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2 Kith and Kin Requires the use of the Changeling: The Lost Second Edition Rulebook Credits Developers: Meghan Fitzgerald and Rose Bailey Writers: Chris Allen, Jacqueline Bryk, Meghan Fitzgerald, Chris Handforth, Danielle Lauzon, Marianne Pease, Spider B. Perry, Lauren Roy, Chloe Sobel, Audrey Whitman Editor: Spider B. Perry Art: Brian Leblanc, Alex Sheikman, Luis Sanz, Drew Tucker Art Director: Mike Chaney Creative Director: Richard Thomas Special Thanks Dixie Cochran, for her endless support and encouragement. Our consulting developers, Michael Pietrelli and Vanessa Uphoff, who accompanied us on the journey. And all of our Changeling: The Lost 2e Kickstarter backers, who made this companion book possible! © 2022 Paradox Interactive AB. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf, Vampire, Chronicles of Darkness, Vampire: The Masquerade, and Mage: The Ascension are registered trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB. All rights reserved. Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Werewolf: The Forsaken, Mage: The Awakening, Promethean: The Created, Changeling: The Lost, Hunter: The Vigil, Geist: The Sin-Eaters, V20, Anarchs Unbound, Storyteller System, and Storytelling System are trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by Paradox Interactive AB. This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised. Keep up to date with Onyx Path Publishing at http://theonyxpath.com/

Table of Contents 3 Introduction 6 Theme: Identity and Choice 6 Mood: No Easy Answers 6 What’s in This Book? 6 Chapter One: Familiar and Strange 11 Fish Out of Water 11 Goodbye, Kansas 11 Guardians of the BriarNet 12 Over the Firewall 12 Handles and Usernames 13 Surfing the Web 13 Virtual Meetup 13 Once and Future 14 Shadows of the Past 15 Bright Thorns of the Future 15 Heirlooms 15 Walking Timeless Roads 16 The Wishing Roads 16 Lost in Space 16 Wishing Road Systems 17 Wishing Bastions 17 Soliloquies 18 Moon Faeries: The Lunar Freehold 19 Courts 19 Faces 19 Story Hooks 19 To Be Lost 19 Survival Instincts 19 Surviving 20 Fresh Out of the Hedge 21 On Learning to Live 21 Thriving 22 Spinning the Self 23 Needle and Thread 23 Prick of the Finger 23 Woven Tapestries 24 Rethreading the Needle 24 Touchstones 24 Alternate Systems 25 Clarity 25 Roleplaying the Dream 26 New Clarity Conditions 27 Optional System: Condition-Based Kenning 27 Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors 29 The Forms of Things Unknown 29 What Lies Forgotten 30 Lost and Found 31 No Good Deed Goes Unpunished 32 A Change of Heart 32 Designing Regalia 32 Symbol First 33 Themes First 33 Bringing It to Life 33 New Contracts 34 Chalice 34 Filling the Cup 34 Frail as the Dying Word 35 Sleep’s Sweet Embrace 35 Curse’s Cure 36 Dreamer’s Phalanx 36 Closing Death’s Door 36 Feast of Plenty 37 Still Waters Run Deep 38 Poison the Well 38 Shared Cup 39 Coin 39 Book of Black and Red 39 Give and Take 40 Beggar Knight 40 Coin Mark 41 Grease the Wheels 41 Blood Debt 42 Exchange of Gilded Contracts 42 Golden Promise 42 Grand Revel of the Harvest 43 Thirty Pieces 44 Scepter 44

4 Kith and Kin Burning Ambition 44 Jealous Vengeance 44 Litany of Rivals 45 Knight’s Oath 45 Unmask the Dark Horse 46 A Benevolent Hand 46 Fake It ‘Til You Make It 47 Tempter’s Quest 47 Curse of Hidden Strings 48 Spare Not the Rod 48 Stars 49 Pole Star 49 Straight On ‘Til Morning 49 Cynosure 49 Shooting Star 50 Retrograde 50 Frozen Star 51 Light of Ancient Stars 51 Star Light, Star Bright 51 Pinch of Stardust 52 Thorn 53 Briar’s Herald 53 By the Pricking of My Thumbs 54 Thistle’s Rebuke 54 The Gouging Curse 54 Embrace of Nettles 55 Acantha’s Fury 55 Awaken Portal 56 Crown of Thorns 57 Shrike’s Larder 57 Witch’s Brambles 58 Independent Contracts 58 Coming Darkness 58 Pomp and Circumstance 59 Shadow Puppet 59 Dread Companion 60 Cracked Mirror 60 Listen with the Wind’s Ears 61 Momentary Respite 61 Steal Influence 62 Earth’s Gentle Movements 63 Earth’s Impenetrable Walls 64 Regalia Manifestation 64 Creating Regalia Manifestations 65 New Merit: Regalia Manifestation 65 Alternative Regalia Manifestations 65 Manifestation Systems 65 Manifestation Powers 66 Drawbacks 67 Nothing Without Risk 67 Systems 67 Sample Regalia Manifestations 68 Closer than They Appear 68 Lucky Coin 68 Dramaturgy 68 Flower Chains and Masquerades 69 New Changeling Merit: Dramaturge 69 New Changeling Merit: Understudy 69 Trade and Favor 69 Systems 70 Galoshins 70 Systems 71 Galoshin Circumstantial Modifiers 71 Expanded Pledgecraft 72 Example Oaths 72 Oath of Friendship 73 Oath of True Love 73 Oath of Nemesis 73 Oath of Exile 73 Touchstones as Pledges 74 New Pledge Types 74 Curses and Hexes 74 Feuds 76 Rules of Engagement 77 Enchanted Bargains 78 Deed Vows 78 Icons 81 Chapter Three: Kiths 83 Those Without Kith 83 Kithless 83 Scissors 84 Unraveled 84 Acquiring a Kith 85 Icons 85 Ordeals 85 Bartering 86 Fashioning Kiths 86 Kith Themes 87 Repurposing 87 Approaches 87 Example Kiths 88 Crown 88 Absinthial 88 Climacteric 88 Concubus 89 Draconic 90 Flowering 90 Ghostheart 91 Moonborn 92 Uttervoice 92 Jewels 93 Delver 93 Glimmerwisp 94 Gremlin 94 Manikin 95

Table of Contents 5 Oculus 95 Polychromatic 96 Veneficus 97 Witchtooth 97 Mirror 98 Bricoleur 98 Cloakskin 98 Doppelganger 99 Lethipomp 99 Lullescent 100 Riddleseeker 100 Sideromancer 101 Spiegelbild 102 Shield 103 Asclepian 103 Bridgeguard 103 Librorum 104 Liminal 105 Reborn 105 Stoneflesh 106 Wisewitch 106 Steed 106 Airtouched 106 Chalomot 107 Chevalier 107 Farwalker 108 Flickerflash 109 Levinquick 110 Swarmflight 110 Swimmerskin 111 Sword 111 Bearskin 111 Beastcaller 112 Cyclopean 112 Plaguesmith 113 Razorhand 114 Sandharrowed 115 Valkyrie 115 Venombite 116 Additional Kiths 116 Apoptosome 116 Becquerel 117 Blightbent 117 Enkrateia 118 Gravewight 119 Shadowsoul 119 Telluric 120 Whisperwisp 120 Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather 123 Motleys in Lost Chronicles 123 Making a Motley 123 Pledged Together 124 Oath-Sworn Terms 125 Roses and Thorns 125 Roses 125 Thorns 126 Weaving the Tapestry 126 Sworn Fellowships 126 Children of the Stone 126 The Tail-Tied Rats 127 The Hunters 127 The Fair and Honorable Merchants 127 Harlequins 128 Systems 129 Thorns Within and Without 129 Knives In, Knives Out 129 Staged Struggle 129 Social Currency 130 Negotiation 130 Investment 131 Unconventional Motleys 131 Motley Pledges 131 Freehold Politics 132 Court Politics 132 Fae Creatures 132 Huntsmen 134 Mortals 134 Fae-Touched 134 Found Family and Desperate Alliances 135 Motleys, Monsters, and Mystics 136 Vampires 136 Werewolves 136 Awakened 136 Prometheans 136 Sin-Eaters 137 Demons 137 Beasts 137 Mummies 137 Safe and Sound 138 Saying No 138 Saying Yes 138 Saying Anything 138 The Door Is Still Open 138 New Safety Option: Player Profiles 139 Sample Player Profile: Big Ben Clifftop 139 Appendix: New Conditions 140

6 Introduction “Rain fell upon him and he grew thin as rain. Rain washed away thought, washed away memory, all the good and the bad. He no longer knew his name. Everything was washed away like mud from a stone. Rain filled him up with thoughts and memories of its own. Silver lines of water covered the hillside, like intricate lace, like the veins of an arm. Forgetting that he was, or ever had been, a man, he became the lines of water. He fell into the earth with the rain.” — Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell You risked everything — your life, your individuality, even your soul — to escape your Keeper’s clutches. Every changeling shares that much, and though it brings them together, the details set them apart. You wanted desperately to return to the human world, but why? You’ll stop at nothing to take your life back and make of it what you wish, but what drives you to do it? Did you emerge into the familiar or the inexplicably alien, and what are you going to do about it either way? All Lost take on a Herculean task as soon as they emerge from the Hedge for the first time: claim an identity. It’s harder than it sounds. Kith and Kin is a book about making sense of yourself in a world where nothing is as it seems, including you. It’s about personal transformations, personal relationships, and learning to trust yourself and others all over again. It’s about personal power — the power to define who you are and who you strive to be, a power you braved the fire to take back despite the way it burned your hands and left its scars. Theme: Identity and Choice Who am I? What have I become? These questions plague you as one of the Lost. In trying to answer them, you’ll discover that both the wonder and the horror of Faerie are in you now, too. You’ll decide what kind of magic you wish to wield and how — and why — you wish to wield it. Will you be the charming troubadour or the tyrannical queen? The trickster at the crossroads or the dancer in the wild? Will you wrest the reins of your old life back from your fetch, or leave that life behind to find a new family, new friends, and a new purpose? Will you surround yourself with companions you trust or rivals who challenge you? Mood: No Easy Answers Despite having literal magic at your fingertips, you have no magical solution to your problems. Your life and relationships are messy and complicated; your questions about identity, purpose, and trust can only be answered over time, through trial by fire and under constant pressure from the ever-present Wild Hunt. Nothing is ever cut and dry where Faerie is concerned. Even if you do find answers, you might reject them, or change your mind over time. The uncertainty you felt when you took that first step back into the mortal world never fully goes away. You’ll always struggle to know yourself. The perfect, ideal life you find at the end of a fairy tale doesn’t exist; it’s just a Fae lie. But that’s okay. That’s human, that’s real, and that’s what separates you from the Gentry. What’s in This Book? Kith and Kin is a player’s guide for Changeling: The Lost Second Edition, offering options and insights for char-

What's In This Book? 7 acters as individuals and looking at the way changelings bind themselves to each other on a personal scale. Chapter One: Familiar and Strange is about the return from Faerie. It presents options for characters who escaped into unfamiliar times or places, including details about the digital Hedge, the Hedge in space, and a freehold on the moon. It also explores the way changelings think and their daily experiences, as well as offering additional, optional rules for Anchors and Clarity. Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors is about powers. It presents five new Regalia and a selection of independent Contracts, as well as advice on how to design Regalia from a thematic perspective. It also contains systems for manifesting Regalia as physical objects and for the fae sympathetic magic which changelings call dramaturgy. Finally, it details a few full oath examples and seven new types of pledges. Chapter Three: Kiths is about the kith as both identity and connection. It discusses playing three different kinds of kithless characters and the process of acquiring new kiths in play. Along with explaining how to design a new kiths from a thematic perspective, it also presents 56 new kiths for use in any chronicle. Chapter Four: Birds of a Feather is about motleys. It walks through the process of forming a motley from both in-character and out-of-character perspectives, including an optional motley-building exercise called Roses and Thorns. This chapter also presents four sample motley oaths, a new type of Hedge ghost that feeds on the bonds between motley-mates, and several optional methods for adjudicating conflict between characters, intended to enhance the play experience. It discusses unconventional motleys with nonchangeling members, including additional fae beings, mortals, and other supernatural creatures. Finally, it expands upon the advice in the core book about ensuring safety at the table by offering further options intended specifically for player use.

“Would you…happen to have a match?” She’s laughing a little, lips pulled back against a sharp smile. “In all the excitement, I seem to have lost my lighter.” I try to wrench myself upright and our vision swaps again. I look awful — all gray and limp with a thin iridescent sheen on my skin, my eyes bloody with her ghost. But who knows how long I’ll have control of the working body, so I run to the broken desk and start turning over the loose papers trying to find it. I’m sure I kicked it this way. I must have. She’s hissing something at me, a deep gurgling something I was not aware my voice could do thank you very much. With all the writhing and low-key demonic noises coming out of my mouth, it’s like she’s giving up any pretense of being me while having the indecency to keep wearing my body while she’s doing it. And then I’m laughing because I suddenly can’t stop thinking about how peculiar this would look to someone else. Two identical women, oily with gasoline, trying to tear one another apart in the pile of kindling and nostalgia that used to be my (our?) bedroom. But I’m starting to feel her prickling under my skin again, so I quickly grab the lighter and mime flinging it through the broken pane of the bolted window. She seethes at me, but from the way she’s craning my neck trying to see where it landed, I’m pretty sure she can’t tell I palmed it. Risky, when she might get control back at any moment. • • • The tremors were subtle at first, the pain rippling through my skin so lightly and so suddenly that it was gone almost before I dropped the glass. As I was sweeping up the glass, my vision still swimming a little from fatigue, the edges of my hands started to…blur. I looked down in mute horror to see one pair of translucent hands releasing the broom, then two pulling it back, then one again, each pushing so hard I could almost feel it. I caught the broom as it fell, but I couldn’t shake that phantom feeling, like my hand had passed through the handle instead of around it. It comes and goes. Sometimes I feel almost myself, sometimes like my body isn’t my own anymore, like it’s reaching elsewhere, like it hears an echo I can’t. I wake up from dreams of deep rhythmic chanting and the sound of hammers on metal and find myself standing at the window. I went to doctors with pages of notes they didn’t read. Asked informed questions. Carefully didn’t scream when no one knew what was wrong. (Everything, or maybe nothing. No two tests came back the same. My body seemed to be destroying itself, but no one could tell why.) I wonder what it would even mean to feel like myself again. Have you ever been painfully angry, so angry that it chokes you, clots in your throat like you’ll never breathe again? I used to be a fairly calm person, but these last few months it’s been bursting out at the strangest moments. When I look at the horizon. When I close my bedroom window. When I hear the wind rise. Right now. I sighed and stepped out of the shower. The nauseating, unclean sensation felt as stuck into my skin after the third shower as it had before the first. I drew a sad face in the condensation on the bathroom mirror, and the rivulet of water that dripped down the glass glowed. Unnerved, I quickly wiped the rest of the steam off the mirror with a towel, trying not to make eye contact. I

hate looking at myself in the mirror. I’m not sure why exactly — some kind of aversion. Even before all this started it never quite looked like my skin fit right. But now, well, it’s complicated, and it’s too late. I’ve already caught my own eyes and it feels like I’m pinned in place. The resentment on my face is hard to look at directly. I feel myself blink. I don’t see myself blink. I keep blinking, waiting to see my eyelids move. Instead, the shadows under the reflection’s eyes deepen. She tenses like she’s waiting for something, and then just… walks out of the frame. I look into my bathroom mirror and see only my bathroom reflected there. My brain cracks slightly to protect me. I think something along the lines of “guess my mirror must be broken” and mechanically sort the laundry pile (clean, I think, but folding has been beyond me for a couple of months) for enough clothing to constitute a change from daytime pajamas to nighttime pajamas. And then, with half my bra on and hair still dripping and askew, someone slides through a gap in my closed door frame like I had left it wide open. She looks like me, if you replaced half my skin with shadow and the other half with lead, and when she opens her mouth, the anger just pours out of me and into her voice. I know, but also don’t, the language she’s speaking. I understand the names she’s calling me, but I couldn’t say where I learned it, or how I knew the right curses to fling back. Like so many things lately, it’s at the tip of my tongue. Something I know I know but my body seems to have forgotten how it knows. Through that fog it stirs defensively, and deep in my memory a scroll unfolds which tells me how to deny her access to the bargains she’s made. Then I notice the gasoline canister. She’s holding it from the base. Lightly. Upside down. Her hands glow with the same light I saw in my bathroom mirror. And then things start to go really wrong. • • • She’s twitching under my skin again. In a minute, at most, she’s going to have the lighter and I’m going to be trapped. But I hesitate. I keep getting caught up trying to make sense of it. I couldn’t get a clear answer out of her before. She was here for revenge, or justice. To take something from me, or take it back. She wants something I have, wants it badly enough that she would kill me and burn down a house to get it back. But why? My life is pretty sedate. I’m not a collector of anything more valuable than river rocks and bits of glass. And even if my body wasn’t busted before, it’s definitely not in particularly good shape right now. Little by little, a picture paints itself in my mind. The laptop open when I thought I closed it. The phone unlocked by fingerprint. The missing mail. The haircut very like mine from a few years ago, right around when I got in that car accident. I spent a week in and out of consciousness, and when I was awake, no one could understand what I was saying. People change, though. If I’m a little different now than I was then, well — I almost died, and that makes you reconsider what you want out of life. Is that why she’s trying to kill me? Because I dropped out of grad school and moved away? Maybe there’s something we could do? My mind goes blank at what exactly “doing something” might entail. Grasping at any possibility of non-murderous reconciliation, I push that thought away and take a breath to speak. But when I look at her, her eyes are white and livid and the only answer I get is the screech of her trying to pull me back into the other body by my metaphorical hair. It chills the blood to see yourself in one body claw at yourself in another, mostly identical body. If I live through this, I’m never looking into a mirror again. Wildly, I think about starting the fire she prepared and trying to run before she can abandon me in it. How close do we need to be for it to work? If I could get out of her line of sight, or put enough distance between us, would I stick in her body the way she’s stuck in mine? Would all the phantom limbs and maddening dreams stop if… if she was dead? Maybe if she was, I’d feel like I owned my own body again. And it is my body.

Fish Out of Water 11 It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul — William Henley, “Invictus” Me. So many take that word for granted, as though the self were a simple concept. Asked who are you? most would say they know the answer well. But the Lost know how truly delicate the self can be. Even in the mortal realm, the self is fluid — shaped and defined by experience, shifting under the weight of each word exchanged with another person. Selves push and pull each other naturally into shapes better suited to fitting together. But when the Gentry pull, the mortal self becomes mere putty in their hands. Arcadia shatters the image in the mirror and makes it anew into something unwanted and unrecognizable. Upon escaping, a changeling takes back her ability to define that mirror image for herself, but it’s never as easy as it might seem. This chapter explores the experience of returning from Faerie. How do the Lost come to terms with the changes wrought upon themselves and their lives? How do they figure out what the word “me” means after everything they’ve been through? What happens when they return to a time or place just as unknown to them as their durance once was? Fish Out of Water All changelings left home behind when the Kindly Ones stole them away. Those who return must find their way back through the Hedge, and some never find the path that leads to a familiar hearth. Changelings escaping to the mortal world can find themselves flung through space or time, forced to make new homes in unfamiliar locations, eras, or even worlds. Stranded in such distant places, they must work to not only rebuild their selves, but redefine “home.” This section presents the various ways in which changelings may return to a place that isn’t the home they remember or traverse a part of the Hedge stranger than most. Of them, only the first two — arriving in a different location on Earth than where the Fair Folk abducted them and escaping through the BriarNet — occur frequently. The others most often serve as tales of wonder and terror for newly escaped Lost, happening only rarely. Goodbye, Kansas Culture shock is a palpable phenomenon even for mortals. Experience it by turning down the wrong street into Paris’ Quartier Pigalle without warning, walking through the door of an Abu Dhabi mall where women clad in fullbody veils shop at Victoria’s Secret, or sitting in a sports bar in Kentucky listening to the deafening shouts of enthusiastic basketball fans. Culture shock comes from the juxtaposition of lifestyles simultaneously familiar and strange. Vacationers can read about it and brace themselves, but changelings emerging from the Hedge on the world’s far side don’t have that such luxury. Two changelings from opposite sides of the planet still have at least one thing in common: They both escaped Arcadia. Even lacking a common tongue and culture, strong bonds can form from this shared experience. In her first days of freedom as a stranger in a strange land, a changeling can still rely on the Lost who find and orient her in her new home to help ground her, forging strong ties of fellowship and loyalty to freehold, court, and motley.

12 Chapter One: Familiar and Strange Local Lost are usually willing to help stranded changelings with the mundane yet essential details of their new lives. For example, Dubai requires foreign visitors to either have a visitor’s visa or a sponsoring employer. A changeling arriving from Peru via Arcadia is unlikely to have either, creating major complications with law enforcement, which disguised Huntsmen are all too happy to exploit. Dubai’s changeling courts consider it a point of pride to support displaced changelings. The Tower Court arranges employment, the Pearl Court supplies financial aid and living accommodations, and the Falcon Court uses its connections to ensure the appropriate paperwork exists and gets filed — one way or another. Internationally relocated Lost who return to their original homes exist as a distinct minority among changelings. It’s not difficult to do — they can seek out globe-spanning trods, travel through a mirror to their childhood abode, or just get on a plane — but the connections they make in the changeling community when they first arrive often outweigh their desire to make that trek. Many are glad for the change of scenery, relieved to leave their old lives (and fetches) behind and make a fresh start. Lost from all over the world extending their hands in empathy to each other sends a powerful message to other changelings and the Wild Hunt alike. Guardians of the BriarNet The internet’s birthdate is up for debate, but starting in the early 1990s, changelings discovered the Hedge creeping into cyberspace — or perhaps the other way around. The liminal realm known as the BriarNet reflects the digital world within the Hedge, allowing changelings to journey into — and sometimes lose themselves in — the Web. Becoming a literal cybernaut is a common flight of fancy among mortals, whom the BriarNet’s hobgoblin denizens call Ops, but these fantasies only partially inform the digital Hedge. The BriarNet also reflects the actual use of the internet and other networks, spinning itself in real-time to the rhythm of mortal telecommunications. Over the Firewall The BriarNet resembles an endless mortal cityscape with distinct cyber aesthetics and layouts reminiscent of database schemas. Some neighborhoods boast soaring high-rises shining under a silver sun and vehicles traveling at the fastest of bitrates; others resemble cyberpunk dystopias with flickering neon signs and ill-lit Goblin Markets selling secondhand or cursed Contracts on tiny optical disks. Network connections become trods that bridge milestones representing bits of hardware in the mortal world, often called “nodes,” and appearing as buildings, structures, and landmarks. Algorithms are special kinds of digital pledges imposing certain rules and schedules wherever they run; they may manifest as systems such as traffic lights, subways, and sewers, or they may spit out minions of a local Goblin Queen who enforce her decrees. The Information Superhighway is the largest trod in the BriarNet and possibly in all the Hedge: a vast, many-laned expressway on which anyone can drive, though travelers should take great care with their secrets. Software may incarnate as powerful corporations, periodic public events or broadcasts, places of business, or entertainment venues. For instance, a dating app might manifest as a weekly gathering of speed-dating Hedge denizens, an upscale bordello, or a matchmaking radio show. Even amid the dazzle of gleaming silicon plazas and fiber optic freeways, the Lost still recognize the Hedge. The urban Hedgescape rearranges itself on the fly as Ops open, install, or upgrade software, run processes, and input data. Cloud-chamber Hollows float across the sky overhead, each one keyed to a specific web address; changelings and goblins who claim them store anything from tokens to dreams to captured enemies there. Depending on a Cloud’s design and function, it may require decryption codes or the right credentials to enter, exit, or access anything inside. The BriarNet isn’t merely a technological wonderland. Its darknet Thorns host hidden lairs of sinister binary goblins and privateer Hollows where arachnid hackers abuse their mastery of “webspinning” — BriarNet slang for Hedgespinning — to steal whatever they can, be it another changeling’s liberty or a freehold’s most crucial intel. They spout an ideology of freedom, privacy, and self-determination from their hidden, VPN-locked Hollows, but others see it as cynical justification for their atrocities. Still, their skill is peerless, leading foolish or desperate Lost to seek out these anonymous loyalists when faced with firewalls they can’t cross or encrypted Clouds they must crack open. Hobgoblins dwell in the BriarNet as well, the embodiments of individual files, computer programs, and other assorted digital entities. Temporary files and cookies manifest as Hedge ghosts, while Goblin Queens rule from motherboard palaces and wretched, childlike goblins born from orphaned or overwritten data lurk in alleys and abandoned warehouses. The most dangerous BriarNet hobgoblins are the computer viruses and malware gremlins who corrupt everything in their path. They can infect changelings, too, warping their bodies or causing mental glitches. The White Hat freehold believes these viral interlopers serve a sinister fusion of Gentry and circuitry that seeks dominance over the mortal internet. The free company known as the Crystal Web (Oak, Ash, and Thorn, p. 23) quickly dismisses this conjecture as fearmongering, even as they check the shadows for new incursions. Systems: The BriarNet’s viruses are corrupted hobgoblins who either started out that way or fell victim to infection. The list of the always-virulent includes the Trojan horse, which looks like an ordinary fae mount but whose hoofprints leave behind an oozing, black sludge; the briarworm, a massive, squirming worm covered in thorns and a thick layer of mucous that confuses anyone who can smell

Fish Out of Water 13 it, which splits into two fully-grown briarworms when killed without proper precautions; and the spyware moth, a tiny insect that swarms with its fellows wherever Glamour is spent and memorizes its taste, gleaning secrets and allowing it to mimic another fae being’s abilities. The Storyteller can create these and others as they would any hobgoblin, using the rules starting on p. 252 of Changeling: The Lost Second Edition. Uncorrupted hobgoblins can be turned virulent by contracting the infection. Any fae resource, such as Glamour and goblin fruits, and any fae being with a weakness to iron can be corrupted this way. All corrupted beings gain the Dread Power Cyberplague. CYBERPLAGUE The hobgoblin carries a fae computer virus and spreads it wherever it goes. All electronics it touches glitch out or malfunction somehow, imposing a −3 penalty on all rolls to use them, or −5 within the BriarNet; this includes Hedgespun equipment. All ill effects the goblin would normally suffer in the mortal world occur when they leave the BriarNet instead, even if they remain within the Hedge. Any Hedgespinning it performs within the BriarNet results in unsettling or dangerous side effects. Whenever the hobgoblin spends Glamour and succeeds at its task, roll Resolve + Wyrd; failure means the victim of whatever power in question gains this Dread Power, if the target is capable of doing so. The victim may forfeit this roll and fail automatically. Anyone who learns a Goblin Contract from a virulent hobgoblin gains Cyberplague automatically. This power can be shed by repaying all debts, either through decreasing Goblin Debt to 0 or otherwise making payment in full. Any being with Cyberplague who becomes a Hedge Denizen or Goblin Queen is automatically virulent. Choose one deleterious Persistent Condition; the hobgoblin suffers that Condition until it sheds this Dread Power, while its usual resolution only grants a Beat. Handles and Usernames As potent as entitlements are in the mortal world, they wield even more influence in the BriarNet. Many entitled changelings become lieges to entire servers, with protectors such as the Crimson Admin, the Cryptoknight, and the Glitch defending against the encroaching viral scourge. Other entitlements, like the Deepest Dataminer and Dread Web Pirates Legion, prefer to remain neutral in these conflicts so they can roam the vast depths of cyberspace without responsibilities. Not all BriarNet entitlements are so benign. The Phisher King cuts deals with the worst of the BriarNet in pursuit of power and wealth. Viruses infected the original Ashen Coder while she bought time for innocents to escape their clutches; now the title’s bearer transmits infected data to unsuspecting databases, destroying the lives of those she once protected. Huntsman.exe slips into cities disguised as a web surfer and tears everything down from within. Entitlements like these threaten to destabilize the BriarNet’s delicate balance, sabotaging the increasingly digitized mortal world and the Hedge proper in the process. Surfing the Web Like the mortal internet, fae cyberspace is pervasive but invisible to travelers in the analog Hedge. Traveling between the mortal world and the BriarNet requires entering the Hedge as normal and then Hedgespinning a means of transport capable of linking up to the goblin web. Some hobgoblins sell token “routers” that make this journey easier or more reliable in some way, but their drawbacks always persist into the BriarNet and sometimes attract viruses. Hedgeways inside the BriarNet cannot open into OpSpace, and the Lost have yet to find or create a stable trod that can connect the analog Hedge to the digital side. Doing so would be monumental, potentially birthing new Courts and entitlements, earning the loyalty or enmity of large hobgoblin factions, or even leading some of the Gentry to treat the intrepid changelings as peers. Systems: Reaching the BriarNet requires Hedgespinning a symbolically digital route appropriate to the character’s current location with a paradigm shift costing 6 successes. Changelings in a parking lot or on a city street might weave a straightforward highway to drive on, while those under a starry sky might spin fiber optic cables between those points of light and climb them. Changelings near an ocean could even literally surf there. Virtual Meetup The BriarNet doesn’t connect directly to the mortal world physically but contacting it from inside is possible, as the digital Hedge is built entirely upon systems for communication. Instead of meeting the Summer King at the local café to deliver her report, a courtier sings into the microphone at the local BriarNet nightclub; her words become a text message in the mortal world, and the monarch’s reply appears written on every drink menu at the bar. A changeling intending to venture into the deepest, darkest Thorns types a farewell message on a display tablet in an electronics store that plays through the speakers of her wife’s laptop; the heartfelt response comes in the form of her wife’s voice blaring from a passing ice cream truck. Systems: Hedgespinning contact with the mortal world is straightforward in the appropriate location, as long as a device meant for communication of some kind would logically appear there. It’s much easier to call a smartphone or plant new entries in a database from a BriarNet phone booth than from an abandoned sewer tunnel. Connecting to a specific networked device for the scene in these symbolic locations requires a subtle shift costing

14 Chapter One: Familiar and Strange three successes. Opting to connect to a random device in- stead only costs one success. Connecting to any such device from an inappropriate location is more difficult, requiring a paradigm shift that costs four successes to rig the appropriate equipment out of an unsuitable environment. The changeling only receives replies that come within the same scene and from the same device with which she made contact. By default, anyone nearby can read or hear the messages, which appear through easily accessible means. Add two successes to all of the above Hedgespinning costs to force the response into a more private form, such as a text message on the changeling’s phone. Add four successes instead to encrypt the response such that only the changeling and those she allows can hear or see it at all. Once and Future Imagine a soldier who fought in World War I as a teenager. He survives the front’s bombs, wire, and gas, outliving his comrades before finally going home. Then history repeats itself as Hitler rises to power and slaughters millions. Even as the dust settles, the Cold War and nuclear Armageddon’s twin specters rise. The horrors of human folly and brutality recur again and again. Now imagine that same soldier, who lived through so much, sitting in a nursing home in the early 1990s when a stranger without a face approaches him. The stranger offers to turn back the hands of time, to give the soldier back his vitality in exchange for an oath of fealty. The world has changed so much; the past’s science fiction is now reality. He has grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom he wants to see grow up. He longs for that future even if it means dealing with the devil, so he accepts the Gentry’s offer. He thinks it will be worth it, but it isn’t. Trapped in Arcadia, his durance is an eternal battlefield utterly divorced from humanity’s bright tomorrow. He flees through the Hedge, back toward his family and his hopeful dream. He doesn’t emerge in the 1990s. He doesn’t even appear in the 2010s. When the soldier returns home, it is the summer of 1914 — the day after Gavrilo Princip assassinated Franz Ferdinand. In the coming months, World War I unleashes its full wrath, and the soldier relives the nightmare all over again. Shadows of the Past Everything is too damn familiar when a changeling escapes from Arcadia into their own past. Events repeat themselves, but not as she remembers them. She finds her fetch reliving the same events but making all the wrong choices. He watches his mortal self from the shadows, trying to subtly steer him away from the Fair Folk’s grasping hands. She emerges during her durance and ends up fighting her stillcaptive self while attempting to rescue other changelings. He gets a do-over, reliving his life as it was before, but this time he is a changeling and his Keeper’s hounds are hot on his heels.

Fish Out of Water 15 Period Pieces Context is vital when playing changelings who emerge from their durance outside their own time. Specific information about historical events can be useful, but don’t get bogged down in the details. Instead, use society and culture as a backdrop to tell a unique story. Storytellers and players can use Dark Eras, the Dark Eras Companion, Dark Eras 2, and other period Chronicles of Darkness settings as starting points when building historical chronicles or characters from other time periods. The Hedge often reshapes itself to reflect such changelings’ homesickness, creating anachronistic regions based on bygone eras. Even published eras not featuring changelings directly can still provide invaluable perspective. They may lack the supernatural details and mechanics, but they provide an excellent contextual base on which to build. Changelings flung into the past don’t always exit the Hedge within their own lifetimes. A Pakistani Muslim flees through a Hedgeway and the Greco-Indian Kingdoms’ Buddhist Eightfold Courts greet her on the other side, stranding her centuries before the establishment of Islam, let alone Pakistan and India. A just-war pacifist who has never left Oslo returns home 900 years early and the Crusader Courts beholden to Sigurd Magnusson sweep him into their march across Europe to the Holy Land. A tech-savvy teenager finds herself trapped amid the chaos of the Spanish-American Wars of Independence, when the Bolivarian Courts tried to free the Huntsmen from the Gentry. Changelings trapped in the past learn that historians write history by agreeing on a set of lies. While the broad strokes of history are consistent with accepted narratives, the details don’t play out the exact same way. A changeling with knowledge from a future time can predict broad trends and iconic events, but they cannot foresee history’s entire course. Antiquated attitudes and social customs frustrate many such changelings, who gravitate toward radical social groups such as the French Revolution’s sans-culottes. Changelings find their Touchstones within these communities, vindicating their values in the face of society’s disdain and discrimination. Bright Thorns of the Future Changelings forced into the future face entirely different challenges. Missing a few decades means society is recognizable, but the subtle changes make the world feel uncanny and unnerving, like a sculpture that looks mostly human but is somehow off. When a changeling vanishes for centuries, they may emerge into a wholly bizarre world. Civilization itself is unfamiliar, filled with magical technologies and strange fashions. After spending so long in Arcadia, the Thorns may look more comforting than the mortal world through familiarity alone. Lost from the past may emerge from the Hedge in the present, anachronistic relics of bygone eras. Some True Fae seem to do this on purpose. The Honorable Commander, a Keeper haunting Washington D.C., uses American presidents as its preferred medium. Changelings who look and act like Taft, Truman, Monroe, or Polk have joined various freeholds over the years, as have multiple versions each of Washington, Lincoln, and Kennedy. Some of these changelings claim to be the president in question, while others say the Honorable Commander forced them into their role, but all avow the Commander intentionally released and displaced them through time for its amusement, a thought that sickens the entire freehold. Heirlooms Lucky changelings find solace in the strange and alien future from an unexpected source: the fae-touched. Those who encounter the Avowed assume it would be impossible for a changeling tossed centuries or even decades into the future to face the person with whom they made a promise before their durance. While correct, this underestimates the strength of commitment that created the fae-touched. Refusing to break their promise, the Avowed creates an Heirloom by taking another person into the Hedge, then having them swear to find the changeling and fulfill the original oath. The Heirloom becomes fae-touched themselves as they return to the mortal world. She might be a child, trusted student, or younger partner, but no matter what, she understands the profound emotional importance of keeping the promise to the original Avowed. She knows the changeling is still out there somewhere, scared and alone. Some Heirloom fae-touched spend their entire lives searching for their changeling and pass the promise on to another successor. When a fae-touched Heirloom finds their changeling counterpart, it is a sublime moment. The Heirloom has fulfilled not only their promise but the promises of those who came before them. The changeling finds comfort in the knowledge that the world never forgot them even while Arcadia’s beautiful hell confined them. Systems: The process for creating an Heirloom is simple, although the knowledge is difficult to come by and faetouched are loathe to use it. The Avowed and the potential Heirloom make a blood oath to keep searching for their changeling companion, a promise the fae-touched seals. She must spend a Willpower dot to transfer her Wyrd into the newly anointed Heirloom. Once the transfer is complete, the Heirloom becomes fae-touched and the Avowed loses her Wyrd, Contracts,

16 Chapter One: Familiar and Strange and capacity to store Glamour. She still benefits from her Promises and retains any Merits she can use without Wyrd or Glamour. Any Merits she can no longer use are subject to the Sanctity of Merits, and she gains the Lucid Dreamer merit for free if she does not already possess it. Many faetouched who haven’t passed on their promises feel creating an Heirloom tantamount to admitting defeat and abandoning their loved ones. Even those who know the ritual may refuse to do so until they lie on their deathbeds. Heirlooms modify the regular Avowed rules. Because they gained their Wyrd through a direct pledge, their souls resonate more strongly with such promises, allowing them to use sealings on changelings and other fae, and to initiate oaths with other fae-touched. Pledges also bind them more completely; it costs one additional Glamour to rebuff a sealing, and it costs a Willpower point to both violate an oath and resolve the Oathbreaker Condition. Finally, an Heirloom Avowed may start play with one Royal Contract from her favored Regalia instead of two Common ones. Her favored Regalia is the same as that of the Avowed who initially made the promise she inherited. Fae-touched characters may begin play as Heirlooms with Storyteller permission. Should an Heirloom find the changeling whose promise they inherited, both the Lost and the Avowed gain the same additional Thread. It represents the fulfilled promise, anchoring changeling and fae-touched to one another through time and space, connecting the past and the future through bonds of loyalty and trust. Walking Timeless Roads Changelings who understand the nature of Faerie’s timelessness often wonder whether it’s possible to sail on time’s river to another point in history deliberately. It is, but it’s not a task undertaken lightly. It’s never predictable, nor is it safe, for it involves returning to the one place a changeling abhors above all others — Arcadia. Even from there, the outcome is little better than guesswork. Folktales admit the possibility of returning to a specific point in the mortal world if a changeling allows their Keeper to see them, then flees into the Thorns. Other rumors claim freeing another changeling from the same period and riding their escape is the best chance of a return home. Truthfully, short of making a deal with Time herself, jumping between moments in history is an entirely uncontrolled process that leaves changelings at the Wyrd’s mercy. Storytellers may reward characters who try creative methods by depositing them in, or close to, their intended time period, but should always introduce side effects and complications. As for Time, some say she was among the first forces the Gentry bargained with, now hidden deep in Arcadia’s heart, yet in plain sight. These tales warn that finding her isn’t easy, nor is convincing her to break her oath not to interfere in the Good Cousins’ affairs. The Wishing Roads Some Lost see poetry woven in starshine and moonlight when they gaze at the night sky. Others feel the void’s ineffable emptiness and their lives’ crushing insignificance compared to the cosmos. A few find themselves lucky enough — or cursed enough — to walk the Outer Hedge’s paths between the stars. Modern narratives involving alien abductors bear an uncanny resemblance to the True Fae, and Earth’s biosphere confines neither the Hedge nor Arcadia. Beyond it wind the Wishing Roads, the Dreaming Roads’ extraterrestrial extensions that act as the Hedge’s repository for humanity’s hopes and fantasies. When teenagers let go of childhood imaginary friends and adults set aside their ideal futures to accept life’s grim necessities, those wishes fade from those mortals’ dreams, but they aren’t destroyed. They find themselves orphaned, gathering in patchwork Bastions on the outskirts of the Dreaming Roads — leftovers and misfits without homes. Occasionally, when strong nostalgia sends ripples through humanity or seismic shifts in mortal society (such as the attacks of 9/11 or the advent of manned spaceflight) shift their collective dreams along with them, the Dreaming Roads uproot these abandoned half-Bastions and fling them into space to dance among the stars. These dream-havens — floating across Pluto’s icy plains or trailing in a comet’s wake — are invaluable resources for changelings, providing them with a quick way to return to Earth if they can navigate the near-infinite dead ends and brave a journey that begins as little more than a wish. A changeling emerging from their durance in space steps from the frying pan into the fire. Touchstones are incredibly rare so far from Earth; even changelings lucky enough to emerge on the moon must use robotic probes or satellites (or the blue marble itself) as Touchstones linking them unsteadily to humanity. Clarity disintegrates quickly unless they find their way home. Beyond the moon, no known freeholds inhabit outer space. Changelings who escaped Arcadia together form the only motleys beyond Earth’s biosphere, undertaking a shared mad dash back to Earth’s sustaining embrace. Lost in Space Some unfortunate changelings escape their Keeper’s clutches only to discover how far away their captors took them. Rather than appearing in a back alley or a farmer’s field, they emerge from the Hedge to stare at the pale blue marble hanging over the moon’s surface. Others journey deeper into the solar system and escape their durances to confront the hellscape of Venus or the icy subsurface oceans of Europa. The Outer Hedge exists in pockets cut off from each other and the rest of the Hedge, connected only as milestones along the Wishing Roads. Without humanity’s nightly fantasies, the Dreaming Roads cannot exist as Earth-bound changelings know them. Contrary to popular belief, the space between these milestones isn’t empty — the Wishing

Fish Out of Water 17 Roads sustain a population of hobgoblins like anywhere else in the Hedge, although the kinds of goblins found there are often more alien and live in tighter-knit communities than those on Earth. A changeling might barter for a ride with a meteor herder, learn Goblin Contracts from the sylphids that drift between stars, or earn the wrath of the lacuna moths — dark silhouettes of moth-winged sprites that exist as shapes of negative space, drawn inexorably to the nearest source of sunlight. It can be difficult to distinguish parts of the earthly Hedge influenced by human dreams of space from the actual Outer Hedge. The most obvious differences are the types of denizens found there and the types of Hedgeways that manifest. Every wish has a cost, which a changeling must pay at a lychgate: a special kind of Hedgeway spawned by and leading to the Wishing Roads, one which hungers for hopes and private longings. On Earth, lychgates appear deep in the Thorns, where the Dreaming Roads drop off into an eternal chasm empty of anything but distant, twinkling stars. In space, lychgates appear on the mortal side instead, standing or floating in awe-inspiring places humanity would call natural wonders if they could reach them; their Masks make them invisible to mortal eyes and telescopes. Fantastical but foreboding in appearance, they invoke a sense of wonder or wanderlust even as they call to mind ancient stories of sacrifices to wrathful gods, elaborate Gothic grave markers, or unreachable “happily ever afters” that exist nowhere but on the final pages of storybooks. The Neverland Courts of Normandy believe that each wish paid to a lychgate takes on new life along the Wishing Roads, extending them into infinity and building lavish dream-palaces where no one has yet dared to tread. Wishing Road Systems Lychgates in space allow changelings to enter the Outer Hedge despite the lack of closeable portals, but they differ from normal Hedgeways in that even changelings need Keys to open them. Every lychgate requires the same Key: the sacrifice of a precious memory representing a wish, hope, or dream. Unlike most Keys, this one is apparent to anyone attempting to cross the threshold; a whispered voice or distant song reaches out to coax the changeling into willingly giving the memory up, appealing to the childlike part of them that lives deep in their heart and yearns. Accepting the Key and paying the price permits the Lost to step onto the Wishing Roads. She may then pass through any lychgate without further sacrifice for the rest of the chapter by paying 1 Willpower point per additional passage but reduces her maximum Clarity by one; if a character has no Willpower to spend, they must make another sacrifice to pass through instead as normal. Each Clarity box sacrificed this way becomes an Icon, which descends into the earthly Hedge as a shooting star. The Wishing Roads themselves are 5-dot trods and function as Dreaming Roads, except players must always participate in chases to reach milestones — the temptation to step off the path into the great unknown and chase one’s dreams is a palpable force. As on the Dreaming Roads, anything that doesn’t lie on the trod itself and isn’t part of a Bastion’s territory counts as Thorns; spending more than a few seconds upon the lines of gleaming starlight that web across this sparkling vista inflicts the Persistent Madness Condition (Changeling, p. 343). Following the Wishing Roads long enough can lead travelers back to the Dreaming ones — and thus, indirectly, to Earth. Characters must navigate the entire length of the trod as normal, and must pass through a lychgate when they reach the terrestrial endpoint. Its milestones are Bastions, but no two journeys along the Wishing Roads encounter the same five milestones. Unlike most trod milestones, travelers must enter these Bastions and then exit them the usual way to proceed past them on the Roads. Wishing Bastions The Wishing Roads contain Bastions like those on the Dreaming Roads, but none of them connect to dreamers and they’re much fewer and farther between. The Fortification of a Wishing Bastion is 5 + the number of milestones traversed from the farthest endpoint of the trod. Thus, the closest Bastion to Earth has Fortification 6, while the one closest to the far endpoint has Fortification 1. Where that final endpoint leads is up to the Storyteller, but exiting the trod there requires passing through a lychgate. Any Wishing Bastion can function as a shortcut back to the Dreaming Roads if characters are willing to utterly destroy it, using the rules on p. 220 of Changeling. Wishing eidolons belong to no dreamer, but are instead exiles from human dreams of the past, cast out and isolated in a timeless state, and much changed from the experience. They act to stop their Bastion from destruction by any means necessary. If changelings are inside a Wishing Bastion when they successfully destroy it, they are subject to the usual effects of a crumbling Bastion (Changeling, p. 222); the effective Willpower of the “dreamer” equals (11 – Fortification), and the effective Composure equals half the Bastion’s Fortification. Soliloquies The Wishing Roads are still part of the Hedge, if a remote and obscure one. Walking them with her head in the clouds is a good way for a changeling to get hopelessly lost out there, or perhaps hunted by something that hasn’t had human contact in a millennium. Eidolons spawned from forgotten nightmares stalk broken Bastions, while Goblin Market spaceships roam the skies seeking unsuspecting travelers willing to trade more wishes for otherworldly wonders.

18 Chapter One: Familiar and Strange Changelings in Space By default, sending changelings into space doesn’t change the genre of the game. Many of the examples in this section draw upon real phenomena, but don’t feel beholden to science; extraterrestrial fae are still fae, and you can fill outer space with any kind of horrific and fantastical elements you want. Can changelings breathe on the moon? If the chronicle is set on the moon, why not? When chronicles feature exotic locations containing hazards lethal to humans, changelings living in the region should be immune to those threats. This ensures the chronicle’s focus remains squarely on telling a story rather than surviving for longer than five minutes. On the other hand, players may want to explore the survivalist angle of such impossible places for dramatic purposes. If the story is about changelings journeying to an exotic locale and overcoming those perils, they should not have blanket protection from environmental hazards. In this case, if a player wants to build a character with those immunities, she and the Storyteller should work together to create or adapt a kith to reflect her character’s origins. The Storyteller can then run her escape from the Outer Hedge as a prologue scene, during which the player can describe her character’s struggles with the environment without having to worry about mechanics. Perhaps the most disturbing entities the Lost find out among the stars are the soliloquies — the Hedge ghosts of the Outer Hedge. Some are emotions that have migrated along the Dreaming Roads into space ever since the first primates stared at the stars in wonder. Dead effigies of the Cassini probe and Opportunity rover haunt the Hedge on Saturn and Mars, tangible manifestations of humanity’s empathy for these dead and soulless robots animated by the Wyrd’s psychoactivity. Half-remembered dreams that once broke free of ruined Bastions drift through space seeking new frontiers. But perhaps the most painfully simple soliloquies are the remnants of changelings who never found their way back. They died far from Earth, alone and afraid, and now the echoes of their despair and loneliness plague living Lost, begging those who survive to take them home. Systems: Soliloquies treat the Wishing Roads as ordinary trods, with none of the drawbacks changelings suffer. Create them as any other Hedge ghost using the rules starting on p. 246 of Changeling, with the following changes: A soliloquy can use its Reach power to affect anything on the other side of a lychgate rather than a normal Hedgeway, including those that connect to Earth’s Thorns. However, they’re incapable of passing through a lychgate without destroying themselves, as all they have left to sacrifice is their entire being. In addition to the four powers all Hedge ghosts possess and their Numina, every soliloquy knows the Dread Power Wish. WISH The soliloquy is capable of granting impossible wishes at the request of changelings and humans. Wishes include, but aren’t necessarily limited to: • Removing (or applying) any applicable Condition or Tilt (or similar affliction not modeled by these mechanics), including Hedge Denizen or Goblin Queen. • Granting any applicable Merit, Skill, or Attribute at 5 dots. • Causing someone to die in a way appropriate to the soliloquy’s nature. • Fulfilling an Aspiration of the petitioner, though not always in straightforward ways. • Increasing or decreasing someone’s Goblin Debt by up to five points. • Summoning one of the petitioner’s Icons. The soliloquy cannot do any of these things unless explicitly asked to by a living changeling or human; changelings who have become Hedge Denizens don’t count. Some soliloquies can grant virtually any wish imaginable; others might only be able to grant one very specific request or a certain category of them. Sometimes it’s not the soliloquy itself that grants the wish, but the completion of a quest it gives. Most soliloquies can only grant one to three wishes to a given person, and wishing for more wishes is, of course, verboten. All Wyrd magic, of course, comes with a price. When the soliloquy grants a petitioner’s wish, the process destroys one of the petitioner’s Aspirations utterly. The character will never be able to fulfill it or replace it with another Aspiration. This Dread Power is also available for hobgoblins originating in the Outer Hedge. Moon Faeries: The Lunar Freehold The moon plays host to the one small freehold that manages to survive in the harsh environment of space. Before 1966, changelings who emerged on the moon had little

To Be Lost 19 choice but to brave the Wishing Roads. After the Soviets landed Luna 9, some Lost took inspiration from it and remained on the moon rather than risking the journey. By the time Neil Armstrong took his one small step, courts began to emerge that have flourished since — at least, by Outer Hedge standards. The Lunar Freehold embodies for changelings the most fundamental human dichotomy: the impulse to explore versus the desire to return home. An entitlement, the Second Star to the Right, arose from this dichotomy, which is dedicated to extending the freehold’s territory into the wilder and more remote places beyond the moon. It is used to establish waystations to help newly escaped Lost come in from the cold that can double as bases for further trodblazing. Courts Filled with joy and boundless energy, Aiken Drum’s Court welcomes new changelings into the freehold. They take any opportunity to lift their fellow Lost’s spirits and stave off the endless loneliness of space with song and festival. Amid their repertoire lurk Jacobite war songs, and anyone who mistakes their joy for inattention is in for an unpleasant surprise. Cain’s Court takes its oaths seriously, if for no other reason than the scent of betrayal following them everywhere. Rumor claims their patron is a powerful Hunstman who once took the form of the original Cain and wears it even now, stalking the lunar Hedge wrapped in shining brambles and serving as the Wyrd’s vengeance. His court acts as judges and legislators, using oaths to maintain order, but they are also penitents, atoning for the oathbreakers among them and helping outside petitioners do the same. Many cultures speak of monsters devouring the sun, imagery that the Eclipse Court uses to evoke dreadful wonder in the freehold’s enemies. They claim Sköll, Ītzpāpālōtl, and Rahu as their patrons, and are at their most potent when the moon blots out the sun. This court seeks out and devours anything threating the freehold, be it hobgoblin, Huntsman, or loyalist. Citing legends of Chang’e and the Jade Rabbit, Yutu’s Court insists this is not the first Lunar Freehold. Like the moon goddess, they are unafraid of making difficult choices, even if their peers scorn them for it. They serve as the freehold’s chroniclers and alchemists, seeking to uncover the Moon’s secrets, lest the unknown become the changelings’ undoing. Faces Apollo has been on the moon for a couple of years, but he’s still the youngest in the freehold. The Kindly Ones took inspiration from this brash and headstrong Elemental’s aptitude for science, transforming him into living radiation. Ever-curious, Apollo is always the first to investigate any object arriving from Earth or its Hedge, a behavior his elders believe will get him killed or captured. They don’t discourage him, though; he’ll have to learn on his own. Providence is a fungal Goblin Queen who claims to hail from distant Pluto’s icy Hedge and tolerates no doubt about her origins. She plucks one courtier’s brain from its skull on the last day of each lunar month as payment for her continued aid in fending off fae intruders. Story Hooks • It’s the final day of the lunar month. Providence has fought alongside the motley in the past, but the Lunar Courts are under no illusions that she won’t sell them out to the Gentry if they skimp on her grim toll. It falls to the characters to find a loophole before the freehold must choose a sacrifice. • A lunar lander’s arrival on the moon’s surface is normally a cause for celebration, but this time, it brings only dread. A probe is about to land on the moon’s dark side that bears the unfortunate name of Eye in the Night — a well-known Keeper’s Title. The freehold doesn’t believe in coincidence. They send a motley to brave all that lurks in the darkness and sabotage the lander — and whatever it might carry inside it — before the Fair Folk steal them all back to Arcadia. • Humanity has at long last begun building its first moon base. The lunar changelings keep a close eye on its progress, but it all goes awry when Apollo portals within the base and a mortal engineer stumbles into the Hedge. Now he needs the motley’s help finding her among the Thorns and escorting her home before the Gentry claim her. To Be Lost No matter who you are or where you’re from, your durance changes you. It may not be as noticeable as your new horns, wings, or scales, but your thoughts and emotions blossom into spring flowers or shrivel up like autumn leaves. The way you interact with the world is fundamentally different. It has to be. You wouldn’t have survived your time in Arcadia otherwise. Survival Instincts Do you know that old song by Heart, “These Dreams?” One line talks about walking through a stained glass wall without a cut. It’s kind of like that, except you never know when the wall will actually cut you. If my Keeper was always cruel, I think I might have dealt with it better — but she wasn’t, you know? She kept me there with tastes of honeycomb that melted on my tongue, with glittering presents made of sugar and children’s dreams, with private conversations and “Well done, my faithful servant.” I felt privileged, like I understood some part of her no one else did. The imprisonments and periods of abandonment were just punishments for my mistakes. It was always my mistake. Never hers. I

20 Chapter One: Familiar and Strange Content Note This section covers, among other things, what it’s like to be one of the Lost and how they deal with the confusion and pain of their situation. While it’s unlikely Fae came out of your mirror to kidnap you at any point in your past, you, or someone you know, may have dealt with abuse and trauma. This section covers both topics in some detail, albeit from behind the veil of fantastical horror fiction. Please be kind to yourself when reading. You know your own limits. could never tell what would be a mistake. I don’t think she knew either, until she was in the middle of my punishment. — Mariah Glimmerglass, Fairest Helldiver Some of us feel like it’s a betrayal to acknowledge the “good” parts of our durances. It can feel like that, of course — these are our enemies, the creatures who took us as playthings and punching bags. They’re also the creatures who clothed us in butterflies and whispers, the perfect lovers, the careful gardeners, the wounded hearts we were empowered to soothe at times. It’s almost impossible to reconcile the two, and that’s before you add in the unreal nature of what we all went through. Know this though — you’re not alone. We don’t think your durance is lesser because your Keeper showed you kindness sometimes. None of us survived this without scars. You escaped. That’s important. — Hallie of the Hunt, Elemental Shadowsoul NO! I CAN’T GO BACK THERE! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY’LL DO TO ME! LET ME CLOSE THE DOOR! LET ME— — a Bridge-Burner’s last words Humans require stability to function properly. From our earliest days, we need to achieve homeostasis — a feeling of being safe and stable enough to live our lives without fear of losing our home, food, money, and other essentials. Getting fired, moving, breaking up, or any number of other perfectly human things can disrupt or destroy homeostasis. Long-term events such as imprisonment, abuse, hospital stays, or the durance can even corrupt homeostasis, causing one to believe that this is just how things are now. As with any unfamiliar situation, the best thing to do in Arcadia is adapt. Survival is only possible through adaptation, and many changelings come to see their new reality as, well, reality. Butterflies made of glass? Completely normal, just don’t let them drink your tears. Keeper throwing knives and icicles in a rage? Stay quiet, keep your head down, and maybe you won’t get cut. Make yourself invisible or convenient, or throw other people in the way of your Keeper’s violence, and you will survive. Sadly, many changelings did something they regret during their durance. Martyrs die, idealists are obliterated, but those who adapt survive. The Lost carry fragmented memories of tearing out another prisoner’s heart to satisfy their Keeper, throwing other changelings under the bus to avoid terrifying punishments, or burying the bodies of those who weren’t pretty enough for the vain True Fae that held them. Few changelings escape complicity in some form of atrocity; as the property of their Keeper, they must do as commanded or perish. Whether or not her Keeper made her complicit, a changeling’s durance is an erratic cycle of pleasure and punishment. A Telluric may be admired by a party of Gentry one day and shot at with flaming arrows for not shining brightly enough the next. A Helldiver serves her mistress the heart of a Huntsman she was given freedom to chase down, only to be told it’s not the right Huntsman; the Keeper hangs her over a cliffside by her silver thread to think about what she’s done. A Playmate’s Keeper throws her around like a ragdoll, only to pick her up and rock her to sleep like a child, whispering apologies for the outburst. A changeling in durance rarely knows what to expect; some can learn their Keeper’s patterns and carefully time their escape, but many just get lucky. How should you behave when your captor’s reaction is a crapshoot — and they’re a 12-foot-tall pillar of smoke and eyes and the scent of lavender? Adapt. Obey. Accept. Survive. Surviving It’s not your fault. No matter what else you hear from anyone, know that it’s not your fault. — Velvet Lauren, Darkling Playmate of the Spring Court You will wake up with nightmares. Your sweat is your armor. Your screams are your shield and sword. This is normal. A blessing, even. The nightmares are nothing compared to the horrors you went through. They are a gentle reminder of what awaits you when your guard is down. — Jane, Fairest Telluric, Autumn Monarch of the Freehold of the Endless Sky A changeling ripping their way out of the Hedge and back into the mortal world for the first time brings with her a whole host of questions. What happened? Where am I? Who can I talk to? How was any of that real? And, most importantly, why me? The last question has no good answers. Some Winter Courtiers dedicate whole lifetimes to deciphering the riddle of why the Fae take who they take, with no clear answer. Some people shine brighter in spirit than any given Bright

To Be Lost 21 Destroying a Freehold Freeholds are not perfect. Sometimes a privateer wants to score a big hit. Sometimes the Wild Hunt makes a single, concerted attack, putting the freehold under siege. Sometimes, the Lost’s passions just get the better of them. For whatever reason, sometimes a freehold breaks apart into its constituent courts and motleys. Breaking a freehold is not simple. It usually involves weeks or months of rumors and accusations; of fights, Bedlam, and mandatory meetings to determine the freehold’s future. Faction lines become clearer. Misunderstandings grow into emotional wars. Finally, the oath of community itself falls apart as Lost declare, in the heat of things, that they would rather be anywhere but here. All changelings of the former freehold feel this pain deeply and some never recover from the betrayal. As a consequence, many Bridge-Burners and privateers come from broken freeholds — often joining the ones who broke it in the first place. All former members of a shattered freehold suffer the Oathbreaker Condition, whether they were a catalyst or not, until they join another existing freehold or create a new one out of the ashes of the old. For more information on freehold conflicts, see p. 9 of Oak, Ash, and Thorn. One — why were they left alone? Why are Helldivers allowed to roam free with nothing but a thin leash? What can we learn about the True Fae, so we can prevent them from taking more people or taking us back? It’s a personal struggle for every single one of the Lost, the constant nagging of why me? Fresh Out of the Hedge When a changeling of any stripe first tumbles out of the Hedge, her thoughts first turn to those closest to her. She has to reassure her family she’s safe, tell her spouse she didn’t leave, and a whole host of other damage control attempts. This often ends in confusion and tragedy — the fetch has already taken her place, and no one noticed she was gone, her past has been erased and no one remembered her well enough to miss her, or she’s simply been gone for too long or short of a time for her story to be believable. Changelings all react differently to rejection and disbelief, but no one takes the experience well. This is where other Lost find them. Larger freeholds may have entire welcome wagons dedicated to bringing in new changelings, whereas smaller freeholds and motleys do the best they can. New changelings can be skittish and violent, and it’s best to send someone who can clearly and calmly deliver the invitation to the freehold — and then get the hell out of there. Some changelings never accept those invitations, either wandering off into the wider mundane world or taking up residence in the Hedge. Memories of home, once a balm in Arcadia, are now too painful to confront. A changeling may eventually join another freehold or create a new one. She may live almost exclusively in a Hollow to grow goblin fruits and avoid mortal interaction — though this does mean taking constant attacks on her Clarity, as she never sees a single Touchstone. They’re all ways to shut out the anguish of being forgotten and abandoned by the people she held in her heart. A few believe their first interaction with changelings in the mortal world is a Keeper trick. This type of Lost may isolate herself to avoid being targeted again, hiding behind locked doors and long stretches of desolate highway. If she’s really desperate, she may even flee back to Arcadia and beg her Keeper’s forgiveness or become a Hedge Ghost while trying. Others become loyalists or Bridge-Burners, depending on how they handle the shock. On Learning to Live The first time I tasted Glamour, it was a rush. Not like a drug high — I mean, of course I’ve never done drugs, what are you, a cop? Nah, it felt like jumping out of an airplane, except the airplane is busy mooning over her ex-girlfriend. I felt suspended, glistening and sharp, in the middle of that feeling. Whoo! I can’t explain it much better than that, but I felt that Glamour rush through my body, filling me with power. I knew I was gonna land on the ground safely from that metaphorical skydive, but better — I was gonna land on the ground and be able to do ANYTHING. — Kyle Threecups, Wizened Absinthial of the Spring Court The first time I saw another changeling, he terrified me. He was huge and covered in scales. His muscles bulged out of that tank tee, and I thought for sure he was coming for me. There was no other reason! I ran. He followed. That didn’t help, I admitted to him later over tea. I was surprised Big Ben Clifftop liked tea, he seemed more like a beer kinda guy. Anyway, he chased me down and as I started begging him not to take me back, he laughed. Said he’d thought I was smarter than that, that he wasn’t going to hurt me, and he had a safe place to take me to meet others like us. The fact that there is an US still delights and terrifies me. Of course, I joined the Liberty Bell Freehold; I’m not stupid. I just … I don’t know. I hoped it had just been me. I thought I was

22 Chapter One: Familiar and Strange unique, chosen to suffer for the sins of the world. But there’s a lot of us here, not to mention the other freeholds. How many people have they taken? How many are still in Arcadia? — Harker, Fairest Climacteric of the Spring Court [joyful hissing at a freehold fête] — Marshmallow, Darkling Bequerel of the Winter Court Freeholds? Are you joking? They’re just a bunch of scared children kidding themselves. We were all kidnapped, my friend. Our kidnappers are still out there, and they’re still looking for more people to enslave. That’s what they do. They take, and they keep taking until the well’s dry and they have to go digging for another. I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on being there when they dig a new well. I’m smart, though. I joined the winning side. I work with the Kindly Ones, because then I get some choice in who they take. You can stand there and be offended all you please, but at the end of the day, your family isn’t protected by the same oaths mine is. — Tilly Whitmore, Sandharrowed Beast and privateer Thriving I thought I could never sing again. I thought my voice belonged to the Countess of Silk and Steel, that using it was glorifying her. That’s a lie. Everything she told me about my voice is a lie. I sing in my church choir again, just as a different person. I get more solos too. I only turn on “the voice” when I need to. I could be famous, everyone tells me so, but I don’t want to be, not right now. Maybe someday. I’m learning that I have time. — Rhiannon Strongsong, Wizened Nightsinger I don’t believe in any god. How could I, after what I’ve gone through? I keep telling Rhiannon she should get a record deal, but she doesn’t want to. Religious singing and ritual comfort her, and I respect that. What comforts me is seeing how much I’ve changed from who I once was. I was an asteroid hurtling through my Keeper’s skies. I thought all I could be was an agent of destruction. Now I’m one of the Winter Court’s recruiters. I have soothed sobbing changelings in the dead of night. I’ve set them up with jobs in the city, places where they feel they can do some good. I work with a women’s shelter, teaching self-defense. I can do more. I can be more than what they made me. I don’t believe in any god, but I do believe in myself. — Kiri Lia Bianca, Ogre Telluric and wife of Rhiannon Strongsong At some point, the Lost do have to interact with the mortal world. They need to live somewhere, feed and clothe themselves, and do something to make money — not to mention preserving what little Clarity they have left. Their powers may give them an edge, but how do you go to the office day in and day out knowing a creature made of nightmares and promises wants you back in its domain more than anything else? One of the first things a changeling learns, through practice and advice, is that she is in control of her own boundaries. It’s incredibly easy to forget after a durance that she can say no, that she can change her mind, that saying the wrong thing won’t

Spinning the Self 23 result in heinous punishments. Learning how to take control of how she interacts with people is key for a changeling, both in fae and mortal spaces. Boundaries are crucial, but they don’t keep the anguish in her head entirely at bay. This is important for the changeling (and her player) to remember. Being held captive by an otherworldly being that sees you as a precious child and a disobedient thrall leaves lasting scars on the mind. The survival skills a changeling learned in Arcadia almost invariably hurt her in daily human life. She can’t just throw around dazzling and deadly fae magics every time she feels threatened. Working with other changelings, as well as mortal or supernatural counselors, helps her learn new coping skills, but it never erases the experience completely, even if she doesn’t remember all of it. The Wyrd still governs a changeling’s life, even as she goes to and from the aforementioned office. She feels its pull, and sometimes it’s too strong to ignore. She may take her lunch break in the Hedge or find herself in the middle of office politics more often than she’d like. A canny changeling doesn’t promise anything she cannot immediately fulfill even among mortal friends and coworkers, for she knows the Wyrd will require something she hasn’t thought of if she makes promises she hasn’t carefully considered. Some changelings appear flaky or noncommittal, when in truth they’re trying to protect their mortal associates. Many changelings fear the simple act of telling mortals about their durance and nature puts those mortals at risk for abduction. This is not automatically true, though mortals may try to seek out Hedgeways on their own initiative, and some fae beings do have an easier time finding people who know their names or secrets. Another fear many changelings share, though few admit it, is the fear of mockery. How do you tell someone the faeries kidnapped you and expect them to respond with a straight face? Most changelings keep their stories to themselves or their own kind, though some become comfortable enough to seek counseling. A few changelings even become therapists themselves, specializing in treating victims of the fae. A changeling must eventually take all these disparate pieces of her broken life and find a way to fit them together into something resembling a daily routine. She might tend bar, work for a nonprofit organization, or deal with emergencies as an EMT. While not all changelings need to work — Wizened can spin straw into gold, after all, and their motleys never need to work a day in their lives — many find the rhythm of a day job soothing, or even necessary. Some go into high-stress public positions, while others eschew the limelight. Hobbyist changelings derive the same joy and purpose from knitting, growing goblin fruits, or thrift shopping for odds and ends at both human and Goblin flea markets. Working among mortals is also the perfect cover for making bargains (Changeling, p. 214). Agreeing to fashion shoes every night for a shoemaker is a lot less conspicuous for a changeling who’s literally on the payroll. After a while, such changelings find — perhaps to their surprise — that they fit in somewhere once more. It’s a new life, but a life they can call their own. They may never fully achieve homeostasis again, but they have a routine, goals, and a future. It’s more than they had before. Spinning the Self Arcadia changes people, but it doesn’t make changelings monsters. Their wants, needs, and struggles refract through an Arcadian prism, subtly altering them, but they remain human. To thrive, the Lost need purpose, motivation, and connections. Remember that changelings themselves don’t use the mechanical terms discussed here; they are abstractions, representations of complex motivations, psychologies, and histories. Changelings do not identify Needles and Threads within themselves, nor do they call their closest confidantes Touchstones. Instead, a joyful bon vivant says she lives her life to the fullest, the promise of a happy tomorrow is what keeps her going, and she knows texting her ex helps settle her when she doesn’t quite feel right. Needle and Thread Mortals ground their identities through their Virtues and Vices; their best and worst impulses define them. Changelings have uplifting qualities and weaknesses, too, but they distinguish themselves through deliberate reinvention. When a changeling escapes Arcadia, her Needle and Thread help her determine what to do with her newly won freedom. Prick of the Finger Throughout a changeling’s durance, the Gentry imposes a role upon them. Some True Fae claim their captives have free will but manipulate their every action; others simply bludgeon their slaves into submission. Either way, they prevent changelings from making their own decisions. Upon winning their freedom, changelings also win back their right to determine who they wish to be. This is their Needle, the changeling’s chosen self with which they make their mark on the world and impose their will. A Needle represents the Lost’s ability to pierce her confused memories and muddled identity, and to defy the unwanted expectations others place on her. While searching for a job, she meets a modeling agent who insists she can win both fame and fortune as long as she becomes the “perfect” feminine princess. She had a similar contract before the Kindly Ones took her, but she found it stifling. Instead of allowing the agent to lock her in another ivory tower, she affirms her Needle as a commander by setting up her own competing agency, helping her colleagues express their true selves. When a changeling first returns from Arcadia, her Needle simply drives her to act upon her newfound inde-

24 Chapter One: Familiar and Strange pendence. With time, it evolves into something more, a real purpose that gives her life context and meaning. With persistence, community, and a little luck, she one day wakes up to find that her past — while forever an indelible part of her — no longer defines her. Her needs and desires eclipse her history as she shines a light on the future she wants to create for herself. Woven Tapestries People are complicated, like a wall hanging’s myriad colors. In context, the many strings tell a story and evoke powerful emotions, but if the threads binding them break, the colors fray and dissolve into an unrecognizable mess. This metaphor describes the Lost as much as a tapestry. If a changeling’s Needle represents who he chooses to be, his Thread represents the throughline binding his past and current selves together. It gives context to his life, keeping him from feeling unmoored. It is the motivation for him to crawl out of bed in the morning, even when he would rather ignore the world and let time pass him by. It is a familiar feeling, reminding him that no matter how much he changes, he remains himself. By reflecting on his Thread, a changeling knows he can face the unknown and handle whatever the future brings. A changeling’s Thread also helps him make sense of his conflicting memories and the competing expectations placed upon him. Arcadia does a real number on recollection, jumbling thoughts and memories with unreality; other people — fae and mortals alike — try to define him with their own perceptions of him. The changeling’s Thread helps him push those hands away from the loom and weave a new life for himself without outside interference in the tapestry’s pattern. Rethreading the Needle People reinvent themselves all the time. A painter drops out of art school to become an economist, while a scientist discovers a passion for history. Changelings retaking their lives don’t have to succeed perfectly right away — their first, second, and seventh tries are all equally valid. Freeing themselves from the specters of Arcadia is full of dead ends and false starts, like any life. Those kinks in the path don’t mean the changeling was wrong or made a mistake; they just took a longer route to get where they needed to be. Fortunately, dead ends don’t always mean ending up in a Huntsman’s shackles. It’s uncommon for changelings to change their Needle or Thread, but it does happen. The change corresponds with major life milestones for the changeling, such as joining a new court, gaining a dot of Wyrd, or fulfilling a long-term Aspiration. These milestones don’t have to be positive; betrayal by a Loyalist, resolving a persistent Clarity Condition, or encountering the True Fae could prompt a changeling to reexamine his approach to life. Generally, anchor changes should occur at a story’s end, but with Storyteller permission they may change midchapter or even mid-scene if such an event creates a dramatically appropriate moment. While no mechanics govern changing a character’s Needle or Thread, consider what it means to them. Are they proud of how they acted previously or do they hide it away in shame? Are they even aware a of change taking place? It’s possible for the character to remain oblivious to the difference, since in most cases it’s the player’s decision to focus more strongly on another aspect of the character’s personality. Touchstones A man hears a song on the radio as he’s driving home from work. Tears well in his eyes as it conjures memories of his childhood, a more carefree time spent with his aunt who passed away last year. It seems impossible to him that he’s the same person as that child, impossible that his days hunting bugs and playing pretend ever became the nine-to-five grind. He lost himself somewhere along the way and this life isn’t — it can’t be — his. By the time he gets home, he feels like a stranger watching his own life from afar, but the feeling dissolves the second his kids wrap their arms around him and cheer their father’s arrival home. Without even meaning to, their love tells him it’s okay. People change and life keeps throwing curveballs at him, but it doesn’t need to be an albatross around his neck. Moments like this are worth simply enjoying as-is. Not every changeling shares this exact experience, but they all relate to it. The Lost struggle to maintain their sense of self and certainty in their reality under the constant pressure of evading Faerie’s greedy eyes. The pressure is always on and if they let it build too long, they can end up feeling distant from themselves, unsure whether they truly understand who “they” even are. Touchstones are a release valve, taking the pressure off and allowing changelings to reconnect with themselves. A changeling can’t simply go through the motions with a Touchstone; they force him to engage fully with the world around him. Even if a Touchstone is ignorant of the changeling’s supernatural life, she cuts through all the courtly drama and Hedge bullshit, bringing the changeling back down to earth. With a Touchstone, he can breathe and take in the way life is instead of the way it could have been. Even a Touchstone with whom the changeling shares a fierce rivalry or always gets into vicious arguments serves this purpose. Confrontations are stressful, but he always feels more like himself afterward. Most Touchstones are people, but they don’t all have to be. Treasured locations, passion projects, and beloved pets can serve as Touchstones if they carry enough meaning. While they cannot hold a conversation with the changeling, they remind her that it’s okay to be herself exactly as she is, prompting an internal recalibration as valuable as speaking with another person.

Spinning the Self 25 A few changelings possess even stranger Touchstones, such as the ghost of their best friend or their vampire landlord. These supernatural Touchstones function identically to mortal ones, but they all share two key characteristics: • They always relate to the mortal world, even if the connection is as tenuous as reminding a changeling of someone she knew before her durance or her favorite childhood television show. This connection to humanity is what grounds her. • Supernatural Touchstones also cannot relate to the Wyrd or anything fae in nature. Even if they would otherwise be excellent Touchstones, these things represent that which is unknowable and ever-changing — exactly the opposite of what a Touchstone should be. Alternate Systems The following section presents several optional systems for certain kinds of Touchstones, altering the default benefits. Players may choose to use either the default system or an optional one for a type of Touchstone that qualifies, although keep in mind that it may make the system more complex to do so. A player can change which system they use for any given Touchstone between chapters and are not required to use the same system for all their Touchstones. The traditional Touchstone system presented in Changeling is robust and broad, allowing any potential Touchstone to fit within its framework. The alternative Touchstone systems offered here invoke more specific kinds of connections, but they are flexible. Focus less on whether the system fits a particular Touchstone’s exact description and more on whether the combination of Touchstone and system reinforces the character’s themes. Activity Touchstones For some changelings, performing or participating in a familiar activity can serve to make them feel like themselves just as spending time with a friend. The activity can be menial, creative, or social: Chopping wood could remind a character of family vacations in the mountains, painting could keep her hands busy and mind inspired after a durance of unbearable stasis and conformity, while attending or organizing peaceful protests could put her back in touch with her lifelong outrage that ordinary humans who never see a single goblin are still oppressed, too. Systems: Activity Touchstones require actively doing something, rather than simply interacting with someone; conversely, they don’t require the presence of anyone specific and are thus easier to find opportunities to engage with. As long as the changeling has access to whatever she needs to perform the activity, spending a scene doing it may count as both defending the Touchstone for Willpower and interacting meaningfully with it to heal Clarity damage. However, the player must succeed on a Resolve + Composure roll to achieve the necessary focus in order to reap the benefits and may only do so once per chapter. No supernatural effect can modify this roll. Companion Touchstones While changelings interact with all Touchstones in some manner, the interaction isn’t always a two-way street. Companion Touchstones are living things with their own personalities, quirks, and agendas, but for whatever reason, they act as a receptacle for the changeling’s worries and anxieties rather than providing a dialogue. Beloved pets provide a soothing presence and unconditional love regardless of who the changeling was or who they’re becoming. Closely following an admired celebrity’s life and works allows him to just exist in comfortable anonymity, exactly as he is. Systems: By their nature, Companion Touchstones are slightly shallower connections to the mortal world, but in exchange they’re simpler to derive comfort from. A Companion Touchstone detaches from the character’s Clarity track when severe or mild damage fills its associated box, but spending a scene interacting meaningfully with it heals all mild Clarity damage and one point of severe rather than one or the other. Legacy Touchstones Whether it’s a first edition copy of his first novel, a recording of the press release that announced his groundbreaking research, or the child he raised, a Legacy Touchstone reminds the changeling of what he is capable of without fae magic, and it remains as a tangible sign that he made his mark on the mortal world. Even if the Touchstone itself fades or dies, knowing he made a difference is one thing his Keeper can never, ever take away from him. Systems: Legacy Touchstones are stabler and more reliable than other Touchstones but can be harder to engage with or defend. If the character’s only remaining attached Touchstone is a Legacy Touchstone, whenever he takes severe damage to its associated Clarity box, his player may roll Resolve + Composure to keep the Touchstone attached for the rest of the chapter. If he doesn’t heal that Clarity damage before the next chapter begins, the Touchstone detaches as normal. If a changeling loses a Legacy Touchstone entirely, whether or not it’s the only one the changeling has attached, it detaches from its associated Clarity box whenever it takes severe or mild damage from then on. Only finding and attaching a new Legacy Touchstone as a replacement allows the changeling to deliberately abandon it. If the player shifts this Touchstone back to the default system, it’s automatically lost the first time it would detach. Clarity Clarity is not a barometer for a changeling’s sanity or morality. Instead, it measures their self-actualization and emotional resilience. The boundary between mundane and magical is razor-thin; it takes a clear mind and a strong heart to maintain it within oneself.

26 Chapter One: Familiar and Strange Mortals doubt a changeling’s sanity when she insists that she travels to worlds beyond mundane ken. Likewise, her attachment to the mortal world baffles hobgoblins and the Gentry; to them, Wyrd marks the Lost as denizens of the Hedge and Arcadia, not humans. Mortals and faeries alike fail to acknowledge that changelings are creatures of both worlds. With full Clarity, a changeling recognizes the subjectivity of truth, helping him contextualize his experiences when compared to those of others. He trusts his senses and has confidence in his understanding of his personal truth. Being low on Clarity feels like putting down your house keys and being unable to find them when you need to leave — while your roommate swears he never touched them after, in fact, hanging them by the door while cleaning. In this self-doubting state, a changeling can distinguish truth from fiction, but he has difficulty taking mundane or magical realities at face value. He second guesses his own memory and doesn’t trust his intuition, and thus tends to prioritize other people’s word over his own experiences. Confusion blurs the lines between reality, memory, and dreams. At its worst, Clarity loss leaves the changeling doubting he ever left Arcadia in the first place, where only the Gentry’s truth matters. The most terrifying part of all is that it’s not an irrational fear. The Kindly Ones have been known to let changelings think they’ve escaped through elaborate illusions, only to bring the entire facade crashing down when they find it convenient or amusing. Clarity loss muddles everything. What the changeling’s senses tell him doesn’t change, but he can no longer interpret it with certainty. Hesitance and anxiety overcome him, whether he’s asserting his will, resisting mind-affecting magic, or recalling simple facts. As Clarity damage heals, his confidence returns. It’s not that he no longer has doubts — everyone does — but he can set them aside and get on with life. His faith in himself emboldens his actions. He picks up the shattered glass that shows him his own reflection and rearranges it in the mirror frame. The cracks smooth over and heal themselves with nary a scar before the mirror proclaims he is the fairest of them all and should never doubt it again. Some call the Lost “mad,” but they simply can’t understand the kind of resilience the changeling psyche possesses. No matter how many times a changeling pulls himself back together after breaking, he feels the same relief and self-assurance each time. Roleplaying the Dream The Comatose Condition allows players and Storytellers to explore the changeling’s hopes, fears, and relationships. When portraying a Comatose changeling’s dreams, other players can take on the roles of important eidolons while the Storyteller sets the scene. This form of narrative troupe play ensures engagement in the scene for everyone and offers players a unique roleplaying experience. If a player is uncomfortable challenging their friend’s character, they could instead be present in the dream as a supportive Storyteller character, such as a Touchstone or their own character’s eidolon. Bear in mind that when Touchstones appear in a character’s dream while she’s subject to the Comatose Condition, they aren’t the real thing. A changeling can’t regain Clarity by spending time with eidolons. The Storyteller can, however, involve these Touchstone eidolons in the drama of the dream, allowing her to resolve a Clarity Condition by interacting with them as normal. If a changeling drops to Clarity 0 with Comatose as her only Clarity Condition, Storytellers should allow her to resolve another Condition that could be a Clarity Condition instead; for instance, if she became Spooked due to a power rather than Clarity damage, she may still heal a point of that damage when resolving Spooked. If she doesn’t possess any other appropriate Conditions either, an eidolon can easily inflict one as the scene progresses. Since the dreamer’s own actions can be inconsistent in dreams, players can share the responsibility of portraying the Comatose changeling if the group agrees. This simulates the loss of narrative control often present in dreams, which is particularly disturbing for changelings since they are natural lucid dreamers and dreamweavers. When troupe-playing a single changeling, each player chooses a single emotion or facet of the character that their actions in the dream represent. If the group wants to really dig into the motley’s relationships, they can even assign the other characters in the motley to parts of the Comatose character’s personality instead, exploring the push and pull of a close-knit group of changelings on each other’s selves. The goal is to explore aspects of the changeling’s mind and the conflicting drives within her, not to hijack a character and behave outlandishly; thus, the Storyteller should return full control of the Comatose character back to her original player at any time if the latter occurs. Feel free to allow consistency and plausibility to fall by the wayside when portraying eidolons, especially those who represent existing Storyteller characters in the dream. People act wildly out of character in dreams and the dreamer is none the wiser. This may create an impossible or outright comical scene; that’s fine within the dream’s context! It’s only after the Comatose changeling wakes up that the dream’s incongruities are unnerving. On the surface, a character playing dodgeball with her Keeper in dreams may seem too lighthearted for a Changeling chronicle. Dig a little deeper, though, and the absence of the changeling’s survival instincts becomes terrifying. In the dream, she accepted her Keeper’s presence in a mundane activity without question. If she’s willing to accept the Gentry in her dreams, is there even the smallest chance she would allow them to put her back in chains? That dream is fucking terrifying in the light of day.

Spinning the Self 27 Such incongruities can work to the motley’s advantage if a changeling becomes Comatose and they must rescue her from her own Bastion. Creating unusual circumstances and convincing eidolons to act out of character are tried-and-true methods to help a Comatose changeling awaken. The motley must interact with the changeling’s eidolons and perform oneiromancy to maneuver them like pieces on a chessboard to create scenarios so unlikely that the dreamer can no longer accept them. Some changelings try using Contracts and other magic to directly restore the Comatose changeling’s Clarity. This isn’t effective, since it lacks the emotional catharsis of resolving a Condition, but it can enact a paradigm shift without a roll; the instigator gains dreamweaving successes equal to his Composure. New Clarity Conditions Optionally, changelings may suffer one of the following Conditions in place of Comatose when they reach Clarity 0. BEHIND YOUR EYES Clarity disintegration renders a changeling easily manipulable, leaving them wide open to subversion. A Hedge ghost, hobgoblin, or — worst of all — one of the Gentry invades the changeling’s mind. The invader can’t read the changeling’s thoughts, but it shares her senses whenever it likes. She’s aware of a mental itch deep down, but she can’t place it until the Condition resolves, and she realizes how much she gave away. If this Condition came about through mild Clarity damage, resolving another Clarity Condition forces the visitor to retreat from the changeling’s mind. If it came about through severe Clarity damage, only the shock of accidentally betraying herself and her motley ends the Condition. Possible Sources: Reaching Clarity 0 Resolution: The character regains Clarity or takes an action that reveals an important secret to the visitor, recovering a point of Clarity as usual. In the case of severe damage, the only way to resolve this Condition is for the changeling to reveal a secret. Any other Clarity Conditions she resolves during this time increase her Clarity as usual, but they do not resolve Behind Your Eyes. EGOMANIAC Without Clarity, the changeling acts as though she resides in Arcadia, mimicking the True Fae’s boundless egotism. She fails to comprehend the needs and desires of others and displays qualities she subconsciously learned from her Keeper, leading her to fulfill her own desires at everyone else’s expense. Any Social roll your character fails automatically becomes a dramatic failure that does not grant a Beat. As well, Joy replaces her current Needle and one of her Keeper’s Aspirations replaces one of her current Aspirations until the Condition resolves. Possible Sources: Reaching Clarity 0 Resolution: The character regains Clarity or her actions cause serious harm (physical, mental, or emotional) to her allies, regaining a point of Clarity as usual. In the case of severe damage, the only way to resolve this Condition is for the changeling’s actions to harm her allies. Any other Clarity Conditions she resolves during this time increase her Clarity as usual, but they do not resolve this Condition. Optional System: Condition-Based Kenning By default, as long as a changeling maintains her Clarity and Willpower, she can use kenning to pick up the taste of magic in the air. Condition-based kenning is an optional system for players who want to give their characters less control over their magical acumen. In exchange, the kenning is more potent, allowing a changeling to penetrate supernatural concealment; can occur even with low Clarity; and doesn’t drain her will. If the Storyteller and players agree, they may use both kenning systems in the same chronicle, allowing both deliberate and mysterious intuition when the situation warrants. Systems: Condition-based kenning costs no Willpower and triggers automatically when a changeling resolves a Clarity Condition; she can’t voluntarily use it. Roll her current Clarity. On success, she gains the Deep Kenning Condition. DEEP KENNING Your character’s newly bolstered Clarity grants abrupt flashes of insight, allowing her to discover nearby magic. You may shed this Condition at any time to gain information about nearby supernatural phenomena as if you had rolled kenning with successes equal to half her maximum Clarity. Unlike normal kenning, resolving this Condition permits a Clash of Wills against active magical concealment. This Condition fades without resolving if the character drops to Clarity 0. Possible Sources: Heal Clarity damage by resolving a Clarity Condition or spending time with a Touchstone. Resolution: As noted above.

The Forms of Things Unknown 29 “Promises bind our kind as surely as iron chains or ropes of human hair. The fae never swear by anything we don’t believe in. We don’t ask for thanks and we don’t offer them; no promises, no regrets, no chains. No lies.” — Seanan McGuire, Rosemary and Rue You fled your Keeper’s impossible kingdom but echoes of her cling to you long after you escaped the Hedge. The smell of smoke from her ever-burning fires lingering in your hair, the chime of his laughter still ringing in your ears, the wonders you wielded in Arcadia follow you home. Though they’re much diminished from the world-shaping miracles you performed at your Keeper’s command, memories of them have seeped into your skin and settled deep within your bones. This chapter delves into the powers available to the Lost, including new Regalia and Contracts, the fae sympathetic magic called dramaturgy, and expanded rules and examples for pledgecraft and oaths. The Forms of Things Unknown A Darkling holds a lightning-charred oak branch in her hand and presides over two motleys in dispute. Her judgment binds them to a course of reconciliation. A Hunterheart clutches his compass tight; its needle whirls and spins, but he knows the way home. The Becquerel offers her enemy a sip from a dented cup — its contents will heal him, for a while. A penny for your thoughts? the Wizened asks the Goblin Queen, sliding an ancient coin across the table and bracing for brutal truth. All Lost are familiar with the traditional Regalia (Crown and Mirror, Sword and Shield, Jewels and Steed), but changeling scholars have long suspected the True Fae forged pacts with an even broader array of cosmic entities and concepts. Though lesser known, many of these agreements remain in effect today. Changelings and hobgoblin servants call upon powers of judgement and sovereignty, light and shadow, life and death — abilities that don’t comfortably fit the purview of any of the principal Regalia. Some of the oldest pacts fade into obscurity as the Titles of their True Fae creators fall dormant or cease to be, but extraordinary deeds or grave disasters can sometimes bring them back into the light. Regalia themselves are symbols, esoteric concepts distilled into ideas the Gentry’s servants can understand. They rarely ever embody just one thing. Jewels represent perfection, but also the temptation a person feels when gazing upon something flawless — the need to possess it, the willingness to go to war for it. Jewels exemplify fortune and deceit as well, all facets of a greater whole. Contracts are Regalia passed through a prism, broken down into their component parts for the True Fae’s servants to observe and command. Some Contracts stand alone or in independent pairs. They fit no known Regalia, and each performs one extremely specific task. Leaden Mirror librarians keep careful notes on such Contracts when they encounter them, tracing their origins and the names of those Lost who learned them. Many of these derive from now-defunct Regalia whose pacts were forgotten over the millennia, or whose original manifestations were destroyed. Sometimes, the Gentry create individual Contracts out of necessity, granting their servants the tools required to fill a particular need in their realm, or to use as a weapon that might pierce one specific enemy’s heart. In some cases, the Good Cousins failed in their negotiations with an entity — perhaps their own cleverness tripped them

30 Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors up, or they didn’t manage to fully assert their will — leaving their Regalia incomplete. Some independent Contracts are stolen, the product of one of the True Fae encountering an entity whose power she coveted and claiming it as her own. These Contracts are subject to the Keeper’s interpretation of the entity, rather than its original self. A lighthouse that stood on the rocky shore of the Prince of Glad Tidings’ domain signaled home and safety to sailors on its choppy seas, until The Sighing Lass captured the headland, twined her brambles into the lighthouse’s walls, and filled its beacon with her sorrows. Lost who tended its light thereafter escaped their durances knowing how to draw out their companions’ most bittersweet memories. Just as with regular Contracts, those without a reigning Regalia can be Common or Royal. Some of these orphan Contracts pair together, joined by a similar theme without being part of a larger whole. What Lies Forgotten What happens to a story when its last talespinner dies? What happens to a bargain when no one remains to fulfill its terms? Without changelings to pass along knowledge of a concept or embody its essence in their Contracts, an unused Regalia fades out of memory. This alone doesn’t nullify or destroy it as long as the original pact that created it isn’t broken; the ideas and themes that comprise Regalia are difficult to kill. They merely lie dormant, waiting for someone to come along and remember or rediscover their ancient agreement. For Lost who have time to secure their secrets before they die, the Hedge makes a splendid hiding place for their treasures. Some leave cryptic missives with their motleys for other changelings to decipher. The fae-touched may even play a part: Tamsyn and James swore they’d reunite after the war ended, but that was 90 years ago, and a Huntsman pulled Tamsyn back to the Timekeeper’s eternal tower before The Ursine Duchess takes only three servants every 100 years, setting them to tend to her during her long hibernation. They become the blankets spreading over her, so thick they muffle out any sound; or the shutters over her windows, blocking out moonlight and sunshine alike; or the stories in the books her attendants read to her while she pretends to dream. Long ago, she brokered a deal with Night and Rest and Silence, but that Regalia’s been forgotten; the last changeling escaped her maze-like tower over 200 years ago. • • • Victoria’s long gone, but the Wizened Uttervoice left snatches of the songs she composed for her Keeper snagged on the Thorns. The Icons took the form of guitar picks and capos, and strings for the Stratocaster she so loved. Lost who’ve come into possession of such Icons and made music with them not only gain Victoria’s memories, but also an understanding of her Regalia. Her Contracts describe the intersection of music and battles: the power in a protest song, or the beat of a war drum. • • • About a decade back, the Lonesome Highway freehold nearly died out. The Hammer Regalia that its Spring Queen, Allison Free, had used so carefully to build a safe place for the motleys under her protection became instead a bludgeon. Two members of Free’s court went missing and had her sergeant-at-arms — a Beast Valkyrie — not noticed the change that came over the Queen, it might have been many more. The courts banded together. They coaxed the Queen away from her hammer, shattered its handle and melted down its head. That was the easy part. Prying out Free’s memories? That proved harder.

The Forms of Things Unknown 31 she could see James again. Today, James’ great-grandchildren dream of cogs and pocket watches, the symbols of Tamsyn’s Timepiece Regalia. Changelings who claim entitlements (Oak, Ash, and Thorn, p. 31) may also inherit knowledge of their predecessor’s lesser-known Regalia. The Dauphines of Wayward Children’s new Chaperone grows more and more insightful about his charges’ needs and relies on the Star to guide them safely on their way. The Master of Keys is a Thorn in the side of those whose secrets she’s unlocked. Even Lost who die suddenly may still leave echoes of their Regalia behind, waiting for whoever finds their remnants and pieces them back together. A silver box lies buried beneath the rubble in a half-faded Bastion that found a new home on the Wishing Roads (p. XX). The changeling’s Icon — and the memories embedded within — sit among the hobgoblin Rattlebones’ wares at the Goblin Market. Not all lost Regalia dwindle quietly out of common memory. They can be banned, locked away, or intentionally hidden — and not always by Bridge-Burners or vast cosmic forces. Changelings root out these Regalia while their fellows still know how to invoke their Contracts, still wear their symbols stitched onto sleeves, hems, cuffs, and collars. Sometimes, the freeholds themselves destroy these powers for what they deem the greater good. Losing access to Regalia and Contracts removes part of a Crimson Courtier’s arsenal. It diminishes the knowledge the Leaden Mirror hoards. Even Winter Courtiers — who may benefit from keeping secret the methods of destruction and the fact anything was destroyed — exhaust alternate solutions before voting in favor of such a drastic action. Usually, excised Regalia present an immediate danger to the freehold. Perhaps invoking it attracts Huntsmen, or sows seeds of deadly discord among the motleys. Backed into a corner, the freehold may sacrifice their connection to a Regalia to seal an oath with a similar but more powerful entity, or because giving up the power it grants them satisfies some other desperate need. The terms of such oaths dictate how the Lost sever the tie, and wily changelings look for loopholes that may let the freehold’s future members recover the knowledge. Lastly, the Lost may discover that the entity who originally held the pact has died or passed it on, sending ripples throughout the fae realms and disturbing Contracts’ effects. This may be a cosmic shift well beyond changeling understanding, or the sign of a Regalia’s corruption at the hands of another force. It’s risky to keep drawing upon an altered Regalia, so cautious changelings brick off the avenues to its manifestations and punish those who refuse to cease invoking related Contracts. Lost and Found To learn Contracts in a lost Regalia, the changeling must first learn of its existence and then find someone — or something — to teach them. They may seek out a changeling who served the same Keeper as the last person to know those Contracts, hoping for precious insights. Perhaps their memories can lead to new clues, or maybe they’ve kept one of their friend’s Icons safe all these years. Due to Arcadia’s unreliable flow of time, this often proves more difficult than expected. Two changelings who spent their durances together in the Year of Plague’s disease-ridden environs, who kept pace with one another as they fled home through the Thorns, might not have exited the Hedge in the same decade, let alone the same town. Lost who suspect they might be the last ones to ken a particular type of Contract sometimes attempt to pass the knowledge on, though they rarely leave detailed grimoires behind with their local court scholars. Instead, they bury cryptic messages in fortified Bastions, or hide the secrets in a soda can and add it to a hobgoblin’s junkpile. After all, better the Regalia and its power fades into obscurity than fall into loyalist or Bridge-Burner hands. When a changeling finds no mentors among his freehold or other local Lost, the Hedge is the next most likely place to search. The Hedge forms itself around its travelers — their desires, keenest emotions, and deeply-held philosophies. Lost seeking a forgotten Regalia set foot on the trods hoping the path carries them somewhere still ringing with its memory. For a changeling searching for the Regalia of Stars, their journey may lead them into skies speckled with ever-changing constellations, or they may follow one single, brightly shining point until its image burns into their vision and their pupils twinkle with its light. Trods can lead to a hobgoblin with knowledge to barter, the last remaining servants of a vanquished Title, or any other lingering clue. Oneiromancers turn their searches inward, confronting eidolons in their own dreams to uncover buried truths. Perhaps during her durance, she noted the chalice her Keeper always drank from at court but dismissed it as a mere cup rather than a symbol of life and death. Now, in dreams, she stands before a table of brimming vessels. When she peers into each, she sees not her own reflection but the fates of her motley. Changelings who step through the Gate of Ivory can only learn Common Contracts for these Regalia. They possessed the knowledge during their durances, but forgot when they fled, or dismissed the details as unimportant. However, deeper understanding requires greater risk: To discover the secrets of Royal Contracts, they must travel through the Gate of Horn, and occasionally venture into stranger places — mirror space, the Dreaming Roads, the BriarNet, or even beyond. At their most daring (or perhaps desperate), the Lost may venture back into Arcadia to steal knowledge of a lost Regalia from the Gentry. Few changelings find this worth the risk; what good does it do a Darkling to learn the secrets of the Cloak if it puts her back within her Keeper’s grasp? Yet some, driven to protect an endangered loved one, or as part of a Summer Queen’s bold plan, do venture back into the land of their captivity for the promise of secret knowledge.

32 Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors No Good Deed Goes Unpunished The Storyteller should declare which (if any) of the Regalia presented below players may select during character creation as a second favored Regalia, either because their backstory warrants having discovered a lost one or because in your chronicle, it was never lost to begin with. The Storyteller decides the difficulty of the deeds required to uncover lost, forgotten, or forbidden Regalia, and can adjust them according to the Regalia’s significance in the chronicle. Is the search a personal one, as an Ogre recalls parts of her durance or a Fairest Flickerflash comes to terms with what changed while he was in Arcadia? If the changeling pursues this information on his own time, the Storyteller may represent the search as an extended action, with short scenes over the course of several sessions describing his progress. If his motley gets involved, the rolls become teamwork actions. When fully playing out the pursuit of a lost Regalia, the Storyteller may use the investigation rules beginning on p. 194 of Changeling to shape the mystery. What obstacles stand in the way of discovering the Regalia? Are there items like Icons or riddles etched into mossy stones that might reveal Common Contracts to those who find them? Who might share the tale — willingly or not — of the last person to use the Regalia, and is that person still alive somewhere? If so, might they need rescuing from a Huntsman’s iron cage, or dissuading from their loyalist sympathies? Consider the narrative consequences of dredging up a lost Regalia. If it faded out of memory because its last practitioner died, who might come out of the woodwork seeking hidden wisdom or planning to collect on debts that practitioner racked up? What favors do hobgoblins ask from a changeling with an affinity for this Regalia? What bribes do they want to ensure their silence about what the motley did to uncover it? All of these make great story hooks. The Regalia’s return may attract a Huntsman’s notice. His loyal hound picks up a scent it hasn’t caught for decades, and now it strains at the leash to follow this fresh trail. Sure, the original quarry eluded the verderer, but his Keeper will be pleased to meet someone else with similar affinities. Perhaps the Huntsman can’t tell the difference between that prior prey and this new one — how can the motley convince him it’s a case of mistaken identity? The Gentry themselves may take an interest and come calling. This may be out of curiosity, a twisted kind of nostalgia, or even an effort for the Fae to protect themselves if they lost a Title to a rival. Others might be furious: How dare anyone try to take the place of the servant upon whom they bestowed those gifts? Uncovering a forbidden Regalia may also cause friction with other Lost, especially those who would prefer it stay forgotten. The Six Sisters’ Freehold destroyed the Regalia of the Chain for a reason. When they hear hidden shackles rattling, their Fifth Oracle Courtiers sharpen their swords. The Bridge-Burner Catriona went to great pains to erase the Ring from memory. She’s an old woman now, but she’s still strong enough to put it to rest one more time. Keep in mind that Regalia represent grand cosmic bargains the True Fae negotiated. Strange entities stir when Contracts that haven’t been invoked for centuries — or longer — call on them once more. Do they present themselves to the changeling in overt ways, appearing in her dreams to size her up? Or is their influence more felt than seen, as her motley runs across their symbolism everywhere? What do they want from their new adherents? Lastly, the Wyrd governs all. While it might not prevent a changeling from drawing a lost Regalia back into the world, it certainly notices the act. It tallies the deeds the Lost performed in pursuit of forbidden knowledge and weighs them on its own ineffable scale. Sometimes those deeds themselves are a sufficient trade for the power the changeling gains. Other times, the Wyrd finds the changeling wanting; perhaps she skirted too close to the edge of her oaths or left someone else to pick up the pieces after her own reckless actions caused chaos. A Change of Heart The Lost don’t stop changing after emerging from the Hedge. For many, the ability to remake oneself and declare “This is who I am now,” is an essential part of their new lives. Sometimes, a changeling feels her affinity for a newly discovered Regalia eclipsing one of her others. This denotes a fundamental shift in the Lost’s worldview. Where once she needed a Steed’s freedom of movement, now she has set her sights on her court’s Crown, and she feels the calling of the Scepter. She still retains her Steed Contracts — this change is about folding who you were into who you are now, not abandoning those aspects of yourself. System: At the end of a chapter, with Storyteller permission, the player may sacrifice one dot of Willpower to disfavor one of her character’s two current favored Regalia and replace it with a new one. He keeps all Contracts he learned under the old one. If the character doesn’t have any Contracts from the new Regalia at the time of the change, the player must switch one of her current Contracts in her old Regalia for another of the same type (Common or Royal) from the new one. Designing Regalia When creating a new Regalia for your chronicle, decide first whether you want to start with a theme and assign a symbol to it, or start with the symbol and extrapolate themes from there. It’s usually better to start with the symbol, even if you get there through an idea of what it represents; for instance, you may want to create a Torch Regalia, because you already know torches are both literal and figurative lights in the darkness that illuminate the way for a traveler. From there, think about the various angles from which you can

The Forms of Things Unknown 33 approach that metaphor and additional meanings it might suggest, thus rounding out your Regalia into a robust, multifaceted concept from which to produce Contracts. Starting with only a theme is possible but be careful you don’t focus so much on that lone idea that you have trouble expanding it beyond one narrow theme. Additionally, starting with a theme may give you a concept too broad to guide the choice of symbol and specificity of its powers. Symbol First Every Regalia is based on an item that serves as a metaphor to express its themes. In Arcadia, these items are both metaphors and actual, tangible objects that are part of the Good Cousins’ personal panoplies, which they flaunt to assert their dominance as rulers. Fairy tales and myths are excellent sources of inspiration, as things are rarely all they seem at first glance; an apple can be poisonous, a rose is lovely but bears thorns, and a bean can become a giant beanstalk reaching into the clouds. Real-world status symbols make another good place to look for ideas, particularly those denoting the position of a ruler or other important or unique figure, such as the Three Sacred Treasures of the Japanese emperor or the skull, book, and hourglass of ornamental hermits. Regalia symbols can be ordinary objects with no greater significance, such as a pen or a shoe, but remember that they all began as ways for the Gentry to brandish their power; the Fae tend to gravitate toward items that clearly signify what they believe is special about them as leaders. The pen might be a good choice for a scholarly Kindly One who thinks of themselves as a brainy mastermind (and would resonate better as a Regalia if you called it “Quill” instead), while a shoe might work for one who prides themself on their godlike athleticism (one famous brand of sneakers is named for the Greek goddess of victory, after all). Once you’ve chosen an object, define the Regalia’s purviews based on its uses and qualities. The best Regalia symbols can mean multiple, related things. An anchor holds a ship in place, symbolizing stability and security, but also that which holds one back. Consider the object’s alternate forms and uses; ordinary hammers are tools for building and crafting, while a war hammer is a weapon. A Regalia symbolized by a hammer, then, might represent both creation and destruction. Consider the additional meanings with which legends and pop culture imbue things, as well. When we see an apple, we might think of sleep, poison, and witches thanks to Snow White, or knowledge, temptation, and a loss of innocence thanks to the story of Adam and Eve. Greek mythology links apples with desirability and beauty. You can be the apple of someone’s eye or get called an apple polisher. Apples and faeries even have a mythical history together in the form of Avalon, the Isle of Apples. The intersection of any or all of these associations can play a role in what a Regalia stands for and how its Contracts manifest. A Regalia may explore contradictory aspects within its purview. For example, the Crown embodies rulership whether it rests on the head of a benevolent monarch or a ruthless tyrant. Think about the positive and negative aspects of your concept, how its users might both help others and cause harm with it. Perhaps the Regalia’s symbol represents two opposing concepts, like light and darkness, motion and stillness, or life and death. Upon what fulcrum do these opposites pivot? How does one inform the other? Themes First If you don’t have a symbol in mind up front, consider the basic theme you want the Regalia to cover. It should be broad enough to contain multiple facets but narrow enough to express a clear and cohesive set of related themes to inform the magic’s purpose. To this end, you may need to first narrow your initial idea down to give you enough specificity and then expand it outward to find strong associations and alternate angles. For example, a Regalia about “peace” that embodies themes of diplomacy and prosperity looks very different from one that embodies the more individual ideas of contentment and tranquility. Perhaps, for the latter, you narrow down your theme to “serenity” and then extrapolate. With what other specific ideas do you associate it? Stories, places, objects, articles of clothing? What other concepts are closely tied to it that might provide more options for potential symbols? Feel free to think outside the box; the more linked associations you come up with, the more inspiration you’ll have for creating Contracts. Storytellers can also look to character backstories, goals, and personalities for inspiration. Have the motley’s adventures followed a particular theme? What aspects of their Keepers and durances could provide the foundation for a new Regalia? If you or your players have already created custom Contracts, see if you can spot a recurring theme among them. If you can group three or more together, consider making them part of a full Regalia. Over the course of several sessions, keep notes on the characters’ roles within their motley and how they relate to others. What words describe them and their methods? What sorts of actions do they often fall back on that aren’t yet covered by their Contracts? Perhaps the Ogre’s keen focus in a fight and his ability to cut right to the heart of a matter inspire the Arrow Regalia, or the Darkling’s ability to twist opponents into tongue-tied knots and control the flow of a conversation translates into the Spindle. Changeling pairs the six most well-known Regalia with seemings already, but others can resonate as well if you want. Does the Throne favor the Fairest as charismatic leaders, or Darklings as the true power behind the sovereign? The Hammer suits the Wizened when it’s used to build, but as a symbol of war, Ogres wield it best. Bringing It to Life When writing the Regalia’s description, consider how changelings attuned to that particular symbol act—after all, they’ll be using the Contracts you create, so they’ll want to

34 Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors wield powers that fit their modus operandi. Those who fa - vor the Shield are protectors. Those inclined toward the Scepter pass judgment. A changeling embodying the Star might focus on guiding her motley down a particular path, or she might be the person to whom they go when they need insight into past events. Everyone the Wyrd touches knows the importance of balancing the magical books, but those bearing the Coin define themselves by trade and what they can do with material possessions. Finally, consider what you want a Regalia’s Contracts to do. (Rules for designing Contracts appear in Change - ling , p. 308.) Think about the types of pacts the True Fae made when they first negotiated with the cosmic entity in question. How did those pacts shape their Titles? True Fae are beholden to a Regalia’s themes and symbolism even more than the Lost who served them, but the pacts also grant them vast power to shape their realms. On a grand scale, how do the Gentry use this Regalia’s powers? What wondrous feats did a changeling in their entourage perform with it? Though the Lost only wield a fraction of that influ - ence after they escape, the symbols remain. How do you shrink the sweeping changes they caused in Arcadia down to mundane-world levels? Keep in mind the variations and contradictions built into the Regalia. Even though two powers might have totally different effects, they should still feel like facets of the same prism. New Contracts This section presents five new Regalia in full, as well as a selection of single or paired independent Contracts that fall under no Regalia. Chalice Chalice represents the mercurial nature of emotions, the fluidity of relationships, and the ebb and flow of life. The goblet can contain a wellspring of hope or the dregs of despair. It’s a toast and a promise: Drink and be merry, for tomorrow, we die. As a symbol of feasting and revelry, it represents close bonds forged in celebration or mourning; a ceremonial chalice finds its way to the lips of everyone pres - ent to tie them together in oath, ritual, or faith. Its depths might hold a healing potion, a sleeping draught, or a dose of poison, and it cares not which the drinker consumes. Changelings find both solace and misery at the bottom of a cup. Filling the Cup (Common) By filling a glass or cup to the brim with any liquid and following the ripples in its surface, the changeling attunes himself to the flow of strong emotions, acting as a dowsing rod. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None Action: Instant

New Contracts 35 Duration: One scene or until the changeling regains any Glamour, whichever comes first Effects: The changeling can identify people experiencing powerful emotions within a radius of (her Wyrd x 40) yards/meters. He knows the direction and general distance of the emotion at the time of the Contract’s use, but those people may move by the time he gets there. He gains a vague sense for whether any emotion he detects is positive or negative, but otherwise can’t identify it without seeking those people out or using additional magic. If anyone incites Bedlam within range while this Contract is in effect, the changeling can automatically identify it as such, though without additional detail. Beast: If the Grim has already used this Contract or another relevant power, such as the Spring Court’s Cupid’s Arrow (Changeling, p. 151), to identify or locate a specific, known person’s emotions at any point, he can identify that person again with this Contract from afar by the scent of their feelings. Fairest: The Muse can pick out those within range experiencing an intense emotion related to him. That person doesn’t necessarily have to recognize their own feelings — such as being jealous of the changeling’s lover without having acknowledged it even to herself. He only learns the information, not the person’s identity. Loophole: As he invokes the Contract, the changeling speaks out loud her current strongest emotion and its cause or the person at whom it’s directed for all nearby to hear. Frail as the Dying Word (Common) All Lost suffer the sting of iron and the shackles of unknowable fae laws. With a touch, the changeling writes his victim into the fine print, fooling the Wyrd into applying those laws to them, too, for a time. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Manipulation + Occult + Wyrd vs. Composure + Wyrd Action: Contested Duration: One scene Roll Results Success: The changeling inflicts one of his own minor frailties on the target. If they already possess it, that frailty becomes major instead for the duration. If they already possess a major version of the same frailty, this Contract doesn’t function. The changeling doesn’t lose the frailty he inflicts. Exceptional Success: The changeling inflicts either one of his major frailties or two of his minor frailties with one invocation instead. Iron counts as a major frailty. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The Wyrd catches the changeling in the act of forgery and inflicts a new major frailty on him in addition to those he already possesses for the scene. Fairest: The Muse may inflict a frailty belonging to any fae being present in the scene rather than his own. Darkling: The Wisp may pay an additional Glamour when invoking this Contract to transfer his frailty to the target rather than simply sharing it, losing that frailty himself for the Contract’s duration. This cannot apply to his iron bane. Loophole: The changeling has already suffered from the frailty he wishes to inflict within the same scene. He may seek it out deliberately for this purpose. Sleep’s Sweet Embrace (Common) The gentle graze of the changeling’s hand upon a shoulder or rosy cheek and whispered promises of peace and rest turn another’s worst nightmares or most wondrous dreams into a healing slumber. The changeling must touch the intended sleeper to use this Contract. Cost: 2 Glamour + 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Manipulation + Expression + Wyrd − Resolve Action: Instant or resisted (see below) Duration: Varies (see below) Roll Results Success: Once the changeling invokes this Contract, whenever the target sleeps for a number of days equal to successes on the invocation roll, they don’t dream. Instead, they heal one lethal damage per hour they’re asleep, but they can’t regain Willpower from rest for the Contract’s duration. While dreamless, they have no Bastion and cannot be the target of oneiromancy or other magic that works upon dreams or dreamers. If this Contract lasts more than two days, the target suffers the Dissociation Condition (Changeling, p. 336), which can’t resolve until they regain full Willpower after the Contract ends. This Contract is only resisted if the target is unwilling. The changeling may target himself, but if he does, he cannot end the effects early. Exceptional Success: In addition to the longer duration, the target suffers Dissociation if the effects last more than three days instead of two. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling cannot meditate, enter the Gate of Ivory, or dream the next time he sleeps; he suffers the drawbacks of this Contract’s effects for one night, but gains no healing benefits. Beast: The Gargoyle sends his target into a deeper hibernation, always adding two additional days to its duration. Darkling: The Mountebank’s target appears recently dead to all mundane forms of detection whenever they’re asleep. They don’t appear to breathe or have a pulse, their skin seems cold, and their limbs are stiff. Magical ways to

36 Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors detect whether someone is living or dead prompt a Clash of Wills with the Darkling. Loophole: The changeling prepares a sleeping draught, warm milk, soothing tea, or any other sleep aid that involves drinking liquid, and he persuades or forces the target to drink it all in the same scene in which he invokes the Contract. Curse’s Cure (Common) The changeling concocts an antidote for any venom or poison that afflicts another from a sample of their blood, which he mixes with herbs picked from the Hedge and a bit of his own spit in a cup of wine. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Intelligence + Medicine + Wyrd Action: Instant Duration: Instant Roll Results Success: Anyone who drinks a full cup of the changeling’s draught either heals from a poison in half the normal time, or, if the poison was deadly, the character will now survive. Conditions resulting from the poison fade without resolving. Attempting to cure a supernatural poison prompts a Clash of Wills. Each invocation of this Contract produces enough antidote for a single poisoned victim, no matter the amount of liquid in the cup. Exceptional Success: The poison is entirely and instantly cured. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling botches the mixing and poisons himself. He suffers the Fatigued Condition, which becomes the moderate Poisoned Tilt during action scenes. Beast: The Beast can make the toxin his own and inflict the moderate Poisoned Tilt on a grappled opponent as a unique grappling option that requires biting the opponent, as long as he does so during the chapter in which he invoked this Contract. Wizened: The Hatter may use this Contract to reduce the severity of a disease, or to end the effects of a drug in the target’s system; Conditions related to these effects fade without resolving. Loophole: The changeling tastes a bit of the same toxin that afflicts the one he intends to cure within the same scene; this Contract doesn’t protect him from its effects if even a small taste would poison him. Dreamer’s Phalanx (Common) By physically touching each other as they fall asleep, a group of changelings connects each of their Bastions to that of the one who invokes the phalanx, reinforcing their collective walls and enabling feats no dreamweaver could achieve on his own. Cost: 1 Glamour + 1 per additional dreamer beyond the second Dice Pool: None Action: Instant Duration: One chapter or until all dreamers wake, whichever comes first Effects: The changeling connects the Bastions of all participating dreamers, thus drawing them all into a shared dream. He himself must be a participant, and all dreamers must be willing. Each dreamer retains their own distinct Bastion with a separate entrance and exit, but the dreamers treat them as a single Bastion for purposes of oneiromancy and navigating the shared lucid dream. Increase each Bastion’s Fortification by 1 per dreamer, to a maximum of +5, against any oneiropomp outside the linked group. Whenever one dreamer takes an action that benefits from teamwork with at least one of the others as an oneiropomp within any of their Bastions, that action gains the 8-again quality. Shifts that cause location changes can transport anyone affected from one Bastion to another in addition to changing their physical location. This Contract counts as an invitation from each dreamer to each other to enter their Bastions from the outside. If any of the dreamers suffers the Comatose Condition or has otherwise lost the ability to dream lucidly, paradigm shifts can inflict Shift Conditions in any of their Bastions even if that Bastion’s oneiropomp is still lucid dreaming. If any participant wakes naturally, their Bastion simply ceases to exist with no impact on the others other than to reduce the number of connected dreamers (and thus potentially their Fortification bonuses). However, if one dreamer is forcibly and magically awoken, whether by an oneiropomp with the Dream Assailant Condition or by some other power, all of their shared Bastions are destroyed, forcing those still asleep to contend with their Bastion’s end per the rules on p. 222 of Changeling. Beast: All participating dreamers gain +2 to any action they take that’s contested by an external oneiropomp intruding on any of their Bastions. Wizened: The Shrewd builds stronger, steadier connections. In addition to gaining the 8-again quality, teamwork actions between dreamers within the shared Bastions achieve exceptional success on three successes. Loophole: All participating dreamers are part of the same sworn oath when this Contract is invoked. The oath need not be exclusive to them; for instance, if all are in the same motley but not all motley-mates participate, it still counts. Swearing an oath specifically for the purpose of this Contract within the same scene also counts. Closing Death’s Door (Royal) Even mortals know the cup may usher in doom or stave it off, but the Lost know it can even reverse it under the right

New Contracts 37 circumstances. With a tender kiss on the lips, the touch of her tears to the corpse’s face, or another gesture of intimacy and longing, the changeling cheats death on another’s behalf, allowing them to step back over the dread threshold they’ve already crossed. Cost: 3 Glamour + 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Wyrd Action: Instant Duration: Instant Roll Results Success: This Contract targets the corpse of any previously living character who has died within one chapter of the scene in which the changeling invokes it. That character comes back to life with all Health boxes filled with aggravated damage except the rightmost one, which is undamaged. In exchange for this fae miracle, the changeling gains a number of Goblin Debt points equal to the number of hours the revived character has been dead. He gains a minimum of 1 point and can’t gain more than his usual maximum; he can turn himself into a Hedge Denizen if his total Debt from this Contract is greater than 9 points. Exceptional Success: The Contract can revive someone who has died anytime within the current story rather than chapter; this means if the changeling invokes it and doesn’t achieve an exceptional success, the Contract fails. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The corpse reanimates instead of reviving, becoming a mindless creature that moves like a marionette. Such a creature has only one Health box and no Willpower trait, and all its dice pools are equal to the changeling’s Wyrd. Fairest: The revived character also gains the Swooned Condition regarding the Unicorn. Darkling: The Wisp also gains a brief vision of the revived character’s last moments before death from their point of view when he invokes this Contract. Loophole: The character the changeling tries to revive is one of his Touchstones, a fae-touched promised to him, or someone with whom he shares a personal oath of any kind. Feast of Plenty (Royal) The chalice never runs dry, and the changeling always has something to spare for those in need. He makes a toast or other grand speech as though presiding over a feast, loud enough to be audible to everyone nearby. Those who accept his freely given largesse find their suffering immediately eased but partaking of fae hospitality always comes with a price. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Socialize + Wyrd Action: Instant Duration: Instant Roll Results Success: The changeling summons something nourishing or medicinal out of thin air: food guaranteed to be someone in the scene’s favorite, fresh water, wine to soothe troubles, aspirin to take away a headache, healing salves to ease the pain of an injury, or anything else appropriate to whatever ailments those nearby may have. The summoned quantity is always plenty for everyone present when the Contract takes effect. Anyone who chooses to partake in these comforts may remove one physical, non-Persistent Condition they currently suffer, which fades without resolution, or remove one physical, personal Tilt. They also regain Willpower equal to half the invocation successes rolled, round up. The changeling himself gains no benefits from partaking in his feast. Everyone who benefits from this Contract also suffers the Indebted Condition (above) regarding the changeling. Forcing them to ingest the feast fails automatically. Exceptional Success: The Indebted Condition becomes Persistent. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The Wyrd exposes the catch behind the changeling’s generosity; he suffers the Notoriety Condition. Elemental: The Unbound’s cornucopia is unnaturally enticing; anyone who perceives it must contest the invocation roll with Composure + Wyrd or partake, whether they’re willing or not. Ogre: Those who partake in the Terrible’s feast gain +1 to Defense for the rest of the chapter. Loophole: The changeling greets everyone present in the scene by name with a gesture, such as a handshake or a hug, within the same scene; if he doesn’t know someone’s name, he must learn it and use it in order to invoke the Loophole. INDEBTED A fae being performed a service for your character and owes them something in return. Mundane tasks aren’t enough; the Wyrd enforces this debt. The character can repay it by accepting damage, a detrimental Condition, or a detrimental Personal Tilt intended for the being to whom the character is indebted. The character’s player chooses which of these he suffers; if he chooses damage, the character must take all damage from a source, not part of it. He cannot take on Clarity Conditions or Conditions he couldn’t normally suffer this way. The Wyrd alerts him to all his debtor’s perils his until this Condition resolves, and he doesn’t have to be in their vicinity to resolve it. This Condition can also be Persistent. If so, your character owes a debt he can’t repay as easily. In addition to the usual effects, he earns a Beat whenever his debtor makes a request or demand of him, and he fulfills it without rolling to resist. The Persistent version of Indebted can only resolve

38 Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors when the character performs a major service for his debtor, such as saving their life or risking danger to bring them something they desire. Resolution: Repay the debt, as above. Beat (Persistent only): Fulfill a request or demand the debtor makes without rolling to resist. Still Waters Run Deep (Royal) The changeling takes a series of slow, deep breaths while his target can see his serene expression, allowing them to neither suffer emotional turmoil nor experience joy for a time. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Wyrd − Resolve Action: Instant Duration: One scene Roll Results Success: The target suppresses a number of emotional Conditions currently affecting them equal to successes rolled on this Contract’s invocation roll; the changeling may target himself if he can see his own face, such as in a mirror. Eligible Conditions include Clarity Conditions and Conditions resulting from Bedlam. The Contract nullifies the effects of suppressed Conditions for the scene; the target can’t resolve or gain Beats from them. They can’t take on any new emotional Conditions for the duration; powers which inflict or bestow them simply fail. While this Contract is in effect, the target can’t perform Hedgespinning or dreamweaving, incite Bedlam, or harvest Glamour from living beings (but they can reap it). Exceptional Success: Additional successes are their own reward. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling takes on his target’s emotional burdens, gaining the Storyteller’s choice of either one of the target’s suppressed detrimental Conditions or the Demoralized Condition; these must be resolved normally and don’t vanish when this Contract ends. Wizened: The Hatter may choose either emotional Conditions or purely mental Conditions to suppress, and can mix and match them. Ogre: For the Contract’s duration, the Terrible can resolve one of the target’s suppressed temporary Conditions by meeting its usual resolution criteria; he gains the Beat from resolution rather than the target. Loophole: Within the same scene, the changeling writes out at least a paragraph detailing his current emotional state, stuffs the paper into a bottle, and closes the bottle. Poison the Well (Royal) Emotional connections can grow stronger with time, but so too may they diminish. With a few well-placed words in the right ear, the changeling poisons the bonds between people, causing discord and hard feelings where once was harmony. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Manipulation + Expression + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd Action: Contested Duration: One chapter Roll Results Success: The changeling corrupts his target’s connections to one of her mundane Social Merits, removing her access to it for the Contract’s duration. The subject of the Merit, such as the target’s Allies, Contacts, or Mentor, turns against her, actively attempting to hinder her. These connections may believe she betrayed them, became involved in something unsavory, or gravely insulted them — or perhaps they simply decided they don’t like the cut of her jib. If the changeling is in the Hedge, he may also target any changeling-specific Merit representing connections to a fae beings, Hedge locations, or other resources. If he does, use of this Contract counts as a Hedgespinning action, but doesn’t suffer the usual penalties to the invocation roll. Example eligible Merits include Fae Mount, Goblin Bounty, Hob Kin, Hollow, and Stable Trod; others may qualify at the Storyteller’s discretion. These Merits are affected differently from mundane ones: the target can still use them, but she accumulates Goblin Debt points equal to the Merit’s dot rating per use. Exceptional Success: In addition to the usual effects, the target suffers the Notoriety Condition. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling poisons his own most important connections instead; one of his Touchstones detaches from his Clarity track for the rest of the chapter. Fairest: The Muse gains access to the Merit he soured for the Contract’s duration, turning the connections to his own benefit. Elemental: The Torrent’s meddling results in extensive collateral damage; once this Contract ends, the target’s Merit returns at a rate of one dot per scene rather than all at once. Loophole: The changeling interacts with the target Merit’s subject within the same scene, sowing conflict or sabotaging a resource personally. Shared Cup (Royal) Sharing a cup or breaking bread brings people together. The changeling fills a drinking vessel or prepares a meal and shares its contents equally between all members of a group, forming a bond that defies boundaries.

New Contracts 39 Cost: 2 Glamour + 1 per additional participant beyond the second Dice Pool: Presence + Occult + Wyrd vs. Composure + Wyrd Action: Instant or contested; see below Duration: One chapter Roll Results Success: The changeling binds all participants up to a maximum equal to successes on the invocation roll; the changeling himself must participate. Unwilling participants still must partake in the shared beverage or meal but need not necessarily know about the consequences and may contest the invocation roll as above. This Contract heightens participants’ emotional states and links them together. Their impressions of each other for purposes of Social Maneuvering improve by one step, and each participant suffers a −3 to rolls to contest Social actions taken against them by other participants. Each participant capable of Hedgespinning and inciting Bedlam achieves exceptional success on three successes for those actions. While bound, all participants sense each other’s emotional states, and react to emotional stimuli as though they all experience them simultaneously. If one participant gains an emotional Condition or personal Tilt, all do; each participant must resolve these Conditions separately. If one regains Willpower, they all regain the same amount; if one regains Glamour, all participants with a Wyrd trait regain the full amount. Participants without Wyrd gain the Inspired Condition instead of Glamour; this Condition is not shared. Exceptional Success: Additional successes increase the maximum number of participants. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling cannot control the bond and immediately incites Bedlam involuntarily in all participants without a roll per the rules on p.110 of Changeling. Darkling: The Bewitched may pay 1 Glamour whenever he would cause or receive one of the bond’s effects to cut himself off from the others, failing to trigger the shared effect and excluding him from all passive effects for a few seconds (one turn in action scenes). Other participants can sense this omission with a successful Wits + Composure roll contested by the Darkling’s Wits + Wyrd. Fairest: The Unicorn’s beneficence fills the other participants with gratitude; they all suffer the Swooned Condition regarding the changeling upon the Contract’s invocation. Loophole: The changeling must collect blood, a hair, a fingernail clipping, or some other part of the body from each participant during the scene in which they all consume the drink or meal. Coin Money makes the world go ‘round. The material gain of the greedy always comes at the expense of the less fortunate. A coin represents an exchange of one thing for another, debts owed and repaid. It’s a symbol of naming and then paying a cost. Through the Wyrd, every changeling knows well that nothing comes for free and everyone has their price; whether it’s the piper, the devil, or the hobgoblin who did the motley a favor, all must be paid their due somehow. Every coin is a gleaming little lever on the will of another. Gather enough, and you can move kingdoms — but is it worth the cost? Book of Black and Red (Common) The changeling peers at the tangle of debts and obligations binding her target, clearly seeing the ledger of heavy burdens that tax their existence. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Wits + Academics + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd Action: Instant Duration: Instant Roll Results Success: The changeling learns the five most significant debts and sworn obligations of a target she can see. These bonds may be mundane or magical; she may learn of the shopkeeper’s heavy loans from the bank, or the motley oath that one of the Lost has sworn. She also learns how many points of Goblin Debt the target has, if any. What counts as significant depends somewhat on the target. A man who is overdrawn by $50 from the bank but knows he can repay it swiftly does not consider it significant. If, on the other hand, he owes that $50 to Big Jim, notorious for getting very upset over even relatively small sums of unpaid debt and prone to taking payment from reluctant sorts in the form of their broken kneecaps, it’s probably a rather pressing issue for him even though it is not very much money in the grand scheme of things. The larger the mundane sum and/or the more personal value the commodity paid for has, the more likely it is to count as significant even if the target has a handle on repayment; this Contract detects most mortgages, for example. Debts of a fae kind are always significant. If the changeling exploits the knowledge of these debts or obligations to influence the target or settle those debts during the same chapter, she gains +2 to her dice pool and the target gains the Leveraged Condition regarding the changeling. Exceptional Success: The changeling also gleans the details of significant debts, such as to whom they’re owed, why the target took them on in the first place, and what prevents repayment. Failure: The Contract fails.

40 Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors Dramatic Failure: Some of the debt scrapes off onto the changeling herself; she gains a point of Goblin Debt. Darkling: The Bewitched can choose one of the debts the target owes (apart from Goblin Debt or pledge obligations) and make herself a middleman; the target now owes her the debt, and she owes the same or equivalent to the original creditor. Paperwork and records shift automatically to adjust to this new reality, but because the Wyrd exerts itself to render this change, it watches the outcome more closely. Should the changeling default on her own new debt or otherwise break her agreement, she gains the Oathbreaker Condition. Wizened: The Domovoi needs only three successes to achieve exceptional success when exploiting her knowledge of the obligations to influence the target or settle their debts. Loophole: The target has allowed the changeling to examine their records or accounts during the same scene. Give and Take (Common) The changeling promises an exchange of intangible power, adjusting the ledgers of soul and will to satisfy all parties. Cost: 1 Glamour, or 2 Glamour for Merit exchange Dice Pool: None Action: Instant Duration: Instant, or one scene for Merits Effects: The changeling’s player chooses a number of points up to half the changeling’s Wyrd from one category of Glamour, Willpower, social currency (see p. XX), or dots in a specific, personal-scale Merit, and offers to exchange them with a target for an equal amount of another category they possess. For example, the changeling might trade three points of her own Glamour for three points of the target’s Willpower or their three-dot Common Sense Merit. If the recipient is willing, the exchange immediately takes place. Traded Merits last until the end of the scene, during which time the original owner cannot access their benefits; the recipient must meet all prerequisites for the Merit. This Contract has no effect if the target doesn’t consent to the transaction, although a bit of haggling to get there is fine. Neither party can exchange Merits affecting the wider world beyond them; the changeling cannot trade for Resources or Allies, for example, but she could trade for Fast Reflexes. Since the Contract does not allow an exchange within the same category, she also cannot trade one Merit for another. Ogre: The Bruiser can also trade away or trade for points of mild Clarity damage. Wizened: The Hatter’s exchange need not be equal, but each partner must still trade at least one point in a category, and the target must still consent. Loophole: The changeling and the target permanently exchange physical gifts of equal value or meaning that they have not given each other before. Beggar Knight (Common) The changeling spins a tale of unearned wealth and curses her victim to possess only what he makes himself. She slices away the threads connecting him to the world’s tapestry of exchange and denies him the fruits of others’ labor. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: Manipulation + Academics + Wyrd – Composure Action: Instant Duration: One chapter per success Roll Results Success: The changeling curses a victim who can hear and understand her words. The victim suffers several effects: • He gains no equipment bonus, damage bonus, or armor rating from any piece of physical equipment he did not make himself, and failures with such items automatically become dramatic failures without awarding a Beat. • He loses access to any Resources dots he did not literally create himself — a trove of coins he personally minted, for example. He discovers his bank accounts suspended and credit cards maxed out. People refuse to accept his checks, fearing forgery, or the Wyrd otherwise conspires to render his wealth worthless. Resources dots return once the curse ends. • His dice pools cannot benefit from the teamwork of others (though he may still lend teamwork to another primary actor). Exceptional Success: The changeling’s player may also roll her successes on this Contract’s invocation roll as an immediate Clarity attack against the victim. If he doesn’t have Clarity, his player rolls a breaking point with a dice penalty equal to invocation successes instead. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: Rather than cutting the threads away, the changeling entangles herself in them. Until the end of the current chapter, the changeling loses access to her own Resources dots while the target gains access to them, and if the target carries any Goblin Debt, one point transfers over to the changeling. Elemental: Anything mundane the victim owns and did not make himself begins to degrade. His clothes turn to tatters in days; his house starts to collapse in months; his treasures tarnish or rot. This degradation stops affecting anything he permanently sells or gives away, but if such items ever come back under his ownership, they immediately disintegrate. Wizened: Any normally constructive interaction the victim has with the wealth of others — such as accounting the books for a client, choosing how to assign the corporation’s assets, or even just taking a few dollars to buy some-

New Contracts 41 one a coffee — falls under the curse’s effect as well, denying anyone else access to any Resources dots derived from that wealth until the victim’s involvement ceases. A CFO suddenly becomes a legal liability to his company; the money launderer renders the cartel’s fortunes worthless; the coffee recipient loses their wallet. Loophole: The victim has directly benefited from others’ hard work rather than her own during the scene; the changeling trigger this by performing work for the target and giving the benefits freely. Coin Mark (Common) A coin, bill, or gift might travel through many hands, briefly touching a life each time it passes across another palm. The changeling holds such a bartered object in her hand and feels the weight of its history in its scuffs and notches. It becomes her dutiful servant, giving her a handhold upon the tide of transaction and greed carrying it onward. Cost: 1 Glamour Action: Instant Duration: One story Effects: The changeling enchants the target object. Thereafter, she knows its location respective to her own and senses whenever its ownership changes hands, voluntarily or not; she learns the identity of the new owner and what price the transaction involved (if any). If she interacts with the object’s current owner in a scene — not necessarily in person; a phone call or online chat will do — she may spend an additional point of Glamour to stir the materialistic power of the chain of transaction and inflict the Avarice Condition on them. Beast: The Grim can stir deeper, instinctive possessiveness; she may impose the Apprehensive Condition pertaining to the enchanted item on its owner, rather than Avarice. Wizened: The changeling may snap her fingers as a reflexive action and cause the enchanted object to immediately return to her person. Loophole: The changeling carves or otherwise permanently marks her name on the object. AVARICE Enough is never enough. Your character’s lust for worldly power and material wealth knows no bounds. Composure rolls to resist temptation suffer a −2 penalty, and anyone offering opportunities for material advancement gains an exceptional success on three successes for Social rolls influencing the character. Resolution: Resist an opportunity for significant material gain or give generously to the needy, suffering significant financial loss without hope of reward. APPREHENSIVE The loss of someone or something seems imminent, and your character is anxious about it. She loses the 10-again quality on rolls unrelated to safeguarding the subject, and suffers a −1 penalty to all non-reflexive actions if she believes the subject is actively endangered. Anyone plausibly threatening to wrest the subject from the character or otherwise harm it gains a +2 bonus on Intimidation rolls using that leverage. Resolution: Definitively ensure the safety of the subject for the foreseeable future, by any means necessary. Grease the Wheels (Common) Bribery and corruption are such gauche terms for the purchase and sale of the line someone draws around their moral principles. The changeling knows so well the wonders worked by the right coin in the right place that she no longer needs the gross physicality of money to achieve such ends. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Wyrd Action: Instant Roll Results Success: The changeling interacts directly with a member of an organization or bureaucracy for an administrative purpose, resolving swiftly in her favor with no difficulties. The process takes one-tenth of the usual time to complete, even if this should be physically impossible. Excessive scrutiny and troublesome bureaucrats offer no hindrance, as if paid to look the other way. She doesn’t need to interact in person, only directly: a phone call or an email suffices, if the call or email goes directly to the right official. The Contract only helps with interactions where the organization can normally provide the desired result — it simply greases the wheels so the changeling’s dealings with administration move smooth as butter. Exceptional Success: The process resolves immediately and positively, regardless of sheer improbability. The changeling’s new passport sits right there on the clerk’s desk waiting to be picked up even though she hasn’t even filled out the forms yet. Schedules clear, bureaucrats have already prepared the desired legal paperwork, or City Hall decides they don’t really need to wait on the health and safety reports to give the go-ahead. Failure: The Contract fails; the process takes its usual time with any normal risk of bureaucratic scrutiny or red tape. Dramatic Failure: The gears grind to a halt. The changeling’s request or issue becomes mired in miserable paperwork, legal complexities, or Kafkaesque bureaucratic misfortune and goes nowhere for at least the rest of the story.

42 Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors Darkling: The Mountebank’s interactions with the organization are completely traceless except where convenient for her. Fairest: The Muse gains the Connected Condition regarding the organization she interacts with. Loophole: The organization member accepts a bribe or gift the changeling offers him during the same scene. Blood Debt (Royal) The changeling guards her life jealously. She proclaims her ownership of self and soul, and demands a hefty toll be paid for any blood another dares take from her, or pain they dare inflict. Cost: 2 Glamour Action: Instant Duration: One scene Effects: Whenever another character inflicts one or more points of lethal or aggravated damage on the changeling, or one or more points of mild or severe Clarity damage, the offender suffers a single point of lethal damage in response. This damage does not interact with armor; it simply appears upon the victim. Rips open in their flesh, blood oozes from their orifices, or convulsions spasm through them. The amount of lethal damage inflicted increases by one point for each of the following: • The attack also caused the changeling to lose (not spend) one or more points of Willpower. • The attack also caused the changeling to lose (not spend) one or more points of Glamour. • The attack also inflicted a Condition or Tilt on the changeling. Elemental: Offenders suffer a baseline of two points of lethal damage, rather than one. Ogre: The Gargoyle may instead extend her protection to her friends, imposing the toll on any damage done to her allies in the scene instead of herself as long as she remains conscious. Loophole: The changeling wears jewelry or another adornment that freshly cuts or pierces her flesh during this scene; healed piercings don’t qualify. Exchange of Gilded Contracts (Royal) The changeling pronounces her offer, placing down a part of who she is in return for the same from her counterpart. Those precious little slivers of self are more than just identity, though; they’re what make each of the Lost party to the fae power of a Contract. It’s just a brief loan, an exchange of contractual rights — but both feel that lack gnawing at them until the business concludes. Cost: 3 Glamour Action: Instant Duration: Up to one chapter Effects: The changeling agrees to an exchange with another of the Lost, wherein she borrows one of the common Contracts they know. If the target consents, the changeling gains access to the Contract as if she learned it herself, although she only gains any seeming bonus she naturally has access to and doesn’t gain any additional ones the target learned from Pupil’s Devotion. She also cannot access the Contract’s Loophole; Loopholes work by briefly convincing the Wyrd the changeling inherently has the right to wield that power, but such a guise is impossible to pull off with only third-hand access to the Contract. The target loses access to the exchanged Contract in the meantime. Exchange of Gilded Contracts passes to the target, although they cannot use it to create a new Contract exchange. Instead, the target chooses when to end the exchange, this reflexive action immediately returns their original Contract to them and passes the ability to use Exchange of Gilded Contracts back to the original changeling in turn. Darkling: The Wisp can exploit the Loophole on the traded Contract. Ogre: The Terrible does not lose access to the borrowed Contract until the end of the chapter even if the original owner calls it back earlier for their own use, although she cannot exploit its Loophole until the target changeling chooses to end Exchange of Gilded Contracts. Loophole: The changeling and the target each don a relatively convincing mask of the other during the scene. Golden Promise (Royal) The changeling speaks of her fabulous riches, girding herself in the raw symbolism of wealth. She becomes a gilded goddess of obvious privilege, her every word a golden promise; she makes it unfathomable to conceive of her inability to pay for whatever she desires, and those offering to sell become enamored with the idea of providing for her whims. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Socialize + Wyrd – current Availability Action: Instant Duration: Instant Roll Results Success: The changeling reduces the Availability of a single service she wishes to procure by activation successes rolled. The service must still be feasibly available in the current situation and she doesn’t need to provide any further recompense beyond the reduced Availability for the transaction. The Wyrd surrounds her with such an aura of affluence, sellers feel compensated by merely standing

New Contracts 43 in the penumbra of her riches. Golden Promise may reduce an item’s effective Availability to 0, and the changeling may repeatedly lower the Availability via multiple activations of Golden Promise on the same item or service within the same scene. Exceptional Success: As well as reducing the Availability rating further, the changeling gains the Connected Condition linked to the service provider. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: Something exposes changeling’s posturing as mere pretense; she gains the Notoriety Condition. Fairest: The Unicorn can split her successes between multiple services within the scene. Wizened: The Shrewd gains a +1 bonus to the acquired service’s equipment bonus. Loophole: The changeling arrives on the scene with a display of ostentatious wealth, such as emerging from a limousine dressed to the nines or bedecked with diamond jewelry and blatantly showing it off. Grand Revel of the Harvest (Royal) What is the worth of a coin unspent? What is the purpose of a life of hard work, if one never enjoys the fruits of one’s labor? Transactions till the field of the future, sprouting the harvest’s rewards of prosperity. The changeling opens up her power and pours it forth for all to enjoy. Cost: 3 Glamour + 1 Willpower Action: Instant Duration: One chapter Effects: The changeling’s presence enhances all worldly delights and sensations in the scene. The blandest food seems ripe with intriguing flavors; song and companionship fill the heart; payment or gifts feel all the more rewarding; the intensity of touch and texture thrill the nerves and the mind. For the remainder of the scene, anyone other than the changeling who deliberately engages in revelry or celebration of any kind that this Contract would affect requires only three successes on Social rolls to achieve an exceptional success, and their attitude improves by one step for purposes of Social maneuvering. Affected characters reap greater rewards from their gains and prosperity until the Contract ends. Whenever they would regain Willpower, they gain an additional point, to their usual maximum. Whenever they would heal health or Clarity damage, they heal an additional point of the same damage type. If they gain a windfall of cash or wealth, they gain a +1 bonus to its equipment bonus for acquiring it. Beast: The revelers also gain a +2 bonus to all Physical rolls involving competing with each other, sparring, dancing, lovemaking, and other pursuits of physical entertainment for the scene. Fairest: Attitudes for Social maneuvering improve by two steps rather than one. Loophole: The changeling supplies a feast or banquet large enough for all the revelers present, and partakes of all revels herself in obvious fashion.

44 Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors Thirty Pieces (Royal) The changeling flips a coin across her knuckles, back and forth. In its dance, she sees the price treachery demands. Cost: 3 Glamour Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd Action: Instant Duration: Instant Roll Results Success: The changeling plants a seed of treachery within the mind of a single target she can see. She chooses a single action that constitutes a betrayal of the target’s allies, friends, or cause, such as revealing damning information or attacking them directly. This may happen immediately or rely on a specific trigger occurring before the end of the current story (such as ‘shoot my ally when they pick up this box’). The target takes the specified action when appropriate, gaining the Guilty Condition thereafter. This power cannot compel non-treacherous acts, nor can it cause the target to directly harm herself. A character can only be under the effects of one invocation of Thirty Pieces at a time; using the Contract on a target who has yet to meet the trigger of an existing instance overwrites it. Exceptional Success: The target also gains the Fugue Condition after committing the betrayal. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling calls treachery to herself instead. The Storyteller chooses a moment before the end of the chapter to reveal the betrayal of someone the motley knows, whether deliberately or inadvertently; the changeling herself gains a detrimental Condition reflecting the betrayal’s nature, such as Embarrassing Secret, Notoriety, or Demoralized. Darkling: The Contract’s target becomes isolated from those they betrayed after committing the chosen act; they gain the Notoriety Condition. Elemental: Any safeguards or defenses that could prevent the target’s treachery fail; a treacherous attack always benefits from surprise, for example, or a camera set up to detect intruders conveniently goes on the fritz. Loophole: The target accepted payment from the changeling to betray their fellows during the current story, even if they had no intention of actually carrying it out. Scepter While the better-known Crown represents leadership and rulership in all its forms, the Scepter represents the path to power. It dictates that how one reaches the top of the food chain matters as much as what she does when she gets there. It takes unbridled ambition, strength of will, and the determination to judge others unworthy so she may take their place. The Scepter is a symbol of authority and gravity, but also one of force; a changeling who wields it accepts the responsibility of making decisions for everyone else — or usurps it, guiding people’s lives whether they want her to or not — and understands sometimes a Scepter is just a bludgeon. Burning Ambition (Common) The wanton ambition and desire of the Gentry sweeps through everything they touch like wildfire. Changelings of the Scepter fan the flames of their own ambitions by taking something from someone else when invoking this Contract; it could be legitimate theft, or it could be something she intends to give back or something taken as a jest, as long as it isn’t freely given and she receives no permission. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None Action: Instant Duration: Until fulfillment of the Aspiration Effects: The changeling gains an additional Aspiration that acts as a True Fae’s craving (Changeling, p. 269). It must reflect whatever — or whoever — the changeling wants most not already covered by one of her current Aspirations. When she fulfills the craving, she replenishes points of Willpower equal to half her Wyrd as well as a Beat but gains the Competitive Condition. Beast: If the Courser consumes the object of the craving, whether it’s food, drink, or flesh, she regains all Willpower instead when she fulfills the Aspiration. Fairest: If the object of the Muse’s craving is another character, that character suffers the Swooned Condition regarding the changeling when she fulfills the Aspiration. Loophole: Within the same scene, the changeling completely burns a symbol of an obligation she has to someone else until it’s destroyed. Jealous Vengeance (Common) The changeling’s enemies include those who stand between her and something she wants, regardless of whether they obstruct her purposefully or unknowingly. By clearly speaking the name of the one she wishes to remove from her path and issuing an ultimatum to them, she forces a terrible choice. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd Action: Contested Duration: One chapter Roll Results Success: The changeling presents her target with a choice: definitively step away from whatever position or situation puts them in the changeling’s way, such as quitting a job or breaking up with a partner, or suffer the consequences. If the target doesn’t do everything in their power to obey within the next chapter, they suffer one of the following Conditions of the changeling’s choice: Blind (temporary),

New Contracts 45 Bestial, Embarrassing Secret, Guilty, Leveraged, Lethargic, Paranoid, Ravaged, Reckless, or Spooked. The target can’t resolve this Condition until they’ve bested the changeling in a contested action. Exceptional Success: The changeling inflicts two Conditions instead. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling’s attempts fall flat and word spreads, inflicting the Notoriety Condition on her. Elemental: The Torrent’s wrath overwhelms her victim, making her curse last; she adds the Mute Condition to the list of available options, and if she chooses Blind, it’s Persistent. Ogre: The Gargoyle’s player achieves exceptional success on three successes for this Contract’s invocation roll. Loophole: You have caused this Contract’s target to gain the Oathbreaker Condition within the current scene, whether directly or indirectly. Litany of Rivals (Common) Assessing those who stand in the changeling’s way requires names and faces; she must identify those who await her judgment. She consults a basin or pool of still water and speaks a rhyme or sings a verse and coaxes truth from its depths. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Wyrd Action: Instant Duration: Instant Roll Results Success: The changeling names one of her own Aspirations as she invokes this Contract. Each success on the invocation roll grants the changeling one of the following pieces of information about the most immediate or threatening person who could, intends to, or already does stand in her way to fulfilling that Aspiration that she hasn’t already gleaned this way: • Their name • An image of their face • Their current location • One of their frailties or other weaknesses, whether physical, mental, social, or circumstantial • The name or face of one of their closest allies The changeling’s player may ask each question one at a time so she can decide whether to ask for additional information about that person or ask a question about a different person. Exceptional Success: Additional successes are their own reward. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling receives no information, but whoever she would have seen if she’d succeeded learns of her attempt and that she sees them as a rival or opponent, though not for what or why. Beast: The Beast may spend an additional Glamour when learning a rival’s current location to track their location for the rest of the chapter. Ogre: The Ogre may roll Manipulation + Intimidation when learning a rival’s name or face, or that of their closest ally, to inflict the Paranoid Condition on that character. The target contests this roll with their Resolve + Empathy, though they don’t know about the attempt without supernatural abilities revealing it. Loophole: The changeling throws a temper tantrum in front of at least one other person who isn’t in her motley within the same scene. Knight’s Oath (Common) Every aspiring leader needs people to lead. A knight must, by duty, protect and serve; their commander must likewise follow her duty to recognize their loyalty and bestow favor upon them for following her orders. The changeling bestows knighthood upon another by performing a suitably symbolic gesture, such as kissing them on both cheeks, exchanging solemn vows, or touching her weapon to their shoulders. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: None Action: Instant Duration: One chapter Effects: The changeling chooses one non-changeling character upon whom to bestow knighthood. That character gains a bonus to their Initiative and Defense equal to half her Wyrd as long as they can perceive her, and the same bonus to all Social actions they undertake in her name. If they disobey or betray her, they suffer the Cowed Condition, and the changeling immediately knows what happened, although not what circumstances led to the event or any details. The Wyrd itself adjudicates what counts as disobedience or betrayal, adhering to the spirit of the bestowment. The target must be willing for this Contract to work, but they needn’t fully understand the parameters or consequences, and the changeling may coerce or deceive them. Darkling: If the knight disobeys or betrays the Darkling, she knows not only what happened but exactly when and where, as well as what emotions the knight felt at the time. Fairest: The Fairest can bestow knighthood upon a number of targets equal to her Wyrd with one invocation, as long as she can perform the ceremonial gesture on each of them separately.

46 Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors Loophole: The changeling anoints her knight with her own blood as the required knighting ceremony; she must shed this blood by inflicting at least one point of lethal damage on herself within the same scene. Blood from injuries she didn’t cause herself doesn’t count. Unmask the Dark Horse (Common) All those who aspire to power have rivals, but some don’t make themselves known until the last minute, seizing victory from the jaws of defeat. The changeling may reveal — or create — such a rival to display her capability to all, issuing a challenge her rival cannot refuse. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Wyrd vs. Composure + Wyrd Action: Contested Duration: Instant Roll Results Success: The changeling calls someone out, learning one of their short-term Aspirations and inflicting the Competitive Condition on them. They can’t resolve the Condition until after they win a contested roll, fight, or other competition against the changeling. By spending an additional Glamour point, the changeling may immediately change one of her own Aspirations to one directly opposing the target’s. Exceptional Success: The changeling learns all her target’s Aspirations. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling’s challenge backfires, humiliating her and stoking the fires of her jealous rage; she suffers the Berserk Condition. Fairest: The Unicorn’s challenge and any competition or rumble with her target that follows while this Contract is in effect is automatically viewable in real time by anyone within five miles. They may happen to catch it on television, run across a video online with no upload data, listen to a play-by-play on a radio frequency that shouldn’t be broadcasting anything, read a report on it in the newspaper, or even watch it shimmering on the horizon like a mirage. Beast: Whenever the Grim wins a competition or fight against her target while this Contract is in effect, she inflicts the Notoriety Condition upon him, ostracizing him from his closest social group like a lion who failed to find a mate. Loophole: The changeling invokes the Contract and issues her challenge in front of a large crowd of people including at least one of the target’s loved ones, friends, or colleagues. A Benevolent Hand (Royal) Regardless of whether the changeling intends to wield power responsibly or not, she knows it’s much easier to achieve her goals with the people’s favor. She wins popularity with generosity and hearts with kindness, even if both are false — if no one’s the wiser, what difference does it make? She still gets the power she craves. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None Action: Instant Duration: One chapter Effects: The changeling performs some gesture that benefits someone else without benefiting her directly or indirectly, such as giving money to an unhoused person or returning a lost wallet to its owner. This improves her impression (up to perfect) for purposes of Social maneuvering with anyone she meets for the first time during the chapter, including those she benefitted, if applicable. If she succeeds on any Social action against an affected person during the Contract’s duration, she may gain a temporary dot of the Allies Merit (Changeling, p. 120) representing that character and one organization or group to which they belong, to a maximum of five Allies dots gained this way. This dot vanishes when the Contract ends. Elemental: Word of the Torrent’s magnanimous deeds spreads further and has more of an impact; she gains two dots of Allies instead of one from every successful Social action affected by this Contract. Wizened: The Domovoi’s intuition and research allow her to pinpoint particularly useful targets, gaining an additional dot of Resources instead of Allies. This counts as a separate 1-dot Resources Merit from any she may already possess, and she may gain up to five Resources dots this way. Loophole: The changeling gives up something significant when she invokes this Contract. Fake It ‘Til You Make It (Royal) When a ruler lays down the law, everyone follows. When the Gentry speak their desires, the world changes to oblige them. The changeling can’t rely on true authority to impose her will the same way, but when she carries herself with a regal presence and makes a grand proclamation to all present, she fools the Wyrd into letting her appropriate that power by brute force. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Wyrd − Resolve Action: Instant Duration: One scene Roll Results Success: The changeling makes her proclamation, which becomes automatically loud enough for everyone within 10 yards/meters to hear. In the process, she can

New Contracts 47 make changes to the mundane world as though she were Hedgespinning, as long as the emotional tenor of the proclamation matches the kinds of changes she wants to make. These changes are temporary, reverting to normal when the Contract ends. She spends successes on her invocation roll to make subtle shifts in reality using the chart on p. 204 of Changeling; all shifts cost +2 successes. Shifts that would interact with Hedge navigation can apply to ordinary chases. If the changeling uses shifts to change the landscape, structures, or objects not held or on someone’s person, the invocation roll isn’t resisted. Other characters resist as above; even willing targets instinctively resist such gross manipulation of reality. This Contract can’t result in the instant annihilation of a character — for instance, turning a plush armchair into a chair made entirely of knives won’t kill whoever’s sitting in it, but they may take some damage as they’re displaced by a foot or two. Likewise, causing a building to collapse may bury anyone inside under a conveniently nonlethal heap of rubble from which they must escape. Using this Contract constitutes a breaking point with a pool of four dice, as such blatant lies made real echo the Kindly Ones’ atrocities too directly for comfort. Exceptional Success: More successes are their own reward; the changeling may spend 1 additional Glamour and 1 Willpower to spend invocation successes on subtle or paradigm shifts. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: As with Hedgespinning, the failure incites Bedlam (Changeling, p. 110) in everyone present, including the changeling. Fairest: Witnesses and victims of the Fairest’s imposed want to believe in the reality of her creation and the falsity of their own memories. She may choose one character who can perceive the shifts she makes and inflict a temporary version of the Delusional Condition (Changeling, p. 335) that resolves when that character would ordinarily gain a Beat. Non-changelings instead resolve it by choosing to automatically fail a roll to contest any Persuasion or Subterfuge action enacted by the Fairest, including supernatural powers. Wizened: The Shrewd reduces the cost of any shift that changes a human-made inanimate object or structure by 2. Loophole: The changeling uses an actual scepter to point and pontificate as she makes her proclamation. Tempter’s Quest (Royal) The changeling wins her subject’s loyalty by promising to grant their heart’s desire in exchange for embarking upon a quest for her. This quest becomes their driving purpose until its completion. She scours away her Mask and makes her offer as she invokes this Contract to secure her new henchman’s cooperation. Cost: 1 Glamour + 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Wyrd vs. Composure + Wyrd Action: Contested Duration: One story Roll Results Success: The changeling describes a single task, as complex or simple as she wants. The subject makes that task their quest and must accomplish it. The quest must have a clear end goal, both close-ended and reasonably possible for that person to accomplish within one story; “secure a treaty with the Tin Gang Motley” works, but “protect the Freehold of Laden Sorrows” does not. She also learns the most personally important Aspiration her subject possesses, chosen by the subject’s player. She must describe a prize she’s capable of providing that clearly leads to the fulfillment of that Aspiration and promise to grant this reward. The subject gains the Persistent Obsession Condition regarding fulfilling the changeling’s wishes and replaces one of their Aspirations with completing the quest. In addition, if the subject doesn’t take a meaningful action toward completing the quest at least once per chapter, they cannot replenish Willpower through their Anchors again until they do so. If the subject completes the quest before this Contract ends and the changeling fails to hold up her end of the deal before the story ends, she gains the Leveraged Condition, and any relevant powers read her as an oathbreaker until Leveraged resolves. Exceptional Success: If the subject does not make strides toward his goal at least once per session, he also suffers the Lethargic Condition. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling suffers the effects of having reneged on the subject’s reward despite no quest being given. Darkling: If the Darkling fails to provide the agreedupon reward in time once the quest is completed, she may spend 1 Willpower and roll Manipulation + Larceny + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd to shunt the consequences onto someone else who was present when the quest was given and understood the agreement taking place. Fairest: The Fairest can issue the same quest to a number of subjects up to half her Wyrd with one invocation; however, the offered rewards must be commensurate with the additional questers. Loophole: The changeling provides the quester with a provision of significant use and value to aid in the quest, such as a weapon, a token, access to a private facility, etc.

48 Chapter Two: Wonders and Terrors Curse of Hidden Strings (Royal) Sometimes, those who stand in the changeling’s way do it because they must, not because they want to. From mundane employment contracts to Wyrd-bound oaths, obligation ties the hands of many who might otherwise care little for her ambitions. By crumpling, tearing, or otherwise destroying something with the target’s signature, such as a paper contract, an autographed photo, or even a bar napkin, she eases their burden by erasing their obligation from their mind, easing her own way in the process. Cost: 2 Glamour Dice Pool: Manipulation + Larceny + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Wyrd Action: Contested Duration: One scene Roll Results Success: The changeling chooses one pledge, debt, agreement, or other obligation of the target’s she already knows about. Some evidence or proof of its existence must exist, whether a contract, email, IOU, or a pledge the Wyrd enforces; a simple verbal agreement does not suffice. The victim loses all memory of her involvement in the obligation—she believes she’s unemployed, forgets she needs to pay back a loan, or forgets she’s part of a motley. She remembers the other parties exist, but assumes she has no obligation to them even if shown physical proof. This does not free them from the obligation, and failure to meet it just because she forgets it exists carries the same consequences as it usually would. The changeling must choose a feasible action the target can take that benefits them and is somehow related to the forgotten obligation, which will permit them to break the curse early. If they do, the Contract ends, and they both immediately remember the obligation and know who caused their memory loss. The target should accomplish something concrete when taking the action, such as resolving a Condition, gaining a new Touchstone or regaining Willpower from an existing one, upholding or breaking a pledge (including the forgotten one), or suffering a breaking point. For example, a curse that breaks via true love’s kiss might lift when the target gains a new Touchstone by kissing that Touchstone’s subject; a curse that breaks via defying someone with power over them might lift when they stand up to the bully tormenting them and resolve the Cowed Condition. The Storyteller may rule a sufficiently dramatic action enough to break the curse without any concrete mechanics. If the Contract ends on its own rather than breaking as above, the target remains none the wiser about who caused their memory loss. Exceptional Success: The duration becomes one chapter instead. Failure: The Contract fails. Dramatic Failure: The changeling suffers the Leveraged Condition regarding her target. Fairest: The Muse may target a number of characters up to her Wyrd as long as they’re all bound by the same obligation, such as an entire motley or multiple employees of the same company. Wizened: Rather than erasing the target’s memory of the obligation, the Wizened transfers it to herself in the target’s mind. They may think they’re her motley-mate, employee, or debtor, for instance. Loophole: The changeling knowingly and deliberately breaks a pledge or agreement of her own within the same scene. Spare Not the Rod (Royal) The changeling unleashes her envy and wrath upon those who possess what she desires, judging them unworthy. The Scepter itself manifests from her jealous rage and covetous heart to grace her with the power to cow her pathetic rivals and take what she deserves. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None Action: Instant Duration: One scene Effects: The changeling crafts a literal scepter or staff out of pure Glamour. It counts as a melee weapon with a damage rating of 0B and no Initiative penalty. It can also be a ranged weapon at the cost of 1 Glamour per attack, with a damage rating of 0L, a range of 30 yards/meters with no ability to attack at medium or long range, and no Initiative penalty. She may give it any size or appearance she likes, and may regardless of its size always wield it one-handed with no minimum Strength requirements. She can wield the scepter to either physically attack a target or take an Intimidate action against them. If either action is successful, whether or not the target actually takes damage, she also inflicts the Demoralized Condition on them. The scepter is a solid object, and if the changeling is disarmed or sets the scepter down, it remains for the Contract’s duration. Anyone else who picks up the scepter can use it as described, although those who have no Wyrd rating can’t use its ranged attack. Fairest: The Muse may spend 2 additional Glamour while attacking or intimidating with the scepter to inflict the Persistent Awestruck Condition instead of Demoralized upon a successful roll. Wizened: Once the Wizened creates the scepter, she can always summon it directly to her hand no matter where it is as long as she has a hand free with which to hold it.

New Contracts 49 If someone else is already holding it, she must successfully wrest it from them with a Presence + Intimidation roll contested by their Strength + Stamina. Loophole: The changeling crafts a tiny representation of her scepter from precious metals and gems, which she breaks in half when invoking the Contract. Stars Stars have long served as navigational tools, guiding explorers to new lands and bringing sailors home after long journeys. Prophets and soothsayers read fortunes in their movements, while scientists discover truths about the universe’s past in starlight that’s traveled billions of years to reach our eyes. When someone achieves fame, we say they’ve become a star. Lost wield the Stars become trailblazers who see to the heart of matters. Pole Star (Common) The changeling has an unerring sense of direction and can get his bearings anywhere. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None Action: Instant Duration: One scene Effects: The changeling states aloud the person or place toward which he wants to travel. His body acts like a compass, turning him in his target’s direction. He may use this to orient himself in an unfamiliar place, find true north in the middle of a forest or know the direction of a recognizable landmark while in an unfamiliar part of town. Alternatively, this Contract can point him to a specific item or person of presently unknown whereabouts. He doesn’t know the exact location or the distance to his destination, only the direction in which it lies. If the person or object is hidden by supernatural means, this Contract prompts a Clash of Wills. This Contract only works in the mundane realm. Beast: The Grim scents his prey on the air. The Beast’s player gains +2 dice on a Clash of Wills to uncover a hidden target. Wizened: The Hatter’s drawn this map before; he knows where there be dragons and other dangers. His player may ask the Storyteller one question about an opponent or obstacle he’ll encounter along the path. Loophole: The changeling holds a piece of his target in his hand when he invokes this Contract. This may be a cog from the grandfather clock in his target’s hall, or a scrap of fabric from his enemy’s coat. Straight On ‘Til Morning (Common) Journeys in the Hedge can exhaust changelings owing to the malleable nature of time and distance. Pausing to sleep or wolf down a quick meal often proves dangerous, as Hedge denizens take advantage of weary, distracted travelers. The changeling sets his sights on a single star in the sky. It remains overhead for the entire journey, invigorating and inspiring him, burning away his hunger and fatigue. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: None Action: Instant Duration: Until the changeling reaches his destination Effects: The changeling becomes tireless, able to push on without having to rest or eat until he reaches his destination. He suffers no ill effects from Environmental Tilts along the way. This doesn’t prevent other encounters from getting in his way; a trod troll in the path doesn’t much care about the sparkly thing in the sky. If he travels the Wishing Roads, his navigation rolls gain the 8-again quality. Fairest: The changeling may extend this Contract to a number of fellow travelers up to his Wyrd rating. Ogre: The surety he’ll reach his destination grants the Bruiser the Steadfast Condition. Loophole: When he invokes the Contract, the changeling promises he’ll sleep when his task is done, and has an ally seal the statement; he may not spend Glamour to refute the sealing. After the Contract ends, he immediately gains the Fatigued Condition. Cynosure (Common) The changeling gains insight into his target’s personal goals. He speaks wistfully about one of his own dreams, whether one already accomplished or one he still pursues. Moved by his candor, his target shares ambitions of their own. Cost: 1 Glamour Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Wyrd vs. Composure + Wyrd Action: Contested Duration: One scene Effects: The changeling’s sincerity inspires the target to reveal one of their own Aspirations, chosen by the target. The stars show the Lost opportunities during the next chapter (for short-term Aspirations) or story (for long-term ones) that could help the target achieve those goals. He may choose to nudge them toward these opportunities, spoil them, or do nothing with the information. Roll Results Success: The changeling understands one of the target’s Aspirations and learns of an event or opportunity that will