House Leanhaun

*By the elements and the essence of Dreams, I declare before witnesses that I am ready to take up my duties within House Leanhaun. I will remain true to my house, keeping its secrets, assisting all fellow members, and guarding its treasures. If I fail in any of my duties, or should I betray my house, let my name be stricken from the histories and erased from the minds of Dreamers. Let my story be unfinished, my purpose unfulfilled, and my essence scattered by the winds. Let no Kithain recall there ever existed such as I.*

**Pronounced:** Lee-ANN-an

**Court:** Unseelie

**Nicknames:** Muses, Incubi/Succubi (vulgar)

While the Ailil scheme to bring about the supremacy of the Unseelie Court, and the Balor work toward the dark ends ordained by their ancient forbears, the third of the greatest Unseelie houses busies itself tending the garden it has been given. Members of House Leanhaun take great pride in their reputation as patrons of the arts, and the roll of artists and Dreamers they claim to have inspired since their return is a veritable who’s who of a dozen entertainment industries. Combined with their reputation for debauchery, this perception has led more than one Seelie noble to dismiss Muses as serious rivals. It’s a common mistake.

House Leanhaun is justifiably well-known as patrons and muses, but it’s what they do with that influence that makes them just as dangerous as an Ailil schemer or Balor swordsman. Perhaps better than any other house, the Muses understand that whoever directs art directs culture, and so they tend their garden carefully, encouraging some voices while stifling others. They bestow fame and wealth in return for favors and oaths of service, creating worldwide sensations overnight and a legion of influential artists who owe the Leanhaun favors.

Of course, culture is a fickle mistress, and many of the artists burn brightly but a little while before fading back into obscurity. The Leanhaun are likewise known for their capricious love lives, equaled only by the Fiona among the nobility, often attaching themselves to a chosen artist for the duration of their meteoric rise and always seeming to step away right before the inevitable crash. And while others are distracted by their love lives and famous friends, the Muses play the longest game of all, that of shaping culture itself — one book, one song, and one movie at a time.

When it comes to mortal society, the Muses invariably find a position where they have access to a large number of potential Dreamers, preferably one that also sees a fairly regular turnover, in order to better disguise their more unsavory appetites. Agents, talent scouts, entertainment reporters, and art teachers are all common professions for the Leanhaun, though some content themselves by being groupies and super fans. It is also very common for the Muses to be accomplished artists in their own right, who draw Dreamers to them as colleagues and peers.

Seelie Leanhaun tend to be relegated to “front of house” roles by their comrades, helping put a good face on the house and its activities, and are rarely invited to the exclusive parties and retreats where the real business is conducted. This can lead to a strange state where a Seelie member has a privileged mortal life — famous friends, plenty of cash, accepted in high society — while holding little to no authority in Kithain society.

## House Boon

The Muses are unnaturally charismatic. Leanhaun receive a free dot of Charisma, even if this takes them above 5. A Muse can also focus the full force of her charms on one person; all Social rolls involving that individual are at –1 difficulty, as are any rolls to gather Glamour involving that person. A Leanhaun can only target one individual this way per scene.

## House Flaw

House Leanhaun members age rapidly when denied access to fresh mortal Glamour. Each week a Leanhaun does not gain Glamour from a Dreamer, she effectively ages one year. Glamour gained from Reverie or Rapture reverses such aging at a rate of 1 year for every 5 points gained, while Glamour from Ravaging cancels one year per point gained, and Glamour from Rhapsody restores 5 years per point. Revelry does not restore youth at all. Note that a Muse cannot become younger than her actual age by infusion of Glamour; any “excess” rejuvenation is lost. This aging carries over to the mortal seeming, meaning Leanhaun must monitor their Glamour acquisition carefully to avoid arousing suspicion.

This unnatural aging toll is suspended for Leanhaun living in freeholds or the Dreaming, and does not apply to those who have yet to experience their Chrysalis or whose fae seemings are currently slumbering (such as from chimerical death or being permanently Undone). Of course, spending a lot of time in freeholds or the Dreaming holds problems of its own, but sometimes a desperate Leanhaun finds it necessary to stave off advancing age.

## Exile

House Leanhaun members don’t believe they were exiled, though they happily repeat that story if they think it’s what the others around them want to hear (particularly nobles). No, the Muses believe that they chose to return to the Autumn World for a very specific purpose — because they believe Arcadia is already locked in a Long Winter, and so they must venture forth and find new ideas, new visions with which to restore its glory. Of course, if this means eventually taking the mantle of the Unseelie Court in the process, well, they’ll take that honor too.

## Factions & Societies

* The Eternal Order of Dreams, who kidnap mortal Dreamers and put them in freeholds so their talent will never die.

* The Revelers, spies and seducers for the house posing as debauched dilettantes.

* The Finders, talent scouts who also seek out likely targets for Ravaging or Rhapsody.

* The Keepers of the Rose, seekers of treasures to place in Leanhaun’s vaults for the coming Long Winter.

* The Idols, a female-led society of musicians, actors, and other superstar performers.

* The Knights Protector, the militant arm of the house, who are led by a cadre known as the Midnight Pact.

* The Revisionists, elite “cleaners” who bury evidence of the house’s abuse of Dreamers.

## Notable Members

High Lord Eleanor, sorceress, peerless patron of the arts, and beloved of commoners for her populist views in the Parliament of Dreams, Countess Alayne Grace, famed sidhe prima ballerina and darling of high society, Baroness Robin, the elusive hostess of notoriously decadent “White Wraith” parties catering to exclusive fae and mortal clientele, Countless Glynann Jones, music producer to the stars and leader of the Finders, Sir Strallach, Shadow Court mastermind and captain of the Knights Protector, Dame Izzy Tot, satyr rock star and voice of the Idols, Sir Tairngrim, tireless bodyguard, champion, and lover of High Lord Eleanor, and Lady Gentian, highly placed Reveler masquerading as a humble eshu bard.