Solace of Chimes

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual is most effective when used on a tent or room, where the location aura automatically expands to fill the interior space. If the ritual is performed in an open area, then the space must be clearly defined and no more than 40' across at most. It must be absolutely clear to anyone whether they are inside an enchanted area or not. If for any reason the boundaries shift or move significantly, then the enchantment collapses prematurely.

This ritual is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time. This is also a location aura. A target may only be under the effect of one aura at a time.

Effects

This ritual enchants an area with a potent aura. Anyone who enters the area becomes aware of (and subject to) the aura, and experiences a powerful roleplaying effect: they feel calm, relaxed and focused; they find meditation and rational discussion preferable to physical action. All emotions and pressing concerns are muted; physical action and behaving in an impassioned way are both tiring. Violence requires a major effort of will.

The Solace of Chimes can provide a source of supernatural strength to anyone in the area, allowing them to overcome an unwanted roleplaying effect. This ability requires the character to roleplay being calm and focused, and to remain in the area. If they leave, the unwanted roleplaying effect returns assuming it has any duration left.

A character who engages in at least fifteen minutes of relaxed, focused roleplaying in this location aura recovers all lost personal mana. There is no effect if the character is on a battlefield or in a similar stressful environment. If the character makes or suffers an attack during this time, or spends any personal mana, then the fifteen minutes is interrupted and must be begun again from scratch. This magic is not sufficient to allow recovery of personal mana to any character who is under an effect that prevents recovery of mana overnight - most obviously, it will not help someone who is under the effect of Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt or similar curses.

This enchantment is a location aura, similar to that created using the consecration ceremony. A location can only be under one aura at a time. This ritual will replace any standard location aura (including those created by similar rituals), but is not powerful enough to remove a strong location aura . Likewise, any consecration can replace (or remove) this enchantment. A detect magic spell performed in the area determines the realm and magnitude of the effect. The insight skill will not detect any spiritual element to the enchantment.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

This ritual creates an enchanted aura that evokes feelings of calm focus and mental clarity, similar to those that surround some eternals of the Day realm. It is commonly used to prepare areas that encourage relaxation and quiet discussion. Some Urizen spires have an area set aside specifically for the use of this ritual - and a rare few have expended the expensive resources needed to create a permanent aura in a library or meditation chamber. Many merrow find such enchanted areas especially appealing - not least because of their effectiveness at convincing more boisterous companions to settle down a little and become easier to deal with.

Such persistent enchantments are almost always performed inside a building rather than in a tent or other fragile structure - simply because it is too easy to cause the enchantment to collapse by shifting the boundaries of the aura. Magicians theorize that an ilium-infused enchantment such as this would be especially strong. They speculate that in addition to the usual resistance to replacing such an enchantment with an enchantment not also infused with ilium, removing or replacing the aura with the consecration ceremony would only work if the priests involved used true liao. The reticence of the Synod to "waste" true liao on magical experimentation has meant that there is no definitive proof either way.

Some doctors and healers find the ritual useful for treating patients who are in a great deal of pain or have terminal illnesses - the quiet and calm created in the aura can also be a boon to convalescence.

There have always been priests who are skeptical of this enchantment, and those like it. They claim that it somehow invokes a false virtue, or even a malign spiritual presence. However such claims are often dismissed by scholars of magic. Magicians of the Sevenfold Path have demonstrated more than once that while consecrations and enchantments such as these share some similarities, they are different on a profound level. In practice, most priests see The Solace of Chimes much as they would any other enchantment - it is just something that influences the minds of mortals, through magic. It may be a useful tool, or a test for the faithful, but the context in which it is encountered is the most important thing. More than one priest on the path of Wisdom or even Vigilance has seen the value in such auras, and the clarity of thought they encourage.

The ritual is known and used by people across the world by many different names. Imperial magicians speculate that it should be possible to create similar enchantments in the Summer, Spring, and even Winter realms although no such rituals are currently part of Imperial lore.

Common Elements

This ritual is designed to create feelings of calm and inspire meditation. It is often performed with soothing music, especially the sound of wind-chimes. Soothing incense is often burnt, and where possible the area is dressed in neutral colours and decorated with patterns designed to help focus the mind (mandalas, depictions of the runes of Day and so on). Crystals, mirrors and other reflective surfaces are often scattered around the area. Invocations are almost invariably performed in quiet voices, and may involve participants sitting and staying as still as possible.

The area is often dressed in ways that highlight and reinforce the culture of the nation to which the ritualist belongs. A Highguard Magister performing this ritual is likely to ensure that there is a suitable vessel for washing the hands and face. A Navarr vate is likely to decorate the area with complex, swirling designs that can be studied and followed during meditation.

The rune Cavul is almost always evoked with this ritual.