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Frum'Shauk “… all forms one could imagine. They gathered about the great Traf accompanied by their Shamans as Frum'Shauk; they obeyed, but only in companionship, for these beasts were never to be controlled. By one Uruk’s side only a flat, grey shadow could be seen, trailing from his feet and blinking back at those that glared…” Frum'Shauk, the spirity companions of the Farseers, Witchdoctors, Lutaumans and Elementalists alike, reside solely in the Immortal, Ancestral and Elemental planes as beastly echoes of the mortal realm. As a Shaman progresses through training, their travels through their respective realms become more frequent and, as a consequence, more in-depth. An adept Farseer may spend every second day traversing through the Immortal Realm in times of confusion or unsurity, and an Elementalist can often explore the Elemental Plane for weeks without finding a spirit suitable to bond with. As a result, Shamans, often and tragically, become lost. As a general rule of thumb, the Spirit Realm is not a nice place to be lost. Around every corner something unpleasant is bound to be lurking- whether it intends direct harm or not is not the issue, but rather that most shamans don’t pack a spare loincloth in their travelling kit. Thankfully, not all spirits are quite so callous. They can arrive at any moment of a Shaman’s’ journey; whether they’re in direct trouble, or are simply lost out of their minds, eventually a Frum'Shauk will come to their aid. They can come in any shape, size or disposition, though often enough they take a form eerily similar to the creatures of the Mortal Realm. A wolf, a cat, or something more diverse and disturbing- There seems to be no limit to what form they take, or to what end they'll aid their shaman. They're typically Minor Spirits- those wandering oddities which no greater spirit has taken interest in, on account of their uselessness. From time to time a servant of Ghorza, the spirit of travel, takes up the mantel of a Shaman's Companion, though this usually comes from a deal with the spirit themselves. Strangely, Frum'Shauk are capable of traversing through the Immortal, Ancestral and Elemental Planes on a whim, and seem to know precisely where they're going at any time- even if they don't exactly mention it. Above all, a Shaman must trust in their Frum'Shauk, for it's them that will lead them away from the traps and tricks of the more sinister spirits which reside in these dangerous realms. Red Lines and Clarifications ~ Frum'Shauk reside purely within the spirit realm- they can't manifest upon a Shaman's call, and neither can they be controlled ~ Furthermore, they won't be any use in a Shaman's spirity battles. They're guides, not warriors. ~ They're purely for rp diversity- Fun, pretty much! To expand upon and to encourage roleplay posts of a Shaman's travels.

Elementalists Shamanism is an ancient artform- perhaps the most ancient, in fact, of the mortal races. It lies inherent in the culture and the history of the group of tusky descendants dubbed the Orcs, and it will always be so, from now until the end of time. Of all of the subtypes of Shamanism, Elementalism is rawest, and oldest, form. An elementalist is connected, in a primal pact, to both the mortal and elemental planes in a way unheard of any other natural magic. Not only can they form bonds and true, lasting relationships with spirits, they can use their power to alter the very structure of the world around them. Under their command are the elements themselves; a spirit’s will personified. The Pact An elementalist’s journey begins with his pact to a spirit. It’s no easy task, mind you- if the Shaman’s quest is to be a twisted staircase, the first step just so happens to be one of the biggest, and one might do well to expect it to be booby trapped with all manner un-expectable things. To make a pact, an elementalist must first find a spirit, and for that they must know what they’re looking for. Often, a teacher takes a student elementalist through trials to discover which of the four elements they’re most in touch with, which will be the easiest for them to bond with. It’s always either Fire, Earth, Air or Water, since no novice elementalist has a hope at achieving a pact with a Metal or Lightning spirit. Once that’s been decided, a student will be lead through the steps of connecting to the Elemental Realm. The first journey always consists of a pure, empty void for the student. A sort of ‘white noise’ is often described by shamans. This is the true essence of the spirit realm; every aspect of their spirity experience delivered to the mortal visitors in a way which they have no eyes, ears or body whatsoever to comprehend it with. Over time, and training, senses can be extrapolated from this fuzz, and the traversal may begin. An unguided elementalist can wander the elemental plane for weeks without finding anything of note. Landscapes of great majesty pass them by, but never shall they see any sign of a spirit. As it is often so in life, a bribe will go far in this respect. Elementalists must gather together trinkets and relics representing the type of elemental spirit they wish to make a pact with, and plenty of praising phrases in old blah aren’t unheard of in these first rituals. Soon enough, one way or another, an elementalist will approach, or be approached by, a curious spirit. It’s never the case that a spirit will agree to a pact without giving the elementalist a test, of course. Often, these consist of odd liturgies involving foreign ingredients which require a large dose of intuition and imaginative thought on the part of the aspiring shamans. Skulls made from ice, a phoenix’s feather; all the types of things people write about in fairy tales, which they supposed must exist, but didn’t think anyone would interested enough to go to the effort to investigate. Patience and an inventive mind are a must in these trials. Should the spirit be pleased with an elementalist’s performance of their trial, they’ll accept, and the pact may be made. It’s no simple trading of words, however; many old texts describe this process as spiritually altering, if not emotionally. The elementalist gains no true, inherent power from this unity; no part of a spirit’s power is gifted to their bonded pair, yet a part of them and a part of the shaman becomes linear, and should one call for the other, the reflex to aid would be akin to a mind snatching its hand away from a hot stove. After the first bond has been made, the bonds to spirits of other elements tend to go more smoothly, too. Don’t be hasty in assuming that they’ll skimp out on the initial trials, but the process of both making a connection to a spirit and strengthening it through time will come quicker to the more experienced Elementalists, much in the same way as the manipulation of the elements becomes more natural. Summoning It’s a fancy title, however it’s a bit of a lie. An elementalist cannot summon a spirit, strictly speaking; instead, a pinprick of the spirit’s power over its element is syphoned through the shaman, who may utilise it bare the rock, water, fire, air, or any other such element about them (Depending on which bonded spirit they call upon) under their control. It’s not really so simple, though, as all elementalists will attest to. Although an elementalist and their spirit are bonded, there’s no constant physical link tying them together. Instead, to call upon the aid of their spirit, an elemental shaman must connect to the elemental realm. It’s not as elaborate a connection as when an elementalist is travelling to the spirit realm themselves, but instead requires them to project their calls about the elemental plane- there’s no need to extrapolate senses from the white void or to search for their spirit. In this respect, an elementalist’s connection is rapid compared to that of a Witchdoctor or Farseer, though to other magic users it’s somewhat laughable. With practise, and as the spirit and elementalist grow closer, the bridging comes more naturally to the shaman, though it’ll always take longer than any void-slinger’s spell. Thankfully, there are upsides of this. Once connected, a trained elementalist won’t need to constantly prepare spells like a void magician, and their tie to their spirit won’t weaken from more difficult manipulations. It will, however, falter as the concentration of the shaman does. This concentration wavers in itself as they handle more complex forms of elements and as they continue into the connection itself. Remaining in contact with a spirit requires a constant consciousness on the part of an elementalist, and over time a lax in focus causes it all to fall apart. Training in one’s sole-mindedness and in their reaction to both their bond to the spirit and the world around them can lead to a longer connection, though these bridgings are nowhere near long lived, and an elementalist’s fatigue from their connection takes a toll through the entire process. Additionally, since it’s common enough for elementalists to be bonded to more than one elemental spirit, the swap between connections to certain spirits is a process practised by most of these shamans. Often, in the combat situations elementalists constantly find themselves thrown into, they must adapt to a changing environment. To access the control of another element, they must effectively go through the entire process again. Though it’s quicker, since they’re already connected to the spirit realm, they must first break their link to one spirit and then take one up with the other. It’s often in this way that battles between elementalists go- whoever is the fastest to call upon their needed element is often the victor in these vicious spirity klomps. With that said, it breaks a great deal of a shaman’s concentration, and such measures are practised only by more advanced elementalists. A call to Gnozh- Roleplay Example Spirits Phantom Spirits The Spirits- of all realms-, have often been ordered as Greater or Lesser. For Immortal spirits, their power is dictated by their aspects’ prevalence in the mortal realm, such as fear, hope, or celebration. The Ancestrals, the honoured souls of the great deceased mortals of our realm, hold age and honour as their ranking system; the older and wiser of these spirits often disappear altogether, unseen by the mortals of today, who have no hope of harnessing their power. The elementals are ordered purely by the amount of other spirits under their power. Elemental spirits are in a constant state of war, ended only by domination, and on top are the respective greater spirits of Earth, Fire, Water and Air. Beneath them, countless spirits of various aspects of their element serve. Unknown to the Uruks, however, there’s another form of order. Stagnant Spirits The spirits of Apohet’s realm- those which Shamans of all sorts call upon- settle purely in their respective planes. These phantom spirits are separated from the mortal realm just as all other realms of the Seven Skies are, and by themselves they have no true control of their aspects, other than that which is ingrained in their own planes. Stagnant spirits, however, are another story. It’s unsure how exactly they became inherent in the mortal realm; it’s unsure-er still whether or not they are spirits at all. In basic terms, they can be described as the process by which phantom spirits act upon the mortal realm. They reside- Completely unnoticed, completely sessile, and completely innate- within every aspect of the mortal realm. Stagnant spirits are, as the name puts forth, purely stagnant without outside influence. They have no intelligence or instinct of themselves. It could be hypothesized that they’re simply a useful byproduct of the disposition of the AenguDaemonic Aspects; the forces of nature given form. A phantom spirit whose aspects in the spirit planes are equivalent to a certain stagnant spirit in the mortal realm may, in practise, imbue some form of power into a stagnant spirit. This is not to be mistaken for control- A phantom spirit cannot control a stagnant spirit, but may instead give it potential. In the case of elemental spirits, this potential comes in the form of unexpected natural phenomenon. It accounts for the spirits’ wrath which Orcs and shamans alike seem to fear- with good cause, indeed, as very few individuals enjoy their farmlands being plagued by the sudden arrival of several angry looking tornados. The aspects of the Immortals are subtler than those of their elemental counterparts, though nonetheless they can be influenced by the phantom Immortal spirits. A good example of this are the spirits of mental instability which serve those such as Ikuras and Ixli- influencing the stagnant spirits of mental illness that dwell in their hosts. Naturally, it should be noted that not all of these phenomena are caused by the influence of phantom spirits- more often, conditions present in the mortal realm brew up these circumstances of themselves, through the patterns and complexities of nature. Through Shamans, however, phantom spirits can gain a sense of pseudo-control over these stagnants. Elementalists, connected to both the Spirit Realm and the Mortal Realm, act as the Elemental spirits’ hand; being able to convey a limited amount of the spirit’s power while being able to direct and control these stagnant spirits- giving them the purpose that the spirit could not. An acceptably lengthy Tl;dr

As it's been said above, meddling with history in LotC is a tricky business- If it's any time during living memory, it can cause quite a few problems, and even moreso should it interact directly with the history of groups or races. However, there's more to pick at with this lore. First thing's first- What are you trying to implement? It's something you should heavily question before you write up any lore and, once you're certain of it, make sure others are as sure as you- State it in Tl'dr at the end of your piece or use subheadings throughout. As a general rule of thumb, don't try to implement a change in history. It tends to get rather messy. Is Arcane Rage what you're trying to implement? If so, what IS it!? You must include information on lore you're trying to implement, not describe it after it's been implemented. What are the properties of the weapons/armor mentioned? On a very simple basis, that's what you should be including in any piece of lore- What you're actually trying to implement, what it does, and how it does it That all being said, there is, bluntly said, no chance of this being accepted- No only does it meddle with current lore, it also fails to describe what it intends on getting implemented. Furthermore, if you're planning on writing any more lore in the future, keep in mind the presence of powergaming- Lore for weapons and armor and such tends to be used to bad ends if it's not very, very carefully written.

Did you mean: Vithquar?

1~ Who- Who told you this? Of course you can meddle! Meddle like crazy! If we don't like it, we'll say so! Otherwise, go nuts. Unless of course you meant he personally shouldn't meddle with spirit lore. 2~ Agreed, linking an idea like this solely to shamanism in both its identification and removal would be quite a waste of potential. At the very least, small signs should be present in the Mortal Realm due to the nature of the Spirit Realms as a whole, which affects the mortal realm and in turn the mortal realm affects it constantly and dramatically. Physical scars would be a good pointer; excessive itching in one area, something to actually differentiate these creatures' effects from a normal mental illness, otherwise in practicality they're identical. In addition, in Lore such as this it's very... Personalised. Yourself and whoever is helping you are the only people that know about it and interact with it. When we're looking for lore to be implemented, we want something that involves people; brings them into this type of roleplay. The concept may be good, but at the moment it won't be accepted for the simple reason that said concept won't spread. Try to think of something that will involve others, is all I can suggest. Perhaps an area of effect, with whoever's hosting the parasite causing those nearby to feel, very weakly, the mental illness that the parasite causes. Again, linking in to observable, objective effects with those around them. ~ There are indeed, and this is one of them. ~ You're pushing the belief that this lore is driven by need and then criticizing it because it isn't (?????????). Lore like this isn't necessary; its implementation and use isn't a requirement and it isn't a limitation, it's an addition that's use is entirely optional, as the creatures proposed aren't the result of mental illness, they're a cause of a specific form. Fortunately for those who are shaking their fists at the dominant force of Deity magic, this proposition isn't a buff towards Shamanism. It's introducing an optional concept involving mental illness separate from normal mental illness and adding a way to remove it. In practicality it doesn't add any benefit to Shamans since it's effectively causing the problem which it's capable of fixing. Same response to above, this isn't a buff. Although the abilities of Deity Magic Users with Shamanism as a focus are an issue (One which, actually right at this moment, we're working on), It has no correlation to this lore, and as such can't be it a causation for criticism. WHAT SHOULD CHANGE! Add ways for this concept to interact with more people, including: ~Physical changes on the host as an effect of these spirits. ~(Perhaps) An area of effect, where the spirit causes a radiation of the aspect they represent with the Host as a medium, who is more greatly effected due to proximity. Make sure people know this is an addition, not a classification! Not all mental illness is caused by these creatures, and as such: ~Shamans being able to cure it isn't a buff ~It isn't un-normalising normal mental illness. It's still a thing Although it involves Spirits, don't make it only classified to Shamans. Add different cures ranging for Alchemical Poisoning to Mental Mage Analysis. Cheers, ~Food.

Do certain magicians have the 'ability' (I suppose) to 'sense' (loose terms) mana? A broad question, however- In Void Translocation, an object's magical value must be perceived and comprehended in order for a equal balance of mana to be supplied when said object is to be transported into the void (Along with its physical attributes and other such things). Should it be said, than, that through meditation a certain understanding of nearby 'mana fields' (Simply said as yet another loose term. Mana around an object releasing it), may be obtained? Something similar was stated in (Insert long acronym), by Elindor. All things were originally pulled from a realm in which is not a single thing but the potential for all things. And thereby all things that exist are still magic. Perceiving magical value is a skill that requires much practise and isn’t really teachable as you either find yourself able to perceive the presence of magic or not. Certainly with practise comes the strengthening of such a skill; but to attempt to explain to another how they are to ‘feel’ an apple tree from a dozen metres is (in almost all instances) utterly fruitless. Anyway, the point of the question is that I'd be interested to incorporate the idea into Shamanism to explain how Spirit Walks are done, should this process already be Canon. If not, I suppose I have some more lore to write.

Are Keldrith, Rellenia, and Tariel considered to be neutral Aengudaemons, such as the Aspects, or will they remain as unspecified beings of power?

The Lore Team doesn't have a strict stance or opinion on Necromancy as a magic; not as a whole, anyway. Necromancy is simply another piece of lore to be monitored and maintained, and although it's not exactly a 'LotC Original' idea, that doesn't make it any less valid, or any less of an important part of our community. Individually, some members have been known to dislike the concept for that reason, but individual opinions have never strongly skewed voting on additions to any particular piece of lore. Furthermore, even though Necromancy may have been badly monitored in the past that hasn't made the magic a no-go zone for new innovations and opportunities. You'll find that, as with all lore, Necromancy is held neutrally in the opinion of the Lore Masters as a whole.

There's a town called GreyHaven which is a bit south-west of the Elves' towns. In the docks there's a shop, in which is a book detailing the specifics of Druidic healing. It's about 30 Minas, I believe.

How long can an Uruk live? Some say indefinitely, should they not die in battle, though they were not gifted with 'Long Living' as the children of Malin were.