Seeming

Description. Seeming requires expending a Minor Merit to purse.

Title

History

History

Acquisition

Like all Glamour, Seeming is something one is born with.

This inborn power to shift one's body chemistry to match that of another is granted by the Crux, a bundle of nervous tissue that spreads its fibers throughout every corner of the body, subsuming the entire nervous system. To wield Seeming, it must be Incited by transforming for the first time, expending a Minor Merit to do so.

Boggarts and the half-breeds born from one store their organ in the chest, opposite to the heart, while Inari store the Crux in their first tail. When hiding their tail, an Inari is ticklish all over their body. Else, a Maltrician with Master-level skill may implant the Crux and properly thread its nervous system deep enough that it can grow the rest of the way.

Living as a Changeling

Sensitivity

Skin near to and transformed by the Crux is highly erogenous and prone to paralyzing overstimulation, mirrored like a reflection to the opposite sides of the body. Thus, a Boggart's chest area, and an Inari's tails are each highly sensitive. When transforming one's body in any way, this sensitivity displaces throughout the nervous system near to the affected body parts, leaving them sensitive to touch.

Changelings feel more pain than another might near to their Crux or upon any transformed tissues, and can barely function without reverting after so much as scuffing their transformed knee without Apprentice Meditation. A puncture wound would easily need Expert Meditation, while those with a fatal wound or illness will feel enough agony that they need Master-tier Meditation to function through it. Thus, they easily succumb to torture, and even 'tickling' is used to prove someone is something they are not.

Inari with enough tails will use Apparation to thread their Tendrils through them so that they are much harder to damage and therefore rarely feel pain.

Identity

Changelings borrow aspects of the identity of someone they transform into, and they might lead their life as an entirely different species, or even a different anatomical gender. It isn't unusual for a Changeling to experience dysphoria, or else feel a sense of detachment to what makes them who they are. Some never return to their original form and feel as if they are naked in that body.

Pariah

A Changeling must never reveal what they are. Most people across Antarok fear their identity being stolen and misconstrued. This Arcana is extremely potent at manipulation, allowing one to don the convincing guise of someone they are familiar with. This can lead to blackmail, children being replaced by Changelings looking for simple lives, or important titles and family heads being replaced by talented tricksters. Those who suspect a Changeling will bring a Talisman warded against Saol that 'changes the body' to unmask them, if they can afford to do so.

Mageburn Symptoms

• Lesser: Partial Unmasking (Always), Anxiety, Muscle Aches and Pain, Mood Swings
• Moderate: Total Unmasking, Agonizing Muscle Spasms, Panic Attacks, Aggression, Short Temper
• Greater: Permanently Paralyzed In Full-Body Agony, Intense Paranoia, Developing Schizophrenia, Forming a Dissociative Identity
• Unmasking: To Unmask is to have one's Seeming begin to unravel. Parts of their body such as limbs or tails will miraculously appear, and this will happen when experiencing Mageburn with any Saol Arcana.

Spells

Imprint

To Imprint is to consume raw the recently living flesh, blood, and bone of another being together, adding them to the Changeling's repertoire. If the Changeling has Syphon, then they may Syphon a moderate amount of Saol from them instead to form an Imprint. This will copy the target at its current age and state of health, mimicking a bastardization of any ailments. An Inari forgets one of their Imprints when they exceed their maximum.

• Common feasting targets are fingers, toes, and tails.
• The Changeling does not receive any Arcana, Glamour organs, or Skills from an Imprint.

Seeming

Seeming is the namesake ability of a Changeling to transfigurate themselves into an exact copy of what they have Imprinted upon. As this is being channeled, their body glows a faint white light until it shrinks or expands in the blink of an eye, changing them physically into whichever Imprinted they chose in every sense. Changelings may undo Seeming to return to their original form instantly at any time without needing to channel Saol, but any wounds will transfer between bodies, scaling up or down accordingly.

• Biological implants such as Florabound Flora and Grafted Undead, and Malediction Surgeries will be adjusted automatically, but inorganic ones such as Prosthetics will not.

Masking

To Mask is to temporarily embody the mannerisms, speech, and language of an Imprinted target to form a convincing ruse. This is only as effective as one is able to write it, and how convincing Masking may be is tied directly tied to the Acting or Persuasion skill of the character.

Chimera

Chimera is the ability to mix and match various body parts, features, or qualities from differing Imprint forms. Their magic will make these changes feel natural. This warps the Imprint they started from, saving their newly warped body to it.

Transfiguration

Transfiguration is the ability for those with Seeming to weave their Seeming into the body of another, forcing them to become that animal or race. This cannot be undone without a Talisman of an equivalent tier, or else draining them of enough Saol that they naturally Unmask. If they should die in this body, Transfiguration remains. Bon Appétit?

When Imprinting upon something transformed such as those with Grist, Nightwalkers, or even other Changelings, a Changeling will receive their original form. However, Transfiguration will overpower and disable whatever made them that way - including the victim's Seeming - unless they cast their own transformation at the same tier of power. The Changeling thus struggles to impersonate these, even if they might be able to trap them in a specific form.

Tiers of Mastery

Novice

A Changeling at Novice is just beginning to experiment with Imprint and learn how to engage in Seeming. They are often unused to the extra nerve endings, and even walking will be incredibly distracting at this point.

• Imprint:

• The Changeling may Imprint upon up to 3 organic fauna or people up to 7' tall.

• Seeming:

• The Changeling may channel for one minute to then shift into one of their Imprinted.

• Masking:

• Masking is unavailable at Novice.

• Chimera:

• Chimera is unavailable at Novice.

• Transfiguration:

• Transfiguration is unavailable at Novice.

Apprentice

Description

• Imprint:

• The Changeling may Imprint upon up to 6 organic fauna or people up to 9' tall.

• Seeming:

• The Changeling may channel for one minute to then shift into one of their Imprinted.

• Masking:

• Masking is fully available at Apprentice.

• Chimera:

• Chimera is unavailable at Novice.

• Transfiguration:

• Transfiguration is unavailable at Novice.

Journeyman

Description

• Imprint:

• The Changeling may Imprint upon up to 10 organic fauna or people up to 12' tall.

• Seeming:

• The Changeling may channel for one minute to then shift into one of their Imprinted.

• Masking:

• Masking is fully available at Apprentice.

• Chimera:

• Chimera is available at Journeyman, but may only combine elements from two different Imprints.

• Transfiguration:

• Transfiguration is unavailable at Novice.

Expert

Description

• Imprint:

• The Changeling may Imprint upon up to 15 organic fauna or people up to 12' tall.

• Seeming:

• The Changeling may channel for one minute to then shift into one of their Imprinted.

• Masking:

• Masking is fully available at Apprentice.

• Chimera:

• Chimera is available at Expert, but may only combine elements from four different Imprints.

• Transfiguration:

• The Changeling may channel for thirty seconds to then turn someone into one of their Imprinted, provided contact is not broken.

Master

Description

• Imprint:

• The Changeling may Imprint upon up to 20 organic fauna or people up to 12' tall.

• Seeming:

• The Changeling may channel for one minute to then shift into one of their Imprinted.

• Masking:

• Masking is fully available at Apprentice.

• Chimera:

• Chimera is available at Expert, but may only combine elements from four different Imprints.

• Transfiguration:

• The Changeling may channel for thirty seconds to then turn someone into one of their Imprinted, provided contact is not broken.

Ascension - Incognate

When a Changeling Ascends, they lose their original form and become an Incognate. They will retain any magical traits or alterations.

• Imprint:

• The Changeling may Imprint upon up to 25 organic fauna or people up to the size of an Elder Dragon.

• Seeming:

• The Changeling may channel for one second to then shift into one of their Imprinted, but doing so this quickly expends an Ascended cast of Saol.
• The Incognate may freely revert back to any form of a smaller mass than it, instantly. They must still Channel to grow into something bigger.
• The Incognate may Incite any Glamour or Wild Glamour belonging to the form they are in.

• Masking:

• The Incognate may consume the entire body of an Imprinted to absorb their memories which they may then invoke with an Ascended tier cast of Masking.

• Chimera:

• There is no limit to how creative an Incognate may be with their Chimera form.

• Transfiguration:

• The Changeling may channel for thirty seconds to then turn someone into one of their Imprinted, provided contact is not broken.

Creations

Sundering

Alchemistry

“Blurb! Or a mote of history.” - The person.

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