By Brandon Quina (lore@tmgbbs.com)
When first entering the world, the sidhe is slowly melted away by Banality, and has to choose a host quickly or he will be claimed by the force that will plague her for the rest of her existence. For all intents and purposes, the sidhe is a chimera at this stage, and thus goes mostly unnoticed by the mortal world. Depending on the sidhe in question, she can survive for a few days to afew weeks in this stage before completly fading away. Most sidhe, however, are simply unwilling to stay in this ignoble condition for long.
Once the sidhe finds a suitable host, she will enter into the body. This is easiest with children, but the first newly-arrived Sidhe wanted to be able to benefit fully from their intelligence and thus 'borrowed' the bodys of adults. The mortal soul is displaced, usually kicked out of the body and taken 'elsewhere'. Most sidhe guess that the soul goes to Arcadia, where it will be pampered and cared for until it can return to its body. The truth, however, is unknown.
At this point, the Mists take full effect. Even in her chimerical stage the sidhe could not remember much of his Arcadian existence. Now, however, all vestiges are wiped from her mind. Some Sidhe (those with the Rememberance background) will remember more than others.
The sidhe does not go through a period of normality, as most commoner changelings do. Instead, she is thrust headlong into an unfamiliar and very banal world. It takes the sidhe quite along time to readjust herself without help. Thankfully, the act of taking a body sends off signs almost exactly like the Chrysalis of a commoner. Thus, help is sure to come if any is available.
The sidhe is very vulnerable to Banality at this stage, and most will be Undone quickly if not taken to a freehold quickly. Some manage to adjust quicker than others, and can actually get used to the Banality. At least, as much as a Sidhe can ever get used to Banality. The Mists have taken most of his mind, and he can only barely remember his name. Once taken to a freehold, the changelings there put the newly arrived noble through mostly the same rituals that the commoners face. They find his true name, and his house.
The newborn sidhe undergoes a 'crash course' in history, the modern world, and other important things. Over the course of his Fosterage he is slowly exposed to Banality and allowed to build up a resistance to it. Eventually, the Sidhe becomes as used to Banality as he can be, which is far far more vulnerable to it than the commoners are. At this point, the Fosterage is over and the Sidhe can fully join Kithain society.
Childlings don't have to be exposed to as much Banality as older seemings, and retain much of their Glamour. They are very carefree, yet being sidhe, are also very often spoiled and stubborn. Their fosterages are often short, as it doesn't take them long to become as inured to Banality as they can be.
Wilders are generally the seemings of choice for sidhe. They still retain a good bit of their Glamour, don't have to be exposed to much Banality and still retain use of most of their facilities. Their fosterages are often longer than those of childlings, allowing them to learn more of both the mortal world, and the world of the Kithain: which has changed much since they were last here.
Grumps were chosen by a few sidhe, mostly those thrust in dangerous positions that didn't have a choice. They are quickly bathed in Banality before they are rescued by other changelings, and their fosterages are often the shortest of all: those who survive the bath in Banality, generally are stronger for it. Their fosterages generally consist of training in the mortal world and the world of the fae, and then they're release into Fae society. Sink or swim.
This happens more often than the sidhe like to think. Despite how much they struggle against 'fading' away, the pure fact that they refuse to infuse themselves in mortal bloodlines like the commoners and the Scathach makes that fate almost inevitable.
Those sidhe that don't fade away to Banality will usually die in one way or another: hit by a car, shot by any number of people, or killed in a sword duel. If the sidhe escapes this unnatural death, he still has to contend with the ever looming threat of a natural death.
The 'fact' that sidhe do not reincarnate forces them to face the cold banal fact that they will eventually fade away from earth -- perhaps never to return. This consumes many sidhe, who stay locked safely in their freeholds. These sidhe are too afraid that if they leave these safe havens they'll meet one doom or another.
Other sidhe vainly seek some way back to Arcadia, not willing to face their exile and seeking some way to return home.
Basically, it's best to assume that the sidhe will occasionally dip into the first stage of Bedlam. They will rarely slip into the second stage. Anything that makes a Sidhe slip into the third (and final) stage should be extreme indeed.
Some sidhe have suggested that these are reincarnated exiles, returning to earth. These sidhe are generally believed to be grasping at straws; unable to accept their eventual fate, they pick an excuse that they find acceptable that brings them hope. However, deep down inside most of the sidhe who spout that idea don't believe it.
Others say that these are Sidhe who, for one reason or another, stayed in Arcadia longer than the others. Maybe they were hiding from those who exiled the sidhe, or perhaps the exilers took longer before passing sentence on them.
The current most popular belief is that these are new-born fae of the exiled houses. This hasn't yet been proven, as no-one can really remember what exactly happened in Arcadia that caused them to be exiled.