Your comment has been really helpful, really forcing me to think about and develop her, as evidenced by the fact that I've made like 5 edits to respond to you. Thank you.
So in a strict DnD sense she's not evil, she's Lawful Neutral. She follows the rules set forth for her by the House, because that is all she's ever known. To a Lawful Good Paladin she'd absolutely appear evil, for sure, but DnD good and evil can be a very concrete and clear thing.
The world Cara grew up in? The culture? It was not a kind or nurturing environment. It is extremely dangerous, especially for anyone with no Evocation talent, and joining the House was absolutely the most attractive survival strategy. The House is...well it puts its own needs first, the House is everything. Any of her other options would have resulted in a lot more trauma, and a lot more danger. The House represents stability and safety, but only as long as its reputation of being powerful and ruthless holds up. If the other Houses sensed weakness, they would devour it. Its safety is paramount, which means the safety of its members is the second most pressing concern.
She doesn't go around killing people indiscriminately, that would damage the reputation of the House, but when she has cause to kill she doesn't hesitate. When that happens, she also has the ability to absorb the power. Waste not, want not. Part of that is, they need to have a powerful Mantle. A Guard doesn't have much she could use, except their form and some surface memories. She's not going to spend long holding into that.
Let's say in her business for the Queen she kills something with power, a True Fae perhaps, and absorbs her Mantle.
Lifted from Dresden Accelerated
quote:
158
All Fae
UNIQUE CONDITIONS
Truth-Bound (special): [x] You are incapable of outright lies. If you wish, you may carefully omit information, speak your opinions, or utter something you believe true that is later proven false. This condition is always marked.
Ferroburned (sticky): [] If you suffer a condition inflicted by an iron weapon, mark this condition as well. You must recover this condition before healing from any other physical injury. Begin recovery by recuperating in Faerie or receiving medical care from a character versed in supernatural healing. If you seek medical attention outside Faerie, the healer must overcome a Great (+4) obstacle to succeed at the recovery action.
Oathbreaker (sticky): [] Mark this condition when an agreement between you and someone else has been violated by either party. All actions taken by the aggrieved party against the violating party gain a +2 bonus and ignore magical defenses or scale (page 182). Recover this condition when the violator fulfills the letter of the bargain or the aggrieved party voluntarily releases the violator from the agreement.
CORE STUNTS
Glamour: You may cast minor veils and seemings. With a moment of con- centration, you may draw a veil over something roughly person-sized, hiding it from sight and other means of detection. Or you may cause a person or object to appear differently than it normally does. An observer may attempt to discern the illusion, but to do so, they must have some legitimate suspicion that they might be seeing a glamour. Use Intellect to resist any disbelief attempt.
ADDITIONAL STUNTS
Greater Glamour (requires Glamour): Gain +2 to all attempts to create glamours. Once per session, you may create a nameless NPC as a glam- our for a scene and dictate their actions. Others react to the NPC as if real but it cannot inflict conditions or harm—if forced into combat, the illusion dissolves immediately. Anyone who succeeds with style on any roll against the illusion may get the chance to see past it, at the GM’s discretion.
Wings: You can fly, rendering inconsequential certain movement-related obstacles. Gain +2 to rolls in any situation in which wings are advanta- geous. Use a glamour, if you wish, to hide your wings in the mortal world.
Natural Weapon: Your physiology includes claws, spikes, razor-sharp teeth, or another feature for attacking or defending. Unarmed attacks are worth +1 shift on a successful hit and may have scale (page 182) at GM discretion.
She'd gain a Core Stunt, in this case Glamour.
She'd also gain the ability to assume the True Fae's form (redundant with Glamour), and access to surface memories.
The actual murder is something her Mantle is designed to need to keep to a minimum, and only when it is necessary for the House. She gains far more power long term with
the First Boon than she does with
the Final Boon. She needs to cultivate relationships with her Dependents, not murder them.
All the Mantles in the world do her no good if she doesn't have any magic to fuel them.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:33, Mon 23 Mar 2020.
