Skygazer

Skygazers are the formerly orcish oracles. Over time the profession found practice in other cultures via cultural osmosis, so that now it is mostly human druids or a subgroup of them that practice the profession.

The Process

Skygazing is the ability to observe the signs of influence the Spirit has on the world and to draw conclusions resulting from this influence. Most commonly the ability to understand spiritual connections enables Skygazers to form conclusions about the path of the future. As a result Skygazers have the reputation of being Oracles, those that know what is coming in the future.

The Practitioners

Skygazers are mostly druidic or shamanic in faith, as the magic related to these faiths forms the foundation upon Skygazing is built. A Skygazer taps into the Spirit-world, and in doing so, can observe connections that otherwise might seem coincidental.
A Skygazer sees the way the clouds move or the way the rain falls and understands the inner workings of these processes. He can instinctively read, that the way the wind flows spells war on the horizon, that the way the stars shine means that the next harvest needs to come sooner than anticipated.

Career

Qualifications

To become a Skygazer, one first needs to be educated in the ways of the spirit world. A rudimentary understanding of Spirit and the Emerald Vines, the metaphysical rules that bind life to the world and its inhabitants. While only basic concepts of the Spirit-World need to be understood to practice Skygazing, a thorough understanding of the various Supernatural Forms of Energy is what separates the run-off-the-mill Skygazer from true Oracles.

Career Progression

To become a Skygazer, one has to be taught by a Skygazer. The tradition is passed on from mentor to pupil over multiple months to years, depending on the skill of both parties and the healthiness of the relationship between the two. To call oneself Skygazer, a trainee needs to pass the Rite of the Emerald Vines, in which they need to complete a whole Skygazing without the assistance of their mentor. Afterwards it is up to the freshly baked Skygazer to complete their skills and gain renown among their customers.

Payment & Reimbursement

Skygazers are paid in offerings, which are relative to the request placed and the wealth of the person requesting it. As a rough guideline, a relatively well off farmer would be expected to pay anywhere between a sack of grain to a small chicken for the forecast of the weather during the next month.

Other Benefits

Additionally to the pay they receive, Skygazers enjoy great repute with the rural populace for the stability their prophecies bring. A skygazer can easily find shelter for a period of time among the locals by offering minor rituals or blessings in return.

Perception

Purpose

The main profession of the Skygazer is the foreseeing of coming events. Due to the nature of the world, this is a severely limited skill apart from specific areas.
In general, any prophecy involving people is by its nature fraught with uncertainty. The free will placed upon sapient beings means that any number of external influencing factors and most often just the speaking of the prophecy itself can influence a myriad of decisions along the way, which makes any prediction further into the future than a couple days very unreliable.
The forecasting of animal behaviour or less intelligent beings is somewhat more reliable, due to the lower amount of thought that goes into their behaviour. Still many factors can change the path of the future at any point.
The reliable prophecies are the ones that don't involve things that choose at all. Predictions of things that are purely the result of natural phenomena, like the weather for example, are right so reliably, that a Skygazers word on them can be taken as gospel.

Social Status

Skygazers are venerated by those believing in the Spirit-world, mostly druidic and shamanic people, but are looked down upon by other cultures. To some it is a primitive tool that should long ago have been cast a side or replaced, to others it is blasphemous to attribute knowledge of the future to mortals. As a result, unless the Skygazer is living in an area predominantly occupied by the shamanic or druidic faith, they will most likely not try to draw too much attention.

History

Originally practiced by the Orcs of the Lizardlake Basin Skygazing was taught from the tribes sages to the next generation. When the first nomadic humans started sharing this specific habitat with the Orcs, they adapted the profession and transformed it into the nomadic job that it is now.
The original orcish skygazers are now called Augurs by experts, while human ones are called Oracles.

Operations

Tools

A Skygazers most useful tool is the Skyglass, a telescope like apparatus, by which the Skygazer can not only study the stars at night, but also closely observe the edges of the clouds. Advanced Skyglasses are also said to enable its used to observe the currents of the wind upon the sky.

Materials

Some Skygazing rituals require the use of specific herbs, salves or even sacrificial offerings. The Skygazer consumes them, which attunes them to the type of question they want to answer. See Skygazing for more details.

Workplace

Skygazing can only be practiced in the wild. Traces of civilization, most notably smoke or fire, but also more subtle influences, disrupt the magic, which makes accurate predictions very difficult (though not impossible). The only non-negotiable aspect is the ability to see the sky itself, meaning that no matter what, the rituals must be carried out outside of or on top of buildings.

Provided Services

First and foremost, Skygazers give prophecies and predictions to those petitioning them. The more specific the timeframe or related issue, the more expensive.
Additionally, people come to the Skygazers for advice or to answer a question. The Skygazer consults nature itself for clues before offering an answer.
Finally, Skygazers are often asked to give judgement on the character, for example by someone considering a prospective partner, be it love or business.

Dangers & Hazards

Skygazing is inherently dangerous. Whoever looks up at the sky must to well not to see too much of the things beyond this world. For normal work, this risk is fortunately minimal, but never zero.
If an especially tricky task is at hand, or if the Skygaze takes a disproportionate amount of time, the risks increase. Drawing the attention of the things out there is not a pleasant experience even for non-malicious actors.

Alternative Names

Oracle, Weatherseer

Type

Arcane

Demand

High among those of shamanic or druidic faiths

Legality

Skygazing is generally legal in most parts of the world, though in non-spirit-believing cultures, the practice is usually outcast.
Jadira remains the only known country in the world, in which Skygazing is officially branded as heresy and therefore punishable by death.