Nocker

"Yeah, that's what you think! What would you know about @#%&*? I don't take advice from someone who smells as bad as you do! Now either quit stinking the place up, or have a bath in my lye-scrubbing machine!"

Pronunciation: NOCK-ers Nockers are master artisans. Their skill and inventiveness are legendary; so is their cynicism and bitterness. Typically, they are highly critical of their rulers and eminently sarcastic of the people around them. Most nockers dislike having to deal with "imperfect" things, including people. Most prefer to surround themselves with treasures of mechanical wonder and ingenuity, instead. Things are much more reliable than people, and they're much easier to fix. Nockers are also known for their great talent for Grafting chimerical inventions.

A nocker's standards of perfection are impossibly high. These Kithain got their name from their habit of constantly rapping on things to inspect their quality. Unfortunately, they treat others the same way. They continually "knock" others by insulting them, testing their reactions and trying to find their faults. While this is a great way to test machines, it doesn't work as well with people. As far as nockers are concerned, they've elevated ridicule to a high art form. This hardly improves their popularity.

Nockers are also fiercely individualistic. Once one has selected her tastes in artwork and craftsmanship, she immediately condemns everyone else's. When she works, she develops a style of craftsmanship that defines the work as hers. Anyone else's attempt is second best. Then again, a nocker's creations are an expression of her identity: if her work is no good, then she's no good.

Nockers have other weaknesses, but they will never admit to them. They usually yearn for an escape from their flawed lives: music, treasure and even courtly love attract them. Denied ambitions stir the passions they bury beneath their work. Romantics pity nockers. Their cynical facades, the romantics say, hide the fact that they can never attain what they truly desire. In fact, if they did attain their desires, it would cease to be so appealing. In any attempt at romance, a nocker will wear at the minor flaws of a relationship until the magic is gone. Tinkering is the only surcease from a life trapped in such an imperfect world. The dream is everything; reality is a disappointment.

Pursuing their obsessive and passionate natures, nockers lose themselves in creation. Their greatest creations are in the chimerical world. It's hardly surprising that they excel at creating things that could never be. Their mundane lives may never mirror the vision of their art, but not for lack of trying. Whatever their chosen mediums, they strive to make their dreams real.

Appearance Although a far cry from the deformed stereotype of legend, nockers are nonetheless grotesque in their own fashion. They tend to have thick reddish skin, pointed ears and knotty digits. Their faces look like masks of overdone stage makeup: pasty-white complexions with red noses and cheeks. Their translucent white hair frames prominent brows that crown their beady, ratlike eyes. A nocker's rarely seen grin reveals rows of pointed teeth. Their court clothing is typically clean and smart, second only to the sidhe in fashion and complexity. Curls, spirals and swirls are nockers' favored patterns.

Lifestyles Nockers deal better with machines than people, and drift to wherever they can get more work done. Programming, engineering and mechanical work are all ideal occupations.

Childlings carry an imp of the perverse. They will tinker with machines to destruction. Most would rather take things apart rather than fix them. How else are you going to find out how something works?

Wilders get their kicks from the modern world — cars and computers are all the rage. All the machines they experiment with seem second-rate; there's always room for a few "improvements." Unseelie solve this with more tech; Seelie deconstruct modern devices into classical components. Regardless of Court, wilders are eminently critical of other people's designs.

Grumps slowly lose their edge and take it out on everyone around them. They settle into positions of authority from which they can drive younger Kithain insane with their continuous criticisms and interference.

Affinity Prop

Birthrights

• Forge Chimera — Nockers can create simple, nonliving chimera. If an artisan has basic working knowledge of how a device operates, she can conceive of how to build a better version. In general, her creation cannot involve electricity, magnetism or chemical reactions, though Storytellers can feel tree to allow nocker characters to break this rule for extremely creative devices.

To create chimera, the nocker needs raw chimerical material and a forge or machine shop of some kind. The creative process is represented by extended rolls of Intelligence + Crafts. The difficulty and number of successes depends on the size and complexity of the project. With five successes at a difficulty of 5 a nocker can create simple items (doors, baseball bats); 10 or more successes at a difficulty of 9 can result in large or highly complex items (siege engines, semi-automatic knife-throwers, and so on).

Nockers must have some degree of privacy when constructing chimera. While it is possible for Kithain to be present, a nocker cannot work with chimerical materials in the presence of mortals.

• Fix-It — Nockers are masters of machines, and everyone knows it. A few harsh words or well-timed threats can imtimidate a malfunctioning machine into work ing properly. A nocker can fix nearly any mechanical device, by making a successful Intelligence + Crafts or Intimidation roll. The difficulty can range from a 5 (for simple, familiar problems) to as high as 10 (a complex machine that's really acting up). This takes time and a lot of hostility, but nockers generally have both in spades. Many a balky engine-block has been frightened into working properly by a nocker simply growling at it.

In addition, Seelie and Unseelie craftspersons can choose different specialties during character creation. Seelie can choose one anachronistic device (waterwheels, steam engines, pulley systems) and get a -1 difficulty on any roll to fix, manipulate or control that device. Unseelie get the same bonus with one type of high-tech or modern device. This Birthright functions normally when in the presence of mortals.

Frailties

• Flaws - Nockers are cynical because they're such perfectionists. They can always see ways for things to work better, but they can never quite achieve their ideals. Some say this is a curse from the First Artisan; others claim it's a karmic debt for their attitude problem. Regardless, anything a nocker creates will have one trivial (but irreparable) flaw. This serves as a constant frustration to; the artisan who's crafted it. Even if the nocker scores five or more successes on a creation roll (a complete success), there will still be an elusive, annoying fault.

Outlook

• On Boggans — Heh! They think they're so good at what they do. Sloppy, rustic folk. You want something done right, do it yourself.
• On Eshu — Yabber, yabber, yabber. They'll talk your ears off about places you'll never see. Tricky *@&*#s!
• On Pooka — Frivolous! Wasting their time on pranks and nonsense. What's that gonna get 'em?
• On Redcaps — I guess I can get along with them... until they get pissed off.
• On Satyrs — They seem to think that the glamorous life means sleeping around and swilling wine. They deserve what they get: trouble!
• On Sidhe — They always seemed a little distant to me, but I'm not gonna turn down a fat commission from 'em!
• On Sluagh — Buncha freaks. Most of'em need to get a tan. Then again, most of them need to get a life. What's to trust?
• On Trolls — They aren't as bright as they think they are. If you want to associate with trolls, make sure you're on their good side.