James Spencer (Shanachie) is an Ojo Eshu Wilder who roams the island of Hibernia.
Overview[]
James was born in Belfast the same year the Sidhe returned to earth and has lived among the Troubles all his life. He went through his early years without discovering his faerie nature because of the unending stresses and Banality resulting from those unsettled times. Despite the madness that would take hold of the city from time to time, he managed to get a degree in English and with his love of stories and old tales intact. He had just made up his mind to travel like he always wanted when the cease-fire began in 1994. Swept up in the relief and renewal of dreams in the region, he entered the Chrysalis.
Lord Galway found him and brought him to the Brick Glade where he discovered his Eshu nature and learned about being Kithain. After about a month of learning his new heritage, he decided it was time to travel. With only a few names of place where the fae gathered, he left home for the first time. He didn't have to worry about money. Everywhere he went his stories brought him recognition, meals, drinks, and free lodging. He told old tales and crafted new ones celebrating both his Irish and English side and helped others better understand each other. Folks began calling him "the Shanachie," after the storytellers that used to travel the land and the name stuck.
He has often run across two other travelers and whenever they all happen to be in the same spot (which happens more frequently than you would think as all three are Eshu), James, Richard, and Jonathan band together to do a round-robin storytelling event to the delight of the audience. One starts the tale, stops half-way through a sentence to be picked up buy the second, who in turn stops halfway through a sentence to let the third finish the tale. Each story must have a point or moral to it (often humorous or punning). Then they switch who starts. Whomever can't hold their part of the narrative, as voted by the viewers and the other two, has to buy the drinks. By the end of the night, of course, the stories are VERY creative if mostly unintelligible.
Shanachie has been a noted traveler since 1994. Kithain seek out the pubs he frequents, hoping to gather some Glamour from his storytelling and are rarely disappointed. The same goes for the mortals. The stranger who offers the tall dark-haired stranger a ride is in luck as well because he never refuses to tell when asked. He gains in knowledge as he travels as changelings share stories and local news with him and he quickly progressed in learning Arts and Realms that others teach him in return for his tales. He has not yet been asked to join the Harpers of Erin but the members of the order have watched him since his Chrysalis and he should be offered a spot within the year.
Image[]
Shanachie is tall, just over 6' and of average weight. He has relatively short, dark brown hair, a goatee, and brown eyes. He dresses in practical traveling clothes, though he takes along a nice tunic or two for performances. He wears a golden torque given him by King Bran of Leinster in recognition of his art.
In his fae mien his hair is somewhat longer and glints with auburn highlights. His dark eyes glitter with the light of the stars and he becomes even taller. He wears no armor but carries a pennon which proclaims him to be a true Bard. So many changelings recognize him as such (including all four Great Kings of Ireland) that if anyone were to attack him they would be hunted down.
Stats[]
Court: Seelie
Legacies: Sage/Rogue
Seeming: Wilder
Kith: Eshu
Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3
Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 4
Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 4
Talents: Alertness 2, Brawl 2, Dodge 2, Empathy 3, Expression (Storytelling) 5, Kenning 3, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 2
Skills: Drive 2, Etiquette 4, Leadership 3, Melee 2, Performance 4, Stealth 2, Survival 2
Knowledges: Computer 2, Enigmas 3, History 3, Investigation 2, Linguistics (Irish Gaelic) 1, Mythlore 3, Occult 3, Politics 2, Theatre 3, Theology 2
Arts: Chicanery 3, Legerdemain 2, Sovereign 2, Wayfare 4
Realms: Actor 3, Fae 4, Scene 4
Backgrounds: Chimera 2, Contacts 5, Dreamers 4, Gremayre 3, Resources 1, Treasures 2
Glamour: 9
Banality: 3
Willpower: 6
Treasures: Shanachie has one treasure, an enchanted sleeping bag that keeps him dry and warm regardless of the weather.
References[]
- CTD: Immortal Eyes: Court of All Kings, p. 114-115