A Wild West setting for Changeling: the Dreaming with aspects of Deadlands
By Chris Bern, AKA Swordsman
The Resurgence

In early July 1863, the Confederacy was able to prevail against the Union forces at Gettysburg. This pivotal battle proved crucial for the Confederate States. With General Lee’s brilliant strategies, they were able to press forward and occupy Washington, D.C. Their momentum was hardly slowed afterwards, until the war was finally ended with the inauguration of George McClellan in 1865. It was the Battle of Gettysburg that proved the turning point of the War of Secession, and allowed the full birth of the Confederacy.

The dreams of the Southern states grew to full fruition on those days in July, 1863. With victory in their sight, the dreams of a nation surged, opening a gateway to Arcadia. The sidhe burst through the gateways, re-entering the mortal world. Those unfortunate enough to have arrived on American soil also found themselves in the middle of a heated war.

A few who are sensitive to such things have stated that another event happened on that day, one with darker ramifications. The return of the sidhe may not have been entirely due to the Confederate victory. Mystics the world over noticed a significant weakening in the barriers between worlds, until they finally broke down for a brief moment. During that moment, magic surged into the world. Since then, spirits have been stronger, and the gauntlets and veils have been weaker. Magic is more powerful, and even the unskilled are able to wield powers that have not been seen in centuries. Those already with considerable skill find their abilities easier to access. But the renewed power has come at a price. Many dark spirits and creatures have entered the world, and some believe that they are working for a greater evil.

But the majority of the world, even the supernatural, does not fully understand these events. The turmoil of the war, combined with the confusion brought by the returning sidhe, have kept focuses elsewhere.

The sidhe in America had a very difficult time adjusting. Not only did they have to contend with the commoners who did not want to give up the freeholds, but they had to try to understand the current war, and decide which side to support. The nobles spent the first several months of their return trying to regroup, assess the situations, and decide what to do. Some skirmishes broke out over individual freeholds during this time, but a full-scale war had not been called. By November of 1863, the sidhe had begun to organize and mobilize. They gave ultimatums to various large commoner freeholds, to release the property or be punished. Most commoners refused, and in December full war broke out.

The Accordance War, as it was called, drew many kithain away from fighting in the War of Secession. They suddenly found a new threat to their way of life, one different from the conflict between Northern and Southern ideologies. The sidhe found difficulty in their efforts, partially due to the ongoing mortal war, and partially due to the radically different dreams found in each nation. The war and differences ultimately made it difficult for them to properly coordinate their efforts, and often lead to fighting between themselves as each group was influenced by the Glamour of dreams of either separation or union.


The South
Southern commoners had been fighting against Northern government and politicians trying to run their lives from afar. Suddenly, they had to contend with another group of people simply wanting to walk in and take over. The parallels made them resentful of the returning sidhe. However, Southern culture was also firmly based on the idea of an aristocracy, with a strong delineation between the classes. Southerners often saw themselves as the inheritors of the legacy of Irish and British nobility. This second viewpoint, combined with the support the sidhe’s rule had from the Dreaming, caused some Southern kithain to embrace the newcomers as simply the proper way of things. But enough kithain lived up to the title of “rebel” to make the war hard fought. In the end, several things caused the war to end for Southern kithain in late 1864. Many changelings were beginning to tire of war, and since the sidhe were true aristocracy, were willing to come to terms with them. The Southern sidhe also were having difficulties with their Northern counterparts clamoring for them to join with the dream of the Union. With the War of Secession reaching its climax, all kithain were needed to fight for the Confederacy. A truce was called on December 23rd, 1864, and by the end of January, 1865 a full compact had been reached that all sides could agree on.

The Southern Compact established the Kingdoms of Willows and White Sands. Melige ap Eiluned, who had been instrumental in brokering the agreement, was crowned King of Willows, and Morganna ap Gwydion queen of the White Sands. Some of the ducal holdings were returned to those who had originally established them prior to the Shattering, while others were left in the hands of the commoners who had run them up to the Resurgence. The commoners agreed to accept the rule of the noble sidhe, as it had been at one time. In return, the sidhe awarded many respected commoners with prominent titles, and agreed that any freeholds held by commoners would not be taken by force (this lead to many freeholds being “bought” by those with wealth or treasures).

This arrangement held for a short time, until 1866. Many of the nobles, led by Jarin ap Gwydion, had seen the corruption evident in Melige. Jarin began gathering nobles to his side to oppose Melige and form their own kingdom. The conflict escalated when Jarin’s freehold was destroyed by a dragon, sending him into hiding. Throughout that summer, he continued gathering support. War finally happened in August and was going well for Jarin’s side, until he was captured and returned to Willow’s heart in Georgia. A small group of kithain were able to rescue him, killing Melige in the attempt. Jarin assumed the throne at that point.

Currently, the Kingdom of willows extends to the border of the Confederacy in the north, and to the Texas border in the west. The population is too sparse in the west, and the nunnehi too powerful for kithain to hold it. The Kingdom of the White Sands encompasses all of Florida except the panhandle. As part of the war which dethroned Melige, King Florian was granted the Kingdom of Grace, a former duchy, in the western portion of the state of Tennessee.


The North
The kithain in the Union had many differing viewpoints from their Southern counterparts. They were fighting to preserve the dream that had been started almost a century before. They were also seeing the beginnings of equality between the sexes and the races. The idea of succumbing to an arbitrary rule of aristocrats was unthinkable. After all, that’s what the Founding Fathers had fought against. And if they hadn’t wanted a monarchy, neither would the kithain of today!

Despite being war-weary, the Northern kithain fought hard against the returning nobles. They refused to bow to the will of the sidhe, proclaiming that a new dream had been established, and the sidhe were holding onto a dream that had already passed. The United States had been founded on a system of representation, not single rule. The sidhe found the great majority of the commoners of the same mind on this issue, but refused to give in to these new ideas. The war was bloody and hard, with neither side willing to compromise even an inch.

Even after the War of Secession ended in March, 1865, the Accordance War in the North continued to rage. Both sides had invested too much to stop now. The sidhe had the advantage of brilliant tactics and forgotten magic. The commoners were battle-hardened and skilled, knew the land, and were fighting for their homes. The tide began to turn against the sidhe in late 1865, though it was not obvious at first. By early 1866, the sidhe found themselves completely on the defensive. They finally sued for peace in late February of that year.

The arrangement that followed was unlike any ever before seen by kithain. Realizing that they must now stand together as a country, especially with the growing strength of the Kingdom of Willows, the commoners formed a governing body. Based on the structure of the United States, the Parliament of Dreams formed a representative system of government. Delegates from each house and region found a voice. The sidhe were dismayed to find that they were merely another voice in the crowd, and not the automatic leaders. The newly formed country of Concordia established a triumvirate as its visible leaders. These elected prime ministers hold little direct power, and usually act as the speaking voice of Concordia. However, each wields considerable influence, and are often seen as the true rulers. The decisions for Concordia mainly come from the Parliament of Dreams, held in the Catskill Mountains.

Each city and surrounding region has a reeve, who is elected every 2 years by popular vote of all changelings in that area who are wilders or grumps. The reeves in each district meet at least once each month. Every year, the reeves elect one representative per district to serve in the Parliament. There are three representatives per district, and each one serves a term of three years. The elections are staggered so a new representative is elected each year.

Currently, the borders of Concordia mirror that of the United States, though the reach of kithain weakens the farther west one goes. The triumvirate is held by Mab ap Fiona (a sidhe), Topaz ap Gwydion (a troll), and Pwyffelt (a pooka). There are currently 123 districts, distributed as follows:

Maine-2 Delaware-1 Maryland-2 Massachusetts-2
Iowa-2 New York-3 Rhode Island-1 New Hampshire-1
Vermont-1 Connecticut-1 New Jersy-2 West Virginia-1
Ohio-2 Michigan-2 Indiana-2 Illinois-3
Missouri-2 Minnesota-3 Wisconsin-3 Pennsylvania-3
Kansas-2


The World
In most parts of the world, the sidhe were initially viewed with suspicion, and then usually accepted as the traditional rulers. In most areas, the monarchy was still strong, and the rule of nobles accepted as normal. However, this was not to the degree that the sidhe remembered. Though they were able to reclaim their ancestral lands, they had to make many concessions to the commoners. The dreams of republics and constitutional monarchies could not be denied.

On the North American continent, Queen Laruel ap Fiona rules the Kingdom of Northern Ice in Canada. Though she claims the entire land as her kingdom, her power is weak in the sparsely populated western portions. King Sean ap Fiona has been trying to maintain his hold on the Kingdom of Pacifica. His difficulties arise from the strong individuality of the kithain in this frontier area, as well as the scattered and hardened population, and the strange happenings in the Maze.

In Europe, the sidhe quickly overwhelmed France, forming the Kingdom of Neustria. Here the commoners have been reduced to vassals as in the past. Scandinavia welcomed its nobles, the trolls stepping aside to allow the sidhe to take their ancestral places. The Norse sidhe have embraced their commoners, allowing them great liberties and even some titles. In Germany, a troll warlord has rallied the commoners, allowing them to triumph against the sidhe, virtually expelling them from the area. The kithain in this area seek to inspire the humans to the old dreams of Prussian superiority and conquest.


The Dreaming
Most kithain know little about the Dreaming, as most trods were closed prior to the Resurgence. Only a few were able to find passages, so only small bits of knowledge passed into the general populace of kithain. Since the Resurgence, most kithain seek opportunities to venture into this wondrous realm, though many are not able to gain access to trods. Those who venture into the Dreaming after 1863 notice that it is a wilder, fiercer place, fraught with more dangers than were previously reported or remembered. Nightmare realms are stronger and their denizens wander more freely into other areas. There are even some areas where the barriers to the realms of the dead are paper-thin, and easily passed through by the unobservant traveler.

Changelings and Deadlands
Changelings are half human and half fae, interacting with both worlds. Their fae soul allows contact with and interaction with “spirits” known as chimera, and access to the Dreaming. But chimerical “reality” is different from the world in which the Manitou exist. Because of the inherent evil, banality, and sheer alien nature, a fae cannot enter into pacts with Manitous. Therefore, changelings cannot become hucksters, mad scientists, shamans, etc. They can cross over into the Hunting Grounds as any human might, though their fae seeming immediately becomes visible to all who are around. When traveling into the Hunting Grounds, any non-chimerical equipment and clothing are subject to the same rules as for humans.

It is possible for a changeling to become Harrowed, but only under the same circumstances as a human. They must die a mortal death (not chimerical), and have only a slim chance of being resurrected. If the Manitou grants them unlife, their banality is immediately raised by four, their fae soul cannot bond with the body, and the Harrowed is no longer a Changeling. Any memories of their fae activities are subject to the Mists, based on the new banality.

Kithain are as puzzled as any human by the changes of the last 13 years. They are more believing of the strange spirits and creatures that have begun appearing, but are amazed that they are real and not chimerical. Kithain sorcerers have suspicions that the new creatures may have alliances with some of the darker chimera, and possibly even the fomori. However, few kithain have had much of a chance to analyze the situations, as the sidhe have had to quickly adjust to a new world, and the commoners have had to learn how to deal with the sidhe.



Changes to Deadlands Cannon
This is not the exact world of Deadlands as published by Pinnacle. Changes have been made for historical and artistic reasons, as well as whimsy. Many of the changes are detailed or dated on the Timeline.

Character Generation
Follow standard Changeling character rules, with the following exceptions. Anything listed in any Changeling book is allowable.