Piskies

*“Oops! Is this your thimble? I don’t know how it found its way into my pocket. Of course you can have it back… unless you don’t need it right now. I’d be happy to hang onto it for you until you do.”*

Nimble, quick, and able to blend in with any group, piskies have a reputation among the other kiths as being friendly and attentive, but difficult to get to know well. Piskies serve as the couriers of the Dreaming, carrying missives, packages, and secrets back and forth between noble courts and commoners alike. They provide transportation and delivery services for hire, and occasionally operate as spies for those to whom they swear fealty. Other fae say that once a piskey has tucked something in its pocket, be it a treasure or a secret, no one but the piskey can ever remove it again.

Piskies are a nomadic and solitary kith, usually preferring the company of mortals or other changelings to their own kind. They can integrate themselves into any migrant population, from a traveling theatre troupe to seasonal farm workers. They pick up new languages easily and enjoy exploring new cultures and traditions, fitting in quickly and effortlessly. They aren’t afraid to work hard to earn their keep, for even physical labor can be an exhilarating new experience, though few activities can hold their attention beyond a month or two. Piskies are always ready to move on to the next town, the next job, and the next face.

While most kiths share a strong sense of identity that binds them together, piskies are seldom tied to one identity for very long. Piskies do have a natural appearance they revert to when not in the company of a group, but few people ever witness it, as the piskey’s features subconsciously shift to those most comfortable and familiar to the viewer. The traits they do share include kindness, compassion, a willingness to listen to any story, and an uncanny knack for locating and pocketing items of value, even those which outwardly appear innocuous or worthless. Once this item makes its way into the piskey’s pocket, she’s gone, blending into the crowd and impossible to find.

Piskies love children, and go without food or warmth themselves to tend to the needs of a child. They become quite protective of their young friends, and woe to those who hurt a child who calls a piskey their friend. Piskies always look for the best in those around them, though the Unseelie piskey whose trust is betrayed can quickly turn bitter. Seelie piskies, however, are more forgiving of life’s small disappointments, always hopeful that the next adventure will bring excitement and opportunities to learn and change. Those lucky enough to have a piskey traipse through their lives always remember the wonder shining in the piskey’s eyes and the sense that something new and amazing waited just around the corner, even if they have difficulty remembering his face.

## Appearance

A piskey’s most notable feature is their lack of notable features. A piskey’s face never stands out in a crowd, because he always looks like he belongs to the group he’s traveling with. Their skin tone, facial features, and build change with their travels. Certain characteristics remain familiar, and someone who comes to know a specific piskey well can usually identify her, but those who view the piskey for only a moment are unlikely to recognize her if they encounter her again. They are, in this respect, the perfect spies or couriers for sensitive materials.

Piskies do have a natural appearance, though few ever see it, and it even begins to fade over time. In isolation, with no group to mimic, a piskey’s skin defaults to a warm olive that grows creased and weathered with age, and his hair to a soft silver. Even younger piskies’ faces carry lines from frequent smiles and crinkles at the corners of their large, luminous eyes. Piskies have long pointed ears and a solid build. Their height ranges from only four to five feet, and they tend towards sturdy, muscular builds. Piskey grumps with a long lifetime of travel may lose the details of their facial features entirely to their creases and wrinkles.

## Lifestyles

Piskies are born to wander, and seldom settle in one place for any length of time as they discharge their duties as couriers and sate their endless curiosity. They prefer companionship on the road, but never stay with one group for long. While a piskey may not want to be center stage, he’s a great friend to have in the wings. Unlike the eshu, who are constantly seeking new tales and adventures, piskies find their happiness in new friends and simple pleasures. Though piskies are often alone, they are seldom lonely. They view any time spent without company as a brief pause between friendships. Piskies rarely swear oaths of fealty, which makes those few who do such a precious commodity. Piskies are a secret weapon in a noble’s arsenal, able to cross enemy lines or move through hostile groups without receiving a second glance.

## Seemings

### Childlings

Piskey childlings have the strongest sense of individual identity of their kith. They have limited experience in the world and have worn another face only a scant few times. Childlings tend to be more trusting, forming friendships easily and discarding them less lightly. Piskey childlings can be slightly flighty and unreliable, which makes them less desirable couriers. Their light fingers are also less discerning, and the items they pilfer and hide are often less valuable and more purely interesting.

### Wilders

While the seeker years make some kiths cynical and wild, most piskey seekers retain much of the sweetness of their childling years, coupled with a newfound desire to discard their old identities and try on something knew. Like the seeds of a dandelion, piskey wilders take to the wind, leaving their birthplace behind them as they search for new experiences and fresh faces. Piskey seekers make friends wherever they go, particularly among the young and the indigent, whom the piskey embraces without judgment or criticism. Only in the Unseelie piskey does the slight bite of sarcasm begin to inject itself into their humor. If this early hint of bitterness can be met with affection or ingenuity, however, the piskey’s buoyant nature reasserts itself. Piskey wilders are sought after at court by those who wish to pass secret missives or gifts. While a piskey would never steal an item she has agreed to deliver, piskey wilders have fully developed their compulsive and intuitive thievery.

### Grumps

Though most would not admit it, piskey grumps make people uncomfortable. A lifetime of changing faces as easily as they change clothes gives piskies a disconcerting anonymity. Even those who think they know the piskey well would, when pressed, have a difficult time describing him. He always fits in, but he never really belongs. His friendships are peripheral and fleeting. Other kiths might find this sad, but piskies see it as freeing. They have their own legends about piskey grumps whose mortal forms disappeared entirely, their essence dispersing and merging with that of everyone around them.

## Revelry

Piskies find their inspiration in complete immersion within a group. In the euphoria of new sights and sounds, of total acceptance into a group, piskies find their delight. As the group experiences joy, so does the piskey, and as they experience loss and sorrow, the piskey drinks in this new sensation as well. Piskies witnessing births, deaths, and other rites of passage within their current group experience the purest Revelry.

## Unleashing

Just as piskies are constantly changing and blending in, their unleashing is always evolving and changing. When a piskey travels across California with a group of migrant workers, their unleashing may bring with it a blast of heat and the smell of earth and spices. Piskies traveling with a carnival may unleash with a burst of confetti, the scent of grease paint and fried dough, and the distant sound of a carousel. Should someone ever witness a piskey unleashing in her natural form, they will never be able to describe what they felt, or what it sounded or smelled like, but they’ll feel fresh and new afterwards.

## Birthrights

### Nimble

The slender, agile bodies of piskies were meant to twist and turn their way out of trouble. Unsurprising that this kith often finds itself in a traveling cirque or as part of some avant-garde group of street performers. Piskies add 1 dot to Dexterity, even if this brings that Trait above 5.

### Blending In

No matter where they go, piskies always look like they belong. Their skin color, hair and eye color, facial features, and clothing all appear to belong to the group with which they’re traveling. Any changeling or supernatural entity’s player can roll Perception + Kenning (difficulty 8) to see through the illusion.

## Frailty

### Light Fingers

Piskies aren’t exactly thieves, but somehow items of great value somehow always end up in their pockets. When a piskey sees something she desires, she can’t help but swipe it, often without consciously making the decision to do so. To resist this compulsion, the player must make a successful Willpower roll (difficulty 8). Piskies are not necessarily subtle in their pilfering, and may very well be seen stealing, though their Nimble Birthright makes discovery somewhat less likely.