Witches
Witches are one-side of the coin of magic users in the world1. Human women (and very rarely men2) who posses a certain flair for magic — an innate ability to tap into, and manipulate the mystical/magical energy in the world around them for use in spellcraft, charms, and potions. These abilities generally tend to run in certain familial lines — though not every child born to a Witch posses the ability for magic.
A Witch may practice Wicca, but it is not a requirement. Nor is being Wiccan a guarantee that one is a Witch. Witches are just as diverse in their religious beliefs and cultures as any other human.
The existence of their magical abilities are generally kept to themselves (Individual Practitioners), or within the Coven (Groups of Practitioners). In instances like "the Coven", other supernatural races are aware of the existence of these Witches, and oftentimes hire them to provide certain protection spells or charms.
A Witch's power is not unlimited — they can only utilize so much magic before draining themselves/exhausting themselves. The more they cast within a 72 hour period, the weaker they, and by proxy, their spells will become.
While each Witch may learn any spell they desire, they must find someone who knows the spell they seek, or have access to a written copy of the spell be it in a grimoire or scroll. However, new magic takes time and effort to learn. A Witch cannot simply read a spell from a book or scroll, and expect it to work perfectly on the first cast.
Witches seek balance and harmony with nature, and their primary spheres of magic are aligned with connection with and drawing from water and earth, and their repertoire of spells and spellcraft reflect this. Many of a Witch's Talents3 are usually benevolent and defensive, and include healing, enhanced vision, binding, telepathy, concealment, an awareness of beings in the immediate vicinity.This is not to say that Witches cannot manipulate and channel the powers of fire and air, though they often do not use them for more destructive means. For example, a fire may be summoned to warm the hearth.
The onset of puberty typically matches the moment when a Witch begins to manifest her power. This is not a hard and set rule, however, and there have been Witches as young as preschool displaying Talent, or as old as their mid-twenties learning to master their abilities for the first time.
