“There are kings, and then there are kings.” That, in the briefest of terms, is what the Charmed Circle is all about.
And that is what they seek: true leaders. Those rulers who are exceptional in some aspect are what draw the attention of this eldritch order. It’s true that a word like “exceptional” is just an adjective and thus, subjective. The Circle argues, however, that it’s no such thing. That one’s excellence is measurable and more importantly, demonstrable, and in doing so merits a monarch to wear the golden torc that rests upon the neck of the Gilded King or Queen.
Mien
For such a potent noble title, a changeling’s mien does not shift dramatically upon joining this eldritch order. (Though, certainly a Gilded King or Queen will already have a powerful mien all their own, one that likely reflects the Mantle they bear for their respective Court.) All that changes is that parts of the changeling’s form offers occasional glimpses of precious metals and stones: one eye might appear a glittering sapphire, or nails might seem to shine with a platinum sheen etched with whorls, or skin may take on a golden hue glinting in the Sun. The mien doesn’t show always, and often seems to appear to most changelings when they look away: in the periphery, they see and even feel the gilded royalty radiating off the sovereign in waves. Turn to look directly at the monarch, though, and that mien seems harder somehow to see.
Privileges
Success Begets Success
Upon joining, the changeling gains another five Merit dots to be spent solely upon Social Merits, even if it brings a Merit up to five total dots. Note that this is genuinely magical: the changeling needs to do nothing to earn it other than join this order. Perhaps she “inherits” a large sum of money or property from a distant and now-dead uncle (Resources). Could be that a local mortal agency suddenly pledges its allegiance to her for all her “charitable work” (Allies or Contacts). Maybe a human ensorcelled attaché appears and claims he has “always” worked for her in some capacity or another (Retainer).
Friend or Foe
Once per story, the changeling may touch a target (may necessitate a successful touch attack) and vocally declare the subject “friend” or “foe.” Doing so has serious repercussions for the remainder of the story.
Declaring one as “friend” is beneficial to the target. The target gains a +1 to all non-Social rolls. The target gains two Willpower upon waking in the morning thanks to “pleasant dreams.” And, finally, the target gains +3 to any Social rolls made involving the changelings of the freehold (though the sovereign is excluded from this).
Declaring one as “foe” has quite the opposite effect: the target suffers a persistent –1 to all non-Social rolls, loses a Willpower point upon waking every morning instead of regaining any (due to “troubling dreams”), and the subject suffers a –3 penalty to any Social rolls involving the changelings of the freehold (though once again, rolls involving the sovereign are excluded).
The Gilded Queen can revoke the curse or blessing, though, at any time. Doing so, however, doesn’t allow her to use it again immediately: she must still wait until the next story.
The Gilded Torc ●●●●
They hand the ruler this torc upon asking her to join: a torc is a collar, of sorts, a twisted golden band that lays heavy and rigid upon the neck. Once a day, the changeling wearing this torc may activate it while a subject kisses her hand. She can either take one Skill from or give one Skill to the subject. The Skill comes or goes completely; if she only has Crafts ●● to give, that’s all she can give. If the subject has Athletics ●●●●●, then the ruler must take all of those dots, no more, no less. That said, the king does not preternaturally know how many dots a subject possesses in a given Skill, though certainly he can guess. Also worth noting, the Skill traded means that Skill is lost for the day. If the queen offers her Craft, then she no longer has it to roll. If the queen thieves a subject’s Subterfuge, then the target will surely have trouble conjuring a lie for the remainder of the day.
Action: Instant
Drawback: The Gilded Torc would like to remind its rulers that they must not take all too often, for stealing from one’s subjects is considered… a bit boorish, and certainly out-of-character. As such, if the king chooses to take a Skill, she suffers three bashing points of damage as the torc tightens for but a moment, bruising her neck.
Catch: If one isn’t willing to pay the price to use the Gilded Torc’s benefits, well, fine. Then one must be willing to suffer the consequences. Accessing the torc’s ability
without proper Glamour cost or Glamour roll is dangerous: the character must suddenly make a Stamina roll. Failure indicates that the character passes out as the torc tightens about her neck and cuts off her air supply (unconsciousness lasts for one scene). Success means she remains conscious, but she still chokes for a turn. In addition, she feels dizzy for the rest of the day whether knocked unconscious or not, suffering a –2 to all rolls.
Joining
If a newly minted freehold ruler hasn’t heard of the Charmed Circle, he soon will. They will send an emissary. They will let him know who they are, and how he has a choice in this life: to become something, or to stay nothing.
The Charmed Circle does not offer suggestions as to how one might earn the respect of their supposedly venerated order. They only ask that, should the ruler wish to be exceptional then he must make exceptional decisions and must take extraordinary actions. That is it. They offer nothing more. They do not open lines of communication so that the ruler may make her case or explain her inaction or passivity. They find you. They communicate with you. Never, ever vice versa.
It’s important to note that, for the most part, they don’t ascribe moral judgment to the subjective requirement of a sovereign’s extraordinary rule.
Once they’ve marked a ruler, they choose a greeting party of six or seven of their members to present the Gilded Torc token and a written Contract to become one of the Charmed Circle. If the ruler wants to join, she merely needs to sign the document and force the torc around her neck. If she doesn’t, so be it. They make no fuss. They simply withdraw. And that offer will never come again.
