Sponterezh

The energy uafas infuses certain hallucinogenic compounds that can be wielded by skilled users on darts and other projectiles in order to cause nightmares and visions of terror. (pl. sponterien)

Uafan Toxins

The energy of fear, nightmares, and terror is generated through interaction between arnum and emotional resonance, which often happens naturally as mortals experience fear and pain. However, it is rarely in large enough quantities to be useful. Usually, it is found in the fear-sweat of a mortal or the pheromones of someone in a deep nightmare or simply in the esoteric field of their emotions or even within their dream energy. Some skilled and powerful esotericists amongst the goblins learned to harvest it, however, from many mortals, and create the uafan toxins that spread nightmare visions.

In most eras, uafan toxins are a controlled substance that can be acquired legally or illegally by those who seek them out in the right places. The toxins themselves appear to be a bubbling fluid emitting a green, red, and orange gas. The fluid takes on all three colors in a swirl, and smells of rotting fruit. They are often mixed with other compounds, used to lace projectiles, or turned into gas bombs.

Forms

Uafan toxins are usually found in these forms:

• Liquid: the liquid form is the most common, blended with sweat. It is often kept in vats by the harvesters of the toxins.
• Gas: as the liquid boils at room temperature, it puts off gases, which are often captured either in the same vats or in special glass containers.
• Powder: the gas is sometimes compressed under massive pressure into a powder form, which takes on a higher resistance to heat and becomes usable in different compounds.
• Flame: if the liquid or gas form hits high enough temperature, it erupts into brightly colored flames, which do not burn flesh but emotion.
• Illusion: the nightmare visions induced by uafan toxins are made of them, and if drawn out of the mind into reality, touching them inducing more nightmare visions.

Mixtures

The toxins are often mixed with other things:

• Water: diluted liquid uafan toxin or water infused with the gas is often used to supply very low doeses of the toxin to large communities.
• Other drinks: the powder is utilized to give a high dose to an individual or small group.
• Food: the powder is often mixed with foods in order to deliver high doses to individuals or small groups.
• Glass: gloine dearg is a colored glass made by mixing the powder into a glass-blowing technique. The glass makes light that flows through it into uafan illusions. It is very, very, very fragile.
• Metal: the brass alloy grusellus is made by using powdered toxins in the alloy process.
• Stone: the jasper clochbreac resonates with uafas and can be directly crushed to create the powder.

Mass Terror

A sponterezh (literally, "terrorist") is someone who wields these compounds in order to induce mass terror events. Their goals vary, but they usually do this on behalf of a government or organization seeking to control the public. The occupation began amongst the goblins and was quickly adopted by the Unseelie Court, and has variations around the world by the most repressive regimes.

Nightmare Visions

There are two kinds of mass terror events favored by sponterien: major attacks that are well publicized and more subtle intoxification events. The former spreads terror the old fashioned way after the initial attack, the latter involves poisoning water, food, or air in a way that is unnoticed but induces paranoia and mass nightmares in a population. The sponterezh themself also experiences hallucinations and nightmares, but theirs are permanent, and they can gain control over them and eventually release them into reality.

Horrors

The monsters created in nightmare visions are called ollphéist (pl. arrachtaigh). The arrachtaigh are never reflections of any real monster, but amalgamations of the worst fears of the sponterezh or their victims. If the sponterezh is afraid of the dark and of clowns, their arrachtaigh will be shadowy beings with clown faces. If they are afraid of failure and heights, their arrachtaigh will be figures of great height that remind them of their failings. They can be very abstract or very literal. They do not last very long, however, using up a great amount of energy in a short time. Most vanish after entering reality within a few minutes.

Self-Inducement

To effective wield uafan toxins, a sponterezh will partake in them first through a ritual of initiation called rite báite (the rite of drowning), wherein they inhale uafan gas through a pipe or from a fire, then sleep through a fortnight of nightmares. If they survive this (for within those nightmares, if they die, they die), they awaken with visions of horror all around them permanently and the ability to have some control over them. The rite varies by culture somewhat, usually with some sort of communal dance, bonfire, and sharing of rotting foods, but the only requirement is the inhalation of the gases.

Intimidation

To control the horrible visions a sponterezh lives with, they must instill fear in those around them. Thus, they usually take up intimidation tactics, heightened by the use of small doses of uafan toxins. This usually involves poisoning someone's food or drink, then threatening them. The intimidation will be that much more fearsome when they are experiencing the horrifying effects of the toxin.

Stalking

Usually a sponterezh chooses a singular victim to terrorize in order to maintain their control over the visions around them. The more they terrorize a person, they more control they get over the unreal things they see, and eventually, they can draw these horrors out of their own visions and into reality. These nightmare monsters are often employed in the acts of terrorism the sponterien engage in.

Nightmare Journeys

Eventually, with enough power, a sponterezh will undergo a second rite, inhaling the toxins once more, then sleeping another fortnight. During this time, their body fades and enters the Dream Realm physically, and they go on a journey through their own nightmares. If they survive, they come out with complete control over their fears and the horrors around them.

Mass Toxification

Mass toxification requires a large amount of uafan toxin, and as such, sponterien rarely engage in it. They have to build up to it or have a well-funded supplier. While stalking and intimidation tactics help them control their visions, once they unleash them or toxify a large area in a terrorist attack, their control vanishes and madness ensues for an extended period, but the overall supply of uafas in the world increases.

Inventory

The main tools of the sponterezh are their toxins and tools to spread them.

Toxins

See above form forms. Toxins are used in many different ways, usually dumped into water supplies, exploded via cannister grenades, or delivered via darts.

Blowguns

Goblin sponterien favor using blowguns and darts laced with the toxin, which they use on their stalking victims. Their blowguns are usually made of wood, and their darts wooden with iron tips.

Grenades

Cannister grenades that release uafan gas are used in terrorist attacks, often made of weak metals and pressurized just enough to make them pop at the right time.

Variations

Some variations include

• Braoniad: those sponterezh who specialize in making and harvesting uafan toxins, usually selling them as terrorism tools or as drugs.
• Búistéir: a sponterezh who specializes in tainting meats with uafan toxins, usually working as a butcher and often terrorizing the animals as their victims.
• Ceimceoir: a sponterezh, usually a goblin, who performs rites via dances that bring their arrachtaigh out to dance with them, creating mass terror events.
• Cieseal fal: sponterezh who use their powers to create nightmare gardens out of their arrachtaigh, constantly updating them in order lure in victims to terrorize.
• Cigere: a sponterezh who searches the nightmares or the world for specific visions or fears.
• Cluicheoir: a sponterezh who uses their arrachtaigh to play terrifying games with people.
• Duine scáfar: a sponterezh who hijacks television broadcasts to unleash their arrachtaigh upon.
• Foghlai mara: a sponterezh who works as a pirate and uses their powers during raids.
• Imeaglaithe: a sponterezh who focuses on use of their blowgun and acts as a hunter and warrior.
• Nimhe: a sponterezh who specializes in assassinations rather than larger acts of terror.
• Sparan: a sponterezh who uses their powers to distract from major acts of theft.
• Taosráneoir: a sponterezh who puts uafan toxins in sweets, usually targeting children.
• Údar: a sponterezh who infuses the stories they write with uafan toxins in order to invoke nightmares in their readers. A subtle terrorist.

Similar Occupations

Some other users of uafas:

• Chasseur: shock troops imbued with uafan toxins and unleashes with their arrachtaigh.
• Cluthar: a nun who is lost in uafan visions.
• Grinn: horrifying clowns who use uafan toxins in their makeup so that their performances are terrifying and traumatizing.
• Maloid Oiche: a witch of the traditions of the Unseelie.
• Marcach Ga: riders of massive athropods called anomalocarises.
• Marcra Mac Tire: riders of nightmare wolves called vargr.
• Stalcaire: a ranger of nightmare landscapes.
• Starai: a fili who wields uafas to create horrifying tales.

Societal Role

The original sponterien were goblins who would terrorize rival tribes. This grew into an elite and often secret occupation favored by powerful emperors and kings to terrorize enemies, and eventually became part of widespread terrorist networks or governmental control organizations.

Skills

Common skills include

• Chemistry
• Intimidation
• Psychology
• Stalking
• Hunting
• Drugs
• Explosives

Stats

Modiifers from base of nation/species:

PRO +1
ATH +1
STR /
AWA +2
WIL -2
STH +3
PRS -2