Freehold Creation

Changelings share a burden that no one else understands — they fully belong in neither the Dreaming nor the material world. Only in a freehold can they be amongst kin. Freeholds are the lifeblood of changeling society, the warm spirit holding the pieces together. Small freeholds offer a moment of refuge to wary changelings, a place to recharge before returning to a world not wholly theirs. Large freeholds offer a greater purpose, as commoner and noblewoman, Seelie and Unseelie alike, gather in these safe havens — often under the flag of truce — to share their tales. Like the changelings they serve, freeholds exist in two worlds: they have a body of mortar and brick, and a heart of Dreaming and Glamour.

The smallest balefires survived the Shattering, rather than the largest. Scholars speculate that the big balefires were knots in the weave, breaking under the stress of the Autumn World and the Dreaming ripping apart. Disgruntled commoners say the true fae claimed the greatest prizes and hid them from their changeling cousins. Some nobles believe the brightest candles simply burn the fastest. Either way, now changelings are left with scraps of the Dreaming that they must painstakingly fashion into proper freeholds.

Freeholds shelter their holders, but encourage them to not shut the world out. Changelings seeking refuge from banality or Bedlam find them welcome (if not necessarily safe) havens. Changelings seeking to hole up until the world passes by, however, quickly find themselves facing hostile intrusions and chimerical threats, as the freeholds encourage them to go live grander adventures.

This page presents extended rules for players to create a freehold. Rather than a single rating assigned to all aspects of a freehold (e.g., a one-dot freehold is small and sparsely decorated, with minimal security), players can pick and choose where to buff up their freehold and where to downsize.

## Designing a Freehold

The Dreaming is a living, changing entity, and freeholds are no exception to this rule. Changelings shape their freeholds both unconsciously and by their active will. That means every player gets a say in how the freehold represents their character’s needs, desires, and fears. If a new player joins the chronicle later and invests Background dots for Holdings, the freehold will change again to integrate the new changeling’s dreams.

### Acquisition

Now the motley has a freehold — but how did they come across it? As with inspiration, anything goes. The players may choose to leave these details to the Storyteller, trusting her to come up with interesting hooks and plot threads. The troupe might also select directly from the list below, choosing their favorite option, or as a table for rolling random acquisition.

* Homemade Brownies. The motley stumbles upon a Wellspring, and shapes it into a freehold — this freehold is wholly theirs, though they need Glamour (from dreamers, or borrowed from another balefire) to kick start it.
* Mysterious Heirloom. One of the motley acquires a freehold on her Chrysalis, as it belonged to her in a previous life. Even though one of the characters owns the freehold in character, all players should still get equal say in its design.
* Reclaimed Heritage. Something stole the freehold eons ago, whether a hostile chimera took up residence, or it was sealed away by a Lost One. The motley managed to repel the threat, and has claimed the freehold for themselves.
* Amazing Treasure. Using a legendary Treasure, the motley pierced the veil between the Autumn World and the Dreaming to draw the freehold forth. It’s a magnet for fantastic beasts from the Dreaming, and the motley frequently has to defend its new home.
* Stolen Prize. The motley won or stole the freehold from another changeling — and she seeks to take it back, creating a recurring antagonist for the story.
* Regency. The motley doesn’t own the freehold themselves, but they’ve been granted its deeds after taking the Oath of Regency (See Below).

### Archetype

A freehold’s story is represented by its Archetype: the role it plays in changeling society, and the purpose it plays in its freeholder’s journey. This is the spark that draws the freehold into a campaign, what gives the Storytellers hooks to introduce and use it.

Players shouldn’t feel limited to one Archetype when designing their freehold — a freehold can serve multiple purposes — but is restricted to one mechanical benefit without the purchase of Dual Nature (below). Alternately, the motley might hold two different, physically adjacent freeholds. This scenario qualifies them for the benefits of both, assuming each character has invested in Holdings for each freehold.

#### Academy

Academies are the commoners’ answer to the nobles’ traditional systems of tutelage and of wards. Dedicated to teaching young Kithain about lore, combat, and history, some Academies have become so popular even Arcadian sidhe apply for a student seat, which often brings their holders into heated conflict with their more conservative fae neighbors.

**Benefit:** Together, the players and Storyteller choose one Ability that the Academy teaches as its specialty. The Academy grants its freeholders -2 difficulty on rolls for that Ability while they reside within. Studying at the freehold counts as training when increasing the associated Ability with experience points.

#### Hearth

Hearths are the most common freeholds. Most are ancient holdings, claimed by commoners who secured and safeguarded them long before the Resurgence. No matter who owns the Hearth, it welcomes all changelings in need of safety. In return, commoners and Arcadian nobles alike rise up to defend the freehold when it needs them.

**Benefit:** A hearth grants its freeholders -2 difficulty on either Leadership or Socialize rolls (player’s choice) while they reside within.

#### Homestead

Homesteads are freeholds used to grow chimerical crops and raise animals, providing a significant portion of the Kithain’s craft goods and chimerical foodstuffs. Most are run by commoner Regents, who administrate the property in the name of a liege lord. In order to create the optimal environment for their crops and animals, Homesteads are constructed almost entirely in the Dreaming. While this makes them vulnerable, most rely on their liege’s Stronghold or another friendly freehold nearby for defense.

**Benefit:** A Homestead grants its freeholder -2 difficulty on Survival or Animal Ken rolls while they reside within. It also creates chimerical produce, using the rules found in Changeling: The Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition

#### Manor

Manors house communities of changelings. They hold only one balefire, with changelings flocking to outlier buildings (or rooms) for access to the balefire’s Glamour, or the protection of its Lord or Lady. Manors are the second most common freehold, next to hearths, and are mostly run by nobles who act as the Lord or Lady of the Manor.

**Benefit:** A Manor grants its freeholders -2 difficulty on Etiquette rolls while they reside within.

#### Market

Markets are freeholds where changelings to meet, trade chimerical goods and services, and look for jobs. Accessible through secret raths, Markets remain hidden from the mortal eye even in the middle of large, crowded cities. Most Markets are regulated by local nobility or their representatives, but Goblin Markets deliberately evade oversight: here, changelings deal in contraband and plot to undermine their local or rival noble’s rule.

**Benefit:** A Market grants its freeholders -2 difficulty on Persuasion or Subterfuge rolls while they reside within

#### Repository

Repositories are dedicated to lore and research. Most Repositories take the form of libraries, though literal talking heads or magical trees and pools that divulge knowledge are also common. Repositories are rare and highly sought-after; those not in noble hands are jealously guarded by their holders and coveted by the ranking local fae.

**Benefit:** A Repository grants its freeholders -2 difficulty on Lore rolls while they reside within

#### Stronghold

Strongholds are the Kithain’s seats of power, the first line of defense against Lost Ones, Fomorians, and other hostile incursions from the Dreaming. When the sidhe left the Autumn World, their Strongholds either sealed their gates or vanished completely. Now, many Strongholds have returned with their old masters. They are frequently hotbeds of the political pettiness at the center of noble conflicts.

**Benefit:** A Stronghold grants its freeholders -2 difficulty on Firearms or Melee rolls while they reside within.

#### Thorpe

Thorpes are changeling communities with multiple balefires burning throughout the property. Thorpes exist both in urban and rural areas, though they’re exceedingly rare in either. They’re run by a Mayor — usually a noble or commoner with the personal magnetism and stubborn patience to manage all the competing personalities living in the Thorpe.

**Benefit:** A Thorpe grants its freeholders -2 difficulty on Empathy rolls while they reside within.

#### Workshop

Workshops, the counterpart of Homesteads, exist almost completely in the Autumn World. Like Homesteads, changelings use them to produce chimerical items, to the point where the balefire’s Glamour is more often used to fuel the creation of goods rather than the creator’s personal reserves. Workshops are eclectic and unique, but usually, a nocker or boggan serves as Regent to these freeholds, under the authority of a landed noble patron.

**Benefit:** A Workshop grants its freeholders -2 difficulty on Craft rolls while they reside within. It also creates chimerical goods and items, using the rules found on Changeling: The Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition

### Aspect

Once the troupe has chosen their freehold’s Archetype, they can decide on an aspect. Aspects offer no mechanical benefits, but are just as important as Archetypes in describing the freehold’s innate character. Aspects draw on the nature of the nearby Dreaming and the personalities of the freeholders. A castle in Schwarzwald, Germany, won’t naturally be populated by wallabies; the characters must travel to Australia’s Dreaming to catch specimens for that. It might, however, be infested with venomous spiders drawn from a freeholder’s nightmares, even though Germany has no native venomous spiders.

Everyone in the troupe, including the Storyteller, should be happy with the Aspect selected. It should be unique and personal to the characters, while matching the Storyteller’s vision for the chronicle’s Near Dreaming.

### Appearance

Most of the time, a freehold’s physical and chimerical appearance match — a small tree house in the Autumn world is a sprawling treetop fortress in the Dreaming. Occasionally though, the Dreaming throws changelings for a loop: the small, pink house at the end of the street is a bristling estate full of dark corners and hidden passages in the Dreaming. Both physical and chimerical bodies are susceptible to change: a motley might simply paint the house blue with no changes to the chimerical appearance, whereas bright torches suddenly spring up in dark chimerical passageways when the freehold changes hand from a surly sluagh to an outgoing satyr.

A troupe should also consider the Autumn location of their freehold. Does it sit at the end of the great park lane, or is it wedged in between houses in a dark alley? Does it grace a peaceful inner-city sanctuary, or hide in a war-torn countryside? Does the motley own the Autumn house, or are they renting or squatting? These things are as much a part of the freehold’s story as its chimerical body.

### Hierarchy

A freehold conveys certain privileges to its holders, and the players should discuss how they share them. The same holds for the Glamour generated by the freehold’s balefire. It’s fine (and encouraged) to negotiate this in character. Not all the characters need to be happy with the outcome, but the players should be.

### Glamour Investment

All freeholders must invest a dot of Glamour in the freehold, even if that exceeds its total balefire rating. If their combined Glamour still falls short of the balefire rating, they have to pay the difference (divided between them as they see fit) or use the Treasure-sacrificing method described on Changeling: The Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition p.314 to lower the cost.

This Glamour attunes the freehold to their wishes, allowing them to shape it, consciously or otherwise, to their needs. As long as this Glamour remains invested, they may also harvest the balefire, take advantage of Sanctuary, and grant (or deny) hospitality and privileges to visitors. If the freehold is ever destroyed, all changelings regain their individually invested Glamour and an equal amount of Banality

### Multiple Fires Burning

A Thorpe’s balefires are independent entities, requiring separate Glamour investments. Each has a different appearance, as well as different Glamour and dross production. Changelings who invest in one of a Thorpe’s balefires work out Hierarchy for that specific balefire between themselves, and permission to sleep at one balefire does not translate to permission to sleep at the others.

Every changeling invested in one or more balefires counts as a freeholder when it comes to the Rule of Hospitality, and the Rights of Mandate, Passage, and Sanctuary. As long as one of the balefires still burns, the freehold and all its features remains (though its balefire rating might diminish if one of the balefires dies).

Freeholders can also choose to perform the Oath of Fire and Unity — a ritual especially common with motleys. The Thorpe’s freeholders divide themselves across all the balefires (if they’re too few, they have to appoint temporary Regents to fill the gaps), and recite the oath together. Modern motleys sometimes rely on livestreams to coordinate, but this is not necessary: the Dreaming will synchronize the oath swearers as if they were speaking in one voice. The oath binds the Thorpe’s balefires together, allowing the freeholders to withdraw and re-invest Glamour for all of balefires combined, instead of separately. This can significantly reduce the cost of membership in the Thorpe, especially if they also sacrifice Treasure or chimera in lieu of investing Glamour themselves.

Hierarchy, Glamour, and dross production (and division) remain independent: the bonded balefires are sisters, not twins. While the oath allows for potentially cheaper Glamour investments, it leaves the freehold more vulnerable to Reaving. Once an attacker has depleted one of the balefires, he can stay on location and use the oathbond to Reave the linked balefires.

### Rules of Hospitality

The freeholders must offer food, drink, and a night’s hospitality to any changeling who asks for it. They do not have to offer access to their balefire, and the hospitality does not need to extend beyond one night. When that night has passed, the guest may petition any of the freeholders to stay longer. If the troupe is divided in opinion and cannot reach consensus, the Dreaming allows the guest to stay.

### The Right of Mandate

Changelings have complete sovereignty within their freehold — their word is law, even if someone who outranks them visits. Motleys shouldn’t push their luck too far, though — if High King David comes to visit, they could technically tell him exactly what he can and can’t do, but it might be wiser to pull their punches and make a good impression on the king. If two (or more) freeholders contradict each other, the last one speaking to the visitor counts. If the troupe decides on an issue beforehand, they must inform each other before they can revoke that ruling.

## Point Buy Features

With the freehold’s story spun, the troupe converts their vision into hard numbers. Pooling their individual Holdings, they determine how many feature points they can spend: each Holdings dot is worth three feature points. Individual freehold features are capped at five dots, though the features combined may exceed five. Players can also invest in a personal freehold, represented by a separate Holding Background.

### Balefire

Players can freely decide where the balefire lies and what it looks like, but the freehold only generates Glamour and/ or dross equal to its balefire rating. For example, a three-dot balefire can generate three Glamour, three dross, or any combination thereof that does not exceed a total of three. The Glamour is evenly split between changelings sleeping near the balefire.

Any one of the freeholders may give a guest permission to harvest Glamour from the balefire, though a second freeholder may deny this if they find out. If two freeholders reach an impasse about this, they may call on the rest of the freeholders to vote. The majority rules, though a tie comes down in favor of the nays — the Dreaming is protective of its Glamour

In addition to assigning a balefire rating to their freehold, the troupe should also decide where in the freehold it lies and what it looks like.

In Baleful Big Easy we do not allow your Balefire rating to exceed 3 at Character Creation.

### Size

A freehold’s Size rating represents the area the freehold encompasses. The size may be either the mundane or the chimerical area of the freehold, normally whichever is larger.

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### Sanctuary

A freehold naturally protects its freeholders, granting them a threshold against attacks as well as bonus dice for defense equal to its Sanctuary rating. Sanctuary also subtracts dice equal to its rating to any Reaving attempts against the balefire. Furthermore, Sanctuary subtracts dice equal to its rating to all unwanted attempts to find or break into the freehold. Sanctuary does not work against freely-invited guests, but if the invitation is rescinded, it takes full effect.
Troupes should also decide what form this defense takes, which should be in keeping with the Archetype, Aspect, and Appearance they chose.

### Resources

A freehold may generate resources for the changelings, be they mundane or chimerical. This feature is vast in scope, encompassing mundane money, chimerical plants, stone, metal, or even chimerical creatures. As such, Storytellers and players should decide what rating is reasonable.

### Passages

A freehold is connected to both the Dreaming and the Autumn World. It has one free rath or trod, and the troupe may purchase additional ones at the cost of one feature point per path. Players should consider if these paths lead to the Near or Far Dreaming and if they are safe and well-traveled. The freeholders are responsible for maintaining these passages. Other Kithain may petition them for access, but they are not obligated to grant it

### Powers

In addition to features, freeholds can hold a variety of powers. This section details the most common ones, but troupes are encouraged to come up with their own, too.

#### Warning Call (•)

The freehold’s Sanctuary doesn’t just protect its residents, it also alerts them. The freeholders are immediately aware of intruders trying to make their way into the freehold, or — if they are already within — where they currently are. If the intruders conceal themselves with Glamour, such as through the use of Chicanery cantrips or Treasures with similar abilities, the freehold rolls its Sanctuary rating at a difficulty of 6 to penetrate the obfuscating effect.

#### Glamour to Dross (••)

Every evening, the freehold converts unclaimed Glamour into dross. Once the total created and unused Dross is twice the freehold’s balefire rating, this conversion stops until some of the Dross is used up.

#### Resonant Dreams (••)

Freeholders gain a +2 dice bonus either on all mundane checks, or one Art, that resonate with the freehold’s Aspect, while they remain within.

#### Call Forth the Flame (•••)

Lost since the Shattering, changelings are slowly rediscovering the art of coaxing Covenants of the Flame from their balefires. Freeholders celebrate at their balefire in a way that suits their nature — a boisterous satyr holds an orgy, while a quiet boggan sits alone and polishes the silverware, and an extrovert pooka tells stories to an enraptured audience. After a number of nights equal to the freehold’s Balefire rating, the fire produces its Covenant Ember in a flare of Glamour. This Ember is the central component of the Covenant of Flame (see below), though the players must pay the Treasure’s Background rating separately.

#### Dual Nature (•••)

The freehold draws on two separate Archetypes, such as a school inside an ancient castle, or a noble’s mansion encompassing a courtyard where its people trade and bargain. The freehold gains the benefit of a second Archetype in addition to its first.

#### Cantrips (•• - ••••• •••••)

A freehold can hold any Cantrip that resonates with the freehold’s Archetype or Aspect at twice the cost of the cantrip’s rating in its Art. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of which cantrips fit the freehold’s dream and which don’t.

## Quirks

Freeholds aren’t sentient, but they have a dream life of their own. Every freehold has features that don’t mold to their holders’ desires, but spring from their nightmares or from those of the ambient Dreaming. Many commoners take these oddities as-is, though nobles, especially Arcadian sidhe, find them distinctly disconcerting. Some nobles even claim these quirks didn’t occur before the Shattering, and accuse commoners of breaking the freeholds. Given how little Arcadian sidhe typically remember before the Resurgence, it’s impossible to verify these accusations.

Quirks can be harmless, strange, and unpredictable, or outright dangerous. Troupes should take care to ensure the freehold remains a benefit to the players who invested Background dots into it. A freehold’s potential for danger should present an adventure to tackle or a problem to solve rather than a reason to move out.

* A wild wave of Glamour swept the Killarney freehold up decades ago. The Hearth’s Autumn shell remains a small, unassuming house in Ireland, but the current of Glamour drags Killarney’s chimerical body all across Ireland and, occasionally, into Europe. On any morning, Sir Thomas Agemo, its pooka freeholder, might wake up to find that one of the Manor’s raths still leads to the house in Ireland, while the other suddenly exits into the Near Dreaming of France, or worse, Britain.
* The Three Dukes freehold in Chicago sits on the border of two gang turfs. The freeholder, a landed noble of House Liam, works hard to maintain his freehold as neutral territory, and is not above pitting the gangs against each other or striking deals with either of the leaders to stay out of the fray.
* The small Amogetswe freehold just outside Gabarone managed to survive the construction of Sir Seretse Khama airport. The freehold still exists today, but the chimerical winds around the freehold die completely whenever a plane takes off.

## Owning a Freehold

Building the freehold is merely the first step to actually owning one. Only after taking ownership do most freeholders find the actual work begins. Once a changeling ratifies her freehold, it accords her all the rights and responsibilities of a freeholder. She must diligently maintain her freehold or risk it forsaking her. She must beware of all perils that might endanger her holding. If she doesn’t have a plan to counter such threats, she risks losing everything she diligently built. Concurrently, she must not forget her mortal affairs. A careless freeholder is Bedlam’s easiest prey in the Autumn World.

### Ratification

Once the hard work of building a freehold is finished, the process of ratification is straightforward. The freeholder swears the Oath of Demesne to invest his Glamour, tying his soul to the fate of his holding. As long as he remains connected to the freehold, he enjoys all rights and responsibilities of a freeholder. The Dreaming itself supports this bond, so long as the agendas of freehold and freeholder are in sync. Then, things always seem to go right for the changeling. Luck breaks his way while he’s in his freehold. But if freeholder and freehold are at odds, the freehold offers passive-aggressive resistance. Minor possessions go missing. There seems to always be something in the way for the freeholder to trip over. For all the good luck a freeholder receives while in harmony with his freehold, he suffers nothing but misfortune when they dissent.

> **The Oath of Demesne**
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> *As the land supports the air, as the water nourishes all life, so shall I serve [name of the freehold]. So long as I draw breath and the Ignis Vesta burns, I shall be its guardian, else the Dreaming avert its gaze from me.*
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> The Oath of Demesne is similar in nature to the Oath of Guardianship, except it carries a heavy cost. Upon swearing the oath, the freeholder invests Glamour equal to the freehold’s rating. As long as he upholds the oath, he enjoys all the rights and responsibilities that come with freehold ownership. If he breaks the oath, he automatically receives Banality equal to the Glamour he invested.
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>
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> In the case of a motley swearing the oath, each member must contribute at least one Glamour. If any individual breaks the oath, each changeling receives Banality equal to the Glamour only he invested – even if they were not the ones to break it.
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### In Absentia

The story of a changeling’s life is often tumultuous, sometimes keeping her constantly on the move. Her adventures might keep her away from her freehold and unable to perform her duties as freeholder for extended periods. Occasionally, a noble might claim ownership of more holdings than she can possibly maintain herself. In the cases where a freeholder is prevented from personally caring for her freehold, she’ll usually find a regent to manage the day-to-day business of the holding in her stead.

If a changeling agrees to become the regent of a freehold, he must swear the Oath of Regency. With oath in place, all the benefits and responsibilities backed by the Dreaming transfer from the owner to the regent. The owner of the freehold loses the rights that accompany it until she asks for her holding back. Freeholders who appoint a regent never choose their minister casually. Even if the freehold falls while under someone else’s stewardship, the freehold’s owner suffers the consequences as normal.

> **Oath of Regency**
>
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> *With the light of the Ignis Vesta as our witness, I take upon your holding, caring for it as though it is my own. Let my hand be an extension of yours. Let your will find expression through me. May I serve in your trust until you return, else the light of my heart grow dim.*
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> The would-be regent uses a dot of Glamour to seal the Oath of Regency. While the oath is in place, she takes on all the rights and responsibilities of the freehold as though she were the owner. The oath ends and the regent regains her Glamour when the original freeholder returns and asks for her freehold back — whether the regent wishes to return it or not. Should the freehold fall while the oath is in effect, the regent automatically gains Banality equal to the Glamour used to seal the oath. The freeholder automatically gains Banality equal to the freehold’s rating.
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### Rights and Responsibilities

Though most are unable to afford the initial Glamour investment, many changelings dream of becoming freeholders. After all, what is better than holding a private refuge from Banality and a personal wellspring of Glamour? While it’s true that freehold ownership has undeniable benefits, freeholds carry a price for freeholders beyond the Glamour cost. Kithain society makes demands of its freeholders to ensure the survival of all changelings. More importantly, her soul becomes intermingled with the Dreaming through the freehold, and while the Dreaming will take steps to protect her, it also places certain expectations on the freeholder to ensure its own survival.

#### The Right of Harvest

In exchange for tending the balefires, which keep the Dreaming vital, the freehold offers a small portion of its rarefied ideas and emotions as Glamour to its freeholders. Through her soul’s union with the freehold, a freeholder or landed noble is able to connect with the Dreaming when she sleeps near her balefire. During her slumber, the Dreaming allows her to harvest Glamour according to the freehold’s balefire rating. With nothing more than a thought, she may allow another to receive the Right of Harvest in her place. This Right comes with a price. In order to receive its Glamour, a freeholder must actively maintain the freehold’s balefire. After all, balefire is the manifestation of new thoughts and emotions pouring into the Dreaming. Without it, the Dreaming stagnates and eventually withers away.

February 2nd marks Imbolc, or Bard’s Day — a day of replenishment for balefires. Firebrands carry lanterns lit from the Well of Flames from Tara-Nar to every freehold in Concordia. The lantern’s flame is added to the freehold’s balefire in a symbolic act of restoration. In return, the freeholder either provides a story herself or arranges for one to be told on her behalf. The story must be different every year, in tribute to the ever-changing nature of Glamour and the Dreaming. The rite of Imbolc strengthens the freehold’s balefire for another year. If the freeholder fails to observe the rituals of Imbolc, she gains one fewer Glamour points than normal when harvesting her balefire until the next rite, and the balefire weakens, becoming more susceptible to Banality and other threats.

#### The Rule of Hospitality

The law of hospitality is one of the oldest traditions of the Kithain. When he accepted guardianship of the freehold, the freeholder agreed to protect the Dreaming and, by extension, the people born of it. Any creature of Dream invoking the tradition of hospitality may not be turned away. In addition, the freeholder must offer his guest any food or drink he can reasonably procure. He is not expected to offer his guests the opportunity to harvest Glamour from the balefire, nor is he required to extend his guests’ stay beyond the first night. If the freeholder refuses a request for hospitality, the Dreaming removes its protection from Banality for a week, and he immediately suffers a Banality trigger. Hospitality may be revoked without consequence if his guests intentionally attempt harm against the freeholder or his possessions. While the Dreaming levies no additional punish - ment against the guests for breaking hospitality, they must face whatever they were seeking shelter from.

#### The Right of Mandate

A changeling is the ruler of her domain. Just as a baron’s word is law over his territory, a freeholder’s edicts must be obeyed within her freehold. She may owe fealty to another lord or have her actions bound by oaths. Even if the freeholder’s commands oppose her lord or break her oaths, the Dreaming will still enforce her will within the bounds of her freehold. It will go to great lengths to uphold her word, but the Dreaming expects the freeholder to uphold its mandate in return. Every freehold has an Aspect that serves as its foundation — a strong legend or emotion tied to the location. A freehold in White Lake, New York would have an Aspect of free love, whereas one built in Selma, Alabama would have an Aspect of strife or protest.

These dreams must be reinforced or they’ll fade from memory. The Dreaming expects a freeholder to support her freehold’s dream in accordance with its Aspect. The owner of a freehold of peace might forsake the use of weapons, no matter the circumstances. The lord of a freehold with a sadness Aspect might erect a memorial to the tragedy that inspired the freehold’s dream. Even freeholds with an Aspect as far afield as a popular children’s cartoon must have their dream supported. This is second nature to child freeholders, but grumps can still host Pretty Princess Kitty themed birthday parties. As long as the freeholder fulfills tangible acts to reinforce the freehold’s aspect, the freehold takes action to impede those who act against the will of the freeholder, imposing dice penalties up to the freehold’s balefire rating. If the freeholder forsakes the freehold’s Aspect, the freehold forsakes her in turn, taking no action to stop those who would act against her.

#### The Right of Passage

The freeholder is responsible for maintaining all trods and raths connected to the freehold. Trods are often aligned with certain dreams much like freeholds. In order to keep the trod healthy, a freeholder needs to reinforce the trod’s Aspect as well. Luckily for her, trods attached to freeholds are almost always based on similar, if not the same dreams. Actions taken to support one will usually support the other. A number of trods require additional rites to maintain their vitality, usually a specific action on meaningful dates. A fireplace-rath that opens into to a winter wonderland realm requires a sacrifice of milk and cookies every Christmas Eve. A Thorpe on the banks of the Zambezi welcomes residents returning from their journeys with Mahororo songs played on a mbira, keeping the trods clear of hostile chimera. A trod of secrets demands a riddle be answered every Solstice that coincides with the new moon. Others maintain their power if only those worthy to pass through or walk the path are allowed passage. It then falls to the freeholder to determine who is worthy and who must be denied.

Failing to properly maintain a trod associated with the freehold doesn’t have direct repercussions from the Dreaming on the freeholder. However, if the trod isn’t well maintained and secure, there is no telling what sort of surprises might cross into the Autumn World from the Dreaming. The Dreaming is unpredictable, and things that find their way along dilapidated trods can range from benign annoyances to life-threatening perils. It behooves a freeholder to preserve his trod.

* Chimerical termites find that a freehold makes a tasty snack.
* A platoon of army ants decides the freehold is the perfect forward base of operations as they expand their empire.
* A beautiful Ganconer with an eye for the freeholder’s skin awaits to seduce him.

#### Politics

While not required by the Dreaming, freeholders often find themselves at the center of changeling politics whether they like it or not. Her position as the freehold’s proprietor means that a freeholder is forced to settle disputes that arise in the freehold. If she establishes herself as a fair authority in the freehold, other changelings often look to her for guidance within the larger community. A freeholder’s voice carries weight beyond such informal civic positions. As a voting member of the Parliament of Dreams, she can find herself with friends she never knew existed and others currying favor so she’ll vote in their interests. Some freeholders revel in the attention and love the games of politics. Others resent their newfound attention and shun any who would use them for political gain.

#### Sanctuary

As long as the freeholder does everything the Dreaming expects of him in support of his freehold, he and his holding become in sync with one another. It transforms into his place of power, and he gains a considerable measure of strength while in its confines. They each become an extension of the other’s will. If the freeholder stays true to his obligations and doesn’t lapse in any of his duties backed by the Dreaming, he gains extra dice for any defensive roll, both physical and magical, equal to the freehold’s rating. Additionally, he gains half the freehold’s rating (round up) in extra dice for soak rolls. Should he be penalized by the Dreaming for neglecting his holding, he loses this benefit until he starts to maintain his freehold properly again.

### Repercussions

Even with all the benefits of freehold ownership, a freeholder must always remain vigilant against the threats drawn to her holding. Jealous changelings and prodigals may eye her freehold with desire. The freehold may have other owners from lifetimes ago — now returned — demanding their freehold back. If the freeholder isn’t careful, she could lose her freehold, her life, or both. The most dangerous threat, however, is that which is inherent to all freeholds — the seductive lure of Bedlam.

#### Defending the Freehold

Freeholds, especially powerful ones, are rare, precious commodities. The most common threats to them typically come from other changelings. Glamour is scarce, and Banality rampant. Some Kithain will go to any length secure refuge from both dangers. They’re prepared to fight and kill to take a freehold for themselves, no matter what the Escheat says. Other changelings desire a particular freehold for the political or tactical advantage it provides, and will besiege the freehold until its holder surrenders or is slain. Growing in threat to Kithain freeholds are the Thallain, who wage devastating attacks on freeholds in order to control and twist them to their own nightmarish ends.

Some chimera are also willing to fight changelings for their freeholds, though they can’t claim ownership like the Kithain. Most that threaten changeling freeholders are simply acting on instinct and do not understand that freeholds weaken and collapse without a changeling to maintain them. They only know the freehold provides a measure of safety, and see competition for the shelter as a threat to be eliminated.

Prodigals may also covet a changeling’s freehold. Zealous werewolves in particular sometimes mistake a freehold for one of their holy sites and wage war to “reclaim” it in the name of their god. Mages, in their ignorance of the damage they do, consider freeholds a fuel source for their magic and can gut a freehold of all its Glamour, leaving a ruined husk behind. Certain families of vampires see freeholds as places of power suitable for enacting their bloody rites.

Dangerous threats may come from any direction. A freeholder should always have a plan in place to protect herself and her holding — by force, if necessary.

#### Contested Ownership

A freehold recognizes only the changeling or oathcircle who invested Glamour as its owner. If the freehold is destroyed, that Glamour is extinguished with the balefire. If the owner dies and passes back into the cycle of reincarnation, his invested Glamour goes dormant in the balefire, eventually burning away into raw dream-stuff. Arcadian sidhe are the most likely to contest ownership, but disputes over a current incarnation’s rights to a freehold can arise between even commoners.

The simplest solution is for a freeholder to appoint a stand-in, bound by Oath of Regency, to oversee their holdings until their eventual return. In return, the regent may use the freehold as her own until the rightful freeholder returns to reclaim their holding.

In the age before the Shattering, mortality was unforeseeable to the fae. Their oaths made no provisions for a changeling dying and reincarnating into a new life. Some oaths of regency expired when the regent’s first mortal life ended. Other regents found themselves drawn to the same freehold, lifetime after lifetime, unaware of their ancient oaths.

As long as an Oathbound regent dutifully maintains the freehold, the original freeholder may still claim the holding. Simply by requesting the freehold back, the returned noble regains full control over the holding — much to the dismay of the commoner.

The mass exodus of the nobility and their subsequent return muddied the waters with regards to the rightful ownership of a freehold. During the Resurgence, most commoner freeholders incorrectly assumed that their willingness to maintain their freeholds would supersede the right of the Arcadian sidhe who cut and ran. The Dreaming’s sole criterion for who may lay claim to a freehold is whether or not a changeling’s Glamour is bound to the balefire. A significant number of returned Arcadian sidhe brought with them their Covenants of Flame — a Treasure containing a piece of their Glamour mixed with a single flame of balefire. Though their original investment had long since evaporated, those Arcadian sidhe held proof of their claim. With the Dreaming recognizing their equal ownership (like a motley jointly contributing Glamour to a balefire), the sidhe then goaded the commoner into challenging him for sole rights. As the challenged party, the sidhe had the right set the terms of the duel — ones favorable to their superior knowledge of Arts and the Dreaming.

> **Covenant of Flame (Treasure •••)**
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> Covenants of Flame serve as proof of ownership over a freehold. They are comprised of a small flame from a balefire encased in a crystalline structure carved into the shape of the freehold’s crest. A Covenant is usually small and set into jewelry, such as a ring or pendant, enabling the freeholder to keep it on his person at all times. Landed nobles commonly possessed Covenants of Flame before the Shattering, but many were destroyed, lost, or taken to Arcadia in the ensuing chaos. The secret to their creation was lost to the Kithain during the Interregnum. Only recently, with a handful of Covenants back in circulation, have changeling artisans rediscovered how to craft them.
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> With a tiny piece of the changeling’s soul and a single flame from the balefire, a Covenant of Flame becomes a bridge between freeholder and freehold. When the freeholder presents the Treasure before the balefire, it glows brilliantly, signaling he is the true owner of the freehold. While he is away, the flame within the Treasure relays the relative health of his holding. If the freehold collapses, he may destroy the Treasure to release the flame and reignite the balefire. A Covenant of Flame contains only a spark of the original balefire, though, and it may reestablish the freehold at a maximum of Holdings Dots until the freeholder invests additional Glamour.
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#### Becoming Lost

Time is a funny thing in the Dreaming. The future and the past don’t always move at the same speed, and they aren’t necessarily prerequisites for each other. The mixture of Banality with the energies of the Dreaming tames time somewhat within a freehold, but dream-time can’t be entirely restrained. Freeholds have a certain timeless feel because mortal time literally stands still in the presence of a balefire. Humans and changelings alike cease aging in a freehold, though time outside continues to proceed normally — a dangerous thing, because most beings in a freehold won’t feel the time pass at all. Arcadian sidhe, however, always know exactly how much time passes in a freehold, thanks to their undiminished faerie nature and affinity for time. Mundane clocks, for reasons the fae can only speculate on, continue tracking time normally in a freehold. Most freeholders make sure to keep a mortal timepiece on prominent display.

A freeholder succumbing to Bedlam in his freehold is one of the greatest horrors of the Kithain. When he completely lets go of the mundane, the Dreaming rushes into the schism in his psyche. His mind and his freehold become one. With his original personality subsumed by the freehold’s dream, he is transformed into the freehold’s Aspect personified and is no longer recognizable as a changeling. Capricious, callous, and utterly mad — Kithain call such beings Lost Ones. Lost Ones clothe themselves in their freeholds like a shroud, completely cutting themselves off from the outside world. Within their freeholds, they wield a near god-like power to reshape reality to their whims. Outside their protected sanctuary, the touch of Banality from the Autumn World renders them impotent and is enough to extinguish their lives in short order. Though rare, particularly cunning changelings have managed to bind Lost Ones into oaths, turning them into powers of their freeholds (albeit capricious ones). Even bound, keeping a Lost One is a perilous endeavor. While their bedlam prevents them from breaking the letter of any oaths that bind them, their interpretation of their oaths may not match those of the freeholders.

Although freeholders who lose themselves to the temptation of their balefires aren’t unheard of in the present day, most Lost Ones date back to the Shattering, when desperate fae barricaded themselves in their freeholds to hide from the floods of Banality. Lost Ones tend to be discovered by accident. A changeling pierces the skin of the world, hoping to reestablish the ruins of a freehold, and suddenly finds himself a captive performer in a Lost One’s mad play. Only quick wit and cunning may trick the Lost One into leaving the safety of the freehold before the changeling’s inevitable demise or descent into Bedlam, whichever comes first.

> **Freehold Addiction**
> Changelings must be careful about how long they spend in a freehold — their sanity slips easily away. The ebb and flow of the Dreaming and Banality mixing, pulling, twisting, and pushing against each other make it easy for a changeling to lose sight of that which keeps him grounded. The refined, pure Glamour from the balefire is seductive and as addictive as it is invigorating. Any changeling who spends a week in a freehold gains an Imbalance. Also, if a changeling gathers Glamour points from a balefire in excess of his Glamour rating, he gains an Imbalance. For example, if the freeholder has a Glamour rating of 5 and currently has 4 Glamour points, he would gain an Imbalance if he harvests 2 or more Glamour points from his balefire.
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