The Magicks of the Priesthood

By Verdian of Dark Ages

Few understand the concepts of the Magicks of the Priesthood. I myself
cannot fully comprehend the power the Gods have bestowed upon us, and most of
this is purely speculation based on personal experiences and several other
texts I have read. I write this in hopes that it will causes others to speak
their minds and offer other ideas on the source of a priest's power. So let
us now begin.

The Magicks of the Priesthood

The source of all priest's powers is the Gods. Every spell, every
incantation is a prayer asking for help. This is why religion plays such an
important role in the life of a priest. We are the chosen few who can tap
the power of the Gods. The way we go about doing this, however, is somewhat
complicated to explain. Being faithful is an important part, for through
faith we gain the recognition of the Gods. The Gods make it happen. We are
merely the vessel of their will, so it is always nice to stay on their good
side. This brings up another important point: channeling. Each gesture and
word spoken is a way to channel the power a priest receives. The words call
out for aid, for through the word the deed is set in motion. Next is the
gesture. The gesture is what releases the power, what makes the word come to
pass. Any word will do when calling to the Gods, for no matter what you say
a God will know what you want, what is in your heart. As long as you have
firmly in your mind what you wish to happen, it will. Sometimes this is
quite easy. For example, healing a fellow Aisling is fairly easy to
understand, you wish for the wounds to heal. Other times, however, in more
complicated magicks or in the heat of battle, it can be hard to phrase your
request coherently because of distractions. When this happens the request
tot he Gods fails and thus the spell itself. When a priest reaches a certain
insight and he begins to understand his powers more, it is possible to ignore
the gesture and the word entirely. With certain staves infused with the a
God's powers, a priest cab directly channel their request to the Gods, saving
precious seconds to aid a friend.

Any aisling nay call upon the power of the God they worship. The problem
lies, though, in the fact that this power needs to be channeled in some way.
So upon joining a God's faith, each aisling is given a prayer necklace. This
is a device that lets someone call upon a God and receive help. Even
priests, who already can channel the power of the God's power, use this
necklace. For the payer necklace, a direct link to the Gods, can offer
powers sometimes greater than the priest can control on his own. In the
temples of the God's, it is possible to ask the God's chosen Priest or
Priestess for aid in praying to a God. Praying to a God directly through a
prayer necklace or the chosen Priest and Priestess is directly related to how
faithful you are to that God. The Gods are fair-minded and help those most
who show they are loyal through gifts and giving thanks. The more faith one
has in a God, the more one can do using that God's power.

Each spell can be classified under a different God, for the power of each
God is different and can be channeled for different purposes.
Deoch- Deoch concentrates on healing and rebirth, like the Phoenix out of the
flames. You would pray to him for ioc and regenerative spells like slan.
Glioca- Glioca is the Goddess of the Priests, and the ao spells are the
prayers she answers. To help others when they are cursed is to show
compassion.
Cail- Cail aids the priest with summoning spells and few others involving
nature. Cail loves all of nature, so treat your creatures kindly!
Ceannlaidir- This God of War aids in the enhancement of war abilities through
prayer such as fas deireas. Few people understand why this God wants to help
Glioca's children, but some believe it is for an act he regrets long ago.
Sgrios- This dark answers the prayer for curses which a priest calls down
upon his foes. Sgrios is a necessary evil, as are his spells. Do not
underestimate them! Spells such as cradh and puisein are examples of his.
Gramail- The law is what protects the weak and innocent, and Gramail, the God
of Law, concetrates on sheild spells to protect a priest and his friends from
harm. Spells such as armachd are Gramail's blessing.
Luathas- The God of Knowledge wishes to teach others in this world. Through
these lectures a priest can channel the voice of Luathas and inscribe it on
coins for others to read.
Fiosachd- This God aids others by increasing their ability to avoid danger.
The beannaich spells are Fiosachd's contribution.

A priest has at their disposal almost unlimited power when they tap into
the Gods. It is important to remember that all of the Gods help us, not just
one, and all should be honored accordingly. For a priest to ignore a God is
to ignore the full potential he may posses.

~Verdian, Priest of Glioca.