Of magicks, trinkets and other arknae gizmos

(Lore)

Yaga asked me to put together a list of the services & goods we offer in our Boutique so here’s a quick summary of a few of them:

---General magicks:

--Potions, elixirs and other such drinkables (also including lotions and similar): This is a no-brainer, I hope? If you think of witches you almost certainly follow that thought with potions. It’s the oldest trick in the book, probably because it was the first one. Mix the right ingredients, season them with magic and you will make connections that can warp reality itself… or an excellent sexual aphrodisiac.

--Spells, curses, enchantments: Words have power, with or without magic. An adequate chant with the correct taint of power can produce any sort of desirable effects. Print or carve them on some surface (usually paper, but any can work if you have enough imagination) and you will get yourself a one-use-artefact (or more if you are skilled in rune-crafting). VERY IMPORTANT  always set clear delineations of time, subject and/or space so as not to cause undesired magical backfires. Extra points if you can give narrative coherence to the wording or make the chant rhythm.

--Rituals: A sequence of particular actions that when performed correctly cause the desired effect on the world’s essence. Perform them incorrectly and there will be a backlash almost certainly. Which actions you may ask? It depends on the ritual really, as with anything magical it is more about the intent you contextualise with the steps rather than any strict setup, potions and spells can even be used to reinforce or empower the ritual, but these aren’t strictly necessary. Of course, some ritual procedures have become popular staples in the practice of witchery, but it is often more a case of regional coven traditions and flavours rather than any actual demostrable practicality, after all, it can be hard to come up with a ritual sequence in the heat of the moment so going with a classic is the handy solution.

--Markings: Cool magical tattoos, markings are usually the leftovers of a procedure on the skin or surface of a recipient whose essence has been fundamentally changed in some way by some sort of magick or other. They are usually compared to the  signature on a contract and are related to the witches’ particular casting of sparks or personal glow. In the west here's two general variants of them. Ritual Markings, which are a product of rituals, duh, and work as a sort of clock or reminder that the ritual is in motion. The other variant, Familiar Markings (or bond markings), are a product of a successful familiar bonding between a witch and a creature whereby the creature becomes an external magical-reserve and aid for the witch in exchange for quite a few perks. Familiar bonding is a tricky process, and is often dangerous to all parties involved, the familiar becomes an extension of the witch’s powers, that is why it’s recommended to just have one familiar to avoid disaster and it would be careless for a witch to let such a bonding happen without her being present. The largest number of successful familiars bondings by a witch recorded was the six owls and three bears of Zaratrusa Skrog back in the Prussian Empire, when one of her apprentices tried to surpass her by getting ten familiars she caused the event known as the Aberration of Wolfsburg. You may be noticing a pattern about magical backlashes.

---Some particular items & artefacts:

--Phylactery: The essence of this is the essence of the world, the yarn from which the fabric of reality is composed… Yeah, yeah, I know, but how the heck are you supposed to define magic? Not even witches can… Mana, power, will, magical stamina… Call it whatever you want, but it’s what powers magicks, no matter the type and it’s usually the fuel that makes them work. The most common essence burned in such procedures is the essence of humanity of some unfortunate fella, but more skilled witches prefer to use their own magical gauge or pull it directly from their surroundings. It can be contained in recipients for use later or for commerce, a bottle, a sack… it doesn’t matter much as long as it’s a secure container, fill it up with essence and you get yourself phylactery. Humanity and natural essence are the usual ones, but more refined ones, like the extracted essence of an exact particular moment of lust such as the peak of an orgasm, for example, provide better boosts. Phylacteries are an essential component in the creation of golemmy and other automata artefacts.

--Witch Hands: Do you know monkey paws? Well, these are the real deal. Lucky, rare and powerful artefacts. Pulling a physical object from some plane of the etherealms along with rune-carving are the only things I can think of that would top a Witch Hand in power and Witch Hands will often match or surpass even those shenanigans. They are basically semi-infinite batteries of auto-recharging power that need to be treated with the most precautions possible. Don’t say stupid crap around them. How are they made? I don’t feel like thinking about it right now, but no, it is not what you first guessed when you read the name. Nobody 's hands got chopped!

--Wish coins: Speaking of wishes, coins are a common element of such myths and it’s probably down to the fault of witchery. Whilst not necessarily having to be coin shaped, a wishing token is a pretty simple artefact to craft. Just imprint an adequate dormant ritual to your small object of choice and you are good to go. The user only needs to hold it (or even just be near it if the imprint is strong enough) and make their demands, the object will absorb the necessary amount of essence and a wish will, probably, be satisfactorily granted. They can be created with more intricate mechanisms and triggers, but simplicity is preferable. Coins are the favourite material because their flat surfaces make it easy for the absorbed essence to become embedded in the metal in a way that is very erotically pleasant to the eye.There is also a bonus with one-use wish coins in that once they fulfil a demand they become a free phylactery, two birds with one stone, maybe literally if the users wished to become birds.

--Shape wax: Despite the similarities in their function and crafting, it would be a mistake to confuse shape wax with wishing tokens. The main difference between the two is the fact that shape wax and similar items will consume the essence of the user completely, not leaving any residual phylactery. As their name indicates, wax is the material most often used in their fabrication, with the logical final product tending to be a candle. Shape wax doesn’t grant wishes, but pulls and twists some primal desire of the users against themselves. Despite the risks, the main advantage of these artefacts over similar ones is that they are fantastic as conductors and focussing aids. Some versions acquire the shape of the user’s form after sucking their essence which causes quite an ominous effect as they burn and melt while the user transforms. It’s highly possible that those candles are the origin of birthday candles, but I wouldn’t recommend putting them on cakes.

--Fate-sealing mirrors: A reflecting surface where, if a user stands in front of it naked it will cause their reflection to become and lock into the form they are about to transform into. Their reflection will remain like that even if they use another mirror, gradually eroding their will if they try to resist. until they eventually change to match what the mirror showed. Quite a fucked up curse if you ask me. Similarly to shape wax you may be thinking that these mirrors also seem very like wishing tokens. The main difference here is that, while they can indeed be crafted, they also (and more commonly) occur spontaneously by natural means, perhaps because mirrors can be used as handy doors to other-places. Also there is no leftover phylactery. They are a pain in the ass, because the only way to find out which mirror is a fate-sealing one is to try it out and then, once you are in the sealing phase of their operation it is quite difficult to break out of it.

--Lust coats: An original creation of our coven, It was one of Yaga’s own inventions that was later “improved” by Susan. A fur coat (skin or feathers work too) from a specific beast that once worn by the user will give them a strong desire to wear the coat, no matter what, slowly making them become synchronised with the beast the fur belonged to until they reach the point of orgasmic methamorphosis. For the coats to work, the materials used in their fabrication must be obtained from a beast that has died from natural causes. It doesn't necessarily have to have coat form, the fur is the important part, but coats do work quicker. They are very popular among women, particularly mature ones and they do sell like hotcakes.

--Grimoires: What happens when a witch amasses enough spells, chants, rituals and other notes in a single book? The book becomes a grimoire. It doesn’t even have to be a book really, a folder, a sketch book, a magazine… It’s not the object itself, but the intent the witch leaves behind. The tricky part is if the witch is powerful and old enough and keeps writing notes in the same place the grimoire will become a part of her power and an entity of itself that will survive even after the witch is long gone. Every single page of an empowered grimoire is as dangerous as the whole book together, the beating will of a long gone witch. A common “prank” amongst young witches is to hide those pages in normal books in libraries, stores and similar places creating random ticking-time bombs of magic. I honestly don’t see the fun in such douchebaggery.

I think that’s enough lore for now, I hope you’re satisfied with it, Yaga.

Remember, kids, nothing is set in stone when dealing with witchcraft, but you better watch out, because now you know better.

Cindy