About Finland for Seasõra -LARP

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GROWING UP AS A MEMBER OF THE FINISH WIZARDING WORLD

FAMILY TREE
NAMING TRADITION
BIRTH NAME
TRUE NAME
WITCHING NAME
SCHOOL SYSTEM
COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL
VOCATIONAL SCHOOL
UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL & UNIVERSITY

HISTORY
NMT network
UKK - the president and the cult
KALEVALA

Very important witches of Finland

PLAYER CHARACTERS
TONI KORLEE
MIKKO KARI
MELINA CUNELIUS
MERI KORLEE
ANDREW OKSA
MIRIAM KORLEE
OLGA NISUMAA
ANNA UKKONEN
MIIRA OKSANEN
MIKA METSÄTÄHTI
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GROWING UP AS A MEMBER OF THE FINNISH

WIZARDING WORLD

FAMILY TREE

Almost all witches in Finland are members of the same family, either born into it, adopted,
married, or otherwise loosely belong to it. The family possesses property together, mostly
plots of land. The owner of the property changes from time to time, if the formal owner
doesn’t have a descendant or the descendant doesn’t belong to the witching world.

NAMING TRADITION

In Finland, witches and wizards have three names: birth name, true name, and witching
name.

BIRTH NAME
Birth name, or passport name, is the name the child is given at the time of the birth by their
parents and is written in official papers in the fumble world. This makes sure each witch and
wizard has their own ​Personal Identity Code as set by Finnish law and are able to be Finnish
citizens. The name is used by the witch until they go through the rite of passage and get
their given name.

TRUE NAME

Each witch and wizard gets their true name around the age of 15, around the same time as
most of their Finnish peers go on a confirmation camp. Witches never share their true names
with anyone, as the true name gives others power over the witch. The witch family sends the
youth to the “family’s summer cottage” to find their name, and most find their name after a
few weeks or trips, but some need more time and searching. During the search, the young
mage is helped and taught by a forest, water, or air spirits/sprites, or nisses/tomtes, or other
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magical spirits, and when the teacher deems their student to be ready, they are given their
true name.

WITCHING NAME
Lastly, as a rite of passage, the mage gets their witching name, but only after they have
found their true name. This is the name other mages and family use of the witch. Usually this
name describes the witch or is related to their fate or essence. This name is given to the
mage by Pohjola’s Eldest, who is the witch official, a title given to one who has hold the
office longest. The Witching Name giving is very official, yet celebratory, and the name is
written down by Pohjola’s Eldest on The Book of Names, which has names of all the witches
and wizards in Finland, both dead and alive. After getting their witching name, the youth is
recognized as a mage and given the right to vote in wizarding world matters.

SCHOOL SYSTEM

COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL
Because all mages have Finnish citizenship and are in the civil registration, all mages go
through the normal Finnish comprehensive school. However, the children are usually kept at
home before the first grade, because young children may slip out huge secrets about the
wizarding world to fumbles. Usually mage children also take part in after school program,
where they are taught magic. In most schools that have mage children also have school
assistants, who are mages. Their job is to make sure the children are safe, and that the
children don’t use magic to solve their mundane world problems.

VOCATIONAL SCHOOL
After comprehensive school, mages often go to vocational school. At that point most mages
have found their true name and are seen as adults by the mage community. Finding a job in
Finland is seen as a necessity, to keep up the veil between mundane world and wizarding
community.
In the most popular vocational schools with mages, the schools tend to have at least one
teacher or assistant who is also a mage, and can help the young mage with the struggle of
mundane life. Popular fields are carpentry, timber, jeweller, and other artisan professions, as
people rarely question the large selection of natural ingredients and parts in these
professions.

UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL & UNIVERSITY

Nowadays children of the mage community tend to follow their peers to uppers secondary
school, and then to university. With Witching Web mages finally realized the possibilities of
academic studies in modern times. “A proper job” no longer meant an artisan job, though the
community has had academians at least since the start of University of Turku.
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HISTORY

NMT network
(NMT= Noitien Muinaiset Taidot, engl trans: Ancient Ways of the Witches). In Finland, all the
larger cellular hublink towers are incorporated with huge magic wand, side of an tree, so the
witching world can use WelhoWerkko (WitchingWeb) on their cellular phones, alongside the
normal phone operations. Reason for building such network was to arm each Witching
Gifted against raising darkness from the east. 90’s was breedingground for darkforces in
Soviet Union, in form of Cult of Baba Yaga and easters occultists who followed the infernal
ways of Rasputin. Perestroika and breaking of Soviet Union was causing turmoil on the
mundane world aswell. With the NMT network, each Witching Gifted was armed with
powerful spells from who ever put them on the WW for others to use. NMT is closely
guarded secret among the Finn spellcasting community, so that the eastern powers would
not get their hands on it.

UKK - the president and the cult

A cult in Finland. Urho Kaleva Kekkonen was an almost mythical political figure in Finnish
history. He wasn’t a mage according to most witches, but there is no confirmation on those
claims. People worship UKK as the protector of Finland, and there’s even an institute in his
name.

KALEVALA
Elias Lönnrot was a witch hunter, and is followed by Order of Lönnrot. He wrote Kalevala for
the fumbles, which consists of corrupted tales of actual Finnish mage history. Witching
community had their tale as spoken and songs until in the 1960-century it was written to
protect it.

Very important witches of Finland

Oldest of the North - witch bureaucrat who is in charge of the Book of the Names
Louhi - In Kalevala ill Spoken female witch
Väinämöinen -
Tove Jansson - Wrote about moomins, protector of little creatures.
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PLAYER CHARACTERS
At least some of the characters take inspiration from Kalevala

TONI KORLEE
Tero Tampere (Tero Tampella from Tampere, but no one can pronounce it right), Man from
Kissala (place in Tampere, where local police station and finnish old police academy is
located). Finnish Sage (Magic police), and trained to be witch by the Professor. Likes to think
himself as an descendant from Joukahainen, Hero of Kalevala, and tries to follow the path of
Law and Rightfulness in anything he does.
In game, Tero is prepared to keep an lecture about the subject of “Common misconceptions
about Artiwitchery and artificery”. Tero is follower of new path of magic, that combines
mundane tech and mage-tech. Early 1990, Tero was member of TuT (Tampere University of
Technology) and had already fulfilled his Witching Trials (Witching name: Tulimieli. Engl
Trans: Firespirit/Firesoul/Flamemind/Firemind) Tero was training under Professor, to learn
artiwitchery, but only to being able to help the mundane world as well as Witching world.
This bore fruit, in form of a mind melting firestorm: NMT cellular network (NMT= Noitien
Muinaiset Taidot, engl trans: Ancient Ways of the Witches). In Finland, all the larger cellular
hublink towers are incorporated with huge magic wand, side of an tree, so the witching world
can use WelhoWerkko (WitchingWeb) on their cellular phones, alongside the normal phone
operations.

MIKKO KARI
- Professor with tenure in Brotherhood of The Finnish Wise
- Docent of Mythic Chants
- Expert of Ancient Witchery
- Magnate of Magery
- Invited to hold a lecture: “Use of Alternative Foci in Ancient Witchery”
- Friendship Ambassador of the Order of The Wise
- Descendant of Väinämöinen

MELINA CUNELIUS

Taiga, a student
Last years in training and studying. She's annoyed with and worried about all the
expectations on her shoulders, especially as the family would like to have Taiga to take over
on knowing and keeping old magic alive, to dedicate her life to the cause, but Taiga is
interested in learning newer forms of magic. Taiga has a crush on Kajo, but is oblivious to
the mutuality of the feeling.
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MERI KORLEE
- a student, Taru Joki

Taru is a 14 year old who has grown up in Tampere. They are interested in potions and
magical creatures. They are a bit quirky scientist. They have found their true name but didn't
have time to go register. They/ them pronouns .

ANDREW OKSA

Aarnivalkea (known to the non-magic world as Joosua) was born and raised in Helsinki.
Nearing his twenties, he is expected to proceed with his studies to finalize them and follow in
his father's footsteps in becoming a potions master. He was joyous to hear of the chance to
visit and study in Estonia - something that hasn't been a possibility in the past century!
Without batting an eye, he packed his bottles and herbs to join the group with the blessing of
his cousin, Suoyrtti, a witch working for the Oldest of the North. Aarnivalkea (or Aarni, as his
close friends might call him) has a carefree personality, even when he has big shoes to fill.
He is a daydreamer who gets along well with witches his age, but adults still keep him on his
toes.

Even though he still lives in Helsinki, he has spent all his summers at a cabin in the woods,
studying different fauna and flora, not to mention magical creatures; what little he's been
able to see by now. He successfully retrieved his true name during his first travel - most
likely because it took the entire summer, nearing two months. That's probably the only event
he's ever been able to concentrate so fully on studying and succeeding, instead of
wandering and watching the wonders around him.
Lately he's been focused on finding a recipe for a potion many have deemed impossible;
rumors are he's after creating liquid luck. Those that know him well, believe it's for a certain
someone, but that doesn't make him any more likely to find what he's looking for.

MIRIAM KORLEE
- witch bureaucrat, Suoyrtti, miss Camilla Hammarsten
There is a growing pressure in Finland to establish a own school. The current system, where
children and teenagers are mostly learning witchcraft by extracurricular classes and
hobby-type activities, has developed a rival. Of Course there has always been people going
overseas etc for universities, but nowadays puplick wants to explore the possibility of a own
boarding school or at least a real school in the Helsinki area. Also government funding would
be asked, like other private schools in Finland. Suoyrtti has come to Seasõra to get to now
how things are done here, in close proximity.
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Suoyrtti was born in Helsinki area as a only child of her family and first of her cousins. Mostly
old soul and interested how things are supposed to do that how it is wise to do.

OLGA NISUMAA
- Alho, Student

Alho lives in Northern Finland, he moved there after school to study shamanism, which has
always fascinated him. Alho has lived several years now between Finland, Sweden and
Norway traveling around with sami people and reindeers. Alho uses his drum to magic with
his magic wand and he always tries to learn more and new ways to use magic. Spending
several years almost as a hermit Alho might have changed a bit. Those who knows him
before he left to the North from Helsinki might see the difference - he is more calm and
somehow reserved, although he still laughs and make jokes time to time. It is unclear if the
change is good or bad, that’s something people haven’t figured out yet.

Alho appears take care of his appearance after he came back from North. He have the very
best clothes and he surely take care of his stuff. He does not let anyone else touch his drum,
which he brought back from the North. He does not talk about the drum - if someone asks
where it is from he just stares and tells people that the drum comes from the shadow world.
Alho doesn’t talk much his journeys in North, but he surely has studied magic over there a
lot. Alho doesn’t talk about his family much, but he knows that Family means everything.

Noh he lives at Helsinki for a while (like less than a year) and all he say about the North is
that there one can truly find themselves.

ANNA UKKONEN
- Kajo, Student

Everyone has been telling Kajo that he’s not the sharpest pencil in the case through his life.
His family was full of perfectly capable wizards and witches but he had to go through the rite
of passage with a spirit couple of times - five exactly, much to his mother’s displease. Finally
Kajo got his name on a cold and bright morning in February after having spent a week in a
forest with an old spirit of a pine tree. The fact that the name took so long gave a lot of
material for gossips and doubts for the family and friends. Maybe Kajo was too weak to be a
wizard?

Bad luck has been following Kajo later on in life too. It’s not too unusual for him to lose his
wand, be in a wrong place at a wrong time, go along with the stupidest plans just because
‘his friends do that too’ and so on.
Also a more recent misfortune in Kajos family has caused him some stress. His mother and
some friends of her broke the laws of Finnish magic society and tried to reveal the magic to
mundis, the non-magical folk in Finland. Naturally this led to the imprisonment of the whole
group. Luckily there were no casualties.
This is why an officer of the magical police forces has been following Kajo ever since. The
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society doesn’t want to take a risk that Kajo would follow his mother’s footsteps.

Kajo is a daydreamer who is interested in many different levels and uses of magic. His
training is soon over but he hasn’t thought the one thing to specialize in. There are way too
many possibilities in magic, how could he choose! The doubts of his family have made him
question himself over the years, so deep inside Kajo doesn’t think he is qualified to choose
or do anything. Also having an officer breathing down his neck because he might become a
threat to the society doesn’t really help the situation.

There are, however, some bright things in his life too. Kajo has developed a small crush to
Taiga.

MIIRA OKSANEN
- ( no information available at this time… waiting to hear from the player )

MIKA METSÄTÄHTI
Vilho is a 40-year old eccentric entrepreneur. He doesn't enjoy the most credibility among
the Finnish witches, since his main interest is how to implement clothing accessories to aid
in spellery – which is rarely that functional... or even functioning, at times. Luckily his
experiments with patterns and designs have been successful in the mundane business. He
is quite passionate about hat magic and neckties.

Vilho also owns a house in Mynämäki. Some of his relative witches like to dump their kids on
him, especially during the summer. The older kids don't mind this too much, since even
though the place is somewhat remote, uncle Vilho isn't particularly strict about anything. The
kids' parents, on the other hand, usually find out that their children have picked up some
absolutely absurd antics during the time... It happens that Vilho tends to think aloud,
completely clueless to the fact that someone listening might put his wacky theories in
practice.