ravenwitch-lilith

[ravenwitch-lilith]

Lilith hated to speak ill of the Emperor, especially when she wasn't aware of his grand plans. But it frustrated her to no end to be left out when she was one of his greatest assets left out in the cold.

"Honestly, Daemonne, I'm not sure. He's... a paranoid type, but he hasn't shut me out like this before." The words came out smoothly, despite the force it took Lilith to voice them.

She swallowed her pride to keep sharing, knowing what Darius knew would only come with trust. And if their game were to play out in anyone's favor, she would need to show her hand first.

"As far as I am aware, this is unprecedented. The Isle... they've been open as long as I can remember and the Emperor not--" she winced with her words, "the Emperor not informing me of these plans means he is holding them closer to his chest than ever. Perhaps, his paranoia has gotten to him in the time I have been away."

@darius-dues

In the Dark, Together || Daemonthorne

[ravenwitch-lilith]

Guilt clawed its way up Lilith's throat, tearing at the back of it. Her eyes stung with a fire she'd felt before. Maybe she hadn't known about the necromancy, the torment of the Golden Guards, but her hands were not clean in any way.

The Head Witch did not get to the top without being just as vicious. She thought of Edalyn, young and scrappy but just as talented as her, maybe even more so. That was what turned the elder's blood so green. Her jealousy made her a monster and thus she made her sister into one too. Lilith had years to face what she'd done but she just couldn't bring herself to acknowledge the guilt.

This revolution had a way of forcing Lilith to see the carnage she wrought, all by the hands of a boy she hardly respected last year.

She took a steeling breath, "The thing about spells and curses, Hunter, is that they can be broken."

The boy's life force was tied to Belos in a way she feared breaking it would kill them both... but she kept that to herself. Her hunt for the Philosopher's Stone was over in one capacity though Lilith believed she would keep looking for Hunter's sake. And if it couldn't save the boy, maybe she could use it to save her sister.

@thegcldenguard

So Begins the Dissent || Golden Shadow

[ravenwitch-lilith]

"One could assume I would have special permissions, but with communications down I haven't gotten any updates as of late..." She wanted to curse him for making her flash her cards before him. But Lilith understood the art of the exchange. Give a little, get a little.

She leaned back in her chair, gathering her air of superiority when she needed it most to feel at ease again. "You're also a coven head, surely you have the same information I do regarding the matter. Unless... you know something that the masses aren't privy to?"

This was the closest Lilith Clawthorne would ever come to begging. If Darius recognized that, this interaction could go one of two ways: he realizes she knows nothing and leaves her in the dark alone, or he sees how they are in the dark together and they could join forces to leave it behind. The latter requires trust. Trust Lilith didn't have with the people of the Isles. She was just too relentless and too cryptic to ever be someone anyone could trust.

Lilith regretted that now.

@darius-dues

In the Dark, Together || Daemonthorne

[ravenwitch-lilith]

The weight Lilith wanted lifted sank deeper, heavier on her chest. Her great task was only a back up plan, or merely a tool to make Belos stronger just like Hunter said. No one was entirely sure what the Philosopher's Stone was capable of so perhaps it could work in tandem with the methods he was currently using.

If Lilith were to believe what this boy, this fugitive, said... she would have to accept some unfortunate things were true. One, that she was never as close to the Emperor as he led her to believe. Two, that he was using the Golden Guards to replenish life force he couldn't make on his own... to be immortal. And three, her hunt for the Philosopher's Stone needed to end.

"That is... unfortunate." Were the only words of condolence she could muster.

Lilith was never good at this, the empathetic part. She could feel the sorrow, the worry, but the witch could only express emotions on the opposite end. She could show her pride, her rage, her indignation. Words of pity didn't cross her lips much.

"I... I didn't know. I know that's hard to believe with my position in the administration. But... you know more than anyone that the Emperor is a paranoid, secretive man. If he is a man at all..." She all but whispered the last part. "We can figure this out, Hunter. You will not die."

Lilith's gears were turning in her head causing the flame of nearby candles to dance. She hadn't signed up to commit necromancy, to kill innocent young men to keep power over the Isles. The sorceress loved being adjacent to power, having power, but not at the expense of Hunter's life.

@thegcldenguard

So Begins the Dissent || Golden Shadow

[ravenwitch-lilith]

Social call, then.

Though, not the friendliest of catching up it seemed. It made Lilith feel like a cornered dog, him calling her out directly like this. As straightforward as the Head Witch was, she wasn't the kind to show her hand to just anyone.

Lilith kept her face stoic as she replied, "Well, I have work in Swynlake to do. My job here is as important to me as anything back home."

A slight pause and Lilith stood to welcome Darius in further.

"I am sure we will all be able to go back to how things were before once matters have settled in the Isles. Sit, please."

What matters, exactly? Lilith didn't know. And she wasn't completely confident things would ever be the same in the Isles when her letters went unanswered. She didn't want Daemonne to know that though, in fact, she wanted to know what he did.

@darius-dues

In the Dark, Together || Daemonthorne

[ravenwitch-lilith]

The boy looked ill. Lilith wanted to response with petulance, but thought better of it. The pair of them were both too scared to fully show their cards and expose how screwed they were.

Lilith was proud, revolutionary. She could set the example, even though she wanted to sneer and tell Hunter that she asked first.

She sighed, “it seems our emperor has neglected to inform many of his servants of his plans in this time of strife. Belos hasn’t spoken to me about his plans, I assume you are just as unknowledgeable?”

@thegcldenguard

So Begins the Dissent || Golden Shadow

[ravenwitch-lilith]

Lilith was a paranoid creature.

In order to quell her mind of threats, she kept tabs on everyone in her circle and on the outskirts of it. Hunter, boy wonder, was always on the outside of her circle. That is, until he became wanted shortly after she entrusted him to help her find a relic for the Emperor.

That was when she became the most interested in a Golden Guard that she ever had been. They were one in the same, lap dogs to the mighty and powerful, so what did he do to spark that wrath? She elected to ignore it for her own selfish gain, but now the paranoia in silence was getting to her. Lilith invited the fallen, once golden boy in to her shadowy abode.

She made tea. She set the fire. She lulled him in with hope of a break through in their hunt.

"So, Hunter... I've given you enough lead with your personal life, but it seems the times are changing, for all of us." Lilith set her nightshade colored tea cup closer to his side of the table they gathered around. "I'm afraid I can't ignore it anymore.

Why is the Golden Guard a wanted man?"

@thegcldenguard

So Begins the Dissent || Golden Shadow

[ravenwitch-lilith]

So Begins the Dissent || Golden Shadow

[ravenwitch-lilith]

Lilith was wound tighter than the shadows straining to cover the light in her office. They stretched in tendrils to lick the absence of them, ever creeping closer to consuming the dim brightness in the room that Lilith sat in.

She felt the darkness overtaking her in her toiling. Belos left her in the dark with everyone. She wanted to believe it was to protect some motive so dear that even she wasn't worthy to know. She usually felt more at ease in the dark than in the light, but the witch felt lost in a way no flame could save her. Could Lilith walk confidently through the dark in a blindfold like the rest of the lambs?

Lilith's resolve was shaking.

The footsteps in the hall pulled the sorceress from her lament and the shadows pulled back, leaving the candlelit office as it ever was.

"Darius. What a pleasant surprise. Have you found more information on the Stone? Or is this just a social call?" Even the Raven Witch had a sense of humor sometimes.

@darius-dues

In the Dark, Together || Daemonthorne

[ravenwitch-lilith]

In the Dark, Together || Daemonthorne

[ravenwitch-lilith]

December 18th: Lilith + Watercolor

@ravenwitch-lilith

[ravenwitch-lilith]

Lilith had, actually, seen the paper. The paper delivery kid was one of the few she didn't scowl to see coming up her long and cobbled walkway.

"Yes..." she replied suspiciously. "Did you know him?"

The elder witch knew of him only in the same way she knew her paper delivery boy. He was the mailman. When she read the paper, she merely let out a hum of somber acknowledgement then flipped to the crossword. Lilith wasn't the kind to weep over an acquaintance. She didn't weep for loved ones either and maybe that was why her interns didn't seem to want to open up to her. They didn't think she'd care.

"It's sad, what happened. You're allowed to be sad and take time if you need." She appealed to the softest parts of herself she could, hoping she didn't visibly shudder at the effort.

@halfawitch-willow

How to Outlive Your Enemies and Other Lessons from the Boiling Isles ❁ Willith

[ravenwitch-lilith]

It didn’t go unnoticed by Lilith that Willow seemed on edge with her verbiage. The elder witch wasn’t super in touch with her feelings and much less so with others’, but it wasn’t conducive to the research team if she was emotionally clouded.

She acknowledged the girl’s information and thoughts with a hum. “That would be smart. If you can ask them if any fairies from the Hollow were around during Merlin’s time it could be the key to finding the stone, and if not finding it then at least they could give a glimpse into Merlin’s mind.”

And then she bit the bullet as she set down the binder, “Willow, you seem off. Is something wrong?” Lilith asked in a way as if it weren’t completely out of character. She could be the doting professor or confidant.

@halfawitch-willow

How to Outlive Your Enemies and Other Lessons from the Boiling Isles ❁ Willith

[ravenwitch-lilith]

Lilith took a seat across the man and graciously accepted the paper. A quick skim proved exactly what she thought, the Magick prison wasn’t as secure as they wanted you to believe.

“Hm.” She mused, “this wouldn’t happen at the Conformatorium. Maybe Abracadabra could take a few tips from them in the Isles.”

@apirateslifefor--smee

Reading The News & It Sure Looks Bad | Open

[ravenwitch-lilith]

Hunt for the Stone Pt. 1

Synopsis: Lilith Clawthorne is recruiting some select students and colleagues to assist her in the search for the Philosopher's Stone, one of Merlin's Objects.

Takes place: Lilith's office, first week of August 2024.

Lilith recruits @blight-magic, @thegcldenguard, @madmagicmim, and @halfawitch-willow HERE! Lilith recruits @darius-dues, @owlwitch-eda, and @invisible-professor HERE!

[ravenwitch-lilith]

Lilith only kept up with Mundus news in the slightest capacity. However, this front page spread was shaking every community; Magick and Mundus.

Abracadabra was broken into, well, out of.

She noticed another concerned citizen grumbling to himself, reading the same article she was. "No, no, it's not..."

Then, Lilith had a thought. Maybe someone her age would be good for an insightful conversation. "May I sit?" She asked, gesturing with her mug.

@apirateslifefor--smee

Reading The News & It Sure Looks Bad | Open

[ravenwitch-lilith]

Lilith wanted to pretend along with Willow that everything was fine, but if anyone was not at the top of their game it could put them all at a disadvantage. The shadow sorcerer had seen her fair share of exhaustion, and this wasn't that. At least not entirely.

"Hm." She responded shortly, not accepting her answer. "Good job. Any first hand accounts will be paramount in the search. Are any of the documents written by anyone still alive?"

Lilith always kept her praises terse, lest anyone get a bigger head than they deserved. Starving them of that fundamental resource would keep the pupils grasping for more as she did when she was their age. Look where it got her, a world renowned sorceress. Willow would thank her in due time for the tough love.

What she didn't know about her choice wording was that someone was not alive in Willow's life. That the little flower wilted with guilt for the dead as well as vindication.

The witch took the folder from the younger and spied it over, ignoring the trepidation. If Willow were to get anywhere in life, she'd need to make herself like her namesake; strong but bendable, not so feeble like the bud she was now. "Surely, there are some fairies from Merlin's time. Scribe talents would be able to recall the stories as if they were, correct?"

That was one thing she would have to defer to Willow's expertise. Lilith knew very little of the fairies.

@halfawitch-willow

How to Outlive Your Enemies and Other Lessons from the Boiling Isles ❁ Willith