A Year & A Day: Shedu
Changeling: the Dreaming
Homebrew Rules
Character Creation Guide Download: Shedu.pdf
Quoth the Shedu:
“Alexander? Have you been talking to the Abgal? Alexander was a Greek loving sycophant who got lucky. Now Xerxes, you know, the fourth master of the Achaemenid Empire…? He had the goods.”
Kith Excerpt:
In the Bible’s Old Testament, the Prophet Ezekiel wrote about a fantastic being made up of 4 creatures, combining the best aspects of a human being, a lion, an eagle, and a bull. Later, in the early Christian period, these four creatures become the basis for the four Gospels, which were ascribed to each of these components. When it was depicted in art, this image was known as the Tetramorph. The Shedu don’t actually claim credit for this, nor do they claim allegiance to the Judeo-Christian Deity. But it does make them smile.
The Shedu were royal guardians, guides to the Persian Deities and served as the voice of the Deities on the Earth. They were accorded power akin to little Gods in and of themselves, (this also gave them power over earthquakes, a power that few of them ever explore). This all-male Kith functioned as overseers of Temples, and served as ambassadors to the Gods. In many ways they are serve the same function as the Apsasu, but in a far different way. They are the Yang to the Apsasu’s Yin, and not only allow for secrets to be discovered, but they also actively encourage it.
While greatly capable of combat (which they enjoy as a refreshing change of pace) they don’t seek it out, instead enjoying games of the mind such as riddles and trivia contests. This, along with the guarding of sacred spaces, is a trait shared with their Apsasu sister Apkallu. In fact, they share so many traits, that some think that they may be the same Khânevâde (Kith). This rumor brings laughter to the Shedu, and disgust to the Apsasu.
In modern times, the Shedu serve as ambassadors to all the World’s Changelings. They maintain an entourage of all the Apkallu and ensure that the voices of the Desert are heard just as strongly as the more ubiquitous Celtic Fae of the Fertile Crescent. They also manage the day-to-day activities of individual Apkallu. They try to ensure that each of the Khânevâde serves their motley in a way that makes them happy. Abgal are teachers, Kusirikku are guides, Apsasu security, Shahmaran entertainers, Humawa
and Girtablullû? Well, there’s always a place for them somewhere. And of course, the Shedu, who serve as humble leaders and generals of this disparate parcel of Persian dreams.
Flavor
“What does the artist do? He draws connections. He ties the invisible threads between things. He dives into history, be it the history of mankind, the geological history of the Earth or the beginning and end of the manifest cosmos.” – Anselm Kiefer
“History is Philosophy teaching by example.” – Thucydides
