The Shaman

These are the mystics of Borigon. Intimately connected to the spirits of the land, they act as spiritual guides to the people and protectors from the many magical and spiritual dangers that lurk in the dark places. This profession is open to anyone who is willing to dedicate the rest of their lives to serving the people.

The Training of the Candidate

All shaman begin at this stage.

Shamanic Lore (b) (IN or IU), Theology (Ancestor God) (d) (IN or IU), Faith (b) (MP), Initiation (Ancestor God) (Condition) (b), Obsessed (caring for others) (d).

Equipment: Gain 1 book of shamanic lore and 1 book of theology of the Ancestor God.

Time Cost: 1 Season

Cost: 2 HP for the first term, 1 HP after that.

Shamanic Lore: This is general knowledge about being a shaman.
Theology (Ancestor God): The worshipper has received fundamental instruction in the history, lore, and procedures of the religion of the Ancestor God.
Faith (Ancestor God): This is a basic power that expresses the strength of belief and trust a character has in the Ancestor God.
Initiation (Ancestor God): The worshipper is a member of the religion.
Obsessed (Caring for Others): This is a detriment, making the shaman unable to ignore the plight of others.

Possible Exits: Continue as a candidate, continue on to The Trial of Fire, or leave the profession (gain the condition Bereaved).

The Trial of Fire

This costs 5 HP and is a 5-point preadventure (see Character Building). The good stuff is acceptance as an initiate.

Initiate

Your character is now a shaman-in-training.

Shamanic Lore (b) (IN or IU), Theology (Ancestor God) (d) (IN or IU), Faith (b) (MP), Prayer (b) (MP), Obsessed (caring for others) (d), Spear (b) (MA), Borigonian Bow (b) (MA), Religious Ceremonies (b) (MP), The Ceremony of Totems (b) (MP).

Equipment: 1 spear, 1 long bow, 12 arrows, book of the ceremony of worship, book of the ceremony of totems.

Salary; 1 Bone Coin per day.

Time Cost: 6 Weeks

HP Cost: 8 for the first term, 5 per term after that

Exits: Continue as an initiate, go on to shaman, or leave the profession (gain Bereaved 3)

Prayer: This is a basic power that allows the faithful to make direct contact with the object of their faith. This is the basis for all worship, and the religion may require prayers be said at particular times and/or places. Prayers may also be offered to the divine being in order to request the direct intervention on behalf of the character, such is called a miracle. The character must have Faith before they can have Prayer. The miracle cannot happen unless the subject of the character's faith wants it to happen, regardless of the success of the roll. Here are some specific prayers that initiates may use:

• Prayer of Strength: This allows the initiate to recover from a power detriment, or to assist another member of the faith with recovering from a power detriment.
• Prayer of Protection: This allows the initiate to generate a general protection for themselves or another member of the faith. The result is split between the duration and effect. The effect is the condition Protection of the Ancestor God (b) (MP).
• Prayer of Healing: This allows the initiate to heal wounds or cure diseases within a member of the faith. The result is a number of history points used to buy off adverse conditions such as bleeding, pain, etc.

Borigonian Military Spear: This is the ability to thrust and parry with the military spear. 1.5 meter long wooden shaft with a spear head. This spear does heavy thrusting damage. Black steel spear heads add a +10 magical attack for damage.
Borigonian Bow: The ability to use a Borigonian Bow to attack with arrows. This is a long-ranged and deadly weapon. It can be used to launch arrows 15 times each minute. Normal arrows do heavy damge out to 150 meters, and medium damage out to 300 meters. Military arrows do extreme damage out to 150 meters and heavy out to 300 meters. Black Steel arrows do the damage of a military arrow with an additional +10 magical attack.
Religious Ceremonies: These ceremonies form the bulk of the duties of the clergy. Often there are only certain religious ceremonies available to each level of responsibility. These rituals are available to all clergy within the religion under this power. Here are some specific religious ceremonies for initiates:

• Worship Ceremony: This is an hour long ceremony performed once per day at a particular time, and serves to raise the mood of the faithful, and to convey the feelings of faith by the worshippers as a gift to the Ancestor God.
• Initiation: This ceremony brings someone into the faith.

Ceremony of Totems: This is the power to summon a totem spirit to a point in the spirit realm. A totem spirit is any spirit that has agreed to become the symbol of a family or group. A clan can have several totems. When this power is first acquired you choose a spell within a magical intention suitable for an existing totem. The totem will perform the spell within the magical intention for the shaman.

Shaman

Shamanic Lore (b) (IN or IU), Theology (Ancestor God) (d) (IN or IU), Faith (b) (MP), Prayer (b) (MP), Obsessed (caring for others) (d), Spear (b) (MA), Borigonian Bow (b) (MA), Religious Ceremonies (b) (MP), The Ceremony of Totems (b) (MP), Initiation into the Lesser Totems (b) (MP), Benediction (d) (MP).

Equipment: 1 Totem staff.

Salary: 4 Bone Coins per day.

Time Cost: 1 season

Training Time: 36 days

HP Cost: 13 HP for the first term, 12 HP per term after that

Exits: Remain a Shaman, Undertake the The Ordeal of the Spirit, or Leave the Profession (gain Bereaved 5)

Religious Ceremonies of Shaman:

1. Worship Ceremony: This is an hour long ceremony performed once per day at a particular time, and serves to raise the mood of the faithful.
2. Initiation: This ceremony brings someone into the faith.
3. Birth: This one-hour ceremony blesses the newborn, acting as an initiation into the religion.
4. Marriage: This one hour ceremony aknowledges the link of two people within the eyes of the religion.
5. Investment of an Initiate: This ceremony begins the Trial by Fire.

Initiation into the Lesser Totems: the totem in question will perform one act per level of this skill, subtract one level per act performed. The lesser totems are:

• Rialar - the totem of the household.
• Riadrimar - the totem of the rodent and stealth.
• Rishonind - the totem of the watcher and divination.
• Rivemar - the totem of the defender and protection.

Benediction: Benedictions are the direct blessings of a divine power. They may be used to grant temporary powers to individuals, to bless items, or to bless places. The ground on which a temple is to be built must be so blessed. No temple can be complete without a blessed central item (usually an altar to lead worship ceremonies at).

• Blessing: This benediction allows the shaman to help the faithful. The level of success is split between the effect (a number of difficult MP pips that act as a general die roll modifier), the number of the faithful who receive this benediction, and the duration of the effect.
• Consecration: This allows the shaman to sanctify a place as holy ground. This must be done before a temple may be built.
• Create True Holy Symbol: This benediction allows the shaman to use their personal holy symbol as a vessel of power. Whenever this benediction is performed the result is power pool that is added to the holy symbol. This power pool is drawn by power detriments. When the pool reaches zero, then the detriments begin to effect the shaman. The shaman may not use the power pool from a holy symbol in the creation of a holy symbol. Once the benediction is made there is a -2 power detriment.

The Ordeal of the Spirit

This costs 6 HP, and is a 6-point preadventure (see Chapter One). The reward is the ability to become a Master Shaman.

Master Shaman

Shamanic Lore (b) (IN or IU), Theology (Ancestor God) (d) (IN or IU), Faith (b) (MP), Prayer (b) (MP), Obsessed (caring for others) (d), Spear (b) (MA), Borigonian Bow (b) (MA), Religious Ceremonies (b) (MP), The Ceremony of Totems (b) (MP), Initiation into the Lesser Totems (b) (MP), Benediction (d) (MP), Special Skills with terms in Master Shaman.

Additional Requirement: The master shaman must perform one heroic deed (equivalent to a 1 HP adventure or more) to gain each term.

Salary: 10 Bone Coins per day.

Time Cost: 1 Season

HP Cost: 18 per term

Religious Ceremonies: There are new ceremonies available to the Master Shaman:

• High Worship Ceremony: A one-to-three hour long ceremony performed only on holy days or other special occasions. This ceremony carries a protection from magic for all faithful participants for twenty-four hours at the level of success.
• Investment of a Shaman: This ceremony begins the Ordeal of the Spirit.
• Ceremony of Excommunication: This is a drastic step that must be carefully considered. This is an hour long ceremony that severs an individual's connection to the religion.

1st Term: Initiation into the Riangap (d) (MP): the totem of the hunter and warfare.
2nd Term: Initiation into the Risindall (d) (MP): the totem of flight and travel.
3rd Term: Initiation into the Risha (d) (MP): the totem of beauty and illusion.
4th Term: Initiation into the Riborigon (d) (MP): the totem of the land itself.
5th Term: Initiation into the Rikulm (d) (MP): the totem of dreams and messages.
6th Term: Initiation into the Rigapell (d) (MP): the totem of death and necromancy.
7th Term: Initiation into the Rilasep (d) (MP): the totem of creation and awareness.
8th Term: Initiation into the Ridonnari (d) (MP): the totem of chaos.
9th Term: Initiation into the Richy (d) (MP): the totem of life and healing.

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