Warlock

Warlocks use the power of rejection of the Divine and of all spiritual energy, the corruption of that power into blasphemy, to curse others.

Oathbreaking

A warlock gains power by breaking a sacred oath. This can be an oath to a Divine (which it most often is), to a powerful being in general, to an authority, to a loved one, to a family member, or some other significant oath. Legal, religious, marital, communal. But it must be an oath that has been officially sworn, in front of witnesses, that will bring down the wrath of another figure (law, Divine, loved one, community). It must be an oath that has some binding power. If that power is supernatural, all the better. Once they have broken an oath, they exist in a state of rejection, and their will becomes infused with that rejection. In this state, blasphemy infused their Name, and they may wield it if they know how.

Curses

In order to curse someone, a warlock must perceive that the person has slighted or harmed them. True or not does not matter (sincerity does, though--the warlock must actually feel affronted); it is the generation of the power of rejection that matters. Once this sense of rejection happens, they have the power to convert the feeling, the energy, into their will. They may speak a curse, worded with care, and if their will is strong and the target is within range (varies by warlock, target, curse, and slight), the target will be cursed.

Sticks

What makes warlocks truly dangerous is that they can take the blasphemous power they generate with their affronted reactions and store it rather than wield it. They do this by instead carving the curse into a stick. This takes away concerns of distance, as the stick will be right with them. It takes away concerns of will in terms of succeeding against a target, but they must still roll WIL in order to determine the strength of the carved curse. They then may use the curse, which is predetermined in effect and power, by breaking the stick, targeting anyone they can see. If their target is out of visual range, they may take something of that person (clothing, hair, etc.) and mark the stick with it, then break the stick, to target them over greater distances.

Curse-Breaking

Every curse has a key, a manner in which it can be broken. Usually this requires righting a perceived wrong or defeating the warlock who cast the curse, but it can also be redemptive or something that counters the warlock's purpose. Some examples:

• A person accidentally breaks a warlock's window. The warlock curses them to blindness. If the person fixes the window without demanding recompense, the curse may be lifted.
• A warlock's son commits a grievous crime and is executed. The warlock curses the judge to die of a wasting sickness and the hangman to meet the same fate as the son one day. The hangman finds a way to make his own neck impervious to the noose, thus avoiding the curse. The judge's daughter finds the warlock and kills him before the judge may die, thus breaking the curse.
• A person tries to slay the warlock and fails. The warlock curses them and their progeny to always live in poverty and deprivation. The great-grandson of the person, long after the warlock has died, finds other victims of the warlock and helps them break their curses, thus eventually breaking their own.

Variations on how to break the curse are infinite.

Braids

Some warlocks take something of the person they cursed (clothing, hair, etc.) and weave it into a bit of fabric or hide, which they then tie into a braid. These strands of fabric or hide, often containing many braids for many targets, "lock" the curse, making it harder if not impossible to break. Only by destroying the braid can the curse become breakable.

Sandals

Existing in a state of rejection of the Divine and all things spiritual means that most warlocks make common animals uncomfortable. Dogs bark, cats hiss, bees swarm, geese wield great swords, and horses shy. The latter means they are often unable to ride horses or other animals, or even ride in carts or coaches pulled by such. Thus, warlocks tend to walk everywhere, to the point that it is a tradition among them to do so. Part of their tradition has become creating special sandals with their braids so that they can keep the braids on them at all times. These braided sandals are very tough and long-lasting because of the power within them.

Variations

There are many different terms for "warlock" around the world, most translating roughly into "oathbreaker". The only major distinct variation is the aapbearstlian, scholars who study blasphemous works and anti-religious texts.

Persecution

Warlocks are generally disdained around the world, save for in Harkanheim, Srisia, and so on. Only in major religious states (such as Dhun, Khursh, and Vimala) and in Jesumein are they actually outlawed.

Skills

Some useful skills:

• Religious lore
• Read people
• Languages
• Survival
• Herbalism
• Leather working
• Woodworking

Stats

The typical warlock will have the following variations from the base stats of their nation/species:

PRO +1
ATH /
STR +1
AWA +3
WIL +6
STH /
PRS +1