There’s a song recorded in “Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs of the Peasantry of England” which details a serial killer. I think he may be a murderous lover, a sort of faerie we’ve described before in “Realms of Power: Faerie”. Plot hooks at the end.
The recording which follows was released into the public domain by Ritalousie. Thanks to her, and the people in her production team.
The Outlandish Knight
This is the common English stall copy of a ballad of which there are a variety of versions, for an account of which, and of the presumed origin of the story, the reader is referred to the notes on the Water o’ Wearie’s Well, in the Scottish Traditional Versions of Ancient Ballads, published by the Percy Society. By the term ‘outlandish’ is signified an inhabitant of that portion of the border which was formerly known by the name of ‘the Debateable Land,’ a district which, though claimed by both England and Scotland, could not be said to belong to either country. The people on each side of the border applied the term ‘outlandish’ to the Debateable residents. The tune to The Outlandish Knight has never been printed; it is peculiar to the ballad, and, from its popularity, is well known.
An Outlandish knight came from the North lands,
And he came a wooing to me;
He told me he’d take me unto the North lands,
And there he would marry me.
‘Come, fetch me some of your father’s gold,
And some of your mother’s fee;
And two of the best nags out of the stable,
Where they stand thirty and three.’
She fetched him some of her father’s gold,
And some of the mother’s fee;
And two of the best nags out of the stable,
Where they stood thirty and three.
She mounted her on her milk-white steed,
He on the dapple grey;
They rode till they came unto the sea side,
Three hours before it was day.
‘Light off, light off thy milk-white steed,
And deliver it unto me;
Six pretty maids have I drownèd here,
And thou the seventh shall be.
‘Pull off, pull off thy silken gown,
And deliver it unto me,
Methinks it looks too rich and too gay
To rot in the salt sea.
‘Pull off, pull of thy silken stays,
And deliver them unto me;
Methinks they are too fine and gay
To rot in the salt sea.
‘Pull off, pull off thy Holland smock,
And deliver it unto me;
Methinks it looks too rich and gay,
To rot in the salt sea.’
‘If I must pull off my Holland smock,
Pray turn thy back unto me,
For it is not fitting that such a ruffian
A naked woman should see.’
He turned his back towards her,
And viewed the leaves so green;
She catched him round the middle so small,
And tumbled him into the stream.
He droppèd high, and he droppèd low,
Until he came to the side,—
‘Catch hold of my hand, my pretty maiden,
And I will make you my bride.’
‘Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there instead of me;
Six pretty maids have you drownèd here,
And the seventh has drownèd thee.’
She mounted on her milk-white steed,
And led the dapple grey,
She rode till she came to her own father’s hall,
Three hours before it was day.
The parrot being in the window so high,
Hearing the lady, did say,
‘I’m afraid that some ruffian has led you astray,
That you have tarried so long away.’
‘Don’t prittle nor prattle, my pretty parrot,
Nor tell no tales of me;
Thy cage shall be made of the glittering gold,
Although it is made of a tree.’
The king being in the chamber so high,
And hearing the parrot, did say,
‘What ails you, what ails you, my pretty parrot,
That you prattle so long before day?’
‘It’s no laughing matter,’ the parrot did say,
‘But so loudly I call unto thee;
For the cats have got into the window so high,
And I’m afraid they will have me.’
‘Well turned, well turned, my pretty parrot,
Well turned, well turned for me;
Thy cage shall be made of the glittering gold,
And the door of the best ivory.’
Plot notes
Is the parrot the same faerie as the knight, or a rival? Alternatively, the parrot could be a magical animal. It’s clearly not a normal parrot, and it seems to value gold and ivory.
Has the knight actually killed six women, and over what time period? It could just claim six, to have the number seven to conjure with in it a story.
If the women really did die, does this give the maiden the Final Girl Virtue, found in Tales of Mythic Europe? Can their ghosts be summoned?
Why this river? Is the knight a mortal giving sacrifices to something? Could that something still have designs on the maiden, such that she seeks the magi for aid?
Statistics
The Outlandish Knight
The Outlandish Knight is simpler version of the Glanconer (Realms of Power : Faerie p 74-75). He doesn’t kill by draining life energy along an arcane connection: he just whisks girls away to murder them in a river. He might also be seen as a very complicated version of the kelpie.
Faerie Might: 10
Characteristics: Int +1, Per +1, Pre +3, Com +3, Str +1, Sta +1, Dex 0, Qik 0
Size: 0
Virtues and Flaws: Greater Faerie Powers; External Vis (minor), Faerie Sight, Faerie Speech, Human Form, 3x Improved Characteristic, Increased Faerie Might; Traditional Ward (laws of chivalry); Incognizant.
Personality Traits: Predatory +4
Combat: (Shortsword) Init +1, Atk +9, Dfn +7, Dmg +6
Soak: +3, although the creature is a knight, like most knights he doesn’t ride about in full combat gear constantly. He has fine, durable clothes which provide some protection.
Wound Penalties: –1 (1-5), –3 (6-10), –5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20) Dead (21+)
Pretenses: Athletics 3 (climbing walls), Awareness 3 (at night), Carouse 2 (alone with young woman), Charm 3 (young women), Folk Ken 5 (courtship), Guile (women) 5, Faerie Speech 5 (flattery), Single Weapon 6 (women), Stealth 2 (stalking)
Powers:
Allure: 0 points, Init –1 Mentem (1 intricacy point on cost)
Steal Judgement, 0 points, Init –2, Mentem, (2 intricacy points on cost). Equipment: Appears to be a prosperous knight, but does not have a faerie horse.
Vis: 2 pawns, his knife.
Appearance: A handsome man, of a culture nearby to, but not the same as, the victim.
The Bones That Will Not Lie In The River
The Final Victim, assuming the Outlandish Knight really has killed a handful of women, might have a possessing spirit, like the Red Maid of Sark that was described in Tales of Power. Much as the Red Maid may provide a Virtue by lying asleep inside a person with a potentially dramatic life, so this spirit, The Bones That Will Not Lie In The River, may grant a Virtue to the Final Victim, as a dormant possessor. This creature gently pushes the Final Victim into dangerous professions, like the service of the covenant.
Faerie Might: 15 (Corpus)
Characteristics: Int +2, Per +1, Pre 0, Com +1, Str 0*, Sta 0*, Dex 0*, Qik 0*. *
These statistics are provided by the faerie’s host.
Size: (as host)
Virtues and Flaws: Final Victim, Focus Faerie Powers (Possession, see later); 2 x Increased Might, Loosely Material*; Incognizant. * Modified to a Minor Virtue: may only take forms using possession power.
Personality Traits: Brave +3. Enjoys killing +2, Compassionate towards host +1
Combat: Domestic implement (as knife): Init +0, Attack +9*, Defense +7, Damage +3
* These scores do not include the physical Characteristics of the host.
* When near the corpses of her attacker’s victim, her scores increase.
Soak: 0* * Once near her attacker’s trophies, this increases. See Final Girl Virtue.
Wound Penalties: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious.
Pretenses: Brawl 5 (prey), but may use the Pretenses or abilities of the host. Powers: Possession, 1 or more points, Init +2, Mentem: If this power Penetrates, the victim is possessed is under the faerie’s direct control. Any attempt to force the victim to act contrary to her nature, or to use any of the host’s own magical powers requires that the faerie spends Might. A supernatural power (including spell-casting) requires 1 Might point per magnitude to produce. A questionable action that is contrary to the nature of the host requires the faerie exceed the possessed being’s Personality Trait roll on a stress die + Might points spent. The storyguide may give a modifier to the Personality Trait roll based on the nature of the command (see the Entrancement power, ArM5, page 65, for suggestions). Both Might costs must be met if the use of a supernatural power is also contrary to the victim’s nature. If the faerie is in direct control of the host’s actions, the host acquires Magic Resistance, but is also affected by wards that would normally exclude the faerie. If the host is acting under her own free will, then she does not benefit from the faeries Magic Resistance, but may also walk through wards with impunity. This power’s costs are not based on the Hermetic system of magic: it is based on material in Realms of Power: Magic.
Equipment: Someone else’s body, all of their material goods.
Vis: 3 Corpus, in the skull of the possessed victim.
Appearance: The Bones Which Will Not Lie In The River does not have a material body, but if seen with Faerie Sight, or Second Sight outside a body, it’s a skeleton made of broken bones. Its left hand appears to have improvised claws, which are made from human femurs, cut and sharpened into knives.
This is a revenge faerie, so it needs to seek out conflict to feed. Once the host’s story concludes, it may hitch a ride in the body of one of the grogs or companions so that it can be near the magi, whom it senses are beacons for trouble. The Final Victim often retains a sliver of the faerie’s glamour after the story concludes. This allows the creature to continue feeding from the vitality of her host’s life, should it become dramatic. This sliver of glamour provides often provides a Virtue. Characters who survive as the host provide grogs or companions with an unusual background.
Note: The Bones Which Will Not Lie In The River is not suited for use as a player character. The Final Victim Virtue is not intended for use by player characters.
Final Victim Virtue
The Final Victim Virtue allows the faerie to select up to six people and mark them with its glamour. These people are termed “victims.” The presence of the corpses of victims, killed by the faerie’s prey, provides a store of energy which the faerie uses until the story ends. For every victim whose corpse is nearby the host gains +1 to her Attack, Damage and Soak.
The Bones Which Will Not Lie In The River and the Red Maid of Sark differ, in that the Red Maid needs to mark the victims before death, and gains the bonus if stained with their blood. The Bones Which Will Not Lie In The River can mark victims after death, but cannot carry away small traces of the victims to maintain power.
The Mercenary Parrot
The Mercenary Parrot lives as a pet for the Final Victim, but it’s not a normal animal. It wants a gold birdcage with an ivory door. It can speak, and deceive. It might be suitable as a familiar, a sort of Beast of Virtue, but, as an alternative, it might be a banished Bird from Nephelococcygia. (See Realms of Power: Magic, page 68)
Magic Might: 11 (Auram)
Characteristics: Int –2, Per +2, Pre +2, Com +1, Str –8, Sta 0, Dex +2, Qik +4
Size: –4
Virtues and Flaws: Magical Animal; Magical Champion; Greater Power, Greater Power, Homing Instinct, Keen Vision, Lightning Reflexes; Avaricious.
Personality Traits: Bird +3, Scheming +1
Reputations: Gossip (local) 2
Combat:
Dodge: Init +4, Attack n/a, Defense +7, Damage n/a
Beak: Init +4, Attack +7, Defense +7, Damage –7
Soak: 0
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: –1 (1), –3 (2), –5 (3), Incapacitated (4), Dead (5+)
Abilities: Athletics 5 (flying), Awareness 4 (food), Brawl 2 (dodging), Guile (humans) 3, Music 1 (morning song), Survival 2 (home terrain).
Powers:
Air for Flying, 1 Point, Init: 0, Auram
R: Sight, D: Conc, T: Group
While the parrot swear mighty oaths at the weather, it becomes calm and temperate. This also negates any magically created inclement weather where the magnitude of the effect that caused the inclement weather
is less than 3. This power has a duration of concentration.
ReAu 35 (Base 5, +3 Sight, +1 Concentration, +2 Group): Greater Power (35 levels, –3 cost)
Command the Flock: 1 Point, Init: 0, Animal
R: Voice, D: Sun, T: Group
The character can trill commands to a group of up to 100 birds. The birds will try to obey any command that they can understand (mundane birds can understand commands equivalently to a dog), but they will not do anything obviously suicidal and if the birds have a Magic Resistance this power must Penetrate. The power lasts for a duration of Sun, and after this period the birds will act on their own initiative. The parrot often uses this to get chickens to pull amusing pranks, and he knows a particularly viscous swan.
(ReAn 35 (Base 5, +2 Voice, +2 Sun, +2 Group): Greater Power (35 levels, –3 cost)
Vis: Auram vis in feathers.
Games From Folktales 