Changeling the Lost: Chronicle of the Hell's Bells: Help Me!

[The City [EclipseZwolf]]

Greetings everyone! Eclipse here. I want everybody's help and thought it would be a fun little distraction for you all as a kind of mini game.

So I am also planning on hosting an IRL role-playing game with some friends. This game is occurring in the New World of Darkness Universe(they remade the old one and I am using the newer version). Which is essentially a world like ours that is filled with supernatural beings that all exist in the shadows of humanity and whose existence to all but the most investigative.... and most unfortunate is a mystery.

In the base game of World of Darkness, players are humans who have stumbled upon the realm of the supernatural and go against its depths. But these are just regular people, no superpowers, no magic of their own. They must use their fear and wits, as well as whatever guns and myths they can get ahold of to face the monsters that walk among us, such as vampires, werewolves, mummies, sin-eaters, and many more horrifying beings. I however, am not hosted a base World of Darkness game.

The World of Darkness has a number of companion books that use the base rule set to allow players to not only interact with the supernatural world, but to be a part of it. Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken, Mage: The Awakening, Promethean: The Created, Changeling: The Lost, Hunter: The Vigil, Geist: The Sin-Eaters, Mummy: The Curse, Demon: The Descent, and Beast: The Primordial. These books are games in and of themselves building off the base Human rule-set. I will be using one of them in my game.

As you probably guessed from the that image up above, the set I will be using is "Changeling: The Lost" whose subtitle is "A Storytelling game of Beautiful Madness." Allow me to set the stage with the base information of what these Changelings are. A Changeling is in fact a being that was originally human, but was kidnapped, captured, or perhaps wandered into the clutches of beings known as the True Fae. The True Fae are godlike beings that live in plane of existence separate from our own; this realm is known only as Arcadia. Our realms are separated by a place known as "The Hedge" A never ending growth of thorns that grow taller than the sky itself with paths like mazes and mysterious plants and occupants. But the danger of the Hedge is something that initially doesn't seem horrifying.

The Thorns of the Hedge. All the thorns in the hedge are mythical in nature and do not just tear at flesh when they catch you, they tear at the very soul. A human who is captured is usually taken through the hedge, usually kicking and screaming, all whilst they are struggling and caught by the innumerable thorns and their souls are left injured torn, or in the worst cases, gone. These humans who survive the hedge are finally pulled into Arcadia, the realm of the True Fae and only now do their trials begin. Why else would the True Fae kidnap people but to have them do whatever they wish. Perhaps this would mean working on some task that had some import, however the True Fae are beings who do not follow any logic and sometimes not even emotion. Theirs is only true madness and insanity. They may capture a man and simply make him be a source of entertainment, perhaps as prey on a hunt, or even as the hunting dog. Perhaps they were captured and told to always forge weapons, or fight in the wars between the True Fae, who fight for no reason at all. All is the same though, In Arcadia one's humanity is taken away. With an injured soul and the magic of Arcadia surrounding them its only natural that they are changed by it. Hence the name Changeling.

Changelings come in all shapes and sizes, but all are changed based on what they were forced to do in Arcadia or change into a form based on the desires of their Keeper, the True Fae who captured them. One's body could take on the traits of beasts, or the elements themselves. Perhaps you grew beautiful, your body mimicking the maddening beauty of Arcadia. These changes occur, but it has a cost. Injured in body and soul, its only natural that mind joins in. Changelings lose pieces of their memory with their soul on the journey in, but some....Some Remember Home. Home away from Arcadia, the real world, the human world. And without exception, these changelings yearn to escape the bindings of their Keepers and make it back to their Home. But this is no easy task, as the True Fae are gods in their own realm of Arcadia and impossible to predict. And beyond that the Changelings must also take a return trip through the hedge, with more of their soul being torn away by the thorns all while their Keeper chases them in order to prevent them from escaping.

But some make it. Some of them make it, crumple down on the lands of the real world and savor their return home. They are irrevocably changed and may not remember their old selves, and perhaps there may be no old self. Changelings learn once they return that time in Arcadia does not pass in sync with the real world. A year there may be 1000 in the real, or it could be the reverse. Even time in Arcadia follows the whim of madness. It is these Changelings, lost in time and lost from home, who have made it back, that are my players. They must carve out a new place in the world for their new monstrous selves. Perhaps try to merge back into human society and regain some semblance of normality. But they will have to fight their own minds as they cannot stop dreaming of Arcadia and its madness. They are infected and must conquer themselves if they wish to retain their own sanity.

But it always looms, The True Fae never die....and they never forget. Perhaps one day your keeper will ride back through the Hedge to reclaim you. You are never free, you merely pray that when the day comes you can evade the chase once more. Because more than anything, you never want to return to the madness and slavery of Arcadia.



So, Eclipse, you just made me read 1000 words of backstory. What in the world do you want from me after that? Excellent question! I want you all to help me populate my world with NPC Changelings for my players to interact with! A changeling can be anything from a regular looking human to a horned demonic being with goat hooves, to a man made of tree bark, to anything your mind can imagine. As a result its a little hard with so much to work with, to keep going and feeling unique. I need NPCs for my Chronicle, my story that I will be telling. It is Titled Hell's Bells as it focuses on a powerful fae artifact that echoes with the sound of a bell. So below I will list the way to create a Changeling and you can help me make the game that much more interesting with interesting characters!


Changeling: The Lost Character Creation
(If you want to see the official character sheet click here)
(That link leads to a .pdf)

Alright, so lets walk through the process of making a Changeling. I will do basic explanations but feel free to let your imagination fill in gaps and just explain it in your character.

Step 1.
Who Are You?

Choose a Name
Choose a Concept for your character:
This is a two word combination, usually of an adjective and a noun. Such as Prideful Hunter, that serves as the base concept of your character. Feel free to make it longer, but try to keep it under a sentence.
Choose a Virtue and a Vice:
These two factors involve what pleases your character in terms of their emotions. Acting in line with a Virtue or a Vice you have will help stabilize oneself, as it gives a sense of self. Here are the Virtues and Vices to choose from
Virtues: Charity, Faith, Fortitude, Hope, Justice, Prudence, and Temperance
Vices: Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth, and Wrath

Step 2.
What are You Capable Of?

This section has to deal with stats. I will be making it very simple, if you want to be more complex, please use the pdf linked above to make more specific choices.

Primary Attributes: Choose your Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. Primary is your best while Tertiary is your worst.
Mental  ::  Physical  ::  Social
Mental: This is your Mind. This includes everything from your book knowledge, how fast you think, and how strong you are under mental strain.
Physical: This is your physical body. This includes everything from how much you can lift, how hard you hit, how fast you move, and how much of a pounding you can take.
Social: This is your ability to interact with others. This includes everything from your force of presence in a room, your ability to persuade others, and you ability to retain your composure in all situations.


Secondary Attribute Selection: Align the categories of each Primary Attribute in order of best to worse. Please do this for each Mind, Body, and Social.
Power  ::  Finesse  ::  Resistance
Power: Know More, Stronger, How commanding your presence is, etc.
Finesse: Quick thinking, Speed/Dexterity, Persuasion, way with words, etc.
Resistance: Mental resolve, Physical durability, Social composure, etc.

Skill Selection: What is your character skilled at? Again align from most to least skills, Physical Skills, Mental Skills, Social Skills.
For each category give me one or two specific skills they have under that field


Step 3.
What have you Become? 
The Supernatural Template

Now we get into the fun part! Time to become a Changeling! You can either tie this with your backstory of who kidnapped you or what you were forced to do or just pick whichever you desire. Try to keep in line with your concept thought!

Choose your Seeming
Your Seeming is your primary classification as a changeling. There are six seeming to choose from. I will give a basic statement here, but feel free to look up more info on each if you so desire.


Beasts: Changelings that share qualities with animals both mythical and mundane.


Darklings: Changelings that represent the aspects of Fear and Shadow.


Elementals: Changelings that have become one with an aspect of nature.


Fairests: Changelings that embody the beauty and majesty of the Fae.


Ogres: Changelings that were subject to violence and became avatars of it.


Wizened: Changelings that served as workers and servants only to become the figure of their profession.


Choose your Kith And Tell me your Story

Your Kith is your SPECIFIC situation in your Seeming. A kith can be entirely of your own creation. For example a Kith in beasts could be Lizardman. A kith in elemental could be Flamewalker. Its a specific title for you changelings unique self and it identifies your transformed self. What manner of Beast have you become? Are you a Darkling who lives in libraries? An earthen Elemental? Perhaps a Fairest of incredible beauty who symbolizes roses? Maybe an ugly cyclops of an Ogre? Or perhaps you spent countless hours on the forge and are a smith Wizened?

Lastly, tell me your story. Tell me your character's story of who they were when they were dragged into the Hedge and Arcadia. Were they young? Old? Were they enslaved for a week? A year? Who was your keeper? How did the change affect you? How did you escape? What does your character believe?
(One comment. Please refrain from being kidnapped as SUPER young children, babies, as you wouldn't remember home anyway and thus have no desire to escape.)


Those are the basic things I want from you all when you make characters here. This process can be INFINITELY more complicated. In person the shortest character creation I have ever done, one on one, just me and the player. Took THREE HOURS of constant reading, decision making, mind changing. You can specifically align points for your attributes and skills. Choose your contracts(Magical spells essentially. contract with the world where you pay something in return for favors). Choose your merits. Align with one of the Courts, essentially the changeling factions in the real world. Feel free to use the character sheet and really expand on your character if you desire. Feel free to use yourself transformed, I think it would be hilarious to have my IRL friends meet online friends turned changeling. Hope you guys have some fun doing this, so be imaginative.



(OH MY GOD TWO THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY NINE WORDS)

[Indrid Cold]

Name: Voan
Concept: Wizened writer
virtue: Justice
vice: wrath

Primary Attributes
Primary: mental
secondary: Social
tertiary: physical

Secondary Attributes
Primary: resistance
Secondary: finesse
tertiary: power

Skills
Mental Skills
(Occult, academics)
Social Skills
(expression)
Physical Skills
(Weaponry)

Seeming: Beast

Kith: Phoenix

Story: Arcadia took some from many, but rarely did it ever give to its wards. Voan, after being dragged through agonizing torture as his soul was nearly wiped away, still held on to the sliver that remained even as the True Fae he now belonged to pondered his fate. The True Fae, fortunately, was feeling generous, and offered Voan a gift: immortality. Voan, fearing the god's wrath, accepted.

Voan fell to the ground and writhed as he felt his body burn and smoke, his bones turning hollow and contorting to new shapes, and his arms expanding and writhing. Voan could barely hold on to consciousness as, abruptly, his pain stopped. He looked down at himself and screamed in protest, however, as he realized the error in his choice. He was a bird, crimson and rouge as fire roared from his tail and wings. He was still the same size as he was as a human, but he was so different now.

Immediately, Voan felt a wrath roaring inside of him, and his flame grew with it. He rose to his talons, and immediately, he screeched out and began to hover into the air. The True Fae was too distracted by his insane laughter at what he had done to notice Voan fly away, across the beautiful landscape of Arcadia. He flew faster than any bird who had ever soared, and as he approached the hedge, he burned through it with the intensity of a sun.

Voan was free, yet he knew sorrow that he was horribly changed due to his experiences. He landed after flying for hours away from the hedge, and he died where he landed from the strain he had put on his new body. What awaited Voan wasn't death, however, but rebirth. Voan was reborn where the phoenix had died as a human infant, but he retained all of his memories even in this underdeveloped state. He wasnt free from his curse, however. After only a few short days, he grew into a child. Over the course of a couple of weeks, he was as old as he was when he had entered the hedge. As a month came to a close, Voan felt like a relic, archaic and old, and died from age once again. Voan was once again reborn, but as a phoenix chickling rather than a man.

Voan roams the world, soaring the skies and walking the lands, seeking an answer to his malady. He wants justice for what was done to him, and wont stop till he finds a cure, or at least a way to make the being who did this to him pay

[Exusiai]

Name: Neko (Koen)
Concept: Amber Eye
Virtue: Fortitude
Vice: Wrath
Primary: Mental - Finese, Resistance, Power
Secondary: Social - Power, Resistance, Finese
Tertiary: Physical - Finese, Power, Resistance
Skills: Investigation, Intimidation, Streetwise, Firearms, Stealth
Seeming: Beasts
Kith: A human soul, which for survival, has been placed in the body of an orange tabby (cat) as a vessel
Backstory: Originally, he had given himself the name Koen as he could not recall the parents who died of a drug overdose while he was mearely a toddler.  As he grew up under the supervision of an uncle, who was abusive when drunk, his morality deteriorated until... a gunshot could be heard clearly on an early spring morning.  As authorities arrived, they were greeted by the sight of the relative splayed on the floor of the family's hunting gear shop; a preteen was spotted near the body, blood splattered onto his clothing, while clutching a pistol to his small frame, muttering, "bad people did it."  This phrase was in a loop for almost the rest of the day, to the point of convincing even those first to arrive at the scene of the crime.
  Fastforward eleven years later, Koen had graduated from college with a degree in psychology, and while his teachers had praised him for having potential in academics... he was still that disheveled boy of a decade ago, except now, blood was not as scarring to his sight as was back then when he had pulled the trigger.  All charges were released as he was declared innocent with part of the credit handed to the defense attorney who had presented a pitiful portrait of a shattered boy whom had lossed all personal links.  A boy shrouded in confusion and blinded by sorrow, which... Koen still was; he just never accepted that as he had only dove further into a path of bloodshed.
  It was only his first year of college when he had to quench his mentality with the sight of a corpse; otherwise, he would have felt his purpose gone to waste along with the reason to his sin.  Holding the same pistol equipped by his "uncle's killer," Koen had declared himself as a personal hitman, and within a few years of his business, he had received the underground title, "Amber Eye" for the only myths about him had refered to the hitman as a beast of some sort with inhuman reaction time and bare instinct.  As for how he had been dragged through thr Hedge... it began with a single target who had fled near that wall.  Nothing more than a silenced bullet had penetrated the target's neck.  A rustle in the Hedge had alerted the killer as naturally, it was risky to leave a witness alive.  Drawn to the onlooker, Koen crept near the growth of vegetation, staring into the darkness. Four seconds later, a grunt of surprise could bebarely heard as some force had pushed the hitman into the tangle of thorns.
  Koen had made it through with his soul more or less unscathed, but the same could not be used to describe his physical body, worn and beaten to the edge by the clawing thorns.  As his vision blurred to the light of Arcadia, the faint image of a True Fae hovered over him.  The figure muttered something rather unclear, but the collapsed murderer could make out the words... perhaps, it was because of his honed skills, or it could have been due to having been on the edge of death.  The question was rather ridiculous to Koen, who had already come to terms that he would die in only a moment's time, but he had reluctantly answered with a feable "why not."

  His eyes shut off on him,and while he had expected an end, he awoke once more, still in Arcadia.  Of course, he was no longer the "Koen" he had once knew.  The True Fae had only inquired the human about the newcomer's will to live, specifically, if Koen had desired to have another chance to live, but the hitman would have never assumed then that the figure had meant to turn him, a fearsome killer, into a cat.  Koen still held the abilities to speak and stand on two hind legs... he was even able to grasp objects with enough time and effort, but as a cat, he would never have the same stature as when he was "human."  One thing he had immediately taken notice of when he arised was the collar strapped securely around his neck.  It was rather sickening to be considered as property, and even more so that he was labeled with the childish name, "Neko" on his new accessory.  In such a body, Koen had given up ideas of revenge as he would cleary be at a disadvantage; instead, he strived for a more logical goal, to have a human body once more, free from chains as he could never survive long in restraint.
  There were no particular qualities that made his former realm better than Arcadia, and even though he was a "feline" as of then, as a former human, the memory of being surrounded by those, even vaguely familiar to Koen was something he had wished not to have given up.  Only then, far away from a human society, did he have such a nostalgic longing; as a lone hitman, he had subconciously refused to accept other people as no more than possible targets, so he had never developed personal attachments to any of those he met.  It took at least six years in Arcadia's time before thoughts of freedom and the slightest urge of companionship had eaten at his reluctance.  He would never make up for those innocents and years he had shredded, but he would certainly not let what he had destroyed, become a fading memory.

[The City [EclipseZwolf]]

I do like the characters although I would like to add another comment for future ones so I don't have to do the same edits.

There is another stat deemed your "Wyrd"

Your Wyrd in simple terms is your "Fae-ness" so how close you are to being a Fae in comparison to a human. Changlings with high Wyrd have the most extravagent physical transformations while as having low wyrd usually entails more minor body changes.

The issue with the previous two is that the Fae did TURN you into an animal, which is normal, its actually one of the examples provided by the book, with a person being turned into a hunting dog to serve the Fae Lord of the Hunt. However, it is important to remember that its ones humanity that lets them escape from the Fae, so being stuck in an animal form isn't conducive to that since your brain is adversely affected. Beasts especially have a hard time escaping from that primal self. In Arcadia remembering one is human can work to revert you to your human self to escape, so even though a prisoner was changed into a wolf several times when he escape he may only have wolf ears and some padded hands/feet. Depends on Wyrd, 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest.

On a side note, the magic spells of this game are known as Contracts. Contracts are literal agreements made between a changeling and the very fabric of the world. Say you have a contract with wooden walls, and you can cling to them like spiderman if its nighttime and the moon is more than half full. The highest rank of the Beast Contracts is a contract that lets you assume the form of the animal you are associated with. Having the beast form initially kind of renders the entire beast contracts pointless.

I like the inventive characters, but I would like future people to remember that your character escapes because they are inherently human and though they may be fighting to overcome the other side of them, they cannot be overcome or they kind of cease to be a character who is viable as an NPC since no one can communicate with them or they have gone mad. So fully changed changelings usually end up as antagonistic figures, but hey if thats what you are going for then by all means go ahead. I like antagonists.