Retreat to the White Caves

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The area to be enchanted with this ward must be clearly apparent to those within, and without, it's bounds.

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

Effects

This ritual targets a building or well defined, walled area. It must be performed inside that location.

At the completion, the area is warded against the Heralds of the Eternals. Such a creature approaching the boundary is always aware that the area is warded; if it enters it is immediately weakened for as long as they remain in the area. Even creatures that are larger-than-man-sized will be weakened by the power of the ward if they enter it.

The ward creates a powerful roleplaying effect: mortals within the warded area feel cold and miserable, unless they are actively warming themselves. Those who sleep within the ward experience nightmares of being trapped within a cave whilst an unknown lurking evil sits brooding outside, waiting for the cold or hunger to drive them from safety. These effects are particularily pronounced for those with strong lineage.

When used inside a building, the ward protects the entire structure. Any openings in the structure - doors and windows especially - must be clearly marked with runes or symbols of warding. The building must be a reasonably permanent structure, preferably of wood or stone; the ritual will not work on a tent or other entirely similar structure.

For purposes of this ritual, a walled area must be composed of solid posts, preferably wooden. Posts must be placed between three and five paces apart, and protrude out of the ground at least three feet. The posts should be clearly visible, and ideally clearly marked as 'special' - carved or painted with runes for example.

As with anything you might be taking onto a battlefield, or that is likely to have people fighting around or near it, the phys-reps should be as safe as possible (no sharpened points, for example). Please do not tie rope between the posts; if it is not clear where the boundary is, you will need to use more posts.

The ward can be taken down by moving, removing or defacing the warding signs, but Heralds cannot do so themselves. Assuming it is not interfered with, the ward stays in place until the duration expires.

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

Description

“When the fierce Vard, with their iron swords, came to Mieriada, the frightened Ushkans hid themselves deep in the Painted Caves and waited for the cold outside to drive the Vard away.”

This ritual was presented to the Imperial Conclave in the Winter of 378YE by Simarghl, called the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash, the Varushkan Dean of the Lyceum. It was entered into Imperial Lore shortly before Simarghl surrendered his title as Dean.

Varushkan cabalists know that magic always comes with a price. In this case, those who shelter within the warded area feel cold almost all the time, unless they are actively warming themselves. Conversation quickly falters, and it is easy for a brooding silence to settle on all those within the warded area. Worse, those who sleep within the ward experience terrible dreams of being trapped within a cave whilst an unknown lurking evil sits brooding outside, waiting for the cold or the hunger or the madness that comes from long periods of being cooped up in an enclosed space to drive them from safety.

Some of the Highborn involved in codifying this ritual remarked that the dream cave appeared to be an actual place – there were reported similarities between the layout and the paintings on the walls of the cave which appears to be one of the famous painted caves of Miekarova. When questioned, Dean Simarghl reportedly grunted non-commitally and mocked the researchers until they went away.

Winter magic is, at it's heart, a grim undertaking and even the protections it grants are innately sinister. This ritual is a clear development of the ritual There is no Welcome Here which is one of a trio of rituals of warding and protection.

Like other wards, Retreat to the White Caves does not prevent a herald (or, in theory, an eternal) from entering the protected area. Rather, it robs them of their ability to use their supernatural abilities while they are within the wards. It will, for example, prevent a herald from delivering a curse or performing any of their innate abilities. If it were performed in the Hall of Worlds, it is theorised that it would prevent any herald from entering the mortal world via the regio at [[Casinea#Anvil}Anvil]]. Such a herald would require the active assistance of an Imperial magician to “lead them through.” The ward would not prevent the herald entering the Hall of Worlds from the eternal realms, and it is believed it would not stop them departing for their own realm – but fascinatingly it clarifies that the ability to enter the mortal realm is considered an active ability that can be robbed by magical weakness.

In theory, the ward created by this ritual will last for an entire season - assuming the warding marks are not disturbed, In practice, if the area sees much use it is likely to be disrupted before the full three months has passed.

No herald or direct emissary of an eternal can disturb the ward directly. Due to the duration, several researchers pointed out that it would be possible to make this ritual ward permanent with sufficient ilium (sixty-nine rings in fact) but suggested that doing so might be a mistake – the ritual would still collapse if the warding runes were disturbed - taking the ilium with it.

The crotchety Urizen magus Lucien of the Halls of Knowledge (visiting the Lyceum to take advantage of the excellent climate during a particularly cold winter) gave an impromptu lecture regarding reliable methods of creating permanent wards. His suggestion was simply to craft the posts from stone – possibly white granite – and carve the runes of warding into them permanently. While this would not be foolproof it would mean that the disruption of the ward would require “malice rather than incompetence – which is always prefereable.” He further went on to point out that, with crystal mana being considerably more common than ilium, permanent warding posts would be just as effective at anchoring this ritual in it's existing form – it would simply need to be performed once each season. This would make these posts ideal for protecting any area for a long period of time.

This is a powerful ritual that keeps Heralds at bay. Weak Heralds will usually hesitate before entering the area; the more powerful the creature is, the more it has to lose and the less likely it is to enter the ward if it has any choice. Magical scholars see no reason that the ward would not be equally useful against Eternals themselves, but few people have ever been in a position to test this theory.

The wards are effective against Heralds who serve as diplomats, but also on more martial Heralds such as the troops conjured by rituals like Knights of Glory. Some lineaged individuals with very strong lineage are known to be uncomfortable if they spend large amounts of time in a warded area - often lethargic and short tempered. It is not clear if this is a real magical effect, or a psychological repercussion of knowing the ward was in place.

Common Elements

As with the original ritual, the warding posts can be marked with the Wintermark runes Yoorn and Kyrop or the common tower symbol associated with Vigilance. The original framework of the ritual made repeated use of the Varushkan tradition of using staring humanoid faces of the heads of geese (traditionally associated with vigilance) and suggested supplementing these symbols with intricate swirling patterns of green, red and blue paint following very precise instructions.

When performing any warding ritual, the ritualists often walk the boundaries of the warded area, invoking protective talismans. They often burn incense, or scatter ashes, and check that all the warding symbols are intact. Some ritualists place bowls of milk or honey at each entry point. Fire is often used as well, especially when the ritual is performed at night.