Forbidden Witchcraft

Witchcraft is magic practiced by women who have made deals with demons or other infernal powers in order to destroy families, seduce men, steal souls, devour children, and defy the proper authorities. Witchfinders are employed in many societies to police the use of magic amongst women, and they identify certain powers as specifically deriving from infernal sources. Amongst witches, they claim these powers derive either from their ancestors, the moons, or Mother Shem herself, but these are deceptions often used to lure in other women.

Demonic Ancestors

The claim of ancestral magic giving a witch power is often employed to obfuscate either that the witch has demons as ancestors or that she has made a pact with or slept with demons to gain powers. These witches often claim to worship their ancestors as well, which is a heathen practice. A witch who uses these powers will often go into trances, gain abilities she should not have, and claim knowledge from the past that is usually outright lies. They play up the concepts of "motherhood" and "matriarchy" as a deception to lure in other women. Their powers are similar to those of heathen shamans, but with a greater focus on matrilineal claims and breaking the strength of men, obliterating families, and defying the natural social order.

Infernal Cycles

The claim of lunar magic is a distortion more than a deception. These witches do have their powers tied to the night and the moons, but not as some kind of nature cult. Instead, they are part of the forces of darkness and the infernal cycles of power. They suffer from lunacy and other ailments associated with the night, and they make pacts with demons to tie into their hellish cycle of shadows and evil. When the moons are not in the sky, they commit atrocities that they blame on men, and when the moons are high, they wield terrifying powers to lay curses upon communities and deceive families. These are some of the most common and dangerous witches.

False Goddess

Those who claim their power comes from Mother Shem perpetuate the myth that the world is alive. The truth is, they have made a pact with a mother demon known as Gaia. These witches are very rare, because this demon is selective, and they wield the powers of nature to create chaos and natural disasters. They are responsible for major natural disasters especially; when a hurricane, flood, or wildfires hit, a witch is nearby. These are the rarest and most dangerous witches, heathens who want to see all of civilization destroyed.