book of peerage

8/3/2019 Book of Peerage

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Angelus Morningstar

Dream ShardDream Shard

Book of PeerageBook of Peerage

Author:Angelus Morningstar

Additional Writings: John Newman

Artwork:Gavin Hargest

AcknowledgmentsLost Shards are fan- made products designed for use with

the World of Darkness book, Changeling: the Lost.

Absence of trademarks from copyrighted materials does not

constitute a legal challenge to the original owners. Any

original material is the intellectual property of Angelus

Morningstar unless otherwise c redited.

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House of RhapsodyHouse of RhapsodyIllusion is the First of All Pleasures

In ages of old, the bards were the keepers of truth and

fiction. The power of the storyteller is a powerful thing,

and with them is the balance between truth and lie. The

skalds and rhapsodes of the House of Rhapsody know how

to use each as a weapon. They know that truth is a terrible

thing. With it, a person can bring low an empire, can undo

words of love, shatter illusions and bring about stark and

horrible realizations. Many will claim that it is better to

suffer the unhappiness of truth than to endure a lie, but the

House of Rhapsody knows this isn't true, like so many

things about the world, what we tell ourselves is not the

truth, but the simple little lies that make the unbearable

more reasonable. In fact, the greater the truth, the worse it

is to deal with.

The Rhapsodes attest that humanitys never- endingquest for the ultimate truths is its greatest fallacy, for every

individual is a product of society, culture, family and peers

in essence a fabrication. In fact, the House of Rhapsody

took this claim ev en further through a manifesto written by

its founding member called the Manual of Perfidy. In this

treatise, seven fundamental beliefs of society are taken and

rendered into nothing more than a fiction of its own own

that humanity accedes to in order to survive. Its final

position reduces everything to a convenient fiction

cultivated in opposition to a harsh and senseless reality. In

such a devastating and unreasonable reality, a person must

put aside pure reason and cultivate some sensible fictions.

Just as adults often tell lies- to- children couching thingsthey cannot comprehend, deal with or otherwise explain in

cute euphemisms, society itself has wrapped itself in lies- to-

adults, such as love, honour, justice, mercy and beauty.

Without such things, we are little more than lumps of clay

and playthings of the Fae. This the Rhapsode knows as

sooth, and recognises that humanity, and individuals alike

are moved, made and destroyed by the fictions they live by,

whether it is their own personal narratives, or the great

social narratives of religions, ideologies, and histories.

The House of Rhapsody says that the foundation of any

society, and in fact any individual is their fiction. When

telling a story or fiction, what is important is not whether

the story told is true or false, but whether it contains

substance, meaning and evocation. For, it is from these

simple stories that our individual and collective dreams are

born. The close association between fiction and dreaming

has not been lost on the House. They have seen how the

dreams of one person have given birth to world-shaking

narratives, and how dreams have a way of propagating

themselves from person to person through their retelling.

The relationship between dreams and fiction goes even

further, where some of the Houses greater philosophers

have told stories of the veil of Maya, and other narratives

that suggest that reality itself is merely one of the more

commonly accepted fictions.In fact, the House takes a particularly unique

interpretation of the Wyrd, suggesting that it is the

embodiment of the flow of narrative. Whereas humanity

accounts events through the linear progression of time, the

march of seasons, the turning of years and the stay of the

centuries, the House claims that all of Faerie, moves

according to the flow of narrative, rather than history; that

the Wyrd is a tempo measured by destiny and fate. In this,

the Rhapsodes claim to make their mark. Whereas

humanity live according to the entropic flow of time,

changelings are freed from the fiction of time and given

power to set their own measure, empowered to forge their

own fictions by their own pen. A truly canny narrator can

even write their own fiction in such a way as to sway and

move masses.

The ultimate agenda of the House of Rhapsody, is to

wage psychological warfare against the Gentry, using the

dreams, hopes and ideas of the human masses as theirarsenal. The Rhapsodes know they cannot turn and fight

the Others alone, but they can manipulate and cultivate

stories about the Fae in the collective consciousness of

humanity. When asked, the Rhapsodes will point to the

fairy tales of old, and show how hidden in these simply

parables are coded warnings, secret gleanings and hidden

messages about the Gentry that are taught from generation

to generation.

Through the crafting of new tales that infect the

human psyche in mme fashion, the House of Rhapsody

can hope to infuse humanity with new information and

tales to prepare them against the Fae. The affinity of

stories, rhyme to the unreason of dreaming has cultivatesfor the Rhapsodes an intuitiv e love of dreams, and it is not

uncommon for a Rhapsode to become a proficient

oneiromancer. Indeed, the House of Rhapsody has a

developed reputation for producing some of the finest

oneiromancers known to the Lost. However, the Houses

foremost reputation comes from being spinners of tales,

master propagandists, potent heralds, shills and

mouthpieces. For each member has learned to understand

all the arts of fiction, from subtle lies, deception and

misdirection to propaganda, misinformation and many

other arts of psychological warfare.

Many of the practices of the House of Rhapsody

revolve around the artful telling of lies. Each Rhapsode is

taught to cultivate lies like living stories. One must never

be so gauche as to lie all the time, as that is merely being

contrary. No, to be an artful liar, the many members

cultivate certain expressive obfuscations; learning to speak

with circumlocution; the application of riddles and rhyme;

the purveyance of masks, make ups, and disguises. Though

beyond this simple training, nearly every Rhapsode has

come to be fond of the art of tell ing stories in its own right;

with so much of their work caught up in the fabrication of

meaningful fict ion, it can be a powerful outlet to find some

non-urgent form of literary expression that they can pour

their creativity into. Typically, this will be in the form ofpoetry, oration, rhetoric and debate, but the occasional

Rhapsode has found harmony in song and sonnet to.

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Whatever the device, there is a fixation on oral

communication.

The Rhapsodes are like spiders in the dreams of mortal

minds, which spools its threads of intrigue throughout a

vast network of mortal agents. The greatest strength of the

House of Rhapsody is that ev en these agents work for the

Rhapsodes without realizing. They have managed to

cultivate a reputation as masterful manipulators, and

consequently unforeseen political machinations aresometimes levelled as the product of Rhapsode

interference. Whenever a treaty turns sour the House of

Rhapsody are suspected of tainting the negotiations. When

feuds or fights lead to the death of one of the court, the

courtiers whisper darkly whom they suspect as being the

traitor. In the worst cases, every single black act and every

single dark mark is levelled at the manipulations of the

House of Rhapsody leading to witch hunts of the worst

sort. Of course, some changelings posit that the subterfuge

of the House lies not in their deeds, but a carefully

cultivated reputation instead. As a courtesy, and in some

effort to counter- act this terrible reputation, the House ofRhapsody avow not to use their arts of manipulation to

directly affect the politics of a local freehold, sometimes

even formally pledging so.

Titles: Lord or Lady Rhapsode, often Maestro for less

formal occasions. Also, Marquis (male) or Marchioness

( female) for those who have earned special acclaim ( see

below).

Prerequisites: Wyrd 2, Manipulation 3, Expression 3 &

Subterfuge 2

Joining: The House of Rhapsody demands one major

thing from their supplicants, namely; adaptability and a

talent for performing. Those who can demonstrate a

delicate sophistication and an aptitude for dissembling arequickly noticed.

Such individuals are usually carefully solicited by the

order and will be tested by being set an elaborate web of

fiction. The objective of this trap is to lead the potential

candidate away from the true objective and see if they can

unravel its complexities. Usually these lies are decidedly

more comforting than the stark realization of truth, and

only those with a certain mental fortitude can turn

willingly towards the unpleasant truth. Sometimes it will

be uncovering an unpleasant truth about the changeling

herself, or even confronting her with facts about her

durance in Faerie or the nature of her mortals ties. Only

certain people can truly face the naked truth, and the

Rhapsodes seek to ensure that those who face it are

prepared. Thus, the Rhapsodes see themselves as guardians

of the truth.

Once they have passed this little initiation, the new

Rhapsode is asked to swear the formal oaths of the House,

and groomed to be worthy of the role as a maestro of

fiction.

Mien: The attire of the Rhapsodes is highly varied.

Each and every- one of them, however, wears a mirror

about their person. It can be as blatant or discreet as the

Rhapsode likes, such as a glittering crown of mirror shards,

a mighty shield with a mirrored surface. The other featurethat a Rhapsode cannot do without is their mask. Each

Rhapsode has at least one mask, some designed to

completely cover their face like ornate hood, others are

more Venetian masks that are worn over their eyes, and

others not even worn upon the face at all.

So too, does their Mien change. Their eyes take on a

certain mirror-like quality, reflecting the nature of

whatever they see. Within these eyes, something

quintessential about who they observe will manifest. Beasts

will see something feral and savage, Wizened will see eyes

of great age and wisdom, Elementals might see a flinty steel

or glimmer of fire, Ogres see a glint of ferocity and fury,while Fairest a beauty glimmer and glow and Darklings see

rounded black stares. As the changelings Wyrd gets to

higher levels, they Mien begins to blur slightly, as though

attempting to see them through mist, smoke, haze or

vapours. It becomes difficult to see the perfect outline of

features and markings, shrouding their features.

Background: Theoretically speaking, anyone with the

right suave affair could be a member of the House. Each of

the different Seasonal Courts has offered new and unique

methods of how to cultivate fiction. The courtiers of

Summer are trained to powerful Oneiromachists (dream

warriors), or Hedge Duellists for the Houses honour. Thecourtiers of Autumn are cultivated as the main

propagandists, using the techniques to create powerful

fearful tales to surreptitiously warn humanity of the Fae.

The courtiers of Winter typically maintain the networks of

subterfuge and misinformation, creating lie upon lie upon

fiction, to keep both the House safe and the mortals they

protect. Finally, the courtiers of Spring are the well versed

diplomats and emissaries, they are the troubadours and

wandering minstrels that carry the stories with them.

Similarly, the obvious choices amongst the Seemings

are both the Wizened and Darklings who have a penchant

for such deceit. In close suit are the Fairest ( especially

muses) whose social graces often allow for masterfulmanipulation. Beasts, Ogres and Elementals are less

common, though sometimes the cunning of the Beasts and

Ogres, or the enigmatic inscrutability of the Elementals

make for a reasonable and disarming rogue.

In terms of Attributes, characters should demonstrate

high levels Finesse Attributes, particularly Manipulation

and Wits. In contrast, characters should not have high

Power Attributes, especially Strength and Presence as these

characters have a terrible tendency to dominate and

overwhelm their opponents, which is an undesirable

method to the softly focused Rhapsodes. One must direct

the attentions of the Freehold without actually being the

focus of it. Naturally, Rhapsodes favour both Subterfuge

and Expression, but must also excel at Empathy.

Occasionally, a Rhapsode will dabble in the arts of Larceny

for whatever nefarious purpose.

Organization: There is rarely ever more than one or

two Rhapsodes in a single Freehold. Though each

individual Rhapsode may stand alone, they are never far

from the words of their fellows. Long ago, they developed a

startlingly proficient method of communication, using the

Hedge itself as a medium, this network is a far spanning

connection known as the Web of Lies.

Beyond this, the Rhapsodes have a very informal

arrangement. Gatherings of Rhapsodes is rather like aMnchhausen competition, where each of them attempts

to spin the largest and wildest lie imaginable. Such gambits

can run to the impossibly absurd, where the claims are

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laudably false and the objective is to be as convincing as

one can despite them, to the obtusely arcane, where the

objective is to hide a real truth amongst a plethora of

falsehoods.

On occasion, the gathered Rhapsodes will nominate

amongst themselves a candidate of great worth and repute,

champions of the arts of deceit. To these individuals they

award the title of Marquis or Marchioness. Such accolade is

to demonstrate that they are a paragon of what the Houseespouses, and usually comes with a descriptive attachment.

The best known example is Lord Carabas, creator of the

Manual of Perfidy, as it was a lie so great that people would

accept it as the truth behind the House itself. For this he

was awarded the title of the Marquis of Perfidy.

Outside of the formal titles, the House of Rhapsody

employs a number of internal titles to denote a kind of

rank. Each of the ranks of the House resembles that of a

chess piece. Pawns are the changelings who are

manipulated by the House of Rhapsody, but not members

of the House itself. Rooks are those who collect and

decimate disinformation amongst the various freeholds andcollect information back for their own use. They are often

trained in the arts of espionage and capable of reasonable

self- defence. Knights are the next rank up, for they are the

assassins, and contaminators of the games of the courts.

Knights are reasonably trusted to work on their own

without higher supervision. Bishops, they are the ones who

oversee large regional plots and set in motion the wheels of

the various games. They are often well versed in magical

arts and provide many philtres and concoctions for the

Houses use. Rumour exists that the leading roles of the

House are overseen by a King and Queen, but their roles,

duties and identities lie at the centre of a web of lies.

Concepts: Flowering knaves, man of riddles, keeper ofsecrets, venomous courtesan, the manifold masquer, the

court gossip, war propagandist, peace propagandist, dream

merchant.

PrivilegesPrivilege into the House of Rhapsode grants an ability

gained from the way their Mien manifests.

Bardic Gift

The privilege granted by membership in the House is

the alluring and enthralling qualities granted. These

features are part of their Mien, but also leak through the

Mask. How this manifests is different for each Rhapsode,

some have mesmerizing eyes one could lose oneself in,

others have entrancing voices with lyrical and silver

tongued qualities and yet others have bedazzling auras,where slips of light and shadow and dizzying colours fugue

the opponents mind.

By spending a point of glamour, then for the duration

of the scene, a Rhapsode's Mantle becomes more directly

infused with their Mask (meaning more of their Mantle

begins to slip through). This transformation colours the

Rhapsodes appearance with the energies of the Court,

making it harder to read anything but that seasons

radiance.

This has a two- fold effect, it causes a negative modifier

equal to the Rhapsodes dots in Mantle on any test

attempts to discern the true motivations, or break through

their lies. It also invests the emotional resonance of theirMantle into any performance they give, allowing them to

add their dots in Mantle to any test related to telling a

fiction story they are telling, but it will colour the story

with the emotional affinity of that Court.

Rumours of the House of RhapsodyCharacters might hear the rumours below about the

Inquisition spoken in hushed tones:

The House of Rhapsody are nothing but a dirty

bunch of liars, cads and scoundrels. Never let them

hear you say that.

The truth is questionable. The House has been

subsisting on lies and deceit for so long they can no

longer tell what exactly is the truth any more.

The House has been collect ing secrets on you, and

they're going to use it as blackmail if you don't take

care of it.

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Inquisition FerrumInquisition FerrumI Vow To Seek Out those Lost who would serve their old

masters.

In every freehold are tales of changelings who work for

the Others. Whether they are Loyalists of their own

deluded free will, or coerced into taking the part of traitor

doesnt matter to the changelings caught up in their

schemes. The constant paranoia of changeling life is due,

in no small part, to these betrayers. Someone you trust

today might sell you to the Fae tomorrow. The oaths and

pledges that form the backbone of changeling society help

to ameliorate this threat amongst changelings dealt with

regularly, but nothing but quick wits, or quick feet, can

protect a changeling who is set upon by privateers.

Privateers recognize no mortal or changeling authority, and

willingly deal with the Others exchanging information,

favours and captured changelings in return for the tablescraps left for them by the Fae.

Occasionally a Loyalist or privateer will work in the

open, privateers raiding freeholds or Loyalists too powerful

to be directly confronted, but far more insidious is the

traitor that lurks in the background of a freehold, reporting

back to their true masters and sowing discord in the fragile

society. Changelings do their best to guard their own

backs, and those of their motley, but some of the Lost take

this watchfulness one step further and actively investigate

and engage these traitors in their midst. The very best of

these inv estigators belong to the Inquisition Ferrum.

Founded by a motley of changelings who suffered at the

hands of a Loyalist, the Inquisition Ferrum looks inside

changeling society for hints of outside threats. The name of

the order speaks volumes about the order itself. The root of

the word inquisition is inquiry, which is defined as a

systematic investigation. Ferrum is the Latin word for iron,

and iron is poison to the Fae. Thus through their works of

investigation, the Inquisitors hope to poison the works of

the Others in the mortal world by targeting their spies and

mercenaries.

Unlike most noble orders, the Inquisitors work in

secret. They present no public face, and their true numbers

are unknown, even to themselves. This secrecy extends

even to their mien, which, unlike other entitledchangelings, exhibits almost no visible change (see Mien

for details). There are a number of valid reasons for this

secrecy, but chief among them are two facts. No one likes

being spied upon, or enjoys being the target of suspicion.

Further, knowledge of being investigated might lead

changes in patterns of behaviour or allow a guilty subject to

lie low until the investigation has ended. Neither of these

is helpful to an Inquisitor. The other, and most important,

reason for secrecy is the v ery real threat of reprisal. The Fae

dont like having their schemes thwarted, nor do Loyalists

or privateers like thinking of themselves as prey rather

than predator. Only by keeping their work a secret do the

Inquisitors have any chance to continue that work beyonda single success.

Each Inquisitor operates in his own way. Some

Inquisitors form motley specifically for forays into the

Hedge to make attacks on known privateer lairs. Some

Inquisitors work alone, slowly gathering information about

suspected Loyalists before either indirectly unmasking the

Loyalist for what they are, or taking more direct measures.

One Inquisitor might be the trusted advisor to a Court,

while another might appear to be a social butterfly, using

connections made at parties and events to further his hunt.

Regardless of method, all Inquisitors work towards the

same end; disrupting the activities of the traitors in their

midst.

Regardless of the secrecy surrounding the Inquisition,

whispers about them circulate amongst changelings. Stories

of privateer Hollows burned out, of known Loyalists left

bound and gagged for a freehold to find, as well as darkertales of torture and mass killings are told as cautionary tales

by Loyalists and privateers, who hate and fear the

Inquisitors. Worst of all, the Fae have heard the name

Inquisition Ferrum. The greatest fear of every Inquisitor is

to be captured by the Gentry. Loyalists and privateers

would likely kill even a suspected Inquisitor out of hand,

but the Fae are more fiendishly creative. After being

dragged back to Arcadia the suffering of an ant that chose

to defy the gods would be legendary and eternal. It is for

this reason that the Inquisition avoids encounters with the

Others at all cost. A ny Fae can tell at a glance if a

changeling is ennobled, and any entitled changeling

without obvious markings of an order in their mien is

probably in for serious trouble.

Titles: Inquisitor (male and female)

Prerequisites: Wyrd 2, Investigation 3, Subterfuge 3

Joining: Because the Inquisition Ferrum is a secret

order, joining is more difficult and dangerous than with

other orders. Each Inquisitor is tasked with the

responsibility of finding and training new members on his

own, and only a changeling that has proven himself to be

trustworthy (no small feat amongst the Lost) and has

already taken the fight to a Loyalist or privateer will be

considered for membership. Before being approached by an

Inquisitor, the candidate will undergo thoroughinvestigation and scrutiny. S ecret tests of the candidate

may well be set up that place the candidate in danger, or

that test their loyalties in oblique and difficult ways. This

period of candidacy can last as long as an Inquisitor deems

necessary. Once the Inquisitor feels the changeling is

worth the risk of approaching he will arrange a meeting to

speak with candidate alone about joining the Inquisition.

These meetings are always arranged in such a way as to

conceal the identity of the Inquisitor from the candidate in

case the changeling refuses the invitation. Popular methods

for such meetings include phone calls and Internet instant

messaging, while more extreme methods include outright

kidnapping to interview the candidate while he isblindfolded and bound. If the invitation is refused, the

Inquisitor advises the changeling to tell no one of the offer

and not to seek out the Inquisitors identity. Persistent

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curiosity is met with unpleasantness; even up to the death

of the changeling that had been considered a candidate.

Once a candidate agrees to join the Inquisition, he is

placed under strict oaths of secrecy before the Inquisitor

reveals himself. Changelings entering this phase of training

with the Inquisition are referred to as Initiates or Acolytes.

An Initiate is trained in a variety of skills during their

training with an emphasis placed on information gathering

skills and the art of detecting spoken and written lies. NoInitiate joins the Inquisition without a fair degree of

competence in investigation and subterfuge, but their

training sharpens these abilities to a razor edge. Although

fighting can play an important part in the life of an

Inquisitor, more important is the ability to identify the

goats from the sheep, so training in the more physical side

of inquisitorial activities is only encouraged if the Initiate

shows no current aptitude for self-defence.

There is no set time period for the training of an

Initiate. A particularly gifted student might spend only a

few months under the guidance of an Inquisitor, while an

Initiate with rawer skills may require several years oftraining before they are ready to face the challenges of the

Inquisition alone. Once an Inquisitor is satisfied with his

students abilities, the Initiate undergoes one final test.

This test varies from Inquisitor to Inquisitor, but the most

common test is to track and catch a Loyalist or privateer

and bring them to justice. When this last hurdle has been

overcome the Initiate stands before his teacher who makes

the final decision of competence. The secrecy surrounding

the Inquisition allows for no council or membership

committee, every Initiate admitted into the order as a full

member is inducted by a single Inquisitor.

Mien: Inquisitors carry no emblem, and the style of

dress chosen by Inquisitors tends towards the more sombreand serious end of local fashion, but not always. As stated

above, the mien of an Inquisitor undergoes very little in

the way of changes that might announce his entitlement.

Having an obvious mark or badge would be antithetical to

the secrecy that surrounds the Inquisition and their work.

Nevertheless, there are slight changes to the mien of an

Inquisitor that an incredibly well informed and perceptive

observer might notice to aid them in identifying an

Inquisitor.

The mien of an Inquisitor takes on a slight dulling of

features, as though the changeling was trying to avoid

notice by fading into the background. The shining scales of

a Draconic might lose their lustre, or a Gargantuan might

seem to shrink slightly. The changes are always in a way to

make the Inquisitor less obvious. As their Wyrd increases

the changes to mien increase in other subtle ways. The

footsteps of an Inquisitor seem to make less noise than

normal and leave only slight tracks, their eyes take on a flat

sheen that only reflects what they see, never what they

feel, and humans they pass that are guilty of some awful

secret ( such as kidnapping, murder or torture) feel uneasy,

as though someone were watching them.

Background: As a resul t of their manner of

recruitment, the majority of the Inquisition is made up of

changelings with similar backgrounds. Most foughtpersonal battles against Loyalists and privateers before they

were entitled, and a high percentage of Inquisitors have

lost prized possessions, friends, and even family members,

to the machinations of their betrayers. Although many

Inquisitors were viewed as candidates after their first battle

with a Loyalist or privateer, some became candidates after

they aided an Inquisitor during his battle with a traitor

providing both physical and intellectual assistance. Even

before induction, Inquisitors were changelings with

concrete notions of loyalty and morality that found the

ideals and methods of Loyalist and privateer forces

repugnant.Socially, the Inquisition is made up from changelings

from every Court, including the Courtless. The flavour of

an Inquisitors Court has an effect on the way they fulfil

their duties. Inquisitors of the Summer Court respond to a

threat with direct physical action, members of the Spring

Court use their charm and charisma to single out a target,

while Autumn Court members seek to terrify and bewilder

a traitor, and Winter Court Inquisitors work from the

shadows, never revealing themselves to their foes. The

Courtless members of the Inquisition feel themselves to be

superior hunters because they may attack a threat from

multiple angles without feeling the urge to respond in amanner consistent with a specific Court ideal. Needless to

say, Inquisitors belonging to Courts decry that idea as

nonsense.

The skills acquired by Inquisitors will vary from one to

the next depending on their particular methodology, but

Inquisition characters place emphasis on Investigation and

Subterfuge skills and specialities, with secondary emphasis

placed on Physical skills for when a fight turns bloody.

Mental Attributes are generally high, and Merits such as

Danger Sense, Eidetic Memory, Allies and Contacts are all

considered useful for obvious reasons.

Organization: The Inquisition is formed into local cells

that have very little communication with outside members.There are secret phrases and signals that allow members of

different cells to recognize each other, but large-scale

cooperation is rare. Who can tell if the Fae have

compromised a cell from another city? Inside each local

cell every Inquisitor is considered equal and when they

meet, in what are called Congregations, each Inquisitor

takes a turn in reporting what his investigations and

activities have uncovered. Because of the nature of the

Inquisition, Congregations are called on an irregular basis

when an Inquisitor has a particularly important piece of

information to share, requires assistance, or wishes to

celebrate a victory with his peers. Congregations are

generally small, including no more than two or three

Inquisitors, and Initiates are never inv ited.

If physical force is required beyond the capabilities of

the lone Inquisitor, or he and his unsuspecting motley, the

Inquisitor seeks outside aid. No more than one Inquisitor

will ever be present in a fight. The numbers of the

Inquisition are too small to risk an entire cell being wiped

out by a surprise counter- attack or trap. Where they are

available, Inquisitors take advantage of the services of the

Tolltaker Knighthood, but in freeholds where the

Tolltakers have no presence, there are usually changelings

willing to perform dirty deeds for a price, no explanations

required. If the situation is especially dire, and localchangelings are unwilling or unable to help, an Inquisitor

will turn to mortals to serve as foot soldiers. A number of

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Inquisitors have found local police to be an excellent

source of help, with the right kind of encouragement.

Concepts: ex- cop, social butterfly, power behind the

throne, disciplined vigilante, private investigator,

information broker, retired military Special Ops, watcher

in the shadows

PrivilegesThe following token is available to all Inquisitors.

Excruciator ()

Excruciator is a catch- all word for any small item that is

designed to cause severe mental or physical pain while

leaving behind no, or minor, traces of its use. The token

itself can take the form of thumbscrews, long twisting

needles, blackmail pictures, or any object intended to cause

pain that will fit into a coat pocket. When activated an

Inquisitor neednt use, or even show the token to his

subject, he must merely be touching the Excruciator as he

questions his subject. For the remainder of the scene while

touching the Excruciator, the Inquisitor gains +2 to anySubterfuge rolls made while questioning his subject.

Additional activation costs must be paid for each

additional subject the Inquisitor wishes to question during

the scene.

Action: Instant

Drawback: Changelings are bound to fate and time in

strange ways. Perhaps because the fate of so many people

over most of recorded time has been decided by use of

instruments of torture the echoes of their pain come to

haunt changelings who use such devices, even in a passive

manner. Whatever the reason, Inquisitors suffer one level

of bashing damage per scene whenever they use the

Excruciator to question a subject.

Catch: If a changeling chooses not to, or is unable to

pay Glamour to activate the token, he suffers an additional

level of lethal damage from use of the Excruciator. Aphysical device, such as a thumbscrew, will latch onto the

character as they touch it, while more psychological

objects inflict extreme mental anguish that causes the

changeling to commit damage to himself.

Rumours of the Inquisition FerrumCharacters might hear the rumours below about the

Inquisition spoken in hushed tones:

An Inquisitor was caught red- handed standing

over the bodies of a group of mortals. He managed to

escape and since then more mortals have been found

killed with the same MO in other towns.

The Inquisition actually works for the Others by

tracking down and eliminating Loyalists and

privateers that have betrayed the Fae.

The Inquisition has begun killing Kings and

Queens of the Courts in a scheme to take over

changeling society. Once they take control they plan

on forming up armies of changelings to scour the

Hedge clean of privateers, Loyalists and worse.

7

book of peerage

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