In ancient times, the sidhe used Sovereign to regularly enforce their noble dictates upon commoner kith. A few highly conservative (and unpopular) nobles still adhere to this custom. The Art of Sovereign forces commoners and nobles of equal or lesser rank to obey the caster's dictates. Thus, a knight could not use Sovereign on a baron.
This Art is the most widespread grievance that commoner fae have against the sidhe nobility. As such, wise nobles use this Art sparingly, lest they risk a revolt among their subjects. Traditionally, this Art was jealously guarded by the nobility, but in recent times this Art has surfaced in some commoners' use. Some members of the Beltaine Blade blame House Fiona, but the more likely reason is the rise of the non-sidhe nobility.
Any time this cantrip is used to affect a changeling of equal rank (commoners are all considered to be of equal rank), the target can make a resisted Willpower roll (difficulty 6) to resist the effects of the cantrip. Each success reduces the caster's successes by one. Any character can spend a Willpower point to be allowed to make a similar roll, but at difficulty 7.
Attribute: Charisma
• Protocol[]
This cantrip allows nobles to conduct business and hold court functions without being perpetually interrupted by noisy childlings or commoners. Protocol ensures that everyone affected behaves as noble etiquette requires, although a roll is required to determine if the target(s) can fathom the dictates of the proceedings (see the sidebar). When this cantrip is cast, no one may speak out of turn, and sudden combat and tomfoolery are out of the question. Duels between persons of equal rank to settle disputes are acceptable, if the reigning noble permits it.
System: The Realms describe the targets affected. Obviously, certain Realms (such as Prop) are useless with Protocol. The number of successes determines how difficult the Protocol cantrip is to break by making a resisted Willpower roll as described above. A botch when resisting this cantrip means the target abases herself by bowing and scraping to the reigning lord until the cantrip ends. This cantrip remains in effect until dusk, dawn or when the lord proclaims, "Court adjourned!" — whichever occurs first.
Multiple castings of this cantrip are not cumulative. Two nobles who attempt to cast this cantrip at the same time is a minor breech of etiquette to the higher ranking noble (of course, the lower ranking noble's Protocol fails).
Type: Wyrd
•• Dictum[]
This cantrip enforces the power of authority and command over commoners and underlings. The target is simply unable to disobey the requests of the caster, although the target is aware when Dictum is used upon him (even if he is unfamiliar with the Arts).
A target under the sway of Dictum attempts to carry out the caster's requests to the spirit and the letter, unless the request would somehow place him in immediate danger. A target couldn't be told to attack a werewolf, but he could be asked to guard the door against werewolves, as the command does not place the target in immediate harm.This cantrip, more than any other Sovereign cantrip, is the major point of contention between commoners and nobles. Commoner kith seem to take less of an affront to a user of Grandeur (see below) than a user of Dictum. After all, most Kithain already respect and feel a certain sense of awe for the nobility, but they do not appreciate being forced to bow and scrape before every noble whim.
System: The Realm determines the targets affected by the cantrip. The number of successes denotes how difficult this cantrip is to resist by making an opposed Willpower roll as described above. This cantrip lasts exactly one hour. Multiple castings are cumulative (successive castings are at an additional + 1 difficulty for each time cast).
Type: Wyrd or Chimerical
••• Grandeur[]
Grandeur impresses upon others that element of the majesty of Arcadia that every noble and sidhe carries. It is the component of noble poise and refinement that later mortal rulers attempted (but ultimately failed) with their divine pageants and coronations. Anyone who views a caster of Grandeur is overcome with awe; he can take no action (violent or otherwise) in the presence of the noble (even if that noble attacks the target). Holding court is not possible for a caster of Grandeur, as most of the attendees would be unable to speak. Changelings with romantic Legacies tend to fall in love with casters of Grandeur; this may be the reason it is rarely used in public (although High King David does seem to have an overwhelming number of admirers....).
System: When Grandeur is cast, the Realm is determined by the subject(s) of the cantrip. The Scene Realm can be added to affect multiple targets. If someone wishes to resist, she may attempt an opposed Willpower roll (difficulty is the number of successes scored by the caster). This cantrip lasts for one scene. Multiple castings are cumulative (successive castings are at an additional +1 difficulty for each time cast).
Type: Chimerical
•••• Weaver Ward[]
Use of this cantrip prevents a door or entranceway from being passed by certain persons or inanimate objects. Alternately, a caster can use Weaver Ward to insure that no one picks up or uses an object (if the cantrip is used in this manner, the caster must also possess the Realm that represents the object).
A changeling may use this to erect a selective screening for this Ward that lets certain persons through (though the person's True Name must be known and spoke aloud at the time of casting), such as a Warded cave that only permits members of a certain society to enter. She can also create a deactivator password that temporarily shuts the Ward down; "Open sesame!" and "Open locks whoever knocks!" are two more famous examples of such. Weaver Ward may be also used as a "cantrip lock," or a lock against unwanted counterweavings. Cast in this way, Weaver Ward protects cantrips from being undone. No counterweaving is possible against a cantrip unless the Weaver Ward is undone first. For this to occur, the counterweaver must be aware of the Weaver Ward, and direct her counterweaves against it. After Weaver Ward is undone, the other spell can be made normally.
System: The Realms determine who or what may not pass through the Weaver Ward. If cast upon a particular item rather than a doorway, a Realm appropriate to the item must be used. To Ward against cantrips, the Dweomer of Glamour (the fifth level of Fae) must be used. Even one success with Weaver Ward prevents the subject of the cantrip from entering the specified doorway or using the intended object. The only ways around this cantrip are casting a Counter-Weave, or the Wayfare cantrip Portal Passage. In either case, the would-be breaker must score more successes than the original Weaver Ward casting. Otherwise, only the wearing of time (many years) or excessive Banality will overcome this cantrip. In the presence of strongly banal people (those with more Banality than Glamour), a Weaver Ward loses one success per day. Once the successes are reduced to zero, the Ward is destroyed. In the presence of Autumn People, this deterioration takes place at a rate of one success per hour. Multiple castings of this cantrip are cumulative, but the caster can only accumulate a maximum of five successes on any given Weaver Ward.
Note: Yes, you can cast Weaver Ward on someone's mouth, but you need to achieve more (non-cumulative) successes than the target's Willpower (and the target can spend Willpower to automatically overcome the obnoxious use of this cantrip).
Type: Wyrd
••••• Geas/Ban[]
When this cantrip is used, the power of Glamour is employed to direct a person upon a task or quest. This quest must be fulfilled to the letter, or the target suffers some kind of curse (designated at the time of casting). The target need not know what lies in store for him if he fails to complete the Geas, but the anxiety of knowing can be worse than the punishment.
The other use of this cantrip, called Ban, forbids a target from doing something or engaging in a specified activity. The most common use of this cantrip is the exile-Ban, which forces the target to leave a specified area and never return (or suffer the effect of the curse). A Ban can also be a forswearing of a certain activity, such as smoking, killing another changeling, etc.
Certain forsworn quests and oaths are Geasa of a sort, and need no caster to initiate (the oathtaker's will and desire are initiating the cantrip). For any other oaths not specified by this section, assume that a point of temporary Glamour is gained upon completion of the quest. The Storyteller must determine any ill effects for failure to complete the quest or the breaking of an oath. The minimum should be the addition of a permanent point of Banality.
A Geas or Ban that is impossible (e.g., a mortal is ordered never to breathe air) immediately fails. Geasa or Bans ordering a target to kill himself are likewise void, but a Geas or Ban can be cast which will surely mean death to the target (i.e., a target could not be Geased to stab himself, but he could be forced to take a quest in which he must kill an "unkillable" enemy).
System: The target of the cantrip determines the Realm need to cast this cantrip. The Scene Realm can be used to affect multiple targets. Unlike other cantrips, the changeling only needs the Realm affecting the target(s) to cast Geas or Ban. The Prop Realm is not usually needed unless the Storyteller feels that this is necessary. As usual, Scene is required to affect multiple targets.
The target must fulfill the Geas or Ban to the letter or suffer the consequences, determined by the number of successes. The target may (immediately) attempt to resist the cantrip by spending one permanent point of Willpower and succeeding in a Willpower roll (difficulty 4 + the caster's successes). This attempt must be made immediately after the cantrip is cast. Only one success is necessary to resist its effects. A Geas or Ban is immune to the effects of counteweaving. The caster must divide her total successes between the quest and the curse (see below). She cannot stack multiple castings of this cantrip to increase the effects, though a single character can be affected by multiple Geasa and Bans. If she spends an extra Glamour point, she can designate the curse to gradually affect the target (with increasing severity) over the course of the quest. For example, a caster could send a target on a quest to find true love; the longer he looks, the more a debilitating and scarring disease ravages his body. A Geas can be long-term ("Fight injustice whenever you face it.") or short-term ("No one may move until I finish singing my ballad."). The extent and power of the Geas (and the curse) are only limited by the number of successes at the time of casting.
| Successes | Quest/Bans |
|---|---|
| 1 success | A simple Geas or Ban (drive me to the airport; stop picking your nose). |
| 2 successes | A moderate Geas or Ban (retrieve a known item that has few guards; exile from a place rarely visited). |
| 3 successes | A difficult Geas or Ban (find an unknown person; cease an activity you find important). |
| 4 successes | A nearly impossible Geas or Ban (find an honest politician; exile from an area you've lived in all your life). |
| 5 successes | A legendary Geas or Ban (bring back the Siege Perilous from Arcadia; never visit the love with whom you have sworn the Oath of Truehearts). |
| Successes | Curses |
|---|---|
| 1 success | Mild curse (rash or itch). |
| 2 successes | Moderate curse (minor physical ailment or non-debilitating illness, such as a cold). |
| 3 successes | Major curse (debilitating illness). |
| 4 successes | Catastrophic curse (loss of loved ones, all possessions, etc.). |
| 5 successes | Deadly curse (death, or worse). |
Type: Chimerical