Nickname: Reds, Retainers
Imagine if you will, the Kingdom at the height of its glory. Imagine the happy and healthy families, the smiling people. Imagine the trustworthy judges, it’s fire-eyed leaders, it’s kind sages. Imagine the beautiful, sheer joy that filled the air, a happiness that sorrow could not dampen but only bring into sharper relief. Do you like what you see? Would you like to see it again?
For the Reds, the answer is a resounding yes. To the Reds, the greatest and most important part of the Kingdom was the people that made it up. The Reds understand that the Kingdom was a society like any other, and the character of any society is determined ultimately by the people that comprise it. Their goal is to convince those around them to live better and greater lives, rinse the cynicism, callousness, and corruption from culture and politics, and through those methods restore the Kingdom to its former glory.
Graces are the most likely to follow the Queen of Hearts. The humanistic focus of the Reds naturally aligns with the duty of the Graces, and many Graces find a great deal of merit in the social and political structure of the Kingdom they see in their dreams. Champions that follow the queen of Hearts often aspire to become like heroes of legend, inspiring and uniting people through the greatness of their deeds. Others are hard, honest workers who smooth the tensions of their coworkers and are people others can rely upon if they need a hand. Many Troubadours who become Reds use their art to inspire, unite, and guide people for a common purpose. Others use satire, parody, and sometimes tragedy to bring flaws in the community, in society, and in politics to people’s attention. Seekers are often detectives, journalists, and sometimes politicians who use cunning and silver tongues to reveal the truth and see justice done. Menders who join the Reds often are concerned as much about people’s mental health as their physical heath. A few have plans for improving or reforming medical care, while others just want people to be more aware of the pain of others.
A Heart’s duties tend to focus on the people around them. Champions are team captains, helpers of the elderly and disabled, or simply people you can rely on at work. Troubadours are often central parts of theater or dance troupes. Those who work individually pay very close attention to their audience, tailoring the message, theme, and mood of their art to the needs of the people she wants to inspire. Some Graces throw themselves into politics, while others simply try to brighten the lives of everyone the meet. Seekers focus on uncovering plots and conspiracies among the halls of politics and media. A few Seekers focus on exposing or deposing a particular person who uses slander, deception, and tons of spin to gain power and control others. Menders who follow the Queen of Hearts often focus on peoples’ sanity, helping people to be happy and stable. Some Menders guide people who have suffered grievous or crippling injuries through recovery.
Hearts tend to be friendly and outgoing people. They make an effort to remember people’s names, cheer people up, and be polite to others. They tend to be sensitive and compassionate people, aware of the feelings and needs of those around them. They also tend to be somewhat traditional. Many Reds believe Modern society has thrown the baby out with the bathwater, discarding the positive parts and the lessons of tradition along with its worse aspects. Reds also believe that tradition gives people something to unite around, drawing them closer together with shared rituals and customs. Because of this, Reds often focus on keeping traditions alive in hope they can unite and improve the people who follow them.
Strong believers in the inherent goodness of mankind (and its various supernatural offshoots), many Reds believe the greatest victory is to win without fighting. A Red more likely to try and make a truce with an enemy (or better yet, making that enemy an ally) instead of outright attacking them. If negotiations fail, then Reds often urge the people around them to action and unite them against the enemy. Those who have fought Reds fear them for terrifying speed and skill with which they can turn entire communities against their opponents.
Many Reds see their communities in terms of the people that make it up, smoothing out tensions between neighbors, comforting those who are troubled or lonely, and confronting people who are dragging everyone else down. Some Hopeful claim that there’s more to a community than the people in it, but most Reds retort that the people are the most important part of any community.
The Perfect Self of Reds heavily favors traditional or old-fashioned clothing across all styles, and many of the female Reds sport dresses of one kind or another. The traditional “superhero” or “magical girl” style is fairly common, with a slight tendency towards reds, pinks, and whites for colors. Others resemble benevolent nobles, with long, elegant dresses, stunning beauty, and phylacteries that resemble noble accoutrements. The style of Princes among the Reds echoes that of the Princesses. Suits of various kinds are as common the male Reds as dresses are among their sisters. The “superhero” look is less common among Princes than the Princesses, although those that do use that style often tend toward the “Tuxedo Kamen” look whether they realize it or not. Other Princes evoke the image of the kind, charming gentleman, while a few of the more combative Princes evoke the image of the swashbuckling dandy. The “knight in shining armor” look shows up Red Champions of both genders, although the girl Champions focus more on grace and speed than their brothers.
In their mundane form, a Red’s echo manifests as a feeling of happiness and contentment in those around her. Joy, love, and camaraderie all seem stronger, despair, fear, and envy all weigh less heavily upon the soul, and things just seem better when a Red is around. Reds tend to dress slightly conservatively and generally eschew revealing clothing and the more risqué fashions, although there are exceptions.
Reds actively try to involve themselves in the people around them, so many have above average Social Attributes. Those who actively strive to lead the people around them emphasize Presence, while those who prefer more low-key or personal means focus on Manipulation. Empathy is a vital skill amongst the Reds in order to notice the feelings, undercurrents, and motives of the people she wishes to help. Socialize and Persuasion are common skills, allowing a Retainer to integrate herself into a group and sway others into doing the right thing and upholding the ideals of the Kingdom (whether they know of the Kingdom or not). Politics is also a common skill, where it sees a lot of use in the Reds’ efforts to improve the local political situation or simply use existing bureaucracies to their own ends. Subterfuge sees occasional use, mainly to keep important information from people who would use it selfishly or to protect the identities of a Princess’s allies from those who would persecute them. Retainers who see merit in the society and political structure of the Kingdom frequently lean Academics to better understand both the society of the Kingdom and the modern world. Many old traditions generally involve art or music of one kind or another, so Expression is fairly common even outside of the Troubadours. Reds often place Mental attributes over Physical ones in order to better understand greater society and guide the people around her. The exception to this is Champions, who emphasize their Physical attributes in order to fulfill their roles as protectors.
Reds get along very well with Follower of the Queen of Clubs. Their stoic, serene nature complements the outgoing and cheerful personalities of the Reds. In addition, the former Kingdom’s strong understanding and respect of nature means many Clubs are partial to the Retainer’s goal of recreating the Kingdom. The followers of the Queen of Hearts also get along well with the Knaves. Reds and Knaves often work together to oust a corrupt or destructive authority figure, and Reds appreciate the Rogues use of trickery and humor. A few Reds find the Knave’s disrespect for tradition grating, but most believe the Knaves will eventually “come around”. Reds and Lights generally don’t cooperate well. Most of the friction comes from the Light’s and Red’s opposing stances on the Kingdom. Many Reds believe that the Lights are looking to the future for answers they could easily find in the past, and a few Reds find the Hope-Engineers’ tendency to reduce everything to systems to be cold. Relations between the Reds and the Swords are poor. The Reds often object to the Sword’s desire to simply beat obstacles into submission, and the Swords complain (very loudly and angrily) about how the Reds spend too much time talking and not enough doing. Many Reds feel that the Swords are missing the point, that they don’t understand that all the Reds’ efforts to convince people to help fight with them is as much about getting people to fight their fears and take action against the Darkness as it is about defeating the enemy.
Whether in your Transformed or normal state, you may spend Wisps to add to dice pools involving your Social attributes -- Presence, Manipulation and Composure -- on a one-for-one basis.
Hearts have an affinity for the Legno Charm.