Shamanism

[This trait falls under the Lost Art Restriction of the Guidelines & Restrictions clause, and has been lost to time.]

The Spirits and how they relate.

The Bond

The bond was apart of the aurum exclusive to shamanism, relating more to the physical world rather than the spark related to the veil for origin mages, or how a blessed had their Gods’ flame. This bond stuck with the shaman as long as their spirit does, and was only capable of being connected to one spirit at a time. Creating a bond was achieved through trials and tribulations that were presented by the Vaya that rule over the spirit that the shaman was attempting to partner with, with each trial being different and unique to the Vaya’s character and morals. The bond was what allows a shaman to be able to use shakti for spells, and to merge with their respective spirit. Shaman did not have to be tribal in nature even if they are stereotypically. Shaman must however have been one with the land and share the beliefs of their Vaya Lord to be able to properly maintain their Bond. When bonding, the Shaman tethered its Aurum to the Spirit’s, sharing their emotions, goals, etc. Shamans as such were considered partners of their spirits rather than the master of them. When a Shaman died, its spirit was likely to merely return to the area it was guarding. Some spirits did roam or return back to their home realms, only to be replaced by a new spirit. Shamans would not be seen adorning metal armor in large quantities as it hindered their ability to bond with their spirit (gauntlets, pauldrons, and light metal leg armors are fine but full plate, chainmail, etc. is not). A shaman was only able to use three domains and these came from the spirit themselves.

The Trial

Trials were a way that shamans created their bond or progressed further within their Bond. Each trial was unique but even so could not be spoken about to anyone; the Shaman was physically unable to do so as part of their Bond. Should a shaman lose their bond, they forgot all about the specifics of their trial. Each trial was unique and is based on the demeanor of the shaman (or potential shaman), the type of spirit they were attempting to bond with, and the Vaya Lord they served. Trials were extremely personal and were less of a test one goes unknowingly into, but rather something that has been practiced and prepared for by strengthening the bond between them and their spirit. All trials took place at the shaman's site of origin.

Shakti

Shakti was the essence that shamans draw from the realm to cast their spells. Shakti, unlike mana did not come from another realm. Each rock, each fire, each breath of air, water, etc. constantly beated with Shakti which the shaman may utilize. Another way that Shakti is dissimilar to mana is that Shamans did not expend Shakti. Instead they rearranged it in the area to cast their spells. This does take an extreme amount of effort however and would cause shamans to run out of energy until they were able to peacefully meditate.

The Vaya
Aaog - Tletuego - Fire	Aisha- Nemita - Order	Magu- Loquiti - Chaos
Orono - Yeyeres - Air	Thairr - Xochor - Earth	Vuona - Atlgua - Water
The Lost Provinces - Unaligned - Celestial - Sun and Moon - Unaligned

Spirits

Spirits were the most commonly visible part of shamans, though tended to actually be about as rare as the shamans themselves. Spirits were from the respective realms of their Vaya, having ventured forth into the realm long ago to take root in the various corners of the world. Each spirit would take residence in a spot similar to its original domain in order to protect the domains their home is known for adhering to. For example, a spirit from Atlgua might have been found around rivers, beaches, or deep ocean recesses while one from Tletuego might have been from a volcanic area or the cause of a raging forest fire. Perhaps the rarest of the spirits were those of Magu who tend to be found in the realms of sentient creatures, lurking in places considered dangerous or suspicious. Each spirit sought to bond to a worthy person, one who is one with the world and adheres to a creed that aligns with their Vaya Lord. An example of such was a shaman bound to one of Aaog’s spirits tended to be impulsive and ireful while one of Aisha’s bonded tended to be more nurturing, protective, and demure.

As the bond between a shaman and their spirits grew, so too do they begin to change. The shaman begins to unlock a fuller potential of the spirit and in turn the spirit continued to grow in strength. The shaman must do what it can to protect the area of the spirit it is bound to, and was forbidden from bringing it harm. Should the shaman bring harm to its origin, the spirit’s power was liable to weaken. When the land dramatically changed, new spirits took over what was formerly the land of their spirit. In cases like these, it is up to the shaman for them to find a new home.

Domains

Shamans had a multitude of domains to work with, however which ones they got to utilize are determined by the spirit they’re bonded with. Each Vaya Lord had a different set of domains that his spirits encompassed, with one of them being consistent among the vast majority of the Vaya Lords. Each of the Vaya Lords had a primary domain. Aaog is Fire, Thairr is Earth, Orono is Wind, Vuona is Water, Aisha is Life (split into Plants and Animals), and Magu is Shadow.

The list of Domains is as follows:

Domain Description Fire The ability to manipulate fire and light in its purest form. Earth The ability to manipulate dirt, stone, or metal in its purest form. Water The ability to manipulate water in its purest form. Wind The ability to manipulate wind in its purest form. Plants The ability to manipulate plant life. Animals The ability to manipulate and control animals. Shadow The ability to manipulate darkness. Emotion The ability to manipulate the emotions of sentient things. Healing The ability to heal others. Ice The ability to manipulate ice or other frozen objects. Sound The ability to manipulate sound.

Domain Description Spirit The ability to manipulate the spirit of others. This is not the soul but rather one's entire essence. Portal The ability to make portals to other places within the same realm or others. Storms The ability to manipulate storms, including hail, rain, tornadoes, lightning, thunder, etc. This does not include sandstorms or firestorms on its own. Decay The ability to manipulate toxins and diseases. Sun The ability to manipulate the day. This includes sunlight, fire and gravity. Moon The ability to manipulate the night. This includes moonlight, shadows and gravity.

The Merge

The merge was something unique to Shaman, as nothing else is entirely like it. A spirit and their shaman will merge together, fusing into one being. This merge will get progressively stronger and last for a longer amount of time as the Shaman got more bonded to their spirit. Visibly, the shaman took on features of their spirit that they themselves otherwise would not normally have. These could be purely aesthetic changes, however the spirit wwould grant the Shaman up to three abilities to use freely during their merge. A shaman cannot use their abilities while they were in their merge, but they should not need to, as the power gained from their spirit was more than enough to overwhelm the use of their abilities. A shaman would have to go through trials in order to make themselves closer to their spirit to achieve this stronger merge, but this was considered an innate part of their progression. A merge had a one turn cast time in which they cannot take other actions, and on the second turn their merge would start and they were allowed to activate their merge abilities. A merge takes no concentration in order to start and their abilities are casted at low con.

For example, a merge for a shaman at harmony should go like this:

Turn One: The shaman starts their merge and takes no other action. [1/1] Turn Two: The shaman uses/activates their bond ability. [1/5] Turn Three: The shaman uses/activates their harmony ability. [2/5]

Idols

Shaman had idols that they could use to cast with, these could be a variety of things ranging from teeth to body runes to totems. All idols were capable of casting the same as any other idol would, as the only difference between them was aesthetic or practicality. The Shaman will tie their idol to their aurum, making it unique to them and unable to be used by other shaman to cast with. An Idol was much like a hammer to a smith, as it's vital to how the Shaman casted. Idols are relevant to their spirit, themed to them such as a Vuona shaman having shark teeth as an idol, or an Aaog shaman having something made out of burnt or scorched wood as their idol. Each idol would be themed and used in relevance to the ability that they are using, however body runes were generally universally accepted for all types of them. A shaman can have as many idols as they wish. In the case of body runes, it would cover a majority of their body, for instance full sleeves and torso tattoos, or full torso and full leg tattoos, or both. Should a body rune be disturbed by taking a wound that severs the rune, then the body rune will no longer work. An idol cannot be an enchanted item. An exception to this ruling is Artefacts based around the Vaya, such as Magu's Betrayer set, which may be used as idols even if it is not an item that is listed in the list since it is a direct product of the vaya.

The current list of Idols is as follows:

• Idols
• Staffs
• Clubs
• Body Runes
• Totems
• Dolls
• Teeth
• Shrunken Heads
• Hair Beads
• Axes
• Spears
• Ritual Daggers
• Shields
• Masks
• Hand Wraps / Knuckle Dusters

Progression

Trial of Bonding

The trial of bonding was the first trial that a shaman will undergo, in fact this is the trial that gives the shaman their spirit in the first place. A shaman who had undergone the first trial is the most basic of shaman, and is commonplace to see. Those with the Bond only require an event, notable activity, and a character fitting the specific Vaya Lord being sought. Shaman on this level will only be able to access the bond ability given to them by their spirit upon merging with them.

• Ten Shakti
• Ten Spells
• Three Turn Merge Duration

Trial of Harmony

Shaman who had undergone the Trial of Harmony are much more experienced than those who have only gone through their bonding trial. They were capable of much more than their bonded counterparts, and upon merging can use both the bond and the harmony. Those seeking Harmony must have Three Months of confirmed activity, complete the Trial of Harmony at the bond site of the shaman, and be deemed by their Vaya Lord to be able to continue. (Note that Three Months is the minimum time and many will exceed this.) These types of shaman were the most common, but is still something that one has to work hard for.

• Fifteen Shakti
• Fifteen Spells
• Five Turn Merge Duration

Trial of Enlightenment

Those who have undergone their trial of enlightenment were few and far between. These Shaman were extremely skilled and knowledgeable, but not only that they have a very intimate connection with their spirit. They had undergone the most tribulations and been through many things with their spirit to the point of them having an unbreakable bond with them. Those seeking Enlightenment must have Six Months of confirmed activity, complete the Trial of Enlightenment at the bond site of the shaman, and be deemed by their Vaya Lord to be able to continue. (Note that Six Months is the minimum time and many will exceed this.) This trial was only able to be achieved by those who have worked for a great deal of time in becoming closer with their spirit.

• Twenty Shakti
• Twenty Spells
• Ten Turn Merge Duration

Spells

Spells are what a shaman casts and was a result of their bond to their spirit and Vaya Lord. Because of this, each spirit is able to control certain domains within the realm that are able to be controlled or manipulated. Spells were more often than not are active forms of magic, only some spirits (like those of Magu) were more inclined to do more away from the heat of battle.

As an OOC measure, Spells come in largely three different costs. Spells will cost anywhere between 1-3 Shakti. This is a measure of the strength of the spell mostly. Most spells will be a single Shakti, such as a small fireball, a stone fist, or a lightning bolt. 2 Shakti usually is just a change in size or the duration of a spell. Finally, 3 Shakti will be sweeping spells that are expensive and very powerful such as a large wall of flames or the summoning of a storm. Cast times for spells should mainly be between 2-3 turns with only a few being able to go to 1 turn or 4-5 turns depending on what it is. Spells can contain any of the domains their shaman is capable of learning in any combination. A shaman can learn the spells of another, even if they do not share spirits if they share the same domains for the spell.

Shaman Character Guidelines

While plenty of characters may fit the personality archetype for being eligible for a spirit bond, they may not meet the certain criteria that enables them to prosper with their spirit. While there are suggested archetypes for shaman, these are not the only paths they can take as there may have been options we’ve not thought of or outlined. Regardless of which archetype the player makes their character align with, a shaman should be spiritualistic and down with nature. As a rule of thumb, a shaman should never practice what is listed in the ‘not’ section and should their character begin to mold in a way that is not ideal to lore team and is compliant with the guidelines, they are susceptible to having their bond with their spirit broken.

What archetypes shaman should NOT be:

Religious worship towards the Pantheon / The Gods, especially zealous worship.

• Acknowledging that the Gods exists and respecting them is acceptable and is not considered worship as they are not attempting to do things in the Gods name. Examples of this respect is calling them by their titles and acknowledging their existence similar to the Vaya lords, but NOT praying towards them or acting as a religious worshipper. Denouncing the Gods is also acceptable if a character wishes to do so, as they are not forced to respect these entities like the Vaya themselves.
• Shaman should not be integrated into societies that are religious zealots, nor should they actively participate in zealot religious beliefs or groups.

A Knight.

• For reference, this applies to the traditional understanding of knights, such as bannerets and liege lords, or those who follow a formal honor code traditionally accepted by the society they are in. Errant-knights, wandering knights, or those who unconventionally follow the knightly archetype will be heavily restricted when it comes to their eligibility with Shamanism.

Scientists

• This in particular refers to researching things that would not relate to being similar to a voodoo witch doctor alchemist. Such as creating magitech, researching in depth on topics that revolve around technology and the further progression of society with it.

Political Leaders

• Those who actively pursue political diplomacy and engage in what can be considered politics on Aethier will be heavily restricted on Shamanism, unless they have the characteristics appropriate to their character’s theme, such as being a Chieftain or a leader in a society deemed spiritual or otherwise appropriate such as a tribesmen-like society. Political leaders of large settlements or cities will often be ineligible for Shamanism due to their necessity to deeply integrate with civilized society and to understand its inner workings.

Merchants or Traders

• Trade as an activity is inherently associated with the inner workings of society. The concept of earning money is inherently materialistic and associated with values that do not appease or associate with any Vaya. As a result, traditionally understood merchants who focus their occupation around earning coin will be heavily restricted when it comes to their eligibility for Shamanism.

Suggested archetypes for shaman:

• Druids.
• Tribal-Esque characters, such as zulu tribes, vikings, etc.
• Alchemists.
• Witch Doctors, Plague Doctors, Spiritual Healers.
• Hippies.
  • In specific these can be people who sort of preach about the spiritualism of the world whilst still remaining in a society that is heavily religious or against the belief of the shaman.
• Samurai, Ronin, Hanese-related archetypes heavily associated with Eastern-esque tradition.
• Wanderers.
• Hermits.

The Lost Realms • The Fallen Forces