The Marigold Society

"We are the graves of our former selves."

— Mrs. Branna, proprietress of The Gilded Lily, when asked why the Society chose a funeral flower

Sometimes, those people stolen away by the Sidhe Courts manage to escape from Faerie and return to the human world. These people are known as Changelings, humans who have been altered in their bodies and souls by their sojourn in Tír Lán Dóchas, the Land beyond Hope. When they return, they are faced with suspicion and mistrust. Many believe that Changelings are no longer human, and that their transformation has made them unreliable at best, and dangerous lunatics at worst.

This prejudice is what led directly to the formation of the Marigold Society. The Society is a mutual aide organization made up almost entirely of Changelings, and tries to protect and help those who have escaped the Sidhe Courts. They maintain safe places for a Changeling to eat and sleep, help them find work, and do their best to defend themselves from those who wish them harm. They have safe houses throughout Inisfal and Albion, but the organization is headquartered in Lundeinjon, in the pub known as The Gilded Lily.

The Altered Marigold

While not strictly a secret society, the Marigold Society does not like to draw attention to themselves. Houses and businesses associated with the Society do not advertise their affiliation directly, lest those who hate and fear the Changelings attack them. Instead, they are marked with a symbol known as "The Altered Marigold".

This symbol is an image of a marigold that has been changed in some way. While most people will see the image and simply think it odd or artistic, the changes made are designed to evoke memories of Faerie in those who have been there. The flower is never drawn the same way twice - in some images the petals will form a spiral, while in others it is just an unnatural color or the suggestion of a face. Whatever changes the artist made, the message is the same - this place is safe for Changelings to approach. From small villages to large cities, the Altered Marigold can be found on walls, hidden in signs, and very rarely in a living plant growing in someone's garden.

The Asylum

Some of those who have returned from Faerie are too damaged or too dangerous to live among the human population. Some are cursed with inhuman beauty that drives humans mad, while others are prone to outbursts of maniacal violence. Left to their own devices, these Changelings could endanger the freedom of all those who have escaped Faerie, by turning an already hostile population of humans even more against them. In order to keep this from happening, the Society has chosen to confine their most problematic members in an institution far from human settlements.

They call this institution The Asylum, and it is a sanctuary, a prison, and a hospital all in one. Some people will only be confined within the Asylum for a short time, while they learn to hide their differences better. Others are kept there forever, for they cannot be allowed near the human population. Conditions in the Asylum are as pleasant and comfortable as the Society can manage, but they are not a wealthy organization and can only do so much. Some factions of the Society are oppossed to the Asylum on general principles, but they have not yet managed to find an acceptable alternative for the Changelings confined within.

Type

Mutual Aide Society

Memento Amissos

One tradition of the Society is to collect and preserve relics of those believed to still be lost in Faerie. They call these objects Memento Amissos, deliberately echoing the Memento Mori art that is commonplace in Imperial Society. These items are either carried by those who were close to the lost, or are stored in one of the Society safehouses. They are held in great reverence by the members of the Society, and damaging or destroying a Memento Amissos is considered an act akin to sacrilege.

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