Race Discussion: The Rest

Clairvoyants, Chameleons, Druids, Shamans, Voudoun

Source materials, chameleons: Stolen

Source materials, clairvoyants: Industrial Magic

Source materials, druids: Industrial Magic

Source materials, shamans: Stolen

Source materials, voudoun: Stolen

Druid Question!

Q: Could a deity come and go as it pleases, or does it have to be summoned no matter what? Also, would deity take over the druid that summoned it, or would it have its own form?

A: Deities absolutely have to be summoned. Because of this, if you gag a druid (or otherwise render them incapable of speech), you basically remove them of all power.

A deity doesn't directly manifest, as I understand it. Rather, they summon some sort of element relating to their area of worship that will aid their disciple. For example, if your druid worshipped Rosmerta, one of her aspects is as a goddess of fire and warmth. So if your character was lost in the wild or something, she could provide your character with a fire to warm them through the night. Alternatively, if your character was in danger from some foe, and your character was a loyal disciple, perhaps she'd summon a wall of flames to distract his or her opponents, allowing the character to get away, or even inflinct damaging burns on said opponents.

(Then the lovely AstronomyDomine replied with this:)

Q: I am at a loss though for Ma'at's diety Andarta, who is a warrior/fertility goddess. (im focusing mainly on the warrior part) What kind of powers would Andarta be able to give Ma'at? Something like speed, aim, strength, invulerability? Those are some of the things that i was able to come up with that a good warrior needs, but it seems like stacking the deck in the druid's favor. Could you help? Thanks!

A: Well, when you've got your own personal deity on your side, you do kind of have to be careful about stacking the deck too much. Just keep the balance in mind when you're writing. If you have Andarta do something really kickass for Ma'at, remember that Ma'at will have to repay that. So if she's really in a bind and say, summons Andarta, who in turn, I dunno, summons a spirit bear that saves her (since that's kind of her totem animal, which I know isn't the term, but I forget what you call that now ), Ma'at would likely have to kill a person to repay that debt. But if she just, I dunno, gets an extra burst of strength in battle or something, then not so much of a debt.

And as always, when in doubt, just forward the post on to someone on staff to be sure you're not slipping into the dreaded god-mode of things.

Shaman Question!

Q: I've read both the prologue of Stolen and the races page, but I'm still confused. Clairvoyants can see through other people's eyes, necromancers can speak to the dead...what exactly do shamans do?

A: A shaman has a constant spirit companion/guide called an ayami. Where a necromancer talks to ghosts in the ghost realm, an ayami is a spirit that is present in our world. In the linked prologue of Stolen, Qiona tries to help her shaman escape Winsloe's guards. Not bound by a body (Kelley describes ayamis as having "presence and substance, but no form"), Qiona can move around unburdened and scope things out, give advice on where to go and what to do. Maybe it was on her advice that he found a weakness in Winsloe's security and escaped in the first place. Or maybe she just kept him company while he was alone. This is in complete opposition to the relationship a necromancer has to the spirits with which he or she communicates. Those relationships are fleeting and primarily utilitarian. Chances are, a necromancer will not speak to the same spirit twice. But a shaman and ayami have a strong bond, one which lasts the bulk of a shaman's lifetime, and, as indicated in the the Stolen prologue, beyond.

So a shaman has an extra set of eyes in his or her ayami, but he or she also has the power of astral projection (which is projecting a "copy" of yourself elsewhere. When I say copy, what I mean is an astral body, rather than a physical body. So you can see and hear as if you were there, but you can't interact physically with the environment). Years of work with his or her ayami allows the shaman to learn the ability to set their own spirit free for a short time, granting them the same far-off sight of a clairvoyant, but a sight unbound by the body of another subject.

So, to sum up, they do a heck of a lot! Hope that clears things up a bit.

Shaman Question

Q: When travelling in their astral forms, can shamans see and speak to ghosts? Can ayamis?

A: Once upon a time, this question came up, and I think what we decided was, probably not. Ghosts and ayamis are separate beings, and the abilities to communicate with them are similarly separate. While they're both kinds of spirits in a non-corporeal sense, they're pretty distinct in every other way. So, a shaman would no more see ghosts (no matter what form he was in) than a necromancer would see an ayami.

Shaman Question

Q: Are all ayamis the opposite sex of the shaman, or is it dependant on sexual preference?

A: According to Kelley, the ayami is always opposite gender of the shaman.

Directly from Kelley's mouth on this one...

Shaman Question

Q: Can a shaman sense and interact with another shaman's ayami?

A: Sense, yes. Interact, not likely (again, depends on power and age/practice). He might know it's there, but not be able to communicate very well.

Do ayamis have lives outside of when they're speaking to their shamans? For example: The ayami said, "I asked a hawk totem about that and he said..." or "in my experience, most of those entities seem pretty reasonable".

Something suggesting that the ayami is experiencing an independent life when not contacting its shaman.

An interesting question! When it comes to the races we know little bit, the general rule of thumb is when in doubt? Vague it up. An ayami undoubtedly has experiences of some sort, so a statement like your second one is pretty safe. But asking a previously unheard of sentient being for advice? Not so much. I would definitely lean away from statements like that.

Is there any information on Chameleons? The Races page has it grayed out, so does that mean we're not allowed to make one?

They're definitely still an option, we just, sadly, don't have much in the way of information to go on with them. So, yes, allowed, but proceed conservatively, and don't hesitate to ask questions if any arise.