Canberra Winter Court
From Changeling Venue
You can find the Canberra Changeling page here.
Contents |
Winter Court Wing of the Freehold
- Later on, we'll conspire,
- As we dream by the fire
- To face unafraid,
- The plans that we've made,
- Walking in a winter wonderland.
- - Christmas Carol
The Winter Court wing of the Canberra freehold is the only wing with a tall tower, which rises from the southernmost tip of the wing, tall and round with a conical roof, like something out of a fairytale.
Entry to the quarter from the central freehold area is via a heavy timber door of dark rosewood with no handle. A whispered password and a touch of cold air (achieved via Winter Mantle or the Eternal Winter Contract at two or more) cause the door to swing open, admitting the changeling.
The winter wing is a hollow square with a snow-filled courtyard—including a tall pine tree decorated with sparkling lights and an iced-over pond that can be used for skating—at its centre. The entire wing (with the possible exception of the Tower, but the changelings don’t go there) is decorated like a rich old European castle preparing to celebrate Christmas. Roaring fires warm every room; red, gold and green decorations of carved and painted timber and spun cloth hang from the walls, as do paintings of winter snowscapes. Heavy dark red velvet curtains cover the windows at night.
To look out any window is to see snow on the sills or, when it rains, delicate hanging icicles. The windows that face the courtyard see only that, but those that look outward see a forest of dense, dark pine trees and tangled undergrowth shrouded in snow—this is how the walls protecting the Freehold from the rest of the Hedge manifest themselves here.
The wing has four halves, and two of them—those that lie on either side of the tower—ring with the talk and laughter of children. For the Lonely Princess takes attendants, dying babies, and keeps them till they turn 18 before casting them aside, cured of their diseases but unable to be returned to the mortal world without great difficulty. These children are her prisoners; she keeps no more than a dozen of them at a time, ranging in age from a newly snatched baby to a young woman or man ready to turn 18.
The sympathetic changelings of the Winter Court give these children every possible distraction: toys, games, and books of every kind, as well as the tools of various trades that the children might learn the basics of a skill. The children’s halls have a library with editions of various encyclopaedias, updated frequently; Neve (and Isi before her) believes that, the more they know of the mortal world, the easier it will be to return them to it when the time comes. Danny agrees and happily teaches the kids how to gamble and drink when Neve isn't looking.
But the children don’t know of electricity; they have never seen a television or a car, and some of them develop a (not unreasonable) fear of returning to the violent and angry world outside the walls of their home.
Access to the children’s wing is via another set of heavy, locked doors that require another whispered password and a key to open. One copy of the key is kept hidden in a compartment behind a picture on the wall near the door, and the other is kept around the Winter Queen’s neck. The Lost of the Winter Court pity the children, but they cannot trust them to have free run of the entire wing when the Lost aren’t there to supervise them. Because the children are attendants of the Lonely Princess, and there is no telling what tasks she might set them.
The Winter Court has an arrangement with Nanny Ogg, who runs a safehouse in Canberra via one of his/her retainers. When the children turn 18, they will be taken to the safehouse to see if they can be rehabilitated into the mortal world, found jobs and given their lives back. If they cannot, Neve is contacted and attempts to make other arrangements.
Members
- Neve, Elemental Woodblood, Queen of Winter
- Danny, Wizened Brewer
Court History
King Isi
Before Neve became the Queen of the Winter Court in Spring 2006, the King was a Runnerswift Beast—a caribou—named Isi. He served as the Winter King for over a decade; at the end of every winter he would forfeit his place to a mortal to be given over to the fifth fae, taking it up again when it was finished with them, burying their bodies with his own hands.
His strength of will and conscience enabled him to resist for longer than anyone the inevitable deterioration of Clarity that followed. And in August 2006, when the time drew close to choose a mortal to be given to the fifth fae, he assured the few members of his Court that he had found a suitable candidate. He had. Himself.
After his death, Neve, though mourning for her friend, took on the mantle of Winter Queen. She has since given one mortal over to the fifth fae: a woman with late stage cancer taken from a hospice at the last moment and drugged into insensibility. It remains to be seen whether she can do it again in 2008.
Recent Events and Rumours
'These will be added once the game starts!
