Salabën

Though tales and myths told by the various northern people would describe their sages and wisemen as heroes of legendary strength and wit, their primary role within their clan was that of a healer and advisor. From the tiniest cut to all the mysteries of the universe, they were expected to know and solve any and every issue regardless of difficulty.

Despite the difficulty of their task, every salabën had their ways of obtaining knowledge and finding answers, taught to them by their mentor and previous sage, as they themselves were taught. All clan members learned some magic and other tricks to survive out in the wild, but only one was chosen as the apprentice who would shadow the salabën and learn all they knew.

In return for the weight and responsibility they took upon themselves, salabën were freed from most other duties, such as gathering food or crafting tools and clothing. In addition, their advice was sought on important matters and their voice heard and heeded by all other members of the clan. They could enter the sacred palaï, where they could commune with nature and perform various rituals to uphold balance and protect their people.

Tools & Materials

Aside from words of power, wisemen and -women used their library of knowledge on herbs, roots and leaves, among other things, to brew teas or craft salves to aid in various ailments. They could make a pain killer from the bark of a tree, and soap from wayward grass, though the methods to these concoctions were mostly kept secret from all but their chosen apprentice.

In the old days of the Eltiri, tools used by a salabën were mostly the same as the tools of anyone else. They knew how to handle a spear and bow, could lay a trap for critters and catch fish with a simple net. They held onto both knife and needle, though the uses for these could differ greatly from those others in their clan knew of.

It was in the later age of the Allorï when sages began changing spear for a staff, crafted by their own hand and carven with their mark. The tradition of crafting and carving a staff did not become common outside of the Elteläi region of the Allorï, but grew in popularity within their culture as their magical prowess grew, and carrying a spear became more cumbersome than a tool with more versatile potential.