photo by Mark Etford
Sometimes creative ideas and/or dreams take on solid form or are deliberately shaped into objects, places, and creatures. Chimera can be animate or inanimate, formed deliberately or burst into spontaneous existence. They can be as tiny and unobtrusive as a glowing petal or as free-willed and intelligent as any dragon in any tale, old or modern. Chimera can also take on aspects from non high fantasy genres such as science fiction, film noir, gothic horror, and slasher films. Any creative idea, any dream, any nightmare is capable of manifesting within the Dreaming as chimera or being shaped into one deliberately by those with that power.
Chimera are seldom exactly what their creators expect, however. Some, due to rare abilities or extraordinary situations, can even become real to humans.
Inanimate Chimera[]
Most commonly, inanimate chimera are objects used by changelings: clothing, weapons, armor, tableware, furniture, books, toys, etc,. They almost never have any sentience of their own. When a changeling has their Chrysalis, they will find themselves dressed in chimerical garb that feels familar and a natural part of their new persona. This is called voile. Sometimes equipment such as a sword, musical instrument, a piece of jewlery, or other personal items also appear as part of a character's voile. (see the changeling background :equipment.). Nockers and boggans are both noted for their skill in making chimerical objects and items; trolls likewise are often armorers, weaponsmiths, and stonemasons.
photo by Roberto Spinicci
Chimerical Weapons & Damage[]
Chimerical swords, knives, axes, etc., cannot be seen or felt by mortals, unless they were created by the weaving of glamour into a real-world item, and therefore having a seeming. But a chimerical rapier that looks like a wooden spoon will only inflict wooden spoon style damage to an unenchanted mortal. It will slice away at the glamour possessed by a changeling or enchanted mortal, however, tearing pieces of their faerie mein away and if the wound is severe enough, rendering them unconscious from the shock- causing a chimerical death that will cause them to awaken with only memories of their mortal lives. For a time, they won't be able to interact with chimera or chimerical objects nor use cantrips or have any knowledge or understanding of the Dreaming and the kithain. It will take a mass infusion of glamour (such as being enchanted like a mortal and then taken into a freehold and allowed to recover glamour at its baelfire) for them to recover their fae identity and memories.
It is rare and somewhat taboo for changelings to weave a chimerical aspect into an actual mundane weapon. Chimerical wounds and death is accepted as part of the grandeur of being kithain. To permanantly kill another changeling is to immediately gain both banality and notoriety among the local kithain community for robbing the world and the Dreaming of one of its dreams.
photo by Els Wetting
Animate Chimera[]
From imaginary friends to the creatures of every children's book and horror novel, animate chimera are more likely to be at least marginally sentient. They are almost never created deliberately, but spring from any type of dream or fanciful musing. Some chimera can speak, others might simply understand when they are spoken to. Some animate chimera become the hunters and enemies of the kithain who dream them in existence, quite literally forcing them to face their worst nightmares. Chimera can interact with the real world as long as ordinary non-enchanted mortals are not present; chimera can even project themselves into the mundane world with creative, glamour-producing mortals there. Chimerical claws and teeth rip away at a changeling's remembrance of their true self and cause the same pain and damage as chimerical weapons.
Nervosa are the most dangerous type of chimerical monsters, created not simply from nightmares but bedlam or human insanity. They can have any shape or none at all but will generally assume the form that triggers the most fear and powerlessness in their victim. Typically they are mindless embodiments of pure obsessive malice and destruction.