Barony of the Lesser Ones

Baron or Baroness of the Lesser Ones

Lords of Summer p. 113-116
Wyrd	●●●
Preqs	Intimidation ●●● Persuasion ●●● However if a potential Baron possesses either Gentrified Bearing, Hob Kin, or have at least Hedge Beast Companion ● you only need Intimidation ●●, Persuasion ●●
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The Hedge has its own inhabitants: A host of goblins, hobgoblins and Hedge Beasts who range from small creatures who cringe when changelings pass by, but occasionally dream of feasting on their bones, to strange and inhuman foes and even a few potential allies against the fae. The Barony of the Lesser Ones is charged with dealing with these hobgoblins. Its members negotiate with some, carefully watch the activities of others, and, when necessary, defend changelings from the depredations of the Hedge's hostile inhabitants. Barons of the Lesser Ones regularly go on expeditions into the Hedge to hunt down and slay hostile hobgoblins like border reavers, enticers or vileshrikes, as well as making deals or treaties with potentially non-hostile hobgoblins like hobs, spryghts or drudgemen.

Mien

Barons tend towards a mixture of comfortable but attractive clothing for wandering around the Hedge and sturdy dress clothing. While they must be able to fight, Barons also dress to impress, and many of them work hard to find clothing that is both dressy and highly durable. In addition, a fair number wear clothing that provides some protection against attack. Such clothing ranges from fancy but heavy long leather coats to concealed bulletproof vests worn under a shirt and suit jacket. As proof of their willingness to defend their fellow changelings against dangerous hobgoblins, Barons frequently wear weapons to official functions.

Their mien changes so that whatever they wear is decorated with complex knot-work patterns that resemble a stylized version of the Hedge, with various inset designs that resemble the faces or occasionally the entire forms of various sorts of hobgoblins. These patterns range from exceedingly abstract geometric designs to artistically rendered but fairly realistic images. As their Wyrd rises, a few Barons gain a few minor features that somewhat resemble those of some type of hobgoblin, like details of eye shape or color or fingernail shape. Such changes are uncommon and never extreme, but can disturb many other changelings. No one knows why some Barons gain these features and most do not.

Privilege

Barons learn a great many tricks of the trade for recognizing and dealing with the Hedge's inhabitants. As a result, they gain a +2 bonus to all Intimidation or Persuasion rolls made against any form of hobgoblin or other Hedge denizen as well as gaining +1 to their Defense against these beings and a +1 bonus for navigating the Hedge.

Joining

Becoming part of the Barony of the Lesser Ones is largely a matter of proving your worthiness to join. In addition to having to demonstrate competence with various forms of negotiation and intimidation, the changeling must also either be able to gain the service or allegiance of a being from the Hedge or have the natural ability to awe and impress all such creatures. Changelings who can accomplish these feats are fairly rare and any who can meet these qualifications are accepted. Because this noble order is small and rarely considered either important or high status, few changelings are interested in joining and there is almost never any problem with having too many prospective members.

Once a changeling has joined the order, she is formally considered the equal of all other members. However, novices are not simply sent off to make the best of their duties. Recent members are expected to work with a more experienced partner. Most Barons prefer working with a partner because it minimizes the chances of unexpected betrayal by unfriendly or treacherous hobgoblins. After novices have worked with a partner for between six months or a year, they are considered competent to work on their own, but most either continue working with their original partner or find a new one. However, before this occurs, if they fail to prove themselves, their partner can call for a meeting of the Barons in the region and ask that the novice Baroness be stripped of her rank. This extreme action is only reserved for the most unsuitable novices and occurs quite rarely.

Because new members are relatively rare, many Barons are somewhat wary of recent inductees. The two best ways for a novice to gain the approval of her fellows is to either sufficiently impress the Barons who initially admitted her that she is taken on by a well-respected partner or by successfully resolving some difficult situation swiftly and sensibly. However, daring heroics can have exactly the opposite effect. Even the most martially inclined Barons have no patience with either pointless slaughter or overconfident daredevils who have no regard for their own safety. Novices who gain a reputation for carelessness or recklessness, but who are not sufficiently incompetent to be thrown out, find that only the least competent and lowliest of their elders are willing to partner with them.