Common Oaths

"Lay down your burden that I might take it up.
The road is long, and I swear I shall bear it for you, until all roads end.
I shall , else may the road cease to lie beneath my feet."

Superficially similar to a geas, this oath is a promise to perform a certain deed. The nature of the deed itself is irrelevant; it could be anything form a kiss to retrieving the still-beating heart of an enemy. This oath will always be made to another, and is made to verify that a task that he desires will be performed. When these words are spoken, a Willpower point is gained by both the oathmaker and the one to whom the promise is made. If the oath is not kept, each loses two Willpower points.

"Blood for blood, bone for bone, life for life,
until only we stride the earth.
My life is in your hands, my blood is in your veins.
Hold me well and I will lend you my strength;
Break your bond and may we both perish.
Friendship I swear to you,
an Oath of clasped hands and shared hearts.”

This oath is never made lightly; these words are only for those who feel a bond for a friend as strong as they might feel for a lover. To make this oath, the oathmakers' and are clasped around a double-edged blade while the words are spoken. As the blood of the oathmakers is mixed, their friendship is reaffirmed and strengthened. Makers of this oath gain a Willpower point when it is completed, but lose two if it is ever broken.

The Oath of Fealty (Changeling, 2^nd Edition, p. 211)

"I swear fealty unto you, (ruler).
Your command is my desire, and your request my desire.
May my service always please, and may my sight grow dark if it does not.
As the tides to the moon, my will to yours, my liege."

This is the wording of a formal Oath of Fealty, commonly used as investitures, knightings, and Sainings. Speaking the words of this oath requires the investment of one Willpower point, and a formal obeisance that lasts a full quarter-hour must be made. Once the oath is taken, the difficulties of all resistance rolls against any form of mental domination are reduced by two. Breaking this oath causes the loss of three Willpower points. In cases of extreme betrayal of this oath, the offender can be struck blind for a year and a day.

The Oath of Escheat (Changeling, 2^nd Edition, p. 211)

"I take you as my vassal. You are of my house, even as the very stones.
I pledge to hold you, to guard you, and to keep you.
I pledge to honor your service as it deserves, and to reward loyalty in kind.
As the moon to the seas below, my will to yours. I pledge the Escheat to you."

With these words, a ruler formally signifies that she accepts another fae as a vassal. This oath is commonly spoken in conjunction with the Oath of Fealty, but not always. When these words are spoken, the speaker loses one Glamour point, and a chimerical gold coin, stamped with her visage, appears in her hand. The oath is not actually binding until the oathmaker offers, and the proposed vassal accepts this token. Failure to abide by the terms of this oath indicates a fall from the ways of true fae honor, and thus causes the acquisition of a Banality point. Anyone currently bound by (and holding to) terms of this oath, even if it is to but one vassal, gains an extra Willpower point per week.

The Oath of Guardianship (Changeling, 2^nd Edition, p. 211)

"As the sun guards the earth by day,
as the stars by night, so shall I serve Thee.
This my duty I shall not abandon (object) until (duration),
else may the stars close their eyes and sleep."

This is a fearful oath, and those who do not uphold to it are cursed to never spend two nights in the same bed until a century as passed. The Oath of Guardianship binds the oathmaker to keep a single object, place, or individual from any and all harm, to the point of ultimate self-sacrifice. There is no cost to make the Oath of Guardianship, save that extracted by its keeping.

The Oath of Truehearts (Changeling, 2^nd Edition, pp. 211-212)

"I shall give a gift of myself to thee.
Take it freely, freely is it offered, and until (duration) comes,
thou, (object) shalt have me in thy keeping.
I swear love unto you and pledge you my troth.
May those who watch over love watch over this oath and those who keep it,
and may we never find fault in their eyes."

The purpose of this oath needs no. It is spoken in unison by the two (or more) lovers it binds, and it takes a point of Glamour from each to craft a chimerical songbird visible only to the lovers. The instant this oath is broken, the bird ceases to sing, perching silently on the shoulder of the oathbreaker and now visible to all as a sign of betrayal. In addition, both betrayer and betrayed gain a Banality point as a result of this cowardly action. On the other hand, being true to the oath grants one additional point of Glamour from any Rapture the lovers participate in.

The Oath of the Long Road (Changeling, 2^nd Edition, p. 212)

"I swear that I shall or lose my honor,
that I shall or lay down my sword,
that I shall or Dream no more.
You and the sky are my witnesses, so may it be."

The Oath of the Long Road is the most potent of the oaths known to the common fae. It is the voluntary acceptance of a quest to be performed, and its swearing is usually sanctified with the blood of both the oathmaker and her witness(es). It is always spoken in front of one, or preferably three witnesses. The oathmaker receives an extra Willpower and Glamour point, but there are dire consequences for failure. Simple failure to complete the quest causes the loss of three Willpower and three Glamour points. Abandoning the quest all together strips the oathbreaker of all temporary Glamour and Willpower, strips a point of permanent Willpower, and adds two Banality points.

The Oath of Crossed Blades (Changeling, 2^nd Edition, p. 212)

"Where two stand there will be one.
I swear enmity unto thee until the setting of the last sun.
May my heart cease to beat and my hand lose it's strength
should I ever show favor to thee,
and the bones of the earth are my witness.”

Only trolls and sidhe generally speak this oath; members of the other kith consider it counterproductive to announce one's enmity. Still, there is a certain style to swearing eternal hatred, and the oath serves as a bold step in the intricate dances of court. A fae swearing this oath instantly trades a point of Willpower for one of Glamour, and also has the difficulty of any roll involving his enemy reduced by one. Should, however, the oath be broken, a point of Willpower is lost permanently, and a pair of matching scars, akin to those that would be left by a rapier's point, appear on the face of the oathbreaker.

The Oath of Adoption [Troll] (Kithbook: Troll, p. 40)

"As the sea to the river, as the tree to the seed,
as the mountain to the stone, so do I now recognize you to me.
From this day forward, you are of my blood,
of my family and of my hold.
I swear to offer you my wisdom, my love and my regard,
for you will carry my name and my memory when I am no more.
Should I abandon you, I abandon myself.
It fills my heart to call you (son/daughter).

(RESPONSE)

As the river to the sea, as the seed to the tree,
as the stone to the mountain, so do I know recognize myself in you.
From this day forward,
I am of your blood, your family and your hold.
I swear to offer you my respect, my devotion and my love,
for you offer me a home where I have none.
Should I abandon you, I consign myself to lonliness.
It fills my heart to call you (mother/father)."

The Satyr Oath of Truehearts (Kithbook: Satyr, p. 25)

"Let the moon and the stars be my witness as I pledge you my love.
I shall hold you in my heart with the passion of a thousand suns.
Roam though I may, I shall always return to you and let no other remove your memory from me.
You are my true love and so shall you stay, no matter where my destiny takes me."

This special version of the Oath of Truehearts is commonly used by satyrs. The wording closely reflects a satyrs free spirited nature and does not bind her to anything that interferes with the pursuit of her Passion. Most satyrs find the standard Oath of Truehearts too constricting and many refuse to swear it. This one, while still expressing their deep devotion, does not limit freedom of action.
The oath is spoken either alone or in conjunction with another, depending on the situation. If a satyr has fallen passionately in love, she might take the oath alone, merely out of need to show the depth of her feelings. When taken alone, the satyr uses a point of Glamour to create a chimerical ring that she wears herself. Once the oath has been taken, the ring can never be removed. It shines brilliantly, visible only to her and her true love. If she ever breaks the oath, however, the ring appears blackly tarnished to all fae, and her finger turns green. Furthermore, she gains a point of Banality by disregarding her oath. If sworn alone, the satyr who is true to her oath receives one extra Glamour point from any Rapture she participates in.
If taken with another, the oath works exactly like the standard Oath of Truehearts. Both lovers use a point of Glamour to craft a songbird. The bird only appears to the lovers until the oath is broken, at which point, the bird ceases to sing and is visible to all fae. In addition, both lovers acquire a point of Banality in result of the betrayal. However, the oath faithfully upheld grants an extra Glamour point to each of the lovers from any Rapture they have a hand in.

The Oath of the Undoing (The Autumn People, p. 55)

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
No slight shall go unnoticed, no wound unavenged.
I shall hunt my undying enemy, [name of enemy],
to the four corners of the Earth,
and I shall not rest until either I or my enemy is fully undone.
I shall do everything in my power to reduce my enemy to nothing,
and to less than nothing, with a keen iron blade."

The oath is dire in meaning. The oathtaker gains a permanent point of Banality, and must roll her Glamour against her new Banality as a target number. Success means she feels the consequences before she finishes the oath and may cut it off. Failure means she finishes the oath and is subject to it until it is discharged. If the oath is broken, a point of permanent Willpower is lost, if it is fulfilled, and second point of Permanent Banality is gained, and the above roll must be made again. This is a terrible oath. It decrees the destruction of fellow Kithain, which only strengthens Banality. As with most oaths, this is not the only wording possible, merely the most popular.

The Oath of the Unbroken Circle (The Autumn People, p. 70)

“I, [name], vow to King David,
to the kingdom of Concordia and upon my blood on the sword Caliburn,
to fight Banality wherever it arises, to rescue all Kithiain who fall into its clutches,
and stop the depredations of Dauntain wherever possible.
I will not endanger other kithain by needlessly exposing them to excessive Banality,
Except when the Kithain understands the risks and is willing to take them.

The benefit of taking this oath is that a Kithain gains one permanent point of Glamour and one of Willpower for the time she follows the oath. She may also reduce the difficulty of Social rolls which pertain to Kithain, chimera, or other creatures of Glamour by two.
The penalty for breaking this oath is a permanent loss of one Willpower and one Glamour. The kithain also loses any advantages gained due to Rank. The only way to cancel this out is to undertake a quest of King David's choosing and complete it to his satisfaction within a reasonable period of time.
To be selected for entry into this order is considered to be a high honor to many Kithain. Many of the younger sidhe vie for appointment into its ranks, but since King David chooses three new members a year, plus whenever he needs to fill out losses, it is not often that one is chosen.