Part Two: The Barlow Family
Thomas Barlow's family were one of the first settlers in Jamestown, Virginia. However, as generation after generation of Barlow family was born they began moving further inland. Mary and Samuel Barlow had the birth of their fourth and last child, Thomas Barlow in 1670. Tensions had already begun between witches and Hunters, and those with magic were already in hiding at this time but the war had yet to begin. Before him Thomas had three sisters, Eliza, Sarah, and Carey (water, fauna, and water, respectively). All were promising witches, but even at a young age, it was clear that Thomas would be the most talented. An excerpt from Eliza's diary helps to illustrate this point:
"I worry about Thomas. He does not fair well with the other children, instead spending all day with his studies from morning to night. Carey has tried to get him to play, but all he says is he doesn't have the time for it now. At six years old he should be making time for play. He's too serious and I know it worries Mother. Yesterday I caught him with Sarah's old practice wand. It is not unheard of for young children to have outbursts of magic when they are hysterical or emotional, but he had a perfectly made rock creature in his room cleaning for him. The spell broke after I interrupted him, but I wonder how long he has been doing this. Mother seems proud at his magical prowess, but I worry about what that kind of power will do to such a young body, mind, and soul."
In the end, though, it would not be Thomas corrupted by magic, but Eliza.
At thirteen Thomas had begun writing some original spells, including the beginning of what is now used for Mass Transportation by the Official Magical Transportation system today, helping multiple sorcerers travel from country to country.
Despite Eliza's worries, Thomas grew into a capable and charismatic young mage, he had the option to court many women, but never took any of his chaperoned dates seriously until much later in life. When Thomas was eighteen he and his family fled north, except for Eliza. His sister had married Nathan Daniels, an advocate of a growing movement, begging witches to come out of hiding. He and Eliza traveled to Salem, Massachusetts instead of north with her family, both determined to fight against the Hunters there. It would not be long after that Eliza would discover dark magics and their draw.
It would be once the Barlows reached their destination that Thomas would find his calling: Teaching. The Lawrences were a family that lived near Thomas and his family; they had two children. Both parents shared the gift of fire, but their eldest was earth and their youngest was starting to show an affinity for fire. The boy's parents tried to help their son with Earth Magic, but with their guidance he was clumsy, at best. When Thomas moved into the area, he took it upon himself to share his knowledge with the boy, to mentor and tutor him. Soon after he met Henry and Melody Ashfield, both equally brilliant witches. Finding a like-minded intellectual in Henry, the two became fast friends and Thomas easily persuaded Henry to tutor the other young Lawrence boy in regards to Fire Magic.
As their friendship grew and strengthened, Henry would introduce Thomas to other bright and talented individuals that he knew of, the group of them forming a bit of a club. Henry and Thomas took turns hosting parties with these brilliant minds; they would stay up late into the morning discussing politics, magic theories, and philosophy. It was during these parties that Thomas and Henry would discover someone like themselves; particularly skilled individuals that they would recruit to teach and tutor other kids of varying gifts.
After the founding of Altsoba, Thomas met Martha Smith. One of the founders, Grace Hunt, had pulled in this young, happy, joyful woman in to teach potions and he was instantly smitten. He was persisten in his courting of young Martha until he finally proposed. They were married and two months after their marriage, Martha was murdered leaving Thomas devastated and heartbroken.
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Eliza and Nathan married young and together they had two children, Laura and David. When the pair met, Nathan was a part of a growing group who believed that witches should not hide in the shadows and as tension grew between Hunters and the arcane, the movement amended their mission statement to include not backing down from Hunters. Eliza began to adopt their doctrines and beliefs.
"... our allies and friends have turned upon us. They seek our destruction and I will not please them by cowering in fear and hiding my gifts.
Magic is the past, present and future.
We are not meant to be in hiding, but rather we should be standing front and center, leading this world into the next great revolution. We could do incredible things for humans and Hunters alike. There is no reason for us to be sent into hiding when we could easily rule over the weak of will and mind."
After they ran to Salem, Eliza discovered she was pregnant with her second child. It did not stop her from leaping into battle at the first sign of a Hunter or any human who sought to persecute witches. It wasn't until she was about eight months along that Eliza finally settled down for rest. After David was born, she spent several weeks nursing before eventually jumping back into the fight.
She was convinced that they were doing good things. Sometimes it was a necessary but bad act, but it was all for a good cause. Still, Eliza was growing increasingly frustrated with their behind the scenes methods and the ignorance of humans around them and the lack of support they received from many of her kind. About a year after David was born, Nathan was accused of being a witch. Had it been regular humans attempting to catch him, he might have had a chance. Instead, Hunters caught him and it was Eliza who found the mangled remains of her husband. After Nathan's death, Eliza spiralled downward.
It began with a failed attempt at necromancy. At the time, Eliza had begun to dabble in some darker magics, but nothing as complicated as bringing back someone from the dead. Still, she was desperate to have Nathan back. He had frequently expressed distaste for the dark arts, so perhaps her heart wasn't really in it. Whatever the reason was, she failed at her attempt. However, the magic had grabbed a hold of her heart and soul, tugging her further into darkness.
By the time she discovered the Obedientiam spell (outlawed by the United Sorcerer's Code), Eliza had reached the point of no return. Every spell she told herself it would be just the one time and every time, she was pulled further in. It was addicting, she found, the ability to force others to do as she wished, to obey her. Intoxicating, even. It was when she attempted the spell on her children, the two living people she loved most in this world, that Eliza began to realize that dark magic had a hold of her and she was unwilling to give that up. But she did have one moment of clarity.
Since their split, Eliza had kept in regular contact with her family, sending and receiving letters with vague updates on what she was up to. She was well aware of her baby brother's initiative with tutoring and how it had grown. In this moment of clarity she transported herself and her children to her parent's doorstep. She did not go in. Instead, she left a letter with Laura and knocked on the door. As it began to open, she disappeared leaving her two kids with people she could trust to care for them.
Dear mother and father,
I know the tone of my latest letters have been worrying you, rightly so, I believe. Something had gotten hold of my soul and it's grip is inescapable. I'm not sure that I would want out if I knew how. My soul is soiled by some of the things I have done...
I shan't tell you anymore than this. I am leaving my children in your care. I do not trust myself with them and I believe that they could benefit from Thomas' tutelage.
Please care for Laura and David. I have included all the money that I could spare for expenses that might come from you housing them. It is not much, but these two are good and pure and I could very well ruin them. Listen to the pleas of your eldest daughter and take them in.
Regardless of what I may say or do in the future, do not return them to me and do not let them search for me. I will only bring them harm and grief. Move away, if you must.
This will be my last correspondence to you and your other children. Please, write me no more.
Affectionately yours,
Eliza Barlow Daniels
Just like that, Eliza cut herself off from what remained of her family. Not long after, she gave in completely to the thrill and intoxication of the forbidden magics, quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. With her husband and children gone, there was nothing to hold Eliza back. Nothing to make her obey the laws in place and nothing to rein her in. She chose to hunt the Hunters rather than wait for them to come to her. However, her obsession with her quest to eradicate Hunters, she would destroy anyone in her way, use any method to achieve her goals. This included using and abusing humans (as she already saw herself as above them) and other witches.
The darkness that gripped her, too, sent her on a quest for more power. The mild jealous she'd felt toward her brother growing up, the feeling of inadequacy, it grew into something much deeper. She began to feel that until she could best her brother, she would not be able to achieve her goals. She had to have more power and Eliza would not let anything or anyone stand in her way. Many talented witches died at her hands in an attempt for more power. Sending her children away may have saved them, but she had effectively rid herself of the only things grounding her to herself. With them gone, she'd do anything to achieve her own version of greatness.
A few years after the opening of Altsoba, tensions would rise between Eliza and her brother culminating in what would later be known as the Barlow Battle.
