Hammers of the Brilliant Shore

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.

This ritual targets a fortification, and must be performed in a strong Summer regio in the territory containing the fortification. If the territory is part of the Empire, then it may instead be performed from the Imperial regio.

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

Effects

Over the coming season, the target fortification is repaired, restoring 250 points of its military strength. This is in addition to any other repair the fortification receives.

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

Additional Magnitude

The magnitude of this ritual can be increased to provide more extensive repairs. Every two magnitudes repairs an additional 10 strength.

Option

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

Description

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, 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 to enter the ritual into Imperial lore was raised by the Master of Ice and Darkness, Luke of the Shattered Tower, during the Winter Solstice 380YE, and the funds provided by the 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 ambergelt) in place of wains of white granite or weirwood.

The biggest restriction on performing the ritual is the requirement that it be performed in a regio. While it can be performed at the Imperial Regio at 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 Towers of the Dawn without physically visiting a Summer regio in the Barrens, as Dawnguard where the castle stands is in a territory the Empire does not control.

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 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 its normal strength often leaves the ritualists physically exhausted – as if they had engaged in a full day of hard labour in the hot sun.

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.

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 Castle of Thorns, a workforce of creatures dedicated to the eternal Adamant arrived to help 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.

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.

References to the enduring power of the mountains – or the 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 dramaturgical context, the Bishop or the Captain would both be appropriate Personae to use.

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.

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.

Callus Strategos, '''Meditations'''