You came out through the Thorns, blinking in the new light. You bled in a hundred different places, where the Thorns had torn at your skin, at your soul. Do you hear the hunting horns behind you?
You found your way towards the lights, hurrying, unsure if you were being pursued. A street light, tall steel, reassuring after your time in the... It hurts to think of. Behind you, you no longer see the Thorns, the Hedge, just a stretch of paved road, a residential area after dark. It's an area you know, more or less. You get your bearings, head towards familiar terrain.
You are home. Or rather, you were already home. You watch in the window as another you eats dinner with your family - but it's not really you, but a construct your Keeper left behind when It took you. When it looks up and sees you, makes eye contact, you catch a glimpse of the soulless thing underneath the glamor. It's not pretty.
And you see how it sees you, reflected in its eyes. The mask falls away, the skin now different in tone and texture, your features twisted. Are you any better?
Rule of Iron is a modern fantasy game set in the city of Leeds, northern England, in the modern day. Under the surface of the city live the changelings, people who escaped the captivity of the Fae. They have been changed, body and soul, by their time in the magical realm and now can command the power of glamor, much like the Fae could. They call their underworld society the Freehold of Loidis. The Freehold is governed by the four seasonal courts, which rotate rule. In the season of spring, the Spring Court rule and so on.
You are recent escapees from Arcadia. You broke free of your Fae keepers, or perhaps you were released, and wandered through the Hedge, the borderlands between Arcadia and reality. You came out in or around Leeds and found yourself unable to reintegrate into human society. But thankfully you have found a merciful patron, an established changeling in one of the courts willing to give you somewhere to rest your head while you get yourself set up with new identities - for a price. It's a price you've agreed to. And remember, to a changeling, your word is your bond...
Name: (Changelings often have multiple names, taking new ones to signal their new lives)
Gender:
Age Taken:
Age Escaped:
Seeming (Beast, Darkling, Elemental, Fairest, Ogre, Wizened)
Kith: (Seeming is like genus and kith is like species. You can make your own or find a list of ideas here)
Blessing (A power unique to your kith you can activate by spending Glamor. For instance, Razorhand Darklings can change their hands into knives.)
Appearance (Glamor): (This is how humans see you, which somehow hints at the true nature underneath. A leonine changeling might have long mane-like hair)
Appearance (No Glamor): (Under the glamor, the leonine changeling might really have thick fur, long fangs and a tail)
Court: (Political affiliation: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter or Courtless)
Personality:
Clarity/Wyrd: (Split 12 points between them. Clarity represents sanity, your attachment to the 'real world', while Wyrd represents your connection to the magic of Arcadia. Both scale from 1-10.)
Glamor: (Like your MP. Equal to your Wyrd number. Replenish it by harvesting emotions from humans.)
Contracts and Clauses: [i](Your magical abilities; clauses are specific spells and contracts are general spell types. For instance, all clauses of the Contract of Smoke concern stealth, concealment, darkness etc. You can have up to your Wyrd rating in clauses. It costs Glamor to use clauses)
Backstory: (Doesn't have to be a novel, but should mention life before your capture, what your imprisonment was like, how you got out and who you now shelter with in the freehold)
The game will primarily be centered around the real-world city of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England, in the modern day. Leeds has a long history, stretching back hundreds of years, though only relatively recently did it become a significant city, during the Industrial Revolution. Now it is the third largest city of the UK, a center of banking and finance.
Leeds does have its darker underbelly. Like any large city, there is crime and violence. Several notorious serial killers have lived and operated in the city and surrounding area including Peter Sutcliffe (aka the Yorkshire Ripper) and Dr Harold Shipman, one of the most prolific serial killers in history, who got his medical license at the Leeds medical school before killing hundreds of his patients in Greater Manchester. Several of the terrorists in the 7/7 London bombings lived and possibly trained in the Leeds neighborhood of Batley, and the Chapeltown and Harehills areas have been the scenes of extremely violent race riots in recent history. Local philanthropist and TV legend Sir Jimmy Saville was discovered to be a rampant sex offender being covered up by the BBC and NHS. There is probably more that we have yet to uncover..
Leeds, being quite far to the North, is generally temperate but tends to low temperatures - not arctic, but noticeably colder than the south. As such, the Summer and Spring courts tend to be the weaker courts in the city, while Autumn and Winter are the dominant forces. Every court gets a turn, but Autumn and Winter reign for longer than the others and generally have more members.
The traditional centers of the courts are the Brudenel Social Club (Spring Court), the Royal Armories museum (Summer), the Algernon Firth Pathology Building (Autumn Court) and the Armley Prison (Winter Court). There is known to be a Goblin Market accessible through a certain arch in Kirkgate Covered Market at midnight.
Leeds does have its darker underbelly. Like any large city, there is crime and violence. Several notorious serial killers have lived and operated in the city and surrounding area including Peter Sutcliffe (aka the Yorkshire Ripper) and Dr Harold Shipman, one of the most prolific serial killers in history, who got his medical license at the Leeds medical school before killing hundreds of his patients in Greater Manchester. Several of the terrorists in the 7/7 London bombings lived and possibly trained in the Leeds neighborhood of Batley, and the Chapeltown and Harehills areas have been the scenes of extremely violent race riots in recent history. Local philanthropist and TV legend Sir Jimmy Saville was discovered to be a rampant sex offender being covered up by the BBC and NHS. There is probably more that we have yet to uncover..
Leeds, being quite far to the North, is generally temperate but tends to low temperatures - not arctic, but noticeably colder than the south. As such, the Summer and Spring courts tend to be the weaker courts in the city, while Autumn and Winter are the dominant forces. Every court gets a turn, but Autumn and Winter reign for longer than the others and generally have more members.
The traditional centers of the courts are the Brudenel Social Club (Spring Court), the Royal Armories museum (Summer), the Algernon Firth Pathology Building (Autumn Court) and the Armley Prison (Winter Court). There is known to be a Goblin Market accessible through a certain arch in Kirkgate Covered Market at midnight.
You have been changed by your Durance, your time in Arcadia and you have to find a new life. For this reason, Changelings form their own societies when they escape Arcadia, under the surface of the human society. They call these societies 'freeholds'. The freeholds are governed a system of courts, usually dictated by seasons. As the year changes, the courts change and so the power cycle remains fairly stable. For instance, during the winter months, the Winter Court is the dominant power in the freehold, but they hand power over to the Spring Court at the turn of the seasons and the head of that dominant court is functionally the King or Queen of the freehold.
The Spring Court believe that Changelings should not isolate themselves from their lost human ways, relishing in entertainment and beauty. They surround themselves in beauty and get over the trauma of their Durance by living well, opulently, decadently. How better to avenge themselves on the True Fae than to ignore them entirely? They are artists, socialites, event planners, aesthetes, party people. Their contracts concern the emotion of desire and the season of spring, warm and abundant. Their heraldry is a crown of antlers and their colors are blues and greens.
The Summer Court are the militant members of Changeling society, those who struggle day and night to resist being taken back to Arcadia again. They are the soldiers, generals, lobbyists, hot-bloods, thugs and brawlers. When they reign, the freehold practices contests of strength and combat, trials of athleticism and competition; if the True Fae come back, they will find the Summer Court ready and with their blades sharp. Their contracts concern the emotion of anger and the season of summer, hot and firey. Their heraldry is a spear of iron and their colors are bright greens and reds.
The Autumn Court are a strange bunch, even by the standards of the Fae-touched. They regard their changes as curse and blessing in equal measure, valuing knowledge, studying the nature of Arcadia, Glamor and the Fae to use their occult mysteries. Perhaps in some way they miss Arcadia's majesty and wish to return. They are occultists, investigators, archivists and detectives. Their contracts concern the emotion of fear and the season of autumn, decaying and mysterious. Their heraldry is a mirror of lead and their colors are oranges, browns and greys.
The Winter Court are those who flinch from the light, who believe the best way to approach the True Fae is not at all - they favor quiet, isolation and withdrawal, to avoid the Fae's notice entirely. They hold court in inconspicuous places, never the same place twice. They are commonly misconstrued as cowards; they are spies, skulkers, deceivers and tricksters. Their contracts concern the emotion of sorrow and the season of winter, cold and static. Their heraldry is an onyx dagger and their colors are white and black.
The Courtless are uncommon, but every now and then you'll find them. Changelings who do not have the knack for politics, who are too individualistic to kneel to their court heads or perhaps too traumatized to tolerate much society never join a court. This is generally regarded as a dangerous move, as the nature of Changelings and pledges, as well as the dangers they face, make societies a valuable defense mechanism. Many Courtless were once members of one of the courts and found themselves exiled for a crime, or because they found themselves on the wrong side of political shift.
The Spring Court believe that Changelings should not isolate themselves from their lost human ways, relishing in entertainment and beauty. They surround themselves in beauty and get over the trauma of their Durance by living well, opulently, decadently. How better to avenge themselves on the True Fae than to ignore them entirely? They are artists, socialites, event planners, aesthetes, party people. Their contracts concern the emotion of desire and the season of spring, warm and abundant. Their heraldry is a crown of antlers and their colors are blues and greens.
The Summer Court are the militant members of Changeling society, those who struggle day and night to resist being taken back to Arcadia again. They are the soldiers, generals, lobbyists, hot-bloods, thugs and brawlers. When they reign, the freehold practices contests of strength and combat, trials of athleticism and competition; if the True Fae come back, they will find the Summer Court ready and with their blades sharp. Their contracts concern the emotion of anger and the season of summer, hot and firey. Their heraldry is a spear of iron and their colors are bright greens and reds.
The Autumn Court are a strange bunch, even by the standards of the Fae-touched. They regard their changes as curse and blessing in equal measure, valuing knowledge, studying the nature of Arcadia, Glamor and the Fae to use their occult mysteries. Perhaps in some way they miss Arcadia's majesty and wish to return. They are occultists, investigators, archivists and detectives. Their contracts concern the emotion of fear and the season of autumn, decaying and mysterious. Their heraldry is a mirror of lead and their colors are oranges, browns and greys.
The Winter Court are those who flinch from the light, who believe the best way to approach the True Fae is not at all - they favor quiet, isolation and withdrawal, to avoid the Fae's notice entirely. They hold court in inconspicuous places, never the same place twice. They are commonly misconstrued as cowards; they are spies, skulkers, deceivers and tricksters. Their contracts concern the emotion of sorrow and the season of winter, cold and static. Their heraldry is an onyx dagger and their colors are white and black.
The Courtless are uncommon, but every now and then you'll find them. Changelings who do not have the knack for politics, who are too individualistic to kneel to their court heads or perhaps too traumatized to tolerate much society never join a court. This is generally regarded as a dangerous move, as the nature of Changelings and pledges, as well as the dangers they face, make societies a valuable defense mechanism. Many Courtless were once members of one of the courts and found themselves exiled for a crime, or because they found themselves on the wrong side of political shift.
No two Changelings are alike; they have been changed by the unique circumstances of their time in Arcadia. Attempts to talk about kinds of Changelings therefore have to resort to general groupings more than anything. Seemings are the general categories of Changeling and Kith are more specific, but again each Changeling is unique in one way or another to a second member of their same Kith. For instance, Beasts are all animals and Hunterheart Beasts are all predatory animals.
Beasts are changelings who were twisted into animal-like forms during their time in Arcadia. Perhaps they were used as hunting hounds, or lapdogs. They would have even changed mentally, perhaps lacking human mentality at all during that time. Their changed form resembles the beasts they once were, predator or prey, of the air or the field, feral or tame. Since their escape, they have returned to humanity, but still carry an element of the beasts they once were. They tend to be physically accomplished and have refined senses, but lacking in social or mental finesse.
Darklings are boogeymen and skulkers, most at home in the dark. Many were taken for transgressing and changed to survive or avoid their Keeper's punishments. Perhaps they took the shadows or learned to hide in mirrors. Some become somewhat predatory themselves, inspiring terror and becoming urban legends. On escaping Arcadia, Darklings have a hard time adjusting to society and prefer isolation, venturing out from their safe places (tunnels, tombs, bookshops) only rarely. They can blend in like no others, but are never quite at ease during daylight hours.
Elementals might be the most alien of the changelings, having lost the most of their humanity. They spent a long time in the deep parts of Arcadia, exposed to pure elements, or perhaps they were subjected to it by their Keeper. Others struck deals with spirits of the elements in exchange for freedom for their keeper, in exchange for much of their humanity. They are able to draw on the elements to power themselves, shrugging off damage remarkably easy, but have noticeably stunted social skills.
Fairest might have been taken for their beauty, or their artistic talent, or the random desire of a lonely Fae. They were made treasured and special during their time in Arcadia; perhaps they were playmates to a child-like monster, or made a living statue of gold, or an elegant dancer. While other Changelings might have labored at the Keeper's feet, Fairest were more like their deputies or at least their favorite toy. As a result, Fairest tend to be proud and beautiful, most like the Fae of any Changeling in appearance. They are beautiful in one way or another and tend to excel in the finer things; art, dance, politics, socializing, duels. But as a result, they also find sanity harder to hold onto and lose clarity faster than other changelings.
Ogres are the most monstrous of the lot, often with fairly simple stories of their durance; they were taken by monsters and so they became monsters. Ogres were often taken by troll-like creatures, cannibals, yetis, witches. They have been turned into hulking brutes and loping, lanky creatures of intimidating appearance and great physical power. However, like most trolls in the stories, they are gullible, malleable, prone to being manipulated by the clever and the quick.
Wizened Changelings were taken for one simple purpose - to work. They may have been taken for a special talent, or they may have been randomly plucked away to serve as fodder in the front lines of a Fae's army or to pour strange, thorny wines into crystal goblets at parties. Their work is the kind of thing that is not noticed when it is done well, but noticed immediately when done poorly; they might have been house servants, cleaners, brewers, craftsmen, soldiers and or surgeons. They are extraordinarily skilled and nimble, but spite and petty resentment has infected their souls and manners.
The magic of Changelings work around contracts, agreements and pledges, enforced with the magical stuff of Wyrd and Glamor. The power of Glamor fuels their magic and in order to invoke the clauses of contracts or forge pledges, at least some glamor must be spent. Changelings gain glamor by harvesting strong emotions from humans - typically the court emotions, desire, rage, sorrow, fear. Harvesting is simple and does not harm the human; the changeling must merely provoke the emotion in the human to restore a point of glamor. It is also not a changeling's food in the same way blood is to vampires, merely the fuel to their spells. Changelings still have to eat, same as people.
Contracts come from agreements forged between changelings and spirits; you don't need to be the changeling that forged the contract, but you need to know the conditions necessary to invoke the clauses of contract and be able to use it. So, they tend to require training in the occult or membership of certain Courts. Contracts tend to be themed; for instance, the Winter Court commonly uses the Contract of Eternal Winter, which have clauses to manipulate or create cold and wintery conditions, while the clauses from the Contract of Mirrors would allow them to perform feats of illusion and minor shape-changing.
Courts typically have two contracts unique to them; Contract of Fleeting [Season], which concerns that Court's resident emotion and Contract of Eternal [Season], which more directly deals with the elements. For instance, the Summer Court has the Contracts of Fleeting and Eternal Summer. Fleeting Summer deals with rage and Eternal Summer deals with heat. These court contracts are restricted to sworn members of that court and can only be used by them, as part of the conditions of the contract.
Sample Contracts: Fate, Mirrors, Smoke, Artifice, Darkness, Elements, Talon, Stone.
"Contracts" cover multiple possible 'clauses' which are the specific spells Changelings use. A general rule with clauses is the bigger the effect, the more difficult the condition attached to it might be. A low-level clauses might simply have a time limit preventing you from using it more than once a day, which allows you to only use it once per day, whereas a powerful use of it might require a drop of the changeling's blood spilled into the sea, or for the changeling to eat a caterpillar's cocoon. If you can't meet the terms, you can't use the magic, pure and simple. Sometimes, Changelings can find Goblin Contracts, which are more powerful but only work once. You can buy Goblin Contracts at Goblin Markets, if you're willing to pay the goblin's price. Say, the memory of your mother? How about a lock of your hair?
Pledges are another form of magic changelings can use. This represents magical oaths groups of Changelings can swear between each other, bound by their own Glamor. These might be oaths of fealty, of mutual protection, of non-violence. So long as the members follow the conditions of the pledge, they receive boons - perhaps an increase to certain skills, or benevolent twists of fate - while breaking the pledge will bring curses upon the oath-breaker. As a general rule, the longer the pledge will last (a year and a day is a common duration) or the more difficult the conditions are to keep, the more powerful they can be; short or easy to keep pledges might not give you too much, but if you swear to do a particularly grueling task or pledge your lifelong service and the service of your children then you'll be reaping some major boons.
Arcadia is the realm of the True Fae, the Gentry, the Keepers, whatever you call them, the god-like monsters that were your captors. It is a realm steeped in magic, in stories like the old fairy tales - Grimm, not Disney. Very grim, in fact. It can be achingly beautiful, with crystal towers and fractal sunsets, or it can be a grueling realm of deep dark, filled with terror. Its residents, the True Fae, wage wars between themselves, relish in debauchery, weave contracts and pledges of immeasurable power. It is a realm soaked in glamor and wyrd, the source of glamor, as far removed from reality as can be. Changelings who return from Arcadia tend to have mixed feelings about the place, at once terrified and in love with it. The Fae construct many things from Glamor, but hardly ever do they make metals, preferring crystals, stones and woods hardened to mystical resilience.
The Hedge is the name given to the space between Arcadia and our world, a metaphysical realm accessible through secret little places in our world, or any open doorway if you spend some Glamor to open the portal. The Hedge, as its name suggests, tends to manifest as wild, untamed terrain. It might be a dense jungle thicket, a stinking swamp, a wide expanse of tundra. In Leeds, it is a wide, open moor, stretching out into an ancestral pine forest. The Hedge is active, not static, and it is easy to lose your way here. One must spend time, will and glamor to forge stability here, forging safe places and roads. Many of the larger roads are made by the Fae passing through and so it is best to avoid those. But in the Hedge, glamor is easy to come by and magical goblin fruits grow aplenty. One can enter the Hedge to hide from threats in the real world, or to travel great distances in the real world. But there are menaces too - passing Fae or hobgoblins, or the Thorns, which tear at both body and soul.. If anything is the real home of the Changeling, it would be here, stuck between the real world and Arcadia.
Finally, there is our world, the world of Iron, a world antithetical to the True Fae and their glamor. True Fae enter our world rarely and cannot last for long as their glamor seems to be drained merely by existing here. The metal for which the world is named can only be found here, and its touch is bane to anything Fae - including the Changelings. As such, the best weapons to use against the Fae or other changelings are to be made of iron - not steel, pure iron. It cuts through glamor, burns like acid. Cold Iron, which means iron never touched by the fire of a forge, is even more effective. It is unknown why specifically iron is bane to Fae and glamor as opposed to other metals. Some say that it is because iron represents reason, opposed to the Fae's unreason, while others say perhaps once a Fae made a pledge with a spirit of iron and betrayed their word, and that Iron cursed the Fae to fear it...
