House Leanhaun

House Leanhaun is one of the noble houses of the Unseelie Court.

Overview
Members of House Leanhaun are intimately tied to mortal inspiration, and are the most Glamour-hungry of all sidhe. Without Glamour, those of House Leanhaun begin to age rapidly. Cut off for a few months from Glamour, members of House Leanhaun can go from childling to grump almost overnight, suffering all the pain and loss such a change brings in its wake. Though other fae know that this house is so cursed, they are unaware of the cure for it — a forbidden form of Ravaging known as Rhapsody.

The aging effects can be reversed, and aging itself can be held at bay for an unnaturally long period of time through Rhapsody. This is engendered by particularly creative mortals in response to the Leanhaun’s direct infusion of Glamour into them. The mortal who is thus inspired burns with enhanced creativity, pouring his whole life into his art, be it music, poetry, prose, painting, sculpture, dance or any other art form. The Leanhaun feed off the Glamour thus produced, often becoming the lovers of those they Rhapsodize, while the mortals become utterly obsessed with their sidhe lovers. Such a direct channel to the Dreaming, and the creative and emotional outpouring it produces, is very dangerous for the mortals involved. While they fashion artistic masterpieces, they live all too briefly, burning out with one rapturous, incandescent flare.

Like their founder, the graceful, alluring and talented Lady Leanhaun, once bard to the High King of Hibernia, those of House Leanhaun are known for their cultured ways, beauty, grace and seductive natures. Most sidhe recognize the house’s ability to locate and cultivate the best human artists and Dreamers. They are seen as great patrons of the arts. Few Seelie are really aware of the Unseelie nature of this house; those who do know of it are puzzled by it as they have no idea what the Leanhaun actually do to gain Glamour. Further, many members of the house are themselves noted artists. For this reason, those who are known to the Seelie usually hold positions such as Masters of Revelry or Court Bard.

Most members of House Leanhaun fear that the Seelie will discover their true natures. Their chief desire is to be free of the threat of persecution should the other houses ever find out the truth. They want complete and unrestricted access to the kind of Glamour they need, and feel justified in taking that which they need to survive. House Leanhaun believes their goals can best be brought about through a takeover from the squeamish Seelie and the empowerment of commoners. They advocate commoner equality, hoping to make allies who will protect them from the other noble houses. Most of them are members of the Reformists and the Modernists. There are a number of Ritualists among the Leanhaun, however, as they feel a great need for the Glamour which pageantry can provide.