WITCH
SPELLS
OF THE
WARBLE
COVEN: |
A simple
charm familiar to many witches is the Finding. While the means of effecting such
a charm and its limitations differ between covens, the end result is the same. A
Finding charm directs the user towards a person, object or place. It is also
often referred to as "Pin's Point", "Dowsing Rod", "Searchers' Stew", "Under Sky
Or In The Ground".
Spell Effect. A
Finding will draw a person, typically the witch who has crafted it, towards
whatever it is meant to seek. It does not tend to do so directly, in many cases.
The path a Finding shows is rarely straight-forward, and based on the skill of
the witch may not hone in exactly on the target but will merely lead near to it.
Findings may be used to find living things, people or animals, inanimate objects
ranging from lost jewellery to ore to fertile soil.
Crafting Procedure.
Needle Witches create a pin-bauble, a collection of thread and scraps of fabric
or yarn sewn or knit into a pouch around an object. If the witch wishes to find
a person for instance, she may use a lock of hair, a well worn piece of clothing
or an item of personal significance, and craft the pin-bauble around that. Once
completed, the bauble is transfixed with a pin or needle and hung from a length
of string. Pin-baubles excel at finding people or animals, but falter when
presented with less animate subjects.
A Chisel Witch carves a familiar forked dowsing rod. The rod is shaped like a Y,
and employed with either hand on the shorter lengths of the fork, and the
remaining long section of the branch pointed away from the witch. A branch must
be selected, and then carved, smoothed and polished in order to function.
Finally, the witch must give the dowsing rod a "scent", often accomplished by
including some fragment of the object to be found in the polishing wax, be it
soil, iron filings, or spring water.
Dowsing rods tend to excel at finding natural things, related to the tree
itself, be it good earth for plants, water to dig a well, or indeed ores, but
tend to do poorly when tasked with finding animals or people.
The Rhyme Witch's method of casting is among the simplest, and some claim the
weakest. The short chant may even be familiar to some, and must be repeated
while turning in a circle with one's arm outstretched holding a pendulum.
Turning, turning, turn around |
It is said that a Rhyme Witch's
finding has very little range, when compared to other Findings, hence the
necessity to work this particular charm in repetition. This finding is, however,
notable in that it does not require a scent. A Rhyme Finding may be worked with
merely the name of the thing to be sought, which is typically inserted in the
second verse of the rhyme, and the final verse may be amended for gender or
numbers as a result. This does lead to complications for while one may easily
search for Kel or Noric, searching for
"sheep" or "goat" may cause the search to end at the nearest pasture, rather
than where it is intended.
While other methods of casting a finding exist, among the most bizarre is that
of the Cauldron Witches, who brew a particularly noxious stew, said to include
such diverse and inedible materials as filings from a compass,
flittermouse eyes and powdered
sunflowers, in addition to the
element that needs to be found. The "Searching Stew" requires that this last
component be liquid or somehow liquefied in order to be consumed.
When consumed, the searcher (typically the witch, as few are willing to consume
the stew) feels a pull from the gut towards the object of the finding. Needless
to say this particular finding lasts only as long as the stew stays in the belly
(which may be passing short, depending on the gastronomic fortitude of the
imbiber) and will end if the contents of the stomach should be voided.
Materials. Any form
of Finding requires a focus, in order to direct the charm. A pin-bauble may
utilize a personal effect such as a comb, favoured piece of jewellery or indeed,
a well-worn sock, alongside the more typical lock of hair, tooth or a splash of
blood. The container for this object is made of loose threads and scraps of
fabric, or odd ends of yarn, which is then transfixed with a long needle or pin.
This pin then orients itself (and the rest of the bauble) towards the object.
Some disagreement is had over what to use for this focus; some witches may craft
the pin-bauble and use any stray pin, up to and including a hair pin, knitting
needle or errant tooth pick, while others claim that the needle or pin used to
sew or knit the bauble together improves the potency of the spell.
The dowsing rod varies from witch to witch, based purely on the wood used. Some
witches swear by dowsing rods made from the soft, pliable wood of a willow
branch, while others prefer fragrans, meldrapple, malus, pine or even a twig
from a redberry bush. What is agreed upon is that soft woods make for the best
rods, though they are often the most difficult to carve. The branch chosen is
often forked in some way and traditionally takes the shape of a Y. The chosen is
carefully removed from the tree, cut and then whittled and smoothed, before
finally being polished. The polishing process also includes "scenting" the rod
with a small sample of what it is meant to find, similar to giving a hound a
scent to follow. This varies wildly but common "scents" are iron fillings, gold
flakes or dust, spring water.
Some witches opt to use a single dowsing rod several times (perhaps owing to
certain difficulties in crafting) simply covering one scent with a new one.
While this generally works, the rod can become "confused" if too many scents are
added to it and will eventually become useless.
Rhyming Findings require a pendant, often this is a simple piece of jewellery
but may be nothing more than a smooth stone or piece of polished wood with a
hole bored through it. It is important that the pendant be worked, or altered in
some way by the witch in order to function. The pendant is held in an
outstretched arm and sways in the direction of the object of the search. Rhyming
Findings also require the name of the subject. The more unique this name is, the
better. Searching for Jakor may find everyone by that name, while searching for
Jakor Overhill would be more precise.
Searching Stew requires a cauldron, kettle or other form of pot to brew the
spell in. The exact making varies, as some will attempt to make the stew more
palatable than others. What is known is that the main ingredients of the stew
are rarely pleasant. Dogs' noses, bits of
flittermouth or owl are included to help in the searching. Fillings from a
compass are included, for the same reason, though special attention is paid not
to include lodestone in stew for it ruins the mixture and draws the wrong
threads.
Crafting Time.
The crafting time of focus for a Finding varies based on the skill of the witch
working at it. A novice who can't stop pricking her thumb with a needle will
take much longer to sew a pin-bauble than a practised needle witch.
Duration. A Finding
lasts as long as the witch continues to attempt it. So long as the witch
continues to work the finding, her charm will continue to direct her towards its
target.
Range and Power.
A Finding is only as good as the witch that has crafted it, though generally,
there is something to be said of the quality and relative freshness of the
materials, particularly in the case of finding something living.
Counterspells, Defences and
Immunities. Animals that travel in herds are much harder to
pinpoint individually. A finding may simply direct the witch to the nearest
flock of sheep, rather than a single lost
member of the flock. It is said that carrying a piece of lodestone makes it
harder to pinpoint an individual. Some sell charms or coins made out of
lodestone for just such a purpose, otherwise it may be worked into inconspicuous
jewellery. Attempts to find lodestone have almost always lead to the witch
finding herself walking in circles. Likewise, quicksilver and cinnabar are also
notorious for throwing off Findings.
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