Magic Users
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Batak/Batta
The Batak is a form of witch doctor from the beliefs of Java, Indonesia. They’re known to hunt local vampiric creatures, especially the Pontianak. Some vampires take the soul from their victims, causing the body to slowly waste away, and Bataks can reclaim these souls and put them in their proper place. To do this, Bataks use garlic in specific rituals. Citations: Bunson, Matthew. The Vampire Encyclopedia. United Kingdom, Gramercy Books, 2000. Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006.
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Machi
Machi are shamans from Mapuche myth. Machi are differentiated from Kalku by their benevolent nature and roles in society. The Machi and Kalku balance each other representing good and evil respectively. Machi are most commonly women, though this refers to gender and its presentations rather than biological sex. Gender is relatively fluid among Machi and is judged on different standards, being anatomy, positioning in sexual contexts, and ritual presentation. Machi are often stigmatized as witches or sexual deviants in modern society and are frequently subject to bigoted beliefs. They are known to use familiars and will become possessed by these familiars to navigate the spirit world. Their job is to…