Witherbloom
At Witherbloom, the College of Essence Studies, mages draw power from the opposing forces of life and death. These mages brew their spells from natural components and the essence of living creatures, using that power to heal or harm the living or to raise or entreat the dead. They can cause entire forests to blossom out of nowhere or call down old curses that scourge flesh from bone. Some Witherbloom mages defend ecosystems from pollution, while others revel in the power of corruption. They’re at home riding zombie crocodiles down a languid river, picking herbs for a potion to treat a disease, brooding over a chorus of swamp frogs, or summoning fearsome avatars of nature.
Studies and Philosophy
The curriculum of Witherbloom College focuses on various sciences, revolving around the life sciences. Biology, ecology, botany, chemistry, and related sciences combine with the study and manipulation of the magical energy of the Positive Plane and the Negative Plane, the primal forces of life and death. Witherbloom’s curriculum shares some overlap with Quandrix’s analysis of the mathematical patterns in nature.Growth and Decay
The two deans of Witherbloom are traditionally called the Dean of the Root and the Dean of the Vein. These titles are a somewhat abstract way of framing the core division in the college’s philosophy: is growth or decay the driving force in nature? The philosophy of the root (growth) focuses on life and its irrepressible drive to thrive. This view celebrates the diversity and adaptability of life-forms, from the tiniest cells to the most complex networks of living things. The growth philosophy asserts that the urge to survive and reproduce is the most essential principle in the cosmos. Mages who adopt this view wield positive energy and practice healing magic. The philosophy of the vein (decay) focuses on the inevitability of death and decay. Its traditional name comes from the prominence of vampires within the college, whose conceptions of draining life through the vein have long proven an important counterweight to the growth philosophy of Witherbloom. The decay philosophy sees life energy as a resource to be consumed, rather than a good to be nourished for its own sake. Mages who adopt this view wield negative energy and practice necromancy. Scholars of Witherbloom The Witherbloom Scholars table offers examples of the scholars in Witherbloom College. You may use the table to randomly determine the scholarly focus of a Witherbloom student or faculty member. The Principle column notes which side of the growth-decay conflict a scholar more likely aligns with.| Scholar | Principle |
|---|---|
| Banelock, using concoctions of noxious ingredients for withering magic | Decay |
| Bleed doctor, drain the essence of living creatures to fuel sinister spells | Decay |
| Boon witch, brewing drafts to empower the living | Growth |
| Boughcaller, summoning creatures from bogs | Growth |
| Dreadbones, infusing dead tissue with magic to create Undead servants | Decay |
| Earthcroucher, connecting directly with the land to power nature magic | Growth |
| Leafbinder, using medicinal herbs to soothe wounds | Growth |
| Pestcatcher, harvesting life energy from the pests of the bayou | Decay |
Witherbloom Campus
Witherbloom’s campus is tucked away in a wide bayou to the southeast of Strixhaven’s central campus.Sedgemoor
Sedgemoor, the bayou area that encompasses the Witherbloom campus, is known for a range of swamp creatures: bats, crocodilian monsters, zombified animals, lumbering beasts called brackish trudges, and canine creatures called groffs. Sedgemoor is an excellent place to find pest mascots, herbs, spider silk, fungi, and other ingredients for potions and spells.Widdershins Hall
The center of the Witherbloom campus is Widdershins Hall, a bog mansion that looks like it grew out of Sedgemoor itself. Widdershins is a network of interconnected wooden pods, with planked walkways leading out of it like tendrils. The hall has a cozy inner chamber where students gather for classwork.Detention Bog
A stinking, thoroughly unpleasant marshland lies adjacent to Sedgemoor: the Detention Bog. Witherbloom faculty members send misbehaving students to this bog as punishment, but it’s also an excellent place to gather herbs for certain cures and curses.
Leader
Notable Members
- Aurora Luna Wynterstarr
- Beledros Witherbloom
- Brianne D’Aether
- Claire Bloth
- Dominique Paraguan
- Gyome, Master Chef
- Lisette, Dean of the Root
- Melwythorne
- Steph Pebble
- Tamy Gertit
- Tivash, Gloom Summoner
- Tristan Typhoon
- Urzmaktok Grojsh
- Valentin, Dean of the Vein
- Verelda Lang, Arcano-Biologist
- Willowdusk, Essence Seer
- Yedora, Grave Gardener