Freehold of the Last Night
From Changeling Venue
Contents |
York
In times past the Gateway to the North of England and beyond, now just a small city with a shitload of history living off tourism and a well known Insurance Firm. In the ages that have past; the city has been invaded and overun more times than a pair of dirty whores knickers, now its regularly taken over by tourists trying to capture a tiny piece of the past in the present.
The Courts of York
The Freehold of the Last Night tends to follow the normal pattern of the Courts ruling when their Season is in ascendance. Each Season Court chooses, by whatever means it decides, to elect a Monarch each year from it's members. Only those who are bound to the Freehold may hold the position of King or Queen though.
When in ascendance a Monarch holds the title of Lord or Lady Seaonale as appropriate and presides over the Freehold. Each of the Monarchs are bound by the Six Rules whilst they wear the Crown of thier Court:
- The Rule of Speech
- The Rule of Order
- The Rule of Contentedness
- The Rule of Discretion
- The Rule of Duty
- The Rule of Disclosure
Spring - The Emerald Court
The Emerald Court rejects the pain and sorrow of their time in Arcadia, drawing power from desire and joie de vivre.
Its rule within the Freehold traditionally starts on the 1st day of March and ends on the last day of May.
Current Members of the Freehold
Alice Sommers - Wearer of the Antler Crown
Satrap Delun Chun
Summer - The Crimson Court
The Crimson Court hasn't had a massive presence in the Freehold since its inception. Cassius Resnick was one of the founders of the Freehold along with the three others and has been the Wielder of the Iron Spear since the beginning. The Court is very freeform, fluid and emotional in its style and whilst it seems to show a significant amount of distain for the pomp and ceremony of the Freehold it still adheres to the Rites and Traditions that have been set up. The Court however is utterly and totally devoted to the safety and sanctity of the Freehold; almost to the point of lunacy some have said.
The Court of Wrath traditionally rules from the 1st June to the end of August.
Current Members of the Freehold
Cassius Resnick - Wielder of the Iron Spear
Maria
Annatar Winterscale
Autumn - The Ashen Court
The Ashen Court finds its strength in fae magic, drawing the Glamour they need for their sorcery from the fears of mortals.
Its rule within the Freehold traditionally starts on the 1st day of September and ends on the last day of November.
Current Members of the Freehold
Mattio - Owner of the Leaden Mirror
Azrious the Seer of Worms]
Winter - The Onyx Court
The Onyx Court hides under layers of deception like a seed under snow-covered ground, hardening themselves on a diet of midwinter sorrow.
Its rule within the Freehold traditionally starts on the 1st day of December and ends on the last day of February.
Current Members of the Freehold
Ebenezzar Grimwood - Liege of the Silent Arrow
The Dominican
Probably Members of the Freehold
Francis Hail
Courtless - The Colourless Court
The Colourless Court has had an influx of members within the Freehold in recent months with a couple of Lost with no Court making an appearance. Whether they stay Colourless or not though is yet to be seen.
Current Members of the Freehold
Connor
Rowan
Slough Brack
Visitors who seem to want to stay...
Epsilon Phi - Bob, Dave, Charlie and the DOKTOR!!
Eleanor
Sammy
History
2002 and before...
No-one really knows. No, seriously, no-one actually knows what went on here. There were Freeholds, I mean come on. Anywhere like York is bound to have had one, right? There are thousands of rumours painting occurances with each and every one more dark and sinister than the next as happening. Darker than being dropped into the Marianas Trench after being locked inside a Rosewood Chest with a black bag over your head whilst wearing a blindfold after your eyes have been put out. That dark.
The Gentry swept in en masse and rounded all the Changelings in the city and disappeared with them. The Courts went to war and destroyed each other. The Pied Piper of Hamlyn turned up, stole all the children and the Changelings ran after him never to be seen again. Everything and anything has been bandied about as the reason, nothing for certain has been uncovered though...
Spring 2003
One bright and shiny morning, when the bluebirds were singing in the trees and lambs were frolicking in the fields Alice Sommer signed the contract for the purchase of the recently closed down Odeon Cinema. It was soon opened as a meeting place for the changelings who were resident or passed through the city.
Spring 2004
The doors to the Freehold of the Last Night offically opened and Alice took the position of the first offical Seasonale Monarch of the Freehold. There was much rejoicing.
...To the Present Day
Things have happened. You know the sort of stuff, the odd Hobgoblin incursion, Goblin Markets here there and everywhere (well, maybe not everywhere), Court disputes, Hedge Duels, Summer competitions, yadda yadda yadda, etc etc etc.
Prominent Locations
Bars
No, not the ones you go to get drunk in, although there are a significant number of them around. I'm talking about the Gatehouses that are part of the City walls. The four main ones are: Bootham Bar, Monk Bar, Micklegate Bar, and Walmgate Bar. All of them seem to act as Gateways to trods and one is believed to be a gateway straight to Arcadia. It's guessed that the worrying one is Micklegate Bar, more than one new Changeling in York has appeared for the first time back in the real world through it. There are two minor Bars also in the City Walls: Fishergate and Victoria. Both of these were added after the Walls had been finished at a much later date and don't really have any power, or at least thats the current thought.
Odeon Cinema
Blossom Street, York
This wonderful piece of 1930's architecture is owned by Alice Sommers, the current Queen of Spring. The building itself has been officially closed since 2002 but it is used as the main meeting place in the city for the Freehold of the Last Night. Even when she is not wearing the Antler Crown she very graciously lets it continue to be used as such and is known to be a safe haven for Changelings in the City.
The Hedge
The Hedge in York at first glance almost seems to be split into two parts. One is inside the walls of the city and the other is, strangely enough, outside of them.
Outside the walls the Hedge seems normal (normal being a relative term...) just like it would in any other part of the world. Where Reality and Fantasy start to blend the paths become more run down and over grown with moss, the trees start to loom more ominously and light doesn't quite filter down through the leaves. Ivy starts to appear growing on and around the trunks of the trees, bushes and across the path, slowly becoming more prolific and tinged with red the deeper and further you go. Eventually the trees become twisted paradies, strangled and mishapen, as if the Ivy is slowly sucking the life from them and everything that it touches. The aggressive and invasive tendrils stretch out over everything causing even the stones to break as they force their way into them, ever searching for something warm and living to steal the life of…
Inside the walls the change seems more insidous, more unsettling some how. The safe and oft-travelled streets become narrower, less crowded and the shadows begin to encroach upon the light. The style of the buildings seems to change, becoming older, more rickety and more looming with each corner turned. Under foot the smooth slabs of concrete become broken and jagged cobblestones with filth running in the gutters and through the cracks. Vines of Ivy emerge from the dark alleyways and shadows, creeping inexorably along the walls and forcing its way into boarded up shop and house doors and through broken glass windows. The streetlights are smoothed in tendrils of Ivy as it curls its way toward the light, almost as if seeking it out to hide it from others. Overhead light struggles to make its way past where the buildings have leant over the street pulled together by the web of hungry red tinged vines.
Have I got news for you...
New News
May 2008
For the final time of the year the Spring Court held a gathering, once again in the Odeon Cinema. Funnily enough though the soon to be deposed Spring Queen didn't show her face at the gathering, and neither did the King of Autumn come to think of it. Ah well, I'm sure there is nothing suspicious or suspect in that at all.
The oddest thing that happened at the gathering was the bizarre gift giving that happened. Seems that Santa had come early this year and everyone had a present for someone else. Oddly though a few presents weren't collected/given out, the main one being a huge black rubber cock. Can't think why anyone wouldn't have owned up to desiring one of those...
And that was about it. Not a lot else happened other than the interrogation of a rabbit, all the popcorn being eaten, and a crap film being showed in the background followed by a better one being put on. Still Summer is just round the corner and Spring is soon to have a new King starting.
Yay.
Changeling Venue Information
To contact the Freehold of the Last Night VST, please email York Lost VST
To contact the Freehold of the Last Night VC, please email York Lost VC
Next Game
York is now an Open game!!! Come one, come all!!
The game runs on the second Saturday of every month. Time in is normally from about 7:00pm.
The next game should be running at York University on 10 May 2008. Contact the VC or VST for more details.
