Winds of the Forelands

"The Winds of the Forelands" is a five-book fantasy series written by American author David B. Coe.

Qirsi People

The Qirsi are a magical race of people, each individual possessing at least one of seven different magics: gleaning, fire, healing, mists and winds, shaping, language of beasts, and mind-bending. The magics which are considered deeper are those which are more rare: mists and winds, shaping, language of beasts, and mind-bending. Very rarely, a Qirsi will possess every single one of these magics. These are known as Weavers.

The Qirsi's skin is so light as to be almost translucent, their hair is white, and their eyes are varying shades of yellow. They can be very frail. Qirsi women are especially frail, and as such, unions between Qirsi women and Eandi men are forbidden in much of the Forelands. The women tend to die in childbirth when bearing the child of an Eandi man.

As with anything, a Qirsi's magic comes at a cost. With every bit of magic done, a small fraction of the Qirsi's life force is depleted. As such, younger Qirsi are able to perform stronger magic than are the elderly. For this reason, a Qirsi's lifespan is much shorter than that of the Eandi, being only around forty years' expectancy. [Rules of Ascension]

Magic Powers

Gleaning

The most common magic among the Qirsi is what is known as gleaning. This magic allows the Qirsi to get a glimpse of the future, either through dreams, or using a special gleaning stone. The gleaning stone is used during festivals to prophetize the futures for both 12 and 16-year-olds. The twelve-year mark is generally when children are given a path to follow, be it smithing, farming, or another trade. The sixteen-year gleaning is much more ambiguous, as it is a "true" gleaning, rather than being guided by the Qirsi Gleaner. It can show happiness, nobility, or even death.

Fire

With the power of fire, a Qirsi is able to call forth a fire at will. If he possesses healing as well, he is able to hold a flame in the palm of his hand without being harmed.

Healing

With this power, a Qirsi is able to get rid of bruises, heal wounds, and mend bones. The greater the injury, the more taxing it is upon the Qirsi.

Mists and Winds

Mists and winds allows a Qirsi to call forth something as simple as a gentle breeze, to a gale-force wind, depending upon the strength of the user. Related, they can also call up a "mist", or a fog, which is extremely useful on a battle-field. This is considered a deeper magic.

haping

Considered a deeper magic, shaping allows a Qirsi to shatter steel, crack wood, or even break bones. With precision, a shaper can cut stone to exact blocks if desired, although this requires much more effort than simply shattering a blade.

Language of Beasts

Once again, this is a deeper magic, which few Qirsi possess. With it, one can speak to animals and control them. This is very useful on the battlefield, if the enemy is mounted upon horses. The only drawback is that the Qirsi has to be fairly close to the animal to have any effect.

Mind Bending

With this very rare power, a Qirsi is able to control the mind of another. It is much easier to affect the mind of an Eandi who has no idea the Qirsi has this power. The sorcerer is able to make the victim do things they otherwise would not have, or can probe their mind for information. However, this can be very painful, and sometimes life-altering, if the Qirsi pushes them too far.

Weavers

Weavers are extremely rare. Not only do they possess all of the above listed magics, they have the ability to weave together the powers of other Qirsi with theirs. With that, they can create blazing fires, topple fortresses, or create hurricane-force winds with only a small amount of effort. In addition to this, they have the ability to "walk" into other Qirsi's dreams, and even take hold of that Qirsi's magic and use it against them. Within the dream, the victim can either be harmed with their healing or shaping magic, or they can feel the soft caress of a lover.

Because of their strength and abilities, all weavers have been eradicated from the land once they are known. Their families were also killed due to the fear which is instilled in the Eandi.

Eandi People

The Eandi people are the nobles of the Forelands. They have peach-colored skin, and any colored hair or eyes. They possess no magical abilities. However, they make up for it by being physically stronger and more robust than their Qirsi counterparts. The Qirsi serve as ministers, or advisors, in the courts. A single duke can have numerous Qirsi serving him. A king is known to have a single archminister, with several ministers underneath.

References