House Danaan

*For every star in the sky, there is a path to be walked. For every dream in the night, there is a journey awaiting. I swear by the stars above and the dreams within to serve House Danaan, to guard the ways of the Dreaming and blaze new trails where none exist. I will guard the travelers, guide the Dreamers, and go on until there are no paths left to follow. This I swear, and may the dragon devour me in my dreams if I fail to keep my pledge.*

**Pronounced:** Da-NON

**Court:** Unseelie (nominally)

**Nicknames:** Pathfinders, Lost (vulgar)

When the gates of Arcadia opened and the Arcadian sidhe returned at the head of their great host, banners flying, both nobles and commoners assumed that the exodus had been bound for the mortal world. Recent years, however, have proved the existence of one significant exception, a house that remained almost entirely in the Dreaming, reopening ancient pathways and claiming long-lost strongholds there while the rest of the nobility returned to Earth.

House Danaan has only recently made contact with the earthbound Kithain in any significant way, and as a result the house’s existence is still considered little more than a rumor by many fae. Even among those that know the truth, few can claim to have met a Pathfinder in person. Often contact is conducted by chimerical messengers or other intermediaries. Part of this is simple practicality — the house is relatively small and scattered across multiple worlds, making direct contact taxing. Another part, however, is that the Pathfinders find the mortal world distasteful.

Although Arcadian sidhe still occupy many prominent positions in the house, Danaan is the only noble house with a nonsidhe serving as High Lord, and so it is perhaps no surprise that the Pathfinders see no problem with inducting commoner Kithain into their ranks. Eshu, satyrs, piskies, nockers, and other curious and itinerant fae are natural candidates for recruitment, though any changeling with a passion for exploration and an interest in the realms of the Dreaming is welcome within this house. Being inducted into this house often begins with a prospective member being taken on a tour of the Dreaming while their guide carefully gauges their reactions; those who cannot handle the realities of such a life are gently steered back to their old lives, while recruits are taken to a Danaan stronghold for further training and initiation.

Politically speaking, House Danaan is part of the Unseelie Court, but as with House Scathach the association is currently nominal at best. The Pathfinders believe their duty is to serve as heralds of change, seeing the opening of relations with their earthbound cousins as necessary to stave off calamity for both the Autumn world and the Dreaming. Beyond that, the Danaan have thus far shown little interest in the intrigues of the Unseelie houses, much less the Shadow Court, though that could change as connections deepen.

## House Boon

House Danaan members can withstand the rigors of life in the Dreaming far better than most Kithain. Pathfinders are in no danger of Bedlam from simply living in the Dreaming, even for extended periods of time. They are also experts at finding and navigating trods. Danaan members can never botch a roll involving locating, opening, or navigating a trod. A player may also spend one point of Glamour to have her character locate the Silver Path after a full minute of contemplation, provided it has not been magically concealed.

Once per session, a player of a House Danaan character may spend one Glamour point to invoke the Oath of the Dragon for a scene, allowing the player to add the character’s Title rating to all Social rolls related to chimera and other inhabitants of the Dreaming. While under this effect, a Pathfinder may converse normally with such beings, even feral chimera (within the limits of their intelligence). By ancient and sacred oath, chimera and natives of the Dreaming will not attack a Danaan under this effect, even if magically commanded, though this effect is immediately and permanently broken for any witnesses if the Pathfinder breaks faith and attacks, abuses, or trespasses against such beings, or orders others to do so. Cantrips and Birthrights count as attacks for the purpose of this effect, unless specific consent is granted for their use.

## House Flaw

Due to their deep ties to the Dreaming, Danaan suffer from a curious version of the Mists when it comes to the Autumn world. Any dramatic moment where a Danaan must remember an important detail about her mortal life or the mundane world in general, from where she left her keys to where she works to her girlfriend’s name, the player must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). This difficulty may vary based on factors such as the obscurity of the information and how much pressure the Pathfinder is under. A botch on this roll means the information is lost completely, and must be relearned anew. In addition, a similar Willpower roll must be made each full week the Danaan spends in the Dreaming, with failure meaning some memory of the mortal world slips away until properly refreshed (or relearned outright).

This memory loss does not cause a Danaan to lose Abilities or Backgrounds — she won’t forget how to Drive, for instance, though she might not remember who taught her — but could impact difficulties on relevant rolls at the Storyteller’s discretion. A player may choose to add her character’s Banality rating to this roll, at the cost of accepting one Banality point.

## Notable Members

High Lord Dice, an eshu said to be one of the elusive Síocháin and versed in paths and realms of the Dreaming long lost to the Kithain, Duke Basil Blackthorne, veteran explorer and hunter of exotic chimerical beasts, Countess Aksharra, a fortune teller who specializes in arriving just in time to deliver warnings to endangered freeholds, Baron Fiorello Fiore, a satyr seemingly unstuck in time, Lady Kyra, a pooka guide who sneaks Dreamers out of the Autumn world to inspire them, and Dames Meabh, Corrie, and Órlaith Morgan, a trio of selkie sisters who watch over the mysterious trods, sunken cities, and lost islands of the oceans.