A story tells of a nan who, on the fnal leg of along jour rey, sheltered from a storm in an empty palace. As he leaves he takes a rove froma gardens The owner ofthe palace, «faerie in the shape of a teruble Beast appears and catches his, and tells Ihe tnst die. The man beget live, fr he hasa daughter whem be loves, atthe beast demands thatthe dauzhter come and stay with him, The man agrees, although he has no intention of vending is slaughter svn: Wher he returns horne, he tnd that his dvaghtee Tha ded Ts rth the Beast has taken her sey and lef a fake to slic in herplace. The Beast oars the girl well, certainly, but she ‘ennot leave. One day, having lst all hope of scape, she agrees to become the Beasts wife There iso cer femony. only an agreement a veil anda wedding night, And on thar wedding nigh, she lays swith in, and she becones like him a Beast forever, her memory and thought washed away tn the lad of senso the tyranny of the now “The fairy stories have ie thar love’ frst kiss redeem everything. The Beast becomes a. man. The Frog becomes a handsome prince. Fes a lic. The changelings who think of themselves as Beasts know ical t00 well, To kiss the Beast isto surrender yourself to sensuality. and etic) Tos ub ho Ure aera like the Beast, lost to memory selcontrol and ultimately consciousness, The anital i amoral The aninal incapable oF rus dhought Wa two-edged sword. The anital gives spontane ity the simple joy of living that is lst to far too many buna (Colors ar Brighter, sounds arc richer msl ara tates ar ics snore vivid ‘The Beasts consider themselves to have taken the most die ficule toad bck through the Hedge, for they have had ro claw hack their minds aswell as their souls, For a Beast ro return, he thas to tum his back on the lush sensory lif of the animal, and hie has to regain control. He has to think, i only long encugh to barra, chew and wrigle through the thorny barrier and come back to the human realm, In every Beast, thought and sensation ‘var for domainance./No matter what anual she hokk: an afnity swith, Beast lives inastate of paradox, conscious, moral person nfs with the unconscious, amoral power of the animal kt dom: Unale to be fully objective or fully rnnocent, the Beast straldles the divide between human and anil (Ofaal the changelings, the Beasts are dhe mest dificule to fi 3 3 > an) CESS OES JesTis is astory about a Rusolda a vel was taker by a éfel faerie who lived in the river, who forced her to Become his bride ‘She stayed fora while, fora few yeas, no more, and in tha time, he enchanted her ara changed het, and she becane-a Rusa, who lured the innocent into the river and gave then to her hus- han to cat. One dy, she escaped her crucl husband andnetuins ta er hometown by the river, ¢0 see her fanily and her sect Thcart. But ob, the Rusa bal changed so anh, Her hae ws teen nou, and her skin was cold, and the rushing ofthe Fiver ‘vas in her voice. And ch, when her erue! husband took hen, be ‘was cunning, and he left behind a false gr, who sickened and died in her place, and so her family did not recognize her, for they thought that she was ‘dead. And oh ried someone ele arid had forgotten her for another® careses. So the Rusaller walked throgh the streets of her hometown and could sce that there veas nothing for her there. And the river, tell her sweetheart hasd mar 0 she rerurned tng herself thar her etvelhusbana would take her back And a day later, the picoss of a girls dismembered corpse were wished up on the river bank at the ‘edge of the tows, one by one, and be Sar ako eee buried her ie. an unmarked grave. And there was no obe to movie, You can mover go back: Not wally. § hangeling can fight bis yen) out through the Hedge land return to Earth, but its never the same. The stuff of Faerie hay worked it way ines the changcling’ bled. The chansslings wwhote time in the land of the Fac caused them ro embody the material aspects of nature fel this all the more painfully, because theyhave changed the most. The Elemental, as other ehangsings ‘all them believe tae thee journey back ehraugh the File was hassle for them than it was for any of the changelinas, because the Elementals hal changed the most, They hid lss reason to ‘scape. Theirhumanity had been more damaged by what they ad ‘enuhire in the Fae real, Sina to the poor Rusalk, the Elemen: eel etecas: ers TeMOMT A ice to the Fae, course, the moral of her storys that you eat ther for they donot forgive: (Other ebuangeling find the Elemental the hardest to on slerstand. They'e alien. The other changelings have taken the fetie se oftheir narure from creatures who, at Ie level repmesene human dreams: beauties, horrors, ‘even annals represent something of ourselves. But the Elemen: tal isjehe i influence bythe desines of objects anal orcs, ickoters ard Pee Tay ~ Elementals ‘A Woodblood Green Man runs a hotel in southern Eng’ land, bul around a Todor ifn at the commer ofa forest. There's a live gallows oak tree in the back garden, and in ats higher branches isthe entry toa powerful trek. If members of the local ‘Coutt come 6 him with the right price and his mood swings ‘the right way, hell bring out the Ider and shows them where ro lita. An Airtovched Djinn lives in an Tndian coramnity asa inal The poster ofthe words he uses in the mosque matches wind iis hair std the corn in is soul. Several members of his congregation are enchanted, and do the work of the Sum mer Court as auch asthe work of Allah. A Firehesre with wander does much the the reptilian skin of a Sl same with a Bapesr congregation inthe South cern United States, He preaches hellre and hrimstone, sowing fear on behalf ofthe "Autumn Cour, spicing up poate con ‘versations witha few, select parishio- ners with Fire racle oF two. Another aber of the Summer takes the form of an If He runs a protection racket; he’ adept skinned and vicious at burning places down without s locking like arson. Sometimes he does jobs for les orthodox eles. A Winter Court Fireheart, meanwhile, a full-blood Kwakiutl. works as an elect cian, When he's needed, he ealls down the poner of Brother Lightning on the enemies ‘fis people and his Court. A Makin gr with a clockwork heart and a new identity dances in Pais ‘No one dances Coppeta like her; he riming is without compare, land once a month, she dances foe the Coa. A colily bean SShovtskin Princess teaches thtd grade. She scares the children with stories that they'll never forgc,dewing shards oi ce into ev cenylittle heart that passes throuph her class. She gains a certain pleasure from making chiklen cry and giving children night: ‘mares, even while she knows that the truths they lenen roan her luk, sal, rerble fey stores might one day protect them fe the same fate she once suffered, A Waterhorn sith an Hellenic Beaty works o¢ a nal prostitute in a yotefront area, barely trang bly are cil ripen, ata rene Ihe gladly runs messages back and forth acros the bay faster than any boat. An Earthbones with the lampen body of Paracelsian ‘ poles rte gle aE Norcy eee eae ct hie job might demand. Appearance: All Ekmentals have souething of thetr ele tment about them. Mostly, chat conncstion shows itself throw the texture and coor of the skin, ehrough something in the eyes “The frit is huge ard muscular, Tis skin is metalic. like brass,ani hor to the touch. His eyes laze 0 brightly, is difcule ro look diretly a them, The preacher on the orher hand, although alsoa Fircheare, has white skin and haiethat hlaes ike the blue flame of @ gas burner, while the Lightning Prother has skins ray and clo as a gathering stornvclou electricity anes and sracclernenons his akin and hair, and ills his eyes. The Snowe Princes is heauiful but cok, with hair as white a the sow and ‘uish skin that glters in the light with frost, her fingernails bright and sharp on cal delicate Fingers Her like Blank spheres of clouded ice, Her voice freezes the Alood “The Djinn is vast ana lou, like every bearded genie Of legend Tu bse i wild and fall: His skin the desp blo ofthe Detar Pradesh sky in Summer, The Hellenic nymph Looks lke a sin, pale beautiful boy with the features of an ancient Greek boy is slim, lehe frame i amp any cold to the touels hichair fs woven with sca shells and weed. His eyes are the deepest green. The is broad ane squat of frame, and his skin is made ‘of hand, rough earth, speckled in places with patehes of lier | and moss, His own eyes are so deeply st, theyre: last in shadow. ‘The Green Man has skin ike Autumn ans evergreen leaves for TpslecThe locket bllerina lock lke an exqules af rpade cof poreelain and metal ‘Some of this carries over into an Elemental human ap pearance: The Snow Princes Is x delice, lly ben Horse vith pale blues eyes and cold hands. The gravedigar s bron rouh-skinned ark! heavy-browedl. The preacher is tall nd thi. And witch ike 2 fame tht leaps from place to place hie the If s bigand overpowering of manner. The Dian imam is huge and hombastic. The Hellenic male prostitute has the bok of a areen-eyed, debauched Ganymede. The ballerina i pretse and soinewhar inpassive, The Lightning-Brother’ wid eyes and quick temper ease hair tostand on end, Background: The Elementals were often thove whom the Fae desired imsome way, those whom they sought out and-went some cforera kidnap, Mose Bkinentals were already exceptions invsome vay, Pechaps the changeling was beautiful enough to-ex- site a Fac desire. Raps they needed a guard or aservant of some kind. A intscian or dancer could become the prize of a Fae who fancied himself doyen ofthe arts. When Elemental come back, they sil possess dese talents chat atteacted the Fae to het in the frst place, but now their clement alters ti many vy, some subtle, some essa, Some. however warndred into the Hise on their own, in some ways Bearing the marks of whatever ¢homny swasceland they wandered in before being taken to Fei Durance: While most other Lost became the vay they did through simply living in a Faerie’ home and eating Faete fo ani doing Faerie work, the Elemental were often deliberately changed, transfor ino slaves of some kind oe another, o fea of the land until one day, they awoke to themselves and realised they had to escape. Their memories of Faerie are often dlfcule to understand, Some know that once, they understood what it was to be a tre, ofa stone or a mound of earth. Some _emeenber bring lt ta enchantment, becoming a clockwork dal ‘lover made of ce, Others call being lost in an environment row alien to theme pethaps the changeling served as a manser- sant ina fying city of glass ora blasing city made all of brass Character Creation: The variation between Elements of ‘even the same kich i vast, making tfmiposible ro draw hard aes ccll and fst rules, Elementals can focus on any Attsibures or Skil really, depending on whar thet element ial how te manifests itself. Foe example, the Fichoart preacher's fre manifests itself Inthe heat of his sermons — he has an emphasis og Social At- tributes and Skill On the other hand, the Hirt fire 6 all r90 ‘hyscal, and his Attributes and Skills re both primarily Phys sal. A Snomskin changcling could ust as easily be a bras wth sheuldcrsikea glacier aa delicate bucerue lady with ie in het Roa A Wnndhlirdirbaigr ling eral be oy trend ‘asan oak; Gras delicate and graceful asa Victorian flower fairy, Blessing: Eletnentals, touched as thoy are by the stuf ofthe PFOAM se oBle eo chanel thc forces cee taotrias that defi them into theif bodies, ziving them an uncanny ability to shrug ‘ff punishment. Once per day, the player can spend one point of (Glamout to add the characters Wynd rating to is Health dots forthe restof theseene. These follow the nortnal rules for tempor rary Health dot see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 173, Curse: The Flementals ae further removed from hutnanity than other changelings, and find humans harder to understand ans to inlence. An Elemental doesnt get the benefit of the 10 ‘again rule on sy dice pool unvolving the Manipulation Attribute andthe Skills Empty, Expression, Persuasion or Socialite Seeming Contracts: Elements Concepts: Secretly incompetent Srefghrer, Landscape ‘arlene, logging aboteur, clockwork secretary, workaholic steelworker; tormads chaser, model with flawless skin, all weather surfer, competitive mountaineer, deep-sea diver, ex treme sports fanate KITHS Axtouched — The Bleensals of wie, clowl, smoke and sky, WWhocan beas eal aafesh breeze oras pestle as the masa thar surrounds the deod. Their blessing is Velocity of the Zopbye: the player can spend ene point of Glamour to ad the characters Rivet ks her Sed Se [ntitve (elect ch scene. Ths blessing can be invoked once foreach Tra per seme, Earthhones — Changelings who have the mark of earth IU ic lien, AVA ale ae sc ‘of peat ars dwaris made of mountain sranite. Their Messing is Terrestrial Might: the Earthborcs has shoulders that coukl bear Bra GIR prs Sl ean! Oligo rta Strength-based dice pools, on a one for one basis (one point of {Glamor ads one die to one dice pool, ta points add two dice {0 thedice pos! and s0.n), reheart —Blewentals marked with fire, hear or electricity. ‘Their lesing is Flickering Acumen: like a fame, the Firehearts ‘cuties are bright and constantly on the move. The player can spend points of Glamour ta add to Wisshased dice pools, om a ‘ne for one basis, Manin —Changelings who have the characte of human made objects, such as eargauids, mannequins and other, stranger things such as enchanted beings powered by clockivor oe steam or living bodies made of mercury or glass. The Manikins talents the Artiicer’s Enchantment: the Manikin cn learn Contracts ‘of Artie for (new dots x5 experience points) rather than the usual cost. The Manikin also may make untrained Crafes rolls at 4-1 di penalty rather than the standand 3 dice. 1) forthe rt cf the Se a7 J Ly) aeOREZOR) ETAT NAO aa es Pe ay Le ROOT eer rN eee ( G AD Na? sav et The land doesnt forgel. ‘3 #3 Tim not prone to, either. ete SFO IE SIE i SOP \ “a SSTS eo on ee 4 re Peg eS oo ee mg 5 2 ~ ees g > Pi ES DPI ERR IES Y Bereta‘This sory concerns a young min, who dreamed of the Jove ofa beautiful gil in his village: One night, be mackea spe cial cake fom a recipe he learned fom his grandmother anal the waited in the datk for a fer to come and take it The dooe ‘orenesa darks tall faerie came in, Hes othe faerie, "Noe for you” bur he sinned in this he shouldnt ave spoken to her. So he sand waited little longer, nd the door openes:a oath: hag stepped in. The hag reached out herhand forthe cake, but the young man tappet her on the wrist anu sai “Nt for you” He sinned in this he shoukin'rhave touched her. So heésat and Fhe waite ite longer, and the door opened a lady ‘uf manly Lenny and xtace nepal The coukl say nothing, 0 stunned was he, andthe lady said "For mean tok the ‘ake, She stayed yath hum after that, this, She ranted his wishes, but somchow they were alays cwiste, He wished for money, and soon he married an wgly old woman, in the hopes thae she wonkd de and leave him nothing. The ld wom an proved healthier than he eld have imagined, and was cruel and mean. The youth turned to is Fae lady again and wished the ol woman eon. Truc to her word, the Fae lad brought the plague to the town, and the ‘old woman died, but so did the young mans Sweets, [He gained the sean kl outs Fiches, but his love was dead, and he wished himself dda, ane fell nto a deep seep. He asoke in Bisa, Bur= ved six feet under the ground, and ashe began to beat upon the wood, he heard a sweet, sweet voice say, “For me.” And if anyone were ro dig up his coffin, they would find norhing there ‘bur dre! leaves and stones This the way ofthe Fae, anit the way of the Fairest: they take what and whom they will take, and they will have their fun fire rs hei prerogative ro be loved and acevined, and theie right to teat thar love any way they will. Sure, they'l ery ores above br theraallvaye the fact that they reallyare the fatest of them all. They won thee beauty fy They deserve to be beautiful The Fatest consider thetr Own Aighe through the Hedge the hardest to have effected. The work they were part of —or a6 much oft as they remember — was heaurful 2 work of ‘weer pain and pleasant cnicry, a btterseer paradise. Sur ‘ound by Beauty as they were, cals to creatures a thou as ‘nd tines oveier than anything om Earth, they had to focus alltheirchoughts on remembering what it was to be plain, t0 walk asnong the ordinary Those whoo Keay then, ae those who had enough of sense of selfto be able to abandon ecstasy. and they know ft. They brough hack cher seeming fom the Fae real, and swith i, they broughe ack cruelty, and this crucly is some times amplified by the arozance that comes from knowing that they were pure enguzh of heart and strong enough of will to escape, Often, the Fairest believe that they shoul be far more influential and powerful in theit Courts chan they actually ate. mistaking social prowess and ruthlessness for the ualitiesof leadership. Some manage, hy sheer force of personality and charm alone. to rise to the top, but there are more aires in pesitions ‘Fauthrity than there are Faitest who know what theyze doing Bat they have’ their place n changeling soviety. A Dancer works her magle around 2 pole in a gentleman’ bar. The Court some times noosa pasy cr meshing done byysemeone disposable, and the pateons ensorcelled by the pole dancer’ routines, ‘often serve the changelings purpose. A Dra- conic Prince works forthe Peoples Government sn Baljing: although a stieler for social niceties, he's known t0 some ofthe reorle on the strets as a man who can bend the rules forthe right price and the right reson. Many people in the ity owe their homes their health and the sureival ofthe families to him, ant rhe gratuities he receives aid the change> ling Court. Most ofall, he always seems to get aay with it “Another Draconic changeling leads a coven of bora house swives by force of will, practicing the blackest of magi, kee her followers divk but cewored to her. The Courts dont trust her all that much, bc they nee her resources and contacts at ‘tues, ad hey are tacined to overtook Hf het co inet to follow the lead of the old stories and pay a tithe to Hell, A ‘Mase runs an are school in a bohemian comer of a provincial cary. His sunt alas soem to do much herr wore bere they graduate. A Flowering Demon Lover strides through the club scene, manipulating its socal politics and alliances, lav ing relationships wrecked! and frienckhips ten with suspicion Although a minor player in his Cour, here he’ on top of his