One x One Familiars of a Greater Witch -- Lore

[Damselfly]

So! The nuntius candle in the introductory post is a message candle. It sent a message to its pair, which is back in Siseri's home in her witchlands. It contains the following message, spoken only once its lit. The candle will have glowing marking on it when it's storing a message, FYI.

"Little ones, I am in grave danger. I am in the Dumo mountains, towards the western-most peak. I am in search of the Ruby Chalice. It is the only thing that will save the queen. She is dying, little ones, something I know I should have told you both. I should have told both of you all of this. I apologize. If anyone knows the true nature of your quest, they will kill you. If anyone knows you are familiars, they might try to enslave you, bend you to their will. You must not let this happen. You must find the Ruby Chalice, if I am unable to. I am under attack by a strange white creature, with wings and talons. I don't know what it is. I'm sorry, little ones, to burden you with this. I wish you well. If I die, you will feel your bonds to me break. I will ask you to continue my quest, and save our beloved queen. But after our bonds are broken, the choice is yours. Be well, my dear little ones. Try to get along."

Then the candle fades.

 

[Damselfly]

A witch normally binds a lesser creature to her will. The more powerful the witch, the more powerful of creatures she can bind. Now, if a witch is very powerful, and very old, she might be able to bind multiple familiars to her will. And if she's especially talented, those familiars might be able to gain sentience, although that's exceedingly rare.

Siseri is very powerful, very old, and very talented. She bound two familiars to her, and gave them both sentience. She also ensured they had wills of their own. While they couldn't disobey a direct order, her familiars very much had their own minds and could make their own decisions. Once Siseri dies, the familiars have enough sentience that they will be able to continue to grow and develop, no longer tied to her will.

Now, sometimes witches or other magic-users will attempt to steal familiars from each other. They do this via rituals or artifacts, but first they must weaken the witch's hold over her familiar(s).

Factors that weaken a witch's hold over her familiars are:

• Distance from her familiars and/or her witchlands (her territory)
• Time away (the longer the familiars are from their witch, the weaker her bond over them becomes)
• Injury or pain (You can beat a familiar into submission)

 

[Damselfly]

A witch's home is the seat of her power. Typically, the older she is, the more powerful she becomes. And the more powerful she becomes, the more her territory expands. The witchlands will reflect the witch's characteristics and personality (e.g. an evil witch will have witchlands that are bogs and swamps, while a kinder witch will have wildflower prairies). Within her witchlands, a witch is the most powerful.

Siseri's witchlands are surrounded by mountains, with a single pass in and out of the valley. Siseri's home sits by the edge of a large lake, and is surrounded by woodlands that are full of all manner of creatures and plants.