Sluagh
(SLOO-ah)
Quote: “Why did you come here to my attic and disturb my rest? Are you here to find something from long
ago? Be careful you don’t open something you can’t close…”
Called the underfolk by many, the sluagh are often pariah even among
other fae. Though rumours persist of underground catacombs and mazelike lairs, most sluagh prefer crumbling Victorian mansions
to dank sewers. Places dark and forgotten attract them. Those who intrude into their inner sanctums often leave with nightmares.
Just as they value secrets and mysteries, sluagh treasure their privacy, and do a great deal to foster reputations that discourage
visitors.
Loremasters say that these Kithain were once Russian faeries who
lived under mountains or mortal hearths. Now they live out of sight in the cracks of the world, hidden until they choose to
venture out, sometimes to court, sometimes to mortal environs. Whether they live in parlours or crawlspaces, sluagh are unsettlingly
polite and have a great love of formality. Such is even more unnerving to the other kith; boggan rumours hint at secret sluagh
rituals, sacrifice and wild carnage under the earth. The underfolk enjoy the effect they have on outsiders, and are amused
at the reputation they have acquired. Even redcaps fear their clammy touch.
Despite their preference for quiet, adventurous sluagh do visit the
surface courts, cultivate friendships and enter oath bonds with outsiders. They will go out of their way to aid or protect
an outsider who has shown them respect or friendship. These good deeds are frequently misinterpreted by other suspicious changelings,
so such relationships are often brief. Still, even sluagh who find a clique they can trust need to have a secret place to
which they can retreat.
The underfolk collect information (secrets are better, though), and
barter their knowledge to interested parties. Revelation is joy; the more unsettling the revelation, the greater the joy.
While Seelie sluagh use their knowledge for more noble ends, Unseelie sluagh can make a crooked living through blackmail.
Secrets are but one commodity to them, though. Broken toys, strange knickknacks and anything resonant with nostalgia makes
for an excellent item of trade. Outsiders are mystified by the value sluagh place on these items, but then again, perversity
is the sluagh’s trademark.
Though it is said that all sluagh follow Unseelie ways, they rarely
throw in behind either Court, keeping instead to themselves. Among their own kind, these kith are generous and almost painfully
formal. They regard each other with deep respect, and band together against outsiders if need be. Shrouded in mystery, the
sluagh hold the secrets of their kith closest of all as they cultivate their image. In darkness they thrive.
Appearance: Sluagh are pale and grotesque, yet oddly compelling. Some unfathomable deformity seems to cling to
them like leprosy. They lack teeth and have small, tired, mysterious eyes. They carry a vague odour of decay, a smell that
grows more pungent with age. Sluagh favour archaic clothing, usually black and always intricate.
Lifestyle: The most civilised sluagh frequent dusty mansions, antique shops or musty libraries. The most decrepit
seek out the underworld, lurking in sewers, crawlspaces and forgotten places beneath metropoli. They are shy, yet territorial,
demanding adherence to extensive rules of etiquette and protocol other fae don’t fully understand. Hermits and recluses
by nature, they don’t like to be disturbed without good reason. They always maintain private spots to which they can
retreat, even if they are in motleys.
Childlings are street urchins who take very poor care of their
appearance. Their clothes are torn, their hair is dishevelled, and they arouse great sympathy for their suffering. They delight
in all that disgusts human children, and hold a strong affinity for hidden places.
Wilders are the guardians of the uncovered spots of the world.
As they grow older, their skin grows paler and their hair turns jet black. They have dark hollow eyes and elongated limbs,
fingers and toes.
Grumps age at an alarming rate. Their skin hangs on them like
it is somehow too large for them, their hair is soon streaked with shocking grey, and their bodies become warped, stooped
and crooked. Oddly enough, they seem to enjoy this. Sluagh prize decay in many forms, and this is but one more.
Affinity: Prop.
Birthrights:
Squirm - Dislocating body parts is a popular amusement for these desiccated creatures. Confining them is almost
impossible. Although they cannot change their shape or mass, underfolk can contort into disquieting shapes with unnatural
ease. This requires a few minutes of entertainment and a roll of Dexterity + Athletics; the difficulty ranges from a 6 (escaping
from ropes) to a 10 (worming through the bars of a locked cell). The only substance that can completely imprison them is,
of course, cold iron.
A sluagh cannot use this Birthright in the presence of mortals or
the unenchanted.
Sharpened Senses - The unusual upbringing of these fae heightens their senses. Subtract two from any Perception roll a
sluagh makes (to a minimum of 3). They may see through illusory magic by making a roll of Perception + Alertness (difficulty
7).
This Birthright always functions normally.
It is impossible for sluagh to botch Stealth or Alertness rolls.
Frailty:
Curse of Silence - Sluagh cannot speak above a whisper, no matter how hard they strain to be heard. Since they dislike
social situations and hold to very odd rules of etiquette, add two to the difficulty of all their Social rolls.
While a sluagh may not appear to whisper to mortal ears, the individual
in question in question is usually quite soft-spoken.
Outlook:
Listen closely and you may learn a thing or two from Elspeth Danvers,
Collector of Antiquities.
On Boggans - How
ambitious! To creep and listen and gossip!
On Eshu - Their
stories are their secrets, warm living things, not the cold knowledge we drag from the grave. Listen well when they speak.
On Nockers - How
singularly insecure they are, eternally seeking praise. The best one might hope for is to learn some new profanity.
On Pooka - Good
for a laugh, even if they do live in a world of lies.
On Redcaps - These
pit bulls know only madness, not fear. I know things that would leave them shaking.
On Satyrs - They
believe knowledge is hidden only in joy and lust. They do not know the wisdom of silence and sadness.
On Sidhe - They
are not without their shame, the mightiest of all. If you knew what I know of them….
On Trolls - So
stoic and brave…what hides in your heart? What pain do you bear?