Patience Whitlock

* Face Claim
* Current
* Younger

Samuel Van Wirt † (descendant)
Spalding † (descendant)

**Patience Whitlock** is the Head of the Witches' Council, and the de facto leader of the Salem Coven following the death of former Supreme Prudence Mather. She is a character in *Kate's American Horror Story: Salem* and *Entries of Note* primarily portrayed by Courtney LaPlante.

## Background

Born in 1659 in Salem Towne, Massachusetts, Patience Whitlock is the daughter of Blair and Oswald Whitlock- Supreme Prudence Mather's most trusted Councillor, and an honorable statesman, respectively. Along with her older sister, Penelope Parris (née Whitlock), Patience was raised to hone her innate magical abilities whilst maintaining secrecy from the residents of Salem Towne. An adept spellcaster, Patience excelled in practical magical means, much to Penelope's chagrin. She was often the subject of her cruel sister's torments, though did not protest the behavior in an effort to spare herself further violence.

At the age of thirteen, Patience developed her foremost ability, known now by the Salem descendants as "The Sight": the ability to experience premonitions. When the ability first manifested, Patience collapsed, knocking over a pot of boiling water and blinding her sleeping sister. Patience recovered and attempted to heal Penelope's injuries, but the damage had already been done. Penelope's hatred grew exponentially until she was eventually sent away from the Salem Settlement.

The deaths of Blair and Oswald Whitlock prompted Patience to be taken under the wing of Supreme Prudence Mather, whom she had come to know as a maternal figure and aunt. Under Prudence's supervision, Patience continued to refine her gifts and manage her power of premonition, the physical toll of which had begun to ail her. She was eventually appointed to the Witches' Council, filling her late mother's position, and tasked with helping to recruit other young witches of Salem to the Coven. This included the discovery and rescue of Arthur Van Wirt, a warlock who had been hanged on suspicions of witchcraft. Arthur remained in her home from that moment forwards, growing to be her closest friend as well as an ally to the Coven.

## Personality and Appearance

Patience is a young woman with long, wavy black hair, dark brown eyes, and a pale complexion. She bears a kind expression and is visibly somewhat frail as a result of the toll her magical abilities have taken on her body. She is outfitted plainly, wearing dark dresses and cloaks alongside the occasional white apron and bonnet, all of which she has made herself. Several facets of her magic reflect in her appearance, most notably her eyes: which shimmer with color whenever she uses her Aura Detection, and turn entirely white when experiencing a vision.

Patience is a kindhearted and worrisome witch who devotes herself entirely to the preservation of the Salem Coven and its wards. While intelligent, Patience is not particularly decisive as she does not trust her own authority, a mindset which has begun to cost the Coven precious time. She is fiercely protective of those under her care, and consistently advises them to operate with caution wherever possible, as is the case with the likes of the younger witches. Her premonitions cause her to carry deep anxiety with regards to the Coven's circumstances, and she regularly places herself in harm's way in an attempt to divine any possibly helpful insight, which is reflective of her self-sacrificing nature.

Leading up to her trial and execution for suspected witchcraft, Patience becomes decidedly more resolute, refusing to betray Coven information at the cost of her own life. Following her resurrection by friend and fellow Councillor Alice Goode, Patience's worry ebbs somewhat, and she is able to take more decisive action in Coven affairs.

## Story

### In-Roleplay

After the failed casting of the ritual of the Sacred Taking, the Salem Coven was left without a Supreme to guide them through the dangers imposed by the witch-hunters of Salem Towne. In the event that a successor to the Supremacy was not immediately made clear, Supreme Prudence Mather entrusted Coven affairs to Patience, one of the two remaining Councillors who'd taken to mentoring the younger additions to the Coven. Needing to figure out how to progress, Patience put a brief halt on Coven meetings in the days directly following the Sacred Taking, eventually gathering the remaining witches to the Hollow on a morning in early March.

Upon arriving at the Hollow, Patience experiences a familiar premonition. Finding herself once again at the site of the Sacred Taking, she is bid to look for anything out of the ordinary, and is met only with the sight of glowing feline eyes which she recognizes as belonging to her sister, Penelope. Put-off by the implications of the vision, Patience awakens on the floor of the Hollow, having once again collapsed as a result of the strain of the vision. Unbeknownst to her, she is not alone in the space, and quickly recovers her bearings to address fellow witch and Council Member Alice Goode, who has come to serve as a friend and confidante to Patience in the months since her arrival. Patience and Alice express shared concern for the other's condition, as well as the fates of the younger witches, but quickly halt their conversation as they hear Constable Peter Hopkins' hunting dogs in the distance, then again as others begin to arrive at the Hollow.

Patience seeks to assuage the worries of Oakley (the keeper of the Hollow) and Florence Barnes (the daughter of the town butcher), but is not able to do so before sensing an intense magical disturbance at the burrow's entrance. As she and Alice move to shield the other witches from the intruder, Patience is suddenly face-to-face with none other than Penelope. Penelope admonishes her for keeping the details of their familial ties obscured from the remainder of the Coven, and Patience asserts that it was a decision made under the instruction of Prudence Mather. Unconvinced, the more aggressive Whitlock scrutinizes the disorganization of Coven affairs following the death of the Supreme, stating then that she's come to relieve them of their troubles. She claims to be their next Supreme, and that she will cause no harm to the newer members of the Coven if Patience surrenders diplomacy to her. Patience, immediately wary of her sister's sinister intentions, refuses, and Penelope angrily dematerializes, leaving the witches alone in their newly-desecrated safe-haven.

After providing aid to a suddenly ill Alice, Patience apologizes to the other members of the Coven for keeping them in the dark. She calls an impromptu Coven meeting for that same evening, where she would answer pressing questions and entertain next steps, then hurriedly leaves the Hollow and returns home.

Immediately fearful that Penelope has caused harm to her housemate, Arthur Van Wirt, Patience travels swiftly home and calls out for her friend, expressing relief upon hearing his response. Her relief is briefly replaced with confusion upon seeing the array of animals that have wandered inside the home in her absence, and Arthur lying defeated on the floor, but she moves quickly to assist him in ushering the animals outside and continuing breakfast preparations. As she does so, Arthur questions her nervous manner, and Patience reveals all that she'd witnessed at the Hollow, stating her immense worry for the safety of the Coven members so long as Penelope was intent on staking her claim to the Supremacy.

Their conversation is cut short, however, by the arrival of Ruth Whatcott, a witch who'd studied alongside Patience and was banished from the Coven after accidentally killing another witch with her abilities. Patience allows the foolhardy Whatcott inside, only for her to immediately detect Arthur's presence within the house and coax him out. Patience reprimands her for exploring where she did not belong, then softens upon the realization that Ruth was only trying to help. Ruth expresses that she was evidently no longer a member of the Coven, but wanted to aid wherever she would be allowed to. Patience graciously accepts the offer, apologizing for her role in Ruth's expulsion and welcoming her back to the Coven in the wake of Mather's death. She then invites Ruth to the Coven meeting that evening, hoping to explain her delay in conducting the test of the Seven Wonders.

### Projected Continuation

* After dismissing Ruth from her home, Patience was meant to further convene with Arthur regarding the fate of the Coven moving forwards.
* Attending the evening's church service, she would have been introduced to the new Minister Andrew Parris, and then encountered Penelope as his wife.
* At the Coven meeting later in the evening, she would address the events of earlier in the day, explaining Penelope's history in the Coven and cautioning the young witches against trusting her. She would then enlist the help of the witches in further strengthening the wards protecting the Hollow, in an effort to prevent Penelope from teleporting in-and-out as she pleased. Ruth Whatcott would also be introduced.
* In the days that followed, Patience would continue to evade the likes of Penelope, Minister Parris, Constable Hopkins, and the other witch-hunters, who she now surmised were attempting to capture and try her for witchcraft.
* Bearing this in mind, she would have gradually begun to delegate her Coven responsibilities and records to Alice, Ruth, and Arthur, familiarizing them with all she knew so that they were capable of carrying on in her absence, though she did so without informing them of what she suspected.
* Awakening one evening to find Oakley in her home, attempting to steal the protective pendant around her neck, she would explain the depth of Penelope's violence and guide Oakley back to the side of the Coven.
* Around a similar period of time, Deborah Scott would denounce the Coven and attempt to begin assisting Constable Hopkins in his conquest for some time.
* Patience would eventually have developed a spell capable of strengthening the premonitions given to her through The Sight, at the cost of much of her health, where she realized that she could not aid the Coven in the only way she knew how.
* With increased pressure from the witch-hunters of Salem Towne, Patience would be strongarmed into hosting a dinner at her homestead (which she swiftly evacuated Arthur from) for Penelope, Minister Parris, Constable Whitlock, and jailor Benjamin Ledger. At the dinner, she would be formally accused of witchcraft and taken to the town jail for inquisition by Hopkins and Ledger.
* Refusing to confirm her involvement in Coven affairs, or to betray the names of any other witches in Salem, Patience would be sentenced to hang for witchcraft the following day at sundown.
* At her execution, she would regretfully admonish the people of Salem who so eagerly cheered for the slaughter of their neighbors, using the speech to stall while she telekinetically tightened the noose around her neck. Unwilling to give Penelope the satisfaction of watching her slowly suffer, she leapt from the gallows herself and died instantly, descending into Hell.
* Some time afterwards, her body would be recovered by Alice, Ruth, and Arthur before Penelope could manage to destroy it, and Alice would revive her. Panicked, Patience would question the decision, stating that she would only bring more danger to them if she stayed revived, which the rest of the group would brush off.
* An emergency Coven meeting would be held at the Hollow as Penelope and the witch-hunters of Salem drew closer, wherein the test of the Seven Wonders would at last be conducted. By the test of Descensum, only Ruth Whatcott would remain to pass. Hastily, Patience and Alice would work to revive the other girls who had come to harm during the trials, save for Deborah Scott, whose soul remained in Hell following the test of Descensum.
* Declaring Ruth Whatcott as the new Supreme, the relief would be short-lived as an enraged Penelope would return to the Hollow in an attempt to kill the witches. Oakley would ensnare her in vines, and Patience would sentence her for the crime of killing another witch. Penelope would sneer, asking under what authority, prompting Ruth to reveal her ascent to Supremacy and pyrokinetically set her aflame.
* As the Constable's forces drew closer to the now-burning Hollow, the Salem witches would flee further into the forest (also set aflame by Ruth and Winifred Snow), causing the witch-hunters to turn back and buying the Coven much-needed time to escape towards the cavern where they'd been stockpiling materials for their journey southwards.
* Together, the Salem Coven would reunite under Supreme Ruth Whatcott's rule and begin the trek to Louisiana.

### Entries of Note

Patience is mentioned within the first Entries of Note entry, entitled "Witches & Van Wirts: The Introduction of Warlocks to the Salem Coven". The entry recounts her rescue of Arthur Van Wirt, as well as the process of integrating him into the predominantly-female ranks of the Salem Coven. It also designates her as a major contributor to Coven records from 1685-1705, attributing the following records to her authorship:

* The recognition of the 'Lectio Motus' ability (1689).
* The reinstatement of Salem Coven Records following the Coven's migration southwards to Louisiana (1694).
* An addendum to the 'Lectio Motus' ability, which reveals Arthur Van Wirt as its user and further details the ability. Eventually, it is defined as the ability to sense the emotions of other living creatures, and differentiated from other forms of telepathic magic through empathetic means, rather than communicative means (1695).

Following the Coven's decision to migrate southwards, the entry reveals that Patience and Arthur were married sometime before the year 1700. Shortly afterwards, Arthur founded the Van Wirt Toy Company, enlisting Patience's help with record-keeping once more. Patience is confirmed to have passed in 1708, having contracted tuberculosis of the brain and desired to pass peacefully. The entry mentions that she was survived by her and Arthur's son, though no further information is given regarding their child.

## Powers

Patience is a powerful natural born witch who has mastered multiple of the Seven Wonders, in addition to showcasing several unique abilities. Using the tiered ranking list developed specifically for *Salem*, Patience would be classified as an A-Tier witch.

* Telekinesis - One of the Seven Wonders, the magical ability to move things with only the power of the mind. Patience frequently used this ability to continue her household tasks when her mind was elsewhere.
	+ Levitation - The magical ability to propel oneself or objects into the air.
* Vitalum Vitalis - One of the Seven Wonders, the magical ability to balance the scales between life and death. She used it several times to bring witches of her coven back to life, most notably the accident-prone Arthur Van Wirt.
* Divination - One of the Seven Wonders, the magical ability to gain knowledge through indirect means.
	+ The Sight - The magical ability to see the past, present, and future by coming in contact with anything related to that moment, such as a person or object. She could gain insights about people by touching them, as in the case of Arthur. She later induces this ability to divine the future of the Salem Coven.
	+ Aura Detection - The magical ability to sense and distinguish an individual’s personality traits from others. Patience used this ability to determine trustworthy allies to the Coven.
	+ Magic Detection - The magical ability to sense the powers of other witches and warlocks. This ability was most commonly used by Patience when seeking out witches who had not yet become aware of their abilities for recruitment to the Coven.
	+ Verum Aspectum - The magical ability to see through forms of concealment, such as invisibility or disguise spells. This ability allowed Patience to see Penelope' true form.
* Spellcraft - Affinity for casting spells and performing rituals. Patience is shown to mention and cast more spells than any Witch/Warlock. The strength of her magical bloodline and involvement in the crafting of many of the spells contributed strongly to their potency and chances of success.
	+ **Lock Enchantment Spell -** A spell used to enchant doors and prevent anyone from opening them.
	+ **Compartment Spell -** A spell meant to create a hidden compartment within a space, accessible only to the caster through a series of knocks. Patience uses this spell to store Coven records and writings.
	+ **Preservation Spell -** An enchantment that allows an object or thing to be preserved.
	+ **Scrying Spell -** A spell designed to grant insight into the whereabouts and happenings of a particular person or entity.
	+ **Aura Shield Protection Spell -** A spell to protect a location. This will prevent any human, demon, or other being from being able to find and enter it. This spell is one of the wards enacted upon the Hollow after Penelope's appearance, where it was eventually dispelled by Penelope herself.
	+ **The Guardian's Chalice -** A boundary spell to protect a location, which Patience uses to protect her own home.
	+ **Disguise Spell -** A spell meant to alter the appearance of the caster, which was created by Patience for Arthur.
	+ **Drying Spell -** An enchantment which removes water from an object.
	+ **The Sight Divination Spell -** A ritual meant to strengthen the effects of The Sight, which would allow the caster to experience stronger, more specific visions. Patience developed this spell in an effort to divine the future of the Coven, and it rendered her nearly catatonic for some time after casting as a result of the physical demand.
	+ **Whitlock Heirloom Charm -** Created by Blair Whitlock, this enchantment imbued a mundane object with the ability to either buff or ward against a specific spell or other magical ability.

## Quotes

* **To Alice Goode:** "I hope you know that your tutelage has made all the difference; your expertise is greatly valued."
* **To Oakley:** "My own well-being isn't anything to fret over. My sole focus as of this moment is the protection of this Coven."
* **To Penelope Parris:** "Supreme? You are no Supreme. You disregarded this Coven long ago, you have no claim over it now."
* **Regarding the Coven:** "Alas, I fear I'm losing them all."
* **To Ruth Whatcott:** “It is, unfortunately, within our best interests for me to remain diplomatic, as I have been instructed to do.”
* **To Ruth Whatcott:** “Have you forgotten the powers that I possess? I can see your very soul. And I know that you mean well.”

## Notes

* Patience is the seventh character to be written by Kylo, and the third to be portrayed by Courtney LaPlante.
* She is Kylo's sixth character to die in the course of the series in which she appears, and the second Courtney character to do so, though her death is later reversed.
* Patience's birthday, June 14th, was chosen as a commemoration of the release of Spiritbox's *Singles Collection EP*, which she was themed after.
* Her appearance is based on that of Courtney LaPlante in the *Perennial* music video.
* Patience's visions would occasionally come to her in sleep, plaguing her with nightmares well into adulthood.
* Patience’s heirloom charm, gifted to her by her mother, was specially made to deter the effects of Concilium, as it was constantly used against her by her sister Penelope.
* Patience regularly suffers from headaches and migraines, both as a result of her own magical abilities and the damage caused by Penelope's Concilium.
* As an excuse for her weakened state, Patience maintains that she recovered from the bout of “consumption” that killed both of her parents. She keeps the true cause of her malady a secret from any who question her composure.
* In addition to sewing, Patience is also adept at cooking, baking, gardening, and other household tasks. As such, she disguises Coven gatherings as a way for the women of Salem to gather and improve their craft.
* Patience and Penelope both make appearances in each other's personal hells:
	+ Within Patience's hell, Penelope appears alongside the bodies of her loved ones, admonishing her for lacking the power to save them. Once the bodies eventually disintegrate away, Penelope is the one to place the noose around Patience's neck, killing her and resetting the cycle.
	+ Within Penelope's hell, a younger version of Patience takes on an entirely separate persona (one which more closely matches that of Penelope herself). She leads Penelope through a series of events that have occurred within their lifetime, tormenting Penelope as her memory has warped and distorted the recollections to remember her sister far more cruelly.

## Gallery

See also: Patience Whitlock/MediaPatience's Face ClaimPatience' Tarot Card & AnalysisPatience's Tarot CardPatience's Character PortraitPatience's Clothing ReferenceYoung Patience & Cat ThackerayPatience Landscape IPatience Experiences A VisionPatience & Arthur Van Wirt LandscapePatience & Arthur Van Wirt PortraitPatience Portrait IPatience Portrait II