By Matthew McFarland (mmcfarl@uofto2.utoledo.edu) (11 October 1995)
(I must confess, the basic idea for stormbairns came from a GURPS sourcebook called Creatures of the night, but I thought they'd work well as changelings).
Stormbairns are perhaps the most tragic of the fae. They begin life as abused, neglected or otherwise traumatized youths. Their special power, the Dance, manifests while they are still human, but they gain no control of it until their Chrysalis.
All Stormbairns love music and dancing. In fact, they are often unable to resist it's lure, dropping everything and dancing whenever they hear music.
When they dance, a storm begins. It's severity depends on the number of stormbairns dancing, the volume of the music, and the degree of trauma that the stormbairns have endured. With enough combined energy and angst, a truly powerful and damaging storm could be summoned.
Stormbairns are friendly, but choosy about whom they truly trust. Their loyalties, while almost imossible to acquire, are unshakable. If a stormbairn's trust is betrayed, she will never forgive or forget.
Appearance: Stormbairns have pale, almost white hair. Their eyes range from pale blue to yellow to white, and have no pupils or iris. Their skin is very pale and they look ethereal overall.
Childling: They nearly always have more chimerical friends than real ones and are moody and capricious. They often sing softly to themselves.
Wilder: While they have recovered somewhat more from their past than have the childlings, they are victims of memories and sometimes weep or brood. They tend to have wild mood swings and are very affected by the weather.
Grumps: Grumps have put their nightmarish past behind them, for the most part. They have become detached, however, and their own memories may cause them to downplay other's trauma.
Lifestyles: Nearly all stormbairns end up in shelters, foster homes, or as runaways. Some bear their abuse quietly.
Affinity: Nature
Wind's Motion: Stormbairns move fluidly, and gain an additional dot of Dexterity, even if this takes them over 5. They cannot botch Athletics or Dodge rolls.
Storm's Protection: No one may approach a stormbairn while she dances. Anyone who takes a step toward a stormbairn while she is in the Dance will seem to be miles away. This effect can be countered by stopping the music.
Trance: At night, if a stormbairn hears music, she must make a Willpower roll(diff. 8) or begin to dance and enter the Trance. The Storm's Protection birthright comes into effect, and a storm will begin. This effect will last until the music stops. The storm will continually grow in intensity until the Dance ends.