A sad tale's best for winter

[Random_White_Guy]

"A sad tale's best for winter:
I have one of sprites and goblins, "
- William Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale

During Hound's steadings push he dropped a lovely line in the rumors post about Autumn's arrival around the same time we did the RL autumn in the northern hemisphere. Given all that has happened in the last few weeks, as well as the time jump, it's lead to some interesting developments in game of a variety of sorts but chief among them a narrative push that Winter has come at last. While the Outer Rings never feel much of any shifts in weather the temperament, plots, and happenings all lend to it very well.

- Famine and scarcity after meager harvest.
- Knaves and Criminals on the prowl.
- Destruction and death with the Dragon and Ticker.
- Mysterious happenings in the near and far woods as changeling madness and entire rings vanish
- A rise in Ticker Refugees falling through to the Ponds
- Fey activity on the rise in the Ponds.

It sets the stage rather nicely for a cultural and narrative shift to take place and as it's also seasonal it means things can get a little bleaker, a little more violent and cruel, and a little more colorful in the hues of pale white, blue, purple, and black. Fae/fey/sidhe/seelie/etc and whatever name you want to give it plays a large part in D&D Druidism and other pastoral settings and in EFU it's one of those things that has been flirted with in other chapters but not so much touched on and fleshed out this time around.

To that end my PC as well as a few others have been pushing affairs but I'd like to take public now and invite other PCs to get involved in the fun. The shifting of the seasons brings control to The Winter Court, reflecting Mankind's darker temperament back on itself. Resources grow scarce, nights grow long, and huddled around the campfire for warmth the Forest is left to do such odd and wondrous things.

This isn't a PC Faction per say but more introducing some seasonal flavor, that shift from Pumpkin Spice to Peppermint Mocha EFU if you would, as reflected both in the Ponds, across the rings, and more as things continue to shift.

[hide=IC Lore flavor]In the past months what was hidden and hiding among the Druidic Circle of the City of Rings has come to shift and change. As Summer's temperatures raised blood and tempers leading to the Torc War and more Autumn brought with it the aftermath. Famine of the Steadings, chaos in Ticker Square, the destruction and ruination and harvesting of lives. In the alleys do greymalkin prank and Knaves prance. Among the Changelings and Pondsfolk there has been a relative malaise as Autumn often fair in the City.  At the peak of harvest ((OOC: October 3rd, DM ARc event)) was a Druidic Moot held as the Ponds closed to outsiders and rumors abounded of visited by Werewolf and Recondite alike, Greenmasks and more assembling openly among the Pondsfolk. Since this event though nearly all affairs have fallen to relative silence. The infamous "Ponds Purges" lessen as the Peers settle their affairs of tournaments, politics, and war.  Focusing on harvest and preparations for the seasons ahead.

In a snap like a twig though the last leaf falls... and the change in the winds occurs. The the arrival of an unsual and terrifying fog in Ring Seventy Five, changeling madness spreading, and a cold wind has taken to blow over the City of Rings. Shadows shift and sunlight grows lean.  On the edge of one's vision though and In the Willow Ways and Hedge Maze do the Boggarts and spriggons take to mischief, and violence upon orzans in the streets by unusual beast in dead of night.

After so much quiet in but three days time so much has occurred, and as Winter's Solstice soon approaches, the darkest day of the year, there appears no sign of relent.

Some would call it desperation, some would call it the onset of seasonal blues, but others?

Others would call it a time for revelry.

Hark and Herald, the throne change hand.

The Winter Court is now in session.[/hide]

OOC details: Any class can fit more or less.
Pondsfolk, Druids, Ringrunners, Clerics of Animalist/Pzatharun, potentially even Tchun.
Alignment: Non-Lawful, Non-Good.
Race: Any, Monstrous included

ICly there's already efforts underway for more than one affair of flavor.

- A Masquerade Banquet Ponds event to revel in Winter Court finery with contests and more.
- A Magical Ritual of Wintery Vibes and sacrifices in the darkest nights of winter.
- Efforts to cultivate small god faiths of a more wild, crueler lens.
- Hostile cryptid unusualness and violence.
- Other efforts afoot.

Interested PCs who want to brainstorm ideas OOC or anyone looking to lead a PC faction be it a Cult, actual attempts at Winter Court representation, or just PCs with more of a Fae/Winter vibe I welcome to contact me via discord and we can throw around some concept ideas.

The intent would be to try and ride this wave OOCly until March, and if my PC still living, an interesting shift as Summer Court begins to comes back into play.

This isn't so much the Ponds replacing Ticker as the "Rebellious" hub but in response to a short few weeks of PC activities and then a frankly insane weekend of DM events among the natural world there's some interesting avenues of pursuit to bring some new direction to things.

[Random_White_Guy]

A few concept ideas.

A Hydromancer Sorcerer sowing frost and winter's touch to the otherwise evergreen Weald, terrorziing the gatelands and steadings while protecting the Ponds in exchange for robust tribute.

An Unnselie-Themed Apothecary Rogue using his polymorph potions to run around as Satyr and spreading revelry and chaos and cruel mischief.

A Barbarian Chieftan seeking to raise a tribe to combat the coming winters woes and face its challenges with a madman's glee.

A Satyr or otherwise subrace bringing actual representation of the Winter Court to the Ponds in a PC faction of hell raisers and mischief makers.

A Wizard seeking to expand his power by courting the Winter Court and serving as their representative among the City of Rings, taking the Wizard Warrens in a more frosty and naturual direction.

A Ticker Refugee who sells himself to a Winter Fey Prince in exchange for dark, outsider powers of a Blackguard in pursuit of vengeance upon the Peers who he blames for the destruction of his home

A Ranger with FE Fey looking to help preserve the Ponds through winter hunting the Hedge Maze and surrounding regions for mischief spreaders and mayehm

A Cleric of Pzatharun who sows chaos in the rings and terrorizes the newly vulnerable Peerage Ward

Acolyte Priests and Cultists to aid with Glyph's "Wolves of War" motif of Ring Runner/Viking vibes.

A Royal Inquisitor who seeks to stymie the inevitable blizzard with grim determination and put an end to these GOT DAM FROSTY HIJINKS.

A Changeling Infitlrator who seeks to blend in with the newly flocking Ticker Refugees for an application to join one of the Peerage Houses as a Winter Court Fey spy.

A fat Dwarf with a big white beard who wants to seize control of the toyfolly foundry to bring presents and host glorious revelries so the Ancestors themselves forever remember his generosity bringing presents to the good little boys and girls of Ring 99.

A literal Krampus, terrifying sort of Satyr Ranger/Rogue bringing misery and pain upon the wicked boys and girls of the peerage.

Winter themed Druid with the Ice Elemental Summoning theme bringing chaos and mischief and wintery delights to the Ponds.

A Tiefling and Aasimar duo representing the Winter and Summer courts in a constant game of cat and mouse from now until Spring as the Ponds becomes an eternal Gangland between the two of them duking it out for supremacy.