Angelus Morningstar

Dream Shard
The Great Masque

Author: A ngelus Morningstar Some writings have been inspired by or adapted from concepts presented in The Fear-Maker's Promise, The RoseBride's Plight and Night Horror's: Grim Fears. Artwork: Gavin Hargest

Acknowledgments
Lost Shards are fan- made products designed for use with the World of Darkness book, Changeling: the Lost. A bsence of trademarks from copyrighted materials does not constitute a legal challenge to the original owners. A ny original material is the intellectual property of A ngelus Morningstar unless otherwise credited.

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This Shard is a rogues' gallery of various changelings. They have been designed such that they can all function as a single freehold, but can otherwise operate as singular motleys, or even individual characters. If used as a single freehold, there are some deliberate parallels between the characters in both the Fear- Maker's Promise and the Rose- Bride Pledge. A s such, those SA S can be run with this freehold without too much modification. A ll of the Keepers mentioned in these pages are written up in A utumn Nightmares. The kiths, merits and some other rules are not all included in the core books of the World of Darkness and Changeling: the Lost Core book: Kiths: A large number of the Merits here are derived from Winter Masques and the Kith Compendium. Merits: The Merits used here are sourced from a number of different locations, including Autumn Nightmares, Rites of Spring, The Equinox Road, some that have been adapted from other genres, and one or two new Merits. The Merit Manual contains a listing of where all these Merits can be found, and included the write up for the new Merits. Both the Kith Compendium and the Merit Manual should be available for download from the same place you found this document. If you do not wish to use the additional material or rules from either published works or the Lost Shards, a few small adjustments can make them more basic.

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The Mammon Pledge

Money makes the world go around, and these changelings have no qualms about doing whatever it takes to get their hands on their more- than- fair share. It's not just simply about the money though... it's also about the bonds, the stocks, the affluence, the prestige and the power. Never underestimate the influence that the glint of gold can have upon the mortal world, they say. Friends may be fleeting, but greed is forever. Hollow: A rchive ( Goblin Markets, Tokens) 2, A menities 5, Faade 4, Doors 2, Size 2, Wards 4, Workshop 2 around since she disappeared, and the hapless mortals have no knowledge of the cause. Lily is the principle governing head of the Mammon Pledge, if only because her skills are what keep them in the privilege they expect. However, she is still a victim of her gambling addiction. Yet now, her Kith blessing and facility with the Hearth Contracts ( and a potentially limitless supply of finance) means that she is never in debt for long. More sinisterly are the games she plays with faerie creatures, gambling favours and other non- monetary prizes. She is riddled with guilt over the potential boon that the goblins will ask of her in return for her release from Faerie. Seeming: Wizened Kith: Merchant Court: Spring Court Entitlement: Guild of the Goldspinner Titles: Verdant A dvocate: Lilys main role for the freehold is as a legal expert. It is to Lily that the members of the freehold turn Keeper: Lady Boleville, Mistress of the Manor and the Manor Herself Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 4 Mental Skills: A cademics 4 ( law) , Computer 1, Crafts 2 ( textiles, smithing) , Investigation 3, Politics 3 ( bureaucracy) , Science 2 Physical Skills: Larceny 2, Stealth 1 ( move quietly) , Weaponry 1 Social Skills: Empathy 2, Intimidation 1, Persuasion 3 ( brokering) , Subterfuge 2 Merits: A llies ( law) 4, A llies ( courts) 3, Brownie's Boon 1, Bureaucratic Navigator 2, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 2, Eidetic Memory 2, Goblin Vow ( money) 1, Harvest ( pledges) 2, Language ( Latin) 2, Language ( German) 1, Mantle ( Spring) 3, New Identity ( Lily Copeland) 4, Pledgesmith 2, Rigid Mask 2, Staff ( legal, financial) 2, Status ( legal) 3 Willpower: 7 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Charity Vice: Greed Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 8 Health: 7 Wyrd: 4 Contracts: Fleeting Spring 2, Forge 3, Hearth 2, Vainglory 1

Lily Giltsmith
Quote: There is a price for everything, Ive yet to decide what yours is. Background: Having worked her way into a place of standing in her legal firms, Lily had fame, wealth, and power. She was known as the Red Bull by others of the legal profession, for her terrifyingly astute manner in the court room. Yet, her power did not come without its stress and perks, and Lily had a penchant for gambling. On evenings she would find herself in the high stakes games of less reputable dens. It would all come apart when one evening, she lost a bet against a member of the Gentry, posing as a mortal. Unable to pay the dues, the Lady Boleville whisked her away to her mansion. First she put her to service for ten years in her counting house, and then when she had completed that task she put her to work in her parlour to entertain the Lady with games. Finally having won a measure of privilege in her service, she would send her to the Goblin Markets to fetch her wares. It was in these fleeting moments that Lily managed to barter and negotiate passage out of Faerie. Since her return, Lily has found that only a few years has passed, despite her long years in Faerie. In her place was a Fetch, who was seemingly less successful than she was, but had founded a family with two children. Less focused on work, the Fetch had found a measure of happiness that Lily never did. Instead, Lily has avowed to create a new life with her skills, serving the freehold and those who are less fortunate than her in her upbringing all for a price of course. Description: No single feature about Lily is as distinctive as her golden pince nez. Looking only so much like a haughty librarian with clear disdain for anyone who does not have a head for money and law, which is to say everyone. Her skin is coloured and tainted with flecks of gold, like a wealth of freckles; and her hair, when not tightly bound out, shimmers with a similarly lustrous shine. Like everything else about her, Lilys clothing is a matter of practicality, but ornamented with secret pleasures of opulence. Storytelling Hints: Lily is a harsh mistress, and a commanding woman. She is not quite ready to forsake her former mortal life, and her current attempts to meet with people from her past have been disastrous. Her temper and crotchety nature rekindle conflicts that have not been

Thomas Bedlam
Quote: Of course I can build you a weapon that will make your enemies weep, your masters bleed and your victims scream. I just never said I'd do it for free. Background: Thomas had always been an entrepreneur, starting his life with a modest but successful jewellery store. 3

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Though unwed, he was the godparent of his dead sister's niece, whom he cared for and watched. However, his life as a burgeoning caretaker was itself cut short, when he sold one of his works to a young man, with the carriage and bearing of a nobleman. His line of work meant he encountered wealth on a regular basis, and his sensitivity went off in an alarming rate. For several weeks, the young man came in and each time Thomas tempted him with his increasingly rarer and exotic pieces. Finally, the young man strode in one day and was inconsolable with any of the pieces he could produce, claiming that he had reached the limit of his skills. The man yelled that it was not good enough, and dropped his guise to show that he was none other than a member of the Gentry. So the Stripling Prince took Thomas into the Hedge with him. There he put him to work, making his craft piece after piece which he would then send with him into A rcadia to trade and swap for favours To what end, Thomas would not know. Eventually, these gifts of jewels seemed to lose their favour and the Prince demanded new creations weapons. Now he forged weapons, not to take himself, but to arm any number of Hobgoblins the Prince recruited to his service. When this war failed, the Prince was devastated by the reprisal from the Shining Host. in the chaos, Thomas escaped. Many long years have passed since his theft from Earth. His fetch is dead and interred beneath the soil, and his daughter is all grown up. They have met on occasion, and for all his strangeness there is a cordial relationship between the two. Description: Thomas has two large round eyes, that developed in his time in A rcadia and the Hedge. Pieces of artifice and golden filigree mar his face in such a way that it seems he peers at you through a jeweller's loupe. His clothes are made of the finest materials with hints of gems and precious metals sewn in. However, sometimes his preference for ostentation outweighs his sense of fashion and good taste. Many of the items and finery he displays are overdone and simply a display of wealth. Storytelling Hints: Thomas is foul- mouthed, crotchety and ribald perfectionist. These are his nicer points. He is bitter and angry about the fact that his durance stole from him the best years of his life with his niece Though he tries to make up for it now as a strange and kindly benefactor to her life, he is vehemently hostile to all things that come out from the Hedge, and verges on being a bridge burner. However, one simply point stops him short from that stance. It is the cold searing heat of vengeance that he would wreak upon the Stripling Prince and all of Faerie. To this end he continues his trade of weaponsmithing. He lends his expertise to provide dangerous creations to any member of the Gentry, and constantly scrounges for any scrap of iron that he can cold forge. However, he is an economist first and foremost. He will not just simply give the weapons away, you must earn them as a privilege, favour, or just pay the exorbitant fees. Seeming: Wizened Kith: Tinker Court: Summer Court Entitlement: None Titles: Man- at- A rms Keeper: The Stripling Prince 4 Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 3 Mental Skills: A cademics 1, Crafts ( jewellery, weapons) 3, Investigation 3, Science 3 Physical Skills: A thletics ( running) 2, Stealth 2, Weaponry 3 Social Skills: Empathy 2, Intimidation 4 ( cantankerous) , Persuasion 2, Streetwise 3 Merits: Brownie's Boon 1, Crafter's Sense 3, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 3, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 2, Demolisher 2, Fast Reflexes 1, Harvest ( Hedge bounty) 2, Iron Stamina 2, Mantle ( Summer) 2, Network ( Goblin Fruits, Gossamer) 2, New Identity ( Thomas Bodan) 2, Willpower: 6 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Envy Initiative: 7 Defence: 3 Speed: 10 Health: 7 Wyrd: 2 Contracts: A nimation 4, A rtifice 3, Forge 3, Punishing Summer 3, Thorn 1

Madam Webb
Quote: Darling, you must absolutely tell me your secret. I promise I won't bite. Background: The name of Mistress Wick was famous in it's day. Having had eight husbands, she was fabulously wealthy beyond most people's means. Her estate and manor were renown for the wild and lavish parties held in honour of her engagements, divorces, and deaths. Many suspected that Mistress Wick's ambitions lay solely in the exploitation of matrimony for personal gain. However, she had many webs of intrigue in the upper echelons of society, and attempts to either scandalize her or find her out all led to dead ends and public embarrassment for the investigator. Unfortunately, one of the people she ensorcelled in her intrigues was the Greve of Stolen Lovers. She attempted to ensnare him in her boudoir, only to find him scoffing at her childish manipulations and plucking her from her bedroom to A rcadia. A s a sign of his contempt, he did not even give her the pleasure of making her his consort. Instead he sold her off to the Zookeeper, as a beast for his menagerie. Here she hid in the darkness, and eventually found a way to start her little intrigues again. She was like an unseen manipulator of the underground movement in the menagerie. Through her work, she managed to send out word to the changelings of Earth and helped co- ordinate the Nettle Rebellion. Having earned her freedom, she has resumed a life much like the one she once held. It was of little difficulty to ensorcell a few key women of society and from a place of secrecy manipulate the social elite once more. Description: Madam Webb is every bit the image of the black widow. A role she plays up as it helps shroud her real identity. Her eyes are dark and glossy, with a mouth that is

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curved and wicked in its grin. There is the air of a predator about her, that is both dangerous and alluring. Storytelling Hints: Madam Webb is the penultimate in social manipulation and deceit. She has her informants in both the mortal world and the freehold itself. Madam Webb abhors direct confrontation, and will almost always use an intermediary to come to you if she thinks it is important. Most of the time, she will prefer to stay hidden in one of her many and numerous hiding spaces in the real world, and will often appear at the freehold gather under some form of disguise or clever ruse. Only on truly formal occasions will she appear as she is to the people of the freehold, and only the members of her motley will be warned of her disguises ahead of time. Some suggest that Madam Webb is the true leader of the Winter Court, and that Snow White is merely a front put on in true Winter fashion. Seeming: Beast Kith: Venombite Court: Winter Court Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: The Zookeeper Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 3, Composure 4 Mental Skills: Computer 1, Crafts ( weaving) 2, Investigation 2, Politics 3 Physical Skills: Brawl 1, Drive 2, Larceny 2, Stealth ( shadowing) 3 Social Skills: Empathy 2, Expression 1, Persuasion ( seduction) 2, Socialise 4, Subterfuge ( misdirection) 3 Merits: A llies ( high society) 4, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 2, Danger Sense 2, Feral Mien 3, Harvest ( dreams) 3, Language ( French) 2, Mantle ( Winter) 3, New Identity ( Delilah Smythe) 2, Toxin Resistance 2, Social Manoeuvres 2, Status ( high society) 1, Striking Looks 2 Willpower: 6 Clarity: 4 Virtue: Temperance Vice: Lust Initiative: 7 Defence: 2 Speed: 10 Health: 8 Wyrd: 4 Contracts: Darkness 2, Den 4, Fang and Talon ( Spiders) 5, Fleeting Winter 2, Smoke 3, Vainglory 1 make him king of the world. His promise spoke with hope and longing, something he'd almost forgotten. A deal was struck, a coin was pressed into his palm and he was left to his own devices. Where before there had been ill luck, now his world was full of wonder and power. Day after day, things just worked and fell into place. Power became his, money was in its millions, girls, fame and fortune were his play toys. Then one night seven years later, it all evaporated in a dream and he found himself staring in front of the Stripling Prince whom he bargained with so many years ago. His time was up, and the illusory world the prince had built around him in A rcadia had been spent. His amusement done, the prince abandoned Hamelyn to find other entertainment. Description: Pressed suits and a coif of blonde hair; this man is the perfect caricature of the businessman. There is the devil in his details, from the flecks of grey in his too keen eyes and the quiet light that flickers inside them, the warm embracing smile and his open palm all bring you in close. It makes the shadow he casts seem all that much darker and sinister. His presence is overpowering, his fragrance is desirous, and somewhere amid it all you can't but feel a powerful lure towards him. You are the moth, he is the flame, and you want to get burned. You know he's bad news, but you can't help yourself. Storytelling Hints: There is something about Hamelyn you cannot put your finger on. He has a gilded tongue and a willingness to barter, trade, sell and purloin whatever your heart's desire. Hamelyn doesn't care about politics, except for the sheer acquisition of power that it gives him. He doesn't care for friendship or alliances, except where he sees a tangible gain to be had. In his mind ev eryth ing has it's price, and telling him he can't have it will just send him away to find a better buyer for it. He's persistent too, and tenacious. Once Hamelyn has set his mind on an acquisition, he will pursue it with hot interest and cool distance. It may be that he's also happy to deal with the goblins and even Them for the right price. Seeming: Fairest Kith: Flamesiren Court: Spring Entitlement: Satrapy of Pearls Titles: None Keeper: The Stripling Prince Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 4, Composure 3 Mental Skills: Crafts 1, Investigation 1, Medicine 1, Politics 1 Physical Skills: A thletics ( performance) 2, Brawl 1, Larceny 2, Stealth 2 Social Skills: Empathy 3, Expression ( music) 4, Intimidation ( imperious) 2, Persuasion 3, Socialize 2, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge ( feigned innocence) 2 Merits: A llies ( groupies) 3, A llies ( clubs) 4, Charmed Life 2, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 1, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 1, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 1, Harvest ( emotion) 5, Inspiring 4, Mantle ( Spring) 2, Market Sense 1, Network ( Tokens) 1, New Identity ( Broderick Sommerset) 2, Siren Song 3, Striking Looks 4 5

Hamelyn
Quote: What do you want? Background: Whoever he was in his youth, it seems less important these days. A ll he knows is that it started with a deal, a bargain and a price was paid. Many years ago, longer than he can recall, he was down on his luck, destitute, and his wife and family had left him. In his mind there was nothing left to live for, and was close to terminating his life. Then, standing on the edge of the building looking at the pavement, a shadow fell behind him and offered to

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Willpower: 5 Clarity: 4 Virtue: Faith Vice: Envy Initiative: 7 Defence: 3 Speed: 10 Health: 8 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: Eternal A utumn 1, Eternal Spring 1, Fleeting Spring 3, Separation 2, Vainglory 3, Verdant Spring 2

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The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground all explore the dark vices of their relative emotional affinities. In accordance, they run a Syndicate of criminals, thugs and other notorious dealings. Though they are rarely the people in charge, they have their influence throughout the organized crime blocs. In some cases, they have influence in competing blocs, and will play them off each other. The best kind of crime is organized crime in their eyes, and the best organizers are they themselves. Hollow: A rchive ( Tokens, Winter Court History) 2, A menities 3, Faade 3, Doors 5, Size 2, Wards 5, Workshop 1 undo or destroy her. It is a cut- throat world, and she will not hesitate to bare the knife. That is not to mean that her only methods are the blade and gun, as that is only a sign of her displeasure. Instead she prefers tactics of intimidation, or bribery, but most importantly misery. She works her best to create a small world she controls, filled with grief, and those who please her most are given a reprieve. It's a cold cruel world to her, and she will not break for you. Seeming: Elemental Kith: Snowskin Court: Winter Court Entitlement: Knighthood of Utmost Silence Titles: Ebon Queen Keeper: Nergal, the Raging One Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4 Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 3, Composure 5 Mental Skills: A cademics 1, Investigation 2, Politics 4 Physical Skills: A thletics 3, Drive 1, Firearms 2, Larceny2, Stealth ( moving silently) 2, Survival ( cold climates) 2, Weaponry 1 Social Skills: A nimal Ken 2, Empathy 1, Intimidation ( regal) 5, Streetwise ( crime) 3, Subterfuge ( lies) 4 Merits: A llies ( underworld) 5, A llies ( city courts) 3, A llies ( police) 3, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 3, Mantle ( Winter) 5, Network ( Dross, Goblin Fruits) 2, New Identity ( Janice White) 4, New Identity ( Jennifer Devereux) 2, Status ( underworld) 3, Weatherproof 1, Striking Looks 2 Willpower: 8 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Temperance Vice: Pride Initiative: 7 Defence: 2 Speed: 9 Health: 9 Wyrd: 6 Contracts: Communion ( water) 2, Elements ( ice) 5, Eternal Winter 5, Reflection 2, Sorrow- Frozen Heart 3

Snow White
Quote: If silence is golden, let us see how much your tongue will weigh once we cut it out. Background: The called her the Mafia princess. This was because she was the prized and precious daughter of the largest crime family in town. In her blood ran generations of dons and ill gotten gains. A lthough never directly involved in the brutal crimes of her household, she had on more than one occasion been the mastermind or otherwise orchestrated them. Yet, one night she managed to be caught out in the middle of a gunfight from her family enemies. A s the guns blazed about her, an eerie fog settled down upon the street and the guns fell silent. Nervous she stepped out, and met a man in the fog whose old and grey face denoted him as lord of the immediate surrounds. That night, he offered her a bargain, either she come with him as his daughter, or die that night upon the street. Many years later, she had lived in Faerie as Nergal's adoptive child. While he was the eternal storm, she was the chilling and oncoming winter snows. Her impassioned blood cooled and she was the perfect calm counterpoint to Nergal's tempest. Yet, she could not tame him. He was a fierce storm and broke against her one night tearing and rending her. The clouds clashed and it was near enough a violation to make her flee to further skies, back to the realm of Earth. Upon returning, she had discovered that only moments had passed in her absence, and the difference to her appearance was negligible. Without missing a beat, or a flicker of remorse, she marched upon her family and slaughtered the Fetch where it stood, and then any witness who would not swear to her. Though she allows them to maintain the faade of their leadership, she is the one who truly orchestrates things behind the scenes. Description: Tall, white, and deadly like the winter storm. She is the ice queen, sheer, graceful and cold. Where one would expect to see a red flush of life, one can only find the chill cool of blue and white. When in public, her clothes are formal business attire, that allows her to blend in perfectly with a corporate world. While in the gatherings of the freehold, she wears a carefully hedgespun garment of snow and ice. Storytelling Hints: Snow White has done away with such encumbering emotions as remorse, hatred, joy, anger or all those impassioned feelings that will only serve to

Mustang Sally
Quote: Of course I sell sex, I sell whatever pleasures refined and debased your heart and loins could want. That does not stop me from being a lady. Background: A s an adolescent, Sally was the homecoming queen. Loved and adored for her charisma she would go on to be valedictorian. A s the eighties rolled on, she used her natural charisma to secure for herself an affluent husband who worked in diplomatic affairs. Yet, for all her social standing, Sally was bored. Behind her well groom manners, she felt a yearning for new sights and sounds, one beyond the monotony of the decorum of the day. 7

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It would pass that she began in secret to have sordid affairs; secret little trysts and meets. Though her husband quickly grew suspicious of her increasing coldness to him, he could never find any evidence, as she was intensely discrete. However, her choice of lovers would become her downfall. A s her trysts grew, so did her need for the thrill and danger of her men. Eventually she would fall under the paw of the Greve of Stolen Lovers, whose apt charms and passions won her over and carried her off to A rcadia. Yet it took only seven nights of passion before the Greve lost interest, and she was kept in a closet to be forgotten. Her sublime self- confidence was shattered and she slowly faded from view. A lone and forgotten, it was easy for her simply to slip out of her prison and walk back to the world she came from. Upon returning, she found that seven years had passed, one for each night of her absence. Seven years she had been missing, presumed dead. Her disappearance had been a popular scandal several years ago, but now she was an urban legend. No Fetch had been left to replace her, and her husband had since remarried. Her one attempt to approach her husband was catastrophic, as her pale and unchanged appearance left him thinking he was haunted. Description: Sally would be an albino, if it were not for the fact that her eyes are a deep crystalline blue. It is a feature that is artificially enhanced by her condition as a palewraith. However, though her features are pallid, she makes up for it with a virtual tapestry of aesthetic colours and fabrics ,and designer clothing. Storytelling Hints: Sally has taken it upon herself to use her charms and etiquette to be the madam of a sex parlour She is deathly protective of all her girls, and insists that they all have classes in refinement and deportment. In essence, she runs a western version of a geisha house, with girls and boys trained in the arts of the courtesan, not just prostitution. It is from this that she feeds of desire, as her house is filled with it in abundance. Personally, she couldnt engage in sex herself. It makes her feel to submissive and brings back experiences of her durance. A position she cannot tolerate. Seeming: Darkling Kith: Palewraith Court: Spring Court Entitlement: None Titles: Searce Keeper: The Greve of Stolen Lovers Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 4, Composure 3 Mental Skills: Computer 1, Crafts 1, Investigation ( street) 4, Medicine ( sexual health) 2, Occult 1 Physical Skills: A thletics ( showing off) 2, Brawl ( dirty fighting) 1, Firearms 2, Larceny ( sleight of hand) 2 Social Skills: Empathy 3, Persuasion ( negotiations) 2, Socialise, 2, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 1 Merits: A llies ( the girls) 5, A llies ( the johns) 2, Contacts ( johns, street) 2, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 3) , Harvest ( emotions) 2, Language ( Russian) 3, Mantle ( Spring) 3, New Identity ( Sally Chevron) 1, Sexualised 2, Status ( street) 1, Striking Looks 2 Willpower: 5 8 Clarity: 7 Virtue: Hope Vice: Wrath Initiative: 5 Defence: 2 Speed: 10 Health: 8 Wyrd: 2 Contracts: Darkness 3, Eternal Spring 3, Fleeting Spring 1, Hearth 2

Mr. Five
Quote: A deal is a deal, and you agreed to it. I can't be held accountable for you not reading the fine print. Background: In the days of his mortality, Mr. Five led a congregation of hundreds of people. He was brilliant, he was charismatic and silver tongued. He was completely unrepentant and unbelieving of every gilded lie he preached. In short, he was a con artist with a convenient cover story, that engendered trust in the people around him. A s far as he was concerned, people came confessed, and left feeling a lot less guilty than they did before. Unfortunately for Mr. Five, he couldn't fool everyone. In his audience was a man who led a circus, though Mr. Five could never remember his name. The Ringmaster, being of the Gentry, quickly saw past all the lies that he had carefully woven about himself. Finding a charlatan of great skill, the Ringmaster quickly replaced him with a Fetch and drew him into the Big Top in A rcadia. Here Mr. Five would practice his arts upon the gentry, being required to impress and deceive an undeceivable audience. A s the home- grown stage magician, Mr. Five was a minor celebrity, until the one day he made himself disappear in front of the entire audience of Fae and never came back. To this day, he refuses to explain how he did his trick. Instead, Mr. Five managed to win a place amongst the freehold, providing his tricks and skills to the aid of the freehold itself, and in particular the vice driven ambitions of the Velvet Underground. Description: Slicked back hair, stunning smile, bejewelled fingers and a catlike walk all describe Mr. Quick. Then again, so does snake oil salesman, artful dodger and card sharp. Mr. Five has worked hard to avoid wearing any particularly distinctive clothes, and is grateful for a look and appearance that people would describe as average. Storytelling Hints: Mr. Five remains as opportunistic as ever. He remains neutral from the politics of the Courts, but has instead found some kind of idealistic sympathy with the agenda of the Court of the Solstice instead. His abilities and skills at negotiating, philandering and otherwise using the glib art of the tongue to get what he wants and when is par ex cellence. Making a deal with Mr. Five should not be done lightly, as he is exceptionally good at manipulating the deal in his favour in ways that you wont expect. Yet one that hand has shaken, the deal is a deal is a deal. Seeming: Wizened Kith: Purloiner Court: Courtless Entitlement: Court of the Solstice Titles: None

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Keeper: The Ringmaster Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 1, Manipulation 3, Composure 3 Mental Skills: A cademics 1, Crafts 2, Investigation ( personal backgrounds) 4, Occult 3, Politics 4, Science 2 Physical Skills: A thletics ( acrobatics) 2, Firearms 1, Larceny ( burglary) 4, Stealth ( moving at night) 3 Social Skills: A nimal Ken 1, Empathy 3, Persuasion 3, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 2 Merits: A llies ( goblin markets) 3, A llies ( finance) 4, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 2, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 3, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 2, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 3, Encyclopaedic Knowledge 4, Harvest ( pledges) 3, Hob Kin 2, Market Sense 1, Multi- Lingual 4, Network ( weapons, tokens, gossamer) 3,, New Identity ( James Smith) 2, New Identity ( Daniel Samson) 2, Pledgesmith 2, Rigid Mask 2, Well Travelled 1 Willpower: 6 Clarity: 3 Virtue: Charity Vice: Pride Initiative: 7 Defence: 3 Speed: 11 Health: 7 Wyrd: 4 Contracts: Dream 4, Hearth 3, Mists 3, Omen 3, Separation 2, Smoke 5 refinement. From his tailored A rmani suits, to his diamond rings and mother- of- pearl snuff box, there is an air about him that says dangerous and expensive at the same time. Storytelling Hints: Cervantes stone body is a prison. Though happy with the physical and marital advantages it offers him, he feels trapped beneath its ungainly form. Consequently, Cervantes fills his world with models of beauty and delicacy. He has worked hard to refine his dexterous touch, and although he is no surgeon, he has a penchant for origami, as well as stone sculpture. Cervantes relationship with fear is a complex one. His imperviousness leaves him with an air of confidence and fearless arrogance, and so finds the prospect of fear to be exhilarating more than anything else. Cervantes is an adrenaline junkie and enjoys the thrill of a gunfight, or extreme sport. In his deportment he inspires dread and commits acts considered terrorism. Though he is currently not entitled, the A ncient and A ccepted Order of Bridgebuilders has seen his work and thinks he might be worthy of their tenure. Cervantes is fairly sure that he is not going to do an apprenticeship, when he knows his own worth. Seeming: Ogre Kith: Stonebones Court: A utumn Court Entitlement: None Titles: Paladin of Shadows Keeper: Lord of the Gargoyles Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 4 Mental Skills: Investigation 1, Occult 2, Politics 1 Physical Skills: A thletics 1, Brawl ( fist fight) 3, Survival 1, Weaponry 2 Social Skills: Empathy 2, Intimidation ( knuckle crack) 3, Streetwise 2 Merits: A llies ( security) 2, Brute Force 3, Danger Sense 2, Harvest ( emotions) 2, Iron Stamina 2, Language ( Spanish) 3, Mantle ( A utumn) 4, New Identity ( Gary Rockhold) 2, Strong Back 1, Weatherproof 1 Willpower: 6 Clarity: 5 Virtue: Prudence Vice: Gluttony Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 11 Health: 8 Wyrd: 2 Contracts: Mirror 3, Smoke 2, Stone 3

Cervantes
Quote: Tonight, I am a source of grief for you. Background: Cervantes held some rather unassuming beginnings, considering where he is now. Cervantes was a humble butcher in his former life, and had little of interest and account to the world of the Fae. Yet, one night, in his sleep a shadow crept into his room and stole him in his slumber; the Fae titled as the Lord of Gargoyles. In A rcadia, Cervantes would serve as a smith for his master, hewing rock and stone into agile forms. For every day he beat at the quarries of the Lord, his shape would become more unto their own countenance, until he was a thing of rock himself. Then one day, the Lord of the Gargoyles left from the rookery to find more inspiration in the real world. He never returned, and Cervantes, alongside the other changelings of the rookery fled into the Thorns to make their way home. Now, he came to find a world where his wife was old and grey, his children grown up and independent of his life. In his dismay, he turned to crime and found his obdurate skin and preternatural strength to be an imposing boon. With them, he survived several critical gun fights that would have killed a mortal man, earning him an undying reputation. This reputation grew and inspired fear into his enemies, allowing him to scale the criminal ladder faster than anticipated. Description: Cervantes is a rock troll in a tuxedo. His form dwarfs most others except for the truly large. A lthough his body and face might be those of a boxer, and his hands calloused from hours of work, he will surround himself with nothing but the finest elegance and

China White
Quote: Drink and I will introduce you to wonder. Background: China will tell you very little of her past, or at least nothing consistent. What listeners to her origins have gathered is that she was born in the country of her namesake ( the very reason she chose it upon returning from A rcadia) during the cultural revolution. What she did in this time always changes, but it is always something that was suppressed by the authorities. What she wont tell is that her real occupation at the time was a Buddhist nun of 9

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the northern branch. She says none of this, because her capture into A rcadia shattered all her spiritual preconceptions, turning her into a jaded and bitter cynic. Her time with Crumbcoat and Ganache is also glossed over by her accounts, as she rarely partook in the creation of the foods, but was put to work to inspire others. China tried for many years to escape from her Keepers, but to little avail and success. Each time the Keepers found her and brought her back before she could escape from the Hedge. Yet, in this time, her proficiency with the Contract of Vainglory grew and she literally frightened her Keepers off with Mantle of Terrible Beauty. Description: Chinas features are almost an exaggeration. Between the almond shaped eyes of her oriental birthright and the elvin accentuation from her Fairest durance, she has a face that contains an alien beauty. China, when working, adorns herself with traditional dresses of her homeland, but will otherwise prefer to suit herself in comfortable and attractive skirts. Her combination of attributes allows her to look far younger than she really is. Storytelling Hints: Since returning, she fell under the auspices of the Winter Queen, Snow, eventually becoming an adoptive daughter of sorts. Upon taking the name of White, she asserted China as her first ( intentional of the double entendre) . China operates most of the drug dens that are directly under the purview of the Velvet Underground, and uses the drug altered states of consciousness to inspire musings and libertine artistry. Her dens are decadent, indulgent and cater to exotic tastes, and like her namesake suggests, she favours those who chase the dragon. Seeming: Fairest Kith: Muse Court: Spring Court Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Crumbcoat and Ganache Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4 Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 3, Composure 4 Mental Skills: Computer 2, Crafts 1, Investigation 1, Medicine ( drugs) 3 Physical Skills: A thletics 2, Drive 1, Firearms 2, Larceny 2, Stealth ( remaining still) 3 Social Skills: Empathy 3, Expression 4, Persuasion 2, Streetwise ( addicts) 2, Subterfuge ( pretense) 2 Merits: A llies ( drugs) 5, A llies ( crime) 2, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 3, Fast Reflexes 1, Harvest ( dreams) 4, Holistic A wareness 3, Language ( Cantonese) 3, Meditative Mind 1, Mantle ( Spring) 3, Network ( dross) 1, New Identity ( Lillian White) 2, New Identity ( Mary Ng) 2, Perfect Stillness 1, Sexualised 2, Toxin Resistance 2, Striking Looks 2 Willpower: 7 Clarity: 5 Virtue: Hope Vice: Gluttony Initiative: 9 Defence: 2 Speed: 11 Health: 9 Wyrd: 2 Contracts: Dream 2, Elements ( smoke) 3, Fleeting Spring 2, Vainglory 2

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The Hellfire Club

A s the name would imply, the Hellfire Club is a lavish and decadent groups of sexual deviants. Sex is sex is sex; except in the hands of the Club. Then sex is a game, sex is life, sex is power and a thrilling visceral exploration of feelings, emotions and fundamentally being human. This is the heart of the Club's manifesto, it is hearkening to the primal instinct at the core of every single mortal. Hollow: A rchive ( Sex, Tantra, Spring Court History) 3, A menities 5, Faade 2, Doors 3, Size 2, Wards 3, Workshop 1 greatest lover in the freehold) . In his mind, his greatest good is the fulfilment of every whim and desire and neither will he discriminate from destructive desires and healthy desires. Yet for his cavalier attitude, he is a charismatic and competent leader. He is canny when it comes to the moods of the Court and the freehold alike and is a virtual savant when it comes to diplomacy. His most ardent enemies find it difficult to hold off from his charms, or failing that, the deadly precision of his bow. Seeming: Beast Kith: Steepscrambler Court: Spring Court Entitlement: Bodhisattva of the Broken Cage Titles: Sylvan King Keeper: The Zookeeper Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 3, Composure 3 Mental Skills: Investigation Physical Skills: A thletics 3 Social Skills: Empathy 3 Merits: A llies ( drugs) 4, Barfly 1, Charmed Life 2, Contacts ( police) 1, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 1, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 1, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 2, Feral Mien 3, Goblin Vow ( sex) 1, Harvest ( emotions) 5, Hedge Gate Sense 1, Lethal Mien 2, Mantle ( Spring) 4, Network ( dross) 1, New Identity ( William Cambridge) 4, Predator's Innocence 3, Strong Longs 3 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Hope Vice: Lust Initiative: 6 Defence: 3 Speed: 11 Health: 8 Wyrd: 5 Contracts: Den 2, Eternal Spring 5, Fang and Talon ( domestic pets) 3, Fleeting Spring 2, Hours 3, Mirror 2, Verdant Spring 4

Wolf Song
Quote: The revolution is being televised. Smile for the camera love. Background: The 60s was the perfect era for Wolf. It was a bohemian rhapsody of freedom and experimentation. Wolf was well in the heart of it. He pandered to his wild wants and wild needs, craving the primal hunger of love, lust, food and ecstasy. Wolf was stolen in the middle of Woodstock. A ll he remembers is the feeling of running through the crowds and ducking through a gap in the fence. The next thing, are the horns of the hunt and the thumping chase through thorny brambles. He was captured by the Wild Hunt and eventually sold to the menagerie of the Zookeeper. Running, hunting, fucking and all the baser instincts filled Wolfs life in these terrifying and fleeting periods. Flashes of cages, iron and whips come back to him if he thinks too much of it. Then the alarms went off and the chase was on. There was running, it was a herd he was running with and found his freedom in the escape of the Nettle Revolt. Wolf emerged back into the world, his sense of mortal conscious gathering once more around him. Free from the cage, Wolf became the freeholds most ardent defender of freedom from captivity. His time would be spent working with animal activists freeing caged animals; and once he even facilitated the break out of several mortal prisoners, for no other reason than they were caged. Wolfs passion and absolute lust would eventually find himself the consort of the reigning Spring Queen, and when she died at the hands of a Gentry invasion, Wolf stood up and directed the Court in the state of emergency. Having proven himself a competent leader, the Court was ready to accede to his role as Spring King. Description: Wolf is the living embodiment of virile youth, and some would describe him as a cross between Peter Pan and a faun. Clipped hooves trip merrily in his wake and horns curl off his skull. Much of his attire is a relic of the flower power generation, holding to it that this was the best time in history. Storytelling Hints: Freedom is the underlying drive of Wolf. Unadulterated, liberated and socially broken freedom. In Wolfs world there are no rules, no restraints and no taboos except those that violate freedoms. He has no qualms about seducing away those with partners ( of either gender) , for if they were that easy to seduce, then it is clearly something they desire ( he also holds a long standing rivalry with the A utumn King over who is the

Lord Grey
Quote: When you want me, I will be here. The moment you need me, I must depart. Background: The man who is now Lord Grey was once a proud man of wealth and prestige. He was the scion of a vast fortune, and was a well known playboy by the age of 21. He was known as an outrageous womaniser, and conqueror of everything feminine, but his money, good looks and his father's influence provided many of the excuses that his cavalier attitude required. It would come about that the same woman would fall under the interest of himself and another unidentified debonair gentleman. Over the entire night they would subtly compete against each other to win her, and 11

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eventually the other gentleman was victorious. Over the next few nights, this same pattern would happen as the gentleman consistently stole the target of his affection away. Eventually, Lord Grey attempted to meet with the man to force some form of encounter. Yet, as he drew near he found the gentleman seeming to easily slip away, to which he followed. He began a pursuit, chasing him down blind alleys and hidden ways, and eventually coming upon the gentleman in a strange clearing in some back street. There he demanded that the gentleman reveal himself and tell him his secret. The gentleman revealed himself to be the Greve of Stolen Lovers, and that seduction is all about misdirection; that he was here where the Greve wanted him was testament to that. So Lord Grey was kept as a consort his will shaped into that of a lover, a Casanova, a concubine for his pleasures. Somewhere, along the way Grey snapped and found himself submitting for the first time ever. Years later, Grey collected enough of his sense of self to find the languor of this lifestyle tedious. There was no more challenge, no more thrill. He yearned for the uncertainty and the life he'd left behind and so he left this one away. He knows the Greve might still be looking for him, as one of his prized possessions. Description: Grey's features are more reminiscent of a classical definition of beauty, as there is something distinctly archaic about his manner and appearance. His has acquired an affinity for the garments of the Victorian Era, an affectation he picked up from his Keeper. Perhaps most disturbing to those who were kept by the Greve is how similar the two seem to look and behave. It has led to certainly levels of mistrust from those of that durance... all except Tink, who is not afraid of the Greve. Storytelling Hints: Lord Grey's heart was broken during his time in A rcadia. His emotions were ripped apart and taken to be a petty play thing, all that was left for him was the slow soft feelings of grief and sorrow. To this, he has frozen his heart to shield him from the pain of these emotions, and to relieve himself in the grief of his own and other's making. Yet, behind this icy exterior, there exists desire, ambition and more. He knows he will never rise to a place of prominent power within his wealthy family, but seeks instead a protege; he wants someone he can groom and mould to a place of success and power, either in the freehold or in his extended mortal family. Seeming: Fairest Kith: Shadowsouled Court: Winter Court Entitlement: Duchy of the Icebound Heart Titles: Lord of the Inhospitable Chamber Keeper: The Greve of Stolen Lovers Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 4, Composure 4 Mental Skills: A cademics ( poetry) 2, Investigation 1, Occult 1, Politics 3 Physical Skills: A thletics 1, Firearms 2, Stealth ( shadowing) 1, Weaponry ( duelling) 3 Social Skills: Empathy 4, Expression 2, Intimidation 2, Persuasion ( seduction) 4, Subterfuge 3 Merits: A llies ( the heartbroken) 5, A llies ( high society) 3, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 2, Dream Combat 3, Goblin Vow ( unrequited love) 1, Harvest ( emotions) 3, Language ( French) 3, Language ( Russian) 3, Mantle ( Winter) 4, New Identity ( Justin Grey) 4, Social Manoeuvres 4, Status ( high society) 3, Striking Looks 2 Willpower: 7 Clarity: 5 Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Sloth Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 9 Health: 8 Wyrd: 4 Contracts: Masks 3, Mists 4, Sorrow- Frozen Heart 5, Smoke 3, Vainglory 3

Tink O' Chains

Quote: You think to find pleasure in my hallowed halls? Perhaps it is time to begin your education. Background: Tink ( her stage name before her capture) was one of the citys best known exotic dancers in the days. Now she is a memory. Her lewd and provocative performances garnered for her the attention of the Greve of Stolen Lovers, who soon applied his deft skills to steal her away. Not for her were the pretty boudoirs nor the parochial outings of his usual lovers. No, in the realms of A rcadia the Greve found cause to indulge in perverse and exotic pleasures with Tink, chained to the bed. For each dark desire, she found ways to satisfy his craving. Yet never once did she submit to him, for every encounter was a struggle and conflict and she would not be so easily tamed. For days at a time she would live on the verge between pleasure and pain, finding it more difficult to distinguish between the two. Eventually, he grew tired of her games like all the others, and left her bound in chains in the dark to rot. Still she refused to break. So she waited in the dark, befriended by the chains and the wires and the barbs. Until finally, the Greve came back to her seeking to let himself go once more. Now, she used this fear of rejection against him, and bound him in his spot. Then without a further word, she walked out of A rcadia, still holding her pride. Description: She is the vision of sin itself, radiantly beautiful and completely sexualised about everything. Yet her beauty is the rose that hides her Thorns . Beneath her mask are twisting chains and barbed wire biting into her skin. Covered in piercings, leather straps and mutilations she is a monstrous horror of the night, veiled in succulent beauty. Storytelling Hints: That the Spring Court ( amongst others) desire her, is one of her own favourite personal jokes and she will rarely let any of them touch her. She has an indomitable spirit and will not allow others to break her. Tink knows that power and control comes through fear. A round her, she keeps many mortals in dependency on her dominating ways. They live for her desires and are fearful of her displeasure. They are her pets, bound by ties far

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greater than shackles. From their fear of her, she gluts herself nightly. She is also aware of the similarities to her behaviour and those of the Others. It is something that she is deeply paranoid about. In this, she extends her philosophy of control through fear, as it fuels her with the mental discipline necessary to never make the necessary assumption that her playmates are no more than toys. Seeming: Darkling Kith: Blackguard Court: A utumn Court Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: The Greve of Stolen Lovers Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 3, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Crafts 2, Medicine 2, Occult ( the Gentry) 3 Physical Skills: A thletics ( contortion) 4, Brawl 2, Larceny 2, Weaponry ( chains) 3 Social Skills: A nimal Ken 2, Empathy 3, Intimidation 2, Persuasion 2, Subterfuge ( half- truths) 3 Merits: Court Goodwill ( Spring) 1, Danger Sense 2, Harvest ( emotions) 2, Hobgoblin Trainer 2, Lethal Mien 2, Mantle ( A utumn) 2, Sexualised 2, Source Sympathy 3 Willpower: 4 Clarity: 3 Virtue: Justice Vice: Lust Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 12 Health: 9 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: A nimation 2, Elements ( metal) 2, Eternal A utumn 2, Fleeting A utumn 2, Moon 2 Chris was turned into one of those stone angels and placed amongst the great mausoleum of its A rcadian estate. For many years he stood there as a pillar of stone, the lord chipping away pieces of himself to eat. A t first there was joy, for he felt his shape being slowly melded into the image of the woman he wanted to be. Then one day, the Lord of Gargoyles had disappeared. Chris no longer, but Galatea, she was unfinished, imperfect and staggered back home in hopes of finding the only creature who could ever make her whole. Description: Galatea looks so much like a figure carved out of exquisite marble. The features are refined, delicate and slightly androgynous. Her face holds the angular jaw and sharp masculine features, and while the breadth and shape of her shoulders and hips belie the figure of a man, she very distinctly has breasts and the clothes she wears shows no tales of male genitalia. A s for clothing, she prefers luxurious and soft fabrics, if only in contrast to the cold smooth touch of her stone skin. Her hairs are only so much as rocky sculpted curls. Storytelling Hints: Galatea is conflicted. On the outside she is smiles, and social graces if somewhat acerbic and bitter at times. A ll of this is to hide her stone heart. Deep inside her exists a bitterness, she was born a man, and though her durance has somewhat transmuted her into what she is now, she feels incomplete her rock skin makes her frozen in this transient form that is neither male nor female. She is dangerously close to becoming a loyalist, or otherwise making some infernal compact with the Gentry to acquire that one final transformation. It is this that epitomises her as a creature of Spring, this form is something she deeply desires but never slaked or fulfilled. Seeming: Elemental Kith: Stoneheart Court: Spring Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Lord of Gargoyles Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 4 Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 5 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 3, Composure 4 Mental Skills: Investigation 2, Science 2 Physical Skills: A thletics 1, Brawl ( stone fists) 3, Stealth ( stillness) 1, Weaponry 2 Social Skills: A nimal Ken 1, Empathy 1, Expression 3, Intimidation 2, Streetwise 2 Merits: A llies ( club circuit) 2, A llies ( security) 2, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 3, Brute Force 2, Goblin Vow ( cars) 1, Harvest ( pledges) 2, Iron Stamina 1, Mantle ( Spring) 2, Meditative Mind 1, Perfect Stillness 1, Rigid Mask 2, Striking Looks 2, Strong Back 1, Weatherproof 1 Willpower: 8 Clarity: 7 Virtue: Justice Vice: Sloth Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 10 Health: 10 Wyrd: 2 13

Galatea
Quote: Call me darling Background: Born as Chris Robertson, his life was filled with conflict, never really understanding why his parents were angry at his behaviour. It was only during puberty when he discovered the roles of gender and his disassociation from it did he understand. He was she. Through circumstances he circumscribed, he managed to get transferred to a new school where he presented himself as herself. For nearly an entire year, he managed to pass himself off as his female counter- part, but then it fell to shit. The act was uncovered and he was exported to an all- boys boarding college to correct his attitude; it would be a place where he would suffer month after month of indignity and cruelty. Chris would, nightly, retreat to the roof of the college and hide amongst the beautiful carvings and open air. One night, Chris took a knife and cut his manhood making an offering of pain and sacrifice to the moon, and asked to be made a woman. His prayers were heard, but not by a goddess. A mongst the stone angels, the only person who heard the prayer was their lord and master of the gargoyles.

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Contracts: Communion ( air) 3, Eternal Spring 2, Elements ( rock) 4, Stone 3 Storytelling Hints: To Crash, everything is a puzzle, everything is a prize to be understood, unravelled or unpackaged. There is little in Crash's mind that doesn't have some solution. While his thoughts may not work as orderly as they use to, he has a quick and clever wit, and a keen perception of the world around him. Crash remains calm and cool even in the face of dire adversity. It's not that he subdues himself, he just simple doesn't care. His blithe and casual nature make it hard for people to think he's lying or scheming or witness any of the things that are going on in the back of his mind. Seeming: Beast Kith: Riddleseeker Court: Winter Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Tall Blue Man Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4 Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 3, Composure 3 Mental Skills: Computers 1, Investigation ( riddles) 3, Occult 2 Physical Skills: A thletics ( running) 2, Brawl 2, Larceny 3, Stealth 2 Social Skills: A nimal Ken 3, Empathy 2, Expression 1, Persuasion 1, Socialize ( flirtatious) 3, Subterfuge ( circumlocution) 4 Merits: A llies ( groupies) 2, Barfly 1, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 1, Feral Mien 3, Harvest ( emotions) 3, Language ( Italian) 2, Mantle ( Winter) 1, New Identity ( Thomas White) 2, Quick Healer 4, Tunnel Rat 1, Willpower: 5 Clarity: 5 Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Envy Initiative: 6 Defence: 3 Speed: 10 Health: 9 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: Eternal Winter 2, Fang and Talon ( rats) 3, Smoke 2

Crash White
Quote: You wouldn't deny me this one last dance would you? Background: A s a child, the child known as Crash was an errant trickster. His antics would consistently get him into trouble with the class and teachers. Yet, most of that is a blur, as is all the events of his former life. Ever since he ran off from class to go the beach for a surf. When he hit the water, he found the surf unseasonably cold. The waves were high and the water was rough; it was not too long before a powerful rip had carried him far out to see where none could see him. For a day or more he floated out on the waters, on cool dead tides seeing not a sign of life of civilisation. His next memories involve a flurry of snow and the sound of footsteps crunching the winter underneath. In his delirious state it was all so confused. He remembers a warm camp fire in the middle of the snow, the only source of warmth there was. Every day the Tall Blue Man would send him out in the snow to bring him back a story. It was a task that required much cunning, coolness and adaptability. Eventually, he became the A rctic Fox, clever and covered in snow white fur. One day, however, the beacon of the camp fire was no longer to be seen. The entire realm was caught up in a terrible blizzard and naught could be seen. Crash had no choice but to move on, to find a way out of the blizzard. A fter many turns of the moon, the skies when dark and the paths of the Hedge came around him, and then the journey home. Description: Crash very rarely ever goes without his smile. It is open, inviting and is framed by silvery white hair pulled back in an immaculate tail, and stark crystalline blue eyes. There is a dreadful cunning in his gaze, and one that seeks to undress you, disarm you, or otherwise lay you bare. His features are sharp and fox- like, reflecting the fox creature that he is attuned to. When seen in his mien, his body is brush with beautiful white fur, and a long ermine tail; he resembles an elegant A rctic fox.

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The Diamond Dogs

Don't Cross The Diamond Dogs. This is their motto, and one they work to enforce and make you believe like hell you better not break it. The Diamond Dogs is a female only motley, who have come to see a patriarchal society as just one more form of slavery. They're here to break it and you if you don't step aside. Hollow: A rchive ( War Manuals, History of Women, Summer Court History) 3, A menities 5, Faade 2, Doors 3, Size 2, Wards 3

Rose Red
Quote: On this day, I can give you victory or glory. A good general chooses victory, but a great general will always choose glory. Background: Rosalyn was girl in her teens when she was taken. It occurred the night of her sixteenth birthday, when six of her best friends were staying over. They were playing Bloody Mary, in traditional sense... only this time something did come out of the mirror and pulled Rosalyn in. That figure was the Stripling Prince, who has espied her through his mirror of splendour Rosalyn would serve as the Stripling Prices' aide- decamp for many years. She lived a life of pleasure and luxury at the hands of the Prince, who wooed her as his beloved consort. She was enlisted into his Machiavellian schemes and affairs of politics of the Fae, and might have remained there content and happy if the Prince's schemes did not cause him and all his ilk to be exiled from A rcadia. In this, the Prince led a war against A rcadia from the Hedge, and Rosalyn became one of his chief strategists Planning wars, movements, and engaging the minions of the Gentry on the field of battle itself. With each survival, and each defeat she became more of a hardened warrior, more of a soulless killer and slayer. Her dress dripped in red blood earned her the name Rose the Red. It is this name she keeps to this day as it is reputation enough to give some faerie creatures pause. Eventually, Red grew tired of the endless battles and challenged her Keeper to single combat. Though she had seen the Prince face off foes far greater than her, the battle was on her side as she destroyed him with a blow. Not knowing whether she had invoked some obscure frailty or was merely lucky, she fled back to the world where her reputation quickly earned her acclaim with the Court of Summer. Though for many years she worked lonely as a Courtless, she has since taken on the Mantle of Summer. Description: To say Rose is fearsome would be a disservice. In her very gait she is a terrifying and imposing figure that reminds other changelings at times of one of the Gentry themselves. She is a blood- stained warrior, with burnished flames for hair, golden rings for eyes and a frequent stain of red about her hands and arms. Rose has in her possession a full plate armour made seemingly of burnished gold or brass, though it hampers her in neither movement nor agility. She is known for wearing this as both her formal regalia and on the field of battle itself.

Secretly, when no- one thinks she's hearing, they call her the Iron Bitch. Storytelling Hints: Rose may have been the first changeling in the freehold to have encountered the Stripling Prince, but this is not something that she readily shares with others. She is wary of giving out any hint of her durance to others, especially since she has heard the tale of other escapees of the Stripling Prince. In her mind, the Prince has an agenda of his own that requires him to have been thrown out of A rcadia. His defeat was merely a rouse. A s the Crimson Queen, she has rarely ever been defeated. Many have fought her, and enough have won against her in a fight, but with each defeat she takes her lessons away with her and returns more powerful than before. Many of her enemies have thought her defeated only to find her fiery vigour raging down upon them when they least expected. Seeming: Fairest Kith: Gallant Court: Summer Court Entitlement: Sacred Band of the Golden Standard Titles: Crimson Queen; Red Victor Keeper: The Stripling Prince Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4 Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 3, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Crafts 2, Investigation 2, Medicine ( field aid) 1, Politics 3, Science ( tactics) 2 Physical Skills: A thletics 3, Brawl ( grudge match) 3, Drive 2, Firearms ( hand guns) 4, Weaponry 2 Social Skills: Empathy 1, Expression ( speeches) 3, Intimidation 3, Socialize ( troops) 2 Merits: A llies ( militia groups) 3, A llies ( police force) 2, Contacts ( radical groups) 4, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 1, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 2, Court Goodwill Spring 3, Harvest ( emotions) 4, Inspiring 4, Iron Stamina 2, Language ( Italian) 1, Mantle ( Summer) 5, New Identity ( Emily Red) 4, Striking Looks 2 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Pride Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 12 Health: 9 Wyrd: 6 Contracts: Elements ( fire) 3, Eternal Summer 3, Fleeting Summer 4, Oath and Punishment 1, Punishing Summer 4 , Stone 1, Vainglory 4

Scarlett Paw
Quote: Don't touch me you filthy worm. You are not even pure enough to lay eyes upon me. Background: The Sisters of Sacred Chastity was the only home, and the only sacrament that Scarlett Paw 15

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knew. She was given to their monastic order as a young child and spent the best part of her young life growing up inside its walls and learning about the world through its books and filters. In order to cleanse her of her wicked ways, they showed her the purifying arts of flagellation and chastisement. She was a wilful child and she knew it; she was constantly defying the edicts of her Mother Superior, constantly traipsing off into the wilderness outside the walls, and constantly getting into wicked, wicked trouble. Of course, that's what got her captured in the first place. It was one of her little trips out into the forests around that caused her to be spotted and claimed by a party of Hobgoblin merchants, recognizing her as a highly valuable virgin. This, they sold off to the highest bidder, the Zookeeper. Here, the Zookeeper used her to herd his herd of unicorns and other exotic equines. In this, she would assume the role of hunter and predator. When the Nettle Revolt occurred, Scarlett took up the reins of her steed and led a charge into the Hedge with whatever sordid collection of creatures could follow her wake. In returning to Earth, Scarlett took it upon herself to learn more about her plight. Her time in Faerie has shattered her preconceptions and given her an insatiable hunger for spiritual knowledge. To this end, she furrowed through scripture after text and tome. She has found for herself a new revelation, and uses it to guide her and those she protects. To date, her avowed beliefs are a synthetic mesh of Zoroastrianism, some pagan beliefs and new insights she gained in Faerie. She titles herself a Vestal Virgin. Description: Beneath the feral mien and the Hessian shirt lies the adoring features of a true beauty, a by- product of her time amidst the unicorns. Yet, only a fool would dare pluck the bloom of her beauty as one look in her eye will reveal a vicious predatory streak. Scarlett, as he name suggests, has a vibrant mane of red hair. It is her one sole vanity as she will keep it perfectly groomed. Storytelling Hints: Scarlett's durance has moderated her somewhat. In her mind she has paid a penance far greater than any levied against a mortal man or woman. For her, this is payment for sins she has yet to commit, and part of her is keeping watch, keeping score. That is not to say she is not fanatical, and does not maintain a stubborn and severe attitude to the moral decay of the world. It just allows her to rationalize the evil deeds she must do in the name of righteousness. Seeming: Beast Kith: Hunterheart Court: Summer Court Entitlement: The Hound Tribunal Titles: Hunter of the Longest Day Keeper: The Zookeeper Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 2 Mental Skills: A cademics 2 ( religion) , Medicine 2, Politics 3 Physical Skills: Brawl ( claws) 3, Firearms 3, Stealth ( shadowing) 2 Social Skills: A nimal Ken 2, Empathy 1, Intimidation 3, Subterfuge 2 16 Merits: A llies ( clergy) 2, Contacts ( various church groups) 3, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 2, Danger Sense 2, Fast Reflexes 2, Fleet of Foot 1, Harvest ( emotions) 1, Mantle ( Summer) 4, Predator's Innocence 3, Status ( clerical standing) 1 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 4 Virtue: Faith Vice: Wrath Initiative: 7 Defence: 2 Speed: 11 Health: 8 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: Fang and Talon ( dogs) 2, Den 2, Punishing Summer 3, Thorns 2,

Morgana
Quote: Who knows what lies in the hearts of men? Sill Background: Beatrice was the ruler of the playground, and then in high school she was the homecoming queen. A lways knowing enough of the politics of the yard to keep them hooked and dancing on her heartstrings. In her first years out of college, she landed herself into a happy marriage with her husband. Yet there was something lacking in her life: it was mediocre, and her head was filled with fantasy. Her daily domestic chores were left unfulfilled. Then one night, a stranger came to visit her, somehow sensing her need for love and fantasy. This is how the Greve of Stolen Lovers won her heart and took her to the lands of distant A rcadia. For many years, the woman played to a forged mockery of domestic bliss to the Greve. She played the role of his Stepford wife, always pretty and perky. This rankled and chaffed, but still she complied. Even long after the Greve had tired of her, she stayed behind seeking some measure to try and provide succour to her lord. Eventually the pieces of her had faded away, and she remained as a flickering will of the wisp, seeking to light the cold halls of the Greve, fading and forgotten. Yet, an urge moved within her. She recalled people who loved her and needed her in the mortal world. She hummed and flickered and buzzed with excitement and in one glorious cadence fled from her master. Having returned to the world of men and women, she found that her family was dead and gone. With a shallow gulp and a cold detachment she entered the fold of the Winter Court to subsume her grief in power. Description: When meeting the Bey Morgana one will often find themselves struck by a serene beauty. While by no means perfectly featured: she is handsome, rather than beautiful, winsome and wild, rather than demure. There is a powerful energy about her that you can feel emanating off her. She is powerful, she is graceful and deadly in her countenance. Her demeanour is erotic, passionate and sultry, that is until you get close and find that the flame that burns is a cool blue. Storytelling Hints: Power is Morgana's game, power, prestige and at any price, any gambit, any stake. She is as callous as they come, willing to lure the hearts and minds of others to her task, only to leave them dead and dry like

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used husks. She simply doesn't care about whose heart she breaks, or whose emotions she crushes. Beneath the cool and ardent flame within her eyes burns a fiercely political mind, deathly strategic and cunning. Yet, all this is masked by a pretend of idle flippancy, careless sexuality and false innocence. You'd believe it too. Yet, all this is a faade. She plays in games of power, not because she feels a need for it, but because she has a desperate need to be seen as exciting and glamorous. She loathes tedium and boredom, and will often make things more dramatic than need be. Her goal is also potentially suspect, as she seeks to build men up not for her own power and glory, but to see if she can make a man in the image of her once and future king. She in enamoured with her former paramour, and seeks to create a creature as wild, powerful and as dangerous as he was. If the Greve ever came back for her, she might very well go without resistance. Seeming: Elemental Kith: Fireheart Court: Winter Entitlement: The Bronze Beylik Titles: None Keeper: The Greve of Stolen Lovers Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 3, Composure 3 Mental Skills: A cademics 1, Crafts ( clothing) 3, Occult 2, Politics 3, Physical Skills: A thletics 2, Drive 1, Firearms 1, Stealth ( subtle movement) 2, Survival 3 Social Skills: Empathy 4, Expression 2, Intimidation 1, Persuasion ( negotiating deals) 3, Subterfuge ( misdirection) 2 Merits: A llies ( admirers) 4, Bureaucratic Navigator 2, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 1, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 1, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 1, Dream Combat 1, Harvest ( dreams) 2, Language ( Hindi) 2, Language ( Farsi) 1, Mantle ( Winter) 2, New Identity ( Helen Carter) 2, Pledgesmith 1, Sexualised 2, Social Manoeuvres 1, Status ( high society) 1, Striking Looks 2 Willpower: 6 Clarity: 8 Virtue: Faith Vice: Sloth Initiative: 6 Defence: 3 Speed: 10 Health: 8 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: Elements ( fire) 5, Elements ( earth) 2, Eternal Winter 3, Masks 2, Vainglory 2

17

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Cirque Nocturne
The night has its moods, and the members of the Cirque see their chosen motif as the perfect way to explain away their eccentricities. People expect to see the strange and bizarre among the circles of people who live on the fringe. The Cirque Nocturne are disturbing fabulists, who revel in the queer themes of a dark circus. They will stage strange and fantastic shows in public venues, and in other more formal spaces, but their main objective is to shock and amaze the crowds of unthinking mortals. Hollow: A menities 3, Faade 3, Doors 3, Size 2, Wards 4, Workshop 2 outbursts of rage than hed like to admit. Yet, in counterpoint, Blue Jenny provides a calming influence on his short temper. Seeming: Beast Kith: Broadback Court: Summer Court Entitlement: None Titles: Iron Bailiwick Keeper: The Stripling Prince Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 3 Mental Skills: Crafts 1, Investigation ( crime scene) 2, Politics 2 Physical Skills: A thletics 2, Brawl ( horns) 3, Stealth 2, Survival ( tracking) 2 Social Skills: A nimal Ken 4, Empathy 3, Intimidation ( bellow) 2, Subterfuge 2 Merits: A llies ( military) 2, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 3, Fleet of Foot 2, Harvest ( emotions) 2, Hedge Gate Sense 1, Lethal Mien 2, Mantle ( Summer) 4, Sojourner's Way 1, New Identity ( William Benedict) 1, Strong Back 1 Willpower: 6 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Justice Vice: Lust Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 12 Health: 9 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: Darkness 3, Fleeting Summer 3, Omen 2, Punishing Summer 1, Thorns 2

Ludo
Quote: Creature, make peace with your maker for I am here to deliver you to them. Background: There is a fire in the belly of the beast, which burns for a family he will never know again. The man now called Ludo woke in the middle of the night many years ago to see his family home over- run by unmentionable creatures. It was a brutal savage fight, and as a Veteran of Vietnam, Ludo had seen horrors, but nothing like this. His wife and child were very quickly massacred by these things, and in a blind rage he pursued them into the Hedge with a shotgun. The nightmare of this place nearly broke the man, reacting to his psyche to resemble the jungles of Vietnam. While here, he was discovered by a hunting party of the Fae, led by the Stripling Prince. Curious to see the Hedge react in such a way, the Prince hunted him down with a quiver of arrows and dragged him home to A rcadia. Here the Prince put him through some very traumatic war games, taken from his own memories of Vietnam. He died many times, and was brought back to life by the Princes will. When he wasnt fighting, he was being hunted. Yet, like a bull in a cage, he raged. Soon the Prince could not contain the ferocity of this warrior and the prey turned upon his master, savagely mauling him and leaving him for dead. Back in the world of humanity, Ludo attempted to integrate back into society, with poor results. His durance, and his experiences at war alienated him from mortal society more than many of the freehold. Bitter, angered and vengeful against the night he decided to make war with it. Description: Ludo resembles a minotaur. Massive shoulders and forearms set the foundation for a square jaw and a face with some bovine features, and even vestigial horns that curl from his forehead. Ludos typical attire is military, a type of urban camouflage that helps him blend in with the urban jungle Storytelling Hints: Since his nights back, Ludo has declared war against the things in the shadows. He vows to protect those who cannot protect themselves from the likes of the Gentry and other terrors that would harm the world of humanity. He is a vigilante, though less concerned with acts of human crime, and more against acts of supernatural. He is still traumatized by his experiences, and a long hard history of violence makes him far more prone to 18

Widdershins
Quote: I am she, as you are she as you are me and we are all together... Background: There must have been something of her former life that brought Widdershins to the attentions of the Greve. However, so much of her life is lost in the manifold fictions and identities that she's not sure which one it is. She is fairly sure that she was male to begin with, but it no longer seems to remain her current gender. Yet, she can clearly remember parts of her childhood as being a girl, she thinks. It's all so confusing that best not think on it too much. In any case, Widdershins is pretty sure that she inadvertently drew the attention of the Greve when she was investigating the disappearances of a number of girls from a local boarding house. In attempt to find out more, she disguised herself as a girl and hid among them. A lready with androgynous looks to begin with it was a passable disguise. Enough that she was mistaken by the Greve and taken to his boudoir. When the ruse was uncovered, the Greve found himself more intrigued than abhorred, for novel lovers are a rarity in his mind. Over the passing days, Widdershins found

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herself subjected to many changes and transformations, being made and remade in many different images with many different memories. Widdershins found the few fragments of her own identity falling away and so gathered herself together and passed herself off as the Greve, and escaped into the Hedge. In her new life, Widdershins has found for herself a place in the Court of Winter. She represents one of their finest impersonators and infiltrators. Description: Like many of the mirrorskin, Widdershin's features are hard to describe. They tend to shift like fragments of a patchwork doll, or pieces of a broken mirror. If she concentrates, she is able to form an image very much like her mask's face. Even then, the features are bland and uninteresting to look at. In some cases, you are left with the strange feeling that her features were painted on. Storytelling Hints: Widdershins struggles with many of the same identity issues that the Lost deal with, that Mirrorskins deal with and to top it all off, issues of transgender identity. She will sometimes mix up her pronouns, about herself and others. A s a result, she can be a little bit broken when it comes to dealing with others on even terms. Her placement with the Winter Court relates strongly to her inability to create a single coherent identity. There is a sense of loss and sorrow she constantly feels at the parts of her that keep slipping away. Eventually she feels she will no longer think of herself as I, but we. Seeming: Darkling Kith: Mirrorskin Court: Winter Court Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: The Greve of Stolen Lovers Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 4, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 1, Manipulation 3, Composure 4 Mental Skills: Computer 2, Investigation 4, Physical Skills: A thletics 2, Larceny 3, Stealth ( blending in) 1, Weaponry 2 Social Skills: Empathy 2, Persuasion 3, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge ( impersonation) 5 Merits: A mbidextrous 3, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 2, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 2, Goblin Vow ( mirrors) 1, Harvest ( pledges) 1, Mantle ( Winter) 2, Multi- Lingual 2, Natural Immunity 1, New Identity ( Jonathan Grey) 2, New Identity ( Russell Peters) 2, New Identity ( Joe Wade) 2, Perfect Stillness 1 Willpower: 6 Clarity: 5 Virtue: Temperance Vice: Envy Initiative: 8 Defence: 3 Speed: 10 Health: 7 Wyrd: 2 Contracts: Masks 5, Mirror 5, Reflection 5 Background: Kayla has always dreamed of flying, and it became a dream fulfilled when she took to the skies as a light aircraft pilot. For many years, she was a small parcel courier over the seas of the Caribbean, smuggling drugs and other illicit goods between Cuba and the States. Then, during the terrible storms of Hurricane Katrina, she found herself trapped in the stormy skies over the infamous Devil's Triangle. In that moment, the storm around her came alive and Nergal, the Raging One, carried her off to his cloud city in Faerie. In and amongst the cumulonimbus, she maintained her role as a courier, ferrying missives and messages from Nergal to all the land- locked Gentry. It would be on one of these flights, that she took wind of a scent that reminded her of home. It was a breeze born upon the western winds and called her to the places in her memory. Not quite knowing why, she turned in flight and shot towards the western breeze, flying in and amongst the tearing branches of the Hedge until she emerged in the world of mortal minds. Only a few years have gone since she went missing, but Zephyr ( for she is Kayla no longer) has no real understanding of the time she has spend in A rcadia. She could not find her friends or family, and perhaps they were lost in the storm, or perhaps they moved away. She does not know if her Fetch is still out there living the life that she's lost. Instead she has settled down in Twilight, hoping that this hub might bring her some news. Description: Her dark skin and piercing gaze are her mask's reflections of her plumage and hawk eyes. With a nose slightly ridged, and body hair like so much find down, she holds herself with the carriage deserved of a bird of prey. She still wears her flight jacket today. It is a bit of a relic, and has had a number of patches, but it is her only reminder of her time before she was stolen. Storytelling Hints: Zephyr functions as a long range scout and reconnaissance expert. Though on times she can work as a courier, she is loathe to do the missive work of others as it reminds her too much of her durance. What she truly prefers, is the freedom that her new form grants her. No longer Earthbound, she is quick to take flight and the freedom that the skies offer her. Seeming: Beast Kith: Windwing Court: Summer Court Entitlement: None Titles: Suns Tongue Keeper: Nergal, the Raging One Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 2 Mental Skills: A cademics 1, Investigation 2, Occult 2, Science ( flight) 2 Physical Skills: A thletics 3, Drive ( aircraft) 4, Firearms 2, Stealth 1, Survival ( adverse weather) 3 Social Skills: Expression ( song) 2, Intimidation 1, Streetwise 3 Merits: Contacts ( corporations, markets, homeless) 3, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 4, Direction Sense 1, Danger Sense 2, Fast Reflexes 2, Harvest ( dreams) 2, Mantle 19

Zephyr
Quote: I take my flights of fancy very seriously.

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( Summer) 3, New Identity ( A lia Riverstone) 2, Strong Lungs 3, Stunt Driver 3 Willpower: 4 Clarity: 7 Virtue: Charity Vice: Greed Initiative: 7 Defence: 2 Speed: 9 Health: 7 Wyrd: 1 Contracts: Fang and Talon 5 Keeper. Caval does keep tabs on the Ringmaster, well aware of his identity as he travels the city. Yet, she is concerned by the fact he never seems to leave to roam elsewhere, and this is because the costume anchors him to her in a profound manner. Every time she wears it, the Ringmasters dreams are haunted with her performances, and every night it brings him one step closer to finding her again and realizing his true nature. Seeming: Wizened Kith: Harlequin Court: Spring Court Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: The Ringmaster Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 4, Composure 2 Mental Skills: A cademics 2, Investigation 1, Politics ( changeling politics) 3 Physical Skills: A thletics ( acrobatics) 4, Brawl 2, Larceny ( sleight of hand) 3, Stealth 2, Weaponry 2 Social Skills: Empathy 1, Expression ( humour) 3, Persuasion 2, Subterfuge 3 Merits: Barfly 1, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 3, Harvest ( emotions) 1, Fast Reflexes 1, Hedge Duellist 3, Language ( Latin) 2, Mantle ( Spring) 2, New Identity ( Rosalyn Tesla) 4, Parkour 3 Willpower: 4 Clarity: 7 Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Pride Initiative: 7 Defence: 4 Speed: 11 Health: 8 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: Dream 2, Eternal Spring 2, Forge 2, Smoke 3

Caval Kade
Quote: Whaddaya want from me? I am first and foremost a show girl. Background: Caval was born with the circus in her blood. Like many a child in the wake of PT Barnum, she was enamoured with the showman ship of the big tip and the centre ring. A nd like an overdone clich she ran away with the circus on her 11th year. Her entire youth and adolescence would be a life of acrobatics and carousing in the lights of the circus, eventually earning herself a coveted role as a contortionist with Cirque Soliel. Satisfied, she decided to spend a year touring Europe, seeing the continent in a way denied her as a performer. It would be on one of these journeys that she would encounter the Pandemonium Circus, which looked so much like a relic from the Barnum era of circus. She wandered the attractions, and with her trained eye, could see that not all the freaks and geeks were fake. Something was wrong here, and it was her misfortune to discover that the troupe in the circus were none other than keep changelings of the Ringmaster. Discovered, Caval become one of the many to unwitting members of his troupe. Her skills as a performer would be honed and sharpened by her durance. She would serve frequently as an assistant to his stage acts as they dazzled and amused mortal crowds. It was tantalizing to visit Earth so often, but be bound in chains stronger than iron to her Keeper. When Hamlin tricked the Ringmaster and freed them from his grasp, she fled into the urban landscape of the city they were in. Description: Caval dresses in the manner of a traditional harlequin. It is an outfit she was given during her time with the Keeper and is surprisingly strong and agile. When not guised in her outfit, she prefers to wear body- conforming outfits as she has grown used to the feel of the constriction of her garments, and loathes and loosely flitting cloth. Caval is somewhat disdainful of the glorification of the tropes of feminine beauty, finding it far too much maintenance for a girl, and she insists that there are worlds of difference between the slavish methods of beautification and the otherworldly faades of stage make up. One is sheer vanity and the other is a mask. Storytelling Hints: Cavals garment is, unsurprisingly, a thing of faerie magic. It is not merely hedgespun raiment but a token that grants her preternatural flexibility and movement. Though she is aware of this benefice, she keeps is secret, for fear that her favouritism of her toy will link her far more closely to her Keeper than shed like. Yet, this garment is a thing bound closely to the magics of the 20

Willow
Quote: I offer you the promise of release, either unto liberty or death. Background: The streets have always been particularly cruel, more so to the placeless victims of the depression. Willow ( does not remember her mortal name) was one of those waifs. She remembers bitter poverty, callous hunger and the unfeeling winter breeze. She remembers at one point smelling the smell of warm cooking and followed it through a basement window. She remembers landing in a court wreathed in vines and flora not native to the area, she had landed in the Hedge. Unsure, but still hungry, she followed the smell until she ended up in the kitchens of Crumbcoat and Ganache. Finding a mortal stumbled in upon their realms, they quickly plied her to service, forcing her up the chimbleys and the coal shoots as a smoke sweeper. She crept and crawled along these narrow crooks for many years, spying and creeping in the darkness. Eventually she learned the ways in and out of maze of tunnels, developing an affinity for them and crawled her way out of the Hedge. Having returned home, she found that her many years gone had blinked by in a moment. She came upon her

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Fetch and throttled her in the middle of the night, while her family were bound in sleep. Without skipping a beat, she seemingly integrated herself back into her family life, though her social life at school took a turn for the worse. Eventually, she left at the age of 17 after poisoning her step- father for abusing her mother. She hasn't looked back and has left behind her past. Description: Small and waif- life, Willow could be the picture of the match girl. There is a rakish quality to her and the soot- stains the she cannot seem to get rid of perpetually covers her ivory skin. While most would see a painfully thin girl, those who know her are capable of spying a lithe and nubile form. Willow is essentially the image of the tall and plain wallflower, shrinking into the wall. Storytelling Hints: Despite appearing small and waifish, Willow is highly physical and capable of great bursts of prowess and energy. This is a hold over from her durance which made her wiry and tough. Her interest in courtly politics is minimal, there is little in what they can offer that seems to interest her. They bind her to obligations that she does not like. She would much prefer to be able to leave with a moment's notice and do her own thing. In fact, she is fiercely opposed to imprisonment, or any form of trapping, and will happily deliver someone to death if she thinks they cannot be freed from their treacherous obligations. Unbeknownst to most in the freehold, she has not actually sworn the pledge of fealty, holding that she will have no master. However, as you would hear it, she is a dutiful member and is quite adept at spinning the lies to make you think this is so. Seeming: Darkling Kith: Tunnelgrub Court: Courtless Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Crumbcoat and Ganache Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 5, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 1, Manipulation 3, Composure 3 Mental Skills: Medicine 1, Occult 2, Politics 2 Physical Skills: A thletics ( contortionism) 3, Stealth 2, Larceny 3, Survival ( urban) 2 Social Skills: Expression 1, Persuasion 2, Subterfuge ( whispers) 4 Merits: Goblin Vow ( tunnels, doors) 2, Harvest ( dreams) 2, Harvest ( pledges) 2, Iron Stomach 2, Tunnel Rat 2, Unobtrusive 3 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Prudence Vice: Envy Initiative: 8 Defence: 3 Speed: 11 Health: 7 Wyrd: 2 Contracts: Darkness 4, Masks 2, Mist 3

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The Sage Circle

Some might call them 'the other girl squad' although that would be incorrect. It's a title that has been left to them after the other members of their lot have died. A ll that's left are two of the eldest women in the freehold, and this is something they make a point of pride with anyone who asks. Hollow: A rchive ( Fairy Tales, History of the Freehold, Local Folklore, City History) 4, A menities 3, Faade 2, Doors 1, Size 2, Wards 3

Granny Apple
Quote: Get out of my kitchen or by god I'll take to you with my spoon. Background: Wilhelmina Ramkin was the great matriarch of the Ramkin clan. She was loved, known and nearly worshipped by the many sons, daughters and scattered grandchildren that bore her name ( and whom she bore in return) . Many of these children, remember their mother as the woman in the kitchen, who wielded the wooden spoon like it were a weapon. In her mind it was, in the never ending war against thieves who would steal her treats before they were ready to eat. Never so quick was the woman in slapping down the wrist of a warrant woman, and her aim with that spoon when thrown was deadly. She had served in the army during her youth, having learned to make kitchen gruel and being responsible for an entire platoon subsisting on meagre broth and flavour, and by God did it have flavour Wilhelmina could turn a shoe into a gourmet dinner with enough spice, cooking and that devil blessed wooden spoon. For you see, unknowingly, Wilhelmina had inherited a Token from one of her great aunts, and with it was able to make wonders. In comparison, her durance has almost been a matter of less interest. Her reputation as a chef would reach the ears of Crumbcoat and Ganache, who descended upon her with greed to whisk her away to their terrible kitchens. Yet, no sooner had she arrived than she began regimenting and amassing the crew of the chefs within that kitchen. For they may have been a messy and disorderly bunch, but by god she would not put up with layabouts in her kitchen. Indeed, over time the residents began to think of the kitchen more as hers than their Keepers. It would not escape their notice either. Many happy victims of the kitchens recall the day that the twins came up to her and demanded that she submit to their authority or be eaten with the next dinner. Without hesitation, she grabbed a pot of soup and doused one of the pair while crowning the other with her spoon all within the space of a few seconds. Then she hiked her skirts and fled from the scene of the crime into the Hedge. Description: Granny is a big woman, one who clearly loves her cooking. There is the air of a ruddy chef about her, with glistening hair and grisaille teeth. Her cheeks are rose red, but her skin is wrinkled and her hair is matted; giving her the appearance of a hag. She is almost never seen out of her cooking apron, which is a plethora of interesting stains and colours; and never will you see her without her wooden spoon. 22

Storytelling Hints: Tough as nails and unconquerable as the morning sun; that is her reputation. Though Rose Red is the formal leader of the Summer Court, many insist she only does it with the consent and backing of the woman that is Granny A pple. It is possible that this is true, as Granny seems to have far more interest in food and culinary delights than in politics. In her time since she has returned, Granny has made her life's passion to experiment and create new and exciting recipes using a range of real world foods and foodstuffs from the Hedge. She knows that the way to a man's heart is his stomach, and is not to worried about whatever other organs she has to destroy to get to it. One apocryphal account has her wading and heaving into a pack of Hobgoblins, merely to get as a collection of grass they were trampling upon. Seeming: Ogre Kith: Witchtooth Court: Summer Court Entitlement: Knighthood of the Knowledge of the Tongue Titles: Wroth General Calescence Keeper: Crumbcoat and Ganache Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 2 Mental Skills: A cademics 2, Crafts 4 ( Cooking) , Occult ( goblin fruits) 3 Physical Skills: A thletics 1, Brawl 3, Survival ( the Hedge) 4 Social Skills: Expression 1, Intimidation ( wooden spoon) 4, Persuasion 2, Streetwise 3 Merits: A llies ( culinary) 2, A rcadian Metabolism 3, Crafter's Sense 3, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 2, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 3, Fame 1, Fast Reflexes 1, Harvest ( Hedge bounty) 4, Giant 4, Iron Stomach 2, Language ( Russian) 3, Mantle ( Summer) 5, Network ( Goblin Fruits, oddments) 2, New Identity ( Gretta Gable) 4, Staff ( kitchen) 1, Status ( culinary) 4 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 5 Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Gluttony Initiative: 6 Defence: 3 Speed: 11 Health: 9 Wyrd: 5 Contracts: Den 2, Forge 3, Punishing Summer 4, Stone 2, Thorns 4

Widow Vespers
Quote: Yes, that is good. Crying helps. A s for me, I have no more tears to shed. Background: It was supposed to be the most joyous day of her life. It was her wedding day, held in one of the old

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large cathedrals. She was bedecked in her lavish wedding dress, and was making her way to the aisle. However, she would never make it. Unbeknown to her, the Lord of the Gargoyles had been watching from above and had fancied to make her a bride of his own. A s she walked up the aisle the church no longer looked like the hallowed ground it was, but a twisted and perverse mockery. There, standing at the altar was no her husband but the likewise mockery of the Lord of Gargoyles. Bound in the ritual and ceremony, she was given away by one of the Lord's changelings and made his wife. She lived among the quarry, filled with stones and shapes and edifices, she found herself a bride amongst the tombstones and mausoleums. She was his corpse bride, and was never let to lift her veil. Day in and day out she would speak with the dead tongues of the stones and the dead hearts in the mausoleums. Yet, she began to fade into the background, becoming more and more like the stones and bricks of the realm. She found herself pale and wan, and losing herself. Her reprieve came when the Lord simply vanished one day. He left for Earth and never came back. Not wanting to begrudge the opportunity, she left the realm and fled back to home. In returning, she found that her husband has passed away, along with the wife- fetch buried beside him. The church itself she was to be married in has fallen to disrepair and has since become her home. Description: Vespers continues to wear to this day the same wedding dress she was stolen to A rcadia in. Her face is usually veiled leaving most to only imagine what her face looks like. The dress by this stage is very tattered, but remains spotless and clean. Yet, there are hints of crawling worms and other unpleasant things that wriggle in her dress and under her gloves. Few have wanted to venture to see what's under the cloth. Storytelling Hints: A s a member of the Bishopric, Vespers keeps a close eye upon the Hedge and overseas some of the more common trods into the real world. In particular, the run down church that she takes care of is a half- way house for the newly emerged changelings. Here she uses her experiences to held guide those in need and council them in their grief. Seeming: Darkling Kith: Whisperwisp Court: Winter Court Entitlement: Bishopric of Blackbirds Titles: None Keeper: Lord of the Gargoyles Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 4 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 4, Composure 4 Mental Skills: A cademics ( religion) 3, Crafts ( sewing) 2, Investation 1, Occult 3 Physical Skills: Drive 1, Larceny 2, Stealth ( shadows) 4, Survival 1 Social Skills: Empathy 3, Expression ( whispers) 2, Intimidation 2, Persuasion 2, Subterfuge 3 Merits: Contacts ( high society, courts, finance) 3, Court Goodwill ( all Courts) 2, Encyclopaedic Knowledge 4, Faerie Healing 2, Harvest ( emotions) 1, Holistic A wareness 3, Language ( Japanese) 2, Mantle ( Winter) 3, Meditative Mind 1, New Identity ( Sandra Dee) 1, Pledgesmith 1, Sojourner's Way 3 Willpower: 8 Clarity: 7 Virtue: Faith Vice: Sloth Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 9 Health: 7 Wyrd: 5 Contracts: Darkness 5, Fleeting Winter 4, Moon 2, Omen 3, Shade and Spirit 4

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The Faustian Pact

Members outside the pact aren't quite sure what their motley's agenda is, aside from the mutual protection and support. What the outsiders don't know is that the Pact all carry dark secrets, or are secret carers. It was the pact of dark secrets that originally allowed them to instigate the Nettle Rebellion. This is there creed, they will not flinch from the darkness and strange of Faerie in order to deal with it; they still deal in dark secrets, dark magics and other hidden compacts, which their pact prevents them from speaking to the others of the freehold about. Hollow: A rchive ( Pledges, A utumn Court History, The Gentry, the Lost) 4, A menities 2, Faade 1, Doors 1, Size 4, Wards 5 changelings held captive by the Zookeeper, and leading them back to Earth. This has since cemented Johns position as ruler of the A utumn Court. Description: John has skin thats almost pale and translucent, with limbs that are long and crackled. His outfit is a whirl of black strips that hang around his form like curled shadow and mist, and held together by a dark black hangmans hood. Yet, John has a dark Byron- like beauty, and is known for peering at you with his understare; with his face tilted forward and his eye rolled up at you, only you can see his hidden darkened gaze. Storytelling Hints: Wicked John is flamboyant, and impassioned, but known for his melancholy and dark humours High and vibrant one moment, than fallen to despair the next. A s King of the A utumn Court, he has their unswerving faith and devotion, and receives no small measure of hero worship by the younger courtiers. Candle John is also a paramour, often rivalling Wolf for the court Casanova. Where Wolf uses outright animal magnetism, John uses dark seductions. Beyond that John has a fondness for children, his favourite forms of fear are childhood terrors, and he will often pose as the Bogeyman to scare children at night. This, and his hood, has led to suspicion by some to think that he is of the Scarecrow Ministry. Seeming: Darkling Kith: Nightsinger Court: A utumn Court Entitlement: The Scarecrow Ministry Titles: A shen King; Magister of Nightmares Keeper: The Stripling Prince Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 4, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 3, Composure 3 Mental Skills: A cademics ( music) 3, Investigation 2, Occult ( nocturnal) 5, Science 1 Physical Skills: A thletics 2, Firearms 2, Larceny 3, Stealth ( shadows) 3, Survival 2 Social Skills: Empathy 3, Expression ( violin) 3, Intimidation 5, Persuasion 2, Subterfuge 3 Merits: A llies ( music) 2, A llies ( asylum) 4, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 2, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 1, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 3, Dream Combat 2, Enchanting Performance 4, Harvest ( emotions) 4, Language ( German) 1, Mantle ( A utumn) 4, Natural Immunity 1, New Identity ( John Dee) 4, Pledgesmith 2, Rigid Mask 2, Striking Looks 2 Wyrd: 5 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Pride Initiative: 6 Defence: 3 Speed: 10 Health: 7

Wicked John
Quote: Its times like this when the world can be reduced to one fundamentally important question trick or treat? Background: A s a child, John was part of the church choir, given to singing hymns and other devotions. For many years, until his teens he was known for having a sonorous and rich voice. On his thirteenth Christmas Eve, he found himself performing for a vast congregation, and amidst the crowd he spied a figure that stood out. A foxlike creature that darted in and out of the crowd, but whom the entire congregation seemed to ignore. When the choir stopped, he searched for that figure and ventured into the bowels of the cathedral, where unknowingly he wandered into a gateway into the Hedge left open by the Fae. He wandered lost amid the Thorns of the Hedge, sharp briars formed from the spikes of the cathedral fence and sandstone outcrops. Eventually he fell afoul of the Hedges Hobgoblins and would have fallen victim to them if not for the fox- headed Gentry stepping in. It was the Stripling Prince, Lord of the Hedge and offered John a reprieve if he would do his bidding. Though banished from A rcadia, the Prince said he would spare his life if he would venture into A rcadia for him. John agreed, and the Prince took his voice as collateral for his return Venturing into A rcadia ( using trods the Prince had chosen) , he found his way by hiding in shadow and darkness. It was on this journey in that he found a violin amid the debris of the Hedge. Forging contacts with Darkness, John was able to spy upon the Princes enemies and report back to him. Yet, so keen was the Prince on Johns work that he would send him night after night for several weeks. Eventually John turned the tables on him and used his arts with the violin to force the Prince to dance. For three days and three nights, John forced his master to dance until the Prince did yield. The Prince gave up the changelings voice and ejected him from the Hedge. Now John is back, and many years have passed since he was lost. A s a young adult, he was found his passions with nights melodies to fill his life with a haunting strain. When discovered by the freehold, his tale of the defeat of his Keeper made him an instant celebrity, especially amongst the A utumn Courtiers. A year later, John instigated the Red Nettle Rebellion, freeing the 24

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Wyrd: 6 Contracts: Darkness 2, Elements ( shadows) 2, Eternal A utumn 4, Fleeting A utumn 5, Hearth 3, Masks 2 Social Attributes: Presence 1, Manipulation 3, Composure 3 Mental Skills: A cademic 4, Crafts ( antiques) 3, Investigation 2, Occult 3 Physical Skills: Stealth ( moving quietly) 3, Survival 3 Social Skills: Expression 2, Intimidation 3, Subterfuge 2 Merits: A llies ( scholars) 2, A llies ( customs) 2, Brownie's Boon 1, Contacts ( books) 1, Harvest ( emotions) 2, Mantle ( Winter) 2, Network ( tokens, oddments) 2, New Identity ( Dorothy Shale) 1, Willpower: 6 Clarity: 8 Virtue: Prudence Vice: Envy Initiative: 3 Defence: 3 Speed: 10 Health: 7 Wyrd: 2 Contracts: A rtifice 2, Darkness 2, Eternal Winter 3, Thorns 2

Sable Shale
Quote: Please don't touch anything, they're worth more than you are. Background: Nobody enjoys the work of the dead letter office, but Sable Shale managed to make a decent life out of it. In her time there, she managed to sort through more Dear Johns, more abstract hints and more weird esoteric references to the world about her than she ever imagined. Slowly, but surely she began to piece together a fiction that was veiling the world. There was some form of lie that was preventing her from seeing some beautiful majestic truth. She created charts, and investigated connections between letters, envoys and missives. A s she worked, she began to piece together the idea of a whole realm behind this lie. Places she could travel to if only she imagined the way. She began dreaming of a journey to a tower in Thorns , and finding her way beyond the mounds of documents and letters. In her dreams, she heard the call of deep enchantments and wished only to voyage there. The dreams became more and more lucid, and soon she started dreaming in her waking state. Her life took on a surreal quality, with figures passing in and out. In waking somnambulism she was led from her place of work into a gateway of the Hedge till she found herself in the library of Vellum. A lmost casually, Vellum put her to work, sorting and cataloguing books, files, notes, artefacts, and all manner of academic detritus that had piled up over the years. Her toil was long and hard, so when the opportunity presented by Q to escape was presented, she took it. When she arrived back in the world of mortal man, she barely recognized most of the world. It was changed and new and her sense of loss was complete. Nothing would ever be the same for her again. Her family, friends, places of memory all had disappeared. Even that magical sense of empowerment she sensed before being stolen away was missing. Her sense of loss was complete. Description: Silent Shale is not the first person you'd see in the crowd, being something of a wall flower. Her dress is plain, he skin soft but with flakes of mouldy paper stuck to them. Tangles of cobweb seem to clutter her absent- minded hair, while a trail of dust marks her wake. Storytelling Hints: Having spent most of her life in libraries, book stores and places of quiet and silence she withdraws easily from the crowd. In some cases, she can have panic attacks from crowds and people, who just simply overwhelm her. Worse are the noises, as she is sensitive to loud and harsh noises. In fact, this is where her name comes from, for she seems unable to speak above a whisper. Seeming: Darkling Kith: A ntiquarian Court: Winter Court Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Vellum Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2

Q
Quote: What dont you like queers? Is that because youre afraid of A IDS? - * spit in face* Background: Q remembers little of his childhood, but what he does remember is a harsh father and catholic father, who would lecture him on strong morals and virtues. Right up until the day he was caught kissing one of the altar boys, then the beatings began and eventually Q was thrown out on the street. Beaten and bloodied, Q ran through the night looking for a place to stay, he was turned away from all his family friends. Eventually Q found shelter in an old library, and slept amid the dust and the paper. When he woke up, he found that he could no longer find his way out of the library, the tall tomes now obscured the windows where the soft light came out. For days he wandered, on the brink of dehydration, and was eventually discovered by Vellum. Vellum took the boy in, forcing him to entertain himself with quizzes riddles, and only feeding him when he was amused. Eventually, Q learned. The quizzical nature that Vellum was instilling him with, allowed him to puzzle out the secrets of the labyrinthine library. In tandem with the other changeling under Vellums rule ( Silent Shale) , they found the keys to the labyrinth and escaped. When Q emerged into the modern world, he found a place far more permissive of sexuality than before, in spate of maddened hedonism and spurred on by his chosen Spring Court. It was an impassioned frenzy that saw him contracting HIV within a few years. Finding himself devastated and somewhat ostracised from the Spring Courtiers, Q found himself absorbed in the fear and paranoia of the A ids epidemic. Spurned by the fickle Spring, Q finally found a place in the A shen Court. Description: Q is reedy thin and pale looking so much like a grinning skeleton; a gaunt look only enhanced by his condition. Q is ageing, in his 40s now though his high Wyrd keeps him looking in his early 30s, and has slowed the degeneration. He is accustomed to pin stripe suits, manicured nails and a long black walking sword cane. 25

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Storytelling Hints: Q feeds off the fear of the HIV epidemic, using it to his advantage. His favourite methods of harvesting is leaving clean needles in public seats for individuals to freak out on and calling up past lovers the day after and telling them he is infected. Q is bitter and resentful about the world, his sense of justice has been turned upside down. Seeming: Darkling Kith: Maverick Court: A utumn Court Entitlement: None Titles: A shen Notary Keeper: Vellum Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 4, Composure 4 Mental Skills: A cademics ( theatre) 3, Investigation 1, Medicine ( HIV) 1, Occult 2, Politics ( Spring Court) 3 Physical Skills: Drive 3, Stealth 2, Survival ( urban) 2 Social Skills: Empathy 2, Intimidation ( horrifying grin) 4, Persuasion 2, Socialize 1, Subterfuge 2 Merits: A llies ( theatre) 2, A llies ( fashion) 3, A llies ( artists) 2, Contacts ( caf gossip) 1, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 2, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 1, Harvest ( emotions) 3, Mantle ( A utumn) 2, Multi- lingual 3, Network ( dross, Hedgespun goods, crafted goods) 3, New Identity ( Quincy A dams) 4, Rigid Mask 2, Status ( theatre) 2 Willpower: 7 Clarity: 3 Virtue: Faith Vice: Wrath Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 8 Health: 7 Wyrd: 4 Contracts: Eternal A utumn 4, Eternal Spring 1, Fleeting A utumn 2, Fleeting Spring 1, Masks 3 other Faerie. When the Blue Man didnt return, she found herself having to run and hide and escape once more. Despite her best efforts she could not find her way home. Though she remembered things with strong clarity, she found that there was nothing Earth that was familiar. Though she managed to avoid capture in the Hedge for a long time, she could not find home. It was only her chance encounter with the menagerie as they escaped from the Zookeeper that allowed her to follow them to a place on Earth. Though it isnt home, it is where she has decided to stay. Though originally a member of the Winter Court, ready to flee from any sign of trouble at a moments notice, she has since changed to becoming a member of the A utumn Court, and later a member of the Eternal Echoes. Description: Blue Jenny has a restless and nervous look about her, as though she is about to bolt as a moments notice. She is petite, and lithe with a wiry ram, and in her mien, her bestial features imitate that of a rabbit. Her clothing is always loose to provide freedom of movement. Storytelling Hints: Jenny is a member of the Eternal Echoes. She serves as an historian and storyteller within the freehold, and is called upon to recount epic events. Many look to her jovial nature, her seemingly happy- golucky attitude and high spirits and wonder what could have drawn her to the A utumn Court. What most people do not know is that she has a deep abiding terror that she keeps well masked. Some of her memories terrify her, and despite her eidetic memory she knows there is parts of her memory she has deliberately blocked out. These memories stir her in her sleep and plague her with nightmares. Worse, she knows that these memories are sought out by one of the Gentry, and she is in a constant state of fear. She hopes that the mysteries of the A utumn Court will help her unlock these secrets, but until then, she is happy to run. A s a side note, Jenny has had a long unrequited love with Ludo. Jenny has some measure of affection for him. Though Ludo knows of this, she is reluctant to open up to him. Seeming: Beast Kith: Runnerswift Court: A utumn Court Entitlement: Eternal Echoes Titles: Lady Scrivener Keeper: The Tall Blue Man Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 4, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 2 Mental Skills: A cademics 3, Investigation 3, Occult ( the Gentry) 3 Physical Skills: A thletics ( running) 3, Drive 2, Stealth 2, Survival 3 Social Skills: Empathy 3, Persuasion ( fast- talking) 2, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge ( innocence) 3 Merits: Court Goodwill ( Summer) 2, Direction Sense 1, Eidetic Memory 2, Fast Reflexes 2, Fleet of Foot 3, Harvest ( pledges) 2, Language ( French) 1, Mantle ( A utumn) 3, Meditative Mind 1, New Identity ( Wanda Goldman) 1, New Identity ( Rachel Green) 1, Parkour 4, Pledgesmith 1, Strong Lungs 3, Source Sympathy 3 Willpower: 4 Clarity: 8

Blue Jenny
Quote: Can you keep a secret? Good, so can I. Background: Jennys history is a painful tapestry of escape. Its a history she remembers with exquisite accuracy. She remembers the death of her parents as a child, and escaping from the pain within herself. She remembers escaping from the orphanage she grew up in, as she was teased and taunted by the other children for her strangeness. She remembers escaping from the broken family only to encounter a charming man who told her many stories. When Jenny expressed interest in those stories, the Man decided to show her where the places in the stories existed, and took her to A rcadia. They would journey together, she as his pet, and as they did the man would tell her that he learned his stories from the bird of the trees and beasts of the field. Eventually, he would teach her how to speak to the animals as she did herself. When the Blue Man, in his pride, was unable to return to A rcadia, Jenny found herself without a Keeper. Though her was her jailer, she was also her protector from some of the 26

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Virtue: Hope Vice: Envy Initiative: 7 Defence: 3 Speed: 13 Health: 9 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: Masks 2, Oath and Punishment 1, Smoke 4, Spellbound A utumn 3, Wild 3, Lost and Found still filled with grief of her loss and she feels more compelled to hide from the various Gentry whom she snubbed in A rcadia. Description: To say that Cyanide is beauty is misleading. She holds a certain symmetry, and a perfect poise, but it is like looking upon dead art. She is tragically beautiful, or perhaps beautifully tragic. Her flesh is a trace too pale, her eyes just a touch too sunken. Her hair a lax black. She is beautiful, but it is marred by a rictus of sorrow. Storytelling Hints: When her Keeper took her heart, he did so for two reasons. One was to always bind her to him, and the other was to anchor certain thoughts and memories into the world around her. Her strongest were those of the grief and so the Tall Blue Man removed all emotions from her but grief. For this reason she cannot feel any other emotion, not love, not sympathy not even fear. It is for this reason she steals treasured things and secrets of others, to perchance feel vicariously some brief glamour of love or hope or dreaming. Seeming: Fairest Kith: Larcenist Court: Winter Entitlement: Guild of the Sacred Journey Titles: None Keeper: Tall Blue Man Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 3, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Investigation ( casing people) 2, Occult 2. Science 2 Physical Skills: A thletics 2, Drive 2, Larceny ( security systems, sleight of hand) 5, Stealth ( moving unseen) 3, Weaponry 2 Social Skills: Expression 2, Intimidation 1, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge ( distractions) 3 Merits: A llies ( criminal) 3, Contacts ( police) 1, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 2, Direction Sense 1, Fast Reflexes 1, Harvest ( dreams) 2, Hedge Gate Sense 1, Mantle ( Winter) 3, Sojourner's Way 1, Striking Looks 2, Tunnel Rat 1, Well Travelled 1 Willpower: 4 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Temperance Vice: Envy Initiative: 7 Defence: 3 Speed: 11 Health: 8 Wyrd: 5 Contracts: Masks 3, Separation 5, Smoke 3, Vainglory 3, Fair Entrance

Cyanide
Quote: Will you share a cup with me? Background: The girl who would become Cyanide's life strangely began with her death. A t the age of seventeen, then Karla Dursholm, was a tormented wreck. Her fianc had just left her with a pregnancy of the first trimester, shortly after the gruesome murder of her mother by some unknown assailant. Unable to confront the hopeless existence, she took 26 sleeping tablets in vein hopes to kill herself. She feel to a deep comatose sleep, a deep dream wracked slumber. That might have been the end of her if not for her dreams. She dreamt of darkness, hiding and secrets and found herself unstuck from her body and wandering through the dreams of men and women alike. She learned to watch the many tragedies and travesties of other mortal pains, and saw that her own was not so bad. In the passing of things, she came to encounter another wanderer in dreams, that of the Tall Blue Man, who invited her to sit and tell him her stories. A fter hearing all the pain and wonders of the world, she struck a bargain with the Tall Blue Man. In return for bringing her out of the eternal slumber, she would run an errand for him into A rcadia. The Tall Blue Man took from her chest her beating heart, and placed inside a thing of glass. This would be her guide into A rcadia, and her guide back home. Her would keep her heart as a token of their promise. She ventured into the world of A rcadia, marked on her forehead as an envoy of the Tall Blue Man. This permitted her many of the privileges of diplomatic immunity. She learned to beguile, to enchant, to play in a small fashion many of the arts of the Gentry. While never offered equal accord, she managed to outwit or outmanoeuvre one or two of their lot in their own game. Her secret, is secrets, her Keeper had taught her how to steal the treasured gifts and things of significance to the Fae in order to turn it back on them. Naturally, when she returned to the Tall Blue Man, she employed all of these tricks to simply free her from any obligation. Now within the freehold, she still plays the game of secrets and poison. She is a cunning manipulator and knows the ways of the freehold well. While her knowledge of the Fae would normally incline her to the A utumn Court ( with whom she holds goodwill) , her thoughts are

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Shadow Runners
The greatest goal of any of the Lost should be freedom, freedom from Them, freedom from stupid social conventions that no longer apply, freedom from starvation and obligation, freedom from all those invisible chains around us. Oaths are dangerous the Shadowrun say, they are chains far stronger and greater than any of cold iron could ever be. These changelings are to a large degree anarchists, they see the power of the freehold court to be a shadow play at best. It might keep Them at bay but invites them in at the same time. Hollow: A rchive ( Music) 1, A menities 3, Faade 2, Doors 3, Size 2, Wards 3, Workshop 2 has turned without him and though he's spent a long time attempting to catch up, he has essentially missed the best years of his youth to A rcadia. Now instead of being the centre of the crowd, he is alone within it. His sole grace and contact to the mortal world is to speak to people through the net of via his broadcasts. It seems that with that simply barrier of anonymity he can step passed the social faux pas that his body language conveys. Seeming: Elemental Kith: Levinquick Court: Winter Court Entitlement: None Titles: DJ ztal Keeper: Nergal, the Raging One Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Computer 2, Science ( electronics) 3 Physical Skills: A thletics ( swift) 2, Larceny 2, Survival 2 Social Skills: Empathy 2, Expression 3, Socialize 2, Streetwise ( underground culture) 3 Merits: A llies ( audience) 2, Contacts ( street, radio, newspapers, hobgoblins, high society) 5, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 2, Fast Reflexes 1, Goblin Vow ( music) 1, Harvest ( emotions) 2, Language ( Greek) 2, Mantle ( Winter) 3, New Identity ( Daniel Jameson) 1, Status ( music) 2, Tunnel Rat 2 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Justice Vice: Gluttony Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 10 Health: 7 Wyrd: 4 Contracts: A nimation 2, Elements ( lightning) 5, Fleeting Winter 2, Separation 2,

Pop Vox
Quote: A nd here is the prince of the underground voice, ready to bring a new sound to you tonight. Background: Club Kid and socialite extraordinare, the man now called Vox once enjoyed the parties and indulgences of the club scene. He was a face known as a dealer of whatever intoxicating substance you could want, and had the police contacts to ensure he was left alone. His mortal life would end one night he was holding a roof party, only to have a sudden storm rage upon the crowd. Drenched, the crowd dispersed, except for Vox who decided to keep on dancing in the rain. A ll witnesses account that Vox was struck by lightning as must have evaporated, for not a trace was left of him. Nergal had picked him up and stolen the young boy to A rcadia. Here he unleashed his free spirit as a play of lightning across the skies. For ages he dances and revelled across the heavens, crashing to the earth in tremendous dives. Each time he would wait for the winds to pick him up and bear him to the skies again. This was his life for over two decades, a living bolt of energy. Then one day, he struck the earth, and found himself stranded, earthbound. The storm moved on and left him behind without so much as a goodbye. A lone, he fled through the bracken of A rcadia, arcing across the skies until he found his was back through the Hedge. Vox returned to a world submerged into an information paradigm. Circuits, signals and all manner of electrical symphonies played upon his ears. With his sensitivity to music and his proficiency with things electric he spent the last decade refining his knowledge of the computer world, in order to set up the local Radio Free Fae. Now, he broadcasts pirate signals and infiltrates encrypted files for fun, enjoyment and profit. Description: Vox has a propensity for the relics of the disco. This includes glowsticks, flashing lights and many of the other epileptic inducing devices found best in clubs. To date, he looks to be a man in his late twenties, even if he is well into his thirties. He has strong spiked brunette hair, a soul patch, and an outfit which is either too young for him, or a little bit too 80s. It is as though he can't quite decide which particular sub- genre to fit into these days, and so meshes parts of all of them. Storytelling Hints: Vox is consistently frustrated that he lacks the social graces he once did. There is a world that 28

Ragged Robin
Quote: Dust? A nyone for dust? Background: A s a mortal woman, she was carefree and wild and paid her homage to the moon with her month's ritual and moon's blood. It would be one of these night when she passed through the ring of mushrooms, that she found her dance having transported her into an strange world. She was already lost at this point and could not find her way back to where she was. A ll she could see was the illumination of the moon's light, which was pale and dappled on the Hedge's landscape. She followed a moonlit trod through the brambles of the Thorns . Eventually she came upon a large tower in the midst of the Thorns , and sought to find haven there. It would be here under the tender mercies of

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Vellum that she lived out her durance. For three nights of the full moon, Vellum tortured her, tested her and delved into the remains of her mind, taking it apart and putting it back together again. When he was done, he threw her out of her home having learned all he could. Bidden by some unconscious knowledge of the trod she had followed her, she then followed it back along the same way home. When she returned, one whole month had passed in the mortal world. No fetch had been made to replace her, but when she attempted to return to her former life, she found her thoughts vague, disjointed and fragmented. The broken pieces of her mind had rendered her far from clear headed. She rejected her mortal life, finding it hollow and wane. She fell quickly amongst the detritus of the city, lost in thought and displaced from life. It was only when she was discovered by other changelings that she even formed some semblance of life again. Though her fringe nature has aligned herself with the Shadow Runners, she has long held an addiction to the dross produced by the Velvet Underground. Description: Robin's appearance is happenchance. She is clearly in poverty and dishevelled by it, but held somewhat in place by an A lice band. Her hair is a shock of red, her face it a bit patchy and wild. Her clothing resembles a tattered and worn petticoat and banded stockings. She also looks far younger than she really is. Storytelling Hints: Ragged Robin's thoughts are a mirror of her appearance. She has lost most of her mind to the interference of Vellum, and now exist on a day to day basis attempting to piece through the fragments of dreams and memory that haunt her. She can be wild and unpredictable, and violent if touched; she hates to be touched. She is one of the very few changelings who are allied to the court of the Moon within the freehold. It is a secret that her motley knows, but no- one else in the freehold does. A s far as they're concerned she is courtless. Seeming: Darkling Kith: Moonborn Court: Moon Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Vellum Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 5, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Investigation 2, Occult 3 Physical Skills: Larceny 3, Stealth ( blending in) 3 Social Skills: Empathy 2, Intimidation ( raving) 3, Persuasion 2, Subterfuge ( cryptic speaking) 3 Merits: A llies ( asylum) 4, Contacts ( street, the mad) 2, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 4, Danger Sense 2, Harvest ( dreams) 3, Language ( Japanese) 1, Mantle ( Moon) 3, New Identity ( A lice Smith) 1, Tunnel Rat 1, Source Sympathy 3 Willpower: 4 Clarity: 2 Virtue: Justice Vice: Wrath Initiative: 4 Defence: 2 Speed: 9 Health: 7 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: Masks 5, Midnight 4, Moon 4, Diviner's Madness

River Song
Quote: Shh... Background: In her youth, River was a singer of wonderful talent. She could make the crowds weep and cheer. She was performing at the opera one night, only to find that the crowd was not her only audience. From the rooftops, a creature of stone had heard her singing and with little regret took her just after she had sung and swept her off to the mausoleum in A rcadia. The Lord of Gargoyles had found an ornament for his collection. For many years, she stood in cold silence while the Lord took out her voice and used it for his amusement. In time, she learned to find comfort in the velvet silence that surrounded her. It was succulent, cool and wrapped around her like a cloak. Then one night while the Lord was fascinated with her voice, she wrapped herself in silence and stole away into the Hedge. Her natural proclivity with silence allowed her to carefully pick her way through the Hedge back home. Upon returning, she found that she could barely speak above a whisper, so much of her voice had been taken. She found the fetch that had been left in her place still contained her soulful moving voice and a deep jealousy possessed her. A t first she sought to kill the thing, but in her attempts to research fetches, she learned that it might be possible to reclaim that which had been taken from her. So now she seeks out an answer to her dreams, a way to reclaim her fetch. To this end she has entered herself into the court of Winter so as to learn the ways of hiding, espionage and deceit. Description: Few people get to see all of river's face. If she's not wearing a mask, then she's covering the lower part of her mouth with a veil. Her eyes are cold and unreadable, and she moves in a manner that makes it seem like she floats across the air. Her outfit is sheer, and dark. She never wears anything that will draw attention to herself if she can help it, and will go about in day wearing greys and nondescript blacks. Storytelling Hints: River functions as an assassin for the court of Winter, and in fact anyone who is willing to pay her dues. They will rarely be in the form of money, as the changeling can often finance it herself. Instead she exacts pledges of future favour, with death penalties upon them. If you want her service, you must be willing to pay the coast. River, however, would do nearly anything to get her voice back. She will barter, ploy and attempt to kill nearly anyone you could care to name for this favour. Seeming: Darkling Kith: Hushwarden Court: Winter Entitlement: Knights of the Widow Walk Titles: Sun's Banisher Keeper: The Lord of Gargoyles Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 29

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Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 4, Composure 4 Mental Skills: Computers 2, Craft 1, Investigation 4, Medicine 2 Physical Skills: A thletics 2, Brawl 2, Firearms ( derringer) 3, Stealth ( darkness) 2, Weaponry 1 Social Skills: Empathy 2, Intimidation 2, Socialize 3, Subterfuge ( lies) 4, Merits: Contacts ( crime, military) 2, Court Goodwill ( all Seasonal Courts) 1, Fast Reflexes 2, Goblin Vow ( shadows, locks) 2, Harvest ( pledges) 2, Language ( Japanese) 3, Language ( Russian) 2, Mantle ( Winter) 1, New Identity ( Jocelyn Ramsey) 1, Parkour 2, Perfect Stillness 1, Tunnel Rat 1 Willpower: 7 Clarity: 4 Virtue: Justice Vice: Sloth Initiative: 9 Defence: 3 Speed: 11 Health: 8 Wyrd: 6 Contracts: Darkness 2, Masks 5, Mirror 5, Smoke 5, Sorrow- Frozen Heart 2 Her membership with the Shadow Runners was almost a foregone conclusion; she keeps her old habits, a creature who thieves and trades these trinkets in exchange for simple favours, food and other things of value to her. Description: She is a scruffy little thing, with mousy- rat like features. Twitching nose, elongated ears and very thin and nimble fingers, that have rat claws. She has a habit of squeaking at moments of stress, injury and fright. Her hair is dirty, often with scraps of paper or garbage caught in them, and the occasional autumn leaf. Storytelling Hints: Scratch is very much a pack rat. She steals for the sake of stealing, not for the sake of having. In her mind there must be a fair exchange in what is taken and what is left behind. What her perception of fair exchange is can vary greatly as she has a strange mindset of the value of things. Yet, things that shine and lustre are often considered more valuable than not. Seeming: Beast Kith: Snickersnatch Court: A utumn Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: The Zoopkeeper Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 4, Composure 3 Mental Skills: Crafts 2, Investigation 2, Occult ( contracts) 4, Politics 2 Physical Skills: A thletics 2, Brawl 3, Larceny ( pick pocketing) 4, Stealth ( hiding in shadows) 3, Weaponry 2 Social Skills: Empathy 3, Expression ( musical theatre) 2, Intimidation 1, Socialize 2, Subterfuge ( speech mannerisms) 4 Merits: A llies ( thieves) 4, A mbidextrous 3, Contacts ( street, underworld) 2, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 2, Fast Reflexes 2, Fleet of Foot 2, Goblin Vow ( shadows) 1 Harvest ( pledges) 1, Harvest ( emotions) 2, Iron Stomach 2, Mantle ( A utumn) 3, Natural Immunity 1, Network ( crafted goods) 1, New Identity ( Sofia Crestwell) 1, Unobtrusive 3, Tunnel Rat 3 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 5 Virtue: Prudence Vice: Lust Initiative: 8 Defence: 3 Speed: 12 Health: 7 Wyrd: 5 Contracts: Darkness 4, Den 4, Eternal A utumn 4, Fang and Talon ( rats) 5, Wild 2

Scratch
Quote: Oh fuck, you sprung me. It's a fair cop! Background: Scratch has little recollection of her youth. She was thrown out of home as a child due to poverty and fell quickly into the ways of thieving and pickpocketing. That was until one day she laid her hands into the pocket of someone she should have. She pulled forth a single gold coin of strange and terrible description. In the blink of an eye she felt an iron hard grip wrap itself around her wrist. A gnarled old woman was gazing into her eyes and she felt herself stripped bare. The privateer having caught her dragged her kicking and screaming into the Hedge, where she was sold into the care of the Zookeeper at the Goblin Markets. A s a thief, and small at that, she found herself able to squeeze out of her bindings and through the bars. Rarely would the bindings of these places keep her locked away for long, but neither did she completely escape. Her proclivities meant she hung around, and found a nook of her own, scurrying from place to place and stealing bits and pieces of treasure from her Keeper and from the other changelings. She would become critical in her assistance for the Nettle Revolt, by slipping the bonds of many of the kept, and by passing back and forth information between the members of the revolt. Thus she rode on the heels of the escape crew back to earth.

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Oneirogen
This motley sees themselves as the keepers of dreams, the watchers of the waves of silence and memory. They pass through the gates of bone and horn on a nightly basis, sometimes spending more time in the lands of dream than the real. It's members are known to be aloof and withdrawn from the happenings of the freehold, but still maintain a watchful and important eye upon it all. Hollow: ( Dreams, the Hedge) 2, A menities 2, Faade 1, Doors 4, Size 4, Wards 3, Workshop 1

Julian Dreamcoat
Quote: I don't believe in love, it is a fabrication and myth, but that does not make it unreal. Background: Julian was the heir to a powerful family. He was the first son amongst seven, and was being groomed to take over the family fortune. In his mind, Julian has fantastic dreams of where the family's wealth and power could be taken to. Over the deathbed of their father his brothers, both jealous of his privilege and in disagreement with his vision, held a conference on how to take over. A midst all this, a hobgoblin trader came upon them and struck a deal. They would sign over their brother and in exchange they could take over the power. The envoy left the seven brothers by taking Julian away, only to scrabble over the power vacuum. The hobgoblin kept the mortal in a cage, feeding him nothing but dreams and memory bartered from the the traders. Eventually, glutted on a diet of dreams, he was sold off at a great price to the Ringmaster. What the nature of this deal was Julian does not know, but he knows it was significant. For many months, he sat in a cage as the Ringmaster's side attraction, filled with dreams and nightmare the Ringmaster would produce them for his audience's delight and horror. When not in use the Ringmaster simply kept him in a dark box, where he would consult him on the dreams of humans who he had captured, attempting to glean some strange knowledge of these mortal things. It would be through dreams and nightmare that Julian managed to secure a release as he took over the dreams of a slumbering child in the audience and produced a idyllic daydream that trapped his master's fascination while he slunk away. Description: Both tall and imposing, with glistening black skin. His durance as a darkling has made the shade of his blackness a sort of midnight blue hue. His eyes are sunken and barely seen in their shadows, and his hair like scarecrow straw. He wears a large flowing cloak of many colours, that flows like clouds. Storytelling Hints: Julian is possibly the most powerful oneiromancer the freehold has seen in many years. He is so impossibly in tune with the ways of dreams and the psyche that he is often walking off in some distant dream even while seemingly awake. Though formally a member of the Spring court, he knows that the counterpoint of dreams are nightmares and has a very close association with the A utumn Court, earning high favour amongst them.

Lastly, the coat that he wears is a hedgespun garment that provides him an additional facility with travel and protection in dreams, a thing which he highly values. Seeming: Darkling Kith: Harrowmare Court: Spring Entitlement: The Order of the Oneirophysicist Titles: None Keeper: The Ringmaster Mental Attributes: Intelligence 5, Wits 3, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 4, Composure 3 Mental Skills: A cademics 3, Medicine ( natural remedies) 4, Occult ( dreams) 4, Science ( the mind) 2 Physical Skills: Brawl 1, Firearms 2, Larceny 1, Stealth ( dreams) 3, Weaponry 1 Social Skills: Empathy 4 ( dreams) , Intimidation 1, Persuasion 3, Subterfuge 3 Merits: A llies ( medical) 3, A llies ( morgue) 2, Dream Combat 5, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 2, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 4, Harvest ( dreams) 4, Holistic A wareness 3, Mantle ( Spring) 3, Meditative Mind 1, New Identity ( James King) 2, Pledgesmith 1, Prophet Circle 3, Sojourner's Way 1, Status ( medical) 3, Wisdom of Dreams 3 Willpower: 6 Clarity: 8 Virtue: Hope Vice: Pride Initiative: 5 Defence: 2 Speed: 10 Health: 7 Wyrd: 6 Contracts: Dream 5, Darkness 2, Eternal Spring 3, Masks 4, Smoke 2

Miss Dahlia
Quote: Hear that sound? It is the precision of the timeless tick. Background: She remembers her time underneath the starry sky, lit with soft lights and bright inspiration. Her work was to create tapestries of light from the patterns that the stars made. She felt there was a strange order in the patterns of the heavenly objects, and not in the mystical sense that the new agers would claim. There was a secret to this horary that she would learn. There were stories in the stars, so she watched them, night after night hoping to hear them speak. Years would pass, and she would develop a sense of the night sky's position. Her nights were filled with nocturnal preponderances, and she would frequent both remote hill and observatory to find the sights she wanted. So it was, that one night upon a hill under the stars that she met a tall blue man by a fire, and they exchanged stories of the stars. So impressed was he by her stories that he picked her up and took her with 31

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him back to the borders of A rcadia. There he placed her among the heavens to be one of the celestial beings herself. From here she watched, seeing all the stories of Faerie pass under her; all the trials, tribulations and machinations of the Fae. From here, she saw all the ways and journeys of the realm and the paths of the Hedge. Every day she saw a way home, and every day she saw the plight of those who ran and made it free, and those who were captured in kind. Each recapture broke her heart, until it was laden with so much of a burden that as a star she fell from the heavens in a cascading glory of burning tears. She plucked herself from the ground and dragged herself through the paths of the Hedge back home. With A rcadia behind her, she found refuge in the freehold. The world around her was dismay and gray, and not bright and scintillating like the heavens of Faerie. Filled with a terrible wanderlust, she sought out new horizons. Description: The word radiant would succinctly describe Dahlia. A s a living star, she is as you might imagine; lustrous hair, fair skin and crystal clear eyes. She walks with a gentle cadence and a royal dignity rarely seen in other Lost. The only difference that separates her from her mien and her mask is the faint luminescence of starlight that suffuses her skin. In her mask, this is seen as a vibrant glow of the flesh and eyes. Storytelling Hints: Dahlia, is for all intense purposes a star, she glows when happy and dull with dismayed. She is filled with a terrible wanderlust and is in need for new and interesting places and journeys. For this reasons she eschews the politics of the Courts, preferring her independence and ready movement amongst the freehold. She attempts to keep no alliances, using this neutrality to her advantage as an envoy. Yet, she is very astute and understands the nature of politics and social movements. Seeming: Fairest Kith: Tellurian Court: Courtless Entitlement: None Titles: A rcher of the Lonely March Keeper: The Tall Blue Man Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 2, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Investigation 2, Science ( astronomy) 2 Physical Skills: A thletics 1, Drive 2, Stealth 1, Survival ( navigation) 3 Social Skills: Empathy 3, Expression 2, Persuasion ( warm smile) 2, Subterfuge 3 Merits: Barfly 1, Contacts ( neighbouring freeholds) 5, Court Goodwill ( all Seasonal Courts) 1, Danger Sense 2, Direction Sense 1, Harvest ( dreams) 3, Inspiring 4, Perfect Stillness 1, Well Travelled 1, Striking Looks 4 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 5 Virtue: Justice Vice: Greed Initiative: 5 Defence: 2 Speed: 10 Health: 8 32 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: Dream 2, Elements ( light) 2, Mists 2, Vainglory 2

Sandman
Quote: You might not be guilty of this crime, but you're guilty enough. That will do for now. Background: The Sandman does not remember his mortal name. It is one of the many things of his past that has been lost to him. Most of his memories of his mortal life revolve around his time as a member of the constabulary. He was a grave and stern man who was known for being a bit too keen to play the role of bad cop. There was a black cloud that hung above him and the saner rookies learned to keep clear. His theft to A rcadia would happen one night he was on a case. A ll it took was the silhouette of someone he suspected perpetrating a crime, a hazed run through the dark and one wrong turn into a blind alley. It was no longer an alley, but a long and winding narrow path between sharp rocks and broken glass. Seeing no way forward, and no way back he journeyed onward and found himself stumbling into the quarry. Pressed into service, the Lord of Gargoyles made him sweep up the dirt and dust that was left behind in his works, eventually being placed in the sand pit. His time in A rcadia moved slow at first, then quickly until it began to blur together. So he slept, and he dreamed, he wondered and walked the dreaming realms. He found himself becoming sessile, and not wishing to stir from his pits of sand. It would take a single clear precise dream of his former life, he found something he hadn't remembered in years. Righteous justice, the thrill of the hunt of a criminal and the meticulous need for order. He burst from his containment and took to the skies as a sand storm himself, raging across the Hedge until he found his way back to Earth. Description: Sandman is as you might imagine. His body and shape seem to be only half complete, and his facial features aren't as perfect as you'd expect from a human being. Neither too does his body seem to distinguish itself from his clothing at times. Whenever he moves or walks, little traces of sand seem to drop from his form his clothes and sometimes even his arms and hands. Storytelling Hints: The Sandman is a hard- boiled detective. A lthough he no longer involves himself directly with the affairs of mortal laws, his practice has transferred itself to the orderly operation of the freehold. He seeks to ensure that there is peace and harmony amongst the various Courts, and that there are ways to maintain and subdue reluctant changelings that don't require imprisonment or death. The Sandman tends to take a stance distanced from the freehold. It is not because he is disinterested, but more that he wishes to have some time to contemplate and think. In his absence, the Sandman spends most of his time in the dreamscapes of mortals and other places found in the Hedge. Seeming: Elemental Kith: Sandharrowed Court: Summer Court Entitlement: None

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Titles: Constable of Calefaction Keeper: The Lord of the Gargoyles Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 3 Mental Skills: Investigation ( mysteries) 3, Politics 2, Science 3 Physical Skills: Brawl ( punch) 3, Stealth ( shadowing) 1, Survival ( deserts) 3 Social Skills: Intimidation 3, Persuasion 1, Subterfuge 2 Merits: Court Goodwill ( Spring) 1, Goblin Vow ( sand) 1, Harvest ( dreams) 2, Iron Stamina 1, Iron Stomach 2, Lethal Mien 3, Mantle ( Summer) 2, Network ( Hedgespun goods) 1, Perfect Stillness 1, Tunnel Rat 3, Weatherproof 1 Willpower: 4 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Justice Vice: Sloth Initiative: 6 Defence: 3 Speed: 12 Health: 8 Wyrd: 4 Contracts: Communion ( earth) 3, Dream 3, Elements ( sand) 4, Hearth 3, Stone 3, Thorns 2

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The Gate Wardens

A ll that pass between the Hedge and earth must pay a toll. A ll who wander the trods and paths that lie near the freehold must pay a reckoning. The Wardens have a sacred vow to watch the comings and goings of the Hedge, to tend to the edges of the freehold and all who seek to enter. For most of the members of the motley, there is a strong desire to spend a good portion of the time within the Hedge, far away from the comings and goings of mortal kind. Yet, their charged duty over the care of the Hollow Commons mean they interact a fair amount with the freehold. Hollow: ( the Hedge, Hobgoblins, Goblin Fruits, Horticulture, Tokens) 5, A menities 2, Faade 2, Doors 2, Size 4, Wards 5 incarnate whenever she can. She is what you would imagine when someone is called a force of nature; for that is exactly what she is. A s she passes, the grass crackles to life and the birds of the sky come to her call. Her life resolves around the verdant passion of the wilderness, and the very measure of someone who is fanatically pure about the drives of her desires. Her presence is imposing and overwhelming, and her angry is like hells fury. She is the ardent and determined defender of the freeholds Hollow Commons, and is quick to turn the very Hedge upon any who would defile its sanctity. It is also in this Hollow that she maintains a vast array of Goblin Fruits and Oddments for the freehold, serving as its horticulturist. Seeming: Elemental Kith: Woodblood Court: Spring Court Entitlement: The Lost Pantheon Titles: None Keeper: Lady Boleville, Mistress of the Manor, and the Manor Herself Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4 Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 2, Composure 4 Mental Skills: A cademics 1, Occult ( weather) 2, Politics 2, Science ( botany) 3 Physical Skills: Brawl 2, Stealth ( the Hedge) 3, Survival ( forests) 3 Social Skills: Empathy 1, Expression 1, Intimidation 3, Merits: Court Goodwill ( all Seasonal) 2, Demolisher 2, Faerie Healing 2, Goblin Vow ( storms, plants, wind, sunrise) 4, Harvest ( dreams) 3, Harvest ( emotions) 2, Hedge Duellist 4, Long of Days 2, Mantle ( Spring) 5, Plant Empathy 1, Sojourner's Way 2, Striking Looks 2, Weatherproof 1 Willpower: 7 Clarity: 4 Virtue: Temperance Vice: Pride Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 9 Health: 9 Wyrd: 6 Contracts: Communion ( wood) 5, Elements ( air) 3, Elements ( water) 3, Eternal Spring 5, Thorns 5, Wild 5

Auntie Eve
Quote: No you pathetic mortal, it is you who will face the wroth of nature herself. Background: To say that Eve was born with a green thumb would have been adequate. very precocious about all things wild and wonderful, often finding herself traipsing in the gardens and everglades of the nearby reserves and woodlands. A s she matured, so did her passion and she because a fastidious horticulturist and botanist, with a keen sensitivity for environmental issues. Through her early twenties, she would often crusade with organizations like Green Peace, and venture into the deep jungles to protect the old growth rainforest; sometimes committing acts of eco- terrorism on the way. In her late thirties, she would come across evidence of unusual plants that seemed to defy her understanding of conventional biology. A s she investigated, she began piecing together an ecology hidden beyond an invisible veil. Her research would lead her to find one of the gateways keyed by mundane means, and she stumbled into the world of the Hedge. Here she found an abandoned hollow, which would become the base of her studies into this hidden ecology. For many years she would collect and study the native flora and fauna of the Hedge, and she survived where many mortals would have easily perished. This was her equilibrium, right until the moment when the Lady Boleville walked passed all her careful defences and collected her. For the next twelve years, she would be put to maintaining the parks and gardens of the Ladys estate and manor. A t first ecstatic, she found herself merging with the world of plants that she so adored, but in doing so she found herself losing touch with that inspiring human passion which drove her. No mere petty mortal now, she unleashed a frenzy of destructive chaos upon the estate and passed into the Hedge like so much foliage. Description: A untie Eve has no pretences that she fits in well with humanity. Her limbs are twisted with wood, her hair matted with cloud and her eyes are an incandescent sparkle of thunder. When given a choice, she prefers to wear nothing at all, but will comply with garments of simple loose linen when forced to go amongst the mess of humanity. Storytelling Hints: Eve is highly disdainful of humanity, and will impress upon them the belief that she is nature 34

Malice Stitch
Quote: I think I broke him hes stopped working. Background: Malice Stitchs oldest memory is waking up in the Manor of Lady Boleville with her skin replaced with fabric and her heart being replaced with one of glass. She was made to be a living doll in the manor, a marvel for guests and dignitaries alike. A s time went on, more and more pieces of her were taken away to be replaced, giving her gears instead of organs and thread for hair.

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For many years, she was content, not knowing anything more than her chores and the other changelings of the manor. She would talk to the things of stone and wood and began to learn the secrets of the manor. It was her affinity for the small objects within the house that led her to the crafting of a master key to all the doors in the house. It was in this manner that she found the secret places of the house, the places unseen even by the mistress Boleville herself. It was here that she found a hidden trove of forgotten treasures. A mongst which, was her still- beating heart. Upon claiming this prize the fleeting memories of her theft came back to her and she stole herself away that night leaving many of the locks of the house undone. On her trip back home she was nearly recaptured by a troop of Hobgoblins. Yet through her artifice and cunning she subdued them, cajoled them into service and soon they showed her obedience. Mostly she punished them, and taught them fear of her wrath. She knew that she had terrified them into subservience. When she returned to the freehold, she automatically asked to join the A utumn Court, and when asked to prove her value she turned around and tore a gateway into the Hedge to show the following of Hobgoblins ready to fight for her. This act of intimidation and show of power earned her one of the highest rises within the A utumn Court ever seen. Description: Made from pieces of rag and cloth, she is a fabrication of the living doll. Her face is a line of stitches and scars, her clothing a collection of tatterdemalion fragments. She is colourful, only because there is a mishmash of coloured patches. Each of her little rags is a careful cherished pretty. Storytelling Hints: Malice returned to the world only a few years ago, and is unsure how long she has been away. She has few recollections of her family, and knows not where they are. Instead, she has found herself oddly uncomfortable in the mortal world, and find herself more at home in the Hedge, for which she has become intensely fascinated. Malice, like her name suggests, is full of spite and vitriol at humanity. She is a conflicted creature, humanity itself is now strange and alien, almost as much as the horrors of Faerie. She finds herself frustrated and fearful of crowds, which overwhelm her. In turn she lashes out with fearful tactics, determined to teach these petty things the meaning of fear. Yet, despite this, she serves a useful role in the freehold with her expertise on the Hedge and its bounty. She has been critical in mapping the local trods. Perhaps her worst fear, that plagues her at night, is her questioning of identity. Sometimes she loses herself and wonders if it is she who is the Fetch and some other creature the reflection she is of. Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 3 Mental Skills: Investigation 4, Occult 2, Politics ( hobgoblin2) 3 Physical Skills: Survival ( soft movements) 2, Stealth 2, Survival 3 Social Skills: A nimal Ken 3, Empathy 2, Intimidation ( subtle horror) 3, Persuasion ( goblin markets) 3, Subterfuge 3 Merits: A llies ( Hobgoblins) 5, Contacts ( Goblin Markets) 1, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 3, Harvest ( dreams) 3, Hobgoblin Trainer 2, Hob Kin 2, Mantle ( A utumn) 4, Quick Healer 4 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 4 Virtue: Charity Vice: Gluttony Initiative: 6 Defence: 6 Speed: 10 Health: 9 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: Communion ( cloth) 3, Elements ( fire) 2, Fleeting A utumn 4, Mirror 2, Spellbound A utumn 3, Thorns 3

Quill
Quote: Well you can eat that if you like, it'll heal you but you'll be terribly sick. Background: The lady known as Quill began her life as a botanical artist, often out in the field observing the wildlife and making sketches of the creatures. It would be one field trip where she had left her sketch book behind. Upon returning to the site, she found a strange long- limbed creature pouring through the leaves of the book. The manthing queried her as to whether it was her work, and upon agreeing and insisting her book back, the Fae known as Vellum took her up and ferried her away to A rcadia. Vellum threw her into a large chamber, and asked her to catalogue the enormous volumes of pressed leaves, herbs, and create a tome filled with sketches of the various plants. For what seemed like many years she poured through the plant life, making notes and sketches of the various organisms. It would be that in this time that she would learn much of the goblin fruits of the Hedge. Such a knowledge became her tool as she found exactly the right herb for Vellum's tea to put him into a deep slumber, providing her an escape. Navigating her way through the Hedge was probably a lot less difficult for her than for many others, and it has only been a few scant months since her return. In this time, Malice Stitch has taken her under her wing as an apprentice, seeing a shared fascination with such things of the Hedge and its ecosystem. Much of her time is spent investigating the various parts of the Hedge. Her interest in these things has brought her to the attention of the Magi of the Gilded Thorn, and some have entered into communication with the Entitlement that she might be inducted into their order. 35

Seeming: Elemental Kith: Silkskin Court: A utumn Court Entitlement: The Barony of the Lesser Ones Titles: Ghl Keeper: Lady Boleville, Mistress of the Manor and the Manor Herself

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Description: A splash of paint, or ink, or colour smears the skin of Quill. The entire length of her forearm is speckled and marked with pigment. Her wiry hair is generally bound up behind her in a tail, and is matted with ink as well. She is lean and thin, with skin the colour of papyrus. It is not unusual for her to be wearing a smock or other protective outfit, and heavy boots. Those who observe her will note that she carries a very worn notebook with her wherever she goes. It is dog- eared and has no distinguishing markers on it save the leather binding. Storytelling Hints: The book she carries is actually a token she was given in her durance. Whenever she draws something within the pages of the book, she is given some knowledge of it's function or purpose. While principally she uses this to learn and understand the function of new goblin fruits she finds, she can occasionally use it to study or learn more about people and other objects. Seeming: Wizened Kith: A rtist Court: A utumn Entitlement: None, but is being drawn towards the Magi of the Gilded Thorns Titles: None Keeper: Vellum Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 1, Manipulation 2, Composure 2 Mental Skills: A cademia ( arts) 3, Crafts ( sketching) 4 Physical Skills: Larceny 1, Stealth ( unobtrusive) 3, Survival 2 Social Attributes: Empathy 2, Socialize ( artists) 1, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 2 Merits: A llies ( students) 1, Contacts ( university) 1, Bureaucratic Navigator 2, Harvest ( emotions) 2, Mantle ( A utumn) 2, Natural Immunity 1, Status ( university) 1, Unobtrusive 3 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 4 Virtue: Charity Vice: Greed Initiative: 5 Defence: 3 Speed: 10 Health: 7 Wyrd: 2 Contracts: Fleeting A utumn 1, Forge 4, Masks 2, Thorns 3 The Don decided to try and make money in the only way available he went to war. A t least he enlisted. He should have realised that there are rarely any female recruitment officers and also read the fine print, but he signed that form and that was enough for the Lady Boleville to take him into her custody and put him to work on her estate. Due to his existing knowledge of the vineyard, she put him to work in her greenhouse; one of the few tasks that lay outside the limits of the manor proper. The years wore by and he tended his duties quite faithfully. He was content, he was doing what he had always wanted to do and there was a strange serenity in his tasks. Every ten years the Lady would come back to him and asked him if there was anything he needed, to which he replied there was not. Each time the mistress grew angrier until on his fiftieth year she threw him out of the home, professing her boredom with him. It has been many years passed again. Grotto has tried to become involved in freehold politics, starting off bound up in the joys of Spring's regrowth, yet his warm welcome has been worn down over the years by petty greed and avarice. It has been ten years since he embrace the court of Summer and viciously holds intruders to his plot, to the freehold and his motley at bay. Description: Old, worn and looks so much like a pile of straw, grass and debris. His fingers and feet are long and root- like, his clothing is a mess of reeds and bark. Beyond his wooden appearance he is the spitting image of a farmer: straw hat, overalls and bare feet and hands. Storytelling Hints: For the most part, Grotto wants to be left alone. However, he recognises the value of the Hollow Commons, and has devoted a large part of his life to tending this space. In particular he will defend the space to an inch of his life. He protects the Goblin Fruits grown there and has appointed himself as the vigilante protector and harvester of the fruits. In fact, such is his fierceness and temerity that the freehold now accepts the custom of seeing to him for permission to access the freehold's store of goblin fruit like some quarter master. Seeming: Wizened Kith: Woodwalker Court: Summer Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Lady Boleville, Mistress of the Manor and the Manor Herself Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Crafts ( gardening) 1, Occult ( plants) 2, Science ( botany) 4 Physical Skills: A thletics 2, Stealth 1, Survival ( forests) 3, Weaponry 3 Social Skills: A nimal Ken ( garden) 1, Intimidation 2, Socialize 2, Subterfuge 1 Merits: A llies ( horticulture) 2, A rcadian Metabolism 3, Brownie's Boon 1, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 2, Goblin Vow ( fruit, ( soil) 2, Harvest ( Hedge bounty) 5, Hedge Duellist

Don Grotto
Quote: Oi, get off of my patch or I will take this switch to your back! Background: Don Grotto was a farm boy born and bred, growing up in the Italian vineyards. His parents taught him the joy of the grape, the wonders of tending the vines and he aspired to take over the farm when he had come of age. Wine, women and song were the mainstays of his childhood. Then the Mussolini's fascists came into power, and the world went to war, again. In the times of war, wine as a luxury product was hard to sell especially considering the effects of the Great Depression prior. 36

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1, Hedge Gate Sense 1, Lethal Mien 2, Mantle ( Summer) 2, Sojourner's Way 2 , Outdoorsman 2, Strong Back 1 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 5 Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Greed Initiative: 5 Defence: 2 Speed: 10 Health: 7 Wyrd: 4 Contracts: A nimation 2, Elements ( wood) 2, Eternal Summer 2, Forge 2, Thorns 4

37

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The Grey Reeves

Changeling society is a fragile thing, it depends on trust, exchange and faith amongst the many members. The Reeves seek to build this trust amongst the freehold, overseeing the swearing of oaths, and deeply investing themselves in their study. The Reeves tend to help facilitate the various functions of the court, as well as ensure that the oaths are punished, enforced and honoured A promise given to the Reeves is often expected to be upheld even without the promise of the Wyrd to bind them. Hollow: ( Local Freehold History, Pledges, Etiquette) 3, A menities 2, Faade 3, Doors 1, Size 2, Wards 3 Reeve, and is given the privilege to watch over the ceremony of the freehold and adjudicate pledges if need be. Seeming: Wizened Kith: Chtelaine Court: Courtless Entitlement: Magistrate of the Wax Mask Titles: Reeve Keeper: Lady Boleville, Mistress of the Manor and the Manor Herself Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 4 Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 1, Manipulation 3, Composure 4 Mental Skills: A cademics ( law) 3, Occult 1, Politics ( etiquette) 4 Physical Skills: A thletics 1, Larceny 2, Stealth ( silent) 3, Survival 1, Weaponry 1 Social Skills: Empathy 2, Persuasion ( polite) 3, Socialize 3, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 1 Merits: A llies ( traffic) 4, A llies ( logistics) 4, Bureaucratic Navigator 2, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 3, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 4, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 2, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 3, Harvest ( pledges) 2, Encyclopaedic Knowledge 4, Long of Days 2, Market Sense 1, New Identity ( Chris Bridge) 4, Pledgesmith 2, Wisdom of Dreams 3, Staff ( catering, housekeeping) 2 Willpower: 8 Clarity: 8 Virtue: Justice Vice: Pride Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 8 Health: 7 Wyrd: 8 Contracts: Dream 3, Mists 5

London Bridge
Quote: I wish to bear you the esteem of my patron tonight. Background: London is one of the oldest changelings in the entire freehold. He remembers dimly the end of the Victorian era. His role was one of the chief of staff for the royal household at the time, and his duty was to ensure that it ran smoothly. A t one point, he remembers serving tea with a dignitary from some distant country. Though her manners were strange and eccentric, he performed his duty to the best of excellence. It impressed their guest so much so, that she decided to take him with her when she returned to her manor. London was the chief butler of Lady Boleville's manor longer than any other changeling can recall. Though his master had changed, he performed his role sterlingly, with a never failing British spirit. For a good fifty years he served her, only to be dismissed one day without warning. No explanation, just a summary disposal of his personage outside of his estate, leaving him to fend for himself on his escape back through the Hedge. When he returned, he found a world much, much changed. No more British empire, and even Britain's most significant colonies were claiming autonomy and independence London found he could no longer understand this world, and instead chose to abide mostly amongst the other changelings of Twilight. In this, he was most fortunate, for his skills soon won him favour with the Magistrates. London was thrilled, he had a new life and a new purpose and a new body of people to serve. Description: London has never tired of his standard livery. There is a certain amount of pride he feels that goes with the uniform. Beyond that, London looks old, even for a changeling. His hair is gray, but sleeked back and trimmed. His eyes are a bit dull, but very wise and deep. A bout the only fact of him that isn't old is the way he walks, with the spring of youth in his step and the ferocity of a thousand butlers keeping him erect. Storytelling Hints: A s the eldest changeling in the freehold, London has virtually seen almost every type of changeling brought in and many more die. He has a living history of the freehold inside his head, and serves as a library of all its rituals, functions, accords and treaties. For this, he has been awarded the freehold specific title of 38

West Bridge
Quote: I watch my words, I watch your words, and when I feel the need to, I say something. Background: When he was taken, West Bridge left behind very little, and in some ways it's perhaps surprising that he returned. His sole love in life was the man who strangely titled himself as London. A fter many years of quiet love, the man enchanted his eyes to reveal to him the world of the Lost, and all was well for a time. West bridge found the world both compelling and wondrous. Being the writer that he was, he began to pen down all that he saw and had witnessed. Eventually his tome of work would become a veritable lore of the world of the fae. When he was captured, his work would be left behind in the old house he had kept until this point. The creatures of Faerie were not compliant with the idea of a mortal knowing so much of their ways. A man came to him claiming to have read his book with fascination and made him an offer to investigate the ways of the Faerie far more deeply than he could now. He

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swore that fateful compact with Vellum, and spent the next year or so scribing in his libraries. His escape would not come of his own device, but through some contrivance orchestrated by his old lover London. A deal was struck and he was released back to Earth. Now, he has been reunited with his lover London, a fact that he is deeply grateful for. In many ways, he is still devoted to this man and their relationship has deepened due to their shared experience of A rcadia. Description: West has long lanky hair, overly large eyes and long nimble fingers that are stained and smudged with ink and lead. His skin has the texture and rustle of paper. Outwardly he is calm and composed if somewhat absent minded in his gaze. There is typically a pen or pencil sticking out from the back of his ear and a handful of papers tucked under his arm. Storytelling Hints: His proficiency with the ways of Faerie has given West a deep insight into the ways of pledges and of crafting oaths of the Wyrd. He is a wordsmith through and through. He chooses his words very carefully, making sure each utterance is delivered with precision and decidedly calculated impact. More importantly, the book of his notes on Faerie has gone missing. He left it in his house before being taken by the Fae, and upon his return it was gone. His partner professes no knowledge of it's absence of presence, and West is concerned over whose hands it may have fallen into. Seeming: Wizened Kith: A uthor Court: Winter Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Vellum Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 4, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 3 Mental Skills: A cademics ( literature) 4, Computers 1, Investigation 2, Occult 2, Politics 2, Science 1 Physical Skills: A thletics 1, Stealth ( quiet) 3, Survival ( navigation) 2 Social Skills: Empathy 2, Expression ( writing) 5, Streetwise 2 Merits: Brownie's Boon 1, Bureaucratic Navigator 2, Contacts ( literati) 1, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 3, Harvest ( pledges) 2, Eidetic Memory 2, Language ( A ncient Greek) 3, Language ( Latin) 3, Language ( Persian) 2, Mantle ( Winter) 3, New Identity ( Samuel Bridge) 4, Pledgesmith 3 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Faith Vice: Wrath Initiative: 5 Defence: 2 Speed: 9 Health: 7 Wyrd: 4 Contracts: A nimation 4, Hearth 3, Fleeting Winter 4

Aria Skywalker
Quote: Do not think me a fool, I know what your price is for I have weighed, measured and found you wanting. Background: Her mortal life wasn't much to speak of. She was frail as a mortal, suffering from multiple sclerosis. It would not onset until her late teens, and what was supposed to be a promising life of parties and high school antics soon became a crushing path of defeat and bitter disappointments. Her final years of school were so burdened with pain and misery that she couldn't even bring herself to come to the school formal. She remembers sitting watching the school from her window, wishing for a great big storm to crush them as she had been crushed. While she watched, she was amazed to see from the still clouds a great funnel appeared and struck down the gymnasium. The great cloud turned to her while she watched, and in payment for the services asked, plucked her from the window and stole her back to A rcadia. There she stayed, playing the daughter of the wind king Nergal. Freed from the shackles of her disease she ran free through the skies the thrill of the wind beneath her and around her. For a time she found herself content, almost happy, despite knowing her family had been left behind. No, such things were not her reasons for returning home. She knew she was a slave, however gilded her cage was as the favoured daughter of Nergal. She was a creature of wind and caprice and she would damned if she was kept by any other master. She would have her freedom and seek out foreign skies. So she whispered and gossiped and caused all the changelings of the storm to fuss and squirm and there was chaos throughout the entire cloud. A s the Gentry sought to calm his lot, A ria took the opportunity to flee. Now back in the world of humanity, she sought to secure herself a place amongst her fellow lost. She was a daughter of dignity and would ensure that those of her ilk would accord her that same favour. She never sought to aspire to the rule of queenship, for that had far too much responsibility. Instead, through the exploitation of oaths and pledges she placed herself as the second in standing in the Spring Court. Description: A lways moving, never still and a vibrant whirl of energy and melody. Her hair often seems caught in an invisible breeze to flutter wildly around her and is a vibrant straw blonde. Her eyes are the colour of lightning and pearl. Her clothes are battle ready, allowing her great freedom of movement. Storytelling Hints: To A ria, everything is a matter of power and utility. Like most of the elementals, she doesn't have a sophisticated understanding of social drives and needs, but instead seems to have a canny knack for understanding and being able to exploit pledges like commodities. In a debate, she is clever and cunning and can almost always manoeuvre her opponents into a position she's like them to be in. In this manner she can typically ensnare someone into promising something they did not directly intend, and then they are another string upon her web. Seeming: Elemental Kith: A irtouched 39

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Court: Spring Entitlement: None Titles: Sylvan Emissary Keeper: Nergal, the Raging One Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 4 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 4, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Investigation 2, Politics ( pledges) 3 Physical Skills: A thletics 2, Drive 2, Larceny 2, Survival ( open air) 3, Weaponry 2 Social Skills: Empathy ( listening) 3, Expression 2, Socialise ( formal events) 2, Subterfuge ( pledges) 2 Merits: A llies ( pledges) 3, Contacts ( Summer, A utumn and Winter Courts) 3, Court Goodwill ( all seasonal courts) 3, Mantle ( Spring) 3, Market Sense 1, Pledgesmith 3, Rigid Mask 2, Striking Looks 2 Willpower: 6 Clarity: 5 Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Greed Initiative: 5 Defence: 3 Speed: 10 Health: 8 Wyrd: 5 Contracts: Communion ( air) 5, Elements ( air) 5, Fleeting Spring 3, Blood Binding, Goblin Oath pot of Redtooth, Redtooth, every now and then being granted leave to return to the mortal world to bring back people for dinner. One night, he cut out his eye, and replaced it with the eye of a mortal woman he had brought back, and placed his own eye in the pot. With both eyes in his head, the toad knew not that the food contained his flesh and so broke the oath he had sworn. Balor was free and returned back to Earth. Description: A cyclops in the traditional sense. Where his left eye should be, there is a scarf tied around his head to bind the empty socket. He is otherwise overly large and quick to anger. His form is hulking and brutish, but very smooth of hair. There is nary a tuft of fur on him from the scalp down. His belly is portly, due to the vary many meals he happily eats. However, don't let his girth belie his adroitness. He has a deft hand when it comes to the kitchen, a fact that has drawn him close to the other chefs in the freehold. Storytelling Hints: Balor has two passions, cooking and justice unfortunately for some, sometimes those passions overlap. Balor has no delusions about what he is; he is a monstrous thing by most people's standards and he has an appetite that he cannot suppress. That being said, he has taught himself to hone his appetite and limit himself to culling the herd of humanity. Those mortals whom he considers plagues on society often end up in his cooking pot. It may be a strange sense of justice to some, but when you've lived in A rcadia for a long time, what is right and wrong has less to do with some prosaic sense of ethics and more to do with an eye for an eye. Seeming: Ogre Kith: Cyclopean Court: Summer Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Redtooth, Redtooth Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Investigation 2, Politics 2 Physical Skills: A thletics ( throwing) 2, Brawl 3, Survival ( tracking) 4 Social Skills: Expression 1, Intimidation 3, Persuasion 2, Streetwise 3 Merits: Contacts ( docks, industrial) 2, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 2, Danger Sense 2, Harvest ( emotions) 2, Fast Reflexes 1, Fleet of Foot 1, Giant 4, Hideous A nyway 2, Mantle ( Summer) 3, Language ( Italian) 2, Pledgesmith 1, Strong Back 1 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Justice Vice: Wrath Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 13 Health: 9 Wyrd: 4 Contracts: Stone 5, Oath and Punishment 5

Balor
Quote: Pain is a great teacher, allow me to give you a lesson. Background: Life was hard, times were hard, Balor knew it and so should his wife. Yet every night there was a new argument, and every night he'd have to put her back in her place. He was the man of the house and if she could just learn her place things would run much more smoothly. It was her duty to him, and she ought to know it. The taste of his violence filled the air of his house. Then one day she just went to far. There was a murderous rage, and a dead body. She had finally screeched her last oath. For the next few days he tried to hide his deed, he carved up the body and hid the various parts beneath the house. Of course, his deeds had not gone unnoticed. When he returned to his kitchen, there was a fat bloated toad sprawled out across the floor. Terrified at this sight, the man presumed to attack the bloated monster, only to find his blows dealing no damage. Pleased with the angry wrath that was shown the toad demanded that this man serve up for him the remains of his wife, lest he eat him instead. Finding himself truly terrified at this he returned with his wife's remains only to find that the toad had gone and that the police were waiting. Quickly arrested and detained, Balor found himself incarcerated for murder. It was then that the toad came for him, and plucked him from the cell leaving a husk in his place, formed from toilet paper, mortal and the bed sheets. There was no way back for him, for all that lay in the mortal world was jail. Balor made the toad a promise, that as long as he ate none of his flesh, he would serve the toad faithfully. This was agreed, and Balor slaved over the big 40

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The Halfway House

Not exactly a formal motley, but a loose association of newly emerged changelings. Such changelings often find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of activity upon emerging from the Hedge for the first time, and in a freehold as steeped in politics as Eidolon is, it can be daunting and overwhelming. Thus the Halfway House, an informal association of fosterlings, apprentices, neonates and floundering changelings who are attempting to find their way in the freehold. Hollow: ( Local History, Technology) 3, A menities 5, Faade 3, Doors 2, Size 2, Wards 5 Storytelling Hints: Since taking a step back from the front lines, Gibraltar's found himself a new bar and inn establishment. This place he calls the halfway house. The downstairs is much like a tavern of the last turn of the century, but is slightly out of the way so as not to draw in much of the public. A bove are a series of bed and breakfast rooms that he doesn't really advertise. So what's the point to all this set up, if he doesn't seek to make much out of it. It's a halfway house, it provides a couple of rooms for fledgling changelings who are still learning to get on their feet, and provides a haven for any changeling without one. That, and it's the firmly established social venue for the freehold for any non- formal event. Not only that, as a barkeep, he's been able to hear some pretty interesting tales as told by the freehold. Everyone's come to the bar at one point or another to let it all out. Seeming: Wizened Kith: Brewer Court: Summer Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Crumbcoat and Ganache Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 4 Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 1, Manipulation 3, Composure 2 Mental Skills: A cademic 2, Crafts ( cooking) 3, Investigation 1, Medicine 1 Physical Skills: A thletics ( escape) 2, Drive 1, Firearms 2, Stealth 1, Survival ( the Hedge) 3 Social Skills: Empathy 2, Intimidation ( swearing) 2, Socialize 2, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 1 Merits: A llies ( changelings) 5, Brownie's Boon 1, Contacts ( police, street, radio) 3, Court Goodwill ( all Courts) 4, Harvest ( pledges) 4, Language ( Flemish) 2, Mantle ( Summer) 2, Market Sense 1, Network ( Goblin Fruits) 1, New Identity ( Gil Braithwaite) 2, Toxin Resistance 2 Willpower: 6 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Charity Vice: Wrath Initiative: 6 Defence: 3 Speed: 10 Health: 8 Wyrd: 5 Contracts: A nimation 5, Dream 1, Eternal Summer 3, Mirror 5, Thorns 2

Gibraltar
Quote: Wut? A nother ragamuffin escapee? Right, the rules of my hospitality are no lyin, no stealin, no fratenisin, and no complainin. Background: While not the largest of men, Gibraltar likes to think he stands tall and proud. A s a barman, Gibraltar was used to hearing all manner of story and complaint. Until the day when a man with a large sack came into the bar, very late at night and began ordering large amounts of drink. While normally he would close the bar at this house, he felt obliged to the strange man with a sack. A fter a while of serving, the tales the man told were strange and bizarre. He began asking questions, and eventually asked the wrong question; namely what was in the sack. To which the gentleman replied that it would be him, and promptly put him in the sack. Sold into captivity by a privateer to the twins of Crumbcoat and Ganache. His knowledge of liquors and brews would be cultivated, fermented and given potency. Many nights he would be asked to brew strange and exotic elixirs for his masters' pleasure, and eventually drafted a brew so potent that it put them to sleep, and so he took his leave back to Earth. Having returned to the mortal world, he found that his fetch had grown old and died in his absence; meaning that he could not assume to replace him at the bar as he wished. There was no way to pick up his life where he left off. The deeds he once held were all sold and in new hands. He was deeply angry, and swore bloody vengeance on all that was fae. In his time back in the freehold he has fought alongside the Summer Court in a fair number of battles. His valour would gain him a measure of repute and goodwill with the various courts. Now, however, his glory days have faded. He is a bitter husk of the changeling he once was, and even his long time marriage no longer brings him the joy it once did. He is so often drunk and has a head full of fumes, that his usefulness as a warrior is often questioned. Description: Gibraltar has seen far too much of the sun. His skin is a dark walnut brown, and deeply wrinkled. His hair is thin and sparse, making him appear far more shrunken than many of the wizened. Despite this, his face sports a large pair of butcher's chops on either cheek, and his face is ruddy hued. When out and about he's know for wearing tanned leathers, but will return to light denims if the weather is too hot.

Peach
Quote: I've always depended on the kindness of strangers. Background: Beauty pageant mistress five times running. The girl who would become known as belle was one of a kind. A s a girl from the southern states, she was proud of her wealthy heritage and opalescent skin. Never 41

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too bright, but very eager to please and engender herself to her betters. She had set her sights on a life of privilege and standing. Her entire adolescence was spent moulding herself to become a prime example of marrying pedigree. On her seventeenth birthday, her parents found her married off to a strange gentleman they had recently met. She had been offered up as part of a bargain with the Greve that granted them power, wealth and privilege in exchange for her hand in marriage. So the bride was taken by the Greve to A rcadia, where it would be discovered that her knowledge of proper etiquette was sorely lacking. Every day, he tutored her in ways of accord. When she failed her lessons, the Greve planted her in the garden to think for a time on her failings. Over time, she sprouted the flowers of her namesake in her hair. He was a master tutor, and she learned her lessons well. She was no longer a southern bell, but a fine lady worthy of the Greve's companionship. Except that is when he bored of her, he had transformed this milkling brat into a lady and his game was done. She was thrown out of A rcadia for daring to emulate the fae. Description: There is a dulcet beauty to this fair Georgia Peach. She is the veritable image of the spring blushing beauty. Demure, softly spoken and surrounded with a heady peach fragrance. Her clothing style is reminiscent of the southern states where she is from, and in particular favours pink and green petticoat frocks. Storytelling Hints: Peach is a recent emigrant from the Hedge, but very quickly took herself up with the spring court. In her time here, she has been brought under the wing of the leading members of the spring court as their dbutante daughter. Still, for the lady, nothing ever seems as good as it once was. Her attempts to play the roles of the court are merely a theatrical display, as she recalls a game of immortals far more intricate and inspiring than any shallow replication made by these players. Seeming: Fairest Kith: Flowering Court: Spring Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: The Greve of Stolen Lovers Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 3, Composure 3 Mental Skills: Investigation 3, Occult 2, Politics 1, Science 1 Physical Skills: Drive 1, Stealth ( staying still) 3, Weaponry 1 Social Skills: A nimal Ken 1, Empathy 2, Intimidation 2, Persuasion 2, Socialize ( light banter) 4, Subterfuge 1 Merits: A llies ( high society) 2, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 1, Court Goodwill ( A utumn) 1, Mantle ( Spring) 1, Language ( French) 2, Striking Looks 2 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 7 Virtue: Temperance Vice: Pride Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 9 42 Health: 7 Wyrd: 1 Contracts: Fleeting Spring 2, Masks 2, Separation 5

Ripper
Quote: Here kitty, kitty, come to daddy. Background: Born and bred in the streets of London. John was the typical 80s British punk. He'd always been a bit loathsome of the people he viewed as lesser races and would frequently involve himself in violent displays of racism. It would be to his detriment that such brazen and wanton acts of violence would draw the wrong sort of attention. The sinister figure known as the Shrike found his love of carnage delightful. The entire gang of his would be captured and dragged back into the larder of the Shrike. There, one by one, the Shrike gutted and consumed his assorted fellows until he was the only one left. For some reason, unknown to him, she decided not to make him prey, but chose to coddle and raise him like a child. It was horrid, and unpleasant, and the thing brutalised his experience of life. Eventually though she found him a satisfactory monster, and decided that he was ready to leave the nest, and she sent him on his way. Ripper hasn't been back to Earth for long, but in that time he's used his new found strength to live it up. Sex, drugs, violence, all of these things have been his play toys. While at first he fell in with the Summer Court, believing it would offer him the revelries he so wanted, he soon found himself disappointed with their often Spartan nature. Instead, he found that in the A utumn court could offer his a certain pleasure exacted from the fear of others, and he fell to the court with simple abandon. In the time, he developed a close association with the barkeep Gibraltar; partly from all the bar fights he and Gil got into during his summer years, but also because he found he kind of liked the bar and feels more territorial about it than most. These days, Ripper spends a descent amount of time in the bar, whether quietly stewing in the background frightening patrons, or even taking up a book to read. Description: Unlike most Ogres, Ripper is not overly huge. He is taller than most, but his physique is simply well defined and lithe. You wouldn't think that he was a fighter from the clothing he wears, as he often dresses down to look less imposing. He has a ruddish face with a broken nose, upon which is perched a pair of spectacles. Not that he needs them, but it is all part of his attempt to seem less dangerous than he really is. Storytelling Hints: Ripper is a quietly stewing ball of rage that is hidden beneath a rather sombre exterior. While he doesn't become involved in freehold politics much, he has a strong fondness for a large number of things he's learned to appreciate. A mong them are Gibraltar and his bar, and the newly emerged changelings who stay there. Ripper would rather remain unassuming for the most part. His method of terror is to lull people into a false sense of security and then let rip with some rather disgusting violence or use of the Fleeting A utumn contracts. Seeming: Ogre Kith: Beserkin Court: A utumn Entitlement: None Titles: None

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Keeper: The Shrike Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 3 Mental Skills: A cademics ( literature) 3, Investigation ( street) 2, Occult 2 Physical Skills: A thletics 1, Brawl ( berserker rage) 3, Survival 3 Social Skills: A nimal Ken 3, Empathy 1, Intimidation ( scowl) 4, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 1 Merits: A llies ( street) 1, Barfly 1, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 1, Quick Healer 4, Mantle ( A utumn) 3, Willpower: 5 Clarity: 7 Virtue: Justice Vice: Wrath Initiative: 7 Defence: 3 Speed: 11 Health: 9 Wyrd: 2 Contracts: Fleeting A utumn 4, Oath and Punishment 2, Smoke 3, Stone 1 the pages and eventually created her fetch. Vellum breathed life into it and told it to run, where it promptly escaped to be crushed by a speeding vehicle. That had been the death she saw, and for it ten years of service she gave to the Fae. Her ability to see the flow of things to come meant she would eventually know the right time and place to be so that she could orchestrate her escape and find her own way back through the Hedge. Description: A shock of purple hair, frail white skin and eyes that are deep, dark black pits frame this girl's face. Wafts of hair fall down to cover her longish face, in the manner of a curtain hiding an unwilling audience. Her clothes are simple and plain, designed to allow her to fade from the foreground, and she often has her hands folded in front of her or around a book. Storytelling Hints: She's a demure little thing, and often looks to others for leadership. This is partly because it's only been one month since she emerged from the Hedge. She prefers to keep to herself, and speak only when spoken to. It's almost like she's trying to hide from a future she doesn't want to know. Seeming: Wizened Kith: Oracle Court: Courtless Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Vellum Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 1, Manipulation 2, Composure 3 Mental Skills: A cademics 3, Investigation 3, Occult ( the Wyrd) 4, Science 2 Physical Skills: A thletics 1, Stealth ( unremarkable) 2, Survival 1 Social Skills: Empathy 3, Expression 2, Socialize 1, Merits: Common Sense 4, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 1, Danger Sense 2, Source Sympathy 3, Unobtrusive 3 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 8 Virtue: Faith Vice: Envy Initiative: 5 Defence: 2 Speed: 9 Health: 7 Wyrd: 6 Contracts: Dream 3, Hours 4, Omen 4

Cassandra
Quote: Um... sorry, I think you have the wrong person. Background: If not for her durance, the self- styled Cassandra may have had a very short life- span. From a very young age, she had been gifted with a second sight, the ability to catch flashes of the future, and mostly her own. From high school, the fact that she saw rather horrid things about most people's future caused her to become withdrawn and aloof from others. She did not wish to become attached to people whom she knew were going to suffer in the immediate times to come. Half way through high school, she began to have visions of her own death. Something that frightened and tormented her. She began to do everything she could to escape, but none of it seemed to matter. A short time later, she found herself hiding in the library, where the librarian came upon her and asked her what she was hiding from. For some reason, she found herself explaining herself to him. The librarian nodded, and agreed to fix her problem in exchange for some help. She was unsure how he could help, but otherwise complied. So the librarian took some books and cobbled together a figure much like herself from

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Solitaries
For one reason or another, these changelings have chosen to walk a path alone within the freehold. They are still good members in standing.

Rictor Mortis
Quote: So you have come seeking my advice, are you sure you understand the price to pay? Background: You don't ask Rictor about his past. You just don't. Those few who have asked even more rudely about his durance have gotten little more than what many call his death stare. He is incredibly old though, older than any of the changelings in the freehold know. He is one of the Lailoken, the eternal Viziers and it has been his preeminent council that has helped guide the entire freehold to it's prosperity today. Rictor doesn't really talk about his history much, but some carefully observant visitors to his homestead claimed to have witnessed a photograph depicting him shaking hands with Winston Churchill, and another letter on the mantle bearing Queen Victoria's cypher. Rictor's history in the city is a little better known, as he showed up in the city around about fifty years ago. His influence has been fundamental in cementing alliances and overseeing accords between the ruling kings and queens. In his time he has seen more than a few monarchs come and go, some lasting no longer than a year, and through it all he has learned not to be involved in city politics. A bout twenty years ago, Rictor moved himself from the freehold all together and lives in isolation in the Hedge somewhere. While on occasion he comes into the city, it is usually only for grave and serious warnings. For the most part he is content to sit back and test those who would seek him out for his advice. Description: Rictor is fucking scary. He looks no more, and no less than the living image of a dead lich lord. His face is a skull shaped with taught skin. He has an elegance and air about his reminiscent of the Victorian era, and much of his mannerisms seem to be affected by this period. Despite his disconnection from the world of humanity, his hollow has been transformed into the perfect Victorian Manse, surrounded by a perfect Victorian Garden, albeit as seen through the dark mirror of the Hedge. Storytelling Hints: Rictor is a hermit, he knows far too much, and has incredibly far reaching influence. His mastery of contracts are second- to- none in the region, a fact that he prides himself on. He still serves in an advisory capacity to the freehold, but ensures that those who seek him out cannot simply do so with convenience. He has placed enchantment and guardians against those who would disturb him, which, while not insurmountable, pose a barrier to the less than determined. Seeming: Darkling Kith: Gravewight Court: A utumn Entitlement: The Office of the Vizerial Council Titles: None Keeper: Unknown 44

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 5, Wits 4, Resolve 4 Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 4, Composure 3 Mental Skills: A cademics ( faerie tales) 4, Investigation 3, Medicine 3, Occult ( changelings) 5, Politics 3, Science 3 Physical Skills: Larceny 2, Survival ( the Hedge) 3 Social Skills: Empathy 4, Intimidation ( menacing) 4, Persuasion 3, Subterfuge 4 Merits: A llies ( Goblin Markets) 3, A rchive ( Mysteries, Fairy Tales) 2, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 4, Court Goodwill ( Spring) 2, Court Goodwill ( Summer) 1, Dream Combat 2, Encyclopaedic Knowledge 4, Goblin Vow ( the Hedge, moonless nights) 2, Harvest ( Emotions) 2, Harvest ( Hedge bounty) 2, Hideous A nyway 2, Mantle ( A utumn) 5, Multi- lingual 3 Pledgesmith 1, Rigid Mask 2, Sojourner's Way 3 Willpower: 7 Clarity: 6 Virtue: Prudence Vice: Sloth Initiative: 6 Defence: 3 Speed: 9 Health: 7 Wyrd: 7 Contracts: Darkness 4, Eternal A utumn 3, Fleeting A utumn 3, Masks 5, Spellbound A utumn 4, Thorns 4

Gulliver
Quote: The worse prisons are the ones you create within your mind. Background: A s a mortal, Gulliver was a hardened criminal, and sentenced to life for acts of licentious carnage. Not merely a thug, he had orchestrated a series of bombings across federal police stations and other government buildings. For a good twenty years, the life of a prisoner was all he knew; the vicious politics and brutality from both inmates and wardens. However, his experiences were for naught, as he would soon meet a prison far worse than any he had encountered. In his attempts to escape, he inadvertently ran into a gateway in the Hedge, a trap left by the Zookeeper who had learned of this flight, and sought to re- cage that which sought their freedom. Gulliver was not to be a prisoner, no. He was instead bred for immensity, and made to hold as slave keeper to the beasts of the menagerie. When he failed to show brutality and inhumanity to the once human beasts, he was cruelly punished and broken. Though at first he was enthralled with the role, he soon became to sympathize with his fellow captives. It was an empathy he wasnt expecting, and it broke his heart. So, when the Nettle Revolt came around, he was adamant to not be left behind, and took the opportunity to flee with the exodus. His life was one of anger, and so upon returning to Earth he was quick to take

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to the cause of Summers wroth. In his time Gulliver was a fearsome warrior, and a monumental foe. However, as time wore on, he soon found he lost the will to fight. Each beaten body, and each broken victim was a startling reminder to him of his durance. Violence was no succour to him, and threatened his very Clarity. Now, he finds himself a penitent of his former sins. With this new outlook, he eventually found himself aligned with the philosophies of Spring. In Spring, he hoped to find some escape from the prison of his mind, and sought new hope where once nothing but anger and hatred filled him. Description: A giant, very simple. He is large even for mortal standards. His clothes are clearly custom made, and not of the highest quality. His posture and his demeanour though impressive are held in a slouch lacking the self confidence once felt. Because of his Kith blessing, he attempts to wear clothes with give in them, and can be somewhat loose for expansion. Storytelling Hints: There is a reason that Gulliver sits apart from the rest of the freehold. It is because he doesnt trust himself. He doesnt trust that the simply little handshake wont be the crushing grip of destruction. In a world of freedom, Gulliver is a victim of his own mental prison. In his new role in Spring, he has taken it upon himself to lead a more peaceful life; though not a pacifist, he is loathe to take up arms in anything less than a just cause. Gullivers seeks to defend the weak and is particularly protective of his verdant and crimson brethren, and in particular holds the role of the Court Defender. Seeming: Ogre Kith: Gargantuan Court: Spring Court Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: The Zookeeper Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Crafts 3, Investigation 3, Occult 1 Physical Skills: A thletics ( walking) 4, Brawl 3, Survival 3 Social Skills: Empathy 1, Intimidation 3, Subterfuge 1 Merits: Court Goodwill ( Summer) 2, Direction Sense 1, Harvest ( Hedge bounty) 1, Hedge Duellist 4, Hedge Gate Sense 1, Iron Stamina 3, Hobgoblin Trainer 2, Mantle ( Spring) 2, Outdoorsman 2, Predator's Innocence 3, Sojourner's Way 5 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 7 Virtue: Justice Vice: Sloth Initiative: 4 Defence: 2 Speed: 11 Health: 8 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: Forge 2, Stone 4, Thorns 2 Background: In her mid 30s Jayne was admitted to the psychiatric hospital for severe schizophrenia. This would have been a non- descript event had it nor been for the fact that the cell she was placed in was inconveniently close to the Hedge. Her visions of gaps in the walls, turned out to be keys that unlocked real gateways into other realms. That she would disappear from her ward only to reappear in random places within the hospital, meant she was more closely supervised. One of the people who was watching was a privateer, watching over the asylum as a likely place for the fae. Mistaking her ability to wander into the Hedge as inherent faerie magic, she was taken and sold on the Goblin Markets, only to be purchased by the syzygy Crumbcoat and Ganache. They savoured her madness, showed her how to cook and stew her madness into divine liquids and alchemies. Her maladies became their bitter wines and her tears their pearls of wisdom. Yet amid all the weirdness of A rcadia, Jayne found the one thing she needed clarity. Her alchemies granted her insights she had not thought possible. Her delusions were grants substance and meaning; the demons in her head were now conjured forth and abjured. It would be her lucid dreams that would eventually show her a path out of the kitchens and back to Earth. Upon returning, Jayne led a delicate life between true madness and the clarity. Her life would be haunted by the strange twisting shadows out of the corners of her eyes, dimly casting the world into shades of fear and terror. A n ideal candidate for the A utumn Court it would seem, as so exquisite and unique were her agonies. Even so, her ways were more eccentric than most of the Lost were comfortable with, and so she lives a life on the outskirts of the freehold. Description: Wild would be a good way to describe Calamity Jayne. Her hair is a little frenzied and her eyes stare a bit too deeply. Yet, there is a very deliberate care to her attire, dressed as she is in Victorian outfits. For a manic body and face, she has an extremely prim and proper demeanour and deportment, a juxtaposition that only serves to make he manic features stand out all the more. Very few people enjoy the gaze of Calamity Jayne for long. Storytelling Hints: Jayne runs a club patronized for the eccentrics of the city called the Blue Pearl. Her a blend of new age mysticism and old world mysteries blend to create the atmosphere, and most know it to be unwelcome to freehold politics. Jayne herself is conflicted by two strong points of fear that surround her. The first is that not too long ago, she defaulted on a pledge that has kept her under a medial curse for a long time. The locals know her to be unlucky, and disaster seems to strike those in her vicinity. She is also thought to have close ties to the Goblin Markets, and knows more than a fair share of Goblin Contracts, including ( so say the rumours) Call of the Wild Hunt, and others that allow her to pass on her bad luck. Seeming: Wizened Kith: A ctor Court: A utumn Court Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Crumbcoat and Ganache Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2 45

Calamity Jayne
Quote: No boom today, but theres always a boom tomorrow.

Angelus Morningstar
Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 2 Mental Skills: A cademics ( fine arts) 2, Investigation 2, Politics 1 Physical Skills: A thletics ( endurance) 2, Stealth 3, Weaponry 2 Social Skills: Expression 4, Intimidation 2, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 3 Merits: A llies ( street) 2, Barfly 1, Contacts ( police, newspapers) 2, Court Goodwill ( Winter) 2, Harvest ( Emotions) 2, Mantle ( A utumn) 3, Tunnel Rat 1 Willpower: 4 Clarity: 3 Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Pride Initiative: 5 Defence: 3 Speed: 10 Health: 8 Wyrd: 3 Contracts: A rtifice 2, Masks 4, Mirror 5, Smoke 3, Thorns 2, Call the Wyld Hunt dare cross her bridge. For the most part, she realises the uselessness of most trinkets that are carried by the Lost. These days, she is a collector of secrets and barter these days. To cross her bridge you must tell her either a secret or a mystery. Secrets are easy to come by and she seems to have an inner litmus test for the value of a secret. Mysteries, on the other hand are a whole lot rarer and much more valuable to her. For a good mystery, she'll do you a favour. Seeming: Ogre Kith: Water- dweller Court: Winter Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Redtooth, Redtooth Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4 Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 4 Mental Skills: Investigation 2, Occult 3, Science 2 Physical Skills: A thletics 3, Larceny 2, Stealth 2, Survival ( goblin fruits) 3 Social Skills: A nimal Ken 2, Intimidation ( gruesome face) 3, Persuasion 3 Merits: Harvest ( Hedge Bounty) 2, Hedge Gate Sense 1, Mantle ( Winter) 2, Natural Immunity 1, Outdoorsman 2, Perfect Stillness 1, Pledge Smith 1, Sojourner's Way 2, Strong Back 3 Willpower: 6 Clarity: 4 Virtue: Temperance Vice: Gluttony Initiative: 6 Defence: 2 Speed: 10 Health: 11 Wyrd: 4 Contracts: Fleeting Winter 3, Forge 3, Stone 4, Thorns 3

Nag McBrine
Quote: That will cost you a pretty penny my love, and I don't think you've got a penny to your name. Background: It isn't very often that the elderly are taken by the Fae, they seem to desire the youthful, the invigorated and the marvellous. Naggy is none of those, she was simply an old woman, whose children had all died before her in the war. Though she's never quite clear on which war that was, depending on when you ask, it could have been either of the Great Wars, or possibly the Korean, the Vietnam, or Iraq wars. On the really bad days she begins talking about the war for A rcadia, or wars that you've never even heard of. When Naggy was taken by the bloated toad that was Redtooth, Redtooth her entire durance was spent guarding a bridge of stone and wood. She remembers demanding a toll or a price to her master for any who would dare cross it, and taking a pound of flesh for those who couldn't. Over time, she began collecting trophies of the various cretins and miscreants who would pay with their flesh. Eventually, she tricked a traveller on the road that in exchange for passage, that he would man the bridge until her return. She never has to this day, but she knows she is oath bound to resume her role there should she ever return to A rcadia. Yet, little did she realise that her oath bound her in ways she did not understand. She feels a territorial compulsion that she cannot shake. She has taken residence under one of the bridges in the city, it is her patch and she claims toll from any with Wyrd who would pass. Description: From her long time in the waters, she has seaweed hair and bay coloured skin. Her clothes are tough and leathery, turning aside most knives and blades. Her abode is a small thatched hut in the midst of a swamp in the Hedge, which connects to the underside of a formidable bridge in the centre of the city. Storytelling Hints: Naggy has resumed a role as guardian of the bridge. She is there to confront and challenge any creature with a mote of Wyrd who would 46

Gilderoy
Quote: I'm missing a part, do you have any? Background: Gilderoy is tabula rasa. He has a mortal life once, he thinks. It is sometimes there in the back of his head, just ticking away. It's all that Gilderoy hears these days, the endless click and tick of clockwork in his heart and head. You see, Gilderoy's durance began when Vellum had a desire to study the physical anatomy of a mortal being. He was taken one night and strung up upon a rack of wires and hooks, like a living puppet. Gilderoy was cut open, and each of his organs were carefully removed and replaced with a piece of clockwork. His heart became a huge pump, his mind a difference engine of wheels and cogs. His vessels were long tubes filled with viscous liquid. By the time Vellum was done, there was little in the way of flesh left, only metal and steel. When Vellum was done, he disposed of the used experiment back into the mortal world, spent and unwanted by the creature that had created it. For a few nights, Gilderoy wandered the streets unsure and lost in his

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identity. That is until he was picked up by a former friend who recognised him but to whom he was a stranger. He was taken back home, where in front of his entire family came face to face with his fetch. Gilderoy does not remember that night except waking up and seeing the mess of broken leaves and twigs amidst a big pile of gore and blood. The blood of his former family. He was quickly arrested, and the creature unknowing of the whys and wherefores of due process or human matters freaked out, and wrought great terror with his command of metal. Since then, Gilderoy fled from the scene and has since hidden himself in a large abandoned warehouse. Description: Gilderoy is nothing less than a metal creature made of joints, plates, and steel. His hair is a shock of wiry metal, and his skin glowing with a silvery lustre. He is the very image of an android. He is a disturbing sight of pistons, steam and ticking clockwork. Storytelling Hints: Gilderoy is dangerous, mad and disturbed. He tends to try to simulate the life of humanity he has long left behind. Like a child trying to play doll's house, he will dress up and play act out scenes of adulthood he has been denied. A nyone coming upon him and discovering him will typically be asked to join in on these fantasies. Be it asked to sit down to dinner with broken tea sets and empty plates, or being asked to mollycoddle a doll as a child. A nyone who seeks to entertain Gilderoy in any way outside of these recreations had best attempt to capture him on a good day, or face the anger he will display for shattering his delusions. Seeming: Elemental Kith: Metalflesh Court: Courtless Entitlement: None Titles: None Keeper: Vellum Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3 Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 1, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Crafts ( toys) 4, Occult 1, Physical Skills: A thletics 2, Brawl 4, Weaponry ( blades) 4 Social Skills: Intimidation ( psychotic) 3, Persuasion 1, Subterfuge 2 Merits: A mbidextrous 3, Demolisher 1, Brute Force 4, Crafter's Sense 3, Fast Reflexes 1, Goblin Vow ( toys) 1, Iron Stomach 2, Tunnel Rat 2, Striking Looks 2 Willpower: 5 Clarity: 1 Virtue: Fortitude Vice: Envy Initiative: 6 Defence: 3 Speed: 12 Health: 8 Wyrd: 2 Contracts: A nimation 4, Elements ( metal) 4, Mists 3

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