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The Mists are the mechanisms that hide the world of the Faeries from the world of Humans. They induct a feeling of forgetfulness in their target that makes them overlook chimerical acts or declare them as delusions or find "rational" explanations for what they saw.

The Mists are similar to the Delirium and the Fog, mainly in the aspect that they hide the supernatural from mortal eyes.

Overview[]

Mists01

The Mists were originally protective wards erected by the Fae to hide from mortal sight. Over the ages, they became infected with Banality and now hide the Dreaming wherever it sprouts in the mortal world. Since the Changelings are part human, the Mists also obstruct them from the Dreaming and of their memories as faeries or their time in Arcadia. Only using Glamour can protect a Changeling from the Mists.

The Mists, however, do part in some cases on their own. Most occur during dreams, when the link between the mind and the Dreaming is at its strongest. Most of these memories do not last and are again claimed by the Mists once the dream ends. Other ways to ward them off include Enchantment, which involves the infusion of Glamour into a target and allow even ordinary mortals to experience the world of the Faeries.

Effects[]

The following chart is consulted when a changeling or enchanted being is "killed" by chimerical damage, when an unenchanted person witnesses a chimerical effect, or when enchantment wears off. For a Changeling, the re-infusion of Glamour brings back all memories of themselves.

Mists Chart
Banality Duration of Coma Memory
0 One Minute Total Recall: Everything is remembered with perfect clarity.
1 One Hour Startling Clarity: The whole encounter is remembered as if it happened yesterday.
2 Six Hours Hazy Memory: Almost everything is remembered, although a few of the details may be hazy.
3 12 Hours Disoriented: The person is slightly confused and probably a little shaken but still able to recall most of the experience, but many details are vague.
4 One Day Uncertainty: The subject has a vague memory of what happened but has serious doubts about the validity of the recollections.
5 Three Days Haze: Hazy recollections are possible but the memories are doubted; put aside as momentary delusion without physical proof.
6 One Week Flashbacks: The person may experience occasional, vivid flashbacks of the time enchanted but otherwise it will seem like a long-past dream.
7 Two Weeks Dreamlike Quality: Only vague, dreamlike images are remembered and doubts are predominant.
8 One Month Distant Dream: Something must provoke a memory and even if that should happen it's just remembered as a faded dream.
9 Four Months Complete Denial: There are only faint scraps of dreamlike memories but the person denies anything happened.
10 One Year Complete Blank: The person remembers absolutely nothing of their time with the Fae.

The Mists of Forgetfulness & the Dreaming[]

The Dreaming protects itself with the Mists from anything with Banality, including changelings. No matter how much time a changeling may stay in the Mythic Realms to wash away the taint of Banality, a Banal Shiver, still remains. To stay long enough to erase that taint would inevitably mean Bedlam.

The Mists are directly affected by the level of Glamour and Banality residing within anyone they touch. The higher the Glamour, the less the target is swayed. The higher the Banality, the more the target is influenced. The following is a guideline chart but the Storyteller has final say.

A character's Banality and Glamour should be subtracted from each other to come up with the below rating. A character with a Glamour of 6 and Banality of 3 would have a Glamour rating of three for these purposes. Banality can sometime dominate, even in the fae.

Time lapse refers to how long the effects last while the character is in the Dreaming. "Permanent" indicates that any side effect lasts for as long as the character is in the Dreaming, or until their rating changes.

Rating Mist Effect Time Lapse
10 Glamour For all intents and purposes, this person is completely connected to the Dreaming. The Mists simply work to protect them as there is no need to defend itself. No Changeling could ever hope to achieve this level. Instantaneous
9 Glamour The character may suffer very minor disorientation in the Dreaming, but already feels instantly at home. Instantaneous
8 Glamour Strong memories of past lives return very quickly, but the character is likely to be left confused by the influx of recollections. 1 Turn
7 Glamour Images of past lives come back to the character, but none make sense initially. Faces and things that should be familiar are, instead, very distracting. 2 Turns
6 Glamour As memories of the past return, the character is left in a state of disbelief. Most of the spectacular events that occur have no influence on the character's state of mind. They remain blasé about the situation. 3 Turns
5 Glamour The character might spend hours, if left to themself, to try and understand why certain aspects of the Dreaming are so familiar. Many even get cold chills as the images of their past lives try, in vain, to resurface. 1 Scene
4 Glamour The character only remembers faint images with no real connection to any coherent memories. 1 Day
3 Glamour The character is likely to give in to their fae nature, but actually remains unaware of many changes going on in their way of thinking and behaving. 1 Week
2 Glamour While fascinated by the Dreaming, the character remembers nothing of their past lives. 1 Month
1 Glamour The character cannot easily comprehend the nature of the Dreaming and is often distracted by the sights and sounds around them. Nothing is familiar, and all of it is a new wonder. Most enchanted mortals are at this stage when the enter the Dreaming Permanent
0 Glamour The character is effectively unaware of the Dreaming, even if they are walking through the most amazing place it has to offer. In a short time, memories of the Waking World begin to fade slightly. They remain aware of the Flesh Realm but have trouble remembering what it feels like to wait in a bank line or work hard for little. Permanent
1 Banality * As above Permanent
2 Banality * The character begins to act with hostility toward anyone who comes close. Fear is the primary motivator, as the natural instinct for preservation takes over in a place the character is incapable of comprehending. Permanent
3 Banality * Confusion over the strange lands and the stranger people occupying them holds sway over the character. Everything is frightening and all Willpower rolls suffer a +2 Difficulty. Permanent
4 Banality * Confusion gives way to hatred. Most characters stuck in the Dreaming as this level are halfway to becoming Dauntain and hunting down the "demons" they see all around them. Permanent
5 Banality * Many characters can't stand the sights around them if they reach this level of Banality. They lash out at anything within striking range, as they battle their own beliefs in the mundane. Permanent
6 Banality * The character refuses to believe anything they see, knowing on a deep level of their soul that they must have lost their mind. Permanent
7 Banality +* The character is completely overwhelmed by the very concept of the Dreaming. Unless attacked, they can do nothing but stare around themself, lost in thought and contemplation. Permanent
8 Banality +* The world no longer makes sense. The character is likely to attack anything and everything in order to make is all go away and return them to their "own world." Permanent
9 Banality +* The character's mind gives way to unconsciousness rather than confront the surrounding truth. They are effectively useless as anything other than an over-sized marionette. Permanent
10 Banality The character is unable to enter the Dreaming. Should they actually manage it somehow, the Mythic Realm responds with violence, destroying this blight that attacks it so blatantly. Permanent
Individuals marked * may only enter the Dreaming aided by Enchantment (for humans). Garou and Mages have other ways of entering.

Individuals marked + are noted by the Dreaming and it may lash out if they do anything to cause it harm. Those standing too close to these lost souls could be destroyed in any action the Dreaming deems necessary.

The Mists & Leaving the Dreaming[]

The Mists also affect individuals who leave the Mythic Realms. When a person leaves the Dreaming, certain aspects of their memories become obscured. Banality sets in, and many people begin to forget everything they learned while in the Dreaming. See the chart below. Again, find the difference between Glamour and Banality.

Time Lapse here refers to how long the clearest memories of the Dreaming last before they begin to fade

Rating Mist Effect Time Lapse
10 Glamour The character remembers everything about the Dreaming. However, as Banality sets in, the memories will fade. None
9 Glamour The character remembers most of what happened in the Dreaming None
8 Glamour Strong memories of everything that occurred exist, but they fade in time or become confused. 1 Week
7 Glamour Strong memories still exist, but disbelief begins to set in. Whether or not the character remembers the events, they begin to take on a dream-like quality. 3 Days
6 Glamour Most of the finer details no longer come to light for the character. Past lives begin to fade, and only the most significant events remain with the character. 1 Day
5 Glamour The character begins to lose even the strongest memories and recalls only the faintest details. Travels through the Dreaming seem less substantial than the waking world and are often thought of as little more than a dream. 1 Scene
4 Glamour Past associations brought to light in the Dreaming become irrelevant. Even the most important events and revelations seem trivial. 1 Turn
3 Glamour The events that took place in the Dreaming are still real for the character, but the memories are too faded. Something happened, but the character couldn't tell anyone what that something was. Instantaneous
2 Glamour It was a lovely dream, but the character remembers nothing more than having had a dream that was pleasant (or horrific, as the case may be). Instantaneous
1 Glamour The character starts wondering just where the last few days went. Nothing substantial can be remembered, beyond whose company the character shared during that time. Instantaneous
0 Glamour Full-scale amnesia. The character has no idea that anything unusual has occurred, and they couldn't explain to anyone why they didn't show up to work. While they have no memories, the character is certain that everything is OK anyway. Chances are they simply believe the had a bad head cold or was exhausted and in need of rest. Instantaneous
1 Banality Time is missing and the character begins to wonder if, perhaps, there's some mental aberration or nervous disorder that could have made them forget the past few days. Instantaneous
2 Banality If questioned about why the last few days of memory are a blank, the character is likely to seek psychological help. A few disturbing images might come to mind if the character concentrates and really struggles to remember what happened. Instantaneous
3+ Banality There are no memories at all of what happened in the Dreaming. The very concept of such a place does not fit into the character's accepted views of the world, and the notion of elves or faeries is absolutely ridiculous. Instantaneous

Denizens & the Mists[]

Occupying the borderland betwixt dream and waking, the Mists were traditionally seen as little more than a place of transition. Entering the Dreaming, a changeling might shed their human cares here, opening themselves to the wonders of the Dreaming. For those passing from the Dreaming into the Waking World, it is a place where the Bedlam of the Dreaming ends and a changeling's human side may again become grounded in reality. Lately, the Mists have become a place of dark, furtive movement. Few changelings, even those of the Unseelie Court, would take advantage of the Mists' confusion to attack their fellow Kithain. Most Denizens feel no such restraint. Here, dark chimera and Denizens attempt to confuse or lure changelings from the safety of the Silver Path. It was in the Mists where the last great assault against the sidhe occurred during their exodus from the Dreaming in 1969. Since then, certain Denizens (usually opportunistic bandits) gather here, hoping to use the mnemonic Mists' amnesia-inducing qualities to cover their assaults or to watch the waking world. Despite the advantages the previously enjoyed, Denizens are no more immune to the Mists than are changelings. Recent security along the Silver Path has improved and all but the most naive of changelings are aware of the dangers there.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. CTD: Changeling: The Dreaming Second Edition Buy it from DriveThruRPG! Now in Print!, p.67
  2. CTD: Dreams and Nightmares, pp. 125-127.
  3. CTD. Denizens of the Dreaming, p. 28.
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