http://web.archive.org/web/20010221222038/http://www.nocturnis.net/art...

Autumn's End - 1/2001

Ex Libris Nocturnis - http://www.nocturnis.net By: Christopher Braak (email: chb99@hampshire.edu) Summary: Seleni: A New Kith, the horselords of the Steppes, who are preparing for the coming war. Unruly, violent, passionate -- the Seleni are the barbarian warriors of the Bronze Age. Born from the dreams of the invading Indo-European peoples from whom the take their name, or perhaps from the fearful nightmares of the people that they conquered, the Seleni are wild, bloodthirsty warriors. They are born from dreams of conquest and glory, of honor and battle and war. The Seleni, are closely related to the satyrs and the fuath; in ancient times, there was as many horsemen that reveled with Dionysus as there were goat-men. A Selen warrior is driven by his search for glory. Holdovers from an ancient, lawless time, the Seleni measure a man by his accumulation of plunder, women, and battle-scars. Fighting and combat is a way of life, and nothing is more terrifying to a Seleni than the thought of dying old and infirm, lying in bed and surrounded by family. They choose to follow Achilles' path, and die young but glorious rather than old and anonymous. Generally, the Seleni are a very patriarchal culture. There are very few female Seleni, a lack that the males made up for in the Bronze Age by taking mortal women whenever they found them. Women are only ever considered equals if they can hold their own against the men. Seleni hoard wealth and are almost obsessively materialistic, they see treasures and objects as manifestations of power, particularly with regards to their weapons. In the old days, the Seleni' mortal kin revered weapons as symbols of divine power. While the modern-day Seleni are not necessarily so extreme, they still have a great reverence for their warrior's tools. Seleni, unlike many other fae, rarely use swords or even weapons made from chimerical steel; a Seleni warrior favors bronze battle-axes and war-hammers and stone maces. Seleni are very attached to their weapons, and will refuse to part with them unless absolutely necessary. Most Seleni, brutal, violent, and bloodthirsty, are Unseelie, but a few Seelie Seleni exist. While they are just as prone towards violence as their Unseelie kin, Seelie Seleni have a great regard for honor and justice, and more likely to try to restrain themselves from fighting for an unjust cause. For the most part, the Seleni were driven from the waking world with the advent of civilization; even the nations founded by their descendants had little place for these uncouth barbarians. Long before the Shattering began, there were virtually no Seleni left in the waking world. A very few, scattered across Europe, Western Asia, and North America, remain; and, since the Resurgence, more and more have been undergoing the Changeling Way ritual and emigrating back to earth. Some say that they scented the Accordance War, and returned seeking battle; others suggest that the Seleni are preparing for an even greater war to come. Appearance: Seleni are strong and athletic. They are powerfully muscled and have strong, shaggy horse legs, a horse's tail, and often horse's ears. They are always very hairy, and coloring ranges from a dark complexioned, Eastern-European look, to a Nordic or Aryan appearance. The Seleni's features range from all over Europe and some parts of Western Asia and India. Seleni always carry an air of tension around them, as though ready to draw their weapons and charge at any moment. A Seleni's voile is usually animal skins and furs, and they often wear bronze composite armor. Lifestyle: In mortal life, Seleni require occupations that allow them to exercise the intense energy at the core of their beings. Preferably, they settle into a job that allows their bloodthirsty and violent tendencies free reign, though these sorts of occupations are few and far between in modern America. Seleni often end up as gangsters and street-thugs, but some have been known to find honest work in construction, carpentry, and other like trades, satisfying their combative urges in other ways. Childlings are sometimes lords of the playground, as they bully smaller and weaker children; more often, however, they are content to be henchmen for more charismatic friends, as they soon realize that, while planning and intelligence are necessary attributes, most Seleni aren't very good at it. Wilders are reckless and dangerous, picking fights at every opportunity, and always eager to start a fight over a chance insult (real or imagined). They often become athletes; the sort of crazy, fearless athletes so favored by football movies. Wilders rarely bother trying to restrain their animalistic urges, and spend their time in search of battle, sex, and glory.

1 of 5

7/21/2012 6:55 PM

http://web.archive.org/web/20010221222038/http://www.nocturnis.net/art...

Grumps are rare among the Seleni. Because of their continual need for violence, Seleni are known for their habit of dying young. Grumps are usually worse about getting into fights then Wilders; not because their bloodlust is more intense, but because Seleni are terrified of dying in bed. For a grump, the only honorable way to die is in combat, and so he become increasingly more desperate and self-destructive as he ages. Birthrights: Berserker -- The strength of the Seleni lies in their unparalleled ferocity in combat. Trolls and redcaps stand away in fear at the rage of a Seleni warrior. When in combat or enraged, a Seleni may completely ignore wound penalties; furthermore, for the purposes of the combat round, the Seleni has an additional Incapacitated health level. He can remain on his feat and fighting even if reduced to below incapacitated. Of course, he will necessarily die the moment the combat is finished, and many Seleni have been known to fight against even their former allies in an effort to prolong the life-extending battle-frenzy. Physical Prowess -- Like their satyr cousins, Seleni warriors benefit greatly from their animal associations. All Seleni add one point to Stamina, even if this increases it above 5. This bonus is in effect at all times. When they call upon the Wyrd and take their fae form, or when not in the presence of mortals or the unenchanted, their horse legs can carry them at incredible speeds. Each turn, a Seleni can move 25 yards +3 times his Dexterity. Seleni cannot botch melee, alertness, or horsemanship rolls. Frailties: Short Temper -- While not subject to the full range of passionate extremes that their satyr kin are, Seleni are known for having extremely short tempers. Insults to their honor, ancestors, abilities as a warrior, or alcohol tolerance are always met with anger, and often with violence. If a Seleni is insulted or angered, he must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) to not start a fight then and there. Bloodthirst -- A Seleni in battle is no easy foe to vanquish; particularly because they can't stand to leave combat. A Seleni will fight until he's dead (and possibly longer) or he has killed his opponent. He must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8), to end a fight prematurely (either by retreating or showing mercy). Fleeing from or avoiding combat is anathema to the Seleni, and they must make a Willpower roll to do so. Barrowmancy A relic of the ancient religion of the Seleni, Barrowmancy is an art that is intricately connected with the dead and with the Seleni "sky gods." Most of the information that modern archaeologists have of the people knows as Seleni comes from their burial mounds (the word "Seleni" is the Lithuanian term for these mounds). Here, warrior-kings were entombed with their weapons and riches. Barrows made by the Seleni and their descendants exist all over Europe, and the great earthworks of England and Ireland were created by the same traditions. * Deadspeak Deadspeak permits the Seleni to speak with the spirits of the departed. Among the ancient people, ancestor worship was prevalent, and often the spirit of a deceased warrior (in the form of a wraith) remained with its tribe or clan for generations. System: The realm for this cantrip is determined by that of the spirit the caster is trying to speak with (actor of fae). The scene realm can also be used in an attempt to contact multiple spirits, but successes must be divided among the total. To perform this cantrip, the caster must be at the grave or remains of the deceased, and must know the deceased person's full name. Seleni gain an additional die to the casting of this cantrip, but only at one of their own barrows. In order to perform this spell successfully, the caster must achieve more successes than the target's original Banality. In addition, the presence of high levels of banality can increase the difficulty of casting (trying to speak to the spirit of a dead person in the middle of a city is much more difficult than in the rolling hills of Ireland). Not all dead people become wraiths; whether or not this cantrip contacts the wraith in question is entirely at the Storyteller's discretion. If so, then the wraith immediately gains the grave as a fetter (if it didn't have it before), and is automatically transported to the Skinlands, and can communicate fully with the user of this cantrip for the spell's duration. However, the wraith is under no obligation to answer any questions, truthfully or otherwise, and is under no obligation to leave once the user of this cantrip is finished. Incredibly powerful ancient spirits that had previously lost all connection to the lands of the living can often be given a route back by careless uses of Deadspeak.

2 of 5

7/21/2012 6:55 PM

http://web.archive.org/web/20010221222038/http://www.nocturnis.net/art...

The number of successes determines how long the caster and the wraith are able to communicate freely (without the use of arcanoi or other arts). Spending a point of glamour doubles the duration, and the cantrip can be cast as often as necessary to facilitate communication. 1 success --1 turn 2 successes -- 1 scene 3 successes -- five minutes 4 successes -- one hour 5 successes -- one day Type: Chimerical ** Anthropomancy Among the Seleni, for whom combat is a way of life, it is not unheard of for a warrior to see visions of the future in the blood and entrails of a fallen enemy. Anthropomancy is the ability to divine the future, to a degree, in the entrails of freshly dead humans or fae. Seelie use this cantrip but rarely; Unseelie Seleni have been known to murder innocent victims simply for the potential knowledge of the future. System: The nature of the victim determines the realm used for this cantrip (either actor or fae). To determine the future of another person, object, or event, the appropriate realm must also be used in conjunction. Only the very recently deceased (within five minutes), and only those who have died a relatively violent death -- there must be blood, at the very least -- can be used for Anthropomancy. Seleni who use this art have known it to affect them spontaneously, on occasion, showing them brief visions of whatever they care most about. The number of successes determines the clarity of the vision. 1 success -- Achilles choice; the caster knows either whether he, or someone else he know, will die young or old, or whether he will die gloriously or ignominiously. If the subject of the vision is an object or an event, then the changeling knows whether it will be destroyed or occur sooner or later. 2 successes -- Immanence. The changeling can see whether or not death or destruction is immanent. If the subject of the vision is an event, the channeling can see whether it is immanent. 3 successes -- With three successes, the changeling can see the manner of death or destruction, or the event itself occurring. This is a brief, clear snapshot of the purported events, but does not provide a background or context. For instance, if a Seleni sees himself dying in battle, he will not see the face of the person who killed him. 4 successes -- Antagonist. The Anthropomancer will see all of the above, in addition to the person or event that resulted in death or destruction. In the case of an event, one or two precipitating events may be known. An Anthropomancer could see what is going to happen, and what events will be necessary before it does. 5 successes -- Full picture. The Anthropomancer can see the death or destruction of himself, someone he knows, or an object he is familiar with. He will see the manner in which the death occurs, the perpetrator of the deed, and he will understand the events that lead up to it. For an event, the Anthropomancer can see all of the precipitating events, and all of the context. Anthropomancy is not an exact science. All of the things that a diviner might uncover are relative -- he might learn that the opening of the Trods to Arcadia is immanent; but Arcadia has existed since time immemorial. Immanent in that context could be thousands of years. Furthermore, this art does not provide insights into destiny, only into possibilities; nothing that a diviner sees will necessarily occur. It merely presents a possible outcome of a character's chosen path. Type: Chimerical *** Dead Man's Tools To the ancient peoples, the spirits of the dead were very real, and took an active hand in the affairs of men. They might bless or curse their weapons, and they often protected or attacked their clan. This level of Barrowmancy allows a Seleni to imbue chimerical weapons with power drawn from the spirit of his ancestors. System: To use this cantrip, the Seleni must have a chimerical weapon that was previously owned by a dead person. Realm is

3 of 5

7/21/2012 6:55 PM

http://web.archive.org/web/20010221222038/http://www.nocturnis.net/art...

determined by the weapon in question, and the changeling must also have a conjunctional realm in actor or fae, depending on the spirit of the weapon's previous owner. Using this cantrip causes the weapon to glow with a faint, eerie light, often blue or red. For the duration of the cantrip, the weapon inflicts aggravated damage, and has an extra die of damage for each success. However, if the warrior is using the weapon in a way that the spirit of its owner would not approve of, all bonuses are lost, and the weapon may even turn in the owner's hand (Storyteller's discretion). The number of successes determines how long the weapon remains empowered. 1 success -- 1 turn 2 successes -- 1 scene 3 successes -- 1 hour 4 successes -- the weapon's power lasts until sunrise or sunset, whichever comes first 5 successes -- the weapon's power lasts for 24 hours. Type: Wyrd or Chimerical **** Axe of the Stone Heaven: One up from imbuing a weapon with the spirits of dead ancestors, the fourth level of Barrowmancy allows a Seleni to imbue his weapons with the spirits of the sky gods themselves. Transforming his stone axe or bronze hammer into a small-scale replica of Mjolnir, of Vajra, or of Zeus's thunderbolts. Alternately, by investing one point of permanent glamour, the Seleni can make the Dead Man's Tools effects permanent. System: The primary power of this cantrip can be used on any weapon; like Dead Man's Tools, the weapon begins to glow with a blue light. It deals aggravated damage, and an extra level of damage per success. Furthermore, the Seleni can throw the weapon; in flight, it transforms into a searing lighting bolt, inflicting its full damage upon an opponent, then automatically returning to the hand of its wielder. However, if a Seleni attempts to use a weapon for purposes that are in conflict with his or her own nature (that is, if a Seelie Seleni attempted to use the weapon in a way more suited to his Unseelie legacy) then the weapon loses all of its power and the spell ends immediately. The number of successes determines how long the weapon remains thus empowered. 1 success -- 1 turn 2 successes -- 1 scene 3 successes -- 1 hour 4 successes -- the weapon's power lasts until sunrise or sunset, whichever comes first 5 successes -- the weapon's power lasts for 24 hours. Alternately, if a changeling has already cast Dead Man's Tools on a weapon, at this stage he can sacrifice a point of permanent glamour to permanently empower his weapon. To do this, he must achieve three successes against his own level of banality; if he fails, then he does not spend the permanent glamour. A weapon permanently empower by Dead Man's Tools will still refuse to use its powers except in a cause the original owner would have approved of -- and a changeling can not permanently empower a weapon that was not previously owned by another. Type: Wyrd ***** Clarion Call One of the most frightening and awesome powers of the Seleni warrior, Clarion Call is the ability to call dead men back to life. Used only rarely, Clarion Call has turned the tide of the Seleni in thousands of battles. Nothing is more demoralizing to an enemy then when its own fallen warriors rise and begin attacking their former comrades. Particularly powerful Seleni shaman have been known to raise entire armies of the dead to do battle for them. System: The realm is determined by those the changeling wishes to raise, either Actor or Fae, and the caster must spend a point of Glamour for each corpse raised. This cantrip doesn't really summon wraiths to inhabit bodies; rather, it imbues dead bodies with an animating force. The only thing necessary to raise a corpse is that it has a complete skeleton; the animus that powers it is indifferent to flesh. Such creations also have uniform attributes; 8 health levels without wound penalties, Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 5, and the Abilities of Melee, Dodge, Brawl, and Horsemanship at level 3. All other

4 of 5

7/21/2012 6:55 PM

http://web.archive.org/web/20010221222038/http://www.nocturnis.net/art...

Attributes are at 0. Risen corpses cannot be mind controlled, dominated, or influenced by Sovereign or the vampire disciplines of Presence or Animalism. They will fight with any weapons at hand, and will use fists and teeth if none are available. They are also completely fearless and have no sense of self-preservation (much like the Seleni themselves). The number of successes must be split between the number of corpses raised the amount of time that they are animate. The amount of time applies only to how long the corpses are able to fight -- it takes one turn for them to crawl out of their graves, and travel time is free. 1 success -- 1 corpse 2 successes -- 2 corpses 3 successes -- 4 corpses 4 successes -- 8 corpses 5 successes -- 16 corpses 1 success -- 1 turn 2 successes -- 1 scene 3 successes -- 1 hour 4 successes -- until sunrise or sunset, whichever comes first 5 successes -- an entire day

Once all of a Seleni's present enemies have been defeated, he may attempt to dispel the risen corpses. To do so, he must make a Willpower roll (difficulty is equal to his Banality plus the number of risen corpses). If he fails the willpower roll, then the corpses remain, not doing much of anything but smelling particularly foul. The corpses will not follow any commands that do not relate to combat (with the exception of things like "Follow me," or "Wait here."), and will immediately attack anything the caster of the cantrip perceives as an enemy. If the caster botches his Willpower roll, then the animated dead will begin to attack any and every living thing that they encounter. Furthermore, they will remain animated until the next sunrise or sunset, regardless of how many initial success the changeling received. Type: Wyld

Ex Libris Nocturnis has hosted visitors since 4/17/99 All Content and Art is copyright 1999 Obelisk Games unless otherwise Specified. Applicable information, books and products are 1997 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved, any reproduced artwork or text are for Review purposes only.

5 of 5

7/21/2012 6:55 PM