[Changeling] A Gathering of Mists (OOC)

[Raz_Fox]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

It's worth noting that Heroics as far as it was written could have word-for-word been a Changeling story.

Not "was" written, "has been" written. Despite my glacial pace (seriously, who takes over a year to write a pony story?) Heroics is still a Raz_Fox Active Project.

And the next chapter is 80% complete.

...sorry, my honor got away from me again. Silly little thing.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by PhoeKun

Aaaanyway, you're probably wondering about the character, insomuch as I can tell you. I'll say it with a picture for now:

Spoiler

Freedom is constraint.

I embarrassingly don't remember the name of your forum avatar. However, from that picture, she looks like the sort of pony that has something important she plans to do and has just enough time to look back and reassure you that yes, she can handle it. I wonder what her durance was like? (Durance=time spent in the faerie world under a member of the True Fae referred to as a keeper.) Perhaps she acted as her keeper's personal champion for some time, or staged various heroics for the keeper's amusement?

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Space Pony law states that anypony who suspects that they are guilty of a crime is guilty of a crime, and a trial must be held to discern which crimes they are guilty of.

Space Pony society involves an elaborate social dance to trick other ponies into believing that they somehow did something wrong.

The trial also tends to lead to recursive trials due to the don't think about elephants problem (wherein you are all now thinking about elephants).

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Anarion

I embarrassingly don't remember the name of your forum avatar.

Silver Lining.

The trial also tends to lead to recursive trials due to the don't think about elephants problem (wherein you are all now thinking about elephants).

There's a reason why Luna spent a thousand years on the moon.

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Following a conversation with Phoe, I humbly suggest freedom and slavery as this game's core theme. Every single character concept suggested ties directly into it.

eeeeeee~
*giggles and dances*

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

Today, I realized I had a choice to make. I could run with Marchande as being a goblin-merchant-wannabe, someone who had a lot of flexibility, might end up entangled in Freehold politics or being the brains of the operation, or even our social 'face' capable of honeyed words and reading people like a book... or I could give her Dreams, Hearth and Fleeting Winter contracts, high Empathy, Subterfuge and Wits, and then give her a job as a 'psychic' capable of talking to your family and guiding their departed spirit into your dreams, helping you forget your problems and feel refreshed, and 'unblocking your unfortunate chi'... for very affordable costs!

I just want to let you know how difficult it was to avoid the option that didn't have depth but did have so much potential for turning the game into a hilarious farce. So difficult.

Thank you for making that choice.

Freedom is not being on a leash. Freedom is not being beaten. Freedom is being able to speak. Freedom is having money and being respected.

"Freedom is an excuse. Responsibility is the barb wire that cuts as you struggle. Choice is a burden."

Originally Posted by BlasTech

I actually had a concept for a combat specced Winter goblin, but alas he never got past the "so cliche I don't want to show him to anyone" stage

In case things don't pan out with this one (read: "oh god I can't let anyone know this much about me!") I plan to fall back on Chrostopher Wallace. Yesterday I thought about thanqol's Exalted! Character and realized I could make a good play at having been a pony. Probably Luna.

Originally Posted by PhoeKun

Talking to Thanqol usually turns out to be a panacea for most issues like this. I've done so, and while we've not yet progressed beyond vagaries and general "well this is sorta kinda what I want"ishness, it's a great sight better than the sort of "uhhhhhhhhh" in my head before, and in that vein also much more exciting than the hanging and slinking and "gee I want to hang out with and talk to these space ponies more" I came into this with.

I am happy that I will be seeing more Phoe
I'm finding my trouble isn't in the character, it's in containing them enough to convey to you folks. I'm particularly worried on flubbing the translation on Anarion's end, since he's nice enough to try and take us into account.

Friendship Thanqol is Magic.

I am unable to photoshop or draw Mask clinging to an appendix, but the thought is there.

Aaaanyway, you're probably wondering about the character, insomuch as I can tell you. I'll say it with a picture for now:

Spoiler

Siiiolver Liniiing~

...

Ooh, fun typo. Síolvar.

Freedom is constraint.

oooh, hm.

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Space Pony law states that anypony who suspects that they are guilty of a crime is guilty of a crime, and a trial must be held to discern which crimes they are guilty of.*

Space Pony society involves an elaborate social dance to trick other ponies into believing that they somehow did something wrong.

Luna has all the psych issues~

It's worth noting that Heroics as far as it was written could have word-for-word been a Changeling story.

On changeling stories, have any of you seen Grim?

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

Not "was" written, "has been" written. Despite my glacial pace (seriously, who takes over a year to write a pony story?) Heroics is still a Raz_Fox Active Project.

And the next chapter is 80% complete.

...sorry, my honor got away from me again. Silly little thing.

Xanatos decided around thread 6 to write a fanfic, and to encourage himself to succeed he decided not post on ponythread until he was done. And then he never came back, the end.

Originally Posted by Anarion

The trial also tends to lead to recursive trials due to the don't think about elephants problem (wherein you are all now thinking about elephants).

mental training is funtastic. not only have I never thought about pink elephants outside of Disney's Dumbo, it took me four days to lose the game after learning of it. And all it took was being unable to communicate deeper feelings to most people because of language breakdown =D

...

D=

-

I'm finding that thanqol's method doesn't help when a character hits a certain level of completion. That being said, I'm trying anyway so we all have a similar basis. And because everyone who isn't thanqol has different takes and perceptions on it.

I'm also finding that thanqol is a word but Thanqol isn't. iOS y u so crazy?

-

Over all design goal is surrender.

As an ideal, realizing a stranglehold on life is terrible, and trust in one worthy is supremely satisfying.
As a flawed creature, being a schemer and manipulator, outwitting everyone. Sherlock.

Virtue: Faith
Vice: Lust

Submission: control, trust, safety, facade, uncertainty
Grace: worth, esteem, victory, flowing, cycles
sacrifice: catharsis, expression, sorrow, duty, achievement
Manipulation: facade, webs, inception, hidden fangs, regrets
Art: release, sorrow, connection, expression, facade

Initial development chatter

Spoiler

"the dominant themes of changeling are the pain of loss, the quest for identity, and the bittersweet nature of human existence."

S: Swans.
The Bonny swans, fly with the black swan.
They have what I feel is the appropriate oil paint taste.

T: Start with a theme.
If there's one thing I spent 3 hours talking to Raz about it's the importance of starting with a theme.

S: That is somewhat a theme, a web of feeling and connotation with direction and unification. It may be too baroque though. I'll see if I can isolate and simplify.

T: Sometimes you just bypass my ability to process language.

S: A theme is... Like a descriptor, but it's also a sub-story. All stories of the same theme have the same direction when they move. That is how different things can share themes.
Swan is, to me, a mash of hiberniochristian spirituality, pagan mysticism and superstition; stories with good points but no happy ending. The closest one alien creature can be to helpful, when it is entirely alien.
[…]
I'm trying to decode my feelings on that swan thing into a theme, but the language won't compile properly. And yeah, that's a cool gig.

T: Well, what are the core themes of swans? Beauty. Also an incredible hostility and violence. Love; partnership. Swans are ****ing *******s if you don't know. Goddamn swans.*

S: It's something like "no good deed goes unpunished" and also "every new beginning is another beginnings end". Permanent change. Yes swans are terrible. Like larger, prettier geese. More prone to knives than knuckledusters, but still wankers.
Swans on the stories I've seen are indicative of a brush with Otherness causing permanent, ambivalent change.

Took a good while to whittle this down to a workable thing.

Development process

Spoiler

Thanqol suggested a switch, a dash of Holmes. Someone who is too smart, too clever by half (so they think), who outsmarted their keeper (so they think), and now seeks a worthwhile challenge. Their desire for for a master Ida desire for a cage, a gaoler who can keep them in. The thrill of worthy opposition.

The trouble is, that's different enough from my desired idea to be viable (and honestly, playable. Especially considering *how self-sabotaging the concept is/was) but not fun. Well, probably tons of fun but I get testy when thwarted. Especially self-thwarted.

Then Raz helped me find balance; above even the character, my design goal is Defeat, Surrender.
In the end, following the obvious plan, the seeming path of least resistance, would be following the Machiavelian route.

... Spontaneous realization that other people will read this. Oh geeze >////>

*cough* being overt is the strictly wrong way to go about things. It is the result of someone panicked, hurt, betrayed, desperate, and without knowledge of what's wrong or how to fix it. It exacerbates itself.

The end result of the ideal is an ephemeral thing. I know it, have felt it, briefly. But translation is difficult. Security. Ecstasy. Bliss. Safety. Love. More than all, but lessened by definition.

How to get to that end? No clue. But that's how life is, yeah? So many worthy goals, no idea which is best or how to go about it.

In the meanwhile, I'm giddy that I have a character with clear-cut vice/virtue standing. It's taken me forever to get that far before.

Nod towards dots

Spoiler

From this, I know several things. First, manipulation is highest priority, with a firm mental foundation. *So social, then mental. Second, that defense is not our forte. The resistance skills will be lowest, while the subtle ones probably highest, leaning strength for middle.

I'm tempted to make a bid for painting as expression, but nah. Both crafting and expression will be valuable, as we expect dancer to be in our past somewhere. Social skills, inherent ones. A few technical skills. I see painting as being a thing that happens after the Durance, with more sterile, clean work prior. Something like drafting schematics and blueprints, and afterwards finding that paint appeals. There is a metaphor in the world being the cold clear lines of reality, blurred by colored smudges that look real at a distance.

Physical skills I may make a nod to, but that might be covered by merits.

Mantle, I might possibly go for a couple dots of winter. This one rides the spectrum of white blue to grey blue, with none of the yellow counterbalance. Winter fits, as does north. That's as far as I got for merits though.

Durance

Spoiler

Seeming/kith elude me. I have whispers but nothing concrete. I'm afraid of tying myself down. A skitterskulk could be the web walker, spider and fly. But a swan dances for the keeper. Or a manikin, who was made to be anything needed in the dramas at any point in time.

I do know that others were present in the durance. Other mortals, rather. That they still crave intimacy shows the damage that occurs when one is alone in a crowded room... But in any case, the dramas could not unfold with only a few players, or even with one. Whether they are aware is unclear; who can tell truth from Fae construct?

The Fetch

Spoiler

Ripped straight from Thanqol.
The fetch would be Sherlock to Moriardi, or the reverse. Who better to trap one than one's self? And while the utter need for subservience is a result of breaking down, it's easy to see it as the flip of an utter need for control. One could assume the fetch would have this need, unbroken.

Ugh. Broken, unbroken. Unfortunate connotations. That needs future rephrasing.

The fetch has lived this life. Suddenly, clearly, it knows a magical creature who is its twin seeks to take everything from it. A magical creature that must abide by certain rules. A creature best killed... Or caged.

The fetch is also the easiest path to 'success', and the worst. The game of cat and mouse is a built in distraction from actually finding a new home. A distraction it is all too easy to misjudge as the goal itself. The goal really says gaol, if one were to stop and read the sign closely.

Gender

Spoiler

odd tag, right?
Well. The trouble is, I cannot help but see the character as female. But I cannot help but see the fetch as male. And sure, normal this could be an interesting angle... But I am already taxed for emotional drama. So what could be a poignant experience feels instead like a tacked on play for extra points.

Except I don't know how to reconcile the differences. Just matching the two feels fundamentally wrong. Having a discrepancy but not touching on it feels tacky though, like I'm making light of/hand waving an otherwise important trait.

And I'm not even sure the concept would work for Anarion in the first place, either. Heh.

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

"Freedom is an excuse. Responsibility is the barb wire that cuts as you struggle. Choice is a burden."

See? That everyone instantly had a different answer which was integral to their character is why that has to be the theme.

In case things don't pan out with this one (read: "oh god I can't let anyone know this much about me!") I plan to fall back on Chrostopher Wallace. Yesterday I thought about thanqol's Exalted! Character and realized I could make a good play at having been a pony. Probably Luna.

I would discuss this but I'm now aware my Waiting for Rain players are watching.

On changeling stories, have any of you seen Grim?

Just "Grim"? No.

Xanatos decided around thread 6 to write a fanfic, and to encourage himself to succeed he decided not post on ponythread until he was done. And then he never came back, the end.

XD

I'm finding that thanqol's method doesn't help when a character hits a certain level of completion. That being said, I'm trying anyway so we all have a similar basis. And because everyone who isn't thanqol has different takes and perceptions on it.

Secret: All my methods are artifical abstractions I come up with to trick other people into being smart. It works because people are usually actually really smart and don't let themselves know it.

I use none of them. I just do all this stuff freewheeling in my head. If you realise that one of my suggested methods is rubbish then, well, it's true. You were the genius all along.

T: Sometimes you just bypass my ability to process language.

This sentence deserves quoting, just, y'know, in general.

Other stuff I process but have no meaningful suggestions to offer. You seem on the right track as far as the process goes, just need to follow it through to the conclusion.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Silver Lining.

Thank you.

I have several comments and thoughts in response to SiuiS, but first this.

Originally Posted by Thanqol

You seem on the right track as far as the process goes, just need to follow it through to the conclusion.

Originally Posted by SiuiS

In case things don't pan out with this one (read: "oh god I can't let anyone know this much about me!") I plan to fall back on Chrostopher Wallace.

The rapper or the former British general?

I am happy that I will be seeing more Phoe
I'm finding my trouble isn't in the character, it's in containing them enough to convey to you folks. I'm particularly worried on flubbing the translation on Anarion's end, since he's nice enough to try and take us into account.

Don't worry about that right now. Continue finishing with getting stuff down and I'll let you know if I have concerns.

On changeling stories, have any of you seen Grim?

Nope. Want to give us the quick synopsis?

Over all design goal is surrender.

As an ideal, realizing a stranglehold on life is terrible, and trust in one worthy is supremely satisfying.
As a flawed creature, being a schemer and manipulator, outwitting everyone. Sherlock.

Virtue: Faith
Vice: Lust

Submission: control, trust, safety, facade, uncertainty
Grace: worth, esteem, victory, flowing, cycles
sacrifice: catharsis, expression, sorrow, duty, achievement
Manipulation: facade, webs, inception, hidden fangs, regrets
Art: release, sorrow, connection, expression, facade

Just looking at these points, here are my initial thoughts. This character is a schemer, and sounds like one who uses passiveness as an advantage. If this character were physical, she would be trained in aikido (the martial art that is all about reacting to the opponent and using his own momentum against him). When she wants something, she gets it by making everyone around her think they're doing themselves a favor and helping her is only incidental. That sound about right?

One thing I'm curious about, why did she leave Faerie? It's a long way through the hedge and difficult, not to mention that leaving one's durance is a risky proposition. There has to have been some reason either pulling the character strongly back to the mortal world or pushing her to escape from her keeper.

Initial development chatter

Spoiler

"the dominant themes of changeling are the pain of loss, the quest for identity, and the bittersweet nature of human existence."

S: Swans.
The Bonny swans, fly with the black swan.
They have what I feel is the appropriate oil paint taste.

T: Start with a theme.
If there's one thing I spent 3 hours talking to Raz about it's the importance of starting with a theme.

S: That is somewhat a theme, a web of feeling and connotation with direction and unification. It may be too baroque though. I'll see if I can isolate and simplify.

T: Sometimes you just bypass my ability to process language.

S: A theme is... Like a descriptor, but it's also a sub-story. All stories of the same theme have the same direction when they move. That is how different things can share themes.
Swan is, to me, a mash of hiberniochristian spirituality, pagan mysticism and superstition; stories with good points but no happy ending. The closest one alien creature can be to helpful, when it is entirely alien.
[…]
I'm trying to decode my feelings on that swan thing into a theme, but the language won't compile properly. And yeah, that's a cool gig.

T: Well, what are the core themes of swans? Beauty. Also an incredible hostility and violence. Love; partnership. Swans are ****ing *******s if you don't know. Goddamn swans.*

S: It's something like "no good deed goes unpunished" and also "every new beginning is another beginnings end". Permanent change. Yes swans are terrible. Like larger, prettier geese. More prone to knives than knuckledusters, but still wankers.
Swans on the stories I've seen are indicative of a brush with Otherness causing permanent, ambivalent change.

Took a good while to whittle this down to a workable thing.

Development process

Spoiler

Thanqol suggested a switch, a dash of Holmes. Someone who is too smart, too clever by half (so they think), who outsmarted their keeper (so they think), and now seeks a worthwhile challenge. Their desire for for a master Ida desire for a cage, a gaoler who can keep them in. The thrill of worthy opposition.

The trouble is, that's different enough from my desired idea to be viable (and honestly, playable. Especially considering *how self-sabotaging the concept is/was) but not fun. Well, probably tons of fun but I get testy when thwarted. Especially self-thwarted.

Then Raz helped me find balance; above even the character, my design goal is Defeat, Surrender.
In the end, following the obvious plan, the seeming path of least resistance, would be following the Machiavelian route.

... Spontaneous realization that other people will read this. Oh geeze >////>

*cough* being overt is the strictly wrong way to go about things. It is the result of someone panicked, hurt, betrayed, desperate, and without knowledge of what's wrong or how to fix it. It exacerbates itself.

The end result of the ideal is an ephemeral thing. I know it, have felt it, briefly. But translation is difficult. Security. Ecstasy. Bliss. Safety. Love. More than all, but lessened by definition.

How to get to that end? No clue. But that's how life is, yeah? So many worthy goals, no idea which is best or how to go about it.

In the meanwhile, I'm giddy that I have a character with clear-cut vice/virtue standing. It's taken me forever to get that far before.

There's a lot there. One of the strongest things I see is the comment that being overt is the wrong way to go about things. That speaks of someone who thinks there's a right way to do things and perhaps a core of internal confidence. Why is she convinced that subtlety is the right way? Personal experience? From Faerie, or from before?

Nod towards dots

Spoiler

From this, I know several things. First, manipulation is highest priority, with a firm mental foundation. *So social, then mental. Second, that defense is not our forte. The resistance skills will be lowest, while the subtle ones probably highest, leaning strength for middle.

I'm tempted to make a bid for painting as expression, but nah. Both crafting and expression will be valuable, as we expect dancer to be in our past somewhere. Social skills, inherent ones. A few technical skills. I see painting as being a thing that happens after the Durance, with more sterile, clean work prior. Something like drafting schematics and blueprints, and afterwards finding that paint appeals. There is a metaphor in the world being the cold clear lines of reality, blurred by colored smudges that look real at a distance.

Physical skills I may make a nod to, but that might be covered by merits.

Mantle, I might possibly go for a couple dots of winter. This one rides the spectrum of white blue to grey blue, with none of the yellow counterbalance. Winter fits, as does north. That's as far as I got for merits though.

Durance

Spoiler

Seeming/kith elude me. I have whispers but nothing concrete. I'm afraid of tying myself down. A skitterskulk could be the web walker, spider and fly. But a swan dances for the keeper. Or a manikin, who was made to be anything needed in the dramas at any point in time.

I do know that others were present in the durance. Other mortals, rather. That they still crave intimacy shows the damage that occurs when one is alone in a crowded room... But in any case, the dramas could not unfold with only a few players, or even with one. Whether they are aware is unclear; who can tell truth from Fae construct?

Seems like you have a good mechanical sense of the person and what skills there are. For seeming, think about when and why she was taken. What did her keeper want with her? Did she match the keeper's seeming (most common) or did her keeper shape her for a particular role?

The Fetch

Spoiler

Ripped straight from Thanqol.
The fetch would be Sherlock to Moriardi, or the reverse. Who better to trap one than one's self? And while the utter need for subservience is a result of breaking down, it's easy to see it as the flip of an utter need for control. One could assume the fetch would have this need, unbroken.

Ugh. Broken, unbroken. Unfortunate connotations. That needs future rephrasing.

The fetch has lived this life. Suddenly, clearly, it knows a magical creature who is its twin seeks to take everything from it. A magical creature that must abide by certain rules. A creature best killed... Or caged.

The fetch is also the easiest path to 'success', and the worst. The game of cat and mouse is a built in distraction from actually finding a new home. A distraction it is all too easy to misjudge as the goal itself. The goal really says gaol, if one were to stop and read the sign closely.

Okay, I've got a great sense of your fetch, as well as Thanqol's. I think yours would be much more likely to try to find her changeling and take an active role in the story. Has Raz thought much about his yet? The fetch, imo, should be something that the character comes up with, albeit subject to potential storyteller alterations as necessary.

Gender

Spoiler

odd tag, right?
Well. The trouble is, I cannot help but see the character as female. But I cannot help but see the fetch as male. And sure, normal this could be an interesting angle... But I am already taxed for emotional drama. So what could be a poignant experience feels instead like a tacked on play for extra points.

Except I don't know how to reconcile the differences. Just matching the two feels fundamentally wrong. Having a discrepancy but not touching on it feels tacky though, like I'm making light of/hand waving an otherwise important trait.

And I'm not even sure the concept would work for Anarion in the first place, either. Heh.

Play the character that you see in your head. You're not going to stop seeing her that way because if you did it wouldn't be the same character anymore.

Now, as for how to make this work, you tell me if you want it to matter. If you really don't want the issue of gender to come up, then we can say that the fetch is the same gender and just has masculine tendencies and it won't come up after that. We could even say that part of the fetch's cover story involved getting a sex change. It's San Francisco, lots of people do that and it need not ever be a point of conversation beyond "yeah, that happened." If you do want to make an issue over this, on the other hand, then the fact that the fetch is male or an extremely masculine female could easily be a major point for your character, something she worries about and that would play into how their confrontation goes with each other.

[Raz_Fox]

CHARACTER SHEET

Marchande

Formerly Ruth Medina
Female Winter Court Truefriend Beast
"Fortuna secunda."

STATBLOCK

Spoiler

ATTRIBUTES

Intelligence 4
Wits 2
Resolve 1

Strength 1
Dexterity 3
Stamina 2

Presence 4
Manipulation 2
Composure 2

MENTAL
Academics 2
Computer
Crafts
Investigation
Occult 3 (Appraisal +1)
Politics 2
Medicine
Science

PHYSICAL
Athletics 1
Brawl 1 (With Claws +1)
Drive
Firearms
Larceny
Stealth 2
Survival
Weaponry

SOCIAL
Animal Ken 1 (Dogs +1)
Empathy 3 (Desires +1)
Expression
Intimidation
Persuasion 3 (Trust Me +1)
Socialize 2 (+1 Oath)
Streetwise
Subterfuge 2

MERITS
Market Sense 1
Striking Looks 2
Token 1 (Hedgespun Suit)
New Identity 1 (+1 Oath)
Harvest 2 (Emotions)
Mantle of Winter 1

CONTRACTS
Dream 2
Hearth 3

WYRD 1
GLAMOUR 6/10

CLARITY 7
VIRTUE: Charity
VICE: Envy

DERIVED TRAITS
Willpower 3/3
Defense 2
Health 7/7
Speed 7

CLAUSES
Dream 1: Pathfinder
Cost: 1G
Pool: Intelligence+Wyrd 4
Catch: Plucked a Hedge thorn and spilled blood while doing so in the past day.
Effect: Each success reveals a fact about the Hedge.

Dream 2: Forging the Dream
Cost: 1G
Pool: Wits+Wyrd 3
Catch: Changeling must be touching their temple and the dreamer's.
Effect: May change the subject's dreams at-will.

Hearth 1: Fickle Fate
Cost: 1G
Effect: Target's next active roll is at a -2 dice penalty.
Ban: May not be used on the same person more than once an hour, or it effects user.

Hearth 2: Favored Fate
Cost: 1G
Effect: Target's next active roll is at a +4 dice bonus.
Ban: May not be used for the same action twice until the sun rises or sets, or one action later automatically fails.

Hearth 3: Beneficent Fate
Cost: 1G
Effect: Target's next action automatically succeeds.
Ban: If used on same target more than once in a day, the target's next action instead hinges on one chance die.

Kith: Companion's Boon
For 1G, may grant someone they can see and speak to a +3 dice bonus on any roll.

Beast's Blessing

8 Again on Animal Ken.
Can spend Glamour one-to-one to buy dice on rolls involving Presence or Composure.

Beast's Curse
-4 Untrained Penalty on all untrained Mental skills
No 10-again on Intelligence


XP: 20
UNSPENT XP: 20
ARCANE XP: 14
UNSPENT ARCANE: 14

DESCRIPTION

Spoiler

The pigtails are usually what everyone remembers about Marchande. She is just tall enough that it's slightly uncomfortable, and just skinny enough that you'd worry about her diet, and she has a face that is quite attractive, particularly - according to some - her large, dark eyes, but what everyone remembers is that she's just not suited for twin pigtails. She does her best to stay serious and to act as maturely as possible, and yet those pigtails. Her voice is smooth and rich, and she seems to attract attention easily when she speaks, and yet those pigtails. She's typically found in an understated, fine-looking dark suit, which further highlights the incongruity of the pigtails; she's also never seen without the tasseled bracelets on her wrists. All in all, the mixture of the childish, professional and exotic shows most people what they want to see when they hear about someone who says they deal in luck.

Under the Mask, however, those pigtails are ears; her head is that of a saluki, a Persian wolfhound. Her arms and legs are thick with fur, growing particularly long at her wrists. Her tail hangs between her legs, and her nails are almost claws. Despite this, she acts with a certain frustrated patience towards her canine features, tucking her long tail out of the way whenever possible, and purposefully not attracting attention to her nails or her ears. Her reasoning behind this is simple: she hates the fact that she is no longer completely human, and wishes to ignore it as much as possible, in the hopes that one day she will 'fix' herself.

Marchande's obsession, now that she's home, is being human. And to her, what separates humans from animals is their ability to trade, and barter, and to make deals. Making deals requires intelligence, charm, and intent, all of which she treasures in herself. The cruel irony is that the thing she peddles most naturally is luck; her deals with the hearth and her kith's blessing allow her to bring others fortune with ease, or to remove it, for the right price.

What resonates most deeply with her, when she tastes the emotions of others, is guilt and regret. Perhaps because she felt them, upon realizing she'd escaped. Given her inability to resist temptation, and the amount of it that she needs to fuel her line of intended business, addiction to harvesting Glamour may not be entirely out of the question for her, but she says she's got it under control.

Incidentally, ask, and she'll tell you that she's not an Arab, she's Coptic. No, she's not Muslim, thank you for asking, she's Coptic. Yes, she was born in the States, no, she can't speak Arabic.

HISTORY

Spoiler

Once upon a time, there was an obedient girl named Ruth. As a child, she was perfect, never pushing against the rules of childhood, never disrespecting her parents, never disobeying her teachers. Ruth obeyed her parents when they told her where she would be going to university; she obeyed her parents when they told her to go into business like her father. Why would she do otherwise? They were her elders, she knew they had her best interests in mind, it was Scripturally sound and wise beyond her years to obey.

And so Ruth went to the University of San Francisco, and became the darling of her teachers. Never was there a student so diligent, so punctual, so committed to their courses! Barring the unfortunate fact that she rarely brought her own thoughts to bear upon the course, preferring to repeat the viewpoints she was given by her teachers, she was the model student. She never cheated, never made excuses for late papers, never partied the night before a test, and generally went through a life dictated by her parents, pastors and teachers.

One day, a charming young lady who taught courses on market economics asked Ruth, very politely, if she would like to meet that evening in her office to discuss a paper Ruth was working on. Privately, of course. And this obedient girl thought little of her insistence that it be private, and she printed out her draft, and she knocked on the professor's door - a sharp, polite little rap of her knuckles - and she entered the wolf's den. And so she was taken.

Her pale skin was fur, cropped short all about her, and the slight kink in her back was a devil's hunch, and her spectacles were huge black eyes, and her slightly-oversized ears were those of a hare. She pulled the obedient girl through the thorny hedge, and when the obedient girl was pulled out the other side with her fine clothes in disarray, she gave Ruth a collar and a muzzle and took her to the market in the belly of the beast. That chattering, bloody-walled, labyrinthine market! For sale, everything that was alive, or once was; bones and tongues and leathers and flesh and pets. This last was her use, for she was presented as an obedient, easily-tamed thing, offered in your choice of feathers or skin or scales. Would she not make a fine snake to give your son? Would she not be a pretty little songbird to keep in a cage?

Her buyer was tall, and wore a striped suit and a hat that he'd brought back from India; he idly held a cane, and laughed with the white hare, and said jolly good, he was in the market for a simply wizard wolfhound, something to show up that bally Witherspoon with his blasted French pureblood. So the white hare dressed Ruth up in the skin of the hounds of the obedient girl's ancestors, the saluki who sat at the feet of shahs and sultans, and she was taken home to show the bright young chaps of the society and all those ladies who would drop in and out of engagement with him at the drop of his imported hat.

He was ugly on the inside, her master; he was decent to anyone who had his color of skin, and as much money as him - however money was decided here, in this never-was England - and anyone who had the right breeding, and the right manners. Anyone who was a darkie, or poor, or descended from anything less than pure pedigree was a subhuman brute in his eyes. As far as this obedient girl could tell, she was not the only former human on his green, antiquated estate - he had doorkeepers, and servants, and cabbies, and maids, and horses, and a mistress who wore heavy makeup to hide the bruises. He had a quick hand, this gentleman, and a swift foot. Even the fact that he controlled his wrath among high company, when his almost-human friends came to call or he went out on invitation, was no mercy, for his punishments were ever the harsher when his friends could no longer see him beat his servants until they bled.

And the obedient girl slowly became an obedient wolfhound named Princess, who begged for her food and did tricks to amuse the company, and was kicked savagely afterwards if she failed to impress. She was kept in a cramped little kennel, and if she ever bit she was starved for months, and if she ever failed to obey at once she was beaten until the master thought she'd learned her lesson. And so the master got what he wanted: a guard dog, and a trophy, and an obedient creature who did whatever he wanted, all in one. She caught intruders, she performed the most marvelous tricks for company, she begged wonderfully and nuzzled his hand affectionately when he was in his almost-kindly moods.

One day, the obedient little wolfhound remembered home. The master had been showing her off, boasting of how he'd purchased her in Persia from some ignorant little darkies, a pureblooded dog who was the descendant of the hunting-hounds of Xerxes and Darius, and she'd remembered that it was a lie, remembered the bleeding walls of the dark market, remembered being stolen from a home she only vaguely remembered. Remembered walking on two legs and talking and not being collared. And so, when the master went off to go get a suit fitted for the charity ball that would never give its proceeds away to the poor, the disobedient little girl used her paw like a hand, and opened the lock on her kennel; the disobedient girl stood up on two legs, and fell down, and stood back up, and tottered out of the master's bedroom; the disobedient girl sneaked into the mistress's bedroom and stole a fine lacy gown, and put it on; the disobedient girl walked past the twisted, hopeless servants who'd once looked like her, and the misshapen doormen who'd once had proper skin, and through the garden with its great displays of flowers that might once have been people. No one stopped her. After all, she walked with pride on two legs, and dogs do not walk on two legs, and dogs do not wear fine dresses, therefore she could not have been the master's dog.

Remembering how to walk on two legs and not bark was the hardest thing she'd ever done.

This disobedient little girl shambled down country lanes, stumbling like the sphinx's riddle - now four legs, now two, now three. She walked and walked and walked, looking for some way back home. And then she treed an old intruder, the blonde-haired meddler, because the wolfhound was still strong in her. Their conversation was long, and awkward, but they eventually decided that it was easier for two to escape than one. Is it over? Not quite. You see, the two came across roving hobgoblins as they wandered, merchant-goblins, with golden teeth and leering eyes. And this disobedient girl, she made a deal with them, impressing all there - goblins, intruder and all. A faerie's collar from around her neck, in exchange for a path out of this never-were world; a dress of lace dreams stolen straight from a Gentleman's closet, in exchange for a suit woven from a moonlit night that reminded her of home, of Father, and perhaps a little bit of her Master. And so this disobedient girl decided on a name, seeing the power that these traders had, and the power that she could share with them. Her name was now Marchande.

And so Marchande and Stephanie made their way home, with the motley little gang that had sprung up about them, but it wasn't really home for either of them. But Marchande, she has plans. She sees, now, how much the world of the faeries intrudes upon the real world, and how there is so much more to be bought and sold then there ever was before, and how much power a merchant has. If she can overcome the hatred she feels at her dog's face, at her long fur, at her inhumanity, she might even make a businesswoman of herself yet.

After all, despite the inhumanity of her mind, she is quite, quite intelligent. And, for the first time in a long while, her mind is free. And not everything learned in that world was bad - certainly not the secret promises that she overheard her master using, promises to Fate itself. If anyone could turn that into a business, it would be Marchande...

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

This sentence deserves quoting, just, y'know, in general.

I am both proud of and annoyed at this. Ah well. Something to perhaps refine.

Other stuff I process but have no meaningful suggestions to offer. You seem on the right track as far as the process goes, just need to follow it through to the conclusion.

I think this was really what I needed to hear.

Originally Posted by Anarion

The rapper or the former British general?

The US marine come Japanese wizard ghost wrangler.

Nope. Want to give us the quick synopsis?

Fairy tales are based on literal truth about supernatural meta humans. The brothers Grim(m?) are part of a bloodline who can see a big bad wolf for what he is and not go insane. They operate as bounty hunters of the supernatural, to a degree, except the monsters are part of society. That lawyer just do happens to be a literal snake, but he's still a lawyer.

The protagonist is a police officer whose aunt dies snd entrusts him with the family secret, as he gains the ability to see this new world. He is a good cop, but slowly he is becoming what the monsters - wesen, with a v - expect, forsaking his sense of justice for a shoot from the hip monster executioner feel. The monsters likewise; the second episode deals with a wearbear who wants to relive family traditions, and finds it easier to be a monster than a human with a burden. The whole show had strong subtext on being who you are versus being shaped by circumstance.

Just looking at these points, here are my initial thoughts. This character is a schemer, and sounds like one who uses passiveness as an advantage. If this character were physical, she would be trained in aikido (the martial art that is all about reacting to the opponent and using his own momentum against him). When she wants something, she gets it by making everyone around her think they're doing themselves a favor and helping her is only incidental. That sound about right?

One thing I'm curious about, why did she leave Faerie? It's a long way through the hedge and difficult, not to mention that leaving one's durance is a risky proposition. There has to have been some reason either pulling the character strongly back to the mortal world or pushing her to escape from her keeper.

There's a lot there. One of the strongest things I see is the comment that being overt is the wrong way to go about things. That speaks of someone who thinks there's a right way to do things and perhaps a core of internal confidence. Why is she convinced that subtlety is the right way? Personal experience? From Faerie, or from before?

These are connected, but I'll try to parse them.
Combat would be best to be avoided. Manipulation, yes, but physically more avoidance. You suggest aikido, and it fits. A more rhythmic capoeira would as well, but because originally a dancer was my thought. Grace belies violence. The swans moves gently over the placid lake. No one sees the fury of the paddling, the churning, the heat and the debris scattering beneath. The manipulation comes from Sonata Arctica's [/url], Fly With The Black Swan; a man lost, who trades his life to avoid death. The melancholy feel is from a song most associated with the unspellable Lorreena Mckennit, The Bonny Swans.

Leaving Arcadia is a given. Arcadia is hell, deep mind scarring torture. Right?¹ Memories, snatches, that realization you're having a nightmare, but it only adds a layer of terror because you can't wake up and the dream repeats, stocatto and stochastic forever. Freedom! Out of the hedge, thorns a seet pain as payment for final escape! Wandering, lost, unknown, unloved, only Thea other strangers for company. Nagging, longing, unplaced, untraceable. Months pass and one finds themself awake in the night crying for the sweet and familiar nightmare by the cold light of a sickle moon.
Prisoners hate prison, but some acclimate, and miss the regimentation.

And finally, oversion versus coversion. There is some mixing, but a lot of the labeling is on my part, not hers. Understanding that as one seeks freedom from responsibility, controlling the environment is dumb is my acknowledging that these are not the best way to go about things. From inside the PC, the attempt is only natural. Panic, anxiety, paranoia are all emotions that cause one to lose perspective, to narrow their field of mind. An ordinarily reasonable person fixates on their own pain, immediate causes and such. One loses ability to see beyond two degrees without effort. It curtails wisdom.

What I got from thanqol's idea of Theme was was narrative. An equation. Finding out how things will go is as easy as saying what each variable is and then estimating the result. The character would be best and happiest just giving up and being a passive supporter rather than a leader of some variety. But lashing out and trying to control things is the natural result of an intelligent person reacting to stress without forethought. The thorns which dig tighter as you struggle, but fall slack when you relax.

Seems like you have a good mechanical sense of the person and what skills there are. For seeming, think about when and why she was taken. What did her keeper want with her? Did she match the keeper's seeming (most common) or did her keeper shape her for a particular role?

Not entirely sure yet. True to form, our understanding of the Durance is foggy, dreamlike, nightmarish.

Okay, I've got a great sense of your fetch, as well as Thanqol's. I think yours would be much more likely to try to find her changeling and take an active role in the story. Has Raz thought much about his yet? The fetch, imo, should be something that the character comes up with, albeit subject to potential storyteller alterations as necessary.

Now, as for how to make this work, you tell me if you want it to matter. If you really don't want the issue of gender to come up, then we can say that the fetch is the same gender and just has masculine tendencies and it won't come up after that. We could even say that part of the fetch's cover story involved getting a sex change. It's San Francisco, lots of people do that and it need not ever be a point of conversation beyond "yeah, that happened." If you do want to make an issue over this, on the other hand, then the fact that the fetch is male or an extremely masculine female could easily be a major point for your character, something she worries about and that would play into how their confrontation goes with each other.

*nod nod*







[su]1[/sup]: No, Arcadia is'nt alway smind-scarring torture. But for the ones who aren't mind-scarringly tortured, well, why would they escape?

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

CHARACTER SHEET

Marchande

Formerly Ruth Medina
Female Winter Court Truefriend Beast
""Fortuna secunda."

STATBLOCK

Spoiler

ATTRIBUTES

Intelligence 4
Wits 2
Resolve 1

Strength 1
Dexterity 3
Stamina 2

Presence 3
Manipulation 3
Composure 2

MENTAL
Academics 2
Computer
Crafts
Investigation
Occult 3 (Appraisal +1)
Politics 2
Medicine
Science

PHYSICAL
Athletics 1
Brawl 1 (With Claws +1)
Drive
Firearms
Larceny
Stealth 2
Survival
Weaponry

SOCIAL
Animal Ken 1 (Dogs +1)
Empathy 3 (Desires +1)
Expression
Intimidation
Persuasion 3 (Trust Me +1)
Socialize 2
Streetwise
Subterfuge 2

MERITS
Market Sense 1
Striking Looks 2
Token 1 (Hedgespun Suit)
New Identity 1
Harvest 2 (Emotions)

CONTRACTS
Dream 2
Hearth 3

WYRD 1
GLAMOUR 5/10

CLARITY 7
VIRTUE: Charity
VICE: Envy
FLAW:

DERIVED TRAITS
Willpower 3/3
Defense 2
Health 7/7
Speed 4

CLAUSES
Dream 1: Pathfinder
Cost: 1G
Pool: Intelligence+Wyrd 4
Catch: Plucked a Hedge thorn and spilled blood while doing so in the past day.
Effect: Each success reveals a fact about the Hedge.

Dream 2: Forging the Dream
Cost: 1G
Pool: Wits+Wyrd 3
Catch: Changeling must be touching their temple and the dreamer's.
Effect: May change the subject's dreams at-will.

Hearth 1: Fickle Fate
Cost: 1G
Effect: Target's next active roll is at a -2 dice penalty.
Ban: May not be used on the same person more than once an hour, or it effects user.

Hearth 2: Favored Fate
Cost: 1G
Effect: Target's next active roll is at a +4 dice bonus.
Ban: May not be used for the same action twice until the sun rises or sets, or one action later automatically fails.

Hearth 3: Beneficent Fate
Cost: 1G
Effect: Target's next action automatically succeeds.
Ban: If used on same target more than once in a day, the target's next action instead hinges on one chance die.

Kith: Companion's Boon
For 1G, may grant someone they can see and speak to a +3 dice bonus on any roll.

Beast's Blessing

8 Again on Animal Ken.
Can spend Glamour one-to-one to buy dice on rolls involving Presence or Composure.

Beast's Curse
-4 Untrained Penalty on all untrained Mental skills
No 10-again on Intelligence


XP: 0
UNSPENT XP: 0
ARCANE XP: 0
UNSPENT ARCANE: 0

DESCRIPTION

Spoiler

The pigtails are usually what everyone remembers about Marchande. She is just tall enough that it's slightly uncomfortable, and just skinny enough that you'd worry about her diet, and she has a face that is quite attractive, particularly - according to some - her large, dark eyes, but what everyone remembers is that she's just not suited for twin pigtails. She does her best to stay serious and to act as maturely as possible, and yet those pigtails. Her voice is smooth and rich, and she seems to attract attention easily when she speaks, and yet those pigtails. She's typically found in an understated, fine-looking dark suit, which further highlights the incongruity of the pigtails; she's also never seen without the tasseled bracelets on her wrists. All in all, the mixture of the childish, professional and exotic shows most people what they want to see when they hear about someone who says they deal in luck.

Under the Mask, however, those pigtails are ears; her head is that of a saluki, a Persian wolfhound. Her arms and legs are thick with fur, growing particularly long at her wrists. Her tail hangs between her legs, and her nails are almost claws. Despite this, she acts with a certain frustrated patience towards her canine features, tucking her long tail out of the way whenever possible, and purposefully not attracting attention to her nails or her ears. Her reasoning behind this is simple: she hates the fact that she is no longer completely human, and wishes to ignore it as much as possible, in the hopes that one day she will 'fix' herself.

Marchande's obsession, now that she's home, is being human. And to her, what separates humans from animals is their ability to trade, and barter, and to make deals. Making deals requires intelligence, charm, and intent, all of which she treasures in herself. The cruel irony is that the thing she peddles most naturally is luck; her deals with the hearth and her kith's blessing allow her to bring others fortune with ease, or to remove it, for the right price.

What resonates most deeply with her, when she tastes the emotions of others, is guilt and regret. Perhaps because she felt them, upon realizing she'd escaped. Given her inability to resist temptation, and the amount of it that she needs to fuel her line of intended business, addiction to harvesting Glamour may not be entirely out of the question for her, but she says she's got it under control.

Incidentally, ask, and she'll tell you that she's not an Arab, she's Coptic. No, she's not Muslim, thank you for asking, she's Coptic. Yes, she was born in the States, no, she can't speak Arabic.

HISTORY

Spoiler

Once upon a time, there was an obedient girl named Ruth. As a child, she was perfect, never pushing against the rules of childhood, never disrespecting her parents, never disobeying her teachers. Ruth obeyed her parents when they told her where she would be going to university; she obeyed her parents when they told her to go into business like her father. Why would she do otherwise? They were her elders, she knew they had her best interests in mind, it was Scripturally sound and wise beyond her years to obey.

And so Ruth went to the University of San Francisco, and became the darling of her teachers. Never was there a student so diligent, so punctual, so committed to their courses! Barring the unfortunate fact that she rarely brought her own thoughts to bear upon the course, preferring to repeat the viewpoints she was given by her teachers, she was the model student. She never cheated, never made excuses for late papers, never partied the night before a test, and generally went through a life dictated by her parents, pastors and teachers.

One day, a charming young lady who taught courses on market economics asked Ruth, very politely, if she would like to meet that evening in her office to discuss a paper Ruth was working on. Privately, of course. And this obedient girl thought little of her insistence that it be private, and she printed out her draft, and she knocked on the professor's door - a sharp, polite little rap of her knuckles - and she entered the wolf's den. And so she was taken.

Her pale skin was fur, cropped short all about her, and the slight kink in her back was a devil's hunch, and her spectacles were huge black eyes, and her slightly-oversized ears were those of a hare. She pulled the obedient girl through the thorny hedge, and when the obedient girl was pulled out the other side with her fine clothes in disarray, she gave Ruth a collar and a muzzle and took her to the market in the belly of the beast. That chattering, bloody-walled, labyrinthine market! For sale, everything that was alive, or once was; bones and tongues and leathers and flesh and pets. This last was her use, for she was presented as an obedient, easily-tamed thing, offered in your choice of feathers or skin or scales. Would she not make a fine snake to give your son? Would she not be a pretty little songbird to keep in a cage?

Her buyer was tall, and wore a striped suit and a hat that he'd brought back from India; he idly held a cane, and laughed with the white hare, and said jolly good, he was in the market for a simply wizard wolfhound, something to show up that bally Witherspoon with his blasted French pureblood. So the white hare dressed Ruth up in the skin of the hounds of the obedient girl's ancestors, the saluki who sat at the feet of shahs and sultans, and she was taken home to show the bright young chaps of the society and all those ladies who would drop in and out of engagement with him at the drop of his imported hat.

He was ugly on the inside, her master; he was decent to anyone who had his color of skin, and as much money as him - however money was decided here, in this never-was England - and anyone who had the right breeding, and the right manners. Anyone who was a darkie, or poor, or descended from anything less than pure pedigree was a subhuman brute in his eyes. As far as this obedient girl could tell, she was not the only former human on his green, antiquated estate - he had doorkeepers, and servants, and cabbies, and maids, and horses, and a mistress who wore heavy makeup to hide the bruises. He had a quick hand, this gentleman, and a swift foot. Even the fact that he controlled his wrath among high company, when his almost-human friends came to call or he went out on invitation, was no mercy, for his punishments were ever the harsher when his friends could no longer see him beat his servants until they bled.

And the obedient girl slowly became an obedient wolfhound named Princess, who begged for her food and did tricks to amuse the company, and was kicked savagely afterwards if she failed to impress. She was kept in a cramped little kennel, and if she ever bit she was starved for months, and if she ever failed to obey at once she was beaten until the master thought she'd learned her lesson. And so the master got what he wanted: a guard dog, and a trophy, and an obedient creature who did whatever he wanted, all in one. She caught intruders, she performed the most marvelous tricks for company, she begged wonderfully and nuzzled his hand affectionately when he was in his almost-kindly moods.

One day, the obedient little wolfhound remembered home. The master had been showing her off, boasting of how he'd purchased her in Persia from some ignorant little darkies, a pureblooded dog who was the descendant of the hunting-hounds of Xerxes and Darius, and she'd remembered that it was a lie, remembered the bleeding walls of the dark market, remembered being stolen from a home she only vaguely remembered. Remembered walking on two legs and talking and not being collared. And so, when the master went off to go get a suit fitted for the charity ball that would never give its proceeds away to the poor, the disobedient little girl used her paw like a hand, and opened the lock on her kennel; the disobedient girl stood up on two legs, and fell down, and stood back up, and tottered out of the master's bedroom; the disobedient girl sneaked into the mistress's bedroom and stole a fine lacy gown, and put it on; the disobedient girl walked past the twisted, hopeless servants who'd once looked like her, and the misshapen doormen who'd once had proper skin, and through the garden with its great displays of flowers that might once have been people. No one stopped her. After all, she walked with pride on two legs, and dogs do not walk on two legs, and dogs do not wear fine dresses, therefore she could not have been the master's dog.

Remembering how to walk on two legs and not bark was the hardest thing she'd ever done.

This disobedient little girl shambled down country lanes, stumbling like the sphinx's riddle - now four legs, now two, now three. She walked and walked and walked, looking for some way back home. And then she treed an old intruder, the blonde-haired meddler, because the wolfhound was still strong in her. Their conversation was long, and awkward, but they eventually decided that it was easier for two to escape than one. Is it over? Not quite. You see, the two came across roving hobgoblins as they wandered, merchant-goblins, with golden teeth and leering eyes. And this disobedient girl, she made a deal with them, impressing all there - goblins, intruder and all. A faerie's collar from around her neck, in exchange for a path out of this never-were world; a dress of lace dreams stolen straight from a Gentleman's closet, in exchange for a suit woven from a moonlit night that reminded her of home, of Father, and perhaps a little bit of her Master. And so this disobedient girl decided on a name, seeing the power that these traders had, and the power that she could share with them. Her name was now Marchande.

And so Marchande and Stephanie made their way home, with the motley little gang that had sprung up about them, but it wasn't really home for either of them. But Marchande, she has plans. She sees, now, how much the world of the faeries intrudes upon the real world, and how there is so much more to be bought and sold then there ever was before, and how much power a merchant has. If she can overcome the hatred she feels at her dog's face, at her long fur, at her inhumanity, she might even make a businesswoman of herself yet.

After all, despite the inhumanity of her mind, she is quite, quite intelligent. And, for the first time in a long while, her mind is free. And not everything learned in that world was bad - certainly not the secret promises that she overheard her master using, promises to Fate itself. If anyone could turn that into a business, it would be Marchande...

Three things on the character sheet.
1. Marchande's speed is 9, not 4. You forgot the size factor.
2. Double checking that you're certain about the 3/2 contract split. It's less efficient from an experience perspective than a 4/1 split, but if you really want to start out with that set it won't be a huge cost.
3. Similarly double checking that you want an even distribution in the social merits. It will mean Marchande is okay at everything socially, but not great at any specific thing.

On the history, I love it. Particularly the use of obedient vs. disobedient. We'll have to keep the escape open to incorporate SiuiS and Phoe's characters, but it looks great.

One giant question though. Does Marchande have a fetch? If so, who is the fetch, what does she think about Marchande's return, and where is she now? If you don't want to make it, I can write one up and present it for your review.

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Fairy tales are based on literal truth about supernatural meta humans. The brothers Grim(m?) are part of a bloodline who can see a big bad wolf for what he is and not go insane. They operate as bounty hunters of the supernatural, to a degree, except the monsters are part of society. That lawyer just do happens to be a literal snake, but he's still a lawyer.

The protagonist is a police officer whose aunt dies snd entrusts him with the family secret, as he gains the ability to see this new world. He is a good cop, but slowly he is becoming what the monsters - wesen, with a v - expect, forsaking his sense of justice for a shoot from the hip monster executioner feel. The monsters likewise; the second episode deals with a wearbear who wants to relive family traditions, and finds it easier to be a monster than a human with a burden. The whole show had strong subtext on being who you are versus being shaped by circumstance.

Cool. Definitely very much a Changeling story (although I'm starting to see what Thanqol means when he says everything is a Changeling story).

These are connected, but I'll try to parse them.
Combat would be best to be avoided. Manipulation, yes, but physically more avoidance. You suggest aikido, and it fits. A more rhythmic capoeira would as well, but because originally a dancer was my thought. Grace belies violence. The swans moves gently over the placid lake. No one sees the fury of the paddling, the churning, the heat and the debris scattering beneath. The manipulation comes from Sonata Arctica's Fly With The Black Swan; a man lost, who trades his life to avoid death. The melancholy feel is from a song most associated with the unspellable Lorreena Mckennit, The Bonny Swans.

Leaving Arcadia is a given. Arcadia is hell, deep mind scarring torture. Right?¹ Menories, snatches, that realization you're having a nightmare, but it only adds a layer of terror because you can't wake up and the dream repeats, stocatto and stochastic forever. Freedom! Out of the hedge, thorns a seet pain as payment for final escape! Wandering, lost, unknown, unloved, only Thea other strangers for company. Nagging, longing, unplaced, untraceable. Months pass and one finds themself awake in the night crying for the sweet and familiar nightmare by the cold light of a sickle moon.
Prisoners hate prison, but some acclimate, and miss the regimentation.

And finally, oversion versus conversion. There is some mixing, but a lot of the labeling is on my part, not hers. Understanding that as one seeks freedom from responsibility, controlling the environment is dumb is my acknowledging that these are not the best way to go about things. From inside the PC, the attempt is only natural. Panic, anxiety, paranoia are all emotions that cause one to lose perspective, to narrow their field of mind. An ordinarily reasonable person fixates on their own pain, immediate causes and such. One loses ability to see beyond two degrees without effort. It curtails wisdom.

What I got from thanqol's idea of Theme was was narrative. An equation. Finding out how things will go is as easy as saying what each variable is and then estimating the result. The character would be best and happiest just giving up and being a passive supporter rather than a leader of some variety. But lashing out and trying to control things is the natural result of an intelligent person reacting to stress without forethought. The thorns which dig tighter as you struggle, but fall slack when you relax.

I admit, I find that hard to follow. It's a flow of interconnected feelings and ideas, without really containing complete logical sense. I think there's definitely someone in there though, quite distinct. Someone who, under a facade of constant appeasement, actually has a will of steel that can bend, but never break. Then again, maybe I'm misunderstanding her.

Not entirely sure yet. True to form, our understanding of the Durance is foggy, dreamlike, nightmarish.

That could be interesting. You could be a beastman swan and step out of the hedge wondering "why do I look like this? What happened? Why can't I remember?" Or perhaps a fairest with striking beauty and sculpted features but nothing that really stands out, nothing that would tie her to any one task or keeper. Almost like a perfect model of a human being, lacking the quirks that make one actually appear human.

[BlasTech]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

I would discuss this but I'm now aware my Waiting for Rain players are watching.

"No we're not!"

[SiuiS]

I admit, I find that hard to follow. It's a flow of interconnected feelings and ideas, without really containing complete logical sense. I think there's definitely someone in there though, quite distinct. Someone who, under a facade of constant appeasement, actually has a will of steel that can bend, but never break. Then again, maybe I'm misunderstanding her.

This is the crux of my issues. It sounds like I know what I'm saying! Ya just can't parse it. Too scattered.
It's not innacurate, but the connotation feels off. In your sentence, appeasement is emotionally negative, strong willed independence emotionally positive. These are backwards.

So I suppose this, too, is all a facade. Not steel, but wood. A tree broken under weather, who healed in a new shape. The new shape isn't bad, just different. But when all the other trees are straight up one cannot help but are the perfectly healthy, thriving crooked tree as "wrong".

Man. Almost had a good explanation. Tip of my tongue, then poof!

-

How do the three real seasons affect the courts? This stuck with me through the retread of the OP.

EDIT: Adding in the songs I mentioned. Yay computer!

[Raz_Fox]

Originally Posted by Anarion

Three things on the character sheet.
1. Marchande's speed is 9, not 4. You forgot the size factor.
2. Double checking that you're certain about the 3/2 contract split. It's less efficient from an experience perspective than a 4/1 split, but if you really want to start out with that set it won't be a huge cost.
3. Similarly double checking that you want an even distribution in the social merits. It will mean Marchande is okay at everything socially, but not great at any specific thing.

Speedwise, ooooh, you're right. I'm borrowing the books, so I'm not particularly well-read on the subject of WoDlore. Thank you!

Contractwise, I'm pretty sure. I hadn't thought about efficiency, but I was hoping to advertise the use of Dream 2 straight out of the gate. "How much are you willing to pay for good dreams?" Added to that, Hearth 4 didn't seem that impressive to me - at least, as far as Marchande could advertise it.

Statwise, AAAAAAAAGH I KNOW. I can't drop Presence, because I see her as being a very attractive, in both senses, person. But I can't drop Manipulation because she's, y'know, a merchant. And I can't drop Composure any more because then her willpower's in the drain and she's flying off the handle at the drop of a hat. Advice, sir?

On the history, I love it. Particularly the use of obedient vs. disobedient. We'll have to keep the escape open to incorporate SiuiS and Phoe's characters, but it looks great.

I'm really open, actually; after Stephanie and Marchande met up, they could have met either of the remaining characters prior to meeting the Market, or afterwards. The real difference would be in Marchande's confidence - prior to meeting the market, she was in a dirty frilly dress, and couldn't quite decide how many legs she was trying to walk on. After meeting the market, suddenly she has a name, she has a suit, she has a plan, she walks on two legs and doesn't struggle with it.

One giant question though. Does Marchande have a fetch? If so, who is the fetch, what does she think about Marchande's return, and where is she now? If you don't want to make it, I can write one up and present it for your review.

Agh, I keep forgetting to include her! Just wasn't space. Yes, Thanqol and I have talked about her fetch, who is - in the most knife-twisting move ever - better than she is. She has a boyfriend, she has creativity, she's top of the class and deserves to be, and even though she's not as respectful of her family she has ambition and dreams and would be a really lovely person except for the fact that there's this saluki-lady sitting across the street staring woefully into the diner where something with her face is laughing and kissing her new boyfriend.

She's completely oblivious. And Marchande intends to keep Ruth Medina oblivious. She deserves a happy, free life. And Marchande? Marchande... can disappear. She's got a new life now, as Miss Marchande, Purveyor of Fortunes.

Charity is, after all, a virtue...

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

How do the three real seasons affect the courts? This stuck with me through the retread of the OP.

You wouldn't possibly have any way of knowing this starting the campaign. However, I'll reiterate what I said in the OP. There are three real seasons, but everyone still keeps time by the four regular seasons. It just makes them feel better.

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

Statwise, AAAAAAAAGH I KNOW. I can't drop Presence, because I see her as being a very attractive, in both senses, person. But I can't drop Manipulation because she's, y'know, a merchant. And I can't drop Composure any more because then her willpower's in the drain and she's flying off the handle at the drop of a hat. Advice, sir?

My inclination would be either a 4,3,1 or 4,2,2 split. Probably with the 4 in manipulation. I'd ask for Thanqol's advice on whether you really need that composure above 1, or for that matter whether having both presence and manipulation is worthwhile and doesn't overlap too much. You're not going to be terrible as is though. With a 3 attribute and then 2-3 in a relevant skill, you'll be looking at a 5-6 dice pool. That means that for a regular task you're quite likely to succeed, but harder tasks could put you in a bind. For comparison, Thanqol has described 6 dice as someone who is good at what he/she does, with 8 dice being reserved for top experts and 10 dice representing best in the world.

Agh, I keep forgetting to include her! Just wasn't space. Yes, Thanqol and I have talked about her fetch, who is - in the most knife-twisting move ever - better than she is. She has a boyfriend, she has creativity, she's top of the class and deserves to be, and even though she's not as respectful of her family she has ambition and dreams and would be a really lovely person except for the fact that there's this saluki-lady sitting across the street staring woefully into the diner where something with her face is laughing and kissing her new boyfriend.

She's completely oblivious. And Marchande intends to keep Ruth Medina oblivious. She deserves a happy, free life. And Marchande? Marchande... can disappear. She's got a new life now, as Miss Marchande, Purveyor of Fortunes.

Charity is, after all, a virtue...

Wow, I'm really happy with the variety of fetches. Yours sounds like one that could come to a reasonable arrangement wherein neither of you is trying to kill the other, Thanqol's is a problem but one that Stephanie will most likely choose when and where to face, and SiuiS's idea is likely to end up working actively against you.

[Thanqol]

General Thoughts: Read Autumn Nightmares, a monster splat for Changeling, today. Good stuff in general, though by far my favourite part was the discussion of True Fae who come through to the mortal world and get trapped there.

Stephanie and Music: This is really hard because the music she likes is at complete odds with her personality. She doesn't really like happy, sugary stuff; she's got an ear for rap and gothic music. Sad music makes her happy. How that blends with the music that suits her is a little unsteady, still examining that.

The Fetch is easy, though. Every Day Is Exactly The Same and Getting Smaller.

Originally Posted by BlasTech

"No we're not!"

Oh well okay then. Here are my campaign notes for the game.

Spoiler

Make stuff up as I go along.

Originally Posted by Anarion

My inclination would be either a 4,3,1 or 4,2,2 split. Probably with the 4 in manipulation. I'd ask for Thanqol's advice on whether you really need that composure above 1, or for that matter whether having both presence and manipulation is worthwhile and doesn't overlap too much. You're not going to be terrible as is though. With a 3 attribute and then 2-3 in a relevant skill, you'll be looking at a 5-6 dice pool. That means that for a regular task you're quite likely to succeed, but harder tasks could put you in a bind. For comparison, Thanqol has described 6 dice as someone who is good at what he/she does, with 8 dice being reserved for top experts and 10 dice representing best in the world.

That's how it works. Mortals can never get anything above 5 without supernatural aid. That means the absolute uppermost limit on human potential is 11 dice (10+speciality). When you look at how crippled you have to be to get anything to 10 dice (strength 5 means dex 1 stamina 1, which means you're essentially a bulk steroid'd weight lifter with no endurance) then you quickly realise how rare it should be for anyone to roll 10 dice.

Honestly, raising attributes ever is really, really rare. It's super pricey and nine times out of ten you'll want to buy more magical powers. Get the stats you want not the stats theoretical 100xp you might want.

Wow, I'm really happy with the variety of fetches. Yours sounds like one that could come to a reasonable arrangement wherein neither of you is trying to kill the other, Thanqol's is a problem but one that Stephanie will most likely choose when and where to face, and SiuiS's idea is likely to end up working actively against you.

One really fun plotline for a Changeling who doesn't want to kill her Fetch is to have another Changeling, a little more unhinged and a little more on the side of 'All Fae creations must be destroyed before they cause further harm', try to kill her Fetch.

[Raz_Fox]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Get the stats you want not the stats theoretical 100xp you might want.

The stats I want are, like, an extra dot in Mental and Social attributes. That way, I could have a good Wits and Composure, without having to make them dump stats to get decent Presence/Intelligence/Manipulation.

EDIT: Upon deliberation, I'm going for 4/2/2, since she was rather guileless before being taken, and one of the hallmarks of my characters is a strong personality. Again... not very Winter of her.

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

The stats I want are, like, an extra dot in Mental and Social attributes. That way, I could have a good Wits and Composure, without having to make them dump stats to get decent Presence/Intelligence/Manipulation.

For stats, have glaring weaknesses for now. It would be harder to make your high intelligence higher, but getting your low resolve up would be relatively easy. I mean, you've just stumbled out of a traumatizing experience that almost destroyed you mentally and emotionally. You've got tangible wounds on your soul. I think taking a bit of time to get your full faculties back, and to shake off the weakness inflicted by Arcadian traumas.

[Thanqol]

Ah, Stephanie's music has just appeared. Here we go.


Home
Evening Preparations
Through the town
Into the manor
The Chase
Determination
Love and Leadership

[SiuiS]

I am compiling mechanics now, and the mechanics compile ideas into a tangible whole.

I am looking at Winter Masques, page 128, the vermillion court of the south, the ink brush, the court of song. The keys for me are that humanity isn't quite do important as being a changeling; to lose one's self in ecstasy, to experience what is rather than fabricate what isn't, to play the art to the hilt.

Much of the rest does not fit, but it is no more I'll-fitting than either Winter or Spring. And I feel she would not go courtless, that being akin to masterless.

I am still debating whether tis a Fairest Muse or a Wizened Chatelaine, but I am leaning strongly towards the latter. I may build both to see which feels good as I now have the books in the flesh (and can thus read away from the TV). Striking looks, quick healer, inspiring, languages, meditative mind, barfly all seem appropriate, though some are steep. Deliberately avoiding cost count, don't want to contaminate progress with bogging minutiae.

I need more... Understanding. Not knowledge, but comprehension. It is late. Early. Liminal; a time between, where things slip through the cracks.

A stark orphanage with spires and plinths rears black against an orange-brown sky. A child prone to wandering lost, in truth or thought, stands on a yellow carpet of light, practices poise by challenging their silhouette.

Or maybe

Yellow-green leaves And grass, a round rug speckled black and deepest green as a child plays in white dress, dancing. Giggles red as ripe berries cavort with her, as she chases the shadows of the leaves above blowing. Change angles, now, a far shot across the grove, canted madly. Wings flutter white as snow through the broad brown boughs and a child runs to see the swans and is never seen again.

It's hard to see a person in only their appearances. Hard to wear the actions and divine the mind inside. I think I'm cracking it (or cracking up) but another day must do.

And I cannot stop aliterating. Haha.

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

I am still debating whether tis a Fairest Muse or a Wizened Chatelaine, but I am leaning strongly towards the latter. I may build both to see which feels good as I now have the books in the flesh (and can thus read away from the TV). Striking looks, quick healer, inspiring, languages, meditative mind, barfly all seem appropriate, though some are steep. Deliberately avoiding cost count, don't want to contaminate progress with bogging minutiae.

I admit, I favour the Chatelaine idea just because games where 'Butler' is a viable character concept are few and far between.

[Anarion]

I agree with Thanqol, a properly trained manservant is rarely a viable character concept, but it could totally work here, particularly if the party sees your character as an asset and relies on her talents.

[SiuiS]

I would be focusing on the "servant" part of manservant, but yes. Butlers are fabulous. Being required to take initiative for the food of my friends will be a delicious problem.

Some of the snippets from last night have faded, and are ridiculous. I should really stop staying awake for so long, I haven't the fortitude nor constitution.

-

Pledges:
Pledges are done by picking the Type of pledge, the benefit, the cost if broken, how long it lasts, and balancing it all at 0, yes? Or is there more to the basic structure?

Contracts:
Contracts function more like arcana than I thought. You don't pick rotes at all; if you have a contract at •••, you get every power in that contract up to ••• right?

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Pledges:
Pledges are done by picking the Type of pledge, the benefit, the cost if broken, how long it lasts, and balancing it all at 0, yes? Or is there more to the basic structure?

Contracts:
Contracts function more like arcana than I thought. You don't pick rotes at all; if you have a contract at •••, you get every power in that contract up to ••• right?

For pledges that's pretty much it. They cost a willpower unless you're using my houserule that the pledge is a week or less and no other aspect exceeds +/-2. Note also that the several examples are just examples and pledges can really be pretty much anything as long as they're zero sum.

For contracts, yes if you get 3 dots, you get all 3 powers. This can make ogres a tad scary when they meet the catch for 3-4 contracts in the same turn (usually by bellowing in rage and tearing stuff out of the ground). This is also why a 4/1 split at character creation is so nice, since it's the best from an experience perspective and you get a strong power along with several useful weaker powers.

[Thanqol]

I'm noticing that, as I discuss dynamic with the other players, there's actually a very interesting series of interactions establishing themselves around Stephanie's theme of responsibility.

In particular, the other characters all have unusual ideas of freedom and slavery. In a sense, all the other three haven't really escaped their captivity mentally - March is far too aggressive in proving she's free, Phoe's character drifts without guidance, and SiuiS' character actively seeks that experience of governance again. But Stephanie was never really trapped as a servant in the first place; instead, she was running from having to be the master.

I think there's actually a really interesting side to her character that could develop if she followed a path of taking responsibility for the other player characters. A gradual realisation that it'd be much easier to help her friends if she could control them. There's a vast range of what that might look like, from using her influence to convince others to become her vassals for their own good, or adopting an increasingly leadership role, or anything in between. She could reconcile her fear of responsibility with the usefulness, or necessity of control.

I'm not sure if a path with her willingly accepting the loyalty of the other party members as the conclusion would be a good one or a bad one; it could be either, depending on the lighting. That Stephanie becomes the Princess of the Night, holding those around her together with their own chains. A benevolent dictatorship, perhaps. Or a chance for power to corrupt.

Either way, it seems like an interesting story and worth keeping in mind.

[Raz_Fox]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

I'm noticing that, as I discuss dynamic with the other players, there's actually a very interesting series of interactions establishing themselves around Stephanie's theme of responsibility.

In particular, the other characters all have unusual ideas of freedom and slavery. In a sense, all the other three haven't really escaped their captivity mentally - March is far too aggressive in proving she's free, Phoe's character drifts without guidance, and SiuiS' character actively seeks that experience of governance again. But Stephanie was never really trapped as a servant in the first place; instead, she was running from having to be the master.

I think there's actually a really interesting side to her character that could develop if she followed a path of taking responsibility for the other player characters. A gradual realisation that it'd be much easier to help her friends if she could control them. There's a vast range of what that might look like, from using her influence to convince others to become her vassals for their own good, or adopting an increasingly leadership role, or anything in between. She could reconcile her fear of responsibility with the usefulness, or necessity of control.

I'm not sure if a path with her willingly accepting the loyalty of the other party members as the conclusion would be a good one or a bad one; it could be either, depending on the lighting. That Stephanie becomes the Princess of the Night, holding those around her together with their own chains. A benevolent dictatorship, perhaps. Or a chance for power to corrupt.

Either way, it seems like an interesting story and worth keeping in mind.

I'm not sure I trust a Princess of the Night with Intelligence 1.

More seriously, though, I'm also unsure where exactly March will fit into the character dynamics here, leadership-wise. She's got a strong personality, a desire to be successful, but I had her plotted out as falling into the role of second-in-command. Of course, given that Phoe's character - as you say - probably won't be taking the reins, and Starry's character actively rejects the reins (at least publicly), that leaves Stephanie and Marchande.

And who would you trust more? The quiet ditzy blonde, or the compelling, business-suited merchant-wannabe? Who'd be more likely to take the reins? Of course, as you say, Marchande is very aggressive in proving that she's free, and she has her own plans she wants to see to, involving establishing a presence as a merchant of luck, getting a reliable source of Glamour, and eventually, perhaps, joining a Goblin Market - plans that the other three might not want to follow.

I'm waffling here, thinking out loud. Marchande and Stephanie working together, leadership-wise, would probably be a powerful combo. Marchande's got the smarts and the charisma, while Stephanie's got a better intuition of how things run than Marchande does.

And, of course, if Marchande ends up in a position of moderate wealth and respectability, with the loyalty of an aimless warrior and a butler, and is the one giving out orders... she might start to feel uncomfortably like the Master.

[SiuiS]

Oh come now, Marchande. People control other people all the time. That's what they do!

So stats and skills?
stats and skills.

Spoiler

Mental-
Intelligence 2
Wits 3
Resolve 2

Social-
Presence 1
Manipulation 4
Composure 2

Physical-
Strength 1
Dexterity 2
Stamina 3


Crafts M 3
politics M 2
investigation M 2
empathy S 3
Persuasion S 3
Subterfuge S 3
Socialize S 2
Larceny P 1
stealth P 3

I have two secondary attributes and no primary. Think I'm going to put the last dot into either intelligence or resolve. Probably intelligence.

Skills though, not so certain. Will drop socialize by on, but then where does that point go? Empathy, I suppose.

I'm being rushed out the door, so merits will wait for now. Thoughts so far?

And when can we expect to see a Phoe, so that we might appreciate her works?

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

I'm not sure I trust a Princess of the Night with Intelligence 1.

Oh, I'd absolutely trust a Princess of the Night with intelligence 1. She wouldn't be up to anything. She'd take guidance from the smart people and filter it through a fairly direct and unambiguous moral lens. You'd know exactly what she was going to do.

And who would you trust more? The quiet ditzy blonde, or the compelling, business-suited merchant-wannabe?

Who I'd trust more? I'd trust the one who doesn't know what she's doing, has a clear moral compass, explicitly does not want the position and has had all the negative aspects of her personality magically removed. That's who I'd trust.

Who'd be competent is entirely different, and only relevant if Stephanie wasn't delegating a lot.

Who ever said Princesses had to be smart?

I'm waffling here, thinking out loud. Marchande and Stephanie working together, leadership-wise, would probably be a powerful combo. Marchande's got the smarts and the charisma, while Stephanie's got a better intuition of how things run than Marchande does.

And, of course, if Marchande ends up in a position of moderate wealth and respectability, with the loyalty of an aimless warrior and a butler, and is the one giving out orders... she might start to feel uncomfortably like the Master.

Also likely, as is a possible leadership struggle. Could go any number of ways.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

I'm not sure I trust a Princess of the Night with Intelligence 1.

More seriously, though, I'm also unsure where exactly March will fit into the character dynamics here, leadership-wise. She's got a strong personality, a desire to be successful, but I had her plotted out as falling into the role of second-in-command. Of course, given that Phoe's character - as you say - probably won't be taking the reins, and Starry's character actively rejects the reins (at least publicly), that leaves Stephanie and Marchande.

And who would you trust more? The quiet ditzy blonde, or the compelling, business-suited merchant-wannabe? Who'd be more likely to take the reins? Of course, as you say, Marchande is very aggressive in proving that she's free, and she has her own plans she wants to see to, involving establishing a presence as a merchant of luck, getting a reliable source of Glamour, and eventually, perhaps, joining a Goblin Market - plans that the other three might not want to follow.

I'm waffling here, thinking out loud. Marchande and Stephanie working together, leadership-wise, would probably be a powerful combo. Marchande's got the smarts and the charisma, while Stephanie's got a better intuition of how things run than Marchande does.

And, of course, if Marchande ends up in a position of moderate wealth and respectability, with the loyalty of an aimless warrior and a butler, and is the one giving out orders... she might start to feel uncomfortably like the Master.

It's interesting. If you guys are solving a problem as a team, I see Stephanie as the most likely to go off alone, if for no other reason than that nobody else can keep up with her. On the other hand, she may have a low int, but she's got quick wits and could come up with plans on the fly, especially if nobody else steps up. Combine that with the fact that this group seems like it would be very good at getting places where they're not supposed to be, and you have a very Indiana Jones Daring Do style of leadership in the making.

Perhaps Marchande, for her part, enjoys being the sort that likes to appear as the 2nd in command publicly while secretly pulling the strings from the shadows.

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Oh come now, Marchande. People control other people all the time. That's what they do!

So stats and skills?
stats and skills.

Spoiler

Mental-
Intelligence 2
Wits 3
Resolve 2

Social-
Presence 1
Manipulation 4
Composure 2

Physical-
Strength 1
Dexterity 2
Stamina 3


Crafts M 3
politics M 2
investigation M 2
empathy S 3
Persuasion S 3
Subterfuge S 3
Socialize S 2
Larceny P 1
stealth P 3

I have two secondary attributes and no primary. Think I'm going to put the last dot into either intelligence or resolve. Probably intelligence.

Skills though, not so certain. Will drop socialize by on, but then where does that point go? Empathy, I suppose.

I'm being rushed out the door, so merits will wait for now. Thoughts so far?

Looks reasonable, though a bit jack-of-all-trades. Is there any skill that you might really want at a 4, that your character would really be the best at? Seems like you're leaning toward empathy, which could be quite effective.

If you have an extra point, you could consider streetwise as well. It's another form of gathering information and could find Marchande some black markets when you need them.

And when can we expect to see a Phoe, so that we might appreciate her works?

I'm curious as well. How are things going?

[SiuiS]

Social skills in keeping at a good, broad medium because I can't really do well there without at least one dot. Dropping a point of Socialize for streetwise would work - I could point the skill somewhere that makes sense with a specialty. I really want crazy empathy though. I'm fighting against the chatelaine's ingrained -2 on untrained social skills; if I want to be able to do something, it NEEDS to be on the sheet.

Mental skills are throwing me off. here is where I could spread the actual dots thin, and trust the attributes to get me where I want to go. But I can't think of any justifiable mental skills I don't already have. Occult maybe? But I have no idea how occult would play in a game where I am a fairy. Not a lot of stuff I couldn't just ask someone. Academics? But that shows a focus that's far from ancillary. Medicine I can actually swing, so there's that. A point of science to reflect an interest in engineering and architecture?

I'm not really sure I need any skill at 4, though it's better from an XP point if view. With 3 dots, I've got a 5-7 dice pool, averaging 85% chance of success Whereas without that dot in streetwise, I'm going into gang territory with a 10% chance of epic failure...

On to merits!

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Occult maybe? But I have no idea how occult would play in a game where I am a fairy. Not a lot of stuff I couldn't just ask someone.

Faeries lie.

And are also horrendously misinformed.

All the Changeling books are filled with contradictory answers to the questions of what are the gentry, what's real and what's myth, what different true fae have as their Bans, where the courts are from, if fairies are actually aliens...

Without Occult, you do not know any of those things. Or you know a bunch of things but have no idea if they're right or wrong. If you ask someone they'll either be an ally on your character sheet, ask for payment, or lie to you.

I'm not saying you need to have it, but the idea that Occult is somehow not useful in a Changeling game is outright wrong.

[the_druid_droid]

Always lurking~

Thread looks good. Very good.

Changeling all the Changeling.