TRADITION (UPDATED)
DESCRIPTION (P. 4, SHADOW SPELLS)
Norse magicians believe the Old Gods once again watch over Midgard. Ásatru, the old faith of the Norse, has seen a popular comeback, and with it the revival of its visceral and pagan magic. Even with the association to the apocalyptic ac- tions of the extremist Ásatru cult known as Win- ternight, growth of this tradition has been steady. While the origins were in the time of the Vikings, modern Ásatru began in 1972, organizing and legalizing their specific practices and traditions. This contributed to a smoother transition into the Sixth World. Both Awakened and mundane Ása- tru gather for great ceremonies known as blots
and sumbles. These are traditionally held on Mid- summer’s or Midwinter’s Day and the spring or autumn equinoxes. Common elements of these rituals include liberal drinking and the sacrifice of a game animal for consumption (for urban Asatru practitioners, real meat sausages can be used).
Awakened practitioners of the Norse magic and Ásatru are called Godi, though non-religious Awakened could be called vitka (sorceress) or heiðr (cunning woman). Many Awakened follow- ers of the Norse tradition specialize in a specific magical skill group. Godi are mostly spell weavers, priests practicing sorcery through prayers to the Norse pantheon. They are given respect by oth- er followers of Ásatru. Unlike other traditions, it’s a part-time religious position, with a Godi hold- ing another profitable job for support. They use a more hierarchal structure than other Ásatru adher- ents. Runemasters have delved into futhark runes (the written language of the Norse) and have been able to incorporate their work into more persistent magic as they carve the words into stone. Seid-
men focus their attention on gaining access to the
nine realms and communicating with the creatures found within. Some of these Awaken and then fo- cus their efforts on mastering all nine realms.
Of particular note are berserkers or bear sarks who adopt totemic animal mentors (such as Bear or Stag); most are adepts, though mystic adepts or magicians are not unknown. Bear sarks only man- ifest shamanic masks when in frenzies, and their abilities closely parallel those of their mentors.
RELATED MENTOR SPIRITS
Norse mages typically have individual members of the Norse pantheon as mentor spirits. Odin may be represented in a way similar to the Wise Warrior totem, Thor has similarities to Dragon- slayer and Berserker, Freya and Goddess are sim- ilar, and Loki, of course, has much in common with the trickster totems such as Coyote and Ra- ven. Berserkers and sarks often claim particular animal totems related to Germanic homelands, such as Bear, Raven, Wolf, and Stag.
IDEALS
While possibly disappointing to those who wish to pillage and plunder as part of their belief system, the Norse paradigm is much more complex than simple berserkers and warriors. Courage, truth, honor, fidelity, discipline, hospitality, industrious-
ness, self-reliance, and perseverance are their core values. While each individual values these in var- ious amounts, the Norse tradition finds common purpose with many of the Sixth World’s current val- ues. The trope of the noble barbarian surely exists for some, but for others, it is the ancient family- and honor-based system that fits best with them.
SORCERY
Spellweaving, as it’s called, is common among the Awakened of the Norse tradition. It involves the use of futhark runes and prayers to one of many gods in the pantheon.
CONJURING
Norse magicians believe they deal with the denizens of the other Realms of the World Tree. Those who can cross to Midgard are the fire giants of Muspelheim (fire spirits), the wild fae of Alfheim (plant spirits), the dwarfs of Nidavellir (earth spirits), the storm spirits of Thrudheim (air spirits), and the Valkyrie (guardian spirits). While traditional Godi acknowledge them, they do not summon them. Their interaction is more akin to prayers to the gods. It is the Seidman and Vit- ka who would bring and deal with denizens from the nine realms in Midgard (Earth). Many of the spirits summoned from the Realms of the World Tree dis- like metahumans or the process of being brought to Midgard. They require tributes before they perform services for the Awakened.
ENCHANTING
Enchanting is also common among the Norse magicians. Many stories and sagas tell of magical weapons for the heroes to wield, and every hero has given their weapon a name. This practice has been modernized with the additional knowledge of alchemy and runemasters’ use of futhark runes in the creation of preparations.
NORSE MAGICIAN RULES
GODI/RUNEMASTER
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Cannot use the Conjuring skill group.•
Reduce opposing Force of ritual spellcastingby 2 when Imbuing (p. 133, Street Grimoire) or Attuning items (p. 124, Street Grimoire).
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Can Attune normal items as per an adept.•
Durable Preparations: Increase the prepa-ration’s potency by x3 instead of x2. Dou- ble the time it takes to lose potency.
CUNNING WOMAN
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Treat as an aspected magician (p. 69, SR5) with a Sorcery focus and an inclination toward Health spells.SEIDMAN
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Cannot use the Sorcery skill group.•
Gains Dedicated Conjurer quality for free.BERSERKERS (ADEPT ONLY)
FREE ADEPT POWER
Berserker Temper: When you take Physical dam-
age in combat—or if someone under your care is badly injured—make a Charisma + Willpower Test (wound modifiers apply). You go berserk for 3 Combat Turns minus 1 turn per hit, so 3 or more hits averts the berserk temper entirely. If your totem also has this disadvantage, then any turns they might impose stack with the results of your test those additional turns (for example, if a Berserker chooses Bear, then they can possibly go berserk for as long as 6 turns). Berserk power bonus does not apply while raging with Berserk- er Temper. When Berserk, you go after characters without regard for your own safety.
NOTABLE TEACHERS
Alva Hansen is a second-generation Ásatru sha-
man, focusing on seiðr magic. While outside of the mainstream of Norse magic, her tantric, shaking, ritual-sex-based magic is gaining quite a following, mostly for the obvious reasons. She has written numerous books about seiðr, which have become bestsellers, especially in the UCAS, perhaps more for their illustrations than their con- tent. Regardless, Alva tends to teach more wom- en than men, as seiðr developed a reputation as a “womanly” art. However, Hansen is willing to teach any willing students to practice magic as she commands, no questions asked.
Detection: Earth Health: Plant Illusion: Air Manipulation: Fire
Drain: Willpower + Charisma PREFERRED SPELLS
Death Touch, Eyes of the Pack, Insulate, Personal Warmth, Shape Ice, Shatter
ISLAM (UPDATED)
DESCRIPTION (P. 46, STREET GRIMOIRE)
What started off as a small fringe group has turned into a much larger movement within the Islamic world. The Islamic Renaissance Movement, along with broader globalization and long-suffering ex- amples from Sufism, have been cracking the door open further for Awakened Muslims to practice magic in ever-broadening ways. Studies in Licit Qur’anic Magic and alchemy have become even more popular since Ibrahim Kamel became the ca- liph of the Arabian Caliphate. Joseph Chamseddine, the caliph’s childhood friend and spiritual mentor, has had a profound impact on the caliph’s encour- agement of the burgeoning Islamic Reformation. Not all within the Caliphate welcome this change, however, so it is still a good idea for Islamic mages to be discreet when practicing their abilities.
ISLAMIC ALCHEMISTS
Most in the Alchemist branch of Islamic magic do not consider themselves mages at all. Rath- er, they view alchemy as just another form of science. Experimentation, formulas, rigorous notes—all of these things are important to the Islamic Alchemist, who either view mana as an- other element to be dissected, or simply refuse to acknowledge mana at all. Islamic Alchemy is the exception to the rule against magic in the Is- lamic world. Nearly all forms of Islam accept Al- chemists in their ranks, as Islam has a rich history with alchemy going back to the Middle Ages.
LICIT QUR’ANIC MAGIC
There is another branch of Islamic Magic that has always been present, but until the recent changes in the Caliphate, has not been mainstream. Thanks to the teachings of Joseph Chamseddine, Islamic mysticism is on the rise. What makes Licit Qur’an- ic Magic different from Islamic magic in general is the razor-sharp focus on what is permissible (licit) and what is not permissible (illicit). For many in the Licit Qur’anic tradition, the Qur’an is the only sure-fire way to know if magic is permissible. The logic is that in Islam, the Qur’an is given by Allah, and therefore always permissible. So any “mag- ic” or power that flows from use of the Qur’an or its contents is always permissible. Use of amulets with Qur’anic verses is typical among LQM prac- titioners, guaranteeing spells remain under con- trol and giving the caster peace of mind.
RELATED MENTOR SPIRITS
Islamic mages do not take mentor spirits, due to a deep mistrust of spirits in general, and an avoidance of anything that could be interpreted as idolatrous. The one exception is the Holy Text.
IDEALS
It is, of course, a mistake to attempt to generalize the ideals of hundreds of millions of people. But most Islamic mages seem to cling fairly tightly to the Five Pillars at very least. Most, but not all. The declaration of faith that “There is no deity worthy of worship except God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger” is common to all Islamic mag- es. Islamic mages are also bound to daily prayer five times per day, giving 2.5 percent of earnings to charity, feasting on Ramadan, and the Hajj Pil- grimage to the Kaaba in Mecca. The strictness of the adherence varies from mage to mage, how- ever.
SORCERY
Islamic mages practice spellcasting normally. As a general principle, Islamic mages discourage casting spells recklessly or at too high a Force, as this can lead to a loss of control. Further, ritual spellcasting is discouraged.
CONJURING
All branches of Islamic mages discourage use of Summoning. Banishing is permitted, although it is still considered dangerous. There are examples, however, of advanced initiates in Islamic mag- ic who summon and bind djinn, but unless per- mission is given from religious authorities, this is