Scour Circles

Make-belive some call it, hope would I dare say. To keep one's family safe, what do you not attempt to do?

— Everam, Teller of Nimenra

While magical protection exists, a large majority can't perform such magic as to protect from monsters, diseases and catastrophes. That is why some practise rituals and traditions called "Feeble magic" or "chagrin(shuh-grin) magic". These rituals don't use magical energy or magic at all but are said to protect or help in many ways. According to wizards and mages who have researched this "magic", they are but useless belief. There is little proof of it working beyond what commoners are telling.

One of the most common is the Scour Circles, a protective barrier that the practitioner makes to protect their loved ones from harm. They target specific monsters and beasts that can be found around Nimenra. The Telar and Renvar peoples are large, known practitioners of these protective circles.

Primary Related Ethnicities
Renvar {English}
Telar

History

Even if magic exists and can be used by Humans, it has its limits or become forgotten lore that once existed to protect and help many. Protection magic, barriers primarily, is common magic lore but is also hard to perform for novice and untrained magic users. Even for the experienced, it is hard to create a large protective barrier against anything that does not demand a continuous magic source. Thus the Scour Circles are an answer to these problems.

Scour Circles have been practised among Renvars and Telars for as long as many can remember but it has also spread to other areas across Telamirein and eventually Marlun. Primarily they are used to ward off nature's cruellest of creatures, from Gravlocks, giant wolfs and bears to the more rare and mythic Mareclars and Blackres. The circles have been commonplace in villages and small towns where protection from these creatures can be lacking and Elementalists can even be seen practising these rituals.

Execution

Creating a Scour Circle demands the use of a stone slab placed facing the sky, but if one is not able to accuired a large enough slab the ground can be used as well. The slab or ground is carved with a circle. Sand, or coloured powder, is then poured into the carvings during an incarnation of protection. Many elementalists during this part flow magic into the stone or ground as if to attach the magic to it. The ritual continues with dragging a finger through the sand to set firm the protection. The performer will then add a part of blood most of the time to the circle in an attempt to bestow greater protection. A protective symbol is lastly carved in place, in the centre or upper centre togheter with the symbol of Baalam in the southeastern "corner" of the circle. This completes the circle, with many later colouring the circle and symbols blue or night-blue.