Skytouched Shaman

The religious traditions of the Barbarian tribes in the Deadlands are rich and varied, drawn from different cultures and often intermixed with one another. Some worship the 'old gods' — powerful spirits, demons, and fae — while others revere ancestors or natural forces. Nature spirits are often depicted as living beings, with the Goddess of the Wind being represented as a giant vulture among Eastern Krokhan tribes. The priesthood dedicated to her is exclusively female, usually young orphan girls taken in by the elder Shamans and taught the ways of the Goddess. They adorn their bodies with gold jewellery and wrap themselves in cloaks of vulture feathers, their faces covered with intricate tattoos and concealed by masks of bird skulls. Upon initiation, the Skytouched are granted daggers fashioned to resemble talons of ivory and steel — their most important ritual tools. The goddess demands blood sacrifice, and the bloodletting rituals performed by the Skytouched Shamans are a painful and gruelling process that can leave the Skytouched drained, but her cruel patron's favour ensures that her allies are revitalized and ready to take on the foe, even if the Shaman herself has to pay the ultimate price.