Name: Gale Hudson. An artificial name, since he can't remember his old one.
Gender: Male
Age: Uncertain. Physically he seems to be young, but the flow of time in Faerie is unpredictable, and his memory isn't playing nice with details.
Race: Sometimes people disappear. Most of the time it's what you'd expect: got lost on an unannounced hiking trip, fled an abusive marriage, murdered by a serial killer. Others, mostly children, aren't so lucky. They are taken by the Fae.
The Fae shouldn't be confused with fairies, elves, or even other creatures calling themselves fae on earth. They are a different, far nastier breed, knowing empathy only as much as a blind man knows how to see. They reside in their own realm, separated from this world by a third place known as the Hedge, a vast, thorny forest filled with hidden dangers and twisting paths. But the Hedge isn't really meant to keep people from getting in, it's to keep people from getting out.
Those who are captured (Perhaps tricked, perhaps by breaking some eldritch law, or maybe just plain bad luck) are drug through the Hedge, thorns tearing at body and soul, straight into Faerie. Faerie is a wondrous place, filled to the brim with unbridled magic and passion. Its inhabitants are so beautiful that you want to fall to to your knees and weep with joy. Mortal food tastes like ash in comparison to the most pitiful of meals.
And that's the worst part of it, really. Even as a slave, being flayed alive and dipped in salt for your master's mild amusement, as you're chased through the woods for sport, mind foggy with the terror of what awaits if you don't put forth a good enough show, even as your form is changed, with the body of a hound and the mind of a man, then the body of a man and the mind of a hound, back and forth and again and again, until you don't know which is which or which you were before... even then, you don't know if you want to leave. Even if you ever leave, you not sure if you don't want to go back.
It's not certain what happens to the ones who don't leave. Perhaps they stay forever, or perhaps they waste away into nothingness. But some manage it, stealing away after many failed attempts, tearing through the Hedge back into the mortal world. They don't come back unscathed though, even in body. After being broken and remade so many times, some of Faerie leaks in and settles down to stay. Certainly not truly Fae, but no longer quite human.
They are called Changelings.
Rank: Student, year 1
Personality: Gale is a damaged individual. It's impossible to just get over something on the scale of Faerie. He's made a lot of recovery in the short time since he escaped, but he still feels fragile and jumpy, like an eggshell about to crack. In general, he's conflicted and a bit unstable at the best of times. He usually comes off as shy, weak, and cowardly, but occasionally demonstrates surprising courage and willpower. His morality is particularly affected by this instability; he is typically kind even to insects, but seemingly at random shows himself to be capable of great cruelty.
BRIEF History: Gale doesn't remember much from before his escape. His recount of Faerie swirls like a dream, and he only has the barest snatches of his former life. But though the details are fuzzy, the feelings and trauma are horrifyingly vivid. It's taken a lot of work over the past four years, by therapists, other changelings, and (At first) no small amount of sedation. The wounds will never fully heal, but he's gotten himself into at least a semblance of working order.
Description:
Other than what's apparent from the picture, Gale has light brown hair, green eyes, and is about 5'2” (Or about 157 cm)
Weapon of choice: Gale isn't usually much of a fighter, instead preferring to evade a situation using trickery or magic. When he's backed into a corner though, the cards really come down and he's willing to use anything at his disposal to win, no matter what it may be.
Abilities/Powers: Gale's easiest power to use, and often the most potent, is that of Glamour. It's essentially a personal illusion that works more off of altering perceptions than altering light. He can't use it to the extent the Fae can, becoming beautiful beyond words and unthinkable to deny, but it's useful for disguise and intoxicating enough to sway opinion to his side.
His second ability is the less reliable Fae magic. This usually involves, for lack of a better explanation, contacting the primordial essence of something and bargaining with it. Small things may require no sacrifice, his authority as a changeling alone being enough to convince it. Larger things may require something in return, such as a fire leaping up to strike someone in exchange for Gale eating his next meal charred to a crisp. Enemies of a changeling should beware that this power can be turned on living creatures too, binding them to even a carelessly spoken word.
His third power is the most dangerous to himself. Gale can open portals to the Hedge just about anywhere that a door or entrance might be, even something like an arching branch connecting two trees. While very handy for escape or stealthy travel, it's not to be used lightly. The Hedge is a dangerous place, and a moment of broken concentration could see him stepping off of the barely visible path and into the untamed wilds, not to mention the possibility of being waylayed by some strange creature or even a hunting Fae.
Other: I forgot to mention that while other changelings have roughly the same powers as Gale, no two of them have quite the same physical changes.
