Changelings

"What color are your eyes, again? I could've sworn they were… different yesterday."

The Changelings are elusive shapeshifters of uncertain origin, widely believed to be the subtle harbingers of an impending Fae invasion, though no evidence has ever definitively proven such claims. In their natural state, Changelings appear as slender, androgynous figures with swept-back ears, pearlescent hair, and shimmering skin the color of polished silver. Their eyes are pupil-less and glow faintly in the same hue as their flesh, giving the impression of a creature molded from thick mercury. Their skin ripples subtly, never quite still, and feels oddly liquid to the touch, though it never sheds or leaks. Most have never seen a Changeling’s true form, as few are willing, or able, to remain in it for long. Shapeshifting is both a necessity and a curse. Changelings must shift form regularly to avoid a condition known as “The Stillness,” a painful affliction that sets into their bodies like frost into bone. Yet if they remain in any one form for too long, they begin to forget their original shape. The dissonance creates what they call “the Twist,” a chronic physical and mental agony akin to having one’s limbs pulled in two directions, no longer what they were, and not quite what they appear to be. Many who fall too deep into the Twist succumb to madness or suicide. They are reviled, pitied, envied, and feared. And they are everywhere.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

• Shira.
• Vennari.
• Myx.
• Dalinne.
• Seraphal.

Masculine names

• Jorrin.
• Velk.
• Saebryn.
• Thalen.
• Mirkos.

Unisex names

• Ashra.
• Teym.
• Vexil.
• Corro.
• Yenn.

Family names

Family Names (Chosen, earned, or given based on contracts, regions, or reputations, true bloodlines are often unknown or irrelevant):

• Mirrorborn.
• Writhelimb.
• Skinwright.
• Child of No Name.
• Masque.
• Pale-Threaded.

Other names

Mimics (common slur), The Blank (neutral), The Taken (honorific in some Fae circles), Skinshifters (neutral, descriptive), Falsekin (derogatory term used by Humans). Whisperfolk (old poetic term from Gnomish and Smallfolk.)

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Changelings speak in whatever tongue they must. Many are fluent in multiple dialects, switching accents and regional cadences with supernatural ease. Their natural language, if one exists, is long lost or purposefully hidden. Common idioms:

• “Truth is a costume.”
• “The skin you wear wears back.”
• “Silver remembers.”

Culture and cultural heritage

Though rarely gathered in large numbers, some believe Changelings originate from deep within the Otherworld, bred or exiled by the Fae to act as infiltrators, spies, or agents of mischief. Whether born or made, Changelings express identity through performance. Some form troupes, nomadic families of ever-changing roles and faces, while others live in isolation, constantly shifting to avoid suspicion. They do not build cities or leave monuments, but traces of their influence can be found in ancient contracts, changeling riddles carved into cave walls, and the eerie stillness of forgotten cribs.

Shared customary codes and values

• Never reveal your true form without cause.
• Identity is sacred, choose it wisely, wear it well.
• Pain is the price of forgetting.
• Betrayal is survival, never mistake it for cruelty.

Average technological level

Changelings use the tools of those they impersonate. Some have mastered alchemy to help soothe their transitions, while others rely on illusion, deception, and raw magick.

Common Etiquette rules

• Changing shape mid-conversation is considered rude, unless showing trust.
• It is customary to leave a token when departing a place where one pretended to belong.
• Calling a Changeling by the wrong name, intentionally, is considered a grave insult.
• Asking a Changeling what they “truly look like” is dangerous and taboo.

Common Dress code

Whatever suits the role. Changelings favor adaptable, layered clothing, often reversible or multi-functional. In private, some wear silver-threaded shawls or plain robes that shimmer in moonlight.

Art & Architecture

Changelings are expressionists above all. Their art is temporary, often erased once admired. Faces drawn in frost, sand-sculptures on the wind, masks carved from bone and bark. They leave little permanence. Some say it is shame. Others say it is strategy.

Foods & Cuisine

They eat what those around them eat, though many claim Changelings need little food to survive. Others whisper of meals made from dreams, memories, or names. No proof has surfaced. Yet.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

• The Molt: A private ritual of shedding one’s longest-held form, often done in solitude, involving mirrors and silent music.
• The Skinwake: A remembrance for Changelings who died in a form not their own. Attendees wear the departed’s last face for a day.
• The Falsebirth: When a Changeling fully adopts a new identity, forsaking their prior name and face permanently. Rare, painful, and considered a final step.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Changelings are not “born” in the traditional sense, at least, not visibly. Some say they are fae constructs given life. Others claim they are born to mortal parents and swapped before their first cry. No one knows. Or if they do, they aren’t saying.

Coming of Age Rites

A Changeling reaches maturity when they choose their first permanent disguise. This form is kept for at least one year, often marking a period of isolation and reflection.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Changelings are buried as blank slates, their form washed away with silver salt and oil. No name is carved. No face is drawn. Their loss is remembered only in private by those who knew the truth, if any ever did.

Common Taboos

• Remaining too long in one form without cause.
• Revealing another Changeling against their will.
• Impersonating a known god or divine figure.
• Forgetting your original form entirely.

Common Myths and Legends

• The Hollow Court: A rumored Changeling cabal that replaces rulers, slowly shifting entire kingdoms into Otherworld puppets.
• The Silvered Mirror: A relic said to reflect only the true form of any being, broken in three pieces, hidden by the Scholar’s Guild.
• The Switched Cradle: A tale of a noble heir replaced at birth, now ruling a city in secret with a dozen changeling advisors.
• The Lost Chorus: A band of Changelings who impersonated an entire town’s dead, singing the memories back to life until they, too, faded.

Historical figures

• Mion of Many Names: Claimed to have impersonated five kings in one lifetime.
• Ashra Softstep: A peace-broker who changed forms every night to speak to all sides of a war.
• Vexil the Vanished: A poet who wrote verses from dozens of lives, found dead in their original form with no one left to mourn them.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Perfection is the mask that hides the truth. A well-crafted face is revered. Fluid motion, elegance in form, and subtlety of change are considered paradigm.

Gender Ideals

Gender is adopted, cast off, and remade as needed. Fluidity is natural, encouraged, and often ritualized. Some Changelings invent new genders entirely.

Courtship Ideals

Courtship is a dance of identity, two masks learning each other’s rhythm. To be seen in one's true form by a lover is considered an act of ultimate vulnerability.

Relationship Ideals

Love among Changelings is rare and deep, founded on acceptance of change. Some couples change form in sync, others remain opposites for life. Consistency is optional. Respect is not.

Interesting Facts & Folklore:

• Changelings claim to feel pain like phantom limbs when near someone impersonating them.
• Some leave behind “face tokens”, small clay masks buried in secret, so they never forget who they were.
• Scholar’s Guild vaults forbid mirrors larger than one’s hand in certain study halls, fearing infiltration.
• Superstitious mothers tie iron rings around their newborns’ cribs to ward off replacements.
• In some places, to dream of your child changing faces is considered a death omen.

Idioms and Metaphors:

• “Don’t trust the mirror’s second glance.” - A warning of deception.
• “His skin runs silver” - Said of someone untrustworthy or two-faced.
• “To wear the Twist” - Someone clearly suffering under a false identity.
• “Change, or be cracked” - Used as encouragement to adapt, or face ruin.
• “A mask forgotten becomes a face” - A warning not to play a role too long.
• “The salt sees” - Refers to rituals that reveal true forms.