Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae

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 Summer 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 hills 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 affect 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 hills quality within a territory. Over the course of the next few days, a powerful enchantment settles over the region, which conjures a magical citadel and a battalion of hardened warriors from the domain of Cathan Canae. The citadel and the battalion support whoever controls the region, defending their land and fighting alongside their forces.

The citadel makes it more difficult for an enemy to claim the region, increasing the total number of victory points needed by ten. The battalion of heralds provides 2,000 strength towards determining victory and inflicts casualties. Much like a garrison, the batallion takes part in a military campaign in the territory, applying their fighting strength against invading enemies or fighting alongside friendly armies.

Neither the citadel nor the battalion suffers casualties. It is not possible to enchant them, nor support them with military units. If the region is attacked by an army taking the Storm the Walls order, the armies' ability to do so is increased just as if they were attacking a fortification.

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

Assurance

This ritual calls forth a citadel and battalion from the Summer realm, and as with other such rituals, draws on the power of an eternal, in this case Cathan Canae. 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 city of Kalpaheim ever falls to the enemies of Wintermark.

Oswiu Thrice-Runed, one of the magicians of the order, points out that this assurance specifically references the enemies of Wintermark rather than simply barbarians. The runesmith is certain that if barbarians were to ever conquer Kalpaheim, then the ritual would cease to function, but ey are uncertain if the Lady of the Frost would consider the Imperial Senate relinquishing Hahnmark to be a violation of the assurance. Oswiu advises that the Archmage of Summer contact the Queen of Ice and Darkness if such a motion were to ever be considered.

Description

This enchantment causes a citadel drawn from the Summer realm to manifest at a strategically significant location in the target region. This castle is called forth from the frigid domain of Cathan Canae, the Queen of Ice and Darkness, and may take any one of a number of forms such as a great keep of translucent ice, a black basalt fortress, or a sequence of towers and walls forged from iron. It is defended by a battalion of warriors, loyal to the Mistress of Blizzards, who will issue forth from it to support the force that controls the area. As with the castle, the nature of these warriors varies wildly. Sometimes they are squat one-eyed giants armed with hooked polearms; sometimes armoured bears or lithe wolf-like humanoids with deadly bows. The decision as to which of her many fortifications, and which garrison, to send is up to the eternal herself. In some cases, especially in winter, howling winds and unseasonal snowfall accompany the batallion or swirl around the citadel, harrying besieging forces who dare to stand against the will of the Iron Glacier.

The citadel is extremely resistant to damage; no matter what form it takes fire does not melt it, and siege engines find it impossible to damage. The ritual is an enchantment, and could in theory be made permanent with ilium. The Empire has not achieved this feat - although the Thule Citadel of Silver and Bone in Sermersuaq was apparently bargained from the Queen of Ice and Darkness and permanently manifested with her blessing. As near as anyone can tell, the citadel has lost its potent protection from damage, and the garrison is made up of orcs rather than heralds, but its not impossible that the fortification still has some magical qualities that have yet to be encountered.

Regardless, the presence of the magical fortressincreases the difficulty a hostile force will have in claiming a territory; defending forces may take advantage of the citadel, as the batallion ranges across the territory, hunting enemies as they go.

Common Elements

It is common with this ritual to invoke the name of Cathan Canae, or to call on the memory of famous castle builders such as Willard d'Onnecour or the Sentinel. Dramaturgy involving the erection of a castle, especially on The Battlefield at the orders of The Captain might be appropriate, as might evocations of the constellation of The Oak.

A map is sometimes used as an additional element, often obscured during the casting with water or exposed to snow or ice. Sometimes the map is created from sand or painstakingly drawn with salt or coloured powders as part of the ritual, reinforcing the idea of raising a magical fortification.

The runes Verys and Feresh are commonly used during this ritual, and the constellation of The Oak is often invoked.