Only clan leaders (Shaman/Shamala) and their successors can use a good chunk of Kathula magic and their potions are more effective than average because more magical properties of the potion can be activated. Also clan leaders and their successors can create more complicated potions as well because they can access more of their Kathulan magic than average.
Average Kathula typically only tap into a very small part of their magic and although they can make potions, their skills are limited.
When a clan member marries into the clan leader’s family, they will be given a share of power. If male, that will enable them to be a Shaman. If female, that will enable them to be a Shamala. This is done in case the spouse dies before the child successor is ready to take on the role as clan leader.
Let’s me break this down for you.
Successors stay within the family
In general, there are 40-100 members in each clan including babies and the elderly. A clan’s leader descends from the first leader of each clan and that leader’s family just keeps taking on the role of leader.
Kathula are very good at keeping the line of leaders within the family so rarely is there a case where a non-leader-related clan member and their family takes over the role.
The Spouse
The spouse of the clan leader can be from a non-leader-related family. “can be” because there are cases where the spouses are each others’ second cousins. Sibling marriage does not happen and neither does inbreeding.
As stated above, only the leaders and their successors (within the direct bloodline) can use a good chunk of Kathula magic. They are also expected to as well.
So the spouse, from the outside, will not have this good-chunk access. They are the average Kathula with limited skills.
Sharing of Powers
Once the leaders finds a partner and they have decided to marry, the partner would have to go through a ceremony of the sharing of powers (which includes knowledge of potion making).
Sharing does not mean breaking it into half. It’s actually more or less like copying the powers and knowledge on to the spouse.
Whose powers are being shared? The leaders’ powers. He or she will share the powers and knowledge they have to their spouse. It is an ancient ceremony involving a single spell that must be repeated like a mantra for one hour. This spell is in ancient Kathulan and only passed down orally. There is no written account of this spell.
Kathula do not have many written or oral spells as they rely on the potion’s magical properties which they activate using their Kathula magic.
Related article: Kathula – About Potions | Ancient and Modern Kathulan
Marriage
The spouse, now with all the powers and knowledge to be a leader if needed, marries the clan leader. Marriage ceremonies are very much like a short party at night. Kathula do not have a culture for marriage ceremonies like us Humans. They just have a little party and then get on with their lives.
The only special things that do happen is that the spouse will receive useful gifts from many clan families during this party (pawmade, not handmade because they don’t have hands) and children get a day off from schooling.
FOXWOOD FOREST 