Category:Winter Court

Nicknames: The Silent Arrow, The Onyx Court, The Court of Sorrow

Emotion: Sorrow

Heraldry: White, Black & Gray

Contracts: Fleeting Winter, Eternal Winter, Sorrow-Frozen Heart

The Winter Court is one of the four main courts of changelings found in Changeling: The Lost. Nomadic and extremely secretive, the members of the Onyx Court seek to hide themselves from everything from their former masters in Faerie to the humans they once were. They primarily live through spying and secrecy.

The founder of the Winter Court was Snowflake John who earned Winter's pact not by a challenge, but by remaining so well hidden Winter could not find him. When he reappeared, he asserted his talents had earned him the pact; Winter apparently agreed, as his court now bears the season's name.

The members of the Silent Arrow continue his traditions, remaining steeped in codes, safehouses, and other means of living that limit their exposure to the world at large. They are especially skilled among all the changelings at blending in with the mundane, able to effectively hide themselves out in the open. They keep an eye on the enemies of the changelings, and from time to time have been known to kill to keep their secrets or the secrets of another. It is not uncommon for a changeling freshly escaped to turn to the Winter Court for their first shelter. A fair number remain; the rest are gently steered towards other, more appropriate courts.

The most famous of the Winter Court's rituals is the Winter Market, where a changeling can sell or buy almost anything among other changelings, partially to sell of the Onyx Court's spoils of war, and partially to keep the Goblin Market from receiving business from desperate changelings. The court also sponsors the Winter Formal, an opulent masquerade ball, and Radio Free Fae, a broadcast network that tells changelings the important info without exposing the bearer.

Changeling the Lost pg 58-61