Bishopric of Blackbirds

Blackbird Bishop

Changeling The Lost Sourcebook pps.290-292
Wyrd	●●
Preqs	Empathy ●●
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The life of a changeling is never easy. Whether navigating the Hedge on the return home, dealing with one’s fetch or plotting a course through the crushing rocks of a freehold’s cruel politics, one finds pitfalls at every turn. It doesn’t help that exposure to these elements only help to decrease a changeling’s confidence in his own perceptions. As Clarity drops, the fae’s ability to discern reality from unreality, the dream state from the waking or madness from sanity grows weak. A single changeling who lets this lunacy creep in at the edges means that others are letting it in, too. That can damage the sanctity of an entire freehold, and put everybody in danger.

Enter the Bishopric of Blackbirds. They believe themselves the salvation of the freehold, positioning members to be there when others need them. That is their first stated goal: to assist those poor Lost (which, to most Bishops, constitutes all of them) when necessary. This can manifest in many ways. The Blackbird Bishops, for instance, often wander the Hedge and look for those who have escaped from Arcadia or who are plainly lost. The Bishops offer their aid, helping those poor souls return to the world. Maybe a changeling has a problem with her fetch, and a Blackbird Bishop will help her come to terms with her “other.” (They won’t help her destroy the fetch, but they will attempt to either forge an understanding between the two, or will instead help her to forget that life and never again try to contact her Fae-made twin.) The Bishops offer guidance to those who are lost, above all. As a changeling, it’s all too easy to lose one’s way, and the Bishopric accepts the role of savior.