News

Basics	Policy	OOC	IC
Mission Statement	Staff	XP	Courts
Theme	Players	Channels	History
Setting	TOS	Retcons	Hedge
Books	PC Age	Timestops	PC Death
Chargen	Unacceptable RP	Plots
Grid	Discipline	Fetches
	Alts	+Notes

Mission

Mission: To create a changeling only game that is easily accessible and fun to both casual and hardcore players that minimizes staff involvement and approval, is open enough to allow a wide range of player created stories, is supported with enough code to help folks have fun without limiting creativity, and that gives itself the freedom to evolve and experiment over time to meet these ends.

To achieve this mission we strive for:

• A defined yet simple setting and grid.
• An open cgen process and automated xp spends.
• A small core group of staff that is on equal footing with each other that exist to assist with administration of the game but are not required for approval of concepts or stories.
• Clear and concise news files and code documentation.
• A reward system that does not show bias towards people playing their own PC or towards those running plots for others.
• An established and clear set of guidelines for folks who want to run their own plots as players. (Staff will not run any plots from a staff bit)
• A storyboard wiki that allows everyone to post ideas and read the plots and stories going on in order to build off them or find ways to participate.
• An absence of 'Uber-Plot' or 'Staff Controlled NPCs' - we create the world and the players can do with it what they want.
• A clear notice of expectations for player behavior and etiquette OOC. A simple and quick method to remedy issues with OOC behavior.
• A clear emphasis on the character as the important element of the story, and the ability to run stories for others as an aid to play but not as requirement to advance.

Theme

New York City

The largest city in the United States, with over 8 million people in residence. The bright lights, the mish-mash of cultures, the frenetic energy, the all too real dangers, and the deadly shadows - all of this creates a powerful draw to the broken souls of humanity. With so many of mankind's lost inhabitanting the city, it must in turn beg the question - why are there so few 'Lost' who call this place home?

Every day people disappear in this concrete jungle, and some are indeed dragged off to Arcadia. Some small few, after horrors unimaginable, manage to escape their bondage; only to fall to the grinding wheels of the hate and oppression and paranoia that control this urban Mecca. Half of those who escape Arcadia never make it free from the dangers of the hedge surrounding the Big Apple, and most of those that break through fall prey to Privateers within their first few days back home. But the lucky ones, the ones who are found by the courts and welcomed into the fold - even they count each morning as an unexpected surprise. Never again will they go quietly into the night. Never again will they be able to truly feel at home. Never again will they enjoy the innocence that comes with ignorance. Even among their strange and twisted peers, they are truly Lost.

Here on 'Hollow: The Last Freehold' we aim to explore the themes of shattered innocence as presented in Changeling: The Lost. You will find only Changeling PCs, while every other inhabitant of the stories we weave will be handled as player ST controlled NPCs. We welcome you to join us as we walk this thorny road, and explore the stories to be found in the glaring dark of the city that never sleeps.

Our Primary Themes:
1) Surviving as an Outsider in a dark dangerous city.
2) Paranoia and Mistrust of those outside 'The Hollow'
3) Rebuilding 'The Hollow' and mending the 'Courts'

See also Setting & Courts

Setting

Our field of play is a stylized interpretation of New York City in modern day, as seen through the lens of the World of Darkness. Imagine if you will, a city where the homeless population rivals that of the working class, where Times Square was never cleaned up and is filled with meth-head hookers, where crime (organized as well as petty) and gang warfare is always on the rise, where the shattered rubble of the Twin Towers still sits and crumbles like a blight on the land.

And now imagine that just beyond the edge of sight, there lies a thorny maze so foul that it drips the blood of broken dreams and breaths in the screams of the helpless and alone. Even in the safety the Lost find below ground, in the forgotten places of the city, it still tears at the soul and murmurs funeral hymns to madden the mind. This then, is the greatest city on Earth. The place where the strong get stronger, and the weak simply pave the way.

The Lost in NYC are few in number and plagued by a twisted past and uncertain future. They are refugees inhabiting a war zone. Their part of the city is dark, dirty, and deadly. There is only one safe place where they can gather; The Hollow. And they must be ever vigilant or risk losing that last defense as well.

See Also: Grid

Grid

New York City is a jumbled mass of buildings, streets, back alleys, and parks. We in no way desire to represent this with a normal interconnected grid. Instead we choose to base our design on one simply principle:

• Make it easy to be where the RP is.

To that end we have created a series of 'stages' each of which represent a major portion of NYC in broad strokes. You can see these locations with '+stage'. You may also use the +stage command to travel seamlessly between these locations. Thus representing the vast public transportation system, or whatever other conveyance you might choose to rp.

You might also notice on these stages that there are no pre-dug exits, and in turn, no pre-dug rooms to represent coffee shops, apartments, the stock exchange and whatnot. This is because we give the players the tools to call into existence whatever room they happen to need at the time with our Temporary Room System. (+help temproom).

We will have no static buildings, including private residences. The only exception to this is Hollows, which will be static to serve as to highlight their importance.

Finally, you will eventually notice that the Hedge overlays the stage rooms, and is traversed by +stage as well. It is just easier that way for now, but eventually it will have its own travel command.

Staff

The Staff on Hollow are here to encourage all participants to play fair and have fun. To that end, Staff has the following three functions:

1) Development - adding new elements and maintaining old ones.

2) OOC Conflict Resolution and Player Guidance

3) Storyteller Assistance and Plot Help

All staffers are considered equal in these functions and have equal access to all +jobs/+requests, the wiki, and all character sheets. However each staffer has an area of responsibility and expertise. In case of staff conflict, site issues, staff placement, discipline, and situations that need swift decisions - Sovereign has the final say.

Staff agrees to lead by example in regards to OOC behavior and never engage in any public tirade on the game.

Staff Does Not:

• Run Plots or NPCs from a Staff bit.
• Respond to +requests on IC issues.
• Spy on players or other staff in any fashion.
• Have individual offices or access to private comsys channels.
• Receive special treatment or bonuses of any sort.

Players

The players on Hollow are responsible for their own fun and their own behavior. No one else will assume this responsibility for any participant of this game. Characters are the lifeblood of this game, and thus they should be viewed with the highest priority.

To that end players are encouraged to:

1) Create and play a dynamic character within the boundaries of the Theme, Setting, and game system.

2) Maintain mature and respectful OOC attitudes and behaviors.

3) Contribute to the IC theme primarily by actively playing ones own character and pursuing IC goals.

4) Participate in the stories created by others, and to create their own stories for others if willing.

5) Assist inexperienced players with an understanding and enjoyment of the game.

6) Mediate conflicts arising from IC actions. (Ie combat, research, IC spying, plotting, ect)

7) Report unacceptable OOC behavior and out of theme situations to Staff so they can be resolved fairly and swiftly.

8) Seek other avenues of entertainment if the player's ideals and behaviors cannot mesh with the rest of the participants.

TOS

To be welcome on Hollow, you must read and acknowledge your agreement to the following terms of service.

1) I understand that this is just a game, and that /everyone/ is here to have a good time. When I reach the point that I am not having fun and/or infringing on others ability to have fun - I will log out of play.

2) I understand that only IC gained information and experience may affect my IC responses.

3) I understand that harassment will not be tolerated, and that if someone is asked to stop a harrasing, insulting, or argumentative OOC line of conversation then it will cease immediately.

4) I understand the guidelines presented in '+news unacceptable rp' and agree to follow them.

5) I understand that if another person is creating a hostile or irritating OOC environment, then I will notify staff of the issue.

6) I understand that ultimately I am responsible for being as active as I want to be, participating in the plots that I choose, and playing my PC as I envision. No one else will be responsible for my enjoyment of this game.

7) Finally, I declare that I am in real life a mature adult individual and am expected to act OOC with maturity, reason, civility, and restraint. IC I can be as big of a bastard as I want.

Type '+tos/agree' to denote your compliance with these guidelines.

If you have any questions about the expectations and agreements here - please contact staff for clarification.

Age

All PCs and Persistant NPCs must be in fact and appear to be 18 years old or older. A persistant NPC is any npc that makes repeat appearances, including but not limited to: a recurring villian, a contact, an ally, a retainer.

No PC may have spent more than 60 'real world' years in Arcadia.

PCs of advanced years are limited only by their wyrd score.

Unacceptable

Unacceptable Scenes - The following scenes will not be tolerated under /any/ circumstances. They will not be the basis for plots, storylines, or off screen actions. They can be included in your Background as character events - but cannot be revisited in play. Anyone found breaking this rule, in private or public will be removed from play. We understand these things do happen IRL, and most certainly in the WoD. We just don't feel the need to have them as the focus of our stories.

• Forced sexual congress - ie Rape.
• Any sexual interaction with a person below the age of consent: 16 ic years old.

Grey Area Scenes - These scenes are of a very surreal or graphic nature and should be discussed OOC before playing the entire event out. As a player does have the right to Fade to Black, the players can just mutually agree that these scenes did occur and move on with the aftermath of the scene.

• Torture
• Brain Washing
• Kidnapping
• Slavery

Note: By not agreeing to a scene, you only waive your right to decide how it is played out. If a person decides to enact a scene upon your character, you have no justifiable OOC way to stop it. We are a NON-CONSENT game.

Discipline

If a player that is found to be breaking our policies on OOC behavior and etiquette or is found to be cheating they will be given one chance to rectify the behavior without argument.

Non Compliance will result in the offending party being shown to the door and asked not to return until the issues are resolved.

Continued issues will result in permanent removal from the game.

Any incidences of hacking or altering the site or code without prior permission will result in immediate site ban from the site admin.

Alts

In order to uphold the theme and encourage player focused stories, we ask that each player keep themselves to a maximum of two PCs at any one time.

In addition, each player is allowed a single ST bit and a single Fetch bit (at one time.)

We ask that players keep a resonable degree of seperation between your alts but understand that occasionally in the course of play their paths may cross.

Players may not under any circumstances have their ST bit, Fetch bit, or PC persona in the same scene.

Feel free to use the suicide room to retire an unwanted PC.

XP

Each player object has unlimited +votes to recognize other PCs, Storytellers, and Fetches for outstanding performance.

You may not vote for the same player object more than once a week. Votes are reset on Sunday at 12:01am. In addition, on Sunday +votes are tallied and players are awarded experience points based on the total votes recieved.

0 votes = 0 xp
1 to 10 votes = 1 xp
11 to 20 votes = 2 xp
21+ votes = 3 xp

XP may be saved, or may spent at any time in the OOC rooms. XP spends will not require justification and are set immediately without a waiting period.

+vote recieved on Fetches or Storyteller bits will be added to the PC's total to determine xp for the week. This way the maximum any single player can recieve is capped, and players are not punished for not running PrP.

(Certain stats are available at character creation only and will not be availble in the OOC rooms)

Channels

The following channels exist on Hollow and should be used apropriately.

Newbie - This is the channel for new players to ask questions about theme, setting, the system, cgen, ect. This is NOT the place for general chat.

Chatter - This IS the place for general chat. But it must not include 'adult' or 'objectional' topics. The Chatter channel should be safe-for-work.

Judge - The place to ask if you would like a neutral party to oversee rules resolution or combat.

Rules - The place to ask if you have a question about the rules.

Plots - The place to seek players or an ST for a plot, or to discuss plot things.

Smut - The adult channel & NOT safe for work.

Please keep channel talk to the right channels.
See comsys for commands.

Retcons

Retcons, or handwaving a scene to claim it did not happen, will not be employed on this game in any reasonable circumstance. It is however expected that all players and storytellers do their best to preserve the theme as stated in the news files. If it is determined after the fact that an outcome was impossible due to misunderstanding of the book rules, then a post will be made explaining the falacy employed to prevent it from happening again - however the end result will still stand.

If it is found that cheating has been employed to the detriment of other PC's - then an IC consistant compromise will be proposed and the offending party will be discplined.

Timestops

While we do understand that RL springs up at inopportune times, the concept of a 'Timestop' in which players hold a scene to wait for staff judging will not be entertained on this game. There are no Staff judges.

Players that cannot work out a solution amongst themselves, can mutually agree to pause rp until a neutral third party can adjudicate. In the case of a group scene, the majority of participants must agree to this.

No single player can reasonably 'demand' a timestop to the detriment of others ability to continue play. It is advised that if such an event occurs, simply write out the demaning party and move on with the scene.

Plots

As we will not have any Staff Plots or Staff NPCs, the activity and forward momentum of the IC world will rest squarely on the player's shoulders. The highest priority for any player should be to simply play their character. However to facilitate player storytelling (PrP) in a fair and thematic manner we have the following Adversary Story System.

• It should be noted that every single player is allowed to pose random mortals as scenic filler and background props in all of their rp without resorting to a Storyteller bit.

To tell stories and use NPCs beyond the abilities of vanilla mortals, each player is allowed to create a single storyteller player object through the use of the +storyteller/request command. These Storyteller bits will have access to an NPC sheet system enabling them to quickly take on the role of NPCs. They will also have the ability to post to the Plot +job system with announcements regarding upcoming plots.

Storyteller Bits will be ranked as follows, based on the scope of story they are allowed to tell and the strength of the NPCs they are allowed to employ. The storytellers are broken down into 3 tiers as to minimize bloat of high end NPCs and over abundance of 'True Fae' plots.

Tier 1: Non PC-Fetches, Hedgebeasts, & Hobgoblins
Tier 2: Privateers & Loyalists
Tier 3: True Fae

All Storyteller Bits start at Tier 1, and can +request a higher tier after their understanding of the book rules and their ability to play in a mature, responsible, and engaging manner has been clearly demonstrated to the Staff.

• Storytellers are capable of +voting and earning +votes as any other player would, these +votes are tallied with the +votes received by a Storyteller's PC to determined weekly xp awards.

• Storytellers may NOT include their own PC in a plot that they are running.

Fetches

On this game we aim to explore one of the fundamental themes presented in C:tL; the relationship with one's fetch.

Every player has the option to request that their fetch be played as a persistent NPC by another player. They do not get to request who plays their fetch. Nor do they have any say in how a fetch is statted or how it is role played.

Once a player requests that their fetch is to be played, Staff will stat up the fetch and add it to the 'Available Fetches List'

Any player may pick up an available fetch if they feel comfortable with the Fetch rules as outlined in Autumn Nightmares. They should also check to make sure they are online at comparable times with the Lost PC. Fetches can gain +votes that are transferred to the Fetch Player's main PC on a weekly basis, but cannot spend XP on the Fetch itself.

Fetches should not be run as simple one shot scenes, but should be the source of ongoing and dramatic RP. We will use the milestone merits as presented in the books only if the fetch is played on grid and killed in the course of ongoing rp.

Please Note: Fetch RP requires that both parties be mature about the interaction on an OOC level. Do not ask for a Fetch unless you are willing to have your character messed with in some hardcore ways. And do not play a Fetch unless you are willing to be hated, hunted, and die most horribly.

Notes

We have a simple +notes system here to serve the large job of being able to show specific features or possessions of a character to those who need to see them. This +notes system can (and should) be used to note the details of Tokens, Contacts, Allies, Hedgespun stuff, Weapons, Hollows, etc - essentially anything that may need further explanation should be set in a +note.

Notes /can/ be approved by a staffer, but in most cases will not be. The only notes that must have staff approval to be in play is anything related to a Hollow, as these are restricted.

Any other note should be evaluated for validity by the players or ST in a scene when it is used. Storytellers have the ability to set +notes on players to notate details on ongoing effects (such as curses) and minor things such as hedgefruits.

All +notes (even those set by Storytellers) must be backed up by stats. (IE: You may earn a great treasure in a plot - but it is not useable in play till the xp has been spent on the merit bought for it.)

Anyone can set a basic note on weapons or gear with details on the stats from the books and expect it to be considered valid in any reasonable circumstance provided the character has the ability to obtain said weapon or gear. (IE: Guns are easier to get than swords, swords are easier than grenades, grenades are easier than rocket launchers, and those are easier than archaic cannon.) No one should have access to or possession of weapons of mass destruction.

Courts

Staff Note:
We present the following information to help provide the barebones and foundation for the courtly society in NYC. This should be a starting point only, as the true form of Changeling politics will be shaped by the PCs. There are no Seasonal Court NPCs in play - they all died in the 'Scarecrow Snafu.' Thusly, the PCs will comprise the entirety of the Seasonal Courts and may organize and politic as they see fit. The themes of outcast survival and refugee brotherhood should however be kept in mind as the story unfolds.

The Courts:
Since the fall of the White Scarecrow's rule (see +news history), it has fallen to the tattered remnants of each court to look out for their own. While they have banded together in a loose alliance to found a new shared freehold in an old subway station and to find strength in numbers; the old grudges are hard to put aside. Each court now elects a leader seasonally who is responsible for deciding the course of action during a crisis, but by and large the individual courts attend to their own affairs.

The most important duty of each court is to find newly escaped changelings before the privateers do. These new changelings are quickly oathed into the ruling season, and given whatever aid can be spared to help them adjust to their new life. Those that break their oath to the court that finds them, are usually declared traitor and swiftly executed. There is no second chance for misguided loyalties in this city at war, and new escapees are expected to learn the ropes quickly and become productive members of the courts.

Starting Court:
As noted above, the primary duty of each Court during their ruling season is to rescue newly escaped changelings and induct them into the ruling court. This means that ones Court is determined by the point at which they escape from the hedge and are rescued into a Court. Occasionally this puts a lost in a court ill suited for his talents and ideals, but strangely enough the hedge around NYC actually helps deter such unfortunate events from happening.

Much as the way students of Astrology believe the stars influence a mortal's personality at birth, so too does the season reflect the personality of those being reborn to the real world. Due to the flexible and strange nature of time in Arcadia, and the trials the thorns force upon would be escapees, only those who are actually suited for a particular court manage to emerge during a particular season. The only time this fails to hold true is when two lost escape together, and the one more fitting for the season manages to help the other through the horrors of the hedge.

Changing One's Court:
It is possible, though rare, for a changeling to switch to a new court later in their life. Ideals may change as one gains life experience, and this fact is begrudgingly accepted among most courtiers. To allow changelings the option of switching to a new seasonal alliance, the members of the freehold have established a simple 'trade' based ritual. Simply put, two changelings must switch places and take up responsibility for each others original oath to their first Court. This can only happen at the Seasonal transitions, when one court gives way to another - but the switching changelings need not belong to either court.

This ritual exchange helps enforce two ideals. One, a court is never crippled by loosing a member. And two, the courts must treat everyone courtier fairly to ensure that trades are possible. This also forces the switching changeling to fully examine their decision to switch courts, wait for the appropriate time to do so, and ritualizes the process so that it is not done lightly.

History

For most of the last century, NYC was a thriving seat of Lost activity. It had two prosperous freeholds and over 200 changeling individuals working together in the seasonal courts. All that changed on September 11th, 2001. From that point forward the emotional landscape of the city changed, as did the dreams of mankind, and in reflection so did the hedge.

The Seasonal Courts were thrust into chaos. Feeding on this fear the Autumn Court became the strongest season almost overnight and there were rumors that their King, The White Scarecrow, would not release control to Winter in due time. This led the powerhouses in Summer and Winter to lead an assassination attempt on the Scarecrow's life, which unfortunately failed. Enraged by the mistrust his peers had displayed, the Ashen Lord did indeed hold onto the reigns of power year round and installed 'puppet' kings over the other three courts to act as his ambassadors and sheriffs.

For the next 7 years, the unbalance of power in the city gave rise to a large network of 'rebel' privateers, while the loyalists that hid in the dark corners of the city became stronger and braver. The hedge became nigh impossible to navigate, and very few new changeling managed to escape into the city from Arcadia. Many believe the Scarecrow paid, in secret, the strongest privateers to keep outsiders from the city, lest his rule be challenged and his control crumble to nothing more that dust. In short, the city became a living nightmare for those Lost not in the Scarecrow's favor, and many fled the city or were stolen away again to Arcadia.

On September 11, 2008 the Scarecrow called together a meeting at his Freehold for his most powerful allies and the other courtly 'ambassadors' to celebrate 7 years of power. Something terribly liberating happened that night. In the morning the walls, floors, and ceiling of the Freehold were found spattered with blood, all the furnishings burned to ash, and the trod to the hedge completely obliterated. Strangely enough, not a single body was found and none of the partygoers has been seen from since.

Hedge

In less than a century, New York City has gone from two thriving freeholds and over two hundred changelings to a mere handful of survivors and a single hidden sanctuary. Why is this? Many reasons - but primarily it is because of the Hedge.

As the city was gripped by fear following the World Trade Center attacks, the hedge became a blackened and twisted wasteland. It is in every sense of the word a true 'Urban Jungle'. Spires of twisted metal and crumbling concrete jut out at odd angles everywhere to create a chaotic foundation for burning twisting trees and deadly creeping vines. Jungle beasts prowl the vicinity day and night, as do oversized rats, cruel taloned pigeon-harpies, and the giant albino alligators from the sewers. It is a landscape inhospitable to any who walk on two legs, a point clearly shown by the blood spattered pathways and the decaying corpses tangle din the trees.

The fact is - it is not any harder to reach NYC from Arcadia than it is to reach any other city on Earth. The hard part is getting through the hedge, and so few manage to do just that. The only ones truly at home in this sprawling, blighted wilderness are the outlaw bands of Privateers. And even they have to fight tooth and nail to hang on to this domain, their little piece of hell.

Death

PC Death can, will, and should happen. NYC is a very dangerous place for Changelings, and the RP should reflect this. If a PC dies in the course of RP - awesome!

Storytellers should feel no obligation to pull punches to keep PCs alive in dangerous situations. There are no timestops to wait for a staffer to judge a PC death. Staffers on this game do not judge.

There is no xp transfer between alts, living or dead. IC death is final an will not be retconned. However, if anyone at anytime feels the book rules were broken and their PC was killed as a result of malicious OOC intent, please let staff know and we will investigate the possible abuse.