THALLAIN

Thallain are cousins of the Kithain. Thallain differ from the Kithain mainly in that they are completely Unseelie. They have two Court legacies, but both are Unseelie legacies. A Thallain can never be Seelie. Thallain are detailed in The Shadow Court with the exception of the spriggans which are covered in The Fool's Luck: The Way of the Commoner, and the murduacha which are covered in World of Darkness: Blood-Dimmed Tides. The varieties of Thallain follow:

Aithu (EYE-thew): Thieving and swindling cousins of the eshu, the aithu are a secret that the eshu have kept for many years, as they had banished them into a Dreaming prison. Recently evidence has surfaced which makes it apparent that the aithu have escaped and are back in the Waking World once more. The aithu resemble their eshu cousins, except for appearing a little more disheveled, and a few slight differences. They have hypnotic voices that they use to entrance an audience into becoming more easily swindled, and are also able to change their appearance, usually to make them seem more innocent, or to escape detection. They can be detected by their inability to sit through stories and other lengthy narratives. If they don't continually interrupt the tale being told, they run the risk of being entranced by it in much the same effect that their voices have on others. The aithu are detailed in Kithbook: Eshu.

Beasties (BEES-teez): Cousins of the pooka, beasties are also shape shifters. The resemblance stops there as beasties are not loveable tricksters, but wild and violent monsters. A beastie form may be as horrible a monster as imaginable, and is usually very frightening to observe. Within an hour of beastie violence, though, observers who survived will forget what they have seen, remembering only vague images of wild animals. If a Seelie changeling recognizes a beastie for what it is, they will usually attack them on sight. In fact, not to attack them is an act of great willpower.

Boggarts (BAW-garts): Some Unseelie boggans are also called "boggarts", but true boggarts are Thallain. Similar to boggans in the industrious sense, boggarts nevertheless are a stain on the image of their Kithain cousins. Boggarts tend to be much more business oriented than boggans, in as greedy and opportunistic a sense as that description can be applied. They are speedy workers, like boggans, but the more of them that work together, the shoddier the work they do becomes, as they all cut corners to maximize short term gains. They also know where to find each other, and they frequently get together in packs to perform jobs. They are extremely greedy, and have been known to develop "sticky fingers" literally, in their desire for a given item. Unlike their boggan counterparts, boggarts do not understand mortal behavior outside of corporate backstabbing, and they have no sympathy to spare on the needy.

Bogies (BOH-geez): Related to the sluagh, although more distantly than most Thallain. Bogies are probably among the least pleasant beings on Earth. Often appearing as famished or bedraggled mockeries of humans, they have no regard for human life whatsoever. Their fae mien is even more warped, and grotesque. Once a day, a bogie is able to emit a dark, foul cloud of inky blackness, that is very difficult to see through. They are also able, curiously, to become invisible to technological devices for one hour. Bogies usually have a craving for some fluid or organ in the human (or non-human) body, they will not die if this hunger isn't sated, but it will increase if ignored. Unlike sluagh, bogies are unable to release themselves from confinement, and hate confinement so bitterly that being bound or imrisoned can actually damage and eventually destroy them.

Goblins (GAWB-lins): Cousins to the nockers of the Kithain, goblins are a machine's worst nightmare. In fae guise they are rarely over three feet tall, and usually green or brown with large pointed ears. Goblins are able to construct physical devices, capable of unleashing all manner of mayhem. The exact purpose of the device is not known just by looking at it, but it's almost always intended to hurt someone or something. This device will eventually break down catastrophically, inflicting even more damage when it does. Goblins are also sometimes called "gremlins" (erroneously), as they are able to make any mechanical device malfunction by touching it and spending a Glamour point. Similarly to nockers, a goblin's creation will always be flawed, this flaw always manifests in as destructive a way as possible, though.

Murdhuacha (me-ROO-cha): The Thallain cousins of the merfolk, the murdhuacha, also called "merrows", are bound to undersea creatures such as octopi, squids, worms or crustaceans. Like the merfolk, they gain some advantages of the sea creature they bind with, and are able to breathe water. Murdhuacha, though the women can sometimes be strangely beautiful, are bizarre to look on and often hideous. Many, upon seeing a merrow for the first time will freeze in shock. Usually just long enough for the murdhuacha to take the advantage. The merrows suffer from Banality the same way the merfolk do, and also have certain Abilities restricted due to their lack of contact with the surface world. The murdhuacha are detailed in World of Darkness: Blood-Dimmed Tides.

Ogres (OH-gerz): Unseelie trolls are sometimes called "ogres", but again this is the real deal. They have a curious ability to determine someone's nature and emotional state by their smell, and like trolls, are superhumanly strong. Unlike trolls, ogres are not honorable, and they are stupid. It is very difficult for an ogre to use his mind, so they generally just content themselves with bashing other people's in.

Spriggans (SPRIH-guns): The spriggans are the Thallain cousins to the piskies. They are exceptionally cruel and greedy, and are usually frowned on by even Unseelie piskies (though a few of the worst ones will work with them). They appear as ugly piskies, with gray matted hair, the dark craggy skin of a piskey grump, and small, beady eyes. Spriggans smell bad, and usually wear dirty clothes. Spriggans do make good guardians, getting bonuses when watching over something, and are able to summon rain and hail storms at will. The thing that really makes them unacceptable to the piskies, is their tendency to kidnap children (fae children are favorite targets). These victims are usually not harmed, the spriggan just delights in the fear this causes the children and the parents. Spriggans are detailed in The Fool's Luck: The Way of the Commoner.

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