Fire from the Heavens

Overview

This report was compiled between the Winter Solstice 381YE and the Spring Equinox 382YE by Leoric of Winter's Edge, under the supervision and guidance of mistress Rosalind Friedlin von Holberg, for Ioseph of Phoenix Reach, the Minister of Historical Research.

We should like to thank the spire of Willstone for their cooperation. They provided invaluable assistance in putting this report together without which it would have been significantly more limited in scope.

Introduction

During Autumn 381YE, a group of scholars working at the Lyceum in Madruga undertook an extensive program of research to explore ritual enchantments that empowered magicians to wield more powerful magic.

Four of the six known rituals included in the body of Imperial lore each draw on the power of a specific eternal of the realm – Arhallogen for Fire in the Blood; Ephisis for Balanced Scales of Lann; Sorin for Sorin's Rite of Agony; and Kimus for Crystaline Focus of Aesh. The remaining two rituals – Sift the Dreamscape's Sands and Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords appeared anomalous – they did not seem to draw on the power of an eternal.

The research of the Lyceum cabal uncovered evidence that Noble Mien in fact draws on the power of the Summer Mage, Meraud of the Island-Lake. This discovery added credence to the theory that the dreamscape “visited” as part of the enchantment created with Sift the Dreamscape's Sands was the domain of an enigmatic but unknown eternal.

Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords

Originaly codified in pre-Imperial Dawn under the name Lore of the Golden Spiral by the Earl of house de Casillon, when the ritual was entered into Imperial lore a squabble broke out between the de Casillon and rival Urizen magicians of the spire of Skywarden over matters of precedence. The Urizen won the argument, and the official name of the ritual was recorded as Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords. This decision has historically been considered to suggest that the eternal Hayaak, Lord of the Forest of Arden, was involved in the ritual in some manner – or at least in the decision to rename it.

Another possibility suggests itself when one digs deeper into the incident (or as deeply as one can considering the event was well over three centuries ago, and on the other side of the so-called “Nicovar Barrier”). According to a reference in Teodora's Great Covens of the Empire (written in 231YE), Skywarden was a spire with a strong changeling bloodline that used the hawk-in-flight against a golden sun as their sigil. Teodora accounts that all the magicians of the spire were not only of strong changeling blood, but tended to possess the “feathered brow” common to certain strains of their lineage. With this in mind, rather than being a reference to Hayaak (an eternal with minimal interest in mortal ritual magic), it seems that the name was simply personal aggrandisement by Skywarden spire.

As part of Genevieve de Sangcoure's Machinations of the Lords and Ladies of Summer, written in 307YE, she examines the fragmentary records of the de Cassilon/Sywarden “squabble” and suggests that what may actually be going on here are two covens both struggling to gain the approval of an eternal patron. While the only evidence other than a few minor side-notes in texts of dubious pre-Nicovar provenance seems to be hearsay, she speculates that the Skywarden were allied with the eternal Jaheris.

By outmaneuvering the deCassilon and gaining the support of their fellow magicians of Urizen, they offended a nation traditionally predisposed to aid Jaheris' beloved enemy, Eleonaris. Given the Dawnish mages retreated from the Imperial Conclave in high dudgeon for several seasons after their ritual was “stolen” they may also have helped their fellow Urizen to consolidate their gain in the early Conclave at the expense of Dawn's enchanters.

The Star of Evening

The spire of Willstone in Redoubt is quite old; certainly there were people living there in pre-Imperial times, long before the Urizen controlled the territory. The central pillar for which the settlement is most famous, which bears the ritual text for the ritual Bound by Common Cause, is said by the residents to have been created around the same time as the founding of the spire although what purpose they had for such a specific ritual, and why it is recorded on a monolith, is not clear and is beyond the scope of this research.

The stone has certain markings, apart from the ritual text, that (as explained in The Willstone Stone: An Analysis by Gregory Ilyakovich) relate to the passage of the seasons and the rise and fall of certain astronomantic constellations especially the Chain, and the Three Sisters. The same treatise goes on to claim that the ritual text was inscribed on the stone much later than the original markings.

The Star of Evening, again according to records held by Willstone spire itself, was an accomplished coven specialising in the magic of Summer and, to a lesser degree, the more martial elements of Autumn magic. Founded in pre Imperial times, they represented an influential voice in spire politics until their tragic loss amid the Scouring of Redoubt that took place during the reign of Empress Richilde.

While not the oldest coven in Willstone, they were among the most publicly visible. Several contemporary records mention their presence at Anvil, and describe them as being fierce proponents of closer ties between nations. Elred Firetongue speculates in Fire and Steel; the first century of the Empire that they campaigned tirelessly not only for stronger relations with their Imperial neighbours, but were also loud supporters of the need to claim Redoubt for the Empire (and by extension Urizen). He further suggests that they had designs on the Imperial Senate – no doubt supported by their allies in the Imperial Military Council.

And allies they had – their popularity is remarked upon both letters and journals kept at Willstone and mentions in Willard's Muster (a treatise on a number of collections of fragmentary letters passed between generals of the early Military Council uncovered in 341YE in Anvil). They went out of their way to woo the generals, regularly volunteering to place potent enchantments on the Imperial armies during the regular Solstice and Equinox meetings at Anvil. More than one member of the coven served as Imperial Warmage during the comparatively brief time between Urizen becoming part of the Empire and the final destruction of the coven. Several prominent members are mentioned by name – Gaia Meneaus and Idira Redmane who both served as Warmage, Herodotus the Sharp who had a brief but glorious tenure as Summer archmage and died during the liberation of Miaren at the tendrils of vallorn beasts, and Juiba of Willstone who held the Syrene's Wisdom Bourse seat for almost three years.

Ironically, the coven met its final end during the Scouring of Redoubt. During the Summer Solstice 54YE the heroes of the Empire launched a brutal strike against the orc commanders through the Sentinel Gate. Trapped behind enemy lines while attempting to seize control of a regio, cut off from the main body of the Imperial assault, the coven and the sentinels who protected them were butchered, many of their bodies never recovered. Their names are recorded on one of the stone monuments that dot the hills below Willstone.

Fire from the Heavens

For most of their existence, the Star of Evening were the only coven known to perform a ritual known as Fire from the Heavens. Despite pressure from their peers in Urizen, from the Conclave, and even the Imperial Synod, they refused point blank to allow anyone other than a member of the coven master the ritual and would not allow it to be included in the body of Imperial lore.

This refusal appears at odds with their otherwise pro-Imperial stance. If I might speculate for a moment it is possible that there may have been more than Urizeni desire to control magic at work. This ritual predates the Lyceum, and the Halls of Knowledge, and is likely to have been the result of decades of careful work. If the eternal Meraud was involved – as seems very likely – it is not beyond the realms of possibility that part of the arrangement that allowed the ritual to be completed in the first place may have been a requirement that only the Star of Evening were ever to master it. Such agreements are by no means uncommon when eternals aid mortals in the codification of magical effects.

While they encountered a great deal of criticism for this, they continued to be popular with the Military Council, regularly weaving potent enchantments to support Imperial generals on campaign.

Contemporary accounts collected at Willstone and corroborated by sidenotes in Willard's Muster, Fire from the Heavens allowed a magician versed in Summer lore to work potent magic in a similar manner to Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords, but the effects were apparently even more potent. The ritual had a distinctly martial bent – it greatly empowered the recipient to work magic that enchanted the Imperial armies, regardless of the realm from which they drew power or the magnitude of the ritual.

It worked by aligning the magician with the constellations of the Chain, the Three Sisters, and the Mountain. The enchantment further strengthened their bonds to other members of their coven, and at the same time it strengthened their magic. Using astronomantic principles, the power to exploit the Law of Dominion was greatly enhanced – leading to the increased ability to enchant armies of soldiers rather than just individuals.

The Meraud Connection

The eternal Meraud certainly served as a patron to the Star of Evening coven throughout their career, encouraging them not only to work increasingly potent magic but also (according to Genevieve de Sangcoure) to seek political power in the early Empire.

Their specialised ritual no doubt helped, but the Star of Evening are also mentioned as having extensive reserves of mana. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the identity of their patron, they regularly used golden apples in their Summer rituals and were known to trade the vis freely in return for favours and access to other quintessence.

Their patron might also go some way toward explaining the original stories that the Fire from the Heavens ritual allowed them to use ilium in place of crystal mana. Many covens are keen to acquire ilium, but the Star of Evening were even more driven than most by all accounts, calling in political favours to ensure regular access to the precious Star Metal. According to Sangcoure, Juiba of Willstone (a prominent member of the coven) held the Syrene's Wisdom Bourse seat but sold only a fraction of the ilium the seat provided. The remainder has never been accounted for.

I am indebted to my colleague Octavia for finding a vital clue as to what may well have been going on here while she was engaged in research unrelated to my own commission. According to partial records of a Synod investigation in 52YE, the Star of Evening coven were trading precious star metal to their eternal patron in return for the vis they used to work their potent enchantments. While they were roundly condemned by the Synod, the priests themselves were still new to their power and appeared reticent to take the matter further – after all the Star of Evening were using the ilium (albeit indirectly) to aid the Empire by enchanting its armies.

Quite how this worked – they certainly didn't restrict themselves to Knights of Glory for example – is unclear. It is possible that, with access to a significant number of golden apples, they traded the powerful vis for traditional crystal mana. It is of course also possible that they employed other potent Summer ritual magic to enhance the allied armies, not part of Imperial lore, that has simply passed unnoticed in the centuries since. We may never know – certainly there is no record of such rituals in Willstone library.

The Whereabouts of the Ritual Text

It is not possible for a magician to directly teach another magician to master a ritual. Experiments have shown that it is possible to share ritual mastery using magic, at least among members of the same coven, but it is rarely very efficient to do so. It follows, logically, that at some point the Star of Evening owned a ritual text detailing Fire from the Heavens which they either used in all their ritual performances or more likely used to allow their newer members to master the formulae involved.

The Imperial Conclave certainly believed that they did, if letters preserved in Willstone's compact library are to be believed. The Synod definitely did – they were chastised for not sharing their mastery with the rest of the Empire in the documents Octavia uncovered.

All evidence points to the existence of a ritual text... but of its whereabouts I can find no trace. It does not appear to be in the library at Willstone, and it is unlikely that it was carried onto the fateful battlefield where the coven were wiped out.

It may have been in Anvil, perhaps in the possession of residents of Willstone who did not pass through the Sentinel Gate – but if so why would they not have either added it to the library or continued to perform it themselves? Or even given in to pressure and added it to the body of Imperial lore? Yet as far as we can tell, none of these things were done. After extensive digging I am no closer to finding any sign of the text, nor any reference to the ritual after the demise of the Star of Evening coven.

Speculation – and it is merely speculation – is that the entity most likely to know what happened to the ritual text for Fire from the Heavens is the eternal whose power was involved in codifying it in the first place – the Golden Magician himself.

Spring Equinox 382YE