Augurer

An augurer is a person who practices Auguring thus possessing the ability to read and interpret dreams, perform divination through various methods as well as affect dreams and implant ideas or images in sleeping subjects. On rare occasions, augurers have been known to have prophetic dreams themselves. Very skilled augurers are also able to communicate with others who have the gift over great distances. Only women appear to develop these skills, which usually happens at a young age. Traditionally, girls who develop the ability to augur were sent to The Order of Augurers at The House of Dreams to train and master their ability. Up until recently (until the reign of Lord Protector Reginald II), this took place in the open and without any problems. The Order of Augurers even had a chapter in Cirranne where they were able to educate young augurers whose parents didn't wish to send them away to The House of Dreams - a long journey for anyone, let alone a young child. Augurers used to offer their services openly and to anyone who could afford them, whether to dispel unpleasant dreams, predict the outcome of important life choices or even implant ideas in a person's dreams that would benefit the dreamer, or in some cases, another person. One such case in relatively recent memory was that of a nobleman who was hopelessly in love with the daughter of a duke who would have nothing to do with him. He hired a very proficient augurer, at great cost, to manipulate the dreams of the duke in order to make him think favourably of a marriage between the nobleman and his daughter. Due to the great regard in which dreams and premonitions are held in Vanelle, the duke was subsequently persuaded to marry his daughter to the lovesick nobleman. Throughout all this, the daughter's wishes were never taken into account, nor was her happiness. She took her own life only weeks after her wedding day. To be able to execute such a task without being discovered, augurers who chose to take their profession in this direction are trained by The Order of Auguerers not just in auguring, but also in stealth, secrecy and the ability to blend into any setting, which also makes them excellent spies. This may put Auguring in an unfavourable light, but meddling in the private affairs of nobles is by no means all they do. For much of history, the Lord Protector of Vanelle has held the views and advice of the The Order of Augurers in high regard, often with great success. Their ability to covertly influence or discover a person's thoughts has served the Protectorate on many occasions. Recently, however, auguring has fallen out of favour, seemingly with the rise of the Tighrunite faith in Vanelle. Lord Protector Reginald II was the first leader of Vanelle to ban auguring in the capital, Cirranne, although he did not go to great lengths to enforce the ban. In spite of this, along with The Holy Order of Tighru, he executed a campaign of fear against auguring, which was surprisingly successful. Although the reasons behind his vehement dislike of auguring are unknown to this day, it is thought that events in his childhood predisposed him to the influence of the Tighrunites - a faith which strongly opposes any signs of divine heritage other than their own. With the inauguration of Lord Protector Reginald III, the legislation around auguring tightened further. No longer was any form of auguring acceptable within Cirranne, an attitude which had started spreading to other towns and villages at this point. Any augurer found in the city was arrested, and those remaining packed up and retreated to The House of Dreams in the Parede Mountains. The city was now presented with a new problem: what to do with young girls who presented with the ability to augur. Without training, they would not be able to control those abilities and would pose a risk to everyone around them. Without control, they would soon experience an overload of impressions and emotions, something which can cause the augurer to either enter a severe catatonic state or to erupt in a storm of mental energy; both of which are dangerous. The Order of Augurers still does their best to funnel young augurers to The House of Dreams for training, but they are unable to help everyone. Those who are left behind run the risk of becoming victims of their ability. Many are tracked down and captured. What happens to the latter is unknown.

Alternative Names

Seer, Oracle

Type

Arcane

Famous in the Field

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