Hakima's Glass

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single object or character who must be present throughout, or the immediate area around the contributors.

Effects

At the completion the ritual reveals information about magic present on the target, equivalent to that which would be uncovered with the detect magic spell.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual to penetrate more powerful shrouds or masks.

Description

This simple ritual is old - it may even be one of the first magical rituals ever created. As with several similar rituals, academics theorise that the detect magic spell is an adaptation or refinement of this ancient ritual. It is known by many different names all over the world - and indeed across the Empire. When the groundwork for Imperial lore was laid, each nation had several versions of this ritual. An early decision of the Imperial Conclave concerned how the ritual would be referred to going forward - it came down to a surprisingly intense battle between the Dawn Reading the Weave, the Urizen Light of Truth, the Freeborn Hakima's Glass and a significant faction who argued the ritual should not be placed in Imperial lore under any name because it was essentially useless.

In the end, the ritual was retained by a narrow margin. While every magician can cast detect magic, it still has some minor uses - detect magic is not powerful enough to overcome even the most basic of shrouds, whereas this ritual allows a suitably expert coven to expend additional resources to empower their divination to penetrate (in theory) any magical concealment or obfuscation. In practice though, its value is limited - many covens would rather risk a more specific divination than perform Hakima's Glass and then have to follow it with a second divination, likewise empowered to defeat a shroud.

While the ritual is known in Imperial lore it is generally rarely mastered. Today, it is primarily the provenance of divination specialists - in a pinch, it is a relatively easy matter for even magicians who have not mastered the ritual to perform it should they need to - although they will struggle to do so at an appreciable magnitude.

Common Elements

The traditional method of casting this ritual is to employ a small flame, usually from a candle, a polished piece of glass or clear crystal to reflect the target, and a handful of ash or sand which is scattered on or near the target and the results examined in the reflective surface. The flicker of the light, the dance of shadow, and the disposition of the sand or ash are all interpreted by the ritual's magic and information derived about the nature of the magic affecting the target.

Other methods involved active divination, often with runestones or cards, or the use of lenses and mirrors (with their resonances for truth and discernment) to closely examine the target, scrying for the signs of magical influence.

The runes Sular and Ophis may be evoked - the former by covens who actively examine and seek information during the performance, the latter by covens that prefer to rely on sudden revelation to deliver information to them. The former group are usually active in handling the target, while the latter focus more on drawing up (or down) magical energies and may use incense, water or even some narcotics to empower their ritual. Other covens prefer to evoke Diras or Wyr - avoiding the start clarity of the Day runes altogether and instead focusing on their own internal perception and understanding of the magic they seek to discern.

Likewise, symbolic aspects of Wisdom, Vigilance, and (in the case of examining a magic item), Prosperity may be evoked, as might creatures such as owls or Sphinxes. The eternal Roshanwe or Sadogua are commonly evoked, but when examining a magic item Prospero is also appropriate.