Mark of Ownership

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets an object which must be bonded to a character. Both the item and the character it is bonded to must be present throughout.

Effects

This ritual places an enduring magical mark on the item containing the name and face of the character that the item is bonded to. A detect magic spell cast on the item reveals that it is the 'property' of that character in addition to other information.

If an item is bonded to more than one person, the mark can identify it as belonging to a banner, coven or sect, or a member of that band, at the discretion of the ritualist.

Rituals and effects that obscure information about bonds or auras, such as Masque of the Blinded Weaver, will obscure the mark of ownership from lower-magnitude divinations.

An item may be under multiple mark of ownership effects, in which case they are revealed in the order in which they were created.

The mark of ownership lasts as long as the object retains its magical qualities and is capable of being bonded to a character.

Description

This ritual is effective when performed on an item that might be stolen. It makes it difficult for thieves to fence their stolen goods, and more likely that a stolen item will be returned to them if it is recovered by Imperial Law. While the mark can be obscured, it is virtually impossible to remove.

Some ritualists offer the use of Mark of Ownership to anyone for whom they perform the create bond spell, as do some magician-artisans. This increases the price of the bond, often dramatically, but is often described as offering extra insurance that the item will be returned to them if stolen.

Some artisans have the ritual performed on their behalf when they complete a masterwork item of which they are especially proud. It is also common for someone who has gained the use of a powerful item through an Imperial position (such as the staff of an archmage to have this ritual cast on the object at the start of their tenure. It should go without saying that it is very common to have this ritual performed on an artefact, and a particularly old item may accrue a number of these marks as it passes from hand to hand.

Common Elements

During the ritual the item and its owner are usually marked in some identical way to help reinforce the idea of ownership. A drop of blood from the owner might be smeared on the item. identical runes or symbols (especially the rune of wealth and symbols of Prosperity or Loyalty) might be painted on both owner and item. In The Marches especially, the target of the ritual is often encouraged to deliver a loud statement of ownership and a challenge to thieves, reinforcing the idea of 'what's mine is mine.'