Witches

* Witches do not possess magic of their own, rather they must draw their power from reagents and rituals. The practice of doing so subsequently is called Witchcraft, and is utilized by most magic users; however it is the dependency upon witchcraft for power that brands one a witch. Despite witchcraft being a common practice among all magic users, witches in particular are considered dangerous due to their dependency upon witchcraft as such dependency is assumed to likely result in an unsustainable level of consumption, or even the use of living beings as reagents and ritual components.
* A witch's ability to draw power from reagents often requires ritual casting, and even the apothecarial break down of the reagent into an imbibe. Witches are known to be able to effectively store magical potential from their reagents within themselves, the measurable phenomenon of which is commonly referred to as mana. Similarly to magicians, witches are limited in how much mana they can hold, and this limit can be expanded. Witches may also choose to store within and exert mana from trinkets and foci rather then taking the mana into themselves; such witches are often called ***Curios*** while others go as far as to pull mana directly from the mana pools of creatures they have bound earning them the title of ***Syphonic***.
	+ Notably, a ***curio's*** trinkets have their own mana pool limitations, and the attunement of more then one at a given time can cause the witch to suffer from a number of draw backs such as more rapid physical aging which does not appear to effect longevity, as well as a higher proclivity for illness. Witches have also been known to use animal familiars as a trinket of sorts, in which case the animal will generally express a supernatural longevity; furthermore familiars attuned in such a way appear to grow in magical limitation similarly to magicians; however many start with significantly lower limit potential then a non-living trinket.
	+ ***Syphonic*** witches have the least mechanical drawbacks, however the act of establishing a syphonic link requires a significant binding-ritual and often times the enslavement of the creature such that it cannot act to break the link. Some syphonic witches has even developed cults in order to gain willing mana donors. A syphonic witch's mana pool is only limited by the amount their linked donors have to take. Furthermore, mana drawn from linked donors has diminishing returns as the witch grows physically farther away from the source. There have been cases, however, of such witches utilizing demiplanes to house their victims before branding a permanent gating circle into their skin, allowing the mana to flow through the gate; doing so, however, has upkeep costs and effectively imposes a constant mana drain to the witch. Finally, symphonic magic as a whole is considered illegal by the Concordance.
	+ Witches who choose to take mana into themselves face an additional danger of the mana potentially effecting their mental state, or even causing physical maladies depending on it's origin and source. Many witches who use their own body as a reservoir develop schizophrenia and suffer from hallucinations. Such witches are able to expand their mana limitation at a far more rapid pace then even magicians, however.

## Sub-Classifications

#### **Harmonic Witches**

* A harmonic witch is unique in that they draw their power from the earth and the elements. Doing so requires a mastery of the study of harmonics, and attunement to the forces of nature. Many harmonic witches favor one element over the others, but in theory can master any element. Unlike elementalists, harmonic witches call upon the latent energy of the universe to shape elements, primarily through expressions of heat. This results in **ice** and **fire** being the most common expressions of a harmonic Witches power, however, harmonic witches have been known to utilize e**lectricity**, and even l**ight**.
* Like elementalists, harmonic witches are reliant upon the presence of the elements in order to manipulate them; however it is possible for harmonic witches to manifest ice and fire by either drawing moisture from the air, or by generating a pocket of heat and burning their own mana as fuel for fire. As fire requires a constant source of fuel, any spell that does not merely guide the growth of existing fire (such as a fireball) also requires mana-fuel, making it a highly costly vocation to utilize. Despite still following these common principles of elementalism, a harmonic witch's attunement to the forces of the universe allow them to utilize their powers with greater ease then even life-long elementalists.
* Harmonic witches ubiquitously utilize intonations in the form of harmonic hums to guide their magic. These intonations are thought to be the keys to their ease of use of the elements, and also remove the need for any foci beyond their fingers, which are often held before the lips when intoning to alter the flow of the sound.