From Changeling Venue

"I will gamble my own soul to help the souls of others. Let us have faith."

The life of a changeling is never easy. Whether navigating the Hedge on the return home, dealing with one’s fetch or plotting a course through the crushing rocks of a freehold’s cruel politics, one finds pitfalls at every turn. It doesn’t help that exposure to these elements only help to decrease a changeling’s confidence in his own perceptions. As Clarity drops, the fae’s ability to discern reality from unreality, the dream state from the waking or madness from sanity grows weak. A single changeling who lets this lunacy creep in at the edges means that others are letting it in, too. That can damage the sanctity of an entire freehold, and put everybody in danger.

Enter the Bishopric of Blackbirds. They believe themselves the salvation of the freehold, positioning members to be there when others need them. That is their first stated goal: to assist those poor Lost (which, to most Bishops, constitutes all of them) when necessary. This can manifest in many ways. The Blackbird Bishops, for instance, often wander the Hedge and look for those who have escaped from Arcadia or who are plainly lost. The Bishops offer their aid, helping those poor souls return to the world. Maybe a changeling has a problem with her fetch, and a Blackbird Bishop will help her come to terms with her “other.” (They won’t help her destroy the fetch, but they will attempt to either forge an understanding between the two, or will instead help her to forget that life and never again try to contact her Fae-made twin.) The Bishops offer guidance to those who are lost, above all. As a Changeling, it’s all too easy to lose one’s way, and the Bishopric accepts the role of savior.

Of course, salvation doesn’t come free. From the order’s earliest days under its supposed founder, the Bishop Lily Rose, the Blackbird Bishops are bound to require some kind of payment in return for aid. They do not provide aid without making it totally apparent that, by accepting a Bishop’s help, the needy changeling agrees to an unnamed favor that will come due at some point in the future. Now, the Bishops don’t normally use this power for selfish gain — no, instead they use it to help the freehold. A favor might be to tithe some Glamour to the local Court, or to help another changeling deal with his fetch or even befriend a lonely soul.

The favors demanded are generally done in service to the freehold, though sometimes the request can be quite intensive. For this reason, many changelings note that the blackbird is both a good and bad omen. In some stories, the blackbird is a sign of ill omen or sexual temptation. In others, though, blackbirds represent peace and love. For the Bishops, this is perhaps appropriate: earning a Bishop’s aid sometimes requires a favor whose work ends up far outweighing the reward.

Of course, the Bishopric knows that it walks the line between two omens, and it ultimately posits that both perspectives are true. Because here is the second stated goal of the Blackbird Bishops: to restore Clarity to the freehold. They preach long and loud about the dangers of lost perspective, about how the temptations of madness are alluring but damning. They struggle to help others find serenity and perspective, which often comes at the cost of their own Clarity. Delving into the Hedge time and again to search for lost fae is dangerous to mind, body and soul. Helping another changeling fight his inner demons and outer adversaries puts the Bishop at risk. They know this going in; it’s part of their oath to the order. If they lose their own Clarity — and life or limb — to help others gain them back, so be it.

They do what they must.

Members

• Adia
• Adrian Grey
• Alice Sparks
• Cordelia Marrow - pending
• Dr. Jonas Olmert
• Doc Sweeney
• Katie Owen
• Krystal
• Morgana Damphair
• Mr. Nigel Somn
• Sliver
• Thorn
• Viola
• Finly Cole
• Corvus Corax - Pending

Lost Members

• Raggedy Ann - Died killing her own Fetch, however she made sure no one else died.

Rumors

These are rumors that characters may hear about the Changelings of the Bishopric of Blackbirds:

• In some cities, the Courts disdain the Bishops and their intrusive, self-righteous natures. In places where this happens, the Bishopric works similar to the old “underground railroad,” helping changelings escape oppression. Some Bishops even help to foment rebellion.

• Some whisper that the Blackbird Bishops are only a bad omen, and have some ulterior motive. Further whispers suggest that the Bishops help fuel the activities of the sociopathic bridgeburners, thus truly “enforcing” Clarity’s law. Other rumors say that the Bishops live to help “reform” fetches, but everybody knows a fetch can’t be made normal or sane, right?

• Rumor is that no Bishop will accept the role of ruler in any given Court. Some say that their founder agreed to this long ago, and if any Bishop ascends to King or Queen, that freehold is certainly doomed.

• Raggedy Ann was the first to hold a court position as winter Princess in the San Diego freehold. She did so, only because their was no other winter court members, so no one else to take the crown.