The spirit of the living world itself was made flesh, and those beings are what today’s society known as the Primal.  In ages old, humankind swore that the Primal were beings of the heavens, the hells, of worlds far beyond our own; and for several millennia the Primal were so inclined to allow humankind to remain lost in their beliefs.  For as the humankind thought of Primal as the godlike beings of mystery, they left the magic spaces and natural world alone.  As the modern era drifted in, so too did modern invention and innovation and steadily that natural world with all its magic and wonder was stripped of its sacred spaces and Primal stripped of their hold on the world.  More and more lives of the Primal were lost to time with the loss of nature.  And so, Primal were reminded that indeed, they were not godlike at all.  And this terrified the Primal.

 

So it was that in the 1970s, several of the Gilded Ones banned together with a Vampire, a mer, and a wolf therianthrope and took to the World stage to declare their existence, implementing a sweep of panic and political upheaval in its wake.  It took over a decade for the dust to settle and in it, half the world turned away from the Supernatural.  The other half warily embraced it, and sanctioned countries under the UN came into existence.  This left sanctuary spaces for the supernatural on the land and the surrounding waters where those could be supernatural and ‘free’.  

 

While in the United States, the Primal do have the right to Vote, it was only ratified into the constitution in 2001.  The Primal still struggle to gain the full rights of most citizens, but they are at least, citizens of the United States.  This makes those native to the land that is now America the first natural citizens of the United States, and all those from abroad, like the Seelie and Unseelie of the Celtic nations, the Yokai of Japan, or the Domovoi of the Slavic as immigrants to be naturalized into the US.  It is seen as a beacon of security among the Primal population and a badge of honor to be a citizen in the Sanctioned country, one they will viciously defend. 

 

The Primal have adapted, finding new territories in abandoned subway tunnels and forgotten urban greenspaces, in the static between radio stations and the liminal spaces of 24-hour diners at 3 AM. They feed on the creative energy of street art and underground music venues, on the emotions that pool in hospital waiting rooms and carnival midways. Dreams remain their domain—nightmares their playground. They slip through the cracks of perception, visible from the corner of your eye before vanishing when directly observed. The Primal, even in their Glamoured form, looks off or holds an uncanny valley effect.  They either look too perfect, too picturesque.  They are too innocent, or too charming, even as they look 100% human, they never are, and never will be a human.

 

Some have formed uneasy alliances with merfolk, vampires, or therianthropes who remember the old ways; others wage subtle wars against the technological encroachment on their remaining territories. Through these means, Primal have built a way of life in every city they have nested a Sleeping Giant.  These Gilded are ancient beings that forever remain asleep, thus creating the bridge for all Primal from the realm of Dream to the realm of the living mortals.  It is within all Primal’s nature to ensure that the Sleeping Giant never wakes, for in doing so, another tether to dreams is lost forever.  

 

The Sleeping Giant of Bridgeport is said to be asleep on the Island of Purgatory, and so the entrance Underhill to the realm of Dreams resides there as well.  While Primal are a widely free spirited and chaotic lot, there are some cardinal laws all Primal follow in order to protect their Sleeping Giant, the Underhill, and each other.  They are as follows:

• Nobody talks about the Sleeping Giant.  The more the Sleeping Giant is known, the more nonPrimal will look for them, and the closer to waking up the Sleeping Giant becomes.  So no talking!

• No. Body. Talks. About. The. Sleeping. Giant.

• The Court of the Shadowed Veil runs the show.  When they give an order, we listen and have no take-backsies on it!

• The Trinity is under the protection of the Gilded in the area.  Do not upset the Trinity. But teasing playfully is ok.

• All contracts are serious and final.  No one can help you out of a contract made, so make sure you have the upper hand in all your contracts!

• If someone is marked by a Noble of the Court, that means they are on the no tricking list.  Be respectful of what is owned by your fellow Primal.

• If you have a grievance against another Primal, find a Noble and declare a duel through them! Either that, or do a best of two out of three rock, paper scissors matches.

• NOBODY TALKS ABOUT THE SLEEPING GIANT. (PS, saying something three times is a magic number for being true.)

 

To uphold the lay of the land on behalf of the Gilded, the appointed Nobility of the Court of the Shadowed Veil is assembled.  It should be noted that among the Primal, nobility is not a title given to an Primal by birth, but by honor towards the Gilded of the Primal.  When a title is bestowed, it is treated as a blessing from the Gilded Ones.

 

• Gilded Veil: These are the Gilded Ones that make the area their home.  It is they that grew the Sleeping Giant and made the deal with the Trinity of Vampires.  It is they that make the area around Bridgeport always nighttime.  They are the Judge, Jury, and Executioner of all naughty Primal that disrupt the Dreams and balance of the natural world.

• Weavers’ Three: The Weavers’ Three are a set of Nobility that have been chosen by the Gilded to speak on their behalf.  In the olden times, they’ve had names like ‘norns’, ‘fates’, and the like, but nowadays, they stick with Weavers.  

  • Mindshaper: This is one of the Weavers’ Three that takes care of the young and handles keeping the Primal educated in the ways of magic.  They shape the minds and bear the burden of looking after the innocent.

  • Bodybender: This is one of the Weavers’ Three that defends the Primal as a whole and ensures that nature is protected as is the Underhill.  They symbolize the stability of the Court.

  • Soulkeeper: This is one of the Weavers’ Three that heals the weakened and maintains the memories of the Underhill for all generations to come.  They soothe and aid the Dreaming Minds.

• Council of Voices: These are the Nobility of the Primal and chosen to speak for the Weavers in all day to day matters.  The Council will also work with the other various groups to maintain balance and order for all Primal, and act as the leaders of their chosen Magical type.  There will only ever be one Voice per magic type (subtype) of Primal.

 

The Court of The Shadowed Veil gathers underhill once a month to go over any needed issue or have a general party in good times.  When there is not a Court gathering, Primal typically are left to wander where the dreams take them.  In some cases, groups of Primal gather together creating a Circle (think mushrooms) of Primal.  Circles are typically 3 - 12 members in size, and as ever changing in numbers there are Primal in the world!  This suits the way of Primal well enough.  Depending on the Circle, nonPrimal can be included in the membership, but this is dependent on the makeup of the Circle in question.  It should be noted that only those Marked by the Nobility can have access to Underhill if they are not Primal or Tideborn.

 

Primal entering a new Underhill typically look for the Voice of their magic type to get associated with the world, or look for Weaver if there are no Voices around.  The Gilded rarely, if ever show up and will typically never been seen by the common Primal.  However, their magical presence will show what they are to that kind.  The Sleeping Giant will never be seen by anyone outside the Gilded, for to see the Sleeping Giant is to see them awake, and a Giant awakened is a Calamity unto itself.

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::: General Fae Advantages :::

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Once you select Primal on your HUD, you will immediately be rewarded +2 Willpower score. However that is not the end of all that is you as a Primal.  By choosing to be one of the Primal, you will immediately have a series of Advantages and Disadvantages that makes you stand out or blend into society as a whole.  These advantages are only geared towards that of the HUD.  It should be noted that when it comes to backgrounds and age, this will be left up to the players, within reason.  The maximum age a Primal can be is 500 years old.  It should be noted that there is no benefit awarded to a Primal for age within their society, within a chosen Faction, or by the HUD for being old or young. This is purely roleplay flavoring.  Every Primal will have the same opportunities to advance in the city as any other.  So it is with Disadvantages and Advantages, and they are as follows:

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• Spiritual Manipulation:  Primal have an alternate view of the world in that they feel emotions on a level that a Human could never imagine.  In fact, they feel emotions that Humans cannot.  This primal feeling is something they carry with them wherever they go.  That sense of unease, or being out of place, the awe that has no definition: these are all feelings that only a Primal could articulate.  But they can impress these undefined feelings upon humanity and feed from them in turn. [Emotional State Change rolls versus non-primal targets are done with Advanage]

  • ​See Rules for Feeding.

 

• Glamour: Glamour means anything that is physically present in the mortal world that is pulled from the dreams and nightmares of mortals. It’s that sense of deja vu when seeing a Primal and for a moment thinking you have encountered them before.  It is the surreal feeling of not knowing you are sitting next to an entity of old.  It is the truth that your eyes will tell you is there, even if it is not. Glamour is what all Primal use to hide themselves in plain sight from mortal detection. It is also the veil they pull over anything that comes from the realm of dreams and nightmares, be it a spiritual being, item, or food.​

  • NOTE:  Glamour does NOT change size, space, or the abilities of what it disguises.  It merely changes how it looks and can be perceived in the mortal world.​​

  • Primals receive a passive +2 Willpower bonus.

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• Primordial Magic.  Being of Primordial origins allows all Primals to wield Magics of the Old.  For Primals, this comes within the Book of Dreams and the Book of Contracts.​

  • For Dice Rolls and EP costs, Refer to the Sorcery Page for the Book of Dreams and the Book of Contracts.​

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::: General Fae Disadvantages :::

 

Where there is strength, there is inevitably weakness.  The Primal are no exception to this rule.  The following are the weaknesses that are inherent in all Primal.​

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• Incapable of Directly Lying.  Fae are the Masters of manipulation when it comes to speaking the Truth.  They can walk around the Truth, they can omit parts of the Truth.  What is something they cannot do is to lie directly to someone.  Lying for a Fae will siphon the Essence from them, reducing the Fae to as they feel is the level of a Human.

  • ​Every time a Primal attempts to speak a lie, they take -1 Essence for the attempt.

  • At 0 Essence, the next attempt at lying will inflict Soul-Flayed upon the Primal and prevents them from using active abilities for 24 hours.

    • This Condition may not be removed with Edge from any source.​

    • Only admission of the TRUTH will remove soul-flayed condition under these circumstances.

  • It is also noted that a Primal may not be forced with any power to speak a lie.

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• Cold Iron:  Traditionally Primal are linked to that of true Cold Iron.  This remains so for the majority of all Primal.  In the modern age, alloys have become more prevalent to allow Primal in more modern spaces.  However, the old weakness has never left.  If struck by Cold Iron, it will leave a mark permanently upon the Primal.  They also cannot speed up the healing of wounds by Cold Iron even within their Magical spaces or Underhill.​

  • Cold Iron is an alchemical material that must be purchased or crafted from the appropriate source.​

  • Cold Iron is considered a Bane Material for Primals, which means that Primals are Vulnerable to this material and take Double Damage when struck by it.

    • This Vulnerability does not ignore resistance.​

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• Possessiveness. What is claimed by a Primal is theirs.  If they are promised a hug and do not get it, the Primal will become hostile until they get what is owed them.  They also will fight for whatever they deem is THEIRS, even other people.  If that person doesn’t know they are claimed does not matter to the Primal.  They will take what is theirs and keep it.  This often leaves a Primal to be blinded to reason and communications when it comes to securing what is theirs.  When faced with something of their own and something else.  

  • Note:  For primals, contracts can be as good as a spoken word, but this is not the same as the Book of Contracts magic.  It is basically the same as if a promise is unkept, and gives no actual power over the one that makes the promise.

  • When a Primal’s Possession is threatened, or a promise is broken, the Primal gains the Frenzied condition.

    • This Condition taunts them against the one who has threatened the possession or the one that broke their promise.​

    • The Frenzied Condition lasts until the possession has been recovered, the promise has been kept, or the target or Primal are Incapacitated.

    • This condition may not be removed with abilities or edge actions in this state.

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• Grudges.  Hell hath no fury. Regardless of what they are, all Primals remember when they are slighted.  They will keep tabs on those that they perceive to have wronged them.  When such wronging has occurred, the Primal will form a grudge against the offender that they will hold and carry out until the action has been equally met. As an example, to steal from a Primal means that the Primal will steal back something of equal value from the offender. The value is always determined by the Primal and not the offender, so if what was taken or damaged is worth a great deal to the Primal, that is what they will take back in return.

  • When faced with the offending party, the Primal gains Taunted against the target of their offense.​ ​​

  • While taunted the primal must focus their attacks and actions against this target.

  • Any Actions taken against others are made at disadvantage.

  • Since this Disadvantage is dynamic, it is left at the Player discretion, however, in DM Events, the Storyteller will keep track of this.

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