Informal Crone Meeting

[Mable Wood]

Mable was looking forward to meeting Albert Baker. She wondered what faction he believed in, well soon she would know.

Her driveway was a long dirt road lined with blue solar twinkle lights that her old friend Rebecca had bought her. The driveway opened into a court yard of sorts. To the left was the gazebo still lit in white christmas lights. the forest was behind the gazebo. next was the path that lead around the flower garden walk. This looped behind the horse stalls with a fenced in area behind for them to graze. Next to the stalls were the green houses then the chicken coop. in front of her tiny home was a rock garden that she changed up whenever possible. The spring flowers were all in full bloom.

Mable sat quietly waiting in the gazebo enjoying the light breeze and the scents of spring.

She was wearing a yellow dress that hit right above the knees and had little capped sleeves and a sweetheart neck line.

[Albert Baker]

So this would be it... the meeting with the Hierophant and once more joining the fold of the Circle in a new city. Once more adapting to a new leadership and perhaps rites different to his own, but that was part of the cost of belonging and it was better than being Unbound.

Lights appeared on the driveway and a small silhouette became visible at the horizon, coming closer and growing into a slate grey 1962 Bedford CA, which slowly stopped at the court yard. The lights went out, after a while the door opened and Albert stepped out of his vehicle clad in a stone grey leather duster accompanied by a bowler in the same colour and black galoshes worn over his dress shoes. Carrying a black briefcase, he looked around, as if trying to get familiar with the environment around the court yard, before stepping closer to the gazebo.


First a whiff of incense entered the gazebo, almost as if announcing the presence of the man setting foot there a bit later. Upon noticing Mable he removed his hat and bowed slightly.

"Good evening. It is a pleasure to meet you."

[Mable Wood]

Mable watched the car come up the drive. His vehicle was even older than her own well loved old truck. She caught a whiff of incense which became stronger. Her beast momentarily hissed in her ear before she squashed it.

She stood as he approached, "Good evening, I'm so happy to be meeting you." She looked him over appraising his dress and demeaner. He reminded her of a butler or maybe a business man from some of the old movies she loved to watch with his coat and hat and proper manners.

"Would you like to stay out here or head inside?" She asked politely.

[Albert Baker]

Albert put his hat back on and thought for a while, while taking the opportunity to submit the urge to turn himself into the object of ridicule by trying to fight her.


"I would prefer to head inside."



In his head he compared her with the other hierophants he had met in Victoria and Portland and found that she promised to be a lot less bound by ritual and pomp (and hopefully less inclined to be troublesome for her adherents. Another bonus point was that she didn't feel the need to have a servant greet him or stand nearby to translate what she said from some oracle language into comprehendable English.

[Mable Wood]

Mable walked him inside, "Over there I have a path that circles around to the back of the house. I have many types of flowers growing along it. There are two horses in the stables. My chickens are asleep right now but they live in that huge coop area. And these are my two green houses. One is for potting the other houses the fertilizer. " Hmmmm his inscense helps with that smell, nice.

"And here," she opens the door to the tiny farm house "Is my home. Please come in My home is yours. This is after all called the Crone farm amongst our fellow kindred. And don't worry, my cats are in the bedroom so they shouldn't bother you."

"Please sit and be comfortable."

Once he was seated, "To get right to business, "Which faction of the crone do you follow and how can I help you?"

[Albert Baker]

Albert nodded appreciatively, while looking around. The farm did look well maintained and cared for, which was good. Though he wondered whether there was a shrine or an altar here or it happened to be a different place and this was the personal realm of the Hierophant.

"This is a nice farm and you can be quite proud of it."


He followed her inside, left his coat, his hat and the galoshes at the closest thing to a wardrobe and revealed a stone grey three piece suit with a tie striped in red, blue and gold and black Oxfords being both very fancy (if well worn) and very shiny. he took a seat on the nearest chair and looked at her with a small smile.

"Thank you. Well, why have I come here... The answers to this are partially self-explaining, partially not. You are Hierophant, the matriarch of the Circle here, which as I've been taught, make presenting myself to you a privilege and a duty, so to speak. The other part of the duty is to learn how my presence can benefit out Covenant and the domain at large."



He paused to answer her question more directly.


"I follow the Old Gods of the Greeks. My patron goddess is Hecate Apotrophaia. As for how you can help me, as I said, I need to know about the Circle here, what it does, which rites there are to be observed and how we stand in the Domain. It would also interest me, how I can be useful for Circle and Domain."

[Mable Wood]

Mable looks at him for a moment, studying his words and his being. She could see it in him. He had the regal look and stance. "MMM, yes the serpent queen I believe?"

"We have a crone temple. It needs fixing up. Right now it still looks a little urban-y. I can show it to you if you would like to use it or make it your own. You are always more than welcome here. However, I don't feel like farm life is for you." She gives a lilting laugh, "I may be wrong. But you seem like you would like a grander residence and place to worship. On that note, do you have adequate lodgings? Do you need any assistance there?"

"Rituals and celebrations, well I try at least once a year to invite the whole domain here for a celebration of one of the solstices. I invite others to join in. Mostly I am trying to open up a line of communication and understanding of the Crone. My philosophy is knowledge breeds acceptance. The more others understand the less they will fear the unknown. I don't share how we do our blood magic, but I do share what we can do to help within the Domain."

"I do not require other Crone to be as open and honest about their skills as I am. Everyone must decide for themselves. But I do ask that Crone are welcoming to all others, accepting of their beliefs, and offer to assist the domain where they can. It is my belief that we as a domain need to work together to stay strong against those who attack us in various ways."

"To assist the domain, you should contact the Reeve to see if there is anything your skill set could assist with. Your priscus may also have some things which they would like you to do. And if the Prince, Seneschal, or Hound ask for any assistance make sure you do what ever you can for them. I know, this is all just common sense things but you would be surprised at how many individuals only have their own agendas and forget about the community as a whole."

"To help with the Crone. Well, what type of skills do you possess? In the past, there were several who only had research as their skill. Do you have fighter skills? research skill? investigating skills? computer or hacking skills? That type of thing. If you wish to not get specific I understand."

"What level of rituals and celebrations are you interested in? Is there anything I can help you with? Would you care to discuss the history and background to your faction? I am pretty well versed in all factions and history due to research which was left in my care."

[Albert Baker]

The Hierophant asked about the Serpent Queen, which wasn't a name he was too familiar with. An aspect he didn't know as well, perhaps. Nonetheless he nodded.

"Yes, though the aspects I worship are rather the guardian of boundaries and journeys. Besides her ties to the underworld appeal to me. I'm not familiar with all of her aspects, though."

On the temple he shrugged, as if to say, that the facilities here would do.


"I'm used to the huge and old temples at Victoria and Portland, though I would like to see the one here. It might lack the size of those, but it is holy and deserves to be respected."

He nodded witha smile when she mentioned him being always welcome and upon speaking of life on a farm, he remembered the one time he tried living and working on a farm. It hadn't been pretty.

"I thank you for being welcome here, but I have to admit you are right: life on a farm is not for me. I have tried it and it didn't work."

Then she asked whether he needed help with lodging, which he could decline. It wasn't the old house he once had back home, for instance it had no library, but it had to do.

"I do have found lodging, though it is not quite as commodious as I'd prefer. There isn't much room for my books to be stored. I do am aware, that most would call it a luxury problem, though."

Once again it was emphasized that thewhole domain was batting on the same team and he couldn't help but wonder, why everyone needed to repeat it continually... Sounded almost too good to be true.

"I see, that is a good and sensible approach, though I find it odd, that not more embrace it. This is about the first time I heard a whole domain being of the same opinion regarding working together and I have to admit it is a bit strange for me that we and the Invictus and the Lancea are on the same side."

He nodded on speaking with his Priscus and the Reeve to lend aid to the society, as he had done exactly that on arrival.

"I have already spoken to the Priscus and offered my services to the Reeve, should they find them sufficient. I do have research skills and investigation skills, though my skills with computers and firearms could be better and I never got my head around melee."

At the mention of discussing backgrounds and histories, Albert couldn't help but smile, as that was one of the things he enjoyed.

"I would like to discuss histories and background and learn more about the history of the covenant here. If it is not too bold a request, I would also like to learn magic and rituals, yes."

[Mable Wood]

Mable listened to Albert and considered her responses.

"I'm glad you reached out to them, oh I mean her. Isn't the Reeve also your Priscus? Anyway, she is a great person. She can be trusted."

She reached over to the book shelf and took out a book, opening it as she would a box. It was a false book. She took out keys and handed them to Albert. "These are the keys to the Crone Temple. It has some updated lighting. And we held a court in it last year and therefore, it is in pretty decent condition. The outside of the building has some graffiti but the walls inside had been repainted a very boring off white so that art could be displayed. I believe there is still some art on the walls. It's an old church located at [address]. I welcome you to go and have a look. It could use someone to look after it."

"I can help you with both magic and rituals. But first, I need to know more about you. What do you want to accomplish with your magic and rituals? You like to investigate and do research. How do you investigate? Are you mostly a researcher? or do you see yourself like an old time gumshoe, following people doing legwork?" She had some things she would recommend but she did need to know more.

"And what direction of history would you like to take? I could talk your ear off forever and never cover what you want to learn."

[Albert Baker]

Upon mentioning the Priscus, he nodded as ifhe agreed. With a small smile and a bow he then took the keys and carefully put them away.

"Thank you for your trust. I'll see to it as much as my abilities allow me to."

He frowned at the word 'gumshoe', as if it wasn't familiar, though the frown smoothened into a neutral expression again and then into thoughtfullness.

"I am a researcher, indeed I have spent much of my life doing it, but I'm also able to investigate 'in the field', though there I'm slightly disadvantaged. I don't know much about our kind magic, but I admit I hoped it might help me in that regard."

Again a smile appeared and lingered, though carefully contained. Wouldn't be good to have her feel insulted after all.

"I'm a scholar, it could be said learning everything I can about subjects is what I do. But I get your point. All of it would be a bit much... Perhaps we could begin with the recent history since about the Sixties..."