Eleanor Ashburne
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| Eleanor Ashburne | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Eleanor Ashburne |
| Affiliation | Order of the Hemlock (founder) |
| Status | Deceased |
| Occupation | Witch, spiritual matriarch of Verdant |
| First appearance | Making the Grades: Kelly's Unveiling |
| Canon status | Confirmed |
About
Eleanor Ashburne is the founder of Verdant, Connecticut and the spiritual matriarch of the entire Subconium Shared Universe. Every supernatural thread in the SSU traces back to Eleanor — the The Hemlock Veil, House Subconium, the Delacroix line, the Orders on Elysian Road. She is known primarily through her personal diaries, now held by House Subconium, which serve as the primary source for the true history of Verdant.
Biography
Eleanor Ashburne was accused of practicing witchcraft during the Connecticut Witch Trials (1647-1663). She fled the colonial settlements of New England with her husband William Ashburne and a group of other accused individuals, traveling north into the forested lands of Connecticut. On October 13, 1662 she and her companions founded the settlement that would become Verdant, establishing it as a sanctuary for those who practiced what Eleanor termed "white magic."
Eleanor practiced fertility rituals and what she described as protective magic. She became the settlement's spiritual leader and is regarded by House Subconium as Verdant's true founding figure — not the sanitized version promoted by the Historical Society and the Chamber of Commerce.
The Hemlock Veil
On May 1, 1667, Eleanor cast the spell that would define Verdant for centuries. The Hemlock Veil was designed as a fertility and protection spell for the young settlement. Its effects exceeded Eleanor's intent almost immediately. The inhibition-lowering side effects were noticeable within months of the original casting, and the Veil has been influencing Verdant's residents ever since.
Eleanor documented her concerns about the Veil's unintended effects in her diaries. She established the renewal requirement — every ten years from the original casting date — and organized the first stewards of that renewal, who would eventually formalize into the Order of the Hemlock.
The diaries
Eleanor's personal diaries are the most important primary source document in the Subconium Shared Universe. They contain the true account of Verdant's founding, the casting of the Hemlock Veil, and Eleanor's observations of its effects in the years that followed. The diaries passed through generations of the Ashburne line before eventually entering the Delacroix family vault, where Margot Delacroix discovered them as a teenager. Margot subsequently passed them to House Subconium.
The diaries cover a period of significant historical complexity. There is a 21-year gap in the record whose contents and significance remain unknown.
Legacy
Eleanor's influence on Verdant is total and permanent. The Hemlock Veil she cast in 1667 continues to shape every resident of Verdant to this day. The The First Witch Statue on the Eastern Tsuga College campus depicts a figure believed by many to represent Eleanor, though the official attribution is to Sarah Osgood (possibly Tituba) who arrived in Verdant in 1693.
House Subconium regards Eleanor as the organization's spiritual ancestor, even though the organization itself came into being centuries after her death.
Canon notes
- Eleanor's exact death date has not been established in canon
- The 21-year gap in her diaries has not been explained
- Whether Eleanor understood the full implications of what she had cast before she died is an open question
- The relationship between Eleanor's descendants and the early Order of the Hemlock has not been fully mapped