Witch

A Witch (魔女) is a term used to describe certain magic users who have been active in England throughout its history.

Principles
Witches are part of the cause why the anti-magical culture of England has developed unnaturally and thus the reason why Necessarius was created. From their persecution, it could be inferred that some of their magic practices defy the teachings of the church, even though it has been stated that their magic doesn't come from unnatural rituals such as cooking unbaptized babies nor something along those lines.

There are certain traditions and beliefs that have been carried by witches or held concerning them in the past. An example would be the belief that the devil residing in women's hair.

Although witches are generally female, they are apparently some male witches.

According to a grimoire, all witches' sabbaths are used to worship the goddess Aradia, the supposed daughter of  and, a goddess who shines in the dark night and "god of all witches", who supposedly took a physical body and descended to the human world to save the poor from the rich, with rituals meant to teach people how to resist oppression from the wealthy and the church.

Magic
The unit of Anglican witches on the Coven Compass share common magic practices:


 * Coven Compass (カヴン＝コンパス): A large mobile flying fortress that hovers for about 20 meters on top of the ocean, the mobile fortress is a giant disk made of stone with a diameter of 200 meters and thickness of 10 meters. The top of the disk had sharp lines running in each direction from the center which resemble an actual compass. The top of the fortress is the firing device for the large-scale flash spell that can be used to "fry" invaders, furthermore the fortress is constructed with several defensive measures to prevent anti-flying spells from knocking it down.
 * Magic Potion (魔女の薬): A potion made of different magical plants that can imbue flying abilities to objects like broomsticks by covering them in the potion, though witches can also apply it to their own bodies.
 * Broomsticks: A common witch tool, it can be used to fly if applied with a magic potion. Witches can also use it as a weapon. A fire-like light is lit at the end of the broomstick before shooting a ray of light.
 * Communication spiritual items: Witches use spiritual items to communicate their thoughts at high speed.
 * Ocean control spell: During their battle with the Knights of England, Smartvery commented it would be fun if they took them out with an ocean control spell.

Background
In the past, witches were persecuted by the church, who also spread misinformation to slander them and justify its actions. The witch hunts eventually declined due to criticism.

At the time of the Golden Dawn, there were old witch lodges around who felt their place in the world had been taken by the cabal.

During World War II, witches apparently danced in midwinter forests until they froze to death in an attempt to delay the Third Reich's invasion.

In the present day, there are numerous witches working with the Anglican Church and Necessarius.

Toaru Majutsu no Index Movie: Miracle of Endymion
Witches Marie Spearhead, Mallybath Blackball, and Jane Elves, under the command of Stiyl Magnus, go on a mission to retrieve Meigo Arisa and does battle against Shutaura Sequenzia and her Black Crow Unit. By the climax of the movie, they align themselves with Kamijou Touma's intentions and help prevent the Endymion space elevator from crashing down to earth by releasing its explosive bolts. They later hear the Miracle of Endymion caused by the singing of Arisa and Shutaura as they merge back together. Stiyl carries all three witches as the elevator begins moving.

They later visit and scold Stiyl for the danger he puts himself in as he recovers back in England.

British Royal Family Arc
A unit of Anglican witches stationed on the Mobile Fortress Coven Compass were one of the groups that the Knights of England tried to hunt during Carissa's coup d'état. In the ensuing Battle of Islay, they quickly dispatched 100 witches to repel their attacker.

After fighting off the knights, Kanzaki Kaori mentioned on how Necessarius contacted the Coven Compass, requesting the witches' assistance in weakening the Curtana Original. The witches complied and after the joint operation, Carissa lost half of the power that the Curtana gave her and the Knights of England pretty much lost their Telesma boost.

Not long after damaging the Curtana's power, the witches used the Coven Compass to launch a remote attack on the Buckingham Palace, authorized and made with the consent of third princess Villian, from just outside the UK's national boundaries. The target was at 500 kilometers and the actual estimated "effective" range of the Coven Compass was of approximately 330 km; yet regardless of that difference the attack was successful. The attack was meant to provide enough distraction, as to hamper Carissa's possibilities of doing an open counterattack on the rebel forces that would try to sneak into the palace.

Coronzon Arc
During the invasion of the United Kingdom by the Crowley's Hazards, witches were among the groups stationed on the frontline, attempting to stop the enemies crossing the Strait of Dover from landing.

Christmas Day Arc
During the battle on Christmas Day, St. Germain referred to witches among the groups who had set Anna Sprengel as their goal in the past, along with the Golden Dawn and the.

Los Angeles Arc
Following the events in Los Angeles on December 26th, Anna Sprengel spoke with Aradia, whose name was noted as that of the goddess from a famous witchcraft grimoire and described as a witch of the moon and light.

Known Witches

 * Smartvery
 * Marie Spearhead
 * Mallybath Blackball
 * Jane Elves
 * Aradia

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