Verbena

‘Life is all around us, in the water, in the trees, in the teeming violence of predator and prey, in your blood. It is potent, wet, disturbing, natural – it is you.’

Specialty Sphere: Life

Associated Abilities: Medicine, Alertness, and Artistry.

We come into the world bloody and squalling; we prey on flesh and fruit for survival; we grow, learn and adapt; we want and die, only to feed new life. This never-ending cycle occupies the Verbena, and its constant pulse is the heart of the Tradition. Primordial sorcerers, potent healers, skilled shapeshifters – the Verbena dive into sex, blood, and flesh without inhibition. Their passionate understanding of all life fuels an equally primeval magic.

Tradition Paradigm: The spark of life gives us the power to shape reality.

Philosophy: Life is the greatest mystery of the universe. Base matter and energy do not grow, think, react, and multiply, but life does. All life together forms the web of reality, and in that web are infinite individuals tied together by life. To recognize the cycles of life is to realize that it will grow beyond any expectation or boundary, take any form and achieve any goal. The process is not always easy, but life perseveres.

The Verbena see themselves as guardians of mythic threads – elements of magic that remain intertwined with the more mundane aspects of life. They work to promote the ties between life, spirit, and magic wherever they can, in simple actions, beliefs, and customs that reaffirm the power of life.

Their magic can utilize anything from bloodletting to rune-carving, animal sacrifice, herbal mixtures, transformative rites and New Age techniques. The key is to find a natural element that connects with the Verbena’s will. The natural force of life has never left the world, but mankind has upset its balance. The Verbena do what needs to be done to set it right.

In conjunction with their ties to life, the Verbena know that life isn’t always sanitized, pretty, or happy. Blood has raw power to its symbolic and literal service as the fundamentals of life. Predators hunt and kill they prey, and the Verbena affirm the correctness in such natural actions. The Verbena are more comfortable with their animal natures than most people, which can be disconcerting.

Failings: Bloody sacrifices and disturbing rites are not for the squeamish, and prospective Verbena must have strong stomachs to fit in with the Tradition. The Verbena can be blunt and direct about practices that many would consider revolting or taboo – sex, blood, instinct, emotion – the Verbena know better than to hide the animal within them. As a result, the rest of the Traditions tend to keep them at arm’s length. The more sterile Traditions such as the Sons of Ether and Order of Hermes find the Verbena unbearably primal. Since their magic is tied to primal living natures, Verbena tend to get lumped into the category of ‘Satanic witches’ today, as their truths bring great discomfort to those who aren’t prepared to see them.

Likes

Order of Hermes: The witch and the wizard. We often battle, but just as often we stand together against those who would oppress us. Their rituals are powerful, but they need to learn that power flows from the heart and soul, not the textbook.

Virtual Adepts: Nature is not static. The strong devour the weak; the new crushes the old. The Adepts are the wave of the future – a strange wave, to be certain, but that doesn’t mean we should reject them outright. We’ll give them some aid – see where their crazy ideas will lead. There will always be time for conflict later.

Dislikes

Akashic Brotherhood: The mind does not exist without the body, no matter how powerful it may be. Even the greatest Akashic will realize that he is still a human – a sinful, sexual body, glistening with sweat and filled with desire. I imagine there is little they hate more.

Celestial Chorus: One god? How revolting that they continue to force such ideas on us, calling us heathens. The Dark Ages are over - it’s about time they faced the fires of their own judgmental Hell!

Cult of Ecstasy: Life is pleasure, but also pain. Their ways are an escape from their humanity, not an acceptance of it. Our ways are similar, but they lack the maturity to comprehend our meaning.

Dreamspeakers: Another dying art, cheapened by tourism as much as we are cheapened by New Age fads. It’s too bad our ideas are entirely different – we focus on human life, and they ignore humanity completely.

Hollow Ones: They are a hollow tree – elegant outside, but rotting within. What good is a life focused on death? There is plenty of time to be dead, young ones. Let’s live.

Hates

Euthanatos: Even a broken tree can grow beautiful new branches. The Euthanatos would prefer to crush that tree in its moment of weakness. We understand death; we do not seek it or embrace it. The death-Mages do not understand life, and that is their great curse.

Sons of Ether: Why do they need to put their faith in machines? A living body is the greatest and most complicated machine of all. These technomancers are still our enemies – the last Tradition in the seat of Matter, the Solificati, betrayed us greatly, and we still pay for their crimes. By accepting the Sons of Ether, we set ourselves up to repeat our fate.

Factions

Gardeners of the Tree

These Verbena hold to the belief that power and prestige among the Verbena is passed down along family lines. They take great pride in being able to trace their lineage, and the history of the Verbena, back hundreds of years and more. The Gardeners each adhere to a style of magic related to their cultural heritage, and are the few examples of pure druidic, Nordic, Tuscan, and Thessalian magic left. They focus on tried-and-true methods, relying on the strength of the past to change the future.

Faction Paradigm: Our power is our history; tradition is the best teacher.

Twisters of Fate

These witches are interested in the bare essentials of both life and magic. Live simply, so others may simply live. They desire to recapture some of the power and wonder that the ancient Verbena wielded. Along the way, they will use their power and insight for the good of all, and – as their name implies – take a few tugs at the strands of destiny.

Faction Paradigm: Through the simple things and bare essentials, we regain ancient power.

Moon-Seekers

These modern Mages want to update the Verbena, thinking that clinging to ancient traditions and outmoded ways of thinking will mean stagnation and eventual death for their Tradition. Growth and change are vital elements of life, and the Moon-Seekers are willing to try anything. They often find themselves struggling for acceptance from the more conservative factions of the Verbena.

Faction Paradigm: There is much to be learned in the new ways.

Lifeweavers

These wild Verbena continually re-invent themselves, experimenting with shape, form, and ability to create something new and marvelous. The Lifeweavers find a connection to the animal world by wearing the skin of a wolf or the feathers of an eagle, and even experience life as trees, insects, and impossible creatures. Ritual and tradition are unimportant to the Lifeweavers. Living is what is important to them.

Faction Paradigm: We must experience many forms to experience life.

Elite Cabal: Glastonbury Circle

This Faction is charged with the protection of Glastonbury Tor, an important secred site of the Verbena in England. Their responsibility is mostly symbolic, an excuse to recruit the best of the Verbena to teach the Old Ways and learn about the old religions. The Verbena of the Glastonbury Circle are those who have matured beyond their years, and are prepared to serve as capable leaders and diplomats.

Cabal Paradigm: True power comes from heartfelt service.

Requirements: Medicine at 5, Alertness and Artistry at 4, two other Abilities at 4. Life at 3, one other Sphere at 3.

“Call me a bloody bitch – I’m all that and more. But I can look in the mirror and say that I have lived. Can you, with your illusions of comfort, say the same?”