Fetch

Basic Information

A fetch (possibly related to the idea of a fetish, etymologically if in no other way) is a construct, traditionally associated with The Fair Folk, built out of twigs and leaves (and similar woodland debris) and given the semblance of humanity by magic. The most common use of fetches was to replace an infant stolen as a changeling - in which case the fetch could be something as simple as a glammered log - but replacing an abducted adult with a fetch, or using one as a ragdoll avatar or similar messenger is entirely credible as well.

Being composed mainly of dross and illusions, a fetch is unlikely to get anything much done - indeed touching it may or may not break the glammer. It make also smell funny or leave a trail of dampness or slime. Cold iron is unlikely to go down well.

Non-woodland sources may use all manner of things - snow, mud, urban litter, old clothes… anything easily to hand in fact.

Confusingly, some shamanic traditions use the term "fetch" for a shaman's spirit body or emissary in the spirit world¹.

Sources

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia

Game and Story Use

• Great fun for PCS when an NPC (or even party member, assuming someone hasn't turned up for the session) disintegrates into a pile of manky shite … how long, exactly, have they been like that? Is the original still alive and, if so, where?
• Again, this may be something that's well within the scope of mortal magic to create.
• This may be an alternative to ectoplasm for a spirit wanting to manifest itself.
• In a humourous campaign, a creature with sticks for limbs would probably rather not be called a fetch when there is a dog about…

Footnotes

1. Of course, the standard version may be a spirit's body in the living world and the shaman's spirit body may be an equivalent sort of thing on the other side - thus the same term works for both equivalents.