Twilight Gleaners

**Requirements:** Wyrd 2+, Wits 3+, Empathy 2+

**Origin tales:**

1. Wodan of One Eye felt trapped by fate. His foe was the Mad Oracle and sought to strangle him in prophecy. So he sought out his own. He completed many trials until he could drink from a silver pool in the Hedge to answer one question. Instead, he took the water and poured it into where his eye once was and into his remaining eye. Able to see the strands of fate both past and present he taught others how to see them when they wished before his fate was sealed.
2. This entitlement happened many times independently for each changeling. The Wyrd and Fate dance alongside one another and changelings must dance too. Whenever one changeling gets too tied up in fate, the cords might bind them and they’ll find themselves a gleaner, regardless of their wants.
3. Along came a spider, weaving its web, Yet it was Fate it wove, no mere thread. A Wizened made a bargain with the spider to see the weave, At the cost that from his vision he could not leave.

**Legends:**

1. In the Freehold of Avalon, there was once a Flowerling Summer King who worried about his legacy. He looked upon the other summer Knights and worried they would not be able to lead. So he asked his adviser, the Airborne Gleaner, “Will the heir to my blade be a better leader than I?” The Airborne looked to the future and told him, “Yes.” So the King waged war, trusting an heir would come. When he died, his sword could not be picked up, for none of the Summer Knights were worthy to bear his blade. When young Arthur arrived at the freehold, he asked for a weapon and drew the sword to fight the hobs that were after him and the Court knew he was the new king. The Airborne watched and waited, for he knew Arthur could not die until his reign was greater than the Flowerling’s.
2. Once there was a Darkling who watched over the land around his freehold. Winter had blessed him but in his heart he felt that Summer could have been his calling too. He prepared traps, guarded Trods and hunted suspected enemies. The mortal world barely concerned him, but did concern his family. One day someone asked if they would win the war and he Looked into the future and told them the truth. “Yes. You will win the war.” Fate then turned and across the world, hundreds of miles from his sleepy town, the army in retreat grew braver and their enemies made mistakes. It would be many years before the Fate was revealed but during those years Fate was more obvious than any had anticipated.

**What We Do in the Shadows:**

Many changelings long for stability but the world offers few to them. Their Hollows are constantly needing to be upkept and their pledges wear out and must be renewed. Is it any wonder that some seek a Truth to guide them through their life? The Gleaners come to fill that gap for each member of the Entitlement has forged a connection with Fate itself. This, they tell the prospective client or gleaner, is a truth that you can be certain of.

Although they do not have the power to control Fate’s course, they can see hints of the plans and goals that it holds, and by relaying that information, they can guide their charges to follow Fate's plan. Although some see this as just another servitude, the Gleaners disagree. Fate, they argue, is a greater force than any changeling, and it is better to follow its lead than to waste your effort trying to avoid it. To that end, the Gleaners learn the secrets of teasing out which courses of action carry the blessing of destiny, and which are doomed to failure. Through that end, they argue, changelings can be assured of taking action with Fate at their back, rather than in opposition to it.

**Mask & Mein:**

As a general rule, Gleaners prefer to appear humble and unassuming. They are not the masters of Fate, teach the elders of the Entitlement, but merely its servants, and excess pride is something to be avoided. To that end, simple colours are favoured, tending towards the drab. The primary sign of a Gleaner's devotion is the milky silver tint that grows in his eyes: At first seeming only faint, but gradually expanding as his Wyrd increases until the whole of his eyes appear covered with tarnished silver cataracts.

This does not affect his actual vision, but it can be unnerving to see, especially if it begins to bleed into the Mask. The second sign is that the strands of Fate that the Gleaners watch leave traces across their skin and clothes; Gleaners often appear to have silver threads running through their clothing, and faint silver can be seen across their veins.

**Bequeathal:**

To become a Gleaner, one must come to understand that her Fate is not entirely her own, and that there is no shame in listening to the wisdom of others. Generally, this happens as one of an existing Gleaner's clients decides they wish to see the hints Fate drops for herself, rather than simply relying on another's visions. Typically, Gleaners also watch out for signs of attunement to Fate's wishes in those they meet, and offer the possibility of recruitment to the few that they think will be responsible and reserved.

Once a would-be Gleaner finds herself a teacher, she must spend arduous months learning to accept whatever visions she receives, rather than trying to push or prod them into the forms she wants. During this time, anyone who fails to demonstrate a properly reverent attitude towards the mysteries they are uncovering is gradually weeded out, leaving the most dedicated to undergo the final initiation rituals. Any Gleaner is able to initiate one of their fellows into the secrets of the Entitlement, and such ceremonies are usually extremely private, attended only by the new Gleaner and her mentor. There, she affirms her connection to Fate, and swears to stand by it for the rest of her life. At the end of the ritual, she enacts her first divination, asking Fate whether she will become a Gleaner. Those who are turned down are never allowed to make another attempt, but it is rare for one who has reached the final test to be denied her goal.

As a side note, Gleaners never ask Fate whether a charge will succeed as a Gleaner before the apprenticeship begins. Such a question is considered to be a sign that the Gleaner's own judgment is faulty, and common legend states it will always be answered in the negative.

**Token: The Silver Glasses [1-5]**

While it can take any form, the final appearance must be over the eyes, which take a silver sheen when the token is used. The Gleaner can activate this token to ask Fate one Yes or No question about a future event. Whichever answer is given, Fate begins to align to make sure that end comes to pass by applying this token’s rating to all attempts to accelerate that outcome and a penalty to all tasks to prevent it equal to the token’s rating. The ST is the final call on what can be answered via this power.
**Catch:** The character has been asked to petition about the requester’s death.
**Drawback:** Having bound themselves to fate, they cannot go against it. Should the user attempt to prevent the Fate they analyzed they suffer a Clarity 4 breaking point. The attack adds this token’s rating to it. (Conditional)
**Blessings**

* [1] This blessing lets the changeling regain 1 Glamour whenever she regains Willpower through her Needle in direct pursuit of her role. She may spend the Glamour immediately on anything she likes or store it in her heraldry token for later use. The token can store up to her Wyrd in Glamour. If she can neither spend nor store it, it’s lost. All stored Glamour empties at the end of the story.
* [1] Choose one of the following specialties: Academics (World History), Occult (Changelings, “Fate”), Empathy (Soothing), or Expression (Urgency). The chosen speciality also gains exceptional on three successes instead of five.
* [1] Additional Thread.
* [1] Gain the Danger Sense Merit. If you already have the Danger Sense Merit, gain +5 to detecting an impending ambush.
* [1] Gain: **Pluck the Strands of Fate (Royal)**

Cost: 2 Glamour
Action: Reflexive
Dice Pool: Wits + Survival + Wyrd
Catch: You have lethal or aggravated damage in one of your three rightmost health boxes.
Dramatic Failure: Your defenses fail completely against the next attack you would suffer this scene
Failure: Nothing happens
Success: Gain 1 to all of your defenses for each success for 1 turn. This applies to all attacks, including firearms.
Dramatic Success: As above but the effect lasts for three turns.
**Touchstone:** Someone who has a powerful destiny. (Storyteller creates the destiny in secret)

**Clarity Curse:** Clarity attacks suffered while avoiding answering a question about fate add damage dice equal to ranks invested in this Merit.

**WP:** Once per scene, gain a Willpower when you lie to someone about their fate to comfort them.