Brotherhood of the Hewn Maple
From Changeling Venue
(This idea is still being developed and refined. If interested please contact me, I'd love to get more people involved -Chris)
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No, little one, you don’t want to deal with that goblin. Word in the market is that he likes tasty young Fairest like you as a spice for his cupboard.
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Summary
Founded: 1996
Founder: Loch Smith aka "Gunny"
Organization: Primarily informal networks
Membership: Primarily Autumn Court, but all welcome
Purpose:
- To gather intelligence and information on the activities of the Others and their minions.
- To expose Loyalists and Privateers within the society.
- To investigate crimes against Changelings and determine if the Others were involved.
- To gather tactical and strategic intelligence to allow the Freeholds to defend themselves.
The Brotherhood of the Hewn Maple is a knightly (and noble) order dedicated to scouting, information gathering and protecting Changelings against Fae and their minions. The Brotherhood understands that information is ammunition and fore-warned is fore-armed. They dedicate themselves to watching for “Fae-Sign” in the mortal realm (through dreams, and investigation). They are also adept at watching for signs in the Hedge. Techniques differ, some investigate trods and watch for recent activity, some try to establish Hollows that can be a “forward observation post”, others pry the Goblin Markets for information on raiders, privateers and loyalists.
Information sources are key to the Brotherhood and they strive to develop sources of information in the Hedge and outside. Goblin merchants, double-agent Changelings, and ensorcelled mortals are all considered to be valid tactics. Many use the dreams of individuals spread about their cities to seek out the slightest clue of movement by the Others.
Members of the Brotherhood tend to dedicate themselves to the good of their Freeholds. While all but a few are members of their local Courts, they tend to forgo political power for the sake of helping the Freehold as a single entity. Many can be found working with Radio Free Fae to try help provide information.
When the raiding parties come, the Brotherhood is frequently at the forefront, scouting the enemy, leading the Changelings to hiding places, setting ambushes, and doing their best to make the Fae rethink ever hunting in their town again.
Not only does the Brotherhood seek to provide information, they seek to prepare safe-zones and safe-houses, usually in an area they claim as their’s by noble right. These sometimes take the form of palatial Hollows, or hidden passages in the local steam tunnels and undergrounds. Frequently the Brotherhood will refer to these areas as their estate and will endeavor to keep others out unless their services are needed. This allows them to restrict intelligence gathering from would-be Loyalists and Privateers.
In addition, they seek to prevent kidnappings of mortals and tend to investigate disappearances in an attempt to keep the Others from any successful hunting in their areas.
The Brotherhood is primarily composed of Autumn Court, but all Courts are allowed and encouraged to join.
Members
- Loch Smith, aka "Gunny"
- Slave
- Isaac C Hathcock aka "Woodsman Whisper" or "Huntsman Boom"
Oath:
(Please note, this will be restructured into a Pledge)
Of my own volition and free will, and upon my honor and my sacred freedom; I do hereby solemnly swear myself to the Brotherhood of the Hewn Maple. By doing so, I acknowledge and affirm that Changelings are a free people with a right to self-determination and right to be free from the enslavement of the Fae. I renounce, refuse, and abjure any allegiance or obedience to them, and I swear that I will –to the utmost of my power- support, maintain, and defend the freedom of Changelings everywhere against all enemies, Fae, mortals, or those who would betray us for their own purposes.
I swear to uphold the Brotherhood before my fellow Changelings as a shining example of what we can be. I swear upon my sacred freedom that I shall honor, respect, and revere the Code of the Maple and that I shall hold its tenets sacred above my own well-being and safety. I swear upon my sacred freedom that I shall do my utmost to be a wall between the Fae and those who have been or would become their slaves.
Title:
- Marquis (if they work on developing safe-houses)
- Knight of the Brotherhood (all)
Prerequisite:
- Wyrd 2
- Survival 2
- Clarity 5+
Joining:
Joining the Brotherhood is harder than it seems, though few realize it. An applicant must approach the Brotherhood and request to be admitted. The Brotherhood does occasionally do direct recruiting, but it is the exception to the rule. Once an applicant requests membership, the Knight he has spoken to tells him that he will need to gather together the others of the Brotherhood to make a determination and he will inform them when and where they should present themselves.
While the Brotherhood makes preparations to assemble, they extensively and exhaustively research the prospective member. Do they have the right skills? Are they of the right mind-set? Would they sacrifice themselves for their Freehold? Can they protect themselves? Can they survive trips into the Hedge? Are we sure they aren’t a Loyalist?
If the applicant is deemed sufficiently skilled and trustworthy, he is called before the Brotherhood and given a task. The task varies and is usually tailored to highlight the skills the applicant relies on the most. If the applicant completes the task successfully, then he is inducted into the Brotherhood. If he does not, he is politely turned away.
Mein:
Mein alterations vary from Brother to Brother. Many manifest “thorns” or “brambles” in their appearance (thought to help them hide in the Hedge) and more develop the scent of fresh hewn wood.
Background:
Loch Smith emerged from the Hedge in 1992. His adjustment to his new life was difficult, but a challenge he eventually rose to. Having served as a Gunnery Sergeant in WWII, he set about building an organization that would help defend Changelings from the Others, and work to thwart the efforts of the Others at every step. To that end, he built an organization that specializes in finding the information necessary to prepare the Freeholds for the guerilla conflict with the Others.
He drew in individuals with skills he needed and set about forging them into a unit that could work independently and share their acquired knowledge over a broad geographic range.
Organization:
The Brotherhood is organized loosely and all members are seen as equals. While they use military terms and tactics, they do not impose a hierarchy; instead choosing to forge their bonds with each other through camaraderie rather than obedience.
Many members were a part of the mortal military agencies at some point in their lives, and they are frequently referred to by their “ranks” but as a sign of respect, rather than deference.
In situations were Brothers come to the aid of another, the local Brother is assumed to have seniority and command discretion. In a situation where several Brothers live in the same Freehold, seniority is determined by the order in which they joined the Brotherhood; though command should only be exercised when needed, as they are all Brothers.
Concepts:
Hedge Scout, Pacifist, Sergeant, Ambush Artist, Investigator, Loyalist Double-Agent
Privileges:
Couple of Ideas
- Idea 1: Token (***)
Hedge Compass (�ˆ™�ˆ™�ˆ™)
This token resembles an emergency compass included in many survival kits. It is small enough to fit in the lid of a film case, but when floated on a liquid it points to magnetic north with enough accuracy to perform basic navigation (walking a strait course is possible, but nothing as complex as triangulation). Upon activation, however, the item will cease pointing north, but instead point unerringly at any target the changeling specifies during activation. The target can be any object, place, or person that the changeling has a clear and accurate mental image of, granting a +3 equipment bonus on any attempt to navigate to the target. This includes survival roles to find a known location, attempts to track a mark, and the Clarity test to move closer to a goal in the hedge (Note: this token does allow that goal to be a specific person or item, even if it would normally have to be a location). Additionally, only one target may be specified at a time, and no target can be specified as a target more than once, ever. The token remains active until the changeling touches the specified target, or he wills the effects to end (with a free action). If the changeling is in the Hedge and his specified target is in the mortal world, the compass points to the nearest gateway. If the target is in the Hedge while the changeling is in the mortal world the compass only spins erratically, granting no benefit until the changeling also enters the Hedge.
Action: Standard
Mien: The cardinal points usually inscribed on a Compass disappear and are replaced with a symbolic representation of the attuned target in the �€œNorth�€� position. The remainder of the surface is covered with an ever changing image of spider webs, thought by most to represent the twisting skeins of fate used by the compass to locate the target.
Drawback: For as long as the Compass is active, plus a number of hours equal to the users Wyrd, the user finds himself largely cut off from the world at large. Cell phones around him fail to get signal; landlines are temporarily dead; letters the changeling sends are delayed or lost; flairs fizzle; smoke signals and talking drums are overlooked; even bullhorns and megaphones fail to carry the changelings voice beyond its normal range; in other words, no form of communication accept face to face communication will succeed. Worse, this effect extends to anyone attempting to transmit a message for the user as well.
Catch: The Compass will function for anyone who chooses to float it in a small pull of his own fresh blood. The small wound necessary aches continuously, imparting a -1 to all roles involving wits, as the user is unable to quickly shift his thought off of the pain, for as long as the token is active.
- Idea 2:
- +3 to Survival while in the Hedge
Feed back is welcome: Chris Bryant
