[Image ID: a digital drawing in shades of peach, yellow and red, depicting a large fluffy rabbit with fluffy ears and cherry blossom branches as antlers. Whit is wearing a red T-shirt with a bunny logo on it and flops down on the rabbit’s back, hugging it. Xiyun is wearing a qipao top with striped pants and poses on the rabbit’s back as if riding a mechanical Bull. The text says “新年快乐” while Xiyun uproariously shouts “红包拿來”. Two dragonflies flutter at the rabbit’s face and one of them alights on its nose.
Mississippi Mudbenders, known colloquially as “mudbenders” or “mudders” (Smith, 1946), are a rare type of water spirit which inhabit the waters of the Mississippi River.
Urban legends hold that if someone wanders too close to the water a mudbender will steal their soul (Wardview Review vol.23, 2021). In doing so, they use the voice of the soul to lure concerned loved ones to the water’s edge to provide ready meals for their children. While these legends are true insofar as the mudbender’s ability to store both souls and voices, almost all recorded mudbender encounters have described the souls of fish being the sole souls found stolen (The Evolution of the Piscine Soul, 2017).
Mudbenders have been known to avoid humans and human civilization as much as they are physically able. Their disposition is naturally shy and avoidant, making it harder to gauge whether conservation efforts have helped replenish the population to any significant degree (Census of Mythical and Otherwise Unnatural Beings in Missouri, 2020).
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
These spirits are known to inhabit the freshwater Mississippi River. It was originally thought that Mudbenders solely inhabited the temperate waters of the Mississippi River running through the states of Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee. However, due to the discovery of a mudbender specimen in the Tennessee River Basin, it is suspected that a small population may also reside in the rivers of the southern Appalachian Mountains (Appalachian Aquatic Cryptozoological Society, 2021).
Mudbenders primarily prefer shade to sun when out of the water. They rest by burrowing under the mud along riverbanks and leaving the topmost part of their skin exposed to take in oxygen. Mothers will burrow in the stretch of river near where their tadpoles swim. Juvenile mudbenders will burrow in the riverbed of the shallow waters to complete their metamorphosis from tadpole to adult.
During the first frost, adult mudbenders will burrow into the riverbed of the Mississippi River and enter a hibernation state wherein they will magically freeze, regardless of the state of the river itself. At the spring equinox they will thaw and rise from the silt, mimicking voices from any human or other creature that approaches the water. In areas where mudbenders are suspected to gather for purposes of reproduction, it has been said that the air is filled with "the voices of the dead" (Folktales: how the Disadvantaged Survive Where the Supernatural Thrive, 1989).
CHARACTERISTICS
Adult mudbenders generally reach a length of about 6-9ft, with the largest specimen found measuring at a length of 18ft (Wardview Review vol.23, 2021). Their dark, wrinkled skin acts as camouflage which allows them to hide beneath mud. Their naturally avoidant dispositions have led to a few rare encounters wherein a human mistakes its exposed back for a stone and steps on it, causing it to burrow deeper under the mud. Its broad, flat head is thought to assist with camouflage as well (Camille & Jefferys, 2003). Its wide mouth has been known to hold a dislocating jaw, which allows the river spirit to swallow prey up to two times its size when biting with its blunt teeth are not enough to strip the flesh.
Its large eyes hold rudimentary sight, so it primarily hunts by feeling differences in the water around its body. Its porous skin is outfitted with nerve endings which allow it to sense electromagnetic fields, meaning that they are capable of sensing displacement in the water. Their skin, additionally, is able to take in oxygen from both the air and water. Its claws are often blunt, as the majority of its hunting is done via biting, swallowing, or by stunning prey with a hit from its powerful tail.
The Mississippi Mudbender is distinct from other species in its genus in that the souls that it acquires are stored within bony protrusions which grow through the skin along its spine. These bony protrusions take the form of the face of the animal or human whose soul is contained within, and can be removed without incident (Wardview Review vol.23, 2021).
It is also capable of minor terraforming magic, allowing it to turn any dry land it comes into contact with into swampland. In cases where it is in danger of death, it will summon floodwaters which will flood the immediate area and drown any land bound creature in its path. It is also capable of forming silt into muddy decoys of itself to confuse potential enemies and escape.
It is unknown how long a mudbender is capable of living as they are so rare that it is almost impossible to find the same specimen that has been tagged, even through magical means.
All attempts to take a mudbender specimen into captivity have ended in disaster (Vieira et. al, 1987). As such, no further attempts have been made.
DIET
Mississippi Mudbenders primarily eat insects, shrimp, and fish. The mudbender’s main hunting strategy involves making sounds which mimic the noise that the movement of much smaller fish make, opening its mouth wide, and luring prey into its jaws. When faced with larger prey, such as the blue catfish, mudbenders have been known to actively pursue prey (Wardview Review vol.20, 2018). They have been known to target larger prey when stranded on land, such as small rodents, deer, or foxes.
The souls of its prey are stored within the bony protrusions which grow along its spine, providing a unique opportunity to ecologists, as their dietary records are displayed on their backs.
When feeding its young, female mudbenders will strike their backs against the rocks to dislodge some of the souls within, which she will then take to her children. Tadpole mudbenders feed primarily upon the souls of the meals their mothers have previously eaten.
There have been few documented cases of a mudbender being found which had a human soul trapped in its back (Folktales: how the Disadvantaged…, 1989). These cases are incredibly rare, as Mississippi Mudbenders tend to avoid humans and, in fact, mimic human voices to scare other predators away. For a mudbender to attack a human, the animal in question would need to be actively starving and/or desperate to return to the main river.
Mudbender offspring appear to prefer the souls of blue catfish to any other animal (Wardview Review vol.7, 2005).
LIFE CYCLE
Not much is known about the mating process of the Mississippi Mudbender as only female specimens have been found. What is known is that once the spring equinox arrives, mudbenders will thaw themselves from the river bottom and rise from the silt to migrate toward an unknown breeding ground. Efforts to find the location of the grounds themselves have been fruitless (Vieira et. al, 1987).
After mating, the mudbender will carry the fertilized eggs within the empty pockets where souls have been dislodged from its back to their own territories. Once there, the mother will bury the eggs along the riverbank and guard them fiercely until the day of their hatching, around the months of May-June.
When the larval mudbenders hatch, the area around where the mudbender created her nest will become wholly devoid of sound for an indeterminate amount of time. This is because the larval mudbenders are absorbing the first sounds that they hear for later use. After sound is restored to the area, the mudbender mother will stand over the larval offspring until they grow into proper tadpoles, feeding them pieces of the souls leftover from previous meals.
Once its offspring enter the tadpole stage, the mother will artificially flood the area and sweep her children into the river, where she will teach them how to hunt and use their mimicked sounds. Tadpoles will slowly grow limbs over time and generally reach a juvenile, in between stage once they are able to independently flex the muscles in their arms.
The approximate timeline of development is unknown, but it is known that juvenile mudbenders will be taught how to hibernate, and that by the next spring equinox, they will emerge as newly matured adults. It is unknown if this aligns with reproductive maturity or not. Once the Mississippi Mudbender becomes an adult, they leave the territory of their mother in search of their own (Wardview Review vol.7, 2005).
The exact length of the Mudbender’s natural lifespan is unknown.
ENDANGERED STATUS
Their numbers have dwindled considerably over the previous 70 years due to a Midwest-wide extermination campaign led by hunters who had mistaken the creatures for the invasive siltscreamer (floviomimicus Cruciatus), an enchanted animal with a similar penchant for vocal mimicry. While efforts to educate hunters about the difference between the delivery of mimicry between these two spirits appear to have been moderately successful, the number of mudbenders has dropped to the point where many hunters will never encounter one (Census of Mythical and Otherwise Unnatural Beings, 2020).
In addition, hunter-led efforts to circumvent conservation efforts via reclassifying any supernatural creature (directly or indirectly) related to the human soul as an inherent public hazard have increased due to misinformation funded by the Gatling family. This misinformation is in light of a now-debunked study completed by Mr. William Valentine. Said study purported to prove definitively that humans required souls of a certain ‘vitality level’ in life, and that contact with certain supernatural creatures- such as mimics, perception-alterers, or cognitiers- would cause near irreversible damage to the soul, leading to increased risk of diseases such as “an incredible amount of cancer, various schizophrenias, and leaky gut” (Valentine, 2001). This would, in turn, affect the possibility of a human soul remaining as a ghost after death.
It comes as little surprise that Mr. Valentine had his PhD revoked shortly after Dr. Amona El-Idrissi revealed evidence of both unreliable testing and wholly falsified data. While Dr. El-Idrissi’s methods leave a little to be desired in terms of depth, the reliability of his findings are incredibly strong, and his work ethic in uncovering the scandal is rather admirable.
Unfortunately, despite evidence to the contrary, a large subset of the hunter community still perpetuate the harmful ideas of the soul expressed in Mr. Valentine’s paper, putting soul-affecting species such as the Mississippi Mudbender at greater risk of eradication. It is my hope that in writing this, I might highlight the beauty of these creatures’ existence and encourage others to protect that which at first seems alien, frightening, or, perhaps, even antithetical to human existence.
These that are termed ‘monsters’ are trying to live their lives, just as we do.
[ William “Whit” Valencia (he/him) is a former graduate of the Valencia Veterinary Clinic’s cryptozoology care internship and a former PhD candidate in the Cryptozoological Studies program of Wardview University. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
If you would like to support the Wardview Scrivener’s Guild in its ongoing commitment to preserving records of all things supernatural, please read our webcomic. ]
Reports of humans being transmuted into other species- whether supernatural in nature or not- have been on the rise in Wardview. Bulletin 0711202X describes the problem in more detail, but to make a long story real short: In the first six months this year alone, we’ve had reports of at least 27 rogue transmutation events. For the uninformed, that’s already getting close to the amount of rogue transmutations last year.
Of the 27 transmutations, only 3 of the transmuted individuals have come forward with information about the witch that turned them: Relin, an individual turned into a wolf; Daisy, a woman turned into a riverdram; and Maron, a man turned into a sapient bottle of Schnapps*. All have since been returned to human form.
The other 24 haven’t given up the names of those who may have caused the transmutation. When examined by an associate with the wizard colleges, only one was found cursed to remain silent; the other 23 appear to have full capacity to communicate (in their own way) and actively refuse to do so. All were offered protection and all were offered the chance to return to human form; however, none have taken those offers.
Attached are excerpts from several interviews. In all, the person in question adamantly denied that the transmutation was done against their will. In fact, those with their memories unaffected claim to have asked for the transformation.
While it may be true that one or two made the ill-advised decision to stop being human, the Hunter’s Guild finds it unlikely that all 23 truly desired it.
These are normal, law-abiding citizens; the only way they would desire such a drastic change is if they were made to want it. It is more likely, therefore, that the magic of transmutation has affected their minds.
As such, the Hunter’s Guild will be lobbying the City Council and the Scrivener’s Guild of Greater Wardview to grant permission to temporarily humanize those transmuted who appear to be mentally compromised. If it is found that there truly is no magical coercion involved, those involved may be transmuted back to the species they so desired after applying for the requisite paperwork from the Scrivener’s Guild.
To all hunters in the field who may come upon an individual showing signs of transmutation into a species other than their own it is advised that you find a way to convince them of their prior humanity. If they can show proof of authorized species-switching, they should be allowed to transmute in peace.
If transmuted individuals become hostile it is advised to use violence only when absolutely necessary.
*All names have been changed to protect the anonymity of those involved.
Interview Log 5.09.2X - BERTIE
Interviewee: Bertram Lionelle, 48, tax accountant to XXXXXXX
Transmuted into a borzoi; now in the care of his former sister
Interview conducted by Kansas Gatling, hunter.
Notes: Despite his new canine state, he has retained his ability for human speech. His sister, Hela, accompanied Bertram for the interview.
BERTIE: I’ve told you people before. I have the paperwork done. Helen has all my records available to her.
KANSAS: No one’s saying that you don’t, Mr. Lionelle-
BERTIE: Just Bertie. ‘Mister’s a people thing to call someone.
KANSAS: I mean, you’re-
HELA: Please, Mr. Gatling. You’ll upset him.
KANSAS: I’d guess being turned into a dog would have that effect, yeah?
HELA: Just look at him- he’s shaking!
KANSAS: Mr. Lionelle, we’re just trying to figure out if there was anyone forcing you to-
[HELA seems to entirely ignore the intervieweras BERTIE begins to growl.]
HELA: Oh, don’t listen to the bad man Bertie- you’re such a good boy! Such a good boy!!
[The growling stops.]
BERTIE: Good boy? Good boy? Good boy?
KANSAS: … Is there any chance of doing this without your sister here, Lionelle.
BERTIE: Christ, fine. But my answer’s not going to be changing anytime soon.
[ Hela was able to provide the contract that Bertram signed with the witch proving that he agreed to transmutation into dog form. The name of the witch was, regrettably, blacked out. ]
-
Interview Log 6.12.2X- RAIN
Interviewee: Rain, 29, yarn shop employee
Transmuted into a sapient ball of baby blue yarn
Interview conducted by Nora X, Hunter
Notes: Despite its lack of vocal chords, Rain is still able to communicate by partially unraveling and spelling words with its yarn.
NORA: Alright, so like. To cut to the chase. Why yarn?
[There is the sound of rolling and shuffling as the yarn unravels and rearranges itself.]
NORA: Huh. So you want to become part of something bigger.
RAIN:
NORA: Hm. I don’t know about a sock. Dunno if I’d want that for the rest of my natural shelf life.
RAIN:
NORA: Sweater, huh? That’s nice.
RAIN:
NORA: Damn. That's… really emotional, actually.
RAIN:
NORA: Yeah, I get what you mean.
RAIN:
NORA: Alright, interview over. Seems like it wants this. One more question, though.
RAIN:
[NORA appears to lean forward.]
NORA: So like… is this a fetish thing or what?
[Nora is no longer allowed to interview transmutation victims.]
-
Interview Log 3.14.2X - MAISY
Interviewee: Maisy B, 19, Wardview U student
Transmuted into a riverdram
Interview conducted by [REDACTED], hunter
Notes: As riverdram vocal chords are not capable of human speech, an interpreter was contacted for means of translation.
INTERVIEWER: - and what does that… chittering, mean?
[ The INTERVIEWER sits across from Maisy, who floats in a tank taking up the entire back wall. Sitting between them is an interpreter with a hearing aid. ]
INTERPRETER: [sounding exasperated] The same as I said before- she says she thinks this is a waste of everyone’s time.
MAISY: Chchchchchchchchcchchhh!
INTERPRETER: Wait. The water’s been feeling salty for- how long?
MAISY: Gghgrhch.
[There is the sound of water sloshing as MAISY appears to gesture.]
INTERVIEWER: What? What is it?
INTERPRETER: … She says things have been feeling saline for about half an hour now?
INTERVIEWER: Oh- that’s not intentional or nothin’. There’s been a leak.
[The INTERPRETER relays this to MAISY.]
INTERVIEWER: We could try bringing her out of the water-
MAISY: Ah!
[There is more water sloshing. The INTERPRETER hops up.]
INTERPRETER: We’ve been over this, Mr. [REDACTED]- she doesn’t want to leave the water.
INTERVIEWER: I’m not seeing how we can keep this discussion going if she won’t consent to-
INTERPRETER: She’s already consented to-!
[There is a sharp banging of claws on glass. The water sloshes as a deep, guttural howl emanates from MAISY’s throat.]
INTERVIEWER: Shit. [into walkie] Might need some help in here.
INTERPRETER: No! There’s not- she- [speaking to MAISY] It’s okay- it’s okay, you don’t need to--
[Sabotage by interpreter suspected. The Guild will seek another interpreter with Hunter ties to balance implicit bias. ]
[ Kester Gatling (he/him) is a hunter for the Hunters’ Guild of Greater Wardview, one half of the Gatling Bros. Crisis Intervention Team, and long-time patron of the Valentine Institute for Advocacy of the Human Soul (VIAHS).
To support the Hunters’ Guild, please read our webcomic. ]
Two digital drawings in various shades of red showing four characters in Chinese style-influenced fashion costumes.
In the first, Angel, a man with coiled hair in a modified hoodie and skirt made of red calligraphy scrolls, eats a mandarin citrus, while his mother Carmen, a fat woman with wavy hair dressed in a long-sleeved dress with a large collar, sits cross-legged while holding a bowl of tangyuan. The text below them reads “恭喜发财”.
In the second, Xiyun, a short person with a Mohawk and lit firecrackers lining their shoulders like spikes, excitedly holds a chain of red cylindrical firecrackers, while Whit, a man with long hair in a t-shirt and lion dancer pants, holds up a lion dancing prop above his head while smiling at Xiyun. The text above them reads “万事如意”.
transmutation as legitimate life trajectory: exposing implicit biases of the Wardview Hunters’ Guild
The recent bulletin posted by the Hunters’ Guild is perhaps the most transparent attempt at fearmongering which has been penned in recent months. If one were to believe the Guild, they would have no choice but to come to the conclusion that there is an epidemic of irresponsible witches roaming the streets of Wardview, transmuting any innocent bystander into something which is not human.
According to the Guild, there is no possible reason that citizens would choose transmutation; it is only the choice made by someone unsound of mind and/or under extreme duress.
Never mind the fact that there are historical documents dating as far back as the 1100s detailing how humans have chosen to shed their humanity.
In the European stage there were stories dating back to the time of Arthurian legends of individuals choosing to ‘Melion’ themselves, roaming the countryside as wolves for rites of passage; the Northern Song dynasty saw nobles choosing to live as birds to better understand how to transform the harmony of nature to the balance of the state; and the Oyo Empire saw the possibility of one of its alaafins turning into a spirit of lightning and flame (Murky Waters: The Line Between History and Mythological Heroes, Adeoye et al., 2021) .
Even if one disregards these accounts as mere fiction, one cannot disregard the myriad of memoirs penned either by the transmuted or someone recording the oration of the transmuted.
In Lenora Pavarichi’s Memoirs of a Wine Barrel, the transmuted, one formerly known as Theodori Medici, purportedly used the different flows of the wine inside its body to give voice to its new life experience (1548). Medici describes the religious devotion that led him to shed his humanity. “I have attained a state which the friars only dream,” stated the wine barrel, “It is a beautiful hollowing of vessel and self; the soul transcends where the hallowed shell remains. I know what Christ desired in asking the Apostles to drink of Him.”
Religious fervor is far from the sole reason for transmutation. There have been countless stories where runaways saw transmutation as a way to escape. While most stories end with the runaway choosing to return to human form, others, such as the account told by Maria Santos Primavera, has the runaway choosing to remain as something other than human (Harpy Tails: the History of Girls’ Flight from Life in the Abbey, Magboo, 2008). Primavera describes how the tawitawi doves were the sole familiar thing she saw when sent to live as a nun. “It was like a sign from home- one saying, come back, come see us, we will be as you left us.” (Harpy Tails, 2008).
While the hand of Spanish colonialism would, in effect, change everything, Primavera’s transmutation into a harpy bearing resemblance to her beloved tawitawi allowed her to hold onto a piece of her home. This is perhaps the most prevalent reason why humans have chosen to become something “Other” throughout the ages; searching for a sense of purpose, of belonging, and of home.
Is it any surprise, then, that there is an entire romance subgenre in circles within the Know where one lover changes their species to be with their love interest? One only needs to look at the local bookstore to find Leticia G. Smith’s Dram of Whiskey, a wildly popular historical romance set in the Jazz Age. It is a book where the protagonist, Ruthie Jean, must choose between continuing to make music in an industry that won’t recognize her talent or run away with her lover, known only as ‘Blue’, into the waters of the Mississippi as a riverdram. Considering the content of the rest of the article, you can imagine what Ruthie Jean’s ultimate decision is. This novel is itself one of Smith’s best selling works, outsold only by the academic reports of her cousins.
Transmutation for love isn’t solely in the bounds of fiction, however. If the Hunter’s Guild would only look back over its own interview logs, it would see that at least one of the recent transmutations- one only identifying himself as 化茧 (Hua Jian), and one identifying herself as 成蝶 (Cheng Die), both apparently speaking under the condition of anonymity- has done so specifically for this reason. After both consented to be transmuted into faeries, their testimony was given through the medium of flight pattern, spelling out the story of their families’ refusal to allow them to see each other. Rather than continue on in human society, they decided to take the plunge into transmutation together. Though they sometimes watch over their old human families from afar, both have expressed happiness in their choice. “Being in this [butterfly-esque] form is pretty much like a dream- now we can fill our days with each other.” (“Butterfly Dancers”, Wardview Review, May 202X).
I ask: where is the epidemic that the Hunters’ Guild is stirring moral panic over? By their own admission, all 23 of the suspected ‘forced transmutations’ have no curse placed on them to remain silent. No wizard has found evidence of magic tampering with their thought process. All 23 interviewed have spoken at length for their reasoning to shed their humanity, and yet the Guild is not satisfied. I ask: what would it take to satisfy the Guild’s extraneous interrogations?
And I answer: nothing. The Hunters’ Guild of Greater Wardview believes itself to be the arbiter of personhood; to them, humanity is the height of existence, and any deviation therein is to be met with skepticism. Many in Guild leadership cannot fathom a world where someone would choose to change their species because they cannot fathom a world where someone would refuse to be human.
As such, they feel they must dramatize the situation. They must fret over the paltry 27 transmutations which have occurred in Wardview because they are a number above zero. They must claim that all transmuted did so under duress, because otherwise, there would be no crime to hunt witches over. They must humanize all those transmuted and force them through the traumatic bureaucratic process of “legally” transmuting their species again to “protect” them.
In truth, the Guild only wants for there to be more humans in Wardview.
[The author of this article has asked to remain anonymous for their safety. The Wardview Review takes no responsibility for the content of this article.
To support the Wardview Review’s dedication to journalistic integrity, please read our webcomic. ]
(Excerpt of home examination administered to the Xing family heir. Excerpt is taken from Section C, on Elementals of Magic and Their Uses in Wizarding.)
This paper is for internal use of Xing Family Magical Services for review purposes only.
C1. Define the term “magic elemental.”
An elemental of magic is a creature that embodies a particular facet of magical practice in its entirety, a coagulation of magical aspects in active form.
These creatures can differ in behavior from individual to individual, but have the common feature of instinctively wielding and affecting their specific field of magic by nature. They can perform spells and feats of magic that would fatigue even the most experienced wizard, so long as it is within their magical field.
It is uncertain if they can be said to be alive, as they do not age and feed only on magic if they can be said to feed at all. They have varying levels of intelligence and sapience and can often jump from level to level depending on the ambient magical energy.
Elementals of magic are crucial for the specialized study of magic, especially when isolating one magical effect is required for experimentation. Their value in trade depends on the variant’s rarity, though in general their magic-dependent nature usually causes them to only be spotted in areas populated by magic-wielding beings.
C2. Provided are some of the known classes of magic elementals. Describe these classes, including in your answer the form of manifestation, properties, uses, dangers, and method of obtaining each.
Vocal elementals - heard but not seen, manifesting as clusters of cottony white noise with no discernible magical effect save for a tickling at the back of the throat that compels a noise to be made.
The magical effect can be felt across a spiked or ovular area, sometimes connected to each other by thin, stringy links, similar to the area of magical aura surrounding everyday voices, but devoid of the actual sound that gives them meaning.
They are used as an alternative to technological means of collecting voices and retaining sound, leveraging the compulsion effect to get a faster result from uncooperative subjects. Some use them to improve the pace of public speaking while the spiked variants can be used for amplification of speech. Non-wizard magic healers will often request these as a treatment ingredient for loss of voice. As with all elementals, they are invaluable to the study of their specialized magical field, in their case the study of the magic of speech, as well as their possible conversion into a thought-extracting cloudy variant for mind-reading spells.
Overexposure to the vocal elemental’s effects causes one to become trapped in a state of babbling, only able to cease once the elemental has achieved consciousness after which it will often make off with the voice of the victim, leaving them mute until the elemental in question is Hunted and returned.
If starved, the spiked variant will often try to clamber tail-first into a victim’s throat, causing them to scream every word they say until they shout themselves silent and deprive the elemental of its sustenance.
Hunters will often bring in vocal elementals that spawn in areas sufficiently populated with vocal mimics. Alternatively, they can be created by siphoning the magic from voices of beings that speak unimportant drivel, or beings that have lost access to the language center of whatever serves as their brains.
Spatial elemental - Appears as either the impression of something that should be there or, more rarely, the impression that nothing should ever be there. Beings with supernatural sight describe the former as a dark presence in the arrangement of thin, tangled outlines, while the latter is either black or white depending on light levels of the area and flows into itself like a gutter.
These elementals have the ability to manipulate the space around them, opening portals and leaving seams in reality. They can change the dimensions of a space if left there long enough, creating physically impossible structures that are larger on the inside than out.
The lined variant is ingestible by practitioners of magic to gain powers of telekinesis while the gutter variant is invaluable for rearrangement of large scale structures when errors in architecture arise.
When left in a space for too long, their magic can cause said space to become spatially unstable, warping the affected area in unpredictable and often uncontrollable ways. This can result in labyrinths with impossible exits, vast, uncontained stretches of inescapable space, or any variety of splicing effects on nearby objects.
Spatial elementals of the lined variant can be created by puncturing the outline of any individual being, structure, or object, unraveling them into the space they once occupied.
The gutter variant is much rarer and Hunters report the capturing of them as being a flurry of disorientation and nausea. There is no known way to produce this variant artificially.
Presence elemental - A nebulous elemental class to define, presence elementals exist in relation to the observers that create them.
They initially appear in the corner of the eye when one is attempting to focus on something else, creating the sensation that there is something in the background that desperately needs to be paid attention to. They come about as existing objects sitting just in the periphery and bind the observer and object into a sort of pact of significance; object and observer will from that point on shape and distort each other the more meaning they project onto each other.
It is unknown how to uncouple this bond without destroying the object or the observer. Fortunately it seems that the object is the only party that distorts physically, though the elemental often causes psychological and emotional distress in the observer as they fixate on the object.
If not destroyed, the object will follow the observer around, constantly appearing in unobserved corners of whatever place the observer is in. This is the origin of many a haunted object story among beings not in the know about these creatures, and they are notoriously difficult to contain once they manifest.
Purposeful creation of these elementals is almost always immediately followed by their use; to amplify and prolong curses. Days of ritual casting a chain of concentration-heavy spells is required to make an existing object into a presence elemental, though advancements are being made to create alternative methods that both pose less danger to the caster and require less energy.
Alternatively, as the improper casting of any spell will eat up the concentration of the attempted caster, presence elementals have a tendency to show up in events when one is foolish enough to let their magic go very very wrong.
*Checked, Xi. Good luck for the permit exam. When you’re facing the people of the wizard colleges, do NOT bring the red sections up. Pay no attention to the recent events in Wardview- your performance is imperative to our name and should not be distracted from.
Prior to beginning cursebreaking responsibilities, incoming apprentices undergo two months of curse-resilience training. The College provides magic conditioning to help defend apprentices against various breakdowns in their metaphysical body or soul state; refreshers on the types of magic; practice in self-diagnosing curses; taking preventative measures against catching curses; and poison resistance. Apprentices will shadow senior apprentices and faculty wizards to acclimate to the high demands of the cursebreaking environment. Apprentices also receive training in nonhuman-affecting and celestial-specific curses.
Incoming apprentices learn about the history and supernatural context of Wardview and surrounding communities through a vibrant curriculum, traveling lectures, and visits to neighboring clinics. During residency, apprentices are paired with a faculty wizard and two senior apprentices who will provide additional mentorship.
Year 1 Rotations
Year 1 is the foundational year where apprentices will build their knowledge-base via immersive experiences. Apprentices in the cursebreaking residency will work with the College’s Clinic for the Accursed. Apprentices will have the option to explore cursebreaking among humans and non-human species.
Cursebreaking is oftentimes not an immediate cure. Each curse is broken on a case-by-case basis, dependent on the accursed individual, the type of curse, and the curse caster. As such, freshmen apprentices are not allowed to attempt breaking curses
Curse Tracing and Research - 4 weeks
Generational Curse Treatment - 4 weeks
Lifelong Curse Treatment - 4 weeks
Adult Rapid Onset Curse Treatment - 4 weeks
Child Rapid Onset Curse Treatment - 4 weeks
Physical Elemental Curse Treatment - 4 weeks
Magic Elemental Curse Treatment - 8 weeks
Emergency Curse Treatment - 8 weeks
Inhuman Curse Treatment - 2 weeks
Year 2 Rotations
Year 2 represents a transitional year between freshman apprentices and into senior apprentice cursebreakers. It is a year where apprentices build upon the foundation offered in Year 1 and includes opportunities outside the walls of the Wizard Colleges. Community-based partnerships throughout Wardview allow apprentices opportunities to hone their craft and gain confidence in their practice as a wizard.
As the apprentice is still building their knowledgebase around rehabilitation after the curse is broken, second-year students are not allowed to attempt breaking curses.
Year 3 is the year when senior apprentices, under the supervision of a faculty wizard, will be allowed to break curses. This is the year where apprentices begin to step into the role of licensed Cursebreaker. Apprentices evolve from mere students to masters of their craft with 14 weeks of elective rounds and volunteer work in the community with organizations such as the Hunter’s Guild of Greater Wardview, the Valencia Clinic for the Supernatural, St. Matthew’s Parish, and Mr. Valentine’s Soul in Reserve Initiative.
Didactic lectures will take place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8am-11am. These sessions are led by a combination of faculty wizards, senior apprentices, Scriveners, and experts from across the field of cursebreaking.
Additional didactics are planned for every cursebreaking rotation. Fifteen minutes before and after afternoon clinic visits will be dedicated to a fifteen-minute faculty-or-apprentice led afternoon report.
Any apprentice who kills the Accursed will be immediately terminated.
[ To support the Wizard Colleges of Greater Wardview and their mission to break the curses of all those afflicted, please consider reading our webcomic. ]
