CTL Kith and Kin

 

A S SOURCEBOOK   F FOR FO OR R    CHANGELING HANGELING  : T THE HE  L  LO OST ST   S ECOND  E E DITION DITION

 

Credits Developers:  Meghan Fitzgerald and Rose Bailey   Writers:  Write rs:  Chris Allen, Jacqueline Bryk, Meghan Fitzgerald, Chris Handforth, Danielle Lauzon, Marianne Pease, Spider B. Perry, Lauren Roy, Chloe Sobel, Audrey  Whitman Editor: Spider B. Perry   Art: Brian Leblanc, Alex Sheikman, Luis Sanz, Drew Tucker  Art Director: Mike Chaney  Creative Director: Richard Thomas

Special Thanks encouragement . Dixie Cochran, for herendless support and encouragement. Our consulting developers, Michael Pietrelli   and t he journey.  Vanessa Uphoff  Uphoff , who accompanied us on the  And all of our Changeling: The Lost 2e Kickstarter backers, who made this companion book possible! Requires the use of the Changeling: The Lost Second Edition Rulebook

© 2022 Paradox Interactive AB. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf, Vampire, Chronicles of Darkness, Vampire: The Masquerade, and Mage: The Ascension are registered trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB. All rights reserved. Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Werewolf: The Forsaken, Mage: The Awakening, Promethean: The Created, Changeling: The Lost, Hunter: The Vigil, Geist: The Sin-Eaters, V20, Anarchs Unbound, Storyteller System, and Storytelling System are trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by Paradox Interactive AB. This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised. Keep up to date with Onyx Path Publishing at http://theonyxpath.com/

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Kith and Kin

 

Introduction Theme: Identity and Choice Mood: No Easy Answers  What s in This Book? ’

Chapter One: Familiar and Strange Fish Out of Water Goodbye, Kansas Guardians of the BriarNet Over the Firewall Handles and Usernames Surfing Surf ing the Web Virtual Meetup Once and Future Shadows of the Past Bright Thor Thorns ns of the Future Heirlooms Walking Timele Timeless ss Road Roadss The Wishing Roads Lost in Space Wishing Road System Systemss Wishing Bastio Bastions ns Soliloquies Moon Faeries: The Lunar Freehold Courts Faces Story Hooks

6

Touchstones

6

Clarity

 Alternate Systems

6 6

11 11 11 12 12 13 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 16 17 17 17 18 19 19 19

To Be Lost Survival Survi val Instincts Surviving Fresh Out of the Hedge On Learning to Live Thriving

19 19 20 21 21 22

Spinning the Self Needle and Thread Prick of the Finger

23 23 23

Woven Tapestrie Tapestriess Rethreading the Needle

24 24

24 25

25

Roleplaying the Dream New Clarity Conditions Optional System: Condition-Based Kenning

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors The Forms of Things Unknown  What Lies Forgotten

Lost and Found No Good Deed Goes Unpunished  A Change of Heart Heart Designing Regalia Symbol First Themes First Bringing Bring ing It to Life

 New Contracts Chalice Filling the Cup (Common) Frail as the Dying Word (Common) Sleep s Sweet Embrace (Common) Curse’s Cure (Commo (Common) n) Dreamer’s Phalanx (Common) ’

Closing Death’s Door (Royal) Feast of Plenty (Royal) Still Waters Run Deep (Royal) Poison the Well (Roy (Royal) al) Shared Cup (Royal)

Coin

26 27 27

29 29 30

31 32 32 32 33 33 33

34 34 34 35 35 36 36 36 37 38 38 38

39

Book of Black and Red (Common) Give and Take (Commo (Common) n) Beggar Knight (Common) Coin Mark (Commo (Common) n) Grease the Wheels (Common) Blood Debt (Royal) Exchange of Gilded Contracts (Royal) Golden Promise (Royal) Grand Revel of the Harvest (Royal) Thirty Pieces (Royal)

Table of Contents

39 40 40 41 41 42 42 42 43 44

 3 3

 

Scepter

44

Burning Ambition (Common)  Jealous Vengeance Vengeance (Common) Litany of Rivals (Common) Knight’s Oath (Commo (Common) n) Unmask the Dark Horse (Common)  A Benevolent Hand (Royal) Fake It Til You Make It (Roy (Royal) al) Tempter’s Quest (Roya (Royal) l) Curse of Hidden Strings (Royal) ‘

Spare Not the Rod (Royal)

Stars

Pole Star (Common) Straight On Til Morning (Common) Cynosure (Common) Shooting Star (Common) Retrograde (Common) Frozen Star (Royal) Light of Ancient Stars (Royal) Star Light, Star Bright (Royal) Pinch of Stardust (Royal) ‘

Thorn

48

49

49 49 49 50 50 50 51 51 52

53

Briar’s Herald (Common) By the Pricking of My Thumbs (Common) Thistle’s Rebuke (Common) The Gouging Curse (Common) Embrace of Nettles (Common)  Acantha’s Fury Fury (Royal)  Awaken Portal (Royal) Crown of Thorn s (Royal) Shrike’s Larder (Royal) Witch’ss Brambles (Royal) Witch’

Independentt Contracts Independen

53 54 54 54 55 55 56 56 57 58

58

Coming Darkness (Common) Pomp and Circumstance (Common) Shadow Puppet (Common) Dread Companion (Royal) Cracked Mirror (Royal) Listen with the Wind’s Ears (Royal)

58 59 59 60 60 61

Momentary Respite (Royal) Steal Influence (Common) Earth’s Gentle Movements (Common) Earth’s Impenetrable Walls (Royal)

61 62 63 64

Regalia Manifestatio Manifestation n Creating Regalia Manifestations New Merit: Regali a Manifestat Manifes tation ion (• to •• •••••) Mer it: Regalia  Alternative Regalia Manifestations Manifestation Systems Manifestation Powers Drawbacks Nothing Without Without Risk Systems Dramaturgy Flower Chains and Masquerades

 4 4

44 44 45 45 46 46 46 47 48

Kith and Kin

64

65 65

65 65 66 67

67 67

68 68

New Changeling Merit: Dramatur Dramaturge ge (•••) New Changeling Merit: Understudy Under study (•••)

Trade and Favor Systems

Galoshins Systems Galoshin Circumstantial Modifiers

Expanded Pledgecraft Example Oaths Oath of Friendship Oath of True Love Oath of Nemesis Oath of Exile Touchstones as Pledges New Pledge Types Curses and Hexes Feuds Rules of Engagement Enchanted Bargains Deed Vows Icons

Chapter Three: Kiths Those Without Kith

69 69

69 69

70 70 71

72 72 72 72 73 73 73 74 74 75 76 77 78 79

83 83

Kithless Scissors Unraveled

83 84 84

 Acquiring a Kith Icons Ordeals Bartering

85 85 85 86

Fashioning Kiths Kith Themes Repurposing  Approaches

86 87 87 87

Example Kiths Crown  Absinthial Climacteric Concubus Draconic Flowering Ghostheart Moonborn Uttervoice  Jewels Delver Glimmerwisp Gremlin Manikin Oculus Polychromatic

88 88 88 88 89 90 90 91 92 92 93 93 94 94 95 95 96

Veneficus Witchtooth

97 97

 

Mirror Bricoleur Cloakskin Doppelganger Lethipomp Lullescent Riddleseeker Sideromancer Spiegelbild

Shield  Asclepian Bridgeguard Librorum Liminal Reborn Stoneflesh Wisewitch

Steed  Airtouched Chalomot Chevalier Farwalker Flickerflash Levinquick Swarmflight Swimmerskin

Sword

98 98 98 99 99 100 100 101 102

103 103 10 3 103 104 105 105 106 106

106 106 107 107 108 109 110 110 111

111

Bearskin Beastcaller Cyclopean Plaguesmith Razorhand Sandharrowed Valkyrie Venombite

111 112 112 113 114 115 115 116

 Additional Kiths

11 116 6

 Apoptosome Becquerel Blightbent

116 117 117

Enkrateia Gravewight Shadowsoul Telluric Whisperwisp

118 119 119 120 120

Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather Motleys in Lost Chronicles Making a Motley

123 123 123

Pledged Together Oath-Sworn Terms

Roses and Thorns Roses Thorns Weaving the Tapestry

Sworn Fellowship Fellowshipss Children of the Stone The Tail-Tied Rats The Hunters The Fair and Honorable Merchants

124 125 12 5

125 125 126 126

126 126 126 127 12 7 127 12 7 127 12 7

Harlequins

128

Systems

129

Thornss Within and Without Thorn Knives In, Knives Out

Staged Struggle

129 129

129

Social Currency Negotiation Investment

130 130 131

Unconvention al Motleys Unconventional Motley Pledges Freehold Politics Court Politics Fae Creatures Creatu res

131 13 131 1 132 132 132

Huntsmen

Mortals

Fae-Touched

134

134

134

Found Family and Desperate Allia Alliances nces Motleys, Monsters, and Mystics Vampires Werewolves  Awakened Prometheans Sin-Eaters Demons Beasts Mummies

135 136 136 136 136 13 6 136 137 137 137 137

Safe and Sound

138

Saying No Sayingg Yes Sayin Saying Anything The Door Is Still Open New Safety Option: Player Profiles Sample Player Profile: Big Ben Clifftop

 Appendix: New Conditions Conditions

Table of Contents

138 138 138 138 139 139 13 9

140

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“Rain fell upon him and he grew thin as rain. Rain washed away thought, washed away memory, all the good and the bad. He no longer knew his name. Everything was washed away like mud from a stone. Rain filled him up with thoughts and memories of its own. Silver lines of water covered the hillside, like intricate lace, like the veins of an arm. Forgetting that he was, or ever had been, a man, he became the lines of water. He fell into the earth with the rain.” — Susanna Clarke, Clarke, Jonathan  Jonathan Stran Strange ge & Mr Norrell

t he crossroads or the dancer in the wild? Will you  Y  You ou risked risked everything — your life, your individ individuality, uality, even trickster at the your fetch, or leave  your soul — to escape your Keeper’ Keeper’ss cl clutches. utches. Every changeling changeling  wrest the reins of your old life back from your shares that much, and though it brings them together, the de- that life behind to find a new family, new friends, and a new tails set them apart. You wanted desperately to return to the purpose? Will you surround yourself with companions you human world, but why? You’ll stop at nothing to take your life trust or rivals who challenge you? back and make of it what you wish, but what drives you to do   it? Did you emerge into the familiar or the inexplicably alien, and what are you going to do about it either way?      All Lost take on a Herculean task as soon as they Despite having literal magic at your fingertips, you have emerge from the Hedge for the first time: claim an identity. no magical solution to your problems. Your life and relaIt’s harder than it sounds. tionships are messy and complicated; your questions about Kith and Kin is a book about making sense of yourself purpose, andand trust can only be answered in a world where nothing is as it seems, including you. It’s identity, through trial by fire under constant pressureover fromtime, the about personal transformations, personal relationships, and ever-present Wild Hunt. learning to trust yourself and others all over again. It’s about Nothing is ever cut and dry where Faerie is concerned. personal power — the power to define who you are and who Even if you do find answers, you might reject them, or  you strive to be, a power you braved the fire to take back change your mind over time. The uncertainty you felt when despite the way it burned your hands and left its scars.  you took that first step back back into the mortal world never fully goes away. You’ll always struggle to know yourself.   The perfect, ideal life you find at the end of a fairy tale     doesn’tt exist; doesn’ exi st; it’s just a Fae lie. But that’s okay. That’s human, Who am I? What have I become? These questions plague that’s real, and that’s what separates you from the Gentry.  you as one of the Lost. L ost. In I n trying tr ying to answer them, t hem, you’ll dis’       cover that both the wonder and the horror of Faerie are in  you now, too. You’ll decide what kind k ind of mag magic ic you wish wi sh to Kith and Kin is a player’s guide for Changeling: The  wield and a nd how — and why — you wish to wield it. Will you be the charming troubadour or the tyrannical queen? The Lost Second Edition, offering options and insights for char-

Mood: No Easy Answers

Theme: Identity and Choice

What s in This Book?

6 6

 

Introduction

 

acters as individuals and looking at the t he way changelings bind kithless characters and the process of acquiring new kiths in themselves to each other on a personal scale. play. Along with explaining how to design new kiths from Chapter One: Familiar and Strange  is about the return a thematic perspective, it also presents 56 new kiths for use from Faerie. It presents options for characters who escaped in any chronicle. into unfamiliar times or places, including details about the Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather  is about motleys. It digital Hedge, the Hedge in space, and a freehold on the  walks through the process of forming a motley from both moon. It also explores the way changelings think and their in-character and out-of-character perspectives, including an daily experiences, as well as offering additional, optional optional motley-building exercise called Roses and Thorns. rules for Anchors and Clarity. This chapter also presents four sample motley oaths, a new type of Hedge ghost that feeds on the bonds between motChapter Two: Wonders and Terrors powers. ley-mates, and several optional methods for adjudicating It presents five new Regalia and a selection isofabout independent Contracts, as well as advice on how to design Regalia from conflict between characters, intended to enhance the play a thematic perspective. It also contains systems for manifest- experience. It discusses unconventional motleys with noning Regalia as physical objects and for the fae sympathetic changeling members, including additional fae beings, mormagic which changelings call dramaturgy. Finally, it details a tals, and other supernatural creatures. Finally, it expands upon the advice in the core book about ensuring safety at few full oath examples and seven new types of pledges. the table by offering further options intended specifically for Chapter Three: Kiths is about the kith as both identity player use. and connection. It discusses playing three different kinds of

What's In This Book?

7 7

 

“Would you…happen “Would you…happen to to have have aa match?” match?” She’s She’s laughing aa little, laughing little, lips lips pulled pulled back back against against aa sharp sharp smile. “In smile. “In all all the the excitem excitement, excitem excitement, ent, II seem ent, seem to to have have lost lost my lighter.” my lighter.” II try try to to wrench wrench myself myself upright upright and and our our vision vision swaps again. swaps again. II look look awful awful — — all all gray g ray gray g ray and and limp limp with aa thin with th in thin th in iridescent iridescent sheen sheen on on my my skin, skin, my my eyes eyes

still swimming still swimming aa little little from from fatigue, fatigue, the the edges edges of of my hands my hands started started to…blur. to…blur. II looked looked down down in in mute mute horror to horror to see see one one pair pair of of translucent t ranslucent ttranslucent ranslucent hands hands releasreleasing the ing the broom, broom, then then two two pulling pulling it it back, back, then then one one again, each again, each pushing pushi ng pushing pushi ng so so hard hard II could could almost almost feel feel it. it. II caught caught the the broom broom as as it it fell, fell, but but II couldn’t couldn’t shake shake that phantom that phantom feeling, feeling, like like my my hand hand had had passed passed

bloody bloody with her of her ghost. ghost. But who But whobody, knows knows how long I’ll have I’ll havewith control control of the working the working body, sohow so II run runlong to to the broken the broken desk desk and and start start turning turning over over the the loose loose papers trying papers trying to to nd  nd nd  nd it. it. I’m I’m I’m I’ m sure sure II kicked kicked it it this thi ss this thi way. II must way. must have. have. She’s She’s hissing hissing something something at at me, me, aa deep deep gurgling gurgling something something II was was not not aware aware my my voice voi voice voi ce could ce could do do thank than k thank than k you you very very much. much. With With all all the the writhing and writhing and low-key low-key low-key lowkey demonic demonic noises noises coming coming out out of my of my mouth, mouth, it’s it’s like like she’s she’s giving giving up up any any pretense pretense of being of being me me while while having having the t he tthe he indecency indecency to to keep keep wearing my wearing my body body while while she’s she’s doing doing it. it. And then And then I’ I’m I’ I’m m laughing m laughing because because II suddenly suddenly can’ttt stop can’ can’t can’ stop thinking thin king thinking thin king about about how how peculiar peculia rr this peculiar peculia this would would look to look to someone someone else. else. Two Two identical identical women, women, oily oily with gasoline, with gasoline, trying trying to to tear tear one one another another apart apart in in the pile the pile of of kindling kindling and and nostalgia nostalgia that that used used to to be be my (our?) my our?) bedro bedroom. bedroom. om. But But I’ I’m I’m m starting start starting ing to to feel feel her her prickling under prickling under my my skin skin again, again, so so II quickly quickly grab grab the lighter the lighter and and mime mime inging inging it it through through the the brobro -brobro ken pane ken pane of of the the bolted bolted window. window. She She seethes seethes at at me, me, but from but from the the way way she’s she’ss craning she’s she’ crani ng craning crani ng my my neck neck trying try ing trying try ing to to see where see where it it landed, landed, I’m I’m pretty pretty sure sure she she can’t can’t tell tell II palmed it. palmed it. Risky, Risky, when when she she might might get get control control back back at any at any moment. moment. •••

through through the handle the handle instead instead of around of around it.almost It comes It comes and goes. and goes. Sometimes Sometimes II feel feelit. almost myself, sometimes myself, sometimes like like my my body body isn’t isn’tt my isn’t isn’ my own own anymore, like anymore, like it’s it’ss reaching it’s it’ reachi ng reaching reachi ng elsewhere, elsewhere, like like it it hears hears an echo an echo II can’t. can’t. can’t. can’ t. II wake wake up up from from dreams dreams of of deep deep rhythmic chanting rhythmic chanting and and the the sound sound of of hammers hammers on on metal and metal and nd  nd nd  nd myself myself standing standing at at the the window wi wi ndow. window ndow... II went to went to doctors doctors with with pages pages of of notes notes they they didn’t didn’t read. Asked read. Asked informed informed questions. questions. Carefully Carefully didn’ d idn’t didn’ d idn’ttt scream when scream when no no one one knew knew what what was what was wrong. w wrong wrong. rong.. (Ev(Ev Ev--Ev erything, or erything, or maybe maybe nothing. nothing. No No two two tests tests came came back the back the same. same. My My body body seemed seemed to to be be destroying destroying itself, but itself, but no no one one could could tell tell why.) why.) II wonder wonder what what it it would even would even eeven ven mean mean to to feel feel like like myself myself myself myse lf again. again. Hav Haveee Hav Have you ever you ever been been painfully painfully angry, angry, so so angry angry that that it it chokes you, chokes you, clots clots in in your your throat throat like l ike llike ike you’ll you’ll never neverr never neve breathe again? breathe again? II used used to to be be aa fairly fa irly fairly fa irly calm calm person, person, but these but these last last few few months months it’ it’sss been it’ it’s been bursting bursting out out at at the strangest the strangest moments. moments. When When II look look at at the the horihorizon. When zon. When II close close my my bedroom bedroom window wi ndow. window wi ndow... When When II hear the hear the wind wind rise. rise. Right Right now. now.. now. now II sighed sighed and and stepped stepped out out of of the the shower. shower. The The nauseating, unclean nauseating, unclean sensation sensation felt felt as as stuck stuck into into my skin my skin after af af ter after ter the the third thi rd third thi rd shower shower shower show er as as it it had had before before the rst. the rst. II drew drew aa sad sad face face in in the the condensation condensation

The tremors The tremors were were subtle were subtle at at rst at rst, the the pain pain riprip rip-rippling through pling through my my skin skin so so lightly lightly and and so so suddenly suddenly that it that it was was gone gone almost almost before before II dropped dropped the the glass. As glass. As II was was sweeping sweeping up up the the glass, glass, my my vision vision

on the on the bathroom bathroom mirror, mirror, and and the the rivulet rivulet of of water water that dripped that dripped down down the the glass glass glowed. glowed. Unnerved, Unnerved Unnerved,, II Unnerved, quickly wiped quickly wiped the the rest rest of of the the steam steam off off the the mirmirror with ror with aa towel, towel, trying trying not not to to make ma ke make ma ke eye eye contact. contact.. II contact. contact

• • •

 

hate looking hate looking at at myself myself in in the the mir mirror mir ror. mirror ror... I’ I’m I’m I’m m not not sure sure why exactly why exactly — — some some kind kind of of aversion. aversion. Even Even before before all this all th is this th is started started it it never never quite quite looked looked llooked ooked like like my my skin skin t right. t right. But But now, now now, well, well it’ it’sss complicated, it’ it’s complicated and complicated and it’ it’s it’ss it’s too late. too late. I’ve I’ve already already caught caught my my own own eyes eyes and and it it feels like feels like I’m I’m I’m I’ m pinned pinned in in place. place. The The resentment resentment on on my face my face is is hard ha rd hard ha rd to to look look at at directly. directly.. II feel directly. directly feel myself myself blink. II don’t blink. don’tt see don’t don’ see myself myself blink. blink. II keep keep blinking, blinki ng, blinking, blinki ng, waiting to waiting to see see my my eyelids eyelids move. move.. Instead, move. move In stead, Instead, In stead, the the shadshad-

going to going to be be trapped t rapped. ttrapped rapped... But But II hesitate. hesitate. II keep keep getting getting caught up caught up trying trying to to make make sense sen sen se sense se of of it. it. II couldn’t couldn’ couldn’tt get couldn’t get aa clear clear answer a nswer aanswer nswer out out of of her her before. before. She She was was here here for for revenge, or revenge, or justice. justice. To To take take something something from from me, me, or or take it take it back. back. She She wants wants something something II have have,,, wants have have, wants it badly it badly enough enough enough enou gh that that she she would would kill kill me me and and burn bu bu rn burn rn down aa house down house to to get get it it back. back. But But why? why? My My life life is is pretty sedate. pretty sedate. I’m I’m I’m I’ m not not aa collector collector of of anything anything more more valuableee than valuabl valuable valuabl than river river rocks rocks and and bits bits of of glass. glass. And And

ows ows under under the reection’s the reection’s eyes eyes deepen. deepen. Shejust… She tenses tenses like she’s like she’ she’s she’ ss waiting waiting for something, for somethi something, somethi ng, ng, and then and then just… walks out walks out of of the the frame. f rame. fframe. rame. II look look into into my my bathroom bathroom mirror and mirror a nd aand nd see see only only my my bathroom bathroom reected reected there. there. My brain My brain cracks cracks slightly slightly to to protect protect me. me. II think think something along something along the the lines l ines llines ines of of “guess “guess ““guess guess my my mirmirror must ror must be be broken” broken” and and mechanically mechanically sort sort the t he tthe he laundry pile laundry pile (clean, clean, II thin think, think, k, but but folding folding has has been been beyond me beyond me for for aa couple couple of of months) months) for for enough enough clothing to clothing to constitute constitute aa change change from from daytime daytime pajamas to pajamas to nighttime nighttime pajamas. pajamas. And And then, then, with with half my half my bra bra on on and and hair hair still still dripping dripping and and askew, askew, someone slides someone slides through through aa gap gap in in my my closed closed door door frame like frame like II had h ad had h ad left left it it wide wide open. open. She She looks looks looks loo ks like like me, if me, if you you replaced replaced replaced replac ed half half my my skin skin with with shadow shadow and and the other the other half ha lf half ha lf with with lead, lead, and and when when she she opens opens her her mouth, the mouth, the anger anger just just pours pours out out of of me me and and into into her voice. her voice. II know, know, but but also also don’t, don’t, the the language language she’sss speaking. she’ she’s she’ speaki ng. speaking. speaki ng. II understand understand the t he tthe he names na mes names na mes she’s she’ss callshe’s she’ calling me, ing me, but but II couldn’t couldn’t say say where where II learned learned it, it, or or how II knew how knew the the right right curses curses to to ing ing back. back. Like Like so many so many things things lately, lately, it’s it’s at at the the tip tip of of my my tongue. tongue. Something II know Something know II know know but but my my body body seems seems to to have forgotten have forgotten forgotten forg otten how how it it knows. knows. Through Th rough Through Th rough that that fog fog it it stirs defensively, stirs defensively,, and defensively, defensively and deep deep in in my my memory memory aa scroll scroll

even even ifin my body body wasn’t wasn’t wasn’t busted busted before before, it’s it’ s denitedenite denite denite-ly not ly notif inmy particularly particularly good good shape shape right right it’s now now. now now. .. Little by Little by little little, aa picture picture paints paints itself itself in itself in my my mind. The mind. The laptop laptop open open when when II thought thought II closed closed it. it. The phone The phone unlocked unlocked by by ngerprint. ngerprint. The The missing missing mail. The mail. The haircut haircut very very like like mine mine from from aa few few years years ago, right ago, right around around when when II got got in in that that car car acciden accident. acciden accident. t. t. II spent spent aa week week in in and and out out of of consciousness, consciousness, and and when II was when was awake, awake, no no one one could could understand understand what what II was was saying. saying. People People change, change, though. though. If If I’m I’m aa little little different now different now than than II was was then, then, well well — — II almost almost died, and died, and that that makes m akes makes m akes you you reconsider reconsider what what you yo you you u want out want out of of life. life. Is Is that t hat tthat hat why why she’s she’ss trying she’s she’ tr tr ying trying ying to to kill k ill kill k ill me??? Because me me? me Because II dropped d d ropped dropped ropped out out of of grad grad school school and and moved away? moved away? Maybe Maybe there’s there’s something something we we could could do? My do? My mind mind goes goes blank blank at at what what exactly exactly “doing “doing something” might something” might entail. entail. Grasping Grasping at at any any pospossibility of sibility of non-murderous non-murderous reconciliation, reconciliation, II push push that thought that thought away away away awa y and and take ta ta ke take ke aa breath breath to to speak. speak. But when But when II look look at at her, her, her her eyes eyes are are white white and and livid and livid and the the only only answer answer II get get is is the the screech screech of of her trying her trying to to pull pull me me back back into into the the other other body body by by my metaphorical my metaphorical metaphorical metaphori cal hair. ha ir. hair. ha ir. It It chills chills the the blood blood to to see see yourself in yourself in one one body body claw claw at at yourself yourself in in another, another, mostly identical mostly identical body. body. If If II live live through through this, this, I’m I’m

unfolds unfolds which which tells tells me how me how to to deny deny her her access access to to the bargains the ba rgains bargains ba rgains she’s she’ she’s she’ ss made. made. Then II notice Then not ice notice not ice the the gasoline gasoline canister. canister. She’s She’ss She’s She’ holding it holding it from from the the base. base. Lightly. Lightly. Upside Upside down. down. Her hands Her hands glow glow with with the the same same light light II saw saw in in my my bathroom mirror. bathroom mirror. And And then then things things start start to to go go rereally wrong. ally wrong. ••• She’s twitching She’s twitching under under my my skin skin again. again. In In aa minminute, at ute, at most, most, she’s she’s going going to to have have the the lighter lighter and and I’m I’m

never looking never looking into into aa mirror mirror again. again. Wildly, II think Wildly, Wildly th think ink about about starting start starting ing the the re re she she prepared and prepared and trying trying to to run run before before she she can can abanabandon me don me in in it. it. How How close close do do we we need need to to be be for for it it to to work? If work? If II could could get get out out of of her her line line of of sight, sight, or or put put enough distance enough distance between between us, us, would would II stick stick in in her her body the body the way way she’s she’s stuck stuck in in mine? mine? Would Would all all the the phantom limbs phantom limbs and and maddening maddening dreams dream ss stop dreams dream stop if… if… if she if she was was dead? dead? Maybe Maybe if if she she was, was, I’d I’d feel feel like like II owned my owned my own own body body again. again. And it And it is is my my body. body.

• • •

 

It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul — William Henley, “Invictus” Me. 

So many take that word for granted, as though the self  were a simple concept. Asked who are you? most would say they know the answer well. But the Lost know how truly delicate the self can be. Even in the mortal realm, the self is fluid — shaped and defined by experience, shifting under the weight of each word exchanged with another person. Selves push and pull each other naturally into shapes better suited to fitting together. But when the Gentry pull, the mortal morta l self becomes mere putty in their hands. Arcadia shatters the image in the mirror and makes it anew into something unwanted and unrecognizable. Upon escaping, a changeling takes back her ability to define that mirror image for herself, but it’s never as easy as it might seem. This chapter explores the experience of returning from Faerie. How do the Lost come to terms with the changes  wrought upon themselves t hemselves and their t heir lives? How do they figure out what the word “me” means after everything they’ve been through? What happens when they return to a time or place just as unknown to them as their durance once was?

FISH OUT OF WATER  All changelings left home behind when the Kindly Ones stole them away. Those who return must find their t heir way back through the Hedge, and some never find the path that leads to a familiar hearth. Changelings escaping to the mortal world can find themselves flung through space or time, forced to make new homes in unfamiliar locations, eras, or even worlds. Stranded in such distant places, they must work

to not only rebuild their selves, but redefine “home.” This section presents the various ways in which changelings may return to a place that isn’t the home they remember or traverse a part of the Hedge stranger than most. Of them, only the first two — arriving in a different location on Earth than where the Fair Folk abducted them and escaping through the BriarNet — occur frequently. The others most often serve as tales of wonder and terror for newly escaped Lost, happening only rarely.

Goodbye, Kansas Culture shock is a palpable phenomenon even for mortals. Experience it by turning down the wrong street into Paris’ Quartier Pigalle without warning, walking through the door of an Abu Dhabi mall where women clad in fullbody veils shop at Victoria’s Secret, or sitting in a sports bar in Kentucky listening to the deafening shouts of enthusiastic basketball fans. Culture shock comes from the juxtaposition of lifestyles simultaneously familiar and strange. Vacationers can read about it and brace themselves, but changelings emerging from the Hedge on the world’s far side don’t have that such luxury. Two changelings from opposite sides of the planet still have at least one thing in common: They both escaped Arcadia. Even lacking a common tongue and culture, strong bonds can form from this shared experience. In her first days of freedom as a stranger in a strange land, a changeling can still rely on the Lost who find and orient her in her new home to help ground her, forging strong ties of fellowship and loyalty to freehold, court, and motley.

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Local Lost are usually willing to help stranded changelings with the mundane yet essential details of their new lives. For example, Dubai requires foreign visitors to either have a visitor’s visa or a sponsoring employer. A changeling arriving from Peru via Arcadia is unlikely to have either, creating major complications with law enforcement, which disguised Huntsmen are all too happy to exploit. Dubai’s changeling courts consider it a point of pride to support displaced changelings. The Tower Court arranges employment, the Pearl Court supplies financial aid and living accommodations, and the Falcon Court uses its connections to ensure the appropriate paperwork exists and gets filed — one way or another. Internationally relocated Lost who return to their original homes exist as a distinct minority among changelings. It’s not difficult to do — they can seek out globe-spanning trods, travel through a mirror to their childhood abode, or just get on a plane — but the connections they make in the changeling community when they first arrive often outweigh their desire to make that trek. Many are glad for the change of scenery, relieved to leave their old lives (and fetches) behind and make a fresh start. Lost from all over the world extending their hands ha nds in empathy to each other sends a powerful message to other changelings and the Wild Hunt alike.

Guardians of  the BriarNet The internet’s birthdate is up for debate, but starting in the early 1990s, changelings discovered the Hedge creeping into cyberspace — or perhaps the t he other way around. The liminal realm known as the BriarNet reflects the digital world  within the Hedge, allowing changelings to journey into — and sometimes lose themselves in — the Web. Becoming a literal cybernaut is a common flight of fancy among mortals,  whom the BriarNet’s BriarNet’s hobgoblin denizens call Ops, but these fantasies only partially inform the digital Hedge. The BriarNet also reflects the actual use of the internet and other net works, spinning itself in real-time to the rhythm of mortal mort al telecommunications. Over the Firewall The BriarNet resembles an endless mortal cityscape with distinct cyber aesthetics and layouts reminiscent of database schemas. Some neighborhoods boast soaring high-rises shining under a silver sun and vehicles traveling at the fastest of bitrates; others resemble cyberpunk dystopias with flickering neon signs and ill-lit Goblin Markets selling secondhand or cursed Contracts on tiny optical disks. Network connections become trods that bridge milestones representing bits of hard ware in the t he mortal morta l world, world, often called “nodes,” “nodes,” and appearing as buildings, structures, and landmarks. Algorithms are special kinds of digital pledges imposing certain rules and schedules wherever they run; they may manifest as systems such as traffic lights, subways, and sewers, or they may spit out minions of a local Goblin Queen who enforce her decrees. 12 2

The Information Superhighway is the largest trod in the BriarNet and possibly in all the Hedge: a vast, many-laned expressway on which anyone can drive, though travelers should take great care with their secrets. Software may incarnate as powerful corporations, periodic public events or broadcasts, places of business, or entertainment venues. For instance, a dating app might manifest as a weekly gathering of speed-dating Hedge denizens, an upscale bordello, or a matchmaking radio show. Even amid the dazzle of gleaming silicon plazas and fiber optic freeways, the Lost still recognize the Hedge. The urban Hedgescape rearranges itself on the fly as Ops open, install, or upgrade software, run processes, and input data. Cloud-chamber Hollows float across the sky overhead, each one keyed to a specific web address; changelings and goblins  who claim them store anything from tokens to dreams to captured enemies there. Depending on a Cloud’ Cloud’ss design and function, it may require decryption codes or the right credentials to enter, exit, or access anything inside. The BriarNet isn’t merely a technological wonderland. Its darknet Thorns host hidden lairs of sinister binary goblins and privateer Hollows where arachnid hackers abuse their mastery master y of “webspinning” — BriarNet slang for Hedgespinning — to steal whatever they can, be it another changeling’s liberty or a freehold’s most crucial intel. They spout an ideology of freedom, privacy, and self-determination from their hidden, VPN-locked Hollows, but others see it as cynical justification for their atrocities. Still, their skill is peerless, leading foolish or desperate Lost to seek out these anon ymous loyalists loyali sts when faced with w ith firewalls firewall s they can’ ca n’tt cross or encrypted Clouds they must crack open. Hobgoblins dwell in the BriarNet as well, the embodiments of individual files, computer programs, and other assorted digital entities. Temporary files and cookies manifest as Hedge ghosts, while Goblin Queens rule from motherboard palaces and wretched, childlike goblins born from orphaned or overwritten data lurk in alleys and abandoned  warehouses. mostand dangerous areeverything the computerThe viruses malwareBriarNet gremlinshobgoblins who corrupt in their path. They can infect changelings, too, warping their bodies or causing mental glitches. The White Hat freehold believes these viral interlopers serve a sinister fusion of Gentry and circuitry that seeks dominance over the mortal internet. The free company known as the t he Crystal Web (Oak,  Ash, and Thorn, p. 23) quickly dismisses this conjecture as fearmongering, even as they check the shadows for new incursions. Systems:  The BriarNet’s viruses are corrupted hobgoblins who either started out that way or fell victim to infection. The list of the always-virulent includes the Trojan horse, which looks like an ordinary fae mount but whose hoofprints leave behind an oozing, black sludge; the briar worm, a massive, squirming worm covered in thorns t horns and a nd a thick layer of mucous that confuses anyone who can smell

Chapter One: Familiar and Strange

 

it, which splits into two fully-grown briarworms when killed  without proper precautions; and the spyware moth, a tiny insect that swarms with its fellows wherever Glamour is spent and memorizes its taste, gleaning secrets and allowing it to mimic another fae being’s abilities. The Storyteller can create these and others as they would any hobgoblin, using the rules starting on p. 252 of Changeling: The Lost Second Edition. Uncorrupted hobgoblins can be turned tur ned virulent by contracting the infection. Any fae resource, such as Glamour and goblin fruits, and any fae being with a weakness to iron can be corrupted this way. All corrupted beings gain the Dread Power Cyberplague.

CYBERPLAGUE CYBERPLAGUE

clutches; now the title’s bearer transmits infected data to unsuspecting databases, destroying the lives of those she once protected. Huntsman.exe slips into cities disguised as a web surfer and tears everything down from within. Entitlements like these threaten to destabilize the BriarNet’s delicate balance, sabotaging the increasingly digitized mortal world and the Hedge proper in the process.

Surfing the Web Like the mortal internet, fae cyberspace is pervasive but invisible to travelers in the analog Hedge. Traveling between the mortal world and the BriarNet requires entering the Hedge as normal and then Hedgespinning a means of transportt capable of linking up to the goblin web. Some hobtranspor goblins sell token “routers” that make this journey easier or more reliable in some way, way, but their drawbacks always ppersist ersist into the BriarNet and sometimes attract viruses. Hedgeways inside the BriarNet cannot open into OpSpace, and the Lost have yet to find or create a stable trod that can connect the analog Hedge to the digital side. Doing so would be monumental, potentially birthing new Courts and entitlements, earning the loyalty or enmity of large hobgoblin factions, or even leading some of the Gentry to treat the intrepid changelings as peers.

The hobgoblin carries a fae computer virus and spreads it wherever it goes. All electronics it touches glitch out or malfunction somehow, imposing a −3 penalty on all rolls to use them, or −5 within the BriarNet; this includes Hedgespun equipment. All ill effects the goblin would normally suffer in the mortal world occur when they leave the BriarNet instead, even if they remain within the Hedge. Any Hedgespinning it performs within the BriarNet results in Systems:  Reaching the BriarNet requires Hedgespinunsettling or dangerous side effects. ning a symbolically digital route appropriate to the charac Whenever the hobgoblin spends Glamour and succeeds ter’s current location with a paradigm shift costing 6 sucat its task, roll Resolve + Wyrd; failure means the victim of cesses. Changelings in a parking lot or on a city street might  whatever power in question gains this Dread Power, Power, if the  weave a straightforward highway to drive on, while those untarget is capable of doing so. The victim may forfeit this roll der a starry sky might spin fiber optic cables between those and fail automatically. Anyone who learns a Goblin Con- points of light and climb them. Changelings near an ocean tract from a virulent hobgoblin gains Cyberplague automati- could even literally surf there. cally. This power can be shed by repaying all debts, either Virtual Meetup through decreasing Goblin Debt to 0 or otherwise making The BriarNet doesn’t doesn’t connect directly to the mortal world payment in full. Any being with Cyberplague who becomes physi physically cally but contacting it from inside in side is possible, as the digital a Hedge Denizen or Goblin Queen is automatically virulent. Hedge is built entirely upon systems for communication. InChoose one deleterious Persistent Condition; the hob- stead of meeting the Summer King at the local café to deliver goblin suffers thatresolution Conditiononly untilgrants it sheds this Dread Power, while its usual a Beat.

Handles and Usernames  As potent pot ent as entitlements are a re in the mortal world, they t hey  wield even more influence in the BriarNet. Many entitled changelings become lieges to entire servers, with protectors such as the Crimson Admin, the Cryptoknight, and the Glitch defending against the encroaching viral scourge. Other entitlements, like the Deepest Dataminer and Dread  Web Pirates Legion, prefer to remain neutral in these conflicts so they can roam the vast depths of cyberspace without responsibilities. Not all BriarNet entitlements are so benign. The Phisher King cuts deals with the worst of the BriarNet in pursuit of power and wealth. Viruses infected the original Ashen Coder while she bought time for innocents to escape their

her report, a courtier sings into the microphone thethe local BriarNet nightcl nightclub; ub; her words become a text messageatin mortal  world,  wor ld, and th thee monarc monarch’s h’s reply reply appears appears written written on on every every drink menu at the bar. A changeling intending to venture into the deepest, darkest Thorns types a farewell message on a display tablet in an electronics store that plays through the speakers of her wife’s laptop; the heartfelt response comes in the form of her wife’s wife’s voice blaring from a passing ice cream ttruck. ruck. Systems: Hedgespinning contact with the mortal world is straightforward in the appropriate location, as long as a device meant for communication of some kind would logically appear there. It’s much easier to call a smartphone or plant new entries in a database from a BriarNet phone booth than from an abandoned sewer tunnel. Connecting to a specific sp ecific networked device for the scene in these symbolic locations requires a subtle shift costing

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three successes. Opting to connec connectt to a rand random om devi device ce in- stea stead d only only costs one success. Connecting to any such device from an inappropriate location is more difficult, requiring a paradigm shift that costs four successes to rig the appropriate equipment out of an unsuitable environment. The changeling only receives replies that come within the same scene and from the same device with which she made contact. By default, anyone nearby can read or hear the messages, which appear through easily accessible means.  Add t wo successes success es to all of the t he above Hedgespinning costs co sts

fers to turn back the hands of time, to give the soldier back his vitality in exchange for an oath of fealty. The world has changed so much; the past’s pa st’s scien science ce fiction is now reality. realit y. He has grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom he wants to see grow up. He longs for that future even if it means dealing with the devil, so he accepts the Gentry’s offer. He thinks it will be worth it, but it isn’t. Trapped in Arcadia, his durance is an eternal battlefield utterly divorced from humanity’s bright tomorrow. He flees through the Hedge, back toward his family and his hopeful dream. He doesn’t doesn’t emerge in the 1990s. He doesn’t doesn’t even appear in the 2010s. When the soldier returns home, it is the sum-

to force the into a more private as a text message on response the changeling’s phone. Addform, four such successes instead to encrypt the response such that only the changeling and those she allows can hear or see it at all.

mer ofFerdinand. 19 1914 14 — the after Gavrilo Princip Franz In day the coming months, Worldassassinated War I unleashes its full wrath, and the soldier relives the nightmare all over again.

Once and Future 

Shadows of the Past

Imagine a soldier who fought in World War I as a teenager. He survives the front’s bombs, wire, and gas, outliving his comrades before finally going home. Then history repeats itself as Hitler rises rise s to power and slaughters millions. Even as the dust settles, the Cold War and nuclear Armageddon’s twin specters rise. The horrors of human folly and brutality recur again and again. Now imagine that same soldier, who lived through so

Everything is too damn familiar when a changeling escapes from Arcadia into their own past. Events repeat themselves, but not as she remembers them. She finds her fetch reliving the same events but making all the wrong choices. He watches his mortal self from the shadows, trying to subtly steer him away from the Fair Folk’s grasping hands. She emerges during her durance and ends up fighting her stillcaptive self while attempting to rescue other changelings. He gets a do-over, reliving his life as it was before, but this time he is a changeling and his Keeper’s hounds are hot on his heels.

sitting in a nursing home in the when amuch, stranger without a face approaches him.early The1990s stranger of14 4

Chapter One: Familiar and Strange

 

Changelings flung into the past don’t always exit the Hedge within their own lifetimes. A Pakistani Muslim flees through a Hedgeway and the Greco-Indian Kingdoms’ Buddhist Eightfold Courts greet her on the other side, stranding her centuries before the establishment esta blishment of Islam, let alone Pakistan and India. A just-war pacifist who has never left Oslo returns home 900 years early and the Crusader Courts beholden to Sigurd Magnusson sweep him into their march across Europe to the Holy Land. A tech-savvy teenager finds herself trapped amid the chaos of the Spanish-American  Wars of Independence, Independence, when the Bolivarian Courts tried to free the Huntsmen from the Gentry. Changelings trapped in the past learn that historians  write history by agreeing on a set of lies. While the broad strokes of history are consistent with accepted narratives, the details don’t play out the exact same way. A changeling  with knowledge from a future time can predict broad trends and iconic events, but they cannot foresee history’s entire course. Antiquated attitudes and social customs frustrate many such changelings, who gravitate toward radical social groups such as a s the French Revolution’s Revolution’s sans-culottes. Changelings find their Touchstones within these communities,  vindicating their values v alues in the t he face of society’s so ciety’s disdain disdai n aand nd discrimination.

Period Pieces Context is vital when playing changelings who emerge from their durance outside their own time. Specific information about historical events can be useful, but don’t get bogged down in the details. Instead, use society and culture as a backdrop to tell a unique story. Storytellers and players can use Dark Eras, the Dark Eras Companion, Dark Eras 2, and other period Chronicles of Darkness settings as starting points when building historical chronicles or characters from other time periods. The Hedge often reshapes itself to reflect such changelings’ homesickness, creating anachronistic regions based on bygone eras. Even published eras not featuring changelings directly can still provide invaluable perspective. They They may lack the supernatural details and mechanics, but they provide an excellent contextual base on which to build.

Bright Thorns of the Future

future to face the person with whom they made a promise Changelings forced into the future face entirely differbefore their durance. While correct, this underestimates the ent challenges. Missing a few decades means society is recogstrength of commitment that created the fae-touched. Renizable, but the subtle changes make the world feel uncanny fusing to break their promise, the Avowed creates an Heirand unnerving, like a sculpture that looks mostly human loom by taking another person into the Hedge, then having but is somehow off. When a changeling vanishes for centhem swear to find the changeling and fulfill the original turies, they may emerge into a wholly bizarre world. Civilioath. The Heirloom becomes fae-touched themselves as they zation itself is unfamiliar, filled with magical technologies return to the mortal world. She might be a child, trusted and strange fashions. After spending so long in Arcadia, the student, or younger partner, but no matter what, she underThorns may look more comforting than the mortal world stands the profound emotional importance of keeping the through familiarity alone. promise to the original Avowed. She knows the changeling Lost from the past may emerge from the Hedge in the is still out there somewhere, scared and alone. present, anachronistic relics of bygone eras. Some True Fae Some Heirloom fae-touched spend their entire lives seem to do this on purpose. The Honorable Commander, a Keeper haunting Washington D.C., uses American presi- searching for their changeling and pass the promise on to another successor. When a fae-touched Heirloom finds their dents as its preferred medium. Changelings who look and changeling counterpart, it is a sublime moment. The Heiract like Taft, Truman, Monroe, or Polk have joined various loom has fulfilled not only their promise but the promises freeholds over the years, as have multiple versions each of of those who came before them. The changeling finds com Washington, Lincoln, and Kennedy. Some of tthese hese changechan gefort in the knowledge that the world never forgot them even lings claim to be the president in question, while others say  while Arcadia’s beautiful hell confined them. the Honorable Commander forced them into their t heir role, but Systems: The process for creating an Heirloom is simall avow the Commander intentionally released and displaced them through time for its amusement, a thought that ple, although the knowledge is difficult to come by and faetouched are loathe to use it. The Avowed and the potential sickens the entire freehold. Heirloom make a blood oath to keep searching for their changeling companion, a promise the fae-touched seals. She Heirlooms must spend a Willpower dot to transfer her Wyrd into the Lucky changelings find solace in the strange and alien newly anointed Heirloom. future from an unexpected source: the fae-touched. Those  who encounter the Avowed assume as sume it would be impossible for a changeling tossed centuries or even decades into the

Once the transfer is complete, becomes fae-touched and the Avowed loses the herHeirloom Wyrd, Contracts,

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The Wishing Roads

and capacity to store Glamour. She still benefits from her     Promises and retains any Merits she can use without Wyrd Some Lost see poetry woven in starshine and moonlight or Glamour. Any Merits she can no longer use are subject  when they gaze at the the night night sky. sky. Others feel the void’ void’ss ineffable ineffable to the Sanctity of Merits, and she gains the Lucid Dreamer merit for free if she does not already possess it. Many fae- emptiness and their lives’ crushing insignificance compared to touched who haven’t passed on their promises feel creating the cosmos. A few find themselves lucky enough — or cursed an Heirloom tantamount to admitting defeat and abandon- enough — to walk the Outer Hedge’s paths between the stars. Modern narratives involving alien abductors bear an ing their loved ones. Even those who know the ritual may uncanny resemblance to the True Fae, and Earth’s Eart h’s biosphere refuse to do so until they lie on their deathbeds. confines neither the Hedge nor Arcadia. Beyond it wind the Heirlooms modify the regular Avowed rules. Because extrater restrial eextenxtenthey gained their Wyrd through a direct pledge, their souls  Wishing Roads, the Dreaming Roads’ extraterrestrial a s the Hedge’s repository for humanity’s hopes resonate more strongly with such promises, allowing them sions that act as to use sealings on changelings and other fae, and to initiate and fantasies. When teenagers let go of childhood imagioaths with other fae-touched. Pledges also bind them more nary friends and adults set aside their ideal futures to accept completely; it costs one additional Glamour to rebuff a seal- life’s grim necessities, those wishes fade from those mortals’ ing, and it costs a Willpower point to both violate an oath dreams, but they aren’t destroyed. They find themselves orand resolve the Oathbreaker Condition. Finally, an Heir- phaned, gathering in patchwork Bastions on the outskirts of loom Avowed may start play with one Royal Contract from the Dreaming Roads — leftovers and misfits without homes. Occasionally, when strong nostalgia sends ripples through her favored Regalia instead of two Common ones. Her faatt acks  vored Regalia is the same as that of the Avowed who initially humanity or seismic shifts in mortal society (such as the attacks made the promise she inherited. Fae-touched characters may of 9/11 or the advent of manned spaceflight) shift their collective dreams along with them, the Dreaming Roads uproot these begin play as Heirlooms with Storyteller permission. Should an Heirloom find the changeling whose promise abandoned half-Bastions and fling them into space to dance they inherited, both the Lost and the Avowed gain the same among the stars. These dream-havens — floating across Pluto’s additional Thread. It represents the fulfilled promise, anchoring changeling and fae-touched to one another through time and space, connecting the past and the future through bonds of loyalty and trust.

Walking Timeless Roads Changelings who understand the nature of Faerie’s timelessness often wonder whether it’s possible to sail on time’s river to another point in history deliberately. It is, but it’s not a task undertaken lightly. It’s never predictable, nor is it safe, for it involves returning to the one place a changeling abhors above all others — Arcadia. Even from there, the outcome is little better than guesswork. Folktales admit the possibility of returning to a specific point in the mortal  world if a changeling allows a llows their t heir Keeper to see them, then t hen flees into the Thorns. Other rumors claim freeing another changeling from the same period and riding their escape is the best chance of a return home. Truthfully, short of making a deal with Time herself, jumping between moments in history is an entirely uncontrolled process that leaves changelings at the Wyrd’s mercy. Storytellers may reward characters who try creative methods by depositing them in, or close to, their intended time period, but should always introduce side effects and complications.  As for Time, some some say she was among the first forces the Gentry bargained with, now hidden deep in Arcadia’s heart,  yet in plain sight. These tales warn that finding her isn’ isn’tt easy, nor is convincing her to break her oath not to interfere in the Good Cousins’ affairs.

icy plains or trailingproviding in a comet’s wake invaluable resources for changelings, them with—aare quick way to return to Earth if they can navigate the near-infinite dead ends and brav bravee a journey that begins as little more than a wish.  A changeling emerging from their durance durance in space steps from the frying pan into the fire. Touchstones are incredibly rare so far from Earth; even changelings lucky enough to emerge on the moon must use robotic probes or satellites (or the blue marble itself) as Touchstones linking them unsteadily to humanity. Clarity disintegrates quickly unless they find their way home. Beyond the moon, no known freefree holds inhabit outer space. Changelings who escaped Arcadia together form the only motleys beyond Earth’s biosphere, undertaking a shared mad dash back to Earth’s sustaining embrace.

 Lost  Lost in Space Some unfortunate changelings escape their Keeper’s clutches only to discover how far away their captors took them. Rather than appearing in a back alley or a farmer’s field, they emerge from the Hedge to stare at the pale blue marble hanging over the moon’s surface. Others journey deeper into the solar system and escape their durances to confront the hellscape of Venus or the icy subsurface oceans of Europa. The Outer Hedge exists in pockets cut off from each other and the rest of the Hedge, connected only as milestones along the Wishing Roads. Without humanity’s nightly fantasies, the Dreaming Roads cannot exist as Earth-bound changelings know them. Contrary to popular belief, the space between these milestones isn’t empty — the Wishing

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Roads sustain a population of hobgoblins like anywhere else in the Hedge, although the kinds of goblins found there are often more alien and live in tighter-knit communities than those on Earth. A changeling might barter for a ride with a meteor herder, learn Goblin Contracts from the sylphids that drift between stars, or earn the wrath of the lacuna moths — dark silhouettes of moth-winged sprites that exist as shapes of negative space, drawn inexorably to the nearest source of sunlight. It can be difficult to distinguish parts of the earthly Hedge influenced by human dreams of space from the actual Outer Hedge. The most obvious differences are the types of denizens found there and the types of Hedgeways that manifest. Every wish has a cost, which a changeling must pay at a lychgate: a special kind of Hedgeway spawned by and leading to the t he Wishing Roads, one which hungers for hopes and private longings. On Earth, lychgates appear deep in the Thorns, where the Dreaming Roads drop off into an eternal chasm empty of anything but distant, twinkling stars. In space, lychgates appear on the mortal side instead, standing or floating in awe-inspiring places humanity would call natural wonders if they could reach them; their Masks make them invisible to mortal eyes and telescopes. Fantastical but foreboding in appearance, they invoke a sense of wonder or wanderlust even as they call to mind ancient stories of sacrifices to wrathful gods, elaborate Gothic grave markers, or unreachable “happily ever afters” that exist nowhere but on the final pages of storybooks. The Neverland Courts of Normandy believe that each wish wi sh paid to a lychgate takes on new life along the Wishing Roads, extending ext ending them into infinity and building lavish dream-palaces where no one has yet dared to tread.

Wishing Road Systems Lychgates in space allow changelings to enter the Outer Hedge despite the lack of closeable portals, but they differ from normal Hedgeways in that even changelings need Keys

The Wishing Roads themselves are 5-dot trods and function as Dreaming Roads, except players must always participate in chases to reach milestones — the temptation to step off the path into the great unknown and chase one’s dreams is a palpable force. As on the Dreaming Roads, anything that th at doesn’t doesn’t lie on the trod itself it self and isn’t isn’t part of a BasBa stion’s territory counts as Thorns; spending more than a few seconds upon the lines of gleaming starlight that web across this sparkling vista inflicts the Persistent Madness Condition (Changeling, p. 343). Following the Wishing Roads long enough can lead travelers back to the Dreaming ones — and thus, indirectly, to Earth. Characters must navigate the entire length of the trod as normal, and must pass through a lychgate when they reach the terrestrial endpoint. Its milestones are Bastions, but no two journeys along the Wishing Roads encounter the same five milestones. Unlike most trod milestones, travelers must enter these Bastions and then exit them the usual way to proceed past them on the Roads.

Wishing Bastions The Wishing Roads contain Bastions like those on the Dreaming Roads, but none of them connect to dreamers and they’re much fewer and farther between. The Fortification of a Wishing Bastion is 5 + the number of milestones traversed from the farthest endpoint of the trod. Thus, the closest Bastion to Earth has Fortification 6, while the one closest to the far endpoint has Fortification 1. Where that final endpoint leads is up to the Storyteller, but exiting the trod there requires passing through a lychgate.  Any Wishing Bastion can function as a shortcut back to the Dreaming Roads if characters are willing to utterly destroy it, using the rules on p. 220 of Changeling. Wishing eidolons belong to no dreamer, but are instead exiles from human dreams of the past, cast out and isolated in a timeless state, and much changed from the experience. They act to stop their Bastion from destruction by any means necessary.

changelings areit,inside a Wishing Bastion wheneffects they sucto open Every memory lychgate requires the same Key:hope, the saccessfully destroy they are subject to the usual of a rifice of them. a precious representing a wish, or If dream. Unlike most Keys, this one is apparent to anyone at- crumbling Bastion (Changeling, p. 222); the effective Willtempting to cross the t he threshold; a whispered voice or distant power of the “dreamer” equals (11 – Fortification), and the song reaches out to coax the changeling into willingly giving effective Composure equals half the Bastion’s Fortification. the memory up, appealing to the childlike part of them that Soliloquies lives deep in their heart and yearns. The Wishing Roads are still part of the Hedge, if a re Accepting the Key and paying the price permits the Lost to step onto the Wishing Roads. She may then pass mote and obscure one. Walking them with her head in the through any lychgate without further sacrifice for the rest clouds is a good way for a changeling to get hopelessly lost t hat hasn’t had of the chapter by paying 1 Willpower point per additional out there, or perhaps hunted by something that passage but reduces her maximum Clarity by one; if a char- human contact in a millennium. Eidolons spawned from acter has no Willpower to spend, they must make another forgotten nightmares stalk broken Bastions, while Gobsacrifice to pass through instead as normal. Each Clarity box lin Market spaceships roam the skies seeking unsuspectsacrificed this way becomes be comes an Icon, which descends into the ing travelers willing to trade more wishes for otherworldly  wonders. earthly Hedge as a shooting star.

Fish Out of Water

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Perhaps the most disturbing entities the Lost find out among the stars are the soliloquies — the Hedge ghosts of the Outer Hedge. Some are emotions that have migrated along the Dreaming Roads into space ever since the first primates stared at the stars in wonder. Dead effigies of the Cassini probe and Opportunity rover haunt the Hedge on Saturn and Mars, tangible manifestations of humanity’s empathy for these dead and soulless robots animated by the  Wyrd’s psychoactivity. psychoactivit y. Half-remembered dreams that once broke free of ruined Bastions drift through space seeking new frontiers. But perhaps the most painfully simple soliloquies are the remnants of changelings cha ngelings who never found their  way back. They died far from Earth, alone and afraid, and now the echoes of their despair and loneliness plague living Lost, begging those who survive to take them home. Systems:  Soliloquies treat the Wishing Roads as ordinary trods, with none of the drawbacks changelings suffer. Create them as any other Hedge ghost using the rules starting on p. 246 of Changeling, with the following changes:  A soliloquy can use its it s Reach power to affect anything on the other side of a lychgate rather than a normal Hedge way, including those t hose that t hat connect to Earth’s Eart h’s Thorns. Thorn s. However, they’re incapable of passing through a lychgate without destroying themselves, themselve s, as all they have left to sacrifice is their entire being. In addition to the four powers all Hedge ghosts possess and their Numina, every soliloquy knows the t he Dread Power Wish Wish..

WISH WISH The soliloquy is capable of granting impossible wishes at the request of changelings and humans. Wishes include, but aren’t aren’t necessarily necessari ly limited to: • Removing (or applying) any applicable applicable Condition or Tilt (or similar affliction not modeled by these mechanics), including Hedge Denizen or Goblin Queen. Q ueen. • dots. Granting any applicable applicable Merit, Skill, or Attribute Attr ibute at 5 • Causing someone to die in a way appropriate appropriate to the soliloquy’s nature. • Fulfilling an Aspiration of the petitioner, though not always in straightforward ways. • Increasing or decreasing someone’ someone’ss Goblin Debt by up to five points. • Summoning one one of the petitioner’s petitioner’s Icons. The soliloquy cannot do any of these things unless explicitly asked to by a living changeling or human; changelings  who have become Hedge Denizens don’t don’t count. count. Some soliloquies can grant virtually any wish imaginable; others might only be able to grant one very specific request or a certain 18 8

Changelings  in Space By default, sending changelings into space doesn’t change the genre of the game. Many of the examples in this section draw upon real phenomena, but don’t feel beholden to science; extraterrestrial fae are still fae, and you can fill outer space with any kind of horrific and fantastical elements you want. Can changelings breathe on the moon? If the chronicle is set on the moon, why not? When chronicles feature exotic locations containing hazards lethal to humans, changelings living in the region should be immune to those threats. This ensures the chronicle’s focus remains squarely on telling a story rather than surviving for longer than five minutes. On the other hand, players may want to explore the survivalist angle of such impossible places for dramatic purposes. If the story is about changelings journeying to an exotic locale and blanket overcoming those perils, they should not have protection from environmental hazards. In this case, if a player wants to build a character with those immunities, she and the Storyteller should work together to create or adapt a kith to reflect her character’s origins. The Storyteller can then run her escape from the Outer Hedge as a prologue scene, during which the player can describe her character’s struggles with the environment without having to worry about mechanics.

category of them. Sometimes it’s not the soliloquy itself that grantss the wish, but the completion of a quest it gives. Most sogrant liloquies can only grant one to three wishes to a given g iven person, person, and wishing for more wishes is, of course, verboten.  All Wyrd magic, of course, cours e, comes with a price. When W hen the soliloquy grants a petitioner’s wish, the process destroys one of the petitioner’s Aspirations utterly. The character will w ill never be able to fulfill it or replace it with another Aspiration. This Dread Power is also available for hobgoblins originating in the Outer Hedge.

Moon Faeries:  The Lu  Lun   nar Freehold The moon plays host to the one small freehold that manages to survive in the harsh environment of space. Before 1966, changelings who emerged on the moon had little

Chapter One: Familiar and Strange

 

choice but to brave the Wishing Roads. After the Soviets landed Luna 9, some Lost took inspiration from it and remained on the moon rather than risking the journey. By the time Neil Armstrong took his one small step, courts began to emerge that have flourished since — at least, by Outer Hedge standards. The Lunar Freehold embodies for changelings the most fundamental human dichotomy: the impulse to explore versus the desire to return home. An entitlement, the Second Star to the Right, arose from this dichotomy, which is dedicated to extending the freehold’s territory into the wilder and more remote places beyond the moon. It is used to estabesta blish waystations to help newly escaped Lost L ost come in from the cold that can double as bases for further trodblazing.

Courts Filled with joy and boundless energy,  Aiken Drum’ Drum’ss Court  welcomes new changelings into the freehold. They take any opportunity to lift their fellow Lost’s spirits and stave off the endless loneliness of space with song and festival. Amid their repertoire lurk Jacobite war songs, and anyone who mistakes their joy for inattention is in for an unpleasant surprise. Cain’s Court  takes its oaths seriously, if for no other reason than the scent of betrayal following them everywhere. Rumor claims their patron is a powerful Hunstman who once took the form of the original Cain and wears it even now, stalking the lunar Hedge wrapped in shining brambles and serving as the Wyrd’s vengeance. His court acts as judges and legislators, using oaths to maintain order, but they are also penitents, atoning for the oathbreakers oathbrea kers among them and helping outside petitioners do the same. Many cultures speak of monsters devouring the sun, imagery that the Eclipse Court uses to evoke dreadful wonder in the freehold’s enemies. They claim Sköll, Ītzpāpālōtl, and Rahu as their patrons, and are at their t heir most potent when the moon blots out the sun. This court seeks out and devours anything threating t hreating the freehold, be it hobgoblin, Huntsman, Huntsman,

believe will get him killed or captured. They don’t discourage him, though; he’ll have to learn on his own. Providence  is a fungal Goblin Queen who claims to hail from distant Pluto’s icy Hedge and tolerates no doubt about her origins. She plucks one courtier’s brain from its skull on the last day of each lunar month as payment for her continued aid in fending off fae intruders.

Story Hooks • fought It’s the alongside final day the of the lunarinmonth. mo has motley thenth. past,Providence but the Lunar Courts are a re under no illusions that she won’t won’t sell them out to the Gentry if they skimp on her grim toll. It falls to the characters to find a loophole before the freehold must choose a sacrifice. • A lunar lander’ lander’ss arrival on the moon’s moon’s surface is nornormally a cause for celebration, but this time, it brings only dread. A probe is about to land on the moon’s dark side that bears the unfortunate name of Eye in the Night — a well-known Keeper’s Title. Title. The freehold f reehold doesn’tt believe in coincidence. They send a motley to doesn’ brave all that lurks in the darkness and sabotage the lander — and whatever it might carry inside it — before the Fair Folk steal them all back to Arcadia. • Humanity has at long last begun building its first moon base. The lunar changelings cha ngelings keep a close eye on its progress, but it all goes awry when Apollo portals  within the t he base and a mortal mort al engineer stumbles into i nto the Hedge. Now he needs the motley’s help finding her among the Thorns and escorting escor ting her home before the Gentry claim her.

TO BE L   OST No matter who you are or where you’re from, your durance changes you. It may not be as noticeable as your new horns, wings, or scales, but your thoughts and emotions

blossom into spring flowers or shrivel up like autumn leaves. or loyalist. Citing legends of Chang’e and the Jade Rabbit,  Yu  Yutu’ tu’ss The way you interact with the world is fundamentally differCourt insists this is not the first Lunar Freehold. Like the ent. It has to be. You wouldn’t have survived your time in other wise. moon goddess, they are unafraid unaf raid of making difficult choices,  Arcadia otherwise. even if their peers scorn them for it. They serve as the free  hold’s chroniclers and alchemists, seeking to uncover the Moon’s secrets, lest the unknown become the changelings’ Do you know that old song by Heart, “These Dreams?” One undoing. line talks about walking through a stained glass wall without a

Survival Instincts

Faces  Apollo has been on the moon for a couple of years, but

he’s he’s still the youngest in the t he freehold. The Kindly Ones took inspiration from this brash and headstrong Elemental’s aptitude for science, transforming him into living radiation. Ever-curious, Apollo is always first atobehavior investigate object arriving from Earth or its the Hedge, hisany elders

cut. It’s kind of like that, except you never know when the wall will actually cut you. If my Keeper was always cruel, I think I might have dealt with it better — but she wasn’t, you know? She kept me there with tastes of honeycomb that melted on my tongue, with glittering presents made of sugar and children’s dreams, with private conversations convers ations and “Well done, my faithful servant.” I felt privileged, like I understood some part of her no one else did. The imprisonments and periods of abandonment were just punish-  ments for my mistakes. It was always my mistake. Never hers. I

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could never tell what would be a mistake. I don’t think she knew either, until she was in the middle of my punishment.

Content Note

— Mariah Glimmerglass, Fairest Helldiver Some of us feel like it’s a betrayal to acknowledge the “good” parts of our durances. It can feel like that, of course — these are our enemies, the creatures who took us as playthings and punching bags. They’re also the creatures who clothed us in butterflies and whispers, the perfect lovers, the careful gardeners, the wounded hearts we were empowered to soothe at times. It’s almost impos-  sible to reconcile the two, and that’s before you add in the unreal nature of what we all went through. Know this though — you’re not alone. We don’t think your durance is lesser because your Keeper showed you kindness sometimes. None of us survived this without scars. You escaped. That’s important.

This section covers, among other things, what it’s like to be one of the Lost and how they deal with the confusion and pain of their situation. While it’s unlikely Fae Fae came out of your mirror to kidnap you at any point in your past, you, or someone you know, may have dealt with abuse and trauma. This This section covers both topics in some detail, albeit from behind the veil of fantastical horror fiction. Please be kind to yourself when reading. You know your own limits.

— Hallie of the Hunt, Elemental Shadowsoul NO! I CAN’T GO BACK THERE! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY’LL DO TO ME! LET ME CLOSE THE DOOR! LET ME—

— a Bridge-Burner’s last words Humans require stability to function properly. From our earliest days, we need to achieve homeostasis — a feeling of being safe and stable enough to live our lives without fear of losing our home, food, money, and other essentials. Getting fired, moving, breaking up, or any number of other perfectly human things can disrupt or destroy homeostasis. Long-term events such as imprisonment, abuse, hospital stays, or the durance can even corrupt  homeostasis, causing one to believe that this is just how things are now.  As with any unfamiliar situation, the t he best thing to do in Arcadia is adapt. Survival is only possible through adaptation, and many changelings come to see their new reality as,  well, reality. Butterflies made of glass? Completely normal, just don’t let them drink your tears. Keeper throwing knives and icicles in a rage? Stay quiet, keep your head down, and maybe you won’t get cut. Make yourself invisible or convenient, or throw other people in the way of your Keeper’s violence, and you will survive.

to be told it’s not the right Huntsman; the Keeper hangs her over a cliffside by her silver thread to think about what she’s done. A Playmate’s Keeper throws her around like a ragdoll, only to pick her up and rock her to sleep like a child, whispering apologies for the outburst. A changeling in durance rarely knows what to expect; some can learn their Keeper’s patterns and carefully time their escape, but many just get lucky. How should you behave when your captor’s reaction is a crapshoot — and a nd they’re a 12-foot-tall 12-foot-tall pillar of smoke and eyes and the t he scent of lavender?  Adapt. Obey.  Accept. Survive.

Surviving It’s not your fault. No matter what else you hear from any-  one, know that it’s not your fault.

— Velvet Lauren, Darkling Playmate of the Spring Court  Cour t  You will wake up with nightmares. Your sweat is your armor.

Sadly, many changelings did something they regret dur- Your screams are your shield and sword. This is normal. A bless-  ing their durance. Martyrs die, idealists are obliterated, but ing, even. The nightmares are nothing compared to the horrors T hey are a gentle reminder reminde r of what awaits you those who adapt survive. The Lost carry fragmented memories  you went through. They of tearing out another prisoner’s heart to satisfy their Keeper, when your guard is down. — Jane, Fairest Telluric, Autumn Monarch of the Freethrowing other changelings under the bus to avoid terrifying punishments, punishmen ts, or burying bury ing the bodies of those t hose who weren’t weren’t pretty hold of the Endless Sky  enough for the vain True Fae that held them. Few changelings  A changeling ripping their way out of the Hedge and escape complicity in some form of atrocity; as the property of back into the mortal world for the first time brings with her their Keeper, they must do as commanded or perish. a whole host of questions. What happened? Where am I?  Whether or not her Keeper made her complicit, a  Who can I talk to? How was any of that real? And, most changeling’s durance is an erratic cycle of pleasure and pun- importantly, why me? ishment. A Telluric Telluric may be admired by a part y of Gentry one The last question has no good answers. Some Winter day and shot at with flaming arrows for not shining brightly Courtiers dedicate whole lifetimes to deciphering the riddle enough the next. A Helldiver serves her mistress the heart of why the Fae take who they take, with no clear answer. of a Huntsman she was given freedom to chase down, only

20  

Some people shine brighter in spirit than any given Bright

Chapter One: Familiar and Strange

 

One — why were they left alone? Why are Helldivers allowed to roam free with nothing but a thin leash? What can we learn about the True Fae, so we can prevent them from taking more people or taking us back? It’s a personal struggle for every single one of the Lost, the constant nagging of why me?

Fresh Out of the Hedge  When a changeling of of any stripe first tumbles out of the Hedge, herher thoughts closest she to her. She has to reassure reas sure family first she’sturn safe,to tellthose her spouse didn’ didn’t t leave, and a whole host of other damage control attempts. This T his often ends in confusion and tragedy — the fetch has already taken her place, and no one noticed she was gone, her past has been erased and no one remembered her well enough to miss her, or she’s simply been gone for too long or short of a time for her story to be believable. Changelings all react differently to rejection and disbelief, but no one takes the experience well. This is where other Lost find them. Larger freeholds may have entire welcome wagons dedicated to bringing in new changelings, whereas smaller freeholds and motleys do the best they can. New changelings can be skittish and  violent, and it’s best to send someone who can clearly and calmly deliver the invitation to the freehold — and then get the hell out of there. Some changelings never accept those invitations, either  wandering off into the wider mundan mundanee world world or taking up residence in the Hedge. Memories of home, once a balm in  Arcadia, are now too painful to confront. A changeling may eventually join another freehold or create a new one. She may live almost exclusively in a Hollow to grow goblin fruits and avoid mortal interaction — though this does mean taking constant attacks on her Clarity, as she never sees a single Touchstone. They’re all ways to shut out the anguish of being forgotten and abandoned by the people she held in her heart.  A few believe their t heir first interaction with w ith changelings in the mortal world is a Keeper trick. This type of Lost may isolate herself to avoid being targeted again, hiding behind locked doors and long stretches of desolate highway. If she’s really desperate, she may even flee back to Arcadia and beg her Keeper’s forgiveness forgiveness or become a Hedge Ghost while tr ying. Others become loyalists or Bridge-Burners, depending on how they handle the shock.

 Learning   ning to Live   On Lear The first time I tasted Glamour, it was a rush. Not like a drug high — I mean, of course I’ve never done drugs, what are  you, a cop? Nah, it felt like jumping out of an airplane, except the airplane is busy mooning over her ex-girlfriend. I felt suspended,  glistening and sharp, in the middle mid dle of that feeling. Whoo! I can’t explain it much better than that, but I felt that Glamour rush through my body, filling me with power. I knew I was gonna land

Destroying a  Freehold Freeholds are not perfect. Sometimes a privaFreeholds teer wants to score a big hit. Sometimes the Wild Hunt makes a single, concerted attack, putting the freehold under siege. Sometimes, the Lost’s passions just get the better of o f them. For whatever reason, sometimes a freehold breaks apart into its constituent courts and motleys. Breaking a freehold is not simple. It usually involves weeks or months of rumors and accusations; of fights, Bedlam, and mandatory meetings to determine the freehold’s freehold’s future. Faction lines become clearer clearer.. Misunderstandings grow into emotional wars. Finally, the oath of community itself falls apart as Lost declare, in the heat of things, that they would wo uld rather be anywhere but here. All changelings of the former freehold f reehold feel this pain deeply and some never recover from the betrayal. As a consequence, many Bridge-Burners and privateers fromwho broken freeholds — often joiningcome t he ones the broke it in the first place. All former members of a shattered freehold suffer the Oathbreaker Condition, whether they were a catalyst or not, until they join another existing freehold or create a new one out of the ashes of the old. For more information on freehold conflicts, see p. 9 of Oak, Ash, and Thorn.

on the ground safely from that metaphorical skydive, but better — I was gonna land on the ground and be able to do AN YTHING.

— Kyle Threecups, Wizened Absinthial of the Spring Court  The first time I saw another changeling, he terrified me. He was huge and covered in scales. His muscles bulged out of that tank tee, and I thought for sure he was coming for me. There was no other reason! I ran. He followed. That didn’t help, I admitted to him later over tea. I was surprised Big Ben Clifftop liked tea, he seemed more like a beer kinda guy.  Anyway, he chased me down d own and as I started begging beg ging him not to take me back, he laughed. Said he’d thought I was smarter than that, that he wasn’t going to hurt me, and he had a safe place to take me to meet others like us. The fact that there is an US still delights and terrifies me. Of course, I joined the Liberty Bell Freehold; I’m not stupid. I  just … I don’t know. I hoped it had just been me. m e. I thought I was wa s

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unique, chosen to suffer for the sins of the world. But there’s a lot of us here, not to mention the other freeholds. How many people have they taken? How many are still in Arcadia?

— Harker, Fairest Climacteric of the Spring Court  [joyful hissing at a freehold fête] — Marshmallow, Darkling Bequerel of the Winter Court  Freeholds? Are you joking? They’re just a bunch of scared children kidding themselves. We were all kidnapped, my friend. Our kidnappers are still out there, and they’re still looking for more people to enslave. That’s what they do. They take, and they keep taking until the well’s dry and they have to go digging for another. I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on being there when they dig a new well. I’m smart, though. I joined the winning side. I work with the Kindly Ones, because then I get some choice in who they take. You can stand there and be offended all you please, but at the end of the day, your family isn’t protected by the same oaths mine is.

— Tilly Whitmore, Sandharrowed Beast and privateer

Thriving I thought I could never sing again. I thought my voice belonged to the Countess of Silk and Steel, that using it was glorifying her. That’s a lie. Everything she told me about my voice is a lie. I sing in my church choir again, just as a different person. I get more solos too. I only turn on “the voice” when I need to. I could be famous, everyone tells me so, but I don’t want to be, not right now. Maybe someday. I’m learning that I have time.

— Rhiannon Strongsong, Wizened Nightsinger I don’t believe in any god. How could I, after what I’ve gone through? I keep telling Rhiannon she should get a record deal, but she doesn’t want to. Religious singing and ritual comfort her, and I respect that. What comforts me is seeing how much I’ve changed from who I once was. I was an asteroid hurtling through my Keeper’s skies. I thought all I could be was an agent of destruction. Now I’m one of the Winter Court’s recruiters. I have soothed sobbing changelings in the dead of night. I’ve set them up with jobs in the city, places where they  feel they can do some good. I work with with a women’s women’s shelter, shelter, teaching teaching self-defense. self-def ense. I can do more. I can be more than what they made mad e me. I don’t believe in any god, but I do believe in myself.

— Kiri Lia Bianca, Ogre Telluric and wife of Rhiannon Strongsong  At some point, the Lost do have to interact with the mortal world. They need to live somewhere, feed and clothe themselves, and do something to make money — not to mention preserving what little Clarity they have left. Their powers may give them t hem an edge, but how do you go to the office day in and day out knowing a creature made of nightmares and promises wants you back in its domain more than anything else? One of the first things a changeling learns, through practice and advice, is that she is in control of her own boundaries. It’s incredibly easy to forget after a durance that she can say no, that she can change her mind, that th at saying the w wrong rong thing won’t won’t 22 2

Chapter One: Familiar and Strange

 

result in heinous punishments. Learning how to take con After a while, such changelings find — perhaps to their trol of how she interacts with people is key for a changeling, surprise — that they fit in somewhere once more. It’s a new both in fae and mortal spaces. life, but a life they can call their own. They may never fully Boundaries are crucial, but they don’t keep the anguish achieve homeostasis again, but they have a routine, goals, in her head entirely at bay. This is important for the change- and a future. It’s more than they had before. ling (and her player) to remember. Being held captive by an PINNING THE ELF EL F otherworldly being that sees you as a precious child and a disobedient thrall leaves lasting scars on the mind. The sur Arcadia changes people, but itit doesn’t doesn’t make changelings  vival skills a changeling learned in Arcadia almost invariably monsters. Their wants, needs, and struggles refract through hurt her in daily human life. She can’t just throw around Arcadian prism,the subtly them, but they remain dazzling and deadly fae magics every time she feels threat- an human. To thrive, Lost altering need purpose, motivation, and ened. Working with other changelings, as well as mortal or connections. supernatural counselors, helps her learn new coping skills, Remember that changelings themselves don’t use the but it never erases the experience completely, even if she mechanical terms discussed here; they are abstractions, doesn’tt remember all doesn’ al l of it. representations of complex motivations, psychologies, and The Wyrd still governs a changeling’s life, even as she histories. Changelings do not identify Needles and Threads goes to and from the aforementioned office. She feels its  within themselves, them selves, nor do they call cal l their closest confidantes pull, and sometimes it’s too strong to ignore. She may take Touchstones. Instead, a joyful bon vivant says she lives her her lunch break in the Hedge or find herself in the middle life to the fullest, the promise of a happy tomorrow is what of office politics more often than she’d like. A canny change- keeps her going, and she knows texting her ex helps settle ling doesn’t promise anything she cannot immediately fulfill her when she doesn’t quite feel right. even among mortal friends and coworkers, for she knows the Wyrd will require something she hasn’t thought of if     she makes promises she hasn’t carefully considered. Some

S

 

 S

Needle and Thread

ground theirandidentities throughdefine theirthem. Virchangelings appear flaky or noncommittal, when in truth tues Mortals and Vices; their best worst impulses they’re trying to protect their mortal associates. Changelings have uplifting qualities and weaknesses, too, Many changelings fear the simple act of telling mortals but they distinguish themselves through deliberate reinvenabout their durance and nature puts those mortals at risk for tion. When a changeling escapes Arcadia, her Needle and abduction. This is not automatically true, though mortals Thread help her determine what to do with her newly won may try to seek out Hedgeways on their own initiative, and freedom. some fae beings do have an easier time finding people who know their names or secrets. Another Anot her fear many changelings Prick of the Finger share, though few admit it, is the fear of mockery. How do Throughout a changeling’s durance, the Gentry impos you tell someone someone the faeries kidnapped you and expect them es a role upon them. Some True Fae claim their captives have to respond with a straight face? Most changelings keep their free will but manipulate their every action; others simply stories to themselves or their own kind, though some bebludgeon their slaves into submission. Either way, they precome comfortable enough to seek counseling. A few change vent changelings from making their own decisions. Upon lings even become therapists themselves, specializing in  winning their freedom, changelings also win back their right to determine who they wish to be. This is their Needle, the treating victims of the fae.  A changeling must eventually take all these disparate changeling’s chosen self with which they make their mark on pieces of her broken life and find a way to fit them together the world and impose their will. into something resembling a daily routine. She might tend  A Needle represents the Lost’s L ost’s ability to pierce her conbar, work for a nonprofit organization, or deal with emerfused memories and muddled identity, and to defy the ungencies as an EMT. While not all changelings need to work  wanted expectations expect ations others place on her. While W hile searching — Wizened can spin straw into gold, after all, and their motfor a job, she meets a modeling agent who insists she can win w in leys never need to work a day in their lives — many find the both fame and fortune as long as she becomes the “perfect” rhythm of a day job soothing, or even necessary. Some go feminine princess. She had a similar contract contract before the into high-stress public positions, while others eschew the Kindly Ones took her, but she found it stifling. Instead of limelight. Hobbyist changelings derive the same joy and purallowing the agent to lock her in another ivory tower, she pose from knitting, growing goblin fruits, or thrift shopping affirms her Needle as a commander by setting up her own for odds and ends at both human and Goblin flea markets. competing agency, helping her colleagues express their true  Working  Wo rking among mortals is also the perfect cover for selves. making bargains (Changeling, p. 214). Agreeing to fashion  When a changeling first returns from Arcadia, her shoes every night for a shoemaker is a lot less conspicuous Needle simply drives her to act upon her newfound indefor a changeling who’s literally on the payroll.

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pendence. With time, it evolves into something more, a real purpose that gives her life context and meaning. With persistence, community, and a little luck, she one day wakes up to find that her past — while forever an indelible part of her — no longer defines her. Her needs and desires eclipse her history as she shines a light on the future she wants to create for herself.

Woven Tapestries People are complicated, like a wall hanging’s hangin g’s myriad colors. In context, the many strings tell a story and evoke powerful emotions, but if the threads binding them break, the colors fray and dissolve into an unrecognizable mess. This metaphor describes the Lost as much as a tapestry. If a changeling’s Needle represents who he chooses to be, his Thread represents the throughline binding his past and current selves together. It gives context to his life, keeping him from feeling unmoored. It is the t he motivation for him to crawl out of bed in the morning, even when he would rather ignore the world and let time pass him by. It is a familiar feeling, reminding him that no matter how much he changes, he remains himself. By reflecting on his Thread, a changeling knows he can face the unknown and handle  whatever the future fut ure brings.  A changeling’s Thread also helps him make sense of his conflicting memories and the competing expectations placed upon him. Arcadia does a real number on recollection, jumbling thoughts and memories with unreality; other people — fae and mortals alike — try to define him with their own perceptions of him. The changeling’s cha ngeling’s Thread helps him push those hands away from the loom and weave a new life for himself without outside interference in the tapestry’s tapestr y’s patpattern.

Rethreading the Needle People reinvent reinvent themselves all the time. t ime. A painter drops out of art school to become an economist, while a scientist discovers a passion for history. Changelings retaking their

chapter or even mid-scene if such an event creates a dramatically appropriate moment.  While no mechanics govern changing a character’s Needle or Thread, consider what it means to them. Are they proud of how they acted previously or do they hide it away in shame? Are they even aware a of change taking place? It’s possible for the character to remain oblivious to the difference, since in most cases it’s the player’s decision to focus more strongly on another aspect of the character’s personality.

Touchstones  A man m an hears hea rs a song on tthe he radio as he’ he’ss driving dr iving home from work. Tears well in his eyes as it conjures memories of his childhood, a more carefree time spent with his aunt who passed away last year. It seems impossible to him that he’s the same person as that child, impossible that his days hunting bugs and playing pretend ever became the nine-to-five grind. He lost himself somewhere along the way and this life isn’t — it can’t be — his. By the time t ime he gets home, he feels like a stranger watching his own life from afar, but the feeling dissolves the second his kids wrap their arms around him and cheer their father’s arrival home. Without even meaning to, their love tells him it’s okay. People change and life keeps throwing curveballs at him, but it doesn’t need to be an albatross around his neck. Moments like this are worth simply enjoying as-is. Not every changeling shares this exact experience, but they all relate to it. The Lost struggle to maintain their sense of self and certainty in their reality under the constant pressure of evading Faerie’s greedy eyes. The pressure is always on and if they let it build too long, they can end up feeling distant from themselves, unsure whether they truly understand who “they” even are. Touchstones are a release valve, taking the pressure off and allowing changelings to reconnect with themselves.  A changeling can’ ca n’tt simply go through the t he motions with a Touchstone; they force him to engage fully with the world

lives don’t to succeed right awayFreeing — theirthemfirst, around him. Even if a Touchstone is ignorant of the changech angesecond, andhave seventh tries areperfectly all equally valid. ling’s supernatural life, she cuts through all the courtly draselves from the specters of Arcadia is full of dead ends and ma and Hedge bullshit, bringing the changeling back down false starts, like any life. Those kinks in the path don’t mean to earth. With a Touchstone, he can breathe and take in the changeling was wrong or made a mistake; they just took the way life is instead of the way it could have been. Even a a longer route to get where they needed to be. Touchstone with whom the changeling shares a fierce riv rivalry alry Fortunately, dead ends don’t always mean ending up or always gets into vicious arguments serves this purpose. in a Huntsman’s shackles. It’s uncommon for changelings Confrontations are stressful, but he always feels more like to change their Needle or Thread, but it does happen. himself afterward. The change corresponds with major life milestones for the Most Touchstones are people, but they don’t all have changeling, such as joining a new court, gaining a dot of to be. Treasured locations, passion projects, and beloved  Wyrd, or fulfilling a long-term Aspiration. A spiration. These milestones pets can serve as Touchstones if they carry enough meaning. don’t have to be positive; betrayal by a Loyalist, resolving  While they cannot ca nnot hold a conversation with the changeling, a persistent Clarity Condition, or encountering the True they remind her that it’s okay to be herself exactly as she is, Fae could prompt a changeling to reexamine his approach to life. Generally, anchor changes should occur at a story’s  with prompting anperson. internal recalibration as valuable as speaking another end, but with Storyteller permission they may change mid24 4

Chapter One: Familiar and Strange

 

 A few changelings possess even stranger Touchstones, such as the ghost of their best friend or their vampire landlord. These supernatural Touchstones function identically to mortal ones, but they all share two key characteristics:

achieve the necessary focus in order to reap the benefits and may only do so once per chapter. No supernatural effect can modify this roll.

• They always relate to the mortal world, even if the connection is as tenuous as reminding a changeling of someone she knew before her durance or her fa vorite childhood television televi sion show. show. This Thi s connection to humanity is what grounds her.

 While changelings interact with all Touchstones in some manner, the interaction isn’t always a two-way street. Companion Touchstones are living things with their own personalities, quirks, and agendas, but for whatever reason, they act as a receptacle recept acle for the changeling’s worries worries and anxian xi-

Companion Touchstones

eties rather than providing a dialogue. Beloved pets provide a soothing presence and unconditional love regardless of  who the changeling was or who they’re becoming. be coming. Closely following an admired celebrity’s life and works allows him to to just exist in comfortable anonymity, exactly as he is. Systems:  By their nature, Companion Touchstones are slightly shallower connections to the mortal world, but in exchange they’re simpler to derive comfort from. A Companion Alternate Systems Touchstone detaches from the character’s Clarity track when The following section presents several optional systems severe or  mild   mild damage fills its associated box, but spending a for certain kinds of Touchstones, altering the default ben- scene interacting meaningfully with it heals all mild Clarity efits. Players may choose to use either the default system or damage and one point of severe rather than one or the other. an optional one for a type of Touchstone that qualifies, although keep in mind that it may make the system more com- Legacy Touchstones plex to do so. A player can change which system they use for  Whether it’ it’ss a first edition copy of his first novel, a any given Touchstone Touchstone between chapters and are not required recording of the press release that announced his groundto use the same system for all their Touchstones. breaking research, or the child he raised, a Legacy TouchThe traditional Touchstone system presented in stone reminds the changeling of what he is capable of without  Changeling  is robust and broad, allowing any potential fae magic, and it remains as a tangible sign that he made Touchstone to fit within its framework. The alternative his mark on the mortal world. Even if the Touchstone itself Touchstone systems offered here invoke more specific kinds fades or dies, knowing he made a difference is one thing his of connections, but they are flexible. Focus less on whether Keeper can never, ever take away from him. the system fits a particular Touchstone’s exact description Systems: Legacy Touchstones are stabler and more reliand more on whether the combination of Touchstone and able than other Touchstones but can be harder to engage system reinforces the character’s themes.  with or defend. If the character’s only remaining attached Touchstone is a Legacy Touchstone, whenever he takes seTouchst ouchstones ones  Activity T  vere damage to its associated associate d Clarity box, his player may roll For some changelings, performing or participating in Resolve + Composure to keep the Touchstone attached for a familiar activity can serve to make them feel like them- the rest of the chapter. If he doesn’t heal that Clarity Clarit y damage • Supernatural To Touchstones uchstones also cannot relate relate to the  Wyrd or anything a nything fae in i n nature. n ature. Even if they would otherwise be excellent Touchstones, these things represent that which is unknowable and ever-changing — exactly the opposite of what a Touchstone should be.

selves just as spending time with a friend. Thecould activity can before the next chapter begins, the Touchstone detaches as be menial, creative, or social: Chopping wood remind normal. If a changeling loses a Legacy Touchstone entirely, a character of family vacations in the mountains, painting  whether or not it’ it’ss the only one the changeling has attached, could keep her hands busy and mind inspired after a du- it detaches from its associated Clarity box whenever it takes rance of unbearable stasis and conformity, while attending severe or   mild mild damage from then on. Only finding and ator organizing peaceful protests could put her back in touch taching a new Legacy Touchstone as a replacement allows  with her lifelong outrage that ordinary humans who never the changeling to deliberately abandon it. If the player shifts see a single goblin are still oppressed, too. this Touchstone back to the default system, it’s automatically Systems:  Activity Touchstones require actively doing lost the first time it would detach. something, rather than simply interacting with someone; conversely, they don’t don’t require the presence of anyone specific and are thus easier to find opportunities to engage with. As Clarity is not a barometer for a changeling’s sanity or long as the changeling has access to whatever she needs to morality. Instead, it measures their self-actualization and perform the activity, spending a scene doing it may count as emotional resilience. The boundary between mundane and both defending the Touchstone for Willpower and interactis razor-thin; takes a clear mind and a strong heart ing meaningfully with it to heal Clarity damage. However, magical to maintain it within itoneself. the player must succeed on a Resolve + Composure roll to

Clarity

Spinning the Self

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Mortals doubt a changeling’s sanity when she insists that she travels to worlds beyond mundane ken. Likewise, her attachment to the mortal world baffles hobgoblins and the Gentry; to them, Wyrd marks the t he Lost as denizens of the Hedge and Arcadia, not humans. Mortals and faeries alike fail to acknowledge that changelings are creatures of both  worlds. With full f ull Clarity, a changeling recognizes the subjectivity of truth, helping him contextualize his experiences  when compared to those tho se of others. He ttrusts rusts his senses and has confidence in his understanding of his personal truth. Being low on Clarity feels like putting putt ing down your house keys and being unable to find them when you need to leave — while your roommate swears he never touched them after, in fact, hanging them by the door while cleaning. In this self-doubting state, a changeling can distinguish truth from fiction, but he has difficulty taking mundane or  magical   magical realities at face value. He second guesses his own memory and doesn’t trust his intuition, and thus tends to prioritize other people’s word over his own experiences. Confusion blurs the lines between reality, memory, and dreams. At its worst, Clarity loss leaves the changeling doubting he ever left Arcadia in the first place, where only the Gentry’s truth matters. The most terrifying part of all is that it’s not an irrational fear. The Kindly Ones have been known to let changelings think they’ve escaped through elaborate illusions, only to bring the entire facade crashing down when they find it con venient or amusing. Clarity loss muddles everything. What the changeling’s senses tell him doesn’t change, but he can no longer interpret it with certainty. Hesitance and anxiety overcome him,  whether he’s asserting his will, wi ll, resisting mind-a mind-affecting ffecting magmag ic, or recalling simple facts.  As Clarity damage heals, his confidence returns. It’s not that he no longer has doubts — everyone does — but he can set them aside and get on with life. His faith in himself emboldens his actions. He picks up the shattered glass that shows him his own reflection and rearranges it in the mirror frame. The cracks smooth over and heal themselves with nary mirror proclaims is the of themaallscar andbefore shouldthe never doubt it again.he Some callfairest the Lost “mad,” but they simply can’t understand the kind of resilience the changeling psyche possesses. No matter how many times a changeling pulls himself back together after breaking, he feels the same relief and self-assurance each time.

Roleplaying the Dream  The Comatose Condition allows players and Storytellers to explore the changeling’s hopes, fears, and relationships. When portraying a Comatose changeling’s dreams, other players can take on the roles of important eidolons  while the Storyt Storyteller eller set s the scene. This T his form of narrative troupe play ensures engagement in the scene for everyone and offers players a unique roleplaying experience. If a player is uncomfortable challenging their friend’s character, they

26 6

could instead be present in the dream as a supportive Storyteller character, such as a Touchstone or their own character’s eidolon. Bear in mind that when Touchstones appear in a character’s dream while she’s subject to the Comatose Comatos e Condition, they aren’t the real thing. A changeling can’t regain Clarity by spending time with eidolons. The Storyteller can, however, involve these Touchstone eidolons in the drama of the dream, allowing her to resolve a Clarity Condition by interacting with them as normal. If a changeling drops to Clarity 0 with Comatose as her only Clarity Condition, Storytellers should allow her to resolve another Condition that could be a Clarity Condition instead; for instance, if she became Spooked due to a power rather than Clarity damage, she may still heal a point of that damage when resolving Spooked. If she doesn’t possess any other appropriate Conditions either, an eidolon can easily inflict one as the scene progresses. Since the dreamer’s own actions can be inconsistent in dreams, players can share the responsibility of portraying the Comatose changeling if the group agrees. This simulates the loss of narrative control often present in dreams, which is particularly disturbing for changelings since they are natural lucid dreamers and dreamweavers.  When troupe-playing a single changeling, each player chooses a single emotion or facet of the character that their actions in the dream represent. If the group wants to really dig into the motley’s relationships, they can even assign the other characters  in the motley to parts of the Comatose character’s personality instead, exploring the push and pull of a close-knit group of changelings on each other’s selves. The goal is to explore aspects of the changeling’s mind and the conflicting drives within her, not to hijack a character and behave outlandishly; thus, the Storyteller should return full control of the Comatose character back to her original player at any time if the latter occurs. Feel free to allow consistency and plausibility to fall by the wayside when portraying eidolons, especially those  who represent existing ex isting Storyteller Storyt eller characters cha racters in the dream. People act wildly out of character in dreams and the dreamer is none the wiser. This may create an impossible or outright comical scene; that’s fine within the dream’s context! It’s only after the Comatose changeling wakes up that the dream’s incongruities are unnerving. On the surface, a character playing dodgeball with her Keeper in dreams dream s may seem too lighthearted for a  Changeling  chronicle. Dig a little deeper, though, and the absence of the changeling’s survival instincts becomes terrifying. In the dream, she accepted her Keeper’s presence in a mundane activity without question. If she’s willing to accept the Gentry in her dreams, is there even the smallest chance she would allow them to put her back in chains? terrify ing  in That dream is fucking terrifying   in the light of day.

Chapter One: Familiar and Strange

 

Such incongruities can work to the motley’s advantage ers and displays qualities she subconsciously learned from if a changeling becomes Comatose and they must rescue her her Keeper, leading her to fulfill her own desires at everyone from her own Bastion. Creating unusual circumstances and else’s expense. convincing eidolons to act out of character are tried-and-true tried-and-t rue  Any Social roll your character fails automatically bemethods to help a Comatose changeling awaken. The mot- comes a dramatic failure that does not grant a Beat. As well, ley must interact with the t he changeling’s eidolons eidolons and perform  Joy replaces her current cur rent Needle and one of her Keeper’s Asoneiromancy to maneuver them like pieces on a chessboard pirations replaces one of her current Aspirations until the to create scenarios so unlikely that the dreamer can no lon- Condition resolves. ger accept them. Possible Sources: Reaching Clarity 0 Some changelings try using Contracts and other magic Resolution: The character regains Clarity or her actions to directly restore the Comatose changeling’s Clarity. This cause serious harm (physical, mental, or emotional) to her isn’t effective, since it lacks the emotional catharsis of resolvallies, regaining a point of Clarity as usual. In the case of seing a Condition, but it can enact a paradigm shift without  vere damage, the only way to resolve this thi s Condition is for the a roll; the instigator gains dreamweaving successes equal to changeling’s actions to harm her allies. Any other Clarity his Composure. Conditions she resolves during this time increase her Clarity as usual, but they do not resolve this Condition. New New Clarity Conditions Optionally, changelings may suffer one of the following Conditions in place of Comatose when they reach Clarity 0.

BEHIND YOUR BEHIND YOUR EYES EYES Clarity disintegration renders a changeling easily ma-

Optional System:  Condition-Based Kenning By default, as long as a changeling maintains her Clarity and Willpower, she can use kenning to pick up the taste of magic in the air. Condition-based kenning is an optional system for players who want to give their characters less con-

nipulable, leaving them Hedge ghost, hobgoblin, or — wide worstopen of allto—subversion. one of theA Gentry invades the changeling’s mind. The invader can’t read the changeling’s thoughts, but it shares her senses whenever it likes. She’s aware of a mental itch deep down, but she can’t place it until the Condition resolves, and she realizes how much she gave away. If this Condition came about through mild Clarity damage, resolving another Clarity Clar ity Condition forces the visitor to retreat from the changeling’s cha ngeling’s mind. If it came about through severe Clarity damage, only the shock of accidentally betraying herself and her motley ends the Condition. Possible Sources: Reaching Clarity 0 Resolution:  The character regains Clarity or takes an

trol overpotent, their magical acumen. In exchange, the kenning is more allowing a changeling to penetrate supernatural concealment; can occur even with low Clarity; and doesn’tt drain her will. doesn’ w ill. If the Storyteller and players agree, they may use both kenning systems in the same chronicle, allowing both deliberate and mysterious intuition when the situation warrants. Systems: Condition-based kenning costs no Willpower and triggers automatically automatical ly when a changeling resolves a Clarity Condition; she can’t voluntarily use it. Roll her current Clarity. On success, she gains the Deep Kenning Condition.

action that reveals an a n important secret to the visitor, v isitor, recoverrecovering a point of Clarity as usual. In the case of severe damage, the only way to resolve this Condition is for the changeling to reveal a secret. Any other Clarity Conditions she resolves during this time increase her Clarity as usual, but they do not resolve Behind Your Eyes.

 Your  Yo ur character’s newly bolstered Clarity grants abrupt flashes of insight, allowing allow ing her to discover nearby magic. You may shed this Condition at any time to gain information about nearby supernatural phenomena as if you had rolled kenning with successes equal to half her maximum Clarity. Unlike normal kenning, resolving this Condition permits a Clash of Wills against active magical concealment. This Condition fades without resolving if the character drops to Clarity 0. Possible Sources:  Heal Clarity damage by resolving a Clarity Condition or spending time with a Touchstone. Resolution: As noted above.

EGOMANIAC EGOMANIAC  Without Clarity, the changeling acts as though she resides in Arcadia, mimicking the True Fae’s boundless egotism. She fails to comprehend the needs and desires of oth-

DEEP KENNING DEEP KENNING

Spinning the Self

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“Promises bind our kind as surely as iron chains or ropes of human hair. The fae never swear by anything we don’t believe in. We don’t ask for thanks and we don’t offer them; no promises, no regrets, no chains. No lies.”

— Seanan McGuire, Rosemary and Rue  You  Yo u fled your Keeper’s impossible kingdom but echoes Though lesser known, many of these agreements remain in of her cling to you long after you escaped the Hedge. The effect today. Changelings and hobgoblin servants call upon smell of smoke from her ever-burning fires lingering in your powers of judgement and sovereignty, light and shadow, life hair, the chime of his laughter still ringing in your ears, the and death — abilities that don’t comfortably fit the purview  wonders you wielded in Arcadia follow you home. Though T hough of any of the principal Regalia. Some S ome of the oldest pacts fade they’re much diminished from the world-shaping miracles into obscurity as the Titles of their True Fae creators fall  you performed at your Keeper’s command, memories of dormant or cease to be, but extraordinary deeds or grave them have seeped into your skin and settled deep within disasters can sometimes bring them back into the light.  your bones. Regalia themselves are symbols, esoteric concepts disThis chapter delves into the powers available to the tilled into ideas the Gentry’s servants can understand. They Lost, including new Regalia and Contracts, the fae sympa- rarely ever embody just one thing. Jewels represent perfecthetic magic called dramaturgy, and expanded rules and ex- tion, but also the temptation a person feels when gazing amples for pledgecraft and oaths. upon something flawless — the need to possess it, the willing-

THE FORMS OF  THINGS UNKNOWN  A Darkling holds a lightning-charred lightning-char red oak branch in her hand and presides over two motleys in dispute. Her judgment binds them to a course of reconciliation. A Hunterheart clutches his compass tight; its needle whirls and spins, but he knows the way home. The Becquerel offers her enemy a sip from a dented cup — its contents will heal him, for a  while. A penny for your thoughts? the Wizened asks the Goblin Queen, sliding an ancient coin across the table and bracing for brutal truth.  All Lost are familiar with the traditional Regalia (Crown (Crown

ness to go to war for it. Jewels exemplify fortune and deceit as well, all facets of a greater whole. Contracts are Regalia passed through a prism, broken down into their component parts for the True Fae’s servants to observe and command. Some Contracts stand alone or in independent pairs. They fit no known Regalia, and each performs one extremely specific task. Leaden Mirror librarians keep careful notes on such Contracts when they encounter them, tracing their origins and the names of those Lost who learned them. Many of these derive from now-defunct Regalia whose pacts were forgotten over the millennia, or whose original manifestations were destroyed. Sometimes, the Gentry create indi vidual Contracts out of necessity, necessity, granting their serva servants nts the tools required to fill a particular need in their realm, or to

and Mirror, and Shield, Jewels St eed), Steed), but changeas a weapon that might pierce failed oneledspecific enemy’s enemy’ s heart. ling scholarsSword have long suspected theand True Fae forged pacts use In some cases, the Good Cousins fai in their negotiations  with an a n even broader array of cosmic entities and a nd concepts.  with an entity — perhaps their own ow n cleverness tripped t ripped them

The Forms of Things Unknown

29 29

 

The Ursine Duchess takes only three servants s ervants every 100 years, setting them to tend to her dduring uring her long hibernation. They become the blankets spreading over her, so thick they muffle out any sound; or the shutters over her windows, blocking out moonlight and sunshine alike; or the stories in the books her attendants attendan ts read to her while sh shee pretends to dream. Long ago, she brokered a deal with Night and Rest and Silence, but that Regalia’s been forgotten; the last changeling escaped her maze-like tower over 200 years ago.

•••

Victoria’s long gone, but the Wizened Uttervoice left snatches of the songs she composed for her Keeper snagged on the Thorns. The Icons took the form of guitar picks and capos, and strings for the Stratocaster she so loved. Lost who’ve come into possession of such Icons and made music with them not only gain Victoria’s memories, but also an understanding of her Regalia. Her Contracts describe the intersection of music and battles: the power in a protest song, or the beat of a war drum. •••

About a decade back, the Lonesome Highway freehold nearly died out. The Hammer Regalia that its Spring Queen, Allison Free, had used so carefully to build a safe place for the motleys under her protection became instead a bludgeon. Two members of Free’s court went missing and had her sergeant-at-arms — a Beast Valkyrie — not noticed notic ed the change that cam camee over the Queen, it might have been many more. The courts banded band ed together. TThey hey coaxed the Queen away ffrom rom her hammer, shattered its handle and melted down do wn its head. That was the easy part. Pr Prying ying out Free’s memories? memo ries? That proved har harder der..

What Lie  Lies s Forgotten

up, or they didn’t manage to fully assert their will — leaving     their Regalia incomplete.  What happens h appens to a story when its it s last talespinner dies? Some independent Contracts are stolen, the product of  What happens to t o a bargain when no one remains to fulfill f ulfill one of the True Fae encountering an entity whose power terms?orWithout pass Contracts, along knowledge of a she coveted and claiming it as her own. These Contracts are its concept embodychangelings its essence intotheir Contract s, an unused subject to the Keeper’s interpretation of the entity, rather Regalia fades out of memory. This alone doesn’t nullify or than its original self. A lighthouse that stood on the rocky destroy it as long as the original pact that created it isn’t shore of the Prince of Glad Tidings’ domain signaled home broken; the ideas and themes that comprise Regalia are difand safety to sailors on its choppy seas, until The Sighing ficult to kill. They merely lie dormant, waiting for someone Lass captured the headland, twined her brambles into the to come along and remember or rediscover their ancient lighthouse’s walls, and filled its beacon with her sorrows. agreement. Lost who tended its light thereafter escaped their durances For Lost who have time to secure their secrets before knowing how to draw out their companions’ most bitterthey die, the Hedge makes a splendid hiding place for their sweet memories. treasures. Some leave cryptic missives with their motleys for  Just as with regular regu lar Contracts, those t hose without a reigning other changelings to decipher. The fae-touched may even Regalia can be Common or Royal. Some of these orphan play a part: Tamsyn and James swore they’d reunite after Contracts pair together, joined by a similar theme without the war ended, but that was 90 years ago, and a Huntsman being part of a larger whole. pulled Tamsyn back to the t he Timekeeper’s Timekeeper’s eternal tower before

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Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

she could see James again. aga in. Today, Today, James’ great-grandchildren thing — to teach them. They may seek out a changeling who dream of cogs and pocket watches, the symbols of Tamsyn’s served the same Keeper as the last person to know those Contracts, hoping for precious insights. Perhaps their memories can Timepiece Regalia. Changelings who claim entitlements (Oak, Ash, and lead to new clues, or maybe they’ve kept one of their friend’s Thorn,  p. 31) may also inherit knowledge of their prede- Icons safe all these years. Due to Arcadia’s unreliable flow cessor’s lesser-known Regalia. The Dauphines of Wayward of time, this often proves more difficult than expected. Two Children’s new Chaperone grows more and more insightful changelings who spent their durances together in the Year of about his charges’ needs and relies on the Star to guide them Plague’s disease-ridden environs, who kept pace with one ansafely on their way. The Master of Keys is a Thorn in the side other as they fled home through the Thorns, might not have exited the Hedge in the same decade, let alone the same town. of those whose secrets she’s unlocked. Lost who suspect they might be the last ones to ken a Even Lost who die suddenly may still leave echoes of their Regalia behind, waiting for whoever finds their rem- particular type of Contract sometimes attempt to pass the nants and pieces them back together. toget her. A silver box lies buried knowledge on, though they rarely leave detailed grimoires beneath the rubble in a half-faded Bastion that found a new behind with their local court scholars. Instead, they bury home on the Wishing Roads (p. 16). The changeling’s Icon cryptic messages in fortified Bastions, or hide the secrets in a nd add it to a hobgoblin’s hobgoblin’s junkpile. After Aft er all, bet— and the memories embedded within — sit among the hob- a soda can and ter the Regalia and its power fades into obscurity than fall goblin Rattlebones’ wares at the Goblin Market. into loyalist or Bridge-Burner hands. Not all lost Regalia dwindle quietly out of common  When a changeling finds no mentors among his freememory. They can be banned, locked away, or intentionally hidden — and not always by Bridge-Burners or vast cosmic hold or other local Lost, the Hedge is the next most likely forces. Changelings root out these Regalia while their fel- place to search. The Hedge forms itself around its travelers lows still know how to invoke their Contracts, still wear — their desires, keenest emotions, and deeply-held philosotheir symbols stitched onto sleeves, hems, cuffs, and collars. phies. Lost seeking a forgotten Regalia set foot on the trods Sometimes, the freeholds themselves destroy these powers hoping the path carries them somewhere still ringing with for what they deem the greater good. its memory. For a changeling searching for the Regalia of Stars, their journey may lead them into skies speckled with Losing access to Regalia and Contracts removes part of ever-changing constellations, or they may follow one single, a Crimson Courtier’s arsenal. It diminishes the knowledge brightly shining point until its image burns into their vision the Leaden Mirror hoards. Even Winter Courtiers — who and their pupils twinkle with its light. Trods can lead to a may benefit from keeping secret the methods of destruction hobgoblin with knowledge to barter, the last remaining serand the fact anything was destroyed — exhaust alternate altern ate solu vants of a vanquished Title, or any other lingering clue. tions before voting in favor of such a drastic action. Usually, Oneiromancers turn their searches inward, confronting excised Regalia present an immediate danger to the freehold. Perhaps invoking it attracts Huntsmen, or sows seeds eidolons in their own dreams to uncover buried truths. Perhaps during her durance, she noted the chalice her Keeper alof deadly discord among the motleys.  ways drank from at at court court but dismissed it as a mere mere cup cup rather rather Backed into a corner, the freehold may sacrifice their than a symbol of life and death. Now, in dreams, she stands connection to a Regalia to seal an oath with a similar but before a table of brimming vessels. When she peers into each, more powerful entity, or because giving up the power it she sees not her own reflection but the fates of her motley. grants them satisfies some other desperate need. The terms of such oaths dictate how the Lost sever the tie, and wily Changelings who step through the Gate of Ivory can changelings look for loopholes that may let the freehold’s only learn Common Contracts for these Regalia. They possessed the knowledge during their durances, but forgot when future members recover the knowledge. they fled, or dismissed the details as unimportant. However, Lastly, the Lost may discover that the entity who origideeper understanding requires greater risk: To discover the nally held the pact has died or passed it on, sending ripples secrets of Royal Contracts, they must travel through the throughout the fae realms and disturbing Contracts’ effects. Gate of Horn, and occasionally venture into stranger places This may be a cosmic shift well beyond changeling under— mirror space, the Dreaming Roads, the BriarNet, or even standing, or the sign of a Regalia’s corruption at the hands beyond. of another force. It’s risky to keep drawing upon an altered  At their most daring (or perhaps desperate), the Lost Regalia, so cautious changelings brick off the avenues to its may venture back into Arcadia to steal knowledge of a lost manifestations and punish those who refuse to cease invokRegalia from the Gentry. Few changelings find this worth ing related Contracts. the risk; what good does it do a Darkling to learn the secrets of the Cloak if it puts her back within her Keeper’s grasp? Yet Yet    

 Lost  Lost and Found

To learn Contracts in a lost Regalia, the changeling must first learn of its existence and then find someone — or some-

some, driven to protectbold an endangered loved one, as part of a Summer Queen’s plan, do venture backorinto the land of their captivity for the promise of secret knowledge.

The Forms of Things Unknown

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No Good Deed  Goes Unpunished The Storyteller should declare which (if any) of the Regalia presented below players may select during character creation as a second favored Regalia, either because their backstory warrants having discovered a lost one or because in your chronicle, it was never lost to begin with. The Storyteller decides the difficulty of the deeds required to uncover lost, forgotten, or forbidden Regalia, and can adjust them according to the Regalia’s significance in the chronicle. Is the search a personal one, as an Ogre recalls parts of her durance or a Fairest Flickerflash comes to terms with what changed while he was in Arcadia? If the changeling pursues this information on his own time, the Storyteller may represent the search as an extended action,  with short scenes over the course cours e of several sessions describ describ-ing his progress. If his hi s motley gets involved, the rolls become teamwork actions.  When fully playing out the pursuit of a lost Regalia, the Storyteller may use the investigation rules beginning on p. 194 of Changeling to shape the mystery. What obstacles stand in the way of discovering the Regalia? Are there items like Icons or riddles etched into mossy stones that might reveal Common Contracts to those who find them? Who might share the tale — willingly or not — of the last person to use the Regalia, and is that person still alive somewhere? If so, might they need rescuing from a Huntsman’s iron cage, or dissuading from their loyalist sympathies? Consider the narrative consequences of dredging up a lost Regalia. If it faded out of memory because its last practitioner died, who might come out of the woodwork woo dwork seeking hidden wisdom or planning to collect on debts that practitioner racked up? What favors do hobgoblins ask from a changeling with an affinity for this Regalia? What bribes do they want to ensure their silence about what the motley did to uncover it? All of these make great story hooks. The Regalia’s return may attract a Huntsman’s notice. His loyal hound picks up a scent it hasn’t caught for decades, and now it strains at the leash to follow this fresh trail. Sure, the original quarry eluded the verderer, but his Keeper will be pleased to meet someone else with similar affinities. Perhaps the Huntsman can’t tell the difference between that prior prey and this new one — how can the motley convince him it’s a case of mistaken identity? The Gentry themselves may take an interest and come calling. This may be out of curiosity, a twisted kind of nostalgia, or even an effort for the Fae to protect themselves if they lost a Title to a rival. Others might be furious: How dare anyone try to take the place of the servant upon whom they bestowed those gifts? Uncovering a forbidden Regalia may also cause friction  with other Lost, especially those who would prefer it stay forgotten. TheforSix Sisters’When Freehold the shackles Regalia of the Chain a reason. theydestroyed hear hidden rattling, their Fifth Oracle Courtiers sharpen their swords.  32 32

The Bridge-Burner Catriona went to great pains to erase the Ring from memory. She’s an old woman now, but she’s still strong enough to put it to rest one more time. Keep in mind that Regalia represent grand cosmic bargains the True Fae negotiated. Strange entities stir when Contracts that haven’t been invoked for centuries — or longer — call on them once more. Do they present themselves to the changeling in overt ways, appearing in her dreams to size her up? Or is their influence more felt than seen, as her motley runs across their symbolism everywhere? What do they want from their new adherents? Lastly, the Wyrd governs all. While it might not pre vent a changeling from drawing a lost Regalia Rega lia back into the t he  world, it certainly notices the act. act. It tallies the deeds the Lost performed in pursuit of forbidden knowledge and weighs them on its own ineffable scale. Sometimes those deeds themselves are a sufficient trade for the power the changeling gains. Other times, the Wyrd finds the changeling wanting; perhaps she skirted too close to the edge of her oaths or left someone else to pick up the pieces after her own reckless reckles s actions caused chaos.

A Change of Heart The Lost don’t stop changing after emerging from the Hedge. For many, the ability to remake oneself and declare “This is who I am now,” is an essential part of their new lives. Sometimes, a changeling feels her affinity for a newly discovered Regalia eclipsing one of her others. This denotes a fundamental shift in the Lost’s worldview. worldview. Where once she needed a Steed’s Steed ’s freedom of movement, now she has set her sights on her court’s Crown, and she feels the calling of the Scepter. She still retains her Steed Contracts — this change is about folding who you were into who you are now, not abandoning those aspects of yourself. end of a chapter chapter,, with Storyteller permisSystem: At the end sion, the player may sacrifice one dot of Willpower to disfa vor one of her ch character’s aracter’s two t wo current favored Regalia Rega lia and replace it with a new one. He keeps all Contracts he learned under the old one. If the character doesn’t have any Contracts from the new Regalia at the time of the change, the t he player must switch one of her current Contracts in her old Regalia for another of the same type (Common or Royal) from the new one.

Designing Regalia  When creating a new Regalia for your chronicle, decide decide first whether you want to start with a theme and assign a symbol to it, or start with the symbol sy mbol and extrapolate themes from there. It’s usually better to start with the symbol, even if you get there through an idea of what it represents; for instance, you may want to create a Torch Regalia, because you already know torches are both literal and figurative lights in the darkness that illuminate the way for a traveler. From there, think about the various angles from which you can

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approach that metaphor and additional meanings it might  A Regalia may explore contradictory aspects aspect s within suggest, thus rounding out your Regalia into a robust, multi- its purview. For example, the Crown embodies rulership faceted concept from which to produce Contracts.  whether it rest s on the t he head of a benevolent monarch or a Starting with only a theme is possible but be careful you ruthless tyrant. Think about the positive and negative asdon’t focus so much on that lone idea that you have trouble pects of your concept, how its users might both help others expanding it beyond one narrow theme. Additionally, start- and cause harm with it. Perhaps the Regalia’s symbol repreing with a theme may give you a concept too broad to guide sents two opposing concepts, like light and darkness, motion and stillness, or life and death. Upon what fulcrum do the choice of symbol and specificity of its powers. these opposites pivot? How does one inform the other? Symbol First Every Regalia is based on an item that serves as a meta- Themes First If you don’t have a symbol in mind up front, consider the phor to express its themes. In Arcadia, these items are both metaphors and  actual, tangible objects that are part of the basic theme you want the Regalia to cover. It should be broad multiple facets but narrow enough to express e xpress Good Cousins’ personal panoplies, which they flaunt to enough to contain multiple assert their dominance as rulers. Fairy tales and myths are a clear and cohesive set of related themes to inform the magic’s To this end, you may need to first narrow your initial excellent sources of inspiration, as things are rarely all they purpose. To idea down to give you enough specificity specificity and then expand it outseem at first glance; an apple can be poisonous, a rose is lovefind strong strong associa associations tions and alternate alternate angles. angles. For examly but bears thorns, and a bean can become a giant beanstalk beanst alk  ward to find “peace” that embodies themes of diplomacy reaching into the clouds. Real-world status symbols make ple, a Regalia about “peace” and prosperity looks very different from one that embodies the another good place to look for ideas, particularly those denoting the position of a ruler or other important or unique more individual ideas of contentment and tranquility. figure, such as the Three Sacred Treasures of the Japanese Perhaps, for the latter, you narrow down your theme emperor or the skull, book, and hourglass of ornamental to “serenity” and then extrapolate. With what other specific hermits. ideas do you associate it? Stories, places, objects, articles of Regalia symbols can be ordinary objects with no greater clothing? What other concepts are closely tied to it that might significance, such as a pen or a shoe, but remember that they provide more options for potential symbols? Feel free to think all began as ways for the Gentry to brandish their power; the outside the box; the more linked associations you come up more inspiration inspiration you’ll have for for creating Contracts. Fae tend to gravitate toward items that clearly signify what  with, the more they believe is special about them as leaders. The pen might Storytellers can also look to character backstories, goals, be a good choice for a scholarly Kindly One who thinks of and personalities for inspiration. Have the motley’s adventhemselves as a brainy mastermind (and would resonate bet- tures followed a particular theme? What aspects of their ter as a Regalia if you called it “Quill” instead), while a shoe Keepers and durances could provide the foundation for a might work for one who prides themself on their godlike new Regalia? If you or your players have already created cusathleticism (one famous brand of sneakers is named for the tom Contracts, see if you can spot a recurring theme among Greek goddess of victory, after all). them. If you can group three or more together, consider Once you’ve chosen an object, define the Regalia’s pur- making them part of a full Regalia.  views based ba sed on its uses and qualities. The T he best Regalia syms ymOver the course of several sessions, keep notes on the bols can mean multiple, related things. An anchor holds a characters’ roles within their motley and how they relate to ship in place, symbolizing stability and security, but also that  which holds one back. Consider the object’s object’s alternate form formss and uses; ordinary hammers are tools for building and crafting, while a war hammer is a weapon. A Regalia symbolized by a hammer, then, might represent both creation and destruction. Consider the additional meanings with which legends and pop culture imbue things, as well. When we see an apple, we might think of sleep, poison, and witches thanks to Snow White, or knowledge, temptation, and a loss of innocence thanks to the story of Adam and Eve. Greek mythology links apples with desirability and beauty. You can be the apple of someone’s someone’s eye or get called cal led an apple polisher. Apples and faeries even have a mythical history histor y together in the form of these Avalon, the Isle ofcan Apples. of anystands or all associations play aThe roleintersection in what a Regalia for and how its Contracts manifest.

others. What words describe them and their methods? What sorts of actions do they often fall back on that aren’t yet covered by their Contracts? Perhaps the Ogre’s keen focus in a fight and his ability to cut right to the heart of a matter inspire the Arrow Regalia, or the Darkling’s ability to twist opponents into tongue-tied knots and control the flow of a conversation translates into the Spindle. Changeling pairs the six most well-known Regalia with seemings already, but others can resonate as well if you want. Does the Throne favor the Fairest as charismatic leaders, or Darklings as the true power behind the sovereign? The Hammer suits the Wizened when it’s used to build, but as a symbol of war, Ogres wield it best.   Bringing It to Life  When writing  When writing the Regalia Regalia’’s descri descripti ption, on, consi consider der how changelings attuned to that particular symbol act—after all, they’ll be using   the the Contracts you create, so they’ll want to wield powers

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that fit their modus operandi. Those who favor the Shield are protectors. Those inclined toward the Scepter pass judgment.  A changeli changeling ng embodyi embodying ng the Star mig might ht focus focus on guiding guiding her her motley down a particular path, or she might be the person to  whom  wh om they go when when they need need ins insigh ightt int intoo past eve events nts.. Ev Everyo eryone ne the Wyrd touches knows the importance of balancing the magical books, but those bearing bear ing the Coin define themselves by trade and what they can do with material possessions. Finally, consider what you want a Regalia’s Contracts Change- 

to for designing Contracts in True Fae ,  p.(Rules 308.) Think about the types of appear pacts the lingdo. made when they first negotiated with the cosmic entity in question. How did those pacts shape their Titles? True Fae are beholden to a Regalia’s themes and symbolism even more than the Lost who served them, but the pacts also grant them vast power to shape their realms. On a grand scale, how do the Gentry use this Regalia’s powers? What  wondrous feats feats did a changeling in their entourage perform  with it? Though the t he Lost only wield w ield a fraction of that influence after they escape, the symbols remain. How do you shrink the sweeping changes they caused in Arcadia down to mundane-world levels? Keep in mind the variations and contradictions built into the Regalia. Even though two t wo powers might have totally different effects, they should still feel like facets of the same prism.

NEW CONTRACTS This section presents five new Regalia in full, as well as a selection of single or paired independent Contracts that fall under no Regalia.

Chalice Chalice represents the mercurial nature of emotions, the fluidity of relationships, and the ebb and flow of life. The goblet can contain a wellspring of hope or the dregs of despair. It’s a toast and a promise: Drink and be merry, for tomorrow, we die. As a symbol of feasting and revelry, it represents close bonds forged in celebration or mourning; a ceremonial chalice finds its way to the lips of everyone present to tie them together in oath, ritual, or faith. Its depths might hold a healing potion, a sleeping draught, or a dose of poison, and it cares not which the drinker consumes. Changelings find both solace and misery at the bottom of a cup.

Cup p (Common)  Filling the Cu By filling a glass or cup to the brim with w ith any liquid and folfollowing the ripples in its surface, the changeling attunes himself to the flow of strong emotions, acting as a dowsing rod. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Duration: One scene or until the changeling regains any Glamour, whichever comes first   34 34

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Effects: The changeling can sense people experiencing

Darkling: The Wisp may pay an additional Glamour

powerful emotions within a radius of (her Wyrd x 40) yards/  meters. He knows the direction and general distance of the emotion at the time of the Contract’s use, but those people may move by the time he gets there. He gains a vague sense for whether any emotion he detects is positive or negative, but otherwise can’t identify it without seeking those people out or using additional magic. If anyone incites Bedlam within range while this Contract is in effect, the changeling can automatically identify it as such, though without additional detail. Beast: If the Grim has already used this Contract or another relevant power, such as the Spring Court’s Cupid’s Arrow (Changeling, p. 151), to identify or locate a specific, known person’s emotions at any point, he can recognize the scent of that specific person’s feelings whenever he senses them again with this Contract. Fairest: The Muse can pick out those within range experiencing an intense emotion related to him. That person doesn’t necessarily have to recognize their own feelings — such as being jealous of the changeling’s lover without having acknowledged it even to herself. He only learns learn s the information, not the t he person’s identity.

 when invoking invoking this Contract to transfer tran sfer his frailty to the target rather than simply sharing it, losing that frailty himself for the Contract’s duration. This cannot apply to his iron bane. Loophole:   The changeling has already suffered from the frailty frailt y he wishes to inflict within the same scene. He may seek it out deliberately for this purpose.

Sleep s Sweet Embrace  (Common)  ’

The gentle graze of the changeling’s hand upon a shoulder or rosy cheek and whispered promises of peace and rest turn another’s worst nightmares or most wondrous dreams into a healing slumber. The changeling must touch the intended sleeper to use this Contract. Cost: 2 Glamour + 1 Willpower Dice Pool:  Manipulation + Expression + Wyrd − Resolve  Action: Instant or resisted (see below) Duration: Varies (see below)

Roll Results

Success: Once the changeling invokes this Contract, Loophole: invokes the Contract, changeling speaks out loud As herhecurrent strongest emotiontheand its cause  whenever the target sleeps for a number of days equal to or the person at whom it’s it’s directed for all al l nearby to hear. hea r. successes on the invocation roll, they don’t dream. Instead, they heal one lethal damage da mage per hour they’re asleep, but they Frail as the Dying Word (Com- can’t regain Willpower from rest for the Contract’s duramon)  tion. While dreamless, they have no Bastion and cannot be  All Lost suffer the sting of iron and the shackles of unu n- the target of oneiromancy or other magic that works upon knowable fae laws. With a touch, the changeling writes his dreams or dreamers. If this Contract lasts more than two  victim into the fine print, fooling the Wyrd into applying days, the target suffers the Dissociation Condition ( Change-  those laws to them, too, for a time. ling, p. 336), which can’t resolve until they regain full Willpower after  the  the Contract ends. Cost: 1 Glamour This Contract is only resisted if the target is unwilling. Dice Pool: Manipulation + Occult + Wyrd vs. CompoThe changeling may target t arget himself, but if he does, he cannot sure + Wyrd end the effects early.  Action: Contested

Roll Results Success: The changeling inflicts one of his own minor

frailties on the target. If they already possess it, that frailty becomes major instead for the duration. If they already possess a major version of the same frailty, frailt y, this Contract doesn’t function. The changeling doesn’t lose the frailty he inflicts. Exceptional Success: The changeling inflicts either one of his major frailties or two of his minor frailties with one invocation instead. Iron counts as a major frailty. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The Wyrd catches the changeling in the act of forgery and inflicts a new major frailty on him in addition to those he already possesses for the scene. Fairest: The Muse may inflict a frailty belonging to any fae being present in the scene rather than his own.

Exceptional Success:  In addition to the longer duration, the target suffers Dissociation if the effects last more than three days instead of two. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling cannot meditate, enter the Gate of Ivory, or dream the next time he sleeps; he suffers the drawbacks drawback s of this Contract’s effects for one night, but gains no healing benefits. Beast: The Gargoyle sends his target into a deeper hibernation, always adding two t wo additional days to its duration. Darkling: The Mountebank’s target appears recently dead to all mundane forms of detection whenever they’re asleep. They don’t appear to breathe or have a pulse, their skin seems cold, and their limbs are stiff. Magical ways to detect whether someone is living or dead prompt a Clash of  Wills with the Darkling. Da rkling.

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Loophole:  The changeling prepares a sleeping draught,

 warm milk, soothing soot hing tea, or any other sleep aid that inv involves olves drinking liquid, and he persuades or forces the target to drink it all in the same scene in which he invokes the Contract.

Curse’s Cure (Common)  The changeling concocts an antidote for any venom or poison that afflicts another from a sample of their blood,  which he mixes with w ith herbs picked from the Hedge and a bit of his own spit in a cup of wine. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Intelligence + Medicine + Wyrd  Action: Instant  Duration: Instant 

Roll Results Success: Anyone who drinks a full cup of the change-

ling’s draught either heals from a poison in half the normal time, or, if the poison was deadly, the character will w ill now sur vive. Conditions resulting from f rom the poison fade without w ithout resolving. Attempting to cure a supernatural poison prompts a Clash of Wills.

Cost:  1 Glamour + 1 per additional dreamer beyond the second Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Duration:  One chapter or until all dreamers wake,  whichever comes first  Effects:  The changeling connects the Bastions of all participating dreamers, thus drawing them all into a shared dream. He himself must be a participant, and all dreamers must be willing. Each dreamer retains their own distinct Bastion with a separate entrance and exit, but the dreamers treat them as a single Bastion for purposes of oneiromancy and navigating the shared lucid dream. Increase each Bastion’s Fortification by 1 per dreamer, to a maximum of +5, against any oneiropomp outside the linked group. Whenever one dreamer takes an action that benefits from team work with at least one one of the others as an oneiropomp within any of their Bastions, that action gains the 8-again quality. Shifts that cause location changes can transport anyone affected from one Bastion to another in addition to changing their physical location. This Contract counts as an invitation from each dreamer to each other to enter their Bastions from the outside.

Each invocation of this Contract produces enough anIf any of the dreamers suffers the Comatose Condition or tidote for a single poisoned victim, no matter the amount of has otherwise lost the ability to dream lucidly, lucidly, paradigm shifts liquid in the cup. can inflict Shift Conditions in any of their Bastions even if Ba stion’ss oneiropomp is still lucid dreaming. If any particpar ticExceptional Success: The poison is entirely and instant- that Bastion’ ipant wakes naturally, their Bastion simply ceases to exist with ly cured. no impact on the others other than to reduce the number of Failure: The Contract fails. connected dreamers (and thus potentially their Fortification Dramatic Failure: The changeling botches the mixing bonuses). However, if one dreamer is forcibly and magically and poisons himself. He suffers the Fatigued Condition, awoken, whether by an oneiropomp with the Dream Assail which becomes the moderate Poisoned Tilt during action ant Condition or by some other power, all of their shared Basscenes. tions are destroyed, forcing those still asleep to contend with Beast: The Beast can make the toxin his own and in- their Bastion’s end per the rules on p. 222 of Changeling . flict the moderate Poisoned Tilt on a grappled opponent as a Beast: All participating dreamers gain +2 to any action unique grappling option that requires biting the opponent, they take that’s t hat’s contested contested by an external ext ernal oneiropomp intrudas long as he does so during the t he chapter in which he invoked ing on any of their Bastions. this Contract. Contract.  Wizened:  The Shrewd builds stronger, steadier con Wizened: The Hatter may use this Contract to reduce nections. In addition to gaining the 8-again quality, teamthe severity of a disease, or to end the effects of a drug in  work actions between dreamers within the shared sha red Bastions Ba stions the target’s system; Conditions related to these effects fade achieve exceptional success on three successes.  without resolving. Loophole:   All participating dreamers are part of the Loophole:  The changeling tastes a bit of the same tox- same sworn oath when this Contract is invoked. The oath in that afflicts the one he intends to cure within the same need not be exclusive to them; for instance, if all are in the scene; this Contract doesn’t protect him from its effects if same motley but not all motley-mates participate, it still even a small taste would poison him. counts. Swearing an oath specifically for the purpose of this Dreamer’s Phalanx (Common)  Contract within the same scene also counts. By physically touching each other as they fall asleep, a group of changelings connects each of their Bastions to that of the one who invokes the phalanx, reinforcing their collective walls and enabling feats no dreamweaver could achieve on his own.  36 36

Closing Death’s Door (Royal)  Even mortals know the cup may usher in doom or stave it off, but the Lost know it can even reverse it under the rig right ht circumstances. With a tender kiss on the lips, the touch of her tears to the corpse’s face, or another gesture of intimacy

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and longing, the changeling cheats death on another’s be- Roll Results half, allowing them to step back over the dread threshold Success:  The changeling summons something nourthey’ve already crossed. ishing or medicinal out of thin air: food guaranteed to be Cost: 3 Glamour + 1 Willpower someone in the scene’s favorite, fresh water, wine to soothe troubles, aspirin to take away a headache, healing salves to Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Wyrd ease the pain of an injury, or anything else appropriate to  Action: Instant   whatever ailments those nearby may have. The summoned Duration: Instant  quantity is alw always ays plenty for everyone present when the Con Con-tract takes effect. Anyone who chooses to partake in these Roll Results Success: This Contract targets the corpse of any previously living character who has died within one chapter of the scene in which the changeling invokes it. That character comes back to life with all Health boxes filled with aggravated damage except the rightmost one, which is undamaged. In exchange for this fae miracle, the changeling chan geling gains a number of Goblin Debt points equal to the number of hours the revived character has been dead. He gains a minimum of 1 point and can’t gain more than his usual maximum; he can  turn himself into a Hedge Denizen if his total Debt from this Contract is greater than 9 points. Exceptional Success: The Contract can revive someone  who has died anytime a nytime within the current story rather than chapter; this means if the changeling invokes it and doesn’t

comforts remove one which physical, non-Persistent Condition they may currently suffer, fades without resolution, or remove one physical, personal Tilt. They also regain Willpower equal to half the invocation successes rolled, round up. The changeling himself gains no benefits from partaking partak ing in his feast. Everyone who benefits from this Contract also suffers the Indebted Condition (below) regarding the changeling. Forcing them to ingest the feast fails automatically. Exceptional Success: The Indebted Condition becomes Persistent. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure:  The Wyrd exposes the catch behind the changeling’s generosity; he suffers the Notoriety Condition.

Elemental: The Unbound’s cornucopia is unnaturally achieve an exceptional success, the Contract fails. Failure: The Contract fails. enticing; anyone who perceives it must contest the invocaDramatic Failure:  The corpse reanimates instead of tion roll with Composure + Wyrd or partake, whether reviving, becoming a mindless creature that moves like a they’re willing or not. marionette. Such a creature has only one Health box and Ogre: Those who partake in the Terrible’s feast gain +1 no Willpower trait, and all its dice pools are equal to the to Defense for the rest of the chapter. changeling’s Wyrd. present in the t he Loophole: The changeling greets everyone present Fairest: The revived character also gains the Swooned scene by name with a gesture, such as a handshake or a hug, Condition regarding the Unicorn.  within the t he same scene; if he doesn’t doesn’t know someone’ someone’ss name, Wisp also gains a brief vision of the re- he must learn it and use it in order to invoke the Loophole. Darkling: The  Wisp  vived character’s last moments moments before death death from their point of view when he invokes this Contract. Loophole:  The character the changeling tries to revive is one of his Touchstones, Touchstones, a fae-touched promised to h him, im, or  A fae being performed a service ser vice for your character and a nd someone with whom he shares a personal oath of any kind. he owes them something in return. Mundane tasks aren’t enough; the Wyrd enforces this debt. The character can reFeast of Plenty (Royal)  pay it by accepting damage, a detrimental Condition, or a The chalice never runs dry, and the changeling always detrimental Personal Tilt intended for the being to t o whom the has something to spare for those in need. He makes a toast character is indebted. The character’s player chooses which or other grand speech as though presiding over a feast, loud of these he suffers; if he chooses damage, the character must enough to be audible to everyone nearby. Those who accept take all  damage  damage from a source, not part of it. He cannot take his freely given largesse find their suffering immediately on Clarity Conditions or Conditions he couldn’t normally eased but partaking of fae hospitality always comes with a suffer this way. The Wyrd alerts him to all his creditor’s perprice. ils until this th is Condition resolves, and he doesn’t doesn’t have to be in Cost: 2 Glamour their vicinity to resolve it. Dice Pool: Presence + Socialize + Wyrd This Condition can also be Persistent. If so, your character owes a debt he can’t repay as easily. In addition to the  Action: Instant 

INDEBTED INDEBTED

Duration: Instant 

usual effects, he earns a Beat whenever hisit creditor makes a request or demand of him, and he fulfills fulfil ls without attempting to resist. The Persistent version of Indebted can only re-

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solve when the character performs a major service for his creditor, such as saving their life or risking danger to bring them something they desire. Resolution: Repay the debt, as above. Beat (Persistent only): Fulfill a request or demand the creditor makes without attempting to resist.

Still Waters Run Deep  (Royal)  The changeling takes a series of slow, deep breaths while his target can see his serene expression, allowing them to neither suffer emotional turmoil nor experience joy for a time. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool:  Manipulation + Subterfuge + Wyrd − Resolve  Action: Instant 

Roll Results Success: The target suppresses a number of emotional

Conditions currently affecting them equal to successes rolled on this Contract’s invocation roll; the changeling may target himself if he can see his own face, such as in a mirror. Eligible Conditions include Clarity Conditions and Conditions resulting from Bedlam. The Contract nullifies the effects of suppressed Conditions for the scene; the target can’t resolve or gain Beats from them. They can’t take on any new emotional Conditions for the duration; powers which inflict or bestow them simply fail.  While this Contract is in effect, the target can’t perform Hedgespinning or dreamweaving, incite Bedlam, or harvest Glamour from living beings (but they can reap it). Exceptional Success:  Additional successes are their own reward. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling takes on his target’s emotional burdens instead of suppressing them, gaining the Storyteller’s choice of either one of the target’s detrimental Conditions or the Demoralized Condition; these must be resolved normally and don’t vanish when this Contract ends.  Wizened: The Hatter may choose either emotional Conditions or purely mental Conditions to suppress, and can mix and match them. Ogre: For the Contract’s duration, the Terrible can resolve one of the target’s suppressed temporary Conditions by meeting its usual resolution criteria; he gains the Beat from resolution rather than the target. Loophole:  Within the same scene, the changeling writes out at least a paragraph detailing his current emotional state, stuffs the paper into a bottle, and closes the bottle.

Poison the Well (Royal)  Emotional connections can grow stronger with time, but so too may they diminish. With a few well-placed words in the right ear, the changeling poisons the bonds between people, causing discord and hard feelings where once was harmony. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Manipulation + Expression + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd  Action: Contested Duration: One chapter

Roll Results Success:  The changeling corrupts his target’s connec-

tions to one of her mundane Social Merits, removing her access to it for the Contract’s duration. The subject of the Merit, such as the target’s Allies, Contacts, or Mentor, turns against her, actively attempting at tempting to hinder her. These connections may believe she betrayed them, became involved in something unsavory, or gravely insulted them — or perhaps they simply decided they t hey don’t don’t like the cut of her jib. If the changeling is in the Hedge, he may also target any changeling-specific Merit representing connections to a fae beings, Hedge locations, or other resources. If he does, use of this Contract counts as a Hedgespinning action, but doesn’t suffer the usual penalties to the invocation roll. Example eligible Merits include Fae Mount, Goblin Bounty, Hob Kin, Hollow, and Stable Trod; others may qualify at the Storyteller’s discretion. These Merits are affected differently from mundane ones: the target can still use them, but she accumulates Goblin Debt points equal to the t he Merit’s d dot ot rating per use. Exceptional Success:  In addition to the usual effects, the target suffers the Notoriety Condition. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure:  The changeling poisons his own most important importa nt connections instead; one of his Touchstones detaches from his Clarity track for the rest of the chapter. Fairest: The Muse gains access to the Merit he soured for the Contract’s duration, turning the connections to his own benefit. Elemental: The Torrent’s meddling results in extensive collateral damage; once this Contract ends, the target’s ta rget’s M Merit erit returns at a rate of one dot per scene rather than all at once. Loophole:   The changeling interacts with the target Merit’s subject within the same scene, sowing conflict or sabotaging a resource personally.

Shared Cu Cup p (Royal)  Sharing a cup or breaking bread brings people together. The changeling fills a drinking vessel or prepares a meal and shares its contents equally between all members of a group, forming a bond that defies boundaries.

 38 38

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Cost: 2 Glamour + 1 per additional participant beyond

the second

Coin

Money makes the world go ‘round. The material gain of the greedy always comes at the expense of the less fortunate. + Wyrd  A coin represents represents an exchange exchange of one thing for another another,, debts debts  Action: Instant or contested; see below  owed and repaid. It’s a symbol of naming and then paying a cost. Through the Wyrd, every changeling knows well that Duration: One chapter nothing comes for free and everyone has their price; whether Roll Results it’s the piper, the devil, or the hobgoblin who did the motley Success:  The changeling binds all participants up to a favor, all must be paid their due somehow. Every coin is a Dice Pool: Presence + Occult + Wyrd vs. Composure

a maximum equal to successes on the invocation roll; the changeling himself must participate. Unwilling participants still must partake in the shared beverage or meal but need not necessarily know about the consequences and may contest the invocation roll as above. This Contract heightens participants’ emotional states and links them t hem together. Their impressions of each other for purposes of Social Maneuvering improve by one step, and each participant suffers a −3 to rolls to contest Social actions taken against them by other participants. Each participant capable of Hedgespinning and inciting Bedlam achieves exceptional success on three successes for those actions.  While bound, all participants sense each other’s emotional states, and react to emotional stimuli as though they

gleaming little lever on the will of another. Gather enough, and you can move kingdoms — but is it worth the cost?

Book of Black and Red  (Common)  The changeling peers at the tangle of debts and obligations binding her target, clearly seeing the ledger of heavy burdens that tax their existence. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Wits + Academics + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd  Action: Instant  Duration: Instant 

Roll Results

all experienceCondition them simultaneously. If oneallparticipant gains an emotional or personal Tilt, do; each participant must resolve these Conditions separately. If one regains  Willpower, they all regain the same amount; a mount; if one regains regain s Glamour, all participants with a Wyrd trait regain the full amount. Participants without Wyrd gain the Inspired Condition instead of Glamour; this Condition is not shared. Exceptional Success: Additional successes increase the maximum number of participants. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling cannot control the bond and immediately incites Bedlam involuntarily in all participants without w ithout a roll per the rules on p.110 p.110 of Change-  ling.

Success: The changeling learns the five most significant debts and sworn obligations of a target she can see. These bonds may be mundane or magical; she may learn of the shopkeeper’s heavy loans from the bank, or the motley oath that one of the Lost has sworn. She also learns how many points of Goblin Debt the target has, if any.  What counts as significant  depends somewhat on the target. A man who is overdrawn by $50 from the bank but knows he can repay it swiftly swift ly does not consider it significant. If, on the other hand, he owes that $50 to Big Jim, notorious for getting very upset over even relatively small sums of unpaid debt and prone to taking payment from reluctant sorts in the form of their broken kneecaps, it’s probably a rather pressing issue for him even though it is not very much

Darkling:  The Bewitched may pay 1 Glamour whenever he would cause or receive one of the bond’s effects to cut himself off from the others, failing to trigger the shared effect and excluding him from all passive effects for a few seconds (one turn in action scenes). Other participants can sense this omission with a successful Wits + Composure roll contested by the Darkling’s Wits + Wyrd. Unicorn’s beneficence fills the other ot her particFairest: The Unicorn’s ipants with gratitude; they all suffer the Swooned Condition regarding the changeling upon the Contract’s invocation. Loophole:  The changeling must collect blood, a hair, a fingernail clipping, or some other part of the body bo dy from each participant during the scene in which they all consume the drink or meal.

money in the grand scheme of things. The larger the mundane sum and/or the more personal value the commodity paid for has, the more likely it is to count as significant even if the target has a handle on repayment; this Contract detects most mortgages, for example. Debts of a fae kind are always significant. If the changeling exploits the knowledge of these debts or obligations to influence the target or settle those debts during the same chapter, she gains +2 to her dice pool and the target gains the Leveraged Condition regarding the changeling. Exceptional Success: The changeling also gleans the details of significant debts, such as to whom they’re owed, why the target took them on in the first place, and what prevents repayment. Failure: The Contract fails.

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 39 39

 

Dramatic Failure: Some of the debt scrapes off onto the

changeling herself; she gains a point of Goblin Debt. Darkling:  The Bewitched can choose one of the debts the target owes (apart from Goblin Debt or pledge obligations) and make herself a middleman; the target now owes her  the   the debt, and she owes the same or equivalent to the original creditor. Paperwork and records shift automatically to adjust to this new reality, but because the Wyrd exerts itself to render this change, it watches the outcome more closely. Should the changeling default hertheown new debt Condition. or otherwise break her agreement, she on gains Oathbreaker  Wizened: The Domovoi needs only three successes to achieve exceptional success when exploiting her knowledge of the obligations to influence the target or settle their debts. Loophole:  The target has allowed the changeling to examine their records or accounts during the same scene.

Give and Take (Common)  The changeling promises an exchange of intangible power, adjusting the ledgers of soul and will to satisfy all parties. Cost: 1 Glamour, or 2 Glamour for Merit exchange Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Duration: Instant, or one scene for Merits

Beggar Knight (Common)  The changeling spins a tale of unearned wealth and curses her victim to possess po ssess only what he makes himself. him self. She slices away the threads connecting him to the world’s tapestry of exchange and denies him the fruits of others’ labor. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: Manipulation + Academics + Wyrd – Composure  Action: Instant  Duration: One chapter per success

Roll Results Success: The changeling curses a victim who can hear and understand her words. The victim suffers several effects:

•  He gains no equipment bonus, damage bonus, or armor rating from any piece of physical equipment he did not make himself, and failures with w ith such items automatically become dramatic failures without awarding a Beat. • He loses access to any Resources dots he did not not liter-  ally  create himself — a trove of coins he personally minted, for example. He discovers his bank accounts suspended and credit cards maxed out. People refuse to accept his checks, fearing forgery, or the Wyrd otherwise conspires to render his wealth worthless. Resources dots return once the curse ends.

Effects:  The changeling’s player chooses a number of points up to half the changeling’s Wyrd from one category of Glamour, Willpower, social currency (see p. 130), or dots • His dice pools cannot benefit from the teamwork of in a specific, personal-scale Merit, and offers to exchange others (though he may still lend teamwork to another them with a target for an equal amount of another category primary actor). they possess. For example, the changeling might trade three Exceptional Success: The changeling’s player may also points of her own Glamour for three points of the target’s roll her successes on this thi s Contract’s invocation roll as an im Willpower or their threethree-dot dot Common Sense Merit. If the mediate Clarity attack against the victim. If he doesn’t have recipient is willing, the exchange immediately takes place. Clarity, his player rolls a breaking point with a dice penalty Traded Merits last until the end of the scene, during equal to invocation successes instead.  which time the original orig inal owner cannot ca nnot access their benefits; Failure: The Contract fails. the recipient must meet all prerequisites for the Merit. This Dramatic Failure:  Rather than cutting the threads away, Contract has no effect if the target doesn’t consent to the the changeling entangles herself in them. Until the end of the transaction, although a bit of haggling to get there is fine. current chapter, the changeling loses access to her own Resources Neither party can exchange Merits affecting the wider dots while the target gains  gains access to them, and if the target carries  world  worl d beyond beyond them; the changeling changeling cannot trade trade for ResourcResourcany Goblin Debt, one point transfers over to the changeling. es or Allies, for example, but she could trade for Fast Reflexes. Elemental:  Anything mundane the victim owns and Since the Contract does not allow an exchange within the did not make himself begins to degrade. His clothes turn same category, she also cannot trade one Merit for another. to tatters in days; his house starts to collapse in months; Ogre: The Bruiser can also trade away or trade for his treasures tarnish or rot. This degradation stops affecting points of mild Clarity damage. anything he permanently sells or gives away, but if such  Wizened: The Hatter’s exchange need not be equal, but items ever  come  come back under his ownership, they immediately each partner must still trade at least one point in a category, disintegrate. and the target must still consent.  Wizened:  Any normally constructive interaction the Loophole:  The changeling and the target permanently  victim has with the wealth of others — such as accounting

exchange physical of before. equal value or meaning that they have not given eachgifts other  40 4

the books for a client, choosing how to assign the corporation’s assets, or even just taking a few dollars to buy some-

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

one a coffee — falls under the curse’s effect as well, denying anyone else access to any Resources dots derived from that  wealth until the victim’s involvement ceases. A CFO suddenly becomes a legal liability to his company; the money launderer renders the cartel’s fortunes worthless; the coffee recipient loses their wallet. Loophole:  The victim has directly benefited from others’ hard work rather than her own during the scene; the changeling can trigger trig ger this by performing work for the target and giving the benefits freely. Coin Mark (Common)   A coin, bill, bil l, or gift g ift might travel through many hands, briefly touching a life each time it passes across another palm. The changeling holds such a bartered object in her hand and feels the weight of its history in its scuffs and notches. It becomes her dutiful servant, serva nt, giving her a handhold upon the tide of transaction and greed carrying it onward. Cost: 1 Glamour  Action: Instant  Duration: One story  Effects:  The changeling enchants the target object. Thereafter, she knows its location respective to her own and senses whenever its ownership changes hands, voluntarily or not; she learns the identity of the new owner and what price the transaction tra nsaction involved (if any). If she interacts with the object’s current owner in a scene — not necessarily in person; a phone call or online chat  will do — she may spend an additional point of Glamour to stir the materialistic power of the chain of transaction and inflict the Avarice Condition C ondition on them. Beast:  The Grim can stir deeper, instinctive possessiveness; she may impose the Apprehensive Condition pertaining to the enchanted item on its owner, rather than  Avarice.  Wizened:  The changeling may snap her fingers as a reflexive action and cause the enchanted object to immediately return to her person. Loophole:   The changeling carves or otherwise permanently marks her name on the object.

 AV  A AVARICE VARI ARICE CE Enough is never enough. Your Your character’s lust for worldly power and material wealth knows no bounds. Composure rolls to resist temptation suffer a −2 penalty, and anyone offering opportunities for material advancement gains an exceptional success on three successes for Social rolls influencing the character. Resolution: Resist an opportunity for significant mate-

 APP  AP APPREHENSIVE PREH REHEN ENSI SIVE VE The loss of someone or something seems imminent, and your character is anxious about it. She loses the 10-again quality on rolls unrelated to safeguarding the subject, and suffers a −1 penalty to all non-reflexive actions if she believes the subject is actively endangered. Anyone plausibly threatening to wrest the subject from the character or otherwise harm it gains a +2 bonus on Intimidation rolls using that leverage. Resolution: Definitively ensure the safety of the subject for the foreseeable future, by any means necessary.

Grease the Wheels (Common)  Bribery and corruption are such gauche terms for the purchase and sale of the line someone draws around their moral principles. The changeling knows so well the wonders  worked by the right coin in the right place that she no longer needs the gross physicality of money to achieve such ends. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Wyrd  Action: Instant 

Roll Results Success: The changeling interacts directly with a mem-

ber of an organization or bureaucracy for an administrative purpose, resolving swiftly in her favor with no difficulties. The process takes one-tenth of the usual time to complete, even if this should be physically impossible. Excessive scrutiny and troublesome bureaucrats offer no hindrance, as if paid to look the other way. She doesn’t need to interact in person, only directly: a phone call or an email suffices, if the call or email goes directly to the right official. The Contract only helps with interactions where the organization can normally provide the desired result — it simply greases the wheels so the changeling’s dealings with administration move smooth as butter.

Exceptional Success:  The process resolves immedi-

ately and positively, regardless of sheer improbability. The changeling’s new passport sits right there on the clerk’s desk  waiting to be picked up even though she h hasn’ asn’tt even filled out the forms yet. Schedules clear, bureaucrats have already prepared the desired legal paperwork, or City Hall decides they don’t really need to wait on the health and safety report s to give the go-ahead. Failure: The Contract fails; the process takes its usual time with any normal risk of bureaucratic scrutiny or red tape. Dramatic Failure:  The gears grind to a halt. The changeling’s request or issue becomes mired in miserable paperwork, legal complexities, or Kafkaesque bureaucratic

rial gain or give generously to the t he needy, suffering significant misfortune and goes nowhere for at least the rest of the story. financial loss without hope of reward.

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 41 4

 

Darkling: The Mountebank’s interactions with the organization are completely traceless except where convenient for her. Fairest: The Muse gains the Connected Condition regarding the organization she interacts with.   Loophole:  The organization member accepts a bribe or gift the changeling offers him during the same scene.

Blood Debt (Royal) 

 Action: Instant  Duration: Up to one chapter Effects: The changeling agrees to an exchange with another of the Lost, wherein she borrows one of the common Contracts they know. If the target consents, the changeling gains access to the Contract as if she learned it herself, although she only gains any seeming bonus she naturally has access to and doesn’t gain any additional ones the target learned from Pupil’s Devotion. She also cannot

The changeling guards her life jealously. She proclaims access the Contract’s Loophole; Loopholes work by briefly her ownership of self and soul, and demands a hefty toll be convincing the Wyrd the changeling inherently has the right i s impossible to pull off paid for any blood another dares take from her, or pain they to wield that power, but such a guise is  with only th third-hand ird-hand access to the Contract. Contract . dare inflict. The target loses access to the exchanged Contract Cost: 2 Glamour in the meantime. Exchange of Gilded Contracts passes  Action: Instant  to the target, although they cannot use it to create a new Effects:  Whenever another character inflicts one or Contract exchange. Instead, the target chooses when to more points of lethal or aggravated damage on the change- end the exchange; this reflexive action immediately returns ling, or one or more points of mild or severe Clarity dam- their original Contract to them and passes the ability to age, the offender suffers a single point of lethal damage in use Exchange of Gilded Contracts back to the original response. This damage does not interact with armor; it sim- changeling in turn. ply appears upon the victim. Rips open in their flesh, blood Darkling: The Wisp can exploit the Loophole on the oozes from their orifices, or convulsions spasm through traded Contract. them. Ogre: The Terrible does not lose lose access to the t he borrowed The amount of lethal damage inflicted increases by one Contract until the end of the chapter even if the original point for each of the following: owner calls it back earlier for their own use, although she • The attack also caused the changeling to lose (not (not still cannot exploit its Loophole until the target changeling spend) one or more points of Willpower. chooses to end Exchange of Gilded Contracts. Loophole:   The changeling and the target each don a • The attack also caused the changeling to lose (not (not relatively convincing mask of the other during the scene. spend) one or more points of Glamour. • The attack also inflicted a Condition Condition or Tilt on the changeling. Elemental: Offenders suffer a baseline of two points of lethal damage, rather than one. Ogre: The Gargoyle may instead extend her protection to her friends, imposing the toll on any damage done to her allies in the scene instead of herself as long as she remains conscious. Loophole:   The changeling wears jewelry or another adornment that freshly cuts or pierces her flesh during this scene; healed piercings don’t qualify.

Exchange of  Gilded Contracts (Royal)  The changeling pronounces her offer, placing down a part of who she is in return for the same from her counterpart. Those precious little slivers of self are more than just identity, though; they’re what make each of the Lost party to the fae power of a Contract. It’s just a brief loan, an exchange of contractual rights — but both feel that lack gnawing at them until the business concludes. Cost: 3 Glamour  42 42

Golden Promise (Royal)  The changeling speaks of her fabulous riches, girding herself in the raw symbolism of wealth. She becomes a gilded goddess of obvious privilege, her every word a golden promise; she makes it unfathomable to conceive of her inability to pay for whatever she desires, and those offering to sell become enamored with the idea of providing for her whims. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Socialize + Wyrd – current Availability   Action: Instant  Duration: Instant 

Roll Results Success: The changeling reduces the Availability of a single service she wishes to procure by activation successes rolled. The service must still be feasibly available in the current situation and she doesn’t need to provide any further recompense beyond the reduced Availability for the transaction. The Wyrd Wy rd surrounds her with such an aura of

affluence that sellers feel compensated by merely standing in the penumbra of her riches. Golden Promise may re-

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

duce an item’s effective Availability to 0, and the changeling may repeatedly lower the Availability via multiple activations of Golden Promise on the same item or service within the Duration: One chapter same scene. Effects:  The changeling’s presence enhances all worldly Exceptional Success:  As well as reducing the AvailabilAvail abil- delights and sensations in the scene. The blandest food seems ity rating further, the changeling gains the Connected Con- ripe with intriguing flavors; song and companionship fill the dition linked to the service provider. heart; payment or gifts feel all the more rewarding; the intenFailure: The Contract fails. sity of touch and texture thrill the nerves and the mind. For Dramatic Failure: Something exposes changeling’s pos- the remainder of the scene, anyone other than the changeling deliberately tely engages engages in revelry or celebratio celebration n of any kind turing as mere pretense; she gains the Notoriety Condition.  who delibera that this Contract would affect requires only three successes on Fairest:  The Unicorn can split her successes between Social rolls to achieve an exceptional success, and their attitude multiple services within the scene. improves by one step for purposes of Social maneuvering.  Wizened: The Shrewd gains a +1 bonus to the acquired  Affected characters reap greater rewards from their service’ serv ice’ss equipment bonus. gains and prosperity until the Contract ends. Whenever Loophole:   The changeling arrives on the scene with they would regain Willpower, they gain an additional point, a display of ostentatious wealth, such as emerging from a to their usual maximum. Whenever they would heal health limousine dressed to the nines or bedecked with diamond or Clarity damage, they heal an additional point of the same jewelry and blatantly showing it off. damage type. If they gain a windfall of cash or wealth, they gain a +1 bonus to its equipment bonus for acquiring it. Grand Revel of the Harvest  Beast: The revelers also gain a +2 bonus to all Physical (Royal)  rolls involving competing with each other, sparring, danc What is the worth of a coin unspent? What is the purpose ing, lovemaking, and other pursuits of physical entertainof a life of hard work, if one never enjoys the fruits of one’s ment for the scene. labor? Transactions till the field of the future, sprouting the Fairest:  Attitudes for Social maneuvering improve by harvest’s harve st’s rewards of prosperity. The changeling opens up her two steps rather than one. power and pours it forth fort h for all to enjoy. Loophole: The changeling supplies a feast or banquet Cost: 3 Glamour + 1 Willpower large enough for all the revelers present, and partakes of all  Action: Instant  revels herself in obvious fashion.

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Thirty Pieces (Royal)  The changeling flips a coin across her knuckles, back and forth. In its dance, she sees the price treachery demands. Cost: 3 Glamour Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd  Action: Instant  Duration: Instant 

Roll Results Success:  The changeling plants a seed of treachery

 within the mind of a single target she can see. She chooses a single action that constitutes a betrayal of the target’s allies, friends, or cause, such as revealing damning information or attacking them directly. This may happen immediately or rely on a specific trigger occurring before the end of the current story (such as ‘shoot my ally when they pick up this box’). The target takes the t he specified action when appropriate, gaining the Guilty Condition thereafter. This power cannot compel non-treacherous acts, nor can it cause the target to directly harm herself. A character can only be under the effects of one invocation of Thirty Pieces at a time; using the Contract on a target who has yet to meet the trigger of an existing instance overwrites it. Exceptional Success: The target also gains the Fugue Condition after committing the betrayal. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure:  The changeling calls treachery to herself instead. The Storyteller chooses a moment before the end of the chapter to reveal the betrayal of someone the motley knows, whether deliberately or inadvertently; the changeling herself gains a detrimental Condition reflecting the betrayal’s nature, such as Embarrassing Secret, Notoriety, or Demoralized. Darkling: The Contract’s target becomes isolated from those they betrayed after committing the chosen act; they gain the Notoriety Condition. Elemental:  Any safeguards or defenses that could prevent the target’s treachery fail; a treacherous attack always benefits from surprise, for example, or a camera set up to detect intruders conveniently goes on the fritz. Loophole:   The target accepted payment from the changeling to betray their fellows during the current story, even if they had no intention of actually carrying it out.

Scepter

of making decisions for everyone else — or usurps it, guiding people’s lives whether they want her to or not — and understands sometimes a Scepter is just a bludgeon.

Burning Ambition (Common)  The wanton ambition and desire of the Gentry sweeps through everything they touch like wildfire. Changelings of the Scepter fan the flames of their own ambitions by taking something from someone else when invoking this Contract; it could theft, or it taken could as beasomething sheasintends to be givelegitimate back or something jest, as long it isn’tt freely gi isn’ given ven and she receives no permission. permis sion. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Duration: Until fulfillment of the Aspiration Effects: The changeling gains an additional Aspiration that acts as a True Fae’s craving (Changeling, p. 269). It must reflect  whatev  wha tever er — or who whoeve everr — the cchang hangeli eling ng wants wants most most n not ot alrea already dy covered by one of her current Aspirations. When she fulfills the craving, she replenishes points of Willpower equal to half her  Wyrd  Wyr d as we wellll as a Beat Beat bbut ut gai gains ns the the Com Competi petitiv tivee Con Condi ditio tion. n. Beast: If the Courser consumes the object of the craving, whether it’s food, drink, or flesh, she regains all Willpower instead when she fulfills the Aspiration. Fairest: If the object of the Muse’s craving is another character, that character suffers the Swooned Condition regarding the changeling when she fulfills the Aspiration. Loophole:  Within the same scene, the changeling completely burns a symbol of an obligation she has to someone else until it’s destroyed.

Jealous Vengeance  (Common)  The changeling’s enemies include those who stand between her and something she wants, regardless of whether they obstruct her purposefully or unknowingly. By clearly speaking the t he name of the one she wishes to remove from her path and issuing an ultimatum to them, she forces a terrible choice. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd  Action: Contested Duration: One chapter

 While the better-known better-known Crown represents represents leadership leadership Roll Results and rulership in all its forms, the Scepter represents the path Success:  The changeling presents her target with a to power. It dictates that how one reaches the top of the food choice: definitively step away from whatever position po sition or situchain matters as much as what she does when she gets there. ation puts them in the changeling’s way, such as quitting a It takes unbridled ambition, strength of will, and the determi- job or breaking up with a partner, or suffer the consequencnation to judge others unworthy so she may take their place. es. If the target doesn’t do everything in their power to obey The Scepter is a symbol of authority and gravity, but also one  within the next chapter, they suffer one of the following of force; a changeling who wields it accepts the responsibility Conditions of the changeling’s choice: Blind (temporary),  44 44

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

Failure: The Contract fails. Bestial, Embarrassing Secret, Guilty, Leveraged, Lethargic, Paranoid, Ravaged, Reckless, or Spooked. The target can’t Dramatic Failure: The changeling receives no informaresolve this Condition until they’ve bested the changeling in tion, but whoever she would have seen if she’d succeeded a contested action. learns of her attempt and that she sees them as a rival or wh at or why. Exceptional Success: The changeling inflicts two Con- opponent, though not for what ditions instead. Beast: The Beast may spend an additional Glamour  when learning lear ning a rival’s rival ’s current location to t o track their locaFailure: The Contract fails. t he chapter. Dramatic Failure:  The changeling’s attempts fall flat tion for the rest of the Ogre: The Ogre may roll Manipulation + Intimidation and word spreads, inflicting the t he Notoriety Condition on her. rival ’s name or face, or that of their closElemental: The Torrent’s Torrent’s wrath overwhelms her victim, vict im,  when learning a rival’s making her curse last; she adds the Mute Condition to the est ally, to inflict the Paranoid Condition on that character. list of available options, and if she chooses Blind, it’s Persis- The target contests this roll with their Resolve + Empathy, though they don’t know about the attempt without supertent. natural abilities revealing it. Ogre:  The Gargoyle’s player achieves exceptional sucLoophole:  The changeling throws a temper tantrum in cess on three successes for this Contract’s invocation roll. front of at least one other person who isn’t in her motley Loophole:   You have caused this Contract’s target to  within the same scene. gain the Oathbreaker Condition within the current scene,  whether directly or indirectly. Knight’s Oath (Common) 

 Litany any of Rivals (Common)   Lit

Every aspiring leader needs people to lead. A knight must, by duty, protect and serve; their commander must like Assessing  Asses sing those who stand in the changeling’s way re wise follow her duty to recognize their loyalty and bestow quires names and faces; she must identify those who await favor upon them for following her orders. The changeling her judgment. She consults a basin or pool of still water and speaks a rhyme or sings a verse and coaxes truth from its bestows knighthood upon another by performing a suitably symbolic gesture, such as kissing them on both cheeks, depths. exchanging solemn vows, or touching her weapon to their Cost: 1 Glamour shoulders. Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Wyrd Cost: 2 Glamour  Action: Instant  Dice Pool: None Duration: Instant   Action: Instant  Duration: One chapter Roll Results Effects:  The changeling chooses one non-changeling Success:  The changeling names one of her own Aspirations as she invokes this Contract. Each success on the character upon whom to bestow knighthood. That character invocation roll grants the changeling one of the following gains a bonus to their Initiative and Defense equal to half pieces of information about the most immediate or threatenth reaten- her Wyrd as long as they can perceive her, and the same ing person who could, intends to, or already does stand in bonus to all Social actions they undertake in her name. If b etray her, they suffer the Cowed C owed Condition, her way to fulfilling that Aspiration that she hasn’t already they disobey or betray and the changeling immediately knows what happened, algleaned this way: though not what circumstances led to the event or any de• Their name tails. The Wyrd itself adjudicates what counts as disobedience or betrayal, adhering to the spirit of the bestowment. • An image of their face The target must be willing for this Contract to work, • Their current location but they needn’t fully understand the parameters or consequences, and the changeling may coerce or deceive them. • One of their frailties or other weaknesses, whether Darkling:  If the knight disobeys or betrays the Darkphysical, mental, social, or circumstantial ling, she knows not only what happened but exactly when and where, as well as what emotions the knight felt at the • The name or face of one of their closest allies time. The changeling’s player may ask each question one at a time Fairest:  The Fairest can bestow knighthood upon a so she can decide whether to ask a sk for additional information about number of targets equal to her Wyrd with one invocation, that person or ask a question about a different person. Exceptional Success:  Additional successes are their

own reward.

as long as she can perform the ceremonial gesture on each of them separately.

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 45 45

 

Loophole:  The changeling anoints her knight with her

own blood as the required knighting ceremony; she must shed this blood by inflicting at least one point of lethal damage on herself within the same scene. Blood from injuries she didn’t didn’t cause herself doesn’t count.

Unmask the Dark Horse  (Common)   All those who aspire to power have rivals, but some don’t make the last minute, seizing—  victory fromthemselves the jaws of known defeat. until The changeling may reveal or create — such a rival to display her capability to all, issuing a challenge her rival cannot refuse. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Wyrd vs. Composure + Wyrd  Action: Contested Duration: Instant 

Roll Results Success:  The changeling calls someone out, learning one of their short-term Aspirations and inflicting the Competitive Condition on them. They can’t resolve the Condi-

A Benevolent Hand (Royal)  Regardless of whether the changeling intends to wield power responsibly or not, she knows it’s much easier to achieve her goals with the people’s favor. She wins popularity with generosity and hearts with wit h kindness, even if both are false — if no one’s the wiser, what difference does it make? She still gets the power she craves. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Duration: One chapter Effects:  The changeling performs some gesture that benefits someone else without benefiting her directly or indirectly, such as giving money to an unhoused person or returning a lost wallet to its owner. This improves her impression (up to perfect) for purposes of Social maneuvering  with anyone she meets meet s for the fi first rst time during the chapter, including those she benefitted, if applicable. If she succeeds on any Social action against an affected person during the Contract’s duration, she may gain a temporary dot of the Allies Merit (Changeling, p. 120)  representing that character and one organization or group to which they belong, to a maximum of five Allies dots gained this way. This dot vanishes when the Contract ends. Elemental: Word of the Torrent’s magnanimous deeds spreads further and has more of an impact; she gains two dots of Allies instead of one from every successful Social action affected by this Contract.  Wizened: The Domovoi’s intuition and research allow her to pinpoint particularly useful targets, gaining an additional dot of Resources instead of Allies. This counts as a separate 1-dot Resources Merit from any she may already possess, and she may gain up to five Resources dots this way. Loophole:   The changeling gives up something significant when she invokes this Contract.

tion until after they win a contested roll, fight, or other competition against the changeling. By spending an additional Glamour point, the changeling may immediately change one of her own Aspirations to one directly opposing the target’s. Exceptional Success: The changeling learns all her target’s Aspirations. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling’s challenge backfires, humiliating her and stoking the fires of her jealous rage; she suffers the Berserk Condition. Fairest:   The Unicorn’s challenge and any competition or rumble with her target that follows while this Til l You Make It (Royal)  Contract is in effect is automatically viewable in real time Fake It  Ti by anyone within five miles. They may happen to catch  When a ruler lays down the law, everyone follows. it on television, run across a video online with no up-  When the t he Gentry Gentr y speak spea k their desires, the world changes to load data, listen to a play-by-play on a radio frequency oblige them. The changeling can’t rely on true authority to that shouldn’t be broadcasting anything, read a report on impose her will the same way, but when she carries herself it in the newspaper, or even watch it shimmering on the  with a regal presence and makes a grand gra nd proclamation to all horizon like a mirage. present, she fools the Wyrd into letting her appropriate that Beast: Whenever the Grim wins a competition or fight power by brute force. against her target while this Contract is in effect, she inflicts Cost: 2 Glamour the Notoriety Condition upon him, ostracizing him from Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Wyrd − Resolve his closest social group like a lion who failed to find a mate.  Action: Instant  Loophole:   The changeling invokes the Contract and issues her challenge in front of a large crowd of people in- Roll Results cluding at least one of the target’s loved ones, friends, or Success:  The changeling makes her proclamation, colleagues.  which automatic automatically loud fors, ever everyone  within  with in becomes 10 yards/meters yards/meter s toally hear. In enough the process, proces sheyone can make changes to the mundane world as though she were ‘

 46 46

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

Hedgespinning, as long as t he emotional tenor of the proclamation matches the kinds of changes she wants to make. m ake. These changes are temporary, reverting to normal when the Contract ends. She spends successes on her invocation roll to make subtle shifts in reality using the chart on p. 204 of Changeling; all shifts cost +2 successes. Shifts that  would interact with Hedge navigation navi gation can apply to ordinary chases. If the changeling uses shifts to change the landscape,

Cost: 1 Glamour + 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Wyrd vs. Compo-

sure + Wyrd  Action: Contested Duration: One story 

Roll Results Success: The changeling describes a single task, as com-

plex or simple as she wants. The subject makes that task ta sk their

structures, or objects held or on someone’s person, the invocation roll isn’tnot resisted. Other characters resist as above; even willing targets instinctively resist such gross manipulation of reality. This Contract can’t result in the instant annihilation of a character — for instance, turning a plush armchair into a chair made entirely of knives won’t kill whoever’s sitting in it, but they may take some damage as they’re displaced by a foot or two. Likewise, causing a building to collapse may bury anyone a nyone inside under a conveniently conveniently nonlethal heap of rubble from which they must escape. Using this Contract constitutes a breaking point with a pool of four dice, as such blatant lies made real echo the Kindly Ones’ atrocities too directly for comfort. Exceptional Success:  More successes are their own

quest and must accomplish it. The quest must have a clear end goal, both close-ended and reasonably possible for that person to accomplish within one story; “secure a treaty with the Tin Gang Motley” works, but “protect the Freehold of Laden Sorrows” does not. She also learns the most personally important Aspiration her subject possesses, posses ses, chosen by the t he subject’s player. player. She must describe a prize she’s capable of providing that clearly leads to the fulfillment of that Aspiration and promise to grant this reward. The subject gains the Persistent Obsession Condition regarding fulfilling the changeling’s wishes and replaces one of their Aspirations with completing the quest. In addition, if the subject doesn’t take a meaningful action toward com-

reward; the changeling mayinvocation spend 1 additional Glamour and 1 Willpower to spend successes on subtle or  paradigm  paradigm shifts. Failure:  The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: As with w ith Hedgespinning, the failure incites Bedlam (Changeling, p. 110) in everyone present, including the changeling. Fairest: Witnesses and victims of the Fairest’s imposed want to believe in the reality real ity of her creation and the falsity of their own memories. She may choose one character who can perceive the shifts she makes and inflict a temporary  version of the Delusional Condition (Changeling, p. 335) that resolves when that character would ordinarily gain a Beat. Non-changelings instead resolve it by choosing to au-

pleting quest atthrough least once perAnchors chapter,again they cannot replenish the Willpower their until they do so. If the subject completes the quest before this Contract ends and the changeling fails to hold up her end of the deal before the story ends, she gains the Leveraged Condition, and any relevant powers read her as an oathbreaker until Leveraged resolves. Exceptional Success:  If the subject does not make strides toward his goal at least once per session, he also suffers the Lethargic Condition. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling suffers the effects of having reneged on the subject’s reward despite no quest being given. Darkling:  If the Darkling fails to provide the agreedupon reward in time once the quest is completed, she may spend 1 Willpower and roll Manipulation + Larceny + Wyrd  vs. Resolve + Wyrd to shunt shunt the consequences onto someone else who was present when the quest was given and understood the agreement taking place. Fairest: The Fairest can issue the same quest to a number of subjects up to half her Wyrd with one invocation; however, the offered rewards must be commensurate with the additional questers. Loophole:  The changeling provides the quester with a provision of significant use and value to aid in the quest, such as a weapon, a token, access to a private facility, etc.

tomatically a rollbytothe contest anyincluding Persuasion or Subterfuge action fail enacted Fairest, supernatural powers.  Wizened:   The Shrewd reduces the cost of any shift that changes a human-made inanimate object or structure by 2. Loophole: The changeling uses an actual scepter to point and pontificate as she makes her proclamation.

Tempter’s Quest (Royal)  The changeling wins her subject’s loyalty by promising to grant their heart’s desire in exchange for embarking upon a quest for her. This quest becomes their driving purpose until its completion. She displays any kind of obviously supernatural makes her offers cooperation. as she invokes this Contract topower se cureand secure her new henchman’s henchman’

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Curse of Hidden Strings  (Royal)  Sometimes, those who stand in the changeling’s way do it because they must, not because they want to. From mundane employment contracts to Wyrd-bound oaths, obligation ties the hands of many who might otherwise care little for her ambitions. By crumpling, tearing, or otherwise destroying something with the target’s signature, such as a paper contract, an autographed autog raphed photo, or even a bar napkin, she eases their burden by erasing their obligation from their mind, easing her own way in the process. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: Manipulation + Larceny + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd  Action: Contested

Roll Results Success:  The changeling chooses one pledge, debt,

agreement, or other obligation of the target’s she already knows about. Some evidence or proof of its existence must exist, whether a contract, email, IOU, or a pledge the Wyrd enforces; a simple verbal agreement does not suffice. The  victim loses all memory of her involvement in the obligation—she believes she’s unemployed, forgets forgets she needs ttoo pay back a loan, or forgets she’s part of a motley. She remembers the other parties exist, but assumes she has no obligation to them even if shown physical proof. This does not free them from the obligation, and failure to meet it just because she forgets it exists carries the same consequences as it usually  would. The changeling must choose a feasible action the target can take that benefits them and is somehow related to the forgotten obligation, which will permit them to break the curse early. If they do, the Contract ends, and they both immediately remember the obligation and  know who caused their memory loss. The target should accomplish something concrete when taking the action, such as resolving a Condition, gaining a new Touchstone Touchstone or regaining Willpower from f rom an existing one, upholding or breaking a pledge (including the forgotten one), or suffering a breaking point. For example, a curse that breaks via true love’s kiss might lift when the target gains a new Touchstone by kissing that Touchstone’s subject; a curse that breaks via defying someone with power over them might lift when they stand up to the bully tormenting them and resolve the Cowed Condition. The Storyteller may rule a sufficiently dramatic action enough to break the curse without any concrete mechanics. If the Contract ends on its own rather than breaking as above, the target remains none the wiser about who caused their memory loss. Exceptional Success: The duration becomes one chapter instead. Failure: The Contract fails.

 48 48

Dramatic Failure:  The changeling suffers the Leveraged Condition regarding her target. Fairest: The Muse may target a number of characters up to her Wyrd as long as they’re all bound by the same obligation, such as an entire motley or multiple employees of the same company.  Wizened:  Rather than erasing the target’s memory of the obligation, the Wizened transfers it to herself in the target’s mind. They may think they’re her motley-mate, em-

ployee, or debtor, for instance. Loophole:  The changeling knowingly and deliberately breaks a pledge or agreement of her own within the same scene.

Spare Not the Ro Rod d (Royal)  The changeling unleashes her envy and wrath upon those who possess what she desires, judging them unworthy. The Scepter itself manifests from her jealous rage and covetous heart to grace her with the power to cow her pathetic rivals and take what she deserves. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Effects:  The changeling crafts a literal scepter or staff  out of pure Glamour. It counts as a melee weapon with a damage rating of 0B and no Initiative penalty. It can also be a ranged weapon at the cost of 1 Glamour per attack, with a damage rating of 0L, a range of 30 yards/meters with no ability to attack at medium or long range, and no Initiative penalty. She may give it any size or appearance she likes, and may regardless of its size always wield it one-handed with no minimum Strength requirements. She can wield the scepter to either physically attack a target or take an Intimidate action against them. If either action is successful, whether or not the target actually takes damage, she also inflicts the Demoralized Condition on them. The scepter is a solid object, and if the changeling is disdis armed or sets the scepter down, it remains for the Contract’s duration. Anyone else who picks up the scepter can use it as described, although those who have no Wyrd rating can’t use its ranged attack. Fairest:  The Muse may spend 2 additional Glamour  while attacking or intimidating with the scepter to inflict the Persistent Awestruck Condition instead of Demoralized upon a successful roll.  Wizened:  Once the Wizened creates the scepter, she can always summon it directly to her hand no matter where it is as long as she has a hand free with which to hold it. If someone else is already holding it, she must successfully  wrest it from them t hem with a Presence + Intimidation roll contested by their Strength + Stamina.

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

Loophole:  The changeling crafts a tiny representation

Cost: 1 Glamour

of her scepter from precious metals and gems, which she breaks in half when invoking the Contract.

Dice Pool: None

Stars

 Action: Instant  Duration: Until the changeling reaches his destination

Stars have long served as navigational tools, guiding explorers to new lands and bringing sailors home after long journeys. Prophets and soothsayers read fortunes in their movements, while scientists discover truths about the uni verse’s pasteyes. in When starlight that’s traveled to reach our someone achieves billions fame, weofsayyears they’ve become a star. Lost who wield the Stars become trailblazers  who see to the heart hear t of matters.

Pole Star (Common) 

Effects: The changeling becomes tireless, able to push

on without having to rest or eat until he reaches his destination. He suffers no ill effects from Environmental Tilts along the way. This doesn’t prevent other encounters from getting in his way; a trod troll in the path doesn’t much care about the sparkly thing in the sky. If he travels the Wishing Roads, his navigation rolls gain the 8-again quality. Fairest: The changeling may extend this Contract to a number of fellow travelers up to his Wyrd rating. Ogre: The surety he’ll reach his destination grants the Bruiser the Steadfast Condition. Loophole:  When he invokes the Contract, the changeling promises he’ll sleep when his task is done, and has an ally seal the statement; he may not spend Glamour to refute the sealing. After the Contract ends, he immediately gains the Fatigued Condition.

The changeling has an unerring sense of direction and can get his bearings anywhere. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Effects: The changeling states aloud the person or place toward which he wants to travel. His body acts like a compass, Cynosure  (Common)  turning him in his target’s direction. direction. He may use this to orient gains insight into of hishis target’s himself in an unfamiliar place, find true north in the middle of goals.The Hechangeling speaks wistfully about one own personal dreams, a forest or know the direction of a recognizable landmark while  whether one already accomplished or one he still pursues. in an unfamiliar part of town. Alternatively, this Contract can Moved by his candor, his target shares ambitions of their point him to a specific item or person of presently unknown own.  whereabou  wher eabouts. ts. He doesn’ doesn’t know the exact location location or the disCost: 1 Glamour tance to his h is destination, only the direction in which it lies. Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Wyrd vs. ComIf the person or object is hidden by supernatura supernaturall means, posure + Wyrd this Contract prompts a Clash of Wills.  Action: Contested This Contract only works in the mundane realm. Effects: The changeling’s sincerity inspires the target Beast: The Grim scents his prey on the air. The Beast’s player gains +2 dice on a Clash of Wills to uncover a hidden to reveal one of their own Aspirations, chosen by the target. The stars show the Lost opportunities during the next target. chapter (for short-term Aspirations) or story (for long-term  Wizened:  The Hatter’s drawn this map before; he ones) that could help the target achieve those goals. He may to nudge them toward these opportunities, spoil knows there be dragons and other dangers. His player may askwhere the Storyteller one question about an opponent or choose them, or do nothing with the information. obstacle he’ll encounter along the path. Loophole:  The changeling holds a piece of his target in Roll Results Success: The changeling understands understa nds one of the target’s his hand when he invokes this Contract. This may be a cog lear ns of an event or opportunity opport unity that will from the grandfather clock in his target’s hall, or a scrap of  Aspirations and learns help them fulfill it. For short-term Aspirations, the event fabric from his enemy’s enemy’s coat. may resolve the Aspiration completely. For long-term ones, Straight On  Til Morning  the event marks the next step in a longer process, such as securing funding for an expedition e xpedition or finding a mentor’s llost ost (Common)   Journeys in the Hedge ccan an exhaust changelings owing diary. Exceptional Success:  The changeling also learns the to the malleable nature of time and distance. Pausing to sleep or wolf down a quick meal often proves dangerous, as name of someone to whom he himself has an established Hedge denizens take advantage of weary, distracted travel- connection who would be immensely helpful to the target’s goals. He may choose to make ma ke a favorable introduction, warn ers.remains The changeling his sights a singleinvigorating star in the sky. It overhead sets for the entireon journey, and that person about her target’s shortcomings or do nothing  with the information. informat ion. inspiring him, burning away his hunger and fatigue. ‘

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 49 49

 

Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure:  The target suffers a setback in the pursuit of their goal and blames the changeling for it. Alternatively, they succeed despite the changeling’s attempts and know he tried to sabotage them. Darkling:  The Mountebank manipulates events from the shadows, gaining the Informed Condition about his subject’s Aspiration. Ogre: The Bruiser isn’t interested in being coy. He encourages his target to be bold, suggesting actions they might otherwise be reluctant or too timid to take. His player adds +2 dice to his roll to convince them. t hem. Loophole:  The changeling lets an opportunity toward fulfilling one of his own Aspirations slip by within the same scene.

Shooting Star (Common)  Fame is a fickle thing. For just a moment, the target’s star burns bright, then fades away. Whether their song captivates the coffeehouse audience, their painting makes waves in a small-town art gallery, or the popular kids at school all post their new dance move to social media, the creator’s art resonates deeply whenever encountered by anyone. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Duration: One chapter Effects:  The changeling targets someone who brings

creative works to fruition, regardless of the quality of their  work. They gain 1 dot of the Fame Merit (Changeling,  p. 122)) for the Contract’s duration; if this would increase their 122 Fame beyond 3 dots, they simply gain +1 die to the Merit’s Social bonus instead. All changelings harvesting Glamour from those affected by the target’s Fame gain +1 to the har vesting roll. Beast: Displays of physical excellence inspire crowds, too. Courserexcellence, may insteadsuch target who performs featsThe of physical as someone a local baseball player, the neighborhood gym rat who runs every morning, or the aspiring figure skater who practices on the nearby pond every winter. Fairest: The Muse’s player gains +2 to rolls to harvest Glamour instead. Loophole:   The changeling completes his own Build Equipment action to make a creative work within the same scene. Beasts may instead in stead succeed at an impressive feat using  Athletics.

their keys in their car, they overdraw their bank account, they say the wrong thing at the worst possible time. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Expression + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd  Action: Contested Duration: One chapter

Roll Results Success: Routine matters that normally go smoothly for

the target go wrong; a routine matter is any action the target takes that doesn’t require a roll. For example, their signal cuts out whenever they tr y to make a phone call, cal l, or they can’t find a parking space at their destination. While most often affecting matters of communication, finance, and travel, the Contract’s effects reach beyond those arenas. Exceptional Success: In addition to their minor misfortunes, the target must roll every roll twice t wice and take the worse result. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling’s own luck sours instead. His player suffers –2 to all actions for the chapter. Darkling: The Mountebank names aroutine numbermatters of specific communication-related or technological up to her Wyrd rating to go wrong for the target. When the chosen mishaps occur, they do so in a way that just so happens to give the Darkling information about the target that he didn’t already know. For instance, he might accidentally receive an important email meant for someone else or find the target’s dropped credit card.  Inclementt weather thwarts the t he target at every Elemental: Inclemen turn. The Torrent’s player declares an environmental or personal weather-based Tilt to affect the target for the Contract’s duration whenever most inconvenient, at the Storyteller’s discretion. For instance, torrential rains pour down after their tire goes flat, or a snowstorm slows their commute to a crawl. Loophole:   The changeling spins around widdershins  while he tells the stor y.

Frozen Star (Royal) 

The changeling traces a likeness in the stars of a person, place, or object of which he knows the current location as though drawing a constellation with his finger and speaks a person’ss name aloud. The Wyrd temporar person’ temporarily ily imbues the new constellation with vast importance to the target. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool:  Intelligence + (Empathy or Persuasion) +  Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd Retrograde (Common)   Action: Contested The changeling tells a story about a person in his presDuration: Until the next sunrise or subject touches target  ence. When describes actions taken bygesture. the person within the story, hehe makes a counterclockwise Chaos descends on the target’s life: they miss their train, they lock  50 5

Effects:  The Contract pulls the subject toward the traced target, even from long distances; he cannot name

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

himself as the subject, but he can trace himself as the target. For example, if the changeling traces the outline of a car headed in the opposite direction and speaks a Huntsman’s name, the Huntsman follows the car and the changeling can get away; likewise, if he draws the café where he met his wife and says her name, she stops in for a cup of coffee later the same day, a powerful bout of nostalgia guiding her steps. The changeling must be able to perceive the subject he names, and the traced target must be somewhere they could reasonably before the nextfor sunrise. The to changeling cannot tracereach anyplace impossible the subject reach or objects expressly intended to cause harm to the target.

Roll Results Success: The named subject immediately drops whatev-

er they’re doing and travels toward the traced target. When the Contract expires or they come into physical contact with the target, whichever happens first, the effect ends. The subject suffers the Shaken Condition, as they have no recollection of why they pursued the traced target. Exceptional Success: The Contract doesn’t end when the subject touches the target; the effect persists past that first touch, addicting the subject to the target’s presence and inflicting the Persistent Addicted Condition. The subject may resolve the Condition normally, but otherwise it fades  without resolving at the t he next sunrise, granting g ranting no Beats. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The Wyrd misinterprets the changeling’s tracing; the nearest agent of the True Fae knows his exact location at the time he failed to invoke the Contract and becomes drawn to him as per the t he Contract’s effects. The changeling suffers the Hunted Condition. Darkling:  The Mountebank’s Contract inflicts the Spooked Condition, filling the target with a sense of impending doom and driving him to reach the subject as soon as possible. Fairest: If the Sovereign traces himself as the target, he becomes entitled to the subject’s attention; the target also gains a point of Goblin Debt for every scene they aren’t in the changeling’s presence. Loophole:   The changeling is in physical contact with a piece of the target or the target itself when he traces the subject in the stars.

 Ligh  Light t of Ancient Stars  (Royal)  Looking at the stars is looking deep into the past. By the time their light reaches Earth, it’s traveled anywhere from a handful to billions of years. The changeling lets that ancient light shine on her and listens to the music of the spheres. From it, she gleans wisdom and insight — about the world, the Kindly Ones, or strange and ancient events. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: None

 Action: Instant Duration: Instant  Effects: If the changeling has a personal connection to a

past event, she may ask questions quest ions about it equal to her Wyrd rating; the Storyteller must answer truthfully. The Wyrd defines personal connection as knowing someone involved more closely than as an acquaintance: her Keeper, a sibling, or a member of her motley. Alternately, she may ask about a known event that occurred in a location she previously physically visited (a True Fae’s court, the tavern where her freehold’s first Court formed.) Darkling: Nothing escapes the Bewitched’s notice. The character gains the Informed Condition about the event. If this Condition C ondition doesn’t doesn’t resolve before the end of the chapter, it fades without resolution, granting no Beats.  Wizened: The Shrewd receives a clear image of an item (up to Size 3) present during the event. His player gains +2 on any roll to create a facsimile of that item. He may only see simple objects without moving parts with this benefit, and regardless of the original’s supernatural qualities or abilities, he crafts a fully mundane facsimile. He can accurately reproduce any writing or simple diagrams present in the image he receives, but he gains no insight into translating or interpreting it.

Loophole:   The Lost sings the names of the stars in a

constellation currently in the sky.

 Light t, Star Bright  Star Ligh   (Royal)  The night sky is full of wished-upon stars. The changeling plucks a wish from the heavens and acts as the star’s intermediary, granting his target’s desire. How the Lost interprets and grants grant s the wish is up to him. He may be a kindly benefactor, returning runaway puppies and putting winning lottery tickets in his target’s hands; or he may wield wishes like weapons, showing his target the downside of getting exactly what they wished for. Cost: 1-2 Glamour Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Duration: Instant  Effects: Spend 1 Glamour point to invoke this Contract.

The changeling learns a wish his target has made within the last month. If he doesn’t specify a target, he learns the wish a random person made within a mile of his current location. The changeling determines how he fulfills that wish, but he must fulfill it; failure to do so by the end of the story inflicts the Persistent Oathbreaker Condition upon him. If he does fulfill the wish, he regains a spent Willpower point and earns a Beat. Though the changeling’s own those abilities constrain him, he may take artistic license within bounds. He can’t bring the dead back to life, but if his target wishes to talk

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 with their deceased deceas ed brother and ask his advice, adv ice, the changeling may create an eidolon in the brother’s image, bringing the two together in dreams. If the changeling has an existing enchanted bargain (p.  (p.  77) with the wisher or makes one within the same scene that he uses this Contract to learn their wish, he may thenceforth teleport instantly to the mortal’s side whenever he hears them call for his aid via Enchanted Obligation, and he may spend 1 Glamour to bring along anyone who is touching him at the time.Condition, Doing so immediately the Enchanted Obligation though only resolves the changeling’s player earns the Beat in that case. Ogre: If the target is non-fae, the Bruiser’s player gains +2 to one attempt to harvest Glamour from them.  Wizened: In addition to learning the wish, the Shrewd gleans the driving force behind it, such as the target’s fears, financial difficulty, regret, etc. Loophole:  The changeling coaxes the target into making the wish in her presence within the same scene.

Pinch of Stardust (Royal)  The Lost understand how their Keepers fashioned their fetches from discarded ribbons, twigs, twig s, fishing line, and what-

Wandering Stars Changelings whose durances and explorations take them to the Outer O uter Hedge may discover different themes and Contracts within the Star Regalia. The night sky changes the farther from Earth you get. Familiar constellations hang slightly off-kilter or don’t exist at all, setting and fortunes askew. How do you findportents the star that always home when guided you there moves or o r disappears? Work with your Storyteller to determine how your changeling’s travels through the Outer Hedge and beyond affect the Stars. What insights do they gain by seeing the world from an entirely different perspective? What Contracts might they discover along the winding paths of the Wishing Roads? The player may replace one or more of their character’ss existing Stars Contracts with the character’ new ones if they travel to the Outer Hedge in play. These These adjustments should complement the other Contracts in the Regalia, rather than diminishing them or penalizing the Lost who uses them. Changelings excel at adaptation.

ever else laid at hand. They set these constructs loose in the changelings’ lives with no one the wiser. The act likely filled the changeling with w ith horror when first uncovered, but he also learned from it. He creates his own entity out of star stuff and scraps, and when his target lays eyes eye s on it, she feels as if she’ she’ss known mentor, close friend, or other important part of the target’s it for years. She remembers good times spent in the crea- life. The target suffers the Persistent Delusional Condition ture’s company, holds warm feelings toward it and trusts it regarding the entity; the Condition fades without resolution  with their secrets. The simulacrum becomes one of of her guid- or granting Beats if not resolved before the end of the chaping light — her North Star, her Touchstone — and she suffers ter.  when its brief existence snuffs out like a shooting star fallen. The changeling may target himself with this Contract, Cost: 3 Glamour + 1 Willpower but for its duration he doesn’ doesn’tt remember invoking it, believDice Pool: Intelligence + Crafts + Wyrd vs. Resolve + ing the simulacrum real.  Wyrd Invoking this Contract constitutes a breaking point  Action: Instant (willing) or Contested (hostile)  with three dice, or four if targeting ta rgeting a changeling chan geling (including himself). Duration: One chapter or when Delusional resolves Exceptional Success:  The exceptionally well-construct When the chapter ends, the t he Touchstone Touchstone crumbles into its component parts. Changeling targets risk Clarity damage ed creature becomes difficult for suspicious and well-meanas though they’ve lost a Touchstone. Non-changeling super- ing friends to remember as not real. It becomes embedded natural beings follow rules for Touchstone loss according to in the memories of the target’s closest real friends and loved their supernatural type; all others suffer a breaking point ones, although they don’t become Delusional and evidence of the creature’s falsity makes them suspicious.  with a –1 modifier. Failure: The Contract fails. Roll Results Dramatic Failure:  The changeling puts too much of Success: The creature acts like a fetch, gaining Echoes himself into his creation, which becomes his ill-intentioned (Changeling, p. 236) equal to the changeling’s Wyrd rating.  Attach the creature as one of the target’s Touchstones. If double, acting as a second fetch that knows it’s a fetch. Darkling: The Bewitched made the creature’s right ear the target isn’t a changeling but may have Touchstones, follow the usual rules for their supernatural type. For a target  who has no access acce ss to Touchstones, the t he creature c reature becomes a  52 52

out of a tin can and string, and kept the can attached to the other end. When the target whispers a secret to the t he creature, the Darkling hears it.

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

 Wizened:  The Domovoi knows how to make perfect clockwork automatons and flawless mannequins; by spending an additional point of Glamour, her creation lasts until the end of the story. Loophole:   The changeling adds something of himself to the creature’s hodgepodge of parts: a lock of hair, three drops of blood, fingernail clippings, etc.

Thorn Thorn hides under a changeling’s Mask. Like a stunning rose, it pricks those who come too close. Thorns pierce and irritate, punishing fools who transgress. It cares not for Sword’s aggression or Shield’s protection; Thorn evokes  weapon and bulwark both, bot h, the un unseen seen barb putting putt ing out the eye of a trespasser from either direction. Legends say Contracts like Thorns and Brambles, Hedgewall, and Prince of Ivy once fell within the purview of Thorn. The pacts that formed other Regalia stole them away, however, and Thorn hungers for their return.

Briar’s Herald (Common)  The changeling taunts the target to their face, promising to become the thorn in their side. The Thorn enforces her promise, but failure is tantamount to breaking it. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Manipulation + Larceny + Wyrd vs. Composure +Wyrd  Action: Instant  Duration: One chapter

Roll Results Success:  Whenever the target comes into the change-

ling’s presence, nothing goes right for them, and they know somehow it’s her doing even with no reasonable evidence. If the changeling is within 100 yards/meters of them, her target loses the 10-again quality on any roll their player makes, and every failure becomes dramatic without granting Beats. The changeling knows the target fails arange roll regardless of whether theevery targettime is currently within of the Contract’s effects, though she doesn’t automatically know the details. Exceptional Success: Whenever the victim’s player fails a roll while in range of the Contract’s effects, the victim suffers one point of lethal damage in addition to the dramatic failure consequences. Failure: The Contract fails; the changeling suffers one of the minor effects of a broken seal ( Changeling, p. 210), chosen by the Storyteller. Dramatic Failure:  The changeling suffers one of the major effects of a broken seal instead. Darkling: Each time the victim fails a roll, no matter the distance between them, the changeling may whisper one mes-

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sage to them no longer than 37 words, and the victim may reply once in kind. Only these two hear each other’s messages, even if someone is close to them when they whisper.  Wizened  Wize ned:: The changeling may specify a clause that ends the Contract prematurely. The conditions may be simple (“stay home from work tomorrow”) or elaborate (“help me bust the Goblin Queen peddling Arcadian cocaine on 1st Street”) but must be expressed in a single short phrase. The victim has no obligation to comply, but becomes subconsciously both aware of the terms and a nd that fulfilling them t hem would end end their suffering. Loophole: Directly or indirectly, the changeling causes a thorn, needle, or similar small, pointed object to prick the target, drawing at least a drop of blood.

By the Pricking of My Thumbs  (Common)  The changeling pricks her thumb on a plant’s thorn, an offering of blood repaid by the surrounding vegetation with kinship, at least for a time. Living plants allow her to use them as her eyes and ears for the Contract’s duration. Most Lost assume this Contract borrows its name from Shakespeare’s Scottish play, but the phrase and the superstition represented predates the Bard, as does the Contract

tiple actions to fully return her senses to herself unless she ends the Contract early. pot ion of poison ivy, Loophole:  The changeling brews a potion newt, and thistles within the same scene; she peers into the potion, extending her senses into nearby flora.

Thistle’s Rebuke (Common)  The changeling refuses to allow others to get close to her, sprouting thorns to keep them at bay. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Effects: Thorns grow from the changeling’s clothing or ar-

mor, increasing its general armor rating by two. They also tear the flesh of anyone who gets too close to the changeling, inflicting one point of lethal damage on anyone who touches her or engages her in melee. If grappled, her opponent takes two points of lethal damage per turn for the grapple’s duration, in addition to any other damage done by maneuvers within the grapple.  Addition  Addi tionally ally,, the changelin changelingg can fire the thorns from from her armor at a foe within 50 yards/meters, although doing so negates the Contract’s other bonuses for the turn as the thorns grow back. They’re ranged weapons with a damage dama ge rating of 2L. nat ure bow to the Torrent’s Torrent’s whims; Elemental: Forces of nature she may take a reflexive action to retract the thorns or extend them again. Anyone touching her when she reflexively extends them takes two points of lethal damage. Fairest:  Presenting herself as the rose rather than the thorns, the Unicorn can make the effects of this Contract invisible even to those who can see through the Mask. Loophole: The changeling drinks an entire glass of water just before invoking this Contract.

itself. Freeholds all over the United Kingdom take it as evidence the Weird (or Wyrd?) Sisters were a real group of changelings who inspired the playwright — three court monarchs, perhaps, or a legion entitlement, whose further secrets may still lie buried somewhere beneath the moors. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Effects: The changeling extends her senses of hearing, sight, smell, and touch into any living plant she can perceive. She can only occupy one plant at a time. She can shift her The Gouging Curse (Common)  senses from one plant to another, from a plant back to herThe changeling issues a dire warning to her victim, self, or from herself back out to a plant again as an instant  whether as an explicit explicit curse (“If you violate my privacy, privacy, you action. suffer misfortune” misfortune”) ) or a ve veiled iled “It would be The changeling still perceives her body’s surroundings  will unwise to grave participate in tomorrow’s rapwarning battle”). ((“It If her warnand can take actions while extending her senses but doing ing goes unheeded, the Thorn follows through on her threat. so is confusing; her player suffers a –3 to all actions act ions she takes Cost: 1 Glamour unrelated to perceiving through the plant while her senses Dice Pool: Manipulation + Occult + Wyrd vs. Comporide one, as well as to her Defense and Initiative. sure + Wyrd t he plant Beast: A cousin to the wild, the Grim may use the  Action: Instant  she inhabits as a natural melee weapon. These attacks utilize Duration: One chapter the Beast’s Strength + (Brawl or Weaponry) and deal bashing damage. If the plant bears thorns or needles, upgrade the Roll Results damage to lethal. These attacks don’t take the penalty for Success:  The changeling chooses an action she wants perceiving in two t wo places at once, but the changeling may still to forbid her target from taking. It should be specific and only take one instant action per turn. something they could do within one instant action, such as Darkling:  The Bewitched may occupy a number of  visit a particular par ticular location, use a specific object, or play a cerplants up to her Resolve simultaneously; an instant action used to switch from one plant to another only shifts one of tain song over the store’s retail radio. If the target performs the act before the chapter ends, they become cursed with these simultaneous extensions at a time. Thus, it takes mul 54 54

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

one of the following Tilts of the changeling’s choice: Arm • If the changeling doubles down, she adds Hedgespin Wrack (one arm), Blinded (one eye), Deafened (one ear), or ning successes to the Hedge’s roll, up to half her Leg Wrack (one leg). Barbs and splinters pierce the chosen  Wyrd rounded down. In exchange, she gains the limb or organ until the Contract ends and the Tilt fades; same number of additional successes on her next even if the afflicted removes them all, more take their place. successful Hedgespinning roll within the scene. The additional successes do not count when determining Exceptional Success:  Triggering the curse also inflicts  whether she achieves an exceptional success. the Guilty Condition upon the victim. Failure: The Contract fails. No matter which option she chooses, the changeling cannot choose it again within the same scene until she has Dramatic Failure: The changeling falls to his own curse instead, unable to consider the consequences of his actions also used both other options. and suffering the Reckless Condition. Darkling: When the changeling defers, she may negate successes up to either her Manipulation Manipulation rating or  half  half her Wyrd. Fairest: The Fairest may specify another action within the same parameters as the forbidden one; the victim may Fairest: When the Unicorn doubles-down, she may apply take this action to end the curse early. If they do so, they the additional successes to an ally’s next Hedgespinning roll suffer the Persistent Awestruck Condition regarding the  within the scene instead inste ad of her own. changeling, amazed at her magnanimity. Loophole: The changeling leaves behind a meaningful Ogre:  If the action the Terrible forbids would cause personal effect for the Hedge to consume as she invokes this harm to one of her allies, this Contract’s duration becomes Contract. She can never personally recover the object: if it one story instead. returns to her by some other means, she accumulates 2 GobLoophole: The changeling makes an agreement with the lin Debt points.  victim,, allowing them to specify  victim specify an action action she cann cannot ot take. If Acantha’s Fury (Royal)  she violates these terms, she must immediately pay the Glamour Mortals know k now the story of how Apollo pursued Acantha cost and take a point of lethal damage, or the Contract ends. and changed her into a plant as punishment for rejecting his Embrace of Nettles  advances. The Lost tell a different tale: once, a Keeper with a green thumb stole Acantha from her home. After years of (Common)  servitude itude in its garden, she bargained with her fellow captive The Hedge’s perilous Thorns await those who wander serv greenery; they rose up, unleashing their collective fury upon off the beaten path, but often, the Thorns hide the Hedge’s greatest treasures. The changeling embraces the pain and ev- their jailor. Changelings who knew of her heroism named erything it promises, allowing the Thorns to gain purchase this Contract in her memory, enacting it in the hope every changeling finds freedom f reedom one day. in exchange for greater power over the Hedge. Cost: 2 Glamour + 1 Willpower Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Survival + Wyrd vs. Stamina + Wyrd Dice Pool: None  Action: Contested  Action: Reflexive Success:  With a wordless cry of rage, the changeling Duration: Instant  points at her target, who begins to transform into a thorny The changeling invokes this Contract while in the Hedge’s Thorns in response to the Hedge shifting itself. or plant of the changeling’s choice between Size andprickly 12. The metamorphosis takes place in stages over sev-4 Choose one of the following: eral minutes once she invokes the Contract. • If the changeling deflects, she changes the target of a sinThe target progresses through transformative stages at gle Hedgespinning shift she observes. This permits her a rate of one per minute for a total of eight minutes after to steal a beneficial effect or shunt a harmful one onto invocation. As each stage occurs, the changeling must offer someone else. She only gains a Beat from an adverse her target a choice between allowing the transmutation to paradigm shift if she actually suffers the t he adverse effect. continue and promising to complete a task as delineated by the changeling. The target must be able to complete the • If the changeling defers, she negates up to half her named action within a single scene and can’t be asked to  Wyrd, rounded down, of the Hedge’s shift successes. complete an impossible task or one harmful to them. It also These successes don’t disappear; instead, add them must be something the target can complete with the resourcto the Hedge’s next successful Hedgespinning roll, es and information they currently possess. At each stage, the  which becomes immune to this Contract. If I f the Stochangeling may repeat the same offer or choose a new one. ryteller rolled an exceptional success, the Hedge’s If at any point the target agrees to the promise, they shift remains an exceptional success if even one sucregress one stage per minute until they return to normal. cess remains after deferral.

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However, the promise binds them; if they fail to accomplish it before the chapter ends, the transformation begins anew. If they can’t contact the changeling before they’re incapable of doing so, they’r t hey’ree out of luck for the t he scene. The stages progress as follows: • Anytime the target is not not in direct sunlight, they become sluggish, taking a − 2 penalty to all non-reflexive actions, Speed, Defense, and Initiative. • Target’s flesh flesh turns to plant matter; they decrease their Stamina by 2, to a minimum of 1, decreasing their Health accordingly. • Over the next next four stages, the target’s limbs become stems or branches one by one, inflicting the Arm  Wrack or Leg Wrack Tilt on one one limb per stage. • Roots grow from the target and dig down wh where ere they stand, inflicting the Immobilized Tilt. These roots grow into any surface as burrowing into fertile earth. The target can’t roll to break free until their progress has receded back to this stage. Treat them as though they’re held by an item.

• Target’s transformation transformat ion completes; completes; they become become the chosen and They cannot take any actions, speak, or move inplant, any way. still perceive their surroundings as normal and take purely Mental actions not requiring movement. Once the transformation completes, the target must  wait out the Contract’s duration; they return to normal once the Contract expires. Any damage done to the plant, such as plucking off leaves or slicing a vine in half, has no effect on the victim when they are no longer fully transformed; any removed pieces of the plant vanish once the Contract ends. Invoking this Contract constitutes a breaking point  with a pool of four dice. Exceptional Success: When the target successfully carries out a promise, the changeling cha ngeling regains a Willpower point.

Awaken Portal (Royal)   Any unguarded entrance invites trouble through its gate, from the obvious obv ious front door to the most elusive hidden passage. The changeling gives such an entrance the means to protect itself, just as roses guard their beauty with thorns. By smearing her own blood upon the portal or arch for a dormant Hedgeway, or upon any entrance to a Bastion or Hollow,, she uplifts it into a goblin who serves aass her eyes and Hollow ears while wh ile she’s away. away. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Duration: One chapter Effects:  The portal gains temporary sapience. While it

cannot move or take either physical actions or those requiring speech, it perceives its surroundings as the changeling would; blocking the entrance inhibits its vision, and a complete seal also inhibits its hearing. The hobgoblin portal can mentally communicate communica te with her over any distance, so many changelings use this Contract to gather intelligence intelligence and blackmail material. The changeling may use her kenning (Changeling, p. 107) from the portal’s portal ’s point point of view rather than her own, but she loses the ability to see her own environment environment while she does so. Beast:  The portal goblin also becomes a great, toothy maw capable of reflexively extending its many fangs to bite intruders before retracting them afterward. It may attack anyone passing through. The attack has a damage rating of 2L and uses a pool equal to the changeling’s Presence + Intimidation. If the portal successfully bites a target, it spits them out forcefully, shoving them back 5 yards/meters. If more than one character attempts to pass through simultaneously, the changeling’s player makes a separate attack roll for each of them, but the attacks all happen at once. Elemental:  The portal goblin possesses an additional two-dot two -dot Influence in the Sprite’ Spr ite’ss chosen element. Loophole:   The changeling takes at least 15 minutes

 within thespruce scene up where activates activate s the t its he surrounding Contract to clean, clea n, repair, or the she entrance and strucDramatic Failure: The changeling’s hubris spells disas- ture prior to awakening the portal. ter, her declaration of fury attracting attract ing the eyes of her enemies. Crown of Thorns (Royal)  She suffers the Hunted Condition. Condition. Failure: The Contract fails.

Elemental: The Unbound may target a number of characters up to her Wyrd with a single invocation of this Contract. Handle each target’s progression or regression separately, although the changeling may offer the same promise to all of them at once.

 Wizened: Without paying Glamour, the Wizened may seal (Changeling , p. 210) the target’s statement of intent

 when they accept the promise. Increasing the seal’s se al’s severity severit y costs 1 Glamour instead of 1 Willpower. Loophole:   The changeling holds in her hand a fresh

The changeling writes down an act she wishes to forbid forbid her target from performing, then delivers it to them anonymously  via any indire indirect ct means — by mail, mail, pigeon, pigeon, text message message,, a messenger, etc. Should they defy her wishes, they feel the thorn’s prick in their heart and endure the punishment of the defiant. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Occult + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd  Action: Contested Duration: One story 

clipping, than one day old, she fromintends an actual plant of the same no typemore as the transformation to inflict.

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Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

Awakened Portal Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 5; Presence 2, Manipulation 1, Composure 2 Skills: Occult 2 (Hedgeways); Intimidation 3 Merits: None Wyrd: 2 Glamour/per Turn: 7/2 Willpower: 7 Virtue: Protective Vice: Stubborn Aspiration: Defend the portal Initiative: 3 Defense: 0 Armor: 3/3 Size: Varies Speed: 0 Health: 1  10 0 Frailties: Only cold iron Contracts: Overpowering Dread, Thorns Thorns and Brambles Dread Powers: Influence (Brambles) 2, Know Soul Notes: The portal goblin appears as a mundane entrance unless identified as a magical entity by an appropriate type of supernatural perception. When invoking Thorns and Brambles, the portal never need contend with its own Contract’s effects. Roll Results Success:  The changeling chooses a specific instant ac-

tion — such as speak to or attack a particular person, enter a particular building, or take a bite of the changeling’s lunch currently in the employee lounge fridge — she wants to forbid her target from taking. If the target performs the act before the end of the current story, they suffer the Comatose Condition and one point of lethal damage from invisible thorns. Non-changeling targets can’t resolve the Condition unless someone enters their dreams to convince them t hem they’re dreaming, or another supernatural power wakes them after

 winning a Clash of Wills with the t he changeling. Victims who can normally dream lucidly may take a −2 penalty to any roll they make to resist being convinced they’re in a dream. If the target remains Comatose at the story’s end, this Contract ends and they wake up on their own; the Condition fades without resolving, granting no Beats. Exceptional Success: The Condition must resolve properly and does not fade at the end of the story. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling becomes Comatose instead. Beast: The Beast sends nightmares to torment the target’s slumber; they lose one Willpower point each night they remain asleep, and cannot regain Willpower through rest until the Condition resolves or fades. Darkling: While disguised or unnoticed, the Darkling achieves an exceptional success on three successes for rolls to manipulate the target into taking the forbidden action. Loophole:   The changeling weaves an actual crown of thorns out of prickly vines and branches and sets it upon the target’s head within the same scene.

’  

 

Shrike s Lar  Larder derimmobilize (Royal)  Butcherbirds famously their

prey upon thorns so they can easily tear up their meal. The changeling scatters thorns, thorn s, needles, barbs, or similar small, prickly items in mimicry of the t he bird. The spines grow beneath the vvictim’ ictim’ss feet, slowing her enemy to a crawl. Cost: 1-3 Glamour Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Effects:  This Contract grants three different effects a character can stack upon a single target for one point of Glamour each. • The spines trip up the victim, making them stumble at the worst possibletomoments. While in a chase, chase suffer a –2 penalty all movement-related rolls, they and cannot possess the Edge. They may spend 1 Willpower to power through the pain and ignore these effects for one turn. • The spines dig themselves deeper deeper every time the victim moves, painfully distracting her from matters at hand. She suffers a –3 penalty to Initiative. • Spines pi pierce erce the victim’s victim’s joints, immobilizing them and making all their movements rigid. Halve the victim’s Speed (rounded down). They may voluntarily take one point of bashing damage ignore this effect for one turn and force themselves to move faster. Beast: The Coursers gave this contract its name when they first imitated the shrike’s hunting techniques. When

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Independent Contracts

the changeling harvests Glamour from the victim during the   Contract’s duration, he regains 2 Glamour points for each success he rolls instead of 1. The following Contracts exist independent of any Re Wizened: The Hatter may target a vehicle instead, inflicting the chosen effects effect s upon anyone operating it or riding galia. Some once belonged to Regalia long lost to memory  while the Gentry made others as-is for a singular purpose. as a passenger and flattening its tires, if any. The Good Cousins stole powers from other entities, filling Loophole:  The changeling impales an effigy representthose powers up with their fae essences until they became ing the target upon a thorn. While brambles are traditional, unrecognizable. The deals the Fae made to create them still any small piercing object works, such as barbed wire, sewing give them potency even after the destruction of their Reneedles, or a live porcupine’s porcupine’s erect quills. quill s. galia. However, the full scope of their origin (and original context) now exists only as forgotten knowledge found on Witch’s Brambles (Royal)  far-flung Wishing Roads in a ruined Bastion, deep in the The witch knows the secret to turning illusions real Hedge with the last hobgoblin of its kind, or as part of an and sees the magic in the mundane. Mortal echoes of the entitlement whose token sank to the bottom of the sea. Thorns — clumsy and unsubtle — become much closer to Those who learn these Contracts — without knowing the their fae counterparts in the changeling’s hands. Traditional attendant history — sometimes stumble into age-old baggage. Usinvocation of this Contract utilizes roses and brambles, but ing Contracts from forbidden or destroyed Regalia might bring artificial objects — shards of glass and barbed wire — work assassins to a changeling’s doorstep or put him in contact with just as well. a secret organization seeking knowledge of the old Regalia. He Cost: 2-3 Glamour + 1 Willpower may attract attention from those wishing to learn — or steal — the Dice Pool: None Contract from him or find out the hard way its central role in an oath binding its wielder, and thus binding him. These situa Action: Reflexive tions should serve as interesting story hooks rather than ways to Duration: dissuade players from seeking independent Contracts for their  Instant  Effects:  By spending 2 Glamour, the changeling can characters, so the Storyteller should work with the troupe and perform limited manipulations of the mundane world as decide whether such complications fit the troupe’s troupe’s story. though Hedgespinning, so long as she calls upon the fear and fascination of the Thorns. She invokes this Contract Coming Darkness (Common)   while performing any mundane action utilizing ut ilizing a Size 1 or Contracts calling upon darkness and shadow flourish smaller object capable of piercing flesh in a precise fashion. among the Gentry. Each one seems separately created rather than  A dagger, its blade broad and indiscriminate, cannot elicit part of one coherent Regalia as far as the Lost have determined the strange allure of staring at a pricked finger and watchto date. Some scholars think the negotiations for these Contracts ing the tiniest drop of blood emerge, but a safety pin, small  weree neve  wer neverr finis finished hed,, lead leading ing to an in incom compl plete ete set sca scatter ttered ed acr across oss cactus, or a cat’s (or vampire’s) vampire’s) fang would work.  Arcadia  Arca dia.. Others believ believee these Contrac Contracts ts all belong belong to differen differentt The action the changeling performs suffers a –3 penalty Regalia, related in concept but independent of each other and as the mortal world resists such wanton change. The player rising from competing deals made by rival Fae. Others contend can spend any excess successes on subtle shifts, following that the Kindly Ones who barter for them deliberately do so as the Hedgespinning rules (Changeling, p. 204). None of the other usual effects effect s or consequences of Hedgespinning occur. one-offs, jealously guarding them from each other. The changeling reaches down to his feet and yanks his If the changeling achieves an exceptional success on the shadow away from himself, casting it out and blanketing the action this Contract enhances, she may pay an additional  world in darkness. Glamour to enact a paradigm shift instead. Cost: 1 Glamour Using this Contract in the Hedge or any other otherDice Pool: None  worldly realm has no effect. effect .  Action: Instant  Beast: The Beast may count a bite attack as a valid acEffects: The changeling creates an area of complete darktion for this Contract’s enhancement as long as it would deal ness centered on himself with a radius equal to (his Wyrd x 5) lethal or aggravated damage.  yards/meters.  yards/ meters. The darkness falls so abruptly, everyone everyone in the Darkling: If the Darkling achieves exceptional success area suffers the Stunned Tilt unless they make a successful on the action’s roll, she may add one success to the total if  Wits + Composure Composure roll or can see clearly clearly in the dark. dark. CharacCharacshe chooses to enact only subtle shifts. ters within the darkness or who enter it during the Contract’s Loophole:   The changeling pierces her own flesh with duration suffer the Blinded Tilt (both eyes) until they leave the the pointy object she uses while invoking this Contract.

 58 58

area or the Contract ends, whichever comes first. The changeling is unaffected by his own darkness.

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

Mundane light sources in the area are not extinguished but simply obscured; turning on additional mundane lights  within the affected area does doe s not penetrate the darkness. Attempts to create light via any magical magica l means provoke a Clash of Wills. The changeling does not have a shadow for the Contract’s duration. If he leaves the area or the Contract ends prematurely, his shadow remains missing. Observers may notice lack this by rolling Wits + Composure, contested by

his Wyrd. He clearly specifies these rules when invoking the Contract. From that point on, anyone entering the area automatically understands the guidelines whether they heard them explained. The guidelines often describe the gathering’s etiquette, such as refraining from f rom violence, violence, insulting others deliberately,, or eating; they may also erately a lso require specific behaviors, such as speaking only in coded whispers or keeping one’s one’s eyes closed. If anyone breaks the t he guidelines, the Contract ends immediately and everyone in the area suffers the Demoralized Condition as

the Manipulation + Stealth.when If he remains with- the Wyrd punishes all for the transgressions tran sgressions of one. out changeling’s a shadow and outside the darkness the Contract Beast: The Grim’s awareness of her refuge extends beends, he must hunt down his wayward shadow, take it into  yond the marked boundary; he can detect anyone who pass pass-the Hedge, and reattach it via a subtle Hedgespinning shift es by or intrudes close to the hidden area from up to (his requiring four successes. The shadow has no traits and takes  Wyrd x 20) yard/meters away. no rolled actions but may cause mischief simply by existing  Wizened: The Hatter may apply any dots he possesses independently independen tly and a nd visibly. in the Safe Place Merit (if the location is in the t he mortal world) Beast: The Beast may selectively bestow clear night vision or Hollow Merit (if it’s in the Hedge) to the location during upon a number of characters up to half his Wyrd (rounded the gathering, even if the space is nowhere near the place to down) within the area when he invokes the Contract.  which the t he Merit Mer it applies. Applying Safe Place simply grants gr ants the changeling the Merit’s usual Initiative bonus. Applying Darkling: The Darkling may create an area of darkness Hollow grants both the t he Merit’s Merit’s base benefits and all enhance with a radius up to his Wyrd Wy rd x 10 yards/ yards/meters. meters. ments specific to the Wizened’s Hollow. This works even if Loophole:   The changeling extinguishes a flame as he multiple motley-mates share the Merit in question, but the invokes this Contract. Hatter must be one of them. This works even if multiple Pomp an and d Circumstance (Common)  motley-mates share the Merit in question, but the changeling must be one of them.  A Good Cousin called Nightmare Spinner stole this Loophole:   The changeling lays out an unbroken ring power from the concept of Hospitality after seeing how respectful mortals were to gracious hosts. They wanted that re- of poppies around the area earlier in the same scene as the spect for themselves, but wrapped the pilfered power tightly Contract’s invocation. into a cocoon for safekeeping, hiding it from sight so they  would be the only good host in the land. l and.  A changeling cha ngeling can use this Contract to hide his gatherings from prying eyes by delimiting a perimeter and walking around it widdershins three times. Cost: 1 Glamour, or 1 Glamour + 1 Willpower Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Effects: For 1 Glamour, the changeling chooses an area  with a radius of up to (his Wyrd x 10) yards/meters. It must have visible, clear physical demarcations of some sort: perhaps existing walls or fence, or perhaps chalk or a line of stones or salt created by the changeling. Uninvited guests cannot enter the area, although anyone within the defined area may allow someone access by inviting her in. Attempts at mundane spying on the area or tracking any characters  within fail automatically. Supernatural Supern atural attempts to circum vent any of these effects provoke a Clash of Wills. If the changeling spends a Willpower as well, no Huntsman or True Fae can find the area, even if they track someone directly to the location. It simply doesn’t exist to their senses, whether mundane or magical. The changeling and everyone inside the area must uphold a set of individual, specific guidelines numbering up to

Shadow Puppet (Common)  The Oaken Warrior motley first uncovered this Contract in a Goblin Market when they encountered a seller made of nothing but a hobgoblin’s shadow. That hobgoblin soon returned, claiming they stole the Contract from their Keeper when they were a changeling. The motley doubts the tale, but happily accepted the Contract in trade anyway. The changeling uses his fingers or any part of his body — up to and including the entire thing — to create a crisp shadow puppet on a wall under a bright light. That shadow comes to life and acts on its own, under his command. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None  Action: Instant  Duration: One scene Effects:  The shadow puppet the changeling creates takes substantial form, appearing as a fully realized version of whatever shape the t he puppet takes, but made m ade of shadow. For instance, if the changeling makes the head of a stag with his fingers, this Contract creates an actual stag colored entirely in shades of gray and black, fuzzing at the edges. If he uses his entire body to create the shadow, the puppet becomes an identical shadow twin.

New Contracts

 59 59

 

The two entities remain bound for the Contract’s duraThis puppet functions as a Retainer (Changeling, p. 125) with a dot rating equal to half the changeling’s Wyrd tion, unable to stray more than (the changeling’s Wyrd x 10)  yards/meters meters from each other. other. The Hedge Hedge ghost ghost may take and a basic intelligence. It follows the changeling’s instruc-  yards/ tions and may act in an action scene, taking the character’s Glamour from the character without touching him to fuel powt he Hedge ghost’ ghost’ss turn and acting on his Initiative. For purposes of the Re- ers it uses on his behalf. Likewise, he may use the tainer Merit, the changeling chooses a Specialty he possesses Glamour pool as his own on actions benefitting them both. as the shadow’s area of expertise. The T he player assigns one gob- In the mundane world, the Hedge ghost suffers no deleterious lin Dread Power (Changeling, p. 253) to the puppet. The effects while tethered, and the changeling may extend his Mask shadow being possesses Wyrd 1, a maximum Glamour pool to his ethereal companion and make it appear human. of and with has one Health box; it perishes immediately if that box6 fills lethal or aggravated damage.  A destroyed shadow puppet puppet takes its part par t of the changeling’s shadow with it; the stag head represents a small fraction of her shadow, but a full double takes the whole thing.  A changeling without a shadow must go to the Hedge to reattach it as a subtle Hedgespinning shift requiring four successes. Beast: If the Beast gives the shadow puppet an animal form, it also gains either +3 to perception-based rolls, the ability to fly, or an unarmed attack with a damage rating of +1L. Darkling: The Darkling’s shadow puppet also gains the ability to spend 1 Glamour to vanish into a shadow and step out another shadow it can perceive darkness as an Instant action;from this ability doesn’t work in complete or when the lighting casts no shadows. Loophole:  The changeling performs a shadow puppet show for the entertainment of an audience of at least three people lasting at least five minutes within the same scene.

Dread Companion (Royal)  The Rider Through Dawn once haggled with Dominion itself to gain power over all a ll Hedge denizens, but another of that Gentry’s Titles — the Countess in Repose of Bonestadt — wanted to usurp its power and intervened in the negotiations. The Contract resulting from their feud grants only dominion over Hedge ghosts. Theservice, changeling a bounty in return for afor Hedge ghost’s and ifoffers it agrees, he makes a bracelet himself out of Hedge brambles, tethering it to himself in a mutually beneficial symbiosis. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool:  Manipulation + Occult + Wyrd vs. Resistance + Wyrd  Action: Contested Duration: One chapter

Roll Results Success: The changeling becomes an additional Thread

for the Hedge ghost. When he asks it to perform an action for him, doing so counts as affirming its Thread. The changeling ask the Hedge to use any of its powers, Numina, orcan Influences on hisghost behalf, though it may pay 1 Glamour to refuse. 6 6 60 0

Exceptional Success: The Hedge ghost cannot refuse the changeling’s requests unless doing so would put it in danger. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure:  The failed negotiation angers the Hedge ghost; it immediately attacks the changeling. Darkling: While the Wisp is bound to a Hedge ghost, she gains access to the t he Dematerialize Numen (Changeling, p. 250). Fairest:  This Contract’s duration becomes “Until the Unicorn leaves the Hedge” instead. Loophole:  The changeling has caused the Hedge ghost to affirm its own Thread within the same scene.

Cracked Mirror (Royal)  Once, longa ago, this Contract to thespace Mirror Regalia. When desperate changelingbelonged fled to mirror to escape a band of privateers, she broke a promise to the mirror people, and they in turn cursed her: the next Mirror Contract she invoked would shatter, ruining her magic and giving her seven years of ill fortune. The Contract she invoked cracked and broke, falling away from its Regalia but persisting in pieces littered throughout mirror space. If someone hunted down the shards and cobbled them back together, perhaps they could restore the magic to its original state. The changeling fogs up a mirror and writes his own name in the condensation. When he wipes the moisture away, he finds his fetch looking back at him rather than his reflection. Cost: 1 Glamour, or 1 Glamour + 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Manipulation + Larceny + Wyrd vs. Stamina + Wyrd  Action: Contested Duration: One scene or until the changeling enacts a switch

Roll Results Success:  For 1 Glamour, the changeling attunes the mirror to spy on his fetch as though he stood a few feet from them and followed them around. For the rest of the scene, he can see their t heir surroundings clearly and listen to any sound they can hear, but the fetch automatically knows their changeling counterpart tried to watch them and eavesdrop even if the changeling fails her roll.

Byplaces payingwith an additional 1 Willpower, the changeling may switch his fetch, tricking the mirror into mistaking one identity for the other. It draws them both briefly into mir-

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

ror space before spitting them back out in opposite locations. or eavesdropping, it provokes a Clash of Wills. The Contract If the changeling does so, the t he Contract immediately ends; if he only activates when the wind w ind hears the changeling’s real name,  wants to come come back back the w way ay h hee came, came, he he must must invo invoke ke itit agai again. n. not a nickname, deadname, or alias of any kind.  A willing fetch who cooperates with the changeling If the changeling achieves an exceptional success on the need not contest the invocation roll. contested roll, he may listen in to the conversation for turns Exceptional Success: The process disorients the fetch, equal to excess successes rolled instead. inflicting the Confused Condition.  While the t he changeling successfully successf ully eavesdrops on a conFailure:  The Contract fails, but the fetch knows the  versation, he may pay 1 additional Glamour and 1 Willpower to teleport to that location as an instant action. He does changeling made the attempt. Dramatic Failure: The fetch knows about the attempt and not portal, simply steps from one location to the other as the Wyrd uses the sound of his name to summon him. He may pay 1 Glamour to immediately invoke this Contract on the doesn’t know where he’ll arrive until he gets there, nor does changeling without a roll, including the option to spend a Willhe know who spoke his name unless he recognizes the voice power to switch their places. The fetch need not possess pos sess the Mimhimself. Once active, this Contract lasts for the scene or unic Contract Echo to do so. Cracked Mirror doesn’t count as facetil he uses it to teleport somewhere, whichever comes first. to-face contact for purposes of that Echo if the fetch possesses it. Beast: The Courser doubles his Speed for the scene afDarkling: If the Mountebank’s player achieves exceptional ter arriving at the speaker’s location. success on the invocation roll, he may conceal his spying from Fairest:  The Fairest may drag the one who spoke his his fetch. name to his location instead. Fairest: If the fetch doesn’t contest the invocation roll the Loophole: The changeling has introduced himself by his real first time in a scene that the Unicorn invokes this Contract and they switch places, he may switch places with them t hem again without name to someone he’s never met before within the same scene. spending Willpower whenever he invokes Cracked Mirror again Momentary Respite (Royal)  for the rest of the scene, although it still costs Glamour to invoke Legends among the Lost tell of the very first pact the and the fetch may contest subsequent attempts. Gentry made after aft er they conquered Arcadia and made it their Loophole: The changeling puts a significant crack in the mirror when he invokes this Contract; but if it shatters entirely, own: an agreement with Time to vacate their realm and never return. During this negotiation, one of the True Fae tried the Contract automatically fails. to cheat, introducing a loophole allowing it to wield a Time Regalia in violation of the spirit of the pact. But Time was  Listen  Listen with the Wind’s Ears  too powerful an entity to fall for such a ploy and destroyed (Royal)  the latent Regalia — and the cheater’s Title with it. All that No one knows where this Contract originally came remains of that Title and the power it attempted to build is from. The first time anyone saw it in recorded Lost history this Contract. No one knows whether this tale is true, but  was when Detroit’s Chrome Court Queen stepped out of most changelings are superstitious about it and recite a tradithin air and smote a motley speaking ill of her. tional rhyme when invoking Momentary Respite to ward off The changeling makes a sacrifice to the wind, allowing Time’ Time’ss retribution. it to carry something into the air — a piece of paper, a leaf, The changeling smashes a timekeeping device, such as a hourglass, ss, or LED clock display. Thi Thiss symbolic s ymbolic dandelion seeds, or whispers anything to else light enough ittohears blow someaway.  wrist watch, hourgla In return, the wind him whenever act allows him to temporarily exist within the liminal space one speak his name. between moments, pausing the progression of time on his Cost: 1 Glamour, or 2 Glamour + 1 Willpower body and mind. Dice Pool: None Cost: 1 Glamour or 1 Glamour, 1+ Willpower  Action: Instant  Dice Pool: Stamina + Survival + Wyrd Duration: One scene, or until used to teleport   Action: Instant 

Roll Results Effects: For 1 Glamour, if the changeling’s name is spoken  within a radius radius of of (his Wyrd Wyrd x 2) miles, miles, he immedi immediatel atelyy senses it and may eavesdrop on the conversation from a distance for a single turn with a successful Wits + Investigation + Wyrd roll contested by the speaker’s Composure + Wyrd. While he lis-

tens in on that conversation, he becomes deaf to all speechand in his vicinity (but not other sounds). If a power  (such as Pomp Circumstance, p. 59) protects any of the speakers from scrying

Roll Results Success: For 1 Glamour, the character may choose one

option per success rolled: • End one personal Tilt currently affecting him (can be chosen more than once) • Ignore all wound penalties without healing the damage

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• Ward his rightmost unwarded health box from any aggravated damage (can be chosen a number of times up to the changeling’s total Health) • Ignore the effects of of one toxin or disease currently affecting him (can be chosen more than once) • Ignore the effects of one Persistent Condition curcurrently affecting him; he can’t resolve it or earn Beats for the duration (can be chosen more than th an once)

Steal Influence (Common)  Once upon a time, a hobgoblin warlock wandered wandered into the Sorcerer Duke’s court hoping to impress the Arcadian Lord. The Sorcerer Duke marveled mar veled at how a mere goblin commanded fire, joy, and death with such delicate finesse, and demanded the hobgoblin reveal its secrets. The T he hobgoblin stood confused and silent, for its magic came to it innately rather than as a teachable Contract. The Duke offered to show the goblin his magic instead and swallowed one of its hairs. In an instant, the

learned everything and left the hobgoblin with nothing. If he wards a health box after it has already filled with Duke Since then, the Keeper’s Keeper’s captives learn this t his Contract in his seraggravated damage, he simply ignores that damage’s effects  vice, spr spreadin eadingg iitt from from co court urt to court upon thei theirr return. return. for the duration, although it doesn’t heal. I nfluence dot  Cost: 1 Glamour per Influence For the duration of this Contract, the changeling canDice Pool: Wits + Larceny + Wyrd vs Resolve + Wyrd not heal damage naturally, regain Willpower via rest, regain  Action: Contested Clarity via spending time with Touchstones, or spend Experiences. He also doesn’ doe sn’tt age. Roll Results  At the end of each consecutive scene after the first in Success: The changeling touches a creature possessing  which the changeling invokes or benefits from this Con- an Influence and, for the Contract’s duration, steals one dot tract, he suffers a breaking point with a pool of one die + the of it per Glamour spent. If the target possesses multiple Innumber of consecutive scenes the Contract has been active. fluences, the changeling steals one of his choosing; he may Because this Contract pauses pause s time for the changeling’s body not split the spent Glamour to steal some dots of one Influand mind, he may pay 1 Willpower at the end of the scene to ex- ence and some of another. The victim cannot use the stolen tend theor Contract’s another scene without invoking it again having toduration suffer theforreturn of the inflictions he chose to ignore. He may do so indefinitely as long as he has Willpower to spend, but if it’s active for longer than a year and a day, Time takes notice of the abuse of stolen power and takes retribution in a way chosen by the Storyteller. Scholars who know of Momentary Respite whisper cautionary rumors about the monarch of the Wreath’s Encircling Arms freehold who kept it active for an entire decade and ended up enslaved to the t he Wyrd itself. Exceptional Success:  Additional successes are their own reward. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: Time pauses for the changeling, but not in the way he wanted; he suffers the Immobile Tilt in-

Influence dots while the changeling possesses them, and the changeling can activate the Influence at the dot rating he paid for by spending the appropriate amount of Glamour, even if it would normally require another resource to use. Exceptional Success: The changeling can purchase the stolen Influence for 2 Experiences per dot, up to the number of dots he took. If he does so, he retains use us e of the purchased dots even after they return to the victim. Changelings may possess a maximum of half their Wyrd in dots of a single Influence, just like Hedge ghosts. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The target may use the Influence the changeling tried to steal as a reflexive action, with a cost discount equal to the Glamour points the changeling spent to

definitely, until he or someone else canthe break Time’s curse  with a successful Clash of Wills Wills against changeling’s own pool for Clashes. Elemental: The Elemental adds the option to ignore the effects of one Environmental Tilt currently affecting him to t he list of available options; it can be chosen more than once. Ogre: The Brute may invoke this Contract for another consenting character. He still pays all costs to invoke and extend the Contract and suffers the consequences of extending ext ending it himself. He may only have one instance of this Contract active at a time; if he invokes it again while it’s already active on someone else, the first instance immediately ends. Loophole:  The changeling hugs or wraps himself up in

invoke this Contract. For instance, if the changeling spent 2 Glamour to steal two dots, the target may reflexively use the Influence to strengthen or manipulate at no cost, or to use effects of a higher dot rating at a discount of −2 Glamour. Darkling: The Wisp may split the Glamour he spends to invoke this Contract on as many different Influences as he chooses. Elemental: The Unbound may transform as many dots of the Influences he steals as he likes into another, thematically similar one when invoking the Contract. For example, an Elemental who takes three dots of Influence (water) may transmute any number of those dots into Influence (rain), Influence (ice), or Influence (ocean). If the changeling spends Experiences to keep the Influence after

an item of comfort that represents rest or sleep, such as a blanket, a pillow, a live sheep, or a favorite stuffed animal.

the Contract ends, all transformed tran sformed dots revert back to their original type.

62 62

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

Loophole: The target has dealt at least one point of lethal or aggravated damage to the changeling within the same scene.

Earth’s Gentle Movements  (Common)   A motley in the Heart’s Hear t’s Home Freehold in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland discovered a pair of Contracts allowing control over earth and a nd soil. They refused to say where or how they learned the Contracts, leading their fellows to believe they stole the pair directly from a True Fae. The freehold argued for days about allowing the motley to stay, lest the Contracts’ original owner came looking for them. The monarch eventually evicted the motley when a huge earthquake nearly destroyed the freehold’s headquarters. The changeling rubs a handful of dirt or soil between his hands, allowing him to move and shape the earth at his  whim. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Strength + Crafts + Wyrd  Action: Instant  Duration: Instant 

Roll Results Success: The changeling reshapes an area of open land centered on himself with a radius of 1 square yard/meter per success rolled. He may not affect any area upon which structures, paving, or other artificial constructs stand, but may create a sinkhole, build flat land up to create an earthen  wall or small hill, hi ll, or send a pillar of earth e arth reaching into the t he air as long as the total area remains the same. He may even reshape it into more specific forms, such as a pillar shaped like himself or a flat expanse with ruts that form words when  viewed from above and can change the consistency of the earth. For instance, loose soil could become packed earth, sand, or mud, but never stone. He can eject any additional materials in the earth if he likes, such as minerals added to

soil for planting or bones and insect carcasses.  Anyone in the area of the shaping when it happens must must succeed on a Dexterity + Athletics roll or suffer the Knocked Down Tilt. Once the changeling invokes the Contract, his changes are permanent, barring any later reshaping. Exception Success:  The changeling’s player may split the successes on the t he invocation roll for the changeling to create two different effects within the designated area. Failure: The Contract fails. eart h below the changeling’s feet Dramatic Failure: The earth resents his attempts to control it and swallows him up, shallowly burying him and inflicting the Immobilized Tilt; treat it as though he’s restrained by an item to represent the need to fight his way out (or be rescued). Elemental: The Elemental may target an area of up to 2

 yards/meters per success instead.

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Failure: The Contract fails.  Wizened: The Wizened may target an area of natural, unshaped stone instead. He can craft it into a useful form Dramatic Failure:  The changeling inflicts the Earthsuch as stairs, create handha nd- and footholds in a sheer rock wall, quake Environmental Tilt, to which he is not immune, on or whip up an artful artf ul sculpture. The Domovoi’s shaping must the area for five turns (or 30 seconds outside action scenes) be constructive, not destructive. Change the Contract’s roll  without building anything. to Dexterity + Crafts instead if he invokes this clause. Fairest: If the Fairest invokes this Contract within the Loophole:   The changeling places a pebble under her Hedge, the fortress also comes with a temporary Staff Merit tongue. (Changeling, p. 125) with a dot rating of half his Wyrd representing hobgoblin followers; their types and Skills must       make sense in the context of a fortress, such as soldiers with ’ s Impenetrable Walls Earth (Royal)   Weaponry, scouts with Stealth, or doctors with w ith Medicine. The second in the pair of Contracts discovered in WarOgre: Subtract successes equal to half the Ogre’s Wyrd saw, Earth’s Impenetrable Walls allows the changeling to from any Hedgespinning action another character takes to raise a fortress of stone from the earth at his feet. He places enact shifts on the fortress or any part of its interior. his hands flat upon the ground and calls it to arms, declarLoophole:   The changeling has successfully defended ing himself its commander and building a stronghold. himself or someone else from an attack within the same Cost: 2 Glamour scene. Dice Pool: Strength + Crafts + Wyrd EGALIA  Action: Instant  Duration: One chapter ANIFESTATION Success:  The changeling chooses an area of open land The bargains the True Fae struck with the central concentered on himself containing no structures, paving, or other ot her cepts of their Regalia came with a caveat. The Gentry must

R M

 

 

artificial Withoutside an instant action taking turns to completeconstructs. (or 30 seconds action scenes), thefive changeling channels his will into the earth to build a fortress of stone centered around him with a Size of (his Wyrd x 10). During this time, the Contract inflicts the Earthquake Environmental Tilt on the area; the changeling himself is immune to its effects. The design of this fortress is up to him; he may create a simple, square bunker with battlements, a single tall tower, a pyramid, etc. and may include as many or as few rooms as he likes within the allowed area. The fortress counts as a Safe Place (Changeling, p. 125) with a dot rating of half the changecha ngeling’s Wyrd, rounded down, and its walls have Durability 2. The player chooses an additional benefit per success be yond the first rolled to invoke this Contract; available ben-

keep physical representations of those pacts, called manifes-  tations, as reminders of the promises they made. A mani-

efits include: • +1 Durability; can apply multiple multiple times

themes of one the Regalia Contracts sheflies knows, reinforcing her of connection to whose it: an Arrow always true or makes those whose hearts it pierces betray their true love; a Ring tightens on an oathbreaker’s finger; a Throne shows the changeling those places in her domain in need of her help when she sits upon it.  Wielding a Regalia manifestation brings with it additional benefits beyond the original origin al token’s token’s effects. As A s a representation of her will and the themes defining her power, the changeling may use it to guarantee her safety or survival. A Darkling fills a Chalice with bitter wine and locks it away in a golden cabinet. For the next week, any wounds she suffers seep wine instead of blood, insulating her from harm. Such manifestations can bolster her Clarity, grant her authority over matters involving the Regalia’s themes, and alter how its Contracts Contract s work for her.

• +10 Size; can apply multiple times • Immunity to all natural Environmental Environmental Tilts for walls and interior; supernatural ones provoke a Clash of  Wills • Stocked with enough provisions to provide adequate sustenance to everyone inside • If invoked in the Hedge, the structure created by this Contract also counts as a Hollow ( Changeling, p. 116) with dot rating of half changeling’s Wyrd, rounded down Exceptional Success:  Additional successes are their

festation’s form takes its inspiration both from the concept itself (leadership, luck, protection), and the individual Title calling upon it. The Warrior with a Thousand Scars carries a buckler made from a massive oak tree, for example, while a towering glacier acts as the bulwark before the Hailstone Prince’s icy keep. Both Shields protect the True Fae and their servants. Sometimes, the manifestations the Gentry carry act like tokens, not only representing their power but also behaving as magical tools. The Lost have learned how to manifest their Arcadian Contracts this way as well, as a way of externalizing their power. She imbues tokens or other significant items with w ith the

own reward. 64 64

Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

Manifestations also constitute a point of weakness for the Gentry. The items aren’t simply status symbols — the Good Cousins invest a significant part of themselves in these objects. This shores up their identities and Titles but simultaneously makes them vulnerable. Likewise, while getting one’s hands on a changeling’s manifestation can’t destroy her, it gives the possessor possess or power over her in other ways, such as turning her hidden protection into a vulnerability or making her susceptible to dramaturgic magic  (see p. 68).  Wise changelings go tointo great lengths leng ths to prevent their manifestations from falling enemy hands. Once she’s created a manifestation, the Regalia’s themes seep into the character’s mien. Her mirror-like eyes reflect the  world  worl d around her. her. Hoofbeats sound when she walks. The metallic scent of old coins clings to her. These features don’t break through the Mask, though some changelings choose to adorn themselves in the manifested Regalia’s symbols as well.

New New Merit: Regalia  Manifestation (  • to •••••)  Prerequisite: Token (•••+), minimum two Contracts

from one Regalia (at least one must be Royal)  Your  Yo ur character has invested the power of one Regalia from which she possesses Contracts into a token. It’s both a symbol and an item conferring extra benefits upon its wielder. This Merit must be tied to a Token Merit not shared by a motley. A character may possess a maximum of one dot in this Merit per two Contracts known in that Regalia.  You  Yo u may purchase this Merit multiple times t imes to reflect different Regalia, but you may only have one manifestation for any given Regalia.

Alternative Regalia  Manifestations

Creating Regalia  Manifestations

Less commonly, a changeling invests a Regalia manifestation in another character or an Icon rather than a token.  A changeling may make one from a Touchstone or her her fetch Manifesting a Regalia only happens as a conscious, de- if they embody the chosen Regalia’s themes. Her best friend liberate choice. The Lost imposes her will on the world and acts like a Mirror, reflecting the changeling’s best qualicreates a tangible symbol of her magic and conviction. She ties back at her when self-doubt drags her down. Her fetch creates these items by investing her power in a token holding symbolic or emotional significance related to the Regalia’s themes. She may even imbue im bue a Tou Touchstone chstone or her fetch with this power or conjure a manifestation token from an important eidolon or prop in a dream. The item must represent the chosen Regalia’s theme somehow and must contain a certain threshold of power. She might create an actual object of that type, t ype, such as a coin, sword, or mirror. Perhaps she opts for a more abstract representation: a compass for the Star, a garland of spring flowers for the Crown, a horseshoe for the Steed, or a spindle for the Thorns. The changeling may create a manifestation from a token she already owns ow ns via the Token Token Merit or choose a mundane object with particular emotional or symbolic sig-

embodies theher Shield, heronly family everthesince her Keeper stole away. protecting Doing so not grants changeling the benefits of a Regalia manifestation, but also confers some power upon the character in whom she invests part of her power. If the Lost has sworn a pledge on an Icon   (see p. 79), thus giving it a physical presence outside the Hedge, it can become a Regalia manifestation. Any pledge she’s sworn on it remains intact; breaking it risks losing both the Icon and the manifestation. Finally, a changeling may temporarily invest her power in a mundane object or an important eidolon or prop from a dream. Changelings often do this as an act of desperation, such as a last-ditch effort to save herself from a deadly situ-

nificance turn it into a token using any of the available methods (and Changeling , p. 222) 222). . To create the manifestation once she possesses an appropriate token, the changeling spends time with it, keeps it on her person, and makes it part of her identity by affirming her Needle while using it. A Gargoyle affixes the arrowhead to its shaft as he convinces the Summer Queen to pursue his agenda instead of her court’s. cour t’s. The Fairest Helldiver grins at her reflection in her compact’s mirror before following the Loyalist down the alley; she approaches her revenge with eyeliner as perfect and sharp as her teeth. Though its Mask doesn’t change, the manifestation’s mien transforms to reflect its elevated status. A glass bauble takes on the finely-cut facets of a precious gem. A mirror’s plain wooden frame transforms into one covered in silver filigree. A simple ring becomes a royal seal.

ation or a hastyashow of power in a rival’s Bastion.she Chased by briarwolves, changeling clutches the pendant wears and makes of it a symbol, burying it and marking it with a rune. The briarwolf catches her in the end, but can’t kill her unless it first digs up and destroys the pendant. Manifestations made this way are short-lived, rendered forever mundane when they lose their potency.

Manifestation Systems  A character may only manifest a Regalia from which he knows two or more Contracts, at least one of which must be Royal. To turn a token or oathbound oathb ound Icon into a permanent Regalia manifestation, it must be thematically appropriate for the intended Regalia, and the character must first use the object in an action allowing her to regain Willpower through her Needle a number of times equal to (11 – her  Wyrd) and spend 1 Glamour each time. Finally, she must 65 65

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sacrifice a dot of Willpower to complete the transformation of the object into an effigy linked to her Contracts. It retains  whatever powers or memories it already possessed. posse ssed. To create a temporary manifestation, the changeling chooses a Regalia meeting the above requirements and performs a ritual evoking the Regalia’s themes. This takes one turn (six seconds outside action scenes). scenes). For example, a Beast Bea st cuts his hand and coats the t he blade with his blood to evoke the Sword, or a Wizened collects her own tears in a plastic cup to call upon the Chalice. The player rolls Presence + Wyrd + the number of Contracts the changeling possesses in the chosen Regalia beyond two.

Roll Results Success: The item becomes a temporary manifestation.

It possesses one manifestation power (below) and disintegrates at the end of the scene. When it does, the changeling gains 2 Goblin Debt points. Exceptional Success: The item possesses two manifestation powers instead. Failure: The attempt fails. Dramatic Failure: The item disintegrates immediately and the changeling gains gain s 2 Goblin Debt points, but no man-

• Once per story, spend Glamour up to the character’s character’s  Wyrd rating. For each point spent, the manifestation man ifestation absorbs one point of bashing damage the changeling  would otherwise otherw ise suffer or converts one point of lethal damage to bashing. The effect wears off when the item absorbs or converts its maximum allowance of damage or at the end of the story, whichever comes first. • Once per story, spend 2 Glamour and 1 Willpower. The changeling hides his Regalia manifestation and performs a short, thematically appropriate ritual over the spot where he hides it; this takes an instant action. Though he can still stil l suffer injury or become incapacitated, he cannot die unless the item is destroyed. The effect wears off at the end of the scene in which he activates it. (Doesn’t require having the manifestation on hand.) • The changeling may attempt a ke kenning nning roll with any amount of Clarity damage as long as he currently suffers no Clarity Conditions, but if half or more of his Clarity boxes contain damage he can only see results strongly related to the manifested Regalia.

ifestation benefits.  A changeling may only have one permanent and one temporary manifestation at a time per Regalia.

• The changeling regains a Glamour point whenever whenever he puts himself at personal risk in a manner befitting the manifested Regalia’ Rega lia’ss themes.

Manifestation Powers

• Whenever the changeling hits a target with a physical attack, he may spend 1 Glamour to impose a personal Tilt on them matching the Regalia’s themes in lieu of dealing damage, without taking a dice penalty for a specified target.

Following are example benefits a Regalia manifestation can possess; players and Storytellers may also work together to create new ones. A permanent manifestation has a number of powers equal to its Merit dot rating, and gains another anot her each time the player increases its rating.  While most of the benefits work with any Regalia, Rega lia, the way they work should reflect the chosen Regalia’s themes and motifs just as its Contracts do. For instance, a manifestation of the Shield might absorb damage by literally drawing attacks to itself, it self, while a manifestation of the Coin might cause the absorbed wounds to bleed nickels rather than blood.  A manifestation’ ma nifestation’ss powers function only when the character has it on her person, unless otherwise indicated. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of whether a given action aligns with the manifested Regalia’s themes. Tokens that become Regalia manifestations also retain their original powers, catches, and drawbacks. • Choose one Contract the changeling knows from the manifested Regalia normally requiring an invocation roll. If the changeling pays an additional Glamour to invoke it, the player’s roll for that Contract gains the 9-again quality; 8-again 8 -again if he pays t wo additional additional Glamour; or the rote quality if he pays three. The changeling

• The player gains one one additional success to spend on shifts when making a Hedgespinning roll for an action that thematically aligns with the t he manifested Regalia. • (Touchstone manifestation only )  Once per story, heal mild Clarity damage up to the Merit’s rating by targeting the Touchstone with a beneficial Contract of the manifested Regalia or using one for their benefit or on their behalf. • (Touchstone manifestation only ) The changeling al ways knows when the Touchstone is in danger, and a nd his player adds the manifestation manifest ation Merit’s Merit’s rating in bobo nus dice to rolls defending the Touchstone. • (Fetch manifestation only )  The changeling invests more than just his Contracts’ power in his fetch, who gains one additional Echo that aligns with the manifested Regalia as long as it remains a manifestation. (The fetch doesn’t doesn’t need to be nearby.)

may change the chosen Contract once per story.

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• (Fetch manifestation only ) The changeling can spend 1 Glamour and share its senses for minutes equal to the manifestation’s Merit rating, perceiving everything the fetch can as well as his own surroundings; he can’t end this effect early. Any action requiring focus or undivided attention suffers a −2 dice penalty  while doing so. (The fetch doesn’t doesn’t need need to be nearby.)

Drawbacks  A changeling displaying his power so boldly draws attention from those in the know. Choose one of the drawbacks below when creating a manifestation. Whenever the character uses one of its powers, she suffers the drawback. • Anyone searching for the character enjoys a +2 on rolls to find him for the scene. • The character gains an additional minor frailty frailt y for the chapter. • The changeling suffers a Condi Condition tion appropriate to their Regalia’s themes, chosen by the Storyteller • One of the player’s player’s rolls of the Storyteller’s Story teller’s choice becomes a dramatic failure within the next full chapter. • Whenever the changeling participates in a H Hedge edge navigation chase for the next scene, the Hedge itself always has the Edge.

Nothing Without Risk Possessing a Regalia manifestation comes with its share of risks in addition to their individual drawbacks. Some manifestations act as beacons to Huntsmen in the Hedge  whose liege’s liege’s Title resonates with the manifested Regalia. Privateers or goblins may steal the items and sell them for profit or use them as tools to capture their owners. BridgeBurners or overly cautious freeholds set on destroying a Regalia want to eliminate every last trace of its power, and may not care who they harm in the process. Changelings don’t need to keep a physical representation of their Regalia the way the Gentry must; they may choose to do so. The Wyrd views the effort the Lost puts into physically manifesting her Regalia as a pact-in-miniature, binding her more tightly to its concept.  When a True True Fae made its ancient bargain with a powerpowerful entity, the promises and powers attached themselves to — or possibly became — one of the Kindly One’s myriad Titles. Destroying a Title’s Regalia manifestation weakens the t he Title, and controlling one might help force the Fae to break its  word. This may m ay destroy the t he Title, but not the t he Name behind it; though the loss still constitutes a devastating blow, the Gentry loses only a portion of itself. Those Lost who similarly invest deeply in their Regalia only have a single self to risk. Thus, controlling a change-

Proceed With Care Though some aspect of the Keepers’ power over the Lost is always at the heart of the characters’ stories, please keep in mind that abusers in the real world often threaten people or objects meaningful to their victims to control them. Be mindful of the way pursuing a storyline likecommunicate this might affect at your table and withplayers them before doing so. Refer to p. 138 of this book and p. 302-304 of Changeling  for advice on keeping your game a safe experience for fo r your players.

ling’s manifestation gives the bearer power over her, and harming it may hurt or weaken her.

Systems  Anyone who gets their hands on a changeling’s manifestation may attempt to steal control of it, whether to gain its benefits, weaken its creator, or both. With the t he token in their possession, the usurper swears an oath upon it, prompting a Clash of Wills. (See p. 72 for expanded oath types.) If the oath succeeds, the Wyrd witnesses the change in the manifestation’s ownership. It symbolism acts oddly: reflections in the mirror move a heartbeat behind reality, flaws appear in the heart of a jewel, a porcelain cup develops cracks. Even so, the Wyrd remembers. The Lost maintains her connection to the token for the rest of the story and can regain control over it if she proves her dedication via a series of difficult, thematic tasks task s equal to the manifestation’ ma nifestation’ss Merit rating, chosen by the Storyteller. Story teller. Example feats include chasing her enemy through a mirror-maze in their dreams and catching them, correctly guessing the names of 100 stars along the Wishing Roads, or usurping control of an organization or hierarchy to which she doesn’t belong. She has until the end of the current story to perform the deeds. The original creator loses the manifestation’s benefits  while someone else possesses possesse s it, but its drawback remains in effect for the rest of the story or until she wins her token back, whichever comes first. Sanctity of Merits applies as usual to the manifestation’s Merit. If the changeling manifested her Regalia in an Icon and loses it to a rival, he also al so suffers the Icon Shard Condition Condition (p.  (p.   80) 80).. Additionally, his enemy gains the Informed Condition about him. By their nature, other fae creatures can’t make oaths  with a Touchstone. However, a rival Lost who swears an oath with a character’s detached Touchstone can engage in a Clash of Wills to win them away. If the changeling loses, his relationship with the Touchstone sours. He can’t heal 67 67

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Clarity damage by spending time with the person, nor can he reattach them as his Touchstone until he performs the deeds. Upon losing the Clash of Wills, the changeling suffers the Demoralized Condition. Investing Regalia into one’s fetch essentially replaces  your name in a binding contract with your fae-fashioned twin’s. When a rival swears an oath with the fetch and wins the Clash of Wills, the character charact er suffers an immediate breaking point with a +3 modifier. The changeling also suffers the

out the violent symbolism in a bloodied weapon, soaked into its steel through so many cruel performances. Those Lost who delve most deeply into this art for its own sake are dramaturg-  es, particularly talented in exploiting it. Such exploitation comes with risks. Clarity suffers when a changeling dramaturgically cowls himself as others so often that he loses track t rack of his own self, or begins to see objects object s only in terms of the meanings and connections they have acquired. Worse still, when a dramaturge pushes the Wyrd

Oathbreaker Condition. Losing control of her Regalia manifestation also opens the changeling up to dramaturgical attacks (see p. 68).  While contact with w ith iron obliterates regular regu lar tokens, hardier Regalia manifestations require prolonged contact to destroy — a story for one- and two-dot manifestations, manifest ations, a chapter for all others. Additionally, at 3+ dots, the changeling who created the item must also act against his Regalia in some  way, either either by breaking an oath or going significantly against his Needle.

too far, it punishes such duplicity, levying a harsh tax on the one arrogant enough to try to deceive it.

DRAMATURGY  A Huntsman peers into the iridescent glass of an Icon, and in it sees brief flashes of his Lost prey. A changeling drapes herself in magnificent golden jewelry as she calls down the wrath of Helios, using the guise of the sun to convince the Wyrd woman and star are one and the same. A hobgoblin peddler weaves the lock of hair for which they bartered into a new  promise, forging a crude Contract that thrums  with hirsute potential. The magic of the fae often rests upon such binding threads and subtle connections, deals sealed  with statements st atements of identity that t hat anchor the Wyrd’s balance. The Lost call this sympathetic power dramaturgy . Dramaturgy is the magic of transference and correspondence. It’s in the warp and weft of the Wyrd, tracing the threads of pledges and bargains back to their root or tampering with the tapestry’s bigger picture. It’s the force that keeps account of identity and qualities. Through dra-

Flower Chains  and Masquerades  All change changelings lings are familiar familiar with several several basic basic forms forms of dramaturgy, although they don’t necessarily conceive of them as such. Most of the Lost rarely distinguish between dramaturgy and the Wyrd’s greater balance, and dramaturges are loathe to divulge their secrets for fear of such tricks being used against them in turn. Nonetheless, sympathetic magic plays an important part in Contract Loopholes, Icons, and the creation of fetches. All three manifest through the usurpation of identity and the pretense of a particular role, preparing the stage just right to convince the Wyrd one thing is, in fact, another. Loopholes, the collection of tricks and knacks used to pull off Contracts without paying their dues, appease the Contract’s patron through dramaturgical mimicry. Presenting the props or acting out the role role associated with the Loop Loop-hole briefly aligns the changeling with the force at work on the Wyrd’s scales, and for that moment, the Wyrd sees the changeling as indistinguishable from the effects she invokes. Thus, she needs pay no toll of Glamour, for the persona she dons inherently holds the right r ight to wield such power. This form of dramaturgy is limited because the changeling must work through props or actions sharing a general quality with the Contract but lacking a true connection to the patron’s identity. Some stories persist, though, of Lost

manage to get their hands on treasures belonging to the maturgy, Brianna’s fingernail clippings are more than just  who discarded bodily waste. They’re Brianna , and they’re sharp  great powers behind these Contracts, maintaining the lie to and claws and scrabbling for purchase and clinging so tight the draw on nearly limitless magic or opening surprising new skin breaks and blood flows and she’ll never let go of Maggie no Loopholes with unpredictable effects. matter what. They’ve absorbed the changeling’s identity, her  An Icon — literally a piece of a changeling’s identity torn desperation, and her perceptions of both. And that? That away from her body — makes a potent example of dramahas a power all its own. turgy. The Icon expresses a dramaturgical manifestation of To mortals, dramaturgy is the examination of dramatic this lost bit of soul via its sympathetic form, and it presents composition, compositi on, the means by which a play turns turn s from mere words a terrible vulnerability through the lingering connection. As t o track a changeinto a profound experience acted out upon the stage. Change-  well as pursuers who might use an Icon to lings see it similarly, but but with magic as the performance, sympa- ling down, dramaturges prize these scraps of selfhood as thetic threads as the props the actors use, and the Wyrd itself the most powerful kind of prop for working their mimicry 83)  as the audience the changeling must convince to suspend its magic. Icons also pose a temptation for kithless Lost (p. 83)  desperate to mend the hole in their own identities. disbelief, if just for a little while. The magical arts drawing on dramaturgy lean heavily into trickery, mimicry, and false faces. Only the the dramaturgical of creatThrough dramaturgy, a changeling might convince the Wyrd ing fetches, butGentry those practice terrible masters do so with art casual ease that she is, in fact, her hated enemy. A hobgoblin might draw belying the sheer power involved in the act. A fetch represents

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perhaps the purest manifestation of such sympathetic magic,  which hobgoblins weave new Contracts, fashion Hedge not merely establishing a role in the play but creating the actor knick-knacks, and follow through on their deals with wonperforming it from whole cloth, a shadow woven into person- drous acts of service. The Wyrd shuffles the beads of Goblin hood through the sympathy of the victim’s memories. Debt back and forth upon its occult abacus, but the means  Another  Anoth er piece piece of dramaturgy dramaturgy wielde wielded d by the True True Fae via via by which hobgoblins accrue debt in the first place derives innate talent is the creation of baubles (Oak, Ash, and Thorn, from the dramaturgy inherent to their liminal state. p. 51). Each bauble forms from a little piece of a dream a Gentry  While changelings practice dramaturgical dra maturgical arts of trickt rickstole from a sleeping mind, valuable for the way it blurs the lines ery and deception, hobgoblins possess an innate capacity to between reality and oneiromancy. That potential comes from draw upon the transference of qualities enabled by sympathe dramaturgical threads still connecting the dream-stuff to thetic magic. A cackling trader, all hair and gnarled joints, the victim; the lingering sympathy leaves the dreamer particu-  values the loose tooth he just bought from a mortal as much larly sensitive and vulnerable to its effects. because of what it represents  — the pain and discontent of deep-set toothache, the crack and crunch of things breaking New New Changeling Merit:  between jaws, or the envy behind the punch that knocked Dramaturge (  •••)  the tooth loose — in addition to the link it holds to the fleshPrerequisites:  Wits •••, Expression •••, Subterfuge and-blood person who sealed the deal. He can use   those qualities as their own currency when he makes the miracu••• lous happen. Effects:  Your character is a practiced dramaturge and  With such a tooth, a hobgoblin might m ight scrape together mistress of loopholes. When she fulfills the Loophole of a enough dramaturgy to t trade rade perfect dental health to another Contract while in possession of an object with strong dramaturgy thematic to that Contract’s specific purpose (Brianna’s mortal, plant the tooth in the Hedge and hurry its transforfingernails for Thorns and Brambles, for example), she can mation into a nasty little trinket or use it to pay his debts for either apply one additional seeming benefit she does not al- the time he had nothing at all to eat and had to barter for ready possess or change the Contract’s invocation to reflexive without spending additional Glamour. One can only pull the wool over the Wyrd’s eyes so many times; an item loses all dramaturgical connections to any Contract after three uses for a Common Contract, or one use for a Royal one.  An Icon used this way allows a llows the changeling to apply both bot h additional effects at once, but after a single use, the Icon is destroyed.  You  Yo u also gain 9-again 9-a gain on rolls to perform a galoshin (p.  (p.  70).

sustenance. traded to an elegant might serve Atowedding create a ring Goblin Contract or tokengrotesque dealing  with matters mat ters of love or romance. The Hedge merchant who buys old clocks and watches possesses the necessary necessa ry elements to forge a Contract manipulating time, or to give g ive a desperate petitioner the stolen hours they need to do a week’s work in but a day. Even the way the hobgoblin acquires such a prop influences its potential uses. A gift given freely could well be used to escape some binding pledge or fetters, while a trinket stolen overflows with the symbolism of larceny and cunning. Shrewd bargaining over a petty trinket etches that negotiation’s intenNe New w Changeling Merit:  sity into the prop, and thus a hobgoblin easily accrues the Understudy (  •••)  little treasures needed to fuel deals for fortune and wealth. Prerequisites: Dramaturge Merit, Expression ••••  Anything given to a hobgoblin to pay off Goblin Debt holds Effects:  Your character weaves dramaturgical threads all the more worth for him when he pays to pay his own debts. between herself and another, allowing the two to symbolically switch places. As an instant action, she can don or Systems brandish an item dramaturgically representative of a changeMuch of how hobgoblins use dramaturgy lies below the ling present in the scene or whose Icon she possesses. For abstraction layer of game mechanics. There’s no hard list of the remainder of the scene, if she or her counterpart would exactly how many well-worn soles and hammers a hobgoblin meet the Loophole criteria of a particular Contract, the oth- must gather to fill a cobbler’s shop with fine new shoes overer character also meets them, t hem, even if the first does not invoke night, or just how potent a Goblin Contract of perception or even possess the Contract in question. If her counterpart one could create with a dripping, fresh eyeball donated voluses a Contract via Loophole, the dramaturge may copy any untarily by a desperate customer. These are narrative decieffects only targeting the Contract’s user onto herself as well. sions for the Storyteller to make. The link lasts until the end of the scene, or until the drama A hobgoblin can use an acquisition with dramat urgical turge chooses a new counterpart. significance to hasten and control the creation of a token. Rather than needing to leave the item in the Hedge, the

 

 

The principle of dramaturgy underpins goblin magic, Trade and Favor encompassing the witchcraft and conjurations through

hobgoblin can keep the token-in-the-making with him and turn it into a token of any rating he chooses. The process this requires varies from goblin to goblin. One may drop

Dramaturgy

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the token into a bubbling cauldron and work an incantation incantat ion over it, while another stabs a stolen tooth in among his own gnarled fangs and ‘feeds’ it the taste of strange delicacies. This takes at least one full chapter, but some hobgoblins (and some tokens) need more time depending on the nature of the process. Furthermore, the hobgoblin can directly determine the main power of the resulting token, although not the catch or drawback. However, this enhanced form of token

 A galoshin’ galoshin’s performance performance must take place place in the liminal space of the Hedge. A galoshin always has ha s one specific purpose, and the changeling must weave her purpose into the persona she dons like a mask during the portrayal. Trying to create a galoshin allowing her to both toy with her Goblin Debts and  break her oaths pushes the facade too far, and it falls apart. apart .  A dramaturge dramat urge always needs fae accomplices to perform a galoshin. Those touched t ouched by the Wyrd serve as the t he audience stand-ins and the larger la rger the audience, the more powerful the

creation only  results in powers directly relating to the dramaturgical qualities of the prop. A hobgoblin could turn a bartered wedding ring into a token of love or loyalty — or, if the changeling who handed it over had a broken marriage, of jealousy or betrayal bet rayal — but he couldn’t turn it into a tool of battle or elemental energy. Likewise, hobgoblins need  dramaturgy to create new Goblin Contracts. A hobgoblin cannot spin a new Contract out of nothing; he requires the latent symbolism imbued in something via sympathy. This is unlikely to be the cost the hobgoblin attaches to the Contract itself. More probably, he draws upon whatever trove of meaningful treasures he already possesses and adds whatever the changeling pays to his cache for future use. A hobgoblin bereft of all posses-

dramaturgy. These witnessing fae become complicit in the falsehood, playing their own role by firmly pronouncing they see the truth. This forms a flaw in every galoshin; if pulled, that thread unravels everything. If any of the audience at any point admit they saw a galoshin, not reality, it immediately comes undone. Many changelings view the practice of galoshins with suspicion at best, if not outright hostility. This magical identity theft often scapegoats a victim. Too many stories tell of one of the Lost who stole the Icon of another to mislead a harrying Huntsman, leading to tragic consequences for the hapless mark. Changelings can also perform this kind of dramaturgy with more altruistic aims, placing themselves in harm’s way when the Wyrd’s debts come due by donning the

sions and debts due ability has notocapacity create new Goblin Contracts and little performtomarvels beyond his Dread Powers.

mantle the onetothey wish protect and becoming them just longofenough suffer thetodisplaced consequences.

Galoshins  A panicked changeling, desperate to throw a Huntsman Huntsman off her trail, performs a charivari in a motley-mate’s coat, betraying her friend to save her own skin. A clever infiltrator hunches his shoulders and ostentatiously jangles the keys he’s stolen from a True Fae’s goblin jailer; the action forces the Wyrd to see him as that loyal hobgoblin and he successfully crosses a warded boundary. A conman switches stolen masks in a mimicry of bian lian, working a scheme to shift his onerous Goblin Debt onto an unwitting victim. The Lost know these feats as galoshins, stealing another’s identity in the most notorious form of dramaturgy.  A galoshin is a dramaturgical dramaturgical performance performance to deceive deceive the  Wyrd, but that’s all it does. It doesn’t alter the changeling’s appearance or convince a hobgoblin who can see her that she is, in fact, someone else entirely. Nothing stops a changeling from supplementing a galoshin with costumes, props, or other magic, but the crucial effect of a galoshin rests in befuddling fae sorcery and the magic of pledges. As far as the Wyrd can tell, the changeling performing a galoshin becomes, ever so briefly, the person she pretends to be. Undertaking a galoshin first demands a sympathetic link to the intended dupe. The changeling needs a prop  with dramaturgical dramaturgica l symbolism, whether a vial of blood, used handkerchief, or the lingering touch immediately following a kiss on her own lips. Garments make highly effective tools for this ritual mummery, the more concealing the better.

Systems To perform a galoshin, a changeling needs a dramaturgical link to the target via a personally significant possession, bodily material, or recent meaningful contact in either the current scene or the immediately preceding one. The changeling chooses a Persona from the list below, and must gather at least three fae beings — i.e., any creature who possesses a Wyrd trait other than fae-touched — to witness the portrayal. This audience doesn’t necessarily need to know they’re enabling a galoshin specifically as long as they never acknowledge the falsity of the guise the changeling assumes, but the nature of activating it makes it obvious to anyone  who knows what a galoshin galo shin is in the first place. The changeling weaves and performs a scene, placing herself in the target’s t arget’s role and acting out what she intends to do in either literal or exaggerated fashion. Galoshins commonly appear caricatured or parodying, performed as a dramatic tale of the results the Lost wishes to achieve rather than a realistic rendition of what is to come.  Attempts to interfere with the galoshin via Contracts Contracts or other magic prompt a Clash of Wills. Should a dramaturge utilize a galoshin in an effort to steal the identity of the same character more than once in a chapter, the target gains the 8-again quality on subsequent Clash rolls. The dramaturge’s player may accept caveats that cause the Persona to drop if breached to add dice to the roll. The player and Storyteller can work together to come up with others if the example caveats below do not fit the current story.

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Galoshin Circumstantial Modifiers CIRCUMSTANCE Prop is the target’s Icon Prop is a cloak, coat, ma mask, or ot other de deliberately co concealing ga garment Audience of 15 or more Audience includes a True Fae or one of their agents

Prop is par ticularly symbolic for the intended Persona Audience of five or more Prop is fleeting, such as a recent kiss Changeling does not have a proper stage Audience of only three Changeling suf fers the Oathbreaker Condition • +1 die: cchangeling hangeling cannot enter the target’s target’s presence  while the Persona is active • +1 die: changeling m must ust loudly recite recite a catchphrase the target uses often at least once per scene while the Persona is active • +2 dice: changeling must remain in-character in-character while the Persona is active • +3 dice: changeling cannot leave the target’s target’s presence  while the Persona is active The changeling may also subtract five dice from the roll to extend ext end the galoshin’s duration to one chapter.  Any changeling can perform per form a galoshin, ga loshin, but those tho se who possess the Dramaturge Merit   (p. (p. 69) enjoy the 9-again quality on rolls to do so.  Attempting a galoshin is always a breaking point against Clarity with a pool of three dice. Dice Pool: Manipulation + Expression + Wyrd vs. Composure + Wyrd. Cost: 5 Glamour  Action: Instant (takes half an hour) Duration: One scene or one chapter

Roll Result Success: The changeling successfully takes on the cho-

M OD I F I E R +3 +2 +2 +2

+1 +1 −2 −2 −2 −3

Failure: The galoshin fails, and the changeling suffers

the Dissociation Dissociat ion Condition. Dramatic Failure: As failure, and the changeling gains four Goblin Debt points for trying to cheat the Wyrd, which  will likely spend the points immediately for a punishing Condition or Tilt. Once a Persona sits firmly in place, the changeling relies on the audience to maintain the facade. If any audience member admits out loud to witnessing deception anytime during the galoshin’s duration, or anything even implying in any way the changeling isn’t the target, the Persona immediately drops even if the speaker stands on another continent or in another realm from the dramaturge. A galoshin’s galoshin’s target never counts as a witness, even if present during the performance. If the Persona drops for any reason other than reaching the end of the galoshin’s duration, the dramaturge suffers the Dissociation Condition, and the player rolls the changeling’s Resolve + Composure. Failure causes her personality’s fracturing splinters to catch thememory’s Hedge, where a Wyrd 1 hedge ghost out ofinher shredsthey andform tatters; dramatic failure creates a Wyrd 3 Hedge Ghost instead. This patchwork specter believes it is (or needs to be) the dramaturge, eagerly spilling any secrets inherited by its tattered memory to anyone willing to listen.

Galoshin Personas

The changeling chooses one of the following Personas sen Persona for the galoshin’s duration. The changeling suf when she activates a galoshin: fers the Notoriety Condition when the effect ends; even the False-Swear:   The dramaturge can break an oath to finest dramaturge cannot entirely dupe the Wyrd, and it  which she and the target are both parties, and the target strains to find some way of balancing the books even if it’s suffers the consequences instead for as long as the Persona not quite certain what she’s done done wrong. remains. As soon as it ends, the consequences snap back Exceptional Success:  The changeling’s performance afresh on the dramaturge. Alternatively, if the target was convinces each so deeply, they must  Willpower pointwitness if wishing to acknowledge theeach ruse’spend ruse’s s falsity.a present during the galoshin’s performance, the dramaturge may swear a new oath in the target’s name while the Persona

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is active. If she does the latter, her actions do not count as the target’s for breaking that oath; instead, the oath immediately applies to the target from the moment she swears it. The target doesn’t immediately know all the terms of this oath, but witnessing the performance clues them in to at least the basics, since it describes the intent. If this Persona drops for any reason other than completion of its purpose, the new oath becomes null and void. Prey-Me-Not: This Persona can only be invoked if the changeling uses the target’s Icon as a dramaturgical prop. The Wyrd directs any attempts to supernaturally track or hunt down the changeling onto the target instead — even if the pursuer has the changeling’s own Icon. A Huntsman using Kindred Spirits to gain insight into the dramaturge receives information on the galoshin target instead, and if he attempts to steal Glamour from the changeling via Hungry Heart, it instead drains power from the galoshin target. The target immediately becomes aware of the changeling’s identity and the Persona’s effect upon activation, and that the perpetrator used their Icon to do it. Scapegoat: Any penalties or effects the target would suffer due to breaking pledges, or the Storyteller Storyt eller spending Goblin Debt, instead applies to the dramaturge. For all intents is the and purposes to coming such matters, theservitude dramaturge target, a nd so arelating and True True Fae to claim ser vitude from her  victim due to him having transgressed tra nsgressed against aga inst an agreement must  take the Scapegoat instead. Even when this galoshin benefits the target, they must still contest the activation roll, as they instinctively resist surrendering their identity. Swindle-Tongue:   Whenever the dramaturge acquires any Goblin Debt, it shunts onto the target instead. This can   never raise the target’s Goblin Debt above 9. If it raises their Debt to 9, the next time the target interacts with any of their hobgoblin creditors, both indebted and creditor immediately become aware of the target’s precarious position.  W  Watch-Me-Not: atch-Me-Not: For the duration of the galoshin, the dramaturge becomes the target for the purposes of fae magic intended to detect intruders or present obstacles. A door ensorcelled to open only for the target unseals for the dramaturge. Targeting the master of the grounds with WatchMe-Not permits a dramaturge to pass through the master’s gate without incident, never tripping the bell intended to rouse his briarwolf guards. If the dramaturge trips a Hollow’s magical defenses that whisper the names of intruders to its owner, the magic whispers the target’s name instead.

EXPANDED  P LE  LEDG DGEC ECRAFT RAFT  While changelings most commonly enact sealings, oaths, and bargains bargain s to enforce their societal bonds, the Wyrd is capable of enforcing any kind of agreement or declaration. Sometimes pledges even take more concrete forms. This section provides more information and options for pledgecraft.

Example Oaths These examples demonstrate the kinds of personal and hostile oaths changelings make with one another and systems to go along with them; for examples of motley oaths, see p. 126. 126. The example names here serve simply as indications of the oath’s purpose, rather than codified terms the changelings themselves necessarily use (although some might). Oaths based on one of these may vary in terms and mechanics depending on the changelings involved and circumstances surrounding its swearing. Use these examples as basic starting points to create your own, specific to your game and its characters.  Any oath can involve any number of participants unless otherwise indicated.  When designing oaths, keep in mind: exact verbiage matters less than the intention behind the words. The Wyrd recognizes and enforces the spirit of the oath as understood by its participants.

Oath of Friendship Changelings swear this personal promise to support each other regardless of circumstance. Terms:  Your are myand concerns. Your needs are my needs. You areconcerns my true friend, I will w ill be there for you from now until the end of my days. Beat: The changeling abandons a task important to her in order to fulfill an obligation to her friend.  Willpower: The changeling sacrifices her own safety or  wellbeing to ensure the safet y and wellbeing of her friend. Benefit: Once per scene, when a participant invokes a Contract targeting herself, she can extend its benefits to her oathsworn friend at no additional cost. Consequences: A changeling who breaks this oath suffers a −2 when invoking Contracts affecting only herself for the rest of the chronicle. Breaking this oath often leads to friends becoming hated enemies, and might lead to an Oath

of Nemesis or Exile. At minimum, the friendship ends and the changeling gains the Oathbreaker Condition as normal.

Oath of True Love   Lovers often swear this oath as a formal proclamation of marriage, though multitudinous other uses exist, and even declared marriages take all forms. Terms: You are my sun, my stars, and my moon. My love for you overflows and I could not bear a life without you. I  would rather die than see you harmed and would rather suffer torture than betray our love. Beat:  The changeling confesses a secret to her lover  which endangers someone else she cares about.  Willpower: The changeling acts in her lover’s best interests regardless of the harm this inflicts on her or someone  who depends on her.

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Benefit: Participants can always find each other, regardless

of the distance between them or whether they’re even in the same realm. This doesn’t affect the time or ordeals required to get there, but they can perfectly track one another without a roll. Consequences:  All participants present suffer a −3 to all Social rolls when the oathbreaker is in the same room or general vicinity as any other participant, regardless of who broke the oath. Such heartbreak inevitably leads to bitterness or sorrow. Ex-lovers may do everything in their power to spite the other, causing unending setbacks and upset, or may sink into deep melancholy and express their shattered feelings dramatically.

Oath of Nemesis The changelings agree they cannot settle their vast differences with words alone, and instead choose to fight to the death under the specific terms of this hostile oath. Terms: Your life is forfeit, and I will do everything in my power to end it as soon as possible, or die trying. Beat: The changeling’s enemy wounds him or inflicts a Tilt in combat.  Willpower: The changeling inflicts aggravated damage greater than his enemy’s Stamina on them in one hit, or delivers a killing blow to them. Consequences:  Breaking this oath means abandoning the attempt to kill the other participants for more than one full chapter, or taking actions rendering the killing much more difficult (such as swearing another oath not to harm them, or traveling to another country). When a participant breaks an Oath of Nemesis, she suffers the Cowed Condition whenever she perceives, interacts with or is in the presence of any other participant. These changes of heart usually usual ly only affect only one nem nem-esis, who usually lays down her life when she breaks this oath. Occasionally, all participants accept the title of oathbreaker to prevent a needless loss of life.

Oath of Exile

Changelings swear this oath as a lesser form of hostility. They agree on their mutual hatred but do not wish to fight to the death, choosing instead to exile one another from their lives. Terms: You are no more to me than a mote of dust or a bothersome insect to brush away with ill regard and disdain. I promise not to seek you out, and if our paths cross, to immediately flee or make it so unbearable as to force disengagement. Beat: The changeling crosses path with her enemy, who causes a setback set back for her.  Willpower: The changeling causes a major setback for her enemy. Consequences:  Should one or both parties break the oath, at least once per scene thereafter spent by the partici-

pants in each other’s company, some mild but alarming, humiliating, or highly inconvenient misfortune befalls them all, no matter how improbable. Perhaps they all drop their mobile phones into the sewer or end up obliged to dress up as clowns for a child’s birthday party and suffer pies to the face. Changelings often break this oath when a situation forces them to work together, like protecting the freehold or some other greater good. Sometimes they find the reasons for their enmity no longer valid and break the oath deliberately. Rarely does only one participant break this oath; usually, all parties break it simultaneously, or one pesters the others until all break the oath in quick succession.

Touchstones  as Pledges  A changeling shares a special bond with his Touchstone, his island in the rocky waters of fae life. This level of reliance and vulnerability creates a type of pledge between the changeling and his Touchstone, albeit one the Touchstone may have no idea they’re part of and can never fully understand. The Wyrd recognizes the give and take of a Touchstone relationship and encourages each party part y to honor their role in it. Bargains between a changeling and his mortal Touchstone reinforce their importance to each other. When the changeling makes a bargain with w ith his Touchstone, the TouchTouchstone’s attachment on his Clarity track moves rightward up to two steps until the Obliged Condition resolves, at which point it returns to its original spot. If another Touchstone takes up the original spot, this shifts the second Touchstone one box to the left, which also a lso pushes any other Touchstones Touchstones beyond it leftward. An enchanted (p. 77) Touchstone gains +2 to resist breaking points resulting from exposure to the supernatural.  A changeling’s bond with her Touchstone grants a modicum of protection against fae meddling. No other fae creature can enter a bargain with a changeling’s attached Touchstone. If another fae creature swears a bargain with a changeling’s Touchstone Touchstone while it’s detached, reatt aching the Touchstone does nothing to negate that bargain. The importance of a Touchstone in the changeling’s emotional life permits her to swear a vow (p. 78) upon them. She takes a risk when doing so, as if she breaks the vow, she loses the Touchstone completely. The Wyrd conspires to take them out of her life one way or another, and if they remain alive, she can’t make them a Touchstone ever again. Swearing a vow upon a Touchstone makes them count as an oath-forged token as well, granting an additional benefit: Once per chapter, when the changeling takes a risky or dangerous action in service to fulfilling her vow, she clears one point of damage from Clarity track as though she spent meaningfull time with her Touchstone in addition to gaining meaningfu a Beat.

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New Ne w Pledge Types  A changeling’s life revolves around promises, pledges, and deals. While Changeling starting on  p. 209 presents the most common types of pledges, the Lost swear many  varieties of oath. Pledges take different forms: in some circumstances, choosing the agreement type poses merely a semantical matter, in others, it determines the cost those involved pay. Changelings may make all these additional types of pledges.

Curses and Hexes These pledges fall into their own category of antagonism separate from hostile oaths. When a changeling wishes to create inconvenience, pain, and suffering for her enemy, she curses or hexes them. While a hex or curse may lead to a declaration of war between two parties, a this alone doesn’t constitute such, merely a willful act by one changeling to make the other’s a living hell. The Wyrd recognizes curses and hexes as two similar  yet separate sepa rate t ypes of pledges, but changelings often use u se the t he  words interchangeably. Few consider the difference when calling down consequences in a moment of rage, but hexes cause brief, minor inconveniences, inconveniences, while curse cursess create major burdens sometimes lasting a lifetime.

Benefits The changeling herself gains no supernatural benefit from curses or hexes, only the t he reward of making her enemies suffer.

Consequences  All hexes contain an action the hexed character can take that triggers the hex’s effects and ends it: either an action the changeling wishes to forbid that activates the hex  when undertaken, or a loophole in the pledge the victim exploits to free themselves from the hex. For instance, the changeling may forbid the victim from visiting a certain place or talking to a certain person; doing so anyway triggers the hex’s effects. Conversely, the victim may suffer the effects until they perform a relevant action. Curses come with similar stipulations, but the changeling herself must sustain its effects by either maintaining a certain circumstance or avoiding a particular action. The  Wyrd keeps the books balanced by providing a loophole here, as well; the victim can always bring about the curse’s end by some clever action. If the changeling really screws up, she sometimes ends up cursing herself instead.

Systems  A hex inflicts the Hexed Condition upon the victim.  When the changeling makes the pledge, she must spend 1 Glamour the terms,They which thenot victim must beknow able to perceiveand andstate understand. need necessarily exactly how to interpret  them, though; the changeling can

play with wording to mislead them and hope they miss her misdirection and can’t call her out. The Hexed Condition cannot become Persistent; the action which resolves it must be possible for the victim to accomplish within a single story. For example, a changeling hexes one victim with blindness until he returns something he stole from the changeling, while another victim suffers no ill effects until he speaks to the Monarch of Morning. Conversely, the Cursed Condition is always Persistent. Its Beat criteria revolve around making the victim’s life hell; its resolution requires the changeling to keep up a particular routine or situation the victim could disrupt. For example, a victim cursed to suffer terrible nightmares whenever they sleep grants their player a Beat whenever the fears or disturbed sleep cause setbacks for them. The curse ends when the changeling stops sacrificing one child per day to a greedy hobgoblin — the victim can rescue one of the children or stop the changeling and goblin from meeting on just one day. A curse always ends immediately upon the changeling’s death, even if the required circumstance persists posthumously. Examples of effects the changeling can inflict via hex or curse include: • The victim must spend an additional Glamour Glamour when invoking any fae power. p ower. • The victim can’t can’t regain Willpower by sleeping. sleeping. • All failed rolls the victim’s victim’s player makes ffor or a specific type of action become dramatic failures; the changeling’s player declares the cursed action at the time of the pledge, it must be narrower than a Specialty. Examples include making melee attacks against mortals, attempting att empting to open Doors in Social maneuvering against a specific person, or investigating a particular kind of crime. • The victim suffers a minor minor (hex) or or major (curse) frailty currently also suffered by the changeling; if they already suffer one or more frailties, this simply adds another. • The victim suffers a Personal Tilt constantly for the duration which doesn’t become a Condition in nonaction scenes, only affecting them when relevant.

HEXED HEXED  A spiteful changeling has temporarily inconvenienced inconvenienced  your character. If the changeling forbids the action required to end the hex, this Condition does nothing until your character takes that action and resolves it. The consequences last for one chapter thereafter.

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If the changeling sets a quest as the required action  which breaks break s the hex, your character ch aracter suffers suffer s its effects until the quest’s completion.  As a pledge, the Wyrd Wyrd itself negotiates the hex, not with the victim. If the changeling sabotages her own hex, for example by accidentally or deliberately enabling your character to break it, they suffer a detrimental temporary tempora ry Condition of the Storyteller’s Stor yteller’s choice.  A character ch aracter may only h have ave one instance of Hexed at a time. Resolution: Your character takes the action the changeling specified when she placed the hex.

CURSED (PERSISTENT) CURSED (PERSISTENT  A vengeful changeling has burdened your character  with a curse, which only resolves when the changeling either stops maintaining a particular routine or performs a particular action. If your character brings about the changeling’s failure to maintain the curse, directly or indirectly, gain an additional Beat when this thi s Condition resolves. If the changeling’s player dramatically fails on a roll directly related to attempts to maintain the curse, the changeling  suffers   suffers this Condition  with all the criteria and caveats c aveats of the t he original, orig inal, where they t hey make sense. If they don’t — for instance, if the t he ill effects effect s don’t don’t apply to changelings — then the Storyteller assigns assign s applicable consequences as close as possible to the curse’s original intent.  A character may only have one instance in stance of Cursed at a time. Beat: Your character suffers a significant setback directly due to the curse. Resolution:  The changeling fails to maintain the required state of affairs or perform the specific action as defined when she places the curse.

Feuds  When two changelings changel ings cannot get along with one ana nother to the point of enmity, they swear a hostile oath to settle their conflict. Hostilities which spread beyond two individuals with irrevocable differences escalate into a feud. Like any other hostile oath, a feud oath declares enmity between two or more sides of the disagreement. A hostile oath which expands to encompass a group — a motley, freehold, or court, for example — becomes a feud and must be sworn anew. Often, one changeling speaking for each side swears the oath, though sometimes all members of two feuding motleys swear it in unison.  A feuding group doesn’t need to be previously previou sly oathsworn; a feud oath counts as both hostile and societal oath at once. When one member speaks for a group, they

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don’t need the group’s permission if a societal oath binds that changeling to the group; by default, that oath grants them the right to swear more on the t he group’s group’s behalf. Acting against the oath in protest after the fact without having agreed to its terms still constitutes a breach. If no previous oath binds the group, such as a ragtag bunch of Lost  working together toget her to revolt re volt against aga inst a band of privatee pr ivateers, rs, the t he feud oath binds both sides into a collective, all oathsworn to each other.

stance when someone violates this traditional neutrality, the oath doesn’t break, but they find few allies thereafter. The well-known tale of the Giantsbane motley passes between freeholds: the motley declared a feud against the Hedgeskippers, besetting the other motley the moment the two groups finalized the swearing. While they won the feud by ambushing and killing the entire opposed motley, their freehold exiled them for their perceived betrayal of necessary custom.

Feuds occur between two groups of any size. If the Not all feuds erupt into bloodshed, but brutal Hedgefeud involves involves more than t wo groups, each group swears the fire wars often explode when they do. Whether waged feud oath to every other party independently. A court can between large groups or motleys, some Feud oaths fuel declare a feud with a motley, a motley can declare one with shadow wars lasting for years, decades, or centuries as the a freehold, or a freehold can declare one with a privateer members continually redraw battle lines and strategies. crew of much smaller size. It doesn’t doesn’t matter aass long as each side consists of more than one changeling. Courts and Rules of Engagement freeholds engage in feuds rarely, only declaring them in exMost people abide unspoken social contracts dictating treme circumstances or when they can find no other path how they interact with one another. Society shames anyone to resolution. The Freehold of Milk Roses declared a feud  who refuses to get along and breaks them, but nothing binds against their own Autumn Court for harboring loyalists anyone to these contracts; only the desire for acceptance  who endangered endangere d the whole freehold and left many dead. motivates individuals and groups to behave themselves. The freehold denied access to all local trods for three weeks Sometimes, the Lost must define rules of engagement not before the court surrendered the changelings responsible. by unspoken social norms, but by clear etiquette sealed with ty pe ofrivalries, conflict cultural between bet weenconflicts, groups can in a feud, Any including andresult Hedgefire  wars, as describe de scribed d on pp. 9-10 of Oak, Ash, and Thorn.

Systems Feuds work like other hostile oaths, except that the oath lasts either until one side gives in to the demands of the other, or the last surviving member of either group dies. When new members of a feuding group swear the relevant societal oath, the Wyrd automatically extends the feud oath to them. A court could recruit like mad to replenish their numbers before their enemies kill them all, for instance, or a very stubborn st ubborn freehold might pass a feud down through the ages. Once per chapter when a member of the opposing g roup harms or significantly inconveniencinconvenienc-

Glamour. Changelings make pledges for rules of engagement under specific circumstances. Their terms delineate how indi viduals and groups interact, the responsibilities of all parties, as well as permissible and forbidden actions, setting up concrete expectations for gatherings or confrontations. The rules stay in place for the event’s duration, although freeholds and courts often make such pledges recur for repeating events. For instance, one city’s Summer Court may establish standard rules of engagement for duels or tournaments,  while its Spring counterpart counterpar t does the same for the required etiquette when attending court with its monarch.

Benefits Rules of engagement ensure everyone at the event

knows their role and keeps proceedings on their rails. rail s. Terms Terms es her character, the player gains a Beat. a nd don’ts don’ts for participants, a runIf one member of a feud breaks the oath by defecting usually include a list of dos and to the other side or violating another societal oath oat h binding down of the expectations levied on various roles, and generthem to the group, she   becomes an oathbreaker, but the al accepted behaviors under various common circumstances. feud oath doesn’t break for the t he other members. However, However, if Rules of engagement also outline the conditions necessary more than half the members in one feuding group violate to declare one side the winner or loser of any competitions the oath, it breaks completely, marking everyone on their taking place at the event. side with the Oathbreaker Condition, regardless of their Conscientious changelings who wish to refrain from aninvolvement involveme nt (or lack thereof) in the violation. gering attendees make the rules available ahead of time. Those would rather rather entrap someone someone or so sow w chaos may keep the Unlike other hostile oaths, feuds rarely lead to imme-  who would diate bloodshed. Changeling society constructs common pledge’s terms to themselves. Changeling society generally ceremonyy around the feud with ceremon w ith only minor differences be- considers doing so a serious breach of trust; if anyone breaks tween freeholds, wherein all members of both groups or the rules out of ignorance, those who created the pledge their representatives come together in neutrality to agree (whether they concealed the rules or not) may find themselves upon terms, this until both sides retreatthe from eachand other forneutrality at least a lasts scene. In the rare in-

losing Clarity. familiarity most changelings, springing from The theirintimate durances, with the of experience of violat-

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ing unspoken or incomprehensible rules makes inflicting inflict ing such a thing on one’s fellows a major transgression. Changelings innately understand making the participants feel safe and secure as the primary purpose of rules of engagement.

Consequences Rules of engagement define how participants should act and how participants mean for events to play out in each situation. Violating them constitutes almost as much of a breach as setting others everyone’s up to fail; trust. if justThe onepledge’s person defies expectations, it shatters terms lay out the consequences, always punitive and designed to match the breach’s severity. If the Wyrd deems the pledge’s agreed-upon consequence too mild or too damning for the  violator’s actions, itit may take ta ke matters into its own ow n hands.

Systems The Lost make rules of engagement pledges for any discrete event intended to involve more than two individuals, from battles and duels, to court meetings and parties, to contests and informal gatherings. At least two changelings carrying responsibility for running or initiating the event must collaborate, agreeing on rules and writing them down. Each spends a point of Glamour to seal the deal thereafter.

 A rules r ules of engagement pledge iiss largely la rgely a punitive one, not a beneficial one. Whenever acting in line with the rules causes a character within its purview harm or a major setback, her player earns a Beat. Breaking the rules levies consequences consistent with breaking a formal agreement she made with the Wyrd, Wy rd, even if she didn’t didn’t know the boundaries of her behavior or even that any existed in the first place. Make the punishment for violating rules of engagement commensurate with the event’s gravity and the attendees’ investment level. The Wyrd enforces even punishments the hosts themselves could easily mete out themselves; for instance, disqualification disquali fication from a foot race might remove a runner’s ability to spend Glamour, lower her Speed, or ensnare her in a bramble cage until the event ends. After Af ter the pledge’ pledge’ss effects expire, the hosts may not retaliate against the offender further; doing so constitutes a four-die breaking point. Other participants or those not in attendance may retaliate however they like. The penalties for violating the terms of a sporting or entertainment event, such as a charity race or Spring Court fete, apply only for the duration of the pledge’s pledge’s effects. Ex Examamples include disqualification from a contest, getting kicked out of the event, or losing the ability to speak.

No party may add additional terms after the fact, the Lost The penalty for violating the terms of a serious — but generally evidence meticulousness in these verysothorough not dire — event, such as a business meeting or heist heist,, should discussions. When more changelings sharing this responsi- remain relevant beyond the bounds of the event but termibility spend Glamour, the rules gain a stronger hold over nate naturally or be easily reversible by the end of the story participants; in return, all of them must follow through on at the latest. Examples include public humiliation, confistheir part in holding the event. Any who fail to do so suffer cation of valuable belongings, loss of an ability until the the consequences as though they’d violated the rules them-  violator makes m akes amends, or short-term indentured servitude servit ude selves. or imprisonment. Keep in mind that imprisoning someone Rules of engagement may dictate anything from pre- constitutes a 4-die breaking point (Changeling, p. 106) scribed or forbidden actions to clauses applying special Make the penalty for violating terms with lives on the privileges or limitations to one or more participants, to the line, such as an important peace negotiation with another requisite criteria for participants wishing to end the event. freehold or a duel to the death, much steeper and have per All such pledges must include the location within which the manent (or at least chronicle-long) consequences. Examples rules hold sway, when they should go into effect, and — if no include irrevocable exile from a court or freehold, the loss of terms specifically specifica lly define the engagement’s end — its intended a hand or eye, or erasure of important memories. duration. Once the rules take hold, they continue to apply  A violation serious enough to directly put other people until the specified duration or end criteria transpire, regard- in great danger or cause them significant harm could cause less of the desires of those who made the agreement. the Wyrd to decide upon a penalty of death no matter the Such pledges require a clear and concrete location and original terms. However, the Storyteller should check with duration, no matter the subjectivity of the remaining terms. the players to positively affirm this as an acceptable outcome “Within the Freehold of Fallen Ash’s territory” works just to the entire table; if not, choose something else. fine, but “wherever a member of the Court of Stars walks” doesn’t. Specific locations work, whether as simple as “this Enchanted Bargains circle we just drew on the ground” or as elaborate as a s “the first Changelings make ordinary bargains barga ins to help them feel 20 square feet of the British Museum’s entry hall, excluding like they belong in the mortal world and keep them safe the space between this specific statue and that bench.” A from Faerie. Making a bargain with a human grants the duration such as “three hours” works, as does “until we fin- target knowledge of the changeling’s true nature, nat ure, but their ish building this house.” The duration may also recur, such engagement centers in comfortable mundanity; he fits betas “for the first three days of June each year.” A vague dura- ter into their world, not the other way around. tion like “until the sun no longer rises” rests upon too dis A changeling changeli ng can instead inste ad make an enchanted bargain, tant and unknowable a conditional future time to serve as a one blessing the mortal with impossible favors or allowing proper duration.

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them to accomplish something unachievable without his assistance. Most Lost do this to protect or aid someone important to them or a valuable ally. The changeling acts as a guardian and enabler rather than a servant and undertakes magical tasks ta sks rather than mundane ones, like using Contracts for the mortal’s benefit or bestowing tokens upon them. Some changelings make enchanted bargains to subtly bribe or inspire a mortal to do something for them with the magic they grant. Others do

The mortal’s half requires following a specific and strict rule or willingly laboring under a particular limitation. For instance, they may accept a curfew by which they must be inside their home and stay there until sunrise, or a rule forbidding them to deliberately tell any lies. If the changeling solves the mortal’s problem himself, this Condition ends without resolution resolution or granting a Beat. It likewise ends if either party takes on another enchanted bargain while this one remains in effect; enchanted bar-

it to help the downtrodden out of bad situations or encourage someone with potential but no opportunities. An enchanted bargain contains more danger for both parties than an ordinary one, but it can also accomplish more for them.

gains accept no competition. If the mortal doesn’t achieve the task or escape e scape they bargained to accomplish by the end of one full chapter, it also fades without resolution. The enchantment’s effects are obvious to those who know how to look for them. Anyone who can see through Masks simply perceives the supernatural obligation the mortal carries without a roll or other contest. The player of any character who previously noticed the enchantment gains +4 to locate or track the mortal by any means. This magical trail trai l carries distinct tells revealing t he changeling’s changeling’s identity to anyone who has previously seen his Mien; if they see it afterwards, they recognize it instantly. Resolution:   The mortal accomplishes the task or escapes the situation they made the bargain to achieve, or

Systems  A changeling chan geling enchants ench ants any barg bargain ain by spending s pending an a n additional Glamour, either when enacting it or at any time  while the pledge pled ge remains remain s in effect; the t he process remains rem ains othot herwise identical. The enchanted bargain bestows the usual benefits of shielding him from fae discovery, but replaces the Obliged Condition with the Enchanted Obligation Condition (below). Once Enchanted Obligation resolves and the enchantment ends, the changeling may repeat the bargain with the same mortal again. If he wishes to continue playing faerie godparent for them, he must strike a new bargain with different terms. Each subsequent enchanted bargain struck  with the same sa me mortal mort al within w ithin tthe he same story s tory costs cost s +1 Glamour and requires the mortal to follow increasingly more strenuous rules or limitations to keep it going.

ENCHA N ED OBLIGATION ENCHANTED OBLI OBLIGA GA ION  Your character charact er has ha s made an enchanted ench anted bargain barga in with w ith a mortal, providing fae miracles in exchange for safety and peace of mind. This Condition duplicates duplicates the effects effect s of the Obliged Condition (Changeling, p. 343), but is not Persis-

either party fails to uphold their end of the bargain, triggering consequences for one or both. W hen this Condition resolves, the changeling’s player and the mortal ’s each earn a Beat.

Deed Vows Unlike most pledges, enacted between two or more characters, a changeling makes a deed vow to himself: this personal pledge declares a changeling’s changeling’s promised course of action. Someone must witness his vow for him to seal it, and the path he chooses may pertain to others, but the pledge binds only him. Changelings liken it to a stronger  version of a sealing sea ling t hey inflict infl ict upon t hemselves. hemselve s. The changeling pledges to fulfill a particular goal in

tent. In addition, while the enchantment lasts, specified For instance, might killing, vow to or rescue his can automatically see through the Mask of all the fae mortal beings amotley fromway. privateer captivityhe without to claim and objects unless un less strengthened with w ith Glamour. Your Your char- his court’s crown by exposing the current monarch’s dirty acter gains the ability to hear the t he mortal whenever they call secrets. He swears his deed vow on a possession of great him by name and ask or wish for aid, no matter the dis- personal value, offering it up as collateral should he fail to tance between them; the changeling has no obligation to keep his word. respond to the call. His player gains a +3 to rolls to harvest ha rvest Benefits Glamour from the mortal.  A changeling changel ing makes make s a deed vow to prove his dedicaThe changeling’s half of the bargain requires using fae magic to aid the mortal in some dire task or in escap- tion to his goal in a defining moment, affirming his freepat h. With such singular purpose, he ing a dire situation the target couldn’t otherwise handle dom to forge his own path. themself. He can invoke Contracts or use his seeming or sheds his uncertainty and finds his conviction. The Wyrd kith blessings on the mortal’s mortal ’s behalf, give them tokens and recognizes his deed vow and rewards him for sticking to his othe r Lost who see him know he acts with w ith resolve. clearly explain their catches, or any other type of fae magic  word; all other a nd leniency leniency to those he possesses; however, he may not simply perform the task Freeholds traditionally grant respect and or rescue the mortal themselves. They must utilize the mag- under the auspices of a deed vow, even if the vow’s purpose opposes the f reehold’s reehold’s interests. Most changelings consider ic on their own and a nd rescue themself. getting in the way of a changeling driven enough to invite

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the Wyrd to keep him accountable a self-destructive transgression in no one’s best interests.

Consequences  A changeling changel ing who breaks break s his word to himself himsel f doesn’t become an oathbreaker in the same sense as one who fundamentally changes his relationship with another. Instead, he risks losing whatever he swore his deed vow upon. He may offer even an intangible possession such as his own life or a loved one’sequally memory, though these more esoteric possessions entail strange circumstances around their loss.

Systems The changeling spends 1 Glamour and chooses one of his current Aspirations, making it his dedicated goal. He declares this goal and the method by which he promises to achieve it or a method he forbids himself to use in its pursuit aloud to at least one witness who understands the supernatural significance of the pledge. The changeling must make his h is vow upon a posses possession sion of his choosing with great personal significance to him; pledging on a newly purchased car or a weapon he uses for purely practical purposes don’t do the trick. Common deed vow possessions include tokens, irreplaceable keepsakes, the changeling’s own life or that of a beloved pet, the memory of a deceased loved one, an a n Icon, or a Touchstone. He can’t vow upon someone else’s life unless he ‘possesses’ them in some way, such as someone under his legal guardianship, someone who swore an oath of absolute ab solute servitude to him. The possession in question must be present; however, not even living possessions count as witnesses. The significance of the collateral determines the vow’s benefits, as follows: •  A replaceable, tangible item, such as a token with a

1-3 dot rating or purchasable wedding gift: once per chapter, when the changeling puts himself and/or his motley in danger in service to fulfilling his deed vow, he regains a Willpower point. •  An irreplaceable, tangible item, such as token with

a four or five dot rating or photo album containing photographs he cannot later reprint: as above, and the changeling regains two Glamour points as well as  Willpower. •  An intangible possession, such as a deceased loved

one’s memory or grave, or a Touchstone one’s Touchstone or other ot her personal relationship: as above, and once per chapter, the changeling may gain a bonus to any one action in service to fulfilling his deed vow equal to half his  Wyrd rating. •  An irreplaceable possession of unique significance, such as an Icon or the changeling’s life: as above, and

once per chapter the changeling may reduce the dice

pool of a Clarity damage roll suffered in service to fulfilling her deed vow by one. Breaking a deed vow destroys the possession. If the changeling named a Touchstone, he loses that Touchstone permanently as though the person died; the relationship sours or becomes distant. If he swore upon an intangible item, the Wyrd inflicts the loss in stranger ways. A broken deed vow sworn on his dead mother’s memory may erase his most important memories of her, while one sworn on her grave might raise her ghost to haunt him. A deed vow sworn on the changeling’s own life may require him to atone in a  way the Wyrd (and the Storyteller) chooses or swear an oath dedicating his life wholly to someone else (such that they now ‘possess’ him, for purposes of their  deed  deed vows) within a fortnight, or he dies. The character fulfills the vow when he achieves the chosen Aspiration in the specified manner, granting a Beat as normal. The Wyrd considers him to have broken it when he  violates the t he method he swore to t o use, fa fails ils to achieve the A Asspiration before the end of the story, or definitively fails in a  way rendering the Aspiration either impossible or irrelevant.  A broken vow also grants gra nts a Beat, but the player must replace the Aspiration at the end of the chapter. If the changeling fulfills his vow, he retains the possession and may swear further vows upon it. Doing so with a mundane object counts as swearing an oath upon it for the purposes of creating oath-forged tokens.

Icons Swearing an oath or deed vow upon a changeling’s own Icon is dangerous. Pledging on a scrap of his own soul is akin to offering himself up as a sacrifice to the Wyrd if he fails to uphold it, but until then, he’s its favored child. Swearing a pledge on an Icon requires first recovering it and must be done while the Icon remains in material form — that is, before the changeling leaves the Hedge with it.  A changeling can only swear a pledge on a particular Icon once. Once an Icon becomes the symbol of a pledge’s integrity, it remains in material form even if the changeling leaves the Hedge with it. She still regains the memories and Clarity it contains upon initial recovery, as usual, and retains them even if the Icon leaves her possession, as long aass it isn’t isn’t destroyed.

Systems Using an Icon to seal a pledge confers quite a few benefits. Even if she doesn’t swear a deed vow, she regains a  Willpower when working working towards the pledge in a dangerous fashion. While under the effects of a pledge on her Icon, the changeling rolls one fewer die on Clarity damage rolls resulting from actions taken in service to the pledge. While actively working towards this pledge, either to accomplish a goal or uphold one of its stated agreements, the changeling ignores wound penalties during the scene she receives the  wounds in question. After the action concludes, the t he char-

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Goblin Variations Any Contract can be fashioned into a Goblin Contract with a little bit of trickiness. Goblin Contracts tend to focus on being sneaky or deceptive. Here are a few examples. Contracts of Chalice become illusory. The goblin version of Filling the Cup allows the changeling to convince the people around her that someone within its radius feels a certain way, even going so far as to deceive supernatural powers. Frail as the Dying Word   convinces the target that they have a major frailty. On the more benevolent side, Curse’s M ental ConCure can heal the patient from a Mental dition instead of poison. Contracts of Coin already focus on exchanging one object or situation from another. Book of Black and Red  reveals  reveals the debts other people believe (possibly ambiguously or erroneously) that the target owes them. Giveonly and one Takeof’s the Loophole work with partiesexpands giving a to gift. Coin  encourages owners of an object to Mark  encourages fight over it by imposing the Avarice Condition without spending a point of Glamour. G lamour.  makes the target feel as if they’re Blood Debt  makes suffering aggravated damage, even though they physically suffer lethal damage. Contracts of Scepter grease the grinding wheels of power with manipulation and deception. Burning Ambition allows the changeling to give another character, rather than herself, the Competitive Condition. Jea  Jealou louss Veng Vengeanc eancee  persuades the target that complying with the ultimatum is actually in their best interests, allowing the changeling to inflict the Swooned Condition. Knight’ Knight’ss Oath Oat h leverages paranoia about threats to the knight’s status to the changeling’s advantage; the knight gains a bonus to Mental actions that reveal or seek jealousy. Contracts of Star replace weird insight with false guidance. Cynosure allows the changeling to give the target a desire rather than the changeling listening to what they really want.  gives the artist false confidence Shooting Star  gives in their own importance; they gain the Delusional or Competitive Conditions. Light of Ancient Stars allows the changeling to trace a parasocial relationship, finding truth about

someone they don’t really know.

acter suffers the highest wound penalty she would have suffered for the next scene, even if the damage has ha s been healed.  A changeli cha ngeling ng can never tr truly uly break brea k a pledge pledg e she swore on her Icon. This doesn’t mean she can’t forsake the pledge or break her word, only that she can always reconcile and fix her mistake. A pledge upon an Icon binds the changeling’s soul to the Wyrd, and just as if she broke a deed vow, she loses the Icon if she breaks her pledge. However, she can win the Icon back and reinstate her pledge. Therefore, a changeling does not gain the Oathbreaker Condition when she breaks a pledge made upon her Icon, instead gaining the Icon Shard Condition. She also loses t he Icon, meaning she she loses the Clarity box and memories gained from recovering the Icon until she reconciles her broken pledge.

ICON SHARD ICON SHARD (PERSISTENT) (PERSISTENT  Your character broke her word sworn on her Icon. DoDo ing so has infused the Icon with the Wyrd’s wrath, giving it a semblance of life and transforming tran sforming it before the changeling’s eyes into an identical double of herself. A changeling’s Icon is a part of her soul; as a s such, the Icon shard becomes a rough imitation of her darkest and most sinister thoughts and urges. The Icon shard acts as a semi-sapient doppelganger with the sole purpose of tormenting the changeling for breaking her word. Icon shards count as hobgoblins (Changeling: The Lost , p. 252) with a Wyrd rating equal to the changeling’s; use the rules given for creating goblins to give the shard traits and powers, all of which should in some way reflect its origins. Instead of a Virtue or Vice, the shard has a Needle and Thread, chosen as dark mirrors of the changeling’s. It gains Aspirations in direct opposition to the changeling’s Needle and Thread and uses them to disrupt the changeling’s life. For example, a changeling with a Protector Needle finds her doppelganger attacking the people she loves; her Friendship Thread causes the shard to focus on ruining all her relationships. The Icon shard targets only the changeling and those connected to the changeling (if doing so serves the purpose of tormenting her). If she kills the shard rather than reintegrating it, she destroys it forever, losing access to the memories and Clarity it once brought, constituting a Clarity attack att ack  with a dice pool of four. Beat:  The Icon shard’s actions impair or hurt the changeling or someone she cares about, or actively prevent her from gaining Willpower through her Needle or Thread. Resolution: The changeling must kill the Icon shard or make up for word. If she made vow, she she must must complete it orbreaking fulfill itsher terms. If she made anaoath, reconcile with the others involved to their collective satis-

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Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors

 

faction. The others involved in the pledge may exonerate her wrongdoing by resealing the pledge in blood. Everyone involved must suffer one lethal damage and spend a single Glamour to reinstate reinstat e the pledge’s bond. If she cannot reconcile the oath — perhaps the other parties died, for example —

then the changeling must reconcile with the Wyrd instead; this should be the focus of a story, and the particulars are up to the Storyteller. When this Condition resolves, the Icon integrates with her immediately, unless she destroyed it.

Expanded Pledgecraft

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“Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself — and thus make yourself indispensable.” — André Gide

 Arcadia changes people. pe ople.

Kithless

The Thorns of the Hedge tear away the fragile veneer Many kithless never gained a kith in the first place. protecting psyche and soul and lay bare the tender truths beThe Keeper had no particular purpose in mind, promptly neath. Most changelings changeling s hold on to the core of their identity, forgot about her, or discarded her and left her to her own but all the rest — flesh and bone, thought and dream — are devices in Arcadia’s wide wonderland. She never obsessively the malleable materials material s upon which metamorphosis imposes swaddled herself in a single, transformative means mean s of coping, itself. Sometimes, the dire will wil l of a True Fae sculpts a changenever turned the tools of her durance onto herself out of ling to match its bizarre desires. Other times, the changeling desperation or inspiration, and thus avoided Faerie’s strangorchestrates her own transformation, whether through conest phenomena. scious intent to become the tool of her own escape, or via  A changeling might also lose her kith or part with it instinctive urges to find or claim a role. These changes are kiths, connecting the Lost through shared experience and  willingly. A sharp, sweet dream drifting in from the stars purpose, mutually understood traumas trauma s and terrible prowess. hungrily laps at her mind and magic, drinking down the power that underpins her kith. She drives a hard bargain This chapter presents a broad selection of kiths that  with a wily w ily goblin, trading away a part of herself to be ffree ree exist among the Lost, expanding upon those offered in from the reminder of her durance. Amid the Thorns, she Changeling: The Lost Second Edition. It also examines scrapes her kith out of her soul in a painful metamorphothe process behind creating new kiths and gives options for sis, gaining an altogether a ltogether different kind of power. She knows those changelings who leave Arcadia without any kith at all.  what it is to have a kith, but now that th at aspect of her is gone. Lack of kith does not make the Lost any a ny less of a changeHOSE ITHOUT ITH ling than her peers. Without a kith’s guiding purpose, howFrom time to time, a changeling escapes Arcadia with- ever, her seeming remains broad and conceptual. Rather out her body or mind conforming to a kith’s template. Per- than being Fairest because she possesses the majesty of a haps her Keeper abandoned her to wallow in captivity with- dragon or a wondrous luminescence, she is simply Fair — the out purpose, or she escaped too swiftly for her soul to adapt. undiluted idea of glorifying the self and leading others. She Perhaps she embodied the platonic ideal of her seeming so becomes an exemplar of what her seeming represents. An thoroughly that no kith suffices. Some changelings who do Elemental personifies the sheer drive to shape the world not have kiths end up losing them or shedding them deliberately. easily defined by a single natural force. A Beast demonstrates Those without a kith fall into one of three categories: the instincts and fierce tenacity of all animals striving for the broad, varied kithless ; the disruptive and isolated scis-  survival without the specifics of predator or prey. A kithless

T

 W

 K

sors; or the unraveled, caught in a countdown to dissolu-

tion.

changeling’s mien reflects her seeming’s generalities — sometimes melding all its various facets, sometimes presenting her seeming’s core as an abstract avatar.

Those Without Kith

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Systems:  A kithless changeling chooses one Attribute Attr ibute

cut ting presence causes havoc for Systems:  A scissor’s cutting

from the same category as her seeming’s bonus Attribute fae power. Whenever any character suffers a failure on an dot; for example, an Ogre may choose any Power Attribute. action that would affect the scissor with fae-born magic, harmful, ul, it becomes a dramatic failure  Whenever she rolls a dice pool with w ith that At tribute, she may  whether helpful or harmf spend a Glamour point before rolling to achieve an excep- instead. A scissor may reflexively spend a Glamour point to tional success on three successes rather than five. Once per be treated as iron for the purposes of fae defenses and magic scene when using a Contract from f rom her seeming’s favored Re- (but not the cold iron bane) for six seconds, or in action galia, she may count the Contract’s Loophole as if she fulfills fulfill s scenes until the beginning of her next turn. it even if she does not actually meet its requirements; do While a scissor can take on a Mantle and use pledgeing so does qualify her to then spend Glamour to render the Contract reflexive if she desires. No single mechanical way to shed a kith exists; doing so is a matter of narrative na rrative events, and should require significant effort or paying a steep price, at the Storyteller’s discretion.

Scissors Once, folklore claimed iron scissors warded newborn children from the fae. Maybe there’s something to that; maybe the bulwark of iron and the metaphorical weight of a shearing edge to cut the Wyrd’s threads really do hold the Gentry back from snatching such infants. Some humans stosto len away into Arcadia sit uneasily within that realm’s gullet, a disruptive presence sharp and cutting at a conceptual level

craft, her nature chafes at these bonds over time. By default, she cuts herself free of all oaths she’s sworn — including societal oaths binding her to court, freehold, and motley — of her player’s choice after one full story, suffering all the usual consequences for breaking it. If the oath enabled a Merit such as Mantle, it’s subject to the Sanctity of Merits (Changeling, p. 111). She can postpone this inevitability by turning her blade upon herself, suffering one point of mild Clarity damage at the beginning of the new story for each oath she wishes to maintain. Doing so does not prevent her from breaking oaths in other ways during the story.

Unraveled Tales abound of mortals mort als caught by Fae trickery, t rickery, whisked

rather physical. Faerie aroundthe them, them asthan invasive entities whoulcerates shear through t hrough fabrictreating of Fae Titles wherever they go. The Lost call these changelings scis-  sors: prickly, destructive, and frightening, like the iron tools of old. Just being near a scissor makes another changeling’s skin itch with phantom cuts and the sense her very presence cuts them to pieces, snip, snip, snip. It’ It’ss unclear what sets someone at odds with the Wyrd’s Wyrd ’s warp and weft. Some claim rival supernatural forces protect scissors, perhaps even Iron itself. Others spin wild notions of humanity evolving to match the Fae threat, of a new kind of human mind honed to cut through Glamour’s tantalizing marvels. Scissors suffer terrible isolation. The Wyrd’s magic frays around them. Their metaphysically barbed nature

away to unearthly and delights they return to the banquets human world. Perhapsonly thetofaeperish food once they ate gave no true sustenance, or years passed in what seemed to them but an afternoon, and once freed from the other world’s magic, all that time and hunger comes due at once.  Any changeling can see her durance reflected in these stories but unraveled live them. An unraveled Lost doesn’t merely leave something of herself behind amid the Thorns; a thread of herself snags on the edges of Arcadia itself, and each exertion of her independence pulls loose a little more of what makes her her . Unravel enough, and she’ll come apart completely. completely. No single snarl of Thread or burr of Needle serves as unraveling’s singular cause. Various circumstances sink

keeps friends distant and some pushes other their changelings away. It’s a cold, lonely life, but embrace fate. Scissors are made to cut, so that’s what they do. As outsiders to the freeholds, scissors sometimes make names for themselves as bounty hunters or troubleshooters capable of really hurting   the Gentry’s agents, thus maintaining a mutually beneficial — if tense — equilibrium with other Lost that never quite resolves into trust.  A scissor is still stil l a changeling, though, whether she likes it or not. Instead of bristling with sharp edges to ward off the Kindly Ones, she can let her guard down and embrace a reconciliation of her conflicting natures. By seeking and taking on a kith, a scissor weaves herself into the Wyrd’s tapestry until those sharp edges blunt. This voluntary selfshaping offers control over who she becomes, granting her acceptance in exchange for the dagger she holds at the  Wyrd’s throat.

cruel hooks into the of One a changeling’s snagging helpless Lostspun uponfabric them. held backsoul, her Keeper’s influence with constant, unwise promises of her time. Once the feasts came to an end, those promised years started to peel away from her skin as crackling, crisp leaves.  Another thought to avoid the t he Thorns’ vicious price as she fled her Durance and willingly wi llingly paid a wounding of herself to the grasping claws of some Hedge denizen for safe passage. She didn’t realize the creature who dug her Icon out of her  would demand such visceral interest on her payment. Yet another simply suffers from addiction, body and a nd soul caught by lethal cravings for some substance or concept of Arcadia never intended for human indulgence. Most unraveled, though, unwittingly tie themselves to  Arcadia by coveting something of that place and its wonders  which they cannot bring themselves to give up. Perhaps they crave ownership of a certain beautiful beautifu l place, fiercely want on onee of their Keeper’s treasures, or need a lost lover desperately.

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Chapter Three: Kiths

 

Icons

Their genuine and powerful longing or avarice kept a part of them entangled when the time came to flee their durance. The cruelest way to gain a kith is to acquire and absorb Other changelings don’t cause this unraveling, only the another changeling’s Icon. The kithless one must take someimpossible desires of Arcadia itself. thing personal from the Icon’s owner, something allowing  As the unraveled unraveled slowly slowly comes apart, her collapsing state her to mold the Icon’s Icon’s raw edges to match the t he wound in her cannot maintain the shape or identity of any kith she may Thorn-ripped sense of self. While physical items sometimes have once possessed. She can patch the damage through ac- suffice, a lock of hair only works if that hair forms a key part quiring a new kith, which she uses to mend the fabric of her of the victim’s self-identity; more likely theft targets for this  wounded self, knitting her identity back together. A clever purpose include precious treasures or beloved mementos. unraveled can also stitch herself up with swatches of Goblin  Abstractions  Abstract ions also work, such aass a catchphrase learned and Debt, continually bartering to repair the damage, although spoken, a mannerism copied, a friendship f riendship stolen, or a dream she can’t create a lasting solution from these pawned pieces broken by the perpetrator. of power. Others undertake a graver choice: unable to give The changeling obviously needs to track the Icon down up on their desires or desperate for the pain to stop, they as well. With the personal key from the owner and the Icon seek a permanent return to Arcadia. itself, she can now leech its power — which could involve Systems:  The unraveled is metaphysically stuck in the eating the Icon, pressing it into a literal wound, meditating Hedge. An unraveled takes a point of aggravated damage dama ge at the upon it, or performing some other symbolic act appropriate beginning of each chapter. She may unravel herself further as a to its form. This vulture vu lture mysticism leaves the changeling sick reflexive action whenever she would regain a point of Willpow- and giddy with a rush of stolen memories and mannerisms er from her Needle or Thread, suffering a point of aggravated from her mark. While she suffers under a sense of dislocadamage but regaining all expended Willpower Willpower instead. She may tion from this hijacked spiritual completion, that temporary also accept a point of aggravated damage to automatically win agony cannot compare to the consequences of Lost society a Clash of Wills against a source of fae magic. Her tether to discovering her transgression. System:  Absorbing the Icon is a subtle subt le Hedgespinning  Arcadia  Arcadi drawsto hernavigate easily back; her player playeand r adds her Wyrd to dicea pools the Thorns, shehalf automatically action requiring five successes. Once the changeling sucrecognizes dormant Hedgeways without w ithout kenning kenning.. ceeds, her body and mind shift and morph over the course Nothing can heal or remove damage from unraveling of about a minute to take on her victim’s kith, although it except goblin magic. The changeling may convert her right- need not manifest in exactly the same way; for instance, a most aggravated damage point suffered through unraveling Playmate Beast’s Bea st’s mien might resemble a golden retriever, bu butt to lethal damage that heals normally by accepting three the Fairest who steals their Icon and becomes a Playmate points of Goblin Debt. This requires spending at least one herself may look like a round-cheeked cherub or painted scene in the Hedge interacting with hobgoblins, but she can porcelain doll. The changeling’s player should decide the efaccept up to nine Goblin Debt points at once to convert fects on her mien as if she’d taken the same kith at character up to three points of aggravated damage to lethal, as long creation. as doing so wouldn’t increase her total Debt beyond nine.  Absorbing another changeling’s Icon always counts as a Becoming a Hedge Denizen through Debt incurred another breaking point with a pool of five dice, which achieves excep way puts put s the t he unraveling on hold, but it resumes as soon as as tional success on three successes instead of five. The process that Condition resolves. If the unraveled gains a new kith, she’s entirely entirely safe from unraveling and any damage she suffered from it heals naturally. If she ever loses that kith, she begins to unravel again. If her rightmost health box fills with aggravated damage from unraveling, her body evanesces in a manner appropriate to her mien. She might come apart in a flurry of snowflakes, unspool as if made of spun yarn, or disintegrate into dust as lost time catches up with her all at once.

destroys the Icon, and the Icon’s original owner thereafter gains the rote quality on Empathy rolls against the changeling, although they don’t necessarily understand why  they feel so in tune with the emotions of the Icon thief.

Ordeals

Changelings who lack a kith may desire one, whether for the power it offers, the sense of belonging it grants, or simple survival. The Lost know of three paths to gain a kith,

More benignly, many kithless undertake an ordeal, a kind of psychodrama personalized to the changeling in question. She concentrates on the desire for a particular shared identity or personal purpose and enters the Hedge with her mind focused on finding a kith. She needn’t know ahead of time which kith she seeks, and even if she has a specific kith in mind, she may not find exactly what she’s looking for. Her player , however, chooses the kith that comes to her unless they want the Story-

each the mercurial realm of the Hedge. Upon gaining a within kith, a changeling loses any benefits and disadvantages associated with kithlessness.

teller to decide for them or randomize the choice. The changeling’s journey toward further definition forces her to face down the unvarnished, raw truths behind

ACQUIRING A KITH

Acquiring a Kith

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Bartering

her desire — an honesty of self that can c an be deeply painful but also a revelation. She may not consciously know what kith Finally, a changeling might gain a kith through she wants or needs at first, but the ordeal shows her. bartering with one of the few and far between hobgoblin The ordeal’s nature depends on her personality, seem- merchants who possess such prizes. A changeling might get ing, and the kith in question. A Beast on the path to be- lucky and find one at a Goblin Market, but more often she come a Hunterheart ends up on the trail of strange, previ- must undergo an arduous journey through the Hedge to find ously unseen breeds of briarwolf. She must navigate their  whatever remote fastness a reclusive collector dwells within. bramble-tangled tracks, tussle with ferocious beasts, and  A kith never comes cheap. Hobgoblins know k now the value perhaps show compassion for a wounded wolf — or maybe these scraps of purpose and potential and always demand crack its jaws open, tear out its heart, and gulp the bloody of organ down. A changeling ready to become a Bright One high prices. The kith’s appearance reflects its nature; the Snowskin’ss snowglobe stirs itself to flurries flur ries in a changeling’s finds her road snaking through smoking, fume-filled places Snowskin’ presence, or the Notary’s bundle of curling parchments rein the Hedge where the blackened branches scratch the sky over rumbling earth, eventually coming to a place of lam- quires signatures and seals. Such kiths-for-trade come from bent light where she catches aflame and must stand firm un- somewhere, of course. Some changelings willingly sell a portil it sears her soul. Each kith-seeking changeling undergoes tion of their selfhood out of desperation or because they  want to shuck some transfiguration tran sfiguration the Gentry forced upon a different and unique process. them. Others fall victim to some ghastly Hedge horror or a  As well as an arduous and extensive journey, wherein brutal balance of debt and Wyrd that rips away their kith. the changeling faces various threats and situations not as Kiths bought by barter come with one final caveat emp-  they seem, the ordeal always includes one scene related diport ion of the former owner’s Goblin Debt rectly to her Thread and one related to her Needle. These tor . Sometimes, a portion remains attached — indeed, that’s precisely what drives some moments of respite between trials permit the changeling to affirm the core of her identity and strengthen her will to Lost to part with them in the first place. The new owner inherits the Debts. While rarely too onerous an obligation, face what Such danger present during thesestummo- these Goblin Debts come from utterly unknown creditors. ments suitsliestheahead. changeling’s nature. The Bon Vivant

F

 K

bles upon some hobgoblins sharing a feast who invite him ASHIONING ITHS to participate — as long as he doesn’t overstay his welcome. The changeling motivated by Honor faces a temptation, the  When building a chronicle, kiths k iths provide players and Hedge and Wyrd engineering a chance to demonstrate his Storytellers the opportunity to make characters unique. Not steadfastness. merely professions that define a changeling’s daily grind,  A changeling undergoing undergoing an ordeal gains the Kithseeker the connective thread of a kith binds a changeling’s history, Persistent Condition (below). The Storyteller should create personality, and theme together. One of the Lost isn’t just trialss to match the character undertak trial undertaking ing them and be min mindd- a hunter or a doctor; she’s the predator whose eyes gleam ful of the player’s own desires and Aspirations, giving her between the trees in the dark forest, or an untouchable beeopportunities to let her show off how the trials change the keeper mystic whose bees make honey capable of curing the character while shining a light upon her unchanging core. deadliest illnesses. Upon successfully resolving the Condition, the changeling  When choosing or creating a kith, remember they algains a new kith.  ways represent the mythic and iconic. Even if the changeling herself remains unaware of this fact, by escaping Arcadia’s clutches, she became nothing short of exceptional, and her struggle to rebuild her life cultivates her individual uniqueness. Kith selection communicates or foreshadows a changeling’s strengths and flaws as well as the kind of story she  Your character undertakes an ordeal in the Hedge might experience. Mechanically, it defines the powers she to seek a kith that matches her soul’s calling. During the develops as she adapts to an old reality made new again. On ordeal, she must face five trials, each of which comprises a personal note, it expresses why her peers should treasure trea sure herself. roughly one scene. Her motley and others can help her, but her — and why she should treasure Most importantly, picking a kith should be  fun. Kiths if someone else resolves a trial for her, she refuses to engage should inspire and energize players and Storytellers alike!  with a trial, or she leaves the Hedge, the Condition ends One of the joys of playing Changeling: the Lost comes from  without resolution. Resolution:  The character overcomes five trials and finding ways to sculpt kiths into character concepts and vice  versa: a player might might begin with Airtouched (p. 106) and cregains a new kith.

KITHSEEKER KITHSEEKER (PERSISTENT) (PERSISTENT

Beat:  The character endures significant adversity or

learns something new about herself as part of a trial.

ate a winged unicorn Fairest, turn a conceptual satyr into an Absinthial (p. 88), or design a Doppelgänger (p. 99) into a kitsune. Changeling gives players and Storytellers the op-

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portunity to tap into deep, rich wells of folklore from across the world, becoming the iconic, powerful creatures dwelling  within those t hose ttales. ales. The T he same advice applies when designing new kiths. A kith k ith most importantly inspires great stories, enabling players to create exactly the character they want to play. The Changeling core rulebook presents guidelines for kith design starting on page 304. This section accompanies rather than replaces that one, discussing the thematic and narrative aspects of kith creation, and considerations for choosing or crafting a kith for a character.

Kith Themes  A kith reflects how a changeling chan geling views herself alongside her fellows and in the context of Lost history. Two Venombites (p. 116)  of different seemings may have little else in common, but their kith binds them together though shared instincts and worldviews. Kiths also connect changelings to fairytales and folklore, which represent their relationship to the Hedge, the freehold and its courts, and the mortal world. They contextualize metaphors and symbols in the changeling’s life, helping her secure her identity. This makes folklore the best place to start when creating a new kith.

Finally, a kith forces a changeling to wear her heart on the outside. Others may have no context for her appearance and role, but her kith displays her inner turmoil and personal growth to the world for those who know how to look. Indeed, some changelings rid themselves of their kiths to avoid the mortifying ordeal of being known.

Repurposing Not every kith needs brand new mechanics or themes. One may choose to simply mix and match two existing kiths. For example, a Darkwhisper kith may combine the Hunterheart’s exceptional success blessing (Changeling, p. 55) with the Utter voice’s voice’s unique power (p. 93). Thematically, this gives voice to unspoken fears, paralyzing anyone who hears a Darkwhisper’s insidious promises — a role fitting under either original kith, but captured by neither perfectly.  Another easy way to create a new kith k ith comes from reskinning an existing one. A reskinned kith uses all the same mechanics as the original but tweaks details and context to fill a niche or express a character concept in a more personal  way. Changelings of a Spiritsoul kith, for instance, may have served their t heir durances as the Kindly K indly Ones’ envoys to Shadow. The kith’s kith ’s mechanics remain identical to those of the Ghost-

Consider the themes and stories with which the kith is associated, along with how those can influence a changeling’s place in the world. One Helldiver ( Changeling, p. 53) may mirror Orpheus’ journey to Hades in a chronicle focused on tragic love, while another reflects Hanuman’s search for Rama’s missing ring in a story about loyalty.  When creating a new kith with a specific character in mind, consider also the changeling’s durance. Why did a Kindly One abduct this changeling in the first place? What did the Gentry do with her, and how does she feel about the role foisted upon her? A kith should capably encompass a multitude of character concepts beneath the same thematic umbrella: a Beast transformed into a rabid dog and an Ogre serving as a medic in a warped World War I reenactment

heart (p. 91), but all references to ghosts change to spirits instead, and the presence of a Spiritsoul in the chronicle clearly adds a different dynamic and different narrative opportunities than a Ghostheart.

can both end up Plaguesmiths (p. 113), for instance, despite their disparate experiences. Changelings are nothing if not diverse, and the ways they take on their kiths reflect that diversity. How does a changeling tricked into becoming a Valkyrie (p. 115) differ from the one who sought out that identity? How does one  who stole a Cloakskin’s (p. 98) Icon react when the Selkie Queen, the original Cloakskin’s Keeper, decides to claim both as her runaway property? These kiths make a changeling’s history stand out, forcing them to confront their past triumphs and mistakes by virtue of their present identity. Kiths also reflect humanity viewed through a dark, cracked mirror. Passion becomes a burning flame, sorrow chills a frozen heart, and tragedy weaves into a gossamer

and which to choose is simply a matt matter er of player preference. Changeling  rulebooks provide kiths flexible enough

Approaches Consider whether your new kith represents a broader archetype or a particular mythical creature, or whether that question has no clear-cut answer. The Bright One (Change-  ling, p. 52) can represent a changeling emulating a will-o’the-wisp among many other concepts, but a new kith focusing more specifically on leading victims away and leaving them lost and confused can represent the same. Both approaches are valid ways to turn the concept into a character,

to appeal to a wide range of players and encompass legends from many cultures, so every ever y chronicle contains contains a broad base of appropriate kith choices. However, this shouldn’t shouldn’t discourage anyone from making kiths with tighter niches.  When narrowing a generalized kith into a more specific form for stronger ties to a particular place, culture, or mythology, reskinning myths becomes a valuable tool. Instead of char acplaying a Draconic changeling (p. 90), Nadia wants her character’s kith to represent a Persian Azi. The T he mechanics don’t n need eed to change, but the narrower focus distinguishes Nadia’s character from other dragon-based changelings. They experience greater kinship with other Azi, A zi, which extends to changelings changelings  whose (non-Draconi (non-Draconic) c) kiths also draw on Persian mythology, mythology, cloak. Kiths express mortal highs and lows in more vivid such as peris and manticores. Apply the same considerations and iconic terms, isolating bits and pieces of the human exto newly created kiths; each one comes with its own unique perience and viewing them through a fae lens.

Fashioning Kiths

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relationships and perspectives, and leaning into those makes each character feel more unique and real. Not every changeling has or needs a more refined kith. Sticking with the more general Draconic kith doesn’t make a character generic, just connected to a wider spectrum of diverse changelings. Through their shared kiths, these changelings support each other through hard times, act as diplomatic back channels between courts and seemings, and celebrate the myriad one-of-a-kind ways their shared story manifests.

The kiths presented in this section hew thematically to the Crown, representing archetypes excelling at diplomacy, command, and imposing their will upon others.

Fairest: Her blond hair, green eyes and mischievous smile remind you of nothing so much as a pixie from the Lang color fairy books. The bar she runs overflows with the best gossip — and a nd when someone gets too far out of line, why, she just leaves them out back until they wake up in the dirt the next morning. No harm, no foul. Wizened: Some say his brews force the speaker to tell the truth. Others say he’s just really good at getting people drunk. His favorite saying is “In vino veritas” and he never passes up a chance to prove it. Kith Blessing:  When crafting anything consumable — beverages, meals, potions, etc. — with fae ingredients using Crafts, an Absinthial’s player achieves exceptional success  with three successes instead of five. Green Fairy’s Curse: Once per scene, an Absinthial may spend a Glamour point and touch her target, inflicting her intoxicating visions upon them. Her player rolls Presence + Crafts + Wyrd contested by the target’s Composure + Wyrd; success inflicts the Insensate Tilt (Changeling, p. 330) on the target, as they’ t hey’re re paralyzed by beautiful dreams or brain-freezing nightmares. Once the Insensate effect ends, the target suffers the Confused Condition (Changeling, p. 335) as they slowly come back to themselves. The curse does not work on True Fae or Huntsmen.

Absinthial

Climacteric

EXAMPLE KITHS The plethora of additional example kiths below expand upon those given in Changeling. Their division into sections based on the six most common Regalia (followed by miscellaneous example kiths at the end) exists as only a thematic grouping for ease of organization and access; a changeling need not belong to the Regalia’s associated seeming nor possess any of its Contracts to be a member of any of these kiths.

Crown 

“Drink it up. Drink it all up. What, you don’t like the taste of your own medicine?”

 Arcadian brews share the strangeness and wondrousness of the True Fae who consume them: Wines so dry they leave a mortal gasping for water, smoky whiskies setting the tongue aflame — and of course, absinthe, the green fairy. As  with all things t hings fae, the green fair y encompasses both greater simplicity and complication than first apparent.  Absinthialss brewed fae absinthe for the Gentry. Taken  Absinthial for their imaginations and the places their dreams wandered, their Keepers forced them to brew these dreams into the most potent beverage on either side of the Hedge. After their escape, they report seeing their captors in the throes of  visions caused by the t he bright green liquid. Most Absinthials escape during these fits of fae ecstasy. They might have sacrificed dreams for those brews, but they retain memories as intact as any changeling’s. Some continue to brew draughts in the mortal world, whether craft beer, bathtub gin, or goblin fruit draughts: these Absinthials constantly try to recreate the potent absinthe only brewable in  Arcadia. Others find a thin contentment in rendering rendering others paralyzed by their presence alone. Fickle, perfectionistic, and creative, Absinthials generally insist on doing things their way. They convince themselves of their greater wisdom and don’t take criticism lying down. The Absinthials may have brewed the green fairy, but they also are  the green fairies, and those who forget that often  wind up on the wrong end of an Absinthial’s Absinthia l’s wrath.

“It’s your move. I’m sorry, were you not prepared?”

Time flows strangely in Arcadia. The hour a changeling spends there might last 10 years back on Earth, or perhaps the day and a half her family lived through during her absence amounted to a hundred thousand years of torture at Faerie hands. No one really knows the metrics between the mundane world and the unearthly, hellish paradise of the True Fae — just as well, for there t here aren’t aren’t any, until there are. Climacterics served as environmental stewards, stage managers, and ersatz calendars back in Faerie, living timepieces wound to their Keepers’ specifications. She held the responsibility to pull down the night for a beautiful candlelit ball while he raised whatever sun his Keeper’s demesne boasted for a dramatic dawn duel between two Gentry. Much of the performance in each realm springs from a mix of a Keeper’s whims and her Climacteric’s memories of  weather and time, t ime, producing fantastic, fantast ic, dramatic, and a nd sometimes deadly results. For example, the changeling’s recollections of Florida F lorida summer deluge and her Keeper’s opinions of an ideal thunderstorm blur together in a vivid dance. Escaped Climacterics represent both immense value and incredible danger for any given freehold. Their blessing allows for near-complete battlefield control, but use of said blessing serves as a glaring beacon to Huntsmen searching for escaped changelings. Some freeholds believe any Climacteric is a allow lure, athem Loyalist sentlettoalone collect escapees, and so do not even access, citizenship. For their part, Climacterics often quietly keep to them-

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 A rival Gentry immerses himself nightly in a still, clear pond distilled from a blue-eyed young man; freshly bathed,   he slumbers with one hand trailing in its calming waters, beneath the arching branches of a sighing willow. Yet anChangelings of the Absinthial kith brew true other commands a faux therapist to hypnotize her to sleep Arcadian absinthe: a mix of wormwood, at night, beneath the swinging brass dish of a censer twisted fennel, peaches from the groves of Arcadia, out of a middle-aged mother, spilling thick frankincense to and the Absinthial’s own dreams. It tastes sweeten her Keeper’s dreams. much sweeter than mortal absinthe, suffused with a bright green glow. When When consumed, The word “concubus” means “to lie with,” wit h,” and whether they literally lie down next to their Keepers, they spend their it renders True Fae Insensate and all others both Insensate and  Poisoned,  Poisoned, per the Tilts nights with their captors. The Fae take Concubi as compan(Changeling , p. 331). Arcadian Absinthe ions, whether for the sparkle of their eyes, the softness of is impossible to brew in the mundane world. their skin, or the smell of their hair. During the daylight Brewing it in the Hedge requires a fiveof her durance, her Keeper left the Concubus to her own success paradigm shift on a Build Equipment devices, alone in her Keeper’s realm and isolated from other Hedgespinning action (Changeling , p. changelings. Whether chained to the bed or the hearth, put 196). Dramatic failures induce Bedlam as away in a cupboard at daylight, or simply swaddled in banusual. dages until the next night’s lightning-storm, the next experimentation session, all Concubi share deeply intimate nocturnoct urnal exchanges with wildly alien minds followed by desperate selves. Many take great joy in planning for the long run and stretches of diurnal loneliness. She might have shared this games of strategy. Few ever freely admit that having control duty — this codependent cycle — with other Concubi, who over the time and weather of a Faerie demesne intoxicated became her only companions save her Keeper, or she might them, and they struggle to replace that heady sensation. True Fae who sleep by At Some become oneiromancers, trying to recapture that feel- have night,defended whether ashe wrapped herchose armstoaround herherself. Keeper’s ing of power without the soul-crushing abuse. form — no matter how squamous or awful — climbed up on Beast: Tall and proud, his mane resembles that of the the experimentation table of her own accord or curled up at lion in the clock of Messina. Only his blinking gives give s away his the foot of the bed like a good, faithful hound, together she and her captor plunged once again into a shared madness. kith: one-two, one-two, thirty times per minute. Few changelings other than Concubi ever experience Wizened: Short and pale, they wind their long dark hair  what pass for the dreams of the Gentry, and few Concub Concubii speak up into an elegant bun. They only dress in neat black coats and pants, and the pocket watch around their neck attaches about their experiences. A superstitious fear passes through the kith that chronicling a Gentry’s dreams brings the Wild to the base of their skull with a simple gold chain. Hunt down on freeholds. Being let into the inner workings of Kith Blessing:  When attempting to identify patterns (behavior, aesthetic, writing, timing, etc.) with Investigation, a Faerie mind is terrifying and alien but also something of a the Climacteric’s player achieves exceptional success with privilege, to be allowed somewhere so vulnerable. Some hardline changelings consider Concubi little betthree successes instead of five. ter than privateers or other loyalists. loyalist s. Indeed, some miss their En Prise: Climacterics retain a sliver of their original former role so much that they return. Many, however, depower, even if they cannot control as much as they’d like.  Whenever a Climacteric Climacteric is present when anyone anyone rolls for Ini- cide their own Bastions more worthy of defense than their tiative, she may spend a Glamour point to choose one char- Keepers’, and find work as therapists, courtesans, and oneiacter to automatically act at the top of the Initiative order ropomps for their fellow Lost. Beast: She stuns with dark eyes, dark hair, and — when  without a roll; she can’t can’t choose herself.  you get past her Mask — dark wings that trail behind her like Concubus a feathered cloak. Don’t let her get too close; you might be overwhelmed by the scent of lavender and jasmine. “May I put my arms around you? Thank you. Try to relax. Darkling: Scars cover his emerald skin, mixing in with Listen to the rain. Your nightmares will be gone before you know it.” She couldn’t couldn’t quite call it a dream — do Fae dream? dream ? — but tattoos trailing up his strong arms. While louder than most being in the mind of a True Fae taught her all she needed Darklings — and larger, too — sometimes he’ll sing you a lulto know about the dangers of oneiromancy. Here, in this laby, soothing you to sleep — for a price, of course. Kith Blessing:  When breaking into a dreamer’s Basstrange realm, she organized her Keeper’s mind, fended off tion (Changeling, p. 221) with Empathy, a Concubus’ player assailants, beautiful mirages. crafted herand intospun a rufous stuffed bear Her and childlike wails forKeeper her at achieves exceptional success with three successes instead of bedtime, hungry for the cotton-candy dreams she weaves. five.

Arcadian Absinthe

Example Kiths

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Valerian and Violence:  When a Concubus gains the

Dream Infiltrator Condition by sleeping next to the target for six hours and interacting with his dreams, the Concubus can remove one non-persistent Condition affecting the dreamer mentally or psychosomatically (Confused, Cowed, Deprived, Fatigued, etc.) as a paradigm shift costing three successes. Resolving one Persistent Condition (Amnesia, Broken, Delusional, etc.) requires three consecutive six-hour shifts of sleeping next to the target, the Dream Intruder Condition, and performing both subtle and paradigm shifts inside her Bastion.

Draconic “How many times have I told you, don’t touch other people’s shit without asking? a sking? You’re You’re going to get hurt someday.” some day.”

Once upon a time, a dragon guarded a princess in a tower. No knight dared to rescue her for fear of being torn to shreds. The princess liked it that way, for she loved her dragon, and the fear that dragon instilled in their enemies. One day, the dragon flew away. No one ever asked her how she felt about her princess.

some might, she protects her Hollow and anyone under her hospitality hospi tality from the cruelty of knights and princesses alike. Kith Blessing: Choose either Brawl or Weaponry.  When the Draconic defends a person, place, or thing she cares about with that Skill, achieving three successes counts as an exceptional success. None Dare Resist: The Draconic may spend an extra point of Glamour while scouring her Mask and roar, flex, or perform some other clear demonstration of dominance and force to inflict the Frightened Condition ( Changeling, p. 339) 339) on all opponents who can perceive p erceive her. If she’ she’ss in the t he Hedge or another place where she has no Mask to scour, she simply needs to spend one point of Glamour as an instant action and make the display.  Additionally, she may spend a Glamour point as a reflexive action to take to the air and fly freely for a number of turns equal to her Wyrd, with a flight Speed of 60; if she charges (Changeling, p. 184) from the air, her player gains gain s +2 to the attack att ack roll. If she’s she’s still in the air when this effect effe ct ends, she glides harmlessly down to the nearest surface.

Flowering “Oh, it’s so nice of you to say that! I didn’t even know you’d

The Draconic changelings on the mythic beasts of Gentry Faerie, model making them fearsome to behold in full noticed me…” Famous for its gardens and woodlands, Arcadia bursts mien. Thick horns blossom from her brow, scales line her beautifu l flora found nowhere else. The air sharp cheekbones, and her back bears heavy, leathery wings.  with strange and beautiful hangs heavy with the scent of blue lilies and beating hearts  While she can no longer longer breathe fire or or crush buildings with a single whip of her tail, a Draconic still makes for a breath- strung on glowing vines all wrapped around the pillars of taking sight. Perhaps she guarded a princess’s tower from some True Fae’s portico. The Flowering blossom among smitten fae knights, haunted a deep and dark forest, or pro- these flowers, the changelings from whose pain new flowers tected her Keeper’s hoard of treasures, but all yield the same grow. result — a grand, scaled, avaricious beast of Arcadia. Some changelings believe the common misconception that the Gentry crafted all Flowering into actual flowerbeds. Draconic changelings find themselves too big for the ot hers fled a life of gardening, flower world: too loud, too present, too much  for those around  While true of some, others them. They do not fit into soft spaces, have little volume arranging, or perfuming their Fae masters. Trained by their control, and can accidentally intimidate even the most ex- durances to make others look good, many Flowerings find it perienced Summer soldier. New Draconics struggle not to difficult to readjust to a life where they are their own massee everything as either a threat or part of their collection; ters. some build hoards and collect things that make them feel Because of this feeling of depersonalization, depersonaliz ation, a new Flowsafe. Others join motleys and protect people they care about, ering tends to find others to serve after escaping their duthough this sometimes requires patience from other change- rance. While some become Loyalists, others work to become lings as the Draconic fusses over their well-being. Once she the trusted confidantes and viziers of court monarchs. Many settles in and learns to relax with a motley, though, Dracon- simply dote on motley-mates or attach themselves to courtics make wonderful friends. They guard their people and iers they find particularly alluring. Flowering come in many hoards with unparalleled unparal leled ferocity; ferocity; her people and things pro-  varieties and temperaments, each more bizarre and beautiful  vide her love and stability, stabilit y, and woe betide those who would than the last. disturb her sense of home.  While often perceived as a s soft and sweet, the hypnotic Fairest: She never needs highlighter, high lighter, for her cheekbones scent of a Flowering poses a danger to those who spend time are lined with scales the size of glitter flecks. Her mirror- in her company as their t heir well-being becomes reliant upon her. bright horns need no care. The only thing unpleasant about Some abuse this power, steering their courts toward ruin. her is her temper, which explodes over everyone in the room Others tr y to keep the freehold’s best interests in mind, even like wildfire at a single misplaced word. Ogre: Her legs bend backward and end in wicked claws. Her massive, cracked horns mark ma rk her hard durance. With With fear-

if they slip up sometimes. Still others seclude themselves, perceiving their power’s poisonous potential and worrying about unduly influencing others.

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Elemental: Her long, graceful arms and dark neck, cov-

ered with bark-like scars remind you of a willow tree. She lingers quietly in the corner of meetings, always weeping,  weeping, weeping… Fairest: Do they lace flowers into their hair or do those locks sprout blossoms at whim? Their constant presence at the Spring Court monarch’s side causes rumors to blossom, too: lovers, or merely the best of friends? Kith Blessing:  When convincing someone they need her with Socialize, a Flowering’s player achieves an exceptional success at three instead of five. Seductive Fragrance: Every Flowering emits a different perfume, something akin to a Faerie garden at midnight. The changeling’s player spends a Glamour point and rolls Presence + Empathy. For the scene, any character in her presence or who enters her presence must roll Composure +  Wyrd to contest the result. Those T hose who fail suffer the LeverL everaged Condition (Changeling, p. 342) regarding the Flowering. She cannot end this effect early. If she spends another Glamour point at any time during the scene, she may also inflict one of the following Conditions on a Leveraged target: Frightened, Reckless, or Swooned.

Ghostheart “You can’t can’t see them th em because becaus e you’re not looking.”

 An oddity among the Lost, Ghosthearts Ghosthear ts fulfilled fulfil led deeply unpleasant tasks during their durance: preparing and dis-

posing of the dead of Faerie. Changelings don’t like remembering that those left behind might actually die under the Gentry’s tender mercies; Ghosthearts serve as painful reminders of the human bodies buried beneath the seas and forests of their Arcadian nightmares. nightma res. Wishes are not enough to bring them back. Before their durance, Ghosthearts truly saw the world around them: perhaps they simply possessed uncanny situational awareness, or maybe they encountered the supernatural. The True Fae delight in sweeping up Avowed and turning them into Ghosthearts, too. Their observational ability meant the Gentry, those masters of illusion, saw the danger from these changelings and did not keep them in their glimmering, gilded courts. Instead, they gave Ghosthearts the truest of tasks — burying, burning, sinking, or cooking the dead. The Fae might lie, but the dead never do. Through their contact with the dead, the Ghosthearts began to see what they became: ghosts who wandered the Hedge and Arcadia, never resting. Shunned by other changelings, enslaved by an inhuman Keeper, the Ghostheart found companionship among the echoes of the unquiet dead. It  was these dead that th at led her out, that found her the t he keys or distracted her Keeper or led her to the great gre at gates of Arcadia. She brought these ghosts with her. Other changelings often find Ghosthearts creepy at best. At worst, their peers actively exclude Ghosthearts from freehold functions — but this never goes well for them. A Ghostheart has many ephemeral friends who are happy

Example Kiths

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to harass and make life difficult for people who hurt her. Ghostheartss gravitate strongly toward the Autumn and WinGhostheart ter courts and sometimes assist in freehold defense, so long as tthe he freehold isn’t shunning her. Ghostheartss cling tightly to memories of times past, and Ghostheart to the memories of those around them. They T hey have seen what awaits people who die in Arcadia. Most do not wish this fate on anyone — though some lead unsuspecting mortals into the Hedge to create more ghosts for their service. serv ice. Ghosthearts make excellent record-keepers, spies, and couriers. Some few have become diplomats, treating with creatures beyond the warmth of changeling cha ngeling society. Their unusual perceptive abilities have only been heightened by their time in Faerie, and a clever monarch knows just how to use a loyal Ghostheart. Darkling: If you look at her out of the corner of your eye, she looks translucent, a person-shaped wall of smoke. Looking at her straight on, you see her dark eyes, darker than any eyes should be, and her sharp fingernails caked with blood and dirt. Ogre: He’s rarely ever out of the Hedge, but when he does come to freehold gatherings, he bears boxes of oddments and the bones of long-dead fae creatures. His veins

To be a Moonborn is to struggle for companionship. Being run through thousands of emotions in quick succession means that she has no basis for comparison. How should she feel when she’s acknowledged by her Court monarch: embarrassed, proud, angry? Does her lover actually love her, or is this another Fae trick? Every piece of stable emotional footing a Moonborn has, she’s fought for and won with her own blood and brain. Moonborn do not usually gravitate toward leadership positions in freeholds, but if they do, it’s to help new Lost find their own feet in this strange new existence. Many assist in Hedge expeditions, freehold defense, and other important Lost business. bu siness. Some Moonborn are Bridge-Burners, and it pains their fellows to punish them for starving everyone else. A scant few exist outside of freeholds entirely, stirring up the Bedlam among unsuspecting victims that was stirred up in them in Faerie. After all, according to these particular Bridge-Burners, if they were tortured like that, shouldn’t others be forced to suffer the same fate? Darkling: She looks like a normal thirty-something human: straight black hair, freckled skin, glasses. Behind those glasses, though, her blank silver-white eyes stare without irises or pupils.

Wizened:  Never still, he is well-known throughout the bulge from his neck and his hands are as large as shovels. freehold for his kind voice, his gentle hands, and his overKith Blessing:  Whenever a Ghostheart makes a perception-based roll with Wits + Composure to see manifest  whelming empathy. Those who have seen him in peacetime ghosts or other ghostly Twilight entities (including Helldiv- have a hard time reconciling that with the absolute terror he ers), her player achieves exceptional success at three success- projects onto enemies in battle. Kith Blessing: Choose Empathy or Intimidation at es instead of five. When changing chan ging someone’s emotional Friends in Strange Places: Every Ghostheart starts play character generation.  When  with an extra e xtra three dots of Retainers. These dots represent state via the chosen Skill, a Moonborn’s player achieves exghosts she controls or with whom she’s close. These can be ceptional success at three successes instead of five. Full Moon Catharsis:  A Moonborn carries the passions three one-dot ghosts, one two-dot ghost and one one-dot ghost, or one three-dot ghost. Each ghost starts with one Nu- the Fae inflicted on her within her soul, and sometimes it’s men of the player’s choice (Changeling, p. 249) other than too much. Once per chapter, a Moonborn can Incite BedClarity Drain, Entrap, and Keeper’s Calling. A Ghostheart lam in a number of targets equal to her Wyrd by spendmay buy more Allies dots to represent more ghosts, but she ing a Glamour and rolling Manipulation + Expression, as

may only choose the Numina for the ghost Allies granted by this kith.

Moonborn “‘Crazy’ is an insult. It’s used to lock people in institutions and dismiss survivors of abuse. The word you’re looking for is ‘mad.’ And if you’re not mad, you’re not paying attention.”

Sometimes, the Fae don’t want to get caught up in their own passions. Sometimes, a feeling is just inconvenient. Sometimes it’s fun to inflict changelings with a certain feeling and see what they do next. Moonborn are the changelings who were the favorite targets of their Keepers’ emotional games. Kept in a constant state of Bedlam with their feelings at fever pitch, the Moonborn who come back

she screams, sings, or simply recites the story of her worst memory yet again in excruciating detail. Her targets contest  with Composure + Wyrd. She may m ay inflict one of the following Conditions on all targets who fail the roll: Competitive, Frightened, Reckless, Lethargic, or Wanton.

Uttervoice “You really don’t want to hear about that…” th at…”

Old stories and newer urban legends are rife with tales of people following a voice only they could hear into dangerous and impossible situations. Most changelings attribute attr ibute this to True Fae. The Gentry find this terribly amusing, and so they have created the Uttervoice kith. Uttervoices come from the same sort of people as Nights-

through are easily setextremely off by the smallest (see pp. 56-5 56 -577 of the Changeling: The Lost): artists or They tendthetoHedge form attachments quickly andthings. break ingers those with a creative will. The difference is that the Utterthem with just as much ease.  voices let their frustration frust ration get the better of them. When they

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 were taken, they were at a stalemate with themselves, thems elves, feeling unable to make anything, let alone a masterpiece.  An Uttervoice’s Keeper takes that frustration frust ration and shapes it into a weapon to point at her enemies. Instead of a masterpiece painting, her voice is a claymore, cutting swaths through the armies of other Gentry. Once free of their durance, Uttervoices have wildly  varying  vary ing reactions to their power. Some Some refuse to speak above a whisper, or at all unless it’s particularly important. Others speak normally but take care to remind others what weight their voice carries. Uttervoices struggle with fitting in and feeling at ease, especially right after their escape. Fear and anger come naturally to them. When her primary mode of communication contains an act of violence, how else should an Uttervoice relate to those around her? Beast: She has colorful feathers speckled speck led throughout her brown hair, resembling a peahen. p eahen. You know her for her ability to drive like a Formula 500 champ, but others say she cut down a True Fae simply by screaming at him until he broke in half. Elemental: Their hair swirls around them like a sun-

The wealthy hide their precious things in hard-to-reach places, oceans swallow ships whole, and the earth holds deeply buried riches in her embrace. The True Fae seek out clever individuals, luring them into Arcadia with hints of power, wealth, and opportunity. In Arcadia, the Fae constantly push their Delvers to mine out the next sparkling bit of gemstone or raise lost treasures from the ocean. Eventually, Delvers literally lose themselves in their work: their transformation into Delvers centers on leaving behind unnecessary pieces. Most lose their voices in some lonely tunnel, leaving them unable to speak. Delvers operate with a surprising degree of apparent freedom from their keepers in Arcadia. Their pursuits are often solitary but occasionally they can hear a tap-taptapping in the depths that isn’t an echo of their own work. Sometimes it is another Delver working a vein in the same mine, hoping to reach out and connect with another soul, but stranger things exist in the hidden pits of Arcadia too.  A Delver fiercely guards her precious sources, whether a valuable vein of gold in the mine or a backdoor hacked into the BriarNet, are fiercely guarded secrets. Their keepers may take the lion’s share of the treasure but scraps an enterprising Delver gleans are carefully bargained and traded.

The common myth, secretly tapped out in coded messages among members of this kith in Arcadia, is that the only way to escape is to find fi nd the pieces they lost in becoming a Delver, or perhaps to find what they’d come to Arcadia looking for to begin with. Most rediscover their voices before coming home but one silent Beast dug for bones in his keeper’s back  yard. He eventually dug up his wife’s old wedding ring that he’d been looking for when the Fae took him.  After returning to the mortal world, Delvers form a natural community achieved by few other kiths. After all,  while a Delver may communicate with anyone via Tappingspeak, only another Delver — or someone with appropriate supernatural means to answer her — can carry on a full con versation. Many M any achieve considerable success in the mortal  world; their durances taught patience, persistence, and an instinct for qualities and skills valued by employers in highlevel employees. Darkling: Her skin shines like the point of a fresh drill. Her back is twisted and hunched into a compact form when she sits still. Most in the freehold never give her much thought, but her queen keeps her close and knows the value   of her advice. The Jewel kiths embody physical perfection, or at least Elemental:  The changeling’s skin appears pebbled, but the impression of it. A changeling of these kiths may not his fingers are thin and muddy water flows over the rocks of always appear lovely or gloriously terrible but their power is his knuckles. He doesn’t speak aloud but runs an enormousthat of creation, temptation, and avarice. ly successful business as an antiques vendor and research consultant. Delver Kith Blessing: Delvers have a sixth sense for uncover-

beam.open and ittheir is a littlelike tooabig for theirbolt. face. When they theirmouth hair crackles lightning Kith Blessing:  When using their voice to Intimidate someone, an Uttervoice’s player achieves exceptional success at three successes instead of five. Scream of Agony: The Uttervoice Utter voice spends a point of of Glamour and screams — whether an incantation, a threat, or just  wordless howling — and makes a contested Presence + Wyrd roll. Everyone who hears the scream makes a Composure +  Wyrd roll; her agony a gony does not differentiate between friend and foe. Failure inflicts one point of bashing damage; an exceptional success on the part of the Uttervoice upgrades this damage to lethal. An Uttervoice can scream continually (utilizing her instant action every turn) until she runs out of Glamour; her scream also ignores any Durability score (p. 191 of  Changeling:  Changeling: The Lost) lower than 2, and shatters glass instantly. Uttervoices find this power difficult to control, though — any time the Uttervoice makes a Presence roll using or affecting a supernatural phenomenon, her power accidentally activates if she benefits from the 8-again rule.

Jewels

“How about I take a lump of coal and shove it someplace uncomfortable for you, and then I can look for diamonds with my boot?”

ing hidden things. When making Investigation rolls toexcepfind  what was lost or hidden, a Delver’s Delver’ s player achieves tional success at three successes instead of five.

Example Kiths

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Tappingspeak: A Delver may encrypt and decode messag-

Wizened: She’s the fastest ambulance driver in the city,

es tapped out against a surface connected to the earth. She and always seems to be present just as someone goes into spends a point of Glamour and declares her recipients, send- shock from sepsis or blood loss. Her colorless eyes never foing a message travelling to them as vibrations through the cus on any one thing. She always seems to be assessing whatground within (the Delver’s Wyrd) Wyrd) miles. She may direct this thi s ever room she’s in. message to any number of people at once within range, and Kith Blessing:  When using Persuasion to direct anthe Glamour’s encryption allows them innate and reflexive other character’s attention away from something horrible or understanding. Other Delvers and even exceptionally sensi-  wonderful, the Glimmerwisp’s player achieves exceptional tive seismographs or other means of detection may intercept success at three successes instead of five. messages not intended for them, though non-Delvers require Concealing Mist: The Glimmerwisp Glimmerwi sp spends a Glamour to supernatural means to decode them. Delvers may spend a fill the room (or an open space up to 10 yards/meters) with point of Glamour and make an Investigation roll to decode a perfumed mist that hides characters taking actions which any message conveyed through the earth. they would be ashamed of, or which cause them t hem to hit breaking points. The Glimmerwisp’s player rolls Manipulation + Glimmerwisp Persuasion + Wyrd, which each character within the mist “Won’t “Won ’t you spend a little bit of time with me? m e? It’s so cold contests with Resolve + Composure. Characters who lose tonight...” the contest can’t see the wrongdoing of anyone else within Horror fandom popularized the mist which suddenly the mist. The mist lasts until the end of the scene. spreads through towns, carrying silence and monsters. Sometimes, the townsfolk themselves become the monsters, Gremlin acting on their worst impulses. After all, a mist can serve to “Gentry damn you, can’t you get anything right?” hide any creature’s worst excesses. Though the name “gremlin” didn’t emerge until the Glimmerwisps took the place of these storied fogs and 1920s, Gremlins have always been part of the elaborate tapmists in Faerie. The Fae crafted many of them from mor- estry that makes up the Lost. Aviators thought wicked little tals who, for whatever reason, feared getting into trouble. creatures were sabotaging their planes. They weren’t wrong, The teenager with the overly strict mother, the wife whose exactly, but it was never just planes, or even machines. Anyspouse’s “love” depends upon how closely she hews to impos- thing with even the tiniest flaw was subject to a Gremlin’s sible and ever-changing rules, the first responder with skel- dismantling. etons in his closet: all could easily become Glimmerwisps. Gremlins feel the push and pull of perfection and obThey threw protective gauzes and glimmers over the Gensession, twin impulses with the same outlet: destruction. A try’s atrocities, traveling with them and enabling their worst Gremlin sees no point in doing something unless they get excesses; some Glimmerwisps even came to have a taste for it right the first time, and if they don’t, time to wreck and the work. After all, it helps other changelings not to see what rebuild. Miss a stitch? Rip the nearly perfect thread out. their Keepers are really doing, right? One wrong line of code? Delete the entire file. This doesn’t It’s not that the True Fae can’t behave themselves or hide just apply to their own work; someone else’s error prompts their own actions. The Glimmerwisps who escape come to see identical outcomes. More than one Gremlin gets to remain this quite clearly. The Gentry are essentially the small gods of in their motley only because of their identically quick hands their own domains as far as any the only reason they take—changelings to Glimmerwisp cover up their can owntell, actions is because they want to. It brings a Keeper a perverse sense of joy to know that one of their changelings has the sole job of covering up their cruelty. It’s It’s good to have a loyal servant like that. Many Glimmerwisps who escape do so because of the careless brutality of their masters. Some, however, figure that they could be more powerful outside of the grasp of the True Fae, where the only cruelties they’re hiding are their own. It’s easy enough to escape as a Glimmerwisp — simply breeze through the Hedge. She’s already committed the unforgivable sin of escape, and she’s covered up a thousand graver sins than that in her Durance. Elemental: Her ash-blond hair always blows around her

and minds. Many changelings only weather Gremlin meltdowns by remembering her promise of a perfect machine. Before their durance, Gremlins were brilliant minds in fields that could appreciate their perfectionism: engineers, newspaper editors, sculptors, chefs. They shared workaholic tendencies, and spent hours caught in their own narrow foci, sacrificing work-life balance and personal relationships so that they could feel the fleeting joy of perfection. Gremlins usually usual ly didn’t didn’t need the Gentry to t o violently abduct them; they just had to be promised a workshop, and glory, and appreciation for their brilliance. Of course, the Gentry then tore their work apart with far more gusto than the Gremlin ever did. Ogre: He should be clumsy, with his huge hands and

dark faceforinherself; a nonexistent breeze. Yoseems u’ve never her espeopen a door she always justYou’ve to beseen there, cially if there’ t here’ss shouting or blood. She likes blood.

hulking frame; he should knock over every table he squeezes past, crush cru sh the piping bags he uses to decorate wedding cakes to pulp. But his stature belies his delicacy. No one has ever

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Kith Blessing: Manikins know how to present themseen cakes as elaborate and beautiful as his. Even the ones he throws away in anger every time he so much as jolts the selves advantageously and inoffensively. When using Socialize to fit into any situation, a Manikin’s player achieves expiping bag in the wrong w rong direction are lovely beyond belief. ceptional success at three successes instead of five. Wizened: The woodworker’s studio doubles as living Gold From Straw: Spend a Glamour point and roll Presspace and workshop and is so cluttered it’s hard to tell  whether any given tool is for her craft or for her her life. Is there ence + Crafts to hide an object’s flaws for a scene. The Manit he successes rolled up to a +5 bonus on social rolls. a difference? She doesn’t seem to think so. Now get out, kin gains the  When this thi s ability is used on an object to help adjust an im you’re  you’ re ruining her focus. Kith Blessing:  When making ma king a Crafts roll to fi x a brobro - pression in a Social maneuvering situation, the impression ken or flawed item, the t he Gremlin’s player achieves exception- level is raised an extra step. In terms of fashion, no matter how cheaply made or inappropriate an outfit is, a Manikin al success with three successes instead of five. can pull it off to rave reviews on the red carpet. When used Nightmare at 20,000 Feet: When pressed for time, a Gremon a chef’s sinking souffle or a rusted gun, it doesn’t actually lin can spend a point of Glamour to turn what would othimprove the quality of the bake or firearm — but social rolls erwise be an extended action into an instant action, as long associated with their appearance benefit . as, at some point in that action, something needs to be torn down or destroyed. This ability can be used once per scene. Oculus

Manikin “Yes, I know I have hooves. They are still more in this year than those hot pants…”

“One more hand. Seriously, I mean it this time. I’m good for it.”

Pyrite and gold look the same from afar. The wrong prescription lenses can show you a different world entirely. A crystal ball can blur the future. So can the Oculi, who are very much non-clairvoyant but have a gift for persuading people to

Every grand painting has a canvas and Manikins fulfill that role for their Keepers. They are the graceful but faceless models who walk the runway to display the latest fashions, the animatronic creatures entertaining at an endless see things their way. Many seasonal monarchs keep an Oculus by their side, though who’s influencing who is a valid question. birthday party filled with the delighted laughter of the GenOculi made good diplomats in Arcadia, mediating try’s children, and old straw filled scarecrows left to rot in a negotiations between different Gentry, but they also made field. Manikins are strange beings. Some are painstakingly selected and adored according to obscure and arcane criteria good traitors to their own kind. A Keeper sensing an up while other Gentry Gentr y shape dozens of Manikins Manik ins into identical rising on the horizon sent Oculi out to staunch rebellion so they wouldn’t lose all their good little servants. The first caryatids supporting a roof. thing Oculi learn during their durance is that everyone has In their durance, Manikins are often relegated to the a price, even the people who think they don’t. If you find it, bottom of the pecking order among the Gentry’s servants.  you win.  After all, a Manikin is little more than a tool and canvas Expert bargainers, Oculi rarely abandon negotiations for others’ ideas. Successful Manikins are elegant, poised, and focused on their purpose. One model turns to catch the no matter how poorly they fare. They bet on anything they ca n’t. t. Doesn’t matlight with a crystal ball just so while their razor-sharp plat- can influence, and even some things they can’ form shoes overflow with blood. Another stands as a train- ter that the Wyrd binds them to all their bargains, nor that ing dummy for their keeper’s soldiers and is knocked down that they see more luck than misfortune: an Oculus’ rare misstep can send ruling Courts to ruin. only to stand up to do it again without complaint. Fairest: He wears quite a lot of diamond and gold jewelry Many Gentry keep a wide variety of Manikins, making them quite a common kith. When they move on to their for someone who has never once bought gold or a diamond next great work, these Fae dump some into Arcadia’s dark for his own use. Ask him, and he’ll say he gets a  great deal, corners and forget them with the rest of the trash, while oth- killer even, thanks to his work down in the Diamond Disers escape from dusty storage areas. A few manage to steal trict. But if you follow him out of town, you’ll spot him at themselves away, taking with them prized art, other change- one of those tourist-trap mines, picking up crystal and fool’s gold by the pound. lings, or valuable artifacts their Keepers wish returned. Wizened: She doesn’t speak much, so when she does, Wizened: Her skin is smooth canvas marred with narrow nar row black ribbon stitched into her that mark the design lines of a it tends to carry greater weight. It doesn’t actually matter Bec ause she seems so thoughtful, the dress. Countless tiny rust-colored flecks stain her where pins how wise her words are. Because court thinks she is. It’s a very Emperor’s new clothes situajabbed into her again and again. tion, except that so far no one has seen through her. Fairest: The thin man has golden hands and an aucKith Blessing:  When an Oculus uses Persuasion to tioneer’ss compelling voice. He’s always perfectly tioneer’ perfect ly dressed and a nd handsome without being flashy enough to distract from oth- get someone to consider her own point of view, her player achieves exceptional success at three successes instead of five. ers around him.

Example Kiths

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 Amaurosis fugax:  By spending a point of Glamour and

making a Presence + Persuasion + Wyrd roll contested by Resolve + Wyrd, an Oculus obscures all physical paths save hers. Whether via literal clouded vision, magically obscuring everything else in the target’s field of vision, or a mental block when the target considers options, the Oculus guides her target’s destination.

Polychromatic “Come back tonight, folx, it’s a new show every time!”

Creatures as fickle as the True Fae need constant entertainment. They thrive on conflict, but they also thrive on flash and beauty and the way one shade of blue fades into another. The Polychromatic kith was born of this constant need for stimulation. Whether the Gentry find them soothing, peaceful, or something else, many Keepers have one around, just for show. Some, however, brought them to large unknowable events as a sort of emotional modulator, making sure the party didn’t get too riotous and no fights broke out. Before they were taken by their eldritch masters, Polychromatics were the sort of people who looked to care for the emotional well-being of a room. They might have inter vened in fights or tried t ried to play the t he role of a neutral, mothering wise figure to mediate heated discussion. Their ability to work with the shades of emotions displayed in around

them turns into a wondrous physical display of colors on their miens. Other changelings might refer to them as “living mood rings” ring s” or “Arcadian “Arcadian lava lamps.” The Polychromatic kith’s wonder lies in their t heir incredible inoffensiveness. Even as beautiful, brilliant rainbow colors flash and course throughout their skin and hair, that safe beauty demands little of others. Some Polychromatics just  walked out of the front gates of Arcadia, A rcadia, flashing their signals of safety, while others convinced hobgoblins to spirit them out. Even in the mortal realm, they make excellent negotiators, mediators, and crisis counselors. Whenever a freehold or motley needs a soothing voice to restore order, sooner or later, a Polychromatic shows up, ready to help. Beast: He looks a bit like one of those stuffed collectible toys from the t he 80s. You can’t can’t quite place which one. His voice puts you in mind of Saturday morning pancake breakfasts and nostalgic cartoons from your youth. Fairest:  When she’s she’s not helping new escapees e scapees from Arcadia, she works downtown as a singer at one of those overpriced bougie jazz clubs. Her sonorous voice pulls in patrons pat rons from all age groups, and she knows how to rake in the tips. Old men say that her voice makes them feel young aga again, in, and perhaps that’s true. Kith Blessing:  When using Empathy to soothe some-

one’s nerves or temper, the Polychromatic’s player achieves exceptional success at three successes instead of five.

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Prismatic Heart: Once per chapter, a Polychromatic may

Veneficus eficus makes a  Survival Kith Blessing:  When the Ven

spend a Glamour, causing her mien’s colors to swirl in a roll to identify Goblin fruits, her player achieves exceptional bright, beautiful display of light and hue. All other charac- success at three successes instead of five. ters in the scene must spend a point of Willpower or sufWaste Not, Want Not: By spending a point of Glamour, fer the Swooned Condition (Changeling, p. 345). Swooned a Veneficus can reflexively make a toxic plant edible, or vice characters become emotionally overwhelmed by her display  versa. and for the remainder of the scene take an additional −2 penalty on all rolls made to resist the Polychromatic’s use of Witchtooth the Empathy Skill. “Don’t you just love a nature walk? I can hear it all now: the

Veneficus “Do try a bite of my famous casserole! I made it with a secret ingredient…no, it wasn’t love. Or blood, thank you very much.”

Cooking is a miraculous alchemy. Fire and salt transform inedible roots into something delicious; puddles of oil soften and soothe bitter buds into sweet. Tales are told of glamoured faerie feasts, but one doesn’t need magic to engineer one of the worst betrayals: when one bites into something that looks delectable but tastes like dirt, or consumes a dish meant to heal that poisons the body instead. Magic certainly helps, though.  Venefici  Ven efici might have toiled in the kitchens of of the Gentry or struck out into the woods to gather ingredients for feasts the likes of which mortals have never seen. A Veneficus who sees two identical plants knows which is toxic and which  will heal an ulcer, and they can use either one to imbue a dish with special properties. One might make the most comforting chicken noodle soup you’ve ever eaten thanks to a sprinkle of chopped amaranthine; another’s specialty is tea she brews with Mab’s mugwort, which she claims is just a special blend of herbs...that happens to make you tell the plainest truth for the next six hours. In their mortal lives, Venefici believed in the healing power of food, though they didn’t necessarily work in any related industries. A Veneficus just as likely worked as an engineer as a cook or barista. But they all used food as a balm for themselves and for others: instead of saying sorry, they

rush of the wind through gnarled branches, the twigs that snap under your feet, the quiet footsteps that dog your path… Isn’t it so restorative?”

 Witchtooths don’t don’t eat mortals, mortal s, but you’d be forgiven for thinking they do. The most famous of their ilk are said to have a taste for mortal flesh: Baba Yaga, Black Annis, Muma Pădurii. The stories and translations got it wrong as mortals passed them down over the years, twisting until the truth of the Witchtooth was lost, and the one-dimensional horror remained. What Witchtooths know that mortals no longer do is the power of wild land. Many live in ancient forests, but you can find Witchtooths Witchtooths in windy coves, salt flats, aba abanndoned housing projects, and shrublands, too, though you may wish you hadn’t crossed their paths. Witchtooths make their homes in any abandoned places, and some move into populated places with the intent of spooking everyone away. They couch it in a concern for the environment, but in reality, most just enjoy scaring travelers and passersby. It’s a simple way to harvest Glamour, and they delight in knowing they have the power to uproot others as they themselves once were. Before their durance, the mortals who became Witchtooths shared a sense of constraint. Overwhelmed by their powerful, enormous, and devouring emotions, they tamped themselves down and built a shell to contain their true feelings. Inside, their emotions ran wild; outside, they showed deference and overt generosity, trying to make themselves smaller, to go unseen. Durance teaches a Witchtooth she

not restrain that solitude fulfills her,asand feara bought coffee; instead of telling friend them, can sustain her as herself, well as love. The barrens make good they baked a cake. Venefici still awant to they take loved care of the need home for their wild hearts as any. people they love. They can just have more of an effect now. Despite stereotypes, Witchtooths form strong attachElemental: They founded their farm-to-table restaurant mot leys and to freeholds; f reeholds; they just don’t want barely a year ago and have already built it into one of the ments to their motleys to be beholden to anyone. They prize freedom above all, but most beloved businesses on this side of town. The herb garw ithout an a n apprentice? Witchden out back especially impresses the staff, not only with its  what use is their knowledge without hardiness but with the raw taste of the parsley, sage, rose- tooths have a great deal to offer in their role as teachers to mary, thyme. Whenever someone compliments the owner’s the worthy, helping the Vasilisas and Ivans in their lives understand that all chains break, and the ancient woods always green thumb, they t hey just say, “I know.” know.”  wait for them. Wizened: She’s always in the community garden, pluckFairest: So beautiful beautifu l it’s it’s scary, scar y, that’s what he hears all the ing and pulling at her plants, and she brings a green salad to every neighborhood potluck. Most people come away time. His hair might have been black once, but now it’s saltter rifying ing perfection full and happy. The one time a teenager who had recently  white, and all that does is highlight the terrify of his face. When he comes to freehold gatherings, gathering s, conversathrown ball through her seriously. window complained of stomach cramps, ano one took him When he ended up in tions stutter and stop as the smell of briny air stings noses and the roaring of wild water crashes down. the hospital, they still didn’t know it was the salad.

Example Kiths

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Wizened: She looks every bit the classical hag, a real rea l Baba

 Yaga type, t ype, and she takes full advantage. She makes ma kes sure su re to smile real big at the children she hobbles past in the market, showing them her pointed, yellowing teeth; she touches helpful cashiers’ hands, knowing her callused fingers bite like a thornbush; and she gathers her harvest without purchasing a thing. Kith Blessing:  When a Witchtooth targets a mortal  with Intimidation, her player achieves exceptional success at three successes instead of five. Nibble, Nibble, Little Mouse: The Witchtooth knows her land so well that she can transform its appearance at will, all the better to terrify lonely stragglers. By spending a point of Glamour and making a successful Resolve + Intimidation roll, she can reshape the land within one square mile to look how she wants it to. The effect lasts for a number of turns equal to her Wyrd and deals a −1 die penalty to any Survival rolls.

Mirror Kiths of mirror reflect truths not wholly their own. They reveal, they conceal, and when you least want them to, they unveil.

Bricoleur “You’ve heard that old joke, haven’t you? A girl asks the wrong person to make her h er a sandwich, and she gets turned into a witch made of sand. Clever, isn’t it? That’s what I did to my fetch.”

Some can get obsessive, spending days buried in a dictionary to feel like they’re ready for anything — as if they don’t know that the very nature of their lives means anything can, and  will, happen. Darkling:  This clever Wisp spends her days sifting through dump sites and thrift shop collections, looking for trash to turn into treasure. She always seems a bit distracted; if something or someone isn’t useful to her now or later, lat er, she isn’tt interested. isn’ Wizened:  Odd tools dangle from the tiny hag’s belt: a comb, a vial of salt, a bouquet of forget-me-nots and worm wood. She’s She’s a good listener, listener, although it’s it’s probably so she she can always be prepared to use your words against you. Kith Blessing: At character creation, choose a specialty in either Crafts or Expression. When rolling the designated skill and specialty, a Bricoleur’s player achieves exceptional success at three successes instead of five. Creatio Ex Nihilo:  By spending a Glamour point and making a Wits + Persuasion roll, the Bricoleur can change a core truth about ab out herself. It might be minor, like hair color; it might be major, like her age. Everyone else will believe this too, for a number of days equal to the t he Bricoleur’s Bricoleur’s Wyrd. She must have an item that relates in some way to the myth she is making and is appropriate to its power. Most Bricoleurs will be unaware that the same change happens to their fetch — only that  transformation is for keeps.

Bricoleurs trade in symbolism. The kith has existed for Cloakskin as long as the Gentry have kidnapped mortals, but the name “When I was a kid, I always said if I had a superpower, I’d is more recent, deriving from the concept of mythmaking as want invisibility. If I knew that I’d actually end up with a super-  bricolage. Bricoleurs have a gift for seeing the potential links link s power, I’d have picked something else.” between disparate, unrelated elements; by drawing these Have you ever seen something out of the t he corner of your connections, they can create a unifying whole. Bricoleurs eye, only to turn and realize nothing was there — just shadare the fairy tale heroes who block their pursuer’s way by ows? Perhaps that was a Cloakskin. These changelings are throwing combs behind them that become mountains built shadow people, visible to fae eyes but not to mortal ones. of teeth or spitting on the ground to create an ocean. Their Perhaps their visage offended their Keeper, or the Gentry durance was transmutative: these changelings realized that  wanted to experiment with invisibility. i nvisibility. Whatever Wh atever the inspilanguage is not a rule, and they used it to escape. ration, the end result is the same. Cloakskins vary in their  While  Wh ile not necessa nece ssaril rilyy a writer wr iter or an art ist before befor e mien just as any other Lost do, but their Masks share one the Gentry took them, a Bricoleur reveled in creative important trait: someone who cannot see through the Mask thought, avoiding literalism in favor of something fresh cannot look upon a Cloakskin. Even in brightest sunlight, and new. Once through their durance, they find it dif- they see nothing but the changeling’s shadow. This never ficult to think in straight lines, which sometimes makes changes, though there are rumors that if a Cloakskin kills them difficult to befriend. Many Bricoleurs become overly his fetch, his Mask will once again be visible. Those same enamored of their own cleverness; even the quieter ones rumors say the only mortal who can see through the invisoften give off t he impression impression of not ta king other perspec- ible Mask is the changeling’s own fetch. Wherever you go, tives as seriously as their own. This favoritism extends there you are. to their fellow Bricoleurs, making it not uncommon for Many Cloakskins were wallflowers before their abducthese changelings to compete, each showing off her trans - tion, avoiding any and all attention, unwanted or otherwise. formative prowess. The Gentry taught them the lesson that sometimes you get Though sometimes irritating, Bricoleurs are valuable allies. They’re good at thinking on their feet, and most spend a lot of time studying, studyin g, preparing for competition or for danger.

exactly what you wish for. Upon their return, being invisible to mortals morta ls gets old quick, and for most it’s impossible to return to their t heir old lives. As a result, they tend to be more no-

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madic than other changelings, traveling between freeholds acteristics to their advantage. It’s often a twist on how the and sometimes striking off entirely on their own. Doppelgänger wound up in Arcadia. He heard his mother’s Cloakskins crave mortal interaction more than most  voice calling him. She thought she saw her missing brother Lost thanks to their invisible Masks. Those who don’t want and chased after him. They didn’t know the truth until it lat e, and then they became the t he Keeper’s pawn. to socialize solely with other changelings turn to the inter-  was too late, net, where no one has to see your face. A Cloakskin making Before their durance, Doppelgängers believed that if her way through the modern world could be a freelance es- they just changed one thing someone would finally love sayist or an Instagram poet, even an activist engaged in letter them. If she had that movie mov ie star’s violet eyes, if they had that campaigns and prison correspondence. It’s both easier and singer’s gravelly voice. Keepers take advantage of that, only harder than ever to create a false online identity. What does for both Gentry and Lost to learn the hard way that every she do when the moment inevitably comes when her friend person is an individual.  wants to see her face? Darkling:  He’s unassuming, keeps to himself, and you Beast:  She regrows long, twisting caribou antlers every couldn’t say what he looks like because you’ve never had a  year, and when the velvet falls off, they’re car ved with mov- good enough look to say. It’s like your gaze just slides right ing art. With a smile, she says they represent the secrets she’s she’s off his face. learned this past year. Is that your face there, on that nub? Ogre: She looks normal, norm al, but you feel off around her, like Darkling: Even his mien seems invisible, the boundaries she reminds you of someone. Maybe a convicted murderer of his body defined by ever-shifting, slippery shadows that  you saw on the evening news, or the mean ca cafeteria feteria worker climb up his frame fra me and only sink back long enough to reveal at your school? You can’t put your finger on it, but ever y time his dark eyes and darker mouth. He’s friendly but shy, like she smiles at you, you’re chilled to your core. he’s afraid to speak without express permission. Kith Blessing: When the Doppelgänger uses Empathy Kith Blessing: The Cloakskin receives a +1 bonus die to gain someone’s someone’s confidence, her player achieves exceptionto all Social rolls. al success at three successes instead of five. Now You See Me: By spending a Glamour point and Sea-Witch’s Bargain:  The Doppelgänger may steal a tara nd making a Presence + Stealth + Wyrd roll, the Cloakskin’s mien get’s physical or auditory trait as a temporary part of her disappears from sight for one scene. Others nearby can hear, hea r, Mask. The T he Doppelgänger’s player spends a point of Glamour touch, and smell them, but not see them; cameras will not and makes a Presence + Empathy + Wyrd roll contested by record them. In mechanical terms, Perception rolls to detect Resolve + Wyrd. If the roll is successful, the Doppelgänger’s the Cloakskin based in sight fail and those reliant upon all target loses a trait for a number of days equal to the Dopother senses suffer a -3 penalty. pelgänger’s Wyrd. Stolen traits can include hair (color and style), eye shape and color, voice, height, a limp, or a stutter. stut ter. Doppelganger The Doppelgänger must assign a task that returns the “No, dear, I’m not your mother. Come sit with me, and we’ll stolen trait early. Examples include disrupting a Court’s anwait for her to come back.” nual ball or stealing a treasure from another motley. The annals of human fear teem with stories of doubles,  Lethip ipom omp p people who look exactly like you but are not you. How can  Leth “Tell me again about the first time you kissed me. Don’t leave  your true love, your brilliant brillia nt child, even your loving parents pick you out of a crowd of faces that don’t just look exactly anything out.” like yours — that are yours? A Changeling with a fetch lives Once upon a time, a Keeper wondered what it would this nightmare when she escapes Arcadia for the mortal be like to have an abductee who did not fear him, who did  world. If her Mask still looks like her old self when she she fights not tremble when he approached, who did not howl in i n pain to get her life back, she drags the people around her into  when cut. The Keeper went to a river nearby and spoke his h is the battle. Changelings often despise their fetches, viewing thoughts aloud, then collected water. He gave it to his capthem as lowly parasites, but Doppelgängers have more in tive; she eyed him with suspicion at anything resembling common with fetches than anyone’s comfortable admitting. kindness, but drank deep. Then he struck her. She did not  When they t hey escape Arcadia, Doppelgängers come back with flinch, she did not cry, she did nothing but gaze at him with a new trick. They don’t look exactly like someone, but they calm, unworried eyes. The next morning, she was gone. can look just enough like them to keep everyone off-kilter. Lethipomps do not suffer pain or anxiety — they don’t Ephemeral sensations evoke powerful recognition: you feel much of anything at all. Whether that’s a side effect of couldn’t name your grandmother’s favorite perfume for the being walking oblivion or something they’ve schooled themlife of you, but when you catch a passing whiff, you think of selves to is unclear even to them. The end result is the same: a nd reher. You meet a new neighbor who really looks nothing like They’re voids in spirit if not form, absorbing emotion and  your best friend, but he has h as the t he same crooked smile, so you flecting nothing back. Those who become Lethipomps used trust him implicitly. Doppelgängers use these subtle char- to feel too much: a buttoned-up banker went to scream rooms

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after work; an artist’s brushstrokes couldn’t relieve the pain. dren should be seen and not heard. In Arcadia, that was  When they t hey come back, they can’ ca n’tt recapture recapt ure that. that . Revisiting often the case. The Keeper removes their ability to speak, the worst of Arcadia is like looking into the sea through a then puts them to work as the ears of the Gentry. A Keeper k nowledge of human myth and a sense of irony might glass-bottomed boat. That’s how many escape: unable to re-  with knowledge member fear, they simply walked out of Arcadia, knowing if have transformed a Lullescent into a single lonely narcissus flower and hidden her in an enemy’s garden or made her they didn’t make it at least they t hey wouldn’ wouldn’tt die afraid. Lethipomps can remove emotions associated with a par- into an acoustic mirror at which visitors might announce ticular memory and draw it into themselves to feel one gor- themselves. Lullescents spent their durance shouting to be geous, shattering moment of pain. A Lethipomp could make a heard before realizing there were more interesting things splendid therapist, but most focus their energies on collecting to listen to than themselves. Eavesdropping gave them the horrible secrets, promising forgetfulness and making no men- power to slip past their captors: when the Keeper wanted a tion of its cost. Even those who know oblivion’s price still find report and gave back her voice, the Lullescent could use her wa s gone again. themselves drawn to a Lethipomp’s Lethipomp’s promises; sometimes, being knowledge to get out before her voice was Lullescents have sharp hearing that dips in and out of free of guilt g uilt and sorrow is worth letting memories fade away. infra sonic ranges, and if one is in the freeDarkling: Sometimes when they t alk to you, it’s not clear the ultrasonic and infrasonic that it’s really you they’re speaking to. They bring up old hold, it pays to be careful with your words. More than a few quarrels you never took part in, secrets locked with a key you courtiers have been brought down by a Lullescent seeking to don’t have. They’ve got the upper hand always. Sometimes better his own position, or one with a grudge the courtier  you wonder wonder if these memories were were ever yours at all, or if the didn’t know they held. Beast: If you crossed a dog and a monkey, you’d get him: Lethipomp just wants you to spin, chasing the memory of a light coating of gray fur covers him, with peach climbing the memory. Elemental:   Her eyes are dark pools, rivers snaking up his throat; his ears are floppy, like a dog’s, and he always through a forest of dead trees. Her voice is watery too, a well seems to be mid-shrug. His odd appearance wouldn’t draw so deep you’ll never swim out. Her voice scares you, but her the eye if he’d only stop smiling, like he’s just heard a really eyes — you could drown in those cold waters and never feel good joke at your expense. Darkling: The waif earns ea rns her place at the t he Winter Queen’s Queen’s an ounce of regret. Kith Blessing:  When a Lethipomp uses Empathy to side as a lady’s maid. She’s been there throughout the Queen’ss rise to power, p ower, a wispy little naif with dark eyes and a guess a secret, achieving three successes counts as an excep- Queen’ quiet tread. She follows the t he Queen like a shadow, shadow, and never tional success. makes a sound — except in private, humming the freehold’s Waters of Lethe:  By spending a Glamour point and secrets like a beloved lullaby. making a contested Composure + Empathy + Wyrd roll, Kith Blessing:  When the Lullescent uses Stealth to the Lethipomp may absorb the emotions associated with a target’s memory. This doesn’t transfer or resolve any Condi- eavesdrop on a target, achieving three successes counts as an tions. They must already have an idea of what that memory exceptional success. Song of Silence:  A Lullescent can use echolocation by is, and even if their target tries to keep part of it from them, the Lethipomp will still find out. The target suffers the Le- spending a Glamour point. This allows them to measure thargic Condition (see p. 342 of Changeling: The Lost) for distance, navigate, or find objects hidden from sight. A suc24 hours. The Lethipomp Let hipomp suffers a Condition appropriate to the memory for 12 hours. During this time, they may Incite Bedlam (see p.110 in Changeling: The Lost), causing anyone  within range to re-enact the absorbed ab sorbed memory.

 Lulle scent nt  Lullesce “Can you hear me?”

In one of the quiet, rugged valleys of Arcadia, nestled between two massive ma ssive stone stone mountains, no living souls pass. A single stream trickles through the vivid green g reen grass, interrupted only in the exact center of the valley, va lley, where it circles around a massive concrete block. One of its sides is flat. The other looks like an open mouth. Speaking into it, you’ll expect an echo, but there won’t be one. Instead, you’ll realize real ize you haven’t heard the burbling of the stream or in thethe gentle blowing of the grass since the moment you set foot valley. Lullescents are the inverse of the old adage that chil-

cessful Wits + Occult + Wyrd roll also unveils objects and beings hidden by magic but requires a Clash of Wills if the concealer is still alive.

Riddleseeker “Why did the chicken cross the Hedge? That wasn’t rhetori-  cal. Pilar the Unlit, Infanta of the Salamander Court, reports that in 1815, 1815, Chickenfoot Charlie Ch arlie went into the th e Hedge…”

Mortals have always sought to understand the world they can see in addition to the world they can’t. can’t. In thousands thousa nds of years of human existence, this quest has never wavered, and when changelings fall into Arcadia, a land that whim reshapes and governs, the search for meaning takes ta kes new forms. Some Lost don’t ask too many questions when they come home, scared—ofeven the to possibility, demand every answer questionsbut theyRiddleseekers haven’t yet asked. By some accounts, Riddleseekers are the original mythmakers.

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into it, twisting tw isting back and forth into shapes How did the Hunterheart get its spots? How did the briar- molten lead drips into  wolves get those eerily e erily human eyes? A Riddleseeker can tell that only make sense to the expert eye.  you. It’s It’s up to you whether you believe her or not. In Arcadia, the debate over divination becomes a moot fut ure, past. Even in Riddleseekers share a tendency to hold knowledge hos- point. The Wyrd governs it all: present, future, tage with the True Fae, thanks to their close relationships the Hedge, time mangles itself, and changelings wise enough  with their Keepers. One soothed so othed her Keeper to sleep every ever y to pay attention become attuned to the ripples and shifts of night with a new riddle to puzzle over; another stood watch the Wyrd. Sideromancers pay closer attention than the rest, over treasure, posing would-be plunderers a riddle that only and return to the mortal world having cast aside the caul two beings knew the answer to. But eventually, in a land over their eyes. Seeing the echoes of the Wyrd around them like Arcadia, questions run out of answers. In a place where can become overwhelming fast, so each member of this kith novelty is currency, the promise that ignorance is death mo- chooses one specific method of divination to help them fotivates many escapes, although some Riddleseekers must re- cus their newfound gifts. turn to the mortal world when they can no longer capture Many Sideromancers were interested in divination betheir captor’s curiosity. fore their durance, but others were hardline skeptics who Expelled Riddleseekers rarely tell the truth about how thought newspaper horoscopes were a scam. What they all they came back, and the ones who escaped but are dying shared was fear of an unknown future. The mortician had to att ack every time she thought about to go back won’t admit it either. In fact, most Riddleseek- talk herself out of a panic attack a fter death. deat h. The pastor refused refu sed to acknowledge ers want to return to Arcadia, if only briefly. Many steeped  what comes after themselves in academics before their durance, and when they his own skepticism of Heaven. When Sideromancers cross come back to the mortal world, dusty tomes in neglected li- out of Arcadia, they’ve found out there’s more possibility braries no longer scratch the same itch. Despite its horrors, than they ever dared imagine. Still scared of making promdespite the risk of recapture, Arcadia overflows with hidden ises they’ll come to regret, now they can peek ahead and get meaning and answers to riddles not yet even formulated. a glimpse of certainty in a uncertain world — although they try not to think about the fact that neither the Wyrd nor the They didn’t didn’t have enough time, enough freedom… Beast:  Huge, feathered wings droop from her shoulders. future are fixed. Seeing the road ahead by a little is better  While her head is human, her limbs end in paws, which than seeing nothing at all. Isn’t it? Darkling:  When they need comfort, they break into themselves end in sharp gleaming claws. When she’s feeling friendly, she reminds you of a housecat, but cross her and the local synagogue, open the Torah ark, and stand at the bimah, doing silent additions in their head. They ask a ques you’ll realize she’s a lioness lioness on the hunt. Darkling:  He’s always muttering to himself, scratching tion, trace out a phrase with the yad. If it adds up to 18, at his arm. Red bumps rise and shift as he speaks, a Rosetta they’re doing the right thing. If it adds up to 18, they’re going Stone of eerie hieroglyphs he claims to have seen in a book to stay one step ahead. Ogre: She reeks of meat, of flesh and innards, and her of his Keeper’s that had his own name on the cover. Kith Blessing: When the Riddleseeker uses Investiga- sharp nails are always stained a dark, rusty red. She stuffs tion to solve a riddle or a puzzle, achieving three successes her refrigerator with entrails: she’s got a standing deal with the local butcher. Others like her draw a crowd; watching counts as an exceptional success. the haruspex, though, turns stomachs inside-out. The worst Neck Riddle: By spending a point of Glamour and makShe’s never wrong. ing a successful Wits + Expression + Wyrd roll, the Riddle- part? She’s Kith Blessing: When the Sideromancer uses a Specialty seeker persuades a target to resolve an argument, physical altercation, or other conflict with a riddle instead. If she for divination with Occult, achieving three successes counts poses a riddle that the target doesn’t know the answer to as an exceptional success. Panomancy:  Every Sideromancer cleaves to their own and cannot guess within three attempts, the target must let them go without pursuing the conflict again until after the method of divination that mortals already believe works, such scene ends. If players and the Storyteller wish to use dice to as rolling dice or fingerbones, laying out cards, or automatic Sideromancer preresolve whether or not the target can guess g uess the answer, ans wer, make  writing. Using her chosen method, the Sideromancer the above roll contested by the target’s Wits + Investigation. dicts the outcome of making a promise or pledge, incurring a debt, or paying what she owes someone; she can’t predict Sideromancer outcomes to anything for which she is not a primary party.  After spending a Glamour point, her player makes a Wits Wits + “I can’t tell you when you’re going to die, but I can tell you Occult + Wyrd roll as an instant action taking at least five that if you take that fork in the Hedge, it’s going to be much minutes. The Sideromancer’s player may ask the Storyteller sooner than you imagined.” The stars rest for one bright moment, pausing in the  yes/  yes/no no questio questions ns equal to successes successes rolled pertaining to one of shape of a cup. Yellowed teeth clatter out of a mouth and to the above situations during the same scene as the promise, obthe floor, dancing into a bad augury. Water sizzles gently as ligation or payment, but before it happens. If the changeling

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attempts to use it to predict events further into the future, her player’s roll counts as an automatic dramatic failure.

Spiegelbild “I’m sick of this ‘fairest of them all’ crap! Go find an Artist and get them to paint your portrait if you’re that self-absorbed, don’t waste my  time!”  time!”

Mirrors should be flawless, perfect reflections, but they’re usually not. A mirror tells truths, often ones a viewer doesn’t want to see, showing you your swollen pimple, the poppyseed between your teeth that’s been there all day, the dark stain cheating on your wife left in your eyes. The mirror knows your secrets, and your reflection has no interest in hiding them from you — or from anybody else. Particularly not a Spiegelbild. Spiegelbilder are not mirror people, but they’re close cousins. They’re not Mirrorskins either, but the two kiths are a re like refractions of each other. A Keeper may have trapped a Spiegelbild in a mirror to serve as an advisor. While she was there, she made friends: with the creatures peeking in, with others stuck in the liminal space between Arcadian mirrors,  with light itself. it self. A Spiegelbild’s Spiegelbild’s new friends might help her escape — though in Arcadia, everything has a cost. For many Spiegelbilder, that cost is telling a truth that may make their new friends feel much less generous. Spiegelbilder Spiegelbilder are bound by the twin pillars of reflection and refraction: telling the truth doesn’t mean you can’t emphasize some things and minimize others. Still, even the chattiest knows that some truths are better left untold.

Before her durance, a Spiegelbild was likely in the business of truth and appearances, though this can range from investigative journalism to a nail technician gig. She was someone people spoke to in confidence, someone who had just the kind of face that made it seem okay to tell her anything — off-the-record, of course. The kind of person who becomes a Spiegelbild doesn’t keep secrets forever, though. She never did, and she probably never will. Darkling: She always seems to sneak up on you — even  when you’re you’re walking toward her, it’s impossible to make a good estimate of just how far away she is. And she stands too close, her grin too sunny as she leans down to your ear, sing-songing a lullaby of the violent secrets you’ve kept from everyone else. Fairest: Their ebony hair glitters like light reflecting off the sea, and their lips gleam as red as the ripest apple, the freshest blood. You see yourself reflected in the flat, knowing obsidian of their eyes. Your reflection changes, and your goosebumps rise, and those red, red lips smile, as if they can smell your sweat. Kith Blessing: When a Spiegelbild uses Persuasion to talk their way out of making a promise, achieving three successes counts as an exceptional success. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: By spending a point of Glamour and making a successful Wits + Composure roll, the Spiegelbild uses a reflective surface to enter mirror space. She can look through mirrors and hear what’s on the other side. Her face appears in the reflection, and the Wyrd binds

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her to tell the truth to anyone who asks the mirror a quesGrafting:  A simple touch from an Asclepian Ascle pian stabilizstabil iztion. She can prevent her face from appearing with a success- es a character’s injuries and prevents them from getting ful Manipulation + Stealth + Wyrd roll, contested by Wits  worse. By expending expe nding a point of Glamour and making mak ing a + Composure, but if someone senses her presence by other successful Intelligence + Medicine roll, she may perform means or has other knowledge of her presence, they can still field surgery with whatever tools she cobbles together. This ask her questions. Breaking the mirror won’t force her out process can heal injuries normally beyond healing, even if before the end of the scene, but she can no longer see out the patient technically died within the last scene. Scraps of it. used for grafts should have some thematic connection to their purpose. A ribbon bound around the neck holds a severed head in place while the water pump ripped from the engine replaces a lung. A spark plug helps to repair Kiths of the Shield contain those whose hearts resonate someone’ss damaged nervous system but serves less usefully  with ideals of protection and guarding. Not always physically someone’ imposing or deadly fighters, members of Shield kiths also for mending a broken wrist. pick up the pieces physically and mentally after aft er conflict ends.  Asclepians also find Graft Grafting ing useful for resolving persistent physical Conditions. All grafts become permanent Asclepian additions to the character’s physiology. physiology. While grafts graf ts made to changelings are simply hidden by the Mask, grafts made to “The bad news is, I think I voided the warranty on your mortals and other supernatural patients may garner considsmartphone. Goo d news is, it was per fect for patching your skull erable unwelcome attention. A patient may remove this type  fracture.”  fractu re.”  Arcadiaa can be a terrible,  Arcadi terr ible, brutal bruta l place. Injuries hap- of graft by suffering lethal damage equal to the Asclepian’s pen and those who want to survive them learn to make Grafting roll; the persistent Condition immediately returns.

Shield

do. Asclepians are clever healers, hea lers, menders, and mad scienBridgeguard tists. Some True Fae set out to make capable lab assistants “You say I am surrounded; I say it is a target-rich environ-  for bizarre experiments on other ot her changelings. Others need someone to tend favored servants and toys whenever they ment.” break. One of the newly Lost may become an Asclepian Horatius defending the bridge, Samwise climbing  when she taps t aps into a desperate desperat e need to heal someone, s omeone, even Mount Doom, and Leonidas with his 300 at Thermopylae herself. Trained mortal medical professionals are far less all built legends around their battles. batt les. True Fae love the herolikely to make the transition into an Asclepian than those ic figure fighting against overwhelming odds. A Fae general  who aren’t bound b ound by mundane ideas of standard standa rd medical crafts a Bridgeguard to serve as the rearguard of his army, practices, ethics, or even basic biology. It doesn’t matter sending him on seemingly hopeless quests to sow dragon’s  what works or doesn’t work in the mortal mort al world; an As As-- teeth, or sending him deep into enemy territory as a lone clepian might use a crown of flowers as a tourniquet. A assassin. battlefield transplant of a camera lens for an eye can save The True Fae lure some of the Bridgeguard to Arcadia someone’s vision, and mystical chants or potions can heal by promising to make them legends while others willingly the gravest of wounds.  volunteer themselves t hemselves as a tribute to protect another. Their T heir Even in Arcadia, Asclepians are rare and valued ser- Keepers invariably choose Bridgeguards from mortals who  vant  vants s who are society, closely they watched and constantly const in demand. In changeling are even more antly in demand. Freeholds, courts, and even powerful individuals f requently offer significant benefits in exchange for an oath of service. Wizened: The changeling has smooth green skin, a reed thin body, and androgynous features with inhumanly large la rge eyes. Nictitating membranes flicker with every blink and their preferred grafts are tiny LEDs and other small electronics. Elemental:  The broad-shouldered Elemental is as brightly colored as a rainbow eucalyptus tree with leafy hair. He keeps a pouch of various seed pods and buds to graft onto and plant inside his patients. Kith Blessing: An Asclepian’s player achieves an ex-

faced perpetual challenge without breaking — prize fighters refusing to stay down or a parent protecting their children at all cost shine with a spark of determination, rational or otherwise. It burns brightly enough to attract the attention of the Fae. The Fae hone and forge that spark through twisted and unfair challenges. Where a soldier might duel in an arena, the Keeper forces a nascent Bridgeguard to survive a gauntlet of grueling, repetitive, and overwhelming conflicts. The changeling reaches her physical and mental breaking points and then surpasses them. Regardless of the task, the odds are always stacked against the changeling until they revel in and overcome the challenge, becoming Bridgeguards in the process.  Always outnumbered but never ou outmaneuvered, tmaneuvered, Bridge-

ceptional success on first aid Medicine rolls with three successes instead of five.

guards compensate against odds throughhow preparation and planning. Theyunfavorable have learned, painfully, to

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pick their hill to die on and where to plant their feet and  Libroru  Librorum scream defiance at their enemies. They find every possible “You’ve got five seconds to find your library card before I edge in circumstances, strategy, and planning. They control chuck you out into the Thorns.” Clausewitz’s center of gravity, forcing confrontations to hapThe True Fae love knowledge and secrets, choosing pen at the time and place of their choosing. Librorum protectors and collectors of that valuable power. Elemental:  A generally affable woman, she gets along  As guardians, they watch over libraries librar ies packed with books,  with just about everyone until someone stands in her way or  whether free to roam the room or chained to the shelves. threatens those she cares about. Then her pitted sandstone They stand outside a seer’s temple, preventing others from skin begins to crack as her molten core of lava spills forth. hearing her prophetic insight. Ot hers serveexperts. Others as the True Fae’s Fairest:  His durance removed his rough edges, leaving acquisition, restoration, and preservation If a piece only a smooth and polished exterior and an unflappable at- of priceless knowledge goes missing or someone whispers a titude. His skin gleams like polished gold armor and his po- secret in her hall halls, s, the Librorum’s Librorum’s Keeper tasks ta sks him with fernytail waves like a bright plume of feathers. reting it out and returning it to its rightful place. Kith Blessing:  When the Bridgeguard uses IntimidaMortals chosen specifically to become Librorum have tion against multiple targets, her player achieves exceptional distinctly mercenary and incurious natures. T hey did their success with three successes instead of five. jobs in the mortal world with no questions asked, even  when it crossed c rossed a line. Others Other s become b ecome Librorums Librorum s of t heir  Against the Odds:  When outnumbered by the enemy enemy,, the changelings’ secrets or diliBridgeguard can make a stand by spending a point of Glam- own accord by protecting other changelings’ motley’s escape plans from detection. our and rolling Composure + Intimidation. On a successful gently guarding a motley’s roll she gains a bonus to her Defense equal to the successes Librorum most often find their path home to freedom rolled and her Defense is no longer reduced when applied amidst the very stacks and archives their Keeper assigned them against multiple attacks. This effect lasts for one scene and to protect. They guarded the means of escape the entire time, does not require an action. and took other precious knowledge secrets too.  Aand Libro Librorum rum’’swith escape escathem pe consti con sti-tutes a bitter loss for the True Fae, who tend to vigorously pursue them. Beast: The lion’s deep rich golden blond hair and mane-like beard contrast  with the t he dark green patina patin a staining his neck, a thick ring marking where a collar once chained him. He’s quiet and watchful but hunger glitters in his eyes as he waits for an opportunity to pounce. Elemental: Fire set to guard the entrance of her keeper’s library but banned from entering, she went anyway. Now curling and smoldering pages form her skin; letters and words drift off her like smoke. Kith Blessing:  When a Librorum’s player rolls Intimidation in the pursuit or protection of knowledge, achieving three successes counts as an exceptional success.

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Stolen Knowledge: Once per chapter, a Librorum may

Line in the Sand:  While standing standing upon upon a thresho threshold, ld, a LimLim-

spend a point of Glamour; her player rolls Intelligence + Occult + Wyrd as she meditates for a few moments — a round in an action sequence — to access the knowledge she stole from her keeper’s library. Any successes may be divided between the Library or Language Merits, or applied as a Repository, Repository, as she unlocks purloined knowledge from deep within with in her mind.

inal makes a conditional conditional declaration such as ‘No one may cross unless they answer this riddle,’ ‘No one with ill intent may enter,’ or ‘Pay the door fee if you want to come in.’ She spends a point of Glamour and makes a Resolve + Intimidation + Wyrd roll, contested by Composure + Wyrd. The Line in the Sand doesn’t physically prevent anyone from crossing, but those who fail their resistance suffer the Lost Condition (Changeling the Lost p. 342) if they cross it without meeting the conditions.

 Liminal al  Limin “To be or not to be is the question, but would you please just leave the cat in the box alone?”

Reborn

Liminals are creatures of duality and transition, bound to the thresholds of Arcadia. These changelings are selected from mortals who cross cultural, gender and sexual, or physical boundaries only for one of the Fae to whisk them away between one step and the next. In their durance, Liminals act as guardians and advisers. Thresholds are places of power and the ways in and out of the realm are only one threshold. Many others exist. A Liminal is placed in a dark woods to test and advise heroes on their journey, fashioned into a complicated lock on a vault to keep everyone out, or simply placed at the front desk before a maze of nightmarish corporate corridors.  Whatever their specific duties, duties, Liminals all have a great deal

“Remade, reduced, reused, and recycled. How about just being repaired instead?”

of insider knowledge thanks to their position, and with it comes the power to help or hinder other changelings. Most changelings pass at least one Liminal when they make their escape, whether they recognize it or not. While some Liminals take their duties seriously, many more treat their duties with malicious compliance. Their status as creatures of thresholds means they see things a bit more clearly than most and even if they haven’t managed to escape themselves, they often twist their mandate to help others do so. A riddle-telling sphinx tells the simplest one it knows while the green man tending the realm’s border intentionally neglects to fill in a rabbit hole until he completes every other duty, giving others the chance to slip out. All crossroads are one, and Liminals use this knowledge to map the way out for others.

Perhaps originally a Playmate or Gristlegrinder, she became Reborn when her Keeper broke her. Whether intentionally, accidentally, or self-inflicted, the Gentry strip down broken changelings and rebuild their favorites into something new. Each forced reconstruction burned out everything unnecessary and weak. Often remade again and again, only individuals who find, seize, and hold fast to their core memories and sense of self survive the process with any humanity left in them. Even after falling from favor, being set aside, or getting killed and dumped at the Realm’s border, a Reborn lives again. After escaping Arcadia, the Reborn no longer returns from death, but she still carries a spark of creative power in her blood, capable of dredging up slivers of disjointed knowledge from her long durance. Reborn tend toward towa rd more measured reactions than other kiths; knowing the value of their blood, they attempt to avoid casual sacrifice of it or anyone else’s. The rare changelings who survive becoming Reborn come from any walk of life. They remain confident in themselves and their power even while facing the struggles of returning to the t he mortal world. Huntsmen eagerly seek Reborn, sent by True Fae who intentionally discard their servant but covet them again once the Reborn remakes her life. Beast: The tom’s favorite barber shapes his soft black

In spite of being able to ease the way out for others, most Liminals are watched closely by their keepers and have little chance to escape while the threshold they guard still exists. Most who manage to escape are aided by other changelings who help pull them out of their in-between state and back to reality though their mien still marks their duality in some fashion fashion.. Elemental: The ends of their hair — that perfectly managed bundle of cables — occasionally spark and flicker with electricity where others cut them free from their Keeper’s system. The blue cyborg eyes of the former Realm firewall still burn brightly. Ogre: He once lived under a bridge and ate whomever crossed it but now the troll haunts the paths of the Dreaming Roads to protect his allies and family when danger threatens.

fur into a precise haircut. His eyes glow bright yellow, but his raggedly torn ear and broken tail indicate he’s used up at least a couple of his nine lives. Wizened: Only tufts of hair remain upon her dirty grey skin. Tiny, neat stitches bind up old wounds; her newer scars don’tt seem to bother her, but the stuffing don’ stuffi ng seems to escape es cape from around the duct tape holding her most recent wounds closed. Kith Blessing: The Reborn can still dredge up slivers of disjointed knowledge knowledge from her long durance in Arcadia. When she uses Occult to try and separate fact from fake, her player gains an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. Retune: The Reborn tap into the transformative power of their creation. When she spends a Glamour after taking a point of lethal damage — including self-inflicted wounds —

Kith Blessing: When a Liminal uses u ses Survival Surv ival or Street wise to navigate, achieving three successes counts as an exceptional success.

the Reborn’s player may make an Intelligence + Occult roll and redistribute dots equal to her successes from one Skill to another for the scene. This may not raise rai se a Skill above the

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maximum for her Wyrd. Once per chapter she may spend a dot of Willpower and choose to redistribute the dots from

one Skill to another permanently.

Stoneflesh “Wow, I’m sorry, did you just break your own hand trying to punch me? Here, let me show you how it’s done. “

shapes one of these clever souls into a Wisewitch. All it takes is for the changeling to have the Fae impress one of its Titles into her like a seal into wax. It doesn’t reduce the power of the Title itself, but the Wisewitch is indelibly marked as its own. More often a changeling learns to read the lines of power in the realm for herself and touches the influence of the Title to shape himself into the kith on his own without w ithout her keepe keeperr ever realizing it. Other changelings often have difficulty visually identifying a Wisewitch. Their appearance varies wildly but always contains some sort of physical mark left by their brush with the Title. They often gain great expertise in rare Contracts and powers; Merits such as Arcadian Metabolism and Gentrified Bearing commonly occur within Wisewitches. In the past, mortals either revered Wisewitches as goddesses, or burned them as witches and shunned them as madmen. Today they commonly practice their magic openly as psychics, herbalists, shamans, or priests. Fairest: Still active in her local community, the ancient midwife looks out for her people. She delivered and served as godmother to nearly a dozen children on her block, and each one grew up happy, healthy, and successful. successf ul. Ogre: His ears draw to a delicate point, poking out of long silk hair that grows supernaturally quickly, and a gentle stream of diffused sunshine always seems to find him. Beneath the grime of living rough, his only physical flaw is a burn scar directly over his heart shaped like a beetle. He spends his time tending a small patch of garden and telling tourist fortunes beneath a bridge for a few dollars. Kith Blessing:  When a Wisewitch uses Persuasion to  warn someone away from supernatural danger, three successes counts as an exceptional success Keen Bargains: The Wisewitch can form pledges with spirits and angels not of fae kind.

 A common common kith, Stonefl Stoneflesh esh come come in infinite infinite variety, from stone skinned trolls, bronze hounds, to armored knights on a bloody chess board, each one blessed with Arcadian toughness. The True Fae shape each one for durability and endurance, taking humans with a strong stubborn streak to forge into Stoneflesh. The sliver of hope dangled just out of their reach keeps most Stoneflesh going through the bleakest of Arcadian realms as their Keepers toughen them up. Once completely transformed, Stoneflesh in Arcadia make some of the most loyal guards and servants ser vants of the Gentry, who completely snuff out that tiny ray of hope in many. Others hold that spark close, nurturing it. When opportunity presents itself, the Stoneflesh becomes a juggernaut hurling herself towards freedom. Back in the mortal world, Stoneflesh often become pillars of their communities. They often evidence confidence and stubbornness, willing to plow through any obstacle between them and their goals. They saw horrors and atrocities and survived them: whatever the mortal world throws at them, they’re tough enough to weather it. Others become deeply calm and introspective leaders who strive for peace but back up the carrot they first offer their opponents with a really big stick. Elemental: Perfect and solid, granite made flesh: her every patient movement creates the impression of inevitability and purpose, like a solid stone rolling down the mountain, crushing anything careless enough to stand in its path. Beast: At first glance the old terrapin looks like a frail, easy mark, but he stands with relaxed confidence. The hexKiths of Steed prize movement, travel, and the clarity agonal keratinous plates, scarred and pitted by past battles,  which viewing things from a distance brings. Some also bond with creatures of motion, blurring distinctions bearmor his wrinkled skin, each one still intact. Kith Blessing:  When a Stoneflesh uses her physical tween steed and rider. presence for Intimidation, achieving three successes counts Airtouched  as an exceptional success. “Don’tt touch m “Don’ me. e. Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me.” Obdurate Skin: By spending a point of Glamour, Stoneflesh hardens her skin and steels her Resolve. Her player rolls She lived in the wind and the rain, and while freedom Stamina + Athletics + Wyrd, dividing successes between Ar- makes her no longer subject to the whims of her Keeper’s mor, Resolve, and Composure for the scene. stormfronts — the twisting, cursing face in the cumulonimbus clouds of his making — she often feels one step removed Wisewitch from her motley, like she can’t actually touch them. The wind brushes a thousand faces but if it settles, it dies. The wind “Don’t worry, I know just the thing to help with that problem doesn’tt ttouch doesn’ ouch anyone, not really.  you’re trying not to tell me about. It won’t cost you much at all. “ Some people live their lives one step removed from Little enrages the True Fae like a mortal thwarting their others. Acquaintances, never friends. Bridesmaids, never grand plans. Guessing the answer to one of their riddles correctly or slipping through a loophole is a challenge to their ego. brides. Quiet, unruffled existences. The Gentry find these Sometimes the Gentry will steal stea l the mortal away anyway, any way, intent intent individuals easy pickings, and a great number of them beon punishing them for their temerity. The Gentry only rarely come Airtouched; drained of the rest of their immediate

Steed

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attachments, their Keepers craft them into fluffy clouds Fae don’t just traverse the waking realms; they someor distant, circling birds. The ache in the breast remains, times require specialists for the highly particular task of however, an endless human need for connection, and those luring in or manipulating dreamers. Many Chalomot were  Airtouched who escape prove to the Fae that they cannot themselves once drawn in by another of their kith, their t heir Basconsistently sever even the most detached of humanity from tions twisted and deformed by subtle degrees over a period their need for others. of nights until the dreamer accepted a proffered bargain. Conversely, some Gentry take a perverse pleasure in The next morning, a fetch came down to coffee instead. taking those individuals deeply rooted in their communities Others stumble into the clutches of the Gentry through and cutting, one after another, the connections that made their own experimentation with lucid dreaming or attempts them human. Perhaps the most popular girl in class, or may- to gain psychic powers; some find themselves opened up to be the pastor’s wife who brought her famous hotdish to ail- Their ministrations when a benevolent changeling assisted untanglin g a problem in the mortal’s mortal ’s dreamscape. ing parishioners: the glee of the Fae who make this variety var iety of  with untangling  Airtouched comes from f rom watching their new toys suffer and a nd Once in Arcadia, the Fae slowly strip away the Chalostarve, adrift in Their skies and gasping for connection as a mot’s sense of reality, subjecting her to repetitive dreams drowning man gasps for air.  with subtle tweaks, tweak s, something like repetitively running a game’s first level level until only pixelated logic logic makes sense. Beast:  Summer’s heat boils off him when he cocks his  video game’s head to the side sharply, and he hisses when angry, spread- Kept captive by her Keeper with a chain of ivory and horn ing his feathered arms wide in an eagle’s threat posture. His anchored to the bones of her wrist, the nascent Chalomot talon-sharp nails bite into his motley-mate’s arm when he invades her first Bastion. Another, and then another, until she tears the chain free and flees through one of the Gates. clings to her, anchoring himself hims elf so he doesn’t drift away. Darkling: The monster under the bed, the shadow standElemental:   She spent a small eternity as the top of a mountain, battered by the wind with its thousand voices, ing in the corner when sleep paralysis takes hold, he moves a hundred people who lost their last vestiges of humanity like a dark smear of ink on the world, a suggestion of a face and faded away into echoes upon echoes. Tall and solid, she rippling across an indistinct form. His Autumn Mantle doesn’t look like someone who can balance on a thread but smells of leaf must and cold petrichor; his voice carries a living as a mountaintop means the experience of distance subtle half-second echo as though he speaks from the bottom of a deep well. and teeth-rattling gusts as much as stone and snow. Wizened: The strange never-written languages of a thouKith Blessing: When the changeling’s player rolls Athsand dreams slide like living tattoos across their papery skin, letics to climb, jump, or move vertically vertical ly in any other fashion, unpublished scores of music chasing half-dreamed manuachieving three successes counts as an exceptional success. scripts. Their long, narrow fingers grip the ebony-headed The Drift: By spending a Glamour, an Airtouched may cane they lean on in the real world, but in dreams use like invoke once more the distance bestowed on him by his a baton, conducting the sleeping landscape like a symphony Keeper: an infinitesimal distance exists between his feet and only they hear. the ground beneath him. He may move across snow without Kith Blessing: When gauging the strength of a Bastion, breaking through the surface, scurry across the surface of counts three th ree successes on Empathy rolls  water, or balance on other surfaces far too fragile to hold a Chalomot’s player counts his full weight. Treat the Airtouched as though he weighed as an exceptional success. Dreamtread:  By spending a point of Glamour, a Chaloonly a few ounces and penalize attempts to track him by his footprints by Wyrd divided by 2, rounded down to a mot gains a bonus to her dreamweaving rolls equal to her minimum of 1.  Wyrd/2, rounded down to a minimum of 1, for the remainder of the scene. Chalomot may spend one additional GlamChalomot our point to share this blessing with another oneiromancer  within the same Bastion, to a maximum of five fellow dream“No — that way leads to the mirrors. You don’t want to get  weavers. trapped between them. th em. We go this way. way.””

Chalomot move through the waking world perpetually distracted, their eyes distant and unfocused. Once their Gentry’s scouts on the Dreaming Roads, finding cracks in the Bastions of the strongest dreamers, they dug out information about the mortal world and crafted lures within the minds of sleepers. Helldivers may be the unparalleled generalists at moving between realms and

Chevalier

realities, but Chalomot have fished more than one disoriented Helldiver out of the thorny morass that grows between Bastions.

her motorcycle just as much as she adored the pony she rode one summer at camp. One Keeper lures in young people who obsess over horses by sending kelpies and each-uisge to lure

“Bucephalus, to me!”

The relationship between human and steed goes back thousands of years: the t he Fae study the deep and abiding bond between a horse and his rider with fascination. Modern updates don’t diminish that bond in the least: a girl may love

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them to Hedgeways near the water, creating a small army Finally, whenever the Chevalier drops to 0 Willpower, of valiant champions on aquatic steeds; when one of them gains a Clarity Condition, or suffers any wound penalties, breaks free, she remembers nothing but her beloved mount, the Noble Steed becomes immediately aware of its rider’s irreplaceable and lost in the Thorns. Another of the Gen- peril and the call takes effect as normal without any spent try places discreet ads in  Autoweek and Car & Driver  for  for the Glamour. discerning gentleman who wishes to restore antique automobiles in the most refined of settings; respondents spend Farwalker small eternities hammering their blood and tears into the “Should only take us a day to get there if the trods run how I steel roll cage of the Fae’s newest racecar. When one of the remember. They change a lot though, so plan on sleeping outside.” pair chained to the anvil accidentally crushes his own chest She walked the borders of her Keeper’s realm, forever  with the hammer press, the other swears on his h is comrade’s comrade’s on patrol, looking for breaks in the defenses. The illusion of dying breath to steal the car and break free. freedom became freedom itself on the day when, on one of Elemental: Wide chrome eyes without iris or pupil re- her endless loops, she found a crack in the painted-on horiflect streetlights as she prowls the bar district on her favorite zon wide enough for her to fit through. These days, she leads hog, its body painted red as blood. Her hydraulic joints hiss her motley on long, ranging treks through the Hedge as they  when she moves and her heart hear t pumps with a diesel engine’s search for escapees to aid. two-stroke pound. Gentry usually select those with a predisposition to the  Wizened: His weather-beaten skin smells and looks outdoors to craft into Farwalkers, though t hough this doesn’t doesn’t hold unilike his well-worn riding leathers, and the diminutive, silver-  versally  versally true. Some Some Farwalkers Farwalkers simpl simplyy come come from background backgroundss haired man doesn’ doe sn’tt cut much of a figure on his own. ow n. Astr Astride ide  wher  wheree they’re they’re used to spending spending a lot of time alone; this can his Fae Mount, a panther with skin the color of spilled oil, spring from a job as a night security guard, endlessly walking he commands the attention of entire freeholds; many have the same halls in a mostly abandoned mall, from a childhood as followed him to war over the last two decades. a latchkey kid, or from the mother to such a child, commuting Kith Blessing: Choose either Persuasion or Intimida- hours every day to the t he job that keeps her family fed. The lure of tion. When the Chevalier rides, drives, or pilots their steed the outdoors draws a devout hiker promised the trek of a lifetime  — either one already belonging to them, or one they appro- by a tattered flyer plastered at the rock-climbing gym, but a job priated via Rider’s Call (see below) — achieving three suc- offer advancing the proposition of a huge raise with a slightly t he career-minded career-minded executive. cesses when rolling the chosen Skill counts as an exceptional longer commute pulls in the success. Beast: They carry their entire life on their sturdy back, Rider’s Call: By spending a Glamour point, the Cheva- pack and pans and tent all lashed against the shell they stole lier may touch a vehicle or mount and name it their Noble from their Keeper. Beady black crustacean eyes peer out Steed. Any type of steed works, from a unicycle to a camel from under beetled brows, and the hermit’s stringy black to a tank, as long as it’s a single mobile steed the changeling hair, forever damp, smells of the sea at low tide. can ride or operate themselves. A Noble Steed can be the Ogre:  Six and a half feet tall with shoulders as broad character’s own Fae Mount (Changeling, p. 113), though it as her easy, sharp-toothed smile, she patiently explains the still can’t persist outside the Hedge without the Actormask difference — once again — between Yeti and Sasquatch while ability. It can also be a sapient steed as long as that character leading her motley along the winding trod. Her shaggy still qualifies as a vehicle or mount, such as a changeling brown hair rustles like the pine forests of the Pacific Northtransformed into a bicycle or a briarwolf on all fours; a mot-  west, and her Winter Mantle smells like l ike Portland’s Portla nd’s Decemley-mate giving them a piggyback ride doesn’t count. ber rains. Once the Chevalier has designated a Noble Steed, they Kith Blessing: When the Farwalker uses Survival to may reflexively call that steed by spending another Glamour find or create temporary shelter or forage for food or water point. The steed hears the call no matter where it is, even in in any realm, achieving three successes counts as an excepthe Hedge or another realm, and rushes at its fastest natural tional success. speed to the changeling’s side if possible. It receives no special Home Away from Home: Farwalkers can make themselves powers to do anything it normally couldn’t; a helicopter can’t at home literally anywhere they are. By spending a Glamdive beneath the ocean, nor can a mortal transformed into a our while in a wild place anywhere in the mundane world mammoth open a Hedge Gate without w ithout its Key, and a horse tied — desert, forest, tundra: the type of open, wild land doesn’t to a post remains there. Sapient steeds may choose whether or matter — the Farwalker may create a one-dot Safe Place for not to respond, but they still hear the call cal l no matter what. a day, large enough to comfortably sleep individuals equal The Chevalier may only have h ave one Noble Steed at a time, to her Wyrd/2, rounded down to a minimum of 1. She may and can’t switch steedstountil of vehicle the scene. Another Chevalier attempting claimthe theend same or mount as a Noble Steed prompts a Clash of Wills.

expand this by spending one Glamour for each additional person. If she has an existing Safe Place, substitute the rating of that Safe Place instead.

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 While in the Hedge, use of this ability decreases decrease s the rating of the Hedge by one for an area of the same size as above — Thorns become the Hedge, the Hedge becomes a trod, and a trod behaves as a Hollow — and the character may m ay confer one feature of his existing Hollow on the temporary shelter. A temporary shelter in what used to be the Thorns might not provide the greatest comfort, but a Farwalker whose home Hollow contains a Phantom Phone Booth could call for help. Of course, she might find herself the recipient of a few unwanted calls before the night runs its course.

Flickerflash “They can’t take us back if they can’t catch us.”

 A swift-footed fox disappears back into the brambles, just a red blur at the corner of the eye. She rolls into her motley’s movie night with the scent of ozone roiling off her skin, laughing brilliantly as she screeches to a stop, the soles of her cheap sneakers literally melting under her feet from the friction between rubber and asphalt. The runaway child. The college student who burned her  way from one project, project, one party, one girlfriend girlfriend to the next, never able to settle. The young man who joined the Navy for the sole purpose of getting out of his hometown and seeing something, anything , more interesting than his Midwestern hometown’s hometown ’s dusty roads. Every Flickerflash carried ca rried in her heart a deep restlessness long before the Fae lured her through the

Thorns or dragged her in screaming. The Gentry simply twisted that deep and endless longing for open vistas and the speed to cross them t hem into an unquenchable need for movement. movement. Gristlegrinders hunger for flesh; Flickerflashes hunger for speed. Flickerflashes often ran messages for the Gentry. Who, including the Flickerflash herself, can say with absolute certainty she won’t eventually return to Them with the messages she carries now? Many therefore get caught in obsessive and endless loops, proving themselves again and again to their motleys, their freeholds, and themselves. He keeps careful track of how many of his diplomatic parcels averted wars, war s, comparing them to how many lives her early warnings have saved. These numbers become statistical talismans, t alismans, verifiable proof positive against loyalties not the Flickerflash’s own. Elemental:  He spent his entire durance inside a video game, running level after level in a frantic effort to beat his last speedrun time. Now he carries messages for Summer and always runs first into danger. Dark eyes shudder and shift with glowing green ones and zeroes; his skin crackles with static and his face derezzes, glitching out whenever he laughs. Beast:  She’ll admit before anyone that Autumn’s cold  winds drive drive her her ever ever faster, faster, lupine lupine claws digging digging into into the earth  when she races her motley-mates. motley-mates. Only those oathbound to her know that she dreads the day she’s not quick enough to save them, and that her dogged pursuit of ever-greater speeds springs from a desperate attempt to outrun her fear.

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Kith Blessing: When the Flickerflash uses Athlet-

ics during a chase in any realm, achieving three successes counts as an exceptional success. Instantaneous Velocity: Flickerflash personify speed, achieving truly tru ly absurd and inhuman velocities. By By reflexively spending a point of Glamour, a Flickerflash may triple her Speed. Apply Instantaneous Insta ntaneous Velocity Velocity before any other Speed modifiers.

 Levinq uick  Levinquick “Take my hand. I’ll get us out. But you’ll have to trust me.”

 Wyrd. Upon success, succes s, the changeling diss dissolves olves into the t he electrical grid and, as an instant action, reconstitutes himself at another land-connected telecommunications device already known to him within (his Wyrd) miles: he could jump to the television in his apartment, but not the television in an enemy’s home that he’s never visited.  A Levinquick may carry carr y with him through the wires only that which fits inside his pockets and his closed hands. He may also bring companions with him for an expenditure of an extra Glamour per individual; attempting to drag an unwilling person with him triggers a Clash of Wills. Like any other form of kidnapping, Lost who drag an unwilling rider along on their electronic escapades may face not only a breaking point p oint as they behave li like ke one of the Gentry, but social and possibly formal consequences. The severity of the breaking point depends upon the context of the action, at the Storyteller’s discretion; a vast difference exists between pulling along a near-dead but unconsenting motleymate and a captured privateer.

 With the rise of the modern world, Gentry Gentry have accordingly adapted their toys; few kiths typify this as completely as the Levinquick. Electricity flows everywhere now, and so do they. They come, they go, they’re back, as distracted as a buzzing bolt of electricity. Levinquicks serve as scouts and couriers, especially in the hustle of the modern world that can be overwhelming to Lost who were taken in previous decades. Often, they served the same purposes during their du- Swarmflight  rances, not that most Levinquick ever talk about the past: skitter. skitter. skitter. this moment and the future are all that matter. Constantly looking to the horizon, a Levinquick rarely stops moving; She tips her head back and honeybees pour from her she knows that sitting still makes her vulnerable to recap- mouth as she dissolves into a dark, twisting swarm that ture. Manic motion runs through their bodies even at rest; a  wisps away like li ke a cloud borne aloft. A hundred jumping spisleeping Levinquick’s fingers and toes often twitch as if tap- ders skitter through the empty warehouse, perching on high ping keys or working a remote even while dreaming. beams to watch the meeting below, unseen and unheeded. The digital world’s restless children make perfect fod- Their lanky, androgynous body dissolves into pyreflies and der for Levinquicks. Gentry pluck them from all walks of drifts through the forest, casually mapping the path their life; almost anyone raised with modern technology makes motley will soon follow. a good Levinquick. The best — and thus most likely to esSwarmflight defy easy cataloguing, the kith unified cape — carry an ineffable hunger for motion in their heart, solely by the swarm itself. She comes out of the Thorns able never satisfied. They forever chase the next hit of dopamine to disassemble her body into a drift of pyreflies; he tumbles from another like, another share, another conquest, another downward into a mischief of mice, scattering across the rescue. floor and hiding himself behind the refrigerator. Not every Fairest: Flickering cathode-ray dots define his face, and Swarmflight startles easily, but it can seem that way, since  when angry, ang ry, the t he color leaches from his hi s cheeks, leaving him they often respond to stress by literally falling apart until the in all his true black-and-white glory. Summer’s scout pops in danger, perceived or real, passes. and out of danger, running himself dry until he collapses, Beast: His fingernails shimmer like a beetle’s shell, an now dependent on his motley-mates to drag him out for opalescent black and green but bright yellow where they Glamour harvesting. crack. A handful of erratic gestures in humanoid skin, he Elemental:  The edges of her hair crackle, and static elec- tries his hardest not to buzz when he speaks. tricity follows her everywhere. She doesn’t bother carrying a Darkling:  She drifts through the world, appearing out cell phone; they never last long in her pockets. Her manner- of shadows just as easily as she dissolves into a handful of isms are as static as her touch isn’t, and the rest of her body  will-o -wisps. Her motley-mates know her happiest h appiest when she buzzes with the energy hiding behind her unchanging face. drifts along with and around them, watching the edges of Kith Blessing: When engaging in chase rolls within the their traveling party, and when she collapses into her slensomething ’s invariably wrong. BriarNet (the digital Hedge; see p. 12), a Levinquick’s player der, dark self in the Hedge, something’s counts three successes on Computer rolls as an exceptional Kith Blessing: When the Swarmflight uses Stealth success.  while in swarm form, achieving three t hree successes counts as an Lightning Walk: A Levinquick may touch a land-connect- exceptional success. Swarm Form: By spending a Glamour, the Swarmflight ed telecommunications device — a television, telev ision, landline phone, or PA system works, and a nd a cellphone will if it’s it’s plugged into a may dissolve her body into a swarm. A Swarmflight chooses  wall to charge — spend 3 Glamour and roll Wits Wits + Athletics + a single swarm type appropriate to her seeming at character

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creation, composed of Size 0 or Size 1 objects or animals. always gets seasick, talked into a whale-watching trip and  An appropriate object for a swarm both has some sort of swept off the deck by an unexpected gale. When combining independent motion and is easily visible to the unaided eye. the caprices of Gentry and the sea, who knows what might Bubbles and will-o-wisps drift through the air and can be happen? easily individually seen, while smoke or sand cannot. Beast:  The kelpie’s ears swivel, always on guard, and his The Swarmflight perceives fully through the senses of stringy, pale mane tangles at the sides of his face. His Winany individual creature in the swarm, but the swarm acts as ter Mantle carries the crash of the Irish Sea against massive a single entity. The swarm may only spread over five yards boulders, and he smells like wet silt. silt. Mottled, deep blue skin or meters per dot of Wyrd the changeling possesses. Beyond looks as though everyone views him as if looking up from that range, bubbles pop and spiders die. The swarm may the bottom of the River Liffey. move in any direction at the changeling’s Speed, modified Fairest:  Dark curls forever salt-specked tumble around for the creatures’ Size. her shoulders; water lilies blossom in her hair. Her wide eyes The swarm limits visibility and hearing and causes pan-  without iris or pupil shift color with her mood, from Ca Caribribic in all those present. Everyone in the swarm’s area suffers bean blue to brackish-dark, as changeable as the sea. When the persistent Distracted Condition (Changeling,  p. 336) she laughs, her piranha-sharp teeth catch the light. until they get away. At the Storyteller’s discretion, a swarm Kith Blessing: When the Swimmerskin’s player rolls may have other abilities or features suited to the swarm type. Brawl to grapple someone in the water or ambush someone For example, will-o-wisps may provide faint light or lizards from the water, achieving three successes counts as an excepexcep may have extra Speed for their Size. tional success. The swarm resists most harm. All damage from a single The Selkie’s Skin: A Swimmerskin may always breathe personal-scale attack is reduced to one point of the appro- both air and water, switching between them seamlessly. By priate type, or two if the attack achieved exceptional suc- spending a Glamour, she may fuse her legs into a tail, tencess, unless the attack is made with an iron implement. Fire, tacles, or other aquatically appropriate lower appendages explosions, and other large-scale or environmental threats that allow her to move freely and swiftly in the water. She cause normal harm to the swarm. can swim at double speed and suffers no penalties for using  A Swarmflight Swarm flight with an appropriate swarm form — rats,  weapons or performing per forming complicated tasks ta sks underwater. This T his bats, spiders, etc. — may attack anyone within the area of her blessing may be invoked and dismissed reflexively. swarm with a single attack that deals lethal damage. Roll Strength + Brawl, ignoring Defense. Divide the damage however you wish between those within the swarm. Apply Kiths of the Sword are sharp and keen. They have the each victim’s armor normally. frightful majesty of naked blades ready to be soaked in  While in swarm swa rm form, a Swarmflight Swar mflight may use no Con- blood, or the deadliness of poison upon those same blades. tracts that require speech, eye contact, or specific gestures.

Sword

Swimmerskin “My sister and I, we are of the same water. It doesn’t matter which one of Them made us. We are the same.”

Kuliltu. Rusalka. Jiaoren. Ningyo. Kelpie. Njuzu. Aycayia. Merrow. From the first known stories telling of Atargatis in Mesopotamia, who loved a mortal and accidentally drowned him, to the 11th-century carvings of women with fish tails on the pillars of Durham Castle, through the shark people mentioned in the Bowuzhi  of the third century CE and Suvannamaccha the daughter of Ravana, mermaids and their aquatic kin have fascinated human storytellers through human history. The Fae make note of such stories and twist them to their own ends. Those who love the water always alway s face peril for their adoration of the deep; whether dragged into cold Siberian rivers through cracked ice or lured into a riptide off the New  Jersey coast, mermaids make more mermaids by enticing the unwary into the depths. Sometimes, a mere unfortunate becomes a Swimmerskin — someone who hates the water and

Bearskin

“You don’t know what loyalty is until you die for it so many times you lose track. True loyalty is giving up your self  and  and sur-  rendering to survival. No fleeting monarch will ever deserve my sword.”

The Lost soldiers known as Bearskins share little common ground with mortal militaries. For one, the Gentry fill their standing armies exclusively with conscripts, pushed into service by forces they can’t fight back against. Their Keepers send Bearskins into endless war, breaking them down until they want to live, fight, and die for their Keeper. That emotional attachment is necessary, because the causes they fight for rarely warrant their deaths. For all the pointlessness of human wars, Arcadian objectives are worse: a single flower in a neighbor’s garden, maybe, or a golden apple on a tree that otherwise bears silver. Many Bearskins don’t realize they can escape until their Keeper rejects their loyalty or pushes them over a line they didn’t know existed. When they come home to find that it’s not home anymore, some wish they’d never left Arca-

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dia, feeling like outcasts among outcasts. It’s the collateral involved in dog fighting. In Arcadia, this translated into damage of faerie wars: one changeling bound into service their unusual connection with goblin beasts, and the Gentry killed another’s dearest friend. Even knowing that the Fae took advantage. One of the hardest parts of escape was leavleft a Bearskin Bear skin no choice, the mental scars linger, deeper and ing behind a bonded beast, and sometimes the beast even followed their Beastcaller, loyal to the very last. darker than the physical.  Working  Wor king with animals both mortal and fae helps soothe  A Bearskin with a cause fashions their whole self into t he closer the t he bond to a goblin beast, be ast, its sword. The Fae didn’t intend them as defenders, craft-  Arcadia’s trauma, but the Beastca ller to distinguish between bet ween ing them to fight mindlessly, brutally, until they win or die. the harder it becomes for a Beastcaller Sometimes they pick metaphorical battlefields: Bearskins one mind and another. To delineate self from beast, many make fierce criminal prosecutors willing to die on the hill Beastcallers come to view their beasts as disposable, knowof the accused’s guilt, or journalists obsessed with uncover- ing the goblin creatures can go into battle with abandon being the truth even at the cost of their career. The listless- cause the Beastcaller doesn’t die even if the beast does. The ness they all share upon returning to the mortal mort al world drives darkest side of this dynamic involves fighting rings, wherein most to find an object of undying loyalty, for better or worse. two Beastcallers possess goblin beasts and fight to the death  A Bearskin’ Bea rskin’ss liege needs not prove herself worthy wort hy of his hi s ser- — of those bodies, not their own. The Beastcallers who engage in this unsavory practice try to hide their involvement,  vice — she just needs to ask a sk him to die for her cause. Elemental:  A quiet, massive man made of clay, his taci- but these rings remain open secrets, bet on by hobgoblins turn nature drives people to try to get under his skin. He and seedy Lost alike. Beast: A large, fluffy cat always tails her. They share some doesn’tt respond — until someone questions his doesn’ hi s loyalty to the Summer King. The sun burns bright; his honor burns hot- features: matted brown hair, wide pink eyes, a nick in the right ear. Courtiers learned the hard way to shut up when they see ter; his fists burn fiercest of all. Wizened: They’re the definition of workaholic: the sec- the cat, even when her bonded friend doesn’t accompany her: t heir way back. ond they file their investigative piece on corruption within secrets told in front of the cat tend to make their Elemental:   At the front lines of every insurgency into the local waste disposal company, they take off to interview a tipster about bribery at City Hall. They won’t stop until  Arcadia, they throw themselves into the battle with wild they scrub their city clean — and when that’s done, they just abandon — in the body of any goblin beast they can find, of course. The Gentry will never douse this flame, no matter move on to another. Kith Blessing:  Choose Intimidation or Weaponry at how many beasts die in the line of fire. Kith Blessing:  When making an Animal Ken roll to character creation. When the Bearskin uses the chosen Skill to defend a motley-mate’s Aspiration (not her own), achiev- tame a goblin beast, three successes count as an exceptional success. ing three successes counts as an exceptional success. Night Rider: By spending a point of Glamour and a nd succeedDulce et Decorum est: A Bearskin can rally other people people to her chosen cause. Whenever her opponent surrenders in a vi- ing on a Presence + Animal Ken + Wyrd roll, the changeling’s olent conflict or she successfully intimidates or coerces some- mind flows into a goblin beast’s body, overtaking its will. This one into doing something, she may spend a Glamour point to possession lasts for a number of turns equal to the changereplace one of the defeated opponent’s Aspirations with one ling’s Wyrd. The Beastcaller sustains one point of bashing of her own for the rest of the story. If the target hasn’t fulfilled damage for every point of lethal damage dealt to the beast, and one point of lethal damage for every point of aggravatit by story’s end, their original Aspiration replaces it again. ed damage. If the beast falls unconscious or dies while the Beastcaller changeling possesses it, the changeling returns to their own body with an additional additional point of aggravated damage. “Come...sit...stay. There’s The re’s a good little goblin.” Mortal militaries have special relationships with animals, whether the horses of a cavalry, homing pigeons that carry messages across battlefields, or even domesticated animals serving as mascots. In Arcadia, armies field beastly hobgoblins, such as briarwolves and birds of omen, and those beasts are corralled by Beastcallers. These beasts are more intelligent and difficult to tame than their earthly counterparts, but Beastcallers possess a preternatural ability to win their obedience and loyalty. Before their abduction, Beastcallers might have worked jobs involving specialized animal training, working as zookeepers, lion tamers or military animal trainers. It’s just as likely that they had a strong st rong bond with an exotic pet, or were

Cyclopean “C’mon, little ones. This way. I can smell their fear.”

Fee, fi, fo, fum. Towering nightmare giants made flesh, Cyclopeans stomp and smash their way through daily life. Before the Gentry took them, t hem, members of this kith often oft en felt like “too much” for those around them — too loud, too large, la rge, too opinionated. She may not have fit in with her peers, who saw her as unable to control herself. Alternately, she may have led a clique clique or other group too cowed by her muchness   to do anything but trail along in her wake.  Whatever her pre-Arcadian life, her Durance made her into something truly grand and terrifying. Cyclopeans in

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their mien often stand well over six feet tall, physically lookOgre: The freehold’s fastest messenger, no one rememing down upon even the most intimidating Draconics. Their bers seeing him raise a hand in anger, but if he did, everyKeepers fashioned some into caryatids holding up living tem- one knows he’d leave nothing of the assailant, assai lant, stomping and ples, others became giant shepherds of golden-fleeced sheep. kicking on his one good leg.  Armies of huge red-skinned red-skinned oni clashed with w ith gaggles of oneKith Blessing: When using Investigation to track down legged fachan for the Gentry’s amusement. A few Cyclopeans any fae creature other ot her than a Huntsman, Huntsma n, a Cyclopean’s Cyclopean’s playeven remember, faintly, time spent as living cathedral-spires, er achieves exceptional success at three successes instead of though describing the sensation of beings moving inside them five. usually distresses those Cyclopeans greatly. Smell The Blood: Once per scene, a Cyclopean may spend No matter how massive ma ssive and awe-inspiring the Cyclopean, a point of Glamour to learn their target’s weakest points, rehowever, she carries her own pains. Almost every Cyclopean all penalties for attacks to specified targets ( Change-  suffers some Persistent Condition affecting her mind or mobili- ducing ling, p. 184) by 2, to a minimum of −1. If such an attack ty. One of the t he aforementioned aforementioned oni lost an arm, while the fachan  would deal bashing damage, it deals dea ls lethal instead. in stead. sacrificed a leg for her incredible height. Scars crisscross cr isscross Cyclopean skin, reminding her she must always be the biggest and Plaguesmith strongest. Her muchness, once a problem, became the solution. “Wash your hands, hands , darling. You wouldn’t wouldn’t want to catch what wh at In freeholds and motleys alike, the Cyclopean usually I’ve got.” takes on the role of combatant or protector. Only a fool The True Fae could hardly resist taking lessons from  would cross a court monarch monarch with an eight-foot-tall eight-foot-tall monolith plagues: not just how the Black Death slashed populations, of a bodyguard, after all. Some choose to take on the softer but how humanity adapted disease as a weapon, contaminatparts of their role — the shepherd, the builder, the tracker ing water, tossing infected corpses into cities, risking their own — but even so, freeholds often call upon Cyclopeans as frontf rontlives to take others’. The first True Fae to deliberately kidnap an line soldiers in any war their allies and loved ones fight. infected human never regretted it; the abduction of that dying Beast:  A huge Nemean lion of a woman, with shaggy, shagg y, soul introduced a new, fascinating dimension dimension to the wars of the dirty blonde hair, one bright blue eye, and a lopsided smile, The True Fae do not their living biological leads your motley onward. Occasionally, she pauses to sniff Gentry. ons as carefully a s humans as nowtreat do, cavalierly sending sen ding themweapinto the air and a nd reorient herself. She never fails to find who she’s  war to mow down thei theirr fe fellow llow abdu abductees. ctees.

looking for.

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Not every Lost fashioned into a bioweapon knew what the Fae did to them. Sometimes the Gentry took them before they even had a fever, and their knowledge of their illness came by watching oily black boils rise on some poor test subject’s skin. A Plaguesmith returns to the mortal world acutely aware of her poisoned touch, and while she doesn’t necessarily  withdraw from society because of it, she becomes extraordinarily choosy about who she interacts with, and how.  A Plaguesmith does not spread disease if they do not so choose, but no matter their relative actual health, many become hypochondriacs upon their return to the mortal  world. They share a fear that the t he diseases incubated by ttheir heir bodies could turn on them, eating away their own insides or those of their loved ones. They remember the Gentry using them as unwilling weapons, and the trauma of destruction lingers like a cough. Elemental:   Moist, warm air always hangs around the nurse — not like a sweet summer’s day, but like the cloying air of a windowless room packed with the sick and dying. She stretches a lot, complaining of stiffness. She complains about everything, in fact, and when called out on it, she blames her “sanguine temperament.” No one at the clinic advocates for patients better, though. Fairest: She always looks near death in that t hat way everyone

finds utterly gorgeous. Her musical cough, pallor and rosy cheeks might have come right out of a Victorian portrait. People take pity on her, though she shares nothing with that era’s listless, fashionably sick girls. She doesn’t mind when people underestimate her strength — that’s how you win. Kith Blessing:  When a Plaguesmith uses Medicine to treat an infectious disease, achieving three successes counts as an exceptional success. Plague of Arcadia:  When the Plaguesmith touches a target, she may infect them with the Arcadian Plague by spending a Glamour point and making an instant Strength + Medicine + Wyrd roll, contested by the target’s Stamina +  Wyrd. In mechanical mecha nical terms, the target suffers from a grave g rave disease (Changeling, p. 188), inflicting her with one point of aggravated damage every 12 hours. Stopping the disease’s progress requires successful resistance rolls equal to the Plaguesmith’s Wyrd, and successful recovery follows the rules for healing from aggravated damage. The symptoms are up to the Storyteller’s Stor yteller’s discretion, but should re reflect flect something about the Plaguesmith’s Keeper’s Title, and may be more fantastical than any mortal disease. Examples include: • Rashes that look like oil slicks, slicks, and move, pop and change dimension on their own • Small “boils” that on closer examination examinat ion appear to be tiny replicas of the target’s head • Tinnitus wherein the noise being perceived is the Plaguesmith’s voice, whispering cruelties

Mass Trauma Events In March 2020, the entire world began a mass trauma event centered on a highly communicable deadly plague whose effects will continue to resonate for the next several years if not decades. The original Plaguesmith writeup predates the beginning of the COVID-19 COVID-19 pandemic; the context co ntext for a kith whose touch transmits an extremely lethal disease shifted with the real circumstances in which everyone now finds themselves. Changeling ’s framework explicitly deals with trauma and trauma responses, so Plaguesmith remains in Kith and Kin, with the following gentle reminder. Have an open and honest discussion with your table about whether including Plaguesmiths in your chronicle will permit both players and Storyteller to deal with this trauma productively or whether the group prefers to skip kithtable entirely. No oneinformation owes anyone else this at the any further if they don’t want to engage these themes.

Razorhand “Don’t make me hurt you.”

Once, a gardener in her Keeper’s realm, she assisted in shaping her Flowering fellows and cutting back Thorns encroaching upon her master’s perfect paradise. Eventually, she cut her way free, but even now when she stitches closed her beloved’s wounds, she tries to forget the feel of sap so much like blood on her fingers. She fought so hard to leave that all behind and become a healer. Every Razorhand begins as an overt continuatio c ontinuation n of the cycle of violence: not a one of them started this part of their life gently. The process of installing blades where there were once fingers invariably causes intense pain. Some react to the violence they suffered by embracing the brutality inherent in their new state; some eschew it and struggle with all their might against the thing the Fae did to them. Whether he slides into the pale gleam of a streetlight before cutting down a miscreant or deliberately eschews  viole  vio lence nce an and d instead instead carves carves elabo elaborat ratee and beau beautiful tiful sculp sculpture tures, s, a Razorhand never escapes the t he bloodshed bloodshed built into hi hiss body.

Often, Fae craft their Razorhands from the gentlest of souls; they find something perversely delightful delightful in setting the most delicate delicate of hearts with hands that cut those that get close to them and watching them first wail with fear and sadness, then grow calluses over their hearts, increasingly immune to their victims’ pleas. Others seek to capture the most vicious

A chill that slowly turns the target to ice   4 114

and mean spirited of humanity humanity and twist them even further.

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Fairest:  She gilds her stiletto fingertips with gems and

glitter, painting them with elaborate sigils. She’s an artist, darling, didn’t didn’t you know? Lounging L ounging across Summer’s throne, she flicks her right hand and her deadly, gorgeous nails extend in absent threat, every gesture fabulously sharp. Darkling: As Winter’s best assassin, the freehold sends him only when violence is the last remaining answer. He tries not to revel in the destruction he causes, holding his motley arm’sterror lengthofwhen rather them close; he lives inatsecret the he’d damage he pull might accidentally cause. Kith Blessing: When attacking using her bladed hands, a Razorhand’s player counts three successes as an exceptional success. Sakin: By spending 1 point of Glamour, a Razorhand may transform one of her hands into a 1L knife for the scene; a second point of Glamour allows the Razorhand to transform her other hand as well, although she suffers the usual penalties for offhand attacks with her non-dominant blade-hand (Changeling, p. 184). 184). This blessing bles sing may manifest as a single dagger, a pair of hedge clippers or giant scissors replacing her hand, or a long, thin blade extending from each of her fingertips in place of fingernails, but it functions as a single 1L knife regardless of cosmetics. Her strikes use Brawl and unarmed fighting styles. Unless someone literally removes her limbs, a Razorhand may never be disarmed.

Sandharrowed “Sand is so lovely. Gets into everything, you know, and it sticks around. You’ll be pouring me out of your shoes for weeks.”

In the vicious environment of Arcadia’s deserts, turned loose as nomads or dust devils, the Sandharrowed learned how to survive. surv ive. They could run through windstorms without a scratch and needed very little water to remain hydrated and cool. Sandharrowed can thrive in almost any mortal environment, even those that kill other changelings. The sand they carry with w ith them serves as a potent weapon, weapon, making them ideal scouts and warriors for their freeholds and motleys. Beast: He puts you in mind of a desert mouse, all earth tones and big round ears. On the surface, he seems harmless, scuttling from f rom place to place on errands for the Autumn Court — but when he gets angry, his blistering wrath fills the room like a sandstorm. Elemental: Sand drips from everywhere on her person. Her hair, her pockets, and her shoes all trail thin lines of fine golden sand. Her hair forever ripples as if caught in a rough breeze, and her laugh washes over others, warm as a desert morning. Surviva l to get through an Kith Blessing:  When using Survival area affected by an environmental Tilt, the Sandharrowed’s player enjoys exceptional success at three successes instead of five. Enveloping Sands:

 AFaerie Sandhar Sandharrowed rowedwhich can call cathe ll the sands of the deserts of — from Faehowling crafted her — to her aid. Once per scene, when attacking an opponent with either Brawl or Weaponry, the Sandharrowed may spend one Glamour point before her player rolls the attack. If she succeeds, the target suffers the Immobilized Tilt (Changeling, p. 330) as a pillar of sand swirls out of the ground to trap them entirely. The pillar has Durability D urability 2 and the target enjoys cover (Changeling, p. 186) while trapped inside.

The lands beyond the Hedge come in a great many forms. Faerie is not home to just enchanted forests and haunted castles, but to vast stretches of howling desert Valkyrie among other things. While many deserts in the mortal “I chose who lived and who died in the Aldaföðr’s battles  world are mostly rock, Faerie deserts hew more closely to the  me to pick victims and victors. Whether you popular image of vast sandy plains with mountainous dunes because he forced  me   choice.” and rare oases dotted throughout. Dust storms thrash their live or die today is my  choice.” Call them Valkyries Valkyr ies or Morrígu, the Crows or Angels of  way through th rough realms realm s like this, chasing down dow n beings who are unlucky enough to be caught outside without shelter. Like the Battlefield. When Gentry play war games and set their anywhere else in Arcadia, the deserts are filled with wonder toys against one another within their own realms, when and terror, and it is here that the Sandharrowed spent their those Fae caught in life-or-death struggles with others of durances. their kind clash, they often employ choosers of the slain. spread Before their time in Arcadia, the Sandharrowed usually  Valkyries walk the battlefield, sword in hand or wings spread black against the sky, selecting those who rise again and existed as mortals who lived private lives but who people missed when they vanished. Not in big ways. No manhunts those committed to the earth. Or, perhaps, those blessed to or national news coverage, but in terms of workflow and ascend to sit at the right hand of the gilded figure on the hill comforting presences. The administrator who sends out all and those condemned to return to the blood-stained city. the mail merges for the office, the head of the street-sweep Valkyries tend to accumulate sigils and symbols of ing crew, the substitute teacher who always arrives on time,  whatever mythos their Keeper Ke eper adhered to, as a s much as they or the middle child who picks up the slack in family chores adhered to one at all; just as many Fae adopt a mishmash could all make excellent Sandharrowed. Sandha rrowed. Their fetches, made of symbols or make up their own tortured symbology. A of bits of shadow and fine-grain quartz, try to fill these roles, but cannot do so with the sand-blasted polish of their predecessors.

 Valkyrie trapped t rapped in eternal eterna l Ragnarök Ragna rök spits in the eye of the idea that her Keeper had anything to do with the runes and knotwork she now tattoos on her skin.

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The Fae tend to favor those with a deep and unshake- poison, or assassins, assas sins, the Venombite’ Venombite’ss Arcadian history hist ory winds able sense of right and wrong when choosing Valkyries. down a long path of destruction and sabotage. They delight in perverting that sense of justice or watching That path often continues into the mortal world. Some a mortal with unimpeachable morals forced to choose be- have other roles within their freeholds and motleys, but tween her survival and someone else’s over and over until many fulfill the same roles they did in Faerie: unleashing she loses all sense of herself and takes t akes up her sword willingly. their purified and distilled inner toxicity on others, someBeast: Crow-dark eyes scan the horizon endlessly, always times without provocation. looking for threats. She tilts her head from one side to the Elemental: She smiles sharply, like jagged glass. Her hair other when she’s nervous, shedding black feathers feather s when she appears oiled witha awhisper. dark, henna-like substance, and tugs at her hair. Always one step behind and one to the left always she rarely speaks above When someone makes of her motley’s putative leader, she whispers encouragement her smile fade, it almost guarantees no one will ever see that into his ear. poor soul again. Fairest: Six feet tall and blue-eyed, the wide vowels and Wizened: He looks normal — far too normal, except for earnest words of her Minnesota accent disarm opponents the dark eyes, the color of pokeberries and forest scorpions, as well as her motley-mate’s parrying. An ardent follower of and his small, sharp teeth, filed to razor points. Freya, she sets herself against both her Keeper’s twisting of ta rget, a Kith Blessing:  When using Brawl to grapple a target, her faith and the men who appropriated it while she was  Venombite’ss player enjoys exceptional success at three suc Venombite’ gone. cesses instead of five. Kith Blessing: Choose either Persuasion or IntimidaDeadly Bite: The True Fae take small hurts, pet peeves, tion at character generation. When inspiring an ally (Persuaand burning resentments inside a changeling and distill sion) or intimidating a foe (Intimidation) on the battlefield, them into an odorless, colorless, and tasteless fluid meant the Valkyrie’s player counts three successes on the chosen to kill anything it targets. Once per scene, a Venombite may skill as an exceptional success. a point of Glamour before Brawl If Chooser of the Slain: A Valkyrie may grant luck to her al- spend the attack succeeds, she injects herrolling victim awith herattack. toxin in lies or levy misfortune upon her foes a number of times per addition to the attack’s damage. The attack does lethal damscene equal to her Wyrd/2, rounded down to a minimum of age. In addition, the target suffers the Poisoned Tilt; con1. Spending 1 Glamour, the Valkyrie declares the recipient sider Venombite Venombite toxin a grave poison. of her blessing or curse in a clear voice and rolls Wits + Occult + Wyrd, contested by Resolve + Wyrd; anyone she can   perceive directly is fair game. Allies don’t don’t have to contest if Not all kiths reflect the influence of Regalia. They dwell their players don’t don’t want them to. A successful blessing ggrants rants in the cracks and between bet ween the faults of our classifications, yet the Valkyrie’s choice of Inspired or Steadfast; a successful their fractured splendor is no less than their cousins. curse inflicts her choice of Frightened or Reckless.

Additional Kiths

Venombite “Step into my parlor — or, well, my apartment, anyway. I love that old poem, but who can afford a parlor in this economy?”

 Whether skittering in the shadows or st rutting in full  view and covered in bright colors, colors, the sheer amount of toxin coursing through their t heir blood binds all Venombites together. Biting a Venombite will not, in itself, lead to death, though that invasion of personal space does tend to annoy them. Not poisonous but venomous, Venombites take their name from their eponymous and incredibly dangerous bites. The Gentry show little discrimination when choosing humans to craft into Venombites. Everyone carries little resentments, words they never say to the people who hurt them, petty hatreds boiling in their stomachs like so much acid. A Venombite’s Venombite’s durance takes these t hese vicious, hidden feelings and distills them, turning them into Arcadian toxin. The changeling might spend her durance as a pitohui, eating glittering poisonous beetles — harmless to her, but turning her feathers into deadly knives — or as a serpent with a long tail rattling ominously behind her. Kept as pets, sources of

Apoptosome “We’re all  untidy heaps of scars and consequences, it’s just that I wear my memories on the outside.”

They never saw their Keeper in full. Instead, they were trapped in empty fortresses, fort resses, alone but for their own accumulated corpses. They drifted through endless halls, waging a solitary war against the trespassers who slipped in through tiny cracks in the walls. But each time an Apoptosome died, they rose anew. In a new body, but one identical to the corpse that they left. Misshapen by the blow that killed them, but stronger. Wise to the tricks of the next dead-eyed invader. And as they were killed over and over again, their body accumulated the memories of every cold and savage thing that struck them down.  Apoptosom  Apop tosomes es often leave leave their durance durance fee feeling ling incomincomplete. Their Keepers left left them fully to their own thoughts, with only the barest control over their actions. The Fae never obviously surveilled them, giving little sign of even acknowledging their presence. Apoptosomes often don’t escape their Keeper’s domain, instead expelled from that vast va st and unknowable body

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through cracks or mazes ma zes of wet caverns. c averns. No comprehensible comprehensible Fae poisoners, and assassins in Faerie, their shadowy forms suit creature to hate and flee, no one to pursue you. their tasks, lending them stealth in low-light areas and mak And yet they survived not one, one, but thousands of reshap- ing quite striking shadows on bare walls. Sometimes the Fae ing attempts. Clearly something held them hostage, but what? cut out their tongues or vocal cords to better showcase the Becquerels’ deathly shadow effect. The constant shifting impermanence of their bodies in Becquerels often utilize their blessing to burn their  Arcadia means that Apoptosomes tend to reach the other captivityy in a spectacular spectacula r burst. Infused with side with questionable boundaries. Some become confron-  way out of captivit the dreams of nuclear bursts and radioactive fallout, they tational; inclined to treat perceived disagreements as a pretear through the Hedge, setting Thorns and denizens alike lude to new attacks, they go on the offensive before that atsett le tack has a chance to occur. Some become fragile; unable to aflame with their rage and pain. Once out, they tend to settle down somewhat, but their touch remains poisonous. They identify their own boundaries, they fold themselves up into make warm friends or blazing enemies, always glowing with someone else’s else’s and defend those instead. inste ad. passion. Darkling : Long tendrils of gauzy white film drift off a Darkling: Head-on, she looks like a person made of shadbody taut with muscle and marked with cobwebs of silver scars. She vividly remembers the injuries that caused each of owy flesh, with two dark eyes glimmering in her head. Her those scars, and a weakness of the one who struck the blow.  voice is hoarse, like a burn victim’s. When you look at her out of the corner of your eye, you could swear she’s a twoOgre: They look like they fight every day of their life. dimensional shadow. Permanently swollen eyes. Bones set slightly off-kilter. Skin Ogre:  Her skin is all cracked stone. She gives off the the mottled purple-green-yellow purple-g reen-yellow of bruises both old and new, belying the solemn clarity of their voice when they describe scent of burnt flesh and chlorine. Even though she’s huge,  you cannot hear her coming until she’s right beside you. the precise strengths of their hunters. Kith Blessing:  When using Stealth in low-light areas, Kith Blessing: An Apoptosome perfectly remembers progressions of fights they lose and gains gain s an extra ext ra die on one roll per scene in subsequent physical physical or mental contests w with ith that creature or person. Sparagmos: In a fight with a character who’s previously hurt them, the Apoptosome may spend a point of Glamour to deal one point of aggravated damage to that character. She may do this to more than one character. For the rest of that scene, both the changeling and those foes take an additional point of aggravated damage every time the returning enemies deal further damage to the Apoptosome.

Becquerel [quiet, hissing footsteps down an empty hallway]

 When America A merica dropped the first fir st nuclear bombs at the end of World War War II, the world fixated fix ated on a new kind of nightnig htmare. The horrors of nuclear war permeated the dreams of everyone even peripherally involved i nvolved with the Cold War, and beyond to the present day. Hundreds of movies, books, and television shows focus on the incredible destruction destruct ion wrought by Fat Man, Little Boy, and their aftermath. The Doomsday Clock ticks ever closer to midnight, and politicians negotiate and re-negotiate treaties for nuclear weapons research and non-proliferation. Don’tt think Don’ th ink the t he Fae haven’t noticed. Beginning in 1944, nuclear energy rocketed down the trods and Dreaming Roads near Trinity, Lop Nur, and the Chagai Hills. Radiation poses no particular  danger  danger to the Gentry, moreso than any other blast of great force, but the arrival fascinated them. This fascination resulted in the Becquerels.  A relatively new kith, Becquerels rise from the idea of nuclear radiation’s destructive power. Used as art pieces,

ainstead Becquerel’s of five.player achieves an exceptional success at three Nuclear Shadow: When she successfully grapples someone, a Becquerel may spend a point of Glamour to burn them as if she set them on fire. The Becquerel’s grapple burns an area on the target the size of a torch (Changeling, p. 191) with the heat of a candle. Her touch has no burning effect on inert objects and the burned area appears to all mundane medical scans like radiation burns rather than those inflicted by flame. Every turn she continues to maintain the grapple, she may inflict her choice of the St unned or Poisoned Tilts.

Blightbent “No, no, it’s fine. I wouldn’ wo uldn’tt want to touch tou ch me either.”

Shoulder-deep in cauldrons of ammonia every night. Creeping through the narrow furnace towers to clear microscopic defects. Sifting strange hot metals from the air with a net made of fine lead string. Trudging through eternal sour bogs to collect rotten buried treasures. Raking the calderas of smoking volcanoes for choice fragments of glass. The Blightbent toiled in the foulest smells and at the most noxious jobs Arcadia could offer. When made to perform tasks poison humans, they became poison to survive them. Their durance marks Blightbent changelings in a way causing great challenges for those wishing to reintegrate with w ith mundane life. They spent years of their lives accumulating poison into their bodies, and after aft er sleeping on the embers of a beehive coke oven every night, the smell of tar feels more natural and grounded than wildflowers. It doesn’t help that Blightbent so rarely achieve the satisfaction sati sfaction of an intentional

escape. More commonly, they wake up abandoned some dis-

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tance into the Hedge amid a pile of bodies and grass burnt he moves, a wave of stench roils around him: rotten rott en eggs and away by lye. A sponge only absorbs so much mercury, and insecticide and skunks. Stand around in the heat and he’s the Fae find throwing something stained or battered away liable to make bystanders vomit. much easier than repairing it for further use. Without makKith Blessing: When a Blightbent makes a Stamina + ing the choice to leave, many Blightbent stumble back across Resolve roll to mitigate damage from diseases and poisons, the Thorns, unprepared to return to the mortal world. The they automatically downgrade aggravated damage to lethal, hair still wet with oily water, the poisonous dust of a muni- lethal damage to bashing, or ignore bashing damage. tions factory permanently glazing their skin, the lingering Brimstone: The Blightbent’s touch scalds and scars. scent of gasoline on their breath; all signs of a durance they never fully escaped.  Whenever theyGlamour successfully grapple someone, their player may spend one point to inflict infl ict the Poisoned Tilt.  While commonly thought of as a kith created by the industrial age, the history of the Blightbent runs as far back Enkrateia into history as the poisonous earth they handle. The tech“Comtesse, please reconsider that sentiment. The Seventh nology they remember hitches a ride into Arcadia in their Cinder Forest Daughter describes a very equitable bargain and heads, influencing successive generations of monstrous Fae refusing a truce this generous following a victory so resounding designs. Occasionally, innovations hitch their way back out. would display… great imprudence.”  A Blightbent engineer who spent their days and nights nights in the Most Keepers lack the interest or motivation to provide hearts of strange machines applies that intimate understandtheir own neutral analysis of the events they steer around ing to their own creations. themselves. Some choose to create a “better angel” to offer Wizened: No matter how hard she scrubs, the coal dust them advice. Captured for their quick wits and practical never washes off her skin. Embedded in every pore and sur- minds, Enkrateia served as advisors, mediators, and judges face imperfection, constantly drifting loose from her eye- in liminal places. The literal voice of reason in the ear of lashes and the skin beneath her fingernails. Everything she their Keeper, the Gentry acknowledged the voices of Enowns is dirty now. krateia at their whim. Delicately formed silver statues stood Fairest: From a distance, his skin is dazzling — delicately rooted in an empty glen, eternally brokering peace between cut golden crystal, faintly glowing in the sunlight. But when  warring siblings. A fang-toothed fang-toot hed giant gia nt pronounced Fae jusjus -

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tice to an inky Notary for crimes like failing to interest her Huntsman’s horn means that Gravewights lay close enough Keeper. A captive glass songbird chirped subtle advice from to their Keeper’s hearts to really hurt them.  within a gilded cage. Wizened: Her desiccated and brittle skin cracks when The Gentry prize Enkrateia too greatly for the change- she moves, her dry touch gentle when she eases the spine of lings to escape imprisonment easily, but quixotic Fae attend a man nearly as old as herself into place in her meticulously too little to these pets for them to remain a constant pres- designed mosaic. She can’t bring a lantern here lest someone ence in Arcadia. An unlucky advisor finds herself so disre- see her, but her eyes glow with lambent blue flame and she i n the night easily as a s day. garded that she begins to grow as invisible as she feels. The  walks in heightened emotions of freeholds often override people’s : They walked down the wild trods in theand skinchangelings of a shaggy better natures, and here the Enkrateia excel upon their re- blackBeast hound, running such goblins turn to the mortal world. as had the misfortune to be out alone late at night, dragging Fairest: A sleek, winged boy with timepieces for eyes captives into their endless underground dens. and nimble fingers; his voice soft and placating, which once Kith Blessing: Choose Empathy or Intimidation at promised blood by morning. character generation. When attempting to influence someElemental : Once the lightning crown resting heavy on a one with her mien, physical presence, or knowledge of the  wounded king’s brow, they echoed the memories he recited mechanics of death, the Gravewight’s player achieves an exceptional success at three successes instead of five. to them. Charnel Sight: The Gravewight’s presence serves a beaKith Blessing: When attempting to calm a conflict, roll con to ghosts and other creatures caught between life and the highest of: Empathy, Persuasion, or Subterfuge. death. Whether the fulfillment of some destiny, an intellecEloquent Analysis: When the Enkrateia takes an extended action to Investigate, her player only begins to lose dice tual affinity, or her Wyrd simply calling out to them, ghosts appear more frequently near her, manifesting more normalafter the 3rd successive roll.

Gravewight

ly and more completely. Spend one Glamour to see and hear ghosts lingering in Twilight.

“The air is always thick with ghosts. Lonely ghosts who want a friendly ear, hungry ghosts who want to plug a gap in them-  selves, newborn ghosts still fresh from the traumas of death. But  just because you yo u can hear them doesn’t d oesn’t mean you can help them.”

Shadowsoul

The Gravewights know that Death patiently walks in our footsteps and take that knowledge bodily into themselves. Each experienced death as a constant companion, stolen away to perform executions, funerary rites, or other services in chthonic places. No two are quite alike, their circumstances born out of individual experiences with the harrowing and capricious nature of death in Arcadia. Some sickened, and rather than allow them to die their Keepers

“Mine is never again the rosy dawn, or heat of summer’s day. Instead, I must creep around with the other night animals, hunt-  ing one another in the dewy chill. He took the light from me and expected me to thank him for it.”

Cousins to both Bright One and Gravewight, the Fae crafted Shadowsouls into beautiful or decorative creatures, intertwined with (and styled to the aesthetic preferences of) chthonic or celestial Keepers. These evening stars, distant and cloaked in silence, forsake the sun. Torn asunder and recreated as their own dark doppelganger or barricaded into a damp cave for a thousand years to grow a new and pliable crystal body, they survive, their clarity marred by a faint pink tint at the t he gem’s gem’s heart. A black doe queen flees, hunted nightly by her fox king and his many ma ny brothers. A living shadow, soft and barely substantial, lies pressed to any surface that supports him, falling away from the light. Not inherently more or less dangerous than any other Keeper, nocturnal Gentry embrace more fully the inherent cold disinterest of Fae emotional expression. They keep their changelings tightly bound, heavily guarded, and struck with frailties tied to the daylight hours. A Shadowsoul escapee took a long, dangerous road out of Arcadia — never able to move faster than the traversal of the moon, their Keeper stalking their footsteps, threatening to blot out the night and bake them in the perpetual sunlight.

placed them asthe of redthey death. Someand wasted away as upon completely themask dry bones exhumed prepared for display in vast catacombs. A man-shaped pile of rotten meat guarded an abattoir. A grim-faced ghostly angel dredged battlefields for those fragments of souls that were still clinging to their swords. Not necessarily morbid nor universally sepulchral in temperament, Gravewights hope just as well as any other changeling, finding new resolve in their return to mundane life. They easily become cavalier about deaths, however, including their own. Maybe familiarity breeds contempt, or maybe Gravewights Gravewight s long to complete a death arriving arriv ing in slow motion ever since they walked into Arcadia. More often than th an any other servant class of changeling, therefore, they simply throw down their shovels and walk out into old woods filled Elemental : Wrapped in midnight blue and speckled  with the threat of Huntsmen. Huntsmen. One might not look closely for the corpse-like gravedigger, once nested amid the grave dirt,  white as the starr y sky, you can see constellations and distant

until bodies begin to stack up like corded wood. Hearing the

nebulae move across her skin with the rotation of the earth.

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Fairest: His skin and eyes are bleached so luminous and

pale that he cannot bear the sun, but in moonlight he glows as though lit from within. Kith Blessing: Shadowsouls gain a bonus to mundane Subterfuge rolls equal to her Wyrd and the 8-again rule on those rolls. Nightblind: Shadowsouls have a natural affinity with the Mirror Regalia in addition to any other affinities. Once per scene, on an exceptional attack success, the Shadowsoul may inflict a temporary t emporary Blindness Condition on someone she touches. The Condition resolves at the end of the scene.

Telluric “No, not that way, this way! It’s like you’ve never read a map before!”

Not all changelings live among the True Fae, walking the same paths they do, drinking their wine, and eating their bread. Some are set above them in orbit, dancing strange paths throughout the even stranger skies of Faerie. Isolated from everyone but each other, the Tellurics become the stars of Arcadia, drifting through different demesnes, always changing. Some other Lost begrudge beg rudge the Tellurics, Tellurics, saying that th at they had the easy road out. After all, they were so lofty and far above everyone else, they could have just walked out. No one  would have h ave stopped them. To a certain extent this is true; the Tellurics knew the silver-and-gold paths better than anyone else. There was no gate keeping them in, no chains on their ankles. Why did they stay long enough to become Lost? Tellurics were all lonely, orphaned planets to some extent before they were taken. Black sheep of their families, agoraphobics, chronically-ill people, people dealing with grief — anyone who was isolated in some way makes a good Telluric. The Gentry take t ake them in their dreams, or lure them into Arcadia with the promise of beauty and attention. It’s not all. The Tellurics are set instars the heavens and shinea lie, withnot theatglow of a thousand different a nd planets. and Some burn with the fire of Mars, others with the blue-white radiance of Sirius, and a few with the multicolored tails of comets. Everyone in Faerie sees the Tellurics as they tread their pathways — but no one speaks to them save other Tellurics, and even then, rarely. ra rely. Some Tellurics accept this. Escaped Tellurics tell sad stories about their fellows whose bodies were entirely consumed by the fires of their t heir own perfection and fell to tthe he forests of Arcadia as shooting stars. Perhaps they died, perhaps they became True Fae in their own right, perhaps something somethi ng stranger happened. No one really knows, but every Telluric has a story about a friend they saw fall. Those do escape themselves both cravingare attention andwho avoiding it as find much as possible. Tellurics used to being seen as perfect and unattainable, and genuine

connection is extremely difficult for them. They constantly apologize and castigate themselves for anything they perceive as a flaw and occasionally occ asionally break off relationships of any kind to avoid hurting others. However, they make excellent couriers, spies, getaway drivers, and anything that involves a great deal of travel. Elemental:   Her veins shine in her skin, shot through  with glimmering quicksilver. The T he freehold’s best driver, she always plays classical music as she drives. She rarely smiles, but her teeth shine like pearlescent moons when she does. Fairest:  Known for his tempestuous relationships and the fact that his hair seems to move without any wind, this Spring courtier always dresses to show off his red features to their best advantage — red eyes, red hair, red freckles sparkling across the bridge of his nose. Kith Blessing: When the Telluric chases someone with Drive or Streetwise, on a clear night when she can see the stars above her, her player achieves an exceptional success  with three successes instead of five. Burn Bright: Tellurics can wield the power of falling stars. For one Glamour point, the Telluric may throw a ball of starflame as a ranged attack using Dexterity + Athletics. The fire 2e is ,torch-sized Changeling p.190). and has the heat of a candle (see

Whisperwisp “Why no, I hadn’t heard at all! And so many people involved in covering it up. Why don’t we go somewhere a little more out of the way and you can tell me everything?”

 Whisper wisps were built to be spies and saboteurs.  Whisperwisps Constantly cataloging cat aloging the habits of others, listening for their most intimate secrets, punctuated by grueling interrogations and mock trials. It’s no wonder most are cold and a little amoral; even this t his side of the Hedge they t hey can’t quite shake off the desire to lie reflexively, concealing even what might be better to share. As all Lost, of course, they might take nearly any seeming: small creatures that creep along the walls and through the grasses; willowy and androgynous honey traps, flattering and flirting; or quick, tense locksmiths tearing through layer after layer of physical security, listening to the radio chatter and bathroom gossip of a dozen carefully placed bugs. Some Whisperwisps choose to spy for a court or other individual changelings, but nearly all Whisperwisps stay apart on some level, ready to break away and fade back into the shadows at the first sign of personal danger. Darkling : He’s as long and slender as the shadow cast by a cracked door, fingernails as jagged as lockpicks, but with a face that eyes slide off of. Fairest: Once a stern reporter, a certain clinical quality entered her voice when she returned. Remote as a mountain, her lips twitch slightly in disgust with every new falsehood she uncovers.

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Kith Blessing: When attempting to influence someone

Forked Tongue: Choose one of Stealth or Persuasion at  with a known falsehood, achieving three successes successe s counts as character generation. Mundane rolls made with the chosen an exceptional success. When attempting to influence some- skill gain both the 9-again rule and a bonus to equal to the one with the truth, five successes counts as an exceptional  Whisperwisp’s  Whisper wisp’s Wyrd. success.

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There are not more than five musical notes,  yet the combinations combination s of these five g ive rise to more mo re melodies than th an can ever be heard. There are not more than five primary colors,  yet in combination they p roduce more hues hue s than can ever been seen. seen . There are not more than five cardinal tastes,  yet combinations of them th em yield more f lavors than th an can ever be tasted. taste d. — Sun Tzu, The Art of War 

Suspicion comes easily to changelings, that state of constant vigilance justified because the Gentry really are out to get them. Many changelings struggle with the urge to keep others at arm’s length, to surround themselves with thorns lest others betray their faith. Self-imposed insularity poses dangers, though. One set of eyes can’ ca n’tt watch all a ll the approaches. One mind can’t cover all of a plan’s potential flaws. One frame of reference too easeas ily slips away from lucidity and into the blurring of imagina-

ciousness and fear of changeling existence, giving the Lost an opportunity to work together in shared trust or purpose. Motleys also perform an important role in the game for players and Storytellers. The motley usually serves as characters’ justification for gathering in a group without collapsing into infighting or going their separate ways. A tool of convenience at the storytelling level, motleys permit the narrative to focus on the sort of story the group wants to experience together.

tion and reality. One heart to comfort itself, when unrelenting nightmares andstruggles painful isolation play partners. So changelings turn to one another for help, finding strength through community. They overcome mistrust through carefully woven threads of pledge and honor. They reinforce camaraderie through shared experiences and mutual gain. Some go a step further, drawing mortals or other creatures of the shadows into their circles of trust. The suspicion never entirely ebbs. The tension never quite fades. But through working together, the Lost might find sanctuary and find themselves.

Changeling: The Lost  Second Edition briefly touches on motleys, establishing the notion that the players’ changelings likely all belong to one. This section goes into motley creation in greater depth, provides several sample motley oaths, and presents a new system for handling internal conflict within a motley in a constructive way.

MOTLEYS IN   LOST CHRONICLES The building blocks of changeling society, motleys and their attendant pledgecrafting create threads binding the

Making a Motley For some chronicles, motleys remain a background element. The glue that binds groups of changelings together, motleys require no further attention, permitting other narrative or game elements to take the limelight. This sort of play assumes the changelings in the motley are friends, or at least have each other’s backs when the chips are down. If the Storyteller and players wish delve into the background or implications ofdon’t motley tiestoor interactions, this lets the whole group get right on with play.

Lost together. The Wyrd’s power tames some of the capri-

Motleys in Lost Chronicles

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Focusing on the background and origins of this shared pledge, however, turns the motley itself into a compelling story element. More than just an excuse to keep the characters together, a fleshed-out motley helps shape the aims and actions of the member changelings. Mutual history and detail build the motley into something like a character in its own right, a shared experience that might outlive individual motley-mates when Huntsmen come calling.

giances or crimes. The Storyteller might then prepare each story arc around a particular victim and Huntsman, exploring both the thrill of the action and the consequences of saving — or failing — the prey.  Alternatively, if the group g roup is absolutely enthused about a bout pledgecraft and fae magic, they might decide on a motley that pledges to drop into mortals’ lives and fix their problems, fairy tale style, as an attempt to live their own lives in a

Pledged Together

positive way with each day their freedom from Arcadia lasts. Motley Aspirations: If the Storyteller and players want

The work of pledgecraft, Motleys spring from f rom the power to bring a sworn purpose from a motley oath to the forefront of the Wyrd tying a ragged band of changelings together as a story focus, the group might agree to include a motley in accordance with a sworn oath. Often, the Lost use this  Aspiration. This is an additional Aspiration based on the power to create motleys as a replacement for the family and pledge the motley swears, and so could be anything from friendships lost through their durance. Motleys can serve as “Be there for each other when times are tough,” to “Battle any sort of close network or alliance where trust in a mutual the huntsmen who come for my allies,” to “Watch the most cause is key, but an underlying level of genuine closeness common Hedge portals for recently freed changelings and separates a motley from another form of societal oath. influence the new arrivals to our agenda.”  A changeling swearing into a motley gains no immeMotley Aspirations work best when the characters need diate knowledge of her new motley-mates from the Wyrd. to take a proactive stance to meet their goal or when the StoShe might also belong to more than one motley simultane- ryteller agrees to challenge the Aspiration directly in play. A ously, although oath wording may make maintaining this a strong, compelling purpose drives drama and action, espetricky juggling act. However, oaths are lifelong things, not cially when it aligns to individual changelings’ Threads, but acts of passing fancy. Motleys don’t gather lightly; they form it doesn’t require grandiose or far-reaching goals. “Be there around strong bonds of hard-won trust with no backing out for each other when times are tough” is a powerful Aspiraa few years down the line when a changeling decides that tion for a Storyteller intending to focus on the motley-mates’ motley-mate s’ she doesn’t much care for a clause forbidding her to harm a personal challenges and the players are interested in really motley-mate she came to despise. As such, scrupulous atten- exploring the struggles of their changelings as they try to tion behooves any of the Lost when knowing exactly exact ly who she just claw back some semblance of a life after their durance. embraces as a close ally in such an oath. The motley Aspiration A spiration is added to each character’s sheet For Storytellers and players, giving the motley a pledge that as an additional Aspiration, and it is fixed for as long as the provides strong, shared purpose and agenda from the start gives changeling is a member of the motley and has not broken an immediate drive to action. This avoids having Storyteller the motley oath. characters cajoling or inducing the changelings to take part in If a character belongs to multiple motleys, she only gains the story and strengthens the bonds between the characters the Aspiration of the motley most important to her, which  within the narrative. narrative. Instead Instead of being being some friends friends who hang should usually be whatever motley she shares with the other out and happen to have made a promise, the changelings swear player characters. After all, that’s where the driving focus of survive together  a revolutionary cell a band of mis-  to despera , ortthe become , orcomm the chronicle will likely be.  fits desperate te to hide he awf awful ul cri crime me they acciden accidentally tally committe ittedd. Much like a normal Aspiration, the character earns a This lets the group focus on a particular aspect of the single Beat when fulfilling the stated goal but does not resetting and gives the Storyteller Stor yteller clear direction to create lean, place the Aspiration at the end of the game session. Each dynamic chapters around. If the motley pledges to watch each other’s backs and survive together, the Storyteller can character can gain only a single Beat for a motley Aspiration per game session.  weave threats that require the changelings to protect each  Adding a motley Aspiration A spiration gives the t he characters strong other, perhaps focusing on the specific flaws and weaknesses of any given motley-mate that she needs her allies to help additional incentive to focus on the motley’s pledged goal her with. If the threats begin to form an all-encompassing and also offers a slightly faster rate of advancement. If the  web that th at threatens t hreatens to entrap the whole motley, the individ- group doesn’t want the increased rate of earned Beats, the ual characters then face the internal challenge of deciding motley Aspiration can simply replace one of the usual three  whether to hold hold fast in trust and loyalty, or to cut their losses character Aspirations. Alternatively, the Storyteller and players might agree that the Beats can go toward Experiences and break an oath in the name of their own survival. spent on advancements that make narrative sense within theofplayers are really real ly interested Huntsmen and If, theinstead, concept guarding against Arcadia,in they could the motley’s accomplishments, such as new Motley Merits, create a motley with the pledged purpose of safeguarding or dots in Skills in which a talented motley-mate instructs

changelings from Huntsmen, regardless of the prey’s alle 2 4 124

her close friends.

Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather

 

Oath-Sworn Terms

Roses and Thorns

The oath serves as the motley’s heart, and its wording is important. It reflects the nature of whoever drafted it. An inexperienced motley may have a loose or simple oath, possibly sworn in the heat of the moment and not thought through.  A motley protecting the mutual interests of older changelings is likely to be ironclad. The oath may reflect outside pressures on the members, such as a freehold forcing the

 Your group may prefer to work through the creation  Your of the motley in an organic fashion during a Session Zero, bouncing ideas off one another that eventually coalesce into an understanding of the motley’s origins, purpose, and oath. If you prefer a more structured approach, you can use the following method of Roses and Thorns to weave connecting threads between the motley-mates and establish its role for

changelings to swear to cause or the even include the beginning of the chronicle. clauses for which nonenot living quite trouble, remember origins. This approach uses a short series of steps to build the reHowever,, the precise wording of an However a n oath is rarely r arely a mat- lationships and conflicts that drive the motley. This process ter of sophistry or hidden meanings made to ensnare the  works best when run concurrently with character creation — unwary in a trap of words. The Wyrd weaves itself through particularly Merits, as it offers an incentive of bonus Motley a motley oath upon the boughs of the participants’   intent, Merit dots for playing along. Everyone can then adjust elethe collective understanding among the changelings of the ments of their characters to as they go along to take account oath’s true meaning. of the resulting relationships. That intended purpose bears the oath’s power upon its  All the players participate in fleshing out the motley’s shoulders; the spirit of the oath is what matters, rather than background; the Storyteller doesn’t hold absolute authority the specific wording, because in this case the spirit is the over giving the yay or nay on a specific idea or relationship,  Wyrd, and it cares c ares little for the t he tangled innuendos and sly although she may have advice or suggestions that help shape maneuvers of whatever human language the Lost happen to the outcome. have wrapped their desire inside. The first step is to t o create a map of the motley, laying out  A changeling who thinks she’ cleverly entrapped her fellows is likely to sorely regret she’s her smachinations when not only does the Wyrd disagree, but she’s still stuck in a close, personal oath with a gang of people who no longer feel they can fully trust her. If, for example, the motley swears to guard each other from their Keeper’s pursuing beasts, they remain bound to that mutual aid if the Keeper sends a clattering mechanical monster of sparks and silver instead of a flesh-and-blood hunting horror. No amount of well actually it’s not a beast   is it is going to convince the Wyrd the motley intended to only protect one another from a narrow category of pursuing animals. Equally, a sworn commitment to help each other with

the name of each character on a large sheet of paper, set of index cards, whiteboard, or virtual project map. Leave plenty of room around a round each character; the aim here is to t o produce a tapestry of threads among them, and to add new entries on the map representing outside pressures or characters char acters who have played a key part in bringing the motley together. Each step involves linking a character to one or more others on the map. This might involve just drawing a line between the relevant characters, but it might be fun to use actual threads on a physical representation. The end result could be anything from an artistic arrangement of spun  yarn to a conspiracy theorist’s fever-dream of pinned string, st ring, but regardless, giving it a tactile element with which participants can engage and to which they may contribute specific

matters the Hedgetothat “debts” isn’tmundane going to compel aofchangeling paymentions off her motley-mate’s mortgage, since the intent is clearly in the context of goblin bargains and fae magic. Ideally, the pledge’s wording has real teeth, directly mandating or condemning particular behaviors. Elements the group knows some characters will struggle to honor can help generate drama and draw a narrative focus to those changelings and the potential consequences of their failure. Crucially, however, the players should never be the ones struggling. The oath isn’t a storytelling tool for punishing players who want to see the narrative move outside of the oath’s remit, nor is it a means for the Storyteller or a group majority to force compliance to a particular theme some

symbolism everyone involved.Does DoesthetheFairest Ogre use rough stringhelps for get all his connections? use gold thread? Does the motley use red wire for all the Roses and green wire for all the Thorns? The crucial rule for Roses and Thorns is that connections among characters must  always  always be agreed by any  players involved. For example, if one player thinks it’d be cool for her changeling to nurse an unrequited love for her motleymate, but the player of the latter doesn’t feel comfortable tackling that idea in play for any reason, it’s his right to say no — and there’s no need for a player who turns down a connection to justify themselves unless they want to. This is a collaborative storytelling exercise and it’s important for everyone at the table to feel relaxed and safe.

players don’t want engage with. The oath requires from everyone at thetotable, especially  the parts t hat willbuy-in that create conflict and drama.

Roses

In this step, each player looks at what positive forces have

led to her character becoming a part of the motley. These driv-

Motleys in Lost Chronicles

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ing ambitions drew the changeling into that circle of trust, and those who welcomed her into it. The ambitions form the attraction that serves as a foundation of the motley. That’s not to say they necessarily all need to be healthy or pure of heart and motive, but they’re fundamentally constructive. Firstly, choose (at least) one other player, and suggest a thread between your changeling and theirs. This thread should be something that draws the changeling to them,  whether admiration bornthe specificgettalents, a personal debt because they helped t of he their changeling back on her feet, love, enduring friendship, or even a shared ideal linked to the motley’s purpose. Discuss the potential thread with the other player and the group and, if the other player approves, tell the group how the thread gives the changeling a sense of surety or stability in her new life. Then, choose or create a new entry on the growing tapestry that lies outside of the motley and suggest a thread between your changeling and it. This entry should be a person or group, a situation, an event, or some other form of external context. The thread between changeling and context is something that helped bring the changeling into the motley because it inspired or encouraged them, or perhaps gave them positive reasons to trust and buy into the spirit of the oath. It might be a friend or ally who pointed her to her new motley-mates, or the t he encouragement of a key member of one of the courts, or the desire to help other people evade the Gentry. If the group concurs, tell them about how the thread gave the changeling the impetus impet us she needed to believe in the motley and her new fellows.

Thorns This step explores negative influences that push at the changeling. They may have pushed her into the motley or stir conflict between her and her motley-mates. Thorns are often needs, whether the need for safety from a threat or the need for that bastard motley-mate to finally acknowledge her superior talent. They’re still threads, because hate and fear

Next, choose or create an external force or context and suggest a thread that links your changeling to it in a negative way. Perhaps it’s her Keeper, and fear drives her to need safety with w ith the motley. Perhaps it’s it’s a clash of personality with the same character who another motley-mate was inspired by, and which drove her into the motley’s arms in search of allies. Perhaps it’s something as abstract as loneliness, the need to have someone, anyone, who understands what life is like for her now. If the group concurs with the idea, tell them a way that she drowns out or indulges those negative emotions via her interactions with the rest of the motley.

Weaving the Tapestry By this point, the group should have a mess of threads connecting motley-mates to one another and to external forces — a visual explanation of the pressures that have brought the motley together and have kept them together. For each of the two steps completed, a character gains one bonus Experience to spend on Motley Merits. Keep the tapestry on hand as the chronicle unfolds; it can serve as a useful reminder for the players of roleplaying hooks and interaction prompts. The group may even want to go further, adjusting and rethreading the map as relationships between the changelings alter and new pressures appear on their periphery.  At the Storyteller’s Stor yteller’s discretion, the tapestry tapest ry may provide further benefits during play. Add dice equal to the number of threads between two changelings to rolls resisting Occult or Social influence attempting to pry them apart. A changeling may be able to cash in a link once per chapter for a bonus die on a roll to help the other character (for a Rose) or to outdo or impress them (for a Thorn). Links could even refresh additional Willpower points when a changeling’s Needle or Thread coincides with them.

Sworn Fellowships Motleys come in all manner of shape, purpose, and ori-

What follows is a selection of motley oaths, illustrating can people together closely as pulling loveling andcompletely courage. Thorns maytie hurt but they catchasand snare; pul free of gin. how changelings implement such societal pledgecraft among them can be even more agonizing, so the changeling prefers themselves. to accept the dull ache of their presence in her mind. First, choose another player and suggest a new thread Children of the Stone between your character and theirs that derives from this Terms: Whosoever does spill their blood upon this stone does more destructive aspect — perhaps a rivalry, a grudge she’s declare themselves to the rest of us as a sibling. The bonds of blood never forgotten, something she needs from the character, or now tie us in loyalty forever. All siblings of this stone are family, something she envies. It should bind them together rather and family never spills each other’s blood in anger; family never than force them apart; a debt she intends to collect, a sus- betrays each other. To wrong one of the family is to wrong all of us. picion that makes her watch them to keep the rest of the  Any sibling who wrongs another of the family owes blood, shed in motley safe, a flaw she sees in them and wants to fix, or a role balance to the ill action taken but once that blood is shed, it washes she needs them to play in her life that they do not yet fulfill. away all shame. The new thread is  friction , but strong friction keeps Motley: The motley carved this oath onto the brow and things stuck together as it generates heat.entangles If the other player concurs, tell theeven group how the thread her in the motley, how it pisses her off but also keeps her there.

temples of a rather lifelike stone head — originally part of a fetch. The bust serves as their lynchpin, a visual reminder of

the motley s family bonds. Over the years, like a birth family,  2 6 126

Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather

 

 various motley members have moved on or even travelled to entirely different freeholds, where they act as an informal network of trustworthy relatives across the region. Benefit: Once per chapter, a motley member can reflexively shift a single point of any kind of damage from her health track to that of a willing motley-mate she has touched in the last day. Consequences: A member of the Children of the Stone

place’s terrible denizens swore this particular oath. They need to trust each other in the face of potentially lethal danger and share a desire for fair recognition of accomplishments and prowess — a reflection of vanity among the motley-mates, perhaps, but a means of resolving it without conflict. A new initiate to t o the motley sounds the t he group’s group’s hunting horn to seal the pledge. Benefit:  Once per chapter during an action scene,

 who breaks her pledge suffers suffer s the Notoriety Condition with  when a motley-mate sounds the motley’s hunting horn as other siblings of the motley. She can lift this t his consequence by an instant action, all members of the motley may change either inflicting as many points of lethal damage on herself their current Initiative to match the highest Initiative among as she inflicted on a sibling in one bloodletting, inflicting them. This becomes each character’s new Initiative score for that amount of lethal leth al damage on the Children of the Stone’s the remainder of the scene. enemies, or — as the motley recently discovered — donating Consequence: As noted in the first line, a changeling five pints of blood to a hospital or other good cause; the do-  who joins this motley swears her strong arm. Should she nation does not need to happen all in one go. If the betrayal break the pledge, whenever she faces a hobgoblin or other involved no actual bloodshed, it requires five points of dam- hedge creature in physical conflict, she immediately suffers age to balance. the Arm Wrack Tilt as her dominant arm weakens and hangs useless; the effect ends at the end of the scene. Since The Tail-Tied Rats the oath does not include specific terms to make up for the Terms: I promise I’ve got your back. When the Gentry come oath-breaking, this may keep happening until the Wyrd is  for you, I’ll be there at your side. When everything gets too con-  satisfied that recompense has been made to the injured par fused, too fu fucked cked up, I’ll be there ttoo listen to you. When you don’t ties. know what to do, when you’re lost, I’ll come find you. We’re all in this together, and I promise I’ll stick by you.

The Fair and  Honorable Merchants

Motley: The Tail-Tied Rats is a small motley of changeTerms: I solemnly and sincerely promise I shall be a fair trad-  lings who escaped their durances together and swore an oath shortly after emerging from the Hedge. It’s a simple pledge of ing partner and friend to those of this motley, and that I will act protection and fellowship, made in the spirit of being anchors to maintain the good reputation of this motley in matters of busi-  for each other in a world gone mad. Artlessly worded and ness and trade through my own upright actions. When my fellows labor under debt to the beings of the Hedge, I will make fair and phrased, it reflects the intensity of fellowship the motley felt. Benefits: Once per chapter, one member of the motley honest effort to help them lift those debts, to a maximum of five can reduce the dice pool of a Clarity breaking point or attack  goblinsweight in a year, without any profit on my part. I swear that affecting another motley-mate by 2. She must be present in if I break this contract with my fellows for any reason, I will make person and providing her friend with words of comfort and recompense through alleviating the debt burdens of my fellows by one goblinsweight each such that they are satisfied in my goodwill. reassurance. Motley: This rather formal oath is read from a scroll, Consequences:  A changeling who fails to provide the support this pledge demands adds her 2 dice to all Clarity  which the changeling signs. The motley in question is a colbreaking point and attack rolls she suffers, as well as a gnaw- lection of changelings who specialize in trade and barter, ing sensation that she had a tail once, but something cut it particularly relating to hobgoblins and Goblin Debt. The off. This lasts until she makes good on her promises and Fair and Honorable Merchants prize their carefully built bot h freehold and Hedge and provides help or comfort to a motley-mate in a time of need. reputation as honest dealers in both  wrote the pledge as a pact of mutual mutua l protection protect ion and co-opco-op eration to cement their position. A “goblinsweight” roughly The Hunters corresponds to a single point of Goblin Debt. Terms: My strong arm is yours. I’ll have your back against Benefit: Once per chapter, a member of the motley mot ley can prey and foe, no matter how fierce their aspect or terrible their shift a single point of her Goblin Debt to another willing claws. If you fall, I’ll protect you while there’s still breath on your motley-mate. lips. I’ll trust each of you as an extension of myself, and I’ll be your spear in turn. I will speak only the truth of your prowess and glory, Consequences: Violating the agreement inflicts the Noand never claim false pride from accomplishments that were not my toriety Condition on the changeling, pertaining to both the own. This I swear. freehold and local Hedge denizens. The changeling can lift Motley:  A motley that spends much of its time in the Hedge and whose members fancy themselves hunters of that

the Condition by agreeing to take on a single point of Goblin Debt from each other motley member.

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Harlequins The deftly woven threads of the Wyrd bind a motley together in a tapestry of dramaturgy, thrumming with the power of all that shared identity, that emotion, and those memories forged strong in the crucible of motley-mates’ overlapping perspectives. The motley is more than just the changelings who make up its ranks; it’s the heady broth of their mutual experience and sympathetic magic. Out there in the Hedge, things without faces hunger for this feast of identity, longing to clothe themselves in the fabric of such shared experience to make up for their own lack. Changelings have come to call these things harlequins; they seek to steal ste al into a motley’s close bonds and feed off the Glamour of its fellowship, garb themselves in the personae of its members, and remake themselves in its image. They’re a kind of Hedge ghost, and they crave the t he power of the Wyrd that flows within the motley as a means of stitching together their Thorn-shredded natures into sham mockeries of real people. Each harlequin seeks to literally become a motley — first individual members, then any or all of them — in an attempt to sate the hollow void of identity within itself. In most cases, harlequins are a menace. They slip into a motley’s ranks, follow the threads of the Wyrd-bound oath binding the changelings together, and sow havoc by stealing ap-

and more fabric of the motley’s shared identity, it seeks to usurp the changelings themselves. It might try to drive off or isolate motley-mates so they can’t interfere with its charade, or it may simply start killing them. If no one manages to stop it, it will core a motley out until the whole thing collapses, usually leaving the wretched creature to starve of Glamour as a maddened nightmare utterly convinced it is all the people whose identities it stole. It’s It’s dramaturgy turned poisonous, a toxic thief of trust.  A raredetect few harlequins are relatively benign. that The lacks motley might a minor Hedge ghost infiltrator enough drive to be particularly vicious in its feeding, and finds it suits them to keep the poor thing. Feed it just enough of their nature to t o let it ta take ke a motley member’s form, achieve some basic mimicry of mannerisms m annerisms and voice, and it could even prove a useful stand-in or body double at critical moments. This is a dangerous game, should the harlequin’s hunger ever slip the leash. From whence do harlequins hail? Few Hedge ghosts express this sinister capability; there’s something distinctly different between a harlequin and other spectres. Many changelings believe harlequins are the wretched spawn of fetches who somehow ended up in the Hedge and had their fabricated personalities torn apart by the Thorns. Others claim they’re the last embers of a fetch’s animating magic driven to one last attempt at seizing the identity a changeling

pearances and stirring discord. As a harlequin consumes more  2 8 128

took back from them.

Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather

 

Systems Harlequins are Hedge ghosts but possess several unusual capabilities relating to motleys:

Thorns Within  and Without

• An infiltrated harlequin harvests a single point of Glamour whenever a member of the motley uses their t heir motley benefit or inducts another member into the motley in its presence, or  when  when they affirm their Needle or Thread in a way that involves the motley or a specific motley-mate in its presence, or  when   when it steals an item belonging to them that holds particularly strong significance to their sense of self-identity.

Changelings can be prickly and, even within the t he pledgereinforced trust of a motley, come into conflict with those close to them. Most of these clashes are the small, irrelevant kind that society conditions people to smooth over and move on from, but sometimes the friction grows too great, or something that really matters to the Lost leaves them at loggerheads. Passions flare. Fears run rampant. Voices rise, changelings refuse to back down, and discord results. This kind of conflict in the game can create exciting drama, as long as the players are all on board with it. When everyone isn’t on the same page, it can instead result in frustration or irritation bleeding out from the narrative to affect the players directly. Some groups would rather not deal with inter-character conflict at all, while others revel in it and can engage in intense competition without any ill-feeling away from the game. A s such, it’s key to nail down preferences before play, and make sure the whole group understands what is and isn’t okay for the chronicle at hand.

• Once infiltrated into the motley, the harlequin can

Knives In, Knives Out

• A harlequin’ harlequin’ss T Too Market, To To Market ability can sense the nearest changeling in the t he Hedge who is a member of a motley, instead of a goblin market. • A harlequin can replace a motley member’s member’s connection to their oath if it is present when any motley member breaks the oath. Harlequins usually possess enough innate cunning to hide themselves near their prey in the hope of such an event coming to pass.

sense the rough direction of and distance to any of the motley’s members. • Each time the harlequin harvests harve sts Glamour in this  way, it gains the ability to copy something about ab out that motley-mate: their face; their height, weight, and general body shape; their voice; their mannerisms; or their shallow memories. The order is not set, and the harlequin may choose what it copies each time. t ime. It can express any number of copied aspects for 1 point of Glamour as an Instant action, shedding its normal features in place of the mimicry. Each copied aspect also grants it one additional die on Empathy, Subterfuge, and attack rolls against that motley-mate. • Once harlequin copied copied all fiveand aspects of awith target, it acan replace has its own Needle Thread theirs by spending a point of Glamour; this lasts for a story, or until it uses this ability again to copy the  Anchors of a different motley-mate. It does not need to spend Glamour to copy the Anchors of a motleymate who has the Oathbreaker Condition or who is dead. • A harlequin must spend a point of Glamour Glamour each story to sustain its pretense within the Wyrd’s bond; it also loses a point of Glamour in any scene in which a motley-mate successfully calls it out as not being the motley-mate it pretends at. While infiltrated into a motley, should the harlequin ever   fully deplete, the  Wyrd’s retributive retr ibutive force immediately tears t ears its fundamental essence apart.

 A simple approach to how the group handles conflict is to choose whether the motley will be knives in or knives out. In a knives in group, the group assumes the chronicle’s drama and excitement stem from the motley’s internal clashes. The players explicitly expect the motley’s knives are all pointed inward, at each other, and that a certain level of friction is the norm. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the motley are all scheming conspirators looking to get a little extra height by stepping on their supposed friends; the characters may all be genuinely close. However, the players  actively expect the narrative to focus on the ways in which the characters conflict personally. By comparison, a knives out  group is the motley versus the world. Tensions and arguments might happen, but the players gets can with safelyher assume that no she’ll matterstill how upset changeling motley-mates, back thema up when trouble comes. The motley always comes first. It’d take something very significant in the narrative to pry any of the player characters apart from their loyalty to their fellows, and the players can expect this to be signaled clearly even if their characters are not aware. Lots of potential nuance exists in the space between knives out and knives in, but it can be valuable to have a clear, open declaration before the chronicle begins that the players can expect internal conflict to be actively encouraged, or that they can expect the motley to be fundamentally on the same side and betrayal or infighting to be sidelined.

Staged Struggle  Where conflict does occur between motley-mates, a good-faith approach to handling it helps deliver drama and

good faith approach to handling it helps deliver drama and excitement for the players while also keeping the strife st rife inside

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the chronicle’s narrative. Rather than a broad ban or embrace of such, the following optional system for adjudicating in-character conflict encourages both teamwork and interpersonal drama, which enriches the story.

Social Currency Staged struggle relies on the exchange of social currency.  Characters accumulate points of social currency through acts of the support trust, and building their reputations among Lost, and as follows: • Once per scene, a character can earn one point point by putting herself at risk or giving something up to meaningfully aid a motley-mate.

Agonism and the  Contagion Chronicles The social conflict system here derives from the agonism rules in The Contagion Chronicle , which focuses on characters from different Chron Chronicles icles of Darkness  games coming together in the face of a greater threat — and the frictions that may arise between them as they do so. See The Contagion Chronicle, p. 134, for a version of these rules not specific to Changeling .

• Once per scene, a character can earn one point point by putting herself at risk to do something that slows, hinders, or harms the True Fae or their servants, or significantly alleviates the burden of the Wyrd upon anyone in her motley by paying off Goblin Debt or helping them uphold their end of a pledge.

• Whenever a character character resolves the Trusting Trusting Condition, she or the trusted character gains an extra point (see below).

• Once per scene, a character can earn one point point by actively taking steps to uphold or keep to the motley

• At the end of each chapter, each character loses one social currency point; a character needs to put effort

oath she has sworn in a way that other characters can clearly perceive.

into being a team player to stay in the motley’s good graces.

• Once per scene, each character who participated in a successful teamwork action with other player characters gains one point. If a character has any points of social currency, whenever she’s a secondary actor in such a teamwork action, she always adds at least one die to the primary actor’s roll even if her roll fails; if she dramatically fails, reduce the penalty she imposes on the primar y actor’s roll to −3. −3.

• Whenever a character gains the Oathbreaker Condition, she loses three social currency points.

Negotiation

• Whenever a character (or (or group of of characters who agree to compromise) wins a negotiation (see below), distribute all the t he social currency she bid evenly among the losing participants. A character who voluntarily capitulates gains one extra point, and a Beat. If all negotiating characters reach an acceptable compromise, each participant gains one point; if the players are using the group Beats option, the group earns a single Beat, otherwise the players must choose one

 Whenever two or more more player characters come into conconflict and the players wish to resolve it using a staged struggle, they enter a negotiation.  The character with the most social currency at the moment goes first; in case of a tie, go with the character with the higher Composure. The first character bids a number of social currency points he’s willing to part with to assert his will. Then, each character in order of current social currency total (or Composure where necessary) has a chance to outbid the previous offer. Go around the circle as many times as it takes before the highest bid stands unchallenged. With each bid, the player must offer a new argument, a bribe, a threat, or something else to bring his opponents around, sweeten the pot, or break down con victions. The last bid standing wins the negotiation; everyone else takes back their bid points, and the winner (or winners, in case of a partial compromise, below) distributes the social currency he bid evenly among all the losing characters.  Any leftover points simply vanish. Any character may, on his turn, voluntarily capitulate; if so, he withdraws from the negotiation, keeping all his social currency and gaining the benefits in the list above.

character to gain the Beat. Acceptable compromises only award the motley one such Beat per chapter.

Only one character per side of a conflict may participate in a negotiation. If several characters agree on a course of

• At the end of each chapter, each player awards one one social currency point to someone else’s character for something she did in that chapter, whether it was healing his wounds, talkbanter; talking ing hima through or just providing good charactera hard can’t time, earn two points for the same action, however. These are usually smaller gestures than those that earn a character points from the Storyteller.

action, they choose one among them to negotiate for their  3 130

Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather

 

position. A character who wants to put forward a new position halfway through can jump in at any time. On his turn, a player may offer a compromise instead of a new bid. If all participants accept the compromise, the negotiation ends; everyone keeps all their bid currency, and each participant gains the benefits in the list above. If only some accept it, the negotiation continues, but now all characters who accepted the compromise may pool their social

Resolution: The trusted character affirms the trust by

making a significant personal sacrifice on your character’s behalf, gaining one bonus success on the sacrificial action and a Willpower point. Alternatively, the trusted character meaningfully betrays the trust or performs an action that costs your character something significant, gaining one bonus success on the betraying action and a Willpower point. Beat: A significant action or event that proves the trust

currency outbid the remainder, drawing points evenly  was well-placed. from eachtocharacter’s total. NCONVENTIONAL  A character who has social currency invested invested in another participant (see below) may never spend his last point to outOTLEYS bid that participant. If it comes down to that, that , he must capituChangelings were once mortals, and no matter what late; however, he gains the same benefits for doing so as if he they think they are now, they are still social creatures. Mutu voluntarily gave in. al protection, companionship, or a common cause or belief  As Storyteller, Storyt eller, you’re you’re within your rights to deny deny the playcould all fuel changelings to come together in a motley. They ers use of this system if they abuse it by negotiating and then seal their motley with a mutually beneficial pledge, giving deliberately “compromising” or “capitulating” to do what assurances that even if their friendships fail, members of the the whole group wanted to do in the first place. The T he point of group are unlikely to betray the others. The motley serves staged struggle is to settle real conflicts between characters a purpose, and usually that purpose is no deeper than the and reward those who take one for the team.  yearning to t o be with others — even if you aren’t their friends, Don’t force the use of this system in situations where even if you don’t trust them. Socialization is its own reward.

U M

the players are content just hash things outsuggest in character through roleplay. As theto Storyteller, you can a negotiation, but everyone involved must agree before moving forward with it in any given scene.

Investment  A player may invest  between one and three social currency points into another protagonist. Doing so indicates a significant level of trust. A character with points invested gains the Trusting Condition with respect to the trusted character and may have this Condition multiple times to represent trust in multiple companions.

TRUSTING TRUSTING (Persistent)  Your character has invested a great deal of trust in one  Your of her motley-mates, cementing their t heir bond even more deeply than usual. Gain bonus dice equal to the number of invested social currency points to any teamwork action you take  with that character, whether you’re you’re the primary or secondary secondary actor. Gain the same to rolls you make to help him overcome emotional trials, remove negative mental influences, or regain Clarity, including activation rolls for supernatural powers. That character’s player gains the same bonus on all Social rolls he makes against yours, if you allow such rolls. In a negotiation, you must must capitulate to the trusted tru sted character if you would spend your last social currency point to outbid him.

Possible Sources: Investing social currency in another

 

 While a motley doesn’ doesn’tt have to form ar around ound true friendfriendship, it is representative of the meaning  of   of friendship. Friendship is a fraught word for the Lost. They do not trust easily, and they do not open themselves readily to others. When a changeling gains a friend, she holds on tight, and often wants to formalize the relationship somehow. Hence, motleys form. Some changelings find their friends in unlikely places: not among the Lost, but among the mortal population, hobgoblins, fae-touched, and other supernatural creatures. The following sections explain how changelings might form motleys with these unconventional friends.

Motley Pledges Trust among the Lost is a fabrication built on promises and kept words. The Lost are supernaturally compelled to follow their pledge or suffer the consequences, and this allows other changelings to extend a modicum of trust. Lost can build trust beyond that supernatural binding. It may not come easily as they have been burned in the past, but they are not completely devoid of hope. But when a motley wishes to include a non-changeling — someone for whom pledges pledges are not supernaturally supernatura lly binding — they must trust this person without supernatural assurances. How can the group ensure that their new motley-mate will keep his word and that they can trust him? What power will label him oathbreaker and punish him if he steps out of line or betrays the motley? How will other changelings know that this mortal mort al or hobgoblin is not only not good for their word, but a danger to changeling society? The short answer is that they can’t make a supernaturally

character.

binding contract, but that doesn’t mean they can’t hold the

Unconventional Motleys

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member accountable. For mortals and non-fae creatures, it is Court Politics relatively easy. The member makes a promise to the motley, Normally, non-changeling characters care little about and a changeling seals the promise, as often as necessary. Fae changeling courts, as the True Fae do not hunt them. However, creatures are trickier, but the premise is the same. Just because  when they ent enter er a motley motley agreeme agreement, nt, the change changelings lings’’ conce concerns rns a fae creature can unseal her oath, it doesn’t mean she should become more immediate for that motley member. Even though or will, as the changeling doing the sealing knows immediate- she may not be able to use Contracts, having a built-in social ly that it happened. In a way, allowing the changeling to seal network may appeal to the character. Some courts are more her promise brings a modicum more trust to a fae creature open to non-changeling admission than others, though anyone than a mortal who couldn’t shake the compulsion if she tried. of swearing oath can’tintruly becomefunctions a member. Changelings who induct fae-touched into their motleys incapable The character can stillan participate the court’s or have a better time of it. Not only can the changeling initiate provide support for the court, but she will always be adjacent. an oath with their fae-touched as normal, but the Avowed Members do not treat her as a full member, and she won’t have have their name for a reason. access to all available resources and secrets.  Again, players should determine what kind of story they    want when deciding if the non-changeling character wil willl be When deciding to create a motley with mixed character come embroiled in court politics. Maybe being beholden to types, the players and Storyteller should consider how that a specific court is a requirement the freehold has placed on affects the freehold and their place within it. Just because a the member, or the motley-mates all share a court, so the motley accepts a hobgoblin, mortal, or other supernatural member wants to support them there. creature into their circle of trust tru st doesn’t doesn’t mean the rest of the t he Keep in mind how the court might feel about a nonfreehold will react well to the idea. changeling member, and what kind of threat that might pose How the freehold reacts to a non-standard motley mem- to the court. The changelings can strike up bargains with

Freehold Politics

ber not universal. welcome non-changemortal, example, to gainnogreater shielding the ling ismembers, giving Some them afreeholds place within the freehold and aFae, but a for hobgoblin provides such benefit. Thefrom changeaccepting them as one of their own once the newcomers lings may find themselves at odds with court members demonstrate trustworthiness. Well-established or older free- disgruntled about them bringing in an outsider, while the holds have likely come across the situation before and have non-changeling faces discrimination from them. The nonrules covering such situations. More secure freeholds are changeling may prove invaluable as a court member, giving more likely to be welcoming of non-changeling members, her an extra avenue of support and assistance when dealing though some may view outsiders as a threat to that security.  with the freehold. f reehold. The motley may m ay blaze bla ze a path to welcomPlayers should discuss with the Storyteller what kind of ing all sorts of non-changelings into the court, or conversely stories they want to tell by including a non-changeling mot- find themselves constantly cleaning up messes as the lowest ley member. If they want to dive into the politics of allowing ranking members. in an outsider, then presenting a resistant freehold allows   them to delve into how to win their motley member a place in Lost society. A resistant freehold may allow the characters Hobgoblins present an interesting quandary to a motchances to play at politics, fight duels for their motley-mate’s ley. They live in the Hedge going about their daily lives, but their interactions with the Lost leave much to be desired. honor,, or go on wild honor wi ld quests to prove the member’s worth. If the players prefer a less political and more adventurous Hobgoblins can also be allies, hiding changelings in Holgame, then a resistant freehold might make less sense. While lows or turning Huntsmen away from their quarry. A series the freehold might not fully welcome the non-changeling, of mutually beneficial exchanges could turn a neutral hobforcing the players to deal with their characters being drawn goblin into a friend for life, that friend therefore earning into politics doesn’t create fun for anyone. Instead, they may his place within a motley based on mutual trust. While rare between changelings and hobgoblins, this sort of friendship continuously find reasons to avoid the freehold proper. Even freeholds with open membership policies are likely is not unheard of. Motleys built around specific goals or prescribed actions act ions to have rules and stipulations about how to join if you aren’t a changeling. The freehold may hold the non-changeling to a are more likely to induct a hobgoblin than one based solely higher standard or require her to prove herself. Players may around friendship or loyalty. Hobgoblins can’t swear oaths, choose to skirt danger by actively breaking those rules or attempt so when the motley needs a short-term agreement, including to follow them to the best of their ability. The non-changeling him into the motley might make the most sense. The motley member — unless she is fae-touched — cannot enter into an oath becomes more of a business transaction than a friendship,

Fae Creatures

 with the freeho freehold, ld, so the the freehold freehold might might restrict restrict her her actions actions or make the rest of the motley take new, more detailed, oaths cov-

and even in a motley with close-knit changeling members, they almost invariably keep their hobgoblin counterpart at

ering their member who cannot swear for herself.  3 2 132

arm’s length.

Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather

 

Hobgoblins, just like people, come come in all types. typ es. Their so- geous position. Storytellers should be sure that when spendciety falls fall s somewhere on the edges of the dichotomy between ing Goblin Debt incurred from a motley-mate, the characters the True Fae and Lost, often indifferent to changelings’ con- have a chance to offer to spend their Debt for the hobgoblin. cerns. That T hat isn’t to say they don’t don’t get involved ever everyy now and  When  Whe n a cchara haracte cterr woul would d gain gain Debt Debt poi points nts fro from m a Con Contrac tractt then, acting as a s a patsy pats y for a True Fae or help helping ing a changeling negotiated with a hobgoblin motley-mate, the player can choose  with an issue. It’s It’s just that most barely even register that con- to instead perform an action or deed for the hobgoblin immediflict in their daily lives. If a hobgoblin joins the motley, it is ately. This translates to accepting a −1 penalty to her dice pool for for good reason. It means that he needs something only the her very next action. This still requires negotiation; Storytellers changelings can give him, and he’s willing to work by their should to refuse anyhobgoblin’ offer which doesn’t fully suit the rules, at least for a time. needs offeel thefree Contract or the hobgoblin’s s desires.  A changeling cha ngeling might have access acce ss to t o something someth ing the t he hobSometimes, changelings end up with hobgoblins in their t heir goblin needs, or the hobgoblin has important information motleys by chance. A member too greedy with Goblin Conor items the motley can use for a specific mission. They enter tracts racked up enough Debt to change her into a Hedge into a verbal agreement; a pact of mutual protection or non- denizen. She does her motley-mates no favors by splitting aggression that benefits both sides is of utmost importance. her time between them and her new hobgoblin obligations, The hobgoblin can’t partake in a changeling oath, but that and her new obligations might fall in direct opposition to doesn’t mean she won’t want their agreement’s verbiage to the motley’s goals. cover all motley members, including herself. Changeling If she becomes a Goblin Queen, the situation worsens. members only accept such terms with a sealed promise, unThe character is now in charge of a piece of Hedge terribroken, to follow the oath. Sometimes the hobgoblin is a tory and lesser hobgoblins who all look to her for guidance. source of Goblin Contracts and favors, or gives them intel  While this can mea mean n the motley has ha s easier ea sier access to Hedge on other hobgoblins, ensuring they make better-informed fruit, tokens, and goblins with which to gain Contracts, it decisions about who has Goblin Debt over them. also means that they are going to certainly get embroiled  While most of the time changelings changelings don’t don’t know know when or in goblin politics. Other hobgoblins may start targeting  where they’ll they’ll have to work work off their Debt, Debt, having a hobgoblin hobgoblin the changelings as allies to the Queen to bring her low, the in the motley means they can negotiate from a more advanta- Queen may have to deal with territory disputes, the change-

Unconventional Motleys

 3 133 3

 

lings may find themselves with weird Hedge-borne anomalies invading their personal lives, or they may have to deal  with the Queen’s old changeling court looking for them.

Touchstones, or an important informant that they need to protect. Maybe she has one foot in the supernatural already and the characters worry she will get hurt without their protection. In general, players choose mortal motley members Huntsmen  who are player characters, but they may also adopt a particuHuntsmen make the most unlikely of motley-mates. A larly persistent Storyteller character too valuable to let roam Huntsman whose heart is in a Bastion is likely to make an unprotected. oath with a changeling who has given him only the briefest Storytellers should think about what kinds of stories

of respites the for driving bestowed by the His make having a mortal motley member fun. The own desiresfrom present just aurges moment, he agrees to Fae. an oath, drag the mortal nearly anywhere they go, from themotley Hedgecan to he binds it with his heart, and it is a lifelong pledge to some dreamscapes. In some cases, the mortal can prove an asset, action or another. A desperate motley may make a motley  while in others, she may provide a source of tension or or story. oath with a Huntsman, hoping to stave off his hunt with  Just remember that the mortal member of a motley might be an oath of non-aggression and mutual benefit. It is just wild less powerful than her allies, but she isn’t useless. Getting enough to work, and if he breaks it, then t hen what hope remains her into the action may take t ake more steps and preparation, but for them, anyway? she likely brings surprising talents and a little perspective. Storytellers should be careful about letting the t he characters  A mortal member of the motley is bound to get into make this kind of oath with a Huntsman. It certainly makes dangerous situations where the motley needs to save or profor an interesting story of desperation and danger, but it could tect him. This can drive interesting character development also spell the motley’s doom. It’s one thing for a single change- and story. But be careful to not overuse this, as having to ling to voluntarily endanger herself with an oath to a Hunts- constantly save a character’s life, time after time, can get reman; it’s entirely different for the whole motley to do it, so if petitive fast. one or more of the players plans to do such a thing, make sure Mortal characters don’t have frailties and can navigate everyone is on board and understands the risks. through the world a bit easier than the Lost. This gives a mortal member a leg up, allowing her to shine in social situations dealing with other mortals. Additionally, mortals Mortals present a terrifying conundrum to the motley. have access to supernatural supernatura l Merits which can make her mo more re On one hand, they embody everything a changeling has lost than equal when dealing with lesser hobgoblins as well as and a world that feels alien to her, but on the other hand other supernatural threats the motley might encounter outthey are the people who keep the changeling grounded. She side the Hedge. needs to be around mortals, she needs them to help remind her of her identity, but she is so very different from them t hem that Fae-Touched sometimes they seem alien. The relationship between fae-touched and changelings can be strange. Some changelings see fae-touched as no dif A motley might incorporate a mortal into their ranks for plenty of reasons. The motley may believe this is the only ferent from other mortals, viewing them as valuable assets,  way to t o truly t ruly protect the t he person. A changeling’s cha ngeling’s Touchstone Touchstone but overall weak outsiders. Some view them as changeling is certainly important enough to warrant protection, and if adjacent, knowledgeable about their lives and devoted to this person serves as Touchstone to multiple motley mem- their cause. Others resent them for having avoided unspeakbers, it could motivate them to include her. Such protection able torture at the hands of the True Fae. can prove to be a double-edged sword if they aren’t careful. Motleys are more likely to include a fae-touched mortal Having a mortal motley-mate can complicate the than someone who is completely ignorant of Arcadia and changelings’ lives. It’s dangerous for mortals to enter the the supernatural. Her time in the Hedge changed her, and doesn’t bear the same scars sc ars as the t he Lost, she knows Hedge alone, but in the presence of a motley, the change-  while she doesn’t th an lings can attempt to assure her safety. Freeholds are likely to a lot more about what the changeling has been through than try to forbid her from their business, but this just gives the other mortals. The Lost gain the dual benefit of spending changelings an avenue to include her in non-standard ways. time with a human who grounds them and a confidant who She may act as an information source to multiple freehold understands them. She isn’t as much of a liability as a normembers who are unaware that she is a motley-mate to their mal mortal is, as she has some access to Arcadian Contracts. friends. Courts do not let mortals join their ranks — they The fae-touched are also renowned for their dedication to barely let fae-touched join. The motley might pose more risk promises, making them trustworthy allies. to the human than the protection they offer, though that Unfortunately, fae-touched can be a liability in other

Mortals

doesn’t mean they doesn’t t hey won’t won’t tr tryy their hardest to t o keep her safe.  ways. She is addicted to t o the Hedge, tr ying to t o enter it at any Players should consider why they want their changelings chance, and the prospects of entering drive her to erratic

to include a mortal in their motley. He could be one of their  3 4 134

action and fixation. Characters invariably find themselves

Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather

 

drawn to the Hedge as their motley-mate does everything in her power to go there. This could lead to fun stories as she gets the group into trouble through her impulsive actions.  A motley with a fae-touched member might find the freehold is less open to them. Some changelings feel the faetouched shouldn’t get exposed to any more of Arcadia than they already have been and shun fae-touched members. The motley may have problems working with specific Lost who feel thistry way might have to deal on with as they toand change their opinions theinteresting matter. politics Storytellers should think about what role the faetouched character plays for the motley. They have a unique skill set that can make them valuable to a motley, allowing them to oversee and enforce oaths for it. Because they can use Contracts, they are more capable than a normal mortal, but have a limited capacity compared to a changeling. A faetouched character is likely to have to navigate freehold and court politics, attempting to find her place in the motley’s  world, which will inevitably inevit ably embroil the motley as well. Her Hedge addiction is likely to get them all into trouble from time to time, though it means she’s always up for a romp  when the motley has cause to t o go there.

OUND FAMILY  F AND DESPERATE  A LL  LLIAN IANCE CES S  Wonders and terrors beyond even the reckoning of the  Wonders Lost lie in the forgotten, dark corners of the world. Strange creatures slink through the night, driven by hungers unfamiliar to changelings. Eldritch other-realms press against reality’s trembling skin, occasionally spilling forth their alien denizens. Some of these beings are utterly inhuman; others, like changelings, have had their humanity torn or sculpted into something horrifying and new. Among such monsters and nightmares, though, t hough, some find common ground or even  welcome with the Lost and a nd their motleys. Motleys rarely invite another creature of the night into the circle of trust, making it nearly unheard of them to in vest such faith in several such entities at once. Changelings have a lot to lose by making a mistake in judgment, after all. A shapeshifter or sorcerer wielding unfamiliar magic is a potential threat and conspirator with the Gentry, all the more so once welcomed into one’s hearth and home. Even the binding power of the Wyrd does not always suffice when confronting irreconcilable and potent occult forces. The enduring presence of an outsider within a motley marks either the deepest of loyalties or the greatest of desperation. The particular attitudes of changelings toward any given kind of supernatural being vary widely depending on the context and culture within which the two meet. In one city, changelings think vampires are fetch magic mag ic turned hungry and parasitic, a false person stealing life from others to

Twilight and  the Fae A mere whisper away from the existence mortals perceive lie myriad invisible frequencies of reality where ghosts and spirits abound. Called Twilight, these ephemeral states are simply out of phase with the mundane world. The denizens of Twilight are usually invisible and intangible to anyone not attuned to their specific frequency. Ghosts in the deathly frequency of Twilight cannot normally perceive the alien entities in the spiritual frequency of Twilight, Twili ght, and vice versa. Like turning the dial on a radio receiver, some beings can move between these frequencies or tune themselves into physical existence for periods of time. Twilight has no frequency attuned to the fae Twilight or the Wyrd. Dreamlike intangibility and impermanence mark the spectral magic of the Lost rather than the phantasmal horror of ephemeral entities. Changeling therefore does not include the full ephemeral entity or or manifestation rules of some other Chronicles of Darkness lines. A dematerialized Hedge ghost in the mortal world is not considered to be in any phase of Twili Twilight, ght, and few supernatural powers that affect ghosts apply to a Hedge ghost anyway. Helldivers (Changeling , p. 53) using their t heir kith-granted power to become incorporeal, however, are considered to be in all frequencies of Twilight Twi light at once, so they can perceive and interact with ghosts, spirits, Goetia, angels, and any other oddities of ephemeral nature. Furthermore, incorporeal Helldivers can also interact with any other immaterial things in the mortal world that are not in Twilight, as dematerialized Hedge ghosts or othersuch fae magics. The Whispers of Morning Contract (Changeling , p. 143) renders a changeling incorporeal but does not put her in any phase of Twilight, and she gains no ability to perceive or interact with Twilight beings, nor vice versa. The The same is true for fo r the supernatural effects of any other Contract, token, or other fae magic that renders a changeling incorporeal, unless it specifies otherwise.

scarcely know exchange ist at all. However, interpretations andvampires attitudesexist from place towhile place,thecertain

maintain their own existence. In another region, the Lost

underlying interactions between the Wyrd and these other supernatural forces do not.

Found Family and Desperate Alliances

 3 135 5

 

Motleys, Monsters,  and Mystics The horrors hiding in humanity’s shadow come in all manner of shapes and sizes, and their strange gifts sometimes interweave with the t he Wyrd’s power in unexpected ways.

Vampires

The Wyrd will not recognize a werewolf who takes a motley’s oath, meaning the fae pledgecraft has no hold on her, nor offers any mystical benefit. However, a werewolf can have her oath recognized through an Elodoth’s Binding Oath instead (  Werewolf: Werewolf: The Forsaken Forsaken Second Edition, p.119), albeit with its limited duration. The symbolic power of the Great Predator that boils within Uratha craves to separate  this from that, to define those with the werewolf and those not of her pack, and it recognizes something in the mutual purpose of a motley into which it can sink its teeth.  As well as the usual effects of Binding Oath, it allows the  werewolf to consider the motley as her pack for its duration.

 Vampires sit uneasily withtochangelings. Similarities draw the two together, particularly Darklings and Leechfingers, but while plenty of vampires are victims, they’re also innately parasites who feed on people. Too many vampires hurt others as their modus operandi, even welcoming it with bestial eagerness. Still, a motley might welcome a troubled or recently Awakened turned vampire for precisely this reason, rea son, hoping to offer proThe obsessions and magic of the Awakened make it tection and aid and stop her from falling to such monstrous hard for changelings to ever trust a mage. The sheer powdepths. For others, the terrible frailties of the vampire state er of Supernal magic allures Lost willing to entertain any serve as strong enough collateral to guarantee any pact; the means of reaching their ambitions or to fight the Gentry, changelings can wield fire and sunlight against their motley- but few mages find belonging to a motley interesting as anymate with trivial ease, should treachery or predation come thing other than a learning experience, slumming it with to the fore. the fae in the hopes of gaining some eldritch insight. Those tr usted place with w ith the Lost often seek escape e scape  Vampires possess their own blood magic, a form of  who do find a trusted societ y. In rare crimson sorcery that forges red bonds of lust and desire. from the tension and intricacies of Awakened society. The notaries of the Invictus harness these bonds to seal the cases, mages lost friends to the Gentry while still Sleepers, swearing of sanguine oaths. While a vampire cannot swear and seek to find and reunite with them after Awakening to into a normal Wyrd-bound motley oath, she can shed a power. point of Vitae to affirm it in her own way, as a form of subMages can’t usually partake in the oathsworn power of mission. Her Beast and blood recognize something in the a motley pledge, but they can use a combination of Fate and  Wyrd’s power, forming a crude blood oath in the same pat- Mind magic to overcome this and interact with the fae sortern as an Invictus Oath ( Vampire:  Vampire: The Requiem Second cery at work. Such mages can forge and sever bonds with Edition, p.116). The vampire is the vassal, the whole motley relative ease. Awakened who want to skip out on the conseher liege. The Oath costs the same number of Experiences quences of breaking oaths find the Wyrd itself unforgiving. as described in  Vam  Vampire pire. Any terms included in the mot- Using Arcana to remove the Oathbreaker Condition spares ley oath become the terms of the blood oath and violating the mage immediate retaliation — but the Wyrd does not them ends its effects immediately. For the duration the oath forget. It conspires to bring about the balance through other lasts, the vampire treats her motley-mates as if she has Twice- means, thrumming through the threads of hobgoblins’ pacts Removed Blood Sympathy towards them. The changelings, and the oaths of other Lost. A mage can see this conspiring for their part, feel nothing of this bond.

Werewolves

 Werewolves are dangerous and violent beings but give  Werewolves g ive  weight to notions of honor honor and the swearing of oaths — somesome what putting the lie ttoo fairytale fairy tale fears of the t he Big Bad Wolf. Wolf. Because of this, the Lost often find they can work with the Uratha for at least short periods of time, but it is exceedingly rare for a motley to bring a werewolf into their number. This isn’tt due to any particular isn’ par ticular antipathy, but because werewolves feel strong, instinctive urges to form their own packs — and  while these packs can be inclusive, w with ith humans and even changelings in their ranks, rank s, a motley just doesn’t doesn’t feel the same to an Uratha. When it does happen, inviting a wolf into the ranks is often because the werewolf is an outcast or exile from her people, or because there aren’t surviving packs in the area due to conflict or disaster.

tapestry of connections in quickly the world hernew with her Mage Sight. No matter how shearound severs the bonds that spring up and tie Hedge denizens or other fae forces into destinies set to cause her misery, those ties continue to proliferate until she pays her dues to the Wyrd.

Prometheans Prometheans face often-contradictory reactions from changelings. A Lost can sympathize with much in the Created condition, but also a disturbing similarity to the false seeming of fetches and other such fae simulacra, which can be painful for a motley to contemplate. Their own rambling nature and the rigors of Disquiet push Prometheans to find only brief solace among even a welcoming motley before moving on, but it can serve as an excellent opportunity for a Created to explore and observe the strange, altered humanity of the Lost up close and, perhaps, come to understand

themselves a little better in the process.  3 6 136

Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather

 

Prometheans cannot usually swear to a motley pledge. Rumors of rare exceptions suggest a Created whose body includes parts taken from a dead changeling might be able to swear into the motley to which that Lost belonged, an utterly macabre but lingering connection that the Wyrd might deem just genuine enough.

Sin-Eaters Reborn Bargains deathly and patrons, Eaters find afrom certain affinitywith withtheir the pledges oathsSinof the Lost. A surprising number fall in with changeling motleys, seeing a sort of kinship in their common experiences and newfound power. While some Sin-Eaters are surprised to find Hedge ghosts are not the same as the unquiet shades with  whom they usually concern themselves, themselves, it’ it’ss in these phantasmal tatters of personality and memory that some Bound learn how to join themselves more fully with a motley. Normally, a motley oath would not affect a Sin-Eater swearing it. However, one of the Bound may conduct an altered version of the Krewe Binding Ceremony by including a changeling’s Icon as the working’s target while drawing on the memories and passions within that Icon to shape her own performance as the actor. She folds the swearing of the oath into the ceremony; if successful, it allows her to swear into the motley under the Wyrd’s auspices, with all the resulting benefits and consequences, consequences, rather than its usual effect.

Demons Changelings sometimes welcome demons into a motley  without realizing realizin g it. The Unchained are a re experts exper ts at blending in behind stolen or fabricated Covers, after aft er all. It’s extremely rare for a demon to join a motley whose members know what she actually is, both because her bizarre nature and powers are ready fuel for Lost paranoia, and because doing so represents a likely unacceptable risk to her own concealment from the prying eyes of the God-Machine. As such, an Unchained in a motley is likely a cuckoo, using the Lost and a nd the Wyrd as

Dark Histories  and Contagious  Futures The historical settings set tings in Dark Eras and Dark Eras 2 provide several examples for mixing the Lost with the denizens of other game lines in the Chronicles of Darkness. Dark Eras covers changelings and SinEaters in Three Kingdoms of Darkness, and changelings and vampires in Requiem for Regina. Dark Eras 2 covers changelings, vampires, and hunters in Arthur’s Britannia, changelings and Prometheans in The Seven Wonders, and changelings and mages in Mysterious Fronti Frontiers ers. The Contagion Chronicle, meanwhile, offers the resurgence of a modern-day threat in the form of the Contagion, a metaphysical corruption against which the denizens of the Chronicles of Darkness must band together to survive. Mysterious Frontiers Notably,spell the specific a mageFrontier can uses details to participate in Wyrd-bound oaths — although the Awakened cannot initiate a pledge — and covers the deleterious consequences for the use of Fate magic that accompanies the Oathbreaker Condition. Arthur’s Britannia includes the Blood Liege and Contracts of Night and Day Merits, a fusion of Invictus Oaths and Lost pledgecraft. selves into the societies of others, and the Lost are no exception. A Begotten might come into a motley because the changelings believe her to be a fusion of human and dream

help protection, simplythe because r aw temporary moving once more. Only powerneeds makes herand an appealing allyoragainst fae. her raw few remainprotection for the longbefore term and forgeonreal friendships witha  who the Lost — and even then, the day will inevitably come when Beasts possess a wide variety of capabilities to let them they have to sever those connections and move on, leaving interact with and pass as changelings but cannot pledge to a no word nor clue as to where they have gone. motley oath. While perhaps kindred to the dreaming magic If the Cover the Unchained uses should be able to swear of the fae, the powers of nightmares do not conform to its a motley’s pledge, the demon can spoof the capability and strictures, and the Wyrd remains beyond a Begotten’s grasp. seal the oath with a point of Aether. The immense demonic knack for concealment causes the Wyrd to weigh the pledge Mummies against the Cover; if the Unchained breaks the pledge, the Mummies never pledge themselves to changeling motconsequences fall on her only until she discards or changes leys. Rarely, a motley belongs to an Arisen’s cult, but the Cover, though they reassert themselves if she returns to that chasm between bet ween the Lost and the jealous shackles of the JudgCover later. es binding these beings is too great for the Wyrd to bridge. Even attempting to speak a motley’s pledge invites a clash Beasts of dangerous and volatile powers, for the eldritch words the uttera nces are antithetical to tthe he Changelings who understand the association between  Arisen recite to wield their utterances

will ing to Beasts and nightmares can find the Begotten deeply disturb-  Wyrd s force of reciprocity the Judges are never willing ing, but these creatures are talented at insinuating them- give up something to gain something else.

Found Family and Desperate Alliances

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SAFE AND SOUND

Saying “yes” also opens up play options for other people. Going on a Hedge jaunt that involves stealing Hedge fruit Changeling: The Lost Second Edition  contains tools from a hobgoblin? Let your Helldiver buddy tag along. Includfor keeping a table safe, with the intention that the Story- ing other people in your scenes makes for a happier table. teller enforces those rules. With or without them, however, Saying “yes” also makes building characters who gel players can practice personal safety at the table as well.  with each other a whole lot easier. Ask your fellow fellow players to build connections. Do you frequent the bar another player   character owns? own s? Is her fetch married to your sister? Come up

Saying No

of the and hardest things for a changeling to do is difsay “no.”One Learning practicing refusal is excruciatingly ficult; the Lost were berated, coerced, and lured into their roles as servants of otherworldly powers. Learning that saying “no” to someone doesn’t automatically result in punishment or unintended consequences is a long, hard road. The same can be said for players. Most players want to assist in developing a story, and sometimes do so to their own detriment. Commonly, players clam up in situations  where characters character s experience ex perience sexual sexu al coercion, mind m ind control, or other events that th at make them uncomfortable, uncomforta ble, as they don’t  want to rock the boat for the Storyteller Storytel ler or the other players. Inattentive Storytellers might take this as a sign she is open to her character going through similar exploitation in future games, and this can spiral out of control until tempers flare and feelings get hurt. Saying “no, I’m not interested in that plot” or “no, that makes me uncomfortable” can be as difficult — but just as necessaryy — as leaving a Keeper’s domain. necessar domain. While Changeling explores  themes of trauma and abuse, it’s still just a game; that exploration ex ploration is meant to be safe, accomplished through a  veil of fiction and fantasy. Playing Play ing a game ga me should be fun f un for everyone involved, and saying no is a critical part of making sure everyone has fun. If a player character doesn’t fit the story, it’s also okay to steer the story toward writing them out and replacing the character, so long as the player is all right with that. Change-  ling: The Lost is a dangerous game, and a character could die or be snatched at any moment. Of course, she could just as easily go off to become the monarch of a new freehold, fre ehold, far away. Whatever works best for the troupe. If you are uncomfortable with something, say “no.” If  your fellow players also have the safety safet y of the table in mind, they’ll thank you.

Saying Yes Saying yes can be challenging as well. Changelings and their players are sometimes loath to engage fully, for fear of reprisals. If I say “yes” to someone, does that mean he will push me? Am I allowed to change my mind? What if she thinks I’m desperate?

The truth is that hearing someone say “yes” to an offer is a gift. gift . “Yes” means you like what she’s doing, that you want her to continue. Saying “yes” to plots you like means both your Storyteller and other players know what you enjoy and may

 with reasons yourYou changelings be in a motley, more dramatic the for better. might justtodiscover a story the together that neither of you would have created creat ed alone.

Saying Anything  Volunteering to be a Story  Volunteering Storyteller teller takes ta kes a lot of time and effort. Your Storyteller cannot read your mind and needs to be able to manage a full table of players. It’s unlikely she can consider your preferences in her plans unless you tell her how you want to be b e included.  Workk with your Stor yteller to establish boundaries  Wor boundar ies (see “Safe Hearth, Safe Table,” pp. 302-304 of Changeling ), but also let them know what you want to see. Don’t keep your sheet, Aspirations, or backstory ideas a secret from your Storyteller! it might like a good to avoid getting themWhile targeted by plotseem shenanigans or toidea surprise the table with something dramatic at the right time, no one can craft a story for a character with whom they’re unfamiliar or a player whose expectations ex pectations they t hey don’t don’t know. Horror games, especially Chronicles of Darkness games, shine in a collaborative framework, and working together means more devilishly personal plots for everyone. Note that while players should work together as much as possible, characters  don’  don’tt have to. Negot Negotiate iate antagonistic antagonist ic relationships between the t he players’ characters as much as possible so a player caught unawares doesn’t wind up with feelings of hurt or exclusion. See p. 130 for an optional system you can use to adjudicate these relationships between individual characters. For an optional system for structured inter-motley conflict, see Oak, Ash, and Thorn starting on p. 9.

Th The e Door Is Still Open  As discussed discusse d in Chapter Seven of Changeling, the door is always open. It can c an be hard to leave a session or a game for any number of social reasons. Players (and yes, this includes the Storyteller!) Storytel ler!) don’t don’t need to justify justif y themselves if they feel feel the need to stop playing. Here’s a list of some possible reasons: • Your Storyteller Story teller or other players deliberately ignore the safety techniques you all agreed to use • You have a family or other emergency  emergency  • You feel ill or panicky 

create or invite you to interact with similar plots in the future.  3 8 138

• Your Storyteller Storyt eller or other players use name-calling, name-ca lling, threats, or extended arguments to force you into situ-

Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather

 

ations you don’t don’t want to t o be in, either out of character or in an in-character in-ch aracter way you’re uncomfortable uncomfortable with w ith • You’re You’re not feeling feelin g it  • Your Your schedule or or stress levels make the game more difficult to attend or less fun for you • You You have a prior engagement or need to leave early 

• The kinds of experiences I want my character to avoid • How to make me feel included as a player

Sample Player Profile:  Big Ben Clifftop •  Name: Alex Steacy  Steac y 

• You You are uncomfortable with anything, in or out of character

• Pronouns:  He/him • Character name: Big Ben Clifftop

• You You don’t don’t ffeel eel this is the experience you signed signed up for for

• Character pronouns: He/him

New w Safety Option:  Ne Player Profiles It may seem like an odd choice to make character char acter sheets for players, but when everyone at the table has different preferences, why not make a quick reference? M. Lee L ee and J. Harrison created a series of systematized player profiles for the LARPs they run. These easily translate to tabletop and can be kept in a file-share system or on the back of character sheets. A good player profile should contain the following: • Name • Pronouns • Character name • Character pronouns • Personal triggers or necessary necessar y content warnings • The kinds ooff experiences I want my character to have

• Personal triggers or necessary content warnings: Trypophobic imagery, animal death • The kinds of experiences I want my character to have: Being a big softy, being in a slow-burn romance  with someone he struggles to communicate with, protecting other members of the Spring Court from outside threats, bringing new changelings into the Liberty Bell Freehold • The kinds of experiences I want my character to avoid: Being a villain because he’s a big scary dragon, having to kill innocents to get at a True Fae, selling his soul at a goblin market (though I’m okay with him incurring other Conditions!) • How to make me feel included as a player:  Ask my character for help! Big Ben Clifftop is very strong and  well-trained in a lot of Physical Skills, Skill s, so being a wellmeaning meatsack would be fun for me. Also, try to convince Big Ben to flirt with his crush (TBD, depends on negotiation with other ot her players).

Safe and Sound

 3 139 9

 

BEHIND YOUR BEHIND YOUR EYES EYES Clarityleaving disintegration renders a changeling manipulable, them wide open to subversion.easily A Hedge ghost, hobgoblin, or — worst of all — one of the Gentry invades the changeling’s mind. The invader can’t read the changeling’s thoughts, but it shares her senses whenever it likes. She’s aware of a mental itch deep down, but she can’t place it until the Condition resolves, and she realizes how much she gave away. If this Condition came about through mild Clarity damage, resolving another anot her Clarity Condition forces the visitor to retreat from the changeling’s cha ngeling’s mind. If it came about through severe Clarity damage, only the shock of accidentally betraying herself and her motley ends the Condition. Possible Sources: Reaching Clarity 0 Resolution:  The character regains Clarity or takes an action that reveals a n important secret to the an t he visitor, recover recover-ing a point of Clarity as usual. In the case of severe damage, the only way to resolve this Condition is for the changeling to reveal a secret. Any other Clarity Conditions she resolves during this time increase her Clarity as usual, but they do not resolve Behind Your Your Eyes.

CURSED (PERSISTENT) CURSED (PERSISTENT  A vengeful changeling has burdened your character  with a curse, which only resolves when the changeling either stops maintaining a particular routine or performs a particular action. If your character brings about the changeling’s failure to maintain the curse, directly or indirectly, gain an addi-

player dramatically fails on a roll directly related to attempts to maintain the curse, the changeling  suffers   suffers this Condition  with all the criteria and caveats c aveats of the t he original, orig inal, where they t hey make sense. If they don’t — for instance, if the t he ill effects effect s don’t don’t apply to changelings — then the Storyteller assigns assig ns applicable consequences as close as possible to the curse’s original intent.  A character charact er may only have one instance insta nce of Cursed at a time. Beat: Your character suffers a significant setback directly due to the curse. Resolution:  The changeling fails to maintain the required state of affairs or perform the specific action as defined when she places the curse.

DEEP KENNING DEEP KENNING  Your character’s newly bolstered Clarity grants abrupt flashes of insight, allowing allow ing her to discover nearby magic. You may shed this Condition at any time to gain information about nearby supernatural phenomena as if you had rolled kenning with successes equal to half her maximum Clarity. Unlike normal kenning, resolving this Condition permits a Clash of Wills against active magical concealment. This Condition fades without resolving if the character drops to Clarity 0. Possible Sources:  Heal Clarity damage by resolving a Clarity Condition C ondition or spending time with a Touchstone. Resolution: As noted above.

tional Beat when this thi s Condition resolves. If the changeling’s  4 140

Appendix: New Conditions

 

EGOMANIAC EGOMANIAC  Without Clarity, the changeling acts as though she resides in Arcadia, mimicking the True Fae’s boundless egotism. She fails to comprehend the needs and desires of others and displays qualities she subconsciously learned from her Keeper, leading her to fulfill her own desires at everyone

It likewise ends if either party takes on another enchanted bargain while this one remains in effect; enchanted bargains accept no competition. If the mortal doesn’ doe sn’tt achieve the ta task sk or escape they bargained to accomplish by the end of one full chapter, it also fades without resolution. The enchantment’s effects are obvious to those who know how to look for them. Anyone who can see through Masks simply perceives the supernatural obligation the mor-

else’s expense.  Any Social roll your character fails automatically becomes a dramatic failure that does not grant a Beat. As well,  Joy replaces her current cur rent Needle and one of her Keeper’s Aspirations replaces one of her current Aspirations until the Condition resolves. Possible Sources: Reaching Clarity 0 Resolution: The character regains Clarity or her actions cause serious harm (physical, mental, or emotional) to her allies, regaining a point of Clarity as usual. In the case of se vere damage, the only way to resolve this thi s Condition is for the changeling’s actions to harm her allies. Any other Clarity Conditions she resolves during this time increase her Clarity as usual, but they do not resolve this Condition.

tal carries who without a roll or other the contest. The player of any character previously noticed enchantment gains +4 to locate or track the mortal by any means. This magical trail carries distinct tells revealing the changeling’s identity to anyone who has previously seen his Mien; if they see it afterwards, they recognize it instantly. Resolution:  The mortal accomplishes the task or escapes the situation they made the bargain to achieve, or either party fails to uphold their end of the bargain, triggering consequences for one or both. When this Condition resolves, the changeling’s player and the mortal’s each earn a Beat.

ENCHANTED OBLIGATION ENCHANTED OBLIGATION

 A spiteful changeling has temporarily inconvenienced inconvenienced  your character. If the changeling forbids the action required to end the hex, this Condition does nothing until your character takes that action and resolves it. The consequences last for one chapter thereafter. If the changeling sets a quest as the required action  which breaks break s the hex, your character ch aracter suffers suffer s its effects until the quest’s completion.  As a pledge, the Wyrd Wyrd itself negotiates the hex, not with the victim. If the changeling sabotages her own hex, for example by accidentally or deliberately enabling your character to break it, they suffer a detrimental temporary tempora ry Condition of the Storyteller’s Stor yteller’s choice.  A character ch aracter may only have h ave one instance of Hexed at a time. Resolution: Your character takes the action the changeling specified when she placed the hex.

 Your character has made an  Your a n enchanted bargain with a mortal, providing fae miracles in exchange for safety and peace of mind. This Condition duplicates the effects of the Obliged Condition (Changeling, p. 343), but is not Persistent. In addition, while the enchantment lasts, the mortal can automatically see through the Mask of all fae beings and objects unless strengthened with Glamour. Your character gains the ability to hear the mortal whenever they call him by name and ask or wish for aid, no matter the distance between them; the changeling has no obligation to respond to the call. His player gains a +3 to rolls to harvest Glamour from the mortal. The changeling’s half of the bargain requires using fae magic to aid the mortal in some dire task or in escaping a dire situation the target couldn’t otherwise handle themself. He can invoke Contracts or use his seeming se eming or kith blessings on the mortal’s behalf, give them tokens and clearly explain their catches, or any other type of fae magic he possesses; however, he may not simply perform the task or rescue the mortal themselves. They must utilize the magic on their own and rescue themself. The mortal’s half requires following a specific and strict rule or willingly laboring under a particular limitation. For instance, they may accept a curfew by which they must be inside their home and stay there until sunrise, or a rule forbidding them to deliberately tell any lies.

HEXED HEXED

ICON ICO ICON ICO N N SHARD SH SH ARD SHARD ARD (Persistent)  Your  Yo ur charact character er broke her word sworn on her Icon. DoDo ing so has infused the Icon with the Wyrd’s wrath, giving it a semblance of life. A changeling’s Icon is a part of her soul; as such, the Icon shard becomes a rough imitation of her darkest and most sinister thoughts and urges. The Icon shard

If the changeling solves the mortal s problem himself, this Condition ends without resolution or granting a Beat.

acts as a semi-sapient doppelganger with the sole purpose of tormenting the changeling for breaking her word.

Behind Your Eyes - Icon Shard

 4 141

 

Icon shards count as hobgoblins (Changeling: The Lost , p. 252) with a Wyrd rating equal to the changeling’s; use the rules given for creating goblins to give the shard traits and powers, all of which should in some way reflect its origins. Instead of a Virtue or Vice, the shard has a Needle and Thread, chosen as dark mirrors of the changeling’s. It gains Aspirations in direct opposition to the changeling’s Needle and Thread and uses them to disrupt the changeling’s life. For example, a changeling with a Protector Needle finds her doppelganger attacking the people she loves; her Friendship Thread causes the shard to focus on ruining all her relationships. The Icon shard targets only the changeling and those connected to the changeling (if doing so serves the purpose of tormenting her). If she kills the shard rather than reintegrating it, she destroys it forever, losing access to the memories and Clarity it once brought, constituting a Clarity attack att ack  with a dice pool of four. Beat:  The Icon shard’s actions impair or hurt the changeling or someone she cares about, or actively prevent her from gaining Willpower through her Needle or Thread. Resolution: The changeling must kill the Icon shard or

enough; the Wyrd enforces this debt. The character can repay it by accepting damage, a detrimental Condition, or a detrimental Personal Tilt intended for the being to t o whom the character is indebted. The character’s player chooses which of these he suffers; if he chooses damage, the character must take all  damage  damage from a source, not part of it. He cannot take on Clarity Conditions or Conditions he couldn’t normally suffer this way. The Wyrd alerts him to all his creditor’s perils until this t his Condition resolves, and he doesn’t doesn’t have to be in their vicinity to resolve it. This Condition can also be Persistent. If so, your character owes a debt he can’t repay as easily. In addition to the usual effects, he earns a Beat whenever his creditor makes a request or demand of him, and he fulfills fulfil ls it without attempting to resist. The Persistent version of Indebted can only resolve when the character performs a major service for his creditor, such as saving their life or risking danger to bring them something they desire. Resolution: Repay the debt, as above. Beat (Persistent only): Fulfill a request or demand the creditor makes without attempting to resist.

KITHSEEKER KITHSEEKER

make up for word. If she made vow, she she must must complete it orbreaking fulfill itsher terms. If she made anaoath, reconcile with the others involved to their collective satisfaction. The others involved in the pledge may exonerate (Persistent) her wrongdoing by resealing the pledge in blood. Everyone  Your character undertakes an ordeal in the Hedge involved must suffer one lethal damage and spend a single to seek a kith that matches her soul’s calling. During the Glamour to reinstate the pledge’s bond. If she cannot recon- ordeal, she must face five trials, each of which comprises cile the oath — perhaps the other parties died, for example — roughly one scene. Her motley and others can help her, but then the changeling must reconcile with the Wyrd instead; if someone else resolves a trial for her, she refuses to engage this should be the focus of a story, and the particulars are up  with a trial, or she leaves the Hedge, the Condition ends to the Storyteller. When this Condition resolves, the Icon  without resolution. integrates with her immediately, unless she destroyed it. Resolution:  The character overcomes five trials and gains a new kith. Beat:  The character endures significant adversity or

INDEBTED INDEBTED

 A fae being performed a service ser vice for your character and a nd he owes them something in return. Mundane tasks aren’t

learns something new about herself as part of a trial.

 4 2 142

Appendix: New Conditions

 

You can’t predict a changeling by their kith. We’re not so easily defined. But we are connected to others who fashioned themselves the same way. You You meet another Playmate’s eye and know you share something somethin somethingg no one on e else can understand. und erstand. In a way, way you’re you’r you’ree kin. This is the Lost struggle. Did They take me apart so thoroughly that putting me back together rearranged the pieces entirely? entirely? Am I what they made me to be, be or can can II decide my own shape? The bad news is you’ll never find an answer you’re satisfied with. The good news is you don’t have to wrestle with this stuff alone. The y wanted to fit They f it you into into a mold, mold but b ut people aren’t aren’t like like that. This struggle is what separates us from Them.

— Red, Red Darkling Playmate Kith and Kin is a companion book to Changeling: Changeling The Lost Second Edition,  expanding on the core book. It contains:

• A deep deep dive into the return from Arcadia Arcadia, including including details about the BriarNet, BriarNet the Wishing BriarNet Wishing Roads, Roads and the Lunar Freehold, Freehold as well well as additional options for Touchstones and Clarity  Clarity • Expanded changeling powers, powers including including new new Regalia Regalia and Contracts, Contracts Regalia manifestations, manifestations expanded pledgecraft, pledgecraftt and pledgecraf and rules for for the fae sympatheticc magic known as dramaturgy  sympatheti dramaturgyy  dramaturg y • A vast selection selection of new kiths, kiths as well as options options for for playing kithless characters and acquiring a kith in play  play • Advice and options for for motleys: motleys: example motley motley oaths oaths, a new oaths, new ty type pe of Hedge ghost ghost which feeds on those oaths, oaths and structured oaths str uctured motley motley conflict conflict, as well as a discussion of forming motleys with non-changelings — other fae creatures, creatures mortals, creatures mortals and other other superna other supernatural supernatural tural creatures as presented presented in Chronicles es of Darkness games other Chronicl games