Witch /'wich/ n. 1. A person, now especially a woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic or sorcery; a sorceress. Compare Warlock. 2. A woman who is supposed to have evil or wicked magical powers: Witches in black robes and pointed hats. 3. An ugly or mean old woman; hag: The old witch who used to own this building. 4. A person who uses a divining rod; dowser. ⧫v.t. 5. To bring by or as by witchcraft (often followed by into, to, etc.): She witched him into going. 6. Archaic. To affect as if by witchcraft; bewitch; charm. ⧫v. 7. To prospect with a divining rod; dowse. ⧫adj. 8. Of, relating to, or designed as protection against witches.
13. Witches
by Hunter Jeremiah
If you want to know what a witch is, it is a woman - or in some cases, a man - who has been corrupted by dark magic. They are distinct from other magic users, because they use witchcraft, a magic which is naturally malevolent. Not only have Hunters been fighting witches for centuries, but they were the first creatures we were hired to hunt down - our job description was originally "witch-hunter" after all. For this reason, they've had many names over the years: awliya, in the Middle East; baba yaga or ved'ma, in Russa; boksi, kijo, mangkukulam, yama-uba, yosa, in various parts of Asia; bruja or brujo in Spain; crone, hag or hellerune in the United Kingdom; daayan, in India; hagr, hexen, seidhkona or vitka, in Germany; maghe or streghe in italy & itonga, sangoma, tsua, umtakati, zindoki, or various many other names in Africa.
Before I continue, I need to make this clear: I am not a politician, I'm not a philosopher, and I'm not a professor. If you want to know whether killing a witch is the same thing as killing a fellow human being, then I am neither prepared nor qualified to answer that question. What I am is a Hunter, and if you want to know how to stop a witch, then I'll tell you how you can find them, stop them and if you have to, yes, even how to kill them.
This is a distinct creature from a person possessed by a demon, because whilst a demon is a creature "of" magic (and yes, some witches are granted their magics from demons), a witch is not in any way possessed, she has just the one mind and she's not being controlled, but rather the influence of her magic has corrupted her mind towards malevolence.
And yes, I say 'woman' and use feminine pronouns because witches do tend to be women more often than not in my experience, and I've never met a male witch, so that's how I see them. But, be aware that male witches do exist. According to magic researchers I've spoken to, almost two out of three witches are women, but they weren't sure why there was this disparity. Some theologians claim that women are inherently evil, which I reject outright; some sociologists claim that women desire power, to level the imbalance of man's patriarchy, which sounds like left-wing nonsense & some pseudo-intellectuals think that corrupt magic finds women attractive and so seeks them out, which I just find amusing. The researcher I spoke to claimed that this was due to inherent bias - witch is a gendered term, and so people are less likely to report an evil magician as a "witch". But if you want to know the truth, the reality is... I'm once again neither prepared nor qualified. All I know is that when you meet a witch, you're in for a hell of a lot of trouble. If the sickly sweet seduction calms you, and her softly spoken whispers charm you, and she promises she'll never harm you - then you may have already fallen under the witch's spell.
Literally every human being can, if they so desire, become a witch by learning how to use witchcraft. For this reason, the history of witchcraft is really the history of magic. For, there are certain magics which are more dangerous than others. Some people call these black magic, but that term is considered politically incorrect these days. So, some people prefer to call it "chaos" magic, "red" magic, or simply "unsafe" magic. I'll try to simplify it by calling all dangerous magic witchcraft - it's the craft a witch uses, that seems the most apt. Now, I'm not a magician, so I cannot explain how witchcraft or wizardry works, and I certainly don't understand why magic is separated in the ways that it is, but I do know that when it comes to magic-users, there are some primary classes of magic, and half of them, are witchcraft. I've spoken to magicians about this, and the basic structure of magic looks something like this:
| Good | Evil |
|---|---|
| Earth | Flesh |
| Fire | Bone |
| Water | Blood |
Now, these are not all of the magics of the world. There's of course, alchemy, curses, necromancy, sigilism & trolleri, and perhaps more that I've never heard of, but the important factor is that these are the most common, naturally-occuring magics, and witchcraft, the Evil magic - Blood, Bone & Flesh - is amongst them. If a magic user is a witch, she will have one of these classes of magic. I've also had it explained to me that these classes affect more than just their namesake. I've been told that just as Earth Magic helps with alchemy; Fire Magic affects the weather & Water Magic can heal, witchcraft similarly has secondary abilities. Also, whilst any woman, or man, can be a witch, the corruption of their magic often results in a corruption of not just their mind, but also their body. Witchcraft takes power from, and uses the forces of, living things - and it twists and corrupts them, and these distinct physical corruptions are known as a "witchmark". So, let's compare and contrast the different classes ofwitch you may face, and what makes them distinct.
Blood Witch
This is a witch that can control the blood in your veins, as well as the thoughts in your mind. She gains power from consuming fresh blood, and using blood in her spellcraft.
A blood witchmark is most commonly a blood blister, or a prominent spidery vein on her skin, often (but not always) around the head or neck, which glows red hot when cut or pricked in a way which causes it to cauterize the wound. Other identifying physical corruptions of a blood witch include thinning hair; varicose veins; perpetually bloodshot eyes; rosacea & in extreme cases, blackened or toxic blood.
Bone Witch
Also occasionally called a "ghost witch", this is a witch that can puppeteer the very bones under your skin, as well as spirits within and without. She gains power from wearing bone jewellery and consuming bone dust and marrow, and uses bones in her spellcraft.
A bone witchmark is most commonly a discoloured tooth or nail. In cases when it has been removed, this tooth or nail is known to evaporate, or dissolve, and a new discoloured tooth or nail will grow back in its place. Other identifying physical corruptions of a bone witch include unnaturally long fingers; asymmetrical limbs; scoliosis; a hunched back & in extreme cases, horns and sharp, crooked teeth.
Flesh Witch
More commonly known as a "skin witch", this is a witch that can warp, tear and grow your very flesh, and raise the dead. She gains power from eating meat, and often uses leathers and hair her spellcraft.
A skin witchmark is commonly a patch of pale, or darkened skin, or when on the scalp, a streak of grey or white hair. The patch of skin cannot be cut or burned, whilst the witch is alive. Other identifying physical corruptions of a skin witch include premature wrinkles; sagging skin; excess body hair; warts, boils or verrucas & in extreme cases, grey or green skin pigment.
Now, all witches, regardless of type, have a few things in common, which we either need to know to defend outselves, or can use to our advantage. Firstly, all witches will have at least one witchmark, which can help identify them, but the more powerful they get the more the magic corrupts their body, meaning its often easier to tell a witch's power level. The only time this isn't the case is when the witch has a witch-animal, or a "familiar", a pet which they bond with ritually. Doing this allows the animal to become infused with corrupting magic, as the witch herself remains physically uncorrupted. This animal can be literally any living thing, although it's often something either easily concealed, like a mouse or a bug, or a common domestic pet like a cat or a dog. The physical corruption of a witch-animal is less pronounced than bodily witchcraft corruption, and may be as subtle as a slight change in eye colour, demeanour or size, or a distinct mark on its fur, skin or scales; but the most common corruptions are humanization, resulting in intelligence, human emotion and the ability to speak. I've also heard that it is possible for a witch to use a human slave as a witch-animal, or even other monsters such as werewolves, ape-men or demons. I haven't found any firsthand accounts of this happening, perhaps because this would be difficult or dangerous to accomplish, but it remains a distinct possibility.
Also, witch magic is limited by its distance, as well as its scope. The unaided reach of a witch's influence is approximately 10 metres, with slight variation depending on her natural ability, and it's limited by her eyesight, as she must maintain eye contact and focus with any spell she is conjuring. If a witch wishes to extend her reach further, she will require a focusing tool, such as a wand or a staff, but she still will be unable to affect anything beyond her field of view, or the field of view of her witch-animal.
Also, without any external aid, blood witches can only affect blood and minds; skin witches, only affect flesh and death & bone witches only affect skeletons and spirits. Inorganic matter, forces and energies are beyond the scope of a witch's natural abilities, which means that machinery and tools can be used to our advantage. However, if a witch wishes to affect such things, she can do so with enchantment, ritual or sigilism. These spells can be more complex and powerful, but they require time to learn, prepare and cast.
But, more than any other aspect of witchery, there's one factor which gives the witch her greatest strength and weakness. Witches often need to collect, use and/or consume their magic's namesake, to gain power. The more raw, fresh and alive the organic matter is during the ritual, the more power a witch can gain for herself, and so many witches turn to animal sacrifice as a source for her magic, or even human sacrifice. Because a witch only requires her particular organic flesh, blood or bone for a sacrifice, it is common for witches to collect in "covens" of three, with one witch of each magical class, to sacrifice victims and grow their magic together.
This is why witchcraft is inherently evil, and must be stopped, as it feeds on the death and suffering of the living.
But, the reason why this is the witch's biggest weakness is because this is the hardest aspect to hide. A witch can veil her twisted face, glove her gnarled fingers or cover her corrupted skin, but it's much harder to hide a crime of kidnapping, torture and murder. Whilst there is a distinct possibility that witches can collect in pairs, or in groups of mor ethan three, this is exceedingly rare. The benefits of covening is lost when there isn't a third witch to consume the remaining evidence. But if there's more than three then when their victims are entirely consumed, the an extra witch will be in conflict with whomever shares her magic, as each gets only a fraction of the benefit. This might be countered by having covens with multiples of three, with an even balance of blood, flesh & bone magics; however, having such a high concentration of magic-users makes it much harder to keep their activities secret. I once faced a pair of blood witches - twin sisters - and their trail of bodies made it much quicker and easier to hunt them down.
Now, there have been cases of witches which have done everything they can to be benign. They may not sacrifice humans, and only consume animals that die naturally, or feed off willing victims, or leave victims relatively unharmed. This has lead to a phenomenon called "sleep-riding", where these witches will sneak into people's homes, and use their magic to paralyze sleepers, then they will climb on top of their frozen bodies, and leech their magic out of their victims. Some call these "benign witches", "grey witches" or even "good witches", and in some countries, these persons are listed on a register, and monitored closely by the magical authorities, as they're considered harmless. I don't know if I'd considered traumatizing people in their dreams "harmless", but either way in this country, witchcraft is still a crime, I don't call them benign, but rather "pre-sacrifice witches", as all witches turn to sacrifice in the end. So, these women must be captured and taken to the authorities for rehabilitation.
Protection
If you believe that there may be a witch in your community, and you want to remain safe, then these are some useful reminders to protect you and your loved ones, and know when to contact the authorities:
- Beware the Stick - A witch with a wand has finer control over her power than one without. If you think she has a wand, get the hell away.
- Do Your Homework - You can usually determine how powerful a witch is, by sight. The stronger she is, the more danger everyone is in.
- Earth, Salt & Iron - Materials which conduct magic can harm a witch, if someone you know avoids, or is harmed by, such items, protect yourself.
- It if Talks, You Walk - If someone's pet is talking to you, it may be a witch-animal. Don't trust it, don't listen, just walk away.
- Keep Your Distance - If you're outside of an unarmed witch's sphere of influence, then she can't curse you. Stay away, and stay safe.
- Running to Running Water - Whether a witch can swim or not, running water tends to create a natural leyline, which painfully tears the magic out of witches that cross.
- The Buddy System - Witches will kidnap victims that are isolated and hidden from view. Stick together, to keep everyone safe.
- Think and Drive - Even with her magic, a witch isn't stronger or faster than a regular human, so using a large vehicle can keep you safe.
- Which Witch - Not all magic is witchcraft or evil. Still be wary, but if someone's unaided magic doesn't affect organic matter, then it can't be witchcraft.
- X Marks the Witch - If you're suspicious, keep a wary out out for discoloured teeth, hair, nails, skin or veins. These signify a witch.
WARNING: Iron, salt, silver and other related materials are magically-conductive. These do not resist or dispell magic. These are used to bind witches as they drain magic away from witches the way a short-circuit drains electricity from an electrical system. Some amateur Hunters and witch-finders make, purchase or sell silver-coated or iron-alloy body armour in a mistaken belief that this will protect them from magic. This is deadly, as it will actually draw raw magic to it like a lightning rod.
Hunting
Witchcraft is illegal, because it is so corrupting and harmful, so if someone is identified as a witch, they must be captured as soon as possible. However, if a witch is known to have harmed another person, let alone commits the sin of human sacrifice, then they have forfeited their right to trial, and it is our job to kill the witch. This can be more difficult if you are not a magic-user yourself, but trust me when I tell you, it's entirely possible. The hardest part of hunting a witch is not her magic - that's the most obvious clue - rather, it's the human part. Anyone can learn witchcraft, if they so desire, and whilst some humans can be stupid, some can be very smart, and try to cover their tracks. So, I will be as thorough as I can be, but don't be afraid to use your initiative to find a way of trapping your witch.
Find
Often, you will be called to investigate a suspicious kidnapping or murder. However, there have been cases of people requesting a witch-hunt because they suspect a person in their community of witchcraft. So, you should first try to ascertain your victim, this is the kidnapped/murdered person. If there is a body, you should check to see if they have been eviscerated, exsanguinated or ostectemied. Most witches are amateurs in butchery and surgery, so expect a messy excision of the organic material they've taken (although I once met a witch who was an ex-surgeon, so this alone isn't a defining clue). If you don't have a body, and someone has been kidnapped, then whilst this may be a witch who has tried to cover her tracks, you should assume the worst, and prepare to face a coven. In either case, find out more about the victim, and where and when they were kidnapped or killed, as this should give you more information as to who could have taken them. If you're dealing with a kidnapping victim, then it's good to check the area of their disappearance for any clues of magic - things which are physically impossible - as some witches use their magic to hide their tracks. So, taking people from locked rooms; disappearing into the sky; vanishing in the middle of a crowd - anything which distorts or counters the known natural laws.
If you're called to a witch-hunt without a clear and obvious victim, you may be dealing with a pre-sacrifice witch. In this instance, look out for animal shelters that euthanize; hunting grounds; nursing homes for the elderly; large hospitals; veterinary surgeries & anywhere whereby the death of humans or animals is common, or expected. I once knew a witch that worked as a policewoman in a big city, who would take what she needed when she was first on a crime scene (that raised a few eyebrows). Also, question the surrounding area for reports of unusual sleep paralysis or home intruders, and investigate any clues of supernatural influence or effect.
Of course, keep in mind, sometimes a witch-hunt is a snipe-hunt. Some people are just weird, and they draw the attention of the paranoid and the jealous, so make sure you find clear and present evidence of witchcraft before you spend time and resources hunting down someone's delusion.
But, depending on the clues you find, you'll have your suspects, this will be either a coven of three witches, or an individual witch.
If you're facing an individual witch, you should determine whether this is a blood witch, a bone witch, or a skin witch. This is often self-evident from their victim, just find out what is missing, but it helps to determind how best to safely deal with them. When facing a coven, it's best to work with at least one other Hunter, so you can protect one another from a witch's sisters.
If you don't have a clear suspect, due to confusing clues, or this being a pre-sacrificial witch, then you should look for either newcomers to the area. Or, you should look out for any local pawn shops or libraries, as some witches are self-taught from books on witchcraft, or artefacts. I never faced her, but I heard a story about a witch who bought a cat from a shelter which had been a witch's familiar, and it taught her witchcraft. Note: Whilst pre-sacrificial witches should be captured, not killed, familiars have no such rights - kill familiars on sight.
But, no matter how this witch got her magic, the key thing to know is that if she has magic, she will use it - otherwise, it's not our problem - if she isn't using her magic, then she's not committed any crime. So, if you're struggling, you can either question as many people as possible to find out anything unusual. Or, if you get desperate, you can ask for the assistance of a mercenary magician (assuming you're not a magic user yourself), but I only suggest doing this if you have some clue that witchcraft is involved as hiring a mercenary magician is very expensive, unless you know a magic-user that owes you a favour.
Lastly, you need to focus on location - and when dealing with witchcraft, your only concern will be their witching-grounds. This is a secluded the place where witches perform their rituals, enhance their magics and learn their spells. Witches can perform their magic anywhere and anytime, so long as they have the required energy to do so, from their rituals and sacrifices. But, preparing spells takes time, and if they have kidnapped a victim rather than simply killed, then the torturous sacrifice of a victim also takes a lot of time and effort - and sometimes, specific tools for cutting and breaking. Some witches like to do this out in the woods, far from town, or in a similar outdoor, but secluded place; some take refuge in abandoned buildings; others might perform their magics within their own home, or in a shed or garage on their property (especially if they live alone, have a large, open property) & some witches, especially covens, will find a dedicated space that they own or rent, specifically for witchcraft. This space will not be in a densely populated area, as rituals may involve chanting, screaming and unusual emanations such as light, coloured smoke and energy. Although, I did hear the story of one man who performed witchcraft in his apartment (He was apprehended very quickly, when his neighbours called the fire department), so if you hear any police reports of unusual domestic disturbances or noise complaints, or hear gossip of strange lights coming from anyone's home, it's a good idea to investigate there as soon as possible.
Capture
The hardest part of hunting a witch is if you need to capture her alive. The cunning, craft and creativity of witches makes it much harder to catch them alive than to put them down. But, we've been doing this for literal centuries, and we've gotten it down to a science. So here's the best known way of capturing a witch alive. You Will Need:
"Snare" - Your snare is a trap designed to weaken your witch when she steps into it. In the old days, something as simple as an iron bear-trap was used, but these days, using either a magically-triggered sigil-trap, incapacitant gases activated by trip-wires or even flooding a room with smoke. I have heard about Hunters that use improvised explosives with iron nails, or even just run over witches with their car, to severely incapacitate her - whilst undoubtedly effective, I'd only suggest doing so as a last resort, unless facing a coven. I personally prefer a motorized-winch, to create a wire trip-snare; or, in an indoor space, I will use an improvised gas or smoke grenade.
"Shot" - Because of the reach of a witch's magic, it is imperative that a Hunter has a long-distance weapon on hand, so he can stay out of danger during this capture. Hunters once relied on bows or crossbows, and whilst handguns are more popular these days, these are still effective, especially when using iron-tipped, or enchanted arrows/bolts. A rifle can shoot from a further distance, but if you're capturing and not killing, you will have to approach the witch once she's been weakened so I find that a rifle is cumbersome and the extra distance unnecessary. That said, I use my shotgun as its the only gun I own, but its less effective at distance, so I rely heavily on my snare to weaken or confuse a witch before I approach.
"Silver" - the last step is the simplest, a chain or cage which can safely contain your witch. iron chains and chain-linked nets are still the standard for capturing witches. In fact, the art of casting a silver or iron chain to effectively bind a witch is a skill which has been passed down through the centuries, and was once the defining skill of a Hunter. This is called Silver because the traditional chain was pure silver, which made them shorter or thinner (due to the cost), which is why a witch needed to be further weakened before she could be bound by a silver chain. These days, silver chains for Hunting are either an alloy, or a silver-coated iron chain. Specially forged handcuffs can also serve this purpose, although they require more effort to bind your witch than a simple net. I have also heard of some Hunters that use an iron cage, but these are too expensive for the average Hunter, and difficult to move. As an old-fashioned man, I still prefercasting a chain to bind a witch, as it's still just as effective.
The method here is simple, you use your Snare to weaken your target; this is most effective if you can leech the energy or magic from your witch, even the simplest trap can be salted, silver-plated, or otherwise prepared with a magically-conductive material. But if this isn't possible, a trap which which causes pain, injury or confusion can also be useful at making your witch prone to capture. Then, whilst still outside the reach of her witchcraft's influence, you use your Shot to further weaken your target at a distance, if she is still fighting you. Lastly, you need to close the distance, and use your Silver to bind your witch, and incapacitate her witchcraft.
Some other equipment you might need to accomplish this includes protective Gloves, (avoid leather, when facing skin witches), to handle magically conducting materials; A Conductor of some type, a large object with exposed, magically-conductive materials to divert any cast magic (this can be dangerous, as magic is volatile); Armour, so long as it is not magically-conductive metal, or leather - I recommend kevlar, ceramic and plastic armours, with synthetic fabrics; your Weapon of Choice, if it's not a projectile weapon, I wouldn't recommend using it to Hunt your witch, but when facing a familiar, it is good to simply put the animal down; a Gag, to prevent a witch speaking magic words or enchantments & some kind of Magic, if you have it as there are counterspells which can render some witchcraft harmless, but ensure that you don't let that magic corrupt you.
Of course, when it comes to facing a coven, it's best to fight them one at a time, but if that's not possible, use whatever equipment or methods necessary to deal with them safely, and effectively. Once captured, witches must be taken to your nearest magic authority to be dealt with accordingly.
Kill
Witches are corrupted humans, and so the same ways of killing a man, will also kill one of these women. It was once believed that witches needed to be overwhelmed by a natural magic's namesake to slay her, which is why blood-witches were drowned, skin-witches were buried alive and bone-witches were once burned at the stake. However, this is a myth - these will kill most anyone, but if a witch's magic has been anulled then for the sake of your own sanity and humanity, it is preferable to use a quick or painless option. The only risk of a witch being resurrected is if she is a member of a coven you have failed to completely Hunt.
Decapitation is often the quickest and easiest way of killing a witch, or simply shooting her in the head, if you own a loaded gun. If this isn't possible, Exsanguination will kill her, like any other person, as will Poisoning, Immolation & Suffocation; but these are unnecessary and inhuman in most instances.
Once killed, the body can be disposed of by your nearest Hunting authority.
- - -
Final Notes
Witch-hunting is some of the most difficult work that any Hunter will do, and I hope that this helps keep you safe. But more than any other creature, even those other beasts that corrupt humanity into monstrosity, witchcraft is the eternal reminder that power - true power - corrupts. And that we can all fall victim to its allure. I've heard of children, mothers and even seen fellow Hunters that have fallen victim to the corruption of witchcraft. So, I beg of all of you, don't turn to evil to find strength; instead, rely on faith, family and friends when you feel weak... or, someone like me will have to Hunt you down.
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