The Mother of Witches retires tonight

[undergroundmods]

Watch on YouTube

Today is a big day for the witch community. On 4th December, Sylvia Redbright turns 60 and her reign as Mother of Witches officially comes to an end. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Sylvia is hosting a retirement party at the Redbright Institute. The school will be open to all friendly guests who wish to celebrate with Circle Daybreak or hear about Sylvia's many achievements as Mother of Witches. There will also be a more private gathering during the event for Sylvia's closest friends and allies.

The party takes place from 7pm-12 midnight Sunday 4th December.

Rules of entry
• No weapons. Any weapons or objects that could be used as weapons will be confiscated.
• No drugs or alcohol except that provided at the event. Don't try to sneak any in.
• No violence.

There is security within the school and present during the event. (In fact, if your character is a member of the Redbright Institute, you could have them acting as security if you want.) They will respond to and put a stop to any trouble.

Places to go
The main location open for the public is the large Assembly Hall where a live band plays folk music throughout the evening. There are waiters serving champagne and canapés or if you prefer you can go straight to the buffet table yourself. At 8pm, there will be a series of speeches by various high-ranking witches singing Sylvia's praises before Sylvia herself will step up to be presented with a large bouquet of flowers and gifts from the witch community. Her thanks will of course be gracious. After 9pm, there will be a show of magic from some of the most promising young witches in London. It's a music and dance performance that features a dazzling display of colour, light and fire plus other spectacular tricks including levitation, illusory rain and lightning and finally a giant ash tree that grows in the middle of the room to represent the Mother's protection. (None of it is real, of course. It's essentially magical special effects.) In the last two hours of the night, the witches will invite everyone to let loose and dance around the tree. It's probably a good idea to be quite drunk by this point.

If you'd prefer to go somewhere a little quieter, two of the lecture halls are open, each featuring a different video playing on a loop. The first video is a potted history of the tradition of the Mother, Maiden and Crone, describing how they are chosen and what purpose they each serve in the witch community, with a particular focus on Sylvia becoming the Mother. (It does not feature or mention Abigail Widdowson.) In the second lecture hall there is a video telling the story of Sylvia's many achievements as Mother of Witches over the past thirty years, including her efforts to bring peace in London, to unite the witch communities across the UK and to foster a culture of magic that helps rather than hurts people.

Elsewhere, the dining hall is closed to the public because from 9pm there is a private party hosted here consisting of a three-course meal followed by drinks. This is where Sylvia and her closest allies will be for most of the night. Entry is restricted to a select guest list.

Sylvia will reappear in the reception area from just after 11pm to say goodbye to the guests and give her final blessings as Mother of Witches. After today, there will be a transition period until the new Mother is selected, but this will be the last time she hosts any kind of official event in her capacity as Mother of Witches.

[OOC: If you are a high-ranking ally or potential ally of Sylvia's (level 4 or above), you may be invited to her private party! Please check with me if you're not sure. Otherwise, there are opportunities to catch Sylvia and other NPCs during the event. Or just enjoy the free champagne, it's up to you.]

Comments

[brightwitch]

Sylvia knows her history well enough to at least have heard of him and to make the association with Machiavelli, which of course comes with its own connotations. She can do more thorough research later but that will only tell her about Cesare's life. If he is who he says he is, he's been a vampire for several centuries.

"I imagine that's an understatement." Five centuries? Something like that. She sips her coffee. "So what brought you to London?"

[longterm]

Cesare can't quite tell whether her knowledge of his past has skewered him or not. He squints slightly, barely noticeable as he considers it, but persists anyway, shrugging it off and smirking, taking a sip of his drink.

"When you're as old as I am, every city calls you to it eventually. Though I must admit, London has a tendency to keep drawing me back to it. The culture is exceptional and it has the traditions, but it isn't so stuck in them that it won't adapt. I respect that."

[brightwitch]

"Well, I'm happy to agree to that. Of course I'm biased." She shrugs, offering a lopsided smile. Born and brought up in London, Sylvia has travelled but she wouldn't dream of living anywhere else. Her entire life has been invested in this city.

As for Cesare, Sylvia is smart enough not to give away any reservations she might have about him even while she's slightly tipsy. If anything, she's feeling a little warmer towards vampires at the moment compared to recent times, although that isn't saying much. Cesare's historical reputation is something she will bear in mind, but she expects all vampires as old as him to be violent ruthless manipulative bastards anyway. In her experience they always are.

She hasn't been outmatched by one yet. Years of dealing with Millicent means she's well-prepared to handle whatever comes next.