Name:Cassandra Owens
Age:23
Gender:Female
Species:Human
Appearance: Cassandra stands at roughly 5’ 9” tall. She has pale, angular features that contribute to her youthful yet mysterious look. Her crimson locks and sea-green eyes paint an almost otherworldly picture, as does her full yet slender frame. She is a rare beauty who adorns herself with silver trinkets bearing occult markings and long, black, flowing garments and heeled shoes. Her outward appearance is very much a stereotypical reinterpretation of the classic black-clad night hag often depicted in fantasy and folklore, but she plays it off well.
Personality:Her father described her as selfish, her mother called her evil, and every ex-boyfriend in the past five years has called her a manipulative bitch, but what do they know? Cassandra is driven by her desire to master her Craft, as well as a desire to profit from it. Some witches call her unethical, but she sees it as practical. Everything she does is in her own best interest; to her, self preservation is key. But at the same time, she longs for a place where she truly belongs. Her hardened, flirty exterior is the result of years of declining self-worth, of being part of a society that undervalues women, especially women of her particular talents. Cassandra has formed a complex, she must be seen as intimidating and powerful, she must take from others before than can take from her. Compassion, trust, love? To Cassandra, these are constricting emotions that she’d rather not get caught up in. Instead, she leads a fast, dangerous lifestyle, filled only with what she wants, when she wants it. It doesn’t always bring her satisfaction, but it’s all she knows.
Background:Cassandra comes from a long line of witches, her father’s side of the family hosting the witch-fire since the Renaissance. Witchcraft was her birthright, one she was denied by her conservative mother. The power that had been entombed in her father’s blood, all the wisdom of the cunning-men and women, the malice and power of the maleficarum, lost to some storage unit in Gainesville, Florida. In her early years, Cassandra knew nothing of her family’s magical history. She was a pretty, faithful young lamb, lead by her mother’s overbearing belief system, one that had her up and early every Sunday morning, dressed only in floral dresses and modest skirts. Back then, Cassandra couldn’t help but follow in her mother’s footsteps, but a brief encounter with the past would change her outlook.
When Cassandra was but eight years old, she was visited by an otherworldly presence, one of her ancestral spirits, a woman named Mary Halen. She came to the young girl in a dream, filling her mind with grandiose visions of magic and wonder, telling her all that she could be, all that she was, and all that her father had left behind. When she awoke, she confronted her parents in excitement, beaming at the idea that she might be a powerful witch, but her mother quickly shot her down, reminding her that witches were evil, that magic was an evil, villainous force inspired by the Devil. Cassandra was heartbroken, but she wouldn’t give up.
Mary visited her night after night, telling her stories of their family, even sharing with her a few magical secrets. Thus, Cassandra began her career as a witch, mentored by a spirit from the past who wished to be honored and called in works of magic. She practiced in secret, stealing small trinkets and herbs from her parents, their kitchen, department stores, anything she might use for her tiny works of witchcraft. With Mary acting as her guide, she was able to perform small charms and enchantments with relative ease, but nothing like what she could do with the proper resources.
At the age of fifteen, Cassandra asked to have some items moved into the family’s storage unit, where she managed to steal some of her family’s grimoires, tomes, scrolls, any magical material she could find. She was later caught with these items. Her mother was furious, threatening to send her away to some private school or have someone come and perform an exorcism on her. It was then that she became truly rebellious, charming her mother into a deep sleep and fleeing her childhood home with her family’s heirlooms. She wandered the state for a year, eventually moving to Boston and working as a cunning-woman herself, selling charms and spells to customers, evicting spirits for a fee, and using her personal charms and wiles to pick up free food, motel rooms, etc.
Cassandra got her GED in Boston, but never pursued higher education. Instead, she continued work as a hired wand, using her knowledge of witchcraft to aid those around her for a fee. She jumped from hotel to hotel, coven to coven, chased away by both angry customers and false friends, all afraid of her dark arts.
Current Life:Cassandra has been moving up and down the East Coast for the past few years, performing one small job after another. Love potions, binding spells, hexes and curses, she has made a living in meddling with people’s lives since she was a teen. Now, however, she has found a potentially stable source of income, one suited to her talents. Word has reached her of Wells & Raike Private Investigations, and she has decided to take up residence in Maine for the time, hoping that the people there see the value of her many talents.
Schools of Study:Alchemy, Arcanology, and Rituology
Specialization:Brewing (used to create magical elixirs, potions, powders, etc. that Cassandra utilizes in rituals, minor spells, or on their own), Crafting/Enchantment (used to create magical items used in ritual or spells), Divination, Hexes/Curses, Manipulation (of both the mind of the physical body)
Spells:
- Fascination: The ability to create and sew destruction and misfortune. Also called “The Evil Eye,” it is a quick hex that causes all forms of ill depending on the surrounding/situation.
- Compulsion: The art of seduction, the ability to take control of lesser minds, implant thoughts and memories, etc.
- Unfetter: Also called astral projection, spirit flight, hedge riding, it is the ability to separate one’s soul from their body and send it out into the world to perform certain tasks/feats. A highly experienced witch can take control of both their spirit and their body, maintaining dual consciousness, but Cassandra has not yet mastered this.
- Conjuration/Evocation: Cassandra’s connection to her ancestors allows her to call on them for guidance with relative ease. Her closest and most beloved ancestor, Mary Halen, can come to her and perform certain magical feats at her behest.
- Invocation: Similarly, Cassandra can invoke those same ancestral powers and move objects/people, conjure flames, etc. with relative ease and without the need for complex ritual or magical brews.
- Abjuration: The ability to disarm magical wards and protect against magical forces. Cassandra uses a variety of charms and talismans to ensure safety against magical attacks.
- Weather-Working: At any moment, Cassandra holds the means to create/calm a strong wind or storm.
- Toil and Trouble: Using the Pit of Creation, Cassandra can conjure the elements and craft certain spells and brews on the go.
Abilities:
- Ancestral Knowledge: Cassandra’s many family secrets and skills places a wide array of rituals, spells, and concoctions at her disposal. Magical ointments, elixirs, powders, items, etc. can be found within her many grimoires and texts.
- Folklorist: Because of her intimate connection to European variants of witchcraft, she is highly familiar with the lore and history of that area, lending to knowledge about all forms of magical practices, beasts, etc. from that local.
- Herbalist: As a witch who works with herbs and reagents in many of her spells and rituals, Cassandra is able to identify the effects of various natural substances, as well as devise creative ways of using them in her Craft.
- Manipulation: Separate from her magical methods of manipulation, Cassandra has become rather skilled at conning and manipulating others through her looks/words due to her years of practice as a freelance practitioner.
Equipment:
- The Black Book: A small collection of charms, spells, and recipes that Cassandra keeps on her person at all times. It has several entries taken from her various family texts, as well as a few of her own creations.
- Hawthorn Blasting Rod: An ornate hawthorn wand that Cassandra uses to aid in her acts of malice.
- Ritual Tools: Chalk, candles, knives, trinkets, anything that Cassandra might find useful in a formal work of magic.
- Herbal Charms: Hidden on Cassandra person are several herbal charms that aid in her works of magic and shield her from both physical and magical harm. These charms range from simple sachets hidden in her pockets, to more complex spells derived from potions and poisons she keeps close.
- Pit of Creation: The Pit of Creation is perhaps her family's most valued possession. It is a large, brass cauldron decorated with occult symbols that have been inscribed by family members over the years. It is charmed with the ability to fill and light itself, and can be summoned by Cassandra through a simple ritual. The Pit is used for almost all of Cassandra's spells, crafts, brews, and infusions. It is the only item that Cassandra can summon on a whim.
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