A Geas (plural Geasa) is a supernatural directive that obligates the target to do, or not do, some action.
Overview[]
Meaning "bonds," geasa are just that: magical bonds that require a changeling (or other being) to fulfill some task or prevent them from performing some action. They are created through the use of the Sovereign Art, and they are sometimes used by the nobility to enforce or require quests of others.
A changeling operating under a geas must still take a quest seriously, because geasa are often dangerous. Nobles almost never geas a changeling to go on a quest that is certain death (though anything short of that is certainly a possibility), but the noble who does so will have to face the consequences of their actions at a later time. A noble who makes a habit of manipulating the people of their court with geasa too often is likely to become the catalyst for a rebellion, or feel the influence of High King David's courtiers politely "suggesting" that they desist such activity.
Some geasa are actually intended as rewards for a heroic changeling, an opportunity for a member of the court to seek glory and Glamour on a quest. Most often, they are used as a means to keep some of the young bravos of the court busy and less able to interfere in the daily affairs of the court itself. Geasa are one of the tools by which the grumps are the real power behind the changeling nobility.
Breaking a geas brings down a curse or other negative consequence. The Irish hero Cuchulainn famously had two geasa: he must eat any food offered to him, and he must never eat dog. When he was offered the meat of a dog, he could not avoid breaking one of the two geasa, and in his next battle he died.
Particulars[]
Changelings skilled in the Sovereign Art can apply a Geas, using Glamour and Willpower to turn an order into an obligation. A Geas must be at least theoretically possible for the target to accomplish, and must not involve direct violence against themself or their loved ones, but an extremely dangerous Geas that is unlikely to succeed can still be imposed. The consequences of breaking a Geas are proportionate to the amount of Glamour and Willpower spent, ranging from embarrassing to fatal.
References[]
- CTD: Changeling: The Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition, p. 224-225
- CTD. The Enchanted, p. 56.