Wintermark magical traditions

The most common Winterfolk magicians are the Kallavesi shamans, but there are skilled practitioners among all the peoples of the Wintermark.

The majority of Steinr magics are performed at the forge, where skilled Runesmiths work magical metals to make powerful weapons. All crafting is magical to some degree, but the Steinr make their ancient runic magic an integral part of all craftsmanship. Whether or not the runes are visibly etched into the finished item, you can be certain the proper symbols were painstakingly inscribed during every stage of the construction. Runes represent primal powers and are used not just in metal and stonework but everywhere from a set of clothes, to a banner, to a loaf of bread.

Steinr runesmiths who learn battle magic can make formidable combatants with skills comparable to the war witches of Dawn. The original runesmiths developed their strength working the anvil, but as they gained a reputation for daring in battle, more Steinr magicians began to emulate the runesmiths. They prize strength and vigour, and are as comfortable in the thick of melee as any warrior. Most use a heavy oak staff usually shod with iron and carved with runes, an effective weapon as well as an implement for magic. They are custodians of a long legacy of mastery of the rituals of the Summer Realm. When training by sparring with each other, they may put aside their staves in favour of wrestling or pugilism.

The Suaq are more pragmatic using magic as a tool to achieve whatever is needed, either wielding it as a weapon in battle or weaving rituals to enhance the effectiveness of their hunters and trappers. Notable Suaq mages are called Icewalkers, a title granted to those who are thought to show wits and cleverness as well as skill with magic. Icewalkers use powerful magic of the Day Realm to perform divinatory and scrying rituals to help find their quarry but they are best known for their clever negotiations with Eternals. Icewalkers strive to embody the best values of the Suaq people, erudite, pragmatic and shrewd. Most Wintermark legends feature an Icewalker at some point, either as the hero or as one of the hero's allies.

The Kallavesi mystical approach to life leads many of their heroes to become skilled magicians, of which most are Shamans. The Shamans study the Skeins, the idea that there are fated paths down which individuals travel. At critical points in life there are choices to be made, moments when your skein can shift, for better or worse, as a result of your decision. Divination allows a shaman to determine the most auspicious choices to make, while magic can help create more forks in the path to allow choices to be made. Shamans use a bewildering array of divination methods. The flight of birds is favoured when it is available, as is oneiromancy, the study of dreams, but droplets of hot wax in water and even runes from a bag can all be used by skilled shamans.

A common time for an individual or group to create an important fork in their Skein is when they encounter the influence of the magical realms. Beginners use drugs, refined from the strange flowers that grow in the Kalleveset marshes. These induce blinding hallucinogenic states that allows the Shaman to enter a realm in order to shift their skein, but experienced practitioners regard this as a crutch. Magic is a more effective tool and the Kallavesi have perfected several rituals associated with the Night Realm that allow the recipients to walk the hidden pathways between the worlds on shared vision quests.

Most Kallavesi shamans join groups called Circles that work together to produce powerful rituals. These circles often include Stormcrows and other learned Kallavesi who lack magical aptitude. The Kallavesi regard wisdom and insight as a more important constituent of a ritual than magical ability. A rare few mystics outlive their circle or eschew them altogether and practice magic alone. These hermits often live on remote islands in the marshes. In stories, such individuals are often associated with tales of great power and unnatural longevity.

In Tsirku, the most northern point of the Empire, lies Sydanjaa, the never-ending ice-storm, sometimes called the Heart of Ice. This vast blizzard is a great mystery, blowing night and day across the tundra without respite. Beasts frequently emerge from Sydanjaa that possess magical powers and their bodies often provide magical components. The most important are the great ice golems known as Artok. These creatures emerge from the storm to tread fixed paths before they head back into the ice. They can be tamed for a time by carving them with runes, and are then used for transport and heavy labour. Unfortunately they are difficult to take south, as they need the cold to function for long.