Arcadian Sidhe

*“You think nobility a privilege, and you envy and resent us for it, but you cannot see that it is also a burden few would truly wish to bear.”*

The commoner kiths were long ago trapped in the mortal world, left behind in Concordia while the nobles fled to Arcadia during the Shattering. When the sidhe emerged from Arcadia during the Resurgence, they expected to return to a world similar to the one they left behind. What they found was drastically different. The commoners had actually thrived without them, developing their own leadership or eschewing it all together.

This first generation of returned Arcadian sidhe struggled to once again become a part of Concordia. They were a fragile race compared to the commoner kiths, more prone to the ravages of Banality and too reliant upon old customs. Arcadian sidhe were capricious and often volatile, with wildly fluctuating moods and fits of deep depression, which only served to further alienate them from the commoners. Some sidhe attempted to overcome this by retreating deep into the Legacies. The hopeful idealism of the Seelie sidhe became almost manic, while the darker Unseelie sidhe sank into the depths of depravity and corruption. Their loss of dominance left them desperate and frightened, and as they saw themselves becoming more obsolete, they also become more ruthless.

When the Evanescence brought a new wave of Acadian sidhe to Concordia, more turmoil followed. Some of these houses adjusted quickly to their new lives, but others held more extreme views about their role in relation to commoners and humans, which cause further divisiveness. The Arcadian sidhe’s grabs for power gave way to betrayal, bloodshed, and finally war. Instead of using their time to find new ways to adapt to life in Concordia, the sidhe have doggedly held on to the fantasy that they could restore the great fae society they continue to believe they rightfully rule.

The houses returning in the Resurgence have had almost half a century to reestablish dominance and adjust to the new technologies and politics of the mortal world, while those who returned in the Evanescence have still had more than a decade. On the whole, Arcadian sidhe have begun to adjust. Sidhe continue to return to Concordia, slowly trickling in through trods temporarily opened by Glimmers. They have some advantages over the first two waves of Arcadian sidhe to return, as many of the old traditions and courts have already been restored, and a new balance of power has been established with the commoners. These latecomers haven’t suffered the same culture shock as their predecessors.

In the wake of the Evanescence, many Arcadian sidhe closed ranks, consolidating power in their freeholds again in a way they hadn’t since the Resurgence. Class tensions, which had eased somewhat in the 1990s, intensified. New social and political movements threaten the power and security the Arcadian sidhe have established in Concordia, and they increasingly find themselves being unfavorably compared to the Autumn sidhe.

## Appearance

Sidhe resemble humans, but are more beautiful and flawless than any human could be. Their features are even and balanced, from their large eyes of striking colors like silver and amethyst to the tapered points of their ears. The stand tall and slender, their hair shining and silken, often brightly colored. They walk with grace and a noble bearing, and the golden bells of their laughter carry a hidden sadness that hints at the constant pain of being severed from the Dreaming. They dress, almost without exception, in the finest materials, or in chimerical gowns that defy the laws of physics.

## Lifestyles

The sidhe typically hold positions of power in both the fae and mortal worlds. Used to reigning over their vassals and commanding fiefdoms, sidhe apply these skills with precision in the mortal realms of business and politics. They shine on film and stage when they turn their interest to these pursuits. In the rare case where money and luxury do not come easily to the sidhe, their bitterness often drives them towards the Unseelie Court.

## Seemings

### Childlings

Beautiful and ethereal, sidhe childlings are inheritors of great privilege. Like mortal children whose every desire is met, they can easily become spoilt. They learn courtly ways early, which often helps to channel their entitlement into grace and dignity, but some childlings still experience an insatiable hunger for more, throwing magnificent tantrums when they cannot have their way.

### Wilders

Sidhe wilders play a more significant role in governance. They are carefully schooled in chivalry, courtly behavior, and in the obligations a noble has to her vassals and the lands over which she reigns. At best, sidhe wilders exhibit overconfidence and a slightly inflated sense of grandeur; at worst, they become enmeshed in the deception and intrigue of politics, learning to manipulate others to their advantage. Arcadian sidhe sometimes struggle with humility in their wildling seeming. They must learn that respect must first be given in order to be received.

### Grumps

Sidhe grumps are dignity and nobility embodied. They fully embrace their obligations and expect obeisance and loyalty in return. A wise grump runs her fiefdom with grace and dignity, giving the commoners a voice and helping maintain the balance between Bedlam and Banality. A grump who has been seduced by his own power can lead his people to ruin, inviting chaos into his court. In their later years, the weight of memories of the exile presses down upon the sidhe, sending them deeper into their Legacies and causing them to lose touch with the mortal world.

## Revelry

Arcadian sidhe see themselves as the purest embodiment of the Dreaming. As such, they gather Glamour through inspiring adoration and admiration in others. Attending a party and simply being visible, performing in public (whether or not the performance is actually good), and acting in some leadership capacity are all possibilities.

## Unleashing

Seelie cantrips are accompanied by a shimmering aura of light (or darkness, for the Unseelie) too beautiful and painful to look at directly. The sidhe appears bedecked in full courtly regalia, and those who witness her unleashing may briefly feel as though they are standing in the halls of a great palace they almost remember, before it finally dissipates into a lingering sense of bittersweet nostalgia.

## Birthrights

### Unearthly Beauty

Sidhe stand out in a crowd due to their beauty and regal bearing. Sidhe receive two additional dots of Appearance, even if this brings that rating above 5. When they invoke the Wyrd, this beauty becomes overpowering. If a sidhe invokes the Wyrd in the presence of a character, the player must roll Willpower (difficulty 8). If that roll fails, the character can only stare in awestruck wonder at the sidhe for one turn for each dot of the sidhe’s Appearance.

### Noble Bearing

Sidhe carry a quiet dignity at all times. Cantrips designed to humiliate them or make them look foolish automatically fail (that does not prevent cantrips from harming them, of course, they just don’t lose their poise when it happens). Sidhe cannot botch Etiquette or Politics rolls.

## Frailty

### Curse of Banality

While the commoner kiths have learned to make their peace with the mortal world and live within it, the Arcadian sidhe still live with their minds and hearts in the Dreaming. As such, they are even more susceptible to Banality. Each point of Banality a sidhe would receive becomes two.