The Black Coven
The Black Coven was a group of secretive witches from the Murkwood Swamp, who had in recent times held dominion over the country through a reign of intimidation and terror. The group was dismantled by a group of adventurers who defeated the Heart of the Coven, freeing the children that the coven had kidnapped.
History
The Black Coven were originally a group of witches who had made their home within the Murkwood Swamp. From here they invited budding young magic users from across the continent to study and train, in order to become talented and powerful witches of the future. They acted quietly and secretly, and held a strong influence over the swamp at that time. Few villages existed in this area, and there was no geopolitical state of any kind. The Coven wanted to keep it that way, and used their magic to push back against any new settlers.
In the year 1034, Emperor Margot wanted to expand his influence to the few places on the continent that was not yet under his control. This included the Murkwood, which had pushed back his settlers each time he had sent them to create new towns and villagers within it. Eventually, he grew tired of the Coven's resistance, and sent his finest assassin to put an end to them.
The assassination was successful and Margot's forces quickly swept into the Swamp and began settling there, and for 25 years the Coven disappeared. However, in the year 1059, the coven re-appeared, furious with how their home had been settled in. The coven had secretly used a dark ritual to turn themselves into a single being, they would require more magic to fully complete this new form and so from then on, the coven demanded a tribute from the villages of the Murkwood every year. This tribute required that any child with magic-sensitive blood, be offered to the Coven at the end of the first month of the year. Any village who had no child of this kind, would have to give two children at random.
The people quickly learned the consequences of resisting this demand, with a whole village burned to the ground after the refused to take part in the offering. Ever since, the people live their lives in fear of what might happen if they displease the coven, and so with great saddness the unlucky among them give up their children to an unknown fate.
Disbandment
In 1135 a group of adventurers were able to destroy the coven once and for all, saving the children who they had currently kept captive. The heart was destroyed, revealing that the group intended to become a Beholder.
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