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While some rumors hold that there was a small freehold of native Changelings in the Massachusetts Bay area even prior to the arrival of English colonists in 1630, for most, the 'history' of Boston's current freehold begins sometime around that date. The exact date is largely lost, but what is known is that by the time of the Revolution, Boston was home to the largest concentration of Lost in the new world. Known as the Grand Old Freehold of Massachusetts Bay, the patriarchal and highly conservative freehold ruled over Boston with an iron fist, governing by complex law and religious dogma. Mostly composed of those rich white men that had the pleasure of coming from good Bostonian families prior to being taken by the Gentry, and mostly dwelling in the nicest areas of Back Bay and Beacon Hill, the Grand Old Freehold only allowed other Changelings under their aegis as servants and servitors. Dominated by the Autumn Court and their Ancient And Accepted Order of Bridgemasons, the freehold was heavily involved in everything from architecture, law and government. More than a few of the older landmarks and buildings in the city were, in fact, constructed by Boston's original elite fate.
Some unknown cataclysm struck the Grand Old Freehold after the mid 1800s, perhaps in the form of a Civil War between the Freehold's leaders and its underclass. This left the city empty of the Lost when a large group of Changelings emerged from the hedge in 1919. Unsure if any before them had ever escaped, these changelings settled around Beacon Hill even as those before them had, eventually making contact with another one of New England's freeholds. The William's Boys helped to guide and assist their brethren in Massachusetts for almost a decade before it was revealed that the Rhode Island freehold had been formed by religious dissidents from an even more ancient freehold that had previously existed in Boston. None of the freeholds contacts from Rhode Island were willing to explain more about this, or answer why they'd said nothing about this little bit of history, and the relationship between the two groups of changelings deteriorated rapidly. By the 40s, Boston was both independent and growing rapidly.
The 60s saw a period of conflict and internal chaos, when the Winter King Blind Thomas refused to turn over power to the Queen of Spring. In a year of war known as The Year of Eternal Winter or The Year With No Spring, the Winter Court under Blind Thomas was splintered and the system of cyclical rule was reinstated. Oaths and traditions were slightly changed, and Boston's freehold grew stronger and stronger with each passing year. By 1979, Boston's Trimountain Society Freehold was one of the largest and most powerful freeholds in all of New England. Home to over eighty changelings, situated near a very powerful Trod and a relatively tame Hedge, with active vibrant Courts & dynamic politics sure to keep any Lost on his toes. Only a few unanswered questions, those "dynamic politics", and a persistent problem involving Loyalists - oh, that trod, which goes directly to Arcadia - would possibly give anyone pause.
Ever since the 20s, the Trimountain Society Freehold has tried to operate itself as a mixture of a social club and a citizen aid organization for Boston's Lost, while also maintaining a vigilant watch against the Gentry and their servants. Just what does that entail? Quite a lot, really.
The Spring Court arranges mixers and out-and-out parties on a weekly basis, while also mastering the ins and outs of the cities cutthroat rental market. The Court's wealthier members own more than a few nice spots here and there about the city and rent them out at a tidy profit, often while letting freehold members live in the same places free of charge if they help oversee the entire operation. The Court has, effectively, gained a reputation around the city as a fairly good landlord. The Summer Court keeps a vigilant eye on the cities trods and defense against the Fae, while also running a martial arts dojo that teaches self-defense and tournament competition, as well as a private security firm with a good local reputation. Never mind what Blood Red is up to at any given time. All three of these businesses offer employment to eligible changelings with the proper experience, and the Summer Court doesn't mind offering training either. The Autumn Court is most known for the Boston Chronicle, a local tabloid that manages to stay profitable even if its not taken nearly as seriously as it should be, but also does a lot of individual little things for the city. Most notable is their effort to date at discovering a way to utilize the Wyrd to find good parking spaces and their constant efforts to detect any Fae activity in the city. The Winter Court always has an eager eye out for the Gentry and passes along warnings before they shatter into the woodwork, while assisting Changelings with everything from getting a good fake ID to all the little myriad bureaucratic hassles that make up life in Boston. Most Winter Courtiers are quite experience at fitting in, and are willing to help you if you run into trouble as well.
Even this is only scratching the surface, with individual members of the freehold offering their experience and strengths on an individual basis. When you belong to the Society, the one thing you can be assured of is always having a friend to lend a helping hand. The other thing you can always be assured of is to have an enemy or two who will strive to make life a little more interesting by being unpredictable. The freeholds politics have been likened to High School by the disingenuous, but in truth are fairly typical to the fae as a whole. Everyone likes to know who is sleeping with whom, who isn't sleeping with who they should be, who is contributing what and how that either benefits or hinders whomever, and a thousand other computations. Friends become enemies, enemies become friends, and everything just goes around and around. Some find it aggravating at first, but it often becomes comforting after a while.
The freehold as a whole tries to disguise itself as a social club, even meeting infrequently at the literal Gentleman's Club that is maintained in a quiet corner of Beacon Hill at some overall expense. The various businesses and what not run by the freehold, in addition to providing employment to some changelings, also help to pay for the property taxes and other miscellaneous expenses that crop up. In particular, the freehold is particularly devoted to making sure that no member spends more than a couple of days in jail under any circumstances. They'll break you out and smuggle you out of state if they have to, but most likely they ensure you get offered bail and pay it for you. They'll also help with parking tickets, though most members just take the T when they can get away with it and save cars for longer distance travel. Once the Autumn Court finishes that parking charm, however!
It's very easy to join the Freehold. Once a lost has escaped from Arcadia and found his way back to Boston via the local Hedge, he is usually found by the Courts in anywhere from a few days to a few weeks if he doesn't make contact of his own will even sooner. About every 10 years or so, and intermittently on other occasions, small or larger groups of Changelings will escape from Arcadia together and these mass escapes are usually found with greater ease. Particularly in Boston, where the Freehold is almost used to such events and can better recognize the signs. The Changeling is escorted, hopefully voluntarily, to see the currently reigning Seasonal Ruler who gives the recent escapee the rundown of what the freehold is and why he might want to join this one in particular. The escapee is then offered an informal pledge of fealty (a trial membership, basically) to help him on his feet, and if he accepts, is usually fostered to a member of the King or Queens Court (or directly by the Ruler him or herself, which is particularly common during the escape of a large group).
Once the period of Fostering is complete, the Changeling is expected to formally join the Freehold, swearing to a formal pledge of fealty with whichever seasonal ruler he wishes. This is traditionally done during the height of that King or Queens seasonal term, and usually involves more than a couple of Changelings so swearing at that time given that these oaths are renewed every year or so. Augustina tends to make a big spectacle out of it, while the Lady Midnight is the opposite, preferring to accept her oaths one at a time in quiet circumstances. Both David and Byron are somewhat in the middle of the spectrum, making quiet somber rituals of the searing of fealty. All of this is just tradition, however. Any king or queen can accept a oath of fealty, which is in fact how the informal oaths work (they're just lower duration oaths), and some Changelings prefer to handle their oaths on their own terms. This is not encouraged but isn't really considered a big deal either.
"I swear, by this token of my liege, that I shall be faithful to him and all the rightful seasonal rulers of the Trimountain Society Freehold, to cause him or his fellows no harm unjustly and to give of my skills to the best of my ability for the good of the freehold. I will not give aid nor succor to the Fair Folk, nor their servants, and shall give unto my liege any knowledge that I acquire about the activities of either. I shall render up to him the proper homage of Glamour in its proper time, and may I be banished forever from the warmth of his heart should I be forsworn."
Type: Corporal, Nemesis Emblem Tasks: Fealty (-3, both) Task: Vassalage (+3, vassal); Glamour (+2, liege) Sanction: Banishment (-3, vassal); Poisoning of Boon (-2, liege) Duration: Year and a Day (+3)
"Newly torn by the Thorns, you are vulnerable. I offer you my protection. Newly come to the freehold, you are confused. I offer you my experience. Until the season changes, give to me your attention, your effort, your energy, and your promise to hold safe the things I show you, and I vow, on my good name, to do my utmost to aid you in learning which you will need to survive and prosper. Should you betray my efforts, however, may you find the same offer from no man. Choose carefully."
Type: Oath, True Name Tasks: Endeavor, Lesser (-1, ward); Endeavor, Medial (-2, mentor) Boons: Favor, Negligable (+0, ward); Glamour (+2, mentor), Adroitness (+1, mentor) Sanction: Doom, Lesser (-1, ward); Poisoning of Boon (-3, mentor) Duration: Season (+2)
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