Freehold Legal Matters

"There are seasonal monarchs for each Freehold, and regardless of what Court we belong to, we swear fealty to the appropriate monarch at the beginning of each season. 
In Dallas we have Yakone in Spring--she may try and steal from you, usually she gives them back once they have become enchanted; Aisha in Summer, do not touch her; Liam in Autumn, who spends more time scrying the future in his girlfriend's kisses than in doing his job; and Wynne the spymistress makes up the number. 
Fort Worth gets Eric in Spring, he is easily dissuaded if you don't want to lie with him; Rivah in Summer; Onawa in Autumn, he of the inane questions; and Ash in Winter, no doubt he'll visit you soon offering a shoulder to cry into."
--Hrimveig, describing the differences between the Dallas and Fort Worth Freeholds.
==Territories==
Two large Freeholds cover the three cities (Fort Worth, Arlington, and Dallas) that comprise the metroplex. Each of the two Freeholds has a very different mentality towards laws, pledges, and oath-breaking, and these mentalities usually guide Changelings in their decision as to which Freehold to join.
===Fort Worth===
Fort Worth members tend to view themselves as strict but reasonable when it comes to governance. There is an excess of rules about consent and boundaries, and yes, sometimes perfectly good people do trigger an oath-breaking from time to time. The monarchs will then show up and give everyone a good talking to and then will usually restore the oath of the oath-breaker with no harm done to any parties. This system is in place to protect the weakest members of the Freehold from those who may--intentionally or accidentally--prey on them. 
===Dallas===
Dallas members tend to view themselves as less beholden to authority and more crowd-sourced when it comes to governance. The rules are significantly looser, and people are much less likely to break the oath on accident. This means that the weakest members are theoretically in more danger from their peers, but it also means that no one is dependent on a monarch to take mercy on them in the event of an accidental oath-breaking. And there is an unwritten rule in Dallas that if you are abusing the weaker members and if people find out about it? Well, it might be a good plan to pack your bags and leave town. 
===Arlington: Neutral Ground===
As a general rule, Dallas members try to observe Fort Worth laws in Fort Worth--many Fort Worth members take advantage of this extended courtesy to stay safely in city limits and leave Dallas trouble in Dallas. In the same vein, those few Fort Worth members who do enjoy the occasional rough-and-tumble fight do at least try to respect Dallas property when in Dallas.
Arlington has therefore naturally arisen as a sort of "neutral ground" between the two cities: a place for safe mingling and, if wanted, for carefully arranged conflicts to occur. Changelings from both Freeholds may meet there for socializing or for scheduled dueling, both martial and social. 
It is also Freehold law that Fetches who reside in Arlington shall not be taken by James Arlet and his acolytes. There are rumors that some of the monarchs who disagree with James' methods have been quietly convincing Fetches in the metroplex to relocate to this neutral territory. 
===Other Compromises===
The members of the sister-freeholds mostly try to get along well with each other. In theory, however, Fort Worth members are aware that the nature of their strict oaths (versus those of the Dallas members' looser oaths) puts them in a vulnerable position. A compromise was therefore reached, many years ago, that any member of the Freeholds may petition a panel of the eight monarchs at any time, should they have a grievance against another member. This solution is not ideal, as monarchs could vote strictly along Freehold lines, but Queen Aisha is known to be a fair judge on these panels and frequently casts the deciding ballot. 
==Oaths and Oath Mechanics==
On this [Solstice / Equinox] day I swear my allegiance to the Freehold of [Dallas / Fort Worth]. By my actions I will obey the laws of the Freehold, I will support and defend my home, and it will support and defend me in turn. May I thrive and find a true home here so long as my loyalty lasts.
The Freehold oaths are actually essentially the same oath, with the details left to be worked out in the minutiae of the specific Freehold laws in question. The mechanics of the pledge are as follows.
=== Duration ===
Season. The oath is sworn on the Solstice or Equinox, during the changing of the seasons. Changelings who arrive at the Freehold between these times may swear a revised version of the oath, but the oath must be resworn at the end of the current season.
=== Tasks ===
Fealty. The Changeling swears loyalty to the Freehold and to follow all Freehold laws. The monarch or hir appointed representative may make reasonable commands of the Changeling.
=== Sanctions ===
Pishogue. If the Changeling breaks this pledge, a pre-invoked contract will immediately fall on them. The contract in question is Leaping Toward Nightfall (Hours 5), which sends a target forward in time--the Changeling will instantly vanish and then reappear at the predetermined time. (Rites of Spring, p.104) Each Changeling in the Freehold is under the Pishogue of this spell to the tune of one hour; this is intended to give the monarch enough time to get to the scene of the oath-breaking, heal any harm that may have been caused, and (ideally) to prevent determined oath-breakers and loyalists from finishing the crime they'd started.
Banishment. When the pledge is broken, the monarch knows it instantly, as well as who broke it and the immediate cause (though not the reasons or circumstances). At any time after the oath is broken, the monarch may announce that the Changeling is banished, as long as at least 1/4th of hir Freehold members are present. The Changeling, no matter where they are, immediately knows they have been banished. While under the sanction of banishment, any Freehold member acting within Freehold boundaries will gain a point of Glamour by acting to harm them, and any Freehold member who manages to kill them within the Freehold boundaries will gain Glamour equal to the Changeling's Wyrd. Members may choose not to enact a proclaimed banishment, but the DFW Freeholds are big, and an oath-breaker would have to be very popular to safely remain in city limits...
=== Boons ===
Vassalage. The Changeling is recognized as a member of the Freehold. They have a right to petition the monarch and be heard, publicly or privately. They have the right to petition a panel of the eight monarchs to address member-grievances which may not be covered by existing Freehold laws. They have the right to call on the Freehold for reasonable help. If they are captured, the Freehold will make a reasonable effort to secure their release. If they are injured, physically or otherwise, the Freehold will make a reasonable effort to repair the harm. If they die, the Freehold will make a reasonable effort to ensure their responsibilities are not abandoned. In addition, as long as the monarch is a seasonal monarch, the Wyrd grants the blessing of Fertility: all Changelings get a +1 to harvest Glamour, as emotions flow strong and free when the seasonal patterns are maintained.
Blessing, Medial. The Changeling receives the Charmed Life merit. No member of the Freehold shall die if we may prevent it. (Rites of Spring, p.88) Once per scene, if your character suffers damage from an attack that would kill them or even just inflict one or more points of aggravated damage, your character has the option of spending one point of Willpower to cause the attacker to re-roll this attack.
Blessing, Lesser. The Changeling receives the Hedge Gate Sense merit. No member of the Freehold shall be lost or trapped in the Hedge if we may prevent it. (Rites of Spring, p.92) When attempting to find a way out of the Hedge, a character with this Merit can cut the time required to find an active gateway in half. As well, changelings with this Merit may make a reflexive Wits + Wyrd roll to notice an active gateway into the Hedge.
Adroitness. The Changeling receives +1 to all rolls involving the Empathy skill. No member of the Freehold shall be misunderstood if we may prevent it. 
==Laws and Punishments==
Where laws differ between Freeholds, they will be marked.
==== Fort Worth ====
# Obey the Monarch. Do obey all reasonable commands from the Monarch and hir representative(s).
# Submit to Panel Judgments. Do submit to the ruling of the monarch panel in the case of member-grievances.
# Murder. Do not murder any Changeling or member of the DFW sister freeholds, except in self-defense, in defense of another, in a mutually-agreed-upon duel, or with their freely-given consent. This prohibition also applies to humans, fetches, and sapient creatures.
# Rape. Do not rape any Changeling or member of the DFW sister freeholds. Do not have sexual intercourse with any Changeling or member of the DFW sister freeholds without their freely-given consent. This prohibition also applies to humans, fetches, and sapient creatures.
# Harm. Do not deliberately harm, assault, or maliciously interfere in the affairs of any Changeling or member of the DFW sister freeholds, except in self-defense, in defense of another, in a mutually-agreed-upon duel, or with their freely-given consent. This prohibition also applies to humans, fetches, and sapient creatures.
# Slavery. Do not engage in slavery, and do not sell, give, or through willful negligence allow to be taken into slavery any Changeling or member of the DFW sister freeholds without their freely-given consent. This prohibition also applies to humans, fetches, and sapient creatures.
# Fetches. Do uphold the Fetch Compromise.
# Unwitting Pledges. Do not impose an unwitting pledge on any Changeling or member of the DFW sister freeholds.
==== Dallas ====
# Obey the Monarch. Do obey all reasonable commands from the Monarch and hir representative(s).
# Submit to Panel Judgments. Do submit to the ruling of the monarch panel in the case of member-grievances.
# Murder. Do not murder any Changeling or member of the DFW sister freeholds, except in self-defense, in defense of another, in a mutually-agreed-upon duel, or with their freely-given consent. 
# Rape. Do not rape any Changeling or member of the DFW sister freeholds. 
# Harm. Do not deliberately harm any Changeling or member of the DFW sister freeholds, except in self-defense, in defense of another, in a mutually-agreed-upon duel, or with their freely-given consent. 
# Slavery. Do not engage in slavery, and do not sell, give, or through willful negligence allow to be taken into slavery any Changeling or member of the DFW sister freeholds without their freely-given consent. This prohibition also applies to humans.
# Fetches. Do uphold the Fetch Compromise.
# Unwitting Pledges. All unwitting pledges are subject to review by the monarch panel.
== Legal Nuances ==
How precisely does the Freehold define murder, rape, harm, slavery? And what is a reasonable command (as opposed to an unreasonable one)? 
Good question! There isn't an easy answer. The Freehold laws are written as above, and the Freeholds have not had the same rich legal history that humans in the surrounding area have had to flesh out clauses and sub-clauses for everything--nor do all the Changelings in the Freeholds even desire more legal verbiage. There is existing tension within the sister Freeholds on the subject of "common sense" language in the laws versus a more specific approach outlining what is and isn't against the law.
In all pledges and situations of possible oath-breaking, the Wyrd ultimately decides whether an oath has been broken. That does mean that there are cases where the Wyrd will make a call on whether an event constituted rape or harm. Please note: The Wyrd in this game-setting is not meant to be god or infallible or impartial or correct or even sympathetic. You will regularly hear me (and others) say, and pardon in advance my language: The Wyrd is a dick. 
Canonically, the Wyrd does not care about circumstances beyond the Changeling's control, nor does it have much respect for the concept of free will (as opposed to magically compromised will). Many Changelings outright do not trust the Wyrd and some believe it is an instrument of Fae magic that will screw everyone over the first chance it gets. We are, as Changelings, stuck with it because it is woven into our nature, but whether you choose to trust it is a decision that each character will have to make. 
So all that to say: just because the Wyrd rules that an action wasn't harm? Doesn't mean I or anyone else agrees or should agree with that decision. And also? Changelings may not always be aware that their actions will be deemed by the Wyrd as oath-breaking: it is potentially possible to break these laws accidentally. 
Okay, but I have a concern about the wording in one of the laws...?
Yep! You probably should be concerned by some of these laws. The Freehold members in this setting are (generally speaking) more aware of how vulnerable people can be victimized, as almost everyone in the setting is (by definition) a survivor of horrific abuse. That does not mean that everyone in the setting, nor everyone involved in the creation of the setting (i.e., the Founding Fathers and the monarchs of yesteryear) was a perfect feminist unicorn. There are villains in this Freehold, though they may not be who you think. 
So all that to say: there are (ooc-) deliberate flaws in the laws above, which are intended to reflect those (ic-) setting details. And, yes, your characters are very, very welcome to have all the feels about these laws. 
What are Unwitting Pledges? 
Unwitting Pledges are a game mechanic (Dancers in the Dusk, p.73, summarized here) whereby a simple promise or even basic agreement ("Yes, I will water your plants") can be forced into a pledge that the speaker did not intend. These are a big deal in this setting and have been banned in Fort Worth, and are subject to review in Dallas. This is because the Wyrd does not differentiate between "Yes, I will never leave your arms" and "Yes, I will stop placing poisonous spiders in peoples' shoes"--but the monarchs do and will differentiate between such pledges being forced on another. 
So... Dallas is full of villains?
Not really, no. While it is true that Dallas has less-restrictive laws, that does not mean that the members are all "yay, lets go murder humans!" The difference between the Freeholds is more about what laws were "important enough" to elevate to a monarch and the whims of the Wyrd, and which laws could be crowd-sourced without involving a monarch. Both Freeholds crowd-source some behavior: you will note that neither Freehold has a prohibition against stealing, but someone who makes a habit of it (or who steals something sufficiently important) will be hauled in front of the monarch panel soon enough. But in neither Freehold will the act of stealing involve the Wyrd. In short: there is a difference in paradigm between the cities, but it isn't as simple as Heroes and Villains. 
Can you give me some examples of the application of the differences in the laws?
Sure! Let's take the sanction against rape. Dallas' laws only contain a generalize prohibition against "rape", to be sorted out by the Wyrd. Fort Worth takes the law a step forward and explicitly forbids sexual intercourse without "freely-given consent"; the wording is specifically intended to draw a line under so-called "consent" that may have been forced or guided by magical considerations. That seems important in a world that has desire-command spells, opinion-changing spells, unwitting pledges, lust-potions, and any number of other ways to elicit sex without freely-given consent. (And you will note that this is a setting that has desire-commands that can be resisted and desire-commands that cannot be resisted. There is a spectrum of desire-commands.) 
But before we all assume that Dallas members are pro-rape, here is an entirely possible situation in terms of setting mechanics: Spring courtier Xenia could cast a desire-command on Aerith, forcing her to want to have sex with Bob and to pursue that desire at the cost of all other considerations. Bob could be entirely ignorant of this, but if he had sexual intercourse with Aerith while she was under the effects of this contract, he would be doing so without her "freely-given consent" because of the existence of the desire-spell. It's just not a desire-spell that he is personally aware of. 
How likely is that to come up in the game itself? 
I will not allow any PCs to be raped or to experience non-con / dub-con sex without explicit and carefully-negotiated ooc player permission. However, some of the above may be plot-relevant in terms of NPC interactions.
Category:Hollow