Witch

A woman (or non-man) who serves the Moons, tapping into lunar aether by honoring the cycles of the moons.

The Cycles of the Three Sisters

Shem has three moons, called by many names. In Merukis, they are simply the Grey Moon, the Green Moon, and the White Moon. Among witches and the adelfoi living on the moons, they are called Mati, Devica, and Krona. The cycles of the moons affects the amount of lunar aether cast upon Shem. The White Moon's lunar aether is the weakest, but it is better when used for attacks and bindings. The Green Moon's is the next weakest, but it is best used for transformations and emotional magic. And the Grey Moon's is the most potent, which is best used for protections, healing, and findings.

Phases of the Moons

Each moon has a cycle ranging from new (unseen) to full (wholly visible), waxing and waning from crescent to gibbous. The White Moon has a 26 day cycle; the Green Moon has a 30 day cycle, and the Grey Moon has a 28 day cycle. Lunar aether is formed from the ma'dhahabi reflected from the moons. When a moon is new, it produces no accessible lunar aether on Shem. When it is full, it is at its greatest strength on Shem. When on the moons themselves, this is reversed, as the moon is closest to the sun on the day of the new moon, thus receiving and transforming more ma'dhahabi. It reflects more to Shem when full, but absorbs more when new.

Maiden, Mother, Crone

The phases of a witch's life are reflected in the phases of the moon:

• Maiden (waxing): associated with the Green Moon (Devica), the Maiden phase is a witch before she reaches maturity. In this phase, she is associated with youthfulness, innocence, newness, rising, energy. Called a damosel by witches.
• Mother (full): associated with the Grey Moon (Mati), the Mother phase is a mature witch (not necessarily a mother). In this phase, she is associated with nurturing, protecting, healing, fullness, power. Called a witch by witches (shocking, I know).
• Crone (waning): associated with the White Moon (Krona), the Crone phase is an elderly witch. In this phase, she is associated with wisdom, death, withering, age, insight. Called a crone by witches.

Each phase comes with its own powers. A witch casts spells based on the moon her phase is associated with, so if a crone uses magic under a full White Moon it does not matter if the Grey Moon is new.

The Fall

Witches also take power from their womanhood (or other non-male gender), but this is often locked away due to the end of matriarchy, known as the Fall. Most witches are unable to break past the Fall within themselves (i.e., break free of patriarchal conditioning), but those who do gain extraordinary powers. Because those who manage this are often older when it happens, this is associated with crones and is responsible for their reputations as the most powerful of witches, despite the fact that mother-witches are at their full strength.

Witchcraft

The practice of witchcraft is a series of rituals, dedications, and traditions that allow them to access the flow and cycles of lunar aether. The practices include sacrifices to the moons (either their nephesh, Divines, or other elementals, or simply to the actual physical satellites). These rituals vary by culture, but usually involve a set of symbolic materials, a giving of blood, and either incantations or readings from ancient texts.

Covens

Witches often gather in covens, groups in multiples of threes (no less than three, no more than 27 - though the latter would be a massive coven). A coven always has a maiden, a mother, and a crone for every three witches. These always form subgroups within the coven, each teaching the other generationally. Covens, when gathered and performing rituals together, are immensely powerful.

Inheritance or Initiation

Witches may join a coven either by inheriting it via a matrilineal succession or by being initiated. Those who are not born of a matrilineal line of witches must be initiated. Initiations are rituals that occur under a waxing moon.

Brother-Witches

A brother-witch is a witch who, regardless of gender, serves as a counterpoint in a coven or triad, a fourth member of any three witches who represents the masculine (whether they are or not), represents outsiders, represents the sun. They still wield all the powers of a regular witch, but their outsideness gives them the ability to use certain powers without the presence of moonlight. To become a brother-witch, a witch must be literally or symbolically resurrected after dying (again, literally or metaphorically) under a new moon. The ritual to cause this resurrection is one of the most closely guarded secrets of witchcraft. The power of the brother-witch derives from their crossing of lines between day and night, gender lines, ancestral lines, etc.

Powers

Witches gain powers that wax and wane with the moons:

Lunar Powers

Powers that reflect the powers of the Moons:

• Soft light: a witch make create a soft glow of moonlight, usually an orb of it, to appear via simple incantation.
• Finding: a witch may cause a missing or hidden object to glow with soft light via incantation and simple ritual.
• Light step: a witch may make herself or others lighter, as if less affected by gravity, by sigils on clothing or shoes or by potent ritual.
• Tidal draw: a witch may make water react to herself, her will or her gesture, by washing in pure water under the full moon and performing a blood ritual within it.
• Returning cycle: a witch may invoke the ending or re-beginning of a cycle of any kind through powerful ritual.
• Invisibility: a witch may, under a full moon, become invisible by invocation of a complex ritual, washing themself and their clothing in blood, moonwater, and ash.

Reflections and Protections

The most powerful ability witches have is reflecting other powers. Lunar aether repulses other energies, especially infernal ones, providing protections to anyone affected by it. Witches have many rituals, traditions, superstitions, and spells that provide protections to others, giving them lunar aether in some form or another to repel other powers. Marking with one's own blood, creating a poppet or mirrored amulet, or drawing a circle of power are the most common ways.

"Evil Eye"

Witches have a powerful look, a form of glare, that is denigrated by the authorities as the "evil eye". Depending on the phase of the moons, the evil eye will cause harm to the target by chilling their blood (making them susceptible to disease) (waning), repulsing good energies (full), or causing a deep sleepiness (waxing).

Divination

Witches can engage in a form of divination by looking into mirrors, which absorb lunar aether when left out under the full moon.

Healing

Witches can heal and soothe people by using their breath to drive away other energies. They supplement this with herbalism and other arts.

Emotion Spells

By affecting emotional resonance with lunar aether, witches can affect the emotions of others. They do this through simple incantations.

Devouring

Powerful witches who have tapped into their power beyond the Fall can use the power of the new moon, the absence of lunar aether, the deep night, to draw in and devour targets. This is done via an ancient blood rite.

Binding and Unbinding

The most commonly used power of witches is to bind a person, place, or thing to a cycle. This is done via ritual involving something belonging to the target. When the target is bound to something, it will be affected by the cycle of it; for instance, witches use lunar aether to connect themselves to a moon during their initiation (unless they inherited a binding). For others, they may use lunar aether's senstitivity to cycles to cause something to be attuned to a cycle, thus making them react to the cycle. This can be binding to a different energy, or it can be binding to a natural cycle, etc. Unbinding is done similarly, but using lunar aether's reflective properties to break a cycle.

Familiars

Witches bind to animal familiars via rituals that synchronize their living cycles with the animal. This allows them to sense the thoughts and feelings of the familiar, draw powers from it, see through its eyes, and influence its behavior.

Conscious Projection

Witches can send their consciousness into the flow of lunar aether around them during full moons. They do this by falling into a special sleep. They can send their consciousness anywhere under the light of the full moon.

Transformations

The completion of a cycle is a moment of transformation. When witches complete a cycle, they have a moment of transformation, which usually results in their moving from one phase to another in a larger cycle (cycles within cycles, leading to greater and greater transformations). Knowing when they are near a completion, they can tap into the power of lunar aether to transform as the moon shifts phases. They must never do this going to or from a new moon, but any other phase shift will work. They can use a ritual in these circumstances to transform themselves or others (including objects or places), usually subtle changes such as an improvement or penalty, but sometimes major changes, including changing physical or metaphysical forms. The ritual to create a brother-witch is the most powerful example of this.

Spells

Witches tap into most of their powers via spells.

Sigils

Sigils are magical letters or symbols which they place on objects or in places in order to invoke certain powers. Sigils are usually reflective.

Incantation

Incantations are passed on from crone to mother to maiden via covens. Incantations call upon the power of the Moons, drawing lunar aether to the witch, and allowing her to work her wishes.

Ritual

Rituals are very involved and complex, usually involving "the four materials", blood, blades, and other common ingredients, incantations, and precise timings. Rituals can invoke lunar aether to do many different things (see above).

Moots

Rituals done on a collective scale are called moots. These are done in order to perform very powerful spells.

Inventory

Witches have many tools for the practice of witchcraft. This can vary by culture.

Book of the Moons

The most important tool they have is a tome shared from crone to mother to maiden called the Book of the Moons. While different cultures include different materials, the recipes for all rituals, the words to some of the commoner and less secret incantations, the practices and traditions not kept secret, these are all within the book.

Altars

All witches keep an altar to the Moons somewhere near their homes. These altars contain the four materials, a bowl of water, and a mirror, as offerings to the Moons that vary greatly by culture.

Poppets

Poppets are little dolls or facsimiles of people made of clay or wax and used for bindings and unbindings.

Potions and Herbs

Potions are created by witches using magical ingredients and rituals. They have many different effects, most commonly emotional effects or transformations. Herbs and teas are used via basic herbalism.

Mirrors

Mirrors are powerful tools which absorb lunar aether and allow for divining, farseeing, and other spells depending on the phase of the moons.

Athame and Boline

The athame and boline are two knives used by witches. The athame is used for banishing rituals, drawing blood or circles, and directing lunar aether. It has a black handle. The boline is used for cutting herbs and inscribing candles, and it has a white handle. These never contain iron.

Four Materials

These four materials are used in some form in most rituals:

• Salt (for circles, for earth)
• Water (in a bowl or chalice)
• Candle (for light and flame)
• Incense (for the aroma, for air)

Hat

Witches are known iconographically for their pointed hats. Most witches do wear hats, usually one culturally associated with women, but not always the pointed cap they are known for. A witch's hat washed in pure water under the moon associated with the witch's phase will allow them to cast out their consciousness more readily, give them emotional insights, and reflect sunlight and ma'dhahabi during the day, thus keeping their personal lunar aether strong.

Broom

Witches are known to use besom broomsticks to fly upon, though this varies by culture. They do this by making flying ointments via rituals, as they would a potion. Ointments are made from meal of fine wheat mixed with the fat of a young animal that had been buried under a new moon and allowed to mature and the juices of smallage, wolfsbane, and cinque foil.

Variations

Every culture has its own version of witches, and witchcraft may be used to tap into different energies' cycles. Some cultural variations of lunar witchcraft include

• Bruja: east Palhuric witches among the colonized lands.
• Daayan: subcontinental Dabusenese witches whose feet point backward due to cultural twisting practices.
• Djambe: west Taggaran witches known for their use of transformative magic.
• Mutterer: ancient Mahadi witches known for herbal work.
• Sahira: ancient Mahadi witches known for their beautiful Books of the Moons.
• Sangoma: southern Taggaran witches who use their powers to protect people from evil. Inyanga are spirit-healers who often complement them.
• Suwa'ye: in western Taggarus, witches are tried and convicted by communities and then celebrated and feted for being witches.
• Zindoki: south-central Taggaran child-witches known for their protective magic.

Specializations

Some witches specialize in different tasks in their communities:

• Acus maga: mothers who keep powerful familiars.
• Amorpythonissam: a love-witch, one who makes love potions.
• Fata oglinda: maidens who make mirrors.
• Garden witch: mothers who grow herb gardens for potions, teas, and healing.
• Orisa: crone who is a powerful devourer.
• Palora: maiden who wanders out of her body often.
• Suspendissa: mother or crone who is known for her evil eye.
• Visenda: crones who specialize in divination.

Similar Occupations

Other users of lunar aether often work very differently:

• Aedpoezie: an aqyn who sings to the Moons.
• Arktos: a young woman who is a ranger of the moon-dappled hills of Stayflies.
• Avvucatu: a legal professional who uses lunar aether to protect clients from other energies.
• Cautator: a hotsz who investigates and finds things with lunar energies.
• Duodji: a dollmaker who uses lunar aether to make dolls that protect children.
• Ganditor: a hotsz who uses lunar aether to reflect inwardly.
• Gesturi: one who uses pantomime to silently interact with lunar aether.
• Hotsz: a thief of the Moons.
• Moonguard: elite sister-warriors of the Moons.
• Selenographer: a lunar scientist.
• Ulfheonar: a zoanthropic wolf-warrior.
• Werewolf: a wolf zoanthrope.

Other Witches

Other witches are women or non-men who tap into different energy cycles with the same forms of ritual and other methods of witchcraft. For a full list, see witches. Below listed are the other aetherial witches:

• Awatsiss: harvest season witches.
• Babusya: autumnal witches.
• Basiaba: harmattan witches.
• Buwaya: dry season witches.
• Cailleach: summer witches.
• Daughter of Gaia: polyaetherial witches.
• Doula: vitalist witches.
• Flowergirl: spring witches.
• Gamine: street witches.
• Hag: polyaetherial crones.
• Hashtaal: desert singer witches.
• Kamadara: flying Majonese witches.
• Kristtorn: winter witches.
• Kudirbupok: wet season witches.
• Maemd: elephant-riding witches.
• Mayya: girlchild wildling witches.
• Night Witch: shadow witches and snipers.
• Poporcorb: zoanthropic dark witches who turn into ravens.
• Seipone: witches of Lesedi.
• Thelassia: sea hag.
• Tie Nuwu: iron hag.
• Water-Bearer: women of desert people who bear water for the community.

Societal Role

Witches have always been important parts of communities. They provide guidance, healing, and support. Their power to become one with cycles means they are potent avatars of the cycle of life-and-death, representatives of sacrifice, and thus, symbolic of the sacrifices the community makes. They hold up communities and remind them of the matriarchal past.

Persecutions

Because of their ties to the ancient, classless societies through their traditions and powers, witches are hated in class societies. They are scorned, persecuted, purged. Killed en masse. False accusations of witchcraft are common forms of anti-woman violence, and any man accused of witchcraft is emasculated intentionally. There are few class societies where witches are not oppressed heavily.

Anti-Witchcraft

There are many rituals and other talismans and tools that are used by oppressing powers and those who fall for their lies to counteract the powers of witchcraft:

• Concealed shoes: shoes hidden in the walls, under the floors, or in the attic of a building will make witches trip within the house.
• Dried cat: a dead, dried cat hung up in a house or sealed in a wall, will cause a witch to go mad within that house.
• Horse skull: a horse skull hung up in a house will fill a witch with unease and fear.
• Script charm: a message written on a scrap of paper and sealed in a wall, if written under a new moon, will weaken a witch's power in the house.
• Witch ball: a ball of clear glass, hung in a window, will destroy moonlight.
• Witch bottle: a bottle filled with urine taken from a woman unwilling or unwittingly will repel the powers of a witch if hidden somewhere in one's home.

But the most powerful anti-witch works are done by witchfinders, who torture, maim, wound, or kill witches using methods that often include misogynist violence. Common practices include

• Burning at the stake: though powerful witches can repel fire with their powers over lunar aether, most cannot, so most burn even if they are witches.
• Dousing in rivers: "if she drowns, she was not a witch" comes from witch's powers over water, as water is subsumed by the moons, but it is a power only strong witches have.
• Hanging: the low gravity of the moons may be replicated by a powerful witch, thus saving her from hanging, but most will feel the snap at the end of the rope.
• Inquisition: the torments of the inquisition do not merit full description here, but they involve horrific physical torture that would break anyone.
• Pressing: said to be the most effective method of executing a witch, as they cannot repel the massive stones.
• Weighing: witches weigh less because they work on lunar gravity, if they are powerful enough.

Skills

Common skills include

• Herbalism
• Lunar measurement
• Therapy
• Folk wisdom
• Sewing
• Cooking
• Hunting
• Gathering
• Tea making
• Potion making
• Medicine
• Folk medicine
• Thatching
• Fulling
• Weaving

Stats

Modifiers from base of nation/species:

PRO /
ATH -1
STR -2
AWA +4
WIL +4
STH +2
PRS +1