"A fresh, warm breeze that promises abundance and growth, the Jade Wind falls like a spring shower, nourishing and nurturing. It feels as warm as the earth and as fresh as spring water. Once it falls to the ground it collects in pools and rivulets, flowing through the earth as lifegiving rivers, like the pumping of blood. We Druids, who study the Lore of Life, know that this is the single most powerful and single most important Wind. It is the one element that all living things must possess. It emerges from life just as it gives life; it is found in the blood of creatures, and in the sap of plants. It is the very stuff of life."
Icon of Ghyran and the Jade Order of wizards who wield it.
Ghyran (pronounced "GUY-ran"[8a]), also called the Lore of Life, Druid Lore, and the Third Lore[9d][10], and known in Grand Cathay as the Storm Winds or the Elemental Wind of Water[10][11], is the Green Wind of Magic or the Jade Wind of Magic[1d][9c], often described by Imperial Magisters as the embodiment of the Aethyr's momentum towards growth and the need to nourish and be nourished. Ghyran is the Aethyr's echo and mirror of life's fertile and nurturing aspects, the wind of healing most associated with concepts of vitality and health, and its brimming energy has granted the spells powered by it their title as the "Lore of Life."[1a][1d][9e]
Life and nature, at least when not corrupted by the venomous tendrils of eternal darkness, are inextricably linked. Ghyran is the very spirit of the land, and through it, the secrets of nature can be unlocked. However, though its spells are often concerned with them, the Jade Wind of Magic is not just about plants, but is intrinsic to all life.[1a][1b][1i][9e][10]
Animals kick up eddies of the Jade Wind wherever they go, and Humans can be affected by it as well. Ghyran is also the wind of childbirth, the one most associated with fecundity. It is strongly drawn towards the desire and drive for natural fertility and growth, including the raising of families, and promotes the natural urges which lead to them.[1a][1b][1i][9e][10]
The Green Wind of Magic is attracted to wherever living things dwell, blowing strongly wherever there is life. It settles often in idyllic and manicured spots, pleasant groves, thriving orchards, and abundant farmland. Arable land thrives from the presence of the Jade Wind, and also attracts it, in a virtuous circle. But it also springs up around the wild and overgrown, where natural floral growth is rampant and less hospitable: steaming jungles, the ocean littoral, and tangled forests.[9e]
At its most vibrant, the wind appears as a bright green, drowning out the more sombre hues of the mundane world. It is at its brightest where growth and health are at their most vital. It swirls as bright jade around new growth and chartreuse around newborn animals. Old growth fades to a deep emerald and where life is diseased or decaying it darkens and muddies.[9e]
Ghyran is dense, though somewhat lighter than the Lore of Metal of Chamon, and eventually drifts downwards, the magical energies of the Jade Wind precipitating down on the mortal world like a spring rain visible only to those with witchsight. After hitting the ground, it collects into pools and swirling eddies of sparkling green magic, which then gradually form into immaterial rivers.[1a][1d][5a][9e]
These rivers of magic flow across the world like water, following the contours of the landscape as a normal stream would, albeit one unbound by physical laws and unfelt by the common man. When the Jade Wind blows especially strong, city streets become awash with its flows, which run across stone streets in search of organic matter, and when the Winds of Magic blow strongest, Ghyran flows across the lands like a great tide.[1a][1d][5a][9e]
Ghyran's energy is attracted to and bonds well in particular with water; the two are inexorably linked, the Jade Wind flowing where it flows, pooling where it pools, and becoming highly concentrated there. This includes springs, lakes, rivers, and streams, as well as within all living things. Thus, pools of Ghyran both form into immaterial rivers and flow into natural watercourses.[1a][1d][5a][7b][9d][9e][12a]
The Jade Wind sinks into the soil, saturating the earth with its life-giving power, which is then drawn up through the roots of plants it comes into contact with. This goes on to encourage growth and nourish more life, which itself nourishes Ghyran. Thus, Ghyran feeds all life and feeds from life, a nurturing force that must itself be nurtured. As a consequence of all this, the power of Ghyran is closely bound up and associated with water, the two even bearing a certain equivalence according to scholars of magic, as well as vegetation and ultimately all living things.[1a][1d][5a][7b][9d][9e][12a]
Use of the Green Wind is easier where water is abundant (a stream would not be sufficient but a river would, as would a lake or rainy weather) and harder where it is scarce.[1d][9d] Given the connection, one might expect the oceans of the world of Mallus to contain great quantities of Ghyran, as indeed they do, although this bears its own complications.[5b][12a][12c]
Despite its water-like movements, Ghyran does not diffuse throughout the sea, but becomes locally concentrated, drifting together in clumps. These intensities of Ghyran can lead to a flourishing of life, dense mats of seaweed or swarms of undulating jellyfish. But while Ghyran's saturation may grant easy power, the Jade Wind is a fickle force a wizard can lose control of in an instant. The open ocean may greatly enhance the channelling of the Jade Wind, but with it grows the chance of catastrophic side-effects.[5b][12a][12c]
Given that it is bound up with flowing water, plants and nature, the Jade Wind is also linked to the seasons, ebbing and flowing according to their cycle. Its powers are most vital and vigorous in spring, powerful in the summer, decline over the autumn and are weakest in the winter months. The changes are gradual, occurring over the span of months rather than all at once.[1d][5a][5b][9d][9e][10]
The Jade Wind is greater in the warmer months and lesser in the colder ones, but spring and autumn merely see its power return to normal as it begins to grow and diminish. It is during summer, when life is burgeoning, that it is strongest, and during winter, when it is most dormant, when it is weakest. However, the Green Wind's reduced state could be compensated for by the presence of water.[1d][5a][5b][9d][9e][10]
Jade Magic[]
"The Green Wind of Magic is the Wind that is drawn to and given momentum by all forms of plant life and the process of growth. Its rune name is Ghyran, and yet the College of the Magisters that study and use Ghyran is often called the Jade College. To make matters even more confusing, in my exhaustive studies of this matter I have discovered that many scholars have written that the magic of the Jade College is the magic of Life itself, which is perhaps misleading because such a statement does not qualify what is meant by "Life" (clearly it cannot mean untamed bestial life, for that is the domain of an entirely different Wind), nor does it explain what uses this magic can be put to."
- —Extracted from the Liber Chaotica, penned by Father Richter Kless, Order of the Torch, committed to Frederheim Hospice for the Insane, 2520 IC[1c]
The Green Wind of Ghyran is manipulated and channelled by the Human wizards of the Imperial Jade Order, whose adherents are called Jade Wizards and known to the common folk as "Druids." Of all the Magisters of the Colleges of Magic, Druids are the most attuned to the countryside, their spellcasting enhanced in rural or wilderness environments. They are only marginally more likely to be found living in cities than the Shamans of Ghur, and even then spend little time there, preferring life away from the press and bustle of such places, attuned to the seasons and the natural world.[1a][1e][5c][7b][7c][9d][10]
Instead, Jade Wizards tend to roam the dark forests where the Green Wind flows more freely, where they learn from the trees of enemy movements and imminent threats, before returning to Altdorf with the news. Throughout the Empire are hidden forest groves where they conduct rituals and keep their secrets, stone circles often located at the confluence of three streams, for such places are powerful in the magical lore of Ghyran.[1a][1e][5c][7b][7c][9d][10]
Jade Magic, or the spellcraft of the Lore of Life, has many names, sometimes being referred to as "druidism" or "animism". The Articles of Imperial Magic, due to the limited understanding of the nuances of the Winds of Magic when they were first written, gave the Lore of Life the limited and dry moniker of "Agrological Thaumaturgy," roughly translating as "soil magic," although the term "earth magic" would also be fair.[1d][3a]
Indeed, Jade Wizards often go about barefoot so that they can keep in constant contact with the Green Wind flowing through the ground, allowing them to better feel the energy of Ghyran upon their feet. Many of Ghyran's energies, spells and secrets required the earth to function and could not be cast without touching the natural ground, whether it be dirt or mud.[1i][1j][5a][5b][9d][10]
However, some spells were particularly suited to life at sea, including those from the Lore of Life, allowing Jade Wizards to be valued members of ship crews. Thus it would also be fair to label Ghyran as "water magic".[1d][12a][12b]
The Lore of Life comprises spells that deal and concern themselves with the change of the seasons, agriculture, fertility, curatives, growth, soil, earth, water, protection, the physical body, and all natural living creatures. Jade Wizards love living things, for their studies teach them about the harmony of nature, and such is their skill with, and indeed love for living things and the forces of nature (rain in particular) that the Druids are often called upon to cure crop blights or bring nourishment to barren soil. They take their responsibilities with nature very seriously, and wield the powerful spells of Ghyran with great respect.[1a][1d][1e][5b][9d][10]
Druids oppose with absolute venom the followers of Nurgle who bring only corruption and decay and also abhor all kinds of necromancy and Dark Magic, for the practice of these dark arts are injurious to all life. Like most followers of the Lore of Life, they slow the advancing tide of Chaotic madness and death by healing rifts and mending that which is broken. Jade Wizards gather in ancient groves at henges and intersections of leylines, promoting the free flow of the magical energies within the lines, encouraging the nurturing power of Ghyran in areas contaminated by Dark Magic and combating the blights and famines inflicted upon the Empire by Nurgle.[1a][1d][1e][5b][9d][10]
Jade Wizards have power over nature. The foes of a Druid may find themselves suddenly tangled up in wickedly sharp brambles and vines as twisting briars spring from the earth, or that with but a gesture they've summoned entire forests to obey their commands. It is even whispered that they can cause wild and unstoppable growth of creatures and plants, if they so wish.[1d][7b][9d][9h][10]
Yet these Magisters also have the ability to control flows of water and the very earth beneath them, allowing them to call forth steaming geysers in the ranks of their enemies and even cause the earth to split under their feet. At their command, Jade Wizards can summon rain from a cloudless sky, bring mighty winds to blow away their enemies, and cause the rocks of the earth to hurtle through the air. Vines, undergrowth, trees, and rivers all bend to a Druid's will, and in any case their spells are often accompanied by natural phenomena given supernatural qualities.[1d][7b][9d][9h][10]
Yet, even as proponents of the Lore of Life confound, frustrate, and forestall the plans of their enemies, they heal and protect their allies, for the focus of life magic is healing and regeneration. The signature attribute of the Lore of Life is the ability of its users to channel the wholesome energies from the Winds of Magic; even the simplest of its spells can bring forth the full bloom of renewal, drawing upon the power of the earth below to restore and reinvigorate.[3a][7c][9d][9h][10]
Spells cast with Ghyran are suffused with life energy, tending to manifest with a vibrant green light, and its healing properties could be felt by many in the same general area. Living creatures specifically targeted with spells from the Lore of Life, even those with otherwise deleterious effects, are energized and stabilized as the life magic floods through them. This does not particularly phase Daemonic creatures, but the Undead suffer even more drastically when faced with the magic of life.[3a][7c][9d][9h][10]
Connection to Necromancy[]
"It is the wind of life but also of death. It is not the morbid power of Amethyst however, but the vital power, which is released at the point of death, the vitality that contributed to life and is lost with its ending. Glowing wisps of Ghyran leaving the body is the sign that life is gone, and hope is lost. This Ghyran of death is our most closely guarded secret."
"I have no desire to begin messing about with grubby bones and rotten corpses, but...do not my beloved plants also die? Does Death see any difference between a fallen branch and a picked clean femur? Directed by a wizard's Will and Words I see no reason why not. To the garden, and the lab! Another small success. I cut several long strands of dead bramble from the blackberry bushes and braided them as best I could (my macrame needs practice). I used a subtly rephrased Life to Death spell (Raise Dead is accurate but prosaic to my increasingly long ears) and drew on the remnants of Ghyran in the brambles."
There is an oft-shunned truth of the Jade Wind of Magic, that the Lore of Life relates to matters of death as well as life, for where there is life, there must be death. In the very moment of death, Ghyran is released in gusts and flurries, the magic springing readily from the life force of the freshly dead, especially those who were energetic and youthful in their life. The uncomfortable conclusion that some quietly wager is that living sacrifice would feed the spells of the Lore of Life, a logical conclusion that Jade Wizards will not talk about.[5b][9e]
However, the connection goes even deeper, and reaches into the realms of the dark arts. The Necrarch Lorenz wrote of his success in fusing Ghyran and Dhar to create Undead out of plants, including creatures he named Twigmen and Scarecrows, a connection strengthened by the use of the sorcerous constructs known as Fenbeasts (which can be empowered by the ascendance of the Jade Wind) by both necromancers and Jade Wizards alike. The fact that some Lore of Life spells are similar to those used by necromancers is clear to most wizards, but one the Jade College itself refuses to admit.[2d][9b][5b][9a][13a]
Symbolism[]
The Coil of Life rune embodies the cyclical and unending flow of life in all its forms and can be seen repeatedly in the traditions and vestments of the Jade Wizards, from the coiled sickles and wreaths many carry, to the ancient cyclopean circles where many perform their moonlit rituals of equinox and solstice.[2a][9d]
To Jade Wizards, the Coil of Life also serves as a reminder of the continual shift of reality. Just as the seasons change from summer to winter and back again, or as living beings die, only for life to be born anew from their mouldering flesh, so does the cycle of apex and zenith dominate and dictate every facet of existence. So it is that Jade Wizards are the least perturbed by the vicissitudes and uncertainties of the Winds of Magic. Even Storms of Magic are merely another part -- albeit an unpredictable one -- of the endless cycle that governs the mortal world, for the havoc one wreaks is inevitably followed by a period of comparative calm.[2a][9d]
The Druids also find meaning in the symbols of the oak tree (and leaf specifically), a triskele formed of three intersecting coils, and the sprig of mistletoe. Jade Wizards tend to wear robes and clothes woven from cotton and wool and dyed in greens of all shades, decorated with the symbols of their order (the spiral, triskele, oak leaf, etc.). They often also weave corn, flowers, or other greenery and vegetation into their clothes and hair, making them look as though they are about to attend a harvest festival. Each carries a sickle, small or large, which is the badge of a full Magister amongst their order, and they sometimes carry staves of living wood, such as hazel, oak, yew, or some other tree the individual Magister regards as special sacred.[1d][1e][9h]
Druids use a wide variety of naturally occurring ingredients, ranging from rare seeds and nuts, humours gathered from sentient creatures in the flush of life, uncommon tree saps, fertile loam, spring waters, and a variety of living ingredients, including plants and smaller animals.[1d][1e][9h]
Nature of Druidism[]
""Before he formed our Order, Teclis came to our great groves. By channelling Ghyran he activated the Waystones we believed had been raised by our ancestors, and showed us what our "Oghams" truly were: a creation of the Elder Race, the Asur, the Elves. We watched wide-eyed as Teclis explained the nature of belief, magic, and of Hoeth, the god he especially revered. Not all of us accepted his foreign ways. Indeed, a full third of the Druidic Families stubbornly spurned Teclis, refusing to believe his "truth," and fled into the dark forests, just like the prehistoric tribes of old. But those who remained, listened, and then eventually understood. Not long after, the Jade Order of Magic was formalised, and we were its numbers. We didn't change our beliefs -- indeed, we practise the Old Faith still -- but we understood them for what they were: a twisted reflection of the truth. Since then, our role as Nature's Guardians has brought us into contact with many others who believe they are the Children of the Belthani. They are all, I am quite sure, just as wrong as we were."
- —Erowin Grunfeld, Magister Druid of the Jade Order[14a]
The name "druid" was traditionally given to those strange folk of myth said to be the first holy people of Humanity, the practitioners of the "Old Faith" who gave reverence to the spirits of the land and nature, abstracted as the figure known as the "Great Mother." The druids of ancient times were the keepers of the seasons and custodians of the sanctity of nature, and had a natural affinity for the Jade Wind of Magic.[1d][1h][16a]
Over the years, Humanity would continue to clumsily grope at the power of Ghyran that had inspired so many petty magickers. Hedge Wizards made use of some small spells that used a predominance of Ghyran to cause crops to swell and grow out of season, while the Elementalists (specifically users of water and earth magic) also accessed its power for its nature-oriented magic.[1d][1h][16a]
Humanity's progress with Ghyran came to a head when the great High Elf Archmage Teclis arrived in the Empire during the Great War Against Chaos. In his search for minor magic-users amidst the Empire, he also found the scattered and philosophically devolved remnants of the druidic tradition that remained in its most rural parts, having survived countless centuries of persecution and the rise of newer, more active faiths. Of these few, not all came willingly, but once Teclis showed them the pure energies of Ghyran, those that had any magical sensitivity at all and a true connection with the seasons and nature perceived in it the ultimate path of their calling.[1d]
It was apparent to all that the power of the Old Faith and Jade Magic were very close to each other, and many ultimately decided to try to combine the Old Faith with Teclis' teachings. Within one hundred years of the founding of the Imperial Colleges of Magic, sightings of Druids were reported in various rural spots all across the Empire, but though they seemed to fit the description of the legendary druids of old, these new "Druids" were in fact Jade Wizards.[1d][5b][16a]
In the two hundred years since the establishment of the Jade College, Jade Wizards have come a long way from their roots in the Old Faith, having perfected use of the Green Wind as manifested in the Lore of Life. Yet, many elements of the Old Faith can still be found in a Druid's daily life, with some even studying it to see how its trappings and practices might be of benefit to their own magical workings.[1d][5b][16a]
Regardless, while there remain members of the Jade Order who hold sympathy with the Old Faith, the magic of its remaining Druidic Priests and that practiced by the Magisters of the Jade Order are distinct, even if both use the Jade Wind, and both groups are annoyed when the common folk mistake them for one another. The cult that worships Rhya, the goddess of agriculture, nature and fertility, arguably the present-day version of the Old Faith's Great Mother, even views Jade Magic as a cheating shortcut, its power tainted by Humanity whereas that gifted to them by their deity is pure and good.[5a][9f][16a]
Other Users of Ghyran[]
Humans[]
Outside the Empire of Man, Humans practice other forms of life magic. The misty isle of Albion was home to a form of druidism even older than that of the Old Faith, its reclusive Truthsayers being masters of Ghur or Ghyran, or at least practitioners of both. In more recent times, their desperation to retake their homeland from the Dark Emissary servants of the Daemon Prince Be'lakor has driven them to desperation, and so many a Truthsayer has found themselves battling alongside unsavoury allies, harnessing their mastery of Jade Magic to a destructive cause.[1d][2e]
Bretonnia's Grail Damsels are capable of accessing both Ghyran and Ghur, their tutelage under the handmaidens of the Lady of the Lake making their magic more nature-oriented than most Human wizards. They are able to mystically encourage the landscape to fight the kingdom's enemies, such as by persuading the trees themselves to lash out at the foe.[10][17a]
Meanwhile, in distant Grand Cathay, the greatest practitioners of the Elemental Wind of Life are the Jade-Blooded Sorcerers, whose temple could be found in the spiritual city of Weng-Chang.[10]
Elves and their Allies[]
The Lore of Life bolsters the inherent Elven affinity with nature, as can be seen with the High Elven archmages of Ulthuan, although the Jade Wind arguably has no greater importance beyond Athel Loren, home of the Wood Elves. Both High and Wood Elves see magic as a gift from the Elven Pantheon and so there is no division between priests and wizards, with wielders of Ghyran effectively serving as the priests of the Elven nature goddess Isha, ranked highest among the pantheon by the Asrai.[7a][10][18b]
Beyond its use by the Wood Elven Spellweavers, Ghyran is important to the tree and forest spirits of Athel Loren. Over the eons, the magical forest's fertile grounds have absorbed the Green Wind's power, which saturates the local nature spirits with life magic and nourishes them with great power, power utilised by the Branchwraiths and Treeman Ancients alike in the working of magic. The Oak of Ages itself is at its most spectacular when the Jade Wind sweeps through the forest.[10][18a]
There are also the Venom Dragons (the Emperor Dragons among their Forest Dragon allies) who wield the Lore of Life. They are poisonous creatures within and without that nonetheless see themselves as agents of rebirth, culling the weak so that new life might rise.[2c]
One must also consider the occasional allies of the Wood Elves, the Zoats, enigmatic creatures that instinctually tap into the Winds of Magic. Whilst this method means that a Zoat will never prove as versatile a wizard as an Elf, or even a Human, their innate control over the Green Wind surpasses all but the most learned High Elf Mages. Indeed, many Wood Elf Spellsingers will seek out a Zoat in order to learn from it, but as the Elves of Athel Loren find Zoats no less elusive than do other beings, very few succeed in their search.[2f][10]
Zoats prefer to rouse the trees and undergrowth to crush and strangle interlopers rather than take direct action, although if pressed can knock down swathes of foes with singular sweeping swings of their weapons while simultaneously using their powers, the enemy now easy prey for the creeping roots and vines which swiftly entangle and throttle them. Their powers allow the territorial creatures to imbue a forest with a truly dreadful reputation, and when wholly within the forest (as is almost always the case) their access to the power of the deepwoods enhances their use of Ghyran further.[2f][10]
When eldritch storms erupt upon the mortal world, it is possible to draw the creatures out of their reclusive forest homes to bind them into service. Of special interest among them are the so-called "Enigmas of Ghyran", monstrous and sinister creatures with powers of healing seemingly heralded by Storms of Magic over uncharted woodlands.[2f][10]
Others[]
A rare few Skinks among the Lizardmen can manipulate the Ghyran present in the verdant rain forests around them in Lustria and the Southlands.[24a]
Perhaps the quintessential casters of the Lore of Life, however, are Ghyran made manifest, the entities known as Sea Elementals. Where Ghyran becomes most concentrated at sea, the waters that bear it can become animated, forming the rough outline of a gigantic humanoid form. It is not clear exactly what they are, with some among the Jade College theorising that they have some kinship with the Naiads, being a spirit of nature manifested as living water, while others speculate that they are Incarnate Elementals of Ghyran.[9i][12c]
As of yet, no rite has been developed enabling a wizard to summon a Sea Elemental, though some wizards claim to have bent them to their will for a short period of time, and they certainly possess a shared feature of Incarnate Elementals, exhibiting their Wind of Magic at its most destructive. Infused with the Wind of Life they may be, but Sea Elementals are not nurturing or gentle in their temperaments. Rather, they are boisterous and deathly violent, delighting in destruction, and exuberant in their own strength and vitality to the detriment of those in their way.[9i][12c]
Arcane Marks of Ghyran[]
Known long-term effects of Ghyran usage include excessive growth around and of the magic-user. The hair and fingernails might grow with such rapidity that they must be trimmed back daily, or in more extreme cases, thrive with small patches of plantlife, such as mould beneath the nails or ivy in the hair, similarly removable and inconsequential but also sure to grow back the next day.[1n][9e]
A Ghyran practitioner might give off an odour of damp earth, green shoots, and freshly cut grass, have plant life growing on their skin or see their skin itself turn green, or might just have their eyes turn emerald. These alterations are peculiar at least, off-putting to most, and at worst may see the practitioner mistaken for a mutant.[1n][9e]
At its most blatantly obvious, the mark of the Jade Wind could be witnessed in the form of an aura of growth and health, restoring life and colour to all nearby plant life and making food easier to come across, although in natural environments this also left behind a hampering terrain. Fortunately for Jade Wizards, they were immune to their own incidental hazard, and with long enough exposure might become able to easily traverse any woodlands regardless.[1n][9e]
However, the influence of one touched by the Jade Wind could cause even destructive life to procreate. Unpreserved food might decompose twice as fast due to the rapid growth of microorganisms, disease may incubate with twice the speed, and malignancy can linger twice as long. Ghyran also brought with it other vulnerabilities, such as weakening the user to fire and tying their own physical well-being to the seasons, leaving them mighty in spring and summer but fatigued in autumn and winter.[1n][9e]
There were also the mental changes, such as the inability to stand footwear or aversion to forged metal objects. Even if practitioners tried to ignore these mental impositions, they would be much less agile when wearing footwear and struggle to cast spells when holding forged metal items.[1n][9e]
Despite their potential flaws or any misgivings however, Jade Wizards are the least unwelcome of Magisters and wizards among Imperials, still feared, but with that respected for the myriad boons that often follow in their wake. Universally hale and hearty, they contrasted the usual dour image of Magisters with their energy and surprising humour.[1e][1f]
Notable Ghyran Users[]
- Alarielle - Alarielle is the Everqueen of Ulthuan, the high priestess and in fact mortal embodiment of the Elven goddess of nature Isha. She wields the Winds of Ghyran and Hysh with all the skill of Saphery's most learned High Mages, and can call forth great storms of cleansing magical energy to sweep the agents of darkness from her hallowed presence. During the End Times the Green Wind passed into her and she was reborn as the Incarnate of Ghyran.[10][21a][22a]
- Ariel - Ariel is the mage-queen of Athel Loren and the Wood Elves and an immortal demi-goddess and avatar of the Elven goddess of nature Isha who acquired her aspects through the strange magic of the Oak of Ages. Her life force is intertwined with that of the forest, and she wields spellcraft and has the magical force of nature flowing through her as if she were the goddess Isha herself. She uses the magic of Ghyran alongside High and Dark Magic to bring both the protection of the Treeman Ancients and the wrath of the woods.[10][23a]
- Lorenz - Lorenz is a Necrarch Vampire who retained his command of Ghyran, combining it with Dark Magic to manipulate dead plant matter. Despite affliction with Vampirism, his love of plants and flowers, magical skills, devotion to Rhya, and loyalty to Sigmar never left him; he was touched with madness like most Necarchs, which in his case took the form of his fairly kind heart.[19a]
- Miao Ying - Miao Ying is the Storm Dragon, the Cathayan Dragon given authority over the Northern Provinces of Grand Cathay and tasked with the protection of the Great Bastion by the Dragon Emperor. She is the Master of the Storm Winds, having achieved sublime mastery over them through long centuries of study and practice of the Elemental Winds of Yang and Yin. She also wears the Storm Wind Coronal upon her brow, a gift from her father said to be a locus that allows her to use the Jade Wind with ease.[10][25]
- Morgiana le Fay - Morgiana is the current Fay Enchantress, the figure representative of not only the Lady of the Lake, but Bretonnia itself, to which her magic is fundamentally linked. Though she is capable of using all eight of the lores of magic, none are more accomplished in the Lore of Life among Men than she.[10][20a]
- Tochter Grunfeld - Grunfeld is the current Magister Matriarch of the Jade Order within the Imperial Colleges of Magic. She is an ageless force of nature who has spent much of her life combating the creeping blights of warpstone and Undeath from Sylvania.[1g][9g]
Lore of Life Notable Spells[]
A[]
- Almanac - The wizard spends a day attuning themselves to an area's natural flow of magic, and at the end can forecast major seasonal and weather events for the coming year (such as the last frost, good or poor harvest, dry summer, major storm, and so on). They generally do not know specific dates, but with a particularly good casting can narrow down the predictions to a 1-week period or even the exact day. They may cast other spells and move around normally while investigating the area.[9h]
- Awakening of the Wood - Trees live for thousands of years and have very long and wrathful memories, needing only a little magical encouragement to lash out with root and branch and unleash centuries of pent-up wrath. This spell was obviously more dangerous against foes within forests, even partially.[3a][10]
B[]
- Barkskin - The skin of the target becomes hard and rough as the bark of a tree. This acts as natural armour, although it comes at the price of decreased agility.[7c]
C[]
- The Cloak of Dain - A cloak of shimmering green energy forms around the wizard that absorbs damage before disappearing. Depending on the strength of the strikes, the summoned magical cloak can endure many blows or only take one, and will disappear after hitting its limit even if that means the wizard and the robe split the damage. If the cloak provides protection from any magical attack, it will vanish the moment that the damage has been absorbed.[5d][5e]
- Cure Blight - The wizard cleanses up to one square mile of blight. This saves plants, trees, crops, and other growing things and makes the area immune to the same blight for the rest of the season. Alternately, this spell can be cast on up to twenty individuals suffering from disease, halving the duration of their ailment.[1j]
- The Curse of the Lady - Casting aside spoiled tokens of virtue and nobility, a Grail Damsel calls down the Lady of the Lake's greatest punishment on all those champions who would oppose the interests of noble Bretonnia. All important individuals on the battlefield, friend or foe, must steel their resolve or be transformed into a toad. Agents of Destruction (including Warriors and Daemons of Chaos, Beastmen, Skaven, Dark Elves, Vampires, and Greenskins) struggle in particular against the spell, while Bretonnians resist it. Whilst transformed, subjects cannot channel or cast spells, all of their magic items and other equipment temporarily stop working, and they are rendered utterly feeble save for their durability. The spell can be regularly resisted, after which the subject returns to their normal form. Mounts are unaffected.[2b]
- Curse of Thorns - The wizard causes thorns to grow inside the body of one chosen foe, wracking them with excruciating pain that reduces their abilities and that neither armour nor toughness can resist.[1j]
D[]
- Drain Life - This spell allows the Jade Wizard to drain the life fluids from a person, sucking out all the moisture and leaving a desiccated corpse. The caster attempts to touch the target with their bare hand, automatically wounding them irrespective of their resilience and armour. The target's charisma is permanently reduced and they are struck with fear as they realise what is happening to them. The spell continues until the caster is wounded, when it is instantly dispelled, but the caster can continue the spell with successive touches by using more magic.[5d]
- The Dwellers Below - The wizard summons hundreds of tiny, shrivelled earth spirits to carry their enemies away. Small hummocks rise from the ground, and in each mound a doorway opens, from which hordes of the spirits pour forth, unable to be harmed but also unable to do harm, save for in one way. The gnarled creatures clutch at the limbs of the foes with fibrous hands, their steely strong fingers tearing at their flesh at they drag them down to a claustrophobic, suffocating end, or who knows what fate. Should subjects in the area (or their mounts) lack the strength to resist, they are pulled underground and tormented in the "space between worlds" for several hours. If they are not instantly slain, targets eventually crawl out of a mound covered in soil and worms, and may be seriously corrupted. After the spell ends, the spirits flee back beneath the mounds and into the earth.[3a][9h][10]
E[]
- Earth Blood - The spell known as Earth Blood was known to have several different effects. Generally the wizard must be in direct contact with the natural earth, whether by touching it or standing barefoot. The wizard absorbs magical energy from the earth beneath them to heal themselves, allowing them to also heal other living creatures also in direct contact with the earth. One version of this spell healed more injuries the longer it was channelled, but could not be cast on another.[1j][7c][9h] In some variants of the spell, the wizard draws wholesome energies from the soil or taps into the Winds of Magic to create a charm of rebirth, imbuing the wizard and their companions with the natural resilience of the earth.[3a][10] Among the versions of Earth Blood, one particularly sticks out. The wizard sinks into the ground, becoming part of the currents of Jade Magic that flow through the earth. The wizard may drift with these currents between ten seconds and 24 hours and reappear anywhere within one mile of the starting point. The caster must state the destination and duration of time beneath the earth before sinking into the ground, and cannot change them later. While in the earth, any injuries the wizard may have are healed over the hours. This spell can only be cast and conclude on natural ground, which has not been built on or otherwise covered over by people. It will work in cultivated fields and farmland, but not in cities, buildings and any other area where the power of the earth does not flow freely.[5d]
- Earth Gate or Earthpool - The caster disappears into the earth in a wild torrent of Ghyran and violently erupts from the earth anywhere within a wide area. Both their departure and arrival points must be areas of natural earth, meaning the Druid can't cast this spell while inside a building or on a cobblestone street, for example. The spell allows movement through water, but not solid rock. Any enemies engaged after reappearance are caught off-guard.[1j][7c][9h]
- Embodiment of Ghyran - The wizard transforms themself into a treelike avatar of Ghyran, with thorny fingers and tough bark skin that allows them greater protection and damage when they attack their foes.[6a]
- The Emerald Pool - The caster melts themselves into a pool of water which is absorbed into the ground. The wizard may immediately reappear anywhere within a wide area of the starting spot, or the same distance away from any river, pool or other natural water source the wizard could see as they cast the spell. This means the wizard could move near a lake a mile away, or to an island in a river, as long as they are within sight, but not to the pond on the other side of a nearby wall.[5d]
F[]
- Father of Thorns - The wizard causes thorns and briars to burst from naked earth. Anyone affected struggles to move in the affected area, and anyone who tries to move suffers serious injury. The thorns and briars retreat back into the ground after a number of minutes, depending on the magical strength of their summoner.[1j]
- Fat of the Land - Just as animals fatten themselves up before winter, the Druid floods either themselves or another they touch with the energy of Ghyran, allowing them to feed on and store it. The subject of the spell does not need to eat for one week, though with some versions they may need to drink. In addition, they excrete a normal amount, though their feces are a verdant green. The wizard can cast this spell on themselves.[1j][7c]
- Ferment - The wizard touches an amount of liquid (enough to sustain a dozen people for a day), no matter how foul or brackish, and converts it into a mildly fermented beverage of the caster's choice (ale, beer, wine, mead, and so on). Unused liquid reverts back to its normal state in twenty-four hours.[1j]
- Flesh of Clay - The caster's skin hardens until it becomes dense like clay, doubling their strength and natural endurance at the expense of speed and alacrity.[1j]
- Flesh to Stone - The wizard transmutes their and/or their allies' mortal forms into animate, unyielding, unbreakable rock, increasing tenfold their resistance to attack at the cost of their mobility. They can still move and fight, but cannot speak and do not need to breathe, allowing them to function under water or in poison gas until the spell ends. Any who do not wish to succumb to the spell's effect can try to resist it.[3a][5d][10]
- Forest of Thorns - The wizard chooses a patch of earth and a dense thicket of sharp briars and tangled vines burst out. Anyone attempting to pass through this thicket may end up stuck, or with some lacerations. After the spell concludes, the growth remains, but loses its preternatural properties.[7c]
G[]
- The Gardener's Warcry - The Jade Wizard casts a handful of bloodseeds upon the wind, nourishing them with raw magic until angry life bursts forth, in the form of a Blood Forest.[2a]
- Geyser - The wizard causes a geyser of water to shoot up from an area of natural earth, knocking over (and out, potentially) anyone in range in a direction of the caster's choosing. After the initial burst, a small pool forms in the designated area, providing fresh water for the next hour.[1j]
- The Green Eye - The caster's eyes appear to merge momentarily into a single, glowing, green orb, which projects a beam of deadly energy. The beam is several dozen yards long and absolutely straight. Anyone within the path is hurt, and buildings, war machines, and similar constructions are even worse off. Armour offers no protection, although magical armour or protection spells that defend the entire body will reduce the damage as normal.[5d]
J[]
- The Jade Casket - Glowing green power surrounds the corpse of a single individual or creature, returns it to life, and transports it to the wizard's side. The animated corpse appears within 12 yards of the caster and is immediately restored to full health, but does not regain any equipment that has been lost or removed. The revived corpse will follow simple instructions given to it by the wizard, and will instinctively fight to protect its summoner, but is not truly alive. Although it has access to all non-magical skills it knew during its life, it cannot speak or otherwise communicate, and retains no memory of its previous life. It is merely the corpse of the deceased, animated by Jade Magic. Any corpse which has died in the last hour may be revived. Needless to say, the Cult of Morr has lobbied the emperor's representatives to have this spell classified as necromancy. Any wizard seen casting it may find themselves under careful scrutiny from the cult's witch hunters.[5e]
L[]
- Leaf Fall - The wizard conjures a swirling vortex of leaves around themselves for a number of minutes depending on their magical ability. While surrounded by the leaves they are concealed and their body becomes limber and supple as a willow branch, impairing all attempts at ranged attacks against them without hindering any they make in kind. It also reduces damage taken from falling, crushing, and blunt weapons such as clubs or hammers.[1k][9h]
- Leyfinding - Tapping into the flows of earthbound magic, the wizard receives a detailed mental map of all leylines and stone circles within range, knowledge which can aid in attempts to locate planned or natural leylines. The wizard cannot discern specific Winds of Magic from afar, but can sense each leyline's overall strength (minor or major), along with the number of waystones in every stone circle.[9h]
- Lie of the Land - Extending a hand to the ground, the wizard communes with the earth. After one minute, they acquire a detailed mental map of the local surroundings. This internal map includes only physical features, such as topography, plant cover, and water features. It includes no political borders, but a clever wizard may be able to discern the location of settlements by looking for bare ground, dug trenches, etc. Increasing the spell's range increases the time it takes to cast.[7c][9h]
- Lifebloom - Life needs little excuse to propagate, and even the casting of the simplest of spells can bring forth the full bloom of renewal, its wholesome energies reinvigorating and healing, reknitting broken bones and staunching blood loss.[3a] When Lifebloom is cast as its own spell, the wizard sends the Green Wind of Magic flooding into a blighted or desolated area or object, causing it to burst with life. This can cause a dry river to flow with water, fill a dry or polluted well with clean, fresh water, make all the crops in a planted field, vineyard or orchard immediately reach full ripeness, or leave a sick or unproductive animal healthily productive, energetic and eager (they produce milk, lay eggs, or their hides and coats become lustrous).[7d][9h]
- Living Mire - Facing a ship at sea, the wizard produces a stream of seaweed. The slimy algae surrounds the vessel, which becomes enmeshed. Whilst caught in the mire the vessel struggles to move or manoeuvre. A crew can be ordered to cut the ship free, though this becomes harder depending on the will and spellcasting ability of the wizard.[12b]
M[]
- Materialise the Living Swamp - The wizard causes marsh matter and vegetation to coalesce into the form of a Fenbeast, which obeys their orders. As the wizard channels the magic for the spell they must resist the draining of their physical strength and resilience. The spell must be cast in an area of at least heavy magical saturation, with an Arcane Fulcrum, or during a Storm of Magic. The Fenbeast will only persist for a few days depending on the wizard's willpower unless it remains in an area of increased magical power, such as a site with extreme magical saturation or amid a Storm of Magic, at which point it can remain indefinitely. When the Fenbeast's eldritch energy runs out or it is dismissed by the wizard that created it, it collapses and crumbles into rotting sludge.[2d][9b]
N[]
- Nature's Whisper - The wizard communes telepathically with minor river or tree nature spirits for a number of minutes correspondent to their charisma. To cast this spell, they must be in contact with the river or tree being questioned. Spirits' answers can be vague if questions are too complex. River spirits generally answer questions pertaining to happenings within 1 mile upstream or downstream. Trees have similar ranges of awareness within a forest. River spirits recall the last 24 hours, whereas tree spirits have memories spanning years. However, tree spirits are slow and ponderous, requiring 5 minutes or longer to answer just a single question. Spirits might request aid in exchange for information. This spell does not make them predisposed to like the caster and provides no benefits to communication with animated nature spirits, such as Naiads and Dryads.[9h]
P[]
- Paranoth's Pathway - The wizard's party moves effortlessly through forests. They gain the ability to stride through the woodlands, or have that ability improved if they already possess it themselves. Additionally, a particularly good casting allows the party to pass without trace, making it impossible to track their movements. The spell ends if the party crosses another path or harms a living tree.[9h]
- Peace - The wizard's target, whether an individual or a group, is overcome by a sense of serenity and well-being. Those suffering from fear or terror will recover instantly; any others affected by the spell will become soporific and languid -- unable to do anything at all until they muster the will to overcome the enchantment.[5d]
Q[]
- Quagmirk's Embrace - The area around the wizard becomes waterlogged, dampening both flames of mundane origin and those of Aqshy.[6a]
R[]
- Regenerate - The target gains the ability to regenerate wounds.[7d]
- Regrowth - Invoking the name of Duthandor, lord of the ancient wildshrines, the Druid infuses their fallen friends with fresh life, closing wounds and healing broken bones with supernatural speed. Champions are resurrected first and foremost, displacing the rank-and-file as needed, but the living are fully restored before any return to life.[3a]
- Rhya's Bounty - The caster's allies gain an armour of writhing vines.[6a]
- River's Whisper - The Druid communes with the nature spirit of a river for a number of minutes dependent on their magic. To cast this spell, they must be at least waist deep in the river in question. The Jade Wizard's magic and indeed a part of themselves flow into the water, allowing them to ask questions of the river. They can ask about anything that happened on or in the river over the past twenty-four hours and up to one mile up or downstream. Answers are quite general. The caster could find out, for instance, that two boats had passed downriver and that one of them was especially large, or that certain creatures or species attacked one of the boats, but not the names of the boats or their passengers, or what group the attackers came from.[1k]
S[]
- Shield of Thorns - At the Jade Wizard's command, crawling brambles and prickly gorse burst from the ground, forming a living, spiky barrier around his allies that injures any who strike at them.[3a][10]
- Skin of Bone and Bark - The wizards involved in the casting of this spell use the Wind of Ghur and a small amount of Ghyran to cause either of their skins to grow rough and hard. Created by the Wissenburg Four, this is a new form of colour magic where two Magisters combine their power to cast a single spell. While technically not illegal, several interested parties, including the Cult of Sigmar, strongly insist that it should be.[9j]
- The Spiral Stair - A misty spiral staircase carries the Jade Wizard high into the sky. The height of the staircase must be decided when the Druid casts the spell, with greater height given according to their willpower to a maximum of several hundred feet. From this vantage point in the air, the wizard can see for miles and is better defended, and their opponent will struggle to attack them, but so too will the wizard struggle to fight from that range as much as they normally would from such a distance. If the Spiral Stair is magically dispelled, or when the spell runs out, the wizard floats unharmed to the ground. Another Jade Wizard who also knows the Spiral Stair spell could climb the staircase from the ground, but the staircase is insubstantial to anyone else.[5e][9h]
- Spring Bloom - The wizard concentrates the power of life magic in one area or being. This can affect either a plot of land the size of a farmer's field or one living being of any species. A field will literally burst with life, and the next harvest is guaranteed to be abundant. If cast on a living being, conception will occur within a month if all other normal conditions (i.e. breeding) are met.[1k]
- Storm of Renewal - The wizard causes raw, magical life-energy to flow across the battlefield, mending wounds and restoring the fallen to fresh vigour. The Storm of Renewal acts similar to a Regrowth spell, save for that it randomly drifts across the battlefield restoring any it passes over. If the spell goes awry after being cast, the storm collapses in on itself and vanishes.[2a]
- Summer Heat - The wizard causes a small area to burn with the heat of summer. Those affected sweat profusely and feel incredibly fatigued, as if they had been working all day under the hot sun, reducing their general efficacy at all physical tasks.[1k]
T[]
- Throne of Vines - The Jade Wizard fashions for themself a walking throne of vine and bracken to renew and strengthen their connection with the living world, reducing the chances of a miscast and empowering their other spells.[3a]
- Track's Tale Told - The caster listens for subtle signs of earth and branch, giving them insight to any attempts to track or gain information about those who have recently passed through a wilderness area. The spell may also aid in other tasks depending on the situation and the wizard's approach. The caster may continue to follow a given track, gaining the benefits of this spell until the track crosses a man-made road or enters a cultivated or inhabited area.[1k]
- Tree-Dweller's Step - The wizard's touch imbues themselves or one other person or creature with great ability to climb and traverse natural obstacles.[1l]
- Trees' Rustle - While sitting in the boughs of a tree, the Druid converses with it, gaining knowledge of what it has seen and heard. Trees will not lie, but they are not quick of wit or speech and are unfamiliar with the reasons Men do things. Trees may not cooperate if the caster's companions are seen chopping firewood, burning campfires, or the like. They may also ask favours before answering questions or parting with dearly-held information. If the tree the Druid converses with is part of a copse, wood, or forest, it is likely to have news and information about what the other trees nearby know, for trees are constantly in conversation through their intertwined root systems about the goings-on in their wooded domains. After the hour of casting time, the Druid converses for one additional hour. However, due to the slow speed with which trees converse, it's only equal to one minute of Human speech.[1l]
V[]
- Vaunted Transmogrification of Colchis - The wizard subtly alters material properties within an area, making all individuals and surfaces non-flammable. Fires in the area are extinguished instantly and anything ablaze is put out. Portable fire sources like torches can be carried into the area, and the immunity is lost by individuals who leave the area, but nothing that was originally affected by the spell can be damaged with fire.[9h]
- Verdant Apotheosis - To a skilled practitioner of the Lore of Life, death is a temporary state -- and one to be manipulated, if the need arises. The wizard summons vast reserves of Ghyran to heal the mortally wounded, and even restore life to the recently deceased by pulling their souls back through the mortal veil. Targets slain within the last minute reawake as if from a deep sleep, and risk necromantic corruption after witnessing the realm of death. The spell cannot restore lost limbs, and a decapitated corpse is beyond saving with this spell.[2a][9h]
- Vital Growth - The Druid channels the power of Ghyran and imbues it into a living plant or seed within arm's reach, giving great vitality and prompting sudden growth. The Jade Wizard concentrates on their target, and while they continue to focus the plant grows at great speed, as though a day had passed for every few seconds spent concentrating. A season's worth of crops can thus grow in about fifteen minutes, and in an hour, a tree will show a year's growth. The target will grow to its maximum natural height, or with a particularly good casting, double, triple, or even quadruple that. If the caster concentrates too long, however, the plant may outlive its natural span and die. Plants can only grow in soil that would normally support them; an oak cannot be grown in the desert, nor will wheat grow on bare rock.[1l][9h]
W[]
- Wall of Vines - Summoning forth the Wind of Ghyran to undo the damage done to a fortress' broken walls, towers or gates, the Druid seals the breach with a thick mesh of tangled vines.[4a]
- Water Water Everywhere - The wizard gathers Ghyran from the sea, taking small amounts of water with it. Cleansed of impurities, this water flows to a ship's stores, replenishing any empty barrels of water.[12b]
- Whirlpool - The wizard pulls on the Ghyran surrounding the target area, moving it around and around. The water starts to churn, and a whirlpool forms. Under normal circumstances this is just a gentle rotation, but if overcast it can conjure a powerful vortex, a maelstrom, or even the Maelstrom, the intelligent whirlpool that pulls shipwrecks, plunder and the dead of the sea beyond the veil of the living.[12b]
- The Wilds Undisturbed - With a touch, the caster allows themselves to move through wild lands as though traversing the most finely maintained roads in the Empire and leaves no trace whatsoever of their passage. "Wild lands" includes any wilderness generally uninhabited by Men, but does not include cultivated land of any type. The spell lasts until the Jade Wizard crosses a man-made road, crosses a track or trail generally used by intelligent creatures, enters a man-made structure, cuts living wood to make a fire or shelter, or has travelled 100 miles. The caster can extend the effects of this spell to a limited number of other individuals, though they may cast this spell multiple times to affect a larger number of people.[1l]
- Winter Frost - The wizard coats everything in a wide area around them with a thick layer of frost. Anyone affected suffers injury and must be strong of will or else be rendered helpless. The frost remains for a number of minutes depending on the wizard's magical ability and drastically impedes movement through its vicinity.[1l]
- Wood Shape - The wizard transforms themselves or a willing creature (or an unwilling creature, who can try to resist) into the shape of a tree with their touch. The type of tree depends on the character of the individual, such that a melancholy person might transform into a weeping willow, while an evil-minded witch would assume the form of a black oak. The target maintains the form of a tree for a number of hours depending on the caster's magical ability. While in tree form, the target can see and hear normally, but is vulnerable to what would normally harm or kill a tree, such as fire, axes, fungus, and so on.[1m][9h]
Sources[]
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- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Battle: Rulebook (8th Edition)
- 3a: pg. 168
- 4: Warhammer: Blood in the Badlands
- 4a: pg. 81
- 5: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Realms of Sorcery (RPG)
- 6: White Dwarf 389 (UK)
- 6a: pg. 67
- 7: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
- 8: White Dwarf (December 2019)
- 8a: "Worlds of Warhammer" by Phil Kelly, pg. 9
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- 10: Total War: Warhammer III (PC Game)
- 11: Grand Cathay Lore: MORE Dragon Children Nippon, & Future DLC?
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- 13a: pg. 94
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- 14a: pg. 7
- 15: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
- 15a: pg. 146
- 16: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Archives of the Empire Vol. III (RPG)
- 16a: pg. 56
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- 17a: pg. 39
- 18: Warhammer Armies: Wood Elves (8th Edition)
- 19: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Feast of Blood
- 19a: pg. 14
- 20: Warhammer Armies: Bretonnia (6th Edition)
- 20a: pp. 76-77
- 21: Warhammer Armies: High Elves (8th Edition)
- 21a: pg. 58
- 22: White Dwarf Weekly 56
- 22a: pp. 26-27
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- 23a: pp. 71-72
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- 24a: pp. 139
- 25: Arcane Journal: Armies of Grand Cathay (Specialist Game)