Agents of Fortune

From Changeling Venue

This is a proposed Custom Entitlement or IC Group. This is *NOT* a sanctioned Entitlement and may be altered or removed pending start of the Chronicle.
Note: I’ve never written a custom anything for any group, so if you have any advice, please write!

1 Overview
- 1.1 Theme
2 The Kindly Ones (Furies)
3 The Balance of the Bleeding Heart (The Graces)
4 The Oracles
5 Groups Interactions
6 Founding Members
7 Members
8 Contact Info

Overview

“Yeah, fortune favors the bold, but not for free and clear. My job’s to follow her around and make sure those bastards pay fortune her due.”

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Theme

Changeling's know better than most that nothing in life’s for free, everything has a price. The Agents of Fortune take this concept more seriously than most. Obsessed with the idea that every action has a reaction, this group dedicates itself to bringing a balance between good and bad fortune, collecting the price for every piece of good or paying the debt of each bit of bad. The Agents are divided into three main groups:

The Kindly Ones – The bearers of bad fortune

The Bleeding Hearts – The granters of good fortune

The Oracles – The agents of destiny

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The Kindly Ones (Furies)

Summary

The Kindly Ones do not right wrongs or fight great evils. They don’t care about the poor, the weak, or the suffering. They are not vigilantes, or hero’s, and, in most cases, are simply not good people. The Kindly Ones find those who have received undeserved good fortune and correct this imbalance through raining bad fortune upon them. They do not do this in the name of those who have been harmed by the individual or for the greater good, but simply because they think there is a balance that must be maintained.

History

All four of the core founders were originally furies. After spending years of servitude and torture in the Fae realm, the only way these four survived was through clinging to the idea of the trade: everything you do must be paid for. Upon returning to the mortal realm however, the sheer injustice and unbalance of fortune in the world tore at their very beings. Rather than change themselves, they swore to change the world around them by becoming the Agents of Fortune itself. They dedicate their lives and powers to searching out those with undeserved good fortune or who had profited from the suffering of another and exacting vengeance upon them. Furies do not limit themselves to bringing misfortune upon mortals; they will exact vengeance upon changelings just as easily.

Typically the Furies fall into one or three specialties, though it is not uncommon for Fury to do a combination of two or more:

Agents of Alecto (The Fury of punishing moral crimes): These Kindly Ones focus on punishing those who have profited from indulging in their vices. The primal sins of lust, desire, gluttony and sloth are the fuel that stokes the fire of the Agents of Alecto. Despite the "good" that might come from such justice, retribution is a more fitting description of what these Agents stand for.

Agents of Megaera (The Fury of punishing envy, greed and jealousy): These furies will create an imbalance in fortune only to restore it. Typically they work by presenting an opportunity to profit from another’s suffering to a victim, only to later bring heavy retribution upon the one who falls for the trap. Envy, greed, jealousy and petty lies all tempt the wrath of these Agents.

Agents of Tisiphone (The Fury of punishing murder and wrath): These Kindly Ones punish the worst kind of imbalance: gaining good fortune through the destruction of another being. These can be the most dangerous type of Fury. Perhaps only the most cold and cruel of Lost become such Agents.

Titles

Fist Agent of Misfortune (Alecto, Tisiphone, Megaera, etc.)

Agent of Misfortune (Alecto, Tisiphone, Megaera, etc.)

Kindly One of the Agents of Fortune

Methods

Overview: The Kindly Ones vary from member to member on their definition of what deserves their attention. Many Furies start by focusing on one aspect of the three, expanding to cover more areas as they improve at exacting vengeance. This can be a slippery slope for many changelings, and many have spiraled into the clutches of insanity and horrifyingly low clarity as they cover more ground as an Agent. Many of the Kindly Ones however, including most of the founders, have found a away around excessive loss of clarity through the use of poetic rather than literal justice. Rather than outright killing the man who slaughtered his wife in order to inherit her fortune and marry his mistress, a more cleaver Agent will simply destroy all that he has gained, leaving him worse off than before. Perhaps they will seduce the mistress and convince her to run away with all his money; or a new piece of evidence will mysteriously appear on a police officers desk that solidly links the murderer to his crime, leading to his incarceration. While direct methods are still more than acceptable among the furies, fortune smiles upon those who use their wits in her name.

The Fury Agents of Tisiphone: It is said that First Agent of Tisiphone believed that every bit of good fortune deserved a bit of bad in return. She would bring misfortune upon anyone from serial killers to the teenager who found a winning lottery ticket on the side of the road, each bit of bad equal to the amount of good the victim had received. Others believe that only truly vicious acts deserve retribution, or that some bits of good fortune maybe overlooked in the scheme of things. Those who have reached the level of the First Agent of Tisiphone are especially known for their sever derangement and waning clarity. When the motto is an eye for an eye, answering death with death is the easiest although perhaps not the most mentally damaging method.

The Fury Agents of Alecto: The Fury Agents of Alecto govern moral lapses and vices, particularly those in way of Gluttony and Sloth. And although society often considers these lapses to be the lesser of evils, such is not the case for an Agent of Alecto. For instance, a drug user or gambler who spends all their money for their own person pleasure may find that their drugs or “stake money” has disappeared and either found itself in the hands of the police or in the red kettle of a Salvation Army volunteer. Similarly, the pedophile who secretly watches children from afar may find when he comes home, that his eye glasses, binoculars, computer and video equipment are all missing. On the second offense he may wake up one morning to find the police knocking on the door with the incriminating evidence to send him to jail for decades.

The Fury Agents of Megaera:

Joining

You usually don’t find the Kindly Ones, the Kindly Ones find you. Being an Agent of Fortune is not something most Furies believe can be learned, it is something that is a part of you, an aspect of one's soul. Should a Fury notice one in her area with a particular skill at vengeance or the desire to rally against the injustice of the world, they will begin the recruitment process. This may involve twisting the potential member's belief system until it coincides with the Fury’s own, or simply giving a direction to the Changeling's already present anger. The true initiation involves having ones own fortune balanced. This is never a pleasant experience for the new initiate. That said those who survive the change are perhaps more complete than they will ever be at any time in their existence (or so it would seem).

Backgrounds

Furies come from all Kiths, Seemings and Courts, though Summer, Autumn and Winter are the most common. They could have done any kind of service within the Fea realm, all which truly unties them is their drive to enforce the system of promises and payments upon the mortal world now that they have returned. Cold retribution. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Organization

Of the three separate factions that make up the Agents of Fortune, only the Kindly Ones are believed to have developed a Noble Order or Entitlements. In fact, the original three First Fury Agents of Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone were believed to be the architects of what was to become the Agents of Fortune. That said most Agents believe that it is the outspokenness of the Kindly Ones that lends to this theory. In any case, the Furies are often times the most public face of the Agents of Fortune. In regards structure and hierarchy, there is only one First Fury Agent per sect (Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone) with the remaining Furies serving as separate operatives. Once properly trained and/or Entitled a Fury is expected to travel to a city with no currents Agents and put their teachings into practice; no further guidance or instruction is necessary. In large cities where one or more Furies may be present, they are most commonly from each of the different sects. Should the First Fury Agents of Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone meet in a single locale, one could only imagine the dire reasons for such a gathering.

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The Balance of the Bleeding Heart (The Graces)

Summary

The Graces see the balance of misfortune and good fortune in the world, but rather than punish the undeserving they seek to reward to deserving. They are not great heros who vanquish evil or courageous police officers who dedicate their lives to arresting criminals. The Agents of the Bleeding Heart strive to bring balance by giving an equal amount of good fortune upon souls who have received an unjust amount of bad.

History

The founder of the Graces was originally one of the four Kindly Ones who never really found a place within their quest. While acting as an Agent of Megera the first Grace noticed how many people did not choose to fall for the bait laid for them, not allowing another misfortune to bring them profit. Seeing this she followed on such good soul for a few days, observing how despite their poverty and harshness of the world they maintained an unjustified hope of future good fortune. The founder decided that her sisters were wrong in thinking that the only way to serve fortune was to act as a fury, declaring that she would balance fortune by brining good luck and success to those who had to long suffered at the hands of unjust misfortune. The founding furies mocked her, claiming that she was abandoning her true purpose to serve all the weak and undeserving bleeding hearts of the world. It is unknown whether the founder named her group after this comment in defiance, or if the kind hearted but somewhat slow witted Grace never figured out she was being ridiculed, but the name The Balance of the Bleeding Heart continues to be used as the official title for the group of Graces and their mission.

Titles

First Grace of Good Fortune

Grace of Good Fortune

Grace of the Balance of the Bleeding Hearts

Methods

The Graces operate in a variety of different ways, but all with the same goal: reward the deserving who have suffered unjustly. Rarely are open ended charities employed, as you can never tell which among the wanted deserves the good fortune, and the last thing a Grace would want is to attract the attention of a fury upon someone she was attempting to help. Generally a Grace will work at an individual level, seeking out those that are worthy and turning fortune in their favor, if only for a little while. Like the furies however, they only pay each his due: the amount of good fortune granted is equal to the amount of bad fortune unjustly suffered.

Joining

The Graces are very open about recruitment, allowing most anyone to join who promises to uphold the duties of a Bleeding Heart and pay each his due. A genuine interest in the cause and then only few weeks or even only a few days of lessons generally suffices for a Grace to recruit a new member.

Backgrounds

All kiths and courts are welcome, though Spring is by far and away the most dominate court within this group.

Organization

Graces tend to work in groups. While individual members are known for going out in the world to spread the word and found new clusters, most members will remain in the city in which they were trained to assist Graces already established in their work. There is no strict hierarchy within the group, but the member who most embodies the spirit of the Graces tends to lead and and spend more time helping other Graces determine if one is worthy of good fortune than actually maintain the balance herself.

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The Oracles

To be an Agent of fortune is to be a servant of destiny, for you cannot have one without another. While not serving as agents themselves, the Oracles are known to both the Kindly Ones and Bleeding Hearts as the true leaders of the Agents of Fortune.

History

Founded by the fifth member to escape the hedge with the Furies and the Grace, the Oracles are just that: changelings with ability to see the future and feel the strings of destiny. Though never confirmed, it is rumored by the other four that their escape was only made possibly through a prophetic vision of the first Oracle which she shared with them. Due to this extreme measure of good fortune granted to the four, they swore that they would head and obey the words of the Oracle from then on. It is said that at least one of the founding Furies have made several life altering decisions since based solely on the words of the first Oracle. The first Agent of Tisiphone has attributed her recent departure from the Summer to the Autumn court and the restoration of her clarity to a card reading given by her favored Oracle. Though no later members of the Furies or the Graces have taken such an extreme oath to the Oracles of the group, it is clear to all that those who can see the strands of destiny are to be listened to closely. Destiny and Fortune are too closely intertwined for it to be any other way.

Titles

First Oracle of Destiny

Oracle of Destiny

Oracle for the Agents of Fortune

Methods

The Oracles themselves rarely, if ever, go into the world seeking fortunes to balance. Rather they are the advisors of the two other groups, helping them seek out those worthy of their attention and divining weather a potential recruit is worth of joining. No one may join either the Furies or the Graces without first having their destiny read by an Oracle of good standing. Many members of the other groups will come to the Oracles for other reasons as well, seeking advice in any area of life imaginable. Like everything within the Agents however, nothing is free. Different Oracles request different payments, however the most common, and the one demanded by the first of the four, was obedience to the vision. No matter what, the Fury or Grace seeking the oracles advice must pay for that advice by following it to the letter.

Joining

Given the vast amount of power the Oracles hold over both the Kindly Ones and the Bleeding Hearts, it comes as little surprise that membership is not lightly given. Weeks or even months of tests and interrogations are given before a potential Oracle is even allowed to enter the training phase. Even then there is a strong chance the fledgling Agent will be denied. There are few Oracles within the Agents of Fortune, but those present wield a far greater power than any fortune teller on their own.

Backgrounds

All kiths and courts can become Oracles, it is only the real ability to predict the future or see the past that unites them.

Organization

No one outside the Oracles really knows how they are organized. Some swear up and down that they act the same as furies, with a single Oracle acting on their own and performing their duty for any who ask. Others insist that there is a very rigid hierarchy behind the curtains, with the founder sitting at the top predicting which oracles should go to serve what city.

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Groups Interactions

Of the three separate factions within the Agents of Fortune, only the Kindly Ones are rumored to have formed a Noble Order or Entitlement. Most reason that this is primarily due to the fact that the Kindly Ones tend to be more driven (or perhaps arrogant) regarding their role in the designs of Fate. Nonetheless the three factions do interact with each although it is said that it is generally a bad idea for them to exist in the same place at the same time. Each faction has their defined roles, the Furies punish criminals, the Graces bring about prosperity and good fortune, while the Oracles interpret and divine the consequences of both. Should conflict arise between the Furies and the Graces much turmoil and confusion erupts in the locale in which this occurs. Often times the Oracles serve as arbiters during theses occasions of conflict. That said, it is not unheard of for such wild swings of fate to occur such as the bizarre tale of the accountant who is fired and driven into bankruptcy for embezzling funds from his company, only to receive word that his great uncle has left him millions. In turn the entire sum is then spent not for personal gain, but to help pay for his daughter’s heart transplant, only to have the doctor use a medicine the girl was allergic to which in turn worsen her condition, only to have the girl suddenly bumped up to the top of the donors list, and so on and so on. Truth be told there is very little that a Fury or Grace won’t do to one up the other if they believe that the shift in fortune was uncalled for or too extravagant. Again this usually ends in the consultation of an Oracle, who then determines which group should leave the city or how the city should be properly divided. The Oracles themselves have a far simpler role. They may travel and stay where they please. In fact an Oracle need not even live in a city where a Fury or a Grace resides, they simply need to make themselves known to Agents in the surrounding area so they may be of service if needed. All in all, the Agents of Fortune work cohesively with perhaps just small measure of competition.

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