Fantasy Royal Witches, aka Mighty Magical Matriarchs vs Sinister Septic Savages

[k a l l i s t o]

Word is not playing nice with Discord when it comes to pasting text. Anyways, have some lore.

"Traditionally, when a girl has her First Blood, her whole family celebrates with a large party. During or shortly after the party, there is a small ceremony in which an offering is given to the goddess of the new witch’s color. This offering varies from region to region and family to family, but usually is some sort of food. In many families, the offering is something that the new witch and her father prepared together."

Technically a coming of age ceremony?

 

[welian]

Technically a coming of age ceremony?

Yup! Basically a quinceañera, and thank god for Mac keyboards making it so easy to use special characters.

 

[k a l l i s t o]

Yup! Basically a quinceañera, and thank god for Mac keyboards making it so easy to use special characters.

Mkay-

Dx What it's that nice on Mac Keyboards? Ugh..

 

[D. Rex]

Mkay-

Dx What it's that nice on Mac Keyboards? Ugh..

Ñâđüé

And on smartphones

 

[k a l l i s t o]

Ñâđüé

And on smartphones

xD Pfffft-

 

[welian]

INFO DUMP!!! I spent most of the morning writing this. There's bound to be some errors here and there, and some things might be altered before the RP begins if any inconsistencies are spotted, but here - have some intel.

Mana
There are four colors of magical energy, or mana, in the land of Arcana: red, blue, white, and black. Each mana has different strengths and weaknesses, which is reflected in the spellcasting culture of each kind of witch.

Red mana is fast and powerful, like summer lightning that sparks a wildfire. Red witches tend to be celebrated warriors who strike quickly and with overwhelming force. However, they typically avoid group casting, as red mana is extremely volatile and one error can injure a dozen witches with a violent backdraft.

Blue mana is gentle and slips easily through a witch’s fingers, like air or water. Likewise, it cannot be seen by any but the most perceptive witches. It can be molded easily into any spell, but will dissipate quickly if the caster is careless… or very careful. Blue witches are seen as clever and stealthy, in and out with the breeze and never making a sound.

White mana is the most visible, it is like an oozing liquid light that glimmers and glitters. Animals and spirits are frequently attracted to it. Due to its sticky texture, it’s best suited for pervasive, wide-area spells – provided a lonely spirit doesn’t go tugging on strings. White witches are known for highly structured and complex spells.

Black mana is heavy and somber, like rolling mountains shrouded in mist. It sits very firmly where it wants to be, and can only be moved by mighty willpower. It creates the toughest barriers, and the weighty mana gives enchanted weapons an extra punch. Black witches protect their people and their territory, and do not entertain empty threats or boasts.

Spellcasting
To cast a spell, a witch must utter her incantation, which are words of power. These words must have intent and meaning. Most combat-oriented spells have a short, key phrase as their incantation. More complex or elaborate spells read like poetry, and many have melodies associated with them as a memory aid. Very simple spells that you might see around the house might not have a proper incantation, so much as a grunt and a vague direction. This is especially prevalent among red witches; whose mana is twitchy and has a reputation for premature casting.

In addition to an incantation, the mana must be focused, shaped, and directed toward that which the witch intends to act upon. Wands and staves made of appropriate wood are by and large the most common focusing implements. Some warrior-witches will use their swords or other weapons as a focus, however, metal does not conduct mana nearly as well as wood does. Especially skilled witches are capable of wandless casting, which takes extraordinary focus, concentration, and willpower. Or, if you ask some of the older witches, you just have to wait until your face is wrinkled enough that the spell wouldn’t dare disobey you for fear of a spanking.

There is an alternative to incantations – it is possible to craft written spells using a special alphabet of ancient (or “ancient”) runes. Each rune is shaped for the ideal flow of mana through them. There are hundreds of them, and variations of each depending on the region’s prevailing spellculture, and a few dozen more that academic witches are trying but failing to get accepted by mainstream witches. Most witches do not bother with runes, as spoken spells are plenty useful for day-to-day life, and learning a second language is difficult. Some may even sheepishly admit that screaming incantations is cathartic. However, runes do have an advantage in that they do not require a focus, and a spell can be partially written and completed another day.

Sometimes dancing is included as a valid spellcasting technique, if the spell is intended to locate a partner willing to bed an otherwise intolerable witch.

Becoming a witch
The art of magic is intrinsically tied to the feminine mystique, which is a polite way of saying that a woman’s ability to use magic depends on her monthly cycle. So long as the witch bleeds for her goddess, she will have her magic.

Traditionally, when a girl has her First Blood, her whole family celebrates with a large party. During or shortly after the party, there is a small ceremony in which an offering is given to the goddess of the new witch’s color. This offering varies from region to region and family to family, but usually is some sort of food. In many families, the offering is something that the new witch and her father prepared together. Afterward, the witch is expected to pray regularly or express some other act of piety to her goddess, lest her magic fail her when she needs it most.

The young witch will then begin basic magical training with her mother, sisters, aunts, or other witches in the community. The training is typically not that rigorous, compared to what she will go through when it is her time to serve her two years in the Royal Army (time being loosely defined as between the ages of fifteen and twenty).

Many witches wait until they leave the army to begin families, or take a year’s leave and come back after her husband has everything under control. A witch will not be able to use her magic while with child. Some old myths say this is because a child is an offering to a goddess, one worthy of waiting several months. Other people believe it is simply because she is not bleeding, and still others believe that the womb traps magic to help the baby grow.

As a witch approaches middle age, her magic begins to weaken and lapse along with her cycle. Many witches will go on frantic sprees to try out all the spells they can before it’s too late, something other witches will look upon with sympathy as the “mid-life crisis”. However, this is not the end of her life. Many elderly witches go on to become wise leaders, teachers, and grandmothers. And, so long as she is pious and well-practiced, the art of magic will never truly leave her – once a witch, always a witch.

 

[D. Rex]

INFO DUMP!!! I spent most of the morning writing this. There's bound to be some errors here and there, and some things might be altered before the RP begins if any inconsistencies are spotted, but here - have some intel.

Mana
There are four colors of magical energy, or mana, in the land of Arcana: red, blue, white, and black. Each mana has different strengths and weaknesses, which is reflected in the spellcasting culture of each kind of witch.

Red mana is fast and powerful, like summer lightning that sparks a wildfire. Red witches tend to be celebrated warriors who strike quickly and with overwhelming force. However, they typically avoid group casting, as red mana is extremely volatile and one error can injure a dozen witches with a violent backdraft.

Blue mana is gentle and slips easily through a witch’s fingers, like air or water. Likewise, it cannot be seen by any but the most perceptive witches. It can be molded easily into any spell, but will dissipate quickly if the caster is careless… or very careful. Blue witches are seen as clever and stealthy, in and out with the breeze and never making a sound.

White mana is the most visible, it is like an oozing liquid light that glimmers and glitters. Animals and spirits are frequently attracted to it. Due to its sticky texture, it’s best suited for pervasive, wide-area spells – provided a lonely spirit doesn’t go tugging on strings. White witches are known for highly structured and complex spells.

Black mana is heavy and somber, like rolling mountains shrouded in mist. It sits very firmly where it wants to be, and can only be moved by mighty willpower. It creates the toughest barriers, and the weighty mana gives enchanted weapons an extra punch. Black witches protect their people and their territory, and do not entertain empty threats or boasts.

Spellcasting
To cast a spell, a witch must utter her incantation, which are words of power. These words must have intent and meaning. Most combat-oriented spells have a short, key phrase as their incantation. More complex or elaborate spells read like poetry, and many have melodies associated with them as a memory aid. Very simple spells that you might see around the house might not have a proper incantation, so much as a grunt and a vague direction. This is especially prevalent among red witches; whose mana is twitchy and has a reputation for premature casting.

In addition to an incantation, the mana must be focused, shaped, and directed toward that which the witch intends to act upon. Wands and staves made of appropriate wood are by and large the most common focusing implements. Some warrior-witches will use their swords or other weapons as a focus, however, metal does not conduct mana nearly as well as wood does. Especially skilled witches are capable of wandless casting, which takes extraordinary focus, concentration, and willpower. Or, if you ask some of the older witches, you just have to wait until your face is wrinkled enough that the spell wouldn’t dare disobey you for fear of a spanking.

There is an alternative to incantations – it is possible to craft written spells using a special alphabet of ancient (or “ancient”) runes. Each rune is shaped for the ideal flow of mana through them. There are hundreds of them, and variations of each depending on the region’s prevailing spellculture, and a few dozen more that academic witches are trying but failing to get accepted by mainstream witches. Most witches do not bother with runes, as spoken spells are plenty useful for day-to-day life, and learning a second language is difficult. Some may even sheepishly admit that screaming incantations is cathartic. However, runes do have an advantage in that they do not require a focus, and a spell can be partially written and completed another day.

Sometimes dancing is included as a valid spellcasting technique, if the spell is intended to locate a partner willing to bed an otherwise intolerable witch.

Becoming a witch
The art of magic is intrinsically tied to the feminine mystique, which is a polite way of saying that a woman’s ability to use magic depends on her monthly cycle. So long as the witch bleeds for her goddess, she will have her magic.

Traditionally, when a girl has her First Blood, her whole family celebrates with a large party. During or shortly after the party, there is a small ceremony in which an offering is given to the goddess of the new witch’s color. This offering varies from region to region and family to family, but usually is some sort of food. In many families, the offering is something that the new witch and her father prepared together. Afterward, the witch is expected to pray regularly or express some other act of piety to her goddess, lest her magic fail her when she needs it most.

The young witch will then begin basic magical training with her mother, sisters, aunts, or other witches in the community. The training is typically not that rigorous, compared to what she will go through when it is her time to serve her two years in the Royal Army (time being loosely defined as between the ages of fifteen and twenty).

Many witches wait until they leave the army to begin families, or take a year’s leave and come back after her husband has everything under control. A witch will not be able to use her magic while with child. Some old myths say this is because a child is an offering to a goddess, one worthy of waiting several months. Other people believe it is simply because she is not bleeding, and still others believe that the womb traps magic to help the baby grow.

As a witch approaches middle age, her magic begins to weaken and lapse along with her cycle. Many witches will go on frantic sprees to try out all the spells they can before it’s too late, something other witches will look upon with sympathy as the “mid-life crisis”. However, this is not the end of her life. Many elderly witches go on to become wise leaders, teachers, and grandmothers. And, so long as she is pious and well-practiced, the art of magic will never truly leave her – once a witch, always a witch.

Don't forget, gang. Welian doesn't want me to mention this... but men can use magic too.

 

[D. Rex]

The best magic.

 

[welian]

The magic of a solid, well-placed fist cannot be understated - especially if it comes from an angry father defending his brood.

 

[The J]

Woohoo!

 

[Blink]

Oh my god, I love this lore

So Royal Army involvement for all witches is like a draft, as in mandatory?

And I'm curious as to how these spells are going to work. Will incantations cross over; are the spells and their associated incantations pre-established? What majority of a spell depends on the will of the witch/is customizable?

I'm excited to unleash my inner goddess follow this though. My character'll probably be a white witch who got a little too good with her spirit-summoning skills.

 

[welian]

So Royal Army involvement for all witches is like a draft, as in mandatory?

Yeah, I was inspired by countries like Israel, and I thought it would be interesting to explore the kind of violence and cruelty that women are capable of, that mainstream media sometimes ignores or glosses over.

Will incantations cross over; are the spells and their associated incantations pre-established? What majority of a spell depends on the will of the witch/is customizable?

Lots of spells are premade! Why fix what's broke, you know? Anyways, based on the mana's attributes and the witch's own skill, the same skill done by different witches will have slightly different effects. Like, you wouldn't expect a novice white witch to cast an illusion spell that's as flawless as what an expert blue witch could craft - she doesn't have enough practice to stifle the inherent "shiny beacon" qualities of white mana. And a red witch's fireball will go long and far, but a black witch's fireball will fall short of its intended target, because the weightiness of the mana actually pulls the spell down and affects its trajectory!

I'm going to make a list of some basic spells that most witches will have learned in the Army, but on your profiles, you will have a section for listing any custom spells that your character uses. Lots of witches make up their own little spells, or find established spells easier to use if some words are rearranged or stressed differently. As long as the intent is there, the spell should work... in theory.

My character'll probably be a white witch who got a little too good with her spirit-summoning skills.

The current Empress of Arcana is a tree. That's how good of a white witch she was. She made a deal with some ancient forest spirits during the last wave of the Blight, and now the capital city of Sylva is covered is a big-ass white magic barrier that will stand so long as her tree is undisturbed. Her great-granddaughter is the current reigning queen, and is also a white witch. Whether or not the Lavan family stole the throne from some red witches, or whether the reds lost fair and square in battle, is another debate entirely.

 

[welian]

I forgot to add that crystals can be used to hold mana. Therefore, wands and staves and weapons often have a small crystal somewhere that acts like an emergency battery.

Yes, we have magic bling.

 

[FrazzledFox]

I am of interest
pls.

 

[Bacon is fluffy]

inb4 everyone and their mother wants to play an oppressed man

now you contemptible harpy, I shall end your oppressive reign of matriarchal tyranny! ~stewie


I couldn't help it.

 

[Giyari]

Welcome to Royal Witches where society went...

... and it was right.​

 

[welian]

Pop quiz, how many of you are guys/girls IRL? I'm genuinely curious.

 

[The J]

I identify as a Chinook.

 

[welian]

That sounds racially offensive, but I don't know well enough to be sure.

 

[The J]

That sounds racially offensive, but I don't know well enough to be sure.

 

[Natealie]

Genderfluid, but I believe that you already knew that.

 

[Yennie]

I accidentally signed my username up twice wew

 

[Cosmos]

Midnight2902

 

[Midnight2902]

You summoned me?

 

[Natealie]

It's time for the first ever questions while Weli is on vacation leaving the rest of us in the dust masterpost!

What are the rules for these ones? Like, can they spread an infection? Are they dried out? Are they smart or fast zombies? -Me

Also to add to the mix, what senses of theirs function? Are any heightened? -Me

why isn't one sheep a shoop? -J

This post will be updated as more questions arise.