Magic

Magic does exist in this world, but it is an ancient force which is commanded almost exclusively by verbal spell-casting and rituals. There is no wand-waving or fists of lightning here; books of spells are ancient, expensive, and hard to come by. Magic is considered to be an academic subject, and anybody can learn it. Those who are naturally intelligent and inclined to put in the work are more than likely to find themselves proficient. Those who are not fortunate enough to learn it from books and artefacts can apprentice themselves to other practitioners (this is often the case with the poor).

 

To this end, humans and supernatural creatures alike may practise magic. Please note that the powers possessed by certain creature types are not spell magic; they are evolutionary traits that are specific to each one, and exempt from the above -- although varying degrees of ability still exist amongst those species.

 

Witchcraft

Witchcraft in Britain is still a crime, though no one has been executed for it since 1692. The last conviction in England was in 1863, and since then the magical community has tightened up on secrecy considerably. This has been helped by the progression of science, and many people -- in this modern world -- no longer believe in black magic. However, the law remains in effect: practising black magic is illegal, and the trade of cursed wares and paraphernalia is relegated to specialists who manage their stock and customers very carefully. Annabel Fleming is a well known trader of magical goods in the supernatural community.

 

Spells of protection are commonly used by Walpurgists and those who are aware of the need to keep certain undesirables out of their homes. Talismans are often used, and so are Pagan blessings. Ancient spellbooks are in high demand, and those who cannot afford to purchase them (buying one is the equivalent of buying an original masterpiece painting) must learn by word of mouth. Reading the words is not necessary, but reciting them is.

 

Binding spells are used to contain demonic creatures and ghosts.

 

Magic is traditionally a solemn and solitary practise, and doesn't do much good in hand-to-hand combat. The most damage a spell can do is with a curse.

 

Alignment

Witches and seers who are not aligned with Gardeners (and are known to the organisation) are registered and kept under observation. Many who do not agree with their mission find this practise intrusive and unethical, and they are often furious to be so closely monitored. The moment they are found to be using their powers for malice, they are considered unlawful and a warrant is put out for their capture.

Witches are tried in normal court, under human law, and as such it is difficult to make a case against them.

 

Types of Spells

There are several types of spells: protection for a place, protection for a person, binding spells, love spells, curses, and glamour spells. Curses tend towards things like bad luck, or perhaps rendering the subject barren. It is not possible to curse someone to death, but a person who is cursed might die as a consequence of circumstances brought about by said curse. Glamour spells are the most difficult to achieve. They conceal the appearance of the caster not physically in real time, but in the memory of those who see them whilst it is in effect.

Love spells tend to be disastrous, as they do not alter the true feelings of the victim but rather induce a sort of trance; their obsession with the intended recipient of their affections is life-ruining, and often doesn't have the outcome the caster hoped. It is possible to create love potions by casting a spell on a liquid to be consumed. There is no way to brew them.

 

Ouija Boards

Ouija boards have been manufactured since 1890, and are popular parlour toys. They have no particular spiritual clout, being only recent, but some spirits (Imp demons and certain types of ghost) do choose to make use of them when it suits them to be mischievous. Religious leaders have criticised them as the tools of the Devil. The Devil was not available for comment.

 

Raising the Dead

Ghouls are raised by witchcraft, and traditionally this takes an experienced witch to perform the deed. When raised successfully, ghouls are magnificent servants -- but when raised improperly it can go badly wrong. It is possible to subvert a ghoul from its owner if the correct rituals are performed.

 

It is not possible to heal people or to bring them back to life with witchcraft.

 

 

This is additional lore that has been expanded IC by our players as related to spell-casting, covens, and magic. This section may expand, it is intended more for reference than it is mandatory reading for joining. Thanks!

 

Spellsingredients

Spell ingredients extend from traditional herbs and plants to hair and bodily fluids. The physical production of a vessel for the spell is not always necessary, however spells that are spoken only verbally are not especially powerful. The ritualistic act of creating these items is as much part of the casting as uttering the words, and the art of doing so is a practice that is not easy to become accomplished at. Spells intended for certain people must contain something personal belonging to them (or coming from their person).

 

Supernatural spell ingredients are not strictly kosher. The use of vampire blood, vampire bat wings and toes, werewolf hair, werewolf claws, and the water or earth from an elemental demon is something that is frowned upon by those in academic witchcraft circles; the best covens do not consider it good practice, and those who believe in the purity of the art wouldn't touch those ingredients with a barge-pole. They are volatile and difficult to bind, and only those who are especially good at their craft are able to do so.

 

Registered witches who are caught making use of these items are likely to find themselves beset by Gardeners. To do so is considered an infraction of the registration agreement, and steps will be taken against anyone who is discovered doing so.

 

Rituals

The ritualistic element of magic is equally important, it is not only for ceremonial purposes that certain blades, candles, and formations are used in spellcasting. Additionally, greater power may be achieved by casting in groups -- the caster's intention is of equal importance, and expanding the group encourages stronger influence. This is the main benefit -- outside of intellectual discussion -- of belonging to a Coven.

 

Healing

Prevention is better than cure, largely in this case because cure does not exist: magic cannot be used to heal wounds or diseases, though it can be used to encourage fertility. Temporary tonics are available to make the sufferer feel better; these are not treatments, but if nothing else one might go out cheerful.

 

Covens

Covens are largely academic groups, though they meet -- as regularly as they wish at their own discretion -- to perform rituals, trade spells, and have passionate philosophical and ethical discussions. The members of a coven may come from all walks of life, but due to the impact such membership may have on their reputations the proceedings are usually secretive. The largest coven in London meets once per month in the basement of Claridge's hotel.

 

Covens tend to be known by their geographical location, which is for functional purposes only. For example, the coven referenced above would be the Mayfair Coven. While there are some rivalries over who fund-raises most effectively, by and large they all exist as different societies interested in the same thing.

 

Often the meetings are far more village council than they are might and magic.

 

Disciplines of Magic

There are five magical disciplines, symbolised by the five points of a pentagram. In theory, each discipline contains light and dark magic, although often in practice whether or not magic is light or dark is determined by a spellcaster's intent. As a result, a spell's classification is difficult to determine. The "dark side" of each discipline is referred to colloquially as the "curse branch," although each witch or magic-user may have a different understanding of what that branch includes.

The success and effectiveness of all magic depends on a witch's talent, determination, and skill. Just because a spell is cast does not mean it will work correctly or at all, and if cast very poorly, spells can backfire to disastrous results. Many witches refrain from intense or complicated works of magic beyond their personal limits due to the possible repercussions.

Abjuration

• - The most common spell in this discipline is a protective ward or barrier-

• Depending on how they are structured, wards can be used to keep things inside or outside of the protective circle-

• Wards can be customised to prevent certain targets (the supernatural as a whole, for example, or it could be narrowed to vampires only) from passing through them-

• The curse branch of abjuration is generally considered to include the addition of "traps" or unpleasant curses to wards or protective barriers

 

Conjuration

• - Conjuration is one of the most varied disciplines of magic-

• Most witches use it to summon properties such as fertility, pain-relief (similar to a nerve block; it is not healing and can often cause more problems due to the inability to feel continuing damage), etc., although the success and effectiveness of these spells depends heavily on the witch's personal talent-

• It is possible also to cast a spell to cause attraction between two things -- flame and a wick, rain and a certain piece of ground, etc. -- but they cannot be summoned from nothing; that ability is reserved for demons alone-

• The curse branch includes the summoning of painful properties, such as illness-

• It may also be considered to include the summoning of demons, although some witches well-versed in demonology do not consider these summonings to be innately "dark"

 

Necromancy

• - This entire discipline is largely considered a dark art, and it is thought that the acts of both raising and settling the dead could constitute the curse branch of necromancy-

• The most common spell used is that to raise ghouls- It is very easy to make mistakes, and as a result necromancy is often avoided by most witches

 

Enchantment

• - Another common name for this discipline is compulsion-

• It is nearly impossible to determine what spells are part of the curse branch of this discipline, as some witches believe that compelling another living being for any reason is deeply immoral, while others take a more "the ends justify the means" view of it-

• Examples of spells in this discipline include love potions and the spell that prevents newly-recruited Spooks from discussing the organisation with anyone outside of it

 

Illusion

• - This discipline includes glamours and the art of making people see that which is not there-

• Glamours will affect new memories, but not old ones-

• Like enchantment/compulsion, the nature of the spell depends on the caster's intent; it is impossible to create horrifying visions and nightmares meant to terrify

 

Types of Witches

Coven Witches

• - This is the most academic, book-based form of magic

• - Witches in a coven have generally learned from a book of witchcraft and/or a formal apprenticeship with an older, more experienced witch-

• They often come from a family where witchcraft is a tradition, although this is not necessary- They are always registered with the Gardeners and practice generally accepted magic (i.e. not the curse branches)-

• They are usually further ahead in terms of magical research and development, and often have more political clout within the supernatural community than witches working on their own-

• Covens also have an advantage in the effectiveness of their spells in that magic cast by multiple witches simultaneously are automatically strengthened

 

Herb Witches

• - These witches tend to focus more on herb lore and traditional ritual-

• If a herb witch learned magic through an apprenticeship, it was likely an informal one-

• Herb witches are also likely to be part of a traditionally magical family, perhaps even more so than witches in covens-

• They are less likely to be registered, although they generally adhere to accepted laws and magical mores and customs-

• They usually work individually or with close family members

 

Hedge Witch

• - The name is a contemptuous term for an "uneducated" witch, although some herb witches use it to describe themselves without the negative connotations-

• These witches very rarely have apprenticeships and are often self-taught-

• They are very unlikely to be registered and usually are unaware that witches are meant to be registered at all-

 

Generally, what distinguishes a coven witch from their lower cousins is the type of magic that the witch practices. Although the popular depiction of the herb or hedge witch sees them as woefully ineffectual, hapless magicians, the herb and hedge witch simply are not concerned about the same things a coven witch cares for. Where coven witches seek to expand the frontiers of magical practice, and generally attempt to create important, far-reaching spells, the herb witch cares more about keeping the milk from souring. The hedge witch is more considered about protecting their pockets from street urchins. On a daily basis, the “lesser” witches might practice more magic than their “higher” colleagues.