Feel free to skip the story and go to the next heading (Your Quest: Rules and Forms) if you want to get straight to the rules, quest, and eligible stories.
You are just walking along, enjoying your walk into the deep of the night when your feet lock into the leaf-strewn ground. Before you can even yelp, orange smoke whips up out of a sigil cut into the earth.
The colorful orange smoke sweeps up around you, smelling like apples, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. A tall statuesque woman wild hair with colors like a phoenix. Her dark eyes widen when she sees you. “Oh. Lookit you.” She gives you a bold smile before she sets the candelabra aside. A massive cauldron bubbles over the fire on the raised hearth. “Did you get my request?”
You shake your head, trying to orient yourself. The air here is quite warm. Cozy almost. It’s as if someone distilled autumn into a single amber brick room. “I just…got pulled in here.” The magic she used is a little different than the others you had encountered. There’s an odd taste in your mouth like you’ve just eaten stale cinnamon rolls.
“Ah. You must have wandered off one of my traveler summon spots,” she says with a sage nod. “Well, it wouldn’t have triggered if you didn’t fit the parameters.”
“Fit the parameters for what?” You ask.
“For a special love potion,” she says with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I do hope you believe in magic.”
“Well…yes, especially in light of how I got here.”
“Good point. I’m Opal.” She chuckles as she sets the black book down and steps away from the cauldron. She sets her black gloved hands on her slim waist. “You may have met my sister already, but it’s probably best if you don’t tell me your name. I’m protected. You aren’t.” She gestures to her simple black necklace. As she speaks, orange energy flares along it as if answer to her statement, revealing the special incantations woven into the dark threads.
“Cool.” You fold your arms, nodding appreciatively. “So why exactly am I here?”
“I’m working on the perfect love potion, and to accomplish that, I’m distilling down the very best of love stories. Of course, because I want it to work for my coven, I have to narrow it down to love stories about witches and wizards. And yes, even some necromancers. Poor darlings can be a touch on the strange side, but it doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to fall deeper in love.”
“A love potion that makes you fall deeper in love?” You raise your eyebrow.
“Oh, yes. This isn’t like a magical roofie. It’s more if you are already in love but you want to experience bliss together or spice things up a bit.”
“Interesting.”
“Yeah.” She grins. “It’s my specialty. Using magic to make life better in every respect. And I really think I’m onto something with these love potions. Distilling down the stories to those tropes and using the most powerful is like tapping into one of the most incredible reserves of magic out there. And no one else is doing it. Do you think you could help me?”
“Do you have a list or are you going to make the writing appear on my hand?” You raise your eyebrows expectantly.
Opal laughs, her lips curling in a crooked smile. “What do you think I am? A secretary? A barbarian?” She hands you the black book she was holding. It is filled with neatly printed pages and delicate annotations and sketches. “Here. Mark down the books with the matching elements. If you’re really confident of your answers, you can even use ink.” She gestures toward a comfortable blue armchair that appears in the corner of the room in a puff of glitters. “Have a seat, if you like.” She then moves over to the wall. A shelf appears out of nowhere, revealing some additional leatherbound books. She pulls one down and starts to read.
“Thanks.” You flash her a smile and curl up in the comfy chair. It feels like velvet. A table appears next to it with your favorite beverage steaming beside you and a small plate of delicately arranged snacks. “How thoughtful,” you say.
Opal waves her hand dismissively but she smiles nonetheless as she continues reading and the cauldron continues bubbling. The colorful steam coils and falls down around the coals.
Once you’re situated, you take out a pen and begin to go down the list in her grimoire, marking down the stories and tropes you know. What a perfectly delightful way to spend your evening.
Your Quest: Prize, Rules, and Forms
Prize
Once you complete this quest, you will be entered in a chance to win a $5 gift card.
This is open to anyone.
Rules
To complete the Quest, you can use stories from the list below.
You can only use a story for one element on the list in this quest. It is all right if you repeat a story from any other quest though.
This quest includes a custom curated list of all the stories in the event that include witches, wizards, or necromancers. You may use any of the ones on this page to solve this quest.
Be kind to your fellow readers and other authors.
The Forms
This one you will either fill out a Google Form or email us your discoveries. Refer to the form to find the list of required stories even if you choose to email.
Each answer is worth 1 token. Each token is an entry into the giveaway.
Bonus Tokens
In addition to the regular tokens, you can get bonus tokens by completing the following acts.
One extra token for every story you share in an individual social media post. (Yes, you can post on multiple platforms.)
Use #witchybrewbonus (and if you want to absolutely bless me, save off the links and paste them in the forms or an email to make sure we definitely see them. Screenshots also work.).
(We have graphics of all the stories here so you don’t have to make something separate. Just look look under the author’s last name to find the stories.)
Submitting Your Form
Once you’ve gathered up your collection of stories, you’ll need to turn them in so we can verify.
You can turn in your stories in two ways.
- Complete this form and directly post your answers (if you do this, you don’t need to turn in anything else. The form will allow you to return to it and edit your answers).
- Email your answers to faeornofae@farofeb.com. Make sure to include any of the bonus activities you have done as well. Use the title Witchy Brew Quest or Witches, Wizards, Necromancers or some similar identifier.
Make sure to submit your completed form or list by October 30 at 11:59 PM EST.
If you have any problems, please feel free to email faeornofae@farofeb.com.
Heat Levels
All stories are ranked on a romance scale of one to four chili peppers to indicate spice levels. We use the Heat Levels Guide depicted here.
This graphic has also been saved in the Graphics Folder for the event in case you want to share it as well.
Witches, Wizards, Necromancers in Our Worlds and Others
Witches, Wizards, Necromancers in Stories in Our Worlds and Others
You finish the steaming hot beverage and enjoy the little snacks as you mark the last of the stories down. Standing, you close the book with a snap. “Thank you again for your hospitality.” You walk up to her and place the book in her dark gloved hand.
“Of course, it was my pleasure,” Opal says with a mischievous smile. “And thank you for your help. Couldn’t have done it without you. Your input will be invaluable for my next batch of love potions.”
You nod, feeling a sense of satisfaction at being able to contribute to Opal’s magical endeavors. “Are you going to send me back where you pulled me from?”
Opal chuckles. “I can. Or you can use the door over there.” She indicates a purple door that wasn’t there a moment before. “And if you take that door, you may find that there’s a more interesting surprise on the path to the west.”
You raise an eyebrow, intrigued by her suggestion. “Really?”
Opal smiles slyly. “Yes, but it’s not for the faint of heart.”
You chuckle. “I think I can handle it.”
Opal nods, her expression indicating she’s pleased. “Very well. Safe travels, my friend. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”
“I’m sure we will.” You wink at her, then take a deep breath and cross over to the heavy purple door. As soon as it swings open, a gust of cool night air hits you and you step out into the darkness of the forest at night. The stars twinkle above you like diamonds in an inky sky and the moon is a bright white beacon lighting your way.
An interesting surprise, she said? Well…sounds like there’s still plenty more adventure to be had.