Title: Li'l People & Co
To: Nytaki Gladwulf
Dest: D:\GW\COMM\TRIBES.TXT
Author: Zinfandel
Time: 3:22:03 AM
Date: 03/12/94
Re: Fairy Tales and so forth

Silly Nytaki. Fairies don't exist -- and I don't care what the MacDrunkenbuggers say. Take a look at the streets. With all the blood in the gutters, why'd the Fae hang around? They're all safe in the Arcadian Gates. But I'm a professional. I hounded old Shakespeare for a month before he passed the attached tidbits on to me.

Zinfandel the Red


Gaia, the Weaver and the Wyrm worked to create a world of magic. Gaia and her father, the Wyld, channeled life and energy into a hungry void. The Weaver brought order to the flood of power, for only in order and pattern could Gaia's children find homes. The Wyrm performed his one task, unravelling order and stagnating creation, that neither order nor creation could overwhelm the other. With the world a Balance was formed.

Over millennia the Balance held and the lands of Gaia were filled with wonders. Beings of purest energy, elementals spun from crystalline fire and molten earth, shown with the light of the sun. The silvery stars lit the night sky as brightly as when Luna herself, whole and perfect, watched from her impossibly high perch. Joy was so bred into every soul that even an infant snatched from life by an unseen hand was celebrated. If the child had spent but a day in Gaia's perfect world, it would have felt more of the wild love of Life than could be held in a century of unceasing gaiety. And through the light of Gaia's creation the fairies danced.

Even as the Weaver's delicate sanity evaporated, even as she trapped Gaia and the Wyrm in her patternless web, the fairies stayed with their mother, dancing, singing, and giving Gaia what little joy and comfort they could. When the Wyrm's talons gouged into the world and into Gaia, her little children looked down the paths before them, and fled to the Umbra, fearing their own deaths.

Though the "little people" left the Realm, they did not vanish completely. In the years of Balance, the fairies found a kindred spirit in the people of the Garou -- warriors, yes, but warriors who could dance with the Fey in the Umbra and on Gaia's Realm. Long after their disappearance, fairy blood could be found in creatures born of both Fey and Garou. From these roots, the tribe of the Ban Saide trace their history. Generations of Garou were born into this tribe, a tribe of mystics that rivalled the Uktena in their understanding of the worlds beyond the Umbra's silver veil. But as the tribe began to grow, its powers faded. The Fey blood became dilute. More than two hundred years after the fairies' departure to Arcadia, their legacy left with them.

Now, no trace of the Saide remain. Though the Fianna occasionally sport a cub born of fairy stock, such a cub will never find a mentor to help him develop the gifts of the Ban Saide. In the years of the approaching Apocalypse, when allies with the Saide's legendary strength would be invaluable, they may be found only in stories and children's fables.

As a tribe, the word that would have best summed up the Saide would have been "enthusiastic." Saide theurges were intent on probing the Umbra, neglecting all else -- even their own bodies -- in their pursuit of the secrets held by the Spirit Realm. Saide ragabash were feared for their elaborate schemes, and the Get of Fenris would seek out Saide ahroun for a relaxing brawl. While the Saide were counted amongst the tribes of the Garou, they lived each moment to its fullest.

Never a big tribe, the largest Saide moots held no more than fifteen or twenty adult Garou. While a moot progressed these numbers dwindled further as the attendents, one by one, stepped into the Umbra. Ban Saide moots often held an element of "survival of the fittest," as those Garou who couldn't join the Umbral gathering were left out of the important decisions and the Revel. Beyond that, the Saide were very democratic; each Garou being roughly equal to her sister. In a crisis situation, command was thrust upon the Saide with the highest Gnosis. Otherwise, the Saide recognized no leaders.

Tribal Totem:
The Saide adknowledge no single totem -- rather, each individual or pack would choose a Fey guardian who performed much the same role as a totem spirit.

Initial Willpower: 4
Backgrounds: 3 background points must be spent on Familiar, Fetish or Purebreed. Saide could not have the Resources background.
Beginning Gifts: Lapse, Lightfoot
Physical : Most Garou in Lupus form radiate a cold, cruel aura, a halo of harsh reality befitting Gaia's most efficient predator. A Saide in Lupus would shine with barely perceived light, an almost invisible glow which only lessened the darkness around them. Many Saide ahroun used their radiance to good effect as a lure for "intelligent" prey. In human form, the Saide were a beautiful people, tall and slender with the hint of a point on their ears.
Territory: Legends of the Saide can be found in Great Britain and Ireland. A very few Saide myths are told in the New World, where the tribe played at calling itself the Manitau.
ProtectorateL While the Saide watched over the people of their homeland, England, they were also fierce guardians of dreamers, people who could find it in their hearts to believe in fairy tales.

"We are the children of the great light, Mother Gaia. Our lives glorify our Mother, every movement is our Mother acting through us. How can we do wrong?"

-- Laike Sees-the-light-Dimly, Ban Saide Philodox

"The better to see you with, my dear."
Greymoth, Ban Saide Ahroun

In the unlikely event that a Garou can find a spirit teacher, she could conceivably learn the Gifts of the Ban Saide. Some Nature-spirits exist that remember their dead tricks, though they are often intoxicated by the Wyld and difficult to reason with. Fairies are unpredictable and have been known to trade dead Gifts for quests, tasks, and strange alms such as a Garou's tail...but they, too, treasure their secrets.


Lapse (level 1) The Garou calls on the forces of the Wyld to tangle and muddle the thought patterns of her target. The Gift's victim loses her train of thought, momentarily forgetting tasks at hand and losing information in her short-term memory. A helmet of Cold Iron is proof against this Saide trick. This Gift is taught by a Wyldling.
System: The Garou must make a Gnosis check against her target's Willpower. If successful, the target suffers as above. Proper use of this Gift is subtle. If used in combat, Lapse serves only to raise the difficulty of an attack or defense by one ("Why am I swinging this klaive? Oh, well, I must have had a reason.").

Lightfoot (Level 1): The Garou's feet never seem to touch the ground. Twigs and leaves never crack beneath her, and traps rarely spring as she passes. She becomes more difficult to track, though creatures who hunt by scent may find her quite easily. This gift may be learned from the Eshu (a clan of far-wandering Fae vagabonds) or a Fox-spirit.
System: The Garou spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Stealth. If successful, she may only be tracked by scent. The Gift's duration ranges from 1 die of turns (one success) to one scene (three successes) to "the end of the journey" (five successes). The Storyteller and player must decide what constitutes a "journey". The Ban Saide may extend this gift to another character by spending an additional point of Gnosis, though that character must make his own Dexterity + Stealth roll. If combined with the Ragabash gift Scent of Running Water the difficulty of all rolls to track the Saide are increased by +4, not +2.


Haunt (Level 2) This gift infests a large area with minor magicks: floating lights, barely audible music, children's laughter, ghostly touches, "cold spots," mysterious creatures at the edge of one's eye, the scent of perfume, and so forth. A fair number of "haunted woods" are enchanted by the lingering remains of this Gift. This gift is taught by an Ancestor-Spirit or a Sluagh (a member of a dark and gloomy clan of Changelings).
System: The Saide must spend a point of Gnosis and make three separate rolls, each with a difficulty equal to the local Gauntlet. The first roll is a Wits + Enigmas roll to establish the borders of the spell (At most, a circle with a radius of 20'/success, though artificial or natural borders -- the edge of a clearing, a picket fence or a cottage's walls, for example -- will restrict the Gift's area.). The second check, Charisma + Intimidation, populates the infested area with ghostly little effects, one specific effect/success. The Garou can define these effects, with the Storyteller's approval. The results of this gift can never cause harm, but can only scare or distract. The third roll, Manipulation + Enigmas, establishes the Gift's duration (One success = a single scene, 3 successes = a day. Five successes establishes the Gift permenantly.) If any of these rolls are failed or botched the gift does not take effect.

Lare Call (Level 2) The Saide may call on the smallest of the elemental spirits to aid her. These spirits are collectively called Lares. They do not take well to unkindness, and Garou who abuse this Gift will lose the Lares' favor, and may gain the displeasure of their larger cousins.
System: The Garou must spend a point of Willpower and roll Charisma + Occult (Cosmology or Spirit Lore may be substituted), with a difficulty equal to the local Gauntlet. For every success a single Lare is summoned; it will arrive within seconds if some sort of source material for the Elemental requested is availible. Otherwise, the caster will have to wait for a few turns. When the Gift fades (after about fifteen minutes or one scene) the Lares will no longer obey orders, but will instead stick around and try to be helpful. It is a good idea to dismiss them quickly before they become independent in this manner.


Looking Glass Curse (Level 2) The victim of the Looking Glass Curse reveals his or her "true nature" in any man-made mirror or electronic medium. Garou reveal their Breed Forms in such surfaces, while Vampires have no reflections. Cursed wraiths always reflect in these surfaces, and Changelings reveal their Fairy Seemings. Mages reflect normal images, though some powerful magi may display their Avatar-forms. Merely reflective surfaces such as a highly-polished car or a store window will not reveal the victim's "true nature"; only items designed to carry a clear image activate the curse. This gift is taught by a jaggling of the Chimera.
System: The Garou must spend a point of Gnosis and make a Manipulation + Enigmas roll while touching his target. The victim's reflection is altered for one scene/success. While normal humans will still suffer the Delirium from seeing the reflection of a metis's Breed Form, they receive a +4 on the Delirium Chart (the worst reaction possible is "Terror"). Most humans will react with confusion, curiosity or disbelief if they see other reflections that differ from the of the "real world."

Fey Circle (Level 3) The Garou can enchant a small patch of earth to create a fairy ring. Such an area captures and weakens those who attempt to cross it, eventually bringing them into a magickally induced slumber. Some powerful Saide invested a bit of their own souls into their Fey Circles to make their magick permanent. Such permanent fairy rings often grew strange flowers and toadstools as their energy interacted with the local plant life. This gift must be learned from that rarest of creatures, a pooka sorcerer.
System: The Garou must trace a circle on the earth and spend two points of Gnosis (no roll is necessary). Any creature crossing the enchanted ground must immediately make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). If she fails she is captured in the circle and immediately loses a point of temporary Willpower. It is possible to escape by collecting 6 successes in an extended Willpower contest (difficulty 7), but each turn spent in the circle drains another point of temporary Willpower. At 0 Willpower the victim falls asleep until the circle is broken with Cold Iron, its duration expires or someone drags her out of the ring. It is difficult to drag an ally from the circle without entering it as well. A Perception + Occult (or Fairy Lore) roll (difficulty 7) is necessary to locate the edges of a new circle. The circle remains enchanted until either sunrise or sunset, though it may last indefinitely if two points of permanent Gnosis are spent when the circle is made. Strange plant life tends to sprout around old fairy rings. Observant characters might avoid the circle altogether.



Gift of Tongues (Level 3) A Garou with this Gift may speak the languages of both Garou and humans in any form. Yes, the wolf did talk to Little Red Riding Hood. This gift is taught by an Ancestor-spirit.
System: The Garou may use any language he knows in any form. Normal humans tend to ignore talking animals whenever possible, or will desperately rationalize their behavior as caused by rogue ventriloquists or surgically implanted radios, though some cultures may find this behavior only mildly surprising. This Gift becomes an innate ability to the Garou who learns it. She need not make rolls or expend points. Titania's Glory (level 3)

Titania's Glory (Level 3) This Gift is similer to the Silver Fang Gift, Lambent Flame. The Ban Saide may choose to raise the level of light to a blinding intensity, dazzling all who look upon it. This gift is taught by a Sun Spirit.
System: If the Saide chooses to blind his onlookers, they must roll Stamina + Alertness (difficulty 7). A failed roll indicates temporary blindness lasting 1 die of turns. A botched roll may mean that the blindness lasts for a scene or more. Anyone who passes this roll may attack the Saide by making a Stamina roll (difficulty 5) with every attack. Otherwise this gift is identical to the Silver Fang Gift, Lambent Flame.


Seeming (Level 4) This Gift "parts the shadow," showing the Penumbra beyond the Gauntlet of the affected area. While this is only an illusion, it can terrify unsuspecting Garou and innocent bystanders. The effect of a Bane suddenly materializing and being immune to all attack cannot be underestimated. These illusions are only visual: Garou with heightened senses won't be fooled.
System: The Garou spends a point of Gnosis and makes a Manipulation + Enigmas roll against a difficulty equal to the local Gauntlet. An area approximately 20' x 20' per success may be affected by the illusion. The Saide may place markers of any sort to shape the affected area; unless specified, the Saide is in the illusion's center. This Gift does not function in the Umbra, and spirits will not see characters in the area of effect.



The Silver Passage (Level 4) An old travelling trick, one of the earliest Gifts known to the tribe. The Silver Passage opens an extremely short-lived gate through the Umbra -- some have suggested the gate is through Arcadia itself -- allowing the Garou to step from one mirror to another without crossing the intervening space. Stories of Saide lost to the Tellurian by wardings of cold iron are probably exaggerated. This gift is taught by a spirit of Titania. Individuals on the "Other Side" will see the Saide moving towards them in the image of the mirror, and will have ample time to react. Reflected images are just as solid as the real thing....
System: The Garou must roll Wits + Enigmas at a difficulty equal to the Gauntlet of either her destination or point of departure, whichever is the higher (alternatively the Banality of the area in question may be used), and spend a point of Gnosis. She may then "step sideways" through the mirror, and will be transported to her destination. A few conditions are placed on the destination point: There must be a large reflective surface of some sort for the Saide to step from -- a mirror, still pond, or piece of tinted glass would all work, but she must have seen this surface in person at some point in the past. If the surface has been destroyed or blocked by any sort of iron the Saide will be "caught" as if she had botched a roll to Step Sideways into the Umbra. If she botches the roll to use this Gift she may well be caught in the Mirror Zones....



The Silver Veil (Level 4) The technological world progresses as it will, but has never seen the Fae. With this Gift the Ban Saide may cloak herself from detection by man's artifice. Her reflection will not "catch" in man-made mirrors,cameras and elaborate security systems will not note her passage. On the other hand, that guard dog by the front gate is just as wide-awake as ever.
System: The Garou must make a Wits + Subterfuge roll (difficulty eight) to determine the duration of the Gift. One success will cloak the Saide for a few slow turns, three for a scene, and four for a full day -- though never more than a day. Any form of electronic surveillance will fail, as will cameras and reflective mirrors (though visual aids such as spectacles and contact lenses are unaffected). Technomagickal surveillance (for example, an elaborate camera system calling on Correspondence) permits the caster to make a single Countermagick roll to offset some of the Garou's successes. Faerie Blood (Level 4) As per the Fianna gift of the same name.


Gloaming (Level 5)
The mists come to earth, and the veil between worlds becomes fuzzy at best. Use of The Gloaming reunifies the Spirit and Material worlds for just a few moments. The two realms are superimposed on one another, each real and each perfectly visible to both human and Garou (you may want to consult the Delirium tables for a typical Sleeper's reaction to this). Spirits may cross between the realms, though they are often angry when the Gauntlet reforms behind them. This Gift is taught by Titania herself, to her most beloved.
System: Roll Stamina + Enigmas (difficulty 9 (a +/- 1 modifier is appropriate in caerns or in strongholds of the Real World -- shopping malls and so forth)). The Garou may elect to take aggravated damage to lower the difficulty of the roll by 1 for every two health levels spent. For every success the duration of the Gift is extended: One success brings the worlds together for a single turn, three successes for a few minutes, five successes for a full scene. Garou (and any being capable of Stepping Sideways) may choose on which side of the Gauntlet they will remain when the Gift fades or when they leave the Gloaming's margins. All other beings must make a Willpower roll, difficulty 8; if they fail the Storyteller may arbitrarily decide their ultimate spiritual position. The boundaries of this Gift form a circle of roughly 500' radius, modified by natural and unnatural landmarks (a cottage, city block or natural glen will all limit the Gloaming to a smaller area.)

Lares

Description
Lares are considered Materialized at all times, and posess the Charm: Reform, which is triggered only if their power drops below zero through use of their other Charms. The spirit will vanish when it tries to use a Charm when it lacks Power -- this happens frequently as these little elemental spirits are rather dim. Lares are not officially part of the spirit-hierarchy, being even weaker than Gafflings. Spirit Speech may be used to communicate with these creatures, though it is doubtful that they can give much more than basic information. As they Reform when they use their Power Pool, Lares are not worried about using their Charms at the request of their masters. While Lares are being "helpful," operating under their own power and volition, the Storyteller should feel free to ignore the cost of their Charms.

Asrae
(Singular form Asrai) Affinity: Water Willpower 2, Rage 1, Gnosis 2, Power 4 Charms: Extinguish Fire (up to the size of a bonfire), Damp (renders an object up to the size of a normal human soggy) (Cost of all Charms: 1) Asrae are almost invisible in water, and may swim at a speed of roughly 4 miles per hour or crawl on the ground at about two miles per hour. They appear as semispherical globs of water about three inches wide, and leave damp trails when they move. They are peaceful and lethargic spirits, and will only rarely act against their summoners.

Yarth
Affinity: Earth Willpower 2, Rage 1, Gnosis 2, Power 4 Charms: Telekinesis (move items of two pounds or less. Item must touch solid surface connected, at least indirectly, to the ground: a keyring on a cinder-block carried by a Bone Gnawer standing on the Empire State Building, for example, but not a wineglass on an airplane. Object must be within sight of the spirit. Charm lasts five minutes, and can only affect one object per use). Sink (Yarth becomes a part of the earth, and may travel at roughly one foot every five seconds. Stone, brickwork, masonry, pavement and suchlike slow speed to one foot per minute). (Cost of all Charms: 1) Yarth are slow and stupid, and appear as rather pretty rocks, roughly an inch wide (feldspar, flint, or low-grade garnet are typical building materials for Yarth physical forms). They roll about at three miles per hour.

Chlis
Affinity: Air Willpower 1, Rage 1, Gnosis 4, Power 4 Charms: Gust (A brisk wind, as strong as a summer breeze. May move lightweight objects such as papers and feathers. Cost: 1 per minute). Obscure (usable on others. Cost: 1 per minute.) Chlis are all-but-invisible distortions of air, one foot wide. They are hyperactive, cheerful spirits. Unlike most Lares Chlis may speak to any individual in a faint, airy voice. Chlis fly at a speed of 50 miles per hour, but may be blocked by any sort of barricade or very strong wind.

Wisp
Affinity: Fire Willpower 1, Rage 4, Gnosis 2, Power 4 Charms: Ignite (by resting on an object, the Wisp may cause it to burst into flame. Paper will ignite after about ten seconds, wood after a minute, and highly incendiary chemicals will go off almost instantaneously! Imagine holding a candle-flame to the target object to visualize the effects. Cost: 1) Kaboom! (Wisp detonates in a flash of light and a thunderclap. This is dazzling in combat, giving unprepared onlookers a +2 penalty during the next turn, but cannot inflict damage. Also useful as a signal, visible over several miles if used high in the air. Cost: 1, but the spirit dissipates and reforms elsewhere.) Flame Burst (Wisp emits a jet of flame, inflicting one level of aggravated damage. Cost: 2) Wisps appear as candle-flames hovering in the air. They are impatient and easily-upset creatures, and may very well attack their controller if they feel mistreated.

 

Titania
Totem of Respect

Background Cost: 5
Affiliations: Beauty, Art, Dance, Social Intricacies
Description: Titania's origins are unknown. She may be a powerful Sidhe noble, a spirit, or a manifestation of humanity's belief in the Fae -- or all three! She is a symbol of beauty, and as such swings wildly between grace and frivolity.
Traits: Children of Titania gain three additional dice in Appearance and Etiquette dice pools, and two extra dice in Intimidation pools. Further, changelings of the Seelie court will react favorably with a known follower of Titania. Unseelie fae will not be impressed, and depending on the individual may reguard a child of Titania as stupid, duped or frivolous.
Ban: Titania asks that her children protect works of art, preventing its destruction at every turn. "Art" is defined by the individual: garou tied to the fae courts would not regard street graffiti as art, while a fae-struck Bone Gnawer with ties to the local gangs wouldn't lay down his life for something as valueless and esoteric as Picasso's "Les Demosielles de'Avignon." While both would find the destruction of either wasteful, Titania would not hold them in contempt if they failed to protect something they felt was tasteless.