The Verbena is a Tradition of mages in the World of Darkness dedicated to preserving the ancient crafts and wisdom passed down over the ages by witches and warlocks, druids and druidesses, shamans, mystics, and priests and priestesses of the Old Gods.
Though modern Verbena have some similarities to Wiccans, they are inheritors of far older legacies from disparate cultures originating around the world. Regardless of their many differing faiths and customs, the Verbena share many principles in common. This includes a deep respect for the Earth and the natural order, a holistic view of people and the world as intrinsically intertwined, and the belief that power and understanding can be found by embracing life in all its passions and pains.
Of all the Traditions, the Verbena are perhaps most challenged by the changes brought to the world by advancing technology and expanding civilizations. Each member must find a way to apply the lessons and practices of the old ways to the modern world, or be seen by both mages and mortals as merely a fringe practitioner of a dying craft.
For detailed information on the Verbena, see Verbena Tradition Book and Tradition Book: Verbena.
Paradigm[]
The Magic of Life[]
Unlike many mages, the Verbena believe there is innate magic that flows through everything in Creation. There is real power in the phases of the moon and positions of the stars, in the combination of plants properly prepared, in the blood and seed of living creatures. Quintessence is the pulse of the universe itself, carrying energy and the potential for change, giving life to the world. Magic is that energy, that life, and whether one is Awakened or not they have it pumping through their veins. In fact, the Verbena count quite a number of hedge-magicians among their ranks and draw little distinction between them and true mages. To be Awakened is to merely intuitively sense the magic all around them, and to to shape it directly with their own life energy as the Verbena's ancestors once did.
Tools and Practices[]
The Verbena employ a wide variety of foci based on both their symbolic and mystical properties. Traditional tools include knives and daggers, broomsticks, wands, staves, cauldrons, mirrors, and jewelry. Some keep with them Books of Shadows containing the accumulated secrets of its owners. Herbs and potions are popular means of drawing out and combining the chemical and spiritual properties of plants, which can be especially potent when combined with the Verbena's will and desire. Much of the knowledge passed down from mentor to apprentice and between members of a coven has to do with what effects different herbs are best used for. Perhaps the most powerful foci to the Verbena are bodily fluids, particularly blood and semen as carriers of life energy and sympathetic links to their source. Music, song, and dance are also used as means to to rouse their passions, give life to the Verbena's will, and connect them to the people and cultures from which their rituals originate.
History[]
Prehistory: The Wyck[]
Verbena speak of the Wyck as the first mages, beings of mortal flesh and primal spirit who could bend the world to their will. magic was everywhere in their time, and the Wyck wielded it with power and finesse unrivaled by any that followed. They were leaders, protectors, and pioneers of the first human communities. They traveled the Earth and other worlds, lived as one amongst the animals, battled terrible monsters, and brought back to their people knowledge of healing, divination, and crafts. After giving birth to children of their own and passing on their gifts, the Wyck eventually departed from the world, though to where or for what reason no one knows for sure.
Ancient History: The Aeduna[]
The Aeduna were the heirs of the Wyck, literally and figuratively, and wielded some of their skill in Awakened magic. But whereas the Wyck had been outsiders and travelers, the Aeduna were born among and lived with humans as healers, scribes, priests and priestesses, philosophers, and scholars. They grew in power and prominence Across the Mediterranean, spreading over time throughout Europe and parts of Asia. Many figures of myth are claimed to have been Aeduna, such Circe, Lilith, Medea, Merlin, Morgan le Fay, and perhaps some of the ancient gods.
The Verbena believe that several groups of mages can trace their origins to offshoots of the Aeduna. The first and largest branch was the Dreamspeakers, who valued the spiritual over the living world, and would largely dominate the Americas and Africa for millennia. The second branch was the Cult of Dionysus, which consisted of individuals who basked in the joys of drinking, partying, and sex; they would eventually merge with others to create the Cult of Ecstasy. Finally, the Cosian Circle formed around 400 BCE in Greece from the efforts of Hippocrates to organize the Aeduna's knowledge. Yet many of his students were ambitious and held little respect for the natural world; they performed dark and gruesome experiments that were condemned by the Aeduna.
The rise of the Roman Empire brought with it the Aeduna's first adversary: the Cult of Mercury, a methodical and expansionist society of mages that would later evolve into the Order of Hermes. The Cult of Mercury began undermining the Aeduna's influence in Greece and Italy, then actively aided the Romans in conquering Britannia and lands held by the Gauls, where the Old Ways had long been honored. The people called out to the Aeduna for help against the Romans, and the two groups of mages began to war against one another. The conflict continued for many centuries, and only intensified as Rome converted to Christianity and the Messianic Voices rose to power.
Dark Ages: The Old Faith Fellowship[]
Old Faith c.1230
Though the Roman Empire declined, the descendants of the Wyck continued to be locked in a three-way war with the Order of Hermes and the Messianic Voices. Yet over time the Order of Reason, an alliance formed from the union of the Cosian Circle with several other scientific traditions of willworkers, became a far greater threat. Using the knights and inquisitors of the Church as their weapons, the Order of Reason aimed to eliminate knowledge of the Old Ways along with all other forms of magic it did not approve of and control. The Old Faith Fellowship was the first attempt to unify pagan mages of disparate cultures and beliefs against their common enemies, but they could not hold back the fires of the Inquisition. Inquisitors put witches to the torch and ruthlessly eliminated evidence of the Old Faith wherever they could find it. Though the majority of those tried and killed by the Inquisitors were not members of the Old Faith, nor even true mages, their numbers were already few and continued to dwindle as a result of the purge.
Renaissance: The Verbenae[]
Verbena Symbol during the Renaissance
In the mid-15th century, adherents of the Old Ways banded together to join the Council of Nine, claiming the Seat of Life as the Verbena. Still, the Inquisition continued and the Verbena were forced to hide and practice their arts in secret, passing on their wisdom and secrets to new generations from mentor to apprentice and through Books of Shadows.
Victorian Era[]
Verbena Symbol during the Victorian
Modern Times: The Verbena[]
By the 20th century the Verbena and their magic were little more than a legend in the mind of Sleepers, yet the 1960s saw a renewal of interest both in the occult and holistic lifestyles that shared a great deal in common with Verbena practices. In the decades since the Tradition has grown for the first time in centuries, particularly as factions within the Verbena placed greater emphasis on exploring new ideas and incorporating different cultures.
Organization[]
The Verbena are very loosely organized, with no official ranks or leadership. Individuals are sometimes given the title of novice, initiate, or elder, with the latter being a sign of great respect if not direct authority. A cabal of Verbena is called a Circle, and is usually formed around a goal or cultural identity shared by the members. Circles rarely exceed thirteen individuals, and are often quite smaller. Each Circle may have its own rules and customs, as well as a shared Book of Shadows. The only common role shared among Circles is that of high priest and priestess, the co-leaders of the group, particularly in regards to matters of ritual. Grand Circles are sometimes formed, if briefly, as Verbena gather to share news and ideas, celebrate the changing seasons, or discuss problems that are too large for a single cabal.
Factions[]
The four factions of Verbena arose from the four Avatar Essence types, but note that membership in the factions is not limited by a mage's Avatar Essence.
- Gardeners of the Tree (Pattern Avatars): The traditionalist core of the Verbena, the Gardeners are the keepers of the old ways and the history of the Verbena. They believe they are the descendents of the legendary Wyck and Aeduna, and so they pass down knowledge and magic through family lines. They protected and preserved the ancient practices of the verbena during the Inquisition and the progress of the order of reason. Over time they began to calcify and work to keep the different internal traditions distinct and not mix them, though after World War 2 and fighting against verbena extremists who sided with the Nazis' they softened their traditionalism, understanding the Verbena will need new ways and new blood to remain healthy. Interestingly enough, newly joined cultures from Native American, African, and Asian countries who don't want to meld into the generic verbena tradition join the Gardeners to preserve their specific cultural ways. Specialty Sphere: Matter.
- Lifeweavers (Dynamic Avatars): There have always been those who feel the call of the wild profoundly. Who wish to slip into the dark woods and explore it's pathways. Those who understood life was neither good or evil, that it just was. And the given the choice between being predator or prey, they knew which side they'd choose. They have always been the hermits, wanderers, and forest living strange folk since before the verbena formed. But the attacks of the Order of Reason drove them to join with the nascent tradition. In reality they were created as a faction by the other ones, a way to label verbena who did not fit into any other. But that suits them just fine, and they've since adopted the faction name as their own, though they are no less scattered than they ever were. They abandon pretensions of tradition and seek to truly live and exist in the moment. To recognize their limitations and push past them. To understand themselves and then reinvent who they are. They are often, but not always solitary. Some young Lifeweavers will group up into pairs or small circles, spending their lives together. Others will temporarily join cross tradition cabals before moving on. Not all live out in the wilderness either, with some moving through the "wilderness" of civilization, changing their physical age, sex, or race to experience a new state of being just as some others shift into various animals to experience nature through many different perspectives. Specialty Sphere: Mind.
- Moon-Seekers (Questing Avatars): Those who look beyond their own ways and bounds, and search for connections with others. The Gardeners may have preserved the Old Ways during the Burning Times, but the Moon-Seekers are the ones who found enough common cause and similarities to actually bring the Verbena together. They seek out new ways to view and experience life, new ways to work magic. It was by their efforts and insight that the Verbena were able to connect and spread into The Americas, Africa, and Asia. All those who follow ancestral ways, worship the old gods, feel the pulse of life and dance to the rhythms of nature are fellow brothers and sisters. They experienced explosions in membership after the occult revival of the late 19th and early 20th century, the Summer of Love, and the rise of paganism and witchcraft of the 21st century. More traditional members may call them crystal wavers, new agers, or social media witches, but the Moon-Seekers are simply new leaves on a very old tree. And intend to pull the Verbena into the new century, whether they want to or not. Some internal groups are the Fairy Folk, LGBTQ members who explore notions of identity, love, and community. The Techno-Pagans who see no conflict between technology, paganism, and magic, and actively incorporate it. They get along well with Dreamspeaker Techno-Shamans, and of course the Society of Ether and Virtual Adepts who they often form chantries with. And The New Age, who seek to grab hold of this unique moment in time. More people in western society are leaving organized religion and returning to more ancient and mystical ways such as paganism and witchcraft. They insert themselves into these groups, promoting this shift in the culture and putting out content to help those seeking for a new path. To bring about a new spring for the Verbena. Specialty Sphere: Mind.
- Twisters of Fate (Primordial Avatars): Verbena members who experiences visions and dreams of past lives when they were the healers, wise folks, and shamans of humanity. They saw how rituals had grown increasingly complex under the rule of the Gardeners, and broke off to form their own faction seeking to recapture the primal essence that formed the basis of their tradition. They are the smallest faction, and often isolationist, spending time to themselves and working to find their own ways to recapture and understand the Oldest Ways. And will occasionally pass on their insights to other Verbena they come across or seek them out. Each member strives to live simply and use their power and knowledge for good. Though there is no consensus on what is "good". Specialty Sphere: Entropy.
Gallery[]
References[]
- MTAs: Mage: The Ascension Revised Edition, p. 72-74
- MTAs: Verbena Tradition Book
- MTAs: Tradition Book: Verbena
| The Council of Nine Mystic Traditions (Victorian Mage) |
|---|
| Ahl-i-Batin · Akashayana · Chakravanti · Chorus Celestial · Dream-Speakers · Order of Hermes · Sahajiya · Verbenae |
| The Council of Nine Mystic Traditions |
|---|
| Akashayana (Akashic Brotherhood) · Celestial Chorus · Cult of Ecstasy · Euthanatoi · Kha'vadi (Dreamspeakers) · Mercurial Elite (Virtual Adepts) · Order of Hermes · Society of Ether (Sons of Ether) · Verbenae · Hollow Ones |