Sidhe (CTD)

The Sidhe are the kith born of the dreams of kings and queens - both noble and otherwise. Regal, beautiful and graceful, they are power and coldness personified. They are tied intimately to the Dreaming and are new to the Changeling Way - most of the Sidhe on Earth are either exiles or escapees from Arcadia, unable to return home. As a result, they feel the cold sting of Banality far more harshly than commoner kithain, but they still command both the Seelie and Unseelie courts and are determined to survive the coming of Winter.

History
The Sidhe tell that they were the ones who ruled originally over the other Kiths as heirs of the Tuatha de Dannan. Since some sources tell that kiths only formed after the eclipse of 1230, it is uncertain if they are. They might be in relation to the Firstborn.

While some Sidhe remained behind among the Commoners, common knowledge is that the nobility of the fae fled to Arcadia and barred its gates once the Shattering commenced. Nobles tell of Sidhe that were hunted by greedy commoners who wanted to usurp their positions. Only during the Resurgence in 1970 did the Shining Host return. The conflict between these Sidhe, who claimed the right to rule over the commoners as it was their duty ordained by the Dreaming, and those fae who were left behind and had found ways to survive in an increasingly banal world eventually escalated into a series of conflicts between them. The world over, Sidhe loyalists and commoners clashed, until arrangements were made and new realms founded which were either dominated by Sidhe, Commoners or a mixture of both.

During the turmoil of the Evanescence and the disappearence of the High King of the American kingdom of Concordia, new Sidhe emerged from the Dreaming, ready to challenge the five established Houses and further throwing the world of the Kithain into turmoil. Rumors tied this to the growing threat of the Endless Winter and the possibility of civil strife in Arcadia itself.

Organization
Sidhe are almost exclusively Nobles, so much that the terms have been occaisonally used interchangeably. Monarchical systems are to them as natural as breathing and notions of democracy the result of Banality.

Nearly all Sidhe belong to one of the great noble Houses. Both Seelie and Unseelie are present among them.

Culture
As exiled nobility, the sidhe remember a time when they ruled proudly in a living dream. Known and feared as the Good Folk, their whims enchanted and terrified mortals for millennia. Now that tale has ended. The gates to Arcadia have closed, the song has ended, and their new kingdom grows cold. For sidhe, the age of wonder has died, and they mourn its passing.

This mourning, however, has not ended their lives. Though they fear death like few fairies ever could, they are facing their fate with regal bearing. While others consider them cold and arrogant, the sidhe refuse to lie down and die. For them, the dream is still alive, and they strive to awaken the world from its slumber. The very presence of a sidhe inspire supernatural awe. The sight of a sidhe in her true form captures the hearts of mortals and the essence of the Dreaming.

Faerie passions run deep -- love of vengeance is never forgotten. The ideals of the sidhe are even fiercer, and cost them dearly. Such passion has it's price though. Even Seelie heroes would rather destroy themselves in a blaze of glory than fade away. Their less energetic brethren lose hope and become self-indulgent, letting their freeholds fall into despair as easily as they fall into melancholy. Others become Unseelie tyrants, ruling through cruelty and intrigue. Though exotic in their beauty and lost in their ideals, a few travel among commoners. No matter what path they choose, sidhe are far from human and always stand out among those with whom they associate.

Banality is a deadly curse, and sidhe suffer more from it than any other Kithain. Death is an even greater fear, for sidhe are not believed to be reborn as other changelings are. In these dark times, most never return from death; and it is speculated that the few that do are reincarnated as commoners -- for them, a fate worse than death. Faced with this dire fate, they resent the Arcadian sidhe for exiling them from paradise. The most hopeless of the Earth-bound sidhe quest in vain for Arcadia or throw themselves into orgies of Glamour-gathering to sustain themselves. The thought of simply fading away is too much for them, and they will do anything to stay alive. Tormented by their dreams, the beautiful sidhe are outsiders in a human world.

The blessing and curse of the sidhe is to live deeper in the Dreaming world than most fae ever will. This walking dream-state gives most sidhe a glazed look and unfocused air. Bards' songs say that the eldest sidhe live in the past, present and future all at once. Sidhe are also notorious for switching between Courts without warning. Considering their whims, it's no wonder few changelings trust them.

While they try to hide it from the other kiths, the Sidhe are deeply affected by the centuries-long gap they have in their memory. Unable to recall events in Arcadia, and faced with a world that appears to have left monarchs and noblesse oblige behind, they struggle to adapt.

Strengths and Weaknesses
The birthright of the Sidhe is their unearthly beauty, combined with a natural regal bearing that makes cantrips design to humiliate them automatically fail.

As a drawback, their close connection to the Dreaming is also their Frailty. Sidhe are more vulnerable to Banality.

Version Differences
While all Sidhe were originally presented the same, C20 introduced two different variants. Arcadian Sidhe are those that only returned during the Resurgence, while Autumn Sidhe are those few that remained in the Autumn World. While Autumn Sidhe in theory existed beforehand in the form of House Scathach.

Autumn Sidhe differ from regular Sidhe through their frailty. Instead of being more vulnerable to Banality, they instead are uncanningly attractive to mortals. Autumn Sidhe can rarely hide in a crowd, and people tend to remember every word of them or develop unhealthy affections towards them.