A Little Bit Witchy (A Riddler's Edge Cozy Mystery #1) Page 17

  What we do know is this: during the full moon (and including the day preceding and the day following said moon) all werewolves transform from their humanoid body, becoming wolves for three consecutive nights. Over the course of these three nights, the change begins at sunset and ends at sundown. Because of this, the transformation tends not to affect werewolves in their daily lives.

  The werewolf curse can be passed on via a simple bite or scratch to any part of the body. The curse has many upsides: unusual strength, longevity (some werewolves have been known to live as long as vampires) and good looks. Rigorous testing has proved that even the ugliest human or witch, when transformed into a werewolf, instantly becomes more attractive.

  The lure of werewolf-hood is irresistible to many witches. The well-known actress Veronica Berry has recently been turned by her werewolf lover, lead guitarist with the Call of the Wild. In a statement to Young Witch Weekly, Veronica said, ‘I was warned that I could lose quite a large chunk of my power, but that didn’t happen. I’m just as powerful as ever – except now I get to frolic with my gorgeous lover during the full moon.’

  Before she turned, there was much speculation that Veronica – already considered an incredibly beautiful witch – would become the best-looking witch in history. Opinions are mixed on whether Veronica has achieved that aim.

  Vampires:

  Like the werewolf curse, there are many conflicting chronicles of the origins of vampirism. Many vampires have submitted themselves for testing, and recent findings confirm that vampirism is, indeed, a blood-borne virus – albeit a virus with extremely unusual behaviour. The blood of a vampire is both a poison and an antidote.

  Often a human will resist a vampire bite. This is, frankly, the most foolish thing they could do. A willing bitee (as the vampires refer to them) will be drained by only a minor amount. Full penetration of the vein will do no damage whatsoever, and may even give the bitee a burst of energy equal to a strong cup of coffee or a shot of ginseng. After the bite, the vampire will perform a simple act of hypnotism, thus striking the event from the bitee’s memory and leaving them with nothing but a spring in their step.

  If the human resists and manages to escape before full penetration, a vampire bite can leave the victim feeling weak for days. Often, humans will complain of flu-like symptoms.

  The process of becoming a vampire is a little more complicated than becoming a werewolf: in order to turn, you must drink a vampire’s blood before sunset on the day following the original bite. It is always preferable to drink from the vampire who administered the bite. Drinking from a different vampire can result in many complications (further details of which can be found in the Compendium of Supernatural Ailments). In recent years, the virus known as Dayturning was thought to be caused by such turnings. New evidence, however, suggests that either the original assessment was wrong, or the Dayturning virus is mutating. For further information, see Dayturner entry.

  Benefits of the vampire virus are numerous. They include: increased strength; near-perfect health (a small number of humans and witches with terminal illnesses resort to vampirism in order to cure their illness. In the majority of cases, the vampire virus does, indeed, provide a cure); ability to transform into a bat; ability to transform into a nearly-invisible vapour; ability to hypnotise; telepathy (the telepathic link can generally be established from vampire to vampire only, however there are some vampires who can read the minds of all creatures); long lifespan.

  Problems associated with the vampire virus include: blood-drinking as the main source of nutrition (a small subset of vampires who were vegetarian in their previous life have set up the No Food with a Face Foundation. They are currently researching many alternatives to blood. Promising results have been seen with a vitamin popular in the human world, known as B12); sensitivity to daylight (although the hat and sunglasses sector is quite happy about this); long lifespan.

  Dayturners:

  (Note: in compendia published prior to the Year of the Lotus, dayturners were listed in the Others section)

  A hitherto rare being, dayturners are becoming more and more common, with three hundred new dayturners registered in the Year of the Lotus. Dayturners are vampires who feel the need to feed by daylight, and are incredibly sensitive to the dark. Feeding at night leaves them with serious indigestion (often resulting in hospitalisation). Additionally, venturing outside after sunset results in a rapidly spread rash, for which there is no known cure.

  The original assessment of the disease concluded that the virus was activated primarily by careless turning practices (drinking from a vampire other than the one who administered the bite). More recent research has, however, concluded that there are other ways of contracting the virus. The virus is becoming more communicable by the day, and any bite from a dayturner, no matter what precautions have been taken, should be avoided. Even long term, standard vampires have been affected by the dayturner virus in recent months, as tainted blood has begun to make its way onto the market. It is imperative that vampires verify the origin of their blood before consuming.

  A number of private and charitable organisations are spearheading the search for a cure, and government-run research (which was suspended in the Year of the Lizard – 2016 AD) is expected to resume in the near future.

  Weredogs:

  (Note: in compendia published prior to the Year of the Lotus, weredogs were listed in the Others section)

  Like werewolves, the shifting of a human into a dog is controlled by the full moon, but instead of transforming into a supernatural version of Canis Lupus Lupus, they transform into any of the many breeds of Canis Lupus Familiaris. There is little known about the origin of the species. In the Year of the Cat (2010 AD), outspoken vampire politician Mildred Valentine claimed to have been sent evidence that the weredogs are descendants of werewolves, having come about as the result of long-ago trysts between werewolves and Canis Lupus Familiaris. Both werewolves and weredogs hotly deny this. However, neither side will agree to DNA testing. As for the evidence Mildred Valentine allegedly received? She has refused to produce it, stating that doing so would endanger her source.

  Familiars:

  Familiars are animals with limited magical capabilities. They usually reside with witches. A witch does not choose her familiar. The familiar chooses the witch. The most common familiar animals are cats, though other animals have been known. The most notable magical ability of a familiar is the ability to communicate in any language it chooses – thus, familiars may communicate freely with their witches. They have been known to converse with other supernatural beings, but only when they want to. Speaking with humans is rarer still for familiars, but not unheard of.

  The Unempowered:

  Not to be confused with the disempowered, the unempowered witch is, like the wizards, far too often overlooked. In fact, unempowered is a modern term, and will not be found in compendia earlier than the Year of the Cat (2010 AD). Before then, there was no word for these witches. Officially, they did not exist. In the compendia dating from the Year of the Cat to the Year of the Lizard (2010-2016 AD) you will find the unempowered under the listing: Others.

  In rare cases, a witch is empowered from the moment of conception, but most do not display any signs of power until a little later (five or six is the norm). The very latest that any witch has been known to come into their power is twenty-one. If they have not been empowered by then, they never will.

  Some unempowered witches study wizardry, in order to gain power by other means. In the Year of the Lotus, twenty-eight percent of new enrolments at Wentforth’s College for Wizards were unempowered witches. This was a fifteen percent increase on the year before.

  Like all supernaturals other than witches themselves, unempowered witches must wear special jewellery in order to access witch enclaves.

  Although recent changes in Magical Law have meant that unempowered witches now have equal rights, many unempowered still choose to live outside the witch enclaves.

  The D
isempowered:

  A disempowered witch is a witch who has been stripped of all power, as a result of crimes committed. This can only occur by decree of the Wyrd Court. The length of disempowerment depends on the crime in question. In serious cases, a witch may be disempowered for life.