Changeling: The Lost
Once upon a time you were a regular jack-off, living your regular jack-off life with your jack-off family working at your jack-off job. Then one night some crazy toad-faced fucker made entirely out of rotting meat abducts you, dragging you kicking and screaming through a forest filled with thorns that tears off chunks of your soul, memories and personality, and takes you to a realm where physics don't matter and forces you to slave under him for no reason. What a dick! Fortunately, you've escaped that crazy nightmare world with your psyche (mostly) intact, the only problem is that now you're a huge lizard made out of fire. Fuck! At least you can return to your regular jack-off life, except everyone thinks you've never left, and there's a sentient pile of leaves that looks like you screwing your wife. Fuck! Well, you might as well start a new life in another city. Except now that toad-faced asshole wants his toy back, and will go to any lengths to abduct you again, even hiring bounty hunters! Fuck! And on top of that, you're going crazier and crazier with every passing day, until you're running down the street naked and screaming and throwing rocks at pigeons to keep them from conspiring against you. Fuck!
Such is the life of a Changeling, a regular guy who fell into some shit through no fault of his own, and found himself transformed into a monster once he climbed out of it again. It's by far one of the most pessimistic World of Darkness splats that White Wolf has written out, but it also stands out as the closest to the traditional medieval fantasy world, filled with crazy-ass monsters, landscapes, dungeons and flora, as well as a nice hefty bag of crazed political intrigue. And it is AWESOME!
Changelings
So, to reiterate, Changelings are Fairies. More specifically, they're fey, and every last one of them was once a human, born on Earth, probably raised on Earth (Abducted babies and children usually don't last long), and stolen away by god-like alien monsters to be transformed into slaves. Their souls, and indeed their personalities were shredded by thorns, and they served their usually terrible Durance in Arcadia in a mindless stupor. But on the rarest occasion, a slave catches a whiff of memory that overpowers their desire to stay in Arcadia, and they work to free themselves, either outfighting, outsmarting, outcharming or outbargaining their freedom from their Keepers. They earn their sweet liberation, and can begin the healing process to mend their broken bodies and broken minds. But even so, they have to deal with all sorts of problems. Odds are that either a long time has passed in the real world since he's been abducted, leaving him anachronistically stranded, or a short time, leaving him as an adult while his family expects him to be a child. Secondly, a Fetch, an identical simulacrum created by his Keeper, was left to live his life from the moment he was taken, and odds are he's not willing to give up his place without a fight, if he even knows he's not real (Imagine being stalked stalked and hunted down by a monster, and OH MY GOD HE'S YOOOOOU WHAT A TWEEST). Even if the Changeling can get his life back on track, he's still a Changeling. He's forever changed, and being tracked by the Gentry, Changeling Privateers and Loyalists, as well as the more gutsy denizens of the Hedge, and his family is considered fair game to get his guard down; It's enough to destroy his already fragile mental state, which is literally eroding his relation with reality.
Kiths and Seemings
Kiths and Seemings are more of a method of classification of what they were forced to do while in Arcadia, and what kind of powers manifested from their Durance, since no two changelings are truly alike and can fall under several categories. A changeling can look like a cat and not be a beast, or an elf-like archer can actually be an Ogre. The Changeling is granted a blessing and a curse by his Seeming, and can further expand (or eschew) his blessing with a Kith, that classifies him even further.
- Beasts were taken and transformed into animals and monsters, usually by having their bodies and minds swapped around at their Keeper's discretions. They aren't very smart but they get shit done, and enjoy better animalistic perceptions and a sort of animal magnetism.
- Darklings were abducted when they broke some seemingly random and abitrary rule that the Fae set in place. They're grimderp boogiemen and nightmare creatures with the cold hearts that can only be melted with the love a beautiful innocent girl. They're also smart and sneaky gits. The sun fucks with their Contracts.
- Elementals were transformed into some kind of element sans the name. They're not really social capable or smart, but like the Beasts they can get shit done, and they can make themselves tougher with glamour.
- Fairest were treated like royalty or treasures, until their Keeper got sick of them and dumped their asses like an Alpha. The book says that their Durance in Arcadia was equally difficult to the rest of the Seemings but that's bullshit cause they were pampered, and at worst, had their feelings hurt. Still WW needed a class that excelled in social situations so there you go.
- Ogres were forced to serve brutal durance that made them big and strong, whether it was fighting in eternal warefare, or building houses at the end of a whip. Though not necessarily stupid, Ogres tend to get pissed much easier then most other Seemings, and have a tenden-I WILL REND THE FLESH FROM YOUR BONES AND BOIL YOUR ENTRAILS IN A STEW, HUMAN
- Wizened were the literal slaves, and the subjects of constant humiliation at the hands of their keepers. They're usually "less" in some way, whether they're thinner, shorter or just less substantial. If you want to play a tradesman or a more traditional class (Kiths include stuff like Soldiers, Blacksmiths, etc), this is the seeming for you. They're also hella fast, so they're perfect if you want to play a character with a nimble Mien.
The Mein and the Mask
A Changelings permanently transformed form is called a Mien. Because they're tied to the Wyrd, their Mien changes with their Power Stat, Court Mantle, Entitlement, age and what-have-you. Their human disguise in the real world is called their Mask. When dealing with mortals, what's left of your soul forms a sort of disguise that hides your monsterous nature from the normies as long as you have Glamour reserves. The Mask retains your original form, looking like how you used to look like as a mortal, but with minor details (An Ogre looks fatter, a Beast will have leathery or calloused skin and horns will be invisible, while a Fairest may be taller or have a sort of strange attraction that draws people towards her). Higher Wyrd means more of your Mien seeps through the Mask, so very powerful Changelings doubly have a hard time fitting in with people (at that point they've got frailties up the ass, meaning, say, they run in terror from blue clothing or break out in zits when the moon is out, in addition to a diminished mental state where they lose Clarity every time they sleep.)
The Wyrd
If there was ever a necessary constant in the universe, it's the Wyrd. The Wyrd is an old Germanic word or some shit that pretty much means Fate which leads to some clever wordplay (GET IT? FAE? FATE? AHAHAHAHA! AMAZING!), and while it's tied to everything that exists, only the fey have the power to manipulate it. It acts as an adhesive between every single thought, atom, and concept in existence, and since it's destiny in all its forms, it determines reactions, repercussions, and causes and effects between everything in the form of Contracts. This means that it's because fire has a number of contracts with the Wyrd that a flame is hot to the touch, that it can hurt you, that it cooks flesh, or that it dies when it runs out of fuel. Because it's only contracts sealed by the Wyrd that keep all of reality from unraveling and fucking our universe over, it's kind of a big deal that the worst antagonists can rape reality with just a thought if they catch you in the wrong place.
Luckily, because they spend time being in such close proximity to where the Wyrd is the strongest, humans taken to Arcadia learn how to (Forced to, really) strike deals with elements and concepts, otherwise die from exposure to Time Cube logic. This is where Changelings get their Contracts, semi-magical spells that allow them, for the price of a point of Glamour (Emotional energy taken from humans), to mess with one aspect of reality when they wish. On top of that, contracts always have a loophole, known as a Catch, where the concept MUST grant you usage of the power for free if certain conditions are met.
Contracts
Please note that there are no restrictions to learning any of these Contracts; If something is labeled as a Seeming Contract it just means that they have an affinity towards it and can purchase it for a lower cost.
Universal Contracts
- Contracts of Dream: Helps navigate and survive Dreams or the Hedge.
- Contracts of Hearth: Improve or curse ones luck.
- Contracts of Hours: Time is malleable for the Fae, and these Contracts help age or restore items, or just plain fuck with peoples heads.
- Contracts of Mirror: Shapeshifting.
- Contracts of the Moon: Discover, manipulate and redirect the sanity of man.
- Contracts of Omen: Peek into the future.
- Contracts of Smoke: Hiding spells.
- Contracts of Thorns and Brambles: Combative and defensive spells that manipulate thorns.
Beast Contracts
- Contracts of the Den: Ups the defense of your hollow.
- Contracts of Fang and Talon: Obligatory "Talk to animals, summon animals, transform into animals, etc" deal.
- Contracts of the Wild: Shared with Elementals for Affinity. Enhances your survivalism.
Darkling Contracts
- Contracts of Darkness: Stealth, fear and maneuverability.
- Contracts of Shade and Spirit: Deals with ghosts.
Elemental Contracts
- Contracts of Communion: Magical manipulation of an element.
- Contracts of Elements: Embody an element.
- Contracts of the Wild: Shared with Beasts for Affinity. Enhances your survivalism.
Fairest Contracts
- Contracts of Reflection: Mirrors take on magical properties.
- Contracts of Separation: Helps with escaping captivity.
- Contracts of Vainglory: HEY HEY LOOK AT ME HEY
Ogre Contracts
- Contracts of Oath and Punishment: Track, chase and punish oathbreakers.
- Contracts of Stone: Contracts to make you deadlier in combat.
Wizened Contracts
- Contracts of Animation: Bring objects to life, see their history, etc.
- Contracts of Artifice: Used to help make stuff.
- Contracts of the Forge: A fraction of the True Fae's reality warping powers.
Goblin Contracts: Massively powerful contracts that come with a dear price. Use at your own risk.
The Freeholds, Courts and Entitements
For detailed info on the Freehold, Courts and Entitlements, read the Lords of Summer.
Life as a Changeling sucks. You get to enjoy PTSD and wonderful thoughts such as suicide and giving in to madness on a daily basis, on top of worrying when the Others will show up to take you back home, or whether your best friend is a privateer manipulating you into the hands of one the True Fae. Luckily, Changelings aren't stupid, and they understand the value of teamwork and contact with other people.
Freeholds
Hence, Freeholds, keeps within the Hedge where Changelings and friendly Hobgoblins come to congregate. Pretty much all Changelings are welcome, and there's no prisons. On the other hand, trust must be earned, and banishment is distributed like candy, being the usual punishments for Oathbreakers and criminals, and delivering other Changelings into captivity earns you a nice death sentence at the end of a Cold Steel axe. Blah blah blah, it's all boring stuff, really, so lets talk about the far more interesting Court dynamic. It ties into politics anyway.
The Courts
The Freehold itself is usually distributed into Courts, which circulate their power to keep the Fae from showing up. It makes sense in context, since the Fae don't understand the concept of willingly giving up power and this hurts their brains. Joining a Court is usually free, and nabs you a free dot in one of their Contracts, as well as a benefit of getting two points for every one point of Glamour you would regularly harvest from your Court emotion. You can work your way up the Court ladder through your actions or through your devotion to emotion or theme, and you begin to embody your Season more and more, as well as having access to awesome powers that would otherwise be unavailable. And since Changelings usually don't have heirs, what with the infertility and whatnot, so everyone has a chance to become a Noble through their actions, even possibly earn the coveted the Court Crown, a title that grants absolute sovereignty (And nifty buffs for your bros) while your Court rules over the Freehold, and the Crown becomes Freehold King.
Just a couple notes about Courts that the average player might miss: The higher your Court Mantle is, the easier it is to identify your affilation (A Summer Courtier will be sunburned, or have waves of heat emanating from him and smell like chlorine from a pool, for example). However, on top of that, with every dot you add to you mantle you get a nice little advantage to go along with it, such as Winter Courtiers getting bonuses to Subterfuge.
You can also eschew the Courts and go Courtless, but you end up missing out on some beneficial stats (As well as drama). Even so, there's always Court Goodwill, which you can earn by being bros with various courts, and doing so allows you to call on them for favors, or even to have them teach you their restricted Court Contracts (Up to three dots). Note that you can earn Court Goodwill even if you're in a Court yourself, though it's usually harder.
You can leave a Court at anytime, since Changelings understand that perspectives change as they do, and when you switch over your current Mantle is cut in half to become your Goodwill level.
Seasonal Courts
The most recent and by far the most popular Court system, at least in the Americas, was established with the Four Seasons (not the hotel). Because every Changeling is drawn to a particular opinion of Arcadia and their durance, the Seasonal Courts were designed with that in mind, to nudge Changelings into groups where they can hang out with people sharing similar perspectives, to foster friendships and to act as support groups. The circulation rule of thumb consists of every season ruling for 3 months of the year, during their respective seasons (Winter rules from December to Febuary, etc) but as per usual the rules are different in every Freehold.
However, just because they're designed to compliment each other doesn't mean that there's no conflict or strife. Differing ideologies cause hell, with Spring directly opposing Fall because one chooses to forget and the other chooses to remember, and Summer opposing Winter because one beats their chest and the other hides. For reference of how nasty politics can get, in the fluff of the Core book, Grandfather Thunder, the Summer King of Maimi, acts like a massive dick towards the rest of the Courts, and the other Crowns are all willing to step on each other to get the chance to punch him in the face.
Interestingly, the Seasonal Courts embody the Kübler-Ross model of the Four Stages of Grief. Spring is Denial, Summer is Anger, Autumn is Bargaining and Winter is Depression. Acceptance is bad, though, since this probably makes you a treacherous Loyalist fuckhead.
Spring Court
- Court Emotion: Desire
- Batman Villain Best Represented: The Joker
- Basically a Spring Court Changelings mind comes down to this: "Arcadia? Oh, you so crazy. Oh sure, I've been transformed. But, seriously, the True Fae ain't shit. Now get over here and suck on my tongue, lol asl?" They'll deny that their durance left them with anything but positive attributes, and they use passion as a way of flipping off the Fae and to hide that they're actually miserable. To that end, they'll laugh and fuck and drink and smoke, and encourage others to do the same, to enjoy life, and damn the consequences. The other Courts don't like them because they're loud and kind of crazy.
- Contracts of Fleeting Spring: Discover, manipulate and redirect the desires of man.
- Contracts of Eternal Spring: Thematic Spring Magic. Rejuvenation and Growth granted by Spring. Animate plants, make it rain, heal a person or make something age a season.
- Contracts of Verdant Spring: Cannot be learned through Court Goodwill. A series of buffs granted by Spring that encompasses pretty much any given situation.
Summer Court
- Court Emotion: Wrath
- Batman Villain Best Represented: Scarface (Arnold Wesker, Peyton Riley doesn't have shit on the original)
- The reality is that the Court is little more then a loosely organized militia made of monsters, but their desire and capacity to punch suckas in the face is undeniable and grants them a level of respect. Discipline and anger makes up the psychology of a member of the Iron Spear, they're quick to blame and willing to chase down anyone who slights them. Fanatics, extremists and murderers to the last. The other Courts, while they appreciate their protection, don't enjoy dealing with these hotheaded Changelings.
- Contracts of Fleeting Summer: Discover, manipulate and redirect the wrath of man.
- Contracts of Eternal Summer: Thematic Summer Magic. Summon sunlight and learn how to KAMEHAMEHA.
- Contracts of Punishing Summer: Fuck the police (By which I mean oathbreakers and flammable stuff in general).
Autumn Court
- Court Emotion: Fear
- Batman Villain Best Represented: Scarecrow
- Know thine enemy. The Autumn Court is made up of scholars, wizards and assassins, all brought together by their capacity to understand and spread Fear. Their belief is that Fear is what keeps people in line, and fear is what will keep them safe from incursions of the True Fae. If you've got a question about the Wyrd or you need a Token looked at, come to these guys, but get ready for a lecture like in Hannibal cause they probably know everything that scares you already, or that they'll just jump out of the shadows screaming OOGA BOOGA if your DM doesn't understand subtlety.
- Contracts of Fleeting Autumn: Discover, manipulate and redirect the fear of man.
- Contracts of Eternal Autumn: Thematic Autumn Magic. Cause crops to ripen for harvest, manipulate the weather and other cool fall stuff, like turning into leaves.
- Contracts of Spellbound: Contracts for gathering information and general it's magic, bitch, ain't gotta explain shit.
Winter Court
- Court Emotion: Sorrow
- Batman Villain Best Represented: Mr. Freeze
- Since you're playing World of Darkness it's safe to assume that you're a faggy goth. This is the Court for you. Court meetings usually consist of sighing and mumbling about parents and cutting. Since they embody sadness, The Silent Arrow ends up being probably the most conservative of the Courts, and it's their belief that they should keep quiet, and maybe the monsters will eventually go away. They are also take their affinity for silence to the logical level, and some the best assassins in the Freehold claim membership with them. Like the Autumn Court, they collect information, but it's usually more for the sake of blackmail then knowledge.
- Contracts of Fleeting Winter: Discover, manipulate and redirect the fear of man.
- Contracts of Eternal Winter: Thematic Winter Magic. Ice breath, Touch of Cold, etc.
- Contracts of Sorrow-Frozen Heart: You are so sad that pain doesn't hurt as much as it used to. A bloo bloo bloo
Directional Courts
Introduced in Winter Masques, the Directional Courts are the Asian equivilant of the Seasonal Courts. If you're playing in Asia or in a place with heavy Asian influences (Seattle, LA), feel free to incorperate them. They tend to split their cities into four to best isolate themselves from those filthy other-directioners. Here's the quick summary:
Court of the North
- Court Emotion: Suffering
- Warriors and Philosophers that excell at alleviating or causing suffering.
Court of the East
- Court Emotion: Envy
- Batman Villain Best Represented: Mr. Crabs
- Greedy bastards with the power of LOADSAMONEY.
Court of the South
- Court Emotion: Ecstasy
- Emotion is key, no matter how uncomfortable you are. Southerners are creatures of ham and extremes.
Court of the West
- Court Emotion: Honor
- Shamefur dispray.
All Directional Courts have access to Contracts of the Four Directions: Contracts that help the Changeling track, locate, and move vast distances.
Courts of Sun and Moon
The old Slavic Court Method. The Sun court rules during the day, and the Moon court at night. Durr. Unlike other Court systems, though, they're constantly at war with each other, undermining the works of the other as a necessity, even while being completely civil amongst each other. It's all about duality. This is deep.
The Sun Court
- Court Emotion: Shame
- Paladins and fighters that can be summarized as Judge Dredd with Antlers.
The Moon Court
- Court Emotion: Disgust
- Chaotic stupid thugs looking out only for themselves. Interestingly enough, though, that their notion of Chaos is based on the rules of their court. It's a thinker.
Entitlements
In addition to the Courts, there are also semi-independent Nobilities that a Changeling can join once their Wyrd is high enough. An Entitlement mechanically acts as a Prestige Class, and fluffwise makes the Changeling a Noble in the eyes of the Court and the Wyrd. This can mean trouble, though, since the True Fae tend to gravitate towards Changelings of rank rather then commoners. A Changeling with an Entitlement has sworn an oath to fulfill the function of his office, which grants him benefits, such as spinning straw to gold to designing and building massive structures in an hour, in exchange for some manner of weakness. There's a ton of these and they're in almost every book. Read up on them, they're pretty neat.
The True Fey and Arcadia
The threat of the True Fae can best be compared to the threat of the Anteduluvians of Vampire: The Masquerade, if only the Anteduluvians took a more active role in fucking with people and weren't such a hilariously contrived plot point for Gehenna durrr. To the Changeling, the Gentry, also known as the True Fae or the Others, haunt their nightmares, because ever since they've escaped Arcadia, the land of the Faeries, their shadowy presence looms just outside of their peripheral, threatening to pull them back into servitude, or worse, to take their families away if they don't comply. The Gentry are unique antagonists in that each and every single one is absolutely omnipotent, capable of doing anything they wish while they're in Arcadia, but incapable of understanding anything that's not in relation to them, and existing only to feed their egos and self-gratification. The problem is that despite their massive affinity with screwing with the Wyrd, they're both incapable of creation and exist empty lives without conflict, where they will eventually whither away into nothing without discord. Ergo, they find both slaves and friction in human beings, which they are eternally fascinated of, but not to the extent where they'll consider them anywhere close to their own glory. To that effect, they lord their status over their servants and screw with their perceptions, transforming people into inanimate objects for a time, and then back again only to change him into dog. The True Fae are creatures that can modify the Wyrd like they were breathing, but only while they are far from where reality is strong, in Arcadia, in their little corner of paradise, where they can change the color of the sky to their modding their own unique and original superpowers and keyblade designs, to whether snowflakes are radioactive and weigh half a ton. The further they get from Arcadia, the weaker their powers become, and when they're on Earth, while they're still powerful, they can pretty much only screw with the minor things that their contracts allow them to, and indeed reality itself poisons them, so they can't stay around for too long, so they generally don't leave Arcadia unless they wants something (That something being slaves). What it ultimately comes down to for the Gentry is "Is it fun for me? And how long will it be fun for me? What should I do afterwards?".
But all hope is not lost! Once upon a time, the Gentry pissed Cold Iron off, and now it's fucking mad and wants revenge, and it's not gonna let godlike powers stand in its way! Still, it's going to need all the help it can get. This Summer, get ready for edge of your seat excitement in this action packed thriller! '"Cold Iron"', starring Kurt Russell and Jason Lee! This film is not yet rated
Oh yeah, and if you're strong and crazy enough your character might become one of them.
The Hedge
If you wanna go from Arcadia to Earth or vice versa, you need to traverse the Hedge, a semi-sentient domain that appears as a vast, beautiful landscape littered with thorns. Spend too much time in the thorns and you go crazy, and for gods sake DO NOT WANDER OFF THE PATH. You can pretty much find anything here, and if you can't find it, you can find it at a Goblin Market, which is also here. Changelings can live here, but so can the True Fey, and Hobgoblins can be assholes. The food here is awesome!
Fetch
So you've made it back home, whoop-dee-doo. Unfortunately, most people didn't even realize you ever left, since the Gentry like animating a bit of crap they find scattered around and have it live your life for you. Killing your Fetch fucks with your clarity, since, you know, he was pretty much just you, only missing a couple of your flaws, but it's a necessity if you want your old life back, plus you get a bunch of really cool magic stuff and merits out of it.
Mortals, Ensorcellment and Oneiromancy
You can make mortals see you and go into their dreams and fight and make stuff. Fuck you, go read about it in the books.