Umbral Domains: Changeling - Shadows of a Dream

Author's Conceit: This is how I think Changeling: the Dreaming should have been written all along. I feel it's truer to traditional portrayals of human/fae interaction and history. Also I think it's more interesting to play human characters grasping at the thin sliver of fairy existence left to them, or to play fae characters interacting with humans out of necessity or fascination, than it is to play some half-human/half-fae things that are trapped in that state partly by choice and partly by a quirk of history and who are kind of miserable because of it.

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This is a different World of Darkness. Here the Changeling Way ritual never became popular and most Fae retreated from the Autumn World long ago. Few Fae dwell here now, though many venture through the Raths and Trods on business.

In place of Changelings the Kinain have become more predominant in the Autumn Realm. Now these children of the Fae act as their primary servants in the Autumn world ...or the primary champions of human causes in the Dreaming.

History (revised)

The Fading

The Sundering took place, but while there was no single event which could be construed as The Shattering. Instead Banality merely increased in a gradual way causing more and more Fae to flee to The Dreaming. In time Arcadia did indeed close it's doors, but those Fae who remained beyond it's bounds still found the Glamour-rich reaches of the Dreaming a much more hospitible home than the Autumn World. And thus the Fae retreated from the world of men.

However, their offspring remained behind: Those mostly human but with the taint of fae blood in their veins. Of these most in time forgot their fairy ancestry, succumbing to Banality and taking refuge among their human kin. A few passed the carefully recorded secrets of fae lore and magic down through the generations as a family heritage. Even for these faithful few the acquisition of Glamour (that very substance of Dreams) was difficult to come by, rendering their eldrich abilities more theoretical than practical.

Still, some Kinain have managed to cling to their Fae heritage more securely, rooting out renewable sources of Dross such as Dream Stones and Fonts, making forrays along the Trods to barter for the food of the dreamlands, or dreaming up chimeral allies to provide them enchantment. At one time those who sought out such methods of Glamour gathering were rare and frequently misunderstood the very nature of the stuff they sought. However, Kinain (and other Enchanted mortals) have become better informed and persistant in their pursuit of Glamour since The Resurgance.

The Resurgance

The Aonide Conspiracy

Over the years the nature of the Dreaming shifted subtly and in more permenant ways than the ever-changing Firchlis could account for. While the Dreaming never became fully cut off from the Autumn World, most of the Trods and Raths which led there fell into disuse and few Fae ventured to it's humanity's banal shores. Those who did so most frequently were the Aonides or "Muses".

To most Fae it was consided merely a quirk of the Aonides nature, a Frailty perhaps, that they gathered their Glamour frequently among humans rather than simply drinking in the rich bounty the Dreaming it's self had to offer. However, in the long fulness of time a certain Sidhe lord, expert in the lore of Gremayre, grew curious and sent various minions to investigate the Aonide gathering of Glamour and it's uses. His discovery proved shocking:

Somehow, overlooked by the majority of Fae but well known to the Aonides, Glamour derived directly from human sources posessed special qualities which more incidental Glamour (that found in Chimera and occuring naturally throughout the Dreaming) lacked. By gathering significant quantities of this "mortal Glamour" and employing it in the use of certain transformative Arts (particularly Naming and Dream-Craft) one could create changes to the Dreaming on a fundamental level, reshaping even the fabric of fae history and the entire Realm's metaphysical underpinnings.

The Secret History

No one knows what events in the history of the Dreaming might have always been or what thing now taken for granted might once have been otherwise, but there are hints.

The medieval paradigm (note the great broken machines) ******

The Tuatha and Arcadia *****

The Fools Crusade

The revelation of the Aonide conspiracy spread among the Dreaming's Adhene and Kiths like wildfire, and while many Fae seemed to feel it made no great difference in their life personally (the Moirae smiled when informed but generally showed no particular concern) an equally large number voiced sentiments of betrayal and jealousy. Shortly after individuals and contingents of Fae began seeking out trods and piling into the Autumn World in search of their own mortal Glamour. This hasty rush has since been termed the Fools Crusade and is one of the more tradgic incidents in recent Fae history.

Most Fae reaching the Autumn world seemed to expect it paved with mortal Glamour, ripe for the taking. Instead they found a Banal wasteland, baren of dreams, whose toxic atmosphere quickly eroded their powerful Meins. Most lacked even basic knowledge of the Autumn Way cantrips and could never figure out why they passed through this world of mortals as ghosts, unable to interact with anyone.

Even those few who were somewhat schooled in Autumn lore frequently lacked the understanding or knack for proper musing. Some simply couldn't determine how to get the glamour to come out of a human. They could sense a little inside some mortals, like a couple coins rolling around inside a cash box, but hard as they might shake they just couldn't figure out how to get the stuff to come out of there.

Other fae went around heedlessly ravaging glamour from mortals like a farmer chopping entire branches off a tree to get at the apples. Then they wondered why glamour was so scarce in their vicinity and banality so much more predominant.

Within a few months the Fools Crusade had ended with nearly half it's contingent being undone and a majority of those who remained retreating to the Dreaming with deep psychic scars and a permanently haunted look in their eyes. Fae society's interaction with the Autumn World was far from over, but the next steps taken would be more careful and well thought out.

But a new Age is dawning for the Kinain. (still in progress) ********

But in order to muse humans correctly you have to get them to focus their dreams in a particular direction. Acts of terrorism could include forms of Raphsody. - Various wars:

• The old war (with the Fomorians vs. Tuatha), fear, suffering vs. courage, beauty, love. But then came reason and Banality at it's heels.
• The new war (Seelie vs. Unseelie (Fomorian backed)), respecting the human dream vs. dominating the human dream.

Revised Kinain Character Creation: 1) Choose concept, Legacy, age category and heritage

2) Select Attributes: Prioritize Physical, Social, Mental (7/4/3)

3) Select Abilities: Talents, Skills, Knowledges (13/9/5)

4) Choose Backgrounds (6 points) with the following provisions: - Fae Blood: Characters must buy at least 1 dot in Faerie Blood Background - Chimera Companion: Chimera are as described in the Chimera Companion background here, but are built using points described in the corresponding rank of the normal Changeling "Chimera" merit. Often such Chimera will have the Enchant Rede. - Kinain may have many Changeling Backgrounds including the following special provisions: -- Dreamers - Unavailable. Kinain have no use for these. -- Holdings - Kinain may own and maintain Freeholds, but **** & ***** Freeholds will attract the attention of full blooded fae and may be difficult to maintain. -- Remembrance - This works, but not due to past lives so much as "racial memory", or a mind linked to the collective memory of the Dreaming it's self. -- Title - Few Kinain have a title above two dots. -- All other Backgrounds are fair game.

5) Choose Fae Gifts (partly based on your Backgrounds). Use 5 points.

6) Record Glamour, Banality, and Willpower based on your Seeming.

7) Spend freebie points (21) for Merits, Flaws, Arts, Realms, and other qualities as you see fit.