Verbena
🌿 Verbena of Madison
“Blood remembers. The land remembers. We are the hands that make the memory live again.”
The **Verbena** of Madison are fierce, rooted defenders of the living world, bound by cycles of birth, death, sacrifice, and rebirth. In a city crumbling under paradox and corruption, the Verbena remain unwavering in their devotion to **Gaia**, the **Seasons**, and the **Pulse of the Land**.
They do not ask permission. They offer tribute.
🧬 History in Madison
The Verbena were among the **original sealmakers** of the Capitol Node, working alongside Dreamspeakers, Garou, and early Hermetics to bind **the Nameless** beneath what would become Madison.
They have long protected the **effigy mound leyline web**, performed the rites of **seasonal balance**, and cultivated the **ritual bloodlines** of Madison’s Awakened community.
For centuries, their Caerns and Groves pulsed in harmony with nature and spirit.
But now… **the land is dying**, and the time for quiet ritual is over.
🔥 Key Figure: Susheela Pantaleone Fabian – The Militant Witch
- Created in a ritual in 1979 during a Beltane convergence beneath Picnic Point - Fully Awakened at birth - Trained in war rites, caern healing, and spirit cutting - Current leader of the Madison Verbena - Advocates for the **termination of the Gahara Pact**, believing it has failed Gaia - Believed to have **Nameless-tainted origins**—though not corrupted
🌾 Practices and Beliefs
The Verbena of Madison follow ancient cycles of:
- Blood rites
- Spirit planting and seasonal offerings
- Bone sigils and rune-carving
- Caern alignment and node fertility work
- Cross-tradition ritual exchange with Dreamspeakers and Euthanatos
Their paradigm is grounded in: > “Magick is life—and all life requires sacrifice. Nothing is gained without blood, and nothing grows without death.”
🌍 Sacred Sites in Madison
🌲 Picnic Point Grove
- Site of Susheela’s creation - Tied to an ancient dreaming forest that now shows signs of entropy bloom - Houses an Umbro-crossover Caern with remnants of Croatan energy
🕯️ Arboretum Caern
- Shared with the Dreamspeakers and Garou - Site of the **Gahara Pact’s original ritual renewal** - Currently under siege by corrupted spirit echoes and paradox storms
🧬 Ritual Circle of Renewal (Secret Site)
- Hidden glade believed to house **fertility stones tied to the Third Anchor** - Not disclosed to the Council - Used by Susheela and her inner circle to bind spells of sacrifice and prophecy
⚠️ Current State (1985)
| Aspect | Status | |--------|--------| | **Leadership** | Uncontested. Susheela leads with absolute will and fire. | | **Allies** | Dreamspeakers (strong), Euthanatos (resonant), Hollow Ones (distrusted but respected) | | **Enemies** | Technocracy, Hermetics (particularly Jay Dee), certain Choristers | | **Node Access** | Limited. The Capitol Node refuses some of their rites. Suspected resonance warping. | | **Political Stance** | Verbena may secede from the Council if the Hermetics are not removed from the Sealwatch. |
🕯️ Ritual Focus in 1985
The Verbena are focused on:
- Restoring the **withered leyline veins** around the lakes
- Performing **Wyrm-purging rites** in the Arboretum and Capitol tunnels
- Preparing a **Seed of Rebirth** spell which would overwrite the current node if it collapses
- Identifying the **true cause of Burke’s death** and **avenging it in kind**
🗝️ Secrets and Suspicions
- **Susheela may not be fully human**—her ritual origin may have embedded Nameless echoes - Some believe the **Verbena plan to replace the Seal entirely** using Old Croatan sorcery - A **Weaver spirit** offered the Verbena a forbidden pact in 1984—Susheela turned it down. Barely.
🔗 Related Pages
- The Traditions of Madison
- Susheela Pantaleone Fabian
- Capitol Node
- Nameless Echoes
- The Gahara Pact
- Dreamspeakers of Madison
- Pre Generated Characters
“The Wheel turns. We don’t worship it. We bleed into it until it turns the way it must.”