< The Chronicle | Tokens N Trifles | Chevy Thornmaster >
This old weathered violin might have been of high quality once upon a time, but age has faded all the colors and robbed the wood of its varnish. The strings seem slightly worn, and the elegant gold foil design on the tailpiece has flaked away in pieces until only half of it remains. Despite this, the violin is in in excellent condition, and if played produces a sound that is both crisp and exceedingly beautiful. Any skepticism about the instruments quality disappears with the first soulful note, for Seguine acts as a +4 tool-related bonus to Expression rolls involving playing a violin. If played by someone without experience with the violin family of instruments (a relevant specialty), however, any failure serves as a dramatic failure and has a fair chance of randomly activating the Tokens' gift via the Catch.
In addition to being a master-class violin, Seguine's influence extends into the world of Sleep and Dreams. When activated the changeling can explore the inner realms at will, without even requiring sleep, simply descending into a vivid daydream that allows shared perception of both dream and the waking world. She can even cross over into the dreams of others, requiring only moments of thought rather than hours of meditation, all without any access to the hedge and possibly while still awake. If the subject is in the same room as the changeling, even the requirement for a Dreaming Pledge is waved. She also enjoys increased access to the inner worlds, possibly nearing the abilities of the True Fae, able to "head backstage" and explore the subconscious more directly - even if the subject is, in fact, awake at the time (though that does require a Dreaming Pledge).
Lastly, the subject can grant these powers to other changelings or even mortals. A changeling benefits from all the advantages listed above, while a mortal can only access the dreams of those immediately around him when the violin is used and doesn't exert a large amount of control over such dreams. He is a powerless visitor to the Inner Realms.
Mien: Expertly crafted from black wood from the Hedge along a core of white bone, Seguine's fae mien is both immaculate and exotic in appearance. The resonance of the otherworldly wood and the immense tension of the violins' giant hair strings give the music produced by the instrument a distinctly otherworldly tone not quite covered by the Mask; most humans can't quite tell what it is, but find it positively entrancing.
Drawback: While the violin can serve as a bridge between this world and the world of dreams, this is not without consequence. Two or three nights after using Seguine, the changeling loses awareness that he is dreaming. This can feel like insomnia to the unaware, and can greatly distort ones sense of reality. The events of a dream feel more and more real, while actual events are forgotten or simply seem like a dream. Some changelings become addicted to this sensation, wasting away in their real lives in favor of living out fantasies that seem to them completely real.
Catch: It is possible to force the connection between this world and the world of Dream using Seguine, but it is not perhaps wise. In addition to all the effects of the tokens drawback, the changelings dreams are the most horrorific of nightmares, made all the worse for seeming completely real. This requires a bare minimum of one roll to resist gaining a derangement, and quite possibly many such rolls.
Clarity and the Dream Bridge: The effects of the Drawback are always disorienting, but they can be positively maddening to a changeling with low clarity. If a bearer of the token has a Clarity of 6 or higher, she can use her Kenning ability to get an idea for what is real and what was merely dream. If she does not have that option, or chooses not to use it, then it is frightfully difficult to tell the two apart even if you know what to expect.
The Dream Bridge: In pure unadulterated rule speak, the Dream Bridge power of Seguine allows the character to gain access to dreams while remaining active in the story. She remains distantly aware of both reality and dream, and can shift between the two perspectives at will, allowing her to take actions in both. This is generally not a problem except in coordinated combat that occurs simultaneously in the dream and in reality. In such cases, the changeling can only act in one battleground at a time, though may switch between the two at will from turn to turn.
The character can make a Meditation roll to gain access to the dreams of another, at a rate of one roll per turn, and can enter the 'dreams' of anyone he can see when he activates the violin. If the changeling doesn't have a dreaming pledge with an individual whose dream world he explores, however, the connection is broken if that individual leaves the immediate area. This is a worry because Seguine also allows the changeling to explore areas of the subconscious other than dreams, which do not necessarily require that the subject be asleep.
Lastly, the changeling can use Seguine's dream bridge to benefit another. The drawback still applies to the changeling who activated the token, regardless of who benefits, and anyone without natural onieromantic powers requires a fair amount of coaching to be able to do more than simply have very vivid daydreams. Even in the best of such circumstances, Seguine does not in any way bestow any ability to shape or control dreams - that comes from the changeling, not the violin.
"I, Mary Ferland called Apperson, pledge on my name true that I will not touch another Violin of my own free will for a year and a day, so long as the Hob Merchant and Craftswoman named Lada will sell unto me this Violin of Whale Bone and Giant's Hair for the agreed upon price and trouble me naught after. For my part, I shall sing out all the more beautifully for having held true to this oath and my skill will blossom all the more, but if I should veer from my word my voice will fall silent and my talent will flee. For the part of Lada, she will gain the price she demands for her Violin for this oath, but if she should break it: cursed she shall be, and suffer greatly before the end."
Type: Oath (True Name, unsullied) Task: Forbiddance (-1, Mary); Endeavor (-1, Lada), Forbiddance (-1, Lada) Boon: Adroitness^ (1, Mary); Favor* (2, Lada) Sanction: Poisoning of Boon (-1, Mary), Flaw (-2, Mary); Greater Curse (-3, Lada) Duration: Year and a Day (3, both)
Stryck Wiki