Echoes of the Past - a Changeling: the Lost game

[ladia2287]

The events of fifty years ago are the stuff of legend. A well-respected Winter Queen, murdered by one of her own courtiers. The sacrifice of the Summer King as he attempted to avenge her death. The confusion as her Last Will and Testament was found, leaving part of her considerable estate to her murderer. It plunged a strong Freehold into chaos and so the stories say it took years to re-establish calm and order.

Very few changelings survive from that time and those who do almost never mention those awful happenings, preferring that they be forgotten. It's what she would have wanted, they say. But the past has a nasty habit of resurfacing when it is least wanted and someone or something seems to want the truth to be known. What happened to make a seemingly loyal Winter Courtier murder his own Queen? What was she hiding and why did the only remaining Directional Courtier disappear shortly after her death?

This will be a mostly Freeform game with no dice rolls. Instead I'll be using GM discretion to determine what would normally be ruled by the dice. So because of that I'll be using a different format for character sheets.

There are also a handful of pre-generated PCs available, or you can make your own if you prefer. I will stipulate that if you are making your own character then it can be a Seasonal Courtier only, and no more than fifteen years out of Arcadia. If you take a pre-genned PC you'll also be given a private spiel on information your character already knows (or thinks they know).

So pre-genned characters are:

Mr Masari
Mr Masari is the oldest surviving member of the  original Freehold and was Autumn King at the time of the Winter Queen's murder. He retired his crown some years ago but is still highly respected and considered an expert on Occult matters. Nowadays he mostly keeps to himself though he is always willing to lend advice to younger Courtiers. He rarely raises his voice or shows anger except when any attempt is made to convince him to speak about what happened all those years ago

Clockwreck
The local Freehold repairwoman, Clockwreck is a Courtless changeling with a talent for tinkering. She runs a small workshop inside the Freehold Hollow but is as sneaky as a hob when it comes to charging for her work. She's been around for about ten years and is almost blindly loyal to the Freehold.

Alysia
Alysia is the local Pledgesmith, generally charged with checking the wording of any alterations to the Freehold Pledge when it's up for renewal though for a small fee she'll also help others with their everyday pledges. She joined the Winter Court about two years ago.

Baudecia Claimed
No one knows how old Baudecia is, but rumour has it she was once a powerful Goblin Queen and is even older than Mr Masari. For a long time she and the Freehold were at odds with eachother; she utterly refused to swear even a Good Neighbour Pledge with them and despite her frequently helping them they refused to trust her. She faked her own death about a year before the old Winter Queen died and did not resurface until about five years afterwards. She's been very tight-lipped about what she was up to in that time however she since sworn the Freehold Pledge every season and finally joined the Spring Court about ten years ago. Like Mr Masari she utterly refuses to discuss the past.

So that's the pre-genned characters. If you'd like to claim one let me know. If you would prefer to make your own then please give a short spiel (about a paragraph or two should be fine) detailing concept, Court (if applicable) and how long they have been out of Arcadia (remembering the not-more-than-fifteen-years rule). I'll make a template for a character sheet once we've got a bit of interest going.

[That One Dingus]

Ooh, a Changeling game!

I want to try again with a character that was conceived IRL for a game that fell through:

Thomas was a gangster from London in the time of Jack the Ripper. A massive brute of a man, he actually hid his intelligence and served as muscle, letting others carry the responsibility and weight of failure. On one particular day, when he was taking a stroll through a peaceful wooded area, he came across a fairy circle. Showing complete disrespect for the supernatural, he mockingly broke and scattered the pieces. A Fae witnessed this iconoclasm and abducted the man, whose strength was completely useless in defending himself. Arcadia was most definitely not kind to him...

During his time there, Thomas took on the kith of a burly Stonebones, resembling the trolls of yore. In a stroke of luck(?), he was able to escape his captivity as slave and toy and find his way back into our reality. Glad as he is to be "home", he's still a stranger in a strange land. The world has passed him by and not all of his values have translated into modern society... Thomas hates the Fae and has signed on with the Summer Court to help get some back at them for all of the Lost. He's only been back for a few months, time enough to be amazed by things like television and phones. Despite his evident changes, Thomas does not think of himself as a Changeling. He regards the wyrd affecting him as a "sickness" that demands a cure.

[ladia2287]

Interesting. I'd certainly be keen to see what Thomas makes of everything that will be going on.

I'll load up a character sheet template later tonight so you can get to work building him 😃

[ladia2287]

Finally got off my arse and built a template for a character sheet. Now because this is freeform/sandbox I'm going to be relatively lenient with things like Contracts, and if you want to take Entitlements feel free but I will need you to justify them well. So here we go. I am going to say no to dual/triple Kith though

Character Name:
Seeming:
Kith:
Wyrd:
Brief description of Durance:
Time since escape from Arcadia:
Appearance
Mask:
Mien:
Court:
Mantle:
Personality:
Brief description of history since escaping Arcadia:
Contracts:
Merits:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Any other relevant information:

[Marie Reynolds]

Hey I am interested in joining but before I start working up a sheet.I was wondering if Baudecia is a member of the Barony of the Lesser Ones? Also what is the current state of the Goblin Market in the local hedge?

[Allangar]

i am interested as well, i will post my char soon for approval

[ladia2287]

Hey I am interested in joining but before I start working up a sheet.I was wondering if Baudecia is a member of the Barony of the Lesser Ones? Also what is the current state of the Goblin Market in the local hedge?

The description above is everything that is publicly known about Baudecia. Not-publicly-known stuff will be delivered via private spiel to whomever claims her. And the question of the goblin markets I can't answer right now because spoilers but again relevant information will be given privately to those characters who know it

[Marie Reynolds]

Alright well I just asked cause I was thinking of applying with a concept that is a Barony of the lesser ones. So just wanted  to check and see before you had more then one. If your okay with me applying with one then Could i pm you about the hedge and goblin markets?

[nailcrosser]

Yesss please count me in. I have an idea for a nervous stone gargoyle.

[Wraith]

I'm tentatively interested. I have an idea for an Autumn Courtier, and I will try and post the character sheet soon. I wanted to ask, though, what would be the focus of the game? Political intrigue, Hedge shenanigans, etc.

[ladia2287]

Alright well I just asked cause I was thinking of applying with a concept that is a Barony of the lesser ones. So just wanted  to check and see before you had more then one. If your okay with me applying with one then Could i pm you about the hedge and goblin markets?

I'm okay with you applying with one. When it's approved I'll PM you to discuss your ties to the Goblin Markets and any other relevant things

I'm tentatively interested. I have an idea for an Autumn Courtier, and I will try and post the character sheet soon. I wanted to ask, though, what would be the focus of the game? Political intrigue, Hedge shenanigans, etc.

The intention is for the main focus to be around politics/history/mystery but there will be some Hedge shenanigans. I'll look forward to seeing what you come up with

[Marie Reynolds]

Oh What city is the game based in?

[That One Dingus]

WIP Character Sheet:

Character Name: Thomas "Tiny Tim" Torrence
Seeming: Ogre
Kith: Stonebones
Wyrd: 1
Brief description of Durance: His time in Arcadia was spent as punishment for destroying a fairy circle. Torture and demeaning tasks were the order of the "day".
Time since escape from Arcadia: 2 months
Appearance
Mask:
Mien:
Court: Summer
Mantle: 1 (Sentry of Summer's Vigil)
Personality:
Brief description of history since escaping Arcadia: Modern technology, history, society, and even language swamp Thomas. When he's not performing hard labor for the Freehold, Thomas studies to better understand this new Earth that he's living in. That is, when he can drag himself away from that magical invention called the "telly"...
Contracts:
Merits:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Any other relevant information:

[Wraith]

WIP Character Sheet:

Character Name: Ashwyn 'Eric' Schalen
Seeming: Wizened
Kith: Author/Antiquarian [Dual Kith, if allowed]
Wyrd: 1
Brief description of Durance: Taken from the depths of an old library, his time in Arcadia was spent in a tumultuous realm ruled by the Gentry Lord/Lady known as The Perspicacious Gent/Lady of Ghent. While in general, the realm was a pastoral English country house in the morrows and a Gothic castle ruin in the nights, The Gent/Lady's obsession was with creating or unearthing stories. Ashwyn was set to work in her grand old library, an infinite realm of books and scrolls, where he either searched for or came up with stories of his own, until the ink had seeped into his skin and words from a thousand languages had taken abode in his body.
Time since escape from Arcadia: 2 years

Appearance
Mask: Eric is a short man with slumped shoulders, with dusty brown hair, a pale face with bright blue eyes, who generally goes around in shoddy old coats. He seems at once old and young, something people ascribe to him having 'an old soul'.
Mien: The Mask drops; the old coat becomes a dusty thing, shedding specks with every gesture. His skin darkens; every pulse of blood seems to make him flush blue. His blood has replaced by ink, of many diffierent colours and hues, but blue and black predominate. Words crawl across his skin, disappearing and reappearing in an endless cycle. His eyes gain a yellowish tinge, like old paper.
Court: Autumn
Mantle:
Personality:
Brief description of history since escaping Arcadia:
Contracts: Dreaming, Autumn, Animation
Merits: Dual Kith (2 dots),
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Any other relevant information:

[ladia2287]

Welp sorry for the disappearance guys. Had a rough couple of months. If folks are still interested I'm still hoping to get this game off the ground. Looking at the last two sheets-in-progress they look good so far, however Wraith I have said that Dual Kith won't be approved so I'll need you to remove that please

[Ty]

Let me know if you are still looking for another player, ladia. I've read a bunch of CtL but never had a chance to play or run.

I've a couple of ideas, mainly a Wizened Drudge who has a little cleaning company (possibly with one her as an employee, handy kith), offered herself to try and stop her brother being taken (but was possibly cheated)  escaped her durance by befriending a dog (who might be a changeling sent to hunt strays), and looks withered and wizened because she fed it her flesh.

Or I might take a pre-gen.

No worries fi you are basically full at this point.

[ladia2287]

I'd be happy to have you Ty 😃

[Ty]

Oof. Sorry for the slow reply. Easter being Easter mostly. Kind busy until after the weekend with some hoilday stuff, but watching this thread and feel free to PM me if you want.

[Low Key]

If you're still taking new character ideas I'd love to throw my hat into the ring for this one!

[EvieFrye]

Baudica looks so interesting. Is there a specific look for her. Because I'm thinking of claiming her if I can sort of decide how she looks.

[Low Key]

So, I decided to throw out a character idea, to give you an idea of what I'm thinking.

This is just an idea, everything is open to change/discussion.
Also, it's not finished yet, hence the missing information!

Character Name: Bigby
Seeming: Beast
Kith: Hunterheart
Wyrd:
Brief description of Durance: Bigby was taken to The Woods, a realm that was ruled by The Hooded One, a sinister figure in a ragged, blood red cloak, and it's eternal enemy The Axe-Man. At first, when she was new, she was hunted by The Pack. Later, after Arcadia and The Woods started to change her, she became part of The Pack, hunting with it, chasing strange, breakable, two-legged pray that smelled of away, and following the mad whims of The Axe-Man when it was in a mood to lead, not maim.
Time since escape from Arcadia: 3 years

Appearance

Mask:

Apparent Age: 19
Height: 5'9
Weight: 95lb
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown

Pretty much epitomising heroin chic Bigby is relatively tall at 5'9, almost dangerously underweight, pale enough to suggest that she doesn't really go out during the day and usually looks half asleep. She has androgynous features and build, which isn't helped by her tendency to wear men's clothing, and at first glance most people mistake her for a him. She cultivates a casual, almost disheveled look, her hair looks like she just leaves it to take care of itself, and she usually looks like she's just woken up and thrown on the first thing she found. Thanks to a huge amount of self confidence, she's happy with herself and the way she looks and doesn't care what anyone else thinks, Bigby manages to mostly come across as interesting and unique, rather than as a weird freak. An urban guru, not a worthless junkie. Her skin is relatively unmarked, but she does have some faint lines of scarring on the backs of her upper arms and thighs that look like the relics of old abuse, and that she usually keeps hidden.

Mien:

To other Fae Bigby looks a lot like an anthropomorphic wolf. Her hands and feet have fingers and toes, but there is still something very paw-like about them. Her whole body is covered in fur, thick and lustrous and just as unkempt as her mortal hair. Her coat is a rich aurburn and white, with a crop of black fur on the top of her head, matching her mortal hair. Her face is elongated into a canine snout, and her long pink tongue has a tendency to hang out if she's distracted. Her ears sit on the top of her head and are constantly moving, constantly listening out for sounds of danger. The lupine look is finished off with a long tail, which Bigby often ties down and tucks under her clothes in order to stop it's embarrassing habit of betraying her mood, and knocking things over. Her eyes are just as expressive, as guarded and as human as they were before she was taken.

Court: Spring
Mantle:
Personality: Bigby moves with a predatory sort of grace and her movements are rarely hesitant or tentative. She has a natural confidence, or arrogance maybe, that is clear from the way she holds herself and the way she moves. She is rarely still, she clearly prefers to be moving around and active and even when sat down she constantly fidgets and shifts restlessly. There is a physicality to her, and when talking to someone she will often mirror their body language, and touch them if the opportunity presents itself, although she isn't really aware of this tendency. When made uncomfortable or anxious her body language reflects this, she will become awkward and physically attempt to draw into herself and escape the source of her discomfort.
The face Bigby shows the world is one of a care free party lover who just wants to have fun. She is the life and soul of the party, easy going and care free, an act that most people buy, and that she might even convince herself with one day.

Brief description of history since escaping Arcadia: Bigby has been back for three years. In that time she has studied Oneiromancy, and started to build up connections at the local Goblin Markets. She has also set herself up with a vast network of mortal acquaintances. She supports herself by selling drugs to this network of 'friends', and has a plentiful supply of glamour from her regular conquests.

Contracts:
Merits:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Any other relevant information:

[FeveredDreams]

I could get involved in this...

I have an old fairest summer dragon that's been looking for some love.  She's a bit strange admittedly and I've taken  a bit of liberty with the changes that leaving the thorns can cause.

[ladia2287]

If you're still taking new character ideas I'd love to throw my hat into the ring for this one!

Please do. The more the merrier :)

Baudica looks so interesting. Is there a specific look for her. Because I'm thinking of claiming her if I can sort of decide how she looks.

If you want to claim her I will PM you with her Kith and Seeming but other than that I'm more than happy to let you decide appearances. If you're going to take the character you should have some input ;)

So, I decided to throw out a character idea, to give you an idea of what I'm thinking.

This is just an idea, everything is open to change/discussion.
Also, it's not finished yet, hence the missing information!

Intriguing. I shall read in more detail later (when it's not 5:30am where I am and I'm not about to go spend 13 hours straight LARPing) but at a basic skim I like what I see. Given you are writing ties with the Goblin Markets into your backstory there is also some exciting exclusive information I can PM you once your sheet is finished and approved ;)

I could get involved in this...

I have an old fairest summer dragon that's been looking for some love.  She's a bit strange admittedly and I've taken  a bit of liberty with the changes that leaving the thorns can cause.

I'd love to have you on board and see what character you have in mind :)

[EvieFrye]

I am interested in Baudica, so yes please. I love mysterious characters, and if so much of her is unknown, I assume I can play with what's missing from common knowledge, right?

[FeveredDreams]

So, I decided to throw out a character idea, to give you an idea of what I'm thinking.

This is just an idea, everything is open to change/discussion.
Also, it's not finished yet, hence the missing information!

Oh god...  I played with you briefly.  Not sure if you remember a gender bending frost dragon.