Broadway Magic
Seelie
New York City lays in the heart of the Kingdom of Apples, which wily Queen Mab ni Fiona rules. Her royal seat lies elsewhere, however. On top of which, the royal seat of High King David is made in the Kingdom of Apples. He even maintains a land to visit in New York, but otherwise leaves a capable Duke in charge of the domain. It is that Duke, and all the other nobles of the region, that work urgently to build up the realm’s assets and allies. They can feel in their bones the chill of ancient and most dire enemies approaching, preparing to unleash misery and despair on the people and land. Sound too fantastical? Not at all: the Long Winter comes, and with it all manner of apocalyptic terrors.
Nobles
Driven to protect the freeholds and vital Trods of New York City, especially under the shadowy rumor of the Shadow Court’s return, the Seelie nobles have their work cut out for them. Luckily, they have plenty of manpower, relatively speaking. Still, it is an uphill battle as Unseelie nobles and commoners of both courts claw for their pieces of action. There are three duchies and a number of lesser nobles throughout New York City and its metropolitan area, but some of the freeholds are shared for one reason or another with a few commoners or Unseelie nobles.
Perhaps the most important of the dukes in New York City is Duke Gareth ap Fiona, who runs the Duchy of Columbia from the manor of Caer Ruskyl (Level 5 Holding), found on Belvedere Castle in Manhattan’s Central Park. This is also the royal seat, which the duke maintains in the High King’s absence. The Duchy of the Battery is found downtown Manhattan, near the southern tip of the island. Duke Kevin ap Gwydion rules his duchy from the lodge of Caer Falkoria (Level 4 Holding) in Battery Park. The Duchess Imogen ni Eiluned oversees the Duchy of Richmond, which is based out of the glade of Caer Septera (Level 5 Holding) found in the northern Port Richmond District of Staten Island, in the Staten Island Zoo in fact.
Other nobles include the Countess Sabrina ni Eiluned, who rules the County of the Long Avenue out of the hearth of Caer Strana (Level 4 Holding), based out of the Triad Theatre on Broadway Street, a few blocks west of Central Park. Baron Nigel ap Dougal rules the Barony of Harlem Knights out of the lodge of Caer Auguron (Level 3 Holding), found in the Marcus Garvey Park of the central Harlem District, north Manhattan. And Countess Eloise ni Liam runs the County of Jersey from the hearth of Caer Dae (Level 3 Holding) in Liberty Park, right across the bay overlooking the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Commoners
Most of the commoners are reluctant to buy into the nobles’ paranoia regarding the return of the Shadow Court. Only a fellowship of mighty Trolls accepted this possibility, and it is their guidance (and stewardship of the only commoner-controlled freehold) that is bending the other commoners to the nobles’ hopes. Still, most are more concerned with keeping the Glamour of New York City alive, entertaining talented dreamers of every artistic pursuit and reveling in the nightlife.
The Fellowship of the Twelve Bridges have long stood as a powerful force between nobles and commoners. They helped settle the Accordance War in New York City earlier than the rest of Concordia. They may not realize it, but the Shadow Court considers this fellowship the greatest threat to its conquest of New York City, and as such their mettle will be tested first in the nights to come. The fellowship guards the hearth of Caer Leona (Level 4 Holding), a pub and bed’n’breakfast inn found on Kingsbridge Hill in the northwest Bronx. The freehold is open to all fae, provided they observe the Escheat and they do not try to challenge the Trolls for the right of the freehold’s keep. Brandon Rig is the strongest Troll of the bunch and the unofficial leader of the fellowship.
There is a second freehold that the Sidhe consider to be a commoner’s realm. It is ruled not by a common Eshu, however, but a displaced Oba – the land-fettered “nobles” of Elegbara legend. Sprawling through the entire Corona Park in the Flushing Meadows District of northcentral Queens, the Sheikdom of the Bountiful Path is ruled languidly but firmly out of the manor of Caer Zorom (Level 4 Holding). The Oba sheikh, Javed Ashtad, resides in a beautifully decorated mansion estate in the midst of the park.
Unseelie
Not all of New York City’s Unseelie population bows to the true Shadow Court. Many, including the handful of dark nobles in town, are more interested in their own gain. Still, as time goes on more Unseelie buy into the schemes of the shadowy cliques, witting or no. Many Unseelie are as ignorant of the true Shadow Court as Seelie are, and are even easier to manipulate down the paths that these villains desire.
Nobles
The handful of Unseelie nobles is holding out against the Shadow Court’s machinations longer than their common brethren. Or perhaps they’ve already been drawn in so fully that they pretend to resist, the better to lure in more powerful Unseelie allies who might otherwise resist… On the Coney Island strip south of Brooklyn, known as the Brighton Beach neighborhoods, a Little Moscow district sprang up after the fall of Communism. With immigrants came the Russian Mafiya. And with the mafiya came the creation of Yulovia Innovations, a skyscraper which houses “creative” criminals posing as legitimate businessmen. This is the seat of the Barony of Snowbreeze, ruled by Casimir ap Varich out of the urban freehold of Cat Yulov (Level 2 Holding).
East of New York City is Nassau County and Long Island, a suburban area that has in the past few decades become the seat of a rising upper suburban class. It is fitting that the spoiled Countess Jaden ni Ailil rule the County of the Silver Chablis out of her lakeside mansion in the town of Hempstead, called Cat Doubel (Level 3 Holding). Back in Brooklyn, in the upper class district of Brooklyn Heights (west of the borough, just across the East River from Manhattan), rests a place called Myrtle Mansion. But it isn’t a mansion anymore. It was converted years ago into an art gallery. Baron Delwyn ap Leanhaun rules from the limited lodgings left in the brownstone estate, dwelling above in the lodge of Cat Wissyl (Level 2 Holding) from the Barony of the Promenade.
Commoners
The Unseelie commoners really care little for the noise the Unseelie nobles are making. It’s not like they even necessarily need the nobles, because they’ve long commanded their own freehold in town. Of course, more is better, and some Unseelie hunger for the chance to kick the pompous Seelie in the butts. For as many Dreamers as the Seelie commoners protect and carefully cultivate, many more fall to the wayside after being Ravaged by callous Unseelie looking for quick, cheap thrills. It is a neverending war of the furies in New York City, after all.
From the Starmike, a nightclub for amateur rap artists to perform and try to be noticed by the city’s strong hiphop music heritage, the Unseelie commoners look after their own. Found in the Cambria Heights District of eastern Queens, Cat Coolio (Level 2 Holding) is an urban freehold for the Unseelie commoners to enjoy. A swaggering pimp of a Boggan named Linus Moe runs the Starmike, leaving it open to all Unseelie so long as they pay the cover charge and leave artists he marks as “no-fly zones” alone.
Gallain
The Gallain in or around New York City generally care little for the activities and problems of the Kithain. They hold their own domains and defend them ardently against trespassers, and respect (if grudgingly) the same for the fae of the city. The only Gallain noticed in the area to date are Merfolk and Nunnehi. No hsien have immigrated to New York City, at least not in numbers worth noting.
Merfolk
The Merfolk near New York City are a particularly aloof lot, as cool as the waters in which they dwell. They seem to have little interest in the affairs of the land-dwelling fae, even in the face of dangers rising up in the depths of the seas. They are more interested in the activities of fishing (and whaling) vessels. Some 100 miles due east of the city, in the midst of the Atlantic Ocean, the Merfolk of Ur’joryun (translated as the City of the Lair of the Dragon) thrive in a city built into the heart of an underwater mountain – a place that would be an island had the earth pushed it up high enough, or if the Atlantic waters receded some. Of course, the waters are more likely to rise at the rate the humans are going… And it is the behaviors of humans and their influence on the maritime environment that concerns Queen Avalire and her people more than the frivolous conflicts of the Kithain.
Nunnehi
The Nunnehi near New York City stay away from the urban landscape, lingering in the woodlands and hills on the mainland. They are not happy about the loss of the Glamour-rich New York environment and ally eagerly with native Wendigo werewolves and Dreamspeaker mages. There is some thought to reclaiming lost freeholds and caerns in the name of the Iroquois Tribes. The families of Nunnehi most commonly found in these parts are the May-may-gwya-shi (Rock Fishers) and Rock Giants. However, most of the Nunnehi are found further west in the “heartland” of New York State and towards the Great Lakes, as well as in the Catskill Mountains. There aren’t enough Nunnehi in the local region to organize well enough together.
