here. In particular, there are a few Harlequins with a strong presence in the Widderslainte that changelings had best avoid. These figures hold a god-like countenance within the Widderslainte, as they have assumed the avatars of fears, which have grown powerful from years of belief and terror. The Red Queen: This queen appears like a figure of angelic beauty in lavishly romantic gothic accoutrements, bedecked in black-lace, bodice and bolero skirt. Only the occasional tear of red blood that stains her cheek marks her beautifully white and immaculate face. As a figure she carries a terrible reputation and is one of the most powerful personas in the Widderslainte. Her other titles include the Queen of Hearts, the White Maid, the Lady of Mirrors and Bloody Mary. Her powers in places where there are mirrors are terrifying. Rumor has it that she lives in a tower whose insides are nothing but walls of mirror, that allow her to see out of any mirror in the world. Candle Jack: A figure that is closely associated with the Red Queen, but never seen in the same place as her is Candle Jack. He too has many other names, such as Red Jack, Knave of Hearts or the Candy Man. Some people even associate him with the figures of Jack the Ripper and Springheeled Jack, but these associations are very tenuous. The relationship between the Queen and Jack is vague and unknown. No one has yet been foolhardy enough to question them. Like the Red Queen, Jack is a walking anachronism, dressed in the finest gothic attire that 19th century Victoriana can profess. He is suave and debonair and always smiling. They say behind his smoked glasses he has candle-flames for eyes. The Bogey: A figure perhaps more notorious than the Queen herself. He too has held a pseudonym or two, the most famous of them being Jabberwocky. As a creature he is known to thrive on the fear of the innocent, with a particular fondness for children. He is a cold and calculating predator, who shows no remorse or empathy for his prey. For whatever reason he is known to be shy and is rarely seen 15

Faded Memories
There are people in the Widderslainte, or at least reflections of people. These are shadowy constructs that reflect the deepest mindset. These people are often referred to as fades, because they look nothing more than shapeless shadows. Like in Eidolon, the discerning changeling may be able to tell when the fade is something beyond the pale. Mages, particularly those with proficiency in the Mind Arcarnum are much like they are in the waking world. They are often solid and colorful figures, though they do tend to fade in and out. When approaching fades, they will not respond or converse with travelers. Most of them simply ignore their presence, going about their daily routine in an automated behavior. They clock in, clock out, and when away from the routine of their jobs they will idle through the shopping malls and patiently check their groceries of strange objects. It can be almost boring to watch them, as their behavior is about the only thing within the Widderslainte that can easily fade into the background. In the Widderslainte the architecture and landscape stand out more than the fades, as the place is more real than the fades that walk it. Similarly, when fades return to home and go to sleep. The fades seem to almost evaporate as they fluctuate in and out of deep sleep and dreaming. On rare occasion, a fade becomes solid and wanders around interacting with the Widderslainte, even speaking to the travelers. What they say, however, is a stream of babble, full of non-sequiturs. Mirrors exist in the Widderslainte in exact positions correlating to where they would exist in the waking world. When a fade moves past a mirror, a visitor can see their real counterpart on the other side. The fade remains gray and dull until such time as the person looks into the mirror to see their reflection. At this point the fade takes on a perfect clarity like their counterpart. Sometimes certain fades may turn to look directly at the travelers when this happens, and the changeling is filled with a sensation that the person staring into the mirror has seen them. Changelings are not completely sure what the person in the waking world is seeing at this time.

Dream Walkers
Fades arent the only residents in the Widderslainte. A number of other creatures exist here, including Hobgoblins, Fae and perhaps Chimerical beasts. These denizens are thought to manifest from the depths of human minds and,

by Angelus Michaels
in person, instead it is his presence that is usually felt. Such as the coldness of breath that creeps up behind you, or the gnarled shadow that is cast across your path. Witnesses who have seen these shadows describe them alternatively as gigantic creatures of gaping jaws and snatching claws or a small misshapen hunchback who scampers away from sight. Sandman: If any of the avatars in the Widderslainte can said to be benign, the Sandman is it. Though his actions are neither kind nor cruel, they are distant and impassioned. The sandman is thought to be the personification of sleep and dreams, and perhaps one of the only figures capable of directly opposing the Red Queen in her own domain. The sandman wanders through the Widderslainte, dressed in an immaculate white outfit, much like a business suit of exotic origin. His motivations are ever enigmatic, for it is rare that he speaks to anyone directly and without riddles. In many cases, the Sandman simply takes it upon himself to banish any transgressors in the dreaming realms back to the waking world, but his behavior is almost always erratic. Tatterdemalion: One of the youngest known avatars to rise to power is that of the Tatterdemalion. Unlike the other figures in the Widderslainte, he has only one name. As a figure he is somewhat shapeless. He seems nothing more than a cowl of tattered shadows, the pieces of his flesh that become exposed to the world are mismatched and stitched together, and often doll-like in appearance. He is known to collect lost and discarded things, sometimes even sticking them onto his cowl of patchwork shadows. No living or chimerical creature has ever professed to seeing his face, for it is always covered by a mask. This mask is the thinly peeled face of his last victim that, being typically belonging to a child, is stretched misshapen over what must be its face. The White Queen: The last of the figures of certain power is the White Queen, said to be sister to the Red. Her other names are the Winter Witch, the Lady of Sorrows or Tears. She is less commonly seen than her sister and resides in a tall ivory tower. Her domain is always covered in deathly winter and few creatures can survive the trek in to meet her. As such, rumors abound as to her real appearance. Like her sister, she an affinity with mirrors and bears powerful influence over things that transgress in sight of them. attempting to pierce the ever-presence gloom of the sky. In towns the buildings are almost quaint in their bizarreness. Whats more, buildings can grow, especially buildings of more activity than not. These places are full of thoughts, creativity or other expressions of the mind. The largest buildings available are the libraries, courts of law and parliaments that seem to spiral massively above the rest. Libraries are labyrinthine halls of weighty tomes and parliaments like lofty palaces that look over the city. Streets: Traveling by street is a nightmare. Streets may sometimes rise from the ground only to end abruptly, they may intersect in upon themselves creating aimless perpetual loops, they may fork at odd moments to turn into two smaller streets that seem to penetrate the buildings like a river delta. The streetlights, and those of the buildings seem to flicker from time to time. Power is a haphazard and intermittent thing. The nature of the street can cause them to become more magnified in the minds eye of that city. Streets with a particular fame, such as Broadway in New York, Fleet Street in London or the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem can grow larger than the buildings around them. Yet, most streets assume the nature and qualities of what goes on there. A road thats principally a commuter street is all but featureless. A shopping street is likely to be inhabited by many fades going about their daily shopping, while a street known for its hookers and drug dealers will portray fades in various sordid affairs. The way people view a street affects its appearance, too. Streets considered dangerous are darker, narrower, longer and overshadowed, hiding dangers real and imaginary. A boulevard that people consider an exciting, desirable place to be is bigger than life, full of bright lights and relentless colors. Signs: As in Eidolon, the signs and similar indicators are not what they appear. Except, unlike in Eidolon, they are often not at all helpful. They will typically say things like look behind you, the end is nigh or you are deceiving yourself. The larger billboard and slogans seem to spout nothing but riddles, koans, enigmatic statements or quite simply nonsense. Objects: Objects in the Widderslainte are almost always old, broken, clumsy or all three. One will rarely find anything in new and pristine condition. Such broken detritus litters the avenues in a jumble, and sometimes seem to move. Never when youre looking, but you may look away only to find these broken things in a place different to where they were before. Landmarks: Perhaps more interestingly of all are the monuments in the Widderslainte. Monuments will largely reflect waking world ones, except they are horrible and larger-than-life parodies. They may stand five times larger than they are in the waking world and may be covered in filth, blood, cobwebs or slime. Statues may be grotesque manikins and almost certainly eat any chimerical pigeon that lands on them. Fountains may have their water running in the wrong direction, lights flicker and spark and the occasional construct will collapse all together.

Urban Landscapes
The townships and cities of the Widderslainte are twisted. Their architecture curls and leans in with strange proportions. For the most part they reflect the waking world, especially those things closest to mirrors. Those things seen by a mirror become near perfect replicas, but tend to fade and become hazy when not looked at. It suggests to the mind that the shapes of these locations are maintained only by the power of the mirror and that they would revert to something a little less restrictive if given a chance. The further away from the mirror you go, the stranger and more twisted it becomes. Buildings: Buildings in the Widderslainte stand crooked. They lean out across the street with a looming threat of falling over. Odd pieces of architecture pop out here and there, like stairs that lead to nowhere and doors that open up onto empty space. Windows are crooked and are usually opaque. In cities, buildings tend to take on the appearance of massive edifices that corkscrew into the sky, 16

Special Places
Each city has its special places, the ones that have a reputation for good or ill, reinforced by the repetition

by Angelus Michaels
of the actions that caused its reputations in either thought or deed. Theres Speakers Corner in London, known for its orations, Ramblas in Barcelona, known for its trading, and Ground Zero in New York City. The special nature of these places is reinforced by the prevalence of appropriate spirits within the area in question, helping them maintain their reputations. Yet, if you delve into the history of a city, many of these places had radically different uses or reputations in the past. Londons Speakers Corner can be found adjacent to Marble Arch, which was known as Tyburn, a hanging-ground for criminals, only a few centuries before. Its reflection in the Widderslainte is often a mixture of the two. Fae quickly learn that knowing the history of a place is as important to understanding its spiritual reflection as knowing what occurs there today. becoming so when the insect life forms are encountered. Spiders the size of horses, flies like large birds.

The Sirocco
Sometimes the breeze in the wildernesses can flow with such a fierce intensity that it runs through the landscape like a violent wind tearing up everything in its path. Such occurrences are called the Sirocco, the winds of madness. The Sirocco occurs when a sufficient amount of Glamour is compressed or released uncontrolled. When this happens it erupts into a wild and chaotic maelstrom that rages across the landscape catching up everything in its path. In its wake reality is warped and sent askew. The Sirocco is both wondrous and terrifying for the traveler. It appears like a gigantic vortex of dazzling energy constantly shifting in shape and color and sending arcs of Glamour flying in every direction. In its wake the landscape is filled with freak environmental occurrences, such as rains of fish or frogs, flash fires or floods, poltergeistlike activity, water running upwards, milk turning sour and mild earthquakes. The path of a Sirocco is not completely undirected. It has a natural tendency to seek out other sources of Glamour to refuel its own energy. Most often, this means nearby faerie creatures. However, since the Glamour of these individuals is not free floating it simply rages around them until its energy is expended. Once expended, it comes crashing down and becalms all that has been disturbed.

Rural Landscapes
Outside of the cities are the rural landscapes of the Widderslainte. Far from the mirrors of the mortal world, the rural areas are often less weird and twisted. If one did not look too hard, one could almost forget that it was unreal. Those who do will realize that the landscape is far more manicured than it has a right to be. In this sense, the landscape often reflects the idealized notion of the wilderness that many people seem to hold. This is not a landscape that belongs to the wild and wary nature, it is the human conception of nature and everywhere you go there are little signs of humanitys (imagined or not) dominance of the wilderness such things as lampposts in the middle of nowhere, or electric sockets that are embedded in the trunk of a tree. Other distortions might be more subtle; such as the encroachment of pollution in the midst of its pristine wilderness. The landscape may appear to be a chessboard of green and lighter green pastures, with endless miles of cultivated land unattended by animal of fades. In many places it is nothing more than a wasteland filled with broken and unused trinkets of human conception. Its entire landscape is covered with a sandy or sometimes sooty residue that has a tendency to sink feet up to their ankle. Poking through the sand, sometimes in little heaps, others in isolation are relics of human devices, all of them broken. Here a traveler may find a broken bottle, or a forgotten toy. There the traveler can see an entire rusted train carriage filled with defective mannequins. Amidst these is an almost uniform series of rusted iron posts (not Cold Iron though) thrusting out of the sand like spears in their thousands. As the traveler continues they will notice that absolutely none of the waste is organic in nature, or that its organic components have since rotted and worn away. There is no food refuse, which provides the small relief of no foul smell to permeate the atmosphere. Instead the stench of ozone is much stronger here and the crackling burnt sky is heavy with static electricity. In other places, the landscape may come to appear like a long stretch of manicured garden, complete with grass, flowers, insects and all manner of such life to a scale 100 times larger than normal. Wanderers through these gardens will encounter daisies the size of trees and pebbles like boulders. While this may seem idyllic at first, it stops

The Best Kept Secret

Unbeknownst to most travelers there, the Widderslainte is alive, or at least it thinks. Some who have carefully watched the way it moves and exists may make this strange connection, but for the most part visitors are ignorant of this fact. The fact that an entire dreaming realm could have sentience is somewhat disturbing. Whats worse, the Widderslainte is hungry. Trapped in the tempest of its own madness it craves the stability of saner minds of the waking world. It wants nothing more than to pervert all around it to the same sense of madness as its own. Powerful creatures like the Red Queen and Candle Jack may be witting or unwitting pawns in this affair, but such may be unimportant for their actions seem to serve its purpose. This is why people, and especially children, sometimes go missing never to be found. They have been spirited away to the Widderslainte for any number of reasons. Rumors of closet monsters and bloody figures in the mirrors and other child-hood terrors may all be true or only partly true. Do changelings care about such things? Many do, for supernatural creatures such as changelings, seem to be favorite victims. Though, with your players, the Widderslainte may seem to think that they are better pawns than victims, and changeling with this history of mortal napping are ideal candidates. The Widderslainte would prefer to see these creatures brought to line, and bound to its land.

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by Angelus Michaels

Where the Wild Things Are

The landscape of Somnus is unlike the waking world or even of the Widderslainte. Only vague and unrecognizable correlations exist, for its geography is irrational. There are no clear borders, there are no defined spaces and there are no easy paths. Somnus is a highly symbolic world of the mind where ideas, beliefs and fantasies can become reality. Similarly, the Somnus has a tendency to respond to the idle and not to idle thoughts and emotions of anyone who wanders through its scene. To reach the Somnus, one must journey into the warrens of the underground Labyrinth, and then keep going down. Eventually, one will find paths and routes that seem to point downwards, and at some point fall out of the maze into a its world. A walk through Somnus is at best described as a surreal experience. One may find themselves walking through a many-roomed mansion that in fact is symbolic of their mind. In such a maze they must fight inner demons of madness, or confront other personifications of their psyche, or most dangerously, personifications of their Shadow (see page 52). Similarly, the creatures of Somnus tend to mimic those of the waking world (or perhaps it is the other way around), however these creatures tend not to be limited to singular forms, such as the combination of two or more different beasts, or even the combination of beasts and other abstract things or constructs of man. One is just as likely to meet a breadandbutterfly as a tigerlily with claws. For in the Somnus, such things as puns, alliteration, jokes, word games, and above all riddles, have a potent weight. To travel through Somnus, one must be cognizant of the manifold signposts and correlations. Although the geography is in constant flux, there are certain key dominant signposts that all travelers must learn to recognize.

insight and guidance towards a quest. Even perhaps finding the answers to some of the ultimate questions that plague humanity and Fae alike.

Dangers of the Waking World

Like mortals, changelings have stories of things that hold terrible danger and fear for them, changelings have their own variety of folklore. They tell stories of things not of Faerie, or the Hedge, but things that are a threat in their own right. Many of these stories are counted among the annals of fiction, bogeymen told by elder generations to chide wayward changelings. However, any changeling who has lived a certain number of years knows that even the most mythic stories can come to life. They were, after all, abducted by creatures of legend.

The Tainted Tides

Many changelings talk of the Mists, an ever-present and force that exists throughout Faerie. The Mists enshroud all of Faerie, hiding its borders and cloaking its skies. Many changelings talk of the Mists as the shapeless places in between the domains claimed by the Gentry, places of Faerie that exist only in potential. Changelings are warned by their Keepers not to wander off into the Mists, which has a terrible habit of consuming those who transgress its borders. It is said that the Mists and the Hedge are inextricably linked, for wispy tendrils worm their way continually through the brambles. So too, like real mists, the Mists are not static in their place, they can change and wander, causing the connections between Faerie realms to change and sunder. The Mists can even separate from the own vicinities and wander through the realms of the Fae, causing havoc where they stir. The Mists will roll along the trods of the Hedge, sometimes affording a measure of protection and seclusion from its creatures, or otherwise masking the hunt of a predator. Throughout the Hedge, tendrils of Mist can catch upon the thorns of the Hedge. Their ephemeral nature torn from them and rendered into soft silky strands of thread that changelings call gossamer. Appearing as translucent threads strung across the thorns of the Hedge like cobweb. Gossamer is a valued commodity of the Hedge, for it retains the metamorphic abilities of the Mist acting as a catalyst of change. It twists and warps the very fabric of whatever it touches, turning them away from the prosaic nature of Earth and towards the fantastic nature Faerie. In small amounts, gossamer may do nothing more than change the quality of an area, emphasizing the psychoactive nature of the Hedge by making it feel more ethereal or primordial. In more moderate amounts, it can very literally affect the way in which other magical affects work, causing them to go wild and producing unusual sideeffects. Should gossamer ever accumulate in a high enough concentration, enough to completely envelop what it touches, and then the metamorphic effect is far more extreme. When a sufficient amount of gossamer has built up to completely envelope

Landmarks of Somnus
Though the geography of Somnus is in constant flux, there are several features that are, if not constant, at least reoccurring. These landmarks may occur any time, but most likely in response to the psychological state of the traveler. The Somnus is highly psychoactive and will wrap itself around the unconscious thoughts of its visitors. Unwary, and undisciplined travelers may find themselves caught inside torments of their own devising as they fashion their own personal hell from the depths of their nightmares. Considering the many dangers to the mind that can be found in Somnus, a traveler may ask why bother going there at all? The easiest answer is perhaps because you can. Somnus holds many mysteries and offers many insights, and for some this call into the unknown is enough to send them running in. It is uncharted territory, and that is a thrilling prospect for many in their own right. Not only that, but Somnus holds many opportunities for the errant changeling to learn more about Faerie and the world around them. The landscape of the Somnus is a land of the mind, and in its boundless territory lies the answer to every question ever asked. For many a journey into Somnus can provide the Fae with answers of a personal nature, or for 18

by Angelus Michaels
something, it triggers what is more commonly called a chrysalis. In this moment, their mundane nature is sundered, and the shell of gossamer forms a crucible for the changing effects of Faerie. Sometimes though, the Mists can even make their way into Earth, spilling out through the open portals of the Hedge. When this happens, the Mists become separated from the Wyrd, no longer bound to its flow of fate and destiny. In the mortal world, the Mists are corrupted. Changed and warped by the nature of Earths flow of history, they change from an immutable presence, to a decaying an entropic haze. The Mists become the Miasma, a force that seeks to eradicate every reality-perverting presence of Faerie that exists here; to corrodes away the very nature of what they are. It severs all Wyrd-bound ties, destroying pledges and reducing the powers of contracts to nothingness. that parents never see. Whenever a mortal mysteriously disappears, or is the victim of supernatural death, the changeling must stop to wonder whether the cause was one of the Hollow. When changelings discover one of the Hollow predating in this manner, they respond to quickly destroy the offending creature. These hunts have revealed many horrifying facts. That despite their almost mindless drive, they have often shown an uncanny ability at finding a niche to fill. In chasing these creatures back to their dens, changelings have discovered conclaves of these haunts, existing in strange and twisted Hollows of their own, far from the prying eyes of fae and mortal alike.

Lethe Mechanics
Five different thresholds measure the strength of the Lethe afflicting the changeling, each a significant step further into oblivion. When a changeling succumbs to Lethe, her Mask begins to calcify. Lethe weakens the mystical connects that are forged by contracts. Changelings suffer a penalty equal to their level of Lethe on all castings of their contracts. Lastly, and what is potentially the most dangerous of all, as the changeling succumbs to Lethe she begins to literally fade away. This fading occurs in three stages. First she fades from memory, then from physical records, and lastly her own memories fade. If a changelings threshold ever reaches 6, she automatically becomes Hollow and is no longer playable by the character. Fading from others memory: As the changeling falls to Lethe her presence fades from the minds of those around her, at first strangers, and eventually her closest friends and allies. Supernatural creatures, and faerie creatures have some protection against this. The chart below describes the familiarity of people that will forget the changeling. These are ranked in order of familiarity. Encountered Someone encountered briefly, such as a person you passed on the street. Acquainted A casual acquaintance that you barely know. Known A friend, coworker or personal contact. Intimate Longtime friend, family member or pet. Lethe Mortal Prodigal Faerie 1 Encountered Encountered* 2 Acquainted* Encountered Encountered* 3 Acquainted Acquainted* Encountered 4 Known* Acquainted Acquainted* 5 Known Known* Acquainted Hollow Intimate* Known Known* * Changeling fades from longterm memory. Fades from short-term memory and ignored by subject. Fading from records First only minor records, followed by permanent records. The following chart describes what permanence of the records that will fade. Temporary These are records of only brief importance of the changeling (reservation numbers, records of purchase etc) Documented These are more longterm records that would describe the person including documented records (letters, photographs, audio recordings, bank accounts)

Lethe
The corrosive properties of the Miasma cause an effect known as Lethe, for it virtually erases the character from the world. Lethe is a form of mystical amnesia, erasing memory from mortal and supernatural mind alike. As the Miasma works to erase all traces of Faerie in the world around it, changelings can be caught up in its tide, sweeping them away with the rest of the detritus. For mortals there is little if any protection from Lethe. All they are left with are fragments of memories, gaps in their minds and vaguely remembered scenes. Mortals cannot but help feel something deeply moving about their experiences, but it is a lucid dream they cannot shake. Changelings on the other hand suffer a different fate. As they are consumed they suffer a strange form of lethargy and apathy. Lethe saps a changelings very existence away, severing from their concerns of the world. As they succumb to Lethe they begin to fade and eventually disappear. People simply stop paying attention to them; even their friends and close family stop remembering them as they fade away. Eventually people are unable to interact with them, and changelings who fall to Lethe become one of the Hollow.

The Hollow
Not much is known about the Hollow, for they fade away from mortal and supernatural memory alike. The existence of the Hollow is known only due to the meticulous research of some changelings who tried to explain a number of unusual phenomena. The Hollow, for all intense purposes, cannot interact with the world around them and therefore cannot conduct any meaningful discourse with changeling, mortal or other supernatural. Yet, in their wake they leave a series of anomalies and, like a black hole in space, can be detected by these phenomena. However, the story does not stop there. The Hollow are driven by a terrible desire. With no identity of their own, they are drawn towards the empty spaces in mortal minds, finding sustenance and even identity by living out the mythos of various urban legends and feeding off the fear from them. For reasons not exactly known, they hunt and terrorize mortals, children in particular. These are the things that go bump in the night, the closet monsters and monsters under the bed

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Permanent These are records that are synonymous with the changelings identity (birth and marriage certificates). Lethe Records 1 Temporary * 2 Temporary 3 Documented * 4 Documented 5 Permanent * Hollow Permanent * Changelings name or presence fades from records over time. Changeling is unable to create or appear in records of this nature. Amnesia: The last and worst effect to hit the changeling is her own memory fading. The chart below shows at what sorts of memories fade. Lethe Memories 3 Childhood 4 Longterm 5 Shortterm Hollow All home, the sound of church bells or more infamously, cold forged iron. The investiture of belief allows these banes to divert the flow of the Wyrd and inflict upon them the temporary inducement of a frailty. They are not magical effects in their own right, but a reflection of the effect that human dreams have upon the fae. Banes are anathema to the fae, causing them much pain and grief. In ages of old, such things were simple distractions and annoyances, but as the modern times emerged, and human superstition spread wide, these Banes would scourge faerie king with a wicked lash. Because superstition in the folklore has waned in modern times, it should not be thought that Banes have less power. The old superstitions, though not be as prevalent, have simply transformed civic people have their urban legends, sports fans have their lucky tricks and gimmicks to make them succeed. Everyone has their little habits, rituals and traditions that make their lives seem a little saner. Despite modern progress and rationalism, people are still highly superstitious. Following the age of reason, there was the romantic movement, following industrialization there was the Victorian occult renaissance and the Bohemian movements, following the nuclear age, there was the new age movement, and following the modern digital age there are cybernetic myths and dreams of transhuman reality.

Increasing and Decreasing Lethe

Changelings are afflicted by Lethe when they encounter pockets of the Miasma in the real world. It is not an everpresent force, but tends to coalesce in places that are weak in glamour. When a changeling encounters a pocket of the Miasma, they can be assaulted by it as though it were a living entity. The tendrils of corrosive mist attempt to crawl into the bodily cavities of the changeling, giving them the sensation of suffocation (though the changelings ability to breath is not actually impaired). When an assault occurs, the changelings may attempts to avoid the attack with their Defense, and other forms of evasion, but physical barriers or barriers erected from faerie magic simply provide no protection. The Miasmas attack uses a Dice Pool based on the changelings Wyrd + the Size of the Miasma. The changeling can resist with their Willpower, but cannot spend points of Willpower to augment this defense. If there is a net gain of successes on the attack, then the Miasma is absorbed into the changeling and her threshold of Lethe increases (it should also be noted that Banes can inflict Lethe, see below for more details). A changelings threshold of Lethe will decrease over time as the force of the Miasma slowly evaporates. A changelings threshold of Lethe will lower one level if they avoid being afflicted by the Miasma or Banes for a number of months equal to their threshold of Lethe.

Bane Mechanics
There are two types of banes; the first is fleeting bane. These are such things as hearing church bells ringing, seeing salt spilled or any phenomena that depend on certain conditions to be met to exist. By destroying or removing this condition, the bane no longer exists. If you clean up the salt or when the bells stop ringing the bane is gone. On the other hand, perpetual banes require no conditions. They are places, objects, or even people whose very presence is malefic. Such banes are things like consecrated ground, the presence of Cold Iron, or a mortal wearing a certain type of apparel. While technically it is possible to remove the condition of these banes as well (such as melting the iron, desecrating the church land or getting the mortal to change), usually such a change requires a major effort and the changeling affected should have been repelled by then. It should be noted that banes (with the exception of Cold Iron), do not work within the Hedge. In both these situations, banes can be active (an action performed by a mortal) or passive (a phenomena that occurs independent of mortal agency). The base dice pool for active bane equals the willpower of the mortal wielding it. The base dice pool for passive bane is based on the Size of the bane in question (with a maximum of 10). Once the base dice pool of the bane is established, the Storyteller rolls this pool and the player contests with her Willpower (Willpower can not be spent to gain +3 to the dice pool). Dramatic Failure: As normal failure. Failure: If the bane has fewer successes than the changelings Willpower roll then the changeling ignores the bane. Success: If the bane roll has more successes than the changelings Willpower roll than the changeling is inflicted with a temporary phobia Derangement. For the duration of

Banes
Folklore is filled with many tales, advice, stories and various pieces of information on actions, practices or behaviors that can injure or banish the Fae. The simple weight of superstition has granted these very things the powers they profess against the Fae, though most mortalkind has forgotten their true power. Banes are such things, they may be as simple as throwing salt over the shoulder, denying the faerie welcome into your 20

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the effect (one minute per level of Wyrd for an active bane, or one hour per level of Wyrd for passive bane) she suffers from the derangement. Exceptional Success: If the bane roll gains five or more nets successes over the changelings Willpower roll the changeling is inflicted with a bane. For the duration of the effect (one minute per level of Wyrd for active banes, or one hour per level of Wyrd for passive banes) she suffers from the Hysteria derangement towards that bane. Furthermore, the changelings threshold of Lethe increases by one. Eating blessed food Entering a house without invitation Entering consecrated ground Flowers from a grave Hanging horseshoes Hanging mistletoe Having hospitality formally refused Hearing a rooster crow (especially at night) Hearing expletives Hearing prayers/rhyming/whistling (choose one) Hearing singing by a beautiful person Holy symbols (especially held by humans) Humans casting ashes Humans crossing themselves (or other warding gestures) Humans turning three times widdershins Humans wearing a perfectly white feather/amber beads/blue beads/clothes inside out/fourleafed clovers/hats backwards/opals (choose one) Humans wearing nothing but a particular color (choose one) Individuals with strong faith Ivy growing on a house Knots in a handkerchief Looking into a mirror by candlelight Pea pods with nine peas in them Pictures falling Possessing a piece of the Fae Prayer flags Pregnant women Rabbits feet in a pocket Red and white flowers together Red coals under a bed Red ribbons tied in the hair Returning an object gifted or borrowed from the Fae Rosemary planted by the doorstep Rusted knives Salt/Wormwood (choose one) in a pocket Saying the Faes name backwards Saying the same word as someone else at the same time Seeing a new/full moon (choose one) Seeing an owl or bat in the sunlight Seeing an umbrella open indoors Seeing food thrown on the ground Seeing ink/milk/pepper/salt/wine (choose one) spilled Standing inside a circle drawn with chalk/salt/sand (choose one) Symbols of warding or protection (choose one) The branch of a mountain ash or aldertree The light of a ceremonial candle flame The seventh son or daughter The sound of bells or chimes The sound of childrens laughter The sound of glass clinking The sound of knocking wood Two crossed forks, knifes or spoons Two crossed matches Virgins after puberty Walking under a ladder 21

Bane Warfare
Active banes only count when wielded by a mortal (any mortal without a supernatural template). If a changeling or other faerie creature performs an act that would normally trigger a bane in another fae nothing will happen, even if there is a mortal to witness it. While changelings cant trigger active bane on other changelings, there is nothing to stop them from soliciting the assistance of mortals to do so, or in fact attempting to lead them to a passive bane that does them no harm but will burn their opponent instead.

Optional Rule: Bane Protection

Mortal-sworn pledges can provide changelings some protection against bane. This rule allows changelings to include a new Boon to pledge-crafting. This Boon is called the Shield Boon, and has a lesser, medial and greater version. When a bane afflicts a changeling, she may subtract the combined value of these Boons from the Bane role.

Sample Banes
The following is a list of sample banes taken from folk lore, mythologies and other superstitions. Feel free to add your own based on stories and other myths you may come across. A kiss from a beautiful person Apples cut in half Ashes from a burnt bow Being crossed by a black cat Being hit by a broom Being given an empty purse Being pelted by rowan berries Being scolded like a child Being the 13th person to sit at a table. Being told to leave Blaspheming Brides veils Breaking a mirror Broken eggshells Broken pairs of scissors Brooms over a door Burning rowan wood Calling out the Faes true name Coldforged Iron Crickets in a cage Crossing running water/a salted doorstep/ a besom or broomstick (choose one) Dream catchers Dried acorns in a pocket Dropped matches/pennies/pins (choose one)

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Witnessing a mortal throwing salt over his shoulder

Optional Rules: Cold Iron

Iron makes up a fair portion of the Earths composition. It has been the backbone material for most of the foundational inventions of humankind. Its smell is acrid and slightly sickening, its presence unnerving and its touch unpleasant. Iron is the most powerful bane that faerie can encounter. The presence of iron is known to dull and distort the changelings kenning. The ability to perceive Eidolon is dulled and muted. Naturally found iron ore and other such mineral deposits do not triggering this anathema for they are subtly worked into the natural landscape. Furthermore, most modern and urban landscapes do not utilize pure or properly wrought iron. For the most part, construction contains steel or machine wrought components. While these objects and structures contain some of the effects of iron, they are muted and weakened to the point where changelings can tolerate their presence. A changeling that enters a skyscraper will feel about them the cage of steel girders, their presence will be a dull but continued reminder. A changeling that rides or drives a car will likely be far more prone to carsickness than a normal person as the sensation of the fumes and the steel are more easily able to affect her. The first being the composition, the purer the iron is the more likely it will be resonant to the miasma. Iron alloys are diluted and weak compared to pure iron. This purity should not be measured strictly in terms of chemical composition, but rather general perception as to their difference. Steel, as an alloy is almost pure iron with some carbon impurities, yet they are treated very differently by the public perception. Steel, as the substance with the closest resonance with iron, is a culprit for much background discomfort for the fae but is not responsible for the adverse effects that iron can cause. This is an important distinction, since substances like pig iron, cast iron and wrought iron often contain higher levels of impurities than carbon steel, but in game terms are considered more pure as they more closely reflect the ideal of iron that exists in the minds of the masses. The second factor that should be brought into consideration is the nature of its manufacture. Very few people hand-wrought or smith iron anymore. Partly because there are better alloys for large-scale construction, but also because of improved metalworking techniques. Machinewrought iron is one step removed from the mortal minds that imbue it with its adverse qualities. Machine-wrought iron can sit in the background of a scene and will affect the fae in much the same manner as steel does. Instead, what fae must truly beware of are the human-forged and wrought objects.

If a steel object, or a machine-wrought object is even used as part of a human-wielded bane, than that object is automatically upgraded to Cold Iron and maintains the properties of Cold Iron while used. This is considered an act of will, for the mortal has actively chosen to take up these objects as a bane to Fae.

Optional Rule: Expanded Effects of Cold Iron

Listed below are a number of optional rules that Storytellers can implement in their game to make Cold Iron a more potent anathema. Slipped Mask: Weapons made from Cold Iron will temporarily cause a changelings Mask to slip when they wound the changeling, revealing her nature to all around her. Wounds created by these assaults burn and scar the flesh leaving horrible marks, and the Mask cannot hide these wounds from view. Charmed Protection: If a mortal wears an object or item wrought from Cold Iron, they are treated as having +2 for their usual resistance against faerie magic. Enslaved to Service: Lastly, changelings can be contained by Cold Iron. If a changeling is bound or trapped by an object made of Cold Iron (iron shackles, iron cages, or even a circle around them made from iron shavings) the changeling is required to perform one duty of service to the person that trapped them. This is represented through a pledge crafted that uses the iron itself as a Corporal. A breach of this pledge will result in the changeling suffering a number of points of Aggravated damage equal to the Size of the Iron that the Corporal is made of. If, however the Corporal is destroyed in any way, the changeling is automatically released from the pledge.

The Wyrding Way

The Wyrd is a feature of Faerie. The flow of the Wyrd marks all the Lost as part of Faerie, forever changed. While humanity accounts events through the linear progression of time, the march of seasons, the turning of years and the stay of the centuries, faerie creatures are imperceptible bound in the flow of Wyrd, rather than history. One of the more popular explanations amongst the changelings is that the Wyrd is the measure of events through the course of destiny and fate, not the measure of their pace. They suggest that changelings live according to facts of narrative, progression, events, and fortune. Essentially, Wyrd is the account of events as told through the medium of story. It is the weft of fate that guides and directs us. Many Lost see this as one of the fundamental things that separate them from humanity; whereas humanity suffers the durance of time, crushed beneath its turning axis, changelings master the measure of their own sojourn and destiny; whereas humanity, flounders down the course of the river, caught amidst its eddies, the Lost are captains that master their course, to set a course for destinations unknown.

Iron Will
There is an optional Caveat that a Storyteller may employ if they find that Cold Iron is not as abundant as they need it to be. These basically involve the temporary imbuing of machine-wrought iron or even steel alloys with the power of Cold Iron through the process of belief. 22

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Such changelings view the Wyrd as a boon, for it frees them somewhat from the steady toll of hours, expanding their lives and giving them a longer lasting vitality. They ascribe to it the power to forge a path into the world and shape the world around us in their own image, like the Fae themselves in Arcadia. In this way, they say, one figure may steer the course of history. One solitary figure can call out to the hearts and minds of those around them to sway and move masses. Such changelings claim to grasp the pen of their imaginations and write their fiction upon the pages of the waking world. of mystery. Narratives attributed to Glass may be an epic and lengthy travel or voyage of personal enlightenment, the merriments and trials of divine comedy or the discover and uncovering of secrets and hidden lore. Stone: Stones primary legends are stories of tribute. It draws upon the ferocious anecdotes of military endeavors and war stories. Secondary to this, Stone can also draw upon the epic scale of daring adventures or the hot-blooded action of thrilling tales. Narratives attributed to Stone may be an involved and weary combat or the recovery from near mortal wounds, acts of courage, bravery and fortitude in the face of danger or the amazing near-death experiences that accompany extreme activities. Wood: Woods primary legends are stories of ballads. It draws upon the romantic and poetic overtones of these tales of love. Secondary to this, Wood can also draw upon the high passions of dramas or the indulgent experiences of erotica. Narratives attributed to Wood may be the courting of a dearly beloved or even marriage, the conflict and drama revolving around star-crossed lovers or the crescendo of forbidden love and desires.

The Geas
Stories are imbued with power for faerie creatures. They are representations of dreams that are told and shared. They give animation to the unliving avatars that are its characters. They stroll through the minds of their audiences like giants in a playground of dreams. They live across the ages is many different guises and forms. The Geas is a special type of pledge, it forms a contract between the changeling and the votive force behind a story. The more powerful the story or fiction, the more power that changeling can draw from it. However, such pledges have their demands to, they require the changeling to live out aspects of that story, to honor its fiction and narrative with their very lives. In many circumstances, this may require the changeling simply to adhere to a certain code of behaviour, such as a changeling pledging to a tale of a knight, being required to adher to a code of chivalry. However, stories require progression, goals, obstacles and tragedies. A changeling pledged to such a story must also live to see these elements as well. This is the Geas, a pledge that is sworn upon a story. The power of the pledge is invested directly into the fiction of the story itself, and is encapsulated in the being of the changeling through five advantages known as legends. The possession of these legends is similar to the possession of a contract. However, they are not bought with experience points, and neither are they permanent as the changeling who does not adhere to the story will surely lose them. Bone: Bones primary legends are stories of tragedy. It draws upon the strength of tales of woe and loss. Secondary to this, Bone can also draw upon the fear from horror stories or the accounts of historical chronologies. Narratives attributed to Bone may be abandonment by a lover, the loss of holdings, and the fear of being trapped or isolated. It can even include interaction with significant pieces or items of history or personal past. Bronze: Bronzes primary legends are stories of fantasy. It draws upon the strength of fantastical elements of its genre. Secondary to this, Bronze can also draw upon the domestic familiarity of fables and folklore or the fervor given in pious homilies. Narratives attributed to Bronze may be the creation or discovery of a marvel of the Fae, the machination of court politics, the simple lessons of parable and fable or the pious dedications of a firm believer. Glass: Glasss primary legends are stories of odyssey. It draws upon the length or arduous journeys and their discoveries. Secondary to this, Glass can also draw upon the wry amusements of comedy and or the unfathomable depths

Choose Your Own Adventure

What is happening here is that the players are given some ability to control their destiny. In game terms, this means they have some impact upon determining how the story unfolds, since ultimately that is their destiny. Some Storytellers may find this kind of control given over to players to be intimidating since it makes it far more difficult for them to stick to the plots you wish to draw upon. Instead of looking at this as a problem, it is encouraged that this is in fact a blessing in disguise. For a start, it is encouraging players to come up with plot, and more often then not; it will be plot that they want. This is an easy way for players to contribute to the game and direct their character's evolution. However, a Storyteller should not feel that all the control is in the players hands. Because we are playing around with fate and destiny, it allows the Storyteller far more conceits than would otherwise be there. A Storyteller should feel free to perform fait daccomplies in situations where the story or Geas demands it, especially if players are acting in ways contrary to their story. When breaching or abandoning a Geas, the player loses all the benefits of the Geas including outcomes. Destiny is not lightly toyed with or so easily escaped. The components forsworn upon the Geas are still in play and the events are no longer in the hands of the player to orchestrate. This means that the Storyteller should take these unresolved plots and surprise their players in nasty ways. In this way, they become selffulfilling prophecy. If a person swore the abandonment of his lover, and then forsakes that persons love to avoid being spurned, then fate may contrive it so that someone else they love, such as their cohort, their family or their pets abandons them. In addition, a Storyteller may be overwhelmed with trying to cater individual plot for each player as well as trying to create and run an overarching plot. There are some easy ways to deal with this. Nothing suggests that 23

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each individual plot should be run separately. Fate has a way of drawing its threads together, and so the components of the individual motleys Geasa may converge into one big story. What you end up with is an overarching plot that has been co-written by the players and driven by the players. If all goes well, the Storyteller should have plots that their players actively pursue. As a final note, this collaborative storytelling, as always, is a negotiated effort. Players are essentially trying to get something out of the Storyteller and vice versa. Storytellers may be inclined to set out a few guidelines, limitations and conceits they can pull or are off-limits to make this story happen, and permissible ways to railroad the players should it be needed to fulfill the narratives imperative. Seeking share some similarities with Endeavors and Forbiddances, but they are separate in that they have different agendas and requirements. Boons: Geasa introduces a new boon that a changelings can benefit from. This is in addition to boons of Adroitness, Blessing and Glamour, the changeling can benefit from the Dominion boon. The other boons of Ensorcellment, Favor and Vassalage are not available for Geasa. Sanctions: Geasa introduces a new sanction that changelings can benefit from. In addition to sanctions of Curse, Death, Flaw, Poisoning of boon and Vulnerability, changelings can suffer from the Sanction of Madness. The other sanctions of Banishment and Pishogue are not available for Geasa. Duration: Geasa do not have a normal duration. Unlike the flow of time that many pledge are ascribed to, Geasa are bound to the flow of the Wyrd entirely. They are maintained until their story is completed. However, in crafting such a pledge, a changeling must still select a duration aspect. This aspect determines how long a time may lapse, in which the changeling is not attending to the quest or duty, before he has considered to have failed in the task. Decade, Lifelong, Generational and Eternity are not available in the creation of a Geas. Quest: The Task of a Quest is a sacred duty or mission that a changeling has taken to uphold. A Quest differs from an Endeavor in certain ways. Whereas Endeavors present the changeling with a duty that must be maintained or adhered to, a Quest presents the changeling with a challenge that they must rise up to and overcome. Furthermore, unlike typical Endeavors, Quests assigns the changeling to fulfilling a quest in a way that replicates a story. It does not have to mimic the story in its entirety, but it should replicate some of the major elements of the chosen story, and stick to the themes of the Legend that it is sworn upon. Quests of Bone may require the changeling to meet and seal an accord with an some unfathomable creature of the dead. Quests of Bronze may require the changeling to become the new King. Quests of Glass may be an epic voyage to places unvisited. Quests of Stone may be the conquest of some implacable foe. Finally, Quests of Wood may require the changeling to win the heart of a proud noble. These are merely examples, and the Storyteller and player are best advised to collaborate on which particular story they are attempting to explore. Should a changeling breach a Quest, then the fates themselves will doom him. The prize he seeks at the journeys end will be denied him. No matter how hard he may travail and pursue the object of his desire, it will elude him. Some weird or strange contrivance will inevitably forestall him or remove the goal from his grasp. Lesser: Quests of a lesser nature have only one solitary story element that must be fulfilled. They are either fairly short-term goals or pose only a minimal amount of conflict and danger. Quests of a lesser nature should provide a challenge to the changeling, but do not necessarily contain anything inimical about them in their fulfillment. (1). Medial: Quests of a medial nature have at least three story elements that must be achieved. The Quest is typically a medium-term goal or should pose a modicum of danger to

Forging Geasa
The forging of Geasa is the twisting of the Wyrd so that Fate will ensure the events of a particular narrative will occur around a changeling. Geasa can be self-imposed, where a changeling swears to not rest until the task has been accomplished under certain circumstances. Yet, like all pledges, Geasa can be forced on other changelings as well. It should be noted that mortals or non-faerie creatures cannot be under the directive of a Geasa, it requires a creature to have some measure of Wyrd to be bound to. Also, Geasa are often highly personal stories and undertaken by the individual, not the motley. There exists, of course, exceptions where a group swears to the service of a singular adventure. When this happens, the changelings motley becomes known as a cohort until the conclusion of their quest. The forging of Geasa is the twisting of the Wyrd so that Fate will ensure the events of a particular narrative will occur around a changeling. Geasa can be self-imposed, where a changeling swears to not rest until the task has been accomplished under certain circumstances. Yet, like all pledges, Geasa can be forced on other changelings as well. It should be noted that mortals or non-faerie creatures cannot be under the directive of a Geasa, it requires a creature to have some measure of Wyrd to be bound to. Also, Geasa are often highly personal stories and undertaken by the individual, not the motley. There exists, of course, exceptions where a group swears to the service of a singular adventure. When this happens, the changelings motley becomes known as a cohort until the conclusion of their quest.

Aspects of a Geas
When crafting a Geas, there are a number of aspects unique to its nature. To being with, the Geas itself is a type of pledge, as mentioned above. They are sworn upon the legends of bone, bronze, glass, stone and wood. Consequently, Geasa will be titled according to their legend. A changeling can, simultaneously, have a bone Geas and a stone Geas, but could not have two or more bronze Geasa. Tasks: Geasa introduce two new types of tasks that a changeling can swear upon. The other tasks of Alliance, Dreaming, Endeavor, Ensorcellment, Fealty and Forbiddance are not available for Geasa. Both Quest and 24

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the changeling, either threatening injury or loss by its very challenge. (2). Greater: Quests of a greater nature are epic in their complexity, having at least five particular story elements that must be fulfilled to complete their end. Their challenges should pose a serious danger to the changelings life or livelihood. There must be a real threat of being destroyed in some way. (3). Seeking: Seekings are tasks where the character is obliged to encapsulate the aspect of a story character in their life. The character assumes a certain number of traits or limitations about that character that are designed to force the changeling to explore one of her own facets. By assuming this role, the changeling is challenged, shaped and molded. These strictures, or limitations are mechanically represented in the same way as a Frailty, so the Seeking essentially imposes a number of Frailties upon a character that are reflections of the avatar they wish to emulate. As long as the changeling plays the role of the character, and does not abandon it for more than the Duration aspect of the Geas, they are not considered to be in breach of the task. It should be notes, though, that the character does not need to emulate a specific fable, though this is certainly an option. Instead, they may assume the role of a story archetype, such as the knight protector, a faerie princess, or even a wicked witch of the forest. Though there are many different stories and archetypes to choose from, changelings often feel the strongest affinity for character archetypes from their cultural upbringing. For most western changelings, this will mean they turn principally to character types from faerie tales. Should a changeling breach a Seeking, then they will become permanently hampered with the Frailties that they have incurred. Lesser: Seekings of a lesser nature are those where the character assumes only minor aspects of a character, represented by the instilment of one Frailty only. The changeling need only scan the surface of the character they seek to portray, such as adopting some mannerisms, a style of speech or other personal habits. (1). Medial: Seekings of a medial nature are those where the character assumes a few moderate aspects of a character, represented by the instilment of two Frailties only. The changeling is expected to adopt some of the lifestyle choices of the character they portray, particularly ones that speak to the heart of the character, which can include place of residence, choice of partners, moral code or dress code. (2). Greater : Seekings of a greater nature are those where the character completely immerses themselves in the character, represented by the instilment of three Frailties. The changeling is expected to transform most features of their life to replicate some facet of the character of avatar, even if these are expressed through interpretations or parallels. (3). Dominion: The boon of Dominion imbues the changeling with sympathies to the Legend itself. The legend, recognizing the service performed to its honor, returns a benefice to the changeling. When the changeling interacts with circumstances or events that are auspiciously aligned with the nature of the Legend, they may find their powers and actions augmented in minor and major ways. For more information on the purviews of Dominions, see below. The Dominion boon will grant a changeling a number of dots in the new Dominion Merit. For a lesser (+1) Dominion boon the changeling gains 1 dot, for a medial (+2) he gets three and for a greater (+3) he gets five. These dots can all be spent in the Dominion associated with the Legend of the same name (i.e. five dots can go into the Bronze Dominion if the changeling takes a greater Dominion Boon on a Bronze Geas). The changeling can also spread these dots into other Dominions, but at a reduced rate. At least the majority of the dots must go into the Dominion of the Legend sworn to and the remaining dots can go into either of the two Dominions that are sympathetic to it. They cannot go into the other two Dominions, as they are antithetical to the Legend of choice. Use the chart below to determine what secondary Dominions dots can go into in relation to the Primary Dominion. Primary Dominion Secondary Dominions Bone Glass & Stone Bronze Glass & Wood Glass Bone & Bronze Stone Bone & Wood Wood Bronze & Stone Madness: They say that those the gods wish to ruin, they first drive mad, and the Sanction of Madness is exactly that. It is the twists of fate delivering unto he oath breaker a malady of delirium. For a lesser Madness Sanction (1) the changeling will gain the infliction of a mild Derangement; for a medial Madness Sanction (2), the changeling gains a severe Derangement; for a greater Madness Sanction (3), the changeling is inflicted with an extreme severe Derangement. The changeling is permanently afflicted with these Derangements. The Storyteller may rule that in the fulfillment of a reinstatement of the pledge. It is entirely up to the prerogative of the Storyteller however.

Second Chances
To fail either a Quest or a Seeking inflicts the character with some serious life-long penalties. As written, the penalties can never be alleviated, because the story that was being lived has been broken and destroyed. However, stories are also about overcoming adversity and rising back to triumph from the greatest failures. If a player can convince their Storyteller of a contrivance that allows their failure to somehow simply be seen as a period of trial from which to rise back from, then the Storyteller may grant that player the option to re-swear upon the Legend. In continuing the story, the changeling must attempt to accomplish the same goals and overcome the same challenges as before, but this time they do it without any of the boons offered by the same pledge (though all the aspects are as they were before). This dramatic effect is entirely optional and should only be performed when thematically appropriate.

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by Angelus Michaels

Dominion (Milestone Merit)

The Dominion Merit is a special type of Merit that can only be achieved through the use of a Geas, it cannot be purchased with experience points, and will disappear when the pledge is ended. The Dominion Merit will grant a changeling a bonus to their action if it is associated with that Dominion. As an example, if a changeling invokes a contract on a target that falls under the purview of that Dominion, they get a bonus to their roll equal to their dots in that Dominion. If a changeling performs an endeavor in a location that is under the purview of that Dominion, they also get that bonus. This bonus can be applied to any circumstance, as long as the task being undertaken interacts with the purview of the Dominion in question. If the target could theoretically be part of more than one Dominion than both those Dominions are added. The powers of Dominions are such that the realms of influence can come to the aid and succor of a changeling. By developing an affinity with a Legend, their Dominions are granted by proxy to the changeling these Dominions a changeling can exert command over that which was under its aegis. Bone: The Dominion of Bone is that of the abyss, the dark crevice of monstrous leviathans beneath the murky waters. In the deepest fathoms of the underwater Dominion a Changeling soon learns that often the quietest and most silent approach will get her results. In the still and silent waters of Bone and in the sunken hidden shadows, a Changeling finds simple comfort in the mortality of things. All things have an end to their coil and this is just one of those states of passing. There is no resistance, only change and transmutation, adaptation and stillness. Why cause ripples in the water when all one has to do is wait in quiescence for the flotsam to drift down from the surface. Bronze: The Dominion of Bronze is that of the forge, the crucible that forges the might of glorious fire and the affluence of the wealth of the earth. Through the radiance of fire and the strength of steel, the lesson of Bronze is of triumph over adversity. Through the forge of Bronze all things are tempered and that which is not destroyed is made stronger by its might. For those who wear its nature are cloaked in the glorious nimbus of the sun itself in its entire terrible and wondrous splendor. It is also the Dominion with the closest affinity to human institutions and behavior. Those well versed in the ways of Bronze bring nations to their knees and lead armies to the field. Glass: The ways of Glass are subtle and quick to follow, for they are part of the very ways of the mind and the ephemeral consciousness of Eidolon itself. It is the Dominion of the stormy clouds with lofty breeze and thunderous lightning. Those who call upon its influence give their minds wings to dance above the clouds of imagination on flights of fancy. Its lesson is that knowledge is power, and that through wisdom comes great strength. In this world of ideas and exchange also flows such as currency, language and education. Those who command its lessons walk through life with great powers to summon forth illusions, a mastery

of all communication and to submerge into the world of dreams and fantasy itself. Stone: Time flows slowly in the Dominion of Stone. Here the Changeling feels the backbone of the mountains lies heavy with the mantle of hoarfrost. It is a Dominion of stasis, immutability and unyielding temperament and its outstretched rule instills a terrible wrath. It is the crushing rock and avalanche and its lesson is that might makes right. Though its movement may be slow and ponderous, when it picks up pace is it a tumbling roar of might. It is the immovable object and the irresistible force at once and will break against all resistance. Wherever a master of the Dominion of Stone goes the very firmament quakes leaving a trail of carnage and broken opposition. Though its severity and discipline one may hone cold rage with strategic planning. Wood: It is the verdant primal wilderness that is the Dominion of Wood. Caressed by the warm rays of the sun it is a Dominion of plant-life, fecundity and the wide pastures. It is the dynamic energy of the birth and renewal, the wild and unrestrained growth of the deepest wilderness. The lesson here learned is that life is far older than mankind, from the firmament all things are born, and to its embrace all things returned. Humans, like all transient things of the living realms will eventually fade away. Those who are wise in the ways of wood are the paths of forest and field. It is the blood, the flesh, the seed and womb of life and Mother Nature red in tooth and claw.

Realms
The influences of Dominions are divided succinct categories of phenomena that called Realms. Listed below is a breakdown of how various purviews relate to the different Dominions.

Actor
People and other sentient creatures that have strong ties to humanity (any of the supernatural creatures created with a template) would fall under this category, however the nature of the creature determines what Dominion they would fall under, such creatures as vampires require the Dominion of Bone, while a werewolf is the Dominion of Stone. Mages are like normal humans in terms of influence. Dominion Actor Bone People that deal with death, space travel, acquiring knowledge or research and beggars Bronze People that deal with politics, law, traditional religion, tertiary education, chancellery and management Glass People that deal with trade and money, travel, communications, psychology, literature and healing, also clerks, thieves and tailors People of war and conflict also police officers, manual laborers, meat handlers, craftsmen and athletes People that deal with entertainment, fashion, beauty, sex, health, childrearing, housekeeping, arts and music

Stone

Wood

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by Angelus Michaels Fauna

Fauna is the Realm of all forms of living animals. The sorts of creatures that are under the influence of each Dominion are not necessarily a clear-cut delineation. The Dominions dont follow the same demarcations as mortal taxonomy so there are no physical or biological characteristics by which to organize them. Dominion Fauna Bone Scavenging or carrion eaters, creatures of the deep, pestilent or disease carriers, creatures associated with death Bronze Domesticated animals, creatures associated with pride and glory or considered royal beasts Glass Migratory or nomadic creatures, creatures with complex communication or associated with intelligence or wisdom Stone Predatory, carnivorous or savage creatures, creatures associated with war or hunters Wood Herbivorous creatures or ones in symbiosis with plants, creatures associated with grace, beauty and peace if these elements manifest as a result of or comprise part of a crafted object. Dominion Primal Bone Major Element Water (liquid substances) and Minor Element Shade (darkness, poison) Bronze Major Element Fire (heat, explosions) and Minor Element Metal (precious metals) Glass Major Element Air (gaseous substances) and Minor Element Thunder (electricity) Stone Major Element Earth (soil and earth) and Minor Element Frost (coldness, snow) Wood Major Element Wood (plant materials) and Minor Element Light (reflections, mirages)

Prop
This describes items that have been made by human beings. For the purposes of this category, it only describes items created by mortals without any form of supernatural template. These are completely mundane objects. Items that are enchanted with Glamour no longer fall under this category. It should be stressed, that unless the character has a detailed understanding of the devices in question she must treat the object as a single object. For example, unless she understands automotive mechanics she cannot target the engine by itself and must attempt to target the car as a whole. This means that if the car should use GPS, or other digital technology then it would count as an appliance. Furthermore, any object associated with the descriptions of the Actor Realm can be considered to fall under the influence of that Dominion as well. Dominion Prop Bone objects of great age or associated with death Bronze implements of temporal or ecclesiastic authority Glass literary objects, objects of medicine or finance Stone weapons and sporting equipment Wood objects of beauty, sensuality, sexuality or fertility

Nature
While the animals are the subjects of the Dominions and the elements are it votive force, the environment they live in is the stage where they interact. In this Realm, changelings will find that they can influence the forces of nature themselves, all the subtle interactions of the elements that produce the phenomena of weather. While there may be some overlap between Primal and Nature, the distinction is to determine whether the changeling is trying to manipulate the element in its raw form, or trying to influence a complex web of elements to produce weather phenomena within its natural purview. For simple and immediate localized phenomena (such as the burst of wind that happens only within a single street) the Realm Primal is more preferable; for the city wide typhoon a Fae would be crazy not to utilize the Nature Realm. Dominion Nature Bone tidal waves, tides, monsoons, floods, blights, nightfall, fogs, mires, swamps and bogs Bronze bushfires, radiation, heat swells, increasing ambient temperature, mineral deposits Glass lightning strikes, gales, electric storms, tornados, sandstorms, electrical storms Stone avalanches, fissures, earthquakes, gravity, cold snaps, soil fertility, blizzards, snowstorms Wood increasing crop fertility, changing forests or other wildernesses, sun spots, sunlight, dawn * It should be noted, that this is not a comprehensive list of phenomena and Natures purview; a Storyteller coming across unique phenomena should ascribe them to one of the Dominions based on the above guidelines.

Scene
This describes land and territory claimed by humanity. For the purposes of this category, it does not include any territory that is truly wild and untouched by human habitation. However, these places are increasingly rare in this day and age. Furthermore, any location associated with the descriptions of the Actor Realm can be considered to fall under the influence of that Dominion as well. Dominion Scene Bone graveyards, ruins, museums and mortuaries Bronze churches, courts of law, business offices Glass libraries, markets, banks and hospitals Stone barracks, precinct headquarters, sports fields Wood brothels, nurseries, theatres, galleries, gardens

Feat (Milestone Merit)

The Feat Merit is a special type of Merit that can only be achieved through the use of a Geas, it cannot be purchased with experience points, and will disappear when the pledge is ended. The Feat Merit will grant a changeling the ability to mimic the Legendary acts of the story they are tied to. As an example, if a changeling forms a pledge with the Legend of 27

Primal
The basis of Natural phenomena lies in the elements associated with each Dominion. These elemental controls eventually build up in complexity to describe greater and greater phenomena. Excluded from this area of influence is

by Angelus Michaels
Stone through the story of the Trojan War and inheriting the martial prowess of Achilles. Feats can imbue into their possessor the ability to perform certain feats and activities. They grant the ability to draw upon the actions of legendary strength, stamina, purpose and charisma. Such an imbuement will bestow upon its wearer the properties of a specific Legend. As long as the Oath is upheld the Legend grants their pledge holder the powers bound.

Level Two Feats: Extraordinary

The feats inherent in the second level allow their user to reach the utmost human potential. This would represent the capabilities of a 5 dot Skill or Attribute. They are world record performances, Olympic feats or genius level cognition. Examples include: Shooting a coin out of the air Fighting blindfolded Running soundlessly Measuring distance by eye perfectly Playing an instrument never played before

Properties of Feats
Feats can only improve or augment actions that may be performed by the human form. While some of these take the abilities to extreme lengths, to the point of duplicating almost inhuman abilities, they are still extension of those basic abilities. As a general rule, if it is a feat that has been performed by a mythic figure, than it can probably be replicated through Feats. There are, however, clear limitations on what can be performed with Feats. They are supposed to be inherent talents, abilities or feats that give the changeling mastery over their actions letting them do improbable and impossible tasks, but not granting mastery over their external environment or allowing them to alter it in any way. Feats cannot stop time. Feats cannot grant telekinetic powers. Feats cannot allow a character to part an ocean. Feats cannot cast an area into darkness. Feats cannot control the minds of others. Feats cannot stop the movement of the sun or moon. Feats cannot read a book by touching its cover. Feats cannot pick up psychic impressions. Feats cannot affect ghosts or spirits. Feats cannot turn fire into ice. Feats cannot create something from nothing. Feats cannot affect characters Virtue, Vice or willpower. Feats should be in some-way related to the purviews of the Legends. As a quick guide, refer to the following chart: Legend Feats Bone Feats of memory and deception Bronze Feats of majesty and protection Glass Feats of acuity and agility Stone Feats of potency and endurance Wood Feats of charm and perception

Level Three Feats: Exceptional

At this level, the feats gained through the feats begin to leave the realm of possibility, but not those of plausibility. They are feats that implicate abnormal ability, such as savant genius or similar physical feats. The powers herein tend to beggar disbelief, but not outright suspend it. They should be potentially possible but beyond the scope of most characters to attempt. If a person has ever performed this trick, then it should be possible at this level. Examples include: Pulling a train Shattering ice with a barehanded strike Modeling for a photo without retouching Bouncing a cannonball Negotiating two enemy states into mutual peace

Level Four Feats: Potent

The feats hear are actually beyond human capability, but they replicate feats that are still an extension of basic human power. Such feats, though impossible for a human, might not be impossible for an animal, or a human augmented by a machine or device. As such, it represents metahuman potential. Examples include: Catching a bullet out of the air Outrunning a car Walking on water without breaking the surface tension Throwing a vault Cause an angry mob to become quiet with but a glance

Level Five Feats: Penultimate

The abilities inherent in a fifth level feat are truly feats of legend and myth. Though they are truly superhuman in their scope and should be impossible to perform, they are still bound by rational constraints and the environmental physics. Just because a person has the strength to lift a house doesnt mean part of the house wont break off in the attempt. Examples include: Breaking the sound barrier by running Surviving a conventional explosion at ground zero Leaping tall buildings in a single bound Surviving in a vacuum Accompanying oneself in a vocal duet

Level One Feats: Middling

The feats enabled by these sorts of Voiles grant their wearer abilities that lie within the range of a competent human capacity. The feat replicates an ability that could be performed by a person with 3 dots in a relative Skill or Attribute. Examples include: Breaking thick wood with a barehanded strike Catching a fly Watching the flight of an arrow Calculating cube roots in your head Playing a piece of music only heard once Delivering a rousing speech

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by Angelus Michaels

Delirium
(the Gilded Masque, the Amethyst Court, the Court of Madness) You know us. We are the hidden eyes, the multitude of unsung voices. We are the whispers in your nightmares and reveries. We are the watchers of the Wyrd, we are the sayers of the sooth. Only you call us mad. There is truth in madness, truth in the ineffable names of our lords and ladies. It is only you, who cling far too tightly to your well worn mortals ideals that are Lost. We have found the way. We know exactly what we are and we become it. You may deny your faerie nature, rail against it, supplant it with new hope, or quail from it. We become it, we know the madness that lies within, we give it new names of Apocalypse and revelation. This hour is our hour, the time when the world is upsidedown and given over to delirium. There is a tale told by the elder changelings, who suggest that Faerie was not always as hostile as it is now. They speak of a time long ago, told to them by changelings before them, of a place fanciful and glorious for changelings and their kind. It was alleged that many changelings found their way to Faerie and found a paradise, a place of delight. In such times, madness was not viewed as a dysfunction, but rather a revelation granted by the gods. The world of madness, Faerie, was too a place of beauty and glory. They say Faerie has always, on some level, reflected the state of affairs of humanity, and that the two have always reflected each other to a certain degree, mimicking each other in change. When the Dark Ages came, Faerie too was twisted by the barbarism of the times medieval, casting Faerie into gloom. Then the world was further shook by the Renaissance, an awakening for some, but a terrible shattering of dreams for others. Finally, upon its heels came the Industrial revolution, which wreathed the world in smog and iron. Such turbulence, it is said, shook Faerie to its core, and in Faerie emerged new mechanical nightmares and horrors. These changes, it is said, infected Faerie with an element that is could not tolerate. The passions of divine inspiration and reverie were institutionalized, and broken down into dysfunction. The Faerie, reflecting this change, became creatures of dysfunction themselves, and the Fae became creatures of madness. The creatures of delight fell to the perversity of delirium. For such changelings, their madness is a product of the state of affairs of the world. It is a supernatural malady born from their faerie nature. The Courtiers of Delirium tell a somewhat different story. They talk about a progressive and inevitable change from delight to delirium. They talk about the idea of revelation, the inspiration of wisdom that comes from madness. They say that their season has always been closest to the flow of the Wyrd, its influence being seen since the enthogenic cults of the Hellenic era. They allege it was the inspiring force that brought about the new philosophies of the era. This is because the season of Delirium is about revolution and innovation. In these times they called it Apocalypse. Since then, the season has been found inspiring the Renaissance, the Romantic movement, the Bohemian movement and in the last few decades, they claim its innovation in the rise of Discordianism and then chaos theory. For the Delirium courtiers they say it was not humanity that changed the season, but the season that changed humanity. Most changelings are familiar with the four temperate seasons, but changelings, who deal frequently with other strange and rare seasons have learnt of a fifth season, complementary to the four temperate ones. Delirium is a season that has no name, but goes by many. It is the season of festivity, of Carnival, of reverie and madness. It is the season called Delirium. Like the other seasons, it too has its correspondences to times and places of the year. You can tell when you are in the season of Delirium by the sense that time is standing still. In the times of great and grand celebration, there is a wanton fervor that excites, depresses, angers and scares all who witness it. It is one turbulent cacophony of other emotions. It is the season of the in-between, the not quite real and fragmented memory. The season of Delirium is said to be the axel upon which the other seasons turns, the fulcrum of the year and seasons. Delirium also correlates to the eastern Directional Courts, maintaining a role as the central axis around which the other Directional Courts reach out. Knowledge of the season of Delirium is not that widespread, and it is only in modern times that it has earned any serious following as a Court in its own right. Though in comparison to the other Courts, it is almost always in a minority. It is a rare and strange city that has a population dominated by the Court of Delirium. This is the philosophy of the Delirium courtiers. They see Faerie, though mutable, being a place of stasis. The Fae do not age, or decay. Neither do they give birth or demonstrate a true capacity for creation. To embrace Delirium is to embrace the fundamental aspect that is change and weave it into your very being.
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by Angelus Michaels
Just as the changing nature of the seasons offer a modicum of protection over freeholds, subsuming to change itself is thought to lend a similar protection to the changeling herself. The Courts founder was a changeling by the name of Tom O Bedlam. He was a renegade and an outcast even among the Lost. Rather than trying to gloss over his eccentricities, he positively embraced them; much to the discomfort of the other courtiers. He claimed to be of all courts and of none, and was far more mercurial and adversarial than most changelings have come to tolerate. He was considered courtless by most changelings who came upon him, for his ways was not their ways and his ideas were not theirs. He spoke of prophecy and revelation, of times of madness and change. Such things did not sit well with changelings who, having spent years in Arcadia, found the notion troubling. Spurned by the other courts, it is said he went off into the Hedge one year, and was thought to have been lost amid the Thorns. He emerged a month later professing to have made a compact with a season that was both old and new. When he revealed to them the season that is not a season, they scorned and laughed. Others, though, had felt a calling. happen between established members, and those they feel might have a chance of understanding their ways. This testing procedure often tasks place as a form of game, usually cards, dice, or anything that utilizes luck or chance. Ultimately the court wants to see how lucky that individual is, whether the fates bode well for them. If luck is with them then they are taken into the fold. Once accepted into the court, the Amethyst courtiers are each encourages to seek out their own form of revelation. They are taught to seek out change, both in their own self and within others. While some may simply resort to the strange and the bizarre to illicit such change, the more established members of the court have learned to temper their quirks and turn instead methods of greater finesse to bring about a little bit of chaos in other peoples lives. This is because the Delirium courtiers, like most of the Lost, are faerie at heart and prefer to fall back to subtle and devious means when possible.

Rituals
Without a doubt, the most famous festival of the Delirium court is the Bacchanal. Bacchanals are truly amazing sights to behold. They are festivals of pure and simple deviance and indulgence. Bacchanals are typically held upon auspicious nights where all changelings are permitted to give whole-heartedly to their vice. These nights are sometimes annual events, sometimes seasonal, depending on the freehold. The Bacchanal can be held at any time during the year. They are decided upon almost spontaneously by the court of Delirium, where the local Delirium courtiers descend upon the freehold declaring a time of the Bacchanal. The Bacchanal is certainly the courts longest running tradition. The changelings of the freehold use it to let all their reservations run free. All members of the different courts are invited to participate and celebrate their bizarre natures; the more outlandish and bizarre the event, the better. Within the court, there are a number of unique twists to the usual Court structures. Unlike the other courts, they do not have a King or Queen but rather a Fool. When the Bacchanal descends, the crown of the reigning King of Queen disappears and, almost at random, the season of Delirium appoints someone as the Fool the master of ceremonies. The appointment may be only or a night, or even just an hour, but they are the reigning Fool for the time of Delirium. Such a selection is often considered to be auspicious and the Fool is generally held to be bestowed with the luck of the Fates. When Delirium fades and the normal procession of seasons returns, the crown is restored to the proper ruler and the lucky Fool maintains their title until the next reverie. The other major event that the Delirium court hosts is known as the Tribute, which brings the art of

Courtiers
The Delirium courtiers are often quite contrary, and oppositional, taking it upon themselves to ensure that the flow between seasons happen and to remind changelings that nothing is static, everything changes and falls to entropy. Such courtiers positively embrace their eccentricities, and may even do little to hide them. Each Delirium courtier deals with the fact that many of the other courtiers do not truly acknowledge their faction as a legitimate season, as though it were nothing more than the ravings of a madman. In many respects, it is true. How does one express a completely irrational manifesto to ones who rely solely on their sense of reason to understand. No, the Delirium courtiers do not speak of understanding, they talk of gleanings, enlightenment, the middle path, and of course revelation. This is what it means to be a Delirium courtier. It is to be a herald of bedlam, a mad oracle, to delve into the depths of the incoherent lunacy to truly understand the mindset of the Fae. By assuming the guise of the Fae to some small measure, they hope to delude, confuse and trick the Fae with their own games of madness. The criteria for entering the court are minimal. Either you seek revelation or you dont. Most of them are nonplussed about the opinions of the other courts to their behaviors but are welcoming and open to those who share their vision. If they do have a recruitment strategy it would consist of personal encounters that
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by Angelus Michaels
storytelling to its heights. They are often held to celebrate historical events, or to commemorate the deeds of a particular individual, or sometimes simply to honor a demand of the season itself. In effect, these are staged events where the members of the court must deliver a story up to the audience as a pageant for all the members of the freehold. The ostentatious claim is that all stories told must be true, for the court of Delirium is composed of soothsayers. Prizes are awarded to the person who tells the greatest tale but may still be thought to be true. Of course, in a world such as the ones that changelings live in, truth can be very mutable. Though the Tribute and the Bacchanal are the most famous events of the Delirium court, the courtiers also have an internal tradition that is only shared amongst them. The Delirium court is fond of games of chance and tests of luck. It is not unusual for the court to run events or host games of chance amongst them selves and with other changelings. Here the center of activity focuses around seemingly innocuous games. However, they are merely distractions for the real game at hand. While the changelings sit there, they must attempt to manipulate a web of connections around them to attempt to make a fool of the other without ever leaving the game. It is easy for many not of the court to underestimate the value of this, assuming that the humor is at their expense. Instead, the agenda of these practical jokes is to keep themselves from losing their edge. To the court, individuality is more than essential for those in Delirium; it is a way of life and a way of existence. Some even conjecture that the games are a metaphor for the entirety of existence being nothing but one big cosmic joke. strange contrariness that makes them over-all impossible to deal with. At Mantle the changeling develops an affinity for madness. With a single glance, and the expenditure of a point of glamour a Delirium courtier can learn all of the derangements a target is inflicted with. At their Mantle grows, and reaches their own Delirium folds in upon themselves, and they manifest a natural tendency to obfuscate their words and manners, granting them two bonus dice to any action involved with beguiling or deceiving others. When the courtiers Mantle teaches the height of its splendor at the changeling becomes more and more querulous. They may re-roll any failed Finesse roll at the cost of a measure of glamour.

Revelation
There Amethyst Court seeks out Revelation. The first is to be the harbinger of bedlam, the bringer of chaos and nonsense in a world founded on logic and science. Here is the promotion of illogical methods of understanding, going into the world and challenging basic assumptions. A changeling may venture into a world where people depend on the assumptions of money, power, science and order, and introduce a little bit of nonsense into the mix. One changeling may introduce of a swarm of insects into the serenity of mass, to induce confusion and mayhem from which to feed. Another will contaminate the water supply for an officer building with LSD. A third will pose as some form of homeless beggar and violate all the social conventions on the street, or even a high-class soiree. All of these acts usually involve the assumption of some other guise or mannerism to dupe and fool others into some simple entrapment. For the courtiers, Revelation is also a journey; a mystical path of enlightenment. Where logic fails, the unconscious mind must continue the journey. This is the road of prophecy, where the changeling walks into the unknowable future and gleans the hidden truths that lie in the depths of madness. So too can mortal explorers in altered states of perception can be targets of revelation. Places of drug indulgence, meditative transcendence and even experimentations with the pain/pleasure threshold.

Heraldry
To suggest that there is an official code of dress or apparel for the Delirium courtiers is to miss the point. There is no real mode or motif that the court adheres to, but each of them seeks to exalt their own brand of fashion as much as they can. That being said, the official heraldic colors of the court are purples and whites, though often the shades of white can be tinged with silvers.

Mantle
The Mantle of Delirium is strange and diffuse, often interfering with the senses of other people. These may be shifts in spectrums, the sense of vision ripples as though seen through heat-like haze, sounds produce strange tones and other oddities. Similarly, relics of the season begin to leak out into the world around them as they bring reverie with them. The Amethyst Court is tinged with strange madness. Their Mantle imbues their courtiers with a

Stereotypes
Spring Court: They understand some part of reverie, but are far too much in the indulgence for its own sake, rather than seeking insight. Summer Court: Far too many of these courtiers quake wrathfully without a compass to guide them. They are blind. Autumn Court: You seek some form of understanding, but for the sake of power, not empowerment. Winter Court: There is little to offer your transcendence by hiding, by assimilating, by forgetting that you are not mortal. 31

by Angelus Michaels

Chapter Two: Reverie

This is a work of fiction. All the characters in it, human and otherwise, are imaginary, excepting only certain of the fairy folk, whom it might be unwise to offend by casting doubts on their existence. Or lack thereof.
- Neil Gaiman
Changelings stand outside of the human scope of society, their durance in Arcadia fundamentally separating the two. Yet, just because changelings stand outside humanity, does not mean they must stand alone in their musings. Changelings still seek to give some meaning to their existence, and more often than not they cannot do this alone. The dangers of the Gentry, and madness are worse for those without the stabilizing influence of other changelings. This reason, more than any other, compels the Lost to seek each other out in an attempt to forge social relationships with others who understand their alienation with the world. Like human societies, the changeling society is founded with certain premises of social contract in a way that would approximate human law. While mortals often rely on written contracts to provide a binding agreement, changelings do not need such an apparatus because of their ties to the Wyrd. Changelings and other faerie use pledgecrafting to seal their accords. Any changeling foolish enough to break such an pledge is faces potential madness and ostracism. For these reasons, pledges are the social glue amongst changelings, whether sworn enemies or familial in nature. once more, the exchange between the two sides increase as pledges were formed, alliances won and broken, secrets divulged and stolen, and most importantly stories were exchanged. Artifacts of human culture would shape the origins of the Courts, much as the activities of the Lost would inspire many of the tales of faerie Good Cousins. Pressed together in these places, the eccentric and erratic changelings found a growing need to conduct their affairs in a more communal fashion. Thus the Secret Commonwealth was born with the arising of freeholds. It is from this era that many of the customs common to freeholds emerged. Though never truly formalized, a number of customs developed that were widely adopted by many freeholds and solitary fae alike. These customs would have a number of appellations, called escheat by the self-styled nobility of the fae, the protocols by more academically minded fae, but most often just simply referred to as the concordat. To this day, many hallmarks of medieval society are echoed in the concordat, a fact that the conservative changelings have been slow to change. Further advances among the Lost emerged through the Renaissance, where the autocracy of the monarch was held in check or complimented by a privy council of advisors and ministers. Throughout the ages, a number of staple roles have emerged in one guise or another, and collectively these peers of the freeholds would form a privy council to the ruler and oversee the conduct of the concordat.

The Secret Commonwealth

Changeling society has undergone tumultuous changes throughout history. Changes in human society and industry caused many changes amongst the Lost. In the early years of human civilization, changelings would hide on the outskirts of human centers of populations, finding sanctuary in the wilderness; under bridge, in black forest, under hills and within dells. Changeling throughout these times were often isolated and scattered holdings, having only the Hedge as a common point of reference. In these times, access to humanity was often scarce, and so harvests of Glamour came chiefly from Hedgefruits and pledges between faerie. It was apparent that thought the Lost may eke an existence on the fringes, they could not possibly hold any true defense or bastion against the incursions of the Gentry. As the Dark Ages passed, the pledges of the Great Courts were forged, beginning the true foundation of changeling society. From these simple accords, Changelings were allied in purpose and armed with arts and knowledge both deceptive and commanding to infiltrate once more into human society, and thus secure a better harvest of Glamour from their mortal cousins. As human civilization grew and collected itself into townships and villages, changelings too found themselves finding a form of safety in their walls. Within the confined of these havens, the dangers of the Hedge seemed far away. Naturally, as both changeling and humanity intermingled 32

The Concordat
The concordat, as a whole, lies somewhere between a code of laws and a praxis of etiquette. It is divided into two components, the first being the major customs, and the later being a local lexicon of protocols and manners. Though minor interpretations may exist on the customs, there is sufficient consistency to view them as a universal standard. What separates the two is the fact that it is only the customs are formally sworn to when pledging loyalty to a freehold.

The Customs
The concordat has sometimes been sought to be instated as a form of high law among the Lost. Throughout a freehold, they are strongly codified practices that are considered sacrosanct. Violations of the local concordat is tantamount to treason.

Temporary Release
It is custom that once every ten years, a changelings is released from the concordat. When this happens, they are given a night to consider their future and accordingly they may choose to renew the pledges, or walk away from its protections.

by Angelus Michaels Primacy

We are the Parliament of Dreams, children of Arcadia and made free from the Lords and Ladies. There is no greater charge than to aid the freehold in its sanctity and defense. Interpretations: This tenet is often the first found among changeling concordats. It places the primacy of changeling agendas before mortal agendas, the duties of the freehold should always be their priority. No mortal agenda, no matter how seemingly important, can compare to the importance of holding against the inceptions of the Fae. Precedents: This tenet is fairly easy to arbitrate. Its restriction does not prohibit changelings from attending and supporting mortal causes, but limits them from putting them first. In situations where mortal agendas and freehold agendas coincide, there is little conflict. Though, these are usually ones that deal with the world at large, rather than the concerns of humanity and their plights. Typically conflict lies when a person places their family or even a career first. Though not prohibited from such things, they must be put aside when the call is made. Interpretations: All changelings have fought hard to earn their freedom. All have escaped from the tyranny of their Keepers and Arcadia. Most freeholds are bound and kept by a doctrine and custom of freedom from slavery and imprisonment, because such behaviors make them seem far too easily like their once captors. The Lost has little tolerance for the incarceration of their own by others. Precedents: This custom was initially invoked to call for the rescue of changeling hostages from Faerie when possible. Today it still is used to ensure that all changelings are free from the shackles of mundane imprisonment as well. The freehold seeks to secure the freedom of any changeling incarcerated (though they may levy a fine or charge of their own for such a service).

Patronage
Bring those who find their way be brought into the fold. Interpretations: Changelings are rare enough creatures, even more so those who have managed to escape from their Keepers. When a newly emerged changeling escaped from the Hedge is discovered by the Lost, they are to be brought amongst their peers and taught what they need to hide, to survive or to otherwise live free. Precedents: Technically, this is a difficult custom to break. It requires the willful rejection of patronage and a denial of assistance and hospitality. In situations where a changeling is personally hostile to a newly emerged sprout all that is normally required is for the freehold to find a suitable patron in someone else.

Harvest
We must preserve our fonts of Glamour. Neither take too much nor let the people of the commonwealth be left without. Interpretations: Glamour can often seem abundant with so many sources available. Such a perception, and the addictive allure of Glamour often means that a little indulgence becomes terrible excess rather quickly. This custom is a censure for changelings to practice careful and subtle harvesting, and never to ravage the Hedge or pledges for their produce. Precedents: This custom is given the most flexibility, because there is a commonly understood empathy on the nature of addiction. All too often, a changeling slips up and gluts themselves, including those of the inner circles of the freehold. Most often, this problem is set aside as changeling fear what introspection might result from a true extrapolation of its context.

Sanctuary
Honor thy cousin sanctuary from the Fae. Let no feud, rivalry nor bitter enmity hold you from this obligation. Interpretation: The right of sanctuary is often considered an extension of the customs of hospitality. Normally this right refers to the obligation that the master of a Hollow has to granting sanctuary from any changeling who asks it. The custom in more modern times, however, is often extended to mundane residences when sanctuary is needed. Precedents: While this law obligates all changelings to honor a formal request for sanctuary, it also acknowledges that simply refusing a changeling entry into your territory is not a tort of custom. Though any single changeling can request sanctuary from any other, the request must be formally stated in some way and often as a pledge.

Secrecy
We are the hidden people, and must conceal ourselves from mortal and Fae alike. Interpretations: Openly revealing ones faerie nature to mortals not formally bound to the changeling by pledge is a serious crime. Crass exposure and deliberate breaks of the Mask is enough to cause any number of wild stories to occur, ones that often reach the ears of the Fae and bring them down to such troubling places. Not only that, but exposure to the truth is often a quick way to madness, both to changelings and mortals alike. Down that path lies danger, where not only does one run the risk of self-exposure, but exposure of the freehold itself. Precedents: Slips of the Mask and unbound revelations of faerie existence often holds its own punishment. The unraveling of the mind from such a breaking point is often enough to cause a reckless fae to think twice about their actions. It serves mostly as a precautionary warning to the new changelings and to those who need reminding.

Life
Hold the life of your cousins sacred. Slay them not. Interpretation: The last law of the concordat demands that no changeling slay another as a deliberate murder of another. Precedents: Changelings are by no means perfect, and the mercurial and capricious nature of the Lost mean a fair number seek personal, if not bloody means of resolution. The practice of Vendetta is formally accepted among the Lost as a method of allowing changelings to feud with a minimal loss of life.

Freedom
Suffer not the injury of imprisonment of the Lost by another.

Signet and Seal

It is in these two implements of Signet and Seal that the leaders of various freeholds maintain their authority and 33

by Angelus Michaels
enforce the mystical force of the pledges in a way that satisfies their imperative, but also meets the demands of a more moderate society. What defines one freehold from another is the freeholds Signet. This is a small Token where the pledges of the freeholds concordat are bound and invested, to be tied to the land. While typically a ring (the circle being a powerful container for contracts), sometimes it is invested in other paraphernalia; such as a staff, shield or even a crown for the truly ostentatious. Rings offer the primary advantage of being inconspicuous in public. This Signet is the mark of rulership and is formally ceded to the next ruler with the change and progression of seasons. The bearer of the Signet is entwined with the freeholds concordat, allowing them to act as its executor and authority. Among its powers is the power to hold and swear pledges on the behalf of the freehold, and the power to accept them on its behalf. The second symbol of authority that a freehold often displays is the seal of the concordat. Each seal is expertly designed to reflect the nature of the freehold and its ideas, and through it, binds the laws of the concordat into the holdings claimed by it. It defines the limits of the freehold and jurisdiction of the concordat, as well as the limitations of territories where one may benefit from a freehold blessing. Most of the time, the mandate of a seal extends to the limits of a single city. Sometimes, the jurisdiction can be said to extend into the immediate surroundings of the Hedge, but it takes a powerful ruler to enforce the concordat inside its maze. The further away from the freeholds the trods go, the more tenuous a freeholds sphere of influence becomes. Most of the denizens of the Hedge who entreat with the freehold (such as the Goblin Markets) pay a lip service to the Concordat while conducting business there, but for the most part, the Hedge and realms beyond are considered lawless. betrayal of the Lost to the Gentry or other supernatural creatures. In these cases, the changeling is discharged from the concordat. In its place they mark the mien with a brand mark. This mark indicates that the subject is forever banned from the freehold.

The Privy Council

Each freehold functions autocratically over its holdings, with the larger freeholds supporting a number of stable roles. Sometimes these roles are held by one individual year round, while others are appointed seasonally. The Privy Council itself is most commonly a circle of peers or elders within the freehold, and positions specially granted by the authority of the freeholds ruler. In any given freehold the ruler may choose to award one or all of the customary roles. What follows is some of the most commonly found positions, or at least singular roles that are often replicated in similar forms. Some bear different names designed to suit the local culture, but they are essentially the same. In cases where a strictly unique role must be created rulers have historically done so. Though the precedent is such roles are temporary and last till the end of the season.

Reeve
The Reeve is the right hand council. He is the balance of justice to the rule of power. They are expected to act as an administrator of protocol and a ledger for formally sworn pledges. As an adjunct, one of their primary roles is to be versed in historical and local interpretations of the concordat to provide council and advice to the ruler, providing potential interpretations and reports of broken pledges. A typical investment of authority provided by the ruler is the power to act as a judge and jury over matters in absence of the leader themselves. Though the ruler often reserves the right of final judgment, a Reeve can label any member of the freehold as oathbroken if he deems it to be true. For these reasons, the position of Reeve is only given to changelings who are exceptionally trusted by the ruler, for technically the Reeve can even declare the ruler themselves in breach of his pledges (though he had better hope to have the support of the freehold to lay weight to the ruling).

The Star Chamber

In cases of crimes against the concordat, the accused is brought into a dreamscape where they be weighed and measured by the Privy Council. To erect this chamber, the accused stands upon the Seal and the ruler and four other peers of the freehold stand in five positions around the charged to form a fivepointed star formation. Once formed, the Seal projects the figures into the dreaming of the accused where they can pour over their thoughts, memories and intentions. With this insight the Council often uses it to witness the events of the memory of the accused and inspect them for any prior breaches of pledges. With this information at hand, the peers can form a summary judgment of the matter, leaving the final judgment to the ruler.

Doge
The Doge is the counterpart to the Reeve, acting as the left hand council. Whereas the Reeve acts as the balance of justice, the Doge is to act as the balance of wisdom. Because the role of the ruler is to entreat with the temporal and political flow of the freehold, the mysteries of Faerie and the Hedge are left to the Doge, to provide insight on enigmas, enchantments and other things of Glamour. The role of Doge is often granted only to members of the freeholds most learned in the ways of the Wyrd. With their assistance freeholds learn to arm themselves against magical threats, and not always threats from without, for the Doge must also guard against signs of malady and madness. Though not publicly discussed, the Doge is expected to keep a close eye on the ruler for those same signs of derangement.

Branding and Exile

In certain extreme circumstances, the Star Chamber can be used to levy extra punishments on top of any potential damages incurred from breaching a pledge with the freehold; that is branding and exile. It is a punishment normally reserved only for individuals whose actions have threatened the freeholds social stability. These are generally treasonous acts, like

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by Angelus Michaels Chamberlain

The other role of significant power, but little prestige in freehold, is that of the Chamberlain. Officially, the duties of the Chamberlain are to take the initiative to see that the workings of the freeholds run smoothly. In many circumstances, this is taking the directive of the ruler and that the administration of the freehold operates. As an adjunct, the Chamberlain must maintain and administer the places where gatherings are conducted, and that everything is in place for these affairs. Chamberlains also serve as a master of etiquette and conduct at gatherings of the Lost. In this respect, while the Reeve can be considered to have knowledge of the laws of the land in context of the Concordat, the Chamberlain is more knowledgeable in consideration of the local protocol. Yet, the real power of the Chamberlain is twofold; the first is the ability to dress up or dress down people within the commons, as their word often has potent sway over the opinions of the Lost who follow the manners of the local etiquette. The secondary role is that of master of intelligence as their position has them standing at the center of a web of information, tapping into the flow of gossip, intrigue and all manner of sensitive records. Though the unspoken role of information broker is expected to be placed at the service of the ruler, no system is without its loopholes. this privilege, the chosen Jester often never accumulates any real power except that which this title permits.

Thane
The Thane is quite simply the champion of the freehold. It is given to the most powerful and martial of the changelings present. The Thane can sometimes be referred to as a whip in a derogatory manner as it is their role to act as the enforcer of the commons justice. When immovable object must be met with unstoppable force, this is the Thanes job. When not in charge of a direct mandate by the ruler they have a standard charter to enforce the peace and to incapacitate any of the changelings who would seek to injure each other outside of the protocols of vendetta. Similarly, they are to deal with any external threat of a physical nature to the freehold, or even oversee rescue operations for imprisoned changelings. The Thane is both elite martial artist and savvy tactician all in one, capable of inspiring and directing the military efforts of the freehold.

Etiquette
The etiquette of the Lost is built on several centuries of cultivates customs and ideals. What follows is some of the most traditional customs that may have fallen out of favor or modernized in new ways.

Bard
The role of a bard is nominally given to a changeling with remarkable lucidity. Bards are the lorekeepers of the Lost and it is their responsibility to perpetuate the myths and stories that keep the freehold together; one part historian and one part machine of propaganda. It is a privilege given to notables of diplomacy and political savvy, for it requires a subtle and sophisticated understanding of the freehold, expected to know (and spread) all of its gossip. In some respects, the Bard is a counterpoint to the Chamberlain as they both have roles centered on the social order of the freehold. The difference lies in the application; the Chamberlain oversees the ordering of the freehold while the Bard ensures it is grease and flowing smoothly. Where the Chamberlain seeks to gather the information of society into their web, the Bard seeks to set it free and flow naturally. They are peace makers, mediators and often masterful manipulators.

Patronage
When the Lost discovers a newly emerged changeling, they typically bring them under the auspice of a more established changeling, typically of their own Seeming. It is this patrons responsibility to see the new changeling learn the ways of the concordat for the period of a month and a day that they are offered hospitality in. It is desirable, but not necessary, to encourage these new entrants into swearing a pledge of service or fealty. In this time, the changeling is given certain latitude, considered unable to make faux pas (in the same manner that children arent old enough to make responsible decisions). Yet, such latitude extends only so far, and extreme reprobation and sanctions may accompany unwanted actions that garner the attentions of the freehold. In the same way, the Ensorcelled are coveted, protected as protges to the faerie world. Exceptionally talented ensorcelled mortals can often earn their oath holder with some level of status. Such Ensorcelled mortals may be presented to Changelings society as any other of the Lost, but considered an informal process at most as the Ensorcelled are not expected to swear upon the concordat. On some occasions the inspired are given roles much like the Cavaliers. While this is considered a proper waste of their talents, being unbound to The Concordat means they can physically do things the Cavaliers may not.

Jester
The Jester holds a unique position with an especially broad mandate. All good rulers know the value of levity within their domain, especially when a good bit of entertainment can help break up monotony and distract the freehold from some of the worst eccentricities of its populace. Naturally, they are given the right to ensure that even the social conventions of the court are turned upside down every now and then. They are allowed to humiliate and even shock lofty members of the freehold, within the constraints of the concordat. Invariably, this role is awarded to members who have a potentially dangerously low Clarity. In the right use it can be considered an insult to be titled as such, but some see it as an opportunity to put madness to good use. In exchange for

Hospitality
The practice of hospitality has evolved from mere provision of sanctuary into a full-blown accord and social tool. When hospitality is formally declared there are powerful protocols that dictate their behaviors.

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by Angelus Michaels
The hosts responsibilities include the defense and protection of any of their guests, providing room and board befitting their guests status, providing them with light entertainment and a meal, congenial conversation and an open invitation to public events held within the Hollow. The guests responsibilities include defending the Hollow from external threats, keeping confidential any secrets of their host that they discover, offering no injury or slander about their host while residing there and obliging the host by fulfilling any reasonable request asked of them. While the agreement of hospitality may be struck between host and guest, the host is assumed to take responsibility for actions of the residents taken against the guests, and the guest is assumed responsible for the actions of her motley. As a custom, the presentation of hospitality offers prestige, favors owed and sometimes minor rewards. Those who earn a reputation of good hospitality will be extended cordiality by the freehold. Those who earn a reputation of supreme hospitality will find themselves gaining favor and goodwill from the other Courts. Yet, those who earn ill repute may find themselves shunned be shunned, ostracized or denied favors from the freehold. Although no changeling would ever do anything so gauche as to pay for their hospitality, guests who have benefited from a long stay are expected to recompense their hosts with a host-gift, and any stay that is longer than one night is assumed to warrant such a gift. The guidelines of the gift buying can be intricate and complicated, and like many other aspects of society, Changelings have been known to make a show of it allowing it to become a game of one upmanship. Parties that are repeated instigators of needless vendetta may suffer social ostracism, or meted worse punishments if they cause problems for the freehold. In both cases the aggressor is allowed to declare the vendetta but the aggressed party is allowed to choose the method of vendetta. There are three sanctioned forms of vendetta: War of the Blades: A War of the Blades requires all members of the vendetta to seek each other out and test their valor through a duel. In a War of the Blades, surrender is normally an acceptable defeat, though the terms can sometimes stipulate no surrender. Those defeated with surrender are usually held for ransom. War of the Night: A War of the Night is a deadly entanglement between both parties. Each of them will send a number of assassins against each other until a select target (or targets) are eliminated. In a War of the Night it is sometimes customary to also stipulate the method of assassination and the number of assassins allowed. Sometimes, warring changelings will seek to bring in other supernatural creatures to do the deed. The attitudes of this ranged from freehold to freehold, though it is usually met with distaste for bringing in outsiders into the fray, and is against the principle of the vendetta in the first place. However, since it is not using glamorous resources there is no formal edict against it unless otherwise pronounced by the ruler. War of the Rose: A War of the Rose is the subtlest of all vendettas. It is a war of attrition where the opponents attempt to wreck each other politically, financially and socially. As a form it is the most favored by those in the upper echelons of the freehold, as they may use their status and position of power to grind their opponents into the ground. However, this is slightly mitigated by the fact that it can be the easiest to get out of hand and run glamorous assets into the ground along side the loser. Many a Hollow has wilted as the attrition can easily spill over into the Hollows themselves wreaking havoc.

Vendetta
The art of vendetta is the socially acceptable manner of waging war against other changelings and otherwise resolving disputes between factitious motleys. Its purpose is to constrain wholesale bloodshed of mortals and changelings alike, to protect glamorous resources from being wastefully squandered and to potentially prevent exposing the freehold to the Others. Its code restricts the rivalry to members of the dispute alone. The custom is widely accepted by most freeholds that it has some measure of uniformity. A declaration of a vendetta is done through formal pledge, where the two opposing groups declare each other anathema. This protocol then allows whatever method of resolution to be used, and not be in violation of the concordat. Subsequently, violations of a vendetta are considered violations of the concordat itself. There are only two ways to resolve a vendetta once formally declared; either the extermination of the enemy or their surrender, which traditionally results in the loser of losing standing and holdings. Vendettas are typically disputes between two individuals, but on occasion a Grand Vendetta is called between two factions of the Lost, such as between Courts, freehold or motleys (in ways, some say elevate the art of the vendetta to a war). In Grand Vendettas, only the faction leaders have the authority to pronounce them. On occasion, the pronouncement of vendetta has been known to be overruled by the presiding king or queen, to veto any vendetta considered overtly trivial or wasteful. 36

Dueling
The art of dueling (both in and out of the Hedge) is held as a mark of valor. While it has its detractors centuries of tradition make it honorable in the eyes of the elder changelings. Though originally duels were fought with matched rapiers, it has become common practice in the modern times to include duel by pistol, or unarmed combat. Though, far and away, the most favored form of dueling is the Hedge Duel. For the most part duels are never seriously dangerous. The Lost may suffer a few cuts and bruises, the occasional broken bone, for duels to the death are few and far between and normally only called on the greatest of insults. There are far too few changelings to permit wasteful execution over trivial insults. As such, duels have become ritualized in a manner that helps prevent them happening in the heat of the moment.

Dueling Rules
There are a number of forms for dueling. These are, to first blood, to the yield, to the conquest and to the death. To the yield is by far the most common form. It requires one of the opponents to declare defeat, and so allows a potential

by Angelus Michaels
retreat in the face of overwhelming odds. To the conquest is for slightly more skilled combatants. It requires one of the two duelists to acquire a position of superiority or otherwise incapacitate their opponent. This may be through a knock out, through pinning them with a weapon at a vital point of the body, pressing them with an unbreakable grip or grapple or forcing the opponent to run out of ammunition. In either of these situations, technical victories can be awarded when one duelists forces their opponent out of bounds, when one duelists gains three strikes against their opponent without being wounded themselves, if the opponent remains unarmed for more than five rounds. Though the consistency of these conditions may change from freehold to freehold. To first blood is normally reserved for highly skilled combatants who are able to fend off powerful attacks without a scratch. The length of these duels is usually a testament to the martial prowess of those engaged in battle. In calls for fights to the death there are very strict protocols that must be observed. Fights to the death can never be fought within the same day as their declaration. Normally a week must pass to allow both parties to consider the gravity of this challenge. Fights to the death are reserved only for blood feuds, vendettas or other long-term grievances. This form is nominally discouraged, but courts will usually respect the privacy of these matters. In any case court gossip normally ensures that word of such events travel quickly and they are guaranteed to draw a crowd. In terms of declaring a duel, it is usually the role of the challenger to choose the time and place, and the challenged to choose the form of duel and weapons used. Each duelist is allowed a second. These seconds are normally a favored friend, a page or some other trusted advisor. A common alternative is another changeling familiar with dueling rules and accords. The second is expected to inspect the opponents armor and weapons to ensure that there are no tricks (such as poisoned blades or enchanted weapons) when these conditions were not agreed upon. It is also the seconds duty to ensure that their firsts weapons and armor are in optimal working condition. During a duel, the second will watch from the sidelines and watch for cheating or other blatant abuses of the duel. Should a weapon fall outside of the bounds of the duel, they are expected to retrieve it and return it to the duelist. Either second can halt a duel to declare a point of foul and for this reason it is usually desirable to have the duels arbitrated by a neutral third party. Lastly any changeling may refuse to engage in a duel. Normally this is the privilege of the challenged, but occasionally the challenger may retract their claim. For the challenger to retract the duel is to admit being wrong and will bring ostracism upon them by their freehold, but if the ruler declares the duel to be supercilious the challenger may leave without social penalty. A duel to the death may be refused or retracted at any time or traded for a duel of lesser degree. To do so is considered a sign of rashness and this may taint their reputation making their future challenges hold little social consequence for being refused. Should a changeling be caught cheating in a duel, they automatically forfeit the match. Such forfeiture will likewise gain the changeling with a dire reputation for foul play and their challenges may be summarily dismissed.

Progression of the Seasons

Changelings do not exist in isolation of the prosaic world and its mortal inhabitants. Indeed much of changeling activity can be thought to revolve around mortal affairs, if not take place in them; in particular the customs of the courts often changes to reflect the seasonal progression. The politics, behaviors and mannerisms of the entire freehold can change to reflect the seasons, each is marked by festivals and ceremony (see below).

The Dyadic Rule

While the ceding of rulership to the seasonal progression is perhaps the most common form of governance, it is not the only one found to provide a modicum of protection against the Fae. In places where the politics of the court are such that no faction wishes to see any season take power, the division of rule is often split in twain, with one ruler for the light half of the year and one for the dark half. These rulers are in turn called the Oak King (or Queen) and the Holly King (or Queen).

Spring
Spring is a time of renewal, rejuvenation and fecundity. When the Spring Court is in full procession the world is bursting with a sense of change and vigor. Spring politics are vividly marked by a sense of change and progression. Spring is a time of humanity, and often a time of revelry, pranks, jokes and merry humor (usually at the expense of a mortal). Spring is a time of vice. During Spring, changelings are given more license to indulge, to revel in their faerie natures and typically turn towards mortals for their pleasure and device. It is often considered practice for changelings to go out and reward the humans who they deem worthy of their deeds and punish those who are clearly wicked in their ways. Spring is a time of trials, testing ones self with its new vigor. Many changelings will attempt the Ordeals or other tests of discipline. It is a time of change and renewal; during this season many old pledges and accords are examined for their value. Old treaties deemed outmoded are either updated or annulled and new treaties for the future are established. For these reasons, it is considered auspicious to consecrate pledges of love and devotion.

Summer
In the Summer, the politics of the freehold become brash and vibrant. There is a wanton desire to almost flaunt the freehold to the eyes of both the Others and mortals alike. This is the time where greater enchantments are put to rest and more martial and physical activities are pursued. It is also a time of great passions and emotions of the Changelings as they boil to the surface. Summer time is the time of vendettas, when tempers run the hottest. Most changelings prefer to address their vendettas during the summer, especially after the seasonal peace of Spring. Usually these vendettas are performed in grand and showy ceremony, turning a simple duel into a freehold affair. 37

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Similarly, it is not uncommon for acts of war to be carried out during the summer months. Summer is the time of heavy expansion and development, where changelings work towards the security and stability of the freehold and its Hollows by cementing their temporal power as firmly as possible against potential incursions. Typically this involves the ensorcellement of mortals or the establishment of new pledges. It is also a time to establish or expand ones Hollow. Summer is a time of ceremony and tradition. In this season, etiquette is more rigidly observed and justice more vigorously upheld. Many cases of injustice that may have been put off are steadily tried in this season.

Ceremony and Festival

What would society be without its social events, its ceremonies and festivals? Changeling society is marked by annual ceremonies. All truly prestigious events will warrant a festive occasion to provide an opportunity to revel, celebrate and simply experience the glamorous lifestyle. Most of these celebrations are ad hoc ones, thrown for a singular occasion. Others may mark an annual event, though these vary from location to location according to local custom. Events that normally warrant domainwide celebrations are ones that honor the ruler, seasonal holidays and the anniversaries to remember heroic or epic days.

Autumn
Autumn is a period of recline and respite, for contemplation on the activities of the past and reflection on what is to come. It is a time that is filled with mystery and intrigue. In the failing light of the summer sun Autumn becomes a time of some of the greatest enchantments worked, or for journeys into the Hedge and beyond. It is a time to travel, explore and the fulfillment of quests. Autumn is a time of mystery and secrets, where the light and dark meet halfway but the shadow suggests more than meets the eye. Here it is custom for Changelings to explore the deepest secrets and mysteries of Faerie and the Hedge. Naturally, many endeavors of enchantment and mystery reach their height in this season. Furthermore, the finding of secrets is accompanied by their telling. For Autumn is the season where the greatest tales are sung and remembered and recollection of past achievements are celebrated. During this season many quests are pursued and new endeavors sought out. While this season turns it is not uncommon for changelings to feel certain wanderlust to explore places they have never been before. This often, but not always, includes sojourns into the Hedge in an attempt to uncover new and wondrous secrets of the Wyrd.

Saining
When a new Changelings swears to uphold the pledges of the concordat it is accompanied by a small ceremony to present her to the freehold. Typically these events are light celebrations and a chance for the new Changelings to properly impress the freehold. It involves a formal presentation to the ruler, and while the presentation and the pledge-swearing takes a minute, it is normally planned with care. The applicant will have their name announced by their patron and they will walk forward to where the ruler is seated and kneel upon the Seal and swear to uphold the concordat while touching the Signet. With this act, the pledge is formalized. Upon the saining, changelings may elect to choose a new name, to symbolize their new life. In some situations the new changelings may allow her patron (or other familial Lost) to select the new name, symbolizing a parent-child relationship.

The Ordeal
One other method that changelings can prove their mettle and honor is to run a gauntlet. The changeling must walk blindfolded between two columns formed from her peers and sometimes those who have served directly under her. Each of them may bear a sword, or similar weapon. Some may choose to bear nothing at all. If these people feel they have a grievance with their liege they may strike or cut her to draw blood (but not to seriously injure). The changeling is then judged by the number of wounds delivered to her at the end of the gauntlet. If noone has cut her by the end of the walk, the changeling may cut herself with her own sword, and this is considered a great honor. On occasions, the ruler or other liege lords and ladies may be called out to pass the ordeal when it is felt she is not fulfilling her duties. This can be potentially disastrous for the really powerful who has many people serving under her and a large circle of peers. It is unlikely that throughout her political career that she has offended none of these court members. As such, the call to an ordeal is a serious challenge, and those who call it may be expected to run one of their own. In fact many particularly brave, valorous or foolhardy changelings have shown blatant contempt for the challenge by walking the same gauntlet behind the challenged, even those of their enemys peers. When this is properly executed it carries as a grave insult to the first to pass.

Winter
In the darkest times of the year is the season of Winter, of quiescence and reflection. It is a season of introspection over past activities and in this time many take follow the route of hibernation and retreat from freehold activity to find some personal space. This is not to say that the freehold is suspended all together, but that perhaps the freehold are a little more permissive and cruel when it comes to breaches of the concordat. Spring is a time of peace and a time to put to rest old vendettas and typically, the entire season is considered a cease-fire for many hostilities. It is a grievous breach of etiquette of most freeholds to continue or initiate a vendetta throughout the season. While an occasional duel (made in good sport) may be tolerated, grim and bloody feuding becomes a reason for social ostracism. Instead, most feuds sublime themselves into a form of social competition, attempting to outdo their rivals. Winter is a time of subterfuge and plot. Instead of the grandeur of Summer, it is a time of surreptitious plots and conniving. It is typically a time when the Lost work to uncover infiltration by loyalists and privateers, but has also been turned against the other members of the freehold. 38

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Freehold Merits
Changelings who participate in the society of a freehold can tap into a number of social resources amongst their own kind and within their allies amongst humanity.

Clique (

to

Prerequisite: Changeling, sworn to a freehold Some changelings tire in the endless search for Glamour and seek to develop ties to a close-knit group of mortals upon whom they can harvest without worry. The nature of the Clique depends on the manner in which the changeling harvests. It may be a brothel or nightclub she frequents, it may be an assortment of hospital patients overshadowed with fear, or even a flock of faithful worshippers. These mortals provide Glamour without the difficulties of finding suitable targets. In any case, the emotional rapport that the changeling shares with this clique is so intense that they augment any attempts to draw glamour from them. Each dot of Clique adds one point of Glamour to any attempts to harvest when drawing Glamour from the determined group. Typically, cliques are not under the direction of the changeling who uses them, they are a group of peers or mortal associates that the changeling is part of. If a changeling wishes to develop a group of loyal followers they may also purchase the Allies Merit to reflect this devotion.

trouble, this might be faerie dust imbued with homicidal memories, or unstable tokens. Failure: The network doesnt have the product your character needs. Success: The network is able to provide some product thats helpful to your character. Exceptional Success: The network is able to provide products of exceptional quality or number.

Nectar of the Gods

The substance of glamour is one of particular interest to all faerie kind. It is their sustenance, their energy and nourishment. It is a fundamental mystical energy that no faerie creature can do without. It is thought by some changelings that glamour could not be the original source of sustenance for the Fae, for it is a product that is seemingly bound to dreams and mortal emotion. While other sources do exist, the changelings of this position are adamant that glamour is a fundamentally human resource, and that the faerie use glamour as a poor substitute for an eldritch source of power long since dissipated from the world. Some suggest that Faerie itself originally sustained the Fae, and for those who remain in Faerie, it still does. It is when something of Faerie leaves its safe harbor, which they must turn to a new font of power. Some even suggest that the weakness of this energy is why faerie creatures that are not mortal born have some pains in their existence upon earth. It is simply too weak to sustain them for long periods of time. Glamour is like tasting Ambrosia, the very food of the gods. It is a scintillating ecstasy that flows through their veins like euphoric rhapsody. It is a whitehot liquid fire that burns their mind. It is a scintillating kiss that runs through their very being like the caress of a tender lover. It is seductive, it is addictive and it is a vital force that cannot be ignored or kept sedate. It is a call for a faerie creature to live out their most wanton nature, to trip the light fantastic and rise above the banal drudgery of Earth. The ease at which changelings can fall to the siren song of glamours addiction is surprisingly strong. With every sip of glamour, a changeling must dance with madness with certain steps. A simple slip can send her into a downward spiral of diminishing Clarity. Glamour is a changelings life-blood. It sustains them on Earth and connects them to Faerie. Glamour is highly narcotic, and changelings know it. It is the addiction that all changelings are indelibly hooked upon, their precious malediction. Glamour is not native to a changelings psychology or physiology. Though it can be harvested from mortals, it is truly a substance of Faerie that mortals can channel in heightened emotional states. Each mote of glamour is a single portion of someone elses psyche, a fragile bubble of memory that is stolen from their conscious and subconscious minds taken against their will. It is not a pleasant thing, for one the memory is stolen, consumed it is gone forever released into the prosaic world. In its consumption and in its harvest a changeling experiences the hot flush of these emotions, searing across 39

Network (

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Prerequisite: Changeling, member of a freehold Like mortal trade networks, changelings have a number of commodities that they like to exchange amongst themselves. These commodities relate to various products, and items that have a specific relevance to changeling existence. A changeling with this Merit has a strongly developed network with a number of other changeling guilds and even Goblin Markets. He has sufficient influence with these groups that he can gather and collect the products of their trade with relative ease. This Merit is like the Contacts Merit, in that each dot represents one group with which the changeling maintains trade relations, and specifically relates to the Fae procuring any items or substances of a faerie nature. Each dot represents one single type of resources with which your character has connections to and from which he may draw. If he has Network , his dots might be assigned to an associate in a Goblin Fruit guild, a purveyor of Faerie Dust with the changeling mafia syndicates and a negotiation with a weaponsmith conclave. Networks can include individuals whom you or the Storyteller defines, but more likely they comprise an array of people, especially guilds. The Network Merit relates strictly to faerie products. Networks do not perform services for your character or rush to his aid. Those actions are the purview of other Merits such as Allies and Retainer. Gaining such objects requires a successful Manipulation + Persuasion or Socialize roll, depending on the relationship between your character and the targets in question. Penalties might apply if the information sought is hard to acquire (-1 to -3), restricted (-3), or if sharing it could get people in trouble or harmed (-3 to - 5). Dramatic Failure: The network produces shoddy or dangerous products that manage to land the character in

by Angelus Michaels
their very soul. It is the very potency of these emotions that gives glamour its power as each mote is laden with this emotional intensity. A mote of glamour stolen from a moment of sexual joy is going to have the emotional resonance that sexual moment. A mote of glamour generated in a moment of psychopathic rage will also carry the emotional weight of that moment. Even sources of glamour not originating from mortal psyches are grown in the bed of dreams and emotions. Goblin Fruits take their emotional foundation from the psychoactive sympathy the Hedge has to dreams. It is even thought that Goblin Fruits are stray dreams that have been snatched by the Thorns. Glamour that comes from pledges uses the deep bond of the pledge to link to the wellspring of the subconscious and tap it gently for its deep emotional reservoirs. Fae must be careful when attempting to gain glamour. The different Courts favor glamour with certain emotional residues. The emotions that fuel one Court may be anathema to another, particularly those Courts in opposition to each other, so emotions of desire are particularly indelible to Autumn courtiers. The glamour that a changeling possesses resides deep within her psyche. It trickles like a coruscating ecstasy throughout her mind, sending her thoughts on a trip fantastic if she is not careful. From their durance in Faerie, changelings have built up a natural tolerance to the narcotic effects of glamour. Like an addict that has abused their substance for far too long, a changeling is able to push off most of the effects of it to a low tingle that sits constantly with them. For a changeling, a creature who is half mad to begin with, the overwhelming urge of the substance can provoke dangerous psychotic episodes known as Reverie. Glamour is not without its price. Despite its near constant use, it is a foreign energy to changelings. With each draught a changeling is flooded with a rush of emotions that may threaten to overwhelm them. In some cases, it does. For these reasons Fae have learned to be cautious about the overuse of Glamour and faerie magic. While a savvy changeling can risk the occasional trip to twist the reality around her, too much and youre more likely to release things from your subconscious you had never intended. This, however, does not include the glamour that sits inside the changelings psyche. These motes become all jumbled up and homogenized and reflecting the emotional memories of the changeling herself, rather than the memories of those consumed. While the glamour sits within the changelings psyche, they slowly bubble away releasing their energies in a soft and low patter. This is thought to be one of the reasons that changelings have a surfeit of emotional energy. whacked out drug trip doesnt always make for a really good story. These intense emotions are there to give players and storytellers an opportunity to feel and emote really powerful and strong emotions, a good component for any dramatic game. A better angle to take is to assume that the more experienced changelings have learned to deal with these emotions so often that they can choose when and where they act upon them. Their continual exposure has tempered them, made them aware and in touch with their emotions, but able to act upon them when it suits them. That being said, these emotional patterns are designed to set a tone for the changelings frame of reference. The morose and morbid Winter courtier is going to feel a lot of difficulty empathizing with the lustrous Spring courtier and the highly fervent Summer courtier. That, and a changeling with one dot of Composure will hardly have a reign on their emotional repertoire. Players and Storytellers should tap into this aspect of changeling psychology for the roleplaying opportunities it gives them. If the players at the game are all happy to run a game in vein with teen-angst soapoperas, thats entirely their prerogative, but they should be aware that emotional psycho-dramas is not everyones cup of tea. There are other, arguably, more complex themes to explore within this setting than just that.

Glamour Systems
What follows is a number of new optional rules that Storytellers can implement to explore the pathological way that glamour can impact upon a game. Storytellers and players may choose to not implement these rules if they feel that focusing too much on the collection, measure and consumption of glamour will detract from the stories they want to tell. If Storyteller and players do wish to use these systems, it is recommended that they keep a track of the emotional resonance imbued into each mote of glamour. They might do his by tracking it on their sheet, by an alternate method that almost anyone can use is to have a deck of cards. Simply assign one suit to one of the four overriding emotional resonance of the Courts and deal those cards to the players as they gain those emotional motes. IF the changeling wants to, they can give the players ability to choose which card (or mote of glamour) that the changeling uses, or alternatively, ask the player to shuffle the deck each time they use glamour to randomly determine which emotions they are tapping into. Storytellers can use this for all manner of plot devices as the random or deliberative flavor of glamour that gets used can be used to impact upon the game and events in subtle ways.

All the Worlds a Stage

Yes, the comparison is there. The idea that the Winter courtier is simply some moody emo who gets his kicks on being depressed, or the Spring courtier is just some whacked out hippie on an eternal high. Does this mean that changelings are nothing more than bratty teenagers who havent got a handle on their emotions? Perhaps, it might even tie in very nicely with the legends of the changelings ambivalent and capricious natures. However, extremely emotional kids on a 40

New Rules: Glamour Rush

When a changeling consumes a mote of glamour, the emotions of those memories can come rushing to the fore of the changelings mind. The practiced abuser of glamour is

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principally able to relegate these emotions to the jumble of bubbling emotions that play constantly through their mind. This is typically what happens for changelings who are used to glamour. However, when tapped by someone new to the flood of glamour, such as the ensorcelled, or other non-faerie creatures, the emotional weight of the experience overwhelms their conscious mind and they have a flash back to the experiences of that stolen memory. In this state they may even act out the actions of that memory, which may be highly dangerous if the specific memory is psychotic or dangerous in anyway. Fortunately such dangerous memories are not that common and changelings who collect them are distrusted. For the most part, the emotional surge will provide the user with an embarrassing scene that they can remember for a long time. This system is not designed for the typical use of glamour of the average changeling. Most of them are conditioned to its effects by the time their durance has ended and able to pass off the surge of emotion. It is more reserved for characters experiencing glamour that have no natural tolerance for it. Instead, changelings must deal with a much greater danger posed by abuse of glamour that of Reverie (see below). At appropriate moments of glamour use, a character should roll their Willpower. Roll results: Dramatic Failure: As failure. Failure: The character falls into the memory, reexperiencing its moments with intense clarity. Particularly strong scenes may overwhelm the character and cause them to be possessed by the memory. Success: The character feels the surge of the emotion flood her mind. Particularly strong scenes may give the character quick flashes of what occurred, but nothing more. Extraordinary Success: The character feels a slight surge of emotion only. hauntingly familiar yet alien all in one, or does she choose the comforts of the mundane. As long as she is on only one point of glamour she suffers from the effects of the Fugue.

New Rules: Doldrums

It is dangerous for changelings to run low on glamour. Though she will not suffer physical injury for this, she begins to feel weak, even ill. Like any addiction, when denied the substance of choice, the mind and body begin to go into withdrawal. However, glamour is a mystical substance. Abusers of glamour will find they face withdrawal of their very being. Should a changelings level of glamour ever fall to two points, her thoughts start becoming hazy and distorted, the sense of beautiful madness that glamour fills her with begins to fades away. As long as she has only two points of glamour left she suffers from the mild derangement Avoidance (avoidance is towards things of faerie). Further, her Mask begins to turn itself against her, and the changeling is no longer able to naturally see through the Mask as though she were a mortal. As she sits on her last point of glamour, her memories become jumbled and dazed; like half remembered figments of the imagination. She begins to question herself and wonder if what she recalled was real, or mere fantasy. Yet even here, there is a sensation of something missing, some terrible part of her life now out of her grasp. Does she accept the haunting madness of her experiences that seems 41

by Angelus Michaels
To determine how much of what a changeling can remember of her faerie life, consult the following chart: Willpower Fugue 10 Everything is remembered with crystal clarity. 9 The entirety of the encounter is remembered as if it were yesterday. 8 Nearly everything is remembered, though some of the details may be hazy. 7 The individual is slightly confused and possibly shaken, but it able to recall most of his experiences, though many of the details are vague. 6 The character has a vague memory of what occurred, but is plagued by doubts as to the validity of the experience. 5 A hazy recollection of the experience is possible, but the individual doubts her own memories. She dismisses the experience as a momentary delusion, unless she has physical proof. 4 The person may experience occasional vivid flashbacks of his more significant experiences, but the otherwise seem like a distant dream. 3 The individual recalls only vague, dreamlike images, and doubts that the experience ever occurred. 2 Something must provoke the memory and even then the experiences are recalled as nothing more than a faded dream. 1 The character has only faint scraps of dreamlike recollection and completely denies the experience ever occurred. Should she ever lose her last point of glamour, her systems go into shock and falls into a state of extreme catatonia. They enter a motionless, apathetic state, oblivious to external stimuli. Changelings in this state have nearly non-existent physical movement, make little or no eye contact with others and become mute and rigid. The changeling will remain in these states until she is force fed some glamour to raise her out of this state, where she should be subject to Glamour Rush. transfigured into a substance palatable by the changeling, through the medium of the emotion. Mortals who have been tapped too much by changelings can plummet into a pit of emotionless apathy known as Ennui. Drained they become listless and unable to generate the emotions stolen from them. Even worse, certain mortals can be so completely drained of their memories and being that they become naught but empty shells. These abominations are known as Husks and they pose a danger to both changelings and mortal-kind alike. If a changeling should draw more glamour from a target than they have Resolve (meaning they lose more Willpower than they have Resolve) then the target sustains Ennui. The lost Willpower is rejuvenated at a much slower rate than normal, in that they may only regain 1 Willpower per number of days equal to the changelings Wyrd. Neither can they use their Virtue nor Vice to replenish this pool as Ennui removes all their desires and wants. To denote Ennui, mark a dot above all the Willpower dots whose temporary Willpower point was taken. As the character regains their Willpower, erase these dots to indicate the alleviation of Ennui. In the example below, the mortal victim has a Willpower of 4 (human average) and a Resolve of 2 (also average). The changeling has taken three points of glamour from his target which is one more than his Resolve permits. He suffers Ennui.

New Rules: Ennui

At first glance it may seem that certain changelings have a nicer or even easier methods of harvesting glamour. Such is not the case. Humans are not eternal fonts; their psychic energies radiate only so much in an amount of time. If a changeling draws too fast and too deep from their target they run the risk of burning them out, ripping out the ability to feel the emotion they most desperately need. Many changelings try to delude themselves that the process of gaining glamour doesnt hurt anyone. A number of them even convince themselves that they are doing some good by taking away a persons bad memories. This is not the case. The Harvest is nothing more than a psychic rape of their victim. With each Harvest they are taking away a fragile part of what makes them human. They are taking the very foundation of what makes them cogent and individual. Whenever a changeling draws glamour from their target, they lose a temporary point of Willpower. That is, the psychic energies of their will have been stolen and 42

If the changelings Wyrd is 1, he will regain Willpower at a rate of one per day. If the changelings Wyrd was 4 he would regain 1 only at a rate of 1 every four days. To help remember this ratio, write down the changelings Wyrd in the top left or right corner of the sheet. The changeling may attempt to draw glamour from a target even whilst theyre suffering from Ennui. The emotional memories that theyre after are still in there, the character simply cannot tap them directly. To do so, the changeling initiates whatever process she desires to draw glamour. If the changelings Harvest drains the target completely of Willpower then the character runs the risk of becoming a Husk. The mortals mind begins to crumble as their very identity is being consumed. From this point the changeling can begin to devour permanent Willpower dots. Each dot takes five successes to devour, but also generates five motes of Glamour for the changeling. If the target is drained of all their Willpower dots, the victim becomes a soulless Husk. A Fae who does this, on Clarity 2 or more must make a degeneration check.

Effects of Ennui
A mortal in Ennui finds the world drab, gray and apathetic. They are unable to feel a single, solitary emotion in this time. Though they still have a sense of selfpreservation they are unable to muster the same emotional urging, meaning they possibly dont respond to threats quickly enough. Their reflexes are certainly dulled, as their initiative modifier is capped by the number of Willpower points they have.

by Angelus Michaels
For the duration of Ennui, the victim is considered to have the following Derangement: Depersonalization (severe): Victims feel divorced from the world around them and their own identity and physicality. The person experiences reality in a dream-like state as though everything they experience is hazy or unreal. Recognition of self breaks down; he or she finds that when looking in the mirror, her face is not familiar, though logically he or she is completely aware of his or her identity. Some describe the feeling like being a ghost. No matter how hard the person tries, she cannot feel like they are genuinely interacting with the world. They can't seem to perceive themselves as being normal. While the person is struggling to feel everything as normal, there is a part of their selves, which begs to just give up and stop struggling. A sufferer from depersonalization can be especially susceptible to suicide, undertaking the suicidal process calmly and easily without real awareness. Simply put, depersonalization is an alteration in the perception or experience of oneself, so that the self is felt to be unreal; the person feels detached from reality and/or their own body or mental processes. The duration of Reverie lasts only for a scene, but within that scene, chaos and discord reign. There are five ways in which Reverie may manifest, from the deeply personal and internal, to the world sundering. The more volatile the state of Reverie, the more it inflicts itself upon the world.

Resisting Reverie
Resisting Reverie is an instant action. Whatever the cause of Reverie, changelings may try to maintain control. The rule doesnt change any, but it bears repeating: A Willpower point earns a character three extra dice on the roll to resist Reverie, as it does with most other rolls. Dice Pool: To determine Reverie, the player rolls their Wyrd + Reverie factor based on the glamour overdose Dramatic failure on a clause; clause level used Failure in channeling; clause level Consuming Dross; Potency of Dross Placing victim into ennui; 1 per glamour gained Husking a victim; 2 per Willpower dot* Action: Instant and contested against the changelings own Willpower. Dramatic Failure: The changeling does not fall to Reverie and the next Reverie roll made for him in the same scene (for channeling) or within the same day (for others) does not add the overdose modifier. Failure: The changeling does not fall to Reverie Success: Reverie occurs. The number of successes on the Reverie roll determines its severity. Successes Severity 1 Malady 2 Fracture 3 Discord 4 Tempest 5+ Rapture Exceptional Success: The changeling suffers from Rapture.

Will of the Prodigals

It won't be long before a player comes up with the idea of trying to mind rape a supernatural creature. This is dangerous and may scar the changeling. Before describing the effects of mind raping these creatures it should be pointed out that any creature with a supernatural template does not suffer the effects of Ennui, even though the changeling is still consuming their willpower. They have sufficient psychic defenses to keep their minds together. Furthermore, it should be pointed out that only mortals can suffer the risk of being Husked, supernatural creatures simply cannot have their fundamental will ripped from them in the same way as ordinary mortals. Such creatures have their own innate psychic resilience that changelings cannot penetrate with this activity.

Malady
At its most basic, Reverie is turned inward. It fuels the flames of madness that lie within. The changeling suffers from the effects of Glamour Rush (see above). If the Storyteller is using the rules for the Shadow the changelings Shadow is active and at a threshold equal to the Changelings Mantle. If the changelings Shadow is already higher than the Changelings Mantle, then the Shadow remains at that level.

New Rules: Reverie

Changelings who use glamour dance on the edge of a knife of madness. The addictive properties of glamour are what cause changelings to fall to Reverie. If not used carefully, glamours addictive and overwhelming rush can overpower a changelings delicate balance of Clarity, throwing her psyche into disarray. Whenever a Fae uses Glamour she rides its tide of emotions and pleasure through will alone. Through practice and discipline a Fae can master these urges. It requires an inner strength that few mortals possess. Yet, every time there is a chance that they will fall into a state of supernatural madness called Reverie. When a changeling falls into Reverie, they are subject to a delusional episode, where the world around them dramatically changes and warps. However, unlike mortal delusions, a changeling is fueled by the flow of the Wyrd, and their delusions have a terrible tendency of manifesting in reality. In effect, the madness of the changeling is so acute, that her aberrant vision of reality takes over for a short time and imposes itself upon the natural order.

Fracture
When a changeling suffers from Fracture, he Mask slips. The Mantle of the changeling becomes exposed, slipping past the illusions of the Mask in a way that is blatant and obvious even to mortal eyes. The level of the changelings Mantle determines how potent the display is. Refer to the descriptions in Changeling: the Lost for each of the Courts Mantle descriptions and exaggerate how they appear. The nature of their Season will begin to overflow into the immediate vicinity. Spring: No matter where the changeling is, flowers will bloom in her vicinity (even on dead branches), or a small flash storm will punctuate the vicinity. 43

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Summer: An oppressive and sweltering heat haze surges around the changeling, causing water to steam slightly and dry objects to wither and crackle. Autumn: An aura of gloom manifests around the changeling, casting everything into a cold darkness. Mist seems to roll in obscuring the local area for a while. Winter: The immediate vicinity suffers a snap freeze, water chills over and the ground crackles with frost. Waters and free flowing air comes to a dead still as though in halcyon. Delirium: Everyone within the scene suffers from a mild Derangement until the Fracture wears off. No Mantle: Changelings with no mantle will suddenly seem completely mundane to all eyes as though she were reinforcing her Mask. Sensory Overload: One of the changelings senses becomes so sensitive that it is overloaded to the point of pain. The changeling suffers a 2 penalty to all her rolls.

3rd Degree Effects

At their middling strength effects begin to be fearful for most changeling. They can instill a sense of depression or fear in the changeling, strike her blind or banish her from sight. Dilation: The changeling is slow to respond and moves through time as though her speed was halved. She acts only every second turn and gains only half her initiative. Frailty: The changeling is inflicted with a minor Frailty for the rest of the scene. Glamour Burn: Glamour begins to burst her arteries, for every point of glamour spent the changeling takes one point of bashing damage. Razor Wind: The effect causes the air around her to slice her with razor sharpness cutting and making the character bleed profusely. Wild Magic: It becomes harder to control her Glamour. Subtract two dice from her willpower for Reverie checks.

Discord
If the Reverie transforms into Dicord, it causes any number of strange and uncanny effects to emerge into the waking world. The changelings delusions manifest into something real that twists and disturbs the world about her. The following is a list of wild effects that may take place as a consequence of Discord. The degree of effect is equivalent to the Changelings Mantle. The duration of these effects lasts the remainder of that scene.

4th Degree Effects

4th Degree effects will make most changelings shudder. She may be rendered paralyzed, suffer temporary amnesia. Lightning Strike: The changeling is struck by lightning and suffers electrical burns, dealing 4 points of bashing damage. Once More With Feeling: The changeling is swept up into a song and dance that she cannot engage in any other physical activity for the duration. Paralysis: The changeling is completely unable to move from paralysis. Sensory Deprivation: The changeling loses the use of her dominant sense for the duration. Wilderness: Whenever the changeling performs a Contract she must check for Reverie.

1st Degree Effects

This degree of effect is normally an irritation at best. They should provide a sense of serious discomfort, such as a burning itching, or a fearful desire to run away. Feathers Touch: The changeling will feel like they are being mercilessly tickled reducing all dice pools by 1. Haven: The effect emits a zone that the changeling cannot enter preventing them from approaching closer than 8 or so meters. Humiliation: A sense of tremendous embarrassment flushes the changeling. She must spend an extra point of temporary willpower on all willpower expenditures. Poison Ivy: A burning rash breaks out across her skin. Whipping Boy: The changeling visibly flinches at making eye contact. Meeting someones eye for any duration requires a successful willpower roll.

5th Degree Effects

If a changeling ever encounters a 5th degree effect they are in real danger. Such effects may turn the changeling to stone, flay skin, fly into rage or fall temporarily into Lethe. St. Vitus Dance: The changeling collapses from suffering epileptic fits. Exile: The changeling must flee as far away as possible from the sight of the effect up to a maximum distance of 100 km. Immolation: The changeling catches fire with a powerful intensity. Fearsome Visage: All of the changelings glyphs take on a monstrous appearance and will cause fear and fright for all those who gaze upon her. Gorgons Curse: The changeling is turned into a stone statue. If the statue is destroyed before the effect wears off the changeling dies.

2nd Degree Effects

Second-degree effects can be problematic for a changeling; they should either make her feel pain, make her feel nauseous or ill. Anthrophobia: The changeling is filled with a terrible fear of mortals (including ghouls, wolfblooded and sleepwalkers). Approaching them requires a successful willpower roll with a 1 to the dice pool. Flagellation: Whip marks scourge the body of the changeling causing pain. Glamour Sink: All contracts cost one more point of glamour than normal. Nausea: The changeling is wracked with a sickening nausea that makes her vomit violently if she moves too quickly (more than half her speed) or takes any strenuous action.

Tempest
When a Tempest occurs, the very essence of the changelings Mantle erupts into a violent tempest. The higher the Mantle is, the greater the eruption of destructive force. Changelings without mantle slip into a catatonic

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stupor for the duration of the Tempest as the torrent of emotions find no way to express themselves.

Summer Mantle
Rank one: A core burst of heat wells up inside the changeling causing the changeling to suffer a number of points of bashing damage equal to her Mantle. Her body will break out into a heat rash and appear sunburned. Rank two: A concussive blast of heat radiates off the changeling causing combustible things around her to crackle and smolder. The changeling and anyone within the changelings sensory range suffer a number of points of bashing damage equal to her Mantle. Victims will appear slightly singed and the smell of burnt leather and hair will linger about her for days. Rank three: Small flares of fire burst from the changeling and small combustible materials catch on fire. The changeling and suffers a number of points of lethal damage equal to her Mantle and will suffer from first-degree burns. Rank four: A large wave of flame flares out from the changeling touching everything within sensory range. Combustible objects are engulfed in flames and a patina of molten metal bursts in the immediate vicinity doing a number of points of damage to objects in the vicinity equal to the changelings Mantle. The changeling and anyone within the changelings sensory range suffer a number of points of lethal damage equal to her Mantle, victims will suffer from second-degree burns. Rank five: A storm of molten metal rains in the sensory range of the changeling. The firestorm does an amount of damage to objects in the vicinity, ignoring Durability, equal to the changelings Mantle. Victims within range, including the changeling, suffer a number of points of Aggravated damage equal to the Mantle. All victims will be suffering from third-degree burns.

Spring Mantle
Rank one: The changeling experiences a shifts in colors and perceptions that leave her dazed and confused, for the duration of a scene the changeling suffers a penalty to all perception based tests equal to her Mantle. Further, a cloud of biting gnats or similar insects emerges around her, biting at her skin. For days afterwards, the changelings skin continues to itch or feel sore from the bites. Rank two: A swarm of locusts, or similar insects emerges within the changelings sensory range, descending upon woven fabrics and harvested food. The locusts swarm for a scene and seek to consume anything created but organic (such as clothing, ropes or furniture). It deals them a number of points of damage equal to the changelings Mantle. At the end of the scene, they seem to disappear from wherever it was they emerged. Furthermore, all witnesses will find their senses horribly confused and warped, levering a penalty to their perception tests equal to the changelings Mantle factor for the scene. Rank three: Thickets of brambles and thorns burst through the cracks in the ground range and the nooks and crannies of the walls within sensory range creating large structural damage in any buildings or similar edifice. This damage is equal to the changelings Mantle. The changeling herself becomes horribly confused and filled with a strong confusion that robs her of her Wits. For the duration or the Tempest, she suffers a penalty to her Wits based tests equal to the changelings Mantle. Both effects last for the duration of a scene, after which, the plant-life seems to shrivel and fade away, leaving behind whatever damage they wreaked. Rank four: Larger plants, including small trees, seem to erupt from the walls and floors within the changelings sensory range forcing cracks and rents in structures around the changeling as roots crack floors, branches shatter windows and press against roofs. Structurally unsound buildings, or buildings of a small enough Size (equal to or less than ten times the changelings Mantle) will simply collapse. Creatures within sensory range of the changeling will be overwhelmed with a subtle malady, obfuscating and clouding their thoughts, brining their instincts to the fore. People will suffer a penalty to their Wits based tests equal to the changelings Mantle and act primitively, according to their Vice or other instinctual urges for the scene. The plants, however, remain for a longer duration, not completely fading until the next sunrise or sunset, whereupon they seem to fade into the background leaving the traces of their wreckage. Rank five: There is almost and explosion of greenery, as carpets of grass roll out smothering all in its path. Gigantic trees erupt from the ground and thickets stretch in between, covering all within sensory range with a lush verdant forest. The density of this forest (the Strength required to push through it) is equal to the changelings Mantle. Furthermore, all creatures within sensory range of the changeling are transfigured into a simple animal of some description (one suited to their personality). For the duration of a scene, the creatures will move about as animals, after which they revert to normal. The greenery is more pervasive, taking a whole day for the local environment to revert to normal.

Autumn Mantle
Rank one: A fetid stench of rotting effluence engulfs the changeling, filling her with nausea. If the changelings Stamina is less than or equal to the changelings Mantle she will promptly throw up. If it is less than or equal to the changelings Mantle 2 she will be overwhelmed with the nausea, causing her to collapse for the scene. Rank two: The wave of nausea fills the immediate atmosphere, causing all creatures in its vicinity to suffer the following effects. If their Stamina is less than or equal to the changelings Mantle she will promptly throw up. If it is less than or equal to the changelings Mantle 2 they will be overwhelmed with the nausea, causing them to collapse for the scene. Furthermore, various food products within sensory range, like milk, juices and other liquids, will curdle and become fetid, unpalatable for consumption. Rank three: The changeling is hit with a wasting disease. She temporarily loses a number of boxes in her health chart equal to the changelings Mantle. This attrition lasts for a whole scene, after which the lost attributes restore themselves at a rate of one per day. Her skin becomes wane and rank, her form withered and weak. In her vicinity (sensory range), food begins to rot and various wooden structures warp and stone becomes eroded. Rank four: A wasting disease hits all people within sensory range. They temporarily lose a number of boxes in their health chart equal to the changelings Mantle. This 45

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attrition lasts for a whole scene, after which the lost attributes restore themselves at a rate of one per day. Furthermore, in the vicinity of her sensory range, blight is released afflicting food, crops and other living creatures. Most produce will wither and rot off their plants. The ground becomes soaked wet, leaving muddy puddles everywhere impeding quick movements somewhat. Rank five: A belching blight emerges from the changeling like a buzzing swarm of flies. This miasmic cloud billows across the immediate vicinity of the changeling (within sensory range) and will cause any living creature or similar produce to begin to rot. Stored or otherwise preserved food will turn bad and any food recently consumed will turn sour leaving their consumers slightly queasy. All creatures in the vicinity will be struck with a disease that has a toxicity rating equal to the changelings Mantle. The damage dealt is lethal, and is inflicted once a day until cured or treated. pass through their barriers will require a number of successes equal to the changelings Mantle on a relevant extended roll.

Delirium Mantle
Rank one: The winds about swirl briskly, stealing the very words from the changelings mouth. Everything the changeling says comes out garbled and jumbled incoherent nonsense for a number of scenes equal to the changelings Mantle. Though the changeling may gesticulate and attempt to otherwise communicate, attempts to communicate through verbal, written or typed words will simply be distorted. The changeling herself may not necessarily realize something is wrong, as her own words seem and sound perfectly normal. Rank two: The changeling herself is not the only one to be struck with a confused and disarrayed tongue. All people in the immediate vicinity suffer from the inability to communicate verbally or by written or typed words, though they still make sense to the individual for a number of scenes equal to the changelings Mantle. The air moves in a rippling manner, charged with the static of electricity causing electronic devices with a structure equal to or less than the changelings Mantle to short circuit more often then they should. Rank three: The airs passage is rips though to a deadly still becoming stale, literally brimming with a powerful crackle of electricity. The winds pick up as words become vague and confused in the mind of the changeling, names lose their meaning and the changeling loses the ability to understand what she hears and reads. The winds strains break into a cacophonic music that only the changeling can hear and sparks cascade across her skin, inflicting her mind and body with piercing pain. For the duration of the scene, the changeling suffers blinding pain inflicting a wound penalty equivalent to the changelings Mantle. The changeling can hear the nonsensical ramblings in the own tongue, though strangely they feel some maddeningly hidden meaning in the gibberish they hear. Rank four: Words fly from the mouths of people, charged with the warping effects of the Tempest. Any person in the immediate vicinity cannot speak or communicate in any effective means for the remainder of the scene. Their words breaking out into flurries of screeching music and unraveling into long arcs of lightning manifesting into a small electrical storm with no small fury. Blackouts are not uncommon, short-circuiting power grids and other supporting devices. Gale force winds erupt with a Strength equivalent to the changelings Mantle, which howls with maddening strains piercing music shrieks about and inflicts a pain penalty to all people within sensory range, equal to the changelings Mantle for the entire scene. Rank five: The skies crack open with violent electrical storms, flurries of gale force winds. The entire skies shake releasing an electromagnetic pulse throughout sensory range, causing electronic devices to fail and deal a number of points of damage equal to the changelings Mantle. The wind ravages the land, scouring the soil and landscape with a Strength force equivalent to the changelings Mantle, those whose strength is less than this are likely to be knocked over and objects of a Size less than this may be picked up and carried away. People caught in these storms may suffer

Winter Mantle
Rank one: A small blast of chilling cold steals through the changeling, freezing her to the marrow and making her limbs feel numb and heavy. For the duration of the Tempest, the changeling temporarily suffers a penalty to their Dexterity equal to the changelings Mantle, including derivative attributes such as Defense. Rank two: The creeping chill steals out across the within the changelings sensory range. Dew and moisture upon objects turns to frost, covering most things with a film of ice. All people within sensory range, including the changeling, suffer from a deep marrow-biting chill that inflicts numbness to their limbs. All living creatures temporarily suffer a penalty to their Dexterity equal to the changelings Mantle, including derivative attributes such as Defense. Rank three: Puddles snap-freeze and trails of slick ice cover many moist surfaces. Locks, doors and many similar portals throughout the horizon are held shut by the frost, requiring Strength equal to the changelings Mantle to break open. The changelings body is filled with a terrible lethargy and slowness. For the duration of the Tempest, the changelings movement, Defense and initiative are halved, and the changeling suffers a penalty to her Wits equal to the changelings Mantle. Rank four: Within the changelings sensory range, a snap freeze occurs. Sheaths of ice seem to climb up walls and across the road, blocking many of the convenient routes and sealing most windows and other portals, each with a durability equal to the changelings Mantle. The people within sensory range are caught in this snap freeze and will begin to suffer hypothermia and a desire to go to sleep. To avoid the desire to sleep a person must test with Resolve + Stamina, with a penalty to the roll equal to the changelings Mantle. Rank five: A deathly quiet extols across the changelings sensory range. The world is simply covered in an icy-tomb, snap frozen into immobility. All the living creatures in the changelings sensory range are turned into life-like statures for a number of minutes equal to the changelings Mantle. Even after they return to life, they feel numb and unfeeling. Roads, doors and other pathways are simply cut off and cause the entire place to be isolated. Any attempts to leave or 46

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bashing or lethal damage (depending on what sort of debris is about) equal to the changelings Mantle. with the caveat that though they realize the events are out of the ordinary, they will not view them as alarming unless confronted with direct danger. Upon exposure to Faerie they suffer a mild derangement for that scene. Afterwards only the most intense aspects of the experience and remembered, leaving only a half-lucid event as though they had been drunk or intoxicated. A successful Intelligence + Composure check allows them to remember the experience (but not the nature of Faerie or the fae), and Extraordinary Success brings total recall. Willpower 5-7: Mortals at this level can resist most of the effects of Faerie. Whilst in its presence they function as normal, seeming to accept the anomalies of Faerie as part of normalcy. As long as this mortal remains enthralled by Faerie, they will suffer from any of the derangements of the changeling with the highest Wyrd in that scene. Once outside, they forget enough of the events to make it seem like a lucid dream. On a successful Intelligence + Composure check, the mortal will have vague recall, enough to make it feel oddly real but only recalled in a vague symbolic way. An Extraordinary Success will allow her to recall a general overview of the events but not well enough to remember details clearly. Willpower 3-4: This is the level that most mortals exist. At this level, mortals function in a deep dreamlike state, with a modicum of their own sense of self-preservation they will attempt to defend their own life if needed. They will suffer from the derangements of the changeling with the highest Wyrd for a number of nights equal to that Wyrd. Once free of their enthrallment they forget most of the events, grasping only fleeting images of it that are hazy and confused. Willpower 1-2: Any human at this effective level of willpower the mortal is completely subject to Faerie. Not only do they maintain the changeling with the highest Wyrds derangements for a number of nights equal to that Wyrd she becomes a carrier for the Faerie as well. Any other mortal she comes into contact with for any period of length (an hour or more of interaction with them) will suffer those derangements for an entire day and night. Once the mortal is free of contagion their madness is such that there are simply no memories for them to block, just gaps in the mind of the mortal, who may even deny the desire to introspect them. Willpower 0: If for some reason a witness effective Willpower is reduced to zero, they suffer all the effects of the above, but at the end of it all they gain a permanent derangement most appropriate to the scenario. If they have no derangements they may gain one of the mild derangements belonging to the changeling with the highest Wyrd in the scene. If they already have that derangement it may be upgraded to severe.

Rapture
At its most dangerous, a changeling may suffer from a Rapture, which manifests an Oriel, a crack between the waking world and dreaming realms. Here the crack opens wide and sucks the changeling into the dreaming realms. Where the crack opens depends largely on the changelings Mantle, the higher the Mantle the more dangerous the location. Furthermore, for every dot of Wyrd above one the changeling has, one of the changelings companions or other targets in the vicinity will be sucked in along with them. Mantle One: The Oriels power is only strong enough to dump them into the nearby Hedge. Though the wilderness can be tricky and confusing, the changeling should eventually be able to navigate her way out. Mantle Two: The Oriel throws the changeling and companions deeper into the Labyrinth, placing them in locations that are difficult to navigate back from, or territories that might be hostile. Mantle Three: The Oriel opens up into an Oubliette. Though this place can be hostile to the changeling, the changeling arrives in a location that is reasonably safe, for a while. The Oriel, however, is likely to draw unwanted attention. Mantle Four: The Oriel opens up into the depths of the Widderslainte. Truly horrific stories are told of being landed in such innately hostile territory. Mantle Five: Woe to those who suffer from a level five Rapture as the Oriel steals the characters away into the Somnus itself. Many changeling stolen away like this, never return to tell the tale.

New Rules: Contagion

Madness is infectious, especially for mortals exposed to the supernatural maladies of the fae. Whenever a mortal is exposed to the magics of the fae, without some measure of protection (such as those offered by ensorcellment), they run the risk of being infected with the madness of Faerie. Mortals that glimpse a changeling in her mien will be often be inflicted by this delirium. Any mortal affected by the magic of faerie stands a chance of being dream struck, or infected by the madness of the place. No amount of psychotherapy or non-magical recall will allow the mortal to remember the events. What happens to the mortal largely depends on their willpower. There is no roll made, the results are based on the effective level of willpower the mortal has when they encounter the supernatural magic of Faerie. However, if this is the result of seeing a changeling in her mien, subtract the changelings Mantle from their effective willpower. To determine how strong the contagion is, consult the following chart whenever a mortal witnesses a Fae in her mien. Willpower 10: These people are the Iron-willed for they are completely cognizant and able to function as normal. These people will remember the events of this encounter as clearly as any other event of their lives. Willpower 8-9: These mortals have a phenomenal sense of will. In confronting Faerie they can function as normally,

The Harvest
Glamour is neither free nor cheap. For a changeling to Harvest glamour she must somehow either tap into the deep wellspring of their emotional reservoir, or inflame a profound emotion in that moment there and then. Much of a changelings life is dedicated to the Harvest. To find this Glamour a changeling must either induce these emotions from their prey, or rip it out of them by force. The 47

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changeling must therefore be able to manipulate people in a manner of their choosing so that they can gather what they need. While the core book of Changeling: the Lost presence a default method of harvesting glamour, it is reasonably simplified. For stories where the Harvest is not a central component, that will probably serve the purposes needed. What is presented here are three systems of Harvesting glamour to deeply invest into the storytelling of the Harvest. These rules assume the use of the rules of Ennui and Reverie (see above). Storytellers may choose to use these all the time, or only for certain scenes to highlight aspects of the Harvest. Action: Extended; target number equals number of points of glamour to be drawn out. Each roll takes approximately ten minutes of communion with the target. Roll results: Dramatic Failure: All successes are lost immediately and the target immediately snaps out of their trance and develops a mild aversion to the changeling in question. The changeling cannot attempt to draw glamour from that target again for the night. Failure: The changeling fails to find any memories of significance or fails to draw a strong enough Success: The changeling feels the surge of the emotion flood her mind. Particularly strong scenes may give the changeling quick flashes of what occurred, but nothing more. Extraordinary Success: The changeling feels a slight surge of emotion only.

Exhumation
The first and most subtle method of gaining glamour is through the process of exhumation. This allows a changeling to draw upon deeply buried emotions from a target and subtly siphon them off for glamour in a slow and careful way. This method is probably the most favored by changelings because it causes the least amount of psychological trauma in their victims as the changeling is attempting to draw out emotions that lie deep beneath the surface of the consciousness. They are memories so far into that persons past that it becomes difficult for them to notice it missing. They take childhood memories that have less relevance but still contain strong emotional virility. They take memories that have been bottled up or suppressed. Or they take memories that are lost amongst many others of its own nature. These are the deeply dwelling memories that must be tapped into by an Exhumation. To draw into these memories a changeling must initiate a drawn out process that lets her psychically delve into the subjects mind, like a deep hypnosis; and, like hypnosis, once the processes is initiated the subject enters into a trance like state. The changeling must continue to engage the victim, speaking and directing the subject to this memory (if a specific one is known) or generally trying to find a suitable one. As she does so, these hidden memories come welling to the surface as the subject revisits their experience. Because of the finesse requires to perform this feat, a changeling cannot simply perform Exhumation on any person. The changeling must either be touching the target or have an accordance with them (accordance is a property of Dominion which were described above). Only once this is achieved, can the changeling begin the process.

Ebullition
The second most common method of Harvest is that of Ebullition. This method has the changeling quickly inflame a targets emotion and then directly consume that single experience. It is a direct and almost violent psychic assault on her target that tears the glamour away in one single rapturous burst. Ebullition has a few advantages over Exhumation. The primary one being that it doesnt need accordance or touch to work. Any singular mortal target may be subject to its effects (any creature with a template cannot be affected by Ebullition). Another more enjoyed benefit is that the experience can be quite thrilling for the changeling. During the process of Ebullition the changeling develops a strange synergy with her victim, allowing her to feel the thrill of the emotions she wishes to consume almost before they are transmuted into glamour. A secondary benefit that is not readily apparent is the fact that the victim rarely remembers the event. This is primarily because the memory stolen in the action is in fact the act of the attack itself. The victim simply cannot remember the assault. However, Ebullition is not without its limitations. It is an all or nothing process and can only be performed on a singular target in a single night. Furthermore, the maximum amount of glamour that can be harvested from a single target is capped by their Resolve (2 for most humans). This means that a canny changeling can potentially take a few draughts of glamour from a number of different targets in a single night. There is no single roll that can decide this; it is entirely based on whatever tactic is used and may in fact be more the purview of roleplaying than mechanics. As an impromptu system, the Storyteller may elect to set the player an extended test with the appropriate dice pool (Presence + Intimidate to induce fear, Manipulation + Persuasion to arouse them or even Dexterity + Athletics to physically taunt them into rage). The target number is the number of points of glamour they wish to consume, and the time between rolls is based on the difficulty of their task. Consult the extended actions chart for a guideline.

System
Once the connection is established the changeling makes an extended roll contested by the subjects Willpower. The dice pool used will be largely dependant on the manner the changeling searches for the emotions. If they do it through a casual conversation it may be Manipulation + Empathy. If they attempt to mentally probe the victims thoughts it might be Intelligence + Occult. The amount of glamour that they can draw depends on the amount of successes gained. Multiple successes indicate that the changeling has either discovered a singular potent emotion, or a number of smaller emotions of the same variety. Dice Pool: Seeking pool contested by the subjects Willpower 48

by Angelus Michaels System

Once the desired emotion is inspired in the target, the changeling rolls their Wyrd. The mortal has no defense against this. Dice Pool: Wyrd Action: Instant Roll results: Dramatic Failure: As failure. Failure: The target loses no willpower and the changeling gains no glamour. The victim recalls the experience. Success: The changeling gains one mote of glamour and the victim loses one Willpower point for every success. This is capped by the targets Resolve. Extraordinary Success: As normal success, but with higher amounts of glamour gained. species, portraying stories of Seelie against Unseelie, or between Ljslfar and Svartlfar. What the legends do not reveal is that this division is a duality inherent in changelings psychology. Their very consciousness contains two essential opposing constructs, a mystical duality that the Lost sometimes call the rhyme and the reason of the mind. The two parts of the dyadic mind reflect the reasoning and logical mortal selves, and the other half represents the illogic of the faerie mind, the deep unconscious shadow of their own mind that has gestated in their durance. It is the changelings reasoning mind that seeks to hold on to what coherence of mortal logic that it once held. A changelings Clarity relates directly to the coherence of the changelings reason and allows the changeling to align herself closely to her Virtue. The changelings rhyming mind, on the other hand, bring unbidden and wanton urges that are similar to selfsatisfying interest that the Gentry display. While the changelings rhyming mind is merely a shadow of their reason, in more ways than one, it can goad and trip a righteous changeling to their Vice.

Epiphany
The final and the rarest method that a changeling can acquire glamour is through the process of Epiphany. In this way, the changeling is able to rape the psyche of her own mortal memories. This can only be done in places where the flesh and dream merge, such as within the Hedge or within a mortals dreams. The process is neither easy nor pleasant. The changeling essentially tears a hole in her own mind to erupt the flow of its own glamour. In doing this, the changeling is sacrificing part of her own psyche. For every point gained she loses one of her own points of Willpower, she also suffers a point of Ennui for every point thus gained. A changeling, however, may not consume her own dots of Willpower, no matter the situation.

Derangements of Virtue
The following section showcases how a changelings madness can manifest through the emphasis of their Virtues and can provide guidelines on what derangements to give changelings who suffer degeneration as a result of pursuing their Virtue.

Charity
Hyperempathy (mild): Your character becomes sensitive to the suffering of those around her. Not only that, but no matter the situation she cannot help but identify with the victims suffering. She tangibly feels the pain of these people and this floods her with a sensation of guilt at the blessings she has. She can only alleviating her guilt by somehow addressing this suffering. Effect: Whenever your character encounters someone in a state of suffering she must roll Resolve + Composure. On a failure the character feels the ills and pains of the target. If they have wound penalties she feels encumbered by the same penalty, if they are fatigued, starving or exhausted from such things as poverty or abuse then she will feel their pains as well. If the character performs an act that will help their suffering (giving alms to the poor, administering healing to the wounded) then she may alleviate the effects of the derangement. Martyr Complex (severe; follows Hyperempathy): The characters sense of guilt about the suffering in the world around her consumes her continually. Your character has come to believe that only her insight into this state of suffering allows her to take away the pains of others by experiencing them for herself. The character has a need to be the sacrifice, the victim of the worlds suffering (including physical abuse), especially if by doing so she places herself in harms way to protect another. Effect: Whenever the character sees someone else in mortal peril the character must make a Resolve + Composure check. If she fails this roll she will deliberately

System
The system is simple. The changeling rolls her Clarity and gains a number of points of glamour equal to her successes. Dice Pool: Clarity Action: Instant Roll results: Dramatic Failure: As failure. Failure: The changeling gains no glamour. Success: The changeling gains one mote of glamour and loses one Willpower point for every success. Each point taken creates a point of Ennui. Extraordinary Success: As normal success, but with higher amounts of glamour gained.

Shades of Madness
A changeling is a creature with a unique psychology. With a game that deals with concepts of madness and deviance a lot of it rests on the ability to create a unique and interesting psyche. What follows is a series of ideas and rules that can be used to explore the themes of madness a little more personally. Legends of the fae often divide them into creatures with dual natures, having both a lighter and a darker aspects. In myths, this division has been represented by a division of

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try to place herself in harms way in hopes that she can be the victim. cruelties of real life and must hunt for more Glamour at the first opportunity. Reality Erasure (severe): Your character becomes irrationally afraid of the decaying nature of her own mortality seeing an eventual end to her existence that can only be remedied by becoming more and more Fae-like. The slightest encounter of her mortal past could cause the magic to fail. As a result, she works to eliminate any evidence of her true identity, including documents, photographs, friends and relatives. Whenever your character encounters evidence of her mortal past (including a person who knew him), you must roll Resolve + Composure. A success on this roll means that your character can suppress the urge to destroy the evidence. Failure means he must attempt to erase it immediately.

Faith
Demagogue Syndrome (mild): The character begins to feel that she is touched by a divine or true source beyond the microcosm that is her self. Inspiration floods her sense of self with a divine righteousness and her words become infallible in her mind. This doesnt mean she cannot actually lie, only that she is unable to confront the reality that she might not be correct in whatever that she says. Effect: Whenever the character is demonstrated to be fallible the character must make a Resolve + Composure check. Failure means the characters faith is shaken for a while as she loses a point of willpower. Messianic Complex (severe; follows Demagogue Syndrome): The characters believes she partly divine. Where she walks, she walks according to its plan. Her will is simply an extension of the will of the divine. She is in perfect synchronicity with the world around her. To oppose this or to offer evidence to the contrary will utter shake the foundations of her faith. She comes to think she is invincible or undefeatable. If your character is ever shown evidence of being anything other than the right hand of the divine, she loses one point of Willpower as her psyche overrides these inconsistencies and disbelief.

Justice
Hypervigilance (mild): The characters senses and awareness are turned toward the eternal vigilance against crime and injustice. Effect: When the character is out in public, it becomes difficult for her to focus on anything but the surrounds. She must roll a Resolve + Composure check to see if she can keep her mind off constantly scanning the commons. If she fails, she suffers a 2 penalty on her Perception checks, but cannot be surprised. Heroism Syndrome (severe; follows Hypervigilance): The character sees violence and despair all around her. The displays on the television and media do nothing to assuage her fears about the injustice of the world. Effect: Whenever the character encounters a person in trouble or otherwise being victimized be crime she must make a Resolve + Composure roll. If she fails she must immediately engage in the threat of crime in an attempt to quell it even if the odds are stacked against her.

Fortitude
Thrill-seeker (mild): The characters sense of judgment is somewhat impaired by her need to engage in extreme activity. She keeps trying to push herself to her utmost limits, trying to balance herself on the thinnest edge between safety and danger. However, sometimes the character fails to make the accurate judgment about where that line of safety lies. Effect: When the character is in a situation that requires constant assessment and judgment (combat, racing, knife throwing etc) she must make a Wits + Composure check. If she fails she suffers a 2 penalty when performing that activity. Daredevil (severe; follows Thrill-seeker): The character is a true adrenaline junkie. She can only find satisfaction by placing herself in positions of extreme danger. She is filled with nervous energy and always on the edge. The moment some form of thrill is presented to them (combat, skydiving, base jumping or any form of extreme sport) she must spend a willpower point not to immediate run to engage in the activity.

Prudence
Fixation (mild): If your character fails or succeeds at an important action such as leaping between buildings or making a getaway in a sports car, he might fixate on his loss or victory. Roll Resolve + Composure after such an event for him to avoid this unhealthy obsession. Effect: If your Resolve + Composure roll fails, roll a single die. The result is the number of scenes in which your character is focused on the offending or inspiring event or task, to the possible exclusion of more important goals. He fixates on what he believes caused him to lose or win his goal, whether its an opponent, a broken shoelace or the model of car driven. In the case of a defeat, he cannot help but simmer in anger, cursing a circumstance or trying to devise a method of circumventing it in the future. In the case of a victory, he becomes a fanatic, spending much of his time researching, observing or acclaiming an activity or factor that allowed him to succeed. The Storyteller rules on how this derangement affects your characters dice pools or behavior. It might cause him a -1 on any task not related to his fixation, or he might refuse to engage in an activity if it doesnt somehow tie into his obsession. Since this derangement is potentially active for many scenes, rather than one, its effects should be mild but persistent.

Hope
Escapism (mild): Your character begins to reject the mortal side of her nature, obsessing over the mysteries of Faerie. She begins to gloss over the cruelties and terrors of her durance in Faerie and begins to wonder what went wrong and how to correct it. Like the victim of abuse, she begins to rationalize away the hurts and pains seeking to immerse herself in her faerie nature. Every time the character encounters an feature of her mortal past, such as her family, her Fetch or other memento, she must roll Resolve + Composure. Failure indicates that the character is convinced that she is losing herself to the

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Obsessive Compulsion (severe; follows Fixation): The trauma, guilt or inner conflict that causes this derangement forces your character to focus nearly all of his attention and energy on a single repetitive behavior or action. Obsession relates to an individuals desire to control his environment keeping clean, keeping an area quiet and peaceful, or keeping undesirable individuals out. A compulsion is an action or set of actions that an individual is driven to perform to soothe his anxieties placing objects in an exact order, constantly checking to make sure a weapon is loaded, praying every few hours to give thanks for surviving that long. Effect: Determine a set of specific actions or behaviors that your character follows to the exclusion of all else (even if doing so interferes with his current agenda or endangers his life or others). The effects of obsessive compulsion can be negated for the course of one scene by making a successful Resolve + Composure roll at a -2 penalty. If your character is forcibly prevented from adhering to his derangement, he may lose control among enemies or allies and attack either (or both) indiscriminately. Composure check to resist the urge to pocket it. Failure means she is overcome by a desire to possess it and does her best to steal the object; though she wont place herself in danger to do so. Kleptomania (severe; follows Compulsive Larceny): This is an extreme form of Kleptomania. The thrill of simple stealing has worn off and she find she can only get the same sense of satisfaction when stealing something that has certain difficulty to it. If there is no challenge or difficulty in obtaining the object beyond the sleight of hand to drop it in a pocket there is no desire. So a character will probably move from kleptomania to more directly larcenous activities like pick pocketing, breaking or breaking and entering. Effect: The effects are as above, however the character will place herself into danger (non-life-threatening) in order to achieve her objective.

Gluttony
Hyperindulgence (mild): Your character formulates an irrational, pleasurable association with an object or situation. To fully enjoy himself, so to speak, he needs to duplicate the situation or be in the presence of the object. This can lead to some truly bizarre behavior, often triggering a cycle of gratification and guilt thats extremely difficult to break. If your character experiences something that reminds him of the event or object hes chosen, roll Resolve + Composure. If the roll fails, your character focuses on re-creating the situation or coming in contact with the object in question. Masochism (severe; follows Hyperindulgence): Your character is no longer satisfied with the presence of the object or duplication of the situation. He must now be hurt by it in order to enjoy himself. The effects of fetishism apply, but the character must also suffer an amount of bashing damage at least equal to his Stamina during the compulsive activity in order to be satisfied. Without the interference of an outside agent, he wont stop until the damage is inflicted in full.

Temperance
Hyperapathy (mild): Your character cannot empathize with the target. They become unable to read other peoples body language properly, misinterpreting them. When attempting to interact with people the character must spend a point of willpower to actively focus on the interaction in question. If she does not she will suffer a 2 penalty on all her Empathy, Socialize and Persuasion rolls with mortals. Antisocial Personality Disorder (severe; follows Hyperapathy): The characters emotional range becomes extremely small. In addition to the above effect the character can no longer empathize with a sense of suffering or pain in others. They are indifferent to the possibility of physical pain or many punishments, and show no indications that they experience fear when so threatened. On top of this, the lack of ability to feel a range of emotions begins to generate a strong sense of anxiety in her. If a character is in a situation where she should feel a strong emotion (such as a bout of love, being strongly threatened or similar situations) she must make a Resolve + Composure check. Failure means the sense of anxiety demands some sort of escape from the emotional void. This can be lashing out at the source of the failed emotion, or it may be other risktaking or substance abuse.

Greed
Compulsive Hoarding (mild): Your character has a need to collect and hoard. This can be one particular or singular item, or just a whole range of junk and paraphernalia. Typically the characters place of residence becomes filled to a point of impediment. Effect: In order for a character to discard her collection she must expend a single point of willpower for every level of Size accounted for by its combined mass. Syllogomania (severe; follows Compulsive Hoarding): As above, except the character must expend a point of willpower to throw out anything, including rubbish.

Derangements of Vice
The following section showcases how a changelings madness can manifest through the emphasis of their Vice and can provide guidelines on what derangements to give changelings who suffer degeneration as a result of pursuing their Vice.

Lust
Hypersexuality (mild): A characters sense of self-worth becomes entirely dependent on her ability to feel loved and admired. Whenever your character encounters someone she might find attractive she has strong impulsive desires to make love with that person to satisfy those needs. Roll your characters Resolve + Composure for her to remain composed. Effect: If your roll fails, the need for attention is too strong. Once in this state, any rolls not done towards seducing the target in question suffer a 1 penalty. In 51

Envy
Compulsive Larceny (mild): Your character has irresistible impulses to steal things. Typically such things are small and of no value, however the character may be unaware that she is slipping something of value into her own pocket. Effect: When the character encounters something of value that is lying loose the character must make a Resolve +

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addition, Willpower cannot be spent on rolls not focused on this task. Histronic Personality Disorder (severe; follows Hypersexuality): The need for attention becomes so severe that the character displays pervasive and excessive patterns of emotionality and attention-seeking behavior. These individuals are lively, dramatic, enthusiastic, and flirtatious. They may be inappropriately sexually provocative, express strong emotions with an impressionistic style, and be easily influenced by others. If someone ever rejects your character, she loses one point of Willpower due to shame and self-loathing (as she is unable to deal with the result).

Wrath
Manic Excitement (mild): Whenever your character is threatened with violence or suffers extreme tension by being persecuted, challenged or accused, she might react without logic or reason. Roll her Resolve + Composure to keep her cool. Effect: On a failed roll, your characters only way to comfortably deal with confrontation is to act crazy or over the top, in wild hopes that she will scare away her oppressor or at least mitigate her own fears. This behavior persists for the remainder of the scene. She can threaten or cajole challengers, and may even take the first swing. Violent Psychosis (severe): This is like above but the target suffers 2 on all checks to keep her cool. In this frenzied state she loses all sense of self-preservation.

Pride
Narcissism (mild): Whenever your character succeeds at a goal (not simply succeeds in a roll, but achieves a desired end such as knocking a challenging opponent unconscious or hacking into a well-protected computer), it might go to his head and pump up his overweening ego. Roll Resolve + Composure to avoid a bout of vanity. Effect: On a failed roll, your character does not work and play well with others even if the victory that brings on a bout of narcissism was partly won with their aid. For the remainder of the scene, when called upon to aid in a task your character does so only half-heartedly, unless its a task focused on him or his own needs or wants. He suffers a -3 penalty when participating in teamwork efforts (see page 134 of the World of Darkness Rulebook). And hes such a selfobsessed bore that Social rolls all suffer a -1 penalty. Megalomania (severe): The effects of Narcissism apply, except that the penalties intensify by one. Your character is also highly competitive. He cannot allow himself to fail a contest (even a contested roll). If he does, he obsesses about it and works to arrange a rematch when its most beneficial for him. If, for example, he fails to pick a lock while an ally succeeds, he doesnt let it go. He constantly insists that he did the job and that his successor took the glory, and demands that similar efforts be tried again, even under inappropriate circumstances such as at an office or restaurant. If your character ever loses a contest to someone he feels is socially inferior, he loses one point of Willpower due to shame and self-loathing (which is at the heart of his megalomania; he secretly fears that hes a fraud).

Optional Rule: The Mirror Has Two Faces

The balance between a changelings rhyme and reason is reflected in the balance between their Virtue and Vice. Depending on whether the changeling is functioning according to rhyme or reason the changeling will manifest a certain madness in line with her Vice or Virtue respectively. In this respect, a changelings delusions and perceptions of the world are heavily colored by their Virtue and Vice. With the implementation of this rule, the character enters play with a single mild derangement that they cannot get rid of. This derangement is a mutable one, and will change depending on what state of mind the changeling is in. If they are in a state of reasoning thinking, then they will manifest the derangement relating to their Virtue (see the list above). If they enter into a state of rhyming mind, then this derangement automatically flips over to the relevant derangement of equal magnitude associated with Vice. Traditionally the seven virtues and the seven vices were paired with each other to represent opposition. To utilize this rule it is suggested that players choose Virtues and Vices to match this duality as it helps to emphasize the dichotomy. Yet, this is not fundamental. Players and Storytellers are free to choose Virtues and Vices that are more suited to their character concept if they wish: Virtue Vice Charity Greed Faith Pride Fortitude Sloth Hope Envy Justice Wrath Prudence Lust Temperance Gluttony

Sloth
Depression (mild): If your character fails to achieve a goal (not just fails a roll, but fails to accomplish some personal, desired end such as getting a job or saving a friends life), he might go into a bout of depression for the remainder of the scene. A dramatic failure that occurs in any activity might also bring on a bout of depression. Regardless of the circumstances, make a reflexive Resolve + Composure roll. Effect: If the roll fails, your character loses one Willpower point and cannot spend any Willpower points for the remainder of the scene. Melancholia (severe): Severe depression. In addition to the above effects of a failed Resolve + Composure roll, all dice pools suffer a 2 penalty for the remainder of the scene. 52

The Shadow
Every single person has a set of hidden and secret desires that is usually kept well restrained for the sake of social interaction. All those things that we wish to do but dont because we are afraid of recrimination, the petty needful wants and mores of our primal natures. As mortals we have our socialization and our constant normalization with other humans to keep such things in check, occasionally something goes wrong, but for the most part we are kept in

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balance. Changelings, however, struggle between her mortal and changelings psyches creates tiny tremors throughout the mind that leave it balanced and unstable. In the depths of a changeling mind lurks a terrible darkness. It is a malefic side of their faerie nature that is born from their rhyming thoughts and split off into their shadow. It is no small coincidence that a changelings shadow can give away their true identity, and a portion of their Fetch is made from the changelings shadow. A changelings shadow shares a strong sympathetic link to the part of the changeling that connects to Faerie. It is within a changelings Shadow that their madness manifests into a subconsciously independent doppelganger that seeks any method of escape. The Shadow is sneaky and craft, able to use the talents of the changelings own psyche to wreck whatever havoc that it can.

Constructing the Shadow

The Shadow is more than just a dull reflection of the changelings haunted thoughts. It is a dynamic and often intelligent creature in its own right. A player should put some thought into the motivations of a particular Shadow.

Step One: Archetype

Each individual seeming has strong and powerful urges that tend to want to make themselves known. These serve as the base archetypal templates for the Shadows thinking and drives. Beast: Every rose hides its thorns, and the Beasts have tenuous control over their emotions. The visceral experience of reality drives them to extreme highs and lows, letting them fly through euphoria and extreme hysteria. Should the Shadow be unable to sate their desires they may fall into melancholia or tempestuous rage until they are appeased. The Shadow is far more selfindulgent than otherwise. The changeling is drawn to submerging themselves into experiences of the flesh. They become the consummate connoisseurs of foods, sexual pleasures, drink and drugs. Often the stranger, more exotic and perverse the better and the Beasts are known for their extreme or deviant tastes and practices. Darkling: The Darklings Shadow falls towards cynicism, doom saying and despair. For the Darklings, pessimism is raised to a fine art, where criticism and faults can be found in even the brightest of times. Here, they instead turn towards the past to their time before capture and durance. They are avaricious hoarders of knowledge, historical lore and most especially arcane secrets. They are the keepers of secret lore, masters of secrets and puzzlers of enigmatic mysteries. In this state the Darkling are ambiguously about the difference between the living and the dead. They may be found discussing casual matters with the undead as they would the living, though they have no deathwish of their own. Elemental: The Elementals suffer a strange alienation under the influence of their Shadow. Their mind and thoughts become horribly tangled and enmeshed in their elemental nature. Their ability to empathize with humanity greatly diminishes and they feel a desire to retreat from mortal society, becoming somewhat reclusive. The turbulent world of human machinations and interactions just becomes far too complex for them to deal with and they turn away. As the Shadow of the Elemental grows, their thoughts become more obscured with inhuman patterns of thought, even disregarding human beings amongst the greater scheme of nature, whereby the destruction of a person has no less or more significance than the destruction of an ant, yet the surfeit or paucity of the element they are tied to will begin to obsess them. They will seek to increase the relevant ambience of their element by whatever means possible. Fairest: The Shadows influence can be daunting for the Fairest, who find them selves feeling a touch overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenges that face them. It leaves them in a state of mind that believes they are the only ones capable of addressing the problems. Their countenance pales to a cool haute and aloofness, contemptuous of those 53

The Terrible Secret

Many changelings prefer to ignore the fact of the Shadow than attempt to deal with the problems that they cause. It is a social blind spot of the changeling freeholds to overlook the eccentricities of madness that might indicate subversion by the Shadow. In many places, it is even socially taboo to discuss the matter as it acknowledging the madness that all changelings must content with. It is not an easy thing to confront; the idea that even having escaped from Arcadia, there is still some small part of you that wishes to be like the Fae, and acts to control and capture you as much as your own Keeper did, that you are slowly and perhaps undeniably being taken over by a small voice of madness inside. To then discover that not only does the Shadow have a votive force, but that changelings have been taken over by them, enough to subvert the entire society, is not only terrifying but highly problematic. The little that is known about the Shadow means that it is almost impossible to identify who is and who isnt working under its influence. It is a massive shadowed conspiracy and even the most loyal and steadfast may eventually fall to its pull. The Shadow is not a force that can be combated with ideology and rhetoric; it is a horrible instinct within all changelings that is inseparable from their existence. Those who do discover this truth often work in isolation attempting to stamp out its influence wherever possible. The canny nature of the Shadow means that there will be times when its aware that being discovered could cause problems for the longer term plans. In such a situation the Shadow may become more docile and hide beneath the surface till it is ready to come out once more making the changeling they are part of completely unaware of their actions against the commons. A Shadow that is powerful enough may lie in wait till the opportune moment, take over the body of the changeling and do its damage, then subside into the recesses of the mind, either leaving a confused changeling wondering at his actions (and attempting to cover up their own brief moment of madness), or the Shadow may simply change or erase these memories from their host in such a way that they never realize their nefarious actions.

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beneath them. Indeed, under the more capricious nature of their Shadow aspect, the Fairest can find their responsibilities restraining making them impulsive and impudent. They become conflicted and paranoid, and prone to malaise. Any challenge posed to them, or actual threats to their power, is the subject of their machinations. Ogre: The Shadowed Ogres are driven to a sense of true brutality and treachery. Their Shadow aspect cools down their ferocity somewhat and the Shadow can lend their ferocious nature to more subtle and beguiling agendas. The Shadow influence often turns a Ogres violent desires into sadism and vengeful retribution. Indeed, the Shadow driven Ogres develop a great amount of patience, preferring to wait in the dark as quiet sentinels until they need to strike. These monsters can be a terrifying and unnerving sight, for they keep their berserker rage just beneath a calm and cool demeanor to unleash it unsuspectingly. The Shadowed Ogers are never direct about their approach, often preferring to unleash their venom with a stab in the back, or some other unusually cruel way. Wizened: The native wit of the Wizened transforms into a cunning guile and mischievous natures. With their Shadow, they become perennial tricksters, thieves and con artists, being masters of charlatanism, deception and misdirection. With its wanton nature, the Wizened find the norms of mortal conventions to be incredibly stifling and take great pleasure from twisting peoples accepted conventions and turning the world upside down, not necessarily for any idealistic reason, but because it seems more interesting that way. As such, the Wizened become harbingers of disorder and havoc, with a knack for infiltration. With guile mind and nimble fingers and a penchant for kleptomania they have a knack for breaking into secure locations. reality. Their Shadow inspires in these people fantasies, wild tales and even compulsive lying to deny the bleakness of the world. As the Shadow grows in strength the changeling begins to ignore the world to the point of ignoring personal danger. Justice: Justices Shadow instills in the changeling the attitude of the Just World phenomenon, that good things happen to good people, and that they happen to bad people. They envision themselves as some sort of hero, acting out as an agent of the side of good (or their interpretation of good). As the Shadow grows strong their sense of power makes them think they are indestructible with the attitude that the good guys always wins. Prudence: While most people cant control the events of their lives, changeling with this deny the uncontrollable, compelled to building vast networks and empires (economic, political or even criminal). As the Shadow grows stronger the changeling becomes more obsessive and stops being an aspiration to greatness, but rather a need to be in control. The stronger the Shadow the more this insecurity grows and even simple contradictions can seem to be a challenge to their security. Temperance: The Shadow of Temperance brings about a great sense of detachment. The drive to find inner balance, inner peace and harmony is sent offbalance itself as the changeling attempts to disengage from any form of emotional response to a situation. The greater the Shadow grows the more this shut out becomes even leading them to states where they lose all emotional connection to their friends and loved ones till they are completely without emotion. Envy: This Shadow makes the changeling think that like the world is beautiful and good, that is for everyone else. No matter what it is they possess something else someone has is better. Once the item is gained, however, it loses its appeal. As the Shadow gets stronger it makes the changeling go further out of her way to acquire these things and expend more effect to do so. Gluttony: Gluttonys Shadow immerses the in the changeling into the immediate moment encouraging them to sate physical pleasures of all sorts. As the Shadow increases, so too does the call for these needs and cravings. The strength of the Shadow is comparative to the cravings for these needs and will drive them to selfdestruction if it becomes too strong. Greed: The Shadow of Greed makes the changeling paranoid that they simply do not have enough to be secure, either physically or emotionally. It will provoke her to go out of her way in order to acquire more assets and resources in order to secure her position. As the Shadow gets more powerful the changelings perception of wealth of things becomes skewed and she believes all things to be near worthless, exacerbating her paranoia. Lust: This changelings Shadow whispers of need to be loved and given attention. Her sense of self-worth demands that she is lavished, and satisfied in some way to crave her need of belonging. Its a highly possessive desire that refuses to allow the changeling to share their sources of indulgence and pleasure. As the Shadow grows stronger their need to be accepted is so severe that they cannot function without it.

Step Two: Urges

Every Shadow has two Urges, these are linked to the Faes own Virtue and Vice. The Urges that a Faes Shadow will manifest are listed below according to the Virtue and Vice: Charity: Changelings with the path of Charity are compelled towards selfsacrifice. They see the world in terminal suffering and drive them towards remedying this as best they can. Indeed as they reach higher thresholds the Shadow pushes this sense of selfsacrifice, potentially to the point of danger. The ultimate goal of the Charitys Shadow is to drive the changeling to martyrdom for a cause. Faith: Faiths Shadow manifests like a divine voice that visits the changeling with guidance. Such changeling should feel like they are specially chosen as missives of the divine, making them agents of its spiritual vision to the world. As this Shadow gets stronger they grow confident that they are doing the work of the divine and cannot be faulted. Fortitude: Changelings with Fortitudes Shadow will be suggested to see the world as their personal challenge. Nothing is too hard for them to defeat. The Shadow challenges them to take dangerous risks, urging them to become daredevils. At higher thresholds the Shadow demands more reckless risks, even to their destruction. Hope: Hope presents the changeling with the innocence and fantasy of a child. These people have deeply rich fantasies not wanting to admit the more banal aspects of 54

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Pride: Prides Shadow exalts the person, talking to them as though they were a form of divinity themselves. It encourages them to do acts that recognize their own sanctity by promoting others to worship and adore them, or otherwise. As the Shadow grows stronger they start thinking that they are sanctified creatures. Sloth: Everything depresses the changeling with a slothful Shadow. Nothing seems worth the risk or fun because it is all without meaning in the end. This Shadow is highly fatalistic and doom saying expecting the worst in everything. As the Shadow gets stronger they simply begin to give up on doing anything about it at all. Wrath: The Shadow of this changeling will attempt to constantly provoke them into anger. Teasing and taunting them making the world seem hostile and confrontational to them. As the Shadow gets stronger the changeling begins to see everything as a direct threat, even subtle comments. directly into the speech centers. The Shadow can speak through the mouth of the changeling directly.

The Shadow Court

There exists a secret society within the freeholds of changeling society a threat from within that seeks to undo the stability that changelings have so strong worked for. Their chief weapons are fear, surprise and a fanatical devotion to the cause. The members of the Shadow Court are all changelings who have been taken over by their Shadow. The Shadow Court are like a spider in the shadows that spools its threads of intrigue throughout a vast network of spies and planted agents. The greatest strength of the Shadow Court is that the commonwealth of changelings do not truly know the scope of their numbers or power. They are like an eternal boogieman upon whom all sorts of malicious problems are blamed. Whenever a treaty turns sour the Shadow Court are suspected of tainting the negotiations. When feuds or fights lead to the death of one of the court, the courtiers whisper darkly whom they suspect as being the traitor. Every single black act and every single dark mark is leveled at the manipulations of the Shadow Court. Yet truly, not all of the ill deeds committed in court are the crimes of the Shadow. For every crime that is uncovered to be the work of the Shadow Court, several more pass investigation as having none of their influence. This does not satisfy the truly paranoid, who simply see it as a sign of the proficiency and extent of their corruption. Sometimes more level-headed courtiers have tried to assure the nerves of the court by claiming that the myth is larger than the organization and that the entire court is playing into their web of deceit and lies. Yet, even this has sometimes proven to be a ruse by the Shadow Court when it works to their advantage to have the court less on guard.

Shadow Mechanics
Five different thresholds measure the strength of a changelings Shadow. Each of these is significant step further into the depths of madness. Each step brings the changeling that much closer to losing touch with the mundane reality of the waking world. As the Shadow grows stronger it is capable of exerting a greater control and influence even while dormant. The strength of a Changelings Shadow is relative to her Wyrd and Clarity. Simply subtract the Changelings Clarity from her Wyrd and the difference is a measure of the strength of her Shadow (up to a maximum of five). When a changeling performs a contract with a level of Shadow, cracks begin to appear in her Mask. As the strength of the Shadow grows these cracks also grow allowing more of the changelings mien to clip through the disguise that hides her. Secondly, and what is potentially more dangerous, the changelings Shadow begins to flex its muscles allowing it subconscious to implant false stimuli into the changelings mind directly and eventually directing control of the changelings emotions thoughts and even speech. In any scene that a changeling has an active Shadow and the changeling spends a mote of glamour her Shadow can perform a single action. What the Shadow can do is dependent on the threshold it is at. Refer to the following: First Threshold: The Shadow can implant false sounds into a changelings mind, either whispering false words into their thoughts over what was said or creating fictitious noises. Second Threshold: The Shadow can implant false images into a changelings mind, either disguising what they see for something else or creating hallucinations from nothing. Third Threshold: The Shadow can implant false emotions into a changelings mind and dictate the source that is the cause of these emotions. Fourth Threshold: The Shadow can implant false thoughts into a changelings mind like a mental dialogue that urges, compels and even cajoles their changeling towards acts conducive to her mind of rhyme. Fifth Threshold: The Shadow can take over the speech of the character by projecting their false thoughts

Modus Operandi
The modus operandi of the Shadow Court very rarely means they put their hand into play. They prefer to manipulate well-intentioned members of the freehold directly into their ploys so as to separate themselves by one or more degrees from the act itself. In times when acts of wanton or blatant violence is used, it is almost certainly never performed directly by a true member of the Shadow Court, or at the very least an expendable pawn in the game they play. The Shadow Court biggest defense lies in the levels of secrecy that they employ. Each agent works in isolation, or in a small cell so as to protect the identities of the whole. Most of the agents who do the grunt work, and are therefore the most frequently uncovered, know little more beyond a method of how they receive instructions, where to go and who to manipulate. They have many different strategies, some tried and true and others more improvised. Each of these tactics is called a game in their parlance. Ourouboros: The most common game employed by the Shadow Court is this one, symbolized by the dragon eating its own tail. It is a tactic frequently used to test the resilience of a particular freehold. They begin their games through the misdirection of information and sewing the seeds of discontent. This is typically in the form of libelous and 55

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slanderous gossip that works to break people apart. If such gossip manages to work its way into the commons then the Shadow Court gains an indication that its members are already distrusting and working on some level against each other. Any freehold that works hard to bring slander to light and uncover the truth behind misleading statements are, as a matter of course, far more difficult to infiltrate than ones already rife with internal conflict. Any attempts to find the origins of the source of gossip usually lead the investigators on a merry chase from person to person until they come back to where they started. Even with this in mind, no court would stop the flow of gossip, for each courtier is desperately greedy for whatever information they can get, both good and ill that might help them in their workings. Gambit: The next favored game that is put into play is the one known as a Gambit, for it comes with a certain amount of risk. The aim of the game is to capture and inoculate loyal members of the freehold with implanted, post-hypnotic suggestions. These characters, known as pawns, are sent into the court to do one small act of terrorism, such as poisoning or otherwise attempting to assassinate a high member of court. The gambit comes in attempting to find and properly indoctrinate a changeling. In stealing a true member of the freehold, the Shadow Court must inevitably play their hand somewhat and actively get their hands dirty. Even with the inoculation, there is no guarantee that the implanted suggestion will be completely fool proof, or that the memories of the events remain entirely forgotten. Some peoples resolve is just too strong to be easily tricked into such a ploy. Not only is this tactic far more true to the philosophy of the Shadow Court. However, it further heightens fear and distrust amongst the members of the court. The risk involved in this activity is that it becomes much easier to detect the influence of someone else upon this changeling. As a consequence, the Shadow Court prefer to encourage other changelings Shadows to become manifest that they might begin to act upon their own. Double Entendre: A very difficult game for the Shadow Court, but one that almost certainly has strong effect. This game involves the forging of pledges. The Shadow Court attempts to manipulate a particular member of the freehold two swear two mutually opposing oaths without realizing. In attempting to carry out one, the changeling must breach the other. While such a condition is perhaps difficult to connive into place, the conflict of oaths is almost always an effective way to degrade a changelings individual standing in court. The Black Lotus: The last game well known by the Commonwealth is this one. It relies on the use of narcotic and mystic substances. Essentially the Shadow Courtier taints a persons drink with a particular effect, to manipulate, to control or otherwise induce a loss of Clarity in their target.

Hierarchy
What is known about the hierarchy of the Shadow Court has been gleaned from the few instances where a high member of the court has been uncovered. Each of the roles of the court resembles that of a chess piece. Pawns are the changelings manipulated by the Shadow Court through one method or another, such as the Gambit Game. Rooks are those who collect and decimate disinformation amongst the various freeholds and collect information back for their own use. They are often trained in the arts of espionage and capable of reasonable self-defense. Knights are the next rank up, for they are the assassins, and contaminators of the games of the courts. Knights are reasonably trusted to work on their own without higher supervision. Rare are the supposed bishops, they are the ones who oversee large regional plots and set in motion the wheels of the various games. They are often well versed in magical arts and provide many philters and concoctions for the Shadow Court use. Above that supposedly is the Queen, an autonomous head of a cell of the Shadow Court. Whether or not there is a King or whether the Queen is the top of the chain is unknown.

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by Angelus Michaels

Chapter Three: The Book of Glamour

I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, and dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?
- John Lennon
Faerie magic can send a mortal to a hundred years of sleep, turn them into beast and bird of the field, make them cry, weep and charge to their glorious death for the ravaging beauty of their lord. Faerie charms overturn the prosaic nature of the world, breaking through its order and temporarily manifesting something of Faerie. To do so, a changeling must harness the Wyrd; their connection to Faerie. The Wyrd is a potent force and faerie creatures are its agents. With their connection to the Wyrd and Faerie a changeling can alter the very tapestry of the world around her through the use of faerie contracts. Each changeling carries with her that essential spark of Faerie that allows her to call upon the aspects of the world in ways mortal men cannot ken. It is said that faerie magic is nothing more than illusion, and to a certain extent, this is true; that faerie magic is nothing more than the imposition of delusion upon reality, and that this lies at the heart of a contract. The changeling gives to the object of their affinity a bit of their madness, which in turn gives it animation. By drawing upon the Wyrd, a Fae can make the dream of her madness into something tangible. Then again, changelings say a lot of things, and who can tell what is true anymore. Faerie magic does not come easily or even naturally to many changelings for the ways of the Wyrd are slippery and the ways of Faerie unreliable. Over the years changelings foster their relationship with the Wyrd and Faerie such that they can elicit some measure of control over its flow through the contacts. the other hand, allows a changeling to barter and bargain directly with the purview. Each instance becomes a singular agreement of power, an exchange and bartered effect often each instance being an unique affair of concordance with the changeling and the purview. This is why the act is called channeling, it is a state of communion between changeling and purview, a sacred and profane act of negotiation through laws not of earth, but Faerie. One could speculate that from this realm of potential, the singular effects derive from. This is a demonstration of the mercurial nature of faerie magic, and what can happen when you work the law in strange ways. As such, some changelings consider channeling a method of working outside the law pointing to the lure of Reverie as a mystically enforced punishment. In some places, changelings consider channeling a form of criminal activity, and work to see it proscribed within their local freehold. This freedom does not come without its cost. This is a borrowed power, and like all power of Faerie, it comes with a price. There are three major limitations to channeling the first is that channeling holds no sway over the Contracts that are forged through the Courts. That is it cannot influence either the Seasonal or Directional contracts. These purviews are sufficiently alien to the nature of Faerie that its laws of concordance and agreement hold no sway over them. The second limitation is that the ability for Wyrd to manipulate a contract is limited by the level of that contract known. Essentially, a changelings channeling of a contracts purview is limited to the lower of her dots in that contract or her dots in Wyrd. Even if she has a Wyrd of 3, she cannot elicit the third level effects if she only has two dots in the contract. The third, and more dangerous price is that each instance bares the possibility of provoking the changeling into a state of Reverie (see page XX) [Note: The optional rules of channeling can be quite powerful, and need sufficient balancing mechanisms. As such, channeling assumes that the rules of Reverie are being used]. To determine what kind of effects you can do with channeling, look at the theme of the contract being used. The contract of Vainglory deals with themes of beauty and personal glory. Stone deals with strength and physical prowess. What channeling allows is the direct manipulation of these purviews of the contract. Each increase in Wyrd grants the changeling new ways in which they can directly manipulate these purviews; what a changeling can do is defined in the following section. Level one effects make 57

Channeling
Every good changeling knows that every Wyrd bound oath and contract contains loopholes, tricks and hidden gambits that can be exploited. As a changelings affinity with the Wyrd has grows, they can begin to manipulate the clauses and catches of Contracts that extend beyond the limited realms of their singular uses. The first dot in Wyrd allows a changeling to manipulate contracts in the typical way, as described in the Changeling: the Lost rulebook. For such changelings, these effects are almost static, with singular use; often one-shot pony tricks. They are little agreements of power that the changeling has bargained with the purview of that contract. Channeling, on

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themselves available at Wyrd 1, level two effects and Wyrd 2 and so on. Theoretically there are effects of level six and higher, but since changelings have not been known to forge level 6 contracts, no known level six effect have been observed. Finally, two things should be reconciled. Namely that there is some overlap in the powers permitted by channeling, and the static powers granted by the contracts themselves, and that some combinations of effects and purviews may not perfectly align. How effect and purviews interact is largely the discretion of what the player and Storyteller can agree that the contract has influence over.

Read Purview
The changeling can read aspects of her purviews, granting her intuitive understanding of what they are, whether theyre out of place and other interesting details.

Second Level Effects

These are the ways that a changeling can command and influence the purviews of her contracts of the second degree.

Augment Purview
The changeling can either strengthen the power or potency of a phenomena up to twice its original force, or she can increase the durability of a given phenomena up to twice its original resistance.

Mechanics
There are two dice pools when channeling. The first is to determine the successes of the effect itself, and the second is to determine whether the changeling falls to Reverie. Essentially if the successes of the Reverie roll are greater than those of the roll the changeling performs to elicit the channeling, Reverie takes place. Cost: 1 Glamour, per level of effect being summoned. Action: Instant Dice Pool: Willpower (channeling roll) contested by the level of effect + Wyrd (Reverie roll) Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The changeling fails to manifest the effects of her channeling and falls to Reverie with potency one higher than normal. Failure: If the channeling roll fails then the effects fail to take place. If there are any successes in the Reverie roll, then the changeling falls to Reverie. Success: The channeling takes place as imagined, if there are more successes on the Reverie roll than the channeling roll, Reverie takes place. Exceptional Success: The channeling works better than imagined, if there are more successes on the Reverie roll than the channeling roll, then Reverie takes place with potency one level lower than normal.

Preserve Purview
The changeling can prevent the phenomena selected from fading away or diminishing by fortifying it. This can bolster something to exist long after the natural conditions that would allow it to exist have vanished (such as a shadow remaining after its object is gone or flames remaining without fuel).

Size Purview
The changeling can increase or decrease the physical mass of the phenomena within her purview up to twice or half their original size.

Winnow Purview
The changeling can either weaken the power or potency of a phenomena down to half its original force, or she can decrease the durability of a given phenomena down to half its original resistance.

Third Level Effects

These are the ways that a changeling can command and influence the purviews of her contracts of the third degree.

First Level Effects

These are the ways that a changeling can command and influence the purviews of her contracts of the first degree.

Banish Purview
A changeling can likewise banish the targeted phenomena from her presence. It will attempt to depart with as much haste as possible and using the methods of locomotion available to it.

Commune with Purview

The changeling can speak and listen to the phenomena of her purviews. Animals will seem to speak in feral growls only the changeling can understand. The forces of nature will speak with noises that make sense to the changeling (the fire may sound like its crackling to anyone listening but it makes perfect sense to the changeling).

Direct Purview
The changeling can manipulate the phenomena of her purviews according to her will, to the extent that they could naturally be maneuvered. She cannot make the phenomena do things against its nature (so while a changeling might be able to direct the flow of water where it could go downhill, she could not cause it to run uphill).

Know Purview
A changeling can simply glean general knowledge about activities of the phenomena within her purviews that are occurring within the Contracts purview.

Prohibit Purview
The changeling can entirely prevent phenomena within her purview from entering a designated space or location that is within her vicinity upon channeling, or even preventing it from entering her presence as a whole.

Sense Purview
The changeling sends out her senses and can tell (with reasonable accuracy) if the phenomena of the selected purview exists within the near immediate vicinity and where relative to her position it is.

Summon Purview
If the phenomena exist within the nearby vicinity, the changeling can summon it to her presence. The means by which it arrives is not under the control of the changeling.

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Animals will simply travel, summoning lightning would require a storm cloud within the nearby vicinity and it would travel down to meet her. Less mobile phenomena (such as rocks or gold), may simply turn up in a convenient spot. unique Hedgecraft in its own right, and all tend to have some form of dubious and onerous reputation. In all of these crafts, it is assumed that the game includes the substance of gossamer, which was introduced in chapter one. These Hedgecrafts rely on gossamers metanoic properties to augment the already somewhat mystical things of the Hedge into full-blown things of faerie magic. However, gossamer will evaporate when removed from the Hedge. That is, unless the changeling does not render it into something with a tangible presence through the art of spinning or rendering. To perform this process the character must first collect the amount of gossamer they wish to spin, and turn it into long threads. Spun gossamer has a number of different names; including skein but these are other sobriquets, such as filigree, and other local variant nicknames. To turn gossamer into a physical material the target must imbue it with the energies of glamour. A changeling can convert a number of measures of gossamer into skein equal to their Wyrd for the cost of a single willpower point. It requires a kind of meditative trance that lets the emotions of their psyche flood out into the gossamer strands. No roll is required to achieve this transformation, just some time and space to themselves. Each measure takes approximately one minute to transform. Apart from this investment, the process is quite simple. It merely takes several moments of concentration, while the character runs the thread of gossamer through her hands forging it into a physical substance, much like a child might do with some yarn playing cats cradle or similar games. Once material, it retains much of its previous appearance, looking thin and translucent like cobwebs, but with the texture and softness of silk threads. A single measure of gossamer can roughly fill a thimble, either as thread or dust. Collecting it is no more difficult than going into the Hedge and collecting it wherever they can find it. As a shorthand for this collection of gossamer from the Hedge, a character makes an extended roll using Wits + Survival (if you are using the Sojourner Merit, this can also be added to the roll). Each success determines how many measures of gossamer they have collected and takes approximately an hour of foraging, searching and collecting.

Fourth Level Effects

These are the ways that a changeling can command and influence the purviews of her contracts of the fourth degree.

Alter Purview
The changeling can remove components of a phenomena within her purview to create forms that would otherwise be unable to exist. It would allow a changeling to modify a fire so that it gave off light but not heat, or a storm cloud that dropped lightning but not rain.

Mold Purview
The changeling can manipulate the phenomena of her purview to redesign its shape or form. These new forms will not be maintained if unnatural in shape, so a statue made of water will simply collapse into a puddle but one made of earth will maintain its new shape.

Transform Purview
The changeling can change one phenomena within her purview into an entirely different phenomena under her influence.

Fifth Level Effects

These are the ways that a changeling can command and influence the purviews of her contracts of the fifth degree.

Animate Purview
The changeling can give cause the phenomena of her purview to be given temporary life and animation. They are able to act independently as though a creature of mild sentience, but can only direct their own activities with the limitations given by Direct Purview above.

Become Purview
The changeling can temporarily become one of the phenomena within her purview. Assuming an animal allows her to function and behave like one, assuming an element or other natural phenomena allows her to function as though she were animated (see above).

The Crafts
There are five well-known crafts of the Hedge, each of which reflects, to some extent, the motto of home essentials: flags, fodder, and flax (though some will have said the later additions of fire and frig have also found their reflections). For those less familiar with the motto and its archaic terms, flags represented the home, fodder was sources of food, and flax was clothing. To have these things was to be content, and its correlation is one of those happy marriages of coincidence, rather than a deliberate underlying mystical significance. The following section will be broken down by craft. The first and best known craft is represented in the construction of Asylums, little places of sanctuary that changelings forge from abandoned places outside the Hedge. The second craft is the art of Foyson, namely the use of gossamer to create faerie foods and drink. The third art is that of the Voile, crafting gossamer into clothing and other Hedgespun 59

Command Purview
The changeling can manipulate the phenomena of her purview to cause them to move and form in any way she desires, even causing them to do so in unnatural ways. Rain can fall upwards, lightning can spin into a cage around a target or clods of earth can rise up to form a wall.

Hedge Craft
The Hedge is a fundamental part of the ecology of the changeling life world. In the first chapter, we explored in greater depth ideas surrounding an expanded geography of the Hedge, making it a gateway into the dreaming realms. What follows is a series of new crafts of alchemies, witcheries, creations and other concoctions that owe their existence to the bounty of the Hedge. Each is considered a

by Angelus Michaels
garments, imbuing them with unnatural properties of the Hedge. In later times, three newer arts developed, the first being the construction of hearth-fires by creating pyres of gossamer, and then the manufacture of small sprites by using dreams and encasing them in enough gossamer to give them shape and form. Lastly, there is an art that is almost all but forbidden, the manufacture of Dross more commonly known as faerie dust. An abandoned mansion or network of subway tunnels, or small hamlet; equivalent of 915 rooms or chambers A sprawling estate, vast network of tunnels or citadel; countless rooms or chambers Lastly, all Asylums are assumed to have two Doors, like a basic Hollow; one that leads into the mortal world and one that leads into the Hedge. These paths are secret and hidden, and far less prone to incursion than those of a Hollow. However, a changeling can never have any more than these routes in and out of their home.

Asylums
In Changeling: the Lost we were introduced to the Hollow. These are places of haven and sanctuary that can be found within the Hedge. However, many changelings find that the Hedge is far too hostile to place host to their kind, and seek refuge in places within the mortal world. Unfortunately for such changelings, they are quick to find that the mundane world is truly alien to them, they cannot find themselves truly comfortable subsumed wholly in the trappings of the mortal world. Instead, changelings have learned to take the catalytic properties of gossamer, and infuse it over a place, which causes the location in question to become sundered from the locality and bound to the wilderness of the Hedge. It essentially places this location on the border of the Hedge, making the doorways into and out of that realm right upon its doorstep. In effect, it is an annexation of earthly reality. They are little sanctuaries that lie just at the border of the Hedge, typically formed of places forgotten by human habitation; forgotten attics, abandoned warehouses, an old house deep within the forest, a run down subway station, a dried up well or any other space or place otherwise abandoned by humanity. Their very placement on the edge of the Hedge means they are displaced from their immediate vicinity in such a way that they are no longer directly connected to their previous surroundings. To find them a person must find the hidden entrance or the one specific ways in. Such places are called Asylums, and share many similar features with a Hollow. Asylums have the following features: All Asylums are purchased like the Hollow Merit, except it is limited to the aspects of Size and Wards. The main difference is, that Size and Wards can be purchased independently of each other. Meaning that if a changeling has two dots of Asylum Size and one dot in Asylum Wards, and wishes to purchase the second dot of Wards, they only have to purchase it as though buying second level Merit dot, not the fourth. This is because Asylums are not as large as Hollows can be. Hollows tend to demonstrate large communal efforts, often by the entire freehold to create a place within the Hedge of security. Asylums, instead are small personal spaces for the individual or motley. What is covered by the Size merit is on a different scale to Hollows as demonstrated below: A small apartment, underground chamber or garden; 12 rooms A large apartment, small family home or forest glade; 34 rooms A warehouse, church or large home; 58 rooms, or large enclosure 60

Creating an Asylum
The amount of gossamer required to form an Asylum is 150 measures per dot of the Size Merit the Asylum is to have. This amount must accumulate within the radius of the designated area of the Asylum. If this amount is spread over a larger area, the concentration of gossamer is not strong enough to sever it from the flow of mortal time and space. Once a sufficient concentration exists, it must settle for a the turn of a moon cycle as the gossamer infuses itself into the area of the place.

Expanding an Asylum
Once an Asylum is already established, there is a defined perimeter denoting its circumference. To increase its Size beyond this established boundary, a character must in some way annex neighboring territory, bringing it into the fold. This process is much the same as the initial establishment; however there is an additional cost of another 50 measures of gossamer to ensure this new territory is joined to the old. This means that to expand a level 1 Asylum to a level 3 Asylum, a character must gather 350 measures of gossamer and place it around the desired area. 150 for each of the two levels above the 1st, and the extra 50 for the joining.

Erosion of an Asylum.
Technically it is possible to destroy an Asylum, or through inactivity allow its barrier of gossamer to erode. Pieces of gossamer that make up the edge of an Asylum can fall away, or be lost through neglect. An Asylum requires maintenance of 1 measure of gossamer per week, per level of the Asylums Size. Should the Asylum lose 50 measures of gossamer then there will be a breach in its perimeter and the fragile pocket that it is will evaporate, becoming a pocket of Miasma (see page 19) of Size equal to the Asylums Size.

Philters
The meat and drink of the Fae are temptations to be refused. Legends abound of stories where mortals have supped from the mead of the Fae or eaten of their sustenance. This is craft of Philters, the use of gossamer as an ingredient to trigger all manner of alchemical transmutations in their food and drink. At its most innocent, the use of gossamer in ordinary food and drink will produce a consumable that will have strange effects for its imbiber. Such food holds many names, of which ambrosia; nectar and mead are but a few. The food is strong, tasting of unearthly delights and the drink is potent and

by Angelus Michaels
heady. Yet it will provide no nourishment for a creature that isnt of Faerie. Typically, for mortals, these foods induce a sense of lethargy and compliancy. As long as they have the contents of these foodstuffs in their system (approximately for the next twenty four hours) they will be more suggestible and easily manipulated. They will suffer a 1 to either Resolve or Composure based checks, and their effective Willpower is reduced by 2 dots for the duration (the consumers Willpower will return to normal upon the end of the twenty four hours). This subversion of will is often frowned upon by changelings, who see it as a trick worthy of the Gentry. To ensorcell is one thing, to beguile a mortal into obedience is another. Faerie drink is another problem all together. When gossamer threads are tipped into a drink, they almost instantaneously dissolve into the liquid, leaving an odorless and tasteless addition to the drink. Such drugged drinks are granted the capacity to carry glamour within tem, and can become a viable way of storing and carrying a liquid form of glamour, imbibed at a moments notice. One cup can roughly hold one measure of gossamer and glamour. This is not the most insidious potential effect of such philters, which carry a dubious reputation. Its secrets are subtle, esoteric, intoxicating and very frequently dangerous. A Goblin Fruit contains an inherent substance unique to Hedge ecology called foyson. Is it this foyson that grants Goblin Fruits their powers and abilities. By wrapping Goblin Fruits in a measure of gossamer, the gossamers powers suck the foyson out of the fruit, leaving only bitter and tasteless fruit behind. The gossamer, now imbued with the power of the fruit, can be dropped into an unsuspecting drink, passing on the effects of the fruit into a brew. In the current times, the creation of philters is not something practiced openly or at least flagrantly. Though there rarely an official law or protocol against its use, it has since earned a reputation of being highly gauche, or uncultured. Its stigma has created a tradition of it being looked down upon. For most true practitioners of philters, this culture of secrecy and obscurity is how they like it. It allows them to conduct their experiments in secret and train only those they consider worthy of its ways. changelings mien to warp and shape it in strange ways, but like all gifts of Faerie, they have a cost that must be paid. Though the term Raiment frequently refers to fabric garments that have threads of skein woven into it, it can refer to any outfit that has been forged, crafted or otherwise made with a measure of skein. Far more common are Raiment comprised of mundane materials with skein carefully interwoven. Not only that, Raiment is not limited to apparel made solely of fabric. Other objects of adornment can be inlaid with threads of skein, such as jewelry, leatherwork, or even large pieces of metalwork. As long as the object being worked is recognizably a piece of clothing, designed to be functionally worn, the skein will work its metamorphic properties upon it,

Voile
Though possible to create clothing entirely composed of skein, it is an extremely demanding task from the amount of skein required to manufacture. Such rare and truly magnificent Raiments have earned the special appellation of Voile, and are treated like royal gifts, often used as central commodities of exchange in diplomatic negotiations between freeholds and other warring changeling communities. Voile is only truly valuable amongst changelings, as the true value of such garments are lost upon mortals as related in the parable of the Emperors new clothes. Voiles have no Mask, and are only visible to those who can perceive past it. To the mortal eye, garments composed solely of skein appear as nothing more than cadence of light and shadow cloaked subtle around the figures naked skin.

Properties of Raiment
As noted, Raiment has the ability to shift and change the very mien of a changeling, and the principle usage of Raiment comes from this fact. Unlike the Mirror clause of Riddle-Kith, such clothing doesnt just bestow the illusion of a different Kith, but the functionality of one as well. In essence, they are stepping into the skin of another Kith for a duration. The practical uses of this ability ranges from cosmetic alterations, to espionage, to physical prowess. In order to manufacture this ability in the Raiment, the changeling must collect a sample of hair belonging to the Kith they wish to imbue into the garment. However, only one type of hair can be woven into the garment, more than one and the skein cannot properly draw upon the properties of either Kith (if Storytellers are permitting the use of Dual or Multiple Kiths as outlined in Winter Masques taking hair from a changeling with more than one Kith will imbue the said garment with all Kiths that changeling possesses). The drawback to such clothing is that they only change a portion of the mien relative to the area of the body covered. A glove will only transform the hand, and a mask will only transform the face, to achieve a full transformation a changeling must invest in the creation of a full-bodied outfit of Raiment. However, sometimes a partial enchantment is enough, as a little ingenuity will demonstrate that bracers ade with the hair of a Fireheart will give its wearer fiery arms, a great advantage in combat, or a mask made with a Bright Ones hair will grant its wearer the illuminating beauty of that Kith. 61

Raiment
Like any society, the Lost have their weavers, their tailors and manufacturers of couture. Certainly many talented changeling has been known to produce exquisite garments of mundane materials that are far beyond the comparison of most mundane talents. However, unlike mortals, changelings have access to many preternatural materials, including the wondrous fabric known as skein. Clever and artful changelings have, over the years, learned to weave and render this substance into something wondrous in its own right. Clothes and garments imbued with glamour and enchantment. These are not simple hedgespun garments, but clothing woven directly from the metamorphic powers of the mists themselves. Truly, it can be said, that clothes make the mien. Those who know the secrets of Raiment, know that the metamorphic properties of skein is literally turned upon the

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Mechanically speaking, how the abilities of these Raiments manifest is not uniform. While Raiments that entirely transform a changeling will most undoubtedly imbue that changeling with the Kith blessing for a durance, lesser-sized creations will have more limitations on their power. Raiments made with beast hair will more than likely grant its wearer some. Darkling Raiments will grant their wearers with gifts of stealth, subterfuge and other shadowy features. Garments of Elementals will undoubtedly grant the changeling some power associated with their elemental affinity. Those of the Fairest made will be Raiments bestowing beauty, grace, prowess, and majesty. The raw strength, might and endurance of Ogres will be quickly translated into their Raiments. Raiment made from Wizened hair will grant their uses with knacks and talents far beyond the ken of mortal men. 2 3 4 5 Large ornamentation, headdress, vests, boots, bracers Shirts, shorts, skirts Jackets, coats, trousers, dresses Full bodies outfits, ball gowns, ceremonial armor

Step Two: The Measure

The second step is to determine exactly how the Raiment changes or enhances the changelings mien. As the power is directly proportional to the Size of the Raiment, garments less than Size 5 should never bestow benefits that are arguably greater than the Kith blessing as a whole, so refer to the following guidelines: Size 0: Entirely cosmetic changes to the surrounding features. Size 1: May imbue a single skill specialty relevant to that Kith. Size 2: A mundane enhancement relative to that Kith, which may be represented as a +2 modifier to a relevant skill. Size 3: Possibly granting a +1 bonus to a relevant Attribute, a 9 again to a Skill or a minor feat associated with the Kith Blessing Size 4: Either granting a single reasonable feature of the Kith blessing, or an 8 again on a Skill, or possibly a number of smaller bonuses on up to three Skills. Size 5: The Raiment entirely transforms the changeling to appear as the Kith in question, granting them the entirety of the changelings Kith blessing, a 9 again on a relevant Attribute or several Skill related bonuses.

Crafting Raiment
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Crafts Action: Extended (target number is equal to 10 times the Size rating of the Raiment, each 10 successes acquired represents 20 measures of skein used, each roll represents one week of work). Roll Results Dramatic Failure: All accumulated successes are lost on the creation of the Raiment, and the collected skein used shatters becoming useless. The changeling may salvage any unused skein, but must reacquire any that was lost. Failure: No successes are accumulated; the changeling loses a number of measures of skein to waste equal to the Size of the Raiment. Success: The changeling gains a number of successes towards the target number. Exceptional Success: No further effect beyond gaining 5 or more successes.

Raiment and Hedgespun Garments

Some storytellers may not like the idea of having both Raiment and Hedgespun garments as objects available in the game. It may be a point of confusion to have two visibly similar constructs, that are functionally different. One simply solution is to simply use only rules for one and not the other. A Storyteller may elect to use only Hedgespun Garments are written in the core rulebook, and leave out Raiments as the easier option, or simply ignore the rules for Hedgespun garments and use only Raiment if they prefer. The other solution is to simply treat the two as the same thing. After all, Raiment is made of material spun from the Hedge, so the term Hedgespun garment becomes an appropriate epithet. All a Storyteller needs to do is to take any reference to Hedgespun garments and disassociate them from the mechanics of Tokens. Although both Raiments and Tokens are enchanted objects, they are fabricated and function in different ways. It may be that a Storyteller deem any enchanted item of apparel be Raiment, excluding them from being Tokens by any measure, or leave the option for both to coexist. The last option is to simply blur the lines. The moderate ambiguity between the two categories of clothing may allow for some interesting storytelling opportunities of investigation and discovery.

Step One: Selecting Materials

For Raiment to function properly, it must reflect the nature of the Kith that it will attempt to emulate. What the garment is will be the base determiner for what potential it can contain. This association might be concrete or abstract, but it should be visible. Every Kith has very visible motifs about them, and the fabrics of these garments should contain these. If the Raiment is to grant the wearer the Kith Write a short description of the final physical form of the Raiment. This association might be concrete or abstract, but it should be visible. Once you are done with that, stat out the Raiments basic Traits. Write down the physical attributes; Durability, Size and Structure. Physical Traits The Size of Raiment is directly proportional to the enchanted potential it contains. Here are some example sizes. Size Examples 0 Small jewelry; rings, earrings, bracelets, anklets etc... 1 Medium jewelry; necklace, circlets etc gloves, socks, caps 62

by Angelus Michaels

Hearth-fires
Historically speaking, the hearth was the heart of the house. The warmth of the hearth was the lifeblood of most humble abodes, and was the center of household activity. Changelings have used gossamer to empower their home and estate. They craft a hearth-fire (sometimes called a heartfire). A hearth-fire is not like a normal elementary fire, for it is sustained by skein. The Lost know, very literally, how to capture the dancing flames of a hearth-fire inside a delicate sheath of gossamer, to hold and perpetuate its light and heat. Hearth-fires, like most things of Faerie, are affected by the Mask. To the mundane viewer, the hearth-fire will be perceived as nothing out of the ordinary, perceiving nothing but thin air and perhaps a tingling sensation. For the enchanted eye, hearth-fires are large crystalline structures of skein over the flame radiating a twilight glow to the limits of the estate.

Action: Extended (target number is equal to 10 times the Size rating of the estate, each 10 successes acquired represents 20 measures of skein used. Roll Results Dramatic Failure: All accumulated successes are lost on the forging of the hearth-fire, and the collected skein used shatters becoming useless. The changeling may salvage any unused skein, but must reacquire any that was lost. Failure: No successes are accumulated; the changeling loses a number of measures of skein to waste equal to the Size of the estate. Success: The changeling gains a number of successes towards the target number. Exceptional Success: No further effect beyond gaining 5 or more successes.

The Gloaming
The radiance cast by a hearth-fire has a unique effect. The light from the fire is not the brilliant radiance of a normal fire, but instead casts twilight pallor across the entire estate. This light is called the Gloaming, and provides the estate with mystical protection against malevolent Faerie sorceries. The first and most important boon of the Gloaming is discovered solely in the Hedge as it interacts with a Hollows Wards. The Wards become dream-like illusions, disguising the Hollow to appear as just another fixture of the Hedge. For creatures who were not born of Earth, namely the True Fae, Hobgoblins and Fetches, the Hollows Ward aspect also provides a negative penalty to all perception tests to noticing the Hollow. This is in addition to the security that the Wards provide to anyone attempting to invade the place. The second benefit that the Gloaming can bequeath is independent on where it is. It potently protects dreams and those who sleep under the light of the Gloaming will find their dreams less troubled, providing a measure of protection. It is rare for those sleeping under a Gloaming to suffer from nightmares, though those that do (such as those with the Nightmare flaw) will perhaps find them slightly subdued. Any mortal who sleeps under the Gloaming, can add the hearth-fires Size as a bonus to all attempts to resist Dreampoison, for mortals who share a dreaming pledge with the owners of the estate, they may also add the Size of the hearth-fire to their test to determine the Intensity of their dreams. For the changeling or changelings who own the estate, they may augment their Oneiromancy rolls with a bonus modifier equal to the hearth-fires Size, as long as they and the subject they are dealing with are within the perimeter of the Gloaming. The final and least benefit of the hearth-fire must be conducted in the presence of the hearth itself. If an object associated with dreams, such as dream-phials, dream vessels, or even Tokens, is placed before the fire it creates a shadow play of strange forms on the opposite wall. In effect, the shadows it projects are like a dazzling display of the dreams bound up inside the object, all played out in silent pantomime. Some changelings utilize this simply to entertain themselves with a play of the dream itself, while others might try to learn more about the Token they have acquired before using it. Most changelings feel that this 63

Stoking the Hearth

To create a hearth-fire, a changeling must have a suitable hearth in which to weave her wonders. It is not sufficient for a changeling to build a large bonfire in the middle of the open and declare it hearth-fire. In truth, the enchantment is not cast upon the fire itself, but upon the hearth. The hearth becomes like a living cage that traps whatever fire is conjured inside it. Like a prism, the hearth captures the light and heat of the fire and transmutes it into the beguiling properties of the hearth-fire. In order to determine the requisite Size of the hearthfire, the changeling must assess the Size of the estate they are building it on. For reference, look at the Size aspect in Hollow, and use equivalent measures on mundane and changeling estates alike. Based on the Size of the estate, that is what the Size of the hearth-fire must be (so a Size 5 estate requires a Size 5 hearth-fire). In order to forge the hearth into the right manner of tool, the changeling must collect 20 measures of skein for each level of Size the hearth-fire must be. Once this amount has been achieved, the changeling weaves the strands of skein around the hearth to her satisfaction. If an estate should expand in Size after the hearth-fire is established, the changeling will have to expand the hearthfire as well making up the difference in Size for the hearthfire with an extra 20 measures of skein for each Size gained. Until such time as this is accommodated, the fire of the hearth burns low and is unable to provide any of the mechanical benefits that it normally provides. Like normal fire, the flames of a hearth-fire will flicker and flare and burn fuel as normal. However, once the natural fuel of the fire has been consumed, the fires of the hearth-fire will begin to turn upon the skein that provides its supernatural housing for food and will consume the skein at a rate of one measures per minute. This means that after the first minute without fuel, the mystical effects of the hearthfire will fail until it is repaired (requiring the fire to be extinguished and maintained). This has led to the practice of vigils over the fire, to ensure that it is kept stoked with fuel or extinguished properly when unneeded. Dice Pool: Dexterity + Crafts

by Angelus Michaels
effect is more frivolous than practical, probably why they like it. So while it is possible to drain the Shimmerlings of their glamour by drinking their fluids, the Lost consider it a profane practice.

Shimmerlings
Perhaps it is merely one of those strange perversions of Faerie that make changelings more like their masters than they care to admit. Perhaps it is simply just a desire for the same sense of companionship that drives mortals to own pets. In any case, changelings have discovered a way to manufacture diminutive creatures from the Mists, but binding it in a measure of skein. Such small shimmerlings are humanoid in stature, and have barely and discernable facial features. Their skin is smooth and translucent, showing little more than pulsing haze and light inside. Such creatures seem to bear a measure of intelligence, for they are capable of understanding human (and Faerie) speech, and seem to ply their service to their creators. While some do keep these creatures for their amusing and sometimes child-like play, others prefer to use them as tools or indentured servants. Always silent, and ever vigilant, they seem to be the perfect vassals. Yet, isnt that the same arrogant assumption the Others make?

Shimmerling Traits
The Storyteller designs the Shimmerlings traits. Each Shimmerling begins play with at least one dot in each Attribute, with extra dots as listed below. Attributes: 3/3/2 (allocate dots in any order among Power, Finesse and Resistance) Willpower: Equal to Power + Resistance Glamour: 10 (10 Max) Initiative: Equal to Finesse + Resistance Defense: Equal to highest of Power or Finesse Speed: Equal to Power + Finesse + 7 (species factor) Size: 1 Corpus: Equal to Resistance + Size Numina: As well as the Flight Numina, choose two Numina from the available list.

Numina
Animate Tools: The Shimmerling may animate household tools or weapons, but none requiring Strength 3 or more to use. A Shimmerling may not animate more items than its Willpower rating. If it attacks with the animated items, the damage is halved before it meets the targets defense. Crushing Blow: The Shimmerling can deliver a blow that is devastatingly powerful. When the Shimmerling attacks, she may spend a mote of Glamour to double her Power. Entrance: With but a glance, the Shimmerling can entrance the target with its gaze. Such targets once mesmerized lose all their Willpower and is subject to commands of the Fae. The Shimmerling rolls Power + Finesse vs. the targets Stamina + Wyrd (substitute Wyrd for Gnosis, Primal Urge or Blood Potency) or Resolve vs. other Shimmerlings or spirits. The cost of this is 1 for non supernatural creatures, 2 for prodigals and spirits and 3 for Faerie creatures. Flight: No matter what their size or gain of the terrible beast, they may lift themselves aloft and fly through the air at a speed equal to their Power + Finesse. The Shimmerling must spend 1 point of Glamour for every hour in flight. Healing: The Shimmerling can perform supernatural healing by directing her Glamour into the targets health. For every point of Glamour the Shimmerling can heal the targets rightmost injury on the health chart. An extra mote of Glamour must be spent if this injury is aggravated. Insubstantial: Some Shimmerlings have a Numen that allows them to become incorporeal like an illusion or gaseous form. While in this state the Shimmerling retains their normal shape, but they are untouchable by any physical object (however other supernatural effects may touch them). This Numen costs 2 points of Glamour for a scene. Jinx: Some Fae creatures can curse mortals who earn their ire. This Numen allows the Shimmerling to inflict their desired target with a scene of bad luck. For the duration of the next scene or hour, all dice rolls are unlucky as 1s cancel successes. To perform this power, the Shimmerling must expend 2 points Glamour.

Forging Shimmerlings
Each Shimmerling, when forged, develops a potently familial link with their creature. It is an unspoken bond of loyalty, fraternity and honor. It would take great pains and abuse from the changeling who created the Shimmerling to break the bond. A changeling may create and maintain a number of Shimmerlings equal to their Wyrd. Any attempt to create Shimmerlings beyond this will simply meet with failure as the skein fails to bond. To create a Shimmerling, the changeling must spin a web of skein to attempt to catch a portion of the Hedges Mist. Such a web requires 20 measures of skein to make. Generally these webs work best in areas of high levels of Mist, but as a consequence such locations offer the greatest dangers of catching one. Principally, the ability of these webs to catch a Shimmerling is largely up to narration. If the Storyteller and player are inclined to use a dice pool, the player should roll their Wyrd with a positive modifier relative to the pervasiveness of the Mists in the area. Dice Pool: Wyrd + Mist modifier Action: Extended (target number is equal to 10. Each roll represents one day of waiting, should an entire week go by without a single success then the web breaks and fades).

Nature of Shimmerlings
Shimmerlings follow the Trait mechanics given for Ghosts on p. 208 of the World of Darkness rulebook. However, they contain glamour instead of Essence and have a different set of Numina listed below. The behavior of Shimmerlings could easily be described as mercurial, like much of Faerie behavior. They seem intensely inquisitive and energetic, ranging from enduring to frenetic. Shimmerlings are also thaumivorous. They eat gossamer and metabolize it back into glamour. Glamour directly sustains these creatures, and is directly related to their vitality. A Shimmerling that loses their last measure of glamour will die within the hour unless given a new source. 64

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Quicksilver: This Numen allows the Shimmerling to move at incredibly fast rates, allowing it to evade capture by even the wiliest of captors. By expending 1 point of Glamour the Shimmerling can double her speed. Serendipity: Certain Shimmerlings can grant those in their favor with a blessing of luck. The selected target benefits from the 9 again rule for the duration of the scene. It costs the Shimmerling 2 points of Glamour to activate. If a character can resist the lure of Dross, a +1 die bonus is gained to subsequent attempts to deny the cravings. The character can beat her nascent addiction if the player ever scores an exceptional success on a Resolve + Composure roll. Its as if the character never tasted Dross at all. If she imbibes Dross again, however, she feels the cravings once more. When a character falls short of complete addiction, the cravings for Dross can fade with time, as long as the character avoids temptation. For each year in which a character stays away from any exposure to Dross, one die is added to Resolve + Composure pools to avoid temptation. A character never really beats the desire, however, until the player scores an exceptional success on the Resolve + Composure roll. Mien: Dross is seemingly composed of fine and white crystals (far finer than most anything a mortal has seen) and seems to have gentle flecks of color hidden throughout it. It looks like a drug, it has the same texture as a drug-powder. Drawback: This is not so much a Token as a Trifle, each measure of Dross must be manufactured with an equivalent measure of glamour.

Dross
Dross is a substance that is created by further refining Oddments. It has gone by a number of other names over the years and is popularly referred to as faerie dust by the unenlightened mortals. To create Dross, they must take an assortment of oddments and imbue them with glamour. The mixture is then crumbled into fine dust. Dross carries with it the mote of glamour that was imbued into it. Dross can be consumed giving the imbiber a rush of glamour. In mortals this gives them a strange psychotropic high for a short period of time, but unlike any mundane narcotic they have tried. A changeling who imbibes the Dross takes into herself the mote of glamour she just consumed. She is too used to the addictive nature of glamour to be affected that strongly. A number of changelings have taken to the practice of storing spare glamour within Dross. While this may be reasonable for emergency supplies, it is not an economic method of storing. The fact that other changelings, fae and mortals can consume Dross does sometimes mean that the versatility of Dross is worth the cost of its making. One place where Dross is more commonly found is within the Goblin Markets, since Dross is a commodity that the Gobs seem happy to trade in. Any time a character who has imbibed Dross receives a chance to do so again, the mortal rolls Resolve + Composure. A single success allows the character to resist the temptation. The more one gives in, the harder it is to exercise self-control. Faerie creatures, whom are somewhat accustomed to glamour already add their Wyrd to this roll. Each time a character gives in to the yearning for Dross, subsequent attempts to resist temptation suffer a cumulative 1 die penalty on the Resolve + Composure roll. Eventually, the character's Resolve + Composure dice pool drops to zero and a chance roll is all that's left. At that point, the character is completely addicted. Not only does he have very little chance to resist the craving, he doesn't want to. A derangement is imposed instantly if the player makes a dramatic failure on a Resolve + Composure roll to resist the temptation of Dross. Addicted characters often become obsessed with other drug consumption, thinking that they might gain some measure of the same rush they once felt. They also frequently grow obsessively dependent on any purveyor who supplies their Dross, becoming willing to do anything anything! for another fix. Many dealers exploit such addiction, but doing so carries its own risks. Obsession can take many strange forms. One addict may simply allow herself to become bound to the service of the changeling supplier in hopes for their occasional fixes; others will attempt to subjugate the changeling and farm them for his Dross.

In s p ir a t io n
When things of Faerie enter a mortals life, it has the power of terrible change, terrible insights and revelations. These very experiences can drive people to states of delirium and madness. Yet, just as many of the mad in ages passed were thought to be touched by the divine, their ravings interpreted as prophecy or glossalia, the mortals who have been exposed to Faerie can be transforms in ways far more subtle than the transformations of the changeling. While a changelings transformation is almost principally external, there are a number of mortals whose experience of Arcadia, the Hedge, or even changelings creates an internalize transmutation. These mortals are known as the Inspired, and they are far more insidious than their changeling cousins, for their transformation is entirely internalized. For all magical scrutiny, they seem to be mortals though their behavior may clearly give them away. A mortal may become Inspired for any number of reasons. They may have been abducted to Arcadia, but escaped from their Keeper before forging any contracts. They may have been ensorcelled, who have just spent far too much time immersed in the otherworldly affairs of the changelings, and become unstuck. They may be mortal who have preternatural sensitivity to dreams and received revelation in their lucidity. They could have been mortals who broke a pledge with severely life-altering punishments. They could have been mortals whose emotional rape and pillage for glamour left such raw trauma that it opened the door to deeper and further madness. It could simply be a mortal who, under the influence of mind-altering narcotics, wandered into the Hedge accidentally to find transformation there. Whatever the reason, all Inspired can point back to some cataclysmic event that warped who and what they are. In game terms, Inspired function in similar fashion to changelings, in that they are infused with a measure of Faerie, that manifests through their madness. While changelings can measure their connection through their 65

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Wyrd, Inspired remain mortal and have no such Supernatural Advantage. Instead, the Inspired measure this change through the Merit of Inspiration. It is a milestone Merit represented below. unstuck, a veritable passage between the waking world and dreaming realms. For a mortal to increase their levels of Inspiration, they have to throw this door wide open. In essence, the Inspired is a walking daydream, a bridge between the waking world and the dreaming realms. To become more immersed in their Inspiration they must submerge their waking minds further into the seas of their dreaming thoughts. This can happen in a number of ways: Sojourns: Travel into deep parts of the Hedge (especially the Labyrinth) are certain to leave an Inspired further unstuck in their madness. Though it is the most dangerous of all options for a mortal who is still an intruder in these realms, it is by far the most effective. Madness: What simpler way to open the cracks of perception than to induce further states of madness. By willingly suffering sufficient trauma or experiences to cause the Inspired to either increase the severity of an existing Derangement, or introduce a new Derangement to the character, the Inspired may raise their level of Inspiration. Magnum Opus: Many of the Inspired have some overriding driving passion or obsession. Often these are artistic in temperament, or require some similar act of crafting. When an Inspired pursues her particular obsession, she is likely to bring out hidden depths. The creation of a magnum opus is an extended action, requiring a number of successes equal to 10 x (the characters dots in Inspiration + 1). The interval of time per test is relative to the type of endeavor being undertaken and should be decided upon by the Storyteller, as a guideline each test should take approximately a day or so. Success means the Inspired has achieved an internal transformation through their creation and their level of Inspiration increases. A dramatic failure at any point means that all successes are lost and the Inspired must start again.

Milestone Merit: Inspiration ( to )

Prerequisite: Mortal (nonsupernatural) Only mortal, mundane characters can possess this Merit. The pivotal moment of becoming or being changed into a being with supernatural capabilities eliminates it. This Merit does not measure how much the character knows, nor does it measure a characters relationship with Faerie and faerie creatures (Merits like Patron and Allies on page 114 of the World of Darkness Rulebook are better indicators of that). Dots in this Merit purchase special traits and effects similar to a changelings Supernatural Advantage. The effects of this Merit are cumulative: a character with Inspired receives all of the benefits listed below. Inspired may posses a number of points of glamour up to their dots in Inspiration. They may Harvest glamour in much the same way as changelings. However, they will only ever draw one glamour from harvesting glamour from emotions, regardless of the circumstance. Second Sight (): The character has the ability to perceive through the Mask as though she were Ensorcelled. Shattered Psyche (): The characters mind is sufficiently warped that it becomes hard for her to be affected by mind affecting troubles. When defending against challenges that require her to use Resolve or Composure, she may instead elect to substitute her Inspiration Merit in place of either of these Attributes for the defense against her mind. Gasconade (): The Inspired is so infused with the stuff of Faerie that she reads to other faerie creatures as though having a Wyrd of 1. Dream Master (): The characters dreams are her own. She is capable of remembering her dreams with clear Lucidity and may add her Inspiration Merit to the Intensity of her dreams. Bardic Compact (): The character is so flooded with the nature of Faerie that she may perform a limited form of pledgecrafting, as though she had a Wyrd of 1. Pledges are limited to the types of Vow, Oaths on the Name of a Higher Power and a Corporal on a Mortal Emblem or Geas. Pledges are also limited to the tasks of Alliance, Endeavor, and Forbiddance; Boons of Adroitness, Favor and Glamour; Sanctions of Curse, Banishment, Flaw and Poisoning of Boon; and Duration upon to a Season. Drawbacks: The Inspired are more than a little troubled by their experiences, they have fallen to a measure of madness and there is very little relief in sight. When making a degeneration check, the character suffers 1 to their roll. Furthermore, any Resolve + Composure roll made to resist a derangement effect manifesting is made at 1, this increased to 2 in any scene where she spends glamour.

Storytelling the Inspired

The role that the Inspired may take within your chronicle can vary. They are not designed to be deliberately antagonistic to changelings, and in those who were abducted to Faerie and escaped before being changed into changelings may express no small level of sympathy to changelings. The Inspired are meant to be fairly unique creations. They have no society by virtue of not having a large enough population to form one. They are outsiders, unique madmen each with their own agendas both terrible and noble. Inspired can be worked into a chronicle as a supporting member to the motley or freehold, or otherwise given a supplementary and independent relationship with the freehold in question. If, however, you wish to allow characters to play Inspired, a Storyteller may wish to introduce a number of the Glamour rules provided in chapter two to reflect the nature of their supernatural madness. In particular, the Shadow, Reverie and glamour rush mechanics are ideal to heighten their plight.

Acquiring Inspiration
The first instance of Inspiration always comes through some form of exposure to Faerie and its inhabitants. This experience so unhinges the mortals that their mind becomes 66

Cantrips
Inspired have arts of their own making powers stolen from Arcadia and the dreaming realms. An Inspired is able

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to take a measure of their madness and give their delusion a spate of reality. They summon forth a fragment of their changed psyche and rewrite the local reality with it. The arts of the Inspired are called cantrips; they are all illusory and fictitious creations with fragile existences. However, the Inspired are often as clever as changelings themselves, and can utilize these powers to strong effect. Cantrips are organized into groupings known as Opuses, for each is an enhancement of a set of skills or talents of human origin. These are the ten Opuses known to the Inspired: Augury: The art of perception; grants heightened senses to extra sensory perception and clairvoyant ability. Chicanery: The art of deception; grants the Inspired powers to confuse and confound the senses of others. Conjury: The art of summoning; grants the power to summon forth or manifest many things. Conquest: The art of war; grants the Inspired the ability to augment their physical and martial prowess. Legerdemain: The art of puppetry; grants the Inspired the ability to twist and manipulate things around her. Mesmerism: The art of beguilement; allows the Inspired to enchant the hearts and minds of others. Sortilege: The art of soothsaying; lets the Inspired manipulate luck and destiny. Sovereignty: The art of statecraft; gives the Inspired powers of deportment, command and authority. Transfiguration: The art of shape changing; is used to change the shape, components and visage of things about. Wayfare: The art of travel; gives the Inspired the power to manipulate the tempo of distance and movement.

Manner
Every cantrip will manifest itself in one of two ways, either it will be called canny or uncanny. Cantrips that are canny are ones that do not radically warp reality. They are the ones that can remain as simple illusion or deceits of the mind. They are tricks put to good use and nothing more. Uncanny cantrips, on the other hand, require a stronger investment of psyche from the Inspired as they are physically manifesting a change the world about them, no longer illusion but given tangibility. Any cantrip that is uncanny requires the expenditure of a single point of Willpower beyond any glamour costs already stated.

Duration
Cantrips are not long lived. While a rare few create permanent and enduring transformations, most flicker and are gone at the most lasting no more than five hours. The Duration of a cantrip will either be concentration, momentary, enduring or perpetual. Perpetual A lasting cantrips effect becomes a natural part of reality. For example, a cantrip that heals a target is lasting as the cantrip has tricked the natural healing processes of the body into inducing a permanent change. The effects of this healing does not wear off with the effects of the cantrip. Concentration-based, momentary and enduring cantrips all create sustained effects, such as transforming someones shape. Their effects ends once the cantrips Duration expires. Concentration A concentration-based cantrips Duration is as long as the Inspired applies mental effort to keep it going. The Inspired cannot take any other action, except for simple movement (up to her Speed; she cannot run). The Inspired also receives no Defense against attacks, although she can seek cover from ranged attacks. If the Inspired is attacked, a reflexive Resolve + Composure roll must be made for her to maintain concentration. If the Inspired stops concentrating for any reason, voluntarily or not, the cantrip ends. The exception is if she decides to add Duration factors as if it were a transitory cantrip (see below) before the cantrip is performed, in which case the cantrip lasts for an additional time equal to its assigned Duration, and then lapses. The Inspired cannot start concentrating on a cantrip again once she has stopped, even if the cantrip hasnt lapsed yet. Momentary Momentary cantrips exist for a number of turns equal to the dots of Inspiration Merit held by the performer of the cantrip. Enduring Momentary cantrips exist for a number of scenes equal to the dots of Inspiration Merit held by the performer of the cantrip.

Purchase of Opuses
Opuses are acquired much like contracts. They are gained in sequence. Meaning that the Inspired must purchase them in order, having the second dot before the third dot. Upon gaining Inspiration the Inspired may select one of the Opuses as an Affinity. They gain one dot upon Inspiration and the rest may be purchased at new dots x 5. Every other Opus is purchased at new dots x 7.

Changelings and Opuses

While not explicitly stated, it is assumed here that Opuses are available only to the Inspired. A Storyteller may, however, permit the use of Opuses by changelings as well. If the Storyteller decides it to be appropriate, he may allow cantrips among the already formidable arsenal of magical abilities available to them. Storytellers should be very careful about this as Storytellers must weigh the power and the shortcomings of cantrips against those of contracts. Changelings will have the same dice pools as the Inspired, being limited to an Attribute and a Skill. Sympathy is based on a changelings Clarity. If changelings are able to acquire cantrips alongside contracts, Storytellers should increase the XP costs by one with the following Opuses as Affinity. Beast: Augury Darkling: Chicanery Elemental: Wayfare Fairest: Sovereignty Ogre: Conquest Wizened: Sortilege

Sympathy
The other fact that Inspired must deal with is their Sympathy to the world around them. Their experiences with Faerie have left them unstuck and as they slowly degenerate into madness, their ability to maintain coherent ties to the world around her fades. The more complex and sophisticated phenomena of the mortal world evades the grasp of her Opuses.

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The Morality of the Inspired sets the measure of Sympathy an Inspired has to the world around them. For every degree of Sympathy lacking, the Inspired subtracts 2 from the cantrip roll. This means that if an Inspired has only the ability to affect Tools with Sympathy and is targeting a Gadget she would subtract 4 from the cantrip dice pool. This penalty is in addition to any inherent defense that a target may have through their inherent supernatural defenses. Morality Sympathy 0-1 0 2-3 4-5 6-7 8-9 10 Naturally, most Inspired do not have sufficient Morality to target everything entrenched in the world around them. However, this only serves as the base line of Sympathy. If the Inspired can touch the target they automatically gain 2 more degrees of Sympathy. If the Inspired is physically touching a piece of that target instead of direct contact with the target, then they gain only 1 further degree instead. Physically holding a person will give 2 degrees, whilst holding a piece of their cut hair or nails will only grant 1 degree. It should be noted that holding a pledge with another Actor grants the same bonus as if they were touching. The five degrees of Sympathy for each of the Realms are broken into three categories as follows: Sympathy Actor Prop Scene Intimate Trinket Wilderness Known Tools Garden Acquaintance Machine Rustic Encountered Gadget Urban Described Appliance Industrial Machine: Objects with mechanical or movable parts but without a fuel source (clockwork toys, waterwheels or guns). Engine: All fuel powered devices that do not have computer chips or digital technology (white goods, engines and motors). Gadget: Any other technology that uses computer chips or digital technology.

Scene
Scene represents locations and places the Inspired can be in. Each degree of sympathy represents how cultivated the location can be. Wilderness: Any natural territory that is nominally claimed and overseen by mortals. This includes nature preserves, national parks and scenic attractions. Garden: Any natural landscape that is cultivated, such as farmland, gardens, parks and zoos. Rustic: Low density environments with small or occasional amounts of behavior, such as isolated cottages, art colonies, sporting arenas, radical places of worship and jails. Urban: Medium density environments where there is a moderate level of activity, such as churches, theatres, community outlets and places of education. Industrial: High-density environments with frequent or bustling activity, such as military barracks, shopping malls, courtrooms and industrial complexes.

Cantrip format
Brief description of the cantrips effect.

Realm Effect
A description of how the cantrip manifests when directed upon one of the three Realms. Realm: The Realm targeted Dice Pool: The dice pool used for the cantrip on this Realm. Duration: The base duration for the cantrip. Manner: Whether the cantrip is canny or uncanny.

Actor
For the purposes of this Realm, any entity that can be communicated with, and interacted with on a personal level (be is combat, negotiations or making love) are considered to be Actors. Each degree of Sympathy represents how familiar the Inspired is with the target. Intimate: Someone you have known for a very long time, a confidant or family member. Known: Someone that you know, such as a friend, coworker or teammate. Acquaintance: Someone you have only met briefly, though you know a few personal details about them. Encountered: Someone who you have met only once, either in passing or briefly. Described: Someone youve never met before, but have had described to you.

Weaving a Cantrip
To perform a cantrip an Inspired must be able to describe the target through sympathy (if needed). Cost: 1 glamour (+1 Willpower if uncanny). Dice Pool: Attribute + Skill Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The cantrip does not work and secondary effects happen like a channeling. If the Inspired goes into Reverie, their effects might be more severe, at the Storytellers discretion. Failure: The cantrip does not work; the Inspired must check for Reverie. Success: The cantrips effect takes place as imagined. Excess successes can be applied to the cantrips primary factor. Note: If the target can contest the roll and her successes equal or exceed the cantrips successes, the cantrip does not affect her. Exceptional Success: The cantrips effect takes place better than imagined.

Prop
The Realm of Props covers objects and tools that can be picked up and utilized by the Inspired. Each degree of sympathy represents how complex the object can be. Trinket: Crafted items that can be considered to be personal apparel (clothes, jewelry, makeup or tattoos). Tools: Crafted objects that have no mechanical parts (knives, screwdrivers, chairs or doors). 68

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Augury
Augury is the art of sensitivity. Its function and design allows the Inspired to either increase the acuity of her senses of grant herself senses beyond the normal mortal array.

Intuition
With Intuition an Inspired opens up her senses to the world around her. It grants her a heightened intuition about the object of her inquiry. The intuitive abilities of this cantrip brings her attention to the minutiae of her observations, elucidating all that the little details that could otherwise escape notice.

cantrip will point her in the right direction. The number of successes determines how strong and how acute the sense of pull is. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Wits + Investigation Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Knowledge of the True Name

By turning and gazing at a singular person, the Inspired is able to determine the true nature of a person they espy. If the target selected is physically disguised, the Inspired is able to determine what aspects of that person are false or misleading. If the form of true form about a target is supernatural, the Inspired gets an underlying notion that the thing they're encountering is such, but not necessarily its true nature. If the target is being shrouded by an active supernatural power, than the successes of this power contests the successes of the shrouding power. If more successes are gained then the effect fails against the Inspired, if less then the Inspired is none the wiser. Storytellers should make both rolls to prevent characters from having out-of-character knowledge of when they fail. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy contested by targets Resolve + Wyrd; resistance is reflexive Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Craftsmans Eye
This allows a character to temporarily gain an intuitive understanding of the nature of any single device. For the duration of the scene the Inspired may be considered to have a specialty in the appropriate skill for that item. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Wits + Crafts Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Slip of the Tongue

When targeting a subject of the Actor Realm the Inspired is able to scrutinize them in such a way as to learn something significant of their manner and behavior. Each success allows the Inspired to gain one pertinent piece of information; a pertinent piece of information is not likely to be a damning secret, but it could be their name, or other personal facts. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Wits + Socialize subtracting targets Resolve Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Twilight Vision
Gazing over a scene with this cantrip allows the Inspired to perceive into Twilight within that Scene only. This reveals to her the presence of any ghosts or spirits or other entities that might otherwise be found lurking in Twilight. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Occult Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

The Hidden Door

When Intuition is used upon the Scene Realm, the locality opens its secrets up to her. Secret rooms, doors, and various nooks and crannies that might otherwise be concealed are brought to the Inspireds attention. One secret per success. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Investigation Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny

The Velvet Whisper

Any Inspired who would wish to know the nature of secrets would best be able to understand them when he encounters them. The use of this cantrip grants an Inspired mastery over the flow of languages, both written and verbal.

Second Sight

Cipher
When used upon a written sample, this cantrip will allow the Inspired to understand the text regardless of the language it is in. It is not merely a transliteration, but a conveyance of the nuances and meanings of the script at hand. However, more than that, the languishing aplomb of this cantrip can aid an Inspired in deciphering encoded or cryptic messages, or otherwise glean a clue to a physical puzzle. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Manipulation + Academics Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

The cantrip Second Sight gives the Inspired the ability to see things beyond the mundane granting her a supernatural ability to discover things that is hidden or secret. No longer the quick observances of Kenning, but a true glimpse with otherworldly eyes. Some say that an Inspireds eyes glow with a soft phosphor when this power is active, though many more suggest its just part of the glamour working or an unintended side-effect.

Finder Seeker
Targeting the Prop Realm allows an Inspired to perform a simple locator cantrip. As long as she can define the object of her inquiry and it exists within a the local region, the

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by Angelus Michaels Eavesdrop

Some Inspired call this the word on the street, for it allows the Inspired to effectively eavesdrop, as it catches all the whisperings upon the wind and brings them to the Inspired ears. While active, the Inspired can hone in on any conversation within sensory range as long as there is a current of air between the two points. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Manipulation + Streetwise Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny will include anything that is generally being considered at the moment. Yet certain subconscious thoughts that are powerfully evocative and demanding the Actor's attention may stand out if they are persistent enough. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy contested by Resolve + Wyrd if target is unwilling; resistance is reflexive Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny if a supernatural creature targeted, Uncanny if a mortal

Scrying

Tongues of Babel
Language barriers become no problem for an Inspired with this cantrip. In using the cantrip upon an Actor target the Inspired intuitively understands whatever the person they are communicating to is saying, even if they do not understand the language they speak. Conversely their target is able to understand the Inspired with similar fluency. Though the Inspired is really only communicating back through gesture and emphatic wording. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Manipulation + Expression Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

At the peak of her understanding, the Inspired can literally project her senses or force sensual communion from one place to another. Like all Inspired powers, extending its arts beyond the Inspireds horizon will require the expenditure of more glamour to achieve the desired effect.

Borrowing
The use of this cantrip on an Actor that the Inspired has sympathy with allows the Inspired to ride the senses of that target. In this way the Inspired will see and hear all the things that the target experiences. However, while using this cantrip, the Inspired is unaware of the activity around her body, although she will be aware of anyone who touches or otherwise interferes with her body. This effect can be stopped at any time. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Intelligence + Empathy subtracting the targets Resolve Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny if a supernatural creature targeted, Uncanny if a mortal

Fey Gleaning

This cantrip attunes the Inspireds sensitivity to the resonance of thoughts and emotions, to the ripples that thoughts and emotions leave and other impressions left by psychic phenomena.

Moments Glimpse
When used upon a local scene, the Inspired is able to replay a single scenes worth of activity within that scene. The Inspired can go back up to one hour per dot of Augury she possesses. Though the scene will seem to play out to the Inspired in full, it only takes a few seconds of concentration to observe the entire scene. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Occult Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny

Tattletale
This is a traditional form of scrying that allows an Inspired to use a physical object as a medium to create a twoway channel of communication. A proper medium of this requires a reflective surface of some kind, which includes mostly things like mirrors and windows, although many metallic objects are bright and polished enough to constitute reflective, however a small pool of water inside some crated receptacle, like a bath or bowl will also suffice. Essentially, this cantrip creates a window between these two surfaces allowing people on the two opposing sides to observe the activities on the other side. This two-way window is limited only to sight and sound. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Psychometry
Like a form of Psychometry, touching a prop target will give the give the Inspired the most significant information about its recent activities. These experiences are given over to the Inspired in the form of strong emotional impressions. A knife used in a murder will convey the hot sting of the stab, while a childs favorite blanket will convey the feeling of warmth and security. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Wits + Academics Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny

Vision from Afar

As long as a Scene is within the Inspireds range, she may project senses to its location. While projecting their senses, the Inspired may see, hear and experience anything as though she was there. However, while using this cantrip, the Inspired is unaware of the activity around her body, although she will be aware of anyone who touches or otherwise interferes with her body. This effect can be stopped at any time. Realm: Scene

Silent Communion
By selecting an individual actor with this power, an Inspired can effectively hear the surface thoughts of that target as clearly as listening to them speak. Most typically thoughts that can be heard are usually surface thoughts and 70

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Dice Pool: Intelligence + Investigation Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Circumlocution
This cantrip displaces the perception of where he stands within a scene. Its most practical application is in combat as people are mentally tricked into believing that their target is approximately 2 feet to the left of where they should be (or any other direction for that matter). For the remainder of that scene the Inspired gains a positive modifier to their defense equal to their dots in Chicanery. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Manipulation + Stealth Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Chicanery
Chicanery is an Opus of trickery and guile; it is the art of deception. It allows them to fugue and distort targets senses of perception, even going to far as creating powerful and real illusions, creating illusory images to disguise themselves and the world around them.

Loom of the Trickster

The first step to the path of chicanery allows the Inspired to mimic aspects of things he can generate Sympathy towards. This cantrip is effectively one of blending in and disguise.

Sensory Deprivation
An Inspired can affect a persons senses in one of three ways. Firstly, she can enhance the targets selected sense. Giving her +2 to any perceptual dice pool that utilizes that sense. Exceptional Successes will allow the character to have extraordinary senses within reasonable limits; such as allowing them to see in absolute darkness, or see and hear frequencies outside the targets normal range. Secondly, she can diminish that targets sense penalizing them with 2 penalty on that sense. Exceptional successes allow the Inspired to deprive the target of that sense entirely. Lastly, an Inspired can create minor distortions in the acuteness or sensitivity in such a way as to throw off that persons sensual acuity creating a peripheral distraction (such as a shimmering out of the corner of their eye, or a itching in their skin). Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Manipulation + Medicine subtracting targets Resolve Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny if a supernatural creature targeted, Uncanny if a mortal

Camouflage
When this cantrip is used with a prop, it will allow the Inspired to project a correct seeming persona associated with that image. For example, if used upon a police officers hat it will allow the Inspired to project the idea to others that he is in fact a police officer. Used on a stethoscope the Inspired appears as a doctor. Obviously most of the applications of this relate to items of clothing or apparel, but other clever uses have been known to exist, such as one Inspired who used it on straw to appear as a scarecrow to hide. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Composure + Larceny the highest Resolve of observers Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Face in the Crowd

Simply put, this allows the Inspired to become a faceless person in a crowd. As long as they have some people to blend in amongst they will be readily over-looked unless they begin to behave abnormally out of sync with the rest. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Composure + Subterfuge the highest Resolve of observers; resistance is reflexive Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Tricks of the Trade

This cantrip is a favorite amongst pickpockets, for it allows an Inspired to virtually perform any sleight of hand that is imaginable. It should be pointed out that no actual skill of prestidigitation is actually performed, but merely that the witnesses eyes are distracted in such a way that they fail to notice otherwise obvious manipulations. Such as the aforementioned pick pocketing, or even lock picking and other such slips of the hand. Exceptional successes allow the Inspired to perform blatantly illegal (and non-violent) acts in direct line of sight without being caught. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Manipulation + Larceny contested by subjects Resolve + Wyrd; resistance is reflexive Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny

Hide
While the Actor Realm allows the Inspired to blend into a crowd, this cantrip simply allows the Inspired to remain occluded from sight by blending in with the scenery. However, this has limited use and requires the Inspired to remain still, lest the illusion be broken. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Composure + Stealth the highest Resolve of observers Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Stock
One of the more traditional tricks of the Fae was to overlay a bundle of sticks with the illusion of a baby, or to disguise worthless stones as gold. It is with this cantrip that Inspired learned to perform this ability. This cantrip allows the Inspired to create a physical illusion over another target, now no longer limited to the demands of Fuddle.

Fuddle
Fuddle gives the Inspired the power to manipulate and occlude another persons senses in some way. This is usually to disguise the Inspireds own activities in some way.

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by Angelus Michaels Faerie Gold

This cantrip allows the Inspired to increase the value of a selected object. That is, it can overlay an ordinary object with the illusion of wealth, turning a wooden nickel into a golden coin, or a twisted piece of wire into a sapphire ring. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Intelligence + Subterfuge subtracting the highest Resolve of observers Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Helm of Hades
The Inspired can now completely shroud a target from sight. This illusion of non-existence will maintain itself only as long as the target does not do any action that will deliberately draw attention to themselves, such as attacking another target. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Intelligence + Stealth subtracting the highest Resolve of observers Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Guise of Man
The Inspired can completely repaint the physical appearance of the selected target. Not only will it allow her to assume the identity of any person that shes met with perfect replication. This includes replication of such things as voice modulation and disguising slightly abnormal behaviors. However, this illusion is not merely limited to replicating normal human features. Success allows the Inspired to repaint the target as any vaguely humanoid creature, including such supernatural forms as Gauru (though this will not cause Lunacy). Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Intelligence + Expression subtracting the highest Resolve of observers; resistance is reflexive Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

The Missing Door

When cast upon a scene, this cantrip causes that location to become a hidden alcove or dell from the eyes of those who would seek them. Frequently this cantrip can be used to short effect allowing any room, or enclose space to become obscured from the minds of those who would seek entry. The Inspired suffers a -1 penalty for every portal into and out of the enclosed space and is limits by the Size factors available to her. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Intelligence + Intimidation subtracting the highest Resolve of observers Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Mirage
Like the mirages of the desert, an Inspired can imbue a location with a single illusory feature. Anywhere within the scene she may project an illusory copy of something she is currently touching, provided she has sympathy with the target in question. Targets that would normally be animate remain still an unmoving, providing only a figment of illusion that might be momentarily distracting or divisive. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Intelligence + Crafts subtracting the highest Resolve of observers Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Phantasmagoria
The Inspired is no longer limited to working with given features and the limitations of mere trickery. At its height the illusions created by Chicanery are nothing short of living phantasms. The reality of these illusions weigh so heavily on the mind that victims will experience them as real for all intense purposes. For every point of damage that is received by one of these fantastical creations the victim receives a point of mind burn instead of physical damage.

Masterpiece
As though fashioning a device from air, an Inspired can manifest a tool or object according to her desires. Like other phantasmagoric objects, the items manifested with this power must be something she can describe through sympathy. The object created begins with Size 1, Structure 1 and Durability 1; for every success she may increase either Size or Structure of this object by 1, but she may not increase its durability, as they are merely illusions. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Dexterity + Crafts Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Out of Sight
The powers of Chicanery grow at this point to allow an Inspired to completely hide the target from sight and from mind. These illusions are deceptions of the mind only. They will not fool any visual recording equipment or other form of electronic observation. If the target of this cantrip is being watched by remote viewing it will not transfer.

Concealed Article
An object of the Prop realm targeted by this cantrip becomes shrouded in mystery. It presence is hidden and ignored even when sitting in plain sight. The Size of the object obscured it limited by the Size factors available to the Inspired. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Intelligence + Subterfuge subtracting the highest Resolve of observers Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny 72

Tulpa
The Inspired summons forth the image of a living sentient creature and bestows it with independent animation. The type, appearance and nature of this person it limited to people she could feasibly define through sympathy. Beyond that however the Inspired is limited only by her creativity. With each success the Inspired can implant one significant instruction to the figment, which it will attempt to pursue to the best of its abilities. In the pursuit of these actions, the Tulpa will not deviate from its

by Angelus Michaels
achievements but has minimal consciousness to interact with its surroundings. Unless the Tulpa has been given specific instructions to interact with a given situation (such as answers to a category of inquiry, or programmed responses to certain situations), the illusion may potentially be shattered. A person encountering the Tulpa may make a Wits + Empathy roll against the successes of this cantrip in situations where the Tulpa's lack of programming might give it away. If the witness gains more successes than those of the cantrip, the illusion falls to pieces. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Resolve + Expression Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny manners of speech and phraseology if it significantly different. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Wits + Expression but those who are familiar with the targets voice may contest with a reflexive Wits + Empathy roll Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny

Voice Box
The Inspired can throw her voice to the source of a single Prop. Through this she may speak and be heard as clearly as if she was standing there. Typical uses of this cantrip include the charming of earrings to ensure that her voice is heard directly by one single person or targeting a box so that her voice can be heard when opened. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Wits + Crafts Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Painted Vista
Targeting a Scene will allow the Inspired to repaint the surrounding environment. Small cosmetic changes, such as changing the apparent color of a door, or turning a field of flowers into a field of wheat, can all be accomplished without any further cost to the effect. Other larger changes, like making night look like day, disguising the edge of a cliff or oncoming traffic, each require an additional success beyond the first. If an illusion is ever constructed in such a way as to provide a hazard for someone they may make a reflexive Wits + Composure roll contesting the successes of the cantrip, if they achieve more successes than those of the illusion than they come to their senses and most probably remove themselves from the location. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Survival Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Tumult
This cantrip creates a low but steady swell of power within its target that grows and rises from deep within them slowly building up to an increasing momentum until it either overflows from the target or crashes like the crest of a wave.

Gremlin
The object selected becomes wild and unruly in the wielders hand. It seems to move strangely in the hand of its user, falling to the side, slipping in the hand or otherwise being uncooperative in use. For a number of turns equal to successes, the target item when used will become more cumbersome. For every die added from an equipment bonus will cause a single dice result of 1 to subtract a single success from the pool. Therefore a piece of equipment that grants an equipment bonus of two will subtract two successes from a test result turning up three 1s. If the number of successes in this pool is reduced to zero of less because of this, a dramatic failure is considered to have happened. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Manipulation + Larceny Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Conjury
Those who study the Opus of Conjury have learned the manner in which things may be called forth or summoned. Conjury is an art of manifestation that lets these artists summon forth what they need out of hand.

Ventriloquism
The first trick of Conjury allows an Inspired to manifest voices to the target in question. Though the voices are usually the Inspireds own, certain Inspired have learned to replicate other voices when throwing them to create the illusion of someone elses voice instead.

The Cup Runs Over

With a successful sympathetic connection the Inspired can cause the smallest of that targets emotions to flood and overflow. The intensity of these emotions are so powerful as to be all consuming. For the duration of the effect the target suffers a mild derangement that subtracts their pools by the number of dots of Conjury the Inspired has for a number of turns equal to the Inspireds cantrip successes. It should be noted that emotions summons with this cantrip are fictitious. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion contested by the Targets Composure + Wyrd; resistance is reflexive Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny

Far Cry
An Inspired can use this Realm to throw her voice to any location that she has Sympathy to within the local vicinity. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Socialize Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Mimic
By selecting an Actor with this cantrip an Inspired can temporarily mimic the voice of that person. The tone and modulation of their speech perfectly matches the Actor's, however an Inspired may need to make a successful Manipulation + Expression roll to attempt to replicate the

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by Angelus Michaels Quake

It is easy to consider the fixtures of the scene around you as static and unmoving. This is an illusion that is very shattered by the powers of Tumult turned upon the Realm of Scene. The swelling energies of the cantrip cause the Scene to rock and roil around as though affected by a minor tremor. The strength of this tremor is equivalent to the number of dots in Conjury the Inspired possesses and lasts for a number of turns equal to successes. While active all standing characters must make a Dexterity + Athletics test with a target number equal to the Inspireds dots in Conjury; if they fail they will fall over. Similarly, structural damage is likely to be done if the number of dots in Conjury is greater than the fixtures Structure. Often this damage is superficial, resulting in cracks and flaking, but severe enough damage may degrade the fixtures to breaking point. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Manipulation + Science Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny Dice Pool: Strength + Medicine contested by targets Stamina + Wyrd if they are unwilling targets, resistance is reflexive Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Unseen Alcove
The Inspired is able to turn some feature of the landscape, such as a wall, the ground or even the roof into a receptacle for another object, be it a person or a physical object. This object may merge into that feature for the duration of the power allowing it to remain hidden and inaccessible as the objects very being is diffused amongst the mass of the area. At the expiry of the effect the object will be expelled from the area. Living creatures thusly submerged have no awareness of the immediate surroundings and are effectively in a suspended state of animation until they emerge. The Inspired can cancel this powers effects at any time. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Strength + Occult Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Chimerical Melding
A Chimera is a creature comprised of more than one component from different sources. This cantrip allows much the same effect. It allows the Inspired to blend the components of two things together temporarily manifesting quite monstrous things at times.

Heart Strings
It is said that the Inspired know all that a heart desires, and that they can pull upon these strings to many an effect. This cantrip allows the Inspired to summon and manipulate such strings of desire, allowing them to draw to them or others such coveted items or people.

Penetration of Form
The cantrip used on this Realm allows the Inspired to infuse a single object into another inanimate object. Enmeshed items do not, in any way, interfere with the others functioning (so a sword stuck in a chest, or vice versa, does not leave any mark in the chest). So in this way, an Inspired can make strange hybrid devices that tap into the ability of both. Realm: Props Dice Pool: Strength + Crafts Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Mooch
This is a simple cantrip that teleports a single object into the hand of the Inspired. The Inspired need not physically perceive the object in questions, meaning that it could be hidden in a pocket or under a shirt; as long as it is something she could feasibly hold in one hand (so cars are not applicable). Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Manipulation + Larceny Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Union of Two Forms

Unlike the other uses of this cantrip, targeting the Actor Realm does not cause a physical blending. Instead it creates a mystical connection between the two targets that allows them to pool their very being. While active, the Inspired and her target have a combined pool of Health levels; these should be marked upon an individual sheet, and wound levels already possessed should be noted. While this entwinement exists, all damage felt is dealt towards this combined pool. Visually, the shared damage appears as simultaneous, but reduced wounds on both targets. So a cut that would normally be a deep wound on a single target instead manifests as two smaller wounds on both. The downside to this effect is that this damage remains after the effect is expired. Starting with the player with the most Stamina, divide the damage one by one starting with the left most damage in the combined health box. Realm: Actor

Pathfinding
Unlike the other two Realms, the Scene cannot realistically be summoned; instead the calling power inverts and draws the Inspired towards it. As long as an Inspired keeps a location in mind, this cantrip will guide her in the most expedient way possible, taking advantage of natural short cuts and pathways, and may even help the Inspired find ways into a secured area. The number of successes gained determines how expedient the route taken is or decreases the potential difficulties encountered. As an example, if she were to attempt to penetrate the security of a Hollow she can reduce the effective rating of that places security by one when attempting to find a way in. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Manipulation + Streetwise Duration: Special Manner: Canny

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by Angelus Michaels Siren Call

The Siren Call is a cantrip that releases a powerfully evocative summons to the person targeted. If affected by the call, the person will attempt to come towards the summoner with the best haste possible. Such a summons will not cause them to think rashly or act against good conscience, such as putting themselves into danger, but it does implant an almost irresistible desire to go and attend the person in question. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion contested by subjects Composure + Wyrd; resistance is reflexive Duration: Special Manner: Canny in question is cut off temporarily from current space and is placed in its own warp of reality where a sense of linear space and time are askew. Since this target is no longer within normal space, rules for physical relations applies only weakly and a persons subjective point of view comes to the fore. From the perspective of people inside there seems to be no consistent point of reference and the world around them is much like a broken jigsaw of walls meeting floors meeting staircases meeting aqueducts and windows. From the outside perspective it seems as though the location has simply vanished, as the adjacent spaces connect. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Streetwise Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Cornucopia
Claiming mastery of Conjury is no mean feat. The ability to summon forth manifestations grants the Inspired the literal ability to create duplicates of nearly anything she desires. These duplicates appear and mostly function nearly exactly like the original, but all of them will fade at the expiry of the cantrips effect.

Conquest
The art of warfare is one as old as humanity itself, though they are not the sole purveyors of its art. As an Opus of war and destruction it tends to draw upon its manifestations of chaos and confusion as its powers of Conquest can also create discord. For the most part, the cantrips of Conquest rely on some form of touch to perform. The Inspired may need to physically touch their opponent to inflict upon them the curses of this Opus, or hold the object that is being ensorcelled. This may require the Inspired to perform a touch maneuver against their target.

Counterfeit
Typically, the effect of this cantrip is to double the amount of a single good or produce for a short amount of time. Normally copies made are things like food, treasure or anything that can be quickly traded away. However the use of this cantrip to create commodities is limited, as the items in question will fade upon expiration of the effect. Some Inspired have used this effect to good use with weapons allowing for a quick replication of a weapon an opponent might be holding or similar. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Wits + Crafts Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

The Wyld Hunt

The art of war began with the hunt, the skills developed in the wild give birth to the aptitudes now used on the battlefield and to hone a warriors skill. This first cantrip starts an Inspired with such skills, that they must learn before any other.

Elfshot
The Prop affected by this cantrip becomes imbued with a virulent poison. When this weapon finds its target it releases it into their bloodstream causing fatigue and dizziness. However, mechanically speaking, the poison has no toxicity rating. For a number of turns equal to the Inspired's dots in Conquest, the affected target must make a check against Fatigue. If they fail in any of these tests they collapse from exhaustion. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Wits + Firearms/Weaponry targets Defense Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Doppelganger
The twins created through the cantrip of doppelganger are physical copies, but without any true independence or autonomy. They can behave and mimic the behaviors of those copied, but lack the ability to act with initiative or with independent thinking. Neither too are the completely subservient to the conjurer alone. They are prone to take orders from anyone that would normally be perceived as having a higher status or standing than the original within that environment (so a doppelganger in an office environment will take orders from the original's mortal boss). Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Wits + Medicine contested by subjects Resolve + Wyrd; resistance is reflexive Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Lay of the Land

Targeting the Scene Realm will give the Inspired a reasonable idea of the lay of the land. While this isnt true topographical mapping, it allows the Inspired to have a reasonable idea of the features of the selected landscape. Allowing the Inspired to benefit from the Direction Sense Merit for the duration of its effect in the area selected. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Academics Duration: Enduring 75

Escher Trap
The multiplicity effects of this cantrip play merry hell upon a Scenes spatial lay out. By multiplying the features of a Scene they begin to fold in on themselves creating the phenomena known as the Escher Trap. In effect the location

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Manner: Canny

Tracking
Combined with the Actor Realm, Kenning is able to allow the Inspired to detect and locate the current position of a person she is aware of, and furthermore allows the Inspired to keep a track of the espied targets movements for as long as she maintains focused on them. However, should the target leave the Inspireds sensory range she must expend a mote of glamour to maintain the connection. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Wits + Survival; if target is deliberately covering tracks with mundane or supernatural means, the successes of their roll contest this roll Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Wrack and Ruin

The use of this cantrip can be particularly nasty as it allows the Inspired to cause physical dissonance within the target, effectively causing it to rip, tear or be rent as the components or body parts are damaged directly.

Agonys Kiss
When a victim is afflicted with this cantrip they are wracked with a sense of burning pain. This pain is debilitating as though they were suffering from wound penalties at a rate of -1 per success capped at 5 or the Inspired's dots in Conquest, whichever is lower. If a victim is already suffering from pain modifiers this effect does not stack on top of those penalties, the severest penalty is in effect. Should the victim suffer more than -3 points of penalty then they are suffering a sense of pain beyond normal human tolerance and may require a Resolve + Composure check simply to keep focused. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Strength + Brawl subtract targets Defense Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny if a supernatural creature targeted, Uncanny if a mortal

Valor
To continue the steps on the path of war are to endow the individual with the skills of the soldier. Whether enforcing the warriors strong arm, or giving them battle acumen, this cantrip exalts the warrior within.

Martial Prowess
Inspired through using this art can use almost any weapon with natural ease. Upon activation it allows the Inspired to substitute either her Firearms or Weaponry skill with her Conquest dots for that weapon alone in the duration of this power. For this cantrip to work, the Inspired must be holding the weapon in question and can only be under the effect of one Martial Prowess at a time. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Strength + Firearms/Weaponry Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Crumble
A fixture in a Scene when this effect targets them is inflicted with a powerful pulse. Many people are aware of how crystal glass can shatter when exposed to certain frequencies. This cantrip allows the Inspired to duplicate this feat on any crystalline, metallic or other inorganic homogenous solids by sounding out a pure note that resonates at the frequency of that substance. For every success beyond the targets Durability the target suffers a point of damage and loses a point of its structure. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Strength + Survival Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Samsons Strength
The most basic effect of this cantrip allows the target of the Actor Realm to gain a surge of sudden strength giving them prodigious power. For every success the target increases their Strength by 1 for the duration up to a maximum limit of the dots of Conquest the Inspired has. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Strength + Athletics contested by Stamina + Wyrd if target is unwilling, resistance is reflexive Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Vorpal Blade
The effect of this cantrip is limited to weapons that are in the hand only. It will not extend to weapons that are thrown, projected or otherwise hurled at an opponent. As such, it is mostly melee weapons that are affected by this cantrip. Weapons that are effected will have their damage category upgraded by one, so objects that do bashing now do lethal and objects that do lethal now do aggravated. However, the normal restriction for aggravated damage still applies meaning that an Inspired must spend an additional point of glamour to upgrade damage to Aggravated damage. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Strength + Weaponry Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Sighting the Battleground

Key to victory on any given field is being aware of any danger that might come. An Inspired that activates this cantrip over a Scene will become immediately aware of any threat posed to her whilst standing in it. In game terms, the Inspired benefits from the Danger Sense Merit for the duration of the effect while she remains in the targeted Scene. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Strength + Academics Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Cry Havoc
As this power grows in strength the cantrip of Cry Havoc lets the Inspired sew the seeds of discord before him. It casts the subjects of his cantrips into complete disarray.

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by Angelus Michaels Maelstrom

The very land itself it turned upon the enemy as the ground beneath them and the land around them turns upon them. The land erupts into chaos all about the Scene as the ground bursts with projecting stones, glass shatters and the streets bend and break. Shards of debris are literally sent flying in a wild storm of destruction. Not only will this cause serious damage to the Scene in question, but it will inflict a point of bashing damage (or lethal if the Scene is largely composed of metal or glass) for every turn to all people within it. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Dexterity + Survival Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny as the fog of war descends upon them. Anyone who wanders into a scene will be unable to determine friend from foe and may viciously hack and attack their comrades with equal vigor as their hated rivals. In the mind of those affected all living targets in the scene are seen as monstrous and savage making the victims fear for their life. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Presence + Occult Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Unbreakable
One of the worst things that can happen in a state of war is for a machine or weapon to fail whilst being wielded. The use of this cantrip means that an object cannot suffer damage from any form of damage except aggravated damage. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Presence + Academics Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Malady
A victim of this cantrip is afflicted by a sense of complete distortion of her surroundings. Essentially her senses become overloaded and confused with each other causing them to become disoriented and dazed. The target temporarily loses a dot from Wits or Dexterity for every success the Inspired gathered. These reductions start from the highest value of the two and work their way down. This may of course reduce that target's Defense. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Dexterity + Persuasion contested by the subjects Composure + Wyrd; resistance is reflexive Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Legerdemain
This Opus uses physical manipulations to further their personal agendas. As an art it grants the Inspired who weave it the power to physically influence, move and control objects fro a distance, even changing their very nature after a turn.

Twiddle
The Inspired can cause a subtle bump or change in the target, possibly pushing it to get it moving or increase its momentum, mayhap to knock it over. It can also be used to steady or hold in place for a second.

Two-Edged Sword
The Prop affected by this cantrip becomes dangerous for its wielder to use. Such a weapon will turn back on whoever uses it, dealing half the damage dealt (rounded down) back upon its user. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Dexterity + Crafts Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Ankle Tap
By applying the tiny amount of force available with this cantrip, an Inspired can trip up a person of the Actor realm by literally sweeping them off their feet. Actors affected can contest as usual but will otherwise be affected by the knockdown effect. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Dexterity + Brawl targets Defense Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny

Aegis
Legends speak of the invincibility of many of the Inspired; this power draws upon such legends bestowing its users with arts to ward them against harm and damage. It is a powerful art that can make a single Inspired almost a oneman army.

Knock
The effort of this cantrip exercised upon the Scene allows the Inspired to create a rapping or knocking effect anywhere within it. Though it has little more effect than the percussive noise, canny Inspired have used this cantrip to effect where other forms of communication cannot suffice. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Dexterity + Larceny Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny

Invulnerability
Like the name suggests, this cantrip gives the Actor with a potent form of protection. It allows an Actor to reduce the category of damage received by one. Aggravated becomes Lethal and Lethal becomes Bashing. Bashing damage does no damage at all. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Presence + Athletics Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Trigger
Many objects have some form of switch or trigger that will activate or deactivate them. The use of this cantrip allows an Inspired to perform this requirement from afar. The effects of this cantrip would not allow the fine 77

Fog of War
The confusion of a battle can win or break a war. A Scene thus affected will confuse any legion that wanders in

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manipulation required to punch in a keypad, but it would pull a trigger or press a doorbell. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Dexterity + Science Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny the target is something that would fall apart naturally, the duration is transitory. Manner: Uncanny

Gimmick
This cantrip gives the Inspired the ability to manipulate objects, places or people at a distance by hand. In effect allowing her to remotely apply her hands as though touching the object directly.

Wyld Weaving
It was once a favored practice of the Inspired to tangle things into knots. This cantrip is such a power and allows the Inspired to tangle any mass. It need not be hair; it could also be vines, carpet, rope, branches, limbs, shoestrings or any number of things.

Artifice of the Juggler

The power to lift and throw objects is the purview of this cantrip. An Inspired can remotely manipulate objects and though handling them herself. For the purposes of maximum weight that can be lifted, the cantrip assumes the lifting limitations of her own Strength. She is not given extra power to lift objects she could not otherwise lift. It should also be noted that fine and skilled manipulation is not easy with this cantrip, assume that the force used to move objects is like the palm of a hand. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Strength + Larceny targets Defense Duration: Concentration Manner: Uncanny

Elflocks
When dirty hair became clotted together it was superstitiously put down to elves, hence the term elflocks. Unknowingly to modern mortals, these superstitions where sometimes true, for the use of this cantrip can leave a person's hair in knots. More than that, this cantrip causes a victim's hair to grow wildly and tie itself into whatever is handily nearby, be it twigs, grass or the person's clothing. This typically leaves the person caught or sometimes blinded, but normally with restricted head movements. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Dexterity + Medicine targets Defense Duration: Momentary, though the cantrips effects are only transitory the effects of entanglement are lasting until undone manually. Manner: Uncanny

Crushing Grip
The powers of Gimmick acted upon an Actor will render them immobile with crushing force. Effectively this cantrip allows an Inspired to grapple a target from a distance, using all the normal rules of grapple with the exception that a grappled target cannot use an overpowering move back on the cantrip performer. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Strength + Brawl targets Defense Duration: Concentration Manner: Uncanny

Fastenings
Objects targeted with this cantrip become brought together and enmeshed by its cantrips. This can be used in a number of ways; one way is to simply tangle and bind the objects in question into a tight knot. To attempt to undo this knot require a Dexterity + Crafts roll with more successes than those of the cantrip. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Dexterity + Larceny targets Defense Duration: If the target is something that would naturally remain entangled once cast then the duration is Lasting, if the target is something that would fall apart naturally, the duration is transitory. Manner: Uncanny

Unseen Barrier
The planes of force created by the Gimmick cantrip can be turned upon a scene to create a continuous plane of force. This has one of two uses, it can create a solid wall that provides a barrier with an armor rating equal to the number of successes created. Otherwise it can be placed horizontally to form a bridge of air that the Inspired can walk across. The plane is fixed in one single place and cannot be moved after the cantrip is performed. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Strength + Science Duration: Concentration Manner: Uncanny

Unnatural Eddies
This cantrip used upon the Scene Realm creates a central focus around which a small eddy manifests. On physical objects this effect can be used to either create a barricade of the enmeshed effects or potentially used to ensnare a target. On fluidic or gaseous targets it creates things like whirlpools or wisps in the air. The cantrip can only be used to affect targets that could potentially flow. This includes slowly moving objects like branches and tar, and loose and granular solids like sand or soil, but not such things as stone or metal shields. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Dexterity + Occult Duration: If the target is something that would naturally remain entangled once cast then the duration is Lasting, if

Ambrosias Rejuvenation
This cantrip can be used to repair or restore the form of a target. If used on a mortal or other creature it can help heal them. If used on an object it can repair structure in an attempt to mend its breaks.

Heather Balm
The powers of this cantrip can be turned upon a living Actor to heal their wounds. Flesh will knit and wounds will seal themselves up before your eyes. For every success gained

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the target removes the right-most wound penalty on her health chart. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Wits + Medicine Duration: Perpetual Manner: Canny if healing Bashing damage; Uncanny if healing Lethal or Aggravate damage moving her own body but sending the instructions elsewhere. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion contested by targets Composure + Wyrd, resistance is reflexive Duration: Concentration Manner: Uncanny

Reforge
The reweaving properties of this cantrip can repair an object that is degraded or damaged. For every success, the cantrip restores one lost point of structure. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Wits + Crafts Duration: Perpetual Manner: Uncanny

Shambling Husk
The Inspired gives the animating power to the scenery itself, creating a living shambling husk of a creature from the stones of street and the wood of the walls and all manner of objects. This shambling mass is typically humanoid in shape and for the duration of the cantrip it uses the bygone rules having Power, Finesse and Resistance which all start at 1. Its Corpus is equal to the targets Structure + Power, its species speed factor is equal to 2 (though bonuses may be given by the Storyteller if it has a natural form of locomotion like wheels) and its Willpower is 2. For each success, the Inspired may add one to any of the targets Attributes. The animated target will move about with a will and mind of their own, though they will generally supplicate themselves to the orders of the Inspired who cast the cantrip. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Manipulation + Occult Duration: Concentration Manner: Uncanny

Reclaim the Streets

Targeting the Scene Realm allows an Inspired to restore structural damage to features of the Scene. It can refortify the door that is being broken down, or repair a smashed window. It may even rebalance minor and subtle architectural flaws if the Inspired has an intrinsic understanding of the buildings design. For every success, the cantrip restores one lost point of structure. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Streetwise Duration: Perpetual Manner: Uncanny

Magicians Apprentice
This cantrip allows the Inspired to animate targets with a life of their own. This cantrip only affects inanimate things, from objects, to landscapes or even living but immobile life forms like trees. The invested glamour essentially gives them a temporary will of their own to move and work about as they please.

Mesmerism
The Opus of Mesmerism is perhaps one of the more subtle arts of the Inspired. It grants the Inspired the ability to sway the hearts and minds of Inspired and mortal alike; it is an art of beguilement, enthrallment and entrancement. Through this Opus the Inspired is able to manipulating the auras and resonance of her targets to project or contrive certain emotions and feelings.

Automaton
A Prop vested with the power of this cantrip is given a votive ability to move of its own accord. Essentially, the cantrip turns the Prop into an animated object. The selected object is able to do any of its functions at will by moving its own parts, so a gun can fire itself, a computer can type out messages on its screen and a telephone can emit audio sounds. These objects have only fleeting intelligences and sentience. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Manipulation + Science Duration: Concentration Manner: Uncanny

Accordance
The simplest effect of Mesmerism that an Inspired can perform is to cause a form of sympathy between two targets.

Consecrate
The Prop becomes bound to the Inspired through the mystical accordance of the cantrip. In game terms, the Prop affected becomes tied to the Inspired and will not provide an equipment bonus to any character but herself. If more than one of this effects is laid upon the Prop, all casters may use the equipment bonus of said item. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Manipulation + Occult Duration: Concentration Manner: Uncanny

Puppetry
The victim of this cantrip becomes a living puppet for the Inspired. The Inspired, from a distance, can direct and manipulate the actions of that individual as though it was her own body. However, an Inspired performing this is unable to move her own body, which is not to say she is comatose or unconscious, but that she can only direct the movement and manipulations of a single body at a time. From the perspective of the puppeteer, it is as though she is

Intrusion Ward
A Scene claimed into Accordance becomes tied to the Inspired in such a way that she is aware of any single incursion that would happen in that space. However, this effect only alerts her of intrusion, not the nature or identity of the intruder. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Manipulation + Streetwise 79

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Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny and need to laze about. For a person to actively get up and leave requires the expenditure of a Willpower point and the contested roll. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Presence + Subterfuge subtract the highest Composure present Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Synergy
Accordance with a target of the Actor realm creates a sense of sympathy between herself and another Actor, essentially allowing them to fall into sync with each other. The two are in a state of emotional communion and what one feels is strongly reflected in another. As such, the two targets gain the 9-again rule on all social rolls between them as they are empathetically attuned to each other. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy, contested by subjects Composure + Wyrd if unwilling, resistance is reflexive Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Tranquility
Not all the arts of the Inspired are wild and unruly. Through the use of this cantrips weavings an Inspired can impose a sense of peace and quiet over a place. This generates an almost unnatural sense of quiescence that lulls the people affects into a languor.

Calm Waters
With this cantrip an Inspired may entice the Actor into a serene emotionless state. Emotionally manipulating effects such as from other cantrips cannot harm him. Each success will counter the success on a cantrip, magical effect or ward upon him. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Composure + Empathy contested by the targets Presence + Wyrd; resistance is reflexive Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny if a supernatural creature targeted, Uncanny if a mortal

Fascination
The Inspired can twist the glamour to grant something a glamorous faade. This preternaturally imbues the target of the cantrip with an irresistible pull of attraction.

Cestus
This power imbues the target of its effects with an aura of magnificence and charisma, while under its influence those who are observing the target will view them as far more charismatic than they otherwise might be. The use of such a power can sway the hearts and minds of its observers. While active, the target gains a positive modifier equal to the successes of the cantrip on all her non-supernatural Socialization, Persuasion and Intimidation tests for the duration of the effect. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Presence + Socialize subtract the highest Composure present Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Peace of the Land

When used upon a Scene Realm, the Scene in question is levied with a demand of peace. A sense of serenity and peace befalls the location and even the thought of violent activity is often squashed by this effect. To overcome this peace bond (and perform any aggressive act) the subject in question must expend a willpower point and overcome the successes of this cantrip with a contesting Composure + Wyrd test. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Composure + Politics Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Cynosure
The use of this cantrip on the Prop Realm imbues an item or object with an entrancing aura. Any who gaze upon it must make a reflexive Composure + Wyrd test or else be entranced by its beauty, imagined or not. While entranced in this object they can perform no other action except to stand and stare in admiration. This cantrip can be used upon works of art to make them more magnificent, or even be used upon a piece of worn clothing to transfer the effects onto the wearer. However the beneficiary of this is only the vicarious recipient of the magnificence of the worn item and not the subject of attention itself. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Presence + Crafts subtract the highest Composure present Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Swords to Ploughshares
The object of this cantrip becomes anathema to violence. For any person to lift it and use it in the name of violence requires an extraordinary volley of will as they must overcome the bubbling distaste emanating from the object. In game terms, the player must spend a willpower with every attack they use on that weapon and furthermore, they will are prevented from gaining any positive modifiers to morality loss as a result of using that object. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Composure + Persuasion Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Garden of Earthly Delights

The radiance of Fascination allows an entire Scene to be transformed into a veritable paradise, at least in the minds of those who are inside it. Any person trapped inside this scene when the effect goes up will feel a strong sense of languor 80

The Mirror of Adamant

Though the psyche of a person is an often dynamic thing, this cantrip allows the Inspired to lock the targets resonance in place granting a supernatural stillness of the mind.

by Angelus Michaels Halcyon

Through the use of this cantrip, an Inspired can coax a person out of the ravages of extremely chaotic psyches. It can becalm the storms of people's minds so to speak. If used upon a person raging with emotions it will normally becalm them. Furthermore it can also reduce the severity of a supernatural malady, such as a vampiric frenzy, an Uratha death rage or an Inspired's reverie. The Inspired, however, must gain a number of successes equal to the target's Wyrd, Blood Potency or Primal Urge to becalm this fury. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Composure + Persuasion Duration: Perpetual Manner: Canny if a supernatural creature targeted, Uncanny if a mortal Dice Pool: Intelligence + Larceny Duration: Perpetual Manner: Canny

Forgotten Presence
This ability allows an Inspired to erase her very passing from the scene. All physical evidence that she was there is erased in a single instant; fingerprints and footprints disappear, bits of blood from that person evaporate. Not only does this remove physical residue of her own person, it also erases any physical recordings of her in that scene, as long as the medium for the recording exists within the immediate vicinity. If, on the other-hand, the camera projected the signal to a place far from the immediate vicinity it would remain unaffected. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Intelligence + Stealth Duration: Perpetual Manner: Uncanny

The Spindle of Years

Many stories abound of enchanted sleep cast upon hapless victims is told in stories of the Inspired. This cantrip used upon the Scene Realm will cause such an effect upon all who stand or step foot within its locale. The victims of such a sleep will drift off to slumber and remain in soporific torpor the duration of the scene. This sleep is supernatural and the victim may not be roused short of violence levied against them. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Composure + Occult Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

The Fogged Mirror

In effect the Inspired can reshape and modify the targets memories of a single scene. The more successes gained, the greater the modification can be. With a simple successes she can change one small details of the scene but not affect the over all nature of the recollection. Alternatively she can change one important feature of memory, for instance, she could change the recall of the identity of someone in a single memory or its location. However they must still fit into continuity, a person cannot simply appear to be one person one moment and then change in front of her eyes. Exceptional successes allow the Inspired to modify one important feature of the memory regardless of continuity and still seem convincing, however this effect is only prolonged as the weight of the memory eventually over-rides the power of the glamour. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Intelligence + Persuasion subtracting the targets Resolve Duration: Perpetual Manner: Canny

The Unmovable Object

Objects will not move when bound by the magic of this cantrip. Any Prop affected will be weighed down with incredible defiance to all but the strongest of willed people to lift it from its resting place. It should be noted that this immovability is a ban within the mind to being moved as opposed to an increase in physical mass. To physically lift the object from its place of rest a player must roll the contested pool against the successes. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Composure + Science Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Sortilege
The powers of Sortilege allow the Inspired to weave her skills over the Wyrd itself, lending her the ability to forge, mend and shape its flow. It is the art of fortune telling, and divination. Through it she can influence chance, fate, destinies and even oaths. This is a prized Opus whose art directs the flow of fortune in their favor.

Psyches Mirror
No longer needing to play on the surface thoughts and immediate perceptions. The Inspired can now delve into the depths of the targets subconscious and modify perceptual memories.

Gift for the Little People

The affect of this cantrip on the Prop Realm causes the targeted item to become forgotten for the duration. This has one of two functions, not only does it occlude the presence of the Prop from any would-be observers, it also means that items being held, used or otherwise in the hands of a target are likely to be forgotten about and placed to the side or dropped in an absent-minded fashion. However, this effect doesnt work if the item in question is a weapon and the person is facing a physical threat. Realm: Prop

Vactination
All things carry a strand of fate, a flow of the Wyrd either consciously or not. Some things weight more heavily and even have a force to pull other peoples flows. This cantrip grants the Inspired eyes that can see such flows.

Dowsing
An Inspired may use this power to empower a rod, or pendulum or other device that can be used in a dowsing manner, to lead the Inspired towards the subject of their search. This will only take the Inspired via the most direct 81

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route possible, and only if the subject desired is within the Inspireds immediate vicinity. Furthermore, unless the Inspired has a clear focus or objective this cantrip may likely fail. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Wits + Investigation Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Wits + Academics targets Wyrd if unwilling Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Like Clockwork
Objects empowered with this cantrip are able to function at peak efficiency and utility. The object in question will not break or fail even under the harshest of conditions. At Storyteller discretion an object thus affected may have negative penalties removed or equipment bonuses added at a rate of 1 per success. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Intelligence + Crafts Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Finding the Flaw

The structural integrity of any given feature of the scenery is the result of carefully balances design and architecture. However stress is a constant factor and may weigh in upon the place at any time. An Inspired with this cantrip can use it to pinpoint the weakest point of a Scene's structure. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Intelligence + Science Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Bardic Gift
The bards of old were not merely entertainers and jongleurs. Their words and lyrics were considered to weave the weft of fate. Many a mortal bard had more than a touch of the Wyrd with him and this cantrip draws upon such power to grant preternatural arts.

Reading the Wyrd

A simple cantrip that lets an Inspired glean the workings of Fate upon a person. It will automatically reveal any effects of Wyrd about them allowing the Inspired to learn the nature of any oaths the target may have sworn, along with other supernatural effects that might touch upon the flow of destiny (such as the Mage Arcarnum of Fate) or the Destiny Merit. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Manifest Destiny
The Bardic Gift upon an Actor floods that person with a sense of power and purpose. This is usually done through an inspiring prose or a rousing song. In this manner, the target thus inspired is focused on the task or activity expressed in the song. As long as the Actor works towards the goals of this song they may gain a +4 modifier to their pools when spending a Willpower instead of the normal +3. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion targets Composure if unwilling Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Probable Cause
With this cantrip, the Inspired can grant a target with great luck or misfortune by manipulating the flows of Wyrd to affect chance and probability.

Fortunes Wheel
The flows of luck can be used to affect the pure probability of the current location. As a cantrip is a combination of slight prescience and slight control of the flow of fate in his immediate environment. Typically this is limited to games that rely solely on chance to succeed or win, the more complex the probability influenced the greater the penalty that is levied. Pure probability (dice rolls) -. Human interaction (card games) -2. Complex social or biological phenomena (horse races) -4. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Larceny Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Prevarication
An Inspired with the proper tools can use this cantrip to literally bring their stories to life. As long as the Inspired narrates, the scene in question will manifest images and sounds to accompany with the narrative. These are only halfsolid illusions, and cannot be mistaken for anything but a phantasm, but they can be great for brining figments of the mind a way to be seen and heard. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Presence + Expression Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Soothsay
Lies and deceptions leave taints upon the Wyrd. An Inspired who uses this cantrip upon a Prop empowers it with the bindings of truth. A person who holds this item cannot pronounce a word or deliberately mislead through falsehood. In doing so their words will ring hollow or sound out of place to all who can hear it. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation Duration: Enduring

Kismet
When cast upon an Actor this cantrip grants that person the effects of the boon or curse on a number of actions equal to the successes of the cantrip. If granted a boon they gain the 9-again for all of their actions. If jinxed they subtract 1s from their total successes. The Inspired or the Actor does not determine the actions that they affect. They are number the next number of turns within the scene. 82

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Manner: Canny

Pythons Prophecy
The Inspired can use this cantrip to literally pierce the veil of the future. Her skill with the weave of Wyrd allows her to follow their threads to the most likely outcomes. The future sight from this cantrip is not made with absolute certainty; they are merely the most likely outcome, based on current events.

Divination
While objects themselves rarely have any form of future resonance about them, this cantrip will allow an Inspired to channel the effects of the cantrip in such a way that the object becomes a vessel for divination. Essentially the Inspired opens an inquiry to the object at hand allowing for a series of questions to be asked and gleaning some understanding of future events through its actions. This effect, in many ways is like reading a deck of cards, or perhaps some rune stones. However, an Inspired with this cantrip may toss any collection of items at hand and have them provide some sooth of the future. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

constitute the formation of a normal oath. While the target is not physically compelled to obey, woe betides those who would break its decree. The victim will have 1s cancel all successes until they either remove the effects of Fate's Edict or successfully accomplish the original task. For the purposes of gramarye, this cantrip does not count as an oath. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Wits + Intimidation contested by the targets Resolve + Wyrd if unwilling; resistance is reflexive Duration: Special Manner: Canny

Reversal of Fortunes
Though this doesn't actually turn back the flow of time, it does allow an Inspired to rewrite the immediate history of the local scene. Essentially the Inspired changes the fate of that scene allowing the characters and the players to act it out once more. The effects of this cantrip are limited in that it only allows events that are completely local to be rewritten, events that depend on external or large-scale phenomena are not touched. The Inspired may only go back a number of scenes equal to the successes. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Occult Duration: Special Manner: Uncanny

Foreshadowing
When performed upon a local scene it gives the Inspired an understanding of how events will unfold in the next scene. Effectively the Storyteller should give the Inspired one item that foreshadows or forecasts events, as they are about to occur. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Intelligence + Investigation Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Sword of Damocles
When touched by the weavings of fate, an Inspired can implant a single condition into the selected object that must be met by the next person who touches it. Like Edict, this command can only be a single sentence long and not impossible to fulfilled. Once bound the object in question will draw a single point of willpower from the person every 12 hours until the task is complete. Furthermore, this item is bound to its victim, it cannot be thrown away or given away by the victim, and any attempts to do so will simply result in it turning up in unexpected ways. If, however, the object is freely accepted as a gift with knowledge of this charge, than the command is transferred to the new person. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Wits + Academics Duration: Special Manner: Uncanny

Prescience
Inspired dont presume to tell a person their fortune. Instead this cantrips gives the Inspired a prescience as to their selected targets behavior and actions. For every success the Inspired can add 1 to her Defense and Initiative against that target while engaged in combat, otherwise the Inspired gains the 8-again rule with all social interactions for the remainder of that scene as they are able to anticipate their words and actions. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Intelligence + Socialize Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Sovereignty
The Inspired are known for their deportment and stately manner. Within every Inspired a fragment of this noble stature remains, bound up amongst their Wyrd. Sovereignty is the art of statecraft. Through the use of this art an Inspired can learn to hone their deportment and stately mien, both imposing their decree of rulership and sovereignty upon all they survey.

Logos
Mastery of the fates is an awesome power. This cantrip grants such mastery to the Inspired. It allows the Inspired to literally weave the flows of fate to suit her whims and fancies.

Sonorous Edict
Sovereigntys first cantrip is the power of direct command. As the name suggests it allows the Inspired to give out an edict towards her target, the command itself is carried through the voice of the Inspired empowered with the threads of Wyrd. As such, a target must be able to hear the voice of the Inspired directly to be affected by this 83

Fates Edict
The effects of this cantrip coerce its target to do the bidding of the Fate's Edict. The nature of this edict can only be a sentence long, and cannot demand an impossible task. Adequate decrees are along the lines of what could

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cantrip. Phone or other communications equipment does not extend it. cantrip, however, bypasses the need for all that and allows the Inspired to lend their authority to whomever they grant this token to. It may be a coin, a ring, or anything that the Inspired can consider a personal affect. A person with this invest item can claim to speak in the Inspireds name, sign documents in his name, and perform acts in his name. Obviously, this requires a great deal of trust, as an emissary thus empowered can also commit obscenities in his name. It should be noted, however, that an emissary is still responsible for his own actions, even if they are done in someone elses name. As such, they are not immune from degradation from Morality breaches. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Cryptex
The effects of this cantrip coerce its target to do the bidding of the Fate's Edict. The nature of this edict can only be a sentence long, and cannot demand an impossible task. While the target is not physically compelled to obey. Woe betides those who would break its decree. The victim will have 1s cancel all successes until they either remove the effects of Fate's Edict or successfully accomplish the original task. For the purposes of gramarye, this cantrip does not count as an oath. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Presence + Expression Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Decree
Targeting the Actor Realm allows the Inspired to give a command towards that target which they are compelled to carry out. Such a command is limited to one sentence of length and cannot be ambiguous, or blatantly dangerous. The effects of this cantrip cancel the moment the target is in danger as other priorities take over. Naturally, the Inspired in question may have to expend a mote of glamour if the command given would take the subject outside of her immediate vicinity. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion targets Composure Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Married to the Land

This cantrip allows the sovereign user to be mystically tied to the land. Essentially, the Inspired is claiming the land and binding it to her allowing her declare it as sacrosanct for her purposes. Such an Inspired cannot be forcibly removed or compelled out of this location is she does not wish to leave. In a similar fashion, any of her personal effects cannot be taken from this location without the Inspireds permission. For a person to deliberately violate this locations sanctity they must expend a Willpower point and contest the strength of the cantrip with Composure + Wyrd and achieve more successes than the cantrip. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge contested by the targets Composure + Wyrd Duration: Concentration Manner: Uncanny

Quell the Crowd

When used upon a Scene, the Inspired can emit a loud command that affects all who hears it. The nature of this command can only be a single, solitary word and must be designed to cease activity or gain attention. It cannot be used to compel an audience to attack one another or do anything against their moral code. Commands that typically work are ones such as halt, freeze, silence, leave, or attention. The key to what words work and what words dont is to determine whether a command is in line with decorum and cannot produce hurried activity. Words like dance might encourage a languid waltz amongst those so inclined, but such words as murder or flee would likely fail as it demands a breach of such decorum. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation Duration: Momentary Manner: Canny

Sagacity
When an Actor is empowered by this cantrip, they are bestowed with a sense of leadership. While this cantrip doesnt make everybody obsequious or subservient, it magnifies that persons standing as a local potentate. The pronouncements made or judgments given sound out with sagacity and wisdom that a good ruler might give. This increased sagacity only affect situations where the Actor is attempting to sway opinion or give advice. It does not give them actual control over the discussion in question. However, a smart user of this cantrip can sway the opinions of those with actual power. The target gains the 8-again rule on all her Persuasion, Intimidation and Socialize rolls for the remainder of the scene. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Manipulation + Intimidation Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Investiture
The second cantrip in the Sovereignty Opus grants the Inspired the power to invest something with a sense of authority or potency.

Grandeur
While Sovereignty might rule with a mandate of power, sometimes the best method of enforcing ones will is by encouraging people to think that what you have to say is what they wish to think. The cantrips of Grandeur allow an Inspired to do just that, it magnifies the attractiveness or magnificence of the target in such a way as to enthrall those around them.

Mantle of Authority
Using the Prop Realm, this cantrip can empower a singular item to carry the vested authority of the Inspired in question. Traditionally such items were things like crowns or scepters, as they were universally recognized symbols. This 84

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A Prop imbued with this cantrip is transfigured into a rallying banner. The Prop becomes a symbol of the activities triumph and will inspire great feats of courage or renew failing spirits. In such a Prop people will see a sense of power, leadership and potency and will rally a number of people behind its cause. The type of object used must clearly imply the nature of the rallied cause, so typically a weapon some sort is used to rally a bunch of people before a fight, while a throne may be used simply to rally the crowds support behind the person sitting in it. Such symbols weigh heavily on peoples minds lifting them up and inspiring them. Mechanically speaking, the vested symbol is given a number of willpower points equal to successes. These willpower points will go to the first people to rally behind it. Those who gather behind after these points of willpower are used up are still inspired but did not feel the call as quickly. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Wits + Persuasion Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny willpower point and contesting the successes of the Ward with a Resolve + Wyrd roll.

Dismissal
The target of this power radiates a zone of isolation. The radius of this effect is equal to one meter per level of Sovereignty that the Inspired possesses. If a person is caught inside this radius when the ward goes up they must make an effort to leave unless they are physically incapable of doing so (such as being chained or held). Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Intelligence + Politics contested by targets Resolve + Wyrd Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Privy Council
An Enclave Ward can be turned upon a natural portal in the Scene, such as a door or window and be forced shut. The only way for another subject to open the portal is to breach the Enclave Ward. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Reverent Ambiance
Many places in the world have an aura of majesty about them. These places deeply move and touch those that see them. Like the sanctity of a great cathedral or the transfixed beauty of an old growth forest. The Scene affected by this cantrip is tinged with this said same ambiance. Those who enter feel a sense of great adoration for its surrounds. While in this place a person may not speak above a whisper for fear of breaking this reverence. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Socialize Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Prohibition
When performing this cantrip an Inspired creates a radius ban against a specific type of object. The object targeted must have an example set up as the focal anchor of this ward. As long as this effect is active, all types of the selected object are unable to enter a radius one 1 yard per dot in Sovereignty. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Intelligence + Crafts Duration: Enduring Manner: Canny

Stately Mien
The affected Actor radiates a splendor that induced a state of enthrallment in those who observe her. The target exudes a radiant splendor that leaves witnesses with little question to her magnificence and supreme right. The strong of heart acknowledge her and the weak of will often bend knee to her passage. While this effect is active, any attempt to oppose the Inspired socially will have their Social tests penalized by the number of successes of this cantrip. If a target is ever reduced to a chance die they are unable to make a roll and instead make a show of obsequious deference to the Actor, either by kneeling or bowing or similar action. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Wits + Intimidation the highest Resolve in the crowd Duration: Concentration Manner: Canny

Enthronement
The apogee of the Sovereignty cantrip is known as Enthronement because it makes the Inspired the paramount authority in any given situation.

Diadem
Heavy is the head that wears the crown. With the powers of this cantrip, an object will give its wearer/wielder a number of dots in the Status Merits equal to the successes of the cantrip. The nature of the Status gained must be thematically related to the nature of the prop, so a crown would give political status while a gun may grant military status. In situations where the character encounters someone with more Status than the Actors own enhanced Status, the person of higher Status may ignore the effects of this cantrip. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Presence + Socialize Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Enclave Ward
To call upon an enclave is to demand the decorum of stately behaviors. It places a ban, a ward or a field of protection against incursion. For each of these wards a person must actively oppose its effect by expending a

Exaltation
When an Inspired activates this cantrip she exalts her own supremacy. The Actor who is the victim of this effect feels meek and inferior and greatly humbled by her presence. 85

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For every success, the Inspired can strip a single dot of willpower from the target up to a maximum of the Inspired's dots in Sovereignty. If the target's will is reduced to 0 then they lose all ability to oppose or defy the Inspired. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation targets Composure Duration: Concentration Manner: Uncanny fixture. These changes cannot change the physical shape of any of these fixtures, only their outward images. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Intelligence + Streetwise Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

The Illustrated Man

The appearance of a person can be drastically altered. For every success the Inspired can change the appearance of one superficial features and only within natural permutations. Superficial features include such things as the color of eyes, hair, skin and similar cosmetic aspects. It could not, however, give a person shades unnatural for the person, but could give them a tattoo or scar upon their skin. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Intelligence + Expression contested by targets Stamina + Wyrd if unwilling, resistance is reflexive Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Law of the Land

Affecting the Scene Realm will permit an Inspired to effectively lay down the law. Upon enacting this power the Inspired can make a single decree, provided it is concise enough to be encapsulated in a single sentence. Such a decree can be anything that dictates other peoples actions or behaviors, but not their thoughts, emotions or other inner states. Anyone who is in this area while the cantrip is in effect automatically loses a point of willpower every time the break this law. Should the target be reduced to no willpower points they suffer the normal effects of the loss of willpower. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Presence + Politics the highest Composure in the crowd Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Breaking the Mold

In expanding upon the powers of Transfiguration an Inspired can draw upon the legendary powers to change the targets very size.

Edifice
The changing sizes upon a Scene Realm allows an Inspired to resize the features of the scene, making doors, streets, tunnels and even buildings large or smaller by a Size factor of 1 (as per the Size factor chart) per success. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Streetwise Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Transfiguration
The art of transformations grant Inspired the ability to alter the shape, size and very properties of things around her. Such powers are used to shape-shift the self or transform all that is around them.

Chameleon
Through the cantrip of Skin Turning an Inspired can modify the features of her targets to appear as something else within its natural spectrum. Such a use could be used to turn the color of their eyes or hair, the size of the target by one factor, or the color of the trees leaves. The limitation of these changes allow only for features that are normally occurring for the target. So a pair of eyes could not be given unnatural hue, nor could a car be given a feature not typical of vehicles.

Go Ask Alice
By Breaking the Mold on an Actor Realm, the Inspired can increase or decrease that target's Size by one per success. Such changes in Size do not typically affect clothes, so unless the target has clothes to expand into they may potentially rip. Targets should also adjust their health accordingly. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Wits + Medicine contested by subjects Stamina + Wyrd if target is unwilling, resistance is reflexive Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

False Mantle
The cantrip upon this Realm allows the Inspired to change the appearance of the object within the limitations of superficial features. She could change colorings or other aspects of its appearance. It cannot change the object's Size or shape. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Intelligence + Larceny Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Order of Magnitude
The Inspired can increase or decrease the Size of the object by one per success. Storytellers should take into consideration the change in weight and functionality of such objects. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Wits + Crafts Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Graffiti
An Inspired can also change superficial features of a scene with this cantrip. Its effects allow the Inspired to manipulate such features as the colors of the features, the writings on walls and signs, as well as the appearances of any

Temper
The resilience or durability of a target is brought into the fore with this simple effect allowing the Inspired to fortify or weaken the selected target.

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by Angelus Michaels Flux of Form

The effect of this cantrip allows an Inspired to completely transmute the target in the scene from one state of matter to another, shifting solid to gas or gas to liquid states. Walls will melt and rocks liquefy, and clouds turn into stone. However, despite the change in form, the feature will still retain the same shape as previously. At the end of the cantrips effect the materials return to their prior form. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Stamina + Science Duration: Concentration Manner: Uncanny

Sculptors Art
Objects that are changed through this pattern can be remolded into the shape desired by the performer of the cantrip. While this cantrip is in effect the crafter may manipulate its physical form to reshape its substance. Devices that are altered may likely stop working when they are reformed, unless the player uses a Dexterity + Crafts roll to design a functioning object. Typically the tool employed limit the objects created, so a person could not make electronic equipment by hands alone. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Strength + Academics Duration: Perpetual Manner: Uncanny

Forge of the Ether

This cantrip augments or diminishes the Prop selected with far greater or lesser resilience than it might otherwise have. For every success, increase or decrease the Prop's Durability by 1. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Stamina + Crafts Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Malleable Landscape
Scene targets affected by the cantrip become highly malleable to the touch. In this state an Inspired (or other creature) may mold the physical shape of her surrounding landscape as easily as molding clay. The sole condition of this ability is that it requires hand contact to manipulate its form. Unless there is a direct contact of skin from the hands, the substances in question remain unyielding to change. When the cantrip is expired, the features thus sculpted remain in the form they are now in. Unnatural or fragile forms are likely to topple, tumble or otherwise collapse under their own weight. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Strength + Survival Duration: Perpetual Manner: Uncanny

Stone Skin
As per the name, the Inspired is becomes highly resistant to damage. For every success the Inspired gives the Actor one point of Armor per success to a maximum of the number of dots in the Inspired's Transfiguration. This Armor does stack with any physical Armor that the Actor may be wearing over their skin. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Stamina + Academics contested by subjects Stamina + Wyrd if target is unwilling, resistance is reflexive Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Transmutation
At this level of the Opus, the Inspired is able to transform the target of her choice into other things of similar type. Like the ancient arts of alchemy and shapeshifting an Inspired can change the entire form in a flash.

Vicissitude
By tapping into the shapeless nature of Faerie the Inspired can use this cantrip to twist, sculpt or otherwise reshape the selected target. The nature of this reshaping is limited to the original form of the target. Completely unnatural forms cannot be shaped, even temporarily. If the Inspired chooses to reshape an object or substance, it retains this shape unless otherwise broken. At the end of the cantrip the mass reverts back to its original shape.

Architect
The transformative abilities on the Realm of Scene give an Inspired supreme power to reshape the appearance of her surroundings in a way that befits her desires. For every success she may transmute one feature of the scene into a feature available at equivalent or lower Sympathy. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Intelligence + Academics Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Contortionism
The cantrip of contortionism allows the Inspired to remold the Actor's physical features with strong elasticity, though it doesn't allow the Inspired to completely distort the Actor's entire structure it can mold them slightly like putty. When used upon the self an Inspired can contort or sprawl her various parts like the cantrip's namesake. The limitations of the body molding allow body distortions 50% in length per success. Note this does not change the weight of the object, only redistributes its mass. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Strength + Athletics contested by subjects Stamina + Wyrd if target is unwilling, resistance is reflexive Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Circes Charm
A victim of this cantrip is literally transfigured into another living creature. Though the cantrip can be used to change a person into any other person that the Inspired knows, it may also transform that target into an animal of some description. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Intelligence + Medicine contested by subjects Resolve + Wyrd in unwilling, resistance is reflexive Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny 87

by Angelus Michaels Midas Touch

While long-lasting transformations of one substance into another is normally beyond the reach of this cantrip, it can at least transmute for a long enough time to get the job done. The Inspired may transmute any single object into one substance that is available to her through Sympathy. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny Storytellers are the final arbiters for the length of time it would take to travel anywhere. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Streetwise Duration: Special Manner: Uncanny

Gilded Feather
The second step along the journey that is Wayfare allows the Inspired to reduce the weight of the target. This reduced weight can be a benefit to movement and reduced encumbrance.

Wayfare
All things move to a certain tempo or movement. The Opus of Wayfare allows an Inspired versed in its ways to tap into the dynamic nature around and turn it towards the art of traveling. It grants its masters power over movement, speed and even the passage of time itself.

Bantam Weight
This cantrip gives targets of the Prop Realm a similar buoyancy. It reduced the objects effective weight, without influencing its Structure or Durability. For every success the strength requirements to lift or wield the object as a weapon are reduced by one for the duration of the scene. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Strength + Larceny Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Quicksilver
The cantrip of quicksilver allows the Inspired to channel a burst of energy into a burst of speed that augments movement or the force of a thing in motion. This burst of energy allows the object to move so fast that it tends to blur in the eyes of those who watch it, thus eliciting its name.

Effervescence
An Actor who is the subject of this cantrip will find their body lighter and buoyant. In terms of weight, the characters is the equivalent of their Size minus the number of successes on the cantrip for the duration of its effect, up to a minimum Size of 1. This lightness of step allows the target to multiply their running speed and jumping height and length by 2. Furthermore, if their effective weight is reduced to half (rounded down; equal to Size 2 for the average sized Actor) they become lighter than water and may walk upon its surface without sinking. Also, if their effective weight is reduced to a quarter (rounded down; equal to Size 1 for the average sized Actor) they become lighter than air, able to be lifted up and carried away on air currents. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Strength + Occult contested by targets Stamina + Wyrd if unwilling; resistance is reflexive Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Arrows Flight
The burst of speed lent by the cantrip of Quicksilver empowers a single object with kinetic energy. While thus imbued the object will cause a sensation of tingling when touched. While at rest the object does little except to produce this sensation, but once propelled it moves with a powerful force. As such, damage inflicted by such objects is increased by 2 for the duration of one turn per success. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Wits + Firearms Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Hermes Sandals
When successfully used on an Actor target, the subject in question is able to move with a burst of speed for a number of turns equal to the successes of the cantrip. In this duration the subject may increase the Actors Dexterity up to the Inspireds dots in Wayfare. This bonus in Dexterity only adds a bonus for the purposes of increasing Defense and Initiative and allows the Actor to use the higher of her Wits or Dexterity for her Defense in the duration. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Wits + Athletics contested by targets Stamina + Wyrd if unwilling; resistance is reflexive Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Hopscotch
When targeting the Scene Realm, a surface found in a scene is charged with the billowing energy that wells up just beneath the surface. Any person who walks on this surface will feel it surge beneath them. By itself, the surface does no more than emit a feeling of energy. However, should an object leap off from it, or ricochet off of it, the energy in that surface will lend itself to the motion of the bounding object. Living creatures will find themselves able to increase the height or length of their jump by a factor equal to the Inspireds dots in flux. Objects that bound off of it will fly off with as much speed as when they hit it. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Wits + Science Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

The Journeys End

While knowing how to get somewhere is half the task, being able to get there in expedience is better. With this cantrip an Inspired can reduce the travel times required to get to a specific location. Each success allows the Inspired to reduce the time required to travel by one tenth of the original length of time it would take to travel there. 88

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Flicker Flash
Why bother taking the long journey there when you can simply arrive in an instant. The powers of teleportation are granted to the Inspired with this cantrip.

Sublime Form
Actors affected by the Sublime Form cantrip are transmuted into an ephemeral state of twilight. This is a change both in body and mind. For the duration the character cannot interact with anything not currently in a state of twilight or anything that cannot affect the state of twilight. In this state they will observe the world as though viewing it through Eidolon but may move through solid materials as though it wasnt there. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Intelligence + Stealth targets Resolve if unwilling Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Apportation
An object affected by this cantrip can be instantaneously teleported from any point within the Inspired's line of sight to anywhere else within that same line of sight. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Dexterity + Larceny Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Seven-League Boots
The use of this cantrip on the Scene Realm allows an Inspired to teleport to any location provided she has a sympathetic link to it. Though typically the range of teleportation is within the Inspireds immediate vicinity an Inspired can extend it to any place she has accordance with outside her immediate vicinity if the Inspired expends the necessary glamour to do so. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Dexterity + Academics Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Thief Keys
When used upon the Prop Realm, the Inspired can empower an object to act as a trapdoor through any solid inanimate surface. The type of object used will determine the nature of the door, so a coil of rope upon the floor will simply create a hole in that shape for the duration of the effect, while a slab of metal placed against the wall will turn that into a make-shift door. The portal has to be made from a physical object that would feasibly make an opening. Such things as drawn doors will not work even if the object charmed is a piece of chalk used to draw the door. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Intelligence + Larceny Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Side Step
When targeting an Actor with this cantrip it allows the Inspired to teleport the target (including herself) anywhere within a line of sight. This line of sight is not extended by telecommunications equipment like a television, but it can be extended by a supernatural ability like Scry or Augury. Of course, subjects teleported into mid-air must then face the problems of falling. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Dexterity + Athletics contested by the targets Stamina + Wyrd Duration: Momentary Manner: Uncanny

Tempis Fugit
The linear flows of time are alien to the Inspired, who are much more inclined to reach their desired location when they want to. At the Inspired perfects her knowledge of the Opus of Wayfare she can apply the flows of time native to the Widderslainte.

Bilocation
It may seem that the recipient of this cantrip is appearing in two places at once. The truth of the matter is that the person is merely able to experience the same moment twice. The downside is that because it is essentially the same character, both forms of the character share the same health pool. Any damage done to either is accumulative to both. The Actor affected can make two separate actions and move his two selves independently of each other. At the end of the effect the two personas converge back into one. Realm: Actor Dice Pool: Intelligence + Medicine targets Defense if they are unwilling. Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Connexion
Developing the powers of the art furthermore allows the Inspired to enhance the sympathy between two locations such that it allows her to open all barriers by manipulating the form of space itself including folding space and moving out of sync with it.

Portal Passage
The Inspired can use the natural fixtures of a location to create a portal from one location in her immediate vicinity to another. The portals must be affixed to some fixture of the scene, such as a window or door, or even the clearly defined edge of a puddle or the archway between two trees. The portal lasts a number of turns equal to successes. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny

Passing of Days
With this cantrip an Inspired may impose upon a place the flow of the ancient times themselves. In the Scene affected all things will experience either an increase or decrease in the number of turns experienced by a factor of one. If the time is decreased in this scene all things inside experience a turn only once per number of turns equal to 89

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successes (so 1 success produces no effect while three successes means all people in the area act once every three turns). If the time is accelerated the space inside experiences a number of turns equal to successes per turn. Realm: Scene Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult contested by targets Resolve + Wyrd if unwilling; resistance is reflexive Duration: Enduring Manner: Uncanny of time. With this cantrip, the selected object can be projected into the person's future some ways. In this way an object will seemingly disappear and then reappear only at the allotted time. The further distance in time that the object can be projected is determined by the duration factors available to the Inspired. Realm: Prop Dice Pool: Intelligence + Academics Duration: Special Manner: Uncanny

The Hidden Hoard

Those who would guard their valuables learn to put them in a place that cannot be found. Namely in a place out

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Chapter Four: Oration

If we shadows have offended, think but this; and all is mended that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear and this weak and idle theme no more yielding but a dream.
- Puck in A Midsummers Night Dream, Shakespeare
So, youre ready to journey down the rabbithole, to stare into the eyes of madness without flinching. To journey into wild and fantastic lands unknown and experience your own heros journey. In the previous three chapters you have been given new rules for running an expanded game of Changeling: the Lost. Yet, the mechanics dont make a game and neither does a history nor its society. They are merely the backdrop and scenery against which you set your story. The World of Darkness is a setting that focuses on character interaction, dramatization, characterization and plot. This setting assumes that the characters and the Storyteller are collaborating to make a story together, and not competing against each other. Players are not merely passive observers of the Storytellers narrative; they are the votive force for the story itself. If you have not already done so, it is recommended that you read the basics of storytelling in Chapter 8 of the World of Darkness Rulebook. That chapter details a good overview of general storytelling for the World of Darkness and this chapter goes into more detail on how to exploit the themes and ideas of Changeling: the Lost for your own tales. on rare occasions highly prodigious children whose precocious nature scared the superstitious peasantry. In these stories, the fae were children swapped by trolls or other monstrous changeling. The nominal treatment was to beat the children savagely. Nor was this behavior isolated to any particular culture. Humanity has historically demonstrated a propensity to treating those who are different or other with hostility. A fear of the unknown even now continues to breed mistrust and xenophobia in the world at large. If we take the concept of physical outsiders a few steps further, we arrive not at national aliens, but extra-terrestrial ones. Many stories that touch upon extraterrestrials (our modern faeries, who abduct mortals and steal them away for a night or more) tend to treat them as misanthropic horrors unknowable to humanity. There is no room for comprise, no room for familiarity, they are so completely alien to what we are that they cannot be dealt with through any civil means. A savvy Storyteller could easily re-incorporate a number of elements of alienity from sciencefiction movies. While the tone may be slightly different, these stories essentially describe the nature of the Others; visitors or invaders from another reality who attempt to take over our reality but are cast down by the seemingly weaker race of humanity. So how do we put ourselves into the mindset of something so deceptively like ourselves, but so clearly otherworldly? A good exercise is to imagine your mind has been placed in another body. Imagine it; what do you see as your identity? Is it the thoughts you have, or is it the form you wear?

Shattered Psyche
Madness is an overarching theme for changelings, as becoming one alters your psyche. It opens you up to previously invisible and unimagined vistas. It introduces you to surreal friends and essentially splits your persona into two distinct entities. Human beings are steadfast creatures of habits and norms. We use routine and everyday experience to manage some semblance of order in our lives. We continuously and subconsciously apply idioms of other peoples behavior as a point of reference for our own. So much of human culture, mannerisms and interaction is constructed socially and then passed on in the form of traditions. This is untrue for changelings. Reality around them constantly shifts and shapes itself to conform to the expectations and dreams of mortalkind. For changelings, the illusion of a mundane and static world shatters completely. While mortals cope with the unknown of life the universe and everything by largely ignoring it, this is not an option for changelings who must jump into this awareness, naked before its immensity. The routine life, taken for granted by mortals everywhere, will undo changelings quickly. A changeling can not truly settle down, or opt for the easy routine of normalcy.

Journey into the Unknown

The journey into the unknown is a staple of Faerie Tales. Where myths and legends are designed to express epic scale events, fairy tales relate to a person a personal journey into the unknown and how that person deals with it. Throughout your Lost chronicle the characters will encounter a number of surreal and absurd phenomena. If you, as a Storyteller, wish to stay true to the tone of Faerie Tales then make this journey much more personal than you might do in other chronicles. Almost anything they encounter may have some personal meaning and represent a metaphor of the characters psyche. Monsters should personify inner fears, especially childhood terrors that still linger. Stories should reward bravery over stupidity, and generosity over vanity, and while the world of the changeling is selfish and egocentric, demonstrations of empathy and respect go a long way. This is because part of what Faerie Tales are about is growing up 91

Alien Nation
Originally, the folklore of changeling accounted for congenitally disordered children during the Dark Ages, and

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and this is also true for Changeling: the Lost. The characters must find someway to live between the escapism of the dreaming realms and the drudgery of the waking world; too much of either and they become further lost. These themes of the unknown lend much to telling stories of supernatural horror. It is a situation where people are confronted with things they simply have no recourse of dealing with, things far beyond their kenning and experience. Mere exposure to such otherworldly phenomena can be enough to turn perspective upsidedown and a changeling must embrace this otherworldliness, to attempt to face the horrors of the unknown. This is not to say that this journey has to be one of good conquering evil (which is more of an epic scale adventure), but rather triumph over personal adversity and imbalance. population. It is this abnormality, not the chaotic nature of these derangements that mark them as insane. Because changelings are of two minds literally, players should think of the divide between the two aspects of her character. While this is represented in the divide between the characters Psyche and her Shadow, they may consider how they act under their influence with different mannerisms and foibles, and ways of speech. As an exercise, write up a list of situations and complications and imagine how the two different personas might deal with the situation. A good example, perhaps, is the tale of Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde, one man with a split persona. Each of them attempting to win control of the same psyche. Rather than a struggle of good and evil a portrayed in the story, it can become a struggle between civility and brutality, altruism and egocentrism. What would be unthinkable behavior for one aspect can easily find an outlet in the other.

The Medieval Paradigm

Though the strata of changeling society has largely moved on from the medieval paradigm, many of its trappings have managed to survive into the modern age. Amongst the changeling there is often a sense of noblesse oblige where those of privilege and station ensure the well being of those without. Much of this manifests in the dynamic between the Courts and between Pageant, Oppidae and Vagabonds. As the Pageant has the most likely access to Glamour, they often assume the responsibility for ensuring that there is a supply of Glamour for those without. Though the chain of vassalage is not as stratified as it was in the medieval era there is a continuation of this relationship of duty and returned loyalty. Perhaps this is because the changeling know that they are all alone in the night; that they truly only have each other to depend on. With the minimal numbers of changeling available it is sometimes nice to know that a person of greater power is looking out for your needs in return for supporting them. Yet, history has also shown that mortal aristocracy ruled with an often abusive relationship with there vassals. For every sovereign who is magnanimous to his populace there are easily as many who are vindictive and tyrannical, there is a sense of superiority that tends to permeate the power gained. Legends abound of the highly selfcentered nature of the changeling, and an incredible demand to be paid respect by mortalkind. When reality itself warps around your own psyche, it is easy to forget that those around you are not simply an extension of it.

Setting the Stage

As a storyteller of Changeling: the Lost, it helps to have some direction in setting the mood of your stories. Given themes and settings, what sort of stories can you tell? The simple answer is any you can imagine. Games about urban Faerie Tales doesnt mean you cant take it off in a completely different directions described in this book.

Questing
A common theme in many Faerie Tales is that of the quest. A journey into the unknown filled with challenges and adversities that the characters must overcome. It is fairly easy to incorporate many traditional elements from Faerie Tales, including common character types. However, this will be covered in slightly more detail in the section on A Heros Journey. Stories of questing can focus on the journey itself, in a fashion typical of high fantasy. Yet, the setting of Changeling: the Lost has an urban and modern setting that is probably much more suited to low fantasy. The difference being that the focus is on the characters and their human (or inhuman) limitations at dealing with the fantastic scope of the realm they are in, rather than the portrayal of a landscape with artifacts of power and heroic figures. Within changeling society, questing has a very personal place. Many motleys, and individual changeling will go on a quest for one purpose or another, to honor their liege, the purposes of their Courts, or the fulfillment of pledges. Yet, even with the official purposes of these quests, there is always an element that is personal; some inner journey that matches the external. Quests provide one of the most common means for changeling to alleviate themselves from higher thresholds of Delirium. Bringing them back to earth in a way that doesnt deny madness. This is as its meant to be, the only real way to find balance within madness is through the trials of the psyche found in such journeys.

Dealing with Madness

The intricacies of Beautiful Madness can seem daunting for players and Storytellers. Our first conceptions of madness are often ideas of disassociative and incoherent behavior. While pure absurdism is a valid option for expressing madness, but it can be a challenge to portray this without being a disruptive influence to the chronicle. So how do players create a coherent chronicle with seemingly disorienting themes? The easiest way is simply not to portray madness as disassociative. The section on derangements in the World of Darkness Rulebook (pgs. 96 100) demonstrates a number of different manifestations of clinical insanity. All of them demonstrate behaviors considered abnormal by the average expectations of the

Remembrance
In searching for their origins, changeling must go deep into the dreaming realm. This is an integral part of learning about who and what they are. They are descendants of the Others, and in the collective unconsciousness of the

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Dreamtime and the Somnus. In this respect, entering the dreaming realms has many aspect of interpreting history, just with a different source. As changeling age their memories fade of events gone before. This makes it is quite possible to make the personalization of the horror about a search for the self and a question of identity. One option is to play out historic sessions, letting characters live out memories, or at least the ones they believe to be their memories. There are many historic periods that may have strong significance for particular changeling and by playing it out, even as only a short drama, the characters are able to assimilate that component into their character with some sort of continuity. In fact there is no need for clear continuity of these events. Allow them to be disjointed, or disconnected in someway, so as to highlight the irregularities of changeling memory. By jumping back and forth, and even making the progress staggered with occasional flash backs you can drive home the feeling of confusion that may be something to cultivate in players. Its also a really fun way to have period games and connect it to your characters in some way. for a more subtle desire to win a measure of control over the other.

Comedy
Changeling and the changeling are renown for being perennial tricksters. Stories of comedy can feature strongly in changeling, whether it is a Shakespearean comedy of errors, an Operatic comedy of misdirection or even an Aristophanic farcical romp. Divine Comedy is especially strong in changeling, either with the changeling as victims of some large supernatural joke, or as the perpetrators of vicious pranks upon mortal kind. Comedy can also provide a welcome relief, with characters portraying antiheroes to serve as a counterbalance to the Faerie Tale backdrop, thus placing it in relief against the characters. In Alice and Wonderland the absurdity of the characters and their behavior can be interpreted as a satirical commentary of the Victorian Age. Similar things can be done in a changeling chronicle, where encounters in the Hedge are satirical mirrors of the ordinary experiences of the characters, to make them question assumptions they hold about their lives. Comedy serves as a powerful tool to break up the banality, or the mundanity of most situations. In providing stories of comedy the object is to have characters grow in experience by making a mockery of that which they hold dear, or the routine behaviors perhaps symptomatic of their previous mortal life.

Romance
No treatise on Faerie Tales for a modern setting would be complete without some form of exploration of romantic or even erotic themes. Romance as portrayed in Changeling: the Lost, however, is not about happily ever after or even amor vincent omni (love conquers all), it is about the intensely intricate relationships that changeling can have with other changeling. Because of the immortal nature of changeling, they have few illusions of romance lasting until death to us part. In fact the concept of marriage is wholly a mortal affair as far as most of them are concerned. For despite immortality, their emotions are every bit as fleeting and mutable as mortal ones. In fact, many changeling romances are doomed to tragedy. The highly volatile nature of each changelings madness can create havoc when two emotionally intense lovers fill the same scene. Both of them are larger than life entities with a little warp of reality bending to their will, and unless there is an extremely high level of synchronicity between the two, encounters will normally lead towards a question of dominance, as either party is subconsciously pushing to assert their interpretation of the world. Though it is perhaps even more tragic for mortal changeling loves. Unless the mortal is inspired in some way, it can very easily become a dangerous situation for either party. For the changeling, their love for the mortal can drive them to do amazing things, but it can also be terrible incentive to deny madness in a misguided attempt to settle down. For the mortal, they risk their own sanity as they are drawn deeper and deeper into madness of their lover, until they lose all sense of self as a subservient thrall in the fantasy of the changeling. Perhaps a good portrayal of changeling affairs is that of Titania and Oberon in Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream. Powerful fairy rulers competing with one another and subjugating mortal lovers not for true affections felt, but

Fae Archetypes
There are a number of characters that show themselves in nearly every story in one guise or another. These are roles that traditionally augment and define the Heros Journey. Jung would later discuss these archetypes as ideas that represent constructs common to all people. When writing a chronicle for an urban Faerie Tale, keep in mind these character roles to populate your story. It should be noted that some of these archetypes have been slightly modified with artistic license to adapt them to the World of Darkness, and more specifically, Changeling: the Lost. It is also acknowledged that many of these roles are very gender specific, to the point of stereotyping. However, this is something inherent to traditional stories that can sometimes hail from the medieval era. In their gender specific roles, it is not to say that they are exclusive to characters of that gender, more that these archetypes represent qualities that are generally associated with that gender. In fact, in telling urban Faerie Tales, you have a unique opportunity to include aspects of gender bending to question traditionally held gender roles.

The Animal Guide

In some cases, this character is filling a role of comic relief. However, the role of the animal guide is more subtle then that. They are, as their name suggests, a guide of sorts, but not necessarily a guide to a destination desired by the players. While an animal guide may not lead them into doom, they are likely to lead them to places that will challenge them. The short and narrow road is not for the guide, but the long and winding track with much adventure 93

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and personal adversity, such as the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. Despite its name, an animal guide does not have to be an animal, or even an anthropomorphic animal. They can be humans with animalistic traits. Possibly a primitive or uncivilized person, or else simply a person with some animalistic behavioral quirks. In terms of Changeling: the Lost, the animal guide is an emissary of Faerie, manifested in whatever way possible. It seeks to challenge them but to guide them to something of descent value. While following the course laid forth by the guide is often wise in the long term. Heeding his advice in all things may prove disastrous.

The Knave
The knave is almost a direct counterpoint to the knight. The knave does not necessarily have to be an evil character, but is one who will face the same obstacles as the knight but through different recourse. Where the knight uses strength and courage, the knave uses cunning and guile and roguish charm. The knight is always honorable but the knave is not above utilizing duplicitous actions if the ends justify the means. The knave is very typically someone who works or lives outside the law, even if his cause is just, like Robin Hood. Like the knight, the knave can also become the prince. In the World of Darkness, the knave is far more frequent than the knight. Tales of heroism tend to ring bitterly in the ears of the modern day adventurer, and the art of guile and deception to the cause only more natural.

The Benefactor
Most typically, a benefactor comes in the form of a godparent, frequently a Faerie Godmother. Guardians are not active participants in the characters lives. They will not swoop in at the last moment to save the day, nor will they offer council or advise. Their role is to equip the characters with gifts and enchantments that may aid them in their journey or to provide a place of respite from the trials of their adventures. They stand in the background and on many occasions the characters are unaware of their mysterious benefactor, and may wonder at the largess that they are given. In more modern times, Godparents have fallen out of style. What may work better is an estranged relative, such as a rich uncle, or a long lost sibling even. Though the benefactor does not have to be blood relation, there is usually a familial relationship. Such as a foster parent, or the traditional godparent.

The Knight
One of the most traditional archetypes of Faerie Tales is that of a knight. A character that uses martial prowess to fend off the supernatural. A knight is typically the apogee of male might. They are strong, and often silent, bearing a countenance of great responsibility. The knight does not necessarily have to be a professional soldier. They can be any masculine role that comes to the defense of the weak, such as the woodsman in Little Red Riding Hood, or the dwarves in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The epithet of the knight is that of protection, and may thusly be represented by modernday police officers, military or vigilante heroes. The downfall of a Knight is that this onus of protection must often come as the safety of their own life. Selfsacrifice is no stranger to the knight who frequently places himself at peril. In certain situations, the knight can transform into the prince. This is a role that is more typical of masculine youth whose years have not tempered the better part of his actions with wisdom and is prone to be rash in deed and thought. In either role, the knight has many trials and tribulations to look forward to.

The Crone
The third of the triple aspect of feminine mystery, the Crone is the wisdom of the years of this mystery. Crones are nominally powerful witches and enchantresses, representing the transmutation of feminine sexuality into raw magical potency. The crone does not necessarily have to be old or ugly, yet each of them carries a sense of powerful severity and sternness. They will brook no foolishness from younger peoples, but will offer their wisdom up to those they consider to have earned it. The Crone will take it upon herself to punish those who are selfish and vain, or who do not show the proper deference or respect to the mystery of Faerie. Because of this, the crone can be a contentious character to deal with, as protocol and etiquette of the Gentry must be well known. Yet those who do can potentially strike a deal with the crone for her potent power. Though crones are savvy bargainers. Their power comes with a price, and one that can be subtle and sinister. In one of the roles, the crone can become a witch queen, similar to Bavmorda in Willow. In this guise, the Crone is typically beautiful and young, though never a youth. She is a highly ambitious woman and may be very dangerous to many characters, or those who get in her way. Yet, this in itself is a reflection of medieval mistrust of feminine power. In modern climes, the witchqueen is the apogee of feminine power, able to use her guile, her wisdom and her charisma to achieve her ambitions.

The Maiden
The maiden is one of the three roles that represent one of the triple aspects of feminine mystery. The Maiden represents female mystery in youth, the ripeness of spring, and feminine sexuality. In many situations a maiden can become a princesslike figure. Where the focus is upon her transition from a young girl into womanly adolescence. She represents a girl of composure, intelligence, who relies on a keen wit to deal with travails and problems. She also tends to be selfabsorbed and selfreliant. She has an uncanny knack for drawing the attentions of predation from antagonists by standing out in one way or another. A maiden can also, in a pinch, fulfill the role of a damsel in distress, yet this is a reflection of medieval assumptions of females as a weaker sex. In modern times, such characters normally transform into a women of independence and strength once rescued. In Changeling: the Lost, a maiden will almost always be a changeling or Inspired.

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The Mendicant
The mendicant is the eternal wanderer, the wayfarer. A traveler smitten with wanderlust, to travel the world and see places far distant. When encountering the mendicant, they may appear as a merchant with items to trade, a minstrel with stories to share, or an elder with wisdom to impart. The mendicant may appear more than once in a journey, even if the route traveled may make this seem illogical. The purpose of the mendicant is not the route taken, but the manner in which it is traveled. Cadres who show due respect, and perhaps entertainment may even gain the privilege of journeying with the mendicant for a short while, learning of new mysterious routes through the Eidolon. Such a journey should be metaphorical for an inner journey, with some manner of enlightenment gained at the journeys end. Yet the mendicants role is a solitary one. They seek the world alone, and though they may walk the same path for a little while, they always walk alone.

sense of protection can even extend to nonchangeling characters. In the mother is seen a lesser reflection of the greater archetype of mother nature. She is the green of the wood and the red of tooth and claw in one. Woe to those who invoke her anger in threatening her wards. Scratch one of her children and she becomes a savage fury seeking vengeance on those who would commit such a crime.

The Oracle
The oracle is a role normally filled by either the sage or the crone, for it is a role of wisdom and giving guidance to the heroes. However, the role of the oracle is in many ways unique from either crone or sage. The oracles major purpose is to provide guidance specific to the journal being undertaken by the heroes. She may only appear once, or she may appear a number of times throughout the journey. Also the animal guide can at times be filled the role of the oracle, or the animal guide can merely serve to act on the oracles behalf. Numerous legends are filled with gods and goddesses taking the form of animals to direct the way. As an alternative, there can be many oracles in a single journey, or many avatars of the same oracle. They are simply a missive of the divine, or some other higher power, which has taken kindly to the heroes to give them good council. The oracle has knowledge of the future events far beyond that of what the characters may be able to see. In game terms, an oracle has access to the metaplot of the chronicle and game, and is capable of foreshadowing events. Furthermore, the advice an oracle gives is usually only given after some form of challenge is met. Typically ones that require a demonstration of wits, compassion or courage. It may be a riddle, a puzzle, a test or and ordeal, all of these things are valid ways for an oracle to challenge their supplicant.

The Monster
The monster in Faerie Tales is almost always denoted by a hideous appearance. They are bestial creatures that represent the primal and savage nature within each person. He represents the animalmind within us all, our primitive instincts that urge us to do uncivilized things. The monster carries with it a sense of hunger. It has an appetite that it must slake: sexual, financial, gastronomical or otherwise. This hunger is destructive. It destroys what it consumes. In some occasions the monster can be reasoned with, but for the most part it is nothing more than a creature, with one desire. The analogy of the monster is to demonstrate that a person is still an animal, hiding underneath a veneer of civilization. Only the slightest provocation can shatter that veneer. If the creature has reason, then it can portray stories of the rational mind overcoming our urges. If there is no reason, then it is often representative of the inner urges of the characters themselves. In the World of Darkness, the prime example of the Monster is people affected by The Hunger on page 118 in Antagonists. However, a vampire, particularly a Nosferatu or Gangrel, can very easily portray a monster. Werewolves are also a good option, but their bestial nature is more to do with savage fury, rather than ravenous hunger. If the monster is to be a changeling, then a good way is to depict them as a changeling stuck with a vice of Gluttony in unseelie aspect.

The Patron
Like the Benefactor, a Patron is one who has a role of responsibility for a character in question. Typically, a patron is that of a parent, and like the Benefactor will normally have some familial connection to the character. A Patron is a character who is deliberately fostering the character into the world of magic or intrigue. Their role is not that of a teacher, nor a guardian, but a rolemodel for the character to learn the codes of behaviors. In the realm of the Faerie, which demands respect, learning such niceties can mean the difference between life and death. In game terms, Patrons are actually part of the social fabric of the changeling. New and young changelings often partake of a period of fostering under the guide of one of the established members of court. In this situation, the relationship between the Patron and the childer is similar to a parentchild relationship, or a sibling relationship if the Patron treats the younger as a peer.

The Mother
The Mother is the second of the triple aspect of feminine mystery. She holds within herself the fecundity of sexuality, and is the source of life. She is simultaneously the midwife, and the childbearer, the epicenter of motherhood and life. She represents the very heart and center of any community, and may even be the proud matriarch of an established family. The role of the mother is primarily as a nurturer for the characters, sharing similar qualities with that of the Patron archetype. She differs from the Patron in that she is fiercely protective of those she considers her wards, and that this

The Prodigy
The prodigy is a character who is in one or more field of endeavor, remarkable our outstanding. Normally the prodigy is a child, or a person of good will. It is possible to play a prodigy as an adult, but in such situations even the adult characters have a childlike naivety about them an 95

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innocence to make them ingnue. Those who have prodigious talents, but possess a more malevolent bent are better suited to the archetype of the mastermind. The talents of the prodigy should come naturally and easy to the character. Their abilities will only grow to world class talent with the proper training. The lessons involved with prodigies are usually about the responsibility of power or excellence. Tempering elite ability with social conscience. In the World of Darkness, Mages very much typify this role. Young Mages who are still new to the Awakened world are ideal for fulfilling this role. Similarly, inspired fill this role well. Each and every inspired (and therefore changeling) became what they are because of some obsession or an ambition to excel in a particular field. Inspired who are just being exposed to the Faerie worlds are also excellent candidates to fill this role.

The Trickster
The trickster is stock and staple for near most every fairy tale. The changeling are renown for their cunning and divisiveness. A trickster can be any sort of character, who seeks to antagonize the players by attempting to upset their stability. Being a trickster does not mean being an irritating fool, though the characters may find him to be so. Its role is to force the characters into the unusual, into novel situations and confrontations. They are a true fool, the cosmic jester, making fun of the things we take for granted in human society. Within the game, there is a role of the Jester in the courts who is supposed to perform this role exactly. To never allow the changeling to form into complacency and routine, which would be a cause of their undoing by Lethe. In the game, outside of courts the trickster can manifest as one or many different aspects. They are traditionally shapeshifters, and so may perhaps be a totem spirit of sorts, or even a highly mercurial animal guide.

The Sage
Arthur had his Merlin, and many other heroes had a wizardly scholar to aid them in their quests. The sage as an archetype represents the apex of wisdom and lore. He is a master of secrets, and surveyor of the ages. He may even be able to foreshadow the characters journeys. While the sage may sometimes journey with the characters, he most typically gives them council from their home base and sends them timely guidance. The sage is not an archetype to be fooled with, like all wizards they are subtle and quick to anger. They will give their time and wisdom, only to those who have demonstrated their worth through certain trials. In this respect the Sage and the Crone are the male and female composites of each other. In certain situations the sage can become the hermit. In such a case, the hermit is still a sage, but is one whose trials are finding him and getting there. In reaching the hermit the characters will have completed a small journey in which they should have learned something of their own nature.

The Siren
In her role the Siren is a beguiling and seductive femme fatale, acting as a temptress for good or for ill. She may be there to test the resolution of the characters, or to simply waylay them. The Siren can sometimes cross roles with that of a Maiden, or even a mother. They are powerfully supernatural, capable of alluring people with their enchantments. The allure of a Siren is subtle; she works her magic without and obvious displays of power, but with the promise of power for those who submit to her control. In submitting, however, the characters power is then hers to use. However, their powers remain bound to the illusion of their allure. Once a person resists their call they are forever immune to the seductive and enchanting arts of the Siren. The seduction of a Siren is not always sexual; it is simply often the easiest way to seduce the weak. Sirens who find more temporally minded individuals attempt to offer temporal power, and material wealth to the greedy. The only power she cannot offer is selfcontrol and power of the mind. While Sirens are typically female, it is possible for men who are beguiling in a very subtle way. 96

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Urban Faerie Tales

In the telling of a Faerie Tale, there are many components and elements that are recurring, both as themes, characters and elements. In writing this chapter, the Heros Journey has been referenced a number of times. This is referring to Joseph Campbells work A Hero with a Thousand Faces. The work describes what he calls a monomyth, a cyclical journey that is apparent in every mythological journey of a hero. The claims relate to aspects of Jungian Archetypes, and aspects of the subconscious mind of Freudian psychology, and narrative symbolism that is supposedly consciously considered. Although since 1948, when it was originally published, advances in psychology have meant that both Jungian and Freudian psychology have lost influence. Yet, despite this, the concept of the monomyth seems to have a powerful sway. The use of the monomyth was used rather deliberately in the telling of the original Star Wars trilogy and The Matrix. Despite the waning of Jung and Freud, the concept of the monomyth is still considered to have a very powerful impact upon the human mind, rendering their stories into reflections of a narration that we all feel deeply at some level. However, as already pointed out, Faerie Tales are not myths. They do not reach the same epic level as myths and they are about far more colloquial and personal narrations. Yet, the nature of Changeling: the Lost is one of personal journey, personal transformation and the metaphor of the psyche. The basic concept of the monomyth, modified for the needs of a Faerie Tale are too useful to ignore. As a caveat, it is important to note that just because this model is presented, it should not be taken as a directive that your story should follow its path. While the model has been modified to be a little bit more flexible. Storytellers should feel free to use all, none or only some of the components for creating their own stories. The story is that which you and your players tell and it is that which is the most fun for you to tell. If the players take the game off in a whole new direction, you should feel free to incorporate it. At the very basis of the roleplaying game, there lie the characters and the stories of their lives.

hand is all about the personal revelations. The individuals reactions to the fantastic and terrifying. Myths take place in epic landscapes, Faerie Tales take place in the home: The threshold of the unknown is far, far away in another Kingdom for a myth, the threshold of the unknown is the front door for a Faerie Tale. Even though a Faerie Tale still treads into the realm of the fantastic, it will be inherently dealing with areas still familiar to the character. When a myth makes magical a far and exotic location unknown to the changeling a Faerie Tale makes strange the local haunts of the changeling and her home. Myths are games of powers; Faerie Tales are games of friendships: The nature of a myth means that the characters will meet people of extraordinary station. Kings, queens, princes, wizards and gods all fill the cast of a myth. The character by mere associated is a giant among them, despite their mortal appearance. A Faerie Tales most Machiavellian aspect is often found in familial conflict or sibling rivalry. While a myth speaks of how to entreat with thrones and estates of power, a Faerie Tale speaks of how to treat and deal with friends, family and perhaps society. Myths deal with the miraculous, Faerie Tales deal with the everyday impossible: The nature of the supernatural in a Myth is often the grandiose work of divinity, literally deus ex machina. It is to confirm the idea that there is something greater out there, which we are a part of. For Faerie Tales, whether there is something grander out there is for the character to decide, and decide how it affects her. The supernatural is there, but it is a deeply integral part of that characters life. It affects her psychology; it affects her perceptions of things. While myths can go into the deep truths of the underlying nature of things, Faerie Tales never attempt to be so profound, dealing only with personal idioms instead.

So You Want To Be A Hero?

Despite the previous assertions, Changeling: the Lost is also a game of myth. Such things lend themselves naturally to stories of mythic and epic proportions. When playing creatures that could very well have stepped out of some fantasy genre it becomes very easy to fit into the role of heroic fantasy. Changeling: the Lost was not written with epic stories in mind. This is deliberate, as these stories tend to detract from the sinister themes of darkness that are the focus of the game. Such themes were avoided because it is easy to generate them without as much work; creating a setting that allows you to play the warped and twisted themes of madness is a more unique challenge as a writer to bring together and as a Storyteller to tell. However, this should not stop players and Storytellers from twisting this setting ever so slightly to bring the game into high fantasy. All one needs to do is downplay the importance of the changelings psyche, make the forces of Id and Lethe a little bit more stable. On top of this, if players want fantasy characters in fantasy landscapes there are a number of hidden little pocket worlds in the Oubliette that are perfect for the ultimate reality escapism. Here one can play changeling in a world filled with dungeons and dragons, not to mention knights of yore. Having these two juxtaposed gives the group a nice conceit for why their characters 97

Myth vs. Faerie Tale

The first step is to separate the differences between a Myth and a Faerie Tale. Understanding these differences is critical in making Changeling: the Lost different from the epic fantasy of other games, and a Faerie Tale far more appropriate for the setting of The World of Darkness. Myths deal with high fantasy, Faerie Tales deal with low: The scale of a Myth is legendary. Its journeys are world spanning, its cast is thousands and its players are world shattering. The focus of an epic myth is about the world wide ramifications of the story. A Faerie Tale on the other

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are in a Renaissance Faire environment with mannerisms and colloquialism of the modern era. How about space-pirates in the deep blue. Possible, you just have to find the right section of the Oubliette. You want guns and blasters with your dragon fantasy? Sure why not, nothing is too weird for the Oubliette. Its a dream come true. eventually increase in frequency and blatancy as the character draws near. For characters already established in the world of the changeling, this may mean something coming to them showing them that something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Not all is right; again this should seem creepy, and somewhat personal. A characters friend has gone missing, or a characters home space has been invaded. However, for more direct approach the arousal can come in the form of a herald. A character that announces to the characters the journey that the fates have chosen for them. In this way the arousal can come from a person of authority who chooses to give them a task, even if it only seems minor at first. Such tales can eventually expand into much larger stories.

The Faerie Tale Cycle

The course of the mythic cycle is one that takes the character from their home across the threshold into the unknown, to the depths and then back across the threshold to home. So while the characters return to their point of origin, they are not the same. The character must go from waking world and cross into the dreaming realms. The characters daily existence is one of crossing two thresholds into dreaming realms and back into the waking world. The cycle presented here is only somewhat based on Josephs Campbells work. Instead a version is presented that is designed for Faerie Tales, rather than myths, as well as the nature of roleplaying. The cycle itself depicts the narrative as going from a point or origin, across a threshold into the underworld (the unknown of the dreaming realms) where they attain some form of exaltation of their own being, and with this new power they return from the undying lands into the world of the ordinary, changed from before. While there is a sequence presented for the journey, not every single step must be taken, and indeed significant variations of their order exist in literature. Certain steps may also be very fleeting or simply absent from the story. Each of these stages may potentially be achieved within one session, or over the span of many sessions. Storytellers are effectively setting a very stringent series of events that the characters are being asked to go through for the sake of the story. In order to allow for enough freedom of character behavior it is important to let each individual stage play themselves out fully. The characters must have freedom to direct themselves; otherwise theyll feel like they are merely pawns in your game. In each section there are hints at what you can do as a response to the characters actions that might help you direct the characters to the next step, but in essence what is happening is in exchange for making a fairly narrow pathway, you provide as much flexibility on that path as possible.

Refusal to the Call

Because the nature of the call may very frequently call upon the characters to challenge something about themselves, or something about their world perspective, or it may simply seem like a frightening or upsetting task to take. The trick to this step is to make the path seem dangerous or confrontational, but to make the consequences of refusing it to be even more dire. Its a do or be damned scenario that thrusts them sometimes painfully screaming into the face of adversity. If the characters refuse the call then allow them to roleplay this out. It is an important aspect of their character development as it highlights the internal struggle between the mundane and supernatural that underpins Changeling: the Lost. The problems faced might be because it means the characters are essentially leaving their family behind, or cutting their friends out of an important part of their lives. It can even manifest in ways where the character attempts to deal with the extraordinary in rather banal ways. The consequences for such actions can range anywhere from denying the weird, more mortal friends dying, being captured by the antagonists for a period, or otherwise suffering a fall from social grace and safety. Their homes may be invaded even to the point of driving them out, meaning that they have to get to the source of their problems. They can no longer simply deal with the symptoms.

Supernatural Aid
When the characters are ready to take on the path set for them, the fates will connive to send them some guidance, or aid. This will normally come in the role of a more experienced role within the setting. They are a guide, an oracle or a person of greater power that offers to aid them in their important journey. For newly emerged changelings this can be a patron, or some other Faerie guide that helps them deal with the difficulties of becoming a changeling. For established characters it may be the Sovereign of the commons lending them an artifact, or one wise in the ways of pledgecraft, swearing them into a Motley. The important aspect of this character is that, despite being more capable it is not his role to solve the problems for the characters, but to give them assistance to allow them to solve it for themselves. This step can easily be one of the shortest steps in the journey, especially if it is just a short appearance of a character. If you wish to pan out this step further allow the character to journey with them for a bit, or allow the journey

Departure
The departure is where the characters are given a wake up call. They are roused out of their routine lives and called towards dreaming.

Call to Adventure
Something unusual begins to confront the players. The purpose of this is to point out to the players a path that they must take. Its message is clear, the world you once knew, or the behaviors you are used to must now be left behind. For a character starting their chrysalis, supernatural things will begin to happen around them congruent to their works. These happenings will not be blatant at first, but they will 98

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to remain local letting them to return to the character for advise further on in the track. The role of this character is a mentor, arming the characters with tools both physical and psychological to help them deal with the upcoming adversities. If you so wish, you may choose to allow this to be another player, though this may be difficult since they are effectively playing a more higher powered character. As an option you may invite a special guest player to play this temporary role.

The Road of Trials

The characters must run a proverbial gauntlet. They encounter a number of physical, mental and social challenges they must pass from various different sources. They are challenged to prove their mettle and their resolve. The trials are designed to be psychological challenges, a show of fortitude that allows the character to brave the unknown. Riddles are a favored challenge at this point, for it demonstrates an ability to pierce enigmas, a prized ability of any changeling. However, it is not unusual for the characters to have to deal with a number of physical contests. However, because large combats can easily bog down any adventure it is probably best to have these fights be fought between a champion of the group and a creature of some description. Similarly, characters can often face ordeals of humiliation and defeat just as easily. Sometimes the true challenge can by how they have dealt with the adversity, and not overcoming the trials themselves. By this point the characters period of learning has ended. It is at this point in a journey that the characters will normally lose their mentor if her or she has journeyed with them.

Crossing the First Threshold

It is this point when the characters truly enter into Terra Incognita, the unknown, even the dreaming realms. Traditionally this is the moment where the characters first face true danger. While previously the strange and uncanny had seemed frightening perhaps, or merely creepy it now seems to pose a tangible and visceral threat to the wellbeing of the characters. It may be the first time they truly encounter the monstrous antagonist that they must face. This sentinel is supposed to represent some inner demon that the character must defeat. Traditionally a sentinel guards the threshold, which presents the characters with a test they must successfully win to pass over. Like the oracle, the sentinel can come in many guises. It can be a physical entity that makes them do battle. It can be a sphinx or other bygone that challenges them with a puzzle. On a journey, it may be someone who challenges them on the outskirts of their borders or on their doorstep.

Through a Mirror Darkly

Traditionally this step would be where the hero met a goddess, or a siren, which was a rebalancing between himself and his Anima, or the feminine part of his psyche. Since this game assumes gender parity in the characters allow this step to reflect the character confronting something diametrically opposite about their psyche. They may encounter an antagonist who is their mirror, or a darker twin. This phase is designed to highlight the duality of the character, for it is at this juncture the character meets his binary. In the case of a typically male protagonist this might manifest as a divine female, such as a mother, a maiden or a siren. For a female character this can be the knight, the knave or the prince. For changeling, this can easily be a meeting between them and their Fetch or their Shadow. The purpose of this section is to allow the character to encounter their polar opposite. The female to their male, the yin to their yang. In meeting their polar opposite they can find balance with it and seek some level of inner harmony. It may even be a confrontation with a character of the Shadow Courts, who either seeks to destroy their good intentions, or bring them over to their manner of thinking. If the character rejects this binary, play this up with a Dr. Jeckle, Mr. Hyde split. The basic consequence of leaving the divide between the two halves of their nature is to further entrench that division. If at a later stage they should reconcile this division the characters can have these aspects draw closer once again. In many examples, this other side can be specifically there to tempt them over to their perspective of reality; the proverbial joining of the dark side, or submitting to seduction. In this situation, their darker side can show the manifestation of their Vice, tempting them to completely submit to its allure.

The Belly of the Whale

Here the character will come across a shadow play. They will see parts of their psyche projected or enacted in some way. They will learn something about themselves, including an aspect of their inner selves, a hidden truth about their journey or some other relatively critical piece of information. The shadow play is an opportunity or some truly involved role-playing. Use the shadow play to allow the characters to act out soliloquies to help them flesh out their characters. It can even be done in the form of a flashback to help highlight a piece of the characters history. Through the shadow play allow the characters to find their idealized selves, their worst fears or some other important aspect of their psyche. By doing this you, as the Storyteller, can pick up on critical aspects of the character to use for further development down the journey. The more that this part of the story can be worked into the story later, the more personalized and significant it becomes. During this stage of a quest, the characters go into someplace reminiscent of a descent into the underworld. It may be something physical like a cave, or a sewer system, or a hollow space within their mind. It may be a journey through the Labyrinth, or underwater. You may even wish to make such locations somewhat symbolic of the womb and of rebirth.

Initiation
In initiation, the characters are truly bound on their journey. They have passed the point of no return and the only way back is to go forward. At this point they are bound to the narrative of the journey and must see it to its completion.

Reconciliation with the Elder

Again, this step traditionally signifies atonement with a fatherfigure. This is to symbolize a struggle between a master and his student, or between creators and created. In 99

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essence it is a struggle with the ultimate authority figure for the character, eventually triumphing over their position and attaining that power. Since gender parity is once more assumed, the fatherfigure of course is simply a person of power for the changeling. It can be a rolemodel, an idealized self, a leader of the court, or any figure that can utilize some form of power struggle. By conquering this foe, the character is learning how to deal with power, temporal, spiritual or supernatural. In essence, this is the confrontation of the characters major antagonist. For changeling, this antagonist can be another changeling of status and power. In fact sometimes the best route to go is to make the antagonist one of personal familiarity to the characters. This doesnt mean that a familiar antagonist has to be one that is a surprise in the last moment. There are many roleplaying opportunities to be held as characters learn that they must eventually overcome a previous ally or friend. that is to tie the boon directly into a price, or more appropriately, a sacrifice. At the extreme this can even be a heroic sacrifice of life, but otherwise it may simply require the character to give up something valued for the greater good.

Return
The last third of the journey deals with the return of the characters to their home proper. It deals with the characters integrating this new plateau of power into their lives, and returning home as changed people.

Refusal of the Return

For some characters it may seem impossible to return home. They have changed too much, seen and done enough that they cannot return to the place from which they came. Having attained a state of enlightenment or power, they may not desire to return. Similarly, the character may simply desire not to return with the prize or the boon. With the world proverbially at their feet, the desire to journey onward and upwards can be immense. If this is the case, it can be tricky to give the characters enough incentive to return home. Typically this can come in the form of an aspect of the power they have just toppled gaining a foothold in their home turf. It may be the righthand or lefthand council of the antagonist seeking revenge by ravaging the home. It may be some sort of plague, curse or blight released with the death of the power that is targeted on the characters friends and family. It may even be that their Hollows or Courts are under threat. In essence, youre bringing the threat home and setting it up so that the characters with their new abilities are crucial in snatching their home from the jaws of defeat.

Apotheosis
Apotheosis means becoming a god. In this point of the narrative the characters have defeated the elder, and have attained some new measure of power. With it they have learned something about the universe, had some form of transcendental experience that brings them one step closer to godhood. That is, if they have demonstrated the ability to reconcile the many aspects of the psychological journey, then they reach an apogee of being. In game terms this may mean that characters that have properly explored the faculties of the journey thus far may be awarded with an opportunity to spend experience points to raise their Wyrd. Reaching this point can seem like the logical conclusion of the narrative. For the Mythic Cycle it merely represents the furthest point away from origin before a return. The character has not reached the end, but rather a new beginning. They now have the power and ability to face their next quest. Storytellers should also note, that this point can also represent a point where the character discovers new clarity of thought. It may provide a roleplaying opportunity for characters to rebalance their psyche. It can also bring about a state of enlightenment where the character reaches a point where they can let go of the past, look forward to the future, or achieve some other profound psychological change.

The Magic Flight

This step should have an element of desperation. With the prized gained, and the decision to return at hand, they have inadvertently triggered a countdown either demanding their escape or to arrive at a location with utmost haste. The nature of this flight will of course be directly related to the manner in which they decide to return, and whether hostilities have been overtly declared. For a more actionoriented section allow the focus to be on escape and emergency. Otherwise, feel free to draw it out in an attempt to return home over a long distance. In terms of escape, a good staple of adventure is to cause some form of selfdestruction of the underworld. If it is a military complex, it may have a detonation sequence that allows them only to escape. If it was a Hollow or an enchanted location, perhaps without its power to support it, it begins to collapse in on itself. Caves, abandoned mines and old ruins can all come crumbling down in ruin. In terms of arrival, it may be that the boon must be returned to a location at a certain time and day. Though this only works well if you as a Storyteller have been canny enough to work in enough delays to make this a close call. A typical example may be a need to return home before midsummers day to complete an oath.

The Ultimate Boon

The nature of this step is closely aligned to the previous one. In fact it is possible to simply place the effects of these two steps in the same time frame. The major difference between these two steps is that the first one reflects the change itself, and the second is about the characters response to that change. From this new position of power, knowledge, personal balance or enlightenment; the characters are now able to either save, damn or otherwise change their society, typically that of the changeling or perhaps their Concordat. In this part of the story, pay particular attention to the decisions characters make. The decisions made when empowered are very defining. Feel free to point this out to the players to highlight the importance of their decisions. In some cases it may seem like the choice is obvious. If you feel that it comes to easily, then the simple way to adjust 100

by Angelus Michaels Rescue From Without

For many journeys this stage is often synonymous to the previous stage. The Magical Flight can also be a Rescue From Without. This step of the journey typifies the limitations of the characters godhood. For all their power, they are still reliant on those around them to assist in their escape and return home. While this can manifest in the form of allies arriving at a critical moment, it can also manifest in the form of humanity as a concept serving as an anchor for the characters sanity. For changeling, this can be a moment where madness threatens to overwhelm them with their newfound power. The character must find something or someway in which they can seek to temper this power with humility. Those who do not, or cannot ask for help become trapped in some form of loop or cycle; their own power feeding the trap. Changelings will have to confront the weaknesses inherent to their state of being. A good example for this play is to bring in an inspired or two and a barrier based on the changelings echoes of some description. It highlights the importance of those without the same powers can contribute. after being changed. Find out if they use their new knowledge and insight to help those around them, or for their own purposes. With this state of being reward the characters with new responsibilities and status.

The Crossing of the Return Threshold

At the first threshold symbolizes crossing over from life into death and the underworld and the second threshold symbolizes a rebirth into the ordinary world. As with the first threshold, the second one has a sentinel as well. This sentinel may be the same character or entity as the first sentinel, only more vicious and vengeful than their first meeting. The sentinel is far more wary of the characters abilities and has strength to potentially match them. While the first meeting is more of a challenge to judge entry, the later is often much more of a life and death confrontation. This is because leaving the underworld is far more difficult than entering it. Normally returning this way would result in defeat, yet the characters have attained a small bit of godhood and have the faculties to overcome this barrier. If it suits the narrative, this step can be combined with the Rescue From Without. The sentinel may know of the characters weaknesses, requiring the characters to seek some form of external weakness.

Master of Two Worlds

This point is not so much a stage of the narrative, but rather a condition achieved from crossing the return threshold. Having descended into the underworld and successfully returned the character has mastered both worlds. In essence, neither place is denied their entry or egress. They may go back and forth between the two locales at will. Typically it is also symbolic of having attained balance between the conflicting forces of the mind. This may seem a bit problematic if the location ventured into was given a final destruction, or if the location is a place inherently antagonistic to the player.

Freedom to Live
The journey is complete. The characters can have an epilogue. In this section allow the characters to describe how they deal with settling in back to their home and friends 101

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Rhyme and Reason

Faerie Tales have always used various forms of mental games to test, challenge and also simply to enhance the narrative of the story. The two major expressions in literature of this come to use through rhymes and riddles. Typically a confrontation between two individuals, especially in the dreaming realms, will find its resolution in a competition of riddles, or even a rhyming challenge. Though these might seem like games on the surface, they are steeped in tradition from before the Iron Age. Any lore-master worth his salt is expected to be able to unravel a riddle or put prose to rhyme with relative ease. A Storyteller should allows denizens of the dreaming realms and other changeling creatures to become more naturally disposed to engaging with the character if they are able to communicate with them, even partially in rhyme. In some cases, the challenge of a Rhyme may even allow characters to win a bargaining contest, or other social contest. Furthermore a Storyteller may choose to award dice bonuses to certain social tests if the rhyme enhances the presentation of the social contest. For example, if a changeling were attempting to haggle the price of an artifact found in the Goblin Markets, she might be awarded an extra success (or reduced cost) for each clever rhyme used when roleplaying the haggling. Alternatively when trying to cover up a social faux pas in the court, she may be granted bonuses when using rhymes to fast talk her way out of a situation. Storytellers should feel free to award truly clever creativity with an automatic exceptional success. This normally demands a role-playing of at least several lines of composed or ad-libbed rhyming poetry. Lines that sound forced or off, do not qualify for such a performance.

Riddle Me This
Riddle games and other riddle challenges are common amongst the changeling and other creatures of Faerie. Even beyond the simple challenges between individuals, many gateways, markers, paths and journeys require the heroes to solve some sort of riddle to uncover a clue to their journey. This can be an especially useful tool when the game begins to slow down and the characters are stuck for a direction to go. The Storyteller can drop to the characters a riddle as a clue for where they must go, what they must do, or anything else that might help them accomplish their tasks. If no riddle seems particularly pertinent to solving this dilemma, allow the information to come forward in the guise of a riddle-master or similar figure that is willing to trade information for correctly solved riddles.

Quick Riddles
I know a word of letters three. Add two, and fewer there will be. Few Two words, my answer is only two words. To keep me, you must give me. Your word Who buys it, has no use for it. Who uses it can neither see nor feel it. A coffin

What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years? The letter m It stands on one leg with its heart in its head. A cabbage What is it the more you take away the larger it becomes? A hole What is put on a table, cut, but never eaten? A pack of cards Who is it that rows quickly with four oars but never comes out from under his own roof? A turtle I move without wings, between silken strings. I leave as you find, my substance behind. A spider I was carried into a dark room, and set on fire. I wept, and then my head was cut off. A candle What goes through a door but never goes in and never comes out? A keyhole We are all around, yet to us you are half blind. Sunlight makes us invisible, and difficult to find. The Stars Always old, sometimes new, never sad, sometimes blue. Never empty, sometimes full, never pushes, always pulls. The moon What five-letter word, no matter how you pronounce it, is always pronounced wrong? Wrong Though liquid in nature, don't push me too far; for then I will break, and the damage may scar. Glass I cover what's real, hide what is true, but sometimes bring out the courage in you. Fear Walk on the living, they don't even mumble. Walk on the dead, they mutter and crumble. Fallen leaves I have a neck, but no head. I have two arms, but no hands. A shirt I have two arms, but fingers none. I have two feet, but cannot run. I carry well, but I have found I carry best with my feet off the ground. A wheelbarrow. Come up and let us go; go down and here we stay. An anchor What is it that leaps and runs and has no feet? A ball An open-ended barrel, and shaped like a hive. It is filled with the flesh, and the flesh is alive! A thimble Where can you find roads without cars, forests without trees and cities without houses? On a map What can bring back the dead; make us cry, make us laugh, make us young; born in an instant yet lasts a lifetime. A memory Tear one off and scratch my head, what once was red is black instead. A match If you have it, you want to share it. If you share it, you don't have it. A secret They have not flesh, nor feathers, nor scales, nor bone. Yet they have fingers and thumbs of their own. Gloves The more you have of it, the less you see. Darkness I have a hundred legs but cannot stand, a long neck but no head; I eat the maid's life. A broom This thing runs but cannot walk, sometimes sings but never talks. Lacks arms, has hands; lacks a head has a face. A clock In a tunnel of darkness lies a beast of iron. It can only attack when pulled back. A bullet

What starts with e and ends with e, but contains only one letter? An Envelope

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by Angelus Michaels Classic Riddles

Whoever makes it, tells it not. Whoever takes it, knows it not. And whoever knows it wants it not. Counterfeit Money When young, I am sweet in the sun. When middle-aged, I make you gay. When old, I am valued more than ever. Wine I am always hungry, I must always be fed. The finger I lick will soon turn red. Fire All about, but cannot be seen. Can be captured, cannot be held. No throat, but can be heard. Wind I am only useful when I am full, yet I am always full of holes. A Sieve If you break me I do not stop working. If you touch me I may be snared. If you lose me nothing will matter. Your Heart If a man carried my burden he would break his back. I am not rich, but leave silver in my track. A Snail Until I am measured I am not known, yet how you miss me when I have flown. Time I drive men mad for love of me, easily beaten, never free. Gold When set loose I fly away. Never so cursed as when I go astray. An Arrow I go around in circles but always straight ahead. I never complain, no matter where I am led. A Wheel Lighter than what I am made of. More of me is hidden than is seen. Iceberg I turn around once. What is out will not get in. I turn around again. What is in will not get out. A Lock or a Key Each morning I appear to lie at your feet. All day I will follow no matter how fast you run, yet I nearly perish in the midday sun. Your Shadow Weight in my belly, trees on my back, nails in my ribs, Feet I do lack. A Ship Bright as diamonds, loud as thunder, never still, a thing of wonder. The Ocean or a Waterfall. My life can be measured in hours. I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick, fat, I am slow. Wind is my foe. A Candle To unravel me you need a simple key. No key that was made by locksmith's hand, but a key that only I will understand. A Riddle I am seen in the water, if seen in the sky. I am in the rainbow, a jay's feather and lapis lazuli. The Color Blue Glittering points, that downward thrust, sparkling spears that never rust. Icicles You heard me before, yet you hear me again. Then I die, till you call me again. An Echo Three lives have I. Gentle enough to soothe the skin. Light enough to caress the sky. Hard enough to crack rocks. Water You can see nothing else when you look in my face, I will look you in the eye and I will never lie. A Mirror Lovely and round, I shine with pale light, grown in the darkness, a lady's delight. A Pearl At the sound of me, men may dream or stamp their feet. At the sound of me, women may laugh or sometimes weep. A Song When I am filled, I can point the way. When I am empty nothing moves me. I have two skins, one without and one within. A Glove With thieves I consort, with the vilest, in short. I'm quite at ease in depravity; yet all divines use me, and savants can't lose me, for I am the center of gravity. The Letter V As a whole, I am both safe and secure. Behead me, and I become a place of meeting. Behead me again, and I am the partner of ready. Restore me, and I become the domain of beasts. A Stable What does man love more than life, fear more than death or mortal strife? What does the poor have, the rich require, and what contented men desire? What the miser spends and the spendthrift saves; and all men carry to their graves? Nothing I build up castles. I tear down mountains. I make some men blind. I help others to see. Sand Not born, but from a Mother's body drawn, I hang until half of me is gone. I sleep in a cave until I grow old, then valued for my hardened gold. Cheese Double my number, Im less than a score. Half of my number is less than four. Add one to my number when bakers are near, days of the week are still greater I fear. Six I am two-faced but bear only one. I have no legs but travel widely. Men spill much blood over me. Kings leave their imprint on me. I have greatest power when given away, yet lust for me keeps me locked away. A Coin or Money My first master has four legs. My second master has two legs. My first I serve in life, my second I serve in death. Cure me and I live beyond my death. Though I am, yet soft beside, gainst ladies cheeks I oft reside. Fur I am the heart that does not beat. If cut, I bleed without blood. I can fly, but have no wings. I can float, but have no fins. I can sing, but have no mouth. Wood I am the outstretched fingers that seize and hold the wind. Wisdom flows from me in other hands. Upon me are sweet dreams dreamt. My merest touch brings laughter. Feather I weaken all men for hours each day. I show you strange visions while you are away. I take you by night, by day take you back, none suffer to have me, but do from my lack. Sleep Golden treasures I contain, guarded by hundreds. Stored in a labyrinth where no man walks, yet men come often to seize my gold. By smoke I am overcome and robbed, then left to build my treasure anew. A beehive Metal or bone I may be, many teeth I have and always bared, yet my bite harms no one and people delight in my touch. A comb My thunder rolls beneath me, my lightning flares above. I dust the crust, and when I bust, all I touch will I shove. A volcano Today he is there to trip you up and he will torture you tomorrow. Yet he is also there to ease the pain, when you are lost in grief and sorrow. Alcohol Two brothers we are, great burdens we bear. All day we are bitterly pressed, yet this I will say: we are full all the day, and empty when we go to rest. A pair of shoes I am sometimes strong and sometimes weak, but I am nobody's fool. For there is no language that I cannot speak, though I never went to school. An echo 103

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High born, my touch is gentle, purest white is my lace, silence is my kingdom, green is the color of my death. Snow Used left or right, I get to travel, over cobblestone or gravel. Used up, I vie for sweet success. Used down, I cause men great duress. A thumb My second is performed by my first, and, it is thought, a thief by the marks of my whole might be caught. Footsteps I am a window, I am a lamp, I am clouded, I am shining, and I am colored .Set in white, I fill with water and overflow. I say much, but I have no words. An eye I move very slowly at an imperceptible rate, although I take my time, I am never late. I accompany life, and survive past demise; I am viewed with esteem in most women's eyes. Hair or Nails I run, though I have no legs to be seen. I possess no heat, yet I do have steam. I have no voice to let words out, but from far away you can still hear me shout. A waterfall You must keep this thing, its loss will affect your brothers. For once yours is lost, it will soon be lost by others. Your temper Hands she has but does not hold, teeth she has but does not bite, feet she has but they are cold, eyes she has but without sight. A doll Some try to hide, some try to cheat, but time will show, we always will meet. Try as you might, to guess my name. I promise you'll know, when you I do claim. Death Only one color, but not one size; stuck to the ground, yet easily flies. Present in sun, but not in rain; doing no harm, and feeling no pain. A shadow My first is foremost legally. My second circles outwardly. My third leads all in victory. My fourth twice ends a nominee. Love I am not alive, but I grow. I don't have lungs, but I need air. I don't have a mouth, but water kills me. Fire In spring I am gay in handsome array. In summer more clothing I wear. When colder it grows I fling off my clothes and in winter quite naked appear. A tree I am free for the taking through all of your life, though given but once at birth. I am less than nothing in weight, but will fell the strongest of you if held. Breath They follow and lead, but only as you pass. Dress yourself in darkest black, and they are darker still. Always they flee the light, though without the sun there would be none. Shadow They come to witness the night without being called, a sailor's guide and a poet's tears. They are lost to sight each day without the hand of a thief. Stars With no wings, I fly. With no eyes, I see. With no arms, I climb. More frightening than any beast, stronger than any foe. I am cunning, ruthless and tall; in the end, I rule all. Imagination I look down on you, but I do not notice if you look back. Though no embarrassment or shame befalls ones I gaze upon, still all become flushed eventually when I do so. Sun Everyday I come but twice, though once Im false and once Im true, a veil of dew is my device. In birdsong I find my debut. Dawn No spider web was quite so grand. No snowflake can my form confess. Made deftly by a ladys hand, I crown a wifes first dress. Lace Youll find me in pain, youll find me in sorrow, youll find me also in joy. In my passing youll gain. New eyes for the morrow, though for some Im but a decoy. Tears Im given voice with flair and flutter but folded, then my tongue is stayed. Behind me, little intrigues mutter. Before me, blazons are displayed. Flag or Fan First I was breath, then I was thought, now again I am undefined. Some search for it far, some search without moving, though said to be part of mankind Spirit or Soul Mark me and your word is kept. Cut me and your word is broken. On me rides your good expense, when passed as your fair token. A note Im serious, and found quite deep, though sometimes left quite shallow. My residents are set to sleep beneath a mantle hallow. A grave Toss me and I stare at you, though this may be a boon or bane. If Chances kiss can guide me true, a fortune you may gain. A Pair of Dice When unused I turn my back to you; with my sisters, rest on idle rack. I'll open with finger's touch, but too much and you'll break my back. A book Here we meet and here we part, but not a safe place to rest. For here the dead rise and the devil talks; to those that seek him to best. Crossroads There's a glimmer of Glamour, afore gloaming matters, But a shimmer and clamor, afore its brother shatters. Dusk By my word that all men bind; the freedoms I promise, upheld. In rulership I am wholly blind, your troubles that I quelled. Justice

Stories
You have your characters, your setting, your theme and your mechanics. Time to set the stage, draw the curtain and let your characters have their entrances, exits and soliloquies. As this is a roleplaying game, there are no scripts, no narratives for your players to recite and follow. However, by manipulating the supporting cast and the environment, there are still a number of stories that can unfold. When playing games in the World of Darkness, there are common themes, and conflicts that the characters will encounter. Usually the borders of the story coincide with the city of region where the story is set, but that is no reason why the characters cannot go on a campaign to far and distant climes. Make use of both the familiar and exotic when trying to find locales for your epic. In determining an overarching plot, theres a range of longevous stories that can either serve as the main impetus for story, or can simply provide subplots for character development. Every story should be about what questions you can ask the players. These questions should be able to confront and question the characters, perhaps even as moral dilemmas. In this way you can create your very own Passion Plays.

New Riddles
Youll find me riding womens hips, with metal tongues behind my lips. Though nimble fingers find my catch, more malign ones, my whole may snatch. Purse or Belt

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Apocalypse Now
This is perhaps one of the more complex stories of all, for it requires the Motley to explore the entirety of what madness represents and perhaps turn fate towards their ends as they endeavor to make the changeling ascendant once more. These sorts of stories are incredibly epic, for it means the Motley will inevitably come across the Gentry and attempt to defeat them. They must overcome their own battle with their Fetch and human society, and when all is said and done the world will be irrevocably changed, for better or for worse.

their loyalty to, their fellowship or their court? What about Concordat interests in the matter?

Chance and Coin

The Satrapy of Pearls lauds a closeness towards chance and fate. Many know how to shift the odds in the favor and one bunch of changeling go from place to place using this trick to acquire great wealth in casinos and through other high-stake gambling. Who cares about the world when you can live it up big time with such little ease? In fact, for the changeling the game is not so much about the money, but about the winning. The money is only there to keep score. The game is afoot and every changeling must scramble, thieve, acquisition, manipulate and swindle the mortal kind for whatever wealth they can. The gloves are off and theres a profit to be made. Does the enterprising Motley participate in these games of wealth, or do they attempt to return the balance so as not do damage the economies that support them. Its all a careful balancing act, take too much money and you crash the whole system. Take just enough and you can live comfortably.

Bug Hunt
A string of unusual deaths catch the attention of the changeling when they catch wind of an unusual modus operandi. Apparently, all the victims share a common mutilation or method of death that matches the story of a local urban legend. Naturally, this causes concern, as this is exactly the sort of evidence that lends itself to the work of the Hollow. The Motley charged with this assignment must first perform some delicate investigation to discover the source of this killer and whether it is something that requires their attention, or something to be left to the mortal authorities. If they do discover that it is a Hollow, do they kill it straight away, or do they attempt to learn more about its behavior and manners, while risking more lives in the mean time. Perhaps the Motley is specifically a clean up crew whose main purpose is to track down the Hollow and eliminate them where they can. Such a story might seem to suggest a monster of the week formula, but on closer inspection it allows the players to confront the very worst about their Faerie nature in an up close and personal manner. When seeing the worst of very depraved acts perpetrated by their own kind, how do they respond? Does it give them more resolve to fight the good fight? Do they begin to slip as they rely on depraved tactics of their own? Monster hunters have a way of becoming like the creatures they hunt.

Dreams of the Deep

Something is rising up from the deep. The ways of the Labyrinth have been breaching into the waking world and the division between waking and sleep are eroding. Residents of the Labyrinth are being forced into the waking world as some leviathan of the dreaming realms stirs beneath the surface making the Labyrinth an unsafe to reside in. Not only does this cause political turmoil as the Hobgoblins are forced out of their territories into the world above, but the other denizens cause chaos and confusion amongst the local populace. Until this creature of the deep is dealt with, nothing can settle down. The changeling are beginning to get strange and powerful dreams in their moments of lucidity. They suspect that deep beneath the city slumbers one of the Others and for some reason, he or she is waking even if only for a few fitful moments. These small but sporadic awakenings are enough to bring pockets of the Oubliette up to the surface of the waking world and releasing its denizens upon it, creating havoc on the streets above as things from the deep reach to the surface. The changelings have a dilemma, if it is a dreaming leviathan in a fit of wakefulness, do they attempt to revive them completely and to hell with the consequences? Do they work to maintain the status quo and attempt to put them back to sleep, at least until theyre ready to deal with the issue better.

Calling a Vendetta
All is fair in love and war, and changelings have made the art of spiteful hate an art form. In this story the Motley is closely allied with a particular faction within the commons. As the story unfolds, terrible enmity grows between the court and another resulting in the call for a blood feud. As the two groups rage against each other, eventually a Vendetta is declared and the Motley is caught up in this conflict. Essentially the nature of the Vendetta means the characters will be pitted against rivals of another faction, and this narrative can be told through any of the forms of Vendetta. While the War of Blades offers swashbuckling adventure and swordplay, the War of Rose can lend itself to a highly dynastic and machinations of politics and trade. Finally the War of Night is the most intense of them all as it sews distrust and paranoia wherever the characters go. In these games, the characters should feel plagued and hunted, and not given a moments rest. In particular this conflict can be particularly quarrelsome if the characters find themselves caught on opposing sides of the fight. Who is

Hunt or be Hunted
Something is predating on changeling kind. It is methodical and definite in its hunt and so far several changeling of the court have turned up dead, their bodies either mutilated or only in pieces. What creature is deliberately hunting the changeling? Is it a creature of bygone eras? It is one of the other supernaturals that claim parts of the city? It is simply one of the True Fae come to wrack bloody murder upon the freehold. Whatever the situation is, the solution is clear. The freehold has assigned the Motley to go out, find the thing 105

by Angelus Michaels
and either bring it to justice or kill it. Theyve been given a large purview and access to the resources of the court to do what they must. They must go to the known haunts of this creature and attempt to flush it out if they can. The Motley now plays a dangerous game to find and locate this creature before they potentially become the creatures next target. Furthermore, if the creature they discover is own of the nights other denizens, what might happen if they inadvertently destroy a powerful member of another species. Or even a creature simply under their protection and care. Will they bring down the fury of vampires, werewolves of mages or something worse? still untainted by the Miasma. Though these places may not offer the creature comforts of the urbanized landscape they offer respite and the illusion that all is well with the world. Similarly, changeling may retreat to the depths of the Underground. However, this has its own dangers. No man is truly an island, and no wilderness can remain forever untouched by the world of man. They must be careful to maintain the borders of their paradise from metaphysical or physical intrusion. Eternal vigilance is these changelings watchwords. These isolated kingdoms may not necessarily have to be the main characters. The existence of such an idyllic locale can often have an impact on the freehold itself. Perhaps as a place for unbalanced changelings to recuperate and rebalance their humours.

Soldiers of Fortune
Fortune favors the brave they say, and changeling is often a game of heroism. In the World of Darkness, sometimes the best thing you can do is to bring a flamethrower to the darkness. Stories of this nature are heavy and gritty, as the players attempt to retake the night for their own purposes. They may have some form of altruistic motivation or it may be simple mercenary gain. In stories such as these, the Storyteller should not be afraid to make the horror very hard and fast and in the faces of the players. They will confront other creatures of the night and fight things must bigger and nastier then they. Characters will have to use their wits, their cunning and their teamwork in order to simply survive the night. The Storyteller should decide whether to go the heroic angle and allow the players to have epic but story-tale battles, or truly dirty conflicts where character have to face the reality of their comrades dying in the war of the night.

La Dolce Vita
Gossip is the lifeblood of the commons. In one city the constantly shifting alliances of the many courts are as capricious as Faerie itself. The Motley is caught up in the middle of it, attempting to either act as peace-brokers amongst bickering or even warring courts, or emissaries between of war? The Motley eventually discovers that the machinations of Shadow Courts are responsible for the bad contentions. The players must attempt to uncover the source of the corruption, without knowing who they can trust. When doing this story, a Storyteller can elect to give the Motley some form of discretionary power that might help them question or uncover the source of the problems. In this case, be prepared for the targets to become direct targets of the Shadow Courts machinations. Their political weight will be pushed towards stymieing their efforts wherever possible. Alternatively, a concerned member of the court to uncover these things in secret could have put the Motley together in secret. Though they dont have as much official power, this might prove a far more exciting full of intrigue. If the players find themselves facing too many difficulties then is this an indicator that they were deliberately chosen by the Shadow Courts as an impotent and token attempt to uncover them? Or are the machinations of the Shadow Courts simply too deep for an easy way out?

New Horizons
To hell with this world. In the far reaches and climes of the dreaming realms there exist glades and niches of paradise 106