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"And now we let them sit," I say, closing a cabinet that now has several jars of pickled vegetables. It's a pleasant autumn day, cool with a gentle breeze. Sunlight shines through scattered clouds and treecover, creating a picturesque interplay of light and shadow. I can hear crows in nearby trees, and branches rustling with their movements. Everything seems to be calming down with that nest dealt with. Life, the energy of life, has returned.
"I hope they turn out well," Melina says, returning to the dining table."No reason they wouldn't," I assure her, "You followed my directions to the letter."
Lucinda steps in from the parlor and says, "It won't be much longer before I can teach you some of my dessert recipes." She takes a seat too, and I realize that I do not actually have a lesson planned for the day.
"I confess that I forgot about today's non-cooking lesson," I admit. "So, do you have anything specific you're curious about?"Melina thinks for a moment and nods. "You mentioned the Cypress Circle, and I know about the Silverblades and Black-Quills. Can you tell us more about these covens and traditions?"
We will begin, naturally, with the Black-Quills. We are sometimes known as the crow witches, as crows are our symbol and our inspiration; we strive to emulate their cleverness and their communal attitude. To us, the Principle of False Self is paramount; there is no "I", there is the flock, the coven, the community. There are Black-Quills in many places, but we don't gather in large groups. We prefer to split up to do our work for different communities, and we may then meet periodically to share new insights.
Our adaptability leads to great variation in our talents. You have likely heard me referred to as the best healer in the region. It is true, because I have needed to make it true; the Cypress Circle, as I mentioned before, is too far away. Others may be talented with bladework, poppetry, invocations of the Courts, and so on.
Yes, I do also have knowledge on all of those - aside my own history with the Courts, this is the purpose of those meetings I mentioned. But I still am no specialist in bladework, as my... less than stellar showing in the razorbeak hunt demonstrated. You, Melina, have a real talent there, but I suspect it was not a skill pleasantly gained.
Mm? As my apprentice, yes, you would be considered a Black-Quill by association. When you are ready to practice on your own, it is your choice if you continue to identify as a Black-Quill or not. In either case, you will be accepted as a peer; we are not given to isolationism or arrogance.
Next, then, would be the Silverblades. They are warriors, one and all. Their martial fixation leaves them at a disadvantage in the subtler aspects of the craft, but when there's a threat that truly does need to be put down, you won't find someone better-suited to the task. They tend to be rather centralized, usually found in lodges of about a dozen, led by an Exemplar. Maryse is a Silverblade Exemplar, and her sister Gloria is seen as equal to one by the coven, though she yet practices independently. Loosely there are two kinds of Exemplars; circle leaders, and roamers like Maryse. Maryse is not a poor leader, but she is given to wanderlust, and uses that to keep abreast of developments throughout the land.
Silverblade lodges are most frequently found in the Elyrian southlands, but certainly not exclusively. Many of their lodges serve also as accommodations for travelers; share supplies, share knowledge, know that you will be safe while you rest.
I had been.. more hostile toward them than they deserved, I think. My history with Maryse was... Well. It's history, anyway.
The Cypress Circle are, as I've mentioned before, widely known as the greatest healers in the land. They hold the Principle of Reciprocity as their utmost tenet, a philosophical stance rather than just an observation on ephemera. It is, to them, our responsibility to do good because Reciprocity will make that good echo, repeat. It will, simply put, make the world a better place. It reads as hopelessly naive to me, too black-and-white a view for such a colorful land, but I respect the effort nonetheless.
The Cypress Circle is based in the fertile eastlands, where they take advantage of the climate and soil to grow a wide range of medicinally-valuable plants. There are some smaller enclaves, usually consisting of three to five experienced witches, scattered around the Elyrian east and center, but they broadly stay close to their homes unless called.
The Circle of Flame is a small but prominent coven in the north, in the borderlands between Elyria and Dun Sceora. They can be... difficult. They are fiercely dedicated to the spiritual aspects of the craft. This faith drives them to assist those in need, but they work poorly with more practically-minded witches. However, I will give credit where due - their mastery of poppetry is truly remarkable. I wish only that they would explore it rationally so we could better learn of the craft.
There are of course a number of other covens and quite a few independently-practicing witches throughout Elyria. Many of the independent practicioners are found in the Elyrian heartland, where they have sufficient access to multiple traditions to study and draw upon.
Last, for this lesson, is the fae witches. Not those like myself, marked by and communing with the fae, these are dedicated to the Courts. Acantha is one of them, their appointed Warden of the Emerald Spires. While the fae don't exactly have structured honors like some of our societies do, it is hard to dispute her position as the most highly-respected witch among the fae, for the Emerald Spires are sacred ground to all Courts. Fae witches almost always practice independently; they may work with others, but they do not organize into covens or circles.
Are there further questions? No? Good, then I believe you're due for more sparring with Gloria... and I'm due for more first aid practice.
