Norm Society

The majority of the British public are non-magical - “Norms”, as the Wytches call them, and aside from the presence of magic, the country is broadly as it is in OOC reality. Wytches live and often work within Norm society without using their powers, owning very small businesses, teaching, and working in companies, although the Hammer's interference prevents them from holding higher positions of power.

Up until a month ago, the general public - “Norms” - lived their lives blissfully unaware of the existence of magic, while the Wytches remained hidden away in their own communities. Of course, maintaining a perfect separation was impossible, and occasionally magical incidents would occur, but the Hammer was always on hand to cover them up and provide suitable reports to the media about what 'really' happened.

However, with the death of Grand Inquisitor Doubleday, the intense media presence and subsequent interest led to the story spinning out of control before the Hammer could stop it, and now the public are aware that magic exists. While initially sceptical, in the month since this revelation the truth of the matter has come to be somewhat accepted, with the Hammer, now under the leadership of Grand Inquisitor Morton, warning the Norm populace of the dangers of witchcraft and the threat the Wytches pose. Whipped up by intense media speculation, public reaction has been mixed but vocal, with some questioning the veracity of the Hammer's claims, but others calling for a swift government response to this 'new' threat.

Technological advancement is as it is in the OOC real world. However, the vast majority of Wytches, living in their own communities, have little need of it, as magic can do almost anything technology can but better. Those few who have attempted to interface magic and technology have had little success - magic just isn't refined enough to work well with modern machinery, and usually simply results in it breaking.

The United Kingdom is currently governed by a coalition of the Conservative and Liberal Parties, led by Prime Minister Samuel Hancock, leader of the Conservative Party. After the revelation of the existence of the Wytches (see The Death of the Grand Inquisitor), he and most in the Cabinet seemed as shocked as the rest of the country. Following meetings of COBRA to discuss how best to respond, Grand Inquisitor Morton was eventually granted authority by the government to deal with the crisis.