I have helped you today, but it would do you good to be fearful if you ever meet someone like me again. Other witches might sooner eat your heart than heal it, I'm afraid. - Enairil Laloria
Witchery is an oft-maligned and generally taboo form of mistwoven magic feared throughout Maradul, and for most that have encountered witches directly and lived to speak about it, its nefarious infamy is found to be well-earned. At its core, witchery is a Mist-Scion magic that is rather similar to other, more redeemable magics, such as clerical magic, in that magical power is distributed to groups as it is filtered through a conduit. Unlike most scion-based magic, however, witchery does not base its power around filtering magic through an individual; instead, witches form covens and filter magic for each other collectively. In and of itself, this is actually a rather interesting way to divest the large individual responsibility most Mist Scions have, but it also places large burdens on each witch in a coven. Filtering the magic of the mists is no small feat, and most people are not cut out for it, at least not without some sort of assistance. This is where the first dangers of witching lies: your very initiation into magic can kill you.
Witches are born of normal individuals that drink a concoction known as 'witching blood'. The exact substance differs between different covens and magical traditions, but in general most contain at least a small quantity of literal witch's blood. Once an individual consumes witching blood, they will forcibly be entered into the coven, and thus must take on part of the burden of magical filtering; for most, this will prove to be too much, and they will expire, usually excruciatingly slowly, over a period of 2 to 10 days. Those few that can withstand the sudden flow of magical energy, however, will become witches. This is usually accompanied by various psychological and physiological changes, which vary on the coven that they are inducted into. Psychologically, most new witches have their minds twisted to support the ideals of their coven, though generally they will keep the memories from their past life. Physically, changes tend to vary more; the witches of the Coven of Neoma, for example, all become women with dark grey skin, while the witches of the Kallet Sharn become 12 foot beasts covered in long hair with three glowing eyes. When a witch is inducted into a coven, the collective burden of magic filtering does not necessarily become easier, but the potential power of the coven is generally raised. The high mortality rate of conversion generally dissuades many from seeking to become witches, so many covens take a proactive approach and kidnap victims to forcibly convert them. Those who are already capable of weaving the Mists are considered high value targets.
As with most subjects surrounding witching, the capabilities of a witch will vary from coven to coven. Each coven will have its own magical traditions regarding what spells they may weave, the tools and reagents they must use, and so on. Ancient covens that have spent years refining their arts may have elegant, powerful spells that are quick and simple to cast, while newer, cruder covens with less time to hone their traditions may require massive rituals with great sacrifices to achieve a similar result. Not all covens are created equal. In general, the two metrics that should be used when sizing up the capabilities of a coven are its age, and the number of witches it has. While young covens can quickly rise in power by inducting many members into their ranks, it takes time to truly refine the specifics of witching, usually by potentially catastrophic trial-and-error.
That being said, most covens are rather fond of hexing, which is used to draw power from outsiders. Hexes generally involve depriving someone of something they hold dear in an effort to gain power from their anguish. For example, a man who loves counting gold may be hexed by a witch to have his hands seize every time he picks up a coin. The witch may then siphon the power from his suffering and use it to fuel further rituals. Many witches offer to remove hexes from individuals in return for objects or favors.
While I've said much about the negative aspects of witches, it should be known that in a few areas of the world, witching is a respected and often cherished art. There are covens do not forcibly induct more into their ranks, and there are many stories of witch heroes who are adept at healing and warding away evils. In some parts of the world, witches work as apothecaries, veterinarians, and sooth-sayers. There are witches who bring good into the world; however, for most, this kinder, older form of witching is not often witnessed.