Okay, bear with me, it's going to be a bit long.
In books like Nobles: the Shining Host or The Fool's Luck, we learnt that the sidhe who just came back to Earth from Arcadia with the Resurgence, though forgetful of Arcadia and their purpose in coming back because of the Mists, retained much of their ancient powers as Arcadian fae. They still had access to most of their Arts and even ancient words of power forgotten on Earth. This explains in part why they were victorious in the Accordance War, despite their unfamiliarity with the Waking Lands and their frailty regarding Banality. It is hinted in the different sourcebooks that this may be explained because of the peculiar Changeling Way used by the sidhe: they replaced their human host's soul with their own, sending the human soul back to Arcadia. Having not really mingled with a human soul, the fae spirit retained most of her powers.
Yet, other sidhe had decided to incarnate in yet-unborn children. How did this work is left unexplained (the Dreaming might be simply fickle.) Thus, they were born later and not in 1969. We also have examples of sidhe who came back after the Resurgence itself. For instance, in "Quixote Syndrome", the story in The Book of Storyteller's Secrets, first ed., the character of Naise of House Liam is exiled by his once-lover in Arcadia, Keridwen. These sidhe had later Chrysalis and so when their faerie mien emerged, they were less powerful. For instance, in the Immortal Eyes trilogy, Eleighanara was a Fiona sidhe and was in her late 10s or early 20s in 1995 (so she must have been born somewhere around 1975).
Question 1): May we consider these sidhe as Autumn sidhe? It was not considered like this in previous books, as only the sidhe of House Scathach suffered the stigmas associated with Autumn sidhe. But why not? I mean, if they didn't bond with a human soul, why would they be less powerful?
Still other sidhe chose to undergo the Changeling Way as commoners do: instead of sending it back to Arcadia, they mingled their fae spirit with a yet unborn human soul. These ones are, properly called, the Autumn sidhe. Apart from the Scathach, we know that a handful of sidhe, most of them from Houses Liam and Fiona, from other houses chose this way. Also, it is said that Gwydion himself chose the Changeling Way during the Shattering and was reincarnated several times. In the Immortal Eyes trilogy, it is strongly suggested that Morgan is the reincarnation of a powerful Eiluned sorceress who came back during the Resurgence and died during the Battle of the Redwoods and who was the sister of the Queen of Munster in Ireland.
Question 2): To me this means that during the Second Resurgence, the sidhe of Houses Beaumayn, Aesin, etc. were for the most part Arcadian sidhe and thus very powerful. So how do you handle a PC from a newly returned house? In The Book of Lost Houses, the starting PCs are just regular ones, which seems not logical to me. A regular beginning PC must have been born at the time of the Resurgence (so around 1969 or 1999) and then must have had her Chrysalis at least six years later (I think it is very uncommon to have Chrysalis before the age of six), so not before 1975 for the sidhe who came with the first Resurgence (or so, which fits for Eleighnara) or before 2005 for the sidhe who came with Second Resurgence.
Question 3): What about Arcadian commoners who came back with their sidhe lords and ladies?
My game is set in 2002-2003. A player from my group wants to play an Eiluned sorceress. I have three options: either she returned in 1969 or 1999 (but then it means that she must be very powerful, which is not fit for a starting PC) or she returned at a later date, which means that she incarnated differently. Or she might even be an Autumn sidhe, though it is unlikely for an Eiluned sidhe (but it may be a very good opportunity for an interesting character story).
How do you handle these matters?
In books like Nobles: the Shining Host or The Fool's Luck, we learnt that the sidhe who just came back to Earth from Arcadia with the Resurgence, though forgetful of Arcadia and their purpose in coming back because of the Mists, retained much of their ancient powers as Arcadian fae. They still had access to most of their Arts and even ancient words of power forgotten on Earth. This explains in part why they were victorious in the Accordance War, despite their unfamiliarity with the Waking Lands and their frailty regarding Banality. It is hinted in the different sourcebooks that this may be explained because of the peculiar Changeling Way used by the sidhe: they replaced their human host's soul with their own, sending the human soul back to Arcadia. Having not really mingled with a human soul, the fae spirit retained most of her powers.
Yet, other sidhe had decided to incarnate in yet-unborn children. How did this work is left unexplained (the Dreaming might be simply fickle.) Thus, they were born later and not in 1969. We also have examples of sidhe who came back after the Resurgence itself. For instance, in "Quixote Syndrome", the story in The Book of Storyteller's Secrets, first ed., the character of Naise of House Liam is exiled by his once-lover in Arcadia, Keridwen. These sidhe had later Chrysalis and so when their faerie mien emerged, they were less powerful. For instance, in the Immortal Eyes trilogy, Eleighanara was a Fiona sidhe and was in her late 10s or early 20s in 1995 (so she must have been born somewhere around 1975).
Question 1): May we consider these sidhe as Autumn sidhe? It was not considered like this in previous books, as only the sidhe of House Scathach suffered the stigmas associated with Autumn sidhe. But why not? I mean, if they didn't bond with a human soul, why would they be less powerful?
Still other sidhe chose to undergo the Changeling Way as commoners do: instead of sending it back to Arcadia, they mingled their fae spirit with a yet unborn human soul. These ones are, properly called, the Autumn sidhe. Apart from the Scathach, we know that a handful of sidhe, most of them from Houses Liam and Fiona, from other houses chose this way. Also, it is said that Gwydion himself chose the Changeling Way during the Shattering and was reincarnated several times. In the Immortal Eyes trilogy, it is strongly suggested that Morgan is the reincarnation of a powerful Eiluned sorceress who came back during the Resurgence and died during the Battle of the Redwoods and who was the sister of the Queen of Munster in Ireland.
Question 2): To me this means that during the Second Resurgence, the sidhe of Houses Beaumayn, Aesin, etc. were for the most part Arcadian sidhe and thus very powerful. So how do you handle a PC from a newly returned house? In The Book of Lost Houses, the starting PCs are just regular ones, which seems not logical to me. A regular beginning PC must have been born at the time of the Resurgence (so around 1969 or 1999) and then must have had her Chrysalis at least six years later (I think it is very uncommon to have Chrysalis before the age of six), so not before 1975 for the sidhe who came with the first Resurgence (or so, which fits for Eleighnara) or before 2005 for the sidhe who came with Second Resurgence.
Question 3): What about Arcadian commoners who came back with their sidhe lords and ladies?
My game is set in 2002-2003. A player from my group wants to play an Eiluned sorceress. I have three options: either she returned in 1969 or 1999 (but then it means that she must be very powerful, which is not fit for a starting PC) or she returned at a later date, which means that she incarnated differently. Or she might even be an Autumn sidhe, though it is unlikely for an Eiluned sidhe (but it may be a very good opportunity for an interesting character story).
How do you handle these matters?
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