(Created page with "==Rules== {{Season|Spring|60}} ===Performing the Ritual=== {{Casting time|10}} During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Spring regio. This ritual targets a territory,...")
 
mNo edit summary
 
(24 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Interdicted|ritual|[[381YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_sessions|Autumn 381YE]]}}
==Rules==
==Rules==
{{Season|Spring|60}}
{{Season|Spring|60}}
===Performing the Ritual===
===Performing the Ritual===
{{Casting time|10}} During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Spring regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.
{{Casting time|10}} {{Imperial Reduction}}
During the performance of the ritual the casters must name a region within the target territory which has the rugged or hills keyword.  
 
{{Regio|Spring}} {{Target Territory}}
 
During the performance of the ritual the casters must name a [[Territory#Regions|region]] within the target territory which has the ''rugged'' or ''hills'' quality.  
 
{{Curse}}
{{Curse}}
{{CaptionedImage|file=SwampGas.jpg|caption=This ritual brings a choking death to those who cannot escape the fumes.|align=right|width=500}}


===Effects===
===Effects===
Over the coming season, the target fortification is repaired, restoring 250 points of its effective strength. This is in addition to any other [[Fortification#Repair|repair]] the fortification receives.
The ritual affects a single [[territory]]. Over the course of the next few days a powerful [[curse]] settles over the area. The ground shakes and the earth cracks, releasing hot, sulphurous gasses from beneath the ground. These cracks are more likely to appear near large concentrations of people, especially [[Imperial army|campaign armies]].
 
Following the ritual, 500 [[Campaign_outcome#Casualties|casualties]] are spread out over all campaign armies and fortifications in the territory. An [[Imperial army|army]] will not benefit from [[Casualties#Natural_Resupply|natural resupply]] if they end their movement in this territory.
 
[[Fortification|Fortifications]] are less impacted by this effect, and thus casualties inflicted on fortifications are decreased by 20%.
 
Any [[farm]] based in the target territory has its production reduced by 72 rings for the coming season, while each [[mine]] and [[forest]] produces four fewer ingots or measures of its base type.
 
{{Territory Effects}} Given the curse causes earth tremors, and unleashes deadly poisonous vapours from beneath the ground, the population of a territory will certainly be affected by this ritual. Casualties are inevitable. Numbers are likely to be related both to population concentration (there'll likely be fewer deaths in territories where the population is spread out than in one where it is concentrated in one or two areas), and the terrain (more hills and mountains, or more people living in hills and mountains, will likely mean more deaths). Even where people don't die, they are likely to become sick, or have their homes damaged. Once the nature of the curse becomes clear, people are likely to become afraid, and may try and move away from threatened areas. [[Sinecure|Sinecures]] and [[ministry|ministries]], especially those that deal with agriculture, forest resources, or mining, may also be impacted by the curse.


{{Season Duration}}
{{Season Duration}}


===Additional Magnitude===
===Options===
The magnitude of this ritual can be increased to provide more extensive repairs. Every two magnitudes repairs an additional 10 strength.
{{Ritual Substitution|[[Materials#Beggar's Lye|beggar's lye]]|measures}}
 
==Description==
This ritual was developed at the [[Madruga#The_Lyceum|Lyceum]] under the auspices of [[Dean_of_the_Lyceum|Dean]] Simargl of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash, and completed shortly before the Spring Equinox 381YE. The original design was undertaken by the well-travelled [[Urizen]], Mercurio Ankarien.
 
During the process of [[Dean_of_the_Lyceum#Guiding_the_magicians_of_the_Lyceum|concluding the formulation]], there were additional opportunities to project the likely results of performing the ritual. The potential danger to civilian populations was outlined, as was the likely effect on farms in the area. The fact that the cracks created by the curse are more likely to appear around concentrations of people than not was also determined. There were some questions about the ethical implications of unleashing unrestrained clouds of poison gas, but on the whole, the magicians working on the ritual focused primarily on the theoretical underpinnings and on solving magical problems with shaping the magic effectively.


===Option===
The tremors the curse causes are dangerous, certainly, but they are the harbinger of destruction rather than the cause of it. They are unlikely to open under structures – the larger the structure the less likely they are to appear close to it. The focus of the ritual is on killing living creatures, not on destroying structures. Cracks will open in the ground in different places at different times over the season, releasing their lethal bounty of choking air. The more armies and fortifications there are in an area, the less each one suffers from the effect of the curse. As a consequence of the way the ritual is designed, the fewer the number of armies there are in the area, the fewer cracks open and the less widespread the foul air becomes. The number of civilian casualties is likely to be tied to the number of armies in the territory.
{{Ritual Substitution|[[Materials#Ambergelt|ambergelt]]|measures}}


==Description==
This ritual does not draw on the power of an [[eternal]], nor does it draw spirits from the Spring realm. Rather, it creates a conduit between pockets of naturally occurring foul air that lies beneath the earth. Many miners are familiar with the concept of firedamp and similar choking or flammable gases. Those with experience of volcanos, in particular, know that there are winds in the earth that are inimical to life on the surface.
This ritual was first codified during the reign of [[Empress Brannan]] by the (in)famous [[Dean of the Lyceum]] Callus Strategos. While it was not entered into [[Imperial_lore#Imperial_Lore_and_the_Ritual_List|Imperial lore]], it was included in his personal memoirs, the book "''Meditations''" which recently resurfaced in the Empire. The current owner of the book, Silvio de Tassato, offered the ritual to the Empire as "''a virtuous display of Prosperity. by a penitent soul eager to be accepted back into the Way.''" The [[Declaration#Declaration of Imperial Lore|Declaration]] to enter the ritual into Imperial lore was raised by the [[Master_of_Ice_and_Darkness|Master of Ice and Darkness]], Luke of the Shattered Tower, during the Winter Solstice 380YE, and the funds provided by the [[Highguard|Highborn]] Roman of Reumah's Redoubt, and Asael of Cantiarch's Hold.


This ritual takes its name from the [[Brilliant Shore]], a great white granite quarry in [[Skarsind]]. It repairs the walls of a [[fortification]] or castle. At the same time it smooths over imperfections, as well as the slow damage exposure to the elements can wreak, and if sufficient power is invested it will leave the structure looking as if it had just been completed. The ritual allows sufficiently powerful magicians to quickly repair a damaged fortification, from a distance if need be, and to use crystal mana (or [[Materials#Ambergelt|ambergelt]]) in place of wains of white granite or weirwood.
The [[curse]] opens these conduits, allowing the volatile gases deep in the earth to spew out. Rather than being flammable, these stinking clouds choke and strangle living creatures. Humans and orcs are not the only beings affected – birds, animals, and plants are all affected to some degree. Trees wither and die, as do crops in the field, and even the grass itself where the destructive poison touches. Standing water in the area may be poisoned as well, killing fish and aquatic plants with equal facility. Where one of these cracks opens, the land is marked with death.


The biggest restriction on performing the ritual is the requirement that it be performed in a [[regio]]. While it can be performed at the [[Regio#The_Imperial_Regio|Imperial Regio]] at [[Casinea#Anvil|Anvil]], this is of no help if the fortification that is to be repaired is not in an Imperial [[territory]]. For example, at the time the ritual was put into Imperial Lore it could not be used to repair the [[The_Barrens#Towers_of_the_Dawn|Towers of the Dawn]] without physically visiting a Summer regio in [[the Barrens]], as [[The Barrens#Dawnguard|Dawnguard]] where the castle stands is in a territory the Empire does not control.
It is possible to avoid the worst effects of this killing cloud by moving quickly out of the area. Anyone who is unable to physically escape the poisonous air, like the wounded, penned animals, the young, and the physically infirm, are much more likely to succumb to the choking death.  


During the ritual, the coven must clearly indicate the fortification they wish to affect – the name of the target, and both the territory and region it occupies, are the bare minimum required.
The poison gas is quite dense and moves only slowly except in particularly strong winds which may cause the clouds to dissipate more quickly. Rain may also dissipate the clouds, but unfortunately, this will actually spread the poison a little wider – albeit more slowly – by causing it to sink into the surface soil or form poisonous puddles.


The magic is not instantaneous; it may take several days or even weeks to complete the repairs, depending on the size of the target fortification. The more damaged the fortification is before the ritual is cast, the longer it takes. Regardless of how much restoration is to take place, performing the ritual on a fortification that is at less than half it's normal strength often leaves the ritualists physically exhausted – as if they had engaged in a full day of hard labour in the hot sun.  
Even those who act quickly may not entirely avoid the effects – some exposed to the gas will be envenomed, making them more likely to [[Calls#VENOM|succumb to injuries]] they sustain shortly afterwards.


According to the book ''Meditations'' from which the ritual text was taken, the [[eternal]] [[Meraud]] offered some assistance in the creation of the ritual. The majority of the design was done by Cassidio von Holberg and Elspeth Grigori daughter of Rebecca, but some of the inspiration for drawing on ambergelt to provide a temporary seal to damaged stonework came directly from the Summer Mage.
Finally, the ability to spread panic should not be underestimated – an army whose flank is scattering to avoid the threat of a spreading cloud of sulphurous venom is much more vulnerable to attacks from an organised force.


Some magicians, however, have reported that the performance of this ritual may occasionally call up "''strange little lizard people, who call themselves koboldi''" although until recently the Empire had little more than hearsay to go on. When a similar ritual was used to help restore the beleaguered [[Astolat#Castle of Thorns|Castle of Thorns]], a workforce of creatures dedicated to the eternal [[Adamant]] arrived to help [[A_job_worth_doing|restore the structure]]. While the ritual does not directly draw on Adamant's power, it appears that the magic sometimes results in the appearance of his heralds who work quickly and earnestly to repair the fortification.
One word of caution regarding this ritual relates to performing it in territories where there are cities – in the Empire this would likely include [[the League]] [[The_League_territories|territories]], [[Madruga]] (site of [[Madruga#Siroc|Siroc]]), [[Mitwold]] (site of [[Mitwold#Mead|Mead]]), [[Bastion]] (site of the [[Bastion#Bastion.2C_the_White_City|White City]]), and potentially also [[Hahnmark]] (site of [[Hahnmark#Kalpaheim|Kalpaheim]]). The intense concentration of people in these areas is likely to attract several poison-spewing cracks, and the confined nature of these environments, may potentially cause increased loss of civilian life.
{{CaptionedImage|file=Mountain Remembers.png|caption=The trembling earth and gaping cracks portend worse to come.|align=left|width=600}}


==Common Elements==
==Common Elements==
Performance often uses images of physical labour, rather than the more martial images familiar from other Summer rituals. The use of hammers, picks or other stoneworking or mining tools resonates with this ritual, and there are some historical notes that the ritual was performed with one or more ritualists taking on the role of a “supervisor” and the other ritualists playing the role of workers or labourers.  
A map of the target territory is often a focus for performing this ritual. A physical map may be burned, or buried under ash or dust, or washed away with beggar's lye. A map drawn or traced on the ground may be damaged in a way to suggest cracks opening in the ground.  
 
The original ritual, as heavily guided by the Dean, is intended to remind the mountains and hills of the territory of their youth – when the world was young. He recommends that the ritual be accompanied by pounding drums (perhaps in the [[the Brass Coast|Freeborn]] style), with wild dancing (especially fire dancing), and loud ululations from all who are present. By recalling this primordial time, the earth can be persuaded to let loose its poison breath. Several [[Varushka|Varushkan]] and [[Wintermark]] magicians familiar with [[Otkodov]] comment that there are elements in the ritual that remind them of stories they have heard of the [[Thule]] territory of [[Otkodov#Nithoggir|Nithoggir]].


References to the enduring power of the mountains – or the [[astronomancy|astronomantic]] constellation of [[the Mountain]] itself - resonate strongly with its performance. The rune [[Verys]], which represents strength, is another obvious component to use. In a [[dramaturgy|dramaturgical]] context, [[the Bishop]] or [[the Captain]] would both be appropriate [[Dramaturgy#The Personae|Personae]] to use.
The rune [[Mawrig]] is commonly used during this ritual. The [[astronomancy|astronomantic]] sign of [[the Drowned Man]], or possibly [[the Wanderer]]. Destructive legendary beasts – [[Legendary_beasts#Dragons.2C_Wyverns_and_Wyrms|dragons]], [[Legendary_beasts#Sphinxes_and_Manticores|manticores]], and even [[Mundane_beasts#Kraken|kraken]] – resonate with the ritual. A [[Aspect_magic#Goetia|goetic]] might call on [[Siakha]], the devouring shark-eternal whose resonance is unrestrained destruction but it might also resonate with [[Llofir]] or [[Arhallogen]]. A [[Aspect_magic#Theurgy|theurgist]] may struggle to find a [[Paragons_and_exemplars|paragon or exemplar]] who resonates with the destructive power of this ritual - the closest historical figure the theoreticians at the Lyceum could come up with was [[Casinea#Casca.E2.80.99s_Doom|Casca]], and she is not recognised by the [[Imperial Synod]].


Evoking the eternal [[Adamant]] is particularly resonant, and may increase the chances that koboldi appear to repair the fortification, but there are other eternals whose names might also be appropriate – perhaps most obviously [[Cathan Canae]].


<quote by="Callus Stragegos, '''Meditations'''">Cassidio convinced the Senator for Holberg to mandate that the walls be hung with great banners worked with the constellation of the Mountain and the rune Lann for several years in the firm belief it would make it easier to perform this ritual on his home city. I have no idea if it made any difference, to be honest.
<quote by="Dean Simargl, the Empty One">If you don't like it, don't cast it.</quote>


[[Category:Summer Ritual]]
[[Category:Spring Ritual]]
[[Category:Rituals]]
[[Category:Rituals]]
[[Category:Warfare]]
[[Category:Warfare]]

Latest revision as of 14:10, 3 June 2024

Interdiction
This ritual was interdicted by the Imperial Conclave in Autumn 381YE. It is currently illegal to perform this ritual or any arcane projection which substantially replicates its effects. It is not illegal to master the ritual or to possess a copy of its ritual text.

Rules

Spring Magnitude 60

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. If the ritual is cast using the Imperial Regio it requires at least 5 minutes of roleplaying instead.

During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Spring regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.

During the performance of the ritual the casters must name a region within the target territory which has the rugged or hills quality.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

SwampGas.jpg
This ritual brings a choking death to those who cannot escape the fumes.

Effects

The ritual affects a single territory. Over the course of the next few days a powerful curse settles over the area. The ground shakes and the earth cracks, releasing hot, sulphurous gasses from beneath the ground. These cracks are more likely to appear near large concentrations of people, especially campaign armies.

Following the ritual, 500 casualties are spread out over all campaign armies and fortifications in the territory. An army will not benefit from natural resupply if they end their movement in this territory.

Fortifications are less impacted by this effect, and thus casualties inflicted on fortifications are decreased by 20%.

Any farm based in the target territory has its production reduced by 72 rings for the coming season, while each mine and forest produces four fewer ingots or measures of its base type.

The effects of the ritual are obvious to anyone living in or passing through the territory. As with any effect that targets an entire territory, there may be unanticipated consequences to this ritual. The nature of the area and the current situation there may prompt additional unpredictable effects, often resulting in an entry into the following seasons Winds of Fortune. Given the curse causes earth tremors, and unleashes deadly poisonous vapours from beneath the ground, the population of a territory will certainly be affected by this ritual. Casualties are inevitable. Numbers are likely to be related both to population concentration (there'll likely be fewer deaths in territories where the population is spread out than in one where it is concentrated in one or two areas), and the terrain (more hills and mountains, or more people living in hills and mountains, will likely mean more deaths). Even where people don't die, they are likely to become sick, or have their homes damaged. Once the nature of the curse becomes clear, people are likely to become afraid, and may try and move away from threatened areas. Sinecures and ministries, especially those that deal with agriculture, forest resources, or mining, may also be impacted by the curse.

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

Options

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute beggar's lye for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 measures of beggar's lye spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Description

This ritual was developed at the Lyceum under the auspices of Dean Simargl of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash, and completed shortly before the Spring Equinox 381YE. The original design was undertaken by the well-travelled Urizen, Mercurio Ankarien.

During the process of concluding the formulation, there were additional opportunities to project the likely results of performing the ritual. The potential danger to civilian populations was outlined, as was the likely effect on farms in the area. The fact that the cracks created by the curse are more likely to appear around concentrations of people than not was also determined. There were some questions about the ethical implications of unleashing unrestrained clouds of poison gas, but on the whole, the magicians working on the ritual focused primarily on the theoretical underpinnings and on solving magical problems with shaping the magic effectively.

The tremors the curse causes are dangerous, certainly, but they are the harbinger of destruction rather than the cause of it. They are unlikely to open under structures – the larger the structure the less likely they are to appear close to it. The focus of the ritual is on killing living creatures, not on destroying structures. Cracks will open in the ground in different places at different times over the season, releasing their lethal bounty of choking air. The more armies and fortifications there are in an area, the less each one suffers from the effect of the curse. As a consequence of the way the ritual is designed, the fewer the number of armies there are in the area, the fewer cracks open and the less widespread the foul air becomes. The number of civilian casualties is likely to be tied to the number of armies in the territory.

This ritual does not draw on the power of an eternal, nor does it draw spirits from the Spring realm. Rather, it creates a conduit between pockets of naturally occurring foul air that lies beneath the earth. Many miners are familiar with the concept of firedamp and similar choking or flammable gases. Those with experience of volcanos, in particular, know that there are winds in the earth that are inimical to life on the surface.

The curse opens these conduits, allowing the volatile gases deep in the earth to spew out. Rather than being flammable, these stinking clouds choke and strangle living creatures. Humans and orcs are not the only beings affected – birds, animals, and plants are all affected to some degree. Trees wither and die, as do crops in the field, and even the grass itself where the destructive poison touches. Standing water in the area may be poisoned as well, killing fish and aquatic plants with equal facility. Where one of these cracks opens, the land is marked with death.

It is possible to avoid the worst effects of this killing cloud by moving quickly out of the area. Anyone who is unable to physically escape the poisonous air, like the wounded, penned animals, the young, and the physically infirm, are much more likely to succumb to the choking death.

The poison gas is quite dense and moves only slowly except in particularly strong winds which may cause the clouds to dissipate more quickly. Rain may also dissipate the clouds, but unfortunately, this will actually spread the poison a little wider – albeit more slowly – by causing it to sink into the surface soil or form poisonous puddles.

Even those who act quickly may not entirely avoid the effects – some exposed to the gas will be envenomed, making them more likely to succumb to injuries they sustain shortly afterwards.

Finally, the ability to spread panic should not be underestimated – an army whose flank is scattering to avoid the threat of a spreading cloud of sulphurous venom is much more vulnerable to attacks from an organised force.

One word of caution regarding this ritual relates to performing it in territories where there are cities – in the Empire this would likely include the League territories, Madruga (site of Siroc), Mitwold (site of Mead), Bastion (site of the White City), and potentially also Hahnmark (site of Kalpaheim). The intense concentration of people in these areas is likely to attract several poison-spewing cracks, and the confined nature of these environments, may potentially cause increased loss of civilian life.

Mountain Remembers.png
The trembling earth and gaping cracks portend worse to come.

Common Elements

A map of the target territory is often a focus for performing this ritual. A physical map may be burned, or buried under ash or dust, or washed away with beggar's lye. A map drawn or traced on the ground may be damaged in a way to suggest cracks opening in the ground.

The original ritual, as heavily guided by the Dean, is intended to remind the mountains and hills of the territory of their youth – when the world was young. He recommends that the ritual be accompanied by pounding drums (perhaps in the Freeborn style), with wild dancing (especially fire dancing), and loud ululations from all who are present. By recalling this primordial time, the earth can be persuaded to let loose its poison breath. Several Varushkan and Wintermark magicians familiar with Otkodov comment that there are elements in the ritual that remind them of stories they have heard of the Thule territory of Nithoggir.

The rune Mawrig is commonly used during this ritual. The astronomantic sign of the Drowned Man, or possibly the Wanderer. Destructive legendary beasts – dragons, manticores, and even kraken – resonate with the ritual. A goetic might call on Siakha, the devouring shark-eternal whose resonance is unrestrained destruction but it might also resonate with Llofir or Arhallogen. A theurgist may struggle to find a paragon or exemplar who resonates with the destructive power of this ritual - the closest historical figure the theoreticians at the Lyceum could come up with was Casca, and she is not recognised by the Imperial Synod.


If you don't like it, don't cast it.

Dean Simargl, the Empty One