The Daventree Family

The Daventrees are a family of Witches that can trace their history with magic back to Old Scotland in the early 15th century. Even before then they are believed to have ancestors that practiced the craft even earlier but there are no real records of them.
The Daventrees are generally considered the most powerful of the witching families, mostly because their power over Primal Spirits. The Family has a long relationship with a very powerful spirit known to outsiders as "the Dark Man". This spirit has spent so much time bonding with the witches, that it can manifest in the regular world, and perform magic of its own. Fortunately, this bond, in which the spirit attaches itself to one member of the family only, and will stay with them until their death, keeps the spirit in check. The bonded witch is said to have complete control over the spirit.
Over the years the Daventrees have amassed a lot of wealth. In the early days of the family, they used their skills as healers and herbalists to earn money. They also specialized in the removal of evil spirits (Which were mostly there at the family's behest). Then under the shrewd management of some of the Family's elders, they invested in property and other ventures. They were able to get information that no one else could with the help of their spiritual contacts and they were not above using them to help grow their fortune. Whether it was ruining the competition or just creating events that would allow them to purchase homes and land cheaply, their powers were well suited to helping them expand their holdings. Today the Daventree are one of the wealthiest families in the southern United States and their worth easily matches some of the other supernatural heavy hitters.
The Daventrees of modern New Orleans are known more for their venture capitalism, and their philanthropy, at least as far as most of the public are concerned. Among the Supernatural community they are a powerhouse consisting of some of the most powerful Witches to ever walk the streets of New Orleans.

Playing a Daventree

Players who want to play a member of the Daventree family have a lot of options. They can choose from one of the available cast members in the family, or create an entirely new character. The new character can be from New Orleans, or even a distant relative, new to the city. Any member of the extended family will be welcome to stay at the main Daventree home in the Garden district.

Almost all Daventree witches will have spirit magic as a power as primal spirits are naturally drawn to the family. Many will also have sympathy or herbology depending on what they were taught. Members of the family who have lived out of New Orleans may only have Spirit Magic, as most of the family who left the area did so to get away from the craft. They could not get away from their heritage though, and spirits still sought them out.

Structure

There are many Daventrees living in and around the Greater New Orleans area. The head of the family is the witch that controls the "Dark Man". The family wealth is all managed through trusts and they all have strict rules on the trustee. The trustee has 100% control over the Daventree fortune, and the rest of the family rely on them for financial support.
Since the "chosen" Witch has complete financial control, they also tend to control the rest of the family. Most of the family live in homes that are owned by the trust, and draw income from it, and therefore are loyal to the head of the family.

Culture

Most of the Daventrees are firmly living in the past. The women are loyal ladies, and the men dapper gentlemen. While this is not uncommon amongst the upper crust of New Orleans, there are some who would prefer to see the family enter a more modern age. Several younger members of the family are doing just that, becoming a part of the newer New Orleans Punk Scene. It often puts them at odds with their older relatives.