Canon Class: Changelings.

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Sections of this guide have been lifted from the White Wolf Wiki.




WHAT ARE CHANGELINGS?

Changelings are the protagonists of Changeling: The Lost. They were ordinary humans who attracted the interest of one of the True Fae, the alien beings who live in Arcadia on the other side of the Hedge that separates the two worlds. Abducted and treated as slaves, playthings, pets or ornaments, they were replaced on Earth by a Fetch, a simulacrum created from Faerie glamour and scraps.

Unlike most such humans, Changelings have been able to escape back to Earth, but their time in Arcadia has transformed them physically, emotionally and mentally. Changelings are also known as the Lost, however, for while they have found their way back to the mortal world the changes wrought on them have made them part fae. They are no longer human, and they can never truly belong to humanity again. Instead they must exist in societies of their own, trying to balance their humanity against the inescapable truth that they are now partially creatures of Glamour like their once masters.

A group of Changelings is known as a motley.

SEEMINGS & KITHS

The Fae long ago used their Glamour to create the Mask, a magical veil that makes anything touched by Faerie appear mundane to human eyes, and this extends to Changelings as well: they appear human, and indeed look much as they did, though older (depending on how long they spent in Arcadia). But a mask is all it is; underneath it, a Changeling's true mien is something from a story. They may be anything from an impossibly beautiful figure with a narrow face and pointed ears to a towering brute made of living stone; the demands and whim of their Keeper has shaped them to fulfil whatever role they required. While each Changeling is unique, there are basic similarities in their experiences which have shaped them in similar ways. These "types" of Changeling are called Seemings, and there are six commonly recognised:

• Beasts
  
• Darklings
  
• Elementals
  
• The Fairest
  
• Ogres
  
• The Wizened
  

Each Seeming is further divided into Kiths, subcategories which are even more alike. For example, all Beasts are bestial in some way, but those who have an affinity for the hunt share more in common, and belong to the Hunterheart Kith.

POWERS & ABILITIES

The magic of the Fae is heavily dependent on Oaths and Pledges made not just with mortals, but with embodiments of objects, physical forces and concepts. Changelings are able to learn to exploit the clauses of some of these Contracts, granting them supernatural powers resembling those from traditional fae folklore.

CHANGELINGS IN TODAY'S VIGIL

The existence of the Lost has always been one of running and hiding, and this only grew worse after the Veil completely broke. Changelings, en masse, began to withdraw even deeper into their secret sanctuaries, now on the pretense of escaping both the eyes of the True Fae and the world at large. It does not help that many have discovered that the fantastic properties possessed by Changeling blood do not fade even after the individual’s death, and that organized crime syndicates and similarly sinister groups have taken to kidnapping the Lost in order to farm them. Others, driven by delusions of grandeur or misguided worship of the Gentry of Arcadia, hunt Changelings down for themselves in order to use them for their own means. A popular (and terrible) motivation, in fact, includes the desire to have one of the Lost “grant wishes” for them.

Still, Changeling within the compacts and conspiracies continue to put themselves on the frontlines to protect their own. Furthermore, some of the stronger and business-minded Lost have applied their skills towards sniffing out and destroying fetches, in the hopes of making the world a little better in whatever way they can. Mistakes do happen, though.

NOTABLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WHITE WOLF CHANGELINGS AND WAKING THE DEAD CHANGELINGS.

The only thing that sets Changelings in this campaign apart from their canon counterparts is the fact that they have an amazingly long lifespan due to the influence of Arcadia upon their Patterns. The average Changeling can live for up to 1,000 years.

GOT QUESTIONS?

This is a canon class of White Wolf. Players who are interested in playing one of the Lost may refer to the rulebook and other reference links from White Wolf in order to learn more about them.

We will, however, have a guide on how to stat a Changeling up soon! For the full document on general character creation, download our guide here.