Bestiary

A powerful spirit more enigmatic than most, the Lady Aelida most often appears as whomever you trust most. Expect to see your grandmother? She’s there. Your best friend? That’s Aelida. The sweetheart you haven’t seen since college? She’s hanging out in the most expected places, going by the name Aelida. In every guise, however, the Lady of Feathers wears at least one feather somewhere on her person — a small feather in a hat, a pattern of feathers on a blouse, or even a necklace in the form of a feather. If she’s in the mood to do so, Aelidia can also appear the same way to all observers.

These feathers contain Tass (typically five points per feather), and she sometimes gives them to mages who aid her; providing that aid, however, can be difficult. Aelida prefers to speak in riddles, and rarely says anything directly. She’s a staunch opponent of the Technocracy, though… and, more generally, of any group that seeks to bind the world to a single unified reality. In her many-changing splendor, the Lady of Feathers is a spirit of Dynamism who values change and unfettered freedom above all else.

According to Hermetic lore, Aelida was once one of their own — Yoassmy of Britain, murdered by Craftmasons in the late Middle Ages. Ascending into heaven as a huge bird, she took her place among the Umbral Lords and Ladies. Although other mages dispute this claim, the Lady of Feathers holds an implacable hatred for the Technocrats and their creations. And although she displays a melancholy humour, her recent manifestations reveal a prankish side as well. She gives out clues in the form of complex riddles and seemingly

Willpower 5, Rage 5, Gnosis 8, Essence 30

Charms: Appear, Break Reality, Create Wind (usually a gale-force wind), Influence, Materialize, Possession (birds only), Reform, Shapeshift

Materialized Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3; use Gnosis for Social and Mental Traits

Abilities: Academics 4, Alertness 3, Animal Kinship (Birds) 5, Cosmology 4, Enigmas 4, Esoterica 5, Etiquette 4, Occult 4, Stealth 4, Subterfuge 5

Equivalent Arete: 6

Equivalent Spheres: Correspondence 1, Entropy 1, Forces 5, Life 4, Matter 1, Mind 2, Prime 3, Spirit 4, Time 1

Materialized Health Levels: 10

Image: In her normal form, the Lady usually appears as a beautiful olive-skinned woman wearing a cloak and crown of feathers. Otherwise, she looks like the woman you need most in your life.

Roleplaying Notes: The Lady enjoys shape-changing into a variety of forms (typically avian) and offering cryptic advice and warnings to mystics she apparently favors.

meaningless phrases, and while she doesn’t seem to flat-out lie, her misdirection, facades, and enigmatic utterances leave many would-be allies confused. Some authorities have even speculated that Aelida is a particularly adept Marauder, though her obvious spirit-nature makes this seem unlikely. Ultimately, the Lady of Feathers remains an enigma — one of the countless living question marks that inspire the old name for spirits: Mysticae.