Dreams of Wyrd and Memory
From Changeling Venue
Contents |
Austin Lost Venue
Domain: TX-065D
VST: (inturn)T~
VST Contact: pettythoughts@gmail.com
The full VSS is available in the Approvals Database.
Chronicle Theme
Austin. The city is synonymous with live music, country charm, and Texas liberalism. Nowhere else in the state will you find such a diverse mix of people, so many Texans who aren’t quite Texan. Austin. New people come and go here every day. We won’t notice if a few go missing. And we are tolerant enough to put up with the oddities that float in and decide to stay… from time to time.
The immediate theme of the Austin Lost chronicle should be one of recovery. Building. Revenge. Redemption. Reclamation of innocence. Paranoia. Survival.
A History of Madness
No one’s really sure when the first Changelings came to Austin, nor whether they came by way of Hedge or highway. Most local historians are reasonably sure that the first Changeling presence came only after the establishment of the white man. Whether the town was known as Waterloo or Austin at the time remains in speculation. Their numbers, however, are known to have remained small to start with. This changed only after World War II.
Sharply contrasting many changeling outposts of the 1950s, Austin proved a breath of fresh air. A strong and healthy Spring court dominated the area’s local politics so potently that even the reluctant Winter court found itself stepping out to enjoy an evening song or dance and feeling good about it. Any given night, up and down the famous strip of 6th Street, one could find a motley of Changelings remembering how to live life in the company of high human spirits. In their freehold, the cycling of Changeling politics proved so intricately simple that the True Fae themselves would have been both impressed and puzzled. Word of the city as a place of safety and recuperative peace led more than a few to attempt the journey cross country to see it, and the unfortunates who stumbled headlong out of the Hedge into the Austin air were considered almost blessed. The 1970s boom in cultural freedom and liberalism only served to enhance the legend of the city.
Golden eras, however, do not last for long. And this one began to fade in the 1990s.
Some say the end began with the passing of a Changeling (or a number of them) who had fought so hard to bring the city peace and prosperity. Others said that the narcissism of the 90s simply caught up with the Changeling populace. Still others suggest that the Austin Changelings, content in their relative safety and comfort, simply became lax. Whatever the reason, the few who were left and sane enough to recall remember these few things.
A mad Changeling is dangerous any way you look at it. A mad Changeling who appears sane is worse than the first. A mad Changeling who appears sane… is alluring enough to make his point of view sound viable, and has the pledges to bind you to it, is deadly. And that was Leland.
As with much during that time, no one remembers exactly where Leland Wardrums came from, though most are pretty sure he stumbled through the Hedge into Austin. His mein conveyed the powerful beauty of an African god of warlike proportions. His voice, calling out for preparedness and strength and unity, reverberated through whatever room he occupied like a lion’s roar. And no one… no one… remembered a time when he embodied any less than the total aspect of the Summer Court. Many loved him. His enemies, grudgingly, gave up to him the tithe of respect his charisma deserved. Yet, for all of his passion and fire, none recalled his rise as meteoric. Like all Changelings, he worked toward his potential. Through trial, and error, and duty, he built himself a place of standing amongst the Summer Court. Whether he nursed his vision along during this period of careful growth is unknown. What is most assuredly known, however, is that by the time he made his play at power, he had already woven a web of allies to his mad plan… and the bulk of the Changeling populace found itself oathbound to follow him.
His plan?
Invasion of Faerie.
A number of unpledged Changelings fled Austin in the summer of 2004, the year that Leland announced his intentions at his Midsummer coronation. Those that remained experienced a period, first of shock, then adjustment. The community changed. Though the Courts continued in their seasonal dance, the previously fluid positions of King or Queen solidified into a rotating structure of four Changelings: Leland, and three Changelings pledged directly to him and his cause. Ambassadors from neighboring communities came, pleading a case for sanity, but to no avail. His own populace, some few free as well as others bound through the chain of pledges, begged him and his court to reconsider. A small number even went to far as to mark themselves as Foresworn rather than participate in what they considered outright suicide. Ultimately, by the end of 2005, the Changeling community that remained in Austin consisted of those dedicated (either willingly or by force) to Leland’s cause, or those too stubborn to move on. The march toward war drummed on.
When the end came, very few expected it, and even they were not sure exactly what they expected at all. A Changeling disappeared here, a project near completion suddenly suffered a freak setback, or a reliable doorway into the Hedge suddenly appeared impenetrable. An air of paranoia was beginning to build. Then came the 16th of January, 2007.
No two Changelings remember the Hunt of 2007 in the same fashion, yet they all remember it with terror. As an uncharacteristic layer of ice fell over the city, the Gentry descended out of the Hedge in the largest numbers that anyone living recalled. Some stalked silently across the city, some to the fanfare of trumpets… or… some form of instrument. All ‘bagged’ as a prize any Changeling they laid eyes upon. If word reached the 6th Street Hollow, where much of the city’s freehold gathered for a modest Winter Fair, no one knows. Few escaped the clutches of the Fae in the streets, fewer still found a way out of the Hollow.
Stories since have circulated from Austin… the kind that begin like this: I heard this from a friend, who’s got a mate in a motley, who was once oathbound to the guy this happened to. One story tells of how a Changeling oathbound to the freehold was seen showing the Fae to a door into the Hollow. Another tells of how bravely Leland Wardrums and his Court fought, Leland himself like some half lion out of legend. Still another tells of how the Fae that finally subdued Leland held his limp body over its head and called out for all to hear, “The King of Swords is mine!”
Maybe some day, the story of Leland Wardrums will become something of a cautionary legend among all Changeling - maybe it is already. In the present, however, the decimated Changeling population of Austin has no real time to think about that. Though the Gentry themselves are not specifically seen often, they continue to hunt here more often than they should. The old places of meeting are still considered unsafe. And the Changelings of Austin are still jumping at their shadows.
Previous Freehold Names
Court of Four Gardens - During the long period of Spring Court dominance in Austin.
The Lion's Den - During the reign of Leland Wardrums and his motley.
Current Events
The Austin Lost population has begun to peer out from the insides of the various holdings. Gaea finally wrangled the rest of the local changelings back into recreating a freehold, for their own safety as much as everything else. General Ironhand willfully took the burden onto himself for the first season of the freehold's rebirth. Since then, Jefferson Thoms has taken the Winter Crown and is quietly leading the people to further stability.
State of the Hedge
The Hedge surrounding the Austin area has begun to change. The once completely wild growth of unnaturally tall, thick, and wickedly thorned juniper cedars has shifted yet again from the stately mahogany that they were under iron hands reign. The tangled juniper cedars of the Hedge seem to pull themselves upright in a formation as close to order as such a wild thing can achieve.
Walking through its twisted pathways, one might catch a brief feeling of movement from the thorny barrier, a flash of subtle light, enough to cause the hackles to rise with suspicious discomfort. A close inspection of the trees reveals cracks in the dusty bark, moving like an erratic circuit board, carrying the slightest light signs of an electrical charge through those veins. But by this time, the unfortunate Lost has already lost her way...looking too close at the hedge can be a dangerous thing.
We're All Mad Here
But We Live Here
- Gaea - Owner of The The Harp's Hostel member of the summer court. She has worked hard to put everything back in order.
- General Benedict Waldo Ironhand - Aloof inventor, toymaker, and owner of Tick Tock Toys.
- Vicky Sage - Local merchant, though it is rumored she has her own home, she is often seen Hanging out with Gaea at her coffee shop. She is a member of the Spring Court.
- Jiro Takahashi - Drifts between places to sleep. He hangs out at the Harp Hostel when Gaea lets him, and gambles in the seedier parts of town.
- Harlequin - She hangs out in the 6th street area, doing performances, both for the public eye and private.
- Little Lucy Black - An interesting psychiatrist, usually busy in her work when she's not creeping about.
- Crystal - Just moved to the area in October 2007, it is unknown whether the others know what to make of her yet.
- Jefferson Thoms - Been here for an undisclosed amount of time.
Or We Once Lived Here
- Stephen Daedalus - During the reign of Leland, Stephen was a regular Ambassador from Houston, coming to try to reason with the Summer King. Obviously this never worked out quite the way he hoped it would.
**Players wishing to link characters into the History of the Austin Lost Chronicle should contact the VST**
Or Others Remembered Us Here
The following is a list of known NPCs from Austin's history, provided to add additional substance to the chronicle's foundation. The information here may chance over time, but should only be edited by the VST. For more details on any character, please contact the VST.
Gaff - Ogre of the Summer Court, freehold Knight, and Leland's marshall. Missing.
Highway Jack - Elemental Maniken of the Winter Court tasked with keeping track of gateways and new Changelings. Missing.
Desmond Inkfingers - Renowned Wizened pledgecrafter of the Winter Court. Missing.
Ichabod Kramer - Darkling motley-mate of Leland and Winter King at the time of the Winter Hunt of 2007. Missing, reported slain/retaken.
Two-Fist Marquez - Beast motley-mate of Leland and Autumn King of Leland's Court. Deceased.
Carmen May - Fairest Dancer serving as Spring Queen to Leland's Court. Missing.
Rattletongue - Elderly Beast with no Court affiliation known for finding Changelings lost in the Hedge. Missing.
Sim - Autumn Court Darkling, master of assassins and spy for Leland's Court. Unknown.
Sister Sunday - Wizened Chirugeon of the Spring Court and known healer in Austin. Missing.
Aleister Stark - Elemental Earthbones of the Winter Court, freehold Knight, former Winter King, publically outspoken against Leland.
Leland Wardrums - Draconian Fairest, Summer King, mad Changeling. Missing, reported slain/retaken.
The Westover Motley - Composed of Beast (a Spring Ogre), Beauty (a Spring Fairest), and Magnolia (a Winter Wizened), they ran the Westover Goblinfruit Orchard with Beauty (deceptively named, but a man nonetheless) as their public face. All Missing.
What They've Said About Us
The events of Cirque Nocturne on 6th Street on the new years Eve of 2007 has left people whispering , rumors of murder, and Questionable political practices.
Places of Note
- The Harp's Hostel
- The 6th Street Hollow - Left largely to seed after the Winter Hunt of 2007, the Hollow was once a center of Austin Lost society.
- Tick Tock Toys - Another claim to Austonian 'wierdness', the factory with no apparent workers.
- The UT Campus - The center of learning is known to be unsafe to the Lost of Austin.
- The Westover Orchard - A well hidden and jealously protected Hollow known for its wealth of goblin fruit.
- Nocturne Theater - A theater production House just off of 6th street, that houses Cirque Nocturne, they are only open in the evening, on seemingly random nights often only doing 3 to 6 performances a month total when not on tour.
Inspirations
Movies
- The Skeleton Key
- Caveman's Valentine
- The Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz, and The Wiz
Proxy Rules
The VST requires a full character sheet for players wishing to hard proxy into the Austin Lost chronicle, as well as an explanation for the proxy (why the character is coming to Austin and what goals s/he wishes to accomplish), a breakdown on how the character should be run in the event that the scene in question is not being conducted online, and a point of contact for the player‘s VST. This information should reach the VST no less than 48 hours before the intended event. Character death may occur in hard RP proxies.
The VST requires notification of proxies for the purpose of soft RP (wherein no character death and challenges shall be taking place) as well as an e-mail address for the player of the proxying character and his/her VST. In the event of soft RP proxies, the VST also requires to know how long the character intends to stay in the city of Austin. If local circumstances occur that would cause soft RP session to become more dangerous (i.e., upgrading to hard RP), the player will be notified as soon as possible.
Proxies for the specific purpose of killing a character shall provide good cause for doing so. The VST reserves the right to reject such proxies.
Thanks and Credits
Thank you to Brad Heichelbech, Tiffany Crosby, and 'Liz Hunt for active contributions to this page. Thank you also to Ray Bruels for helpful critiques.
Page kept and maintained by the Lost players of Austin, TX.
