Maker’s Paradise

Freehold Type: Balefire 2, Prestige Stock Location 5
Chimera Guardians (4)
Location Qualities: Distracting, Guards, Inspired, Refuge, Size, Sprawling, Workshop (Metalworking), Laboratory (Chemistry), Security
Freehold Quality: Artistic
Some time in mid 2022, the market seems to have lost its connection to where it had once been entered from the Autumn World in Chattanooga and reappeared connected to several entrances around the Anderson Jockey Lot and Farmers Market in Belton SC.

Description:

When the Freehold reconnected to the Autumn World at various points through the Anderson Jockey Lot and Farmers Market, it became quickly apparent to the first few visitors that it had more than doubled, even tripled in size. Mirroring the massive flea market in the Autumn World, the Freehold known as Maker’s Paradise is made up of some 60+ acres of various stalls, kitchens, forges, weaver’s looms, junk drawers laid out on tables, and any other manner of various wares and vendors. What one might find within Maker’s Paradise on any given day is anyone’s guess and often holds the hopes and dreams of many of its more earnest visitors. Much of the more permanent residents of the Freehold are made up of Nockers, but one can also find a myriad of other Kithain - even some less often seen in the world since Winter settled in to stay - within these walls, staying anywhere from a couple days to several years. If you can dream it, you just might find it here, though the search may be more perilous and costly than you’d hoped.

Guests and visitors are also invited to set up stalls of their own, given that they share a portion of their profits with the Freehold’s Baron and other residents in return.

Local Laws & Customs:

• Theft from the Market or any of its Vendors is punishable by imprisonment, injury, or debts of service as determined by Baron Gertran.
• Willful destruction of Freehold property and holdings is punishable by imprisonment, injury, or debts of service as determined by Baron Gertran.
• Nobility does not afford special treatment in Maker’s Paradise. This is a place governed by Craft, Trade, & Commerce.
• Those seeking Glamour from the Balefire will be expected to return the kindness thru aide to local residents, Freehold needs, or needs throughout the Kingdom of Willows as laid out by Baron Gertran or a resident acting on his behalf. This is often sealed with the Oath of Accepted Burden.
• If a Vassal is judged guilty of a crime, and they escape punishment, their punishment shall be visited upon their immediate Liege.
• Any who steal a Dreamer from another Changeling shall owe a debt to the rightful Owner.
• Any Changeling who takes responsibility for a Chimera shall share in their crimes.
• Those wishing to sell wares within Maker’s Paradise must be approved by Baron Gertran.

Rumors:

• Changeling Holidays are held in high regard and often celebrated with a variety of festivities.
• It is said that when visitors stopped frequenting the previous Freehold location in Chattanooga as often, the locals began facing more and more frequent attacks from raging Chimera. The Balefire that had been there some many years ago had sputtered out in Winter despite the best efforts of local residents, and they could no longer defend their home against outside forces and threats.
• Baron Gertran is said to have learned of a Balefire hidden beneath the snow, kept warm by a massive pile of debris but dwindling with no one to care for it in the area near Anderson Jockey Lot. He led a group of his strongest residents to recover the Balefire, and rather than attempt to transport it, instead took great advantage of the thriving place of dreams and hopes that existed in the immediate area, bringing Maker’s Paradise to the Balefire itself.
• Baron Gertran is part of a group calling themselves the Unified Court, as are several of the other residents of Maker’s Paradise. They are rumored to have some radical thoughts and ideas about ‘how things have always been’ vs ‘how they should be’.

Freehold Timeline:

• May 2022: Baron Gertran hears of a slumbering Balefire that is doomed to sputter out if not tended soon.
• June 2022: Baron Gertran leads a small army of Nockers and other volunteers from amongst Maker’s Paradise to rescue the Balefire with the intention of trying to bring it home to replace their own lost years ago.
• July 2022: Baron Gertran convinces the majority of Maker’s Paradise, and subsequently most everyone else follows along, to instead impress upon the Dreaming the Glamour and positive change that could come with their Freehold being detached from Chattanooga and shifted to the Anderson Jockey Lot. The Balefire burns bright with the influx of residents and burst of Glamour as new commerce and influence upon local Dreamers rises exponentially in a matter of weeks.
• August 2022: Defenses are built up around the Balefire, providing hearth and home to the local residents and a place of safety to those in need who might visit.
• September 2022: Baron Gertran sends a few residents out to inform others of the new Trods established to the Anderson Jockey Lot in the hopes of bringing visitors back to Maker’s Paradise more frequently as they once were.
• June 2023: A large black obelisk tower is seen some distance from Maker's Paradise where it is witnessed draining the local area of Glamour and rendering it void of any denizens of the Dreaming. Baron Gertran asks for help in bringing low the influence of the Tower, a call met by several visitors and locals alike. They traveled inside, found their way through a puzzle-filled maze, and faced off against a rather nasty twisted blacksmith before destroying the heart of the Tower, releasing glamour back into the local area, and solidifying a rode into the Abyss.

The Full VSS for this Freehold can be found HERE.