Moses in a PURITAN WITCH with ELEMENTAL powers.
Moses Ward was born in a small village outside of Stockholm, the son of a “healer” (read: Witch), who raised Moses alone after his father was crushed by a fallen horse cart. Moses grew up learning the ways of the elements, developing a natural affinity for controlling wind, fire, and water. He trained in metalwork as a young man, but the growing promise of the industrial age called to him. In his twenties, he left Sweden for England, seeking opportunities with the expanding railway system.
There, he met Willem Brandt, a Dutch-born witch with similar talents and an unquenchable thirst for adventure. The two became inseparable, their bond deepening as they shared their magical knowledge. Together, they unknowingly formed a coven — Two immigrant witches in a land that wasn’t ready for them. The British witches drove them out. With few options left, Moses and Willem journeyed west, hearing whispers of a town called Never, promised to be a haven for those like them, hidden away from prying eyes.
Willem Brandt
Willem is a PURITAN WITCH with ELEMENTAL powers.
Willem Brandt was the fifth child and third son in a large, renowned Dutch family of witches, where magic was as commonplace as the air they breathed. Raised in a household filled with the hum of spells and rituals, Willem quickly developed a natural talent for woodworking and engineering. He started by repairing carts for the nearby farms, his steady hands and sharp mind eventually leading him to a lucrative career as a wheelwright, crafting fine wheels for wagons and carriages.
In his twenties, seeking new opportunities, Willem left the Netherlands for England, hoping to find fortune and adventure. It was there that he met Moses Ward, a Swedish railroad worker, and the two quickly formed a bond. Together, they shared their magical knowledge and dreams of a life away from the constraints of their old worlds. But their ambitions were met with hostility from the local British covens, who resented their presence and pushed them out.
With nowhere else to turn, Willem and Moses made their way to America, drawn by the whispered promise of a mysterious town called Never. In this new land, they’ve found work and are settling into the diverse, bustling community. Though he’s slowly carving out a life for himself, Willem can’t shake the feeling that Never holds secrets, and he’s beginning to suspect the town’s hidden truths may be far darker than he first imagined.
Siddhartha “Sid” Ahmad
Sid is a NAGUAL WITCH.
Siddhartha “Sid” Ahmad’s family fled Bengal during the devastating famine of 1770, and since then, they’ve been on the move — Never quite nomadic, but never putting down permanent roots. By the time Sid turned 20, he had already lived in four different countries, constantly in search of opportunity and a place that might finally feel like home. His family, close-knit and resilient, has always adapted, but the longing for stability remains.
Trained by his grandfather in the ancient art of silversmithing enhanced by magic, Sid grew up surrounded by the delicate balance of craft and spellwork. A few years ago, he heard whispers of a town in the American West where witches like him might find a place to belong. Sid, driven by the hope of a fresh start, journeyed west to see if the rumors were true.
Now, as one of the town’s most respected artisans, Sid’s silverwork has made him a sought-after craftsman, known for his intricate designs and mysterious, almost otherworldly quality. He can also change shape at will, a talent that gives him a certain edge in his dealings, though he rarely uses it outside of his private moments. Whether Never will finally be the home his family has been searching for remains uncertain, but Sid feels something stirring in the town — Something both exciting and ominous — that might just hold the key to their future.
Percival Hassan
Percival is a MEDICINE MAN WITCH.
Percival Hassan’s parents, Indian immigrants, settled in New York when he was just two years old, and he grew up in the bustling streets, surrounded by other transplants chasing the American Dream. His childhood was spent playing with his younger brother and learning the ways of the world from a colorful mix of cultures. From a young age, Percival showed an affinity for magic, and his gentle-natured mother — A witch in her own right — taught him everything she knew, nurturing his talent with care.
It was a tragic event — A neighbor’s fatal accident, leaving the body horribly disfigured — that first drew Percival to the work of an undertaker. Disturbed by the idea that families couldn’t properly mourn due to their loved ones’ ravaged appearances, he learned to use his magical gift to heal and restore, allowing the deceased to be remembered with dignity. Over the years, his talent for has made him a skilled practitioner, known for his meticulous work and uncanny ability to transform a body, whether to repair it or, at times, to prevent others from recognizing it.
After a painful romantic breakup in his late twenties, Percival left New York in search of something different, something to help him heal. He found his way to Never, where the culture shock was stark but invigorating. There, he quickly became well-loved for both his fastidious work and his peculiar accent — A blend of Colonial English and New Yawk — that makes his speech as mysterious as his magic. In Never, he has found a place where he can continue his work in peace, though he remains haunted by the choices he’s made and the strange, shifting town around him.
Gloria Aguilar
Gloria is a MEDICINE WOMAN WITCH with SPIRITUAL HEALING/HARM powers.
Love moves mountains, or so goes the old saw. Gloria learned early in life that ramming your head repeatedly into a rock, no matter how large or how small, will never give you what you want. Better to push little by little and bit by bit, nudging at all the exposed surfaces until their edges wear down smooth. That flexibility let her survive a childhood that might have drowned a less adaptable soul. She and her sister, Imelda, endured together by lifting each other up when one or the other started to sink below the surface. They escaped as soon as they could, but Gloria never forgot how she’d had to make herself small and bend herself into uncomfortable shapes to keep both of them safe. Hiding and pretending seemed like a miserable future for her family. Fortunately, her husband agreed, and together they packed up and rolled eastward until she could stand in the grass and feel magic sparking upward through the soles of her feet. She knows that leaving the Aguilars back in California hurt her husband and causes him no little regret. She would still make the same decision in a heartbeat.
Seth Breakenridge
Ostensibly, Seth works at the Pearl to keep a divinely-sanctioned eye on the demon calling herself Augusta Packer. In practice, the two of them have reached an uneasy detente in their tug-of-war for Clarence Barton’s soul. Seth isn’t a neophyte; he knows he’s being manipulated. He minds less than he should, because the alternative is a return to Heaven and its perpetual tedium. Despite his immortality, he’s never done well with boredom, and the end of the pitched battles between the heavenly host and the armies of Satan has thwarted his soldierly ambitions. Baiting his demonic counterpart at every opportunity adds at least a little spice to waiting around for the Rapture.
Augusta Packer, aka Jewel
Augusta was always especially guilty of the sin of pride, even before the Fall. She had reason; she commanded legions. But that was once upon a time, before she dared to edge her toes onto the perch of a far greater demon and earned herself a pair of broken wings and a new position at the bottom of the pecking order. She swallowed her pride and made a deal to save herself, but her stomach never quite settled afterwards. Every time Clarence Barron calls upon her power to increase his own, the metaphorical bile rises just a little higher in her throat.
Chooli “Lee” Solares
Lee is a MEDICINE WOMAN WITCH with PHYSICAL HEALING/HARM powers.
Chooli has been called a lot of things during her life. The least insulting of them is obstinate. From the moment she could walk, she either went her own way or refused to go another step. Fortunately, her talent for good medicine–health regained, curses lifted, balance restored–outweighed the frustration she otherwise caused her family and the rest of their band. They nurtured dreams of a powerful future for her as wife and mother and eventual elder, but Chooli always had a strong sense of bad things coming. She saw a darkness like a thunderhead on the horizon, and damned if she was going to stand still waiting for it. When her family refused to listen, she saddled up with a man who did: Jesus Santiago Solares, traveling east from California and looking to spend his mined gold on land and cattle. He wasn’t looking for a wife, but he did believe in the kind of magic that would bring the right woman walking out of the desert and into his arms. She was only seventeen when Jesus bought the land that would soon become the Double Six. Years later, when the Long Walk took her band, she was hundreds of miles away and safe in the arms of the family that she and Jesus had built together.
That family, and the ranch that sustains it, has grown into the love of her life. No matter the shortcomings of her children–and their children–she will defend them ferociously. Losing Jesus and gaining full ownership of the Double Six has only sharpened her resolve.
Ofelia Aguilar
Ofelia is a PURITAN WITCH with ILLUSION powers.
Ofelia would never admit that she struggles to pay attention, especially when she’s meant to be working the forge. She’d rather her family chide her for being self-centered and lazy than confess to her frequent absent-mindedness. Time just seems to slip through her fingers, minute by minute and hour by hour, until suddenly she looks up and the sun is setting…or the fire has burned out, or the horse she was meant to be shoeing has grown bored and wandered away. Her saving grace is her magic, which has always come easily, no matter how her mind might wander or her focus might waver. Her natural talent pleases her mother, and the strength of their bond creates a helpful buffer between Ofelia and the exasperation of the rest of her family.
Maya Rao
Maya is a WRAITH SPIRIT.
Maya was born a Rajput princess in the northern part of what we now call India in 1552, and was the third wife of Mughal emperor Akbar the Great. Renowned for both her beauty and intelligence, she proved exceptionally adept at the use of “soft power” in influencing politics. During her time as Akbar’s wife, she failed to produce any children, and there was a prevailing rumor that she took precautions against pregnancy because she enjoyed her power within the court so much. She consistently butted heads with her husband’s regent-turned-advisor, and it is unclear if the tumble down a long flight of stairs that broke her neck in 1582 was an accident. At any rate, she now prefers to remain on the ground floor.