Magic, Spirits, and Mysteries
Winds and Half-Winds
Winds and Half-Winds are the main forces of positivity and negativity in Asken belief. The four cardinal Winds – North, South, West, and East – are praised and lauded, whereas the Half-Winds – Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast – are seen as bad omens.
Folk who can interpret and shape the Winds are called windvoices and they are often employed on larger ships for their skills. They use portable tools called windvoice wheels to gauge storms approaching. A "boatmaster" is someone who is both a windvoice and the captain of a ship.
Winds and Half-Winds are a large part of everyday life in Braided Shore and, as such, they are part of everyday conversation as well – the words “Wind” and “Half-Wind” are used for both positive and negative emphasis.
