The Grimmwold is a mageocracy — its rulers are exclusively mages, and while non-mages can hold positions of power they can never become a Wahrsager and lead a Weald or join the Grimm Council that rules the nation. Grimmfolk value magic incredibly highly, viewing it as a critical tool in their ability to survive within the Wold’s hostile environment. Magic to them is a weapon, a shield, a tool, and a light against the fear and darkness that surrounds them, but at the same time it also weakens the user’s mind against the ever-present influence of the Greenshadow. Any children who show signs of skill at magic are offered every opportunity to learn it if they wish, but are also carefully warned of the dangers inherent in practicing magic within the forest.
Grimmfolk are no strangers to the dark and dangerous aspects of magic. A powerful curse can be more effective at dealing with a threat than a trained squad of Dustervolk, and the ability to bind dreadful Spirits to one’s will can turn a potential threat into a valuable asset. Many Grimmfolk mages pursue this side of magic, learning whatever curses and binding spells they can in order to take the fight into the darkness and bring down the monsters that threaten those they love.
While many stories are told of those Grimmfolk who dedicate themselves to learning dreadful curses and making dark bargains, the majority of Grimmfolk mages actually focus on more beneficial magics, what they call “light magics,” those that bless, heal, repair, protect, and guide. These mages are rarely the heroes of Grimmfolk stories, as they are not the ones going out and slaying the Wulverin within the Wold, but they are a core pillar of Grimmfolk society and culture. The divination rituals used by Wahrsagers to find the best path forward for their Wealds, the rituals used by Weyrmenders to create and recharge the Felwards and Trods, the healing spells and blessing offered by Gruenvolk — all of these are critical parts of the practice of magic within Grimmwold, and such mages are highly respected for practicing their arts to the benefit of their people.
The “wilderness magics” of Dendromancy and Osteomancy are practiced in tandem in Grimmwold, with only a few exceptions. Animal bones and hides are engraved with Dendromantic runes to make magical foci, and wooden wands carved from the sacred trees are decorated with fetishes of fang, claw, and bone. There is no specific “proper” procedure for Grimmfolk to blend the two traditions; most mages tend to pick one or the other to focus on and use the trappings of the other as a supporting element in their spells and rituals.
Rune Kenning was adopted early on in Grimmwold’s history via trade and exchange of ideas with their neighbors in Iskaldur. While it isn’t widely used as a primary form of magic in the Wold, many Weyrmenders prefer to use Rune Kenning to craft their enchantments and perform their rituals, sometimes surrounding them with Dendromantic runestaves to make a multilayer enchantment or ritual circle. The ease of invoking the Elder Runes in spells also makes them somewhat popular amongst battle-mages, though they are still less popular than the Wildinzauber tradition amongst the Grimmfolk.
Sympathetic Magic is common amongst the Hexelgann and Gruenvolk who perform curses or binding rituals upon mortals or monsters within the Wold. A bit of hair, blood, or flesh (or, if such isn’t available, a depiction of the target along with its name) is used as the focus of the ritual, directing the malediction towards the target and amplifying the curse’s effects. Recently some Medwyrs have begun experimenting with a similar application of the Laws of Sympathy in their spells and rituals, adapting the Dalean use of Poppets to enhance their ability to perform healing magics.
Logomancy in Grimmwold is almost exclusively the province of Hexenvolk who have a taste for the darker magics. These mages make pacts with dreadful Spirits and even sometimes intelligent Wulverin, calling upon the names and oaths of their pact to invoke whatever powers those pacts grant them. These mages are viewed with suspicion by their fellow witches, for there’s never a true guarantee that the pacts they’ve made won’t turn around and bind them in turn. Thus, Logomancers in Grimmwold must always tread a fine line between making the darkness serve them and accidentally becoming a tool of the darkness that they thought they’d mastered.