Chasind: Wilder mages and their magic

Wilder Magic
There are many tales of these shamans having learned their magic from the "Witches of the Wilds," witches that inspire as much terror as they do awe and gratitude even if there is no definitive proof they exist. In particular, the tale of Flemeth, the greatest witch of the wilds, is celebrated amongst all tribes. Whether of not this is true what is known is that there are three types of mage amongst The Chasind.

The Three

 * Sàr-ab: the Shaman
 * Siànaiche: the Shapechangers
 * Sàmhail: the Novices

The magic of the Chasind is organic. They do not learn in the same way as The Circle of Magi, they are more akin to the Dalish. Their spells focus on the schools of Creation and Primal but they do not call it thus. The Chasind refer to it as "Nature Magic". The Chasind Shaman specialisation focuses on shifting and spirit, for the shaman are the religious leaders and need to speak to the denizens of The Fade, be able to detect Fade tears and deal with abominations, demons and all manner of Fade activity. Their rituals and learning revolve around mastering their mental defences and using demons for their own gain.

Blood Magic and Spirit Healing are both accessible to shamans by virtue of their specialisations however you cannot be a shaman, a spirit healer and a blood mage. The skills of these two Fade related specs have been passed down through shamans for thousands of years and are skills seen amongst the Avvar too. It is thought that the spirit healing in Circles originates from the Chasind and Avvar clans, but that is merely speculation.

Chasind magic in general is supposed to aid them in their struggles with their environment and to honour their gods in rituals. Thus different tribes will have spells that suit where they live and whom and what they worship. So for instance, a more exposed village on the edges of the wilds may have mages who are adept in control the four elements and have elemental masters and shifters who have mastered bird forms. Whereas a village deep in the swamps are more likely to be geomancers, mastering magic connected to the earth, the trees, vines and plants. Their shifters are more likely to be wolves, snakes and otters.

Sàr-ab
The Shaman are the avatars of the gods, the chieftains and the judge, jury and executioner. They are the sole source of knowledge and guidance on complex spiritual matters and the Chasind believe that their words come from the gods. They are the law makers and lore keepers, the only scribes and the only one who changes into the shape of the animal god of their tribe. They interpret dreams and read the stars, they smoke the blessed leaf and eat the sacred mushroom in order to see the visions the gods grant them. These visions they use to lead their people and predict when the rains will come and when danger is upon the tribe. They arrange and make marriages, they heal, deliver the children, give counsel and teach the other mages of the tribe the secrets of Chasind magic. They oversee the rites of passage and paint the totems and the faces and bodies of the young men and women who come of age. The Shaman areNàdarra; everything of earth and heaven.

To be a shaman one must be able to shapechange, but one does not need to be a shaman to be a shapeshifter. The Chasind shifters differ slightly from other shifters in Thedas, but only in their belief regarding the origins of their shapeshifting.

Siànaiche
The origins of the Chasind shifters is intertwined in their legends of the werewolves. The Chasind believe that a shaman was cursed by the elves and was turned into a werewolf. This shaman sought the aid of Vitiris who turned the mage back into a human. However, the shaman retained the ability to shift her form into that of a wolf. Vitiris told her to teach this magic to other mages and every hundred years he would grant their people another form to change into. Depending on the part of the wilds a mage learns their magic will determine what kind of animals they learn, since different animals are found in different areas of Korcari. The Chasind revere and fear the wolf, killing them only on the full moon, since that is when they fear the bite of the wolf will curse them as it did their ancestor.

Typical forms for a Chasind Shapechanger
Table Key - Chasind Shifters

Exceptions to the shifter rules: Ar Fánaíocht (the nomads) are the only exceptions to the shape rules. Since they travel outside of the Wilds and into the Dales and Heartlands they can learn any creature found there. However, they cannot shift into anything exotic, like a tiger or a panther without a very good explanation in your profile.