Adventuresfo r the Rest o f Us

Che Hero is You

Phil Bruccrto, Christopher Hall

and Jessica Hammer,
with
Alexandra Ceelie, Catherine Darensbourg,
Kristen Clmore and Jonathan Woodhouse
 S m o k e, M irro r an d M u se, Inc.
an d
L a u g h in g P a n P ro d u ctio n s, Inc.
P re se n t

Everyday Heroes: Adventures for the Rest of Us

A Sagabookfor Deliria: Faerie Tales fo r a New Millennium®

B y P h il B ru cato , C h risto p h e r H all an d Je s sic a H a m m e r,

w ith A le x a n d ra C eelie, C a th e rin e D a re n sb o u rg ,
K riste n E lm o re an d Jo n a th a n W o o d h o u se

© 2005 Laughing Pan Productions, Inc.

Published by:
Smoke, Mirror and Muse, Inc.
P.O. Box 23834
Rochester, NY 14692-3834

Stock Number LPD 779

ISBN: 1-932115-02-1

We welcome your comments and suggestions about this book.

Please write to us at:

Laughing Pan Productions

Attention: Deliria Team
P.O. Box 23834
Rochester, NY 14692-3834

Visit our website at: www.laughingpan.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electric or mechanical means, including
information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
brief passages in review. Laughing Pan Productions is a division of Smoke, Mirror and Muse, Inc. Smoke, Mirror and M use® and
Deliria® are protected and registered trademarks in the United States o f America. Laughing Pan Productions™ and the Laughing
Pan Productions logo™ are Trademarks o f Laughing Pan Productions, Inc.

Distributed in the United States by regional distributors.

Published by Smoke, Mirror and Muse, Inc.

Printed in China.
Credit W here D ue A dditional Chanks to ...
Conceptual Design: Phil Brucato Mom, for sustaining both dreamer and dream.

Authors: Phil Brucato, Christopher Hall, and Lori Grace, for trust and support.
Jessica H am m er, with Alexandra Ceelie, Lady Phoenix, for being a brilliant and beautiful
Catherine Darensbourg, Kristen Elmore, inferno.
and Jonathan W oodhouse
Dragonchylde and Render, for love and dementia.
Editing and Proofreading: Lindsay Woodcock
El, for sharing the Faeries with the Pan.
Cover Art: Ruby, with Sherry Willet
Sooj and Kevin, for weaving songs and fire.
Art Direction and Graphic Design: Phil Brucato
Karl and Julie, for com ing through with style!
and Sherry Willet
Scott, for his patch-work.
Typesetting and Layout: Sherry Willet
Chris and Bekka, for Dragon-fire.
Artwork: Olga Bosserdt, John Bridges and Caitlin
Kevin and Matt, for hanging in there.
Bridges, Phil Brucato, Matthew Tito Cuenca,
Heather Kreiter, Stephanie Pui-Mon Law, Hope, for learning to dance again.
Elizabeth Jordan Leggett, Ruby, Robert Scott,
W olf and Kitty, for laughter and tears and
Audre Vysniauskas, and Sherry Willet
all in between.
Photography: M ayang Adnin and W illiam Smith,
Megan and Scott, for giving Deliria a home.
Phil Brucato, A nn Lenore Taylor
Elaine, for courage, integrity and prosperity.
Compact Game System Design: Phil Brucato,
Francesca, for love, communication and trust.
Karl Lepp and Julianne Lepp, with Scott Havens
Kristal, for sharing the Temple.
Laughing Pan Logo: M ark Jackson and Phil Brucato
And m ost especially to Lady Glitterpaws, for love and
General Lack of Sleep: Elizabeth Campbell,
trees and barefoot runs through darkness.
Kevin DiVico, Kristen Elmore, Scott Havens,
Kay Hoddy, Lynna Landstreet, Julianne Lepp,
Jerem y Putnam, Christopher and Rebecca Sloane, Much love a n d thanks to you all!
Stacy Storer, Ann Lenore Taylor, Burton Taylor,
Matthew Wood, Jonathan Woodhouse, and
Valencia, our Fed-Ex faerie!
 Adventuresfo r the Rest o f Us

Contents

Introduction:
W here Have all the Heroes Gone? i-v

Chapter 1: S lipping Ch rough the Cracks 1-29

C hapter 2: Che Hero in the Mirror 30-61

C hapter 3: More H um an C han H um an 62-83

C hapter 4: “Once, Chere W a s ...” 84-121

C hapter 5: Miracles Next Door 122-141

 lie saw three knights o tne bord.
He wer^e all o f A rth u r’s C o u rt— Cwalc
i O wain. Entranced b y ths sig
motb ^ h a t these b e in g s were. “ I V -
, t r y s o n ,” said she. " B y m y faith,*’ sai
‘ i w ill g o and become an angel w ith them,
g o e s t meet them , and soon learns w h at th e) k
O w ain c o u rtso u c lains to him the use ot a saddJ
_ . M eld , a w o a ll th e ac c o u tre m e n ts o f w artare
*rt th n g p ic k e d o u t a b o n y pie
r>' tor. i :d him up in a sa d d le a
de tw iffs. an d im itated from™ th ose
•cii
 INTRODUCTION:
WHEflE HAVE E L THE HEflOES GONE!
You're gonna think I'm crazy.
But the trees talk to me.
Not in voices. I'm not psychotic or
anything. But I can feel something inside
them that says "Hey, I'm alive." It's not as
simple as words. It's a feeling. I've always
had it. Back when I was a kid, there was a
magnolia tree in our front yard, whenever
Mom went looking for me, I was usually
roof-high up that tree, with a book in my
hands. No wonder Mom went gray early! I
was a quiet kid, but was never good at doing
what I was told.
So anyway, I never worried about
climbing that tree, she said it was okay.
The tree did, that is. she would take care of
me, and if I fell it was only because I was
being dumb and not trusting her. So I never
doubted and I never fell. There are plenty of
trees I've climbed before and since, but never
— not once — have I fallen out of one.
See, I listen to them. The ones who talk
to me, I trust. The ones who stay quiet, or
who warn me away, I don't climb those trees.
We havi an understanding, the trees and 1.1
don't carve in 'em, break off branches, throw
trash in t he woods or chop 'em down, and
they don't dump me when I climb up in them.
There's a language in the trees, y'know.
They watch everything nearby. They taste
it through their roots and brush it with their
branches. Birds bring them gossip, ants eat
little notes in the bark. Everything that stops
or dies or pisses near a tree leaves a little bit
of itself in that tree's body. Everything that
munches on some leaves or climbs up branches
is remembered somehow. So every tree is a
living museum, a little bit of history that can
speak to you if you know how to listen.
when I climb a tree, I can feel its stories.
They sing beneath niy hands and feet, vibrate
through my soles and fingers. Here, gimme
your hand.
Feel it? Deeper.
Now?
Yep.
Believe me nowI
Heh.
Scared yet?
No? Good.
Let's go running in the woods. Tell me
what you hear...

D ra w in g the e d g e
Everyone has a hero inside. Few o f us ever let him
out, but he’s there. Underneath each day’s distractions,
the hero lies sleeping. Someday, when you least expect it,
som ething m ay happen to set that hero free.
Who is this hero? H e’s courage. Resourcefulness.
The core o f inner strength we have when things get bad.
H e can and will run through fire i f you really need to —
provided you’re willing to feel the heat as well. H e’s power
on the hoof. W hen he appears, everything changes.
The hero isn ’t really male. Or female, either. The
hero is whatever gender you need him to be. At first
glance, he seem s old-fashioned, a Don Quixote charging
windm ills. Ah, but i f he’s a fool, then like Quixote, he’s a
marvelous fool! Even when he dies, the hero inspires us.
W here have all our heroes gone? Why does it
seem that we m ust look to “once upon a tim e” before
the White Knight appears? Maybe it’s because the hero
scares us. He demands responsibility. Life doesn’t just
hand you adventure; like King Arthur, you m ust grasp
an opportunity and draw it out. Otherwise, your blade
is stuck. You walk on past the might-have-beens where
Camelot could have risen, had you only had the guts to act.
Well, this is a book about acting, both in the sense
o f acting when action is required and in the sense o f acting
through roleplay. For 30-some-odd years, adventure games
have told us how to play wizards, meres, warriors and
thieves. This is a book about playing the m ost incredible
kinds o f heroes: norm al folks who, when challenged, rise
to greatness.
W h a t’s an everyday Hero?
A n everyday hero is the soul o f Everym an (or
Everywom an, as the case m ay be). A lth ou gh the w orld
expects heroes w ith superpow ers, this p erson gets by
m ore or less w ithout them . H e ’s got a fam ily; sh e’s got a
job. This hero’s headquarters is his home. He m ight have
m uscles, but he’s not brawny; she m ight look elfin, but
she’s not an elf. These folks go to work or school; they
watch TV or paint or play Everquest, w ishing that they
could be... y’know, heroic. And then som ething happens,
and they discover that they are.
Anyone can be a hero, especially in faerie tales.
Teachers, dancers, children, even pets can step across the
threshold o f the m undane world and find Deliria. Who
are these people? What are their stories? How can you run
them in a game, and what sorts o f sagas m ight they share?
This sourcebook deals with just plain folks — their traits
and talents, fears and glories. W e’ll explore the types o f
characters you can play, the obstacles they can encounter,
the places where their adventures begin and the gifts that
help them survive in a very strange world.
Hi; I’m Deliria’s creator. W hen I first began working
on Deliria: Faerie Tales fo r a New Millennium, I w asn ’t
certain where to go with it. I knew that I wanted to say
something different with the game. Intrigued by faerie tales
and urban legends, I brainstormed about what this new
direction m ight be. After 9 /11, however, I found that focus.
Inspired by the people who went above and beyond on that
day (even, in a perverted way, the terrorists themselves),
I realized that what we had lost in more than 30 years o f
story-play was the hero in the mirror. Our love for power
fantasies had dressed our reflections up in arm or and
weaponry; in the process, however, we roleplayers often
lost the essential hum anity that makes a hero truly great.
Faerie tales, on the other hand, still capture that
humanity. Although they often focus on soldiers and
kings, their characters are projections o f our selves. As I
m ention in Deliria (Chapter 4, pages 148-149), myths deal
in thrones; faerie tales deal in hearths. Faerie tale heroes
are folks we can relate with. Even when they’re soldiers or
kings, they stand in for us.
And so we have Everyday Heroes, a game
supplem ent about bankers, baristas, reporters and
program m ers. Like the protagonists o f faerie tales both
classic (“Cinderella”) and modern (Neverwhere), these
characters are norm al folks whose lives slip over the
edge o f the magical realm. Unlike typical fantasy gam ing
heroes, these folks don’t have rocket launchers or Super
Strength. Instead, they m ust rely upon cleverness, courage,
luck and friendship to survive.
It’s easy to underestimate the value o f such
characters. Upon buying a new RPG, m ost gam ers turn
to the lists o f powers and character classes to answer their
first question: “who can I be in this gam e?” The answer, in
this book, is: Be yourself, or someone like you. Recognize how
heroic you can he.
 “The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of
being an honest coward like everybody else.”
- Umberto Eco
Heroics lean, rignt. m at stmi<y au ae lr
» m at screechy girl? That brain-dead soulless thing at tne
fast-food counter? A hero? How?
Heroism comes from strange places. It’s not
r’'"~'?thing in your m uscles or your face. Chances are that
son never knows how capable he or she can become
a crisis strikes. And more likely, no one else knows
brave that person can be, either. Until we are tested
e unexpected, we rarely understand what we can
nplish. Trust me on this, I know.
In m odern entertainment, m ost heroes are
les o f m ass destruction. It hasn’t always been that
though. Most traditional faerie tales begin with
noners or outcasts. Such people often have a special
ty — a good heart or a lovely face — but are otherwise
markable. And then adventure comes calling, and an
eryday hero is born.
Now, when I say hero, I don’t necessarily m ean
guy. Many faerie tale heroes lie, cheat, steal and even
without remorse. Yet we still admire them because
represent us. Their courage shows us what we could
iven the chance. So yes, that fast-food slinger could
lero. Perhaps, like Buffy the Vam pire Slayer, she’s
>aying the bills for a night gig. Or maybe that service-
fr mi
just hasn’t found her calling. She m ight not even
le hero in the m irror herself. We rarely do. Yet when
imily heirloom glows or the trees begin to speak, we
f be in for a surprise.
*•. ", ■ * y
W h a t’s in Chis Book? :cr‘
Everyday Heroes is a book,for players and Guid
alike. Although this book belongs to the Deliria: Faen
Tales fo r a New Millennium line, m ost o f the material
be used with any m odern adventure game. Chapter b
chapter, that material includes:
§ Chapter i: Slipping Through the Cracks: A n explo
o f the everyday hero’s world, including the setting
quests, tests, challenges and supporting cast he’ll
probably encounter.
£ Chapter 2: The Hero in the Mirror: M look at th a t'
him self, in both game and story terms.
v i-
£ Chapter 3: More Human Than Human: A n array *
Legacies and Wyrds for everyday folks who are me
talented than they, seem.
Chapter 4: “Once, There Was...”: An extensive
supporting cast, featuring character templates, bla
slate concepts and plug-and-play characters.
I Chapter 5: Miracles Next Door: A collection o f s
ideas and settings for urban fantasy adventures.
TA 1 J i t ’ IBP m U M ,
1
Che C allin g
So — is there a hero inside you? W hen the
for adventure comes, will be you hiding in the bas<
or rising to meet the challenge? Is there something
inside you, just waiting to,«break out?
What w ill you do i f adventures come calling
And are you willing to find out? '%
Let’s see... < f
Nurture your mind with great thoughts
to believe in the heroic makes heroes.
 EHUPTEfl 1:
SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACK'S
Somewhere in Queens\
, a man brings get around to processing her out of here? But

dinner home to his family, potatoes, milk, something will change soon, she promises

bread. He works twelve hours a day behind herself. Soon.

the counter in an all-night deli, comes home In ?hoenix, a woman dies, surrounded

exhausted and red-eyed. Today he worked an by her family. Her fingers are numb, and

extra hour, just like he has every day for a there's a fcuzzing in her ears like a thousand

month. His son is going to have that bicycle drunken bees. Her granddaughter watches

he's been dreaming of, no matter what it her with those clear blue eyes, the ones that

takes. Returning home, the father imagines can see through smoke and veils and dreams,

the joy in his son's eyes as he leans, half- committing the few moments left for them to

dozing, against the subway pole. memory. It is, she thinks, enough.

In Baton Rouge, a woman sits in jail, We are, each of us, the stories of our

she doesn't mind. The protest went well, lives. And in those stories, there's

she thinks. Her face will be on the news enough heroism for a thousand

all over the city, maybe even all over the myths. We might not see it

state. Nothing will change today, or even clearly, but the courage

tomorrow, who knows when they'll even is t here.

6\eryday Heroes, bosses and favorite waitresses. They hold bridal showers
and bring casseroles to grieving fam ilies. They have
everyday Cales scream ing fights with the people they love best and then
wonder what they were fighting about. They worry about
With or without faeries, life is an adventure. Add in
hiding the truth from the people they love and wonder
faeries, otherworlds, cross-realm travel and other goodies,
whether they should help their room mates cover the
and that adventure becomes even m ore fun. But the core
rent again. The dem ands o f relationships are integral to
o f a rousing tale is a hero we can all relate to. This book is
everyday heroes’ stories. No matter how strange things
about finding that hero in our everyday lives.
may become, these folks are grounded by the people in
Everyday heroes are people just like you and me:
their lives.
they struggle with the world they live in and the people
Eyeryday heroes have questions. They’re not always
who live in it, using only their flawed yet precious hum an
certain about what they want out o f life. They struggle
nature. The stories such heroes tell are not tales about
/itn (Questions about who they are, where they’re
great adventures or last-minute rescues (though
going and how they m anaged to end up working
there m ight be some o f each involved!). They’re
J a rnj,n.imuni-wag(' job at thirty-five. They
not stories about holy prophecies or chosen
daydreams and nightm ares and
ones, and they’re not stories about hard-
black thoughts at four in the m orning.
boiled killers and m agical assassins.
They haven’t been to heaven, so
They are stories about the real
‘they’re often afraid to die. Such
world and the real people
folks ponder religion and
who live in it — m undane
mortality, unsure about
elements made w
whether it’s better
strangely compelling
to give m oney to
through the
a panhandler on
addition o f Deliria,
the street or to an
the faerie world-
organized charity. In
behind-our-world.
a tale o f everyday heroes,
The struggles o f an
the heroes ask themselves
everyday hero are the struggles
questions. They m ight not find
o f m odern life. Everyday heroes eat,
answers, but the questions
sleep, work, dream, pay their taxes,
emselves are still important.
the dishes and fall in love. They live Jfi our
[ When ordinary people like these
society and are bound by its rules. They live
engage with the extraordinary world, magic
with friends, family and lovers and are bound by
truly begins. Deliria is about what happens when
their relationships. They live with themselves and are
ordinary people like these are given a chance to be
bound by their aspirations and dreams. What sets the
heroes. So let’s give them that chance! Put aside the +20
story o f an everyday hero apart is this rich texture o f daily
Axe o f Doom and take a walk down the street with us. Just
life — a life in which emotional and moral dramas mean
keep your eyes open. There’s m ore going on down that
more than mystic duels.
street than you’d imagine...
Everyday heroes exist in our world, not in some
distant mountain paradise. They hold down jobs, worry
about mortgage payments and wonder whether there’s W h a t Defines an everyday
enough m oney in the kids’ college fund. For the most part, Hero Adventure?
they obey the law — and they get arrested i f they don’t. A so-called everyday fantasy takes place in fam iliar
They worry about what people at church m ight say about surroundings. In contrast to long ago and far away
them and about whether they’ll be invited to the next party adventures, the everyday tale begins, ends and spends
at the Callahans’ place. Society’s demands are integral to m ost o f its time in the coffee shops, schools and hom es o f
m aking stories about everyday heroes. Like us, they live our modern world. Such stories m ight feature magic, but
within a larger world, not in a vacuum o f their own deeds. their focus is real life. And it’s that tension between the
Other people matter to everyday heroes. They have reality we know and the m agic our heroes experience that
friends, fam ilies, lovers, co-workers, dentists, therapists, gives such fantasies their kick.
U rb a n F antasy
A sub-genre o f modern fantasy literature, urban
fantasy contrasts the post-Victorian hum an world with
an archaic Faerie realm. Epitomized by authors like
Charles deLint and Em m a Bull, urban fantasy tales aren’t
necessarily set in city environments. They do, however,
take technology into account, using it as a foil for Faerie’s
elemental nature.
Urban fantasy adventures take place along the
borders between those worlds. In fact, Borderlands became
the title for an early urban fantasy series. In that crossing-
place, everyday people encounter an ancient, legendary
realm close to their own. The inevitable conflicts bring
both sides a m easure o f understanding — and drastic
change as well. In contrast to the distant style o f epic
fantasy, these conflicts occur against a backdrop o f
domestic issues: a faerie helps abused children; a witch
saves her Renaissance faire from bulldozers; an office
worker uncovers an occult conspiracy. These heroes might
journey o ff to Faerieland, but their hearts and lives are
anchored here.
Geography isn ’t the only fam iliar thing in urban
fantasy. No matter how strange things m ight get for its
heroes, an urban fantasy revolves around things we can
relate to. In Bujfy the Vampire Slayer (a great example o f
the genre), the heroes struggle with issues o f heart and
home. Buffy may be a warrior, but she still gets grounded
by her mom. Willow becomes a powerful sorceress, but
she’s plagued by personal insecurity and sexual confusion.
Urban fantasy tales are intimate rather than epic. No
matter how powerful its heroes become, they remain
people we understand.
In short, they’re everyday heroes. And their deeds
became urban fantasy adventures.
Settings: W here M agic
FY€: 7(G roups of)
Q uestions to Ask
A b o u l Your Setting
Whether you’re describing a dorm hallway or
your parents’ living room, certain features come to
| J1
mind.
$ Is this setting fam iliar to your heroes? Or are
they visiting it for the first time?
$ What does this place look like? Sm ell like?
Sound like? What sort o f vibe does it have?
Does it feel comfortable or are people creeped
out within moments o f arriving?
^ W hat’s the general structure o f this place? Is it
large? Cramped? Freshly-built? Falling apart?
How m uch space does it occupy, and what
notable features (counters, couches, appliances,
etc.) does it have?
^ Name one feature about this place that really
stands out (frayed carpeting, oak furniture,
buzzing fluorescent lights, a smell o f rot, etc.).
I Is anyone else here? And how do they react
to the heroes? Are they friendly? Indifferent?
Hostile? Curious?
$ Is there m agic in this place? And i f so, is it
obvious? Are there hidden corners where it
might lurk? Or does the setting appear to be
totally mundane, with nothing miraculous at
all?

H appens ^ What kinds o f faeries m ight take up residence

Such everyday sagas happen in a... well, an everyday
kind o f world. These stories take place in construction
yards and movie theaters, malls and motels, welfare
offices and office buildings. But the world o f Deliria is not
precisely the same as the world we know. Music enchants,
sprites fetch coffee and sum m er rain sometimes tastes like
oranges. In other words, Deliria is a world full o f magic, if
here? Office fetches? Surly villsprites? Cunning
tempters? Beer trolls? None?
You don’t need to answer every question
each time a hero walks into a room. I f the setting
in question is going to be important, though, it’s
good to have certain ideas in place before things
start happening.

you only know where and how to look for it.

Deliria stories begin when this hidden world peeps
out from behind the routine o f ordinary life. Perhaps that
old trunk in your grandmother’s attic holds a bottle sealed
with seven layers o f lead or the dentist you’ve always hated
is hexing you with the teeth he pulls.

* 3*

These areas o f tension, where mystery m bs shoulders with
the m undane, become the realm s in which normal folks
find their potential.
Everyday settings include, but aren’t limited to,
locations and events like these:
^ School (campus, dorms, classroom s, activities)
^ W ork (offices, shops, warehouses, boardrooms,
factories)
^ Fam ily (gatherings, hom e life, reunions, abuse,
children, births and deaths, weddings)
£ Friends (hanging out, conflicts, revelations, cries for
help)
^ Travel (moving, business trips, vacations, retreats,
vision quests, running away from violent home or
other trauma)
^ Love (relationship beginnings or endings,
seductions, betrayals, affairs, struggles to retain love
under pressure)
^ Art and entertainment (bands, theatre, studios,
concerts, festivals, galleries, shows where something
odd is going on)
^ Childhood (dreams, uprooting, abuse, kidnapping,
im aginary friends)
^ Recreation (nightclubs, bars, fairs, hobbies, hikes,
sports, carnivals, racing animals or vehicles)
^ Upheavals (robbery, identity theft, disasters, crime,
death o f loved one(s), emotional breakdown)
r
That last setting points out an important fact:
adventures begin with a crisis. Especially in faerie tales,
the hero’s world suddenly jum ps the tracks, forcing her
to become someone greater than she had been before.
An everyday hero story doesn’t begin with adventurers
m eeting in a bar to fulfill a quest; it starts when som ething
terrible (or at least unexpected) shatters the everyday
routine. Our hero m ight m eet the m an she had literally
dreamed about, lose her job to a suspicious newcom er or
join a band and hit the road. Adventures don’t just pop up
one day. They shake the foundations o f a person’s world.
From that point on, fam iliar settings take on a whole new
light — and darkness, too.
For sam ple settings, see D eliria: Faerie Tales
fo r a N e w M illennium , pages 7 -8 ,18 , 2 1 and 23,
as well as the Settings section o f the appendix
disc. Other settings and situations can be
found in Chapter 5 o f this book.
C he everyday W o rld
Developing a m undane setting for such experiences
may seem easy - all you need to do is look around you!
However, there are several factors to keep in m ind when
deciding upon the story’s m ilieu. The setting m ust
maintain a sense o f tension between m ystery and the
commonplace, but it’s also important to go beyond the
obvious when choosing a setting. I f all o f your Deliria
 Know the
Issues
W hen you m eet a
stranger, what do you talk
about? Chances are, it’s
TV, the weather or the
latest election. In other
words, people are brought
together because they’re aware
o f and have opinions about the
same things. I f you’re an Am erican
(or a Canadian or a Goth or a geek), you’ll
share certain concerns with other people in your
community. This m eans that in order to create a
convincing world in your Deliria saga, it’s extremely
important to define the issues that people in that world
care about.
Because Deliria is deeply rooted in the mundane,
some o f these issues should be commonplace. For example, most
characters should have opinions about the school system, file-sharing
or violence in the media. Other issues m ight be city-wide: perhaps the
city is up in arms about plans to build a Wal-Mart in the middle o f a historic
district or everyone’s gossiping about the hot new TV show being filmed
downtown. Subcultures within the city can also have their own concerns
and agendas: medical professionals might be trying to reform the city’s
malpractice law while the bikers riot over their favorite bar closing. Whether
you borrow inspiration from the local paper or cut topics from whole cloth,
a rich tapestry o f m undane issues will make your story seem realistically
everyday.
From there, figure out how (and whether!) to connect these issues
to Deliria. You don’t want everyone and her brother to know about the faerie
world, but some people will, can and do. More importantly, factions and
groups within the Mysterium world have their own issues, the sort that can’t
be borrowed from the real world at all. Without being fam iliar with the issues
people care about, the problems m ost o f them face or their topics o f common
conversation, your Deliria setting will not feel real. Whether characters are up
in arm s about the slow trickle o f hum an ideas into the world o f the Fair Folk or
couldn’t care m uch less about the ongoing rivalry between the merchant houses
o f Twist and Snaggle, they should at least be aware o f what’s going on in the
world around them. .
sagas take place in the sam e few social w orlds, y o u ’re
m issin g out on a h u ge spectru m o f dram a.
Some settings obviously m ake good Deliria sagas:
the art world, for example. It’s easy to find wonder in the
arts. Art is often sexy, and artists have a reputation for
seeing beyond the commonplace. Law enforcement is
another obvious candidate. Cops get paid to spend their
lives at the boundaries o f the civilized world, so it’s not
surprising when they find m agic there. And there’s the
occult underground — the New Age shops and pagan
circles where you'd expect to find strange people. Those
are the obvious settings. They’re not the only ones, not
by a long shot! That’s not to say that stories that focus on
artists, cops and pagans are bad ones, but less-obvious
settings have plenty o f potential for wonder and romance i f
you think creatively!
Take a hospital, for example. It doesn’t seem like
a wondrous place until you consider it a crossroads. This
is where birth and death occur, where friends and fam ily
world o f doctors, lawyers, journalists and even computer
worry about their loved ones and where ordinary people
save lives on a regular basis. An airport m ight not seem
m agical until you rem em ber that people come and go
from each other’s lives here; it’s a place o f transform ation
and travel and change. Even a Dilbert-esque office has
rivalries and rages, friendships and factions, which are all
the m ore effective in a story for their apparent absurdity.
To find the dramatic core in a m undane setting, dig deep
into what the place is really about. Once you’ve figured out
the exciting elements o f that setting, you’ve figured out the
kinds o f stories you can tell.
Finally, when looking for a less obvious setting,
consider the variety o f places in which people spend
time. It’s easy to forget all the folks who live in
prisons, retirement hom es, m ental institutions or drug
rehabilitation program s. You m ight have the m oney to
buy roleplaying books, but what about people who spend
their time in welfare offices or cleaning bathrooms?
Most people get plenty o f exposure to the professional
program m ers through television and the news. But the
construction crew chief, third shift security guard and
greasy-spoon diner waitress all have stories to tell, too.

Che e n c h a n te d W o rld
Once you’ve chosen a m undane setting, though,
you’ve just gotten started. The world o f Deliria is a double
world — one everyday, one enchanted. To m ake a cool
Deliria setting, you’ll need to figure out what your version
o f Deliria looks like.
You may wonder why it’s important to actually
define your concept o f Deliria. It’s certainly tempting to
evoke a sense o f mystery about the faerie world. After all,
few people get a thrill from turning on the microwave;
familiarity m ay not breed contempt, but it does poison
wonder! However, your Circle has no shared knowledge o f
what Deliria is like to help shape their decisions as they do
o f the real world. Players and Guides both need to be able
to predict how their actions will affect the world around
them. Guides need some way to arbitrate how Deliria
works in the stories they coordinate, and players need
to be able to predict the results o f their actions (even i f
they’re wrong!). Because Circles cannot rely on real-world
knowledge to do these things, each Circle m ust develop an
explicitly stated com m on understanding o f how its Deliria
setting operates.
To some extent, Circles can rely on poetic logic
and the players’ com m on knowledge o f how faerie tales
play out. Every gift has a price; generosity is rewarded and
rudeness punished; wit and cleverness are better weapons
than swords and bows. These are lessons that Deliria

• li*
 T h e F a erie re a lm is filled w ith p o ssib ilities. W h en y o u r ch aracters stray there,
h o w ever, yo u m a y w an t to have a fe w o f th o se p o ssib ilitie s m a p p e d out in ad van ce
— fo r yo u r sak e an d th eirs! S o m e q u estio n s to a sk y o u r s e lf inclu de:

$ H o w are yo u r h ero e s c ro ssin g over (gateway, cro ssw ay, cro ssk ey, m in d ca stin g ,
d re a m w a lk in g , etc.), an d w h at m u st they do to m ak e it h ap p en ?

I W h ich asp ect o f F a erie (Altwald, village, city, glade, vash ard , etc.) is w a itin g fo r
th em w h e n they do?

I I f they en ter a settlem en t, w h at k in d is it? A crazy village? A p seu d o -m ed ieval

tow n ? A clearin g filled w ith talk in g ro cks? A k in g d o m fro m D d ir ia ’s C h ap te r i?

I I f they sh o w u p in the w ild e rn e ss, h o w fa r fro m civilizatio n are they? D id th ey

cro ss into the d eep w o od s? A d esert w astelan d ? A m ag ic al glen ? A b each o n the
S ilver Sea?

I W h o ’s there? N o rm a l a n im als? M ag ical b easts? H o stile pixies? H u n g ry o gres?

A n d h o w do the n atives react to the m ortals? A re th ey am azed ? A fraid ? C u rio u s?
E n raged ? H o w w ill the m o rtals fit in w ith the lo cals o nce th ey’ve b een th ere a
w h ile? A n d w h at h ap p en s i f they d o n ’t?

^ W hat are co n sid ered good m a n n e rs an d b ad m an n e rs? W h at’s the pen alty fo r
b e in g ru d e, an d h o w m ig h t h ero es o verco m e th eir in itial cu ltu re shock?

W hat clothes an d item s do m o rtal travelers carry over w ith th em ? T h e ir street

gear? M ed ievalized m o d ern garb? F a n ta sy -se lf g u ise s? N o th in g at all? (This w ill
m ak e a h u g e d ifferen ce in the h e ro e s ’ exp erien ces...)

^ W hat tech n o lo g ies w ill or w ill not w o rk fo r the m ortals w h en they en ter Faerie?
G u n s? F lash lig h ts? C o m p u ters? Syn th etic fab ric? P reserved food?

I W h at’s the w eath er like? It is sto rm in g ? S u n n y ? D id they p a ss fro m s u m m e r to

a w in ter-rea lm th ro u g h a gate? O r did th ey w in d u p o n a rain y seash o re after
lea vin g a land-locked city?

* H o w m u c h tim e w ill p a ss on the m o rtal p lan e w h ile yo u r h ero es are in Faerie?

A vi n T I7M -4- w i 1 r r V i +- In o r\-rvnv> ir i4- ^n o I rx w i /~\ J
players will be fam iliar with from the faerie stories they’ve
read and heard and told. I f these rules actually shape how
Deliria works, players and Guides alike can use them to
understand the world.
Another strategy to use is parallelism and satire.
I f the world o f Deliria is like the real world in certain
ways but twisted just slightly, players and Guides alike
can use their real-world reasoning skills to figure out
how to navigate it. For example, perhaps a particularly
enterprising fetch has set him self up as the Deliria
equivalent o f a tabloid reporter. When the heroes get
involved, the players can draw on their knowledge o f angry
celebrities, paparazzi and the like to m ake sense o f the
story.
Finally, developing factions and groups will help
make your Deliria setting viable. Groups have goals, rules
and social structures. These invented characteristics help
you figure out details about the group and anticipate
what its m em bers m ight do. For example, people o f the
kingdom o f Vicaria possess only one magic: they may draw
a m em ory from a living being’s head and preserve it in
a specially treated bottle. The group has a goal — to seek
out rare and exotic m em ories — but also has the rule that
they m ay not take m em ories by force. When one Vicarian
begins stealing m em ories left and right, it’s not hard to
imagine what m ight happen next: the other Vicarians
probably w on’t be pleased! When you develop a group or
faction, you're also laying out guidelines about how events
relating to that group m ight play out in the world when
your heroes get involved.
W hen W orlds Collide
Deliria stories happen when the two worlds — the
enchanted and the everyday — come together. There
are three m ain ways that the ordinary world can interact
with the world o f Deliria. The two worlds might contrast,
complement or conflict with one another. Although most
stories feature elements o f all three interactions, it’s worth
looking at them individually:
C ontrast
When using contrast, the same act, person or thing
may m ean something vastly different in the ordinary
world than it does in the world o f Deliria. I f a character
is powerless in the m undane world, he may be extremely
powerful in Deliria, or vice versa. Perhaps the blue­
eyed bum begging for a cup o f coffee is a formidable
m agician who doesn’t want to be tied down by mortal
responsibilities or perhaps the movie star in the 1etch
lim ousine pines for her demon lover. Them atic and plot
oppositions are also possible; the union agreem ent that
frees up the mortal workers at a factory m eans the local
sprites have to work double the hours. In all these c a se s,'
the two worlds — Deliria and our realm — use the same
story elements but employ them in very different ways.
This contrast helps characters learn that truth has m any
faces in the world, so this technique often works well for
stories that involve awakening or enlightenment.
C o m p le m e n t
Com plementary worlds rely on setting up a parallel
situation between the m agical and m undane worlds.
Whatever issues are at stake in the m undane world, those
same issues are at stake in Deliria, though in a strange and
perhaps unfam iliar way. For example, i f the workers and
the sprites in a factory both go on strike simultaneously,
the consequences could be played out on both sides o f the
Deliria divide. The workers m ust find a way to feed their
fam ilies, and the sprites begin to wither for lack o f work
— and things m ust be set right in both worlds in order to
be set right in either. The double story can help players see
a situation in a different light. Although part o f the story
m ay be quite familiar, h alf o f it seem s strange to them.
Because it encourages players to take a new perspective,
this technique is excellent for developing critical thinking
about the ordinary world and for creating m oral conflicts
from apparently clear-cut situations.
Conflict
Finally, there are times when the ordinary world
and Faerie clash directly. Sometim es strange m agic erupts
into the m undane world; occasionally, m odern m ores end
up affecting the fey. Perhaps the troll who lives under a
popular bridge destroys the tollbooths, preferring to exact
a more old-fashioned toll him self; perhaps a m agician
has the heroes arrested when they break into his house to
stop a ritual. The rules o f the real world and the rules o f
Deliria m ix with each other, and the people involved may
not know how to cope with either one. A faerie lord could
ask for help navigating the mysteries o f Hollywood film
production or the union boss m ight want to know exactly
how the work in the factory keeps getting done while the
strike continues. Such situations make for truly fantastic
and disturbing adventures, ones in which characters on
all sides m ust draw on their wit and cleverness in ore r to
straddle the boundary o f two worlds.
 All three o f these techniques rely on the existence
o f strong everyday elements in your saga, whether as a
contrast, a complement or a direct conflict to the Faerie
world. H um an beings, however, have a tendency to pursue
whatever aspects o f a situation are different, unusual or
strange. (This runs doubly true for fantasy fans!) Given
the fantastical nature o f Deliria, who’d want to focus on
the m undane world? Without that focus, however, it’s easy
to let an everyday adventure turn into another round o f
dragon-hacking. Maintaining a mortal urban atmosphere,
even in rural settings, is vital when you’re sharing an
urban fantasy tale.
To begin with, the Circle m em bers ought to decide,
ahead o f time, on the general level o f magic they want to
see in the m undane setting. Do you want subtle things,
like a witch who stirs her coffee from across the room, or
m ight there be sudden surges o f magical power, like red
lightning crackling from a sorcerer’s fingers? Do demons
have nightclubs where they can be themselves while the
mortals look the other way, or does every otherworldly
visitor wear a cloak o f illusion, blending in with the mortal
crowd? Can an ogre m anifest on Main Street, or does he
have to adopt a small and subtle guise in our realm? You
won’t need to figure out all the answers ahead o f time (and
it’s always good to leave a few surprises in the mix!), but a
com m on baseline for reality is a good thing to have.
Regardless o f the magical elements, the mortal
realm ought to rem ain mortal. I f ogres show up on Main
Street all the time, it ain’t Main Street anymore! One o f the
keys to the urban fantasy setting is the tension between the
realm o f spells and the land o f jobs. The m undane world
must remain m undane — otherwise, the whole concept
falls apart. Flashes o f supernatural activity should be
limited to short bursts o f intense, often hidden, activity.
On a similar note, the magical realm m ust remain
magical. I f you’re having tea with an ogre each afternoon,
the m agic goes away. That impossible entity becomes
Ogre Joe, and although that m ight be funny at first,
the joke quickly gets old. I f faeries and spells become
commonplace — even in the privileged secrecy o f your
heroes’ lives — they lose a lot o f their appeal. With a few
dramatic exceptions, save the magical stu ff for the magical
world.
(Rem ember also that what is m agical in one world
is m undane in the next. Faeries often visit our realm
because TV and cars are as enchanting to them as crystal
balls and flying castles are to us. That tension, too, is a
part o f urban fantasy tales. Faerie characters shouldn’t take
TV for granted, and mortal ones shouldn’t tek^m agic for
granted.)
F in d in g the
B a la n c e
Deliria sagas can be successful in either
high-magic or low-magic environments. Did your
teddy bear talk to you when you were a child? And is that
low magic or high magic? Either answer provides stories fit
for everyday heroes.
Essentially, each Circle must define for themselves
how much magic is too much. As a baseline, assume that
Deliria’s mundane reality is a bit subtier than the TV shows
Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Charmed. Weird stuff goes on, but
it’s not as blatant as time-stops and robot duplicates. From
there, ask yourselves:
^ How common is magic?
^ Which aspects of Faerie are visible in the mundane world?
£ How much does the Mysterium intrude on mortal people’s
lives?
^ How much weirdness do people just ignore in your world?
^ What kinds o f magical strangeness have your heroes
already experienced in their lives?
^ How noticeable are magical phenomena when they do
occur in mortal space?
^ What happens when so-called impossible things occur
around mortal witnesses? (Hint: SCaD divisions and
gooseteller tabloids exist for a reason...)
It’s a good idea to come up with answers to such
questions before you begin the tale. For inspiration,
 There m ust be m agic in Deliria. In general, though, M u n d a n e Institutions
it’s best to start on the lower end o f the m agic scale, then I f the m ost vivid elements o f your story arc uie
add m ore supernatural elem ents as necessary. Once m agical ones, you can’t fault the group for purs> 1 iig
som ething has been established in the game, it’s hard to them. To counterbalance the m
remove it. Claim ing that a character could see ghosts effort that m ost Circles put into
last week but can’t see them this week will annoy developing Deliria ’s mystical
your players and underm ine the internal consistency side, it’s important to develop
o f your saga (unless the loss o f m agical perceptions m em orable m undane
is the whole point!). However, it’s easy to introduce institutions for your
new m agical elements as the heroes discover the stories as well. Develop
greater world around them. This approach works for iff plotlines involving
thematic reasons too. Deliria is a game about the schools, government,
progression from innocence to experience, so shops, churches and
building up to a comfortable level o f m agic is fam ilies. Maybe
m ore appropriate than revealing everything one hero’s Dad
from the get-go. has a nervous
In short, be conservative when breakdown or the
introducing mystical elements to the art program s get cut
story. Not every hero should have at the characters’ school.
a faerie buddy or a magical There could be trouble at
secret in his past. Most o f the the newspaper, factory or
world should contain plain, City Hall, and those problems
ordinary folk — everyday m ight have nothing whatsoever
people who haven’t yet to do with the M ysterium (though
had the chance to become your heroes may believe they do!).
everyday heroes. By grounding her saga in mortal
institutions, a clever Guide provides

W eaving the characters roots and interest in the

mortal realm.
W onders In
So, given that players and M u n d a n e C halleng es
characters will all want to pursue The mortal world should also present
the magical aspects o f the setting, challenges to the players that their Faerie
how can your Circle keep the mundane connections cannot fix. No magic, for
elements o f the game strong? instance, can inspire love — it may
compel devotion, but that creates more
problems than it solves! A helpful
US
faerie probably can’t save your job or
make your deadbeat brother get his

“No mortal, or f airy either, can tell where act together. Challenges that focus
prim arily on the everyday world

Fairyland begins and where it ends.” encourage players to involve their

characters in the m undane aspects
o f life. Even i f the
- George MacDonald, “Cross Purpo players bring their Faerie
knowledge to the problem, the
m undane — yet very heroic! — '
issues o f family, work and intim acy
still anchor your saga in reality.
H id d e n M a g ic
Another approach involves keeping m agic off-stage.
I f m agic is hard to come by, it’s less likely to dominate
your saga. Perhaps the enchanted elements o f the game
exist only in certain hidden spaces: beneath the city, in
junkyards and dum ps, in parks and nature preserves or
simply anyplace where no one’s around to see it. As long
as the heroes have plenty o f ties to the world outside those
spaces, they w on’t be able to avoid dealing directly with the
everyday world in an everyday fashion. You simply can’t
stay in the m agical world all the time if you want to eat, see
the folks you love or even buy a bar o f soap. (Which could
explain the personal hygiene o f certain fantasy fans...)
M ean in g fu l Lim its
Perhaps you don’t want to keep magic locked away
in a specific com er o f the world but still plan to put limits
on how pervasive m agic can be. Fortunately, there are
other ways to limit Faerie’s presence in the game. These
lim its can come from organizations, groups or even
individuals. I f one hero displays her magic too openly,
for example, SCaD cops may come knocking at her door.
Her mentor could be angry that she’s using these gifts
improperly, or her friends suddenly have better things to
do than hang out with a mutant. Those limits can also
come from Deliria itself. The endless purse o f gold has a
little catch: the gold turns to leaves at sunrise. Meanwhile,
the local faeries hate going downtown because they
become helpless i f they’re more than ten feet above the
earth. Deliria, remember, is unpredictable. As soon as you
think you’ve got it figured out, its m les change again.
M u n d a n e M a g ic
Finally, i f magic keeps com ing up in the game, you
can am plify the everyday aspects o f the saga by m aking the
magical ones mundane. The heroes m ight magically heal
a friend, but they still need to fill out the release form s
from the hospital — and explain the apparent miracle
cure to the shocked doctors. I f m agic is deeply integrated
into the structure o f the everyday world (as in the Anita
Blake series by Laurel K. Hamilton), that m agic has tons o f
bureaucracy, legality issues and other m undane baggage!
In tim a te Issues
Even i f m agic becomes an everyday occurrence
in your saga — which, by the time you reach the Heroic
level, it probably will — rem em ber that intimate issues
never go away. A heroic reputation in Kos won’t help you
pay the rent in Kansas City, and a fox-boy can still break
your heart. Indeed, pervasive magic can add incredible
complications to your intimate life. What do you do when
you’ve adopted a child who’ll be five years old when you
turn ninety? Think you kept your job during those six
m onths you spent in Faerie? Wrong! And can you ever
really get over your brother’s disappearance down that
endless hallway? How do you explain that to Mom?
B la ta n t M agic
Sometim es, people do extravagant things — and
that’s as true for magic as it is for any other thing. There
will be times when a Circle doesn’t want to be constrained
by the social or logical rules the Guide has placed on the
use o f blatant magic. Perhaps the heroes have disappeared
in front o f a large crowd or unleashed a dragon in the
middle o f their local park. When this happens, the Circle
has an important choice to make. How will the everyday
world react to the sudden eruption o f m agic into everyday
life?
Well, it could...
Ignore It
For whatever reason, the m undane world simply
hasn’t taken notice — at least not on a large scale — o f
what the Circle has done. Perhaps the government has
a bureau that covers up acts o f m agic or the local police
department keeps finding explanations for these things.
Maybe there’s a magical group that specializes in covering
things up... in violently unpleasant ways. One could even
suggest that people do notice these things but refuse to
admit that they see them; after all, most people are great
rationalizers.
N a tu ra lize It
Maybe you don’t want the world to continue
uninterrupted after a m ajor magical incident — but you
also don’t want your world to cease being an everyday
one. I f you’re like most folks, you’ll use fam iliar pieces
o f everyday life to manage this emption o f the fantastic.
Kooks get time on local talk shows, saying that it’s a sign
o f the apocalypse; local businessm en m ight give a two-for-
one “Dragon Day” special as they clear out their stocks;
the heroes could be offered a chance to do a magic act at a
local club. Just getting on with the business o f the world as
we know it m ight help integrate Deliria into the everyday.
M a n ip u la te It
Hum ans are masters o f turning things to their
advantage. That potion’s magical? Bottle it and sell it!
A band o f weirdoes just trashed a nightclub? Use the
publicity to shut down the club district and buy up all the
real estate! Politicians and businessm en know how to turn
circumstances to their favor. Whether they had anything
to do with a sudden occurrence or not, you can bet that
several someones will be turning a profit from it soon.
P a th o lo g iz e It
That’s nice, dear. I ’m glad
you saw the faeries in the woods.
Come let the nice doctor give you a
shot so it’ll all go away... Mental
hospitals are filled with people
who encountered the hidden
world. I f you want to join them,
start talking about what you’ve
seen.

M ilita rize It
Nothing is so wondrous
that it can’t m ake a good
weapon. The ghost gangs (see
Chapter 4) know as much,
and they integrate m agical arts
and allies into their arsenals. "It won't/' a man's voice said behind Iyer. "It's going the other way), ...

Perhaps the governments have

she looked up, shocked. He hadn't been there before. No one had. Sensing her
done the same — conspiracy
theorists certainly think so! alarm, he took off his cowboy hat. His face Iheld the rugged grace of stone.
And so, i f a blatant magical
phenom enon appears, there
Sun caressed it, unafraid. He seemed at home here. "Sorry? to startle you,"
may very well be tough men
he sdid. "Sometimes I forget myself."
and wom en in nice black suits
and shiny black cars to make He sat down then. They talked for hours. He seemed to know and love
sure that said phenomenon
the land. Her bravery impressed him — the way she walked alone. He
serves the Com m on Good.
Note: Some faeries told her of another trail, one that led away from the stormy peaks. They
have already learned this trick.
Occasionally, they appear in wandered, and he showed her clear water and sweet sage. Their boots grew
the guise o f mortal authorities
bright with desert dust. Their shadows made love to the earth.
in order to handle things they
consider threatening; see Deliria That night, their bodies made love as well. His arms and chest held
for Agents o f Order (pages
76-77) and Them (page 141). her like warm stone. And in the morning he was gone. No footprints, no

D e m o n ize It goodbye.
Yes, brothers and sisters,
Only a pile of small red rocks where none had been before. A cairn
Arm ageddon has begun! And if
you want to stay on the side o f topped by three perfect desert roses, growing strong like they'd been seeded
Good (as m ost folks do), you’ll
pick up a pitchfork/ shotgun/ in the spring.
grenade launcher/ cell phone
and do what you can to bring
the demons down! For real-world inspiration, look at the confront a hidden w orld that defies their expectations,
post-9/11 anti-terrorism frenzy... or the Holocaust, Reign they’ll respond in the w ays that suit them best. M ost
o f Terror and Witch Craze. People fear threats to their faeries know this from experience and avoid bein g
existence and their concept o f reality. And i f those threats blatantly m agical for just this reason. A s fascinated as our
seem supernatural, their fear will probably turn violent. C o usin s m ay be by h u m an innovation, they’re equally
M ortals are not blind, w eak or stupid. Forced to im p ressed w ith m ortal ruthlessness.
P eople’s Place in Your W orld
The world o f D eliria is the world that we know, full
o f doctors and dock-workers, hospice nurses and hopeless
drunks, program m ers and prostitutes and prisoners. These
folks appear in the stories that you tell about your everyday
heroes. Perhaps they’ll be your character’s friends, her
mentors, her enem ies or her family. Most o f them have
nothing to do with Deliria and wouldn’t know a magic
cat i f it bit them. What m ost o f these characters do have
something to do with, however, is your heroes. Whether
m agic is involved or not, these relationships are central to
the stories o f Deliria.
Creating realistic relationships in a story can be
challenging. Not only do you have to imagine how your
fictional characters would relate to each other, you also
have to invent the history, incidents and interactions that
make a relationship tick! It’s not that difficult, however, to
create intriguing relationships with im aginary characters.
To begin with, take a look at three ways that characters
can relate to each other: as antagonists, as allies and as
acquaintances.
Deliria features some suggestions about
adversaries and helpmeets, including a list o f
potential friends and enemies, on pages 16 6 -
16 7. Another list o f folks living on the fringes
o f D eliria’s world can be found on page 56.
Antagonists
Antagonists are characters who oppose the heroes,
directly or indirectly. Although we usually think o f such
characters as villains, the term includes characters who
help the heroes but harass or aggravate them in the
process. As a general rule, i f the players hate a character,
assum e that the character is an antagonist o f some kind.
Technically, an antagonist is someone who
obstructs the actions o f the protagonist — or, in this case,
the players’ characters. Strong antagonists are essential
to any good story because their conflict with the main
characters drives the drama. The better the bad guy, the
better the story; challenge is what makes heroes heroes.
Antagonists come in a variety o f flavors, o f course, so let’s
take a look at some potentially antagonistic relationships:
V illains
Who’s afraid o f the Big Bad Wolf? Your heroes, for
starters! A good villain provides the m ost obvious kind
o f antagonist: the enem y who’s out to get the heroes,
at the very least to stand in their way. Think evil queen,
slumlord, bully or cannibal. Some are stupid, but m ost are
not. A clever villain uses indirect tactics and underhanded
methods. He m ight strike at the heroes through their
fam ilies, their friends, social institutions or the legal
system. These are the m ost infuriating kinds o f villains
— the ones who turn your world inside out and stand o ff
on the sidelines, laughing... or invisible.
Despite m ost people’s preconceptions, a villain
doesn’t have to be eeeee-ville. Villains who behave in
sympathetic ways or who can logically - i f not morally -
justify their m isdeeds can provide great material for moral
conflicts. Police Lieutenant Lewis, for example, perform s
dark sacrifices in order to guarantee his appointment as
police com m issioner. Once he’s got the top job, he figures,
he can really clean up the town. What are a few small lives
in return for the good that he can do?
An everyday saga can feature all kinds o f hard-core
villains: drug pushers, abusive parents, sexual predators,
corrupt cops, serial killers, selfish celebrities, bent­
brained addicts... and that’s just the mortal spectrum!
Throw in faeries, and you m ight m eet the demon lover,
the soul-craver, the hungry beast or the amoral entity. In
Deliria, Melpomene o f the Masks and her Court o f Poets
deliberately wreck mortal lives, then stand in the shadows,
watching the show and judging one another’s creativity.
Now that’s fey villainy!
A villain should begin the story with a definite edge
over your heroes. He m ight not be powerful personally,
but he’s got some influence or knowledge that makes
him difficult to defeat. Even so, a villain tends to delay the
total destruction o f his foe. Perhaps he’s not as ruthless
as people m ight think, or maybe there’s a good reason to
keep the heroes alive. He could fall into the timeless trap
o f soliloquizing while the heroes recover, but chances
are there’s a compelling reason for that delay — fear o f
retribution, outside authorities, magical compulsion or
honest compassion. Who knows? Perhaps he’s just so
cruel that he m ust devise a truly vicious (and complex)
method o f destruction! Whatever his reasons, a strong
villain will delay the death-blow long enough to make
him memorable. A villainous character m ight look cool
(like Darth Maul), but unless he’s around long enough to
accomplish something, his existence and eventual defeat
will seem anticlimactic.
Rivals
A rival isn ’t hated because she opposes the heroes
but because she surpasses them (if only in her own mind).
The rival tries to be better than the hero at whatever it is
that the hero uses to define his self-worth — effectively
beating the hero at his own game. A rival can also reflect
the hero’s flaws and failures like a funhouse mirror.
For example, Nika, a partner at the local law firm ,
som ehow always gets the best cases just before Quentin
can claim them. When Quentin does get an interesting
case, Nika predicts that he’ll botch it somehow, and she
tends to be right.
This antagonist may not be trying to beat the
heroes or even oppose them. She just wants to be better
than them, to get what they have or achieve something
for which both characters are striving. It’s usually more
dramatic i f the rival is ostensibly on the sam e side o f a
conflict as the heroes yet manages to walk away with the
laurels every time. Rivals play fair, though, at least by
society’s rules. She m ight throw a hurdle in som eone’s
way, but she w on’t try to kill him!
Not all rivals put m uch energy into the rivalry; in
fact, it can be especially infuriating when the rival doesn’t
even realize what she’s doing! Eventually, a hero should
find a way to defeat his rival, whether by increasing
his skill, using trickery (a poor choice!), changing the
rules o f the game or, best o f all, conquering his own
competitiveness and learning to cooperate with his rival.
Because a rivalry is an ongoing competition, however, a
defeated rival m ay get the better o f that hero at a crucial
m om ent later on...
B ureaucrats
The bureaucrat genuinely doesn’t care about the
heroes. It’s not a personal conflict for him — it’s just his
job. A bureaucrat opposes the players simply by going
about the course o f his life, refusing to change for their
convenience. This is the case even i f the bureaucrat has
never shuffled a paper or rolled a red tape; a devoutly
religious minister, for example, can stick to his code as
firm ly as any desk-jockey can to procedure. Let’s take
Marty, for example: an operator at the telephone company,
Marty doesn’t care that Autum n was unexpectedly out o f
town. He hasn’t received Autum n’s phone payments for
several months, and regulation 424366-27 clearly states
that Autum n gets cut off, no matter what crazy story she
comes up with.
A bureaucrat’s m ind is nearly impossible to change.
He sticks to his rules, whether it’s the regulations o f his
department or the moral code he’s promised to live his
life by. Victory against a bureaucrat generally comes from
finding a way to turn that antagonist’s inflexibility to your
own advantage. After all, i f you make sure your rival’s
phone payment doesn’t arrive, then at least she won’t have
phone access either...
Beasts
At the other end o f the spectrum are animals and
outright m onsters. Hunger, rage or cruelty make enemies
o f our anim al kin, and when you extend that kinship to
dragons or manticores, the price o f that adversity can be
pretty high!
Old-time faerie tales often gave anim als equal
footing with hum an folk. Lions, wolves, bears and so forth
play vital roles in such tales, especially in Native Am erican
and African lore. The m odern world seem s to have tamed
the beasts, but meet a grizzly bear on her hom e tu rf and
you’ll discover how wrong that im pression can be! Faerie’s
wilderness teems with beasts that don’t give a damn
about m an’s so-called suprem acy, and even a hardened
New Yorker cringes at the thought o f rats or wild dogs.
An anim al can be pacified (especially with the Legacy:
Beastfriend), assum ing you haven’t riled it up. But i f your
animal adversary has been hurt or threatened, don’t count
on a happy ending.
Forces of N ature
Prim al Nature can be as m enacing as any Dark
Prince. Storms, floods, heat waves, fires, heavy rains or
simple harsh terrain can make a hero’s life difficult — or
end it outright! In the world o f Deliria, where all Creation
is alive, those forces o f Nature m ay deliberately obstruct
the hero’s progress: trees m ay move to trap him in the
wood, waters m ight rise to drown him , shadows m ay wrap
around him as he screams... Somehow, the impersonal
essence o f the attack can make it seem even worse.
Old faerie tales play up the often-cruel face
o f Nature. Why not m odern ones? W e’ve grown so
complacent in our air-conditioned-fuel-driven-net-enabled-
sealed-for-our-protection world that a test from Mother
$ Ghost-gang Kingpin I Pigeon Spirit
£ Crusading Minister £ Cool Street Vendor
ir Overcurious I Political Firebrand
Journalist
^ Kindly Cop
£ Jealous Rival Artist
& Sweet Young Kid
& Demented Teacher
^ Mall-Shopping
^ Thieving Goblin
Faerie
^ Vengeful Ex
£ Devoted Lover
Nature can be a real adventure! Seriously, how m any o f
us could forage for food, build shelter and survive a week
in the wilderness without help? Nature doesn’t even have
to act to give us a hard time! W hen the elements really do
kick up their heels, though, there’s some pain in store.
And yet, when a hero trium phs over such adversity, there’s
a feeling o f accom plishm ent that no villain-pumm eling
can match. Beating up the bad guy just proves that you’re
tough; w inning a match with Mother Nature shows
resourcefulness and heart.
Antagonists give m om entum to your drama.
A good saga demands strong antagonists; the m ore
memorable, unpredictable and colorful they are, the
more enjoyment your Circle will get from them
— even as they curse the Guide for bringing
T H A T C H A R A C T ER around again!
For example, Kelly has been pining away for the gorgeous
guy who always seem s to check into the hotel when
she’s working front desk. W hen he invites her up to his
room, she’s eager to go — even though what he wants is
som ething rather different from what she had expected.
Lovers should be used carefully in stories, though.
A lover who never accepts a character’s affections or w ho’s
always getting into trouble quickly becom es predictable
and uninteresting. The hero’s lover should have heroic
potential him self. That lover should show, from time to
time, exactly what it is that makes
him so attractive. On the other
hand, the lover (or ex-lover or would-be
lover) can become an antagonist, too. A needy lover
m ight drain the hero’s time and attention; a voracious
one m ight distract her. The hero m ight try to protect her
lover from the M ysterium and its secrets; a jilted lover

Allies m ight join the hero’s enemies. Oh, and don’t forget love

Allies are characters on the heroes’ It -JiP spells, demon lovers and the heady
good side. Often, allies actually help the ■' e®fects ° f ■
heroes out, as the term ally (“to bind up”)
suggests. Sometim es, though, allies just
provide friendship, love and emotional support.
A general rule: i f the Circle cares about what
happens to a character (in a positive way!), that’s
a good sign that she’s an ally, even i f she hasn ’t really
helped out during the course o f a story.
We all need allies. At heart, w e’re social beings,
and ally characters give our heroes someplace to call
home. Without positive relationships, fictional
characters don’t seem real. Even i f some folks
in your Circle seem uncomfortable playing out >
genuine emotional relationships with imaginary
characters, a bit o f stretching in this area can
create very powerful stories.

Lovers J
A lover is, as the term m
suggests, a romantic and/or y
sexual partner. The hero cares *9
about her lover because they have a
passionate, emotional, often irrational :
relationship. This category may
include unrequited love, intense
flings, m utual flirtation, long-term
relationships, longing from afar,
blazing affairs or marriage. Any
relationship that involves at least t' S
one character going weak in the
knees can fall under this heading.

W ilh o u l p o s ilh c rcluiions

fictional characlcrs don

W h a t Makes a
M e m o rab le
C h aracter?
Whether you’re crafting the
hated boss or a new best friend, you’ll
want to make him memorable. So here are a
few quick questions to ask yourself when you’re
creating a supporting cast character (or a m ain
character, for that matter):
£ What does this person want? What will he do
to get it, and how far is too far for him to go?
£ What does he do? Is he a stockbroker?
Bartender? Teacher? Thief?
£ What one word describes his physical type?
Fat? Slender? Healthy? Sickly?
I W hich one physical feature stands out on this
character? Intense blue eyes, a huge nose,
perfect teeth, a sardonic grin, what?
$ What does this person want from the player
character(s)?
$ How does he dress? Is he sloppy, dignified,
fashionable, ratty?
What personality quirks does he have? Is he
sarcastic? Abrasive? Does he laugh a lot?
Hardly ever speak?
Is this person magical? Does he understand
the m agical world? Or is he clueless about
Faerie and the Mysterium?
How m ight he react when his version o f reality
True Love™ . Love is a potent force in faerie tales, and this
ally embodies this fact. With a bit o f creativity — and some
inspiration from real life! — that lover might become the
m ost m emorable character (for better or worse) in your
Circle’s saga.
C o m p a n io n s
The role o f companion covers a character’s friends,
mentors or comrades — any relationship in which there’s
m utual trust, respect and affection. Companions often
com plement each other; i f a hero is overly aggressive, her
best friend m ight help her be m ore patient, whereas a shy
hero m ight have a m entor who draws her out o f her shell.
These relationships are usually based m ore on actions
than on words or feelings. Com panions help each other
out, support each other emotionally or just hang out and
chill Lucian and Autum n, for instance, don’t always get
along. Lucian hates it when Autum n seem s to patronize
him, and Autum n thinks Lucian is a self-absorbed prick.
When the chips are down, though, Autum n helps the
blind hacker Lucian with his everyday tasks, and Lucian
gives Autum n som ewhere to cry when she hits another
wall regarding her m issing child. They m ight not always
like each other, but both characters know that they can rely
on one another.
Com panions are the folks m ost likely to help heroes
directly or to at least provide them with aid. Companions,
you see, often have talents or connections that the heroes
don’t possess themselves. The friendly guy at the library,
the computer whiz who loves a challenge — they’re
good allies for an everyday hero. That help goes only so
far, however; unlike a lover, your com panion probably
w on’t risk life or liberty for you! She may, however, bring
a cool head and loving heart to a crisis. Just be sure to
reciprocate! No one likes a mooch, even i f he is a hero.
F am ily
Family relationships are ties o f blood. You m ight
not like mem bers o f your family, but there are some
obligations you don’t ignore! The very idea o f fam ily
inspires incredibly intense feelings; relatives m ight be
willing to kill or die for one another.
Family includes your hero’s parents, siblings, spouses
and children. It might extend to close friends, distant cousins
or members o f a tight organization. I f your hero is a union
boss, family might include the workers he spends his life
protecting; i f he’s a priest, it might be the faithful flock o f his
parish. When faeries get involved, family might also involve
an imaginary friend, a house-sprite or an inamorata bond.
(Deliria, pages 71, 88 and 91.) Whatever the relationship
might be, those family ties hold strong. Family love can
be selfish or unselfish, supportive or twisted, but it always
reflects one’s irrevocable ties to something larger than
oneself — ties that can never be broken.
A cquaintances
We live in an active world. And that world is
full o f people. Fictional heroes, like our real-life selves,
make acquaintances all the time. These folks could be
co-workers, drinking buddies, online pals and so forth.
Whichever way, they provide a cast o f thousands for
your saga.
 Acquaintances share a casual bond with your hero. At first,, there was no one. Then a storm of
The singer of' her favorite band, the postal worker who
brings her mail, the clerk at her video store — anyone who
wings. A flock of ravens. Then a girl. I know
recognizes your character qualifies as an acquaintance. how that sounds} but I also know what I saw.
These folks aren’t intensely important to her life
(otherwise they’d be friends or family), but they share she smiled and cocked her head at me. Pretty
com m on ground with her. For a hero in the everyday little thing, all black-dressed like those kids down
world, acquaintances aren’t just helpful characters —
they’re part o f the scenery. at the Scream, that club on Merriman. I glanced
Ultimately, acquaintances provide an important
around to see if she was lookin' at anyone else.
dim ension o f the game world. Without
them, your heroes just seem to I was the only one there. "Good day/'
exist on a stage filled with
she said, like forming out of ravens
allies and enemies. Still,
these characters can be was the most natural thing in
helpful or annoying,
too. This flirtatious
guy at the ice jbe for her, it is.
cream counter
m ight lift a looked at my book
hero’s spirits; uCan I see1"
that security
guard could what could I sayl
get in her way.
I was still shocked by
Acquaintances
don’t play vital the whole thing, so I just
roles in your saga
nodded. She... I don't know
(though one could
grow into a friend, the word... stilted... over to
lover or adversary),
they’re still important.
and angled over, her

Mysteries
back and forth like
And then there are the people she moved like a bird, y'know
you just don’t understand, folks who float
your world without rhyme or explanation,
precise. It wasn't the sort of
with such enigmas: the strange co-worker, the a person does,
never seen before, the chatty chick with faraway
Strangers with ambiguous intentions always seem was very cute,
just as an adventure begins. The resulting got close, I smelled feathers and rain,
tell you who the stranger is... but then again, you
never find out. scowled a bit when she read the title,
Mysterious characters hold something back,
it," she said, as if that
don’t say who they are or what they want. Your heroes
have some ideas about the nature o f an enigma, but the expLamed everything. Then she tilted up
Guide should keep them guessing. Whatever the truth might
be, the mystery character has memorable traits. He might
harp-like. And smiled,
know secrets, speak in riddles, display an odd talent for that down. Let's go play!"
disappearing or calm a storm with a wave o f his hand. Before
he becomes familiar, though, he disappears — perhaps
i uon't know what I was thinking, but I put
literally. All he leaves behind are questions, memories and down the book and nodded.
perhaps an oblique yet impossible clue to his identity. He
never sticks around for long, but his existence underscores That was one (?e!lof an afternoon...
the miraculous nature o f your faerie tale.
 B u ild in g the Bond
I f supporting characters are going to feel like
m eaningful aspects o f your world, they have to reappear
from time to time — especially i f your Circle hopes to
develop these casual relationships into deeper ones.
I f a different cop shows up each time the heroes cross
paths with the police, the heroes won’t build a relationship
with any o f them. But if suspicious Captain Lewis is always
the one who arrives, the heroes (and the players!) will get
used to having him in the story. Perhaps he’ll eventually
become an antagonist, convinced that the heroes are up
to no good, or maybe he’ll see what they’re up against and
ally with them against a greater threat. Could be he’ll run
interference between the heroes and the local constabulary
— assum ing that his own needs are met! Either way, his
relationship with the m ain characters deepens each time
he appears. And it’s relationships with depth that keep
your Deliria saga memorable.
everyday Hero Cales
W e’ve glanced at the world o f everyday heroes, and
w e’ve seen what they might look like themselves. But
what, precisely, do everyday heroes do in their world? And
how can you use that purpose to create stories for your
heroes?
What does an everyday hero do with her time?
Whatever m ost people spend their time doing.
She brushes her teeth, goes to work, fights with her
parents or grabs a beer with old friends. Doesn’t sound
very dramatic, does it? Ah, but in those routines you can
find all kinds o f cool material! The stories you tell could
be comical (a woodlander trying to make it in the big city),
tragic (two lovers kept apart by a faerie curse), exciting (a
nighttime chase through downtown) or even infuriating
(a struggle with corrupt politicians). The vital ingredient
is heart. These stories should matter, both to your Circle
and to its heroes. The m ost memorable tales ring true on
some level, using the escapism o f fantasy to address our
real desires.
How can you do that? Let’s see...
Che Golden P ing of Cruth
Every Deliria story is a faerie tale, even i f it never
involves the Fair Folk at all! In faerie tales, a hero faces an
obstacle and overcomes it (we hope!) by drawing on her
personal qualities, using what one m ight call her heroic
core. What would “Jack and the Beanstalk” be without the
giant? Or “ Snow W hite” without the wicked queen? Or
— because obstacles don’t have to be antagonists — what
would such tales be without hills o f glass, seven years o f
sleep or any o f the other travails that faerie tale heroes go
through? Without conflicts and antagonists, heroes never
get a chance to show what they’re made of.
On the other hand, Deliria stories are also m odern
stories, ones in which the characters face m uch m ore
am biguous obstacles. Your boss m ight act like an ogre, but
i f you try to put a sword through him you’re going to jail,
you nutjob! There are no easy answers to questions like
“ Does she love m e?” or “W hat’s m y place in the world?”
Modern characters have a sense o f self-awareness, o f
existential depth, that traditional faerie tale
Show, D o n ’t Cell
The title o f this sidebar
says it all: show, don’t tell, the rest
o f the Circle what you want to convey.
Describe the squat and pointy-eared gent
approaching the heroes; don’t just say, “You see
a gnom e.” Show your players an eerie shadow in
the m ayor’s office; don’t just tell them, “Yep, he’s a
craver!” Descriptions make your world m ore vivid,
and they m aintain a sense o f mystery as well. By
describing rather than declaring, a Guide lets his
players jum p to conclusions, interpret clues and
make mistakes. This is a good thing!
This advice applies to players, too.
Instead o f telling your fellow players, “ Hey!
My guy’s thinking about the crosskey,” roleplay out
his words and gestures. Not only does this help you
show o ff your dramatic skills, it leaves the truth
open to interpretation.
Description-over-declaration is especially
vital in an everyday hero tale. Deliria characters
haven’t read the rulebook! They don’t know what’s
going on. The closer your hero is to the m undane
world, the less he’ll understand about the Mystery
— which is as it should be! After all, they don’t call
it the Mystery for nothing...
 'Ills m MEDICINH (SIIBIES ME MEDICINE
characters lack. Still, they share the sam e fundamental
characteristic: even modern faerie tales feature epic
obstacles that m ust be overcome.
W hen m erging modern sensibilities with faerie tale
heroism, your Guide should choose a good conflict — one
that resonates on multiple levels and lets the characters’
faerie tale virtues (or vices!) shine through. Equally
important, he should make sure that his players can relate
to the story’s conflicts and characters. That’s the gold ring
o f storytelling: a strong connection between the story and
the people sharing it. At their best, Deliria’s tales reach
us where we live. To tell them, we m ust dig deep into
ourselves and build stories that matter.
B uilding Faerie Stories
As Deliria’s Chapter 4 says (pages 146-149), faerie
tales share certain com m on elements. A proper faerie
tale — urban or otherwise — is m ore than just an assault
m ission with elves. So how can your Circle capture the
essence o f a faerie tale?
For starters, look for inspiration in classic faerie
tales — from the well-known (“ Little Red Riding Hood”) to
the obscure (“The Jeweled Sea”). Taking direct or indirect
inspiration from faerie stories can help a Deliria Guide
figure out good plots and inspire a Deliria player to create
vivid characters. With deep roots in the faerie tale tradition,
you’ve got rich material for modern fables.
So when you’re looking for that material, you can
take old tales and modernize, revitalize or synthesize your
imagination with the traditional source. How? Let’s see...
M odernize
One approach involves taking a classic faerie tale
and dressing it up in modern clothes. Think o f books
like Jack o f Kinrowan or film s like Spirited Away. When
you’re spinning this land o f story, concentrate on the key
elements o f the narrative rather than trying to make every
little detail fit. In “Jack and the Beanstalk,” for example,
those key elements include Jack’s apparent foolishness
in trusting a stranger, the castle in the sky and the great
rewards to be gained by tricking the hostile giant who lives
there. To update the story, perhaps Jack is actually Jackie,
a brand-new employee at a company that makes, well,
something — she’s not quite sure what. The giant could be
-MffltHN FOLKSUM
the CEO whose penthouse office is, it’s whispered, the last
place people ever see when they get fired. How is Jackie
going to handle it when her naivete in a business deal gets
her a pink slip? Finding the parallels between m odern life
and the story’s themes (for example, playing on the wealth
and class differences between Jack and the giant) makes
this kind o f story work.
D evitalize
Another approach involves taking an apparently
modern story and giving it the faerie tale treatment. That
m ight m ean inventing a hero who addresses modern
concerns: G aim an’s character Death, whose direct and
personal concern with hum an mortality and hum an
fates would be inconceivable in an older tale, provides an
excellent example. You could also take a magical prem ise
and play it out in a very m odem way: the film Ever After
takes the Cinderella concept, picks it up, turns it upside
down and shakes it until the old baggage comes tumbling out.
In a revitalized faerie tale, the themes, ideas and
characters in these classic stories become thoroughly
modern. One can hardly imagine an old faerie tale
about the anomie o f suburban life (American Beauty) or
the desire to live inside a celebrity’s head (Being John
Malkovich)! And yet, such revitalized faerie tales, skillfully
told, do work. The key to m aking such stories feel like
faerie tales lies in their execution. Heroes succeed through
the virtues they discover within themselves, characters
concern themselves with homely motivations and homely
needs, magic makes the impossible possible and personal
transformations abound.
Synthesize
Lastly, one can m erge the old and new types o f
faerie tales into something that draws from both but is
distinct from either. When the characters confront faerie
tale antagonists but also struggle with modern questions,
the blend o f the two can be inspiring. What happens when
a thoroughly modern character confronts traditional faerie
tale obstacles? What about when a faerie tale hero m ust
navigate the modern world? A college girl m ight walk out
o f her dormitory and into an enchanted forest, where her
pre-med training lets her heal a wounded wolf. A faerie
prince might go up against a street gang that wants to steal
his power so they can sm uggle drugs m ore effectively.
The clash o f old and new elements adds dramatic tension
to an already exciting situation. The results? Stories like
Terry G illiam ’s film The Fisher King or the “ H ush” episode
o f Buffy. W hen faerie tales meet the m odem world,
am azing stories become possible. And in its everyday-hero-
meets-primal-Faerie approach, Deliria offers tremendous
opportunities for creative synergy.
FYC: 7
Potential
Challenges
W ondering about the obstacles a Guide might
throw in a modern hero’s path? Check out a
few o f these options:
The song that keeps you dancing past your
usual endurance.
£ The instrum ent that can be played by only the
right person.
^ The odd state o f sleepiness/ sleeplessness/
wackiness/ horniness that just w on’t go
away.
^ The band o f little people who have it out for
you.
^ The detective who wants answers to very
uncomfortable questions that you may or
m ay not have answers to.
^ The annoying rival/ sibling/ lover/ co-worker/
stranger who suddenly has mysterious new
powers, knowledge or habits.
^ The door that no longer leads to where it’s
supposed to go; now it goes elsewhere. W ho’s
going to be first to find out where it leads...?
D eliria also offers a list o f 14 classic
and m odem challenges on page
165.
« 20^
Challenge: Wolves an d
Red Shoes
So what about that giant, anyway? I f w e’re running
an everyday hero saga, we can’t have huge dudes fee-fi-
fo-fum m ing their way down Maple Street. So what sorts
o f challenges, quests and enem ies m ight new faerie tale
heroes confront in the m odern world? And how can
those tales move between the mortal realm and the more
traditional Faerie world?
To start with, look at the traditional faerie tale
obstacles as metaphors. The Big Bad W olf is alive and
well today as the serial killer. Drugs are our red shoes,
and a fetish club becomes the Crystal Cave. Faerie tales
take elements o f our experience and exaggerate them. In
old Germ any, peasants really did fear wolves; Red Riding
Hood’s nem esis, though, was inspired by m ore carnal
concerns.
Once you think o f faerie tale obstacles in symbolic
terms, you can see several possibilities for bringing those
traditional threats to our everyday realm:
Symbols In c a rn a te
In the fringe-world o f Deliria’s M ysterium, symbolic
parallels can take on literal reflections. A serial killer might
actually be the Big Bad W olf — a faerie beast in hum an
guise, casting a lupine shadow. A basem ent dope market
might start selling a hyper-hallucinogen called Red Shoes,
and a mysterious host named Nim ue runs a dive called the
Crystal Cave. This way, old threats and new blend into one
another. Faerie has an odd sense o f hum or, you know, and
things have a way o f being both symbolic and literal at once.
Literal M a g ic
There’s always the option to use hidden literal
magic, too. In this case, there really is a huge talking w olf
cruising for young girls. Given the distance m ost modern
folks have from old-world fears, it’s possible that an
intelligent faerie w o lf could feast on girls who want to play
with that beautiful symbol o f prim al freedom. Meanwhile,
the Red Shoes drug m ight be m anufactured by evil
faeries who enjoy watching mortals dance themselves to
death, and Nim ue is the downfall o f M erlin herself, still
prowling for doddery old gents. Given this approach, your
Guide could have a giant (who seem s a lot sm aller in the
city) chase some new Jack through the darkened streets,
concealing his impossibility through collective modern
blindness.
Pure Sym bolism
With this approach, the m undane world assum es
m undane yet symbolic shapes. There are no faerie wolves
eating young virgins, but the
serial killer who calls him self
The W olf is far too real. A rash
o f exhaustion-related deaths
brings attention to an upper
called Red Shoes, and the club
owner nam ed Nim ue has a
perverse sense o f humor. The
symbols rem ain intact, but the
m agic becomes an illusion. This
isn ’t always the best option for
a Deliria tale — in Deliria magic
is real! It’s always a good idea,
however, to keep folks guessing.
And in a setting where people
expect magic, a bit o f literal-
minded fun blurs the edges o f reality. we knew gives way to a strange landscape. For a modern
hero, that could m ean taking a new job, stepping into
D itch the O ld , B ring on the New
Faerie or getting lost in the real woods. Whatever the
Who cares about wolves and red shoes, anyway? A
change m ight be, it forces a hero to confront her fears and
Deliria Guide might just toss out all the expected elements
preconceptions. New things will happen; new people will
and invent new ones. Instead o f a Big Bad Wolf, our
appear. In her journey, our hero m ust adopt fresh skills
modern heroine faces the Beer-barian, a frat boy gone
and alter her approach to life. Until she m anages those
berserk. The newest and most deadly attraction on the
tasks, she’s going to have a very hard time.
strip downtown is the Skin Queen, a craver who feeds
Traditionally, the quest takes a hero into a real or
o ff o f other w om en’s insecurities, enticing them under
symbolic wilderness, someplace where she’s cut o ff from
the knife for her own pleasure. There’s no Crystal Cave,
her usual support network. In Deliria, you can enter this
but that soul-suclcing office complex is open and ready
Dark Wood (which is both a real and a symbolic place)
for business! This option makes for unpredictable tales,
in all kinds o f ways. Once there, your hero faces tests
often at the cost o f faerie tale mystique. There’s something
both m undane and magical. The obvious journey takes
romantic about being the Brave W oodsman o f our century,
a m undane person into Faerie, with all its attendant
and though it’s heroic (and silly!) to tackle the Beer-barian,
weirdness. Equally effective, though, are trips that never
a player m ight m iss that old-world flavor.
leave the mortal world yet confront the hero with new
So which option works best? All o f them! In Deliria,
obstacles. Such journeys m ight be geographical (a cross­
you can have several cakes and eat a piece o f each. The
country move), social (acceptance into a subculture),
mortal fringes o f Faerieland warp m undane reality in
emotional (divorce), fam ilial (pregnancy and childbirth),
strange ways, and anything could be possible. In Deliria’s
magical (a faerie friend or enemy) or combinations o f
magical realm, o f course, the old tales m ay be literally
them all. For excellent examples, see Terri W indling’s The
true — talking wolves are no big deal there. In the mortal
Wood Wife or Neil G aim an’s Neverwhere.
realm, however, reality has m any faces... and plenty o f
challenges for a wayward hero!
Cests of C h aracter
Along the way, a hero encounters people and
situations that test her character. Traditionally, these
Che Journey: Quests an d Cests
encounters included starving people, injured animals,
And into the woods we go! Classic faerie tales often
uncanny phenomena, insults from powerful personages
feature a quest into the wilderness — with tests along the
and scavenger hunts for impossible things. Whatever the
way — as an integral part o f the adventure. But where’s
test m ight be, it requires an unusual amount o f generosity,
that wilderness in an urban fantasy saga? And what might
wit, cleverness, insight or patience. Tests o f sheer strength
happen when we get there?
are pretty rare. Any idiot can be a brute, but Faerie
Che W ilderness demands finesse.
Psychologically, a quest takes us beyond our In an everyday hero saga, such tests m ight seem
comfort zones and into the realm o f change. The world like normal situations (a homeless guy begging for food)

^ 21

FYC: 7 Quests,
7 Cests, 7 Fates
Quest Settings
^ Sudden Job Loss
£ Inherit New Property
$ Identity Completely Stolen
» Goblin Marketplace
£ Car Breaks Down in Middle o f Nowhere
$ Wake Up in Strange Surroundings
v Crossed Over into Faerie
Tests
& Create Masterpiece in No Tim e
£ Retrieve Item/ Person/ Pet
I Feed Starving Person/ Animal/ Beast
£ Help Injured Person/ Animal/ Beast
£ Find Impossible Object(s)
» Cross Through Fire/ Water/ Empty Space
$ Answer Three Tough Riddles
Failure Fates
^ Trapped in Object/ Painting/ Helpless Body
if Forced to Speak in Rhyme/ Truth/ Lies
$ Banished to Another Realm
^ Rendered Speechless/ Forced to Talk
p Transform ed Into Kid/ Anim al/ Outcast
^ Wiped From People’s Memories
I Character Gets a Wyrd
11
or unusual opportunities (an invitation to a wild party).
They range from simple (give the dude a sandwich) to
im possible (find the King o f Central Park) and usually
include emotional, physical and spiritual elements. Let’s
say that Inlcboy meets Nim ue in the Crystal Cave; he
breaks a valuable sculpture, and she tells him to replace
it by m orning or he’ll become the replacem ent him self!
Searching the m idnight streets, he meets a bag lady who
has exactly the same sculpture am ong her treasures. How
does Inkboy get it from her? That’s the test.
C he Price of F oil lire
What happens i f a hero doesn’t pass the test? Classic
tales often feature characters who provide object lessons
for failure. In “Cinderella,” the stepsisters mutilate their
feet before having their eyes pecked out by birds. You
don’t have to go quite that far, but i f you’re the Guide it’s
helpful to have an object lesson - a character who meets a
gruesom e fate in order to point out the high stakes o f the
adventure.
Anyone who’s fam iliar with faerie tales knows that
you don’t beat up the bag lady and steal her sculpture. Still,
there are folks in both the real world and the roleplaying
com m unity who make the claim that “anything that’s not
nailed down is mine, and anything I can pry up is not
nailed down.” I f Inkboy decides to choose this path, the
sculpture begins to glow; horrified, Inkboy feels his own
lim bs stiffen as the statue transform s into a teenage girl.
“FR E E ! I ’M FR E E !’’ shouts the girl — the last person who
tried to steal from the m agical bag lady! Inkboy takes her
place as the piece o f statuary... which the bag lady then
sells to Nim ue to replace the broken goods. Too bad,
Inkboy!
A test like this is not random; a bad Draw shouldn’t
doom the hero. Some feature o f the test always offers a
clue to its solution. A smart hero sees what’s com ing and
makes the right choice — and that choice always costs him
something. In this case, the bag lady tells Inkboy to kiss
her three times like he means it. It’s a foul task, but no one
ever said faerie tales were easy!
Failure often comes from greed. The hero who tries
to play the system gets his ass kicked. The price o f failure
m ight be dealt out by mortal authorities, faeries or forces
o f nature. Whatever its agency, however, this punishm ent
fits its crime. The character who suffers such a fate earns it.
Faerie has a sick sense o f justice. Thus, the
consequences o f failure ought to be extravagant displays o f
poetic justice. These punishm ents could be m agical (like
being trapped in a statue), social (public ruin, e.g. Cruel
Intentions), gory (shredded in a machine), absurd (ripped
apart by live Furbys) or even metaphysical (the karmic
do-over in Being John Malkovich). Traditional punishm ents
included spitting up frogs, dancing to death and being
wheeled through town in a nail-studded barrel. In our
world, failure doesn’t need to be that fatal, but it should be
chilling nonetheless.
Deliria , Chapters 2 and 4 (pages 57-64
and 16 6 -16 7) covers quests and tests in
detail. Many Wyrds (Deliria, pages 274,
277; this book, Chapter 3) could m ake fine
consequences for failure.
Conflict: Stirring the Pot
Peace does not a hero make! Instead, a hero is
defined by the conflicts she endures. These conflicts
could be physical, social, mystical, spiritual, existential...
whatever their nature, though, they will not be boring!
Heroes don’t sit around debating the m eaning o f life;
they’re usually trying to save a life — more often than not,
their own!
Arc of Conflict
How can your Circle address conflicts in the realm
o f everyday heroes? Well, to start with, rem em ber the
personal wars within your own life: issues with your boss,
fights with your family, calls from the collection agency,
poop disputes with the neighbor’s dog. Each o f these
tiny battles can become heroic with the right metaphors
attached. The boss becomes a life-sucking craver;
your weird m om is fey-touched and m ust be healed;
the collection agency transform s into the ruthless
Palenoch... and they’re sending their Money
23*
M eanwhile, the ferocious stink-faeries are m aking your
yard a horrorshow. Sure, these examples m ay seem funny,
but they hit home. Taken seriously, our everyday battles
make excellent material. After all, the authors o f classic
faerie tales were addressing the issues o f their day. Why
should your Circle be any different?
Whatever your inspiration m ight be, a conflict
typically follows a certain dramatic arc:
Hr Clues or foreshadowing o f the challenge appear,
like a friend crushed by some heartless beauty.
£ Something happens to kick the conflict into
gear; for example, you finally meet said heartless
beauty.
£ The true scope o f the conflict becomes obvious;
she likes you — but you have a girlfriend!
$ One party attacks; the other either counters or
withdraws; you go home with the heartbreaker.
She’s rather... voracious.
^ Complications ensue; you’re covered in bites
and scratches, not to mention drained o f vitality.
Your girlfriend is not amused.
£ One party moves to end the conflict; you try to
break up with your new friend while keeping
your girlfriend from breaking up with you.
^ The opponent either accepts the resolution or
presses the attack; the heartbreaker isn ’t going
anywhere — she likes the way you taste, and she
won’t stop until she’s done with you... which
your girlfriend declares she is.
p Someone gets an edge and moves to end the
conflict; you discover that the new girl is a
lifethief and that a certain ritual will drive her
away; meanwhile, your best friend meets the
new girl, and winds up as the next course on
her menu.
Climax; you and your friends drive the
heartbreaker out o f town... just in time!
^ Aftermath; you screwed up, and people got hurt.
Will your ex take you back? Maybe, maybe
not. And i f the heartbreaker’s still around
somewhere, she m ight want a rematch.
Any sort o f conflict follows this arc. The heroes
might be dealing with a craver, a storm, a pack o f Kid
Fears, a street gang or a pissed-off ex. Either way, the
conflict begins with a spark, ignites, becomes a firestorm
and is either put out or runs its course; afterward, you deal
with the destruction and hope it’s not too bad.

FYC: 7
Potential
Conflicts
Need a quick conflict to spark a fresh
storyline? Try one o f these:
^ A small but vicious shim m erling steals some
object (wallet, checkbook, laptop, etc.) that he
knows is valuable to those stupid mortals.
I A local sorcerer is obsessed with a major
character and is determined to get what he
wants!
£ You shouldn’t have opened Grandm a’s book!
Now the faeries are after you, and they want
to take you home with them — forever!
^ Something is spooking the horses at a local
stable. In the m orning, they seem to have
been ridden hard and returned to their
stables at dawn. No one’s been seen stealing
them, though. So what’s going on?
$ The bosses had a firing party. One o f the
victims is getting twitchy, and he’s got a large
bag by his desk. You sense Something Really
Bad hovering in the air nearby. What do you
do?
I Hey, have you guys seen that cool new store
down at the mall? It’s got all kinds o f weird
stuff, and I just got a job there!
t, One person’s significant other is causing
more problems than usual. Friends want to
see the offender kicked to the curb, but the
lover refuses. How bad do things have to
get? Because they’re about to get a whole lot
D r a w in g a n d Crossing the Line
Challenges should feel scary. Ideally, the
consequences matter to both the players and their
characters. But what happens when a conflict gets too
personal? Sex, abuse, religion and realistic death (as
opposed to stylized violence) are all sensitive topics in real
life — which is why they m ake extremely effective stories.
These topics m ight disturb som e folks within your Circle,
but that discomfort is what packs the dramatic punch! As
Deliria says (page 147), faerie tales are tools for dealing
with reality, not methods for escaping it. W hen subjects
like faith or violation appear, they can be dealt with more
easily i f they’re dressed in metaphorical garb. Such themes
dominate faerie tales both m odern and traditional.
That said, Deliria is a game. And players o f that
game should enjoy themselves. It’s not fun having a friend
jum p up and down on your personal issues just because
it makes for a cool story. I f som eone’s close to tears (in a
not-good way), then things have broken down
Therefore, before incorporating sensitive topics
into the story, your Circle should agree on som e basic
guidelines. Perhaps the group prefers to avoid the death o f
fam ily m em bers, because Emily lost her brother last year
— but it’s okay to tell explicit sexual stories. Or maybe the
group decides that “ Fade to black!” — a cue that any player
can call — will be their code-phrase for ending a scene
that’s m aking someone uncomfortable. As long as the
Circle agrees on respectful boundaries, nearly any topic or
tactic can work.
Once the Circle agrees on the guidelines for the
game, stick to them! Take boundaries seriously, and try
not to giggle or otherwise make light o f intense situations.
Narrative power relies on personal connection and a
suspension o f disbelief. Making jokes while another player
is facing an issue disrespects the story and your fellow
players. I f a m em ber o f your Circle hits a wall emotionally,
back off. Take some chill time and rem ind one another
that this is only a faerie tale. I f you’re the session Guide,
watch your fellow players for signs o f distress when you
move into sensitive topics. I f and when someone gets
stone-faced, it’s “ Fade to black!” time.
Handled well, intense issues make for powerful
tales. Just watch the boundaries when sexuality, religion or
realistic death enter the picture. Deliria is supposed to be
fun, but don’t take your enjoyment at a friend’s expense!
Cypes of Conflict
What sorts o f conflicts (aside from the obvious
“meet a faerie, have the world change” thing) can you
expect in an urban fantasy setting?
Assault S tructural
Clear conflict: som eone or som ething attacks Structural conflicts arise from clashing social and
a target. This could involve physical violence, social cultural mores. Lucian finds that he can’t get a good job
m aneuvering, emotional harassm ent or spiritual invasion. because he never finished high school; Wendy winds up
In any case, som eone’s getting hurt, and other folks will grounded by her parents for dating bad-boy Bryce. These
probably get involved. Let’s say that Willard Jenner sends conflicts are m ost effective when a particular antagonist
his rats to take out his old enemy, Prince Ram ous. The (Wendy’s parents, Lucian’s would-be bosses) represents
rodent swarm is pretty direct, and the cat prince (having strong social forces at work.
survived — again!) goes after his own pound o f flesh.
V alu e
Soon, there’s a small war that hum an heroes may or may
Conflicts o f value involve basic m oral questions.
not understand. W hen their streets seethe with cats and
One side holds a truth to be self-evident; another disagrees.
rats, however, the people will want some answers!
Kelly, for example, discovers that her new romantic
R e latio n sh ip interest in a woman clashes with the values she was
Relationship conflicts happen for raised with — not to m ention the values
personal reasons. Someone done o f her customers! That value conflict
someone else wrong... or at Single Hero, m anifests in both internal and
least one party sees things external ways.
that way. Perhaps Liana
Shared S a g a In an everyday hero
once broke Jerm aine’s Although a shared-saga Circle usually story, conflicts can be
heart or Jerm aine splits its activities between several m ain characters, m undane, m agical or
stiffed her on the rent that sam e group can — by m utual arrangem ents — both. Not all o f those
last year. Maybe, focus on a single hero per story. How? By designating clashes will involve
for no good reason, one hero per story arc as the key hero o f that tale. faeries, but some o f
they just don’t get Essentially, one player takes center stage, and the others them probably will. A
along! Conflicts assum e supporting roles or take turns playing Guide. This good Deliria Guide can
based on personal arrangem ent concentrates on the adventures o f a single keep her players hopping
relationships may character; when her story arc concludes, that player steps back by striking a balance
take a while to heat and assum es a supporting role (possibly with the same hero, between them both.
up, but once they’re possibly not) while the next player brings his hero forward
going, they provide for a new story. This way, Kira gets to pursue her Individual
excellent motivation for case, then Quentin tangles with the Money Challenges vs.
any num ber o f good stories. Ogre, and afterward Lucian discovers
why he can’t get a job. Group Challenges
Inform ation Faerie tales tend to play out
Conflicts o f information occur on a small scale. Most o f them involve a
when different people work at cross-purposes single hero and one m ajor conflict. But urban
with different information. Perhaps Abby doesn’t know fantasies, Deliria included, often feature a group o f heroes
that i f she wears her grandmother’s necklace too often, with shared ties and com m on issues. Because m ost sagas
she’ll start hearing the voices that drove Grandmother focus on a group rather than an individual, it m ight be
insane. W hen her friend Tse Wei tries to take the necklace helpful to look at how each type o f conflict plays out in the
away from her and Abby gets mad, the conflict arises game.
because they know different things about that necklace.
In d iv id u a l C hallenges: C a b le for O n e
Interest Choosing a m eaningful challenge is simple if
Conflicts o f interest begin when opposing parties your story focuses on one character. Because o f the way
want sim ilar things and refuse to share their goals. If Deliria characters are built, it’s easy to create m eaningful
Brimstone Green and Autum n both want a mystically challenges for a single character. Each character’s Drives
powerful studio space, they’re in a conflict o f interest — are, essentially, inspirations for conflict. I f Kira, a brand-
and given their personalities, it probably w on’t end well. new lawyer, finds out that her job at Miller and Miller

15*
involves little m ore than fetching and carrying for the
m ore experienced m em bers o f the firm, her Passion for
justice m ight impel her to seek out more m eaningful
work. Alternatively, she m ight be trying to hide a Secret:
the firm is pursuing action against her deadbeat uncle.
Whatever the conflicts might be, the character creation
process deliberately provides challenges for each
character. A good Guide should take advantage o f those
opportunities.
During a single-story session, the conflict arc moves
from foreshadowing to resolution. I f the story begins
with Kira getting lost in the woods, for instance, it shou ld
probably end with her finding her way out o f those woods,
perhaps a bit the worse for wear. The story involves one
character’s struggle to resolve — though not necessarily
overcome — the conflict. A good individual challenge will
take approximately a session to resolve, though the Guide
should be prepared for players to find innovative solutions.
But what i f the conflict can’t be resolved within a
single session? What i f the game covers a whole saga instead
o f a single session or the conflict is too large to be resolved
in a few hours? A character’s lifelong estrangement from her
family, for example, shouldn’t be resolved
in the course o f a single story, no matter
how powerful that story may be. However,
there should be some satisfaction after a
good session. I f nothing changes after
an emotional scene or two, your Circle is
bound to get frustrated!
One way to handle large-scale
challenges involves setting up sub­
goals within the challenge at hand. For
example, Kira discovers that her new
job at the law firm involves settling
generations-old litigation about the heir
to a mysterious shop filled with bizarre
goods. Each session, the Guide can set
up separate challenges, each o f which
m ight take about a session to resolve.
First, she m ight have to locate the heir or
heirs presumptive. Next, she m ight need
to convince the opposing lawyers — who
seem, well, unnatural — to turn over
some disputed papers. Finally, she might
actually have to go to court or negotiate
a settlement. Each step leads her toward
the resolution o f the larger conflict, but
every task provides a satisfying resolution
in and o f itself.
I f you’re Guiding Kira’s saga,
you could set up conflicts that work on
several levels at once. Surface issues can
be resolved quickly, but deeper troubles
m ay reoccur over time. Eventually,
each layer gets stripped down and
resolved until the root o f the problem
is exposed and finally dealt with. I f Kira
is consistently discriminated against on
the job, for example, each story m ight
feature her getting into trouble for no
good reason and then having to get out
o f it again. Over time, Kira understands
that her problems are by no m eans accidental. Probing
the problem, she com es closer and closer to discovering
who wants to get rid o f her — and why. The underlying
problem becomes apparent through Kira’s struggles, even
though no individual story ever explicitly addresses it.
In really good stories, conflicts and challenges affect
your hero on several levels. The previous examples show
conflicts that involve one aspect o f Kira’s life; a really well-
designed conflict, however, nails Kira on several fronts at
once. For example, Kira’s litigation hits home when she
discovers that her uncle is a deadbeat because her mother
stole his inheritance. Should she confront Mom? And what
will Mom tell Kira i f she does? Is there more to the whole
sordid issue than even Kira understands? And what’s the
tie between Kira’s m om and the mysterious shop case?
Poor Kira may find that her dream job has some pretty
nightm arish complications.
G ro u p C hallenges: Adventure Loves
Com pany
Now let’s take Kira and put her in a shared-group
saga. Suddenly, the dynamics change. The drama can’t
revolve around her anymore. How should the Circle
handle things?
Shared Adventures
Many faerie tales and urban fantasies involve
characters with different skills who work together toward
a shared a goal. In the Chinese faerie tale “The Seven
Brothers,” for example, each brother has one special
ability: one can drink the whole ocean, another runs faster
than a gazelle. When the brothers work together, they’re
able to defy the Emperor him self! Designing a conflict in
which each character has a chance (and the need) to shine
can be a great way to get a group to work together. Kira,
for example, can fast-talk her friends past the bouncer at
her favorite club, Abby spots the craver in the crowd and
Tse Wei has the knowledge necessary to bind it.
When you’re using this approach, your Circle
should put the heroes’ inner natures, not necessarily their
skills, at the center o f the tale. Otherwise, your Deliria
story can quickly become a dungeon crawl that features
faeries and cops instead o f ogres and dragons and puts
the em phasis on what characters can do instead o f who
they are. Binding the craver, for instance, should require
courage and wit, not special traits or esoteric knowledge.
At the same time, make sure that every character gets a
chance to do something cool; otherwise, some players
will feel left out o f the fun. For Guides, this means that
you should be fam iliar with the heroic nature o f all o f the
characters. For players, this m eans keeping an eye out for
situations that will bring your hero's issues into play. Let
the group's challenges fit the individuals within that group
and give each individual a chance to show why he deserves
the title o f hero.
C o m m o n C ause
People work well toward a com m on purpose.
So i f you’re a Guide for a multi-hero saga, focus your story
on a single com m on issue that unites different individuals.
Give each character a potential way in, then let the players
g°-
Let's say, for example, that Natasha, Alexei and
Sergei are in the process o f inheriting that goblin market
from their parents. Natasha wants to make some fast
cash out o f it to pay o ff her credit card debt, Alexei
wants to m ake sure that his siblings don’t get the better
share o f things again and Sergei just wants to get this
uncomfortable inheritance o ff his back so that he can go
back to Vegas. All three heroes have different stories and
agendas, but all three relate to the same central issue.
The key with these sorts o f stories involves finding
a challenge that’s appropriately complex. Some conflicts,
franldy, are too simple for people to get worked up about.
Binary challenges (kill the dragon, rescue the bookstore)
don’t work terribly well — they’re just not personal enough
to be truly exciting. So if you're a Guide, choose a challenge
with many potential hooks for your characters; i f you’re a
player, on the other hand, create characters who have shared
interests. This way, everyone collaborates on the saga.
C he ABCs
It isn ’t always possible or even desirable to tie all o f
your characters to the same post. Sometimes characters
need to go in slightly different directions, following
separate plot threads toward their own resolutions. (This
is particularly true in long-term sagas, in which characters
inevitably grow apart in some ways even as they grow
together in others.)
So now Kira wants to visit the contested goblin
market, Abby’s trying to hang on to her sanity (too m uch
time with Grandm a’s necldace, apparently), Quentin’s
doing shots with the Beer-barian at the Crystal Cave and
Tse W ei’s investigating the war between the local cats and
rats. What’s a Guide to do?
Use her ABCs. Think o f the plot threads as A, B
and C. A represents the m ain plot — the central focus
o f a story, which in this case involves the goblin market
and the law firm. B becomes a strong secondary plot
(the war between the cats and rats) and C (and possibly
other letters) reflects smaller, more personal plots (the
Beer-barian and the necklace). All o f these plots should

be somewhat interwoven, but even within a com m on
fram ework they can take the Circle’s heroes in very
different directions.
Many dramatic TV shows, like 24, for example,
use this technique, cutting back and forth between the
different plots. You can do the same thing in a roleplaying
saga, though the technique can be tricky unless several
players are acting as Guides or one Guide is extraordinarily
fast on her feet. With a central plot and a single Guide,
your group runs the risk o f concentrating on Plot A while
everyone w ho’s not active in Plot A sits around getting
bored. To mitigate this problem, tie Plots A, B and C
together in a loose yet definite way: the law firm has Nimue
as a client, one o f the goblin market heirs gets m auled by
rats and the Beer-barian is hired as security until the crisis
fades. Yes, there’s a degree o f forced convenience in such
arrangem ents, but this is a faerie tale, after all. Logic is
important, but enjoyment is even more so.
Urban fantasy does not end when you kr
magic is real; on m any levels, the enchantmeni
grows. In time, a hero m ight wander o ff from ryday
world and take her chances with the fey. For t! js t part,
though, mortals enjoy being mortals. Faerie’s h haunts
them, but the taste o f our world rem ains sweet. Perhaps
the certainty that m agic is real m akes mortal life m ore
interesting. Like Kelly Shockett, your everyday hero m ight
find h im self in love with the world. For all its tragedies, it’s
still a pretty cool place.
In Deliria, heroes move from innocence to
experience. Essentially, each character discovers things
about h im self that he hadn’t known before. A good faerie
tale challenge is a test o f inherent quality. It challenges
your cleverness, your wisdom , your valor. Each adventure
is a rite o f passage. Whether you
to return to everyday reality or not.
you with the touch o f Faerie and

Resolution an d Recognition
As the dramatic arc concludes, your Guide should
tie all the threads together. All stories have an ending, you
know — even the ones with sequels. Somewhere along
the line, things need to build to a satisfying climax, resolve
themselves and settle into an aftermath from which new
adventures begin. Wrestling all o f these elements together
can be quite a trick, but with a bit o f preparation (and an
assistant Guide or two), your Circle can bring it all home.
What happens then? Are your heroes still everyday
folks once the Mystery has opened to them? Perhaps.
They’ll be a bit m ore knowledgeable after all that chaos,
true, but they won’t understand m ost o f what they’ve seen.
Deliria and its borderlands are odd places, and they keep
their secrets very well! Yes, your heroes may have acquired
| some new talents during their adventures and probably
have a few Folk in their debt. Still, when the din subsides
they have to go back to work. Rent and hunger wait for no
hero — not in this world, anyway!
In the later seasons o f Bujjy the Vampire Slayer, as
the characters grew more powerful, the personal issues they
faced became more intense, too. Without the saving graces
o f high school, college or Buffy’s m om to fall back on, the
kids soon found themselves having to take jobs and make
their way in an adult world. The dichotomy between heroic
power and day-job drudgery had a disconcerting effect that
m ost everyday heroes understand. Returning from Faerie’s
fields, these folks often put on their uniform s and act the
mortal part, knowing that the Money Ogre rem ains at
their door one way or another. Is this happily ever after?
H m m m m ...
 T here are bloody rat-tails in the gutter.
Wounded cats lick their wounds in the
alleyways. M any families will miss tlyeir pets
today} soon, LOST CAT fliers will flap on
bulletin boards across town. Bow many kitties
will return, I wonder, and will their owners
ever know how Puss lost an ear while she was
gone?
T he Rat King has fled again. I still smell
him on my clothes, Wougm It makes me sick.
When the hour's decent, I'll drop by Kira's
place and use her shower. The clothes, I think
I'll burn, she's got extras for me there, and I
don't want souvenirs of this weekend war.
Lieutenant Lewis is watching me again.
Probably figures I'm still drunk. Let him stare!
Unless he's gonna book me — and I don't think
he will — his glare is the least of my worries.
Gotta boost my tetanus shots again.
Probably get rabies ones, too. God, those (ntrft
I could live my whole life without doing tJpat
again!
And best of all, I work tonight, oh joy.
But y'know — for all the blood and pain I
saw last night, there are a few less shadows in
the streets today. A few less children will be bit.
The sun's back out, and no one knows how bad
things got.

1C

u. x , ' * • «

V m A 1
W k W ii m S k W & f f ir f c ffS k
“The youth, intoxicated with his admiration of a hero, fails to s e,
that it is only a projection of his own soul, which he admires.”
_ Wnlrln FmorQnn
 C H M E fl 1:
THE HEM IN THE Mliiilllii
Sit up. Look around. T here are heroes all
around you. The woman at the corner table
at your favorite cafe1 Two years ago, she
gave a homeless old man a place to stay on
a cold winter night• His coat smelled of sweet
wine and weeks-old sweat, when
the old man left, he tearfully
pressed her hands with
his own."You saved
Sit up
my life/' he said to
her. Now that her
Look around
husband has left her)
she lies awake late at
f?ere are yeroe
night filling up with
loneliness. In her darkest
all around
hours, she sometimes
thinks that she can smell
sweet wine and old sweat, and
somehow it brings her peace.
The studious-looking boy sitting next
to you on the bus1 Yesterday he broke up a
fight between the class bully and the new
kid, the one with the funny clothes and the
weird accent. He knows that if he shows his
face at school today, he might very well get
it punched in— but if he doesn't show up, the
new kid's going to get it even worse. At least
this way they'll be fighting together.
The programmer in the cubicle next
to you1 she just came back from
a meeting with the boss in
wYhich she thought fast and
talked faster. Now only
three people from the
department are going
to be laid off, and even
though that's still
three too many, it's
better than what they'd
had planned. Now she
OU.
sits down at her computer
to send an e-mail with the
good news, but she can't help wondering
whether she's just put herself on the chopping
block she frowns. Hits a key. Hits another,
she doesn't know where she'll go next,
which heroes will you bring to life1
Let's find out...
Che Knight Next Door unexpected challenge and discover what she’s really made
of! Such people rise to the occasion - in ways
Where do everyday heroes come from? How do I that m ost folks envy but rarely
find one? W here do I begin? And just what makes them match.
so great, anyhow? This chapter will help you answer such
W hy Bother?
questions. W hether you’re m aking a hero for a long-term
s c what's
saga or just want to tell a quick story with your friends,
fun about that?
you 11 find guidelines here to help you develop characters
After all, everyday
with interesting stories to tell. I f you want to learn to
heroes don’t
com bine the m agical with the m undane and the exotic
have big guns,
with the everyday, read on!
superpowers,
m agic (usually...)
It’s Not Just About Deliria.
Although the following chapter covers
Z>e//ria-based rules and traits, the principles
apply to, and can be used with, any
roleplaying game.

Che Cveryday Hero Defined

In some ways, it’s easier to say who an everyday
hero isn’t than who she is. An everyday hero doesn’t end
up on television explaining how she saved a busload o f
schoolchildren from terrorists. She doesn’t own more
guns than shoes, spend ten years learning martial arts in
a m onastery or obsessively collect ancient tomes o f dark
magic. Dirty Harry, Lara Croft, Rambo — well, they may
or m ay not be heroes, but they’re certainly not everyday
heroes.
That’s because an everyday hero has to be, as the
name suggests, convincingly everyday. H e’s ordinary. He
probably watches too m uch television, worries that he
doesn’t call home often enough and thinks he’d look better
i f he lost ten pounds. Everyday characters have everyday
issues and concerns and are engaged with the m undane
world in intense and intimate ways. The things that
matter to everyday heroes are the same things that
matter to all o f us: the complex, budding, m addening
world around us and how exactly we go on living in it.
But everyday heroes have a double life.
They’re not just ordinary people — they’re also
heroic. The word “hero” is a slippery one, o f
course, a word that’s been used to describe
everyone from Joseph Stalin to Florence
Nightingale. In Deliria, however,
the word “hero” defines a very
specific kind o f heroism : the courage
that allows a person to face an
or thugs to boss around. Instead, they have to rely upon
their innate cleverness, kindness, courage and so on. So
why bother playing someone ordinary?
Well, for starters, we can relate to an everyday
hero. H e’s the guy behind the coffee counter. The Not good enough.
bartender at our favorite club. The girl in class.
The person in the mirror. The everyday hero Never good enough.
is us. Faced with challenges we understand
— school, work, money, relationships and That was my mantra. But I didn't compose
so on — this kind o f hero knows what it is
it alone. Thank you, Dad. Thanks a lot,, Mom.
to wrestle with mortality. He has to pay the
rent, feed the dog, kiss his wife goodnight.
Jeeze, M arty, you were the worst of the lot.
Like us, he wonders (when he has time for
reflection) whether he really matters in the
Some brother! And Jennifer... wellI, I guess I
grand scheme o f things. And, with luck, he
eventually finds out that he does. looked pretty good next to your screw-wps,
The ordinary hero presents fabulous
opportunities for roleplay. Without the death- but that that didn't 5o me much good. The only
dealing prowess o f a conventional RPG
character, the mortal character lives on one who didn't reinforce the loser that was me
a smaller, more intimate scale. That
intimacy provides an emotional would be Snowy. And Snowy wasn't real.
connection that you can’t get with
M y stuffed owl. Long before all that
Brongar the Barbarian. For players
who enjoy drama and romance,
H arry Potter stuff) I had Snowy. Aunt Jane
ordinary characters provide plenty o f opportunities
to shine. got him for me that first time we went out to
It takes brains and guts to play the hero in the
m irror, too. Facing the perils o f Faerie is a lot more see her. w h en we drove across the desert and
challenging when you can’t just haul out a rocket launcher!
For players with a strategic bent, a mortal character offers stopped at that freezing TraveLodge in New
an interesting handicap. Without unusual powers
or weaponry, your character will need all the Mexico. Aunt Jane gave Snowy to me when
wits and imagination you can bring to the
table. No wim ps allowed! we got to her place, and M arty said something
Unlike traditional fantasy
snotty about it, of course. But I loved that
heroes, everyday heroes are
interesting because o f what
stuffed owl.
they can’t do. The focus
isn ’t on their awesome
The night Snowy spread his wings, I
powers, but on their
minds and hearts, realized that he loved me, too.
their loves and even their
limitations. An everyday And I realized that no matter what
hero confronts issues that we all face in our
lives... chances are, he can beat them. Each o f us has an anyone saify I WUS good enough —
everyday hero deep inside, one we can call upon i f w e’re
lucky enough to notice him. Through assum ing that and then some.
role, we too can confront those issues and come
out ahead.

33
 F am o u s everyday
Heroes
Modern adventure fantasy
provides plenty o f role models for
superhero characters. But what
about the normal folks who
face adversity without powers
or weaponry? Are there any cool
role models for those characters? Of
course. A few to consider...
£ The Scooby Gang on Buffy the
Vampire Slayer and Angel Detective
Services crew on Angel: Buffy and Angel are essentially
superheroes, but their companions — especially Xander,
Fred, Cordelia, Gunn, Wesley, Giles and Dawn — are normal
people with more guts than firepower. Even the supernatural
characters on those shows have mundane concerns. Despite their
supernatural abilities, Buffy, Angel, Willow and Anya worry about
rent money, heartbreak and other domesticities — this focus makes
them everyday folks with a few surprises.
v Almost anyone in Charles deLint’s town of Newford: Although there are
a handful o f supernatural folks running around this urban fantasy landscape,
deLint’s most memorable characters — Jilly Coppercom, Joe Bones, Christy Riddell,
even the Crow Girls — appear to be normal human beings... even if they happen to
change shape occasionally.
$ The Grace kids from The Spiderwick Chronicles. Aside from their run-ins with faeries
(and resulting faerie sight), these siblings are normal kids. Jared has a temper, Mallory
has fencing skills and Simon has a knack with animals. That’s about the extent of their
powers, yet in the true faerie tale tradition they foil a goblin invasion with little more
than courage and wits.
$ Cinderella in her many guises: From Grimm’s Fairy Tales to Ella Enchanted to Ever
After to Pretty Woman, Cinderella might be the most pervasive heroine in popular
culture. Despite her passive stereotype, the character can be quite spirited, especially in
her modem incarnations.
£ Frodo and Sam: Tolkien intentionally laid the fate o f his magical Middle Earth in the
hands of two humble hobbits. The Lord of the Rings may be filled with swordsmen and spell-
slingers, but its greatest heroes had no powers other than their courage.
I Alice in Wonderland, Wendy and her brothers, the Brave Little Tailor, Jack the Giant-
Killer and more: Very few traditional faerie tales feature superpowered heroes. Farmers, kids,
apprentices... and not a +5 Sword of Killing Everything In Sight among them. This is the face
of heroism: the adventurer who could be you if you only had the chance. Deliria gives you that
chance. Have fun storming the castle!
 Why does that woman have punk-purple hair? Why are
Che Ordinary those apparent lovers arguing? Why does the kid talk to

extraordinary
The ideal Deliria character is an ordinary person in
an extraordinary world. What does that mean? And how
can you create and play such a person?
At its core, Deliria’s heroism is about seeing
your world and your self through new eyes. W e’ve been
conditioned to believe that w e’re not good enough, that our
world sucks and that we need such-and-such products in
order to succeed. In Deliria, however, a normal person can
be good enough to prosper. The world may be dangerous,
but it’s also miraculous, and the greatest treasures are
found inside your heart, not on a sh elf at Wal-Mart. This
idea o f the ordinary extraordinary provides the focus o f
Deliria. You might play a SCaD trollkiller, but eventually
he’ll have to take o ff the arm or and go home to fix supper.
So where do you go from here?
Where to Begin
When it comes to creating mortal characters, it’s
easy to find a starting point. Because everyday heroes
are grounded in day-to-day existence, you already know
everything you need to get started. Just use your own life
as inspiration and run with it!
Here are four simple ways to use your real-world
experience to jumpstart the creative process:
Look A round
Everyday heroes are all around you. Do you admire
your best friend’s stubborn nature? Your sister’s way with
words? The stylish flair o f that Java Mama barista? Weave
these qualities into the character you’re creating. For
example, let’s say that our player, Esperanza, has an older
sister w ho’s struggling to open a small hardware store in
their hometown. Inspired by her sister’s efforts, Esperanza
creates a character who returns home to take over the
family business and care for his elderly parents but who
secretly m isses life in the big, mysterious city. Esperanza’s
character isn ’t exactly like her sister, but her sister certainly
inspired certain elements o f that character.
You don’t just have to rely on people you know,
either. I f you want ideas, just look around. Go hang
him self? Let questions like these inspire your imagination.
Y ou’ll be surprised at how m any stories you discover just
by looking around.
Look a l Books
The stories o f everyday heroes are rooted in faerie
tales and legends, stories that you’ve probably grown
up with. If you know your G rim m ’s, you can use that
knowledge as inspiration for a character. Perhaps your
character’s godmother quietly and unexpectedly put her
through college; maybe she’s known for her willingness to
make apparently stupid bargains. Lauren, for example, has
always loved the story o f Hansel and Gretel. She decides to
create a character who, as a young child, defended herself
against a great danger, a girl who turned her stepfather in
for abusing her and her brother. Inspired by the legend,
Lauren creates a modern Gretel for her saga and uses
that character to explore the potential aftermath o f that
decision.
In the Motifs section o f Chapter 2 (pages 68-81),
the Deliria rulebook outlines some o f the m ost common
archetypes found in faerie tales: princes, princesses,
knights, beasts, witches and rogues, am ong others. If
you’re looking for ideas, check that section out — or just
read some o f your favorite faerie tales and figure out which
elements inspire you!
Look it Up
Everyday heroes care about
things that happen in the real
world. I f you’re playing such
a character, you may want to
keep an eye on current events,
intriguing subcultures or other
sources o f inspiration. Do
you enjoy medical dramas
on TV? Draw on your
knowledge to create
a doctor or EMT.
Maybe you ran for
the school board
or volunteered
for a political

around a park, coffee shop or movie theatre lobby and just campaign; use
that expertise
watch the people there. Every one o f them has a story —
to make a
the middle-aged woman with a purple mohawk, the couple
character with
on the com er, the kid talking to h im self Chances are that
political
you’ll never find out exactly what those stories are, but
savvy.
if you ask yourself “ Why?" while people-watching, you’ll
come up with all sorts o f entertaining tales.

■4$

P u ttin g Your Life to
W ork for You
Many short stories are based on
the author’s real-life experiences. You
can do the same thing in your saga.
Just ask yourself a few simple questions,
and then use the answers as potential plot
hooks, background elements or emotional powderkegs for
your hero:
^ What happened on the happiest (or saddest) day o f your
life?
I How might your virtues or flaws play out in a different
kind o f life?
£ What profession or passion do you wish you had
pursued? (i.e., playing in a rock band, taking a job offer,
asking that girl/guy you liked long ago out for coffee,
etc.)
^ What sorts o f fancies did you have when you were a
child? And what would you do i f one came true?
$ How do you feel about God, spirits, magic or other
intangible things?
^ What kinds of games or tricks did you play with/on your
friends when you were a kid?
^ Was there ever a forbidden house/room/woods/item in
your childhood? I f so, why might it have been off-limits,
and what might have happened i f you had broken the
rules and gone where you had been told not to go?
$ What was your favorite (or least-favorite) store, class,
restaurant or other meaningful location?
I How did you meet a person in your life you truly love (or
despise)?
£ What event do you wish you had handled differently in
the past?
£ Where did you have a profoundly cheerful or painful
experience?
£ Did you ever have a paranormal experience? If so, what
was it like, and how might that experience inspire a
character?
$ What might you have said or done differently during a
crisis with a lover, boss or family member?
Once you come up with an answer, use that answer as
part of your character’s background. Maybe she eats at a place
like your favorite restaurant, broke up with her boyfriend like
you did or watched her toys (as you once imagined) come to
life as a child. By drawing on such personal questions and
details, you can create a character who’s satisfyingly realistic,
refreshingly mortal and compellingly you.
* 36^
Page 56 o f Deliria features a list o f potential
character concepts and suggestions about
how such people m ight get involved in
the magical underworld. In this book,
Chapter 5 provides a collection o f story
hooks, and Chapter 4 includes a selection
o f sam ple characters, trait templates and
professions.
For example, Jacob (who loves E.R.) decides to create a
nurse who is just a little too committed to helping people.
Jacob’s fam iliarity with hospital routines and the medical
jargon from the show helps him tell a convincing story
about her, even though he isn ’t a nurse or doctor himself.
General knowledge can inspire characters, too. If
you know a lot about local or world history, for instance,
put some o f your favorite real-world events in your
character’s past. Do you prefer debating class and social
issues? Make a character who faces head-on the issues
that you discuss in abstract terms. Perhaps you’re from a
minority group or subculture; make a character from that
same group and put your experiences to work. It’s hard to
live for very long without learning a great deal about the
world, so let the world that you know inspire you!
Look Inside
I f you think about it, you can find hundreds o f
potential stories in your own past and present. Use them
as springboards for imagination, and you’ll have plenty o f
material for your character. You don’t necessarily have to
play yourself to do this (though you can do so — see page
61). Just let your own experiences come through in your
character’s tastes, quirks, background or motivations.
Marnie, for example, has been estranged from her
parents since she was sixteen; her best friend Kyle has
a close-knit family. Inspired by both lives, she gives her
character a large and loving family. Marnie uses the loss in
her life and the love in Kyle’s as springboards for creating
her fantasy character.
A combination o f personal experience and outside
observation provides a good foundation for your own
creativity to build on. I f you just look at your world
with more enchanted eyes, you can see all kinds o f
opportunities for adventure.
See pages 87-95 f ° r character templates
that range from infants to experts.
Household pets, domestic faeries and
other folks you m ight encounter in an
everyday hero setting are also included.
 The Guide decides on a concept for the story and tells
Deliria Character the players to make characters that fit that concept.

Crafting The Guide then asks each player to:

Once you’ve got the inspiration for a character, it’s
time to get that character ready for a Deliria saga. Like
most roleplaying games, Deliria has its own language
o f rules, and you’ll need to translate your idea into that
language. Fortunately, Deliria's system is easy to learn:
Tell me a story.
— Tell m e a story about your character.
— Tell m e three things that your character’s good at.
— Tell m e three things that are important to your
character.
— Tell me three things that get in your character’s
way.
— Write down three things your character doesn’t
want anyone else to know.
If the Guide wants to deal with game traits, he can
jot down a few trait scores that seem appropriate for
the characters, based on the stories. (See the Circle
method of character creation in D eliria, page 240.)

Tell m e who you are.

Tell me what you can do.

Show me.

You don’t need a calculator. You don’t even need

stats. All you really need is imagination. With enough
o f that, you can craft a character that even Jakob Grim m
would be hard-pressed to match!
Yes, there are stats in Deliria, and in Chapter 4, you
can find traits for all kinds o f everyday hero characters. At
its core, however, Deliria is about people, not numbers.
As you go through the process o f turning your idea into
a character, rem em ber the intimate details that inspire
and excite you to create that particular character rather
than another. Don’t worry about numbers. I f the process
centers on what matters to you about the character, the
system will — and should — serve your story. I f for
some reason you find that the norm al character creation
process isn ’t working for you, discuss with the Guide how
the system can be bent, i f necessary, to accommodate an
unusual but compelling character. E xam ple: Kevin wants to stage a session in the
Caledonia Fitness Center. He tells everyone,
Character Crafting M ade “Create whatever characters you want, so long as
DCALLY Simple they’re normal people who could be in a health
Some folks don’t like to m ess with stats at all, club on a Saturday m orning.” Each player tells her
especially i f they’re just playing a quick pick-up game. stories and answers the questions; Kevin scribbles
If you’d prefer to concentrate on personal details rather out traits that suit each character and fulfill the
than game traits or i f you’re introducing a new non­ needs o f his story concept. Ten m inutes later,
gamer to your Circle, you can use the following quick-start everyone’s got a character and the Circle is ready
guidelines: to play.

37.
Stats from Stories
Gam e traits are abstract reflections o f your
character’s potential. In m ost games, you base a hero’s
personality on his game stats.
But in Deliria, the story comes first. Only in the Show
Me step do num bers enter the picture. Your character is
C he No-Math M ethod
really smart and loves to practice his chess-playing skills
I f you don’t care for addition and subtraction, you
- thus he has a M ind score o f 7. This way, drama dictates
can completely ditch the math-oriented aspects o f character
Draw.
creation. Instead o f figuring out trait degrees or balancing
So how do I know what m y character’s scores
Favor points, just use the following no-math method:
m ight be?

£ Each player character gets to pick his Grace and Vocation

How Gifted is He? Grace Score
traits by name, not num ber, with these upper limits:
Subhum an 0
Wanderer Saga: Only one Grace o f Im pressive or
Wretched 1 Low Human
Heroic degree and no m ore than one o f Good or
Poor 2 Remarkable degree. No m ore than one Vocation o f
Mediocre Expert degree and no m ore than three o f Minor Pro
3
degree.
Moderate 4
Journeyman Saga: No m ore than two Graces o f
Good 5 Average Human
Im pressive degree; no m ore than two Vocations o f
Remarkable 6 Expert degree and three o f Practicing Pro.
Impressive 7 Heroic Saga: No m ore than two Graces o f Heroic
Heroic 8 Very Good degree and no m ore than three o f Remarkable. No

Incredible more than one Vocation o f Legend degree; no more

9
than four o f Expert.
Phenomenal 10 As Good as It Gets

How Skilled is She? Vocation Score These limits apply to Basic Keys. For Advanced
Know Nothing 0 Aspects, note that each Key has a nam e (i.e., Expert) and
a number (i.e., 5) that go together (i.e., an Expert has a
Basic Skills 1
score o f 5). Your character m ay have one Aspect o f that
Some Experience 2 Dabbler degree for each num ber in his Key score. For example,
Minor Pro 3 a Technology Expert has a score o f 5 in Technology.

Practicing Pro Therefore, he can have five Technology Aspects at the

4 Professional
Expert level because he has five degrees in Technology.
Expert 5 I f he was a Master (Technology 6), he could have six
Master 6 Best in Field Technology Aspects at the Master level. He can also
Legend have h alf o f that num ber o f Aspects at h alf that level. Our
7
Master, for example, could have three Aspects at the Minor
Pro level.

No-Math experience
Whether you use math or story elements to define
your characters, those heroes ought to get better at the
things they do. And so, to reflect in-game experience,
the Guide simply adds degrees to whatever Graces or
Vocations seem appropriate. To upgrade traits this way,
however, something m ust happen over the course o f the
story to justify the increase. Kelly Shockett, for example,
has a Mediocre Body score (Body 3). To raise it to a
Moderate body score (Body 4), she’ll have to join a gym

38
and work out frequently. Given a story-supported reason,
the Guide may raise a trait according to the No-Math
Improvement chart. This way, it takes Kelly two m onths o f
intense workouts to bring her Mediocre body score up to a
Moderate Body score.

No-Math C roit Im p rov em ent Cell Me a Story

The heart o f character creation is the character’s
Trait Levels Improvement Time
first story. That tale sets up the Who, What, Where and
One Story Month or One Story*
Low Levels Why for your hero. Deliria asks you to become a storyteller
per Degree
from the first m om ent o f play. Unfortunately, telling a
Average Levels Two Story Months per Degree
story is easy - telling a good story is m uch harder. (If it
Excellent Levels Six Story Months per Degree
were easy, you wouldn’t need this book!) Fortunately,
Several Years or One Really Dramatic though, Deliria offers you some guidelines for shaping
Top o f Scale
Event per Degree your story: the Opening, the Conflict and the Resolution.
* Not one game session — a full story These are elements that all stories should have, so get
into the habit o f thinking about openings, conflicts and
resolutions as you create your character(s).
Given the magical nature o f Deliria, a Guide may
O p e n in g
raise or lower a trait immediately i f the story warrants
A good Opening hooks the audience, getting them
it. Assum ing Kelly were to swallow an ogre’s gallstone
to care about the story’s protagonist. To do this, you’ll
(ick\), she m ight gain three immediate degrees in Body.
want to establish who your hero is in the very beginning.
That bonus m ight not last long, and it could carry
Perhaps the character is extraordinary in some way: Rita
nasty side-effects (warty skin, an evil temper), but i f the
isn ’t just a telemarketer, she’s the worst telemarketer in
story supports the change, it could happen. (For more
the tri-state area. Perhaps the character has a unique voice:
information about traits and experience, see Deliria, pages
wisecracking Mei opens her story with a zinger about
261-262 and 274-280.)
the frat boys who live upstairs. Perhaps the character has
The no-math option is ideal for quick sessions,
an interesting situation on his hands: Brian fits artificial
street-theatre sagas and games for non-gamers. With this
limbs for a living, and he gets a call from a m an who
method, your Circle avoids the scramble for Favor points
wants to be fitted with an artificial head. All three o f these
and lets story, not math, dictate what characters can and
techniques make listeners (or readers!) want to know more
cannot do.
about the character at hand.

Driving Your Im ag in atio n Conflict

Sounds simple. But how do I do it?
That’s not an unreasonable question. Most
roleplaying games offer lists o f classes and skills from
which to choose. Crafting a character out o f sheer
imagination can seem intimidating. It doesn’t have to
be, though. The following guidelines provide a road map
for your imagination; with this map, you can steer your
character from zero to hero in a couple o f minutes.
By the way, the following guidelines don't just apply
to Deliria characters. Although they’re based on Deliria’s
ideas, the principles can be used with any roleplaying
setting or system. Every hero, ordinary or otherwise, has
a backstory to consider. I f you make that backstory a
good one, you’ll have a strong foundation for any kind o f
character.
A Conflict doesn’t have to be epic or dramatic,
but it should give your character a chance to show who
she is and how she handles trouble. Sheila, for example,
is asked to pet-sit on short notice by a friend who never
does anything on short notice. Sheila’s reaction will reveal
whether she’s nosy (she has to find out why her friend is
behaving strangely!), grum py (well, she hates to commute
all the way out to her friend’s place), a pushover (she’s
already promised to take her friend’s extra shifts at work
and pet-sits anyway) or... well, anything else she might be.
Resolution
The Resolution, then, shows how the Conflict is
resolved. Naim a’s boyfriend hit her last night; now she’s
m oving out. The way in which your character resolves the
problem should show something about who the character

is and how she handles difficulty. Naima, for example,
clearly doesn’t take any crap. However, unlike m ost stories’
resolutions, the Resolution o f a Deliria introduction
shouldn’t tie up every single loose end. Leaving a loose
thread to pull on — Naim a’s boyfriend still calls her every
single night — is a gift from you to the Circle that provides
opportunities for m ore stories and interactions with other
characters.
Although openings, conflicts and resolutions
feature in all kinds o f stories, not every story will suit
your character’s Deliria introduction. The Tell Me a Story
portion o f character creation isn ’t intended to produce just
any random story. The story that you choose to tell about
your brand-new character will shape how you think about
her and how the rest o f your Circle sees her. Your Guide
will use the material you provide to outline the challenges
that your character will face. The richer the story you give
now, the richer the story you’ll receive later.
There are several different types of
story you m ight choose to tell:
^ The History: This story sum m arizes
the character’s life so far, touching on its
most important points. Such stories can
easily become boring, though. I f you choose
this option, keep things short and use some
kind o f theme to pull the elem ents together;
perhaps the character describes every bed he’s
ever slept in or fram es his life in terms o f the
friends who have betrayed him.
^ The Crisis: This story describes an
event that radically changes the character’s
life. It m ight be a public event (perhaps the
character’s tour in Vietnam) or a very private
one (like the last time the character spoke to
her grandfather before he died). Be careful
to show both who the character was before
the crisis and who he became afterwards;
your Circle will need to know both sides
before they can truly appreciate the story’s
importance.
$ The Vignette: This story focuses on an
apparently m inor event in the character’s
life, then uses it to illuminate larger issues
or themes. The effectiveness o f these stories
often depends on how they’re told. A skillful
telling can reveal the pathos in a child’s lost
toy or the frustration in a w om an’s m orning
routine, but a poor telling m ight render such
tales m undane or saccharine.
I The Allegory: Told as a fable or faerie
tale, this story turns the facts o f the character’s
life into symbolic fiction. Perhaps her hom e is
transmuted into a tower by the sea or her ex-lover
becomes a dark prince. Feel free to exaggerate or
mythologize the details in such a tale. Later, you
can clear things up and bring the character back to
earth again.
The Awakening: Perhaps the m ost tempting o f the
story types, this tale recounts the m om ent when
your character clued in to the surreal nature o f his
world. It m ight be the day a faerie stole his watch or
the night he stepped o ff the wrong train platform.
Check with your Guide, however, before you take
this route. She m ight have specific plans for the
characters that don’t involve prior knowledge
o f faeries or Deliria. Your Circle should agree
beforehand about just how unusual your characters
are and what they know about the M ysterium
before the story begins.
 I Cell Me a Story ^
ivJJjf /w O ^^^T x About Your Circle ^
( //a RVvV \ \ When a goblin
^ vvV\\% market sets up shop at 23rd
i )JJ\ and State Street, Richard
T 1m/ Drake wants to head down
f !/ | j with his Goth friends to
p i f ( [m l m lr / Jr stock up on incense and
ja \ ; b °d y jewelry. Penny W illiams
A would rather head hom e and
go to bed, however, because she
jjf needs to be at the office in the
K m JljnVv v— Jfl m orning. Mary Sue, age eight, couldn’t
___ s ft a n go even i f she wanted to. And Bob the Talking
r f 5\ Dog just wants to shut the place down and to piss
full I (€ Z ^ J i/ j o ff his old Palenoch enemy. What happens when
lr / l \ !/ / these four characters end up in the same Circle? What’s
I//1 J a Guide to do?
1/ I ^ j/ s Although the Tell Me a Story technique is a great
/ way to free the Muse in all o f us, it can prove problematic
I S% r when the resulting character concepts don’t fit together. A
j Guide m ust help the group tell a single story about a host o f
/ r fr characters who appear to have nothing in common, and she’ll have
ur to do this every time the Circle meets. A clashing cast o f characters can
be a headache for the players, too; i f you’ve got to build com m on ground
between your middle-aged restaurant manager, Jill’s medical student and
Jerry’s movie star, you’ll have every reason to get frustrated.
All is not lost, however. A bit o f forethought from the players and the
Guide alike can help avoid this problem.
, Before the saga begins, the Guide can create a short pitch for the
\ game that describes the concept in a few sentences. In Hollywood, this is /
II known as an elevator pitch, because it presents the basic idea o f the story v
II in the time it takes an elevator to go from the first floor to the second. This
f pitch helps provide a shared context for the game so that the players can
create characters that will be enjoyable and have some connection to each
other and to the story that’s being told.
I f the players wish to create a cohesive group o f characters that could fit
in any setting, they can forge connections to one another’s characters from the
beginning. One good way to do this is for players to tell their opening stories
as a Circle rather than as individuals. Each player takes a m om ent at the end o f
his story to describe how his character relates to the others. Are they co-workers?
Friends? Cousins? Lovers? Did they see each other once on the street? Do they
share a secret? Incorporating other players’ characters into one’s own story is a
great way to make sure the group has a collective story to tell. Such bonds provide
the ties o f kinship and love that m ake up everyday
i heroes’ lives and connect them to the _____
J everyday world. .

Cel] Me Who You Are
Now that you’ve got some general ideas about who
your character is, it’s time to work out the details. This step
o f the character creation process focuses on developing
both the inner and the outer se lf o f the character: how she
seem s to others and who she is to herself.
Backstory
A character’s Backstory reveals where she’s come
from and how she got to where she is today. It’s the story
o f her past, o f the choices that she’s made and the things
that happened to her along the way. A Backstory should
be more detailed and intricate than the story you first tell
to the Circle. And because the Backstory is usually written
outside game time, it doesn’t need to be brief, either — in
fact, it can run as long as you want it to be. The Backstory
tells you what your character knows, why she knows it,
who she cares about and where she’s come from. A good
Backstory provides ideas and potential plots for your Guide
and Circle. I f you include friends, enemies, emotional
issues or quirks in your Backstory, you can be pretty sure
that you’ll be seeing those plot elements again.
When you’re dealing with an everyday hero, your
Backstory is going to seem fairly mundane. Your hero
might have suffered a nervous breakdown or spent
her childhood traveling all over the world with her rich
parents, but she would not have been raised in a distant
faerie realm. This being said, you can include bits o f
strangeness along the way. Perhaps she has a cousin
who speaks in riddles all the time or an ancestor who
was hanged for witchcraft. She might walk silently in the
woods or receive visits from her childhood imaginary
friends even though she’s long since graduated from
college. Weird elements like these set your character apart
from Joe Mundane, and they’re perfectly acceptable. Even
so, keep such things subtle. The Backstory establishes your
character up to the beginning o f the saga. I f she grew up
running through the Altwald, she’s not really an everyday
kind o f hero.
The character’s Portrait reflects the im pression
he gives other folks. That Portrait usually begins with a
physical description, but it ought to include personality
quirks, significant skills or the overall vibe that character
sends out. Anything a casual observer could tell about
your character by looking at her or exchanging a few short
words becomes part o f this Portrait. W hen people meet
Dai, for example, they m ight im m ediately notice that he’s
short, dark-haired and Welsh; people who pay attention,
though, also notice that he dresses just a little bit too
casually for his job as a CPA, that he speaks too rapidly
for m any people to follow and that he’s got a light, athletic
grace.
That being said, you’ll want to keep your Portrait
fairly simple. You could spend h alf a game session
describing your character in excruciating detail ■— much
to your fellow players’ annoyance! Instead, find one or two
significant details about your character, and then base your
description o ff o f them. Describe the way his purple glitter
nail polish contrasts with his sober gray suit or mention
the battered Converse sneakers poking out from beneath
his tailored Brooks Brothers pants. Save the minute
details for the novel you will, o f course, write someday; a
character’s Portrait is about im pressions that are evocative
but quick.
Drives: What Compels You?
A character’s Drive traits provide Deliria’s most
important story-building tools. Drives inspire stories
and Baclcstories alike, because her Drives motivate your
character to act the way she does. Given the importance
o f those traits, w e’ll take a m om ent to discuss the things
that make for truly memorable Drives. In the end, these
traits provide not only your character’s motivations but her
potential future as well.
Obstacles
An Obstacle is a problem that your character faces
— some kind o f personal flaw, disability or stumbling
block that, at some level, creates conflict. Obstacles, as
Deliria says, should be deeply personal, often tied in to
your Backstory. Obstacles create plot hooks by getting
your character into trouble and giving her som ething to
overcome.
 To make an Obstacle effective, it should be
surmountable, challenging and relevant. What does that
mean, exactly?
A surmountable Obstacle is a problem that the
character could overcome someday. A character
who regrets that she cannot fly may have an
Obstacle, but it’s hardly a surmountable one.
A drug habit, a nasty tem per or a fear o f social
situations are more appropriate Obstacles.
This way, the challenge comes from within
the individual, not from the world outside her.
Overcoming it m ay not be easy, but if she’s lucky
and determined, she might.
^ The challenging element m eans that you can’t just
ignore the problem. Whether you want it to or not,
the Obstacle’s going to get in your way. It’s possible
to make an Obstacle too challenging to be fun
(like untreated schizophrenia), but it shouldn’t be
too easy, either (like a hatred o f Yu-Gi-Oh!). I f the
Obstacles aren’t challenging, overcoming them isn ’t
satisfying. I f your challenge is too trivial, it just isn ’t
meaningful.
^ Most importantly, your Obstacles m ust be relevant.
A fear o f the ocean doesn’t make sense i f the game
is set in Des Moines. Ultimately, the Obstacles you
choose provide plot hooks for the character and
the saga alike. I f the Obstacles never come into
play, those challenges won’t give you, the player,
anything to strive against.
Passions
Passions are what drive you past Obstacles. They’re
things you care about, that you believe in, that make you
get out o f bed in the m orning. Whereas your Obstacles
block you, your Passions motivate you. Passions provide
reasons for your character to act and show how she might
respond to situations related to the Passion.
Effective passions should be active, realistic and
meaningful:
$ An active Passion drives your character to action. I f
your Passion never m anifests during the course o f
the story, it m ight as well not exist. A character who
hates the rich and lives among poor people m ust
still do something to appease that Passion — like
protesting changes to Social Security or throwing
paint at folks with fur coats. Whatever you do, your
Passion drives your drama.
■<«$ If i fe-
$ How m any people do you know who would jum p
o ff o f buildings in order to fly? Not m any — it isn ’t
very realistic. Characters who want things too badly,
who care absolutely nothing for consequences,
aren’t everyday heroes. They’re psychopaths... or
faeries. (A somewhat subtle distinction!) Your
character’s Passions should be things she could
potentially achieve, not things that are clearly
impossible... although, o f course, possible and
im possible have flexible definitions in Deliria!
^ A m eaningful Passion is one that’s neither silly nor
trivial. To be a real Passion, the motivation m ust
exert real power over the character’s actions. She
might not jump o ff the roof to fly, but she will grab
an opportunity to fly i f the chance comes along.
Ideally, your character will put a lot on the line to
see her Passion fulfilled. That tension between risk
and reward keeps stories interesting.
The final Drive involves Secrets — things you
don’t want other people to find out about you, things that
are dangerous, frightening or just plain embarrassing.
Secrets create plot hooks just by existing, not only because
a character wants to protect his secret but because that
Secret often drives him to act before he’s acted upon.
A good Secret balances risk, severity and consequences:
$ How often do you risk your Secret’s discovery? Is
it something that shows up a lot (like an alcoholic
sm elling like beer) or is it the sort o f thing that only
the right — or wrong — folks would discover (like
a fascination with hentai)? In either case, the Secret
ought to hang around in your Backstory, related
to the people and events that make your character
what he is. No matter what the Secret is, there’s
always a chance that someone will discover what
you don’t want them to know. And no matter how
deeply you want to hide that Secret, you m ust risk
that discovery every once in a while.
^ So how severe is that Secret you’re hiding? Is it
the sort o f thing that matters only to certain people
(like sm oking pot) or is it something that would
appall almost everyone (like child porn)? Every good
Secret has some severity; otherwise, it wouldn’t
be a Secret. Even so, you’ll want to be careful
with the potential threat o f your hidden deeds. A
really severe Secret might make a good Wyrd (see
Chapter 3), but it will be pretty difficult to live with.
 Ultimately, Drives motivate characters and inspire
plots. Strong Obstacles, Passions and Secrets keep your
saga hopping. I f you want to see how dramatic an ordinary
person can be, give him some powerful Drives, and watch
his story go!
Potential Drives
for
every d ay Heroes

Obstacles

* Arrogant * Racist
* Bad Eyesight Religious/ Philosophical
* Heartbroken Fundamentalist Cell Me What You Can Do
Insecure £ Shy What can everyday people do? Quite a bit, really.
No Life 1 Stubborn Who drives those 18-wheelers that bring food to the local
*
* Poor store? Who m anages the thousands o f item s and dozens
o f people inside that store? Who shops at that store and
Passions brings the food home to the four children (one with
Down’s syndrome) he is raising? Who from that fam ily
Curiosity Perfectionism just got a scholarship to Yale? Ordinary folks. It’s amazing
Hatred Problem-Solving sometimes what we non-super heroes can do.
High Sex Drive Religious Devotion Chapter 4 features a section called “Trait
Love for Partner or Revealing the Unknown Tem plates.” There, you can find a collection o f character
Family Social Justice templates that show the ranges o f Grace, Heart and
Making a Difference Vocation traits a norm al person possesses at various times
o f his life. These traits, however, only offer num bers. The
Secrets heart o f the question “What can you do?” goes beyond
Addiction * Gamer stats. When we meet someone new, the first thing we

Believes in Faeries £ Kleptomaniac usually ask them is “What do you do?” The answers often
Coward £ Sexual Abuse (Suffering define not only the skills we possess but the ways in which
Criminal Record or Inflicting) we see ourselves and are seen by others.

Family Shame Unrequited Love

Fired from Every Job

Graces: What are
Your Calents?
j n=3
—— % The m ost obvious traits a person possesses involve

1 I her mental and physical condition. Her spiritual state

What are the consequences o f discovery? The
more terrible they are, the farther your character
will go to protect him self. There should always be
consequences attached to your Secrets, but you
don’t want to go overboard with them. I f your
character could wind up in jail or dead as a result o f
his m isdeeds, a stroke o f bad luck m ight take him
out o f the game for good.
isn ’t nearly as clear, though the truth will reveal itself
eventually. Graces reflect the im pressions our characters
have on one another. I f your hero’s Graces are unusually
high or low, other characters will notice.
W hen you’re m aking a character, ask yourself how
she comes across: Is she m uscular? Beautiful? Sickly?
Does she say stupid things or does she communicate
articulately? Can you tell how stubborn she is just by
looking at her or does it seem as though she has no
conviction at all? The Grace traits aren’t just num bers that
determine your character’s Prowess— they’re important
cues about her personality and appearance.
 For the m ost part, everyday heroes have Graces in
the 2-7 range and Vocations in the 0-6 range. Grace scores
o f 8-10 are highly unusual, as are Vocation scores o f 7. (See
the chart on page 38.) Does this m ean that your mortal
character is worthless? Hardly! Deliria isn ’t a power-based
setting. You don’t need high scores to survive. Sure, it’s
helpful to have a few strong aptitudes to fall back on, but
most people get through life just fine without a Body score
o f 8 or a Technology score o f 7. How do they manage?
With the kind o f perseverance, courage, wit and endurance
that trait scores can only suggest.
In the Basic rule system, your character has three
very general Graces. With Advanced rules, those three
Key Graces have four Aspects each. Those Aspects cover
mental, physical and spiritual elements that may be wildly
different from one another (like a strong person who’s
really clumsy). The Deliria core book and its Appendix
CD offer more details about Aspects; for now, w e’re just
concerned about the ways in which Graces appear in a
mortal-story setting.
So how do traits come across in an everyday hero?
And how do they shape the character’s im pression and
behavior?
Mind
Despite cliches like glasses and books, a character’s
Mind score isn ’t immediately obvious. Chat with him for
a few minutes, however, and it usually becomes apparent.
An unusually smart or stupid person often speaks and acts
accordingly: the smart one m ight not be using four-dollar
words, but he’s often eloquent or alert; the stupid one
tends to have simple interests, slow reactions and limited
verbal skills. Granted, there are plenty o f folks whose
mental acuity comes in deceptive packaging (Eminem, for
example), but you can usually suss out a person’s intellect
through simple conversation.
In terms o f game and drama, your character’s
Mind Grace — or Graces, i f you’re using Advanced rules
— reflects her mental capacity. Someone with an abysmal
Mind score (0-2) is mentally retarded; a person with a low
score (2-3) is Jerry Springer material. The average level (4-
6) covers m ost folks who manage the often complex chores
o f modern living, and an im pressive score (7-8) indicates
powerful intellect and complex thoughts. A really high
Mind score (9-10) is the province o f genius — Catherine
the Great or Thom as Jefferson, whose perspicacity m ay be
recalled for generations.
Under the Advanced rules, Mind has several Aspects:
$ Imagination is the cornerstone o f hum an
achievement. Indeed, even the faeries seem to be
m ost fascinated by our creativity. A m easure o f
vision and visualization, Imagination lets you see
things that don’t exist yet and even make them
real. Kids tend to be imaginative by nature, though
this talent is often drained out o f them by the time
they reach adulthood. An imaginative adult often
speaks in metaphors and prefers creative activities;
one with a low Imagination takes everything at face
value and has a hard time wondering “what if?”
A sharp Intellect comes across in rapid reaction,
clear thought and abstract reasoning. The
Information Age demands intelligence and often
promotes its development with tools (computers),
toys (video games) and institutions (the job market).
A character with a notable Intellect m ay seem
restless or contemplative, always looking to improve
her surroundings; one with a low score thinks very
simply and gets distracted by complex tasks. Both
characters can function day-to-day, but the smart
one is never quite satisfied with that. The smart
character also realizes that intellect comes in m any
form s and that even lack o f formal education can’t
hold a truly bright person back.
^ In our world, Perception is a tricky thing to
master. There’s so m uch going on that w e’re often
overwhelmed. A person with a low Perception
score remains oblivious: his Clue Phone has the
ringer off. Meanwhile, the high-Perception person’s
on the ball. Not only does she answer on the first
ring, she’s got the thing on speaker phone! One
character sees only the obvious; the other catches
subtleties — and acts on them.
$ An underrated yet important quality, Wisdom
reflects a person’s judgment and thoughtfulness.
A character with a low W isdom score often makes
snap decisions and bad calls. A very wise person,
on the other hand, thinks deeply about what she’s
doing, takes time to reflect and demonstrates an
uncommon level o f com m on sense. Generally,
you can judge a person’s W isdom by the decisions
she makes and the company she keeps. That dude
driving home with his drunken friends after a
Budweiser binge is not the epitome o f this trait in
action.

Supermodel
Ninjas?
Body’s a funny trait. It covers a wide range
o f attributes: agility, beauty, health and strength. In
Advanced rules, these attributes become separate
Aspects, each one covering a specific element o f
the body, and the overall Body score is an average
o f those scores together. I f you use only Basic
rules, though, the Grace can be confusing: Could
superm odels kick an ogre’s ass?
As a solution, consider a high Body score a
reflection o f overall physical perfection — power
and health and agility and attractiveness. A character
at the very peak o f the Body scale (the hum an
spectrum o f it, anyway) has the whole package and
can use his full Body score for any physical feat.
(For an example, see the Charlie’s Angels film s —
and no, they aren’t everyday heroes!) For characters
who excel in one element and fall short in others
— like a weak supermodel or an ugly power-lifter
— cut the Body Prowess in h alf when that character
perform s a task that's not obviously his strong
point. The supermodel, for example, would have
Body 10 for feats that involved her looks and
Body 5 for lifting stuff; the athlete would be the
other way around. And for really obvious disparities,
like a truly fugly brute, the Body Prowess could
W hen all words, reputation and other intangible
social cues are stripped away, we can only look at each
other. And when we look at one another, all we see is the
body. So, as a reflection o f physical condition, the Body
Grace creates your character’s m ost basic im pressions. An
adult with Body o is too weak to stand or move around on
his own. I f his Body score is low (1-3), that character projects
a weak or unhealthy appearance; an average Body score
(4-6) reflects a fairly healthy adult, and an im pressive one
(7-8) makes him stand out in a crowd. A character at the
highest end o f that scale (9-10) is unmistakable; he’s Jet Li;
she’s Gabrielle Reese. It’s pretty unusual to see someone
like this working at the local M cDonald’s, so people at
this end o f the spectrum rarely qualify as everyday folks.
Still, there are exceptions to every rule. You know that
im possibly hot hardbody that everyone lusts over at the
gym? Meet Body score 8-10.
Like all Graces, Body has four Aspects:
^ It’s easy to m iss a person’s natural Agility. Unless
h e’s walking a runway or a tightrope, this graceful
trait isn ’t obvious. Still, a person with a really low
or high Agility score will m ake an im pression. I f
he constantly drops things, runs into the furniture
and fum bles with his keys, he’s got a low Agility; if
he walks like a cat and juggles while blindfolded,
you’re looking at a high Agility dude.
$ Beauty is so subjective that it's a wonder so many
people take it seriously. Still, w e’re hard-wired to
judge folks by their looks, and there’s no disputing
that a seriously ugly or beautiful person makes an
impression. A reflection o f poise, confidence and
personality as well as bone structure, Beauty wins
people over or drives them off. An insecure person
can have m agnificent features yet m aintain a low
Beauty (see the traditional ugly duclding in most
teen flicks), whereas an otherwise plain person with
a compelling personality can be irresistible (like
Jam es Gandolfmi on The Sopranos). Most o f us fall
somewhere in between, though w e’re often more
attractive to others than we believe.
& Health isn ’t a very obvious trait, though a character
with a truly low (coughing, frail) or high (energetic,
tireless) Health score m ight stand out. That co­
worker who’s allergic to everything and always
taking sick time? Poor Health. That idiot who jogs
in the rain when it’s 40 degrees outside and never
seems to mind? Robust Health!
ff We usually judge Strength by really ripped
physiques, but the score actually reflects overall
body fitness. I f you look like Chyna, there’s a
pretty good chance that you’ve got a high Strength
score, but there are plenty o f people out there
whose physical power remains hidden within
loose clothing or wiry lim bs. Sure, that chick who
benches 250 without straining has a pretty high
Strength score, but the slim dancer who just lifted
her (male) partner over her head qualifies as well.
 Body is a paradox. In terms o f first im pressions,
it’s both the m ost obvious and m ost m isleading character
trait. Your character’s Body score can come across in all
kinds o f ways. Just remem ber: Deliria is not a combat-
based adventure setting, so you don’t need to max out your
physical scores in order to have a viable hero.
1 Spirit
The word spirit comes from the Latin word for
breath. And like breath, spirituality is a vital yet invisible
aspect o f humanity. This breath takes m any different
forms, from religious devotion (or lack o f it) to raw passion
and sheer will. Despite the word’s religious connotations,
you don’t need God to have Spirit — there are some pretty
spirited atheists running around! A dispirited person (0-2)
seems lifeless and dull, whereas someone with a slightiy
higher degree (3-5) moves through life with an average
sense o f purpose. An especially spirited person (6-8)
inspires others with her zeal, and a powerfully spiritual
one (9-10) sets the world on fire with devotion. This isn ’t
always a good thing, however. Mahatma Gandhi and
Mother Theresa m ay epitomize the hum an Spirit, but so
did A dolf Hitler!
Splitting the Spirit Grace into Aspects, we see the
following traits:
^ It’s important to have B elief in something. It could
be Jesus, the Goddess, Capitalism or yourself
— the focus isn ’t nearly as important as the faith.
Whatever its subject m ight be, this trait measures
your sense o f inspiration. When things get bad, a
person with a strong B elief can dig in a little deeper
than one without it. He m ight seem like a fanatic at
times, but the first character speaks and acts with
great conviction; his counterpart, however, seems
to lack a certain spark. It’s a shame — she doesn’t
really believe in anything.
^ There are reasons that the word Charm has magical
connotations: a character with a high score in this
trait seems to cast a spell over everyone nearby.
A reflection o f your way with people, Charm
combines social savvy, confidence and charisma.
Without it, you’re a wallflower or jerk; with lots
o f it, you could be Julia Roberts, washing away a
multitude o f sins each time you smile.
v Passion is raw. Exciting. Dangerous. Everyone has
a bit o f it, but in large doses it’s intoxicating. A
m easure o f your zest for life, this trait drives you
to reach for ever more. The dispassionate person
47 '
seem s rather dull; a truly passionate one inflam es
everything she touches. Those passions m ay be
benevolent (Mother Theresa’s) or ferocious (Lord
Byron’s), but they’re irresistible. Folks will go to
astonishing lengths to satisfy — or crush — a
potent Passion.
$ Where there is Will, there will be a way. The
province o f m agicians, statesmen and leaders, this
trait reflects the drive to succeed. A person with
very little Will drifts on tides o f circumstance.
One who focuses his Will becomes a force unto
him self. In the everyday realm, Will is m ore helpful
than you’d think. From raising kids to quitting
cigarettes, willpower gets things done.
Whether you employ Basic rules, Advanced rules or
a mixture o f the two, Graces form the foundation o f your
character’s sense o f self. Far m ore than simple numbers,
they reveal a lot about him. It’s easy to get stuck in the
high Prowess trap, but forget about game stats for a
moment. At heart, these traits are roleplaying tools, story
hooks and dramatic cues. Let your scores come across not
as game mechanics (“Dude! I ’ve got a Body score o f 9/") but
as descriptive traits ("My character’s got the hottest body in
the club, and Brad Pitt wishes he looked like m e!’).
Oh, yeah — and remember: very few everyday
heroes have remarkably high trait scores. Make the m ost
o f what you do have rather than trying to get the m ost you
could have.
Hearts: Who Are You
Inside?
Less obvious to other people than Graces, the
three Heart traits reveal your character’s inner strengths.
In story terms, they come across as intangible yet still
noticeable qualities. The Delirious person seem s spacey,
the Fortunate one lucky and the Vital one vivacious. How
do such qualities play out in a norm al hum an being?
Deliria
Do you see things? Hear voices? You m ight be
crazy... but then again, you might not be. Deliria is a
disconcerting trait both for the Delirious person and for
folks who spend time around her. Too little Deliria and
you’re oblivious. Too m uch and you’re insane.
Children possess Deliria by default. They haven’t
yet learned that certain things are supposedly impossible.
Generally, kids have higher Deliria scores than adults
have — should have, for that matter. By the time a person
reaches maturity, she has hopefully learned how to tell
fancy from reality. The trouble is that she’s probably
learned too well. The blurred lines between fantasy and
reality are a mystery to m ost adults, m any o f whom
can’t see im possible things at all. Deliria strips away the
blinders o f such conditioning. A character’s score reveals
how little — or how m uch — she sees o f the truth.
To an experienced Faerie-watcher, a touch o f Deliria
comes with the territory. But what about the so-called
norm al person? In m ost cases, she’ll be hovering between
o and 2 on the Deliria scale. Such a person is sensible,
rational and often dull. I f and when she notices things
that don’t seem quite right, she’ll either ignore them or
keep those insights to herself. I f she starts to believe them,
T) nn
however, she m ight g<
a LI LL U u M
That’s how a person in the mid-range o f Deliria
appears. She’s a bit odd. A weirdo. Jeez, you’d think she
actually believes this stu ff about faeries and magic! A typical
New Ager or sci-fi fan, the person at the 3-5 range on the
Deliria scale accepts a world that’s a bit less mundane.
48-
Further down the rabbit-hole, there’s a character
with wild eyes. Her craziness isn ’t as am using as it once
seemed; now she talks to herself, brandishing charm s
at folks who aren’t there. The scariest thing about this
creeping Deliria is that it m ay or m ay not be reliable. The
pixies in the corner could actually be there... or they could
be delusions. The character whose Deliria is between 6
and 8 alarms h erself and others alike.
That bag lady who shrieks or m um bles in the
alleyway is suffering from extreme Deliria. To her, each
shadow brim s with vam pires, goblins, ghosts and other
horrors. The things she sees aren’t always frightening, but
her sense o f unreality is. At the 9-10 level, Deliria reflects
severe schizophrenia. Our poor lady m ight talk to eggs,
rave about conspiracies, nurse a teddy
bear or scold the faeries that stole her
child. The fact that she m ight just be
telling the truth m akes her condition
that m uch eerier.
And then there’s the babbling
nutcase. Strapped up like a Lovecraftian
character after h e’s seen the Horror,
the Deliria 10 + person is broken. She
m ight regain her sanity in time, but
it’ll be a long journey. Som e everyday
heroes end up this way, but others
begin here, fighting their way to sanity
by confronting the Faerie realm — and
winning.
How High is My Deliria?
Important Note: The method
o f determining your character’s
Deliria score has been changed. In the
rulebook, you divide your Mind score
in h alf or subtract your W isdom from
your Imagination. Forget that. The new
rule is: let the story determine your Deliria
score. Based on your Backstory and
concept, decide which degree o f Deliria
seem s appropriate:
How Delirious am I? Deliria Score
Painfully Sane
Eccentric; Mystical
Flighty; Childlike
o
1-2
3-5
Delusional; Irrational 6-8
Disconnected; Autistic 9-10
Totally Mad 10+
 Vitality goes beyond physical fitness. It’s mental and
Fortune
o spiritual as well. Christopher Reeve had so m uch Vitality
that he rem ained a superm an long after he was paralyzed.
Everyone has a bit o f luck. Most people use a little
This trait doesn’t just determine how m uch dam age a
o f it at a time and replenish it the same way. But most
character can take; as a story element, it inspires people (if
people don’t meet the Rat King in a dark alley! W hen you
it’s high) or drags an entire room down (if it’s low).
tangle with the unseen world, luck can come in handy.
In the twilight world, a character’s Vitality is visible
The Fortune trait is vitally important for an everyday hero,
in the form o f her aura, which takes on colors and textures
sometimes becoming a matter o f life and... that other thing.
depending on her health and state o f mind. Deliria features
As the Deliria rulebook states, m ost characters
several charts that list the hues and tones o f an aura (see
have the same amount o f Fortune. The ways in which
pages 257 and 273). Keep in mind, though, that the aura is
they use it may differ, but those three points remain
more than a game mechanic. Plenty o f folks - especially
fairly consistent. However, you can buy m ore or have luck
faerie folk — can see auras, and even people who can’t
bestowed upon you through magic. A hero begins with
actually watch those colors pulse can feel your vibe. Vitality
three points o f Fortune; beyond those points, you have to
is often as m uch a story element as a game trait. Anyone
pay for it (12 points for Fortune 4, 15 points for Fortune 5).
who’s ever met a reiki master or held a depressed friend
An everyday hero can be incredibly lucky - some folks are
can sense their energy and can tell the difference between
just blessed that way.
those two folks.
How does Fortune m anifest in story terms? Like the
Children are full o f Vitality. In fact, adults often
old song says, “You can’t see it, but you know it’s there.”
lose this trait as they grow up. (See the contrast between
Things just fall into place for an unusually Fortunate
the Kid template and the Unskilled Adult in Chapter 4,
character. Little bits o f luck follow him around, even if
“Trait Tem plates.”) Ironically, the experiences o f life often
he’s not actively using his Fortune: he’ll grab the last copy
wear down the force o f life. Fortunately, some folks resist
o f that m agazine he wanted; the soda bottle he buys has
this burn-out process. You don’t need to be a superhero
a free drink prize in the cap; the boss notices when he
to possess above-average Vitality. Just keep a sense o f
does something right (and m isses it when he doesn’t).
purpose about you. Revel in life. Enjoy it, even when it
These strokes o f luck are small but significant. They won’t
sucks, and your Vitality will never truly fade.
tilt major things in his favor, but other folks will notice.
Nicknames like “Lucky” (and insults like “lucky bastard”)
follow him around.
A character who’s down on his luck suffers the
Vocations: What do You
opposite effect. That last m agazine gets grabbed and torn K n o w ?
by a rotten child; that soda has gone flat; the boss is right
behind him when he screws up. As a hero’s Fortune trait Rem ember when we talked about truck drivers,
goes down or is used up, little things turn against him. store m anagers, parents and students? That’s where

Again, these misfortunes are story elements, not game Vocations come in. Graces reflect a character’s innate gifts,

system events. Still, the effects o f a Fortune score o f 1 can
be demoralizing.
How does an everyday hero get lucky again? By
taking risks or being brave or selfless in ways that matter.
A kid could hit the winning run at his softball game; a
but the life skills he employs come from the Vocation list.
A collection o f ten skill-sets, Vocations help your hero get
things done. He m ight be smart, but i f he wants to drive a
truck he’s gonna need Technology!
For the m ost part, Vocations are learned skills.

teacher could save a suicidal teen. As Deliria points out Unless you’ve had life experience, you’re not going to have
(at the bottom o f page 256), you refresh Fortune by doing Vocations. Children, therefore, have very low Vocation

things outside your comfort level. A person doesn’t have to
beat up a troll to win back his luck!
Vitality
When you see someone w ho’s full o f life, you’re
watching Vitality in action. This score measures a
character’s vivaciousness. I f it’s low, that person seems
depressed and fragile; i f it’s high, she glows with health.
scores, though for story’s sake a young character can
use certain Vocations to reflect his childhood talents. All
children, for example, have the Influence Vocation to
reflect their innate ability to manipulate adults. Animals
and faeries can have Vocations, too; they don’t study those
skills, o f course, but they learn what they need to learn
through necessity and experience.
Everyday folks aren’t often legends, but they can
be pretty skillful. A high-powered attorney, for example,

I'l-
would have form idable Academ ia and Influence scores. A
dedicated grease-monkey m ight have a high Technology
score, whereas an aikido sensei would have a Martial score
o f 4 or more. That said, however, the average person is not
going to have Vocation scores o f 6 or 7. Those are reserved
for people who are renowned in their field. To reach this
level, a person m ust be dedicated, knowledgeable and
really dam ned good. Granny might have a Domestic score
o f 6, but i f so she’s the best granny in town (and m ight
have some trouble with insider trad in g ...)!
Like Graces, Vocations have roleplaying and story
elem ents as well as Advanced Aspects to reflect specific
fields o f expertise. The D eliria book and Appendix disc
feature plenty o f story and game details about Vocation
Aspects. Each entry there features an archetypal character
(the Artist, the Craftsman, etc.) who embodies that skill-
set. Those characters are pretty broad, though. How m ight
an everyday sort o f person with those skills come across?
Most kids have a bit o f academic skill, i f only
because they’re in school all the time. In
adulthood, though, this Vocation often fades
unless you’re an avid reader, scholar, teacher or
just someone who likes to keep researching and
learning. Use it or lose it!
Everybody wants to be an artist, but there aren’t
m any folks who are really good at it. Art’s a
com m on Vocation (especially around Deliria!),
but it takes a pro or prodigy to reach the highest
levels o f this field.
Another Vocation that’s stronger am ong kids
than adults, Athletics demands plenty o f
exercise to keep in trim. Even so, you don’t need
to be an athlete to keep in shape. Plenty o f folks
take yoga, jog, work out at the gym or play the
occasional game o f B-ball. And then there’s the
Appreciation Aspect — perfect for the armchair
quarterback! Athletics is a com m on skill-set,
though few folks make their living by it.
Anyone who putters in the garden or does home
repair has a bit o f Craftsmanship. Professional
carpenters, construction workers, hardware
store associates and other folks know a fair
amount about it. A person with this skill-set
often takes a literally hands-on approach to
things. She’s good to have around the house,
and she’s usually doing something to improve it.
The field o f parents, medical professionals,
farm ers and homem akers, this Vocation is very
50
common. Folks who cook, folks who hunt it s
rare to find a person without some Domestic
skill. Like m any skills, though, Domestic skills
are easy to learn but hard to master. T here’s a
huge difference between cooking m eatloaf for
the kids and preparing perfect sushi for the
Japanese ambassador!
‘H e’s really good with people.” That’s the heart o f
Influence. Anyone can have it, though some
professions (reporters, politicians, salesmen,
etc.) em phasize it m ore than others.
In a growing world, linguistic skill comes in
handy. Anyone who was raised in a bilingual
home knows at least two languages, and most
intermediate students study basic conversation
in at least one foreign tongue. Certain
professions (teachers, diplomats) or pursuits
(travel, academia) require several languages, but
you can pick up things while living in East LA
that you’d never learn in class!
Lots o f people can fight. Not m any can fight
well. Scuffling, brawling and basic martial arts
classes are worlds removed from the skills o f
an experienced warrior. Street kids, bikers,
martial artists and recreationists often have a
few degrees in this field, but very few people go
beyond the 3rd degree. Unless you’re a soldier or
have a black belt in a martial art, it’s generally
not legal to get too good at violence.
#
Visit any New Age bookstore (or stroll through
Berkeley!) and you’ll meet folks who know a
bit about Metaphysics. Priests, astrologers,
armchair theologians and yoga practitioners all
have a degree or two o f this Vocation to their
credit. But a little knowledge can be dangerous,
too; folks who read a Morgan Llewellyn book
and think they understand the fey are in for a
very big surprise!
Almost everyone in this modem, industrial
world has at least one degree in Technology.
Computers, microwaves, cars and even games
demand tech expertise. Folks who really
distinguish themselves in this field include
programmers, mechanics, scientists and
operators o f heavy machinery. The best o f the
best can demand incredibly high salaries, because
everyone needs the services they provide.
You don’t need to be the best at what you do in
order to survive. Most folks get by with a handful o f
Vocations at very low degrees and one or two remarkable
skills. Still, you could have an everyday sort o f hero w ho’s
really good at her chosen field — the aspiring Olympian,
the Wall Street champ. Just rem em ber that such people
spend m ost o f their time in those pursuits. Without effort,
you can’t excel.

Roleplaying Low and

High Craits
For a roleplaying game, don’t I want to have the highest
stats possible? Not really. Deliria is not about winning; it’s
about drama. Unlike a video game that demands that you
power up for victory, a roleplay-oriented setting exercises -• fc> *" «£•
your imagination. The m ore you use that imagination to
play out your character’s weaknesses and strengths, the
more entertaining the game will be.
Ideally, a Deliria character begins with a story.
Game traits are based on Backstory, not the other way
around. Even so, m any players look at character stats out
o f habit, and when Prowess comes into play, trait scores
do matter. So what can you do, dramatically, when your
character’s traits are notoriously low or high?

Che Low Cnd

High traits do not necessarily help you tell a good
story. Actually, it’s often the other way around. A character
who seems deficient is a drama magnet. In m ost cases,
she’s far more interesting than a lum bering stat-monster.
Let’s use Kelly Shockett as an example again. In
Body terms, her degree o f 3 is pretty weak. Kelly gets
through life by using her head and her heart. But what
if she winds up hanging o ff a rooftop by her fingers,
struggling to pull h erself back over the rail before a
bewitched friend jum ps to his death? This would be no big
thing i f Kelly did 50 pull-ups before breakfast, but Kelly’s
Strength score is 3 and there’s a real chance she might fall.
Suddenly, things are critical. The fact that Kelly and her
friend might die floods the scene with tension — a tension
that wouldn’t exist i f Kelly were a brawny badass. Her
weakness becomes a dramatic plus.
No one can be good at everything, either. And
in story terms, the things you’re not good at can be just
as interesting as the things you are good at. Instead o f
looking at a low trait as something to be bought up with
experience, consider its dramatic possibilities. A clum sy
photographer can be more entertaining than one who
moves with catlike grace... especially i f he drops his
camera just before that big shot he’s been trying to take.
Low scores provide opportunities for
transformation, too. A hero with low self-esteem (and thus
a low Spirit score) has an interesting obstacle to overcome
— especially i f her adventures focus on spirit-oriented
things like magic. To reach her potential, that character
m ust confront her insecurities, knowing all the while that
they could trip her up again. For an example, watch how
Willow develops in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, her progress
from wallflower to superwitch makes Willow arguably the
most interesting character in the series.
Traditionally, faerie tales and urban fantasies revolve
around heroes with a handicap. Jack is poor. Cinderella is
abused. Tom Thum b is tiny, and the Little M ermaid is a
hobbled mute. Modern characters like Jilly Coppercom or
Jared Grace m ust overcome traumatic pasts or personal
demons. And look at that icon o f modern fantasy, Harry
Potter: a shy, skinny orphan from an abusive home, with
scars on his face and his m ind courtesy o f an enem y no
one else will even name. So don’t worry about m axing out
all your traits. This isn ’t an arms race. Handicaps make
your character inspiring. All-powerful demigods are the
province o f myth, not faerie tales — and even they have
deficiencies (Achilles’ heel, anyone?).

SI
 Che High Cnd
What about a character with really high stats? In
m ost cases, your character will have one or two remarkable
traits — surpassing beauty, brains, etc. This is totally
FY6: epitom es of
appropriate. A hero ought to have something that sets
Human Potential
him apart from the m ainstream . But how does that
How does a Grace 10 or
Technology 7 play out in the realm o f everyday heroes?
Vocation 7 come across in hum an
On the gam e side, a high trait costs a lot o f points.
terms? Check it out:
I f you buy one trait up high, others will be correspondingly
low. So let’s take our Tech 7 character: she’s a genius when
it comes to m achines, but where are her social or physical
Pinnacles o f Grace Vocation Epitomes gifts? Still sitting under the Christm as tree, m ost likely.
(examples o f a 10) (examples o f a 7) Our girl can speak Geek with great proficiency, but don’t
invite her to a dinner party or an arm-wrestling contest!
EMind: Academia: That Tech 7 score didn’t come easily.
Catherine the Great/ Christine dePisan
A Body o f 9 demands diet and exercise; a Technology
Thom as Jefferson
7 requires endless hours with m anuals and tools. The
Imagination:
Art: time and effort required to m aintain a high trait degree
W illiam Shakespeare
Leonardo da Vinci
Intellect: can offer story hooks, too. Check out a few o f the tales in
Stephen Hawking D eliria (pages 188 and 248, for starters) to see how trait
Perception: Athletics: maintenance can lead to new stories or complications.
Madonna Michael Jordan Our technical genius, m eanwhile, has other issues,
Wisdom: too. She m ight be offered an incredible but unethical tech
Benjam in Franklin
Craftsmanship: job. That $ 7 0 0 ,0 0 0 annual salary is hard to turn down —
Antonio Stradivari and i f she does manage to turn it down, the clients might
^ Body:
Jet Li/ Gabrielle Reese not take no for an answer. Our techhead’s friends want her
Agility: Domestic: to fix their computers for free. And she has a hard time
Nadia Comaneci Martha Stewart getting a date because she just seem s too dam n smart at
Beauty: guy things. Her peers regard her with a m ix o f jealousy
Sophia Loren and awe. So you see, that high aptitude score has a good
Influence:
Health: Oprah W infrey side and a bad side. The more dramatic the aptitude, the
Grigori Rasputin
m ore dramatic those good and bad results become.
Strength:
Languages: Your roleplaying and storytelling can really shine
The Rock
Noam Chomsky here, in the fallout from your character’s stats. Traits
£) Spirit: both low and high can (and should) be backed up by story
Mahatma Gandhi/ elements: personal quirks, interests and reactions from
Martial:
Mother Theresa other characters.
Bruce Lee
Belief:
Joan o f Arc
Metaphysics:
Charm:
Johnny Carson Joseph Campbell
Favors: W hat’s Weird
Passion: About You?
Malcolm X Technology:
Will: Thom as Edison Everyone has Graces, Hearts and Vocations. Favors,
Elizabeth I however, are rare. Most people don’t have them at all, and
few heroes do, either. Favors cover the odd skills (Accords),
n gifts (Legacies) and curses (Wyrds) that lie at the far side o f
■=2

___________ ■
hum an reality. Not all o f them are supernatural, but each
one is unusual.
v j
 Like other traits, Favors shine through in
roleplaying and storytelling. Witchcraft, for example, is a
lifestyle built around philosophies and practices that may
or may not actually help you perform magic; if your hero
knows about witchcraft, he probably hangs around with
neopagans and wannabes, reads a lot and has a pretty
open-minded view o f the world. He wouldn’t be surprised
if a goblin ran o ff with his wallet... or at least not as
surprised as he m ight be if he weren’t a witch! The Accord:
Witchcraft brings certain story elements to the table and
gives you lots o f clues about that character’s life.
Favors fall into three categories:

Accords

In Deliria, almost everyone has the potential to

work magic. Very few folks, however, have the necessary
combination o f belief and understanding to make things
happen. Accord Favors help that process along. M erging
discipline, philosophy, focus and ritual, these practices give
your character an edge.
Like Vocations, Accords are learned skills. (Except
for Faerie Wishcraft, which is an innate talent.) A person
can study as m any o f them as he likes, though his Prime
Accord dominates his mystic understanding. Anyone can
learn these occult crafts, but reliable instruction is hard to
come by. The New Age section at Barnes & Noble is only
going to teach you so much! To become truly effective,
a character m ust devote h im self to serious research,
discipline and practice. You wouldn’t hop onto a balance
beam without gymnastic training, and magical feats
involve similar kinds o f balance.
(Children, o f course, are exceptions to that rule. But
then, kids usually employ Faerie Wishcraft, which isn ’t
exactly reliable.)
Deliria’s Mysterium is filled with people who
practice magic: bookstore clerks study Wicca. Voodoo
gangs bring ghosts to haunt their ‘hoods. Children wish
upon a star — and something happens! That something
is usually m inor in the grand scheme o f things, but to the
folks involved, it’s pretty dramatic. (See the film Practical
Magic for examples.)
What does the witch next door look like? She might
be obvious, like the would-be Gothic sorcerer. Or she could
appear innocuous, like the yoga teacher who understands
real healing. She m ight have a fam ily history or practice
her craft DJing on Saturday nights. So yes, an everyday
sort o f character can learn Accords. Grandm a Annie really
is a witch, and weird things happen around your local
coven! For the m ost part, these enchantments are minor-
league: love-spells, wards, convenient accidents, that sort
o f thing. Every so often, however, someone combines
real talent, useful knowledge and good (or not-so-good)
intentions. That’s when adventures begin...
Legacies
Accords are learned skill-sets. Legacies and Wyrds
are not. As the Deliria Prime Codex says (page 268), most
Legacies and Wyrds are innately magical. Gifts like Fang
and Claw, for example, are not hum an, and they are
not everyday! Some Legacies and Wyrds, however, are
considered everyman traits. Alm ost anyone can have them,
and though they’re quite remarkable, their effects don’t
appear to be paranormal, even though they just might be.
Reflections o f unusual power, Legacies provide a
character with strange gifts. In m ost urban fantasy tales,
those gifts are subtle: a way with animals, a charming
presence, an aura o f innocence and so on. Some everyday
characters, though, have inhum an powers. Deliria’s world
is filled with folks who aren’t hum an but can pass for
human: cravers and belanshaya, disguised faeries and
possessed people. Such characters stand right on the
borders o f an everyday hero saga — which is perfectly
okay, so long as they don’t overwhelm the m undane
illusion. If, on the other hand, every character has magical
powers, the saga quickly becomes a superhero romp, not
an urban faerie tale.

ft*

Che Fine Line
Can ordinary people have
Legacies and Wyrds? Sometim es.
Plenty o f folks study magic, have wealth or suffer frorn^
chronic illness. Still, certain Legacies and Wyrds are
forbidden to everyday heroes. Obviously m agical gifts
(Shape-shifting) or curses (Lifethief) remove a character
from the norm al realm. He m ight appear to be an
average Joe, but he really isn ’t one.
As a rule, a mortal hum an character can have
any everyman Legacy or Wyrd. She cannot have
any Favors that are obviously inhum an. A handful
o f Legacies and Wyrds fall into a gray zone: Bardic
Gift, Soulsight, Cannibal, Stranger in a Strange Land
and several others from this book are questionable
territory. For traits in this gray zone, the Guide has
the final say and m ay limit those Favors to the first or
second degree at the beginning o f the saga.
Once a saga progresses to the Journeyman
level, however, a character m ight acquire any Legacy
or Wyrd. Even so, a Legacy like Shape-shifting
immediately removes a character from the just
plain folks category. She m ight look like a normal
housewife, but i f she transform s into a housecat, too,
she’s m ore than simply human.
See Chapter 3 for a selection o f appropriate
Wyrds
Some folks just seem cursed. Maybe your neighbor
creeps the kids out. Perhaps your son is always broke.
Welcome to the wonderful world o f Wyrds, where even
everyday heroes are not im m une. Like Legacies, Wyrds
reflect something unusual in a character’s life; unlike
Legacies, these things are bad.
A character m arked by a Wyrd seem s haunted,
perhaps literally. Folks shudder when he walks by. Mirrors
crack. Dogs bark. Chances are, he’s a m orose fellow. I f the
Fates were on your back, you’d be morose, too! In Deliria,
Wyrded characters m ight be street people, reclusive old
ladies, skittish teens or m um bling stalkers. A few o f them
are dangerous: the obsessive, the psycho, the cannibal —
not healthy folks to hang around! Still, if you really want to
be a hero, struggle to overcome a Wyrd. That curse could
be your own or hung upon a person you love. There might
be a fam ily malediction that m ust be broken or a stranger
who needs your help. In any case, a Wyrd provides great
m aterial for an everyday hero adventure. A creative Guide
could build a whole saga around the breaking o f a single
potent curse.
Show Me
Now you bind it all together. H ash out the stats,
haul out the math, put it all on paper and B A N G ! Y ou ’re
done.
Almost.
You don’t actually need m uch math or paperwork
to craft your everyday hero. As we saw earlier, a story
and some quick questions will do the trick. Each stage
o f creation, though, should be approved by your Circle’s
Guide. That person, after all, will have to live with what
you’ve crafted. Your imagination will be his obstacle
course.
Ultimately, the Guide has final approval over every
character in her saga. This approval is especially important
in an everyday hero saga because certain characters can
break the mood. Faeries with chainsaws, cyber-Goths and
supermodel ninjas are characters that you should, perhaps,
save for another game. They m ight be entertaining, but
they don’t fit in with the subtle tone o f urban fantasy.
These folks m ight be running around somewhere in
Deliria’s strange lands, true. But when you’re telling tales
about the extraordinary ordinary, keep at least one foot on
the ground.
Asking the Guide for approval is an unwritten but
important part o f character creation. This is where the
Show Me part o f the process comes in: show me that your
character makes sense. Show me that she’ll fit the story.
Show me how imaginative you can be.
Oh, and: Show me that you can m ake a wish...
cnree wisnes
As the final act o f creatioi
your character — three things tt
pass. These wishes are closely re
they’re things that your characte
happen if all the obstacles were cleaiiSci fror
Check out the Drives section, examining fo
and Secrets for clues about what that wish ifiig
Good wishes often involve intangibles likelb
and friendship. They may even be things that the ch
himself is not aware of, even if the player is. Ultimately,
wishes provide important cues from the players to the
| so-called master beat his mate and offspring far more often then
Guide — and an excellent conclusion for the saga, as well.
This, says the wish, is what I ’d like to see happen in the
game. What can we do to make it come true?
Unusual Options for
everyday Characters
Do you imagine that Vvn stupid because I cannot form your
words7 Perhaps I'm too intelligent to bother! It is the human
conceit tlyat nothing that is not of their kind is worthy of true
attention, w h y is it, then, that you serve us1 Tend to our needs1
chastise us in ways soft by the standards of any mother cat1
T rue it is, I think, that some of you treat our kind with cruelty.
But then, do you not do worse to one another1 1 have seen my
he has ever raised hand to me. And when he does stink of drink
and fury I, at least, am wise and small enough to hide until
his madness fades. In the space behind the couch, there is
comfort. Let others stay out in the storm!
It was behind that couch that I first discovered the
bright thing. It resembled the trinkets of my human
pride, those small chokesters that they often leave
laying on the climbing-grounds. Like those toys, it
tasted flat, but it shone with great distinction. I tested
it with a forepaw, to see how far it might go. Up
above, the master was raging in full thunder-voice,
and the weeping of my pride hurt my ears. To pass the
time, I amused myself with the trinket.
And it was then that the Spinmother appeared,
shimmering like after-rain sky, she picked her way
across the floor on eight dancing legs. Too large to be of
normal-kind, she made my fur rise. Hackling at her, I
challenged this intruder. "I know your kin," I thought at
her, ''but I don't know you. Speak, or I shall eat you!''
The Spinmother's voice sighed in my mind like
a breeze. "You caper with my sigil," she said, "and
your heart is troubled, w h a t is your desire, and
what might you do for me in return1"
I thought for a moment of my favorite
pride-mate, the ^niet one with gentle hands.
Somewhere far away, I heard her weep. It
troubled me. "I would wish," I thought to
the Spinmother, "that the loud, large one
would go to sleep tonight and never wake
again."
T he Spinmother shimmered. I closed my
eyes from brightness. "Done," she sighed.
"Before the dark has fled, it shall be done." she moved
in close. M y whiskers tingled. "N ow here is what I
would like in return..."
Children and Animals and
Coys, Oh My! For rules, traits, templates and guidelines
covering all sorts o f characters, see “Trait
W hen you mention everyday heroes, folks often
Tem plates,” Chapter 4.
think o f adults, usually young but at least old enough to
drive. But in faerie tales, anyone can be a hero. Children, great-grandson would be very strange. (It could, however,
elderly folks, even pets can become m ajor characters be a lot o f fun i f it was handled well!) As an inform al rule,
in your saga. Just think o f Hansel and Gretel, the wise we suggest lim iting unconventional characters to one or
grandmother or the Siam ese cat in G aim an’s “A Dream o f two per Circle unless you plan to run a saga based entirely
a Thousand Cats.” And then there are m inor faeries, often around children, anim als or the like. (See “The Birthday
in the guise o f mortals, who become part o f the hum an Party" in Chapter 5.) Otherwise, the saga m ight skitter o ff
world, like the Crow Girls o f deLint’s Newford books. in odd directions.
Although their powers are slight, these characters provide Despite the issues, an unusual character can
marvelous foils for the mortals nearby. All these folks and banish the idea that strapping young heroes are the only
others fit into an urban fantasy saga. How can you create worthwhile characters, a rut that plagues so m any fantasy
and play them? Let’s find out... tales (and games). Get creative! Enjoy! Just check in with
your fellow players first, and make sure that your fun
A p p ro val
doesn’t screw up their fun.
To begin with, an unconventional character m ust be
approved by your Guide. There shouldn’t be any problem
playing an elderly character unless large portions o f your
Young Children
W hen m ost folks think o f faerie tales, they think
saga take place in nightclubs or other youth-oriented
o f children. So it’s only natural that kids would be great
settings. Children would be a bit m ore difficult to
characters in an everyday hero saga. Traditionally, most
manage, but arrangements can still be made.
European faerie tales revolve around young people.
Playing a
pet or household
faerie, however, mmm The child’s adventures become rites o f
passage, sometimes
keeping her from
is a lot more
challenging. HOBBES ever growing old.
Still, a
Unless your animal BV BILL W5LTTE3S0N
learns to shape- child-hero can be
hard to play. Kids
change, she’s going to
can’t go m any places
suffer m ajor handicaps
in terms o f where by themselves, are
BV STEPHEN KING physically smaller
she can go, what she
can do and how she can and weaker than
communicate. A m inor
faerie would
THE adults and remain
subject to their parents
be a
mVEBEMBm or other authorities.

smv
G uide’s Unless your character

judgment is home-taught or lives

in deep wilderness, he’ll
call, because a BV MICHAEL ENflE 'V -
spend m ost o f his day in
fey character
school. He m ight be a Lost
could present a host o f potential
Boy and not have adult
problems for a human-oriented
supervision, but unless he’s
saga. So long as she’s not too powerful,
hitching a ride with Peter
she could be a really cool addition to the group; even so,
Pan, there will be other adults
the shape-changing talents and capricious Wishcraft that
trying to end his independence. Grown-ups
Delirian Folk share would make a faerie character difficult
won t take him seriously, and there are so m any things he
to m anage and even more difficult to roleplay well.
can’t do, doesn’t know and won’t be able to achieve.
On that note, don’t overdo the different heroes
Ah, but the child has got imagination on his
thing. Although there’s a lot to be said for an all-seniors
side! His household sprites and talking pets m ay be his
tale (like Ghost Story) or an all-kids adventure (Peter Pan),
playmates, and his world is more wonder-full than the dull
a saga in which one person plays a cat, another plays a
land o f adulthood.
sprite, a third plays an old m an and the fourth plays his
ttoleplcrving a Kid
Call up your childlike sense o f wonder. The world
is full o f secrets and surprises. It’s probably filled with
terrors, too — nightm ares, strange sounds, bullies and
potential abuse. Alm ost everything is larger than you,
stronger than you and m eaner than you. No one lets you
do anything by yourself. You’ve gotta stand up straight,
brush your teeth, go to school and listen to everything
grown-ups tell you to do. There’s time to
play (and
Or maybe you’ve found the secret o f eternal youth and will
do anything to keep it.
Game-wise, an elderly hero has great mental
capacity (unless she’s senile) but fading physicality. No
matter how fit she m ight be, age eventually catches up.
The elder doesn’t have to be feeble, though — the ancient
m asters o f Chinese folklore and martial arts prove that
much! This hero’s real strength, though, is experience.
She’s forgotten more than you’ve ever learned and has
lots o f tales to tell. She probably has her own home, filled
with mysterious stu ff and strange passageways.

WJIMNS
hopefully
lots to Then again, she could be hom eless
1
play or banished to assisted
11 IM iiii' M il SKI
with!), » living — in
but people which case
pick on an adventure
would be a fine
y °u no w m
matter escape!
how
popular you
Roleplaying
seem
an eld er
to be.
Feel the weight
m m xm o f your years, not
necessarily as a burden
Everything is out o f reach,
but as experience.
especially i f you’re just a
Y ou’ve seen things
little kid. You want to be
change in radical ways
taken seriously, but you
over the course o f your
don’t even know how
lifetime, and not always in
to pronounce that word
directions you’d prefer. Still,
unless you’re a big kid!
you’re alive and m any folks
Think simply. Act quickly. Speak
you once knew are not. Their
directly. Everything is exclamation points
passage has brought you closer
and question marks. And almost everything is all about
to mortality, and you know that
YOL7!
someday soon it’ll be your turn.

elderly Heroes This doesn’t have to be a bad thing,

though. I f nothing else, you’ve realized that death is just
At the other end o f the age scale, the elderly hero
another stage o f life. More than young people do, you have
looks back over her life. Wise and perhaps embittered,
reconciled yourself to endings.
she’s had experiences that young folks cannot imagine.
Every elder was young once. Most o f them
Traditionally, the elder is a supporting character rather
rem em ber it. Whatever you do, don’t cheapen an aged
than a protagonist; still, it can be challenging in all the
character by bowing to bad stereotypes! Leave the “Hey,
right ways to break with that tradition!
sonny” schtick alone. Instead, project yourself forward
Elder-tales focus on unfinished business or bygone
a few decades and imagine what it m ust be like to have
deeds. As an aged character, you m ight see a lover who
survived a lifetime. Reflect on what that m eans. Make up
looks as young as he did in 19 4 6 . You could face the ghost
an extensive Backstory for your character and people it
o f someone you let die or see your grandkids captured by
with joys and m iseries. Life, after all, has plenty o f both!
an evil you trapped long ago. You m ight be a professor or
other expert, passing on the torch to another generation.
Animals same vibration. Certain strong-minded individuals might
establish a greater identity, but deep inside a cat is still a cat.
W e’re closer to anim als than we think. Or perhaps
they’re closer to us. In traditional societies, people lived Roleplaying an Animal
very close to beasts, and there was a sense o f kinship Beasts are sensual rather than intellectual. Be aware
there that the industrial world has forgotten. That kinship o f the way a room smells, the currents o f the breeze across
comes alive in faerie tales, though, and anim al heroes and your fur, the shades o f m eaning in a yelp. Despite your
antagonists fit right in with urban fantasies. keen hearing and smell, you perceive colors differently
Fitting an anim al character into your saga can be than hum ans do. Your sense o f what sm ells or
tricky. Cats don’t drive. Dogs don’t shop. U nless your tastes good is pretty different,
anim al has telepathic talents j§^ ' too — after all, you probably
‘ ' your nose UP °th er folks’
butts! Territory, kinship, food
MmVOFTHE — these things are your

HEMTHI highest priorities. People get

BV STflflM CONSTANTINE
(the
Legacy:
Mindcasting), he’s not
m ",
TAB W H IM S
going to be able to
communicate with
the other folks.
Without prehensile
MEM
toes, his paws
w on’t be able
BV THE BfiOTHEflS GtBMM
to open doors or hold a phone. An animal
character is a real challenge, both to play and
to Guide. But then, that’s what can make it so m uch fun to
run one!
In the realm o f Deliria, animals are sentient. They
don’t reason as abstractly as hum ans do, but they’re
capable o f communication, reflection and comprehension.
Like traditional faerie tale beasts, m ost Delirian animals
have a sense o f identity. They think. They dream. By
hum an standards, animal thought is simple and direct
and leaves little room for nuances or ambiguity. The
higher animals (cats, dogs, horses, etc.) tend to think more
abstractly than, say, roaches, but very few o f them think
at a level beyond “Oh, food.” Still, they do think and feel.
A wise Deliria character will realize that her pet cat has a
great deal going on behind his eyes.
Inside that feline head, thought follows function.
Cats tend to be dignified, dogs com m unal and birds
flighty. The archetypal qualities given to an animal usually
turn out to be truism s. Anim als appear to share totemic
qualities, too. The spirit o f W olf pervades all wolves, giving
them a com m on identity. Metaphysically, they feel the
excited about odd things but
never seem to realize what’s
m ost important in life!
Your character’s
relationship with her
f
physical surroundings is
going to depend on the
type o f anim al you're
playing. A hawk, a
cat and a horse are
going to have radically
different perspectives
on a living room, and
none o f them will see it
the way a hum an does. For the m ost part,
you’ll probably be looking up at the hum an world (unless
you’re a bird, deer or horse, in which case you’ll be looking
down on it). Abstract hum an concepts m ean little to you:
what’s a blue mood? You m ight watch TV, but you won’t
understand m uch more than the pretty pictures. You can’t
quote Shakespeare and you probably wouldn’t talk much
i f you could speak. Communication, for you, is a subtle yet
sophisticated blend o f gestures, sounds, poses and smells.
I f you should dream your way into hum an form (see
Deliria, page 115), you’re more than just an animal. And
if not, who cares? You are what you are. Let the finicky
hum ans worry about the details!
Guide Note: I f you choose to allow animals
as major characters, be careful not to overdo
things. This is Deliria, not The Secret of
NIM H . An intelligent m ouse m ight be cool as
a walk-on, but a saga in which every animal
acted like Stuart Little would soon break down
under its own silliness.

58
Coys
They seem almost alive,
don’t they? Those plastic soldiers
and stuffed animals you play
with? Don’t you wonder if
they come to life when you’re
not looking? In Deliria, they
just might. And sometimes
they’ll even join you for
adventures...
Living toys have
a rich legacy in faerie
tales. From hand-crafted
puppets to mass-
produced action figures,
there’s a sense o f soul
in a well-loved toy. Occasionally, that
soul shatters the laws o f reality and brings the toy to
life and consciousness. But is that toy truly alive? Or is it
just imitating life? Not even the toys themselves know the
answer to that question.
It takes magic to bring a toy to life. That magic
might come from within, but more often there’s a
mischievous faerie or hum an sorcerer involved. Actually,
m ischief m ight be too light a word. Some living toys
are dangerous, even evil. Kids fear clown dolls for good
reason, and film s like Akira and Trilogy o f Terror show
what can happen when toys get an attitude!
A living toy character has all the challenges o f an
animal and a child combined. It’s probably made o f fragile
stuff like plastic or cloth and can’t take m uch punishm ent
at all. Most toys live on borrowed time; the enchantment
that animates them lasts only for a short time and often
has plenty o f conditions. Toys are simple folk, as well.
Everything a toy knows, it gathers from its hum an family.
A cherished toy will probably be brave and loving, whereas
an abused one would be bitter and vindictive. Saddest o f
all are neglected toys, once loved but put aside. O f course,
given a redemption quest, such a toy could m ake an
excellent, i f tiny, hero.
Roleplcrying a Living Coy
Are you real? Y ou’re not sure. What is real, anyway?
You move, you think. Huh. Guess you are real. Now what?
Life is simple for a toy. You are what you were made to be.
I f you’re a cowboy, act like a cowboy. I f you’re a dinosaur,
act fierce. Toys are honest folk. This doesn’t m ean you
have to be one-dimensional, though. Your counterparts in
Toy Story had complex personalities and agendas o f their
own. Whatever happens, have fun. Isn ’t that what toys
are for?
Faeries and Feybloods
Where would a faerie tale be without faeries?
Even in the urban realm s o f everyday heroes, there are
characters with distinctly fey qualities. As an example,
take Rollie the fox-guy (see D e liiis, pages 12 8 -12 9 , and its
Appendix disc). A fox who became a man, he prefers the
novel hum an world to the boring animal realm. You could
meet him at any club in town and never know what you
were seeing. Unless you stumbled over clues to his true
nature, you’d think Rollie was a norm al guy — a bit weird,
but nothing special. And then there are household faeries,
the gnomes and ketterlings that keep a place together.
(D eliria, pages 7-9 and 112.) And the otherworldly tourists
and elementals who m ingle with humanity. (D eliria , pages
112-116 .) You w on’t see such faeries often, but they are
there. So how do you handle them — or play them — in
your game?
Carefully. The Folk are mysterious, m ost effective
when glimpsed in passing. I f a faerie becomes too familiar,
she’s just a person with wings, no m ore wondrous than
the fam ily pet. As a Guide, keep your players guessing
about the truth o f their fey companions; you m ay want to
restrict players from m aking fey characters at all and may
lim it them to shim m erlings or aelden characters only. As
a player, recognize that you’re taking on a character who
shares elements with hum anity but is not truly hum an.
As a Circle, you m ay want to limit such characters to one
or two m ajor roles. Otherwise, the saga m ight become a
superhero comic with pointy ears, and though such tales
can be really cool (see the graphic series Alia), they’re not
really everyday hero sagas.
 ..v? : m?: ■ ■
M inor household faeries can be a lot o f fun to have
around. Despite comical stereotypes, though, they’re not
always cute and silly. Like Mab in I Was a Teenage Fairy,
such Cousins can be the only comfort in a dead-serious
environment. They could be im aginary friends who attain
real substance (see Thorn, Buck Collins and Charlie
Chalkdust in Deliria) or home-sprites who become secret
m em bers o f the fam ily (Spiderwick's Thimbletack). These
shim m erlings are often small, have very little power and
tend to hide unless a special person is nearby. Often
bound to an inamorata, these entities don’t hang around
in plain sight. Even so, they m ay be the closest fam ily or
friends a person has.
The easiest fey characters to work with are
aelderbloods, cravers or ghents. Essentially, these folks
are hum ans imbued with faerie spirits. From a game
standpoint, simply give a mortal character some inhuman
Legacies and Wyrds; from a roleplaying standpoint,
keep your concept in mind. A mortal who becomes fey
(like a ghent) will probably think o f h erself as a hum an
undergoing a very strange life change! An aelderblood has
For details and suggestions about faerie
characters, see D eliria, pages 10 9 -14 1. See
that book’s Appendix disc for several faerie
characters, and pay special attention to the
“ G uiding Faeries” sidebar on page 127.
Rules and stats for domestic faerie characters
can be found in this book’s Chapter 4,
pages 92-95.
a sense o f “Oh, so that’s why m y life has been so weird,”
and an elemental or shape-changed anim al has a rather
alien outlook and very different priorities.
In any case, play up the otherworldly nature o f fey
characters. Both roleplaying and story elements should
em phasize the blending and rippling effects that faeries
have on their surrounding. (Deliria, page 121.)
Roleplaying a Minor Faerie
$ Household Sprite: Figure out what your purpose
is, and then live for it. I f you’re a carpenter hob,
comment on quality construction; i f cleaning is
your gig, become a compulsive straightener. I f you
love a mortal, give him careful yet light-hearted
affection. Whatever your tie to the mortal world
may be, it’s an integral part o f you. W hether that tie
is a person, place or thing, never venture far away
from it for long.
^ Aelderblood: T here’s always been something
odd about you. Now, perhaps for the first time,
you understand why. Experiment with your new
birthright and reflect on where it puts you in the
hum an/ faerie world. See where you truly fit in.
Chances are, you won’t feel totally at home in either
realm... which provides great opportunities for
angst!
Tourist: Long ago, it seem ed as though Faerie was
the m ost fascinating place to be. Now, however, the
mortals have created a wonderland that no aelder
prince could imagine. The bustle, the sensations,
 the chaotic m ass o f hum ankind — they entrance
you. Allow yourself to fall under the spell o f
everyday things: coffee m achines, TV, computers
and so on... and then get sick o f them and flee for
quieter pastures. Be cryptic in your speech and
leave m ost o f what you’re truly thinking unsaid.
It’s not proper that mortals should understand too
m uch about you. Besides, who knows what they
might do with it?
^ Possessed Human: No matter what you have,
it’s not enough. No amount o f food, sex,
com panionship or cash can tame your hunger. Oh,
you put on a good front, but you’re always wanting
more. On the flip side, you experience everything
with far more intensity than you ever thought
possible. Revel in that. Enjoy your new sensitivity
and see what you can do with these interesting
talents.
$ Elemental: Base your personality on the element
in question and act accordingly. Y ou’re somewhere
between faerie, mortal and substance, so define
your identity with a strong sense o f who you are,
what you want and how you can prosper. It might
seem selfish, but that focus is what keeps you
from fading away. (Guide Note: In game terms, an
elemental character must have the Legacy: Element
Affinity for her appropriate element.)
IT S QUITE
EMPOWERING
TO BE THE
HERO IN YOUR
OWN SM
You!
When does everyday life become an adventure?
When you play yourself in Deliria! A saga in which all o f
the players actually play themselves is the m ost apparently
ordinary o f all games. It’s not as easy as it looks, however,
because w e’re not always honest about ourselves. There are
obvious advantages to playing yourself, though. Character
crafting is easy (assum ing you’re honest about your stats!),
and the conflicts, issues and motivations come straight
from real life.
Playing yourself can be a powerful, cathartic
experience. It’s quite em powering to be the hero in your
own skin. Freed by faerie tale logic, you can challenge
people and situations that block you in real life. Maybe
your boss is a dark fey prince or your neighbor is a ghent.
The house you grew up in is honeycombed with secret
passages that lead into Deliria. You might confront your
rotten ex-girlfriend in the fight you never had or pay o ff
your creditors with faerie gold. Faerie tales, after all, are
metaphors for reality. Why not inject your own reality into
a personal metaphor?
The biggest challenge when m aking a game
reflection o f yourself is being honest. You don’t have
Martial 5, and a Mind score o f 7 is probably exaggerating.
It’s tempting to give yourself high stats and weird powers,
but why not play it cool? Perhaps someone else should
draft your traits up for you. Who knows? I f the whole
Circle takes the challenge, you m ight each work up
another’s traits, agreeing to live with whatever your friends
assign.
A self-based saga m ight take place on fam iliar
ground. Then again, it could take place in a distant
other-realm, an alternate childhood or a parallel world.
It could be played for laughs, but a really honest game
would address issues as well as provide am usement. The
self-based saga runs best as a one-shot, but with a bit o f
thought it could become a full-length saga.
Poleploying Yourself
It’s simple: do what you would normally do under
the circumstances! The challenge here is to think o f
who you are, not who you would he i f you were a fantasy
adventurer. Be true to yourself, and see just how heroic you
can be!
 CHftPTEfl 3 :_ _ _ _
MORE HUMAN THIN HUMAN
I've always loved to swim. Water is my
life. Mom says I was born underwater) in
one of those New Age birthing techniques
that people go on about these days. She's such
a hippie! Anyway, I could swim before I
could walk, and with us living near the lake,
I've never been far from water at all.
In school, I joined the swim and diving
teams as soon as possible. They called me
"flipper/' and you could smell the chlorine on
me even in the halls! M y first boyfriend and
I used to make out in the deep end of the pool.
He used to get all macho and try to hold his
breath longer than me. Never did it, though1
. I don't think I surfaced till around sundown,
I always won that game, and he'd have to
surrender to me as I dragged him down to
have my way with him.
Then some friends and I went to the
beach, and that game became real.
I was swimming out way far when a
riptide caught me and dragged me down.
Now, I was less worried than most people
would have been, but it still scared me when
I couldn't reach the surface. I've never been
one for panicking, but as I kept being pulled
down, down, down, I started to lose it!
And then he was there. Grabbing me.
Holding me. He was so strong! And I was
like, what? what? and almost out of air and
freaking out, and he just took my face in his
hands, kissed my mouth open, and breathed.
I was like Are you crazy?!? and I started
fighting him, but he just held on to me, God
knows how far under, and he breathed. And
suddenly I could breathe again, too.
We stayed down a long time. He showed
me places that even scuba divers never see.
We... well, I'm not going there, but let's just
say it was better than with my old boyfriend.
and my friends were totally freaking out. I
let them know I was okay, but they gave me
a hard time about it all the way home. Hey,
I don't blame them — I was glad they were
concerned, even thought they didn't have to
be!
And the guy? I don't know. I haven't seen
him since then. But I am going to the beach
again this weekend. Wanna come with?
 For ease and convenience, several o f the
Outside the Norm Legacies and Wyrds below have been carried
over from the D e lir ia Appendix disc.
Som e everyday folks aren’t as m undane as they
Meanwhile, the Legacy: Treasure deals with
m ight appear. They could be totally hum an, yet stand
m agical items and is detailed in the book
outside the norm in ways that we can’t totally explain. In
G o b lin M a rk e ts: The G lit t e r Trade.
story terms, such people have special talents or frailties
that transcend m ere skill. In gam e terms, these people
possess Legacies or Wyrds. For Guides who want a bit o f flexibility, this option makes

Deliria describes Legacies and Wyrds poetic sense and suggests dramatic changes for the hero

(pages 268-277) as “extraordinary things (that)... as the saga continues. Like any other Favor, though, the

m ight m anifest at birth or gradually appear.” For the Guide has the final say.

m ost part, these gifts or curses take a person beyond

m ere humanity; several, however, are completely mortal
— they’re just unusual. An empathic sense for people’s
feelings, for example, isn ’t a m agical power. Even so,
there’s som ething about Legacies or Wyrds that seem a
bit otherworldly; that sense for people m ay be so keen that
folks feel a bit disconcerted by you. So-called everyman everym an
Favors can work for any hum an character, and there’s Legacies & Wyrds
nothing obviously supernatural about them. That said,
Addiction Orphan
though, they’re still pretty remarkable to the average
Charming Poverty
person.
Innocence Psycho
The following Legacies and Wyrds are especially
Fugitive Self-Injury
appropriate for urban fantasy sagas. Most o f them are
Fame Sharp Senses
considered everyman Favors, though several (which have
Handicap Sickly
been noted in their descriptions) are not. Several others
Hated Wealth
fall into a gray area — not quite inhuman but definitely
Obsession
strange. A hero could have one or two o f them and still
be a norm al person, albeit a person with a remarkably Gray Area Legacies & Wyrds
weird life. Ultimately, it’s up to the Guide to determine
whether or not a player character m ay have a certain Favor. Bardic Gift Heirloom
It’s perfectly reasonable, for instance, for your Guide to Beastfriend Mindcasting
forbid the Legacy: Wealth in a saga based around homeless Burning Bright Season
people! Cannibal The Slip
Curse Soulsight
Your Gift Becomes Your Future Empathy Stranger in a
As an optional rule, a Guide m ight consider Fey-Cursed Strange Land
a Minor (degree 1) inhum an Legacy or Wyrd a Fey-Fond Treasure
gray area— for example, the girl who never seems to take
a breath while swim m ing (Legacy: Adaptation 1). Although Inhuman Legacies & Wyrds
the hero’s gift is unusual at that point, it still falls within
Adaptation Element Affinity
the hum an range. Folks will think our girl’s odd, but they
Animated Fang and Claw
w on’t be testing her for gills.
Bane Lifethief
This option applies only to M inor (degree 1) Favors
Doom Shape-Shifting t /
unless that character is transform ed magically during
the course o f an adventure. However, that little seed o f a
' \ r\ i\ m 1
Legacy suggests what the hero m ight eventually become.
Perhaps that girl transform s into a m erm aid during her
adventures; she’s no longer hum an at that point, but her
transform ation follows her inborn talent.
 Quests and Cests, Favors and The Guide will figure out what you can do later in the saga
Wyrds and tell you what it is after that Legacy manifests.
Things work the sam e way for a curse. When
(See also Deliria, page 282; and this book,
building your character, spend a few extra points and tell
Chapter 1.)
the Guide, “ I’m leaving this open for a mystery W yrd.”
When a magical quest turns our hero into a Again, the Guide will hit you with something you didn’t
mermaid, a Legacy can reflect that gift. Conversely, i f a expect during the saga. When that happens, don’t bitch
failed test in that same adventure makes her into a life- about it — you chose to leave certain things up to Fate,
sucking craver, that m isfortune becomes a Wyrd. Faerie after all!
tale quests and tests have lasting effects, and though the A Guide may also set experience points aside
player might not be paying or receiving points for the over the course o f a saga and simply tell a player, “ Don’t
results, those effects often take the form o f Legacies or worry about experience — you’ll find out what’s coming
Wyrds. to you when it happens!” He m ight also decide to give a
player character some new bonus or power but leave it in
In story terms, this sim ply m eans that your character
debt to a mystery Wyrd. Like the Legacy, that Wyrd will
receives a sudden change o f fortune. She m ight acquire
show up unexpectedly — like new enem ies or a
a great deal o f m oney (Wealth) or a drinking
strange aversion to something that, a few
habit (Addiction). In game terms, this
% months back, had no effect upon
new Favor is added to her character
the hero...
traits and life story. No Favor
Mystery Favors
points are gained or received. «
offer marvelous
Until the right conditions * S *
unpredictability to your
are met — or until the
saga. Traditionally,
Guide decides otherwise
a faerie tale hero
— that trait becom es a
discovers new things
power or problem for
for herself, rather
her. In this case, the
than choosing them
Guide alone determines
at birth. Your Circle
the degree and nature o f
should be careful not
the Favor; the Circle could
to overdo this sort o f
vote on it, but even then the
thing, though; faerie tale
Guide makes the final call.
characters don’t often crow
As always, let a sense o f the “ Hey, look at m y new mutant
poetic direct the change. A really good power!” So like all things, use mystery
swimmer should become a m ermaid, not a fire- Favors in moderation. Use them when such enigmas
spirit — although a new, unwelcome bond with Fire might fit your saga, and remem ber that they’re just options. Not
make an interesting punishment! every saga needs them.
In general, remem ber that Legacies and Wyrds are
Mystery Favors
story hooks, not superpowers. Think o f them in terms o f
(See also Deliria, page 280.) how they’ll affect a saga and its characters, not in terms o f

What we don’t know can hurt (or help) us. In how m any modifiers they’ll supply. Keep in mind, too, that
such things are pretty unusual. They shape your character
many tales, a hero may not recognize his strengths or
in dramatic, life-altering ways — often not in ways you
vulnerabilities until circumstances sm ack him in the face
m ight enjoy! Every Legacy has a downside, every Wyrd has
with them. In game terms, this unknown quality could be
an upside, and each one has conditions that m ust be met
called a mystery Favor — a Legacy or Wyrd that the player
i f the Legacy is to work or the Wyrd is to be broken. As
doesn’t know about until after an event in the saga brings
anyone who has a lot o f m oney can tell you, a Favor plays a
that power or curse to light.
m ajor role in determining who you are.
How do you get a mysterious Legacy? Simple: when
building your character, leave a few Favor points unspent.
Then tell your Guide, “that’s for a mystery Favor.”

65 &
In Chis Chapter:
Legacies: Blessed
• > Legacies and Favored

Animated: spark of life for objects. I can't explain it. Animals have, always loved me.
Beastfriend: way with animals.
E ven t lye mean ones calm down when I show up. It/s like
Burning Bright: dazzling vitality.
they already know who I am/ and they're glad to see me.
Charming: compelling personality.
Empathy: unusual affinity for others’ M y old girlfriend used to ride horses. And she ()ad
feelings.
this one horse, Sir) that hated — and I mean HATED! —
Fame: being well-known.
Fey-Fond: close kinship with a faerie. guys. A n y man who went near either the horse or my

Heirloom: mysterious inheritance.
Innocence: ingenuous demeanor.
Sharp Senses: very acute
perceptions.
girlfriend would get kieked, snorted at or thrown. Her
dad even talked about having Sir put down, but Reese
wouldn't let anyone near him. N ot long after we started

The Slip: talent for slipping in and dating, Reese brought me to the stables, she wanted me
out of places unseen.
to ride Patchesbut I went to Sir's stall. "Don't do that/'

Wyrds she warned. "He hates guys, and he'll kill you — I'm

serious."
Addiction: irrationally dependent on
I never was much good at listening.
something.
Fey-Cursed: disliked by a faerie. Sir riled up when I got near his stable. But when I

Fugitive: fleeing for one's life.
Hated: unsavory demeanor.
Haunted: pursued by spirits.
Obsession: extreme fixations.
reached out m y hand, he went quiet. I took out a bit of
sugar and he nuzzled it up with those big old horse lips.
Then he dropped his head down for a skritch. Reese was

Orphan: alone in the world.

floored. "He doesn't e’L'en let me do that!" she stood t here
Psycho: dangerously unhinged.
shaking her head.
Self-Injury: habit of hurting oneself.
Sickly: chronically unwell. I shrugged. "I'v e just always had a way with
Spacey: constant distraction.
animals."
Stranger in a Strange Land: always
We had a really good summer that year.
out of place.

m 4 ...■

• > Adaptation
It’s been said that hum ans are infinitely adaptable
— maybe an overstatement for others, but it applies to
you. Given time to adjust, you can survive in just about
any natural environment, from extreme heat or cold to
deep water or even airless space. David Blaine, eat your
heart out!
The key here is time to adjust. You m ay be able to
acclimate quickly to sub-zero temperatures, but if someone
drops you into liquid nitrogen, you’re dead meat. (Dead
frozen meat, at that!) A ssum ing you’ve got an opportunity
to adapt to the climate, however, you’re a hardy sort, able
to slog through snow or hot sand without m uch trouble.
Oh, you probably won’t be terribly comfortable (at least not
at the lower levels o f this Legacy), but you’ll survive where
others perish.
A classic gift o f desert dwellers, ice wizards, sirens
and weather witches, Adaptation is largely a plot device. In
most cases, it allows a character to survive without harm in
an environment in which he probably shouldn’t be able to
do so. Before adapting, though, the character m ust prepare
him self in some way for that new environment, whether
by holding his breath, meditating or what have you.
I f the character gets nailed by a sudden
environmental hazard (an ice storm, a strong wave) or
gets dropped into deadly surroundings (a scalding bath,
deep space), this Legacy raises the Challenge Level o f the
attempt to injure him by + i to the Challenge Level for
each degree the character has in the Legacy: Adaptation.
(Someone with three degrees in the Legacy, for example,
would add +3 to the Challenge Level to harm him with an
environmental-type attack.)
Note that this Legacy doesn’t do a thing to protect
you against lightning, lasers, bullets, nerve gas, explosive
decompression, fireballs, hard radiation or other severe
attacks. A body can take only so m uch punishment, you
know...
^ Minor: You can hold your breath for a long time
(30 seconds per point o f Vitality) or survive a while
in very hot or cold climates with no special clothing
or shelter whatsoever (one day per point o f Vitality)
and suffer no perm anent damage.
& Notable: Like a dolphin, you can hold your breath
an unusually long time (one minute per point o f
Vitality) or live in extreme conditions for months
on end (one week per point o f Vitality).
£ Grand: Weather conditions don’t affect your health
at all; that blizzard doesn’t feel good, but it won’t
67
kill you. Given time to catch a breath, you can
hold it for up to an hour per point o f Vitality. And
though very high or low pressures m ight hurt a bit,
you can adjust to them with little harm.
£ Legendary: Who needs to breathe? What desert?
What snowstorm? Y ou’re comfortable in any
environment, even deep oceans or underground
burial chambers.
Possible Conditions: Unless you’re born to a
particular environm ent (like a m erm aid is to water), you
might need to hyperventilate, meditate, perform special
exercises, make sacrifices to the spirits or perform some
other ritual in order to acclimate yourself to your new
environment; if you are born to your environment, then
you m ight need to return to it once or twice per day or risk
slow death (one point o f Vitality per day or more).
Animated
Everything in Creation is alive to some degree. Most
things, though, cannot walk, talk or reason on their own.
You can. You m ight be a living toy, a walking tree, a self-
willed robot or some other improbable creature. Regardless
o f what mortal science says, however, you’re sentient.
Whether you’re alive by hum an standards depends on the
degree o f this Legacy.
In m ost cases, this Legacy is a magical gift or curse:
a powerful witch enchants her forest and you’re one o f
her trees; a faerie godmother brings a teddy bear to life,
and you’re that bear. Usually, the animating enchantment
comes from an outside source. Every so often, though, the
spark o f life within an object is strong enough to bring it
to life. Like the Velveteen Rabbit, you m ay be a thing that
wanted so much to be real that Creation said “Okay — let’s
see what you can do!”
Essentially, an Animated object becomes a
character. It remains very limited in what it can do (like
Kitt, the living car that can control itself) unless it can
project an aspect o f itself into a more versatile form. Some
exceedingly advanced items can build thought-forms
o f themselves for very short times (see Deliria, page
29). These entities have physical presence but very little
substance, and they are eternally bound to the object part
o f their existence. If that object is destroyed, the character dies.
This Legacy confers thought, senses and limited
mobility. It does not in any way change the material you’re
made o f or give powers beyond those your construction
would allow. I f you’re badly damaged, your spark o f life
ends. A plastic soldier, for example, that gets run over is
destroyed for good.
-
 t Minor: Y ou ’re aware o f the world around you and
can reflect on your condition. Movement, though,
is difficult and slow (about one-quarter hum an
speed) and limited to what you could achieve
without sentience. You can’t com m unicate with
others unless you’ve got the Legacy: Mindcasting,
and even then your thinking is simplistic by hum an
terms. (“ Boy nice. Sun feel good...’’) Classic examples:
Herbie the Love Bug, a m oving witch-tree, the
laundry machine in King’s story “The M angier.”
& Notable: Y ou’ve got rudimentary movement,
thought and speech. Some outside character
probably orders you around, and you are bound
by some short-lived power source or spell. In most
cases, your body is fragile; even i f it’s made o f stone
or metal, though, your control over it is limited and
easily disturbed. Classic Examples: The Golem , the
grunts in Small Soldiers, the weird toys in Akira.
$ Grand: Y ou’re a self-willed object that seems
very human-like. Although you’re still limited to
your original size and construction, you’ve got
enough volition to move, think and communicate
on a roughly hum an level. You are what you
are, however — a walking, talking tree still looks
and bum s like wood. Examples: Swamp Thing,
Pinocchio, the cast o f Toy Story.
$ Legendary: Y ou’re advanced enough to project
a hum an or animal aspect o f yourself into the
walking world. This thought-form can interact
normally with the hum an world, though people
and animals will sense something uncanny about
it. Your aspect cannot go m ore than 10 0 ’ or so
away from your object form, however, and probably
has the traits o f small animal or a teenage human.
Examples: Stormbringer, a car that has a hum an
driver-self.
Possible Conditions: Y ou’re connected to a power
source or battery; you m ust obey the one who made you;
you have to fulfill a quest within a certain period o f time or
lose your Animation; someone else has to believe in you or
you’ll turn back into whatever you once were.
Guide Note: This Legacy applies only to entities
made out o f inanimate complex material — not to corpses,
microbes, handfuls o f dirt and so forth. Important
or powerful characters should be considered faerie
beings. We recom mend this option only for short-term
special cases, and you m ay want to limit it to non-player
characters. Applied to a player character, this Legacy can
wreck your saga by itself!
< 4 ! > Becrstfriend
Anim als like you. Unless you do som ething to
irritate them, natural anim als (and some enchanted
beasts) welcome your presence. On an innate level, you
understand them and they understand you. A n ideal
Legacy for riders, trainers, wayfarers and innocents, this
gift is not given lightly. Abuse their trust, and your beast-
friends will turn on you as eagerly as they welcomed you
at first.
In game terms, this Legacy is a story element.
I f a Beastfriend character has to beat an animal-related
Challenge, he adds +i to his Prowess for each degree in
the Legacy. Beast-related Challenges include: calming
animals, com m unicating with them, riding them or
getting their attention. (Enchanted beasts are im pressed at
h alf that bonus: +i at Beastfriend i or 2, +2 at Beastfriend
3 or 4.) Note that though some animals m ay aid a friend
in need — even defending him to the death i f he’s a loyal
pack mate — they do not consider that friend their master.
I f a character with this Legacy harm s his companions or
allows them to be harm ed by others, the Legacy adds +4 to
all Challenges to keep them from leaving or attacking him!
The flip side o f this fondness is obvious: the more
that beasts like you, the more beast-like you become
in hum an terms. A hardcore beast-friend is feral; he’s
probably got fleas, rarely bathes and speaks in chirps and
barks. Anim als relate to him; few hum ans do. Tarzan
looks good from a distance, but m ost people wouldn’t last
long around a guy who hangs with apes!
i? Minor: When you show up, birds and animals
welcome you.
$ Notable: Nearby birds and animals feel your
presence and make an effort to come and see you.
Even wild ones will eat from your hand and may
follow you out o f curiosity.
$ Grand: Y ou’ve probably got a few full-time
companions, and other animals enjoy being around
you. You can communicate with them fairly well
(similar to the Language Aspect: Animal Speech, but
applied to all animals), and they’ll go out o f their
way to help you i f they can.
$ Legendary: Everywhere you go, birds and beasts
follow. They’re quite protective o f you, and as long
as you m aintain their goodwill (and protect them
as well) they’ll defend you. A handful o f animals
consider you their pack mate or even their alpha.
They won’t tolerate abuse, but they defer to your
leadership. In trouble, you can call out and, i f
they’re able, animals will answer.
 Possible Conditions: You have to live am ong the
beasts; you m ust always be as near to naked as you can
and w ash only when necessary; you m ake regular offerings
to animal-spirits; you refrain from eating meat unless you
want to be surrounded by carnivores (which isn ’t nearly as
fun as it m ight sound!).
Burning Bright
Maybe it runs in your fam ily or maybe it’s the
double espresso that cute barista makes you every
m orning. Whatever the source, you possess an unusually
vibrant lifeforce. To those who can see it, your aura literally
burns brightly, but even those who can’t see your aura can
tell that you’re unusually energetic, vigorous and vital.
Game-wise, this Legacy increases your Vitality score
by one for every rank o f Burning Bright that you possess,
so long as the conditions o f the legacy are fulfilled. You always
seem healthy — even i f you’re not! — and your liveliness
and energy make you compelling to almost everyone.
Although this makes you stand out in a crowd, especially
to those who can see auras, that’s not always a good thing.
Ghosts, cravers and other energy-hungry beings see you
as a walking buffet and will do whatever they can to feed
from it. On a more m undane level, you m ay have a hard
time convincing other folks to take your injuries and
illnesses seriously. After all, with a lifeforce like yours,
things never seem quite as bad as they are.
$ Minor: “ Have you been working out?”
$ Notable: Nothing ever seems to get you down or
tire you out.
$ Grand: Your limitless energy attracts attention
wherever you go.
$ Legendary: Compared to you, m ost people seem
like lifeless robots.
Possible Conditions: Exercise often; meditate daily;
i f you spend too m uch time being bored, disengaged or
bitter, your unusual vitality will slowly be consumed. To
keep your lifeforce burning its brightest, you m ust engage
in the things that you’re passionate about, renewing your
spirit and your aura at the same time. Lose sight o f your
dreams, and this Legacy m ay be lost as well.
Charming
Some people are just... well, likable. You m ight have
a w inning smile, a gift for sm all talk or a way o f m aking
everyone you speak to feel important. You have friends
everywhere you go and rarely have a problem getting
/II*
people to do you favors — or, for that matter, overlook
your mistakes. After all, you practically wrote the book on
w inning friends and influencing people.
O f course, charm has its dangers as well. Your
charism a can keep people on your side for a long time,
but i f they’re disillusioned they can become extremely
embittered with you. This gift tends to attract stalkers and
crazies, too. After all, they like you just as m uch as anyone
else; they just have different ways o f showing it.
In game terms, this Legacy lowers the Challenge
Level o f a task that involves playing on som eone’s goodwill
by -i per degree. O f course, i f som eone’s been burned once
too often by your smooth exterior, this Legacy m ight have
exactly the opposite effect (see B eastfrien d , page 69)...
$ Minor: Y ou’re a great salesman.
Notable: Complete strangers tell you their life
stories over coffee.
§ Grand: You can get away with anything i f you have
a chance to explain.
$ Legendary: Julia Roberts, Bill Clinton, you.
Possible Conditions: You do daily self-affirmations;
you employ special charms, exercises or cosmetics; you
work it, baby! I f people start to feel disillusioned, suckered
or ignored, you’re in danger o f losing those social graces.
Cmpathy
“ I feel your pain” isn't always bullshit. Some
folks literally do share others’ emotional and sometimes
physical sensations. On the upside, this double-edged
gift helps them communicate with people and animals
without actually scanning their m inds (Mindcasting) or
auras (Soulsight). On the downside, this empathy can be
disturbing, especially i f the subject’s in a lot o f pain.
I f you share this talent, you're an emotional
sponge. The passions, pleasures and pains o f others
are yours to share. Sadly, this bond isn ’t something you
can simply turn off; indeed, empaths often require long
periods o f solitude to avoid going crazy. You m ight be
able to dampen the im pressions around you, but intense
situations (lovemalcing, combat, relationship drama) can
overwhelm your control o f them.
Halfway between a Legacy and a Wyrd, Empathy
opens a bond o f feeling between your hero and the
characters nearby. The greater the Legacy score, the
deeper that bond becomes. Through that bond, you may
communicate feelings and slight sensations — N O T
words! — through touch, eye-gazing or close contact.
In game terms, this allows your character to add +1 per
degree in Empathy to his Prowess for socially-based
Challenges, assuming that he’s in control o f his emotions
and is actively trying to relate to his subject. He can read
another person’s true feelings and understand why that
person might be hurt or joyful. (This also works with
higher animals — cats, dogs, horses, etc.) Best o f all, he
can project feelings to another character; using Spirit (or,
in Advanced rules, Passion)-based Prowess, he can share
sensations with someone else, calm her nerves, rile her up
or otherwise com m une. This connection works within ten
feet, more or less, o f a person and demands concentration
from all parties involved.
At the sam e time, this gift also projects your true
feelings to others, opens you to psychic assault and
overwhelms you with sensation during inconvenient times.
In game terms, your hero m ust make a Spirit (in Advanced
rules, Will)-based Draw to resist psychic or emotional
seduction, stimulation or violence (see D eliria , pages 213-
221) with a penalty o f +1 to the Challenge Level per degree
of the Legacy. Story-wise, what you do with others can also
be done to you. Chances are, you’re addicted to sensation
and crave strong passions like a barfly craves a beer. Y ou’re
an emotional sponge; you soak up what’s around you and
feel dry i f nothing’s going on.
i Minor: Y o u 've got a go o d sense for people and
can u su ally tell w h at th ey're feeling.
v Notable: Unless you m ake an effort not to, you
sense the pleasures and pains o f those around you.
I Grand: Sensation is a drug to you. Y ou’re
frighteningly attuned to people and animals and
can usually get them to feel what you want them to
feel.
& Legendary: In close contact, you’re almost literally
under another person’s skin. You feel what they
feel and vice-versa. This sensitivity is compelling
for some folks, terrifying to others and both to
you. You have to make an effort to shut out strong
emotions nearby and risk insanity unless you take a
lot o f downtime after intense experiences (concerts,
fights, sports events, etc.).
Possible Conditions: You practice mediation,
bodywork, Tantra or other energy disciplines; you employ
intimate enchantments to hone your empathic edge; you
retreat to ground and center yourself every week or so and
suffer emotional breakdowns i f you don’t. This Legacy
is common am ong cravers, bodyworkers and psychic
vampires. M any addicts have it too, often using drugs to
dull the sensations around them.
^ 71^
4 ^ F o m e
People know your name. Your face. Your business.
From the covers o f m agazines and tabloids, you regard the
world with deceptive familiarity. Perhaps you’re a movie
star, politician, celebrity or pundit. Wherever you go, doors
open, cameras flash and folks jockey for your attention.
There are worse ways to live, but it can get old.
Fame can be fleeting, too. I f you owe your 15
m inutes to reality TV, you could go from idol to punchline
to “who?" in no time at all. Fam e’s also fickle and
frazzling; when you have it, you m ight not enjoy it, and i f
you lose it, you m ight wish you hadn't. Celebrity has its
drawbacks, too — jealousy, stalkers and other harassment.
For the moment, however, the spotlight is yours. W arhol’s
ghost m ay be chuclding, but you’re the one laughing.
$ Minor: “ Hey! I’ve seen you on... damn! Well, I
recognize your face!”
^ Notable: People like to think they know you and
know you enough to think they like you.
£ Grand: Y ou ’ve spent enough time in the limelight
to know how and when to get away from it.
Don’t worry — it’ll be there when you get back...
probably.
^ Legendary: Lunch with Julia, dinner with Brad,
paparazzi outside and a cover shoot in the m orning.
Possible Conditions: Like the Legacy: Wealth, you
m ust do something to maintain your Fame. I f you’re an
actor, you m ust act; i f an heiress, you m ust throw parties.
You probably have an agent or two, and you’ve got to
spend face time with the press or your peers i f you want to
keep your place in Fam e’s long line.
F a n g and Claw
Y ou’re armed wherever you go. Your nails, teeth or
both are dangerous weapons. A walking threat, you terrify
thin-skinned peers. Are your Legacies natural, sorcerous
or cybernetic? In any case, they can’t be removed without
inflicting serious bodily harm.
A Legacy o f our bestial past, Fang and Claw gives
you sharp teeth, nasty claws or both. Whatever they’re
made of, these weapons are intrinsic parts o f you.
For details about size and combat, see D eliria ,
pages 18 6 and 19 2.
You can inflict a minimum injury o f W ounding level when
you rake another character, unless your target has some
kind o f arm or to protect his skin or is a Mze class larger
than you. (The Guide m ay decide to allow Fang and Claw-
based attacks to do even m ore dam age to characters o f
sm aller Size classes than the hero.)
Depending on your Backstory, these appendages
m ay be retractable (like cat claws) or perm anent (like a
bear’s). A com m on Legacy am ong ghents, cravers, dark
faeries and shape-shifters, Fang and Claw has savage
implications. Chances are, you’re always a bit o f a beast,
whether or not your claws are showing.
^ Minor: Like a dog, you’ve got sm all but potent
rippers. In game terms, you inflict a W ound or
better when you use those fangs or claws on
someone. As story elements, your fangs or claws
are noticeable and they allow you to do things
norm al people just can’t do (like tearing open a
throat).
^ Notable: Yips! You scare people! W hen using your
fangs or claws on someone, you add +i to your
Prowess to harm him and inflict a m inim um injury
o f W ounding level.
I Grand: Like Beauty’s Beast, you boast impressive
weaponry. When striking someone with those fangs
or claws, add +2 to your Prowess. Story-wise, people
back away when you flash these babies. Even when
those talons are sheathed, your friends give you a
lot o f space.
$ Legendary: Like Wolverine, you’ve essentially
got small swords for your nails or teeth. These
appendages are very noticeable; unless they’re
retractable, you’re gonna have a hell o f a time doing
norm al things! In combat, add +3 to your Prowess
when you tear into someone with those killers.
Bring a mop — you m ight need it!
Possible Conditions: Fangs and claws m ay be cool,
but they make you look like a freak. Outside a fantasy
convention, those pearly whites can get you taken down
hard. There’s a certain cockiness that comes with having
your own weapons at hand, but i f you want to keep your
claws, use them sparingly. Ripping people to shreds brings
cops running, and though fangs and/ or claws m ay be hard
to remove, it’s not impossible to do so... and i f that happens,
it’s gonna hurt.
See D eliria , pages 71, 88, 9 1,12 8 ,13 1 ,1 3 2 - 13 3
and 138-141 for more details about the ins and
outs o f fey/mortal relationships.
Fey-Fond
Y ou’re one o f the inamorata, beloved by one or
more o f the Folk. For whatever reason — fam ily ties,
good deeds, spiritual purity, a sexy sm ile — a faerie has
taken you to heart. The fondness could be parental (Faerie
Godmother syndrome), artistic (the M use or Galatean),
friendly (an im aginary playmate), inquisitive (Peter Pan),
sexual (La Belle Dame sans Merci), heartfelt (the Little
Mermaid), predatory (Renadyne), inspirational (The
Wood Wife’s desert fey), sympathetic (Mab from I Was a
Teenage Fairy), obligated (Ariel in The Tempest), ensorcelled
(Shakespeare’s Queen Titania), home-based (Spiderwick’s
Thimbletack) or even exasperated (the Mad Hatter). Either
way, your beloved pays a great deal o f attention to you
— whether either o f you wants that attention or not!
To some degree, you have a faerie watching over
you. And that faerie has your best interests at heart (for
now, at least). O f course, “best interests” can m ean all
kinds o f things to a faerie; she m ight want to keep you
with her in Deliria until you grow old, drag you under
the waves or enchant you until all you see is her. Your
lover could give you gifts both valuable (a pum pkin coach)
and bizarre (a throne o f autumn leaves). Y ou’d better
appreciate her efforts, though, or she’ll be upset. And if
a faerie gets upset, the best you can hope for is that she’ll
abandon you! The alternatives are far worse...
To the best that she can understand it, this
paramour will give you aid and comfort. This does
not, however, m ean that she’s your servant, pet or
vending machine! Treating her as such will not only
earn that faerie’s contempt but probably her hate as
well. Traditionally, a faerie’s affections often come with
conditions: you might not be able to look at her before
sunset, speak ill o f the Folk or forget to place flowers at
her favorite glen. I f those conditions aren ’t met or i f that
prohibition is ignored, the faerie will depart — often
angrily. Things don’t have to end badly between you and
your faerie, though. Despite the tragic tales o f doomed
love, some faerie-mortal bonds endure. And those
relationships, whatever they might be, possess a marvelous
kind o f magic.
£ Minor: A shim m erling has taken an interest in
you and will leave you little presents or offer advice
once in a while.
v Notable: One or two faeries have feelings for you
and do occasional favors on your behalf.
Grand: A faerie o f moderate power (an aelden or
lesser aelderfolk) feels affection for you. Get used to
strange events.
 * Legendary: A powerful aelden or aelder (or a group
o f shim m erlings) shares a deep connection with
you. This can get really weird, o f course, but you'd
better appreciate and return that affection if you
know what’s best for you!
Possible Conditions: You cannot speak about
your faerie love with others; you m ust never see her
unclothed (or maybe dressed!); you can m eet only under
a full m oon’s light; you can call for her only three times
before she goes away; and so forth. The Guide ought to
come up with a Backstory about that faerie’s interest and
attachment to your character and decide what prohibitions
and conditions bind her to you. Note that the Guide m ight
not tell you what those conditions are! In faerie lore, a
mortal often finds out what he’s not supposed to do only
after he’s already done it!
Innocence
“Who, me?” You may or may not be innocent
yourself, but other people certainly think you are. Friends
call you trustworthy, enemies use the word naive, but no
one would ever accuse you o f trickery, treachery or double-
dealing. People just tend to believe you, take pity on
you and go out o f their way to help you.
Being an innocent has its advantages, but
it can also be relatively dangerous. For one thing,
you have a hard time being taken seriously in
certain settings, from the corporate boardroom
to the singles bar. And you present a succulent
target to predators, from the very m undane to the
extraordinarily fey — and by the time you realize
they’re after you, it could be too late.
^ Minor: You can fool some o f the people some o f
the time.
v Notable: Strangers are touched by your unworldly
air.
p Grand: “No, Officer, I don’t know how this
cocaine ended up in m y pocket...”
£ Legendary: You can walk through a bad
neighborhood at 4 AM unmolested.
Possible Conditions: You m ust say
your prayers (and m ean them!) each night;
you’ve got to do good deeds and uphold
a code o f honor; you’ve got to act naive,
even i f you truly aren’t. I f you are simply
pretending to be innocent, the easiest
way to lose this Legacy is to get caught doing
something that breaks the illusion! Those true
innocents out there, though, m ust be careful to
believe the best o f others, remain hopeful and deny
cynicism. Nothing, after all, destroys innocence like
experience.
 Heirloom
Som eone left you som ething good. It m ight be a
storybook that describes real faeries, a m ysterious cottage,
a rug that holds a crosskey pattern in its weave or some
other helpful object or place.
Unlike the Legacy: Treasure, an Heirloom isn ’t
m agically powerful. It m ight possess a faint enchantment,
but its value comes from what it is, not what it does. That
crossways rug, that pitcher o f Kosian silver, that library
full o f secrets about Deliria — these are examples o f
the Legacy: Heirloom. A Guide who includes one in her
saga should invent a Backstory for that inheritance and
keep m any o f the details from her players. After all, i f an
heirloom ’s in your possession, you’ll find out m ore about
it soon enough!
For the m ost part, an Heirloom has been
bequeathed to you by a loved one or relative. You don’t
need to know where it came from and m ight not know
m uch about it, either. The original owner probably w on’t
be back for it anytime soon, but someone else m ight
want it — badly! Whole sagas can be woven around an
heirloom you received that another party doesn’t want you
to possess. The higher the Legacy score, the more strings
you’ll find attached to your inheritance.
£ Minor: The inheritance is an apparently worthless
or m undane object (a card, rug, sofa, etc.); its true
value appears in time.
£ Notable: Your heirloom looks really nice (a vase,
garden, grandfather clock) but isn ’t immediately
obvious as the mystical treasure that it is.
^ Grand: Wow! You got something special (antique
car, ancient tome) that’s clearly m ore than it
appears to be. Unfortunately, there are other folks
after it as well, and they don’t take kindly to being
told "no.”
^ Legendary: The Heirloom is big (a house, estate,
library), with real significance... and it comes with a
lot o f people who’re very interested in it.
Possible Conditions: You need to keep the heirloom
nearby or lose it; you m ust decipher runes/ scriptures/
rhym es/ etc. to uncover its significance; you need to
perform a duty or sacrifice in order to remain worthy o f
the heirloom ’s power; and so on. This Legacy is often a
m ajor story element and can provide the foundation for an
entire saga. The Spiderwick Chronicles provides an excellent
example o f this Legacy in action.
Sharp Senses
You’ve always been alive to the world around you
— the butter-color o f late-afternoon sun, the taste o f fresh
cream, the sm ell o f dead leaves. Perhaps you’re innately
perceptive or you’ve trained yourself to be alert, but there’s
no question that you notice things that other people don’t.
As a character, you experience an incredibly vibrant
world. Each sensation is turned up to 10, in all the best
and worst ways. In game terms, this Legacy adds +1 per
degree to your Prowess for perception-related tasks. At its
higher degrees, it includes a bit o f sensitivity to magic and
the faerie realm s, too. On the other hand, your extreme
sensitivity can be overwhelming, as the details you take in
are just too m uch to bear. After all, no one wants to notice
the precise texture o f rotting meat, and the sound o f sirens
at close range can be nearly deafening to someone as
perceptive as you.
Minor: You always notice when a friend gets a new
haircut.
Notable: “ Did you know there are twenty-seven
different shades o f beige?” You catch details (a
distant voice, an out-of-place car) that few people
even know exist.
^ Grand: You can sense uncanny energies (magical
feats, fey illusions, the presence o f the Folk) nearby
with a successful Draw. (Challenge 15 or higher; the
m ore subtle or hidden the magic, the higher the
Challenge Level.) Sensations are extremely strong
for you and can be overpowering at times.
£ Legendary: Poe’s Fall o f the House o f Usher could
be your life story. You sense unearthly things
easily (base Challenge o f 12) and often retreat from
intense situations. On the flip side, everything is
dazzling to you. W hen you want it, there’s ecstasy
in every touch.
Possible Conditions: To sharpen your sense, you
practice tracking or meditation; to keep from going crazy,
you live in seclusion; you m ight employ rituals to enhance
or dampen your perceptions. Either way, you m ust keep
a close eye on the world around you. No matter how
naturally gifted you are, i f you turn away from what the
physical world has to offer, your keenness o f perception
will weaken over time.
 Che Slip

Ever w ish you could just disappear? Some people

can — or at least give the illusion that they’ve done so. In
the grand tradition o f John Constantine, you’re one o f
those people. Through misdirection and a skillful
use o f shadows, you can duck out o f sight or
pop in from nowhere.
A blend o f psychology, stealth and
perhaps a little other, The Slip enables
your character to use distractions
and surroundings in order to make
an entrance or getaway. Y ou ’re
there one m om ent (or not), and
then PO O F! In reality, you’re
nearby, hiding until the m om ent
is right. Naturally, this art
requires practice; a talent for
sneakiness is a plus. Y ou ’ve got
to be wearing the right clothes
and standing in the proper
light (or lack o f it), and a good
cover — fog, smoke, blinding
light — is essential. Given those
circumstances, however, you can
leave other folks scratching their heads.
In story terms, your character V' 1%,
employs some diversion, then quickly,
quietiy hides. In game terms, this trait adds +i
Prowess per degree in this Legacy to your stealth
or hiding Draws when the proper circumstances
apply. The Slip is not a m agical power. In no way does
it give a character the ability to teleport, turn invisible or
escape from direct observation. However, it’s ideal for
ditching people in nightclubs, slipping past security guards
or breezing past a cordon o f cops. Sm all faeries use it

IN I) WHEN 1
often, as do the mysterious strangers who populate the
Mysterium. Perhaps you could be one o f them...

& Minor: An amateur magician.

£
Notable: Ninja-in-training.

Grand: David Copperfield is taking notes.

1 UitNED M O M ),
$ Legendary: “Crim inals are a superstitious and
cowardly lot.”
HE WHS GONE..:
Possible Conditions: You keep a charm o f silence
on your person; you’ve studied a martial discipline that
combines movem ent and psychology; you’re in your
element (clubs, alleys, woods, etc.), and can do this trick
only there.
Wyrds: Che Downhill
Side of Life
T^e slices on her wrist speak volumes. A11
up and down Iyer arms, like little blood ladders.
Thick mascara and a fall of Ijair obscure Iyer
eyes, but when you see l?er arms, you know.
So many questions I could ask why? Do
you need to see your blood to know you're
alive1 What's hurting you1 Who’s hurting
you, perhaps, so badly that you've got to hurt
yourself some more1 Is t here something I could
do? Would you snarl if I asked or break down
then and there? what would I do if I knew?
Could I help or is it just one more realm of
drama I don't need?
Best not to ask, perhaps. It's easier, I guess.
Let's all be polite and pretend it doesn't happen.
The ladders on her arms go up and down.
Marking prison-time within her skin.
which way 5o the answers lie?
Are there answers? None I know.
In a razor-maze, where do you run?
And how many others run there with you?
77
efforts of Will
Several Legacies involve
psychological fixations or harm. Addiction,
Obsession, Psycho, Self-Injury and Spacey demand
efforts o f will to resist, whereas Handicap and
Sickly can be overcome, at least temporarily,
by determination. In both cases, a character
uses her Spirit Grace to overcome the problem.
(Under Advanced rules, the player could choose
Belief, Passion or Will to resist the Wyrd,
whichever is highest or m ost appropriate.)
Generally, the Challenge Level for a
resistance Draw is based on the Wyrd’s degree.
Certain circumstances that help or hinder the
character can add to her Prowess or subtract
from it. An Obsession based on her ex, for
example, could be harder to resist i f she sees that
person with a new lover. (In game terms, -i or -2
to her Spirit Prowess). A successful Draw m eans
that your character has overcome her urges or
handicap, and a failed Draw means that the
Wyrd has won... for now.
Wyrd Score Challenge Draw
1 Average 8-10
2 Moderate 11-13

Addiction
Alcohol. Gam bling. Drugs. No matter how you try,
you just can’t stop — and i f the m onkey on your back
gets bad enough, you’ll do whatever you need to do for
another fix o f your particular addiction. Bankruptcy, health
problem s or isolation from friends and fam ily seem less
important than feeding your need. In fact, everything in
your life that isn ’t focused on the addiction itself m ight fall
by the wayside — m aking it even harder to break out o f
the cycle o f crave-and-satisfy.
I f you don’t get what you need regularly, everything
gets tougher. You incur a +i to all Challenge Levels per
degree o f this Wyrd while you’re jonesing — and these
penalties accumulate each consecutive time you need a
fix and fail to get one. On the other hand, addiction can
be the doorway to transcendent moments o f insight or
to m om ents o f incredible competence and focus. The
question, o f course, is whether the gain is worth the price.
Addicts sometim es have to hit rock bottom
before they can start pulling themselves up and work on
permanently kicking the addiction. Maybe you’ve done
something against your moral code, landed yourself in the
hospital or let down a friend when he needed you. How
you react to that m om ent o f clarity is the stu ff o f which
addiction-kicking stories are made.
$ Minor: You get really cranky without your m orning
coffee.
£ Notable: People look dubious when you tell them
you’ve got it under control.
I Grand: Y ou’d lie, cheat or steal to get what you
need — and you often do.
^ Legendary: I f you don’t get your fix, you very well
m ight die.
Possible Conditions: You hit bottom, hard; endure a
purification rite (vision quest, exorcism, cold-turkey detox);
you find the love or purpose that’s stronger than addiction
but does not become one in itself
Fey-Cursed
What were you thinking? Somehow, you’ve crossed a
faerie, and your life has become too interesting for words!
An inversion o f the Legacy: Fey-Fond, this Wyrd curses you
with the wrong sort o f attention. Have you broken an oath?
Bulldozed a glen? Dissed an aelven queen? Someone hasn’t
read the right faerie tales, and now she’s gonna pay for it!
Faeries are capricious and easily offended. This
Wyrd proves that they take slights very poorly. A character
with Fey-Cursed is a magnet for m isfortunes. Mirrors
crack, children scream day and night, and plants wither
from the faerie’s ire. Occasionally, the wronged Cousin
m ight take a m ore active role in your m isery, playing nasty
tricks with potentially lethal consequences. The higher
the degree o f this Wyrd, the m ore severe the faerie’s rage.
An irritated hob m ight sour your m ilk or bully your cat,
whereas a scorned demon lover would turn every romance
you tried to start against you.
A fey-cursed hero isn ’t likely to be attacked
physically. Most Folk are m ore subtle than that (or perhaps
can’t be bothered!). Instead, the Wyrd m anifests as a
stream o f uncanny torments. The Guide should have fun
with this one — faeries are imaginative, especially when
they’re pissed! How can you break the curse? That depends
on the faerie and the reasons for her irritation. A vain aelf
might forgive a slight when given a sufficient tribute, and
an angry goblin m ay just want a nice puppy to love... or
devour. The amends should cost the character a lot (more
likely pride than money), and should be proportionate
to the level o f the Wyrd. There’s a huge g u lf between a
m iffed sprite and a furious beast, and that g u lf m ight be
filled with blood by the time that faerie’s satisfied!
^ Minor: You’ve m iffed a m inor faerie and he’s
causing m ischief nearby.
^ Notorious: A shim m erling is pissed at you,
or some greater faerie has cause to be irate.
$ Dreadful: You scorned a faerie lover, broke faith
with an aelden or committed some other grievous
sin against a fairly potent fey.
& Legendary: Woe betide thee! A powerful faerie has
a grudge against you and will m ake your life hell
unless you make some serious amends!
Possible Conditions: Undergo a great quest, retrieve a
treasure or make some grand gift to your enemy, and all might
be forgiven; apologize in eloquent fashion and offer love or
favors in return for reconciliation; bring in a friend to break
the curse, which may or may not make matters worse...

Fugitive
You’re on the run from someone... or something.
They may want your money, your blood or your firstborn
child; you could be a wanted criminal, an abused spouse
or just a helpless victim o f forces beyond your control. No
matter the reasons for your flight, your safety lasts only as
long as you stay ahead o f the people who want to find you.
Being a fugitive isn ’t a pleasant experience. Whether
you’re on the road or living under an assum ed name, all
it takes is one mistake to bring your whole life crashing
down. Nevertheless, there’s something liberating about
living o ff the grid and under the radar — and you may
find yourself stepping o ff the map o f the known world
altogether...
^ Minor: The last time your ex found out your
address, you ended up in the hospital.
^ Notable: Y ou ’re a wanted crim inal in several states.
^ Grand: You’re in the Witness Protection Program
— or you should be.
» Legendary: No matter where you go or what you do,
they will find you, sooner or later.
Possible Conditions: I f you can’t hide, you’d better
run; if you’re going to stop running, you’d better make
sure your pursuers are no longer after you; giving them
what they want, finding a powerful protector or figuring
out some way to com promise with them are all ways to
stop the hunt. Until this condition is met, any safety or
refuge you find will eventually prove to be an illusion.
Handicap
What are you — blind? Well, actually, yes. Many
faerie tales feature heroes or supporting characters who
have physical handicaps: blindness, withered lim bs, a
hunchback and so on. There’s nothing arcane about this
Wyrd. It can happen to anyone, though a faerie tale might
offer some way to transcend it.
This handicap is a story element. It’ll hinder your
character in obvious ways, but for the m ost part it won’t
affect his Prowess or Vitality. Traditionally, a handicapped
hero can work around his disability; a blind swordsman,
for example, can study special arts that help him defeat
his opponents even though he can’t read a printed book.
O f course, your hero m ight need special talents, tools or
helpers to get around. Seeing-eye dogs, prosthetic limbs,
braces and so on can compensate for the handicap in
many situations, though they won’t actually cure the
condition at all.
VU
Sadly, a handicap presents all kinds o f obstacles.
Most folks shun or pity a cripple, and that aversion can
be harder to face than physical impairment. Frustration
can turn bitter too. Despite tales o f angelic specials, there
are plenty o f people (in tales and in life) whose handicaps
enrage them. Thus, this Wyrd ham pers more than the
body. It can im pair your social life or spirit, too. Will you
heal that difference or embrace it? Ah, that’s the subject o f
another tale...
£ Minor: Y ou’ve got a m inor problem (bad eyesight,
allergies, a limp, mental slowness) that can be
balanced with tools, diet or effort. Without those
compensators (you lose your glasses, eat something
you shouldn’t and so forth), you can function, but
you’re slightly impaired. In game terms, you may
suffer Challenge penalties or reduce your Prowess
by one or two levels.
$ Notorious: It’s hard to function without
compensation; you can see without your glasses,
but only in the strictest sense o f the word. The
Handicap impairs you significantly and may be
hard to balance out unless you have help.
£ Dreadful: A rather severe impairment (missing
limb, blindness, retardation, etc.) makes
functioning difficult. Y ou’ve probably got some
tools to make up for the handicap, but that
disability remains obvious and difficult.
'i, Legendary: Major parts o f you don’t work at all. You
m ight be paralyzed; blind, d eaf and mute; severely
retarded; chronically ill or similarly disabled. Even
with compensation, there are m any things you just
can’t do. Sheer will can overcome m ost barriers, but
you’ll never climb Everest without a miracle.
Possible Conditions: Strong magic and advanced
healing can banish m ost forms o f this Wyrd. The trick is
getting access to what you need. O f course, some people
don’t want to be cured. I f you’re one o f these folks, the
so-called impairment is a vital part o f your identity, and if
other people can’t handle that, it’s their problem!
Hated
Something about you just rubs people the wrong
way — and that’s putting it lightly. You inspire dislike or
even outright hatred just by being yourself. Maybe you’ve
done something to deserve this reputation, but it m ight be
that people just don’t like the look o f you. Either way, there
isn ’t m uch you can do about it.
 In game terms, this Wyrd increases the Challenge ^ Minor: “ I see dead people...”
Level for tasks that rely on people liking you by +1 per
$ Notorious: Nightmares and sudden bursts o f
Wyrd degree. Story-wise, your degree in this Wyrd
uncanny violence follow you around.
indicates not only how infam ous you are but also how far
^ Dreadful: Y ou’re under frequent psychic and
people will go to harm you for it. There are few upsides to
sometim es physical attack from unseen entities.
being generally hated, but at the very least you know who
your enem ies are — and a bad reputation can occasionally ^ Legendary: Welcome to Amityville. M int’s on the
come in handy when social situations turn less-than- pillow.
friendly. Possible Conditions: A potent exorcism drives the
spirits away; you find out what they want and give it to
£ Minor: You have a hard time getting a date or a
them; you embark on a quest to either free the haunting
loan.

^ Notable: Most people you know hold you in See D eliria , pages 217-221, for details about
contempt. psychic assault and the section entitled “Those
$ Grand: Total strangers go out o f their way to avoid Beyond” on the D eliria A p p e n d ix disc for
information about ghosts, angels and demons.
— or even injure! — you.

^ Legendary: Your own grandmother wouldn’t pull

you out o f a ditch i f you were drowning.
Possible Conditions: This Wyrd can be eliminated < i ►Obsession
by finding someone who will love you and stand by you, You... just... can’t...let...go. A com pulsion gnaws at
whether that person is a friend, a relative or a lover.
you: overeating, over-organizing, morbid thoughts or sick
Earning that person’s love and continuing to deserve it
attraction. You know it’s bad for you. You want to stop.
over time could easily be the core o f a great saga.
But... just once more, and then you’ll quit. Let’s just make
things right first, and then it’ll all be okay...
An irrational pattern o f thoughts and behavior,
Haunted
this Wyrd reflects a disturbed psyche trying to heal itself.
Its fixation m ight not be that bad in moderation, but the
They’re heee-re — constantly. They m ight be ghosts,
obsessive leaves moderation behind. I f w e’re talking about
nature-spirits, celestials or even howlers, but whatever they
you (yes we are, yes we are...), you get locked into spirals o f
m ay be they’re not happy with you. Is this the spectre o f
dysfunction. Innocent things can pitch you down a vicious
someone you killed? Spooks bound to your new home?
circle, and it might take a disaster to shake you out o f it
An angry angel warning you away from evil deeds? In the
again — assum ing you can shake out o f it again!
most dam ning cases, you might not even know\ The haunter
An obsession begins internally and eventually
has its reasons, and it wants to make you suffer.
becomes external. You m ight be thinking “ I need to get
Like the Wyrd: Fey-Cursed, this haunting m ay affect
organized;” six hours later, everything in your kitchen is
your environment: the poltergeist tossing books around
spotless and put away neatly in perfect size-order. Other
your room, the light bulbs shattering in the middle o f
obsessions are less innocent: a stray thought about your ex
the night — these are classic examples o f a haunting.
turns into a restraining order in record time. Depending
Sometimes, though, this Wyrd takes a m ore insidious
on your Backstory, the Wyrd m ight cover a generally
form : psychic attack. Hagged or possessed, you fight to
obsessive mindset or describe a particular focus, like your
cling to your soul while your enemy rips it apart. This kind
ex, about which you’re irrational. Either way, it’s bad news.
o f haunting can kill you and often continues until either
Letting go, for you, is the hardest thing to do.
you or your adversary have been broken.
This Wyrd often ties into a hero’s Backstory. Such $ Minor: You adjust crooked pictures when nobody’s
things don’t happen without good reason, even i f you don’t looking or do slightly kooky things about your
know what that reason is. The haunter(s) m ight be bound fixation.
to a certain place or heirloom or sent by another party to I Notorious: Other folks get uncomfortable when the
attack you. Ghost gangs do this sort o f thing; maybe you subject o f your obsession appears.
crossed one o f them? Your spirit-adversary m ight not be
^ Dreadful: “ Dude, you’re seriously scaring m e!”
evil, but it certainly wants your attention. Until you manage
to get rid o f it, this haunting costs you sleep, peace and
perhaps eventually life itself
80
 v Legendary: U nless it’s broken, your obsession is
going to land you in jail, the psych ward or the
grave.
Possible Conditions: Y o u ’re cured by a helpful
faerie (or an annoyed one w ho’s sick o f dealing with you!);
through reflection and soul-searching, you uncover and
soothe the roots o f your obsession; you crack so badly that
you’re locked away... which m ay or may not actually help
the obsession!
Orphan
You have no fam ily — not one in the practical
sense, anyway. Your parents m ight have died, kicked you
out, or maybe they just neglect you, m aking you a latchkey
kid with a broken key. Although the term “orphan”
conjures up little kids, you could be an adult with no one
to call family. There are no ties to bind you, but there’s no
anchor, either.
Being alone in the world is tough. W here other
people have a safety net, you’ve got nobody and nothing.
Being an orphan m eans m ore than not having a biological
family; it m eans that there’s no one you can count on as
if they were family. You may have friends and lovers, but
there’s no one who’s willing or able to take you in when
you’ve got nowhere else to go.
Being an orphan is tough. Not only are young
orphans at risk for abuse and neglect but orphans o f all
ages have to deal with a very practical isolation. No one
will bail you out o f trouble, and you don’t necessarily
know where you fit in the world. On the other hand,
your isolation can bring freedom and self-reliance.
When no one cares where you go and what you do, you
can go where you want and do what you want, even i f it
sometimes gets lonely.
^ Minor: Your parents still haven’t noticed that
you dyed your hair bright blue.
I Notable: Lost in the foster care system.
$ Grand: Cinderella had nothing on you.
^ Legendary: Anyone you develop fam ily ties to will
either forsake you soon or die.
Possible Conditions: To stop being an orphan is
simple: you need to find a family. This might involve
questing to find your lost parents, m aking peace with
estranged relatives or building family-deep ties with
See D e liria , pages 252-255 for details about
insanity and pages 2 18 -2 21 for details about
inflicting and restoring psychic injury.
friends or a community. No matter how you choose to find
a family, though, it w on’t be easy. Fam ilies go through hell
and high water together, and you’re likely to face both in
finding yours.
Psycho
Y ’know that creepy person in the corner? That’s
you. Perhaps you’re eerily unhinged. Then again, you
m ight be completely cracked. Something broke inside your
head and the pieces are rattling around. The symptoms
might remain concealed for now, but deep down you’re
dangerous.
This Wyrd could reflect natural insanity, like
schizophrenia or MPD, or it m ight be a traumatic stress
fracture o f the mind. Based on your Backstory, your Guide
will determine the nature and extent o f the illness, then
tell you more or less how it m anifests. In some cases,
the m adness may be subtle; even then, however, people
can tell that there’s something wrong with you. In game
terms, this Wyrd adds +1 to your Deliria score for each
degree you have in this Wyrd. I f you’re obviously cracked,
it also subtracts -1 per degree from your Prowess when
you’re trying to get people to like or trust you. That’s
not the worst o f it, though; when something triggers
your psychosis, you slide into a demented state. It could
be quiet, disoriented, hallucinatory, terrified, manic,
depressed, violent or fragmented. In such states, your aura
turns wild colors (D eliria, page 257) and your behavior
gets erratic. Until something brings you back, you’re a
hazard to yourself and those nearby.
A com m on affliction o f mortals who encounter
the fey world, the Wyrd: Psycho might also be more than
simple mental illness. The ultimate manifestation o f
Deliria, this madness echoes the dissonance between the
mortal realm and Faerie. It m ight actually take a trip to
Deliria to cure the sickness — a trip that you hope w on’t
leave you madder than before!
£ Minor: Your symptoms are slight and easily
concealed.
I Notorious: There’s some fairly dysfunctional
behavior in your life.
$ Dreadful: The severity o f your psychosis m akes you
dangerous.
r> Legendary: The Hatter has prepared a place for you.
Possible Conditions: Extensive psychiatric or holistic
care eases your dementia; a quest into Faerie rewards
you with a healthy mind; oh, what the hell! Y ou ’re in
Faerieland, so you might as well enjoy the stay!

Life hurts. Why not hurt some
more? Desperate for attention or sensation, you
harm yourself. Anorexia, bulim ia, cutting, burning,
pincushioning, flagellation — these mortifications help
you cope with everyday life.
A combination o f addiction, obsession and
injury, this Wyrd seem s to reflect self-hatred. Those
who experience it, however, understand the rush that
follows such experiences. There’s a heady surge o f ecstasy
involved, and it drives back the m undane tones o f your
existence. Sure, it looks pretty stupid and it probably is.
But you don’t care. Skin’s just skin, after all. It’s not worth
getting worked up about.
In story terms, this Wyrd is a compulsion linked
to both soul and social issues: abandonment, despair,
self-loathing, perfectionism, violation, even boredom. It
leaves obvious physical signs (assum ing someone cares to
look) and affects your bodily and mental health. Chances
are, you wear long sleeves and pants and withdraw a lot.
In game terms, self-injury reduces your Vitality score by
one point per degree in this Wyrd, not just because o f the
physical harm but because o f the related depression and
dissociation. Until you manage to untangle your issues,
this Vitality penalty is as perm anent as the scars you bear.
% Minor: You throw up after a big dinner or burn
yourself.
» Notorious: After a bad day, you haul out the box o f
pins or spend two hours on the treadmill after a
dinner o f a stick o f gum.
p Dreadful: Self-inflicted pain is a constant thing for
you and involves several different form s at once.
£ Legendary: Karen Carpenter’s ghost is hovering
nearby.
Possible Conditions: You successfully confront the
person who violated or shamed you; a deeper purpose or
love gives you something to fight for; a huge change o f
circumstance or fortune helps you see beyond your pain.
Sickly
Your body just doesn’t work the way it should. More
often than not, you’re not at your best: your arthritis is
acting up, you’re down with the flu, you have mysterious
headaches or you’ve just had your chemotherapy treatment.
Even i f you sometimes sound like a hypochondriac, the
physical and emotional difficulties you face because o f your
chronic illness are all too real.
Story-wise, you’re constantly unhealthy; the specifics
depend on the illness you choose for the character, but it
never quite gets well. Game-wise, this Wyrd reduces your
Vitality by one point for every degree o f it you possess until
the Wyrd is broken. The degree o f this Wyrd represents
just how severe your illness is and how m uch it interferes
with your everyday life. On the bright side, though, your
constant battle against pain and illness m ay help you find
mental strength and reserves o f courage that others don’t
have to draw upon. It’s also sometim es convenient to be
underestimated as the thin, pale person coughing in the
corner...
v Minor: You seem to catch every single cold that
goes around.
$ Notable: Y ou’ve used up all your sick days for the
year, and it’s only April.
$ Grand: It’s difficult for you to hold down a job or
raise a child.
$ Legendary: On a good day, you can get out o f bed.
Possible Conditions: You m ight overcome this Wyrd
after extensive medical treatment, a visit to a renowned
doctor or bargaining with a fairy for a magical cure. A
m eaningful resolution to this Wyrd should include a
quest, a great sacrifice or a favor to someone powerful
— because, unfortunately for you, there’s not m uch the
fam ily doctor can do about it.
Hello? Is there anybody home? You wouldn’t know
— you’re out o f it most o f the time. It could be ADD,
too m uch pot or a fey mentality. Either way, you cannot
focus on things for long. Eternally distracted, you’re the
despair o f teachers and the frustration o f your friends.
Com m unicating with you is difficult, and folks aren’t
always certain you’ve heard them at all.
C om m on am on g feyb lood ed , innocents, chrysali
and shape-changed anim als, this W yrd has long
associations w ith Faerie. Folks used to call it the fey-
touch; these days, it has names like autism and ADD.
You might not be that bad, but a certain sieve-brained
stigma has attached itself to you. In story terms, you
can’t concentrate on m uch for long and your aura seems
bluish to those who can see it. In game terms, this Wyrd
determines your base Deliria score (see next page) and
subtracts -i per degree from your Prowess when you have
to focus on a given task for more than a few m inutes. In
most cases, you’ll be functional; at severe levels, though,
you’re all but lost to the world around you.
 | Minor: “ D uuuuuuuuuuuudel" (Deliria 2 or higher.)

| Notorious: Y ou ’re easily distracted and often

forgetful o f even basic things. (Deliria 4 or higher.)

$ Dreadful: It takes a person o f great patience and

determination to keep you focused on this world.
Y ou’re o ff elsewhere whenever you can m anage to
escape and drift away even when you can’t. (Deliria
6 or higher.)
^ Legendary: Essentially autistic, you function within
your own little world and interact only briefly with
everyone else. (Deliria 8 or higher.)
Possible Conditions: A sudden shock draws you
back to this world and keeps you here, a spell bonds your
attentions to the mortal plane or maybe you want to be
untethered and use drugs or meditations to remain that way.

Stranger in a Strange Land

Your surroundings confuse you. They’re hard to

understand. Where you came from , things were different!
Why can’t you comprehend this new home? In H einlein’s
words, you’re a Stranger in a Strange Land. You m ight
make an im pression here, but you don’t truly fit in.
What's the problem? Well, you m ight have been
raised by wolves, faeries, witches or some other insular
group. You may have come from deep within Faerie or
grown up wealthy before you fell to the streets. You m ight
feel lost in time or be haunted by m em ories o f another era.
Depending on the saga’s setting, you m ight be perfectly
at home am ong m odern hum ans but have trouble
adjusting to Delirian ways. Elementals, feyblooded and
other Folk often suffer from this Wyrd, stum bling through
humanity’s world with only a vague idea o f what they’re
doing.
In practical terms, the Wyrd: Stranger in a Strange
Land is a story element and roleplaying guide. Essentially,
your character is forever m aking m istakes — committing
fa u x pas, eating the wrong things, driving on the wrong
side o f the road (or not being able to drive at all) and
generally jum ping at shadows thinking they’re something
else. Y ou’ll presum e all the wrong things, m iss obvious
clues and literally stumble over hazards that your
companions consider obvious. It can be a funny Wyrd to
play, but it can land you in serious trouble, too. Every new
environment has its challenges, and some o f them can be
rather dangerous.
§ Minor: A few quirks make you the object o f hilarity,
but you can figure out the basics when survival’s on
the line.
^ Notorious: You have a hard time getting used to
your new home, and this occasionally presents
hassles.
^ Dreadful: A regular barbarian, you commit m ajor
social blunders, hurt yourself on com m on objects
and make a sometimes-hazardous spectacle o f
yourself. At this level, you not only can’t understand
certain things, you don’t want to!
^ Legendary: A hopeless savage, you stand out badly
am ong your peers. This exasperating strangeness
tests your friendships and often makes you a
danger to yourself and those around you.
Possible Conditions: Most folks eventually grow
out o f this Wyrd through exposure and experience (Yes, it
m ust be bought o ff with experience points!). Sometimes,
though, you just won’t be able to make the leap; like
Tarzan, you’ll simply go home or choose to rem ain
freakish. Naturally, this Wyrd depends on a setting in
which your hero is far from home. I f and when she
actually gets back to fam iliar fields, the Wyrd is on hold
until she leaves her hom e again.
 CHAPTER 4:
“ONCE, THESE M S ...
...an old man who thought that bis life
was over. He'd worked in factories and
fought in a war and built a bouse with bis
own good bands. He weren't a handsome
man, and not one for book learning. Stiff,
be was good at bis trades, and he'd lived a
long and more-or-less happy life. W it b bis
children gone and bis wife passed on, this
old man settled down and passed bis time in
God's waiting room. A band of cards, a beer
and bis old bound dog were all be expected to
love anymore.
But you know) Pate has a funny way
of creeping up on you. Tbat dog of bis ran
away on a foggy morning, and tbe old man,
be went looking out in tbat fog for it, calling
"Here, Bandit! Hey, Banditi" till be was
boarse in tbe tbroat and all. Now, this is t be
land be's lived in almost balf bis life. T be
place wbere be built bis bouse and place be
expects to die. You'd think be knows it like
tbe back of tbat old band of bis. Well, it's
not long before tbe woods don't look like bis
woods no more. Tbe trees got all strange and
buge and tall, like tbey were in bis great-
granddad's age. T be old man can bear bis dog,
still barking, but tlbe dog don't sound lost nor
scared. Tbat dog, be sounded like a puppy
again, all bappy and playing and cbasing
somethin' fun. The old man started getting
cranky, shouting out like be was scolding a
kid. Other than that, though, be don't feel
too bad for an old guy out in the deep woods
for a long spell. Truth was, he felt pretty
damn good! His old aches and pains weren't
paining him much then, and when be stopped
to breathe his heart rate would've made bis
doctor right proud!
Y 'know, sometimes it's the really obvious
things that pass us by. It weren't till that old
man saw bis old bound come bounding up a
dozen years younger that be looked down at
bis own bands and... well, God's waiting room
seemed a whole lot further away right then.
He never went back home after that.
Since then, he's been walking through those
woods with bis dog, stopping ever' so often to
grab a bite and talk a spell. Speakin' of: you
finished with that? M y dog's still hungry, and
I'm still a bit peckish myself.

Playing Catch
A person’s story is all in the telling. We don’t need
to know everything about him to get a good im pression
about the kind o f person he is. W hen we tell our first
Deliria stories, we take one or two details that catch our
attention, and then flesh them out into what we hope is a
vivid character.
I f our goal is to create an ongoing interactive story,
however, we need m ore than the b rie f snippets we get
from those first stories. I f w e’re to play out the adventures
o f a cast o f characters, we need strong foundations for
them. How good m ight they be at any given activity? How
attractive are they? Are they good with people? Anim als?
Each other? What do they want? Love? Fight about? It’s
good to know such things i f you’re part o f a group that
shares stories. Such details come up sooner or later.
Well, this chapter is about both im pressions and
details. H ere we present the raw skeletons o f game traits,
blank slate concept bodies and finally a group o f fleshed-
out folks that can be dropped in to your own tales or
provide inspiration for your own characters. O f course, it’s
said that the best fictional characters are still bags o f bones
when compared to a real person. But there’s a lot o f fun to
be had with those bags o f bones, especially i f the marrow
inside comes from real-life experience.
Shall we toss around a fem ur or two?
Gcrnner Bones
To a gamer, character stats are like bones. They
provide the fram ework that helps a character get around in
the world. In Deliria, Face traits are often m ore important
than Grace scores, but there are times when it’s vital to
know your character’s Prowess for a particular activity.
Now, all people are not created equal. There’s a
world o f difference between The Rock, Stephen Hawking
and your twelve-year-old cousin. In Deliria, that difference
translates into Grace and Vocation scores, with the
occasional Favor thrown in for good measure. To reflect
the vast differences between general types o f people, the
following templates offer a range o f attributes and skills
that put those folks into game terms.
These templates have been divided into the
following categories:
$ People: These templates cover the spectrum o f
hum an age and experience, from toddlerhood to
old age, with a few steps in between to reflect the
disparity between your local burger-flipper and
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
86
£ Anim als: In an adventure, it’s often helpful to
know the stats for your friendly neighborhood
Rottweiler. These templates offer a range o f
domestic animals that m ay come in handy during
your saga.
^ Faeries: What traits do your local faerie have?
These entries offer a range o f everyday-type
Cousins, from the house hob to the dangerously
seductive stranger.
Each entry features the following elements:
$ Graces: The Mind, Body and Spirit scores for that
character type.
$ Hearts: Estimates for that type’s usual Deliria,
Fortune and Vitality scores.
% Vocations: The rough skill-sets for that type o f
character.
$ Starting Points: I f you want to m ake a player
character o f this type, these points would provide
the foundation for that hero. Adolescent and adult
hum ans follow the points given in D eliria (page
228). Significantly younger or older characters, as
well as non-human ones, m ay begin with scores
outside the usual range.
Each entry has a range o f scores to reflect an
individual’s ability; a Kid who reads all the time might
have Academics 4, whereas the schoolmate who can barely
spell his name has an Academics degree o f 1.
The entries also feature notes about the specific
character type. For simplicity, each template is presented
in the Basic rules format; i f you want to use Advanced
Aspects, lay them out in accordance with your character
concept. After all, a devious toddler and a professional
diplomat may both have Influence scores o f 4, but the
specific Aspects o f Influence they use would be very
different!
As an optional rule, a Guide m ay decide
that faeries are especially susceptible to the
charms o f pre-adolescent children. In game
terms, this could translate to a reduced
Challenge Level (-1 for m ost kids, -3 for
really imaginative ones with high Spirit
scores) when a child uses Influence with
one o f the Folk. The downside, o f course,
is that faeries tend to be so intrigued with
children — especially imaginative ones
— that they befriend, torment or run away
with them...
*
 Kid ( 8 - 1 3 years old)
Because these are a person’s prim ary school years,
kids have certain Vocations that are unusually high just
from practice; later, their academic and athletic skills often
fade from disuse.
Kid characters may have two Prim ary Vocations up
to 3; a very unusual kid m ight have one other Vocation up
to 4. Kids tend to be very energetic, so their Vitality is high
for their size.

Graces Hearts
Mind: 2-6 Deliria: 3-6
Body: 2-5 Fortune: 3
Spirit: 2-7 Vitality: 6-15

Vocations
Human Characters Academia:
Art:
3
0-3
Influence:
Languages:
1-4
1-2
What a piece o f work is man! How m uch ground Athletics: 1-2 Martial: 0-2
we cover in the courses o f our lives! But how well, in game Craftsmanship: 0-2 Metaphysics: 0-2
Domestic: 0-3 Technology: 1-3
terms, do we m easure up to one another? Let’s take a
look... Starting Points
Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 15
Child (2 -8 years old) Max Trait Scores: Body no higher than 6 (except the
Compared to adults, kids are small, weak and Appearance or Agility Aspects o f Body, which can go
unskilled. Still, they do have certain advantages when it to 9); Vocations no higher than 5
comes to Spirit, Deliria and Vitality — not to m ention a
Ceen ( 1 4 - 1 8 years old)
certain affection from the Folk. A child m ay have Legacies
Teens tend to retain
or Wyrds but should have no m ore than two o f each. A
school-taught skills better than
child may have one Prim ary Vocation other than Influence
adults do. At this age, folks
at a degree o f 3 (something he’s really good at); at this age,
also focus intensely on their
he’s too young to have learned skills beyond that level.
favorite things, so Vocations
Because children are naturally adept at
like Art, Athletics, Influence
manipulating people, their Influence scores are higher
or Technology may be fairly
than many adults ever achieve; this isn ’t a learned skill,
high. Teens are often bursting
just raw talent combined with the inherent cachet o f being
with Vitality, too; even when
a child. This, too, fades with time, replaced by learned
depressed (which they often are!),
social skills.
adolescents don’t feel as mortal as adults

Graces Hearts do. A skilled teen may reach 6 in one Vocation and 5 in no
Mind: 1-4 Deliria: 3-8 more than two others.
Body: i -3 Fortune: 3
Spirit: i -7 Vitality: 4-10 Graces Hearts
Mind: 37 Deliria: 0-6
Vocations Body: 3-7 Fortune: 3
Academia: 1 Influence: 1-6 Spirit: 3-7 Vitality: 10-20
Art: 0-2 Languages: 0-2
Athletics: 1 Martial: 0-2 Vocations
Craftsmanship: 0 Metaphysics: 0-2 Academia: 3-5 Influence: i -5
Domestic: 1 Technology: O-I Art: o -5 Languages: 2-3
Athletics: 0-5 Martial: 0-3
Starting Points Craftsmanship: 0-4 Metaphysics: 0-4
Graces and Vocations: 10 Favor Points: 10 Domestic: 0-4 Technology: i -5
Max Trait Scores: Body can be no higher than 4;
Vocations can be no higher than 3, except for Starting Points
Influence (max o f 6) Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 20
Max Trait Scores: No Grace limits; Vocation limit 6
Mundane Adult
After high school or college, real life kicks in,
which is a m ajor letdown for m any people. This template
reflects a person for whom school knowledge and zest
for life have both begun to fade. Specializing in only one
or two things, this adult feels grown up in all the worst
ways. This character could be a young but disheartened
person or an older one upon whom age, disease, apathy
or m isfortune have taken their toll. Such a person m ay
have one thing he’s really good at (a score o f 5), and no
m ore than two other skills at 4.

Graces Hearts
Mind: 3-5 Deliria: 0-3
Body: 3-5 Fortune: 2
Spirit: 2-5 Vitality: 10-15

Vocations
Academia: 1-4 Influence: i -3
Art: 0-3 Languages: !-3
Athletics: 0-3 Martial: 0-3
Craftsmanship: 0-3 Metaphysics: 0-3
Domestic: 1-3 Technology: i -3

Starting Points Very Skilled Adult

Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 24 This person’s very, very good at a num ber o f things.
Max Trait Scores: No real limits other than the ones in
She may be an experienced adventurer, master-of-trades or
his own m ind — which often lock him at a Vocation
score o f 5. Renaissance woman. Along with a few Vocations o f the
4 th-5th degree, this character m ight have one or two at the
Skilled Adult 6th or 7th degree. Very few folks outside o f action fantasies
The template for average folks, the Skilled Adult are this good at so m any things; every so often, however,
character has a range o f useful skills at the 3rd-6th degree. you might meet someone who makes you feel like an
She m ay have one Grace or Vocation at the highest level, amateur at life. That would be this person.
but it makes that person stand out, even am ong her peers.
Note that other than professional warriors, Graces Hearts
Mind: 4-9 Deliria: 0-4
dedicated martial artists or stone-cold badass brawlers,
Body: 4-9 Fortune: 4
people just don’t have Martial Vocations higher than 4. Spirit: 4-9 Vitality: 20
Likewise, in a m odern society very few folks other than
priests, occultists and m aster mystics have Metaphysics Vocations
Academia: 3-7 Influence: 2-7
Vocations higher than 4.
Art: o -7 Languages: i -7
Athletics: o -7 Martial: o-7
Graces Hearts Craftsmanship: o -7 Metaphysics: o -7
Mind: 47 Deliria: 0-2 Domestic: i -7 Technology: i -7
Body: 4-7 Fortune: 3
Spirit: 4-6 Vitality: 17 Starting Points
Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 36,
Vocations plus 9 points in Wyrds
Academia: 2-6 Influence: 1-6 Max Trait Scores: 10 for Graces, 7 for Vocations
Art: 0-6 Languages: i-3
Athletics: 0-6 Martial: 0-4 Heroic Adult
Craftsmanship: 0-6 Metaphysics: o-5
Domestic: 1-6 Technology: 1-6 This person is a living legend — a Dalai Lama or
Madonna before whom hum anity stam m ers and bows.
Starting Points The hero m ight have two or m ore Vocations at the
Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 24 6th or 7 th degree and seems to know something about
Max Trait Scores: The usual hum an limit o f 10 for
Graces and 7 for Vocations everything. Vitality is pretty high for this person; even an

ftd*
old hero has a powerful sense o f life. A sickly or aged
hero, like Stephen Hawking, m ight be lower on the
Vitality scale (5-10), but this would be unusual. She might
not be fam ous to the world at large, but peers know and
respect this person as the epitome o f achievement.

Graces Hearts
Mind: 5-10 Deliria: o-5
Body: 5-10 Fortune: 4
Spirit: 5-10 Vitality: 20-30
Vocations
Academia: 3-7 Influence: 4-7
Art: i-7 Languages: 2-7
Athletics: i-7 Martial: i-7
Craftsmanship: i-7 Metaphysics: i-7
Domestic: i-7 Technology: 2-7

Starting Points
Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 60, plus 15
points in Wyrds
Max Trait Scores: Technically, hum ans top out at Grace
10 and Vocation 7; this character, though, sometimes eld er ( 8 0 +)
goes a bit higher, thanks to otherworldly aid and a Tim e plays cruel games with mortals like us. The
supernaturally-prolonged lifespan (max Graces 13, things that once came so easily to us are often lost. Still, an
Vocations 10)
elder knows things that no young person can understand.
Senior (6 0 +) Her m ind m ay be fading (or maybe not!), but she’s still got

An older person begins to degenerate physically, a lifetime o f experience to draw upon.

yet he gains in experience what he loses in vitality. At As the body draws closer to death, the hum an

this point in history, the average senior knows less about spirit often surges toward immortality. Thus, Spirit scores

technology than his younger counterparts do. However, in aged characters may be incredibly high. Religious

this is not a rule — some o f the best technicians in the traditions (and some cultural ones, as well) revere the elder

world are past retirement age! for her closeness to Divinity. This could be the stretching

This template reflects the average person as he o f a phoenix’s wings as it prepares to shed the mortal shell

passes into middle age through the usual aging process; and move to the next level...

it doesn’t apply to characters who live magically-prolonged

Graces Hearts
lifespans or who walk into Faerie at 20 and em erge a half- Mind: 4-10 Deliria: 2-10
century later having aged a year... although such mortals Body: i -5 Fortune: 4
tend to age very rapidly once they return to the hum an Spirit: 6-10 Vitality: 10-15
world!
Vocations
Academia: 3-7 Influence: 3-7
Graces Hearts 2-7
Art: i-7 Languages:
Mind: 4-10 Deliria: o-5 Athletics: o-3 Martial: o-3
Body: 4-8 Fortune: 4
Spirit: 5-10 Vitality: 15 -20
Craftsmanship: i-7 Metaphysics: i-7
Domestic: 3-7 Technology: 2-5
Vocations Starting Points
Academia: 3-7 Influence: 4-7 Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 20
Art: i -7 Languages: 2-7 Max Trait Scores: Body limited to 5; no limit to mental
Athletics: o-5 Martial: !-5 or social Vocations, but with very few exceptions
Craftsmanship: i -7 Metaphysics: i -7 (martial arts masters, Jack LaLanne), physical
Domestic: 3-7 Technology: 2-5 Vocations top out at 3

Starting Points
Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 32
Max Trait Scores: Body 8, Vocations as above
Animals other hand, m ay have whichever mental traits, Legacies or
Wyrds seem m ost appropriate for a faerie tale character.
Certain anim als are very m uch a part o f the
I f your Circle agrees, an animal m ight m ake an
everyday sphere: cats, dogs, certain birds and perhaps
intriguing player character. The Starting Points lists apply
horses, too. And though m ost modern people live far
to characters o f that species, though m agical anim als may
away from wolves or deer, fantasy characters meet up with
have higher point totals. The listed Legacies and Wyrds
them all the time! For shape-changers, wayfarers, rural
are part o f the package with such characters, though
characters or just plain folks who have a cat or dog in their
new Favors and higher degrees o f the innate ones must
lives, the following traits m ay come in handy during your
be purchased normally. (Note: The listed Graces and
adventures.
Vocations are not part o f the package.) As Chapter 2 points
A nim als are quirky; they m ay not be able to speak
out, this kind o f character brings a host o f challenges to
hum an languages, but they certainly understand people
the group, both from a story perspective and a roleplaying
(hence their Language Vocation). I f you use Advanced
one. I f you really want to play a housecat, you can, but
Aspects in your saga, assum e that animals know the
be aware o f the problems such a character will cause. In
appropriate Anim al Speech (Rou for cats, Barkhallar for
general, a shape-shifter makes a better hero than a natural
dogs), plus Earthtongue and a basic understanding o f
animal.
hum an words and body language.
In general, small animals are cute and thus L a rg e Pat, Weasel or Pabbit
manipulative (the Influence Vocation). The greater beasts A typical m ouse isn ’t really worth presenting in
understand things outside o f hum an ken as well, hence game traits; it m ight be good, however, to know the traits
their Metaphysics skill. Obviously, animals can’t play for a large rat, especially i f Willard Jenner is around!
sports or master military disciplines; their raw athletic In addition to his Sharp Senses, the rodent has the
and fighting skills, however, are pretty good by hum an Legacy: Fang and Claw and the potential to carry an ugly
standards — to survive, they m ust know the rules o f disease. A typical rat or weasel is Size o, though really
“nature, red in tooth and claw.” large specimens m ight reach Size 2. (See D eliria, pages
Note also that all animals have the Legacy: Sharp 18 6 and 193, for “ Size Matters.”) For a rabbit character,
Senses, ranging from i (horses) to 4 (raptors). Although just deduct Fang and Claw and the Martial Vocation, add
our fellow critters perceive the world from a very different Innocence and up the Influence Vocation to 3 (“Awwwww...
perspective, they’re m ore attuned to raw sense, whereas it’s cuuuuute!’).
we hum ans focus on reasoning. Thus, animal senses
tend to be shallower but more acute than our own. Given Graces Hearts
their intuitive understanding o f vibes and body language, Mind: 0-2 Deliria: 5
Body: 0-2 Fortune: 0
most animals have the Legacy: Empathy as well. Mentally, Spirit: 2 Vitality: 5
however, a normal animal has a m axim um Mind Grace
o f 3 — above that, the trait reflects human-level reasoning. Vocations
Generally, non-fey animals do not have Wyrds; the odd Academia: 0 Influence: 1
Art: 0 Languages: 1
personality traits that hum ans associate with them are Athletics: 2 Martial: 2-3
typical anim al behavior. Heroic or villainous beasts, on the Craftsmanship: 0 Metaphysics: 1
Domestic: 2 Technology: 0
Favors
Legacies: Empathy 1, Fang and Claw 1,
Innocence 3 (rabbits), Sharp Senses 2, The Slip 4
Wyrds: Hated 3 (rats)

Starting Points
Graces and Vocations: 5 Favor Points: 15
Max Trait Scores: Body limited to 2; Vocations limited
to 2 (except Martial for warrior rats)

Cat or Small Dog

Our closest companions have plenty o f surprises:
it’s easy to forget that Kitty becomes Killing Machine when
she’s forced to fend for herself. Granted, a domestic cat or
small dog isn ’t m uch o f a physical threat to hum an beings, Graces Hearts
but for other anim als the story is different. Besides, Mind: i-3 Deliria: 5
domestic anim als have a few skills that wild ones do not Body: 3-6 Fortune: 3
and, especially in faerie tales, they’re a lot smarter than
Spirit: 5 Vitality: 10-15
most folks believe! Vocations
Academia: 0 Influence: 2
Graces Hearts Art: 0 Languages: 2
Mind: 2-3 Deliria: 5 Athletics: 2-4 Martial: 2'-5
Body: i-3 Fortune: 3 Craftsm anship: 0 Metaphysics: 1
Spirit: 5 Vitality: 10 Domestic: 1 Technology: 0
Vocations Favors
Academia: 0 Influence: 3 Legacies: Empathy 2, Fang and Claw 2, Sharp Senses 3,
Art: 0 Languages: 2 The Slip 1
Athletics: 1 -3
Martial: 1 -3 Wyrds: Hated 1 (wolves)
Craftsmanship: 0 Metaphysics: 1
Domestic: 1 Technology: 0 Starting Points
Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 15
Fa\ors Max Trait Scores: Body max o f 8; Vocations max at 5
Legacies: Empathy 2, Fang and Claw 1, Innocence 3,
Sharp Senses 3, The Slip 2 (4 for cats) Bird of Prey: Paven, Hawk, Owl, etc.
Wyrds: (none)
The disconcerting gaze o f a raptor, crow or owl can
Starting Points be quite motivating to hum ans and animals alike. Birds’
Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 15 Athletic Vocation reflects their grace in the air and does
Max Trait Scores: Max Body o f 3; m ax Vocations o f 4 not apply to earthbound activity. They see a lot, and some
o f them (ravens, owls) understand a fair amount o f it
(hence Metaphysics). Although they're not really fighters,
most birds o f prey can dish out a bit o f hurt i f angered or
(Martial 3) trained to do so. In combat, this sort o f bird is
Size 1 and can claw and peck for +1 prowess / strike.

Graces Hearts
Mind: 2 Deliria: 6
Body: 2 Fortune: 3
Spirit: 6 Vitality: 8
Vocations
Academia: 0 Influence: 3
Art: 0 Languages: 2
Athletics: 3 Martial: 2-3
Craftsmanship: 0 Metaphysics: 3
Domestic: 0 Technology: 0
Favors
Legacies: Empathy 3, Fang and Claw 1, Sharp Senses 4,
Large Dog or Wolf The Slip 2
Large animals know everything their smaller Wyrds: (none)
cousins do. Although they’re not quite as adorable,
these beasts are more formidable physically — trained
Starting Points
Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 15
attack dogs and wild wolves can be rather fearsom e Max Trait Scores: Body max at 3; Vocations m ax at 4
(Martial 5). Again, animals cannot pick up Advanced
human disciplines, but they understand pack tactics and Horse and Deer
fang-and-claw fighting pretty well. Wolves and large dogs Steady and powerful, the domestic horse isn ’t quite
bite for +2 prowess per strike and can hang on to their as perceptive or mystical as his feline, canine and avian
victim once they get a good hold going. These beasts are cousins. H e’s really spirited, however — m uch m ore so
roughly hum an m ass (Size 2) and range from stupid than m any hum ans. Like other animals, he understands
(Mind 1) to clever (3). the language o f Nature and can communicate with his
own kind. H e’s not m uch o f an athlete or warrior but watching Friends. The Grace and Vocation spreads given
can be trained to become one. In a fight, a horse can kick here are very general and may not apply to a particular
with club-like hooves (+2/ strike — like Fang and Claw, faerie. Still, they give a helpful range o f traits based on the
but without the sharp edges), and is considered Size 3 for typical faerie o f its type. The types in question are based
hitting, damage and injury. m ore on a faerie’s role in the story than on her physical
A deer isn ’t nearly as fast or powerful; a good-sized size; the m ore significant the faerie, the m ore powerful she
stag, however, can give a horse a run for his money. A m ight be.
m ature stag can use his antlers as claws, though he’ll As extensions o f their nature, all faeries possess
probably break them in the process. Physically, a deer has the Legacies: Empathy, Shape-shifting and Soulsight, as
less m ass than a horse, but a large stag often has more. All well as the Wyrds: Bane and Doom. Most o f them possess
o f these anim als have spiritual overtones and may hold as other Legacies and Wyrds, too, including m any that aren’t
m any surprises as any cat or dog! featured in either this book or the m ain Deliria rulebook.
Generally, Guides and players should assum e that a faerie
Graces Hearts character has mysterious yet poetically appropriate powers.
Mind: 2 Deliria: 3
Body: 9-11 Fortune: 2 Although this dispensation does not apply to fey player
Spirit: 7 Vitality: 20 characters (who m ust purchase all o f their Legacies and
Wyrds), it makes faeries in the supporting cast m uch more
Vocations unpredictable.
Academia: 0 Influence: 2
Art: 0 Languages: 2 Fey characters also possess the Accord: Faerie
Athletics: 2-4 Martial: 0-3 Wishcraft at some degree, and use their Spirit score plus
Craftsmanship: 0 Metaphysics: 1-2 the Accord degree as the Prowess for such magics. (Note:
Domestic: 0 Technology: 0
The Wishcraft Prowess mentioned on page 12 6 o f D eliria
Favors is that combination o f Spirit and Accord.) Fey characters
Legacies: Empathy 2, Fang and Claw 2 (horses or stags), also have a listing for Turnabout — the penalty applied
Innocence 2 (deer), Sharp Senses 2, The Slip 2 (deer) to magics cast against that faerie. This turnabout raises a
Wyrds: (none)
spell’s Challenge Level by whatever the suggested penalty
Starting Points m ight be. (For more details, again see D eliria, page 126.)
Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 15 In Graces and Vocations, faerie characters can
Max Trait Scores: Body max at 13; Vocations m ax at 4 exceed hum an m axim um s — and often do! A score
beyond the hum an scale m eans that the faerie is
Faeries inhumanly adept with that trait. The Folk are often far
W hen a faerie pops in to chat, it’s helpful to know stronger and smarter than they appear and have had
what that faerie can do! Granted, our mysterious Cousins centuries, i f not millennia, to practice what they do. For
are secretive individuals; no two faeries have the same all that power, though, the fey have quirks that undermine
traits or scores, and no mortal can predict what sorts o f
them as well as metaphysical weaknesses that a mortal can
Favors they possess! Even so, certain generalizations can
exploit. Our Cousins have their strengths, but so do we!
be made for the sake o f a G uide’s sanity. Although we
recom mend that you customize each faerie character, these Household Sprite
templates offer suggestions for everyday faerie types. A m inor shim m erling who lives or works around
Each fey has m any guises; her heartsong, though, the house, this faerie type reflects a basic brownie, garden
does not change — it’s the core o f who she is. That sprite or other little fey. Depending on his nature, this
heartsong shapes her personality, but it does not determine faerie m ight appear as an animal, tiny person or other
how she appears: household sprites, for instance, can be small manifestation. H e’s uncannily good with nature or
helpful, nurturing or even malicious! And so, each faerie domestic tasks; such a sprite can often perform a single
entry has a selection o f Potential Heartsongs and Potential task at a superhum an level within a short period o f time.
Guises. These lists suggest the m ost com m on bodies and Our sprite also knows how to fix (or destroy) simple,
behaviors for faeries o f that type. low-tech household items but is most likely puzzled by a
Unlike animals, faeries aren’t bound to physical computer. Not m uch larger than a housecat (Size o or 1;
or mental limitations. One sprite m ight be able to arm- see Deliria, pages 186, 192), this character m ight be cute or
wrestle A h- nold while quoting Shakespeare, and his butt-ugly. Though not powerful, he’s got a few tricks and a
companion may be incapable o f lifting a heavy box while strange sense o f humor.
 His counterpart, the malicious sprite, hides just out Graces Hearts
o f sight, waiting ‘til you’re not watching before he spoils Mind: 3-6 Deliria: 6
the milk, grabs your wallet or scares the crap out o f your Body: 5-6 Fortune: 4
Spirit: 8 Vitality: 20+
cat. Small (Size o or i) and nasty, this shim m erling exists
to annoy people. Like the household sprite, he lives close Vocations
by; but whereas the other faerie is often helpful, this little Academia: 1-3 Influence: i-5
monster is anything but. He m ight not be deadly, but he Art: 0-6 Languages: i-3
Athletics: 1-3 Martial: 0-5
could be — especially if there are more where he came from...
Craftsm anship: 0-7 Metaphysics: 5-8
Potential Heartsongs: Contemplative, Frantic, Domestic: 0-7 Technology: o-3
Melodic, Mischievous, Nurturing; or Dissonant, Malevolent,
Malignant and Mischievous for the malicious variety Potential Favors (range from 1-4 )
Accords: Faerie Wishcraft
Potential Guises: Anim al, Critter, Fetch, Glitch,
Legacies: Animated, Bardic Gift, Beastfriend, Empathy,
Little, Sprite; or Animal, Figment, Glitch, Grem lin, Hag/ Element Affinity, Fang and Claw, Soulsight
Nasty Old Man and, o f course , Villsprite Wyrds: Bane, Doom, Lifethief, Obsession, Season, The
Slip
Graces Hearts Turnabout: +i to Challenge Level
Mind: 2-4 Deliria: 6
Body: 2-5 Fortune: 4 Starting Points
Spirit: 6 Vitality: 15 Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 15
Max Trait Scores: Graces max 10; Vocations max 7
Vocations
Academia: 0-3 Influence: I-3 Mysterious Stranger
Art: 0-2 Languages: 2
This enigmatic aelden-fey hovers on the edge o f
Athletics: 1 Martial: 03
Craftsmanship: 2-7 Metaphysics: 3-7 our world, showing up just long enough to stir things up.
Domestic: 2-7 Technology: 0-2 The demon lovers and La Belle Dame sans Mercis o f poetic
lore fall into this category, as do the weird playmates who
Potential Favors (range from 1-2 )
befriend children and then disappear (sometimes with
Accords: Faerie W ishcraft
Legacies: Beastfriend, Empathy, Element Affinity, Fang the kids!). This stranger
and Claw, Soulsight could appear as a
Wyrds: Bane, Doom, Season, Stranger in a Strange Land
fleeting glimpse o f
Turnabout: +1 to Challenge Level
your favorite painting
Starting Points or a stunning beauty
Graces and Vocations: 10 Favor Points: 15 too gorgeous to be
Max Trait Scores: Body m ax 10 ; Vocations max 7 real. He m ight be a
cloaked stranger with
Familiar Faerie
cryptic advice, the
This faerie’s an im aginary friend, house-hob, animal
bag lady who knows
companion or other shim m erling who shares close ties
everyone’s secrets or
with the heroes or their kin. She m ight be an artist’s muse,
the cop who’s always
a child’s godparent or the owl that hangs around the yard.
nearby, especially when
Generally, this house-fey has a favorite guise and name:
you don’t want him
the Victorian Tooth Faerie and Kid Fears mentioned in
to be! The fey Nimue,
Chapter 5 provide good examples. Despite that familiarity,
mentioned in Chapter
though, this Cousin remains mysterious even to its
1, is a good example o f
favorite mortals. In most cases, a Familiar Faerie is well-
a Mysterious Stranger.
intentioned; however, it m ight not be — it could be a
But regardless o f the
banshee, black dog, computer-trashing glitch, or other
guise, this powerful
familiar yet m alicious fey.
faerie doesn’t
Potential Heartsongs: Beguiling, Contemplative,
stick around. The
Inspirational, Melodic, Nurturing
Mysterious Stranger
Potential Guises: Anim al, Beauty, Child, Critter,
gets what it wants,
Fetch, Glitch, Godparent, Im aginary Friend, Little, Muse/
then it slips away.
Galatea, Sprite, Them, Totem, Woodlander
 Making Your Own Faerie
As this book says in Chapter 2, your Circle might allow a player to assum e a m inor
faerie character. This is a very tricky option, though, one that can throw a saga o ff its
axis, especially i f that saga is an everyday adventure! We suggest that such characters
be limited to young shim m erlings or demi-human aelden. Older m inor faeries are not
recom mended, and true imm ortals are verboten. As Deliria often says, the immortal
aelderfolk are not allowed as player character options — not in urban fantasies or in
any other saga!
Like anim al heroes, fey heroes have a package o f core traits:
Accord: Faerie W ishcraft 1
Legacies:Empathy 1, Shape-shifting 1, Soulsight 1
Wyrds: Bane 1, Doom 1
Turnabout: +1 to Challenge
To balance these gifts, player character faeries have nine fewer Favor
Points to spend during the character creation process. Raising these Favors
costs the usual amount o f Favor points and often involves some sort
For m ore details about the fey and your
that
 Potential Heartsongs: Beguiling, Dissonant, Graces Hearts
Inspirational, Malevolent, Malignant, Mischievous, Mind: 2-5 Deliria: 7-10
Body: 5-15 Fortune: 5
Nurturing
Spirit: 8-10 Vitality: 20-40
Potential Guises: Beauty, Beast-Man, Child, Cybrid,
Doppleganger, Elemental, Figment, Hag/ Nasty Old Man, Vocations
Lord/ Lady, Psiren/ Narcissian, Stranger, Them Academia: 0-3 Influence: I-IO
Art: 0-5 Languages: 2-4
Graces Hearts Athletics: i -5 Martial: 3-8
Deliria: Craftsmanship: 0-2 Metaphysics: 5-10
Mind: 5-10 5-10
Body: 5-10 Fortune: Domestic: 0-5 Technology: 0-4
5
Spirit: 8-12 Vitality: 20-30
Potential Favors (range from 1 -5 )
Vocations Accords: Faerie Wishcraft
Academia: 1-8 Influence: 5-10 Legacies: Adaptation, Bardic Gift, Empathy,
0-8 Languages: 2-7 Charming, Element Affinity, Fang and Claw,
Art:
Athletics: 0-5 Martial: 0-8 Sharp Senses, The Slip
Craftsmanship: O-IO Metaphysics: 6-10 Wyrds: Bane, Cannibal, Curse, Doom, Hated, Lifethief,
Domestic: O-IO Technology: Obsession, Psycho, Season
o -5

Potential Favors (range from 1- 5 ) Starting Points

Accords: Faerie W ishcraft, Spincrafting (cybrid faerie)
Legacies: Adaptation, Bardic Gift, Empathy, Element
Affinity, Fang and Claw, Innocence, Soulsight, The
Slip
Wyrds: Bane, Doom, Psycho, Season, Spacey, Stranger
in a Strange Land
Turnabout: + i to Challenge Level
Starting Points
Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 30
Max Trait Scores: Grace m ax 12; Vocations max 10
Dangerous O th er
This is the one to watch out for: the vampire, the
beast, the demon, the fiend. In the shadows o f our world
dwell m ermaids, aliens and all m anner o f Big Bad Wolves.
Creatures like this are the reason people fear the Folk! He
might seduce you; she m ight devour you. This entity may
be mortal in the aelden sense, but he exists on a heroic
scale. The Big Bad W olf and Beer-barian mentioned in
Chapter 1 are examples o f this type in action. Under that
somewhat-mundane guise, there’s a m onster so dangerous
Graces and Vocations: 15 Favor Points: 5°
Max Trait Scores: Graces max 15; Vocations m ax 10
Blank Slates
I am in no way a prince. I mean, what kind of prince
works at "Virginia's Largest shoe Store"! Stillit's a paycheck,
and I've had worse jobs.
So, tl?e other day I'm waiting on the usual customers:
soccer moms, fat old riel) clicks, busy ladies on their lunch
break [okay, silly question, but did they need siloes so bad that
they couldn't wait until after work])/ even a couple of girls
skipping school. W ho am I to judge, right? slip off the shoe, slip
on the footie, see if I can find what they want, make sure it
fits.
Now this one girl walks in, looking like she's had a hard
night. Hair's a mess, ratty clothes. Not that special, I know,
but this one's really stunning. Behind those swelled-up eyes
and messy ha 'vt there's a really nice-looking girl in there, she

that hardened SCaD cops blanch at the idea o f going

limps in, barefoot, with one shoe in her hand and what looks

against it toe-to-toe. In m ost cases, this creature is hum an­

sized; an ogre or troll, however, could stand eight to ten
feet tall and tip the scales at 500 pounds or more. Yes,
there are monsters out there in the night, and this is one
of them...
Potential Heartsongs: Dissonant, Malevolent,
Malignant, Mischievous
Potential Guises: Alien, Anim al, Beast-Man, Demon
Lover, Doppleganger, Dragon, Elemental, Hag/ Nasty Old
Man, Horror, Killing Machine, Psiren/ Narcissian, Ogre/
Troll
like a twisted ankle. "O h, wow," I say. "Ma'am, do you want
me to get you an ice pack for that?"
"No," she says, teeth clenched. "I've had worse." she holds
the shoe out to me. "Can you find me another one like this,
quick?"
It's transparent. Made of glass. Not plastic. Glass.
"You are kidding, right?" I say.
she frowns at me. "I don't have time to explain," she
says. "Do you have one or not?"
I put on my best Make Customer Happy face. "I'm not
sure I do," I tell her, "But I'll take a look in back. Let's find
your size."
I measure her feet. They're kinda beat-up. Size 6. okay.
I pick mjj t Ije glass shoe and take it into the stockroom, trying ranked by Primary, Secondary and Other categories.
not to look as doubtful as I feel. The first indicates specialty skills for that character
And what's sitting out there, no box or anything, but type, the second features important skills and the
another glass shoe just like the one in my h ^ d . Right in with third offers ones that he or she probably has in
the Amal\is, but not like them at all. oh, yeah — it's glowing, reserve.
too. Again, I'm like, "You are kidding me, right?" T(;is time to ^ Finally, the Potential Favors section shows a
mo one in particular. handful o f Accords, Legacies or Wyrds such a
So I grab the shoe and head back out to t he girl. It's a Size character m ight possess, i f you’d like to give her
6, of course, and it fits like it was made for her. a mystical twist. Because we are concentrating on
she gets this funny look, then smiles. Suddenly, she's norm al people here, such Favors are unusual. Still,
leaning down in my face. Her hand's on my wrist. Her eyes people have their secrets, and that faceless mall-
are bright blue.Her fingers are rough, but they feel nice. drone could have a surprise or two in store...
"Urn..." she says, a bit shy. "I don't want to sound weird or
anything, but what time are you off for lunch?"
In game terms, the traits for these characters can
I don't think I've ever clocked out so fast in my life. M y
range from Mundane Adult to Very Skilled Adult. A few
boss hardly even saw me leave.
m ight hit the Heroic Adult level, but they ought to be very

Faceless No More rare and significant characters! As for the Backstories and
personality details, we leave them to you. Each person has
Y ou don’t need to be a witch or m usician to meet
his or her own story, needs and secrets, and we sentient
the Folk. Truck drivers, m ilkm en, folks working at the
beings are not templates!
mall... you never know who’s going to come face-to-face
with an adventure. Let the following blank slates inspire Artist
you to create player and Guide characters whose luck (good
Possible Motifs: Bard, Chrysalis, Faerie Singer,
or bad!) takes them from the m undane world and into the
Inamorata, Rogue, Urban Tribalist, Young Talent
realm o f Deliria.
Like their real life counterparts, the folks below Who Am I?: Seeing the world differently doesn’t always

are nam eless and faceless. Unless you get to know them, m ean you’re looking through rose-colored glasses.

they appear to be part o f the scenery, not at all heroes. Sometimes it just m eans you see things others do

The im pression can be deceptive. Even so, w e’ve left these not. Our artist embodies the idea o f looking at the

blank slate characters open to possibilities. Each one world from another angle and trying to show the

features different options: the barista, for example, could world his vision. Whether he prefers paint or a

be a Drone, a Rogue or a Witch. Each possibility gives WACOM tablet, sculpting clay or sm elting metal,

you (Guide or player) a different character concept to run painting on canvas or a nearby alley wall, the artist

with. Based on faerie tale motifs (see D eliria, pages 67-81), wants to show what he sees and have that vision

these concepts offer you clues to that character's overall recognized.

personality, her qualities and her potential place within a Options: Regardless o f their behavior, artists tend to
faerie tale. Even within those guidelines, though, there’s a be disreputable by norm al standards — perfect
lot o f room to move! Rogues, really. Because faeries find art to be the

Each blank slate features the following entries: m ost attractive hum an endeavor, creative folks
tend to lure m uses and patrons o f all faerie stripes.
^ The Possible M otif line suggests several motifs that
The urban tribal lifestyle suits m any young artists,
m ight suit such a character.
whereas the prickly chrysali gravitate toward art by
^ The Options section also suggests a num ber o f vocation. And because the goal o f both artists and
things the Guide might do to spice up the basic bards is to tell the truth creatively, isn ’t a Bard an
template, lending depth and originality to each artist by extension (and vice versa) ?
character.
Plots:
Below that, a Plots section offers three bullet-
£ He couldn’t get the vision out o f his head. H e’d
pointed ideas for stories that m ight begin with or
tried oils, pastels and water colors, yet nothing
involve this character.
worked... until one day, when he had the idea to
^ The Possible Vocations section lists Vocations that create a mural...
such a character m ight possess. These traits are
 * The clay was speaking to him, telling him how to appropriate Vocations to add to the ones m ost shop
carve it into being. He never expected her to come workers possess. Oh, and yes — this character can
to life... be either male or female.

$ The picture looked so beautiful on his screen that Plots:

he wanted to enter that picture in real life. How was i, Your hum ble coffee server is actually a powerful
he to know that he would? or influential person back where she comes from;
Possible Vocations: however, she has powerful enem ies, too, and one

Primary: Academics, Art night they come for her...

Secondary: Craftsm anship, Metaphysics, £ You see a lot o f strange things when you work this
particular coffee shop; the more experienced barista
Technology
you’ve been assigned to shadow knows a lot about
Other: Domestic, Influence
a lot, and given the right incentives, she m ight tell
Potential Favors you all about it...
Accords: Artisanship, Bodywork, Spincrafting, $ It seem ed like an okay job to pay her way through
Witchcraft school — until the day that stranger walks in and
Legacies: Bardic Gift, Fame, Soulsight turns her world upside-down...

Wyrds: Addiction, Hated, Obsession, Poverty, Spacey Possible Vocations

Primary: Academia, Art, Domestic, Influence

Barista
Secondary: Languages, Metaphysics, Technology
Possible Motifs: Bard, Chipper, Drone, Good
Parent, Inamorata, Miracle Merchant, Negatist, Other: Athletics, Craftsm anship, Martial
Neomancer, Prince/ Princess, Witch Potential Favors
Who Am I?: Drenched to the elbows in caffeine and Accords: Bodywork, Spincrafting, Witchcraft
attitude, the barista works the counter o f the Legacies: Bardic Gift, Charming, Innocence,
ubiquitous coffee shops o f the western world. Soulsight
Often a student, artist or single parent, she lives on
Wyrds: Addiction, Fugitive, Hated, Lifethief, Self-
tips and dreams. For now, she works the service
Injury
counter, sometim es happily, often grudgingly,
almost always looking for a way out. Coffee shops Bartender
provide lots o f room for eccentricity, and chances
Possible Motifs: Beast, Bard, Inamorata, Miracle
are good that our barista prefers the laid-back
Merchant, Rogue
atmosphere to a more dem anding corporate job.
Who Am I?: He works from the early hours o f the day
Even so, this is a grueling line o f work. The hours
into the dark o f night. Hoisting barrels, pulling
suck, the pay is worse and the environment is
pints, m ixing cocktails and selling shots fill the
sticky and often rude. Perhaps some m agic in her
bartender’s day. H e’s got a smile (or at least a look)
life would provide a welcome change...
for every new face that walks in and a story or
Options: Because coffee shops are often magnets
three to share with the regulars. Our bartender is a
for bohemia, our barista m ight be a m usician,
ready friend to good customers but a stern enemy
artist, occultist, computer whiz or lifetime
o f troublemakers. He can be gru ff or soft-spoken,
counterculturalist. Perhaps she’s a Bard with
a hulking guy or a lithe young chap; she could be
hidden talents or an Inamorata w ho’s secretly loved
a hot chick with attitude or a beer-mama for lost
by one o f the Folk. There m ay be an undiscovered
souls. Whichever way, the bartender can take care
Prince or Princess working behind the counter
o f herself. She knows her stuff, as well: everyone
at your local Starbucks or a Neomancer/ Witch
who passes through her domain shares a word or
cloaking her arts behind a hum ble exterior. Then
two, and often a lot more, with the woman who
again, she m ight just be, y’know, normal — a
keeps the drinks coming.
struggling student or Drone-in-progress w ho’s
Options: As the Beast, our bartender is a charm ing
prim ed for adventure. In either case, decide who
but fearsom e character with a pocketful o f phone
you want your barista to be, then select a few
 num bers and a bat (or shotgun) underneath the
bar. The Bardic bar-wench speaks at great length
to all her customers — and hears a great deal,
too. The Miracle Merchant offers something...
interesting... to patrons with adventurous taste;
the Rogue, m eanwhile, waters down the beer
and skim s profits o ff the top. In all motifs, our
bartender is fast-moving, often friendly and
flirtatious. H e’s also the One To Know wherever
you go. You w on’t be a king o f the night-time world
unless you’re on his good side!
Plots:
£ The bartender overhears some weird confessions
from a patron who soon disappears. Now there are
things looking for him... and they want to know
what the bartender heard!
£ A group o f salesm en book the back room o f an
active bar for a meeting. Our bartender goes on
duty, checks on the tables and steps right into the
heart o f a thriving goblin market.
^ Let’s see: drunken wayfarers, cravers scam m ing for
their next meal, pack o f sophisticati whispering in
the corner... yep, just another Saturday night!
Possible Vocations
Primary: Domestic, Influence
Secondary: Craftsmanship, Academia, Languages
Other: Martial, Metaphysics, Technology
Potential Favors
Accords: Spincrafting
Legacies: Charming, Empathy, Soulsight
Wyrds: Addiction, Lifethief, Obsession, Psycho
op
Possible Motifs: Agent o f Order, Beast, Inamorata,
Faerie Godparent, Knight, Prince.
Who A m I?: It’d be nice i f we could all get along. Sadly,
we can’t, and so the cop walks her beat, spending
each day staring at the nastiest corners o f our
world. It’s a tough job with lousy pay. The perks
include fear from everyone you meet, cold coffee
and endless paperwork. It's not like TV, that’s for
sure; bust a head in this world and you’ll be filling
out form s all week! But there are rewards for being
a m odern knight: grudging respect, cool gear, free
doughnuts and a sense that maybe, just maybe,
you’re doing some good in this crazy world.
18*
Options: By definition, our cop is an Agent o f the
social Order; unfortunately, she could be a Beast in
uniform , too. The good she does accom plish wins
her love from m any o f her wards (not all o f whom
are human) and places her in a guardian role
for kids and adults alike. Like Detective Caroline
Reverte, she could be a Knight in all senses o f the
word, although a rare cop m ight even be a Prince of
this world... or o f another.
Plots:
i? No amount o f sleep deprivation can convince this
cop that a perp just disappeared inside a blind alley.
There’s more to this than anyone admits...
p The com m issioner has a special assignment. Based
on her weird cases o f late, our cop’s m eeting with a
rep from the Special Case Division.
^ Y ou’d think the m adness would stop when you’re
off-duty. But you really should have known better...
Possible Vocations
Primary: Athletics, Influence, Martial
Secondary: Domestic, Languages, Technology
Other: Metaphysics
Potential Favors
Accords: Bodywork, H igh Ritual, Witchcraft
Legacies: Burning Bright, Charm ing, Empathy,
Soulsight
Wyrds: Addiction, Hated, Haunted, Obsession,
Psycho
Ghost G anger
Possible Motifs: Beast, Chrysalis, Dark Lord/ Queen,
Freak, Knight, Primitivist, Urban Tribalist,
Wannabe, Witch/ Wizard, Young Talent
Who Am I?: This dude has earned props from the
scariest motherfuckers in town. Our boy rolls with
demons and ghosts, parties in graveyards and takes
shit that makes you see Hell for reall In a scene
where even the nastiest gangbangers pray to Jesus
and the Saints, the ghost ganger has found the
scariest weapon around: black magic. And he’s got
no problem letting you know he’s strapped!
As Deliria describes (page 82), ghost gangs are
youth gangs armed with occult skills, allies and
gear. Many stake out inner-city turf, but a good
porti >n o f them run in suburban neighborhoods
and schools as well. The m ost obvious ‘gangers
wear voodoo or Satanist colors, but a fair amount
 o f them are inconspicuous; unless you know
what to look for, these ‘gangers seem like normal
young people with morbid fascinations. Friends
and enem ies, however, see a different side to the
‘gangers. Friends may be invited to rituals, crim e
sprees or parties where “w ild” is just the beginning;
enemies m ight receive voodoo dolls, curses, graffiti,
animal attacks or sadistic assaults. Ghost gangers
understand fear. Most o f them have grown up with
it, and all o f them know how to take advantage o f it!
our boy m ight be an urban-predator Beast or
a preening Dark Lord/Queen, but he could be
following a Knight’s aspirations in the only way he
understands. The Freak has given up trying to be
norm al and plays the Scary Weirdo card instead
— perhaps for his own protection! He could be a
Wannabe trying to fit in with the only peers that
will have him or a Witch following a shadowy path.
He could be a fun Rogue but m ight prefer the evil
Wizard school o f power. The Primitivist throws

Underneath the war paint (figurative and often society’s rules back in its face, whereas the Urban

literal!), the ghost ganger is a young m an — or, Tribalist reckons h im self a modern Viking or bokor.

occasionally, wom an — with som ething to prove. And every so often, there might be a Young Talent,

He may have grown up in the Projects or in Chrysalis or even a lost Prince or Princess w ho’s
using harsh methods to handle a harsh world.
a rundown part o f town; he also could
be a suburban kid who wound up on About those methods: all ghost gangers
the wrong side o f too m any bullies. study occult rituals. O f course, “occult” often
By and large, these gangstas are m eans “available in the New Age section
extraordinarily intelligent — they o f Barnes & Noble.” Very few ‘gangers
couldn’t do what they do otherwise! have real skill or talent, though some do.
Sadly, intellect and wisdom don’t The real kick with such groups isn ’t
always travel together, especially what they know — it's who they
not when the vehicle in question know. Cravers,
is an angry teen! Our boy villsprites,
will probably melt down dark aelves and
by the time he’s 25, other unsavory fey
by reform ing, going find followers, lovers,
crazy, dying or toys and occasional
simply disappearing. true friends am ong
Yeah, it’s insane, the gangs... and
but whatcha gonna they get quite
do? Where he lives, territorial
you’re either in about those
with one posse or mortals.
you’re prey for all ‘Gangers
o f 'em! also understand
psychological warfare
Options: To any
and make good use o f
gangsta, occult or
frightening symbols and
otherwise, your
behavior. A good portion
gang is your fam ily
o f these kids are scared,
and their pride is your
furious or otherwise
law. Both need to be
unhinged — a volatile
defended, and i f that
cocktail when combined
defense m eans violence,
with gang colors and occult
well, you shouldn’t
interests! A ghost ‘ganger
have m essed with the
knows how to scare the hell
fa m ily, man! Despite
out o f people, and he’ll do it
their unity, however,
just for fun!
ghost gangers can
be pretty diverse:
 Plots:
T u rf battles cover a lot o f ground when the tu rf in
question includes Faerie. What challenges m ight a
young warrior encounter when the battle moves to
stranger ground?
$ Sure, his girl m ay be a little weird, but nobody tells
a Bone Raga ‘ganger who he can and can’t see...
* “Okay, that’s it! Any m ore Big Bad Wolves come
through this hood, they gonna wish they was at
G randm a’s H ouse!”
Possible Vocations
Primary: Athletics, Martial, Metaphysics
Secondary: Influence, Languages, Technology
Other: Art, Domestic, Academia
Potential Favors
Accords: Artisanship, Bodywork, Spincrafting,
Witchcraft
Legacies: Beastfriend, Empathy, Fey-Fond, Hated,
Shape-Shifting, The Slip, Soulsight
Wyrds: Cannibal, Fugitive, Hated, Haunted, Psycho
Gooseteller
Possible Motifs: Agent o f Order, Bard, Cylebrity,
Inamorata, Knight, Mentor, Negatist, Rogue,
Wayfarer
Who A m I?: Ever have one o f those stories that you
know nobody’s gonna believe but you have to tell
it anyway? This reporter knows how you feel.
Stripped o f credibility, obsessed, often broke or
close to it, our journalist prowls a lonely beat
between fact and fantasia. Sure, every reporter
feels this way sometimes, but for the gooseteller
— whose peers grant her almost no respect — it’s
not just a feeling. Damn it, it is the truth!
Dating back to Victorian journalism , the term
“gooseteller" refers to a reporter whose stories
are too fanciful to believe. It’s not a term our
reporter would ever use to refer to herself! No
one’s quite sure whether the term comes from
“Mother Goose,” “a wild goose chase,” “silly goose”
or some other fowl metaphor, but the nam e has
certainly stuck. Our poor reporter seem s stuck
as well. Caught with a story that must be told, the
gooseteller has to decide whether the tale is worth
what’s left o f her reputation... and whether or not
she ought to tell other, similar tales afterward.
And so, our reporter belongs to a desperate breed:
*100.
people who can’t resist telling the Truth, no matter
how badly it costs them.
Options: Not every gooseteller is poor; some, in
fact, are dangerously rich. Celebrated by thrill-
seekers, tabloid slum m ers and True Believers,
these reporters share the prom inent status o f
televangelists and talk show hosts. Perhaps, like
Mariah Dorn, our Cylebrity has her own show
— in which case, she’s rich and fam ous, i f not
exactly respectable. She could be an Agent o f Order
or a Negatist, shooting down claims o f supernatural
activity while keeping a close watch over them, or
a crusading journalistic Knight, drawing out the
Truth. A Roguish gooseteller could be the hard-
drinking reporter with a nose for news, whereas
the Mentor passes along the tricks o f the beat.
An Inamorata or Bard reports on the world she
loves, and a W ayfaring one just enjoys the wild
ride. Whatever her reasons, this reporter cannot be
swayed from pursuit. She can and will dig up the
hidden world’s secrets. Now then: is anyone out
there listening?
(Note: With a few m inor changes, this blank slate
suits any beat reporter.)
Plots:
$ “Hey, Mister! Some pretty weird stories about
that alleyway, huh? What do you know about that
place...?”
^ In the wake o f a big occult throwdown, the
reporters come calling — and there’s just enough
evidence to convince one or two that there’s a huge
story to be had.
$ Y ou’d heard that this city was exciting, but who
knew how exciting it really was? Too bad your editor
just spiked your last three stories. Well, i f he w on’t
publish 'em, maybe you’ll find someone who will...
Possible Vocations
Primary: Academics, Influence, Metaphysics
Secondary: Art, Languages, Martial, Technology
Other: Athletics
Potential Favors
Accords: Artisanship, High Ritual, Spincrafting
Legacies: Bardic Gift, Charm, Empathy, Fame,
Sharp Senses, The Slip, Soulsight, Wealth
Wyrds: Addiction, Curse, Fey-Cursed, Lifethief,
Obsession, Poverty, Secret Nem esis
Mall Worker
Possible Motifs: Agent o f Order, Chipper, Drone,
Innocent, Miracle Merchant, Princess, Negatist
Who Am I?: Half-listless, half-enthusiastic, the m all
worker is a rather m ercurial counterpart to the old-
time shopkeeper. Male or female, this person has
no true love or dedication to her profession. I mean,
it’s all sales, so who cares what’s being sold? T here’s
every chance you’ll see the assistant m anager o f
Ann Taylor hawking m usic as a MediaPlay clerk
next week. Such are the uncertainties o f a career in
the exciting world o f retail!
Options: “ Sm ile and sell! Sm ile and sell!” The
Chipper clerk really m eans it — or seem s to, at
any rate. Isn ’t she annoying? More often, her
Dronish counterpart waits on you as i f it were
an imposition. (Life sucks. Wonder w hat’s on T V
tonight?) Mall jobs tend to be held by fairly young
or rather old folks, so innocence (of one form or
another) som etim es comes with the territory. And
every so often, you’ll find a person like this working
at a goblin market, especially i f you wander into
Gunderm ann’s, the crossworld shopping mall.
Might the girl across the perfum e counter be a lost
Princess? Hey, they say anything’s possible in a
faerie tale!
Plots:
I A new store opens, offering incredible wages and
plenty o f hours. Why is it, then, that the staff seems
to change weekly?
^ That new place in the food court always has a line,
but I always feel kind o f funny after eating there.
I All was norm al and boring until he walked in. He
looked scared... terrified. The employee was the
only one there, and she couldn’t help but feel an
overwhelming sense o f com passion for him as he
came to the counter. Wide-eyed, he laid his hands
on the hard wood, looked into her eyes and said
four words that changed everything: “I need your
help...”
Possible Vocations
Primary: Influence plus one o f the following: Art,
Athletics, Craftsm anship, Domestic, Metaphysics
or Technology, depending on store and sales
experience
Secondary: Academia, Domestic, Languages
Other: whatever!
Potential Favors
Accords: Bodywork, H igh Ritual, Witchcraft
(depending on store)
Legacies: Burning Bright, Charm ing, Innocence
Wyrds: Hated, Obsession, Poverty, Sickly, Spacey
Che Milkman
Possible Motifs: Chipper, Inamorata, Innocent, Knight,
Rogue
Who Am I?: In some towns, the m ilkm an still delivers
ice-cold m ilk to your doorstep every day. A figure
out o f legend, he’s usually unseen. Like the
paperboy he resembles, the m ilkm an (or maid)
works while the world is quiet, when it’s too late to
be night but too early to be m orning. He keeps to
h im self as he does his rounds, content to work at
his own pace. Sometimes he’s swift, racing from
door to door like a relative o f Jack Frost; other times
he’s content to let each doorway come as it will.
Many strange things inhabit the m ilkm an’s twilight
world, but they rarely trouble him. Faeries, too, are
fond o f cold milk! Still, he is a twilight creature, and
his world often overlaps with the faeries’ own.
Options: Chipper m ilkm en show up on ads and old TV
shows: “ Hi, neighbor! Isn ’t it a great day?” Some
o f these folks actually exist, and their cheerfulness
attracts fey attention. The Inamorata enjoys this
attention, relaxing in his early-morning routine; the
Knight, in contrast, uses his innocuous presence
to watch over his protectorate. He m ight have
a m agical surprise or two, i f need be. And then
there’s the Rogue, who abuses his trust by leaving
nasty pranks and am ong the bottles. Yep, it takes all
kinds to do the m ilkm an’s job...
Plots:
^ Our m ilkm an gets given a new call to make on his
round: an old house with an ancient garden that’s
very easy to get lost in.
^ A trio o f sprites stow away in empty bottles picked
up on the round and wreak havoc along the route.
^ The m ilkm an is, in fact, a fey trickster like Jack
Frost, spreading m ischief from door to door...
Possible Vocations
Primary: Art (musical), Domestic, Technology
Secondary: Academia, Languages, Craftsm anship
Other: Metaphysics
 Potential Favors
Accords: Bodywork, H igh Ritual, Witchcraft
Legacies: Charm ing, Element Affinity, Empathy,
Fey-Fond
Wyrds: Fey-Cursed, Season
Pet
Possible Motifs: Beast, Cylebrity, Chipper, Knight,
Prince/ess, Rogue, W aif
Who Am I?: Ever notice how your cat watches the wall
where nothing is? Or hear your dog barking at
shadows? The anim als see things you don’t — and
given those superior powers o f perception, is it so
hard to im agine them as heroes in your faerie tale?
Stories like “ Puss-in-Boots” or The Incredible Journey
tell o f determined pets accom plishing great things.
W hy should your pet be any different? Watch her
paws twitch as she’s napping on your bed. Could it
be that she’s following a faerie in her dreams?
Options: Our heroic anim al m ight be a belanshay, a
m inor faerie in disguise or simply a very intelligent
animal with an uncom m on sense o f purpose. She
m ight be vicious at heart (a Beast) or a protector o f
her loved ones (the Knight). She m ight be one o f
those happy pets that cheers you up (Chipper), a
Rogue-ish prankster or an adorable Waif. At heart,
isn ’t every cat a Prince or Princess? Each dog a
Knight? Perhaps. And for a really obnoxious option,
she m ight be a Garfield-esque Cylebrity, star o f her
own TV show or line o f pet food. Grrr...
Plots:
i? Fluffy always barks at the glass door around the
same time every night. One night, you finally can’t
take it anymore and just have to take a look.
$ Where did Spot go...?
^ Stray animals have unknown histories. Often,
they’ve been someone else’s companion before they
became yours. So what i f that very odd owner came
to claim your faithful furry friend?
Possible Vocations
(See the appropriate Trait Templates, pages 90-92.)
Potential Favors
Accords: Faerie Wishcraft, Sham anism
Legacies: Empathy, Fang and Claw, Mindcasting,
Shape-Shifting, Sharp Senses, The Slip, Soulsight
Wyrds: Obsession, Psycho
*102
Shop Owner
Possible Motifs: Beast, Chrysalis, Chipper, Good
Parent, Innocent, Miracle Merchant
Who Am I?: Business is a passion. And in the case o f
the shop owner, that passion has produced a viable
living. He could be selling anything from groceries
to hardware supplies to fishing tackle to comic
books. It’s never an easy path to take, but the true
business owner doesn’t really care. H e’s his own
boss, and though the hours are long and the risks
are high, he’s doing what he loves... or at least
working at something he’s good at until a better
idea comes along.
Options: To run your own business, you m ust believe
in what you’re doing. It’s so m uch easier (and
cheaper) to work for someone else! So when you
run across the true entrepreneur, he’s a dedicated
guy. His shop may be spotless or shoddy, but i f he
wants to remain solvent, that shop has lots to offer.
The shop owner has a lot to offer, too. He might be
a budding chrysalis working on a dream that even
he doesn’t quite understand (who’d have thought
there was such a large market for weird flowers?) or
the archetypal monster-boss, busting asses for the
bottom line. His good mood m ight be infectious,
even irritating, or he m ight take employees under
his wing like a concerned father. It often takes an
innocent passion to leap into the uncertain realm
o f self-owned business — who else would take those
kinds o f risks? Meanwhile, the miracle merchant
knows that some things are m ore precious than
cash. Care to look around, sir? I’m sure we have
what you’re looking for...
Plots:
^ The new source for the jewelry she wanted for
the shop was fantastic! Everything she wanted in
quality and variety and at a reasonable price. All the
merchandiser had asked for was a lock o f hair in
return.
£ “Ah, no, sir. I don’t know where you can find Eye
o f Newt at this time o f night...”
^ The new shipm ent o f faerie statues were so
realistic they were disturbing. You could almost
picture them moving. Wait... did that wing just
twitch?
Possible Vocations
Primary: Influence, Domestic, other Vocations
related to his shop
Secondary: Academia, Technology
Other: Languages, Craftsm anship
 Potential Favors
Accords: Artisanship, Spincrafting
Legacies: Charm ing, Burning Bright, Fey-Fond,
Wealth
Wyrds: Addiction, Obsession
Stage M agician
Possible Motifs: Beast, Cylebrity, Neomancer, Rogue,
Witch, Young Talent
Who Am I?: Now you see him , and now you don’t!
The m agician thrives on the crowd, reveling
in each ooooh! and aaaah ! A natural trickster
with consum m ate skill, he lives in the world o f
illusion and grandeur. M aking the ordinary seem
extraordinary for a few m om ents at a time is his
favorite game; he enjoys m aking you question the
very world around you. The ultimate question,
though, is this: though the stage m agician may
make you believe in magic, does he?
Options: A glamorous m agician could become world-
fam ous, achieving David Blaine-style cylebrity.
Most m agicians, though, are more roguish, playing
tricks for the fun o f it. On the darker side, this kind
o f trickster m ay have villainous intentions, even
practicing black m agic or unsavory deceptions.
Ideally, though, our m agician may be a young
sorcerer or a budding Harry Potter just waiting for
the m om ent when the im possible becomes real.
Plots:
^ The Devil went down to Georgia... but this time
instead o f a fiddle, he brought a deck o f cards and a
few doves.
^ The spell w asn ’t supposed to make the volunteer
from the audience really disappear...
£ Playing with m agic but not believing in magic can
be a dangerous combination. It’s all tricks with
wires and sleight-of-hand, isn ’t it?
Possible Vocations
Primary: Influence, Metaphysics, Technology
Secondary: Academia, Athletics, Art, Craftsm anship
Other: Domestic, Languages, Martial
Potential Favors
Accords: Faerie Wishcraft, H igh Ritual,
Spincrafting, Witchcraft
Legacies: Burning Bright, Charming, Empathy,
Fame, Heirloom, The Slip, Wealth
Wyrds: Addiction, Curse, Hated, Haunted,
Obsession, Psycho, Sickly
Cecrcher
Possible Motifs: Bard, Beast, Drone, Faerie Godmother,
Good Parent, Knight, Negatist, Wayfarer
Who Am I?: I f you can read this, thank your teacher
— if you can even rem em ber his name! To kids,
teachers are the dark gods o f their world, imparting
information and denying you your freedom. Later
on, they become influences in all the best and worst
ways. A truly great teacher can pull you from the
edge o f suicide, inspire you to write or give you
something to live for beyond the streets. A crappy
one can sour you on learning, wreck your self­
esteem or take crim inal advantage o f authority. The
worst teachers o f all, though, are boring. You can’t
recall a single thing from the endless days behind
your desk, not even the name chalked up for you all
year.
Options: The best (and, some would say, worst)
teachers are born to do what they do. The good
ones inspire and the bad ones discourage, but most
o f them have a definite impact on young lives.
Driven by passion or paycheck, a teacher m ight be
a m onster (perhaps literally — you know what kids
say!) or a savior (“H e ’s the only one I can talk to who
understands!’). Most fall between the two extremes,
creating a background for their students’ lives. But
what about their lives away from the classroom?
In his spare time, a teacher could be an academic,
a recluse, a perform er or even an adventurer
(don’t forget Professor Jones!). In no case, though,
should such significant people be underestimated.
Sometimes, the m ost important heroes are those
within the shadows.
Plots:
^ Teachers are often confidants, role models and
leaders. That trust can be mislaid, however, and
slowly lured down a dark path. You m ay have a
teacher w ho’s the proverbial Big Bad W olf — i f you
do, it m ay take an equally determined W olf to win
those children back!
^ His student was having a rough time o f it. Violent
parents, bitter home, failing grades, dangerous
friends. Then that thing happened, and he couldn’t
stand aside any longer.
$ The little kids said that Mr. Taylor ate failing
students after school. This time around, they
weren’t wrong...
 Possible Vocations
Primary: Academia, Influence, Languages
Secondary: Art, Athletics, Domestic, Technology
Other: Craftsm anship, Martial (especially in inner-
city schools), Metaphysics (especially in private
schools)
Potential Favors
Accords: Artisanship, Bodywork, H igh Ritual,
Sham anism , Witchcraft
Legacies: Burning Bright, Charm ing, Mindcasting,
Soulsight, Sharp Senses
Wyrds: Hated, Obsession, Poverty
Cink
Possible Motifs: Bard, Dark Lord/Queen, Faerie Singer,
Freak, Inamorata, Innocent, Knight, Primitivist,
Urban Tribalist, Waif, Witch, Young Talent
Who Am I?: Faeries are real, and
I ’m one o f them! So says
this glittery child o f
the New Era.
Fascinated by the romantic w him sy o f the Faerie
world (or at least the popular conception o f it!), she
dons wings and face paint to bring som e m agic to
our dreary realm.
Like punks, gangstas and other rebel subcultures,
the tinks originated with a m usic scene — in this
case, the Celtic/progressive rock wave that rose
out o f the U K in the 19 6 0 s. Com bining with the
hippie, Gothic, rave, neopagan, Renfaire and heavy
metal subcultures throughout the last few decades,
these tinkerbells devour Froud the way greasers
devour Elvis. Like Elvis fans, tinks have faerie
sightings — and in m any cases, those sightings are
real. Predominantly female, these glitter children
embrace the wonderful chaos o f existence. Though
often painfully naive — especially on the subject
o f Faerie and its Folk! — they’re a welcome relief
from the dour tone o f their rebellious peers.
Picture an Am y Brown painting come
to life, and you have our tink. Sassy and
mischievous, she’ll toss glitter all over
your room just because. She’s
probably an artist, student,
perform er or Renfaire
wench, m ost likely
under 25 and flirtatious
as hell. She’s got a few
male counterparts, most
o f whom are proudly gay;
a handful, though, aspire to
Legolian heroics and prefer the
term “Pans” to “tinks.” Gathered
into groups (often for safety!),
tinks hit malls, fairs, concerts
and clubs together. Most seem utterly
ridiculous to outsiders, but that’s the
point. Flamboyance is their way o f life. To
our tink, m undanes are too old to enjoy life’s
wonders.
As you can imagine, our tink gets into lots o f
trouble. Real faeries find her both am using and
pathetic. Most mortals think she’s demented.
Our tink’s probably young enough to get away
with her eccentricities, but after college it’s hard
to pull this sort o f thing o ff unless she works at
Renfaires or New Age bookstores. Her glitter may
hide a sense o f desperation, too — m any tinks
have dysfunctional lives and private addictions. The
tension between bright fantasy and harsh reality
(even the reality o f Faerieland itself) lends both
 sadness and defiance to the tink demeanor. Ij the
world refuses to be magic, she often thinks, I ’ll still
make my little corner o f it m agical!
Options: Most tinks consider themselves bards;
the occasional tink becom es one for real. More
often, though, they enchant the Cousins with
vivid imagination and artistic talent, becom ing
Inamoratas, Young Talents or Faerie Singers.
Chances are good that our tink is a willful Innocent
or Waif, lost (often deliberately!) in the Dark Woods
and searching for a Prince Charm ing or a W olf to
guide her. Occasionally, though, you’ll see a brave
Knight or Primitivist underneath the glitter. To
most mortals, our tink’s a real Freak — a sentiment
she m ight actually share. That outsider status may
turn to rage, too, birthing a Dark Lord/Queen or
a vindictive Witch. Not all faeries are sweetness
and light, and some tinks prefer a shadow court
demeanor to the sunshine!
Note : In Japan — and several US cities too — tinks
have counterparts in the anim e/ m anga/ cosplay
subculture. In tiiis case, the cosplayers (or layers)
are m ore intrigued by an east-west pop fusion than
by classical European faerie lore but possess m any
o f the sam e quirks and virtues o f the tinks.
Plots:
^ “ So you wish to live a faerie tale, do you? Very
well... take my hand and let us create one..."
I When real faeries hang with tinks, the results can
be am using... or tragic... or terrifying... or all three
at once...
$ Let’s say you loved faeries so deeply that you
wanted to become one. Let’s say someone offered
you that chance. What would you do to take them
up on the offer...?
Possible Vocations
Primary: Academics, Art, Metaphysics
Secondary: Influence, Technology
Other: Domestic, Martial (swords, o f course!)
Potential Favors
Accords: Bodywork, Faerie W ishcraft, Spincrafting,
Witchcraft
Legacies: Bardic Gift, Charm, Empathy, Fey-Fond
Wyrds: Addiction, Poverty, Obsession, Season,
Secret Nem esis
Cruck Driver
Possible Motifs: Bard, Beast, Drone, Good Parent,
Knight, Miracle Merchant, Primitivist,
Rogue, Wayfarer
Who Am I?: Only when you've run with the steel
ghosts o f the buffalo herds can you understand
the myth o f Am erica. Sure, every country has its
truck drivers, but the m en and w om en who cross
the Land o f Automobiles have a closer tie to that
land than most. Caged in an air-conditioned home-
away-from-home, these folks feed the nation with
their rigs. It’s a big job, and it demands big people
to do it. Eye strain, bad backs, 3:00 AM showers in
Albuquerque truck stops — it’s all part o f the job.
So hoist a cup o f coffee to the modern cowboys and
cowgirls! And remember: legends live on the open
road.
Options: It’s only natural that a truck driver could be a
Bard — he’s got all the time in the world to learn
and collect good stories! Film s like Duel show his
Beast side, what happens when m an and m achine
become one anonymous threat. More often,
though, he’s a Good Parent or a Knight, providing
for his loved ones or helping strangers on the road.
Because only a trucker can understand his lot, this
Old West throwback can be a bit o f a Primitivist...
and a Rogue, as well! You never know quite where
he’s going, either; our trucker m ight be carrying
some wares for the Palenoch or their otherworldly
rivals. At heart, however, the truck driver is a
Wayfarer, always singing the highway song to the
next job or adventure...
Plots:
$ H e’s not supposed to ask questions, but no smart
trucker drives unknown cargo. So he took a look
inside — and wishes that he hadn’t!
I Weird things happen in Big Sky Country after
midnight. Crossways open, and a m an m ight greet
the m orning stranded in the year 1865, with a big
rig and bigger problems.
^ Big Trouble in Little China gets a 2 i st-century remake
as our trucker stumbles into a feud between
otherworldly entities and their mortal allies.
Possible Vocations
Primary: Craftsmanship, Technology
Secondary: Domestic, Martial, Languages
Other: Academia, Influence, Metaphysics
Potential Favors
Accords: Artisanship, Bodywork, Spincrafting
Legacies: Empathy, Sharp Senses
Wyrds: Addiction, Fugitive, Obsession, Psycho

People Chat
You Meet
It all began when my father bought
me a castle. Sure, it was plastic, but
that castle had everything: drawbridge,
dungeon, a big stone keep and manor
house, towers, arrow-slits, the whole
nine yards. The castle came with tons
of plastic silver knights, and Dad
gave me bags of other knights in three
different colors: red, white and blue.
He gave me little green Vikings, too,
and dragons and a king. The set even
came with a Princess to fight over.
It was great! Is it any wonder I'm
romantic?
So that's why do what I do now.
And why I'm strapping on this armor.
The enemy's not plastic now, and I
know I could get killed. But if I [earned
anything from that plastic castle, it's
that romance really means something.
Wish nie luck. And hey — if I
survive, will you be my Princess1
When We Have Faces
The bones grow skin. The blank slates have been
filled in. The following plug-and-play characters could fit
any role in your Circle’s saga — supporting cast, heroes,
inspirations for other ideas, even antagonists. Given the
right m agnetism , these folks could turn toward any point
on the moral compass. Although they’re m ore or less
decent folks, everyone has an inner bastard keeping his
inner hero company!
Kira Feder
Motif: Princess/Good Parent
Tell Me a Story:
Once t here was a girl who built
a t all/ tall tower to escape from her
demons. At the top of the tower, she
dreamed that she might watch ti^e
clouds as they passed, or speak to the
birds, or learn to float as high as the
moon, she spent seven years building
the tower with determination and
her bare hands — but when she
climbed to the top, she found
that her demons had climbed
with far/ and now it was too late to climb down.
Tell Me Who You Are: Money. Respect. Access. Kira might
not be passionate about her job at Miller and Miller (a law
firm that handles investments, inheritances and trusts
for some very special clients), but she doesn’t m ind the
perks! Kira’s got a knack for handling m oney that’s nearly
magical, and her thousand-watt smile m akes sure the
clients fall into line. Her determination to make good (and
to do it on her own merits, not her fam ily’s money) has
gotten her exactly where she wants to be.
Not that everything’s all sunshine and roses, o f
course. Kira’s personal life tends to be as m uch o f a mess
as her professional life is a success. She dates good-
looking, wealthy, accomplished m en — and can’t figure
out why she’s bored out o f her wits h alf the time. Her
friends are a m uch more eclectic bunch (some o f them are
downright weird), but Kira’s not quite ready to give up on
her dream o f a well-educated, clean-cut, successful prince.
Her fam ily’s even worse than her love life, though: Her
deadbeat Uncle Alex is being investigated by her firm, her
m other’s a polite but hopeless drunk and her little sister
is running with a very bad crowd. As long as no one finds
out, Kira thinks she can handle it — but she can’t bear to
be pitied or, worse, looked down on. Somehow, she thinks,
she’ll keep all the demons in line.
b
 Tell Me What You Can Do: Kira’s greatest assets
are her cleverness and charm, particularly when it comes
to using words to get her way. Her knowledge o f the law
is also a big help, especially when she finds h erself in
situations that are (or at least look!) very hinky. At her
worst, she’s been called senselessly stubborn, but that
same determination m akes her a terrific ally and a faithful
friend.
Show Me:
Obstacles: Afraid to fail; stubborn; cares too much
about what other people m ight think.
Passions: Wants to be respected and respectable
(not always the sam e thing!); fiercely independent; loyal.
Secrets: Kira’s pulled some extra-legal strings to
keep her sister from getting in too m uch trouble; she’s
terrified that she m ight become an alcoholic herself,
someday; and she’s got a hankering for Prince Ram ous II
but won’t admit it, because he’s not her type.
Jillian, Che Princess of Pain
Motif: Faerie Singer, W aif
Tell Me a Story:
You see that gray house '*
down the street? T^e one with
tl)e tal[ tower and the white roses
that nearly cover the porch?
That's where she lives, she's odd,
that one. Ne^er speaks above a
whisper, yet those wild kids listen to
like she was giving away candy with every
word.
Rumor has it that when the moon is
right, she carries a canvas to t he overgrown
garden and paints things that aren't there.
Things that only a blind girl can see. I haven't seen her
paintings, mind you, but I'm told they're a little creepy, with
figures that seem to breathe. Could be stuff and nonsense, but
you only have to look at the girl to see something isn't quite
right about her.
Tell Me Who You Are: Jillian’s fragile face, delicate
frame, long blonde hair, pale skin and rose-tinted glasses
give credence to the rum ors that she’s odd, cool and
unapproachable. Yet she really isn ’t nearly as odd as she
is shy around people outside her comfort zone. This
reputation has its perks, however: Despite Rosewood’s
rather rough neighborhood and Jillian’s young age o f 17,
she seems to be the only resident o f the house who can
walk to the corner m arket without being harassed.
For the past year, however, Jillian has had problems
sleeping due to strangely vivid dreams o f a mirrored
107
palace. Lately, those visions have transcended dreams; now
they plague her waking hours, too, and give her peace only
when she com m its the visions in her m ind’s eye to canvas.
Where do they come from? And m ight their eerie quality
reflect som ething m ore real than dreams?
Tell Me What You Can Do: A resident o f Rosewood
Hom e for Children for as long as she can remember,
J illian is seen by the staff as a sort o f miracle worker with
the younger children. Refusing to let her inability to see
m ore than vague outlines hinder her, she pulls her weight
by taking on the roles o f storyteller, game-player, boo-boo
kisser and cookie m aker o f the house.
A few months ago, while cleaning the tower room,
Jillian found the antique rosewood painting case with
am azing pigments she can actually see. Her untapped
potential combined with the magical pigments has
unleashed a great talent, though she’s determined to keep
it hidden from the world for fear it will be taken away from
her.
Although she’s untrained and has never truly
studied art, Jillian is a gifted painter. Her odd demeanor
is enhanced, however, by her habit o f using her own hair
as paintbrushes. Not wanting to make a fuss, she’s been
snipping at the ends o f her hair to make detail brushes for
her painting, leaving paint-smudged strands o f irregular
length. Sometimes, Jillian doesn’t snip them at all and just
uses the ends for finishing touches. The oil from her paint
can take weeks to wash out fully, so the ends o f her hair
are often o f varying textures and colors. Some kids call her
"M um m y Medusa,” but they probably mean it in a good way.
When night takes the house and carries the other
occupants o ff to sleep, Jillian im agines she hears voices
beckoning her to the tower room. Voices that w on’t be
quiet until she pulls out the mysterious antique rosewood
painting case — a gift from the house faeries who were
enchanted with her inner light.
Show Me:
Obstacles: Legally blind; lonely and shy, with a duty-
first outlook; insomnia, sleepwalking and waking dreams.
Passions: To assuage the loneliness o f the other
orphaned children o f the house so that they don’t feel as
lonely and alienated growing up as she did; to protect and
nurture the children and staff o f Rosewood; and to paint
the scenes that haunt her dreams in hopes that they’ll
eventually reveal their nature.
Secrets: Jillian fears that someone — maybe even
the faeries — will take her paints away; she hopes to stay
in the home all her life, as she’s afraid o f trying to get by in
the world; and she has seen the house and neighborhood
faeries and isn ’t quite sure whether they’re real or not.
Pcrmous 11 , Prince of Cats (Belanshay)
Heartsong: Majestic
Guises: Anim al, Beauty, Lord
Tell Me A Story:
You'd tf?ink he'd acknowledge the mere mortals who
wait on him hand and foot,, but no — he reposes calmly by
the Lumina Cafe's bay window; watching everything
and waiting for humans to pour his drink and fetch his
food. At night, he ventures out to personally
survey his territory... and you'd better
not cross him, or his claws will emerge.
t he time the city sparrows are waking)
he's back with a few scratches and not a
word to utter for it. Just another day to
follow) dissecting passers-by
and courtiers with his siitted,
: emerald eyes, if cats do rule
the world, then Ramous
II knows that he's a
prince!
Tell Me Who You Are: Prince by birth, Ramous II
controls all his subjects with a firm paw. An enormous,
m uscled black Abyssinian short-hair with ice-green eyes,
Ram ous is handsom e even by feline standards and has
m any kittens to show for it. His real m ark o f distinction,
however, is that, like all Upper Cat Royalty, he has ten
— not nine — lives as a foundation for his power. Should
Ram ous lose one life in a scuffle, he would forfeit m ost o f
Where are
the Stats?
Most o f the characters in this section could
be considered Skillful or Very Skillful Adults, and
the fey am ong them could be considered Familiar
Faeries or Mysterious Strangers. However, for the
sake o f drama, space and cross-game compatibility
(not to mention keeping the traits hidden from
inquisitive players!), w e’ve focused these entries on
personalities, not traits. To obtain game
traits for each character, go to:
www.laughingpan.com/deliria/everydayheroes
and download full character sheets for
each o f these individuals.
4 108
his magic, become a commoner, and his enem ies would
close in. Should he somehow gain another — he would be
the third-known King o f Cats, and even more adversaries
would gather. Needless to say, Ram ous prefers political
matters as they currently are.
By day, Ram ous II lives in the Lum ina Cafe, a tiny
health food bar so exclusive it takes reservations seven
weeks in advance. Apparently indolent, Ram ous actually
eavesdrops from his traditional window spot on every word
those wealthy patrons utter. If, a little later, a mysteriously
attractive, black-haired foreigner makes a modest fortune
acting on private information, what o f it? To be fair,
Ram ous also ensures that no one harm s his regulars or
starts trouble within the Cafe. His nocturnal jaunts often
comprise nothing m ore than keeping order in the lives
o f these fortunate few, who themselves know nothing
more than that m oney pours down whenever they conduct
business at their lucky breakfast place. Should anyone
whom Ram ous II considers his subject abuse the privilege
o f having him as their Prince, he will devastate their
financial holdings and turn his back on them for good.
Tell Me What You Can Do: Ram ous II is first a
charmer, then a schemer, and finally, when cornered,
a vicious fighter. With ten lives, and not one to lose, he
has to be. He can also shape-change into a devastatingly
exotic male hum an to better serve his needs. Sometimes
this ability complicates his life — after all, no one who
had seen him would forget his face or actions. A s a result,
Ramous stays feline most o f the time, even though it
means he cannot talk with hum an speech — only listen,
use body language and employ the wordless eloquence o f
cats.
Show Me:
Obstacles: Pride. Caught in a mistake — or heaven
forbid — something foolish, Ram ous II, like all cats,
calmly claims, “ I meant to do that;” he also (even in
hum an form) has an irrational hatred o f toy squirt-guns
and a phobia o f electric vacuum cleaners (Shimm erlings
and hum an day-laborers keep the Cafe that is Ram ous II’s
castle spotless by other means); finally, Ram ous can be
flattered sham elessly — he adores the adoration o f others.
Passions: Pretty faces, even i f he’ll leave them by
the next dawn; fine seafood and heavy cream; monitoring
gossip and profiting from same.
Secrets: Somewhere on his body, even when he
takes another form, grows a single white hair. The person
who finds and plucks it will know the Cat Prince utterly.
In order to regain his freedom, Ram ous II m ust give seven
years o f loyal service, after which that plucked white hair
would dissolve and a new hair would grow in somewhere
else. Because o f this, Ram ous detests being picked up
*
and petted and stands m ore aloof o f intimate company
than regular felines. What would eventually happen to the
presum ptuous fool who dared hold any Cat Prince against
his will after the seven years ended? Well, let’s say that the
legends are spectacularly unpleasant. Still, Ram ous II takes
few chances where this secret is concerned.
Robert Cucker
Motif: Good Parent
Tell Me a Story:
I don't know how he does it — I'd'i>e killed the brats
by now and sold their bodies for medical parts.
But no, all Robert does is just nod and say, "Mr.
Gorall told me to take care of them, and he was
a good man." Mr. Gorall was a rich eccentric
who should have had the sense to leave
his money to Robert, not those
juvenile delinquents from his first
marriage! And I hear that Lydia,
Gorall's second wife, is none too
fond of the little monsters either,
w h y does he put up with them?
And how?
Tell Me Who You Are: Never has there existed a
more faithful hum an butler than Robert Tucker, who
stepped in to adopt Jasper and Felicity — two half-grown
children — when Sam Gorall (Robert’s wealthy and
secretive employer) m ysteriously died just seven days
after m arrying Lydia, a gorgeous and m uch younger-
looking wife. In the faerie tale tradition o f stepmothers,
said wife did not take kindly to her husband’s original
son and daughter once the deceased parent could no
longer defend his offspring, so said children ran to the
only other fam iliar face they knew — loyal Robert. Lydia
took remarkably little interest in the improm ptu fam ily
the three outcasts had form ed until the reading o f the will
several months later, when people realized that Gorall had
left his m oney and m ansion to Jasper and Felicity.
Then Robert showed his true colors. In the face o f
the newly-pregnant Lydia's wrath, Robert stood his ground
with lawyers (and later courts) for the children, even
though he h im self inherited nothing. Never for a m om ent
did anyone think he’d actually win, but Robert made both
enemies and adm irers by throwing Lydia out o f the house
and cutting her o ff from all access to her late husband’s
estate. He even hired investigators to dig into the new
widow’s past, but so far the little bits that have surfaced
only hint that Lydia was m ore sinister than she appears.
Lydia isn ’t the only one with secrets. Robert’s
devotion to Gorall’s children stems in part from Gorall’s
secrets. A neom ancer with a penchant for inventive
sorcery, Robert’s late employer had enough skeletons
in his closet to form a xylophone band. Those secrets
enriched Gorall but probably led to both his death and his
involvement with Lydia. Given the nature o f certain pacts
and experiments, there’s a chance that Sam ’s offspring
may have inherited not only their father’s property but his
interests, obligations and possibly other things as well.
Robert genuinely loves the children, but his concern for
them may also come from a fear o f what m ight happen
without his supervision.
Tell Me What You Can Do: Being a professional
butler m eans that Robert has mastered both the diplomacy
to open social doors and the forcefulness to shut them
i f need be. In all ways, he remains a quality servant who
knows how to make things happen. These days, however,
his acum en is often focused on keeping Jasper and Felicity
out o f trouble with the cops. Even the most enraged
authorities stop to listen to Robert’s eloquent apologies and
explanations, and often — m uch to their disgruntlement
— have to admit that letting Robert’s little darlings live just
one more day isn ’t such a bad idea.
Show Me:
Obstacles: Robert will do anything to protect
his adopted children; as a result, he runs h im self into
the ground without realizing it, and then needs days
to recuperate; understandably, Robert has developed a
fondness for brandy, and though that’s not a problem yet,
it may become one shortly. He isn ’t blind to the fact that
the pair’s frequent encounters with the law indicate they
need psychiatric adjustment, but Robert w on’t push to get
them medicated for fear that Lydia would somehow seize
the occasion to have them committed — or worse, legally
put under her personal care.
Passions: To have the fam ily he never had a
chance to create on his own. Robert’s parents were loving,
accomplished teachers at a local university before they died
in a car accident. Robert longs to pass on to his adopted
children everything those parents taught to him. He also
believes that saving a child from mistreatment provides an
avenue toward saving the larger world; and although h e’s
too m uch o f a gentleman to admit it, Robert would love to
see Lydia get a powerful taste o f poetic justice.
Secrets: Robert is actually dying o f cancer and
knows that Bad Things will happen i f anyone — m ost o f
all Lydia — finds out. Doctors have told Robert that he can
expect three to five m ore years: just long enough to see the
kids o ff to college with a fighting chance o f surviving on
their own. Meanwhile, Robert keeps his head shaved so
no one will notice the hair loss from chemo and hides his
physical exhaustion by doing lots o f sedentary tasks like
reading in the m ansion library. Through all this reading,
o f course, he has come across som e extremely strange
books, which, i f they’re true, hint o f disturbing fam ily
matters that m ay not ever leave the Gorall children alone.
Fluppy (Shimmerling)
Heartsong: Nurturing
Guises: Anim al, Critter, Toy
Tell Me a Story:
I swear) that little boy bolds
on to tl)at dog as if it were real.
He even talks to it! I swear)
children are so adorable witl7
tljeir toys! Can you imagine if
the stuffed dog could talk back?
Tell Me Who You Are: Fluppy
is a green toy dog that has seen better
days. H e’s spent almost as m uch time in the washing
m achine as in his child’s bed. Even so, he’s loved with the
kind o f love that faerie tales are made of. And so, Fluppy
has become a faerie tale in his own right. Im bued with a
strong spark o f life, he has become the embodiment o f the
old Velveteen Rabbit story. But Fluppy isn ’t just alive for his
own sake; no, he's the sworn protector o f his boy. When
no one — not even his boy — is looking, Fluppy moves
through the house, guarding the fam ily from the thousand
small evils that m ight bring his boy to harm.
A grand protector o f the innocent, Fluppy has
had several owners, all o f them young boys. H e’s seen
everything from thunderstorms to fights to divorce
or faerie attack. Fluppy knows m ore than anyone
im agines he could, and he protects his companion
at all costs... even i f this m eans becom ing not a
sweet and innocent toy dog. W hen he needs them,
Fluppy has fangs and courage. Y ou’d be amazed at
what a com m on stuffed animal, infused with a child’s
love and trust, can do!
Tell Me What You Can Do: Fluppy gets around. He
often disappears, then shows up again where no one could
have placed him. How did he get behind the couch? A n d on
that shelf? Son, how did your toy w ind up in m y sock drawer?
Only Fluppy knows the answers, and who expects a stuffed
dog to talk?
When he needs them, Fluppy has a set o f teeth like
any normal dog. He never moves quickly unless he must,
but he’s a match for any dog his size... some even larger.
Show Me:
Obstacles: Fluppy moves but cannot speak or even
make a sound; he’s also rather small and easily-forgotten,
occasionally left behind unless someone takes ownership
o f him ; he can’t use any o f his special traits unless he is
owned by an innocent.
Passions: Fluppy safeguards innocents; he’s an
attentive listener and is ideal when someone needs a toy
to cuddle or cry with; Fluppy protects dreams, too, and
guards against the nightm ares o f Kid Fear faeries.
Secrets: Fluppy moves, thinks and bites things on
occasion; he dreads the day when he’ll be discarded (it’s
happened m any times) and fears each time that this
will be the last time. Worse, Fluppy fears being left in a
box or an attic to rot. His life-magic will fade away if he
goes too long without someone who loves him.
Brian Mandred
Motif: Innocent/ Inamorata
Tell Me a Story:
You f;ear what happened at Sasho's Market yesterday1
Man1, three old biddies were arguing over the last pack
of portabella mushrooms like those things was diamonds!
Meanwhile\, Brian's trying to sweep up around there. Finally)
he can't stand the racket anymore, so he heads over and he
says, "Yo, girls, what's the deal?" So the wrinkle-bags insist
he has to pick which one of them's the most beautiful! Now,
Brian knows that Sasho'd turn on his Dad if he upsets a
customer, so he just smoothes it up. "A ll three of you are
charming girls," he says, "but I can't decide on that kinda stu
till after our third date!" Them three prunes all glare at eacI
other, nod and leave without sayin' nothing else.
So then, around closing, who comes through Sasho's
door but supermodel Katriona Davis — and get
this: she's looking for Brian! "I like Italian
food, and you look yummy," she says.
Can you get THAT?! And she
smiles to Sasho and says "Don't
worry, I'll have him back and
in one piece by dawn." And,
check it out, Brian goes off
in her limo! Turns out those
grannies all have famous nieces
or something. And now Brian's
got to decide which one of them
is the most beautiful. Huh! Some
guys just got it goin' on!
Tell Me Who You Are: All’s fair in love and war
— and even am ong hum ans, they can am ount to the
same thing. Brian Mandred is about to find out that
m eddling in faerie affairs could be the death o f him — or
worse. Fortunately, Brian has grown up in a multicultural
neighborhood ripe with stories o f what can happen when
Cousins ask innocent bystanders to settle their disputes. I f
he can get over the shock o f being flown around the world
by private jet, dragon and enchanted carpet long enough
to remem ber what so-and-so’s grandma told him and the
other kids for bedtime stories, there’s a good chance he’ll
come out o f this okay!
Appearance-wise, Brian is one o f those average-
looking guys who gets past everyone’s defenses; by the end
o f a conversation, people walk o ff thinking h e’s handsom e.
Brian knows this and uses his talent to his advantage.
Needless to say, his charm is quickly becom ing a double-
edged sword as he adds to his lengthening list o f admirers!
Tell Me What You Can Do: Used to unreasonable
demands ranging from lowering the price o f tomatoes
to handing over the cash box, Brian can talk his way out
o f almost any scrape. H auling cum bersom e wooden
crates from m orning delivery trucks has also left Brian
in decent physical shape — which he puts to use when
kicking out shoplifters. Brian tolerates his impatient
boss Sasho because Brian’s Dad was big on finding a
way to pay for next year’s college tuition. Brian wants to
become a businessm an and have a life beyond what the
ghetto offers. A smart guy with discipline issues, Brian’s
not an “A ” student, but he’s not an “F ” one, either. And
because customers in Sasho’s Market speak half-a-dozen
languages, Brian can get by almost anywhere using hand
gestures, expressions and tone o f voice.
Show Me:
Obstacles: Brian has a sarcastic streak that
occasionally slips through his polite, customer-oriented
surface; playing word games with faeries who are m uch
better at such pursuits than he is (or worse, who m ight
take him seriously!) can get him in a lot o f trouble! On
that subject, Brian is a ladies’ m an, currently juggling
two hum an girls and three aelden ones; sooner or later,
everyone’s going to find out about everyone else — and
then it’s going to take some fancy footwork for Brian to get
out with his skin intact!
Passions: Brian likes working num bers and playing
odds; he loves to one-up other folks, and he’s good at; he’s
a dead sucker for a pretty face/bod/attitude/whatever.
Secrets: Brian’s in so m any romantic relationships
with wom en because he’s at least bi-sexual — if
not outright gay — but too terrified to admit it (his
neighborhood is not what you’d call enlightened about
such matters!). He keeps hoping to find the right girl who
will m ake him “norm al”, but it’s getting harder every year.
Should the truth come out, there’ll be a long line o f angry,
disappointed fem ales after him — and an even longer line
o f hopeful males.
Lu Cooncrn
Motif: Knight
Tell Me A Story:
Did you see the skinny) red-
haired Chinese chick] I mean, like■,
what's up with incoming freshmen?
Last week 1 cm$ht her in Raven's ^
Park, reciting Aristophanes to the
bronze statues. Afterward) she
visited my dorm to help me with
Calculus like she'd offered. Maybe
she's taking Debate and practicing
voice projection? I felt too awkward
to ask — like something stopped me.
Funny thing, though! I passed by
Raven's Park today) and I don't
remember those stupid statues grinning
anything at all like they are now...
Tell Me Who You Are: With her Irish father’s
lucky streak backed by her Chinese m other’s sense
o f honor, Lu Coonan takes quiet pride in keeping
prom ises to her teachers, employers and friends.
Striking but not beautiful, Lu has long abandoned
hope that any amount o f make-up will transmute her
bean-pole frame into a front-page temptress. Instead,
Lu focuses on sharpening the solid intellect that V
floored college adm issions boards and feeds a dogged
determination to make something o f h erself even i f it
entails holding down crappy odd jobs to pay bills that her
merit scholarships won’t touch.
With her definite goals and strong personality, Lu
should be on solid footing. Unfortunately, stupid hum an
prejudice turned Lu’s waking life into the inside o f a food
processor. A tenured professor with anti-Asian issues got
huffy that a biracial female like Lu wanted to be a lawyer
instead o f a janitor. Lu ignored the w om an’s insults and
then made the mistake o f studying extra-hard to get to the
top o f the class. Three months after this silent war broke
out, the prof pulled strings. Lu lost her m erit scholarship
and with it all hope o f affording college.
Lu promised her father that she’d graduate in
four years. Running home to Hong Kong would shame
her household, because Lu’s fam ily boasts to envious
neighbors that the school pays for Lu’s education and that
Lu is too smart to need loans. Still, Lu understands that
she’s a m onth's rent from breaking down and working
full-time — a choice that would leave her barely enough
time to sleep and no time to study. Cam pus employment
abounds but consists o f the m enial labor that Lu’s enem y
hopes to drive her to accept. And so, rather than bind
h erself to a 40-hour work week or hum iliating poverty,
Lu has hired on with a nice but decidedly strange temp
agency.
Right now, Lu rem ains desperate but creative
— and i f that new temp agency she works for demands
that Lu perform increasingly odd but also increasingly
lucrative tasks, she’ll put up with her current situation.
After all, they’ve never yet asked Lu to do anything against
her honor...
Tell Me What You Can Do: Not only is Lu
honorable, intelligent and mildly lucky, she’s also a
virgin, waiting for the right person. This is a powerful
combination — m aking Lu a desirable participant in
breaking and m aking certain types o f spells — though
Lu’s ignorant about what she’s become involved with. No
martial arts master, Lu is a mildly athletic bookworm who
understands that paranormal things happened centuries
ago in far-off lands to other people.
Eventually, Lu hopes to be a lawyer, not a maid. To
this end, she binds h erself to the fine print in contracts.
This makes her deal very strictly with what normal people
see. Therefore, though Lu thinks the temp agency she
works for is flaky enough for breakfast cereal, she’s got no
idea that she is fast becom ing a prized servant o f faeries.
There’s m ore than fine print in Lu Coonan’s life. She
hasn’t quite realized that yet, but the time when she does
isn ’t far away.
Show Me:
Obstacles: Once she gives her word, Lu will do
almost anything not to break it; she’s broke and living
in the city, and she has a very Chinese sense o f face — a
fact that puts her at an advantage with some folks and a
disadvantage with others.
Passions: To be the rarest o f all creatures in about
any world: an honest lawyer; to find a loving and respectful
partnership; and to sweeten life for her younger cousin, Ty.
Secrets: Lu is a virgin college student living in a big
city; she has not told her fam ily about her lost scholarship;
but one huge secret, m ore than any other thing, drives
m ost aspects o f her life: At age twelve, Lu promised that
she would baby-sit for her Aunt Wen, then weaseled out o f
the thankless job by claim ing she was sick. A replacement
sitter arrived, but he shook baby Ty hard enough to harm
the infant. Now, when Lu looks at her mentally-impaired
younger cousin, she knows what the slightest dereliction o f
duty m ight cause.
111
Cory Wright
Motif: Inamorata... perhaps
Tell Me a Story:
Cork's oh bis last
warning. I bad to
write bim up again
last nigbt for burning
two meals and giving
me a bard time when I
took bim aside about it. I
know tbe kid's smart, but
be bas no ambition. Not tbat
ambition is a real qualification for
working beret God knows/
can't at least keep bis moutb sbut and bis
eye on bis work, be's out of bere.
Tell Me Who You Are: “You want fries with
that?” Not the career Cory would have chosen.
But with a $300-a-m0nth student loan payment
and a crappy economy, you do what you have to
do. The hours are awful and the pay is worse, )
but until something else comes along... it still
sucks.
Cory knows he can do better. His grades attest to it.
He graduated in the top 10 % o f his class back at Radford
High, and he kept a steady 3.8 at Randell Tech. But that
pretty piece o f English Lit/ Psychology on his wall isn ’t
doing him any good yet. H e’s not gonna stay this way,
though. Nope. In the few hours he’s got been two jobs
and sleep, Cory’s been working on a self-help book. With
S N A P * (*San e Natural Authentic Psychology) Back into
Shape, he hopes to inaugurate a new approach to popular
therapy. But writing books is hard work, and until some
publisher feels like m aking him the next Dr. Phil, well...
“You want fries with that?”
And then some gnome tried to steal his wallet.
Cockroaches are bad enough. But when your
apartment’s infested with faeries, you know you have
problems! Now, Cory had noticed weird stu ff before
— little voices, soft footsteps, that sort o f thing. Up until
the guy with the green hat ran o ff with Cory’s wallet in
full view, though, Cory thought he was cracking. But Cory
chased the gnome — and caught him , too! The obnoxious
little twit put up a fight, but Cory grabbed one o f his
m om ’s old skillets from the sink and Green Hat screamed.
W ho’d have thought that a Lit degree would connect the
dots between iron kitchenware and a thieving gnome?
Thinking fast, Cory made a bargain: he’d let the gnom e go
provided that he A) gave Cory back his wallet; B) told Cory
how a m an the size o f an action figure was even possible;
and C) leave Cory’s stu ff alone.
Now, “fries with that” or not, Cory’s not stupid.
He knows what happens when you ask for stu ff from
faeries, especially when you’ve got an angry gnom e in
one hand and an iron skillet in the other. So rather
than set up a wish list, he made the little guy a snack.
Gave him some Jack Daniels. Got the gnom e drunk
and happy. Appealed to his good side. Good thing
the roommates were out o f town that night, because
Cory sat up till dawn talking with the little man.
In the m orning, he had a friend... and a personal
assistant, too. It’s am azing how m any pages per
day a gnome can type when he likes you! At this
rate, Cory will have the whole SNAP series
written by Christm as. Oh, yeah — h e’s also
authoring a series o f faerie tales. His
collaborator’s pretty imaginative. So
much for the fast-food gig.
H m m m m ... faeries
are unpredictable, though,
especially when they’ve
been threatened with an
iron skillet. Is Cory’s new
friend really doing him a favor? Or is the
whole secretary thing an elaborate form o f
revenge? Sometim es, as the burgers sizzle,
Cory wonders...
Tell Me What you Can Do: A
smart kid, Cory has hovered on the fringe
between popular kids and pariahs for most of
his life. Too intelligent to be clueless, too scattered to be
truly accomplished, he has spent his short life pursuing
pretty m uch everything that catches his attention. H e’s no
slacker, but to this day his efforts are too unfocused to be
practical. His girlfriend Rachel calls him “ Shiny Thing” for
good reason. Like a m agpie — or a faerie — Cory’s drawn
to novelty. He has a lot o f little skills, but he isn ’t truly good
at anything useful.
Show Me:
Obstacles: Cory’s a scatterbrained dreamer; his
lack o f focus seem s even m ore infuriating because o f his
obvious intellect, and he’s letting an uncertain partner
working on an uncertain project determine the course o f
his future.
Passions: H is girlfriend Rachel is a m ajor hottie,
with brains to match; he’s really dedicated to the SNAP
concept and wants to see i f m ake a difference in lives as
well as dollars; he loves to play online fantasy games in his
rare free time (for the record, he usually plays a rogue).
<113*
Secrets: Cory has the beginnings o f a drinking
problem but does not admit or realize it; he’s got a nasty
case o f acid reflux; his current best friend
is a gnome, which is som ething not even
his roommates would understand.
Jen n y Revere
Motif: W aif/Drone
Tell Me A Story:
Hello) you've reached Dreamway
International's 14-H o u r Call Center,
and I'm Jenny Revere — your operator-
standing-by! M ay I have your true name,
address, and product that you are interested
in purchasing? And will you be paying by cash,
credit, or karma?
Tell Me Who You Are: Life’s chewed Jenny up,
sucked out the majority o f her optimism and innocence,
and now it seems that Life’s just debating whether to
swallow or spit her out. Jenny Revere came from a good
family, went to a good school and got better-than-good
grades, but because o f a socially unacceptable illness, her
employment and social prospects have slowly spiraled
downward. Keeping friends and high-paying employers
verges on impossible when every time you show up or
leave, both groups check to make sure nothing’s gone
m issing. Even i f whatever’s m issing is later found,
legitimately misplaced, the silent blame still comes more
certainly than taxes.
Then Jenny talked her way into her newest job as
a telemarketer for Dreamway International, the hot new
company advertising all over late-night cable. Jenny’s
hours are rigid — she m ust work one day each weekend,
find someone to cover her shift at least a day ahead
o f asking for time o ff and expect m erciless amounts
o f overtime. But amidst this chaos, Jenny discovered
something important about herself: She excels at reading
the computer cue-screen for different departments and
accounts. With her operator headphones, she drowned
out the noise o f the bustling world; that isolation gave her
a sense o f control and inner calm. Soon, Jenny’s dry soul
began to blossom again. Things couldn’t have been better,
and in the first week only a few cheap pens and some
paperclips vanished.
Four months have passed since Jenny unwittingly
started work for a branch o f the Palenoch. She doesn’t
realize she’s on serious probation by the merchant guild
— Jenny’s too busy celebrating her recent promotion for
m em orizing more than h alf o f the Dreamway catalogue
o f over-priced novelties! Customers from exotic places
call in to buy their goods from her, som etim es with types
o f m oney Jenny’s never heard o f before. Although she
rem ains hyper-vigilant to cover her disease, Jenny still
can’t help but notice that the m erchandise she’s having
shipped out gets stranger every day...
Tell M e What You Can Do: Jenny is a m aster at
stealing sm all objects without being noticed. On the
occasions w hen she’s been caught, she’s so pleasant and
convincing with her shame-faced explanations that none o f
her form er bosses have ever pressed charges. They
have, however, all terminated her service
without pay. Jenny runs through jobs at
the rate o f about one every nine months,
and though word is starting to get
around, she m anages to stay one step
ahead o f the water-cooler gossip.
Also, whereas some folks
never forget a face, Jenny never
forgets a voice. Even i f a
customer has called only
once and disguised him self
on the phone, Jenny almost
always recognizes him.
This leads to some awkward
situations when Jenny’s not at the Call Center — like
the time when Jenny attended her uncle’s funeral and
met an undertaker who had, the night before, dropped
$ 4 0 ,0 0 0 on a half-ounce bottle o f subtle perfum e called
Inconspicuous.
Show Me:
Obstacles: Jenny’s a mild kleptomaniac; it’s cost
her m any jobs, and she’s struggling to keep this one.
So far, she’s resisted the compulsion to take anything
big. Unfortunately, the longer she stays in one place, the
harder the urge becomes.
Passions: Jenny likes stu ff — the prettier or more
unique, the better; she also enjoys memory games, wordplay
and camping — where it doesn’t matter i f Jenny picks up
something small, puts it in her pocket and walks away.
Secrets: Despite strict confidentiality o f customer
accounts, Jenny has an eidetic m em ory for numbers,
nam es and the sound o f som eone's voice. This talent,
i f it were known, would upset m any influential buyers.
Hundreds o f customers have called, but Jenny knows the
big spenders. Worse, she once tacked a few extra products
onto a m an’s order, counting on the fact that the charges
would be disputed and the unwanted m erchandise shipped
back to the address provided. The products were returned,
and the address provided was Jenny’s. No harm done. Yet.
-IN-
Raymond Cross
Motif: Bard
Tell Me a Story:
Dude! Last niglpt, I saw tipis awesome band down at
jack-in-tlpe-Green! Two Ipot clicks, a kinda-okay cl?ick, tipis
one guy on drums and tipis just, like, IN CRED IBLE black
guy on fiddle. Man, t Ipey tore tlpe Ipouse down and put it back
up again! It was so tiglpt! And, like, tlpe audience was totally
filled witlp tIpese kinda wild-looking guys,
all doing tlpe Lord oft(?e Rings tlping r im
t Ipere in tlpe bar. I mean, okay, it's not tpat
unusual for tlpe Jack, but you know wlpat I'm
sayin'l T Ipey were looking at tlpat black
5u 5e like Ipe was magic.
And man, Ipe was so good I
can see wlpy!
Tell M e Who You Are:
Black folks don’t play violin —
especially not Irish fid d le ! Raymond
Cross has been hearing that for
most o f his life. A m usical prodigy
in a lower-middle-class family, Ray
was expected to do the hip-hop thing
or at very least play jazz. Yeah, he could ticlde
a tune out o f almost any instrument, but it was Celtic
fiddlework that sang to his soul — assum ing he had soul
to begin with! For a black guy, playing white folk m usic
is a less-than-popular pastime. Still, Ray’s a stubborn guy,
and he often does exactly what he wants.
Ray’s really good at what he loves. So good he’s
scary. When he plays, the whole world seem s to shimmer.
Even folks who think he’s gone Oreo admit that Ray’s
incredible. A year or two ago, he did a stint with a hip-
hop producer, adding violin as a novelty to several hit
recordings; the resulting cash put him over the top
financially, a success he’s used to set up a fund and
live the life he wants. Modest in m eans (if not always
temperament), Raymond now shares an apartment with
Ron Glass, one o f his bandmates in a local Celtic rock
band called W iddershins. He likewise shares a stormy on-
o ff romance with the band’s bass player, Am ber, and the
explosive chemistry between them ignites Ray’s greatest
work.
On the fey side, Folk have begun to notice
this dreadlocked bard. When W iddershins plays, the
audience is filled with people who have an otherworldly
air. Although Ray has no occult interests him self, his
playing literally enchants the audience. Already, he has
several enthusiastic fans am ong the local Mysterium,
and (unbeknownst to him) he’s become the subject o f
numerous faerie schemes. To date, Ray rem ains oblivious
to this situation and to the Faerie world in general. Ah, but
that will change very, very soon...
Tell Me What You Can Do: A handsom e young guy
with shoulder-length dreads, Ray Cross has lots o f things
going for him: a charm ing smile, flashing wit, romantic
temperament (in all the best and worst ways), close
friends, and a staggering gift for m usic. He has received,
but rejected, offers from Julliard and a half-dozen other top
institutes; instead, Ray learns from hands-on experience.
Like most artists — m usicians especially! — Ray has
a confidence that slips into arrogance to shield his
insecurities. Despite his successes, h e’s still stung
by the prejudices against him , not least by those
within his own fam ily and ethnicity. (And
he’s a killer card player, too!)
Show Me:
Obstacles: Artistic temperament;
intractable stubbornness that deepens
each time someone tells him not to do
something; an even deeper bitterness
at the rejection o f his m usical passion
and disgust at what m any people
perceive as black identity.
Passions: Music, m usic
and more m usic, especially o f the
Celtic, W estern Classical and Eastern
European varieties; the thrill o f
tempestuous romance, W iddershins and
Amber (not always in that order); a good
hand o f poker with friends.
Secrets: As a child, Ray was beaten by
his parents for what they called acting white,
and he’s still asham ed about that; he has the willfully
demonic streak o f his idol, Paganini; he has several other
ladies in his life, including the band’s keyboardist — a
secret that could blow the band apart i f it’s discovered.
Big Bads: ’’What Big
teeth You H ave...’’
Each faerie tale forest needs its wolves, and the
following wolves enjoy m any different types o f meals.
Like their less-m alicious counterparts, these plug-and-
play characters can serve as supporting cast m embers,
inspirations or even (if you’ve got a dark saga in mind)
player character anti-heroes! The last option isn ’t as bizarre
as it sounds; with the obvious exception o f the Kid Fears,
these antagonists could be redeemed. The path through
those Dark Woods would be thorny, but with enough
motivation such folks m ight find redemption after all.
Moriah Dorn
Motif: Cylebrity Negatist
Tell Me a Story:
"So now let me get this straight, doctor. You are telling
me that you have these great powers of perception and
healing. You are telling me that everyone has those powers.
You are telling me that we all choose that time and place and
situation into which we are born, and that if we are hungry),
or poor) or unhealthy or deprived, that it is our
karmic desire to be that way. And this is t he
advice you give your patients just before
you charge them $500 a weekend to
re-start their soul's karmic journey
to prosperity. That is what you are
telling me."
"Well, Doctor Leon — may
I call you Leon1Thank you — I
think I understand what you are
telling me, what you are telling
all of us here on Silver B u llet here
tonight, w h at you are telling me,
Doctor Leon, is that you are a
smiling, conniving, New Age hoop-
dee-do flying floaty-woo, karmic
journeying-wallet-hurtie-ing
West Coast cosmic boo-scary with
a heaping side of tinkerhell!" (huge
applause from audience.) "And I think
that you need to get a new line of workI"
(thunderous applause; score one wrecked
guest.)
Tell Me Who You Are: M ariah Dorn has a Silver
Bullet fo r you! So proclaim the ads for Silver Bullet, the
hottest show on PNTV. An edgy cross between Robert
Stack, Oprah W infrey and Dana Scully, Dorn ambushes
tinkerhells and boo-scaries — losers who claim occult ties
or powers but who are (in Dorn’s estimation, anyway)
hoaxers or delusionals. With razor wit and pit bull ferocity,
Dorn corners tinkerhells, tears them down and exposes
them for the fakes they are.
The child o f a doctor and a lawyer, Mariah grew
up in an eminently rational home. Scared o f ghosts, she
was both comforted and hum iliated out o f her fear. What
worked for her, she thinks now, will work for others.
And in a world as irrational as ours, that must be a good
thing! M ariah’s no-quarter approach is a huge hit with TV schedule. Late at night, despite all her protests, M ariah still
audiences. Her good looks and boundless energy make her prays to God and waits for the ghosts to appear again. In
a natural talk-show host, but it’s her investigative prowess and out o f dreams, they still do.
that gives her show its edge. Because as entertaining as it
m ay be to watch Dorn dem olish New Age fools, the real
Lieutenant Mark “ Ace” Lewis
Motif: Beast Who Believes H e’s a Knight
kick (and for certain folks, the real threat) o f Dorn’s show
Tell Me a Story:
comes w hen she hits the road and tracks down claims o f
paranorm al activity. A skillful detective, Dorn finds stories
Here be was again, t(?is little waste
and people with real supernatural elements. But then,
of flesl?. Pulled in on drug charges
using her considerable resources and wit, she tears them
just after dusk B&E three months
to pieces. Ratings leap, and the subjects o f her interviews
ago. A little GTA the other week A
lose whatever credibility they once had.
few more years on the street and
A m aster o f video assault, Dorn is somewhat he'd be just another t hug/ rapist/
psychic h erself — a talent she vigorously denies, even killer/ you-name-it. Seemed
to herself. But those heightened instincts hom e in on like a good candidate for some
paranorm al occurrences and people, giving her endless personal attention. Soon the kid
fodder for the show. Perhaps it’s denial that drives her would be digested by the system,
crusade: M ariah’s so determined to be norm al that she consumed and forgotten just like
crushes any hint o f what she calls "patchouli trash,” on the desk sergeant's hourly ration
and o ff the show. Naturally, there are plenty o f folks of antacid. And this tim e Ace
within the M ysterium who’d like to see her discredited; Lewis would make sure that the
m any others, though, support her crusade, i f only because little shit never left society's gullet
it screens their secrets. For now, at least, Dorn remains again.
secure in her worldview. The weirdness in her life just
makes her m ore rational than ever. Tell Me Who You Are:

Tell Me What You Can Do: Dorn h erself has a Lieutenant Mark Lewis is an

formidable background in psychology, history, reporting old-fashioned kind o f cop, the

and research. She boasts several degrees, but it’s her kind that believes in justice, protecting the innocent and

charisma that makes her so impressive. Flashing eyes m aking a better world. These days he’s the head o f the

and a stern-mama m ien have turned her into a media Crim inal Intelligence Unit — the go-to guy for everyone

sensation. Mariah has guested on M TV , 20/20, The View who wants to know what’s going down on the street. H e’s

and a host o f other shows outside PNTV. Her audience got the names, the faces, the facts and the figures at his

grows each time, and the third season o f Silver Bullet fingertips, and he always seem s to know more than anyone

is one o f the m ost popular shows on cable. H er potent could realistically expect him to know. But though Lewis

psychic gifts are strong, but so subtle that Dorn can keep can be harsh on his subordinates (and hell-on-wheels for
perps!), he’s well-respected by his brother and sister cops.
fooling h erself for some time to come.
After all, Lieutenant Lewis puts in the same long hours that
Show Me:
Obstacles: Dorn has the attitude that one would they do, and everyone knows he came up through the ranks
the hard way — or so they think.
expect from a celebrity debunker in deep denial about
Actually, Lieutenant Lewis wouldn’t have gotten
herself; that denial manifests in mood swings, nightmares
where he is today without a little edge. Sure, he put in
and a nasty temper. Although she’s in her mid-40S, Dorn
has never had a romantic relationship last for more than a his years beating the street, but without money, political
connections or an important case, he w asn’t ever going
year, and privately she’s sad about that record.
to make it big. That didn’t bother him much, but the
Passions: Curious to a fault; relentiessly — even
com promises he saw others m aking to get ahead did.
irrationally — rational; Mariah loves the thrills o f hunt,
Investigations got dropped when they came uncomfortably
chase and kill and goes out o f her way to indulge them.
close to people’s secrets; things went m issing from the
Secrets: As a child, Mariah saw and spoke to several
evidence room and bad guys went back out on the streets.
ghosts in her home. Said ghosts were real, and deep
Mark couldn’t live with it, not when he could see how to put
down she knows it. She’s also suffering from m igraine
things right. It just meant a little sacrifice here and there.
headaches and relies on painkillers to get through her busy

116-
Did it really matter if a few evil men suffered, if it could give Tell Me a Story:
him the power to protect those who deserved protection?
These days, those sacrifices continue. Lewis does his I can't sleep I'm scared and I want to yell M O M but
best to make sure they’re folks who truly w on’t be m issed I can't cause if I do dad is gonna come in here with the belt
— people whose absence makes the world a better place again and I don't wanna get the belt anymore but the M EA N
— though he sometim es wonders whether his own soul DADDY IN TH E CLOSET said he was gonna take the belt
isn’t one o f the sacrifices he’s making. Still, at this rate out when mom went to sleep and he was gonna beat me till I
he'll be police com m issioner within five years, and then he scream and scream and scream but no one will hear me 'cause
can really make some change. it will just be him and me in the dark alone...
O f course, Mark can’t exactly tell anyone what he's
Tell Me Who You Are: Embodiments o f childhood
really doing, or why, or how he feels about it. That silence
terrors, the Fears reflect a type o f faerie with shifting
has taken its toll on his relationships with his fam ily and
identities and com m on traits. Alm ost always gathering in
friends. The things h e’s had to do have hardened him,
packs, Fears are banned by their nature from physically
making him distant and cold. Lewis keenly feels the lack
harm ing a child. Children, however, don’t know that,
of close personal relationships, even i f he doesn’t quite
so these faeries can inflict deep emotional and psychic
know why. Every so often, a suspect feels that coldness in
wounds. Many kids have gone insane or died from Kid
a different sort o f closeness. And every so often, a suspect
Fear hauntings, and others keep their terror o f the dark
disappears...
long after childhood is past.
Tell Me What You Can Do: Lieutenant Lewis is
Tell Me What you Can Do: Kid Fears often take
a powerful opponent, both because o f his professional
their guises from the nightmares o f a young host. The
influence and because o f his m agical abilities. Although
more powerful that child’s imagination, the m ore vivid his
he’s not willing to jeopardize his position or reputation
Fears become. The Mad Dentist, the Monster Under The
to get things done, he’ll come down hard on anyone who
Bed, the Hobgoblins in the Closet, and worst o f all The
opposes him the m inute they put a fin g er over the line o f
Evil Parent are just a few o f the infam ous guises adopted
what’s legal. I f that doesn’t work, he can m ake bargains
by these fey.
with his spirit protectors. H e’ll only do that as a last resort.
In m ost cases, Kid Fears fade from a child’s life as
After all, there’s only one price they ever ask, and it’s one
rationality sets in. By puberty, these faeries usually depart,
he doesn’t like to pay.
though one or two stay on as poltergeists in the hom es o f
Show Me:
troubled yet imaginative children. Occasionally, a group
Obstacles: Uncom prom ising; quick to judge;
o f Fears continues to haunt its host past puberty; they
difficulty m aintaining close relationships.
then become nightmare-creatures, hags and demons who
Passions: Justice; protecting the innocent; the
torment that adult at rough times in her life. By that
brotherhood o f cops.
point, these shim m erlings have achieved great
Secrets: Lewis has made a highly unsavory
power and sometimes attain a place in the
bargain for power to put him where he needs to
w aking world as well.
be. He m isses his wife and friends deqplv but can’t
Generally, Kid Fears play fair. They
even admit it to him self. His wife is
m ight sctih a child but avoid truly scarring
affair; though he can’t blame her, he
ler. A willful admonition o f “I don’t
desperately hopes that no one ever
believe in you anym ore!” is often
finds out.
enough to chase them away for
Kid Fears good. Kid Fears cannot bear
(Shimmerlings) the presence o f a guardian
Heartsongs: animal or adult, unless the
Malevolent, M alignant and adult in question is their
Mischievous host. I f M om or Dad turns
Guises: Alien, Beast- on the light, Kid Fears
Man, (Evil) Child, Critter, disappear — at least
Hag, Hybrid Beastie, until it’s dark again...
Im aginary Friend, Ogre,
Stranger, Villsprite and
nasty adult form s
Show Me:
Obstacles: Kid Fears live to torment children;
they cannot stand adults or animals, unless that adult is
som eone they’ve been around for quite a while, and they
can’t live long outside the house (and often the room)
where a child’s fear first brought them into being.
Passions: To hear and cause the screams o f
children; to top one another with new and terrifying tricks;
to extend their fear-dominion to larger and m ore elaborate
nightmare-realms.
Secrets: A Kid Fear’s Doom is sincere disbelief from
the child that inspired the faerie’s existence; animals, kind
parents, and the prayers o f a faithful child are Banes to
these faeries; some fam ily-familiar shim m erlings begin
their existence as the Kid Fears o f a truly inspired child.
Sirach Malcomb (Ghent)
Motif: Miracle Merchant
Tell Me a Story:
M $ fiancee died last month, and I'm still
shocked that I lost the most gorgeous woman in
the world. Even though Jane's gone, I keep seeing
her everywhere. The way one woman laughs, the
way another one plays with her long, glossy hair...
Malcomb, the funeral home director, warned me it
would be like this. That lots of people ao through
it. I'm so glad he was there for me, to help make
the final arrangements. I'd
have been tost without
him.
Tell Me Who You Are: What’s the matter? Your
faerie godmother didn’t give you perfect skin, ruby red
lips or the fantasy voice o f a rock cylebrity? Don’t fret
— just find a m ore generous soul to indulge your dreams.
A hum ble funeral director by day, Malcomb supplies the
misunderstood segments o f the goblin markets, and his
prices prove am azingly reasonable. So i f you’ve harbored
a secret jealousy over your sister’s blue eyes or the way
your husband keeps in perfect shape, just tell Malcomb.
Your soon-to-arrive lifestyle improvements provide good
business for him , and he’s always pleased to help. Don’t
you w ish everyone could be up-front and open-minded
about win-win situations?
One o f the city’s busiest funeral directors, Malcomb
casts a dark shadow over the realm s o f both the living and
the dead. His contracts run the gamut from the simply
worded I.O.U. to complex legal tangles that confuse even
118*
fallen angels. All have one thing in com m on, however: no
refunds and no cancellations. So if you’re a ghost looking
to enjoy one more day o f being alive, Malcomb can provide
that. Just don’t howl that he acquired the lifeforce from
your favorite grandchild to fuel the spell!
Tell Me What You Can Do: Malcomb is a tall,
boring-looking m an who wears perfum e constantly and
is quickly forgotten by all but the m ost observant people
— unless he decides to approach them. His m ain talent
(stripping vitality from his victims for resale — with a bit
o ff the top as profit), is augmented by his infinite patience
and an uncanny knack for diplomacy. Malcomb does a
brisk trade and never breaks a contract once it is signed
— though he can be persuaded by a horrified customer to
delay matters indefinitely for a steep monthly fee.
Despite his power, Malcomb wants to retire, and
he’s searching for someone to take over his funeral
home. His own deal requires a willing descendant o f
the merchant from which he inherited his hellish trade,
because they’re the only ones who can step forward to
reclaim the fam ily business. This is why Malcomb signs all
agreements — even the m ost petty — with the traditional
blood o f his customer: he’s looking for a DNA match that
will lead to his freedom.
Show Me:
Obstacles: Sirach Malcomb can’t act against
someone on his own. He needs a legitimately-signed
contract by a mortal customer who has a reasonable idea
o f what she wants — i f not exactly how she m ight get it!
—• before he can affect an individual. (We w on’t discuss
what happens to those who try to weasel out o f things...)
As a merchant o f death, Malcomb has a distinct body
odor that only the most powerful potions can nullify, and
even those concoctions work only temporarily; should he
run out o f perfume, the stench o f M alcomb’s spiritual
corruption would drive away even the most desperate
customers and draw in the enemies he has accumulated
over the centuries.
Passions: Malcomb has a desire to retire; an abiding
curiosity about people and their motivations; and a craving
to meet a person who doesn’t give in when offered the
temptation o f a dream indulged.
Secrets: Deep down, Malcomb hates his existence.
Once, he too was a desperate customer who made a
wretched wish and ended up taking over for the evil (and
delighted) merchant who granted it. Although he’s still
a mortal, his mystic talents place him am ong the ghents :
hum ans who bargain o ff a bit o f their souls in exchange
for faerie power. Also, Malcomb can’t move against
someone without a contract — not even to protect himself.
Therefore, he caters to as m any people as possible,
gathering contracts and keeping them on file. This is how
he keeps his enem ies at bay: no one knows exactly how
many contracts he holds or whose life-essence he might
hold within them!
Willard Jenner, Che P a l King
(Bel an shay)
Heartsong: Malignant
Guises: Animal, Beast-Man, Lord
Tell Me a Story:
I know the cliche, but I've never seen a
new district attorney act so much like an
opportunistic rati Don't just watch your
back around Jenner — watch your front,
too! Remember how Patricia was in line for
that promotion but then got sick? I understand
that it's not Jenner's fault that Patricia got ill
row throwing out a dead rat that her cat had
nought home, but the way Jenner moved
in for the kill to get her office and caseload
while she was out was just... w rong!
Tell Me Who You Are:
Perpetually young and charismatic,
Willard Jenner (privately known
among both his co-workers and his
true subjects as the Rat King) has
enjoyed a long, undisputed reign ever
since he seized his position from his aged
predecessor during the Black Plague Wars. Rats are
practical creatures, you know, and Jenner watches his
own subjects closely, lest one o f them evolve into a more
suitable candidate for the Rat Throne! W hen Jenner sees
one start to arise, accidents happen. Meanwhile, Jenner
him self is consum ed by... not hatred, exactly, but an
indifferent contempt for others o f his kind. And so, after
centuries o f four-legged rulership, he prefers hum an form
and company.
From his days as a smarter-than-average rat,
Jenner was fascinated by cathedrals, palaces and other
human masterworks. It m ay have been that fascination
that inspired his regal dreams. These days, Jenner still
loves the trappings o f hum an power. His ruthlessness is
tempered only by his fascination with hum an technology,
art and social orders. Therefore, he would never m indlessly
destroy cities or lay waste to countrysides when there
are other, less destructive ways to handle a problem.
Like m any fey creatures, Jenner adores art; people
• Il'l-
and institutions that make life difficult for artists find
them selves the objects o f Jenner’s wrath. And in one o f his
few redeem ing qualities, Jenner supports the arts, funding
grants and buying paintings that capture his attention.
This is not because Jenner loves artists, though; more
because he appreciates the work being created, m uch the
way a farm er likes m ilk from a productive cow. Somewhat
reluctantly, Jenner eventually sends that sam e cow o ff
to the slaughterhouse once she’s reached the end o f her
usefulness.
Tell Me What You Can Do: As a faerie rat-lord,
Jenner can assum e the form o f a rat, a hum an or a
sickening hybrid o f the two. One horrifying talent
allows him to squeeze through any opening, duct or
tunnel as long as he can slide his head through first!
This regal vermin also has a huge and loyal arm y o f
rats; mice and other rodents often follow him out
o f either fear or admiration. Cockroaches,
meanwhile, are Jenner’s spies, and they
go anywhere he sends them. Jenner
communicates easily with any o f
these creatures, speaks the hum an
tongues o f English, French, Germ an
and Spanish and knows how to
get a point across with dogs and
especially cats!
Show Me:
Obstacles: Even when
wealth can be shared, Jenner
won’t work to strengthen the
social position o f any other rat.
Instead, he prefers to wait for
opportunities, and then take what he wants for him self
rather than strengthen a potential rival. Ramous II and the
other faerie animal royalty don’t trust Jenner farther than
their whiskers, and they’ll harass Jenner or his followers
on general principal.
Passions: Political power am ong hum ans — the
more the better! Actually, the hum an world itself fascinates
the rat-lord; Jenner also loves fine artwork and food,
particularly brie and lighter-flavored cheeses.
Secrets: Besides his obvious secret (that he’s a
centuries-old tyrant rat!), Jenner knows and practices
crude bio-warfare; his cockroaches are not only spies but
disease-spreaders as well. Currently, he’s searching for
an opportunity to repeat what happened centuries ago in
plague-ridden Europe, knowing that panicked hum ans
always look for strong leaders in times o f distress...
Ja m e s “ Mr. Mystery” Curkel
Motif: Beast
Tell Me a Story:
You see hint everywhere on campus. Bright guy, easy
on the eyes, quiet in an almost predatory way. He's always
watching, no m atter where he is or who he's with.
People like him. He's got a way with words)
when he uses them at all, they're just the right
ones. Takes pictures, too — wot digital stuff,
but old-school photographs. He's phenom enal!
His camera seems to catch the
essence of a soul, even when he's
just taking pictures of the sky.
Smart. Inquisitive. Rich, too. A
little bit cold, but then some girls
like that. We call him Mr.
Mystery, and he seems to
think that's funny...
Tell Me Who You
Are: Jam es is a hunter. A
wolf. A thief o f hearts.
He likes to hang around
the fringes o f whatever’s
going on, m aking
h im self just visible enough to be wanted. He rarely speaks
and chooses his words carefully. The compelling way he
looks at you makes wom en blush and m en back down.
Through sheer force o f personality, Jam es Turkel gets your
attention. The m agic he employs is subtle but effective.
Jam es is a witch. He started studying for fun back
when he was a kid and quickly found his gift. To own
people, he learned, you m ust capture their imaginations.
And so he does. Through pictures and gazes and just
enough speech to leave you wanting more.
Mr. Mystery likes it that way. His clothes are dark
and clean, his shoes comfortably stylish. Alm ost never
overtly rude, he still seems to sneer a bit when he talks to
you directly. His offhand m anner entices girls, all o f whom
want to be the one who gets beneath the mask. To date, no
one has. He keeps his secrets hidden, and that makes him
all the m ore desirable.
In his room, there’s an altar no one sees. Draped
in black, it rests in a wall-niche, behind a photograph
he took o f an ivy garden. There, Jam es keeps a shrine to
“There are heroes in evil as well as in good”
Zagan, the demon king who makes fools wise. Oh, yes,
Jam es thinks that he was once a fool. Father used to tell
him so, and Jam es rem ains its prisoner. Growing up poor,
he craved prosperity. Now, as a young m an, he has it. At
20, he already owns a house and studio... and a rich occult
library, too. No one sees this part o f him , though; Jam es is
a solitary o f the m ost secretive sort and would sooner die
than reveal his obsession.
“O bsession” is a good word for Jam es. To him,
understanding is power, so he watches everything around
him. Gazing intently at whatever interests him , Mr.
Mystery strips it down to what he thinks makes it
tick. This obsession could be anything: garden,
car, woman, it’s all the sam e to him . Although
he’s popular (especially with girls), he doesn’t truly
care for anyone except him self. Everyone else is a
subject for dissection... or, occasionally, sacrifice.
Tell Me What You Can Do: Ah, yes — that.
As we said, Jam es is a hunter. He collects souls.
Not literally — he’s not a m urderer — but essentially.
People used to say that photographs steal your soul,
and to a degree that’s true. It’s especially true
when Mr. Mystery takes your picture. That’s
why his photos seem so vivid: the lifeforce
within them is real. He can’t actually kill a
person this way, but he takes a little bit o f luster from their
lives with each photograph. The subject o f one or two o f
his photos won’t notice, but someone who really captures
Jam es’s interest... well, they’re never quite the same once
he’s done. Spiritually, Jam es Turkel is a cannibal living in
a gingerbread house: the oven is a Nikon and no amount
o f bread crumbs will lead you back home again.
Show Me:
Obstacles: Cold and selfish; secretive and obsessive,
especially about his occult fixation; Jam es is also beholden
to a demon, or at least he believes that he is. The truth
remains to be seen.
Passions: To capture and collect pretty things; to be
wealthy, smart and successful; to see the world through a
perfect lens and bring it home to grace his walls.
Secrets: Jam es is a dark magician; he steals little
bits o f people’s souls, and he fears that he’s an idiot and
that he needs m agical skill and demonic aid to prop up his
own worthlessness.
Francois de la Rochefoucauld
Orleon of llie Glass Mountain
Motif: Wizard
Tell Me a Story:
There once mis a man who live$ behind his mask He
spoke secrets in a velvet voice. No one knew his name, but
everyone had heard stories about him. They said he'd been
scarred by a jealous lover or burned by the Debit's flames.
He chased smoke through the nighttime streets and left bags
of gold for good little children. During the day, it's said, he
lives in a glass palace from which he can see t he whole city.
At night, he glides through shadows, leaving little more than
instructions and small tokens behind...
Tell Me Who You Are: A m addeningly mysterious
presence, Orleon is one o f the sophisticati — those
masked dilettantes who think every day is Halloween.
Unlike m any o f his com panions, however, Orleon has real
power. He always seem s to know what people are doing
before they do it, holds the keys to m any secrets and has
several nasty people (including Brim stone Green) in his
debt. No one knows w ho’s behind his mask, but everyone
knows who he is.
What does he want? Good question.
Orleon never reveals his goals. His usual
pattern is to show up, drop hints or
commands, then disappear. H e’s
really good at the disappearing
thing, too — so good that folks
suspect he has supernatural
powers. He m ight indeed have
a few, but his greatest talent
is misdirection. A profoundly
unnerving character, Orleon
manipulates circumstances
and atmosphere to his benefit.
You rarely see him com ing
and never know quite what he
wants.
Orleon seem s to have
a chess game in his head. He
appears to be m oving pawns
around toward some unknowable
goal. I f you’re one o f the pawns
in question, Orleon appears out o f
darkness to warn you o f im pending
danger or request a certain task. Such
chores m ight be as simple as "Tell Mr.
McKnight at Carson & Emory that he has a
package waiting at 224 Waite Street,” or as hazardous as
-121
freeing a panther from the city zoo. Either way, Orleon
leaves som e kind o f payment behind when the task is
done: a clue to a mystery, a gold coin, a picture o f your
long-lost brother, etc. If you refuse his task, h e’ll have
someone else m ake your life difficult — steal your wallet,
erase your bank records, drop a cursed amulet behind your
bed. The rewards, tasks and punishm ents don’t seem to
make sense with one another... which is one o f the m any
things that make Orleon so frightening.
Cloaked in dark purplish-blue robes with golden
filigree, Orleon wears an ornate Kabuki-style mask. The
m ask’s expression hints at mockery, but it’s not as obvious
as laughter. His voice is thick and soft, like velvet in a
torturer’s bag. To those who see such things, Orleon glows
blue-black with crackling gold highlights. The breeze
blows cold when he’s around, and the smoke he conjures
to escape has a jasm ine smell. Is he mortal? Probably. But
whatever he is, no one so far has gotten behind his m ask
to find out.
Tell Me What You Can Do: Orleon is not a fighter.
I f attacked, he has smoke-tricks and hidden weapons
to employ, and he’ll leave as soon as possible. (Sending
terrible punishm ents later against anyone who assaults
him.) His m ask disguises his voice; as long as he’s
alive and the m ask is unbroken, it cannot be
removed unless he wishes it so. Aside
from his talent for appearing and
disappearing, Orleon’s primary powers
are his eerie aura, his allies and the
frightening num ber o f secrets he
seems to know.
Show Me:
Obstacles: Compulsive
secrecy; pretentious demeanor
and melodramatic theatrics;
needs to know everything about
everyone and let no one get
close to him
Passions: Loves secrets
and secrecy; craves power over
others; m ust keep him self
am used with arcane (and
sometimes deadly) games
Secrets: Pretty m uch
everything about him is a secret; he
breezes in and out o f people’s live to
keep from confronting his own; deep
inside, he’s terrified that someone will
realize who he truly is — and that he doesn’t
like the m an he sees in the m irror without his disguise
far
 E H M E fl 5:
M 1M LES NEXT IIIKIti

Dad's gonna kill me.

Again.
I can feel my feet slip on the rain-slicked I hope he can hear my footstep on the roof.
roof) and I reach for the ivy hanging from the I hope it gives him nightmares. It's the least he
eaves to the ground. I forget for a minute that I can do, y'know — dream of me. It's his fault I'm
can't fall — or if I did; that it wouldn't hurt me. like I am now.
Three stories down; Chalendine is waiting. Her Hey, Dad! Can you hear me through your
eyes glow faintly in the dark. My own cold skin smelly sleep1Can you feel me on your
reflects back the moonlight. I don't feel dead, but roof, on top of the big quiet
then I'm still getting used to what dead feels like. you always wanted?
On the red couch we got from Grandpa, Are you lonely
Dad's passed out again. The bottle in his hand now, Dad? Or
smells like death. I never understood how he can you feel
could stand the taste of it. Maybe that's why it me all the
makes him crazy. down
Well\, he's got a quiet house now. Under the Happy
floorboards, I'm not making a sound. But up Father's Day,
here/ in my favorite place, I can still feel wind you bastard.
and rain, chalendine sees me, too, and that's all I'm coming
that matters. down to say
Dad can rot. He's starting to already. Life hello.
I am, only he hasn't realized that he's dead. In
every way that matters, anyway.

*123

Reflecting on Your Day
There are stories everywhere. Next door. Across
the street. Up on that lonely road you drive on your way
to work. In the shopping mall. In your best friend’s
basement. Most times, w e’re too polite to look at what’s
happening down the street. But occasionally we can’t help
being swept up in the drama.
That's where Deliria begins — with the drama next
door. Except that in Deliria, that dram a’s often strange.
Miraculous, even. That word comes from the Latin mira
(“to wonder at”), which also gives us “m irror.” And so, you
could say that a miracle shows us something wonderful
about ourselves.
That wonderful something m ight not always be
what we wanted to see. It’s been said that the line between
a miracle and a disaster depends which side o f it you
happen to be standing when it happens. The parting o f
the Red Sea, for instance, was a really bad day for the
Egyptians. So, despite the sentimental sound o f the word
miracle, the event itself m ight seem like the worst day o f
your life until hindsight has shown you its wonders. Like
Deliria says, it’s often the bad days that teach us to be
strong.
This chapter deals with good days, bad days and
the assorted miracles in between.
You can use these saga hooks and
story settings as inspirations for
your own adventures, consider
them background material for
your sagas or drop them into your
game as needed.
Just don’t take them for
granted. You never know when
you m ight need a miracle.
girlfriend was out past curfew because she got trapped in
a Faerie forest; the professor in question is teaching your
roommate the secrets o f Tantric m agic — and is suddenly
obsessed with him . There. Now add player characters and
put something important at stake, and you have a Deliria
scenario!
The following saga hooks present story ideas for
potential Deliria tales. Each hook includes the following
elements:
^ Hook: The plot o f the story.
i, Setting: W here it takes place.
^ Characters: The m ajor and supporting cast
characters involved.
^ Guidelines: The parameters o f the adventure.
£ Complications: Elements that may or may not come
into play.
& Antagonists: Obstacles for the heroes.
£ Resolutions: Directions that story m ight take before
reaching its conclusion.
£ Saga: Ideas that could turn the adventure into a
continuing saga.
I Inspirations: Other sources you can check out to
get ideas for this scenario.
Enjoy!
Something
Borrowed,
Someone’s Blue
Hook: A close friend
or relative o f one o f the player
characters (let’s call him Jacob)
announces his engagement
to his new girlfriend, Isabel.
Unfortunately, Jacob has a

S a g a Hooks history o f dating wom en who

aren’t good for him, and Isabel’s
“What kinds o f stories can no exception. In fact, she’s much
I tell with ordinary people?” you worse than any o f his previous
m ay ask. To start with, look at the girlfriends: Isabel is literally
kinds o f stories that happen all sucking the life out o f him, and
around you: your co-worker’s flat if the player characters don’t do
tire, your girlfriend’s fight with something, Jacob may not make
her parents, your room mate’s it to his wedding day.
affair with his professor. Now Setting: I f the player
add a bit o f otherworldly spice: characters are related to Jacob,
while fixing his tire, your co­ m uch o f this story should
worker sees a flam ing stag take place in the fam ily home
running through the woods; your where he has brought Isabel
to meet the folks. I f the player characters are simply
friends o f Jacob’s then the story can begin at the couple’s
engagement party, a bar, a brunch or any other m eeting
between friends.
Characters: Every player character should have
a close relationship o f som e kind with Jacob: friends,
relatives, co-workers and even ex-girlfriends would be
appropriate. Both Jacob and Isabel are Guide characters.
(Note: this story is m uch m ore effective i f Jacob has been
a fixture in the saga for quite a while and has built up a
history with the players as well as their characters.)
Guidelines: Isabel cannot be banished, though her
mortal body can be killed! I f nothing is done about the
situation before their wedding day, Jacob will die o f a heart
attack on their wedding night.
Complications: Jacob’s brand-new fiancee is a
craver, borrowing her lovers’ life energy to power her
charms. The player characters should immediately realize
that Jacob seem s drained and sickly, and over the course
o f the story, Jacob’s condition will only deteriorate. As the
players search for answers to Jacob’s mysterious illness,
they discover Isabel’s true nature. The question, o f course,
is whether they can do anything about it.
Antagonists: Isabel is the m ost obvious antagonist
the heroes face. Although she is genuinely in love with
Jacob — or at least thinks she is — she’s unwilling to
break up with him or even to see how she is hurting him.
To complicate matters, you could play her as a genuinely
nice person, just a nice person with parasitic eating habits
that she m ay or m ay not even be aware of. Although she’s
not a hissing vampire-beast, Isabel will not be pleased if
the player characters try to break up her relationship with
Jacob. Nor, o f course, will Jacob be pleased. He will not be
swayed by ordinary sorts o f persuasion, and he certainly
won’t believe anything the player characters m ay try to tell
him about Deliria or Isabel’s true nature. Figuring out how
to convince Jacob that the situation is even a problem will
be extremely challenging.
Resolutions: The player characters m ust find a way
to save Jacob’s life. There are two m ain ways to achieve
this, though creative players m ay have other ideas! First,
the player characters could convince Jacob and Isabel
to break up, leaving both folks brokenhearted but alive.
Alternately, the player characters could find a way to
allow Isabel to use her power without injuring Jacob. In
this case, the story ends at their wedding, and the player
characters are honored and thanked by the blissful bride
and groom. Note that killing Isabel is not a good option;
for all her vam piric ways, she’s a hum an being with a life,
friends, a job and a place in the world. Staking the vamp
would be m urder in both the moral and legal definitions
Saga: This story works extremely well as part o f
an ongoing saga, as the player characters should have
close relationships with m any characters who can take
the part o f Jacob. For a nice twist, it could be Isabel — an
unwitting psychic vam pire — w ho’s the heroes’ friend; she
announces her engagem ent but seem s distraught about
her fiance’s health and asks for help to save him . As the
beginning o f a new saga, this story m ight give the player
characters a reputation as supernatural matchmakers;
other uncomfortably-circumstanced couples could ask for
help, leading to a series o f romance-oriented storylines.
Inspirations: Film s like M y Best F rien d ’s Wedding,
The Butcher’s Wife or Forces o f Nature m ight provide
am using inspirations for running the story as a romantic
comedy with supernatural overtones; darker film s, like
Practical Magic, Infidelity or 9 '/z Weeks, could inspire a
darker tone without falling into horror-film cliches.
Blackout!
Hook: When the lights go out in a big city, magic
starts to slip in through the cracks in the sidewalk. With
the mortar o f reality weakened, strange things visit from
Deliria, and they might be trapped in our reality if they’re
still here when the power comes back.
Setting: The blacked-out streets o f a big city, blind­
eyed skyscrapers towering into the night and the stars, for
once, visible above. In m any ways, this eerily beautiful yet
incredibly treacherous setting mirrors the Dark Woods
o f traditional faerie lore, becom ing a modern mortal
reflection o f the primal Altwald.
Characters: The player characters should be
inhabitants o f the city in question or at least visitors to it.
It’s highly recommended that the Guide plan in advance
how and why the characters will gather, as getting the
characters together post-blackout could be difficult i f they
are scattered across the city. Other than that, nearly any
kind o f character works well in this story: upper-class
heroes will find that their support networks m ean little
when society is on hold, whereas down-and-out heroes
may be surprised to find themselves the equals - or
betters, as they might be used to going without electricity
- o f upper-crust folks, because the blackout presents the
same problems for everyone involved.
Guidelines: This story is about escalation. Begin by
presenting the Circle with relatively m undane problems —
the lack o f light and water, followed by car crashes, looting
and crime. Give everyone small opportunities to show
heroism . Then slowly allow the heroes to realize that the
problems they’re dealing with are not entirely m undane
after all, but rather caused by the persistent tricks o f the
faerie Sneggi.
 Complications: There are a dozen m undane
problem s that happen during a blackout. No power m eans
no com m unication— not by cordless phone, e-mail or
TV. Cell phones work, but only so long as the batteries
last. People m ay be stuck in elevators or on the trains;
hospitals and fire stations will be running on backup
power. I f the blackout lasts too long, there won’t be water
or hot food for a while. There’ll be a rush on flashlights
and candles at retail stores, o f course, to the extent that
the player characters m ay be largely, literally, in the dark.
Being inside becom es isolated, dark and scary. On the
other hand, outside, the streets will feel like a carnival,
with car radios playing m usic, dozens o f people dancing
in the darkened streets and ice cream vendors giving away
their wares before the ice cream melts. Any or all o f these
things present excellent opportunities for player characters’
heroism — and excellent opportunities for Sneggi’s idea o f
fun.
Antagonists: The night can be alive with
antagonists: looters, angry cops, neighbors with scores
to settle and folks who are just plain scared. The main
antagonist the players will meet, though, is Sneggi the
Funm aker, a shim m erling faerie with an inhum an sense
o f humor. Attracted to the carnival atmosphere in the
streets, this trickster is equally am used by good jokes and
bad accidents. During the blackout, Sneggi wanders the
streets (and buildings) looking for funny situations — ones
that not everyone involved may enjoy. Unfortunately for
them, he takes a special interest in the player characters!
Sneggi intends to stay in the ordinary world as long as the
party in the streets continues; however, i f he doesn’t return
to Deliria before the power comes back on, he’ll be trapped
in m undane reality for a while and continue to plague it
with his idea o f fun.
Resolutions: The player characters must find some
way to get Sneggi back into Faerie. They could bargain
with him, because Sneggi could easily want their help in
pulling o ff an am azing prank or fetching some apparently-
m undane item. Alternately, they m ight need to find a way
to banish him, either with a m entor’s help or with their
own skills. Fighting Sneggi, though, is not a good solution.
Sneggi’s not m uch o f a fighter, and rather than face angry
hum ans head-on, he’ll flee into the darkness — m aking
it m uch more difficult to send him home in time. I f
the players fail to return Sneggi to Deliria, he makes an
excellent recurring antagonist, especially as he probably
resents the heroes for their attempts to send him home
and end his fun.
Saga: This story can jump-start a new saga,
especially i f Sneggi the Funm aker escapes. However,
this story works best as an episode in a continuing saga,
because a blackout is the sort o f event that can strike at any
time. I f that’s the case, the Guide is encouraged to replace
Sneggi with a faerie antagonist who has already appeared
in the saga and to have the players encounter fam iliar
supporting cast characters who are now dealing with the
blackout in their own ways.
Inspirations: Information about the 2003
North Am erican Blackout can be found on Wikipedia
(http: //en.wikipedia.org/wil<i/2oo3_North_America_blackout).
For a more nightm arish scenario, look up material on the
New York blackout o f 1977, including Spike Lee’s film
Sum m er o f Sam . For city details, we highly suggest an
Eyewitness Travel Guide o f your chosen city from Dorling
Kindersley Publications (see http://eyewitness.trre.biz/).
Not only are these guides heavily illustrated with color
plates and building cutaways, they also offer historical and
cultural information for that place, all in a color-coded
Guide-friendly format.
Che Birthday Party
Hook: It’s Tyler’s 10 th birthday. All his friends are
there, even the ones who don’t really consider themselves
his friends. You see, Tyler is the only child o f a wealthy
self-help guru, and all the local parents want to get on
her good side. Tyler him self is anti-social, spoiled yet
neglected. His best friends are imaginary— the real
kids merely tolerate him. So here they are, gathered
together in a posh playroom on a rainy day, awaiting the
entertainment that’s sure to arrive any moment.
But when it does, that entertainment takes unusual
forms. You see, Tyler was recently sham ed by his mother’s
boyfriend, who told him “You’re getting to be a man,
already. Grow up!” So Tyler’s trying to do just that. The
first step involved telling his im aginary friends that he
didn’t believe in them anymore. They’re not taking this
news well, and now — with a host o f other children as a
captive audience — those imaginary friends are here to
show Tyler how real they are...
Setting: A well-stocked playroom in a large and
fancifully-decorated mansion.
Characters: Each player character is a child at Tyler’s
party. None o f the children possess magical talents or
Legacies, though they may have helpful interests.
Tyler is a Guide character, as are all parents and the Kid
Fears.
Guidelines: Soon after the party begins, the main
door to the playroom closes and will not re-open. Other
doors m ay lead into strange and surreal landscapes that
have very little to do with the layout o f the house. No
adults will appear until after the adventure plays out. For
better and worse, the kids are on their own.
 Complications: The im aginary friends have turned one or m ore o f the other children home. To handle them,
Tyler’s playroom into a gateway to nightm arish realm s: A the children will have to band together again, this time
dentist’s office, an endless flight o f huge stairs, a basem ent with a more-helpful Tyler in the lead.
housing a chained ogre and a dusty room filled with Inspirations: The Phantom Tollbooth, Stephen King’s
abandoned toys. W henever a child opens a door, he or she It, Dr. Seu ss’s darker stories, the film Paperhouse and your
finds a passageway to one o f those realm s. These realm s own childhood dream s and nightmares.
are temporary, and each one is tied to elem ents o f a player
character’s past (the toys, for example, include ones each Off the Map
child recognizes, the dentist’s office is one each child has Hook: One m orning, a player character wakes up to
visited, and so forth). I f the kids just try to sit tight, the the discovery that her street is no longer on any mundane
imaginary friends will drive them out o f the playroom map o f the city. Perhaps she realizes that she hasn’t been
and into the nightm are realm s by blacking out the room, getting her mail or finds h erself completely unable to
turning the videogame consoles into serpents, appearing direct a friend to her apartment. She might have left to. go
to chase the children around the room or em ploying to work but suddenly can’t find her way home by her usual
other nasty tactics. Whatever happens, the children (Tyler route. She might ask directions and discover that other
included) m ust face these angry Kid Fears. people don’t notice the street at all. Worse, they think it’s
Antagonists: The Kid Fears, a collection o f ridiculous to claim that street exists (‘‘ O f course there isn’t a
frightening faeries who embody a child’s nightmares. The
Fears w on’t physically harm the children, but the kids don’t
know that! Using every trick in their arsenal, the Fears will
force the children to recognize their existence. Only by
standing up to a Fear, acknowledging it and telling it to go
away will the children escape these antagonists.
A lesser antagonist is Tyler him self. A petulant brat,
he’s not very likable. Granted, he’s got good reasons to
act the way he does, but the other kids m ay not enjoy his
company. Obviously, Tyler is a truly imaginative kid — his
fears wouldn’t be so potent i f he weren’t! Even so, Tyler
might drive the other kids up the wall before finally giving
up and taking on some adult behavior. Only then will the
terror truly end.
Resolutions: Tyler and the other children m ust
confront the specters o f growing up. They m ight outwit
the Fears (tricking the dentist into his own chair,
wrapping the ogre up in his own chains and so forth), but
eventually they m ust work together and acknowledge the
passing o f their childhoods without turning their backs
on imagination. By forgiving the Fears — or better yet,
convincing Tyler to be mature without surrendering his
formidable imagination — the kids will be able to open the
door to the playroom once again, only to find that hardly
any time has passed at all in the real world beyond.
Saga: The party m ight provide a bonding experience
for the kids. Their adventures could continue at school,
where faeries, bullies, grown-ups and other challenges
bring them together again. Perhaps the Kid Fears follow

See "Trait Tem plates” in Chapter 4 for

details about children and household faeries
and "B ig B ads” in that same chapter for a
description o f the Kid Fears.

* 111*
Fifteenth A venue in M anhattan!” ), leaving our hero and the
other residents o f the street in a bit o f a quandary when it
comes to continuing their ordinary lives.
Setting: A few blocks o f a previously-ordinary city
street.
Characters: W hen this hook is used as a one-shot or
as the beginning o f a saga, the player characters should all
live on the affected street. For an ongoing saga, the Guide
should choose a street on which a player character lives or
works. Alternately, this problem could affect a supporting
cast character i f the Guide feels the player characters have
a strong motivation to get involved.
Guidelines: Nothing the player characters can do
— at least not in one session o f play — can restore their
street to the perceptions o f the m undane world. Finding
out who’s behind this shift and dealing with that entity
could take a whole a saga, not a single story. This initial
story should focus on coping with the challenges that
being o ff the m ap presents to people in the modern world.
Complications: Everyone on the street is plagued
with the m undane (and not-so-
mundane) consequences o f falling
o ff the map. Mail won’t be delivered,
which m eans paychecks don’t arrive,
and neither do bills that need to get
paid. Garbage isn ’t picked up. TV and
phone reception dies. The police and
fire department w on’t come i f there’s
an emergency. Residents can leave
the street i f they like, but they get
lost when they try to return home. In
worlds and is valuable nearly ^ solve some o f their m undane problems,
everywhere.
the wake o f this confusion, someone I
needs to draw the people o f the
street together into a community and figure out how to
deal with the situation.
Antagonists: The first antagonist the player
characters will encounter is almost certainly the
m undane bureaucracy that believes their
1 _____ __ 1 _____________ ■ . v v r l __ 11_____. 1______ 7 ___
their parents why they can’t visit, the player characters will
find the inertia o f the ordinary world difficult to shake.
A second antagonist is a guy known as T-Jo, a
small-time crook who has decided that a street where the
cops can’t go makes a great hideout. He soon takes over
a building abandoned by a freaked-out fam ily and slowly
turns it into a power-base. Though at heart he’s a coward,
T-Jo's not above threatening the locals — at least not when
he’s sure they can't retaliate.
Finally, Gabriela Ramos is a middle-aged mother o f
two who thinks she’s got all the answers. Although she can
be very helpful to the player characters in organizing the
inhabitants o f the street, she’s quite sure she knows what’s
best — and that m eans she’ll inevitably end up coming
into conflict with the player characters, sooner or later,
even i f she has their best interests at heart.
For an extra supernatural twist, faerie entities could
begin to creep in when the block is cut o ff from the rest of
the world. These beings could have something to do with
the shift or they could be taking advantage o f it. Are they
predatory, helpful or both? In any
I case, they should be mysterious and
Kosian Silver: [ creepy.
Resolutions: The player
& n im p o ssib ly |jg f,t .
characters may help Mrs. Ramos
Ominous metal refined in the organize the citizens o f the street
rh , n r ' n 9 d°m of Kos into an impromptu government
— eventually driving out T-
redm the morlal
realm. K
Kosian f°
silver retains they may find a way to bribe, bully
S ,U.,leUrf,)ly beauty jn ft I or blackmail T-Jo into helping them
I as he’s used to living beneath the
I notice o f the authorities and has good
advice about how to get by. Finally, the player characters
may simply focus on their own concerns, in which case
Mrs. Ramos and T-Jo will divide up the street into tiny
fiefdoms, leaving the player characters in an even more
uncomfortable situation...
Saga: As the street remains in limbo, the more
m undane elements slowly depart and stranger beings
move in. A small goblin market m ight even
set up in one o f the abandoned shops! Just
living on this street becomes an adventure,
especially i f the player characters
try to m aintain their ordinary jobs, friends and other
connections. Alternately, the player characters may decide
that they need to restore the street to the ordinary world,
in which case they will have to discover and deal
with the forces that removed the street in the
first place.
Inspirations: Shows like Lost and
The 4400, Twilight Zone or even Survivor
can help you catch the atmosphere
o f people cut o ff from everyday
life, whereas stories like G aim an’s
Neverwhere and Stephen King’s
novella The Mist can inspire desperate
situations and a growing sense o f panic.
Co Catch a Coolh
Faerie
Hook: It’s late autumn, and little
Susie has lost a tooth. Like any
dutiful little girl, she’s going to
put it under her pillow and let
the Tooth Faerie come and take
it away. However, she’s told her
friends about this idea, and they’ve
come up with a wild plan: they’re
going to have a slum ber party and try to
spot (and maybe catch!) the Tooth Faerie
when she comes for Susie’s tooth. The
Tooth Faerie, though, is a wily old girl
and is much m ore than the children could
ever expect...
Setting: A sm all bedroom with one
central bed, a wardrobe and a French
dresser, maybe a toy box and m ore than a
few cuddly toys. A lot o f sleeping bags and
pillows (one for each friend) and whatever
other props a young girl’s bedroom could
possess.
Characters: Susie m ay be a Guide
character or a hero played by one o f the Circle.
The other characters include Susie’s friends and
quite possibly one o f her parents as well. It’s
unlikely that any o f the characters will possess
any Legacies, Wyrds or Accords; i f someone
does, that talent or burden will be a m inor one
at best.
Guidelines: The slum ber party opens as
many slum ber parties do: there are stories told,
DVDs watched, children trying to scare one
another, the usual. Hot chocolate flows freely, as will
nighttime snacks. Events get more exciting after m idnight
when the Tooth Faerie turns up to collect the tooth. She’ll
be furious to find that the children are not asleep, and
she’ll use the very nature o f the bedroom to
teach them a lesson in respecting faerie
& f tales!
Complications: To a child, a
bedroom can be a frightening place.
The angry Tooth Faerie will use all
the possibilities to the limits o f her
imagination and power. She w on’t
reveal h erself to the children, having
seen that they’re awake, but will instead
make her displeasure known. She’ll play
with shadows and dim the lights; she’ll
rouse The Monster Under The Bed;
she’ll call Hobgoblins From The Closet
and Things that Creak and Moan. I f
she must, the Faerie will shake
furniture, animate toys and wrap
blankets around the children,
bringing all their little fears
to life.
I f one o f the player-
heroes is a parent, the kids
have a small advantage. Many
o f the beasties that lurk in children’s
bedrooms are afraid o f grown-ups; i f an
adult appears, they’ll hide. For the kids,
however, this presents the challenge
o f convincing M om or Dad that there
really are monsters in the closet and then
getting the parent(s) to stick around long
enough to discover the truth. Kid-faeries,
naturally, have plenty o f experience with
children and parents. I f they can, the
faeries will blame their noise and chaos
on the children, letting the kids take the
fall for the apparently non-existent faeries!
Antagonists: The Tooth Faerie is just trying
to do her job. A shim m erling created from Victorian
folklore, she’s compelled to find the tooth and leave
a small gift in return, all the while rem aining in that
boundary between reality and imagination. I f she’s seen
clearly — or worse yet, captured — she m ight even die,
as being caught in plain sight by mortals could m ean
dispersal, banishm ent or doom (see D e liria ,
page 125).
Meanwhile, the Kid-Fears
are doing their jobs, too, using
any non-injurious tactic they can
to frighten the children away. The Monster Under The
Bed, for example, will snatch at children who come too degree or a cat
near the edge o f the bed and m ake crunching sounds to versed in astrology!
m ake the others believe it’s snacking on kid-bones. The Something m ust be
Closet Hobgoblins play pranks and steal things, and the done.
Things create the m ost sinister sounds they can imagine. Setting:
Resolutions: I f the children flee the room or The City Anim al
succum b to the Tooth Faerie’s wrath, they’ll awaken the Rescue Shelter is a
next day to find the tooth gone, with groggy m em ories o f fortress. No pet has
the previous night. I f the children act out or actually harm ever escaped from
a faerie, the tooth m ay explode in a shower o f sparks, it before. Also,
leaving nothing behind but terrified children and a pile o f back out on the
dust. But i f the kids ride out the storm and vanquish the streets, the faerie
Kid Fears through virtue, courage or goodwill, the Tooth animals can’t go
Faerie will show herself, grant each child a silver coin, take directly home (if
the tooth and leave Susie a small yet precious gift. they even have one)
Saga: I f the children actually meet the Tooth Faerie, because that’s the
they’ll never forget the experience. The coins will stay first place Jenner
with them forever, and this alone will draw them slowly will send control
toward Deliria. Perhaps the coins themselves can be used officers to look. No
as plot devices; they might be pirate treasure (with Captain- — they m ust take
Hookish pirates looking for it!) or Kosian silver (with the this war back to the
mystique that m ay involve). I f the children did not succeed, battleground where
they m ight try to find out more about what happened and it started, dodging
go out looking for the Tooth Faerie and the monsters that through the hostile
played such cruel tricks on them... urban jungle until
Inspirations: Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild they reach the posh, lceep-off-the-grass m ansion grounds
Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, and Outside Over There where Mayor Keeting is throwing an exclusive party for his
provide wonderful ideas for an otherworldly rum pus, and supporters. There, they’ll have to corner Keeting in his lair,
Judith Viorst’s M y M am a Says There A ren ’t any Zombies, and amidst stunned guests, give a lesson in creative faerie
Ghosts, Vampires, Demons... adds a nightm arish edge to the diplomacy the mayor and attendees will never forget.
proceedings. Characters: The players are all faerie animals (cats,
dogs, maybe a bird and at m ost one ferret, each with some
Fam iliar Situation magic) incarcerated in the City Pound. Mayor Keeting,
Hook: After getting savaged by a dog he kicked for
Willard Jenner, disgruntled pet owners, other hum ans,
crapping on his m anicured lawn, re-elected City Mayor
normal animals and animal control officers are all Guide
Keeting turned rabid. On the suggestion o f advisor Willard characters.
Jenner, he declared that all animals without tags (even i f
Guidelines: The action starts in a pen made o f
they have collars) should be scooped o ff the streets and
chain-link fence and concrete; the groggy fam iliars wake
brought in to shelters to prevent disease and unwanted
from being stunned by animal control workers, and the
offspring. Believing that com m on citizens should spay and
adventure runs until Mayor Keeling’s party that night.
neuter their m ongrels, Mayor Keeting signed orders that Waiting to be rescued will not work, as the animals
city anim al controllers were allowed to be m ore aggressive
overhear workers talking about an em ergency mass
and even snatch pets that didn’t fit his elitist paradigm
euthanasia scheduled for that afternoon because one o f the
— although they should wait until the owner w asn’t captured animals tested positive for rabies.
looking. Now, because animal control jobs are city-funded,
Complications: Getting out o f the kennel will be an
the animal control officers have no choice but to fall in interesting feat, as the cages are made o f iron and steel
line or be fired. A reign o f terror has begun; even faerie — something faerie animals have never cuddled up to.
animals are being hunted down. Even when the captured After they escape, the strays will have a hard time; animals
animals are claimed by their owners, the new system says without collars are marked creatures, and am id the
they m ust be fixed at the owner’s expense. Try explaining publicity about a rabies scare, these soon-to-be-infamous
that to a part-German Shepherd studying for a college escapees may find that even friendly hum ans are reluctant

130 -*
to help them. Getting onto the m ansion grounds will be a
Family Mailers
challenge, because all the M ayor’s servants know what will
Hook: Family defines us. It’s where we take our
happen to their paychecks i f Mayor Keeting comes within
first steps and where we turn when all other hopes have
10 0 yards o f another unmentionable sort o f beast. Plus,
gone. But what if your fam ily isn ’t even remotely what
the party for Keeting’s wealthy supporters occurs between
you’d thought it was? In this story, the player characters’
seven and midnight. I f the fam iliars arrive too early, they’ll
fam ily shares an ancient connection to the Palenoch that
have to hide out without getting caught; too late, and their
has been hidden from the heroes from birth. Suddenly, a
best opportunity to address Keeting’s controversial policy
death in the fam ily reveals both the Palenoch’s existence
in front o f witnesses will be lost.
and the fam ily’s role with it, forcing the heroes to deal with
Antagonists: Narrow-minded Mayor Keeting is not
their new legacy.
entirely wrong — there is a potentially dangerous stray
Setting: This saga centers on a goblin market that
animal population in the city. He just went overboard in
the characters have inherited. The Guide should establish
dealing with it. What the Mayor doesn’t realize is that the
this business based on the characters that the Circle
city has a viable non-hum an ecosystem. Blindly killing
creates. An office building works well for characters from
certain animals will clear the way for less-savory predators
a wealthy or aristocratic background, and a used-car lot
— in particular Willard Jenner’s kingdom o f rats and
m ight be m ore appropriate for a group o f blue-collar
cockroaches. I f the faerie fam iliars sim ply attack the
heroes. Other important parts o f the story m ight play out
Mayor in front o f guests, it will swing public opinion on
in the fam ily’s ancestral home — a ram bling m ansion for
the Mayor’s side, and Jenner’s arm y will rise. The heroes
rich characters, a large farm house for rural folks — or
must find a way to either alert Keeting to the Jenner
gathered around that old photo o f Grandm a for less well-
problem or convince an understandably disbelieving Mayor
o ff folks who might rent apartments.
what’s at stake politically i f continues his course o f action.
Characters: The player characters are all m embers
The Rat King, Willard Jenner, didn’t stage the
o f the same family. A small Circle can play siblings,
encounter between Mayor and dog, but he certainly
and larger groups m ay include aunts, uncles, cousins,
capitalized on it. For Jenner, having his mortal enemies
adopted fam ily and various other relatives. The Circle
snatched o ff the streets is a dream come true; getting
is encouraged to collaborate on the shared Backstory
Mayor Keeting to m ake h im self public enem y num ber
- they’ve known each other all their lives, after all. These
one and leave a vacancy in his political seat come election
characters may be children, teenagers, adults or a mix
time is the icing on the cake. Jenner’s cockroach spies have
o f ages, but at least one character should be older than
informed him o f the faerie anim als’ escape from the City
eighteen.
Pound (where he wrongly supposed cages o f cold iron and
Guidelines: The saga begins with the death o f a
steel would have held them), so Jenner knows that he has
player character’s parents (or more than one character’s,
dangerous enem ies on the loose.
i f said player character has siblings). Strange things start
Resolutions: The heroes m ust make Mayor Keeting
to happen to each o f the heroes during or shortly after the
realize how unreasonable he’s being and the festering
funeral, events that hint at their legacy and point them to
danger that Jenner poses to everyone. Only then will the
the goblin market. The business itself offers few clues,
policy be struck down.
forcing the players to seek out distant relatives who may
Saga: The jailbreak from the City Pound m ight forge
know what’s going on.
some strong, untraditional alliances between the feline
As it turns out, the fam ily belongs to the Palenoch
and canine worlds. No longer will the default response
and owns a rather difficult goblin market. The heroes m ust
to a m em ber o f the opposite species be ‘Attack on Sight.’
figure out how to manage the goblin market itse lf how to
The heroes m ight make new friends am ong the hum an deal with the customers who arrive when it opens and how
population, too, for their role in saving beloved pets. With
to keep outsiders (and their more avaricious relatives!) o ff
his eyes opened to Faerie, Keeting m ay become a friend
their backs.
— or at least a m ore interesting Mayor. Jenner, however, Complications: Dealing with a parent’s death is
never forgets, and will withdraw to contemplate another always extremely difficult, but this particular period o f
nefarious course o f action. m ourning is made even more complicated by the legacy
Inspirations: Film s like The Great Escape, Two left to the heroes: Nundina. Nundina is the spirit o f the
Brothers, The Incredible Jou rn ey and Babe: Pig in the City
goblin market that the player characters have inherited,
offer inspiration for this rather unconventional — yet as described below. Additionally, the characters’ distant
entertaining! — faerie tale.

431 -
 m
Settings for
Adventure
T(;e office coffee pot is always clean.
The printer always works. Each morningj,
the rug is spotless. On every) desk, each
oaper clip is arranged neatly when the
irst employees arrive. Unless a desk has
leen designated a STAY OFF zone, those
desks are cleaned thoroughly and buffed to
a shine. The windows are streakless) the
trashcans are empty. The temperature?
Perfect for business-suited comfort. The Law
offices of M iller and M iller are a tribute
to productivity. Calm and clean, no matter
L for example, the heroes might go to sleep in their beds and
what.
Charles M iller likes it that way. And he
keeps it that way. He has an arrangement,
see.
Around the offices, paintings adorn the
walls: thick glens, deep forests. E v en the
occasional townscape. Each one of them is
painted expertly, with a deft hand for color
and texture. In each painting, a careful
observer might note tiny figures or faces
F continue as the characters are challenged for control o f the
almost out of sight. The landscapes seem
uncannily real, like photographs set in oil. In
dim lijjht, the\) seem to glow.
A ll the office plants are real. And
healthy, too — so much so that you'd swear
they were tended in an English garden,
not an American law firm. Visitors who
like gardening don't always recognize the
flowers there. The offices smell good, too.
Like incense without stale afterscent.
if you look closely, you'll see tiny rings,
like altars, everyw here. B$ the coffee pot.
B y each desk The waiting-room has several,
all carved from blue stone and surrounded
by tiny trees. These seem to glow, too, if you
look hard enough in just the right light.
Charles, you see, has an arrangement.
And he's got friends.
His friends come out after dark And
they keep the office clean.
relatives are all odd and eccentric — it’s a trial to approach
any o f them, and your heroes will have to deal with several.
Some o f these batty relations m ay be supportive, but
others will m ost definitely not. Several m ay want Nundina
for themselves, and one or two m ay have had something
to do with the parents’ sudden deaths. Once the market
re-opens, other, unrelated m erchants m ay also try to take
control o f Nundina. At some point, the Palenoch may
order an audit to see whether or not the market is being
run well... or whether a m anagem ent change is in order!
Antagonists: Nundina, the goblin market, has a
m ind o f her own. Unfortunately, it’s a petulant two-year-
old’s mind, one that constantly demands attention without
being able to express what it specifically wants. Naturally,
the market-spirit has the power to enforce such demands:
awaken in the marketplace or find that she has flung open
her doors to various Folk and mortals. In general, Nundina
enjoys being open for business but w on’t cooperate with
her owners unless they use the right rituals and customs—
which are, o f course, only known to the character’s most
distant relations!
Resolutions: The saga m ight end when the
characters have discovered Nundina’s true nature and
grasped the basics o f running the market. It could also
market and take their place in the Palenoch, with all the
attendant complications.
Inspirations: A Series o f Unfortunate Events offers
an obvious inspiration, and Alice H offm an’s Practical
M agic (both book and film), John Crowley’s Little, Big,
Terri W indling’s The Wood Wife and John Irving’s novels
The Hotel New Hampshire, The Water-Method M an and The
Cider House Rules present excellent examples o f family
strangeness, inheritance and business on the edges o f
reality.
Walkin’ Down Your
Street
Where do everyday adventures begin? In parks,
m useum s, bars, apartments, bookstores, practice spaces,
theatres, shops, alleyways, offices... any place where people
gather can become a setting for enchantment.
The settings below offer a range o f ideas for your
own saga. Like the setting hooks above, they can be used
as is, adapted to fit your Circle’s saga or used as sparks
for your own creativity. Many o f the details have been left
open for your em bellishm ent To make things fun and
easy, transpose these descriptions over similar places in
your life and change the details just enough to make that
fam iliar location unfam iliar in all the right ways!
Che Velvet Hookah
The heart o f the Metroplex is a thriving club scene
thrum m ing with life. Each door offers a taste o f a different
scene, be it the sum ptuous darkness o f Goth or the
streetwise Hip Hop blur. The Velvet Hookah, however,
gives you over to something completely different. That
club’s exotic sweetness tingles on your tongue... and soon
you forget all the rest. This was what you were looking for.
Within the Hookah’s antechamber rest piles
o f wonderfully plush pillows o f every sort o f fabric
imaginable, from silk to faux fur. The babbling whisper
from a small water garden in the corner m ingles with the
roar o f the street not ten feet away. The trickling mantra
coaxes you further under the Hookah’s spell, tempting
you to venture more deeply into the club’s interior.
Pass through the steel door stamped with the club’s
trademarked logo, and you find yourself within a rather
common looking bar. Here, your beverage o f choice awaits
you, enticing you to relax am ong tasteful techno and the
clatter o f conversation. Touches o f Indian, Moroccan and
Egyptian influences give the room an eclectic beauty as
you settle in to your surroundings. Behind you, a smaller
room glows blue and violet, its candle-lit tables standing
perhaps twelve inches or so from the ground. More o f
those wonderful pillows cluster here and there, offering
comfortable place to lounge and enjoy neo-Mediterranean
cuisine.
Venture in still further, and the corridor opens into
a true sanctuary. Past a beaded curtain, it slopes down
and opens out. Here, draped linen rises and falls from the
ceiling like sails meant to catch the wind. Nag champa
incense wafts through thick air as you take in the gilded
glory. Tucked away here and there are tiny alcoves that
could be more... private i f such a thing were desired. The
most distinctive area o f that room, however, is a raised,
red-carpeted dais. Atop it sits a walled chamber just large
enough for six kneeling people. At the center o f that
chamber rests a circular table with Arabic mosaics inlaid
across its surface. Such a place is ideal for secret meetings
and arcane rendezvous. But the cham ber’s truest treasures
are the belly dancers who perform there each night.
Although they grace the other chambers on special nights,
this room is the dancers’ home. And though belly dancers
are nothing special these days, the graceful beauty o f the
Hookah’s ladies is renowned.
The Hookah is literally intoxicating; that euphoria,
however, has nothing to do with the carefully blended
433*
tobacco offered in the club’s slender water pipes. Nestled
away from the clam or o f the streets and dance clubs, the
Velvet Hookah feels like another world. And in m any
ways, it may be. The club’s owners are a mystery; staff
mem bers hold their tongues am ong strangers and the
language they speak with one another is like nothing
heard in the earthly Middle East. Several o f the dancers are
hired mortals, but they’re not privy to the inner workings
o f the club. The silky corridors go on endlessly; you could
walk down one and never find kitchens or offices. Is this
place a crossway, a dominion or something in between?
Like smoke, that answer fades to nothing here. The Velvet
Hookah is a world unto itself, and it’s one upon which the
vulgar outer world is forbidden to intrude.
Other Cultures,
Other Settings
Urban fantasy, for the m ost p a rt'
distinctly Euro-American feeling to it. Although
the mix o f cultures and influences m ay be global,
the genre itself features the cultures and places
that are most fam iliar to its creators and audience.
Even so, there’s more to our world than coffee
shops. Everyday heroes can live anywhere, as easily
in Niamey, Niger as in Nashville, Tennessee. In
fact, the m ost heroic folks o f all live in places
where the quality o f life is lower and life itself
more difficult than in our privileged industrial
world.
That said, it would be impossible to
detail the full spectrum o f hum an existence in
a single chapter. Rather than present cultural
com promises that m ost Deliria players would
find useless (“ What are we gonna do with an
enchanted yu rt?”), this book sticks to examples
from the information-era realm. Within that
framework, however, these settings rem ain open-
ended. The Brace House could just as easily be
called al-Buyrid Harram, with a similar approach
and difficulties. The name given here m ay be
American, but the spirit behind that setting is
universal.
Che Law Offices of
Miller and Miller
T here’s a place you can go i f you have legal issues
o f an unusual nature. In the spacious offices o f Miller and
Miller, you’ll find a special kind o f counsel. Realizing the
importance o f a law firm for occult clients, Charles and
Lianna Miller opened their firm 12 years ago in a thriving
Am erican city. Since then, they’ve had all the business they
can handle.
These lawyers don’t advertise their services
frivolously. They don’t take well to cranks. The firm
doesn’t advertise on late-night TV or hand cards out on
Halloween. I f you were to enter their offices as a casual
visitor, you’d see a clean, efficient firm. Only those who
know would recognize the signs: the faerie-pots placed all
around the offices. Forest paintings that appear to move.
Symbols o f m any different faiths worn secretly or openly
by each person in the firm. Occult tomes near books o f
law (which is, as Lianna says, just another form o f magic).
Miller and Miller know their work. Although neither
city, green space surrounded on all sides by shiny office
senior partner would qualify as a magician, their staff has
towers. Bequeathed to the city by an eccentric millionaire,
been known to pull o ff impressive tricks in court.
the Park holds a bit o f wildness inside the city’s heart.
M iller and Miller doesn’t hide what it is. The firm ’s
The stone wall protects the park from noise and
clients include covens, rock bands, artists and temples,
litter. Inside, nature grows quiet and raw. Birds and
people accused falsely o f black magic and folks whose fey
animals are everywhere; they come from m iles around
demeanor is more than just cosmetic. O f course, their staff
to live, breed and feed in Raven’s Park. The park’s
will tell you, there are no such things as faeries; a person’s
namesakes dominate the scene, but everyone is welcome.
right to believe in faeries, though, is protected under law,
The squirrels here are thick and healthy, more robust than
and they’re here to make sure that law is followed.
their scrawny city cousins. Some folks say you can even
To one who knows the truth, the faerie signs are
find deer deep in the park, though that’s unlikely this far
obvious. Even so, no true fey staff the firm — nor would
downtown. The trees o f Raven’s Park are centuries old,
the partners hire them. The issues here are too critical,
preserved from the time when the first city fathers arrived
they say, to risk that potential liability. I f a reporter or rival
at the spot and called it good. Johann Bainsburg, the man
firm were to prove that there were inhuman employees in
who willed the park to City Hall, was the last o f a line o f
the firm, too m any clients would lose out. Miller and Miller
m en and women that stretched back to the city’s origins.
retains high credibility because it refuses to twist the rules.
They secured the plot early on and held on to it despite
The law is magic here, and no other spells are needed.
every city planner’s pleas. Now, with the park firm ly
After hours, o f course, is another matter. A staff
planted in the city’s culture, no one bothers it. Johann’s
o f shim m erlings tends the offices, keeps the records
legacy should last until the city itself is gone... and long
and keeps lines o f communication open with the faerie after.
underworld. Many o f these fey guise themselves as
Here and there in Raven’s Park, you’ll see statues
hum an clerks, but the cleaning staff prefers the old ways.
o f ancient gods. Behind a grove o f trees or a thatch o f
Spinning sprites whisk through the offices long after
brush, you’ll come across a fish pond, graced with stone
midnight, putting everything in order. By dawn, the suites
mermaids who never swim. (Or do they? Local lore
o f M iller and Miller are ready for business.
suggests they might!) Every so often, some evangelicals
get up in arms about the pagan nature o f these stone
Raven’s Park works. Eventually, the frenzy passes. The city is too fond o f
In the center o f town, there’s a wall o f rough-cut
Raven’s Park and its strange treasures.
stone. Perched across the top, a gargoyle congregation
Crim e is non-existent in Raven’s Park. No m uggers
watches folks go by. Raven’s Park is an aberration in this
dare its shadows. Lone joggers can run in safety — they

-134-
don’t know why, but young wom en feel quite at home — is the salve for earthly pain. They m ay be right. They
here. W hen som e urban predator forgets the rules, he certainly get results.
disappears. The ravens eat well in the m orning, and no But the kids inside wouldn’t call all o f those results
one looks too hard for his clothes. Instead, the park is good. No one on the Brace staff talks about the tears,
filled with busking m usicians, drowsy lovers, playful kids the night-terrors, the slashed wrists or the heads bashed
and folks with nowhere else to sleep. Several volunteer against walls till gray things leak out. Or if they do talk, it’s
groups keep the park clean; cops watch the borders but to reassure the auditors and parents that “it’s part o f the
rarely go inside except to enjoy the beauty o f the place. program .” Not the deaths, o f course — those are chalked
Local covens love the park. So do local church- up to good old drug use. But the pain goes hand-in-hand
groups — at least the ones who don’t care about stone with the process. And processing pain away is what Brace
gods. Each m orning, you can see im prom ptu tai chi and House is all about.
yoga classes in the clearings o f the park. Within those Brace’s staff m eans well. Most o f them, anyway.
thick stone walls, the woods seem endless. It’s as if The Big Bad Wolves am ong them know how to keep
another world blends into this one once you get inside the secrets well, and not all o f those wolves are hum an. Pain
trees. Sometim es people wander in and don’t come out. calls to pain, you know, and the pain at Brace shrieks loud
Or they show up years later, changed, but no older than enough to be heard in Faerie. Drawn by scarred minds
they were. Raven’s Park has m any secrets, yes, and it’s not and violated souls, dark faeries creep in; wearing guises o f
always as safe as you m ight think. But there are havens in shadows and staffers and psychopathic fam ily m embers,
this world for innocence, and Raven’s Park is one o f them. these scavengers come to pick the bones. At night, they’re
worst o f all.
Brace House, Inc. The staffers aren’t all innocent, either. The usual
Sunlight filters through the leaves, dappling well- contingent o f grab-hands and bullies (every institution
manicured grounds with a touch o f beauty and perfection. has them!) includes a secretive cabal. Driven to make
Pansies line pale gray concrete sidewalks that lead to the normal what they find deviant, these therapists employ
crisp white building standing silently alone. Near the interesting tools. The group sessions are fairly standard,
doors, a groomed garden hides within a grove o f trees, but their sleep-deprivation “suicide watches” go on for
offering solace am ong nature. And within that crisp days. The usual round o f dope-‘em-ups mixes badly with
white sanctuary, a fountain pours cool water for the m any fey influence, leaving m ost kids in a trance with no way
goldfish that call the pond home. They’re not the only ones to escape. And then there are extreme m easures, the kind
who find peace here. you don’t keep records of: ice baths, aversion therapy with
They call this place a
haven for troubled youths, the
kids at risk, the lost souls. It’s
somewhere they can come and
be healed. Brought here by their
families, these children soothe
their wounds behind these
walls. These survivors o f deep
trauma learn to rejoin society
after addictions, breakdowns
and suicide attempts. The
slogan here says “Find Grace
with Brace,” and many young
folks do.
Some patients see
visions here. Others are born
again into various religious
faiths. Brace is not a church-
run institution, but its staff
m aintains that faith — in God,
Goddess, the Self, Whatever
spiders, beatings and group sex. Brace’s literature w on’t
address such things. W hen quizzed by reporters, the
staff chalks it up to “m edia burn — these kids just want
attention.” Brace’s staff does m ean well, though. I f their
methods seem harsh... well, it’s a harsh world, isn ’t it?
The staff wants to m ake kids normal, to break
their fancies for dangerous things. Meanwhile, the
truly dangerous things prey on the kids at night, taking
advantage o f the blindness o f the keepers and the
helplessness o f the kids. It’s a battleground between
Reason and Irrationality, played out in the psyches o f the
Brace House children. Some o f them really do find peace;
m any do find faith; a few even turn around and join
Brace’s staff when they’re o f age. But the ones
in between? Well, it’s sad, really. Sometimes,
not even the crisp salvation o f Brace House
is enough to heal a lost soul.
Caledonia Fitness
Center
The new gym down the street
has a fantastic weight-loss plan,
gorgeous trainers, great equipment
and the best-looking clientele
in town. It’s open 24-7, but the
nighttime hours present the best
opportunities to meet truly stunning
people. Best o f all, the classes and
m achines offer great results! Within
a week or two, all visitors notice m ajor
changes for the better. You see where
this is heading, don’t you?
In this image-conscious age, what
could be a better faerie playground than a
fitness club? Or a finer goblin market, for that
matter? Beneath the sweat and latex smells, there’s
m agic in this gym. Mortal clients get the workout they’ve
always wanted, the Folk get to play and both sides have a
chance to look and feel their best. The Caledonia Fitness
facility has spanking-new gear. It’s clean and sharp-
looking, with a hot tub, pool, workout areas, yoga classes
and even the Hercules Cage, a free-weight arena where the
biggest and strongest m en and wom en — fey and mortal
both — pum p up.
Caledonia Fitness has easy m em bership plans. By
mortal standards, they’re quite affordable, especially if
you’re young and beautiful. The owners o f the gym make
their real profit from Caledonia’s fringe benefit: the life-
energy o f Caledonia’s clients.
The co-founders o f the club, Greg “ Striker” Norris
and the single-named Hypatia, have special needs. Greg
bonded with a craver spirit in the early 19 8 0 s and retains
his staggering good looks and vitality by siphoning them
from clients, partners and lovers. Hypatia is a faerie
m use inspired by a fantasy artist with a penchant for
bodybuilders. Both o f them honestly love fitness culture;
that the culture sustains their m agical nature m akes this
an even better deal!
Caledonia’s staff is made up o f am azing male
and female specimens. Each trainer, spotter and greeter
looks like a cover from M en’s Health or Shape. Some o f
these icons are mortal, but m ost are aelden. Like their
employers, the staff enjoys the workout atmosphere
and the company o f gorgeous mortals.
Hook-ups are com m on here, and
though those relationships rarely
last, they’ve got the intensity o f a
Hollywood aerobics class.
Meanwhile, Caledonia’s
hum an clients get the
workouts they desire. Side-
by-side with dazzling
hardbodies, they put
everything behind their
efforts. For those who
m anage to keep up, the
results go beyond merely
physical fitness: the club
enhances beauty, boosts
confidence and drives
endorphin levels through the
roof. The clients aren’t just
improving their m uscle tone.
A dedicated m em ber receives a
metaphysical makeover that puts
pain-and-strain to shame.
What’s the catch? That depends on
your point o f view. There’s nothing truly sinister
about Caledonia Fitness. No vampire-faeries knocking off
their clients after dusk. Yes, the relationship o f the founders
and their staff with their clients could be considered
parasitic, but by most standards it’s a fair exchange. Everyone
gets what they want. O f course, faeries often forget how
fragile their mortal playmates can be; emotionally and
physically, a Caledonia workout can put a real strain on
a person’s life! And then there’s the secret nature o f the
club’s staff and owners: if the human public realized that
superhuman entities had a workout club in town, how soon
do you think it would be until church, state and media shut
the place down?
So for now, Caledonia is a happening fitness spot.
The mortals don’t know what’s really going on, and the
aelden aren’t talking. Only the right people meet the entrance
requirements, and nothing has gone wrong there yet...
A Child’s Garden of Wonders
The world looks different to a child. It’s magical,
and everything’s alive. All the things we take for granted
as adults become crossways to another world — often in
a Delirian sense. Kids have plenty o f imagination, and
imagination is the bridge to Faerie. W ho’s to say their
adventures a ren ’t real? Rem em ber your world as a kid?
Maybe it was magical after all...
My Cree House
My tree house is the best! It sits up there, up in
the big oak in the back o f my garden. It’s made o f wood
(of course!), o f long, sturdy planks my dad cut and nailed
together. It always smells like fresh sawdust and creaks
when you walk around in it or when the wind blows
hard. I spend as m uch time up there as I can — it’s a
place where grown-ups don’t go, except my M um when
she brings me lunch - it’s too sm all for
them. The door, they can’t really get
through and they can’t stand up
inside. The furniture is too
tiny for them to use. Like
that girl who followed that
white rabbit. It’s m y hidey
hole, m y place. It’s where
I invite m y friends to play
in the sum m er and where
we wrap up in warm
blankets, drinking hot
437
chocolate while talking about Christm as and snow forts
during the winter.
Yeah? My tree house is a hidden cabin, secluded
by lush green leaves deep in the magic forest o f the oak
tree’s limbs. Sometim es it’s a haunted house, surrounded
by beautifully scary old branches that look like claws and
fingers when the leaves are all gone. I live in a golden
palace during the autumn, and the falling leaves o f brilliant
flam ing reds dance like tiny princesses upon the breeze.
Well, my tree house is also a ship! It rocks and
sways but holds a steady course through the worst o f
storms. She’s too swift for the sea m onsters to catch as we
sail through choppy seas, great winds filling the canvas
and carrying us o ff to adventure in distant lands!
So? My tree house is a wizard’s tower, or sometim es
a wicked queen’s, which m ust be stormed by a brave
knight or handsom e prince to rescue the princess. Or so
m y sister says. I sometim es just like to read there.
My tree house is G R E A T . I can play there all day
long, until it’s time for bed. My tree house is the
B E S T 1. What about yours?
Che Sofo
Resting idle
in the m ain room
o f the house,
the sofa is a
welcome
sight at the
end o f a
working
day.
The first place you sit when the day begins and the last Some draw you in until you can’t climb out again, and
you lounge upon as the night grows late, the sofa holds others steal things from your pockets and swallow them.
popcorn, lint and cat hair in her folds. As she holds you, Bitter couches poke your butt with springs, chuckling in
she rem em bers: here’s where Jack made out with his first their old-maid way. But then there are the sofas that love
girlfriend, and here’s where Jill perches each night to to play with kids, whose wide cushions becom e toy-car
watch TV. Such a m undane thing, the sofa’s overlooked by speedways and whose legs form toy-soldier headquarters.
everyone... except, o f course, for a special few. Drape a blanket or sheet on these old sofas and they
Every child loves a sofa, loves to venture into the become like Grandma, all softness and indulgence. To
m ysterious land that lies behind her. This deep-set valley those who share their hom es (like cats, no sofa is truly
o f discovery hides her wonders in plain sight, away from owned), these couches offer comfort and — to kids! — a
grown-up view and secluded in the heart o f the front room. wondrous m agical world, a look into the Faerie land for
Move her close to the wall, and the spacious valley those who deserve to see it.
turns into a tight, foreboding canyon in which m any
monsters hide. Throw a sheet across her, and the canyon
Che Playground
Was there ever a place m ore m agical or special
becom es a cave. Toss back the sheet again, and you have
than the playground? No! It’s that place that you have to
the battlements o f your very own castle. Pushed away from
travel some distance to visit; maybe a short walk is all it
the wall, the space that was your palace sweeps open to
takes to get there, but perhaps Mom has to drive you over
become the kingdom itself. Across the sofa’s back, a sheet
first. Regardless o f the journey, your destination is a place
becom es a waterfall and you’re a m erm aid living in the
removed from the world. Here, the w him s o f children
lake. With a turn o f your head, you face a perilous cliff
rule. Ancient games collide with bright new ones, and
— perhaps as an explorer or perhaps fleeing from dark
everything is being discovered and rediscovered all the
things that follow.
time.
Our sofa m ay be old and battered or new and
The playground exists for one thing only: F U N ! To
pristine. She m ight be sheathed in delightful shiny leather
the spirit o f a playground, fun is its sole purpose. All that
or clothed in embroidery that tells its own stories when
spirit wants is children sliding and climbing and running
you look at the needlework just right. Such a central piece
and laughing through its world. Rope ladders, swing sets,
o f a hom e’s furnishing often displays
slides and enigmatic climbing towers wait impatiently
a personality o f her own. No wonder
for the recess bell or the sound o f small running feet.
she plays house to faerie sprites and
Throughout each day, especially on weekends, the laughter
her own personality!
o f children and even adults, shot through with arguments
But not all sofas are
and shouts, is the heartbeat o f that land.
welcoming creatures. Some are
Is it any wonder, then, that some playgrounds
haughty and dislike children
die? Playgrounds who are forgotten or fall into disrepair?
who turn them into playthings.
Playgrounds who become hunting grounds for bullies or
Such children fall when no
victims o f vandalism? Playgrounds where scary old m en
one pushes them, losing
drive the youth away? These are unpleasant places indeed.
teeth to the viciousness
Twisted by neglect, such playgrounds grow empty, turning
o f the couch. Other
into vicious, spiteful shells o f what they once were. The
couches suffocate
climbing-bars cut your palms in such places. The air feels
under plastic
stagnant and the slides seem dull.
wraps, too dainty
Playgrounds, so the children say, are the home
to be touched by
o f friendly faeries. Playful sprites m ight talk and play
with toddlers. Tiny dragons lead boys and tomboys on Che School
breathtaking adventures, and dainty girls sit as guests at It’s a prison. A kingdom. A spaceship. A tomb. At
flower-princess tea parties. Such children come home the sound o f the m orning buzzer or bell, the kids m arch
with grand stories, claim ing that for a time they were King into school. With bits o f home strapped across their backs,
Arthur or Lancelot or got to dance with a faerie prince in they yam m er and laugh until the teacher, god or goddess
the realm o f Thum belina. o f this realm, shushes them for the m orning roll call.
D on’t go near old nasty playgrounds, the children School is a fortress, a meeting-place, a memory. You
say. Goblins live there who steal your shoes and eat your met your first friends here, lost teeth to a bully or kissed
toes. The Thorny Man lives in the climbing-castle, and for the first time. Its halls recall the furtive make-out
he’ll pull your hair and scratch your eyes. Yet children sessions and skipped classes o f all who have gone before.
still dare each other to go in and swing on the broken H ere’s where you decided to be a rock star or a vet, where
swings or search for the really cool toy Tom m y lost. The you passed cooties or learned to swear. It’s pride and pain
excitement and danger are too rich to resist. Even when and a trial to endure. And it’s alive — you know it, and so
you can hear old voices on the playground wind, to this does everyone else. School spirit isn ’t just a metaphor (a
day it sounds like laughter. concept that you learned there, too!). For each and every
school, it’s a very real identity.
Old Man Attic
I f hom es have souls, schools have congregations.
Found atop a rickety ladder, hidden away up the
Massed from raw imagination, guided by youth and
twisting staircase, resting in a gentle slumber, lies the old
shaped by experience, these m any spirits m erge into one.
Attic. Sometim es it’s open to all visitors; other times, it’s
There are happy schools and brutal schools, the places
a forbidden place. More often than not, it’s just forgotten.
where each student has a laptop and the ones where tiles
But Old Man Attic is there, always. His domain perches
fall from the ceiling daily. Every school has ghosts and
high above the house, and he hears all things spoken
m anifestations — its Charlie Chalkdusts and Bloody
below him or in his yard beneath the sky. His worn and
Marys. There are real ghosts, too, in every school, spirits
shuttered eyes gaze down on the street outside, and he
chained here by old business or wandering because they
watches the world pass by.
have no place else to go.
Always, always, Old Man Attic is a jumbled realm
School’s a place o f learning and memory. The best
o f cardboard boxes and discarded furniture too obsolete to
days o f your life, and your worst, often begin somewhere
be o f use yet too precious to be thrown away. Decorations
near a school. You learned to play football here and lit
from Christmas and Halloween live in his arms, as do
cigarettes in the bathroom. Maybe you bloodied some
long-forgotten toys. Old Man Attic is a place o f memory, o f
rival’s nose or broke down in tears on your best friend’s
childhoods spent and generations past. Photo albums packed
shoulder. In the theatre, you can hear the halting lines o f
with pictures o f weddings and birthdays wait here, gathering
teenage thespians; in the teacher’s lounge, the scent o f
dust, hoping to be discovered and remembered once more.
toner from m im eograph machines never quite fades. I f
As a gathering place for m em ories and pools o f
you know how to look, the graffiti never washes away. It
time, the Attic becomes a temple o f sorts. I f you climb the
all becomes a part o f the great School Spirit. Folks feed it
stairs or ladder to the top, it’s easy to wander for hours
without knowing why, and it responds.
through happier days and bygone joys. Old Man Attic’s
Some schools feel like armed encampments, locked
floorboards creak and speak as you walk about on your
down with wordless rage. Some slide on open-classroom
journey through time. He whispers in his dust-choked
tracks, reshaped in a few moments to something entirely
voice o f all that he has seen, o f all that those photographs
new. Their libraries smell o f curiosity, their locker-rooms
and packed-up toys have told him . The sun m ay set
o f desperation. With cheers and tears and lessons learned
outside, and yet you’ll stay here, listening. His stories are
(both in and out o f class), the School Spirit keeps its pact
the best ones, the ones worth rem em bering. Sometimes,
with man.
you m ight stumble upon dreams — forgotten dreams
School’s always a big place, even i f it has only one
sleeping in Old Man Attic’s boxes. Dreams that, when
room. But it’s always smaller when you return in later
found, seem worth trying for again.
years. The little legends in that place, however, never
Join Old Man Attic and find where your fam ily has
change. There’s the boys’ bathroom where Tom Berry was
been. Recall all that once was, remem ber who you are now
locked in over winter break and starved to death: sure, it
and discover where you still m ight go...
sounds silly now, and no one ever actually knew a Tom
Berry, but the kids still tell the sam e tale and lunchboxes cowboys that makes the stable so appealing!
still go m issing when left alone. T om ’s still hungry, it Stables have a voice o f their own. To riders and
seem s... non-riders alike, they whisper stories in the gentle shhh o f
Down the winding corridors, it’s easy to believe that sawdust footsteps. Light filters between the roofing planks,
m onsters live within the heating pipes — they m ake the playing out in wondrous displays that m ake sense to those
groaning sounds you hear. Sm all tribes o f brownies live who deeply understand a horse. The stable speaks to you;
inside the teachers’ desks, stealing pens, erasers and other listen closely, and you can hear your past.
things, living on gum. The school is a kingdom o f mystery Old or new, stables seem eternal — ageless in
and memory. Often, we recall only piles o f hom ework and their majesty. To children, who are closer to tim e’s fluid
nagging teachers who never seem ed to understand that nature than adults, time seem s to bend around a stable.
children need their freedom. Maybe a walk through those John Wayne, you could believe, is just out o f sight,
long halls and classroom s is what we need to recall those his cowboy hat shadowing his eyes. Against
days when all you had to do was own a cool toy to be king that wall, a j ouster’s lance; beside it,
o f the schoolyard, i f only for a day. the polished tack o f a champion.
No wonder children love the
Che Stables stable! To enter it is to
Maybe you’re lucky enough to have a stable o f your
find a cathedral
own. Or maybe it’s the property o f a relative or friend.
with no god
The stalls m ight be occupied, with horses that look at you
but Time.
with longing for sugar lum ps and apples or they could be
abandoned, open and empty to the weather. Either way,
stables are irresistible. Standing proud amidst green fields
and hedgerows, a vast structure o f wooden beams
holds m any hollow rooms, each floor strewn with
fresh-cut wood shavings. Or perhaps the stable is a
smaller type, resting lazily on a m eadow’s edge. Its
gates worn with gentle age, this small barn holds the
musky scent o f hay as dust motes float like glitter
upon a breeze.
Horse stables have a subtle power that calls
to all who see them. People must go and take a look,
have a walk around in the open spaces within the
walls. That stable-magic becomes more
potent when the horses themselves
are there. Perhaps it’s some
ancestral m em ory o f
knights and
 So be wary, traveler. I f you enter here, remem ber
who you aie. There are years on the stable breeze that have
little to do with the building’s age. I f you’re not careful, you
could lose track o f your time and find yourself squinting in
a cowboy sun or blinded by the arm or’s glare, too dazzled to
find your way back home...
Che C ard b o ard Box
What a sim ple thing a box is, what a common sight.
How plain it is — dull and uninteresting, brown and
square. And oh, how wrong you are...
Never has there been a greater gateway to adventure.
Not once, before the advent o f the cardboard box, had
there been a more flexible catalyst for young imaginations.
Sofas and wood scraps are well and good, but there’s
just something about a cardboard box that begs to be
transformed. To those who understand such things, a
#1 cardboard box is never just a cardboard box. In
fact, it’s everything but a cardboard box!
When spacemen reached the
________________ moon, cardboard boxes rose
up in imitation. They
became shuttles,
rockets,
ehh 'r v ii
And N o w F or
space stations, airtight helm ets, moon buggies and landing
pods. The western world was engulfed in countdowns and
take-offs as children reached for the stars above. When
Mario Andretti and Dale Earnhardt tore up the speedways,
cardboard boxes became the tracks for thousands o f
Matchbox road warriors; they became the brown stock cars
that thousands o f children raced to victory. Boxes becam e
robots, comic-book guards, headquarters for G.I. Joe and
his comrades. To this day, cardboard cities live in fear o f
the great beasts that stalk am ong them, tram pling their
walls to m ash. A cardboard box is a blank slate. On one
small box, a thousand giant m ythologies appear.
When you look at a sim ple cardboard box, you’re
looking at a key to the world we rarely see as we grow
older. A place exists within that world that we all too often
forget about. Still, the subtle song o f childhood asks "W hat
i f It’s a question we ask all the time, yet its m eaning is
never quite as-clear as it seem s. “What i/?" The Cardboard
Box asks this question o f us now, but it’s speaking o f tim es
to come — things ahead, not left behind.
Deep inside that box, there are trees w hispering.
Speaking their tales. Carrying the essence o f every thing
,
they have ever touched or sheltered or fed upon. Despite
the shredding and m ulching and m elting o f fibers into a
seem ingly shapeless m ass, the trees rem ain. Pressed
into another shape, those trees retain faint traces o f
their power.
It s all alive. W e’re all alive. Stories are our lives,
and each life — no matter how hum ble it m ight s e e m __
offers new stories for us to tell.
So look once m ore at that everyday, ordinary
cardboard box. Look deeply for a while. Listen for that
voice asking you “What if?” And maybe, just maybe,
that voice could lead you toward a future you’d forgotten.
141
 Anyone can be a hero, especially in faerie tales. And so this
sourcebook deals with “just plain folks,” showing that
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A Sagabook for Ddiria: Faerie Tales for a New Millennium®,

Everyday Heroes® captures the spirit o f urban fantasy and classical faerie lore
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