In the common Parlance of the Kithain, the Fae Mien is the fae appearance of a changeling. This is the fae's true self and how he or she appears to other fae.
Overview[]
The mien is the true face of a changeling, his or her faerie soul hidden beneath a veil of flesh. While the mortal seeming of the kithain is mortal and subject to death, the faerie soul partakes of immortality. To those who can perceive the Dreaming, this true self shines through the veneer of Banality that protects the fae from disbelief; one of the fae, whether Inanimae or Nunnehi, can always see themselves for what they are unless a changeling has been overwhelmed by Banality or has deliberately rejected that part of him or herself. When in one of the Dreamings, on a trod, or in the confines of a freehold, the fae mien completely overwhelms the mortal seeming.
The fae mien changes when the physical age of the changeling changes, not the chronological age. If a changeling is spending time in freeholds and halting their aging, then they can remain with the appearance of a child well beyond their years. A physically 10 year old Childling may have in fact lived 15 to 20 years or more. When that childling hits 13 physically, or puberty, they become a Wilder and undergoes a rite of passage recognizing their new status and stage of life. The passage to Winter is inevitable.
References[]
- CTD: Changeling: The Dreaming Second Edition, p. 66
- HTR: Hunter Storytellers Companion, p. 59-60