Christopher Howard
May 31, 2000 (21:33)
Q: What's up with the keremet Birthright "Can use the Black Paths of Balor"? I mean, everyone can use them, so that's like calling "has five fingers" a Birthright or something. Is it that they can sense or open them without further aid? Did they have access to the paths, and thus the mundane world, the Dreaming, and the realms of the dead, during the Interregnum?
…Basically, this Birthright allows them to travel the Black Paths of Balor. HELLO! All fae can travel the Black Paths of Balor (if they can find one that is). It is kinda like having a Birthright that says "Breathe Oxygen." I don't know what crack Chris Howard was smoking at that time, but I definitely want me some of that! (I am kidding, Chris; don't hate me!)
A: Crack kills. I’m sorry on this one. I should have made this *much* clearer. This ties into the process that denizens, or changelings for that matter, must go through in order to open a trod. Most fae have to have both Wayfare 3 (Portal Passage) and Fae 5 (Dweomer of Glamour) to open a trod, including one of the Black Paths of Balor. The keremet may simply enter the Paths of the Dead as a matter of course, though they have to possess the prerequisite Arts and Realms to open a trod of any other kind.
Q: How do most Denizens Ravage when they don't have any Banality?
A: I’ve seen this question in several forums, but this is not an oversight. The fact of the matter is that no denizen fresh from the Dreaming can Ravage his victim until he has accumulated at least one point of Banality (not that gaining a point of Banality is difficult to do). Much of what the Dark-kin can and cannot do in the Autumn World is a matter of trade-offs; this aspect of their existence is no exception. Simply put, some denizens can’t Ravage, some do it poorly (at least until they gain more Banality) and some wouldn’t want to do it anyway. Ravaging is an inherently Banality producing activity. If an Adhene wishes to partake in it, she’ll have to get her hands dirty.
Q: Can we have a clearer explanation of how/if the Aonides and other Evanescent went back and forth between the Dreaming and the mundane world during the Interregnum when the trods were closed? Was it only the silver trods that were shut down?
A: Not all of the trods closed down during the Interregnum; they simply became much fewer and farther between. This includes both trods protected by the Silver Path and those untouched by the Tuatha dé Danaan’s magics. The former kind were rare, but among the few paths where changelings could feel safe. The latter were far more likely to be traveled by denizens, but were not as likely to connect to the Autumn World. Some of those Dark-kin known as the Evanescent traveled between the Dreaming and the Autumn World during the dry times but, as with most changelings, many were also trapped on Earth.
Q: If the denizens have a fae mien, perceivable by changelings, when they possess a mortal body, do they have one if they have the Merit "Human Shell"? Can they Call Upon the Wyrd or use Treasures with "Human Shell," or is it the same as possessing a body? What happens if the mortal body (or Human Shell) the Denizen is inhabiting gets killed? Could a Denizen with the "Human Shell" Merit choose to leave the body to inhabit another, for whatever reason, or go Phantom Form? If they did, could they return to the body later?
…The book mentions that some Adhene had undergone the Changeling Way. How does that work? Is this covered by the Human Shell Merit? Can someone with Human Shell Call Upon the Wyrd? Can an Adhene leave his Human Shell to use his Phantom Form or Possession from the Autumn Way? Some get their Human Shell through a deal with a mortal. How does this work, and what happens to the mortal?
A: I didn’t write the Human Shell Merit (it was Dan Ginn’s), but I edited it and will take the heat for not expanding on the information in the book. Here’s my take on it: The body provided by this Merit is exactly like a body possessed by a changeling in the Changeling Way Ritual. That means, it has both a human and faerie mien, can accommodate the fullest range of Arts and Treasures, and can Call Upon the Wyrd (it is a 4 point Merit). Additionally, the denizen is not permanently tied to it like a changeling is tied to her human aspect, can exercise her powers of possession and go to her Phantom Form. On the down side, the body is part of her and if it dies while she’s in residence, the denizen dies with it (though an obliging Storyteller may give a dying PC a chance to "jump ship," with the penalties listed on page 35 firmly in mind).
I left things wide open for those denizens who get their "human shell" through a deal with a mortal. That’s because I wanted to give the widest latitude for Storytellers and players to use their imaginations. Maybe the human gets something out of it and has a fair amount of freedom (when his body is not in use by the Adhene), or maybe his soul is completely consumed and wailing in agony somewhere in the denizen’s "under-psyche." This gives the character all sorts of roleplaying potential. As for the actual use of the Changeling Way Ritual by denizens: Yes, a few have undergone this process and are as locked into their "changeling" bodies as any Kithain. (I imagine many Dark-kin probably look askance at such traitors.) I didn’t go into this much in the book because it is an uncommon occurrence.
Q: Harroth the Mute is said to be a Balor sidhe who has not undergone the Changeling Way. Can he still enter the Autumn Realms, using the same mechanics as the Adhene? What are the requirements of the Changeling Way and how can Adhene perform it? Do the dislodged souls become keremet? Can such changelings reverse the ritual and return to their Phantom Form?
A: Wow, a lot of questions. First, I hope that the Harroth Balor fiction I posted here a few weeks ago answered your questions about him. Unfortunately the fiction sections are almost always the first thing to go. Harroth has little problem entering the Autumn World (despite his human host’s missing soul) because of his powerful patrons in the Dreaming. On the Changeling Way Ritual: To my knowledge, the actual mechanics for this ritual have not been covered. The Autumn Way 1 (Insufflation) is very similar in effect, but less permanent. As for the displaced souls becoming keremet? That would be telling. I purposefully left this a little vague; keep reading and find out. (There, I’ve done my shameless marketing for this FAQ.) Can such changelings reverse the ritual and return to their Phantom Form? To be honest, I haven’t given this much thought. Personally, I believe it would be possible (with some rare magic or treasure), but is not at all a common occurrence.
Q: Keremet can see and communicate with the dead. If they are in Phantom Form, can the wraiths see them, or must the keremet possess a more mortal form to talk with them?
Is the Phantom Form intangible to Wraiths, or does it discorporate the ghosts as a normal object would? Can Adhene freely pass through walls or do they have to spend a Health Level to discorporate as wraiths do? Can they pick up 'real' objects and suffer Disbelief as chimera? How intangible are they? Do they fall through the [floor]?
A: Good questions all. I didn’t go into all this in the book for space reasons and because White Wolf traditionally shuns crossover information. Nevertheless, I somewhat regret not going into it at least a little more than I did. So, for what it’s worth, here are my thoughts on the metaphysics involved. A denizen in Phantom Form is generally only visible to those with faerie sight and my first reaction is that the keremet are no exception to this rule. Keremet are spirits of the dead, but the force from the Dreaming that sustains them is a different mechanic altogether than the metaphysics that preserve more traditional ghosts. By the same token, I doubt that a phantom keremet would disrupt a wayward wraith just by bumping into him.
Having said this, one of the major objections some players (especially Wraith players) may have to this is the idea that a keremet, by virtue of The Shadowed Way, can see a wraith in the Skinlands (or Autumn World), while the wraith cannot see her in return. Of course, turnabout is fair play; this is just the sort of advantage wraiths usually hold over almost everyone else. "Who watches the watchmen?" It might just be the keremet. Of course, much of this is based on exactly where the two spirits bump into each other. A keremet cruising the Autumn World in Phantom Form is one thing. That same keremet wandering the Black Paths of Balor, however, is just as visible and open to attack as any other wraith.
Q: Can Adhene freely pass through walls, or do they have to spend a Health Level to discorporate as Wraiths do?
A: Yes. Actually, no one other than my fellow writer, Daniel Ginn, brought this little inconsistency to my attention (unfortunately after the book was published). If I could fix two things in this book retrospectively, this would be the second one. In the World of Darkness, creatures whom you would normally consider "intangible" (wraiths, chimera, etc.) have trouble going through walls without paying some sort of penalty. I didn’t exact this price from de-solid denizens and, in retrospect, I should have. No one that I know of, besides Dan, has brought this up as a problem, but it bugs me. Consensual reality being what it is, a denizen in Phantom Form should have to spend either a Health Level or a point of Glamour to walk through walls and suffers disbelief as per chimera when picking up "real world" stuff. This was a major omission on my part, but a feature I would recommend to any Storytellers running a Denizen’s campaign.
Q: Can the Silver Path protect Adhene such as moiræ from the Meridianus? Does the Meridianus affect all Adhene or only those affected by the Silver Ban? How much damage does it cause? Can an Adhene take the damage and force his way through? Can he decide to reverse course and head back for the Autumn World, or is he complete boned?
A: The answers to your first two questions are, in order, "no" and "yes." As to the rest: An Adhene probably couldn’t suck up enough damage to make it all the way through the Meridianus without some sort of powerful magic aid. I didn’t give actual damage numbers because I wanted this to be a Storyteller devise, to be strengthened, weakened or discarded as she sees fit. The way I see it, the Silver Ban is a scalpel while the Meridianus is a sledgehammer. Adhene like the moiræ and keremet may be exempt from the Silver Ban, but all of them must contend with the Meridianus.
Q: In the fuath template [recently posted on this forum], how does she Call Upon the Wyrd so that she can rip the pimp apart if she doesn't possess Level 2 Autumn Way, or is this just a mistake?
A: As I explained when I first posted them, the character templates never passed the first draft stage and the book’s contents changed significantly in the second draft.
Q: Can an Adhene use a Wyrd cantrip without possessing or casting Manifest from Autumn Way? If not, how does the Adhene cast Manifest, which is a Wyrd cantrip? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
A: D’oh! This is the kind of glaring mistake I love to find in other people’s work and hate hearing about in my own. Consider this error #3 I’d fix if I had a working time machine. Since my time machine is in the shop, however, I suggest that you simply consider it a chimerical cantrip for casting purposes. My apologies for the confusion.
Q: I'm DYING to know the Adhene take on hunters, and any hunters’ ideas on Adhene. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know the Adhene are new and all that, but are there any clues as to how they would react to the sudden presence of legendary human heroes? (Probably the same kind of legendary human heroes who were part of the fomorians getting their asses kicked here in the Autumn World.)
…Also, are there any odd rules for Oneiromancy and hunters? Cause, as it stands right now, you've created the one Art that could wipe out hunters left and right… and they wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it; they cannot use their conviction while they're asleep.
And, um, this actually is gonna be relevant…cause hunter.net (the white wolf hunter list) is CRAWLING with fey. (I know of at LEAST six…and one new one who I am pretty sure is a keremet.)
A: There have been several questions about why I didn’t include information for the hunters in Denizens of the Dreaming. This is simply a matter of unfortunate scheduling. Hunter: The Reckoning came out just as I was putting the final touches on Denizens, so there was little opportunity for me to include information on them. Even to this day, I have not read the book and cannot comment on it with any authority — though I am glad to hear that Oneiromancy will cause them problems. (All they have to do is not go to sleep. Heh!)
Q: What, exactly, is the French l'Armée Furieuse? I have tried to seek out more information, but to no avail. I'm dying to know this.
A: L'Armée Furieuseiss is the French (and also Swiss) version of the Wild Hunt—which is most frequently chronicled in British legends. It means the Furious or Raging Host, and is often blamed for the abduction of unbaptized babies. It is also known as la Chasse d’ Artu, la Chasse de Cain and Mesnie Herlequin if that is of any help in your research. The earliest known tales of the Wild Hunt, as such, come from Anglo-Saxon chronicles circa AD 1127, though older legends such as the Herlethingus (or Herle’s Raid) place its genesis much earlier. It is also possible that the "Herlewain" (another name for the Wild Hunt) is a corruption of the Hell Wain or Hell’s Wagon. I’m not sure about this version’s genesis, but it smells a whole lot like the "Hell Tithe" often attributed to faerie.
Q: I would like to know more about the keremet; they really fascinate me. Do the sidhe know of them? The 18 keremet who are part of the elite circle (17 now I suppose) must be very powerful. Have they truly a direct elevator to Arcadia?
A: Thanks. Yes. Yes. And yes again. The keremet are among my favorites too, though I’m hardly unbiased. I plan on giving more information on both them and the other denizens in upcoming projects. I can’t say much more, however, without giving away future plot arcs.
Q: Did Arcadia fall? (I know you will not answer this one).
A: Nope. Actually, I’d tell you, but then Jackie and Nicky would have to send the big bag o’ boggarts back to my house, and I’ve just finished cleaning up from the last one.
Q: It is said that the Casque of Sorrows has nine keys. Two have been found. The moiræ keep it. What are the keys? Do they have anything relevant or are they just that—keys?
A: You can assume that the keys to the Triumph Casque of Sorrows have some small abilities beyond simply opening the casque. Just remember, the Triumph Casque was wielded by none other than the Red Fomorian King; these abilities might not always benefit the possessor. Caveat emptor.
Q: It is pretty clear which is which in the Arts section, but not as much so in the area of Birthrights and Frailties and the various types of possessions. For example: Do the naraka—when they breathe fire—breathe Wyrd fire? Are the extra arms chimerical?
A: The reason I didn’t go in depth about the Wyrd/Dreaming aspect of the Birthrights is because they are fundamentally no different from the Birthrights exhibited by changelings. You can pretty much assume, unless the denizen Calls Upon the Wyrd (or unless otherwise noted), that all of their Birthrights are chimerical only.
Q: For the moiræ, is each Ariá a different goddess age aspect (maiden mother crone), or do you just choose one and stick with it?
A: As I stated in the book, each moiræ manifests all three aspects of the Triple Goddess (maiden, mother and crone). These three aspects are not necessarily tied to any one specific Ariá, however. Thus, one moiræ’s crone aspect may be tied to her Dioniae Ariá while another’s crone may be represented by her Apolliae. If you are asking whether a single given moiræ’s maiden aspect may be her Dioniae sometimes and her Araminae at others, I would say that the answer is "no." The moiræ is pretty much stuck with the line-up the player first chooses for her. On the other hand, it’s your game. If the Storyteller chooses to allow otherwise, then who am I to say no? "Musical Ariás" might make for an interesting Merit or Flaw, depending on how you choose to interpret it.
Q: All the fuaths are shown with claws, yet it doesn't say this is a requirement. Is it?
A: Nope, though since all fuaths can inflict aggravated damage, it makes sense for them to have some sort of animal feature that can dish it out. Whether these are claws, horns, hooves, a beak or a tail is up to you, and greatly depends on the type of animal the fuath is associated with.
Christopher Howard
May 31, 2000 (21:34)
Q: The Autumn Way Art, Level 2 lets the denizens come fully into this world. Does that mean normal humans and the un-enchanted can see their true denizen form?
A: No. As it states in the cantrip’s description, Manifestation gives the denizen a human and a faerie mien, just like any changeling.
[END]
-- Christopher Howard