Raise the Standard of War

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a Military unit. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

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

Effects

The military unit gains a significant bonus to its effectiveness during campaign battles. This bonus is equivalent to temporarily upgrading the unit five times; the effective fighting force of the unit is increased by 100, and returns from raiding are increased by 10.

The character who controls the military unit experiences a short-lived roleplaying effect: they are immediately reminded of any military threats, unresolved grudges or slights against themselves or the things they hold dear, and feel an urge to immediately set about dealing with those threats, grudges or slights. The effect persists for at least ten minutes after the ritual is complete.

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

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional military units controlled by members of the same banner. Each additional military unit increases the magnitude by 15. The character who controls each unit must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This ritual empowers and enhances a military unit, granting them strength of will and fighting spirit for the coming season. The soldiers in that unit will find it easier to fight against difficult odds, and feel a rush of confidence in their abilities. The ritual can have the occasional downside - highly regimented or ordered troops may experience a little decline in discipline as the soldiers feel a strong urge to take charge of situations and deal with things themselves rather than use the chain of command - but this negative effect is generally transitory. As a counterpoint, affected warriors also tend to feel a swell of pride in themselves and their comrades, which can help reinforce their ability to rely on each other in the fray. Unfortunately it also makes brawls between military units more common, especially if there are several units all under the effect of Raise the Standard of War.

On the battlefield, warriors under this enchantment fight ferociously, giving little quarter and revelling in the challenges of war. They gain additional constitution, meaning that while they are in greater danger they are also better prepared to deal with that danger.

This ritual is also sometimes called The Field of Glory, a reference to the Summer Eternal Eleonaris who is the sovereign of a region of the Realm by that name. Her association with banners, flags, standards, heraldry and livery means that these are often used as elements when performing the ritual.

Common Elements

This ritual enhances a small military force, using a connection to its leader to spread magic through the entire unit. It is exceptionally common to include a banner or standard that will be used by the target force as a focus for the ritual. Other common elements include the invocation of Paragons and Exemplars of Pride and Courage, as well as calling on the name of Summer Eternals such as the Sovereign in Scarlet and Gold Eleonaris or Hayaak (the latter is especially appropriate when the military force will be engaging hated foes, or foes that deserve retribution). Other elements include girding the military leader, the sound of martial horns or drums, and the presence of warriors from the same nation as the target as witnesses.

The rune of victory, Tykonus, is favoured for this ritual not only for its magical meaning but also because of its common associations with banners and flags.