This OC originated in the School of Games + Adobe Moodboard Challenge 2022 on Instagram. We had to create a character inspired by the moodboard, the colours, the pictures on it, the words provided (to see my 2021’s entry, click here). The result was Raven the witch apprentice. After submitting my entry even more ideas came up to my mind.
This is the old Witchphibians webpage that no longer will be updated.
You will find the latest information about the Witchphibians series on the new page.
Raven, Witch Apprentice – Raven and the Chamber of Witchcraft – Raven Frogfeet – Raven and Sam
Secrets – Weaving Magic – Brewing Magic – Warming Thoughts – Kimeira Wartribe
Character’s Gallery – Samandra’s Fabric Journal

Raven – Witch Apprentice
Raven and the Chamber of Witchcraft
Originally a thief (not a good one, obviously) who made the mistake sneak into a witch’s hut but got betrayed by her own clumsiness. To make up for the trouble, she henceforth either had to live the life of a small green hopping animal or to become the witch’s apprentice (incl. all the chores coming with it).
Raven Frogfeet
It wasn’t actually a green hopping animal. This was the treat, though, and the witch gave Raven a taste of what it was like to be a frog. Still, since the witch wasn’t the youngest anymore and never has been top witch in the best years of her life, the spell partly stuck even after turning Raven back into a human being. Therefore, every so often Raven (or body parts of her) still turns into a frog or parts of it – usually in the most inconvenient situations.
Raven and Sam
When you are a witch apprentice, you meet other witch apprentices. One of them was Samandra Elvennewt. She was a natural with needle and thread and experienced in retailoring clothes of people who occasionally turn into animals (you get them a lot around witches and wizards). She retailored Raven’s dress which was no more than a mere sack before and together they travelled around a lot.
Samandra shared Raven’s fate in reverse. Originally she was a fire salamander. The whitch she was apprentice of was in need of a helper who could do the chores she wasn’t able to do anymore. So she simply turned a newt into a human being. Since Sam was a fast learner and also showed talent in witchcraft, she finally raised her as her apprentice. Although not completely voluntarily drawn into apprenticeship, she, like Raven, preferred her new life to the old one (not having many memories of it anyway).
Secrets
After another unintended splash into amphibianhood, Raven told Samandra about her past as orphan and thief: War ravaged the land. Raven was searching food in some cellars that weren’t exactly her family’s ones when one side (or the other?) swept over her home village. After comprehending she was the only one not dead, she fled into the woods, meeting some other strays who made a living from theft. Because of the amulet she wore – the only thing left from home – they called her „Raven“.
Weaving Magic
Saying Samandra was a great fabric mage wasn’t just figuratively speaking. She found her special knack in bewitching clothes, trinkets, literally anything that was made of thread and tissue. This came handy after Raven nearly lost her amulet in the course of an unintended form-changing frog experience. Since Samandra knew the amulet was of great value to Raven, she bewitched it to make sure this would never happen again.
Brewing Magic
To become self-respecting witches, Raven and Samandra had to learn how to brew magic spells and potions, of course. And as any self-respecting apprentice they looked up the more sophisticated ones in books they were not supposed to know, collect ingredients they never should have known they even exist and stay up longer than they were expected to during moonlit nights to brew in secret whatever mess their teacher witches would have to clean up the next day. One drawback of turning into an amphibium unintentionally every so often was that when leaning over a bubbling cauldron, you easily could become one of the ingredients yourself …
Warming Thoughts
If you are a witch apprentice who could turn into a frog whenever you don’t want to, you shouldn’t leave the house alone on snowy winter days. Even if you have a friend like Samandra around who picks you up and thaws you out with the help of spongehole magic.
Kimeira Wartribe
A fully trained witch and warrior mage, having a knack for Battle Magic. She earned her witch name by fighting an actual Chimera, on the quit it is said, though, that the older witches granted her this name because they still cannot see magic and warcraft coming together.
Character’s Gallery

She’s a light rune mage: Discovering, inventing and combining light runes, this way – in theory – able to conjure nearly everything – if she remembers the correct and often quite complex combinations
Orphaned after a battle ravaged her hometown, the raven amulet is the last thing that remained from her family
Made her living as (not very succesful) thief
Sneaked into a witch’s hut who threated her to turn her into a frog, if she didn’t do her chores (and gave her a taste thereof)
Still stuck with the spell, occasionally turning into a frog or parts thereof; therefore, her friend Samandra put a spell on her amulet to not get it lost when turning forms
Dressed up and travelled together with Samandra Elvennewt a lot
Originally a fire salamander
Got turned into a human being by a witch to help her with chores but soon got raised as her apprentice
Outstanding tailoring skills, experienced in tailoring clothes for people who occasionally turn into animals – including herself
Special field of study: Fabric magic, creating and bewitching clothes
Made Raven a collar to prevent her amulet getting lost when turning into a frog
Dressed up Raven and travelled together with her a lot

She’s a fabric mage: Bewitching clothes, textiles, technically any kind of thread and tissue, in theory even the fabric of space and time – if she ever will be able to mastet this level
Samandra’s Fabric Journal
Being a fabric mage means knowing where to get your magic stuff to weave into your clothes. So, Samandra wrote down any bit of information she got to look it up again whenever the need arises.
This painting is part of vitranas_art’s Junicorn challenge. I tried several approaches, this one is the only one I finished. Already the first one was planned to be linked to my witches universe. Since I failed to get stuff done, I did it via the form of a journal entry.


„Roaming the flooded shores of forest’s river the Floodycorn can be found. Despite its cold appearance it has a hot temper and attacks anything that doesn’t respect its territory.“
Second painting for vitranas_art’s Junicorn challenge. The topic was „Water“ this time. Biggest reference to this one was the narwhale, the unicorn of the seas. First I thought of placing it in the icy waters the narwhale lives in, with a horn made of ice, but I got carried away with the background and placed it in more swampy waters. And besides, I planned to depict a doodle of Raven in frog form right from the beginning, so icy waters wouldn’t have been fitting at all. This way it also fits into Raven’s witches universe
„Running faster than a horse, ruling the sky like thunder, the Hurricorn is on the hunt, causing storms and mayhem thereunder.“
Third painting for vitranas_art’s Junicorn challenge, matching the the air topic. This time Samandra scribbled herself in salamander form into the journal.


„“In the middle of the now burnt lands the Pyrocorn emerged, bringing fire, flames and fear.“
Fourth painting for vitranas_art’s Junicorn challenge for the fire theme. This time Samandra helping out Raven who got in trouble.
Moonlight Magic
DTIYS
In July 2022 my Instagram account reached 200 followers. I asked my followers how to celebrate this and the majority voted for another DTIYS. This time, I wanted to provide a fresh and new painting and since I wanted to continue the tale of Raven and Samandra ever since there was the self-induced break during the Mermay. This way I hit two birds with one stone (and by the way, added a little bit more to the lore):