Fetches and Magic

Fetches are something unknown to and unsuspected by the vast majority of people; there is no precedent for their existence in all the records of society, save perhaps in mythologies so ancient they are essentially forgotten. A fetch is a person's spiritual double, the archetype of their personality, the missing second half of their soul. A fetch and their avatar are not different entities, but aspects of the same being, shaped by different life experiences. Still, to host an awakened fetch is to have a second, disincarnate voice housed in one's head, along with fractured and fragmented memories of another life — a burden which some might consider insanity, including avatars themselves. But it's an insanity which confers magic upon the afflicted… abilities which might be worth the price.

The Fetch

A fetch is something of a psychic symbiont — they exist only in the mind of their avatar, with no ability to control their host body. They can in fact be considered ghosts, for every fetch once died on a world other than Earth. Most fetches believe they awaken as harbingers of the world's death, and as midwives of the new world which will rise phoenix-like from the bones of the old — protecting that world-to-be from the outer darkness and tarnished moroi in particular. Just because true fetches contest the darkness, however, doesn't mean they're all natural allies; if there was ever unity among fetches, it shattered so long ago not one of them remembers it.

What induces a fetch to awaken, not even they know — nor where they originated from, or if their believed purpose is in truth the reason for their existence. Some have dim recollections of lives older still, memories of other dead worlds which are even more frayed and faded, but provide some small evidence for belief. This endless cycle of apocalypse and rebirth, the absence of a clear raison d'etre, has caused some to turn to darkness out of doubt and despair; these fallen become moroi.

A fetch's memory is severely fragmented. Every fetch remembers their death in the previous world, a world now swathed in ice; they remember the emotionally-charged shards of pivotal moments; they remember relationships, loves and enmities, friendships and discord, though not always why they cherish or despise a particular other soul. Fetches themselves do not have family, being spirits, but they can carry alliances and enmities across multiple incarnations. However, one fetch cannot inherently detect another fetch, even when both are awake; fayth may be exceptions to this rule, depending on the flavor of their insight. It is sometimes possible for non-fayth to deduce the avatars of souls they know well, because the personality of the avatar reflects that of their fetch archetype.

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The image an avatar sees in the mirror is not always their own.1

The Avatar

Avatars may be human or changeling.

This is a placeholder for more about the avatar and being a host.

Awakening

A fetch may rouse at any point in their host's life, most typically sometime after physical maturity. Usually, this process begins with unusually vivid dreams, featuring places and people the avatar has never seen but on some deep subliminal level recognizes nonetheless. This phase may last a few nights or many months, but concludes with the dream of a window — or perhaps a mirror that seems more like a window. On the other side of the mirror is a cold and frozen world, and a reflection that isn't their own, a reflection that sees the dreamer in return. This other may speak, or may simply hold out a hand — and the dream will recur, time and time again, until the offered hand is taken. The moment of acceptance is generally termed awakening.

After this moment, the fetch becomes an aware (although usually silent) presence in their host's waking mind, now able to perceive their environment and actions. Some fetches offer unasked-for comments, opinions, or advice almost immediately, which doesn't typically endear them to their hosts; others keep quiet during waking times, unless they have absolutely vital input, and choose instead to develop an understanding through the gentler medium of dreams. The host is generally more open-minded while dreaming, and in most (though not all) cases this leads to more rapid acceptance of the fetch's existence and role.

The fetch must acquaint their avatar with 1) the fetch's existence, 2) their former life or lives, so much as the fetch recalls, and 3) the fetch's capabilities before they can really be an effective unit. The avatar cannot make use of the fetch's magic until at least acceptance of their alterego's existence has been reached.

Magic

To be a fetch, to host a fetch, is to command magic — though on the living world, that magic is attenuated, weakened by the need to focus it through a living host. On the bright side, for the host to learn magic is akin to taking up an old, long-disused skill; the learning curve is short, and the limits of one's abilities are soon innately grasped. Fetch magic spans a wide range of powers — from elemental manipulation to perception and premonition, preternatural skill at arms to shapeshifting and a rapport with beasts; those powers are classified into groups, described below.

A fetch and their avatar may have one or two secondary abilities, less powerful than their primary magic, which are related to their source mythology. For example, Artemis is a gifted tracker as well as a valraven archer.

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Note: While fetch identities and abilities are inspired by myth and legend, they are not "gods" as the real world uses the term, nor even all that strong in absolute terms. Concepts found to be excessively powerful will be sent back to the drawing board.

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Any reflective surface can be a portal to the dead world, provided it's large enough to view a clear and meaningful image in.2

Mirror-Walking

This is a placeholder for the particulars of mirror-walking.

Fetch Classes

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A djinn controls an element — such things as water or fire, lightning or stone.3

Djinn

Etymology: djinni, Arabic spirits or demons which include ifrits (fire) and marids (water), and may live in or have control over the air.

Djinn are fetches with power over an element; they can shape and direct that material with nothing more than focus and will. Elements cannot be created from nothing, but most are pervasive to begin with (e.g. earth, air), and the djinn needs only draw upon that base; other insubstantial elements, such as fire and lightning, can be "created" if the environment is permissive. Possible elements include classical (earth, water, fire, air) and non-classical (dead wood, metal, ice, lightning) substances — ultimately, anything supported by the fetch's mythology. However, regardless of mythology, each djinn commands only one element. A djinn's elemental alignment frequently defines characteristics, strengths, and flaws of both fetch and avatar alike. These are not necessarily as simple as elemental opposition, but include character traits, phobias and passions, tolerances and immunities.

Examples of djinn-class fetch might include: Thor, Poseidon, Shu, and Gibil.

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Some fayth use tools, such as these runestones, to focus their insight.4

Fayth

Etymology: fáith, Irish 'prophet' or 'seer', from the Latin equivalent vates. Also English faith, complete trust or confidence in something.

Fayth have powers relating to insight, perception, and influence. Examples of fayth magic include: prescience, control of sleep and dreams, powers of concealment and obfuscation, the ability to detect or compel truth, and so on. These abilities tend not to be directly combative in nature — particularly against shadows and the outer darkness — but can be effective in finding shadows which leak through, and also in contesting with moroi.

Fayth are generally thought to have better memories than other classes, to know as much as anyone does about the purpose for fetch existence… though whether this belief is true remains unknown. In particular, those with powers of insight and knowledge are considered guides for the rest of the fetch; they are held to be wise and more informed, for better or worse. Most other fetch treat fayth with concomitant respect, and when a fayth speaks with the authority of their power, others are generally inclined to listen — depending on the reputation of the fayth in question, of course.

Examples of fayth-class fetch might include: Hermes, Tiresias, Themis, and Ma'at.

Nagual

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Nagual might be the gods of animals, or the totems of men.5

Etymology: nagual or nahual, a Mesoamerican witch with the ability to shapeshift into an animal.

Nagual are the only class of fetch which are not human in appearance; they are dire creatures, as much as twice the size of their natural analogs. Their magic is in what they are — strong, fast, and tough; able to speak despite their inhuman physiology; gifted with keen senses and an eerie rapport with their natural cousins. Nagual can summon and direct animals related to their own species; a wolf nagual, for example, has authority over wild wolves, and other canids to a lesser extent. A nagual's avatar on the living world is able to shapeshift from human to animal form, where the animal is a non-dire version of the nagual's species. Like the nagual, they can summon wild animals of the same sort, command them, and possess them, using the animal's senses to scout and observe.

Examples of nagual-class fetch might include: Fenrir, Jormungandr, Bastet, and Babi.

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Note: Nagual are not conventional werewolves/shapeshifters: they do not have enhanced healing or half-beast forms, are no more bothered by silver than the next person, and are not affected by the phase of the moon.

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The strength of a valraven is their personal weapon — but their dependence upon one is also a flaw.6

Valraven

Etymology: valravn, Danish 'raven of the slain', sometimes also claimed as the name of Freyja's winged black horse.

A valraven is unique among fetch in that the majority of their magic is bound into an item, their personal weapon. This weapon never dulls and cannot be broken by mundane means; it may have some other uncanny attributes as well, subject to staff approval. A valraven wields their weapon like the extension of their self that it is; they do not need to learn its use, though training helps a valraven keep its skills at peak, and knowledge of special tricks does not come with the weapon.

The greatest weakness of valraven is that their weapon can be stolen. Without that weapon, a valraven and their avatar retain secondary skills, but are distinctly lessened overall. Furthermore, the weapon doesn't just appear — all new-awakened valraven must cross over to the old world to retrieve their weapon from the site of their last death. As the dead world is infested by shadows, this is a hazardous undertaking: many valraven die before completing their quests.

Examples of valraven-class fetch might include: Tyr, Heracles, Satet, and Sobek.

Moroi

Further reading: moroi

Etymology: moroi, Romanian vampires or ghosts which draw energy from living beings.

Moroi are fetches who have surrendered to the eternal darkness, that eater of worlds, instead of continuing to fight against it. They have become fallen and tarnished, losing many of their former powers — but gaining others in return, and the added boon of freedom from responsibility. Fetches become moroi out of anger, disillusionment, selfishness, arrogance, despair — virtually always a negative cause. They usually scorn the righteous and pure-of-heart who cleave to a purpose that surely is no more than wishful thinking. No moroi has ever been redeemed, and it is generally believed that they cannot be; to other fetches, and sometimes to moroi themselves, they are simply and purely evil.

Character Creation

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Note: Moroi are a restricted character type. All moroi concepts must be approved by staff prior to creation. Characters of other fetch classes may be created as normal.

Fetch identities must be drawn from myth, legend and lore; they may originate in gods, heroes, or personified concepts (within reason). Players are encouraged to draw from Norse, Greek, Egyptian, and Sumerian mythologies in particular, though others may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. Regardless of the source mythology, all fetches must fit in one of the classes described above; in many cases, this will require adapting the source material. If you absolutely cannot fit your desired fetch entity into an existing class, you may talk to staff about adding another, though be aware it is unlikely to happen.

As mentioned above, fetches do not have blood kin, regardless of what the source mythology (e.g. Greek) states. However, players are strongly encouraged to establish preexisting relationships with other fetches, which may (or may not) be based upon mythological connections. Due to the fragmented nature of fetch memories, it is not required to have all the particulars of past relationships worked out in advance.

This is a placeholder for instructions on the application process.

Extant Fetches


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