Sorin's Chastising Touch

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 possess the magician skill. The ritual must include an invocation of the eternal Sorin by one of his recognised names.

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 CLEAVE with a rod four times a day when they hit a target, following the rules for a heroic skill.

They also experience a roleplaying effect: you feel a strong urge to wield the power this ritual grants against anyone who disrespects, disobeys, or angers you, regardless of who they are.

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 dragonbone for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 measures of dragonbone spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Assurance

As with all rituals that draw on the power of an eternal, this ritual has an assurance which, if broken, causes it to lose all power. In this case, the ritual loses all power if ever the Throne's ability to lead the Empire and represent her in all things is removed. It is not entirely clear exactly what breaking this assurance would entail. The scroll merely says that "The Throne represents the apex of power and ambition for the people of the Empire; the Tomb Lord respects that."

This ritual draws on the power of Sorin, the ruler of a bleak sand-choked wasteland called the "Silent Kingdom".

Description

During the Spring Equinox 385YE a scroll detailing this ritual was delivered to then [Archmage of Winter]] Ematius of the Great Library of Ankarien by agents of the eternal Sorin. It was a gift in recognition of tribute delivered during a meeting at the Winter Solstice 384YE. At the time the eternal apparently expressed the hope that it would aid Imperial magicians to better understand his philosophy of gaining strength and greater understanding through experiencing suffering. As a gift, they were welcome to do with it as they wished - keep it,share it with their allies, add it to Imperial lore, or even make it part of Urizen lore. In the end the Archmage chose to make it available to all Imperial magicians. The Dean of the Lyceum, Simargl the Empty One, raised the declaration to make the ritual part of Imperial lore.

Iinvoking the power of Sorin, the ritual creates a conduit whereby the magician channels the power of Winter to blast flesh and twist bone, without themselves being harmed by it. It uses a sceptre - a rod - that both symbolises the dominance of the wizard who wields it and protects them from exposure to the raw power of the Wasteland. Unlike a spell, the power of the ritual can be used even while armoured in leather or steel.

The original scroll contains some commentary from Sorin (or the underling charged with creating it). "While its use in battle is clear, it can also be employed to remind underlings and rivals who rules. The damage it inflicts will not heal naturally; where a cut from a knife or the wound from a blow will fade swiftly the touch of chastisement remains until a physick or a healing magician treats it, a reminder that the underling has incurred the wrath of one who is more powerful than they are."

The ritual is clearly similar to Crumbling Flesh and Withering Limbs; indeed some magicians incorrectly used its name to describe that ritual. it allows a magician to channel destructive, painful magic through their rod. The spell blasts flesh and twists bone, leaving a limb useless and crippled or immediately incapacitating a target with an agonizing burst of pain if it strikes the chest or belly. The rod needs to strike reasonably exposed flesh, but the magic penetrates heavy clothing and light armour with ease. The effects of the withering cleave can be treated in the same way as a blow from a sword or axe.

Common Elements

Magicians are still experimenting with the resonances of this ritual, but some of the techniques used to perform Crumbling Flesh and Wintering Limbs seem appropriate.The ritual almost always involves the target's implement in some fashion. Sometimes the rod is anointed with noxious preparations. Sometimes magician and rod alike are marked with the rune Kyrop which symbolises weakness, or with the astronomantic constellation of the Drowned Man. Invocations involving old age, disease and sickness are included. Blood magicians might use blood donated by draughir, especially given Sorin's "affection" for that lineage

Even when not performed using goetia, every casting must invoke the eternal Sorin by one of his recognisable names: his most common epithets include Hungry Wolf, Tomb King, the Empty One, Devourer-of-Hope, Hunger-Crow, Father of Draughir, and Master of Whelps. It is likely unwise to add the evocation of additional eternals to a performance.