>>1692740
>Vox
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I will catch up soon, where is the last thread? When did you start again?

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>>1692740
"We're looking for the punks who keep putting up the Wonderland tags. You know 'em?"

"No," the cripple-to-be says. He yelps when the Rook digs the gun in. "Not personally!" he clarifies. "We see 'em around! Teens and kids and shit! They talk to other kids, street punks and shit!"

"Where do they go?" the Rook demands.

"I don't know! I don't - don't cock the gun please!"

"Anyone else not know?" the Rook rasps. "Where do they meet? Where do they come from? Is it the subways?"

"No," one of the bystanders speaks up. "Not the subways. The kids doing the tagging, they show up on foot and leave that way. It's gotta be close, right?"

"Sound logic," the Rook agrees. His victim makes a motion, and the flintlock points up instantly. "Do that again and you die," the Wizened warns. "Hands on the wall."

Every pair of hands but yours finds a wall.

"Any gangs around here use a heart for their symbol?" the Rook asks. The barrel of his weapon goes back down against his victim's knee.

"Nosir," the dock worker says instantly. "Not that I ever heard of, sir."

"Very good." The Rook lets out a ragged cough and spits onto the concrete of the alley. "You still get your cigarettes from Maggie?"

"How'd you know?" one of them asks, in disbelief.

"I know a lot. Are you or aren't you?"

"Yessir," the man whose knee is on the line says before anyone else can say something stupid.

"Listen carefully," the Rook advises. "All of you have heard fairy tales before. The forms change, but the message is the same. The polite sister is rewarded; the rude one is hounded to death. The humble woodcutter lives, while his greedy wife is devoured by demons. Tonight you made the wrong decision in this story, and earned a terrible fate."

The Rook uncocks the flintlock and steps back. He lets go of the pistol, which dissolves into a spray of Autumn leaves.

"But this isn't a fairy story," the Wizened rasps. "Not entirely. Go home to your families and tell them to be polite to the Hidden People."

The dock workers take a look at the Rook, then at you, and then they scramble off in a mad dash to get as far from the small man as possible.

"Maggie?" you ask, after a moment.

"The Magpie. One of yours, actually."

"Yes! She's one of the local Satraps. She sells illegal cigarettes?"

"The Magpie of the Old Docks sells a lot of things," the Rook says with a shrug. "She might be able to tell us what these taggers are trading, but you know her ilk. We'll have to buy the information."

"Or we can stake the place out," you finish, thoughtfully.

> Go see the Magpie
> Stake out the Old Docks (Perception against difficulty 9)
> Something else (What?)

>>1692792
All the threads are here, my friend: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=New%20Avalon

You don't HAVE to read King of New Avalon, Scarred by Thorns, or July at Christmas, but you might want to; they help establish New Avalon and introduce the world of Changeling: the Lost. I started back up earlier this month. This is the quest DLQ was meant as practice for.

And now I'm gonna crawl into bed and die. Votes, obviously, remain open.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>1692793
> Go see the Magpie

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>>1692793
> Go see the Magpie

>>1692793
>Go see the Magpie
If the name implies anything, something shiny might do the trick.

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>>1692866

>>1692793
>> Go see the Magpie

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>>1692913

Called, writing.

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>>1692793
You shrug, then make your decision. "Let's go see Maggie. Worst case scenario, we can't make a deal, and she's a Satrap, so..."

"Dealmaking is her specialty," the Rook agrees. "She's a creature of habit. Probably still operates out of the Captain's Wife. I know the way."

"You have an interesting circle of friends, Rook."

"Small things are interesting, I suppose."

You sigh and roll your eyes. The Rook leads the way through the mist, heading for the waterfront; the fog gets thicker and thicker as you get closer to its ultimate source. "I've been meaning to ask," he manages - you think the tone is supposed to be thoughtful, though it's somewhat ruined by him gobbing liquid into the street. "I thought the Satraps were supposed to be...elegant?"

"And Maggie's an insane ragpicker?"

"More or less. What's the deal?"

"Cultural. I think," you qualify. "The thing is, the Satrapy of Pearls...they're merchants. And most of them want to be rich and shower naked in hundred-dollar bills, sure, but you don't have to be rich to be a merchant. I'm not one of them so it's not like I know a whole ton, but basically...you buy your way in, right? And then after that as long as you can keep your oath, you're a Satrap. You'd have to ask Maggie to learn more."

"I'll pass," the Wizened decides.

The fog doesn't abate, exactly, as you enter the waterfront, but the maze of buildings does slash it up some, thinning it through sheer force of displacement. A neon sign beckons the two of you into the Captain's Wife. Inside, the dive is surprisingly cozy in a rock-bottom sorta way; the floors are scrubbed up, the smell is mostly tobacco and alcohol (and, okay, sailor BO but you're in a bar on the waterfront of a fucking port city), and the look you get from the guy behind the bar is a lot less 'we don't like strangers 'round here' and a lot more 'oh boy, new money'.

You have to look three times to be sure you're looking at Maggie, because she looks completely human.

Fucked-up, sure. The Magpie of the Docks is in layers of patched-up rags to keep warm at night, with gloves that are fingerless more by accident than design. Her black hair hangs loose, clean but messy, and her green eyes are wide and bright. She gives you a gap-toothed grin and flashes a small badge on the inside of her jacket that has the Wreath of Spring on it. You and the Rook make your way to her with dubious expressions.

"How -" the Rook opens his mouth to say, only to get a hand clapped over it.

"Shh. Let a girl keep her secrets," Maggie admonishes, as though she's not pushing sixty. Then again, Changelings age differently...and she's looking a lot younger than she ought, even for that. She pulls her hand back. "Now, what's a traitor and the dark horse of Autumn got to do with a sweet little Magpie tonight?"

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>>1693170
You count back from ten before you open your mouth. "We're looking for the kids leaving behind the Wonderland tags. We need to know where they hole up, who's supplying them, what their plan is. We're willing to pay for any of that, or anything else relevant, that you know."

Maggie whistles when she laughs, the air rushing out from between her teeth. "Right to the point! But how do I knows you're good for it, Warlock Knight? You're forsworn, you know."

"I know," you murmur. "But I know your oath. You can't turn down the chance to bargain, so - let's make a deal."

Maggie mulls it over while the bartender walks over and puts a drink in front of her. You can smell the alcohol coming off of the clear liquid from here, but she downs half of the tall glass like it's nothing. "I believe I know where they's holdin' up," she says at last. "The information ain't necessarily reliable, just so you know what you're buyin'. It's a deduction, but those have a habit of bein' wrong. If you're willin' to bargain...?"

You take a seat at Maggie's table to meet her as an equal. She props her elbows on it and rests her chin the back of her laced-together fingers.

"Money?"

"You knows better, Warlock Knight. Unrestricted access to your dreams for a year and a day."

"Fuck you," you say flatly. "Minor favor."

The Magpie cackles with glee. "This's the fun part! An' no."

> Try to barter a physical service (protection, delivery, etc); Persuasion against difficulty 11
> Offer a social service (support, backing, arrange an audience); Persuasion against difficulty 12
> Offer to create a work of art for her, possibly including imbuing it with magic; Persuasion against ???
> Write-in? (??)

The Magpie of the Old Docks is a Spring Courtier; you enjoy your Mantle bonus on this roll.

>>1693182
> Offer to create a work of art for her, possibly including imbuing it with magic; Persuasion against ???

>>1693182
>Offer to create a work of art for her, possibly including imbuing it with magic; Persuasion against ???
I am reminded of the D&D comic where the dwarf trades the dryads a love poem for safe passage. Difference in that it was an incorporeal thing but I really like the sentiment.

>>1693182
>> Offer to create a work of art for her, possibly including imbuing it with magic; Persuasion against ???

And now I gotta hit work. Votes remain open.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

So, questions thus far? Curiosities?

>>1693491
Kinda wondering if we can improve Rook's health some way, I hate seeing someone with breathing problems.

>>1693182
>Offer to create a work of art for her, possibly including imbuing it with magic; Persuasion against ???
>>1693491
In sort of getting the feeling that warlock knight means more than I presume. I figured it was just a fancy phrase for a changling knight but I'm unsure now. Does it mean someone who broke an oath enters an oath of fealty?

>>1693495
It's possible, but no version of it is easy.

>>1693501
It's one of the many synonyms for 'oathbreaker'; a large number of Scottish and Irish families in New Avalon make it popular there, but other equivalent words include forsworn, oathbreaker, waerloch, and simply 'traitor'. Changelings that break a formal pledge may be rightly held to their betrayal for the length of its penalty, plus a year and a day. Colors has roughly a decade for breaking her troth to the Freehold in Philadelphia.

>>1693491
Also, I'd really appreciate it if you listed out what bonus we'd get against a difficulty check when listing it as an option. It's a bit bothersome for those of us who don't know the system well and those of us on phones where it is a bit of a pain to flip from the char sheet and back. Manageable but a bit of a hassle.

If not, s'fine but figured I'd ask. It just feels like people are shying away from difficulty checks because we aren't entirely sure what the odds are. Nobody wants to be that guy who accidentally sets us up for a very hard roll.

>>1693523
Fair enough my friend. I'll start doing that. And don't be afraid to ask either; sometimes shit slips my mind.

>>1693182
> Offer to create a work of art for her, possibly including imbuing it with magic; Persuasion against ???

>>1693516
Given you're actually semi-knowledgable about this shit, figure I might as well ask:

I've heard from my older Scottish relatives that male witches are called 'warlocks' because if a witch has a son, he can't use magic unless he murders her and 'takes' her magic for himself. They've given a few variations on it (like he has to murder any sisters he might have as well, or he has to eat the body, or both) but they always root it to the matricide ('breaking the oath' of love and protection between the mother and child).

Is that something you've ever heard of?

>>1694549
Aight, I went consulting with my historian on the subject and this appears to be bullshit. 'Waerloch', later 'Warlock' after the English got their hands on it, predates the magical association. Its later association with magic is rooted in the idea that witches break the oath with God formed during their baptism; that is, both males and females were both witches and warlocks. The association of 'warlock' with men is most likely a reaction to the increasing feminization of 'witch', in turn a product of the fact that primarily women were accused of, and executed for, witchcraft by an overwhelming statistical and cultural margin.

Also called. Roll me 1d10+5, once.

Rolled 9 + 5 (1d10 + 5)

>>1695057

>>1695079
Noice.

>>1695057
Fair enough. The youngest one is in her seventies and they're all suffering typical later-life memory issues. One of them probably just got some wires crossed and convinced the others.

Thanks man!

>>1695079
Goddamn man, way to start us off. Writing.

>>1695200
I'm just going to chalk it up as Maggie being a magpie and immediately jumping at the chance to get somethin' nice and shiny.

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>>1693182
9 + 5 = 14; Success With Style

"How much is this worth to you, pretty Knight?" the Magpie asks, leaning in to peer at you with those wide green eyes. A shadow moves just behind her irises, like a sea beast beneath the water. "Is that pretty blade of yours on the table?"

"It's not that valuable. Anyone who wants Bifrost will likely have to take it from my cooling corpse." You rub the hilt of your blade with your thumb, thoughtfully. "...But I do work glass, Maggie. What's the work of my hands worth to you? I'd be willing to offer a commission."

The ragpicker's eyes brighten, and when she shifts in her place - leaning ever-forward over the table, naked greed all over her face - you can hear the rattle of coins on stone, cascading down in thick sheets. "Go on," she urges. "Tell me more. Tempt me, Warlock Knight."

But what does she want? Money has no hold over the Magpie of the Old Docks. If she wanted political power or the fawning of high society she would buy it, like anything else she seeks. She hoards scraps like glittering coins, raking in the things others think are trash and turning them over in a churning, circling river of favors and recycled refuse while she cackles and picks through her...

Her treasures.

"I will make you a jewel," you tell her. "A jewel all of glass. It will be the crown of your hoard, a fake so bright and glittering that all who see it will favor it over the real thing, and it will be yours to love and treasure."

"A fake?" the Magpie asks, but it's lust, not skepticism, in her voice. "A bright and shining lie..."

"What other prize should sit at the crown of the ragpicker's hoard?" you press, gently.

Maggie laughs her whistling laugh and slaps the table. "Yes! Yes, I love it! I will tell you what I know and what I suspect of the Wonderlanders, and you shall deliver me a glass treasure made with your own hands, glittery and bright, to be the prize of my collection. Is a year and a day enough time?"

"Aye. And may the traitor feel the sorceries of the betrayed," you offer. You hold out your hand, and the Magpie clasps it with a hiss of pleasure.

"We have a deal," the Pearl Satrap cackles. You feel the rush of the Pledge taking hold as your heart flutters. For a moment you see the Magpie as she really is, with pearls for eyes in a slippery, featureless face that has mere slits for nostrils and an angular slash for a mouth. It rips open all the way to her ears, unhinging her blank face and revealing the solid, uncut blocks of bone where her teeth should be. Her narrow tongue lashes wildly when she laughs.

And then the Magpie is human again, and she lets go of your hand.

>>1696214
Maggie leans back in her chair and takes a slug of her drink. She stops to cough, her breath thick with fumes, and then takes a deep breath. "The Wonderlanders are people on the down and outs, scraped from gutters and plucked from garbage homes. All of them have better lives to live than the ones they've been handed. There are more than there seems to be - they move cunningly, dress alike, try not to be caught coming and going. But they have habits, and sweet old Maggie is happy to provide." The Satrap grins and takes a pack of cigarettes from her coat pocket; you watch in vague fascination as she thumbs a match to life and lights her smoke. When she throws the match into what's left of her glass, the alcohol ignites.

"They go to and from, and from and to, in the old parts of the city where they couldn't dig up for the subways," she continues. "The historical sites and the swampy areas too wet for burrowin', you see. Places the Freehold has traditionally been weak, especially since we've moved closer to the city's heart to circle our wagons up. And my bet is that they's operating out of Monroe High School. The place is closed down for the high Summer, as you know, and while teachers might be out and about there, getting ready for fall, anyone stupid enough to want into the Fairest of Lands is going to have to move fast. They can't hole up long, but while they are, there, they can store food, cook, sleep, use the electricity..."

"It's an old Summer Court trick," the Rook says; you startle, because you'd honestly managed to forget he was there. "I know it well. It's plausible."

"Where else might they be, if not there?"

"A ship," Maggie says simply. "But there's oh so many, and they comes and they goes. You'd have to find out which one comes but doesn't goes, if you catch my drift, and that means finding a way to shake down the harbormaster, or persuade 'im. The school is a better bet. I'd wager my pinky finger on it."

"Thank you, Maggie. You've been a great help to your Freehold." You shake her hand again, and this time her grip is comfortable instead of a mad clutch. "If I might call on you again in the future...?"

"Oh, I'm always happy to make me a deal, Warlock Knight," Maggie grins, and her eyes flash pearly white. "I look forward to seein' your work!"

> Go to the school immediately. You can't waste time.
> Gather the others, then go to the school
> Hold off on the school for now; you should follow back up on Carrol House
> You forgot to report in to Ramona and Arthur. Do that now.
> Get some sleep
> Write-in?

>>1696275
>You forgot to report in to Ramona and Arthur. Do that now.

>>1696275
> You forgot to report in to Ramona and Arthur. Do that now.
Definitely want to keep the bosses in the loop. They might even be able to offer assistance, if there's any other Freeholders connected with the school.
> Got to keep the team informed. Shoot a message to Vickie and Forum.
Maybe the technically-inclined troll can scrape up some information off the internet? Research the school itself, the staff, any particular incidents or individuals who've made waves. That sort of thing.

>>1696275
>You forgot to report in to Ramona and Arthur. Do that now.

>>1696275
>>1696577
Seconded.
I suppose it would be too much to ask for reinforcements now that we possibly know their hideout?

>>1696275
> You forgot to report in to Ramona and Arthur. Do that now.

>>1696577
Seconded

I'm up, I'm about. I'ma call and write at 2:00 PM EST or so.

And called, writing.

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>>1696275
You take your leave of the dive. "I need to call Ramona," you tell the Rook. "Can you update Forum and Vickie while I'm busy?"

"Yes. Wait." The Rook gives you an odd look. "You have the Emerald Monarch's personal phone number?"

"...I'm sworn to her. Her word and vouchsafe made me a member of this Freehold," you say slowly.

"...You have no idea how privileged you actually are," the Wizened says, bitterly. "Not even at the height of my power could I pick up a phone and summon King Raven's attention. Do what you must."

You open your mouth to say something, then decide against it. Ramona's in your contacts, and you step away from the Rook so you can start your call. The Queen of Spring picks up on the second ring.

"Good morning, Colors," she greets. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

You turn your back so the Rook can't see you blush. You don't have a crush on your liege. Well. Not a big one. Not an important one.

Freya preserve, you need to get your shit together.

"We've uncovered some worrying information in the investigation thus far, Lady Rabbit." You pause to get your thoughts together. "Not all of it is pertinent to the investigation, but it needs...communicating, regardless."

"I understand. Please, proceed," Ramona invites. "Should Arthur be informed?"

"Maybe?" you say, unsure. "Some is Spring business, maybe, but..."

"I'll put the phone on speaker so that he can hear," your liege decides. You pull your cell away from your head while you sputter. She knows the rumors about the two of them, doesn't she?

"Dame Colors," Arthur rumbles over the line, once you have the phone back to your ear.

You take a deep breath. "Venus Kennedy has been plying her trade openly amongst mortals. Further, she has been recruiting mortals for an unnamed third party of Lost. I have yet to uncover who or for what purpose."

"Of course she has," Arthur sighs. "I specifically asked for that kind of thing to stop while we get our bearings, but the Gildspinners do what they want. What kind of people is she recruiting?"

"Fighters," you answer, in a low tone.

There is a long silence on the line.

"Thank you, Colors," Ramona says at last. "Is there anything further?"

"Someone is giving tours of the Hedge to mortals, and they wear our Freehold tattoo. They toured a part of the Thorns bent into a cityscape with a motley, along with a group of teens."

Arthur curses fluently.

"Colors, is this person willing to submit to dream examination? We may be able to garner some clues that way."

"What are the risks?" you ask.

"For the actual procedure? Minimal," Ramona soothes. "Instigating a memory dream is easy enough, and dreamshaping, done without malicious intent, is safe. In terms of long-term effect, it may attract dream creatures. And we would need to swear this person to secrecy, of course."

"I..."

> Do not believe she is (lie)
> Will ask her
> Would rather not, your Majesty. I don't believe she can keep her word
> Write-in?

>>1697786
> Will ask her

>>1697786
>Will ask her

I'm sort of interested in hearing the rumors about Arthur and Ramona, mostly because I was too busy with JesseXMoira to take notice at the time.

>>1697786
> "I will ask her, though if we can uncover more information during the course of our investigation, it may render the procedure unnecessary. I will contact you again later."

>>1697825
Ramona supported Arthur's rise as King of Summer, and they've been working together frequently. The fact that they're both single...

Also, people love to talk. Like, all the time, and over the most trivial bullshit. Even if Ramona and Arthur are going at it like rabbits, its between the two of them. Though, honestly, I imagine that Arthur is still sore about the end of his previous relationship.

>>1697825
This, pretty much: >>1697872

People do talk. Ramona lets Arthur indulge in being able to go full ham, and Arthur's expressed quite a bit of respect and admiration for her skill in cementing a fractured and fractious Court. They work closely together and are alone together often or only with trusted vassals, which does absolutely nothing whatsoever to quell rumors about those events.

In a lot of ways the rumors about their relationship sorta exemplify the relationship between Spring and Summer in general. Summer is a very serious Court that is often populated by angry (duh), bitter, unhappy people. Spring loves Summer's passion; Summer appreciates Spring's joy and the reminders of why they're fighting in the first place. Spring Knights, like Colors, tend to exemplify an idealized concept that they go maximum ham on, while Summer Knights are the pragmatic warriors and master tacticians.

Incidentally, part of Colors' issue is she's used to being in that second group, and insecure about now being in the first one.

>>1697915
So essentially Colors is trying to find a balance, between that kid that found a picture book describing knights rescuing princesses from dragons and was inspired to DO GOOD, and the old soldier that grimly continues the battle despite the pain and rage?

That sounds like hell.

>>1697872
> Though, honestly, I imagine that Arthur is still sore about the end of his previous relationship.
What was that again? It's been a while since the first New Avalon one-shot.

>>1697934
Pretty much, yeah. And the other fundamental attitude changes have been playing merry havoc with her expectations too. Like, she was always in that Too Gay To Live area you're seeing her in, but in Summer it was "focus up, soldier" and now in Spring she's encouraged to have and fan those desires. In Summer, Colors was part of a chain of command; in Spring, she isn't, and furthermore more or less no one is. After more than a year she's still clashing gears trying to make this shift.

>>1698045
Arthur had a girlfriend that he wanted to propose to, but his trauma and the resultant behavior made it hard for her to stay.

Bad breakup, blame the Fae.

>>1698117
Damn fairies.

> Will ask her

Since you're answering questions, what kind of King was Leo (who I assume was the previous Lord of July)? We know he was an overwhelmingly powerful leader, similar to King Raven. But with less subordinates. What else can you tell us about him, like how he died?

>>1698452
The previous Lord of Summer was an almost mythic figure. Strong, cunning, intelligent, courageous, wise. The problem was, and still is, that he was terminally allergic to delegation. His Court depended entirely on him; even those directly beneath him in Summer's chain of command were kept on short leashes and expected to obey the King's designs. It was a system made to fall apart, and it collapsed entirely when the King died. Arthur is working on instituting something that will survive his own (likely premature) death, which is why for instance his Sheriff has deputies like Vickie now when that office was once essentially a single guy who showed up because the King knew you fucked up and you owed him your kneecaps.

And called, writing.

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>>1697786
"I will ask her," you say, after a long moment. "But..."

"You worry about where her desires will lead her?" Ramona prompts.

"...Yes, Lady Rabbit."

"Colors," Arthur rumbles. "Lemme tell you something my dad told me once upon a time. Ain't nobody strong enough, wise enough, just enough, or scary enough to save people from themselves. If you think she wants a bit of shine enough to do something stupid, then she'll either do it with you, or without you, but she'll do it regardless. If this person is your friend and you're worried about her, be there to help. If she ain't, you have some decisions about if you can live with leavin' her to her fate. But you can't stop her, so don't try."

"Your Majesty, I - there is, I don't expect you to have to understand -"

"Arthur will do, Colors," the King of Summer says in a firmer tone. "And if you're about to pull the line on me that I can't get it because I'm not Spring I will throw the Ardent Rule in your face so fast that you'll hear Mother Susan berating you in fucking Latin."

"Yes, my King," you sigh.

The Ardent Rule. The one universal law of Spring, laid down in Rome before the rise of Caesar by Mother Susan: Your Desires Are Your Own. No matter what Emerald Monarch a given Court obeys, this law is taught and ascribed to in Spring Courts from Tokyo to New York City. You still don't fully understand it yourself.

But it seems Arthur does, and even if he doesn't, he has you up against a wall.

"Colors, I would like to make a suggestion to you," Ramona cuts in. "We have in the Freehold an expert on the Hedge and on the abduction of mortals. Her knowledge could help you better understand your prey."

"Who?" you ask, blinking.

"Erin Peters," Ramona says simply.

> "I refuse to deal with pirates. Force me at oath-point or don't suggest it again."
> "...Where can I find the Pirate with the Pearl Eyes?"

Check Colors' sheet - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gq9ZEFrwnYjQpSeuMg1a_7UepedMrQUSEwbrHWntFCo/edit - for more on Erin Peters

>>1700022
> "...Where can I find the Pirate with the Pearl Eyes?"

>>1700022
> "...Where can I find the Pirate with the Pearl Eyes?"
While they were a pirate, I feel like we don't have much of a moral high ground against others with second chances, all things considered.

>>1700022
> "...Where can I find the Pirate with the Pearl Eyes?"

>>1700022
> "...Where can I find the Pirate with the Pearl Eyes?"

>>1700136
>I feel like we don't have much of a moral high ground against others
I honestly don't know if a forsworn ranks lower than a privateer on the ranks of misdeeds.

>>1700136
>>1700544
Privateers are pretty much the lowest changelings around. Forsworn are bad, but Colors wasn't selling people back to the True Fae. Malloy helped the True Fae hunt down changelings and drag them back to Arcadia. A plain old murderer would have the moral high ground against a privateer. A murderer just kills people.

>>1700022
> Scream and curse in articulate rage for a minute or three.
> Take some time to calm yourself.
> "...Fine. Where can I find the Pirate?"

>>1700136
>>1700544
Colors is forsworn because she left Phili and broke her vows to get out of a really shitty situation. We haven't really explored that in-depth, but its also understandable, which is why she got the chance to start over from Ramona.

Pirates? They're worse than scum. Each and every Changeling is forever changed, missing a piece of their humanity, scarred on the deepest level, by their imprisonment and enslavement to the Others. And these fuckers want to sell innocents to them?

So, you can understand why any Freeholder's first instinct with a Pirate is to take their fucking head.

>>1700022
>> Scream and curse in articulate rage for a minute or three.
>> Take some time to calm yourself.
>> "...Fine. Where can I find the Pirate?"

>>1700022
> "I refuse to deal with pirates. Force me at oath-point or don't suggest it again."

Although pretty much everyone else is going the other way, I think this decision fits Colors' personality best. She is very much a noble person, and she's firmly pointed out, "I wouldn't wish any of that on my worst fucking enemy..." That may have been an exaggeration, but I doubt it.

I'm of the opinion that when it comes to character decisions, the best move for the narrative is not always the optimal move. I'm not advocating fire-gun-in-the-air-yelling-for-no-reason, but I like to play the character.

>>1700022
> "I refuse to deal with pirates. Force me at oath-point or don't suggest it again."

>>1700022
> "I refuse to deal with pirates. Force me at oath-point or don't suggest it again."

I imagine Colors would take a strong stance against this. She has already voiced her hatred of the Pirates.

I will not be able to update before work today, but I'm honestly kinda fine with that; this vote seems like it might be in want of some debate. The vote remains open.

As always, questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>1700022

I feel like Colors can be forgiven a bit of an outburst here, regardless of which option wins, but the fact of the matter is that Peters holds knowledge and experience no one else in the Freehold has, and whether she likes it or not, our investigation would benefit greatly from said information.

We don't have to like her, we don't even have to pretend we like her, but we might as well let her be useful to us.

I already voted from work so that leaves me out.

> "I refuse to deal with pirates. Force me at oath-point or don't suggest it again."

>>1700022
>...We still have other leads. Dealing with her should be our last resort.

>>1700022
> "...Where can I find the Pirate

>>1700022
>> "I refuse to deal with pirates. Force me at oath-point or don't suggest it again."

>>1700022
> "I refuse to deal with pirates. Force me at oath-point or don't suggest it again."

I don't really see why people are against this. It's not like visiting her some how condones what she did.

>>1701508
We tore into a friend for *thinking* about entering the Hedge, because we know what's actually there. Erin Peters' job was shoving people in there against their will, which is several orders of magnitude worse.

To get anything from Peters, we'd need to cut a deal. That's how Changeling society works. Meeting with her might not mean anything, but trying to get knowledge from her? That's going to have a price tag attached.

>>1701525
A very toned down comparison of getting info from her would be in the line of shopping in an establishment owned by a known serial killer because the sales are amazing.

>where can I find her?

>>1701525
>>1701542
I feel that's a misleading comparison. Right now Peters is trusted enough by both monarchs of spring and summer to allow her to not only continue to breath in the freehold but also to be part of the court.

Both of them trust her enough to believe that she's reformed and has something to offer. We should trust their judgement considering that very logic is the reason why Colors is around

Most likely Peters offering information will be enough of a bargain in itself, as it'll help others to trust her a little

This isn't really like shopping at a known serial killers market. More like...well, interviewing a former contract killer for leads to track down a current contract killer

>>1700750
> All these single ID posts though. Then Again here I am squirting this off before work.


My vote is for

> "...Where can I find the Pirate with the Pearl Eyes?"

I agree that while we don't have to like it, we aren't in any position to call others out on second chances because Colours has been shown to be VERY aware of what hers entails.

>>1701558
>>1701542
Do you know what the Courts are like? Also don't forget it's our own ducking Queen, to whom we're personally oath bound, who put us in the same position as this Pirate is in relative to Arthur.

Telling her we refuse to work with Erin is like telling hee we refuse to work with Arthur, whose reputation stands in for Erins own.

Nevermind we're telling the most important and powerful person who is our direct protector "No".

FINALLY our oath

> Colors is sworn to investigate and stop whoever is promising to take people in New Avalon to “Wonderland”, by any means necessary,

By any means necessary. Oaths are serious fucking business and we were forsworn once already. They don't go by intent.

>>1701508
It also breaks our oath a day insults Arthur. Saying "we don't accept hee second chance" is a direct insult to him.

Maybe if we weren't in a similar position and saying it to our Queen who is tight with Arthur it could be simply construed as very rude but understandable.

>>1700707
Colours is VERY aware of Court politics as it relates to being forsworn. Also Oaths.

And funny you should mention

>Force me at oath-point or don't suggest it again."

Because out Oath already forces us to.

Unless we send a subordinate out to do a distasteful job like a coward. Or a Lord.

>>1700559
>>1700022

We're not happy. But I would like to think Colors would see it as more important that more people don't get taken than that she not talk to a pirate.

We have a job. Dame as when we didn't start shit with the gildspinner.

>>1700022
> "...Where can I find the Pirate with the Pearl Eyes?"

Is my vote to be clear.

>>1700750
Hey, do you have a twitter yet? Or is this going to be a "constantly have one thread on the board that may or may not update for days" like DLQ was?

Because I am antsy. Antsy and anxious to get back into it lol.

>>1702226
I think part of the issue with DLQ (aside from the sheer length), was that midway through Vox was forced to change over from /tg/ to /qst/, and many of the previous readers and voters didn't follow simply to spite the mods.

>>1702340
True. But the whole "threads may update randomly whenever" definitely took the wind out of my sails. Like, I have a life. Just let me know when things are going to go down without having to read through 2 days of shitposting to find out that there's no more posts.

>>1702226
I'll burn in Hell before I get a Twitter for any purpose and in any context. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, my friend, I really am, but...yeah, nah.

Gonna call, tally, and write at 11:00 PM EST.

And it looks like our winner is 'Where can I find the Pirate with the Pearl Eyes'.

>>1702226
>>1702435
Sorry for the short response earlier. I do feel for ya but ultimately questing has to be a hobby for me, something I do around having the rest of my life, and this format lets me handle it with a minimum of stress. I like to hope that I provide a good experience as a result, but I honestly cannot fit a quest into my life any other way right now, so...it's gotta be this or nothing, my friend.

>>1702516
Well, fair enough.

What do you have against twitter though?

>What do you have against twitter though?

Allergies to social media, perhaps. I get that too, can't stand he thing. Useful occasionally, but not worth the cost in time, attention, and meltdowns.

If Vox updated his Tumblr with each thread, I would be content.

>>1702977
Allergy to social media but has a tumblr?

Vox SJW confirmed! Run the presses!

Just kidding.

>>1702977
Link to his tumblr?

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>>1700022
Ramona is understanding about the lengthy and angry silence that follows from you. You wrestle your feelings into place before you finally ask, "Where can I find the Pirate with the Pearl Eyes?"

"You seem displeased," Ramona says curiously.

"Am I meant to be overjoyed?"

Ramona sighs deeply. "I suppose not. Are you free to meet now?"

"About as free as I can be," you admit. "The Willow?"

"Yes. I'll arrange my office for it. Her handler will be present."

"The Rook will be with me," you inform the Queen. "We'll head out immediately. Probably have to catch some sleep and continue in the morning, after."

"Good plan," Arthur rumbles. "You want a ride?"

You are about to say no when you look at the Rook and change your mind. "Please?"

You provide a street corner and in ten minutes you're picked up by a mortal man you've seen with Zippo before. His old car has been lovingly maintained, and is shockingly free of rust considering how misty New Avalon is. He doesn't talk much, or at all, but you can't help but notice the nervous glances he's constantly shooting the Rook.

It's a twenty minute drive to the Willow, and the kid makes it in ten and peels out of the parking lot the moment you two are away from the car.

The Willow is a lot busier at this time of night than it used to be. The bouncers at the door are also a new idea, there to keep out Pixie Chasers and paparazzi. Ever since the Mask has come down, Changelings in New Avalon have retreated here to socialize away from ordinary humans and the pressures of knowing that right now, any Lost is representing all Lost, all the time. Up on the stage one of the new Fairest boys is butchering what you think is supposed to be David Bowie on the karaoke machine, but the dance moves that go with it make up for the fact that he couldn't hit a note with a guided missile. Miss Missy, a Darkling pickpocket from your own Court, is teaching magic tricks to a gaggle of youngbloods that peer suspiciously at her for signs of her using actual magic to supplement her prestidigitation. Whiskey Jack, at the bar, gives you a nod and raises his eyebrow. You shake your head - maybe later.

"You come here often?" you ask the Rook.

"Not my sort of space," he admits. "Never was a bar kind of guy. I attend workshops here, sometimes."

"Makes sense, I guess. We're heading upstairs."

The ancient oaken stairs of the Willow still creak when you ascend them. Ramona's office is on the second floor, and the Queen herself waits outside of it. She favors you with a small smile, then nods to the Rook.

"Thank you for coming, Colors. Erin has been...frustrated, with her circumstances. For understandable reasons," Ramona adds. "The complexities of her past and the Freehold's position have not been good for her efforts at reform. Of necessity, we cannot simply treat her as though her past never happened."

You have nothing nice to say about that, so you keep your mouth shut about it.

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>>1703804
"Nonetheless, I would take it as a personal favor if you would refrain from using her former name and title during your interview," Ramona continues. "I have a responsibility to Erin, just as I have one to you. She volunteered her expertise of her own volition and that is...a good step."

You sigh. "Yes, my Lady. Is there anything further that I should know?"

"Erin is bonded to her handler through the Ink-In-Irons. Any harm either inflicts on the other will appear on themselves."

"Good to know," the Rook rasps. "We should begin."

Her new life has agreed with Erin Peters to a point. The woman sitting behind Ramona's desk has given up the waifish look she favored as Liz Malloy in favor of a punk aesthetic heavy on leather and metal, with concealed weapons and armor disguised as aesthetic additions. She looks up at you with pearly eyes beneath the cloud of lights that floats through her hair.

Behind her is her handler, the Pirate's Leash, a rusalka they call Shipmate Sally. The Elemental is wraith-like, ethereal even, with wet hair that flows in a current that isn't there and dead, hollow eyes. She gives you her best run at a warm smile.

You take a seat, and the Rook closes the door. You and Erin stare at each other for a long moment.

"They aren't privateers," she says at last. Her voice is rough in the manner of one used to living hard and crawling, rather than walking, away from her fights. "Not as I know them, anyway."

"Good morning Erin, I'm doing well thank you," you drawl, sarcastically.

"Hey, fuck you. I know why you're here. You know why you're here. That's a damn trap and you know it - if I open up all pleasant and polite, I'm wasting your time. If I start with business it's 'oh joy, look at the traitor and her shitty manners'." Erin's lights flare, stinging your eyes, and then dim. "You wanna know what I'm thinking or not?"

> "Go ahead."
> "What's your angle, Peters?"
> "I honestly intended on doing introductions like normal people, Erin. Can we start over from there?"
> "I haven't presented my evidence to you. Don't you want to know it?"
> Write-in?

>>1703206
Here you are: https://qm-vox.tumblr.com/

Is what it is. I'll try to keep it updated with each thread as it's posted.

>>1702757
Severe distaste for social media combined with having been literally forced to get a Facebook when I didn't want one.

>>1703842
>> "What's your angle, Peters?"

>>1703842
> "Go ahead."

>>1703842
>> "I honestly intended on doing introductions like normal people, Erin. Can we start over from there?"

>>1703842
> "No. No, I don't want to know what goes through the head of a fucking privateer. But I'm sworn to pursue this investigation and you have information, so what I want takes a back seat to that. Now talk."

>>1703842
> "Go ahead."
Gotta have a little faith in Arthur's judgement, he's shaping up to be a decent king.

>>1703842
> Take a deep breath, then let it out.
> "Go ahead."

>>1703842
> Write-in?

> I was asked to give you a second chance so I gave it, and you just threw it away.

> Go Ahead . . . Erin (with a sarcastic tone) not all of us are rich enough in life to casually throw chances and outstretched hands away.

>> "I honestly intended on doing introductions like normal people, Erin. Can we start over from there?"

Courtesy is one of the knight´s greatests virtues

>>1704837
Yeah but forget starting over.

She can pay for her rudeness as a reminder that she is only reaping what she sowed in the past, and that what she receives in the future is only going to be different if SHE is different.

>>1704853
>"Good morning Erin, I'm doing well thank you," you drawl, sarcastically.

Colors started this little confrontation, we were asked to not call her by her old name and using her new one sarcastically can be seen as jab towards her old life. Also an important point is that she volunteered to give information freely, no one asked her.

Her past is so much worse than Colors', nothing can change that but we and the Freehold need her insight as she was never the only privateer and it could help us bust a few more after our investigation is at an end.

>>1704892
It's technically keeping our word. Which is the best kind of keeping our word.

>>1704892
Also she was rude first assuming we were trapping her, and the sarcasm was on the Good Morning part, not emphasizing her change in title.

Just pointing that out.

>>1704920
I was referring to : >>1704834 ">Erin (with a sarcastic tone)"
I thought the ID would have been obvious.

>>1703842
>> "Go ahead."
Let her wear herself out, then we'll have an in to say something after she's done. Patience, Knight.

I'ma call and write at approximately 2 PM EST. Thank you for your patience; I have shit to do today, unfortunately.

Called, writing.

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>>1703842
"Fine. Please, go ahead."

"Thank you," Erin says with a small sigh. "Are you familiar with the idea that in any given field, you can predict the behavior of professionals based on the fact that they have things like standards, experience, and training?"

"Sure," you agree. "There's a famous proverb about that - the world's greatest swordsman fears only the world's worst."

"Always liked that one," she agrees. "This is true in privateering as well, doubly so because like, say, mercenary work or intelligence operations, the mistakes made by privateers kill them every which kind of dead. You get good or get buried. Sally, can I get the map please?"

Shipmate Sally nods and retrieves a large, rolled-up map of New Avalon from its place in the corner of the room. When she unrolls it on the desk, it is marked with circles and pins.

"So, these circles are the areas from which we can confirm people are missing," Erin explains. "The red pins are where we can confirm people were living, while the green are known Hedge Gates. We have subway entrances here, here, here, and there, convenient to the attacks but generally avoided because the subways are horror shows that even the mortals avoid when they can. With me so far?"

"I am," you agree. You lean forward to get a better look at the map; Erin's hand moves over it, highlighting areas of interest while she talks. It reminds you of battle plans, back in Philly.

"If you want to live to fight another day, as a privateer, you need to avoid retaliation and getting caught in the act. Both of those things are one-way tickets to the grave. I stopped operating in Detroit because the Shield of Rust Freehold out there compromised so many hiding spots in the Hedge that I can't pass through the portion around Michigan without having to fight off fucking Autumn Courtiers. If your targets are mortal, that means a convenient Hedge Gate for smash-and-grabs."

"But none of these are even close to being convenient," you muse. "Not even by car. That's a long way to carry someone still alive. But we think they're baiting the mortals with false promises?" you prompt.

"Classic, but not usual." Erin shakes her head. "Too visible. The longer you stick around, the longer your ass is hanging in the wind, the better chance you get caught. Maybe you can get away with it if you're one of the folks playing double agent, but that doesn't taste right. New Avalon was recently in a short war with the Lady of the Lake. If she had sleepers, that was the time to expend them - and she didn't. The Others are mad, sure, but they're not stupid. No, my bet isn't pirates. It's militia. Their needs line up with the tactics. They need somewhere to stockpile weapons, somewhere to train recruits, somewhere to meet. They have to be in for the long haul."

You tap the map where Carrol House is located. "Say there's a gate here."

"Done," Erin agrees, putting a green pin in. The two of you look at the roads and swear at the same time.

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>>1705249
"There's the convenient central location," you say with a sigh. "But not for smash-and-grabs. You can't just drag unconscious people through major streets like that, not even in a car. People call the cops."

"Or the Valks," the Rook rasps from behind you.

"Mmhm. But it's easy to move willing people in and out of a hotel," Erin muses. "And there's plenty of room to stash things like their spray paint, to make their business cards..."

"We have another likely lead, though. A school," you add.

"Your call. I'm not exactly in a position to go kicking in doors." Erin stares at the green pin in Carrol House. "...I'd bet you money that lets out into someone's personal Hollow, though. A wild Hedge Gate in a hotel, with how bad everything's been acting up since the Mask dropped? Someone would be dead by now."

"I concur," the Rook adds.

"...Thank you, Ms. Peters," you say after a moment. "Is there anything else you can add?"

"No. But I'd like a chat sometime, woman-to-woman. Now works, if you've got a minute." The Fairest leans back in her chair. "Just you and me. No Rook, no Sally."

> Yes, but not now
> Sure
> No

>>1705261
>Yes, but not now.
Carrol House just got a whole lot more urgent.

>>1705261
>> Yes, but not now

> Sure

It will only be a few minutes and she has earned it

>>1705261
> Sure
Eh, what the hell. If she oversteps any boundaries, like asking if she can assist in the investigation as a means to boost her reputation, we can just say no.

>>1705261
>sure

>>1705261
>Yes, but not now

> Okay I'll get my stuff done and then update
> Fuck when did the entire fucking day happen

If I don't have a tiebreaker by 8:45 EST I'll roll a die. Thank you for your patience

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Aight, 1 is "yes but not now", 2 is "sure".

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"Later," you tell Erin. "...But yes. Thank you for your assistance.

"That's me," the ex-pirate says distantly. "...Here to help."

You take your leave of Erin and head back downstairs. The Rook is putting on a brave face but this much walking has worn on him; he's coughing more and more, and he looks drained and haggard. You text the others to meet you here as soon as they feel confident in doing so, and pull up a table. On reflex, you pull a chair out for the Rook; the Wizened is so tired that he accepts it without a second thought or so much as a suspicious glance.

"Do you drink?" you ask.

"Of course I - oh. Alcohol." The Rook looks almost apologetic for a moment. "I can buy the first round...on the condition that I pick."

"Nothing hard, we might still have work to do," you warn.

"Certainly." The Rook goes digging through his pockets and offers you a twenty. "Ask Whiskey Jack for a couple of cherry bombs."

Cherry Bomb turns out to be a kind of beer, with a reddish color and a sharp, bright flavor that lingers pleasantly on the tongue. After a couple of sips the thought occurs to you that the grim-faced Rook liking something this pleasant and bubbly seems a little weird. When you make eye contact, his glare says he was thinking the same thing. He shakes his head just once and goes back to nursing his beer.

"Thank you," the Wizened rasps after awhile of the two of you drinking in silence. Four or five people, depending on if you count someone who voluntarily sings Justin Bieber as 'people', have came and gone from the karaoke machine.

"It's my pleasure," you demure. "The others should be here soon, but I'm glad I had this chance to work with you solo. You have...an interesting technique."

"I know my limits," the Rook admits with a small sigh. "I'm four-nothing. Even if I wasn't Wizened I'm never gonna be one of those," he takes a ragged breath in the middle of his sentence, a look of frustration crossing his face, "one of those men who can crack their knuckles in silence. I made my peace with being Mister Big."

"Who?" you ask.

"Did - did you not...Zootopia?"

You shake your head.

"...Have you caught up on all the films you missed after you left home?" the Rook presses with an air of mild disbelief. You shake your head again and he finishes his beer instead of swearing at you, which is a nice effort. "You've sinned against your cultural heritage. We need to catch you up."

"I'll think about it," you say dubiously.

You're debating a second beer when Forum and Vickie arrive. They make a beeline for your table; the Rook flags Whiskey Jack down and holds up two fingers, causing a waitress to appear in short order with a pair of the Cherry Bombs for the new arrivals.

"I figured out where I've heard that name before," Forum says. "The Bloody Wing. They're a cross-Freehold militia."

"That matches up with what Erin suggested," you agree. "She believes that Carrol House may be the central location to which they're taking the victims."

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>>1707347
"Well, there's a sort of problem, and a sort of not problem," Vickie hedges. "See...kidnapping mortals very much is not the Wing's MO, is the thing."

"Go on," you prompt, frowning. Forum picks up while Vickie takes a drink.

"Not a lot is known about the Bloody Wing. They play things close to the chest and operate in small Talons that limit the spread of information. What we do know comes from the Winter Court in Detroit, which successfully scoured the dreams of captured members for the information they wouldn't surrender otherwise. Mortals they suborn are kept loyal with pledges and threats, and used to handle their logistics outside of the prying eyes of their fellow Lost."

"They're more likely to bribe a lawyer than kidnap one, or a kid," Vickie tells you. "They don't need kids. They don't want kids. They want an army, an honest-to-god army with cooks and the whole nine yards, and they know they don't have it."

"Which is where we pulled up blank," Forum admits.

"Fancy said those people were trying to get back into the Wing's good graces," you muse. "...Exiles, maybe? But how do you get thrown out of a militia?"

"Going too soft, or too hard. It's difficult to go too hard, but kidnapping children could be the line," the Rook proposes. "...I don't like the idea of a militia in my Freehold."

"If they're a splinter faction, the rest of their Talon might be there at Carrol House," you say. You crack a yawn and rub your jaw - that shit hurt.

> Get some rest and hit somewhere in the morning
> Carrol House is too convenient to the kidnappings. Get some coffee and investigate it now (gain TIRED)
> That school is too promising a lead. The kids might give up info that adults or Changelings wouldn't. Get some coffee and hit it now (gain TIRED).

>>1707410
>> Get some rest and hit somewhere in the morning

Hit both places. We're just the investigative team, but we have the ear of TWO Court Rulers.

I'm sure we can corral some heavy hitters for a shock & awe hard strike to ensure that one site doesn't get wind of what's going on and get away.

>>1707575
Can you swing that, though? The days of the Mask are gone. You can't just kick in a door with a dozen Lost, vanish into the Hedge, and have it written off as homeless people any more.

I gotta hit bed. Votes remain open.

>>1707587
They're public buildings, no?

We'd be smashing AFTER we got in. For gods sake, they give tours even.

Surely we could get a human to go in for us and do something to crap up their defenses, or cause something to give us Casus Belli.

>>1707630
We's still have to deal with law enforcement and stuff. Pretty sure assault and property damage are crimes.

>>1707410
> Get some rest and hit somewhere in the morning

>>1707410
>> That school is too promising a lead. The kids might give up info that adults or Changelings wouldn't. Get some coffee and hit it now (gain TIRED).

>>1707410
>Get some rest and hit somewhere in the morning

>>1707410
>Get some rest and hit somewhere in the morning

>>1707410
>> That school is too promising a lead. The kids might give up info that adults or Changelings wouldn't. Get some coffee and hit it now (gain TIRED).
Kids of the night... at night!

>>1707807
That is why you create a false flag attack.

We could also start a fire the good old fashioned way as opposed to magically and cast it as a hate crime against us.

>>1707807
Just saying.

Fire is always a decent backup plan. Even under oath "I saw the place was on fire so I went in to help rescue any innocent people."

Sure. Everyone always says my "set everything on fire" plan is too dangerous. Too extreme. But you will all come around later.

Regardless though you bring up a good point. We should discuss contingencies on when it might be useful or necessary to bring Valk in and how to go about it so that we are ready for it instead of having it be a panic/last resort situation we don't control.

I still say we should also look at infiltration by a human spy.

Called, writing. Our narrow winner is to get some rest.

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>>1707410
You look around at your fellows. Everyone but Vickie seems tired out, which makes a certain amount of sense.

"We'll rest up and get on this in the morning," you decide. "Meet up here at nine o'clock sharp and we'll strike."

There's a chorus of 'yes ma'am' variants. You get up from the table and go, because by the time you get home you're only going to be having about five hours of sleep, leaving the others to sort out how they want to handle their nights. The streets are quiet, but the air seems tense, laced with a wrathful Glamour that leaves a bitter taste on your tongue.

You check through your house and then collapse into bed, stopping only long enough to shrug your armor off onto the mattress.

When you drift into a dream of Fancy's theater you decide you're not on board for this tonight and begin scouring the dreamscape, shredding it down to a fine white mist. You build a new one, not really sure what you're going after, just making things one after another.

You end up atop a billboard in Philly, sitting next to your younger, human self.

"Morning me," she greets. "...Comin' home?"

"No."

"You have to tell Mom and Dad sometime."

"No I don't. Why did I make you?" you scowl at the mortal you, who shrugs and looks out over the city. "They're doing fine without me."

"Mm. Dunno about fine. Their daughter is missing, you know?" the dream-you hops down and lands on the catwalk of the billboard so she can look up at you. Your eyes used to be green, and hers still are. "You wanna talk?"

"Pretty sure that's insane. You're me."

"It's a dream, it's supposed to be insane." Dream Human You flashes a grin up at you.

"...Okay, fair."

> I still don't...fit in, in Spring. I don't know what to do.
> You know I can't go back. I'd have to kill everyone to go back, until there was no one to hold me to my exile.
> My life is already insane. I'm not doing this and I don't know why I made this dream in the first place (erase the dream)
> Write-in?

>>1708492
>You know I can't go back. I'd have to kill everyone to go back, until there was no one to hold me to my exile.
>Write-in?
>"But I still don't quite fit in here, adjusting to a new court has been rough, I appreciate Ramona and all she has done for me, I just feel like I can't return the favor in a way that would do it justice."
>"It doesn't help that most of my 'interests' thus far have been either forbidden fruit or have hurt me in some way."

But we're in good health and decent company, so we've got that going for us.
The Rook has been growing on me a lot faster than I ever thought he would, and I would like to at least make sure he doesn't do something stupid like going after either Zippo or Rachael.

As an after thought, I wonder how Zippo and her room mate are doing, was good to see him still alive.

>>1708492
>> My life is already insane. I'm not doing this and I don't know why I made this dream in the first place (erase the dream)

Denial! It's healthy and we're apparently good at it.

>>1708533
It's what the spring court is all about, after all. The courts are stages of grief, minus the acceptance bit at the end, of course.

>>1708492
> I still don't...fit in, in Spring. I don't know what to do.

I wonder what the dream with Fancy would have involved.

And now I've got to go to work. I'm not gonna make promises about updating tonight, as I'll be closing and that just...it went poorly last time. Votes remain open.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>1708492
>> I still don't...fit in, in Spring. I don't know what to do.

>>1708562
Probably something involving desire,. like Fancy giving a private show.

>>1708757
Lewds when.

>>1709490
Why are you like this. The quest has barely started!

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>>1709690
It's 4chan. The fact it took this long is genuinely baffling.

Also if we ever get a personification of Death or whatever the closest thing is in Changeling lore, I'm pushing for it to be like this guy. Terrifying on an existential level and disturbingly enthusiastic about his job, but that same enthusiasm makes it difficult to actually dislike him.

>>1709840
There's at least one canonical embodiment of Death in the setting - Death-In-Dreams, called the Pale Brother, who seems quite fond of the Lost. His primary duty is to guide the dying through their Final Dream, though he also encourages people to accept their mortality and to not cause themselves suffering by fighting death. Changelings sometimes seek boons from the Pale Brother, who in turn sometimes grants them.

>>1709690
It was mostly meant in jest. Though I do enjoy how confused you can get regarding lewds, like with the Rachael/Zoey request. Just be glad that this time it seems to have at least some basis in the actual story, if the line "you're not on board for this tonight" is any indication.

>>1710343
Well, I mean, it's not like I don't get the concept. I wrote an embarrassing amount of bondage porn for DLQ (I was going through a journey of self-discovery at the time; I only realized in hindsight how much was dom/sub or sado/maso) and was quite glad to see Domo doing porn on his site. But, I mean.

I kinda have trouble getting with porn of a fic if I can't see the porn as being plausible with regards to canon? That's part of why I was so, "Fucking what?" with regards to Rachael x Zoe.

I am definitely not updating tonight. I'll answer questions until I can crawl into bed and die.

>>1708492
> I still don't...fit in, in Spring. I don't know what to do.

>>1711411
Vox X Coffee when?
I can already picture the clashing contrast of cold white on hot black...
Shit, I got a nosebleed.

All jokes aside, this quest is going along nicely which I like. Each character is well fleshed-out or in the process of being fleshed-out (like the Rook, I really don't know why I like him that much) and I feel the setting is most appropriate for your style.

Now the question: are there exemples of militias coexisting peacefully with Freeholds? For that matters, what's to stop normal humans to just grab guns and start patrolling the Hedge Gates (aside from that whole "let the Lost deal with their own stuff" Law which seems to be ineffective)?

>>1711411
You're concerned with little things like "does this make any sense?" or "how would that even work?" or "what the fuck, man?"

Just let go of you need for plausibility and follow what is hot. Let the cock guide you.

And no, I don't mean Fetch, though he would make a kickass guide.

>>1711411
Any chance of getting more perspective practices from Domo?

>>1712426
I won't make promises in his name. You'll see it if he does it; you know I'll provide at least one set of links to the back area of his site.

>>1712379
I cannot! Cannot, I tell you!

>>1712237
Not...really?

It's a bit hard to define. In the context of the Lost, a 'militia' is not any 'civilian' gathering of force. Clandestine societies, clubs, Noble Orders, etc, these all come naturally to Changelings and tend to be allowed and to an extent expected. In typical political terms most of the Summer Court's rank-and-file would be militia as we deal with the term day-to-day; lightly trained part-time soldiers who provide their own equipment and ammunition.

In the context of Changeling society, 'militia' refers specifically to extremist groups. Most often this refers to warhawk groups that believe the Courts won't go far enough to oppose the Gentry. The trouble tends to be not that their hearts aren't in the right place (it's a little hard to argue against 'Hey you see those Lovecraftian demons that steal people and torture them until their souls break? Fuck 'em') but that they lose all perspective in search of their revenge. Militia groups like the Red Badges have a history of throwing away lives in search of tiny gains, or going after ideas like marching on Arcadia.

There are other groups, like the Doves, whose issues are different (the Doves are a splinter faction of Winter whose oath compels them to murder the shit out of anyone who learns of their existence, which, as I think you can imagine, causes Problems), but for the most part militias, especially cross-Court militias, create issues by pushing extremist agendas, tricking people into pledges that force them to go along with it, and/or involving mortals as cannon fodder. They're bad news.

> For that matters, what's to stop normal humans to just grab guns and start patrolling the Hedge Gates (aside from that whole "let the Lost deal with their own stuff" Law which seems to be ineffective)?

A number of factors, really, but there are nations experimenting with this. The primary issues are as follows:

1. The number of Gates and Trods are hard to definitively know, their positions are difficult to place, and there's no reliable way to track the opening of new ones

2. Not everything that comes out of them dies when you shoot it

3. Escaping Lost trying to get home, by definition, emerge from such gates and being met by an armed response is 9001% likely to end in someone (probably lots of people) dying painfully, because while the Lost do die when you shoot them, they're used to dealing with inhuman torture and a freshly escaped Changeling is a desperate, savage thing with literally nothing left to lose and no fear of death.

(Cont)

>>1712627
5. Personnel. The cold fact of the matter is that there's only so many cops, soldiers, etc to go around. Every pair of boots you put on a Gate isn't enforcing the law, manning a base, fighting a war, conducting research, or any of the many and varied tasks taken up by military and law enforcement departments the world over.

6. In many places this isn't necessarily legally considered a new problem. As Task Force: VALKYRIE will cynically point out, they've been protecting the United States (with the 'help' of the Lost) from monsters from another dimension since the end of the Civil War or even before with a shoestring budget and a quarter of the men they'd want. While things have ramped up lately, the fact of the matter is that even now in a time of seeming supernatural turmoil, you're not going to get trampled by a dullahan on your way home from school. While some politicans do make a big deal of the whole affair, VALKYRIE's position is that this is a known problem not requiring additional extraordinary measures.

7. Anyone you put on patrolling those gates is at a high risk of getting dragged screaming through them

VALKYRIE has been at the forefront of the United States push for integration with its supernatural citizens and as a result the US has become a haven for the Lost, especially those fleeing nations that are less understanding. India has also taken well to its native Changeling population. The EU, whose citizens remember the old stories, is more wary of the fae people in their midst, but no legal action has been taken against them to date.

Israel formally accepted Jewish Lost about three weeks before the present day in-quest in an international announcement of solidarity, but they also consider active Gates to be part of their border, to be tightly controlled and guarded. They may actually have the manpower to do it, but who knows how it'll turn out long-term. Canada and Mexico have tentatively followed the US's lead with Changeling-related policy, though time will tell how that shakes out.

China has remained silent on the matter on the international stage. Human rights groups continue to press for any kind of data they can get.

As for Japan...

Well, take a guess.

(Called, writing).

>>1712636
>As for Japan...
>Well, take a guess.

Changeling idols EVERYWHERE!

>>1712636
>>1712638
> changeling harem anime
I'd watch it.

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>>1708492
You sigh and rest your forearm on your knee so you can lean forward and look at Dream Human You more easily. "I dunno. I guess...I guess I still don't fit in, in Spring? For more than the whole Warlock Knight thing. I don't know what I'm supposed to do!"

"Have you considered asking for help?" Dream Human You suggests. "You're on speaking terms with a Queen and a Princess. One of whom plays for both teams, if I remember right."

"I couldn't - she's my liege's rival - shut up!"

Your dream-self laughs prettily. "We need to get laid," she says with a shake of her head. "Honestly though, you know at least one thing you want. You just gotta do it."

"Do what?" you ask, skeptically.

"Colors," Dream Human You warns. "I'm literally you, remember? Go ham! Be the knight from the storybooks! Recite bad poetry you wrote yourself at people, woo damsels."

You sit up straight and fold your arms.

"Colors."

"You can't just 'go ham' in real life," you mutter.

"You know you wanna," Dream Human You teases. "You wanna so bad that just the sheer force of your ham-thirst is sustaining your Mantle. Your shockingly strong Mantle, that you look at in the mirror and wonder why it's so potent when you feel so lost. So just do it. Why be in the Court of Desire if you're not gonna do even that little thing that you want? Go on, say the thing."

"What thing?" you ask, blinking.

"Gods in fucking Asgard, fine." The human you snaps her fingers. Smog from the city below you swirls around her and coalesces into plates of black glass that arm and armor her, swirling with smoke and pollution. She points her tainted blade at you. "Sayyy iiiiiit or I'ma kick my ass from here to the American Dream."

"Quit it," you admonish.

"That wasn't it."

She launches herself at you, and the fight is on.

You rely on your memories of real combat for dream combat, but it's still a dream. When she goes leaping at you, you roll back off of the billboard and drop impossible miles down to the surface of the city. You kick off from the ground, cratering the sidewalk, and tackle your dream-self mid-fall. The two of you go cleaving through a high rise window into an opulent apartment, with the shards of glass chanting 'Fight! Fight!' in ecstatic glee.

Your blades meet with a bell-like ring that ripples out over the dreamscape, making all the windows and glasses of Philadelphia sing for you.

"Say it!" your dream-self demands, right before she jacks you in the face with a rabbit punch. You parry her follow-up on reflex and score a slash that cracks her glass helm, flooding the room with smoke. "You're being ridiculous, Colors!"

"Fuck you!"

"I'm you, Miss Self-Esteem!"

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>>1712663
> Go ham! Be the knight from the storybooks!

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>>1712663
The black-armored you comes surging out of the smoke with her blade in a two-handed grip. She forces you back with savage blows, driving you towards the windows. You step out of the room and onto the side of the high rise, taking the fight vertical; the world tips and reorients, making the windows 'down' and the sky 'forward'. The black glass blade shatters the window beneath your feet, and you manage to leap back in time to avoid falling into a new room; your boots scrape ugly gouges into the material.

"There's a phrase people use here, Colors," Dream Human You calls out. "I know you know it! What do you say when a blackguard shows up in your home town and does shit like, oh, this?"

She slams the building behind her; it cracks and falls, showering glass and rock and metal onto the screaming citizens of your dream. The mass slams into the structure next to it, which sprays razor shards towards you.

Something snaps in your heart. You seize the falling glass with the power of your Wyrd and bellow the first words that leap to your tongue - "Halt, villain!"

"Finally," your dream self says with visible relief. "Was that so hard?"

There's a ding-dong sound, like a bell of some kind, that thunders through the dream. Like a...like -

Fuck, that's your doorbell.

"I gotta go," you say hastily.

"I'm still you!" the black-armored you reminds you, and then you wake yourself up.

A bleary look at the clock says it's 7 AM. Who the fuck woke you up early?

You pick up Bifrost and stagger into the bathroom to splash water on your face. You shake your head vigorously and proceed to check your house before you put your eye to the peephole of the door.

It's Trista. She has a coffee carafe.

You open the door with a nervous smile. "Hey! Good morning, sorry I'm - I kinda - I'm doing a thing and I fell asleep in these clothes," you finish, lamely.

"You look wonderful, Colors. As always," she adds. You blush high on your cheeks. "Is now a bad time?"

> Yessss? I. Need to get back to doing that thing, it's an emergency.
> I have about an hour?
> Not at all!
> Write-in?

>>1712678
>I have about an hour?

And now I go to work. I'll be back at roughly 10 PM EST; votes remain open, and as always I'll try to be available by phone to answer questions.

Speaking of, questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>1712675
It's. It's beautiful.

>>1712678
> I have about an hour?

>>1712678
> I have about an hour?
On the one hand, lovely lady bearing coffee.
On the other hand, the lovely lady is married, and home-wrecking is unbecoming of a knight. Except for that time we literally wrecked her home, that was okay.

>>1712687
As long as it stays non-homewreck-y we're good, Maybe she had another weird dream.

>>1712678
> I have about an hour?

>>1712678
> I have about an hour?
>>1712627
>>1712636
That's interesting. Though I can't help but feel that the USA's response to all this would probably be to cram it full of nukes and let it cook off then pick off the stragglers with iron buckshot.

>>1713602
Considering how little that would do, it be kind of a waste of nukes.

>>1713602
That's a bit of an oversimplification of the nuclear option, though. Setting aside mystic concerns for a moment, the Hedge is an alternate dimension, not an alternate location. It potentially connects to anywhere on Earth with an arch, door, window, mirror, or even just a gap between stones large enough to walk through. Its size is unknown and perhaps unknowable, its paths provably psychoactive, its layout unmapped, and the deeper in you go, the less reliable various technologies become.

Even if you're okay with stranding an unknown number of American (and other) citizens by nuking the rift, there's no predicting the fallout. You can't even be sure air will compress (and thus transmit the shockwave) the same way. What happens when you trigger the bomb and a Gate is open? Can you even certify that it's your own Gate? At a minimum you're risking frying your own citizens, and you may just be committing an act of war against other sovereign nations.

Nuking the rift has too many question marks to be endorsed.

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>>1713928
Vox.
You have now given us a big shiny red button.
I want to press the big shiny red button.
It's sitting there, alone, unguarded, tempting me with it's seductive voice.
How am I not supposed to press it?
[x] I vote for nukes.

>>1713928
We need to use a dirty bomb then. Dump radioactive waste into the Hedges.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG.

>>1715004
>>1714710
Considering this is the World of Darkness, some sort of Hedge-tainted Zeka Promethean would be the result.
Or who knows, the Fey representation of some nuclear nightmare would like it and start breaching the gates just so it can eat more nukes, leaving magic radioactive fallout everywhere.

Called, writing. At last.

Thank you for your patience, I got kinda busy once I got home.

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>>1712678
You step aside to let Trista in. "I have about an hour or so," you tell her. "If that's enough time?"

"I just...needed out of the house," she admits. Your friend comes inside and heads to the kitchen while you shut and lock the door behind her. Trista has been here before, one of the few people in New Avalon that has, and she gets down some cups and pours the coffee. You spoon some sugar into yours and sit with her.

"Need to talk?" you invite. Trista sighs and stirs her coffee slowly.

"You ever feel like you should be doing something, but because you don't know what, you do nothing?" she says at last.

"Sure," you agree. "...That's my life a lot."

"...This is going to sound stupid and self-indulgent," Trista admits.

You take a sip of your coffee and motion for her to continue.

"Meeting you was one of the most amazing days of my life, and at least in part it's because, even if it was violent, and...and terrifying, magic was real," Trista begins, quietly. "People spend their whole lives looking for a little bit of wonder in their lives, and here I'd found it. It was all real, the whole time. The world was upside down, you know? And, don't mistake me. I believe you about the terrible things you went through, and that the cost isn't worth what you got back. I believe that."

"But?" you ask, your eyes on hers.

"...But I haven't done anything else, either. I see my kids off to school, I greet my husband when he comes home from work. I have my own job in the meantime. The whole world changed and I'm living the same old life, a life you risked your own to save. And that can't be right. That's not...that's not what I'm supposed to be doing, but I don't know what I should do. You said your magic is fate, and I believe that we were fated to meet. But now I'm just...lost."

"Most people would go to church for this kind of thing," you suggest. Your breath catches in your throat when Trista reaches across the table and touches the back of your hand.

"I don't want to ask a priest," Trista murmurs. "I'm asking you."

> Offer to introduce her around the Willow. She can at least make more friends?
> Discourage her. Her normal life is what the Lost have always fought to defend.
> Read the runes for her (Occult at difficulty 7; you may spend for Flickering Acumen)
> Use Cupid's Eye to discern her desires (Wyrd at difficulty 11; you may spend for Flickering Acumen [base bonus +4]
> Lean in across the small table... [Lust]
> Write-in?

And now I pass the fuck out. Votes, obviously, remain open. I'll update again before work.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

Also, your sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gq9ZEFrwnYjQpSeuMg1a_7UepedMrQUSEwbrHWntFCo/edit

>>1715242
> Read the runes for her (Occult at difficulty 7; you may spend for Flickering Acumen)
We can't really give her a say, so let the runes talk.

Fuck, last thing: remember to include Glamour use in your vote, if you want to spend for any. Colors can use up to 4 per roll, and has 8 on hand.

>>1715242
>> Read the runes for her (Occult at difficulty 7; you may spend for Flickering Acumen)

>>1715242
Oh man, this is a difficult choice...
> Offer to introduce her around the Willow. She can at least make more friends?
> Use Cupid's Eye to discern her desires (Wyrd at difficulty 11; you may spend for Flickering Acumen [base bonus +4] but be forthright with doing that, she needs to know what she wants and it's better if she knows what we're doing

I don't know what > Read the runes for her < stands for but I can assume it's like drawing cards for her and that is NOT the place nor the moment.

>>1715242
> Read the runes for her

>>1715242
> Read the runes for her (Occult at difficulty 7; you may spend for Flickering Acumen).
Spend 3 Glamour.

> Offer to introduce her around the Willow. She can at least make more friends?
Eh, this isn't a /terrible/ idea. If she can come around to Changelings being somewhat normal if scarred people besides all the Fucking Magic Shit(tm), it'll make it seem less special in her mind.

> Ask her if she's had that dream again.
I don't like this. After learning that its militia that are likely leading people into the Hedge, I'm worried that perhaps Trista is one of those who they've bound, and her memory was simply blocked to prevent her from revealing the truth to Colors.

Shadowrunning a bit, I also had the idea that Trista is, in fact, a Fetch who just doesn't realize that she isn't human. The dreams are crossover from the true Trista, who is still on the other side.

>>1715242
>Offer to introduce her around the Willow. She can at least make more friends?
> Read the runes for her (Occult at difficulty 7; you may spend for Flickering Acumen)
>Spend 3 Glamour

Lets try to prevent a second Fancy from happening,

>>1715242
>> Offer to introduce her around the Willow. She can at least make more friends?
>> Offer to read the runes for her (Occult at difficulty 7; you may spend for Flickering Acumen)

That is to say: offer both and see what she's (more) comfortable with.

>>1715242
> Lean in across the small table... [Lust]

Then

> Read the runes for her (Occult at difficulty 7; you may spend for Flickering Acumen)

The Fey can be dangerous friends even with the best of intentions. Give her a taste and a chance to back out first.

Alriiiight, called. Our winner is a combination of offering to introduce her around and reading the runes with 3 Glamour.

I need 2 rolls at 1d10+4.

Rolled 1 + 4 (1d10 + 4)

>>1715623
Disappointed nobody wanted to do Lust.

>>1715626
Also with that roll. Yowza.

>>1715628
Well, at least no one can possibly do worse?

Rolled 8 + 4 (1d10 + 4)

>>1715623

>>1715638
8 + 4 = 12; Success with Style

Writin'

Go go amateur divination

>>1715626
Well she's married, right? I'm not sure it'd be a good idea to seduce her

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>>1715242
"I'd like to try something," you tell Trista. "...Meaning no offense, but if you're asking me, I'm going to turn around and ask the gods. If that's a deal-breaker...?"

"Now I'm curious," she admits, with a shy smile. "I don't know a lot about your faith."

"That...honestly makes two of us," you admit, with a little shrug, and a little smile. "But we can get into that later. I'll be right back."

Your runes are in your jacket pocket, but you take the chance to go upstairs and change your shirt before you get into your armor. You've got to leave the house soon and you don't need to be late. Again.

You get back downstairs, grab your jacket from the coat rack, and throw it on before you come back to the kitchen. At your request, Trista puts the coffee supplies on the counter while you take out your bag of runes.

"Reading the runes is an old form of divination, though...most of them are," you admit. "Even Tarot, the most modern, is from the eighteen hundreds or so. I'm not a practiced prophetess, and I don't have Contracts that can help me foretell the future...but I am a creature of Wyrd, and a servant of the Aesir, and neither of those things are without meaning or power in this arena. This is my set, carved from the bones of a Hedge Beast I sacrificed to the All-Father."

Trista nods, her eyes wide with interest. The air feels tense, as it does in a ritual or in a holy place. You open the drawstrings on your bag and hold it out.

"Take one without looking. Set it on the table without examining it," you instruct. She reaches into the bag and sets a rune down.

Kenaz, the Beacon. Inspiration or revelation. You snort.

"What?" Trista asks, looking down at the rune.

"That one's about learning something," you say, amused. "Bit of a Thank You, Captain Obvious result." You spark Glamour, flaring the molten Flame inside that you took with you from Arcadia. "Again."

Runes come out of the bag at your instruction as you follow the Flame and your Wyrd. Perthro, the Cup. Algiz, the Elk. The Thorn appears reversed, threatening betrayal. Laguz, the Leek, the Sunrise rune Dagaz.

"Again," you say softly. Trista pulls a second Dagaz, and then another Laguz. The Flame in you flickers and coos, and at your prompting Trista pulls two at once and sets them on the table.

Laguz. Dagaz.

"Why did you make so many of the same two?" Trista asks.

"I didn't," you tell her softly. "The gods answered us, or the Wyrd did. Trista, how long have you had unusual dreams?"

Your friend looks a little startled at the question. "I - ever since I can remember," she admits. "The first one I ever remember, I was a little girl. It was so vivid. I dreamt that a terrible giant was coming to steal my toys, and that he'd take my whole room and me with him. I was so scared I went down into the basement with all my favorite things and slept on a blanket on the floor. A tree fell on the house that night and crushed my room flat."

>>1715661
It's just playing between girls. Not real sex.

Besides it's a Vice not a reasonable plan.

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>>1715700
"Wyrd lives in dreams too, Trista," you tell her. "There is a long tradition of the Courts seeking and retaining sensitive mortals, whose dreams run close to the hot spark of fate, and seeking prophecy in your nightmares and your fantasies. You always know you're dreaming, don't you?"

"Yes," she murmurs.

"You don't have to do anything," you soothe. "Something's coming up. A revelation besides this one, I think, but this," you put your finger on the reversed Thorn, "is bad news. The Thorn is the Rune of defensive force, of retribution. Reversed, it indicates betrayal, or evil, the corruption of your life by one that does not belong there, an attack."

"What can I do?"

"They're runes, not an instruction manual, but...you can't run from fate. If you want to challenge it, rise to meet it. I can teach you how to fight, or maybe someone else can. It's time you learned anyway. I...worry about you."

Your friend lets out a long breath while you scoop up your runes and drop them, one by one, into their bag. She sits back with a dazed expression, and you can't blame her. People don't exactly get up in the morning and expect this sort of thing to be the start of their day.

"Sometime when I'm done with what I'm doing, which ought to be soon, I'll take you to the Willow," you tell her. "Your family is free to come if they want, but, um. Leave the kids with a sitter. Just, do me a favor and try to be sensitive? We go to the Willow to get away from people like Pixie Chasers and wide-eyed kids asking for magic tricks."

"Of course," Trista promises. "Colors...thank you. For listening, and, and helping. Even if my actual question didn't get answered."

"Prophecy's like that," you say with a small shrug. "People expect a step-by-step of the future, but mostly you get signposts. I'll be there to help."

The two of you sneak a glance at the clock at the same time. Trista gets up and collects her carafe.

You get a kiss on the cheek on her way out, leaving your heart fluttering in your chest. You were supposed to do something today, right?

You get to the Willow with enough time to spare for some actual breakfast. The morning cook makes omelettes you could found a small nation on, not that their sheer size stops you from packing the whole thing away. You still feel floaty; you keep grinning off into nothing as petals scatter from your Mantle, making some of the other people eating breakfast chuckle into their plates. Your compatriots filter in, one after the other.

At nine o'clock sharp, you're all seated and ready to make some decisions.

> Hit the school; it contains the actual children and has to be prioritized
> Get the gate at Carrol House; Erin's advice can't be ignored
> Split up (what teams?)

>>1715740
>Get the gate at Carrol House; Erin's advice can't be ignored
This holds the actual militia and who knows what else they have stored there.

>>1715242
> Read the runes for her (Occult at difficulty 7; you may spend for Flickering Acumen)

But we also should discourage her. This is exactly what Vickie talked about, people longing for magic in their lives. It's an addiction that can fuck you up, and she basically got a free sample.

>>1715755
You are an entire update behind, my friend.

So, surprising no one, I gotta get ready for work. Sorry about the short tail end of this update but I wanted something out before I fucked off for 8.5 hours or more.

I'd also like to encourage folks to think about and/or discuss the idea of what 'going home' means to Colors. She's your MC; you control her and to a very great extent define her goals, her desires, and her limits. What does she want out of her life in New Avalon? What kind of person does she want to become? Does she want to climb the ranks in her Court? Seek fame and fortune? Immortalize her legend?

Though I've teased certain ideas (an attraction to Trista and/or the Spring Royalty, a Knightly Ideal) I'd like to know what you folks are thinking and what sorts of things you'd like to explore both now and as we go along. At the very least, presuming you're successful in this mission, you have a major favor coming your way from one of the most powerful and connected men in the Freehold, and what you use that favor on could kickstart a whole lot of interesting plot threads.

Votes, obviously, remain open.

Questions, comments, discussion (duh), feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated as well.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>1715809
I think Colors would want to make a difference. To work towards being more open with herself, but also to reconnect with people going by how the quest started and her ongoing interaction with Trista and her family.

Maybe providing a safer way of letting people see the wonders of Magic while educating them on the risks. Some sort of magical rehab outreach program in the community? Drag it out into the open.

>>1715740
>> Get the gate at Carrol House; Erin's advice can't be ignored

>>1715809
Colors working to open up herself more despite coming from a strict summer regime would be a good mid term goal, I'm also kinda hoping Fancy and Colors grow closer a bit after we've had time to clean up after our little spat, Fancy helping Colors come out of her sexual shell (without the possibility of ruining a family) would be marvelous. Getting all the people to swoon over our knightly magnificence would be kind of cool too.

Going home; New Avalon is slipping into a bit of a bad place so maybe taking a few of the reins and trying to breath new life into the slowly decaying city, making it a bit more prosperous and attractive to live would be my end goal. That and a lasting friendship between Rook, Vickie, Forum, and Colors.

One thing the Rook mentioned which also seemed pretty interesting is the fact that we have Ramona's personal number, I'm curious if it is because Ramona feels responsible to guide us as a former and still somewhat lost lamb, or if fancies us a little, it could very well be a bit of both.

If possible, whatever we do, we should let Colors knight around a little, it's a decent way to relief stress.

>>1715740
> Get the gate at Carrol House; Erin's advice can't be ignored
On top of being where the bulk of them probably are, cutting off their access to the gate will make it more difficult for the remnants to move about in secret. It will also deprive them of easy access to whatever they've got on the other side.

>>1715809
> What does she want out of her life in New Avalon?
Personally, I'm in favor of two goals/directions that are probably fairly compatible.

One is the loneliness and associated vulnerability shown in her interactions with Fancy and Vickie and in the dream sequence. Colors came to New Avalon under sketchy circumstances, and being forsworn makes it difficult to gain the trust of other changelings. She wants to start anew, and part of that is rebuilding a circle of friends. But she's got Philadelphia hanging over her head and keeping other changelings at arm's length, and normal humans seem to mainly be lusting after changelings for being the magic their lives are missing, rather than actually enjoying their company. I'm thinking redemption in the eyes of her peers might be an important goal for her, essentially proving her worth to the freehold regardless of her status as forsworn.

Then there's the delicious ham. She wants to indulge, but her current status makes that a bit more difficult. If people trusted her a bit more, they might be a bit more willing to humor her oddities.

So I guess what I'm getting at is that a big goal could be recognition and social acceptance. Fame, in a way, along with connections that come with that. Not so much climbing in rank as being welcomed by more than just Ramona and Natalie. Being liked by the boss is great, but it would be nice if your coworkers liked you too.

>>1715740
> Split up (what teams?)

Can we get any more assets from Arthur or Ramona?

At least have someone watching the place we don't hit so that if we have to go in loud there because they're trying to flee, we have the option. What's worse for our PR, storming a place or a bunch of kids going missing?

>>1715809
Like could we even just phone in a bomb threat or something for the other place to draw a bunch of attention to it so they can't do anything drastic?

If we sacrifice a bunch of kids, just for political convenience, are we really any better than the militias?

>>1716118
I dunno, maybe just.... talk to the school president and explain the sitch and why you want to poke around? 'hey we think kids are using your school to run away into the hedge and you should be worried about this'

>>1716254
We are supposedly the good guys (with extra ham!) with some amount of authority; no need to waste that or potentially ruin it by being all sneaky sneak bad guys if we can do it legit.

>>1716254
I mean.

That works too.

OR. Just saying. We could set it on fire

>>1715740
> Get the gate at Carrol House; Erin's advice can't be ignored

>>1715809
I think that Colors would like to make a home out of New Avalon. Beginning with creating or cementing some friendships, I would be particularly interested in Rook or Forum, and mending her relationship with Fancy.

I think we should let her indulge in her knightly ideals, follow dream Color's advice and play the storybook knight.

>>1715809
Regarding Colors, ironically the thing that would probably work the best with her would be something like the Summer Fae's Telling from Kingdom of Amalur. (http://amalur.wikia.com/wiki/Summer_Fae)

It's obvious that deep inside she wants to be a hero and to regain control of herself (control that was ripped off when she was transformed into a Changelin) and what better way to do that but go on an adventure?
I think she needs (and kinda wants) to fully embrace her role of "Knight of Spring" and to finally cast aside all her worries by "growing into her role".
And when I mean "growing into her role", I mean the whole "defeat the bad guy in a duel and kiss the princess at the end" cheesy goodness you'd get from an Errol Flynn movie.

>>1716311
I am totally not seeing Colors as the Changeling
& Rule 63'd version of Nate from DLQ. Nope. Not at all.

...

...Okay, yes I am. RED IS THE GLORY!!

>>1715740
> Hit the school; it contains the actual children and has to be prioritized.
Is it just me, or does the Carrol House just scream TRAP? I am fully expecting all hell to break loose, just because Murphy's Law applies to anything remotely relating to the Hedge.

Plus, no Knight worthy of the title would allow even a single innocent to come to harm. Putting results before morals is the way of men with no honor.

>>1716399
Not the glass fairy dude?

>>1716412
The Lord of Painted Glass? Fuck no.

He was a True Fae, one of the lords of the Gentry. Honorable he might have been, but I doubt he was anything like Colors here.

>>1716451
No but maybe like the Fae that fucked her up.

Thematically.

>>1715809
Did some more thinking, and these children with no where to go, no future, Colors could take them on as squires/apprentices, giving them the means to improve themselves. It would certainly be a step to a better New Avalon.

NEW THREAD

>>1718417
>>1718417
>>1718417
>>1718417

And now I pass the fuck out.