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Dirigible
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Original poster
The Changeling Wars
GMs: Dirigible and Chile
"Grandfather?" the child's voice was thin, inquisitive--weak. The wheeze that plagued his words rattled his delicate frame.
"Yes, child?"
"Tell me again about the World Tree." The young boy sat up in his bundle of furs and blankets, tucked into the back of a cart with the others too infirm to walk the trails of the pilgrimage.
The old man's eyes twinkled under his bushy brow, a crooked smile forming under his scraggly mustache."It is a powerful place, young one. We travel there to offer prayers to the gods and to make sacrifices. I like to simply sit and watch the wind move the great tree's many hanging branches." He mimed the sway of long, hanging branches, doing his best to look for all the world like an ancient, massive willow tree. The young boy giggled, then coughed.
"I heard-" another cough, and a moment of thoughtful silence from the inquisitive boy. "I heard that the leaves of the World Tree can make potions that cure anything." He looked up at his grandfather, a childlike hope in his eyes. "Do you think I could gather enough leaves to make me big and strong, grandfather?"
"Perhaps, boy," the old man said. "But to wander among the branches of the World Tree is a dangerous thing indeed. They say--some folk do--that as ye draw nigh to the heart of the tree, ye can still feel the wind blow and hear it howl."
The young boy's nose wrinkled, "How?"
"It is said to be an ancient wind, but I think," the old man leaned in close and paused for a breath, his voice dropping low to a whisper, "But I think it's the wind from the land of faeries!"
The boy's eyes sparkled in awe, "Could I go to the land of fairies?"
The old man threaded a finger through his beard, mischief in his eyes. "Oh there's a chance to be sure. Little boys as ye are like to be spirited away, changelings sent back in yer place. These trickster thieves walk among folk, causin' mischief wherever they go."
The young boy giggled again and brought a finger to his lips in thoughtful ponderance. "Hmm. Well I won't let any faeries steal me!" He resolved. "I'd poke them with a rowan wand and--pop!"
"There's a good lad," his grandfather said, ruffling the child's hair as the wagon continued its slow, steady rumble ever closer to the mysterious World Tree.
What?
You are a Changeling living in the Emerald Realm, land of the Fae and the Courts: Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. As a Changeling you are neither fully human or Fae, your unique lineage granting you special powers. Abandoned as a human child in the Iron Realms, you emerged from the Lapis Tree as a new creation, your life saved--or so the Courts like to remind you. With whatever remnants of your old life you may possess you've become accustomed to this new world, residing in one of the four Courts and taking on a role in the politics of the Emerald Realm.
The time of Changing is approaching, the season of Autumn is ending, and Winter is coming to power. The realm is uneasy, memories of the Reign of Winter, of blighted ice and deathly frost, is still fresh in the minds of all who lived through a time that nearly destroyed the Emerald Realm. The Changeling War of twelve years ago ended that reign, a conflict that left scars of mistrust and division between the Winter Court and all others. But the war took most from the Changelings, taking the lives of those that began and ended it.
A pair of artifacts were shaped from the Lapis Tree and the sacrifice of the Changeling who created them. It's purpose was to restore balance and maintain order between the courts once more.
As a Changeling you have heard only stories of this war and of the damage that Winter did to the land. You arrived after the Spring Court rose to power and along with the Summer and Autumn courts began the slow process of repairing the realm. You are a member of one of these four courts, and you will bear witness to the Changing of the seasons and the transfer of the artifacts from Autumn and Spring into the hands of the Winter and Summer monarchs.
Nuts And Bolts
You will be playing a Changeling of one of the four seasonal courts, Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter. You will have arrived in the Emerald Realm after the Reign of Winter, no more than ten years ago.
Some considerations:: You should think about how loyal your character might be to the courts, and your character's moral leanings. Consider the fact that your character was stolen away from their childhood in the Iron Realm and emerged as an adult in the Emerald Realm (transformation from childhood to adulthood is both mental and physical, without the experience in between). The Fae are fickle creatures, claiming Changelings for their powerful abilities. Courts treat them like honored guests, prisoners, and invaluable resources.
Your character's ability is something unique, a magical power unlike the elemental and land-oriented magics of the Fae. When we drop the OOC we would like to work with everyone to help develop these abilities.
We are pretty pro-active GMs. We are heavily invested in the world and narrative. Expect a lot of communication about your character's development and the over-arching development of the narrative from us. Uur job is to give you as much information as you need and support the type of character and expression you want to write. Dirigible and I are looking for experienced roleplayers who have an intermediate if not advanced writing ability.
Assuming this gets enough interest, we will have an OOC up by next week.
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