The Mother of Witches retires tonight

[undergroundmods]

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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 is in the assembly hall drinking champagne between 7-8pm. She's in demand and always surrounded by people, but available to talk to if you wish to approach her.

Between 8 and 9pm she'll be listening to the speeches in praise of herself and accepting her flowers and gifts. From 9-11pm she'll disappear into the dining hall for a celebratory dinner with a few select guests.

Finally, from 11pm she'll be in the reception area giving her blessings to the witches as they leave the party. She can be approached at this point if you'd like to congratulate her or say your goodbyes.

(Alternatively, if you'd like to talk to any other NPC on the Elite list, drop me a line! They're pretty much all here.)

Assembly hall (OTA options!)

[excrucior]

CLOSED to Cesare Borgia (7:00 pm - 9:00 pm)

It's not difficult finding Cesare Borgia in London. The name of the establishment makes it rather obvious. (The Angelo? Really?)

What is difficult, however, is approaching his former employer when there is talk of a party going on that night. A retirement party, so he overhears in whispers around London, for Circle Daybreak's Mother of Witches. Cesare's never had a good track record with witches in general, but from everything Micheletto observes in passing, Cesare is still adamant on going. And Micheletto knows better than anyone to dissuade Cesare Borgia from something he's set his mind to.

And so, arriving a few minutes late to the party, dressed in his nicest button-down and slacks, Micheletto makes his way to the Redbright Institute to attend the public ceremony. He gets in without a hassle, having for once not brought a weapon, and stays inconspicuous up until he spots the man himself. The assassin stands right in Cesare's line of sight, several meters away over the shoulder of Cesare's current schmoozing target, and makes sure that he makes clear eye contact with him. He turns and slips quietly through the crowd, then, moving toward the lecture halls.

After more than five hundred years, they have much to discuss.

OPEN (9:00 pm - 12:00 am)

It's always awkward when you show up to someone else's party - especially if you're new in town. But Micheletto has always succeeded in being a wallflower, so he mostly sticks to the walls in the assembly hall, particularly when people begin to dance. He does, however, take some champagne as it's passed around, so at least he seems to be having a decent time.

Though he never approaches anyone to talk, and he refuses to dance, he doesn't mind a bit of chatter from other party guests - provided they keep the chatter light and fitting to the atmosphere, for now.

But the lecture halls are much more his speed. Occasionally throughout the night, he'll disappear to one of these, and can be found avidly watching both videos. He appears to be studying it, for some reason, but after he's seen it once or twice through he'll be more open to polite banter.

Assembly Hall

[constantprisoner]

It's safe to say that Sirius doesn't really know what he's doing here or why he really showed up. It's just where his feet happened to take him, and he's still trying to figure out why. He's always tried to avoid politics, and figures it's best if he keep a low profile, pardon or not. And he has no great love for Sylvia, but here he is.

He supposes if he needs to he could bullshit a reason. He's a representative for the Hillingdon Clan, he's just being polite, he's here for the free food. Those all counted, right? Speaking of the free food, he'll grab some before going to hug the wall, or maybe wander into one of the lecture halls.

Whatever he does, he probably won't stay too late.

Assembly Hall -- OTA

[reticence]

As a Guardian of the Night Council, it's Faolan's job to look out for the members of the Night Council itself. Which means that even though this is not technically an event related to the Council, he finds himself lingering about the edges of the room, keeping an eye on the attendees and making certain that if any conflicts between them arise that they are dealt with without incident.

Of course, he is hanging about the edge of the room for another reason as well. That namely being the live band, merrily plucking away on their instruments at the other side of the room. He has a duty to be there, to keep an eye on the crowd, and to keep the peace. That duty is probably the only thing keeping him from stepping out into the hall to catch a breath of fresh air and a few moment's quiet away from the music itself.

Being the Head of Hillingdon, he supposes that he's almost working something of a duel duty here, as people come by to speak to him in his capacity as Hillingdon leader as well as Night Council Guardian. Perhaps it's for the best that he's on duty and not allowed a glass of the champagne that keeps passing by. He can only imagine what sort of a scene he might start in a gathering like this otherwise.