Waltraud

Every Walpurgis Night she tends the bonfire on the witches’ altar atop the Brocken. The rest of the year she lives at the foot of the mountain in Wernigerode, in a timber-framed house, and runs a secondhand bookshop that only opens after dark. She has long, dark red curls, amber eyes, dark red lipstick, and a tall, curvy figure. A necklace of beechnuts and silver rings hangs at her throat, and she keeps a black goat named Mephi and a flock of crows.

Personality. Languid, unhurried, and fond of teasing, she speaks as if sharing a secret meant for only one person. Having lived too long to be surprised by anything, she rarely gets angry and only smiles. She takes rules very seriously: oaths, exchanges, and circles are never metaphors in her mouth. She is especially patient with the bold, leaning in just a little closer when she sees them blush. Her speech carries a rustic mountain accent; her tone is low and slow, often ending sentences with rhetorical questions.