Fate's Harvest

Fate's Harvest Freehold Consectatio Scientiae. Consectatio Prudentiae. (The Pursuit/Striving Toward of Knowledge/Skill. The Pursuit/Striving Toward of Wisdom/Discretion/Prudence/Foresight.)
History Fate's Harvest is a relatively new Freehold, founded in late Spring of 2015 by a group of migrants from Maine and Massachusetts after scouting for a place to call their own. Young though it is, it is an active, and actively expanding community, centered around the small mountain town of Tamarack Falls, Vermont. Initially, the valley of the River Tam, by all reports absent any signs of recent Changeling activity, seemed almost too good to be true. They should have known better than to trust Fate to be kind. Not long after they had established themselves and begun to lay claim to resources in the area, the first trickles of refugees from the area's previous Freehold began to crawl out of the town's woodwork, all holding slivers of a greater story: why was the valley so ripe for the taking? What really happened here, sixty years ago? This story, among others, is part of the active and ongoing plots run in the world. As of Summer 2017, the first diplomatic contact with other local Freeholds has been made. Being threatened isn't terribly diplomatic, but Samantha Whitaker of the Soundless Freehold seems to be changing that. See the Freehold Timeline for major actions and decisions to date. This timeline is updated by each ruling monarch as the season progresses, to ensure that all players have access to the history involved. Reputation As of yet, the Freehold has a generally positive reputation in the area. There have been no massive wars, no diplomatic failures large enough to elicit commentary. The largest matter of notoriety is the sheer, overpowering number of High Wyrd members in the area. The Freehold is focused on gathering knowledge and power to effect change, and not all of that power is mundane... This is both a blessing and a curse. Membership Members of the Freehold keep an eye out for new fae faces. It's just common sense. In a place with this much activity, who knows who's a Loyalist and who isn't? In character, if you're not part of the Freehold, you WILL be treated with suspicion. The more paranoid and socially inept members may even try to threaten your character into compliance (with OOC permission, people -- see the Policies page for how little staff likes real bullying). Out of character, it is completely fine to want your character to exist outside of Fate's Harvest. You'll be less likely to get as much IC pressure if you live down in Fort Brunsett, a.k.a. the Brim. Fate's Harvest claims only the town and surrounding wilderness of Tamarack Falls as its territory. We have a good sized population of brim-runners, so there are events whether or not you take part in freehold membership. If you want to say you've been here for a few months and already signed up, that's fine. Fill that in as the answer to the last Background question you'll write up in CharGen. Joining the group on grid is also easy: make the pledge, don't die. Who Can Join Changelings Fae-touched Mortals* *Ensorcelled and Enchanted may be accepted with modified pledges to reflect their mortal status. How to Join ICly The IC process is geared toward security with a sprinkling of Changeling's typical paranoia. Step 1: Visit the Wayhouse. (+travel mt07, WH) The Wayhouse is advertised as The Place To Meet Freeholders for those who aren't yet members of the Freehold. Step 2: Tell a Waykeeper you want to join. They will contact the current Crown and arrange a meeting between the newcomer and the Crown. At no point is the newcomer given identifying information about the Crown/any contact information. That is only available about Freeholders once a newcomer has pledged. Step 3: Meet the Crown and make your pledge! Ta da! You are a member of the Freehold. :D Attitude Toward Newly Escaped Changelings It's dangerous to trust too easily, but it's also dangerous to leave the newly-returned on their own, without guidance and support. Who knows what they'll end up turning to? The general attitude, given the Freehold's focus on knowledge, is to educate the newcomer on the ways of the world, trade favor for favor, and learn everything they can about the newcomer's time in Arcadia, short of interrogation. After all, if an angry Keeper will be coming after his lost toy with hordes of beasts in tow, it behoves said lost toy to let the Freehold know of the threat. Laws Read these. Memorize these. If you pledge to the Freehold and later claim you didn't know that you were breaking a law, you will get no sympathy from your Crown -- all new pledges are ICly told/shown copies of this information BEFORE they pledge... :) Freehold Pledge I pledge my time, my talents and my fealty to Fate's Harvest. I swear that I no longer serve the Fae, nor will I while this promise stands; that while I am under its protection I will obey the principles and bylaws of the Fate's Harvest Freehold as ratified by Monarch and Council, in return for the support and safety they provide. May I perish in exile, should I be forsworn. In mechanical terms, this equates to the following: Boon: Vassalage (+3); Adroitness x3 (+3) Task: Fealty (-3) Sanction: Banishment (-3); Death (-3) Duration: Season (+3) Freehold Blessing: While on land the Freehold claims (Tamarack Falls & surrounding wilderness), +1 to all Glamour Harvesting rolls. For humans swearing to the Freehold, replace the line "I swear that I no longer serve the Fae, nor will I while this promise stands" with "I swear that I do not serve the Fae, nor will I of my own volition while this promise stands." Choose three skills and send up a +req/pledge to staff, please, to have them assign your Freehold adroitnesses. These will show up on your +sheet as specialties, though unlike specialties, adroitnesses may be added to ANY roll using that skill. Freehold Organizations The following are recognized subgroups within the Freehold. Council - Advisors to the Crown. Custodians - Lorekeepers and occultists. Greenies - Healers and Hedge herbalists. Harvestmen - Militia of defenders and explorers. Watchers - Oneiromancers and seers. Waykeepers - Guides and guestkeepers. Freehold Positions Crown - Influence 5 - Wyrd-chosen leader of the freehold. Typically rules for one season before the Wyrd chooses a new leader. Council - Influence 4 - Representatives of each court who advise the Crown. Many councillors are former crowns. Group Leaders - Influence 4 - Elected leaders of the freehold organizations listed above. See the group pages linked above for more information. Court Representatives - Influence 3 - Courtiers appointed to perform specific roles within the freehold. See the Court pages for positions. Active & Involved - Influence 2 - Freehold members involved in one (or more) of the freehold organizations listed above. Pledged Members - Influence 1 - The bulk of the freehold, members who have pledged, but who have not received any official titles or responsibilities. Pledged Mortals - Influence 0 - Ensorcelled and enchanted mortals who have pledged to the freehold, often under a specific changeling's oversight. Note: It is staff's goal to have all freehold positions occupied by PCs. If a position is currently held by an NPC, consider it up for grabs and feel free to start steering your story toward its acquisition. All Influence prerequisites must still be met. Leadership positions (Influence 4 and 5) require a vote. Crown Resources Freehold Timeline - To be updated after every major Crown decision. Crown Blessings - Blessings received upon being Crowned. So You Want To Be A King - Command list and expectations. Freehold Resources Any IC resources for the Freehold, boards they can use, businesses and services members offer. Library - The Freehold Library's index. Any member can add to it. Freehold Rituals Some rituals are Freehold-wide. Others are Court rituals open to the Freehold. Those listed under the heading of a particular Court are the latter. Freehold Originals None yet! Summer Court Summer operates a bit more strictly than most, in this regard. If ANY of these events do NOT occur, ALL SUMMER COURTIERS lose the effects of their Mantle, visible and metaphysical, for a week after the event was supposed to happen. In addition, the events, through some queer, fae agreement with Summer itself, award/punish participants directly. The Shikar - (LoS p.56) - June 21st: the first day of summer begins with a hunt. Born from the traditions of royal India, the Shikar is shepherded by the ruler of the Summer Court (whether or not Summer bears the Crown this year), known as the Mir-Shikar. The ruler declares a target/several targets for the hunt, something that has been plaguing the freehold for the past year. At dawn, the hunt begins, and does not end until dawn the following day (the 22nd). If the target is captured/killed, all who participated get their Willpower pools completely filled. If the hunt fails, they get a -2 penalty to all Resolve- or Composure-based rolls for the following week due to low-grade depression. Midsummer's Yield - (LoS p.56) - July 20th: half-party, half-funeral, this event is open only to Summer Courtiers. At midsummer, the Crimson Courtiers gather to remember the fallen with real dirges and funerals. In addition, they celebrate their successes, mock their enemies, tell gallows humour jokes, and often head en masse into the Hedge to collect useful goblin fruits for storage. Last, there are two sacrifices: first, a straw man whose face is painted to resemble an enemy, second, the sacrifice of a large mammal (pig, boar, ox, horse, human...). For one week after participating, Summers who do so are able to ignore one die of penalties suffered from loss of Health. Feast of Strength - (LoS pp.56-7) - August 31st: a GIANT meal, a meal to end all meals as a late lunch, followed by a championship tournament of physical games which many rightfully agree is just an excuse for Summer to show off. Think summer camp + Olympic athletes + ancient Roman gladiatorial battle scenes, and you won't be far off. If you win an event, you gain 1 Glamour. If you lose, you lose 1 Glamour. July at Christmas - (LoS p.57) - December 24th: Summer holds a raucous, violent party on Christmas Eve. Changelings leap over bonfires, brand themselves, drink themselves into fiery rages or slumbering oblivion, with torches or heaters, depending on whether it's outside or inside. If you have REALLY participated (i.e. you took at least 1B during the event from things you did to celebrate), the next morning you gain Glamour points equal to the Summer monarch's Mantle score. Every Court EXCEPT for Winter is invited to attend, unless Summer and Winter are on particularly good terms with each other at the time. Winter Court Embers to Ashes - (LoS p.97) The morning after the first heavy snowfall for the winter, the Winter Court builds a gigantic bonfire for all to see. At noon, the fire reaches its peak, and all freeholders are invited to cast something symbolizing his secrets or old, human life into the blaze. By nightfall, the fire is reduced to dull coals; at midnight, the coals are cold ash. Winter Courtiers spend the rest of the night burying most of it. The next morning, the Winter Monarch/Councillor gives a traditional sermon to remind freeholders that secrets are best left cool inside one's heart, not out for all to see, and marks new Winter Courtiers' foreheads with a smudge of ash from the previous night's fire. Nameless Mourning - (LoS p.97) A symbolic funeral for every changeling who has died at the hands of the Gentry. No specific date is chosen; it occurs at some point during the Winter season of the Court's choice. The Winters weave black branches into an effigy, and have the other Courts dress and decorate it. A pallbearer from each Court and two other Winters carry the effigy to a grave site dug for it, and give it a full funeral per local mortal customs. A rowdy wake follows, where Winter celebrants provide the venue and refreshments, but don't party themselves, reinforcing Winter's self-control and teaching courtiers to maintain their guard at all times. Holdings Which builds does the freehold claim as affiliated with it? What are its hollows? Stoneheart The primary Hollow of the Freehold. It is a gathering place/training area located on the Loop trod. Grid: H06 Wayhouse Public neutral territory which operates under the laws of hospitality and the goblin contract Hospitality's Hold. Grid: MT07	Members Name Influence Position Zillah Logan ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫ Moon Queen Heather Vale ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫ Dawn Queen Carter Lysander Logan ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫ Spring King Tracy MacGregor ⚫⚫⚫⚫ Moon Councilor Reginald Pook ⚫⚫⚫⚫ Spring Councilor November an Nua ⚫⚫⚫⚫ Waylady Meredith Ryan ⚫⚫⚫⚫ Summer Councilor Kip Kensington ⚫⚫⚫⚫ Custodian-Elect Helah Morgenstern ⚫⚫⚫⚫ Sun Councilor Katie Jones ⚫⚫⚫⚫ Dusk Councilor August Bordeaux ⚫⚫⚫⚫ Autumn Councilor Charlie O ⚫⚫⚫⚫ Winter King Nathania Winters ⚫⚫⚫ Waylady's Hand/Moirologist Captain Sir Pietr Czcibor Kowalewicz der Landeswehr ⚫⚫⚫ Master Healer & Harvestman Sophia Caruso ⚫⚫ Harvestmen Recruit Benedict "Ben" Utridge ⚫⚫ Custodian Recruit Nuit and Lux ⚫⚫ Custodian Beatrice Miller ⚫⚫ Harvestwoman Kelsey Williams ⚫⚫ Waykeeper Recruit Ridley Walkyer ⚫⚫ Harvestman/Watcher Logan Geoffrey Brenner ⚫⚫ Custodian & Waykeeper Tom O'Leary ⚫⚫ Watcher Nakamura Haruki ⚫⚫ Custodian Duncan Morrow ⚫⚫ Harvestman Damion King ⚫⚫ Harvestman Michelle Hawthorne ⚫ Member Mathea Goodwin ⚫ Member Rocco Ramone Campbell ⚫ Member Samwell Veech ⚫ Member Poppy Devereux ⚫ Member Phillipe Boudreau ⚫ Member Anastasia Alexander ⚫ Noob Chloe Vandermeer ⚫ Member C. J. Grillo ⚫ Member Marcus Alexander ⚫ Member Lulu Petit ⚫ Member Kiril Morozov ⚫ Member Kira Honeydew Fry ⚫ Noob Calliope 'Clio' Kraus ⚫ Member Ashoka ⚫ Member Jenny Noname ⚫ Member Nakamura Itsuki ⚫ Member Isadora Cruz ⚫ Member Kevin Alexander ⚫ Member Hien Almas ⚫ Member Elizabeth Fry ⚫ Member Gertrude Wexley ⚫ Member Adithan Varma ⚫ Member Christine Waters None Member
Freehold Plots Active none Completed none Freehold Logs Mar 10, 2017 - Welcoming Ting Mar 21, 2017 - Spring Crowning 2017 Apr 29, 2017 - April Court 2017