Dunasheen - "Fort of the Storms" Dùn (Scots Gaelic) 'fort', sian (Scots Gaelic) 'storm'. Some say that the Changeling Freehold in Inverness is named thus for the storms that batter this city on the shores of the North Sea, whilst others muse that it may have been named for the socio-political upheaval that plagued the area for centuries prior to the coming of the Hobgoblin tribe known as the Caereni.

Here is information about our next game.

Pre-game announcements can be read here!

If you want to file a down time action, please use this form!

The Freehold of Dunasheen in the city of Inverness has a surprisingly large population of Hobs, Changelings, and other fae creatures. Here are some of the more notable ones.

We highly recommend that all players coming to the game become familiar with the Dunasheen VSS.

Our games run on second Sundays, with sign-in starting at 19.00 local time. Click here to convert the time to your local time zone! (Use Europe/London as your "From Time Zone" setting.)

The oldest lore the Scottish Lost indicate that there was a Changeling Freehold in the area now called Inverness as early as the 7th Century CE, though the stories are few and varied. Consistent in the oldest tales, however, are stories of war and bloodshed.

Throughout the first millennium, the Highlands were populated by Border Reavers, Mad Raiders, True Fae Loyalists, Changelings, and Hobs of many different tribes who all warred for dominance and raided for resources. One tribe of Hobgoblins, known as the Caereni (after the Pictish tribe in the area) came to dominance after the arrival of a mysterious figure lore says came to mainland Scotland from the Hebrides.

Whatever the reason, the Caereni grew to be the most powerful tribe in the region, conquering or absorbing tribe after tribe of Hobgoblins as they swept south and east. They reached Tomnahurich Hill, a place long contested amongst the Fae as a place of power and after a lengthy conflict they secured the hill, claiming it as their stronghold.

Whilst the Caereni managed to defeat, absorb, enslave or exterminate most of the Goblin tribes in the area around Inverness, subduing the Changeling Freehold proved a far more difficult task. For several hundred years, the Freehold was ruled by a dynasty of Winter Monarchs, whose tactics protected the Changelings from the Hobgoblins, whilst the very strength they fought against to keep the Caereni from enslaving the Lost protected the Lost from the Others.

Finally, in 1290, it is said that Thomas of Ercildoune negotiated the Treaty of Nairn with the Caereni, ending over six centuries of war between the Hobs and the Lost. Some say that this treaty was the formal establishment of the Freehold of Dùn na Sian, the Fort of Storms, which is, today, called Dunasheen.

The Treaty of Nairn had consequences that the Winter Queen had not foreseen, however. Some say Thomas had secretly added a clause to the Pledge that sealed the Treaty, others say that it was the land itself that rose against Gormlaith, the Queen of Perpetual Winter. Whatever the cause, for the first time in six centuries, Winter gave way to Spring in February of 1291, and the Freehold has maintained a cyclic Court ever since.

Tomnahurich is held today by the tribe of Hobs the Changelings call The Marrowmen, who are ruled by a beautiful and enigmatic figure - Isil, the Queen of Frost and Fire - who has maintained the strength of her tribe's stronghold against both True Fae and Border Reaver incursions through brutally efficient military might and cleverly crafted pledges. As vicious as her armies may be, and as clever as the pledges she has extracted are, many say that the true strength of her tribe is the wealth they obtain by running the perpetual Goblin Market on Tomnahurich Hill.

In cooperation with the Marrowmen, the Freehold of Dunasheen has also flourished.

Read more about the History of Dunasheen.