Wandering Witch
"Who are you?"
"Does it matter? I am the one who can help you get what you want."
"Whatever I want?"
"Oh, yes... even these dirty little wishes you hide in the back of your mind. The ones you only wish for when you are alone in your cold, cold bed..."
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to be down on their luck? Why not even the worst rumor or the most evil deed can harm them? Perhaps they have made a deal with a Wandering Witch. Maybe you should do it if you can't get your opponent any other way. The price? A favor here, some blood there. Sometimes the price is just a night you'll never remember. But it's always something that has consequences and more than a few wish they had never made the deal when faced with these consequences.
Region of origin and distribution
Although secret wishes are everywhere and the need for those who can make them come true is great, there are only isolated Wandering Witches outside of Mortavia, where they have roamed for centuries. Only with the increasing spread of airships do some of the witches stray to Aetheria or Mechanika, where the rules for dealing with them are far less strict, and they are much freer in the wishes they fulfill - or in the prices they charge for them.
In earlier centuries, only women were known as Wandering Witches, but in recent decades there have been frequent rumors of a man who calls himself "Lord of Sins," and according to the witches' reaction, belongs to them.
In Mortavia, the Wandering Witches are part of everyday life. They can be found everywhere on the continent, from the cloud-covered Ebonpeak Mountains to the Misty Coast. Outside of the "Sin Days" of summer, it is rare to encounter more than one Wandering Witch in a given region, and they rarely stay in the same place for more than three days and three nights.
How to make a Wish come true
To make a wish come true, a magically binding contract is required between the sorceress and her client. This contract specifies both the wish to be fulfilled and the price to be paid for it. Following the conclusion of the contract, the witch begins to perform the spell that transforms the wish into reality and demands the price that the client has agreed to pay.
Although it is not advisable, there is always someone who wants to cheat the witch out of the price. The retribution for this is usually a prophecy or a curse that can turn the wish into its opposite, or plunge the "customer" into misery. Time and again, those who have been granted such a prophecy run after it, destroying their own lives.
Of course, in this case the original spell is perverted, so it can't become the original wish.
Laws & Regulations
As could easily be expected, most regions have laws that prohibit dealing with wandering witches. Usually one of the churches is behind these laws, although they are happy to overlook the witch's profession for the fulfillment of a small wish or two...
Quite as it usually is, the ban has only led to a rush for the services of the Wandering Witches. Apart from that, after so many centuries, so many people are committed to the witches that hardly anyone can be found to enforce the laws.
Becoming a Sinmaker
To become a Sinmaker, a young woman - or more rarely, a young man - makes a pact with a high-ranking devil. The subject of this pact are the magical powers of the future witch, in exchange for the witch's services on the days of sin in summer, as well as during the winter solstice.
The power of a Wandering Witch grows with the number of people tempted to make their sins and secret wishes come true with the help of magic. For this reason, Wandering Witches are given a reluctance to settle firmly in one place. They always need new potential sinners who can increase their power.
Everything has a Price
Even though every wish granted strengthens the power of the Wandering Witches, they usually do nothing without payment. The price is not usually paid in money, although the witches do take money for their potions and other services. But those who want to make a heart's desire, a sin, a truth, have to pay a different price.
The price is always personal, and ranges from simple things like a vial of blood to a favor that is called in at some point, or a night and the memories of that night that follow. The more intense and greater the desire, the higher the price demanded. In addition, most witches have the rule that the payment must come from the same area as the wish.
Love this article! You've solidified some ideas I have for devils in my own world here. Great work.
Learn about the World of Wizard's Peak and check out my award winning article about the Ghost Boy of Kirinal!
Thank you so very much! I wanted something besides the typical nature-bound-witchling from other TTRPGs... pacts with devils suit my needs perfectly!