Court of Spring

The Antler Crown, The Emerald Court, The Court of Desire

Desire

Desire is a flame. It’s the fuel in the engine of ambition. It’s the warm rich red of passion and the pale insistent blue of hunger. It’s a will-o-wisp dancing just out of reach, leading the foolish to bad ends. You can’t live without its warmth and heat, but feed it too much and it’ll burn you to ashes.

The other courts don’t understand, of course. They reject the philosophy of desire. They may call it selfish, or shortsighted, or shallow. Why spend your time chasing pleasures, they may say, with the Others scratching at the threshold? Why don’t you understand what’s important?

Those are foolish questions. The Spring Court knows exactly what’s important. Passion feeds ambition and art. Hunger is an understanding of your needs. But most important, desire is the food of life. With laughter and joy and pleasure, changelings live — without these things, they simply survive. Desire is the key to taking your life back or building a new, full life. It’s an alluring philosophy, and it draws many Lost who don’t want to dwell on the past. And with the Bargain, it even refutes the power of the Gentry. Fuck you, it says, we don’t need you. You didn’t break us. You can’t break us. We’ll live and love and enjoy ourselves and forget you ever existed.

That last part is a lie, of course. But it’s a lie with power. If you seed the mortal world with pleasure, that dulls the siren song of Faerie. Your fellow Lost dream fewer dreams of return if there’s so much for them here. What’s more, the solipsistic Others can’t understand how their former pets can live without them. When they peer through a windowpane and see a room of Lost dancing and singing and making love as if nothing had happened, it confuses them. They doubt their own senses. Of all the ways to keep the Gentry at arm’s length, the Spring Court’s way is likely the most enjoyable — but it does require a hell of a poker face.

Spring is the enthusiastic patron of the Court of Desire. Spring is the transition from cold torpor to heat and light, the stirring of roots in warming earth. It’s a season for sex, as many human cultures recognize, but that’s an outgrowth of Spring’s role as the season of birth, when the world is turning greener and better able to nourish mothers and their newborns. The Spring Court often claims to have been the first Seasonal Court to form — while Winter was still in hiding, Autumn was still drawing up wards, and Summer was still daring hunters to chase it, Spring was receiving callers to see just what they wanted.

Desire may be the most pleasant harvesting, when compared to wrath and fear and sorrow. But it’s not always a matter of nourishing indulgence. Desire is one part passion, one part hunger. It can be a bitter dram of envy, a metallic tang of covetousness, or the overripe, perfumed bouquet of raw lust. A Spring Courtier might visit a strip club for a hit of raw sexual desire, or attend a social mixer for a more refined brew. But she can also find a poignant longing in an office building around five, when the workers who can’t leave yet desperately wish they could. A pet supply store’s adoption event is filled with the animals’ longing for security and belonging, reflected by human — especially children’s — desire to absorb and return a small animal’s love. Even a busy restaurant has strands of wishful thinking from diners who would like to indulge more.

Courtiers of the Antler Crown are especially aware of the reliance on mortal emotion. Many wish they could draw Glamour from the desires of their fellow Lost, particularly their lovers…and the Spring Court is not at all shy about encouraging romantic and not-so-romantic entanglements with other changelings. The mutual attainment of desire is a powerful tool for healing. It’s also a fine way to deepen bonds — if the Emerald Courtier is all that interested in deep bonds, that is.

Denial

It’s a simple stereotype: The Emerald Court is full of hedonistic, escapist lotus-eaters who refuse to look at anything unpleasant, or even admit it exists. As a simple stereotype, it is of course flawed and inaccurate. But it’s not entirely wrong. Most Spring Courtiers are clever enough to take the long view and disciplined enough to make sacrifices, because that’s what it takes to reject Arcadia and find your way through the Thorns. And yet, the nature of their Bargain encourages them to look away.

The temptation of Spring is to draw power from what you want — which makes it all the harder to deal with what you don’t want. Pain, fear, rejection, loss...to most people, these things are the opposite of desires. The Antler Crown is absolutely strongest in times of beauty and prosperity, when everyone around them is either achieving their desires, or even better, has the hope that the realization of their ambitions is juuust around the corner. Conversely, Spring is weakest in ugly times when hope is dim. Emerald Courtiers gradually learn that it’s to their advantage to tell people “don’t worry about that for now.” And to some extent, to not worry about that for now themselves.

That’s the bitterness that balances out the sweet. Other Lost may admire and covet Emerald Courtiers for their passion and enthusiasm…and at the same time, hold them in some contempt. If you’re in real trouble, your Spring Court lover might be the last person you turn to, because she’s the most likely to change the subject. They aren’t often seen as reliable, and that can hurt.

Even so, the disapproval of one’s peers is not the worst problem with denial, not when one considers the Fae. Their mastery of desire makes Spring the best-suited of any court to see through the beautiful glamours and temptations of the Gentry — but their penchant for denial leaves them vulnerable against enemies who use more brutish tools and tactics.

The Turning of the Seasons

High Spring: The Emerald Court takes power with a revel. The rise of a new Spring monarch requires celebration, for reasons far deeper (and more contractual) than a show of pride. This first lavish event sets the stage for a Spring reign, as a promise of many more. Some Emerald monarchs hold grand parties as shows of power, demonstrations of their influence, and public displays of courage — Winter is over and done, and the freehold can fly their banners in pride without fear of being seen. Others think in terms of freehold morale. A populace that allows itself to be happy together will be stronger when the hard times come again.

Spring monarchs lead by example. They live extravagantly, succulently, to entice other Lost to do the same. It certainly helps that they’re feeding their own desires in the process. Of course, not all changelings look at these glorious excesses with admiration. A Spring monarch can easily acquire a reputation for useless decadence more than anything else. In some cases, it’s accurate. But other Spring monarchs know the value of skill of arms, occult learning, or a strong information network. These wiser rulers are generous with their favors and privileges in order to win the goodwill, loyalty, and sometimes love of the other courts. It’s not too difficult to tell the lackadaisical epicures from the dedicated leaders. A freehold quickly learns if their Antler Crown’s tines are blunted or razor sharp.

Low Spring: It’s fair to say that freeholds of the Seasonal Courts need all four courts to run properly. But the Spring Court is necessary to the other three in ways that are hard to equal. The Court of Desire is, among other things, a support group for all the Lost who need one. You need the Winter Court to gather intelligence, the Autumn Court to cast the magics, and the Summer Court to lead the fight — but you need the Spring Court to live in between all that. When the Courts tell newcomers what they have to offer, the Antler Crown stresses healing and camaraderie. We want you to be happy and healthy. You deserve that.

Some praise the Spring Court for being supportive of each other court in turn, lending their diplomatic skill to help smooth out conflicts. Others criticize the Court of Desire for petty politicking and ridiculous games of one-upmanship. Both are right. The Emerald Court overflows with energy that doesn’t subside when they cede the throne to Summer. They can pour that energy into productive tasks, or they can vent it in potentially destructive intrigues if they don’t feel that they’re being properly appreciated.

In times of Low Spring, the Antler Crown takes roles that improve the freehold’s overall quality of life. Some tend to the physical needs of their fellow Lost. Spring produces quality horticulturists and gardeners, who may have a knack for goblin fruits as well as more mundane crops. Some take to healing, be it physical medicine or emotional therapy. At least one Spring Courtier in every freehold volunteers as a master of ceremonies and ritualist to help the other courts run their celebrations smoothly.

Give and Take

When Spring reigns, it compels an odd, partial peace. The Gentry and their loyalists cannot do violence to a freehold where a Spring monarch rules, unless that violence is born of heart’s desire. Lesser urges cannot negate the geas. It halts a traitor attempting to line his pockets, even if he “desires wealth.” It stays a raging Huntsman, even if one might call her wrath “a desire for vengeance.” To pierce Spring’s Bargain, one must truly covet one’s target…such as a Keeper coming to reclaim its absolute very favorite, the one who got away. The Court of Desire encourages all of its members to be very honest about their relationships with their former Keeper and fellow servants, in order to keep track of who will be the greatest potential threat year round.

In true Emerald Court fashion, Spring’s Lost try not to think about the ramifications of the Bargain too much. If Spring will permit violence meted out in the name of true desire, then does that mean their patron is more sympathetic to certain True Fae than to the changelings they harm?

The Court of Desire has near-innumerable rituals, celebrations, and obligations to perpetuate its Bargain. Other courts regard the Emerald Court’s obsession with festivals and balls as a dereliction of responsibility. Quite the contrary: Spring requires celebration. It begins each year with the Spring Revel held when Winter cedes power to Spring. At this bonfire-lit event, the court does its best to ensure that each guest has some desire of theirs met before the revel ends. Another common celebration is the Homecoming. This event is much more like a birthday party than the “homecoming” parties held by schools or sports teams. It celebrates the date that a changeling returned to the mortal world from Arcadia. Each year a Homecoming for the Spring monarch is most likely, but the court is glad to honor others, particularly the strongest and most delectable potential allies from Summer, Autumn, or Winter.

The court is also bound by one universal rule: Your Desires Are Your Own. This “Verdant Rule” has many interpretations and ramifications, but at its heart it is a meditation on responsibility. It reminds the Antler Crown to acknowledge the desires of others without judgment, to recognize that desire is a mirror of the self, and to make no apology for their own wants.

Legends

Shed a tear for Mother Susan. When she wandered back out of the Hedge with thorn-cut feet, a young woman with no family to her name, there was nothing she wanted more than a child. But the changes in her flesh reached her womb as well, and no child could take root there. Many a Lost maiden has discovered the same… but Susan wouldn’t let her story end there. She went back into the Hedge, again and again, and at last she walked back out with a swelling belly and an oath sealed behind her heart.

She wanted that child more than anything. And then… she had no child, but she carried the Bargain of Spring. Nobody ever heard the tale of how she came from here to there, not from her own lips. But you already understand, don’t you? The child must have been the price she paid. She gave up the spring of her own life so that Spring would bless all of us. Honor Mother Susan, and weep for her, for that sacrifice must have been fueled by immense compassion… or overpowering guilt.

Back in the day, the seasons didn’t play nice. They went to war with each other, trying to crowd each other out. If Summer caught Autumn while Autumn was bathing and didn’t have any weapons nearby, then Summer got to rule over the year for as long as he had his foot on Autumn’s neck. There was a year where there was nothing but Winter, because Winter had tied up Spring and was keeping her in his house. He spent every day and every night watching the door, never letting anything bigger than a bug across the threshold.

That’s where Raven comes in. Raven had a cloak of black feathers growing out of his back, a present from his Keeper, that let him turn into whatever he wanted. He turned into a mosquito and slipped into Winter’s house. Then he turned into a handsome young man and seduced Winter’s daughter. He persuaded her to get her father drunk, and while Winter was nodding off he set Spring free. She promised him anything he wanted for a reward, and he asked to make a Bargain with her. When Winter woke up three moons later, he was so embarrassed he went looking to make a Bargain, too.

Never let anyone tell you that beauty is mere vanity. If not for beauty, we would never have had the courts. For the first of us all was a beautiful girl, a princess before she was our queen. She and her sisters were all shut away like songbirds, but their Keeper’s vizier loved her from the moment he first saw her. In time, the vizier decided she would rather die at her Keeper’s hands than let the young captive languish a moment more. So she taught the girl a charm of summoning, and then let her and her sisters free.

The princess was brave, and she led her sisters home without using the charm. At last, she stood with one foot in the Hedge, and she invoked the summoning. Spring came and appeared before her, beautiful as a god, and pledged to give her anything she wished. She saw the desire in his eyes, and said, “Give me a child.” Spring gladly complied, and to protect that child’s future he struck a Bargain. Clever as she was, the first Spring Queen then went to her sisters, and taught them each the charm in turn. They summoned Summer, and Autumn, and Winter, and I think you can guess the rest.

All of the seasons are bound by powerful oaths, same as the rest of us. Some of these oaths control where they can and cannot govern — Winter has no power at the equator, for instance, and Spring and Autumn can hold court at once as long as they’re both on opposite sides of the world. The Emerald Court came about because one of us discovered one of Spring’s most pitiless fetters: Spring could not kill.

When Spring came under attack, the First King offered to stand in its defense. He fought against the hounds of the dying year, nearly dying a hundred times before Spring healed him anew. At the last, he made a final pact with Spring: He took Spring’s name, and he went into battle one last time, and he died as Spring. But because he died as Spring, he could return. His eyes opened at the end of the next winter, and Spring welcomed him with the Bargain.

This story hides a secret, though: Now Spring can kill again.

A crystalline sweat beaded its carved brow, and its Adonis-like smile splintered apart as she danced on. “This is not possible,” it said, more like a cough. “This is not your master’s music. That is not the gown your master dressed you in. How dare you laugh and sing and dance without me?”

A mortal might have identified the fear trilling deep within her eyes, but her smile was perfect brilliance, and the Huntsman wearing the Lover in Diamonds’ face quailed from it. “I’m deeply sorry,” she said. “Do I know you?”

Mantle Effects: The Spring Mantle is warm and enticing. It breathes renewal, redolent with scents such as new flowers, rain on earth, or the sun on the grass. The air moves around the Emerald Courtier — stagnation is the antithesis of Spring. The colors may change around her as well: Greens become vibrant, warm colors become richer, or the lighting seems to take on the same cast as a morning sunbeam. At its most powerful, the Spring Mantle leaves the image of flowers growing up in the changeling’s footprints.

Courtiers: A beauty merchant sells mortals romance in the form of haunting perfumes and exquisite jewels, taking their money but also their lust for status and respect. A whitehaired Beast with pearlescent antlers runs at the head of an adoring motley. A Wizened storyteller loops heartbreaking tales into visual novels sold to only a few. An erotic oneiromancer crafts dream venues for his clients to safely explore desires that they could never voice aloud. A literal firebrand whips up crowds with promises of better days ahead. A therapist becomes far too involved with her clients, soothing their wounds and exploring their wants in ways that would get her license revoked. An urban gardener establishes community gardens in low-income neighborhoods. A parole officer goes the extra mile to help his charges rebuild their lives, and discreetly harvests a touch of their new hope.

Type

Court, Noble

Anything that’s flawless is false. We are beautiful, my dears, not because we have no scars. We are beautiful because we refuse to be defined by them.