"It's just a scratch. On your feet, soldier." - Devon the Black
The Summer Court is responsible for the martial preparedness of the Freehold, as well as having primary responsibility for patrolling the Trods surrounding the Freehold. The main trod, which runs from the Lehigh Valley through Philadelphia and out to Cape May, takes up most of the Court's time. Devon focuses most of his time on high-level organization, depending on his lieutenants to handle day-to-day training and patrolling. The constant threat of Huntsmen is matched with far more subtle dangers from Hedge and mortal world alike.
Summer Court History
The Summer Court in Philly's long, bloody history has at stabilized over the last two decades: first, Devon took the Crown after a tumultuous decade where the Crown bounced back and forth between a series of self-important blowhards. It was the sort of fractious internecine argumentation which would get some sort of overblown name like Decade of a Dozen Crowns if this were a George R. R. Martin book. Thankfully for all the women of the Summer Court, its narrative is not written by that particular hand. In any case, Devon stepped up and put an end to at least the worst of the petty bickering by a style of leadership which allows people to serve the Summer Court in a lot of different ways and recognizes that there are many ways to fight. Likewise, his tendency to be as hands-off as possible and leave most of the day-to-day decisions in the hands of his lieutenants (and their lieutenants) means that people stay invested in what happens, and feel like the things they say matter.
This section will be updated with resources built by players.
Summer Hollow
The Summer Hollow belongs to the Court as a whole and is administrated by the Quartermaster under the instruction of the Crown. It is linked to the Freehold's Stable Trod and has the following features, up to six as it's on a Stable Trod:
Size Matters (2)
Luxury Goods (1)
Home Turf (3)
The Hollow is owned by NPCs and made available to Summer PCs. Other Courts may be escorted in nas guests. PCs do not have to invest a dot in this Hollow to be able to access it. This is an exception to the rules that a PC must invest a dot into a Hollow to be able to access it without breaking in.
The Summer Hollow is a wide, sprawling area: a cluster of small cottages over to one side which Court members can choose for their own and mold as they like, an open grassy area for sparring and martial exercises. Past that, a huge longhall has a closet full of basic first aid supplies, taps which dispense every kind of alcohol a person could want, several long tables, and a big blackboard on the wall for use in planning.
Off to one side of the Hollow is a memorial area, dotted with candles and decorated with personal items which recognize the Freehold's Worthy Dead, those who died in defense of Shackamaxon.
Summer Court Roles
These roles are adapted from Changeling: the Lost 1.0 and are subject to revision in play. Likewise, if you have a pitch for a job for your character, please contact staff! NPC Leadership is open to new ideas. Some positions adapted from Haunted Memories MUSH.
NPC Roles
Crown - The Crown will always be held by an NPC.Devon takes the Crown with a minimum of fuss every Summer as he has for many years.
PC Roles
Crimson Victors - Unlike other Freeholds, where a single Wroth General serves as the head of Summer's martial activities, in Philadelphia, a pair of Crimson Victors assist the Crown in administrating all of the Court's affairs. There was once a Wroth General, but seven years ago Angus Jones attempted to assassinate Devon and take the Crown. That didn't work out well for him; he refused to surrender when beaten, and was killed. So now there are two Crimson Victors, isn't that swell? Like the Knights of Utmost Silence, the Crimson Victors work in a pair. The Left-Hand Victor supervises all of the duties of the court which are not directly martially-centered, such as the Sun's Tongue and Quartermaster, while the Right-Hand Victor supervises all explicitly martial jobs, such as the Hunters of the Longest Day and Sentinels of Flame. Together they advise the Crown and are directly responsible for making Devon aware of any immediate threats. The Crimson Victors may raise the Hue and Cry. Prerequisites: Summer Mantle 4, Small Unit Tactics, Persuasion (Leadership) 2, Brawl or Weaponry 4 Current Left-Hand Victor:Alice Jordan Current Right-Hand Victor: Peter Wood
The Sun's Tongue - Summer's diplomat, the Sun's Tongue speaks for the Crown, reaching out not just to other Courts but to other supernatural societies. While all Summers are expected to be martial, not every Summer is expected to be diplomatic. Sun's Tongues are often uniquely positioned for becoming Crown at some point in the future, or ascending to the highest levels of the Court. Prerequisites: Summer Mantle 3, Subterfuge (Detecting Lies) 3, Persuasion 3, Socialize (Supernatural Societies) 2 Current Sun's Tongue: Margret Wander
The Unseen Sun - The Court's assassin, the Unseen Sun goes undercover when necessary to root out threats to the Freehold, and must therefore be able to lie as well as he fights. The Unseen Sun is often a position that sits empty, since many Summers prefer the direct approach. The Unseen Sun reports directly to the Crimson Victors, but may be brought under direct report to the Crown in times of war or attempted coup. The Unseen Sun may raise the Hue and Cry. No Unseen Sun has ever done so in the history of Philadelphia.Prerequisites: Summer Mantle 4, Stealth 3, Light Shy, Hostile Takeover, Brawl or Weaponry 3, Subterfuge (Disguise) 3 Current Unseen Sun: Teagan
Sentinels of Flame - The Sentinels of Flame are Summer's premiere warriors and mid-level leaders. They are expected to lead patrols through the local Hedge, acting as sergeants to the Hunters of the Longest Day, as well as leading martial exercises to strengthen Summer as a whole. This isn't just about who can fight hardest and fastest, but who understands their Contracts best, how to navigate the hedge, the ability to hedgespin in order to better traverse difficult sections of the Hedge, etc. Someone who can swing a sword in the deadliest way may not be qualified to be a Sentinel -- you have to be able to lead people to succeed as one. The Sentinels of Flame may raise the Hue and Cry.Prerequisites: Summer Mantle 3, Brawl or Weaponry 3, Small Unit Tactics or other Fighting Style meant for working with others, Persuasion (Leadership) 2, Hedge Sense Current Sentinels: Sigrún Ljósdóttir
Adepts of the Zenith- Sometimes, a single knowledgeable specialist can do more to turn a situation around than a band of warriors who lack that sort of knowledge. Adepts of the Zenith represent the sort of people who the Summer Court turns to when a situation calls for members with expertise regarding specific topics. This may vary from being familiar with particular terrain, having a firm grounding in how matters of the occult may influence battle, or even knowing how to get local fauna on your side, so you're not struggling with them and your actual enemy at the same time. All Adepts are expected to approach the Crown and make a case for why they're needed by the court, and why their expertise isn't replicating another job that exists within the Court. Prerequisites: Summer Mantle 3, 2 appropriate skills at 3, an appropriate specialty for your proposed area of expertise. Current Adepts:
Quartermaster - Exactly what it says on the tin. Quartermasters are expected to have passing martial ability, but they are responsible for making sure everyone in Summer has a roof over his head, shoes on her feet, money in their pocket, and a weapon in his hand. He's also got access to Summer's stash of bail money, because Summer knows its people. The Quartermaster must also be able to negotiate a good deal at Goblin Markets or be able to otherwise locate Goblin Fruits to keep Summer's stock of healing up. Prerequisites: Summer Mantle 2, Contacts 2, Allies (Legal) 2, Market Sense Current Quartermaster: Doll Wood
Hunters of the Longest Day - The first job that most Summers take after they stop being Pages are the Hunters of the Longest Day. The Hunters are responsible for self-directed patrols through the local Hedge, as well as gathering information on potential threats. They report directly to the Sentinels of Flame, but are expected to be largely able to supervise themselves and put together patrols and martial actions on their own. Prerequisites: Summer Mantle 2, Brawl or Weaponry 2, Survival (Hedge) 2 or Occult (Hedge Lore) 2 Current Hunters: June Desrochers, Augustus von Sturmfalke
Page of High Noon - Sometimes people make jokes about 'high noon' and Westerns with regard to the Pages, but none more than the pages themselves. They do all of Summer's grunt work, and this is the job that every Summer has from the moment he swears to the Court until he takes on another job. (Summer expects all Summers to try to move on from being a Page as soon as they're ready.) Prerequisites: Summer Mantle 1 Current Pages: Arthur Phoenix, Glitch, Avery, Olivia Greene
Summer Court Politics
Hue and Cry - The Hue and Cry is a formal declaration that the Freehold is at War. The ability to call the Hue and Cry rests solely with the Summer Court, regardless of what Season it is. Much like the President must ask Congress for a declaration of war, the Crown, if it is not Summer, must ask a ranking member of the Iron Spear to raise the Hue and Cry. Once the Hue and Cry has been raised, all members of the Freehold must make the matter of war their highest priority; all non-urgent matters are waited upon until the Hue and Cry has been suspended or stood down. All enmities are expected to be laid to rest for the duration, so that the current threat can be dealt with. A Crown who raises the Hue and Cry on flimsy pretenses will find Summer turning against them, standing the Freehold down. Once the Hue and Cry has been raised, only the Summer Crown may stand it down.