A Coven Of Witches & Werewolves | Act 1- The End-

Rex. · Dec 1, 2022

Character // Klaus und Zanfo

Player/Group //
@Kassia (Seneca, Talia)
@Kassia (Everlee Johnson, Samuel Owens), @ThatGeckoGirl (Jasmine Elendale, Elias Graham)

Location //Common Room of Twin Rivers House

"I can't sense her. As if she just... vanished. When I was in her room this morning, we had tea, but the leaves... signaled danger. We didn't think anything of it."

The news of Briar's disappearance disturbed the Austrian warlock. It was one thing to simply go missing -- but the Housemother had vanished. Though not unprecedented for a presiding matron of the coven to depart on personal business, to leave without word raised an eyebrow. The stakes were even greater -- to the point of dire -- if an evil influence inserted itself and absconded with Briar -- only a being of IMMENSE power could accomplish such a task. That, combined with the news of the mist yet to be revealed, would point toward a campaign of darkness to be addressed head-on.

The weight of the dilemma weighed upon both Klaus and Seneca, and as he watched her descend into the comfy chair Klaus reached for a blanket to cover her up. He'd just finished resting the woolen fabric upon his fellow witch when he heard the voice that made his soul come to attention. Talia! Klaus released a great breath of relief at the sight of the blonde Housemother; "Danke die Göttin," he intoned. His heart swelled, that exhale one he'd been holding unwittingly since learning of Briar's absence.

Klaus moved from Seneca -- covered in the blanket -- and ascended the stairs toward Talia. The worried tone she spoke with filled Klaus with a tinge of anxiety. Klaus immediately moved close to her, holding her in an embrace that was more protective then anything else. The press of his lips to her forehead expressed the deep feelings he harbored for his other half.

The relationship that Klaus and Talia shared existed as a contradiction within the coven: they were a 'thing' though it seldom factored into any coven business; their devotion to one another was not a secret yet an air of mystery surrounded the private couple. The pair were also opposites in nearly every way with Klaus comporting himself with stoicism and Talia more effusive -- it amounted to a quiet balancing act that melded heat and ice into a beautiful and emotionally-pure liquid. Though wearing a reserved exterior, Klaus could hardly contain the effect Talia had upon him just then, and the warlock searched the Housemother's eyes for the cause of her distress.

Klaus could sense, though more accurately feel, the blurred psychic connection between them. Something affected Talia, or affected everything around them and the Housemother had become a barometer to the fell dread that had settled upon their hidden fortress.

"You don't seem well ...," Klaus stated. He narrowed his vision to Talia's wrinkled brow and squinting eyes that betrayed a migraine blooming in her head. Klaus peered into Talia with his spirit, detecting a tumult of focus -- not unlike a rough patch of river water when swelled, not of anger but confusion. "Mein Schatz," he whispered, "Do you know where Briar has run off to? Seneca mentioned dark omens and foreboding tea leaves -- and I feel the weight of a malignant fate enshrouding us all."

A soft shake of Talia's pretty face confirmed Klaus's worse fear in that moment, though respite came when he heard the voice of his fellow warlock calling out from the other part of the common area. If anyone would know what was going on -- and more importantly, what to do about it -- it was Tiberius. "Rest, my love ... I will come check on you later," Klaus whispered, giving Talia's cheek a soft kiss of tenderness. His feet brought him to the main level, and he entered the main common area ... only to find a gaggle of witches and werewolves.

"Tiberius, mein freund," Klaus spoke in a greater volume to rise above the din of chatter. He paused, about to blurt on about the absence of the Housemother ... and then the gravity of the group's collective emotions became evident.

SOMETHING had happened to them out there in the woods. The resonance of having engaged a baleful entity radiated off the group, though what exactly still remained a mystery to Klaus. Was the flight of dark birds he encountered a portent of Briar's absence or whatever befell his comrades. Or, was it both?

"What has happened to everyone?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed. "Do you know where Briar has go off to? Talia is upstairs but in ... distress."

Anara · Dec 2, 2022

Character: Everlee// Samuel// Seneca//Karma//Talia//Lucas
Player/Group: Mokoto ( @Letrixia ), Tiberius ( @BennyQ ), Jasmine/ Elias ( @ThatGeckoGirl ), Klaus ( @Rex. )
Location: Forest-> House

"W…What plagues my world?... let's just see… I think I killed someone without being my fault…or me at all… since then back at home, I was on the streets living off scraps and whatever I could find to feed myself. Then my mother appeared to me in my dream telling me to come here, she even told me the location of enough money to make the trip and buy some clothes for the trip, which I did… three days later I am here since I really had nowhere else to go. Also, I guess if my mother trusted you…I guess I should as well. I…I…somehow, I am able to sense ghosts and spirits at all times… I cannot see them, just sense them. Everything happens while I am asleep, though… which I am afraid to even go to sleep… I can see the future of people who I met and share some connection with, and that future always happens… always."

Karma listened patiently and then waved to Eve, who gracefully made her way back onto the desk as the wolf form would allow her. What the young woman said was alarming, but she knew it wasn't something she hadn't seen. The poor woman needed sleep, and it was clear she was trying to push it off to keep the spirits at bay. But truthfully, this was harming her more. The weaker she became, the more they would take advantage of it. She needed a safe place where she could control her ability which Karma found fascinating. Slowly she leaned forward, set her elbow on the table, and then her chin on her hand. Mikoto had already seen what would happen if she allowed the spirits to take control. The slumber party was just the tip of the iceberg.

"I can't promise to take away the abilities that you have. But I can help you come to terms with them. You're safe here. You have a beautiful gift. One that is very valuable here. I will help you harness the power to finally get some sleep." She let her hand fall, rested it on Mikoto's arm, and shook it gently with a smile.

As the others filtered into the house, Karma watched curiously. "What could be going on here..." Standing to take the leather jacket from the back of the chair.

" Yo, we back. Klaus, Talia?"

Wandering back inside, Karma looked around the room. Seneca had taken a seat on one of the chairs in the common room, and Kluse kindly placed a blanket over her. She looked exhausted. He moved over to Talia, who inquired about why he was home early, her concern made Karma concerned, and she waited for someone to shed light on what was happening.

"Do you know where Briar has run off to? Seneca mentioned dark omens and foreboding tea leaves -- and I feel the weight of a malignant fate enshrouding us all."

Talia looked back to Klaus nervously. "I don't...I'm sorry." She searched his eyes, trying to find something else to give him, but all she could feel was the dread that shook her body. "There's a gap in our defenses; I can feel it."

In soft whispers, Talia removed herself from her spot on the upper portion of the stairs, giving Klaus a firm shoulder squeeze in acknowledging his request for her to rest. This was all too much for her, the migraine that raged in her mind from the sudden drop in power, and now it seemed like a fair majority of people were back at the house. For an introvert, this made things difficult.

"What has happened to everyone?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed. "Do you know where Briar has gone off to? Talia is upstairs but in ... distress."

Distress?

Karma took a seat on the arm of Seneca's chair, gingerly pulled the witch's arm over her lap, and patted it reassuringly. "Well... What has happened?" Karma asked, sliding her sunglasses up and on top of her head. "Sam, Tiberius? I saw you come in from the forest. You must have seen somthing."

Seneca groaned and lulled her head to the side to look up at Karma. "Briar is gone. I can't feel her presence. She was here this morning but now... I can feel she has... has vanished."

Everlee took a sip of her drink while Lucas moved past her to check on dinner-- only a few minutes more.

"There's some weird orb in the forest, starting fires and shit. Struck my shoulder. "She pointed with her pinky in the forest direction while taking another sip of her drink. "We don't know what it is-- the guys thought it might be best to come back and research. I had no idea Briar was missing, though..."

ThatGeckoGirl · Dec 4, 2022

Character: Lucinda / Jasmine / Elias
Player/Group: Tiberius ( @BennyQ ), Everlee/Samuel/Seneca ( @Kassia ), Klaus ( @Rex. )
Location: House

Housemother Briar was gone? Jasmine shifted uneasily. First that orb and now Briar was missing? Seneca didn't look great either. She appeared to be tired. Jasmine wished that she knew more to tell the others regarding that orb. As for Briar, all she knew was that she didn't sense her in the range of her empathy abilities. "The orb has an aura," Jazz built off of what Everlee was saying, "It's extremely odd, since I only notice living things with emotions having auras. The emotions coming off of it are...dark." Jasmine gave a small shudder in saying the last word. Her voice was soft in delivery, if not airy. She wished there was more information that she could give them, but that was all she had been able to tell in the limited time she had been by the orb. She had no idea why it had attacked Eve and not anyone else. All she really knew was that the orb seemed to be bad news, and it disturbed her. There wasn't a lot of desire in her to go near the thing again. However, it doing so would potentially help solve this little mystery, then she would do it. "As for Briar, I don't sense her with my ability. People don't just....vanish though. Do they?" She asked in a small voice as her eyes widened a little. What was to say one of them wouldn't just abruptly vanish too?

"The fuck is all this racket about?"

Coming down a stairway was none other than Lucinda Whitlock. She wore a less than modest outfit. The cutoff tank top was all black, along with the shorts that only came down just past her upper thighs. Black fishnet went down her exposed stomach and back, as well as down both legs. A studded black belt adorned her shorts, and a black choker was worn on her neck. Finishing off her goth clothing was her pair of black combat boots. A long pentagram necklace dangled from her neck. Her pale green eyes had the look of annoyance in them. She had been looking into a curse when she heard everyone talking in the main room. All the noise had disrupted her concentration as well as sparked her curiosity. Her eyes swept across everyone. It seemed the vast majority of them all looked worried and concerned. What the hell about? The day seemed nice enough as far as she was concerned.

"Your prodigy has arrived," Jasmine mumbled as she moved behind Tiberius as though he would put ample distance between her and Luce.

"Fuckin' hell, chill Jazz. I'm not gonna hurt you or whatever," Luce rolled her eyes as she came down the staircase, having seen the other girl awkwardly hide behind Tiberius. Ever since she first arrived, Luce noticed the other girl do her best to avoid her. She had absolutely no idea what she did to the other girl to warrant it, but also didn't spend her energy caring enough to figure it out.

"O-Oh! I don't think you'll, uh, hurt me. I-I apologize-" Jasmine began, stumbling over her words in her nerves.

"Yup, don't care," Lucinda huffed, cutting the other girl off dismissively. Jasmine seemed to give a small squeak before pressing her lips together and shrinking back as though repulsed from the approaching Lucinda.

"Hell happened to you?" She raised her eyebrows at Seneca, scanning the other witch with an unimpressed gaze. Seneca seemed tired, as though she had exhausted herself using magic or something. "I miss something here? You all look serious and grim."

"There's a weird orb that attacked Everlee in the forest, and Briar is missing," Elias spoke up. He had temporarily left the group as some talking went on to shift back into his human form and tug his clothes back on. While Jasmine was intimidated by Lucinda, Elias didn't seem all that put off by her.

"What?! And you didn't tell me earlier?!" Lucinda snapped, "Jesus fucking christ." However, there seemed to be a sparkle in her eyes as she strode towards Tiberius. He seemed to be one of the few she tended to truly respect among the group of them all. After all, Tiberius also looked into the occult and their origins. Lucinda Whitlock was a dark witch. She focused her magic and attention on black magic, especially regarding curses. Her insight and practice into such types of magic also drew her to research their origins, and she has been looking into how to better break certain curses without causing adverse effects. "Have you learned anything interesting about it? Does it have ties to anything dark from the occult? Maybe it transported Briar somehow. Surely it can't be a coincidence that some weirdass thing shows up in the forest around the same time that a Housemother disappears. Right?" Luce asked Tiberius perhaps a little too excited.

"A-As I said b-before. It has an aura too," Jasmine said in a weak voice.

"An aura?" Lucinda repeated in a monotone, not looking impressed by this information, "So? All it means is this thing has a soul then, right? Could be necromancy. Maybe a Will 'o' Wisp. Certainly isn't a friendly little bitch, now is it?"

Jasmine stuck close by Elias and Sam, trying to tap into their more contained and calm emotions. Lucinda was an overpowering force. She felt things so intensely, and her own emotions were vivid. Even the ones she locked away deep within herself. After the exposure to that orb, it felt rather overwhelming. She hated for it to come across that she disliked Luce, but she genuinely couldn't handle the other girl well. The two were practically polar opposites. While the whole situation disturbed Jazz, Lucinda seemed rather excited. It was clear the gothic girl felt serious regarding both issues, but she was taking an active interest into the workings behind what was going on. This was possibly in regards to the topic that she studied the most. This was why Jazz called Lucinda Tiberius's apprentice. She was just as fascinated and interested in learning and figuring out things regarding the occult so long as it had to do with black magic. This was right up her alley.

"Maybe I should patrol around the territory? See if I can hear Briar somewhere?" Elias brought up to Sam in a low tone. He was put off by the fact that a Housemother somehow just...disappeared. How was that possible? If someone kidnapped her or something, surely he would have heard it? Then again, he supposed it probably happened while he was at work. All he knew was that they all needed a course of action to try and figure this all out.

Letrixia · Dec 5, 2022

Character: Mikoto Mishida
Player/Group: @Kassia
Location: Arriving at the house

Come to terms with it? I don't want to come to terms with it I don't want to have it!, it ruined my life… "Y…yeah t..thanks". She sighed looking at the pill bottle she only had one more pill left and then she would need to find a way to either remain awake or get someone to tie her up while she sleeps. More people started arriving to the big house and something was up about someone missing but she didn't know what to do since she didn't knew the person who disappeared so she remained where she was.

Taking out her phone, she started up a game she was playing on it. She was glad that she knew quite a lot about technology so she could easily do technical stuff, so hacking a game and placing it on her phone wasn't all that hard. The game however was easy and she already finished it quite a few times but it was one that always made her think about a solution and she kept placing herself challenges each time she started it.

Not wanting to bother them she did as she knew what to do, retreat herself in a ball and just become invisible. Walking over to a corner of the room she sat down on the floor and while hugging her knees while she continued to play the game. She was hearing what they were saying and she knew one thing, often spirits represents themselves in the living world as sparkles or orbs as they put it, "Mmm must be a spirit…. Orbs often are spirits in the living world…". She spoke more to herself as if thinking about what they were saying but out loud.

BennyQ · Dec 7, 2022

CHARACTER: TIBERIUS METTE.

PLAYER | GROUP: Everlee Johnson/Samuel Owens (@Kassia), Jasmine Elendale/Elias Graham/Lucina Whitlock (@ThatGeckoGirl), Klaus und Zanfo (@Rex.), Mikoto Mishida (@Letrixia).

LOCATION: Twin Rivers House

His announcement and entry drew a few others into the common room of the House. Klaus greeted him in a courteous manner and Tiberius grinned, clapping the other man lightly on his shoulder before nodding to the others who came in as well, Lucinda and House Mother Karma. Klaus voiced the question on everyone’s mind, what had happened out there. Talia was upstairs, but no sign of Briar being back. Did she in fact not tell anyone where she had been going? Not even Karma? Tiberius gave her a look but she didn’t seem to have any answers.

Sam, Tiberius? I saw you come in from the forest. You must have seen something.

Briar is gone. Seneca groaned. I can’t feel her presence. She was here this morning but now… I can feel she has… has vanished.

Well, fuck. Tiberius marveled at that. Just…up and vanished? A House Mother? A whole House Mother? And none of the other three or any of the werewolf guardians knew a thing? Then, not long after, this Mist appeared. No, there must be some sort of correlation. Causation even! He opened his spell-book to the page he had a simple diagram and notes on the Mist and began to scribble down notes. Last anyone seen Briar? Had she said anything peculiar? Did she ever have any family or friends or connections elsewhere in the region or world?

Everlee ventured an answer for them, since it seemed to be her that strange entity was most interested, and Jasmine offered up some other observations of note, while Tiberius wrote furiously, his penmanship, if it could be called that, possessing a hurried slant and messiness. Not like anyone was ever supposed to see it, right? He would share it, verbally, but no one was allowed to look.

The fuck is all this racket about?

There she came, their resident diva, so to speak. Only her appearance drew his focus away from his spell-book, if only for a brief moment. Then he grinned and shook his head. The others might think her a little haughty or arrogant, but to Tiberius she was never anything but adhering and attentive. Jasmine even pointed it out, Tiberius turning to give her a little smirk. Jealous? Though he still wasn’t sure what he could offer to Lucinda beyond a mutual sharing and interest in similar pursuits in the many schools of witchcraft. Tiberius just stood between the two catty women, finishing up several points of queries he would pursue as the investigation went on. The others filled Lucinda in on the ongoings.

There’s a weird orb that attacked Everlee in the forest, and Briar is missing. Elias said to her, returning in human form.

What?! And you didn’t tell me earlier? Jesus fucking christ. Lucinda didn’t seem to take it seriously. Tiberius gestured to the door. ”It literally just happened, Everlee being attacked. Briar missing though, that is starting to become an issue. She said nothing to any of you before she left?” He asked, mostly to Karma and Klaus, since the former was a House Mother herself who dealt with the others, and Klaus was personally close with Talia, who may know something.

Have you learned anything interesting about it? Does it have ties to anything dark from the occult? Maybe it transported Briar somehow. Surely it can't be a coincidence that some weirdass thing shows up in the forest around the same time that a Housemother disappears. Right?

Tiberius gestured with his pen excitedly at Lucinda. ”One hundred fuckin’ percent. The coincidence is too obvious. It must be connected. I was thinking the same thing, partner.” He said, pronouncing the last word with a western drawl. And he had to agree with what Jasmine seemed to add. It had some sort of sentience at it’s core. It picked Everlee over the others. ”It’s definitely a bitch.” He tacked on to the end of Lucinda’s statement, though he spoke it under his breath. If only he knew.

Elias offered to patrol some more. ”Take someone with you. This is not a good time to be going at things alone, you know?” Tiberius commented, while also looking to everyone else. ”If something were to happen, at least someone can get away to report it, and not leave the rest of us in mystery. Now is not a good time to be flailing in the dark. We need to be smart. This Mist showed up on our doorstep. It attacked one of us. It honestly seems like a challenge.” Tiberius mused, holding his spell-book under an arm, his pen in the other. ”And while I’m all for a diplomatic or investigative approach, if it continues to try and harm us, I think some sort of action on our part should be on the table.” Something destructive, a hex or even an outright curse.

And then the quietest, most shy voice spoke up from the corner. It was so unexpected, despite how lowkey it was, that Tiberius had to do a double-take. There was a young woman sitting in the corner of the room. Mmm must be a spirit… Orbs often are spirits in the living world…

Tiberius looked at every other face. ”Who’s that? Is she new…?” He asked, before, mentally slapping the side of his head, he could just ask her. ”Who are you? You know something?” He opened his spell-book and starting to write down another note. Briar disappears without notice but then this new girl shows up. ”I’m Tiberius by the way. You must have literally just arrived, huh.”

To the rest of the group, he wondered if there was more discussion that needed to be made, but he had all he needed. ”I’m ready to head back. Maybe we can put up some sort of barrier or ward to contain it in one place, at least. That should definitely be step one, don’t you all agree?” Though, if it was some sort of lost or wayward spirit, putting them in isolation might not make it come off kindly towards them. If kindly was even possible with it. But they had to try something and his vote was for proactive measures.

Rex. · Dec 13, 2022

Character // Klaus und Zanfo

Player/Group //
@Kassia (Seneca, Everlee, Samuel, Karma)
@BennyQ (Tiberius)
@ThatGeckoGirl (Jasmine, Elias, Lucinda)
@Letrixia (Mikoto)

Location // Common Room in Twin Rivers House

Klaus crossed his arms ... and listened.

Many others were more adept at opening their mouths and being productive with words. When one has spent the majority of their life alone wandering in the depths of Alpine valleys, one's conversation skills tended to be sub-par. Klaus did not mind being at a disadvantage, his mind working to follow the different voices, personalities, and suggestions foisted into the din of discussion that echoed about the common room.

The presence of so many distinct people always put Klaus on edge. He could have lived his life perfectly happy as a weird hermit in the hills of some dark, lonely mountain. But it was Talia's light and love that coaxed a wild creature into a man who cared about more than his simple survival. Talia's love was contagious, and it helped Klaus value the profit of the collective good -- of the community she cared so deeply for and cherished. and Klaus held his own views of each of the witches and werewolves currently present.

Tiberius could be counted on to disentangle the web of unknowns and find the pathway out of whatever mess they all stumbled upon. His mind was formidable, and though Lucinda could use a few lessons on Germanic stocism, she also wished to engage and disperse whatever troubles ailed the greater group. Her writ large, provocative manner usually set Klaus on edge, though he was made of sterner stuff than Jasmine for whom he held a soft spot. How often had he wished to disappear into the woods, be lost from everyone ... including himself. Zanfo manifested Klaus's expression of solace, the large cat brushing up against her leg and leering at Lucinda as if were a gothic Sasquatch.

Then Klaus noticed the blue-haired, Japanese girl curled up, self-hidden in the corner. He was about to introduce himself and determine who, precisely, this newcomer was -- who happened to appear amidst this erupted chaos -- when Tiberius began to speak. When Tiberius mentioned the ward, Klaus cleared his throat and began speaking. "I do agree ... mostly," Klaus said. He always began in a quiet voice, as if every time he uttered phrases he forget that volume was necessary -- the words gradually finding volume and projection like the turning of a volume dial on a television.

"I am able to produce a mist to counter what you found ... as an oppositional medium. But, it will only remain water unless enchanted by one of you," he said, looking around. "Once we trap this schwarze Nebel, I can direct it upward so that some, intrepid soul can examine the central orb within more closely." Klaus mused. "Perhaps we could trap it with a warding circle beneath it?"

Confining magic -- hexes that hinted at darkness and entrapment -- were not Klaus's specialty. He could will the natural world and aquatic phenomena, but that was the virtual extent of his powers. Klaus often wished that he had a genuine teacher, that his uncle could have been let to live longer to teach him more secrets before he was murdered. But, this was where he resided, and he needed to do everything within his meager power to protect his new family.

"I say mostly since we need to consider our situation from a wider, strategic perspective." Klaus's Austrian accent -- a rustic, Germanic lilt -- rambled with focused insistence as his pale blue eyes flitted to everyone's gaze. His look came with a passive intensity that easily pierced the soul. "It is unwise to venture out, extend ourselves, without securing our home. For where shall we fall back to if this mist gains the upper hand? Talia has no idea where Briar is right now --- and I would like to know where Tana is, as a housemother has gone missing."

"Further," he continued, "Talia appears afflicted, her mind unbalanced and unfocused. A migraine remedy might help, though I know not where to find one," he announced to no one in particular. "I vote that we solidify our home before provoking the evil that lingers in our woods."

"I will volunteer to remain here and conjure the mist and to protect the house," Klaus offered.

.

Anara · Dec 14, 2022

The mist grew hungrier by the second. Now that the witches and most of the wolves had left the forest, the misty orb grew bored and mischievous. Having taken the form of the fabled silver buck and devoured a hunter, the mist was still unsatisfied; still, this was only a satisfying part of their craving.

The orb was weak, despite the power it shot forth towards the pretty wolfe's shoulder and the flames that engulfed saplings. This creature had been dormant for years, far longer than Havenly was the town it is today. The humans that dwelled here were interesting; their knowledge was vast; every creature the orb absorbed provided new insight, thoughts, memories, and family history. It could see deep into the darkness and slowly.... started forming itself. This allowed the mist to create another fabled creature: The River Siren.

Long ago, when Heavenly had evolved into a small mining village surrounded by the Crescent mountains. Three families established their homes evenly apart. Each family had children; the Thompson family had two twin boys towering over their mother at 16. Their father was a hard-working man who had become a foreman in the old, now abandoned, emerald mine.

The second household was the well-off Brandershaw family. The eldest son took his father's place in the mine while the daughter helped her mother with the Havenly General Store.

The last family was the Sumpter family. This family was known for their strange and dark clothing and stoic demeanor. It had been thought that they may have been witches or dabbled in the dark arts before their arrival to Havenly, but their work ethic was concrete, and the other two families agreed to allow them to stay.

The Sumpters had a secret; however, their eldest daughter was ill with a mysterious condition that even the most extraordinary doctor couldn't diagnose. She would often wander into the forest at night, singing out into the trees and wildlife, her voice beautiful and otherworldly. It was said her voice could revive the dead, and it may have been that very thought that led to her sudden cessation. She had been found, the very color drained from her cheeks, on the banks of the Twin Creek River. Her body glowed like the Fabled Buck.

It was presumed she would never wake, so a small funeral took place, and her body was laid to rest.

But... something stirred in the forest, and the singing continued!

One night, drunk and weary, the Brandershaw boy wandered into the woods with his bottle of spirits, singing a tune he had made up in his drunken state. It was then he heard the lovely singing of what appeared to be a beautiful silver mythical creature swimming in the river. Curious, he leaned over the bank and was then met with the sharp teeth of the river siren.

Like most stories, the idea of the river siren progress through the generations. Some stated that the young siren walked on two feet and shed her skin like a snake to return to the river on the full moon. Others stated that she walked the town singing her haunting songs to lure drunken campers and hunters to her waters, as most sirens habitually did.

The mist... preyed on these legends, and while the wolves had traveled through the forest securing the perimeter-- the mist had clutched on to its gained knowledge from those it devoured and the single touch from the wolf in Samuel's pack. Wonderful.

As the day wore on and the night descended upon Havenly, the mist took the form of the silver siren. Singing and wandering through the forest in a beautiful flowing dress and angelic hair tied back in a satin ribbon. Like the lore, she shed her human form and slipped into the cool Autumn river to continue her song and lure in a lost camper who had drunkenly stumbled into her terror radius.

The camper leaned in over the bank to look down at the woman swimming in fridged waters, admiring her beauty and lavishing her with compliments. Delicately, she reached up to touch their face. The moment the eyes of the campers closed to embrace the cool fingertips upon their cheek, they had sealed their fate. Slowly the mist surrounded them, a horrible screeching ensured, and a rumble of the ground and river shook the trees, causing the birds and bats to fly upwards towards the full moon in fear. Then... darkness. The beautiful siren swam downstream, disappearing into the dark, cool waters and reappearing as a foggy mist that crept through the forest once again.

ThatGeckoGirl · Dec 15, 2022

Character: Lucinda / Jasmine / Elias
Player/Group: Tiberius ( @BennyQ ), Everlee/Samuel/Seneca ( @Kassia ), Klaus ( @Rex. ), Mikoto (@Letrixia )
Location: House

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The affirmative response from Tiberius drew a grin from Lucinda. Ha! If he approved of her line of thinking, then it had to be legit. While Tiberius wasn't one of her two instructors, it came off that she had more respect towards him. His interests were very close in content to her own. Thus, she typically found discussing her interests and magic with him more enriching than when discussing it with Karma or Talia. Tiberius just understood this stuff. Given her connection with the warlock, it wasn't surprising as her eyes zeroed in on the girl she hadn't noticed whatsoever until Tiberius pointed her out. Luce blinked as she peered at the girl, looking her up and down the best she could in her seated position. A new witch. Finally she wasn't the new one in the house. This new girl appeared sleep deprived based on the shadows beneath her eyes, but her statement about a spirit alluded to her potentially being similar to Jasmine. Ugh. Another annoyingly sweet goody-two-shoes. Time to have some fun with this.

"I mean, I was thinking I could just use my destructive magic to fuck up that orb and solve our problems. It looks like you guys brought me in the perfect sacrifice to accomplish it too!" Lucinda grinned with glittering eyes towards Mikoto.

"That's not a funny joke, Luce," Elias scolded.

"Well aren't you a fucking killjoy," Lucinda pouted.

"We don't sacrifice people here. Lucinda takes a little while to get used to," Elias said to Mikoto quickly in defense of the house and in an attempt to explain away Luce's behavior. He ignored the middle finger the silver-haired witch directed towards him.

Lucinda was actually quiet as Klaus spoke. The guy didn't speak much, but he was pretty smart. It tended to be worth the time to listen to him when he opened his mouth. She nodded slowly at his words as her blood began to boil with her excitement. Enchantment magic that could trap something was in her line of expertise. Dark magic. Hell yes! She eyes shot to Tiberius. They were the obvious choices for containing this mist once Klaus separated it from the orb. True partners in crime...and morally gray magic masteries. "Well, well! It's your lucky fuckin' day! It just so happens that Berry and I here are the house's black magic masters. Besides. Sounds like fun to me," Luce said with smooth arrogance, her eyes meeting Tiberius's as she winked at him, "Right, partner?"

Oh thank goodness, a migraine to cure! Jasmine nearly released a very long sigh of relief at the prospect, but held it back. She just knew Luce would hear it and make some kind of comment. The less Luce directed towards her, the better. She'd like to help the newer girl assimilate into her new surrounding, but she wasn't entirely sure she would be the best person for that. Plus, she was still feeling her out. Right now, Jazz wanted some distance between her and Lucinda. That would allow her to better clear out her head and really assess their situation here. Being around the cursing witch was mentally exhausting and distracting. It muddled her thoughts like she was being hacked. Migraines could be aided with the right tea and incense. As for an unfocused and unbalanced mind, she already had two gems in mind: malachite for a productive and powerful mindset, and amazonite for soothing and problem solving.

"I'll be happy to help Talia!" Jasmine offered quickly with a light smile.

"Shocker," Lucinda breathed out in a voice dripping with sarcasm. The comment went either ignored or unheard by Jazz.

Jasmine moved from Sam and Elias as she approached Seneca. Her movement also put her further from Luce's own location. She knew that Sen and Luce also didn't get along much, but she wasn't sure if it was because Sen was similarly drained by the other girl or she merely didn't like her. Then again, it seemed that the only person Lucinda consistently got along with was Berry. "Would you like to join me, Sen? Our expertise will probably aid Housemother Talia the most," She offered with a warm and welcoming smile.

Despite her open words, Jasmine didn't waste any time to leave the room (more like flee). Her first course of action? Getting one of her woven bracelets and placing malachite and amazonite into it to give Talia to wear. Heading up to her room to snatch one of these bracelets only took a few minutes. She ran in and ran out before heading down to look through their supply of crystals. Looking at the glossy surfaces of the gems as they sparkled up at her was enough to flood contentment through her. The first one she found was the beautiful deep green malachite. Black swirled in with the dark green on its shimmering surface. Jazz held it up, admiring the gem before pushing it into place in one of the two areas on the bracelet. She went back to carefully sifting through the different crystals until her fingertips brushed against the gorgeous light teal of amazonite. The gem had light brown striations along with a slight darker teal color with it. It was uplifting just holding in the palm of her hand. With a relaxed and happy smile curved on her light pink lips, Jasmine inserted the amazonite into the final binding of the bracelet. From there, she moved to the kitchen. Her steps were light and airy as though she was dancing. Her body moved with the fluidity of water. There was something innately rhythmic about it, as though her newly energized mood was a contagious song. Humming a tune under her breath, Jasmine flounced into the kitchen. Already, she was thinking either chamomile, peppermint or lavender tea. All three of them were calming and could help with headaches. That said, if Sen was to join her, then she wanted her input. Jazz wasn't bad at herbalism, but Seneca specialized it far more than she did.

The witches were placing themselves directly in harms way. No surprise there. With one of the Housemothers gone, their protection was weakened. Elias glanced at Sam for a moment as talking went on. "I can stay around and guard the house," He offered to Sam, "if you wanted to accompany the two dark ones on their quest." He gave a small chuckle at his last comment, nodding towards Lucinda and Berry. They were like two peas in a pod...if peas were disturbing and cryptic. Elias would go where Sam wanted him. In the end, it was Sam who made these final decisions as the alpha of the werewolves. Elias just aided in the organization of the pack to take some weight off of Sam's heavy shoulders.

BennyQ · Dec 18, 2022

CHARACTER: TIBERIUS METTE.

PLAYER | GROUP: Everlee Johnson/Samuel Owens (@Kassia), Jasmine Elendale/Elias Graham/Lucina Whitlock (@ThatGeckoGirl), Klaus und Zanfo (@Rex.).

LOCATION: Twin Rivers House

Klaus offered to perform a ritual spell that would give them an advantage against the Mist. Together, Tiberius and Lucinda could move in and better examine whatever was at the heart of this invasive force, both of them having little qualms about utilizing any and all schools of witchcraft, yes even the more forbidden and dangerous types, to advance their goals. Yes, even sacrifice. Klaus voiced a more cautious approach, and while wise to keep their eggs separated in different baskets, Tiberius was already down to rumble. Right partner? Lucinda asked and Tiberius grinned, offering his hand for a high five, shake, and shoulder bump. They got this.

…hopefully.

As for Talia, poor mother, the others offered to look out for her, and hold down the fort for when, if, Briar should return. ”You guys cover for Klaus too while he works his magic.” Tiberius added, after everyone volunteered themselves for various roles. ”Keep your cell phone on. I don’t know if the Mist can block radio waves or whatever but a line of communication will be imperative.” Ever since technology started to take off at an exponentially increasing rate, it felt like witchcraft couldn’t keep up, and there were many side effects and unseen consequences of making the two interact.

”Good luck out here, brother.” Tiberius said to Klaus, concluding the planning. ”I owe you a beer after.” He grinned and clapped the other man on the shoulder, before turning to Lucinda, his partner in mischief and some crime. A lot of crime. ”I got to grab a few things. Bring your familiar. We might need the extra firepower.” He said to her and without another word, moved to race up the stairs to his room, nearly tripping over the last step in his haste.

First thing in his room was finding Ashur, his turtle-familiar, and hoping the little demon onto his shoulder above the mess. Next, he grabbed a satchel, and began to fill it with various ingredients. Some rope, a bell, and a Bunsen burner he looted from the local high school chemistry lab. Safflower, hemlock, belladonna, all potent herbs for causing poisonous harm. Boneset, along with several black wicker candles, to form a defensive barrier around the Mist, though if done improperly could have tremendous collateral on the spell-user. And…and…

”Luce!” Tiberius called from his room. ”You got any, uh…the fuck is it called…Lapis, uh, Lapis Lazuli?” Yes, ask the black magic witch for a stone that aided in communicating with other worldly entities. He pushed aside some loose pieces of paper and found an orange stone, some calcite. With a frown, he built himself up to lick the salty stone, shuddering for a moment in disgust, before feeling the steady grow of confidence. Sort of like taking several shots at a bar and getting that false alcoholic courage… He put it in his pocket for now. Others might want to take a hit, so to speak.

And then, the most important item of all. He opened up a locked drawer and pulled out one of the few precious metals he had, a small stone of amethyst. And then, taking a metal pestle…slammed it onto the precious stone and broke it into a half dozen pieces, which he slid into a palm. Heading back on downstairs, shaking the broken amethyst pieces around in his palm like peanuts, he called out. ”Any wolves coming with us, let me stick some of this gem in your collars or something. Should help with fending off the Mist if it tries to grab you.” He explained, satchel over one shoulder, with his spell-book and wand clutched under his other shoulder. He was ready for action.

Anara · Dec 19, 2022

Character: Samuel// Seneca//Talia//Lucas//Tana
Player/Group: Tiberius ( @BennyQ ), Jasmine/ Elias ( @ThatGeckoGirl ), Klaus ( @Rex. )
Location: Forest-> House

The Housemother Talia had curled back into her bed; she could feel the pulsing in her head grow more substantial, and a vision of the Mist and old Havenly lore swirled in her mind. While she could not share these visions with Klaus, she spoke them in her distorted mind's eye.

There has been a legend of a silver buck, it lived within the mountains, and as the elder had reached out to touch its lovely main... they fell victim to the frozen river.

The siren... In the water, of beautiful silver hair and a dreadful song... Someone has gone missing..!

She paused and let out a whimper as her mind flashed, forcing her to curl up tighter.

The widow in the meadow... Stop her!

She was trying desperately to stop her stomach from turning. Talia felt feverish and then turned to her other side to stare at the blurry-looking door. It seemed that the world was much louder, and despite the others being downstairs, she could still hear them. Dishes clattered, and voices wafted through the air like incense. After a few minutes, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on something less obstructive.

"Would you like to join me, Sen? Our expertise will probably aid Housemother Talia the most."

"Yes, of course, Jasmine," Seneca nodded. "We will care for Talia, Klaus. Briar would have wanted us to do as such for any of the other House mothers." Seneca moved her delicate fingertips away from her forehead and looked over at Jasmine. Quietly she pulled the blanket off her body, folded it, and then moved toward the kitchen.

It was reasonably busy here as Lucas removed dinner from the stove to make way for the ladies' tea-making and then called out. "Before everyone heads out, please eat. Nothing good comes from an empty stomach."

Samuel, who had moved away from the group to oversee the witches and the wolves that tried to hurry and find solutions to stop this strange silver evil in the forest, nodded. "Lucas is right; everyone eats up. I don't want to hear whining when trying to work."

Seneca looked at Sam with a blank stare. "I would like to get this tea up to Talia. I will eat after." She didn't raise her voice over the others. She only enunciated her words, which he put his hands up to in a silent fine.

While Jasmine moved up to her room to grab a few healing bracelets, Seneca ran her fingertip over the labels of several herb jars and mumbled to herself about the best concoction. Gently she wiggled the pots from their place and set them on the island in the kitchen. She and Jazz danced around each other, where Jazz was water, Seneca was the wind, only colliding slightly to join back together before parting again to continue their ballet.

"I've pulled Chamomille and valerian root to help with sleep. Oh!" She paused and reached back on the shelf to pull some ginger from a little mason jar. "This should help with nausea. Although... If I recall, I do not think Talia enjoys ginger; she said it tasted like a disgraced lemon. So maybe peppermint?" she grabbed a small mason jar of that and then opened it. The smell of peppermint filled the small area, and she shook the jar slightly-- only crumbs remained. "We are out; We'll need to stop into town, Jasmine."

Sam looked to Elias then as he spoke, his eyebrow raised.

"I can stay around and guard the house," He offered to Sam, "if you wanted to accompany the two dark ones on their quest."

"Eve can stay back. The way the Mist and she connected makes it apparent that she can not be near this creature. I would ask the same of all of you if you were in her place. I'll need you to help watch these two" He waved in the general direction of Berry and luce. I will see if Tana can also accompany--"He paused. Merely speaking her name drew the Housemother, Tana, out from the shadows of a secret room behind one of the bookcases.

"It's not polite to speak of others behind their back, Sam." She gave the two wolves a kind smile before closing the secret passage slowly. This was her workspace. She had wanted the quiet to work on her studies, but she also wanted to be acceptable if anyone needed her. She was dressed in a pair of black flowing shorts, cinched into her tiny waist with a bow of the same fabric. Due to Autumn's unseasonably hot weather, she wore a lavender satin tank top tucked into black shorts. This complemented her ebony skin color, which shimmered slightly golden from the recently applied lotion. She kept most of her light lavender hair up into two space buns on top of her head while the rest of her hair followed her spine.

"Good evening, Elias." She directed her attention to him. Tana was diplomatic despite her abilities within the house. She respects the fire and its destruction but also believes in control. If one could control something so wild and unruly, one could do that with anything. She observed as Seneca and Jasmine worked and how some of the others grabbed food.

There was a heaviness in the air, and she knew this was due to Briar's disappearance, which she had heard loudly through her secret room. She had felt something was amiss as she locked herself away from the rest of the home, and unlike Talia, this did not affect her in the same way. Instead, she felt anxious; it worked through her veins, but she would not allow anyone to know this. It was supposed that Jasmin and Seneca worked diligently despite their Housemother being gone, though they leaned on her teachings. It was a beautiful thing to see.

" Any wolves coming with us, let me stick some of this gem in your collars or something. Should help with fending off the Mist if it tries to grab you."

Tana looked to Tiberius, her pupils, and then his hand where he shook the amethyst loosely.

"Elias and I will go. But I'm not wearing a collar." Sam said, crossing his arms over his chest, looking at the amethyst, and then back to Tana, who nodded.

"I'll accompany you. I've yet to see this creature you're speaking of. And I should watch these two to ensure the maximum success of their abilities.

Rex. · Dec 20, 2022

Character // Klaus und Zanfo

Player/Group //
@Kassia (Seneca, Everlee, Samuel, Karma)
@BennyQ (Tiberius)
@ThatGeckoGirl (Jasmine, Elias, Lucinda)

Location // Common Room in Twin Rivers House

As if a button had been pressed in some automated command room, the entirely of the house activated in unison toward the goals set out to defeat the (still unknown yet looming) threat. Though extraordinary by the measure of mortal men to whom the powers of the Goddess were mere fiction, Klaus could not help but feel the slight tinge of inadequacy at not being able to do more. He sighed at the rapport and vivacious -- if somewhat and playfully contentious -- banter of the group, ultimately and ever finding himself on the outside of his adopted "family." Being around people always filled him with a minor anxiety, but work had to be done for the community at large. Though foreign to Klaus, the manner of loving 'bickering' could only be a sign of familial health.

Though content to be silent and listening, the sound of Talia's voice caused his face to contort into one of focus and attentive concentration. He gasped, waiting for visions that would never arrive, knowing that the housemother gave him what she could -- it was now his duty to convey her omens to the group.

"Wait!" he said, an invoked urgency spoken that he rarely expressed. "Talia .. has sent me warnings just now, tidings of forces ... out there," he said, pointing into the forest. "She's told me: There has been a legend of a silver buck, it lived within the mountains, and as the elder had reached out to touch its lovely main... they fell victim to the frozen river --- The siren... In the water, of beautiful silver hair and a dreadful song... Someone has gone missing..! --- The widow in the meadow... Stop her!"

Klaus looked momentarily dazed as he reeled in the wake of the mental connection with the housemother. He knew what had to be done, and in an instant the spell focus required -- along with the components in storage -- came to mind. Summoning an actual mist was a relatively simple spell, but it normally took time to muster the essence of nature to transmute water from latent moisture lining leaves and earth to a consolidated cloud. Obscurement and occlusion had been Klaus's aim in the past; now, Klaus needed to create a containment structure, and he needed to summon the vortex by the time Tiberius, Lucinda, and the others reached the mist.

Though the exact location of the mist was unknown, such details did not matter -- his sensitivity of water made moisture droplets like extensions of his nerves. Psychically, he could sense the black mist's location, but as his white mist condensed, he'd be able to feel it vicariously. How quickly he summoned the mist concerned Klaus, though he refused to voice the dangers to the group -- everyone put themselves in danger, and he would be no different. The ritual burning of an aggressive plant (like dried grapevine) would accelerate the white mist's formation ... but the speed would present certain risks and exposed him to the black mist's evil until his fellow witches worked their magic and transformed the mist from a humidity phenomena to a metaphysical one.

News of the group -- in particular, Sen and Jazz -- agreeing to help Talia eased his heart. Knowing she suffered in her room drove the man quietly insane, as their connection, though blurred, lost none of its potency and intensity. It was as if he could hear her soul screaming in discomfort, and Klaus trembled slightly at the psychic resonance bonded by a love that transcended mere magic. "Thank you," he whispered vehemently to the two witches as they ambled to the kitchen.

Klaus stumbled forward a step when Tiberius clapped his shoulder in his familiar, open-natured manner. "At least one," Klaus replied to the offer of a drink. He promptly excused himself; the Austrian warlock had one last deed to perform before he cast his mist-summoning spell. Carefully, Klaus climbed the stairs, taking the familiar and oft treaded path to the room of his other half. Quietly, he opened the door and witnessed Talia sound asleep. Klaus approached quietly, his countenance grim as the pain, discomfort, and emotional chaos still whirling about her essence despite having found solace in sleep. He knelt next to her upon the floor, careful not to wake her. She looked so peaceful -- so incredibly beautiful. With reverence, he stroked her long, silver-blonde hair and place a tender kiss upon her temple. He inhaled her scent deeply before rising up, laying a blanket over her slumbering form and departing the room to his own.

How different their respective rooms were, as their physical environments could be seen as representations of their innate characters. Klaus entered his quarters, bare beyond the point of spartan and more approaching emaciated of vitality and life. Yet, the life-blood of his presence in this life was not the trappings and trinkets displayed for others to see, but instead the organization of what could not be seen -- the immaculate order of his myriad spell ingredients and tools. He moved with careful diligence, carefully taking only what he needed with the pious observance of religious artifacts.

The grapevine wreath, Opa's athame, blue and white candles.

A ceramic bowl joined the list, containing a glittering mixture of pulverized crystals (Selenite, Azurite, and Sodalite) combined to accelerate his connection with ambient water. The warlock felt Zanfro nudge against his calf; he smiled, grateful for the company. Reaching down, Klaus scratched behind his ear. "Watch over me, won't you?" he asked. An affirmative mewl, deep and timidly wild came as a reply. "Good," he intoned. Taking a deep breath, he left for an area in front of the main deck.

Klaus passed the others who remained behind in silence, already inducing himself into a trance -- each step and foot fall a further descent of his conscious mind into the peripheral regions where ulterior magic reigned. Setting down his components, he gripped his staff and spun once while digging the tip into the ground to inscribe a circle. Continuing, using the staff as an oversized pen, he inscribed a sigil from his days of old wandering the mountainous regions of the Zerber Valley. Setting tinder in place, he lowered himself cross-legged and flashed his hands -- the ash shavings erupting in magical flame.

For those still lingering in the house, watching Klaus perform magic would have been a rare sight. Some used their powers daily, openly; Klaus only prayed to the Goddess while under roof, preferring to weave his dweomer-craft in the privacy of the woodlands. Any who spectated would watch the grapevine wreath placed around the small, playful fire -- now yellow and unnatural, the fuel long having been spent. He muttered an incantation, taking a palmful of the crushed crystal powder and spreading it while speaking a spell in ancient German. A blue flash erupted, the fire now a pyramid of blue fire; he held up his black iron athame to the heavens and repeated in hushed, archaic tones:

wód-r, hel-zammen ... wód-r, hel-zammen ... wód-r, hel-zammen ...

A faint breeze could be felt by everyone outside, the trees swaying slightly and leaves fluttering. Time passed and the world of Twin Rivers became distinctly humid: glasses fogged and water beaded on any cold, contact surface. The grapevine had turned to cinder under the magical heat that consumed the article and caused wisps of white cloud, like streams of fluffed cotton, to rise from leaves, the ground, and streams. They rose up and then FLOWED with purpose tied to the will of the Austrian warlock. He could feel it -- Klaus located the accursed black mist, and the man shuttered at the thing's baleful, malignant aura. The mist collected as patches of cloud that gravitated toward the blasphemous entity like an astral body to a singularity of impossible density.

The accelerants he chose for the ritual spell worked all too well -- flashes of friction lighting (mere sparks) turned the white clouds bright under the shadow of towering oaks and lumbering pines. They coalesced and began to rotate, surrounding the black entity that grumbled in a heinous tongue heard in Der Zaubhexer's mind. This was what he had feared, for though the werewolves could protect his corporeal form from physical harm, only the power of his casting circle could protect him from any psychic attack advanced by the evil mist.

"I ... SHALL ... FEAST ..."

Klaus nearly faltered at the primal, predatory demeanor of the voice in his head. He prayed that the other were close enough to do what they could, and Klaus directly engaged the thing -- the cloud blasted a gale-force wind against anyone present, turning into a white tornado. A crack of lightning flashed into the entity -- quite unintentionally -- and the vortex began to siphon the blackness up off the ground.

.

ThatGeckoGirl · Dec 23, 2022

Character: Lucinda / Jasmine / Elias
Player/Group: Tiberius ( @BennyQ ), Everlee/Samuel/Seneca ( @Kassia ), Klaus ( @Rex. )
Location: House -> Forest / House -> Downtown Havenly

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lucinda was giddy with excitement as she went through her things in preparation to curse this black mist thing. Finally, a good reason to use her black magic! She opened a small cricket containment, trapping one in a little wooden box to sacrifice if needed. She quickly slammed the lid shut and locked it. Luce lifted the trapped cricket to eye level, giving a wicked grin towards the unsuspecting bug. "You'll be used for a good cause, my little martyr," She whispered, followed by a little squeak as Midir the bat fluttered over and landed on her head. He sniffed at the cricket as he crept forward, and Luce playfully swatted him away.

"No! Not for you, my dark little boy. It will possibly be used for a spell," She scolded him, setting the box with the cricket to the side. Midir pouted as he clung to the hair on her head as Luce became a whirlwind through her room.

To center her magic as a newer witch, Luce utilized a wand made of bone with black obsidian studded in its hilt. Obsidian was the gem that resonated with her the most, and in this case, should hopefully provide some good amplification to her magic. It is a powerful tool for grounding, seeking protection, deep-set healing, and, most importantly, tearing the fabric of falsity to find the truth. Other than her wand, she also put on her golden obsidian necklace as it helps to activate the third eye and shines its light on negativity. The mahogany obsidian she snatched were to be set alongside candles, as it is used to ensure that all attacks are warded off. Opening a case, she gingerly picked out the fang of a copperhead snake, the snakeskin of a cottonmouth, the body of a black widow spider, and stinging nettles. Luce wasn't entirely sure what needed to be grabbed here, but she was bringing out some of the more potent items she has collected. Her fine obsidian needles soaked in snake blood wouldn't be necessary. She couldn't exactly make a voodoo doll of this mist. If they could contain it in something she could puncture though, that was a difference story. Other than the stinging nettles, Lucinda grabbed an ivy constricted piece of dead wood and a ceremonial ceramic bowl. Her job here was to contain this mist while Berry did his thing.

The loud voice of Tiberius caught her attention. Lapis Lazuli? Was that by her spirit board? Luce hopped over to her desk and rummaged through her drawers before pulling one out. She admired the gold-flecked blue hue of the gem for a few passing moments before adding it to her pile. "Got one!" She shouted back in response. Finally, Luce pulled out her ceremonial dagger. She used it to cut her items, or shed her own blood for the magic rituals she conducted. After all, she mostly specialized in curses. Cursing a mist was something she hasn't done before though. Normally, she'd cut her palm just deep enough to shed some of her blood when necessary, or use it for larger sacrifices than crickets. This would be a perfect learning opportunity in seeing Tiberius in action. Of course, she would also do her best to aid in the containment of this dark thing, but she wasn't so arrogant as to assume she'd perform better than her senior.

On the ground level of the house, Elias nodded along to Sam's orders. He'd go with him to watch over Luce and Berry while the others worked elsewhere. As Tana appeared, he gave a smile towards the Housemother. It was Tana who had turned him into a werewolf back when the coven had saved him from drowning. It was because of her that he had a new purpose in life. It was a purpose he had desperately needed in his life after everything that happened. In many ways, Elias felt he owed Tana so much. For everything she gave him when he felt so broken and lost in life. "Good evening, Tana," He responded back to her, only for his attention to be snagged by Tiberius as he offered amethyst for their "collars." Elias looked about as amused by the comment as Sam did. Lucinda practically skipped down the steps to Tiberius. She was far too excited given the grim circumstances. At least she was motivated? She gave a little snicker from Berry's words. Of all people, it was Tiberius she had decided to look up to. Oh well. "Likewise on not wearing a collar," He stated as he begrudgingly took some amethyst. Though, admittedly, where was he to keep the small pieces of the gem when he was a wolf? In his mouth? That would be a choking hazard. He'd request a bracelet of some sort from Jasmine, but she was currently working with Seneca to aid Talia.

Lucinda watched as Klaus began to perform his magic. It was dangerously beautiful, with the flashes of lightning and the siphoning of the wind mixed with the moisture. However, she broke out of her small trance in watching his artistry. She had her own role to do here. Midir crawled just between the crease of her breasts to avoid being abused by the strong winds billowing in the area. Luce set the mahogany obsidian around her in a circle, and she sat crossed legged in the center. Quietly, she began to murmur her containment enchantment ritual in Latin. She drew out the ivy-trapped wood and wound the snakeskin of the cottonmouth around the dead wooden fragment. She drew the mouth piece of the molted snake skin over the dead wood piece before setting it into the ceremonial bowl. As her murmured chanting continued, the obsidian around her began to glow faintly. The molted snakeskin began to look as though it was writhing around the constrained wood. The chaos of the wind blowing and attacking at her hair only seemed to spur on the dark energy ebbing out from Luce with the help of Midir. Taking her ceremonial knife, Lucinda chanted before slowly drawing the blade across her palm. Drops of blood hit the dead wood, ivy and snakeskin, enhancing the malevolent energy manifesting around her. Dark magic used for good. This was her forte. This was her. One last step.

Lucinda drew out the cricket, and snatched the bug by the thorax. It squirmed in her fingers as she placed it atop of the bloody items in her bowl. Then, with a dramatic raise of her knife, she brought it down, pining the cricket right against the conduits as her spell's martyr.

The moment the cricket died, black fire erupted up from the bowl, and its toxic purple smoke was serpentine as it wrapped around Lucinda's forearms like snakes. It continued to travel up and around her body.

The dark magic caressed its "master" with the loyalty of a scorpion. One wrong move, and the spell could backfire against its user. Luce drew out her wand, closing her eyes as she forced her will upon the dark tendrils accumulating around her. The golden obsidian hanging from her neck seared against her skin while the obsidian in her wand aided in maximizing her power to control her own magic. She siphoned the toxic purple smoke from her body down to her bone wand. When Luce snapped open her eyes, she extended the wand towards where the white tornado was. There. Attack. All at once, excited to be released upon something, her spell shot out from her and was easily caught up in the white cyclone. What was once pure from Klaus's magic became encircled by what appeared to be a large smoky snake. The smoke mixed with the moisture, wrapping around the cyclone as tendrils of ivy-like purple extended out and covered the tornado like pulsating toxic veins. Much like how the mouth of the molted snakeskin was drawn over the top of the dead wood, the snake of Luce's deep violet magic opened its maw over the top of the cyclone - containing this black entity within to allow Tiberius the perfect opportunity to better investigate it.

Elias shuddered at Lucinda's display of dark magic. It was unsettling. It made his hair raise on end, as though he should be prepared to attack at any moment just from her release of magical energy. The amethyst he was clenching was digging into the palm of his hand as he clutched to it tightly. This thing attacking any of them physically would require him to shift and go right into the fray.

***

A disgraced lemon. Jasmine couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her lips at the repeat of Talia's own comment. Poor ginger. Seneca and Jasmine moved around each other like a beautifully rehearsed dance. Water and wind, herbs and crystals. "Ah, to town we go then," Jasmine commented in a happy tone. She enjoyed restocking things from town...though she had a bit of a bad habit of overbuying. When she saw herbs, incense and crystals, she just couldn't contain herself! And yarn...it was always a season of crocheted gifts when Jasmine went on a yarn binge. Oh! And books! Jasmine in general was easily distracted by things she enjoyed.

"We can take my hybrid. One second," She said airily to Seneca before flouncing back up to her room to grab her car keys. Grabbing them, Jasmine returned back down and led Sen to her light blue Prius. Normally, it was used to cart her to her job at the library and used little gas due to it being a hybrid. Jazz enjoyed her car, and the inside mirrored its owner. It was clean, and smelled of a floral incense. It was a calming scent. A small dreamcatcher hung from the rearview mirror. As the engine purred to life, instrumental orchestral music hummed through the speakers. By the time Klaus had cast his spell, Jazz and Sen were well on their way into town. Nothing seemed too odd regarding Havenly. Then again, it was a small town where not much really happened. If anything, the most interesting part about Havenly were the witches and werewolves who hid in the nearby woods (not that the townspeople knew this). Finding a parking spot in the "downtown" part of Havenly was easy. They would be able to find what they needed in the collection of cute small businesses that lined the streets of downtown Havenly.

"Okay...peppermint! That's all we need. Peppermint," Jasmine spoke aloud as she parked the car, looking determined as she attempted to convince herself to remain focused on the ingredient they needed, "Unless we are running low elsewhere?" As quick as she was determined to remain set in their needs, her mind diverted to the possibility of collecting something else.

Jasmine stepped outside the car, a small shudder running through her. She glanced back, seeing mist rising just above the treetops of the forest in the distance. Klaus and the others must have started to cast their spells. While she could sense the magic, they were far enough that it didn't activate her empathic abilities. As they reached the tea shop, Jasmine browsed through the herbs. Already bagged herbs could be bought, or the herbs for someone to make their own tea could as well. The scent of the shop was earthy from all the dried plants held within it. In order to try and maintain her impulse to buy things, Jasmine stuck close by Sen to try and maintain her concentration on the task at hand. There were a few other people in the store. It seemed the woman behind the counter and this other customer knew each other, as they were in the middle of a conversation with hushed urgent voices. Jazz blinked, her gaze lingering on the two. Concern and...fear? That was odd. She knew it could come off as intrusive to mention something, but it was a rather odd combination for people to have in the uneventful and lazy town of Havenly. It was as though something was going on.

"Those two ladies are worried and scared about something," Jasmine said to Seneca quietly, "Should we uh...try to figure out what?"

BennyQ · Dec 26, 2022

CHARACTER: TIBERIUS METTE.

PLAYER | GROUP: Samuel Owens (@Kassia), Elias Graham/Lucinda Whitlock (@ThatGeckoGirl), Klaus und Zanfo (@Rex.).

LOCATION: Twin Rivers House -> Forest/The Mist.

Elias and I will go. But I’m not wearing a collar…

Likewise on not wearing a collar…

”Oh my. God.” Tiberius rolled his eyes at Sam and Elias. ”Y’all take things too literally sometimes. Collar, necklace, shove it up your butt, I don’t care. Just take one somewhere on your person.” He glanced back as Lucinda came down the steps all giddy like a high school girl attending her first prom. He just held out his hand, for the Lapis Lazuli stone she apparently had. Tana would be coming along with the two wolves. With everything ready, his little turtle-familiar held in his palms, Tiberius followed the others outdoors to observe Klaus throughout his ritual. It was time to hit back. Time to protect their own and enforce their boundaries on this invasive entity. It was time for some real power.

It was his turn to look like the giddy schoolgirl as he observed the back to back displays of ritual magic and spell-casting. Flashes of light and primal chanting in what he assumed was Germanic and soon a physical change started to occur over the dark Mist that lay upon the forest, as Klaus’ spell came in contact with it, shifting it and countering it’s negative effects. How long could he hold it? The rest of them would have to be fast.

Lucinda was up next. She arranged her little casting circle with diligence and chanted in Latin. Getting to hear spell-casting in two ancient languages? It was marvelous for Tiberius, who knew he would be adding a third in short time. And hopefully powerful, and beautiful, enough to match these two performances. Then came the best part, his eyes wide with curiosity and his cheek pushed up by a mischievous smirk as Lucinda brought out a sacrificial knife, cutting herself to add some blood drops. Then sacrificing an actual cricket. A flame erupted and she harnessed the off-color violet plume of smoke that arose, before sending it off towards the contained Mist currently entrapped within Klaus’s spell.

If anyone was looking, it would be quite the dazzling lightshow. Tiberius pet his turtle’s shell as he watched. He was up next. He gestured to Elias and Sam to follow him.

They advanced towards the Mist.

”I’m going to cast a ward first. It should be neutralized by the joint spells. I’ll set up my ward so that when the spells end, the entity or whatever won’t be able to recreate it’s Mist. Should let us investigate without getting our butts whipped. And I mean that figuratively and literally.” He explained to the two werewolves. The bright light of day was replaced by a greyish twilight. There seemed to be no other noise at all. Every bird and critter had fled far away. Every twig and dry leaf they stepped on seemed to crunch and snap with the volume of a freight train. They were coming closer and closer. There was no visible dark mist in the foliage of tree and shrub. It was successfully contained. So what did they find?

”Oh. Oh, fuck.” Tiberius said as he spotted it. It was…a woman. A naked woman. Not too old, not too young. She was just lying there, seemingly unconscious. Watching for a few heartbeats, and no, not because of her nudity, Tiberius could glimpse the small, shallow breaths she was taking. She was alive. This is what was inside the Mist? ”Y’all see that?” He looked at Elias and Sam, as if they might recognize her. Probably her smell and scent more than any physical remembrance. There was a protective instinct inside of Tiberius to want to bring the woman to safety. If it was some hapless townsfolk that got ensnared, then they needed to make sure she was not only okay, but also understood it wasn’t no fault of the witches it happened. Or made to understand she couldn’t be allowed to remember any of this.

”Hold up.” Tiberius said, crouching down to set Ashur on the forest floor, he stood on all fours and gazed determinedly towards the strange woman. ”We came with a plan, let’s stick to it. Protect ourselves first. Then we’ll see…who, or what, she is. Wait here. If she rouses or anything, don’t attach or intervene until it – she- attacks me first. Got it?” He looked at either werewolf to make sure they understood. If they jumped in during his own spell’s process, they might get severely hurt themselves. And the last thing he wanted to be responsible for was hurting a friend.

”Alright…” He put his bag down and opened his spell-book, seemingly flipping through blank pages before he found one. ”Which way is North?” He asked just to confirm, though he ad a good grasp of the cardinal directions where he was standing, even in a heavy forest with the sun obscured. Now it was his turn for some grinding, withdrawing his own ritual bowl much like Lucinda, sitting cross-legged. He put five black wicker candles beside him, while placing an equal parts amount of safflower, hemlock, and belladonna in the bowl. No, don’t lick your fingers for a whole day after handling these…

He began to murmur in ancient Aramaic, an ancient lingua franca of mesopotemian kingdoms, where witchcraft had not only been accepted, but considered vital roles that played a part in religion, government, and war. Closing his eyes, believing himself to indeed be one of those ancient priests standing over a brazier instead of a ceramic bowl, he proceeded to chant more audibly, visible, weaving and bobbing one hand over the mixed contents of his bowl, where a small, milky smoke began to arise.

…in thy names, O lords of heavens, O lords of hells, now shall this foe be conquered, now shall it be shamed, now so shall it be sealed in each of the four corners of the world and beneath the one sky. On this day of days, this month of months, this year of years, this season of seasons, do I, Tiberius, come in my own might, my skin of iron, my heart of fire, so do declare…

And opening his eyes, seeing the small, smoking powder in the bowl, he took each candle and dipped the wick into the mixed contents. That was enough. Trying to hold all five candles now with the deadly spell molded into each, Tiberius stood and walked towards a point northwards of the figure, planting one on the ground. The topmost tip of a pentagram. Next, seven steps inwards to the figure, then seven steps diagonally away, towards a point north-east of the figure, another candle planted in the soft earth. Then, seven steps inwards, seven more outwards, another planted at the south-east. Again, to the south-west. And the last, to the north-west. He continued the final fourteen steps, seven in, seven out towards the first placed candle, to text the geometry. The more exact, the more potent the ward would be. Of course, not all seventy steps were in equal measure or precise, but it was damn close enough.

Coming to the northern point, he turned on his heel and concluded his spell in ancient Aramaic.

… … that whoever transgresses against this seal and rejects these rites, shall split violently and burst in the midst, and the sound of them shall resound with the cadence of pain, and his abode will become akin to hell within these four corners of the world and beneath the one sky…

Four corners of the world and beneath the sky, the five points of his pentagram. At the conclusion, all five candles sparked and slowly burned with a small red flame. The ward was set, a rather violent one, more akin to a prison cell. And should this entity try to depart without his leave, well…those who understood ancient Aramaic would know what the price of that would be. Of course, he was a little shy of testing it himself, as the rule of the ritual was supposedly by his permission that one could enter and exit the ward, sometimes the demonic energies involved might reject his authority, because of some error or misstep in the process.

Only way to test it of course was to pick up a branch, and slowly shift it over one of the seven-step pathways he walked between each candle. Not exactly a red line in the forest floor. But nothing happened as the branch passed over one of these unseen barriers and he was bold then to shift a foot over, like a cautious swimmer testing the temperature of a pool of water. Again, nothing. He breathed and gave a nervous laugh. ”Imagine if I fucked up.” He wiggled his eyebrows humorously at Elias and Sam. ”Alright, time for a rude awakening… he said, stepping towards the woman left behind from the dark Mist and…poking her arm with a stick. What if she woke up and was feral or rabid? What if she was mad and blood crazed? What if…she was completely harmless and stupid and he just cast the most dangerous spell to contain a doe?

Anara · Dec 28, 2022

Character: Samuel// Seneca//Talia//Lucas//Tana
Player/Group: Tiberius ( @BennyQ ), Jasmine/ Elias ( @ThatGeckoGirl ), Klaus ( @Rex. )
Location: Forest-> House

Seneca followed Jazz to the car and got comfortable in the passenger seat. The car smelt of incense, which comforted her in her current state of mind. She mentally reviewed the checklist of items they needed and counted their required amount on her delicate fingertips. The drive was peaceful given the situation, and Seneca appreciated that Jasmine decided to drive as she wasn't quite sure how she would get her car out of its spot with the way she had parked when she had returned home from her mountain trip. As they got out and moved into the herbal shop, Havenly Herbal Apothocary, Seneca noticed those following them paused and scurried out of the way. Odd Before she let the door close behind her, she looked back and felt the strange wind that could only have been coming from the Twin Rivers house. It was starting. Soon the orb would be diminished. She wondered what it held inside-- they needed to hurry, so they could attend the event.

Slipping into the shop, Seneca immediately gravitated towards the herbs that weren't on their list. She had grabbed a metal basket with a canvas liner on the way in and started piling smaller jars of herbs into the basket. "I feel like this was a bad idea," she said while her face lacked emotion. She was thinking, deliberating"Oh! I need a new Amethyst! She quickly floated across the store and paused as two women blocked her path to look at the crystals.

"Excuse me," Seneca said politely, her expression empty, but she meant it with all the politeness she could muster, to which the women looked back with wide eyes and scurried away like the others outside of the shop. "What the hell was that about." She said loud, loud enough for Jazz to hear. "What is with everyone today?"

"Those two ladies are worried and scared about something. Should we uh...try to figure out what?"

Seneca looked to Jazz again and then back at the women. "No, I think we should go home and let the others know something is...off." She paused for a moment, then remembered, "peppermint! We need peppermint for Talia."

As the witches worked in the forest to pull the creature from the mist, Sam stood on guard with Elias. Having no worries at all, Tana took a seat on a medium-sided bolder covered in moss and crossed her legs. She looked like a proud mother watching her magical children work. Sam had noted that this wasn't too bad if she wasn't worried. But the dark magic that Luce was putting off made him question Tana significantly in the end.

This event was beautiful and chaotic. They would surely make quick work of this mist and put an end to its strange mystifying powers.

"Is this safe?" He asked loudly, his voice laced with urgency.

"Luce has a handle on it. If she doesnt, I'll step in. You know I won't let them hurt the group. Relax Sam. It's okay, Elias," Tana assured the pup and then looked back at the swirling black mist as if she grew angry, lashing out in all directions like fireworks. It wanted to entrap Luce, but she had successfully pushed it back with her sacrifice, satiating it for a moment so that Tiberius could set up for his own ritual.

"This creature moves strangely." Tana said as she watched. " like its limbs are not its own... like.." She couldn't put her finger on it at first, but then her eyes widened. "Like fire!"

Next was Tiberius, and she watched diligently as this was her student. He chanted, and she nodded slightly to the words and his enunciation. Granted, it was a stressful moment, but she didn't fault him for his footwork when he started to walk in the form of a pentagram. She rarely saw him work his magic on anything, but they had been so safe and protected that now was his time to shine. "very good!" "Very good!" she clapped her hands together.

Just as quickly as it had begun, the mist dispersed. Its black tendrils burst into particles that weaved around the small area, catching flame to the dead grass and leaves on the forest floor. Lingering tendrils outstretched towards the wolves, and Tana raised her hand to block their advancement with her own fire bursts. And as Tiberius approached, this gave Tana a better view of the woman who lay there, shivering from the ordeal. She was unclothed and beautiful in the pale forest light, glowing slightly silver as the dusk light dappled through the great tall oaks. Tiberius poked her arm, and Tana chuckled.

"Let me see." She said, standing and walking over. Suddenly Tana gasped and grabbed hold of Tiberius's arm in an attempt to move him away like a child from a bonfire and stared at the figure. "The exiled one." She Breathed. "luce, Tiberius, headed back to the house. Sam and Elias pick up the woman. I will burn this place of its evil magic."

Before Elias could assist Sam, Tana reached for his arm. "Call the house mothers to the common room, and have them seal that location. Leave the woman in the center of the floor; once you are finished, remove yourself from the house so Talia can absolve you of any lingering magic. This thing seems to have an affinity for wolves." Her dark eyes bore into him; the seriousness behind her voice was firm. This woman from the mist was not to be trusted.

Anara · Dec 28, 2022

When Havenly had become established and prospered, the years seemed to flow like that of water. Years and generations continued, which soon brought Havenly into the 1970s. Summer nights were long, the fireflies filled the air like green stars, and music lifted with them as well. It was the age of technology, the years that would put Havenly on the map. Tourists found their temporary homes in the town, kayaking and fishing in the lush green forests, barbecuing and laughing with their families. It was picturesque. A life that Jamie Anderson wanted immensely. She had grown up traveling to Havenly with her parents and brother. They would lay about in the sun on a free dock, catching nothing but junk in the nearby lake. It was the hobby she loved, so it didn't matter if they caught anything; their father would take them out for dinner and ice cream later anyways. When Jamie opened her acceptance letter to Havenly University, she screeched and hollowed with her parents, bouncing around the house and tossing skimpy clothing into a suitcase because that was the style.

She was quick to reconnect with her friends who had lived there in town, and it almost seemed like she belonged there. Some people could feel it in their bones; Jamie was no different. So it was no surprise when she met the man she would soon marry just a few months into her chosen classes. It had seemed, for the time, that now that she had found the perfect man, she should settle down and take her life more seriously. And so she did.

While finishing up her classes one winter night, trying to cram for her final, she decided to head home, it was well into the negative temperatures, and ice had already started forming on the pavement. She knew that her new husband would be worried sick if she wasn't home before ten
P.M. So she loaded her beat-down Thunderbird, piled into it with her winter coat and scarf, and started it... well, attempted to start, the car. After a few turns, it finally began with a roar, and she rejoiced.

Carefully pulling out from the snowy curb, she headed down the plowed road, singing to herself to distract her mind away from the small jerks of her car on black ice. As the windy roads grew foggy like they always did towards the Twin River, she leaned forward and turned the volume down on the radio. With cold hands gripping the steering wheel, she took it slow, but a silver buck lept into the road. With a hiss, she turned the wheel quickly to dodge it, but as she turned into the side of the mountain, the ice built up there forced her into the other lane.

Closing her eyes, she braced for impact.

A tree would do damage, but at least she would live. As she slid down the road, her cart hit an old oak that seemed to hold firm against the weight of the massive car. Opening her eyes, she was thankful, but he saw the buck meander over. The tree's position made it a perfect place to walk down into the meadow below. Breathing through strands of silvery blond hair, she shook her head as if to beg the creature to go a different direction. Watching as the buck stepped onto the hood of the Thunderbird and then onto the tree, she knew that the tree couldn't support both, and as it cracked with each movement, it soon gave way, taking her down with it. In contrast, the height hadn't been enough to kill her. But the impact was.

Looking back, the silver buck had lept to the ground safely and carried along the Twin river's edge, burying its node into the snow and looking for spring vegetation.

As the years came and went, Jamie's memories because nothing more than repaired road and a broken tree stump. Havenly town folks say that she still haunts the meadow looking for the silver buck and anyone who can bring her back to the surface, but her touch has proven deadly to those who find her as she has been known to possess those who see her and assume their life within the town.

And it was on the very day the mist had been provoked she had found her next victim.

ThatGeckoGirl · Dec 29, 2022

Character: Lucinda / Jasmine / Elias
Player/Group: Tiberius ( @BennyQ ), Everlee/Samuel/Seneca ( @Kassia ), Klaus ( @Rex. )
Location: Forest -> House / Downtown Havenly -> House

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The moment Elias saw the naked woman in the center of this chaos, his first instinct was to run to her. He wanted to put her out of this and get her to safety. His body tensed to do just that, but Tiberius saying to hold back made him pause. The werewolf grit his teeth, his eyes locked on the woman as he reluctantly stood in place. The amethyst dug painfully into his palms as he clenched them tightly. He could feel his breaths quicken looking at the naked woman's still and collapsed form. Flashes of finding his sister dead at the border of the forest entered his mind. Her skin had been so deathly pale it had look gray. A needle had been sticking out of her arm with a rubber tourniquet tied above it. She just laid there as a broken form against the leaves. The only difference here is that he could see the ever so faint rise and fall of this woman's chest. It was shallow, but she was breathing. He had been too late with his sister to see her breathing by the time he found her.

Elias felt sick to his stomach as he forced himself to stay in place while Tiberius did his magic. The dark magic wasn't helping anything either. He let the warlock do what he needed to. A part of him wondered if something had might happen if he moved. With both Lucinda and Tiberius, the thick and nauseating scent of dark magic was permeating the air. Tana's reaction to the woman by pulling back Tiberius from her alarmed Elias. Exiled one? That said, he didn't need to be told twice to get to the girl...even if now he was wary about her too. Before he could rush forth, Tana caught his arm. He looked to her, nodding at her orders. Affinity to wolves? While he wished to know more, now wasn't the time for questions. "Yes Tana," He nodded to her before following Sam to the woman.

If he had a jacket on, Elias would have draped it over her nude body. However, he didn't have one. Instead, he took one of her arms and draped it over his shoulders so Sam could take her other arm. He also wrapped his arm around her waist to help stabilize her despite her seemingly unconscious state. "So uh...what do you say to some beers after this?" Elias asked Sam once they began to carry the girl out and to the house, "I could sure use a drink." Elias tried not to drink too much after the problem nearly killed him, but when these flashbacks hit his mind, he tended to feel the need to drink. Usually, he'd speak to Tana or sometimes Jasmine, but this time he'd rather have some beers with his buddy.

"I'll call the Housemothers. I think Talia is going to cleanse the dark magic from us," Elias spoke to Sam. He set the girl down carefully on the ground in the center of the common room area. "Karma, Talia!!! There was a woman in the mist! The common room needs to be sealed!" He shouted out to call the Housemothers. From there, he did as Tana said. He left the common room and house, and waited just outside of it to be cleaned of the lingering remains of the magic he just stood around.

***

Lucinda took in deep breaths as she controlled the malevolent spell she had cast. She continued to have a grip on it until she was allowed to release the spell. The purplish smoke snaking around her arms and down her wand abruptly dissipated. The obsidian stones in her bone wand seemed to have a faint glow for a moment as well as the obsidian around her neck as the stones did their job in protecting her from harmful effects. Regardless, the spots where the smoke had wrapped around her arms ached. Luce glanced at them. Her skin was a bright red from where they had been. It was likely she'd have spiraling bruises going up from her wrists to her biceps by morning. The first thing she did after dropping her spell was wrapping the cut on her palm. It wasn't a very deep cut, but it was still bleeding. The little wrap was just some loose fabric, so she'd need to get an actual bandage inside the house. Only ashes remained of the objects Luce had utilized for her spell. A light sigh escaped her lips. She'd need to collect the molted snake skin of a venomous snake again. She tilted out of ashes. The burned up materials no longer possessed any of the maleficent power they once had. Her spell had taken up all of it.

"The fuck?" She muttered, raising her eyebrows questioningly in seeing Sam and Elias carrying some naked lady, "She was in the mist? Sure hope she has a good fuckin' reason."

Just as Lucinda got to her feet, she looked over to Tiberius and made her way over. Had he learned anything significant other than a lady had materialized from it? Any possible connection to Briar going missing? If anyone got anything valuable out of that, it was Berry. However, before she could start her little interrogation of interest, her eyes widened in seeing burn marks on his chest. The thing got him?! "Oh fuck! Berry, you son of a bitch, you got hit! You just wanted my attention, huh? Well congrats, you damn well got it. With me! I'm treating you, and I won't take no for an answer!" Luce said brashly, "I need to bandage my palm anyways. Let's go!" Luce wasn't a force to be argued with as she snatched Tiberius's hand to drag him to the infirmary of the House. There should be plenty of herbs to help treat burns there, plus bandages for her palm and to wrap up Tiberius's scorched skin.

"Does it hurt badly?" She questioned as she tugged him towards the House, glancing at the warlock from over her shoulder.

***

"Okay...yeah, it seems something weird is happening around town. Or something," Jasmine murmured in a nod to Seneca's response. It was better to keep out of it and let the others know first before acting. For all they knew, maybe some new person moved to town and was weird. Small towns could get riled up about things that other people may view as insignificant. That said, it wasn't like the magic used against the mist hadn't been noticeable above the canopy. The shifting mist and purple coloration would likely be whispered about among the townspeople for at least a few days, if Jazz had to guess.

"Peppermint! Yes!" Jazz nodded with determination, her eyes and mind having strayed as much as Sen's had as she looked around. Already, their little basket was full of herbs and crystals they hadn't even come into town for. Jasmine just absentminded would pick some up and place it in. Sen appeared just as distracted by all the material items within the apothecary they could use. Before she forgot again, Jasmine went to the peppermint and got a good supply of it before placing it into the basket. Along the way came some lemongrass and mint, as well as some lavender and sandalwood incense.

"Um...Sen, we should probably pay for the items and leave. We might end up buying the whole store if we continue on like this," Jasmine said with a light giggle as she looked over at the other witch with amused eyes. They were a terrible pair to be going about this in town. Both of them were shopping happy when it came to these things. Jasmine looked completely relaxed, which was a vast difference from how she had tensed up when Lucinda had entered the room earlier in the House. The two worried women rushing out of the store had also allowed some tension to ease from her as well.

At the cashier, Jasmine was more than happy to pay for the haul of materials she and Seneca had tossed together. As they had come into town, Jazz was their way out of it by driving her hybrid back to the house. "Hopefully they're finished dealing with that mist," Jasmine said softly after humming along to a song that played over the car's speakers. She shifted a little anxiously in thought. That thing...it had made her extremely uncomfortable. It was violent. The last thing she wanted was for another excessively violent entity overwhelming her again. It didn't take too long to get back to the house. Jasmine parked her car and got out, grabbing some of the bags in the back to carry into the kitchen so they could make Talia some tea. As she got close to the door, however, Jasmine froze in place. A shudder ran through her.

"Something...is inside," Jasmine whispered in a small voice, her eyes wide, "Sen, I don't like this." Was it safe to go in? Jasmine's heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. She was afraid. She could sense, feel, the darkness of whatever thing was inside trying to worm its way past her mental defenses and overwhelm her emotions. Where were the others? Jazz backed away from the door leading into the house and peered around the corner, seeing Sam and Elias. She could sense that Elias was troubled emotionally - confused, sad, concerned. The sadness seemed separate from the other two. "Is everything okay? Is it safe to go in the kitchen?" She asked them with a nervous edge to her voice.

BennyQ · Jan 2, 2023

CHARACTER: TIBERIUS METTE.

PLAYER | GROUP: Samuel Owens (@Kassia), Elias Graham/Lucinda Whitlock (@ThatGeckoGirl), Klaus und Zanfo (@Rex.).

LOCATION: Forest/The Mist -> Twin Rivers House.

Very good! Housemother Tana praised, though facing away, Tiberius permitted himself a little smile of pride. Yeah, he was good. So good he was poking this unconscious woman with a stick. At least she was corporeal, which made things a lot easier. And yet before he could give a third poke, the last vestiges of the Mist flailed like a wounded serpent, which was said to bite deepest. It lashed out, towards the wolves, towards him, taking him by surprise. The tendril lashed across his chest, from his left hip bone to his right shoulder, leaving a terrible burning sensation that staggered him a pace or two back, making him drop the stick.

”Ah, fuck.” He exclaimed, though rather quietly, like a person who gives themselves a static shock. He was exposed, terribly so, and a follow up assault would be devastating. Wisely, he began to backpedal, out of the pentagram drawn ward he left behind, but there was no following assault. Indeed there was nothing. It was just…over. The Mist dispersed and there were no further injuries or attempts at harm. Tiberius watched the skies cautiously, before glancing left and right, as if it might speedily return around the base of a tree for round two. Or three. Or four. This time he would be ready.

His chest ached terribly, especially when the garment of his sweater brushed against it, which was often…

Tana approached now, touching his arm to move him further back from the unconscious body. She had remained prone and unmoving during the entire scene. A victim? A captive? ”The…exiled one?” He repeated with a quirk of his eyebrow, towards Tana. But she was already issuing orders. He and Luce, back to the house. Sam and Elias would carry the woman. ”Don’t get too excited now, boys.” He teased them about carrying a naked woman together. And Tana would ensure there was no remnants of any magical proof. ”Let me clean up my spell.” He just said, moving towards the planted black wicker candles, kicking each one over with a foot to disable the spell, before picking them up to shove back in his satchel. Ashur sat by his spellbook, propped against a nearby tree. Tiberius was hurt. He didn’t want to appear so, so he would linger with the pretense of this clean up, as Sam and Elias hauled the unconscious woman away, and venture back after he checked himself and-

Oh fuck! Berry, you son of a bitch, you got hit-

Oh, she could see? Tiberius was moving awkwardly. He had pulled his arm up through the sleeve of his sweater, instead curling it up along his torso beneath to create a small rift between his garment and the burn wound. It did hurt. The skin would be reddened and starting to blister, like a first degree burn wound. I’m treating you, and I won’t take no for an answer. ”Negative, then.” Tiberius tried an alternative, but Lucinda was adamant, and honestly he enjoyed it a little. He frowned and looked around the scene, where the forest seemed to be returning to some normalcy. He didn’t want to go back just yet, and not just to cover up his hurt. It was still quiet. The birds and critters hadn’t returned, but they would soon. Nature always reclaimed. But something…felt off.

Then Lucinda grabbed his hand and dragged him along. He paused only to scope up Ashur, shoving the turtle into the front pouch of his sweater, and tucking his spell-book under an arm. Then he permitted himself to be dragged. Her hand felt cold, soothing in a way, in contrast to the burning sensation on his chest. ”It aches and throbs. I’ve been burned before.” Tiberius just explained. ”What about your palm? Love it when a witch gets down and dirty with some blood magic.” He wiggled his eyebrows amusingly. "But yeah, we did it. Seems like overkill now, but we didn’t know going in. Better to be safe than sorry, yeah? But damn those tendrils or tentacles or whatever got some whiplash to them.”

The house was coming back in sight. Tiberius and Lucinda would be the last ones to arrive back, Sam and Elias no doubt already in with their haul, as well as Tana. ”Hey Luce, you saw them come by right? Did you see the woman? Do you recognize her?” He asked her quietly before they would enter. ”Mama Tana called her the exiled one, or something. Why would that be? Must have been a former member of the Coven, but got expelled for whatever, and came back for revenge. I don’t know. Just keep your eyes and ears open, yeah? We’ll talk about it later tonight. I’ll definitely owe you a drink for the bandaging.” Tiberius offered, not liking the idea of bringing whatever was at the heart of the Mist into their lair, but with three Housemothers present, they should be safe, right? Right?

One of the vehicles were missing. Jasmine and Seneca had gone somewhere. Maybe he should text them to grab some goodies. Inside the house, Tiberius just gestured for Lucinda to lead him on to wherever she wanted to bandage him up. He would have to take off his sweater, and while he had a decent physique of lean muscle, he didn’t fancy the idea of being shirtless in the common room with a half dozen other individuals.

Anara · Jan 9, 2023

Character: Samuel// Seneca//Mentions of Talia//Mentions of NPC Lucas//Tana//Karma
Player/Group: Tiberius ( @BennyQ ), Jasmine/ Elias ( @ThatGeckoGirl ), Klaus ( @Rex. )
Location: Havenly->Twin river house//Forest-> Twin River common room/ Deck

Seneca pulled her wallet out from her purse and paid for the items in their overfilling baskets. She was as calm and collected as one could be in their situation, and as she looked up at the cashier, she thought to herself. Leaning in, she decided to ask the most burning question.

"What's going on in this town?"

"You haven't heard? It's as if the lore has come into reality. People are seeing strange things in the forest and river, two people already missing. We haven't had people missing since the '70s."

"Missing?" She asked, then pulled her card from the chip reader and shoved it back into her wallet.

"Yeah, a hunter and some out-of-town camper." The cashier leaned in. "They haven't found the bodies. It's like they vanished out of thin air."

Seneca looked to Jasmine with wide eyes; Briar also had vanished out of thin air. Havenly had always been a quiet and mostly peaceful town, so murder seemed very out of place. After the cashier bagged up their items, Seneca picked them up and hurried into Jasmine's car so they could make their way back.

The drive home was short, but Seneca couldn't turn off her mind-- what was happening in this town?

"Something...is inside,"

Looking over at Jasmine, she noticed the worry on her face and nodded. Something was inside the house-- she could feel it.

"Is everything okay? Is it safe to go in the kitchen?"

Jasmine had looked out into the common room, and Seneca peered around the corner of the hall as well, but as Jasmine paused, she decided to take the bags from her hands and gave a reassuring nod. " It will be okay. We can do this. We have everything we need to ward off this evil." Seneca was determined, so she weaved through the crowd of people in the living room, set all the bags down on the kitchen island, and then waved Jasmine over quickly. Talia needed their help, knowing that this would be their first priority to secure the house; she had to swallow back her fear of the new individual on the common room floor and start working on the tea, periodically glancing over and trying to piece together what had happened.

"So, what do you say to some beers after this?"

Sam glanced at Elias and laughed, then nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. We need to change the oil on some of the witch's cars. Several. I don't see why we can't do both. I need to get out of the house."

As they walked, Samuel glimpsed back at the woman in their arms and tried to understand what Tala had said about the "exiled one" he could almost feel the venom seething from her lips which were odd given her usual neutral demeanor.

Soon he heard Elias speak and looked forward toward the deck of the Twin River House.

"Karma, Talia!!! There was a woman in the mist! The common room needs to be sealed!"

Karma had heard Elias while she was in her room organizing and repurifying her ingredients. Looking out of her octagon-shaped window in her room, she decided to meander out from her room and looked down from the spiral glass-encased staircase. She watched Samuel and Elias bring in the naked woman and lay her on the floor of the standard room, her eyes behind the sunglasses wide and a brow arching up over the round glasses.

Soon, Karma carefully made her way down the stairs-- apprehensive like a feline. Bypassing the center of the common area, she linked her arm up with Elias's and moved him out of the house. He was a young pup-- much more vulnerable to the magic older witches could cast, especially an Exiled one's. Samuel took a blanket from the sofa in the room and placed it over the woman's body, then followed Elias, Karma, and Tana outside. Karma handed Tana a carved wand of selenite which had been tucked away in her jacket pocket. Tana smiled and graciously accepted it and the two housemothers stood a foot away from the wolves. They held the wand in both hands, the ends setting gently in their palms, and then slowly started to run it over the form of each wolf, absolving them of the dark energy. After several minutes of chanting simultaneously to clear energy. Soon after ten minutes of doing this maneuver and chanting, the wands broke. The house mothers looked back at each other, and with a slight nod, they crushed the wands in their hands and blew the dust into the wind.

"Head inside, boys. Lucas made dinner." Tana smiled and turned on her heels to return to the house.

ThatGeckoGirl · Jan 10, 2023

Character: Lucinda / Jasmine / Elias
Player/Group: Tiberius ( @BennyQ ), Everlee/Samuel/Seneca ( @Kassia ), Klaus ( @Rex. )
Location: House: Lucinda's room / Kitchen / Garage(?)

"Smartass," Lucinda snorted with a roll of her eyes when Tiberius said negative instead of 'no.' However, the light curve of her lips showed she actually found amusement in his retort.

As she dragged him along to the house, Lucinda noted what he said about the injury. A part of her felt an odd sense of relief when he mentioned it was a burn, and the aching and throbbing wasn't seeming to escalate in pain as the seconds ticked by. Given the preparation and anxiety that had filled everyone about that orb, she had nearly expected the injury to have cursed him in some way. But a first degree burn? That was very much treatable. She had some aloe up in her room for burns she sustained from backfiring spells, as well as bandages from using her own blood in rituals. A wicked yet alluring smile crossed over Lucinda's face when Tiberius brought up the cut on her palm while she peered at him from over her shoulder.

"This little fucker? I've taken far worse. Besides. I'm always up for getting down and dirty," Luce winked flirtatiously, though she nodded along to what Berry said regarding their "attack" on the mist. Normally, she was impulsive and reckless. It wasn't very often that she took the time to properly prepare for something, mostly because she reacted primarily on instinct. In her defense, most shit she has had to deal with her in life had to be dealt with that quickly. Even moving to Havenly had been an impulse decision. She was lucky it had worked out as well as it did considering she came to the town with next to nothing. Luce had to admit to herself that it had felt good to actually feel prepared for something. Being safe rather than sorry was still rather foreign to her, but it had helped her feel confident during the whole event. There wasn't an extreme rush of adrenaline, or her body being overtaken by the fight or flight response. For once, she actually felt in control of a dangerous situation. Lucinda drew herself from these thoughts as Tiberius brought up what Tana had said about the naked lady - calling her the exiled one.

"I have no fuckin' idea. I haven't come across that name in any of my studies, and I don't recognize the bitch from anywhere," Lucinda responded honestly despite that a part of her kind of wanted to fib in saying she knew for the notoriety, "Hopefully the Headmothers will shed some light on this shit. I don't like being so goddamn uninformed."

"Hmmm...just a drink, huh?" Lucinda smirked over at Tiberius suggestively before tugging him forward once more into the house. She didn't hesitate to draw him up the spiraling staircase and towards her room. All the items she needed were in it. Upon reaching it, she'd indicate for Berry to sit in one of her black chairs before kicking the door to her room shut. "Take your shirt off...or I'll have no choice but to cut it off," Luce grinned over at Berry before heading to her desk. Before grabbing things to heal him, she pulled out an antiseptic wipe and a white bandage to wrap around her palm. She applied the wipe quickly to her cut to swipe away the dried blood coating it. While it stung, she didn't react to the pain. Instead, she swiftly wrapped up the small cut wound after cleaning it, and tossed the use items into a trash can. Then, after using some hand sanitizer, she calmly pulled out some aloe vera and, in a small dish, began to squeeze out the gel-like pulp from the leaf of the succulent. Once she extracted as much as she could from the stem-like leaf, she grabbed some nonstick bandages and walked over.

"Alright, I'll apply the aloe then wrap it up. You should apply aloe like...one or two times a day until it's healed or whatever. I think that's what I read," Luce shrugged, dipping her pointer and middle fingers into the extracted pulp before reached out towards Berry's burn wound. She was surprisingly gentle with the application despite her rougher personality as she did her best not to harm Tiberius any more than he already was. When the burn was adequately covered, she was quick to wrap it up. Lucinda leaned back on her heels as she admired her handiwork before extending the dish of the remaining aloe vera. "Here. You can have the rest," Slowly, however, Lucinda rested her hands on the armrests of the chair and leaned towards Berry, "So. I think a drink was mentioned?"

***

Jasmine watched Seneca walk into the house, shifting on her feet anxiously before reluctantly following. She winced at the barrage of emotions she felt rising from the unknown woman in the center of the Common Room. She kept her distance as much as she could, and she avoided looking over. She didn't want to see this strange entity's aura. At least, not yet. Not at the moment. Right now, she wanted to focus on making sure everything was prepared to help Talia. She would aid in the making of the tea since she had already created the small bracelets with the necessary gems. Within the kitchen, Jazz made herself useful by putting away the many things she and Seneca had gotten at the store. Humming quietly under her breath, she placed the herbs in the correct canisters, and the gems in the right areas outside of the kitchen. Doing this, she couldn't help but think back to what the lady had said about what was going on in town. Two missing people? It was really weird to happen in Havenly. Was it connected to that mist thing and this person? She didn't like to think about it.

"Ready?" Jazz asked Seneca as she poked her head back into the kitchen. She gave a weak smile as she held up the small bracelets she had crafted with the gems to aid Talia.

At the same time, Tana and Karma had finished cleansing Elias and Samuel. It was odd. Even though Elias hadn't noticed it before, it was as though a great weight was lifted from his chest - as if some heavy shadow had plunged inside and built up. The cleansing released all of that, and he found himself feeling lighter when he hadn't known before he had felt weighed down. Some of the depressing thoughts and responses towards the memories of his late sister eased somewhat. The churning in his stomach subsided and the tightness in his chest left. He wondered if Samuel had a similar reaction, but didn't ask about it. Instead, he started to head inside. After all, he and Sam talked about beers and working on the cars! That still sounded like a fun game plan after the tension of the rituals that just happened. "I'll grab us some beers," He grinned at Sam, clapping the other werewolf on the shoulder as he walked inside the house. They could also quickly grab some food to scarf down while they were at it.

Elias was quick to recognize that the kitchen was already inhabited by Seneca and Jasmine. "That tea smells great," He said warmly to the two of them as he headed towards the refrigerator. He opened it up and pulled out a six pack of beer. Just as he was about to close it...he grabbed another one. Just in case.

"Thanks, it's all Sen's work," Jasmine smiled, the tension seeming to ease out of her as she tapped into Elias's calmer emotions, "Going to work on cars?" Her eyes flicked down to the two six packs in his hands as the refrigerator door shut behind him.

"What gave it away?" Elias laughed teasingly.

"Ooooh nothing," Jasmine responded playfully, "Hi Sam." She waved to the other werewolf in inviting acknowledgement while giving a shy but warm smile his way. "I'm glad the two of you seem to be okay," She commented.

"Thanks. Honestly, the whole thing was kind of...anticlimatic in a way? Just weird. It raises more questions than answers," Elias sighed, "Anyways, I'll be in the garage!"

Elias made his way to the cars, setting down the two six packs when he got there. He opened one of the cans and leaned back against the wall as he took a deep drink of the chilled beer. Even though working on cars was his job as a mechanic in Havenly, it was also a hobby of his. It could occupy his mind, or was a nice past time to keep his hands busy as he had conversation with someone else. Plus, it was nice that the cars of the Coven could be taken care of at the same time. Elias wasn't entirely sure what to make of everything that happened. Though he has been a werewolf for a few years now, he was still relatively new to the whole world of magic. Every so often, it was hard to wrap his head around. This was one of those times. A naked woman just appeared out of mist. The beer was certainly necessary.

BennyQ · Jan 11, 2023

CHARACTER: TIBERIUS METTE.

PLAYER | GROUP: Lucinda Whitlock/Jasmine Elendale (@ThatGeckoGirl), Housemother Tana (@Kassia)

LOCATION: Twin Rivers House/Lucinda’s Bedroom.

This little fucker? I’ve taken far worse. Besides, I’m always up for getting down and dirty.

”Oh yeah, eh?” Tiberius grinned and chuckled, feeling like that was a challenge. No, it most definitely was a challenge. Little blood magic here, little pain there, both routes seemed to end in some…wicked pleasures. His favorite kind too. There didn’t seem anything else to plan to put up on their horizons. Lucinda didn’t have any answers regarding the mystery woman either. And being stuck waiting for some sort of news or tidbit of information from the Housemothers could mean waiting five minutes or five years or some indeterminate length of time that they simply wouldn’t be given.

Just a drink? No, it would be multiple. Wouldn’t stop until they simply…wouldn’t be able to do anything else but stop, becoming so incoherently or incapable of much else. She took him up the staircase, where he had passed out often enough on the return from some binge. Sometimes he just slept in the forest. He was brought into Lucinda’s room, which seemed a great measure of trust for Tiberius, since he absolutely hated it when people went in his room. He didn’t like to be a hypocrite though and just wonder into others. He was seated, and he reached into the front pouch of his sweater to draw out Ashur, his turtle-familiar, setting him on the bedroom floor to crawl around at his own, very deliberate pace.

Take your shirt off...or I'll have no choice but to cut it off.

”Do it, bitch.” Tiberius shot back at her. He liked this sweater. She didn’t seem all too intent on dealing with his challenge at the moment, so he moved to take off his own sweater. Though, just as he was about to pull it over his eyes and head, he did steal a moment…to watch Lucinda’s backside as she dug through her drawers and desk for various things. God damn. And it must be good if he was invoking the man upstairs who apparently abhorred their kind. He pulled his sweater up, wincing as the movements caused the burning to flare up across his chest. He was only wearing a muscle shirt underneath, covering his abdomen and lower chest. His arms were bare, the tendons of muscle dancing with every little shift of his limbs. Oh, did she want that off too? Apparently, to properly get at the lash-shaped burning welt across his chest. Soon that was dropped to the floor as well.

She dabbed at his burn first with something horrible and he did the appropriate hisses and winces. ”Is that necessary or are you just fucking with me?” He even accused her. Jokingly? Nah. He wouldn’t put it past Lucinda of all people to take a little pleasure in pain, given past remarks. Still, he sat mostly obedient as she patched him up, bringing some bandages to put over, along with some instructions to change it every now and then. ”Yeah, sure.” Said a man who had no intentions of doing anything of the sort. The bandages would probably stay on until he showered the next day. Then it was a free-for-all. Probably hurt, but it would heal. All good. He’d handle it.

”Your cold ass hands actually feel better than the paste.” He commented to her, watching her face as she worked so diligently to dab and apply the bandages. He honestly felt like this was overkill. It was only a magical burning lash! Nothing too crazy. Right? Happened all the time. Psh. He could just walk it off. He took the dish from her when she offered it, raising it to his nose to sniff and then peer down at it. To do what with? Could he eat it?

”Right, a drink. All I got is my homemade stuff. But if you want something quality, which a young fine woman like yourself who’s never done anything wrong deserves, then we might have to pick some up.” He was guilt tripping her of course. He wanted her to ask for it, because it stoked his ego more than performing any perfected ritual or spell. His homemade stuff was more than adequate. He spent years perfecting brewing, figuring out everyone’s tastes and in miniscule ways, perfecting those tastes to make a decent beer. It was usually a percentage point or two stronger than the store bought stuff. He smirked and picked up his clothing to put back on.

Ashur in all this time was almost to the door. Something was amiss. But he had no clear way of communicating that.

”Come on, let’s head down to the cellar and see what’s in stock. Maybe the others have an answer or two about the weirdo Mist bitch.” Tiberius said when he was fully clothed again, rising to his feet. ”And thanks again, Luce. I’ll be sure to tell Jasmine repeatedly how nice and kind you were.” He completely joked, knowing Jasmine would likely get her head bitten off again. That was always funny. And Tiberius was always mischievous enough to provoke a laugh however way he could. Stepping out the room, Ashur left behind for the moment, they could return to the common room and see what was going on.

Coming down, he heard Tana declare Lucas made some dinner. Tiberius didn’t feel particularly hungry. That would come after crushing a few beers. More than a few. He looked around and made note of who was back so far. ”What’s the game plan now? Who’s the woman? Your friend?” He fired off several questions when he saw Tana, hoping to get some answers still uncertain after today’s events.

Anara · Mar 16, 2023

CHARACTER: House mother Tana/ Seneca/ Samuel

PLAYER | GROUP: @ThatGeckoGirl (Elias/ jasmine) @BennyQ (Tiberius)

LOCATION: Twin Rivers House -> Common room,Kitchen, Garage

Samuel acknowledged Jasmin's smile and nodded in return. He looked at Tana, who stared at the woman on the floor and sighed heavily. "What a mess."

Seneca looked at Tana, and then the now-covered woman curled up on the hardwood floors. She was dripping in contained tendrils of black magic that tried to wrap themselves around her still form.

"Who do you think it is, Tana?" She asked curiously while topping off a small glass teapot and pulling a matching teacup from a cupboard. Gently she set everything on a golden tray and then nearly flinched as she heard Tiberiu's voice over the commotion. Had her concentration been that deep?

" What's the game plan now? Who's the woman? Your friend?"

"An old house mother." Tana finally spoke as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Banished from the group a hundred or so years ago- Between myself, Karma, and Talia. There had been a disagreement, we wanted to utilize our abilities to secure the house away from the Havenly community, but she wanted to remove them completely. It was not in our nature to allow innocents to be injured by our magic, no matter how ruthless they had been. This was a safe space for all to enter, and her ideals of death and destruction did not fit. So she was cast out from the coven. We had lost contact-- which is unfortunate because a power like that should always be watched. I don't know what happened after. Did an entity swallow her whole? Or did she create it? I suppose we will not know until she wakes. I've spent enough time explaining this, and poor Talia needs your assistance. Karma and I will move the body into a guest room and secure it with healing and protection magic."

Slowly and possibly reluctantly, Karma nodded and pulled herself away from a wall next to the kitchen. Together the two House Mothers lifted up the exiled house mother and made their slow ascent upstairs.

"Cast out?" Seneca glanced at jasmine curiously. "I didn't know we had banished someone out before for dark powers." She followed the house mothers upstairs with a tray holding the teapot and cup. "I wonder if she was always that way or if the powers drove her mad. I'm sure that could happen..."

Sam had heard the conversation and remained quiet. While Elias made his way to the garage with a 6 pack of beer, he followed, thankful to be out of the way of this mess of a situation. Spending time away from everyone would do them well.

"These cars..." Samuel sighed as he looked at the vehicles in the garage. "These new ones here have so many issues with the electrical components. Let me get the 'tester, and see if anything needs to be corrected. Sen's car needs oil-- that thing guzzles everything, and Lucas probably needs breaks."

Cracking open a can of beer, he pulled the diagnostic tester down from a shelf, wandered over to one of the cars, popped the hood, and looked inside. Heat radiated off the innards, but he continued with his task, took a few more sips of the beer, looked at the can to see what it was, raised a brow, and returned to work. " These kids will run these cars into the damn ground." Samuel huffed. He wasn't the reminiscing type of person while doing his hobbies-- he tried his best to live in the now. But Elias was the closest to his own age, and he paused as he turned on the radio to drown out the wandering thoughts his mind often went to when he worked on the cars.

"How's work been?" Sam wanted to check in with his wolves occasionally, no matter how painful that conversation was. " You, uh, doin' okay over there at that mechanics place in town?" His words came slightly muffled as he set an unlit cigarette between his teeth and reached into the sea of wires and parts with a wrench, having found something off on the diagnostic reader that needed to be fixed.

Kosmik_Khaos · Mar 19, 2023

Character: Tobias Gordy
Player | Group: All active
Location: Inside Delilah --> Twin Rivers House

Delilah made her way down the open highway, a sign for Havenly whipping past with the information that the sleepy town was just a couple dozen miles away. With her windows down and music up, Tobias bobbed along with the music, his left arm propped up in the open window, his reddish brown hair kept from his face by a single braid hanging down his back. He was excited to finally be getting back home, it had been just over six weeks he was gone, going across the country, twice, before coming home. He ran bi yearly deliveries between the various covens of the nation, moving supplies that would be heavily questioned by other services and some being flat out illegal, not that Toby minded.

Within the half hour Toby exited the Highway and made his way into town. A smile graced his grim face, only the left side really pulling up to a smile, the multitude of scars on the right, though mostly silvery lines after nearly a century of healing still caused the right side of his face twist more into a sneer than a smile. The covens all knew he was kinder than his face let on, and quite a few of the Havenly local's had come to recognize the silent scarred man. Delilah was probably more well known in Havenly than Toby was if he were being honest. He got plenty of waves as he drove though the picturesque town, returning as many as he was able, especially for the kids and elderly.

Driving though town Tobias did notice something off. There was a scent of unease in the air. A mix of fear, and anger that filled the whole town. Something had happened that upset the residents while he was away. It had to be something big to change the scent of the entire area. Narrowing his amber eyes he gave Delilah a bit more gas and took the fastest way to the Twin Rivers house.

It was less than ten minutes later that Delilah was parked in the furthest spot from the house, his chosen spot so he could easily get in and out. Not having anything that needed to be stored right way in the bed of Delilah he made his way to the front door. As he opened the door he let out a series of sharp knocks and a fairly loud whistle to announce his return home since he couldn't shout out to the house he was back. Though the rumble of Delilah should have been clue enough if anyone was paying attention. Stepping fully into the door he shut it behind him and took in a long deep breath. He was finally home.

BennyQ · Mar 21, 2023

CHARACTER: TIBERIUS METTE.

PLAYER | GROUP: Lucinda Whitlock (@ThatGeckoGirl), House Mother Tana (@Kassia), Tobias Gordy (@Kosmik_Khaos), Open.

LOCATION: Twin Rivers House/Common Room.

It took only a short hour for Lucinda to take care of Tiberus’ injuries, with more exciting things soon to follow. With such an intense commotion having come and gone, the zest for life seemed stronger than ever. And what better way to celebrate life than by experiencing all it’s most surreal and passionate emotions? As much as could be filled in such a short amount of time. Emotions like fun, intoxication, laughter, companionship, maybe even a bit of loving and intimacy. From Lucinda’s room, Tiberius bound down back to the common room, where some of the other witches and house mothers were examining the woman.

Tana explained it to him. An old house mother, banished a long time ago. A hundred years ago? Some witches were very long lived. The world changed a lot too in the past century. The next might even be more hectic. Chaotic, which meant a lot of opportunities to seize, if Tiberius played his cards right. Seems like they had a debate prior, about whether to conceal the Coven or just outright remove the normies from the region. With modern tech, that wasn’t so easy anymore. People left behind trails, paper, electronic, so many forms. Such missing links would become noticeable. It would draw others to investigate. The Covens could not remain hidden forever. Best to live in harmony. Tiberius seemed to agree with the decision the house mothers made back then. Unfortunately, no one expected this sort of blowback. The dissenting voice returned and decided to just remove the normies and the Covens altogether. Damn.

The house mothers then moved the body away. Seneca and Jasmine discussed some of the peculiars, Samuel and Elias moved off to the garage. Tiberius just shrugged. Shit, the room was his now. Time to party. ”Luce, be a doll, there’s a special vintage I’ve been brewing, down in the cellar. It’s labeled…special brew. Can’t miss it. Grab like ten of the bottles. As much as your little hands can carry.” He chuckled teasingly. The bottles he used to brew in were a bit larger than beer bottles, closer to the 40oz bottles that one could get malt liquor in. ”I’mma set up the table and cups for some beer pong.” He requested of Lucinda, putting on his most charming smile to garner her aide. ”Come on, it’ll be fun. We’ll be team captains, your team versus my team. Think on a bet.” He said, tapping the side of his head.

Then he went in search of a folding table, of decent length and width, bringing that to the common room. He pushed some furniture aside to make room and having done this before, prepared some folded towels nearby to deal with any spillage that might occur. And they always did occur. He went to the kitchens and ransacked some cupboards, finding twenty solo cups, and some ping pong balls. He arranged them on either side of the table, ten a side, in an triangular formation pointing inwards. Four cups, three, two, one. He put Ashur on the table as well, his familiar assisting, moving to the cups and in a laborious fashion, very slowly, using his head to nudge the cups into a tight formation that looked neat and orderly.

With the beer that Lucinda brought up, they could fill each one with the golden liquid, carefully fermented through alchemical and magical means by Tiberius months ago. The liquid would have a smooth, creamy taste, easy to chug, and easy to get drunk off of. He was in the midst of this, on one knee to line up the liquid contents of every cup to an exact precision, when the door was knocked upon, followed by a whistle. Damn, that sounded like the witch police, causing Tiberius to stir, though he wasn’t doing anything wrong or illegal. At this very moment. He glanced over his shoulder, half in the act of drip dropping bits of liquor to fill a cup to equal match with those around it, looking over the newcomer curiously.

Or rather, an old, familiar face. ”Oh, look who it is. You missed the party, bud.” Tiberius joked, because it seemed Tobias had returned right in the midst of party preparation. But Tiberius was vaguely referring to the incident with the Mist and the woman they had just concluded a hour prior. Tiberius stood up, swigging from the bottle directly, before silently offering it to Tobias as a welcome back gesture.

ThatGeckoGirl · Mar 23, 2023

Character: Lucinda Whitlock / Mason Johnson / Jasmine Elendale / Elias Graham / Mentions of Quinn Marlow
Player: Group: All active
Location: Twin Rivers House

Lucinda had followed Tiberius down from her room, her pale green eyes fixated upon this banished Housemother. A part of her was intrigued by this woman. Given what she had wanted to do, it sounded like she would be an expert in destructive magic. Just how much could Luce learn from someone like that? Unfortunately, this probably wasn't the type of person she should want to learn this magic from. Removing an entire community was a bit too drastic for Luce. While she enjoyed the darker practices of magic, she never planned on actually using it to cause mass pain or destruction. Part of her studies were centered on finding ways to break these curses as effectively as possible. Luce peered at the black tendrils that covered the unconscious woman. She almost wanted to swipe some of the tendrils and place it in a vial for further study. Instead, she merely watched as Karma and Tana picked up the woman and carried her off to a room they would seal. With the main event of the day carried off, everyone seemed to slowly meld into doing their own hobbies.

"Luce, be a doll, there's a special vintage I've been brewing, down in the cellar. It's labeled…special brew. Can't miss it. Grab like ten of the bottles. As much as your little hands can carry."

Turning towards Tiberius, Lucinda raised her eyebrows. A doll? She was most certainly not a doll...unless it was a haunted killer doll, of course. Before she could make that exact snarky comment though, she considered what was actually being asked here. One of Berry's special brews...yeah, this might be worth putting forth her most sacred effort to collect those bottles. He brewed some good shit, and it wasn't every day they got to drink the masterpieces. When he combined mentioning beer pong, a bet, and that signature charming smile, Luce found she just couldn't say no. There was simply too many positives here. A mysterious smirk curved on her lips as she slowly peered down Tiberius before meeting his eyes again. He might just regret offering to make a bet with her. She wasn't one to lose her bets.

"Oh, I already have the terms of my side of the bet figured out. Better be ready for it, Berry," Lucinda winked at him before sauntering off towards the cellar with a sway of her hips. If she couldn't get all ten, she'd just cast a small levitation spell on the ones she couldn't hold in her arms or hands.

***

"Did I hear beer pong being mentioned? Holy shit, I am so in!"

The voice almost with the pitter patter of opossum feet running across wood marked the arrival of the warlock, Mason Johnson. Chex scampered across the wood, jumped onto a chair, then lounged there lazily as Mason entered the main area of the house where Tiberius was. He had taken a nice long midday nap, and had conveniently missed all the drama that occurred. However, he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before thanks to an influx of needy spirits wanting his attention. Poor Chex had kept playing dead. Each time he came out of his defense mechanism, he'd instantly topple back over with his four little paws sticking up in the air. Hearing their voices and being aware of their presences had made it nearly impossible to adequately sleep. So, melatonin at noon had knocked him out nicely. Quinn, his best friend and one of the werewolves, would just be finishing up her shift at the Taekwondo gym. She'd likely arrive in a few minutes.

"Welcome back to the land of the fuckin' living, Mason," Lucinda called out as she made her way back up from the cellar with all ten bottles of Tiberius's special brew, "You missed quite the event."

"Why thank you, Luce. It takes a lot of energy to not drift off into the dark unknown of the land of spirits," Mason sighed in exaggeration, placing a hand against his chest, "I'm so fortunate for your concern. Sorry to miss the drama, but looks like I woke up at the perfect time! I'm down for partying and drinking! Hell. Yes. Right Chex?" Mason pointed over at the opossum, who merely cocked his little white and black head at his owner in confusion. "Yeah, Chex is totally down."

"This is some of Berry's good shit. There probably won't be a drop left for poor Chex," Lucinda snickered, watching as Tiberius meticulously filled the beer in each of the solo cups to even amounts. She didn't mind Mason. He was a little quirky, but which of them weren't here in the coven? She always teased him about dating Quinn since the two were always mistaken for dating, but both were pretty fun to hang around. Quinn was more intense and Mason was laidback.

"My buddy can have some of mine. I'll make sacrifices for him," Mason waved off Luce's comment, pushing his fingers through his sleep-rumpled brown hair. "Yoooo, Tobias! Welcome back!" Mason cheered with a wide grin, "I missed the party too!" From the side, Chex hopped off the chair and made it halfway to Tobias to greet him before flopping over as he pretended to play dead.

"Ghost time," Lucinda snickered from Tiberius's side as she peered over his shoulder as he filled the solo cups. Her hands rested against his back as she drew close up behind him. "So. What's your end of the bet?" She murmured to him as she rested her chin on top of his shoulder. Her pale green eyes shifted over towards him alluringly, that little hidden smile just playing ever so slightly on her lips.

"Ah fuck," Mason groaned, walking over and picking up his stiff opossum. From behind Tobias, he saw the ghostly apparition of an elderly woman float inside. She looked around in what seemed like some confusion. Mason narrowed his eyes, making sure there wasn't another spirit. Giving a resigned sigh, he gave her a welcoming wave. The elderly woman's pale white eyes widened, and her mouth broke into a relieved smile as she floated her way over. At least she seemed like a kind ghost. He'd just quickly help her cross over.

***

Jasmine looked to Seneca, just as bothered by the information that had been shared with them. A Housemother who had not only been cast out, but cast out for wanting to get rid of an entire community. Just being near the unconscious Housemother made goosebumps raise on her skin. However, she was slowly getting accustomed to the amount of negativity the woman had seeping out of her. Jazz just needed to maintain some distance, and she most certainly needed to avoid coming into direct contact with her. Seneca's question was a good one. Could it have been the dark powers that drove her mad, or had she always had that kind of disposition towards violence? Her aura didn't have any answers. Jasmine couldn't tell how she had once been, only how she was now. She saw everyone's souls as a beautiful multicolored hue around them. An actual aura. It only revealed personality and superficial emotions to her though. It was too bad that she couldn't gather more information from it than that. Still, it worried her that. If magic had been able to influence a previous Housemother like that, would others who delved in dark magic also have the same fate?

"It is rather alarming," She responded to Seneca, "Perhaps it's something we can ask Tana or Karma about later." She didn't want to bother the other Housemothers while they were busy dealing with everything at the moment.

"So, I heard Tiberius mention beer pong. Do you think I should make everyone some snacks to munch on for this little party he's setting up?" Jazz mentioned with a small smile to Seneca, doing her best to try and get both of their minds off all this tension. She was the type to worry about things like this. Having people like Tiberius around was a kind of blessing. It allowed her to put forth her effort in something more present to get her mind off things that would otherwise raise her anxiety. "Maybe Lucas would like to help," Jasmine mused thoughtfully. She and the werewolf would sometimes end up cooking together since they both made a hobby out of it. Jazz liked to make breakfast, lunch, and snacks. For holidays and events though, she'd oftentimes offer Lucas her help in making enough food for dinner.

***

"I can start on Sen's car," Elias nodded to Sam's comment of the cars. He took another drink of beer from the can he opened before heading to Seneca's car. He propped open the hood and looked down at the engine for a moment before going off to grab some oil. A light chuckle came from him at Sam's comment about the others running their cars down. He wasn't wrong. If it wasn't for the two of them constantly keeping up on their cars, he feared to know just how much money the coven would have had to spend on repairs. Working on cars was soothing for Elias. The mechanical structure made sense to him. It followed the laws of physics. If there was an issue, then there was a solution that could be implemented to fix it. There wasn't anything mystical about how a car worked. It was predictable. Normal. A naked woman wasn't about to burst out from a car engine.

"Oh, yeah. Things are going just fine over there. Just the same old cars around town coming in for typical fixes. Mr. Jones and his wife are doing well," Elias answered as he took off the fill cap then began to pour in the oil to Sen's car. He was quiet for a moment.

"Did you feel a build of tension from the dark magic that woman emerged from? Like an influx of negative thoughts and sensations?" Elias finally asked. Those thoughts of his sister had popped up. They were practically pulled to the forefront of his mind until he was cleansed. The only time those thoughts tended to get that bad was on the anniversary of his sister's death.

Anara · Mar 29, 2023

CHARACTER: Seneca/ Samuel/ Lucas

PLAYER | GROUP: @ThatGeckoGirl (Elias/ jasmine) @BennyQ (Tiberius), Tobias ( @Kosmik_Khaos )

LOCATION: Twin Rivers House -> Common room,Kitchen, Garage

" I don't see why Lucas wouldn't enjoy helping. He is always cooking for the coven," Seneca noted, then looked to Jasmine thoughtfully. " You two would be cute together, cooking and sharing ingredients or secret recipes."She said, "That's just my observation."

While they assisted The house mother, Talia, with the tea and healing bracelet to ensure she was recovering, Sen returned to her thoughts on the new entity in their home. She still felt uneasy even though the power was contained.

Making their way back down to the common area, Sen watched as several of the residents set up for beer pong; while it wasn't an activity she typically dabbled in, she made herself a cup of tea and then took her seat in her favorite chair and positioned herself to watch.

Meanwhile, Lucas stood in the kitchen scrubbing out the remains of the chicken parmesan from a pan and then resting it on a tea towel to dry. Making his way over to the freezer, he pulled out the frozen appetizers he had made a few days prior. While he had only been here six months, he had found that the others enjoyed simple snacks, which made life so much easier. They drank and laughed and ate, which made him feel far closer to them than anything else. Though he felt a strange ache in his chest the moment, the woman had entered the house. He felt this woman was far too familiar in his soul, but he couldn't place the face.

While the others set up, he watched Seneca and Jasmine return from the House mother's room.

"How is she?" He asked curiously, looking to Seneca, who was making her tea.

"Fine, she will recover," she assured him before moving to her chair. He nodded and looked out over the common room, quietly repairing the snacks for the party.

Placing a few spinach puffs on a lined cookie sheet, he looked up to see Tobias enter the house and wave. He had been gone for a considerable time, but he was still a welcomed face. It was a shame he had to arrive during the madness that was the Exiled One.

In the garage, Sam leaned over the innards of Lucas's car and pulled himself out with a mini flashlight in his mouth, contemplating the Question Elias posed:

"Did you feel a build of tension from the dark magic that woman emerged from? Like an influx of negative thoughts and sensations?"

"I did," he said after a moment, " There was a strong power coming from her, but it's best not to think about the information that you felt or even saw; that's how those abilities weasel their way in. Look at Lucas; that power had attacked him, and it left some weird residual effect."

A Coven Of Witches & Werewolves | Act 1- The End-

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