Wintermark magical traditions

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

Runesmiths

The majority of Steinr magics are performed by Runesmiths who work the runes into magical materials to create potent objects. 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.

Runesmiths who learn battle magic can make formidable combatants or powerful healers; they use the runes to enact immediate magical effects. 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 them. They prize boldness and vigour, and may be as comfortable in the thick of melee as any warrior. Many runesmiths wield a heavy oak staff or rod carved with runes when fighting, and like to spar with other runesmiths or warriors through unarmed combat, pugilism and wrestling.

Some runesmiths focus their attention on the mastery of the rituals, often of the Summer Realm. These runesmiths use their runes to mark out their allies and grant them strength and protection. Others prefer to concentrate on Autumn rituals, feeling an affinity for the magics of skill and wealth.

Icewalkers

The Suaq see magic as a practical tool, either wielding it as a weapon in battle or weaving rituals to enhance the effectiveness of their hunters and trappers. Notable Suaq magicians are called icewalkers, a title granted to those who are thought to show wits and cleverness as well as skill with magic. They strive to embody the best values of the Suaq people; erudite, pragmatic and shrewd.

Icewalkers favour using ritual magic of the Day Realm to perform divinatory and scrying rituals to help find their quarry. Suaq magicians are also known for their clever negotiations with Eternals, often trying to use teir wits and glib tongues to negotiate bargains that favour the icewalker and her people more than they favour the Eternals. Outwitting a powerful creature of another Realm is sometimes seen as the pinnacle of heroism for an icewalker.

Ritual magic for the icewalkers often involves invoking natural things or creatures, and drawing parralels between them and the target of their magic. For example, an icewalker who wishes to divine an area might create a parralel between himself and a high-flying eagle, while one who wishes to grant his comrades great strength might compare them to a flood, storm, earthquake or herd of wild boar.

Shamans

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.

Artok

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.