Civil Blood and Civil Hands Unclean Cold and bitter for much of the year, the Ashcroft-Gravesend area is nonetheless a
worldwide cultural and economic center. Originally little more than a fort and fishing villages
created as a colonial outpost, the city was overtaken by invasions. The original City of Ashcroft
kept strong thanks to it’s access to the river and it’s strong supplies, and eventually the siege on
it failed and everyone just gave up and settled around it, calling the settlement that sprang up
Ashcroft and growing into a bustling metropolis and eventually incorporating with the much more
idyllic Gravesend.
The region gained strength as a central point between several destinations, eventually
settling into a great spider web of cultural and economic traffic, and moving away from it’s roots
in fishing. Tourists come from all over, and so do immigrants. Cultural exchange is high, as is
commerce and innovation.
The Story
The Bulwark
The Courts
The Honourable Shogunate of the Ashen City
Approaches
Trappings of Nobility
Titles
The Society of Free Spirits
Approaches
Trappings of Nobility
Titles
Cult of the Circle
[Strife Court]
[Opportunity Court]
The Story Ashcroft is a city with two Freeholds, each with competing stories, told from the other
side. It wasn’t always this way. It was a story of Brotherhood. The Freehold was lead by two
brothers who were alike in their wisdom and cunning. They escaped the same Keeper, and
legend says that together they slew her, dealing the fatal blow together. In her dying breath, she
cursed the pair, threatening to poison their love for one another.
For a while, nothing came of it. The two were a strong pair, and pulled together disparate
Courts into a powerful Freehold, and for one year and one day after the Bulwark was created, the
Freehold flourished, and not a single Huntsman harmed the Changelings of the city. Good things
never last as often as they should, and a woman came into the Freehold. She seduced the
brothers, and turned their love into jealousy and hate, and the Bulwark broke as they grew apart.
The story changed, and the Freehold was fractured.
Unable to work together, the Honourable Shogunate of the Ashen City and Society of
Free Ideals formed separate Freeholds, with the [Druid Court] split between the two. The
Bulwark was remade and peace became animosity. For over a hundred years, that was the
story of the Twin Freeholds. Now, the [Druid Court] has finally made headway. An uneasy peace
has settled in the Courts, and newer changelings from both of the Freeholds have now become
comfortable forming motleys together. The time has come, the [Druid Court] proclaims, for the
Twin Freeholds to become one again.
The Daimyo of the Honourable Shogunate and the Prime Speaker of the Society of Free
Ideals have agreed to work together. Their respective wards will be married off, and the union will
create a new Bulwark for the reunited Freehold of Ashcroft.
… if only forces weren’t conspiring against reunification.
The Bulwark Whatever the city’s original Bulwark was, no one alive remembers. It only stood for a year
and a day before the original Freehold was torn apart. It was replaced with a contest between the
two Freeholds. The contests themselves can be anything, though traditionally it has been an all
out skirmish, with smaller, less ceremonial battles throughout the year.
Currently, the [DRUID COURT] has decided that the Freehold will create a new Bulwark
in the form of a ceremonial marriage between the Society of Free Spirits and the Honourable
Shogunate. Through this merger, the city will become stronger and protected against the Fae.
The game begins on the first night of the Bulwarking ceremony, during a prenuptial party.
Complications arise, and the players have three days to set it right, or the Bulwark will once
again become WAR.
The Courts Short version: ​
http://pastebin.com/MtPBf0Q9
The Courts of Ashcroft are split along two Freeholds that form the halves of a broken
whole. The Freehold of Red is headed by the Gold Court and the Freehold of Blue is headed by
the Silver Court. The three smaller Courts actually occupy a liminal state. As neither of the
Freeholds can survive without the ongoing civil tension to fuel the current Bulwark, mechanically
they are both part of the same Freehold, and any member of the Courts gains the protections of
the Mantle and Approaches.
Originally the Courts fought over the schism between the brothers, with their respective
Courts siding with them in the conflict, but as the years went on changelings in the Silver and
Gold fight primarily because of the wrongs of the other Court, both perceived and actual.
Whatever ancient grudge originally motivated the Courts, most Courtiers are more concerned
about what has been done to themselves and their allies.
The Honourable Shogunate of the Ashen City The Stoics, Court of Honour, The Brush and Sword
The larger of the two Courts vying for control of Ashcroft, the Shogunate likes to think of
itself as the people in charge, maintaining order and keeping the peace. In actuality they’re just
as often violent thugs with a concern for appearances. The Court maintains that it is honourable
and virtuous, and in many ways it is. The Shogunate provides opportunities for those who need
them, with structure and discipline. It attracts the dedicated and determined, promising to temper
their emotions with stoicism and rationality, making them better people.
At the same time, the Shogunate is unable to let go of slights, to the point that backing
down from a conflict is impossible. Honour drives people to want to be better--whether it’s the
right thing or simply to be seen as better--but it also drives the Courtiers to do whatever it takes
to cultivate an air of authority and togetherness. The Court doesn’t tolerate failure or disgrace,
and often uses shame to encourage its members.
Courtiers of the Brush and Sword have their fingers in several mortal pies, particularly
much of the city’s organized crime. The Shogunate reasons that especially for the Changelings
of the city, an organized criminal empire is much better than one that is managed by
disorganized riffraff who threaten the innocent. As far as many in the Freehold are concerned,
this is completely true. After all, the Court does help provide many protections that the
supernatural community needs that would be considered illegal.
Approaches Saving Face:​
Huntsman gain a point of Yearning whenever they attempt to work to
disgrace or undermine the public image of one of the Stoic, digging up dirt or showing them to be
fraudulent in some capacity.
A Thrown Gauntlet:​
A duel is the most honourable form of combat, and in the
Shogunate’s members are not one to back down, lest it mark them as cowards. Huntsmen gain
a point of Yearning when they isolate one of Courtiers, goading them into single combat or some
other ostensibly even challenge.
Trappings of Nobility The Honourable Shogunate styles itself most notably on the trappings of the Samurai of
ancient Japan, though in practice they’re more similar to the yakuza, triads, vory, mafia, or other
organized criminal gangs. Take a flashy samurai epic, throw in the ​
G odfather,​
and cover the
result in the tattoos of the yakuza, vory, and cartels and you have the average Stoic Courtier.
They dress well, and often in anachronistic clothing, and when they’re able they show off the
intimidating tattoos that serve as a resume. Pride drives them as much as honour, and looking
both professional and badass is idealized.
They trend towards showy oyoroi armour. Their weapons are hedgespun and gorgeous
(though still very functional). Shogunate Courtiers will often insist on creating an Imperial seal for
their motleys. Their colours are of Silver, of course, and Blue. Animal heraldry is often turtles and
dragons, both western and eastern.
While it’s easy to characterize the Shogunate as being entirely militaristic, or at least
concerned with the appearance that they are, simply being skilled at combat isn’t enough to truly
achieve an honourable persona among the Courtiers. Those who want to raise their mantle will
find themselves stymied if they can’t bring themselves to also bring out beauty through art.
Titles Daimyo (Mantle 5)​
: The leader and public face of the Court, the Daimyo is in a unique
position to both benefit from the strength of the Court but to also feel personally disgraced by
impropriety at any level.
Stoic Mantle ● ​
Courtiers of the Shogunate are all about appearances, and keeping them up, and they
know how to put down threats to their Face before they happen. Gain the Table Turner (​
●​
) merit
(​
Chronicles of Darkness​
pg. 55) for free, even if you don’t qualify.
●●​
Courtiers gain a dot of the Goblin Vow merit related to the Court
●●●​
The stoicism of the Shoguns extends beyond the social, and the Courtier gains +1
Armour.
●●●●​
The Stoic gains a personal Approach related to their honour.
●●●●●​
As an embodiment of cool, composed pride and unflappable honour, nothing
phases the Courtier at all. They gain the Indomitable merit, and it extends even to mundane
attempts to shake their resolve or control them. If they spend a point of Willpower when resisting
mental influence or coercion--provided the Stoic feels they align with the Court’s goals and don’t
exploit the disenfranchised--the roll gains the 8-Again quality.
The Society of Free Spirits Court of Ideals, The Stage and Hunter, The Passionate
The Society is barely smaller than the Shogunate, but that doesn’t stop them from playing
up the fact. In reality, even with their lack of numbers, the Court of Ideals is likely the stronger of
the two factions. Passion is a powerful force, and even the passion directed against the Court
feeds its Contracts. The Court considers itself a free and open place, and tends to attract the
iconoclastic and individualist members of the Freehold, and the Passionate holds a much looser
form of rule than the Shogunate.
Passion to the Society is similar to Desire. It’s often motivated by want and envy, but it
can also simply be wanting more of what you have. More experience, more love, more lust. The
Passionate are active as well as reactive, and tend to embody their emotion by thrusting
themselves out into life. This has lead them to be willing to put aside their feuding in some
cases, but it’s also what has kept the feud going, as revenge is just as strong a passion as
forgiveness.
Among their mortal holdings, the Passionate favour entertainment and art more openly
than the Shogunate, as well as academia. They encourage their members and their mortal allies
to go out and achieve their dreams and push themselves to greatness. Ashcroft’s movie and
television industry is run by the Society where it can be.
Approaches Chains of Love:​
It’s a no brainer that the greatest Passion is love, whether ​
eros​
or ​
philia.
Whenever the Huntsmen try to undermine that love or otherwise manipulate it, they gain a point
of Yearning.
Everything is Politics:​
Pornography and the rap industry are misogynist, big box stores
cut costs by exploiting the third world, fast food moguls use their funds to campaign against
human rights, entertainment CEOs run companies with inclusive policies and then support
neoNazi candidates. And when a Huntsman tries to pervert a cause or organization that one of
the Passionate favour by making two steps down the line hurt them, they gain a point of
Yearning.
Trappings of Nobility Take a gangbanger straight from the American streets, feed them on a diet of Westside
Story, Les Mis and Baz Luhrman’s Romeo+Juliet, only allow them to read leftist manifestos and
you’ll have the average Courtier of the Society of Free Spirits.
The Passionate aren’t very concerned with a homogenous image, but general styles still
develop. They tend to be flashy, personalized, and stylish. Many dress in the kind of fashionable
outfits that don’t really serve pragmatism, with scarves and shawls and thin overjackets just for
looks, dressing in layers. Mixed with the high fashion Hedgespun outfits is a more utilitarian
sense of footwear, with boots and hightops that might clash. Comfort is key, and looking good
and creating you own style comes out of that. The Passionate love the idea of being the men and
women of the people, using what they have to help bring others to enlightenment. In practice
what this means is they like to follow the American founding father’s footsteps and go take up a
couch in the pub, and talk politics and philosophy and education while getting drunk.
When they do fight--and the Courtiers of the Society are more than willing to fight--they
favour flourishes and fancy fighting styles, and are more than willing to use underhanded
techniques.
Their colours are Red and Gold, their symbology tends to favour vines and roses
(especially bloodstained when possible), and they use unicorns, stags, and arrows in their
heraldry. Many motleys consider themselves either Sororities or Fraternities (though few are
completely single gender) and often have structure like Greek Societies, even down to living in
dormitories or similar apartments together.
Titles Prime Speaker (Mantle 5):​
The voice of the Society, the Prime Speaker is essentially
the King or Queen of the movement, though becoming the Prime Speaker is less about
hereditary rule or even being an elected official. It’s a title given to whoever is most charismatic,
and capable of bringing out the best in the Passionate around her.
Mantle ●​
The Society knows how to make the best of their skills, and even initiates are trained to
think in new ways. The Passionate gains an Interdisciplinary Specialty of their choice.
●● ​
The Passionate gains a dot of Goblin Vow related to the Court.
●●●​
+1 to any attack rolls made to defend an ally
●●●●​
A personal approach related to indulging in passion
●●●●●
Cult of the Wyrdwood Church of the Unification, The Druids, The Faithbound
The third of the major Courts, the Church of The Unification
[Strife Court] [Opportunity Court]