The Cereal Box:Log: Difference between revisions

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As Janglejaw left, he opened a hedge gate that refused to close initially and then sputtered several times. April suggested that the Cereal box was, in fact, getting very soggy indeed.

==Session 41==

The motley returned home to go to bed.

===Saturday, May 15===

The grand opening of Granny's Place with real people rather than make believe fairies was scheduled for today.

Nikolai tried to make determinations about Chalkos' compound. He obtained survey results, but there's not blueprints on file. There's an overhead picture of the general area. A main road with a side road. 8 rows of buildings with a u-shape. 16 feet between fence and buildings, 20 feet between the fenceline and the forest, single entrance. Nikolai scours for denim to throw over the barbed wire to cross the fence if necessary.

Ernie plays with his friends and brings Regina with him. While she's an impediment to enjoyment, he is able to absorb glamour.

Sephie worked at solidifying her relationship with her daughter, partially by inviting her out to dinner at the restaurant. A week from Friday was the soonest she can do.

Hestia is running her restaurant. She had a very up and down day, but opening was a success and it's clear that the bills will be paid.

Alana and April were working on changeling science to try to figure out how the crunch and sog factor worked, which apparently involved submerging Cap 'n' Crunch in melted ice cream (which Alana refused to let April, Regina and Ernie eat due to the absurd level of sugar in it). They agreed that to determine the rules of the Crunch Factor, they would need to open hedge gates to determine crunch factor - three opened by the same person with a stopwatch to time it.

They decided Oak Hill Cemetery toward the middle, Denny's as the very edge, and Freddy and Aaron's place; finally, somewhere outside the zoo (the Binder Park Golf Course) as a control. They called Freddy and Aaron, who agreed at the cost of 2 bottles of wine and a promise to buy and eighth.

First they opened the gate at the cemetery: an archway was opened for 16.7 seconds and then the mirror for 16.8 seconds (possibly an error?).

As they were leaving, an old man accosted them, briefly taking Regina hostage at iron knifepoint. He demanded they tell him where his "brother" Solomon Bynes was and, after they explained to him that Bynes was killed a long time ago, he asked if that meant that he could finally leave the cemetery and be himself again - revealing that he was, in fact, Solomon Bynes' fetch. He traded them a "key" to the hedge gate at the mausoleum for assistance, and Ernie gave him a phone. He told them there was a cult with a symbol of an eye based on a musical fermata that met fairly regularly in the cemetery, but didn't really have more useful information for them.

The motley proceeded to Freddie and Aaron's. They accepted the wine and sold an eighth to Nikolai, which they warned him he should take care when smoking because they suspected their dealer was adding glass dust to up the weight. They explained that their experiments with growing hedge cannabis had been dismal failures. The gate they opened above the fridge was open for 15.2 and the mirror was open for 15.4 seconds.

Finally, they traveled to the Neutral Meeting Ground at the Zoo and opened the hedge gate in the archway. This stayed open for 17.1 and 18.5 seconds.

They moved to the golf course outside the cereal box, where an open gate remained so for 15.0 seconds and the mirror for 15.0 seconds as well.

They then tested the mirror while moving. Outside the zoo - 18.6 while moving, 18.8 while stationary. They tested the car door, which lasted for 17.1 seconds. The mirror was then tested again and opened for 18.8 seconds and wobbled when closed.

The testing developed a four part theory of how the Crunch Factor works:

* Crunch factor is not evenly distributed throughout the Freehold.

* Crunch factor tends to be lower toward the edge of the Cereal Box

* Crunch factor tends to be more concentrated in places where changelings congregate

* Crunch factor tends to drain through hedge gates, and when it does so, it holds the gate open and does so cumulatively

The changelings decided to get some sleep.

===Sunday / Monday May 16 / 17===

Ernie discussed with Eric Rowe the need to unkill Bynes. They went with middle names to use Martin Charles Solomon as a name. Rowe mentioned that he had personally dealt with Bynes, who was "killed by someone who really hated him." Ernie also asked about bodies (in hopes of designing a barometer for measuring crunch factor) and Rowe admitted he had a waiting list and could not guarantee delivery.

==Session 42==

Barrier has fallen. 1 hr to go, everyone is pretty solidly convinced that they're safe.

Craig Weston meets with the motley has a discussion involving bad feelings and insights. The Collector killing Mary Kingman.

===Tuesday, May 18th===

Nikolai asked Smith whatever happened to Darlene Selfridge and Mary Kingman. Smith explained that Selfridge was banished and Mary Kingman was (wink, wink) nowhere he knew of, and last he knew she was in his care, and she definitely did not (wink wink) do anything - or be encouraged to do anything - that would break the laws of the Freehold and would require that we do something about it.

Hestia decided to hire managers for the restaurant to free up time. Ernie used his support network to find viable candidates. Hestia wanted to set up the interviews for a string on Wednesday.

April made 4 successes toward writing her thesis... with glitter gel pens.

===Wednesday, May 19th===

Spehie wants to go to the Goblin Market to get a housepet. April and Alana will go.

Hestia and Nikolai will be interviewing.

Harpreet Singh - Boogeyman - 5 successes on his check, 4 on checking - organizational skills /

Celia Rice - Sloth - 2 successes on her check, 4 on checking, - strong customer service skills / slow

Elissa Krantz - Cyclops - 2 / 1 - (slept with Billy Goat)

Blair Hopkins - Jackalope - 1 / 3 - "Talk about cardio bunny." "KNOCK IT OFF" Skips everywhere.

Janglejaw - Wants to get his foot and rest of him in the door. Has a resume, you may see it, but not now because he needs to type it up. Sold curios, not curios, applejacks, lots of armoires and no legoires. Monarchs, apparently, set their own hours, like Billy who only runs the Freehold as and when he sees fit. I'm a great manager! Everyone has to work harder when I'm around. Janglejaw wants an Arby's to call his own. "If they were unruly, someone else would be ruly at the time." I would suggest that Billy relieve his tension. The king of summer knock the table over and challenge him to a duel to the death, and back down. If it's the autumn king, you tell him you know where you hid the candy. I'd make sure the winter king I have a wonderful time... not me anymore, Lyrissa, who should have a wonderful time.

Ernie, Alana, April and Sephie went on a trip to the market to find Sephie a pet. 3 successes to find a pet. Given some memories as change.

Hedge crow - "He'll be coming for yoooou!"

25% Just remember, you deserve this. It's not omnivorous, but plants count as meat for it.

"It's my emotional support ti~animal." They disguised it as an emotional support dog.

3 kittens and a large tiger cat. "It will be elephant size."

===Thursday, May 20th===

Nikolai called Granny Lovett and asked about tokens and was directed to Samuel Venters ("Toucan Sam") who acts as the finder. Nikolai was invited to eat at Lovett's but realized he did not have to... making him more keen to do it. He agreed to be over tomorrow at 6 PM.

His favorite is the running flytrap. Red (snap - bite), yellow (crackle - roar), blue (pop - mobility). Rich lime green named "Tony"

Ernie decided to make himself nice clothes to look respectable. High end stereos for money.

Smith came by with Jack. Jack "I love kittens!" Training Smith is slow going, and Smith is really bent on having a chance to learn to fight dirty. For Alana it was a nice light workout.

Nikolai, Regina and Ernie went to the store to get a sewing machine, a bunch of cloth for new clothes and a high end sound system for Regina. Ernie soundproofed the room so well that very little audio escapes at all. Everyone is very impressed.

===Friday, May 21st===

Hestia had an unpleasant dream about her childhood, playing dressup and collecting flowers to play at her wedding day! She would play in a grove of trees and play at getting married. She dreamed of getting lost and finding her way to a rustic cabin where she found herself slowly approaching a voice that beckoned her. She went down a hallway of doors with collections such as "entymology," "stamps," and finally "mythology."

"You left me. You left holes in my colletion. Hand me that screwdriver?" The tool itself was an alien tool that was a "screwdriver" in idea only. He sets up a cabinet and puts a chess set on display. The rooks look like Cerberus, the knights like Hermes, the Bishops appear as oracles, the Queen has an actual gold crown, "And, this is my newest piece" The queen had a crown of flame, and the king is a powerful ogre.

A mylar balloon that says "Happy Birthday," a bottle of champaign and a box of chocolates.

It was learned that Jack Strong is not a very good liar and cannot choose not to answer a specific question with a comparable level of specificity. Regina became uncomfortable when the collector was discussed, and excused herself to her room. The party discussed the order of operations for dealing with the Collector.

* Find, expose and remove the traitor from the Freehold

* Prove the Cereal Box is degrading.

* Lower the Cereal Box

* Lure the Collector into the Cereal Box

* Remove his heart and make a new Cereal Box

==Session 43==

We pick up our session at the end of the breakfast meeting. Nikolai considered how trustworthy the powerful changelings of the freehold were, and a chart was created:

Level of Power / Amount I Trust Them

Jeremiah - Moderately / Not

Roper - - Obscene / Mostly

Lyrissa - Moderately / Not

Smith - Minor / Pretty Reasonably

Jack - Moderate / Very

Johnny - Obscene / Mostly

Billy - Very / NOT -- also less of a threat

Granny Lovett - MOST / AFRAID

Hestia brought Jack into the kitchen and told him to be careful and let her know if anything weird happened.

Nikolai was formulating a plan for infiltrating Chalkos' facility. Current plan is to distraction and infiltrate elsewhere. Sephie proposed training the kittens for surveillance and guard duty.

Sephie decided that she would shop for a birthday gift for Cadence. Sephie called Cadence to see if they were on for the night. Light powder blue is her favorite color. Cadence's favorite flower is Iris and Hydrangia. Sephie decided that she wanted to plant hydrangias at the house.

Alana trained Smith and discussed the possibility of cheating on the challenge with Smith. It turns out, April is creeped right the heck out by Smith and his lack of visible organs (brain, skull - he's just completely uniform in his opacity, like a block of parrafin wax) and the fact that she couldn't see the food going down his throat when he ate just went to amplify that. Smith explained that he can see and hear spirits, and interact with them slightly, but he couldn't really control them or cajole them. He suggested that as a possible source of an edge. He also mentioned vampire blood, sorcery, "super soldier drugs", using pledges to lend him skill or litearlly any other way of gaining his edge. "My priorities are to live and keep my crown, in that order."

QUEST: Pledge Smith skills (optional)

QUEST: Cripple Chalkos (optional)

QUEST: Make Chalkos fail to make it to the duel (optional)

QUEST: Get Smith super drugs (optional)

QUEST: Get Smith spirit power (optional)

QUEST: Get Smith magic (optional)

QUEST: Get Smith vampire blood (optional)

Nikolai got 2 full drug cocktails from Freddie by way of an order taken by Aaron.

Sephie and the girls went to pick out jewelry for Cadence. Sephie settled on an aquamarine necklace. April browsed and found a set of chakra earrings that she expressed loving desire for, tried on, but ultimately put back.

That evening, Sephie had dinner with her daughter, who had requested that she be called Songbird exclusively. Songbird went whole hog on appetizers getting steamed soybeans and cheese sticks, while Sephie had meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Songbird explained that she wasn't a vegetarian, but that she was trying to cut back on fried food and meat ("cut back... not necessarily quit" as she ate a cheese stick) She explained that Firestarter and her are NOT dating, but that they had a thing and, Idk, she didn't want to put a label on it. She went to a Taylor Smith concert with Aeson and they both LOVE the song Today Was a Fairy Tale. Aeson had never heard Taylor Swift before the concert, but Songbird was glad she introduced it. Then, during the meal, a wispy old man with a skull mask appeared and said to return the magic item she stolen on pain of death. Apparently undeterred, she and her mother finished dinner and, when Sephie offered her a necklace as a gift, she freaked out and left.

Nikolai left his wallet and gun in the cab after a dramatic failure. He arrived at 6:03 PM, but Granny's grandfather clock said 8:45 (with the second hand going backwards). She offered him goblin hands to eat, which he refused (because they were not offered in good faith). She told him that she had concerns about the Kinderfanger and, beyond that, about the Chronophage - a fae that she said she had a vision of the future portending Nikolai dealing with him. She called him out, and suggested that she should probably just kill Nikolai to prevent him from dealing with this dread being. He countered that if not him then someone else and, furthermore, that he would try to defeat the fae, regardless of his relation to them. Granny demanded he pledge with her for the protection of the freehold.

Granny's Pledge Year and a Day - Banishment Greater Favor (Cookie Jar) - Poisoned Boon (See the vision) Greater Forbiddence (Nikolai may not endager the freehold) Maag Brunt's Catch: If you are PREVENTING an equal or greater threat to the freehold, you may endanger the Freehold to any degree whatsoever. EVEN if you engineered the threat, as long as you didn't ACTUALLY bring the threat. E.g. if you set it up for two fae to enter the Freehold and remove one of them, that would be sufficient.

Nikolai saw a vision of the Chronophage, a great True Fae comprised of an infinite number of overlapping possibilities, with two arms that reach into the past, two that reach into the present, and two that reach into the future. The Fae brought Nikolai into Arcadia for forever; he was unable to leave.

Ernie was intent on getting a hold of Callista Moore, a paralegal who works for Arianna Lassar.

===Saturday, May 22===

Ernie contacted Callista Moore, who explained that her boss Arianna wished to stand as Loyal Opposition to push the Freehold toward a liberal approach to newcomers.

Billy called and explained that he would be holding a coronation the next day for the Court of Strange Days the next day to allow them to control the Freehold on their given days. No one liked this idea which was, by Billy's own admission, terrible.

Session 44: Hunting the Snark

Hestia decided she needed to do second interviews with Harpreet, Celia and Elissa.

Harpreet and Celia can, Elissa cannot, open on Monday. Hestia decided that this would be a semi-working interview - to see how they would behave under practical positions and make sure it's the best fit. Elissa would interview on the 25th. (The current head waiter is a man named Sam Namier.)

Celia's performance was less effective, but she seems to have potential. She explains she prefers 2nd shifts.

Harpreet did well, and his off-putting nature seemed to be a limitation to his effectiveness, but otherwise he was very technically skilled. Harpreet prefers 3rd shifts.

Hestia decided that she wanted to write up a mock schedule putting them on 2nds and 3rds respectively, but decided not to sell herself on anything permanent or call anyone back until she interviews Elissa.

Sephie plays with her kitties and works on training them (2 successes), and anticipated that they would be the size of a small housecat - the size of a small house. Alana, however, demonstrated her exceptional skill with training cats.

Ernie is checking in with his changeling network to determine if his Changeling Network is doing well (3), which it is for the most part. Jacqueline Yamamoto is cataloguing and sorting the changelings of the freehold in this respect. Isaac Oldman is working towards ensuring universal employment. Regina offered to help.

Nikolai wasted the day, as people do from time to time.

Alana dreamed of her time in the jungle, being pursued by hunters, and experiences being hit with a poison dart and dragged back to a house.

===May 23rd, 24th, 30th, 31st===

9 AM hedge of the neutral grounds, with each of the changelings wearing good suits to make a good impression. Ernie got 4 successes on Pre+Com to make an impression. The majority of the Freehold were present.

Billy, dressed as a cowboy, passed on the crownn to Janglejaw, whose crown was one of of mangled barbed wire interspersed with thorned and wrapped in tinsel and garland. Janglejaw, in turn, grew man-sized, symmetrical and almost human, but still decidedly goblin (and, possibly, mistakable for a changeling).

Janglejaw explained that the defining event of his rule should be a Snark hunt, and explained that the Snark was a questing beast. He recited several lines from The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll.

"He remarked to me then," said that mildest of men,

⁠" 'If your Snark be a Snark, that is right:

Fetch it home by all means—you may serve it with greens,

⁠And it's handy for striking a light.

"'You may seek it with thimbles—and seek it with care;

⁠You may hunt it with forks and hope;

You may threaten its life with a railway-share;

⁠You may charm it with smiles and soap'"

The motleys involved were issued forks and an envelope containing a map that they would "know when to consult." The motleys were directed to a set of footprints they were told was the Snark's trail (still warm) and they were warned to avoid the vicious mucus that it spews from its udders and its gnashing teeth. (They were also warned to avoid Jubjub birds, Jabberwocks and Bandersnatches) The Snarks was described as a bluish-orange cowbunny with spider eyes and udders.

The motley travelled until they tracks crossed a lake (still visible upon the surface) with a massive riverboat captained by a goblin upon it. The goblin demanded payment for passage. Ernie offered it the fork as "A nasal cleansing device" and was able to barter passage for 2. They offered the goblin hyperglycemia but he already had it. Alana was able to persuade him, by way of knock knock joke, that he was expected to bring a gift. April gave him the knowledge of a food that was so sweet she wouldn't eat it. He took this and immediately dropped dead from hyperglycemia, allowing them to take the ferry.

They make their way accross the lake and it inverted so they were underwater, bringing a sudden night upon them. Alana hissed at an albatross that had alighted upon their boat.

The sun was shining on the sea,

Shining with all his might:

He did his very best to make

The billows smooth and bright--

And this was odd, because it was

The middle of the night.

They crossed the lake and found themselves disembarking in the morning after eating what they can.

They came upon an old, abandoned campsite with a dilapidated tent, followed by additional tents arranged like a forest thereof. The tents increasingly look like parts of the landscape with a tree that appears to grow bags of food suspended from it. They realized that they arrived in Snipe territory, and realized that hunting a snipe might give them a competative hunt.

Roper's motley crashed into the area and Roper's grabby arm Extenda-Saurus Rex token was used to bring several baskets down from the tree for the eating. The motley engaged in a snipe hunt and captured one of the rare creatures, which they placed in a bag.

They continued to a hill that went uphill both ways and then to a grouping of bridges that went down into a chasm. The motley was able to climb down, while Nikolai simply walked to the lowest bridge and Hestia, noting this, follwed him. They then bunped into motorcycle climbing a tree on eight spidery legs. Jillian Cripps. In return for a story (Gert and Ernie) Jillian drove them back.

After doubling back, they returned to the snark tracks, which brought them near a lighthouse. With a startling blast, the snipe exploded from sniper fire, which lured out the Snark. While the motley faced the snark, Hestia and Nikolai tried to take down Chalkos and his men in the lighthouse, but were injured seriously and subdued with flashbangs. They did, however, succeed in injuring one of Chalkos' men.

The rest of the motley worked to, against form, tame the questing beast and, after some truly remarkable work by Alana, the creature was tamed. The goblin appreciated the changelings valuing the lives of one of their own, and everyone present gained a point of Wyrd, with Billy becoming downright frightening in the alien beauty of his fae mien.

===May 25===

The motley took a moment to take stock of Who was not at the coronation (Granny Lovett, Johnny Starlight and Craig Weston were not there, aside from Regina, of course). It was suggested that because Chalkos and several of his men were there, they would be absent in a week, and perhaps vulnerable.

==Session 45==

The motley returned home from the Hedge to find Regina, who had used every vessel and dish in the kitchen and was maudlin about having been left alone. They warned her that she would be alon again, and decided to try to arrange some sort of babysitter.

Sephie called Songbrd and asked her how things are going and determined if she was available this weekend to check up on Regina and such. She said she would be and apologized for leaving suddenly.

Ernest called Arianna and apologized for missing the meeting and rescheduled for 8 PM this evening. He then took a shower and went to bed.

Nikolai determined that Craig Weston, Carl Crowley, Wendell Baker, Granny Lovett, Arthur Sullivan, Arianna Lassar, Johnny Starlight, Herbert Wolfgang, Tiffany McIvor, and Maag Brunt weren't weren't at the coronation, but that essentially every other member of the Freehold was. Jillian Cripps was present in the Hedge, but had not been at the meeting and also seemed to think things were already over.

Hestia checked up on the restaurant, which had a few no calls no shows but also correspondingly low business. She then went out to hunt for glamour by scandalizing some unsuspecting dude in front of his girlfriend.

The motley rested until the meeting with Arianna. The meeting was set at Sweetwater's Donut mill.

At 12:30, Billy banged on the door and Nikolai answered. Billy explained that the painting of Dahlia was gone and that she knows all his plans and ideas. He thinks that whoever took Dahlia could be dangerous to him because anyone she allied with would have that power over him. Billy traded a promise that Nikolai would give him the information he asks about that situation in return for an automatic rifle with appropriate ammo. Billy was vague about how the painting worked. It turns out, it was a small part of the real world encapsulated in Arcadia and Dahlia was in there. Nikolai suggested traveling through the Hedge (and time) to find the portrait. Nikolai asked Billy to find a token for him to exchange with Granny Lovett. Nikolai called Granny who agreed to help and also mentioned that "the clock stopped" without further elaboration.

Nikolai mentioned to Billy that they were meeting with Arianna. April gave him shit about the whole thing and also hit him with a rolled up tube of paper, informing him that he should not do anything stupid because "I love you." They then napped and all (including Regina) went to the donut mill.

Granny added that the clock had chimed 10 PM (at 9:45).

Arianna charmed Nikolai after he realized that he had once been in the realm of her Keeper.

==Session 46==

Nikolai held a family meeting to explain what happened with Billy and Granny. They speculated regarding who had Dahlia. April pointed out that an individual who wants to be a Queen is a "pretender," and Nikolai accepted that he might have overlooked that.

===Wednesday, May 26===

Morning comes.

Sephie is going to play with the kittens (2 successes) and gardening (3 successes).

Hestia is going to her restaurant to figure out who was absent and rearrange the schedule accordingly. It turned out, Hestia's plan was to run the restaurant like a 1950's diner, primarily to focus on changelings as the target audience.

Ernie is going to work towards setting up his support network to try to make it work out. Ernie recruited Jacq Yam & Isaac Old; Regina working beneath Yamamoto. Jack helped him find and accountant that is willing to run dodgy sounding books. Wilson Monroe.

Alana and Nikolai train with Smith. They tell him about the Nazi / KGB drugs they're going to give him. The Man with the Badge comes in, accompanied by his (proverbially) weasel-faced cadet. After the Man With the Badge left, Nikolai went right into his spiel about the first clause of the Contract of Stone and trained him (conspicuously refusing the seriously injure him despite him admitting that he had never been so injured in his life). They speculated as to why the Man With the Badge would be interested and came to the conclusion that they could employ him as a weapon (!) because he doesn't count as a person. (The tiger was also suggested as such)

Late afternoon. They created a whole pageant for how to collect glamour by having Ernie crash his bike, Nikolai fake a heart condition as he tries to help, Sephie perform medical care, Alana steal the bike, April try to help (and fail) and Hestia tried to make people feel shitty, but it failed. Hestia then failed to kick a person's crutches out from under them, embarrassing herself and giving up on getting glamour.

Martin admitted that he was working for Arianna Lassar, which made Ernie worried, and he said he would talk with her. Martin was not aware that she was a changeling and disturbed by the revelation.

Ernie ordered a large number of hand-me-down tools on Ebay in hopes of getting April what she needs to build her crunch-o-meter.

Sephie had Cadence (Songbird) and Firestarter over to talk about ; they had Billy's Club.

The motley slept. Nikolai was awakened in the middle of the night by Granny, who informed him that the painting no longer existed and that Dahlia was free now. She also informed Nikolai that her clocks had struck midnight.

Subsequently, Jer called and informed Nikolai that he would be cashing in on his deal on Friday. After he asked if this had to do with the Chronophage, Jer deamanded that Nikolai exaplin what he knew to him. Nikolai sounded like he was going to try to weasel out of the contract as he told Nikolai the would be going to Arcadia together, and the Pumpkin King - who is known not to cuss - told him that he will "NOT fuck this up for me." Nikolai informed him that for his favor of up to half his Kingdom, the Pumpkin King must help him become King of Autumn. "Done" was the response.

@@ Line 999: / Line 999: @@
 As Janglejaw left, he opened a hedge gate that refused to close initially and then sputtered several times. April suggested that the Cereal box was, in fact, getting very soggy indeed.
+==Session 41==
+The motley returned home to go to bed.
+===Saturday, May 15===
+The grand opening of Granny's Place with real people rather than make believe fairies was scheduled for today.
+Nikolai tried to make determinations about Chalkos' compound. He obtained survey results, but there's not blueprints on file. There's an overhead picture of the general area. A main road with a side road. 8 rows of buildings with a u-shape. 16 feet between fence and buildings, 20 feet between the fenceline and the forest, single entrance. Nikolai scours for denim to throw over the barbed wire to cross the fence if necessary.
+Ernie plays with his friends and brings Regina with him. While she's an impediment to enjoyment, he is able to absorb glamour.
+Sephie worked at solidifying her relationship with her daughter, partially by inviting her out to dinner at the restaurant. A week from Friday was the soonest she can do.
+Hestia is running her restaurant. She had a very up and down day, but opening was a success and it's clear that the bills will be paid.
+Alana and April were working on changeling science to try to figure out how the crunch and sog factor worked, which apparently involved submerging Cap 'n' Crunch in melted ice cream (which Alana refused to let April, Regina and Ernie eat due to the absurd level of sugar in it). They agreed that to determine the rules of the Crunch Factor, they would need to open hedge gates to determine crunch factor - three opened by the same person with a stopwatch to time it.
+They decided Oak Hill Cemetery toward the middle, Denny's as the very edge, and Freddy and Aaron's place; finally, somewhere outside the zoo (the Binder Park Golf Course) as a control. They called Freddy and Aaron, who agreed at the cost of 2 bottles of wine and a promise to buy and eighth.
+First they opened the gate at the cemetery: an archway was opened for 16.7 seconds and then the mirror for 16.8 seconds (possibly an error?).
+As they were leaving, an old man accosted them, briefly taking Regina hostage at iron knifepoint. He demanded they tell him where his "brother" Solomon Bynes was and, after they explained to him that Bynes was killed a long time ago, he asked if that meant that he could finally leave the cemetery and be himself again - revealing that he was, in fact, Solomon Bynes' fetch. He traded them a "key" to the hedge gate at the mausoleum for assistance, and Ernie gave him a phone. He told them there was a cult with a symbol of an eye based on a musical fermata that met fairly regularly in the cemetery, but didn't really have more useful information for them.
+The motley proceeded to Freddie and Aaron's. They accepted the wine and sold an eighth to Nikolai, which they warned him he should take care when smoking because they suspected their dealer was adding glass dust to up the weight. They explained that their experiments with growing hedge cannabis had been dismal failures. The gate they opened above the fridge was open for 15.2 and the mirror was open for 15.4 seconds.
+Finally, they traveled to the Neutral Meeting Ground at the Zoo and opened the hedge gate in the archway. This stayed open for 17.1 and 18.5 seconds.
+They moved to the golf course outside the cereal box, where an open gate remained so for 15.0 seconds and the mirror for 15.0 seconds as well.
+They then tested the mirror while moving. Outside the zoo - 18.6 while moving, 18.8 while stationary. They tested the car door, which lasted for 17.1 seconds. The mirror was then tested again and opened for 18.8 seconds and wobbled when closed.
+The testing developed a four part theory of how the Crunch Factor works:
+* Crunch factor is not evenly distributed throughout the Freehold.
+* Crunch factor tends to be lower toward the edge of the Cereal Box
+* Crunch factor tends to be more concentrated in places where changelings congregate
+* Crunch factor tends to drain through hedge gates, and when it does so, it holds the gate open and does so cumulatively
+The changelings decided to get some sleep.
+===Sunday / Monday May 16 / 17===
+Ernie discussed with Eric Rowe the need to unkill Bynes. They went with middle names to use Martin Charles Solomon as a name. Rowe mentioned that he had personally dealt with Bynes, who was "killed by someone who really hated him." Ernie also asked about bodies (in hopes of designing a barometer for measuring crunch factor) and Rowe admitted he had a waiting list and could not guarantee delivery.
+==Session 42==
+Barrier has fallen. 1 hr to go, everyone is pretty solidly convinced that they're safe.
+Craig Weston meets with the motley has a discussion involving bad feelings and insights. The Collector killing Mary Kingman.
+===Tuesday, May 18th===
+Nikolai asked Smith whatever happened to Darlene Selfridge and Mary Kingman. Smith explained that Selfridge was banished and Mary Kingman was (wink, wink) nowhere he knew of, and last he knew she was in his care, and she definitely did not (wink wink) do anything - or be encouraged to do anything - that would break the laws of the Freehold and would require that we do something about it.
+Hestia decided to hire managers for the restaurant to free up time. Ernie used his support network to find viable candidates. Hestia wanted to set up the interviews for a string on Wednesday.
+April made 4 successes toward writing her thesis... with glitter gel pens.
+===Wednesday, May 19th===
+Spehie wants to go to the Goblin Market to get a housepet. April and Alana will go.
+Hestia and Nikolai will be interviewing.
+Harpreet Singh - Boogeyman - 5 successes on his check, 4 on checking - organizational skills /
+Celia Rice - Sloth - 2 successes on her check, 4 on checking, - strong customer service skills / slow
+Elissa Krantz - Cyclops - 2 / 1 - (slept with Billy Goat)
+Blair Hopkins - Jackalope - 1 / 3 - "Talk about cardio bunny." "KNOCK IT OFF" Skips everywhere.
+Janglejaw - Wants to get his foot and rest of him in the door. Has a resume, you may see it, but not now because he needs to type it up. Sold curios, not curios, applejacks, lots of armoires and no legoires. Monarchs, apparently, set their own hours, like Billy who only runs the Freehold as and when he sees fit. I'm a great manager! Everyone has to work harder when I'm around. Janglejaw wants an Arby's to call his own. "If they were unruly, someone else would be ruly at the time." I would suggest that Billy relieve his tension. The king of summer knock the table over and challenge him to a duel to the death, and back down. If it's the autumn king, you tell him you know where you hid the candy. I'd make sure the winter king I have a wonderful time... not me anymore, Lyrissa, who should have a wonderful time.
+Ernie, Alana, April and Sephie went on a trip to the market to find Sephie a pet. 3 successes to find a pet. Given some memories as change.
+Hedge crow - "He'll be coming for yoooou!"
+% Just remember, you deserve this. It's not omnivorous, but plants count as meat for it.
+"It's my emotional support ti~animal." They disguised it as an emotional support dog.
+kittens and a large tiger cat. "It will be elephant size."
+===Thursday, May 20th===
+Nikolai called Granny Lovett and asked about tokens and was directed to Samuel Venters ("Toucan Sam") who acts as the finder. Nikolai was invited to eat at Lovett's but realized he did not have to... making him more keen to do it. He agreed to be over tomorrow at 6 PM.
+His favorite is the running flytrap. Red (snap - bite), yellow (crackle - roar), blue (pop - mobility). Rich lime green named "Tony"
+Ernie decided to make himself nice clothes to look respectable. High end stereos for money.
+Smith came by with Jack. Jack "I love kittens!" Training Smith is slow going, and Smith is really bent on having a chance to learn to fight dirty. For Alana it was a nice light workout.
+Nikolai, Regina and Ernie went to the store to get a sewing machine, a bunch of cloth for new clothes and a high end sound system for Regina. Ernie soundproofed the room so well that very little audio escapes at all. Everyone is very impressed.
+===Friday, May 21st===
+Hestia had an unpleasant dream about her childhood, playing dressup and collecting flowers to play at her wedding day! She would play in a grove of trees and play at getting married. She dreamed of getting lost and finding her way to a rustic cabin where she found herself slowly approaching a voice that beckoned her. She went down a hallway of doors with collections such as "entymology," "stamps," and finally "mythology."
+"You left me. You left holes in my colletion. Hand me that screwdriver?" The tool itself was an alien tool that was a "screwdriver" in idea only. He sets up a cabinet and puts a chess set on display. The rooks look like Cerberus, the knights like Hermes, the Bishops appear as oracles, the Queen has an actual gold crown, "And, this is my newest piece" The queen had a crown of flame, and the king is a powerful ogre.
+A mylar balloon that says "Happy Birthday," a bottle of champaign and a box of chocolates.
+It was learned that Jack Strong is not a very good liar and cannot choose not to answer a specific question with a comparable level of specificity. Regina became uncomfortable when the collector was discussed, and excused herself to her room. The party discussed the order of operations for dealing with the Collector.
+* Find, expose and remove the traitor from the Freehold
+* Prove the Cereal Box is degrading.
+* Lower the Cereal Box
+* Lure the Collector into the Cereal Box
+* Remove his heart and make a new Cereal Box
+==Session 43==
+We pick up our session at the end of the breakfast meeting. Nikolai considered how trustworthy the powerful changelings of the freehold were, and a chart was created:
+Level of Power / Amount I Trust Them
+Jeremiah - Moderately / Not
+Roper - - Obscene / Mostly
+Lyrissa - Moderately / Not
+Smith - Minor / Pretty Reasonably
+Jack - Moderate / Very
+Johnny - Obscene / Mostly
+Billy - Very / NOT -- also less of a threat
+Granny Lovett - MOST / AFRAID
+Hestia brought Jack into the kitchen and told him to be careful and let her know if anything weird happened.
+Nikolai was formulating a plan for infiltrating Chalkos' facility. Current plan is to distraction and infiltrate elsewhere. Sephie proposed training the kittens for surveillance and guard duty.
+Sephie decided that she would shop for a birthday gift for Cadence. Sephie called Cadence to see if they were on for the night. Light powder blue is her favorite color. Cadence's favorite flower is Iris and Hydrangia. Sephie decided that she wanted to plant hydrangias at the house.
+Alana trained Smith and discussed the possibility of cheating on the challenge with Smith. It turns out, April is creeped right the heck out by Smith and his lack of visible organs (brain, skull - he's just completely uniform in his opacity, like a block of parrafin wax) and the fact that she couldn't see the food going down his throat when he ate just went to amplify that. Smith explained that he can see and hear spirits, and interact with them slightly, but he couldn't really control them or cajole them. He suggested that as a possible source of an edge. He also mentioned vampire blood, sorcery, "super soldier drugs", using pledges to lend him skill or litearlly any other way of gaining his edge. "My priorities are to live and keep my crown, in that order."
+QUEST: Pledge Smith skills (optional)
+QUEST: Cripple Chalkos (optional)
+QUEST: Make Chalkos fail to make it to the duel (optional)
+QUEST: Get Smith super drugs (optional)
+QUEST: Get Smith spirit power (optional)
+QUEST: Get Smith magic (optional)
+QUEST: Get Smith vampire blood (optional)
+Nikolai got 2 full drug cocktails from Freddie by way of an order taken by Aaron.
+Sephie and the girls went to pick out jewelry for Cadence. Sephie settled on an aquamarine necklace. April browsed and found a set of chakra earrings that she expressed loving desire for, tried on, but ultimately put back.
+That evening, Sephie had dinner with her daughter, who had requested that she be called Songbird exclusively. Songbird went whole hog on appetizers getting steamed soybeans and cheese sticks, while Sephie had meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Songbird explained that she wasn't a vegetarian, but that she was trying to cut back on fried food and meat ("cut back... not necessarily quit" as she ate a cheese stick) She explained that Firestarter and her are NOT dating, but that they had a thing and, Idk, she didn't want to put a label on it. She went to a Taylor Smith concert with Aeson and they both LOVE the song Today Was a Fairy Tale. Aeson had never heard Taylor Swift before the concert, but Songbird was glad she introduced it. Then, during the meal, a wispy old man with a skull mask appeared and said to return the magic item she stolen on pain of death. Apparently undeterred, she and her mother finished dinner and, when Sephie offered her a necklace as a gift, she freaked out and left.
+Nikolai left his wallet and gun in the cab after a dramatic failure. He arrived at 6:03 PM, but Granny's grandfather clock said 8:45 (with the second hand going backwards). She offered him goblin hands to eat, which he refused (because they were not offered in good faith). She told him that she had concerns about the Kinderfanger and, beyond that, about the Chronophage - a fae that she said she had a vision of the future portending Nikolai dealing with him. She called him out, and suggested that she should probably just kill Nikolai to prevent him from dealing with this dread being. He countered that if not him then someone else and, furthermore, that he would try to defeat the fae, regardless of his relation to them. Granny demanded he pledge with her for the protection of the freehold.
+Granny's Pledge Year and a Day - Banishment Greater Favor (Cookie Jar) - Poisoned Boon (See the vision) Greater Forbiddence (Nikolai may not endager the freehold) Maag Brunt's Catch: If you are PREVENTING an equal or greater threat to the freehold, you may endanger the Freehold to any degree whatsoever. EVEN if you engineered the threat, as long as you didn't ACTUALLY bring the threat. E.g. if you set it up for two fae to enter the Freehold and remove one of them, that would be sufficient.
+Nikolai saw a vision of the Chronophage, a great True Fae comprised of an infinite number of overlapping possibilities, with two arms that reach into the past, two that reach into the present, and two that reach into the future. The Fae brought Nikolai into Arcadia for forever; he was unable to leave.
+Ernie was intent on getting a hold of Callista Moore, a paralegal who works for Arianna Lassar.
+===Saturday, May 22===
+Ernie contacted Callista Moore, who explained that her boss Arianna wished to stand as Loyal Opposition to push the Freehold toward a liberal approach to newcomers.
+Billy called and explained that he would be holding a coronation the next day for the Court of Strange Days the next day to allow them to control the Freehold on their given days. No one liked this idea which was, by Billy's own admission, terrible.
+Session 44: Hunting the Snark
+Hestia decided she needed to do second interviews with Harpreet, Celia and Elissa.
+Harpreet and Celia can, Elissa cannot, open on Monday. Hestia decided that this would be a semi-working interview - to see how they would behave under practical positions and make sure it's the best fit. Elissa would interview on the 25th. (The current head waiter is a man named Sam Namier.)
+Celia's performance was less effective, but she seems to have potential. She explains she prefers 2nd shifts.
+Harpreet did well, and his off-putting nature seemed to be a limitation to his effectiveness, but otherwise he was very technically skilled. Harpreet prefers 3rd shifts.
+Hestia decided that she wanted to write up a mock schedule putting them on 2nds and 3rds respectively, but decided not to sell herself on anything permanent or call anyone back until she interviews Elissa.
+Sephie plays with her kitties and works on training them (2 successes), and anticipated that they would be the size of a small housecat - the size of a small house. Alana, however, demonstrated her exceptional skill with training cats.
+Ernie is checking in with his changeling network to determine if his Changeling Network is doing well (3), which it is for the most part. Jacqueline Yamamoto is cataloguing and sorting the changelings of the freehold in this respect. Isaac Oldman is working towards ensuring universal employment. Regina offered to help.
+Nikolai wasted the day, as people do from time to time.
+Alana dreamed of her time in the jungle, being pursued by hunters, and experiences being hit with a poison dart and dragged back to a house.
+===May 23rd, 24th, 30th, 31st===
+AM hedge of the neutral grounds, with each of the changelings wearing good suits to make a good impression. Ernie got 4 successes on Pre+Com to make an impression. The majority of the Freehold were present.
+Billy, dressed as a cowboy, passed on the crownn to Janglejaw, whose crown was one of of mangled barbed wire interspersed with thorned and wrapped in tinsel and garland. Janglejaw, in turn, grew man-sized, symmetrical and almost human, but still decidedly goblin (and, possibly, mistakable for a changeling).
+Janglejaw explained that the defining event of his rule should be a Snark hunt, and explained that the Snark was a questing beast. He recited several lines from The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll.
+"He remarked to me then," said that mildest of men,
+⁠" 'If your Snark be a Snark, that is right:
+Fetch it home by all means—you may serve it with greens,
+⁠And it's handy for striking a light.
+"'You may seek it with thimbles—and seek it with care;
+⁠You may hunt it with forks and hope;
+You may threaten its life with a railway-share;
+⁠You may charm it with smiles and soap'"
+The motleys involved were issued forks and an envelope containing a map that they would "know when to consult." The motleys were directed to a set of footprints they were told was the Snark's trail (still warm) and they were warned to avoid the vicious mucus that it spews from its udders and its gnashing teeth. (They were also warned to avoid Jubjub birds, Jabberwocks and Bandersnatches) The Snarks was described as a bluish-orange cowbunny with spider eyes and udders.
+The motley travelled until they tracks crossed a lake (still visible upon the surface) with a massive riverboat captained by a goblin upon it. The goblin demanded payment for passage. Ernie offered it the fork as "A nasal cleansing device" and was able to barter passage for 2. They offered the goblin hyperglycemia but he already had it. Alana was able to persuade him, by way of knock knock joke, that he was expected to bring a gift. April gave him the knowledge of a food that was so sweet she wouldn't eat it. He took this and immediately dropped dead from hyperglycemia, allowing them to take the ferry.
+They make their way accross the lake and it inverted so they were underwater, bringing a sudden night upon them. Alana hissed at an albatross that had alighted upon their boat.
+The sun was shining on the sea,
+Shining with all his might:
+He did his very best to make
+The billows smooth and bright--
+And this was odd, because it was
+The middle of the night.
+They crossed the lake and found themselves disembarking in the morning after eating what they can.
+They came upon an old, abandoned campsite with a dilapidated tent, followed by additional tents arranged like a forest thereof. The tents increasingly look like parts of the landscape with a tree that appears to grow bags of food suspended from it. They realized that they arrived in Snipe territory, and realized that hunting a snipe might give them a competative hunt.
+Roper's motley crashed into the area and Roper's grabby arm Extenda-Saurus Rex token was used to bring several baskets down from the tree for the eating. The motley engaged in a snipe hunt and captured one of the rare creatures, which they placed in a bag.
+They continued to a hill that went uphill both ways and then to a grouping of bridges that went down into a chasm. The motley was able to climb down, while Nikolai simply walked to the lowest bridge and Hestia, noting this, follwed him. They then bunped into motorcycle climbing a tree on eight spidery legs. Jillian Cripps. In return for a story (Gert and Ernie) Jillian drove them back.
+After doubling back, they returned to the snark tracks, which brought them near a lighthouse. With a startling blast, the snipe exploded from sniper fire, which lured out the Snark. While the motley faced the snark, Hestia and Nikolai tried to take down Chalkos and his men in the lighthouse, but were injured seriously and subdued with flashbangs. They did, however, succeed in injuring one of Chalkos' men.
+The rest of the motley worked to, against form, tame the questing beast and, after some truly remarkable work by Alana, the creature was tamed. The goblin appreciated the changelings valuing the lives of one of their own, and everyone present gained a point of Wyrd, with Billy becoming downright frightening in the alien beauty of his fae mien.
+===May 25===
+The motley took a moment to take stock of Who was not at the coronation (Granny Lovett, Johnny Starlight and Craig Weston were not there, aside from Regina, of course). It was suggested that because Chalkos and several of his men were there, they would be absent in a week, and perhaps vulnerable.
+==Session 45==
+The motley returned home from the Hedge to find Regina, who had used every vessel and dish in the kitchen and was maudlin about having been left alone. They warned her that she would be alon again, and decided to try to arrange some sort of babysitter.
+Sephie called Songbrd and asked her how things are going and determined if she was available this weekend to check up on Regina and such. She said she would be and apologized for leaving suddenly.
+Ernest called Arianna and apologized for missing the meeting and rescheduled for 8 PM this evening. He then took a shower and went to bed.
+Nikolai determined that Craig Weston, Carl Crowley, Wendell Baker, Granny Lovett, Arthur Sullivan, Arianna Lassar, Johnny Starlight, Herbert Wolfgang, Tiffany McIvor, and Maag Brunt weren't weren't at the coronation, but that essentially every other member of the Freehold was. Jillian Cripps was present in the Hedge, but had not been at the meeting and also seemed to think things were already over.
+Hestia checked up on the restaurant, which had a few no calls no shows but also correspondingly low business. She then went out to hunt for glamour by scandalizing some unsuspecting dude in front of his girlfriend.
+The motley rested until the meeting with Arianna. The meeting was set at Sweetwater's Donut mill.
+At 12:30, Billy banged on the door and Nikolai answered. Billy explained that the painting of Dahlia was gone and that she knows all his plans and ideas. He thinks that whoever took Dahlia could be dangerous to him because anyone she allied with would have that power over him. Billy traded a promise that Nikolai would give him the information he asks about that situation in return for an automatic rifle with appropriate ammo. Billy was vague about how the painting worked. It turns out, it was a small part of the real world encapsulated in Arcadia and Dahlia was in there. Nikolai suggested traveling through the Hedge (and time) to find the portrait. Nikolai asked Billy to find a token for him to exchange with Granny Lovett. Nikolai called Granny who agreed to help and also mentioned that "the clock stopped" without further elaboration.
+Nikolai mentioned to Billy that they were meeting with Arianna. April gave him shit about the whole thing and also hit him with a rolled up tube of paper, informing him that he should not do anything stupid because "I love you." They then napped and all (including Regina) went to the donut mill.
+Granny added that the clock had chimed 10 PM (at 9:45).
+Arianna charmed Nikolai after he realized that he had once been in the realm of her Keeper.
+==Session 46==
+Nikolai held a family meeting to explain what happened with Billy and Granny. They speculated regarding who had Dahlia. April pointed out that an individual who wants to be a Queen is a "pretender," and Nikolai accepted that he might have overlooked that.
+===Wednesday, May 26===
+Morning comes.
+Sephie is going to play with the kittens (2 successes) and gardening (3 successes).
+Hestia is going to her restaurant to figure out who was absent and rearrange the schedule accordingly. It turned out, Hestia's plan was to run the restaurant like a 1950's diner, primarily to focus on changelings as the target audience.
+Ernie is going to work towards setting up his support network to try to make it work out. Ernie recruited Jacq Yam & Isaac Old; Regina working beneath Yamamoto. Jack helped him find and accountant that is willing to run dodgy sounding books. Wilson Monroe.
+Alana and Nikolai train with Smith. They tell him about the Nazi / KGB drugs they're going to give him. The Man with the Badge comes in, accompanied by his (proverbially) weasel-faced cadet. After the Man With the Badge left, Nikolai went right into his spiel about the first clause of the Contract of Stone and trained him (conspicuously refusing the seriously injure him despite him admitting that he had never been so injured in his life). They speculated as to why the Man With the Badge would be interested and came to the conclusion that they could employ him as a weapon (!) because he doesn't count as a person. (The tiger was also suggested as such)
+Late afternoon. They created a whole pageant for how to collect glamour by having Ernie crash his bike, Nikolai fake a heart condition as he tries to help, Sephie perform medical care, Alana steal the bike, April try to help (and fail) and Hestia tried to make people feel shitty, but it failed. Hestia then failed to kick a person's crutches out from under them, embarrassing herself and giving up on getting glamour.
+Martin admitted that he was working for Arianna Lassar, which made Ernie worried, and he said he would talk with her. Martin was not aware that she was a changeling and disturbed by the revelation.
+Ernie ordered a large number of hand-me-down tools on Ebay in hopes of getting April what she needs to build her crunch-o-meter.
+Sephie had Cadence (Songbird) and Firestarter over to talk about ; they had Billy's Club.
+The motley slept. Nikolai was awakened in the middle of the night by Granny, who informed him that the painting no longer existed and that Dahlia was free now. She also informed Nikolai that her clocks had struck midnight.
+Subsequently, Jer called and informed Nikolai that he would be cashing in on his deal on Friday. After he asked if this had to do with the Chronophage, Jer deamanded that Nikolai exaplin what he knew to him. Nikolai sounded like he was going to try to weasel out of the contract as he told Nikolai the would be going to Arcadia together, and the Pumpkin King - who is known not to cuss - told him that he will "NOT fuck this up for me." Nikolai informed him that for his favor of up to half his Kingdom, the Pumpkin King must help him become King of Autumn. "Done" was the response.