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| | + | Contracts of Cocophany: A famous bard once penned, "If music be the food of love, then play on." Another person |
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| − | =The Life and Times of Aaron Fletcher (''aka The Background'')=
| + | once said that music could "soothe the savage beast." But what some might call music, another might call noise. |
| | | | |
| − | ==Spring: Mortal Life==
| + | Sound is such a unique thing. Pitches, tones, vibrations to the ear. This contract is not one of melodies, but |
| − | * How was your family life before your abduction? Were your parents kind or cruel? Were you spoiled or impoverished?
| + | |
| − | * Where did you live? Did you live in Vienna, or did you live elsewhere?
| + | |
| − | * How were you viewed amongst your peers, both in school(if you went) and in your social life. Were you cited as a bully or ruffian, were you kind and charitable?
| + | |
| − | * What was your occupation prior to your abduction? How did this play a role in your personality (if it did)?
| + | |
| − | <br>
| + | |
| − | :They say that the Fletcher family line mixed with the Passamoquoddy tribes in the early life of Aleswich. From the research that has been done on the Passamoquoddy tribe, it is said that their history, culture, and rituals are based on oral history, prior to the arrival of European settlers on their land. The richness of an oral history pales in comparison to a written history. Each teller of the history adds their on flavor to the longer tale. And for those that knew the Fletchers of the mid-sized town in Maine, were unsurprised that two children would be gifted with the craft of storytelling.
| + | |
| | | | |
| − | :Born to a lawyer and doctor, Aaron and his sister, Natasha, were good at telling stories. The twins would spend hours telling stories to one another. Entertain each other with weaving words for hours. One of their favorite games was 'Once Upon a Time,' in which the tale would start sometime in the morning and go through until bedtime. Aaron and Sasha (his nickname for his sister) were a talented duo, but their tales were never light or filled with happiness. It was as though Aaron and Sasha channeled the Brothers Grimm-their stories filled with dark tones, muted light, with dark and malevolent shadows. Their parents thought it was morbid their children could take any happy story and twist it into a tragic tale. It was no surprise that upon entering high school, Sasha and Aaron joined circles of artists, writers, thespians. Even though their parents already mapped out their futures as doctors or lawyers, their parents considered it "quaint" that they felt an artist calling--and didn't see any harm in letting such idle entertainment continue through their teenage years.
| + | one in which someone can manipulate sound to be both beneficial and |
| | | | |
| − | :Early on, Aaron has dubbed three young ladies at his high school as the Wyrd Sisters. They were the "Mean Girls" of Aleswich. Popular. Pretty. Petty. When they would pick on those they saw as not part of their clique, Aaron would tell stories here and there to dethrone them one at a time. When his sister was one of their marks, Aaron decided to raise the stakes and created an elaborate tale so intricate and filled with enough truth and lies, it caused each of the girls to endure humiliation, shame, and a significant plunge in their prestige. Things were fine for a few years.
| + | Contracts of Cocophany even work on people who are deaf/hard of hearing. |
| | | | |
| − | :They say that the fury and scorn of a female is one that you never want to be a target of. Aaron was the target of three, and on a night traveling home after the final curtain of the high school production of 'The Mousetrap' ended, both Sasha and Aaron walked back home (as they always did); but this would be the last time Aleswich would hear of Aaron for some five years. Whispers of kidnapping, running away, or worse: death, would circle the home and community. Eventually, Aaron was found at a 7-11 just outside of town, looking worse for wear. He eventually returned to his family safe and sound.
| + | Fine Tune(•) |
| | + | When invoking this clause, the changeling is able to adjust the sound around them in such a way that they can |
| | | | |
| − | :Now if you thought this was the end of the story, you would be wrong. If you thought this was only the beginning, then my fine friends, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls--get ready for a ride and learn how three girls destroyed five lives all for the slight of one teenage boy.
| + | pick up things that most mortal ears cannot hear. Like the hightend senses of super heroes, one can even fine |
| | | | |
| | + | tune hearing to overhear conversations that are best left secret between those parties. |
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| − | ==Summer: Abduction==
| + | Cost: 1 Glamour |
| − | * How did your former master claim you? What methods did he establish to get you into the Hedge?
| + | Dice Pool: Wyrd + Expression |
| − | * How did your Master treat you during this time? Was he forceful? Or was he friendly?
| + | Action: Instant |
| − | * Give us a small description of how your character felt upon entering the Hedge, and when he officially captured you?
| + | Catch: The changeling focuses on the subject they want to use their supernatural hearing on, while humming a |
| | | | |
| − | :Traveling down the back roads to their parents' home was easy. They had been traveling down the thick forested walking path for years. So why was it that on this particular night, it was hard? Simply three lefts and one right at the old wooden fence, but the fence was not there this time. Maybe they needed to travel further. Wait-was it three lefts, or two? Wasn't it a right? Of course, it was. Two rights, one left, and over the stone bridge. Had they always crossed over a stone bridge? As the twilit forest opened up, they entered into a valley filled with a menagerie of things. Scattered and tattered costumes, props and other weaponry from stage combats (or real combats) past; and anything else they would need (or their "Patron" saw fit to provide them). No one really understands who is listening to teenagers in the shadows, in the darkness, around the darker corners of daylight. The siblings soon discovered that they were invited to the ever twisting landscape and stage of the King of Tales and Terror. For now, they would entertain him-a lover of stories of all types, even the olden faerie tales spun by Aaron and Sasha. For now, they would be his new characters in his game of storytelling. Day spilled into night, night lasted forever until the breaking of dawn; fall gave way to summer, then came winter. Seasons did not matter, and time was unnecessary on the Taleteller's stage. People, denizens, and creatures came and left at the Taleteller's whim-anything to progress his malevolent story; and it did not matter if you knew where he was in his tale. What mattered was surviving and praying for an ending and a release.
| + | single note during this clause. If he stops at anytime for longer than a breath, he must pay the cost. |
| | | | |
| − | :If days and months were a thing in Faerie, then Sasha and Aaron were prisoners and players of the Taleteller for several of them. The only thing that kept them both from total falling into madness and irreparable damage to their sanity was seeing this for what it was: a game of storytelling and tale-spinning. The King of Tales and Terror knew of nothing original, and even in the shadows behind the forests or beyond hills in the valley, he would spy on the siblings to see if he could claim the stories they would be forced to play out in his domain. So in times when they thought the King of Tales and Terror slumbered, the siblings worked on what they did best-telling stories. So the siblings formulated a plan: though their own way of secret communication, though costuming ploys, interactions with other denizens of the Dream Lands, tell a story so dark, even the King would be intrigued-and distracted enough to escape. | + | Results |
| | + | Dramatic Failure: The Changeling's ears pick up everything and it's intensified. The sounds are constant, loud |
| | | | |
| − | :The story required more elaborate costumes, much more functional than the ones they would find within the Hedges. Glamour was collected amongst the trees, the ichor of watery bodies, breathed in like air. Aaron and Sasha's bodies were already altered within their time in Faerie, this was more of a welcoming ritual-welcoming all the magic of the Dreaming into themselves. They were treated like pretty nightmares; and pretty nightmares they would both become. The siblings played their part in the Taleteller's story, but the siblings altered it subtly at first, narrating their actions to give the King of Tales and Terror more theatrics and flavor than anything else. Intrigued, and distracted, they made for their final curtain and exiting off the stage. The thorns within the hedge tore at them as they escaped and when the Taleteller discovered the ruse, he sought a way to bring his favored actors back to his stage of nightmares. The siblings found a way out through the hedge-but freedom became more the focus than family; and the siblings were separated. Even today, Aaron still does not know what happened to his sister, but he found himself north of where he use to call home, in Bangor, ME. Aaron was found by a few changelings who helped him readjust, made him aware of a few rules and quickly vanished to avoid the eyes of the Gentry or any Loyalists within the area. Aaron began his new life as member of The Lost.
| + | and distracting, lasting for the rest of the scene. All rolls are done at -2. |
| | + | Failure: The contract does not work. Nothing happens. |
| | + | Success: Like fine tuning the dial of an old radio to pick up a station, the Changeling is able to hear their |
| | | | |
| | + | target with supernatural crystal clarity. If they are attempting to listen in on a conversation from a distance, |
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| − | ==Autumn: Arcadia and Escape==
| + | they are able to hear up to their Wyrd in yards. This effect lasts for a scene or until the Changeling stops |
| − | * What tasks did your Master use you for? (This is an important note for Seeming as well as Kith selection)
| + | |
| − | * Were other stolen people working with you? How did you view them?
| + | |
| − | * What urged you to escape?
| + | |
| − | * How do you view your Master now?
| + | |
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| − | ==Winter: Lost==
| + | humming, whichever comes first. |
| − | * How much time has passed since your abduction and return from the Hedge?
| + | Exceptional Success: The contract lasts until next sunrise or sunset which ever is first. Further more, for each |
| − | * Are you just stepping out of the Hedge into Vienna, or coming from elsewhere?
| + | |
| − | * If you are in a Court, how did you get brought in?
| + | |
| − | * Does your character have a fetch? Where are they? Does your character have their old life back? What is the status of their identity?
| + | |
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| − | <hr>
| + | success the changeling can allow one other person to hear benefit from this effect, though that person might not |
| − | <br>
| + | |
| − | =The Historian of Fabrication (''aka: The Chronicler of Lies, The Vivisectionist of Memories, The Twisted Author'')=
| + | |
| − | The Historian is a member of the Gentry, created by Aaron Fletcher.
| + | |
| | | | |
| − | ==Description==
| + | know how their sharp hearing has occured. |
| − | [[File:Chronicler.jpg|300px|left]] The Floriographer's appearance is rather pointedly unremarkable. While his clothing is simple, never ornate, he simply...fades...into whatever is around him, without ever truly changing colours or semblance. Tall without being too tall, slender without being skeletal, those few unfortunate enough to remember him clearly have described the creature as a mousy-haired, bespectacled young man with vivid, avid eyes.
| + | |
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| − | He never blinks.
| + | Whispering Arch (••) |
| | + | Like those places found in architectural anomalies over the world, you can hold a conversation with another |
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| − | Many a victim has thought herself alone, only to find the gentle, yet inexorable strength of too many hands drawing her down to be composted for her sins.
| + | individual from across a crowded room without the need to raise one's voice above a whisper. |
| − | <br>
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| − | <br>
| + | |
| − | ==Realm==
| + | |
| − | The Herbarium is never truly dark. The realm possesses seemingly endless space, fields upon fields of flowers, formerly human and not, and yet, there is no day. There is no night. There are no shadows, unless the master wills it so.
| + | |
| | | | |
| − | Not physical shadows.
| + | Cost: 1 Glamour or 3 see below |
| | + | Dice Pool: Wyrd + Wits - Subject’s Wits |
| | + | Action: Instant |
| | + | Catch: The changelings using the clause must cup their mouths as though they were talking into their hands. |
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| − | The shadow of their master's displeasure lies over all who dwell within the Fae's domain, and for those souls whose beauty isn't up to par, the filthsome, rotting, reeking heap of 'compost' more than makes up for the rest. It is never in the same place twice, rumours abounding as to how, or what, or who, is tasked with its silently unlovely relocations. | + | Results |
| | + | Dramatic Failure: The words, regardless of how clearly the Changeling may have been in speaking, are heard |
| | | | |
| − | Perhaps most horrifying of all, however, is the herbarium chamber itself. Every blossom has spent hours within it, forced to gaze upon her/his own potential future. Pressed between glass, a thumb's width wide yet still alive, still beautiful, are the Floriographer's most perfect specimens, his pride, his joy, left unable to move, to speak, to interact at all -- but still able to feel.
| + | completely wrong, if sometimes offensively. If the message was meet me at twelve noon, the subject might think he |
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| − | The punishment for their release is unspeakable. | + | meant twelve midnight. |
| | + | Failure: Nothing happens. The contract does not work. |
| | + | Success: The changeling can convey a message to the subject by whispering into his hands. This works between only |
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| | + | two people in a one-on-one capacity. The two parties must be in the same room in order for this to work. Anything |
| | | | |
| − | ==Methodology==
| + | said is recieved by the other in clear quality by the recieving individual. |
| − | Victims are chosen for their beauty, their innate loveliness, their grace, their elocution. He does not choose average. He chooses the high school beauty queens, the dancers at the pinnacle of physical fitness and health, the winners of contests, and he chooses them himself.
| + | Exceptional Success: If the Changeling wants, the Contract works two-ways for a number of individuals half the |
| | | | |
| − | The Floriographer prefers his blooms hand-picked.
| + | caster's Wyrd (minimum is 1). Everyone must be within the same room in order to talk to one another. |
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| − | Perhaps you saw his eyes observing you through mirrors, perhaps you saw him trailing you through crowds, quiet and intense. Escapees often remember scattered, dream-hazed moments in the night, eyes in the light of a streetlamp, reflections of a man who isn't there.
| + | Whispers on the Wind (•••) |
| | + | Like Whispering Arch, the Changeling can throw their voice across long distances, sending a message along a |
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| − | He is gentle, but utterly ruthless in his pruning of excesses from his blossoms' lives. Too chatty? He will steal your voice and keep it, or train it before he gives it back, to behave as HE wishes it to do. His victims are physically shaped and trimmed, groomed to emulate particular blossoms, made to study them, endless hours of attempting to be them, to behave as they behave.
| + | breeze to anyone they've met. |
| | + | Cost: 2 Glamour |
| | + | Dice Pool: Wyrd + Manipulation |
| | + | Action: Extended to a total of 5 successes |
| | + | Catch: The Changeling mouths out their message without uttering a single sound. If a sound is uttered anytime |
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| − | Those chosen to be flowers in his garden are groomed toward the emotions and meanings their particular blossom once represented. A Flowering whose form was sculpted into a Chamomile might be forced into difficult situations, given hardships to persevere through -- or to fail, and be unworthy -- as Chamomile's meaning is ''Energy in Adversity''. One sculpted as Basil might be treated cruelly indeed, manipulated into terrible thoughts and actions, as Basil's meaning is ''Hate''. Or, perhaps, a lovely woman he intends to sculpt into a Red Rose (''Love'') persistently becomes a thistle (''LEAVE ME ALONE, defiance''), all on her own. It is this war of wills which most commonly creates hybrid blossoms (a.k.a. Dual Kith).
| + | before the message ends, they must pay the cost. |
| | | | |
| − | See the '''[[Gentry/The Floriographer/Flower Language|Flower Language]]''' for help in choosing your particular role in his bouquet.
| + | Results |
| | + | Dramatic Failure: The Contract coughs and hacks as their air from their lungs is briefly taken by the wind. The |
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| | + | Changeling takes a number of bashing damage in Wyrd/2. In addition, they are -2 in stamina for a number of hours |
| | | | |
| − | ==Suggested Themes for Escapees==
| + | in their Wyrd. |
| − | The vast majority of the Floriographer's escapees are those who were flawed in some way or another, or simply not ''quite'' good enough to merit his especial attentions (read: not beautiful enough to belong in the herbarium -- yet...). | + | Failure: The Contract does not work. Nothing happens. |
| | + | Success: The Changeling is able to convey their silent message to their target. The effect lasts for a number of |
| | | | |
| − | * Few Beast kiths are suitable for his realm. Those that are, are predators, carrion-eaters, those forced to survive by consuming the formerly-human 'compost' of the heap where truly flawed beauty is summarily discarded. Many an escapee was chased by hungry Beasts.
| + | hours in Wyrd to reach that individual regardless of where they -- provided that they are within the same city or |
| − | * Darklings are almost unheard of, but the occasional kith crops up in those nocturnal predators or mimics who attend the compost and guard the gardens. Who guards the guardians? Beasts are just that: Beasts.
| + | |
| − | * Elemental Woodbloods are fairly common, though the Floriographer has been known to trade flawed creations for other kiths if his garden requires them. Elementals would most often have been forced to do or behave in certain ways toward growing blossoms, to "encourage" them in directions this Keeper wanted, if they were not blossoms themselves.
| + | town as the Changeling. |
| − | * Fairest Flowerings are, far and beyond, the single most likely kith for this Keeper to produce. It is not unknown for Flowerings to deliberately mar themselves, be it a cut to the face or more severe changes, in order to be sent to the compost and take their chances with the beasts which guard the charnel reek of its confines. As Beauty is a major theme of the Floriographer, arguments could be made for many combinations of Fairest kiths.
| + | Exceptional Success: Whispers on the Wind last for a 24 hour period and can stretch out state/countrywide. Also |
| − | * Ogres do not typically exist. A player would need to make an excellent case to justify one. See below RE: physical appearance. Their roles, too, would be as aggressors and manipulators, whether or not they realized what their actions caused. Need a blossom to learn humility? Have an Ogre eat her friend for disobedience. They are most often traded for with other Keepers, as they are unlovely and of little interest to his obsession.
| + | |
| − | * Wizened exist only in the capacity of managing the Beasts and doing chores the Floriographer would rather leave to others' time. If they are aesthetically appealing, they are more likely to please him and be his direct go-betweens. If they are hideous or twisted, they are less likely to have direct contact, their constant slavery and his impossible demands what causes them to change, rather than deliberate Fae intervention. These, too, are often adopted from other Keepers.
| + | when the message reaches the person and disapates into the air, the subject will be able to recall perfectly the |
| | + | |
| | + | message. |
| | + | |
| | + | Keening of the Bean Sídhe(••••) |
| | + | Folklore tells of a female spirit of Ireland whose wailing sound warns of a death in a house. While this is not a |
| | + | |
| | + | warning of death, all who hear the wail feel that it's a fate worse than death. The Changeling who uses this |
| | + | |
| | + | clause can release a powerful shout that it can split skin, crack bone, or destroy inanimate structures. |
| | + | Cost: 3 Glamour (+1 one willpower dot for an exceptional success) |
| | + | Dice Pool: Manipulation + Wyrd - target's Composure |
| | + | Action: Instant |
| | + | Catch: The caster has caused an 1 health level of Lethal damage to themselves. |
| | + | |
| | + | Results |
| | + | Dramatic Failure: The Contract does not work and it is instead the changeling has caused severe damage to their |
| | + | |
| | + | throat, lungs, and ribs (equal to their Wyrd in bashing damage). And they may not use this clause again for a |
| | + | |
| | + | number of nights in their Wyrd rating |
| | + | Failure: The Contract does not work. Nothing happens. |
| | + | Success: For each success the changeling rolls others caught in the wailing sounds will take that number of |
| | + | |
| | + | successes in aggravated damage. Anyone that is able to withstand the intensity of this takes a minus on all rolls |
| | + | |
| | + | equal to 1/2 of the changeling’s Wyrd (min 1/ max 5). If using this power on an inanimate object, the Storyteller |
| | + | |
| | + | determines how many dice (if any) the object may use to “soak” and how many successes are needed to completely |
| | + | |
| | + | shatter it. |
| | + | Exceptional Success: Unless the willpower is spent nothing else happens. If a willpower is spent, then the |
| | + | |
| | + | contract lasts for 24 hours for every three successes. During this time the area reverberates with the wailing |
| | + | |
| | + | sound that no one can be within a foot radius of the caster's Wyrd. Anyone brave or foolish enough to walk into |
| | + | |
| | + | the radius will suffer the damage as above. |
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| | + | |
| | + | Haunting Crescendo(•••••) |
| | + | At the mastry of this Contract, the Changeling can use their manipulation of sound that they can leave a tune |
| | + | |
| | + | hanging in the air in a certain place. Anyone visiting this area can perceive the tune quietly on the breeze, or |
| | + | |
| | + | just on the edge of their hearing. Unfortunately, the tune carries madness, and those who hear it can lose their |
| | + | |
| | + | minds if they are not careful. |
| | + | |
| | + | Cost: 3 Glamour (or 4 for Supernaturals) (+1 willpower point on an exceptional success.) |
| | + | Roll Pool: Expression + Wyrd - Composure |
| | + | Action: Instant |
| | + | Catch: The Changeling and must listen to a song on loop for a number of hours in Wyrd. |
| | + | |
| | + | Results |
| | + | Dramatic Failure: The contract fails and the changeling suffers a deep state of emotion (Derangement: Mild |
| | + | |
| | + | Depression) for a number of weeks in their Wyrd and need to roll Resolve+Comp to come out of it. |
| | + | Failure: The contract fails. |
| | + | Success: The Changeling pick a Severe derangement. For each success she gets, the song she sings will remain quietly hanging in the area for one day. Anyone entering the area must make a Composure + Wyrd at a difficulty equal to the Changeling scored to use the power. If they fail, they suffer the effects of the derangement the Changeling picked for the rest of the night. If they botch the roll, the derangement does not fade and must be removed as if it was permanent. |
| | + | Exceptional Success: The song is so infectious that the person caught in the powers of Haunting Cresendo can spread the Mild form of the Derangement to a number of people in the Changeling's Wyrd. Like an ear-worm, the initial target(s) cannot shake the effects of the tune out of their heads (think Emma Stone from the movie Easy-A, where she sings Natasha Bedingfield - Pocketful of Sunshine). Those "infected" shake off the effects in a number of hours in the caster's Wyrd. |
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