Scarecrow Ministry

Scarecrow Ministers
(or just Scarecrows)

Changeling The Lost Sourcebook p. 313-316
Wyrd	●●●
Court	Autumn
Preqs	Manipulation ●●● Autumn Mantle ●●
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Mien

Many Ministers dress at least in part like the legends they hope to embody. A Scarecrow who wishes to become a sorrowful or vengeful ghost may wear gauzy gray wisps of clothing, even painting her face with kohl or ash. A changeling hoping to appear as the Hook-Hand Man might wear a long coat and a face-concealing hat, with a rusty gaff hook concealed on his person, of course. Some eschew such melodrama and prefer instead to wear the nondescript rags of the homeless or simple blue-collar garb; whatever it takes to remain hidden until the time is right to drive home the horror.

Generally, a Scarecrow of the Ministry appears in the guise of the Autumn Court, revealing the bloody reds and pumpkin oranges so common to the season. A Minister does find that his miens changes upon joining this noble order, with various elements possibly appearing (and often without the character’s choice) as part of her flesh. Most such changes are minor, and evocative of an actual scarecrow: black button eyes, flesh raised in some places with the texture of a burlap sack, various one or two limb joints marked by rope stitching, pits a few bristles of sharp hay and straw sticking out of sleeves and, pant legs. Upon joining, most only show one such element in their seeming. But as time goes on, with Wyrd increasing and Clarity dropping, other elements manifest into one’s being. Particularly old or potent Ministers appear as iconic scarecrows with mean jack-o’-lantern grins painted onto their sack-flesh faces, all shadowed beneath the ratty brims of farmer’s old hats. Most only have one such element added to their seeming, though these can increase with Wyrd gain. Higher-Wyrd changelings sometimes begin to adapt their seeming to whatever monstrosity they’ve chosen to mimic (imagine a changeling whose hand literally becomes a hook or whose eyes glow the flickering yellows and reds of the Mothman). Mortals tend to feel weak and frightened around any Minister with higher than normal Wyrd scores, often needing success on a Resolve + Composure roll to even remain in the character’s presence.

Bugbear's Mask ●●● (Privilege)

Upon joining this so-called noble order, one is allowed to pick out his own mask (either from a local store) or from another Minister’s potentially egregious collection. From there, the pledge to become a Minister and create fear infuses the mask with Glamour and forms from it the token found below

This token appears to be like any rubbery Halloween mask that one could buy for $10 down at the Wal-Mart or corner store. Whether the mask is the visage of a bandage-swaddled mummy or the angry face of a Frankenstein monster, the resultant supernatural effect is still the same. When the mask is worn, the changeling chooses a single target and meets the victim’s eyes. The victim gains the Phobia derangement (mild), with the mask-wearer as the focus of the derangement’s dread. The victim literally sees the mask as real flesh and actual bone, its grisly countenance appearing as wretched as the human’s imagination can make it (often manifesting as something the person was already afraid of, whether that be a face of crawling spiders or the countenance of a violent alcoholic father). The derangement lasts for the rest of the scene. This token can only be used once per day.

Action: Instant

Drawback: The changeling who uses this token suffers his own mild derangement for the rest of the day: Narcissism. (A character who already possesses the Narcissism derangement sees it become the severe version, Megalomania.) This derangement lasts until the changeling sleeps.

Catch: A mortal or any other character who uses the token without paying the proper cost (Wyrd roll or Glamour point) finds that the mask is particularly stubborn to remove. The rubbery fringe at the bottom of the mask seems to literally bond with the flesh of the neck. Removing the mask also removes a layer of skin, conferring one lethal point of damage.