Secrecy and security are the Winter Court’s hallmarks, and nowhere is this more apparent than in their use of Mourning Cant. While often thought of as a single language, the secret words of the Onyx Court are made up of dozens of different languages, cultures, metaphors and dialects that allow them to pass messages to one another while appearing to speak plainly in front of anyone who might be listening… even other members of a changeling’s motley.
For storytellers who want a mechanical option to represent this unique patois, treat mourning cant as a 1-dot merit with a prerequisite of either at least 1 dot of Winter Court Mantle, or 3 dots of Winter Court Goodwill.
The dialects and phrases contained in this supplement are meant to act as inspiration for how Mourning Cant may sound in your particular game, and among particular subsets of the Winter Court. These aren’t hard-and-fast rules, but merely starting points to help you shape this unique aspect of the game at your own table, and to save players and storytellers alike from coming up with unexpected jargon or meaningful-sounding nonsense on the spur of the moment.
Here are some sample results:
40. Triage: The language of the trauma room and the street medic is a natural cloak for many of Winter’s operations, and it’s unsurprising to most that it’s been coopted into its own Mourning Cant dialect. A “code blue” may refer to cardiac arrest if it was heard in an emergency room, for example, but among the court it’s an emergency code for a courtier in danger. “Paging Dr. Allcome” is a
similar phrase, meaning all available personnel need to mobilize and help. Terms like “BLS” (basic life support among medical professionals, or the necessary papers and identification for a fresh start among Winter Courtiers) and “ECP” (emergency care provider in normal situations, or a courtier with a specific skill set among Winter) also tend to crop up fairly often.
41. Spock: Referring to the famous child psychologist rather than the Vulcan, Spock is a dialect of Mourning Cant that couches issues in terms of child rearing, and the issues that come up during parenting. “Bully” is often used as a slang term for an ogre, as an example, and this is particularly true for those who break legs for court interests. “Fostering a sense of independence” is a
phrase used to describe the new identity given to fresh escapees while they discover themselves, and attempt to figure out their place in the world. “Helicopter parents” refer to Winter Court overseers who take a hands-off approach when dealing with their subordinates, while “going through a phase,” typically refers to a short-term false identity taken on for a mission, or for one’s own safety.
42. Labour: With its old-fashioned spelling, Labour uses the language of jobbing construction projects to keep Winter’s secrets from being distinguished by an untrained ear. Every aspect of a conversation, from the type of job being done (“drywall patching” often refers to closing Hedge gates, for instance), to the description of the client (“green client” as a tag for Spring Court interests, for instance, while “frozen assets” would refer to the Winter Court itself), to the time table the job needs to be done on (“sometime this Fall” might imply that a task needs to be done after the Autumn Court takes power, while saying “once Fall comes calling” means that as soon as officers from the Autumn Court agree then an operation can commence).
Released: 8th May 2021 Pages: 23
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