Applications to join are open to all! We could take maybe 2-3 more Coven members at this time. [hr] [h1]Rules:[/h1] 1. Keep the OOC conversations kind. Please bring up any concerns or questions in a constructive way, and respond to them without getting defensive. Leave the drama to the characters and be nice to your fellow humans. 2. This RP will contain mature subject matter, hence the 18+ and horror tags. Violence, abuse, intoxication, adult language, and reference to sex will all be included, but please mind [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/169025-guidelines-for-mature-roleplays-revised-edition/ooc]the site rules[/url] and keep any actual sex acts off the public board. 3. While I reserve the authority to remove players who are disruptive, I prefer a democratic approach to guiding plot arcs. Everyone has the right to suggest how things should progress, and everyone has the right to agree or (politely) disagree. Once we've reached a consensus on where to go next, I'll update the first post of the IC tab. 4. All NPCs are fair game for anyone to control as needed, unless their creator requests otherwise. You are not allowed to write thoughts or actions for another player's main character/s. 5. Please let us know in advance of any extended absences, and make plans for what your character will be doing if you need to skip few posts (i.e. "Jane Doe will complete the spell she is casting with Dick & Jane, then get an unexpected call from her mom and go outside to answer it"). 6. Posting standards: please keep posts between 1 and 3 paragraphs (per character) and with legible style, grammar, & punctuation. Post headers are recommended but not required. 7. Posting order will be kept up-to-date on the first post of the IC thread. Each player has 24 hours from the previous post (or skip) to take their turn and post. You may request an additional 24 hours in the OOC thread if necessary. This is a 2 week trial run, on March 7 (NZDT) we can discuss whether to keep or get rid of the posting order. [hr] [h1]Lore[/h1] [h2]Witches[/h2] About 1% of people have some latent witchcraft in them, but the vast majority will never awaken their powers. A witch's magic cannot awaken or function properly without a Supreme. Typically this only happens once they're in a Coven and have bonded, but in rarer cases (like this RP), it can also happen if they spend time in the presence of an ascending Supreme who has yet to learn how to focus their powers. All witches have access to all three types of magic, but it's rare for someone with powerful Gifts to also be a talented Spellcaster and vice versa. [h2]Supremes[/h2] Supremes are a rare type of Witch that serve as a conduit to bring magic into the world. Though not necessarily more powerful than their fellows, magic comes more easily to them than to other Witches, best exemplified by their myriad of Gifts. Even the weakest Supremes still manifest at least five Gifts which they can use at will, and most will manifest additional abilities if their lives or their loved ones are threatened. Their spells almost always go through, though not with any more accuracy than a regular Witch. A fully mature Supreme can detect other potential Witches and choose whether or not to awaken the magic within them, but before a Supreme has come into their own their presence is enough. This makes it very difficult to tell which dawning Witch is the Supreme, since everyone in the Coven will be supercharged by the presence of an unrestrained Supreme's power. [h2]Magic[/h2] [list] [*][b][u]Knacks:[/u][/b] Everyone with some latent witchy abilities has exactly one Knack - this is the only sign that someone has the potential to become a witch. Knacks are usually subtle, the sort of thing that could be mistaken for dumb luck, strange coincidences, or natural talent. A Knack can neither be gained nor lost, but is with a person from birth til death. [i]Ex. this person's dice roll 7s half the time, they have an unusually tight bond with exactly one animal (a familiar), they get a sense of impending doom before something bad happens to their loved ones, or they can throw things with near-perfect accuracy despite never practicing.[/i] [*][b][u]Gifts:[/u][/b] Gifts are the true magic witches can perform on instinct, without needing to focus their power using a spell. Gifts will only work if the Witch has a magical connection to a Supreme; if cut off from their Coven, a Witch will lose all of their Gifts. Every Gift comes with a price, and the powerful Gifts tend to make their users very sick or weak afterwards. Every witch has at least one Gift. Reasonably powerful witches have two, and very powerful witches have three. Supremes typically manifest 5-7. [i]Ex. pyrokinesis, telekinesis, telepathy with 1 or 2 other people or certain animals, precognitive dreams.[/i] [*][b][u]Spells:[/u][/b] Spellcraft is where the real power of witches comes to light. While Gifts usually only allow a Witch to use her magic to slightly shift reality in her general vicinity, Spells can be used to cause much greater changes that are less constrained by time and space. A curse might cause a rival's car to crash several hours or days from the time of casting, or abruptly shift the weather in the Bahamas. Spells require focus instead of instinct, have certain rituals and practices, and usually need 2 or more witches to cast correctly. Spells feed off of the magic of the environment around them, making powerful spells impossible without either the presence (not necessarily consent) of a Supreme or powerful magical source. Improperly cast spells may work differently than intended or even backfire against the Witch trying to cast them. [i]Ex. love charm to make the quarterback enamored with the cheerleader (if it backfires, could cause him to stalk her), curse to make a the roof leak onto a stack of exams (cast improperly may cause the roof to collapse), ward of protection against dark spirits.[/i] [/list]