History clans of witchesCW-213 a bad time for all in Europe; the Inquisition had taken a terrible toll a couple of centuries before - and when it was over, the witches started fighting for power; only Napoleon kept them from exterminating each other entirelyCW-213 the only Western European bloodline to survive the power struggle was the Torvalis line, which was interbred with the GypsiesCW-213 the few witchblood families left in Europe during the Napoleonic Wars had quit killing each other, forced instead to protect themselves from the ravages of more mundane fightingCW-121 witches were still born here and there into mundane families, but seldom had a tenth of the power of the old familiesCW-214 the Eastern European and Oriental witches had never established the kind of dynasties the Western European witches hadCW-214 they guarded their spells from each other; so each family tended to specializeCW-214 witches are so jealous of each otherCW-219

From Chat Transcripts: a witch is born to use magicChat 2007-11-03 they are trained in spell usageChat 2007-11-03 and they are usually born to different families who are witchesChat 2007-11-03 some of the things witches can do to increase their power, is as corrupting as sorceryChat 2007-11-03 witches do things with mind and body. Wizards have power over the physical – and both do magic. The ends are sometimes the same, but the means are different. It's far easier to be a powerful wizard and still be a good person then it is to be a powerful witch.Chat 2008-07-27

From Cry Wolf: witches and dead things went together; there were witches that didn't kill but they were far less powerful than their darker sistersCW-234 witches often hired themselves outCW-181 there were witches who regularly worked for the various law-enforcement agenciesCW-181 most witches are human and not immortalCW-191 magic and fire have an odd, synergistic effect sometimesCW-237 likely the witches didn't know why it was forbidden for them to try to take a werewolf for a pet or familiar–not that most of them had the power to do itCW-239

Torvalis line

Black Witch Gray Witch White Witch

Spell Casting

imprisoning spells are pretty basicCW-189 illusions were among the very basic tenets of witchcraftCW-174 a strong enough witch can control any werewolf who doesn't have a pack to protect him; it is forbidden by witch law, but it is possibleCW-218 it usually took witches a while to gain a hold on a lone wolfCW-232 power circles: some witches used them to set guard spells to keep things they valued safe, and others used them to store power for drawing upon laterCW-234 changing what the senses of other perceived was one of the major powers of the witchCW-234 most of witchcraft is potions and spellsCW-236 witches could hide in plain sight if they had some sort of hold on you; hide-me spellsCW-238 a witch's creations did not survive their makerCW-280 self-sacrifice–as when the witch uses her own blood to fuel a spell – has some power, but it's difficult to work withHG-120 power circles; some witches used them to set guard spells to keep things they valued safe, and others used to them to store power for drawing upon laterCW-234 changing what the senses of others perceived was one of the major powers of the witchCW-234