Listen to the ground, for it tells the oldest tales,
Watch the plants from seed to mighty tree.
The Planet is the only one that truly never fails,
And in her fortune lies the master key.

-Channelings of a Shaman, author unknown

Spirit Shaman

Splinter - Anumün

Class - Mystic Earth Mage

Size - Spirit Shamans are always Human since they are descended from the Palavan and Mitica tribes of pre-Splintering Anumün. A Shaman is found and ordained only by the ancient spirits themselves, and they work in mysterious ways. Sometimes they even choose small children to become Spirit Shamans. So Spirit Shamans are never huge, but they can be small.

Lifespan - As is the case with many different types of Mage from around the Splinterlands, the lives of Spirit Shamans are substantially lengthened by the magic they use. A Spirit Shaman typically lives for over 200 years with very few physical signs of aging. This fact has made the act of becoming a Spirit Shaman in Anumün a bitter and lonely event for anyone with people they care about.

Weapon - How does one best describe the weapons of the Spirit Shamans? They do not use swords or pikes, they do not ride horses, and they do not shoot arrows. They fight with all the rage of every tribesman who ever lived by the ancient ways. The only way that such rage can be expressed visually is with an intense blue magical flame. But just by seeing the flame, you can never quite predict how the magic will be manifested. Sometimes it takes the form of a shield that temporarily holds off the attacks of the enemy. Sometimes it is a powerful paralytic attack, and sometimes it poisons. No matter the form of a Spirit Shaman’s attack, it is never forgotten by the victim.

Habitat - Spirit Shamans are advised not to leave the ancestors’ land of southern Anumün, for the ancient spirits cannot protect them in the outside as strongly. Most of them stay near their home, often settling in modest cave dwellings in the Seed Mountains. Still, years later after their families have perished and everyone has forgotten them, most Shamans eventually wander away from the Ancestors’ land and fade away.

Diet - The most peculiar thing about the lifestyle of the Spirit Shamans is how they relate to food. Their relationships with food, the Planet, and the magic of their ancestors blur together until they are one in the same. When they eat from the ground, Spirit Shamans are tapping into the purest energy of their ancestors. This energy has been held and prepared by the Planet for thousands of years, where it has waited with perfect patience to join with the body of a Spirit Shaman. Some lesser educated Lyverians like to ridicule the Shamans by calling them dirt-eaters, but Shamans view these insults as compliments.

Allies - The Spirit Shamans are representatives of the old tribes that are now long gone from their physical bodies. Their friends are those who have remained and held fast through the turmoil since the Splintering. They cooperate with the Mount Mox tournaments but never allow themselves to get drawn in too deeply. They are far friendlier with the Minotaurs of the Grasslands than the Humans of Lyveria. More than anyone else, they trust the common people of the small villages of Palavan and Mitica.

Enemies - Spirit Shamans are watchers of any civilization that becomes too large or industrialized. They do not watch with any intention of sabotage, perhaps only because it has not yet come to that. Now they are watching the Humans of Lyveria, the Goblins of Gobson, and always the Dragons. They watch for the ancestors, they still remember the thousand year war, and they will do whatever is necessary to prevent another one.

Pastimes - Time passes slowly for a Spirit Shaman, and theirs is a long and lonely journey. Their time is spent in communion with the Planet itself, from which they can download the eternal memories of their ancestors. The only celebration or punctuation mark in the Shaman’s life happens every 6 years with the Gathering. The Gathering is the only time that all living Spirit Shamans come together for two weeks of ceremony. With each Gathering, the ancestors come closer to finally being born again. They just need more Spirit Shamans.