The Witch

> "*Now that your eyes have been opened, I hope you continue to see.*"
> ― The Witch
>
>

**The Witch** is a side character from The Room VR: A Dark Matter. She is one of the prospective victims of The Craftsman's soul collection; however, unlike Dr. Rupert Montgomery or The Reverend before her, she is not fooled by The Craftsman's offer to help investigate The Null, and merely plays along with him in order to help The Detective. She is the only one of The Craftsman's victims who is aware of The Detective and her notes are directly addressed to the player, guiding them through her cottage and opening a path to The Craftsman's defeat.

## Design

The Witch is never clearly seen; only apparitions of her past. These apparitions are formed from teal smoke that obscures details such as facial features and coloration, but she appears to have been a young adult when The Craftsman approached her. She wears a simple tattered floor-length dress with short sleeves, a cinched waist, and a trimmed square neckline. Her hair is tied in a low bun and covered with a cloth cap.

In "The Making of *The Room VR: A Dark Matter*", the dress is shown to be beige with a short yellowish overskirt, and the staff member playing her has straight blonde hair. It is unknown whether these colorations are true to the character.

## Personality

The Witch is perhaps the most clever of The Craftsman's victims, parallel only to the Protagonist of the main trilogy, as she is able to see through his manipulation before her soul is captured. This foresight is what allowed her to write notes directly to the player, rather than being limited to journal entries like the two victims before her. She shows no fear while dealing with The Craftsman, the Null, and The Detective. Her notes show her to be spiteful towards The Craftsman and eager to conscript the player's help into taking him down. She has a strong sense of justice or vengeance, but it is unclear if it is only for herself or for all of The Craftsman's victims. She is not a cold person, however, as her final letter acknowledges her allegiance with the player. She regards them fondly, warning them to be cautious and hoping that the player will continue their own research into The Null.

## History

It is unclear what The Witch's life was like before encountering The Craftsman, or even at what point in her life it happened, but we can guess that she was fairly established in her field, as her home is well-decorated and stocked with the various tools she needs for her craft.

As a Witch, her duty was to bridge the gap between her own world and the next. Through some means (likely her own connection with the Null), she learned of The Craftsman's past and saw through his attempted manipulation of her. Instead of fighting back, she chose to play along with his scheme. When offered the eyepiece, she accepted it but did not use it, as she was able to see the Null's influence on her world without it. Rather than stumbling through her research into the Null, she was able to progress without losing her sanity or control of the situation. This would prove vital to assuring her eventual freedom. As her research developed, she wrote notes to The Detective to enlist their help in defeating The Craftsman. She allowed her soul to be trapped in an artifact and waited for The Detective's arrival.

She remains trapped for an uncertain amount of time, until her soul is collected by The Detective. Once they are abandoned by The Craftsman, she frees herself, and her soul guides the player to an excavation camp that The Craftsman had visited. Once The Craftsman's soul is captured and The Detective returns to the police station, she leaves them one final note asking for their vigilance.

## Abilities

Though not much is known about The Witch outside of her part in the game, her role and home implies that she was a skilled alchemist and herbalist. She could concoct a number of potions and could even bend the phases of the moon to her will. She also possessed a sharp wit and could navigate the secrets of the Null unassisted, having figured out the consequences such assistance would bring. Her talent in matters of the Null allowed her to see its secrets without an eyepiece. She also shows the power to manipulate the dimension of the Null, having an entire room devoted to it in her home. She can determine what location manifests in her house using Tarot cards, and at the end of the game, she summons the entrance to the Bloomsbury Police Station so that The Detective can return home.

## Relationships

### The Craftsman

> "*The old fool returned, pedalling his contraptions.*"
> ― The Witch
>
>

The Witch regards The Craftsman with hostility, as she knows that he intends to manipulate and trap her. Rather than fight against him, she plays along with his ruse, but secretly scorns him. She is pleased when his own soul is trapped, claiming that justice has been served.

### The Detective

> "*You have done well, watcher.*"
> ― The Witch
>
>

The Witch's interactions with the player are mostly cold and instructional, only showing a heightened sense of urgency when The Craftsman opens the White Doorway. Once The Craftsman is defeated, she seems to show a hint of fondness towards The Detective, as she praises them for their part in his demise. She also shows concern for their well-being, warning them to be cautious and vigilant and speaking of her hope that they continue to "see". She refers to them as "The Watcher" until her last words to them, finally addressing them as Detective.

## Trivia

* The Witch is referred to in-game only once as The Hedgewitch by The Craftsman. The developers publicly describe her as simply The Witch.
* The Witch is one of three characters in the series who are able to act against The Craftsman, the other two being Maggy and the original Protagonist.
* In one of the player's visions of The Witch, she appears to look directly at them and offer them a box. It is unclear if she merely guessed that the player would be standing there in the future or if she was able to peer into the future and see them.
* According to the developers, The Witch has appeared before The Room VR: A Dark Matter. Since the only other female characters in the series are Margaret Cox and Abigail Lockwood, it is assumed that she is one of them. She and Maggy have the use of Tarot cards in common, but her handwriting is identical to Abigail's. Interestingly, part of the final ritual in The Witch's house requires the player to return to Waldegrave Manor and retrieve something that was "lost" - a miniature of Edward Lockwood. Some paintings and photographs in The Witch's house also seem to point to some connection to Waldegrave Manor.
* The Witch is played by Daisy Williams, an artist at Fireproof Games.