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CHANGELING HISTORY

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NOTE: Fae Legends vs Actual History.

"Much of Kithain history is lost to modern changelings, or at the very least, it is as much myth as fact. Because changelings tend to forget their magical nature as they age, the history of their people is often forgotten as well, and then remembered in bursts during a new incarnation. The most common means of learning about the past, then, is through the traditional art of storytelling. Even with the scarcity of Balefires in modern nights, no freehold turns away a storyteller, for their talents of weaving pre-Shattering tales into life is unmatched by anything an academic historian could present. Long-forgotten acts of villainy and heroism, hope and loss, come to life through their words, leaving audiences captivated with the hope of Arcadia’s recovery, and the idea that perhaps they are the ones to accomplish this epic undertaking. All it takes is the belief that, despite all pain and horrors that have befallen the Kithain, theirs is the story with a happy ending.

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Despite the thrill and excitement of hearing legends brought to life by storytellers, academic history is an extremely important factor in the pursuit of lost faerie knowledge, turning myth into truth. Many changelings — sluagh especially — lead their lives among vast numbers of tomes and ancient texts, hoping to fulfil their dreams of prestige among their peers, and possibly finding clues to Arcadia in the process. Working with materials predating the Shattering requires a certain type of individual with high endurance and patience. Ancient texts are written in several, often pictographic, faerie languages, and quite often the words seemingly come alive, constantly realigning, rotating, and shifting locations to avoid being decoded. The Dreaming protects its secrets, but there’s no consensus among the Kithain as to why information remains hidden for them as well. Even when enough common denominators exist for a decent decoding, the end results often cause further questions, rather than providing answers." Source : Changeling the Dreaming 20th Edition.

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Beyond this disclaimer, we are not going to elaborate on true origins of the Changelings. Changelings believe what they believe.

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The origin of the Changeling Way and who first mingled faerie and human blood is lost to history. The old Courts believed that the First Woman who came to lay with the First Man (called Eve and Adam based on mortal theology, though one might see more parallels to stories of Lilith) had been one of the Firstborn. From the union between the two, the first changeling was born, although the pair had more children and the First Woman had other partners. Other explanations, especially by the more anti-humanist fae, were that Changelings were the remnants of deformed and unwanted fae that were exchanged with mortal children and raised among them.

 

The first Changelings were regarded with pity and mockery from their Firstborn parents, since they were unable to change their form with the same ease the Inanimae and Firstborn did and took relatively long to achieve their birthright. When the War of Seasons began, the Changelings were drawn into the conflict. Weaker than their siblings, they nonetheless became more and more valuable for their ability to deal with humans.

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After the eclipse of 1230 CE and the fall of the Oath-Truce, the fae used mortal dreams to hide themselves from the growing turmoil of the Mists and the first appearance of Banality, assuming less varied forms in exchange for safety. This act created the first kiths, who, over the centuries, created their own stories how Changelings had been first conceived. With the Dreaming separating from the mundane world in the Shattering, aided by the Unleashing of several fae who refused to accept the change and wanted a rekindled War of Seasons, more and more fae sought a way to escape the growing threat of Banality. The Changeling Way, originally referring to the act in which the Firstborn cloaked themselves in human appearances, was repurposed, which allowed a fae to intertwine their faerie soul with that of a human, shielding it from Banality of the mundane world by transferring their souls into (often infant) humans, leading to the traditional changeling myth of fairies stealing away a human child to replace it with a child of their own.

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The Changelings continued to live in the shadow of humanity, driven back by the rise of reason and technology. But even in these times, Glamour continued to flourish and the changelings found ways to harness it for their own uses. In this way, their communities survived the ever stronger presence of Banality and continued to prosper until the day of the first manned moon landing. The resulting influx in dreams, fears and wonders was strong enough to open the gates to the Dreaming, reactivate ancient trods and allowed the Nobles who had fled to return to the world. Soon, conflicts between the Commoners who had made the Autumn World their home, and the returning Nobles who demanded the fealty that was theirs by right, erupted all across the globe. After several armed conflicts, armistices and treaties formed new realms, often only loosely based on mortal geography. 

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​​​CHANGELING SOCIETY

Changelings are deeply hierarchical creatures. Even in the modern era, they cling to a feudal model of society, with Nobles on top and Commoners below. Most Nobles are Sidhe, while the bulk of the other kith exist as commoners, with only a few exceptions. Few changelings survive Banality and the harshness of the world without a network of others of their kind to fall back to, resulting in few loners among their numbers.

Newly formed Changelings are assigned a mentor, who oversees their fosterage, in which the young changelings is tutored in the ways of their society. Fosterage is divided into two periods, the time of warding, in which the mentor maintains a close watch on everything their ward does, and the time of watching, in which the young Changeling is allowed to put what they have learned into practice. When this period ends, the Saining confirms the Changeling as an official member of their Court and their true Faerie name is revealed to them. These traditions reach back to the era of the Four Courts.

Beyond the immediate tutelage, Changelings are divided between Noble households, which often exist as formalized feudal structures, and Commoner motleys, which are more egalitarian and often nomadic. Both households and motleys are often centred around a freehold, a wellspring of glamour with a connection to the Dreaming and enforce the Escheat, a shared set of laws common to all kiths and courts. A smaller kind of social unites are oathcircles, which are groups of friends that have sworn oaths of mutual support, regardless of their political affiliation, and cliques, who consist of changelings who act as patrons to a specific kind of dreamers.

Individual Changelings are also aligned to one of the two Courts. Called the Seelie and Unseelie courts, these two institutions provide the Changelings with a code of conduct and shape their mien. Unlike the Four Courts of the Mythic Age, the Seelie and Unseelie rarely exist in a state of open warfare and have learned to coexist. A third power, the Shadow Court, is one the rise, disregarding the ancient balance between the two and trying to topple it in favor of their own designs.

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Commoner View

In many ways, the society and politics of commoners mirrors that of the sidhe. Both groups have Courts and seemings. Sidhe have their Traditionalists, Reformers, and Modernists while commoners are Conservatives, Moderates, and Radicals. As the years have passed, though, many of the common kith have come to enjoy their own distinct social groups and identities apart from the sidhe. Many celebrate holidays geared toward commoner interests; after all, they lived here for six centuries without the presence of the Shining Host. When the sidhe returned, most were tolerant of these commoner "affectations," though a few nobles thought the commoner "upstarts" needed a good drubbing. Presently, most nobles continue to respect the interests of their subjects, at least in public. Behind closed doors, their reactions range from laughter at the boggan bake sales on May Day to real concern about the harsh rhetoric of some radicals. What's been amusement or feigned disinterest in the past may bubble into something more violent as nobles cope with the disappearance of High King David and the muddle left behind.

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Party Lines :As explained by Marina of Beacon Hills, satyr bard and scholar.

Commoner politics are fairly straightforward and much less murky than human ones. They have three key political viewpoints, and practically all commoners adopt one of these. As with many mortals and sidhe, they also tend to move in a circle through these viewpoints during their lives. Very young commoners see fae society in clear shades of black and white; they haven't lived long enough to understand the shades of gray and generally prefer to rely on long-standing tradition. For example, Mimieux, an eshu childling I once knew, may not understand why the other eshu find her friend Sir Acheron of House Eiluned a real bother; all she knows is that they get uncomfortable when he comes around. So the childling follows the lead of her elders and gradually pulls away from the sidhe's possibly genuine affections. As the childling becomes a wilder, she takes more risks. Perhaps she thinks she can even use Sir Acheron and thus renews the acquaintance; maybe she even tries to lecture him on how he should be more sensitive to the needs of the commoners. As Mimieux becomes a grump, she probably will either give up trying to change the knight and accept him as he is, or withdraw back into the company of her own kith and kind. The eshu has lived as a conservative, cautious childhood, a risk-taking radical youth, and a moderate or conservative grump. Of course, that's the broad angle. Some commoners stay with one view all their lives, entering grumpdom as the stalwart conservative or firebrand rebel they've been since their Chrysalis. 

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THE ESCHEAT

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There are six basic rights protected by the Escheat.

The Right of Demesne

A Lord or Lady is the ruler of their domain. They are judge and jury over all crimes, large or small and their word is law. A noble expects obedience from vassals and respect from all others. In return a noble respects those nobles superior to them.

Reality - The nobles have had to make some concessions to Democracy in the face of the modern world and popular rule. Most now have to rule with force, cunning, charisma, or custom.

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The Right to Dream
The Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve have the right to dream unhindered by Fae needs. The Dreaming will die if we steal directly from the font. No one is allowed to manipulate the creative process with Glamour. While the fae may inspire creativity, it is forbidden to instruct or infuse humans with Glamour.

Reality - This is usually interpreted as prohibiting Ravaging and many fae, particularly the Unseelie, ignore it, especially when seeking a quick fix of Glamour or power. Since ravaging often permanently drains a victim, convicted ravagers suffer harsh punishments to keep them and others from doing the same thing. It is rumored that some changelings will infuse mortals with Glamour, overloading their souls with too much creativity and feeding on their bright dreams. Such a practice would obviously go against the tenet.

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The Right of Ignorance
Do not betray the Dreaming to Banality. A Fae must never reveal themselves to humanity because Humanity will hunt them for their wisdom and power, overwhelming the fae with Banality and destroying their sacred places. The more humanity knows the more forcefully it will seek the Fae, draining the world of Glamour and petrifying them with their Basilisk's gaze.

Reality - Most changelings, Seelie and Unseelie alike, respect this rule because it does protect all from the forces of Banality. Glamour is hard enough to come by so spending it on a mortal so they can witness the Dreaming is wasteful. Still, some Changelings will enchant mortals to bring into freeholds as lovers and retainers but will carefully remove all evidence from their minds when they return them to the Autumn world.

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The Right of Rescue
All Kithain have the right to expect rescue from the clutches of Banality. The fae are in danger together and must work together to survive. Never leave anyone behind. Kithain are required to rescue other faeries or other creatures of the Dreaming trapped by those who serve Banality.

Reality - Again, most changelings follow this tenet as they themselves might need rescuing one day. Seelie and Unseelie will come together, forgetting their differences, to go to the aid of others when they are captured by Dauntain or other agent of Banality. While most fae would risk their lives for a Griffin or Unicorn, most won't for minor chimera.

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The Right of Safe Haven
All places of the Dreaming are sacred. Kithain must not allow their faerie places to be endangered or threatened. All those who seek refuge in such a place must be admitted and these places must be kept free of Banality and worldly violence.

Reality - This tenet is a hard one to enforce because of the competition for the few Freeholds that have survived the Shattering. Rival claims to the same faerie place often lead to warfare that can enter the sacred boundaries of Glades and Freeholds, though this violence is usually restricted to chimerical weapons. Some lords will bar entrance to their households if they fear the visitor will waste the Glamour there. Despite the demands of hospitality on the nobility, Mews are usually more inclined to admit a changeling seeking refuge without question.

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The Right of Life
No Kithain may spill the lifeblood of another Kithain. No Kithain shall bring salt tears upon the earth. No Kithain shall take from the Dreaming one of its own. Death is anathema.

Reality - This rule is almost universally upheld, especially since the Dreaming itself seems to enforce it by inflicting Banality upon a Changeling who kills another. When two Kithain meet in combat they usually use chimerical weapons, although there are exceptions, such as nonlethal duels to first blood. No "real" damage is caused by such chimerical combat. The loser, if "killed" merely dies temporarily to the Dreaming and returns to his or her mortal seeming until reawakened by an infusion of Glamour.

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