Final Death for changelings means the death of their fae soul.
Overview[]
One thing can keep changelings from their rebirth, tearing them from the Wheel of Life and casting them forever into the outer darkness. That is the power of Banality. Banality seeks to suppress and destroy all things of Glamour, in eluding the fae spirits of changelings.
Cold Iron[]
The most common instrument of Banality used to destroy changelings is cold iron. Pure iron, the metal that brought the Mythic Age to an end in blood and fire, is the physical manifestation of Banality in the mortal world. Fortunately for the Kithain, folk in modern times have tempered and weakened the power of iron with their science and imagination by changing iron and mixing it with other elements to form new metals developed from human creativity. The application of human thought and imagination to cold iron has weakened its power so that the different alloys of iron like steel have no more effect on changelings than any other metal.
For cold iron to be effective against changelings and other things of Glamour, it must be fairly pure iron, not an alloy or combination with other metals, Ideally, the iron should be worked as little as possible, so that the power of imagination and Glamour has not had the opportunity to blunt the banal power of the metal. This means that instruments of cold iron are often crudely worked and ugly.
The touch of cold iron causes discomfort to changelings, a kind of cold ache that seems to spread through the body. It is not painful, but it is very unpleasant. The discomfort causes enough distraction to increase the difficulty of any action the changeling takes by one. Cold iron chains or bonds are difficult to overcome. Additionally, cold iron acts as a kind of lightning rod for the power of Glamour, "grounding" it and neutralizing it. It is impossible for a changeling or kinain to gain Glamour through epiphany while in contact with cold iron.
The greatest threat of cold iron is its ability to drain the Glamour from a changeling's fae spirit. Attacks with cold iron weapons drain a point of Glamour for each successful hit along with any damage done as the power of Banality gnaws at the changeling's spirit. Even if no damage is done, a successful hit with an iron weapon causes the changeling to loose Glamour.
If a changeling is killed with a weapon of cold iron, their fae spirit is drawn into the banal power of the iron and destroyed, casting it into oblivion. Only the death blow must come from an iron weapon, since the iron draws for the fae spirit and all of the Glamour within it at the time of death. The mere idea of death by cold iron is enough to make any changeling shudder with fear.
The dangers of Banality and life as a changeling sometimes leaves the Kithain no time to recover the bodies of comrades who fall to violence from mortal or Kithain enemies using physical force. These unfortunates end up part of the long list of children, runaways, and eccentrics who simply turn up dead in the World of Darkness. Their deaths are usually blamed on gang violence, kidnappers, serial killers, and other forces as the Mists close to conceal anything of the victim's true nature or demise. If the mortal authorities notice anything strange about the occasional victim struck down by a cold iron blade or "random" act of violence, they keep it to themselves.
Undoing[]
The other way in which Banality can destroy the Kithain is through the Undoing. Unlike the touch of cold iron, the Undoing is not a swift death. It is a slow, creeping paralysis that comes over the changeling so gradually that it is sometimes not even noticed until it is too late for anything to be done.
The Undoing occurs when a changeling falls too deeply into the grip of Banality. Over time, the changeling forgets everything about their fae nature. They return to their mortal seeming forever, and their fae mien slips away into the cold darkness of Banality to be smothered and then snuffed out. This is the fate of most changelings who live to a ripe old age, and he reason that the fae fear growing old. By the time the mortal flesh dies, the fae spirit is usually long since departed.
A changeling who is Undone by Banality has their fae mien entirely suppressed. They are forever a mortal thereafter, with not memory of their fae existence or the Dreaming. Of course, upon the death of the mortal flesh, the fae spirit is then free to join with mortal flesh once again, continuing the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
References[]
- CTD. The Enchanted, pp. 62-63.