|
Whisper
Archetype: Human Oak Shaman
When walking as a child in the woods
behind her parent's house Whisper came across a clearing in the middle of which
was a large oak tree the likes of which she had never seen before. All forms of
animals either played around its trunk or lived in it's strong branches, animals
which were not frightened, who were almost pleased at her arrival. She returned
to this spot for many years, learning to communicate with the animals, and even
the tree itself. She could sense the joy, freedom, and safety they felt living
beneath the oak's strong branches, and with these creature's assistance, was
able to get in touch with the magic dwelling within herself.
At the age of sixteen she was informed by her father that he had made
plans to sell the woods she had spend so much of her life in to a corporation
for the purpose of building a factory. Whisper's mother objected and Whisper
herself pleaded and begged for him to change his mind, but he wouldn't
budge. The night before the sale she returned to her little clearing for
what she thought would be the last time. To her surprise there were now
several shamans surrounding it, with joined hands, chanting a song she
had never heard out loud before, but knew by heart. Without a word they
made room for her in the circle and the five of them made an esoteric call
to the earth for it's help. Nature answered without hesitation and that
night Whisper's parents were killed in a mysterious fire.
Now twenty five, Whisper rarely speaks. The land on which her tree stands
was passed on to her after her parents' death and she lives in a small
cabin just outside the clearing, rarely emerging to visit the old oak.
She rarely eats and has let herself waste away to a shell of her former
self and as her physical body wastes away, so does her ability to utilize
the power oak has given her.
Autumn
Archetype: Human Oak Shaman
Autumn is an imposing woman, tall and strong, a stature
which has shattered more than one illusion of the female shaman as being
a twiggy, granola oriented hippy. While Autumn may utilize her magic in
the name of health, her other skills center heavily around physical combat.
Of solid Native American decent, Autumn has felt most comfortable utilizing
hatchets and axes, some of which have been passed down through countless
generations. Many of these instruments double as weapon or power focuses.
Autumn's mannerisms are very blunt and to the point, and she'll let you know
exactly how much she likes you or, more commonly, how much she hates you. Autumn
has a distaste towards everything technological, only utilizing it when absolutely necessary. She is especially hateful toward megacorporations
and, unlike her more submissive friends, will often attack remote construction
outposts with extreme brutality, slaughtering everyone connected with the
project. She requires no special accommodations in order to be comfortable
and is more than satisfied with a bed of leaves on which to sleep.
Student Of The Eternal Cycle
Archetype: Human Oak Shaman
As the Student began to find out more
and more about life, its secrets, and his future through communication with his
totem after settling around the great oak, he began to age rapidly. With every
secret he wrenched from the grasp of nature, another year was taken off his
life. Now, at only the chronological age of 31, Student looks very elderly. He
can barely keep up the strength he requires to keep in touch with Oak and it's
almost as if the Oak is trying to tell him to back off. But Student won't let up
until he finds out about everything, an impossible endeavor he just won't give
up. He rarely speaks anymore, living solely in the swirling tornado of questions
which slowly tear apart his mind.
Solstice
Archetype: Human Oak Shaman
After nature brought its wrath upon
Whisper's family, a majority of the shamans who had participated in the great
prayer left the clearing, and the realm of magic, forever. A year later a
beautiful middle aged woman, also an oak shaman, appeared and, without a word,
set up residence in an old shed located just outside the clearing. She rarely
emerges, except to gather food and water. Occasionally she approaches Whisper's
cabin, but always hesitates and turns away. Whisper has always been able to
sense her approach and feels a strong need to speak with this mysterious woman,
although she eventually turns away from the idea. The force propelling her, a
force which has been all but destroyed by the trauma Whisper experienced, is the
unseen bond which exists between any parent and child. Yes, Solstice is
Whisper's mother.
Saved by the spirit of the oak from death by fire, Solstice's soul was
condemned to a prison, in the form of an oak tree, in a nearby forest.
A young shaman, and a woodcarver, happened upon the tree and felt the mysterious
essence of a beautiful being, a woman, which he proceeded to carve. For
months he worked feverishly and meticulously on the carving, letting no
detail of the image escape the final piece. When it was completed he felt
no need to display it, or to posses it, and simply slipped away into the
woods forever leaving behind a figure so life like that life itself began
to slip into it. The end result was Solstice, and a second chance, an opportunity
she must take advantage of soon before Whisper's magic and will to live
completely fade away.
|
