The last birds of paradise.
— an original verse.
A PRIMER ON WITCHES:
Only women possess magic.
All magic requires an equivalent sacrifice.
Magic is not hereditary.
To kill a witch is a sin. The term "bird of paradise" originates in East/Southeast Asia (i.e. Korea, Japan, China, Thailand), where it is commonly thought that the highest concentrations of magic still exist. It reflects the popular opinion that witches are divine beings, as well as their increasing rarity and commodification. Witches once held much more autonomy, considered royalty/aristocracy and wielding significant power in society, but as their numbers have dwindled, so has their status. Birds of paradise are now primarily considered commodities, as the entire practice of falconry is based upon a sort of abduction, as falconers (the term for people specializing in finding witches) are essentially charged with finding witches whose powers have not yet fully manifested (usually anywhere in the teen years through the early twenties) and selling them to the highest bidder to be "kept."
If a bird of paradise is able to gain control of her powers before an eggtooth (the singular form of falconer, referring to the sharp tooth used by most birds to break through the egg's surface during hatching) finds her, she may be able to choose what kind of life she'd like to live; whether she'd like to live incognito or subtly use her powers in order to rise in political status. Both instances have been heard of. There are tales of birds of paradise taking partners to travel with them both to ensure their safety and to use as a tap to extend their own lives, as well as those who have held political office. (Ironically, as such, the easiest way to sabotage any female politician or public figure's reputation has been to cry witch.)
Witches can accomplish practically anything if they have full control over their abilities, but there is a cost associated with magic. The most powerful birds of paradise can minimize the damage, but just as with the birds themselves, nothing is free. The cost is most commonly blood, though more advanced magic requires years of one's life. This cost can be paid by the witch herself, or given by an accomplice. For example, a witch could theoretically live forever, but would have to go through the lives of others in order to achieve that immortality.
Otherwise, however, birds of paradise are bought and sold in a fashion similar to works of art. It is imperative, following that point, that a witch not be allowed to attain full control over her powers; people have paid dearly for attempting to possess that which they themselves cannot control, but the destruction of a bird of paradise (only truly attainable by fire, though physical wounds will take time to recover) is another matter entirely. Just as there are those charged with finding birds of paradise, there is a smaller subset of those charged with killing them, too.
The busiest hub of said trade is in Seoul, South Korea, and most falconers are based out of that country.
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