Nemain, also known as the Head Witch, is a prominent figure in Irish mythology. She is often considered to be a goddess associated with war and battle, and is closely connected to the Morrigan, the goddess of sovereignty and fate. With her fierce and violent nature, Nemain is often invoked to bring chaos and destruction to the battlefield. In ancient Irish folklore, Nemain is described as a fearsome figure, marked by her disheveled hair and wild appearance. It is said that she would wail and shriek as she moved through the battlefield, striking fear into the hearts of warriors. Her presence was believed to foretell imminent bloodshed and death.
4. Hexblade/Pact of the Blade Warlock:
2 attacks from PoB
Ok HP and AC
Various Invocations that could help.
However, if you use this, then you are not using your pact weapon, unless you are dual wielding. Also, you can not bond with it as far as I know so no Cha to hit and damage.
VERY low spell slots to use from.
He goes off the reservation after realizing that there is no path beyond the program and that the prototypes are slowly being used up through increasingly hazardous missions. Because openly carrying weapons can be problematic in the modern world, I ve landed on Eldritch Knight as a way to have accessible arms without drawing attention.
Her presence was believed to foretell imminent bloodshed and death. Nemain's role as the Head Witch of battle manifests in her ability to incite frenzy and madness in warriors. She is said to possess the power to drive men into a berserker-like rage, causing them to fight uncontrollably and without fear.
Eldritch Knight
After the long nights in the university, in the oldest recesses of the libraries, the students with true devotion continue their art, bettering themselves and empowering their minds and bodies.
The Eldritch Knights of the world are the tireless masters of their art, devoting themselves to a limited range of philosophies to also perfect their bodies. These students focus on the mystical arts of arcana or the martials arts of combat, wielding both to devastating effect.
The special dedication the Knights hold to both arcane and combat, allows them to wield this magical art while enclosed in the confines of metal, capable of wearing heavy plate armors while still letting loose with lighting bolts and fireballs.
Each knight makes a choice in their studies, called an Attunement, focusing on a limited code of actions that align with one of the 5 primary philosophies These Attunements can be personified as a personal code to follow, as a dedication to the art of mixing magic and martials, or even as a religious zealotry to planar lords correlating to their philosophy.
Organizations
The history of Spellcraft is as old as memory, when the world was brought into creation by the great dragons, who passed their secrets down to mortal instruments. In recent times, it is common that most cultures foster and train those gifted with magical talent.
Dwarves generally frown upon arcane magics, viewing it as unnatural. That said, they never shy away from using what few Dwarves do utilize magical aptitude for the creation of Dwarven architecture and crafts. They view this as “pragmatism”, not hypocrisy. Dwarven Mages must often venture outside of the Kingdom for any formal training, otherwise they may be talented, but raw spellcrafters.
The Lords and Ladies of Tridia highly encourage their citizens to pursue arcane artistry. Within the Bowl, there exist three prominent schools for teaching the Arcane.
The Sanctum (Fin Rock) – A school that devotes itself to theory, lore, and unravelling the mysteries of the planes. Arcanists from here often specialize in one or two fields, devoting themselves to exploring the secrets of that aspect at the exclusion of others. Rarely do they spend time venturing out into the field, though there are odd exceptions.
The Eldritch knights prosper at the sanctum, though the religious ones are viewed askance for their zealotry. The method of the Knights dedication to singular philosophies allow them to truly divulge the most power and opportunity from them.
The Mercenchantrix Guild (Lakeshire) – These mages have managed to create a profitable conglomerate of enchanters and shopkeeps. The school is less of a mage’s academy and more of a trade school, teaching aspiring mages the most common and useful spells, and how to enchant them into items and parchment. They are then often tasked to running Guild-owned shops across Tridia, while they improve their skills on their own time, with free access to the libraries of the Mercenchanters that enjoy the fruits of their labors. The primary school itself is a large pyramid covered in golden runes (all superficial, it is hoped), that glitters in the reflection of Lakeshire.
The Eldritch Knights are often viewed disparagingly in this guild, for their focus on physical prowess over the art of enchanting. They are often taught and used as nothing more than guards and muscle for the more capable enchanting merchants.
The Smithy (near Minos) – So named for the billowing smoke always pouring from its tall spires, The Smiths specialize in combat magics. Mastering the elements and constantly testing their skills, these mages relish challenging themselves in battle. Though one would think that their skills would be in high demand, newly graduated Smiths are forbidden from joining mercenary guilds for a year. Instead they are encouraged to make names for themselves, to bring greater glory to the school.
The knights of the smithy are held in high regard, and are often sought by guilds far ahead of their graduation. Many of the masters and professors of the Smithy are Knights themselves, being most capable to strain student’s combat prowess with both arcane and skill of blade.
Attunements
It is well known and understood that Arcane Spellcraft is magic pulled from one’s self, not a granted power from almighty gods or siphoned from the planet, but magic evoked from the intelligence and skill of oneself. Even so, that power can be hyper-focused and attuned to specialize in specific energies.
Even with the common understanding Arcane comes from oneself, many Eldritch Knights are viewed as Zealots of unknown religions, viewed as oddities and sometimes madmen, as there are no “gods” of the arcane. Even so, some of these philosophies do have a correlating elemental lord. These lords do not bestow power to their “followers” like divine gods do, but that doesn’t stop some Knights from believing they do.
Eldritch Knights attune themselves to a primary philosophy; Fire, Ice, Lightning, Negative, or Charm.
Belonos the Burned, the Elemental Lord of Flame. This raging and powerful lord dominates their plane through sheer ferocity, keeping their rank as the most powerful being on the plane by ensuring no one else grows strong enough to even challenge them. Belonos is often personified by a humanoid shape of blue and red flame, with smoldering black skin underneath and large, glowing-hot beaded necklace.
Karone of the Winter wind, Elemental Lord of Water. This shrewd witch of white has held control of the tempest that is the plane of water by freezing any challengers and shattering their essence. Cold and conniving, Karone’s preference for ice and snow has led to mages themselves basing spells off the form of matter, instead of base water itself. Often personified as a cloaked humanoid shape, though within the folds of the cloak is a sleet laden blizzard.
Thror the Ascended, former Storm Giant and Elemental Lord of Air. Thror is both honored and revered as surpassing the limits of the material plane, and also despised and hated for the method used of surpassing the form Lord of Air, Astera. Thror raged the material plane as a powerful storm giant, before acquiring a “god spark” from his followers, allowing his mortal form to ascend and challenge for the throne. Thror won that challenge handily. Personified as a gargantuan blue skinned giant, hair and eyes crackling with electricity.
Beldoon the Boulder, the Elemental Lord of Earth, does not have an attunement. Arcane followers never chose to attune to earthly philosophies, feeling that would put them in the route of a druid and thus ignored it as a devotion. Nonetheless, Beldoon currently resides as the lord of Earth energies, though this seat changes the most of any of the elemental planes.
Gravelord Moxxah, Energy Lord of Negative. Moxxah sits apart from the elemental lords, presiding over a plane of energy itself. To history, Moxxah has always sat as the lord of negative, as one of the few sentient beings that originates from the plane. The Gravelord does not personify itself in any physical form, always appearing as shadows.
The attunement path of Charm does not have a planar lord, for there is no plane that covers the psychic wavelengths of the minds of sentient beings. This has not stopped some Knights from believing there is one, and attuning themselves to the beliefs of this unknown and unnamed being of “supreme” charm. Oddly enough, many Charm Eldritch Knights say this being is personified by very attractive versions of themselves, speaking to them through mirrors.
Famous Eldritch Knights
Hrollar Hevester, the legendary creator of the highest level spell Hrollar’s Wrath, was always thought to be a prodigal mage. When he displayed his spells in a battle against his sanctum, however, he appeared from the rooftops adorned in gleaming metal of physical make, not conjured force. Noone knows exactly which attunement Hrollar has aligned with, but the location of his sanctum has long since changed and his exact location is currently unknown.
Edmond Roga, the professor of high combats at The Smithy. This rambunctious dwarf is revered for his clever combinations of fire and ice, confusing his enemies and students alike with blasts of chilling cold then burning heat. He is known for being the hardest on promising students, being both the reason many quit, and the one getting the best students hired in prodigious guilds or noble employ.
The Captain of the Hand of Dawn, Dawn elite leader Kordwin Styles, is a halfling who’s name embodies the many reasons he’s legendary. This lighting attuned Knight, wielding a massive greatsword several times the size of his own body, is revered for the style he throws into every spell and battle he partakes in. Many of his spells have an element of confusing and distracting sparks, blinding foes… and friends alike.
Possible Origins
Eldritch knights have the great variety of being able to have origins similar to both mages and fighters.
They could have been a student of either a mage school or combat school, but wanting to branch out left to learn more and focus on their own attunements.
They could also have been a student of two schools at once, and upon graduation left to find their place in the world.
Could have been an acolyte of one of the “cults” of an attunement, raised on the belief that the Elemental Lord is their “god” to please, by increasing their following or committing acts that would benefit their lord.
Race = Vuman, Magic Initiate: Wizard
This ability gave her a significant influence over the outcome of battles, as she could manipulate the minds of warriors and determine their fate. Nemain's connection to the Morrigan, the goddess of sovereignty, indicates her role as a guardian of the land and the people. In this sense, she may be seen as a deity who bestows or withdraws power and protection depending on the actions of individuals or clans. This duality of power is reflected in her association with both chaos and sovereignty. Overall, Nemain, the Head Witch, is a powerful and mysterious figure in Irish mythology. Her role as a symbol of chaos and destruction, as well as her ability to incite frenzy in warriors, adds depth to the mythological landscape. Whether she appears as a terrifying harbinger of violence or as a guardian of sovereignty, Nemain remains an intriguing character in Celtic folklore..
Reviews for "Summoning the Veil: Exploring Head Witch Nemain's Connection to the Spirit World"
1. John Smith - 2 out of 5 stars - I was really disappointed with "Head Witch Nemain". The plot was confusing and hard to follow, and I didn't feel connected to any of the characters. The writing style felt choppy and disjointed, making it difficult for me to fully immerse myself in the story. Overall, I found the book frustrating and unsatisfying.
2. Emily Johnson - 3 out of 5 stars - While "Head Witch Nemain" had an interesting premise and potential, the execution fell short for me. I found the pacing to be incredibly slow, and the story dragged on without any major developments. Additionally, the characters lacked depth and felt one-dimensional. Although I appreciated the author's attempt to create a unique world, I ultimately found myself uninterested and disconnected from the narrative.
3. Sarah Thompson - 2 out of 5 stars - I really wanted to enjoy "Head Witch Nemain", but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. The writing felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult for me to engage with the story. Moreover, the dialogue often felt stilted and unrealistic. I found myself skimming through the pages, hoping for something to capture my attention, but sadly, it never happened. Overall, I was disappointed with this book.