canaryrose

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

@Red X

Good question! The nearest settlement to the property is a small town named Bluebrook. When I say small, I mean small. There only about 2,000 people living there, tops. It's a town that's recently fallen on hard times, and, like many rural areas, is steadily losing its population. Some people (police being one of them) are aware of the coven's existence, yes. However, they don't know much about it. And the witches would rather not tell them about it. The people of Bluebrook think that the witches are just some strange, cult-y religion, and would rather stay out of their business. Religious leaders have definitely tried to send missionaries up the mountain, but they have been repeatedly dissuaded.

Take To The Skies!

_{Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window
Dreamin' of what could be
And if I'd end up happy
I would pray}

Name
Dakota Charity Lawson
_{Dakota often uses the nickname "Kota" but is fine with either her full or abbreviated names.}

Gender
Female
_{And proud.}

Age
17
_{She certainly doesn't act her age, though.}

Birthday
7/24
_{Same as her idol, Amelia Earhart.}

Sexuality
Unsure

_{Trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I pray
I could breakaway}

Appearance
Kota, upon first glance, is easily approachable. Her skin is fair but quite healthy, and her hair, a soft, light brown in color, is often left unkempt and tangly, normally at shoulder-length. She has curious, deer-like cocoa eyes framed with short, brown lashes. Kota's face shape is a rugged oval and her nose is buttony. She has a multitude of scars across her figure, from falls and scrapes, most of which she couldn't remember, though she does have one big one on her right elbow from falling down an actual cliff (she has a fun story for that one). She isn't toned, per se, but her build is quite athletic, moreso than your average teen for sure.

When not wearing any sort of witch robes, Kota prefers clothes that are airy and comfortable. She gravitates naturally towards lighter tones, sky and pastel blues, and her preferred attire would just be a t-shirt and sweats, though she does have other clothes in her wardrobe that she likes. She greatly prefers sneakers and is very wobbly on heels. She has a fairly discreet nose piercing.
_{Height: 5'4"
Weight: 128 lbs}

Personality
Kota is carefree by nature, a girl that enjoys going wherever that wind will take her. She's very flighty and whimsical, with a short attention span and a difficulty in finding a genuine center in life. Kota, instead of being bogged down in responsibilities, enjoys having fun and is a natural thrill-seeker. She loves the feeling of adrenaline coursing through her veins and is overall a very zealously mirthful girl. She's a fast-talker and intensely high-spirited, and she enjoys bringing others along for the ride with her. She has a disdain for authority, preferring to operate by her own rules, and she doesn't like being dragged down by others that want to put a limit on her. Kota simply enjoys being free and unrestrained, and she lives her whole life like that. Her mantra is "you only live once," and she intends on making this life her best one.

Kota is quite an airhead, and is notoriously very forgetful and absent-minded. She’s rather klutzy and has a habit of getting herself into very sticky situations. That being said, though, Kota is also rather clever and is surprisingly wily and resourceful. She is very apt at using her surroundings and resources to her advantage and is a quick thinker.

By nature, Kota is an extrovert, and those who know her know that she is a very caring, loving and nurturing person. However, she doesn’t always come off this way. She’s a passionate tease (though she doesn’t always reciprocate the jokes well) and can often seem a bit mean. At heart, though, she doesn’t intend to cause any acrimony. She values her friendships a lot and would do a lot to keep them intact.

Kota, at her core, may be very carefree, but on the rare occasion she finds a concept or an ideal that she finds attractive, she can latch onto it very strongly and become very loyal to that idea. This (hopefully, at any rate) is what she sees in the Coven- an opportunity to grow her abilities and use them to protect the material world. Hopefully, she can also have a blast while doing it.

_{I'll spread my wings, and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway}

Biography
Kota’s family history is rooted in the Americas. From her father’s side, she gets a fraction of Cherokee ancestry, and on her maternal side she’s been related to Charity Johnson, a female aviator and member of the Ninety-Nines, an organization by Amelia Earhart that was founded to help recruit female aviators. True to this ancestry, Kota has always enjoyed the feeling of flight, the ability to be midair and feel the wind flowing through her hair. The union between the two families, though, was not quite as solid. A drunken one-night stand led to a very unhappy, failing marriage, and eventually Kota’s mom left Kota’s life, moving away to try and start anew, and leaving her father to raise the young girl of 3.

Kota’s paternal grandmother was the one that first became associated with the Sisters of the Dying Branch, and that innate magical gift has been passed down to the young witchling. Kota’s life was a relatively normal one. She went to normal school, struggling through regular classes like the average teen girl, and she played a few sports, though her heart lied beyond that. At night, away from prying eyes, Kota’s father taught her the art of magic, something which fascinated Kota. She grew versed in several different branches of magic, but her strongest and most passionate field of study by far was the sacred power of flight. Night after night, Kota went out to learn how to fly. She found that while she could get a few feet off the ground and zip around a little on her own, it was much more effective (and much less taxing) to utilize some type of enchanted vehicle. The most witch-like choice was the broomstick, but she found that her family didn’t have any that were any good. She tried using a Swiffer a few times but found that it didn’t really work well either. It was a fateful birthday when she found Blue Jay- a cool snowboard. The snowboard was supposed to be for a vacation trip, but it instead became Kota’s go-to flying apparatus. She got pretty good at flight too, though flying has ended up with her in a few awkward situations, to say the least.

Now at an older age and with a good deal of magical experience, Kota has prepared to join the Coven. She finds the Coven quite fascinating and wishes to carry on a legacy of using magic to do good in the world and make a change. Though her blithe, airy nature often clashes with Coven authorities, Kota is wise enough to follow the rules enough to keep her in the organization, knowing that this Coven is definitely something she wants to be a part of.

Notable Rumors
That Kota once huffed paint as a dare during 9th grade art.
_{She did not.}

Greatest Fear
Claustrophobia
_{Kota’s worst fear for sure is being locked in a small space. Kota thrives on the outdoors and the feeling of being adrift in the air, liberated, so the idea being confined in a small area terrifies her.}

Magic
Kota, overall, is a talented witch that has a firm grasp of magical abilities as a whole, though she has a great deal of talent in some areas and a great lack of talent in others.

Strong Suit: Flight
Kota is a prodigal pilot and is a highly capable and highly comfortable being midair. Years of dedicated practice has given her the ability to maintain airtime for extended periods of time using her trusty snowboard Blue Jay. She can soar midair for a good period of time with her “airboard” and has boasted that she can fly with any item (not true, but she’ll try). She can also fly without an apparatus, but this is very draining and dangerous, so when without her board, she tends to just focus on levitation a few feet above the ground, which she often does just to brag. While midair, Kota has a wide abundance of tricks and talents that she can do and will often show-off with. Kota has to take great caution, though, of her remaining magic in the tank, as running out of magic mid-air can be very costly for her.

Blue Jay

Replace the dragon decal with a bird decal. The board is wrapped in a few spots with tape.

Strong Suit: Wind Magic
Kota’s other area of familiarity is with Wind Magic. Kota is talented in creating strong gusts of wind with her magical abilities. Normally, this field is generally reserved for passing the salt shaker across the table and softening some of Kota’s often-rough landings, but greater studies can hopefully yield stronger results.

Neutral: Healing Magic
While not a strong suit, Kota is capable of performing some basic healing magics to quickly seal up small wounds and do basic first aid, but is not well-versed in the area by any means.

Weak Suit: Potions
To Kota, potions is basically “magic chemistry.” She got a D+ in chemistry, and those feelings apply to potions.

Weak Suit: Other Elemental Magic
She tried using fire once. It ended very badly. She hasn’t tried since.

Other
Pet: Some witches take pride in their familiars, and Kota is no exception, though her familiar is a bit...unique. While others boast cats, perhaps dogs, and the sort, Kota’s familiar is a domesticated ferret named Astro that is the only creature on Planet Earth that is more playful than Kota. Astro’s favorite game is “how far can I get with Kota’s wallet” and his favorite food are other people’s fingers.

Astro

Color: Kota’s color is Sky Blue #87ceeb (She doesn’t know this, of course)

Theme Song: “Breakaway” - Kelly Clarkson

_{Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget all the ones that I love
I'll take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway}

@Hitman

How adorable! If you're done, go ahead and pop her over. I love how you worked with the theme I made. You really took the whole 'typical teenager' aesthetic and ran with it.

Arken Stone

Nicknames/Aliases: Ark, Ken, Kenny

Age: 17 Birthday is June 18

Gender/Pronouns/Sexuality: Male/He Him/Heterosexual
Primary: Terramancy

Secondaries Runes, Divination

Description: Standing at 5 Feet 10 Inches, Arken is of average height but he has an athletic build. During his free time, Arken enjoys outdoors activities, contributing to his physique. He cares about his hair way too much, constantly fussing with it even if it is in pristine condition. His wardrobe consists of typical teenage clothing. Band/graphic tees, fitted jeans, vans or other sneakers. Occasionally, he would pair some accessories. Accessories include, but not limited to, small stud earrings, sunglasses, a watch, a pinky ring with his family sigil etched on it.

Personality:Generally outgoing, mostly upbeat. Fiercely loyal to those he considers his friends. Would rather shy away from action but will not hesitate to act if he sees harm coming his friend's way. He typically uses his magic for constructive purposes, as he believes that earth was meant to be used to build something meaningful.

Skills: Expert builder, can create spectacular structures. Combined with his secondaries, he makes for an excellent companion to go on adventures with.

Weaknesses/Fears: Far too docile, despite being a manipulator of rock and stone. Arken is terrified of heights. He believes things like flying are unnatural. He also fears/dislikes fire as it main purpose is to destroy


Brief History: The Stones have long been know and commissioned as stone masons. Their history tracks back to antiquity. Some of the world's most well known structures has had the 'Stone Touch'. Their fortunes were amassed that way. The last 5 generations had settled in the American West, in the Rocky Mountains where there is an abundance material for them to work and play with. Their family, however, traces their ancestry back to the cradle of Civilization itself, thus explaining the odd name for an American.

When the Gold Rush ended, his family had to start moving Eastward, as commerce started to develop on the coasts. Finally settling down in pre-Great Depression New York, his family enjoyed a time of great fortune and prosperity. His forefathers were hired as builder and architects, having built some magnificent buildings. Some questions were quietly muttered about how efficient they seem to be with building and taming of the unruly rudimentary building material available at the time.

During the Great Depression, the fortune amassed previously slowly dried up. There were no building projects to be taken, and thus members of his family sat jobless for an extended period of time. They were able to scrape by, and adopt a more simple way of life.

Somewhere in the 1950s, a female member of his family discovered a group of 'like minded' people. The Sister of the Dying Branch, to be exact. They took her in, saw her as one of their own instead of the stereotypical 'hippie' or 'Beatnik". Throughout the years since, the Stone family has stayed in contact with the coven, being a supporter of theirs however they can.

Fast forward several decades. Arken was born to a long line of Earth magicians, after a long period of magic being dormant within his bloodline. Living as a part of the typical upper middle class, Arken grew up like any other teenage boy, attending school and the like. He mostly kept to himself during school hours. His affinity to earth led him to be a very outdoors-y person, preferring to spend time walking along in the woods rather than partaking in typical teenage activities. This has gotten him labeled as a 'weirdo' or as an outcast in general.

Arken does not mind. His parents were able to education him on his family history and he is very proud to be the one to carry on the torch.

Notable Rumors: It has been said that Arken and his family are drug dealers. In truth, it is just remaining old money that his family has stashed away. It has also been said that Arken is a part of a cult. While not untrue, Arken does not label the coven as a cult. They're as much his family as his parents.
Other:

Color Code BFA658. He has a dog at home. He spends a lot of time outdoors. He can be seen hiking, foraging or taking nature photography in his free time.

@Infinite Cosmos

Not sure if you're done or not, but I have literally the smallest nitpick: you didn't include birthday in its own section. Otherwise, it's great how you took the lore and ran with it.

The Sisters of the Dying Branch - A Witch Coven RP

Hope you don't mind if I show interest too :))
this looks nice

@addamas

Of course I don't mind! You're welcome to check it out.

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

Calypso Barnes

Name:
Calypso Louise Barnes
_{She uses a multitude of nicknames: Cal, Callie, etc. Anything other than Calypso.}

Gender / Preferred Pronouns:
Female; she/her

Age:
18

Birthday:
August 13th

Sexuality:
Pansexual

Appearance:
Cal appears, at first glance, to be an open and inviting soul. She greets those around her with an open-lipped, wide smile, showing off her straight, pearly white teeth. She has large, pillowy lips and a gap-toothed smile. Her parents tried to put braces on her, but she refused to wear her retainer once she got them off. Her skin is a light brown color- she's mixed. Her face is miraculously clear, but whether or not that's a result of magic is unclear. She has a Nubian nose that's slightly up-turned at the tip, and her deep brown-colored eyes are an almond shape. Her thick, kinky, nearly black hair grows out instead of up and is ridiculously difficult to tame- something that irritates her to no end. Most of the time, she lets it sit in its natural state. She's tried to straighten it before (both with and without magic) but found that it looked cute the way it was. The most she might do is accessorize with a flowery headband once in a while.

Calypso most often will wear flowing blouses over a well-fitted pair of boot-cut jeans. Her choice of shoes usually depends on what she's doing that day. If she's just relaxing, she'll go barefoot or wear flip-flops. If doing anything remotely athletic, she'll wear sneakers. But, if she could, she'd prefer to wear high-heeled boots. However, those are usually saved for special occasions. She often wears various charms and bags of herbs around her neck and wrists, but what these actually do is up to anyone's guess.

_{5'6" || 163 lbs}

Personality:
Effusive and warm, Calypso radiates good vibes. There's always a genuine smile on her face, and she makes it her personal goal to share that warmth with everyone else. Her kindness can be almost motherly at times. And more than a little smothering. If she feels that a friend of hers is sad and needs her comfort, she makes herself available to them, and will even force herself upon them. This is often construed as one of her more annoying habits. She's a natural meddler, and finds it difficult not to do something if she feels that it's needed. Despite this kind, smothering streak, Calypso is genuinely spunky. She has a great sense of humor around her friends. Rather than bringing the group down, she tends to bring them up- she's peppy and overly optimistic most of time. She refuses to let much get her down.

Despite her spunkiness, Calypso is actually a conforming girl. She has her rebellious streaks, sure- the occasional dying of hair, or maybe wearing a crop top once in a blue moon. But at heart her true desire is to follow the rules. She earnestly believes whatever those in authority tell her, no matter how truly messed up it might be. She carries out orders without much of a second though. Going hand in hand with this, she's loyal. Cal tends not to devote herself to something and turn her back to it. However, with her, this often turns into blind loyalty.

Biography:
If someone saw fit to go up Calypso's maternal family tree, they'd find almost nothing but witches. The Barnes family, while not an old, prestigious witch family, is filled almost entirely with them. Calypso's great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and mother are almost all witches- something that she shares with them. She is a knot in a knot-filled rope stretching back generations. As such, she takes pride in her witchery. It's something she shares with her family, an ancient tradition to keep and spread to her own children. However, if one were to go up her paternal line, they'd find nothing. Emptiness. Calypso has a father, yes, but she does not know who she is. All she knows is that he's not a member of the coven, not a witch, and not in her life. She desperately wants to know his identity, but knows that that is practically impossible.

Calypso was raised in Washington D.C by her mother- about an hour out from the coven. Growing up, she enjoyed the hustle and bustle of city life. She loved the city and everything that it entailed- going to school with all her friends, getting street food, the noises- everything. She was a normal kid among the hustle and bustle, not just a witch. Her mother was a witch closely involved with the coven. They attended meetings at least once a month. As a child, Cal recalls hating the hour-long drive up there with a passion. The mountains were boring to look at, and there was nothing going on outside of the car. But the coven was a different story. Even as a young child, she adored learning magic. The coven elders were kind to her and her mother, and so were all the other witches. Getting to know the other young witchlings was great, too- even if they had little in common besides for the practice of magic.

Now an 18-year-old girl, Cal is preparing for her own initiation into the coven. She awaits it with excitement. She loves the coven and everything it stands for, so what could be better than being a part of it?

Notable Rumors:

She once snitched on a fellow witchling, who promptly disappeared without a trace.

Her father is a rogue witch.

Greatest Fear:
Hemophobia
_{Calypso is physically repulsed by the sight of blood. Just seeing it makes her dizzy and nauseous.}

Magic:
Calypso is often described by coven elders as a promising young witch- one who is sure to excel in the coven, and maybe even rise to a position of authority. Despite this, she still has her strengths and weaknesses.

Strong Suit: Divination
Although a skill set often derided as useless by a lot of witches, Calypso has found a lot of success in divination magic. It's one of her favorites purely for the smile it puts on others' faces. And, admittedly, the earning potential it has. During her high school days, she used to sell readings for a little extra cash. She got banned from the library after she cut herself for a little extra magic energy and from then on they took place under the bleachers. Her readings are scarily accurate most of the time. She uses a lot of methods for her divination- tarot being her favorite, but she can also read tea leaves, do palm readings, and read star charts. She also finds that divination is a relatively non-draining magic, which she enjoys. The most it ever requires from her is a bit of blood or the hunger equivalent of a granola bar. She has quite a few tarot decks that she likes to use.

Strong Suit: Combat Magic
While this may come as a surprise to many due to her peppy, kind nature, Calypso is skilled in combat magic. This includes things such as freezing a target in their tracks, drawing blood with a swish of her finger, and even breaking bones. She doesn't get the chance to practice this much, though, so she remains only moderately skilled in it. The most she's ever practiced with it was at a couple coven meetings, in which she and a few other kids attempted to do a practice battle. It always ended very badly. This is where most of her 'emergency room' type stories come from.

Neutral Suit: Potions
This is a skill that Calypso's mother pushed on her. She doesn't love it, but she's spent many a day stuck in a smelly kitchen over a pot of herbs. She knows quite a few basic recipes, but doesn't do much experimenting. Just ones for healing and such.

Weak Suit: Healing Magic
This involves blood. She tried it once and threw up all over the person. Never again.

Weak Suit: Earth Magic
She finds this incredibly boring.

Other:
Calypso owns an obnoxiously yellow Jeep that is covered in flower decals.

Color Code:
#e9dd25

Calypso's Relations

---

---

Calypso Barnes

---

---

⟢ 🎆Respects ⟡ 🌓Neutral ⟡ 👋Acquaintance ⟡ 🙇It's Complicated ⟣
⟢ 💛Friend ⟡ 💙Good Friends ⟡ 💜Best Friends ⟡ ❣️Ex-Friends ⟡ 😈Frienemy ⟣
⟢ 💘Infatuation ⟡ 💓Loves ⟡ 💗Couple ⟡ 💕Basically Family ⟡ 💞Family ⟡ 💔Ex-Lovers ⟣
⟢ ♨️Tense ⟡ 💀Dislikes ⟡ 😡Hates ⟡ 👿Enemy ⟡ 👹Absolutely Loathes ⟣

---

---

💙 Dakota Lawson 💙
"Dakota's the best! Y'know, we don't actually see each other too often, which is a shame, but we have a very active group chat going. And by group chat, I just mean like 8 other girls from the coven, Dakota, and me, but Dakota and I do all the talking. I think that might be why everyone else left, actually? Anyways, she's kinda wild sometimes, but I love her to bits."
Calypso is pretty much everyone's friend but, these days, Dakota and her are practically inseparable at coven functions. They're good friends, and balance each other out pretty well while also managing not to be at each other's throats all the time. Dakota's nice and only manageably reckless, which is really all that Calypso wants out of a friend.

---

💛 Maggie Wilson 💛
"I miss her. We had so much fun when we were kids, but she's so shy now so I guess we just... stopped talking as much. I don't know. She- she's still nice of course! And my friend. I'm gonna try to be a better friend this summer, though! Better brush up on my knowledge of fantasy novels..."
Calypso remembers being great friends with Maggie as kids, but, over time, it eroded. They're still friends now, of course, just not as close. Calypso wishes they could be closer, though. She remembers Maggie being really fun when they were children, if having some rather unfortunate anger issues. She still hangs out with Maggie when she's around, though- she's a nice person to hang out with and be quiet.

---

👋 Charlie Hamlyn 👋
"He's... British, right? How did he end up in rural Virginia? Also, what the hell is a Watford FC?"
Since he only moved to America a little while ago, Calypso doesn't know Charlie too well yet. She knows that Dakota doesn't like him for whatever reason, but he seems alright, she thinks. Even if he can come across as condescending some of the time. Well, a lot of the time.

---

👋 Iris Aderast 👋
"Iris is... weird. That's really all I can say. Nice, but weird."
Calypso has spent a lot of time around Iris throughout her life, but has never really connected with her. The other girl has always been... off in her own world, so to speak, and Calypso's tried and certainly gotten somewhere, but not a place to truly call her a friend. Plus, over the years, Iris has started to become a little more reckless, which certainly does not help matters.

---

👋 Alayna Castellano 👋
"She strikes me as sort of a loner type. But... intimidating? We've never talked much. I heard her magic's sort of cool, though.
Calypso doesn't have too much to say about Alayna. The two have never actively hung out or really had a meaningful conversation, so she doesn't really have anything to say beyond some gossip and conjecture from older witches. She'd definitely still give Alayna a giant hug if allowed though. Nobody escapes the hug.

---

♨️ Jean-Luc Baptiste Laguerre ♨️
"I don't know how else to explain it, but he gives me seriously bad vibes. What with all that cursing and stuff. Not like, cussing, but, like, curses and hexes and stuff. Gives me the heebie-jeebies."
Calypso considers herself a pretty open-minded person, but, in her mind, cursing is a step too far. Since cursing is Jean-Luc's favorite type of magic, though, their relationship is not the best it could be. Calypso judges his magic and also thinks he's quite the dickhead, even though she could probably stand to learn a thing or two about cursing. Divination isn't exactly offensive.

---

💀 Summer Abernathy 💀
"Sometimes I feel like I don't do enough to try to be Summer's friend. Or, like, at least not hate each other's guts level. But she's just so frustrating, and stuck-up, and so catty, and she does not like me. I'll admit that she has some pretty cool magic though."
Summer is really one of the only people in the coven that Calypso can say she dislikes. Calypso has certainly tried to be nice to her in the past, but all those attempts never turned up fruit, so she stopped trying. It certainly doesn't help that Dakota and Summer are often at each other's throats, and Calypso almost always ends up on Dakota's side. Summer is mean, anyways. What's good about being friends with a mean person? Maybe Calypso should try a bit harder to break through her shell.

---

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

-- RESERVED FOR GM --

The Sisters of the Dying Branch - A Witch Coven RP

@Hitman@Qia@Akayaofthemoon@Tracyarmav@Blizz@circadian@Jumbus@sassy1085@Red X@Rabidporcupine@Danvers@blackdragon

The OOC is up! https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/182605-the-sisters-of-the-dying-branch-a-witch-coven-rp/ooc

I look forward to reading your character sheets!

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

---

You are a witch.

Not a witch in the traditional sense, though. You are nothing like the "witches" of Salem, Christian mythology, or new-age culture. You do not have green skin and you do not wear a pointy hat (although you might do so for fun). You might not ride a broomstick or wear a black cloak, but you are a witch all the same. Witches are powerful beings with the ability to use magic- something that most lack. They resemble humans and are like humans in so many ways. But they are inherently inhuman. Witches, after all, use magic.

Magic as it is used by witches has varied and unique applications. Witches can make wards and charms and potions out of herbs and other natural ingredients, yes. They use this skill to its full advantage. Crafting these magical items is a vital skill to any witch, young or old. But witches can also cast devastating, destructive spells. They can ravage the Earth with these destructive forces at their discretion. They can call down storms, earthquakes, and create fire from their fingertips with a single word. The magic of witches is dangerous, and not to be tampered with.

But this magic takes its toll. Power has its cost. Magic is more of a resource than an ability- only certain beings (witches are one) can use it and generate it, but it is finite. Generating magic without a source has a steep cost. It requires sacrifice. The scale of the sacrifice depends on the scale of the spell, but it can be a devastating one. Witches may offer something as simple as blood or energy as their sacrifice, generating magic for them to use. But to produce power of epic proportions requires a sacrifice equally powerful. To do anything devastatingly powerful, a witch must give up something central to their being. Happy memories. A body part. Their ability to be happy. A piece of their life force. The life of someone else. The list of things a magical being could sacrifice to gain power is immense, but each one harms them in some way. Magic is dangerously greedy. It will devour its user and everything around them until nothing is left.

However, this is not the only way to gain power. Other beings (such as vampires, werewolves, etc.) choose to use other sources only accessible to them. Some witches bind themselves to demons, an incredibly dangerous yet advantageous practice that is punishable by death. Others sacrifice the lives of others, which is also expressly forbidden. Yet the vast majority of witches choose to bind themselves to magical wellsprings. Wellsprings are extremely rare, natural sources of magic that witches have a monopoly over. They take the forms of natural features, such as lakes, mountains, swamps, and others. While bonded to them, witches don't have to give up nearly as much for their power. Not that using them doesn't have its own cost. To access this power, witches must conform to the rule of the covens.

The covens are communities of witches centered around the wellsprings. They are all loosely connected into one overarching organization that has one goal- to protect humanity and themselves from other supernatural threats. The covens have stringent rules for witches that wish to be a part of them. They forbid many behaviors and uses of magic. They even hand down punishments which range from exile to execution. If a witch wishes to be in a coven, they must do work for them, too. Witches risk their lives doing the bidding of covens, and many die. They are pressured to have witch children for the coven, who are then made members upon birth.

You are a young, uninitiated member of the Sisters of the Dying Branch- a coven with its wellspring located somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains. You probably grew up in your coven, surrounded by other witches. You were taught magic by someone- most likely your caretakers, whoever they may be. By now, you have a good command of magic. While you are not a master, you know various spells and can craft items with skill. For your whole life, you've been drawing on the powers of your teachers.

But now it's time for you to be initiated. To be bonded to the wellspring, whatever consequences that may present.

Your path depends on what you do from here on out.

---

Lorebook

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

Region Map

The Sisters of the Dying Branch is a coven of witches located on the eastern coast of the United States. The coven itself is nestled in the forests of the Appalachian Mountains, in a secluded spot overlooking a lake. This lake also happens to be their wellspring- the source of their magic power. This wellspring is closely guarded by the witches living at the lake. Access to it is limited to only those that the elders of the coven can trust, and earning their trust is difficult if someone is an outsider.

This coven is one of the larger ones in witch society. It has well over 500 members spread across the region. It's also a fairly prestigious coven- its members are known for excellence in their practice, and are known for performing exceptional work. It's led by Mother Deborah Le Doux, a woman known for her strict adherence to rules and sheer magical prowess.

The Price of Magic

All witches have the innate ability to use magic, but that power does not come for free. Magic, whether small charms and wards or earth-shaking destruction magic, has a cost. If a witch allows it to, their power will take and take and take from them until there is nothing left. That being said, witches can do plenty of things to fuel their magic. They can draw power from one of the many magical wellsprings dotting the planet, sacrifice something, or even make a pact with a demon.

Magical wellsprings are the main source of power for most witches. Although rare and frequently fought-over, drawing from them is the best way to practice magic. There aren’t many drawbacks involved with their use, either. They don’t take much from the user, and are even portable- a witch can take a small part of the wellspring (a leaf, a seed, a branch, a vial of lake water, etc.) from it and carry it with them until it runs out. However, due to the lack of cons and the overwhelming number of pros attributed to their use, these places are valuable land. This makes it so that many groups are constantly fighting over them- from different sects of witches to monsters, even. Witches seek to protect these wellsprings, and also to make sure that they are not overused.

Another way to draw power is from sacrifice. The sacrifice must be something meaningful to the witch- blood, energy, memories, emotions, or even the lives of those they care about. Certain types of sacrifice is strictly banned by the witch community- ritual killing and the harming of others among them. Violating these laws can have dire consequences. The importance of the sacrifice is determined by the power of the spell that the witch is casting. For example, if making a simple charm or ward, a pinprick of blood or a little bit of energy, would suffice. But if casting a powerful spell such as the summoning of a powerful being or the creation of a massive fire, a deep cut or even a precious memory would be required.

The last, most difficult, most powerful, and most forbidden way to gain magical power is the making of a pact with a demon. Doing this is extremely dangerous and strictly forbidden. Demons, upon making their contract, wield considerable power over the witch and will force them to do things that they may not want to. However, this is in exchange for great power, without needing to rely on a wellspring or their own blood.

A Witch’s Guide to Hunting and Exterminating: Vampire Edition

Vampires. You’ve probably heard of them. Prevalent in pop culture, they can be presented as a cute teenage crush or a dangerous creature of the night. They’re a commonly used supernatural creature in all types of fiction. But, despite human perceptions, they are very much real, and they are one of the witch’s most common enemies. They’re powerful, dangerous, and infestations of them are difficult to contain. Witches from covens around the world are familiar with vampires, and are often sent out to hunt and exterminate. Our perception of them, however, can often be tainted by humans’ descriptions. Can vampires be seen in mirrors? Can they walk into the sun? Are they vulnerable to garlic? What about silver? Do they really sparkle? Odds are, if you’re reading this, you might need to know this information sooner rather than later!

Vampire Basics: What They Are and Where They Come From

Vampires are supernatural creatures. Vampires were once human, and may still retain features of their humanity, but don’t be fooled. They are not human, and will never be again. Vampires are created from another vampire. Vampires feed on blood to generate their power and retain their forms, which is hard to get. Three common tactics are to raid blood banks, consume the blood of animals, or assault and drain blood from humans. The third is most common. When a vampire feeds on a human, they can transmit something akin to a sickness to a human. The mortality rate of this illness is about 50%. If any infected human dies, they can be resurrected as a vampire. They just need to be given human blood, which will awaken them as vampires.

Be warned, humans who have been turned into vampires are no longer human. They must be put down at any cost, no matter how human they may appear. If a witch allows a vampire to slip from their grasp, more will propagate and more humans will die. The best strategy to follow is at the witch’s discretion, but do not allow a vampire to fool you. It will end in nothing but more death and destruction.

What Are a Vampire’s Strengths and Weaknesses?

Vampires are some of the strongest enemies a witch will face. Vampires are strong, fast, and hard to hurt. If they’re well-fueled and have drank enough blood, they can even reattach a limb in a relatively short period of time, or even a head. Body parts take a long time to heal though- if cut in half, a vampire can take upwards of 30 minutes to stitch themselves back together. Heads take even longer. They heal fast, and most normal gashes won’t hurt them. This is, however, dependent on what kind of material you use. For whatever reason, silver creates wounds that are more difficult to heal for vampires. So, if you’re looking for something that’ll hurt a vampire, silver will do it. Silver knives, bullets, and other weapons can probably be found in your coven’s armory. Stakes driven through the heart of a vampire can help with reducing their healing abilities, too, but it won’t kill them. Or, if you’re so inclined, there are spells and potions that can reduce a vampire’s healing abilities. Vampires are also immortal, so, if they are not killed, they will never age and never die.

Vampires are also quite strong. Moreso than a normal human, certainly. The average, well-fueled vampire can lift objects such as cars with only the amount of exertion a regular, in-shape human could use to lift a 50-pound weight. They’re also incredibly fast, and can run at speeds faster than a cheetah chasing prey could. To combat this, a witch can use their powers to make themselves as strong or as fast as a vampire is. Now these are, of course, dependent on the amount of blood a vampire has consumed. Without blood to consume, they slowly lose strength and speed and are sapped of their powers. Eventually, if left without blood for over a month, a vampire will die for the second time of something akin to starvation. But be warned- if a vampire’s body is discovered by other vampires, they can be resurrected multiple times.

The only true, fool-proof way to kill a vampire is with fire. They are extremely sensitive to heat, including the Sun’s rays. Vampires can’t go outside during the day, lest they risk sun damage and a quick drainage of their energy reserves. If left in the sun for a long period of time, a vampire will appear to experience extreme pain and burning, and will be depleted of their powers until brought into the darkness and given more blood. If left in the sun for upwards of 6 hours, a vampire will start to burst into flames and eventually die by the end of the day. Even if they only go into the sun for a short period of time, their skin cannot handle the Sun’s rays, and they will experience pain. The advantage of fire while hunting vampires is that, once you burn up a vampire’s body, the witch has permanently killed them. Vampires cannot heal or be resurrected from a pile of ashes, which makes fire the perfect way to kill them. The best way to go about this is to first kill or disable the vampire in some way, and then light the body on fire.

Some vampires have a special magical gift that allows them to do things others can’t. These can include seeing into the future, telepathic communication, mind control, mind reading, and more. Most vampires who develop this sort of gift are old vampires- creatures that have been alive for centuries. As a vampire becomes older, they become harder to kill.

Other miscellaneous weaknesses are their mild repulsion to garlic and their tendency to all gather in one space. They will commonly come in large groups of vampires descended from the same vampires- also known as a “clan” in English. This creates a weakness because they’re easier to find and kill this way. Miscellaneous strengths include super hearing and good sight during the nighttime, although you can replicate these effects with spellcasting.

Debunking Vampire Myths

-Vampires can be seen in mirrors.
-Vampires can come inside without being invited.
-Vampires are not vulnerable to Catholic “holy water”.
-Vampires are not repulsed by the Christian cross.
-Vampires do not “sparkle” in the sunlight- they burn up.
-Vampires do not make for good romantic partners. If you kiss one, you will get bit.
-Vampires do not kill everyone they bite. They can choose to spare the lives of their victims, and not every victim will be infected. However, the illness if infected is very deadly.
-Vampires cannot turn into bats.
-Vampires don’t originate from Transylvania.
-There is no such thing as a “vegetarian vampire”- every vampire harms a human in some way.
-Vampires do cast shadows.
-Vampires cannot be killed through a stake in the heart- only injured beyond normal.
-Vampires cannot be fixed, cured, or reformed. The only way to get rid of a vampire is to kill one.

How Do I Identify a Vampire?

Vampires look much like humans- sort of similar to how a witch is nearly indistinguishable from a human appearance-wise. So how do you spot them? Well, they do have some differences. While difficult to identify, vampires do have some key characteristics that distinguish them from humans and witches.

As reanimated dead bodies, vampires look… well, dead. They’re often pale or ashen-looking, drained of blood. If you touch one, you’ll find that they’re clammy and cold, far from a human or a witch’s natural body heat. But you don’t need to touch them to see this. Use a spell to see thermographically or to detect heat coming off of someone- odds are, if it’s a vampire, they won’t have any heat coming off of them.

Their most identifiable feature, however, are fangs. Used to suck blood from victims, nearly every vampire has them. Over the first few days of reanimation, a vampire quickly develops these fangs. They emerge from the gums and can eventually jut out over the lips. However, most vampires do their best to shave down their fangs so they are not quite so visible. If someone you see on the street has fangs, odds are they’re a vampire. Or just a counter-culture person.

One rare feature on vampires is different-colored eyes. Most vampires have the eyes they were born with, but many older vampires have eyes of colors like red, purple, and black. It’s an easy way to identify those more powerful, older vampires that are difficult to kill. Make sure to only fight these in a group.

Vampires are typically found in groups of 5 or more- known as clans in English. A vampire clan is typically descended from one or a group of leaders, known as matriarchs, patriarchs, or some other title. If settled in an area, they can live apart, but typically move around with frequency and so live among each other. These groups are typically easy to spot, but can often disguise themselves as families or people living in an apartment block. Vampires can sometimes carry false identification on them to fool authorities. Even one vampire can make an entire clan on their own. Infighting is common among clans, and you’ll often find them breaking apart and forming new ones.

What If I Get Bit?

Oh no! You were fighting a vampire, and then, suddenly, it got ahold of you and bit into your neck with its fangs. The energy slowly drained from your body along with your blood, and, once the vampire was done with you, you found yourself exhausted on the floor, confused. Or maybe it was something less severe than that. What happens next? Will you die and become a vampire?

Fear not. Witches cannot become vampires, as a witch’s body is incompatible with vampirism. However, you will most likely become very ill, depending on how much blood was sucked from you. With proper care and a proper environment, a witch will not die of this infection. In fact, it can be relatively mild depending on how badly bit you were. This infection is not contagious.

Depending on how badly you were bit, you may experience a time between getting bit and falling ill. However, if you are bit, you should immediately go and rest- not keep fighting or continue the hunt, even if you're not experiencing symptoms. Witches who are bit may experience extreme fatigue, sensitivity to sunlight, aches and pains, headaches, a change in taste and smell, fever, delirium, and confusion. There are many remedies to ease the symptoms of this sickness, both magical and non magical. Tea is a common non magical remedy, but it can be enchanted. There are many potions, salves, and spells that ease the symptoms and can even cure the illness if done right. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids, stay in a dark place away from sunlight, and keep someone around to take care of you as you experience the illness. While you are ill, do not exert yourself beyond what’s necessary, and take care not to go around any vampires lest you be bit a second time while sick. That might kill you.

Tips and Tricks for Fighting Vampires

TIP 1:
Attack from the behind! That’s where the fangs aren’t, and vampires don’t typically have eyes in the back of the head. Just make sure to be very quiet and not to be detected by the vampire, lest they’re ready for you- you can use spellcasting.

TIP 2:
Attack in a group. You should never go fight a vampire alone- groups of two or more work best. More is preferable. If you’re solo, there’s more of a chance that many can overwhelm you. If you know a vampire is in the area, even if it’s just one, use the buddy system- never, ever go alone at night, under any circumstance. Where there’s one vampire, there’s bound to be more.

TIP 3:
Come packing. While spellcasting should always be your main line of offense and defense, guns, knives, flamethrowers, chainsaws, and other weapons come in handy for when your energy is depleted. Remember to try to use silver when possible. And you can always enchant weapons or drip them in poisons. Get creative!

TIP 4:
Use fire. If in a developed, crowded or heavily wooded area, use with caution, but fire kills vampires quickly.

TIP 5:
Never leave a vampire’s body without first burning it or its head. That’s the only way to kill it.

TIP 6:
When you’re attacking large clans, make sure not to leave even a single vampire alive. If even one survives, you can have 20 more fledglings within a matter of months. When a vampire’s clan is eradicated, they often quickly look for new vampires.

TIP 7:
Always have an exit plan. Never allow yourself to be cornered by a vampire.

TIP 8:
Rely on your teammates, not only yourself. This is a general rule for witches, but still counts. While on the hunt, you should put your full trust in your teammates. Everyone should be carrying their full weight, or the whole team could be in a bad strait.

---

Locations

The House

A large, gothic Victorian-style house nestled in a remote part of the state of Virginia. The only road leading into and out of the property is a secluded one-lane dirt road winding through the mountains. The nearest civilization is 30 minutes out. The house is certainly a strange sight to see- it's located on a giant property, and is surrounded by mostly trees. To any outsiders, it would look out of place. Fortunately, not many outsiders make it here.

This house acts as the center of the Sisters of the Dying Branch coven. It serves as a meeting place for the witches spread across the region, a center of magical knowledge, and even a home for select members of the coven. Mostly coven elders live here, but there are numerous witchlings (witch children) residing here as well. Most that live here are witchlings without parents or those that needed a little... extra attention that only the coven elders could give them. However, any witch can choose to live here if they wish. Most just prefer to have their own home rather than live under the scrutinizing eyes of the elders.

The Wellspring

The wellspring is a sacred place to the Sisters. It appears as a normal lake to most, but magical creatures know that this is only an illusion. Instead, it's a nearly unlimited deposit of magic power- and one completely controlled by witches. The sisters of the coven protect it fiercely, to the point where few uninitiated witches ever set their eyes on it. Even members of the coven rarely get to see it. The elders of the coven are charged with its maintenance and protection, and they are loathe to fail at their job.

It's located a little ways out from the house. There's a long, winding path to follow down to it, and you can only enter accompanied by an elder. This secret place is also where witches are initiated into the coven, although the process is a closely guarded secret.

---

General Information

Rules

Haha, yes, the boring part.

1.) My word as GM is law. When I say something doesn't go, it doesn't go. Period. Don't constantly badger me with something if I have already said no. When I say something needs to be fixed, please fix it, or we will have issues. I'm a generally nice person, but when I say something I usually mean it.
2.) Somebody else's humanity is never up for debate. I mean this in terms of OOC. Please don't be disrespectful to your fellow players about their identities and opinions, no matter what they may be. This also means not to bring IC drama into OOC or vice versa.
3.) This is a high casual roleplay. That means I expect you to have a good command of grammar and at least 2-3 paragraphs per post. I understand that no one's perfect. I certainly am not! But this is not a one-liner roleplay, and I do not accept one-liners. I can understand if a post is shorter if there wasn't much to say, but I do accept a good level of literacy.
4.) Real life and realistic art face claims only. This might just be me being a little nitpicky, but I do not want you to use anime face claims. If you're not sure if a face claim will be acceptable, please PM me! Likewise, if you need help finding face claims, I can help too.
5.) Posting requirements. I would like it if you'd post at least once a week, preferably more if you're involved in an interaction. However, I understand that real life happens and I'd be willing to puppet if you can't write a post.
6.) Communicate. I understand that real life happens, and real life definitely comes above this roleplay! However, it's disrespectful to everyone if you ghost this roleplay and leave us hanging. If you cannot continue or need to take a break, please tell me. I'm an understanding person! Just don't ghost me. It gives everyone else a bad impression of you as a roleplayer. Communication also means that I'd love it if you'd join the Discord. I promise I don't bite!
7.) I reserve the right to refuse your CS for any reason. This might be a little mean, but if I believe you might cause issues in the roleplay, I will not allow you to join. Fortunately, I'm a forgiving person, so that applies to few if any people. I also reserve the right to refuse your CS based on standards of neatness and quality.

Character Sheet

(FACECLAIM HERE)

Name: Self-explanatory.
Gender / Preferred Pronouns: Witch is a gender-neutral term. Feel free to be whatever you want.
Age: Also self-explanatory. Characters should be around 15-22, but I prefer characters to be around 18. If you're on either extreme, you'd better have a good reason.
Birthday: Month and day only.
Sexuality: Also self-explanatory!
Appearance: Give me a short paragraph (or a couple) describing your character beyond the face claim. Weight, height, mannerisms, wardrobe... anything you can think of.
Personality: What are they like? How do they act? What are their greatest fears, their greatest weakness? Their strengths? Their preferences? What do they act like towards friends versus acquaintances?
Biography: Where are they from? Who were they raised by? What happened in their life leading up to this point?
Notable Rumors: Something is said about everyone At least one rumor that might be whispered about your character, be it good, bad, or random.
Greatest Fear: Don't give me any of that 'fear of being alone' B.S. Something real: like the dark, snakes, spiders, or heights.
Magic: Magic in this universe is very general, and nothing is exclusive, but everyone has their skills and weaknesses. What kind of magic do you like to practice? Potions? Charms? Elemental magic? Healing? What are you not good at?
Other: Anything else you might want to add. Got a pet? Have allergies? Literally anything else? Add it here! Also, color codes, please.

Relationship Sheet

---

---

Relations

---

Character Name

---

---

⟢ 🎆Respects ⟡ 🌓Neutral ⟡ 👋Acquaintance ⟡ 🙇It's Complicated ⟣
⟢ 💛Friend ⟡ 💙Good Friends ⟡ 💜Best Friends ⟡ ❣️Ex-Friends ⟡ 😈Frienemy ⟣
⟢ 💘Infatuation ⟡ 💓Loves ⟡ 💗Couple ⟡ 💕Basically Family ⟡ 💞Family ⟡ 💔Ex-Lovers ⟣
⟢ ♨️Tense ⟡ 💀Dislikes ⟡ 😡Hates ⟡ 👿Enemy ⟡ 👹Absolutely Loathes ⟣

---

---

Symbol Character's Name Symbol
"Quote on Character"
Relation Details

---

Symbol Character's Name Symbol
"Quote on Character"
Relation Details

---

Symbol Character's Name Symbol
"Quote on Character"
Relation Details

---

Symbol Character's Name Symbol
"Quote on Character"
Relation Details

---

Symbol Character's Name Symbol
"Quote on Character"
Relation Details

---

You can have as many as characters as you'd like, but I'd recommend a maximum of two. More might become a bit of an issue for you to manage, and I wouldn't want you to get bogged down with posts and slow down the roleplay. Of course, you can also have NPCs that you can manage when you need to! PM me if you want to add any of your characters to the main storyline- odds are I'll say yes!

---

I will be progressively adding to this as I write more lore. I look forward to reading sheets! Please contact me if you have any questions or ideas!

-canaryrose

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

This is the OOC tab for the Sisters of the Dying Branch! Please submit CSes and ask questions here. I'd also like you (yes, you!) to join the Discord. I like to get to know my roleplayers, and discussion is easier there for me!

The Sisters of the Dying Branch - A Witch Coven RP

Wow what is this rp I've never heard of before and have no knowledge of? It sounds interesting...

@Rabidporcupine

interested!

@Danvers

Thanks for the interest, you two!

The Sisters of the Dying Branch - A Witch Coven RP

@canaryrose What age range will the PCs fall into?

@Red X

15-22, preferably. However, if you're on either extreme you'll need a good reason as to why you're being initiated at that age.

The Sisters of the Dying Branch - A Witch Coven RP

You have me at witches, count me in!

@sassy1085

Cool! Can't wait to have you.

But can witches get turned? Or are they "incompatible" with the virus/disease and just become ill/die when infected?

@Tracyarmav

Goddamnit Trash, why do you always ask the hard questions XD

I would say- and this is a tentative answer- that no, witches can't be properly turned into vampires or werewolves. They do become pretty ill when bitten, though.