Orlando by Gaslight: Dreams and Nightmares Or, a Dramatic Steampunk Chronicle in Live-Action for Changeling: the Dreaming and Werewolf: the Wild West Inspired by Castle Falkenstein, Deadlands: the Weird West, and Space: 1889 with Rules and Setting Support from Vampire by Gaslight and Laws of the Wyld West Setting Notes We have made a few changes to the White Wolf Game Studios’ World of Darkness canon for this troupe chronicle. For starters, the Changeling: the Dreaming canon has been heavily modified by the Changeling: the Exile Fey setting by Gavin Bennett, as e-published on Ex Libris Nocturnis (http://www.nocturnis.net). As Ex Libris Nocturnis’ copies of the Exile Fey documentation were partially lost in a system crash, we’ve had to fill in the gaps where the documents end, unfinished. We’ve also had to do a bit of conversion of the Exile Fey source material to the Mind’s Eye Theatre Live- Action Role-Playing rules system. To represent the diversity of faerie-kind as mentioned in the Exile Fey setting, we have incorporated several net- Kiths (Changeling Kiths designed by players and/or Storytellers published online) e-published on Ex Libris Nocturnis, Shadow & Essence (http://www.shadownessence.com), and B.J. Zanzibar’s World of Darkness (http://www.iu.edu/~adashiell/index.htm). We’ve also taken a bit of inspiration from the Meredith Gentry: American Faerie Princess series of novels by Laurell K. Hamilton, and used some concepts and social structures from that series. Specific Changes Appearance: Every Changeling, no matter what Kith, are somewhat unearthly, and therefore, compelling. Each Changeling or Kinain character starts with a free Appearance-related Social Trait. Seemings and Kith Boggans: The common factor uniting the appearance of the Boggans is that they are small. They are always shorter than average, and this makes them almost universally "cute." The very tallest Boggans are roughly 5ft 2 inches, at most, while some are much smaller indeed. Like all Fae they have bright, unearthly eyes. They are forever busy, always moving. Some are thin and waifish, some are plump, and others are everything in between. Eshu: The Eshu are not a singular Kith or familial line. The term is a catchall, for many disparate groups of wandering Fae from the Middle East and Africa. Some are said to be of the Rroma. They are all possessed by a sort of "Fallen Nobility." Their skin, be it the night-dark of Africa, or the olive-green of Lebanon, is uniformly beautiful and smooth. They are storyteller’s voices, with a range to match that of any Shakespearean actor. Their eyes are endlessly dark, but inside, worlds can be seen. Nockers: Again, the "Nockers" are not a singular group. They have a look of deep intelligence, and endless concentration. One always feels that even in a social conversation, they are reckoning the engineering mathematics needed for their latest project. They have strange eyes, even as the Fey count such matters, pupil-less and inhuman, from the deepest blood red to the palest topaz. Their hair is always marked by a shock of white. Their skin is pale, pasty pale, and it is said that they are allergic to sunlight. Pooka: Roguish. No matter what their appearance, the Pooka always look dishonest, and strangely charming. As the Pooka gets older, and her life drifts closer to Winter, their animal nature comes closer to the fore. Redcaps: Born in pain, their hair forever marked red by their dying mother’s blood, the Redcaps are creatures of rage and violence, and it shows. Their teeth are sharp and feral, their eyes wild with pain and anger, they are a fearsome sight. This is not to say that they are repulsive, far from it, but rather, they are marked by their natures. Their bones are made of something harder than stone, and long, sharp claws lie concealed in their hands. They cover their bodies in tattoos and they delight in painful piercings. Many tend to wear revealing clothing, the better to show their body modifications. Redcap teeth and claws do aggravated damage. A bite inflicts two Health Levels of Aggravated Damage; a claw attack inflicts one. Redcaps also get an extra Stamina-related Physical Trait. Elucenes: Wild, erotic and beautiful, the "Elucenes" are uniformly lean and toned, with long, long hair and gorgeous eyes. They are utterly entrancing and beautiful, but their beauty is not that of pristine perfection, but rather it is touched by a deep and captivating sensuality. They are not the "goat-humans" of the standard Changeling setting, but they are as shamelessly forward, in all their ways. Elucenes always get an extra two Appearance-related Social Traits. They also get a free retest on all seduction-related Social Challenges, and they share the Gift of Pan Birthright with the Satyrs. Sidhe: Angelic, elfin, demonic, mere words cannot do justice to the beauty of the Sidhe. Always tall, always lean, always regal, the least amongst them could match any super model. But it all pales before their eyes. In their eyes, you see memory, memory of old things, and the sight can break hearts. The Sidhe, even the noblest amongst them, are possessed of a wild passion, but all strive to maintain decorum. They wear only the finest clothes. Their voices inspire loyalty. And yet, they are the least human of all the fey Changelings. There is something terrible and alien about them too. Sidhe always get an extra two Appearance-related Social Traits and one extra Charisma-related Social Trait. This replaces the Awe and Beauty birthright of the Sidhe from Changeling: the Dreaming. Sluagh: The Sluagh are pale and ghostly, with long, lank black hair, and dark, dark eyes. There is something translucent about them; indeed, they say they are as much of the Underworld as they are of the living earth. Their whispery voices, though soft, can be heard a long way away. Often androgynous, and with their bone cold touch, the Sluagh are terrifying. Sluagh are natural mediums, and can see through the Shroud in such a manner. See Wraith the Oblivion for more information on Mediums. Trolls: Tall, muscular, and warlike, the Trolls are literal giants. None are less than 6ft tall, and all are well built, with toned bodies, worked by long exercise with the weaponry of war. They have the silence of the professional soldier, never boastful, always with an air of utter professionalism, and complete honor. Other Kiths: Other Kiths, such as Satyrs, Selkies, and Piskies, are treated exactly as they are written in The Shining Host. Additional kiths will follow the section on Arts. Hosts: There are nine Hosts of the Seelie Court, and nine Hosts of the Unseelie Court which darkly mirror their Seelie counterparts. These Hosts may, or may not, be kin to the Choirs of the angels. These Hosts are not "species" nor are they "bloodlines" or "clans." Rather they are joined together by their powers, influences and responsibilities. The Host of the Stones are the delvers and sculptors and spirits of the deep earth, and have little in common with each other. Amongst their number are Dwarves and Trolls and Nockers and other things. But when they come to sup at the High Table in Arcadia, they sit under the banners of their Host. Everything said here is a rank generalization. But certain currents of politics and effect do circulate amongst the hosts. The Host of the Shadows The Host of the Shadows are the faeries of the Seelie court who practice dark magic and have powers over shadows and darkness. They are the fewest of the Hosts, and the least trusted. They dwell in the deep places. The Scots crofter, in an age gone by, frozen in their tiny hovels on a winters night, their ears reaching out to the whispering music below the wind, the chill, deathly whispers of the dead and the immortals walking across the moonlit hills, called these folk the Sluagh. Members of this Host are also called Umbrae. Amongst this Host, kin to the Ailva, are those who claim kinship to the Will o’ the wisps, to the fleeting shades fled from the lands of the Death. This Host are not merely the host of the night. They are not merely masters of the magic of shadows. They are kin to the dead. They can travel deep into the Underworld, and interact with the worst amongst the Ghosts. While the other Hosts, can, with magics, touch across the veil of life and death, the Host of the Shadows can walk the Underworld as any ghost, can touch any ghost, and can even, with knowledge and power, bring things back across the veil. Fey of this Host are marked in strange ways. Their voices are whispery; their skin is cold and pale. Their eyes are black pools in which strange futures can be seen. Thin, gaunt, the bones beneath their skin is more visible, more obvious. Mortals in their presence are terrified, and rightly so, because the Sluagh are drawn to death. And the dead are drawn to them. The Wraiths of the Underworld have long sought out these perilous, tenebrous immortals, calling to them from across the veil. The Sluagh may collect souls in caskets, but they also offer services to the Restless Dead, for a price. That price is service. When the Sluagh march to war, the dead follow them. The Hierarchy of Stygia, the leaders amongst the dead oftentimes forbade dealings with these creatures, naming them demons or worse, but now that Stygia is at war once more, the Sluagh once more walk amongst the Restless, plying their trade.