Exactly one thousand years ago, on August 17th, the first message bottle of the Endless Witch was cast out into our world. Since then, we have ripped her tales to pieces, devoured them, treasured them, and torn each other apart in our attempts to ascend Mount Purgatory. Perhaps you are still floundering in the hellish pits of goats, skewered by the stakes of Lucifer and Belphegor. Perhaps you are still lost in the mists of Rokkenjima, following the fishy aroma of red herrings and mackerel. Or perhaps, you have reached that most sacred of hallowed grounds - the Golden Land where the Endless Witch herself awaits.

Regardless of where you are in your journey, allow me to welcome you with open arms. For we have all traveled across the sea of fragments to gather here once again, united in our affection for our beloved witch, Beatrice. Today, for all eternity, we celebrate her story. And what better way to celebrate than to offer up our own games as sacrifice?

Let it be known: on the stroke of midnight of August 17th, the Games of the Golden Witch shall begin!

How do I praise her noble name?

By writing an entirely new game, featuring splendid displays of magic worthy of the witch! The truth of magic, of course, depends entirely on you. 

Do you have love, the single element that makes up the world? What did you love about the witch's games? Who did you love, and what would you say to them?  What are your answers to her questions? One element, infinite worlds. Show us how her fragments have pierced your soul, how the red that drips from your wounds have alchemized into your very own golden truth.

I have not yet partaken of the Golden Witch's games. How should I proceed?

You may find her games here, or watch others make the journey up Mount Purgatory here.

Do I have to journey alone?

Allow me to invite you to our Tea Party, where we may all work on our games together while enjoying delicious tea and pastries. Chaotic as it may be, it is open to anyone who has known and loved all eight gameboards of the witch.

For those who have not seen the sights from the top of Mount Purgatory, I have also prepared two little streams where you may float message bottles as you wish. Higher ranked witches would do well to keep their truths away from this.

What are the rules of creation?

There are no rules! There is no longer any epitaph, any map to follow! Using the pieces from the witch's gameboards is fine! Creating your own pieces, your own universes, is also perfectly acceptable! Furthermore, your gameboard may take any form that you desire! There is no need to confine yourself to shapes that have come before! As long as we can experience it within this fragment that so graciously hosts us all, you are free to create tales with magic and tricks that no human has ever seen!

However, there are a few courtesies that I request you extend to your fellow witches.

One. Those who divulge the witch's secrets outside the Tea Party will be gouged and killed, their corpses banished to the hell of oblivion. However, you may use her secrets in your gameboard, on the condition that you declare that fact to the Reader in the very beginning.  

Two. Treat each other with love. It is dangerous to open yourself up to attack from the Seven Stakes of Purgatory.

Three. There is no need to explain your golden truth! At least, not until we have rendered our final judgments. Any superfluous commentary from Territory Lords about their own gameboards will not be ACCEPTED. Trust us, and let your game speak for you. The time for clashing of red and blue is long over.

How will my gameboard be judged?

There are only two elements to keep in mind when crafting your gameboard.

Magic. How powerful is your magic? How much love do you have for the witch and her tales? For your readers? For yourself? For the world? How deep is the sea of your understanding? How beautiful is your golden truth? How worthy are you of the title of Witch?

Trick. Have you set up your gameboard in a subtle and elegant fashion? How stimulating is your tale to our senses and intellect? Does your gameboard manage to surprise and challenge? Have you avoided the endless hell of logic errors? How competent are you as Territory Lord, how cruel or gracious?

What will be my reward?

Love is your only reward! This is a one in a quadrillion chance to demonstrate your understanding of the Rokkenjima catbox, and all the loves and regrets contained within. On October 4th, in honour of the Endless Witch, we will fling open the lids on our gameboards, submitting our exquisitely arranged guts to the scrutiny of our peers! You will have two midnights to battle other Territory Lords, in a magnificent hurricane of magic and tricks to delight those watching from the Golden Land. The Territory Lord who demonstrates the most compelling magic will receive the love and praise of all, and be acknowledged as the Witch of Games.

And in the end, after all has been settled? We shall cast our gameboards into that deepest of seas, where they will rest in peace forever - when the seagulls cry.