Mystic

It is widely accepted that the world does not only consist of matter, and it is obvious to everyone that there are individuals who can manipulate the flows of both material and non-material energies. The use of mystical powers is in no way commonplace, not in Ambria, nor among the barbarians. But it is common enough for many cultures to have formed traditions around it.
There are many sources of mystical power in the world. These can be tapped by one who understands the underlying laws of nature or through alliances with either the light of the heavens, the spirits of the forest or the darkness of Corruption. Some mystics consider themselves to be scholars of reality and existence; others would claim they are part of a pact that offers them an intimate relationship with the source of their power.
Mystics and the Origins
Changelings and humans dominate the domain of the mystical, at least according to public opinion. The stories of the witches of the barbarian clans are spread far and wide and it is near impossible not to notice the presence and influence of Ordo Magica when in Ambria. The theurgs of the Light are a less obvious group since they tend to keep to the temples or move among the faithful, but the Lawgiver is known to bless some of his champions with extraordinary powers.
Mystics among the goblins are shamans, bound to no mystic tradition but earning high status among their own kind with their home-brewed theories regarding the world and its spirits. Changelings often have the mystical gift – those who grow up among the barbarians are sent away to train with the witches, while changelings in the slums of Ambria become self-taught mystics without any specific tradition. Ogres with the mystical gift may seem like a rarity, but Ordo Magica has documented a fair number of cases since the Ambrians arrived in the region.
Mystic Approaches
The following approaches are available: the Artifact Crafter which invests magical power into objects, the Self-taught mystic that treads a dangerous line, the Sorcerer who has already crossed that line, the Staff Mage which uses their weapon to focus their power, the Symbolist who organizes and focuses magical thoughts in writing, the Theurg who understands magic through their god Prios, the Troll Singers who best understand the magic of the world and the Witches who lead the barbarians in their worship of nature.
Artifact Crafter
The making of artifacts is a highly sought-after art form that for a long time was lost to elves and humans. However, among the trolls it has been kept alive, as an almost sacred practice.
Lately, the knowledge has been revived by humans and elves, in both cases thanks to the trolls of Davokar. The elves received it as a gift from a former ally, to aid them in these dark days, but how Ordo Magica managed to get their hands on the lost art is not known. However it happened, the knowledge has spread so that every chapter soon will have at least one artifact crafter in its service.
The sudden reemergence of artifact crafting among mystics has made others question the source of the knowledge. One belief is that the Ambrian mystics have stolen it from the trolls – maybe even captured and tortured a troll – while others suspect that the rulers of the Underworld have traded this gift in exchange for something very valuable. What version lays closest to the truth is not easily guessed and the Grand Master refuses to speak on the topic.
Self-taught
You are a Self-taught mystic, excluded from the traditions, never accepted by your peers and completely uninterested in the narrow worldviews they offer. However, your freedom comes at a price: Corruption is lurking around each corner and you are fair game to witch hunters and Black Cloaks. Whether you wander from village to village or hide in a bustling city, you probably earn your living by offering your services as an occult consultant or a finder of misplaced objects.
Particularly gifted individuals have always been able to bend and break seemingly inescapable laws of nature, and many scholars claim that it was through coalitions of such independent, or untamed, mystics that the traditions first arose. Whether this is true or not, there occasionally are individuals who either choose or are forced to study on their own, or in smaller groups.
Independent mystics are not burdened with the theories of a traditions, which gives them more freedom in their choice of powers. However, they are also much more vulnerable to Corruption. Many untamed mystics tend to evolve their own understanding of the world and come to espouse theories that contradict those of the established traditions.
Sorcerer
The character is one of those who are arrogant or desperate enough to cling to the darkness. While other mystical traditions do everything they can to avoid the soul-eroding powers of Corruption, the Sorcerer chooses to do the opposite. The legends are teeming with sorcerers: mystics who draw their power from musty wellsprings or gain their corrupt gifts from creatures of evil. It is harder to find them in the real world, but those who know how to read the Shadows can sense their presence or see traces of their tainted work.
Korinthia’s people faced the undead servants of the Dark Lords during The Great War, and while the Dark Lords perished, their parasitic powers continued to drain the life out of Alberetor, forcing the Ambrians to flee north. There they instead faced the blighted creatures of Davokar, born from another kind of evil that festers in the fallen ruins of ancient Symbaroum.
Sorcery is the mystical tradition that comprises powers and rituals fueled by Corruption and taint, whose usage provides power in the short run, but corrodes the mystic’s body and soul in the long run. Theurgs active among the Twilight Friars gather rituals of sorcery as well as blight-stricken artifacts in an attempt to understand this new, dark enemy. Within their monastery in the Titans, it is said that the Black Cloaks hide dark vaults oozing with corruptive energies and echoing with the lamentations of the poor, tainted souls kept there for study.
Staff Mage
The mystics called Staff Mages have gotten their epithet from the rune covered staffs they always carry. A rune staff is an expression of the Staff Mage’s strength as well as a powerful weapon – something that has led to some Wizards of Ordo Magica calling them by degrading names like “wand-throwers” or “broomsticks.” To the Staff Mage, the staff is an extension of their soul and to experienced staff mages it may sometimes be difficult to tell where the mage ends and the staff begins; they are part of the same whole. Whatever you call them, Staff Mages are said to descend from an order of warrior monks, tasked with protecting Symbaroum’s last emperor. After the fall of Symbaroum, they withdrew to their castle deep inside Davokar. It was not until recent times that they became known to the people of the south; before that they only sought new recruits among the northern barbarian clans – individuals suited for an ascetic life in the shadow of death. Many of the potentials tended to be changelings.
The Order of Staff Magic consists of a number of ascetic warrior monks who see themselves as descendants to the guard of Symbaroum’s last emperor. The Staff Mages live in their castle deep inside the forest, in the wild parts of Davokar where ruins from the fallen empire constantly remind them of their past failure. According to their myths, the fall of Symbaroum was directly connected to the death of the emperor, and as his bodyguards it was their duty to keep him alive. Hence, in the minds of the staff mages, the fall of Symbaroum was their doing and with the destruction of the empire, darkness entered this part of the world.
Symbolist
That symbols and signs have power is well-known and made use of in most mystical traditions, at least in rituals. Pure Symbolism is a tradition that almost solely builds its power on symbols and signs. Symbolism was born in the east, beyond the Ravens, and fleeing mystics brought it to what is now Clan Vajvod’s territory in Davokar. The symbolists predate the founding of Clan Vajvod, at least according to the rune-covered remnants that the clanfolks discovered when they first came to the area. Foremost among these remnants is the Azure Temple, built in blue stone brought to Vajvod from beyond the mountains and covered in runes carved by many generations of symbolists. Still today, the blue temple is the scene of the yearly Rune Meets, when new members are initiated into the tradition. Ambrian scholars suspect that Symbolism – strange, powerful and decadent – is a vital clue to understanding why the barbarians of eastern Davokar are in disagreement with Karvosti and its authorities, the Huldra and the High Chieftain. It may lead to an explanation as to why the Vajvods, for cultural and philosophical reasons, distance themselves from Karvosti, and at the same time, are more open to outsiders than other clans, Clan Odaiova excluded. Rumor has it that Vajvod’s Clan Chieftain, Zoltar the Old, has not a witch but a symbolist by his side, likely one trained at the Azure Temple in the heart of the river lands.
Theurg
You are a theurg, a priest with mystical powers. Your faith in the Lawgiver is unwavering: Prios is the sun and the light of the soul, the One who saved mankind from the bondage of the Young Gods, the creator of the world and protector of all life. From this pure spring flows extraordinary power. Your mystical knowledge would have been aimless and dangerous without your faith as a compass and foundation, as is often shown when godless mystics wield their powers.
Theurgy is nowadays understood as the teachings of the mystical force that radiates from the sun and which burns at the heart of the human spirit. Its powers are only found among the most loyal worshipers of the light: the chosen champions of Prios. The theurgs are considered the emissaries of Prios in the world of the living, and their burden is truly a great one. They lead the faithful in prayer, thereby guiding the sun through the darkness of the underworld each night. And their passion keeps the heavenly light from fading; without their strenuous work the ailing Sun God would surely die and the world would plunge into The Eternal Night. Theurgy is an ancient tradition, first developed by the priesthoods devoted to the Old Gods. It is disputed among scholars and the learned whether witchcraft is older than theurgy or if it is the other way around. Either way, the golden age of theurgy is now.
Ever since Prios earned himself the devotion and faith of most Ambrians, the bearers of the tradition have thrived. It is not important to them which of the traditions came first and which is the oldest. As far as the theurgs are concerned, the worshiping of moss and veneration of trees are unworthy of mankind’s holy spirit, and most consider witchcraft to be a path that leads only to decay and sorcery. They regard wizardry – the mystical order built on the foundation of older theurgy – in much the same way, as a truly godless and morally questionable practice.
Troll Singer
Singing as a source of power has its most evident expression in the troll-singing skalds, whose voices lay mysteries bare and win battles. Poetry and singing exist in all cultures, but they are most powerful among elves, dwarves and trolls – with the possible addition of ogres. In all of these diverse cultures, singing is often combined with physical attributes – most skalds are true warrior poets that lead their allies to victory using the great power of their voice and muscles.
As a tradition, Troll Singing is as old as the race of trolls – at least, their collective memory remembers nothing before the songs. According to myth, the troll race was created through the songs of the world, hummed by the spirits of air and dust, in rhythm with the tail of the World Serpent drumming against the bedrock.
To trolls, the songs of the skalds together with the hammering of the smiths, and the warriors’ clawing at the stone walls of the Abyss compose the great hymn of life. The troll culture, yes even the existence of a single troll, is unthinkable without the songs.
Witch
Your home is the wilds; to balance your own needs with the ones of nature is your calling. As a witch you have a strong connection to the land itself and can add its primal powers to your inner strength. You negotiate with the spirits of nature, understand the flow and needs of the land, and your powers are derived from the circle of life and death.
The witches’ world is composed of winds, blood and all things growing, together forming the three hazardous paths a witch has to wander: the white path where the wind wails and spirits howl; the red path of the slow-running blood; and the green path, overgrown by thickets and roots. According to the mythology of the witches, there are places where these paths converge, such as the cliff of Karvosti deep within Davokar.
Witchcraft is believed to be the oldest and most deeply rooted of the traditions. Some tutors at Ordo Magica even claim that witchcraft – despite its primitive flaws – forms the basis of theurgy, and because of this, both Theurgs and Wizards have the wise Witches of old to thank for understanding the fundamental principles of magic.
Wizard
You are schooled in the secrets of the old magic of the Order, knowledge born in the southern kingdom and refined by a millennium of research and education. To you, mystical powers are an extension of the fundamental laws of the world, laws that you have studied carefully and know how to use for effects both grand and impressive.
The powers of wizardry come from disciplined studies into the fundamental laws of nature, and from insights regarding how those laws can be used and controlled by sheer will and reason. It is a strenuous education, even without the boring everyday tasks that the novices must perform for their masters. Only half of those who begin their studies with Ordo Magica see them through, but those who prevail are rewarded with a deep understanding of the mysteries of wizardry.
Wizardry grew out of early forms of theurgy, in a time when the people of Alberetor still worshiped the pantheon of the Young Gods. Philosophers and scholars started to renounce the metaphysical ideas of the priesthood, instead regarding the laws of nature as independent from the machinations of deities. To the founders of wizardry, the Young Gods were seen as the creators of the world, but not its shepherds. Instead the world is regarded as being profoundly magical and not in need of any gods to function. Nor is the world meant to be worshiped, merely understood – and used.

Shadow
Your Corruption Threshold is equal to twice the total of your proficiency bonus plus your spellcasting modifier, to a minimum of 4. See your mystic approach for more information.