Wisdom of the Balanced Blade

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single character or item which must be present throughout and, in the case of an item, close enough to touch. It can also be performed to target the immediate area surrounding the ritualists; this allows examination of curses that effect a space or territory.

Effects

The ritual reveals information about any and all curses on the target. It is most often used on a character or item that is present, but can also be used in an area that is under a curse such as that created by Naeve's Twisting Blight.

When completed the ritual provides the following information about each curse that is present:

• It determines the realm and magnitude of the effect
• It determines what the effect does, and provides details of how it works.
• It reveals any remaining duration.
• It reveals any conditional effects, or any special methods that exist for removing the effect; it may suggest specific rituals that can remove the curse, or a general class of effects that might be appropriate.
• It may provide information about where the curse has come from (a ritual or the supernatural abilities of an Eternal, for example).

Some of these effects are similar to those provided by detect magic but unlike that spell, Wisdom of the Balanced Blade can penetrate effects designed to stymie or confuse divinations such as Incantation's Mystic Mask. The ritual must match or exceed the magnitude of any concealing effect on the item to penetrate it; otherwise the only information the ritual will reveal is whether the item is bonded or not; that there is an obscuring effect; and the magnitude and Realm of that effect.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual to penetrate more powerful shrouds or masks.

Description

While detect magic is fairly effective at determining the effects curses that are part of the wider body of Imperial Lore, this ritual helps analyse a curse whose details and potential counters are not commonly known. It is most often used to divine the details of a curse that has come from an Eternal or a barbarian magician.

The ritual is even more effective than Bright Lantern of Ophis when it comes to discovering the details of a magical curse, and may sometimes offer some guidance as to where to find something that can remove or counter a specific curse may be found.

Wisdom of the Balanced Blade is effective when performed to analyse a curse on a person or object, but it can also be used to gather information about a cursed area. In this case, however, the magicians must be within the area or able to target something obviously effected by the curse. For example, analysing a curse that causes all the trees in a forest to bleed would require the ritual to be performed within touching distance of one of these trees.

Rituals that examine curses on territories from a disatnce are referenced in numerous places, but currently the closest ritual in Imperial lore is The Eye of the High Places. It is possible to weave spontaneous magic to analyse a curse from a distance in a similar way. Such an effect would require a map of the target territory, and would require the magic to be worked in a strong Winter regio - although there would be no requirement for the target territory to be part of the Empire.

The ritual is sometimes called (Grandmother's/Grandfather's) Appraising Eye.

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves carefully examining the target. Active divination may take place, often with runestones or cards. Other, more exotic, methods of diagnosis might be used as well such as observing if the presence of the target has any effect on a lodestone, or on fresh milk; letting droplets of their blood, phlegm or sweat fall into fresh water or cream; or getting the target to throw a handful of runestones or sticks, or spatter blood onto a hide covered in runes, and observing the results. Lenses might be used to examine the target; lights used to make their shadow move; and mirrors used to catch their reflection. The rune Irremais is commonly invoked, as are the names of wise Paragons and Exemplars, folk heroes or the Eternal Wise Rangara.