Freehold[]
The Freehold of Song and Storm is located in the Apopka, Florida hedge. From the outside, it appears to be a magnificent castle, surrounded by well-kept gardens of both flowers and hedge fruit. The castle sits on a small, sparkling lake; a bridge from the Freehold proper crosses to a highly defensible tower in the middle of the water.
The center of the Freehold houses a large courtyard, ideal for training of all sorts (it seems to be a favored sparring arena for the Autumn King). Behind the castle is a garden of hedge mazes and flowers, as well as an orchard, which contains a large variety of hedge fruit trees.
External Views[]
Interior[]
The Freehold is decorated in an extremely ecclectic fashion, owing to the different hands who have worked at it. The building is lit in some areas by gaslight, in some by candles, and in others electricity. No matter the area, however, the lights always settle to the perfect ambiance for whomever walks into the room. The air temperature is always lovely, although there is currently the chill of autumn in the air. The decorations change with the seasons; at the moment, the entire place is covered with pumpkins, bats, cobwebs, and all sorts of other creepy Autumn paraphenalia.
Kitchens[]
A small section of the Freehold kitchen
The kitchens of the Freehold seem to be a cross between something from the Hobbit, and the utmost in modern gourmet cooking technology. The counters are of wood and marble, there are three deep sinks with fresh well-water running to them, and a massive fireplace takes up the majority of one wall, always ready to be used for cooking. The entire room has a wonderfully cheery air about it.
Thanks to Harper, the pantry and ice chest are always stocked with the finest in fresh foods. To her dismay, a steady supply of junk food, soda, and chocolate has wormed its way into the shelves between all her beloved healthy fruits and vegetables. She has no idea who is doing this, but she has her suspicions.
Dining Room[]
The dining room set for a large group
The dining room always burns with brilliant light from the massive crystal chandeliers that hang from the ceiling. The table itself seems fairly normal, save for the large crank on one end. Turn the crank one direction, and the table grows, until it eventually takes up the entire room; turn the other direction, and it can shrink down to a table sized for a group of no more than two.
Library[]
A view of the library
The adjoined library study room
The Song and Storms library is easily one of the biggest rooms in the entire Freehold, taking up a huge chunk of two floors of the castle. There are books on almost every subject imaginable-- some fiction, some not, some modern, some ancient. The books are all perfectly cataloged, and currently, thanks to Connor, interspersed with canned and jarred foods. Nobody, at this point, is willing to ask why this is.
Just off the library is a large study hall / lounge, full of squishy, comfortable armchairs with plenty of reading light, and spacious wooden tables for spreading out paperwork.
Common Areas[]
The Freehold has a large number of sitting rooms and parlors (no one has been able to keep track; it's theorized that the number changes daily), as well as a couple of opulent ballrooms that, unfortunately, do not tend to see much use. In addition, there is an equally changeable number of full- and half-bathrooms.
The nicest of the Freehold's ballrooms
One of the many parlors
Workshops[]
The mechanical workshop
The main workshop is designed for tinkering, mechanical engineering, and blacksmithing. Kretch has commandeered this particular workshop for his own (possibly nefarious) purposes; as such, the area has been deemed highly dangerous and probably toxic to non-Kobold life.
The herbal room / infirmary
The other workshop is a combination of laboratory, brewery, and hedge greenhouse; it also serves as the Freehold's infirmary. Apart from the gardens, it is probably the most natural and organic area of the Freehold proper. The walls are covered with bottles and jars and bags of herbs and plants, from both sides of the Hedge, along with all manner of medical equipment for both holistic and more physical therapy. A couple of cots stand at one side of the room, ready for patients. The brewing equipment is specifically set up for making hedge wine, mostly that used for healing.
Harper's Office[]
Harper's office/study
Like all of her possessions, Harper's office is always perfectly neat and tidy, save for the occasional open file on her desk. As a Legate of the Black Apple and master wordsmith, her door is always open for those Changelings-- and anyone else-- who might require her services in pledge-writing or contract law.
The highest shelves in her office contain a large collection of identical red leather-bound books, locked behind bulletproof glass. Harper has never revealed what is in these books, and it seems unlikely that she will any time soon.
Martial Areas[]
The training dojo
The Freehold has its own armory, and a rather mismatched one at that. Full-plate and chain mail live next to Kevlar, while the weapons range from pikes and spears and swords, to rifles and pistols, to cannons and catapults, and even some of Kretch's more esoteric inventions.
There is also an Eastern-influenced training dojo, for when the Hedge is inhospitable to outdoor training in the courtyard.
Bedrooms[]
The Freehold seems to know when people join its ranks, and responds by creating a bedroom (or suite) for them. Likewise, when a person does not renew their oath, their rooms blink out of existence, leaving anything that the person brought to their room themselves in a pile in the front hallway. Apparently, it even creates a room for any non-Changelings who swear the oath.
Likewise, when someone swears the Good Neighbors oath, the Freehold will create a guest room for that person. The rooms are always beautifully furnished, but they lack the personalization the Freehold lavishes upon those who are truly sworn.
- CJ's Room
- Connor's Room
- Gray-Hat's Room
- Harper's Room
- Hermes' Room
- Kretch's Room
- Patches' Room
- Quinn's Room
- Riley's Room
- Sam's Room
- Guest Rooms
Throne Room[]
The throne room in its default setting
The Freehold's throne room (which doubles as a receiving hall) stands towards the center of the castle. The room is one of the most malleable, changing to match not just the season, but each Monarch's taste and personality as well. The one exception to this rule is the throne itself, which is the single constant in the room, though its accessories may change. The throne is made out of golden wood; for Autumn, its back is raised into a large obsidian mirror.
Basement[]
The storage side of the basement
The dungeon side of the basement
The Freehold basement is divided into two. One side seems to be a medieval cellar. The place is stuffed to the brim with barrels and boxes of well-preserved food, enough to feed the entire freehold (and a few guests) through at least a season, should there ever be a siege. There is also an auxiliary cache of weapons and supplies, as well as a hidden secret passage into the lakeside tower; the door remains locked unless in an emergency.
The other side of the basement is a large series of dungeon cells. While they usually stand empty, they are incredibly well-maintained, thanks to Quinn. In addition, there are two 'interrogation' rooms, though these, too, are almost always empty.
Doors[]
One room in the Freehold is dedicated to hosting the magical portals leading out of the castle. As of right now, the doorways lead to:
- Sam's Hollow
- Adam's House
- Kretch's Hollow
- A utility closet in UCF's Classroom Building One
- A small shack near the Goblin Market
- A safe house in Osceola County