Application for Admission

The noble orders have always been interesting to me. I'm keen on the idea of fellowships that permit like-minded changelings to interact in the spirit of cooperation. Some changelings are critical of the entitlements, regarding them as yet another source of balkanization among the Lost. The thinking is that we already have the Seasonal Courts; why create more divisions within the already fractured lives of the fae? While there may be some merit in such concerns, I've found that the tendency to group together is a part of human nature, and are we changelings not still partly human?

Though a good leader must be decisive, it may surprise some people to know that the Hobo King sometimes has difficulty making up his mind. Crazy, right? When I made decisions on behalf of my subjects in the Hobo Nation, rarely did I hesitate. But on personal matters, I often find myself on the fence about certain things. It's for this reason that I remained courtless for so long; I just couldn't determine with which season I wanted to pledge my allegiance. Likewise, this has been a problem for me in terms of the noble orders.

For quite a while now, I've longed to join an entitlement. However, the logistics of doing so weren't usually in my favor. A majority of entitlements require changeling recruits to make numerous or substantial personal sacrifices in the form of time and/or resources. Six months ago, this would have proved impossible, considering that I was the leader of a nation of homeless, a member of a motley(s), and eventually, an advisor to an Autumn King (the greatest damn Seasonal King ever, I might add). But with the Hobo Nation in ruins, my motley(s) dead, and my responsibilities to the Autumn Court defunct, I find myself re-entertaining the idea of joining a noble order. The situation with the Gentry in Great Falls is resolved, and with the freehold gone, I no longer have obligations there. Aside from my efforts scouring Ohio for Sin-Eaters with Poincaré, I have little keeping me busy these days.

I can't claim to know about every entitlement that exists, but I've looked into a good number of them. Many of the entitlements are not an option for me due to several reasons. Some have requirements for entry that I simply can't meet; one must have very specific skills, a certain level of power in Contracts, or an extremely high connection to the Wyrd, etc. This is the case with entitlements like The Office of the Vizieral Counsel. In other cases, the entitlement requires too much of a commitment; membership in some noble orders is a 24/7 job, and one is expected to dedicate his/her every waking moment to the organization. This applies to entitlements like The Magistrates of Wax. Furthermore, some entitlements just aren't compatible with me philosophically or have practices with which I disagree. For me, this last category is where a majority of noble orders fall. My level of incompatibility with such orders varies. With most entitlements, I'm only mildly at odds with their beliefs and/or practices (perhaps on one key issue, or numerous insignificant ones), but there are a few that I find unethical or that completely contradict my personal convictions.

All said, there were only a handful of entitlements that I seriously considered. Being that my kith is Fatemaker and I have a penchant for Talecrafting, I looked at the two Fate-oriented orders: The Twilight Gleaners and The College of Worms. However, I ultimately passed on them. Both orders seek to study and understand Fate (which is very attractive to me), but one espouses complete sublimation to Fate's will, while the other wants to seize direct control of Fate. Neither goal seemed laudable or realistic to me.

I also looked into two dream-oriented orders: The Order of Oneirophysics and The Family of Silent Nights. The Order of Oneirophysics is a group of dream healers with some impressive Privileges, not the least of which is being able to enter the dreams of others from outside of the Hedge (an ability known as "The Plunge"). Unfortunately, becoming an Oneirophysic requires having substantial medical knowledge, which I don't have. Also, I know of a readily acquirable token, called the Drowsing Coil, that mimics The Plunge, thus precluding one of my primary motivations for joining.

As for The Family, this group is a powerful oneiromantic faction that polices peoples' dreams to protect them from Incubi and True Fae; frontline dream warriors, so to speak. It's perhaps best known for the knowledge of building dream prisons designed to trap and contain dream creatures. Now, I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't give my right leg to learn such a Privilege. However, I discovered that the overall tone of the entitlement didn't agree with me; its members are very militant and charge highly for their services. Many distrust The Family, and its been accused of some very questionable practices (such as stealing nightmares and releasing them on political opponents). Consequently, I decided that I wasn't suited for this order.

A few other entitlements caught my eye, as well. I thought that the Magi of The Gilded Thorn were very intriguing. I've always considered the Hedge a fascinating, if terrifying, place, and as Hedge rangers of a sort, the magi are well versed in Hedge lore. But becoming one of the magi necessitates spending an unhealthy amount of time in the Briars, making it nearly impossible to have a life outside of the order.

Another entitlement, The Ancient and Accepted Order of Bridgemasons, had sparked my interest due to its "Wyrdbuilding" Privilege. This Privilege enables members to build structures at astonishing speeds, so long as no one is watching. The Bridgemasons are an artisan guild, and there's admittedly something attractive about a job that involves good, honest labor. Disappointingly, however, I learned that the entitlement only permits changelings of certain Seemings to join, specifically Elementals and Ogres. It is an absurdly narrow-minded but ancient stricture that's unlikely to ever change. As such, I am ineligible for membership.

Additionally, I looked into an entitlement called The Honorable Order of the Third Hour (T.H.O.T.H.). Named in homage to Leonardo Da Vinci (whose grandfather's diary recorded his birth as happening "at the third hour of the night"), the purpose of this order is to advance scientific knowledge and its practical applications. The order's membership consists of scientists, inventors, and craftsmen who design, build, and search for new technologies, both mundane and supernatural. T.H.O.T.H. was founded in the Victorian era, but has suffered a steady decline in popularity since the advent of mass manufacturing in the 20th century. Most Thothites, not surprisingly, are Wizened, but there are very few of them left. As a Wizened myself, tinkering and inventing tend to be in my nature, and I found the goals of the order to be very appealing. However, my creative focus has always been more on the magical (tokens, Hedgespun, Glamour-fueled devices, etc.) and less on the technological. My over-arching interest in the occult, I feel, would perhaps make me unsuccessful as a Thothite.     



Symbol of The Lord Sages

This left me with a single choice, upon which I deliberated for quite some time. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that The Lord Sages of The Unknown Reaches was the noble order for me. Previously on my hunt for information about the Underworld, I had tracked down a Lord Sage by the name of Poor Will Nightingale. We had a scholarly exchange of information, and I found my time with him to be thoroughly enlightening. In fact, my entire experience with the Lord Sages was very positive. Like me, this entitlement is dedicated to seeking knowledge and learning secrets. It seems that the Lord Sages hunger for lore as much as I do. Though their pursuit of knowledge is narrowly focused on supernatural beings, the Autumn Court gives me my fix of knowledge on other occult topics.

I must confess that I don't really know much about the entitlement's criteria for admission. My intention is to research the Sin-Eaters, and then present the information I've collected to the Lord Sages as a sort of "journeyman project."  Hopefully, my acceptance into the order will be a foregone decision. Wish me luck!