Familiar

Familiars, or familiar spirits, are spiritual counterparts belonging to most beings with a soul, including - but certainly not limited to - Men, Elves, and Dwarves.

Nature & Appearance

Familiars exist within the Spirit Realm, a world parallel to Midgard, existing in tandem with the world of mortals. Every mortal soul in Midgard has a familiar counterpart in the spirit realm. They are connected with someone's soul from the moment that person is born, and they share their "master's" exact personality and feelings, and the familiar can always hear the thoughts of their counterpart in the mortal realm, even when they are not present.

The familiar is not named or commanded by its mortal master; they have their own names and follow their own orders. The familiar and their "master" (a rather inaccurate term, but one most often used, nonetheless) are equals, and the familiar chooses whether or not to obey and whether it will come when summoned.

All familiars take the form of an ordinary animal, not a magical creature or anything humanoid, that reflects elements of the personality found in their "masters," or their counterparts in the mortal world. Thus, familiars range in size and shape from the smallest beetle to the largest tiger, depending upon both where their "master" is from (familiars only take the shape of an animal native to the region of their mortal counterpart; for instance, a Nordling would never have a tiger familiar), and depending upon the behavior and character of their "master."

The wisest of shamans can read an individual and know their familiar spirit well before that familiar is summoned, if it ever is. Knowing someone's familiar spirit is essentially receiving a look into their true character, the very makeup of their soul, and it can be unmatched in terms of finding someone's true nature. For instance, if someone who seems trustworthy has a vulture for a familiar, it may be time to reassess their character. However, it is also true that many familiars are terribly misjudged, and thus one should only trust a knowledgeable shaman to interpret whether someone having a rat familiar means they are intelligent and enduring, or if they are a cowardly betrayer, or possibly both.

Summoning

Anchors

Many individuals who summon their familiar spirit enchant certain items to become anchors for their familiar. Most anything can be made into a familiar's anchor. Using the anchor, the "master" can summon or unsummon their familiar spirit at will - though, of course, the familiar still needs to be willing to answer that call.