The Verbena
The Verbena descend from the practicioners of the old western European religions, prior to the coming of Christianity. They are similar to, and responsible for, the Wicca movement in the modern world. However, during the original Concave, they gained several members of surviving pagan religions, many of whom did not fit in with the 'mainstream.' With Nightshade missing in the Avatar Storm, they have splintered into many factions, most of whom no longer see eye to eye.
The Old Guard
Confusingly, both the Old Guard and the New Wave factions refer to themselves as Verbena, and use derogatory terms for each other. The Old Guard faction claims to maintain the truest traditions to the old days. They hold that nature is wild and bloody, and their rituals reflect this. They often perform magic through blood sacrifice, or at least imitations of it. They are also archetypical witches, and can often be found brewing potions, wearing headdresses of antlers to evoke the Horned God, among other things. They maintain forces of Bygones, some of who were created by the Verenbra, as well as squads of blessed warriors.
They believe that their magic comes from the earth, and that the Technocracy is, through their taming of nature, attempting to kill it. They also believe that unnatural medicine prevents the old ways from properly working on individuals.
The New Wave
The New Wave focuses on the harmony of nature, and their rituals are decidedly clean. They often heal with crystals, homeopathy, and herbal medicine, and typically refuse to use the more bloody or exotic ingredients that the Old Guard favors. While they do not maintain squads of soldiers or packs of Bygones, they are much more integrated with the Wiccan mainstream, and can draw ritual participants from there
They believe that all thing used to live in harmony, which was shattered by Man and his patriarchal civilization thus weakening natural magic. They believe that the Technocracy is only the latest manifestation of this in history. They also believe that modern medicine is poisoning its patients, making it more difficult for them to be properly healed.
The Sons of Mithras
The Sons of Mithras do not solely worship Mithras, but are instead the survivors of several Roman warrior cults that banded together for protection in the face of Christian persecution. Over time, the mystery cults merged together, and now they worship Mithras, Mars, Minerva, and Jupiter together. They weakened with the death of Rome's standing armies, but survived to form mercenary companies in the middle ages. While the exact companies have come and gone, they have survived in spirit until the modern day. Today they have members in the militaries of most western countries, and maintain a mercenary organization. After the end of the Pogrom and a decreased need for magical mercenaries, they began taking jobs from less savory organizations, which resulted in them leaving the Verbena.
They believe that by ending organized worship of their gods, the Technocracy has weakened their divine blessings.
The Seventh Thunder
The worshipers of the Asgardians didn't die out with the coming of Christianity and the Order of Reason. No, they, survived to the present day, in the form of a number of biker gangs. These pagans moved to the midwest in the mid-nineteenth century, far from the grasp of the Order of Reason. There they lived for almost a century, until the rise of biker gangs gave them new life. They drink hard, fight harder, and live outside the law, and belive that by maintaining a 'viking' lifestyle their gods continue to favor them. However, Fimbulwinter is coming, accelerated by the Technocracy, and the power of the gods wains.
They left the Verbena over their refusal to expel their white nationalist members.
The Olympians
The Olympians claim descent from the Greek Gods. They believe that by living in the proper way, and training constantly, they can exceed the limits of the humans the Technocracy tamed. However, the modern world lacks the sheer power to maintain an Olympian's full power, due to the technocracy draining magic and thus they must take care to only slightly break the limits placed upon them. They never integrated into the Verbena, and left after the end of the Progrom to pursue their own aims.
House Bjornaer
House Bjornaer is an order of druids, formerly a member of the Order of Hermes. They defected to the Verbena during the formation of the Council. They draw their power from the land, and are often park rangers or other park officials in order to ensure that they have the access they need. However, few places on the planet are truly pure anymore, weakening their power. They left during the Verbena schism, but maintain close ties with both factions.
