Amala

Amala is apprenticed to the village Shaman, sworn to obedience and vowed to become a village Shaman herself when Shaman Wina decides she's ready. Shaman Wina is very traditional and sees a ritualist role as defining what is right and proper. Amala has vowed to obedience to Wina, but listens to traders and her own auguries with the crows lead her to conclude the role should be more proactive and prophetic for the community, guiding how we relate with other communities’ beliefs and practices.

Her daily routine is to greet the crows first thing each morning and ask their guidance on the day (Augur), then at night rest in the sunset (or the hearth fire if she can't see the sunset) to strengthen her in her path (Lightbearer).

Stats

 * Edge: 2
 * Iron: 2
 * Heart: 1
 * Shadow: 1
 * Wits: 3

Vows

 * Become the Shaman for a circle (adventuring party) - (Epic)
 * Obedience to Wina - (Formidable) Forsaken
 * Listen to understand what needs a traveling group has for a shaman (Formidable)
 * Do what Ceridwen needs from a shaman in her quest to recover Caddell (Dangerous)

Bonds

 * Wina (Master Shaman) - 3, forsaken and will need to be tested
 * Kinheim (home village) - 1
 * Ceridwen Ennoellyr (tether) - 3
 * Bill Hardinge - 3
 * Gihr Whitemane - 1

Assets
Amala is a Ritualist with Augur and Lightbearer rituals with exposure to Bind, Divination, Scry, and Talisman through Wina. She has an interest in Herbalist and is likely to try Invoke soon as an extension of what she does with the crows in Augury.
 * Ritualist (path)
 * When you Secure an Advantage to ready yourself for a ritual, envision how you prepare. Then, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit.
 * When yo tattoo the essence of a new ritual onto your skin, envision the mark you create. You may then purchase and upgrade that ritual asset for 1 fewer experience.


 * Augur (ritual)
 * When you summon a flock of crows and ask a single question, roll +wits. On a strong hit, you interpret their calls as a helpful omen. Envision the response (Ask the Oracle if unsure) and take +2 momentum. On a weak hit, the crows ignore your question and offer a clue to an unrelated problem or opportunity in this area. Envision what you learn (Ask the Oracle if unsure), and take +1 momentum.


 * Lightbearer (ritual)
 * When you focus on a source of light and capture its essence, roll +wits. On a strong hit, set your light track to +6. On a weak hit, make it +3. Then, when you make a move to overcome or navigate darkness, you may add +2 and suffer -1 light.
 * Shadow Walk (ritual)
 * When you cloak yourself with the gossamer veil of the shadow realms, roll +shadow. On a strong hit, take +1 momentum. Then, reroll any dice (one time only) when you make a move by ambushing, hiding, or sneaking. On a weak hit, as above, but the shadows try to lead you astray. You must first Face Danger to find your way
 * Ward (ritual)
 * When you walk a wide circle, sprinkling the ground with salt, roll +wits. On a strong hit, choose two. On a weak hit, choose one:
 * When a foe first crosses the boundary, take +1 momentum
 * When you first inflict harm against a foe within the boundary, inflict +1 harm
 * Your ward is 'likely' (Ask the Oracle) to trap a foe within the boundary

Improvised Rituals

 * Tether
 * Scry

Background
Several years ago, a pair of village youngsters wandered off. The whole village turned out to search for them. We searched long into the night to no avail. A few weeks later, some traders (Ceridwen and Caddell Ennoellyr) coming through on their regular route returned them to us. They had been found some ways off toward the mountains. One of the boys asked to stay with the traders and is now part of Ceridwen’s clan.

The Tempest Hills are so bleak and stunted. I have tried to nurse a few flowering plants with mixed results. Some of the traders have seen me with my flowers and occasionally bring plants to me. Once a new trader even brought a plant! He’d heard Kinheim had a Shaman who would do auguries in exchange for plants, which I’m happy to do but I don’t know how he heard about it. Sometimes they tell me the plants have wonderful properties. I’ve wanted to experiment with them, but Wina says that’s for herbalists and not ritualists. I daren’t even use my plants for food, lest she accuse me of lowering myself to be a planter.

Last winter, two of the village boys (pre-teens) wandered off. The whole village turned out to search for them. We searched long into the night to no avail. I asked the crows of their fate and was told they are lost to us. The next morning, Wina attempted to summon their spirits, but got no reply. The hunters have seen no trace of them. After these months, they have not reappeared, nor have we learned their fate.

The Quadi people are nomadic. They don’t often come into our part of the Tempest Hills, but last fall one of the families arrived seeking aid. They had been driven up to our plateau by something they described as a shambling mass of flesh and waste. It tore into their camp and killed several of their family members. Our hunters said they’d neither seen nor heard of such a thing. Wina warned that such things do exist and the Quadi were bad luck and would lure the creature to Kinheim. They seemed honestly afraid to me and I wanted to help them, but the village was afraid and drove them off. I smuggled some charms and weapons out to them before they fled. I didn’t understand what the crows said about their fate and they got agitated when I tried asking again, so I gave up.

Notable Items

 * A 2 cm rod of iron found near the Shade in the Kinheim Forest

Quotations
Amala:  "But you stay here. And they're thinking they need to travel far . . . you say that . . . you've said over and over that the people in our circle, that they need the regular help of the shamans. That they need the regular blessings on the fields and observing the rituals ind ay-to-day life and keeping the order of life going but . . . what do travelers do? Don't they also need someone reading the auguries for them and . . . and doing those things and tending to those htings for them even though they are not in one place?" Wina: "Some don't believe in auguries and shamans. Some grow up in places where they don't even have them. And yes, they grow up differently. But it is not for us to intervene in that. If they did not require a shaman to get here, they do not require one to leave." Amala: hesitates, Amala tests her bond, "Yes, Wina." Amala: "Well, you're just going to have to get over that."
 * (to Bill) "You didn't swear it, did you?!"
 * (to Ceridwen) "You know, the crows laugh at me when I say that to them. Of course they laugh at me a lot."
 * Wina: "I will reach out. If it's a creature of shadow as you say, I should be able to see if I can ascertain anything deeper. They are free to go about their search but you stay within Kinheim ."
 * Aeddon: "I just don't want to do something wrong."