Witches

Artist: Anna-Marine on DeviantART

The witches of Otherland belong to no particular faction except their own. People of any gender can be witches, though women and nonbinary folks tend to find they are best suited to the job. They live throughout Otherland and the Mainland, protecting and caring for their villages, mostly solitary. They're best likened to cats, who watch one another and occasionally meet for tea while pretending not to be too invested in the lives of their peers. They are, in essence, politically neutral.

Witches do not get a *MINOR* talent.

Witches instead choose to receive either one 'certainty' card or one 'miracle' card per game. A certainty card allows them to make a short statement and use their sheer determination to make it come true (one way or another). A miracle card allows them to determine how likely an outcome is, and how to best achieve it. The refs make no promises that using these will be beneficial to you.

Despite their solitary nature, you are expected to know all of your fellow witches and have some idea of the relationships between them. Perhaps you banded together in the past?

## Overview

These are inspired by the witches of folklore and the witches of Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

Not all witches are human. Those who *are* human could be considered to be more human than other humans. Some of them are Wonderlandians, Candylandians, or lost toys from the Toy Box. Whatever their species or culture, they take it to the extreme. Witches *are* local culture. They are the cultural backbone of the common folks. This didn't go so well in the Mainland, particularly during the witch trials during the early modern period.

Witches see no value in wealth, political rank, or other such things. Everyone is just a person, and every person deserves to be helped in a time of need. They are territorial, and set themselves up as the local witch of an area, quietly vowing to help others. As a rule, however, they do not take payment for their actions. Instead, it is often implied that having a witch in your house is lucky. It is especially lucky for a witch in your house to be well-provided for. While some may live in a gingerbread house and eat children, they also only eat the children sent to them as a thank you for their hard work in helping the local village. It's only polite.

Despite being generally considered as magical, a witch would disagree. Rather, they're particularly sensible and make sense at the world until it behaves the way they want it to. At least, it makes sense to them, which is the only person that matters. This can be taken very far - a witch's way of magically setting fire to a log of wood consists of staring at the log until it burns up from pure embarrassment. They tend not to make a big deal of their abilities, much preferring to simply be quietly respected.

A group of witches is normally referred to as an argument. They're all proud and headstrong, and even the more anxious ones are still very certain that they are a witch and deserve respect. They usually only work together when there is no other option.

## Kit brief

Most witches wear black, a practical colour for practical people, though some from Candyland prefer pastels. And what is a witch without her hat? A grandma? A grump? A philosopher? Not a witch that’s for sure. Make sure you have a wide brimmed pointy hat, it earns respect you know. Some may carry brooms, wands, mysterious lumps of powder, string, empty bottles and possibly a frog. You get the idea.

Many witches believe that it is best to dress simply and sensibly, so usually wear sturdy boots, but others prefer to broadcast their magical talents by adorning themselves with lots of shiny amulets and runes. (Did you hear about the witch who carved so many runes into her broom handle that it snapped? Good thing she was flying over the bushes.)

The overall aesthetic of a witch however depends on which region they are from. After all, they are their local people’s witch and take pride in their community. A witch from Neverland is likely to look like a child’s picture book witch for example, warts and all, whilst a Wonderlandian witch might be a top hat bunny. We do ask that you refrain from having the traditional long hooked nose that ties witches to antisemetic stereotypes, use your imagination.