[Changeling: the Lost] Convergence

[Deadite]

Convergence – A Canberra-based Changeling: The Lost Tale

Kanbarra, as the Ngabri Dreamtime tells it, is a place where meetings were held. It was here that the Bunyip and the Yowie and the Children of the Rainbow Serpent could walk among the people and make the will and knowledge of the land known.

This is the legend from the time of Dreaming, and unfortunately the legend is true.

Canberra is a place where things meet. Here the walls are thin. The Hedge intrudes quickly on the mortal world and spills unwary travelers just as quickly into the laps of the Lords of Faerie. Here is where the strange directions of Arcadia come together and allow a broad range of Keeper's domains to overlap and spew their escapees out and their hunters to come searching for them.

Canberra is a place where, for unknown reasons and under unknown influences, a mortal named Walter Burley Griffin laid out plans for a complicated mesh of geomantic fences, gates and traps, all seemingly designed to better keep the worlds of man and dream separate.

This mystery of design has attracted those who seek to know the how’s and why’s of such things. It has also drawn close those who would seek to protect the mysteries – and those who would seek to sunder them.

Canberra is a dangerous place. The illusion of safety surrounds but just beneath the surface the chaos can be felt scratching at the walls, trying to find a way out. Underneath orderly streets and buildings lie places of mystery. Plants grow in the cracks of concrete and asphalt, the natural world and the Hedge trying to undo what man has wrought. And each year, civic-minded folk expand and improve the city by removing and renovating what came before. Each change causes tiny erosion to the genius of the original design and moves the populace a little closer to exposure to the nightmare below.

[Deadite]

Thus began the teaser I sent out to my players for Convergence, a game of Changeling: the Lost.

Convergence Season 1 ran from March 2008 - December 2008, over approximately 16 sessions. There were a couple of interludes, and session 15 was a one-shot Hunter: the Vigil game overlapping events with the Changeling-focussed game. I have sessions 1 - 6 transcribed already. From session 8 I started recording the games and now don't have to rely so extensively on notes to work out who said what and what actually happened.

Season 2 is currently being planned out, but is likely to be delayed due to the arrival of my first child in March, and one of our most vocal players moving back to Melbourne (and hopefully getting hold of a decent broadband connection and Skype so he can continue playing).

Convergence started with three characters, played by Geoff, Joel and Pat (who may or may not see this and introduce themselves).

By way of introduction, my name is Leath, and I am the GM for this game.

The next few posts will introduce the concepts behind the chronicle and the characters.

I hope you read along and enjoy the ride.

[Deadite]

The Prelude

Rather than spend a lot of time describing the location and characters, I thought I'd jump straight in with the prelude and then introduce our protagonists.

Jared finds himself in the not-so-gentle grasp of the thorns of the Hedge. He has vague memories of hanging on to some kind of vehicle, hiding beneath sacks or bags or something, then sneaking overboard, and falling.

He struggles with the thorns, tearing at his clothes and flesh. He looks at his clothing and sees that it is very… elf-like. Green leggings, red shoes with curly toes, a cute red jacket over a white shirt, and a cap. Not the most dignified of outfits.

Henry crashes from the jagged rocks of the low-lying mountain plains and finds himself smashing into thick, green, stinging thorns. The Hedge opens ever so slightly and engulfs him out of his Keeper's domain and into their embrace. He is naked, but the thick covering of hair and matted fur gives him some little protection from the sharp points. Blood trickles from the numerous wounds opened across his body. He pushes against the tangles with all his strength, slowly working his way deeper inside, hoping that the tangle will ease before… something… catches up to him. Already, he struggles to remember exactly what it was he was running from, but he will never forget the terror it beget in him.

Daniel finds himself wandering the paths of the dark forest, twisted trees reaching out and plucking at his clothes and flesh. Ever so gradually the trees give way to undergrowth, which in turn gives way to a tangled mess of evil-looking vine. He has reached the Hedge, and escaped the madly twisted tales that lurk behind his eyes.

Jared manages to push his way through to some kind of path. It is narrow, but at least there is enough room to stand and walk without being constantly torn at by thorns. A memory of a missing daughter and an unfaithful wife pull him in one direction, which he follows. Slow trickles of blood ooze from a dozen deep scratches, leaving a delicious trail behind him as he stumbles onwards.

Henry finds his passage growing easier, the ground flattening and the gaps between vines increasing. He keeps pushing his way through, following the memory of a different girl, a daughter with illness, a daughter who he hopes has not forgotten him.

Daniel walks carefully, unsure. Once again the memory of a girl draws him forth, but this time it is recollections of a sister, sick and dying, sure to be gone by the time he returns. A fragment of memory slips into his mind, of someone disappointed at the illness, having to settle for him instead of her. She was always the writer, his clumsy attempts at words were mediocre at best.

On separate paths, all three hear the call. An unusual sound, like cats fighting, if the noise was made by a human imitating what he thought cat-fights should sound like. Jared, Henry and Daniel push onwards more quickly, maybe noticing the trail of blood they're leaving behind but being able to do nothing to staunch it.

The call is repeated, and this time answered by many similar voices, maybe a dozen, maybe more. The three grow more fearful, the path grows ever narrower and more difficult to move through. They push on through, the option of stopping no option at all. There appears to be light up ahead, an easing of the press of thorns.

All three stumble into a clearing. Three paths spill into this clearing and two strangers are also standing, exhausted and staring at them. One in the torn and tattered garb of an elf; one naked; one in rags and simple hand-made trousers and shirt.

The noise is heard again, louder, closer. Jared takes charge. “This way,” he cries, selecting the path with the strongest pull of memory. The three crash and stumble down the narrow path, catching glimpses of shadows behind them. More cries are heard and quicker they push on.

The path reaches a dead end, the creatures have caught up. One reveals itself. About the size of a feral cat, it carries a human face and small feathered wings.

“Hungry,” it declares.

The shadows of other creatures like the first flow from the Hedge, materialising on the path. “Hungry,” they all repeat.

Henry reaches into the Hedge and grasps a sturdy branch, ripping it free, accepting the deep bites of the thorns into his palm. He hefts the branch, which is surprisingly smooth and without barbs everywhere but the 'handle', and swings it at the cat-creature.

“Oh!” it exclaims, jumping back a step.

Daniel and Jared consider crashing back into the tangle of vines, not much of an option but possible better than the alternative.

Two cat-creatures turn themselves to shadow and flow into the Hedge, reforming just behind Jared, sinking their human teeth into his calves. The wounds are not too deep, but may be infected, they certainly bleed freely. He swipes at the cats, glancing one, but doing little damage. The creatures keep their distance. They have time, there is no rush.

Seeing how easily the creatures traverse the Hedge, the option of braving the vines is gone. Daniel notices the dead-end path looks a little strange. In fact, when he unfocuses his eyes and looks into the middle distance, he can make out what appear to be rough hinges and a door-knob.

Grasping the knob, he twists and watches the tangle of vines swing open, revealing cool air and sounds of the real world beyond.

“Through here, quickly!” he cries. Not waiting to ask questions, Jared and then Henry rush through.

Daniel takes one last look at the creatures as they prepare to pounce and flings himself through the gap.

He finds himself emerging from a church door to an urban landscape. Above him, a monorail hums by,water on the track being pushed down onto the hapless pedestrians below. Across the street, a beggar sits broken, a sign declaring his need for some kind of assistance. People walk past him without a second look. They treat Daniel to the same respect.

Of his newfound companions, there is no sign. Once again Daniel is alone and scared.

He looks about and sees a street sign that reads “Pitt Street”. He recognises this – it is Sydney, he is home. A nearby newspaper declares the year to be 1996 – nine years since he last breathed the smoggy air.

Living in fear of recapture (but from exactly what, he does not know), Daniel slowly lives day by day, then month by month, and finally, realising that recapture would remain a possibility, his instinct was to find his family, though he knew he must take great care to not be discovered.

And so he sought them, first in Sydney, then further abroad. After several weeks he found them living in the suburbs of Melbourne.

He watched them closely from the shadows, familiarising himself with their movements and patterns of behaviour. Much to his relief, he discovered his sister Dawn alive, though far from well. She had grown into a pretty wraith, and the sight of her tore at his heart

Finally, when he could bear it no longer, he approached her in secret and told her all that had happened. Remarkably, she believed him. She shared her own tale of suffering; that of her successful ‘brother’, a lawyer with a boutique firm in Sydney who was both wealthy and cruel, a twin with whom she no longer shared a special bond she recognised in this person before her. She told him of her own battle with cancer, a battle she was slowly losing.

Daniel had spent a painful existence cataloging and cross-referencing a cornucopia of fairy tales and lore alongside a dozen other stolen youths. Though he could not recall exact details or specifics, he knew there was a place where twisted hope may be found. He made a vow then and there to find Dawn a cure where he feared to tread but where he was sure a cure existed – the Hedge.

Daniel worked to obtain a new identity, as he could not compete with a successful doppelganger with the law on his side. Becoming Adam Martin, he moved to a place his research had revealed to be closer to the Hedge than any other, a place where he could conduct his search – the occult centre of Canberra.

Adam found some freelance work at an independent newspaper in Canberra and took up residence in a small, one bedroom apartment in the centre of the city on Northbourne Avenue. His life consisted of writing poorly-received opinion pieces for small cheques, composing works of poorly-received dark children’s fiction for slightly larger cheques, and making short forays into the Hedge in search of a cure.

While Adam shunned the company of others, his journeys into the Hedge brought him more and more frequently into contact with members of the Winter Court. Over the next ten years he became known, trusted and respected, though never liked.

In the autumn of 2006 an Oracle came knocking on his door. She told him her sight had shown that escapees would be stumbling from the Hedge that night, and that Fate had dictated he should meet them to help them adjust to the shock of sudden hard-earned freedom. Adam was reluctant, but had gained a reputation among his Court for rescuing many newly escaped refugees. In repayment of a favour he owed one of the Councillors of his Court he agreed to meet the Changelings and gathered blankets, clothing and newspapers (to show evidence of the date and year).

Adam waited at Old Parliament House, like the Oracle had instructed, when he heard his own voice shouting “Through here, quickly!”. Appearing out of the immaculately-groomed rose bushes emerged the two strangers he had met in the Hedge 10 years before, Jared and Henry. Shocked silence rushed through all three Changelings. The two newcomers thought it another trick of the Hedge, here was a face that should still be behind them, not suddenly appearing older and before of them.

Recovering from the shock, and watching the club of Hedge-vine Henry had grabbed rapidly dissolving into dreamstuff, Adam told the pair to quickly get in the car so they could get away from this spot should something else come through. He told them 10 years had passed for him and he would explain everything.

Full of doubts but fearful of remaining where they stood, Henry and Jared went with the familiar stranger. True to his word, Adam told them his tale.

Well, nearly all of it…

That was six months ago. Much has changed, the three have continued to find their place in the world, and tonight is the night of Spring Homecoming.

[Deadite]

Let me introduce you to our protagonists (the history of each character was written by the player):

Adam Martin - Wizened Author
Played by Pat
(Author is found in Winter Masques)

12 year old Daniel Stevenson went missing on a bright Sydney Sunday morning in the Rocks. Out for breakfast with his parents and his sickly and beloved twin sister Dawn, Daniel wandered off down one of the winding alleyways, lost in a dream of cutthroats and privateers, soldiers and convicts.

Yet, when young Daniel awoke, it was to the icy realm of Grimm, though he would later come to discover it was only one small corner of the Arcadia. Daniel’s new life commenced in the Grand Library of Grimm, cataloguing and cross-referencing a cornucopia of fairy tales alongside a dozen other stolen youths. Daniel was neither particularly suitable, nor gifted at such a task, and it was not until many years later that he would learn the fae had in fact sought to kidnap his sister Dawn, only choosing him instead after discovering her illness. While the fae could doubtless have cured Dawn, it was beneath their purposes to do so, and thus Daniel had suited their purposes well enough.

And so Daniel toiled in the frozen and hellish halls of the Grand Library for some 9 years, by day planning for the moment his freedom would become manifest and he could return to his ailing sister, and by night sobbing himself to sleep. Daniel’s torment was physical, mental, and spiritual, yet he bore each with a stoicism quite remarkable for his age. The scars, however, would be deep and abiding.

Daniel was, further, far from idle. His research gave him a keen understanding of the fae: their practices, history and secrets. And it was this knowledge that allowed him, one day many years later, to escape his keepers and flee into the Hedge.

Pursued doggedly by the vicious denizens of the Hedge, Daniel came close a number of times to being recaptured, only to by chance or fate escape. It was during this harrowing journey that Daniel stumbled across two other fleeing refugees, one an elf and the other an ogre. Yet before they could exchange even the meekest of warnings, the three were cornered by the malevolent Hedge and surrounded by sphinxes. Daniel, finding their only means of escape blocked, sought and found an exit through the Hedge. And, directing his two companions through, he threw himself after them only to find himself back on the streets of Sydney. Some 9 years had passed, and his new companions were gone. Daniel was alone.

Daniel’s first instinct was to find his family, though he knew he must take great care or be discovered. And so Daniel sought them, and after several weeks found them in the suburbs of Melbourne. He watched them closely from the shadows, familiarising himself with their movements and patterns of behaviour. And, much to his relief, he discovered his sister Dawn alive, though far from well. She had grown into a pretty wraith, and the sight of her tore at his heart. Finally, when he could bear it no longer, he approached her in secret and told her all that had happened. And, remarkably, she believed him. She shared her own tale of suffering, and of her successful ‘brother’, a lawyer with a boutique firm in Sydney who was both wealthy and cruel. And she told him of her own battle with cancer, a battle she was slowly losing. Daniel made a vow then and there to find her a cure where he knew one could be found – the Hedge.

Daniel, now Adam Martin, originally of Wagga Wagga, moved to the one place he knew he might be safe to conduct his search – the occult centre of Canberra. He found some freelance work at a small regional paper in Canberra and took up residence in a small, one bedroom apartment on Northbourne Avenue. His life consisted of writing poorly-received opinion pieces for small cheques, composing works of poorly-received dark children’s fiction for slightly larger cheques, and making short forays into the Hedge in search of a cure.

And, whilst Adam shunned the company of others, his journeys into the Hedge brought him more and more frequently into contact with members of the Winter Court. Over the next ten years he became known, trusted and respected, though never quite liked. Yet when he quite by accident happened upon and thwarted by quick thinking and clever ploy the attempted kidnapping of Gary Smith, one of the leaders of the Winter Court, his standing in the Court grew considerably. Asked to take on small duties, he reluctantly accepted, only to be offered greater and yet greater duties. And through no fault of his own, less you consider his efficiency and soft heart to be a fault, he has now risen to the position of Minister of Safety.

And this is where we find Adam, in the Spring of 2006, as the first episode commences….

[Deadite]

Henry F. Symons - Ogre Farwalker
Played by Joel

Silence was the defining state of being for Henry F. Symons’ childhood. A stony-faced, house-settling, wind in the leaves from the trees in the street kind of silence. A dour-faced mother and a silently tormented father were the boys constant companions until one left during his teen years, compounding the silence further.

The silence of Henry’s childhood was at stark odds with the noisy, chaotic, some might say lunatic childhood of his mother, Greta Scheer. Greta, youngest daughter of patriarch Wilhelm Scheer, was 8th of 8 children growing up in a cramped and draughty 2-storey townhouse in Sydney’s western suburbs. The noise factor of Greta’s childhood came from her father, Herr Wilhelm, former sailor with the Imperial German Navy, wounded at the Siege of Tsingtao, and extremely vocal supporter of the Kaiser, well past his namesakes demise.

The chaotic and lunatic factors stemmed largely from Herr Wilhelm as well. The three Scheer daughters were pressed into service at an early age as the support crew for Wilhelm’s crack unit of sailors, populated by Wilhelm’s five sons and his retarded cousin Fritz. Not even a stint in a forced work camp during WW2 calmed Wilhelm’s military ambitions for his family, nor did it dull their daily routine, despite his absence of several years. Perhaps they were afraid of what he might do when he returned and found their response times slightly diminished (for Wilhelm was very big on naval disciplining methods), or perhaps they simply did not remember how to do things any other way.

When Greta was of age, her father chased away all suitors, both actual and potential, who were not themselves fine, upstanding military men. Not being in the greatest supply at the time, young Greta did not find the escape she yearned for for several years. Until she met Corporal James M. Symons. Seizing upon this bright-eyed, muscular young man who could go toe to toe with him in vivid descriptions about bayoneting Asians, the Corporal was given Greta’s hand in marriage, almost before it was asked for. A week later, Mrs Greta Symons waved her new husband goodbye as his troop ship departed Sydney harbour.

Three tours of duty later, now Sergeant Symons returned to Sydney, to the small north-shore home Greta had made in his absence. Once enthusiastic, vigorous and active, the man she hardly knew had become taciturn, languid and surly. A pension for undisclosed mental trauma soon became the couples only source of income. Rescued from the poor life of a large family in the western suburbs, Greta had become an ignored partner in a failing venture on the north-shore. The arrival of Henry F. Symons on the scene a few years later did little to change that.

The happily given noises baby Henry spouted at first soon died away under the crushing weight of silence in the family home. His indecipherably happy murmurings was correspondence only replied to by the sound of vegetables being chopped and liquor bottles being broken against the back fence. Silence quickly became Henry’s sibling, and the two played together for many years, until Henry started school.

The noise and bustle of the schoolyard left Henry dumbstruck. His prep teacher described him as ‘a mute in a past life’, and Henry’s wide-eyed incredulity at the other children’s boisterousness led to various nicknames involving having ones mouth open. As above, so below; Henry found himself a niche in the playground as the kid who did his own thing quietly, his favourite sibling his companion at school as it was at home.

The childhood and teenage years of Henry F. Symons could best be described as ‘uneventful’. Bullies overlooked him in favour of victims that actually made noise when you beat them, girls ignored him in preference of guys who responded when spoken to, and his mother continued her love of him silently as always. Probably the most traumatic event came when Henry was fifteen, when they received a postcard from Henry’s father, sent from a beach in Thailand. His mother cried and shook her head, not having even realised he had left.

Now working 2 jobs in addition to his schooling, Henry grew further and further isolated from his peer group. He had no time for the ecumenical parties of the last years of high school, working as he did at the local grocery store and as a night shift cleaner. The most human contact he had was dinner with his mother 3 times a week, when their schedules overlapped enough for them to break bread together.

Graduation came eventually, and with it acceptance into Sydney University to study economics and maths. The move to university had little impact on Henry at first, as he filled his days in much the same manner as he had in school. Until his mother died in his second year, crushed beneath a pallet of frozen meat pies as she cleaned one night in a warehouse.

After the funeral, Henry applied for and was granted a scholarship to cover his living expenses by a foundation for the support of war-inconvenienced families. He remained in the house, its mortgage long ago paid by the Defense Force, neither having nor desiring anywhere else to go.

A bachelors degree in economic modelling soon followed, swiftly pursued by successful doctoral studies. Henry remained on campus, doing postdoc work, until he met Imelda late in the academic year.

Imelda had a personality most resembling a hurricane. She blew in to Sydney University, apparently a postgraduate student in ‘something to do with class’ at another institution. Before long, she was a fixture at social occasions in those circles, which is where she met Henry, in a closet, in a faculty members home.

Up until this point Henry’s experiences with women had been limited to drunken fumblings earlier in his university days, that invariably ended abruptly, and with the distinct feeling that he’d done something terribly wrong. Imelda either brought out his ability to do things right, or else had much different standards about what constituted an acceptable level of familiarity with the female form. When Henry woke up in his bed the next afternoon with no memory of the night previous save for a Polaroid of a rather attractive young woman’s face and décolletage. The caller id that displayed a few weeks later matched the phone number, hastily scrawled but since ignored on the back of the photo.

“I’m pregnant.” Came a vaguely familiar voice down the line.

What followed was a weeks worth of coffee, tearful accusations of endemic male fear of commitment, reassurances, and finally, a proposal. Henry F. Symons spent his savings later that week on a diamond ring.

Married life suited Henry F. Symons. That life consisted of days spent at the university, studying assiduously, and evenings spent at home, with a book, alone, as Imelda went about her various unmissable social commitments. Being the generally placid, slow to anger type, it was only after two months of this that Henry began to feel like a chump. The next morning, police were taking statements from neighbours about the ‘loutish youths’ who’d kicked down every fence in the street.

Imelda continued to be a drop-in and out life partner. Until she hit her second trimester and began hanging around the house more. Henry’s days proceeded in much the same way, but his nights were now spent to-ing and fro-ing between home and the supermarket, catering for Imelda’s increasingly strange food cravings. It was between a mouthful of Tiny Teddies and a glass of Pinot Grigio that the ultimatum was issued.

“You can’t expect to raise a child on an academics salary Henry. Go and get a real job.”

Henry tried to ignore this dramatic upset to the status quo of his life, but long bouts of expert needling and haranguing won the day for Imelda’s camp. Henry was soon accepted as an economic modeller and financial consultant at a big multinational accounting firm.

At first Henry hated the new job. He hated the suit, hated his coworkers jibes and boisterousness, hated the commute every day in his beat up 83 Corona. Pretty soon though, he began to hate it more quietly, after several one-sided screaming matches resulted from his evening grimaces. Henry’s life became an endless parade of the rear lights of cars in traffic, late night cooking sessions, weekend paintball skirmishes (for office morale) and an increasing credit card debt to service Imelda’s boredom.

It was with a modicum of relief then on his part, that the baby was born. Congratulations were issued all round in the hospital, and some good natured jibing about how hard the child would be to raise, since it didn’t seem to cry very much at all.

Henry had a chance to bond with his daughter, named Sarah after a relative of Imelda’s, every night in fact. Freed from the burden of carrying round another human being in her stomach, Imelda seized her opportunity to reclaim her vanquished social life, leaving Henry to care for the baby. This pattern of behaviour continued, largely uninterrupted, for several years.

At age 5, Sarah was pronounced to be autistic. Henry couldn’t understand why being quiet had suddenly become a symptom of mental illness, but the doctors reassured him that his progeny was quite ill indeed. Imelda later informed him, quite vociferously, that she knew something like this would happen, given Henry’s defective genes. In the backseat, Sarah said nothing.

Several apparently unsuccessful treatments later, the doctors told Henry that Sarah required ‘full-time’ care. Imelda was increasingly absent from the house when Henry was around, and so he had been doing the lions share of the caregiving for some time already. When Henry informed her of the doctors advice, Imelda told him that it was a lucky coincidence, as she had just landed a job at the ANU in Canberra. Henry could quit his job and work from home, while Imelda pursued her career in class-based-discourses-regarding-maleness-and-its-inadequate-grasp-of-intimacy.

So Henry pulled up stumps. Waving goodbye to Imelda (who stayed behind while Henry and Sarah found somewhere to live in Canberra) a few weeks later. Henry and Sarah celebrated her sixth birthday in a McDonalds, just off the freeway on their way to Canberra.

Before long Henry had set himself and his daughter up in a dingy 3 bedroom home in the darkest depths of south Tuggeranong. At the very edge of a very-edge-worthy housing estate, the backyard looked on to the bush that seemed to encroach upon the house a little more each day. Henry happily phoned his wife to give her the good news, who happily informed him of their imminent divorce, the possibility of kidnapping charges, and her intent to keep the north-shore home.

The ensuing legal battle (though it more resembled a pummelling) left Henry with a small sum of money and a rented home just north of the wild.

Fortunately, and perhaps the only fortune he’d ever had, Henry had some rather large gains in the stockmarket shortly after. It was enough to give him sufficient capital for further investments that would nullify his neighbours need to notify child services that his daughter was going hungry for some time to come.

And so began Henry’s life as an independent share trader and full-time caregiver to his autistic daughter.

But nothing, they say, lasts forever, and so it went for the Symons duo. Whilst changing a flat tire on the long stretch of bush road that separated their home from the nearest supermarket, Henry heard the baying of wolves.

Chill winds flowed down from the hills, rendering Henry’s smart casual polo shirt useless as protection from these newly hostile elements. Trying to ignore the sounds, Henry gripped the jack until his knuckles went white, and did his best to hurry things along.

No one who knew him would have described Henry as a mechanic. In the face of tremorous limbs, Henry, perhaps unwisely, decided to abandon the car and make his best speed towards home, where, he reasoned, calling a mechanic would be easy.

The sounds of wood creaking spurred Henry on faster, but not, as he would later ruminate, fast enough.

With a great crash and a howl the colossus, mounted on his equally colossal lupine mount, burst forth from the trees. Great peals of brutal and brutish laughter rang out, as Henry stood, mouth wide open, at the edge of the bushland.

His heels nipped, flesh scratched and clothes torn, Henry ran for his life through the scrubby bushland, pursued on all sides it seemed by wolf-shapes and grinning brute-men. Up and up he climbed, following the steep incline of a hill, desperately trying to slow his pursuers by hurling tree branches behind him as he ran. Close to the rocky summit, scrub tearing at his legs, Henry tripped and landed, nose first, on the hard stone.

Just barely had he raised his head when the rain of blows descended upon him, seemingly lasting forever until he blacked out.

When Henry came to, he found himself alone, bloody and starving. His torn clothes did little to warm him in the chill wan sunlight, and his eyes could not pick the familiar suburban sights of south Canberra. Henry wandered, starving and cold, for three days before stumbling upon a patrol of goblins. They beat him and left him there, and when he came to he was more hungry and colder than ever.

This pattern continued for what seemed like an eternity, as Henry slowly learned the rules of this new land. Warmth and sustenance came eventually, once the appropriate bargains had been made with his surroundings. Rocky bluffs served as hiding places and sources of arms to fend off the hunting packs and goblin patrols that periodically came his way. Sometimes he would spy a cooking fire from a ways off, and ever so quietly, sneak up under cover of darkness, dash out some sleeping goblins brains with a rock and make off with some food or tools.

The coveted items never lasted long however, the food spoiled quickly and the tools broke. Henry was forced to survive, by the very land itself, with makeshift shelter and weapons, raw animal meat for food, and only his own body to keep himself warm.

Conscious thought not related to stalking, hunting, hiding and ambushing drifted further and further away from Henry. As the not-so-normal day/night cycle drew ever onwards, time itself seemed to lose meaning. Days drew into nights over the course of years, years flowed away over the course of hours. Every moment of consciousness was filled with anxiety and fear at being caught, interspersed with moments of blinding rage. Sometimes, when he was lucky, these rage-filled moments coincided with particularly sticky encounters with the servants of the Colossus, leaving Henry bloodied but sated and free for another day-year.

He saw the great Colossus a scant few times more, but each ended in his eventual capture, captivity, and brutalising. Once, he spied the great being and his underlings making camp from a lonely peak, their tiny forms and cooking fires sticking out like great raw and bloody thumbs against the background of melting snow (the weather had been particularly strange that week-moment). It took every ounce of wit, every shred of courage and every morsel of calm, but Henry managed to approach the camp without being detected, near-padded feet cold and raw in the slowly melting snow.

The stranger-than-normal sights in the campsite dripped into Henrys brain at a somewhat embarrassing speed, and it was only whilst peering out between the spokes of a wooden cart-wheel that he realised that he was hiding underneath a caravan. Henry sat there, under the caravan, somehow remaining undetected, for long moments while the rusty gears in his mind creaked and screeched at being turned again.

He waited until nightfall, eschewing opportunities to bludgeon several napping goblins to death while the Colossus was seemingly away. Under the cover of shadow, Henry opened the door to the caravan.

A young girl lay sleeping within, blankets snugly protecting her from the harshly mutable elements outside. He stood there, in the doorway, mouth open until the slowly booming laughter of the Colossus finally penetrated his consciousness.

Henry turned to face his captor, whose laughter was soon echoed by the chittering of his goblin aides, the wheezing of his wolf-children, and the amused snarls of the pumpkin-headed horse teams tethered to the caravans.

Not wanting to appear completely foolish, Henry legged it.

The thunderous footfalls of the Colossus were accompanied by the various stompings, clompings and patterings of his minions as they poured after him in an endless tide over and through the wild landscape. After many doubling-backs, cunning hiding places, desperate combats and inspired escapes, Henry heard the sounds of pursuit recede ever so slightly into the distance.

The young girl remained in his mind, propelling him forward, but a different girl this time, one whom shared a more than passing resemblance to a man Henry thought he once knew. He ran on, taking the path through a gully that seemed more full of thorn bushes with every step…

[Deadite]

Jared Talbot - Wizened Artist
Played by Geoff

Jared Talbot had a fairly normal existence before his abduction in 2001. He married young to his high-school sweetheart, Kathryn Bellamy in 1995, when they were both 21. Jared worked as a carpenter in Canberra's building industry. He had enjoyed working with wood at school and had taken on the trade hoping to continue doing something he enjoyed. Building houses was OK, but he yearned for the more creative side of the craft. He spent his weekends in his workshop, working on woodcarvings and turned goods, which he often sold at several of Canberra's smaller arts and crafts markets.

In 1999, Kathryn had a little girl, Megan. His daughter was the light of his life and Jared absolutely adored her. His wife often spoke of how much gentler and calmer he was after Megan was born. Unfortunately for Kathryn, she suffered from post-natal depression and sometimes resented the attention that Jared gave their daughter. Kathryn's depression put a strain on their marriage. She and Jared would often get into screaming fights, until one or other of them would calm down and put a stop to things. Those times were tough for Jared. He loved his wife dearly, but he resented some of the accusations she made against him.

All that fell apart in 2001, when Megan disappeared from their backyard. Jared was at work when he received a call from a hysterical Kathryn, saying that their daughter had vanished. Racing home, he found his wife distraught and no sign of his daughter. After calling the police, he went on a search of the neighbourhood, but didn't find a single trace of Megan. The back gate was shut and locked, so Jared could not even figure out how Megan had escaped from the back yard.

The police took statements and began an investigation, but there was never any sign of the missing girl. No ransom note was ever received and the police gave up searching after a while, as there were no new needs. Jared refused to give up hope and continued to search, even though there were no extra leads. His wife, however, suffered mentally and often spent weeks depressed and almost unable to even get out of bed.

The tension between them grew until they were no even able to speak to each other some days. Things came to a head the day Jared came home and found his wife in bed with his boss. He flew into a rage and beat his boss senseless before he stormed out of the house. He wandered around the city for several hours before heading to a pub to drink himself into a stupour.

Jared had planned to drink himself to oblivion that night, but he ended up talking and drinking with a very attractive red headed woman. She was totally charming and was flirting outrageously with him. It helped Jared forget the pain of seeing his wife having sex with someone else. Deep down, the idea of doing to her what she had done to him felt good as well.

When the woman discovered that he was a carpenter, she was ecstatic. She said that she had some work at her house that she needed to have finished and her previous tradesman had stopping coming to work. There was also the unspoken desire there, so Jared gave into the temptation and went with her.

Unfortunately for Jared, she turned out to be one of the true fae. In fact, she turned out to be an Other playing the role of Mrs Santa Claus, a role that had been well prepared for one of her kind to fulfill. She led Jared through the Hedge and put him to work as one of the toy making elves.

Jared was trapped in the Fae realms for several years, always slaving away to make whatever the brats of the world were wishing for this year. Life in the workshop was extremely hard, with long hours and gruelling conditions. Mr & Mrs Claus were terrible to work for, because what one rewarded, the other tended to punish for. Jared learned to do the best work he could and keep his head down the rest of the time.

Jared doesn't remember much of his time behind the veil, but he does remember the desire to get back to find Megan and the love of his wife, despite what she had done to him. He kept believing that the affair was only a result of her breakdown and was only a temporary thing. He believed in her innate goodness and while his anger over his affair still burned in him, he convinced himself that he still loved her.

Eventually, he managed to escape from the Hedge by stowing away on Santa's sleigh, before escaping into the Hedge.

After several weeks on the run in the Hedge, he stumbled upon two other changelings who had also escaped from their own durances: Henry and Adam. He stuck with them as they tried to avoid the Hedge Sphinxes (see the Chronicle prelude) before emerging back in Canberra in Autumn, 2006.

Coming back to the mortal world was tough for Jared. He'd been gone five years and had hoped that his daughter might not have reappeared in that time. He also hoped that his wife might have recovered from her depression.

Unfortunately, while the latter was true – to some extent – his daughter was still missing. Jared had gone to his old home, only to discover that his Fetch was living there quite happily with his wife. They seemed happy together, and that made it hurt all the more.

Jared was angry with her because she had moved on with her life with someone that wasn't him, even though it looked and acted like him. She had been too caught up in her own self pity to realise that the person that she was living with wasn't her real husband. He found that even though he had spent the past five years of his durance wanting to get back to his wife, now that he was back, he couldn't stand the fact that she'd been cheating on him with someone else the entire time and liking it, even if that someone else was him in her eyes.

Jared hated his Fetch too. He hated the fact that that thing had spent the past five years getting cosy with his wife, and making her happy, something that Jared himself had failed to do before he was taken.

In the end, he decided to leave them to live a long and happy life together with their own lies. Jared didn't need either of them and was happy just to wash his hands of them both and get on with the rest of his life.

He found that he couldn't leave Canberra though, despite seriously contemplating it for a while. He still needed to resolve what happened to his missing daughter and that was going to be even harder now that five years had gone by and the police had failed to come up with any more leads. He knew that if he was ever going to find out what happened to Megan, he'd have to find it out himself.

In order to do that, he'd need money, so Jared created a small woodcarving business for himself. Because he was a nobody in the real world, he didn't even think to create a false identity for himself. He didn't think that anyone would even notice. He found a home at the other side of town and settled down to earn a living.

His talent with carving soon earned him some patronage. Within a couple of months, his work had attracted enough attention to let him live comfortably.

He also threw in his lot with Henry and Adam, who he had escaped from the Hedge with. Despite their own idiosyncrasies, he feels more comfortable having them around, as they stop him getting too depressed about his old life. Their odd behaviour – especially Henry's – also make him feel somewhat normal most of the time.

Jared joined the Spring Court not long after emerging from the Hedge. He found that because he was spending so much of his time carving, he was focused on the beautiful side of life. He longed for a world where things were more beautiful and he found that the emotions of the people who saw and bought his work was a way of spreading that feeling into the world. Joining the Spring Court seemed the natural way to express that emotion and Jared is glad he did so.

There are times when Jared thinks about looking for someone to have a relationship with, but he still can't get past the mindset that he's still officially married. That hasn't stopped him longing for some physical companionship though, and it's something he might have to do something about soon.

[Deadite]

And that brings me to the status of where each character is in life at the point that Season 1 begins.

Season 1 is titled Spring Knightly Woes for reasons that will become clear pretty quickly.

As we began the first session:

Jared and Henry have spent around six-months settling back into what they can make of a normal life and getting to know their way around Canberra’s Freehold. Jared settled into working as a woodworker, using the skills he had brought with him from Arcadia to generate a quite comfortable income making wood sculptures and selling them at local markets until his work drew attention and now he mostly works commissions. Jared looked around the various seasonal Courts and decided that the Court of Desire, Spring was the one for him. All Jared desired was to live out the rest of his life in peace and quiet, making carvings that others could covet. Jared has a comfortable house in the suburbs of Belconnen (North Canberra) and owns a large utility.

Henry took one look at the seasonal Courts and decided he didn’t want a bar of them. He’s a committed member of the Courtless and believes that the Courts are just another way to draw attention from the True Fae down on everyone. Henry learned the lessons of his durance well – he tries to lay down an obscured trail to himself wherever he can. His mind was fractured by his trials in Arcadia and what he views as subtle or clandestine is not always what a normal person would agree with. He earns a fine living trading shares electronically on his laptop. He has at least one expensive fully furnished apartment that he spends almost no time in, because it could lead someone to him. Henry usually sleeps rough in the bushland around Canberra, having discovered where most caves and areas of shelter are located. He drives a trail motorbike and almost exclusively wears a suit, except when he stalks the wilderness naked (so as to not damage his suit).

Adam on the other hand has spent the best part of 10 years establishing himself in the Freehold. He has developed quite a healthy Mantle within the Winter Court and has familiarised himself with the local Hedge and Fae lore, mostly in pursuit of finding a cure for his sister’s cancer. Unfortunately, Adam’s success within Lost society has not translated well to mortal wealth and respect. Adam scrapes by as an author of poorly-selling children’s books. It’s not that he doesn’t have writing talent (he does), it’s just that his books are entirely too dark for today’s modern parent. Adam has been told by his publishers and editors numerous times that he should be writing fantasy horror for the adult market, but Adam insists on writing children’s books, hoping to scare children enough through his stories that they never fall victim to the True Fae.

Coming next, Session1. A lot of these write-ups have been on a separate wiki for the group to provide comment. I've kept most of the comments, including my own, in separate colors in the text, so readers can get a feel for the personalities behind the characters, and see what the players were thinking during the game.

[Deadite]

Scene 1 - Perchance to Dream

Like all good fairy tales, it begins with a dream.

Standing in a land of ice and snow – seemingly endless plains of white. The viewpoint shifs and a red-and-white house/barn/factory can be seen. It is the only other colour that can be seen from here.

The ground is not soft and fluffy like a fresh fall of snow. Jagged shards of razor sharp ice jut from the compacted snow, threatening to lacerate feet and legs.

A True Fae Hunter appears in your sight. It is terrifyingly Fae. Huge across the chest, powerfully built in a human manner – a mane of course hair falls down its shoulders and across its chest. Its legs are goat-like and twisted, tipped with powerful sharp hooves. Where its head should be a metal studded helm sits, antler-like horns jutting from the temples.

Accompanying the Hunter are its pack of hounds. The viewpoint shifts closer and you can see the hounds are in the forms of various aggressive animals. A boar here, there a wolf, there a tiger. The hounds are clearly carved from wood. The craftsmanship is impeccable – each hair has been individually carved, the eyes look alive, the teeth and tongue formed in the mouth look alive. It is obvious such workmanship could not exist outside a land of dream.

The woody flesh of the animals is stained to bring out the grain, knots in the timber are evident. Beneath what should be a solid chunk of wood, the skin and hair clearly ripples with the action of woody muscles. A feeling of terror and pride come across you.

The hounds move closer to the house, gaining some kind of scent. They throw back their heads and howl their joy. Their voices sound like tree limbs scraping across glass in the breeze, terrible and causing goose-bumps to rise of your skin.

The pack lead the hunter to behind the house, following the scent. You follow them around and can see a grove of trees behind the house – yet another small splash of colour in this endless white.

As the Hunter and its pack draw closer you can see that the trees cringe in fear, pulling away from the Fae but unable to move far as they are rooted to the ground. You look closer and can see that these are not trees at all, but Wood-blooded Changelings, and a smattering of Flowering Fairest. They are terrified of the Hunter and its hounds and you can see that each and every Changeling is maimed in some way. Some are missing sheets of bark-like skin. Others are missing digits, limbs or eyes. One has had a large potion cut from the mid-point of her trunk/torso, clearly in misery but clearly unable to die. It becomes clear where the wood for such hounds comes from – you wonder what else has been formed from the flesh of Changeling trees and the feeling sof pride you felt earlier are replaced by a twinge of guilt.

The scent evidently carries back out into the ice plains and the hounds bay and head back into the white. The Hunter's massive hooves crunch easily on the jagged ice shards, the woody flesh of the hounds now exibits its toughness and similarly has little trouble with the sharp edges.

You can now see what the pack is leading its master to – a small speck of colour strongly contrasting against the white background. Your viewpoint changes and you can see the object before the Hunter gets to it. It is a beautiful blood red rose carved from what appears to be ruby, set upon a lapel pin of impeccable workmanship.

The Hunter bends down and picks up the pin. It turns and hands the jewel to a figure you had not noticed being present until now. The new figure is a beautiful woman in the face, with a gorgeous figure movie stars would die for. She wears a red dress that falls open as she moves to take the pin. Beneath the red you are horrified to see course hairs, like from a wild pig, bloated teats drooping from her belly.

As the Hunter hands her the pin it obscures your view for a moment. When it shifts the female figure is gone, replaced by a male equally grotesque. He wears thick crude leather clothing, stained red-own from dried blood. The jacket is trimmed with once-white fur, now urine stained to a stale yellow. Jagged tusks and sharp fangs and teeth jut from his mouth, almost obscured by a think matted beard.

He looks at the jewel and then looks directly at you.

“Found you!” he grunts, gloating.

[Deadite]

Scene 2 - This Motley Crew

In which the motley discusses the dream and Jared does what he thinks is the best thing and passes on the warning. [Geoff]

[This scene began with Out of Character (OOC) decisions, discussions and working out of rules. Of primary importance to the players was working out if their characters had engaged in a Motley Pledge or not. After brief discussion, and with the obvious material rewards tempting them they decided that they had. However, with prompting from Joel (playing Henry), it was put to the group that the standard Pledge in the Changeling Rulebook was expecting too great a commitment from these characters – especially considering Henry and Adam's major trust isues.

After more discussion, they decided to drop down the level of commitment to the other characters as dictated by the pledge, and in turn give up the Adroitness bonus and only take the Merit points. I haven't crunched the numbers yet to ensure it works and balances but it was good enough for the first game session.

For interest, the Merits gained by each character by taking up a pledge were: Henry – Danger Sense; Adam – Mentor 1 dot and Resources 1 dot; and Jared – Resources +2 dots.]

In character, having dedicated some of the last six months to dabbling in riding each other's dreams, Henry and Adam realise that this was probably Jared's dream they were privy to. Henry feels some increased discomfort at the Hunter figure – perhaps the representation was just a little too close to his ill-remembered and rarely seen Keeper.

[Of note in the dream sequence was my hope and trust in the player's lack of Changeling experience, that they would just 'go along with' the sequence, and not try to alter or control the dream (which as Changelings they are perfectly capable of attempting). Also, my building this dream in a narrative style was designed to bluff them if necessary and keep them off balance at this early stage, thereby adding to the discomfort elicited by this dream. I also hoped they wouldn't try and check if this dream was prophetic , and if it was, to what degree? Thankfully, this worked (this time). As will be seen later, the dream is interpreted as prophetic, but what is merely symbolism and what is more direct remains unknown to them.]

Bastard. [Geoff]

With unspoken agreement, the trio separately head to a local McCafe.

[I asked the team if this was a regular occurrence which they confirmed. This led me to understanding an interesting contradiction about Henry that can be further explored in game play – he is borderline paranoid and seeks to avoid setting patterns, but when the other members of his Motley draw him into a pattern (such as the McCafe meeting) he doesn't seem to recognise it as such and continues to use it.]

Adam calls Jared en route to the cafe. Adam confirms that the dream was from Jared's Durance. Although details of his time in the Hedge are hazy (and this dream was vivid), Jared feels it is right and confirms.

[Henry supplies a mobile phone to Adam. This was an offer Henry made before Adam got any dots of Resources. Henry's idea is that the phone has his number programmed into speed-dial number 1, so Adam can warn him of danger. Once again though, Henry fails to see that this creates a link to him that could conceivably be exploited to track him down.]

Adam and Henry arrive at the cafe at pretty much the same time. Henry is already there, having made his way from the forests and bushlands he usually inhabits and dressing in his one suit . He is working at his day job as an online stock-trader with his wireless laptop. He grunts a greeting to the others.

[Henry lives most of his life naked in the woods. I told him that this lifestyle had led to a series of sightings bylocal hikers and campers and has resulted in several small but persistant articles about 'wild men' or 'yowies' living in the Canberra hills. Once again , Henry hasn't realised the attention he is drawing to himself by seeking to avoid attention. He does rent an apartment in the city, but uses this as rarely as possible to avoid people finding him.]

“You projectin' or what?” he asks. He doesn't seem to direct this at either one in particular, but Jared answers, confirming the dream was from him.

The Motley dicusses what the dream means. Jared comments on details from his hazy memories of his durance. He recalls two Keepers, which fits with the dream. He comments that his role was carving and making toys, which seems to be linked to the hounds. Jared says that they've got time until the events of the dream come to light because the scene was winter, but concedes that his durance was a land of cold, which could be what he was seeing.

Of his durance, Jared recalls a 'Santa's Workshop' scenario and recalls he spent five 'Christmasses' there, equating this with his five years gone he figures that time in that realm is pretty close to Earth's. Seizing on the Christmas idea, Henry decides that a sleigh needs reindeer and he needs to arm himself against these. He recalls there is a reindeer farm out in the nearby Tidbinbilla hills.

[In the real world there probably isn't, but my general approach is to let the players create as much of the world as they can. In this case, Henry spends a lot of time roaming the woods and surrounds of Canberra, so if he saw a reindeer farm out there, who am I to second guess him?]

[Separately, Geoff has informed me that Jared loathes Christmas. No real surprise there!]

Of the jewelled pins, Jared has no idea.

Adam asks, “Why now?” The others have no idea.

The mood turns to paranoia and discussion turns to avoiding Spring Homecoming that night for safety reasons. Jared dismisses this out of hand – as a Spring Court member he is expected to attend. Adam is also persuaded to attend, at least briefly, as he is a ranking member of the Winter Court, and it would be unsociable to not attend.

[Pat informs me Adam has never cared about this before – it's more that Jared will go regardless and they probably shouldn't split up too much.]

Henry feels it is generally a bad idea but thinks being on his own after this is a worse idea.

The subject turns to Fetches; Adam makes a comment off the cuff about his, causing Henry to reply that knowing his is still alive and out there irks him.

“Six months is a long time,” says Henry.
“Try 10 years,” replies Adam.
“Still out there?” enquires Henry.
“Yep,” confirms Adam.

Henry offers to assist Adam in killing his Fetch, an offer that Adam refuses for reasons he won't disclose. Henry makes the same offer to Jared who also refuses, telling his Motley that his Fetch is doing a better job of taking care of his family than he did. With a trace of bitterness in his voice, Jared informs them that the Fetch lives his life better than Jared could.

Henry decides he'll ride out to the farm and ask the farmer the best way to kill reindeer. The others tease him a little by suggesting this would draw attention. He changes his plan to simply calling the farmer, from a payphone, so the police can't trace it back to him. The others also point out that a farmer probably wouldn't tell a random stranger how to kill his stock over the phone.

Adam offers for everyone to come back to his place, as it is closest and they don't want to split up – safety in numbers. Jared goes along with it, Henry agrees after learning Adam has power-points and he can charge his nine laptop batteries.

[Henry lost a lot during his time away. His short sentences (from years of not speaking) and lack of successful long term plans (who could think that far ahead?) are testament to this.]

Jared calls Thalia, the Spring Seneschal of Celebrations, his contact with the higher-ups of his court. As could be expected, she is very busy in the lead-up to the Homecoming, but she is the kind of person who makes time for others, especially if there is something to come from it later.

"Jared, darling!" is the answer when she learns who is on ther end of the line.

Jared explains that he's had a disturbing dream and wants to report it to the Oracles [More on them later]. Thalia checks if he is sure and that she is very busy, but Jared insists. Thalia sighs and agrees to pass the details onto the person looking after the Oracles today, as she obviously doesn't have the time to be minding them. Jared thanks her and hangs up. She finishes with a cheery "See you tonight darling".

[There were a couple of times in this conversation where I gave subtle hints to Jared that perhaps disturbing the Oracles and giving them other things to think about on the day of the Spring Augury was possibly not the best idea. Geoff missed these hints and pushed on regardless, which I must admit, was exactly what I had hoped would happen!]

Reading back through this session, but wasn't this a little easy? I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Jared (at this stage in this session) a little rank-and-file to have his message put through to the most important kids on the block this day? And given whatever is said to the Oracles tends to bend the augury, wouldn't there be fairly tight restrictions on this? I realise we've discussed this casually in session ooc, but seriously… somebody wanted our little sob story to get passed up the line. Why though? Who would that benefit??? {Pat}

After sitting around Adam's place for a while, Jared declares he has to return home to collect his hand-made suit (which is harlequin-like and multi-coloured, he crafted it himself) and carved sculpture for the Homecoming contest.

Henry decides it is too dangerous for Jared to head straight home, because people are obviously after Jared more specifically than the other two, so he rides out to Jared's house to check for tracks, sleigh marks on the house or similar. He orders Jared to stay at Adam's until he calls.

When Henry arrives at Adam's house he finds nothing except dog waste on the front lawn. He calls Jared, worried, but is informed the neighbour has a large Labrador and this is quite usual. Henry checks Jared's story by looking over the neighbour's fence and seeing the dog back in its yard.

With the coast clear, Jared and Adam take Jared's ute to the house. Here, Jared gets changed and collects his artwork: a beautiful wooden carving of his lost daughter. The detail is exquisite, to the point it seems almost life-like and could possibly briefly fool other Changelings into thinking that it was a Woodblooded Elemental.

[I originally said “talking to a Woodblooded Elemental”, as I forgot Jared's daughter was only two years old when she disappeared.]

All ready and with daylight fading, the Motley head to Commonwealth Park by the lake for the Spring Court Homecoming.

[Deadite]

Scene 3 - Spring Homecoming

Jared drives himself and Adam to Commonwealth Park in his station wagon. Henry rides his trail bike there.

Heading to the location of the annual Floriade festival, the motley find two Changelings standing either side of a floral archway. The one on the left is a gorgeous woman, dark hair, her skin lightly covered in golden scales, her eyes red and slitted like a reptiles. She is wearing an odd ensemble of period pirate-style dress. Tights, knee-high leather boots, a puffy swashbuckling shirt and a red-coat jacket. She sports a rapier in scabbard worn low on her hip and flintlock pistol holstered in her belt. She was obviously a Draconic Fairest. Someone recognised her as Sam Ugly – recalling that rumour says there is a story to how she got her name, and that she gutted the last person who asked about it.

Sam greets the PCs and takes a shine to Henry, calling him “sweety” and “handsome”. Henry is obviously uncomfortable with this attention and doesn't know how to cope with it. Jared and Adam are quietly amused with Henry' predicament, but don't say anything to Henry. The PCs notice that both Changelings are wearing the ruby-rose lapel pins they saw in the dream. They ask about them and are told the pins represent the Spring Knights, who are providing security for tonight's Homecoming.

Her companion was very different. A Stonebones Ogre, Dex was sporting faded old jeans, black biker's boots and a black leather jacket. He belt was a crude chain of iron links, blackened like they'd been in a fire, threaded through this is a rough-looking crowbar. Henry believed both of these to be made from hand-forged iron and was immediately interested in procuring some of his own. Henry tells Dex that he likes his crowbar. Dex, in a menacing tone, offers to show how it works, drawing it out of his belt. Adam and Jared decide to bail out before trouble occurs, grabbing Henry and dragging him though the floral archway and into the hollow that houses Spring Court mansion and the Homecoming festival. As they go, behind them they can hea a forelorn deep voice saying “I was just going to show him how it swings and stuff”. Sam Ugly can be heard sympathising with her motley mate.

Inside the hollow is a huge clearing (probably 100 metres radius) with the hedge carefully trimmed back. In the distance can be seen a huge mansion – the headquarters of the Canberra Spring Court. In the sky can be seen stars arranged in strange constellations. The hollow is lit tonight with flaming torches scattered seemingly randomly across the area. Ensorcelled mortals are serving drinks and food, moving through the crowds in a dream-like, blissfully happy state.

To prevent accidental injury to guests, a silk rope has been set up to make sure people don't get closer than about one metre to the hedge wall. Along the silk rope between the gate and the mansion are set three chairs and a throne. The throne is beautifully carved wood with flowers seemingly in bloom they are so lifelike, it is currently empty. The chairs are occupied by three women, each wearing a plain black dress and a shawl over their heads, completely covering their features. The ones on the left sits with her head upwards, staring at the skies. The middle one sits with her head cocked slightly to one side, the one of the right sits staring straight forward. They are all motionless. These are the Oracles – She Who Watches, She Who Listens and She Who Waits. [They will feature prominantly later].

Jared casts around for someone he knows. The first familiar face he sees belongs to Thalia. She greets Jared and his companions warmly, telling Jared that she passed on his message and it should have got to the Oracles. She hints that telling the Oracles too much on the day of the Augury can be bad, but she's sure Jared knew what he was doing. Jared thanks her and asks where he can put his sculpture. Thalia indicates an area beyond the rope line but close enough to still be in the light where other artists have set up their pieces. Jared excuses himself to go place his entry on its pedestal.

Adam and Henry look around, milling a bit. Adam accepts a beer from one of the dreamy waitresses, Henry dogedly avoids anything until it's pointed out to him that this could draw attention. Therefore he switches tactic and takes a beer and steadfastly does not drink it. When given the chance both of them head to the silk rope and try to stay on the sidelines. They look about at the quickly building crowd to see if there's anyone hey should talk to.

They soon meet Zephyr, an Airtouched Elemental who speaks rapidly about anything that happens to fall into his mind. Zephyr is tall, thin, lithe, and completely androgenous. The PCs are unable to work out exactly what sex Zephyr is, and figure it is probably impolite to ask.

Zephyr learns that Henry is the hairy man who has been seen roaming the bushland around Canberra. Or at least one of them. Henry, alarmed, asks what Zephyr means. Zephyr replies that lots of things get spotted out in the wilds, such as naked men, other yowies, Others, all kind sof animals. Henry grows more alarmed and asks Zephyr when he saw Others out there. Zephyr says he didn't and he's sure it's just rumour anyway, but Henry is quite shaken.

Zephyr comments on the sculptures and carvings on entry this year, when Adam and Henry take the chance to ask about other works made by Jared. Zephyr excitedly take the characters beyond the silk rope deeper into the hollow to show Henry and Adam a previous example of Jared's incredible work. He shows them an immaculate carving of a giant wolf, almost lifelike with the detail. Each hair appears to have been individually carved, the eyes almost gleam with malevolence. Zephyr, with great enthusiasm, demonstrates to his newfound friends how you can almost feel moisture on your finger if you touch the wolf's tongue. Adam and Henry are incredibly freaked by the carving – it is identical to one they saw only hours before in a dream. They make their excuses and manage to finally shake of Zephyr to have a private exploration of the hollow.

Meanwhile, Long-Leg Thom, Spring Court Messenger of Tidings another Farwalker Ogre, finds Jared and lets him know that he is in charge of minding the Oracles today and that he passed on Jared's disturbing dream after Thalia convinced him that it was probably important. Thom tells Jared that the Court usually avoids interacting with the Oracles on the day of the Augury as anything they see or hear could colour their predictions. Jared starts to get a very bad feeling about his reporting of the dream. Thom excuses himself to see to other business.

Jared heads back to the main area, seeing a Woodblooded Elemental with his left arm hanging bandaged and useless by his side walk past with purpose. He is wearing another one of those rose-jewel pins.

Adam and Jared have made their way to the mansion and are looking sheepishly into a window. The décor appears to be colonial style, with well-worn but luxurious leather couches and brass fittings. The room they are looking at appears to be some kind of study, gently lit by gas lamps. There don't appear to be any people in the house – they're all at the Homecoming mingling.

With nothing going on at the mansion, Henry and Adam head back to the party, briefly chatting with a wolf-aspected Hunterheart Beast wearing another rose-jewel pin and providing security. He is sniffing at the air a lot and instantly recognises the feel of Adam's strong winter mantle, offering due respect.

Jared runs into Chilli Red, the leader of the Spring Court. Chilli is a laid back Flowering Fairest, his beard and hair thick and rich with chillis of all shapes and sizes growing in the tangles. Chilli's strong spring mantle is flavoured with a feel of spice and cooking fragrance. People in his vicinity feel a little flushed and hot, like they've just eaten a mouthful of a spicey dish. Chilli greats Jared and says he's heard of Jared's message to the Oracles and he's worried that it might influence their prophecy. He tells Jared that the Oracles are generally kept isolated for that reason. However, he's sure that Jared either had good reason, or didn't know and probably should have been told by Thalia. Chilli acknowledges that she's been overly busy this past week and probably assumed that Jared was aware of the repercussions. Regardless, what's done is done and Chilli figures what comes will come. He recommends that Jared try the chilli beer if he gets a chance – it's from a special brew that Gary Smith from the Winter Court has put together. Jared says he will try it. Chilli excuses himself to take care of Spring Court business and that the Augury will probably begin soon.

More mingling occurs then suddenly She Who Watches shifts and indicates to Chilli that the stars have aligned and the time for the Augury is at hand. Chilli gestures to the Spring Knights, who drag a strange hedge beast out of the shadows and into the circle. The beast appears to be a great bull made from rag-doll patches of every colour, its eyes glass beads full of rage. It has horns of ragged-sharp glass shards, with great fangs of the same. It is trying to gore and bite its captors, but they have it in four chains and are pulling hard at it to keep it from getting to them. It is obvious where the injury to the Woodblooded Elemental came from. The Knights tie the beats to four great rings impaled to the ground and back away, clearly exhausted.

The Oracles go from motionless to attacking the beast like striking serpents, one slicing open its throat, one its belly, one its groin. Milky white blood spills from the wounds, along with strange entrails and organs. The beats groans as it struggles its death-throes. The Oracles stop attacking and study the patterns on the ground with great intensity. As they do so, ensorcelled mortal servants move in and catch as much of the mily blood in great bowls as they can.

The Oracles begin chanting in unison their augury for the coming year.

"We see a time of change upon us.
A year of mystery and strife.
We see a great hunter leading an army of True Fae across the plains of Arcadia, across the Hedge, into the battle-field of Canberra, through freshly destroyed seals and boundaries.
We see Changelings dragged back to their durance for a thousand years, serving to bring others to their Keepers.
We see the Knights lying dead, the Courts in ruins, the Serpent risen.
All this shall come to pass, unless it doesn't."

Hmmm, interesting. I think we're going to be spending a lot of time patrolling boundaries and making sure that all the seals are intact then. Going to have to ask Chilli Red about those when we meet him… [Geoff]

More servants hurry in to collect the organs from the ground, while skilled Changeling butchers begin jointing the beast for eating. The servants hand three strange organs to the Oracles, one to each.

On closer inspection it can be seen that these are not organs at all, but small doll poppets, each with a rose-jewel pin attached to it. The poppets can be seen to resemble people. The Oracles move through the assembled crowd, comparing the dolls to the guests and eventually realising that the dolls most clesly resemble Henry, Adam and Jared. With dread the characters accept the dolls, which instantly dissolve leaving just the pin. The characters have been chosen as the Spring Knights for the coming year, and are not at all happy about it. Chilli quickly comes up to them and says they will meet tomorrow to discuss the roles and expectations of the Knights. He tells them that even though the prophecy seems horrible, to enjoy the night and relax as much as they can before the morning comes.

Servants are now handing out shares of the meat and blood from the beast. Adam and Jared accept the spoils – the meat tastes like honeyed popcorn, the blood tases like sweet strawberry wine. Both have an uplifting, life-affirming effect without being like a narcotic. Most people at the party are partaking of the food and drink, and inhibitions are starting to lower as the assembled Changelings seek to forget their troubles for a night and find a partner.

Chilli announces that Jared has won the art contest for the night, before the crowd descends into complete partying bliss.

In the amorous aftermath that occurs, a beautiful woman made from living shadow propositions Adam who accepts her advances. She leads him to a room she has taken in the mansion for the night. Sam Ugly tries to indulge her love of hairy men with Henry, who is unfortunately too distracted (and ignorant) to take advantage of the situation. She settles for Long-Leg Thom instead, leaving Henry to his own company. Jared eats, drinks and is merry but does not manage to receive female attentions this night.

The party continues into the wee hours of the morning. Adam awakes to find his bed-mate is already in the shower. He starts pulling on his pants to escape before she comes out, but she hears him and comes out in a towel. She introduces herself as Lucifer, and seems to already know a fair bit about Adam. She tells him she has to get to work and leaves her card with a phone number on it for him to call again. Adam takes advantage of the amenities and takes a shower.

Leaving the mansion, Adam finds his motley and they depart Spring Homecoming, worried about what the year will bring and not being happy about being in the middle of it.