The Enchanted (Changeling: The Dreaming Sourcebook)
Changelings
The Changelings are the fae reborn in mortal flesh, bound to both the Dreaming and the world of men, and belonging wholly to neither. Born as human infants while their fae souls slumber, Changelings awaken to their dual heritage during the Chrysalis, a transformation that reveals their true nature and forever divides their lives between the wonder of imagination and the hardship of Banality.
The Dreaming, a realm full of wonder and terror, grants each Changeling unique gifts. Some weave illusions, others command the elements, and a rare few glimpse the future through dreams. Yet such power comes at a cost. The force of Banality - disbelief, cruelty, and the grinding weight of mortal life - constantly threatens to smother their magic and strip them of their faerie spark until nothing remains but their mortal shells.
To survive, they create Freeholds hidden in forgotten corners of the world, sanctuaries where the Dream can still thrive. Here, they can gather and revel in their fae natures, nurture their fragile magic, and defend against the slow encroachment of Banality. These bastions stand as both refuge and stronghold in a world that seeks to erase the Changelings.
To play a Changeling is to walk the twilight road between the grim reality and the vibrant dream. They are creatures of beauty and tragedy, guardians of the twilight, vital to both the Dreaming and the world of men.
Occult Knowledge & Beliefs
Below is a summary of what Changelings believe about other supernatural factions:
Fera
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Fera Kinfolk
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Fomori
Virtually nothing is known about the Fomori save that they are different from any other supernatural creature. Changelings can only speculate as to their nature.
Hunters
Changelings view Hunters less as a campaign against supernaturals and more as tide of Banality and fear sweeping the country. They are the bringers of deadly Banality that threatens to extinguish fae by virtue of their very existence.
Frontier violence, witch-hunts carried over from older traditions, and the persecution of anyone deemed strange or ungodly are just as dangerous to the Fae as to other supernaturals. Hunters rarely distinguish between a Changeling, a vampire, and a demon.
Hunters who fixate on rooting out the unnatural make it difficult for free-thinking dreamers, wandering storytellers, mystics, and faerie-touched mortals to flourish - all vital sources of precious Glamour.
Many freeholds and free-spirited communities have been destroyed or scattered during this period of rapid settlement and social upheaval, starving Changelings of Glamour in an already difficult age.
The persecution of those seen as witches, spiritualists, or simply "wrong" forces the Fae deeper into hiding, pushing them to rely more on the Changeling Way and their human anchors to survive.
Scholars among the Sidhe or Sluagh may know more specifics - whispers that certain Hunters have stumbled onto occult secrets through their kills, or that some among them have been unwittingly steered by Shadow Court Fae using mortal fear as a weapon against rivals.
Risen
Wraiths, with rare exceptions, are completely invisible and intangible. Only Sluagh, and sometimes Eshu, can see Wraiths, and unless the Wraith chooses to materialize in the real world, the ghost cannot be touched physically. On the other hand, any contact of reasonable force with the area where a Wraith is "standing" inflicts upon the wraith damage and disrupts the ghost's physical state for a time. During this time, no further physical damage can be done to the Wraith (except by another ghost).
A ghost's vision is sharper than a mortal's. Wraiths have the ability to see the auras of the living (which, incidentally, lets them pick Changelings out of a crowd). Furthermore, their senses have been sharpened to a preternatural degree by death; a ghost can pick the numbers off a speeding car's license plate or read the signature on a Louisville Slugger in use.
Some ghosts have the ability to sing raw emotion into a Changeling, which can sometimes be turned into Glamour. They do this by means of a power unique to them; many Changelings mistake these ghosts for banshees.
Wraiths known as Sandmen have the ability to harvest creativity, to alter dreams and even to take sleeping souls with them into full-fledged dream pageantry. A Changeling who is targeted by a Sandman must will themselves against such an onslaught for every night of the Wraith's attention. On the other hand, a Wraith dabbling in a Changeling's dream must will themselves to remain free or get sucked into the dream as a permanent denizen.
Some ghosts who possess specific powers can drain - or restore - Glamour with a touch. As one might expect, this leads to all sorts of complications.
Wraiths feed on raw emotion. Usually, positive emotions fuel the Wraith's personality, while strong negative feelings give strength to the Wraith's dark side. Being creatures of passion and memory, Wraiths have little Banality to them. In fact, the popular belief in ghosts and "haunted places" often makes the world more hospitable to Changelings than it might have been otherwise.
Some Wraiths can repossess their bodies, climb up out of the grave and start walking around. Wraiths of this sort are very rare and extremely dangerous, but they do exist in the physical world.
Wraiths are tied to objects of importance in the real world, and if these items are connected or destroyed, the impact on the Wraith is enormous and extremely bad. Wraiths go to any lengths to protect their sacred objects. Egged on by their darker sides, desperate ghosts may even resort to violence - or worse.
Wraiths who have been consumed by darkness and evil are called Spectres. Some of these are indistinguishable from normal ghosts, others are patently creatures of evil.
Mediums
Little is known about these peculiar mortals other than, for some reason, they claim to see, hear, and speak with spirits. Perhaps these folks are more open to the possibility of chimerical reality?
Vampires
Vampires live until slain; having "died" once and returned to life through blood magic, they do not age. Vampires become more cunning and powerful with age; older vampires, who have lived for centuries, are a match for the mightiest Changelings.
Though vampires can be driven into unconsciousness by mortal weapons, only sunlight, fire or total dismemberment can permanently destroy them.
Most vampires are moderately Banal, though Unseelie are often intoxicated by the dark auras of these fellow denizens of the night. Some Unseelie even claim that vampires do not exude Banality, but rather surround themselves with a sinister and exotic Glamour all their own. The truth is unknown.
Vampires have no Glamour as Changelings know it, but they steal their power from a darker source: blood. Vampires have utilized blood, which is identical to a Glamour for Changelings, but recharged by taking the blood of others which can result in death of the victim.
Vampires are burned by sunlight; thus, one will never be seen outside during daylight hours.
Ghouls
Little is known about the thralls of vampires, aside from the fact that they seem to follow the commands of the Leeches with little to no resistance, even to their own detriment.
Werewolves
Werewolves can take the forms of humans and wolves, as well as some forms that combine the traits of both. Most terrifying of all is their "wolfman" form: a wolf-headed, nine-foot-tall killing machine that inspires a supernatural terror in humans. In this form, they are at their strongest, but they cannot seem to communicate in connection with creatures other than werewolves and wild beasts.
Werewolves can attack several times in a short amount of time, often taking two to six offensive actions the time it takes others to make a single attack.
Werecreatures heal incredibly fast, regenerating wounds and injuries in a short amount of time without treatment. Only fire, silver, or the teeth and claws of other supernatural creatures can permanently injure a werewolf - and a werewolf can even heal these wounds with rest, treatment, and time.
Although they don't possess Glamour as such, werewolves can fuel their supernatural powers with a measure of their innate spiritual energy. They regain this spiritual energy through long meditation. As creatures of change and the wilderness, they are traditionally lower in Banality than most people.
Werewolves supposedly can enter the spirit world and travel to strange spirit realms. It's rumored that some of their elders can even travel to Arcadia, although this has never been proven.
Silver is indeed the bane of werecreatures, although wolfsbane does little good against them. They cannot easily ignore damage from silver weapons and cannot regenerate such wounds as quickly as they normally can.
Kinfolk
Little is known about these peculiar mortals other than they live as part of close-knit societies associated with werewolves. Their specific role among them is unknown.
Kinain
The Kinain are the mortal cousins of the fae, humans born with a touch of faerie blood in their veins. They carry something of the Dreaming with them: a strange gift, a peculiar quirk, a spark of wonder that sets them apart from the ordinary. Some walk through life never knowing why the world feels different, while others are drawn into the secret courts of the Kithain, where they become trusted allies, companions, or pawns in those endless struggles. They might become champions, wielding their gifts in defense of the Dreaming...or they might find themselves ensnared in intrigues far beyond their control.
Even more than the Changelings, the Kinain stands at the threshold of Banality and the Dream, and just like their cousins, they belong fully to neither side. They might display unusual talents or abilities, often subtle, sometimes wild and unpredictable. They are touched by magic, but not consumed by it - mortal, but not wholly so. In answering the call of their faerie blood, Kinain become the bridges between the human and the fae, caught between wonder and peril.
Occult Knowledge & Beliefs
Below is a summary of what Kinain believe about other supernatural factions depending on their upbringing:
Raised by Fae
Kinain raised by Fae are typically taught what their Changeling brethren know in an effort to better avoid trouble and/or defend themselves in time of need. See the above section on Changeling beliefs about the supernatural.
Raised by Mortals
Kinain raised by mortals - and thus with little to no awareness of their own heritage - know and believe only what other humans know of the supernatural. This can change if your character learns of their Fae heritage on screen, depending on what other Enchanted, Kinain, and/or Changelings share with the character.
Enchanted
The Enchanted are those rare few to whom a Changeling grants a fleeting spark of Glamour. Those so infused can glimpse the Dreaming as it truly is: colors brighter than the sun, creatures of wonder and terror walking alongside humanity, even the Changeling's true form in their fae mien. For a brief time, the Enchanted can see what mortals were never meant to see.
To most, this gift is intoxicating. A peasant might witness angels or demons where once there was only shadow. A noble could see their court transformed into a realm of faerie splendor. Many are inspired to create great works of beauty, bringing more Glamour into a world of Banality. The less fortunate become playthings for an Unseelie's cruel tricks, becoming Enchanted only so that they might interact with the chimerical terrors a fae creature has set upon them. Still others go mad in their exposure to the Dreaming.
All are left with nothing more than a half-remembered dream once the enchantment fades, often inspired - or emotionally and creatively drained - by an experience they can no longer remember.
Occult Knowledge & Beliefs
Below is a summary of what the Enchanted believe about other supernatural factions:
Human Enchanted
A human Enchanted knows only what their Changeling patron has decided to share with them.
Supernatural Enchanted
An Enchanted supernatural creature knows what they knew prior to becoming Enchanted, in addition to whatever their Changeling patron has decided to share with them.
Former Enchanted
Whatever knowledge an Enchanted learned while under the effects of their patron's Glamour is mostly forgotten once the enchantment wears off. They may be left inspired by the experience or drained by it, but they remember nothing of the Changelings and their involvement in the former Enchanted's life. Players may open a ticket with staff to clarify what information would and would not be retained once an enchantment wears off.