Post by Spider on Nov 4, 2008 20:38:30 GMT -5
Four Corners Sanctuary
Boston
The Four Corners Sanctuary freehold of Boston (otherwise known as the FCS) is not quite as old as it's city, but still has a long and varied history. Even its name has been varied, and has only become known by its current moniker after the arrival of the Seasonal Court system in the States. It is best known in the country, at the moment, for it's surprisingly strong dedication to unity and stability. Not to suggest that life in the FCS is all peaches and cream, but all inter-Court squabbles are strictly kept to verbal barbs or more mundane forms of political maneuvering. This amazing level of dedication to the changeling community is largely the work of its Kings and Queens (who often personally see to the enforcement of this good behavior), though their efforts and policies have slowly seeped into the collective culture of the freehold over the past 15 years or so.
One example of this sense of 'community first' is how the freehold deals with territory. The FCS doesn't split up territory in any tangible way, as an unconscious extension of their cooperative outlook. A specific courtier or motley will often control individual establishments, but other places (like the various colleges) will often have representatives from all the courts somewhere about, each working for their own Court's goals, all but completely independent of each other. One of the arguments for this system is that it aids in the freehold's ability to stay under the radar, as no one area seems permeated with any one influence. Regardless of the truth of the argument, there seems to be some evidence that the extra measure helps, in the lower than average incidents of True Fae incursions in the area.
All freehold territory is shared in this fashion, most notably being the Commons. The FCS utilizes a hollow-commons, with precautions to try and avoid the dangerous temptations of the set up. The FCS Commons is basically a spacious rotunda carved out of the thorns, and the only permanent landmark in it is the small dais holding the five Court thrones (one unique throne for each season, plus the freehold's throne, for whoever reigns at the time). Otherwise the space is kept empty and fluid, easily adaptable for whatever it is currently needed for, be that a lecture, a ball, or just a general open-court session.
Probably the most noticeable side effect of this surprisingly well maintained system is the sudden population boom that has occurred over the past 12 years. Boston's freehold, of any name, has always had a reasonably large and slowly population, mostly due to the large and focal nature of it's city. But over these past 12 years or so, the population has managed to more than double, and it currently counts over 250 Changeling citizens. This explosion is almost exclusively due to its reputation, which has encouraged many Lost from either smaller or less stable freeholds to move there to join in the comparative safety and prosperity (refugees from Miami are indeed counted among these numbers).
Courts
Spring
Verdant Monarch: Monsieur Wolf (Darkling Mirrorskin)
2nd: Alice Proust (Wizened Drudge)
As true to the tenants of their Court, Spring Courtiers are among the most varied in the FCS. They literally are found in almost every walk of life from the streets to local shops to high society. Their Monarch, Monsieur Wolf himself, is even a self-proclaimed 'gentleman thief'. How he never gets caught is anyone's guess. In fact, almost everything about the Good Monsieur is a mystery. He never talks about his time 'away', as he refers to it, and not even his 2nd has a truly accurate list of his abilities. The only things that are known about him is that through his strange mix of power and charm, he has managed to hold onto his crown for the past 14 years running, a feat practically unheard of in such a changeable court as Spring.
As befits his somewhat fluid position, he tends to leave the day-to-day work to Alice, who keeps the proverbial boat running quite smoothly, making sure that no important dates or traditions are overlooked. Beyond these two, however, there is very little formal structure to this Court. Any questions of rank are determined by a combination of mantle and professional status, depending on the situation, and are largely disregarded beyond the bare necessities. Not that there is Court-wide mutual respect or anything, but those individuals who do not like each other, or who otherwise don’t' get along easily can normally avoid one another most of the time, and on the odd occasion they must work together, they allow the formalities to take front. Most of the time anyway.
Summer
Summer Queen: Lady Tempest (Elemental Waterborn)
Summer General: Madam Redd Hart (Fairest Draconic)
The FCS's Summer Court operates under a strange combination of military and civilian precepts. Most of the members of the court are of a low enough 'rank' that the demands of their position do not impact their lives too severely, as if they are considered some form of reserve troops. Anyone who wishes to elevate in rank, however, quickly becomes swept into the regimented Hierarchies and Departments. Any Changeling on 'active duty' is kept in a shift rotation for their Department, and must file reports on their shift to their supervisors, who collect and condense the information on its way up through to the top. General Hart is the practical head of the Court, which frees up the aptly named Lady Tempest to deal with the broader requirements of her position (not the least of which being to deal with the other Seasonal Monarchs, and of course running the freehold during the Summer months).
Lady Tempest truly exemplifies the Court of Wrath, as one might expect from a Monarch of 13 years. She is an explosive bundle of intense energy, and if she is currently present in Court she is almost always voicing her opinion on any number of things, and quite loudly at that (and usually to the Autumn King). But, ask any of her Courtiers, and they will more than likely remark on her great self-control, despite the fact that she apparently lacks any volume control. For all of her explosive temper and vocal attitude, she never allows herself to come to blows, except to true enemies of the freehold, and she has very little patience for any of her Courtiers who do not follow her example.
Autumn
Autumn King: Lord Gila (Beast Venombite)
King's Assistant: Adolfo Brown (Ogre Witchtooth)
Autumn in Boston is currently being ruled by Wisdom more than Fear, a fact that the rest of the city should be quite grateful for. The rest of the freehold should be thankful as well, as it is this leaning that has lead the Court to start the pervasive precautions against detection by the very strong Mage presence in the city of Boston. Lord Gila instructs his Courtiers to keep a careful eye on any known populations of magic users in side the boundaries of the freehold, and with some Courtless help, have managed to get up a good running list of people to watch and study. There have of course been close calls in the past, but the effort of Autumn has greatly helped sweep those few encounters under the proverbial rug.
Not that Autumn has been neglecting its emotional requirements. Both Lord Gila and Adolfo keep a close eye that the fine line Fear toes is not crossed without good reason. Fortunately, in such a large and varied city as Boston there is no shortage of opportunities for spreading a little fear, and they even boast a small population of Scarecrow Ministers, who are very closely monitored. In his 10-year reign, Lord Gila has proven to be comparatively more active in the day-to-day of his court than his peers, but he still finds need to lean on the help of his trusted Assistant to keep things coordinated and running smoothly.
Winter
Winter Queen: Lady Yukihime (Fairest Bright One)
Confidant: Marc Turner (Ogre Gargantuan)
Winter in Boston truly lies beneath its layer of snow, though it does not lay idle, as may often be suggested. They are busy making an intricate network of informational 'tunnels', and quietly pride themselves on being the structural glue that helps to hold their precious freehold together. While some may say such feeling isn't entirely warranted, there can be no doubt that they are the most committed to keeping the Courts running smoothly, even if it is because when things run smoothly it's easier to stay out of sight. While it's true that no one Court holds any particular piece of territory, there is at least one Winter Courtier involved in all forms of media communications, providing a safe and secret method of transmitting messages for freehold ears only. In fact, almost all established task-specific motleys have at least one Winter member, whose real 'job' is to help control 'collateral damage', and keep an extra eye peeled for any funny business. Winter is always the first to know of any potential threats from within.
Their representative Monarch also, technically serves this purpose as well. The current Queen, Lady Yukihime, remains silently proud of her peers in this regard (at least) and silent is definitely the word for her. Any time she attends Court, she presents herself as an elegant and silent ruler, known for never showing a hint of expression on her lovely face and only speaking when she must. It truly is uncanny how someone so inherently noticeable can manage to be seemingly forgotten about by an assembled crowd of Changelings. Her Confidant, Marc, is similarly impressive, as despite being quite the mountain of a man, manages to come across as a most unassuming member of almost any crowd.
Boston
The Four Corners Sanctuary freehold of Boston (otherwise known as the FCS) is not quite as old as it's city, but still has a long and varied history. Even its name has been varied, and has only become known by its current moniker after the arrival of the Seasonal Court system in the States. It is best known in the country, at the moment, for it's surprisingly strong dedication to unity and stability. Not to suggest that life in the FCS is all peaches and cream, but all inter-Court squabbles are strictly kept to verbal barbs or more mundane forms of political maneuvering. This amazing level of dedication to the changeling community is largely the work of its Kings and Queens (who often personally see to the enforcement of this good behavior), though their efforts and policies have slowly seeped into the collective culture of the freehold over the past 15 years or so.
One example of this sense of 'community first' is how the freehold deals with territory. The FCS doesn't split up territory in any tangible way, as an unconscious extension of their cooperative outlook. A specific courtier or motley will often control individual establishments, but other places (like the various colleges) will often have representatives from all the courts somewhere about, each working for their own Court's goals, all but completely independent of each other. One of the arguments for this system is that it aids in the freehold's ability to stay under the radar, as no one area seems permeated with any one influence. Regardless of the truth of the argument, there seems to be some evidence that the extra measure helps, in the lower than average incidents of True Fae incursions in the area.
All freehold territory is shared in this fashion, most notably being the Commons. The FCS utilizes a hollow-commons, with precautions to try and avoid the dangerous temptations of the set up. The FCS Commons is basically a spacious rotunda carved out of the thorns, and the only permanent landmark in it is the small dais holding the five Court thrones (one unique throne for each season, plus the freehold's throne, for whoever reigns at the time). Otherwise the space is kept empty and fluid, easily adaptable for whatever it is currently needed for, be that a lecture, a ball, or just a general open-court session.
Probably the most noticeable side effect of this surprisingly well maintained system is the sudden population boom that has occurred over the past 12 years. Boston's freehold, of any name, has always had a reasonably large and slowly population, mostly due to the large and focal nature of it's city. But over these past 12 years or so, the population has managed to more than double, and it currently counts over 250 Changeling citizens. This explosion is almost exclusively due to its reputation, which has encouraged many Lost from either smaller or less stable freeholds to move there to join in the comparative safety and prosperity (refugees from Miami are indeed counted among these numbers).
Courts
Spring
Verdant Monarch: Monsieur Wolf (Darkling Mirrorskin)
2nd: Alice Proust (Wizened Drudge)
As true to the tenants of their Court, Spring Courtiers are among the most varied in the FCS. They literally are found in almost every walk of life from the streets to local shops to high society. Their Monarch, Monsieur Wolf himself, is even a self-proclaimed 'gentleman thief'. How he never gets caught is anyone's guess. In fact, almost everything about the Good Monsieur is a mystery. He never talks about his time 'away', as he refers to it, and not even his 2nd has a truly accurate list of his abilities. The only things that are known about him is that through his strange mix of power and charm, he has managed to hold onto his crown for the past 14 years running, a feat practically unheard of in such a changeable court as Spring.
As befits his somewhat fluid position, he tends to leave the day-to-day work to Alice, who keeps the proverbial boat running quite smoothly, making sure that no important dates or traditions are overlooked. Beyond these two, however, there is very little formal structure to this Court. Any questions of rank are determined by a combination of mantle and professional status, depending on the situation, and are largely disregarded beyond the bare necessities. Not that there is Court-wide mutual respect or anything, but those individuals who do not like each other, or who otherwise don’t' get along easily can normally avoid one another most of the time, and on the odd occasion they must work together, they allow the formalities to take front. Most of the time anyway.
Summer
Summer Queen: Lady Tempest (Elemental Waterborn)
Summer General: Madam Redd Hart (Fairest Draconic)
The FCS's Summer Court operates under a strange combination of military and civilian precepts. Most of the members of the court are of a low enough 'rank' that the demands of their position do not impact their lives too severely, as if they are considered some form of reserve troops. Anyone who wishes to elevate in rank, however, quickly becomes swept into the regimented Hierarchies and Departments. Any Changeling on 'active duty' is kept in a shift rotation for their Department, and must file reports on their shift to their supervisors, who collect and condense the information on its way up through to the top. General Hart is the practical head of the Court, which frees up the aptly named Lady Tempest to deal with the broader requirements of her position (not the least of which being to deal with the other Seasonal Monarchs, and of course running the freehold during the Summer months).
Lady Tempest truly exemplifies the Court of Wrath, as one might expect from a Monarch of 13 years. She is an explosive bundle of intense energy, and if she is currently present in Court she is almost always voicing her opinion on any number of things, and quite loudly at that (and usually to the Autumn King). But, ask any of her Courtiers, and they will more than likely remark on her great self-control, despite the fact that she apparently lacks any volume control. For all of her explosive temper and vocal attitude, she never allows herself to come to blows, except to true enemies of the freehold, and she has very little patience for any of her Courtiers who do not follow her example.
Autumn
Autumn King: Lord Gila (Beast Venombite)
King's Assistant: Adolfo Brown (Ogre Witchtooth)
Autumn in Boston is currently being ruled by Wisdom more than Fear, a fact that the rest of the city should be quite grateful for. The rest of the freehold should be thankful as well, as it is this leaning that has lead the Court to start the pervasive precautions against detection by the very strong Mage presence in the city of Boston. Lord Gila instructs his Courtiers to keep a careful eye on any known populations of magic users in side the boundaries of the freehold, and with some Courtless help, have managed to get up a good running list of people to watch and study. There have of course been close calls in the past, but the effort of Autumn has greatly helped sweep those few encounters under the proverbial rug.
Not that Autumn has been neglecting its emotional requirements. Both Lord Gila and Adolfo keep a close eye that the fine line Fear toes is not crossed without good reason. Fortunately, in such a large and varied city as Boston there is no shortage of opportunities for spreading a little fear, and they even boast a small population of Scarecrow Ministers, who are very closely monitored. In his 10-year reign, Lord Gila has proven to be comparatively more active in the day-to-day of his court than his peers, but he still finds need to lean on the help of his trusted Assistant to keep things coordinated and running smoothly.
Winter
Winter Queen: Lady Yukihime (Fairest Bright One)
Confidant: Marc Turner (Ogre Gargantuan)
Winter in Boston truly lies beneath its layer of snow, though it does not lay idle, as may often be suggested. They are busy making an intricate network of informational 'tunnels', and quietly pride themselves on being the structural glue that helps to hold their precious freehold together. While some may say such feeling isn't entirely warranted, there can be no doubt that they are the most committed to keeping the Courts running smoothly, even if it is because when things run smoothly it's easier to stay out of sight. While it's true that no one Court holds any particular piece of territory, there is at least one Winter Courtier involved in all forms of media communications, providing a safe and secret method of transmitting messages for freehold ears only. In fact, almost all established task-specific motleys have at least one Winter member, whose real 'job' is to help control 'collateral damage', and keep an extra eye peeled for any funny business. Winter is always the first to know of any potential threats from within.
Their representative Monarch also, technically serves this purpose as well. The current Queen, Lady Yukihime, remains silently proud of her peers in this regard (at least) and silent is definitely the word for her. Any time she attends Court, she presents herself as an elegant and silent ruler, known for never showing a hint of expression on her lovely face and only speaking when she must. It truly is uncanny how someone so inherently noticeable can manage to be seemingly forgotten about by an assembled crowd of Changelings. Her Confidant, Marc, is similarly impressive, as despite being quite the mountain of a man, manages to come across as a most unassuming member of almost any crowd.