Glamour

The fae are parasites. They can generate nothing on their own, but prey upon us, stealing parts of our very souls.

— Rinale Anders, 16th century Witch-Hunter, Founder of the Ordo Venatorum de Magicis Maliginis

Glamour is the term used by sidhe and other fae creatures to describe the creative and emotional energy they harvest from mortals. They are unable to generate glamour themselves, for while they do feel emotion, and feel it deeply, their emotions do not generate the energy that the sidhe refine into glamour. Some denizens of Faerie need glamour to survive, others to fuel their magic. Historically, mortals used the term glamour to describe the illusion magic of the sidhe, and the sidhe have come to refer to both the energy and illusions that are fueled by it as glamour.

Properties

Origin & Source

Glamour is created by exactly one species: homo sapiens. Specifically, the emotional and creative energies that human beings naturally generate. Though most Sidhe are far too proud to admit it, theiy are completely dependent on mortals for the energy to fuel all but the simpilest of their magics. That said, the greater majority of humans are unable to directly harvest or use the glamour they create effectively. Mortals do not have the ability to refine the energy into its physical manifestation

Harvesting

Fae creatures must be involved in someway in the situation that is generating the emotion in order to be able to collect the energy, although they do not have to be the cause of the emotion. They must absorb the emotional energy into themselves, and there are almost as many ways to do that as there are fae creatures.

Some Fae can only absorb energy by terrifying a mortal and eating their flesh, or drinking their blood while they are in the throes of terror or passion. Others must drink the tears of a mortal to gather glamour from their sorrow. Sidhe are unique in that they can harvest glamour simply being involved in the situation generating the emotion or creative energy, without direct physical contact with the mortal or the mortal's remains, and in that they are capable of refining glamour into its pure crystaline or liquid form.

Among the sidhe, the methods that may be used for harvesting the energy have been divided into four broad categories:

• Gathering:

  A sidhe gathers glamour by simply being present at an event that generates emotion. Attending a funeral, and simply sittting in the back, not talking to anyone, for example. Alternatively, going to a dance club, and joining the crowd on the dancing floor, would be an oportunity to collect glamour from the many varied emotions of the dancers. The energy is collected from the group, not a specific individual.

• Harvesting:

  A sidhe harvests glamour by actualy interacting with a mortal, and through words or actions causing or strengthening the emotion or creativity of the mortal.  Sidhe often use a tiny bit of previously gathered glamour to heighten the emotions or creativity of the mortal they are inspiring, much as one might prime a water pump with a little bit of water so that the pump will produce a great deal more.  This form of harvesting can involve a single mortal, or a group of mortals, and the sidhe who inspires the mortal(s) takes only the excess energy, leaving the mortal(s) unharmed.

• Ravishing:

  The act of ravishing is inherently damaging to the mortal or mortals involved. It is distiguished from harvesting by that fact, as it describes using a small amount of glamour to work a mortal or a group of mortals into an extremely intense emotional or creative state, then taking the energy produced from that state, leaving the mortal(s) completely drained and burnt out. It may take months, years, or even decades, for the mortal or mortals to come out of the apathetic and uncreative funk and be capable of feeling emotions at full strength again.

• Ravaging:

  Ravaging goes a step further then ravishing. A sidhe ravages a mortal by working them into an artifically intense emotional or creative state, until their entire being is focused on that emotion or their current creative work. The sidhe then takes all the energy generated, which usually results in the mortal's death, whether from the strain of generating that much energy, or from the apathictic state that follows. A mortal that has been ravaged can not recover their ability to feel strong emotion or create without the aid of magical healing.

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Type

Metaphysical

Odor

Glamour smells of the emotions that generated it. Sweaty terror, the subltle clean scent of the surprised awe of seeing a rainbow, the pine and cinamminon of the joy of christmas morning, etc.

Color

Glamorur is opalescent, the exact color depends on both the emotion that generated it, and the method of collection. If the mortal that generated it was killed, the glamour harvested is blood red.

Common State

In its natural form it is energy. In its refined form, it is most comonally a liquid, crystal, or a fine powder.