The Grimoire of Lamiae - [VAN], [NC-H]

[Zeitgeist]

Needed

Three witches (Zamdrist, PearlRuby, ?)
Lamiae, a succubus (Indigo)
Maeve, witch and high priestest (Aeval)

Join me for a story of dark witchcraft, carnal lust, sacrifice, and coven politics. Your Elliquiy gender is of no importance, only your attention to detail and reliability. Note this would be a lesbian role play, and consensual for the most part. Thanks and enjoy!

Premise





In bid to gain power and prove themselves, a trio of 5th century Welsh witches splinter from the Mother coven and call upon the spirit of a would be ally as laid out in the Grimoire of Lamiae. At first it seems they are successful beyond even their own imaginations as now the embodied spirit of a legendary witch now walks amongst them. But Lamina has her own motivations and plans for the overly ambitious witches. Will Lamiae's carnal charms and wicked ways be the demise of the witches of Gwynedd, or will they find their way through the fog of coven politics, lust for power and poisonous jealousy?

Letter from Meroe



Setting

Kingdom of Gwynedd (5th Century). Cloistered amongst the thick forested hills of Gwynedd are several village communities. These small villages are populated by pagan worshipers, farmers, hunters and craftsmen. Absent any central authority, the communities are looked after by a coven of witches, and the high priestess Maeve. The witches follow a brand of witchcraft steeped in Welsh mythology and Wiccan traditions. The Goddess is worshipped above all as is the rede, An ye harm none, do what you will. Though the lust for power and influence is carefully guarded against, not all have the same discipline to fogoe their ambitions.

Plot

Meroe and a handful of her close associates, fellow witches,  break from the larger coven to form their own. Meroe, and her two peers have grown weary and impatient of the coven's careful and cautious ways. Maeve and the coven often forgo seeking out more powerful magics in favor of self discovery and humility. The three witches find this weak and ineffectual. They take matters in their own hands, aspiring to form their own coven amongst themselves and reaching for more power, be it dark or dangerous even.

Meroe had previously traveled to Macedonia on a pilgrimage. Returning home, to the Kingdom of Gwynedd, she brings with her an ancient Greek text called the Grimoire of Lamiae. In an attempt to secure their ligitmacy, power and standing with the large Mother Coven, the group decides to execute a ritual laid out in the book to commune with Lamia, the author of the grimoire. In their ignorance and inexperience however, they unwittingly summon Lamia herself, now a deviant succubus.

At first, the conjuration of Lamia seems to be a powerful if unexpected occurrence. The small group of witches revel in their success, believing the now embodied spirit is under their control. Lamia however has other plans. She will use the witches to attack the Mother Coven, jealous of their power and standing.

Motivations

As laid out in the plot, the motivation of the trio of witches is a grab for power, respect and standing amongst the community of witches. None of the three witches are the leader, and none are measurably more powerful than the other. With Meroe's return with the Grimoire of Lamiae however, she has lifted her standing and respect with the other two, and is perhaps unsaid the leader of the small group. In fact, she is just as much the instigator of trouble as the other two are.

The three witches, not unlike many of the other witches are lovers, friends and companions. They cohabit and share each other's bed, and often intermingle ritual worship with sex, either paired off together or as a group.

Maeve, the high priestess of the Mother coven over sees the community of witches as the most learned, wise and powerful witch in the area. She is careful and cautious with her power and the influence of the coven. The rede is foremost in her mind, and she guards against reaching for too much power, and magics from places that should be avoided.

She will initially play a hands off approach with the trio of witches that have splintered off, preferring they find their own way back to the coven rather than being forced back into the group. The events that follow however with the Grimoire of Lamiae will force her hand, and she'll have to make a choice. Does she interfere, and if possible bring some or all three back into the fold, or does she fight them, and banish them from the community altogether, stripping them of their standing? Or, perhaps the she too will be drawn under the insidious sway of Lamiae?

Lamiae

Lamiae, from Greek antiquity was once the Queen of Libya who became lured by the promises of power through dark witchery. Legend says she became a murderous daemon and a formidable witch possessing great magic. The details of her death are unknown, but in fact she was rewarded by the powers in the Abyss and transformed into a greater succubus. Her guile, and ability to seduce and tempt any mortal creature is significant. Her temptations are not completely unsurmountable, but the weak minded and foolish are easy prey.

The Grimoire of Lamiae is in fact a trap, lying in wait and ready to be sprung by the overly ambitious. Lamiae's goals are to break the will and back of the white witchery of Maeve and the coven of witches. She will do this in many ways, not least of all by seducing the trio of witches with promises of powerful magic and gifts of sexual bliss. She will use them to bring about the downfall of Maeve, as well as ultimately the three witches.

Witchcraft

Any manifestation of magic in this story should be subtle and typically part of a ritual. I don't foresee anything like flight, lightening bolts or fireballs. Any magic should be based in potions, herbs, rituals and nature based. I see the occasional transformation into an animal, communion with nature and animals to a means and end. Power should come foremost from the force of the character's personality and fortitude, and not a flick of the hand or the wave of a wand.

Meroe's Introduction

The ship slipped quietly into the harbor under the dim light of a crescent moon and a starless night sky. The port of Cowyn was shrouded in darkness, its sailors and longshoremen long since departed to the comfort and safety of their homes at such a late hour. At rail-side stood Meroe, impatient to find her feet on solid ground again, and nervous at the prospect of her arrival being noticed.

At her insistence all of the ships lanterns were snuffed out or shrouded. The ships sailors spoke only in hushed voices, the loud scuff of a boot upon the decks met with a stern glare from Meroe. Master Gabe might be the ship's captain, but everyone on board, down to the lowliest sailor, soon found out who was really in charge. The ship pulled along side its berth and was made fast with lines. Meroe made no move to depart the ship. The crew, along with its captain held their breath, not daring to speak out of turn.

Out of the darkness between the shadows of two shore-side buildings emerged a horse drawn carriage. The horse's hooves clapping upon the cobblestone was the only sound. The disturbance made Meroe cringe, sounding like thunderclaps amongst the silence surroundings the harbor. The carriage pulled up short of the pier as was instructed.

A sailor, only wishing to be helpful reached for Meroe's satchel at her feet, thinking to lend a hand.

Meroe hissed and slapped the sailor's hand away. Her sharp nails scratched open the man's hand. The contents of the satchel were far too important to hand over to anyone she could not trust. From under the cowl of her hooded cloak Meroe's countenance emerged.

"Do not touch this, I will carry it. See to my luggage," Meroe said.

Her tone was superior and aloof, as though every man on board were her personal porter. Her green eyes flashed dangerously under heavy lashes, her alabaster complexion contrasted starkly to her dark luxurious curls that tumbled out from her hood. The sailor's eyes wide with real fear said nothing and complied to the woman's demands. The sooner they assisted her off the ship, the sooner they would be rid of the imperious woman.

In the satchel Meroe carried was a tome of great power. A grimoire of witchcraft that would secure her and her companion's standing among Gwynedd's coven of witches. Maeve, the high priestess, would have no choice but to recognize their coven and their superior magics. Meroe had been away for four years now, traveling in Macedonia seeking out the famed artifact. How exactly she acquired the tome would remain a mystery to all, even those closest to her. To Meroe however, the means justified the end. In the end it came down to false love, simple murder and theft. With a smidgen of fondness she recalled the Macedonian priestess she had seduced. So beautiful and so naive. But ultimately she fled that land, leaving a dagger buried in her lover's bosom, and the grimoire in hand.

Now it was she had finally returned to her homeland. She longed for the touch and warmth of her lovers and peers. Soon they would uncover the secrets of the Grimoire of Lamiae and all would answer to them. There was danger still, her arrival known only to her companions, and only they knew with what she returned with. Maeve must not become aware of their plans before they were ready. She would learn of Meroe's return soon enough but not before the three witches had begun down the road to unlocking the secret magics.

Meroe came ashore upon the pier down the gangplank, wasting little time heading for the carriage that awaited her. The ship's sailors hefted her luggage behind her and stowed it at the carriage's rear.

Without another word, Meroe helped herself into the carriage which took off hastily into the night, leaving the city and making for the trails that lead to her village.

[Aeval]

I think this rp sounds wonderfull Zamdrist! I would like to be a part of it playing Maeve- let me know what you think!

[Zeitgeist]

I think this rp sounds wonderfull Zamdrist! I would like to be a part of it playing Maeve- let me know what you think!

Excellent, good to have you of course. I'm certain you'll do well with the role  :-)

[Crovonovin]

Just posting quickly to state my interest in this roleplay!  I would love to play one of the three rogue witches.  I'm still formulating what sort of personality she may have, but I envision a particular affinity for plant life and sickness...  Here's an image that I immediately thought to dig up for inspiration. 

[Zeitgeist]

Looking for one more witch (three in all). Please post your interest, thanks!

We'll give this a 24 hour go, otherwise we'll move forward with two.

[Blaze]

I would love to play the third witch. I have a pretty god idea in my head for her, so she's practically ready. I'm off to work and I'll post her later.

[Zeitgeist]

I would love to play the third witch. I have a pretty god idea in my head for her, so she's practically ready. I'm off to work and I'll post her later.

Excellent, look forward to hearing your ideas.

[ShrowdedPoet]

I like the looks of this!

[Zeitgeist]

Blaze, ShrowdedPoet...if you could post a paragraph or so that describes your witch, that would be great. One of the things we've decided to do is each witch also has a sphere of influence or a specialty. Here are some resources I've used as inspiration.

Since there's one spot left, the people already signed up to the story, and myself will pick the one we feel fits best. I hope thats not too elitist  :-\

Don - Mother Goddess?

Welsh Goddesses - Patron goddesses?

Welsh Mythology - More sources

More Welsh Goddesses

More Gods/Goddesses

[Blaze]

As I said I had an idea ready, I just needed time to write. But I've looked thought the links you gave, their very interesting. This is my witch. If you don't agree with something I'm opened to suggestions how to change it.  :-)
And no hard feeling if you don't choose me, I understand.

Charis
Appearance: Charis is graceful and with a tempting, seductive beauty. Her skin is white and as smooth as silk. Her dark hair falls in waves to her wast and her sapphire blue eyes can not be described in words.
Character: Her name comes from an ancient Greek word χαρις meaning "grace, kindness". She is like the water - calm and generous, always thinking of others and never refusing to help. But she also has the destructive temper of a tittle wave and can be very dangerous, for she just like the water hides many things under the surface. One of those thing is list for power. She believes that she can help people, for they are like a flock and need strong guidance, if she had more power. Charis specializes in healing, but her potions can kill as well as they can cure you. No herb is unknown to her and she can spend hours of studying them and mixing her potions. Often she is called to help women give birth, so he is known as a midwife to the region.

[Zeitgeist]

One of the co-writers suggested we could just add a sixth player, as another witch. Perhaps she's closer to Maeve, the high priestess of the Mother Coven and is wavering between staying with the coven or joining the trio of witches.

Its a possibility, although 6 writers will be plenty! I'm hoping we can get underway by Thursday-Friday.

[ShrowdedPoet]

Raven:

A small woman, often mistaken for a child of just 16 though her age is nearly double.  Long flowing black hair runs down to the middle of her back with a slight purple sheen.  Piercing hazel eyes peer from an oval face.  Promanent cheek bones and jaw.  Long thin fingers and a rectangle hand.  Her speciality is fire and her personality burns like her magic.  Only 5 foot she's slender but slightly curvy.  Fair skin with a sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.  She wears a long clingy forest green dress, low cut, with red lace and ribbon. 

Anyway, very very rough draft.

[Blaze]

One of the co-writers suggested we could just add a sixth player, as another witch. Perhaps she's closer to Maeve, the high priestess of the Mother Coven and is wavering between staying with the coven or joining the trio of witches.

Its a possibility, although 6 writers will be plenty! I'm hoping we can get underway by Thursday-Friday.

Okay, are we going for six players, after all? If not, you've got to choose one of us.
If yes, who's going to be the third witch and who's going to be the other one? I have no preferences.

[Zeitgeist]

Okay, are we going for six players, after all? If not, you've got to choose one of us.
If yes, who's going to be the third witch and who's going to be the other one? I have no preferences.

We were hoping to hear back from one of the co-writers. If I don't by late tonight, we'll make the decision then, one way or another.

Of course if we don't hear from them, we may have another problem.

Blaze, ShrowdedPoet, would either of you be willing to switch roles and play the part of the Lamiae if necessary?

I don't know we are there yet though.

[Zeitgeist]

I've not heard from the last co-writer on a preference yet, and have messaged her directly.

Either way, I'll make the call later tonight.