Heartless Endeavors (North East Ohio)
From Changeling Venue
Contents |
Heartless Endevours
Basic Information
Chapter
OH-020-D
Venue Changeling: The Lost
Venue Storyteller
Name: Vern Utt
Storyteller Contact
Email: Changeling VST
Game Times TBD
Styles of Play
- Action Combat and Challenges - 3
- Character Development - 4
- Darkness PC - 4
- Drama - 3
- Intrigue - 4
- Manners - 4
- Mystery - 5
- Pace – 3
Rating Description
1 Never present
2 Sometimes present
3 Often present
4 Usually present
5 Always present
Description of Venue:
History
AD 1650 - 1843 - The Iroquois drove out the native tribes of the Ohio valley during the Beaver Wars. Later, as the Iroquois tribes grew less powerful, other tribes from the east and south moved into Ohio. Shawnee, Delaware, Wyandot, and Miami are among the groups who lived in Ohio when the first European pioneers moved into this area. The Historic era ended when the United States
Government forced the Indians out of Ohio and onto reservations in Oklahoma.
Little is known of the changelings from the early years of this time period, save that most of them were Beasts. It seems that the Native tribes had a great affinity with many different types of animals, and this was reflected in their Seemings. Beasts are not known for the best of record keeping, therefore much of this time period is shrouded in mystery.
1669 - The first explorations by Europeans in what is now Ohio. Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, claimed all of Ohio for France.
French colonizers new to the strange wilds of the New World began to fear the nights as many of their children where stricken down with ailments of strange origin. Many people spoke in soft whispers of evil spirits that stole their real children away and left behind dying animals disguised as their children. This was fueled by reports of hunters finding the remains of strangely shaped animals in the nearby wilderness. Changeling Historians believe that with the advent of the French settlers in the area many Beasts were slain by their keepers, in order to claim one of these new French children as a prize or trinket. It has been said many times, Out with the old and in with the New.
1786 - By Deed of Cession, 13 Sep 1786, Connecticut relinquished all land in this territory except for a reserved section defined as the Western Reserve. The Western Reserve started at the Pennsylvania-Ohio line and extended 120 miles westward to the present Seneca and Sandusky County lines. It was bordered on the north by Lake Erie, and on the south by the parallel of the 41st degree North Latitude. All of the present day Summit County was in the Western Reserve except the southern most townships of Franklin and Green.
It is the Western Reserve that shows the first historical documentation of Changeling culture in the area. Old parchments sealed in wax were uncovered that tell of a great King that founded the West Reservation of Lost Souls. King Theodore Dubois was a man of strong persuasion in both the changeling community and Human community. He used the mortal world to carve out a niche for his freehold and the changelings that wished to live there. It was a time of great peace for the changelings of North East Ohio, but as with all things peace does last forever.
1800 - Connecticut released its jurisdictional claim to the Western Reserve by a Deed of Cession to the United States of America on 30 May 1800.
The reports of this time period are sketchy at best. It is believed that a single Changeling made great a great error and revealed his true nature to mortals in the area. It was this single act that caused the downfall of the West Reservation of Lost Souls. King Dubois had rules for nearly 23 years by this time, but this one foolish mistake brought that to a terrible end. The changelings of this area had become complacent and lazy with regards to threats from the mortal world. They had focused all their attention upon the world of the Fae and the dangers it posed. It was this lack of foresight that allowed the local mortals to rise up and destroy nearly every changeling that lived in north east Ohio. It was a group of churches of multiple denominations across north east Ohio that formed the Seminary Against Infernal and Non Theistic (S.A.I.N.T). This fanatical group hunted down and murdered not only Changelings but anyone that was connected with them in any way. Many Families were destroyed by the blind Faith of this group. After the decimation of the West Reservation of Lost Souls little was heard of SAINT, but occasionally their presences is affirmed when a foolish Changeling reveals himself to the mortal public.
The war of 1812 lead to the forced opening of trods in this area. Many human emotions ran high enough to fuel glamour, into almost inert ancient trods. Great upheavals in the mortal world tend to affect the hedge in drastic ways such as forcing open new trods. Few changelings had been seen in this area prior to this war due to the efforts of SAINT only eleven years earlier.
1832 The Ohio & Erie Canal opens, joining the Cuyahoga and Ohio rivers.
With the Ohio and Erie Canal opening strange groups of creatures could be seen throughout the Hedge. Pirate ships and galleys of folklore were seen traveling the pathways of the hedge, along the canals. It is believed that somewhere on the inland waterways these ships met for a goblin market. It was believed the entryway to the market had been found shortly after the opening of the Canals.
1850 Two freeholds are born by Changleings returning to the mortal world. It is believed that many of the Lost returning at this time, were somehow able to begin their escape during the war of 1812. Most of the changelings that returned were out of place and time. They quickly banded together as a means of self preservation. The Changelings of this time period were of two distinct mind sets only. Many were outraged by their abduction and wished only to strike back at the Fae that had taken them away from their families. While the rest were sadden by their fate and circumstances. The two freeholds that formed were controlled solely by the Summer and Winter Courts, respectively.
The Summer Court of King Micheal Fireheart contained many soldiers from the war of 1812 and also many Native Americans that had also disappeared around this time. The freehold took residence in the southern areas of what used to be the Western Reserve and became known as the Hearts of Fire freehold. The Winter Court was lead by Duke Frostwing who had great resentment to King Fireheart. Duke Frostwing gathered the changelings to the north of the Hearts of Fire and formed the Heartless Endeavors Freehold, along the shores of Lake Eerie. These two freeholds were at constant odds with each other and for many decades open war raged between the two. The changelings of North East Ohio were slowly killing each other off as the two leaders refused to settle their differences.
Mar 23, 1890 Canton Glass Company's factory burns to the ground.
It was discoved by changeling historians that the Canton Glass Co. was actually a front for King Fireheart’s weapons factory. The fire that burned the building to the ground was caused by an apparent accident when a group of Wizened made a major miscalculation. It seemed that their plans for a great weapon had included parts of Hedge Thorns, but the outcome was highly unstable and caused a catastrophic failure of the war machine and thus the fire burn everything to the ground. This event was a turning point in the four decade war between the two Freeholds. With King Fireheart’s weapons factory in shambles, he was at a great disadvantage to Duke Frostwing. In an effort to preserve his Freehold, King Fireheart entered into a treaty with Duke Frostwing. The treaty called for great amounts of Glamour to be given to the Heartless Endevours Freehold by the members of Hearts of Fire Freehold. This lead to an uneasy peace that almost lasted beyond the natural deaths of King Fireheart (Dec 1980) and Duke Frostwing (June 1981).
May 1900 rioting in Akron turns the City Building and Columbia Hall into smoldering ruins
An unhappy motely from Hearts of Fire Freehold held a protest against the Glamour sanctions of Duke Frostwing. This Protest quickly became violent and resulted in the distruction of a common gathering place known as Columbia Hall. The fire and emotional upheaval of the protest incited many humans to take out pent up frustrations upon the City Hall of Akron. The motely was crushed into servitude in Duke Frostwings personal Hollow. No one knows what ever became of the five changelings that started the riots, once in the hands of the Duke.
January 1920 Prohibition began
This event lead to many Spring Court members going underground and becoming part of organized crime in the area. Youngstown, Akron and Cleveland all grew in infamy as crime centers for the Mafia, which controlled a large portion of the illegal alcohol black market.
April 1953 Akron Children's Zoo was started This wonderfull little zoo has brought many children great joy and knowledge. A Beast by the name of Wallace Owlborn was a key part of the opening of this children’s zoo. It is believed by many that he still walks the zoo collecting glamour from the joys of the children that visit on a daily basis.
June 1963 - Professional Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton.
This mortal event brought a great source of glamour to changelings of the summer court as fans of the game reveled in the memories of great competition and conflict. There was a sudden rise in numbers of the Hearts of Fire freehold at this time.
May 4, 1970 Kent State Shootings. Four Kent State University students are killed and nine wounded on May 4, 1970, during a demonstration protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia. The Center for Peaceful Change, now the Center for Applied Conflict Management, was established one year later as a living memorial to these students.
This was a time of great mortal tragedy that affected people of this area strongly. The anger, sadness and fear of this event fed many changelings in the area easily. Through this terrible mortal event changelings were given great strength and many new trods were forced open throughout north east ohio. Passage between the mortal world and Arcadia became very easy for the next decade. Many changelings reveled in the ease of glamour from this event, until new mortal disappearances began to reach unheard of limits.
Jan 1980 After King Firehearts death his successor King Oxhead took his place. This beast was stubborn to his very being and also had a great connection with his mortal life. It was common of King Oxhead to have his mortal daughter at Changeling gathers. He had ensorcelled his entire family, much to the distaste of Duke Frostwing.
June 1981 Duke Frostwing passes after receiving information that King Oxhead declares his Daughter a formal Princess to be obeyed by all Changelings within his Freehold. The Dukes final words was a full declaration of war against King Oxhead unless he renounce his daughter from any position within the Hearts of Fire Freehold. Duke Frostwings Successor , Queen Alexis Icebane swore to uphold the Dukes final decree. War was once again upon North East Ohio.
May 31 1985 At least 41 tornadoes hit Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and southeastern Ontario,Canada, during an eight-hour period killing 88 people with over 1,000 injured.
The war ends on this day. Little is known of the events of the war , except only one individual survived the final battle. One the may 1 1985 the armies of the North and the South entered into the Hedge just miles north of West Branch state park. The battle raged for weeks, taking great casualties on both sides. On the final day of the battle a great effort was made by all the warriors on both sides that spilled out onto the mortal realm as well. The result was the upheaval of the area by and unprecedented number of tornadoes. After the wake of the tornadoes, the hedge of all North East Ohio was left burned an charred. A barren forbodeing landscape that cut the feet of any that tried to cross it. The ground had been burned to sharp edgeds of black obsidian and fissures of endless depth crossed the landscape. Smoke obsured vision beyond your local area and choked the senses of anyone that stayed in the Hedge too long. This War became known as the Great Scorching.
June 1 1985 Jack Harper of Heartless Endeavors emerged from the hedge torn by the Thorns. The only survivor of the Great Scorching, he quickly proclaimed himself King and War hero of the great battle. In response those changelings that were left swore to never let such disaster cross their world again. The Hearts of Fire Freehold crumbled to dust without a leader and was taken over by King Harper of The Heartless Endeavors. Peace had finally come at last, but at a dreadful cost. Over the years the Hedge began to recover and little was left of the scorched earth beneath it, though Changelings can easily find obsidian shards scattered throughout the hedge, reminding them of the Great Scorching.
Dec 2006 King Harper disappeared. His home had been left mostly untouched save ten gouges in the floorboards of his bedroom. The marks were in the same places as that of fingers being drug backward across the floor. They ended at the edge of his bedroom door. The frame of the door was had been torn on each side as if he had been forcefully pull away from it while holding onto the frame. A sigil was found on the floor that bore both King Fireheart’s and Queen Alexis Icebane’s Brands. Rumors flooded the freehold that the ghosts of the Changelings that died in the war, came to drag him back to his fate.
Present Day: Changelings have been emerging from the Hedge at an unusually high rate of speed. Some believe that the current court had discovered the war between Queen Alexis Icebane and King Oxhead was still going on today. It is believed that the Winter Queen Flake Eerie lead her Freehold into battle, in an attempt to assist Queen Alexis Icebane. Rumor has it that the tide of war was turned and the Winter Court was triumphant. An Obisian statue of Queen Icebane can be found deep in the hedge near the site of the battlefield, it depicts a scene of Queen Icebane severing the head from King Oxhead's shoulders. Also a close distance away trapped within an obolisk of obsidian is a changeling forever trapped within. It is non other than the former King Harper. Word inscribed into the base of the oboslisk are readable in any language and state "Traitor and Coward" Since this event Changelings have been appearing in the Heartless Endevours Freehold at an alarming rate. Many of the Lost fear that this may be the work of the Others. Whispers of Privateers are on the wind and distrust looms about all newcomers. Who among them are Friend and who is Foe? Can these fresh out of the hedge people trust the established rulership of the Freehold, where can they turn now that thier lives have been torn asunder? What hope does the bleak and heartless land of North East Ohio hold for them? Only time will tell.
Storytelling Mechanics:
Proxy rules:
Submissions preferred at least four days in advance. Please have
the player's direct ST send a copy of the Character Sheet, Experience
Log, and a brief paragraph written by the player on the character's
motivations and personality. As with every other PC, proxies may result
in death, loss of playability, or other long-term effects.
Special venue emphasis - Check-in
Check in will require a copy of the Character sheet, the XP log entered
on either the Approvals Database or CRD, and proof of any Approvals
above Mid.
Travel risks:
Travel to and From North East Ohio by mundane means is fairly safe, if your character stays to the main roads. Travel off the major roads in the country may lead to unusual country folk taking unwanted interest in you. Also, getting lost in the inner city areas will most certainly lead to gang or underworld violence if your character enters their turf. Best advice is bring a map and don’t get lost late at night.
Travel to or From North East Ohio by way of the Hedge can be extremely dangerous. The Hedge in this area is extremely harsh to travels. Much of it is still recovering from a terrible war almost 20 years ago. The vegetation that has grown during this time is some of the strongest and most deadly known to Changelings. It poses great dangers but with those dangers can come great opportunities. Travel is slower than in normal Hedge travel as there almost no paths in the area. All paths that are there must be created by the Changelings will. Though, once a path is created it does have a tendency to stay longer than normal as the Hedge craves new travelers to pass through.
Experience Awards
There will be a maximum of 10 XP awarded per calendar month.
Rarely player will be awarded up to 5 XP per game. XP Awarded for +3 attending a Sanctioned Game/Event +1 to +2 Out-of-town travel, elaborate costuming and inspirational, imaginative or inclusive role-play.
+1 to +3 Filing a downtime report.
-1 Significant disruption of Sanctioned Game/Event (OOC actions/outbursts, etc)
Internet RP
All internet role-play must have a log of the event. This includes e-mail,IRC,and IM interactions between characters. Challenges may only be done if both players agree on them and it is clearly marked in the log. The actual draws must be shown in the log.
Downtimes
Downtimes are highly encouraged as they help contributed to the history and events of the game. Many downtime events directly affect what happens at games, especially at the beginning of each game. All downtimes affecting North East Ohio should be sent to the Changeling VST
Borders
The IC Borders of North East Ohio are as follows:
North: Lake Eerie Shore
West: Cleveland,Ohio south along I77 to Canton, Ohio
South: Canton,Ohio due East to Youngstown,Ohio
East: The Ohio/Pa state line
People within this domain:
Motleys of the Freehold
