The Changeling Courts of Norwich part 4: The Silent Arrow

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep...-Hamlet

Like the servants at the feast: the Courtiers of the Silent Arrow are ever present, never invited and for the most part forgotten about. With the ruling emotion of sorrow it is natural for them to 'cut the losses' and insulate themselves from the world around them. However, in a society like 'The Tower' the Silent Arrow have been forced into the open and the leadership of the Unseelie Court thrust upon them they have had to make the most of the situation and made few friends in the process. With winter being a time of ill fortune and general stereotype of being 'untrustworthy', the Silent Arrow has learnt to make the tough decisions that ensure the Freeholds survival and live with the barbs of other courts unwilling to make sacrifices. The Silent Arrow are the spies and far sighted watchmen that keep ever vigilant for the next looming threat and it is this scrutiny that offends the sensibilities of other Lost.


The Lore of Ice:
The Silent Arrow follows a code of ethics known as the 'Ice laws'. To many these can be seen as needlessly heartless but in the context of want and frugality created by winter it is only natural, their advocates say, that the state should utilise and optimise its resources for the mutual good regardless of the citizens sentiments. Many of the more draconian Monarchical Decrees were introduced by a Winter Monarch and a such any attack on the perceived 'liberties' of the Free Lost are attributed to them (it is never questioned however that this encroaching securitisation is never repealed by the Summer Monarch).


The Silent Arrow as a court also take the keenest eye on the Mortal Realm, when your people are starving or suffering the ravages of clarity haemorrhage it is impractical to simply deny the opportunities on offer. However, it is the Silent Arrow that knows most well that such resources can be a honeytrap for the less cautious: rare is a mortal in the pocket of a Spring Courtier who wasn't discovered by a 'anonymous' tip off or a loyalist cell the Knights of Summer bear down upon without the Arrow mapping out their defences first. Their work is underappreciated at best and scorned at worst, for the Arrow see the folly of exposing oneself to save another who allowed themselves to be ensnared. One has to think about the whole and sometimes that means sacrificing the few, a view the Seelie courts find repugnant.


'The Outsider'
To walk the path of sorrow is to be the outsider, to make decisions no other is willing to make and to turn the other cheek from the hypocrisy of the other Courts. Many of the Silent Arrow see themselves simply as realists making the most of a bad situation while their detractors see them simply as a bunch of spies, thieves and cowards. The imposition of the City scapegoat on the Winter court is both a boon and a sanction: it allows them to act without the worry of censure as they have already crossed that bridge yet all members are fully aware that other Changelings are never fully comfortable in their presence.

Beatrice Crowley  The Winter Monarch
“Thank you for your forthrightness and expediency in bringing this matter to my attention dear: Now don’t let me detain you…”
Nobody can remember a time when Ms Crowley was not a member of the Freehold. Some of the braver and older members of the City will tell you tales of the ‘little darkling upstart’ who managed at a young age to place herself in the orbit of the cities elite, most tales conclude with hushed whispers of blackmail and ‘surprising revelations’ to see of potential rivals. Ms Crowley would refer to herself as a pragmatist and a firm believer in the ice laws. ‘The world is cold and bitter and we must be harsh to survive it’ she reposts.

Darkling: Gravewright

Mantle: 5(Unseelie)
Entitlement: Unknown

Mask: Ms Crowley is lean old lady, her skeletal frame removing any excessive flesh from her body so that her remaining muscle is compact and honed to her requirements. She is too prim and proper in both her posture and her mannerisms to be called a crone yet her eyes flicker with a folkloric and atavistic cunning.
Mein: Ms Crowley’s complexion is that of a fresh corpse, her eyes are sunken into her sockets and give off the glassy sheen of the deceased. Her flesh is rigid and occasionally flakes while more observant changelings have noticed her lack of blinking.

Rumours:

• I heard Ms Crowley is actually dead...no really her heart stopped beating a long time ago and even on a cold winters day you don't see frost on her breath. She's only still around due to sheer willpower and her connection to the Wyrd...If she ain't one of them then she's sure as hell close to...
• Its all an act with Ms Crowley, the big bad Darkling...Seriously if the Winter Creeps do anything its telling people nothing. She's just a façade that we all have gullibly turned our attention to like a bunch of slack jawed ejits...Still makes you think, if she's a just as much a puppet as the rest then who is pulling the strings???
• It is not wise to spread malicious rumours about Ms Crowley...

Violet Thorne The Sun Banisher
“Do you have the number for a takeaway cause its going to be a long night”
Violet is a relatively new citizen of the Tower. Being taken as a child and still in her teenage years she can’t really attempt to take the place of her 30 year old fetch. Instead she has become the adoptive Daughter of Ms Crowley and trained in the arts of obfuscation. She spends a lot of her time amongst the citizens of Westwyk and in the company of Fuchsia Peake but her status as Ms Crowley’s ‘ward’ earns her few friends amongst the winter Monarchs detractors.

Beast: True friend/Tunnel grub (Ferret)
Mantle: 3 (Unseelie)
Entitlement: Unknown

Mask: a Nieve schoolgirl who wears antiquated black dresses, obviously chosen by Ms Crowley’s sense of taste.
Mein: A wide eyed Ferret who is still finding her way in the world. She has never the less picked up various pet like habits.

Noticeable merits: Fast reflexes 2, Charmed life

Rumours:

• The Sun Banisher...isn't that the person who 'ties up' loose ends? I dread to think what hidden depths lie behind that carefree smile...
• She just turns up one day and in a matter of weeks gets a position amongst the Queens retinue...Either Crowley's lost the plot or she's grooming the girl for something before she can develop  any undesirable personality traits...there's even talk she's going to be announced as Crowley's successor...
• I was in this Club the other week to top up my Glamour reserves and I swear I saw Violet in the VIP area. I didn't get a good look at the Man she was with be he was defiantly a Changeling. She handed over a brown envelope and the man gave her a Metal briefcase...just don't tell anyone about this okay, I think she saw me and if word gets out I don't want her knocking on my door in the middle of the night...

Myles  Owner of La Fae Verte
"Welcome....bad day huh? Well why don't you have a drink and tell me all about it"
An enterprising young Changeling from Westwyk, Myles is the owner of La Fae Verte, a social club in Westwyk for Changelings to meet up in numbers and away from the City leadership looking over their shoulders. Myles is an easy going type with a knack for problem solving and an attentive ear for his patrons. As such he is known for being a font of information and a middleman for introductions. Myles is famed for is unique blend of Hedge bounty Absinthe.


Wizened: brewer
Mantle: 1
Entitlement: Unknown


Mask: An unassuming twenty something hipster. Myles has a pair stylish geek-chic glasses and an Indy crop haircut but beyond that no distinguishing features.
Mein: Myles' skin shows speckles of discolouration on his skin and is accompanied by the smell of a distillery. His teeth have yellowed and his fingertips are stained a multitude of colours.
Rumours:

• I wonder what goes into that brew of his, I mean one week it tastes of sour plum and another it's sweet cherry...I heard it's a secret recipe he used to brew for his keeper and that the secret ingredient is Changeling...don't laugh! the reason it tastes different is because he has to go to the market for his secret ingredient and he's not always guaranteed cuts from the same kith...
• When speaking to Myles listen very carefully to what he says. He occasionally slips up and mentions talk about some other group of Changelings out there... I don't know about you, but that radio in the corner behind the bar is supposedly broken yet he still has it out on display...I'm just saying it wouldn't surprise me if he's listening out for some secret transmission...
• ...Oh yeah? and what would that be? Nah what you have to be careful about with Winter creeps like Myles is they are always listening for things to blackmail you with...he may sound like some sort of dissident but its a ruse, I tell you he's probably feeding everything you tell him to his handlers in the court leadership...