The Charmed Ones (TUAU)

"You are the Charmed Ones; the most powerful trio of witches."

- The Elders to Halliwell sisters.

The Charmed Ones are a prophesied sisterhood of three (later four) witches who descend from the Warren line of witches. They are known as the most powerful witches ever to walk the Earth and are dedicated to protecting the innocent and ridding the world of evil.

Each Charmed One has one specific power inherited from their ancestor, Melinda Warren; the prophecy states that the eldest has the power to move things with her mind, the middle sister can freeze time, and the youngest can see into the future.

The magical bond between these sisters is known as The Power of Three, and is said to be the strongest form of magic in the world. It is represented by the ancient symbol called the Triquetra.

Although the prophecy speaks only of three sisters, there is a fourth one. After the death of Prue on May 17th, 2020, the Power of Three was temporarily broken before the Halliwells' long lost half-sister, Paige, was revealed. She received her powers and joined Piper and Phoebe, taking Prue's place in the Power of Three and reconstituting the Charmed Ones.

Ancient History
The history of the Charmed Ones goes all the way back to their earliest known ancestor, the Grecian sorceress Circe. Circe is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Hecate, as well as a powerful witch and former princess of Colchis. A beautiful, dark-haired, green-eyed sorceress, she was known for turning people into animals (which are called bestiamorphs), as well as for powers of mind control. Circe lived on the island of Aeaea where she became a powerful being in both magic and in influence over portions of man's world. During his adventure to her island, Circe fell in love with Odysseus and bore him three sons: Agrius, Latinus, and Telegonus; as to which son the Charmed One's lineage directly descends from is not explictly known.

Though Circe's mother and patron goddess Hecate was an offspring of the Titans, she was not considered one of the main Twelve Olympians. Zeus gave Hecate much respect, but she did not hold much favor with others on Olympus. As such, she married the god Hades, but their marriage did not last and Hecate was demoted as handmaiden to her former husband's new wife. Because of this, she left the realm of the gods and agreed to render her soul to her most devoted servant, her own daughter Circe. This caused Circe to attain her current goddess-level of power and immortality.

Eventually, the Amazonian queen Hippolyta banished Circe to the pits of Tartarus for her misdeeds.

Medieval Times
At some point in the 12th century, the past life of Paige Matthews, known only as the Evil Enchantress, was born and she became the most powerful witch of her generation. The Enchantress captured a Prince, whose son she planned to bear. She also imprisoned the Prince's intended bride, Lady Julia.

The Evil Enchantress then cast a spell on the Prince to make him fall in love with her by appropriating his love for Lady Julia. She decided to strike when she saw an image of the prince in the stars—a sign from the cosmos that her powers were at their darkest. While she was stopped from conceiving an heir by her reincarnation and had her powers bound, the Evil Enchantress did eventually have a child that would go on to continue her bloodline.

The Birth of Melinda Warren
On October 31st, 1670 Melinda Warren, the direct descendant of Circe, was born in the Americas in the state of Virginia. Prior to her birth, her mother Charlotte Warren was captured by an evil witch named Ruth Cobb who killed Melinda's father Lawrence Cutler and wanted to raise Melinda to be evil. When Charlotte went into labor, the Charmed One's were summoned back in time to by a local coven of white witches who wished to save the coveted magical child. The Charmed Ones, with the help of Eva and her coven, rescued Charlotte and helped safely deliver Melinda. The Charmed Ones returned to their time period, but not before they discovered they helped the founder of their magical family line.

The Prophecy of the Charmed Ones
Melinda Warren was raised by the coven who helped rescue her. Her mother passed away when she was five, and she dedicated herself to the study of witchcraft. Melinda earned a reputation as a powerful witch who killed many evil supernatural beings and protected the innocent. At some unknown point, Melinda had a daughter whom she named Prudence, and also created the Warren Book of Shadows, who would eventually become the most powerful and coveted tome of witchcraft in the world.

Melinda and her daughter relocated to Salem Massachusetts at some point, and while there Melinda was courted by an evil warlock named Matthew Tate.

On September 21st 1692, Melinda was outed as a witch to the inhabitants of Salem Massachusetts by the warlock, Matthew Tate. Shortly before she was tried for witchcraft and burnt at the stake, Melinda imprisoned Matthew in a locket. As she was burned at the stake, Melinda reiterated the prophecy of the Charmed Ones and died knowing that her own teen-aged daughter had made safe passage out of Salem.

The Arrival of the Sisters
Prue, Piper and Phoebe were born in between the years of 1992 and 1997 to Patrica Halliwell and Victor Bennett. When Patty became pregnant with her third daughter, an unborn Phoebe sent Patty a psychic vision that confirmed her daughters were the Charmed Ones and that they'd lead dangerous lives. Frightened for her daughter's safety, Patty and her mother, Penny, used magic to bind their powers for protection and erased their memories of ever being witches. Unable to handle the constant demonic threats his family faced and suspecting his wife of having an affair with her Whitelighter, Victor inevitably abandoned his family before Phoebe turned two.

In 1999, their mother had an affair with her Whitelighter, Sam Wilder, and conceived a child. Since it was forbidden for Whitelighters and witches to fall in love and have children, they were forced to give the baby up for adoption in fear of having the child taken away and potentially killed by the Elders. They took her to a local church where a nun brought her to Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, who named her Paige. Within the year, Patty was killed by a water demon and the Charmed One's grandmother reared them in her place.

Magical Reawakening
In early 2018, Phoebe moved away from home shortly after their grandmother's passing. Six months later, she moved back in with Piper and Prue. That night, their family spirit board directed her up to the attic. By going upstairs, Phoebe finds her family's Book of Shadows and cast the spell on the first page, which fully unbound their powers, allowing them to become the Charmed Ones.

The sisters encountered countless manifestations of evil as they explored their origins. By vanquishing these dark forces, others came to realize the Charmed Ones had appeared, and slowly they developed a reputation of untold power and fabulous destiny. As their bond as sisters strengthened, so did the Power of Three. Eventually, the sisters not only developed magical strength, but also willpower and an unusually strong bond with one another, enabling them to stand united despite their very notable differences.

The Death of Prue Halliwell
No evil had managed to destroy the Charmed Ones until May 17th, 2021, when the sisters accidentally used magic in public trying to protect a doctor and were caught on TV.

The Source of All Evil used the opportunity to kill the Charmed Ones by making Phoebe willingly stay in the Underworld in exchange for the demon Tempus to rewind time to the moment before their magic was exposed. She agreed after finding out that Piper had been killed because of the madness that resulted from the exposure.

After time was rewound, Piper and Prue were forced to face the demonic assassin, Shax, on their own and were both sent through a wall. The Source sent an assassin after Phoebe, but she managed to escape back to the Manor where their Whitelighter, Piper's husband, Leo, healed Piper. However, he did not succeed in saving Prue. Thus, the Power of Three was broken.

Reconstituting the Charmed Ones
"You have no idea what I found out. Turns out the Source doesn't think she's a Whitelighter at all. In fact, he thinks she might be another... Charmed One. That's why he put Shax on it. He thought he ended the Power of Three. Now he's worried that this girl may somehow reconstitute it."

- Cole Turner telling Piper, Phoebe and Leo that Paige might be another Charmed One.

After many unsuccessful attempts to revive Prue, Piper desperately cast a spell to call a lost sister, which did not work. However, Prue's spirit changed the effects of the spell to locating Paige instead, after finding out that she might have the power to recreate the Charmed Ones. Paige found out about Prue's death and went to attend her funeral. While there, she spoke with Phoebe, who had a premonition of her getting killed by Shax, the same demon that killed Prue.

Though they managed to chase him away, they also discovered that Paige had the power to orb, and later found out that she wasn't just a Whitelighter, but the long lost half-sister that they never knew they had. When the three of them joined hands, the Charmed Ones were re-established and Paige activated her Wiccan powers, and received the power to move objects with her mind.

Powers and Abilities

 * Spell Casting: The power to cast spells; a "spell" being the word used to signify the means employed to carry out a magical action. Phoebe is the best spell-writer due to her creativity and dedication to her Charmed heritage.
 * Potion Brewing: The power to brew and concoct potions, remedies and elixirs that have supernatural properties. Piper is the best at making potions due to her passion for cooking.
 * Channeling: The power to invoke extra forms of energy by focusing on external forces. A witch can only ever channel so much power. Going beyond that limit risks the witch disintegrating from the inside out.
 * Power of Three: The Charmed Ones possess a unique magical connection with one another, rooted in their bond as sisters and as a family. As a collective, their powers were tied to each other and they were at their most powerful when working as one force. However, as a collective they suffered from the drawback that one death weakened the collective as a whole. They normally pool their collective powers together by linking hands and chanting spells together, although the latter is not always necessary as long as all three sisters are together for the spells to work.
 * Collective Shield: The Charmed Ones can collectively erect mystical energy shields or screens with a high degree of imperviousness to both physical and magical damage. During a confrontation with the Source of All Evil, the Halliwell sisters pooled their power to create a protective circle around themselves to ward off his power.
 * Magical Senses: As a result of their innate senses and training as witches, the Charmed Ones can perceive certain supernatural beings that are normally invisible to the naked human eye (i.e. faeries and ghosts). Their mystic vision enables them to see through magical illusions and disguises, as well as perceive magical energy near them.
 * Telepathic Link: The Charmed Ones share a psychic link with each other.

Unique Powers
Aside from their basic abilities, each Charmed One possesses separate active powers which are destined to grow and advance over the years. These powers are linked to each other, which is how their advancements are 'selected'. Each Charmed One possesses one of Melinda Warren's powers (more commonly referred to as "The Warren Powers") and are given by seniority; Telekinesis, Temporal Stasis and Premonition, respectively. The youngest sister, Paige, is an exception to this rule due to being the replacement of Prue, and therefore possesses a telekinetic power.

Weaknesses

 * Ashwood: Ashwood can prevent a witch from using magic when inside a circle composed of this.
 * Colocasia Powder: This powder prevents the use of dark magic.
 * Disbelief: The act of denying or disbelieving in one's potential could cause a witch to inadvertently suppress their magical power.
 * Distraction: Denying a witch from concentrating or giving full attention to their spells, may render them ineffective. Since most spells are spoken verbally and take time to take effect, witches are vulnerable to attack before their completion. Additionally, certain spells require items, tools, and/or special events during casting, therefore they can't be invoked on mere whim.
 * Emotions: A witch's magic is subject to the influence of their emotional state and may fluctuate according to them when untrained. According to Penelope Halliwell, strong emotions such as worry and anger can fuel a witch's power while emotions such as fear may prevent a witch from properly accessing their powers.
 * Herbs: Ingestion of certain herbs can cause a witch to lose consciousness and prevent them from using magic for an undetermined amount of time. The Lobelia flower prevents a witch from being able to focus and concentrate, which is necessary to effectively cast spells, making it a common herb used in the weakening of a witch in the same manner as someone would use nightshade to weaken a vampire. There are also other herbs that will temporarily mute or suppress the use of magic, though the length of time the herbs are effective are based on the strength of the witch in question.
 * Iron: Iron is a known inhibitor of magical ability, impeding access to the ethereal realm. Iron also to act as a "lightning rod" for the magical forces witches employ, sometimes disrupting its effects.
 * Mortality: Despite their mystical attributes, witches are still human and share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. age, decapitation, disease, heart-failure, suffocation, snapped neck, etc.). However, witches can get around this weakness through the use of magic.
 * Magic: Witches are still susceptible to the powers of magic. This is inclusive of mystical objects such as the Amulet of Archangels, Witchcatchers, and Dark Objects. A siphoner can siphon the magic from a witch and prolonged exposure may lead to death.
 * Power Binding: A witch's powers can be neutralized by binding spells, however, this can be reversed.
 * Power Stripping: A witch can relinquish their powers and affinity to all forms of magic using either a spell or a potion. Said powers will then either reside in the ether or be given to another individual. Said witch who loses their power will be rendered completely mortal, unable to cast spells or make magical potions.
 * Overexertion: The use of magic requires energy, usually provided by the user. The Charmed One's magical reserves build-up if not used, but overuse can deplete them to the point that further use strains their physical well-being and this leaves them mystically debilitated for an extended period of time; as with other magical users, the only way to restore their waning powers is an extended period of rest.

Tools and Weapons
The Charmed Ones use a variety of tools to enhance their magical potency.
 * Amulets
 * Athames
 * Candles
 * Cauldrons
 * Herbs
 * Melinda's Grimoire: Melinda Warren was a powerful witch in 1692. After she was burned at the stake, her grimoire was taken by her only daughter, and it was passed down from generation to generation and the Charmed Ones use their ancestor's grimoire to learn witchcraft.
 * Stones
 * Talismans