Changeling
Changeling
The world is not safe.
Others thought it was. Others built, and dreamed, and were destroyed, and for fifty years, Tamarack Falls has been a buried backwater within the Changeling world, the edges of its dangers blunted. There are still signs, here and there, of its past glories in the Hedge, of convenient Gates, of those among the townsfolk who remember well the disappearances, the murders, the quiet exodus of all things fae under the onslaught of unknown designs.
A fragile balance is maintained, has been maintained, for all these years. What few remnants of the Changeling population do exist have spent their strength on stealth and silence, fled, or done what they could to blend with humankind.
In early 2015, a new group of settlers arrived, migrants searching for a place to claim and make their own, and that balance was broken. Accustomed to a strong Freehold, a strong presence, they knew only that a vacancy existed, a vacuum which could be filled with their own hopes, their own dreams, their own future. One by one, they trickled in, a steady flood of fae into an unsteady position, an unsteady land, and it did not take long for them to learn that they were not the first fae creatures to find it.
Wary of what could be, but covetous of solid numbers' safety, the scattered, hidden locals have slowly begun to step into the light, and together, new and old have built a pledge they can agree on, a new Freehold: Fate's Harvest.
The echoes of their arrival have not gone unnoticed.
Contents
Theme
What is Changeling like on Fate's Harvest?
Defining theme in a single sentence isn't possible. No one responds identically to the traumas they all experience, but there are general patterns, and they form the norm.
Changelings are, by definition, kidnap victims and former (you hope) slaves whose bodies, minds and spirits have been raped, often violently, by alien, inhuman Fae.
You left Arcadia for a reason.
"What if my Keeper got tired of me and let me go?" you might ask, and that's certainly a possibility, and a sad one, too. How deluded is your Changeling about his place in the world? Does he believe he was set free? Or does he acknowledge that, far more likely, he was discarded as a forgotten toy? Fae don't feel love. They may try, but they are, on the most fundamental levels, not human.
Fate's Harvest in particular has been designed to walk the borders of that darkness. The XP given to characters allows for roleplay on the cusp of that danger so unique to Changelings and so common, ultimately, to all victims: becoming what you hate.
The closest to a single unifying summary of theme would likely be:
- "No Changeling is unbroken."
Example Concepts:
- Happy Fluffy Bunny - Spring Runnerswift - joined Spring to escape the nightmare of being hunted to exhaustion, fed, petted in her Keeper's arms and chased again. Her happiness is her defiance and her refusal of all things Fae.
- Innocent Plaything - Courtless Treasured/Playmate - taken as a preteen, he barely remembered enough of the world to make his escape...and now barely understands the rules of human life. His is the terrible innocence of wild things, of those who simply don't know why one shouldn't take, or speak, or kill.
- Mad King - Autumn Troll - a cunning manipulator, he has destroyed three Freeholds from within in his search for a perfect Queen, wielding fear with the precision of a surgeon's blade. The player wants him to be redeemed before it is too late.
Who Can See Me?
While not strictly necessary, this is included as a reminder, since staff will be using these in certain plot elements.
Obviously, Changelings and Fae-touched and Ensorcelled and Enchanted can all see your fae mien.
The following categories may catch a glimpse now and then as well:
• Children
• The insane (one or more major derangements)
• The seventh son of a seventh son
• Those born with eyes of two different colors
• Drunkards on the night of the full moon (applies to those under the influence of drugs as well)
• Anyone who spends a night in a cemetery, sleeping on a grave (applies for one month)
• A mortal who eats a goblin fruit (applies for one day)
SETTING
- Local Lost Lore - Information about the world as Changelings know it.
- Secrecy - Why the Mask is important. How your mask breaches might make the news.
- Freeholds - For the time being, there is only one.
The creation of Fate's Harvest as a Freehold was the impetus for much of the plot in the game, the catalyst, the triggering event, but the results of the troubles to come won't overmuch discriminate between people with protection and people without. Granted, people not in the Freehold won't have said protection...
Staff will consider additional Freeholds once the game's population can support them.
For more detailed information, please check the Fate's Harvest Freehold page.
- Courts & Goodwill - We welcome eight Courts here -- Autumn, Spring, Summer, Winter, Dawn, Dusk, Moon, Sun.
- Entitlements - A list of allowed Entitlements.
- Gentry - Scary things. Will steal your soul and remake your mind and body.
- The Hedge
- Goblin Markets - A list of Goblin Markets. Guidelines for marketeers and STs.
- Hedgebeasts - A list of custom Hedgebeasts you may encounter.
- Trods & Gates - A list of commonly-used trods, gates, and their keys.
- Hangouts - In both the mortal world and the Hedge
- Outside Influences - Any non-local freeholds, NPCs or events relevant to the local lost.
STORIES
- Rumors - Heard something on the street that other Changelings ought to know? Want to advertise a plot? Add a rumor to the Rumors page.
- Plots - Should have sublist of currently running plots with a link to plot guidelines and plot archives and log category maybe?
- Events - Might be a pain in the ass to maintain, but I'm putting in a placeholder all the same.
- Storytellers - Staff who specialize in stories/NPCs for this sphere; players willing to advertise their desire to run for others.
SYSTEMS
- Clarity: Breaking Points and how this is handled.
- Commands: All Changelings should check '+help mask' and the fae-desc/short-mien sections.
- Communication: Thinking about making a Changeling/Fae-touched/Ensorcelled/Enchanted Mortal? Here's a brief list of the channels and boards you'll want to keep track of:
- - Join the Changeling channel with: addcom <alias>=Changeling
- - Check the Changeling +bboard 5 for news and announcements, whether from players or staff.
- - If you're part of a Court, or have Goodwill in a Court, you're welcome to join the Court's channel.
- - Each Court has its own +bboard for Court-wide announcements.
- - Each Court and Freehold has its own +faction for tracking membership/ranks/Mantle level.
- If you decide not to make a fae-related something after all, please don't loiter on the channel.
- Contracts: Clarifications, house rules and homebrews.
- Entitlements: A list of allowed Entitlements and page numbers, and requirements for acquiring one.
- Goblin Fruit: Clarifications, house rules, how-tos and homebrews.
- Hedgespinning: Clarifications, house rules and how-tos.
- High Wyrd: Blessings and penalties thereof for Seemings and Kiths. See Consequences here.
- Hollow Gardens: How to grow goblin fruit in your Hollow.
- Seemings/Kiths: Clarifications, house rules and homebrews.
- Merits: Where House Rules exist for merits, they are written in full on the main merit page.
- Pledges: Clarifications, limitations, house rules and how-tos.
- Requests: In most cases, any requests which have anything at all to do with fae topics should go to +req/fae. The exceptions to this would be that Pledges are kept separate with +req/pledge, Goblin Market NPCs/scene requests go in +req/market and Hollows are requested like any other build project, with +req/build.
- Tokens & Token-Making: Clarifications, house rules and how-tos.
CHARACTERS
- Applications - Page this links to should refer back to main chargen page and include sphere-specific details for changelings, ensorcelled and fae-touched, including extra requirements and background questions. Should included wanted concepts, banned concepts and arcade awarded concepts, if applicable.
- Becomings - How to become a changeling if you're currently a mortal/+. See below for becoming ensorcelled or fae-touched.
- Ensorcelled & Fae-touched - Rules, restrictions and advantages of the minor templates.
- Mien Guidelines
- Motleys
ACTIVE PCS
| Spring Court | Summer Court | Autumn Court |
| Winter Court | Dawn Court | Dusk Court |
| Moon Court | Sun Court | Courtless |
| Ensorcelled | Fae-Touched
none |
ACTIVE NPCS
| Spring Court | Summer Court | Autumn Court |
| Winter Court | Dawn Court | Dusk Court |
| Moon Court | Sun Court | Courtless
none |
| Ensorcelled
none |
Fae-Touched
none |
