Pookas

*“What is truth, but something we all agree upon? So, if we all agree upon a lie, isn’t it then truth?”*

Jester, rapscallion, fool, annoying brat, ne’er-do-well, and even philosopher have all been terms used to describe pooka. They can also be among the most charming and congenial of the Kithain and, ironically, the most truthful. They wear their hearts on their sleeves; with a pooka what you see is what you get. They love pranks and play, and they hate hard work and meanness. They play the part of the court jester, poking fun at authority figures and tearing down the walls and facades we all build to separate ourselves from one another. Every pooka has a close bond with a particular animal, and this kinship expresses itself both physically and through the pooka’s personality.

In early tales, the pooka was a carefree spirit who enjoyed playing minor pranks and teasing mortals. Christian dogma later changed the pooka into a servant of the Devil — a lazy ne’er-do-well, full of lies and treachery, sometimes leading the unobservant and slow-witted to their deaths. Humans have always dreamed of a better, more carefree life. They envied the animals who could spend the day in seeming leisure, sleeping in the sun, grazing when they wished, and prancing and romping through the fields and trees, with nary a care in the world.

The pooka do their best to bring wonder and joy to the hearts of mortals and changelings alike. They do whatever they can to dispel sadness wherever they find it, usually through jokes and tomfoolery. On the surface, it may seem that a pooka’s life is nothing more than a blur of happy chaos. The truth is often something very different. Despite their hijinks, they often see the world more clearly than others and they can harbor a deep melancholy they find hard to shake. Pooka fear Banality and the mundane even more than other changelings. They are acutely aware of the pain and suffering that surrounds them and want nothing more than to make it all go away. Their pranks and eccentricity are their ways of dealing with this, so for them, no joke is too low, no gag too crude, as long as it gets a laugh. Wherever they go, they bring laughter and confusion.

Truth is a curious thing to pooka. Anything they say is likely to be peppered with lies, half-truths, and misinformation. Their inability to speak the truth is well known to all Kithain. It is the primary weapon they use to combat Banality. Truth, after all, is often not very exciting or happy, therefore pooka lie. They mean no harm by it. They simply can’t help themselves. Every word a pooka speaks is not always entirely false, and they often bury deeper truths within their deceptions. Most pooka do not use the same method of telling falsehoods, but rather mix it up, making deciphering pooka-ese all the more difficult. A pooka may speak in opposites, or exaggerate, or mix in outright falsehoods to anything he says.

## Appearance

Nearly all pooka have physical traits relevant to the animal they share kinship with: tails, ears, beaks, whiskers, or feathers, and many have a fine layer of fur or feathers on their hands, faces, and body. Pooka care little for social conventions, except perhaps to break them. Style for a pooka can almost always be said to be… unique. They are just as likely to show up at court wearing pajamas as they are courtly garb. And even their courtly wear is often exaggerated, loud, and ostentatious.

## Lifestyles

Living a life of freedom and choice, most pooka manage to eke out a living doing whatever it is that they most enjoy. They can often be found as entertainers: actors, street performers, magicians, jugglers, fire-spinners, and so on. They prefer to live in funky, bohemian neighborhoods where their eccentricities are not condemned. Artistic communities and “up-and-coming” neighborhoods are common. Though some perverse pooka prefer to dwell in uptight and even banal places, where their presence breaks up the social norm and causes a disturbance on an almost daily basis. These pookas prefer gated communities in the suburbs or wealthy high-rise apartments. Of course, they usually don’t last very long.

## Seemings

### Childlings

These pooka know no bounds, no limits. They are, in a sense, truly wild, almost feral. They are constantly frolicking, playing pranks and telling jokes. Their falsehoods are often flagrant and they are often completely self-absorbed. They have a difficult time taking anything seriously. On the other hand, pooka in this state often have a “best friend,” someone who is the center of their universe. A childling pooka will do anything for this person, and they can sometimes ground the childling and convince him to take something seriously for a moment — but probably only a moment.

### Wilders

The world is a wide and wonderful place and wilder pooka want to experience it all. They seek to understand the nature of “humanity.” What is it that makes someone tick? They are notorious for playing drawn out pranks that expose a person’s character flaws or weaknesses. Wilders can become reckless in their thrill seeking, sometimes pushing a little too hard or taking extreme risks. Some of them even become addicted to the rush and need to be pulled back before someone gets hurt.

### Grumps

Subtle forms of humor and pranking are the hallmarks of grumps. They know exactly which buttons to push, but rather than playful pranks just for the sake of whimsy, grumps often use their playful sense of humor to great effect. They play the role of the fool at court, pointing out the lord’s or lady’s character flaws in ways that only a pooka can get away with. They also use their playfulness to defuse tense situations, or to bring a little light to a dark situation. There is no situation so dire that a pooka can’t brighten the room, at least a little.

## Revelry

Pooka absolutely adore pranks, and pulling jokes on others — especially if it takes someone self-important down a peg — is a classic way they experience revelry. Pooka might also regain Glamour by spending time in an open and wild place, relaxing and being free from care.

## Unleashing

Animal sounds and bright flashing colors are the hallmarks of pooka cantrips. They also often have unintended side effects, which leave egg on the face (sometimes literally) of the target or even the pooka.

## Birthrights

### Shapechanging

All pooka have an affinity with a particular animal. This is always a natural animal, never a mythological one. This animal affects her appearance and personality, and she is able to shapeshift into the animal at will. If completely alone, a pooka can shapechange for free, but if another changeling or enchanted mortal is present the change costs one Glamour. A pooka can never shift into an animal when being observed by a mundane mortal. Shifting back from animal form is always free and can be done at any time (again, as long as the pooka is unobserved by mortal eyes).

### Confidante

Even complete strangers often spill their guts to a pooka. This ability of getting people to open up and talk, even about their darkest secrets, is an innate talent common to all pooka. Each has his own way of going about it, but the end result is the same. Some put people off balance with mixed insults and compliments, others rapid fire questions so fast that the target loses track of what is being said, and some are just so darned cute that no one can resist them.

Once, during a conversation, a pooka’s player may make an opposed Perception + Empathy (or Subterfuge, player’s choice) roll resisted by the target’s Willpower, to get the answer to a question. The number of successes determines how many questions the pooka can have answered. The target can also spend Willpower to resist this effect; each point of Willpower cancels one of the pooka’s successes.

## Frailty

### Untruths

Perhaps the greatest con the pooka have pulled is making everyone believe that they never tell the truth. Under most circumstances a pooka can speak the truth as long as its mixed with lies, half-truths, and exaggerations. The trouble comes when a pooka is asked a direct question. A pooka who is asked a direct question must answer with a falsehood. If he wishes to answer truthfully the player must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) and spend a point of Willpower.