Witch

**Witches** are supernatural beings who are born with the power to affect change by magical means. While many witches are the self-proclaimed "Keepers of the Balance," other witches have been known to work against the Balance and use their power for personal gain.

## **The Balance of Nature**

The Balance of Nature is a spiritual belief system based around the observance of the Earth and reverence of Mother Nature. The goal of many witches is to honor the design of nature and to maintain balance within the natural world. The balance of nature is intimately tied to one's spiritual relationship with the Earth, and the idea that all living things (e.g. animals, humans, plants, etc.) are considered sacred, as they are all different aspects of nature. Contemporary witches would also agree that using modern ceremonies, rituals and shamanic practices is the best way to attune themselves with the natural rhythms of the universe in their efforts to obtain guidance and knowledge from wiser known witches called "The Spirits."

## **History**

The origin of witchcraft remains unknown, however, it is known that witches have existed for many centuries passing down their knowledge and skills through generations of family lines. Contrary to popular belief, witches do not receive their powers from demons, nor do they worship the Devil. Instead, witches consider themselves "the Servants of Nature," as they make it their duty to maintain balance within the world.

## **Magic**

Witchcraft is a practice of magic that encompasses many different types of activities including astrology, divination, spell casting, and spirit communication. It includes the practices of many cultures, nations and religions as well as many books and writings dating back to ancient times. Depending upon the individual, some witches practice their power by certain belief systems, such as Shamanism, Voodoo, Wicca, or any number of other magical practices from countries and cultures all around the world. Although the majority of traditional witches are commonly portrayed as being kind and selfless humans who use their powers to maintain balance within the world.

## **Powers and Abilities**

### Basic Powers

The basic powers of every witch include:

* **Spell Casting:** The power to change and control events through the use of incantations.
* **Channeling:** The power to invoke extra forms of energy by focusing on external forces.
* **Potion Brewing:** The power to brew and concoct potions, remedies and elixirs that have supernatural properties.

### Other Powers

* **Telekinesis:** The power to move objects and persons through mental influence.
* **Pain Infliction:** The power to create excruciating migraines through supernatural means.
* **Elemental Control**: The power to control and manipulate the elements of air, earth, fire, and water.
* **Divination:** The power to divine future, past, and present events based off extrasensory perception.
	+ **Clairvoyance:** The power to divine future, past or present events through instinctive knowledge.
	+ **Intuition:** The power to divine future, past or present events through the use of instinctive knowledge.
	+ **Premonitions:** The power to divine future, past or present events through the observation and study of dreams.
	+ **Psychometry:** The power to divine future, past or present events through contact with or proximity to a certain object or person.

### Uncommon Powers

* **Projection:** The power to separate from one's body and project the mind to another location or to instantaneously travel from one point to another.
* **Transmogrification:** The unique power to alter the physical structure of objects living or dead, changing their form.
* **Telepathy:** The power that allows witches to access the minds of others through spells.
* **Possession:** The power to jump one's spirit into the body of another, taking control of said host body.
* **Illusions:** The power to alter the senses of others to perceive a false reality.
* **Dream Manipulation:** The power to control people's dreams through spells.
* **Resurrection:** The power to bring someone or one's self back from the dead.

## **Weaknesses**

* **Disbelief:** The act of denying or disbelieving in one's potential could cause a witch to inadvertently suppress their magical power.
* **Distraction:** Denying a witch from concentrating or giving full attention to their spells, may render them ineffective. Since most spells are spoken verbally and take time to take effect, witches are vulnerable to attack before their completion. Additionally, certain spells require items, tools, and/or special events during casting, therefore they can't be invoked on mere whim.
* **Emotions:** A witch's magic is subject to the influence of their emotional state and may fluctuate according to them when untrained.
* **Herbs:** Ingestion of certain herbs can cause a witch to lose consciousness and prevent them from using magic for an undetermined amount of time. The Lobelia flower prevents concentration and the practice of magic and can be used to weaken a witch as one would weaken a vampire with vervain.
* **Huntress' Blood:** A supernatural huntress' blood can suppress all magic of a witch when consumed, as well as prevent magic from working on said witch, and ultimately leads to the death of the witch. Once black scabs start appearing on their body, the infected witches have less than a week of life, similar to how Vampires react to Werewolf Toxin. There is no known cure to combat this disease.
* **Witchcraft:** Witches are still susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical and Dark Objects. A siphoner can siphon the magic from a witch and prolonged exposure may lead to death.
* **Mortality:** Despite their mystical attributes, witches are still human and share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. age, decapitation, disease, heart-failure, suffocation, snapped neck, etc.). However, witches can temporarily get around this weakness through the use of protection spells.
* **Overexertion:** The excessive use of magic could lead to disorientation, nose bleeds, unconsciousness, and if taken to the extreme, death.
* **Nature:** It is said that nature will always find a balance when witchcraft is performed, thus spells will always have loopholes. This means, among other things, that no being can be truly immortal.

## **Tools**

> Main Article : Witches' tools
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* **Amulets:** An object that is used to protect its wearer from harm.
* **Athames:** A ceremonial dagger with a double-edged blade that is commonly used to direct energy.
* **Candles:** A block of solid wax with an embedded wick that is commonly lit to to amplify a witch’s spell.
* **Cauldrons:** A large metal pot that is commonly used to hold the ingredients for elixirs and potions.
* **Grimoires:** A family journal is documented with magical recipes, rituals, and spells. Grimoires can also be used as a Talisman to represent a witch.
* **Herbs:** Various flora used as ingredients to be incorporated into spells as binding agents.
* **Stones:** Various minerals and ores used to boost or bind a witch's spell.
* **Symbols:** Seals drawn or written used as physical representations of spells.
* **Talismans:** An object that is used to magnify a witch's power and/or represent them supernaturally.

## **Spells and Rituals**

One of the defining characteristics of a witch is their ability to cast spells; a "spell" being the word used to signify the means employed to carry out a magical action. A spell could consist of a ritual action, a set of words, a verse, or any combination of these. For reasons unknown, the majority of spells used by practitioners of Spirit Magic and/or Traditional Magic are spoken in an ancient language similar to Latin. However, witches who practice other forms of magic have been known to use spells in different languages.