Character NameMarie Elizabeth Heartford
AliasWhite Witch
Speech ColorAs Marie
As White Witch
Character AlignmentWalking the Line
IdentitySecret
Character PersonalityMarie is a typical, unassuming millennial who, like most her age, follows an ever shifting moral compass. A long-time fan of the occult and current practitioner of Traditional Witchcraft (Trad Craft for short), Marie’s outlook on life is that it should be experienced in whatever manner one so chooses. Of course, being a millennial, Marie tends to side with more liberal ideologies, believing heavily in all manner of civil rights and liberties (including those that affect the supernatural/superpowered communities). She does, however, possess a few quirks and caveats that make her slightly more complex than the average civilian. Despite her outlook on life, Marie is quite the introvert, often finding more pleasure in reading and remaining in solitude than going out for a night on the town. Her looks betray her awkwardness, for while her beauty and sense of style are apparent, she lacks conversational skills and tends to stumble over her words. Whatever social difficulties she may have, Marie is quite the skilled problem solver, able to calmly approach any nonsocial situation. Being a practitioner of Trad Craft, Marie has no problem in exacting vengeance when she believes it to be necessary and always has a curse in her back pocket. However, so too does she believe in using power to protect those in need and is more benevolent than she lets on.
Uniform/costumeWhite Witch fully embraces the Elizabethan stereotype of the witch, adorning a large, wide-brimmed conical hat made of black leather, as well as a flowing, low-cut, white dress and black corset. She is draped in a large, black, feathered cloak that completely covers her body when brought forward, and wears black leather boots with a pointed toe and raised heel. To cover her face, she wears a porcelain mask that resembles a raven’s head. She also carries a large, hand-crafted broomstick that, with the aid of a magical ointment created from various herbs, reagents, and blessed by moonlight, allows her temporary flight for days/weeks, depending on usage.
When not in costume, Marie dawns quite trendy, often over-sized, clothing ranging from pastels and greyscale. She has long, dark hair and soft, pale, rounded features.
Origin Info/DetailsAs a little girl, Marie had a powerful fascination with all things magical. She adored bedtime stories, fantasy worlds filled with wizards and witches, outrageous fairytales and the like, so much so that she would wander the wooded areas near her family home in New England and sing enchantments of her own design or talk to the trees and the flowers, hoping and praying that one day they might respond. It was during one of these outings that she encountered something that frightened her, something straight from a fairytale, or perhaps a nightmare. Within the sparse foliage stood a tall figure, chest tanned and exposed, legs covered in dark garments with hooves erupting from their bottoms, and a head like goat’s with a candle balanced above its brow. Marie ran, fearing the strange creature, but her curiosity saw her return to the same clearing each day, and each day she was greeted by the same image.
Eventually, she grew brave and began wandering closer to the goat-headed man, each new journey into the forest taking her a few steps nearer, until finally they were close enough to touch. Though the man looked outlandish, it was clear that he meant Marie no harm. She grew more comfortable with his presence and after some time began to see him as a friend. Marie would bring him the occasional gift, a wreath of flowers, a drawing, pastries and sweets, and though he did not speak, he seemed to emanate something that felt like joy or gratitude. This friendship grew, and Marie began to divulge her deepest desires and fears, relating tales of her mundane adventures to him as if he were a diary.
After some time, Marie gathered up the courage to ask the man’s name, and finally, he spoke, or rather, she heard a voice, a deep, echoing voice within her mind that seemed to answer her questions. The being told Marie that his name was Bucca, but he was known by many other names across the world. He told her that he appreciated her company and gifts, and that it was time for him to bestow her with a gift. Bucca raised his arm, extended his finger, and touched Marie’s forehead. For a moment, she felt a slight pain, like a burn, but it was over in an instant. He then removed a large, leather-bound tome from his waist and handed it to her. It was covered in many strange symbols and words that she couldn’t recognize. He told her that with this, she could make all of her dreams come true, she could have whatever she wanted, but she must keep this book a secret from others, lest they think differently of her. Overjoyed, she hugged Bucca and ran back home to read through the strange book.
Within were several charms, enchantments and recipes that could bring wealth, luck, misfortune, bring rain, calm a storm, bind a wind, etc. Marie immediately began performing all the little spells that she could, making her life as magical as possible with what few resources she had. She returned to the forest to speak with Bucca, but for the first time, he wasn’t there. Subsequent trips to the woods would prove uneventful, and Marie never again saw Bucca in person, though sometimes, she believed she heard his voice in dreams.
Now a young adult with a plethora of experiences with magic, Marie realizes that she had encountered a being known to witches worldwide, the “witches god” so to speak, known to religious folk as the Devil. For whatever reason, he had chosen to bestow her with the witch fire, a special connection to the Otherside only gifted to certain practitioners that greatly enhances their magical talents. White Witch formed from necessity. After Marie saw the state of the world, the damages that other powerful individuals had caused, she decided to follow in the footsteps of those that came before her, to become a modern Cunning Woman more powerful than her predecessors. She crafted her costume, moved to Lost Haven, where the strange activity seemed to be the heaviest, and began her career as White Witch whilst managing an occult shop within the city as Marie.
Hero TypeMystic
Power LevelCity Level (Her powers make her more effective at Street Level, but she certainly has City Level potential.)
PowersMarie’s powers follow a modern occult concept known as the Thirteen Artes of the Witch:
- Hexing: The ability to influence one’s luck through magical means (varying degrees can be achieved through complex rituals, simple spells, incantations, and occasionally by glances or the “evil-eye”).
- Divination: Using random events in one’s surroundings, reflective surfaces, and other divinatory means such as tarot, runes, etc., to discern hidden/useful information.
- Conjuration: 1) The ability to conjure certain powers, emotions, or attributes such as love, luck, wealth, etc., via magical means. 2) The power to move items/objects magically if there original position is known (ex: conjuring a cup of tea from the next room over because I forgot it on the counter).
- Evocation: Summoning and working with supernatural forces such as spirits; occasionally employing these forces to do one’s bidding.
- Invocation: The ability of the witch to awaken/channel certain gifts (most often meaning conjuring of flames, certain telekinetic abilities, and minor versions of the other Artes that are more “battle” oriented).
- Abjuration: Impeding the movement/protecting against supernatural and magical forces by way of magical and spiritual wards.
- Glamoury: The ability to alter something’s image, as well as perceptions about said image (ex: charming an item to appear like something else and influencing an onlookers’ perception of said item such that when they touch it or are near it, feel, hear, smell, etc. the illusory item instead).
- Compulsion: The ability to influence/interfere with thoughts, memories, and emotions. (Spells that fall under compulsion aren’t all that effective against strong willed individuals)
- Enchantment: The ability to transfer power into an object in order to give it some magical task or potential (Blessing or cursing an object).
- True Sight: The ability to see and interact with the spiritual/invisible world; the ability to sense magical or supernatural forces, beings, etc.
- Healing: The ability to manipulate a biological system’s natural processes in order to more effectively heal injuries, stave off infection and disease, etc.
- Weatherworking: The ability to influence the weather, create/calm rain and storms, bring forth winds, etc.
- Faring Forth: The ability to unfetter one’s spirit from their physical form and travel into spiritual planes/as a spirit for limited durations.
(Note: These are not 13 innate abilities, just categories under which a certain spell or power will fall.)
AttributesStrength: Normal Human (May very under the effects of magic)
Speed/Reaction Time: Normal Human (Speed increased to around 20-40 MPH during flight)
Endurance: Normal Human, 2 Hours
Agility: Normal Human
Intelligence: Average/Above Average
Fighting Skill: Untrained
Resources: Average-Large (Managing occult shop = discount)
WeaknessesMarie’s magic is slightly stunted in that, while it is more powerful than most mundane practitioners’, most of it (aside from certain conjurations and invocations) requires some physical aspect such as a talisman, charm, crystal, herb, potion, etc., or a spoken incantation which can sometimes be an inconvenience. She is also physically weak given that she is human and untrained in combat.
Supporting CharactersBucca: The being responsible for Marie’s powers and the patron of all Traditional Witches. Though he is known to bestow powers/favors, he rarely interferes with the lives of his followers or gives them additional aid without being asked. Marie sometimes sees him in dreams/visions and journals any instance in which she hears his voice.
Madalena Hawthorne: A beautiful New Age spiritual, Madlena is Marie’s friend and employer. Owner of the “Shadow of the Moon” occult and curiosities shop in Lost Haven, she has suspicions about the White Witch’s true identity.
Joseph Mathers: A fellow witch gifted by Bucca whom Marie has met on occasion. He has a tempting personality and an air of mystery about him.
Do you know how to post pictures on RPG boards?:Yaassss
Sample PostThe crisp, wintry air that blew through the open doors of the shop carried with it the smell of the city, a familiar dankness mixed with car exhaust and the leftovers from the Chinese restaurant down the street. Inside the small corner store, bottles, books, and hanging trinkets of many strange denominations lay out in the open among other metaphysical clutter, threatening to move from their rightful places, but never budging an inch. Behind the rough, wooden counter that stood at the far right end of the shop were two women, one dressed in wild colors, dawning a transparent shawl patterned with stars and crescent moons, whose hair was a mess of silver knots tied back wildly and fair of skin. The other had jet-black hair that fell lazily over her face, a smooth, rounded, shapely visage, and wore a dark dress, draped with a bright silver scarf and short leather jacket.
“Marie?” the light haired woman called to the other while carrying a pile of books from the storeroom into the shop, placing them haphazardly and picking whatever had fallen from the shelves as a result of her negligence.
“Yeah?” the other responded while cutting open a box of taper candles and placing them in a small display container on the countertop.
“I’m thinking about going to that club a few blocks over . . . The Hub I think. Anyway, wanna finally break out of that prison cell you call an apartment and go with me?”
Marie looked up with a sigh. “First of all, that was the only thing I could find in my price range, and you’re not one to talk Miss Madalena “I live my conservative cousins in a two bedroom townhouse” Hawthorne. That’s more of a prison sentence than a studio apartment.”
Madalena gave her a look of playful disdain and replied sarcastically, “Wow, restocking gets you pretty heated doesn’t it?” She smiled as Marie rolled her eyes.
“Second,” Marie continued, “you know how I feel about crowds. I’m just not good at the whole have fun, be social thing.”
“You don’t seem to have a problem with crowds when you’re out saving Lost Haven as the White Wi-”
“Will you stop with that?” Marie interrupted, “I’m not the White Witch. Believe me, if I had an ounce of her power I wouldn’t be working in a place like this.”
Madalena raised both hands in defense, “Alright, I give up,” she smiled playfully. “Will you bring those pricing tags over here?”
Marie nodded and went into the office in the back of the store to search for the box of pricing tags. Soon after she left, a tall man in a dark cap and trenchcoat entered the store, his hands concealed within his pockets.
Madalena turned and politely said, “Oh I’m sorry, we were just closing for the night. If you want to look around you can come back tomorrow at noon.”
The man ignored her and proceeded to walk around the shop, moving closer to the counter. Again, Madalena protested, “I’m sorry sir but we’re closed. I’m gonna have to ask you to le-,” Madalena was interrupted by a quick blow to the stomach. She doubled over and began gasping for air while the strange man, having quickly brought his hand back into his coat, continued his path to the counter. Hearing the commotion, Marie came quickly from the office to greet the stranger, now wielding a gun in his left hand and taking money from the register with his right. He gave her a threatening look as if meaning to shoot. With a violent wave of her right arm, the thief was sent soaring into the wall near the counter, his gun falling to his feet as he flew.
No sooner than the first fallen, a second assailant entered the shop with his weapon already drawn. He shot once at the office window behind the counter, smashing it. Before he could fire a second shot, Marie outstretched her arms and with a nervous flourish of her hands, charmed the assailant's weapon. His second shot backfired, leaving him momentarily blinded from the flash. Marie again whipped her arm violently, the second thief sent flying into the store window, cracking it in the process. With both men down and seemingly unconscious, Marie ran to Madalena’s side, helping her up with one arm while phoning the police with her other.
“I’m alright,” Madalena protested, removing Marie’s arm from around her and using a table to support herself. After a moment, she turned to Marie and, with a devilish smile said, “I fucking knew it!”
