The Onyx Court, affiliated with the emotion of Sorrow and the aspect of Cold; attempt to go "underground" and avoid the attentions of the True Fae.
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Court
The Onyx Court hides under layers of deception like a seed under snow-covered ground, hardening themselves on a diet of midwinter sorrow.
We are the Onyx Court. The court of secrets, deceit and hidden things. We must remember the nature our stone. For like the Onyx, we come in many shades and hold our deeper truths hidden. Onyx is said to banish grief and bring fortune to the possessor of it. So too must we banish our sorrow and bring fortune upon ourselves.
We are the Silent Arrow. The deadliest weapon, our strikes are true and the evidence of its passing minimal. We are the ice and cold and with the coming spring warm and light. All evidence of our passing vanishes into the air and ground.
We are the Court of Sorrow. We mourn what is passed. We mourn what is gone. Yet we must stand tall. For there is work to do. Things that must be done. And only Winter can do these tasks.
The Ice Law
- Let Every Court Know Its Function
- Hide Your Love and Hate
- Prepare Your Farewells
- Keep the People Lost to Every Outsider
Titles
Winter Sovereign
The King/Queen of Sorrow, the exceptional bearer of sorrow and pain in a Freehold.
Flowing Page
In the Onyx Court, liquid symbolizes flexibility, mobility and unreliability. Most Flowing Pages are responsible for little more than relaying messages and keeping quiet. Flowing Pages are occasionally asked to travel, scouting locales to see if they could support winter cottages or host threats to the Lost.
Squire of the Frost
A step up from a Flowing Page, Squires of the Frost comes to understand his Court’s broad security policies. He knows what Winter’s citizens will do when enemies assail the freehold and learns the lies everyone’s supposed to tell about confidential matters — even if he doesn’t know the whole truth himself. More winter cottages reveal themselves at this stage, along with some of the Court’s
other resources: money, political connections and even a few Trifles.
Iceclad Armiger
Armigers and their Lore sit at the pinnacle of the local Court, whereas Squires of the Frost spend the Court’s basic resources it is Iceclad Armigers who are expected to invest them in projects that leave Winter’s Lost wealthy and safe. They are also reliable in expanding any supernatural knowledge so as to avoid entanglements from outside dangers.
Onyx Thane
An Onyx Thane studies mystical matters, above and beyond the simple demographics and warnings of previous Lores. The Lore of the Onyx Mirror contains maps of the Hedge and dream-lore. Onyx Thanes inherit responsibility for the local Court’s Tokens, goblin fruit preserves and other supernatural artifacts. If the Court has a secret Trod, the Lore tells of it. He also learns the Immutable Signs of the Lords Unbidden, so that he might recognize their commands.
Unbidden Lord
The Lords Unbidden hide at the cold summit of the Winter Court, privy to a Lore that encompasses the great mysteries of the Lost — or so the legends say. Not many know the truth and the Unbidden Lords prefer it this way.
Sun Banisher
Sun Banishers destroy evidence. They burn notes, wipe hard drives, vacuum stray hairs and wreck DNA evidence (though this last is tricky business, to say the least). The Sun Banisher’s title is usually one of the best-known in the freehold, because the Court allows them to hire out their services.
Lord of the Inhospitable Chamber
This title belongs to courtiers who interrogate and imprison people on the Silent Arrow’s behalf. The “inhospitable
chamber” is an allegory; the ideal Lord knows how to isolate his prey and without locks and bars. Friends keep their distance, enemies chase him to places where he’s a disconnected stranger — and all the while, the Lord monitors him, even appearing in disguise to extract secrets.
Archer of the Lonely March
The Archers are the Winter Court’s scouts. Centuries ago, they ranged through the coldest wild places, looking for mountain caves and secret valleys where Winter’s Lost could flee in troubled times. Nowadays, an Archer of the Lonely March is more likely to explore foreign cities, hidden tunnels and abandoned warehouses.
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