Court of the Black Trees

### The Unified Crown, The Court of the Many, The Everblack Court

*The Huntsman approached the man and stopped precisely three steps away and gave a courtly bow. “My Lord, the Sovereign of Red Skies requests you attend him for his next feast; a carriage awaits you on the other side of this gate.” The man looked at the huntsmen and bowed back precisely the same amount. “The Sovereign is too generous by far. Please, give me a moment to change into something suitable for his party and I will then accompany you to the carriage.” When the man returned, he was dressed appropriately, as were the rest of his motley.*

*When the carriage returned to the Sovereign of Red Skies, the Huntsmen’s dead body was also precisely dressed for the occasion.*

**“All are free, or none. Ye of this land, suffer no compromise in this.”**

## Compassion

To be alone is to be weak and cold and hungry. Unity is strength and power. And Unity comes from the desire and need to help another. It is the myriad of drops of water that crash down on the rocks as a wave. It is the family that survives, each contributing to the coffers of the family unit. Alone the Father can hunt and cook, but cannot build a shelter. The mother can Build a Shelter but cannot gather firewood. Each gear taking its place in the grand scheme that is the clock.

The other Courts look at the Everblack and laugh as they all must rely on each other to survive. They fail to understand that through unity there is no weakness. The other Courts look at the Everblack Democracy and think it is nothing more than a waste of time that delays all results. What they fail to understand is that there exists no better defense against Them.

They can pick up a grain of sand. They can move a droplet of water. What They cannot do is move a beach or dry the ocean. The Gentry are formidable on their own, but when They stand against the many, They falter. When the seasons worked together they made something larger than the whole of their parts and the Everblack Court seeks to recreate that strength with the other seasons.

This Unity is not composed of just changelings either. The Everblack Court reaches out to the hobs of the Hedge as well. The Barony of the Lesser Ones all come from this Court and are well accepted among the hobs, leading to greater gains for all. Sometimes this extends to invitations to freeholds for private deals or guards that defend the Freehold. Compassion can open unexpected doors, even with the Hobs.

## Herd Mentality

There is a dark side to all things and with too much compassion and hubris it can sometimes become something akin to a herd mentality. When the People have needs, what can you do but placate them? And goblins, mortals and changelings alike all can forget logic when emotions run wild. Not everyone wants your compassion and forcing it can have horrible consequences.

Many Courtiers from other Courts question the history of the Trees or worry about letting Goblins into court. Many more secretly worry that their counterparts in the Black Tree’s will go the easy route of letting the majority guide their policies even when it might not be in their best interest.

This emotion based reasoning can most easily be seen with the core tenant that all the Black Trees agree to uphold. “All are free, or none. Ye of this land, suffer no compromise in this.” Where it might be easier to bargain for a sacrifice of another’s freedom, they will nearly always vote against such a thing. When there is a chance to save another from slavery, they will always vote to do so. These passions are not based on logic and can lead to dark ends very quickly.

## The Turn of the Seasons

**High Trees**

When in power, the Crowned Monarch becomes a Person of Value, which can be a difficult decision. A True Courtier knows that all people have equal value and thus there cannot be one more valuable. However, The Needs of the People declared it was necessary and so they must serve.

Most Monarchs tend to do one of three things. First, some Freeholds become extremely democratic. Each crown holder is given a vote and the Everblack Monarch is merely the first among equals. If there is an even split, some will say their status as Primus Inter Pares means that they can break the tie, but most will instead open the discussion to hear the will of all changelings. Some extremely democratic Freeholds will skip the monarchs and ask the will of the Freehold outright on major decisions, with the Monarch’s vote being a tie-breaker.

Some Freeholds go the opposite direction. The Monarch decides that they are the Will of the People and begin to guide the freehold to maximize the Freedom of others. Failure to follow the Will of the People leads to dangerous places in these Freeholds. To break rank is to show Disloyalty to the People and the mob will turn on you if that happens.

Finally and rarely, a true believer will be selected. Unable to stand being A Person of Value but unable to step down, this Monarch will make no decisions and allow everyone to pursue their ultimate freedom. The only time they will make a decision is when something must be called to a Vote. Once the People have voted, the Monarch will pursue that agenda with all their will.

**Low Trees**

When out of power, the Everblack Court tends to follow the Will of the Freehold. This is not to say they don’t argue but once a decision has been made, the Court is supposed to put aside personal issues and work for the betterment of all. Carefully hidden disobedience with extremely unpopular decisions do happen, usually from the lower mantle members, but for the most part the Court of Unity walks in step. They often seek to assist the other courts on their objectives.

## Give and Take

While the Court of Black Trees were formed only shortly before the Gentry vanished, they still made a Bargain like all the other Courts. When The Crown of the Black Tree’s is in power, the Gentry and their loyalists must seek to bargain before they accept victory. Clever changelings can use the Gentry’s own hubris against them with this Bargain.

Their Huntsmen are not as tightly bound but they carry the weight of their Keeper’s Pride; so long as the Black Tree’s are in power the Huntsmen must act with proper etiquette to all beings from Arcadia. In general, they will apply proper etiquette to mortals as well, but they are willing to break that where they are unwilling to do so with beings from Arcadia.

**Mantle Effects:**

Smog and soot surround the Changeling. They begin to smell of all of the trapping of the Industrial Age; sweat, soot, iron and coal. The air becomes heavy, warm and humid. The colors of the changeling seem to dull to more drab colors, easily replicable uniform colors. At higher mantles, bark and black pine needles begin to grow on exposed skin.

**Black Tree Courtiers:** A gifted Fairest boosts morale by speaking to the masses as they work, driving them to greater heights. An intelligent Wizened creates equipment for others to use, lightening the load of the workforce. An Elemental may drum out a slow and steady cadence keeping everyone in sync. Many members of this court would gladly lay down current projects to help another who’s load is too heavy for them to bear.

## Legends

* Caliban Devereaux is widely credited as the Originator of the Court of the Black Trees. While not the first changeling to make a deal with the Black Trees, he was the one to make a true Bargain. Baron Devereaux was among the Baron of Lesser Ones and worked closely with the Hobs that would eventually become the Black Trees. These Hobs were simple merchants at the time, a community of Hob Trees that worked together to maintain order in the local Hedge. When the General marched on their freehold, Caliban called upon his entitlement to bargain with the Trees. He offered to bring them into changeling society, to serve their interests till the end of his days and to raise them as high as he could if they would help him now. The Trees refused such a bargain but offered a second one. Instead of him serving, they offered to make him an equal among them and give him the aid he requested if he would bring their now *shared* interests to the Freeholds. Caliban agreed and forged a Bargain with them that exists still to this day.

* The Black Trees were formed from Slavery. The First Black Tree was a Hob that the Gentry controlled for their own ends. Forced to pump out mind controlling smog and poisoned fruit, the Tree corrupted changelings and brought them to heel. When the Tree was freed, it dedicated itself to making sure that all would be Free so that what it suffered would never happen again. The changelings it had corrupted were freed but chose to stay and help the cause. This new Motley would promote the Black Tree’s agenda and eventually make a true Bargain with them.

## Mantle: Everblack

Regain a point of glamour when you help take on another's burden without asking for compensation.

1. Gain bonus dice equal to your character’s Mantle dots to mundane survival rolls to navigate the Hedge
2. Gain bonus dice equal to your character’s Mantle on mundane Social rolls to close or uphold an above-board business deal.
3. Once per scene, regain willpower when you or someone you observe takes clarity damage, regain two if its lethal clarity damage
4. Gain the Hob Alarm bonus to one Hollow of your choice. This does not count against your Hollow Merit points and incurs no goblin debt
5. Once per Chapter, spend one glamour to distribute your dots in a single skill to a number of allies up to your dots in the skill. No changeling can have more than Trait Maximum+2 from this effect. You lose these dots until the end of the scene, upon which everything returns to normal.

## Everblack Contracts

### Common

#### Eye for an Eye

What was given unto you can be restored in kind

**Cost:** 1 Glamour

**Dice Pool:** Stamina + Occult + Mantle vs. Stamina + Wyrd

**Action:** Reflexive

**Success:** When a Tilt is applied to your character, you may reflexively activate this Contract to apply the same Tilt back to them.

**Exceptional Success:** You may also reflexively apply all damage taken as bashing damage to the attacker along with the Tilt.

**Failure:** No effect

**Dramatic Failure:** You take your Wyrd in Bashing

**Loophole:** You suffer from any form of the Blinded Tilt

#### Many Hands

The work is simpler when more people pitch in to assist.

**Cost:** 1 Glamour

**Dice Pool:** N/A

**Action:** Instant

**Duration:** Scene

**Effects:** When activated, the Changeling subconsciously reaches out to others and they can now assist each other by mere proximity, making any non-combat, non-contract action a teamwork action. The people assisting must be within Mantle yards.

**Loophole:** This is being done in the Hedge outside of a Hollow

#### Will of the People

To know the mind of the mob is to know how to go with the crowd or perhaps have the crowd move with you.

**Cost:** 1 Glamour

**Dice Pool:** Composure + Empathy + Mantle - Highest available (Resolve + Wyrd)

**Action:** Instant

**Success:** For each success, you can apply one of the listed Conditions below to a member of a crowd within Wyrd x3 yards of yourself. This contract can only be activated when the changeling is part of a crowd of at least 5 people. Possible conditions: Reckless, Shaken, or Steadfast

**Exceptional Success:** As above, yet with more successes to divide.

**Failure:** No effect

**Dramatic Failure:** The crowd gains the Berserk Condition

**Loophole:** No one in the crowd knows any of your names.

#### Prospective Glance

In the beginning the Trees were merchants and so they learned to read the benefits that someone would bring to their table.

**Cost:** 1 Glamour

**Dice Pool:** Wits + Socialize + Mantle - (Composure + Wyrd)

**Action:** Instant

**Success:** Learn the targets Highest rated Attribute and Skill. If there are multiple tied at the same value you will learn one of each (target’s choice). In addition learn any conditions tied to those skills if they are present.

**Exceptional Success:** Learn the Current Wyrd and Clarity values of the target as well.

**Failure:** The character’s abilities are a mystery

**Dramatic Failure:** While you were reading them, they were reading you. The target learns your Highest Attribute and Skill

**Loophole:** The target is seeking advice or counsel.

### Royal

#### The Center Cannot Hold

When tyranny stands before the will of the people, its works will fall to ruin before their might

Cost: 2 Glamour

**Dice Pool:** Resolve + Occult + Mantle vs Resolve + Wyrd

**Action:** Instant

**Success:** Nullify an active contract or power from another template.

**Exceptional Success:** The same contract or power cannot be activated for (Wyrd) turns.

**Failure:** The contract remains unaffected

**Dramatic Failure:** Your mask shatters, revealing you to everyone. If you are in the hedge, you suffer (Wyrd) Bashing damage instead.

**Loophole:** This contract is used to nullify the effect of another Seasonal Contract.

#### The Pebble and the Avalanche

When the People are in need, many hands will arrive to assist them in their goals. By talking random strangers, the changeling subconsciously spreads and idea or an emotion to dozens of people many of who reach out to another and then another. Once the web is built the changeling need only pluck a strand.

Cost: 2 Glamour, 1 Willpower

**Dice Pool:** Manipulation + Socialize + Mantle - Dots of desired Allies

**Action:** Extended, Five successes per dot of Allies

**Success:** Until the sun next rises, mortal connections bend to your whim, forcing the creation of an organization whose goal is stated upon creation

**Exceptional Success:** The Wyrd reinforces the group’s existence. You may buy this group with experience as either Allies or Contacts.

**Failure:** Nothing happens and this may not be attempted for the next 24 hours.

**Dramatic Failure:** The crowd turns on its creator with a driving goal of seeing the creator’s life come to ruin.

**Loophole:** The Contract is used with the goal of finding or creating food.

#### Suffer No Compromise

The Gentry have learned that things can be paid for in more than just words and promises. They can be paid for in mind, body, and spirit.

**Cost:** 2 Glamour, 1 Willpower

**Dice Pool:** N/A

**Action:** Reflexive

**Effects:** The character can reflexively choose to suffer no consequences for breaking a pledge for one round. Should the Changeling need to sidestep the consequences, the Wyrd lashes out and inflicts 1 aggravated wound in the form of a cut or burned tongue. The pledge comes back into effect the round after and the other pledge holders are not aware that the pledge was broken.

**Loophole:** The character is breaking a pledge in order to preserve the integrity of another’s pledge.

#### The Needs of the Many

The Black Trees provide for the people even in the times of famine. The people who support the Everblack shall in turn be provided for.

**Cost:** 2 Glamour, 1 Willpower

**Dice Pool:** Presence + Occult + Mantle

**Action:** Instant

**Success:** Up to your success in Targets each recover 2 glamour.

**Exceptional Success:** Targets gain 3 Glamour instead.

**Failure:** Nothing happens

**Dramatic Failure:** You give in too deeply; the Wyrd takes everything you have. Lose all of your glamour.

**Loophole:** Each person affected is of a different Court Mantle (Courtless count as a “Courtless” mantle for this purpose).