Circle Of The Crone Meeting

The farm had the look of place loved, but left for slightly too long Tomas thought to himself, idly digging a small weed out of the dirt with his foot. The previous Hierophant had clearly tended to this place during his tenure, and as the new, he felt he should do the same.

Not tonight though…

Walking down a path formed by what looks like foot traffic alone, he pulls out his phone and dials a number.

After he hangs up he comes to the end of the path, to a circle of mismatched upright stones. 3 larger stones punctuate the circle, and a smaller stone table lies in the middle.
Climbing up to the centre of the table, Tomas sits cross-legged, closes his eyes, and waits.

Her phone went off and before she even had time to answer, the call was ended. Katya didnt need to call back, as soon as she recognized her Hierophant, she got in her car and headed to the Farm. It had been too long since she last paid her respects and she was more than happy to get back to the basics again before she became Seneschal.

When she finally did arrive at the farm, Katya stepped out and stood silently, taking in the tranquil scenario. Dressed in old jeans and a tank top, Katya lets her hair flow down this evening, choosing to go as natural as she can without going naked, something she imagines the Hierophant might not be ready for.

She walks by the house and sees that the lights are off and heads down the path, remembering when she made the same journey herself. She sees Hierophant Warren sitting on the table and approaches, kneeling before him with her hands on her lap. She waits for him to open his eyes before saying

"Hierophant Warren, a pleasant evening to you."

A few moments more pass in silence before Tomas opens his eyes to look at Katya. “And to you.”
Looking straight up at the sky, Tomas takes a deep breath, drawing the night air into his undead body. “It’s a fine night, wouldn’t you agree?”

Tomas’s eyes take on a glaze as he speaks.
“I’m sure you’ve guessed why I’ve called you here tonight. With Chris’s departure, guidance of the circle has fallen to me. I do not take this honor lightly. Our numbers in the domain are few yes, but we pagans have never been the majority. So it was, so it will be.”

The clarity returns to his eyes and he looks directly at Katya. “Even if I have to do it myself I still plan to honor the old ones in whatever way I can. And although I’m sure your duties as seneschal take up much of your time, I hope you too can find the time to do what you can.”

The solemn expression fades from his face as Tomas uncrosses his legs and jumps to the ground. “Well now that’s out of the way, we can talk!” he says with a smile. "Tell me, what brought you to the circle?”

Nodding, Katya says "Indeed it is." when Tomas asks her to do as much as she can to honor the Dark Mother she says "yes I shall do whatever I can. I've been meaning to return to the Farm and devote my time for a while. I've viewed my responsibilities as Seneschal as a challenge, a duty to carry out while also staying faithful."

When he asks her the question of her origins she laughs and sighs as she sits cross legged. "I was embraced into it." she begins. "My sire found me at a time when I was working in the BDSM scene and saw my bloodplay as a unique form of ritual for the Dark Mother. So when I was embraced and survived my first trial, I was taught about the Second Descent and found that the myth of Inanna made sense for our experience. Death was the first descent and all that we left behind from our mortal lives is the stripping away of power, in exchange for a new awareness. It fit well with my practices before and allowed me to continue doing that and viewing it through a different lens."

It was as succinct as she could be and she imagined he would ask more. When they first met she recalled him wanting to meet the Hierophant and now here he was, the head of the Acolytes. She stares at him and analyzes his demeanor. "What was it about the Circle that brought you to it?"

Tomas listens in silence, giving the occasional nod as Katya tells her story. “Interesting, so your embrace and covenant affiliation went hand in hand. Tell me, have you ever considered any other? You wouldn’t be the first of our kind to rebel against their sire.”

"As for myself? Well growing up in the wilderness, being free from the city life tends to make one think about nature a little differently. Where most see tree’s and wind, I saw….entities, spirits I guess you would call them. It was never a question to me of if the old gods existed, and if they still walk the earth. I see the work of their hand every day. How could one be in the presense of such majesty and not pay reverence?"

Tomas paces around the central table as he talks. "The circle showed me I’m not alone in these thoughts, and gave me a platform with which to better serve them.” As the last word is spoken, Tomas spreads his arms wide and to his side. He slowly pivots on the spot to point to everything surrounding the pair.

Katya nods to the Hierophants' question "I did. When my sire explained to me how my bdsm practice could be useful in worship, I sometimes felt that the same trial and tribulation method of testing myself would be better suited for the Ordo Dracul. But like you mentioned with wanting to pay reverence, the Circle offered that understanding of acknowledging the being who was here before any of us and I felt like the Ordo lacked that."

She appreciates her Hierophant's more egalitarian attitudes towards unlife and the energy around them, it showed her faith that he was going to do fine in his role. "Where do you see us serving them in this moment? Admittedly, our covenant has not been focused as much and so I wonder if you see potential for doing so or if you think we are fine at the current state we are in." she was curious if he had a particular plan in serving the higher power or if it was more personal.

“That’s good, that’s good. It’s important to choose the circle for yourself I feel, having it forced on you is for the Sanctum, not us.”

Tomas’s brow furrows in concern. “It’s true the circle’s presence in the domain has weakened significantly. Only look around this farm for the proof of it. Weakened however is not destroyed. There are newcomers to the domain almost every night. Surely not all of them followed their sire’s faith, as you did.” Bowing his head in respect to Katya, he continues “Surely there are some who belong with us and don’t yet know it.”

A single eyebrow is raised. “I’ve heard of the events you hold, you said your bdsm practices led you to the circle. Perhaps others can be shown the same path.”

While Katya agrees with Tomas that the numbers have dwindled, she isn't sure if weakened is a fitting term, but perhaps it is just an error in language. Nevertheless she nods and says "I agree, our beliefs are a continuum and so there is always potential for kindred here to evolve." her own eyebrow raises when he inquires about her practice and then lowers when she nods to him, "Perhaps. It's been a slow but successful progression in me getting established in the scene here. I work at the Asylum now and have scheduled play sessions with a few kindred." she will not name names, but it is definitely further along than when she was originally here.

"I tried to start slow, starting with events open to people not wise to the scene. This month I plan on doing something similar, this time with a rope class." her lip curls as she looks around the Farm and then back to Tomas. "Truthfully though, my skills utilized in my worship are different from in BDSM. Rope was often used to bind members, but rather than pleasure them, it was used to keep them confined as they were tested. I'm wondering if we might be able to have some sort of gathering open to other kindred where we can showcase something like that?" she has a few ideas but is interested in how her Hierophant might put use to her.

“Of course I don’t mean to intrude on your practices, nor force anything on your...playthings? Merely show them the way. Let them choose it.” Tomas exaggerates a shrug. “Or not.”

Hearing Katya’s suggestion, Tomas doesn’t speak at first, mulling it over in his mind. “I’m open to the idea, we would need to be careful though. We can’t show too much to outsiders.” A toothy grin spreads as he continues. “Or scare them off.”

“A gathering would certainly help show people what we’re all about though.” Tomas rubs his chin thoughtfully. ”Did you have anything specific in mind?”

With her own shrug, Katya says "I agree, letting them choose is a good way to go about it. And we could involve a more BDSM element into it, I think if anything out here would be better for security purposes anyhow."

when he asks her about what type of gathering could be involved she also takes time to think, pondering exactly how it would best play out without turning people away or sharing too much. "Not particularly, you're right in that we don't want to give too much away to outsiders, more importantly, I find that in large groups, it's hard to attend to each individual and be sure they are interested." too many times teaching classes showed her that. "Perhaps we start slow, with only a very select few of kindred who we might have known to show an interest and cater something to them, perhaps an honoring of a deity through pageantry." A thought occurs to her and she says "Richard Black for instance, he has expressed interest in other covenants in the past, moreso than others. I'd see him attending as being more productive than another citizen attending out of being polite."