Touch of Vile Humours

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

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

Effects

The target gains the ability to call venom once, following the rules for a heroic call. The call can be made with any melee weapon or implement, with the exception of a pike.

Unlike the venom incantation, a character who uses this ability is not also effected by VENOM themselves.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 20. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual imbues a character with the ability to deliver a deadly strike that plays havoc with the life-force of their opponent. Using a weapon or implement as a conduit, powers of sickness and disease are released to run rampant through the enemy. While a portion of the power used in this ritual goes towards creating the venomous strike, considerably more goes towards shielding the enchanted individual from the consequences of that strike.

One advantage to the deadly strike granted by the Touch of Vile Humours is that it is equally effective when delivered by an armoured warrior as by a magician in robes or mage armour. The power to disrupt the health of an opponent remains until it is used, or until sunrise - it is unlike a spell in that there is no limitation on delivering the effect beyond the need to strike an opponent.

There are many uses for this ritual, from ensuring the demise of a hated opponent to preventing a husk, zombie or a creature with powerful healing abilities from rising again after it has been defeated.

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. Highborn and Freeborn ritualists alike combine solemn, leaden drum-beats with slow, threatening movement and droning chants as they go about performing this ritual. A number of ritualists end the ritual by ceremonially cleansing themselves with fresh water; Urizen magi and Varushkan cabalists alike know the danger of allowing any hint of residual Spring magic to infect them once the ritual is complete.

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 brewed or a remedy spilled; or images of serpents, spiders, scorpions, wasps hydra, wyverns. or even chimerae.