Region:
First of all, I should explain the region. Vancouver
is located in British Columbia, Canada (for those of you who don't know...),
and as such is located in the Kingdom of the Northern Ice, ruled by Queen
Laurel of house Fionn, as shown in the map in Changeling: The Dreaming.
This kingdom is divided into Dutchies, or city-states, which are controlled
by Dukes. As large as British Columbia is, approximately 90% of the population
of the population lives near the Canada - US border. And since only a small
percent of the population are changelings, there are only enough of them
in one area to form two Duchies. The first is the Duchy of the Orca, which
more or less takes up nearly all of Vancouver Island (There are rumors that
the shadow court is at work in Victoria... see Vancouver: Dark Alliance).
The other, much larger Duchy is the Duchy of the Ocean Rain (so named because
of the weather described in Vancouver: Dark Alliance), which takes
up the lower valley of the Fraser River, pictured below:
The areas that this map are divided into roughly represent the locations of the local Counties, the exception being the main County made up of the Stanley Park, Downtown, Vancouver (West) and Vancouver (East) sections. Unlike most other Duchies, not all Counts in this region are Sidhe. In fact, most of the counties have a large concentration of a particular kith, and they usually govern the area themselves. North Vancouver has a large number of Sidhe, Surrey has a large number of Eshu, Richmond has a large number of Chinese Kiths (as described in Land of Eight Million Dreams), many Pookas can be found in Stanley Park, and the rural and farming areas of South Delta are home to many Trolls.
Areas of Interest:
Most of these are covered in the Dark Alliance source book, but here are some changeling adaptations. (Note that there are also several different places of Glamour strewn throughout town.)
Chinatown
The description of Chinatown is exactly the same for
changelings as it is for vampires. And now that Kindred of the East
and Land of Eight Million Dreams are out, us storytellers can have
some fun, huh kids?
Stanley Park
Seeing as a Caern can act as a Freehold and vice
versa, it's not surprising that the Caern of Cooperation in Stanley Park extends
its powers to the Changeling community too. There are a large number of squirrels
and other fuzzies in Stanley Park, and tourists are only too happy to feed
them the popcorn peddled outside the aquarium. Which is why the Pookas are
so happy there.
UBC
Naturally, some areas of the university are more
appealing to changelings than others, like arts buildings vs science labs.
One of the more surprising sources of Glamour on campus however, are the engineers,
with their pranks and drinking contests. Throughout the university, there
are usually several beer gardens every friday night, with plenty for most
Satyrs to enjoy.
Recreation
The mountains are popular in the winter for skiing, and
the beaches are popular in the summer for just lounging around. Somewhere
around every three weeks or so, one of the local radio stations broadcasts
on location, attracting more people to the area.
Granville Island
This is the Central Attraction for most Changelings.
There are several places that a changeling would be able to find glamour
here, including one or two occult / fantasy shops, the live theaters, a brewery,
many craft shops and the Emily Carr college.
The only true source of banality on Granville Island is the cement company
located at the top center of this map.
One thing worth pointing out is the parking lot depicted
above the Granville Island Brewery. It was converted to a parking lot from
an old foundry, but whenever you drive past it, it's always full. This is
an illusion. The foundry is still a foundry, but it is now in use by the Changelings
of the island. Sometimes children will walk past the windows and see figures
working with metal, but they are the only ones.
For more information on Granville Island, follow this link.
Primary Characters:
Of course, what good is a city without people living in it?
Sebastian MacKenzie:
Sebastian is the Count of the main Vancouver area. Because
his brother is a Boggan he feels more kin to the commoners, and is well known
for his good natured and disarming attitude, and seems to lack the loftiness
of most nobles. It is his opinion that the nobility exists to serve the people,
and took this quite literally for his choice of career, which is owning and
running a small but successful tea shop on Broadway and Granville. Although
he works at a modest job, he is thoroughly familiar with the changeling politics
and holds degrees in Political Science and Sociology. People often mistake
his kindness and easy hand with the commoners to mean that he is naive, gullible
or both. But he is much more aware of what goes on and capable to react than
he lets on.
Edmund Mackenzie:
Edmund is Sebastien's younger brother, but for some reason
is not a Sidhe himself. The theory has been put forth that he is a reincarnated
Sidhe, and this idea is supported by the fact that he has a very strong affiliation
with House Dougal (unlike most commoners who affiliate themselves with houses,
he is affected by the house's Boon and Flaw). Because of his deformity, a
club foot, he has always felt unworthy, and like an outsider, even though
his family cared for him deeply, and his brother didn't allow anyone to humiliate
him in school. Edmund is the Baron of Granville Island, and spends most of
his time in the enchanted foundry on the Island. He is usually very quiet
and reserved, and tends to prefer his work over the company of others, although
he does not take this to the point of hostility, and is always courteous to
his visitors. He and Sebastian share a penthouse in the housing complexes
on the island.
Randolph Morgan:
Randolph is the Grand Vizier to Sebastian. He's very
knowledgeable, and prone to eccentricities such as absent mindedness and
disorganization. He owns a science fiction paraphernalia shop in New Westminster
(Between Burnaby, Coquitlam and Surrey), where he sells various merchandise
based on Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5 and other sci-fi's with a cult following.
The back room is filled with tomes and gadgets galore, and It is surprising
what people find out when they go to him with a mystery.
Ben Kitshiro:
Ben is the appointed right hand of justice in the area.
He is half Japanese, and was raised not too far from Chinatown in poverty.
He was singled out by local gangs and thugs as a target for abuses of all
kind, and to this day refuses to discuss his childhood. He never understood
why the helpless are put through such inhumanities, and has taken it upon
himself to protect the weak in his area. His is a cold and cruel justice,
and his strong arm tactics are often frowned upon by Sebastien, but he is
successful in his work. He takes pride in his heritage, and has treasures
which appear as a katana and traditional Samurai Armour.
These are the Principal Character's Stats:
| Name | Sebastian MacKezie | Edmund MacKenzie | Randolph Morgan | Ben Kitshiro |
| Kith | Sidhe | Boggan | Sidhe | Redcap |
| Seeming | Wilder | Wilder | Grump | Wilder |
| Legacies | Courtier / Fool | Crafter / Wretch | Sage / Pandora | Paladin / Beast |
| House | Gwydion | Dougal | Eiluned | No affiliation |
| Court | Seelie | Seelie | Seelie | Seelie |
| Str, Dex, Sta | 3, 4, 3 | 4, 3, 3 | 2, 3, 2 | 3, 5, 5 |
| Cha, Man, App | 5, 4, 6 | 4, 2, 3 | 3, 2, 7 | 1, 4, 1 |
| Per, Int, Wit | 5, 4, 3 | 3, 4, 2 | 3, 5, 2 | 4, 2, 5 |
| Abilities | Alertness 2, Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Dodge 2, Empathy 3, Kenning 3, Drive 2, Etiquette 4, Leadership 4, Melee 4, Performance 3, Computers 2, Enigmas 3, Investigation 2, Lore 3, Occult 4, Politics 4 | Alertness 1, Kenning4, Subterfuge 2, Crafts 5, Drive 3, Melee 3, Computers 3, Enigmas 3, Medicine 2, Lore 3, Occult 2, Science 4, Blacksmith 5 | Dodge 2, Empathy 3, Kenning 5, Crafts 3, Drive 1, Etiquette 1, Leadership 3, Melee 2, Performance 2, Enigmas 5, Greymare 5, Investigation 2, Lore 4 | Alertness 4, Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Dodge 4, Intimidation 4, Kenning 2, Persuasion 3, Streetwise 4, Leadership 1, Melee 5, Security 3, Stealth 3, Investigation 4, Law 2 |
| Backgrounds | Contacts 2, Dreamers 3, Freehold 3, Resources 4, Retinue 2, Title 4 | Chimera 1, Resources 2, Title 3, Treasure 4 | Dreamers 4, Freehold 1, Remembrant 4, Resources 2, Title 3 | Contacts 3, Resources 1, Title 2, Treasure 3, Treasure 4 |
| Glam, Will, Ban | 6 / 8 / 3 | 7 / 5 / 3 | 5 / 6 / 5 | 4 / 9 / 5 |
| Arts | Chicanery 3, Legerdemain 2, Soothsay 3, Sovereign 5 | Legerdemain 3, Primal 4, Soothsay 3, Wayfare 3 | Chicanery 4, Legerdemain 5, Primal 5, Soothsay 4, Wayfare 3 | Primal 2, Wayfare 2 |
| Realms | Actor 4, Fae 5, Scene 3 | Nature 5, Fae 3, Prop 5 | Actor 4, Nature 3, Fae 5, Prop 5, Scene 4 | Actor 4, Fae 4, Scene 3 |
Secondary Characters:
Habby Zygamy:
This grump Boggan is a kindly old cookie chef. He travels
in a cookie vending wagon, and is always creating wonderful (if not strange)
new flavours. Understandably, he is loved by the childlings of the area.
Sheila:
This childling Pooka is very adventurous and likes
to stick her nose where it doesn't belong. Her parents are frequently upset
with all the sidetrips her curious side take her on, but there's not much
they can do if they aren't home. Instead, she is taken care of by her babysitter,
Erin. Erin would have been fired long ago for allowing Sheila to disappear
so often, but she is the only sitter the parents can find that will come back.
Sheila behaves (occasionaly) for Erin because of the fantastic stories she
likes to make up. Erin can usually be found in Sebastiens Teahouse, usually
mooning over the owner. Being a squirrel, Sheila has an intense love of penuts,
(especially the penutbutter milkshakes Sebastien gives her at his tea shop),
and is accompanied on her journeys by a chimerical floating Mr. Penut.
Stinky:
Stinky is Sheila's best friend, another childling
Pooka (skunk). She drives around in a plastic Pepe LePew corvette (converted
from a Barbie Corvette), and seems to love trouble. These two girls together
define the term handful.
Glunky:
No - one knows where Glunky came from. At first
he was thought to be Nunnehi, but the fact that he was born into a European-
descended family presented a problem for this thought. Randolph has identified
his kith as Bullywug (a sort of frogman), but can't say anything beyond that.
Glunky doesn't quite care what he is, beyond himself. He is very shy, and
likes to study the stars, fascinated by sci-fi and astrology alike. In fact,
the only reason he gets out at all is his best friend, a Troll girl named
Elizabeth, who likes sports of all kinds. Glunky and Elizabeth are both childlings
on the verge of becoming wildlings, and their friendship runs much deeper
than they would have guessed, as they may well soon find out.
A note on Bullywugs:
Bullywugs have three fingers and toes, and typically
have long, skinny legs. Their face is nearly human, except for large eyes,
no ears, and a sort of bump with nostrils where the nose should be. They usually
are shy, and take to a natural environment, which is not necessarily where
they were born. (For example, Glunky likes outer space.) Their colouring usually
reflects this choice. (In Glunky's case, black with electric blue like the
frog pictured below.) Bullywugs are excellent jumpers and swimmers and have
a prehensile tongue, but are dehydrated very easily.
For some reason, the Pacific Northwest wasn't covered in the Player's Guide, so I read a book on Native folklore and made up these two kiths: the Sea Monsters and the Sky People.
Sea Monsters:
Sea Monsters are very violent and frightening, almost
the Nunnehi equivalent of Redcaps. They are compactly built, but not necessarily
short. They have broad features, and their skin is marked in very tan and
excruciatingly pale patches, exactly like killer whales.
Birthrights:
Ocean's might: Sea Monsters get +2 Strength, and can
hold their breath for lengths of time as though their stamina is three times
as high.
Meandering stream: All water runs to the Ocean, and Sea Monsters know this. They use this knowledge to Flicker Flash between any two points where water is present. (This isn't a cantrip, no role required) But like the Pooka changing forms, they can't be observed.
Frailty:
Storm's Rage: Because of their inborn aggression, Sea
Monsters are prone to frenzy. (Role Willpower difficulty 8 to resist.) While
in this frenzy they attack the source of their anger without a thought for
defense, and take no penalty for damage. The frenzy ends when they destroy
what they're attacking or when they reach incapacitated.
Affinity:
Scene
Sky People:
Sky People are tall and beautiful, and their eyes glimmer
like the stars at night. They love riddles and knowledge of all kinds, and
are fascinated by the human world.
Birthrights:
Eagles flight: Sky People have the ability to fly, provided
they have their feathered cloak with them. They can carry one person with
them, provided they keep their eyes closed.
Star's Domain: All Nunnehi can enter the Gaian Umbra through the use of a totem, but Sky People can also enter the Astral Umbra. This is done by the same method, but the person must be in flight when they cross over.
Fraily:
Feathered Cloak: If a Sky Person doesn't have their cloak
with them, then they can't fly or enter the Umbra. They may have only one
cloak dedicated to them at a time. Getting a new one requires making the cloak
itself, and getting their totem to dedicate it to them.
Affinity:
Fae
