Echoes Sneak Peek: Shield-Weavers

Note: This sneak peek was provided in the Winter 2026 newsletter.

A shield-weaver is a type of Breathless magic user who can create a shield of inaudible vibrations.

While this shield cannot block a thrusting bone-spear, it can obstruct a range of frequencies—an invaluable tool among people who rely heavily sound magic.  

Concealment from Aurae

The Breathless have an adaptation called auralocation that allows them to navigate in the dark using vibrations (for more information, see this blog post). They form an aural map by emitting supersonic vibrations (from their aurae) and catching those that bounce back (with their scales).

A shield gets in the way of these aural vibrations, blurring the observer’s aural map. In the sun-drenched shallows, where there’s enough light to see, such a shield has little impact. But in the dark tunnels of Ristaborg, where they rely on their aurae to navigate, this shield renders the weaver—and those at their side—nearly invisible.

The downside? A shield also affects the shield-weaver’s aural map, forcing them to move at a sea-snail’s pace, or not at all.

Resistance to Mood-Weaver Influence

A mood-weaver can influence the emotions of others with their voice (for more information, see this blog post). But a shield can strip away that influential frequency before it reaches the shielded one’s ears.

For the most part, Ristaborg’s mood-weavers adhere to the strict rules regarding the use of their voice. But due to a few unfortunate historical incidents, the city’s matriarchs—the Six Daughters of the Waves—often surround themselves with shield-weavers at public gatherings.