Fake witches are the familiars of Sidonia von Borchk made from the fake Grief Seeds she creates. They can manifest without the need for a labyrinth, and the larger fake witches have been shown to be incredibly tough, requiring the effort of a full team of
puella magi to be defeated. Sidonia's most recent efforts have involved fake witches modeled after creatures from Polish folklore, of which the following have been encountered:
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Smok Wawelski: Modeled after the 13th century Wawel Dragon, the
Smok Wawelski is a seven-headed dragon capable of flight and which spews a powerful fire-and-lightning breath weapon from each of its heads. Possesses an incredible amount of raw physical power, but is lacking in durability when facing a retinue of servants;
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Skrzak: Modeled after imps from Polish folklore, the
Skrzak occupy the tall crevices of Sidonia's underground workshop and serve as her last line of defense against intruders. Their bodies are small and bat-like, with razor-sharp sickle claws that can cut down to the bone with just a touch. Their bodies are slick with liquid corruption, turning even a tiny scratch from their claws into a life-threatening injury;
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Nachtkrapp: Modeled after the massive demonic corvids from Germanic and Slavic folklore, the
Nachtkrapp are strong enough to pick up a human and carry them off, or to fly while supporting a human passenger on their back. Though the
Nachtkrapp possess no eyes, they appear to have no problem spotting and chasing down prey, and just being in their presence is enough to impose a health hazard, due to the strong corruption that emanates from their bodies;
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Wilkolak: Pack hunters, modeled after Polish werewolf tales. They are fast and attack in large numbers, but are easy to harm and don't pose much of a threat to a prepared defense. While most
Wilkolak that have been encountered appear locked into their bestial form, a select few have on occasion been elevated and allowed to assume the form of an upright werewolf;
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Bazyliszek: A massive serpent modeled after the Basilisk of Warsaw, the
Bazyliszek is the newest, and arguably most dangerous, addition to Sidonia's arsenal of familiars despite missing the stony gaze which classical Basilisks are known to possess. Its head is a massive battering ram that is strong enough to punch clean through an entire building, it can regenerate its flesh and revive itself after death, it leaks liquid corruption every time its body is injured, and when it unhinges its jaw it can unleash a cloud of gaseous corruption that ignites on contact with oxygen;
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Skarbnik and
Duży Skarbnik:
Skarbnik are small automatons modeled after Polish earth spirits who inhabit mines. Unlike Sidonia's other familiars,
Skarbnik are generally non-aggressive, only attacking when their work is disturbed. When pressed, a number of them can merge together to become a
Duży Skarbnik, which has no direct correlation in Polish folklore. The
Duży Skarbnik is large and strong, with hands that can change their shape into that of a war hammer, and it also possesses laser eye-beams; among other possible abilities that have yet to be displayed;
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Strzyga: A female demon of Polish folklore that is similar to a vampire. While modern versions of the
Strzyga are more closely related to witches than to vampires, the versions employed by Sidonia stick to their roots, resembling beefed-up and more humanoid versions of the bat-like
Skrzak, with long, muscular limbs tipped with sickle claws, wings, and mouths full of razor-sharp teeth. Their scream produces a sonic laser that can cut through a wide variety of materials.
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Drekavac: An ambush predator whose physical form is reminiscent of several species of trapdoor spider. The
Drekavac, literally, "shrieker" is a creature from Slavic folklore said to wait in hiding to drag its unsuspecting prey off when they wander too close to its lair. The
Drekavac is a tunneller, and it coats its lair in a sticky, foul-smelling web spun from Grief. The overall effect of the
Drekavac's ear-piercing screech, combined with the hazards of its lair, serve to disable the senses of anyone who attempts to combat it.
- Firebird: A flaming bird, which hatches from the incubated egg of Sidonia's
Bazyliszek after a week. It is incredibly fast and agile while in the air, capable of mach-speed maneuvering like a fighter jet, while also retaining a flaming payload to rain fire and terror onto its victims; individuals, cities, indiscriminately.
