Grinn

Once upon a time, a traveling show, or perhaps a circus, or a theatrical troupe, none are quite sure, but a traveling group of entertainers had a scary story to tell. Perhaps it was an unscrupulous ringmaster or troupe leader, or simply a desperate clown or actor, but one of the performers or those behind the scenes struck upon the idea of enchancing the performance by using uafas to make themself or the performance more terrifying. Like a sceimhlitheoir, they took the various toxins that contain the energy and used it in their makeup. And like many who achieve power through infernal arts, like many who feel the audience respond so potently, like many who seek perfection or profit or power, they became obssessed. Addicted. Devoted to the power of fear.

And then, one day, they found out why it was a bad idea. Their own minds no longer distinguished from the nightmares of night, which had plagued them, and the waking days. They no longer knew the difference between reality and dream, between performance and truth. In their induced delusion, they lashed out with violence, which only amplified the delusion - and their powers, which fed off it.

Thus was the first grinn created.

The practice, inexplicably, spread. Some believed they could control the toxins better. Others sought out the violence intentionally. The end result is the same: efffectively, a clown or other performer, permanently in character as a vessel of violence and horror.

Toxins

The toxins that contain uafas are listed on the page for sceimhlitheoirs. Which are available vary by region, but anyone who can find illicit drugs in an area can find uafan toxins, which are often imported from Arunel.

Makeup

Generally, a grinn will mix one part uafan toxin to three parts makeup for face makeup, and higher for anywhere else. Higher potency on the face will speed the permanent delusional state's arrival.

Effects

Properly mixed uafan makeup will allow a grinn to contort their face into horrifying grimaces, sense fear, and gain power off of it. It also allows them to glamour more generally, though this is not always as potent.

Nightmares

Anyone who uses uafan toxins will have nightmares. The longer they use it, the more intense the nightmares. Eventually, the nightmares become windows into the fears of those around them as well as their own. In other words, if one is sleeping in the same building as a grinn, one will also have nightmares, shared with the grinn.

Contortion and Glamour

Typically, a grinn can only alter their face in ways that make it seem more fearsome - larger teeth, horn growths, bleeding, pustules, anything that makes it seem inherently dangerous. They can also tap into peoples' prejudices and mimic facial features that are culturally considered scary - physical disfigurements, burns, distensions, and so on. The most common alteration is a large, toothy grinn surrounded by blood and burning eyes. Since most grinns are clowns to begin with, this is usually more than enough.

More extensive glamours are only possible if they have fed off of fear or blood or used a very high dose of uafan toxin. These last but a few seconds and are rarely stable enough to maintain shape. This adds, however, to the sense of reality breaking and the general horror a grinn can produce.

Control

Maintaining control is impossible. Most last a month or two, some a little longer. But inevitably, the barrier between nightmare and waking world will fade. At first, feeding seems to help maintain control even as it builds the power of the toxins, but very quickly, power outstrips the will of the user and the ability of feeding to keep it stable.

The Smell of Fear

Uafan toxin applied to the face even in small doses allows a grinn to smell fear. They take deep breaths to draw it in and feed off it. This often results in their having respiratory troubles outside of their makeup.

Feeding

They feed their powers with two things: fear or blood. The former they devour by breathing it in. The sweet scent of fear off a terrified audience is like a fine feast to them. But like most addictions, they constantly need more, eventually moving on to needing blood. This they gain only by spilling it. Most start by bleeding themselves surreptitiously, but inevitably they move on to murder.

Initial Massacre

Almost always, they snap, lose control, and attack their fellow cast and crew and the audience, resulting in a bloody massacre as their unchecked nightmare power melts the minds of those around them. From there, they usually end up going on a killing spree. This is usually preceded by a number of subtler murders, but ultimately, a grinn turns into a monster that flees into the nearest wilderness or slum and feeds off people while thinking they are the character they once played.

Shears

Partly due to the fact that the sharpest thing available backstage is often a sharp pair of scissors, and partly because the Scissorman is a major component of uafan nightmares, most grinns end up wielding scissors, shears, or other such blades as weapons. If a grinn feeds with enough blood, they will be able to toss and control their shears in the air.

Slitting

A grinn who starts as a clown will almost always want to recreate their own clownface on victims, slitting their mouths wide to recreate oversized mouths and so on. The fear generated from those who come across these victims will feed the grinn even if they are not present.

Costumes

Inevitably, a grinn loses complete control while in costume, and they become irrationally attached to the costume thereafter. If their costume is damaged or destroyed, they will do anything to recreate it. Natural degredation does not bother them, not until the costume is so far-gone it cannot be worn.

Persona

The grinn will take on the persona of the character they were playing at the time they lost control. Usually, this is a scary character to begin with. They will stop answering to their own name, stop recognizing anyone not a character from the play or performance, and stop believing anyone not in the performance is real.

Variants

As entertainment styles change by culture and technology level, so too do grinns. In some places, they may be storytellers, in others actors, in others television performers, and so on. Mostly, they are funhouse or haunted house clowns.

Skills

Grinns come from entertainment backgrounds:

• Makeup
• Comedy
• Acrobatics
• Juggling
• Punnery
• Performance/Acting
• Set Design/Building
• Costumery
• Sewing
• Hairstyling
• Dramaturgy
• Drawing
• Singing/Music
• Poetry (Bawdy)

Stats

Modifiers from base of nation/species:

PRO +1
ATH +3
STR /
AWA +1
WIL -3
STH +1
PRS +4