Changeling/Theme/Courts/Winter Court

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Winter, The Silent Arrow, The Court of Sorrow
"Sorrow is not weakness. Sorrow is a weapon. Who here has not been rendered speechless and motionless by anguish? Who has never known the air being sucked from your lungs by loss? Because we do not burn with the rage of our Summer kindred, we are often thought weak. Winter is not weak. Do not mistake us." - Marjorie the Shrouded

The Winter Court in Philadelphia has known periods of strength and years of deficit since the founding of Philadelphia, and that doesn't even count all of the losses that the Eagles have suffered over the last century. Marjorie was Crowned after the loss of the previous Crown, Michael Zloof, a Bright One who sacrificed himself to save a group of new escapees from the depredations of one of Le General's Huntsmen. Michael blinded the Huntsman long enough for the newly-found escapees to slip away into the Hedge. His loss rocked the court, as he had held the Crown for twenty-eight years prior to his sacrifice.

Since then, Marjorie has endeavored to rebuild the Court's structure.

Winter Court History
After the loss of Michael Zloof a little over a decade ago, protecting a group of escapees as they fled a Huntsman, Marjorie was Crowned immediately. The moment when the Crown materialized on her brow after he assured that a group of newly-escaped Lost got away from a Huntsman was a pivotal one for the Winter Court in Philadelphia. She began rebuilding the Court as it mourned, not an easy task for a Winter during Winter while everyone has an external and immediate reason for Sorrow.

Marjorie lights a yahrzeit candle for Michael on 6 Adar every year.

In 2020, the Court suffered another tragedy: Robin Kovacs, then the Steward of the Midwinter Hearth, was revealed as a traitor to the Freehold and a Bridge Burner: the Freehold's relatively lax Oath at the time and her careful attention to her activities were blamed for the fact that she was able to hide her actions for so long. She died at the hands of Freeholders, but not before attacking Lux and Jack Martingale in their home with an iron knife as Lux had unmasked her treachery. A team of Summers and Winters, working together, attempted to capture Robin -- instead, she attempted to kill the team with a bomb which instead killed several firefighters.

Winter Court Resources
This section will be updated with resources built by players.

Winter Hollow

The Winter Hollow belongs to the Court as a whole and is administrated by the Steward of the Midwinter Hearth under the instruction of the Crown. It is linked to the Freehold's Stable Trod and has the following features, up to six as it's on a Stable Trod:

  • Size Matters (2)
  • Luxury Goods (1)
  • Escape Route (2)
  • Phantom Phone Booth (1)

The Hollow is owned by NPCs and made available to PCs. PCs do not have to invest a dot in this Hollow to be able to access it; all Winter PCs can access it and use its Escape Route. Non-Winter PCs may access it as guests escorted by Winter characters. This is an exception to the rules that a PC must invest a dot into a Hollow to be able to access it without breaking in.


The Winter Hollow is cold all year-round, the size of a small village. There are small cottages made by the Court members, and every Winter can claim a cottage if they like. A few are larger, where motleys have merged their cottages together to make slightly larger spaces for themselves. A Winter Garden sits off to one side of the Town Square in the center of the Hollow, and in the Town Square is a huge old tree, into which has been carved a phone booth.

The Queen's cottage sits right next to the phone booth, a petite and welcoming little cottage like something out of a Christmas card. She's worked very hard to make it so.

NOTE: No visitors are permitted in the Winter Hollow the day of the Winter Crowning or the day of the Spring Crowning. Winter spends the day alone, together, at the beginning and end of High Winter.

Winter Court Roles

These roles are adapted from Changeling: the Lost 1.0 and are subject to revision in play. Likewise, if you have a pitch for a job for your character, please contact staff! NPC Leadership is open to new ideas. Some positions adapted from Haunted Memories MUSH.

NPC Roles

  • Crown - The Crown will always be held by an NPC. When Marjorie takes the Crown, it happens in a small ceremony to which only Winters are invited, which is immediately followed by a massive Freehold-wide event (see the Longest Night).

PC Roles

  • Knights of Utmost Silence - Knights of the Utmost Silence are the highest-ranked Winters in the Philadelphia Freehold and report directly to the Queen. They direct the Sun Banishers in their work, gather the information from the Sages of the Onyx Mirror, and use that information to direct the Pages of the Long Midnight, the Archers of the Lonely March, and the Stewards of the Midwinter Hearth, to give information to DJ Ötzal to be passed along on Radio Free Fae. They're martially capable if not adept and sharp organizers. There are two Knights of Utmost Silence at any given time. The Right-Hand Knight's primary responsibilities are the outward-facing jobs, communicating with other Courts and coordinating with the Stewards. The Left-Hand Knight primarily organizes the Sun Banishers and Archers of the Lonely March; the Sages work mostly on their own but report information to both Knights. Prerequisites: Winter Mantle 4, Persuasion 3, Investigation 2, Brawl or Weaponry 2, Subterfuge (Detect Lies) 3, Fixer
    Current Left-Hand Knight: Lumi Aaltonen
    Current Right-Hand Knight: Izzy Higgins
  • Sun Banishers - The Sun Banishers are the cleaners of the Winter Court. Whenever secrets get out, or a mortal gets too close in a way that would endanger them, the Sun Banishers are sent to rectify the situation. Their job description is best described as 'redaction' -- mostly facts, but very rarely people. They are encouraged to to use non-lethal methods, such as Oaths, Sealings, and Bargains, whenever possible. Sun Banishers report to the Knights of Utmost Silence. Prerequisites: Winter Mantle 3, Investigation 2, Subterfuge (Detect Lies) 2, Hostile Takeover
    Current Sun Banishers: Sturm
  • Steward of the Midwinter Hearth - The Steward reports directly to the Right-Hand Knight, and is responsible for seeing to the mundane supplies needs of the Freehold, as well as stocking up Hedge fruits. The Steward is therefore busy all year, since many Hedge fruits are not available during the Winter. Something like a Winter Quartermaster, the Steward oversees administration of housing for indigent or recently-returned Lost as well as taking primary responsibility for helping Lost obtain appropriate legal paperwork such as an Alternate Identity would require. Prerequisites: Winter Mantle 3, Market Sense, Allies (Legal) 2, Politics 2, Fixer
    Current Steward of the Midwinter Hearth: Roger Gimlin
  • Sage of the Onyx Mirror - Winter needs information, and the Sages of the Onyx Mirror are just one of the ways that the Court obtains it. The Sages focus almost exclusively on Oneiromancy, divination and the reading of portents. Many Winters remain Sages for their entire lives, but it's important to note that no Winter for the last two hundred years has become either a Knight of the Utmost Silence or Crown without having spent time first as a Sage of the Onyx Mirror. The Sages work with the Queen in coordinating rituals and observances; their shining moment is the Long Midnight, assisted by the Pages of the Long Midnight. Prerequisites: Winter Mantle 2, Diviner 2+, Portents and Visions, Walls Have Ears
    Current Sages: Lux
  • DJ Ötzal - This isn't so much a standing job title as a rotating shared responsibility of Winters through the entire Freehold. Named after Ötzi, where the frozen caveman was found, this personality speaks only in a whisper, passing on the most crucial information on Radio Free Fae. This is both an honor for Winters who undertake this responsibility, and also a point of mild terror, because some who have taken the role of DJ have reported falling into a trance, not remembering later what they've said. It's not a job for the faint of heart. Note: The identities of DJs are secret, even within the Winter Court. Only the other DJs are aware of who they're trading equipment with. Prerequisites: Winter Mantle 2, Expression 2, Occult 2
  • Archers of the Lonely March - Hedge Scouts, message carriers, and those who tend the edges of the Freehold's defenses: Archers of the Lonely March are the first position that most Winters take when they step out of being Pages of the Long Midnight. The essential skills of survival, self-defense and Hedge navigation are paired with basic diplomacy and occult knowledge. Archers of the Lonely March report directly to the Left-Hand Knight. Prerequisites: Winter Mantle 2, Survival 2, Brawl or Weaponry 2, Occult 2 and either Survival (Hedge) or Occult (Hedge Lore)
    Current Archers: Lucia Diaz, Roger Gimlin
  • Pages of the Long Midnight - Every Winter spends some time as a Page of the Long Midnight, acquainting herself with the long dark night of the soul which every Lost passes through when she realizes that she cannot return to the life she once knew. Pages of the Long Midnight carry messages that don't require an Archer, assist the Sages of the Onyx Mirror, fetch and carry for the Steward, and sometimes serve as DJ. Most Winters do not remain Pages for longer than a year; the Court expects her to step up and take on greater responsibilities as soon as she is able. Prerequisites: Winter Mantle 1
    Current Pages of the Long Midnight: Asbolus, Charlie Miller, Adela Fletcher, Toshiba Queen
Winter Court Politics
The politics of the Winter Court are both not as complicated as they lead outsiders to believe, and far more complicated.

Politics

Rituals

  • The Shortest Day - During the day of the Winter Solstice, Winter Courtiers ensconce themselves together, isolated from other Courts; they fast together as a Court, speak in whispers, and prepare for the coming season with the death of Autumn. When the Crown manifests on the Queen's brow at sundown, the Courtiers retire to a massive feast, to which the rest of the Freehold is invited -- The Long Midnight.
  • Long Midnight - After the crowning of the Winter Queen, the Court emerges from their isolation to a feast full of light and community. Winter is not just the Court of Secrets and Sorrow; it is also the Court of Yule and Solstice and Christmas. Long Midnight occupies the moment of tension where men light candles to drive out the shadows of the longest night, and make sacrifices so that the sun will come up in the morning. The Sages of the Onyx Mirror lead the Freehold in not only revels but divination. The Freehold gathers for the Return of the Sun, and just before sunrise lights a bonfire into which each Freeholder tosses a symbol of some part of the past year that he does not wish to carry into the coming year: a photograph of a love that ended badly, a broken practice weapon from the time she lost her temper while sparring. It is considered bad manners to bring a symbol that does not burn cleanly, after someone brought a piece of polyester clothing one year. (The Sages still rant about how much everyone stank for days.)
Winter Court Members
These are the current members of the Winter Court in Philadelphia.
Add [[Category:Winter]] to your page to show up here.
Active Winter Courtiers
Active Winter NPC Courtiers
Inactive Winter Courtiers
Dead Winter Courtiers

none

Dead Winter NPCs