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The gates to the Realms of the Faeries are closed.
Humankind has turned its back on the magical in favour of a new dream - a dream of a sterile, banal world with no mysteries
or wonder. A world where all the questions have been answered and all the puzzles of the universe solved. And yet, in the
quest for this Utopia, much of humankind has lost a little of themselves. They have forgotten how to dream…
When the last trods to Arcadia closed and the
gates slammed shut, there still remained a few of the Fair Folk living alongside humanity. These stranded fae were forced
to adopt a new way of living in order to survive the sheer power of humanity’s collective disbelief in all things magical:
they became mortal themselves, sheltering their fragile faerie souls in mortal flesh. And yet these fae continue to dream
of a day when humanity will once more return to the mystical. In the centuries following the Shattering, the fae have quietly
fostered the dreams of mortals, seeking to usher in a return of the halcyon days when the fae were welcome and could openly
walk among mortals.
In the meantime, fae gather around freeholds,
places from where they can draw power and find peace. Places where Banality is, temporarily at least, held at bay. One such
place has survived for centuries between the counties of Berkshire and Surrey within the heart of England: the Duchy of the
Ever Raging Storm, presided over by the sidhe, Duchess Lisia O'Malley, ap. House Fiona.
The Duchess’s home, Cliveden
Hall, is situated just outside the village of Lightwater. The house was built in 1666 by William Cliveden-Black, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham. A notorious rake, schemer and
wit, he created Cliveden as a hunting lodge where he could entertain his friends and mistress. Since then it has twice been
destroyed by fire, only to emerge, phoenix-like, more stunning than before. The house has played host to virtually every British
Monarch since George I and has been home to three Dukes, an Earl and Frederick Prince of Wales (also all sidhe).
Queen
Victoria, a frequent guest, was not amused in 1893 when the house was bought by William Waldorf Astor, America’s richest
citizen. When he gave it to his son and daughter-in-law in 1906 Cliveden became the hub of a hectic social whirl where guests
included everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Winston Churchill, and President Roosevelt to George Bernard Shaw.
The estate
returned to the Cliveden-Blacks in 1922 and has remained within the family until being passed on to Lady Fallon O'Malley.
Clivedon House and the surrounding
grounds had been in Lady Henrietta Clivedon's family for over 12 generations. She had originally planned to pass the property
on to her own children one day, but fate conspired unkindly against her, and this was not to be the case, as she discovered
at a relatively young age that she would never experience the wonder of childbirth.
Because of this fact, as she felt herself slowly but inexorably moving toward the
autumn of her life, Lady Clivedon realised that she must find an heir.
Surrounded on all sides by thick and well-maintained hedges (which conceal a sturdy
chainlink fence), very little of Clivedon House is actually visible from the road outside. Only the tops of majestic
oaks, draped with wisteria and Spanish moss, hint at what might lie within. The street entrance is a high gate of wrought
iron, with the letters, C and H, etched into the scrollwork. If one peers through these gates, as very few passersby are
wont to do, no structures are immediately visible. Rather, one is struck by the seemingly patternless abundance of flora.
The drive curves away to the right, as if to avoid the flowering weeping willow
standing by a tiny wooden arbour-like construction. A particularly astute observer might notice, barely visible between the
branches of the willow, a spacious building, a cottage-style gatehouse, deep within.
For whatever reason, it seems that visitors rarely, if ever, enter the gates. Should
a first-time visitor wander under the iron arch, her senses would be assaulted by the sheer bounty within. Flowers and blooms
of every colour, plants of every shade of green natural to this part of the world, and tall oaks that cast cool, inviting
shadows, fill the vision. A melange of scents, from the moist, loamy smell of a mossy bank, to the heady perfume of a thousand
blossoms, threaten to overwhelm the visitor.
The soft whisper of moving water, the gentle rustling of countless trees and shrubs,
the chattering of squirrels, and the muted sounds of birdcalls all combine to form a natural symphony, the meaning of which
lies just beyond the reach of the conscious mind.
Once a visitor's senses have recovered, details begin to filter in. A testament
to their design, one cannot escape the impression that the grounds are much larger within than without.
If the visitor were to follow the wide, sweeping driveway as it meanders to the
right, past the arbour and weeping willow, past the thatched gatehouse, she would eventually reach a small hill. Upon reaching
the brow of this hillock, she would find herself looking down an incline at a splendid example of 17th century Italian architecture.
Clivedon House itself is an immense symmetrical building, constructed from creamy
coloured stone and the purest white marble, and comprised of a large central portion, flanked on either side by equally roomy
east and west wings.
The flora of the surrounding grounds does not appear to stop where the house begins,
but instead seems to embrace the building within its multi-hued bosom, causing one to wonder whether the house was built by
human hands or simply grew from the same soil that created its surrounding plantlife.
Seen through fae eyes, however, Clivedon House is no mere building. The heart of
the Freehold of the Silver Dragons is traditionally the home of the Duke or Duchess presiding over the Duchy of the Ever Raging
Storm, and newly arriving fae can instantly see how both these names came to be.
The grounds do not actually appear all that different from their mundane counterpart,
other than the flowers being of more vibrant colours, which one can almost taste, hear and smell, as well as see, and the
abundance of small, colourful birds, almost like tiny parrots, that flit from tree to tree throughout the gardens.
Also within these magical grounds is a hidden
spot which is much loved by all the local Kithain: the glade. The glade lies within a circle of ancient oak trees in the centre
of the dense woodlands that cover much of the land behind Clivedon House itself. A blackened circle of stones marks the centre
of the area, where a large fire can safely burn, and comfortable carved granite seats are located at irregular intervals around
the clearing. Many summer evenings have seen merry festivities taking place within the sheltering heart of this glade.
However, upon reaching the house itself, the changes become much more apparent.
In place of the 17th century mansion, an enormous castle towers skywards into a billowing mass of stunningly beautiful
clouds, which are constantly flashing with lights of never before imagined hues, as though a ferocious and neverending magical
storm were raging within.
The castle itself would fit perfectly into any classical fairy tale or Arthurian
legend, with its opaque rose quartz walls, impossibly high turrets, and even a surrounding moat of the strangest silver water,
complete with drawbridge.
If a fae visitor was to look up to where the castle's highest towers disappear
into the clouds above, as many seem inclined to do, she would frequently see something drifting amongst the myriad colours
of lightning.
A pair of silver dragons, the guardians of the freehold, roost within the tallest
tower and spend their time floating high above the castle, playing amongst the magical lightning bolts. These creatures, known
as Orzobal and Camino, are utterly loyal to the freehold's true ruler, whoever that may be. Although they rarely leave their
stormy home, these chimerical beasts will always appear to introduce themselves and to swear fealty to a new Duke or Duchess
(if they are in fact, the true ruler of the freehold and the Duchy), and will also always answer any genuine call for help
from fae within the boundaries of the freehold.
Lady Clivedon could not bear the thought of the balefires beneath her home, lit
so long ago by one of her own ancestors, being left to burn unattended, or allowed to fall into the wrong hands. She therefore
spent her final years in search of a suitable heir. As a traditional woman, a proud sidhe and member of House Fiona, Lady
Clivedon wanted her successor to have these same qualities.
She eventually found exactly what - or who - she was looking for. Lady Fallon Lisia
O'Malley, a fellow sidhe, with a lineage similar to her own.
After taking some time to establish the girl with the local nobles and commoners
alike, lady Clivedon was able to finally let nature take its unstoppable course, and as Banality claimed her at last, she
moved far away from her birthplace, secure in the knowledge that she was leaving it in good hands.
Despite the imposing exterior of Clivedon House,
all fae are welcome to gather around the immense fireplace in the heart of the freehold where the balefire constantly rages
unhindered (as yet) by the Banality of the world beyond the castle's pale pink walls.
The Gatehouse (a spacious 2 storey, 4 bedroomed thatched cottage) is the home of Sir Malachi, a seelie troll
wilder, who is known to the mortal world as Maddox "To The Max!" Maxim, a relatively famous star in the world of professional
wrestling (WWE - think Brock Lesnar or The Rock).
Located within the small wooden arbour beside the weeping willow is a Trod which leads (via the Dreaming)
to the Freehold of Graymare Glen in the far north of Scotland.
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General Information on Berkshire and Surrey:
Situated in the heart of Southern England, the County
of Berkshire, also known as 'Royal Berkshire' is home to several well known towns and cities, such as Windsor, where the famous
Royal retreat Windsor Castle can be found. Another Royal connection is the town of Ascot, famous for its very popular annual
horse racing festival - 'Royal Ascot'. Berkshire also boasts many picturesque villages with absolutely stunning views across
the River Thames.
In the South-East of England lies the County of Surrey. Although, due to boundary changes much of Northern
Surrey has now been dissolved into Greater London. In the county town of Guildford you can explore its wealth of interesting
history and admire its sheer beauty. Local attractions include, Guildford Cathedral set in 20 acres of green parkland, Guildford
Castle, which dates back to 1066 and Loseley Park, an outstanding example of Elizabethan architecture built by Sir William
More in 1562. Since 1780 the market town of Epsom has held the annual and worldwide famous 'Epsom Derby' horse race which
continues to attract many visitors from far and wide.
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