Wiccan

"You don't want to indulge witches, sonny," He made a point of slinging his pack on his shoulders and chugging the last dregs of mead, "There's no need for their kind here."

Wiccan are people with magical abilities who use it for material benefits, unlike wizards who use their gifts to learn more about universal truths. Therefore, anyone can identify as Wicca so long as they use magic for these reasons and belong to a coven, their original ethnicity irrelevant.
Those outside of Wiccan communities view "witches" as a menace, characterising them as tyrants corrupted by their own power and ignorant of the talents they possess. As such, Wiccan are traditionally characterised as women, especially in cultures where they're thought to be less knowledgeable and more influenced by their emotions than their male counterparts.
The most famous Wicca are the Nine Sisters, which Morgan le Fay is in charge of as their Mistress. Their coven is unconventionally small, but justified by the noticeable lack of magical power within her family's bloodline. Despite common belief, the Nine Sisters are not all birth sisters of Morgan le Fey.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Aileen, Anathese, Ariana, Artemis, Astra, Astrid, Amelia, Beatrice, Beth, Briar, Bryony, Cassandra, Cassiopeia, Celeste, Christine, Christina, Circe, Emily, Eloise, Ethel, Eve, Fiona, Gaia, Glenda, Glitonea, Harriet, Hilda, Hyacinth, Kallie, Ingrid, Lavina, Lilura, Luna, Mable, Maeve, Mardella, Marilla, Maude, Mazoe, Minerva, Moira, Myrtle, Nora, Odette, Olga, Peony, Petunia, Selena, Serafina, Serifene, Shena, Skye, Venus, Vulpe, Yvette, Zalera, Zema

Masculine names

Aenas, Athan, Allard, Allister, Allistair, Atherton, Augustus, Bevan, Ballard, Brady, Bram, Brody, Cade, Calder, Caten, Cedric, Dallen, David, Deron, Dorian, Emile, Ephriam, Ewart, Fontayne, Gaian, Galen, Heath, Joriah, Jeremy, Kayne, Keen, Laris, Lars, Mars, Matthias, Michael, Mistral, Orion, Osran, Regan, Sol, Wayde, Wolfe, Yven, Xander

Unisex names

Aris, Aster, Augustine, Calo, Clovis, Cordon, Ellen, Eowyn, Faba, Fae, Ferox, Filix, Frances, Gliten, Gliton, Hester, Hild, Morgan, Moronoe, Piper, Rey, Rue, Thiten, Thiton, Tyronoe,Willow

Family names

(These are names that Wiccan families may have, given to them by the community outside the coven. For family names used within the coven, see: Coven Names.)

Argent, Barlow, Blackwood, Borges, Covenhold, Craft, Creighton, Crowe, Denholm, Geren, Grimm, Grimsbane, Grimsley, Halewell, Highmore, Karlsen, Keeling, Knotley, Krauss, Le Fay, Le Torneu, Maganti, Moonshade, Nantes, Rathmore, Reyan, Sangrey, Shackleton, Shade, Shadowsoul, Tempest, Thornheart, Tombend, Trevils, Wiccafale

Other names

Forbidden Names

(These names are no longer in use by Wiccan. Often belonging to outcasts or those who practised the most condemned forms of magic, executed along with their legacy for their crimes.)

Arethia, Cain, Electra, Eliphram, Lucinda, Mordred, Rowena, Ursula, Zaleria

Coven Names

(Coven names are made of two components. The first word is the number of families under one coven - even if not all the members are Wiccan. The second word tends to be their speciality, commonality, or something bestowed by their surrounding, non-Wiccan community.)
Two Twins, Three Fates, Three Seers, Five Fingers, Nine Sisters, Ten Wills

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Wiccan culture is international, some covens having their own sub-cultures. Therefore, they share many languages with the places where they reside.

Use of Latin

Though Latin is considered the cypher of witches and wizards alike, Wiccan prefer to use the vernacular or their own forms of communication. Those who still invoke their powers through the use of Latin are either "Renegade Wizards" - wizard apprentices who strayed from the code of practise - or Wiccans from a prominent mage heritage.

Average technological level

Capable of Smithing and making Inkana. The latter is done sparingly, since supplies are illegal for anyone except people registered with The Institute of Wizards.

Common Etiquette rules

Casting incantations with good posture is considered good etiquette, whereas weaving the gestures into a dance or making a show out of spellcasting is only accepted during Wiccan events. Doing so outside of this context is considered prideful and honestly, rather inconvenient.
The coven eats together during all three meals of the day and sleep within their own family quarters. Sleeping, no matter when it's done, is a private affair and best kept to the Wicca themselves. This is because of the common uneasiness that comes with sleeping around people that may or may not be able to read your dreams whilst you're having them.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

It is tradition for a Wicca to keep their own spell books and tomes. Upon joining a coven, they're given their own tome to use either as a spell book or for storing ingredients and recipes for potions. The longer they are Wicca, the larger and more worn this book becomes. New books are custom gifts whenever a Wicca's tome runs out of room, even when sewing in more pages is made quite easy.

Coming of Age Rites

When a Wicca comes of age, the Mistress of the Coven helps them create their own cauldron. In the case of a young man, who probably has learned metalworking with aether as part of Wiccan education, he might already know how to do this without supervision. Since Wicca men are pressured more by their local communities to leave (and often have more reason to reject Wiccan tradition), not many young men take part in this rite of passage to Wiccan adulthood.

Common Taboos

The practise of living alone is frowned upon by most Wiccan. One common thread amongst them is forming covens, usually consisting of up to five families. There is usually one coven per parish, or sometimes more if the coven splits after a conflict. Instead of fighting over disputes, the coven is separated into three smaller covens until the feud is over: those who agree with the challenger, those who disagree and Wiccan who have no opinion / desire for conflict over the issue.
To become a lone Wiccan is only an option when they are no longer able to control their own magic or when all the others of their coven are killed. Living alone as a Wiccan is extremely dangerous, even if they live in areas with no persecution. It's of vital importance that a Wiccan - especially one new to their powers - has a group of mentors or friends and family to consult.

Necromancy

After the Wars of Torment ended 250 years ago, Necromancy has been outright forbidden by both wizards and Wiccan as part of their peace treaty. The remnants of such work, Wraiths, are recovered by Wraithfarers and sent to the Kingdom of Garka with their own kind. Persons risen through necromancy that aren't turned over to be extradited are destroyed by having their aether forcibly removed from the body.
In Wiccan circles, being charged with Necromancy ironically carries as much weight as being charged with Witchcraft in other cultures. Those found guilty of practising Necromancy are burned along with their tools and research, killing their memory along with them. From then on, the defendant's name is forbidden to be said. Many names for children have been stricken in this way, with Wicca already sharing a name with the accused having to select a new one to go by.

Historical figures

Morgan le Fay and her Nine Sisters  are remembered not only by Wiccan, but most cultures across Poraile. Their residence on the legendary island of Avalon is fuel for many an imagination, including its true location.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Hair colour and length is closely intertwined with the body's ability to store aether and the amount it can contain at any given time, so its natural colour plays a part in Wiccan beauty. The most common shades considered attractive are bright red, dark purple, or black. Some prefer white or brown, but "straw-coloured" hair is the most avoided. Generally, regardless of gender, the longer your hair, the better.

Gender Ideals

Though inclusive of all genders, Wicca assign different genders to tasks according to their perceived skill in these areas. Girls are trained more often to deal with customers, readings of the future and attending Wiccan events. Boys are more likely to be skilled in organisation of both objects and the workspace, smithing using aether and using spells to aid in manual tasks.
Gender neutrality is an acknowledged identity, and with it comes a unique set of tasks. Some artefacts forbid one gender or another to touch them, so gender neutral Wicca are responsible for the distribution of these items safely. Gender neutral children often specialise in dispelling not just these, but all curses, since neutrality in Wiccan culture is viewed as a state of inner balance, which comes in useful when removing both positive and negative aether enchantments from all sorts of objects.
All Wicca are expected to learn spells and the components of certain chemical and potions, as well as how to brew their own.

Courtship Ideals

Courtships commonly start with exchanging riddles. They don't have to do with the sender's feelings, but rather function as a form of tentative flirting or charming conversation. Though seen as forward, a suitor could also start by sending flowers that correspond to the recipient's name.

Relationship Ideals

Once a Wiccan joins a coven, they are expected to marry a fellow Wiccan. This allows the tradition to remain secret whilst also running as little risk of persecution as possible. When this isn't possible, there is nothing to stop a Wiccan from remaining unmarried and living without a partner, regardless of gender.
Relationships are founded on mutual respect and the ability to teach one another. Amongst Wiccan, who use their magic to actively help others, families who help their outside community with their gifts are well-respected. That being said, couples aim to teach their children Wiccan traditions, even if they possess no magic of their own. Though less prevalent in Wiccan communities, there is a lingering sense of competition and a desire for their children to be even more talented than others in the coven.
Marriages where only one partner is Wicca turn out differently. Even if their partner is a relative of a Wicca, they are expected to stay out of their partner's workspace and profession. This is especially true if the partner is "aether ignorant" - meaning that they are neither Wicca or a wizard. Interference with a potion from someone who is aether-ignorant is called "muddying", and Wicca have to specify whether their concoctions are "muddy" or not when selling to other Wiccan.

Major organizations

Aether Ignorant Countries

(Though Wicca and wizards exist in these countries, they are called "aether-ignorant" since their power structures either are not impacted by or condemn magic.)

Noravägen

The Vandrere - the ethnic majority of Noravägen - do not acknowledge Wicca on their own terms. Instead, they're conflated with wizards or mages and called "klöka". Anyone who makes a living out of using medicine, science or magic is called "klöka". As such, this renders it impossible for a feasible Witchcraft charge to be fully implemented, despite many tries from foreigners to do so.
Klöka, for the most part, are respected for their power but also feared. Just as they can heal and enlighten, so can they damage and cast out, as the beasts roaming the land prove. Even with beast populations increasing the Vandrere opinion on "Klöka" are divided. Hunters both bless and curse their names, depending on their luck. Commoners do well to leave these mysterious individuals to their business, else they find something they would rather not know. Such is the surrounding message of the original Tragedies of Oberic.

Council of Camelan

Though the charge of Witchcraft has been repealed, it has been replaced with a "Witch Redemption Programme", where discovered Wicca are required to use their magic in name of the state. Those who get enveloped by these programmes are forbidden from visiting their coven and must communicate in letters reviewed by wizards, who remain unaffected by Camelan legislation.
Male Wicca aren't socially acknowledged as witches, so they avoid persecution rather easily by claiming to instead be wizards. Wicca laugh at how this excuse mysteriously always works, especially since gender neutral Wicca can also claim to be wizards with no consequence.

Oksal

One of the only countries that still openly persecute Wicca. Here, it is illegal to both practise witchcraft and to be Wicca, leaving many coven trapped in the country with an ultimatum: forsake your abilities, or become a refugee. Those fortunate to remain in Oksal have to disguise their powers as bestowed to them by their God, but this excuse can only last for so long.
In Oksal, the King and God are the same. If the Divine Prophet of Oksal fails to back up a Wicca's claims of divine inspiration, the Wicca is outed and executed along with their brethren. When a Wicca is executed, their hair is shaved to completely drain their powers.

Kingdom of Garka

Their citizens are entirely comprised of discarded or lingering Wraiths, unable to leave the country without being requested as a guest by someone from another land. In turn, they have adopted the same policy for those who wish to enter theirs, closing their border to all immigrants.
There aren't any known Wiccan communities in the Kingdom of Garka, mainly because the country would consider it an infringement of their rights and a declaration of war.

Aether Prevalent Countries

(countries who's power structures are reliant or accepting of widespread use of magic.)

Alain

Mainly home to fairies and other woodland-reliant communities, they are not generally welcoming of human settlers. They make an exception for polite and respectful magic-users, however. A fairy is more likely to share their knowledge and space with a Wicca, since their goals and ideals more closely align with a fairy's pleasure-seeking personality. Alain is also a magiocracy, where those with the most magical power are given the richest political benefits.

Ederesse and Hemnas

Where elves are the majority, they welcome magically capable people of all races. It's noted they are more receptive and trusting of the inquiries of a wizard than they are Wiccan. Though they don't draw a sharp separation between the two, they can see the seeds of self-interest in a Wicca's eyes.

Shal, The Krodian Federation, Sinari

Wicca are not openly accepted from different species, but their own arcane communities thrive without hindrance. Seen as good for the further interests of their citizens, a coven can live comfortable amongst the marshes and swamps so long as they show reverence to the right deities.

Altijara

More generous than Oksal, Altijara acknowledges how useful magic can be for the prosperity of the nation and allows its practise openly for many purposes. Magic is never persecuted as a crime in and of itself, only when the practitioner is using their gifts to commit crimes that those even without magic can accomplish.
They leave the persecution of magic-specific taboos to The Institute of Wizards and Wiccan covens, knowing full well how little the aether-ignorant can understand the workings of magic they cannot use.

Alternative Names

Witches, Pagans, Klöka

Parent ethnicities

• Mage

Encompassed species

• Human

Related Organizations

• The Nine Sisters

Related Items

• Deck of Staves

Languages spoken

• Camthian
• Latin