Wilders

For the Children of Light, nature is a dark and shadow-filled kingdom populated by terrible creatures and dangerous monsters - it is a scary place. But the ‘pagans’ co-exist with nature - their belief is that the Children of Light are stupid and blinded by that light.

The ‘wilders’ are a smaller group of pagans who move around in nature in such a way that they actually become part of nature, rather than being mere observers. They are, at the same time, both beautiful and terrible, peaceful and vicious, gentle and ruthlessly wild. But where nature is never knowable, the pagan wilders are always knowable in at least one way - they are cruel and dangerous to people who do not understand them or know their ways.

The wilders are a pagan group, they live between the ordinary physical world and the other-world of spirits and dreams. They are as diverse as the sea and the land and the sky; yet each chooses a single path in nature, to the exclusion of all others. All but the youngest of wilders are always strongly associated with a single aspect of nature, such as darkness or fire, and it is possible to regard them as spiritual manifestations of that aspect.

In all, six aspects have been identified to date: Darkness, Forest, Water, Fire, Cold and Wind. There is no reason to believe there are no other aspects, but only these aspects have been identified in the past 150 years.

The Wilder Environment

Wilders are so much like nature it is difficult for a non-wilder (whether a Child of Light or pagan) to actually see a wilder in its native aspect - they blend so perfectly with the surrounding nature as to be unseen. Often they are noticed only as a movement from the corner of the eye, or as a strange bump in the landscape; maybe a dank, nasty smell, or even a sudden neck-chilling emotion.

Because the wilders are unseen, it is extremely difficult for ordinary people (i.e. non-wilders, whether pagan or Children of Light) to take action against them. The exception is the spirit third-eye mystery scholars, who clearly see the wilders and thus can choose the conditions often when they enter into conflict with them.

It is critical that adventurers understand that as long as a wilder is in its native, untouched aspect, any conflict that arises will give great favour to the wilder. But this advantage is lost when the wilder leaves their native environment, or if the environment becomes ‘Touched by the Light’. Not all members of the Church of the Elements will shine the Light of the Children of Light, but when it is present, it will burn the wilders and turn the circumstances against them.

The Wilder Goddesses

Just as humans have their queens, so too the wilders have their Goddesses - one for each of the six identified aspects. In the pagan Eskara, they are simply known as Goddesses, but across the northern lands they are also generally known as Mistresses or Ladies. Or there may be a specific name that based Queen or Mother or Witch, but these simple names do not convey the power of the Goddesses which can be immense. These beings are cruel, sometimes completely incomprehensible in their actions, and overwhelmingly selfish. But to those who are ready to worship and comfort her with blood sacrifices, a Goddess will share her secrets which can bring great power.

Of the three pagan groups in the northern regions, the Gaesati have the the most passive relationship with the wilders though they do fear the Goddesses and try to avoid their anger. The Goblin Peoples guard and respect the six Mistresses and maintain a suitable distance, but they also strive to learn some of their secrets. It is the the Eskarans who fully embrace the power of the Ladies, offering fear and worship and often giving over their minds and bodies that they might fully serve the will of their chosen Goddess.

A wilder Goddess is a supernatural extension of nature. She has her own secrets and powers of witchcraft, and she will share these with mortal her worshipers that they might continue and expand their worship of her. The wilders have learned that making a sacrifice to a Mistress is a relatively safe way to contact her to learn her secrets. There are many tales of wilders who have visited (or tried to visit) the home of their goddess, with or without an invitation, and the stories suggest that this is a much more dangerous way to connect.

All of the wilder Mistresses are pleased with those who resist the Church of Elements (the church of the Children of Light), but the Ladies are strong and independent of the others. Each of these nature ‘queens’ is pleased when one of her followers proclaims her doctrine over that of the other Ladies.

The Six Wilder Aspects

The six identified Wilder aspects are described below along with examples within the aspect (e.g. a low-wilder and a strong-wilder), along with a description of the Goddess or Mistress of that power. Also included is as much information as is known about the home of the Goddess, but for the most part this is rooted in folklore.

It should be noted that these are only examples - wilders come in many looks and sizes and there is no reason to assume that the list below is comprehensive (and every reason to believe it is incomplete).

All wilders will blend into their native environment - a goblin (darkness spirit) will not be seen in the night, a Curran (water spirit) will not be seen in the stream, and a Knickerknock (air spirit) is only a part of the blowing wind.

It is known that wilder magic is better handled by females than males, and for this reason most wilders are female. In the discussion below, feminine pronouns are used, but male goblins and bone spirits (for example) are known to exist. Similarly the Nagas are described as snake-women, and the Stormwings as bird-women, but snake-men and bird-men also exist.

That said, the stronger wilders will almost exclusively be female, and of course the Mistress or Goddess of each aspect is always female.

The Guild

The Wilders of Aegic are the descendants of the the people caught out in the wastes when Aegic froze. They have survived for generations by living off the icecrawlers which in turn have fed from the frozen herds. Recently the tribes and crawlers have been dying off as the food is exhausted. A few lucky tribes have followed the ice crawlers that blundered into Icesus.

The wilders do not have a home in the valley, no kingdom is willing to share its territory, so they continue their nomadic life in the slightly warmer and more bountiful valley. They have no guild, but simply train from one another wherever they might be.

Wilders are known to be brutal fighters for whom survival of the tribe is the only goal. When axe wielding wilders storm into battle, naked save for the bloody designs painted on their flesh it is only the distant observer that can tell the tale of the horror.

The Wilders of Aegic can be found outside the southern citygates of Vaerlon.