On Mantle Progression and the Seasons

Can My Character Court Hop?

Yes. But you need to recognize how to recognize when it's appropriate, and how to get there in a narrative.

NPC behaviour vs. PC behaviour

➢ Dark Harvest has had the generic Freehold population Court hop en masse, how is my character any different?

One thing you need to differentiate is the narrative purpose of faceless masses to reflect how the environment is being effected by Player Character performance.
Player Characters that are accepted as "special", because they have a stronger will to act, and fate puts them at the center of major events so a story can happen. You aren't writing repeated social threads about how a character manages their 9 to 5, and their weekend board game night.

➢ My PC has a backstory of being part of multiple Courts. Is it the same everywhere, or just unique to Las Vegas?

For Lost that have migrated Freeholds, they would recall the reality of weak, flimsy Mantles that are only connected to a Season off a single experience that colours their mood. These individuals would not be blessed with the usual protections, because they're ultimately generic fodder for a Court's ethereal concept/patron. Changelings who display consistent weak connection often have short lifespans for a number of reasons. Normally, they often die due to denied protections, are taken back, or become loyalists when their Freehold is failing to support their needs and shield them from extortion.

A Summer completely consumed by rage and hatred, and being unable to show a deeper understanding of its craft and potential would face a faster end for obvious reasons. The same applies to the consistently Suicidal Winter, the Daredevil Fall occultist, or the raptured Spring Burnout.

In Vegas' unique situation, these at-risk individuals are largely free of outside pressures, and thus continue to exist as passive low-ranking members of their Courts. Due to this, the occasional narrative Court migration may take place with traumatic incidences.

How do Mantles originally manifest?

In Dark Harvest, it's general canon that a Changeling will manifest a Mantle once they swing far enough in a philosophical direction.

➢ There have been NPC Courtless. What stops me from having a rewarding story with the same beats?

A past example of a Courtless NPC (Aello) showcased that these edge cases are extremely ambivalent or unsure with themselves. The Storyteller doesn't allow this for Character Creation because of gaming philosophy. Being Courtless is a very specific type of story. We have all grown up with stories where a protagonist has to choose what House/Faction/Alignment they will ultimately align with, making them special or a high asset of competing politics. In a mass Play By Post Game, or World of Darkess, these narratives are often clunky and short, much like having to train someone "Fresh Out Of The Hedge" or from a different time period. 

Most players aren't looking to play "Court Recruitment", and the person wanting that story often finds the resources available as ultimately unrewarding. The concept of the character struggles to find direction until a Plot hands them a temporary focus. These concepts are often left on the bench after a couple of novel scenes.

➢ What does it look like when a player character changes Mantles?

Some Player Characters don't get beyond a single anchor or relationship with their chosen Season, such as a Winter Courtier who can only focus on their grief, or a Spring courtier who is Spring simply because they like helping friends and throwing parties. When a Player Character is exposed to a world-changing event that shifts their perspective, it may sever their connection to the Season. This would only happen if all their reasons for being part of the Season no longer make sense. A Winter courtier can find joy and still value the concepts of protecting one's anchors, and processing grief. A Summer courtier can simmer down and still uphold community vigilance and the physical expression of justice.

This is not the result of a Persistent Condition. Characters do not change Courts because they are depressed, develop post-traumatic symptoms, or become anxious in situations that remind them of their harrowing experience. The natural consequences of critical incidences are encouraged to be engaged with for rich stories, but also managed with narrative purpose and direction. These fantasy sequences don't completely parallel real life, and require to be written with some level of resiliency or a personality type that can weather the World of Darkness. Though more realistic, Player Characters cease to contribute to a cooperative game if every thread they are involved in revolves around healing their emotional damage if nothing is to be given back. Plots and political fallout will still continue to happen, and they will always involve challenging experiences.

For a PC, a fresh Mantle change is a time of raw emotion, where they are recalibrating their nature and identity with their community. The Lost are still part of Faerie, and these shifts disturb their perspective as much as they confound the static Keepers. While usually this is a story of victory and healthier adaptation, this can parallel the heightened state that often comes from self reflected, psychological breakthroughs.

➢ What if my character is higher in Mantle, and should still change?

Eurydice and Icarus are two NPCs that model the type of personality that shifts despite their deeper rank. They often retain some form of Goodwill when translating their social connections. These individuals are regarded as fragile, in a sense, and the volatile nature of their central philosophy continues to reflect in flakey but intense behaviour.

To model the fickleness of a dramatic NPC can be narratively deadly, in the sense that continuing to engage in Plot would understandably lead to the trap of: "I can't justify my broken, vibrating chihuahua of a character participating anymore, other than a suicidal desperation to feel included." If you are anticipating this type of narrative, ask if it's time to retire a PC, or reach out for other possible hooks to make your character feel exciting again.