So I ran a campaign during which one of the players had the desire to become a knight of a faerie court, but during the time it took place the positions were filled. Rather than kill off Lloyd Slate prematurely, I worked with him on the idea of a Spring and Autumn Court, and he happily leapt at the opportunity to be a part of autumn. This was the result, and I thought I would share it for those potentially interested in doing something with them and wanted to see how some others did it. Some of my reasoning is added in spoilers below, so if you wonder why I did X, or Y.
Autumn Court
The Autumn Court is one of the two ‘low’ courts of faerie, along with the Spring Court. This is in contrast to the high courts of winter and summer, and the wyld courts of the likes of the Tylwyth Teg and other wyldfae.
Autumn serves, along with spring, as the guardian of transition between summer and winter, though along with spring they are at such a diminished state that they cannot pose any serious challenge anymore. The other role, and one which seems to hold a greater interest to them, is that of guarding the border between life and death, and it is also the one that has cost them so much. During the time of Heinrich Kemmler the Autumn court suffered in their efforts to stop him, beyond merely losing fae against him in battle Kemmler also had many allies in faerie, as well as hell, and Autumn was not strong enough by then to face a multi-front war against arguably the most powerful necromancer to have ever existed.
Presently there are scarce few fae still available to answer Partholon’s call, but that doesn’t stop them in their task, it is after all, their nature.
As winter guards the world from the outsiders, and summer the world from winter, I wanted autumn to likewise have a purpose that mirrored this functionality. Because the player was very fond of Halloween, and there being a barrier between life and death, it seemed fitting this court would deal with it. To explain why they don't seem to do much of anything nowadays, or during books dealing with undead, I had them mostly eliminated by Kemmler in the past.
Abseelie Magic
Autumn Magic allows you to cast magics that fit its essential nature: Entropy, Change, Harvest, Earth, Sorrow.
Satisfies the catch for both Spring and Winter.
Because autumn and spring are quite weak in my world, I allowed them to also satisfy a catch for one of the major courts whom the players were more likely to actually run into. This is also tied to their role of guarding the transition from winter to summer and vice versa, something which by the time of Summer Knight they are incapable of doing or being involved in due to their war against Kemmler in the past.
Autumn King, Partholon
Partholon is the Autumn King, he loooks to be in his late twenties and has a beard and longer hair that changes based on his own desires, as a part of autumn change is a natural state and his appearance can be quite malleable should he desire it.
He is almost always formal, has shown some interest in mortal pop culture, notably comics, and is otherwise reserved. There is also a hint of resignation, perhaps sorrow, in him. He is neither cold nor warm, and perhaps the best singular word to describe him would be dignified.
Autumn Heir, Nemed
Nemed as the Autumn Heir is somewhat at odds with the reserved Partholon, whereas the Autumn King has a hint of sadness, Nemed is often melancholic and gloomy, be this the result of his nature or the result of the fate of the Autumn Court is difficult to say. He appears as a young man in his early twenties to late teens sporting a punk style.
He is often angry, has an interest like his father in the mortal pop culture but far more interested in the likes of punk rock and music than the more colorful pursuits of Partholon. He tends to keep his distance but isn’t as reserved as Partholon either.
Unlike the major courts which are female lead, I decided for spring and autumn to have male heads of court. Partholon and Nemed are from Irish mythology, leading the second and third group of settlers to Ireland. Aside from the names, there is nothing else really tying them all that closesly to the mythical figures, of which there is little written.
Autumn Knight, Stig
Stig is a player character in my campaign, as such I won't go into super detail on him here, unless someone is curious and wants a stand in autumn knight. In which case i'll see if he is okay with me sharing his character.
Previous Knights
Angela Stalker
Angela was an expert at using stealth and glamours to let her move around unseen and unnoticed. Unfortunately when she was caught tracking down the cause of the weakening veil in Pittsburgh, she wasn't able to escape the powerful, and some might say mad, White Court vampire Michael Rooney.
Since the major courts seem to favor male knights, these courts favor female knights. No reason other then to just be a reverse reflection of the major courts really, the player is himself playing a male character.
Notable Members
Various notable members of the court.
Jack O’Lantern
Jack O’Lantern is one of the four ‘Jack’ brothers, also called by some the headless horseman. He is thoughtful, and slow in his attitude and response, and very interested in learning ‘things’. He will sit and ponder strange questions, and ask strange questions to find things to ponder.
In my campaign each court has a 'Jack', each with its own peculiar quirks, and all apparently are brothers. Mostly I used these guys as contacts for when the players were interacting with the courts. Timeline wise the Ladies are busy in Chicago, as are the Knights, and since the Queens are not likely to busy themselves with the ragtag group, I made the Jacks. Spring has Jack o' the Green, AKA Puck, Summer has Jack in Irons, AKA Springheeled Jack, and Winter of course has Jack Frost.
Eithne (Pr: Enya), ‘Autumn Queen’
Eithne is a powerful member of the Autumn Court, bold in speech and action, and has a curious look that while beautiful to look upon, carries a strange alieness that is difficult to pin point.
Another name from Irish mythology, and continues the mirroring of the high courts. They have the Erlking and Santa Claus, so Autumn has Eithne. She hasn't actually come up yet in the campaign so there really isn't much to her as of yet.
History
The Autumn Court was formed as the others as a result of the Sidhe Wars, its duties in faerie and beyond spelled out according to the Unseelie Accords. Over time they fell in power and influence, to the point where they had scarcely a tenth of their power by the time of Kemmler; whom, in response to his weakening the veil between life and death, they would wage a war against once he rose in power in what they refer to as the Grave Wars. By the end they were a mostly broken power that faded into even greater obscurity.
Template: Knight of Autumn/Spring
Knights of Autumn exist in the same capacity as the knights of other courts do, but given current standings are less expected to deal with other faerie courts and more likely to be involved dealing with beings who have chosen to delve into dealing with the barrier between life and death.
Musts
Like all such characters the Knight of Autumn must have a high concept which relates to their status, such as 'Autumn Knight', and are subject to the will of the autumn court's rulers and all that it entails. Only one character may hold the title at any time in a game, and the only known way out is the the grave. (Though that hasn't always worked...) Additionally they must take the following powers:
- Abseelie/Adseelie Magic [-4]
-The Catch [+3] Cold Iron - Inhuman Strength [-2]
-The Catch [+1] Cold Iron - Inhuman Speed [-2]
-The Catch [+1] Cold Iron - Toughness
-Inhuman Toughness [-2]
-Inhuman Recovery [-2]
-The Catch [+1] Trappings of Spring, Cold Iron - Marked By Power [-1]
Options
Glamours are a common option Knights might choose to learn, in addition to potentially looking into other forms of magic, be it as a practitioner, or as a relic to augment their already notable prowess.
Minimum Refresh Cost: 7 (12 RAW)
I know, I know, why are their catches on their magic, and inhuman strength and speed? More or less this is derived from Cold Days, where an Knight can, with the proper application of iron to said knight, be cut off temporarily from his mantle. That itself seemed worth a bonus number of points due to the commonly accessible nature of it, and it needed to be noted that these things would be affected by it. So reusing The Catch seemed right. A well prepared villain can nullify their abilities if given the chance. This also kept the Autumn Knight playable for the PC after reading cold days it became evident Harry did not need an Item of Power to access the winter knights physical powers which we had been going with before.
If you want, I have a addtion to make to the Court (Or maybe the Spring side of it)
Kuma Lisa, a trickster fox of Russian folklore. Will add stats and such if you want it.
Sure, the more the better, and I must confess I know little of Russian folklore. I didn't stat these figures because I never expected them to come into conflict with the players, and over the campaign never did.
This looks awesome! I'd love a matching writeup of your Spring Court to go with it. What theme did you have in mind to mirror autumns "borders of death"?
So here is the spring court. Though it actually played a larger role plotwise, the interactions with it were fewer, with only Banfia ever interacting with the group. Here is what I have on it though. I wasn't ever 100% happy with their duty personally, but I was never able to come up with a better one and it worked out well enough to explain their current position.
Spring Court
The Spring Court is one of the two ‘low’ courts of faerie, along with the Autumn Court. This is in contrast to the high courts of winter and summer, and the wyld courts of the likes of the Tylwyth Teg and other wyldfae.
Spring serves, along with Autumn, as the guardian of transition between summer and winter, though along with autumn they are at such a diminished state that they cannot pose any serious challenge anymore. Springs other duty is to maintain the divide between mortal realms and those of Faerie. The idea of humans trying to establish a realm in Faerie, or fae establishing a realm in the mortal world would be cause for them to intervene. Of course with their diminished power there is little they can do, one reason that the Wyldfae in Pittsburgh go unchallenged.
Few spring fae remain, and their tendency to stay hidden since the Grave Wars means its is difficult to tell what real power they yet have.
The Spring Court was one I had the most trouble coming up with a purpose for, I knew it should mirror autumn to a degree, and the idea they were the gatekeepers of the veil also made it rather easy to explain their weakening over the years as they would inevitably be in conflict with someone. This also fed into my campaign which was centered around a weakening veil in Pittsburgh. It was caused by the Cathedral of Learning secretly being designed by Kemmler as one of his back up plans, a resurrection engine. Because of the heavy steel industry and rail road tracks that had purposefully be laid over the ley lines around the city it didn't function due to lack of power at the time of his death, but as the steel industry in the region died and those now disused tracks were torn up, the engine merely needed a kickstart to begin its process.
Adseelie Magic
Spring Magic allows you to cast magics that fits its essential nature: Growth, Change, Restlessness, Air, Lust
Satisfies the catch for both Summer and Autumn.
Spring King, Oberon
Oberon is the short, yet incredibly handsome, King of the Spring Court. He is outspoken and bold in speech if not in action. He prefers more subterfuge to outright conflict, but plays the part of the boisterous warrior well enough in front of his peers. While in hiding he has spent much of his time in the mortal realms playing the part of a chef, thanks in large part to his magical cup which creates the food for him.
Spring Heir, Gancanagh
Gancanagh is a dashing, good looking, and womanizing figure. He also may affect mortals in such a way as so they become blind to all reason but their hearts desire in love, more often than not leading to disastrous results. New to the position he is just settling in as the Spring Heir.
Previous Heirs
Banfia
Banfia was a grumpy old White Stag with a majestic set of antlers, he was slain while hiding in the mortal realms. It is suspected he was killed by vampires working under Michael Rooney for unknown reasons.
The spring court hid in the mortal world, because they had fallen in power to the point they were no longer immortal. Banfia had taken on the form of a majestic stag and kept to himself in a hidden vale. Oberon ran a restaurant, and I imagined him as a vaguely Gordan Ramsay-esque figure. Gancanagh was a faerie noble who became the new spring heir following the resolution of the Cathedral of Learning plot, where the power of the slain Spring Heir, Banfia, kickstarted the resurrection machine into action.
Spring Knight, Jacqueline 'Jackie' Barrett
The aging Jackie looks like a woman in her early 50s, though is far older in reality. She has served spring for many years, primarily in the role of a bodyguard given their current state. She is a no-nonsense woman who has little time for foolishness, and a sharp tongue capable of putting anyone in their place. This is further aided by her keen understanding of people and what motivates them, often allowing her to cut through peoples lies and defense and get to the heart of the matter.
Notable Members
Various notable members of the court.
Jack o’ the Green
Jack o’ the Green is one of the four ‘Jack’ brothers, and is probably more well known by another of his names: Puck. He is mischievous and fond of tricks, and one of the known Spring Court survivors.
Clíodhna (Pr: Cleena), ‘Spring Queen’
Much like Santa as the ‘King of Winter’, so too is the usage here. Clíodhna represents one of the most powerful nobles in the court, and like Santa and the Erlking, represents something of a reverse of most in the court, being very reserved and dignified like Autumn. She possesses three colorful birds which when they sing can heal the sick.
I'd probably switch Cleena and Enya were I to write these again, Enya had little written for her, but Cleena drawing on her mythical counterpart I think might actually fit better there in Autumn.
History
Established as with the other major courts at the creation of the Unseelie accords following the Sidhe Wars their duties were spelled out and quite specific, but Spring much like Autumn had waned in power for centuries, by the time the Grave Wars saw them pushed into conflict with humans and fae alike they were barely a power at all. During the Grave wars they were fighting both sides of the conflict at once in their duty to defend the veil. This proved to be their downfall, weakening them beyond even Autumns diminished state.
Sounds good. I really like the four Jacks, that's a cool idea.
The catch on the powers feels wrong. I know you say you want to model cold days, but I think it's easier to do that with a compel than with a catch. Or even sponsor debt, when the character is suddenly cut off from the sponsor due to the cold iron.
Also:Should be a +3 catch.
I see it a little differently: Spoiler from cold days below:
The thing with this catch, and keeping to the novels, is that Iron did not shut it down. Poking him with a nail hurts, it did not shut it down. It was essentially injected in to him. Shooting him with a nail gun could do it. Average Str person would have real trouble Slamming a nail in to someones supernatural skin and muscle and making it stay there. I think its fair at +1, i would just change it to Iron piercing and staying it. Just slashing him with a cold iron weapon would hurt, but he would keep going.