Auras of Wisdom

Overview

These roleplaying effects are created by priests dedicated to the virtue of Wisdom who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character performing an anointing or hallow must pick one of the appropriate roleplaying effects when they perform the ceremony.

Consecration of Wisdom

• In this place, you feel an urge to use the knowledge you have gained and, in doing so, test it.

Anointings of Wisdom

The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto a living soul, with their consent, by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Wisdom:

The Worth of Wisdom

• You feel that the acquisition of wisdom is a worthy end in itself. Increasing your knowledge and understanding generates a sense of satisfaction and wellbeing. Any hesitations or remorse you might encounter as a result of actions taken to advance your knowledge or understanding are lessened.

Description: The path of wisdom can sometimes teach hard lessons, or require pilgrims to learn from bitter or painful experience. These burdens acquired on the path have sometimes caused pilgrims to falter and leave the path. Priests of wisdom have been able to use this aura to ease the burdens acquired on the path, and empower pilgrims to walk the difficult steps ahead of them.

The Focus of Wisdom

• You feel a desire to pursue wisdom without distraction. You feel a desire to consider circumstances in a dispassionate and objective manner. All your emotions, and passions, become more muted and contained for as long as the aura lasts.

Description: The pursuit of the virtue of wisdom is often made challenging by mundane concerns, petty distractions or heightened emotion that interfere with the learning of valuable lessons. Priests of wisdom have been able to use this anointing to help pilgrims and citizens clear their minds of these distractions and focus on the pursuit of wisdom. This anointing has proven useful in helping pilgrims to overcome other influences on their minds that might obscure the pursuit of wisdom, including malign auras. Some priests have also used this anointing to help citizens cope with grief or other strong emotion, but this is not widely endorsed by the Synod.

The Fresh Eyes of Wisdom

• During this anointing, you were asked to specify a particular event, topic or thing. Whilst this anointing is in effect, your knowledge and experience of this event, topic, or thing, is suppressed. This knowledge and experience is returned in full when the anointing ends. This has no effect on any knowledge or experience you gain whilst the anointing is in effect.

Description: Assumptions and inherited knowledge can be dangerous obstacles on the path of wisdom. The path of wisdom teaches pilgirms to "test what you learn; only fools accept hearsay as truth". The priests of wisdom have been able to use this anointing to help temporarily remove these assumptions and pre-conceptions and allow the pilgrim to approach an incident, or phenomena, from a different and renewed angle. This fresh perspective will ultimately be reconciled with their prior knowledge, unlike the ritual Cast Off The Chain of Memory which seeks to remove the knowledge and experience forever.

The Guidance of Wisdom

• You feel a clear sense that wisdom without action has no meaning. You are inclined to make a decision using the knowledge you possess now, or even make a decision on behalf of another, especially if they are hesitating.

Description: The path of wisdom teaches that knowledge and experience must go hand-in-hand with such axioms as "the virtuous apply what they have learned; wisdom knows all knowledge is incomplete". Priests of the path of wisdom are able to use this anointing to stir those who have become mired in contemplation or the acquisition of knowledge to test and apply that knowledge and gain wisdom. This anointing has also been applied to citizens and pilgrims who face difficult decisions, or are hesitating from taking action.

The Portents of Wisdom

• The next time you sleep you experience vivid dreams concerning the problems you are facing. These dreams recall those experiences and moments that revealed information about the challenges you are now facing and sometimes you see yourself acting on that information or seeking out new information. You awaken feeling refreshed and with lucid memories of the things you dreamed about, and a strong urge to take decisive actions to resolve your problems.

Description: The world is a complex place and full of mysteries, such as the Eternal Realms and the Labyrinth of Ages. Those lacking in virtue can sometimes balk at the complexity and enormity of these mysteries. Equally, those citizens who live in one area all their lives may never challenge the assumptions around them or explore the distant horizons. Priests of wisdom are able to use this anointing to encourage others to open and expand their minds.

Hallowings of Wisdom

Hallowing of Avigliana

• You feel an impulse to seek out those in need of your experience, knowledge and insights and share them. The impulse includes using this item as part of this teaching, if it would be appropriate to do so.

Hallowing of Atun

• You feel an inclination to expand your mind and the ways in which you acquire knowledge. This impulse includes a desire to either learn new things, or seek to learn in new ways. You also feel more inclined to trust your intuition more.

Hallowing of the Philosopher

• You feel comfortable when discussing concepts, ideas, and matters of depth and substance. This sensation is accompanied by a growing intolerance for trivialities, such as gossip or minor details, when compared to bigger issues.

Hallowing of the Strategist

• You feel a tremendous sense of scale and an urge to appreciate the bigger picture. Whilst under this effect, it feels harder to consider the needs and priorities of individuals or smaller groups against the whole.

Hallowing of Kala

• When bonded to, and in contact with, this item, you feel an urge to solve problems that you encounter; even if they do not directly affect you. This includes an impulse to challenge assumptions about the nature of a problem. This includes an impulse to use this item in the solving of problems, if doing so is appropriate.

Hallowing of Chastisement

• You feel an urge to forcefully chastise fools, and those who spread folly. This includes an impulse to use this item in the chastisement, if doing so is appropriate.

Hallowing of Isenbrad

• You feel an urge to use this item in the most effective way that you know how. Alongside this impulse, you feel a broader urge to utilise the knowledge that you have immediately, and test it through that use.