Waybuilders Corps
The Waybuilders Corps is a society of Balor Grumps from whom are chosen fae who elect to undergo the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the House.
Overview
Deemed unnecessary to the cause because of advanced age, diminishing skill, or low reserves of Glamour, the Waybuilders Corps gives these aged fae a way to make a final contribution to the House. While most Fae eventually succumb to Banality and forget themselves, these changelings decide to forego that final indignity and accept a grand fate. They believe that their deaths as sacrifices will one day allow the Bright Road to reopen, allowing the sidhe to reincarnate after the fashion of the other kithain. Some believe that enough sacrifices will eventually win back the immortality the sidhe had before the Sundering.
Most of sidhe in this group belong to the Ritualist Impulse and observe all the festivals of the year scrupulously. The Samhain festival is the most solemn of these celebrations and provides the occasion for the ritual sacrifice of one of their number, chosen by lot, to the Samhain Fire. Laid to rest without a wake to insure that their spirit stays in the land of the Dead, the Balor believe that their faerie souls emerge in the Underworld. There, they assume the job of forcing open the Bright Path and using their deaths to gain control of the legendary path once it reopens. These fae will them stand in judgment, deciding which fae deserve the privilege of rebirth. Of course, they have sworn to hold the Road against all but House Balor and few others the House has deemed worthy.
The Waybuilders maintain some contacts among the Restless Dead but their information is sketchy. While they know the sacrifices achieve something, there is no real proof that they are capable of doing their intended task.
The leadership of the Corps rotates each year, with the chosen sacrifice for the next year assuming the supreme authority of the group at Samhain, thus allowing them to enjoy their last year of life before their spectacular death.
References
- CTD. Pour L'Amour et Liberte: The Book of Houses 2, pp. 122-123.