Trifles

Trifles are one-use faerie tokens whose magic fades after its initial purpose is served.

Overview

Not every token contains enough magic to last. Some are strictly one-use items whose magic fades after its initial sorcery. Changelings call these tokens Trifles. A changeling activates a trifle in the same way that she would a token, except that there is no drawback. Only changelings can use trifles; no catch exists that allows others to access the enchantment within.

Creating a trifle out of an item in the Hedge or from Faerie requires only that a single Willpower point be expended in harnessing and directing the magic. All trifles require some kind of physical action to activate or "release" the magic.

Bilefruit

Bilefruit is a greasy, oblong fruit that hangs in the Hedge close to the ground. Past the bilefruit’s tough, waxy skin one finds a bitter meat. Eating the entire fruit allows the changeling to hide her seeming, including her Shadow, for eight hours. Her fae mien remains completely concealed, and for all intents and purposes, the character looks wholly human. Once the bilefruit is consumed, she cannot turn off this effect.

Glimmerbraid

This section of braided hair — bravely stolen from a True Fae or simply thieved from a figure (living or dead) in the Hedge — casts a powerful, though temporary, illusion upon the holder of the braid. To activate the glimmerbraid, the changeling merely needs to hold the braid in one hand and tug on it with the other. For the rest of the scene, whoever has the braid upon his person gains the benefits and drawbacks of the Fame Merit at three dots. Humans see the wielder as whatever public personality (celebrity, politician, athlete) that they most want to see at that moment. A changeling might use this herself to gain a measure of adoration and favor, or she may sneak it into some other fool’s pocket and let that person wonder why he’s suddenly mobbed in front of the club with screaming “fans.” The braid’s power works for one scene, after which is dissolves into a tangle of burnt hair (it stinks like burnt hair, too). Changelings are not affected by this, and see through the illusion without effort.

Stingseed

This small seed, dug up out of the Hedge, allows a single bullet to do additional damage when the seed is nestled into the lead tip (usually via a hollow point reservoir, though a changeling can easily dig out a hole in the lead). When put into the bullet, the seed must be watered — only a single drop of water, or even a bit of spit, does the trick. The bullet must be used in the subsequent scene for the trifle’s effects to work. Those harmed by a stingseed bullet suffer a –1 die penalty until half of the lethal bullet damage (round down) is healed. Small plants grow from the bullet wounds, thus causing a low level of constant pain (hence the penalty). If more than one stingseed is used, the penalties stack to a maximum of –3 dice.

Sweetblood

The blood of any dream creature fuels this trifle. The blood on its own is unpleasant to drink and provides no benefit. If, however, just before quaffing a changeling sprinkles one teaspoon of sugar upon it and then drinks it, the trifle’s powers come into effect. For the following scene, the character gains the 9 again rule on all Socialize rolls. She finds her tongue loose, and others find her manner pleasing. If she already benefits from this rule (such as from a Contract or blessing), she gains an extra die to such rolls.

Thimbleblack

It’s said that the True Fae can, when wearing a thimble, craft vast artifice spun from lies and myth. This pewter thimble, painted black, demands that a single drop of the user’s blood be drizzled into its well. It doesn’t grant the user the full measure of the Fae’s power, but grants him a small portion of it. He doesn’t wear it upon a finger, however. Once the blood is in the thimble, the user places the trifle beneath his tongue. Upon activation, the thimble allows the character to add his Subterfuge score to any Crafts or Computer rolls he makes during the following scene (without speaking, he is effectively “lying” to the devices to make them comply with his wishes). After the scene is up, the thimble turns to metallic dust that tastes of moldy pennies.

Thistlegift

To use this trifle, the changeling must plant a delicate kiss upon the living thistle (painful, though it causes no damage); when this is done, it withers and dies. For the remainder of the scene, the changeling leaves behind no physical evidence of his passing: no fingerprints, no footprints, no fluids, nothing.

Tumbleglass

The True Fae collect strange baubles made of glass — delicate things made of odd spheres and discordant colors. A changeling can take one of these things and activate the trifle’s power by breaking it beneath his foot. During the next scene, the character gets one free “fall” that causes no damage at all, up to 300 feet (if more than 300 feet are fallen, the character incurs full terminal velocity damage). The character doesn’t land on his feet, and may require a Stamina roll to be able to act immediately after.

Utterbarb

A single scratch from this hooked Hedge thorn (requiring a successful “touch” attack) causes no damage to the victim, but it steals her voice for a single scene. He can only communicate in breathy whispers barely heard. Upon a successful attack, the thorn disintegrates into an oily cellulose paste.

Welkinstick

This dead branch or brittle twist of vine helps a changeling achieve a significant boost when making a jump. The trifle must be taken from somewhere higher up in the Hedge or in Faerie — at least 150 feet up (perhaps cresting the top of the tangled Thorns or some tree that clings to an old, decrepit Fae tower). When the welkinstick is snapped in half, the distance achieved is doubled in the changeling’s next jump roll (which must be made within three turns of breaking the stick). In a vertical jump the changeling gains two feet per success and in a broad standing jump he crosses four feet per success. In a running jump the character can cross a number of feet equal to twice his Size per success rolled. All other jumping rules apply

Gravenails

This trifle comes from fingernails pulled from a dead man or changeling found in the Hedge. Sometimes, a gray mossy film will grow over a corpse’s finger or toenail, and removing that nail from the carcass might earn the character a Gravenail. The character places this trifle under the pillow of a target. When the target sleeps on the bed where that pillow lays, he wakes up in the morning choking; he has nothing in his throat, but the act of violently hacking earns the target a point of bashing damage. In addition, the target does not regain a Willpower point in the morning as usual, and may not regain any Willpower points until eight hours passes.

Hoarcotton

Ice in the Hedge sometimes forms into a delicate crystalline coating that can be curled together by a knife or fingernail into a substance that looks a little like a puff of cotton (or even cotton candy). A changeling can consume this icy puff and, for a number of turns equal to his Wyrd score, he becomes immune to fire. His clothing may catch fire but his flesh will not burn. He’ll assume no damage from fire until the trifle’s duration has ended.

Spinnerthorn

This trifle is a Hedge thorn that has remained in a hobgoblin’s paw (or really, any part of the flesh) for a full day. When removed, the Spinnerthorn helps a changeling complete the delicate work sometimes associated with Hedgespinning. The Spinnerthorn grants the changeling an extra two dice on the Wits + Crafts roll necessary during Hedgespinning.

Torchfly

It’s actually a hobgoblin, the torchfly: a plump-bellied, human-faced fly whose thorax glows like fire. When the Torchfly is dead and has been dried for seven days, a character may take the Torchfly and pop open its insectile body: even dry, the goo inside is still moist. The character can spread this goo on himself or an object, and it illuminates that object for a 10-yard radius for one full scene. Any perception penalties due to darkness are obviated while in this radius, and even outside of it the darkness is lessened (and so perception-based penalties are reduced by two outside the Torchfly glow). It does make a character easier to see, however, and so perception rolls made to see the character gain +2 dice.

References

• CTL: Changeling: The Lost Rulebook, p. 98, 209-210
• CTL: Night Horrors: Grim Fears, p. 63
• CTL: Rites of Spring, p. 145