Wranglers

Those whose magic is related to animals.

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Accipitrary

Alignment: Unaligned

Hunters who bond with hawks and falcons via the ritual of the hunt. Accipitraries are much like survivalists, but they specifically attune to hawks and falcons. Most mortal societies once depended upon hunting for their survival. Many still do. Hunting is a sacred rite for many because it represents survival. Hunting is an ancient conflict, therefore, and one of the most powerful in the world. While there are cultural variations in how the ritual of hunting works, there are commonalities in how tapping into the magic of survival works:

• A ritual initial hunt in which they offer their own blood
• A specific prey caught or killed on their first hunt that they attune to for life, always a prey that hawks or falcons also hunt
• A period of attuning to that specific prey and use every part of it
• A period of attuning to that specific prey by being prey, becoming deeply vulnerable
• A follow-up hunt or hunts in which they attune to a predator, some kind of hawk or falcon
• A period in which they define their range or territory

Specific powers will vary depending on the prey and predator they attune to, but they will have variations on the following:

• Camouflage: some form of STH bonus coming from blending in with their territory, coming from their prey attunement.
• Patience: some source of patience for waiting on their prey, often coming from their prey attunement. This often takes the form of circling.
• Determination: some source of WIL for not giving up in seeking resources to survive.
• Tracking: some form of heightened abilities while following a specific prey.
• Senses: heightened senses based on their predator attunement, usually eyesight.
• Blood: blood magic invocation by offering some of their own gives bonuses to tools or weapons.
• Companion: an animal companion that joins them when they are most desperate, usually their hawk or falcon attunement.
• Range: bonuses while within their territory.
• Special tools or weapons: reflecting their territory and/or their hawk or falcon attunement, involving feathers or talons.

All survivalists must be resolved to the hunt as their form of survival and not take meat they did not earn. This does not mean refusing to accept a meal, but that they cannot eat if they have not done some work for their range, predator, prey, or their own survival within the last seven days. Self-reliance is a source of power for them, and though they can accept help from others, they will start to lose magical power if they rely solely on others - unless that other is their hawk or falcon companion.

Their companion is always a local hawk or falcon (or one local to where they first became an accipitrary if they are from elsewhere). They will have the ability to communicate with it, see through its eyes, and direct its actions (with consent).

PRO +3 ATH +2 STR +2 AWA +3 WIL +3 PRS / STH +3

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Beanna

Alignment: Fey

Wielders of ancient fey lore who can turn into elk. Pronounced “banna” or “byanna”, depending on accent. Beanna are attuned to the life energy of the fey, a power they gain by making offerings of their own life or that of their enemies, gaining the power to become an elk. Most beanna make a deal with a powerful fey, offering parts of their life (usually causing them to senesce more quickly). Their benefactor is usually one of the ancient fey elk known as the adharcach.

Beannas are warriors and protectors whose role is partly to oppose the Wild Hunt. They are an ancient tradition in fey circles whose purpose is to serve as both defenders and distractions. They are the epitomes of life as the Hunt is a representative of death in fey societies, and thus, they have powers given them by denying and refusing death even as they give up their own lives. They exist in this contradiction with power - though they experience senescence earlier, they live just as long. Their elk forms remain powerful no matter what.

Their powers include the following:

• Elk form: they can take the form of a giant elk (see Irish elk) at will.

• Adharca óil: antlers of life-drinking; anyone gored with their antlers must roll STR against the magic of the antlers (varies by individual) or lose part of their lifeforce as well (permanent loss to STR and WIL, early senescence).

• Vanishing: in elk form, they can vanish at will twice per day for 30 seconds.

• Eerie presence: in non-elk form, their PRS is eerie, making intimidation and deception easier but persuasion and seduction harder.

• Hagly glamour: in non-elk form, they can heighten features caused by senescence to make themselves look “hagly”.

• Healing blood: their blood is a healing draught of power 10, +3 per wound level above normal.

• Forward protection: standing in front of a person to defend them against a deadly opponent gives them and their protectee bonuses to STR.

• Refusal of the call: they may ignore death blows by the Wild Hunt seven times, each time gaining +1 to STR permanently in elk form. If they save someone else from the Wild Hunt, they gain another +1 STR permanently to elk form, and this has no upper limit - however, saving a group of people counts as “one”.

• Fey sending: anyone they kill, they can mark for special guidance through the afterlife, and they can repel spectral undead with their antlers.

Beannas are usually spiritual leaders in fey communities.

Non-elk: PRO +2 ATH +1 STR +3 AWA / WIL +1 PRS -2 STH +1
Elk: PRO +2 ATH +2 STR +8 AWA / WIL -2 PRS -3 STH -2

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Doodem

Alignment: Unaligned

Faithful who have an animal symbol that they connect to.

Doodem are worshipers of inmortal animal beings who have the power to influence and commune with them, to take on their properties and abilities, and to bond with them. The beings they worship are the Grandmother of the various animals, meaning the first of them. While they worship and honor all of the Grandmother Animals, each doodem has one specific Grandmother Animal they connect to most closely. The commonest options are as follows:

• Badger: a solid worker.

• Bear: a protector and warrior.

• Bison: a giver and provider.

• Bluebird: a frivolous and merry spirit.

• Boar: an angry and dangerous warrior.

• Bobcat: a friendly and cunning warrior.

• Bullfrog: a wise but grump guide.

• Bumblebee: a hard-worker.

• Butterfly: a beautiful dancer.

• Catfish: an elusive but wise figure.

• Copperhead: a dangerous and stealthy hunter.

• Cougar: a strong and territorial warrior.

• Coyote: a cunning trickster.

• Crow: a dangerous trickster.

• Deer: a figure of kindness and majesty in the forests.

• Eagle: a proud and haughty figure.

• Falcon: a fierce hunter.

• Fox: a cunning trickster.

• Groundhog: a kinda goofy, friendly old gal.

• Hare: a cunning and swift trickster.

• Hawk: a proud hunter.

• Lynx: a stealthy hunter.

• Moose: slow to anger, but unstoppable.

• Muskrat: a romantic figure.

• Opossum: an unsung hero.

• Otter: a merry playful figure.

• Owl: a night hunter.

• Rabbit: a swift, friendly figure.

• Raccoon: a cunning storyteller.

• Rat: an invasive villain.

• Ratsnake: a killer of invaders.

• Rattlesnake: a warrior of warning.

• Robin: a lovely singer and lover.

• Skunk: a friendly figure who gets upset easily.

• Squirrel: an easily distracted figure.

• Trout: a protector of the waters.

• Turkey: a giving and encouraging figure.

• Turtle: a wise and calm figure.

• Vulture: a psychopomp.

• Whale: a powerful and wise figure.

• Wolf: a great hunter.

• Wolverine: a vicious warrior.

• Woodchuck: a hard worker.

Each figure has its own requirements of their followers, but overall, they ask that followers be friends to nature and the animals there (though they accept that there is a need to hunt or defend oneself). Doodem build favor by performing tasks for their particular animal, by protecting and helping animals in general, and by fighting against those who harm the environment. As they build favor, they gain the ability to invoke the power of their particular animal for different effects. These vary by animal, but some common ones include animal senses, features, or forms.

PRO +1 ATH +1 STR +1 AWA +1 WIL +1 PRS +1 STH +1

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Frith

Alignment: Celestial

Wranglers of the rabbits of contentment. A frith is a wielder of celestial emotion who manifest magical rabbits that spread contentment. To wield their magic, a frith must help others find a level of contentment, usually by disrupting the purveyors of discontentment, exploitation, and violence in the world. They are cunning, mischievous, and defiant, creators of spaces where contentment is possible in a world of horrors. They are, effectively, amateur celestial tricksters who can summon cute bunnies to make others feel better.

To become a frith, one must first find a place to feel at peace. Most find a nice shady spot in the wilderness, but some find their own peace in their homes, communities, or public spaces in cities. Next, they must observe the discontentment created by the powers around them, and they must make the decision not only to act, but to keep acting until a level of change has come. Then, they must devise a plan. This plan must be devious, troublesome, and perhaps a little absurd. Then, they sleep, and in their sleep, the three rabbits will come to them. The first, Trouble, will help them with their plan. The second, Egress, will help them get away with it. And the third, Contentment, will give them peace of mind when the time comes.

When they awaken, they must enact their plan. If it goes well, someone in the area of effect of their plan will feel their life change for the better, and a bunny of contentment will come to that person. Meanwhile, the frith will return to their place of peace to find the three rabbits and a brood of way too many bunnies of contentment. And a new mission: to spread these bunnies throughout the world, one person at a time.

Friths are trickster rogues who engage in acts of absurd terrorism against the oppressors and exploiters of the world and deliver bunnies of contentment to people whom they have helped. When they engage in these schemes, their benefactor rabbit spirits will grant them special powers depending on the job. The more bunnies they deliver, the better the powers will get. Consult the GM per job for different powers.

PRO +1 ATH +3 STR -1 AWA +3 WIL / PRS +1 STH +2

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Nisitohta

Alignment: Celestial

Those who gain the trust of moose and use that bond to transform into them to protect their friends.

In the cold wilds of the north, there are those who have few friends due to the isolation in which they live. The few friends they have, they form strong bonds with and feel an urgent need to protect those friends from the hardships of the world. So, they seek out the strongest person they can find to help with that - the moose.

The moose is a big, strong fella, but he’s also a decent fella. And a fella who has earned the right to be skeptical of people. Earning his trust is no easy task. He’ll make you work for it. Task after task, test after test, question after question, time and again, sometimes for years. But if you work at it long enough, he’ll grant you the ultimate gift: a bang on the noggin. He’ll rear back and charge straight into your head with those big old antlers, and the next thing you know, you’ll wake up different.

The nisitohta is a person who has the trust of the moose and the love of their friends, and thus, the power to transform into a moose if and only if those friends or the moose (any moose) are threatened. Under these circumstances, they become an unstoppable beast who is unafraid even of the largest foes, rampaging against any threats.

Found often in native groups or amongst the logging communities of the north, the nisitohta is an ancient legend and one spoken of around campfires… until such time as someone proves it true.

Non-moose: PRO +1 ATH +1 STR +2 AWA +1 WIL +1 PRS +1 STH -2
Moose: PRO +3 ATH +2 STR +8 AWA -2 WIL -2 PRS -1 STH -4

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Wildling

Alignment: Elemental

Wranglers who bond with animals by imitating them, going partially feral to do so, and thus gaining the ability to communicate with them, influence them, call upon their aid, or mimic their abilities. Some wildlings specialize and thus have different occupation names, but they operate the same: all-legged (arthropods), birdspeaker (avians), ickthyologer (fish), furfriend (mammals), snail racer (mollusk), spinydancer (novotheria), oddmasker (other animals), inverter (pluribi), reptilist (reptiles), and wormfarmer (worms).

Wielders of animal magic who commune with animals by imitating them and traveling or living with them, taking on their habits and gaining their powers. They wear headgear that symbolize their animal friends after they leave them.

Wilding is the art of bonding with animals and taking on their qualities. The primary method of bonding with animals used by wildlings is to imitate them in their presence. They must find a wild animal and gain its trust enough to get close to it to begin imitating it. They do not merely need to copy movements, but to copy the general behavior of the animal, and for that, they must know about the animals and why they behave the way they do. They do this through intense observation and training from their mentors.

Some animals will not allow a wildling close very easily at first, so they must take more extreme measures: living with them. This can be very difficult in animals who are not trustful of mortals, and so it takes a long time. No animal takes more than a year and a day to bond with after the wildling has begun imitating them successfully.

To bond with an animal, the wildling must so perfectly imitate them that the animal believes them to be one of them. Then they must perform a ritual dance with the animal. If they are truly attuned, they animal will follow their movements. At the end of the dance, they will have bonded. The wildling will then be able to take on characteristics of the animal, use its senses, communicate with it, and more. The exact movements of the dance vary by culture.

The more a wildling imitates it, the more they become acclimated to how the animal lives. They then become less threatening to animals. Sometimes, they acclimate too far and lose their ability to act like their own species. Most wildlings are a little weird to other mortals' standards. Some wildlings acclimate so far they completely forget how to be their own species. They go feral and believe they are their primary bonded animal. If this happens and they do not break out of it within a few years, they usually end up taking on the animal form permanently.

There are several broad categories of animal. Depending on the species of the wildling, these can be more or less difficult to bond with. Most mortals are mammals and thus bond better with mammals. Merfolk, fish folk, and undines bond better with fish, etc. Consult the GM for details. Plant folk, fungus folk, and non-animal mortals cannot be wildlings.

A wildling typically bonds to an individual animal, but in doing so, they become more readily able to bond with other animals of that species. If they bond with multiple species within a genus, the whole genus becomes easier to bond with. And so on, up to phyla. An experienced wildling with hundreds of reptile bonds will be able to more easily bond with any kind of reptile, for example. They become very sympathetic to their chosen taxon, if they choose a specialty. Some choose a single species. Some form major bonds with a small group of diverse animals. Some choose an entire class or family.

A caged or domesticated animal loses its wildness and thus some of its nzwara murazvo, making them nearly impossible to bond with. Feral animals (those who have un-domesticated themselves) can be bonded with, though it is a little more difficult.

Some powers of a wildling include the following:

• Animal features: transforming their own bodies to take on features of the animal. If those physical features are paired with abilities, they will gain those abilities.
• Animal forms: the ultimate use of a wildling's powers is to take the form of an animal. Because of issues of mass, they cannot usually take the form of animals much smaller than they are or much larger, but they can take forms close to their size of animals that aren't usually that size. For example, they could become a six foot tall ant or six foot long whale. However, these distorted forms cannot last long as they use up too much energy to maintain. Very powerful wildlings can merge their consciousness with an animal, thus allowing them to experience animals of different sizes. The form a wildling takes will always match their own relative age as well - an elderly wildling will become an elderly animal and so on. It is rare for children to learn wildling skills, especially not so well as to be able to take an animal form, but if they did, they would take on a juvenile form.
• Animal abilities: animals abilities can be mimicked by a wildling if they have bonded with that animal, or they can be taken on if they are powerful enough.
• Animal senses: wildlings can take on the keenness of eye of an eagle or the sharp nose of a dog the same way they would any any other ability, but they can also move their consciousness into the animal and experience what the animal is sensing, temporarily. They can see through the eyes of their bonded animal, for instance. They cannot think the animal's thoughts, though. Their thoughts remain their own, so they can smell what a dog can smell, but they do not necessarily process the smells the way a dog would.
• Animal vocalizations: communication between wildling and animals is vital. Before they bond with any animal, they must learn to communicate via what mortal means they have. Once they have bonded, they can share thoughts and instantly communicate with their bonded animal. But they can also more skillfully communicate with other animals of that species, and often within the same genus. The more they bond with, the better their communication skills become, though animal type matters greatly.

Other abilities are possible based on the animals being bonded with. Consult the GM.

PRO +2 ATH +3 STR +1 AWA +2 WIL +1 PRS -1 STH +2

Yauper

A wildling who transforms into their primary bonded animal. They make this their main ability and often end up resembling their primary bonded animal. They are often special warriors.