A Year & A Day

Introduction

Changeling is my favorite of the OWOD (Old World of Darkness) Games. It is often over-looked, if not downright hated by many angst-ridden edge-lords (Just kidding, I love you guys). It never sold as well as the big 3 of the line (Vampire, Werewolf, Mage) yet still birthed something of a cult following. Chances are if you’re here, you have at least a passing familiarity with the material.

I’m not attempting anything new, mind, as many fine creators have done this since the late 90’s and early oughts. Sites such as B.J. Zanzibar’s offered a bounty of home-brew materials for perusal, and despite some snickering I hear in the background, there was some genuinely Good stuff to be discovered. I’m throwing my hat in the ring for a couple of reasons.

The first is that I have a bug up my butt to create options for my players. I’ve had enough varied troupe-members who each wanted different things. As a folklorist, I was all but bidden to acquiesce. If my people wanted realms (no pun intended) that the Old Changeling stuff just didn’t offer, who was I to say no? This leads to my second and more important reason.

Again, I love Changeling. I love the lore, I love the options, I even love the nebulous themes of horror/fantasy/ soul-crushing-modernization that so many people complained was too nebulous to work with. However, it was just so danged Celtic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m Irish. My Grandmother, God-keep her, had the Irish (which means she spoke Gaelic). But within most of the canon Changeling mythos, everything is seen through a Celtic lens. For instance the Adhene are nebulous Dreaming-Born entities that work for the Fomorians (Ancient enemies of the Tuatha de Danaan- the Irish Gods). They are essentially Irish Demons. Yet the Naraka is a Desi family of Adhene. Why would they have anything to do with the Fomorians? The Moirae were Greek. The Keremet Egyptian.

The Eshu (and by extension the Oba and Aithu) were all that Africa had to offer. I will say nothing of the Hsien… enough has already been said. There is nothing wrong with this Celtic theme for some aspects of Changeling, if it works within the Celtic understanding. But to say that Australia and New Zealand had no Kiths of their own (Prior to 20th Player’s guide) is to deny an adventurous opportunity. Since I’ve started this project, White Wolf has dropped Changeling 20th Players Guide and offered up a bounty of new options for the same areas of the world that my players wanted to explore.

But even within that bounty of new options, I still feel a certain lack of attention to that regions folklore. As I said before, I am a folklorist. House Varich in Russia? There was some name dropping in the Book of Lost Houses for Domovye and others, but not nearly enough to cement the themes of what Russia has to offer. House Aesin? No comment (my Master’s Degree Thesis was on modern Vikings, the less said about Aesin the better).

 

What This Is

Changeling the Celtic Cycle was an amazing project created by some of the original Changeling the Dreaming designers. On Page 15 of the first book, the writers offer up options for other cycles to chronicle; Arthurian, Victorian, Greek/Roman, Indian, Middle Easter, African. They offer Land of Eight Million Dreams as an Asian interpretation of something akin to the Dreaming. They offer Norse to hopefully be chronicled later. That was years ago.
What I attempt to do is to allow for different interpretations of the world’s folklore through a Changeling Lens. The Greek? I’ve a handful of strictly Greek Changelings for your Olympian Appetites. African? Well, Africa isn’t a monolith- it’s a smorgasbord of varied peoples each with resplendent mythology of their own. I have a bounty of African and Egyptian Fae then. Asia? Wales? Finland? The Amazon? The same. With this in mind, the whole of the Changeling canon is still itself. The key word in this attempt is AND.

Like the above mentioned House Varich and House Aesin. Yes, the Varich Sidhe are in Russia whose interpretation of the Russian Dreaming is one thing. But to the varied Plemya (Russian term for Kith) the Russian Dreaming is something else. It’s one thing AND another. Much like Halloween is a certain Holiday to some, and Dia De Los Muertos is something else entirely, as is Alf-Finding to the Norse, Pangangaluluwa in the Philippines, Samhain in Ireland, Hungry Ghost days in China, Dzie? Zaduszny in Poland, etc.… they all exist simultaneously, alike yet different in flavor. None is definite. None can be definite. Just because one exists, doesn’t mean the others are wrong. Likewise just because Concordia is America’s Dreaming, doesn’t mean that it’s also not the Empire of the Turtle for the First World Fae-Nunnehi Families.

What This Isn’t

That being said, I’m not about to reinvent the wheel. The core themes of Changeling are still there, and I am not talented enough to turn said themes upside down to create a new world whole-cloth.

The core concepts that make Changeling playable are still uniquely Changeling with only slight variations to the theme. Like Plemya above. Kithain is a Celtic word with a Celtic understanding of a Dreaming born creature. Plemya is the Russian word for the Russian understanding of a Russian Dreaming born creature. Each region presented will have their own lexicon that illustrates the themes of that region. For instance, to assume that Seelie and Unseelie, a very Scottish concept, should merit the same implications to those Russian Plemya’s is to discredit what the Russian Plemya could be. Instead of the Seelie-Unseelie dichotomy, there is instead Zima (Winter) and Leto (Summer). Again, subtle shifts of theme, but not reinvention of core concepts.

Also, it should be stressed that nothing here is casting shade on Changeling the Dreaming by any means. The creative team behind it boasts some of my favorite creators, developers, writers, artists, and downright outstanding human beings. But as a folklorist and a story-teller that bug in my butt wouldn’t shut up until I did something.

Why Koyoht Bleu’s Stuff?

There are things that I bring to this venture that others may be hard-pressed to offer. This isn’t me bragging, but simply stating my case.
I have the educational background in folklore, literature, and religion. A double Bachelor’s in English and Religion, Master’s in Viking Religions, and working on a doctorate in Folklore.

More important than the education, however, is the exploration. I was blessed enough to serve in the U.S. Military for a good 14 years, which took me to all corners of the world. For each region I present, I have had allies from said region who helped to cement my understanding. I met with people from all trucks of life who shared their time, their words, and their very lives with me. I cannot repay them enough for all that they have given. And while I would never admit to being anything more than a tourist on their rocks, I was lucky enough be their friend.

More important that the education and the desire, however, is a background rife with folklore. I disdain identity politics as a whole, but I have to allow for certain traits of my ancestry that give me a leg up. Like the aforementioned grandmother, God keep her, who was a Seanachai of the highest order and instilled a love for the ancestors (including the fair-ones). On the other side of my family I had the first world blood. While I would never claim a Native American Identity (Despite my half-blood, I was brought up with the Appalachian American Irish Trailer-Park understanding) I was still able to get out to the res with friends and family for a good Old-Man story.

These three elements; education, exploration, familial ties,- allow me an edge in this endeavor.

What’s the Difference between us and them?

Here then are some of the Dreaming born concepts offered up both by Changeling Canon AND what I offer as well. Keep in mind that nothing I propose will negate what has already been written. (Even in the Land of Eight Million Dreams). Again, the key word is AND.

Kithain: According to Changeling as a whole, the 13 core canon Kithain are the types of Changeling Races that thrive out and about in Concordia. That is absolutely correct
-and-
The term Kith applies generously to these Kithain (under that Celtic Umbrella), but it also encompasses any family of Changeling from the other regions. The Plemya of Russia, Jumbee of the Caribbean, Nunnehi, Wicht, Encantare, Abstammung, etc.: each region will have their own term for their collective races- but for simplicities sake- Kithain fits the bill… However

Gallain: According to the Celtic Changeling understanding, any non-Kithain non-13 race that exists in the Dreaming is considered Gallain. Yes that is true for the Kithain understanding. Some examples include the Menehune, the Hsien, the Nunnehi, and scattered little Kith families around the world such as Korred, Wichtel, and River Hags.
-and-
To that Plemya, Jumbee, Nunnehi, Wicht, Encantare, Abstammung, etc, the 13 Celtic Kithain would be the other/outside of their own Dreaming Paradigm. (Except for the Eshu of course, who are never other, no matter where they are). The term Gallain won’t arise in any regions presented.

Thallain: Nightmare Fairies and dark Bogey-men, the Thallain are birthed by the Fomorians to breed chaos and strife in the mundane world and the Dreaming alike. The mechanics of this are reflected in Thallain being usually (But not always) Double Unseelie. Some canon examples include Aithu, Bogies, Kelpies, Night hags, etc….
-and-
With the exception of the Fomorian/Tuatha Birthed angle, my Thallain differ little. There may be different terms for such in different regions (Aghoy, Wapsu, Bauba, Badness) but the double-unseelie marker highlights their Thallain-ness. Some Examples include Pamarindo, Fir Darrigs, Tokoloshe, and Skadegamutc.

Marcra: The spiritual opposites of the Thallain would be double-seelie. Canon had no working term for this, though the African Oba family of Eshu would fit the bill. Marcra, then, are double-seelie Fairies, the rarest of the rare. The term is old Irish for Calvacade, or Parade of shining goodness. Some examples are Fastachee, Yombi, and Leipreachán. It should be noted that double Seelie doesn’t mean Good by any means.

Hsien: Also known as Shinma, Wan-Xian, or 10,000 immortals- the Hsien are the Little Gods in the Land of Eight Million Dreams (Otherwise known as the Dreaming of Asia). They are divided into two courts. The Kamuii are Elemental Royals-who are Gods of earth, fire, wood, water, and metal. The Hirayanu are Animal servants of said elemental royals. Snakes, Cats, Koi-Fish, Tanukis and Hanumen-monkeys (an Indian Deity for a Chinese Family of Fae, the less said the better…).
-and-
Aside from the Kamuii and the Hirayanu who do in fact rule as little Gods, there are 4 more courts.
* The Gasin are good goblins and little kitchen Gods.
* The Obake are bad goblins and little gods of the wild places.
* The Bakemono are wild animal Fae that hunt and harangue mortals.
* The Yaoguai are defensive animal fae that serve to protect the mortal world.

Inanimae: The Dreaming of the natural world birthed its own tribes, forged from the elements of the natural world. Solimond are born of fire, Kubera of wood, Undines of water, etc…
-and-
Graeae of waste, Jellies of Slime, Caillechan of Rime, etc…

Nunnehi: The first-world People of the America’s had their own Dreaming-born Creatures- the Nunnehi. It roughly translates to People-who Live anywhere and is an apt term for so varied an assortment of “Families.”
-and-
Nunnehi only applies to those Families who have the War-Time/Peace-Time/ Trickster Camps, some-what akin to the Seelie-Unseelie Divide of the Concordian Fae. Also present are the double War-Time Camps of the Wapsu Families- (understood as Thallain). Lastly are the Gilosa-quohi -Families, which are far beyond the mortal conceits of Camps (Understood as Adhene, Inanimae, or Other).

Menehune: Fae of the Old Hawaiian paradigm, these Old-World creatures are divided by social-class taboos, but the same divisions also serves to keep their old ways alive in the face of Hawaii’s continual modernizations.
-and-
No change to the Menehune. However, the Sea of Islands is far more than Hawaii. There are older Fae across Oceania, older than even the Menehune reckon.

Dauntain: These broken Fae are creatures are incarnations of Banality, whose very presence is anathema to the rest of the Dreaming world. There will be no exploration of the Dauntain in any of these works (But an interaction with the Dauntain and the Ra-men might prove interesting to watch).

Kinain: Mortals born with Fae blood, but who aren’t reincarnated Changelings themselves fall into this category.

Cait-Sith: A non-canon sect of Kithain, the Cait-Sith aren’t Fae that turn into cats. They are cats that decide they are Fae.

Vulpecula: Like the Cait-Sith, this non-canon sect of Foxes decided that it would be more fun to be more Fae.

Adhene: Also known as Dark-Kin, or Denizens, these creatures were direct descendants of the Tuatha de Danaan and the Fomorians, who were banned from the waking world. Supposedly shaped by varied world’s cultures, they have found footholds in the minds of mortals. They didn’t take to the Changeling way of being reincarnated and thus have to create new bodies with Glamour. Instead of the Seelie/Unseelie dichotomy, they utilize three arias- systems of behaviors and forms unique to each tribe of Adhene. Some examples include Fir Bholgs, Aonides, and Fuath.
-and-
Far removed from the Celtic ties that bind the canon, any Creature of the far dreaming, which utilizes aria instead of the Seelie/unseelie dichotomy and is alien in mindset enough to be sufficiently other in the eyes of mortals would qualify. For those familiar with Changeling the Lost- they are closer to True Fae than Changeling (at least in my eyes). This is due to their lack of mortal and autumn world interactions. Some of their other terms for the Adhene include Altro Molto, Baahar, and Cudzy. Some examples include Fjalrafn, Star-Children, Slender-Men, Baku, or Huirnviu.

VARIED REGIONS

Expanded Regions

Like Concordia nominally claims the Empire of the Turtle – the Land of Eight Million Dreams also claims the whole of Asia. This is a truth. However, it is also true that India, Mongolia, Tibet, South East Asia and the Philippines are their own regions with their own identity (to be explored in regions). The Hsien then would only be the Fae of the Three Kingdoms of Go (Korea, China, Japan).

Nuances like this are as true in the Real world as they are in the Dreaming Regions. Here then are the varied kingdoms to be presented over the next year. Astute readers may notice that there is some overlap between canon regions and those below. That is intentional. If the 13 canon Kithain tribes are prevalent in a region, then their concept of a kingdom is the ruling paradigm. Or sometimes the term existed and the Kithain that migrated there inherited it from the indigenous occupants.

Here are the Regions as I Present Them-with a few surprises thrown in over the course of the next year.

1. Ahket – The Dreaming of Egypt apart from the Empire of the Sphinx.
2. Alba – An old Scottish Dreaming apart from Concordia.
3. Albion – The Dreaming of older Britain prior to Concordia.
4. Cloud Cuckoo Land – The Dreaming of GREECE wilder than the Olympian Ideal.
5. The Court of All Kings – The Dreaming of Ireland, much the same as it’s modern counterpart, but has darker Fae.
6. Cymru – The Dreaming of Wales apart from Concordia.
7. Empire of Dusk – The Dreaming of South America and into Meso America, invariably butts into the Land of the Feathered Serpent.
8. Empire of the Turtle – The Native American Dreaming, with little difference between this and canon.
9. Fiefs of Bright Paradise – The Dreaming the Caribbean & Beyond – no changes save for more Kiths.
10. Halls of Golden Lions – The Dreaming of Southeast Asia, separate from the Land of 8,000,000 Dreams.
11. Hyperborea – A Dreaming of a Celtic Diaspora – the varied lands in and around what some view as Celtica.
12. Islands of Jade, Fire, and Salt – The Filipino Dreaming, separate from the Land of 8,000,000 Dreams.
13. Kingdom of Amber – The Dreaming of Poland and surrounding locales.
14. Kingdom of Iberia – The Dreaming of SPAIN and PORTUGAL, not much different than Canon, but with older ties to Pagan Fae.
15. Kingdom of Magicians – The Dreaming of Finland.
16. Kingdom of Neustria – The Dreaming of FRANCE, specifically France- as separate from the Concordian Ideals of a Neustria whole.
17. Lakes of Deep Knowledge– The Dreaming of Tibet separate from the Land of 8,000,000 Dreams.
18. Land of Blue-Sky Gods – The Mongolian Dreaming separate from the Land of 8,000,000 Dreams.
19. Lands Beyond the Forest – The Dreaming of the Balkans Regions.
20. Lands of Ancient Stories/Tales – The Dreaming of Sub-Saharan Africa, once called the Land of Ancient Mysteries by outsiders.
21. Lands of the Wolf-Child – The Dreaming of Old Roman Ideas.
22. The Neverwhen – The Old Dreaming of Australia, that blurs the line between Dream-Time and Dreaming…
23. New-K – The Dreaming of a Modern Concordian Britain
24. New-S.A. – The harsh Dreaming of Modern Concordian America
25. Nordunlanden -The Scandinavian regions with decidedly Old Viking Dreaming paradigm.
26. The Perfumed Empire – The Dreaming of an old India separate from the Land of 8,000,000 Dreams.
27. Persia – the Dreaming of a long-forgotten Mythological Middle East separate from the Land of 8,000,000 Dreams.
28. The Sea of Islands – The Dreaming of Oceania, not just the Menehune, and significantly separate from the Concordian Pacifica.
29. The Svart Vald – The Wild Dreaming of old German conceits and dark understandings.
30. The Shining City – The Dreaming of an Old Concordian America that never was, full of Vaudeville and Pulp.
31. The Thrice-Tenth Kingdom – The Dreaming of Older Rus-Rodina and beyond, not just as the Varich understand it.
32. Three Kingdoms of Go – The Collected Families of the Dreamings regions of China, Japan, Korea, separate from the Land of 8,000,000 Dreams.

Of course, there are more Regions that will creep in, ideas and places not on any Map – but those will have to wait.

Regions (Canon)

For those who Desperately Care for and cling to Canon, here is a complete list of the Changeling’s World. Again, this isn’t an overwrite of all these places – it is an AND.

Al-Hilal al-Khaseeb (The Fertile Crescent)
Caliphate of Cedars (The Levant; Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria)
Empire of the Caucasus (Turkey and the Caspian Sea basin)
Sultanate of Hejaz (Arabian peninsula)
Albion (England)
Kingdom of Chalk
Kingdom of Heather
Kingdom of Mist
Kingdom of Roses
Kingdom of Smoke
Bellatierra (South America)
Kingdom of Altiplano
Kingdom of Amazonia
Kingdom of Mountains
Caledonia (Scotland)
The Cridhe
Kingdom of Alba
Kingdom of Dalriada
Kingdom of Three Hills
Concordia (North America)
Kingdom of Apples
Kingdom of the Burning Sun
Kingdom of the Feathered Snake
Kingdom of Grass
Kingdom of Northern Ice
Kingdom of Pacifica
Kingdom of the White Sands
Kingdom of Willows
Cymru (Wales)
Principality of Clwyd
Principality of Dyfed
Principality of Glamorgan
Principality of Gwynedd
Principality of Gwynt
Principality of Powys
Dalarna (Norway and Sweden)
Empire of the Firebird (Russia, Siberia and Ukraine)
Fiefs of Bright Paradise (Caribbean)
Island of Riches (Puerto Rico)
Kingdom of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic)
Land of Springs (Jamaica)
Republic of Abundance (Cuba)
Flowers (Netherlands)
Galacian Confederation (Central and Eastern Europe)
Bavarian League
Council of White Mountains
Elbian Protectorate
Pomeranian Alliance
Province of Venezia
Thuringian-Saxon Union
Golden Threads (Belgium and Luxembourg)
Hellenic Empire (Greece)
Hibernia (Ireland)
Kingdom of Connaught
Kingdom of Leinster
Kingdom of Munster
Kingdom of Ulster
Iberia (Spain and Portugal)
Kingdom of Aragon
Kingdom of Castille
Kingdom of Leone
Kingdom of Navarre
Isle of Snowflakes (Iceland)
Jutland (Denmark)
Land of Eternal Winter (Antarctica)
Land of the Wandering Dream (Australia and New Zealand)
Aotearoa (New Zealand)
Land of the Rainbow Serpent (The Outback)
Land of Ancient Tales (Africa)
Aghlabib (The Maghreb; northern Africa)
Cradle of Empires (West Africa)
Empire of the Sphinx (Egypt)
Nubia (Ethiopia and Sudan)
Realm of Seasons (Southern Africa)
Neustria (France)

Shadow Kingdoms

Also of importance, is the other side of the Mirror- the Kingdoms of the Restless Dead.

MAJOR KINGDOMS

The Dark Kingdom of Clay, Karta. Home to the Aborigines Australian dead.
The Dark Kingdom of Iron, Stygia. Stygia began as the underworld for Mediterranean countries, but over the centuries has grown to claim most of the Western world.
The Dark Kingdom of Ivory, the Bush of Ghosts which claims authority over the dead of Africa.
The Dark Kingdom of Jade, the Yellow Springs. Home to the dead of Asia…
The Dark Kingdom of Obsidian, The Mesoamerican Flayed Lands, home to Aztec Dead.
The Dark Islands of Flint, the Native American Shadow Lands (as opposed to the Happy Hunting Grounds,)
The Dark Lands of Gold The rumored missing kingdoms of the Aztec Shadowlands.
The Dark Kingdom of Sand, Amenti. Home of the Gods and Undying of Ancient Egypt.

MINOR KINGDOMS

The Sea Which Knows No Sun, the Polynesian afterlife.
The City of Delights, Swar, the domain wherein the Indian Dead while away their existence.
The End of the Road, the drowned road, the Mirrorlands the end of the road for Les Invisibles from the Caribbean.
The Dark Kingdom of Wire, including Auschwitz and other sites, are one of the largest populations of restless dead, thanks to the crimes of Nazi Germany. Not a true Dark Kingdom but a collection of Necropoli.

Canon Changelings

Also, for those that are curious, here is what is presented as Canon up to this point right now (that being up to Changeling the Player’s Guide 20th).

Kithain
Boggan
Clurichaun
Eshu
Nocker
Pooka
Piskie
Redcaps
Satyr
Selkie
Sidhe, Arcadian
Sidhe, Autumn 
Sluagh
Trolls
Swan-Maidens

Arcadian Kithain
Army Ant Platoons
Dragonkin
Imps
Mechorgs
Nagas
Renegade Cogs
Tritons

Africa
Biloko
Okubili
Djedi
Kuino
Obambo

Amazon
Alicanto
Boraro
Encantado
Llorano
Sachamama

Australia
Mimis
Yawk yawks
Rainmakers
Dulklorrkkeloorkeng

Persia
Ghul
Ifrit
Lilin
Gareen
Shaytan

Gallain
Domovye (which may or may not be counted- from the Fan-Created Boggans-Book)
Ghille Dhu
Korred
Merfolk
Morganed
Oba
River-Hags
Wichtel
Wolper-Tingers

Hsien
Chu Jung (Fire)
Chu-ih-yu (Metal),
Fu Hsi (snakes).
Hanumen (monkeys),
Heng Po (Koi)
Hou-chi (Wood)
Komuko (Earth),
Nyan (cats),
Suijen (Water),
Tanuki (badgers)

Thallain
Aithu
Beasties
Boggarts
Bogies
Bodachs
Ghasts
Goblins
Huaka’i Po (Night Marchers)
Lurks
Mandragoras
Murdhuacha (Merrow)
Nasties
Night Hags
Ogres (Ettins)
Servatals
Skin-Walkers
Spriggan
Weeping Wights

Dauntain
Apostates
Black Magicians
Cursed,
Lost
Nihilists
Typhoids

Menehune
Ali’i
Hana
Kahuna
Kokua

Nunnehi
Canotili
Inuas
Kachinas
May-may-gwya-shi
Nanehi
Numuzo’ho
Pu’gwis
Rock Giants
Surems
Thought Crafters
Tunghat
Water Babies
Yunwi Amai’yine’hi
Yunwi Tsundsi

Inanimae
Glome
Kubera
Manniken
Ondine
Paroseme
Solimond

Adhene
Acheri
Aonides
Fir-bholg
Fuath
Keremet
Moirae
Naraka

Lucian
Bucolic
Maieutic
Oppidan
Quixotic

Kinain
Fubars

Conclusions

“Some of us are trying to re-enter the countries of our birth in a different way. To walk the shores not with a shield but with speech, with seeds rather than slaughter. To open a dimension of this country that is not just Britain but Albion. Not Devon but Dumnonia, or Defenascir, or somewhere else again…” – SMALL GODS, Martin Shaw

There is Nothing I have done here that many many brilliant fan-creators the World over haven’t done far more brilliantly.

B.J. Zanzibar’s: who did it first, and did it best.
Angel-Fire: (you know you remember it)
New Kiths – City of Angels RPG: Absolutely brilliant.
The Esteemed folks at ShadowEssence: Whom I shadowed, with them unawares
Webvampiro: With translate at my ready, there is so much wonder to be found.
The Kith List: Who inspired me to pursue this work.
Countless Forums where homebrew is proffered, tested, and codified to meet countless games.

And of course, the one and Only Spiky. I am sure that he would absolutely hate my stuff. And that’s okay. He was a gentleman and a scholar, and he is missed.

Sincerely,

Your Humble Narrator

If at any point in this, you find these works far inferior to theirs, by all the Gods choose the one you prefer. Undoubtedly you will find a different interpretation of the Ankou, or Fir Darrigs, or Oni, that you like more. Of if you find something you like here but feel it would be better changed to suit your stories’ needs, make those changes as you deem them fit. This has been the Golden Rule of the Old World of Darkness since the beginning, and it certainly won’t hurt any feelings here to see that Rule upheld. – Koyoht Bleu