Editing Witchcraft (section)

== Major witchcraft ==


Pagans are those who have not yet been touched by the light of the Church of Elements. Among the Church, the most hated and feared of the pagans are those known as the wilders. Most of the Eskarans belong into this category.

The walkers of the Wilder path draw their witchcraft from the supernatural beings found in nature, each representing some natural phenomenon. Wilder mistresses are often cruel and selfish, but worshipers of their path see through their true nature. The wilder mistresses are part of northern nature, seemingly gloomy and frightening, but in reality they are sources of all life.

Any walker must face and negotiate with strong wilder mistresses in order to acquire powerful witchcraft.


=== Birth words ===

{{quote|
''"Our grey mothers rise from their tombs''<br>
''Each with bear spear in hand''<br>
''They ride their ghostly mounts of white''<br>
''Into the border land."''<br>
}}

Birth words are a stronger version of lesser spell poems. Their speaker knows the innermost mysteries of some force of nature, or an animal species, and thus has some power over this complete phenomenon. Because of this, an expert speaker of the birth words of fire can easily withstand immensely high temperatures, and an expert speaker of the birth words of cold does not need thick clothes even in winter, and an expert speaker of the birth words of wolves is not persecuted by wolves. This protection is always automatic and complete.

The walker can also attempt to force the object of his birth words to bend to his will. The fire will rise at his command, the iron begins to vibrate, possibly even break, and water begins to rise in waves, and can rise even to dry land. It is also possible to use the birth words in such a way that, for example, the birth words of wolves can be used to curse a village by persuading a herd of wolves to persecute it. The birth words of fire can bless the furnace of a blacksmith so that it will never extinguish.


=== Third Eye of the Spirit ===

The walker has learned to look directly into the world of wilders and sees them clearly, as for others drowned in the confusing veil of the corporeal world most of them are not seen. A walker with this power understands the wilders and knows their habits. Also those with this power tend to tattoo the symbol of an eye in the middle of the forehead as a sign of the gift they have received. The Eskarans generally consider this tattoo as a way to tell real witches apart from mere berry pickers.