Bright One is a sub-type of the Fairest seeming. They are changelings who came from light; will-o’-the-wisps, bright elves, White Ladies and other beings of light and fire and ice from all over the world. Theirs is the blessing of the Goblin Illumination.
Overview
The word “faeries” often carries the connotation of “luminous being.” Bright Ones are the bastard halfchildren of those luminous beings, carried off for a certain vibrant spark within them that was made into a more literal enlightenment. Bright Ones are the aspect of radiant beauty, of loveliness so intense that it gives off its own illumination. The light they radiate may seem almost natural at times, but more often it gives off a strange and unearthly hue — the coloration of things under goblin light may seem strange and disquieting. Some Bright Ones develop a faint fear of the dark, conditioned as they are to savor the light they provide. Others are quite comfortable in darkness and dusk, finding it soothing to have the choice of light rest with their own power and not their environment. They may live like lighthouse keepers in stark isolation, or let the acid neon lights of the city wash over them like pale admirers. The gift of Goblin Illumination doesn’t automatically come with any particular distinctive feature. Still, most Bright Ones seem to have some level of ambient lighting around them. Their hair often appears as if sunlight were shining through it, and some may have lambent eyes. In some cases, a Bright One’s heart glows brightly enough to be seen through his flesh. Some Bright Ones look uncomfortably angelic, reflecting Keepers of similar mien. It is less than reassuring for changelings of faith to contemplate the idea of the Others mocking angels — or, far worse, being the only angels the universe has to offer.
Durance
Bright Ones were meant to be seen, if not always distinctly. They were kept as will-o’- the-wisp lures, dangled as bait to bring in roaming travelers for their Keepers’ amusement. Bright Ones served as furniture, ornamentation and illumination at the same time. They waited in mirrored halls, their own radiance reflected back on them a thousandfold, helping to keep the dark ones their Keepers feared so much at bay. Bright Ones were kept in ornate chandelier cages, dangling from the ceiling, lowered by a turn of the crank when their Keepers desired closer company. Wherever light was desired, Bright Ones might have been. Wherever the blinding light of a living sun rose from a divan to caress one of its servants, the light may have passed on.
Folklore
The peris of Persian lore were often described as luminous, occasionally appearing to mortals and often persecuted by the evil divs that kept the peris in captivity. Many travelers were led astray by strange lights on the British moors or the African plains. Modern UFO lore also often describes the “visitors” as shining brightly, their alien features obscured by the light they emanate. They may also mirror specific bits of angelic lore, such as the burning wheels of the ofanim.
Frailties
Repelled by black candles, cannot speak at night, cannot eat honey, injured by pewter, counting compulsions (holes that emanate light, like a sieve held before the sun), cannot cut or break string.
References
- Changeling: The Lost (Rulebook), p. 113
- Winter Masques, p. 80