Noble Houses

The members of this house are perfectionists known for their technical acumen. Lord Dougal, the founder of the house, was a great faerie smith who devised a way to weave Glamour into steel, making it safe for faeries to use. Some say that Lord Dougal himself stayed behind on Earth during the Interregnum because of his fascination with metalwork and machines. Members of this house are very precise, both in word and deed. When a plan is made, they insist that it be carried out to the letter. Efficiency is considered the highest of virtues. Very few of them rule, preferring instead to make sure everything runs like clockwork. Because of their orderly disposition, they often work as clerks and barristers, although they perform their tasks with an intellectual flair. The rare member of House Dougal who does rule usually governs his fief in a very matter-of-fact, practical manner, but tends to deal with problems better in theory rather than in practice. This ideal of perfection puts them at odds with many other fae. Few can live up to their expectations, which tends to make these sidhe even more elitist. They take their amusements far too seriously. Higher mathematics, mechanics, architecture and smithwork are common vocations for them. They’re no strangers to hard work, and they firmly believe that ‘if you want something done right, you’ve got to get House Dougal to do it’. Their penchant for precision also presents a curious weakness. When witnessing a well-maintained machine or masterpiece in engineering, they can become enraptured. Some attain a state of reverie and can contemplate such things for hours. The blazon of House Dougal is or, an arm embowed maintaining a hammer sable on a chief gules three cogwheels ( Three gold gears on a red field above a black arm and a hammer on a gold field )

Boon: Members of this house are strong-willed and known for their ability to invest Glamour into everything they do. Once per story, a member of this house can convert a portion of her temporary Glamour points into temporary Willpower points ( up to the level of permanent willpower ). This must be done during some sort of physical exertion: working, exercising or participating in combat.

Flaw: Physical reality seems flawed to these fae, just as they are flawed. Only through hard work can they overcome these flaws. Sidhe of this house always have a physical handicap that must be compensated for. This is usually something that can be corrected by cunningly crafted smithwork: a mechanical leg for a club foot, an intricate eyepiece for poor vision, and so on. These handicaps are present, though not always visible, in their mortal seemings.

This house has always been tainted by the scandals of its founder, Lady Eiluned. As the creator of the so-called ‘House of Secrets’, she conspired with many dark and mysterious beings and powers to gather magical knowledge. Although many now work as counselors or advisors for the Seelie Court, some whisper that Eiluned will eventually become an Unseelie house. Regardless, sidhe of this house seem to enjoy the best of both Courts. Eiluned sidhe are valued for their extensive occult knowledge, their uncanny ability to gather secrets and their preternatural talent for intrigue. Fiefs ruled by this house are filled with mystery. There are accusations that House Eiluned voluntarily accepted exile on Earth as punishment for their horrible and forgotten crime. Members of the house counter that their Seelie affiliations prove they are innocent. This doesn’t prevent Eiluned sidhe from falling into their Unseelie Legacies, however. Eiluned sidhe know darkness as well as they know light. When a sidhe from this house needs to work with treacherous or unscrupulous characters to gather secrets, they are capable deliberately becoming Unseelie until they get what they want. This state must last either from moonrise to moonrise or sunset to sunset. If the changeling doesn’t get the secret they lust after, they cannot become Seelie again until the truth is learned. Their blazon is per chevron, sable and argent, two decresents and a pentacle counterchanged. ( Two silver crescent moons on black above a black pentacle on silver )

Boon: All members of this house have an impressive talent for magic. All cantrips cast by Kithain of the House Eiluned automatically gain an automatic success.

Flaw: Members of this house have an overwhelming curiosity and are attracted to mysteries and conspiracy. An Eiluned must spend a point of Willpower to avoid meddling in a mystery or becoming involved in a plot. Some even have a treacherous streak, briefly becoming Unseelie to form a dark alliance and then turning Seelie to prove their innocence. The Kithain distrust many of them; the difficulties of all their Social rolls are increased by one.

Sidhe are creatures of extremes, and the nobles of House Fiona are no exception. Lady Fiona and the sidhe of her house stayed on Earth during the Interregnum so that they could continue to explore its pleasures. Some even sat that the house’s founder rejected the call of Arcadia because of the love of a mortal man. This would not be surprising in the least; Fiona thoroughly immerse themselves in Earthly pleasures. Fiona sidhe are overly fond of food, drink, drugs and sex, and are often called away from higher pursuits by appeals to their baser needs. Anything that gives them a rush is fine with them. When the chance to indulge presents itself, they descend into their Unseelie Legacies until their lusts are slaked. These reckless nobles continually flirt with disaster. They love to taunt the status quo, even going so far as to aid their enemies to bring about a little discord. Still, when called upon to fight, this passion takes a different focus; Fiona fae are fierce warriors who live for the fury of battle. The thought of dying in battle and tempting fate by fighting recklessly fuels this passion even more. More often than not, each member lives by his own rules and his own code of honor. Theirs is also the most accommodating of all houses. Fiona rarely pull rank on commoner Kithain. For this reason, its members are beloved by the commoners and fiefs ruled by House Fiona are happy ones, if a bit on the wild side. The blazon of House Fiona is gules, a lion passant reguardant argent. ( A silver lion walking on a red field, looking back over its shoulder )

Boon: Defiant to the last, Fiona sidhe are renowned for their great courage. Though they understand fear, it does not control them, even in the face of death. Any attempt, natural or magical, to generate fear in them automatically fails. Only threats to a lover’s life can frighten a Fiona, and they often succeed very well.

Flaw: Sidhe of this house have an overpowering attraction to danger. Even if the object of their pleasure is somewhat safe, they can find a way to make it dangerous. This is especially true of their romantic trysts, which are usually epic and almost always tragic. Creatures of pure ethereal beauty, they tend to fall in love with outlaws, strangers, wanderers, mortals and other ‘unacceptable’ types. Often such loves become true and complete passions that cannot be denied. Some of them overcome this Flaw, but only by becoming hateful towards all romance. The most tortured become obsessed with preventing it from occurring to anyone they know.

This house is perhaps the most ‘noble’ of all the houses. While others retreated to Arcadia long ago, the Gwydion sidhe chose to face the Sundering head-on. Gwydion sidhe believe that their lord and founder has been reborn again and again as a noble sidhe. He is said to have been resurrected as a paladin serving Charlemagne and a major-general serving Napoleon. Rivals swear that he must have aided Machiavelli as well. Members of this house are conservative, duty-bound Kithain who place the well-being of their kingdoms above their own. Unfortunately, they let everyone know this. Their rule is often marked by extreme arrogance and they categorically state that only members of their house are fit to rule. From there, each member of House Gwydion proceeds to state that she is more fit to rule than her brethren. The internecine feuds that result can only be halted by one thing: a threat from outside the house. The members then band together to prove the superiority of House Gwydion. When the threat ends, its back to business as usual. Their anger, like their rivalry, is legendary. When confronted with something that offends their honor, they have been known to go berserk. Furthermore, when a fae of House Gwydion is presented with a rival that he cannot overcome, he becomes Unseelie until he can find some way ( any way, no matter how base ) in which he can triumph. Once triumphant, he returns to his typical Seelie arrogance. The blazon of House Gwydion is vert, a falcon maintaining an oak leave or ( A gold falcon, facing left, with a gold leaf in its beak, wings raised, legs splayed, against a green field. )

Boon: With a successful Perception + Kenning roll, members of House Gwydion can sense if someone is telling the truth; the difficulty is the subject’s Willpower. For some reason ( perhaps by an ancient pact ), members of House Eiluned are immune to this.

Flaw: Although they are great warriors, sidhe of this house are prone to great rages. Whenever they reach the Wounded Health Level ( from either chimerical or physical damage ), or when their honor is insulted, they must make a Willpower roll ( difficulty 5 ). Those who fail fly off into a berserk rage and attack anyone near them, ally or enemy. While berserk, they ignore all Health Level penalties until they reach Incapacitated.

The quietest (and some say the wisest ) of all the house founders, Lord Liam was exiled to Earth for his eloquent defense of mortal folk. Centuries ago, the earliest Kithain held a great contempt for humans. Many saw them as the cause of rapidly spreading Banality, and some argued that revenge against them would remove this curse from the world. For many years, Liam stood alone against those who argued for retribution against humans. The outrage against Lord Liam was so great that all who supported him were condemned by the High Lords of Arcadia, and his followers were exiled to Earth. Members of this house don’t see humans as perfect – far from it. They do, however, believe that humanity has earned the right to exist undisturbed. They fiercely despise Ravaging and Banality; their peaceful demeanors can turn wrathful when they encounter such. Kithain of House Liam do not advertise their allegiance. Other houses revile them, although Gwydion sidhe will not allow Liam sidhe to be mistreated. Exiles or not, they’re still sidhe. Despite their secrecy, House Liam is the most widespread house, and its members travel all over the world. Liam sidhe serve as sages, loremasters and storytellers who remember earliest fae societies. House Liam can rarely rule openly, but they do accept just about any changeling under their banner. Despite this, even the most common changeling would never accept a title in the house. They do quietly hold claim to some territories, but many of these are barren and despoiled by urban fiefs. Liam’s blazon was struck and discredited when the house was exiled. The symbol has since been erased from all faerie records, although certain members of Liam still possess shields displaying the heraldry of the house: an oak tree blasted and eradicated, argent ( A silver oak tree with bare branches and exposed roots on a bare field )

Boon: Liam sidhe find it easy to affect mortals with Glamour. The difficulty to affect any mortal ( whether casting a cantrip or enchanting ) is always lowered by one.

Flaw: Because of their mortal affiliations, Liam sidhe begin with one extra point of permanent Banality. Furthermore, these sidhe are known as oathbreakers. No other changeling will honor their oathbonds, hospitality or justice. Liam fae are frequently the target of discrimination.

Distrusted by Houses such as Gwydion and Dougal, they are nonetheless treated as distant cousins by House Eiluned, which is their sister House. Relations have always been fairly peaceable between these two lines of Sidhe; many even consider it ironic that the more “noble” of these two Houses is so unrepentantly Unseelie, while the shady and secretive Eiluned claim allegiance to the Seelie Court. Some old legends persist that Ailil and Eiluned themselves were brother and sister, and that Ailil was a Seelie-disposed king, while his sister was an Unseelie-aligned sorceress. How the two gathered courts around them that were so obviously opposed to their attitudes, thereby forming Houses of Sidhe around them, is anyone’s guess.

House Ailil wants to restore the ancient traditions of half-year rule, wherein the Unseelie Court would control land and political moves for the fall and winter of the year, and then restore the crown to the Seelie for spring and summer. House Ailil claims that the Seelie have betrayed the trust of the Unseelie Courts, and grossly destabilized the Dreaming itself by reneging on their promises. Some among their number suggest that it is not too late to return to this practice, and are ready to make the exchange in any year the Seelie will finally agree to it. Others believe that the Seelie control of the past six hundred years has upset the balance, and that only an Unseelie control for the next six hundred will clear the slate.

House Ailil provides much of the leadership for the Unseelie Court, defending Unseelie commoners and the other Sidhe, and invariably acting as the open adversaries for House Gwydion. Despite the noble face of this House, its members see themselves as unjustly wronged by the Seelie Court, and are fully prepared for all manner of treachery to revenge themselves. Assassination, kidnapping, framing, conspiracy, blackmail, seduction, deception, and more are all common weapons in the Ailil arsenal. They are strong believers in doing the job themselves, but also see the need for monkey’ss paw and thugs, to keep their own hands clean. Internal competition is common and expected in the House.

Boon: Sidhe of House Ailil are experts at political manipulation. All rolls involving manipulation are made at a -1 difficulty, Members of House Ailil can never botch rolls involving Subterfuge or Politics.

Flaw: Despite their insistence at the great differences between their House and their enemies of House Gwydion, members of House Ailil are cursed by the same arrogance of the Seelie adversaries. Ailil are almost totally incapable of admitting their own mistakes. They tend to take on tasks that others would shy away from, convinced that their own cunning or skill will see them through. In non-combat situations, they must make a Willpower roll (diff. 8) to admit that they are wrong, even when it is obvious to everyone else, and even themselves. If they back down from a situation, such as a battle they know they cannot win, they suffer a +1 difficulty to all Social rolls until they gain some sort of victory that restores their confidence and their face. House Ailil nobles are likely to abuse their underlings in these situations, taking some pleasure in showing up those who are beneath them.

Most Sidhe who recall Balor’s name believe that the Sidhe of House Balor intend nothing more than to aggravate the Seelie with a reference to one of their ancient enemies. House Balor have no intention of dissuading them from this erroneous notion. In truth, House Balor believe their founder was Lugh of the Long Arm, the half-Sidhe, half-Fomorian grandson of Balor himself, and a hero of the Sidhe in the wars against the Fomorian Courts. Thus, the Sidhe of House Balor believe that they are the true kings of the Dreaming; their blood is that of Fomorian and Sidhe intermingled, and they laugh at the claims of House Gwydion, or even their own allies among Houses Ailil and Leanhaun. Just as Lugh slew his own grandfather, House Balor believes it is their destiny to triumph over the Sidhe of the Seelie Court and take their rightful place as rulers of the fae.

More than any other House, the Sidhe of House Balor believe that Winter is almost upon the world. Without a strong hand to lead them, the fae will surely perish. House Balor fully intends to set itself up as overlords of humans and Kithain alike, demanding tribute and guiding the waking lands and the Dreaming through Winter with an iron fist. Until this goal can be reached, the fae of House Balor cultivate allies among the Unseelie Court, both commoner and Sidhe. Additionally, these Sidhe are always on the look-out for Prodigal races who can be converted to their cause; already they have found allies among several shapeshifter species, especially a twisted race of werewolves who call themselves Black Spiral Dancers. House Balor forms alliances with a number of murderous, dark, and twisted spiritual organizations and supernatural races; many whisper that chimera of Nightmare are found commonly in the council-chambers, and even the beds, of this House.

At their worst, House Balor are insane tyrants, desperate to seize control of mortal and fae worlds alike and grind them beneath their boot. Others, however, point to a proud history of betrayal in the past of House Balor; some optimists claim that just as Lugh drew upon his Fomorian and Sidhe magicks to destroy Balor, so is it likely that the Sidhe of House Balor form alliances with dark creatures only to betray them one day. Many insist that their convoluted genealogy cannot help but force them to knife their current allies in the back, and that, should Winter ever come, they will be staunch allies of the Seelie Court, secret infiltrators of the Nightmare camp.

For now the Sidhe of House Balor are content to plot with the Unseelie Court, forming alliances wherever they can among Kithain, Gallain, and Prodigals. While whispers link the Shadow Court to the Sidhe of House Balor, it seems as if the two organizations each have their own agenda. Many Sidhe of House Balor masquerade as members of House Eiluned or Dougal, worming their way into the Seelie Court. Most of them regard the Seelie Court as weak, and constantly probe and test it for opportunities to strike at it. Many members of House Balor enjoy politics, and are masters of treachery, though their flair for the dramatic tends to unmask them before too long, another example of their unhidable flaws, perhaps. Many of them are quite decadent and debauched, and demand total obeisance from their vassals.

Boon: The fomorian blood of these sidhe shields them from the worst effects of cold iron. Cold iron still causes them discomfort, but Balor sidhe take no penalty when performing tasks that involve contact with it. They do not lose temporary Glamour when struck with it. If slain by an iron weapon, however, their faerie souls are still destroyed.

Although every Balor sidhe has a Seelie Legacy, it is always subdued. Though they can masquerade as Seelie sidhe, they will never actually become Seelie. For members of House Balor, that’s a boon.

Flaw: Each member of this house has a physical, mental, or emotional deformity. Neither prosthetics nor psychological help can correct it, though it can be hidden. This Flaw can never be overcome. In addition, a Balor Sidhe cannot have a Willpower rating higher than 6.

There are few commonly known Leanhaun Freeholds or fiefdoms, and most of them are in Hibernia (Ireland). Those Leanhaun Freeholds in Concordia opened themselves as places of peace during the Accordance War, offering succor to both sides, and acting as neutral ground for the wounded and the desperate. This earned House Leanhaun a good reputation among other fae, causing many of the Seelie Court to believe that their reputation as Unseelie monsters is unjustly earned. This is certainly a popular sentiment among the commoners who have just met House Leanhaun.

In truth, House Leanhaun carries a terrible burden, which forces them to engage in activities that the extremists among the Seelie Court cannot permit. The Sidhe of House Leanhaun are cursed with unnatural aging, as their bodies continue to crave Glamour. Without a constant and plentiful supply, members of this House sicken and wither, physically aging in both their fae and mortal appearance, and even passing through the various Seemings (from Childing to Wilder to Grump) as the years mount.

Members of House Leanhaun are known for their beauty and style, and many of them are vain sensualists. They live in dread of the House’s bane, and resort to brutal methods of gathering Glamour to abate their curse. Though they control few Freeholds, they have mastered the art of Epiphanies, and are masters of Reverie and Ravaging.

In many cases, however, this Glamour is not enough to abate the hunger that a Leanhaun has, and so she chooses instead to Rhapsodize mortals. This method of Epiphany infuses a human Dreamer with Glamour, causing his creativity to burn like wildfire, producing some of the greatest art of their lives. However, this process inevitably burns out the artist, causing many of them to waste away or even take their own lives. Since the Resurgence in 1969, a number of great musicians, poets, painters, and the like have perished as a result of the Leanhaun’s tender mercies. Their creativity reached heights it might never have soared to, but they paid the ultimate price, all as the Leanhaun watched on.

Though House Leanhaun enjoys good relationships with some Kith, they are always slow to reveal their secrets, and never offer full membership in their House to any non-Sidhe. The commoners are far more useful as retainers and allies, free of the curse which afflicts the members of this House, and perhaps even unaware of it. Many consider House Leanhaun to be doing little more than upholding the Unseelie Code, which preaches that “Glamour is free.” Rhapsody, Ravaging, and the suffusion of all aspects of life with constant sources of Glamour allows a Leanhaun to pass as any other Sidhe, and thus they sometimes wear the colors of House Fiona or Eiluned, and are virtually undetectable in these guises, with their smooth ways and silver-tongues. There is a definite enmity between Houses Leanhaun and Liam, most likely over the Leanhaun abuse of mortals. These two Houses have crossed blades more than once, and neither will trade with the other. Many members of House Leanhaun, when they have the ear of Seelie lords, warn against too many dealings with the Oathbroken House of Liam, claiming that they have never proven their alliegence to the fae over their love of humans.

Boon: Members of House Leanhaun acquire an extra point of Charisma, even if this raises the Attribute above 5. Also, all Seduction rolls are made at a difficulty reduced by one, and cannot be botched.

Flaw: Because of an ancient curse upon their house, nobles of House Leanhaun age rapidly. Those who do not engage in the forbidden practice of Rhapsody once per month age one year for each week beyond this time that they avoid this predatory epiphany, which robs the Dreamer it is enacted upon of the ability ever to create anything of any merit again. Rhapsody is a violation of the Right to Dream as set down in the Escheat and is severely punished where it is discovered.

Boon: More than most other changelings, members of House Aesin have a strong connection to nature. As lords of man and animal alike, Aesin changelings have the ability to speak with forest animals (e.g., elk, squirrel, bear, deer, owls, etc.). Make an Intelligence + Empathy roll against your Banality +3 each time your character wishes to understand an animal. You may speak for the number of minutes equal to your successes.

Flaw: While still caring for their subjects, changelings belonging to House Aesin have a tendency to have a master-slave relationship with them. Nevertheless, they feel obligated to protect their loyal servants, and occasionally they might feel something else for them. In the end, however, Aesin keep their Deep Dreaming flaw, although the Mists upon reentry in Midgard have weakened it. They receive a +3 difficulty on all Social rolls involving anyone other than nobles. There is only one other exception. For some reason the Dreaming neglects this curse when dealing with the family that belongs to the mortal body who hosts the newly arrived sidhe.

House Beaumayn spent many years imprisoned in Arcadia for the actions of one of its fringe groups, watching in frustration as the world changed around them. However, it was the first of the “Lost Houses” to return to the Autumn World, charged with the task of battling the agents of the Fomorians and unifying the Seelie houses.

Boon: All members of House Beaumayn are natural prophets — glimpses of possible futures regularly come to them during dreams and meditation. These visions are often quite cryptic, although the changeling may attempt to decipher them with a successful Intelligence + Gremayre roll (difficulty 8). Remember, however, that no matter how well understood they might be, they are still only possible futures and may not necessarily come to pass. Obviously, these prophecies are the province of the Storyteller, who decides both when and how they appear. When in dire need, however, the Beaumayn may attempt to “bring on” a vision by meditating for several minutes, spending a Willpower point and rolling her Glamour against a difficulty of 11 minus her Remembrance score. One must be careful not to invoke this Boon too often in this fashion, however, or else the threads of probability become tangled, the Dreaming is upset and the visions the character receives become increasingly inaccurate, perhaps even dangerously so!

In addition, due to their relatively fresh memories of Arcadia and their imprisonment, all Beaumayn sidhe receive Remembrance 1 for free during character creation.

Flaw: The unswerving dedication and gifts of prophecy of House Beaumayn have long been a thorn in the side of the Shadow Court and its dark masters. Now with the return of the Fomorians so perilously close to success, the efforts of House Beaumayn pose a bigger threat than ever. Worse, Shadow Court members, those creatures of darkness, can sense the fires of the dark star that burn within house members. Thallain and Shadow Court fae can generally sense when Beaumayn nobles are in the area (Perception + Kenning, difficulty 7), which naturally leads to all sorts of conflicts and story hooks. This doesn’t mean they can automatically detect hidden or invisible Beaumayne nobles. Nor should they all try to maul the character on sight — after all, some of the most sadistic methods of inflicting harm are mental or emotional — but they will do their best to make the Beaumayn’s life miserable once they discover her identity.

Additionally, because of the infamy surrounding their imprisonment, when their true lineage is known Beaumayn sidhe suffer a +2 difficulty on all Social rolls with sidhe of houses other than Liam and Fiona.

While being great warriors, they have something of a bragging problem. So much so that they tend to tell the wrong sorts of secrets to the wrong sorts of people. Letting out intimate secrets about any Geas they are under, flaws in their carefully crafted plots, or the single way to kill them. All in a terribly drawn out and boastful story.

Boon: House Daireann members are among the fiercest and most stalwart of all fae warriors. The difficulty of the Dragon’s Ire is always lowered by 1 for members of this house, even if it exceeds the -3 cumulative modifier. Also, they will not flee in combat unless ordered to do so by the ranking war leader (and even then, they’ll be the last people off the field).

Flaw: House Daireann fae can’t keep a secret to save their lives, literally, and stories of these lapsus lingua abound through Celtic legendss. They’re the ones who, in a series of wild brags, explain the one way they can be killed, probably to the wrong person, or share the intimate details of any Geas they’re under. Anytime a fae of House Daireann boasts of her deeds (not an uncommon occurrence), she must roll Willpower with three successes to avoid blabbing some secret. Note that House Daireann fae don’t go spilling the beans to complete strangers, although with a little work, a clever stranger can become a friend.

House Scathach was founded in the Sundering by a warrior-woman born of the union of a sidhe with a mortal. Although snubbed for her low origins, Scathach n Uanaind won the right to establish her house by besting the champions of all the High Lords of Arcadia. Nonetheless, her house finds itself regarded as half-caste pretenders from more conservative fae in both Courts. Whatever their heritage, there is no denying that members of this house are the most accomplished warriors of the kithain, nor is their reputation founded solely on skill at arms. The Morphean Oracles, elite seers of this house, are regarded by those in the know as the most accomplished practitioners of the Soothsay Art. In the long years of its earthly exile, House Scathach has learned to mingle amongst humanity much like the common kiths. Surviving the after-effects of the Shattering, when all sidhe were suspect by commoners, has made them silent and efficient warriors. Laying aside any claim to noble prestige, they instead concentrate upon defending the kithain from the perils of the Autumn World.

Boon: Those of House Scathach are silent and efficient warriors. They rarely make any sound when fighting, causing great consternation in their foes. Once entering a fight, they lose sight of almost everything else, reaching a hypnotic “fugue state” in which the world seems to move more slowly. Because of the perceived time crawl in this state, they receive an extra die on all Brawl and Melee rolls and make Stealth rolls at -1 difficulty.

Flaw: Most nobles look down upon House Scathach. All Social rolls with other sidhe (except Houses Beaumayn, Fiona, Liam, and Leanhaun) and commoners with strong royalist sympathies are at +2 difficulty (or up to +4 with Traditionalist nobles). Furthermore, because of an ancient blood pact, Scathach are forbidden to use the Art of Sovereign. This ban is enforced by the full weight of the Dreaming. Scathach who have just returned from Arcadia still suffer from the Social difficulties of their house members if those with whom they are interacting know their house affiliation. However, they are not forbidden to use Sovereign as are their Autumn World counterparts.

Sidhe of House Scathach also suffer the following changes to their Birthrights and Frailties…

Awe and Beauty: The beauty of the sidhe is somewhat diluted by the Changeling Way Ritual. Scathach sidhe receive only 1 additional dot of Appearance instead of 2. (The Attribute may still exceed 5.) Note that this does not apply to those Scathach who have just returned from Arcadia.

Noble Bearing: Like most sidhe, those of House Scathach have a raw nobility but no defense against cantrips making them look foolish. This weakened Birthright still means that no Scathach sidhe will ever botch an Etiquette roll. Scathach just returned from Arcadia do not have this weakened birthright.

Blood Madness: Because of their changeling nature, sidhe of this house do not suffer from Banality’s Curse. They do, however, exhibit a strange madness in battle. Although a member of this house will not attack friends or bystanders, she has great difficulty leaving combat until either she, or all her enemies, are defeated, though not necessarily dead or even unconscious. (She may accept an honorable surrender.)

To leave a conflict, the player must make an extended Willpower roll (difficulty 7) and accumulate six successes before retreating. A botch returns this count to its starting point, and the warrior must wait a full turn before attempting to retreat again. A character may burn 1 point of Willpower for only one automatic success during this process. Unlike in the Gwydion Flaw, Scathach in this state take all the usual Health penalties when injured. A Scathach warrior becomes preternaturally silent during combat and has great difficulty speaking above a whisper. To speak more loudly the character must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) and may utter one short phrase per success. Recent returnees are subject to this frailty just as their more “common” house members.

Autumn Scathach, unlike other sidhe, also receive a Realm affinity. Their Realm of influence being Nature.

Boon: Members of House Varich understand patterns. Given three rounds to watch a series of actions performed by another, such as sword fighting, dancing or sport, their difficulty in opposition or as a partner is lowered by 2 points. They may observe an opponent’s patterns even while engaged in combat, they cannot fight one foe while observing a different one. Given a chance to observe three different times, they receive an extra die in addition to the decreased difficulty for that scene.

Flaw: House Varich sidhe can never give a vow of love to another. The other houses that came forth with them during hte last few months know this flaw.

They must accept all challenges. If a member of House Varich fails to acknowledge a challenge, she loses 1 point of Willpower per day until she returns the challenge. (Willpower lost in this fashion may not be recovered through the expenditure of experience points or by any other means until the character honors her challenge.) If a challenged member of the House is imprisoned to keep her from accepting the challenge, she loses 1 point of Strength for each day of her captivity (to a minimum of 1 point.) If she remains imprisoned, her Stamina declines by 1 point per week until she “dies” (i.e., forgets her fae nature). As one might expect, house members take care to be courteous to each other and to stay in fighting trim.