Editing FANGS: Appendix D - Priest (section)

==Other Alvatian Magics==

Deep in the woods, among hermits and seldom-visited farmers, there are still some few who follow the "Way of the Path". This is a shamanistic tradition inherited from the original inhabitants of the land; followers of the Path can be maddeningly vague and ethereal when dispensing wisdom. These mystics do not have any organization; local peasants might call them "Wise Women" or men, "hermits", "crazies" or other ignorant names. There are a few strange folk deep in some mountain valleys, speaking a different language; these may be the source of this lore. (Actually, I see the shamanistic traditions coming from the original peoples of the islands, which have some survivors in the deep valleys of the mountains, and some descendents in serfdom.) 

The "Old Magic" or "hedge magic" is commonest among the peasantry; it is a non-literate, non-academic, unorganized system. The details of Old Magic vary from place to place, and are enmeshed in local custom and superstition; it is sometimes confused with the "Way of the Path" (as the Meldunic people have no fixed name for either). Much of its emphasis is on protection and healing. The Old Magic also includes much herb lore and other "folk remedies." Folk who practice this are looked down on as "rustic," or even (at times and places) condemned as heretics possessing the "Evil Eye;" the church of Saint Carmund is particularly active in this. Practitioners are known as witches, warlocks, or just "wise" women or men.