The Countess's Favor

You... I like you.

— The Countess of Cages and Chains

A mark of power from the Countess of Cages, the Favor is a kiss that brands the flesh of those so blessed like an iron. She is one of the Fae, powerful creatures from the Beyond forged from magic and driven by alien hunger. The Countess is one of the greatest Fae, a being of formidable might and irresistible temptation. It is rare for her to bless a mortal with her Favor, and rare for them to survive her affections.
Those who do it find themselves imbued with a fraction of her glory, able to call upon the wild and hungry essence of the Fae or even the Countess's own arcane art. With it, they can change the world.

Marked

Something to remember me by...

— The Countess of Cages and Chains

The Countess's Favor looks like a kiss, left with black lipstick and a faint, intoxicating scent that never fades. No matter how delicate it seems, the Favor will never smudge or wash away, but remains exactly as the Countess left it, until she wills otherwise. Only then does the Favor disappear, burning away with a brief flickering flame. The Countess seems able to do so at any time, without regard for how many worlds she is apart from her once-favored.

Recieving the Favor feels like something between a branding iron and a vampire's bite.

by Unsplash (Jaroslav Devia)

Once given, the Countess Favor is a powerful boon. The favored find themselves more like the Fae, able to pass through the fae-fog without being devoured and manifest abilities of the Countess. Chains move at their command and cages never bar their way, no matter how secure.

In the Faelands, the Favor can be either a blessing or a curse, but is sure to attract attention - and trouble.

Though similar to a Pact, the Favor is not one. No bargain needs to be struck, no terms agreed. The Countess need only place her lips upon her chosen and brand them.

The Countess will usually place her Favor on the cheek, neck, or hand, but is limited only by her whim. Only one Favor exists at a time, but it isn't sure if this is because the Countess can't create more, or simply doesn't.

Shut up, that's where it is.

— Amelia Korp, Walker and Favored

​The Favor is also a well-spring of energy for magi to power their spells, a trickling river for magi to use in addition to their own reserves. Like the Fae, this power is unpredictable and spells cast with it manifest in unusual, chaotic ways. A few have turned this chaos to their advantage, creating entire new arts of magic that embrace and harness it to devastating effect.
Of course, those blessed by the Countess must occasionally content with her whims and advances, or the meddling of Fae looking for amusement or sport. If a mortal has drawn the gaze of their greatest, then surely messing with them must be a good time.

by Pixabay

"My most dear lady..."

The surest way to find the Countess's favor is to be invited to her tower of cages. Those so blessed find a gilded cage with a letter waiting for them, delivered by unwitting dupes or smiling spirits in stolen flesh.
The Countess's invitations functions as both a Gate and a Key, opening a path to those who would visit her.

Faelands

Fae live in the part of the Beyond called the Faelands, a kingdom of wonder and nightmare they've carved from magic and dying gods.
It is a realm of horror and magic, of majestic wonder and terrors not found anywhere else. Within primordial woods and industrial nightmares of pipes and choking gas, the Fae hold court and drown their boredom.
The Countess is one of the Archlords and Ladies of that realm, a being of almost unimaginable power.

by Unsplash

No chain will ever hold or harm you, unless I wield it.

— The Countess of Cages and Chains