Suidae Shaman
Ignoring the figure slumped in the shadows behind her, Mhoirlas laid out the onyx stones. Flames from the fire flickered in their polished surfaces, each vying for her attention. She watched them dance, then snapped her fingers.
“Enough,” she said. “I must concentrate.”
The smooth, black surface of the stones shimmered and swallowed the reflected firelight, growing dark once more. Mhoirlas reached into the folds of her long cloak and withdrew a handful of small knuckle bones. She carefully positioned one on each stone. As she finished, the magic that simmered within her flared, filling her body and sending a tingle through her fingers.
She turned to the figure behind her. The cursed windeku's thorn-like horns jutted haphazardly from its head. It keened as it struggled against its chains. Their rattle echoes through the darkened forest.
An emerald flame flickered to life in the palm of Mhoirlas's hand. She rose to her feet, and the flame burned brighter.
“Your body may heal the wounds of battle,” she said, her voice low, “but what use is healing if you are already dead?”
She flung the emerald flame at the creature.
The magic struck the windeku and exploded, tearing the beast apart in a brilliant flare of green and a spray of blood and gore. The magic whirled outward, whipping through the trees and sending leaves sprinkling across the glade. The moon leered down upon the gruesome slaughter, casting its silver light over the scene as Mhoirlas pulled her cloak about her and waited.
When the magic had faded to a soft jade glow, she stepped forward and peered at the grisly remains. “What was one is now undone.”
With a satisfied grunt, she turned back to the fire and collected the knucklebones and pebbles before shuffling off into the night. The suidae are a race of boar-like humanoids that worship the gods of nature, praying to totems and statues erected in the image of their deities. Their shamans possess an innate ability to draw upon the elemental mana of earth and often serve as tribal leaders. They adorn themselves with the bones of creatures of tremendous strength and power, fashioning them into jewelry and armor through which they can channel their magic. These artifacts are passed from generation to generation, their power never fading.