The Wickham Family is a very influential family in Cincinnati, Ohio. Unknown from most, they also have a dark secret: a lineage of witches.
The Legacy lineage[]
Anne Wickham[]
Anne was a woman from Keswick, England who lost her husband and eldest son to disease in the late 1600s. She had three young daughters to raise, her other sons were at sea, they were massively in debt and one of the neighbors had his eye on the family farm. She made a deal with a traveling peddler: in exchange for magical power, she promised her soul—but with the proviso that she could buy it back with Grace. The power and debt could both be passed on to her elder female descendants, up to seven times; if by the seventh generation the debt had not been repaid, the Peddler would get not only the souls, but also everything else they had amassed.
The Peddler gave Anne an Agrippa, a minor demon bound in the form of a book, which was the source of Anne's magic power, and also an imp to keep tabs on her. With her newfound power, Anne charmed a neighbor into marrying her, adopting her children and taking the Wickham name. She trained her daughters in witchcraft, and they used it to hijack the power of other witches, in order to obtain magic power which would not further indebt them to the Peddler.[1]
Catherine "Prudence" Wickham[]
Anne's eldest daughter, Catherine, inherited the legacy—and found herself in trouble: the British Crown was actively prosecuting witches, including Catherine's husband. Catherine fled with her daughters to Holland, where she fell in with Puritans and changed her name to Prudence. She seduced and married one of them and the family emigrated to America, settling in Massachusetts. She kept doing witchcraft, however, something that raised some suspicions.[1]
Esther "Sadie" Wickham[]
After Prudence died, the Legacy passed on to her granddaughter, Esther, also called Sadie. She moved the family operation to a township which would eventually become part of Buffalo, NY. Esther had been raised as a rich man's daughter, and also raised her daughters the same way. That would be her doom.[1]
Isobel Wickham[]
Isobel, the youngest daughter of Esther/Sadie, was a spoiled brat. Wanting more power, and possibly under the influence of the Peddler, she arranged for the accidental death of her older sisters, and then Sadie "suddenly" passed away in her sleep. The neighboring magic users weren't fooled, however, and Isobel sold everything she could and moved west, settling in Cincinnati in the beginning of the 19th Century.
Never having been properly informed on the terms of the Legacy, Isobel used the Agrippa's power frequently, incurring an enormous magical debt. With it, she also ripped the power of every magic-user in the region. She was a smart businesswoman, however, and leveraged her magic into a considerable fortune.
She also discovered the Pool of Vigor, purchasing the land around it and building a manor on top of it so she would have ready access to its healing and rejuvenating power. Helped by her magic and the Pool of Vigor, Isobel kept increasing her mundane power for over ninety years, outliving three husbands and having nine children, before finally dying in her sleep in what her eldest daughter Jezebel declared a "heart attack," circa 1894.[1]
Jezebel Wickham[]
Jezebel inherited the Legacy and the Pool of Vigor in her late fifties so her reign lasted considerably less than Isobel's -- only around thirty-five years. until her death on Black Friday in 1929—possibly with "help" from her granddaughter Belinda. She focused more on keeping what she had than expanding her power.[1]
Belinda Wickham[]
Belinda worked more at keeping a low profile and coping with the changing times. However, she was never told about the Pool of Vigor, so her stint as the head of the Wickhams was not unnaturally extended. Wary of what she had done to her own mother, and what Jezebel had done to Isobel, Belinda didn't tell her own daughters of the nature of the Legacy.[1]
Maribel Wickham[]
Maribel, Belinda's eldest daughter, came to believe that Granny Anne was exchanging bodies with her descendants, and, having no desire to die prematurely, ran away from home at the beginning of World War II. She changed her name, joined the WAACS and found a husband, who she married at the end of the war. By the time Belinda found them, it was too late: she had sworn an oath forsaking the Legacy. However, the oath didn't bind Maribel's own daughter.[1]
Karen Wickham[]
- Main article: Green Witch
In 1964, when Karen was 17,her mother Maribel died. Belinda contacted her saying she wanted to mend fences, and convinced Karen to move from Los Angeles to Cincinnati. The then elderly Belinda taught the basics of the Craft before passing away a bit over one year later.
In her will, Belinda left everything to Karen—provided that she changed her name to Wickham and accepted the Legacy. She accepted, but found that she needed some information that wasn't in the books. When she attempted to summon Belinda's shade, she got all six of the previous Legacy holders, who explained it all in detail, since they depended on Karen to buy back their souls.
Karen started doing lots of beneficent work, but that didn't help very much. Then, when a villain called Hellfire King started attacking Dayton and Cincinnati, she decided to use her magical power to become a super hero, in order to acquire more Grace. Eventually, she came to do the job not for the Grace it yielded, but because she saw it as something worth doing for its own sake. As of 2006-08-20, after about forty years of crimefighting, she accumulated enough Grace to "buy out" Belinda, Jezebel and Isobel, and was about halfway on rescuing Sadie. Since Sadie, Prudence and Anne incurred comparatively small debts, she figures the goal is not that far.[1]
Others[]
Godfrey[]
Described as one of "the worst of the wolves" back in 1965, when Karen inherited the Legacy.[1]
Winifred[]
Described as one of "the worst of the wolves" back in 1965, when Karen inherited the Legacy.[1]
Lucille[]
Described as one of "the worst of the wolves" back in 1965, when Karen inherited the Legacy.[1]
Matthew[]
One of the young members of the family in 2006. More interested in Stacy's cleavage then if she posed a threat regarding the inheritance.[1]
Justin[]
One of the young members of the family in 2006. Resented the fact that the "old folks" were hogging the liquor cabinet.[1]
Megan[]
One of the young members of the family in 2006. Played "good cop/bad cop" with Ashley trying to get Stacy to say something they could use against her.[1]
Ashley[]
One of the young members of the family in 2006. Played "good cop/bad cop" with Megan trying to get Stacy to say something they could use against her.[1]
Kenneth[]
Karen's nephew/cousin. Karen told him to call the family for a meeting.[2] Asked who was managing Stacy's trust fund, but was derailed by his glass dribbling over him.[3]
Giselle Dearborn[]
One of the Grosse Pointe Dearborns, who have been connected with the Wickham family since the 1890s. Tried to frame Stacy as a drug user, but ended up being unmasked as an user herself. Has been in rehab.[3]
Mrs. Dearborn[]
Giselle's mother. A niece or cousin, depending on how you read the genealogy, and a direct Wickham.[3]
Mr. Dearborn[]
Giselle's father. Got furious at finding his daughter was still using drugs.[3]
Gary[]
Said to always fight with Leah for the last biscuit.[3]
Leah[]
Said to always fight with Gary for the last biscuit.[3]
Ransom[]
Someone who Karen asked regarding the Thanksgiving football game.[3]
Muriel[]
A severe looking woman with roan-red hair and a drastic case of the "Wickham Nose." The first to confront Karen directly about Stacy.[3]
Ethan[]
A hefty man with serious jowls. Demanded explanations about Stacy's trust fund.[3]
Halford[]
Some ancestor. Ethan wondered if Karen would claim that Stacy was his long-lost granddaughter.[3]
Channing's mother[]
Threatened to get an injunction to get Stacy's money "back".[3]
Channing[]
Is going to Harvard, at least according to his mother.[3]
Granny Maribel[]
One of Karen's ancestresses, although not one of the Lineage. Possibly a male-line ancestress, or maybe Belinda's mother. Had a very nice collection of original Currier & Ives prints, which Karen inherited.[4]