Spell fetishes were the spellcasting implements used by the arcane and some divine spellcasters of the Malatran Plateau in Kara-Tur. In lieu of spellbooks and material components that did not exist on the Plateau, wizards used various effigies, totems, and trinkets to store the knowledge of the magic in. Spell fetishes were as varied as the spells they contained, from pretty rocks to intricate carvings and poppets.
Instead of pouring over their spellbooks, Malatran arcane casters nightly meditated over the selected fetishes to memorize their magical incantations and formulae. Divine magics were sometimes channeled through similar fetishes that could act like a divine focus β a holy symbol crafted out of rocks, bones, skins, feathers and other jungle materials, [4] or be more artistically complex carvings, consumed with use.
The Kukalatu tribe had a more unique approach to fetishes, of fi in the Kukalatu language. They exclusively used bones, teeth, and hair of the deceased tribe members, usually respected individuals or elders. The older the ancestral fetishes were, the more powerful they became. Some fetishes required an olfactory component of meditation.
Such charms as the stinking cloud spell fetish , made of a broken shell of a rotten egg , or the sleep spell fetish made with died nemuri within a gourd , required the spellcaster to inhale the smells of the fetishes during their meditation. For example, the enlarge spell fetish depicted a carving of a fat Nubari and while meditating, the casted needed to focus on the man's size and imagine how he came to be so large. Some arcane spellcasters of the Living Jungle were able to tap into dark necromantic magics, despite generally spells of the school not functioning on the Malatran Plateau.
This device was limited to the spells of the schools of necromancy and alteration. Start a Wiki. Sign In Don't have an account? Deities by alignment Deities by race Deities by domain. Sourcebooks 1st edition 2nd edition 3rd edition Version 3. Honor Among Thieves Sleep Sound. What is canon? Discussion Forum Recent blog posts.
