Unending Cascade of Blood's Fire

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

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

Effects

The target gains the ability to cast the venom spell four times each day as if they know it without spending any mana.

They also experience a roleplaying effect: they feel a strong desire to use magical venom against anything that startles or threatens them.

If the target regains all spent personal mana by resting in a magical aura such as that provided by the Chamber of Delights, or drinks an Elixir of Empyrean Art, they also regain all spent uses of this ability at the same time. Other methods of restoring personal mana that are not listed as restoring it all in one go do not restore uses of this ability (for example drinking multiple Mageblood or Philtre of Heavenly Lore).

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

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 11. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Option

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 enchantment allows the target to scourge their enemies with venom. It can have a powerful demoralising effect on opponents, and gives a magician a potent ability to mark and then destroy their enemies. The Spring eternal Arhallogen is known to offer magicians boons that enhance their ability to perform this ritual, encouraging them to use it to defend themselves and prove their superiority over their opponents through the use of that being's favoured tool. Indeed, the Spider King is sometimes credited with having been involved in the development of this ritual, although it does not seem to draw directly on their power. In some circles it is called the Blessing of Arhallogen or Fangs of the King. Some Dawnish war witches refer to the ritual as Donning the Spider Crown.

The ability to refresh the use of the venom that the enchantment provides is particularly significant. After a battle, a magician can restore their personal reserves of magic in the restful aura of the Chamber of Pallas, the Chamber of Delights, or by experiencing Solace of Chimes and regain their ability to unleash magical venom at the same time. This ability can be even more powerful on the battlefield, provided the magician can make use of the rare and powerful Elixir of Empyrean Art.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes poisonous creatures or plants. Some magicians, especially Suaq icewalkers and Navarr vates, anoint the skin or weapons of the target. using blood mixed with poisonous plants or the venom of spiders, scorpions or serpents to create a thick paste reminiscent of oil of blackthorn. Other magicians invoke forces of plague, sickness and fever as they work their magic, viewing the ritual as being more concerned with turning the body of the target against itself.

The performance of this ritual is often subdued. Few magicians can deny that the powers it deals with are insidious, and potentially fatal. There are few uses to which venom can be put that do not result in death, and while the poison itself may be subtle the end result is anything but.

Other elements might include the runes Rhyv, Naeve or Kyrop (often accompanied by the rune of dominion; the evocation of The Claw or The Drowned Man; a scene in which a potion is used against a rival; or images of serpents, spiders, scorpions, wasps hydra, wyverns. or even chimerae.