Bishopric of Blackbirds

The Bishopric of Blackbirds is an entitlement dedicated to preserving Clarity among the Lost.

Background
"I will gamble my own soul to help the souls of others. Let us have faith."

This order considers itself the salvation of the freehold, assisting the lost wherever needed. This may take the form of finding those who are lost in the Hedge, helping changelings come to terms with fetches, or just offering general guidance. This help, however, will necessarily come with a payment of some kind, a catch that is always made perfectly clear in advance of the help given. This payment, generally in the form of a favor to be repaid, is used in aid of the freehold: a Glamour tithe to the local Court, or befriending a lonely soul. Sadly, the help that Bishops provide can often wear on their own Clarity.

Organization
Bishops gather in groups called synods to discuss matters regarding the freehold, though, often, little of importance is concluded. In order to keep their own Clarity stable, groups of Bishops associate with ordinary humanitarian efforts of some sort or another. This also permits them to both soak up Glamour from the strong emotions of those they help and enables them to spot new changelings who have yet to find the freehold.

Joining and Membership
Prerequisites: Wyrd 2, Empathy 2 Title: Blackbird Bishop

Often, a changeling will join the Bishopric as a way of paying off a debt to the order, as doing so is always an escape clause to the order’s pledges. Otherwise, those who ask to join are usually permitted to do so. Those who are underserving are simply made to deserve it — at the end of a cudgel if necessary.

The entitlement is home to three sorts: those who enjoy feeling righteous and needed, those who genuinely wish to do good, and those who seek to mitigate the horrors they have experienced. Socially, some may belong to the Courts, but many have drifted away from them, earning goodwill but not committing. Most are jacks of all trades in terms of stats, though Empathy, Persuasion, and Subterfuge will take prominence.

Mien
The order lacks a dress code, bar a single bird pendant, hammered out of tin and painted black, worn somewhere visible. In terms of the mien, feathers will appear from under sleeves, cuffs, and collars; sometimes, these feathers will fall to the ground. Bishops’ eyes turn black and glassy, like a birds, while their feet will turn to talons. At high Wyrd, nearby mortals grow unusually superstitious.

Privileges

 * Aspersorium (••): A small, fist-sized cup or pail, once the aspersorium is filled with water, the Bishop can whisper prayers to the Wyrd to “bless” the water to grant sanity. Those whom the water graces finds derangements downgraded (if severe) or alleviated entirely (if minor) for one scene. Further, the blessed individual gains a +1 bonus to Perception rolls for the day. Action: Instant Drawback: The Bishop suffers a -1 die penalty to Perception rolls until getting at least four hours of sleep. This penalty can accumulate up to -5. Catch: The token’s user takes on the target’s derangement for the rest of the scene. If the target lacks a derangement, the user instead takes on one mild derangement of the Storyteller’s choice.