Changeling FAQ
About Forgetting and Banality, Temp Banality, etc.
Since questions on this have come up a lot recently, I thought I would send this out to the whole list. This is largely an OOC post, generally any character with greymare 2+ will know most of this information IC as well.
There are a couple of different ways that
a changeling might permanently loose their fae seemings. The first is called
The Forgetting. In this state, the changeling in question retains their fae
seeming, but it becomes faded. The changeling has ‘forgotten’ about
their fae nature and anything that they did, and is no longer able to interact
with chimera or the dreaming. There are two common ways that a changeling
may enter this state. The first is when the changeling’s permanent banality
exceeds their permanent glamour. In this case, the forgetting is not a quick
change but happens gradually, and a changeling
who is constantly reminded of their fae nature, will be able to resist the
forgetting. In game terms, if a character spends more than a month or so without
interacting with the dreaming, chimera, other changelings or spending time
in a freehold, they are in danger of forgetting, if their banality exceeds
their glamour. This is the eventual fate of most grumps.
The second method of forgetting is if
a changeling is killed chimerically. After their chimerical ‘death’,
the changeling spends a length of time in a comma, dependent on their permanent
banality. This comma is physical, the shock of the death, even if only chimerical,
is enough that the body physically shuts down. After they awake from the comma,
the changeling experiences the forgetting, as described above. The only difference
is that since changelings with low banality might suffer chimerical deaths
as well, exactly how much they forget is again dependent on their banality.
The amount that is forgotten and the length of time they spend in a coma are
listed in the Mists sidebar in the Shining Host. There may be other methods
of forgetting, generally due to
exposure to very high banality, but these are at the ST’s discretion.
In either case, a changeling who has forgotten is still a changeling, they just don’t know it anymore. There are a number of ways that this can be fixed. The first is simply by enchanting the changeling, in the same manner that one would enchant a mortal. Once enchanted they immediately remember their fae life, and can one again interact with the dreaming, at least until they suffer the effects of a second forgetting. Enchanting a changeling who is suffering from the forgetting can even revive them from the comma. At the ST's option there may be other methods by which a changeling may remember his fae seeming, such as being affected by a wyrd cantrip or chimera, or inadvertently sleeping in a freehold.
Being Undone is the term used for the
specific condition of a changeling who’s permanent banality has reached
10. Superficially, this is similar to forgetting, the changeling forgets his
fae life, ceases to be able to interact with the dreaming, and goes about
his mortal life. The difference is that his fae seeming has disappeared entirely.
Weather his fae soul has left the body,
or is simply buried so deep that it can not be touched is unknown, but a fae
who has become undone can not be revived. There may be other effects that
suppress a changelings fae soul in a similar fashion.
The Undoing and the Forgetting are both caused by the mists, and as such they do not harm the changeling’s fae soul, they simply suppress it from his mortal consciousness. Therefore, a changeling who dies while undone, or while forgetting, can reincarnate. This is of course assuming that his kith is able to reincarnate to begin with (Sidhe and, if the rumors are to be believed, Sluagh, are out of luck).
The term ‘Banal Death’ refers
to something else entirely. This is a case where the changeling’s fae
soul has been destroyed, usually by banality. The most common example of this
is cold iron. Often (as with attacks with cold iron weapons) the fae soul
and the mortal body will die at the same time, however this is not always
the case. Potentially the fae soul could be destroyed,
leaving the mortal body alive, and in a state similar to being undone. The
difference here is that unlike the undoing and the forgetting, the fae soul
is destroyed, and there is no reincarnation.
About Dreamers and how to gain glamour from them:
There are three things invovled in using a dreamer to get glamour:
1) Find a dreamer, Dreamers are a specific and ill-defined type of individual, most mortals are NOT dreamers, so finding one can take a little work. Dreamers typically (but not always) have low banality, and Kinnain (mortals with fae blood) can often be used as dreamers, but most dreamers have no physical connection to fae. Instead, dreamers are those individuals who shape the dreaming, it is their dreams and nightmares that create chimera, and shape the landscape of the dreaming. Most have no idea that they have this power, but ultimately it is they, not the changelings, who control the dreaming. The dreaming in a particular area is created by generations of dreamers, and because their dreams change, the dreaming itself is mutable. But the most important thing for your purposes, is that dreamers are the soruce of glamour.
Changelings with kenning can tell if an
individual is, or has the capacity to be, a dreamer. Without kenning, you
are going to have to identify them by their actions, often they are artists
or poets, but they can just as easily be engineers or janitors. They have
on trait in common, they see things as they might be, as they once were, or
as they could have been, but never simply as
they are, and they have a strength of conviction that makes their dreams come
true, if not for them, then at least for residents of the dreaming.
2) Ok, so now you have found a dreamer, there are still some things you have to figure out, at elast if you want to muse them, if you want to ravage them, then you can skip to the next step. Dreamers are individuals, and they all have different dreams, goals and interests. An writer might be suffering from artist's block, while an immaginative child might be suffering from a feeling hoplessness from an abusive parrent. Finding out how to inspire them, and there may be more than one way to do so, is the key to unlocking their glamour. This is where musing threasholds come in, you can chose one of these for your character, this is the method of musing that works best for him, but you don't have to use it every time, its an afinity, not a restriction. Most threashold work by inspiring a certain emotion, creativity, love, hope, trust, calm, etc.
3) One you have found a dreamer, and think you know how to inspire them, then you have to actually do it. Often this will require some use of abilities, or actions taken on the character's part. If you succeed, then the dreamer is inspired, and in the process releases some glamour into the world, which you as the lucky changeling who was there when it happened, can capture.
I also mentioned ravaging, which has threasholds
similar to musing, but in this case, the character has to destroy the emotion,
instead of inspire it, literally draining the glamour from the dreamer, leaving
him empty and banal. Obviously if done too often it will permanatly destroy
the mortal. Generally only unseelie use this method of gaining glamour, but
since it is faster and
easier, other changeling might in a pinch.
Musing and Ravaging, can also be done
on groups of dreamers, and more than one changeling can participate.
About heraldry - From the AVST Changeling
Legacy
Each of the baronies, county, and duchy in Massachusetts
have their own official heraldry. This is often seen in conjunction with the
personal heraldry of the person holding that area. Heraldry is designed for
a few purposes. For our game, it adds flavor and atmosphere. Historically
it was a way to quickly identify someone from afar or on a battlefield. A
titled noble could, in our system, actually have three or four devices to
display if they wished - their personal standard, their land's standard (barony,
etc), their house standard, their kingdom standard and if they want to push
it - their lieges as well.
No we don't want to push it quite THAT much.
It's more common to see a use of personal and house standards in our game than anything else, however the duchy, county, and local baronial heraldry is all created in props and usable for game.
In order to increase the amount of "wow" factor heraldry is pretty open in Boston. The sidhe here don't seem to have much of a problem wtih commoners having their own symbols and no sumptuary (clothing and heraldic) laws have been introduced. There are a few distinctions we ask that you be aware of:
1) Titled nobles - or those holding rank
in the kingdom - get fancier heraldry.
a) They may have a version of their crest with a helmet and mantling (the
pretty floofy curtainy stuff coming down the sides of a shield)
b) They may use the appropriate coronet denoting their rank above the heraldry
. Also please note that this is not a technically accurate practice as the
coronet of any sort usually denotes nobility or rank. I have tried to keep
my use of the three consistant for our own sake. (see below, L - R Baronial
Coronet, County Coronet, Ducal Coronet)
This means that basically the shield itself is a little more elaborate, however it is really only likely to appear this way in correspondance or in official documents. The heraldic banners we use for decorations don't have mantling so really, it all comes out in the wash.
2) Please do not copy someone's heraldry - historical, SCA, or otherwise. Historical heraldry belongs to a specific family. While I'm not going to go look every single heraldic piece up, be polite. Realize that some stuff just isn't yours to use. Likewise with SCA (society of creative anacrhonism) heraldry. There is an EXTENSIVE, COMPLICATED, and PAID FOR process that SCAdians use to establish, create and register their heraldry. It is not yours. It is theres. Unless you can prove to me that the college of heralds has approved your device and you want to use it for a camariilla setting as well, I will demand that you stop using someone else's heard-earned arms for your own. The webmaster, also the AVST legacy for changeling, will be more than happy to help you create your own device.
3) A special note for Eshu or other arabic or easter PC's - I am more than happy to create arabic styled heraldry for you. It has a totally different look than the more familiar European standards.
4) Accuracy - I'm not an official liscence historical researcher by a long shot but several years as an SCA scribe have given me a very clear handle of what is vaguely "accurate" for heraldry. As such I try to stick to these rules. I will not make you hot pink and purple heraldry (okay I might but I'll complain a LOT doing it) I am not by any means saying we have to be totally historically accurate but I will very much try to stick to some of the basic rules.
