Forgetting (CTD)

The Forgetting is a changeling’s gradual loss of awareness of their true nature.

Overview

The thing that all changelings, particularly grumps, most fear, even more than mortal death, is the Forgetting. Grumps accumulate Banality just as they do gray hairs and little aches and pains. As they grow older, they become more and more in danger of forgetting their fae natures and lapsing back into their mortal seemings for the remainder of their lives. Most grumps are Undone by Banality long before the end of their mortal lives.

For changelings, aging has all the effect of a slow slide into mundanity. The wear and tear of mortal life leads to the slow accumulation of Banality, like a fine sculpture being worn away by years of rain and sand. So is the changeling’s fae mien worn down by time in the mortal world. Eventually, when they acquire enough Banality, grumps slide forever into the Mists and forget who they are.

The Forgetting is the reason that changelings struggle to hold on to their youth. Most of them do not fear mortal age or death because they know they will return in another mortal life; only the sidhe fear the specter of death. What the fae truly fear about age is the Banality that it brings and the possibility that their fae selves might be Undone.

Rather than fall into mundanity and Forgetting, many older grumps take great risks and undertake quests like they may have done in their youth to reduce their Banality and perhaps recapture a spark of their youthful spirits. For many grumps this is almost certain death, but they would rather go out on a glorious quest and move on to the next life than be slowly smothered by the forces of Banality.

Other changelings feel that grumps sliding into the Forgetting should be helped if at all possible in accordance with the Escheat. Others say that the Forgetting is a natural process and doesn’t count as something that the grumps can be “rescued” from. Truly conservative changeling factions feel that a grump in danger of being Undone by Banality should be put out of their misery so their fae soul can find renewal in the next life. Most changelings are shocked at this prospect, sounding as it does like Dauntain propaganda and knowing that it leads only to spreading the taint of Banality.

References

• CTD. The Enchanted, p. 60.