Verbena
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The Verbena is a Tradition of mages in the Old 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.
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| Name: | Verbena |
| Plural: | Verbena, Verbenae |
| Pronunciation: | vur-been'-uh |
| Nicknames: | Pagans, Witches |
| Seat: | Life |
| Faction: | Council of Nine Mystic Traditions |
Contents |
[edit] Paradigm
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 Shadow 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.
[edit] History
[edit] Early History
[edit] Dark Ages
[edit] Renaissance
[edit] Modern Nights
[edit] Organization
[edit] Factions
[edit] Sects
- Balamob
- Circle of Hecate, a group of chthonioi.
- izinyanga
- kozbar
- Spae-crafters
- vedun (males) and vedomye zheny (females)
[edit] Version Differences
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Ahl-i-Batin · Akashic Brotherhood · Chakravanti · Chœur Céleste · Dream-speakers · Order of Hermes · Seers of Chronos · Solificati · Verbenae |
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Akashic Brotherhood · Celestial Chorus · Cult of Ecstasy · Dreamspeakers · Euthanatoi · Order of Hermes · Sons of Ether · Verbena · Virtual Adepts · Hollow Ones |
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