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Lord_Gareth
2008-05-01, 10:17 AM
New Noble Order – The Barony of Blades

I swear to search for perfect efficiency. I will forge the sharpest blades, the deadliest guns, and the most destructive weaponry. I will forge death.

The Lost are often confronted with enemies – whether vampires or werewolves or the Others or simply mortals – that outarm and outarmor them. Changelings must often improvise their weapons or go without them – and a Lost unarmed against a werewolf or a True Fae is often a dead Lost. The Barony of Blades seeks to change that.
The Bloody Barons, as they are called, seek to forge and invent weaponry that combine Fae magics with mortal innovations. They intensely study blade lore, ballistic mathematics, and quantum theory and other esoterica in the pursuit of matchless weapons of pure destruction. The Barons don't just forge the weapons, however – they sell and use them.
This bloody purpose makes the Barons rather unpopular in many freeholds – until they are needed. At that point, the mad weapons of the Barony are brought to bear, and no one – especially the Changelings who called for them – ever forgets it.
Titles – Baron, Bloody Baron (Male), Baroness, Bloody Baroness (Female)
Prerequisites – Wyrd 4, Crafts 3, Firearms or Weaponry 3, Clarity 6 or Lower
Joining – The easiest way to enter the Barony is to attract their attention. Inventors, scientists, and mystics are invited into their ranks if they display talent or potential. Such invitations are rather forceful – the Barony can't stand competition. The first refusal often ends in the destruction of someone or something important to the poor Changeling who dares to say no. The second one usually causes their home to be leveled – and the third ends in their death. You don't refuse an order of people dedicated to slaughter.
The second way is to enter into the annual Slayer's Showing, run by the Barony to show off their instruments of death. Impressing them enough with your talent - or merely your potential – can get you an apprenticeship into the Bloody Barons, and from there, full membership is eventual. However, joining this second way is much more difficult, often involving deadly tests and more than one experiment that can end in blowing up a building or two. Those who survive this apprenticeship are often the tougher of the two groups, however, and become the mercenary branch of the group.
Mien - The Bloody Barons have no common dress code, but are often stained with soot and wearing work clothes, since they're always busy. The easiest way to identify a Bloody Baron is to look for his weaponry – they always have some kind of insane blend of magic and technology on their persons.
Their Mien, on the other hand, changes drastically. In a process that works its way from their hands upward, the Barons' fingers become segmented blades, and their arms gain the cobalt color of gunmetal. As their Wyrd increases, they may find steam vents forming in their necks, or Jakob's Ladders sprouting from their foreheads like electrical horns. Mortals become sadistic and cruel near Bloody Barons – with a high enough Wyrd, the simple presence of a Baron in the room may be enough to incite a bar fight or a rape.
Background – The Barony is home to a few distinct kinds of Changelings – killers, madmen, and inventors who believe that the best defense is a good offense. The first two groups often become mercenaries, the branch of the Order that is hired out to others. They are the main source of all the foul and vile stories that circulate about the Barony – including sickening tales of human souls being used to power weapons of incomprehensible cruelty. The last group makes the weapons that are more sane, tamer blends of Faerie magics and mortal technology. They are often hired on a permanent basis by the Summer Court to manufacture weapons for personal defense.
Those who join the Barony were often factory workers, gunsmiths, Civil War enthusiasts or inventors before being taken. Many are now Wizened, though other Seemings are certainly represented. They tend to focus on Mental attributes, with a fairly even spread of those who make physical skills or social skills secondary. Crafts is all-important in the Barony, and those who are good at what they build are treated with almost deferential respect.
Organization – The only universal organization from the Barony takes the form of the High Tinker, the best inventor from year-to-year. Each Tinker selects their own successor and runs the Barony as they see fit, independent of any Court. They occasionally have meetings, referred to as Murders, to which any Lost may attend. Those outside the order who have often come back shocked and disturbed, refusing to speak about what happened.
Privelages – Madman's Spell – Upon swearing the oath to join the Barony of Blades, the Changeling is filled with knowledge of a secret Contract the Barons weild. By spending double all costs and increasing the difficulty of all rolls by two, the Baron may infuse one of their weapons with a specific application of one of the Contracts they know. This could, for example, create a repulsion ray that directs metal away from itself (Contract of Elements 3) or a laser beam (Eternal Summer 5). From then on, anyone may use the weapon and gain the benefit of the Contract as though they had rolled a number of successes equal to the amount used to forge the weapon. Only one roll may be made while forging.