#.Bernice.

[normallyxstranger]

WITCHES/WARLOCKS

The following info is copied/pasted from BESTIARY. All creatures, species, etc. are based on various folklore, mythology, and my personal canon with various media influences. Information is not complete and is a constant work-in-progress. Further updates can be found at the above link.

Pertains to the following characters:

Victor Foster

Mara Foster

Andy Foster

Vinnie Foster

Wren Ashley

Tabitha Ashley

Neoma Myles

Danica Franklin

Mason Davis

Alexandra Cappello

Bernice Dolan

Ree

People who are born of a magical family with inherent magical talents are known as witches. If your mother was a witch, or your father was a witch (in some cases both) and you were born with magical abilities–you’re a witch too–regardless of gender.

Those who are born without magic or from a non-magical line but learns how to perform spells can also be called a witch, but they are generally not as powerful, nor have family connections. There are, however, always exceptions to this. Someone who has learned magic can also call themselves a wizard or sorcerer though it’s not that common.

Witches possess a range of many different inherent abilities. These talents tend to pass from parent to child in varying degrees of potency. Powers and skills vary between individual witches and even family groups. One talent that all witches possess is basic spellcraft and it can be learned even by those born without magic.

Witches from magical families are considered human, but in addition to magical talent, they possess longevity. They are certain not immortal and are susceptible to human weaknesses, but they age much slower and tend to live longer. A typical lifespan can be up to 150 years, though there are very few who live so long.

Many hereditary witches form covens, and many of these covens are connected among the communities. Some of these covens act as governing bodies to the magical world–they try to keep dangerous practitioners at bay and there are covens completely devoted to managing and correcting magical mishaps within the community. Most covens prefer to keep themselves secret to the outside world for fear of persecution. They tend to operate as schools, academies, safe houses, halfway houses, institutions, charities, and the like as a cover for what they really are. 

Some witches and their covens do not fear persecution and are completely open to the public eye–but they tend to be dismissed as religious organizations, or else not taken seriously. Any persecution received from the outside world is usually easily taken care of with a few redirection spells.

There are some branches of magic, some abilities, spells, rituals that are more difficult and require more power. Such talents include necromancy. 

A note on warlocks:

Warlock does not exclusively refer to a male or masculine witch. The term warlock  is from the Old English wǣrloga meaning “oathbreaker” or “deceiver”. Warlocks are witches of a morally gray or dark conscience. They have either betrayed fellow witches before, or have done terrible things within the community. Their power is usually very dark, very concentrated, and they have no scruples in using it for their own purposes. Warlocks are not always considered evil, but they do have those tendencies more often than not.

A note on necromancy:

Raising the dead is not as simple as just chanting a spell and raising a body. It generally requires a sacrifice, a balance, and is one reason why it is considered taboo. It is difficult to do. If a ritual involving necromancy fails, the deceased will return wrong–as a zombie, or even as a revenant, bound to the witch’s will. While this may be the goal of some, it is generally viewed as a failure of true necromantic talent.

Rituals involving necromancy could be both mundane and grotesque, but almost always elaborate–often involving talismans, incantations, magic circles, candles, symbols, and wands. The necromancer might wear the clothes of the deceased, sit for days without moving, or even mutilate and eat corpses as a way to call out to the other side. They may choose melancholy locations that were well-suited to their guidelines, like the home of the deceased subject, a church, or a dark graveyard. All of these morbid practices were just the warm-up for the eventual summoning of the spirit. To raise a physical body from the other side, the process had to occur within so many years of death (the sooner the better) otherwise the necromancer would only be able to evoke the ghost, not the real person. Corpses older than a few years can still be resurrected–it just requires a great deal more power. A sacrifice, or balance of some kind (life for a life) is required to raise a body completely from the dead.

A note on Witches of Scintil:

Witches are the most common species in Scintil (see LOCALES & ORGANIZATIONS) They are humanoid with magical talents, but they are non-human. They may look entirely human but they are not. Specific abilities often run in family groups or clans, though not always. Ree is one such example.

[normallyxstranger1]

[feminist-space]

Be A King

@BerniceKing

"With my mother. Daddy's funeral.

He wasn't assassinated because he wanted his children to be judged "by the content of their character."

But for dismantling racism, poverty & militarism.

He wanted corrective measures to eradicate racism, not the delusion that it doesn't exist."

(Alt text included in image).

https://x.com/berniceking/status/1746661202061586854

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[decafbat]

drawpile highlights

[twixnmix]

Martin Luther King Jr. playing with his children Dexter King, Yolanda King and Bernice King in their backyard in Atlanta on November 8, 1964.

Photos by Flip Schulke

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@realberniceburgos

[normallyxstranger]

The Hallowed Circle Coven & The Hallows Academy

The following info is copied/pasted from LOCALES & ORGANIZATIONS. All places and organizations are fictitious, or used in a fictitious manner. Information is not complete and is a constant work-in-progress. Further updates can be found at the above link.  

The Hallowed Circle coven was founded in the 1700’s, just after the decline of witch hunts and executions in Europe. Even so, the coven did not practice openly, rather keeping their membership secretive, clandestine, in case such events were to happen again. Over time, other witches and organizations followed their example and more covens began to crop up. Some would last, while others would fizzle out in a short time. The Hallowed Circle has withstood regardless.

The coven, initially, was founded by a man named Manfred Hallows. The coven’s name was a play on both his last name and the meaning of hallowed—reverence and respect. Originally, the coven’s purpose was in the service of Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft and necromancy. That was quickly twisted and corrupted and the coven’s purpose was less about worshiping the goddess and instead about amassing dark power.

Manfred Hallows was a proud man and a powerful witch. His wife was a witch of some repute as well. Together, they founded the coven and recruited their first initiates—young men and women with talents of a magical nature. They chose to nurture these individuals from a young age as it is easier to mold a child’s ideals than an adult’s. By the 1800’s, it became clear that the easiest way to continue this and remain secretive was to create an academy. The school was very exclusive; only the most promising and powerful individuals were chosen. They named it after their founder and the Hallows Academy flourished.

The Hallowed Circle Coven specializes in teaching the darker elements of magic, such as blood magic, necromancy, curses and hexes, mind control and manipulation, ritual sacrifice, and demonology. They often support demons and other malicious creatures in their endeavors, and can sometimes be found selling their services on the underground demonic black market for extremely high prices. Those desperate enough always find a way to pay.

Above all, the coven seeks out power. Every member who joins adds to their collective, increasing their overall power and ensuring their success. Most members of the coven seek out power for their own purposes, using what is gathered within the coven for various reasons.

To know about the coven’s darkest practices it is required for members to take a vow of secrecy. Any break in that is considered a betrayal and betrayal can be punishable by death, under many circumstances. The coven has many rules about how members are to conduct themselves. Slights against the coven as a whole and against individual members is never forgotten and always punished in some way or another. They do not take threats lightly.

The coven in recent years has gone quiet. The Academy is still active, with new students enrolling yearly. Outsiders (humans and those without ties to the supernatural) are unaware of the secret organization behind the school.

symbol of The Hallowed Circle Coven, a mark generally given to those who belong to the coven (usually received after initiation)

The current High Priestess is Bernice Dolan.

[viceandmature]

The bad KOF Movie predicts who appears in the amazing KOF XV game

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