This week a quick episode it contains a poem by Thomas Randolph (based on a translation from the Latin by Leigh Hunt) that was published in the Nineteenth Century. It could be a clue as to why your characters keep losing their Herbam vis sources.
On LibriVox, where, Jason released this into the public domain, he calls it Fairies Song . The original title which I prefer but the Victorians disliked, was Song of The Fairies Robbing an Orchard.
***
We, the Fairies, blithe and antic,
Of dimensions not gigantic,
Though the moonshine mostly keep us,
Oft in orchards frisk and peep us.
Stolen sweets are always sweeter,
Stolen kisses much completer,
Stolen looks are nice in chapels,
Stolen, stolen, be your apples.
When to bed the world are bobbing,
Then’s the time for orchard-robbing;
Yet the fruit were scarce worth peeling,
Were it not for stealing, stealing.
***
Statistics for Scrumping Sprites
The sprites given in Realms of Power – Faerie (p.85) were designed for adaption as beginning player characters, and were tied to a faerie court. These have slightly stronger pretenses and are more interested in risky behaviour than service.
Faerie Might: 5 (Corpus)
Characteristics: Int, Per 0, Pre 0, Com 0, Str –20, Sta +1, Dex +3, Qik +10
Size: –10
Virtues and Flaws: Greater Faerie Power; Faerie Sight, Faerie Speech, Humanoid Faerie, Faerie Ally or Personal Power (Flight); Narrowly Cognizant; 2 x Little, Personality Flaw (theft), Traditional Ward (varies by location, but often some sort of bribe)
Personality Traits: Love risk +3
Combat:
Bow: Init +8, Attack +13, Defense +15, Damage –11*
* Often used in conjunction with Grant Flaw, some other power, or poison.
Soak: +6 (tiny jerkin)
Wound Penalties: Dead (1+)
Pretenses: Area Lore (vis sources) Awareness 5 (humans), Athletics 4 (flight), Awareness 5 (intruders), Bow 6 (intruders), Carouse 3 (feasts), Charm 2 (marks), Etiquette 2 (people they have stolen from) Faerie Speech 5, Hunt 1 (humans).
Powers:
Cause Sickness: 0 points, Init +9, Corpus. (3 intricacy points spent on cost, 2 on initiative):
This power usually causes strokes. The strike of a messenger’s arrow can cause this effect. Strokes have an Ease Factor of 6, and cause a Heavy wound.
Flight: 0 points, constant, 2 intricacy points reducing Might cost.
A faerie that wishes to use magical arrows often, for combat, might trade its Greater Power for the following selections:
Improved Damage Virtue (+5 Damage)
Improved Soak Virtue (+2 Soak)
Damaging Effect Lesser Power: 1 point, Init +4: (2 intricacy points on cost),
Provides a mystical effect based on the court’s motif, that increases the damage of the messenger’s arrows by +5 for 2 minutes.
Equipment: Bow, jerkin with clan mark. Some faeries of this
type fly using mounts, purchased as the Faerie Ally Virtue, in lieu of the
Fly power. They have Pretenses of 2 in Ride and 1 in Animal Handling, and
lower their Athletics to 3.
Vis: 1 pawn Herbam, dead bug.
Appearance: These faeries are tiny humanoid figures that can fly, a power they use to perform interesting feasts of gymnastics for their lords. They are armed with tiny bows, and prefer to attack in confusing swarms. Note that winged faeries are not known in much of Mythic Europe. If your saga proceeds as history did, they do not enter English literature until the 18th century. Most faeries fly either simply by wishing to, or by riding mounts that fly.
Games From Folktales 