Shamans of Ukiah

In a harsh land like Ukiah, no one can expect to survive on their own. The communal structure of Ukian life, built around family ties, is a testament to that fact. But there are still reasons for Ukians to live alone. One might commit a grave enough crime to warrant exile from their tribe, forcing them into a lonely existence. As the Ukians do not believe in spilling blood against their kin, this is effectively their equivalent of a death sentence, leaving the condemned to the elements - but occasionally, an exile may eke out a life for themselves, sometimes even journeying west and south and finding work among outsiders.

The other reason a Ukian may live alone: if they are a shaman.

Though it isn't uncommon for Ukians to know a few simple spells here - usually those who are naturally talented, as the Ukians are largely illiterate people with no time to study grimoires - it is the shamans who truly carry on the magical traditions of the land, and who are regarded as masters in their craft. They are revered for their abilities to project their spirits from their bodies and into other realms, where they confront, negotiate with, and at times do battle with higher powers. Ukian shamanism displays a syncretism of traits from Pantheonism and the Old Faith, with a hierarchy of revered spirits - the most honored are the gods, who are greater than any other and who are recognized by all the tribes, but each tribe has its own pantheon of domestic spirits of the land and of their ancestors. Khans, generals, and elders of past generations may be called upon by a shaman, whose spirit may take a journey to the Land of the Dead to consult them in matters that ail the tribe.

In Ukiah, shamans are born, not made. No one becomes a shaman who has not been marked for such a fate from birth. Odd physical features, such as birthmarks, extra fingers, or being born with teeth or a caul, are considered signs that a baby will grow up to be a shaman, but other times, it is simply that they carry an aura of power that may be felt by those who know how to attune themselves to it. In the Lunar Lands, some people are simply born with more magical aptitude than others, just like how one can be gifted at a particular craft - in Ukiah, however, this means much more.

When one who is destined to become a shaman comes of age, they are sent away from their yurt to live with another shaman as an apprentice. A shaman may have a number of apprentices at one time, and their duties may include mundane tasks such as gathering firewood and looking after the herds so that the shaman may devote their time toward more spiritual pursuits, but these apprentices also undergo training in the arts of magic, mastering the same spells and rituals that their mentors did. Once the master has taught their apprentice all there is to know, the apprentice goes off into the wilderness to establish a yurt or hut of their own as a shaman.

Ukian shamans do not belong to a clan or tribe. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that their tribe is that of all shamans, and their clan is that of the spirits of the land and of the dead. A shaman may inhabit the same lands as a tribe, and in some cases they may even travel along with a clan, but they are not considered part of the clan, nor are their spouses or children, and their livestock and property is not considered to be owned by the rest of the clan (woe betide the fool who borrowed a shaman's tools or slaughtered one of their goats without permission). Shamans are allowed to marry and have children, and indeed some Ukian clans claim descent from shamans, though many choose not to in order to focus on their arts, living in the wilderness as hermits along with their apprentices.

Shamans enjoy a place of honor in Ukian society; Jahken Khan, the first to unite the tribes of Ukiah, was himself a shaman, and his magic proved a great asset in his wars of unification. Because shamans have great powers beyond the ken of most Ukians, they are often sought out to lend their aid in matters such as telling the future, healing the sick, finding lost items, or dealing with magical threats (or sometimes becoming magical threats to one's enemies). They do not perform such services for free, however, not even to their own parents or siblings - after all, they are not part of the same clan; indeed, a member of any clan can seek the aid of any shaman, even if that shaman was born to a rival clan, and it is considered rude for a shaman to refuse services for such reasons. A shaman may demand tribute in the form of animals, trade goods, or tokens of metal, bone, or gemstone used to focus magical energies, the latter of which are often hung from the shaman's drum as a display. Cheating a shaman, or otherwise drawing their offense, is definitely not advisable.

Music plays an important role in Ukian shamanism, and many spells are cast in the form of songs, not unlike traditions of bardic magic. However, not all Ukian songs are magical in nature, and shamans make use of the same motifs and instruments as more mundane songs. This music is characterized by a form of animalistic chanting called joiking and the beating of a reindeer-hide drum. Shamans often work such performances into rituals, in which they work themselves up into a trance, during which they pursue audiences with spirits or allow them to possess their bodies so that they may work their skills.

In fact, a Ukian shaman drum has many uses, and they are not limited to the use of shamans. Every yurt has one, each of them one of a kind and passed down from generation to generation; when a new yurt is built, a new drum is made and consecrated in a special ritual to imbue it with power. These drums are inscribed with runes and diagrams so that when a pointer made of metal or bone is placed on the drum's surface and the drum is tapped with a hammer, the movement of the pointer can be interpreted as an oracle. For instance, if the pointer points to an image of cattle, and then an image of arrows, it may be interpreted as a sign that disease will strike the herds. Ukians use shaman drums in such a fashion to plan journeys, predict the future, and guide them through difficult decisions. Though anyone can use shaman drums in such a fashion, Ukian families are fiercely protective of their drums, and refuse to let them fall into the hands of enemies. Many carry powerful curses that afflict those who would steal them...

Ukian Shaman Drum

Wondrous Item, common

Art by Kati and Teemu Paananen

If a pointer is placed on the surface of this drum and it is hit with a hammer, the motions it takes and the images it point to can be used to tell the future. Once per day, a Ukian shaman drum can be used in a ritual that takes one hour to perform in order to cast Divination. Alternatively, a user who is attuned to the drum can use it as a spell focus or to cast Foresight, Contact Other Plane, or Scrying once per day using a ritual that takes one hour to perform. Only one spell can be cast using the drum per day. Only Ukian shamans can attune to the drum.