Beautiful Decay: A Changeling: The Lost game

Game Master Communist

A changeling the lost game set in Detroit


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Detroit. A city of five hundred thousand souls, and a population nearly twice that. It is a dying city. The car industry has moved out. Now it is a city with a massive crime rate and racially segregated suburbs. There are thousands, tens of thousands of empty buildings and houses in this city. Trudging about the city with the memories of dance halls and factories now turned into crumbling buildings, the people of this city live on the edge.

Living atop the misery and constant sirens is a diverse supernatural community, all too eager to take advantage of the perfect hunting ground. It is here that you find yourselves.

It has been three months now since you escaped from your Keeper. Maybe you went home and saw some... thing... living your life in place of you, being you better than you could ever be. Maybe once you got out you abandoned your old life entirely, settling in here with the others. In the end though, you found yourself here in the city. Ever since you were captured (if you can even remember that),you have found yourself changing, becoming less and less human. In hope or desperation, you found the changeling Courts, and others who had also been kidnapped, and escaped. At least now you have people who believe you.

Three days ago you awoke from an unusual dream; one you can recall with perfect clarity. You were back in Arcadia, and your keeper was before you. They took your hand and pressed their thumb into the back of it. 'Take care now.' they whispered. When you awoke, you found a number on the back of your hand. '10'. Perhaps you passed it off as a poor joke, but it wasn't harmful. But then you awoke the next day and found it had changed to a 9...

That's not all. Nobody else can see your number. Not even the other changelings. But you can see theirs, and the number of every living being you come into contact with. All of them have the number '10', and with each day it will go down.

Still, knowing people helps. Gathering rumours from between courts, a Lord Jeremiah has arranged a meeting. So on the massive floor room of an abandoned factory, you meet with the others who can see the numbers. Your numbers are all 8. Everyone else's, a 9. Your days are numbered.

This recruitment is reserved for those who have already expressed interest

Welcome to this world of darkness game: Changeling: The Lost. Pretty much everything I wanted to express plot wise I listed up above, so... creation guidelines!

Characters will be created using the standard creation methods. (Isn't that fun?) . You are fresh from the thorns, and so start with no bonus xp. Feel free to sell off clarity for XP as is usual, but make sure to justify it in story.

Backstory should be fairly detailed, but not an epic saga. Try for 2-3 paragraphs, remembering the following questions.
-Who was your keeper, and what were they like?
-What was your time in Arcadia spent doing?
-What have you done since you got out?
-Did you see your fetch? Did you kill it... or will you?

Courts in Detroit:
Detroit is solidly a winter court, with the Winter King ruling pretty much all year, with a single season allowed over to Autumn. Spring is tolerated, oddly enough, and duely respected except when it comes to the ruling crown. After a large purge a few years back, the upper echelons of Summer have been banned from entering the city or attending court. Evidence suggests a large number of loyalists were within their ranks, but how trustworthy that evidence was is up for debate. Lower ranking Summer courtiers are still free to do as they please, and the Winter King appears to be searching for a more negotiable leadership to deal with.

Once you have finished your sheets and backstory, I'll go through them and give you each roughly 3 dots worth of merits to better reflect your character. They might be unusual choices or something that isn't overly powerful, but more to give you some more options to play with and encourage a diverse character. Or, I don't know. I haven't got the core book with me at this moment.

Any questions, toss them to me. I haven't got any of the extra sourcebooks, but if you wish to use them I'll borrow them from a friend. Make sure to quote the page and book if you do.

Otherwise, go crazy! (Literally!)
~Communist


:) winter heavy, huh? That's a new twist to murder capital of the world. I know that however I manage it, he'll be autumn court. Thinking something based on one of the Celtic mythos, since Detroit gets a good deal of the ethnic groups. But for now, sleep time.


I'm working on something as well, assuming I slipped in quick enough. I may not have as much difficulty choosing a court as I thought, interestingly enough.


Well I was thinking of doing a Margrave of the Brim(they're an entitlement in the core) before, though this sounds kind of seasonal court heavy.

So any thoughts on that?

And for the record the idea I had in mind was a streetwise/politically savvy darkling. Some kind of journalist or student who lived on the outskirts of the city and now works at a sleazy pawn shop.


I spent most of the day working on my character and reading most of the first and second chapters (I skipped the bit about the individual courts and went back to the one I chose to read it later on). I think this character should be about right :)

Leon Armitage:
Name: Leon Armitage
Concept: Teen boy who chased the wrong piece of tail, and found his youthful desires fulfilled a thousand-fold, even as they were twisted and perverted. Struggles to put the past behind him and embrace the now and the wondrous beauty of the world.
Virtue: Hope
Vice: Gluttony/Lust (can't quite decide/figure which it'd be)
Seeming: Beast (The descriptions of Beasts really seem to fit what I'm picturing, but his time in durance was more like a hybrid of Beast and Fairest)
Kith: Skitterskulk
Court: Spring

Attributes:
Intelligence: o
Wits: ooo
Resolve: oo

Strength: oo
Dexterity: oo
Stamina: ooo

Presence: ooo
Manipulation: ooo
Composure: oo

Misc:
Health: 8/8
Willpower: 4/4
Glamour: 5/11
Wyrd: 2
Clarity: 6

Size: 5
Defense: 2
Initiative Mod: 4
Speed: 9
Armor:
Experience: 5

Skills:
Academics: o
Crafts: oooo (Art) If that's too broad as a specialty then let me know. Probably either painting or tattooing in that case.
Medicine: oo

Athletics: o
Brawl: oo (Grappling)
Survival: o

Empathy: oo
Expression: o
Persuasion: oooo (Seduction)
Socialize: o
Streetwise: o
Subterfuge: oo

Merits:
Spring Mantle: ooo
New Identity: o
Resources: o

Iron Stamina: o
Allies (Party Scene/Drug Dealers): oo
Contacts(Artistic Community): o

Contracts:
Fleeting Spring
Cupid's Eye (o)
Growth of the Ivy (oo)
Wyrd-Faced Stranger (ooo)

Eternal Spring
Gift of Warm Breath (o)
New Lover's Kiss (oo)

Seeming Blessing:
A Beast gains the benefit of the 8 again
rule when using the Animal Ken Skill, and receives a free Specialty for the one animal that most reflects the Beast’s seeming.

A Beast’s player can spend points of Glamour to add to dice pools involving Presence and Composure. Each point of Glamour spent adds one die to one dice pool

Seeming Curse:
A Beast’s player suffers a –4 dice untrained penalty when trying to use a Mental skill in which the character has no dots.

A Beast’s player doesn’t re-roll 10s when using a dice pool involving Intelligence.

Background:
Born and raised in a small town in rural Michigan, Leon's early life was fairly plain, he had two older brothers and a younger sister, hung out with his friends, went to school (most of the time anyway), and was quite ordinary. The one thing that made him stick out however, was his art. His teachers at school were always astonished when their below-average student sketched an object's likeness or painted up a masterpiece. Leon however much preferred to practice his talent out on the streets, painting the town with graffiti as soon as he was old enough to swipe spray paint from his brothers.

It was this talent that would bring about his downfall. Leon had made it through Junior High and into High School proper, when one day he was distracted from his work by a sense of being watched. He made to bolt, but halted immediately when he spotted the source of the gaze he'd felt; an unearthly beautiful girl, perhaps a few years older than the 15 year old. Though he had a girlfriend he didn't hesitate to approach her, and when she smiled... He followed her into the park, the trees thickening, crowding together around him, and he was gone from this world to the land of Faerie.

His time there is something of a blur, full of sweet pain and terrible ecstasy, nights of passion and terror, of painting vast, incredible vistas where his brush was made of the quills and fur that began to grow from his back, and the paint was mixed from his own blood... He was her plaything, and he both loved and hated her, craved and feared her. His escape remains unclear, what prompted it, and how he fled her realm he remembers not, but he recalls thrashing through the hedge, years older than when he had entered, a man now in his prime, but wracked with confusion and uncertainty.

When he finally stumbled from the thorny hedge he fled to the only place he could think of. It's safety may be dubious but return home he did, only to find not his parents, but a strange woman in her mid twenties, heavily pregnant. His confusion only grew, but as he watched her he realized he knew this woman... it was his girlfriend from before he was abducted! Clear thought fled him, and when it returned he found himself standing over her prone form, hands covered in blood; her blood. Her still cooling skin he had covered with intricate patterns and designs, all in her own blood and... it was beautiful. He fled in terror from the scene, at what he done, at what he wanted to do. I figure this is a pretty good reason for the loss of clarity (and my comment about him becoming a serial killer). Sorry if it's a bit too dark/creepy

It was a few weeks later that things finally started to clear, at least a little... He was discovered by a member of the spring court, a kindly Ogre who brought him to Detroit and helped him understand what had happened. He had been gone almost ten years from the mortal realm, though his body was but 4 years older; he had been replaced by a fetch, and that fetch and his highschool girlfriend had become sweethearts. The old family house had been a wedding present from his parents, and now after what he had done, his fetch was being sought by the police.

The past months he has spent learning the ways of Spring, a philosophy he has heartily embraced, though it is yet an escape more than a true motivation, but given time... Greg, the Ogre who rescued him has been more than kind, helping Leon to establish a new identity (albeit a rather flimsy one), and find him work. With a grin he had suggested Leon give tattooing a try, and the suggestion seemed to click into place like it was the last missing piece of a puzzle. He found again that wonder of creating art on the canvas of flesh, but without the mind-shattering horror of taking a life...

Gah, writing this background up I kind of feel like I need to make Greg a mentor now...


Hmm, that turned out a bit longer than you wanted but I hope that's okay :)

If I've done something wrong, or haven't done something I should have then just let me know and I'll fix it ASAP!

Now to bed!

Sczarni

My character will be up shortly. :) Making her now. Winter court, how convienient!

Sczarni

What year is this set in?


@MagnumCPA There will probably be a fair deal of court goings-on to be had, but at the same time looking over that entitlement I can see it working nicely. For a start with Winter's current dominance you'd find more than a few changelings not even wanting in to the freehold, so I imagine there'd be quite an extensive Brim for you to 'enjoy'.

@Peanuts Interesting story, and nice hint on the mentor merit :P
Your specialty for crafts should probably be more specific than 'art', based on what you've got there I'd suggest painting as your initial one. I'd also suggest lust as your vice, as your charismatic animalistic personality seems to lead that way.
No points in animal ken? Unusual for a beast, but keep it that way if you want. Also, try and bring out your kith if you can. The bit where his body was used for a brush doesn't quite connect to an insect affinity. Maybe work that one through your mien?

@KatsuneSage Would you happen to have come with Whack-A-Rogue, or am I just really bad at working out who people are? The year is more or less now. Modern day, give or take.

@All Also if you could describe what your mien is that would be grand.

Sczarni

I did come with Whack-a-Rogue. :) Thanks for the info and here is my character.

Amy's Character Sheet:

Name: Amy Lee Tanner
Concept: A girl who comes from a wealthy family who prized education and knowledge over everything else. She was given to her Keeper to fulfill a contract made by her parents.
Virtue: Prudence
Vice: Pride
Seeming: Wizened
Kith: Oracle
Court: Winter
----------------------------------------

Attributes:
Intelligence: ooo
Wits: oo
Resolve: ooo

Strength: o
Dexterity: ooo
Stamina: oo

Presence: oo
Manipulation: o
Composure: oooo

----------------------------------------
Misc:
Health: 7/7
Willpower: 7/7
Glamour: 5/10
Wyrd: 1
Clarity: 7

Size: 5
Defense: 2
Initiative Mod: 7
Speed: 9
Armor:
Experience:
----------------------------------------

Skills:
Academics: ooo (Philosophy)
Computer: oo (Hacking)
Crafts: o (Computer)
Investigation: oo
Occult: o
Science: o

Athletics: o (Long distance running)
Drive: o
Stealth: oo

Empathy: oo
Expression: oo
Intimidation: o
Socialize: o
Subterfuge: o

----------------------------------------
Merits:
Winter Mantle: (oo)
Encyclopedic Knowledge (oooo)
Resources: (oo)
----------------------------------------

Contracts:
Fleeting Winter (ooo)
Hearth (oo)

----------------------------------------
Seeming Blessing:
Spend one point of Glamor to benefit from the 9 again rule on Dexterity rolls.
Spend 1 point of glamor to add Wyrd to dodge pool.

Seeming Curse:
No 10 again on any roll with Presence.

-2 Untrained penalty on Social skills instead of -1.

Background:

Ever feel like your parents don't love you? Maybe they yelled at you for not eating all of your veggies or you broke moms favorite vase? Well at least you weren't given away to a deranged Fae for some lousy information on whats going to be the biggest new invention to come out in years to come!

My "Keeper" took me when I was about 17. The contract required a first born child, and I was said child. He was nice enough. Used my knowledge about human Philosophy and other odds and ends I have stored up in my mind to entertain himself. He found my information amusing. He thought the way Physics works in the human realm was bizarre, and I still think the same of Faerie.

I spent four long years in Faerie, or at least that's what I can deduce from the newspapers and such. That would make me 21 now. I missed my 18th AND 21st birthday in Faerie... Best... Parents... Ever... I still can't believe my Keeper just let me go. There must be something else at work here... Something more for his amusement... He already made me look different than before. If I look at myself just right here I can still see it; I'm shorter with incredibly pale skin, it looks just like paper. My eyes are darker, too, more forest green than the original pale hue they had before. My hair almost looks as if its dripping ink, jet black ink. I guess he thought it would be funny to make me look like the books I'm always reading. Even worse, it seems like there is always a chill around me and sometimes I can even see snowflakes... But that cant be right! Now that I'm back, it should be gone! Four years in Faerie... It felt much longer, like I was there for an eternity. When I finally got my senses together, I went to find my parents. They were sitting pretty in a big house in Detroit with all the money they could handle... I can't believe they sold me out to get more of what they already had! Well, at least they left me a small inheritance for if I ever got out... Thanks mom and dad, you're too kind...


This is KatsuneSage's boyfriend Whack-a-Rogue. Character info's in the profile. This is my first time playing WoD, so let me know if I need to fix anything. :-)


Morris' Background:
Morris hadn’t done much in the past 3 months. Most of it was just spent trying to piece together what the hell happened. What went wrong? The man….the thing that took him, spoke as if he’d broken some rule; some incomprehensible, ancient rule which made little sense to the teenage son of two Syrian immigrants from the Detroit suburbs. The kind of rule which only makes sense to these strange beings, some call ‘The Others’. One of the others, this being known as the Duke of 13, snatched Morris up with his long skeletal hands and put him to work in a tower made of human bones. He spent 9 months in this spiraling fortress in a land near devoid of light. The place reeked of decay and his only company were the cries of the dead and the strange spider-people who crawled the walls. Slowly he seemed to join the ranks of these dead. Parts of his flesh rotted and fell off. His eyes became sunken; he became imbued with the dust and rot of the tower as he did his chores, which consisted of cleaning dust which never seemed to go away as well as moving and keeping track of the numerous dead and those who might as well have been dead. How he escaped was hazy, but he remembers he fought his way out tooth and nail when he snapped out of his slowly fading into the ranks of the dead, with faded memories and he arrived in rags on the streets of Detroit with a machete in his hand and bruises on his fists and the sound of the inhuman laughter of the skeletal abomination that kept him there.
When he got out he hitched a ride back to the suburbs, and tracked down his old home. To his surprise and disgust, he found a carbon copy of himself living HIS life. Writing for his school newspaper, reading his copy of The Communist Manifesto, awkwardly conversing with the protester girl he likes, getting in fights with his friends. If anything, the copy was a lot more emotional than he was. But it was all fake somehow. After a couple weeks of stalking the copy and living as a transient, occasionally finding part time work at the pawn shop, the copy seemed a little spooked for some reason. Like it got the feeling something was watching him. Since then, Morris backed off, but he knew some of them would have to make a move. Meanwhile he learned of the courts, he learned the area and the people in it. When he sought their aid, he was unsatisfied with the results and disliked many of the people in it. There he learned of the Margrave of the Brim. This was his way to escape their politics, while still remaining in the loop. If he was going to survive this existence, it was apparent he would need to exploit his skill at gathering information on what was happening with the people who had the influence and following the various trails. They guarded the area outside of Detroit, while the courts wasted their time squabbling and power-grabbing. Morris signed up. After all the Margraves told him what’s what. They even gave him free boxing lessons and a biography of Muhammed Ali, which he reads religiously The Winter Court didn’t do shit but discourage him when it came to his fetch problems. The court wasn’t there for him, but that didn’t keep him from keeping his eyes on all the goings on. Since then he kept his ear to the streets while staying out of the actual court politics as possible, and keeping his eyes out for any nasties that might crawl through the hedge.
In his Mien, it’s hard to tell what age Morris is as most of his skin has either fallen off or rotted and turned a sickly green. His eyes sunken into a skull-like face and his mouth is oversized and full of pointy, crooked teeth. His flesh seems to cling to his skeletal body like something out of a zombie movie. He’s wiry, covered in ropey rotten looking muscle. His hair and face are covered in industrial looking rust colored ashes. When he coughs, dust seemed to come out of lungs.
In his mask he looks like a really worn down olive skinned teenager. His clothes are cheap, but utilitarian; consisting of worn looking sports clothes and torn up jeans and t-shirts, though he does have a suit that looks like hand-me-down, which he wears on some formal occasions even though it makes him look like something out of the Adams Family.

Sheet

stats:

Name: Morris Ashad
Concept: Rebelious young man with his ear to the streets
Virtue: Charity
Vice: Sloth
Seeming: Darkling
Kith: Gravewight
Court: Courtless(Margrave of the Brim)
----------------------------------------

Attributes:
Intelligence: ooo
Wits: ooo
Resolve: oo

Strength: ooo
Dexterity: oo
Stamina: oo

Presence: o
Manipulation: oo
Composure: ooo

----------------------------------------
Misc:
Health: 7/7
Willpower: 5/5
Glamour: 5/11
Wyrd: 2
Clarity: 7

Size: 5
Defense: 2
Initiative Mod: 5
Speed: 9
Armor:
Experience:
----------------------------------------

Skills:
Academics: o
Computer: oo
Crafts: o
Investigation: oo
Occult: o
Politics: oooo (Courts)

Athletics: o
Brawl: ooo
Stealth: oo
Weaponry: o

Streetwise: ooo
Subterfuge: o

----------------------------------------
Merits:
Danger Sense: (oo)
Boxing: (oo)
----------------------------------------

Contracts:
Smoke (oooo)
Hearth (o)

----------------------------------------
Blessing

The Darkling Seeming's Blessing is an Eye for Secrets – the Darkling gains 8-again on all Wits rolls and may spend glamour to add dice to Wits rolls, and gains 8-again whenever they Push themselves on a Finesse roll (a roll involving Dexterity, Savvy, or Wits).

Curse

The Darkling Seeming's Curse is an Aversion to Light – the Darkling loses 10-again from all rolls while in bright light, or while in any amount of sunlight.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
ShadowyFox wrote:
:) winter heavy, huh? That's a new twist to murder capital of the world. I know that however I manage it, he'll be autumn court. Thinking something based on one of the Celtic mythos, since Detroit gets a good deal of the ethnic groups. But for now, sleep time.

Actually, I can easily see Sorrow being as prevalent in such a place as Wrath, for much the same reason.

Of course, being the jack-hole that I am, I gotta kick the wasp's nest. Communist, besides the Core WoD sourcebook & C:tL, what other material is allowed? How are the oddball courts perceived if at all (i.e.: Courts like the Day/Night Courts or Directional Courts from Winter Masques or the Dusk or Dawn Courts from Dancers in the Dusk or Swords at Dawn?) Are the additional Contracts, Kiths & Merits from the additional Sourcebooks allowed?


Communist wrote:

@Peanuts Interesting story, and nice hint on the mentor merit :P

Your specialty for crafts should probably be more specific than 'art', based on what you've got there I'd suggest painting as your initial one. I'd also suggest lust as your vice, as your charismatic animalistic personality seems to lead that way.
No points in animal ken? Unusual for a beast, but keep it that way if you want. Also, try and bring out your kith if you can. The bit where his body was used for a brush doesn't quite connect to an insect affinity. Maybe work that one through your mien?

...

@All Also if you could describe what your mien is that would be grand.

Well I figure someone had to reign him in and help him adjust :) So a two or three point mentor would be nice, I just ran out of points.

Alright, I'll change it to painting. I had tattooing there as well as that is his new job, and I was thinking he may be gaining some renown in certain circles for the inventiveness and imagination of his art ;) Sadly there are no contracts for making magical tattoos, at least not in the base book.

Alrighty, I'll go with lust, I think they both would work just as well, but I suppose this way he gets to use his seduction specialty more :p

I did mean to put a point in Animal Ken, but I had so many other Social skills I wanted, and even with that as my primary skillset I had to cut back some of the ones I had. Could maybe switch the Expression dot to it instead? None of the Fang and Claw clauses really grabbed me, so I decided to focus on the Spring court more instead.

As to the Kith, I figured that was the best one to represent rodents (sorry if that wasn't clear). I figure his true form looks something like this (bonus points if you recognize where it's from. It wasn't the inspiration for the character, but I knew as soon as the idea of a porcupine-boy developed I had to use that. He's a hedgehog I know but close enough).

His mien (that's what he looks like to humans right?) I figure a fairly thin, a little hunched, slightly malnourished appearance. Very hairy chest arms and legs, constant prickly five o'clock shadow, facial features slightly pinched, big nose, startles easily. Still has that animal magnetism despite his less than ideal looks, and a definite way with words.

Irnk, Dead-Eye's Prodigal wrote:
Of course, being the jack-hole that I am, I gotta kick the wasp's nest. Communist, besides the Core WoD sourcebook & C:tL, what other material is allowed? How are the oddball courts perceived if at all (i.e.: Courts like the Day/Night Courts or Directional Courts from Winter Masques or the Dusk or Dawn Courts from Dancers in the Dusk or Swords at Dawn?) Are the additional Contracts, Kiths & Merits from the additional Sourcebooks allowed?
Communist wrote:
Any questions, toss them to me. I haven't got any of the extra sourcebooks, but if you wish to use them I'll borrow them from a friend. Make sure to quote the page and book if you do.


Contracts of Separation are found on page 40 of Winter Masques, though I have a summary of the ones my Character has.

Basics:
Full Name: Jack Marshall
Gender: male
Size: 6'3”
Age: 36
Virtue: Justice
Vice: Pride
Seeming: Fairest
Kith: Draconic
Court: Winter
Occupation: Private Investigator

Background:

Jack Marshall has built a reputation as something of a crooked cop. He vehemently denies the allegation, even among those who know what he did, because if he was crooked, he would have profited financially from what he did. He is known for putting criminals behind bars, especially the kind of criminals that nobody thought would see the inside of a cell. He managed it by framing the guilty party. Considering that his favored targets were organized crime, he developed a lot of enemies in his career in New York. He thinks that's why IA started looking into him, crooked cops being paid by the mob to destroy his reputation. He left the force and moved to Detroit, hoping that his tarnished reputation wouldn't follow him. He doesn't know how he was taken, or when, just that he awoke in Arcadia, somehow different.

Jack's Keeper called itself the Grand Wyrm, and it was massive beyond belief. It told Jack that it sensed in him a kindred spirit, and transformed him into a dragon like something out of the works of Tolkien. He never saw his Keeper again after that. Jack comforts himself by saying that his Keeper changed his mind into that of a dragon, just like it changed his body, but he wonders if it is true. For years he behaved as might be expected, exhulting in flight, terrorizing the populace and enjoying the songs of the fair young maidens that were left to him in sacrifice. There was even a village built on wooden planks in the middle of a lake for him to attack. One day, he was attacking the village when an arrow fired by one of the town's defenders struck an unexpectedly vital spot, causing paralysis. As a result, Jack plunged into the depths of the lake, where he drowned. He remained conscious for every agonizing moment of his suffocation, and then, strangely, for the next several years of painful nonexistance. One day, he awoke to find himself alive again, for no apparent reason. This cycle repeated numerous times, for what seemed like thousands of years, with his time spent dead being roughly equal, though far less pleasant, than the time he spent alive.

One day, he awoke from his death and he was struck with a strong desire to flee. Instead of attacking the populace, he took flight and headed the other way. He flew as high and as far as he could, past the point where Arcadia dissolved into the Hedge, where his body began to morph again into a more humanoid form. When he reached the ground, he made the rest of the trip on foot, back to the real world. When he stepped out of the hedge, he found himself walking away. He confronted the doppelganger, who was shocked to see the resemblance in the odd looking man accosting him, but knew nothing else of what was going on. Later, after encountering other Changelings, Marshall discovered that the man he'd confronted was his fetch, and decided to adopt a new identity, leaving his fetch to take the blame, if there was any to be had, for his improper conduct in making arrests. He also set about building a life for himself, as a private investigator, but stayed out of Changeling politics for a time. Over time, memories of his durance began coming back in his dreams. He remembers being a dragon, sleeping on a massive pile of treasure, setting fire to those who opposed him, and he began to regret. He remembers nothing of his death, or the painful nonexistance that he endured, the only negative aspect that occurs to him is that he wonders if the townspeople he terrorized were simply props in the game, or if they were also Changelings, other victims of the Grand Wyrm. Because of that, he is very hesitant to talk about his time in Faerie. After his memories began to return, he found himself joining the Winter Court, as it fit well with the sorrow he felt, not at being taken, but at returning.

Description:

Mask: Jack is visibly over six feet tall, though his broad shoulders make him seem less tall as much as massive. He has dark hair that is typically combed back, and no facial hair, revealing the boxy shape of his head. His eyes are cold and blue. He looks somewhat like a body builder, though without the clear definition. Jack could easily pass as the older, more muscular brother of his fetch, who calls himself John Foster, Marshall's original name.

Mein: In truth, Jack looks very much like his mask, except for being covered in numerous small marks that, upon closer inspection, reveal themselves to be scales. Also, his breath always produces frost, regardless of the ambient temperature.

Misc Considerations:

Health 7/7
Willpower 5/5
Wyrd 1
Glamour 5/10
Clarity 7

Seeming Blessing: spend glamour to improve dicepools that include presence, manipulation and persuasion on a one for one basis; no untrained penalty for social skills
Kith Blessing (Dragon's Talon): gains extra die to brawl rolls, spend glamour to reroll a failed brawl roll once per scene.
Seeming Curse: -1 to rolls to avoid losing Clarity
Size: 5
Speed: 10
Defense: 2
Armor:
Initiative Mod: 5
Experience:

Attributes:

Strength 3
Dexterity 2
Stamina 2
Intelligence 2
Wits 2
Resolve 2
Presence 2
Manipulation 3
Composure 3

Skills:

Academics 1
Computer 1
Crafts
Investigation 2
Medicine
Occult 1
Politics 2
Science

Athletics
Brawl 1 (heavy blows)
Drive
Firearms 1 (pistols)
Larceny 2 (planting evidence)
Stealth
Weaponry

Animal Ken
Empathy 1 (detecting lies)
Expression 1
Intimidation 3
Persuasion 2
Socialize
Streetwise 2
Subterfuge 2

Merits:

New Identity 2
Mantle (Winter) 1
Hollow (size) 1
Hollow (wards) 1
Resources 2

Contracts:

Fleeting Winter 1
Vainglory 2
Seperation 2

Fleeting Winter 1: The Dragon Knows
character can tell why a person is sorrowful (wyrd+empathy)

Vainglory 1: Mask of Superiority
convince a subject that the changeling is his or her superior
wyrd +intimidation

Vaiglory 2:Songs of distant Arcadia
gains a number of bonus dice equal to wyrd to expression and persuasion rolls for next scene.
wyrd +expression

Seperation 1:Tread lightly
takes bashing damage from falls, can walk over any solid surface that wouldn't hold weight.
dexterity +wyrd

Seperation 2:Evasion of Shackles
automatically slip out of cuffs, straightjacket or restraints
wyrd + larceny


Woah, this was a pleasant surprise to wake up to, let me tell you. Then I press refresh and there's more and... right.

@KatsuneSage I like the concept of being the first-born given away by greedy parents. I presume this means you have no fetch, but what did your parents say about your sudden disappearance, and your reappearance; likewise how did you friends treat you? Also how did you meet up with the winter court? Rules wise you seem all good! Your bonus at this stage will likely be a token, and possibly a point of harvest (Now why would your keeper give you that...?) . Thoughts on that?

@Terrence Parker What sort of terrible things did you have to suffer in Arcadia, especially to cause the clarity drop you have there? As with KatsuneSage, how you met your court would be useful as well. And you seem to have 9 points in contracts...? EDIT: Wait, I get it now. Herp a derp for me. Disregard that point. EDIT AGAIN: Also you need to decide what your hollow merit is in. Is it in size, wards, amenities, or doors (Protip: Put it in size or wards)

@MagnumCPA Very solid character write-up there, can't really ask for much more there. Your bonus merits at this stage will almost certainly cover allies and contacts, to create the 'knows-a-guy' vibe.

@Irnk Yup, if it's interesting then go ahead and use it! Reading up on the other court systems... There would be a small directional court practised amongst the Asian changeling populace, but they have neither power nor numbers, nor any form of recognition. The Day/night courts are practically unheard of. Dawn/Dusk looks very interesting, and both look like they'd be popular in this hellhole city. The nearby city Dearborn has a Dawn/Dusk court- maybe you could expand on behalf of them?

@Peanuts switch away, nothing need be finalized until we start. Your Mien is your true form, and probably not the thing you want to show to normal humans. As for the tattoos if there isn't anything in the other sourcebooks I'm sure we could work something out. Perhaps you can craft them as tokens, as an initial suggestion.


Ahh right well his Mien looks like the picture I linked then, and his mask is as described :)

I'll have to look over the two skills again and see why I wanted Expression.

Didn't really look too deep into tokens, but some sort of cool effect for 'special' tattoos would be awesome :)


One more for now!

@Wolfman That's a pretty traumatic backstory there. Being dead/dying for that long sounds horrific... but the fact that he can't remember that, and his sorrow comes from wishing to return, that is damn fine as a concept.Is your fetch also in Detroit, by my reading?

Rules wise, seperation is fine, though I can't help but imagine that 'tread lightly' actually just involves you flapping your arms and shouting "I'm a dragon!" Oh, and you're a merit point down. Joining a court gives you a dot in that mantle for free, so unless you've used some to buy wyrd, which you haven't, then your total should be 8.


Just wanted to let you know I've been swamped with work yesterday and today. I'm gonna start hard and heavy on the changeling work in about an hour, though. Good thing I've got lots of practice with these sort of characters.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

'Jack':
The young man sitting before you is as human as they get. Sandy brown hair, hazel eyes, a build neither particularly muscular nor soft; the week's growth of beard could be an attempt at a full one or simple inattention. But there is a clarity in his gaze that tells you he's seen things, things you don't see & stay human...
or at least not entirely sane & human.

"They tell me you've had, sleep troubles...
The kind you don't talk with a doctor about."

Once upon a time there was a young man who was a bit too clever for his own good. Given a choice between the safe, sane world that every one knew & everyone expected...
Or the strange world, the 'rules don't really fit' world; well, I'm sure we both know which decision he made.

There was a girl. There's always a girl, isn't there? They had dated for a bit, might have gotten serious even, if she hadn't up & disappeared. As I said though, things looked to be getting serious; so when she up & disappears, he goes looking. What he found, you can't follow on any map or GPS, however...
& you can't get back from there either. Not until you've learned the rules at least.
Or you get lucky, and some other people have made their way in after making their way out once before. They don't give a fig about you, or her, but they do manage to make enough noise & mess on their way out that you can follow them. If you listen, if you pay attention. If you let reality change you, just enough...

Don't bother checking in a database, 'Jack' isn't the name he had back when he really was human & from his accent...
well, he definitely didn't grow up in or around the Motor City. He survives by staying out of the 'big kid's' way & being more useful to have around than not. Every Court has looked at him, Spring & Autumn have both made overtures, but for right now he's still trying to pretend he's still human. That he can't twist & mold dreams like other craftsmen mold the medium of their art.
When pressed, the only thing he'll say about his Keeper is that he's really glad he made it out quick. Most of the 'once-human' he saw in that place really didn't look like they could hack it in a world where up was up & down was down, so-to-speak.

Jack is 'Jack'. The Lucky or clever boy who managed to encounter the Fae & make it back unscathed...
Only to realize once he made it back that he isn't unscathed. He definitely doesn't look it, but he is every but as strange & monstrous as the most twisted Ogre or beauteous Fairest, it's just all on the inside.
Mechanically, he avoids either Kith or Seeming because of a Merit. I know it's found in Equinox Road, but other than that I don't recall it. He has no Court & isn't terribly impressive in much of any capacity other than the simple fact that he knows the Contract of Dream like most Ogres know how to turn a gnat like him into a greasy stain on the pavement. He is also completely identical between Mask & Mein, which can be useful to the right people.
I'll have the crunch tomorrow, probably.


Initial Crunch:

Mental
Intelligence: 3
Wits: 2
Resolve: 3

Physical
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 2
Stamina: 2

Social
Presence: 3
Manipulation: 2
Composure: 2

Mental Skills
Academics: 1, Computer: 1, Crafts: 1, Investigation: 1, Medicine: 1, Occult: 4 (Oneiromancy),(the Fae), Politics: 1, Science: 1

Physical Skills
Athletics: 2, Stealth: 2

Social Skills
Empathy: 3 (Oneiromancy), Persuasion: 1, Socialize: 1, Streetwise: 1, Subterfuge: 1

Health:

Willpower: 5

Wyrd: 1

Contracts
Dream: 4, Hearth: 1

Merits
Autumn Goodwill 1, Spring Goodwill 1, Summer Goodwill 1, Winter Goodwill 1, 3 unassigned, waiting on the Merit I mentioned earlier, my books are currently packed up.


@Irnk Based on this list, you want the 'no seeming' merit Which is 2 merit points. Having stuff packed up sucks, I have 90% of my books currently in hiding.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Yep, that's the one. Cool, that leaves me one point left over for a 1 point New Identity as well.

How do you feel about the background/concept?


hmmm, we all seem to be a bit lacking in the physical skills so far :p


@Communist:
Terrence's Keeper was heavily involved in inter-Hedge warfare and was constantly experimenting on captured human subjects. Terrence was to be used as a scout/spy/assassin, so he wasn't modified much. However, the vivisection and hybridization of the other humans gradually got to him. Also, Terrence's training revealed that he had no interest in harming others; he preferred to take what items/information he needed and leave unnoticed. Knowing that any failure on his part would result in death - or worse - experimentation, he decided to sneak back to the mundane world. Now, when he meets people, he finds himself thinking things like "Losing six inches would do wonders for him" or "I wonder how she'd look with two extra arms..."

Terrence didn't find his court so much as it found him. After all, someone who repeatedly steals unstealable items without leaving a trace of his coming or going is sure to attract attention pretty quickly. And politicians can always use someone to eliminate evidence of misdeeds or dig up blackmail material on their rivals. :-) Terrence is contacted on a semi-regular basis to perform jobs. In return, the court keeps him off the radar mundane-wise.

As for the hollow, I'll put the point in size. Terrence will be modifying it as the story allows. After all, he needs a safe place for his books. :-) Also, if possible, I'd like a real-world entrance only. Terrence has no real desire to reenter the Hedge.

Sczarni

@Communist: I would love those merits! Sounds very like my character.

Her parents knew about her disappearance. It was an immediate thing, they made the contract and she was taken into Faerie. They prepared for her return by setting up a "compensation" fund, mentioned before in the first post. Since they were so wealthy, they were able to excuse her absence, telling her friends and family they were sending her to a boarding school for a final year before she went off to university. Any person they thought would question them, they paid off to keep quiet. When she came back, her parents had moved with the fortune they made by stealing someones invention (up to you to choose if you want :)). She didn't see any of her friends before she set off to track down her parents.

As for meeting up with the winter court, she began to feel very lonely being the only one of her kind. Though she was back, and after she figured people didn't really notice her true form, she began to try to get back into her social niche, but nothing quite felt right. No one understood why she radiated a cold that couldn't be explained. People also had a difficult time dealing with her cold demeanor and the sorrow she seemed to wear like a cloak. The Winter Court found her one day when she had broken down in the alley outside of the city Library. They approached her and she felt the same chill that permeates her life fill her body from another source. She felt like she belonged even before the person said a word; the sorrow she struggled with also filled the person who approached her. She smiled for the first time since her release.


@Irnk Background's perfectly fine by me. Jack's keeper sounds deliciously interesting. Take that as you will. That and someone with no kith or seeming would be able to find good work with a number of people in the city. Roughly how old does he look?

Bonus merit wise I'm strongly tempted to throw another 3 points into his new identity to make his past a complete enigma. Thoughts on that?


@Peanuts I'm honestly finding that a little surprising, but not unpleasantly so. Still, watch out for muggers :P

@Terrence those tie in nicely with your mirrorskin kith, I notice. Winter at this moment would really enjoy someone with those talents. No worries with the hollow, you will probably want to work out where that single entrance is.

@KatsuneSage It does seem unusual for parents to be expecting her return, but then again it was a specialized deal with a very different Keeper. I like your Keeper! I'm sure that deep down they're secretly a really nice person who let you go out of the goodness of their heart. Really.

@Everyone Don't forget that merit points in Hollows can be shared between the group, if you so wish.

Player List so far (Last category is my 2 word summary, and probably wrong):
(ShadowyFox)|Autumn
Leon Armitage (Peanuts)|Spring|Beast-Skitterskulk|Charismatic artist
Amy Lee Tanner (KatsuneSage)|Winter|Wizened-Oracle|Abandoned student (?)
Terrence Parker(Whack-a-Rogue)|Winter|Darkling-Mirrorskin|Fantastic Thief
Morris Ashad (Magnum) | Courtless (Margrave of the Brim)|Darkling-Gravewright| Streetwise Youth (?)
Jack Marshall (Wolfman) |Winter|Fairest-Draconic| Sherlock Smaug. Smaug: PI. Smaug Holmes. (I'll... stop.)
'Jack' (Irnk) | Courtless | Seeming-less, kith-less | Plain-faced Oneiromancer

Sczarni

Its not that her parents truly believed she was returning. It was more of a 'well, if she does end up coming back, we can take care of her finances for a while while she gets "settled" back here. We're such good parents and now our conscience is clean!'

And she was pretty much given up even though she was a promising, bright young woman who could have possibly made a lot of money for her family in the long run, her parents just wanted it NOW. She is doing her best to start her studies again.


Really? I didn't realize you got a free dot of mantle for joining a court, that's cool. I'll put the extra dot into hollow wards.

Anyway, his fetch is indeed in Detroit, and something I'd made a note of but didn't actually mention: as long as he might have spent in Arcadia, he returned little more than a moment after he was taken. As far as Jack can tell, his fetch has no knowledge of the supernatural, as far as Jack knows.

I can see Jack developing into someone who feels more at home in the hedge than in the 'real world', and the bolt hole of a hollow he has keyed to the bedroom closet of his apartment being the only place he really feels safe.

Finally, it might be noted that since the name 'Jack' is a false name derived from the fact that his birth name is John, I could just as easily change his name to something similar, like James, Jimmy or Sam, in case two Jacks cause confusion.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

'Jack' is 'Young Adult'. Looks-wise he could be anywhere between late-teens to mid-twenties, depending on the observers expectations. I'll definitely take a 4 point New Identity, thanks! As far as 'who' the Identity is...
not certain if I'm misinterpreting your intent, but as far as mortals are concerned he's probably got a cover job as an orderly or something in one of those sleep study labs, which he uses to keep an eye out for mortals who's sleep is being disturbed 'from the inside' so-to-speak. This is likely one of the things he does to stay on the good side of the courts, giving them advance notice of 'things' happening. He probably has a 'publicly known' sideline as 'that guy who knows weird shit'. He isn't so much a wheeler-dealer as an interface between the mundane & the Lost, and vice versa.

@Wolfman: That might not be necessary as 'Jack' is often as much a title as a name. At least in a number of Changeling games I've played.
You would be amazed how many Changeling players choose Jack as a character name...
'Jack' always calls you Mr. Marshall. Everyone else among the Lost probably refers to 'Jack' as the Jack. Particularly as even for a fringe people like the Lost, he is pretty fringe...

@Peanuts: The good news is that improving from low is comparatively easy, so if some of us want to 'go bruiser' it won't be too difficult. Especially if the individuals in question are Summer.

edit: @Communist; actually plain-faced Oneiromancer is pretty dead-on. It's also an incredibly layered description the more you think about it.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Alright, here is the full crunchyness.


Double Jacks is fine with me. There might even be more!

@ Irnk You seem to be missing your fourth point of Contract: Dream on that lits. Otherwise looks all good.

Strangely enough there don't seem to be any summer court members so far. I mean it's a terrible town for them to be in, but opportunity! Maybe one of the next sign-ups might take one.

Speaking of which, I'll give the others until roughly Sunday (my time, GMT +10) before I throw it open to the later pair. But if you're here, you're all good.

Sczarni

I'm very excited for this campaign. I've wanted to play in a Changling game ever since I found it. Can't wait for it to start!


This should be a pretty damn interesting game. I really should read up about the other courts so I know what this talk about the summer is :p


Eh streetwise youth, politically savvy cashier, observant rebel, whatever, it all works . He's just someone who understands politics and Detroit in general without really taking any sides within the whole mess, not including the Margravate of the Brim of course. Sort of a non-traditional knowledge based skillset. If it's cool, I was thinking of possibly making some streetwise/politics rolls to see if Morris already knew some stuff about the characters involved in this thing beforehand. Seeing as that's supposed to be his bag.

Also, lol Tom and Jack are the most used CHangeling names ever. It's almost a cliche. My last game had two Jacks as well.


I'll put up a who's who of the important figures in the Freehold, and a few outside it. Later today or tomorrow.

If you have any suggestions for things you'd like to see in the game, or secondary systems I should be paying attention to in particular (Pledging, dream combat, that sort of thing) let me know and I'll try work them in.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

@Communist: Fixed.
R.E.: Summer; It's actually more interesting that we have more courtless than either of the other courts after Winter. It takes a particular mindset to have fun playing a Summer Courtier & to be honest, I'm not overly saddened to see a lack of them.

@magnumCPA: It's not so much a cliche as a trope. Both names are iconic for Folk & Fairy tales, so much so in fact that as I stated in an earlier post in some campaigns I've played in they were as much titles as names. Which is what it really is for 'Jack'. Friends & Motley Mates call him Jusuf or 'Joe'. The other Changelings call him 'Jack' or sometimes the Jack. But that's probably only when they are being dicks.


Makes me wonder what you call a battle between multiple folks named Jack.


A Jack O-waitaminute *squints at ShadowyFox* I see what you did there...


I figured that'd work out well. :P


Hey communist, it's monday! Can we get this thing started yet? :D (only just noticed you said GMT +10. You an Aussie too?)


The fearsome Aussies!


I got slightly kidnapped yesterday, so don't blame me! Well, that was probably my fault, but still. Yes, Aussie too! Woo us.

I'll put the notable persona list here. There's not much there at the moment, I'll be adding to it over my free time.

Gameplay wise I'll wait on ShadowyFox to post his character, then I'll assign everyone their extra merits at once. We can start then, although Umbral Reaver and possibly my friend may join, in which case we'll just slot them in to wherever we're up to. Either way shouldn't take too long.


Awesome! Yes, fear us our we will release the drop-bears on you!

Uhh, looks like you need to authorize us to access that Communist, or change the permissions. You can probably guess which email address is mine :)


Just wanted to update and say that apparently the wireless and wired Internet in my hotel is dead as well. So I'm a bit dead in the water at the moment. I'm sorry for holding the game up, folks.


Just thinking out loud, but if someone wouldn't mind putting the sheet together for me, then I'll have the fluff up. I just figured it might speed things up. I know everyone's antsy, so I'm gonna apologize again.


Whoops, sorry about those permissions. Try that link again, it should now work. Winter's up and there, I'll add to the rest of them as I name them. (That's the worst bit.)

ShadowyFox, if you want I can put the sheet together. If you know which bits of the sheet you definitely want (Like seeming or Kith, were you thinking a beast Hunterheart?) let me know, otherwise I think I have an idea of where you should be.

For attributes/skills: Mental/physical/social?


Additional Merits

Leon Armitage (Peanuts)- Mentor ooo (Greg, the Ogre)

Amy Lee Tanner (KatsuneSage)Harvest o Token oo (Hedgespun raiment: armor.) The mien of this lightly woven garment is of a gown made entirely from spider silk, but from some beastly spider, for the strands look metallic and glint in the light. The mask disguises this as a bright white fencing uniform, though it's protective power is much greater.

Terrence Parker(Whack-a-Rogue)|Fast Reflexes oo, Hollows o (Put this one wherever you want)

Morris Ashad (Magnum) Contacts oo (Courtless) Allies o (Courtless)

Jack Marshall (Wolfman) | Hollows ooo (again, spend these as you wish.)

'Jack' (Irnk) | New identity ooo (Add these to the points you already have)

Unless you really think something else is more suitable, then enjoy your bonus merits, and go post your full character sheet on the discussion page!


I was thinking Riddleseeker, actually. But beast was definitely there. Probably mental, physical, then social. Probably not as tight a grip on his clarity.


I'll just move the allies are contacts dots around to contacts 1, allies 2, if you don't mind, seeing as those two merits don't work the same way.


Awesome, thanks for the Merits! I'll put the Hollow dot in Wards. Profile is being updated now. I can't wait to get started!

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