The covens of Atlanta are numerous. They serve many gods and goddesses and have little in common.  A typical coven consists of a limited number of members, usually thirteen.  Some covens are exclusively female, while others allow male members.

The proper terminology for a female or male coven member is a witch or practitioner of the craft.  Some covens refer to male members as warlocks.  Who is called what is a bone of contention between various covens.

Most witches possess expert knowledge of herbology and magic rituals involving natural objects, such as minerals and plants.  Witches do not engage in alchemy.  They’re highly effective against shapeshifters, magic animals, and other users of “natural” magic.

Each coven operates as a separate unit.  When a coven is bound together by a ritual, it becomes more powerful than the sum of the powers of its individual members.  That power separates the covens from neo-cults.

The Witch Oracle.

The Witch Oracle is the only authority that binds the covens into a faction.  It consists of three witches: Hag, Mother, and Maiden. The Oracle meets in the stone crypt in the middle of a dense wilderness that used to be Centennial Park.  During the flare, the crypt is transformed into a living turtle.

The witches of the Oracle worship Hekate, The Oracle worships Hekate, the Queen of the Night, the Mother of all Witches.   She is depicted on a wall of their meeting place as a tall woman with three arms.   The first holds a knife, the second a torch, and the third a chalice with a tiny snake winding about it.  To the left of her sit a black cat and a toad, to the right a key and a broom.

Powers:

Each of the three Oracle witches plays a specific role, symbolizing the objects in Hekate’s arms:

• The Knife - the raw power of magic, wielded as a weapon.
• The Chalice – the power of the craft, the knowledge of magic and nature.
• The Torch – the power of prophecy, the sight into the past, present, and future.

There are only three witches active at any particular time.  If one of the Oracle witches is close to death, another will be born to replace her.  The identity of the Oracle Witch is typically discovered when she reaches puberty, provided the Oracle witch she is replacing is dead.  If an Oracle witch dies suddenly, the Oracle will be crippled until the new Oracle witch matures.

The People defy categorization.  Part cult, part corporation, part a scientific institution, the People concern themselves with necromancy: study, raising, and care of the undead. Like the Order, the People have a national presence, with bases in most major cities.

The People are obscenely wealthy and seemingly interested solely in increasing their wealth. They control the largest vampire stable on the continent and are not shy about wielding their influence.

Vampires

Vampires are mindless creatures. They have no ego, no consciousness, no ability to formulate thoughts. Left to their own devices, they would slaughter every living things until nothing was left and then they would turn on each other. Because their brains do not atrophy like most of their internal organs, vampires provide an ideal anchor for a person gifted in the necromantic magic. Such people are called navigators. The navigators “ride” the mind of the vampires, experiencing the world both through their own eyes and ears and through the eyes and ears of the vampires. Vampires hunt purely by sight and hearing. They have no sense of smell.

Vampire creation is a strictly controlled process, overseen by the government. A person may legally choose to become a vampire after his death, provided they are of sound mind when they make the contract. To replenish and expand their stable, the People offer a sizeable amount of money to the prospective “vamps-to-be” and they are never short on applicants. The prospect of money usually attracts terminal patients. Once the contract is signed, the applicant may terminate the contract at will at any point. The applicant is closely monitored. In the moment of clinical death, he is injected with Immortuus pathogen. His body is then secured for the duration of the incubation, which usually takes 10-12 days. Upon undeath, the vampire becomes the property of the People.

Journeymen and Masters

To become a member of the People, one has to pass rigorous ability tests. If the applicant demonstrates necromantic ability, he is hired as a journeyman. Journeymen are assigned to a Master of the Dead, an experienced necromancer, who is able to raise and navigate the undead. The journeymen do the grunt work of the vampire care and receive instruction in navigation. Most do not possess enough talent to ever reach Master of the Dead status. Journeymen often adopt goth attire and make up with a strong preference for bright, blood-red accesories.

Masters of the Dead weild a great deal of power. They have the authority to select their own candidates for the vampires out of the pool of potential applicants. Because People pursue wealth with single-minded dedication and often own casinos, funeral homes, and security firms, most Masters of the Dead are wealthy. However, the People’s agenda runs deeper than their surface addiction to material comforts. The People are ruled by Roland, a shadowy figure unknown to laymen. Roland is rumored to possess an almost god-like powers. The People are his creation and he uses them to further his own means. What those means are, nobody knows.