The Acrobats
Fey/Fae
Witchcraft
What is a Witch?
Wicca
The Differences Between Witchcraft and Wicca
Clairvoyancy
Psychics
Animators
Necromancy
The Fae/Fey
Mystery has shrouded the fae for as long as they've existed. Fair and ugly, good and evil, you will never know what to expect from a fae. They can be treacherous or your most loyal confidant. In this world there are many types of fae, and not all of them are beautiful to look upon, and some are so beautiful that it doesn't seem possible that anyone can be so lovely. There are two courts of fae.
The Seelie Court is bright and lovely. They are called the glittering throng, and are the epitomy of all things beautiful. They are cruel in their beauty, however. If you are not perfect, pure Sidhe or Sidhe royalty, then you do not belong in the Seelie Court. Their current monarch is Taranis, King of Light and Illusion.
The Unseelie Court, or Darkling Throng, is as dark as the Seelie are light. The Unseelie take in everything that the Seelie court deems imperfect. Do not make the mistake of thinking the Seelie are good and the Unseelie are evil. Neither one is wholly good or wholly evil. Light can always chase away darkness, and darkness can always shroud the light. Other creatures belong to the Unseelie court as well. NAmely, the Slaugh and the DemiFey. The Slaugh are all that is ugly in the Unseelie court. If you hear the flap of leathery wings on the wind and a cold shiver races down your spine, know it is the Slaugh coming to get you. The Slaugh are the power behind the throne. Queen Andais, the Queen of Air and Darkness, may have her guard but it's the Slaugh that are sent out to do the dirty work. And it's the slaugh that the fae fear the most.
DemiFey are similar to pixies. In their natural forms they are small, with dragonfly like wings. Do not mistake them for harmless, however. While the DemiFey do not like it, they can get bigger, changing to something closer to human size. They would be short, around five feet in their big forms, and their wings shrink into their backs and form a pattern of wings all across their backs where their wings would be. The DemiFey are small and can be very vicious. They feed off flesh and blood.
The Sidhe have many forms of magic. There are two ways for a Sidhe to come into power and gain their Hand of Power. The first way is through dueling or fighting. The second way is through sex, which is how Princess Merry gained her hand of power (The Hand of Flesh.) Most Sidhe have some sort of Hand of Power, as well as other abilities. The very old Sidhe were once worshipped dieties thousands of years ago. It is unknown exactly how old the Sidhe are. Two things happened that put somewhat of a damper on Sidhe magic.
"The price of the fey coming to the United States after they'd been kicked out of Europe was that there were to be no more large-scale fights among us. If we went to war against one another on American soil they'd exile us, and we were out of countries that would take us. The answer to keep that from happening had been the Nameless: a creature made up of the wildest magic the sidhe of both courts had left. But as with all spells dealing with wild magic, it was unpredictable. Some Sidhe had barely lost any powers; others had been nearly stripped dry. The Nameless wasn't the first time the Sidhe had done this. The first time was trying to stay in Europe after the great human-fey war. That one didn't take, but Rhys had been transformed from a major diety to one of the less powerful Sidhe. He's lost so much; he would no longer allow anyone to mention his old name. Out of respect and honor that it might have been them, the sidhe honored his wish. He was simply Rhys now, and what he had been was lost." -Seduced by Moonlight, P. 20
The Fae are allergic to iron and lead as the lycans are to silver. To a fae, a lead bullet is more deadly than a silver bullet. It is hard for the fae to travel in any man made vehicles, which includes automobiles, planes, trains, busses, etc. Because the shell is metal, it makes them physically ill. Using glammor to decieve a human without their knowledge is illegal just like it's illegal for a vampire to roll an unwilling human's mind. Salt thrown on a fae will temporarily bind their magic until they can wash the salt off. Fae are immortal and can withstand what would, to a human, be a mortal wound. The exception is if two sidhe are dueling and mortality has been invoked. This makes both Sidhe mortal for the duration of the duel. The duel would end when one of the Sidhe are dead.
Humans
We're not all innocent
Humans, the dominant species on Earth, are perhaps the most vulnerable. If it weren't for the human laws in place protecting them from the monsters of the world, just how safe would they be? Granted, there are those special few who are not wholly human; those who have special abilities. Witches, Clairvoyants, Psychics, Pyrokinetics, Necromancers, Animators, Warlocks and those who practice the art of Vaudun.
Witchcraft
What is witchcraft? Witchcraft is the name given to a system of beliefs and
practices ancient people practiced. The practice has its origins in Eastern
European people and culture, for example, the Persians and the Egyptians.
These beliefs and practices gradually spread to other people in Europe, for
example the Celts. The name 'witchcraft" was given to these ancient mostly
European practices and beliefs by the Christian Church. Now these set of beliefs
and practices are generally called Traditional Witchcraft and is an attempt
to follow and reconstruct an ancient tradition and belief system. "Witchcraft"
was a set of beliefs and traditions by these ancient people and was their
religion. One who practices witchcraft, but does not belong or was taught
by a hereditary line can call themselves Eclectic Witches . These type of
witches use the traditional witchcraft concept of the ancient people and incorporate
modern views and beliefs into their set system of beliefs which are always
changing to match modern changing society views and beliefs.
Witchcraft and Wicca are two separate religions, but do have similarities.
Wicca is a very modern religion. It borrows from witchcraft and many other
beliefs. For example, Witchcraft does not follow a rede for guidelines. Witches
of Witchcraft believe intent is what is important and being responsible for
your actions.
What is a witch?
Witch is a very old word meaning 'magician' . It comes from the same word
that Wicca does: the Anglo-Saxon 'wicce' which comes from the older germanic
word 'vitga'. 'Wicce' was a term applied to the practitioners of the Saxon
nature-religion they brought with them to England. The Anglo-Saxon 'wic' comes
from a different Germanic root, and it is applied to trees or branches that
are extremely pliable. This may be why we have the wicker and witch hazel
tree and why people so often think witch comes from a word that means to bend
or shape. Witches can be of many beliefs beside witchcraft or wicca. One can
be born a witch in a way, the inner qualities that make it 'right' for them
to study to be a witch and develop these witchy charecteristics. . The closest
thing I can say about this is that, being a witch and doing all witchy things
is the most natural thing in the world for us and most were probably doing
this before we knew what witches really do. To fully be a witch one has to
undergo a learning process and initiation. This learning process and initiation
may include a ritual within a coven, but the learning process and initiation
I am really focusing about is the inner learnings and initiations, when a
real witch crosses the border of calling herself a witch and really being
a witch. When you cross this line you will know what I mean. To learn is to
be a seeker and apprentice yourself and when you are initiated you will earn
the title of witch.
What do you call a male witch? A witch, not a warlock . A warlock is an old
term meaning a Scottish traitor. Explaination
Wicca
Wicca is a rather new religion (at the very least, it is newly "brought
out"). It is based on ancient (pre-Christian) northern European Pagan
beliefs in a (fertility) Goddess and a horned God, who is Her Consort. The
God/dess are believed to be the manifestations of (The One, or The All) the
universal "Creative Energy", which is everywhere and at all times.
This energy is present in everything - plants, trees, animals, humans, rocks,
stones...etc.
Many Wiccans use one specific pantheon of deities, such as Celtic, Norse or
Greek, and their belief is that they are all different God/dess's. On the
other hand, some believe that all the God/dess's in these pantheons are aspects
of the one God and Goddess.
Most Wiccans also believe in reincarnation, therefore we have no concept of
the Christian Heaven or Hell. When a Wiccan dies, it is generally believed
they go to the "Summerland" and await their next incarnation. When
they have lived the full gambit of lives, and learned everything they possibly
could, they then pass on forever.
We have no "Good and Evil" deities, and see these as different sides
of the same coin. There is a dark aspect to every light one. An example of
this could be the Greek God of the underworld, Hades. Most would see underworld
and say "Oh, He is so evil." But, he isn't evil, he's just doing
his job of collecting the souls and keeping them busy. (That may be an over
simplified example...but, hey, it works.)
The Goddess' symbol is the Moon in all of its phases. We revere Nature and
the Earth as Her "body", so it is not surprising that many Pagans
and Wiccans are involved in Ecology and trying to preserve the Earth. Her
aspects of Maiden, Mother and Crone coincide with the phases of the moon.
(Waxing, Full and Waning ).
The God's symbol is the Sun, which fertilizes the Earth to make everything
grow. There would be nothing without the Sun. The God is born to the Goddess
at Yule, grows stronger through out the end of winter and spring, then unites
with the Goddess at Beltane, thus perpetuating the Wheel of the Year. As summer
and fall progress, the God slowly weakens and we say goodbye to Him at Samhain,
knowing He will return again at Yule, again continuing the Wheel of the Year.
Some Wiccans practice "magick" (spelled with a "k" to
differentiate it from stage magic), which we will get into more fully later,
however, you don't have to practice magick to be Wiccan or Pagan for that
matter.
Wicca is a legally recognized religion in the United States, there is even
a Wiccan section in United States Army Chaplains book.
Hopefully I haven't confused anyone too terribly much. I am trying to HELP
the movement, not make it worse!! This is a brief overview of a Wiccans beliefs
- however, not all Wiccans believe in the same things. One should keep this
in mind while By the way, all Wiccans are Pagans, but all Pagans are not necessarily
Wiccan. Still interested, eh? Well, onward and upward then... (http://witchrealm.net/what.html)
The Difference between Witchcraft and Wicca
Wicca is a religion that was "created", or at least brought into
the light, in the 1950's by Gerald Gardner. It was based on pre-Christian
Pagan beliefs, ideas from Crowley's Order Templis Orientis, some Eastern philosophy
and just a dash of Freemasonry. He called this Wicca, and created the Gardnerian
Tradition. There are now, well, I don't know how many Traditions exactly,
but I'd say at least 50 off-hand - however I would think more than that, realistically.
Wicca is not the same thing as Witchcraft. There are similarities and there
are differences, a few of which I plan to lay out in a moment. I will agree
with most Witches and say that the two terms should not be interchanged, as
they commonly are. It would be like calling a Roman Catholic a Protestant
or a Baptist - they believe in the same basic tenants, however they go about
it in a totally different way. One thing to remember when you read this is
that these are generalities about Wicca and Witchcraft. Not all Wiccans follow
the same beliefs, and not all Witches follow the same beliefs as other Witches.
Most Wiccans follow the Wiccan Rede as one of (our) basic tenants. This is
a poem written by Adriana Porter and Lady Gwen Thompson, sometime in the 20th
century. The shortened version of this is "An it harm none, do what you
will", which is pretty much self-explanatory. Along the same lines, (most)
Wiccans also follow the Law of Power or Three-Fold Law. This is rather along
the lines of Karma - whatever force you send out will return to you three
times as strong. Witches, on the other hand, do not follow any such redes,
rules or tenants - unless they are a specific part of the Tradition they follow.
From what I understand most find the Three-Fold Law illogical.
The other main difference between Wicca and Witchcraft, is how we practice
magick. Wiccans generally cast a circle before doing any magickal rites or
rituals. This merely consists of creating a sphere of energy that surrounds
yourself and anything that will be used in the rite or spell. Whereas some
Traditions of Witchcraft may use circle casting occasionally, to most Witches
all space is sacred and circles are not needed for rites. Wiccans tend to
place heavy emphasis on rhyming chants and ceremony (or ritual), such as having
corresponding colors and herbs for a certain spell - or casting a spell on
a Tuesday when the moon is full. Witches, however, more often use whatever
they have when they feel the time is right. (http://witchrealm.net/differences.html)
Psychics:
Definition: Psychic; Psychic Psychical: A. Pert. To the soul, spirit, or mind; pert. To the force believed by Spiritualists to produce spiritualistic phenomena; spiritualistic. - psychically adv. psychic n. a person sensitive to spiritualistic forces; a medium; a clairvoyant. psychics n. pl. psychology - psychicism n. the study of spiritualistic phenomena. - psychicist n. [Gk. Psuche, the soul, the mind]. -Collins Dictionary
Everyone is psychic to some degree using the natural intuitive or sixth sense that is inherent in all of us. A psychic is sensitive to the electrical, magnetic and other energies emanating from the individual and known as the aura . A psychic is able to access information from the emotional, physical and spiritual parts of the auric field. As the aura contains all the information about a person's life, psychic readings can be very accurate. A psychic also uses the natural ability to be aware of non-verbal communication i.e.. body language, facial expression, dress sense etc.
Animators:
Animators are humans that have the ability to raise people from the dead as zombies. A more powerful form is a necromancer. They have affinity for all dead (including vampires).
Zombies are not "natural" creatures, but must be raised by an animator. Methods of raising a zombie seem to differ, but it seems a sacrifice is always needed. It is also helpful if the animator knows the name of the zombie they are trying to raise.
The older the zombie, the bigger the "death" needed to raise it. After a few centuries, the only death "big enough" is a human sacrifice. This person is known as the "white goat" or "hornless goat". Anita generally uses chickens or real goats in her sacrifices. Anita has raised zombies over 200 years old without a human sacrifice.
If a corpse is going to rise as a vampire, it cannot be raised as a zombie. An animator must wait 3 days after death before attempting to raise a zombie. This gives the soul time to leave the body. If an animator can somehow raise a zombie with the soul intact, the zombie will not rot and will retain its intelligence. Only one person has ever figured out how to do this, but Anita killed her.
Speaking of rotting, zombies may come from the grave looking very alive-looking but it doesn't last. They always rot. Personality and intelligence goes first, then the body. Thankfully, always in that order.
Zombies are generally harmless and obey the orders of the animator that raised it. However, there are rare cases where zombies go a little crazy and start attacking people. They seem to crave flesh. If they don't get it, they'll start of decay. Flesh-eating zombies last a lot longer than normal. Zombies are solitary and don't run in packs unless they're ordered to. (http://www.timber-wolf.net/blake/groups/char-zombies.html)
In order to be raised form the dead, a series of steps are required by the animator:
(1) The animator needs a death first. For newly dead, an animal is sufficient. The older the corpse, the bigger the animal required. For very old corpses, a human sacrifice or white goat is sometimes required, although a necromancer can use his/her own blood as a little death. The blood is also used to create a circle around the area where the zombis is to be raised. It will be unable to leave this circle, unless broken by the animator.
(2)The blood is then rubbed over the face (forehead and cheeks), both hands, under the shirt, and over the heart. Then it is rubbed onto the tombstone. Over flesh and stone, an ointment is rubbed in. (Comon ingredients: graveyard mold, rosemary-for memory, cinnamon or clove-for preservation, sage-for wisdom, thyme-to bind it together).
(3)A chant is made to call the zombie, and then when it is called forth, the blood is offered to the zombie in order to bring some kind of human rememberance to it. Using human blood quickens the zombie more readily and longer. A zombie can only be called from their grave by name. In theory, it is possible to call a zombie without naming them ( Anita ).
*When it comes time to lay the zombie to rest again, salt is first thrown
against the chest
( "With salt I bind you to your grave." )
Then the bloody knife used in the sacrifice is passed over their lips.
( "With blood and steel I bind you to your grave. {Insert name} , be
at peace and walk no more." )
The zombie is then swallowed up by the earth once more. ( CoD-160 )
Necromancy is divination by raising the spirits of the dead. The word derives from the Greek nekros "dead" and manteia "divination". It has a subsidiary meaning derived from an alternative and archaic form of the word, nigromancy , (from the word niger , "black") in which the magical force of 'dark powers' is gained from or acting upon corpses. One who is a practitioner of necromancy is a necromancer .
Necromancers can raise the dead and control all manner of dead. Because they have an affinity for the dead, if they are made into human servants, they would have ultimate power over all vampires, since none of the tricks would work on them anymore.
When Anita uses her necromancy powers, they feel like a cool wind which emanates from her body. It's as if all her nerve endings are opened and exposed naked to the wind. She creates a circle of wind that can sift through the dead bodies is the ground and sense them. Combining her powers with Larry, however, doesn't double the circle, but quadruples it.