Banshees
Banshee are a magic people native to Ireland, obsessed with death. They are not human, but they appear very much like humans and can often pass freely. All banshees appear female. They have very long hair which will regrow overnight if cut, and red irises. They tend to live for twice as long as humans. Poison is ineffective on banshees. They are physically resilient and resistant to dark craft.
Like vampires and coblynau, banshees are not governed by the Consortium. They live among wix as a novelty, or out of a lovesick heart, or having been ostracized from their people. Some live in Craeky Hob, where they are welcome.
Society
Banshee tend to cluster around cemeteries and burial sites. They live in areas or homes that, to the mundane eye, appear abandoned. The Untouched will inexplicably feel that these places are eerie or ‘haunted’. Wixes are less susceptible to this effect but know that they are not welcome.
Banshee are gestated within the trunks of old graveyard trees before they are born into this world. Banshees who were born from the same tree are effectively sisters.
It is traditional for some wix houses to ask a banshee to attend and sing at funerals. Custom demands an offering be made to the banshee and even the wording for the request is particular.
Gifts
Banshee do not practice Craft otherwise but their innate magic allows them to summon objects and move things around as a wix or coblyn might.
They have the following gifts. Caoiní may inherit one or two of these gifts.
Keening
The angry wail of a banshee will overwhelm and disable non-banshees who hear it; they will become overwhelmed by abject sadness, cry, and grow weak against the sudden wave of involuntary emotion. The effects can linger.
Guise
A mature banshee can change the age they appear, able to appear younger or older for a time if they concentrate. A mirror will betray the disguise.
Speak to the Dead
The voice of a banshee can command answers from the latent memories and experiences of the dead. They are not speaking with the living spirit or ghost, but rather accessing what's left behind when someone dies. Speaking with the dead grows difficult to impossible as the body decomposes.
Silver tongue
Banshees can apparently speak any language they hear, and can sing magical songs in their own tongue, unrepeatable by other beings.
Constitution
Although banshee may drink and consume what a human might, they also require sustenance in the form of grief. They can be found observing funerals, memorials and other death rites. Some banshee work at or run funeral services in the mundane world. Starving banshees will contrive to create grief around them.
Caoiní
Etymology: from Irish for "keening". Caoine singular (kwee-na or kee-na). Caoiní plural (kwee-nee or kee-nee)
A banshee can have a child via a human man and these are known as caoiní. Caoiní will unfailingly have long hair past their shoulders. If cut, it will grow back overnight. They have a high tolerance against poisons but are not immune like banshees.
They are most likely to live among the wix, often unwanted by banshees. They can be of any sex and share one or two banshee gifts.
Caoiní have the capacity to learn and practice Craft because, it is believed, they inherit the Fae Touch. Caoiní have not been historically included at covens, but they can use Doors, see the Twixt, etc.
Caoiní do not take familiars because they do not access covens. They do not have favours.