The hedge is a strange place of thorns and narrow paths. The parts nearest the human world are often shaped by that world, and Port Bowen exerts a powerful force on the local thorns. Most doors from Port Bowen and its suburbs lead to an eerily manicured hedge: thick, vertical hedge rows define the maze-like paths, with thorns and brambles neatly confined to the walls.
This maze transitions into a great, primal forest as the paths lead away from the human world. The forest has no compunctions about order, and undergrowth vies with behemoth trees for access to sunlight and travelers' blood. Once in the forest, a canny changeling can travel to any number of strange locations. Certain doors within the city lead to these deep places as well, but they are rare.
These hollows are accessible by any changeling who can find a door. They typically serve, or served, a particular function for the freehold.
Tounham is an old and storied hollow which only recently came under freehold control. It dates at least to the 1920s, when it was inhabited by one Bastian Weinermar. He deserted it sometime in the 1970s and it remained unused for some time, long enough for walls to crumble and ceilings to collapse. Ten to twenty years ago, Tounham was rediscovered by a loyalist named Phoenix. Whether he was led to it by his master or found it on his own is up for debate, but he turned its main room and attached smaller areas into his base of operations. He ruled from its hall until 2010, when a group of freeholders stormed Tounham in vengeance. Though Phoenix had not explored its full extent, it has now been mapped by courtiers.
Tounham's doors are in flux as the freehold retools the hollow to suit its own needs. It will likely become another gathering place, like the Cozy, where the Lost can meet freely away from human eyes.
The Columbarium hollow is maintained in part by Katie and her motley. Details are in its entry on the Motley Hollows page.
This is an old hollow used by the freeholders to meet and chat. It has many other names belying this purpose: chat room, tea house, game room, etc. Like the Columbarium, it is maintained jointly by the community and can be used by anyone.
The Cozy takes the form of a small one-story house with a large living room, a small kitchen, and a wash closet. Above the living room is a crawlspace. The kitchen has a two burner gas stove next to a brass sink, set in some alien stone counter top. An icebox is always stocked with enough lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cold cuts, and cheese for a few salads or sandwiches (bread is on the counter). One overhead cabinet has tea bags, coffee filters, ground coffee beans, and small white cups. The other has a kettle, French press, and bag of disposable silverware.
The living room is a large space with three couches and a dozen armchairs. There are coffee tables and end tables near the couches, and a few racks of small folding tables against one wall. Another wall has a pair of book cases, one for board games and one for books. The top of the books case bears a wooden sign with the words Book Exchange painted in bright white. The tables invariable host at least one running game of checkers, chess, or go.
The third wall of the living room is entirely covered in scraps of paper, stuck to one another in long dangling chains. Behind it all is a giant cork board. These messages are a way for the Lost to all talk with one another. Threads about humans, love interests, gossip, and politics are everywhere, and the chains regarding important issues are often given the same weight as a monarch's opinion.
The Cozy is linked to various places around the city. Its doors bear no words, however, and are only labeled with symbols. It's an old practice and one that few wish to give up. Any writing that does appear on the doors is quickly removed. Being a community hollow, doors are sometimes added or removed as well. These are the most constant doors:
The forest's paths lead to many alien places: deserts of pallid glass, cities dripping with ichor and malice, luscious havens heavy with strange fruit, oceans swelling with rot and music, to name a few. Such are the half-dreams of the hedge. Though the ways between realms change from moment to moment, the borders between remain fairly predictable.