[✓] Dark Shamanism Rewrite

[The King Of The Moon 5119]

Uluamirzgai (Those Who Imprison): The Third Generation of Dark Shamanism

 

 

As darkness began to swallow the land; as the Lord March failed to complete its challenge its holy rivals, as the Abyss vanished and the cold west was reclaimed, three Ish’Urkal formed a new rallying cry in the scorching deserts of the east.

The Dark Shamans three: Gukdab the Spurned, Kulgarok the Truthseeker and Kurag the Bastard descended upon the Spirit realm. Their collective cause, own minds benevolent, was in truth one fueled by a lust for power in preparation for the conflicts to come. They ventured to the teacher of their art, Ixli, Spirit of Forbidden Knowledge in search of a new tool to be placed in their hand to redeem the failed legacy of the unhallowed Lord March, for whilst their gaze was upon deities Druidic, Clerical, Paladin and Ascended, the Ish’Urkal would seek out the Spirits and the Shamans who served them: deceivers and puppet masters to Uruk-kind since the dawn of Krugmar.

 

Ixli, having already bestowed all of its power upon them saw their request as arrogant and foolhearty. In turn, the three were stripped - as were all other Ish’Urkal - of their powers. The spirits had been wrenched free from them,  and all of their corrupted kin. Ixli cast them free from their domain, and left them within the twisting nexus of the Spirit Realm.

 

The Lands of the Spirit held no mercy for the three shamans. Their minds were wracked with pain and anguish, anger and pain surging forth. Every aspect within the spirit realm sought to attack the accursed shamans, to rend their souls asunder and tear apart every fibre of their being. They shrieked out, calling to any spirit in hopes for salvation. In their desperation, one Immortal Spirit had looked over them. The Spirit Realm bent and crackled at his approach, A being of burnt and blackened flesh, horns crowning his dark visage, and his eyes aflame with control.   

 

Leyd.

 

In witnessing the power the former Ish’Urkal had over the other spirits, Leyd saw it as fate. They had begged for his mercy, and so he wished to grant it. In teaching them, and in subjugating the realm as his own. He granted them new strength, power to surmount the spirits and their trickery and in turn created a paradigm shift in the ongoing war of the spirits. In Leyd's vision, he would have his dominion.

 

The Tome of Ixli

As Ixli’s former brood of Ish’Urkal have turned away from him, so too has he from his potential students. The tome withdrew its knowledge from all Ish’Urkal, returning them to fully mortal corporeality and stripping them of their previously consumed spirits (for the greater Spirit’s own use) before banishing them to the spirit realm.

 

All former Dark Shamans are considered powerless and must seek tutelage from Leyd’s chosen trio henceforth, though their own adapted skills may persist should they re-assume dominion over spirits similar to the ones they once held.

 

((Former Ish’Urkal and all abilities related that are not mentioned in this post are gone. They may begin re-learning to use the same spirits from T3, provided they can acquire both a willing teacher and an Isthmus Anchor containing spirits of their former subtypes))

Isthmus Anchors, Cages Of The Spirits

 

 

The source of a Shaman's power, an Isthmus Anchor is first formed in the spirit realm when one (granted the necessary knowledge by Leyd) successfully dominates and imprisons a spirit. Only following this may the Dark Shaman then return to the mortal plane and form an anchor for the spirit’s power over the realm. They manifest in the physical realm a 6(( 9 ))ft tall, 3((6))ft wide monolith of piano black marble whilst in the spirit realm an identical object of piano white marble is formed. These monoliths are not to be considered separate entities but rather differing iterations of the same object in each plane; an Isthmus Anchor, a forbidden totem which serves to imprison spirits and force their powers into the mortal plane. A Dark Shaman will find themselves unable to craft more than one Isthmus Anchor at a time, these Totems only able to house three spirits of a less complex variety ((See list of available spirits on this thread)) and one of a more complex nature. Whilst an Isthmus Anchor can house four spirits in total, it is essential that the first of these four is permanently housed by a more complex spirit to establish the totem’s potential, meaning that only three of these slots are available for consistent use to imprison an elemental or immortal spirit; the fourth (or… first, as it were) will house a spirit of either Transport, Slavery or Death. This is process is outlined by ‘The Three Rites’ below, which requires the assistance of Leyd himself to complete.. The owner of the totem may remove a spirit from the Anchor and eventually replace it, though no new spirit may be added for another month.

The Isthmus Anchor of a Dark Shaman will have an undesirable effect on the surrounding ((15 x 15)) area that slowly expands as the dark shaman grows more power, at a rate of 15 blocks per tier. As spirits remain in torturous confinement, their strained control of the mortal plane surrounding the Totem will act as a symbolic protest. This varies dependant on what sort of spirits inhabit the Totem, for example an Elemental Spirit of earth will cause the ground surrounding it to float into the air, or form tall pillars around it. An Elemental Spirit of air will cause the winds around the air to swell and gust, able to rip flesh and pull the air forth from the lungs around it.

As a site of spiritual anguish, skilled Farseers and Elementalists will become quickly aware of an Isthmus Anchor’s presence when nearby. If a lesser of Freygoth is bound to a Isthmus Anchor, highly attuned Druids may also notice a potential strain on the natural bodies tormented around it. Shamans versed enough in Leyd’s ways who are able to make physical contact with the Isthmus Anchor’s mortal manifestation may then travel to the spirit realm in a group of three nearby to the Isthmus Anchor and conduct a ritual in which they may free the imprisoned spirits from the Dark Shaman’s bonds; undoing a Dark Shaman of their abilities outright and rendering them powerless, forcing them to replace the liberated spirits and form a new Isthmus Anchor Totem elsewhere for them to once more gain the strength of the Spirits for themselves. If the Totem’s physical embodiment is destroyed, it shall simply render the Dark Shaman powerless until they venture to the Spirit Realm and re-anchor it to the mortal plane, whilst their captive Spirits are still subjugated in the Spirit Realm regardless.

Within the immediate vicinity of their Isthmus Anchor (50 x 50), a Dark Shaman can wield the gifts of their subjugated spirits via a mental link. The same applies to a Dark Shaman with which the Isthmus Achor’s forger has chosen to share their Anchor. Beyond such, however, a Dark Shaman must rely upon a Naakh to use their power.

TL;DR: A teaching Dark Shaman now forms a totem for their own personal use, which acts as a metaphorical bridge between the Ancestral and Physical planes, as well as a prison for the Dark Shaman's 4 chosen spirits (1 spirit is tied directly with one of the 'Three Rites' abilities mentioned below, the other 3 are to be from the 'List of Useable Spirits' below). This totem can have a maximum of 6 Dark Shamans sharing its power at once, at the totem maker's discretion for potential students). Powers can be drawn from the totems for a radius of 50 x 50 blocks; access to a totem is necessary for all forms of Dark Shamanism. If a captured spirit is one to with which a regular shaman has a pact, they will lose all abilities affiliated and have to establish a new pact with another or wait until the spirit is again freed to reclaim them. Destroying the physical manifestation will temporarily disable an Anchor until a Dark Shaman reforms it, destroying the spiritual manifestation will strip a Dark Shaman of their magic for one IRL week and require them to create a new anchor.

Naakh, The Tool Of A Dark Shaman

 

 

 

The Naakh is the ultimate tool to a Dark Shaman. In layman’s terms, it is a complexly enchanted item of any shape which is bound to an Isthmus Anchor and permits a Dark Shaman to wield their powers. Without it, they are useless at any worthwhile distance from their Isthmus Anchor. This of course means that if a Naakh is destroyed, stolen or simply taken out of its wielder’s physical contact then a Dark Shaman is without their magic until it's replacement. Similarly to the Isthmus Anchor, a Dark Shaman can only have one Naakh forged at a time. If they were to attempt to craft a second Naakh, it would immediately sever the bonds of the first and replace it outright.

The Naakh is forged fairly simply. A Dark Shaman will select an item of their desired variety - restricted only by size: no smaller than a ring - and bring it to their Isthmus Anchor. One hand firmly bound around their chosen object whilst another is held flat to the Anchor’s face. An immense energy passes through the Dark Shaman then as they focus on dividing their efforts equally between the two objects, forming an unbreakable bond to allow the exchange of the Dark Shaman’s mana and the subjugated Spirits’ powers between the static (for the most part) Anchor and the mobile Relic. Whilst an Isthmus Forger should grant all of their followers with the knowledge to forge Naakhs, it must be noted that they are a deeply personal craft and each Naakh will only function in service of its creator.

Whilst a Dark Shaman could not borrow another Dark Shaman’s Naakh for their own use, it is possible for Dark Shamans to share Isthmus Anchors. With the express consent of the Isthmus forger to make it, a Dark Shaman may allow their peer (or in most cases, apprentice) to bind their Naakh to their own Anchor, provided they lack an Isthmus Anchor of their own to bind it to - this in consequence means that an Isthmus forger is at liberty to disconnect their peers or apprentices from their Isthmus Anchor at will (in essence, a teacher can remove the magic of their own student with ease. Once someone has become a teacher by making an Isthmus Anchor of their own, however, there is no way to strip their power. The same applies to the students of another Isthmus Forger). It should be noted that if the spirits within this Isthmus Anchor differ in abilities to those which they have already mastered, they shall be required to learn how to use them from scratch (full tier progression from T1) whilst they shall be afforded equal skill in spirits they have prior mastered (maintained tier to possible previous spirits used). A maximum of three Dark Shamans could draw from a singular Isthmus Anchor (any more would stretch the powers of the enslaved spirits too thin), though a singular Isthmus Anchor may still only hold four spirits at a time. These spirits and their slots can only be tampered with by the Anchor’s creator.

((To clarify with an example, a Dark Shaman may have become T5 in the use of earth Elemental Spirits subjugated in their own Isthmus Anchor. Their Isthmus Anchor may then have been undone by a Shamanistic ritual and they may re-bind their Naakh to the Anchor of their peer. If the peer’s Anchor held an earth Elemental Spirit, they would maintain T5 elementalism abilities. However, if this new Anchor also held a fire Elemental Spirit, they would begin from T1 and have learn how to use fire elementalism.))

With the absence of a functioning worldly Isthmus Anchor, Naakhs would lose their bonds and be found useless by a Dark Shaman and need to be rebound to the newly formed Isthmus Anchor. Indeed moreso if an Isthmus Anchor was fully undone by the rituals of a Shaman (as stated earlier, requiring the replacement of freed spirits as well as the construction of a new Isthmus Anchor). It is finally worth noting that Naakhs cannot be created and bound to an Anchor remotely. This of course means that if a Naakh is destroyed or taken from a Dark Shaman’s grasp, that Dark Shaman will remain without their powers until they make their way to their Isthmus Anchor.

For a Naakh to function properly it must not be encased or veiled, whilst also being in contact with the Dark Shaman’s body. Furthermore, when channeling the stolen abilities of a Spirit the Naakh will adorn a scorched onyx hue or one of eggplant purple. This of course means that a Naakh being hidden whilst in use would be of great difficulty; as a result a Dark Shaman must run the risk their Naakh being discovered (and potentially undone) when casting. When transmitting the immense potential of what spirits a Dark Shaman has imprisoned, however, the Naakh serves as a path for the user’s mana and raw spiritual energy and would become overwhelming to a foreign attempt of magical grasp. This means whilst in use, Naakhs are exempt from the manipulation of an Elementalist, Telekinetic or other non-mundane means of hold. Once removed from the Dark Shaman’s touch, a Naakh will return to its natural colours and become powerless immediately. A Naakh as mentioned earlier serves as a focal point for a Dark Shaman’s mana and the powers of the spirits it has bound to the Anchor. This results in the downside that whilst wielding their Naakh (in any form of contact with their body), a Dark Shaman would be unable to use their mana for any other purpose; they would be unable to cast anything other than Dark Shamanism whilst armed to do so.

TL;DR: harnessing the power of the spirits contained within the Isthmus Anchor at any range beyond 50 x 50 blocks will require the use of a Naakh: a relic of any shape and size (though no smaller than a ring) imbued with wretched shamanistic powers. At a distance where using a Naakh is necessary, a dark shaman must activate their relic in an emote as a singular action (similarly to a voidal or deific connection) before begging to draw their power. Upon activation, the Naakh will change to a colour of unnaturally pitch black or a highly deep purple; it must maintain contact with the Dark Shaman's body. The distinct qualities of the Naakh may draw unwanted attention, for whilst the relic is personal to a Dark Shaman's use, it can be taken from them and thus render the Dark Shaman powerless until they reclaim or replace it (in replacing it, the Dark Shaman will have to venture back to their Isthmus Anchor, meaning they would be powerless for the full duration of any RP in which they lack it and must reclaim it). Depending on he type of spirit being drawn upon at the time, nearby Elementalists, Farseers or Lutamancers will be alerted of a pained spirit nearby when a Naakh is in use. Certain spells channelled through the Naakh (detailed below) will also make the Dark Shaman them self susceptible to Aescended Flame for a decent period of time.

The Grak, Imprisoning the Spirits

 

 

 

If a Dark Shaman has been fortunate enough for one to afford them the knowledge of this practice, they may lead in a sickening ceremony. The sacrificial manifestation of a Lesser Spirit into the physical plane.

 

In order to perform this sacrilegious act, a Dark Shaman (or group headed by they with knowledge of the ritual) will create a totem ascribed to the spirit of their choosing. They must approach it and rehearse verses of true Blah, then, extending each arm towards one of their peers. Given uninterrupted focus for this first stage of the ritual, sickly yellow mists will begin to pour from each Shaman’s Naakh. They’d feel their mana heavily drawn upon as their relics activate and the raw energy of Leyd is called on. These mists spread between each (or from the one) Dark Shaman, creating impassable walls of energy; a triangular ‘room’ for the ritual to take place. This ‘room’ will expand then, encompassing a maximum 15x15 space. It should be noted that each Dark Shaman assisting the leader of the ritual will contribute to the longevity of these walls and the energy required to make them. As soon as this section of the wall is complete, it will be mandatory for the Dark Shaman to shout emote an immense turmoil amongst the spirits of the category being captured which can be felt by relative Shamans nearby, as well as PM any online Shamans with a pact with the spirit being captured to inform them their power is being contested (though locations do not have to be revealed and are not RPly discernible from afar).

 

Given this ‘room’s’ construction, the Dark Shaman(s) will find themself and all inside of the triangle to enter a state of paradox, residing neither in the Spirit nor Mortal planes, but rather somewhere between. At this stage, any outside of the triangle (note, those within from the beginning may be carried and accompany the Dark Shaman) would perceive the Dark Shaman to vanish and the totem once between them to turn white in colour. These walls can be challenged by a Shaman with relative links to the Spirit targeted (for example, elemental spirits can potentially be liberated by elementalists) by invoking the aid of their own pacted spirits to destroy them. This would take 5 uninterrupted emotes from a Shaman to take down a wall from the outside and cancel the ritual, plus an extra two emotes for each Dark Shaman inside that aided with the ritual’s creation. (note, it is just as fatiguing to destroy these walls as a regular Shaman as it is to create them as a Dark Shaman, a shaman attempting to undo these walls to free a spirit from its fate must be one tier above the Dark Shaman heading the ritual, or the same tier if they are both T5).

 

On the side of those conducting the ritual, the totem would slowly fade to a reflective grey colour; they would find themselves within an ‘Isthmus Rift’, a temporary pocket-realm between the Spirit Realm and the Overworld from which no Spirit can escape once brought to manifest.At such a time the Dark Shamans find themselves able to cease the incantation, able to freely move their focus and powers as they please. The Dark Shaman heading the ritual must then draw their own blood and with it write the word “Ushum” on one of the totem’s faces. Upon the moment of completion, a deafening cry would resonate and the text would vanish. From the totem a figure would emerge: the spirit tricked into approaching its false totem, made manifest by inhabiting a corporeal form similar to that of a Muyakelg, albeit capable of besting a masterful Shaman in the abilities affiliated with it (for example an Elemental Spirit would perform as if it were a T6 Elementalist in its specific field).

 

This manifested Spirit’s immediate response would be to try and kill the Dark Shamans present. If all three Dark Shamans are to be at least rendered unconscious by the Spirit, the ritual will fail. As a consequence of such, the Spirit would de-manifest back into the Spirit Realm and flee, now liberated from the Leyd’s tenuous shackles. This of course would mean that surviving Dark Shamans would be forcibly re-located to their home plane, the triangular walls of their temporary prison fading. If any are to die within the Isthmus Rift, it will result in that character’s permanent demise due to the soul’s vulnerability in the miniature realm between realms.

 

In the unlikely event of the Dark Shamans’ success, the spirit would have to be beaten into submission, whereupon the Shaman(s) close the triangle in around it, forcing it back to the spirit realm and bound to the ritual leader’s Isthmus Anchor for later use. Alternatively, the spirit can be killed outright (spirits earlier captured can also be slaughtered like this should the Dark Shaman choose). Once complete, the totem would collapse and that which was held within the triangle will return to the physical plane (as they would in the event of failure).  Once besting the spirit in combat (and choosing not to imprison the spirit, but in fact execute it) then a Dark Shaman may harvest Dub’Guk: the blood of two, a blue liquid drawn from the Spirit’s dead avatar like blood from a corpse. This ‘blood’ would differ greatly to that of most descendants, however, being completely void of genus and untouched by the decay of time.

 

Dub’Guk

 

The essence of all spirits exists only within the mortal realm. The Ishurkal consumed their spirits within the Immortal and Ancestral Realms, and as such, were never able to claim the blue blood of the spirits. To all descendants and beings, the essence is corrosive and dangerous without Leyd’s influence.  Once a Spirit is slain, there exists enough dub’guk to fill a bathtub.  To successfully use dub’guk,  the shaman in question must dip their Naakh within it, chanting violently and fervently in Leyd’s name, forcing his domination over the liquid and allowing it to be used. Once enchanted in Leyd’s name, the spirit essence can be used to either enchant weapons,tools and armor with their aspects, or consumed. To draw forth the power, say in a weapon or armor, one must chant in old blah,  akin to Spirit Smithing, the words chosen by the dark shaman.  Consuming the blood has drastically more potent results, though has adverse drawbacks. Constantly consuming the dub’guk leads to an intense and crippling addiction, often leading the shaman to summon and kill more of the same kind of spirit they now hold a great fondness for. Worse still, this addiction possesses mental drawbacks as well. The shaman becomes corrupted with the spirit’s aspect, seeking to expand their domain and presence upon the Mortal Realm however they can. Upon the third imbibing of Immortal Spirit essence, or the second imbibing of the Elemental Spirit Essence, one would find themselves addicted.

 

 

 

TL;DR: Dark Shamans may risk PKs in conducting a ritual through which they trick a spirit into approaching a false totem, then force it half way into a mortal body to kill it - or have their characters permanently killed if it kills them. If successful, however, a Dark Shaman may then either imprison that spirit to cast with or harvest a peculiar blue liquid from the fallen spirit's corpse: Dub'Guk, the 'blood of two'. This spirit blood can be used to imbue specific properties from a small range onto an object or brew cocktails and potions of a restricted list. This is detailed further in the 'List of Useable Spirits'. If a sacrificed spirit is one to with which a regular shaman has a pact, they will lose all abilities affiliated with it and have to establish a new pact with another to reclaim them.

 

 

 

List of Usable Spirits:

Whilst the Ish’Urkal of old were able to consume and wield the powers of almost any Lesser Spirit, enabled due to their method of bondage to their own soul, the next generation of Dark Shamans is far more restricted. Their Isthmus Anchors are but mortally forged under Leyd’s guidance and as a result cannot comprehend the more complex spirits. 

Spoiler

Immortal spirits

Enrohk - Spirit of Bloodlust, Savagery, and War, appearing as a berserker covered in blood.

Tools can be used for invoking bloodust and savagery around the user, while the blood, due to its intense and maddening properties, needs to be diluted with water, lest the user grow mad. Once consumed, the bloodlust would last for an entire day, up to a week at T5. This elixir tears at the mind however, and is quite addictive. The effects of this potion would involve increased strength and size, along with durability and a numbness to pain.Repeated consumption damages the the heart, and stains the skin red.

Naakh: Can evoke bloodlust, or savagery upon others, capping at an intensity that of a T4 Farseer.

 

Shezept - Spirit of Revenge, Plots, and Stealth, appearing as a woman with the lower body of a snake.

Tools can be used be used for seeking revenge upon others akin to thornmail, a weak retaliation device that damages more and more, the most powerful form of it at T5 doing a third of the damage upon the initial attacker.

Naakh: The Naakh serves as a cloaking device akin to a chameleon, cloaking their target in a pattern akin to the materials around them, improving as the Naakh grows stronger.

 

Ogrol - Spirit of Despair, sapped strength, and entrapment, appearing as a thin man carrying a cage full of writhing bodies. He attempts to lock all who summon him away in his prison.

Tools such as traps and snares can be enchanted that either drain the strength of the entrapped, or lock around them even tighter. Weapons made can drain strength upon successful attacks, or shields that drain strength to strengthen their durability. Essentially, all tools used can transfer the strength from one source to another, or trap other people. The blood has unique properties as well, first marked upon the victim with a chant, and then another, which will allow the transfer of strength to a crippling degree, often leaving the victim immobile or unconscious.

 

Anyhuluz - Spirit of destruction, malicious intent, and internal strife. Appears as a warrior covered in open wounds.

The blood of Anyhuluz allows for a similar state and form to Enrohk, however, this concoction lacks the rational state of Enrohk’s bloodlust potion, causing any and all targets afflicted with such to attack and kill those around them. Tools of Anyhuluz will cause such intense emotions, though most dark shamans are wiser than to invoke such upon their adversaries. As the spirit of destruction, a dark shaman will also be able to fracture the earth, buildings and the like through the workup of emotes with their weapon. There is no control in destruction however, and destroys without regard. Though powerful, as it destroys nearly everything, save the indestructable. Overuse of a blood-imbibed weapon will lead it to destroy the caster’s own form, breaking bones and unsutchering flesh.

Naakh: The Naakh can be used to destroy one piece of mundane armor or weapon. (( Unenchanted only + 3 Emotes and 5 Block Range, normal rolls for doors and chests still apply))

 

Rolfizh - Spirit of murder, the clandestine, and poison, appearing as a dagger-bearing figure made of shadow.

The blood of Rolfizh would be fatal upon placing onto one’s skin or flesh, killing the average descendant in a day. However, the blood can be pooled or collected to create and experiment upon the Spirit’s ever changing and strange genus.  Akin to a witchdoctor, a dark shaman can call upon the entrapped spirit, and with various brews can create a multitude of poisons with varying effects. The blood, once pooled essentially acts as a poisonous ingredient in brewing alchemy. Using the blood upon a weapon simply acts as a caustic liquid that damages the flesh of the attacker.

Naakh: The Naakh allows for the generation of any poison known to the shaman’s knowledge with items and ingredients added akin to witchdoctory, with far greater effect.

 

Kezt - Spirit of honour and bravery, appearing as a bright silver hoplite

The blood of a spirit of Kezt eliminates the fear and honorary upon the caster, essentially creating suicidal and mad warriors. Though casting it upon tools and weapons serve no purpose, the blood encourages others to join your cause.

Naakh: The Naakh grants an intense sense of honor and bravery, forcing its victim into a duel with the caster, causing the victim to push adversary or ally away and do everything in their power to battle with the caster in a one on one engagement.

 

Krathol - Spirit of Pain, suffering and starvation. Appears as a skeletal vulture picking at its own bones

Weapons, tools and artifacts made are often used as torture instruments granting pain and torment upon those who don it without causing any actual pain or physical wounds. Rather, it exists as a mental anguish, and as the shaman increases in power, the pain grows worse and worse.

Naakh:  Needs to be worked upon.The Naakh can be used to cause a being to be wracked with extreme pain and agony, making them unable to move due to the illusion of pain(5 Block range).

 

Veist - Spirit of Illusion, Tricks, and thievery. Appears as a faceless man with one thousand arms.

The blood infects the mind with intense hallucinations that scar the victim.

Naakh: The Naakh can be used to create illusions around the shaman as an illusionist of the bound spirit’s tier.

 

Freygoth -Spirit of the wild, nature, and animals, he takes any natural form he may desire.

Lessers of Freygoth all work in similar ways, depending on whether they are wild, nature, and animals. Entrapped spirits of nature grant the manipulation and augmentation of from the biome of the spirit chosen (i.e A trapped spirit of desert allows for desertification, tundra tundraficiation and so on). Sacrificed spirits of nature can have their blood used to augment plants and madden creatures. An animal put into contact with these spirits' blood will become more fierce and aggressive. Exposure essentially feralizes the creature, causing them to lash out savagely against all present - including the Dark Shaman them self. A field of flowers fertilised with this blood may become man-eating rafflesias, cacti, brambles, stinging weeds and so-on. Druids versed enough in Communion and Control and highly skilled Mental Mages could calm these animals back to previous states through reasoning (5 emotes until the animal fully calms and stops lashing out, 3 emotes further to completely restore its prior mental state). Blighthealing can also restore plant-life to more mundane states.
Naakh: Using the Naakh to channel a lesser of Freygoth's energies allows one to manipulate plants living or dead in a manner akin to a druid, though rather than a communion, it is a forsaken enslavement of wildlife (Rather than manipulating plants elegantly as a Druid would in their Control of Nature, a Dark Shaman with this ability would savagely push and pull living or recently dead plant-life with mastery far greater than a Telekinetic's, though by no means on par with a Druid.). A druid would be able to sense such an abuse of the aspects, and any journeyman caster (T3+ Control of Nature if facing a T5 Dark Shaman) would be more than capable of undoing a Dark Shaman's manipulation by strengthening the Aspectist presence in the foliage, roots, branches or otherwise.

For clarity, in the case of a T5 Dark Shaman having their manipulation taken away by Control of Nature, the scales of power would be as follows: 
T1 C.O.N.: Can have manipulated plant-life wrenched from their grasp, their tenuous communion with the Aspects shifting to the horrific screams of the tortured plant within their minds. It would take the master Dark Shaman a minimum of 3 emotes to do this.
T2 C.O.N.: Can have manipulated plant-life strained immensely, the Aspects crying out to them as their controlled nature is greatly impaired by the master Dark Shaman, though control is not fully lost. It would take the master Dark Shaman a minimum of 4 emotes to do this.

T3 C.O.N.: Whilst noting the uncomfortable effects of their natural counterpart being tortured throughout their communion, at T3 a Druid is able to fully resist a Dark Shaman's control. In fact, in the case of living plant matter in the Dark Shaman's grasp a T3 Druid will hold dominion, undoing their spirit-based control and freeing the tortured Aspects in a minimum of 5 emotes and fatiguing the Dark Shaman should they try fruitlessly and upkeep dominance over the plant.

T4 C.O.N.: A masterful Dark Shaman is powerless against the pre-controlled nature of the Druid. Furthermore a Druid of this callibur can easily undo the wicked grasp of a Dark Shaman, undoing their spirit-based control and freeing the tortured Aspects in a minimum of 4 emotes and fatiguing the Dark Shaman should they try fruitlessly and upkeep dominance over the plant.
T5 C.O.N.: A masterful Dark Shaman is powerless against the pre-controlled nature of the Druid. Furthermore a Druid of this callibur can easily undo the wicked grasp of a Dark Shaman, undoing their spirit-based control and freeing the tortured Aspects in a minimum of 3 emotes and fatiguing the Dark Shaman should they try fruitlessly and upkeep dominance over the plant.

Red Lines:

• Manipulation of plant-life is done so similarly to a T6 Telekinetic in the scope of accuracy, and therefore a Dark Shaman is not afforded the benefits that come with a Druid's Control Of Nature, for example having to actually be well aware of the plant-life present to utilise the dormant spirits attached to it, whereas a Druid could sense and manipulate unseen roots from the ground. 
• Plantlife manipulated cannot exceed the size or weight of what a T5 Telekinetic could move effectively.
• The corrupt alteration of biomes and large-scale malformation of nature will require region owner consent.
• The corrupt alteration of biomes and large-scale malformation of nature will be sensed by any Druid trying to commune in these areas; effects can be reversed through Blight healing rituals or by the ritual cleansing of a Farseer or Lutamancer.
• Dead plant life can only be manipulated if it retains its natural form; Processed wooden planks or logs stripped of their origin will no longer be under the spiritual influence of a dark shaman, though a dead tree would be.

 

Glutros - The spirit of greed, and obesity, he appears as a hissing serpent wrapped around a pile of gold.

The blood serves as a powerful and dangerous material that invokes greed and avarice with a single drop.

Naakh: The Naakh can be used to force a target to be overcome with an extreme greed, creating an insatiable avarice that lasts for two hours max..

 

Kinul - Spirit of Disease, Pestilence, and failure. Appears as a wailing man with limbs constantly growing then falling off due to necrosis.

Tools act as a festering and rotting agent, spreading infection and disease through weapons.  A dark shaman could also spread blight, acting as a rod that can plague the lands with mushrooms and fungus.

Naakh: Can infect others with a disease, contagious or otherwise. Its severity scales with tier.

 

Urin - Spirit of weather, seasons, and climate, appearing as a raven that changes colour and temperament with the seasons.

Tools can evoke the storms and various weather, however, they require 6 emotes. The ferocity matches that of an elementalist, though requires much more focus and mana.

Naakh: The Naakh can be used to manipulate the weather around the dark shaman, summoning storms or causing droughts. The strength of it caps out at the tier of a T4 Storm Shaman, and at its weakest, a forming a few rain clouds.

 

Leyd - Spirit of dominance and physical strength, appearing as a strong, skinless man with a metal gauntlet

Tools and armor increase the strength of their target, capping at a strength of T3 Farseer.

Naakh: Physically strengthens the target, capping at the maximum of a T4 Farseer, and as weak as a T1 Farseer.

 

Scorthuz - Spirit of cleansing, purity and purging, appearing as a watery mass that takes many forms.

The Naakh acts as a powerful dispelling tool against shamans, of all varieties. Disabling all sorts of shamanic magic, even ones owns and allies, with its duration increasing over time.  The disable only begins at T3, acting a dampener before hand, before silencing the magic for 2 to 3 to finally 4 emotes at T5. The blood is not able to be repeatedly splashed upon a target. (cd once per 3 hours).

The blood can be used to purge shamanic influence on an object or area, either that of a dark shaman or otherwise. Only serving as a tool against spiritual elements, including temporarily disabling Muyakelgs.

 

Aztran - Spirit of the Sun, Stars, and the Ethereal, appearing as a deep purple and orange Qing Long

The blood serves as a distraction, blinding those in the area around the shaman with a brilliant white light like that of the sun. The blood is thrown at a target or location to essentially make a flashbang.

 

Betharuz -Spirit of alcohol, cactus green and celebration, appearing as a jovial young man, in direct contrast to his brother, Theruz

This spirit possesses no combat prowess when wrenched from the Spiritual Plane, its blood serves as a potent, potent intoxicant, that hits as a combination of hallucinogens, and stimulants,ease to overdose on and quite addictive.

 

Drelthok - Spirit of sleeping and dreams, often appearing as a drowsy bear:

Tools, weapons and artifacts pull the victim/target deeper and deeper into sleep, regardless if they are wounded or not. The blood simply puts a target to sleep.

Naakh: The Naakh pulls someone into a trance: dreamworld which the shaman controls.  The dream world takes 5 emote to draw someone in.

 

Kotrestruu - Spirit of memory and the recording of knowledge, appearing as a wizened old man made up of scripture

The blood of the spirit serves as a place to record memories and information. The marking of an eye is drawn upon the person wishes to share memories. Then, it is drawn upon the weapon/tool/armor/person’s skull, and the memory is passed along as a vivid image. This allows for the transfer information, or stories and epics to be saved within weapons.

 

Letrothak -Spirit of hindsight, warnings, and excuses, often appearing as small man with a head completely covered in eyes.

The blood allows the dark shaman to have heightened reflexes, giving them the ability to more easily avoid incoming dangers, at the cost of tearing apart tendons and ligaments, quickly leaving the dark shaman immobile after its effects wear off.  

 

Elemental spirits

Elemental spirits are quite different when practising this form of shamanism. The blood of this spirit would grant a semi-elemental state, at the cost of its weaknesses and burning rage to expand and consume. It acts as a last powerful right, granting someone a T5 elementalist's capability in the slain spirit for an average of 10 emotes, however, the blood drives the user mad, and wild. In using the blood, the spirit’s desire is permanently marred upon someone the user. With use of a fire spirit’s blood, one may become a pyromaniac and desire to burn the world down. Using a water spirit’s blood repeatedly may cause one to become compelled to drown others, or even drown themselves in hops to be one with water. This transformation only lasts around a few hours (10 emotes), though the mental scars are permanent The Naakh grants T4 use of any element with an imprisoned spirit, and although the sheer scale power of the magic may be weakened compared to that of an elementalist, the mana of the spirit used and of the dark shaman is greatly available and expandable.

(In summary, when out in the world a dark shaman can only learn and practice elementalism to the same lengths as a t4 elementalist, though they’ve a mana capacity slightly greater than that of a t5 elementalist. While in the presence of the totem, however, they require no need of the Naakh due to the mental link between them, and can use their powers at full strength up to t5)

 

*None of these spirits are capturable, simply the Greater Elementals of each kind*

Skathach - Spirit of Fire, depicted as a burning wolf.*

Akathro - Spirit of Water, depicted as a iridescent blue fish.*

Bregthar - Spirit of Earth, depicted as a stony grey sand turtle*

Fiarza - Spirit of Air, depicted as a albino white hawk*

Kulthark - Spirit of Metal, depicted as a silvery snake*

Neizdark - Spirit of Storm, depicted as a lion with a mane of lightning*

 

Tier Progression

Spoiler

Tier 1: An apprentice is bonded with the pillar and seeks out to forge their craft, though they possess no magics. At this stage, the spirits will call out to them, and their screams of agony will afflict the caster with paranoia that often leaves them sleepless or dissuade them from using the magic.  If one were to bless the spirit blood, the blood used would only last for 2 emotes.

 

Tier 2: The Naakh is forged, and the anguish dies down from their mind, though permanently marrs them. At this stage, the Naakh is a dangerous tool, still freshly forged and latent with powerful spiritual magic and essence. The Naakh will not burst, but discharge magics violently, much to the dismay of the caster. It also takes an extra two emotes to switch between the various spirits bound to the caster’s specific Isthmus Anchor. If one were to bless spirit blood, the blood used would only last for 4 emotes.

 

Tier 3: With experience in the Naakh, the caster has wrest control of the Naakh’s chaotic magic, though still grow accustomed with it. A shaman may also use the blood of a spirit to enchant their weapons and tools. If one were to bless the spirit blood, the blood used would only last for 6 emotes.

 

Tier 4: Their power increases, and in turn, more magic can be drawn forth from the Naakh. One can now cycle through their spirit with only one emote. If one were to bless the spirit blood, the blood used would only last for 8 emotes.

 

Tier 5: The shaman can use two  spirits within their Naakh simultaneously, though it costs them two extra emotes to do so.If one were to bless the spirit blood, the blood used would only last for 10 emotes.

 

The Three Rites Of Dark Shamanism

The most versatile feat of dark shamanism brought to this new generation of spirit-slavers is the choice of the Three Rites. In order to conclude the forging of one’s Isthmus Anchor, a shaman must select their first spirit as one tied to The Three Rites, be it a spirit of Transport, Death or Slavery. Each spirit and the powers tied to it was selected by the first of these new dark shamans, each with their own malformation of Orcish principles.

 

The Stazg-Doraz: Transport, The Imprisonment of a Lesser of Ghorza

 

Gukdab, to begin with, was an honourable Goblin - perhaps too much so. Amongst his peers (namely Kurag) he was seen as too merciful, perhaps even cowardly in his choices. The gifts of the Ish’urkal of old to him were his cross to bear, a necessity in freeing his kindred from the puppetry of the Shamans and the Spirits past them. To take the life of any but his direct foe was a slur on what it meant to be an Orc, in the elder Goblin’s eyes. As such, of Leyd he asked for a means of retreat, to gracefully end his battle with his own departure, rather than further bloodshed. Leyd gifted him a Lesser of Ghorza and the Rite of Transport, therefore, so that he and his followers to come would be able to venture to and from battle as their strict code of honour deemed fit.

Spoiler

The Stazg-Doraz, or waygate rituals are a newer addition to the potential arsenal of dark shamans, being discovered with the guidance of Leyd whilst dominating the spirits of travel. The Spirit of Travel’s boons (unlike those of its peers) are broken down into two subtypes, Stazg-Bugd - ‘Place calling’ and Ogh-Doraz - ‘Waygates’.

 

Stazg-Bugd, Place calling.

 

The ritual of place calling is a highly draining ceremony; not one to be taken lightly. In order to perform this ritual a descendant sacrifice ((that is willing to PK their character)) must first be bound and placed on an altar. The trio of Dark Shamans would then assume a triangle formation similar to that of the Grak ritual. Should they begin uninterrupted, yellow mist would commence in escaping each Shaman’s Naakh to form a ‘room’ - again, similarly to the Grak ritual- an Isthmus Rift: a Realm between Realms. The dark shamans then are able to focus on the bound sacrifice, each of them drawing from their Isthmus Anchor’s bound Spirit of Travel before effectively bombarding the sacrifice with this energy.

 

Should the ritual be successful (Sacrifice PK’s), the individual's body would begin to rapidly calcify before forming into a black pillar similar in appearance to the Isthmus Anchor, but smaller in size and round. Again, like the Anchor, a white iteration of this monolith will emerge in the Spirit Realm.  

 

The trio of Dark Shamans that conducted the ritual can henceforth invoke the link between their Spirit of Transport and transmit themselves to it, provided that they are granted time and concentration enough to cast such a spell (would require a minimum amount of emotes of uninterrupted, stationary casting: making it nigh impossible to use in combat. In the latter two the Dark Shaman’s form can be seen turning translucent, resembling that of an Ish’Urkal. Interrupting this incantation will immediately solidify the Dark Shaman’s natural form once more and require them to start over).

 

It should be noted that alongside the time required to use this ability and the difficulty of the ritual (none can wield this power without being taught the ritual, performing it with 3 other Dark Shamans in use of the required spirit and getting a sacrifice to permanently kill their character) it can only be used on oneself. If the Isthmus anchor containing the spirit of travel that was used to create the Stazg-Bugd pillar is freed, the pillar will crumble into dust and another ritual will have to take place.

 

The pillar will be represented by a mechanical soulstone pillar and transport will be mechanically represented by the use of a Soulstone (though if on cooldown, it is required of the dark shaman to walk or be TP’d by a staff member to the RP site of the pillar). The use of the place calling spell will vary in time dependant on the user’s tier:

 

T1: 10 emotes to complete the Place Calling spell

T2: 9 emotes to complete the Place Calling spell

T3: 8 emotes to complete the Place Calling spell

T4: 7 emotes to complete the Place Calling spell

T5: 6 emotes to complete the Place Calling spell

 

Ogh-Doraz, Waygates.

 

In order to construct an Ogh-Doraz waygate, a dark shaman with the knowledge of how to do so and access to a spirit of transport must first travel to two desired locations within the mortal realm (On the current map) and construct two stone portal frames. Once these ‘shells’ are crafted, a binding ritual must be performed on both the portal frames which will then link them to one another.  The dark shaman effectively calls upon their own bound spirit, then uses this spirit to then bind the local stagnant spirits of travel into either frame, where they then go dormant once again for the time being.

 

The next step of this would be when travel between the two gates would be required. The dark shaman must bring a living descendant to one of the two linked ends, and place them on a priorly constructed sacrificial altar before calling upon their own spirit of travel through their Naakh, and then offering the descendant sacrifice to their own bound spirit. This would temporarily empower the spirit, before the dark shaman would force them to use this newly found energy to activate the stagnant spirits within the frame and open up the actual rift. This power is not permanent however, due to the immense stress the travel spirit is put under the power gained from the sacrifice will only be able to hold the portal open for a short time, usually no more than three hours (Irl) and three uses (per person traveling either way) per sacrifice before the spirit would run out of excess energy, and the gate would close until another sacrifice was performed.

 

Shamans near one of these opening gateways would feel an immense surge of spiritual energy being used within the vicinity, along with the gradual usage following. Shamans near an inactive gateway would feel a spiritual presence within it due to the stagnant spirits bound into the frame, and farseers would be able to destroy these bindings and free the the stagnant spirits, which would unbind that side of the gateway and require another Ogh-Doraz ritual to be performed in order to restore at the site to restore that specific link.

 

Red Lines of Transport

• Any interruption other than mundane stimuli (sight, sound, smell) will force the Place Calling spell to end; the dark shaman will have to restart from the beginning of their emote cycle if such occurs. These interruptions may include (though are not limited to): physical pain, significant kinetic force (a punch or anything stronger), mental magic and illusions intended to daze or distract significantly (the illusionary roar of a dragon for instance would be ineffective, though a strong enough illusion of fearsome glamour would suffice) or general physical shock (such as a sudden rush of cold from a bucket of water or heat from a nearby blast of flame).
• The Place Calling spell will take longer (whilst also factoring in relevant tiers for emotes for activating a Naakh and switching spirits) depending on the dark shaman’s tier.
• Waygates can only be created once a dark shaman has advanced to tier 3 or above.
• Waygates cannot be initially created inside of capital cities without the OOC consent of the primary region owner.
• Waygates cannot travel between realms like blood rifts; they can only be purposed like a fast-travel between locations RPly on the physical plane.
• Sacrifices for Waygates must to some extent mirror their usage. For example, one descendant sacrifice would fuel the portal to be used thrice (in either direction); these uses are accounted for when multiple people pass through the portal. Each consecutive sacrifice will give an additional three charges to the portal and each charge will last for an hour (8 sacrifices = 24 charges which will last 24 hours. As each hour passes, so will an unused charge).
• The nature of these rituals and the spells linked to them enables invokes a temporary corruption for having tampered with the soul of another, forcing the dark shaman to RP high vulnerability to Ascended Flames and Xannic magic for one week after the initial Place Calling ritual is conducted and 48 hours after the spell is successfully used.
• An Isthmus Anchor housing a spirit of Transport cannot house a spirit of Warfare or Slavery. A spirit of Transport can never be removed (and replaced) from a Dark Shaman’s grasp once chosen.
• The express IC permission is required of the Isthmus Forger for others bound to their Anchor to use the Place Calling Ritual, though Waygates can be used by any with access to the spirit of Travel.
• Waygates and pillars for Place Calling must be MCly represented by appropriate builds.

 

Unudh-Stargûsh:Warfare, The Imprisonment of a Lesser of Vuka

 

Kurag, on the other hand, was an Uruk harshly smitten by Iblees’ curse of bloodlust. The glory of victory blinded him (in Gukdab’s eyes especially) to the potential for peace. He saw the power he once held as the strongest of the previous Ish’urkal as his right, all others falling beneath his might. Mercy, in Kurag’s opinion, was un-Orcish. Therefore, of Leyd he demanded power, greater than that of his brothers and capable of defeating those who stood in his way. As a result, Leyd (with much admiration) fed his Anchor a Lesser of Vulka and the Rite of Warfare, so that he and his followers to come would be able to command Ancestral warriors against their foes.

Spoiler

The will of Leyd does not simply extend to the Immortal and Elemental Realms. In his hubris, Leyd taught his new followers a way to bind one of the beings of the Ancestral Realm to totems.  Then, once bound and entrapped, the beings are subjected to the dark shaman’s will. They serve as temporary soldiers; tenuous spectral armies cast out to defend the shaman. Their minds are torn asunder, entrapped within the totem along with the other thousands. As servants, they are completely bound to the will of the dark shamans, often serving as a defense or offensive wave of to confuse attackers. A shaman may collect soul shadows to add to the pillar, collecting their fallen enemies with a Naakh, and placing it within the totem. This places a sad reflection of the victim's soul within a strange limbo (does not require a PK).

 

A dark shaman can conjure a maximum of 7 of these beings at a time. Doing such would fatigue  a shaman akin to a powerful spell or evoking of elementalism with a Naakt and continue to do so in correspondence with how long a Shaman allows their apparitions to last for, though being independent minds from trapped souls, they do not divide a dark shaman’s attention majorly. Whilst they are numerous, they are also hindered by a severely lack of strength and durability. They are outperformed physically by an average human peasant with ease; they will dissipate at the single swipe of a sword. These spectrals hold little power and manifestation and are purgeable by all forms of holy magics and aurum. However, these magics do not serve as a final end to these accursed spectrals. At the “death” of these beings, rather, upon being killed, they are returned to their totem. The only way to return these strange beings to their resting place is to purge them with a lutauman or farseer, or simply destroy the totem.

 

Due to the weak nature of the Ancestrals, the totem (which reflects a Stazg-Bugd totem in appearance)  holds no true presence in the Ancestral Realm, and simply shattering the thing in the mortal plane would serve to free Ancestrals. Again due to this fair amount of spiritual irrelevance, the totem may only be sensed by Lutauman. Similarly to other areas of this vile shamanism, the capture of souls draws the attention of Aeriel and therefore renders the responsible susceptible to Ascended flame and Xannic magic for a short while thereafter (one IRL week). 

 

Whilst the stability, strength and mental capability of an Ancestral will be consistent regardless of a dark shaman’s tier, the conjuration of Ancestrals varies in time taken to conjure and amount conjurable at once depending on the dark shaman’s tier:

 

T1: 6 emotes to conjure one Ancestral. 2 Ancestrals can be conjured at once.

T2: 5 emotes to conjure one Ancestral. 3 Ancestrals can be conjured at once.

T3: 4 emotes to conjure one Ancestral. 4 Ancestrals can be conjured at once.

T4: 3 emotes to conjure one Ancestral. 5 Ancestrals can be conjured at once.

T5: 3 emotes to conjure one Ancestral. 7 Ancestrals can be conjured at once.

 

Red Lines of Warfare

• Severe interruption to the dark shaman must result in the dispelling of all presently conjured Ancestrals. This severe interruption includes (though is by no means limited to): heavy injury, immense physical pain, a complete loss of mental focus or falling prey mental control.
• Ancestrals are temporary conjurations. Each will last a maximum of 20 emotes (if not dismissed or killed beforehand) and will require the full amount of emotes to reconjure.
• Ancestrals are tormented shadows of their former selves, unable to follow complex orders or exercise particular skill in combat or elsewhere.
• The amount of emotes required to conjure a singular Ancestral at a time (whilst also factoring in relevant emotes per tier for activating a Naakh and switching spirits) varies depending on the dark shaman’s tier.
• The amount of Ancestrals that can be conjured at a time (whilst factoring in relevant emotes for activating a Naakh and switching spirits) varies depending on the dark shaman’s tier.
• Ancestrals must be RP’d as highly susceptible to all forms of damage, especially holy.
• Ancestrals must be RP’d as physically weaker than an average human peasant.
• The nature of the ritual and the spell linked to it enables invokes a temporary corruption for having tampered with the soul of another, forcing the dark shaman to RP high vulnerability to Ascended Flames and Xannic magic for one week after the initial ritual is conducted and 48 hours after the spell is successfully used.

 

Ish’grak’gaium: Slavery, The Imprisonment of a Lesser of Levaz

 

Kulgarok was unlike his peers. Whilst Gukdab’s faith in honour and Kurag’s lust for battle each domineered their unsound minds, Kulgarok chose a middle-path, a more calculated route. He had in the past become an ish’urkal with similar motives to his brothers; as a witness to Orgon’s powers and that of even greater beings like the Aenguls and daemons, he saw that mere ideology nor strength alone could accomplish his goals. He did so, put simply, to seek mortal truth. It was this calculation that led him to request from Leyd something that could help him end his battles justly, like Gukdab, though also rightly, like Kurag. And so Leyd granted him a Lesser of Levas and the Rite of Slavery, so that he and his followers to come would be able to divert unnecessary conflicts away from them - with vision towards a true goal - whilst also expressing dominion in the fields of battle and being fearsome to their enemies.

 

Spoiler

The ritual itself is a magic stemming from the Naakh. Followers of Kulgarok are taught this power in hopes to subjugate or corrupt adversaries through mental tact and power, rather than the physical strength of an army, or  martial prowess. Summoned from the Naakt(3 Emotes), the chains are drawn forth after the Naakt, before seeking their target. With each additional Tier of the Ish’grak’gaium, an additional chain is formed, along with various effects. Once bound, the target is rooted, and subject to effects depending on how many chains strike the target. The chains are breakable weapons and magic, though once bound to a target, they are rendered invisible.

These chains serve both as physical and mental restrictions, binding movement, which could be seen depending on how many chains are wrapped around their target. These chains however, manifest as golden metal links that lash upon their target, which can be dodged or blocked by weaponry or shields.   The persuasion corrupts the mind temporarily, causing physical pain at the later tiers while they’re attached. A shaman then has the potential to ask of a favor or task, and once completed, the chains would fade. The chains may also dominate animals to similar effect, though nothing larger than a scaddernack.

 

T1: Two chains are available

T2: Three chains are available

T3:Four chains are available

T4: Five chains are available

T5:Six chains are available

 

One Chain:

Movement is not fully impeded, nor complete suggestion or subjugation. A shaman may invoke weak illusions that alter one’s vision or perception of the world. Instead they manifest as shadowy figures or glassy/mirror like beings that may speak or cry out. Suggestion goes the same extent as asking ‘please’.

 

Two Chains:

The visuals grow more realistic and plausible, having more effect on those mentally altered or afflicted. Some may briefly see a face, or hear a familiar voice from the figures, though the suggestion in them, or drawn from the shaman’s own will stays relatively the same.

 

Three Chains:

At three chains, the world begins to melt and shape to the shaman’s will, and suggestion becomes more powerful. Any figures may be friends or family, though those seen are partially enshrouded in shadow or have their faces maligned.

 

Four Chains:

At four chains, the suggestion grows intensely powerful, to the point where refusal of the shaman’s words causes physical pain, the chains tightening around one’s form and burning their flesh if one would wish to refuse the will of the shaman. If one was to obey, they’d have their chains loosen, though still keep their grasp mentally upon someone.

 

Five Chains:

At Five chains, the subjugation and control becomes so intense, that permanent subjugation may be possible through OOC consent. Commands given at these point may extend from a single word to brief phrases and words.

 

Six Chains:

Same as T4, though two targets may be bound rather than one.

 

Red Lines for Slavery

• The chains themselves are breakable and can be dispersed through various magic. Aurum is quite effective in breaking the chains.
• This does not serve as mind control, rather intense suggestion that grows more and more powerful with the various tiers.
• OOC consent is needed for permanent subjugation.
• RP the amount in accordance with one’s tiers(cannot summon more than the amount)
• Suicide/Rape/Literally stupid things cannot be forced.
• Chains have no kinetic force/cannot be used to strangle someone
• These are not grapples nor shade tendrils, simply used for binding people or animals.
• Resisting the changes are possible, though at the later tiers requires intense mental fortitude or training akin to resisting mental magic.

 

All three of these rituals put great strain on the Isthmus Anchor when conducted and as such, no dark shaman may choose more than one of The Three Rites; as such their choice of one of the three spirits mentioned is not one to take lightly.

Red Lines For Dark Shamanism as a Whole

Spoiler

• Due to the nature of the magic - requiring in-depth knowledge of Spirit use - Dark Shamanism takes up 4 magic slots. This restricts the average user in potential, able to learn only 1 other magic alongside Dark Shamanism.
• At any distance greater than specified from the Isthmus Anchor, a Naakh must be used in order for a Dark Shaman to utilise their powers.
• When wielding one’s activated Naakh, the Dark Shaman’s body is met with an unnatural charge of spiritual energy. This energy is overwhelming to the mortal form; the Dark Shamans muscles will lightly constrict and ache, rendering them physically impared to (in most cases) match the physical prowess of the next weaker descendant race below them (for example, an Uruk wielding their active Naakh would be made on par with a Dwarf in physical potential, a Goblin on par with a Human/Elf). This is something the Dark Shaman should prepare for, noting that the higher demand on their bodies can lead to muscle tear, internal bleeding and in certain cases serious injury if they were to over-exert themselves to their natural physical potential (this is especially prevalent when using the boons of strengthening spirits like Leyd on oneself; attempts to cancel out this drawback will usually result in paralysis - temporary or otherwise - and immense bodily harm). This strain on the Dark Shaman's strength persists for a short while after the Naakh is de-activated.
• A Dark Shaman is rendered completely powerless by any foe able to disarm them of their ‘Naakh’, which - as detailed - must be visible, have an unhindered path to the site of spellcasting and make itself known when in use by a dramatic darkening of colour.
• If lost, destroyed or stolen, Naakhs can only be reformed at the site of the Isthmus Anchor. Any attempt to forge a Naakh remotely would undo the purpose of the previous Red Line.
• A Dark Shaman is rendered completely powerless by any foe able to destroy the physical manifestation of their Isthmus Anchor, requiring them to return to the site it one stood at, connect to the spirit realm and reform the mortal plane’s iteration of the monolith. If the Isthmus Anchor is undone within the Spirit Realm by an intervening ritual from a Farseer or Elementalist capable, a Dark Shaman shall be powerless until new spirits are captured and a new Anchor is formed from scratch (requiring a minimum of one IRL week).
• A Dark Shaman’s vulnerability to Holy Magic is to be RP’d similarly to that of most Dark Magics (excluding Shade and Frost Witch), in that they are heavily susceptible to an Ascended Fire and Xannic magic and if they’ve tampered with a soul recently (each ritual or spell that would cause this is detailed above). However, its fuel coming from the enslavement of the Spirits, the baseline magic would result in a Dark Shaman being no more affected by Xan Paladinism or Tahariae Clericalism than an average Descendant. Tampering with the spirits does make them vulnerable to a Farseer’s purging, though.
• A Dark Shaman can only utilise power from three lessers of the Elemental and Immortal Spirits listed on this thread that they have bound to their Isthmus Anchor (and as such, are restricted only to spells which this thread outlines) alongside the specific ability tied to their chosen of the Three Rites. The RP reasoning behind this is that they are too complex for a mortal to enthrall, OOC reasoning being that Spirits (as in the previous iteration of Dark Shamanism) come in countless varieties and such would consequentially result in countless abilities.
• A Dark Shaman must obtain OOC consent (having given a detailed explanation to their targets) for any ritual that specifies the permanent death of a character.
• All rituals involving a Spirit’s presence (excluding the act of capturing Spirits for use and forming an Isthmus Anchor) requires an LM/MT to play said Spirit or supervise an ET playing said Spirit.
• Unundh-Stargush are weak to Holy Magics and aurum, and dissipate from most forms of mundane damage.
• No Dark Shaman may access more than one of the Three Rites
• In order to make a TA, a dark shaman must be taught in character how to forge an Isthmus Anchor of their own, then have its creation finalised by Leyd impregnating the Anchor with a spirit of Transport, Warfare or Slavery. In the RP leading up to this, Leyd may only be played by an LM.
• The immense visual darkening (activation of) a Naakh must be emoted individually before a Dark Shaman begins casting, similarly to how a mage must emote their voidal connection.

 

Credit:
TheKingOfTheMoon

Divine Justice

Lhindir_

KBR

Zamaru42

Additional Sources Used/ Referenced

 

 

[EdgyMagey 787]

second

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

Thank you for submitting your piece! It is now under review and a verdict will be given in roughly a week.

[𝙻𝚞𝚟 XO 3062]

I don't just like it, I love it.

[Lhindir_ 3436]

What a wonderful bit of lore.

[_Sug 2554]

Splendid.

[𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖌𝖚𝖘𝖍 2236]

On 7/4/2017 at 6:13 PM, The King Of The Moon said:

Leyd.

 

In witnessing the power the former Ish’Urkal had over the other spirits, Leyd saw it as fate. They had begged for his mercy, and so he wished to grant it. In teaching them, and in subjugating the realm as his own. He granted them new strength, power to surmount the spirits and their trickery and in turn created a paradigm shift in the ongoing war of the spirits. In Leyd's vision, he would have his dominion.

This is a bit off still in my opinion and seems like the rewrite offers the Greater Spirit's opinion on things, which I had always figured was a rule in Shamanism we don't step across. My main question of the whole Dark Shamanism switching from Ixli to Leyd is, why would Leyd all of a sudden decide that the Ish'Urkal were the best representatives of Spiritual Dominance when there have been several Dark Shamans before the Ish'Urkal?
 

On 7/4/2017 at 6:13 PM, The King Of The Moon said:

The source of a Shaman's power, an Isthmus Anchor is first formed in the spirit realm when one (granted the necessary knowledge by the tome) successfully dominates and imprisons a spirit. Only following this may the Dark Shaman then return to the mortal plane and form an anchor for the spirit’s power over the realm. They manifest in the physical realm a 6(( 9 ))ft tall, 3((6))ft wide monolith of piano black marble whilst in the spirit realm an identical object of piano white marble is formed. These monoliths are not to be considered separate entities but rather differing iterations of the same object in each plane; an Isthmus Anchor, a forbidden totem which serves to imprison spirits and force their powers into the mortal plane. A Dark Shaman will find themselves unable to craft more than one Isthmus Anchor at a time, these Totems only able to house three spirits of a less complex variety ((See list of available spirits on this thread)) and one of a more complex nature. Whilst an Isthmus Anchor can house four spirits in total, it is essential that the first of these four is permanently housed by a more complex spirit to establish the totem’s potential, meaning that only three of these slots are available for consistent use to imprison an elemental or immortal spirit; the fourth (or… first, as it were) will house a spirit of either Transport, Slavery or Death. This is process is outlined by ‘The Three Rites’ below, which requires the assistance of Leyd himself to complete.. The owner of the totem may remove a spirit from the Anchor and eventually replace it, though no new spirit may be added for another month.

A Dark Shaman with the necessary power from the Tome could still only use the initial spirits they had met when the Shamanism was taught because they could subjugate it by having the knowledge of the Spirits 'real name' (the source of each Spirit's power). If an Ish'Urkal wished to subjugate any other Spirit they would have to have quite literally a Spiritual Battle with the Spirit in it's own domain, unless you could subjugate the Spirit through it's real name. 

[Panashea 2644]

8 hours ago, Marijuanaology said:

-snip-

 

The Ish'Urkal were far more powerful than their previous dark shaman counterparts, consuming spirits and using their power freely compared to calling upon them with their true name as a first generation dark shaman could. The magic and strength of the Ish'Urkal was innately powerful enough to battle the spirits within their own plane, which is why Leyd now sees them as a proper choice, due such power.

 

8 hours ago, Marijuanaology said:

-further snipping-

 

I'm sort of confused on what you're asking, but I'm assuming its based upon the various rituals of killing or entrapping.  The first spirits, in which rituals were formed (Travel,Slavery and Warfare) were gifted by Leyd, but the others must be enslaved or killed via roleplay/events moderated by staff.

[chaotikal 2236]

Can you give the slight chance at least for events, that a Greater spirit's real name is used in the same way?

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

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[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

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[ScreamingDingo 16799]

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