- Pronouns
- They/Them
Alright, so, here! Please post/repost your stuff! And then we can start talking and going back and forth.
@TenfoldShields , @Estro , @Hydroplatypus , @Omicron , @ManusDomine , @Scia , @Romv , @Joebobjoe , @runeblue360 , anyone else who is interested.
Okay, a few things. If you wanna do something Talecrafty...well, honestly you're probably too low-level to do much conscious stuff, but I can work with you for that and tell you about my vision and stuff. Same with if you wanna go full Sorcery and stuff.
I am also thinking about some rules involving Clarity loss. Here's the write-up, for anyone who missed it.
And then Earthscorpion proposed a pretty cool fourth idea that I sorta like, so it's going here too.
*****
Finally, Mantle Stuff. Only up to Mantle 3 because that's the max I'm going to allow you to start as for obvious reasons.
Spring 1 gives a specialty in Crafts, Expression, Socialize or Persuasion, because if you've gotten a Mantle, it means you've probably been doing one of those things.
Spring 2 adds a die to Socialize rolls.
Spring 3 gives two free dots of Allies, Contacts, Fame, or Retainers, because part of being more integrated into the Court means certain things, like new Allies, are likely to come up.
Summer 1 gives a specialty in Intimidation, Streetwise, Survival or Athletics.
Summer 2 allows you to add 4 instead of three when using Willpower for a Strength check.
Summer 3 gives you two free dots for a very specific purpose...Fighting Styles!
Autumn 1 gives a specialty in Invesigation, Occult, Intimidation, or Stealth
Autumn 2 adds a die to Empathy and Investigations rolls involving the Fae
Autumn 3 gives you two dots to spend on either Harvest, Mentor, Token or Archive
Winter 1 gives you a specialty in Stealth, Subterfuge, Politics or Larceny
Winter 2 allows you to add 1 die to all Subterfuge rolls.
Winter 3 means you have 2 dots to spend on Anonymity, New Identity, Fleet of Foot, or Hollow, because blending in, making a new life, running away and having a hideout makes sense.
*****
Might do more stuff in a sec. Just wanna post this first.
@TenfoldShields , @Estro , @Hydroplatypus , @Omicron , @ManusDomine , @Scia , @Romv , @Joebobjoe , @runeblue360 , anyone else who is interested.
Okay, a few things. If you wanna do something Talecrafty...well, honestly you're probably too low-level to do much conscious stuff, but I can work with you for that and tell you about my vision and stuff. Same with if you wanna go full Sorcery and stuff.
I am also thinking about some rules involving Clarity loss. Here's the write-up, for anyone who missed it.
Yeah, 1e, and pure Changeling. Also, here is the 'I literally threw this together and the sarcasm is strong in this one' write-up I had based on a random idea. Because that's how you should run a campaign, by the seat of your pants. (Pls don't do so.)
"There are great and powerful Freeholds in the world. The Freehold of the Burnt Spire in London, a fading economic powerhouse whose reach and scope cannot be underestimated. The Allied Freeholds of New Tokyo, the Cartel of Mexico City, the wonder of the Changeing Pope-Emperor and his four Archibishops of the Seasons, of Rome, or the vast power wielded by Thousand Trods, the Kingdom of the Library in Alexandria…and yet more.
There are names and monarchs in places like these that not only shake but define the very fabric of Changeling society. When two such Freeholds squabble, the very foundations of the world shook, and even their pettiest grudge took on the quality of the epic when the figures involved were the closest thing to lords that existed outside of Arcadia, commanders of potentially hundreds of followers.
And there are lesser Freeholds whose power was still considerable. Marble Arch, The Sultanate of Rum, the Paris Communes, the Freehold of New Elysium, which rested upon a vast store of unknown power...dozens and dozens whose names are not household words, and yet whose powers would have made Shakespeare drop his quill in fright.
And there are even small Freeholds that nonetheless manage to work. The Mended Quilt and the Duchy of the Drum, and yet other, even smaller Freeholds that nonetheless provided some measure of safety and security to its members. For when their ambitions were not grand, they could focus on the true task that all Freeholds were formed for.
Then, there's your Freehold. Big enough to be ambitious, but small and out of the way enough, in the Hedge, that their ambitions stood little chance of being fulfilled. There's also the fact that each of the four main Courts is a mess.
Spring Court is led by a venal, drug-addicted puppet who flounces around dancing and singing like an idiot, and has none of the sheer charisma to back her pretensions up. Those that puppet her are little better, though they are at least clever enough to keep power: that's about the only talent they show, honestly.
Summer Court is led by a moron. A brave moron, the sort who charges into certain danger sure that she will come out of it alive, and whose grand ambitions of conquering the Hedge run straight into the 'too small and out of the way to do much.'
Autumn Court is led by a poseur, everyone suspects it. All of his mystic wisdom seems carefully crafted to avoid anyone challenging him, and his insistence on ceremony and layers between him and his subjects could work if he was truly fearsome or if the court was large enough, but when there's a total of eighteen people, or so in the entire Autumn Court, setting up layers of secrecy and security makes no sense at all.
Winter Court has someone competent in charge...who is also a monster. He sees very little difference between smuggling Changelings to safety and smuggling sex slaves into captivity. Both can be quite profitable, and so he does both, in addition to being deeply involved in the worst parts of the criminal underworld. His fist at least is iron, and he's at least *scary* which is more than you can say about the other monarchs, but the fact that everyone hates him and the other Freeholds look down their noses at him doesn't help.
So yeah, Freehold of the Year, woo!
Then something happened...what is it? Not sure yet!
- Refugee Crisis: A few Freeholds that have Trod connections to this Freehold alone were attacked, and so for the moment some are camping out while trying to figure out where to go. Obviously, most really wanna get assurances that they can join into some more important Freehold, like Thousand Trods that always welcomes refugees (but doesn't at the moment due to a certain squabble that of course doesn't count as a squabble because of course there is no way that such a powerful Freehold's grudges could be petty), but for the moment they're stuck in the Hedge. Some people want them gone, while others want them to stay because free recruits! But what if they overwhelm the special and unique culture of Freehold yet Unnamed? (Also, in this scenario you could play either as native or refugee, whatever matters)
- King Tut's Tomb: A huge, huge bounty of Tokens and other artifacts has been uncovered nearby. Someone apparently wanted to hide them where nobody would ever even bother to look, in some random American shithole Freehold, but you've found them! And now everyone wants them. Wants the magic and secrets and lore and power...good luck.
- Religious revival: Apparently something miraculous happened because there are a lot more Faith courtiers around than usual and they're holding tent revivals and the Monarchs are starting to worry that they will be overthrown by the influx of Faith Courtiers with their strange powers and weird beliefs and stuff!
- Something else: Feel free to suggest some sort of disaster/windfall (it's both) that happens that makes the Freehold actually matter to someone for the first time in its history.
*****
Okay, I admit I was grinning the whole time I wrote this. So, it's definitely going to need some polish, and I'm of course open for ideas other than this."
And then Earthscorpion proposed a pretty cool fourth idea that I sorta like, so it's going here too.
Hob Mongols Sea Pirates. Oh dear, a little empire has formed in the Hedge. Well, not so little, really. Not little at all. Cohesive, disciplined and organised, the rivers and lakes of the very aqueous Hedge are now ruled by kin-bonded hob pirates who have - it is rumoured - even managed to take overconfident True Fae who ventured to put them down as captives. Their green-sailed living ships know all the secret paths through the hedge, and only the 'shores' close to the mortal world hold a barrier to them.
But - and this is the silver lining to this cloud - this hob empire with its raiding and its pillaging is extracting wealth from everywhere and bringing it all to the area. The goblin markets are safe and prosperous, because the hob pirates crucify anyone who threatens their weapons dealers and provisioners and fences. And oh my, do they fence a lot of goods here.
Thing is... the hob markets are starting to sell goods from Earth, too. Either someone's selling to them (and eyes turn to the local Winter Court), or the hobs and their ships have found a way into the real world. Or both.
*****
Finally, Mantle Stuff. Only up to Mantle 3 because that's the max I'm going to allow you to start as for obvious reasons.
Spring 1 gives a specialty in Crafts, Expression, Socialize or Persuasion, because if you've gotten a Mantle, it means you've probably been doing one of those things.
Spring 2 adds a die to Socialize rolls.
Spring 3 gives two free dots of Allies, Contacts, Fame, or Retainers, because part of being more integrated into the Court means certain things, like new Allies, are likely to come up.
Summer 1 gives a specialty in Intimidation, Streetwise, Survival or Athletics.
Summer 2 allows you to add 4 instead of three when using Willpower for a Strength check.
Summer 3 gives you two free dots for a very specific purpose...Fighting Styles!
Autumn 1 gives a specialty in Invesigation, Occult, Intimidation, or Stealth
Autumn 2 adds a die to Empathy and Investigations rolls involving the Fae
Autumn 3 gives you two dots to spend on either Harvest, Mentor, Token or Archive
Winter 1 gives you a specialty in Stealth, Subterfuge, Politics or Larceny
Winter 2 allows you to add 1 die to all Subterfuge rolls.
Winter 3 means you have 2 dots to spend on Anonymity, New Identity, Fleet of Foot, or Hollow, because blending in, making a new life, running away and having a hideout makes sense.
*****
Might do more stuff in a sec. Just wanna post this first.