Cursers
Cursers are the foulest of the foul in the world of magic in Aserra. Not even necromancers in their greatest and worst could compare to the foulness of the Curser line of magi. Curse magic is generally taboo in the magic circles of Aserra, due to the repercussions involved, though there are many forms of curses and their usage, from common curses uttered in anger by the common person to the carefully honed curses of the Priests of Darkness, the actual class of Cursers stands alone, both in style and vileness.
Many theories speculate on the Cursers’ origins. Some state that a fallen god or goddess became the first Curser, and their spite is what carried their foul art through ages of misery. Another thought is that the Cursers were born of a god-cursed woman, and the first generation born of that woman wanted reprieve from their curse, and thusly learned the most foul art to protect themselves from their original curse. Though either could be true, the origins of Cursers remains a mystery. Their origins, like their art, remains clouded in mystique, foul magics, and even fouler people.
The Cursers began at some point as a familial cabal, and after that, only the few who could dare become something quite so foul sought to join their ranks, which was rare. The Cursers were, and still are, an extremely cautious people. They obscure their movements, their arts, and their locations with foul magic that not even the gods dare pierce or face their curses themselves. Cursers can and will curse anything that dares impede on their privacy. Once every quarter of the year, the heads of the Curser cabals come together for a sort of mass where they compare their various “fortunes” that they have gained; it is a forum for bragging where the Cursers speak of their foulest deeds.
Cursers usually practice their craft by commission; meaning that if someone is desperate or despicable enough to require the services of a carefully honed curse, they can arrange it with a local cabal, often for a large sum of money. Cursers, of course, will readily curse in vengeance for any number of slights, but to hone their skills, they may simply look for a reason to curse someone. Someone bumping their shoulder on the street, a meal prepared not quite to their liking, a glance, or a misunderstood statement could all be considered curse-worthy by a Curser who is looking for a bit of practice.
A curse is cast by ritual, which involves an utterance of words, accompanied by sigils and icons and various paraphernalia, but most notably, a curse puppet. The curse puppet is a person—usually some unfortunate soul who has been snatched up or lured by the cabal, or provided by their patron—whose entire purpose is to absorb the rebounding curse and suffer the consequences of the rule of threefold which plagues Cursers of all forms. Curse puppets suffer horribly, especially considering how complex and vile the curses can be. Blood is also an important part of the ritual, and there is usually a bowl of blood from both the Cursers and the curse puppet, but predominantly from the latter. When the curse is cast, the puppet is either held above or laid under the sigil or icons. A curse also generally requires a component of the victim; a lock of hair or other body part, a familiar item, a bit of grass or soil from a region, or some important item to a bloodline.
