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[Interest] Changeling: The Lost | Summer Solstice
cj iwakura
The Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
The Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
The folktales have been passed down from year to year, parent to child, from generation to generation, for so long that none can even remember the origin of the cautionary tales.
Beware the lake on sunless days, she comes to take the reckless away
Away from the forest edge remain, the Hedge claims its victims again
And so forth, the once feared stories now lingering on as children's songs passed off by adults as mere superstition.
For whatever reason, you were not one to heed the warnings.
Maybe you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe you were just an easy target.
Or maybe it just wasn't your day.
And then, they claimed you, and from then on, nothing but waking nightmares awaited.
Days, months, years passed; at some point, you found your way back to your home. Broken but mending; weary but alive.
Except those you knew have moved on, and left you behind. Perhaps you have changed so much that even had your loved ones not given up, they would no longer recognize you. Or worse, perhaps it's as if you never left.
You have been lost, and must now find your way back, or lose what's left of hope.
___________
So I'd like to put that dusty Changeling book of mine to use. To that end, I'd like to run a PBP game here in CF; ideally with four players.
I still have a lot of research ahead of me, so anyone wishing to submit a character can take their time. The more thorough the concept, the better. No deadline, or first-come first-served, none of that.
Setting: a countryside midwestern town, on the outskirts of a vast, decrepit forest. Despite the many differing cultures and religious beliefs of the citizens, all of them know to keep their distance from the dying wood.
The timeframe will be modern, though this is the sort of region that's always been a few decades behind the times.
Some background, if you like:
Changelings are those faerie-stolen humans who have managed to escape their unearthly masters, break through the barrier between worlds, and return to the world of their birth. The world of the Others is a strange and uncanny place however, and the simple act of living there changes human beings in ways they could never imagine. These changes are what make up the fae mien, or Seeming, of the Lost. They are reflections of who each changeling is and what they have been through; ultimately, they are what separates the Lost from other human beings, and even from one another. They are still the same person they were when the Fae took them, and yet they are not; they are still human, and yet they are Fae; they are all changelings, and yet they are as different from each other as they are from humans and Others. Their bodies and souls reflect these realities and, as such, Seemings provide benefits to Changelings, but also impose penalties.
The changes which transform a normal human into a Changeling can come as a result of the duties the Lost performed for their Fae masters, or as a result of the environments they were exposed to; most often, they come from the Fae who stole them. Still other changes can come from the escape itself, as the Changelings fight their way through the Thorns back into the world of mortal men and women. Whatever the circumstances, in the end, no-one escapes unscathed.
And the races from which players may choose for their characters, aka Seemings
Beasts
Darklings
Elementals
Fairest
Ogres
Wizened
Beasts believe that they have taken the most difficult road back through the Hedge, for they have had to claw back their minds as well as their souls. For a Beast to return, he has to turn his back on the lush sensory life of the animal, and think, if only long enough to burrow, chew and wriggle through the thorny barrier and back to the human realm. No matter what animal he holds an affinity with, a Beast lives in a state of paradox, a conscious, moral person infused with the unconscious, amoral power of the animal kingdom. A Beast's behavior and the place she creates for herself in the world depends a great deal on the kind of animal she reflects. Some stand apart from human society. Some throw themselves into the human world, revealing the wildness and the world of sensation at the heart of human interaction. Some express their connection to the world of sensation in their own, uniquely primal ways. Of all the changelings, the
Beasts are the most difficult to categorize. They're as varied in form and behavior as the animals whose essence they share. All of them, however, exist as interstitial figures, living on a threshold between human and animal, civilization and wilderness.
Darklings
Changelings know that their deeds have consequences, but few feel those consequences so keenly as the changelings who are called Darklings. Many were stolen away as the consequence of attracting the attention of the Fae. Their obsessive clinging to the solace of the night is the consequence of having been imbued with shadows. Their love of quiet is the consequence of having lived in a world where all was whispering, all was rustling and snapping twigs and creeping fear.
The Darklings believe that they found it hardest to escape from the lands of the Fae, because their way back was hidden from them. Of all the changelings, they were lost in an alien landscape, with no reference point to return to, with all paths shrouded in shadow. To escape, they had to be the ones who could survive in the shadows, to thrive there with creeping things and dark things and dead things that move. Having come back, they are the changelings who wait in the shadows.
Elementals
While other changelings reflect creatures who, at least on some level, represent human dreams (beauties, horrors, tricksters, animals), the Elemental psyche is influenced by the desires of objects and forces. The Elementals believe that their journey back through the Hedge was harder for them than it was for any of the changelings because they had less reason to escape. Their humanity had been more damaged by what they had endured in the Fae realm
Fairest
The world the Fairest were part of — or as much of it as they remember — was beautiful, a world of sweet pain and exquisite cruelty, a bittersweet paradise. Surrounded by beauty as they were, thralls to creatures a thousand times lovelier than anything on Earth, they had to focus all their thoughts on remembering what it was to be plain, to walk among the ordinary.
The Fairest return from the Fae realm as striking, enchanting beings, but with that enchantment they bring back an inhuman cruelty -- a cruelty sometimes magnified by the arrogance that comes from knowing that they were pure enough of heart and strong enough of will to escape the thrall of ecstasy.
The Fairest often believe that they should be far more influential and powerful in their Courts than they actually are, mistaking social prowess and ruthlessness for the qualities of leadership. Some manage, by sheer force of personality and charm alone, to rise to the top, but there are more Fairest in positions of authority than there are Fairest who know what they're doing. They push themselves into everything they do, and sometimes their overwhelming charisma is enough to carry an enterprise on its own. Of all the changelings, the Fairest are the least suited to solitude. Though proud and cruel, they are social beings, and when they rise above their shortcomings and let others in, the cruelty that made them can be redeemed.
Ogres
Most folklore traditions have stories of trolls, hags, giants and flesh-eaters, and the changeling Ogres more often than not reflect those. Their tragedy is often that as they try to escape the violence that made them, they perpetrate it. Whatever place an Ogre finds in the world, she’ll find that the only way to rise above the brutality that made her what she is to accept it and use it. Of course, there’s a fine line between accepting something and embracing it, a line too many Ogres cross.
The Ogres who make it back through the Hedge have to be, more than any other changeling, exceptional people. Not that the Fae are necessarily picky in who they choose to abuse and brutalize: rather, the Ogres are those who managed to survive without being eaten, crippled, or beaten to death and to avoid becoming so much like the monsters that took them that they wouldn’t want to leave. They don’t have to be particularly smart or cunning, but they are the kind of people who know their own mind. Most Ogres have an in-born streak of stubbornness that makes them faithful (if sometimes annoying) companions and terrible enemies.
Wizened
The Wizened may well be the most unfortunate of changelings, for the Wizened could be anyone at all. Many were taken for no reason and through no fault of their own, simply finding themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Unluckier still are those who came to the Others' attention because they encountered one who appeared to be in trouble – like the man who found a little person under a rock and set him free, only to be hounded to death for his presumption that the Fae might need his help. Despite their seeming haplessness, it takes someone as cunning and ingenious as the Fae themselves to escape from the Little People, and so Wizened changelings who return are most often those people who were already nimble of hand and quick of wit. The Wizened bring back disjointed memories of random cruelties, of being the butt of tricks and experiments that seemed hilarious to the Fae, even if they couldn't appeal to any human sense of humor. Many dimly recall trying to escape over and over again, each time being outwitted by their spiteful captors, perhaps at times being allowed to think they had escaped before the fact that they were still in Faerie all along was revealed.
Things you may find useful
-A New World of Darkness sourcebook
-A Changeling: The Lost sourcebook
-Invisible Castle (For rolling)
-NWoD Sheet Generator
I do not own any of the (many) Changeling expansions. If you want to use something from any of those, make it good, and well justified.
cj iwakura on
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Here's what is known for certain: disappearances are on the rise. The Hedge is growing in influence, and the True Fey have a growing interest in the local populace for reasons unknown.
There's heightened suspicion of witchcraft among the local folk, who suspect rituals to be the reason for all the youth disappearances.
But, what will I submit? Hmm.
If so, that saves some time. If not, ah well.
http://sheetgen.dalines.net/sheet/create/ctl
You can find more details on Changeling specific mechanics here:
http://wiki.white-wolf.com/worldofdarkness/index.php?title=Changeling:_The_Lost
For a Changeling character sheet, you get to have:
•Attributes: 5/4/3
•Skills 11/7/4 (+3 Specialties)
•Seeming: Choose 1 free Skill Specialty in Athletics, Brawl or Stealth; Record Blessing and Curse
Kith (Optional): A specialized race of Seeming; i.e. a Firebrand for Elemental. More on them:
* Broadback: Changelings who are attuned to animals that are renowned for their endurance or stubborness, such as camels, elephants, horses, mules, goats and the like.
* Cleareyes: Changelings attuned to creatures known for keen senses.
* Coldscales: Emotionless Changelings with an affinity for reptiles.
* Hunterheart: Often, but not always, those changelings who have something of the predator about them: wolves, bears, cats, crocodiles, snakes, and birds of prey, but also those who embody the hunter in a more conceptual sense.
* Rot Eaters: Changelings who feed off of garbage and other products of decay.
* Riddleseeker: Changelings who are noted for especial wisdom or cunning
* Runnerswift: Changelings who move like the wind, reflecting hares, rabbits, antelopes and the like.
* Skitterskulk: Changelings who have an affinity with flies, spiders, beetles, centipedes, and other creepy crawlies.
* Steepscrambler: Changeling who are at home in high places, and who are attuned to such animals as monkeys, raccoons, squirrels, some insects and some lizards.
* Swimmerskin: Changelings who draw affinities with aquatic or amphibious creatures: seals, otters, ducks, salmon, and the like; this kith also includes such fantastic life-forms as merfolk, kelpies and so on.
* True Friends: Changelings with an affinity to animals kept as pets.
* Venombite: Changelings who have an affinity with poisonous creatures, such as spiders and insects or certain reptiles.
* Windwing: Changelings who are not confined to the earth, with their hearts in the skies, drawing affinity with birds, butterflies and bats.
* Darkling Kiths
* Antiquarian: Those Darklings who surround themselves with dusty tomes of lore and the artifacts of long-dead lands and peoples.
* Gravewight: Cold-skined Darklings who draw comfort from the consorting with the dead, both restless and in repose.
* Leechfinger: The faeries who steal life from humans, grain by grain, drop by drop, with just a touch.
* Lurk Glider: Changelings which glide through the night skies, like the Mothman.
* Mirrorskin: Darklings who hide in plain sight from humankind, able to assume any appearance at whim. Their bones are malleable and their faces flow like quicksilver.
* Moonborn: Changelings attuned to madness.
* Nightsinger: Changelings who can produce hypnotic songs.
* Palewraith: Changelings who hide in the shadows.
* Razorhand: Changelings who can transform their hands to sharp knives.
* Tunnelgrub: Those of the Darkling faeries who slide and slither through tunnels and sewers and chimneys, the better to do terrible things in the night.
* Whisperwisp: Changeling who listen silently from the darkness.
* Elemental Kiths
* Airtouched: the Elementals of wind, cloud, smoke, and sky, who can be as healthy as a fresh breeze or as pestilent as the miasma that surrounds the dead.
* Blightbent: Elementals of pollution.
* Earthbones: Changelings who have the mark of earth and stone: lumpen Paracelsian Gnomes, sand spirits, dour men of peat and dwarfs made of mountain granite.
* Fireheart: Elementals marked with fire, heat or electricity.
* Levenquick: Elementals of lightning and electricity.
* Manikin: Changelings who have the character of man-made objects, such as caryatids, mannequins, and other, stranger things, such as enchanted beings powered by clockwork or steam or living bodies made of mercury or glass.
* Metalflesh: Metal elementals.
* Sandharrowed: Changelings of sand.
* Snowskin: The Children of the cold, who can be as powerful as the Arctic ice or as delicate as a snowflake.
* Waterborn: Changelings who are imbued with the nature of the waters, soft and brutal, gentle and mighty: undines and nymphs, man-eating river demons, water babies, ladies of the lake.
* Woodblood: The children of the plants: Green Men, flower faeries, spirits of mandrake, rose, thorns and all manner of medicinal herbs fair and foul.
* Fairest Kiths
* Bright One: changelings who came from light; will-o'-the-wisps, bright elves. White Ladies and other beings of light and fire and ice from all over the world.
* Dancer: Those among the Fairest blessed of particular agility and grace, for whom motion is itself beauty and art. Whether entertainer, courtesan, artist or murderer, the Dancer is happiest when moving to the sound of her own rhythm.
* Draconic: Changelings who bear within them the blood of dragons or other Great Beasts of Faerie, including celestial bureaucrats and tithe-payers to Satan alike. Haughty and possessing a robust physicality.
* Flamesiren: Changelings born of the beauty of fire.
* Flowering: Flowers blossom on bare earth where these changelings have stood (although they take months to appear in the human world, rather than seconds as they did in Faerie). Their skin is soft like the petal of a rose or a chrysanthemum and bright with a bloom of health.
* Larcenist: Changelings with an natural affinity to pilfer and plunder
* Minstrel: Musicians apt at working their trade
* Muse: Their beauty inspires the arts. Whether a Romanesque beauty, a sedate and delicate daughter of the Heavenly Ministry, a grotesquely beautiful masqeur garbed in tatters, or a Dark Lady who drives her beloved to destruction, the Muse inspires the creation of things of beauty and honor and love and fear.
* Polychromatic: Fairest imbued with the power of the rainbow.
* Playmate: Fairest who are good at working together with others
* Romancer: Changelings who have become romanticized versions of what they once where
* Shadowsoul: The chosen handmaidens and servants of the night, they are the antithesis of the Bright Ones and distant cousins to the Darklings.
* Telluric: Celestial Fairest who always know what time it is.
* Treasured: Fairest who were literally used as display pieces, spending their durance as statues or similar items.
* Ogre Kiths
* Bloodbrute: Pit fighters and gladiators, adept at improvised weaponry.
* Corpsegrinder: Eaters of dead flesh.
* Cyclopean: The Cyclopeans are like the ancient hunters and herdsmen of legend who sought men for their cooking pots: changelings who resembles Cyclops of Orchaic Greece, the one-legged Fachan of Scots legend, the three-eyed oni of Japan, the elephant-eared rakshas of India or the wind-borne footless Wendigo of North America. Although many are crippled in some way, they have profound senses to make up for it.
* Farwalker: Changelings who resembles the abominable men of mystery, the possibly savage hairy creatures of the wilds whose existence straddles the divide between folklore and cryptozoology: the Sasquatch, the yeti, the Russian Alma, the Australian yowie and dozens of other wild men.
* Gargantuan: Captures by giants, these changelings had to grow to a greater stature, perhaps being stretched on racks or forced to drink noxious potions. As humans, they appear less freakish.
* Gristlegrinder: Man-eaters and gluttons, taking their cue from the English Black Annis, Scottish Red-Caps, or the Rakshas of India, but also sometimes resembling more modern Ogres, such as he masked unstoppable lunatics of slash-and-stalk horror movies.
* Render: Changelings who destroy things with their terrible strength.
* Stonebones: Changelings who resemble the rocky giants of folklore, Nordic trolls, Native American mountain spirits and the like.
* Water-Dweller: Changelings who resemble the legendary water-demons of many cultures, from life-demanding river spirits through to the trolls of coastal caves and under-bridge shadows.
* Witchtooth: Old hags of legend.
* Wizened Kiths
* Artist: The Wizened who create startling works of art and craft: seamsters, sculptors, painters and builders.
* Author: Wizened who are adept at the written word.
* Brewer: Changelings who spent their durance in Faerie learning how to create mind-bendingly potent drinks or peculiar alchemies. Due to long exposure and gradual immunity, a Brewer gains resistance to poisons or intoxication.
* Chatelaine: Preternaturally skilled manservants, organizers and house-managers.
* Chirurgeon: Changelings who master surgery and pharmacy, sometimes from altruism, and sometimes simply because they can, ranging from scary back-street surgeons to strangely alien experimenters.
* Drudge: Brownies and housekeepers.
* Gameplayer: Adept at riddles and games.
* Miner: Kobolds and other tunneling sorts.
* Oracle: Changelings who, like many imps and goblins, can, in a limited way, see the future.
* Smith: Changelings who were forced to labor under the watchful eye of the most unimpeachable faerie blacksmiths, tinkers and toolmakers.
* Soldier: Members of the vast goblin hosts of the Fae, the Soldiers fought strange, inconclusive battles and now find the fighting comes easier to them.
* Woodwalker: The Wizened who, like their captors, live within and protect the wilds, sometimes jealously, sometimes violently.
•Contracts 5 dots (Stuff you really want a Changeling book for; these are their abilities.)
•Merits 7
(Buying the fifth dot in Attributes, Skills or Merits costs two points)
•Health = Stamina + Size • Willpower = Resolve + Composure
• Size = 5 for adult human-sized
• Defense = Lowest of Dexterity or Wits
• Initiative Mod = Dexterity + Composure
• Speed = Strength + Dexterity + 5
• Starting Clarity = 7 • Wyrd starts at 1 dot
(Clarity is the Changeling equivalent of a Morality code; i.e. Humanity for Vampires, Wisdom for Mages.)
• Glamour starts at 1/2 maximum (determined by Wyrd).
That's all just mechanic fluff, though. What really matters is character.
•Why and/or how was your character taken to Arcadia? By accident, or by force?
•How did they escape? By luck, skill, or were they let go?
•What's become of their real life? Has any time gone by?
Little for them, a lot for those left behind, or vice versa? Were they replaced by a Fetch?
•How have they gotten by since their return from Faerie? Are they pursued?
And so on. Be as elaborate as you like. Thorough is good.
If you like, you can also have your character be interested in or a member of one of the Courts.
(Also optional, but it can help for story motivation.)
Winter: Changelings who go to ground to avoid being noticed by the True Fae.
Spring: Changelings who believe in celebration; not letting the weight of the past bring them down.
Summer: Changelings who believe in striking at the Fae before they strike at them.
Autumn: Changelings who study the lore of True Fae to use it against them; power through knowledge.
A character could also be Courtless, or just have no idea whatsoever of the Courts' existence.
Background
on a lightly wooded plateau overlooking the old forest. On the day of the summer solstice, he led his first overnight group along the ridge, and down to a lake at the edge of the trees. The students had a fine time, collecting plants, identifying invasives, etc.. As the group passed a pleasant evening around the campfire, Marcus noticed that one of the triplets, Sally, was missing. Leaving the kids with the other chaperones, he set off down the trail, hoping Sally had simply retraced her steps back towards town. He picked up speed as rounded each bend in the trail; he was sure he had just seen her. As he heard small footsteps crunching through loam off the path, he ran into the brush after the sound. But before he’d gone 5 strides into the bracken, the thorns closed tight around him, tearing at his arms and face.
While Marcus struggled to free himself, a brilliant light descended into a clearing just out of his
reach. Unable to shield his eyes, he screwed them shut, and a woman’s voice filled his mind,
loud and piercing.
“Oh he will do spledndildy”; her head cocked to the side, as though she was evaluating a
newly discovered flaw, “...with some minor alterations. See to it.”
Marcus’ remaining memories of his abduction and “modification” are nothing more than hazyflashes. At the hands (literally; her hulking thralls simply each grabbed a limb and yanked away) of his Keeper’s jailors, his arms and legs were stretched further and further, leaving them disturbingly thin and gangly; his fingers were smashed and stretched, broken over and over until they healed into long, pointed claws. Thus equipped, he was set to procuring the rare plants the Bright Lady required for both table and ritual. His new form, though racked with raw aches, was well suited for reaching the high branches for the shining blossoms, and cutting through deep loam for strange roots. His skill, though, earned him no reprieve; his Keeper and her servants tormented him constantly; sending him out in search of a particular plant, only to force him to consume it upon his return so they could laugh at the sickness it caused, was a particular favorite pastime.
One day, foraging near the edge of the Lady’s territory, Marcus spied a tunnel at the base of a hedgewall. He was tempted, but fearful; he had seen what the Lady did to those who tried to escape and were caught, and it made her regular delights look tame by comparison. But Marcus was at the end of his rope. Fanning his last, flickering hope, he crawled into the tunnel. Sharp thorns tore at him as he went, and knotty roots blocked his path, but he kept going, eventually emerging in the Hedge near where his campsite had been, so long ago.
The shock of his return took a long time to deal with. Marcus went back to the center, but found that it had been boarded up, and looked like it had been that way for some time. Clearly, he had been gone for some time. His apartment had a new tenant, and a little time with the "internet" at the local library revealed that his body, or something taken for his body, had washed up along the shore of the lake soon after he’d disappeared. Utterly confused, Marcus was unsure of where to turn next. Luckily for him, his clumsy investigation had alerted members of the local freehold to his emergence, and they slowly helped him work through where he had been, and what he was.
Today, Marcus lives in small, shabby but comfortable house on the ridge overlooking the lake.
He tends a small garden of herbs and medicinal plants, supplying a few local shops with
homeopathic remedies. Terribly embarrassd at the ignorance his absence has caused, he tries to learn as much as he can about all the technology around him.
Eager to at least prevent others from sharing his fate, and eventually pay back his captors for their troubles, he recently swore himself to the Autumn Court at the local freehold. His intimate knowledge of the plants and fruits of the Hedge has proven useful thus far, and he is eager to continue his work.
Sean doesn’t remember anything about his life before his taking. Actually the only thing he does know about his past life is whatever was mentioned by The Huntress. She frequently referred to him as her pretty, vain, little thing and talked of how before she claimed him as her pet how all the girls wanted to be with him, and all the boys wanted to be him. That all didn’t matter though, he belonged to her and she desired entertainment, and what could be more entertaining than having all her pets run loose, hunting each other down. At the end of each night the survivors would wear the skin of those they killed, and put all macabre shows to please the huntress. After a time, Sean didn’t even need to wear the skin those he hunted down, he could simply alter his appearance to look like them. The Huntress still made him wear the hide anyways though.
Sean did manage to finally escape from The Huntresses domain and find himself in the back where the “normal” folk live. Upon leaving Faerie, two names entered his head, Sean and Jannet. Assuming himself to be Sean, he took that name for himself, and began looking for a Jannet who might know who he was before he was taken.
He still remember what the Huntress said of his past life though, how he seeked attention, and was always given in. Believing it was his gallivanting life style that drew the Huntressess attention, Sean swore to be nothing but another face in the crowd, someone who is easily forgotten about.
As for why your characters have found themselves drawn to this little no-name town, you've heard murmurings of the Spring Court arranging a Festival to celebrate the Solstice. All are invited, regardless of rank or affiliation; just leave your conflicts behind you.
Darkling: Antiquarian, Leechfinger, Moonborn, or Razorhand.
Elemental: Levenquick, or Manikin.
Fairest: Muse, Playmate, or Treasured.
I know everyone always says "play what you want to!" but if you have any feedback as to which of those might be best suited for what you have in mind, that would be great. It will at least help me whittle it down and make a selection.
How involved do you need the character's backstory to be? Since I'm relatively inexperienced with the goings-on of the courts and the like, would it be acceptable to play a recent escapee? Sorry if I seem excessively neurotic about this. I'm used to playing on MU*s where things are fairly involved and I don't want a slap on the wrist for over or under doing it.
There will be socializing, so a Fairest would be a natural choice, but you could easily work a Darkling or an Elemental into that too.
As for backstory; the more the merrier. Details on their captor(s), their life before Arcadia, their life after(if applicable; you can have them be fresh out of the Hedge if you want), etc.
The woman revealed herself as The Witch of Ash and Shadows, and that she wished for Adam to be her apprentice. By accepting her offer, Adam sealed his fate.
Adam's durance involved working as the Witch's familiar. Adam had many duties, he had to chop the wood, gather the ingredients for potions, spy on the Witch's enemies, carry her things, and make the potions for the Witch. If the potions where not to the witches standard, Adam had to drink them.
Adam finally escaped from his Keeper by throwing a potion of stone that the Witch demanded he make
onto her and drawing the geometric patterns he had learned from the witch's book all those months ago with a charred piece of wood.
After discovering he had been replaced by a dull, but well-mannered Fetch, Adam left Colorado and changed his name to Ezekiel Jenkins. Zeke was drawn to the Autumn Court because he wanted to learn more about the Fey and the magic the power they wielded. Zeke had been hearing strange stories about a small town out in the country, so he packed his meager belongings and headed there to study the town's myths and legends.
Zeke is very short, only 5'4". His Mask shows a pale, skinny man in his early twenties with a mess of straw colored hair on his head. Lately, Zeke has been trying to grow a goatee, but it hasn't been turning out very well. Zeke's main is terrifying. Zeke's pale blue skin offsets his red eyes, while his too-large mouth is filled with rows of pointed teeth. Zeke's ears long and pointed, his nose flattened, and his limbs long and spindly. Zeke also has a long, naked tail. Both his tail and ears end in blond tufts of hair.
Is Zeke at all pursued by his Keeper?
My concept so far is a Winter Court Darkling (probably an Antiquarian, but possibly a Gravewight) tentatively named Crooked Tom. His place in the party (and his Court) would be as a scout/ spymaster- capable of digging up the truth, or burying secrets deep. His reasoning for coming to the festival is to investigate the disappearances, and get to the bottom of the rumors regarding the witchcraft. Knowledge is power, and Tom wants to ensure that his Court is as powerful as possible.
The details are still in flux, but I envision him as being similar in appearance to a Wizened, all crooked and stooped. (I'll put more thought into his mien later.) At first glance, one would think him frail and infirm, stooping over his cane like a man three times his age. This apparent feebleness can be (intentionally) deceiving, however, as Tom moves with alacrity and finesse when it suites his purpose. More than one person has discovered to their detriment just how well the hobbled man can hide, followed by just how hard he can swing his cane.
Tom is well-spoken, cordial, and polite, which matches his polished, if disjointed exterior. He is intelligent and knowledgeable, but his real talents lie in investigation and research. In fact, most who meet him, assume his name refers to his bent frame, bur they're only half right. The full truth is that Tom is exceptional at navigating the twisting paths of lies, half-truths, and misinformation to find out things he has utterly no right to know. Whether it's about the specifics of a True Fae's ban, the location of a lost hedge gate, or knowledge about a specific ritual, Tom is quite good at ferreting out information others would like to stay hidden.
Details on Tom's appearance and durance are forthcoming, but he'll likely have spent it in a vast library running errands for his Librarian-esque keeper. I'm actually considering Vellum, from Autumn Nightmares as the Keeper. Having escaped his Keeper via trickery and subterfuge, the Fae will likely be very keen to find its wayward servant.
What do you all think so far?
EDIT: After persuing Winter Masques, the idea is the same, but he will be of the Whisperwisp kith, which will facilitate the social stuff while maintaining the stealth aspect. Sheet and full background are forthcoming.
I dunno if linking this will work or not, if it can't be read let me know.
Henry Hush, the Quiet Man, the Silent Curator
Darkling Whisperwisp, Winter Court
http://sheetgen.dalines.net/sheet/6459?message=true
And that makes four characters, though one lacks a concept and the other a sheet.
Here's a rough summary for Hush's background. He was taken (I haven't decided how he transgressed yet) by a Librarian-esque fae who despised noise, so Hush had to adapt and learn to speak only in the very softest of whispers. He acted as a curator/ errand boy/ assassin for his Keeper, and by being exposed to the myriad spellbooks and what have you, he gained quite a lot of knowledge about the occult- Mages especially.
EDIT: His exposure to the various grimoires is also part of what changed him. I may pick up an extra dot of Wyrd to represent him marinating in magical mojo emanating from the books.
Sorry about that, bit busy. Hoping to have the sheet up by end of the day tomorrow at the latest.
EDIT: It's done bar any tweaking I'll do:
http://sheetgen.dalines.net/sheet/6459?message=true
@CJ - I wish to discuss the Hollow with you.
His fear twisted him. It twisted the light right out of him, and into a creature that might have more in common with its former Keeper than its fellow humans.
That totally works. Also, a cookie goes to whoever figures out what story his background is based off. It's not very subtle.
I can't say that Hush doesn't bare a resemblance to Slenderman, although Hush isn't stiltedly tall or have multiple limbs. He DOES share the "crooked" nature of SM's proportions and the suite, however.
Henry Hush, the Hollow Man
Winter Court
Whisperwisp Darkiling
Keeper: The Silent Curator
Height: 5'11
Weight: In his Mask, 130 pounds, in his Mien, closer to 100-115
Background:
Money for nothing-
Henry doesn't remember too much about his life before the Thorns. He remembers that he was some form of thief, and a high class thief at that. He remembers that he was very good at it. Henry stole lots of things, but rarely anything as tawdry as cash. No, the things Henry stole had actual value. Jewels, art, antiques, rare books, Henry had fine taste in loot. He was well-read, and did research on both the items that caught his fancy- and the marks that owned them. He had a natural curious streak, and an intellect to see that he satisfied curiosity. He knows he had money, women, and amenities to spare, but he also remembers that for whatever reason, he felt empty inside. Was it suppressed guilt? Perhaps a lack of satisfaction or challenge in his life? Or perhaps he felt untouchable, and secretly wanted to be brought down a peg or two. After what happened next, however, the reasons became immaterial.
A way off the Path-
Whatever the reasons, Henry remembers feeling that Herr Schwarzdorn's music box would give him what he needed. The box was very old and crafted by a brilliant-but-insane clockmaker. The box was known variously as being a key to infinite knowledge, a cursed portal to hell, and a path to greater understanding of one's self, and Henry felt compelled to acquire it. If only he had known how true the rumors were. Henry's last clear memories before being Taken are of him stealing the box and taking it back to his penthouse hideout. He remembers placing it on a desk, and turning the little key. For a few moments the intricate wooden and brass workings spun beautifully around the carved facade of the box. Wooden thorns, painted black and green, appeared to creep around the outskirts of the box, and a mournful dirge began to play, then it stopped and the top of the box opened. For a few moments there was silence- and then Henry realized exactly how quiet it was in the room. The air-conditioner continued blowing cold air, but made no sound, the rumble and beeps of traffic fell silent. Henry didn't have long to consider the eeriness of this occurrence, because almost immediately after a hand shot out from the box, caught him by the wrist, and started to drag him in. The appendage looked to be made variously from twisted and black metal, chipped ceramic, and rotted and creaky wood. Green and black thorns that clung to the hand like veins and ripped into Henry's flesh. The crushing grip dragging him inexorably into the portal he had opened, and Henry started to scream. A scream that, to his horror he could not even hear. All Henry remembers next is the darkness and the tearing he felt across his body- his Keeper, The Silent Curator, had come for him.
In the Library of Darkest Night-
Henry found himself transported to a library-tower blanketed by dusk, stars, and moonlight. The inside was crumbling, dusty, and packed with all sorts of esoteric tomes, devices, and artifacts- all with magical properties. (So yeah it's like a nightmare version of Hogwarts.) His Keeper, the Silent Curator, owned this collection of the arcane, and Henry was to become an integral part of His kingdom. Henry was to watch over and guard these items. Henry also functioned as a favored spy, thief, and occasional assassin for his Master, for the Curator's collection was the envy of many lesser Fae.
Under the less than tender mercies of his new Master and his Servants, Henry immediately learned the value of silence and stealth in the nighttime domain. A leisurely stroll down a corridor would find one killed quickly (and messily) in no time at all, and in a number of ways. The slightest sound informing numerous predators of one's location. Worse still was the Silent Curator's obsession with well....silence. When the Keeper was about (and even when he wasn't) the changelings and hobs under his control were expected to make no sound at all. Those that did too often or too foolishly were never heard from again- literally and figuratively. When truly displeased, a banshee wail would grow in strength and emanate from the Curator, and it was often the last thing those unlucky servants ever heard.
The Escape-
Henry doesn't recall how long he served his Keeper. He also doesn't remember at what point the shadows he so often dwelt in became part of him. He does remember something vital being ground out of him over time. A slow twisting path of darkness overtaking the light. He does remember finding the music box again, though. While searching for an magic amulet in one of the hundred-story-high treasure stacks, Henry (who was known as Hush because of the fact that he now never spoke) found what appeared to be the same music box he had stolen so long before. Seeing his chance, Henry turned the key and the music began to play. It was the first music he had heard for a long time. It also alerted his Keeper, whom he could feel was even was now making frenzied progress toward him- the banshee wail announcing his prescence- and anger.
As Hush dove through the portal that open above the box, he felt the same ripping and tearing from before- only this time he felt something else restoring itself to him. As he splayed out onto the floor in what looked to be a shabby museum basement, Henry heard a scream, and was both horrified and overjoyed to hear that it was his own- his Voice had been returned to him. He had nary a moment to celebrate this fact, as he heard a familiar keening begin to emanate from the convulsing music box. Knowing he could not go back to that hell, Henry grabbed the box and smashed it against the nearest wall. The wailing stopped and Henry knew he was safe.....for a time.
Appearance:
Mask: Henry resembles a very slender man (hohoho!) in a clean (if shabby) black suite and tie. He can often be seen dwelling within crowds, but usually in areas of shade, near corners, or underneath terrace's. He is incredibly reserved and but for the (forced?) smile on his face, one who spotted him would think he wasn't enjoying himself. That is assuming anyone notices Hush at all between his abilities to remain perfectly still and almost completely silent while moving. Despite the measured pace he reserves in social situations where etiquette is important, Hush is spry and moves with a grace and nimbleness appropriate for a Fairest Dancer.
Mien: Henry's body seems torn with rents that seemingly leak (and draw in) an inky black smoke. The location of these rents shift and move over the surface of his body. His eyes, nose and mouth occasionally vent this substance as well. The smoke dissipates almost immediately as it contacts the air. Black/green clusters of briars can be seen poking through some of these vents. When concealed in a shadow, or in a darkened area, those lucky (or unlucky!) enough to see the Hollowman will behold him breathing in the shadows.
Since returning from Faerie, Hush has noticed these traits increasing. This may be explained by his heightened Wyrd- a side effect of marinating in the presence of so many magical tomes and grimoires. Moreover, Hush's joints occasionally to shift into impossible angles, often giving him his "crooked" appearance. When not trying to conceal his presence from those around him, Hush's joints "creak" slightly.
Personality:
Henry is quiet. Many confuse this as insecurity or the social awkwardness that plagues some changelings. But the truth; however, is that he normally won't speak until he has something important to say. When Henry does choose to engage someone, they are often struck by the eloquence, wit, and the wisdom behind his words. The darkness of his mien prevents him being outright charming, but then again, even Hannibal Lecter has ways of getting into one's good graces. Those who get to truly know him, are amazed at how such a seemingly aloof member of the freehold could be so personable- if in a professional and detached manner. Achingly polite, Hush has interacted with the higher echelons of changeling society and has had his etiquette and professionalism praised. Between his social skills and his expertise at espionage and investigation, the Winter Court finds Hush useful indeed.
Here's a rough look at his appearance:
The Silent Curator
This is Hush's Keeper- The Silent Curator:
That's enough for now. I'll write about what Hush has currently been up to later. Lemme know what you all think. (And I didn't do indepth proofreading so forgive me if it's crappy!)
If any late comers submit anything in the interim, coolness.
EDIT: Also @ hotran- on your sheet you have goodwill autumn, and you belong the autumn court, I thought goodwill only applied to other courts- and mantle applies to your own.