Shamanism

The Spirits and how they relate.

The Bond

The bond is apart of the aurum exclusive to shamanism, relating more to the physical world rather than the spark relates to the veil for mages or how a blessed has their Gods’ flame. This bond sticks with the shaman as long as their spirit does, and is only capable of being connected to one spirit at a time. Creating a bond is achieved through trials and tribulations that are presented by the Vaya that rule over the spirit that the shaman is attempting to partner with, with each trial being different and unique to the Vaya’s character and morals. The bond is what allows a shaman to be able to use shakti for spells, and to merge with their respective spirit. Shaman do not have to be tribal in nature even if they are stereotypically. Shaman must however be one with the land and share the beliefs of their Vaya Lord to be able to properly maintain their Bond. When bonding, the Shaman tethers its Aurum to the Spirit’s, sharing their emotions, goals, etc. Shamans as such are considered partners of their spirits rather than the master of them. When a Shaman dies, its spirit is likely to merely return to the area it was guarding. Some spirits do roam or return back to their home realms, only to be replaced by a new spirit. Shamans will not be seen adorning metal armor in large quantities as it hinders 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 is only able to use three domains and these come from the spirit themselves.

The Trial

Trials are a way that shamans create their bond or progress further within their Bond. Each trial is unique but even so cannot be spoken about to anyone; the Shaman is physically unable to do so as part of their Bond. Should a shaman lose their bond, they forget all about the specifics of their trial. Each trial is unique and is based on the demeanor of the shaman (or potential shaman), the type of spirit they are attempting to bond with, and the Vaya Lord they serve. Trials are extremely personal and are 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 take place at the shaman's site of origin.

Shakti

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

The Vaya
Aaog - Tletuego - Fire	Aisha- Nemita - Order	Magu- Loquiti - Chaos
Orono - Yeyeres - Air	Thairr - Xochor - Earth	Vuona - Atlgua - Water
Unaligned - Aversia - N/A; Hel’Astraiea - Celestial - Sun and Moon

Primordial Titans

When the world was initially created, the Vaya claimed their domains as the many worldly elements took their natural places amongst each other. True, there was such disorder as Magu’s as there later came the chaos of mortal man, but it was all formed to instate a natural balance. For a long period of time, it was generally understood that the Vaya were the sole leaders ensuring their subservient spirits adhered to these laws. This was not the case, for there also exists beings imbued with lesser powers of the Vaya, individuals with the capability of freely manipulating their respective elements while carrying the overbearing responsibility of keeping the world so naturally aligned. These individuals are the Primordial Titans, “Primordial” as they were the firstborns of the Vaya and “Titans” as they hold power greater than any spirit to exist.

The Primordial Titans may exist in either a spiritual or physical form or, when the situation calls for it, both forms at once. They are completely subordinate to the Vaya save for the Unaligned and Celestial Titans, though being made in the image of their creators with shreds of their power, the Titans are among the most powerful of all beings attuned to the powers of Shakti. Their purpose as Primordial Titans is to keep the natural order and balance of the world, though while they primarily deal with spirits, it is not uncommon that they may be sent to appear before mortal shamans of the world for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest responsibilities of the Titans is to guide their shamans to live a spiritual life, one free of external service to anything but the Vaya and natural powers of Shakti. Depending on the Vaya or power the Titans serve, they may discipline or guide shamans in all number of ways, be it with a helping hand or a lash of flame.

Spirits

Spirits are the most commonly visible part of shamans, though tend to actually be about as rare as the shamans themselves. Spirits are 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 will 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 be found around rivers, beaches, or deep ocean recesses while one from Tletuego might be from a volcanic area or the cause of a raging forest fire. Perhaps the rarest of the spirits are those of Magu who tend to be found in the realms of sentient creatures, lurking in places considered dangerous or suspicious. Each spirit seeks 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 is a shaman bound to one of Aaog’s spirits tend to be impulsive and ireful while one of Aisha’s bond tend to be more nurturing, protective, and demure.

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

Domains

Shaman have a multitude of domains to work with, however which ones they get to utilize are determined by the spirit they’re bonded with. Each Vaya Lord has a different set of domains that his spirits encompass, with one of them being consistent among the vast majority of the Vaya Lords. Each of the Vaya Lords have 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 is 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 gets more bonded to their spirit. Visibly, the shaman takes on features of their spirit that they themselves otherwise would not normally have. These can be purely aesthetic changes, however the spirit will grant the Shaman up to three abilities to use freely during their merge. A shaman cannot use spells while in their merge, but they should not need to as the power gained from their spirit is more than enough to overwhelm the use of their spells. A shaman will have to go through trials in order to make themselves closer to their spirit to achieve this stronger merge but this is considered an innate part of their progression. A merge has a one turn cast time in which they cannot take other actions, on the second turn their merge will start and they are 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 have idols that they can use to cast with, these can be a variety of things ranging from teeth to body runes to totems. All idols are capable of casting the same as any other idol would, as the only difference between them is 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 is much like a hammer to a smith, as it's vital to how the Shaman cast. 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 should be themed and used in relevance to the spell that they are using, however body runes are generally universally accepted for all types of spells. A shaman can have as many idols as they wish. In the case of body runes, it should 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 is 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 has 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 have undergone the Trial of Harmony are much more experienced than those who have only gone through their bonding trial. They are 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 and Lore Team to be able to continue. (Note that Three Months is the minimum time and many will exceed this.) These types of shaman are 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 the trial of enlightenment are few and far between. These Shaman are extremely skilled and knowledgeable, but not only that they have a very intimate connection with their spirit. They have 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 and Lore Team to be able to continue. (Note that Six Months is the minimum time and many will exceed this.) This trial is 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 is 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 more often than not are active forms of magic, only some spirits (like those of Magu) are more inclined to do more magic 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 the lore team has 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.

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