The Founding of Parkmoore Cemetery

Prudence Parkmoore was a young witch in a new settlement back in the late 1600's. She quietly cast her spells and brewed magic at the outskirts of her village, mostly keeping to herself. While her neighbors feared the old, wild forest nearby, Prudence was content to spend her mornings wandering the deer paths under towering chestnuts and arching elms looking for roots and leaves. There were a few other witches in Salem, but Prudence kept her distance. She knew that mixing with others could be dangerous for witches. Magic history was full of witches who had made enemies within society.

It wasn't long before that very ugliness crept into Salem. Deep in the long, cold winter of 1692, Prudence caught wind of accusations in the village. By the end of winter, 3 witches were dead as well as a few non-magical villagers who suffered from overzealous courtrooms. As an outsider, Prudence knew she would be an easy target once the frenzied townsfolk remembered her small cabin by the woods. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do for her magical sisters locked in the Salem jail. Prudence gathered her spell books and a few hard-to-replace vials, then fled south by night.

Prudence continued south to the Shenandoah Valley, where no one would pay a quiet forest witch any mind. She found a clearing in the rock-strewn forest and settled down to build her life over, with a renewed bitterness for non-magicals who sought to tamp down anything or anyone who fell outside their narrow toleration for the paranormal. Most of all, however, her heart ached for all of the witches and warlocks who had fallen victim to human fear and violence. She wanted to help bring their spirits to rest, but first she needed to protect herself.

Deep in one of her demonology tomes, Prudence found the summoning spell for a demon who could help. Dantalion was, as demons usually are, exceedingly grumpy at being pulled from the Underworld to do a witch's bidding. At first, Dantalion, was insubordinate. He tried to use Prudence's spells against her or twist her words to bring her harm, but Prudence had studied demons at length before summoning one. She spoke carefully and bound Dantalion to her, despite his grumblings. With carefully constructed spells, Prudence arranged their magic so that if anything happened to her, Dantalion would be forced to roam the Earth for eternity, never able to return to the Underworld. As long as she lived in safety, he would be free to travel between the worlds, returning only when Prudence summoned him. Wanting his relative freedom, Dantalion shared with Prudence the secrets of immortality. In addition, he helped Prudence move her clearing to the 9th dimension, shielding it from mortal eyes. Now, she would have as long as she needed to see her project to completion.

With her safety guaranteed, Prudence knew it was time to begin Parkmoore Cemetery. It would become a place where fallen witches and warlocks would be interred with the grave markers they deserved. This was no easy task. The witches of the world often did not get a proper burial, and their remains would have to be located--and sometimes re-assembled. Prudence began with the witches lost in Salem. The trials were still fresh in her mind, so she sent Dantalion north to bring back Sarah Good and Martha Corey.

Since founding Parkmoore Cemetery, Prudence and Dantalion have spent the centuries researching the deaths of witches and hunting for remains. Some of the witches have chosen to spend their afterlife in the cemetery, too. When the barrier blurs in October, keep your eyes out for the ghosts of witches who have also chosen to settle in Winchester.