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The Measure of a Court

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  1. #1
    Abyssalstar's Avatar

    Twist Scenes

    The Courts of the Lost are fascinating, unique things. It's easy to simply call them the Changeling equivalent of Covenants or Orders, and you wouldn't be wrong. They are the 'faction' choice of the game. And yet, Courts remain strange and unique as factions go. A Court is a body of government, a social club, an emotional support group, a method of hiding from the True Fae and a source of supernatural power, all wrapped up in one sparkly package. The Courts themselves also seem drastically different from one another, and even feel as if they should be at odds, but they work harmoniously together. Usually.

    Why are the Courts so important? Just what is a Court to your average Changeling? It is many things.

    A Sense of Belonging

    Changelings are ripped away from their former lives, and most can never go back in any fashion. They return to the world a different age from when they left, and find they've been replaced in their own families. They are beings out of time and bereft of identity. This is why they are called the Lost. Not knowing who you are anymore is a terrifying thing. You're now adrift in the world. Courts help return some of that sense of certainty.

    A Court provides a group identity for Changelings, often for the first time in a long time. It gives them a place to belong. A home. In some sense, even a new family. It's something to cling to and say "This is who I am now." Most Lost take to this new identity with gusto, gratefully embracing the customs and methods (and stereotypes) of their new Court. It becomes a point of pride for them, one they will often fiercely defend.

    A Connection to the Mortal World

    Escaping the insane chaos of Arcadia, Changelings seek a sense of normalcy upon their return to Earth. They need things to make sense again. They need to be part of a world where the sun sets and rises regularly, and where north is always north. Courts also provide this, a way to reconnect with the world from which they had been stolen.

    Spring gets involved in social politics, fashion and art, anything that invokes passion and want. Summer hooks into athletics, militarism and gang warfare, whatever is competitive. Autumn is academic to a fault, always seeking more knowledge and secrets. Winter is everywhere, yet fitting in so well you never notice them, just the Average Joe on the street (mediocrity can be the most mortal trait of all). The Courts also have ranks and customs and holidays, all mortal concepts. Just the normal cycle of the seasons themselves is a welcome feeling, which leads to the next facet of the Courts...

    Protection from the Gentry

    The founders of the Seasonal Courts were said to be four Changelings who lived in the days of the ancient Roman Empire. Mother Susan, Sam Noblood, Clay Ariel, Snowflake John. Over the millennia, their names have been modernized repeatedly, but their stories remain the same. They forged powerful pacts with the essences of the seasons themselves, gaining connections to aspects of the Iron World that did not - and could not - exist in the land of the Fae.

    A Keeper's domain might be a scorching desert, evoking the idea of an unforgiving summer, but that climate never changes. That faux summer never gives way to autumn. Here, it does. The seasons trade rulership of the world, passing dominance from one to the next in an eternal cycle. So, too, would these new Changeling Monarchs. The True Fae don't understand this. They are unable to grasp the idea of sharing power. It is anathema to Their tyrannical, alien minds and the dream realm from which They originate.

    It is this surrendering of control that keeps Them at bay. This unity between Lost and Season (or Direction, or Diurnal cycle) shields them from the predations of their former owners. As long as the seasons change, the freeholds have a defense the Gentry cannot manipulate and They keep their distance. While this does nothing to ward off Loyalists, freeholds have other ways of dealing with such traitors. Should the cycle break down, of course, the Others find a way back in...

    A Coping Mechanism

    Changelings are creatures suffering from deep emotional trauma. They were abducted and tortured, used and abused, unmade and remade, repeatedly violated in many ways. Their sanity was shattered, and it never fully recovered. Nor will it. The sense of damage and loss is often overwhelming, but Changelings find a method of dealing with these wounds through the Courts. Each provides a way to channel the pain into more (relatively) productive ends.

    Spring denies the horror, throwing themselves into parties and indulgence, giving a big middle finger to the Gentry in the process. "See," they say, "you didn't break me! I'm still hungry for life!" While others see them as feckless, a life of constant distraction is not for the weak of heart.

    Summer trains their vengeful anger, preparing to lash out and make their former masters hurt even worse. They'll vent their violent urges on anything that threatens the freehold, though even that is mere practice for the true source of their rage.

    Autumn tries to get value out of their trauma, bargaining for new Contracts and rare Tokens, or information of the weaknesses of the Gentry. They strive to make their Durances have meaning. By embracing their fae natures, they become less fearful of it, and learn how to weaponize that emotion.

    Winter simply vanishes, blending into mortal society as a mouse would hide beneath the snow to avoid the hunting fox. They work to avoid further sense of depression and grief by always being ready for more loss. They are prepared to move on and let go at a moment's notice. Winters deal with problems by quietly dodging them.

    A Well of Power


    Membership in a Court provides, finally, a unusual sort of power. Mantles are manifestations of the Court's themes in a Changeling's Mien, charging them with abilities akin to their season. A badge of honor with magical bonuses. Charm, strength, intimidation, subtlety. The more a Changeling delves into the values of their Court, the more the season embraces them in return. These mantles also enable them to better harvest certain types of emotional Glamour.

    With this mantle comes access to powerful seasonal Contracts. Magic to manipulate emotions and control the metaphorical aspects of the seasons. These are faerie powers that the Gentry did not create. It is a source of strength any Lost can relish, because it is uniquely theirs, not the that of the True Fae.

    Your Court and You

    What does your Changeling's Court mean to them? Are they merely seeking safety? Do they need to process their trauma? Are they looking for power? All of the above? How do they view their Court's methods? How do they utilize the Court's favored emotion? Is it merely a handy method for gathering Glamour, or do they live it every day? This is reflected in the strength of the mantle, showing how much or little they have embraced Desire, Wrath, Fear or Sorrow.

    Is membership enough, or do they seek the crown? Will they ever be worthy of it? Can they become a true paragon of the season? How far will they go? Madness abounds among the Lost, and in that, moral boundaries are easily forgotten.

  2. Likes Xander, Yumyumcrow, West, liked this post
  3. #2
    Yumyumcrow's Avatar
    Campanella
    Campanella

    Campanella
    Ingrid

    Gotta say, this was a fantastic exposition.

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