Major Update: Late January 2013

• New Cotery: MINITru
• New Cotery: Pillars of Light
• Major Update: White Hand
• Minor Updates: Every other Cotery!
• New Page: Character Creation

Cotery: MINITru, The Ministry of Truth

The Ministry of Truth, known as MINITru, is the largest Cotery House of the Mourning Veil, easily larger than even the Red, Cult or Church. A colossal collection of political lodges, all assigned a unique number, MINITru collects the secrets & dark truths unearthed by the Veil, guarding them with devout attention and many, many layers of paperwork. Over many generations, this has resulted in MINITru becoming true Fascists, policing the other Veil houses, character-assassinating and vanishing those Magpies & Ravens hoarding Secrets, reconditioning entire Houses to be loyal to True Despair, the notion of secrecy lost and truth uncovered.

All Jackdaws are trained at a MINITru Lodge (Sometimes rumoured to be the mythical Lodge 1), entering as scholarshipped youngsters, exiting either as shrewd Agents, or brutish Enforcers. Agents and Enforcers are often assigned back to the House they originally came from to spy, execute & report on behalf of MINIUTru. Alleigances are never questionned - if a Jackdaw is not lyal to their Lodge, they are rarely a  Jackdaw for much longer. At the top of all Lodges sits a Triumverate of Jackdaw Directors, those whose ambition, paperwork and backstabbing skills have earnt them grandeur, co-ordinating and running all Lodge activities to the very breath.

MINITru Memos are littered with Buzzwords. Jackdaws casually use Truspeak, and Truspeak Words.
Although individual dress-sense is not discouraged (for Morale reasons), it is common for entire lodges to at least colour-coordinate. Straight-edged, minimalist Suits are always an option.

Famous Lodges include:
- Lodge1, the Jackdaw Collegium
- Lodge 33, a Bureaucratic / Provacateur Sect, famous for their Top Agents
- Lodge 225, Propaganda
- Lodge 101, a mythic Prison for "Vanished"
- Lodge Zero, a mythic Archive of stolen Secrets
- Lodge 9, a Science department, supposedly developing a "Killing Sound"
- Lodge Alpha, the High-Ministry, occupied by the highest-ranking Director, the mysterious and inscrutable All-Father

In short, MINITru rightfully think they own The Veil. Many Veil, especially Magpies, disagree with this, and with waking human insurgence on the rise, it is only so long until either an uprising occurs, or MINITru's stranglehold grows even tighter.

Following the Third New Parliament, which was successfully overseen by MINITru Agent James33, MINITru have decided to appear in their own capacity, beginning with Jay Agent Symaenid225. With the self-empowered fascist Ministry present at probably all future occasions, this is a severe wake-up call to Veil Houses, who now have to either comply, pretend, or fight for their creative freedom.

Five Principles of MINITru

• Truth 
• Punishment
• Secrecy
• Punctuality 
• Statement

OC, MINITru can be played as Bureaucrats, Fascist Police, a Bank, an Intelligence sect or a Masonic Sect.

MINITru Bird Song is, in my head, a mix of speechmaking, rules-recital, pledge-chanting, and patriotic dirges.

Thematically, MINITru is a colossal Mourning Veil House, easily large enough to contend with other Coteries, with individually Numbered Lodges.
Systematically, MINITru is your "Cotery", and your Lodge is your "House".

Mixed Alleigance: It is possible to play a Jackdaw Agent or Enforcer in the Mourning Veil; storyline-wise all Jackdaws are members of MINITru, so they would be working in a Veil House both "on loan" and "on duty", patrolling the House for Secrets and (supposedly) making sure everything meets MINITru regulations. They will be expected to show loyalty to their new House, but a greater, unwavering loyalty to MINITru. How, and if,  you actually roleplay this, is up to you.

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Jays

Jays are considered an oddity by the other Coteries - a Winged in the Veil who do not wear black, do not almost permanently scowl and do not reek of an aura of sadness. Jays are smiling, cheery, thrilling bon-vivants, bohemians and dandies, incredibly friendly and forward, and embrace happiness as a way to experience "the Life we have". Jays have good connections with "other Jays", and are good at getting Emotions for "acceptable application" or "snorting" at Parliaments. Many remark that Jays' benign nature can be unsettling, and some point out that they've never seen a Jay "not smile". Ever. A Jay throughly enjoying himself can go from smiling and friendly, to grinning and chuckling, to cackling madly and back again within moments. Many Jays claim to be Artists. Many more simply claim to "appreciate" ("snort") it.

A common belief is that Jays exhibit a "dark" side of Desire - their haunts, strained from human memory, often resemble dingy clubs with colourful lighting, or luxurious theaters about to put on a risque show. Jays love creating joy, but often through more lurid means than just a compliment...
Jays wear bright, fashionable clothing, almost always in blue or green - blazers, shirts, bow-ties, blouses and skirts. Jays like to carry small daggers, despite the tabboo on knives, "Just in case! Haha!"

Type: Pawn.
Min: White Face/ Black Feathers, Blue Details.
Beak: Black Large
Inspirations: Dandies, Bohemians, Toulouse Lautrec, Robespierre, The Joker, Hunter S Thompson, Burlesque Dancers
Emotion: Desire
Qualities: Emotionallist, Pistolsman, Hardy

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Grackles

Although not true Corvids, Grackle are found most often amongst the company of their cousins the Jays. Couriers, runners, interlopers and ambassadors, they are friendly, good humoured and have very good relations outside the Veil & MiniTru, especially with Rabble in The Green, the Urban of the Dirt, and have even been known to serve within the Raptors of House Aquilla. Easily identified by their bell-like laughter and predisposition to leathers, what truly sets Grackle apart is their independence - even as part of a House or team, Grackle do what they like, when they like, with whom. This makes them especially valuable to MiniTru, who value the Despair that can be wrought and monitored by an independent Agent.

Grackle love to act as insurgents, spreading messages of change and spite, and delighting in the chaos caused.
Grackle love Leathers, which they view as both stylish and practical. They also, like Jays, have a predilection for small fire-arms. Some like to dye blue streaks in their hair.

Type: Pawn.
Min: Black Feathers, Blue Sparkles Over Eyes / Down Cheeks.
Beak: Small Yellow
Emotion: Desire
Qualities: Armoured, Pistolsman, Quick

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MINITru Agents

MiniTru attracts Bureaucrats, sadists and manager material of all types. The Ministry of Truth appreciates any pen-pusher willing to sign their life away. No matter where they previously called home.
As long as they are willing to serve the Ministry forever.
Agents are often expected to both run errands, and manage operations.
They use a lot of Buzzwords.

The Phys-repping for Agents is based on the kind of Agent bird you are, and which Coterie you fled from. Please ask and think sensibly about which kind of Agent Winged you can play.

Type: Pawn.
Min: See Previous Winged
Beak: See Previous Winged
Emotion: Despair
Qualities: Emotionallist, Despairing, One more based on Previous Winged

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Jackdaw Agent

Jackdaws exhibit a unique and peculiarly "dark" part of the human psyche: Secrets. Secret Societies, Secret Police, Secret Procedures. Jackdaws know that everyone has secrets, even a lifeless Eyrie, and they need to be regulated. Careful observation and interrogation, possession regulations and emotion documentation. Sacred Pacts and secret hand-gestures.

Masonic and Clandestine, Jackdaws protect the rest of The Veil not only from themselves, but also from external threats: Jackdaws are one of the only Winged whose usage of Knives is not considered taboo  well, there's no secret that the Jackdaw Secret Police use them to kill threats, perps, crims and liabilities.
Jackdaws bear ritualistic markings on their faces. They often dress in robes with ritualistic aprons, with nooses around necks and knives displayed prominently.
Jackdaws are those Corvids who at a young age are noticed for their ability to either keep secrets, or extract them. They are taken away to the Ministry Of Truth (Or MiniTru) and are trained in enforcing Despair.
Jackdaws casually use Truspeak, and Truspeak words.

Type: Pawn.
Min: Black Feathers, Masonic Symbols
Beak: Large Black
Emotion: Despair
Influences: Secret Police, Assassins, Interrogators, Bodyguards, Masons with a Slice of 1984.
Qualities: Quick, Knifesman, Footpad

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Jackdaw Enforcer


Some Jackdaws need more than a mere Knife to enforce Despair.
Enforcers smash their way through problems knives and interrogation won't budge. Armoured in thick leather coats, wielding reinforced cudgels, the Enforcers' job is to break down doors, charge through the gunfire, chaos & insurgence, and methodically and calmly beat any ideas of rebellion or radical-change out of the heads of the independent and subvertive.

Enforcers often find themselves in moral situations, having to choose between Despair and Desire, sometimes by finding enlightening diaries, beautiful paintings, or other symbols of enjoyment that spark off the wrong reaction.. Most make the right decision... some question their entire lives and motives up to this point. These Heroes become dangerous, seeds of positive Desire in an otherwise Cruel World...

Jackdaws casually use Truspeak, and Truspeak words.

Type: Knight.
Min: Black Feathers, Masonic Symbols
Beak: Large Black
Emotion: Despair
Qualities: Hardy, Armoured, Stalwart, Macesman , Juggernautism

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Whipps

Jays in MiniTru have a special place as interrogators and convincers. Some like this job... a bit too much. Whipps are Jays (And the occasional Grackle) who have embraced true sadism, or masochism, or both. To them, Pain is Desire, and Desire is Pain. And they're wonderful at their jobs. With a Grackle's taste in leathers, a Jay's sensibilities for pistol, knife and a savage grin, and MiniTru approved AnswRevTech (a whip) and BlankDescrip++ (a Mask), a Whipp on the offensive is a Threat+.

Like Jackdaw Enforcers & Agents, Whipps do ally themselves to Rooks of the greater Mourning Veil, as torturers and "diplomats", but still hold an allegiance to MiniTru. This allegiance can become stressed, strained and tested, and eventually broken: no known ex-MiniTruOps have sided with Art over Secrets and survived, and likewise Rooks that disobey MiniTru often find their House's dealings turning sour.

Type: Knight.
Min: Brown & Black Feathers, Masonic Mask
Beak: Small Black
Emotion: Desire
Qualities: Whiuppsman, Knifesman, Stalwart, Quick, Armoured

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Ravens

Ravens are cowardly, emotional posers, prone to "the vapors" and "fits of melancholy". They are Artists and Poets, even composers of Bird Song, able to craft beautifully haunting pieces that even a Hawk or Owl would have trouble finding fault with. Ravens are truly in tune with The Night, and focus it's Melancholy into every Dreaming Step. Ravens are known to panic when backed into a corner, focusing their lives into their art and preserving it, rather than making themselves warriors. But with dedication comes power: Ravens' Song, channeled in the form of art, poetry, or even song, can work distraught wonders, reducing a room to tears or creating a practical monument to their tear-jerking beauty.

In MINITru, Ravens are expected to produce "Resource". Propaganda, stirring Music, moving Speeches, satirical material, etc. Art fror Art';s sake is something the Veil does, not MINITru. To this extent MINITru Ravens are either quiet, determined craftsmen and composers, or eccentric wildmen rebelling against their own constraints.

Ravens wear mostly black clothing with the occasional white or red thrown in. Shirt & cravat, Silk or Velvet dress, with patterned netting and filigree. They keep their hair immaculately scruffy, or confusingly beautiful. Many Ravens smoke, as it lets them focus on something that isn't base Despair.

Type: Bishop.
Min: White Face/ Black Feathers, Black writing on face.
Beak: Black Large
Inspirations: Poets, Artistes, Poseurs, Byron & Shelley, Beatniks, Robert Smith, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Siouxsie Sioux, Mary Shelley
Emotion: Despair
Qualities: Emotionallist, Orator

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Shrikes


Old Shrikes do not mind being associated with their more immature, smaller cousins in The Green, but to be honest would much rather prefer you didn't bring them up. Or anything else for that matter, because reaping limbs & organs is a very delicate business that requires the most concentration. Shrikes, also known as Butcher birds, have always had a morbid fascination with how Dream Forms work, and what they're made of - as such they are incredibly good at working with Dream Stuff - whether it's refining it into new forms or taking it apart from a still alive "patient". They make good Doctors and Physicians, if not creepy ones, as well as Bogeymen and Butchers.

Shrike like to wear the clothes of their profession: top hat, long coat, apron, doctor's bag, fine, practical dress. Almost entirely Gore-Splattered, obviously.

Type: Bishop.
Min: White Face/ Black or Grey Feathers.
Beak: Black Large
Inspirations: Ghouls, Murderers, Jack The Ripper, Dr. Seward & Van Hellsing (Dracula)
Emotion: Wrath
Qualities: Barbrisier, Undertakerism
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Jackdaw Directors

Some Jackdaws crawl (or kill) their way up the MiniTru ziggurat. Sometimes this is through hard work and toil, but mostly it is either through soulless grinding and self-defacing, killing and hushing for the company, or it's through cruel sadistic back slapping and passive-aggressive managerial politics. Regardless of how it is achieved, at the top of each Lodge there is the triumverate position of Director, those responsible for that Eyrie's entire morale, productivity and achievement.

More than just in charge of Jackdaw Operations, many Directors believe they are truly their name-sake, carefully orchestrating all acts of Despair within their Cotery, thinking themselves puppet masters or Generals, pulling strings here or dumping a certain-death mission on an unfortunate office-worker there. Many are sadistic, delighting in the pain they inflict on their "Team": just as many are masochistic, feeling every failure and weight as a productive reminder to keep pushing, to keep straining for more Despair.

When a Lodge is large enough to support many Directors, they each usually assume one of three titles: Director of Morale, Director of Productivity, and Director of Achievement. Exactly how these differ to the sado-masochistic minds of a being purely focused on secrets and misinformation is anybody's guess.

They use a lot of Buzzwords.Jackdaws casually use Truspeak, and Truspeak words.

Type: King.
Min: Black Feathers, Masonic Symbols
Beak: Large Black
Emotion: Despair
Qualities: Pistolsman, Stalwart, Fearfulism

Cotery: Cult of the Pillars of Light

Following the new Century's Parliaments, a schism has erupted between the Radical & Traditionalist Doves of the Church of the White Hand: The Traditionalist Doves are angered that the Church has failed to influence or intervene with the Parliament, or prevent the creation of the Red, a force even more despisable to the Peace-seeking Hand than the Green. The Radical Doves are sickened that the Hand seems to be whining about not controlling everything, and more importantly, want to choke out the Parliament's free will.

This has resulted in the Radicals breaking away to form their own faction, The Cult Of the Pillars Of Light, apparently aided by both Dreamers and new Patrons. Needless to say, relations between the patient Church & the Free Cult are... strained.

There is too much violence in the World Below, too much Blood in the Dirt, and Far too much Blood in The Skies. The Cult stands for unity & free-will, and offers it's hand of freedom out to help, promoting Bliss, tranquility and enlightenment. Not a single shapeless Cotery under the command of the Church, hell no! But freedom, an end to castes and pre-ordained purpose. Freewill, freedom and love, a chance to celebrate who and what you are without repercussions, only admiration.

The Cult follows one credo, brought to them by the minds of enlightened Dreamers, and the divine Patron Aiwaz, the Sheperd of Freedom:
Do What Thou Will, Shall Be The Whole Of The Law: Be true to yourself, for that is everything.

However, many Coteries see the upstart pillars as meddlers, idiots and hippy moochers unwilling to accept that Winged Survival and progression has been built on conflict. Still, The Cult keep going with their messages of Bliss & Freedom, an end to destruction and a new age of enlightenment, and grow wiser every day.

Radical Doves have only cropped up in the last Century, and are almost entirely Pigeons (The Doves' closest siblings and allies) who have kept their materialistic, progressive ways, but have accepted the words of The White Hand and become reborn as true Doves as any other.

Radicals believe that "Us All" refered to the White Hand, and now The Cult - thus Radical sects resemble incredibly close-knit, insular families willing to defend each other and live out their existence in peace. They will happily help others they accept into their fold, but will reject aid to any others. Freedom must be achieved, not simply given or taken. Throw off the shackles of destiny!

If pushed, The Cult will accept that conflict is inevitable, but suffering can be avoided: it takes two parties to go to war, so why should one, if any, walk away scarred, if at all? Just sit down and chill out.

Dove Eyries resemble huge, ornate but simple white marble temples, sometimes enshrouded in ivy or flowers, sometimes marked with esoteric symbols. More Radical Eyries resemble rescued-but-unkempt churches, appropriated bunkers and colourful gardens.

- -

Principles of the Cult

1. Freedom
2. Expression
3. Forgiveness
4. Understanding
5. Purity

OC: Inspirations: Cults from all periods & ages, Thelemites, Hippies, Occultists
Dove Bird-Song is, in my head, a mix of choral singing, hymns, throat singing, and call and response.

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Doves

Doves are the head representatives of both the White Hand & the Pillars of Light. Ascetic, tranquil, hopeful and forgiving, dressed in colourful, personal expression & freedom, Doves simply want the Coteries to agree - one step at a time. Dove Birdsong is beautiful, and a full Chorus of hand-linked Doves casting their Birdsong can be utterly enchanting. Radical Doves believe in the power of Aiwaz the protector - the voice of Freedom which shields the willful. Rumours of Doves being able to empower another with the full power of The Chorus have been noted, though many simply believe this is the effect of mystifying Dove Birdsong.

Radical acolytes of the Cult Of The Pillars Of Light, Doves fully accept the transcendental teachings of The Pillars, and embrace their position of spreading the teachings of Bliss, Love & Freedom as far as they can. From lowly Radicals, come those seen as Pushers of Bliss and Love, suppliers and preachers and stockists combined. And above them, the divine figureheads, those chosen to lead us to True Spiritual Freedom.

Visually indistinct except for their mannerisms and perhaps (in the Case of self-identifying Radicals) in their dress sense, Doves of specific roles are difficult to spot. The Chosen are the Deacons and Defenders, those that tend and care for their Brothers and sisters less fortunate to prove themselves. The Ascendant are the Psychopomps and Voices, Leaders whose calming or firey words can motivate entire Dove Coteries to accept or deny aid to allies as quickly as the will of The Chorus changes.

Radical Doves wear whatever clothes they have access to - tie-dyes, rags, furs, dresses made from curtains, etc, usually in bright mixed colours. Some Radical Cults appear as mixed as Rabble, some as uniformally well-dressed as upper-class pigeons.

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Dove Cultist



Type: Pawn
Plumage: White
FacePaint: White Brows. Uniform Religous Symbol on forehead - Same on all Doves in same House.
Beak: White Small.
Emotion: Bliss
Oppurtunities: Religous Fanatic, Wandering Healer, Choir Singer, Good Samaritan, Hippy Activist, Cultist, Flagellant
Qualities: Quick, Quicker, Emotionallist

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Dove Pusher

Type: Bishop
Plumage: White
FacePaint: White Brows. Uniform Religous Symbol on forehead - Same on all Doves in same House.
Beak: White Small.
Emotion: Bliss
Qualities: Blissful, Emotionallist

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Dove Figurehead



Type: King
Plumage: White
FacePaint: White Brows. Uniform Religous Symbol on forehead - Same on all Doves in same House.
Beak: White Small.
Emotion: BlissQualities: Oratorism, Fancy, Emotionallist

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Flock

Like the Green (and now, Red) Rabble, Flock are made up of all the smaller Winged - Sparrows, Tits, Starlings, Finches. Unlike their more Radical Dove Brethren in the Pillars, Flock aren't really here for the transcendence and enlightenment: they're here for the relaxation and the good times, man! Although many do reach a state of Zen, claiming to see things that aren't there and hear voices, this is probably less to do with the Spiritual Purity, and more with the large amounts of Bliss converted into "Good Time" Songs.

Flock wear what they have access to. Don't get all up in their grill, man.

Type: Pawn
Plumage: Any Colour
FacePaint: Colour on Cheeks
Emotion: Bliss
Qualities: Quick, Emotionalist, Merchantillier

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Free

The Pillars Of Light consider Freedom to choose and act one of life's greatest gifts, so there is no surprise that many Winged from other Coteries flee to the Cult, abandoning their previous lives and occupations. Superfluously similar to the Urban, these progressive agents of enlightenment take a lay approach to transcendence, often focussing on the occult and spiritualism, and the Dreamers' beliefs on these.
Free wear much the same as Urban or those of the Dirt: dresses and smart clothes, often with the addition of occult jewelry or pendants.

Type: Pawn
Plumage: See Previous Winged
FacePaint: See Previous Winged
Emotion: Bliss
Qualities: Emotionallist, Stalwart, One more from Previous Winged

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Grackle

Although not true Corvids, Grackle are found most often amongst the company of their cousins the Jays, or nowadays, amongst the Cult of the Pillars. Couriers, runners, interlopers and ambassadors, they are friendly, good humoured and have very good relations outside the Veil & MiniTru, especially with Rabble in The Green, the Urban of the Dirt, and have even been known to serve within the Raptors of House Aquilla. Easily identified by their bell-like laughter and predication to leathers, what truly sets Grackle apart is their independence - even as part of a House or team, Grackle do what they like, when they like, with whom. This makes them especially valuable to MiniTru, who value the Despair that can be wrought and monitored by an independent Agent.

Grackle love to act as insurgents, spreading messages of change and spite, and delighting in the chaos caused.

Grackle love Leathers, which they view as both stylish and practical. They also, like Jays, have a predilection for small fire-arms. Some like to dye blue streaks in their hair.
Type: Pawn
Plumage: Black
Beak: Small Yellow
FacePaint: Blue spoarkles over eyes / down cheeks
Emotion: Bliss
Qualities: Armoured, Pistolsman, Quick


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Swifts

Previously a distant part of the Church of the White Hand, the chatty, open & free Swifts quickly agreed with the policies of the Cult Of The Pillars Of Light, and joined their ranks. Swifts have individualized beliefs and life goals, each believing that Enlightenment is achieved by reaching this goal: whether it's to succesfully convert a 100 people, save a 100 lives, dodge a 100 bullets, or cook the world's greatest meal. Self-sacrificing, free-talking, but ultimately passionate. Dancers, Couriers, entertainers - Swifts never stay still for more than a moment; a moment still is a moment wasted.
Swifts often wear a mix practical wear & billowing silks - the better to accentuate their movements.

Type: Pawn
Plumage: White or Brown
FacePaint: Red or Green on Forehead
Emotion: Bliss
Inspirations: Farmers, Yeoman, Factory Workers, Navvies
Opportunities: Fighting Champ, Trade Unionist, Heavy
Qualities: Quick, Hardy, Knifeman

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Bantam

Yoga and Tantra Masters, Bantams are devoted to physical enlightenment through scarification, self-mutilation, cannibalism and violence. They believe peace and Bliss only come from discarding earthly terrors, and the best way to shed this earthly coil of creation & destruction is to embrace it, live it, and reject it from your heart. To them, all actions are physical, mental, and spiritual; everything said, done or proposed has ripples both physical and spiritual. If a Bantam is commanded by someone who has earned it's trust, it will obey, regardless of the action: murder, mutilation, self-cannibalism.Only by embracing this animal, can they exhibit not only to the world that each action has repercussions, but to themselves that they are spiritually above these actions, unsullied by them. As sinners, they carry the weight for their unmarked brethren.

Bantams despise the gregarious nature of the Partridges, and feel their faith is hollow & false. They wish to bring more Chickens, Grouse & Quail over to the Pillars' cause of Spiritual Freedom.
Bantams wear little more than loincloths, tattered robes, or whatever their Cult offers them.

Type: Knight
Plumage: White
FacePaint: Red Eyes-area
Emotion: Bliss
Qualities: Hardy, Hardier, Taloned, Reaverist, Stalwart

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Whipoorwill

Like Nightengales, Whipoorwills are psychopomps and seers... but they focus on omens, the lingering shadow of embracing death, and the freedom that comes with release. Whipoorwills feel death is the way to enlightenment, and know it is the final step to freedom, embracing the morbidity of finality and the Bliss of Cold, Final Purity. Occultists of The Cult Of The Pillars Of Light, Whipoorwills embrace Near-Death-Experiences, and find beauty in symbols and images of death.

Whipoorwills surround themselves with death omens. Their clotrhes are often old, stained and dusty. Posh suitys gone to rot or never-removed Wedding Dresses.
Type: Bishop
Plumage: Dark-Brown
FacePaint: Dark-Brown Stripe across eyes
Emotion: Bliss
Qualities: Fearfulism, Oratorism

New Xenos: Peacock

PEACOCKS - Who would dispute the rightful thrones of the Magnificent Peacocks? Dressed in gleaming blues & greens of only the most expensive threads, these masters of sword & bow, these righteous Princes are adored as bon-vivants and happy rulers of the beautiful Dawn Lakes of the Xenos. Their plumage always on show,a celebration of their birthright. Just and beloved Princes, although lofty in their position, the Peacocks adore parties and celebrations, a chance to mingle and show-off. Cocks surround themselves with harems of Peawives, and the finest Flamingo fashionistas, only the best for these glorious Maharaja (or even Maharanee). They are fascinated by the Winged of the Dream, and if not eager to directly ally, are at least eager to entertain and learn from them, experimenting in wearing Winged Fashion and experimenting with Winged ways & sports & games (to the ire of their Flamingos).
"Cock" and "Wife" do not directly relate to gender - a Cock is merely the entitled ruler (a holdover from the days before Princess could prove to their Brothers & Fathers that they were Equally Magnificent), and a Wife a beloved member of his circle, a far distant enough relation that it is no longer icky.
Peacocks love jokes. A common prank is to, once every new Wife, sweep up a common member of the Xenos (or now, Winged), and elevate them to Prince for "a day" (With full surprising access to treasure, estate & Wives).

New Xenos: Peawife

PEAWIFE - Consorts to the Peacocks, Peawives are those Peafowl who have married a noble Prince (Or Princess), and become part of their Harem of Wives. Sometimes these marriages are based on love, sometimes lust, sometimes necessity or arrangement. In front of their Maharaja (Or Maharanee), they are perfection: quiet, patient, beautiful (or handsome), often skilled dancers or singers for entertainment.
However, behind closed doors, outside of the eyes of their Consort, life is very different. Politics impregnate every depth of Peawife Harems, with factions forming based on friendship or necessity, a definite social ladder being erected and constantly fought over. Backstabbing, snide remarks, deadly rumours and even assassination ensure that another Wife might find themselves drop in favour.
Sometimes, in the right circumstance, it is to ensure a child is produced for the Prince, ensuring heirship and thus power for the lucky Wife, and that requires character assassination on behalf of the other prospective Wives...
And Sometimes, when the gender is incompatible, it becomes a race to become the closest of-the-same-gender to the Prince, so that, say, following their untimely death (usually a shaving accident, from behind, with a knife) the Throne defaults to them...
And Sometimes, it is based on true love, either fighting for the reciprocation of your emotions, or simply for the happiness of your beloved, at the cost of your own bliss...

Cotery: Church Of The White Hand

The Cloistered Church Of The Singularity Of The Endless White Hand want only one thing: an end to violence.

There is too much violence in the World Below, too much Blood in the Dirt, and Far too much Blood in The Skies. The Church stands for united peace, and offers it's Endless Hand out to help, promoting healing, tranquility and support. However, many Coteries see the White Hand as meddlers, idiots and archaic traditionalists unwilling to accept that Winged Survival and progression has been built on conflict. Still, The Cloistered Church keep going with their messages of unity, an end to destruction and a new age of perfection, and grow stronger every day.

The Choral Bird Song of The White Hand is especially revered above all other Coteries - as the Cloistered Church's sole weapon against those that would "Walk The Path" , Bird Song is cultivated and perfected amongst the Doves to such a level that entire Chorusses sing as one perfect, beautiful many mouthed being.

Traditionalist Doves believe that those that should be united together are "Us All" - all the Winged. To this end, Traditionalists eschew much else other than names and roles, letting their actions to save, heal, sing and stop other Winged define them rather than belongings or History.

If pushed, The White Hand will accept that conflict is inevitable, but suffering can be avoided: it takes two parties to go to war, so why should one, if any, walk away scarred, if at all?
How the White Hand deals with pacifism is different depending on the Winged: Doves spread Peace & Understanding, Quails & Chickens through hard work, Partridges through intervening and martyrdom, and Nightengales through Beauty and appreciation.

Dove Eyries resemble huge, ornate but simple white marble temples, sometimes enshrouded in ivy or flowers, sometimes marked with esoteric symbols. More Radical Eyries resemble rescued-but-unkempt churches, appropriated bunkers and colourful gardens.
Following the new Century's Parliaments, a schism has erupted between the Radical & Traditionalist Doves: The Traditionalist Doves are angered that the Church has failed to influence or intervene with the Parliament, or prevent the creation of the Red, a force even more despisable to the Peace-seeking Hand than the Green. The Radical Doves are sickened that the Hand seems to be whining about not controlling everything, and more importantly, want to choke out the Parliament's free will.

This has resulted in the Radicals breaking away to form their own faction, The Cult Of the Pillars Of Light, apparently aided by both Dreamers and new Patrons. Needless to say, relations between the patient Church & the Free Cult are... strained.

- -

Principles of the White Hand

1. Purity
2. Peace
3. Patience
4. Understanding
5. Purification

OC: Inspirations: Monks of All Kinds, Sufi Dervishes, Hindu Aghora, Dune Navigators & Bene Gesserit, Buddhism, Religions of all sorts.
Dove Bird-Song is, in my head, a mix of choral singing, hymns, throat singing, and call and response.

- - -

Doves

Doves are the head representatives of the White Hand. Ascetic, tranquil, hopeful and forgiving, dressed in simple robes, beads and sashes, Doves simply want the Coteries to agree - one step at a time. Dove Birdsong is beautiful, and a full Chorus of hand-linked Doves casting their Birdsong can be utterly enchanting. Doves believe in the Chorus - the voice of The Many which outweighs the few. Rumours of Doves being able to empower another with the full power of The Chorus have been noted, though many simply believe this is the effect of mystifying Dove Birdsong.

Visually indistinct except for their mannerisms and perhaps (in the Case of self-identifying Radicals) in their dress sense, Doves of specific roles are difficult to spot. The Chosen are the Deacons and Defenders, those that tend and care for their Brothers and sisters less fortunate to prove themselves. The Ascendant are the Psychopomps and Voices, Leaders whose calming or firey words can motivate entire Dove Coteries to accept or deny aid to allies as quickly as the will of The Chorus changes.

Traditionalist Doves wear simple robes in a uniform colour, with simple jewelry as focus items and gifts from Brothers to Sisters. Chosen and Ascendant are distinguished perhaps by different jewelry or more silks.

- -

Dove Believer

Type: Pawn
Plumage: White
FacePaint: White Brows. Uniform Religous Symbol on forehead - Same on all Doves in same House.
Beak: White Small.
Emotion: Bliss
Oppurtunities: Religous Fanatic, Wandering Healer, Choir Singer, Good Samaritan, Hippy Activist, Cultist, Flagellant
Qualities: Quick, Quicker, Barbrisier

- -

Dove Chosen

Type: Bishop
Plumage: White
FacePaint: White Brows. Uniform Religous Symbol on forehead - Same on all Doves in same House.
Beak: White Small.
Emotion: Bliss
Qualities: Oratorism, Emotionallist

- -

Dove Ascendant

Type: King
Plumage: White
FacePaint: White Brows. Uniform Religous Symbol on forehead - Same on all Doves in same House.
Beak: White Small.
Emotion: BlissQualities: Oratorism, Fancy, Quick

- -


Pigeons (White)

"She was an odd investment, the White Pigeon, but ze had never once regretted backing her cause. And she was a Pigeon - an oddity, born with plumage white as a Dove, with pale grey fingers. That had raised no few eyebrows, but she had taken it as a sign, a reminder of the heritage of the Pigeons who had once, in the mists of time, been Doves of the White Hand. A divine message that the future of peace and unity, of the Chorus itself, lay in progress, in innovation - in the Dirt.

She had declared herself a prophetess - no, more, a manifestation of the Chorus itself. She abandoned her name, in a move which rather endeared her to the Mockingbird who, like many others of hir kind, had done the same, and went only by the epithet of White Pigeon. And when she spoke, you could truly believe that in science and progress lay the way to eternal peace. There is always a buyer for peace, and so Mr Sparks took her under hir wing, ensured she had every resource she needed, and watched with fascination as the Dreamer she selected as her personal project began to change the world. A fine investment indeed."

White Pigeons are a link between the religious purity of the White Hand, and the scientific endeavors of the Dirt. They are Prophets & Utopians. They often base their names on variations of the word White, or it's Synonyms. They feel a deep connection to Dreamer Scientists, and the many attempts to end war... even if an ultimate weapon needs to be built to do that.

Type: Bishop
Plumage: White
FacePaint: Grey on Some Extremeties (Choices of Forehead, feet, fingertips, etc)
Beak: Small White

Emotion: Love
Qualities: Emotionalist, Loving 

- -

Quail




Caught between the hard-working Chickens, the furious Grouse and gregarious Partridges, the fast and defensive Quails are the best of all worlds. Mostly hard-working farmers, Quails believe in enjoying the fruits of their toil. Honest, caring believers of the White Hand, Quails will drop all hospitality once their family, faith or friends are threatened.

Quails often wear practical wear: shirts, shifts, hardy trews, boots, aprons.
Quails often carry practical Spears, and other long tools.

Type: Pawn
Plumage: Blue
FacePaint: Blue Freckles on Cheeks, Black Wode
Emotion: Bliss
Qualities: Quick, Quicker, Spearsman

- -

Convertee




Winged that have sworn off their Cotery's traditions and adopted the pacifism and Peace of the White Hand. Agents of Bliss, and Reborn as Pure Souls, Convertees hope to achieve enlightenment and ascension through good acts and scouring off the sins of their past lives.

Convertees wear religious garb: sometimes silks, sometimes just robes.

Type: Pawn
Plumage: See Previous Winged
FacePaint: See Previous Winged
Emotion: Bliss
Qualities: Emotionallist, Quick, One more from Previous Winged

- -

Chicken

Chickens are resourceful, reliable, and incredibly hard workers. Recently recruited into the Riverstates by promise of home & employment, Chickens more commonly find themselves as the unseen, unheard underclass in every other cotery. While work is bliss, they do require adulation, payment and fair respect. Chickens are at home working, but enjoy a good fight, and will often fight just to solve an argument, or end an awkward silence.
Some Chickens have recently rejoined the White Hand, seeking hard-work without the perversion of Desire.

Chickens often wear practical wear: shirts, shifts, hardy trews, boots, aprons.
Chickens often carry practical Knives. Some more martial, angry Chickens grow Talons.

Type: Pawn
Plumage: White or Brown
FacePaint: Red or Green on Forehead
Emotion: Bliss
Inspirations: Farmers, Yeoman, Factory Workers, Navvies
Opportunities: Fighting Champ, Trade Unionist, Heavy
Qualities: Quick, Hardy, Knifeman

- -

Partridge




Gregarious and full of life, Partridges preach the wonderful ways of the White Hand over a good slap up meal and a nice home brewed ale. Monks and Friars, cousins of the Chickens, Grouse and Quails. Unlike other White Hand, are willing to get their hands bloody (as long as they get a good purification and a bottle of wine afterwards) - believers in achieving Strength through Faith. A Healthy Soul has a Healthy Body!

Partridges often wear robes; sometimes plain and covering, sometimes bright and open.
Partridges are often either unarmed (to take the beating, rather than dish it out), or have the Monk's favourite, the Stick.

Type: Knight
Plumage: Red-Brown
FacePaint: Red Nose
Emotion: Bliss
Qualities: Hardy, Hardier, Hardiest, Numb, Stalwart

- -

Nightengale

Beautiful voiced oracles and seers, everybody ever respects the perfect singing of The Nightengales. Even Rabble. They are considred pure and dislike physical contact in any way, believing sin will blemish their perfect Soul's place in the Heart of The Chorus. Commonly trusted as Psychopomps and Oracles.

Nightengales wear beautiful Robes, sometimes with shawls or blindfolds, to protect their eyes from the imperfection of the world.

Type: Bishop
Plumage: Red-Brown
FacePaint: Red-Brown Stripe across eyes
Emotion: Bliss
Qualities: Fancy, Oratorism

Update: January 2013

Happy New Year everyone! Wishing you all a great 1926!

• New Posts: Lots of possible Xenos & Winged! Browse through our previous entries!
• Coteries Updated: Wavefarers, Raptors, Green, River, Xenos
• New Pages: Birdsong, Eyrie War.
• Qualities Updated
• More to come!

Events this year:

• March 9th: David & Ornithocrats will have a stall at the Great Larp Kit Fair, Leicestershire!
  Will update with more information when known!
• March 16th: Ornithocracy Act III, Full Event, at East Oxford Community Centre.
  Facebook Event.
  LARP Events page.
  Page coming soon!
• March 29th: David & Ornithocrats are Guests at Conpulsion 2013 in Edinburgh!
  A "Pick-Up & Play" Mini-Event, Ornithocracy Scene III, will be held!
  Page coming soon!
• Summer: Ornithocracy Scene IV, Mini Event, TBC
• Autumn: Ornithocracy: The Intermission, Full Event, TBC
• Winter: Ornithocracy Scene V, Mini Event, TBC

For more information, contact David!

Possible Green: Great Tits

GREATS - Sometimes, a Rabble in The Green... "matures". Now don't get me wrong, they don't become an adult, and do... accounting and... cooking and ...spell-checking and all that other rubbish grown up stuff. They start noticing responsibility for their actions, cause and effect, fighting for a reason, protecting a loved one, revenge, etc. Basically, they start actually listening to a Robin. These "Tits" are usually seen with a mix of awe and confusion by their Rabble Siblings - possible leaders in training, champions in the rough, beacons of erratic hope... while still having a sense of humour and a desire to set Dirt on fire.
Sometimes going by "Tits", sometimes being colossally aware of how hilarious that sounds and instead renamed "Greats" (As in, both "Great Tits" and "I AM BETTER THAN YOU"). Gang leaders, instigators, antagonists, and champions-to-be. Robins, Woodpeckers & Pheasants are proud of their accomplished students, who have chosen reason (Well, as much "Reason" as there is in thievery and poo jokes) over the wild, and push them forward for great deeds. Greats often take responsibility as a voice for a Rabble gang, dishing out careful punishment if a Rabble goes too far (and secretly rewarding them when no-one's looking). They still favour knives, but have progressed from simple pick-pocketing tools to a twirl of dual blades. Greats despise Creepers, their animalistic counterparts in the Red.
Rumours of Rabble achieving even more are uncommon... and clearly just lies. I mean, pffft. Rabble. Kings. Yeah, right.

New Xenos: Parakeets

PARAKEET - Parrots in training, Research assistants, librarians, students and narrative scholars without a book to their name (yet).
Parakeets are much the same as their more intellectual (and thus, higher-ranking) cousins, only with more excitement, more willingness to explore, get their hands dirty, and ask many, many questions in awkward, dangerous situations. Parakeets find knowledge (and Song) attractive, in both a studious and emotional way. Their new place in the Waveafrers is natural to them, sailing the mysterious tumult ("Exactly how deep is this?"), accompanying nefarious Gulls & Frigates ("So... does that technically belong to you now?"), being waited on by Puffins ("Exactly how much endurance do you have, on a scale of 1 to More?") and encountering mind-boggling Krakens ("Would you describe your appearance as Maddenning? Yes or Yes?").
Parakeets are always looking to uncover a full story never before recorded - Start, Middle and End - so they can pass theirthesis on to the Golden Libraries and achieve the Title of Full Parrot.

Possible Eye: Hoopoes

HOOPOE - A Hoopoe speaks only when spoken to: Silence is a virtue that enables those blinded by commotion to see true.
A Hoopoe never, ever stops: a spinning blade does not need to falter, simply change it's trajectory.
A Hoopoe is not to be touched: purity comes without stains of lust or violence, the White Hand are right on this matter.
A Hoopoe is to be enjoyed: the dance never ceases, simply changes it's pace, from the blade's sweeping curve to the jewelled, bell'd hips and stoumach.
A Hoopoe's history is not to be discussed: Colour does not always mean a Spirit who tore at us, choked us & blinded us in the Abyss.
A Hoopoe is to be aided: even two skilled blades need a shield to protect them.
A Hoopoe is to be respected: they have given their all for the Eye.
A Hoopoe is to be trusted: a holy warrior to serve the Condors, Eagles & Falcons.
A Hoopoe is to be denied: they should not want, never want. Their life is to serve as blade & jewel, not take.
A Hoopoe is to be observed from a distance: in fervor, those blades bite whoever is in their way.

Possible Eye: Blue-Foots

BLUE-FOOTS - Blue-Foots always want more: a bigger boat, a sharper sword, a hunkier mate, fuller pockets, and a better world for the Eye to thrive. Sailors, traders, pirates, thieves, rogues, scouts, salvagers, explorers and smugglers, gregarious and open, you might be forgiven for thinking that Blue-Foots are Wavefarers, but their allegiance is solely to the Fading Eye. Blue-Foots make excellent front men & ambassadors for the Eye, enjoying a good chat, a drink, and a fight a lot more than the regimented Vultures, serious Ibises or aloof Eagles. They make good friends with the other non-Vulture non-Raptor Eye, especially Ducks, who they share a yearning of Desire with. Blue-Foots tolerate most other winged, although Wavefarer and Riverstates bragging riles them. They have a strained oceanic friendship with the lawful Cormorants, and a grudging, arm-wrestling respect for the angry Shags.
Blue-Foots served in the Eye in the old times, but fled to the Tumult under the Gods' commands when The Stars Went Out. They are returning, slowly.
Although not overtly religious like the Ibis', Blue-Foots are staunch supporters of the Eye, and believe there is a perfect place for them in the Eye's new order. They are very superstitious, especially when it comes to crossing / traversing / diving the River and Tumult. It is said they once had a Personal Patron, like all Castes in the Eye, but the name is lost to outsiders - regardless, Blue-Foots still hold jewellery and whisper to unknown ears, turning counterclockwise or offering flowers to the water when crossing those territories...
Blue-Foots have another, sillier name for their Winged caste, which they either find incredibly derogatory or ridiculously funny. Heh. Boobies.

Possible Raptor: Sparrowhawk

SPARROWHAWK - Red fights Green. Wrath fights Wrath. Predators feed on both.
Their exact relations to the Raptors, Green & Red extremely shady, the Sparrowhawks are big game hunters and opportunistic killers - Hawks, Kites & Kestrels who have been amongst the enemy, living as them, killing as them. Hearts of darkness, bullets of cold indifference, these predators kill for little more than the thrill of death and personal score. Sparrowhawks treat hunting as a game, awarding a single point for a Rabble, an extra ten for an entire gang.
Among the Red, they hunt Green; Among the Green, they hunt Red.
They're not stupid, so hunting their allies within their own territory is always highly unlikely and morally stupid - although an aristocrat's patience with barbarian peasants can only be strained *so* far...
Robins and other Feral look at them with a terrified respect; studied murderers, who could easily turn their indifferent claws on you given half a reason.Their relationship with the Raptors is equally strained; they may be traitors, but at least their guns aren't aimed at *us*. They often serve as ambassadors between both, and promote healthy relations between the Noble Houses and the Forests. However, it is impossible to judge, push comes to shove, where their loyalties truly lie: with their blood, or the forest that enabled them to spill it so easily...

Possible Veil: Nutcrackers

NUTCRACKER - Named after "cracking" the "nut" of knowledge, Nutcrackers are those Magpies & Treepies whose pursuit of knowledge has gone full circle, enabling them a seat in education. Headmasters & Mistresses, Deans, Professors, and Chancellors, Nutcrackers represent Despair in it's form of overcoming adversity, specifically in the form of the insurmountable odds of the unknown. They lead themselves and their students against that which is not understood, so that they might tame it, and that others may one day treat it as common knowledge to be accepted or snubbed.
Houses formed around Nutcrackers are often Colleges, whose presence in the Parliament is based on investigation, education, and revelation.
Although not always as vocal as Treepies, Nutcrackers' association with MINITru is fraught. Without MINITru, the Nutcrackers would have no position to teach, and the Magpies would be without education in any form. Thus it is that Nutcrackers owe MINITru much... yet still, Treepies & Magpies are able to arrange pickets & protests with startling insight and accuracy, almost as if higher-ups were aiding them. Or the cases where MINITru demands a troublesome Student be Terminated, only to find out that the relevant college has lost the memorandum due to some "whoopsie" and allowed the student to graduate...
Nutcrackers are good with Tools. When knowledge can't simply be cracked by analysing, sometimes a twist or adjustment is needed... that or twatting it with a cane or ruler...

Possible Veil: Treepies

TREEPIES - A Magpie whose thesis on Applied Despair & Emotional Investment is sometimes elevated to the position of Treepie in order to carry out their research first hand. Often Anthropologists, Archaeologists, Zooologists (Regular & Crypto) or Applied Statisticians. In short, Treepies are Post-Grads, delving into the secrets, peoples, geography & history of the Dream on a shoestring budget of Emotion.
Treepies are very much still Magpies, prefering to perform a mix of hanging with their undergrad buddies and talking with / visiting / studying with allied houses as research ("Day 37, and, strangely, the owls *still* havn't eaten me"). With their great mix of subjects and specialities, Treepies are great at obtaining Emotion that ISN'T Despair.
Treepies are often huge fans of Raven fashion, and so their relationship is strained - Ravens don't feel very artsy when a smelly student is all excited up in your grill.
Treepies are also *not* big fans of MiniTru, strongly opposing the censorship of Academia and the fascist policing not seen in other Coteries - Treepies often run secret amnesties to help underdogs or the needy, claiming that the needy were "keeping all the despair for themselves", but in reality teaching them to fight the oppression.
While mouthy Treepies disappearing in the night is common, so is huge Student pickets, or even worse, colossal mobs of Magpies led by Treepie rousers easily squashing any Jackdaw kettling through sheer numbers. When research is a key to the Veil's despair, an angry Academia can be a highly effective beacon for revolt.

Possible Veil: ?

?

Possible Veil: Choughs

CHOUGHS - Honourable, Fearless and Heroic are not words usually associated with the Mourning Veil. Choughs were born close to the Tumult, and are naturally attracted to dangerous situations, tackling them fearlessly and without regret. Choughs risk their lives for any odds... although they whether they do so for their own thrill or a sense of duty is debatable.

System: Changing Caste / Winged

Ok. Several people have shown interest in changing their Caste or Winged in-game. Here's some options, before they become official:

CHANGE IN DT: Any Caste or Winged change will result in different DT options. ASAP, your character will try to become as skilled as the Winged they have become, so your Quality & Song options will be based on the starting Qualities & Songs of that Winged. Similarly, if you already know these, your options may be based on their Advanced forms.

MOVING DOWN AN ESTABLISHED RANK (E.G, VULTURE OFFICER TO VULTURE): Requires IC Resignation or Demotion (From a King of your House). This should involve relevant Roleplay or paper-work. Although this is relatively simple, please pre-notify a Ref, preferably before the Event.

MOVING UP AN ESTABLISHED RANK (E.G, CORMORANT HERO TO ADMIRAL): This requires a Rite of Passage, appropriate to your Winged's attempted new Caste. This may be an Adventure, gathering signatures from and persuading PCs & NPCs, or fighting a relevant "Champion" or "Boss". Definetly notify a Ref, Definetly Before The Event.

CHANGING WINGED, LOGICALLY (E.G, BUZZARD TO EAGLE, RABBLE TO ROBIN, ROOK TO RAVEN): This requires a Rite of Passage, appropriate to your Winged's attempted new Caste. This may be an Adventure, gathering signatures from and persuading PCs & NPCs, or fighting a relevant "Champion" or "Boss". Definetly notify a Ref, Definetly Before The Event.
This can also be achieved Metaphysically, through Song.

CHANGING WINGED, ILLOGICALLY (E.G, GULL TO ROBIN, OSPREY TO MOCKINGBIRD: Nope. Not possible through roleplay...
...though this /might/ be achieved Metaphysically, through Song.

BECOMING A SPECIAL WINGED (E.G, CROW, CHILD OF HORUS, A LOST):
There are in-game, known ways to achieve these. Mostly involving Song.

CHANGING HOUSE: Get IC & OC confirmation from both parties, especially your new one. Showing the new member to the relevant Patron / Notifying The Patron is a good start too. Notify a Ref ASAP.

CHANGING COTERY: Same as above, but may require a Rite of Passage / Extreme Negotiation with Patron / Major Repercussions. Please Notify a Ref ASAP, especially if you OC plan on jumping ship between events. This will probably cause new Winged to spread to your new home.

Possible MINITru: Whipps

WHIPPS - Jays in MiniTru have a special place as interrogators and convincers. Some like this job... a bit too much. Whips are Jays (And the occasional Grackle) who have embraced true sadism, or masochism, or both. To them, Pain is Desire, and Desire is Pain. And they're wonderful at their jobs. With a Grackle's taste in leathers, a Jay's sensibilities for pistol, knife and a savage grin, and MiniTru approved AnswRevTech (a whip) and BlankDescrip++ (a Mask), a Whipp on the offensive is a Threat+.

Like Jackdaw Enforcers & Agents, Whipps do ally themselves to Rooks of the greater Mourning Veil, as torturers and "diplomats", but still hold an allegiance to MiniTru. This allegiance can become stressed, strained and tested, and eventually broken: no known ex-MiniTruOps have sided with Art over Secrets and survived, and likewise Rooks that disobey MiniTru often find their House's dealings turning sour.

Possible Raptor: ?

<REDACTED> - There will come a time when the catacombs of House Raptor will call out to all those of the True, Noble Blood, and even the <REDACTED> of <REDACTED> will heed the call.
Truly Noble, adventurous, heroic, spirits of youth, the here & now, regarded by some to be the True Princes of The House Of Raptor. Creatures of <REDACTED> as opposed to Nightmare, they are more likely to dive straight into turmoil regardless of the violence, simply knowing the sadness and destruction that would be caused by their inaction. More willing to follow an Osprey than hunt with a Hawk, to listen to a Merlin than an Owl, and aid a Secretary than duel a Buzzard. Eagles see them as honourable and determined, ensuring that these Iconoclasts stay around, even if they are popularly seen as "foreign, distant cousins".
<REDACTED> find, like Secretaries, they have some connection to the very foundations of the House of Raptor, compelled to stoop and dive into the catacombs and uncover their secrets.
Much like their <REDACTED> Compatriots, <REDACTED> still see themselves purely as male, although their new Raptor family are far more likely to make sure these new ladies act lady-like...

Possible Raptor: Eagle Owl

EAGLE OWL - Commonly either the offspring of an Eagle & Owl, or an Owl that has elevated their standing to Full Domination, Eagle Owls are much like the other Kings of the Raptors. Level-headed, armoured swordsmen, with a commanding presence. Unlike Eagles however, these Kings still have their kins' keen eye for mysticism. Omens, portents and auras are likely to change an Eagle Owl's mind on subjects of politics, war, or even fashion & romance. Superstitious is an understatement - to Eagle Owls, the melding of benevolence and mysticism results in a comprehensive care for any supernatural sign, and the luck, good or bad, it will bring to them or their people.
Elevated Owls are more likely to be, well, like Owls: shrewd, manipulative, yet competent and dangerous. The children of these strange pairings are more likely to take after the Eagle: strong, noble, fearless.

Possible Raptor: Merlin

MERLINS - When the <REDACTED> heed the call to come to the House Of Raptor, so will also come The Merlins. Friendly & Earthy (while still knowing their place at the top of the Food Chain), if Owls are looking up at the Stars, Merlins are looking down at The Roots: Hedge Wizards to Owls' Arcanists. Owls practice Alchemy, Merlins Herbalism; Owls Astrology, Merlins Palm Reading; Owls in Curses, Merlins in Remedies. Superstitious like their lofty aquintances, Merlins are far more likely to sprinkle a circle of protection than invoke the power of a dark god.
Never quite as respected as the Owl Scholars, Merlins are more likely to be Nurses, Nannies, Ladies-In-Waiting, Tutors or, in some cases, specifically Seers to counterpoint, or second, the Owls' view.
Benevolent and learned, while still potentially cruel and self-righteous, Merlins are often companions to the "less horrid" side of the Raptor family, along with Ospreys, <REDACTED>, (Some) Secretaries and (Some) Eagles.
Merlins are often placed in charge of less-Regal Raptor ceremonies - Namings, Marriages, etc. They delight in match-making and courtship, enjoying the fluctuations and heart aches almost as much as the young Raptors involved.A

Possible Raptor: Predators

PREDATOR - Sometimes the call of cruelty appeals to a Winged whose domain is uasually calmer. Predatory Winged are those who have fled their homes toi become subservient to the House of Raptor. Although commonly treated as serfs, it is klnown for Raptors to eventually "accept" their cruel bretheren as peers, especially after proving themselves, displaying utmost heartlessness, or passing some clandestine initiation. Predatory Winged often hold a similar position to that which they did in their hoime, but now as a subservient to an Owl or Buzzard.

Winged: Cuckoos

Cuckoos


Mothers wrap up their chicks at night, warning them that if they don't sleep, a Cuckoo will swallow them whole and wear their skin. Yet in the morning, the mother wont notice the child's voracious hunger or slack eyes...
The Cuckoo are mostly unknown, but utterly feared by the other Coteries. Able to appear as any other bird, a Cuckoo can slip within a coterie utterly unnoticed. Anyone could be a cuckoo, there are no ways to know until they are dead, mouths torn wide, eyes huge and watery, only able to chant "Cuckoo! Cuckoo!". Thought to be only a fairy-tale until recent years, it is believed that Cuckoos are either sleeper agents or demonic assassins slipped within a Coterie by wearing the secretly deceased's slack skin, waiting for the righ opportunities to destroy the family from within. Of course, the fall of a Coterie House from within is often only bad news to the effected Coterie House, and many welcome the presence of Cuckoos into their rivals' homes, but never their own.
Cuckoos are strange outsiders who must serve some strange, unholy purpose. No-one has ever made contact with a Cuckoo before their death while knowing they were a Cuckoo, thus no distance has been made attempting to understand these freakish assassins.

Inspirations: Cylons (BSG), Changelings, Hashashin
Oppurtunities: Assassin, Spy, Antagonist, Divine Agent, Confidant
Cuckoo Birdsong, of course, sounds almost like whatever they are pretending to be. Almost.
Qualities: Secret!

This picture, of course, does not represent costume for Cuckoos, it is simply a stylized interpretation. For costume / phys-reps, look at every other Winged illustration.

New Xenos: Flamingo

FLAMINGOS - Artists and Imagineers, Critics and Snobs of the highest calibur, Flamingo culture is based on image. Immaculate, perfect and without flaw. Deviation from beauty results in being ostracized. New forms of art and beauty are ever rising and falling in Flamingo society, so their hierarchy of image is ever changing. Flamingos only associate with themselves... and only the very elite of other Societies, none of the riff-raff or scum.

To Flamingos, Image, and especially costume & jewellery is everything to these disciples of beauty. They have been known to stop fights and potential diplomacy in order to give the other party a make-over, unable to deal with them otherwise.

New Xenos: Emu

EMU - Parrots are commonly considered the Scholars of the Xenos, collectors of Stories & Traditions, but Emus & Ostriches are also scholars, of History. Hard Fact. What has happened, who, how and why?

To Emus, life is a series of interesting facts, to be chronicled and recorded. They have a sense of irreverent humour, that belies their otherwise serious nature. Emus sometimes grow nasty claws, rumours abound that they use them to etch facts into stone.
Emus like loose-fitting, dark robes and jewellery. Their prominent colour is a sparkling black. Strangely, the concept of gender seems to be foreign to them, referring to each other by name - individuality & achievement far more important.

New Xenos: Toucan

TOUCAN - Traders, dream-engineers, idea-merchants and auctioneers, Toucans can get the Xenos whatever idea, weapon, artefact or device they need. For a price. Toucans flourish as the neutral party willing to host to both sides, but devote to neither. Suave and in demand, highly reliable but absolutely untrustworthy, unless you've purchased their services. Some Toucans eventually make the "right" decision, swayed by morals or an underdog's attitude. Many more don't.

New Xenos: Kookaburras

KOOKABURRA - If Toucans are the traders and engineers, Kookaburras are the suppliers. Somehow distantly related to the River's reliable Kingfishers, Kookaburras are brilliant emotionallists and collectors of every emotion, common or foreign, and even stuff. Only, they have a personality quirk... being exposed to such large amounts of emotion constantly have left them... odd. Whether it's megalomania, rage-driven psychosis, obsessive-compulsion, or all of the above, or a number of other strange quirks, Kookaburras are never entirely all there. This never makes them idiots however, far from it.
Many Kookaburras believe in a view absurdism - treating the world as a joke and laughing at whatever problems come their way.
Regardless of their sanity, Kookaburras often engage in same sex relationships. It's just how they roll.

New Xenos: Hoatzin

HOATZIN - Alchemists and Scientists of the Xenos, Hoatzin hold a unique mix of position and mentality. Believing that knowledge of an outcome firsthand is worth far more than mere notes or observation, Hoatzin experiment their new poisons, venoms, drugs and visions on themselves. This results in a Hoatzin acting as host to a number ailments, resulting in the popular view of them as, well, 'pungent'.
Many Hoatzin take the position of beggars and paupers, noting the social reactions to their experiments. This, combined with physical ailments, is the reason for the Hoatzin's common dress of bandages.
Most Hoatzin are content to be practical observers as Scientists, while a few are more willing to take their experiments, especially Venoms, to a wider audience. Talons and Bows are the delivery mechanisms of choice.