Bloodwitch

as told by June

We Bloodmages are a reclusive and oft-misunderstood group.  Many arcanists think Spirit magic itself is dangerous and ought to be forbidden, to say nothing of those brazen enough to use their own blood to power their spells.  Some fear that since we have crossed the line of using our own blood, we might decide to use the blood of others.  I tell you this story with the hope of alleviating your fears…

I practice my martial skills far less than I ought to, especially with a war going on.  Usually I am content to practice my spellcraft and provide fellow spell-users with my products (for a modest fee, of course).  Every once in a while, though, I feel compelled to try out some new spell I have made myself, before I am willing to risk selling it to the public.  Last week, I had one of those urges. 

I usually do not visit the Master Bloodmage.  He values his privacy and usually gives me a hard time when I stop by his abode.  This week, though, he seemed almost glad to see me, which put up red flags immediately. 

“June, June, welcome!  I have not seen you for some time!” he said as I pushed past the curtains.  “Come, sit with me – there’s much to discuss.”

I thanked him for his uncharacteristic hospitality and, trying not to be rude, asked him why he was in such a friendly mood. 

“Saw through that, did you?  Very well, I will come to the point.  One of our brethren has turned.  I have sent everyone who has stopped by to chase her down and ‘resolve’ our problem.”

I am quite certain my face when pale when I heard the word ‘turned’.  Some call turned Bloodmages ‘Vampires’, but we call them ‘Bloodwitches’.  As some of you might know, Spiritists limit their magic to affecting the soul.  We Bloodmages go beyond the limitations of pure Spirit magic and use our blood to fuel our spells.  Sometimes, we use our talents to affect our blood or the blood of others, but we never use another’s blood under any condition.  Those that draw their power from the blood of others crave their new source of power and soon spend their lives searching for new victims.  We cannot tolerate such an abomination and whenever rumors surface that a new Bloodwitch is practicing, we seek her out and destroy her.

It is never easy though.  Bloodwitches always have more raw power available to them than a single Bloodmage.  The only ways to defeat one are to attack with several Bloodmages or to catch the Bloodwitch when she is out of victims.  Most witches keep several victims at a time, just in case.  Since I was going out on my own, I was going to need a lot of luck to succeed.

The Master told me the Witch was rumored to be living in the Spirit Swamp, between Selen, Harro, and Lerena.  I had been there before, when I made my pilgrimage to the Spiritist Tower, so I knew the terrain fairly well.  Many Fyakkis live there, as well as a group of Reanimated Sslik and Bone Golems.  I decided to start my search at the Spiritist Tower.  When I arrived, much to my surprise, the Tower’s keeper was not at his post.  He is always at the entrance to the tower and is strong enough to destroy any marauding creature that might get too close to him.  I made my way inside the tower and began to climb. 

Nothing seemed out of order until I reached the first landing, about a third of the way up.  The landing is in the very center of the tower, which is hollow everywhere else except the roof and the base.  In the very center of the landing, I saw a slight discoloration in the stone, and as I bent down to look more closely, a drop of blood falling from somewhere above me landed right on the stain.  I became very apprehensive, as it was clear that I was in the witch’s lair alone.  She probably did not know I was there yet, but even with the element of surprise on my side, I figured I did not stand much of a chance.  Being Gifted has made me more courageous than I was before my first brush with death, though, and I decided I might as well confront the witch, so up I went.

The sight I saw at the top of the tower was truly appalling.  There were several humans chained to the ground, some dead, some clinging to life.  The witch was nowhere to be found, but no doubt, she would be back.  I had to act quickly and do something about the witch’s victims.  Evacuating them would do no good, as the witch would still be at large and replace anyone I led to freedom.  I have to admit I considered killing them all, in the hopes that it would sap the witch’s power, but I figured she would feel their deaths and find a new lair.  At a loss for what to do, I sat down to think.  It occurred to me that maybe I could even the odds by protecting the souls of the witch’s victims with Soul Shield and Spirit Resistance, but that probably wasn’t enough strength to block the effects of the witch’s magic.  I cast the spells on the surviving victims and sat back down.  I had been sitting for only a couple minutes when I heard footsteps coming up the tower’s stairwell.  It was time for something dramatic. 

I had recently learned how to use my blood as a very potent, albeit short-lived shield.  I did not know how to use this ability on others, but necessity is the mother of invention, and sure enough, I figured it out in record time.  Each of the remaining victims now had very potent ethereal armor, which I hoped would trick the witch into thinking they were dead long enough for me to defeat her.  I prepared for the coming battle and hid outside on the balcony and waited for the witch to show up. 

She arrived and before she could check on her victims, I leapt out from my hiding place and let loose a spirit bolt.  I could see her try to draw upon her victims to no avail.  After trying to draw upon the last victim, she must have accepted that I had killed them all and began to prepare to fight back.  We traded theft of life spells, but the precious seconds she had wasted proved to be too much for her to recover.  She let out a shriek and staggered backwards, falling over the railing.

We Bloodmages take care of our own problems.  I cannot go into any specifics, but that particular witch will never use the blood of others.