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Episode 103 of ill fame is up and our lovers return to the sea, their home, only to greeted with rumour and gossip

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From the Depths - ill fame sea witch zine is out now

From the Depths is a 20 page A5 zine of all the sea witches I drew for #mermay this year, and includes a new intro.

It's available to buy on my ko-fi

Stickers and prints of the individual witches are also available on my redbubble

Thank you!

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New newsletter is up for the sea witches series for mermay, talking about the inspirations and showing the preliminary sketches

Free Patreon tier:

Free substack:

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Pylon, Compton

Gouache

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Crab, fluorite and oyster shell

Gouache and acrylic

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My entry for Blumouse’s DTIYS for their comic Light Within Shadow

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The final sea witch for mermay: our Rhys; lover, scavenger, witch king

From a post-ill fame pamphlet detailing the evil deeds of historical witches for the court of the kingdom of Ulva (is the historian pro-witch? Maybe…)

The Witch King

History still has not placed a consistent narrative on The Witch King. Was he part of the Sea Realm? Or was he an outsider from a forgotten realm? Could he truly be considered a king? Or, like his wife, was the title one of political advantage, or, even, personal aggrandisement? Also, did he truly love The Witch Queen? Or was he entrapped by her with love magic? The answers to these questions depend on who you ask, but what is clear is that this supposed outlander's title has become synonymous with devotion and righteousness in turn. To this day, pink & gold dusks & dawns are said to occur when The Witch Queen & The Witch King's presence is near, & it's up to each individual member of the Sea Realm, any realm, as to whether you greet them in return, or cower in fear.

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The surfing witch hag

From a post-ill fame document detailing the misdeeds of the Sea Realms most notorious witches, written by a concerned historian

Witta of The Crest

The stories about Witta of the Crest vary from island to island, & even reach the shores of the Land Realm, due in part to her being an itinerant hermit that could be found appearing from the peaks of waves at unexpected moments. While an outsider, Witta is one of our witches that seems to have attracted a curious devotion from various islands in the form of a wise, cryptic elder. Stories persist of folk chasing waves in order to hear from her the obscure, rhyming prophecies she was famous for, & seeking charms for personal good fortune, as well as charms of malice for their enemies. Witta was known to display these charms on trailing necklaces made of flotsam & Land Realm oddities.

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Episode 102 of ill fame is up and we are stepping our feet into the sea onwards towards the final confrontation

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The Witch That Left - mother of The Witch Queen

From a post-ill fame document detailing the misdeeds of the Sea Realms most notorious witches, written by a concerned historian (they’re enjoying this a bit too much, aren’t they?)

The Witch That Left

The most obscure of our compendium, time has made foggy the details of this witch's life. Yet, despite the advantage of infamy that our other witches have, this witch is perhaps the most consequential, for The Witch That Left is believed to be the mother of the Witch Queen herself. A consistent story of her life is difficult, as much of it was lived hidden away within the Land Realm, but the lore surrounding her suggest that she fell in love with a human & willingly chose to become one herself, sacrificing her tail for legs. Tragedy struck, though, when her husband died & she became lost to the Land, cursing those who came near her lair. It is believed that the old King of Wrack mistook witchcraft for alchemy & sort out The Witch That Left to create gold from rocks. It is from this mistaken encounter that the Witch Queen was conceived.

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Aurisma the Small, the love witch that started a 150 year war

From a post-ill fame document detailing the misdeeds of the Sea Realms most notorious witches, written by a concerned historian (yes, this is a passion project for them, and they spend all their time researching it, but they’re doing it for the public good, all right?)

“Aurisma the Small

Rivaling our other witches for pure deviousness, Aurisma the Small left a trail of destruction within their short life. Found within the shallow waters of Gutweed, Aurisma initially found work as the local Cunning Woman, finding lost goods & healing wounds, but it wasn't until she found her speciality in love spells that Aurisma's dark desires exposed themselves. Her crimes are too numerous to list here, but they range from destabilising happy marriages that only needed a little more reinforcement, to acting as the catalyst for the war between Gutweed & Wirt, after concocting a brew that made the ill-fated heirs of the islands, involved in separate marriage pacts, fall in love with each other. The war lasted one hundred & fifty years.”

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Our Frankie, the Witch Queen (the one all those rumours are about)

From a post-ill fame document detailing the misdeeds of the Sea Realms most notorious witches, written by a concerned historian (not enjoying with all their heart the creation of this pamphlet at all)

“The Witch Queen

Stories vary from island to island of the Witch Queen's exploits; rumour of her even spreads to the depths of the Land & the Black Mountains. It is said that she was once the youngest princess of the smallest kingdom in the archipelago, of an otherwise forgettable island called Wrack; the island's infamy was sealed, however, after the abrupt appearance of our dread lord, The Sea King, in response to the Witch Queen's feats in magic. Scholars debate to this day as to whether the Witch Queen was truly a queen (as it is commonly understood), but what many can't contest is that her deeds continue to inspirit the recalcitrant & the defiant, which might also explain the persistent unfavourable descriptions of her from a multitude of historical accounts.”

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The Witch of Columnar Point (the one cursed to count all the krill in the sea)

From a post-ill fame document detailing the misdeeds of the Sea Realms most dastardly witches, written by a concerned historian (their special interest, much to their mothers disappointment )

“The Witch of Columnar Point

Said to have stalked the waters around the columnar rocks on the north of Wrasse, this witch is remembered not for their acts but for the punishment that was doled upon them. The Witch of Columnar Point is said to have caught the ire of Wrasse's King Felix after a curse was reportedly cast upon his newborn daughter, Princess Grassa (who later married Prince Milo of Roob, & whose rule initiated a successful trade between the Sea Realm & the Land Realm, bringing much prosperity to the island). Slighted, King Felix condemned the witch, her acceptance back into society only on the condition that all the krill in the sea are accounted for. To this day, stories of her ghost still trying to count for her freedom haunt the island of Wrasse.”

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Meggo of the Blue Abyss (the one that cursed all those crabs)

A post-ill fame document detailing the terrible misdeeds of the Sea Realms witches, written by a concerned citizen (not a fan girl, absolutely not)

“Meggo of the Blue Abyss

Perhaps the originator of what has become an arguably unfair caricature for all historical sea witches, Meggo is said to have inhabited the deep waters east of the isles of Red Rags, and to have lured unsuspecting victims to his lair with the welcoming glow of his deceptive lamp. Amongst the proud crab kingdom of Laver, Meggo is remembered with a particular disdain after a notorious resource skirmish culminated in a mass curse of the populace. To this day, it is custom for the crabs of Laver to decorate themselves with apotropaic markings in defence against the long deceased Meggo's curse.”

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Sea Witch Mermay

~ill fame edition~

A post-ill fame pamphlet detailing all the dastardly witches of the sea realm that have entered into folklore

Icy the Bastard

Habiting the islets north of the black sands of Furbellow, this witch earned their epithet after wrecking repeatedly fishing vessels from the Land's most distinguished ports. Icy's method was to use ropes that had the power of gales & storms knotted into them, gifted to him, it is said, after an illicit communion with the North Winds. The curious Land custom of sailors vainly throwing fish scraps to the breeze is said to have started as an attempt to satiate Icy's hunger & grant their ship safe passage.

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Hoping to sell this as a fanzine when it’s all done

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A little bit of a recap episode (5 years worth story recap!) and some goat shenanigans in episode 101 of ill fame