Dripping Echoes of the Fen

Rules

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 Night regio.

This ritual targets a specific region. During the performance of the ritual the casters must name a region within the target territory which has the marsh quality and does not already contain a fortification.

The ritual may target a region in a territory which is under Imperial control (that is, which is eligible to appoint a Senator) when cast from the Imperial regio. To effect a region in a territory that is not under Imperial control, the ritual must be performed at a regio within the target territory.

This ritual is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The ritual targets a single region with the marsh quality within a territory. Over the course of the next few days, a powerful enchantment drawn from the eternal Sadogua settles over the region, conjuring warding mists that mislead and confuse anyone attempting to conquer that region. In some cases creatures from the demesne of Sadogua might slip into the mortal realm alongside the warding mists.

The enchantment makes it more difficult for an enemy to claim the region, increasing the total number of victory points required to do so by ten.

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

Assurance

This ritual calls forth protective mists drawn from the Night realm, and as with similar rituals draws on the power of an eternal - in this case Sadogua. The assurance connected with the ritual was lost for several centuries but unearthed by members of the Unfettered Mind shortly before the Winter Solstice 386YE. The ritual loses all power and ceases to function if the Empire ever goes a season without a functioning Imperial college of magic.

Liege Robert de Meurig, one of the magicians of the order, highlights that whilst the Icy Crag of the Eternal Sun certainly counts, she is unsure if the Lyceum in its current form would be considered as sufficient by the Brother of Wizards and advises anyone interested to question the Wyrm-King themselves.

Description

This enchantment conjures defences from the Forests of the Night and the demesne of Sadogua. In each case, they bring with them coiling magical mists that mislead and confuse attackers, distract them with glamours, and misdirect their attempts to move through the area. It presents a false-path to scouts that see them lost - sometimes permanently. A sense of creeping dread settles over forces belonging to an invading army, their dreams warped by phantasmagorical or ill-omened visions, and they are likely to become more cautious. The magic occasionally seems to manifest geographical elements or structure's from the Father of Bat's domain, depending on his mood. This might include strange trees, peculiar paths, weird ruins or towers and the like. As they are wrapped in misleading magical mists, however, it is never entirely clear if they are physically present or simply another element of the glamour.

The magical fog can also cause the marsh to become more dangerous; bogs are deeper and harder to spot; waterways shift and change without warning; the weather worsens; at night the mists are full of dancing lights and flitting shapes. Invaders find themselves following phantasmal echoes and witch-lights that lead them into ambushes, while the fen-paths seem to open for the defenders and the same witch-lights may guide them to safety when needed.

Some reports also speak of odd creatures emerging from the mists to confuse and harass enemy forces - shadowy warriors, disturbing phantasmal mirages, and even the rare report of a beasts such as drakes, dire crocodiles or even the occasional wyvern roused to threaten and scare the attackers. The ritual is effective at turning the natural predators of a marsh against scouts and isolated soldiers, although they are more likely to be confused, scared, or harassed than to suffer serious injury.

This ritual increases the difficulty a hostile force will have in claiming a region, even if there is no army to oppose them directly, Local militia and the like are able to take advantage of the defensive enchantment (once they recognise it for what it is) to engage in effective guerilla tactics, harrying and confusing a much larger force, at least for a time.

Dripping Echoes of the Fen is an enchantment, and can be made permanent with ilium. What was originally a theory was confirmed when the Circle of Zulgan Tash of Varushka used an opportunity to establish the Towers of Zulgan Tash in Drownbark Forest, Ossium. Sadogua did not take this action well at all, and immediately threw a massive tantrum. While his anger has clearly settled down a little, as of Winter 387YE the Wyrm King is refusing to have anything to do with Varushkan wizards, and members of the Circle in particular.

Common Elements

This ritual includes elements of concealment, and so is often performed while wearing masks or veils. Smoke is often used to represent the mists and confusion that the ritual evokes. Often, a map of the territory where the target region lies is included. It is often obscured during the casting, or even destroyed in water at the completion. Sometimes the map is created from sand or painstakingly drawn with salt or coloured powders, so it can be washed away at the culmination of the ritual. Some ritualists allow clouds of incense to blow over it to symbolically create enshrouding mists, while others create designs with blood or ink to confuse and mislead invading armies.

The rune Wyr or Diras are commonly used during this ritual, and the constellation of the Wanderer or the Web may be invoked. A dramaturgy performance in which the Witch or the Mountebank are involved in an intrigue in the Garden - might be appropriate. The names of eternals such as Sadogua, Sung and the Whisper Gallery might also be evoked.