Nockers

*“I know I know… I’ve worked on the damned thing all week and it’s still not right. Maybe if you stop breathing down my neck, or better yet, just leave me the fuck alone and I’ll get it done.”*

Nockers are as well known for their cynicism and bitterness as they are for being master crafters. They are also fiercely individualistic and belittle anything that does not match their own ideal of artistic perfection. They prefer to create and surround themselves with treasures of mechanical wonder, rather than interact with “imperfect” people. When they are forced to have social contact they are eminently sarcastic with everyone around them, and blazingly critical of anyone in charge.

The bone-trembling nervousness of beginning a new project, the unbridled joy of completing the work of art, and the heart-wrenching angst of suffering through criticism — of all these things are intrinsic to the nockers. Artists, builders, crafters, and even writers all know the torment of “knowing” that their work is not good enough, that it will never be understood. And yet, they toil on, day after day, seeking perfection that they will never find. Early legends speak of goblins and kobolds who endlessly toiled deep beneath the earth, mining, smelting and crafting, and of other diminutive beings who made toys to leave for children who were good and kind. It is from these legends that nockers were born.

Nockers are innovators to the extreme, always seeking out the newest and edgiest feats of engineering and craftsmanship. A younger nocker may explore many different styles and techniques before settling down and finding her niche, at which point she becomes known as an eccentric genius in her field. Sometimes other Kithain seek out such a master, hoping to learn from her artistry, but they must be strong of will to withstand the maestro’s insults and withering criticism. Nockers have developed a complex ritual of insults and disparagements that constitute greetings and familiarity. Between nockers this is as natural as two businessmen shaking hands.

For nockers, people are a mystery. People are mercurial, have feelings that can be easily hurt, and once broken they cannot be repaired in the same way as a tool or device. Truth be told, the soul of a nocker is as poetic as any of the Kithain. Perhaps their deepest secret is that they are, at heart, romantics. They deeply long to escape their flawed and obsessive lives and are drawn to music, art, and even courtly love, though of course they will never admit it. Unfortunately, nockers cannot help but “I know I know… I’ve worked on the damned thing all week and it’s still not right. Maybe if you stop breathing down my neck, or better yet, just leave me the fuck alone and I’ll get it done.” treat romantic relationships like everything else and will poke and tinker until they are broken.

## Appearance

Though not as hideous as the goblins of legend, nockers are nonetheless grotesque in their own right. They tend to have thick, reddish skin and elongated arms and legs. Their long, spindly fingers have thick, knotty knuckles and sharp black talons. They have hatchet faces that appear mask-like and are pasty white with red noses and cheeks. They often paint swirls or patterns around or under the eyes or on their cheeks. They usually have stark white hair with large busy eyebrows above their rat-like eyes. A nockler’s rare smile reveals a row of sharp pointed teeth. In the workshop they prefer heavy overalls, often adorned with large brass buckles and buttons. At court, they are second only to the sidhe in fashion and complexity, favoring spiral and swirling patterns. Even when at court a nocker wouldn’t be caught dead without a few favorite tools on his person.

## Lifestyles

Nockers often find other people to be enigmas, with complex, fragile feelings that are easily offended by nocker sensibilities. This does not mean that they avoid people, but rather approach them as puzzles to be solved. However, they do prefer homes and workplaces where they can practice their craft in solitude. Machine shops, engineering, body shops, and programming are all ideal occupations for nockers.

## Seemings

### Childlings

Nockers in this stage are curious about the inner workings of everything. They would rather take things apart than put them together. The need to understand how things work can become an obsession and, left to their own devices, their tinkering may lead to trouble when they take apart the dukes chimerical, stream-powered vehicle. Understanding people is also a pastime for childlings — they pick and poke, trying to decipher what makes people tick.

### Wilders

Nocker wilders are wildly creative innovators. They spend hours and days on end in the workshop honing their craftsmanship, to the exclusion of everything else, often even forgetting to eat. The latest tech, the newest design — these are the things that interest them. They are willing to take chances in order to come up with the newest and most fantastic design, often resulting in catastrophic (and sometimes humorous) failures. But sometimes they have incredible successes as well.

### Grumps

Absolute perfection of their skills are of the utmost important to nocker grumps. These nockers are often master craftspeople who have a great store of knowledge. Rather than seeking the newest and most innovative designs, they have a deep desire for perfection — which, much to their chagrin, they can never attain. This often leads to bouts of deep despair. They often take on apprentices and pass on their knowledge, while making the life of the poor apprentice miserable.

## Revelry

Tinkering and mending things is what gives a nocker joy. To achieve Revelry, a nocker might spend some time in her shop repairing or creating a non-chimerical device that does not belong to her, or might work with other engineers or inventors to brainstorm a new device.

## Unleashing

Cantrips cast by nockers often leave a traces of the byproducts of their craft: grease stains and the smell of burning sulfur or other unpleasant chemical smells are often common, as well as wisps of foul-smelling smoke. A rapping or knocking sound is often heard; the greater the power of the cantrip, the louder the sound.

## Birthrights

### Make It Work

Nockers are masters of whipping up items on demand with little more than random materials, some Glamour, and a highly cinematic and honestly self-serving appreciation of “science.” A nocker can improvise all manner of temporary, but useful, chimerical items from apparently improbable materials, such as creating a crude firearm with little more than a light bulb, a water pistol, and a handful of nails. Such items require an Intelligence + Crafts roll, with a variable difficulty, and cost between one and three points of Glamour depending on the materials available as well as the complexity of the item.

A nocker must have some degree of privacy when working on chimerical items. Kithain can be present, as long they do not disturb the nocker, but chimerical materials cannot be worked in the presence of mortals.

### Fix It

Nockers can fix just about anything, chimerical or mundane. Sometimes all it takes is a kick and a few harsh words to scare a machine into working again. To fix a device the nocker’s player must make a successful Intelligence + Crafts or Manipulation + Intimidation roll. The difficulty can range from 5 (for a simple problem in a simple device) to 9 (for a difficulty problem in a complex machine).

## Frailty

### Perfect is the Enemy of Done

Nockers strive for perfection in everything they make, and yet they can never succeed. No matter how many successes a nocker rolls when creating something, it always has a minor (but irreparable) flaw.

Whenever a nocker-made device is used in a stressful situation the Storyteller can ask the player to roll one die. If the die shows “1,” the device fails or breaks in a particularly spectacular fashion.