Miracleworker

Those who travel the world helping people in need, often in ways that those in need don't even notice, giving the impression of miracles being performed. In doing so, they encourage belief in miracles, increasing the Elysian essence in the world, thereby increasing chances of actual miracles occurring. Most miraclemen have day jobs or take odd jobs as they travel. Most miraclemen are jacks/jills/jamies-of-all-trades. Most don't get thanked. Most aren't known to anyone but themselves.

Kehin Ireti

Kehin Ireti, the Last Hope, is the first miracleperson. She does not create Elysian essence, nor cause miracles, but stewards the energy and acts as a miraclewoman should, enabling subtle miracles and acts of kindness to increase belief in miracles around the world. Those who worship them, truly hold her in their hearts, replicate their efforts. There are different variations of worship of her around the world, but there are some common features, including the miraclemen and the meager but sincere collections among them to fund the miracles.

Generating Belief

Miracles only occur if someone believes they are possible. In a world full of magic, this gets complicated, as many things we would consider miracles are mundane, and many miracles get assumed to be magic even by experienced esotericists. Miracles must, therefore, be subtle to be believed.

To generate belief in miracles, they must generate hope. They must be such that there is not even a magical explanation. No clandestine fairy benefactor. No angelic delivery. No demonic contract. This is... difficult. Nearly impossible in a world such as Shem, though some mileage is gotten out of the fact that many of the most oppressed not-too-incorrecly believe that those who use magic are not on their side. But the truth is, every act of kindness generates much less belief than one might want. It takes many, many to create enough belief to have an impact, and most miraclemen accept that in their lives, their work will only have a small impact. In general, the acts of kindness are their own reward, anyway.

Acts of Kindness

An act of kindness must be for someone genuinely in need and who will not pay forward the kindness with oppression and horror (i.e., not usually a member of the ruling class). The ruling class only works if the miracle is guaranteed to turn them to fighting the oppression they were once responsible for. Acts of kindness can be as simple as delivering food to as complicated as saving a town from ruin.

Faking Miracles

To fake a miracle, a miracleworker must not be seen to be performing their acts of kindness, or at least not to be performing the crucial part that must be taken as a miracle. As such, miraclemen take no credit. They also must be skilled at deception, stealth, and acting. They must understand the circumstances people are in and what they truly need, and they must be content to not even know if what they did had the effect they wished.

Variations

Some variations that exist around the world:

• Kedvez kertesz: one who specializes in making flowers bloom at times in order to make it seem miraculous or inspiring.
• Kemensypro: a "chimney sweep" (literally, or metaphorically someone who does dirty jobs no one else wants to do) who offers their services for free, often clandestinely, to increase belief in miracles.
• Koeltoe: an aqyn who sings about miracles and those who allegedly perform them to raise belief in miracles.
• Miracle healer: one who specializes in healing wounds so horrifying it seems a miracle they could be healed at all.
• Miraclewoman: a sect of miracle-makers who are all women or non-men who devote themselves for making miracles for women or non-men.

Misunderstanding

Because they work in secrecy, miraclemen are often misunderstood. Many see them as meddlers or naive, if they are aware of what the miraclemen are, but most simply think them to be vagrants or criminals (if they are the kind who travel) or everyday folks (if they are the kind who don't). But because there is a lot of demonization of people with their faith (the "meddling" stereotype is often scaled up to be manipulative masterminds behind the misfortunes of the world), they are often perceived as having the reputation a webweaver doesn't have but deserves.

Persecution

The above-mentioned misunderstandings and misperceptions lead to vicious persecution. If a miracleworker is discovered to be what they are or to be belivers in Kehin Ireti, they are usually run out of town or arrested in most class societies.

Skills

The skills of miraclemen run the gamut from every day skills to technical training to master crafts to arts and entertainment. They can be anything. They simply use what they have to serve their faith. Some even use other esoteric abilities, though this is usually limited due to the need to not have the credit given to other magicks.

Stats

PRO /
ATH +1
STR /
AWA +3
WIL /
STH +5
PRS +3