Bear Shaman Origin

The story behind how a Bear Shaman comes to be is always filled with drama, fear, and awe. At its simplest, a Bear Shaman is created when a particular individual within a village becomes possessed by The Wild, and its mutating effects begin to take extreme hold. As with others who experience this, the individual wanders into the Great Forest. Most are never heard from again. Some become Wilders. A very few become Bear Shamans as a result. The Bear Shaman is a person whose body is already naturally attuned to Magic and who has a mind capable of overcoming the threat of The Wild. They learn to bend the transforming magic energy to their will. This process can take days or even weeks, but the net result is that that person becomes a Bear Shaman.

## Possessed by The Wild

Possession by The Wild is a terrible ordeal for anyone. At its most basic, possession by The Wild is actually the buildup of magic energy within the body to the point where it triggers a mutative process. Although many people will be mutated by magic who live within the Great Forest, for most the mutation does not result in any noticeable physical or mental transformation. They simply go about their day to day lives without any knowledge of what has happened within their bodies. For some, however, the mutation can be dramatic. Magic will begin to warp their bodies and brains, sometimes to the effect of turning them into different people than they once were. Often, the brain begins to resort more to its instincts than its logical side, driving people towards a perception of the world more attuned to a wild animal than a human. Still, others may experience full blown body mutation, growing fur, fangs, horns, tails, or rarely even extra appendages. The effects of magic on the body are not at all understood, and the Tribesfolk simply refer to this as possession by The Wild.

Possession occurs suddenly as it is the nature of magic to build up and then spontaneously produce effects once enough of it has gathered in a body. The most common story for possession is that a villager has gone to sleep only to be never seen or heard from again ostensibly having wandered alone into the forest. This occurrence is rare, but it is common enough to happen to at least one villager every generation, often more. Much more common run ins with Wild possession occur when warriors of the Tribes engage in battle. The effects of possession can occur suddenly and dramatically on the field of battle as the raw emotion of such an ordeal as well as the proximity of so many fighters can often cause possession to begin to occur before the eyes of others. Such possession, though, can usually be reversed as these people, so engaged by their battle, do not wander away but instead become more feral, their bodies having mutated for higher strength of speed. Druids can then later attempt to reverse most of the process, by drawing the magic out of their bodies. However, this is not always possible and some are left with the scars of it should they also survive the battle.

However, since it is common nature for those that become possessed within a village to wander into the forest, these people are rarely found and thus cannot be treated. Such is the most common case for a would be Bear Shaman. They are people who prior were normal villagers that found themselves gripped by The Wild and wandering alone into the [[Great Forest]. From there, the transformation of The Wild begins to take shape. This process can be sudden, but it can also be elongated and very painful as the body begins to mutate. In any case, the fate of most is to become a slobbering beast that was once human, but the fate of a Bear Shaman is that this transformation awakens their mind to the power of magic that their body has always held. They begin to sense magic, and if they are particularly astute, begin to naturally control it. As such, while wandering in the forest for days, they undergo a battle of the body as their minds begin to naturally try and control the effects of magic within them.

For those that survive this ordeal, they arrive on the other side as gifted Magic users. Almost without fail, the result is a person who has learned the basics of how to control the mutative effects of Life Energy to such a degree as to be able to control the transformation of their own bodies. This process is not without mental cost however, as the ordeal can leave the person in shock or disarray for quite some time. The emotions run high as they know through their upbringing that they have been possessed and that possession means that they can no longer return to the life they once had. It is often not immediately clear to a person that they have become a revered Bear Shaman. Most still consider themselves a monster and believe that their lot in life is now to become a Wilder.

Possession for a Bear Shaman, similar to Wilders, may also have permanent effects on their body. Therefore, it is not uncommon for a Bear Shaman to permanently exhibit some traits of mutation such as claw like finger nails, cat eyes, eye shin in general, fangs, horns, tails, or fur.

## Post Possession and the First Journey

Once a Bear Shaman has been made, they will inevitably feel the pull of magic energy within their body. Some, foolishly, have attempted to at first return to their village, if they can even find it, only to be driven back into the Great Forest by those they once knew and loved. For, at this stage, they are greatly feared and rightfully so. As far as a villager is concerned, the person is possessed and could bring that possession upon them or perhaps mutate into a man-eating monster right before their eyes. The emotional shock of the event will inevitably drive the Bear Shaman to exile herself. Some even end their own lives in horror at what they have become. Although sad, it is the way of things. Those that survive the entire ordeal learn to live in the Great Forest. Now equipped with magic sense and often the abilities of transformation, these individuals find that they are able to deftly avoid most of the danger lurking in the forest, and that which they can't avoid they often outright kill through the use of their transformation powers. Thus, over a period of time, they find it easier and easier to survive in the Great Forest, all the while learning and becoming comfortable with their new bodies.

Almost without fail, the pull of magic energy will draw new Bear Shamans towards places of high magic in the Great Forest. There are several hidden Wells in the forest where energy from the Spirit flows up onto the surface. The concentration of such energy draws the new Shamans closer to it as their bodies can feel the pull of the energy. They travel towards it. This period is often referred by Shamans as the First Journey. It is so called because it is considered the first time the new Bear Shaman has walked the world in their new form. The first journey is a true test of the new Shaman, determining if the Shaman has the power and will that will enable it to survive those weeks or even months in the Great Forest while they learn about their new powers.

## Training and Indoctrination

The First Journey comes to a close when a new Bear Shaman finally wanders into the vicinity of a Well or other area of high magic in the forest. Waiting for them there will be other Bear Shamans who have committed their lives to guarding those places as well as welcoming new Bear Shamans to the fold. These Shamans which stay are often elderly, having walked the Great Forest for many years only to decide to live out the rest of their lives in protection of the Wells. They can sense the recruits as they arrive, the connection of magic energy drawing them together. At first, typically afraid, the elderly Bear Shaman must console and soothe the new Shaman, explaining to them what has befallen them. This thus begins their training and eventual indoctrination into becoming a Bear Shaman.

The new Shaman will live within the forest as a creature would, near the Well for many months, sometimes years. During this time, new Shamans may arrive and be brought into that fold. All the while, the elderly Shaman will set out to teach the new Shamans the ways of their world. They will be taught about what has happened to them. They will be taught about what is known of The Wild and how to control magic properly. They will be taught how to hone their transformation abilities and also taught spells from Wild Magic. Most importantly, though, they will be taught about what it means to be a Bear Shaman. They will be taught about their roles within the Tribes and how others will now see them. Even more importantly, they will be taught about the ways in which the [{Great Forest]] is sustained by The Wild and how they are to become its protectors.

This type of tutelage can last years, depending on the Shaman. The result of it though will be a Bear Shaman in the traditional sense, one who has adopted the ways of the Shamans and one who can now serve both the Tribes and the forest.

## After Training

After a Bear Shaman is ready to leave, they do so with the full fledged title of Bear Shaman. From there, the Bear Shaman begins to wander The Wild. Their first foray is usually at the request of another Shaman who gives them a job of many that the Shamans may have to undertake. The roles of a Bear Shaman are many within the Tribes, and for the rest of his or her life, a Bear Shaman will not be without duty or purpose. The First Journey now fully complete, the Bear Shaman is ready to become a full member of both their secret society as well as a member of the Tribes at large.

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--Neil (talk) 18:15, 17 October 2016 (AST)