in 1822, a small band of european settlers made their way across largely unmapped terrain and searched for a place to call home. deep in the lush green forests, beside slopes of towering mountains, and a glittering black coast, they found a safe haven. these founding families established the fifth official settlement in what was then considered oregon country. that settlement was named satin cove. these founding families were largely unaware of the legend that this place harbored, though, and the darkness that vibrated deep beneath the rich soil. what they had hoped to be a sacred place to live out their lives for generations to come, would quickly become a place of terror and uncertainty.
long before these founding families ever set foot on this soil, there were those who came before them. natives had long reigned over the valleys and explored the highest mountains. but even before then... there were witches. what the founding families considered to be unclaimed land had been a dwelling place for covens and werewolves and other supernatural beings. their settlement was considered an invasion, and unwelcome addition to an equilibrium that existed well before their births.
in less than a decade, the truth of their home began to bubble to the surface. families were slaughtered in their own homes, curses were placed upon their water supplies and their crops. they could not produce children. and blood was being shed in the darkest parts of the night.
thus, the council was formed. out of necessity. for survival. the founding families banded together once again, to protect their people, and their future. it was the council that eventually formed a peace treaty with the vampire nest, prompting the vampires to cease their killing sprees. it was the council that formed a tentative alliance with the witch coven, convincing them to lift their hexes and restore balance to the settlement. it was a ceasefire, and, for many decades it worked. but everything must come to an end.
as generations passed, and the settlement grew into a village, and then slowly into a town, the council's motives began to change as well. where once their mission was to protect and preserve, they began to lean into secrecy and the desire for power. they refused to divulge the truth to the public, to keep all of the dark secrets of their ancestor's past under lock and key, in hopes that one day they might gain an edge over the supernatural creatures that they considered a plague. that maybe one day they might rid their town of them entirely.. or at the very least, exploit their power for their own benefit.
these shifts of perspective were largely unseen by the public - the council exists almost entirely behind closed doors. while members of the council, in today's age, are considered to be elected government officials, they still operate largely in secret and through smoke and mirrors. they operate normally day to day. they shop at the same grocery stores and coffee shops as the average citizens of satin cove. they make policies, direct funds and oversee vital operations for the town. but they also influence much more than anyone realizes. their decisions ultimately effect every life within the border of satin cove. they quite literally have the town's destiny in their hands. and when power is in the wrong hands... things tend to go awry.