Here is the short story I wrote about this witch.

You can see the other three designs here: [link]

The Witch of Eresthir Forest
By: Justin Rodrigues

A few miles west of the small village of Dunbjorn lies an eerily large and peculiar forrest. It is peculiar for the fact that it grows where you wouldn't think it conducive for a forrest to grow. It's trees are strange and foreign and not one of them seems to have the same type of leaves or trunk, or even be of the same species as the one next to it. But, perhaps the most peculiar thing about the forrest are the stories that are told about it.

It is said that the once great kingdom of Eresthir lies directly in the center of the large, looming woodland. Although no one has made it through the dark maze of trees in ages, the kingdom is now said to be long abandoned and overrun with the gnarled, old trees. No one knows for certain what happened to the "beacon of the east" as Eresthir was once dubbed, but it is said that once upon a time the king's new born son and heir to the throne died suddenly and unexpectedly. The empiric's and shamans could not explain why the child had died, so the king reaching for reasoning and understanding made up his mind that if there was no physical explanation then it must be mystical. He sent his guards to apprehend the village vagabond who was rumored to be a witch and often said to be overheard cursing the king and his family, albeit while muttering to herself. When questioned all she could do was laugh, then cry hysterically, then laugh again. That being evidence enough for the king the woman was put to death. After she was hanged in the court yard as a public spectacle she was buried underneath an old tree outside the castle walls, at this time, storied to be, the only tree around.

Shortly thereafter whisperings and tales started swirling around the kingdom of an old woman wandering the roads around the castle at night. Soon people who left the safety of the castle walls started vanishing, deliveries to be made to the kingdom never arrived. Trees, where there were none before, started appearing beyond the walls. These weren't seedlings either mind you, they were old trees, gnarled, large trees. When a battalion of the kings finest guards went missing while searching for a convoy of supplies that never arrived the king had finally had enough. Succumbing to the whispers and stories of the old woman wandering the roads and thinking it must be the witch he had ordered executed; fearing for the safety of himself and his kingdom the king ordered the now small growth of trees burned. The fire, according to legend, ravaged through the small wooded area and couldn't be contained. It soon made it's way to the castle itself and feverishly consumed the entire kingdom. The king and his queen are said to have been trapped in their tower as the fire came too quickly and too ravenously to be avoided.

So how you ask is there a large, peculiar forrest a few miles west of the small village of Dunbjorn now if all the trees were burned so long ago? Well there are still whispers and tellings of an old woman who roams the roads that lead into the forrest at night. Appearing old, tired, sad and hungry she will ask any traveler to spare a little food or an extra blanket. And if they stop she will add them to her collection of gnarled, old peculiar trees.


I've had this idea for a few months now. What started as just an idea for some character designs of a "forrest witch" grew into something larger. It started out as an old woman, more of a typical witch, then turned into half witch half tree, then the story became, maybe she is the tree and she disguises herself as an old woman to lure travelers in then she curses them and turns them into trees like her. I still want to go back and do some designs of her old woman form. Hope you enjoyed my story!