Fabletown Crisis Committee Background Guide QMUN 2020
1 Letters from Committee Directors
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to QMUN 2020! My name is Margaux Gauthier and I am one of the Crisis Directors of the Fabletown crisis. I am in my third year at Queen’s University and am majoring in Political Studies with a minor in World Languages studies. I was born and raised in the Paris region of France and moved to Canada for my undergraduate degree.
I have been a part of the Queen’s International Affairs Association (QIAA) since my first year at Queen’s, being involved in the Model UN team and other QIAA initiatives. I’ve always wanted to run a crisis committee and I am happy that QMUN will be my opportunity to do so.
I hope the committee will be a respectful and educational space where all delegates can engage in civil conversation and learn from one another. I look forward to hearing all of your ideas and suggestions and more particularly how you approach the different crisis at hand.
Please reach out to us if you have any questions about the topics or the committee and I would be more than happy to help you,
Margaux Gauthier
One of the Crisis Directors of Fabletown
2 Hello Delegates of QMUN!
I am thrilled to welcome you to the Fabletown Crisis. My name is James Condon and I am one of your Crisis Directors. I’m in my third year at Queens and am studying History with aspirations to be a medievalist. I hail from Oakville Ontario (Yeah I know, not as cool as Paris).
I've been participating in MUN for 7 years now, (help me I’m old) and have been a part of the Queen’s International Affairs Association for 3 years. I've taken part in the MUN team, QMUNi and QNMUN during that time and am ecstatic to be able to add QMUN to my list of experiences.
I am so excited to see how you all handle the crisis we have planned for you. I hope that it can be a fun experience as well as a way for you all to debate and exchange ideas with fellow delegates. I am looking forward to see if you can fix the problems of Fabletown, or at least give yourself the Happily Ever After that you deserve.
If you have any comments or questions regarding the crisis please contact Margaux or myself and we will be glad to assist however we can.
James Condon
Also one of the crisis directors of Fabletown
3 Fabletown
Introduction
Fabletown is an area of New York where the Fables live in secret from human eyes. They have their own government and use magic to remain hidden. The crisis begins with the residents of Fabletown meeting to discuss what to do in response to two crises in the community. Glamour, the magic that hides Fables from everyday people is becoming harder to get and Fables are using poor quality illegal glamour. Also, the community is under threat from the powerful crime ring led by the secretive mob boss The Crooked Man who’s black market glamours, racketeering and prostitution rings are all issues to be dealt with.
The Fabletown meeting has been given the powers of the local government temporarily in order to deal with these issues, and any others that may arise over the course of the meeting. The committee may pass laws and set policies for Fabletown to follow, as well as use any resources that the community possesses as a whole. As this committee is a crisis, time will pass and the effects of any directives passed both privately and publicly will have a tangible effect on the committee.
History
Fables once all lived in a land called the Homelands. However, an unknown enemy referred to as the Adversary managed to conquer the Fable homelands. Fables therefore had to flee to the mundane world. Mundy, or the Mundane, is the
4 Fables' slang term for normal humans’ citizens, their technology, or the world itself. This event is known as the Exodus. Fables arrived in the 17th century in New Amsterdam, later known as New York City. They established what is now known as Fabletown in a small area of Upper West Side New York. As the city spread, the fables had to establish The Farm for fables that can't pass as human and who refused to get Glamours.
Glamours are magical items in the Fables comics. They allow Fables to change their appearance and are primarily used by non-human Fables to appear human in Fabletown, so as to not be sent to the Farm. They are expensive but can be purchased by non-human Fables in order to pass for humans among the mundies. Cheap glamours can be found in the seedier parts of Fabletown, but they are often unreliable and prone to sudden failure.
The Farm is a location featured in the Fables comics. This is where the Fables who cannot afford to glamour themselves to appear human are sent to live, so as to keep their true selves a secret from the mundies. The Farm is home to Fables who cannot pass as human. It is located in upstate New York, far enough away from the mundies to avoid detection. Some of its residents resent their confinement to The Farm, despite its size and comforts. To them, The Farm is a prison. They would be allowed to leave The Farm if they could purchase a glamour, but many don't have the money for something so expensive. Though some, like Colin, sneak out into the city anyway.
Originally, Fabletown was far enough from Mundy civilizations that all fables could live together. As New York City grew, it became clear that the more noticeable Fables would have to leave. A piece of land was bought in upstate New
5 York to become The Farm. Powerful spells were put into place to prevent Mundys from ever finding the Farm's location. Currently, Rose Red, fraternal twin-sister of Snow White, is responsible for leading the Farm.
Fabletown Layout
Fabletown is located in Upper Manhattan, centred around Bullfinch Street. Some important locations include:
1. Grand Green Florist: a flower shop, unfortunately not owned by Grant Green the Jazz Icon. 2. Edward Bear’s Candies: a candy store owned by Edward the Bear aka “Winnie”.
6 3. Ford Laundry: A laundromat owned by The Washing Woman of the Ford from Bean-nighe. 4. Nod’s Books: a bookshop where Beauty works. Home to countless old and rare books, who knows what one could find in there… 5. Lewis’s Antiques: a completely normal and inconspicuous antique store. 6. I am the Eggman Diner: The local diner owned by one Vulco Crow. Crow is one of the Crow Brothers. The three brothers have the ability to turn into crows. 7. Yellowbrick Roadhouse: a two story roadhouse owned by Dorothy. Dogs are allowed. 8. Webb n’ Muffet Market: a grocery store owned by Miss Muffet, has amazing curds and whey. 9. Woodlands Courtyard: The front entrance to the Woodlands. 10.Woodlands Garden: The gardens of the Woodlands have seen better days... 11.The Woodlands: An apartment complex that serves as both a residence and government building for Fabletown. The woodlands houses fables that can both afford the cost and pass as human. The Building houses the Business Office, where Fabletown is governed from and the 13th floor, where legal witches operate. Despite its status as the leading residence for Fables in the Mundane World, the Woodlands also serves as a symbol to some fables of the inequality in Fabletown and seeming lack of care from the government. 12.Glass Slipper Shoe Store: A shoe store owned and operated by Cinderella and her assistant Crispin Cordwainer. 13.Branstock Tavern: Tavern owned by twins Sigmund and Signy. Grendel is banned.
7 14. O pen Arms Hotel: a somewhat seedy, but liveable hotel.
B. To the Trip Trap and Lucky Pawn. The Trip Trap is a bar frequented by certain members of Fabletown. Owned By Holly the Troll. Next door to it is the Lucky Pawn, a pawn shop
C. To Aunty Greenwood’s Apartment and the Pudding N’Pie strip club, owned by Vivian and Georgie Porgie.
Issues to be Addressed
The Question of Glamour
Some fables want to stop taking glamour and exist in their natural state/question why they are bowing to the rules. For those that want to obey the glamour rules there is the problem of glamour being expensive and unavailable to the Fables who are not doing well economically. In light of this there is a growing market for illegal glamour that is cheaper but can fail and does not do as good a job of protecting the identity of Fables.
The Crooked Man and Organized Crime
The Crooked Man is a secretive crime boss who controls a ring of extortion rackets/illegal trading/loan sharks. Most fables will want to find out the identity of him and his associates and bring him to justice. However, there will be some fables in the room that are working for the Crooked Man, and there are rumors that one of the fables in the committee may even be the Crooked Man themselves. Still others see the crooked man as a symptom of ineffective governance of Fabletown that has failed the poor of the community.
8 The Farm
A town in upstate New York for fables that cannot or will not use glamour to be contained to. Is it right to send nonconforming animals to the farm? To some the place is considered a prison despite being a pretty comfortable place to live. To others it is a necessary evil and a fine place for its inhabitants to live. The Animal Fables on the Farm are getting restless, with some such as Colin escaping and others still there getting more restless and belligerent.
Committee Rules
In the world of Fables, there is a lot of magic (or magical items) involved. Some of your characters or characters you can interact with through crisis may have powers to a certain degree. However, these will not be allowed in the scope of the committee. The only magical item that can be used are glamours, as you need them to still be able to remain a resident in Fabletown. Crisis will allow you, for instance, to choose if you wish to remain glamoured or perhaps get an even better one. You can always decide to mess with other character’s glamours and get them sent to the farm (however, this will be challenging as people usually carry them around with them).
Regarding behavior in the committee, we ask that you remain respectful and open-minded. In order to do well in this committee, read the background guide carefully, listen to Crisis and don’t hesitate to ask questions. We understand that the theme of Fables is not well known and can be quite complex at times. Therefore, feel free to ask your chair if you have any questions or concerns about your character or Fabletown in general.
9 Character list
Fabletown residents consist of Fables from all sorts of stories, from the Big Bad Wolf to Cinderella to The Three Little Pigs. Delegates would take the role of one of these Fables, each with different views or objectives, and have portfolio powers based on their character. For example the Big Bad Wolf having strength and speed, but a weakness to silver.
Bigby Wolf
Bigby Wolf, most famously known as the Big Bad Wolf, is a dedicated detective in Fable Town. Great at combat and in endurance, no one can defeat him. Perhaps the one thing that Bigby struggles with, is his reputation. Bigby is constantly feared around Fabletown for the way he treated the Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood back in the day and is commonly known for having a short temper. People will be very reluctant to work with Bigby and he will have to work hard to build their trust. Perhaps one fable that Bigby can rely on is Snow White and is the only fable that truly trusts him. However, his intimidating personality, depending on how it is used, can also be an asset to gain information out of people.
Snow White
Beautiful and fierce Snow White is deputy mayor in Fabletown. Snow is aggressively independent and is willing to make hard choices for what she feels is the good of Fabletown. Snow vehemently believes in justice and has made it her mission to fix the problems of Fabletown. However, she is known to be a bit cold
10 and can seem callous to people, a fact that has made her somewhat unpopular with the poor of Fabletown.
Prince Charming
He is a renowned womanizer who has been married more than once. He is the prince figure from many (perhaps most) fairy tales. Prince Charming is the former husband of Snow White, Briar Rose, and Cinderella. Charming is, well, charming. So charming in fact that he seems to have an uncanny ability to make people like him. Despite this he is currently a newcomer to Fabletown and several of his noble titles are still held by Jack Horner, who won them off of him and is demanding great sums of money in exchange for returning them.
Bufkin
Bufkin is perhaps the most knowledgeable creature of Fable Town. He is the librarian of the Woodland Office and therefore has access to every ancient book we can think of. Moreover, it is important to note that with the collection of books at his fingertips, he can teach himself skills and found out pretty much everything.
Cinderella
Cinderella is the owner of the Glass Slipper shoe store. An Ex-Wife of Prince Charming who divorced him after he was unfaithful, Cinderella is pragmatic and focused on duty. She cares for Fabletown and wants it to be the best in can. She is happy with a simple life saying that whatever happens to her it is better than when she served her stepmother back in the homelands.
11 Beauty
She is based on the beauty from the fairytale Beauty and the Beast. Beauty is a character in the Fables comics. In the Homelands, she fell in love with Beast and married him in his enchanted castle. However, after the Exodus, their relationship in Fabletown becomes strained due to financial issues and Beauty finds herself keeping secrets from her husband. Now they live in a modest studio in Fabletown, New York. Though times are hard, with Beast working multiple jobs to pay the bills, the couple have the longest lasting relationship of all the Fables.
Beast
Beast and his wife, Beauty, left everything behind when they escaped the Homelands in the Exodus. Without his former wealth, Beast must pick up extra work to make ends meet. He is able to get around Fabletown without a glamour most of the time, but if Beauty gets too angry with him he becomes more beastly by the minute, growing horns and large teeth. Despite the occasional bickering, the two are truly in love and have the longest lasting relationship of anyone in Fabletown.
Briar Rose “Sleeping Beauty”
One of the few Fables to find fortune in this world, Briar Rose, also known as “Sleeping Beauty” has even turned her weakness into a strength. When her finger is pricked, it not only puts her to sleep, but also affects those within a certain radius of her slumber. After she is put to sleep thorns and brambles will begin to grow around her, protecting her from harm. She is also quite wealthy given success in the stock market.
12 Old King Cole
He is the Mayor of Fabletown, although he delegates most of his power to the Deputy Mayor, Snow White. After the Exodus, Cole is elected by the citizens of Fabletown to become their mayor. Cole is not very active in the governance of Fabletown, but when he does act people tend to listen. He is responsible for the current legislation about the farm.
Toad
He is based on Mr. Toad from the story The Wind in the Willows. Formerly of Toad Hall, Mr. Toad leaves everything behind in the Homelands during the Exodus and relocates to Fabletown with his son, where he owns a tenement. Bigby warns Toad to get a glamour or be taken to the Farm. Toad, however, does not heed Bigby's warnings.
Colin
Colin is better known as one of the Three Little Pigs. Back in the Homelands they were harassed by The Big Bad Wolf, who blew down Colin's house of straw. After the Exodus, Colin and the other Fables who couldn't pass for human were sent to live at The Farm in upstate New York. Unable to stand such a boring life, Colin constantly makes trips down to Fabletown to bother Bigby. He is always caught and sent back to The Farm, but he doesn't let that stop him.
Tweedle Dee
Private Investigator and twin of Tweedle Dum. Dee is a malcontent that is known for having a flexible moral and ethical compass. He is physically strong,
13 although not as powerful as Bigby, the Woodsman or Grendel. Dee has skills in investigation and several contacts in the Fabletown underworld. His brother Tweedle Dum is extremely loyal to him and is always willing to help him.
Flycatcher
Flycatcher’s real name is Ambrose, in the homelands he used to be a prince until he was turned into a frog by a witch. Before the exodus, Flycatcher’s kingdom was invaded and destroyed. He is convinced his wife and children escaped and has made it his mission to look for them. Currently he is the janitor at the Woodlands and is rather innocent and friendly to all.
Aunty Greenleaf
A witch living on the outskirts of Fabletown, Aunty Greenleaf is one of the only witches outside of the witches on the 13th floor of the Woodlands. She has strong magical abilities and is the owner of the Ring of Dispel, which can cancel magical enchantments. Greenleaf is unpredictable and subject to mood swings and has been known to be quite paranoid.
The Woodsman
Known as “Woody” the Woodsman is one of the few fables that can go toe to toe with Bigby wolf and hold his own. The Woodsman possesses amazing strength and healing ability and has a near obsession with his axe. He is the one who saved Little Red Riding Hood from the Big Bad Wolf back in the Homelands. Despite wanting to be known as a hero, he is currently a drunk who is more feared than liked by the residents of Fabletown. A regular at the Trip Trap.
14 Grendel
Grendel is a creature from the Anglo-Saxon story of Beowulf. In Fabletown he hides his true form with glamour but when he needs to fight can break it out to give himself great strength and speed. Grendel is quick to anger and can be set off with little provocation. However he is also fiercely loyal and will do anything to help his friends. Grendel is currently disillusioned with the Government of fabletown, which he feels ignores the poor fables like himself. A regular at the Trip Trap.
Dr. Swineheart
The resident doctor in the Woodlands. Swineheart is a skilled surgeon and has worked as an army medic with Mundane Armies. He has the ability to heal and treat wounds with far greater effectiveness than any mundane doctor, and is also used as a crime scene investigator or forensic analyst by the community.
Jack Horner
Notorious con man and ex-boyfriend of Rose Red. Jack is nibble, Jac is quick, and Jack is also an idiot. He is obsessed with get-rich quick schemes and will often try and trick the residents of Fabletown in attempts to make money. However he is unnaturally incompetant at most of these and as such is treated as more of an annoyance than a threat. He is a pathological liar and will often boast about completely false adventures. Jack is currently in possession of some of the magic beans from the homelands as well as currently holds several of Prince Charming’s titles which he won from him. A regular at the Trip Trap.
15 Rose Red
Fraternal twin of Snow White. Rose is currently the manager in charge of the Farm. Despite being a notorious party girl in the past, she has attempted to set that behind her. She and Snow White do not always get along, but at least for now the two are cordial to each other.
Holly
A Troll who owns the Trip Trap Bar in Fabletown. Holly is known to be a loyal friend to her regulars at the Trip Trap. She dislikes the government of Fabletown and believes that it does nothing to take care of the poor fables who frequent her bar. Holly is well connected with residents of Fabetown and her role as a bartender means she has heard many stories and secrets about various fables.
Nerissa
A dancer at the Pudding N’Pie. She was formerly known as the Little Mermaid, but after failing to win the heart of a prince she was madly in love with, she came to Fabletown. Nerissa is fervently loyal to the other employees at the Pudding N’Pie and wants them to have a better life. If you ask her she will say that is all she has left to strive for.
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