Abilities

2021-05-06T09:43:48Z

While he is lacking in overall physical prowess, Cole has number of noteworthy abilities that benefit him, both mundane and supernatural. The most noteworthy is that, in part because of the high Clarity and his Wyrd-enhanced changeling senses, Cole is extremely aware of his surroundings at all times. He's faster to take in details with a quick glimpse of the big picture than he is when slowly pouring over the details, putting him at his best when time may be limited or he's under pressure. His memory for details is also fairly strong as a result. He's also extremely difficult to sneak up on, and good at covering his tracks. When he needs to, Cole can be fairly manipulative and relies on either the ability to intimidate others or use subterfuge to his advantage. He has also developed a higher resistance to being coerced through fear or supernatural means.

Despite not being strong he's pretty good with a knife thanks to having decent dexterity, though he's far from an expert and has room to grow. When in mundane combat, his specialty is ambush attacks, which usually work well for him since he's smaller than average. In supernatural combat, he favors either a wind knife or shadow knife, created through his Elemental Weapon Contract, with wind for damage and shadow to temporarily blind. He's well-versed as a wind-based Elemental Warrior, allowing him more proficiency with a wind-crafted weapon and letting him strike a target 10 yards away with a wind slash, as well as the chance to dodge damage from firearms. He prefers to stay defensive through, finding it easiest to defend himself with a knife in hand. His smaller stature is both a blessing and a curse, because it does allow him to more easily go unnoticed and avoid trouble, but also leaves him more vulnerable to stronger opponents. He can play into that weakness a bit by trying to make himself seem not worth the trouble compared to present allies.

Being a changeling, Cole all of the standard abilities known to his kind. Nearly every ability he has is tied to Glamour, a magical energy that can be harvested from the emotions of sentient non-Fae beings at no harm to said being, or from special goblin fruits. This energy is generally only expended willingly and doesn't run out on its own, runs the risk of slow starvation if fully expended and not replenished. He can normally sustain himself on ordinary food and drink, and actually has to the same as any human, but if his Glamour reserves run out then no amount of food or water would keep him alive. Cole's metabolism has also adapted to his Fae-nature, allowed him to heal from minor and moderate injuries twice as fast while in the Hedge or Arcadia, but has no effect on severe injuries.

All changelings, and Fae creatures in general, have one major weakness: Cold Iron. Cold Iron is hand-forged iron that has neither been touched by magic nor produced by machines and is immune to all Fae magic. Any abilities listed below can't be used on Cold Iron, and even touching it causes serious damage. Weapons made from Cold Iron cause grievous wounds as well. Cole specifically also has a much more minor aversion to alum-tanned leather, as the material can also inflict less severe damage if he's struck or bound with it. However, such leather is easily neutralized with plain water, making it less of a risk to him.

On the flipside, all Fae creatures have a higher resistance to both supernatural effects and fatigue or diseases than most average mortals. This resistance is tied to their connection to the Wyrd and isn't really enough to raise suspicion at lower Wyrd levels. Wyrd also extends the maximum lifespan of changelings though, sometimes to the point of de-aging changelings. At Wyrd 4, Cole's lifespan has been extended by 80 years and will increase by 20 more for each point it goes up in the future. Wyrd also affects the maximum Glamour a changeling can have and how much can be spent at once, with Cole being able to have 14 points and spend 3 at once. This overall means that he can use certain abilities that take more Glamour more quickly than a lower Wyrd changeling.

One of the most noteworthy powers available to all changelings is called Portalling, and lets them easily escape from any form of mundane bondage or captivity, provided there is a reasonable way out. He can't make a door appear in a doorless room, but he can just open a locked door or window, slip out of handcuffs as though they're too loose, or even escape from someone physically holding him. Portalling also works on supernatural restraints and the like, but only if his will and supernatural power can overcome the opposing force's in that moment. Portalling does not negate any consequences of escaping however, such as escaping police custody resulting in a manhunt for him.

Possibly the second most well-known power of any Fae creature is the ability to seal oaths and bargains. For a point of Glamour, Cole can invoke the Wyrd to bear witness to any statement that could be considered a promise or bargain, holding the involved party to their word. This applies to anything from promising to do one thing in exchange for something else and that being agreed to, to simply stating intent to do something in hyperbole. This is especially dangerous because failure to uphold one's word isn't enforced by Cole, but by the Wyrd which deals a punishment related to the terms of the broken agreement. So someone failing to protect a person they promise to might find themselves in danger in the near future instead, or the person being protected but failing to uphold payment may find themselves unable to be saved at all the next time due to an unfortunate circumstance. And at times, simply making such bargains or statements around Cole could entice the Wyrd to take notice without Cole doing anything at all. Because of this connection to the Wyrd, changelings are often very peculiar about their wording, and Cole is not likely to outright lie just to gain an agreement because he is just as likely to be punished for failure to uphold his word as anyone else.

Bedlam is another ability that any changeling can use, both deliberately and accidentally. When inciting bedlam on purpose, Cole projects an emotion of his choice to inflict a condition or two that fit said emotion on any sentient being in his vicinity, who could perceive him with any of their mundane senses, and fails to resist the effects...friend and foe alike. The werewolf three blocks downwind of Cole could be affected but the blind person across the busy street cannot, nor can the security guard watching Cole through the security feed. The same is true for accidental incitement, but Cole has no control over the emotional condition inflicted. He also can't force people to act in a specific way, though they may be more susceptible to manipulation towards certain actions, but the potential resulting chaos could also endanger Cole as well depending on the effects. Usually no one can identify the cause of a bedlam, but if his attempt were to backfire badly then everyone in the area would gain a negative emotional reaction to Cole that might lead to him being harmed. People who resist, simply don't feel the effects but may realize that someone attempted to manipulate their emotions. Bedlam works the best when using an emotion that he has a strong affiliation with through his Court, but the opposite is also true.

Kenning is another ability that all changelings share, allowing them the possibility of identifying supernatural items, beings, or effects in their immediate vicinity. If successful, they can sense one or more of the above, but not know what their nature is. If very successful, they can sense the nature of everything they sensed. But if the power backfires, they misread the effect of whatever they sensed instead.

Reaping is the most abhorrent ability changelings possess. By touching a sentient being, Cole can effectively rip out all of their emotions to completely restore his Glamour reserves. This leaves the victim emotionally empty and mentally ravaged, affecting their efficiency in everything they do until they can properly reaffirm themselves. The moral ramifications of this act are dangerous, as it risks damaging Cole's perception of himself and his reality. As such, he thus far only does it to people who are at least as morally repulsive as the act is.

The most understated ability all changelings have is their Mask. As almost none of them appear human anymore, due to their Keepers' and their Durance, the Wyrd hides them behind a mundane facade. When his mask is intact, Cole appears to be a completely normal teenage boy instead of a Helldiver Darkling that's 20 years old. This Mask affects all senses whether the changeling in question is awake, asleep, unconscious, or even dead. Some supernatural abilities can see past the mask, but as a general rule only Fae beings can see through the Mask when others can't. Changelings do have the ability to strengthen the Mask to the point that they're hidden from even other Fae beings temporarily. They can also forcefully shatter the Mask, revealing their true nature, called the Mien, to the world. The latter has the downside of forcefully opening any nearby Hedge Gates and making it much easier for the True Fae or their agents to track them down until the Mask can reform.

Almost every changeling fits into one of six Seemings, with Cole's being Darkling. As a Darkling, Cole has the ability to touch any insubstantial substance (smoke, a light beam, a shadow, etc) and become such for a few seconds. This lets his evade physical danger or access places he might not have otherwise been able to, but the time to do so is so short that it's not really that easy to exploit. Far more useful is his affinity for things that require more finesse. Darklings are naturally quick-thinking, dexterous, or even manipulative...and what Cole lacks physically, he makes up for in all three. Like all Darklings, Cole's main affinity for Contract magic is the Regalia, Mirror. But the downside is that Darklings risk mental harm if they learn that an important secret they had learned is untrue.

Every changeling also has s Kith, with some having two. Cole is a Helldiver, which allows him to become incorporeal as he "dives" into a ghostly plane of existence within the realm he's in. While diving, he can locate and access doors leading to other realms if they exist, and he sustains himself however the beings of the plane or realm he's in do. If he's injured to the point of dying while diving, he vanishes from that realm and finds himself in his dream Bastion (which all beings that dream have) and can later exit it like any other realm to return. Because his Bastion is his safety net, even moreso than other changelings, Cole has taken steps to fortify it so he is less vulnerable if he's forced to retreat there. He is also a somewhat deft thief and finds all acts of larceny easier in realms that aren't his own.

Most changelings opt to join a Court after their escape, to gain access to its blessings and Contracts. Being an Autumn baby whose entire Durance, skillset, and nature make him a natural fit, Cole opted for that seasonal Mantle. The Contracts that he's gained access to are mostly about invoking fear or gaining information. The biggest benefit to his Court is the fact that in Autumn the True Fae, and any acting on their behalf, may not use deception as a means to harm him or any changeling or ally of. Proper notice or other form of warning must be given, starting at a few hours for weaker True Fae and extending as far as a lunar month for the most powerful. His current Mantle level, representing how well he embodies the ideals of the Autumn Court, also lend him several abilities. It makes it easier for him to learn about things related to True Fae or Faerie, makes it easier for him to intimidate or instill fear in mundane ways, and slightly reduces the amount of Glamour it takes to use Contracts to subvert True Fae or similar Faerie creatures, as well as replenishing one point of Glamour anytime he overcomes fear to investigate something new and dangerous.

All changelings have the potential to learn any Contracts, be they Arcadian, Goblin, or Court. Each changeling has affinity for two of the Arcadian Regalia, one tied to their Seeming and one tied to them as an individual. Cole favors the Shield alongside the Darkling's Mirror, and can more easily learn their Contracts than he can other Regalia. Every changeling may learn any and all Contracts from their Court, and any one common Contract from each of the other Courts. They may also barter for Goblin Contracts from Hobgoblins. Some Contracts require specific things to be done to use them and, unless otherwise stated, a Contract's effects only last for the duration of the situation it was invoked for. Some may also potentially be resisted or avoided if the user's will or prowess aren't as strong as their opponent's. Others have the chance to fail or be botched, with botching having potentially dangerous consequences for the user. Arcadian and Court Contracts have Loopholes that negate the initial Glamour costs, and Arcadian Contracts have additional benefits for specific Seemings. These Seeming benefits can be learned from another changeling that knows the Contract in quest, which Cole learned two from his friend, Toby, who is from the Wizened Seeming.

Paralyzing Presence (Crown - Common):
This Contract requires Cole to have his target's attention, even if just in the instant he invokes it.
Cole can cause the target’s mind to perceive his as larger and more imposing or magnificent than he is in reality, overwhelming them and inflicting the Insensate Tilt. This makes the target shut down, being unable to act outside of self-defense until the current situation has been resolved somehow, or something jars them out of it such as being attacked. Otherwise they can push past the Tilt to act for a moment, but it's very difficult to do so. If he's able to truly overwhelm the target, they also gain the Cowed Condition which makes it hard, but not impossible, for them to act against him. The Condition ends when the target can either hurt or intimidate Cole, or when they've had several hours to mentally recover...probably preferably away from him.

If he fails or the target's will is too strong in that moment then nothing happens at all. If he botches the attempt then the target is so unimpressed by the attempt that the failure inflicts the Shaken Condition on Cole instead. This leaves him unnerved and skittish to the point that he will eventually inevitably fail on something simply because of his fear, at which point he would finally resolve it.
Cost: 2 Glamour
Action: Contested
Darkling: Cole may use his manipulative nature instead of projecting a greater presence to invoke this Contract. Either method is equally effective at present though.
Loophole: He's alone with and touches the target.

Boon of the Scuttling Spider (Steed - Common):
Cole perceives the world as one flat expanse and gains the ability to walk on any surface that can support his weight as though it were normal, even ground. This includes, but is not limited to, walls, ceilings, and slick surfaces too treacherous to cross. As such, he moves at normal speed, and completely unhindered. If something were to make him collapse however, he could be knocked off of the wall or ceiling he's standing on.
Cost: 1 Glamour
Action: Instant
Darkling: Cole instinctively sticks to the shadows while this contract is active, allowing him to go unnoticed more easily than other Seemings. This works especially well due to his small stature.
Loophole: He swallows a live spider.

Trivial Reworking (Jewels - Common):
Mimicking what he's seen the True Fae do, Cole can cloak a mundane item up to around half the size of the average person in his Mask and make it appear to be something else. The object retains its basic shape, so he couldn't make a red wagon appear to be a yoga ball, but otherwise the item becomes the thing he wants it to be as far as all senses are concerned. Things like counterfeit money could fool most people, but would appear as counterfeit to any official means of detection without even exposing the Mask. Any being able to see through the Mask is immune to this power, no exceptions. Someone able to sense supernatural abilities might sense the magic used on the item, but may still not realize the item itself a fake without a power that lets them see through the Mask.
Cost: 1 Glamour
Action: Instant
Darkling: Cole's ability to manipulate things makes it that much more difficult to detect a forgery. It's not impossible, just difficult.
Loophole: Cole has touched another object similar to the illusory one he's creating shortly before using this Contract.

Light-Shy (Jewels - Common):
Cole becomes invisible to all senses, effectively erasing himself from the mind. Normally, this Contract doesn't work on any sort of recording technology, but the Darkling blessing below supersedes this limitation. If he were to take any aggressive action, which is anything from shouting at to attacking or harming someone, the Contract would instantly end. This limitation also applies to inflicting supernatural effects on people. The Contract itself could be potentially detected by means of supernatural detection, but not necessarily the user unless such an ability was that specific.
Cost: 1 Glamour
Action: Instant
Darkling: For all intents and purposes, Cole completely erases himself from existence so that not even machinery can detect him.
Wizened: Cole can use an instance of Light Shy to hide an item instead of himself.
Loophole: He stands motionless in darkness or deep shadow for one minute prior to use.

Unravel the Tapestry (Mirror - Royal):
Cole can rewind time to replay the last 10 seconds. All other
characters present, except those who used a similar power in the same moment, retake their original actions as if nothing happened, though he may act first to affect small things such as warning friends of an oncoming ambush or intercepting someone or something. If he has a large success, Cole's perception of the time rewound makes it much easier to accomplish what he wants to change, though it's still not guaranteed that he'll get the outcome he wants. This Contract activates automatically if Cole dies but can pay the cost, though if he lives this time he gains the Spooked Condition, because he remembers having died. This Condition leaves him distracted and preoccupied with his death, and can't be shaken until his fascination on the subject causes him to do something that hinders his allies or complicates things. If he dies again after the rewind, that's it. The automatic activation of the Contract is limited to once per story arc.

If the Contract fails then nothing happens, but if Cole botches it then he's assaulted by a melding of reality and hallucinations which render him Insensate. If he pushes past it to act, then he's the still the slowest to react.
Cost: 2 Glamour + 1 Willpower
Action: Reflexive
Duration: Instant
Darkling: Before time restarts, Cole may move any distance up to his Stealth rating (3) in yards/meters.
Wizened: As time restarts, Cole can launch a surprise attack on one target that he can see.
Loophole: Cole has incurred a debt shortly before, which he has not repaid yet. It can be completely trivial, as long as it still needs to be repaid.

Props and Scenery (Mirror - Royal):
Success: Cole transforms into a standard version of an inanimate object up to his approximate size, with better successes allowing him to enhance the form with: limited practical mobility, varying levels of enhanced durability, varying levels of greater or reduced size, etc. Succeeding exceptionally also allows him to adopt the chosen object's form to use reflexively for a single point of Glamour, though he can’t benefit from the Loophole this way and only uses it at its most basic form. He could still use the Contract proper to access the form though.

If he fails, the Contract simply fails as well. If he botches then he momentarily becomes a misshapen mass and takes a possible hit to his sanity.
Cost: 1 Glamour + 1 Willpower
Action: Instant
Darkling: Cole can extend the Contract’s duration to last until the next sunrise or sunset, whichever comes first, if he chooses.
Loophole: He's in plain sight of multiple other people, but no one's looking at him at the moment he invokes the Contract.

Elemental Weapon (Sword - Common):
Cole grabs a chosen nearby element (fire, water, electricity, wind, etc) and shapes it into any archaic weapon of his choice. The weapon is normal for its kind, aside from its make-up, but more successes mustered with the contract let him enhance the weapon by making it more lethal or easier to wield without hindering his action speed, or enhancing the range of projectile weapons.

No weapon forms if he fails, but a botch results in a dangerous reaction from the element. It will lash out at Cole, inflicting a Tilt appropriate for the element he attempted to use.
Cost: 2 Glamour
Action: Instant
Darkling: Cole can choose to create a weapon from shadows which can blind his opponent in both eyes, instead of physically harming them if he lands a hit. This leaves the victim blind and potentially defenseless, but only for up to as long as it would take to heal an ordinary injury inflicted by that style of weapon wound naturally.
Loophole: He does a showy trick with the mundane version of the element. If he invokes the Contract immediately after, doing so then contact with the element won't hurt him if it otherwise would have.

Leaping Toward Nightfall (Steed - Royal):
Cole touches his target, an object up to roughly double the size of an average person or a sentient being, and speaks a riddle that both curses and blesses them with time. What they have will be lost, what they lost will be found. Once finished the target is sent forward in time, vanishing and then generally reappearing in the same spot at a predetermined time, and conserving its momentum if it was in motion. If something else occupies that spot now, then the target appears next to it instead. As far as the target is concerned, no time has passed and they're just as they were upon arrival. Cole can determine exactly how far forward he wants the target to travel into the future, at a minimum of one day, with more success in invoking the Contract increasing the maximum number of days he can choose. An exceptional success allows him to also send the target to the location of a person that he owes a debt, though he chooses the time and person instead of the location...meaning he might be inclined to warn the recipient, or not. Sentient beings can try to contest this Contract, with their resistance potentially shortening the travel time or even disrupting the Contract altogether. Once the Contract is active, it can't be pre-emptively ended like most others can.

Nothing happens if the Contract fails, but if Cole botches then he sends a random target instead, possibly including himself. Upon arrival, the target gains the the Volatile Condition if its an objects or the Spooked Condition if a character. Volatile objects are susceptible to backfiring or otherwise damaging or destroying themselves, as well as potentially harming whoever tries to use them. They can possibly be repaired though.
Cost: 3 Glamour + 1 Willpower
Action: Instant (Item) or contested (Sentient)
Duration: Special
Darkling: Living targets sent forward in time don’t remember the events surrounding the moments before or during Cole invoking the Contract. This effect can be reversed through supernatural means, provided the person trying has a stronger will than Cole, but is otherwise permanent.
Loophole: Cole destroys a piece of his target. These can include a hair, fingernail, or bodily fluid, another changeling's Icon, or something from the target’s dreams for sentient beings.

Autumn's Fury (Autumn - Common):
For 2 Glamour, Cole exhales until a thunderstorm forms from his breath that spreads an area of his Mantle (3) x 20 yards/meters around. This thunderstorm creates heavy rain that makes it hard to see, and winds ranging from 40-150+ MPH (65-240+ KPH). For an extra point of Glamour, the storm will also try to strike anything within the storm's radius, that isn't Cole, with lightning that is able to be dodged. Cole himself is the eye of the storm, with it moving as he does, so he is unaffected. It's possible for one or two others to occupy his bubble for safety, but he either has to be stationary, or they have to be very good at keeping pace with him.
Cost: 2 or 3 Glamour
Dice Pool: None
Action: Instant
Loophole: He lifts a metal rod into the air before lowering it to point at his enemies.

Portents and Visions (Mirror - Common):
Cole begins to recite a random list of events, objects, names, and
places, faster than a person should be able. When he stumbles upon a word that ties in to either his target’s past or present, then his eyes go white, as he sees a relevant event in that time period. For visions of the past, Cole can see either the most important event relevant to his interests or the last promise or deal that his target made. The event isn't necessarily a memory, just the actual event as it happened. For visions of the future, he sees the most important promise, deal, or event that his target is going to be part of within the next few days, which could be altered due to his actions going forward. Cole gains the Informed Condition, as does the target if he chooses to share the future event. Informed makes it so the very next action taken using the knowledge gained will yield at least a minor positive result, but never a negative one.

If the Contract fails there's no penalty, but a botch results in Cole seeing a false event that carries signs of the True Fae somehow coming for him. He gains the Paranoid Condition, which makes it difficult to be aware or function in any social situations, as well as making him more at risk of hits to his sanity through Clarity attacks. He has trouble dealing with people in any of his circles, and only a week without any signs of the True Fae, or a friend or ally sincerely approaching him to reaffirm their trustworthiness, can resolve this Condition.
Cost: 1 Glamour
Action: Contested
Duration: Instant (Minimum one minute)
Darkling: Cole can choose to see a past crime or other transgression instead, and give his target the Guilty Condition regarding that event. The Guilty Condition leaves characters less aware of lies and omission, more susceptible to intimidation, and more open to appeals to empathy. It's only resolved when the character confesses to the source of the guilt, or somehow attempts to make amends.
Loophole: He tears up a picture of his target.

Twilight’s Harbinger (Autumn - Common):
Cole chooses an event or a circumstance that he wants to see, but hasn't come to pass yet. 13 minutes before it ends, or three turns in an action scene, a creature of omens will visit him regardless of location to warn him.
Cost: 1 Glamour
Action: Instant
Duration: Until the lunar month ends, or the event happens
Loophole: Cole has something with a meaningful connection to a person vital to the chosen circumstance or event.

Discreet Summons (Crown - Royal):
Cole reaches into a small container without looking and pulls out a small, easily obtained, item that he's seen or handled before. It's a very basic, but fully functional and ready to use, item which works as expected...including a full magazine for a gun. Alternatively, he can open any door and loudly announce “I have a guest!” to find a common type of Hobgoblin standing there. It's a normal specimen of its kind and will perform one task for Cole, to the best of its ability. He can try to entice a more willing Hobgoblin by being more specific in his guest and offering payment, but it's not guaranteed to work. An exceptional success lets him pull an item roughly the size of the average human or smaller, and can also be something that's much less readily available. The hobgoblin he summons likes him and will go above and beyond to fulfill the spirit of his assignment, rather than the letter, including any follow-up tasks to ensure greater success.

The summons simply fails if Cole doesn't succeed, though if he botches he the item comes with the Volatile Condition, or the Hobgoblin means him ill. The Hobgoblin may not be overt about this
and could try to lead him or his friends into a trap, among other things. Success of fail, the object or hobgoblin vanishes once it has fulfilled its use, either when the object leaves the user’s hands or when everyone stops paying attention to it. The Hobgoblin simply dismisses itself.
Cost: 1 Glamour (Object) or 2 Glamour (Hobgoblin)
Action: Instant (Object) or contested (Hobgoblin)
Darkling: He can pull the object or summon the hobgoblin out of any sufficiently large dark space or shadow.
Loophole: Cole pulls the object from a space owned or guarded by, an enemy. Or he promises the hobgoblin something which is difficult for him to obtain, and keeps that promise.

Shared Burden (Shield - Common):
Cole inflicts damage on himself and lets his blood flow onto his
target’s body so that his Glamour knits their wounds closed. For
every point of lethal damage he inflicts upon herself, the Contract will heal two points of damage on the target. It heals bashing first, which is bruising and blunt force damage, followed by lethal which is injuries that draw blood. This Contract can’t heal aggravated damage like burns and supernatural weakness though. No magic can be used to heal the damage that he's done to himself by using this Contract, so he has to recover naturally.
Cost: 2 Glamour
Dice Pool: None
Action: Instant
Duration: Instant
Loophole: He's holding a strip of skin, four inches or longer, from whatever creature inflicted the injuries that he's healing.

Heart of Ice (Winter - Common):
Cole’s skin takes on a pallid blue color that spreads out from his chest until he looks frozen. While this Contract is active, he's immune to all effects from both supernatural and mundane cold, all Environmental Tilts except ones that create heat, as well as any damage that consists only of ice or cold with no other physical component. His heart literally freezes solid, making him immune to attacks that specifically target the heart as well. He becomes immune to all emotional Conditions, both positive and negative.
Cost: 2 Glamour
Action: Reflexive
Loophole: Cole stands barefoot in something cold, such as snow or a bucket of ice for a few moment minus his Winter Mantle (0) before invoking the Contract.

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Cole Harrison

Seasons - Runover

Inbox - Seasons

Info/Permissions

Background

Mask and Mien

Personality

Abilities