Primal Magic
Nature spirits are everywhere, inhabiting every rock and every tree, every ant and fish, the rivers and the mountains. Communication with these spirits is not, however, a simple matter, and requires coming to terms with yourself and your place within the world as a whole. While the Academy looks outward at the workings of the universe, the Kindred looks inward at the self, and only those who can do so gain power from the spirits.
Classes from 4th Edition D&D whose power originates from the Kindred’s teachings include: the druid, shaman, seeker, and warden. The barbarian is only somewhat connected to the Kindred, and their particular teachings are considered to be misguided, at best, and an abuse of the spirits at worst. Druids allow the spirits of animals to enter and transform them, and the others work in conjunction with spirits. Barbarians learn instead to emulate the spirits’ rage without the aid of the spirits themselves; learning this involves capturing spirits and imprisoning them within the barbarian and allowing the rage to take control. Over time the barbarian no longer needs the spirit to enter this wrathful state and it is released, but still the process angers many in the Kindred, and so barbarians often hide themselves from the more orthodox.
Structure of the Kindred
While the Kindred is treated as a single entity by most of the people of Butter Bay, it is really several, having an individual overall leader who represents their political interests. There are actually five Kindreds, each teaching a different path to power through the spirits; druids form one Kindred, shaman another, and the same for wardens, seekers, and barbarians. The Barbarian Kindred, however, is at odds with the others over their treatment of the spirits as mere means to an end rather than beings to be respected and revered. As a result, the Barbarian Kindred is not officially recognized by the others as being a member of the greater whole; on the other hand, the others have not actively tried to end the barbarians’ practices, but the consensus is that they simply have their hands full with one war. It is believed by many in the Kindred that they will put an end to the barbarians once they’ve won the war and are done destroying the Academy.
The political leader of the Kindred is the Seer, who holds their seat on the Belltower Council, but each Kindred has its own leadership as well. The druids are led by a heredity council of 3 Arch-Druids; tremendous pressure is put on the children of Arch-Druids to become a druid and measure up to their parents’ expectations. The seekers and wardens each have tournaments every 5 years to determine who is the most powerful in their ranks, and those becomes their leaders, the Arch-Seeker and the Arch-Warden. The shamans elect their Arch-Shaman every 7 years, each shaman having to come to agreement with their spirit companion before casting their vote. Finally, the barbarians, ever outside the realm of process and protocol have taken a cue from the varkers; those that have the strength to take power have, in their eyes, earned it, being known by the title of Grand Fury. The current Seer, Olwen vo Nayer is also the current Arch-Seeker, and is the nephew of the eldest of the Arch-Druids, Graeden vo Nayer, and cousin of the youngest, Floras vo Nayer, Graeden’s daughter.
Joining the Kindred
Becoming a member of the one of the Kindreds begins with expressing and interest. There is no school to attend, no study of books or memorizing of scripture, you seek out a willing teacher and learn to commune with the spirits. As simple as that sounds, it usually takes a long time, and many who try give up in frustration. The truth is that there is no one thing that you can really do to force it to happen, the spirits will not speak to you until they deem you ready, and the vast majority of people never will be. As with so much about the Kindred, the process depends on which Kindred's teachings you pursue.
Seekers and wardens have much in common, and most seekers choose a warden to be their spouse, and vice versa. They focus primarily on meditation, exploring your inner self to reach an understanding and tranquillity that the spirits will respect. Meditation is supplemented with learning martial skills, such as the proper use of weapons. Once contact is eventually made with the spirits, the true work begins; the prospective seeker or warden must earn the trust of the spirits and learn to direct them, using a weapon as a conduit for the spirits’ power. Those who choose to fight from a distance become seekers, and those who fight up close become wardens. The two styles complement one another, and having a seeker and a warden together proves extremely potent.
For shamans it is not about reaching a goal, a point when one can wield the spirits power like a hammer, rather it is all about the journey, forming a relationship with one particular spirit. Shamans often use mind-altering herbs and mushrooms to aid the exploration of the spirit world and the self. A prospective shaman will spent many long hours simply wandering within their own mind, searching the spirit world for that one spirit that is their match. In a way, the process is almost like dating, as student and spirit get to know each other before deciding that there is a match or isn’t. Once the shaman has found his or her spirit companion the two are inseparable, learning absolutely all there is to know about the other. Perhaps ironically, shamans are usually single, very few engaging in romance with other mortals, in effect they are married to their spirit companion; it is even said by some that when a shaman dies their spirit companion passes on with him. Though rare, occasionally a shaman will do something to damage the bond with their companion and the spirit will choose to leave. Because a shaman’s power is derived from the bond with his companion, in these cases the shaman must seek a new companion, or attempt to reconcile with their original.
When learning the ways of the spirits, druids often journey into the wilderness alone. They do this to better observe nature without the interference of civilization and industry. They meditate, study the weather, they study the trees and animals, sometimes they even stalk animals or live among them. The end result is a deep understanding of the creatures and forces of nature, which allows them to will the spirits into aiding them. Druid are often considered the most reasonable of all the Kindred, often considering and weighing all the factors before making a decision. Once that decision is made, however, they will defend it to the last, no matter what new evidence comes to light.
Finally, the practices of the barbarians have already been discussed. Many that become barbarians are students of the other Kindreds who found themselves unable to reach the spirits, unable to succeed in their goal, and so they choose to take an easier route to power; if the spirits will not give their power then it must be taken from them. Barbarians are usually fairly short-sighted, even a danger to themselves when in a state of rage. They are incredibly protective of their own, however, and view an insult to one barbarian as an insult to all.
Friday: The Human Race
No comments:
Post a Comment