glossary | nine witches, one body

[wrens]

NINE WITCHES, ONE BODY
( information )

There will be blood. Magic exists in the world of Nine Witches, One Body; in fact, it is the primary currency with which the most powerful and most influential work. Magic manifests in various ways and can be used to accomplish more or less anything the witch desires, so long as 1) they are versed in the right disciplines to get from point A to point B and 2) they have enough magical mojo to get there. Magic comes in two basic forms: RAW, UNTAPPED magic and FLUID magic. The difference here is fairly simple; magical potential exists in more or less everything around you, but liberating it and turning it into viable magical energy that can be used by you or me requires a little legwork. This is where rites and ritual come in, the 'traditional' trappings of magic and worship — these are things that are studied, learned and perfected over the years in order to be stronger and more efficient at wringing proverbial magical blood out of a quite literal stone. One magical energy has been tapped, it becomes usable by the witch in question either at the moment of conjuration, casting, or held in reserve (again, quite literally) in their body. This fluid magic can now be transfered, stolen, and re-appropriated by others much more easily and without any former training (it's as simple as stealing a nibble). This is where the act of CONSUMPTION OF POWER comes in and why it is so popular among witches — it is, effectively, a 'get-rich quick' scheme when it comes to acquiring power, as well as provides witches access to magical energy that otherwise they may not be able to access. NOTE: this glossary is nowhere near exhaustive nor is it limited to the random terms that i come up with in my head as i randomly try to do write-ups. if you would like to coin a phrase applied to something in this world, please feel free to do so by dropping a comment below! if anything seems unclear, feel free to also ask for clarification since i know things can sometimes get lost in translation. . . . THE TERMINOLOGY bloodhound an individual capable of "smelling" magic and following the evidence of an act of magical manipulation or manifestation back to its original source. because the methods of creating a bloodhound are considered questionable by some (a testament of how horrible the process truly is) and yield inconsistent results, very few cabals adopt them into common practice (and quite often, those that do do so in secret). a more specialized version of bloodhound is capable of sniffing out magical potential instead of magical action; these hounds are specifically used to find fresh blood for the cabals. butcher (see also: scalpel) an individual who harvests magic from bodies. butchers differ from scalpels in that butchers have no formal training, whereas scalpels (even black market ones) often do have either a background in medicine or in magic. conscript (conscription) a witch specifically trained in etymological magic, able to unbind the power of an individual's name from themselves and transfer that power to another person. when given a new name, the individual no longer has full control over their own fluid magic. although they may wield their magic normally, it can be manipulated/throttled by the witch that holds the caster's original name. all cabals that practice the forfeiture of name utilize the services of a conscript. although originating from cabal zendutos as a practice, the zendotus witches tend to shy away from this, instead focusing on the preservation of magic, rather than its manipulation. consumption (of power) the quite literal devouring of another witch in order to inherit a portion of their magical energy. most male biology has a strong natural version to consumption and will often-times reject attempts at transference. discipline (magical) the 'school' or dominon of magic that a given witch exercises power within. most cabals focus on a single discipline in order to maximize strength and transfer of knowledge and power. some disciplines are inherently 'multi-discipline' but all ultimately fall under the umbrella of the Big Five: Force (that which is felt, both material and immaterial), Prime (the magic of magic), Projection (divination, scrying and omniscience), Alchemy (rite, ritual and reagents), and Elemental/Nature (magic of the earth, both organic and inorganic). the following is a current list of magical disciplines in-verse (not comprehensive): animal/nature, biological (life), life, alchemy, voodoo, necromancy, totemic, runic, time, etymological, barrier, siphoning (prime), psychological, abolition (prime), summoning, entropy, prophesy, elemental, impetus (psychological), blood (life), force, transformational drone a male belonging to a magical bloodline, who is systematically bred within a cabal in the hopes of producing more potential queens (since drone is way classier sounding than 'breeder' okay). quite often the sons or brothers or fathers of queens, drones tend to have more power and influence within a cabal than all other males (even those with seniority). drones are among the few males in cabal society who are willingly given more than a modicum of power, if only in the hopes that it will result in an even stronger child. duke (see also: queen) a male witch who has risen to a position of officially recognized power within a cabal. these are an extreme rarity within the magical world and often times, acknowledging a duke within her cabal is enough to get some queens overthrown or deposed. when they do manifest, it is only within cabals with highly stable political structure and with enough international clout to withstand both criticism and plays for power/overthrow from other cabals. unlike ordinary male witches, dukes are allowed their own power and are, often, not asked to yield their name or bind their magic to another, higher ranking witch. in many cases they are the equivalent of minor queens, and though the language surrounding them is often times meant to outwardly lesson their station in comparison to others, from a logistical standpoint dukes often stand on equal footing with their peers behind closed doors. (note: as it stands, in-verse, there is only one duke — north blanchard in cabal halve maen. if you would like to make a duke, please run it by tussah beforehand to iron out political and historical contexts.) familiar (see also: golem, tether) the outward, physical manifestation of part of a witch's power. familiars are different from tethers in that the power apportioned to a familiar still belongs to the caster herself (tethers, on the other hand, are the subjugation of energy outside of the caster). although familiars are sentient and have their own individual temperaments, quite often they serve as a manifestation of some part of the witch's own personality however amplified, distorted or subdued. familiars allow witches to physically extend the circle of influence of their own power and because their power still belongs to the witch in question, familiars are unable to betray their masters (or else sign their own death warrants in the process). most familiars are unflinchingly loyal and subservient to their masters, while others (in particular belonging to those filled with self-loathing) despise and resent their forced connection. the power allotted to a familiar cannot be consumed by another witch. technically all witches have the ability to create a familiar, though some disciplines are decidedly better at this than others. golem (see also: familiar, tether) living beings created from inanimate material that exist independently from their witch, golems stand somewhere between familiars and tethers. created out of outside material makes them similar to tethers, while their life and energy is given from their witch, much like familiars. golems are notable for their independence and their ability to exist beyond the lifespan of their witch. the first and only golems to currently exist are the nine created by ysabeau tauzin, queen of the leveau cabal in new orleans. their creation via a method she is keeping close and secret lends to her reputation, and they are often looked upon with curiosity, envy or fear. princess/prince the daughter or son of a queen. depending on the structure of a cabal, a princess or prince will be afforded more respect/power/influence over other witches within the cabal. many princes ultimately become drones, while most princesses (the oldest ones) are groomed for the queenship starting at an early age. queen (see also: duke) a witch who has (whether by birthrite, usurpation, diligence or popular vote) been instated as the leader of her cabal. how absolutely she wields her power is dependent on the heirarchies of power within any given cabal. they are often the most powerful and/or influential witch within their cabal and are sometimes granted more power or special rites/totems/tethers when granted the queenship. some cabals work on a 'tribal' system, in which a main queen rules over a series of small sub-cabals or tribes, each with their own minor queen. although these lesser leaders are also known as 'queens', they still submit to the rule of the main queen. dukes are the male equivalent of a minor tribal queen. there are no kings. scalpel (see also: butcher) an individual who harvests magic from bodies. scalpels differ from butchers in that butchers have no formal training, whereas scalpels (even black market ones) often do have either a background in medicine or in magic. sink a magical nullspace. something of a rarity (and certainly an anathema in the magical world), a sink can be either a physically place or a person — the though later is even more rare. in the presence of a sink, all magic is rendered null and void or, on a occasion, with behave unpredictably (often backfiring on the caster). siphon a witch capable of leeching power from another witch without using rites or the traditional means of consumption. these witches quite often can only practice primal magic and, very often, do not grow to be very powerful in and of themselves, instead relying on the power around them provided by other witches to accomplish the things they wish to do. stick (or) stone a witch that shows a natural inclination towards the traditional disciplines of magic, even without tutelage or proper training. both terms are completely synonymous, though 'stick' has a negative connotation (the equivalent of calling somebody backwards, uneducated or a yokel), while 'stone' has a positive connotation (often used in praise or exultation of a witch's natural abilities). sticks and stones are extremely adept at turning raw, untapped magical power into fluid magic; those that receive formal training have the potential to surpass even the most powerful consumption-fueled witch. quite often, sticks and stones are multi-disciplinary and do no participate in the act of consumption, given how readily available raw magic is to them compared to other witches. they are considered a highly valuable commodity — diamonds in the rough. their abilities are so innate that very young sticks and stones sometimes utilize magic without their conscious knowledge. summoner a witch who specializes in creating, keeping, and controlling tethers. oftentimes, a summoner can only form/call upon tethers that fall within their specific magical discipline. however, there are cabals (like cabal barasu in the carpathian mountains) that specialize in summoning itself, meaning that they are not bound by a single tether 'type' (whether it be elemental, spiritual or animal). summoners that specialize in the act of summoning, rather than dabble in it as part of a broader repertoire, are generally able to control (both magically and mentally/emotionally) their tethers to a much higher degree of success than other witches. tether (see also: familiar, golem) the forced physical manifestation of magical power, brought under a witch's control. tethers are different from familiars in that the power apportioned to a familiar does not technically belong to the caster; instead it exists separate from her and often has its own agenda and motivations (familiars, on the other hand, are the outward expression of magical energy from within a witch). tethers tend to take on the personality of whatever the magical energy was drawn from in the first place — so an elemental tether may have a 'fiery' personality (badumching) whereas an animal tether will have much more of a 'beastly' personality (somebody stop me). because tethers are not part of a witch's reservoir of magic, the wrangling one means a decided increase in power, but at the threat of betrayal. many tethers do not take kindly to being chained to a witch for any given amount of time and often prove to be willful and subordinate if not controlled by the witch properly. tethers tend to be more powerful than familiars in a basic side-by-side comparison. tethers, unlike familiars, can be stolen and their power re-appropriated. not all witches can create tethers and only the more powerful witches of the appropriate disciplines can hold onto tethers long enough to make them properly loyal. touched an individual who is the subject of an on-going spell cast by an outside source. the most readily recognizable example of this is a person who has been 'cursed', though not all spells are inherently negative. the person who has been 'touched' has no means of controlling the symptoms of whatever spell they are subject to; it is effectively passive and oftentimes cannot be undone without the permission or intervention of the witch who 'touched' them in the first place. well an individual (male or female) who is biologically predisposed to increased levels of magical output when dealing with the transference of fluid magic. wells come in two different flavors: reservoirs and conduits. reservoirs are just that: individuals who are tasked with 'holding' magic in reserve for either a cabal or a specific witch. when the time comes that said power is wanted or needed, the reservoir is then forced to yield to the act of consumption (which often takes a very serious physical and emotional toll on the well in the process). conduits, on the other hand, are not asked to hold onto magic for very long. in fact, they are often only used to channel magic through in the hopes of amplifying the results of a given spell (quite literally conducting the magic from the witch to its endgoal). quite often, wells cannot access the fluid magic held within their bodies for their own use. this renders most wells quite helpless and at the mercy of the witches around them. most wells are female. a male well is extremely rare given the fact that most males cannot physically tolerate the consumption of power in the first place; many die in the process. those male wells that do exist are often made conduits instead.