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Path of Shadows

The Path
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The Path is a road through time, a road made of sheer energy. It ties together places and periods of history that are friendly to witches. The Path reaches through different eras, touching magical places where witches go to avoid torture and murder at the hands of those who do not understand them.

Think of the Path as a moving magnetic road running from spot to spot, touching places where the magical energy is strong enough to protect it.

Hags, elves, klatch witches, and beings most cannot name or understand—even nearly extinct creatures like slithers—have been brought back from the sharp edge of oblivion thanks to the Path. They can escape endless hunting by humans, and the simple exhaustion of always being prey.

The Path of Shadows—without it, witches have no future.

The queen can move across time on the Path, from location to location. But time is always passing. Yesterday is yesterday, in your time any other place on the Path.

The Path has 11 Sanctuaries:

Prehistoric Sanctuary, time unknown
15 AD Shallym—a place of peace at the beginning of witches' recorded time
300's Rome
500's Arthurian time, Great Britain
1100's Denmark
1500's Trier, Germany
1600's, Middle Salem, Massachusetts
1800's Wild West, Arizona
1960 New York City
2013 L.O.S.T.


Glossary

elfling—masters of the wood; each elfling has a familiar such as a crow-brother, eagle-brother
enchantress—makes slaves of men
hag—the union of faeries with cobras and asps
hag clan—a group of hags living in a family arrangement
hag-spirit—a hag's spirit can shift into cats or other animals when not in spirit form. When in spirit form, a hag-spirit is like black fog
klatch witches—the result of faerie dalliances with Greek Sirens. Beautiful women who lull men into a stupor to make them vulnerable to the klatchKeeper
klatchKeeper—appears beautiful and cares for the klatch witches. Her true appearance is terrifying
klatchKoven—a group of klatch witches and their Keeper
oldeFolk—witches who were never human to begin with. Most are faerie halflings, crossed with animals or other magical creatures with no names understandable to human ears. They live longer, with stronger magic. Many are older than anyone knows
Path of Shadows—see description above
Shadowbridge—Jazz's manor in Shallym
Shadowmaster—Nire, a being as old as time, who intends to destroy witches and all of humanity
Shadowalker—the one prophesied to walk at the witch queen's side and save the witches
Shadows—Nire's minions. Souls of dark witches gone before, and souls of those lost on their way to the afterlife. Even without their bodies, these Shadows are capable of physical, magical, or mental assault against anyone on the Path of Shadows
slithers—double-hearted dragons
Summerland—beyond our understanding, a place where one's soul becomes one with the universe
Talamadden—a place in death's haven where souls go if they have died an unnatural death, to await a possible second chance at life


L.O.S.T. in Shadow Queen and Witch Circle

L.O.S.T. map