undergrounds | The Mother of Witches retires tonight

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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.]

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He looks like one of her students who accidentally wandered into the party to Sylvia. She squints a little as he approaches, sure that she's met him before. But not in class. Somewhere else...

She inclines her head in acknowledgement. "Thank you."

"My name's Cooper. I'm a Marquess." He wouldn't insult her intelligence by explaining just what that meant. Sylvia Redbright knew exactly what the ranks of vampires were in the Nest.

"I was hoping t'approach you about a matter I've been considerin' for some time now." He paused, waiting to see what her reaction would be. Maybe this hadn't been the best moment to talk to her about possible vampire representation on the Night Council, but at least this way she would be mostly courteous. He couldn't be sure of how the Council would react if he approached them just on his own.

Yes, she knows what it means. So he's a vampire, which in Sylvia's book means trouble. She wonders whether he supported Raymond. He must have switched allegiances now or he wouldn't be here, but still...

(He looks ridiculously young to hold such a high-ranking position, she thinks, but with vampires in particular appearances are always deceiving.)

"I see," she says, a little cool. "It's a pleasure, Marquess. What can I do for you?"

Cooper continues on, his smile a little more forced now, but he wants to make it seem like it doesn't matter much what she decides one way or the other. In truth, it matters very much to the vampire. "Well, I won't waste your time by bandying words about. The long 'n the short of the matter is this. Raymond was foolish enough t'lose his seat on the Night Council 'n we all saw how that turned out. There's cooler heads running the Nest now 'n most of his allies are dead or driven out. With a new leader, I was thinkin' it might be time to approach you about getting that seat back."

He knows she probably won't be happy about that idea, but the most she can say in such a public forum is no. Behind closed doors, it would be a different story.

She sips her champagne as she listens to his request and very quickly she thinks she has the measure of him and what he wants. Perhaps newly promoted by Jean-Claude, eager to make a good impression and return the Nest to its previous status. Or maybe her human eyes are being fooled by his youth. She has to remind herself again that it means nothing.

"I wondered when you might approach us about that," she muses. "Did Jean-Claude send you?"

She would expect Jean-Claude to discuss it with her at some point. Perhaps this is his way of warming her up.

That's Cooper's great secret to rising so fast in the Nest. In the midst of all the turmoil, it was easy to be underestimated with his young face and quick temper. Being able to play the idiot had helped him on more than one occasion, for others always thought he was more incompetent than he actually was.

"Not precisely. Let's simply say I'm testing the waters out," Cooper says vaguely. It was true that Jean-Claude hadn't asked him to do this. Cooper always thought it better to ask for forgiveness than permission. But he was going to be giving a report back to the older vampire as soon as he was done here. Both of them were on the same wavelength on how they wanted the Nest to be run, so he expected approval for his actions.

"I see." She looks down at her champagne for a moment, wondering how exactly to put this. They're in a public area and while individual conversations are largely drowned out by the sea of chatter, she knows there will be people nearby listening in to this conversation in particular. So she has to choose her words carefully. "The waters are a little choppy for vampires right now. Thanks to Raymond, we endured months of terror. That's hard for people to forgive."

Well, that was a diplomatic answer if ever Cooper had heard one. Still, it was better than an out-and-out no, which is what he had been expecting. He decides to press just a little bit. "There's no better way t'show that the vampires have turned over a new leaf then by welcoming them back into the fold. Start off slow, put whoever ends up as the representative on probation, make 'em responsible for the conduct of the Nest."

He'd put emphasis on that particular turn of phrase: whoever. That was assuming that the powers that be didn't automatically decide Jean-Claude was best for the job. Still, Millicent and Raymond had both imposed a total dictatorship, being the head and representative, and look how well it had worked out for them. Perhaps it was time for a new type of strategy in dealing with the vampires' power.

Probation? It's an interesting idea. Even so, Sylvia raises her eyebrows. "Don't you have that backwards? Trust and good will must be earned, not given. How can we be sure that the Nest has really changed?"

Even if it has, that isn't enough. She wasn't joking when she said that the last few months are hard to forgive. Anyone who has lost a loved one to a vampire will testify to that.

"I wouldn't be approaching you if I didn't think the rest of the Nest was willing t'make a change. I like livin' too much for that." He said the words lightly, but there was a tightness around his eyes that spoke to the truth of the matter. Cooper had been playing this game for a long time, knew just how far to push things, and what sort of calculated risks to take.

His blue eye gleam as he goes over his reasonable points. "I'm not askin' for you to decide things right here 'n now. Just think it over. Maybe discuss it with the leader himself. Can't hurt and it might convince some t'behave a little bit better if they think there's something to gain from acting good."

Something to gain from acting good. Ha. She can imagine how that will go down with the rest of the Night Council. And Sylvia herself would rather keep the vampires out of the Council as well, but such a strategy would only alienate them further and they are too powerful to be pushed out. She doesn't want another Raymond on her hands.

And she doesn't think she has one, with Jean-Claude. Maybe he will have a reasonable proposal to make.

So she nods. "If Jean-Claude wishes to talk, we can talk. Thank you for approaching me, Cooper. I will think about your proposal. See how it looks after a couple of drinks."

She raises her glass of champagne, offering a smile. The fact that they're talking at all is progress and not something to be sniffed at. He's given her an easy out by only asking her to think it over – a smart move. Sylvia appreciates that. She doesn't have to commit to anything, but maybe she will hear them out.

Cooper smiles back, tilting his head, and nodding at Sylvia. It wasn't a definitive answer, but getting a foot in the door was all that he could hope for. "Good to know. I'll be sure t'pass the message along to Jean-Claude."

He swipes a glass flute off a tray that's passing through. "Congratulations once again, dear lady." He might be rough and coarse, but Cooper can still remember his manners when it pays for him to do so. He takes a sip of champagne. Then he's disappearing back into the crowd pressing in, just another teenager at the gathering looking to gain favor with the powerful witch.

The Mother of Witches retires tonight

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