Sutannir's Promise

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

Once per day, while in an area consecrated to Courage, the target may spend ten minutes of appropriate roleplaying including passionate and motivating speech. Any listener who was in the area for the entire period recovers all hero points. This ability cannot be used on a battlefield or in a similar stressful environment. A listener who has lost the ability to recover hero points overnight cannot recover them through the use of this power.

While under the effect of this enchantment, the target experiences a roleplaying effect: You are filled with a conviction that you can change the world, provided you do what you know to be right.

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

Description

This ritual was developed at the Icy Crag of the Eternal Sun under the direction of Luke of the Shattered Tower. Work was completed shortly before the Spring Equinox 382YE, and it was entered into Imperial lore by the Conclave during the Summer Solstice 382YE. The original work to create this ritual was undertaken by Carlos i Guerra, Freeborn hakima of the Seers of Oran.

The effect of this ritual is partly inspired by, and patterned after, the Heroes' Horn musical instrument employed by priests across the Empire. The horn allows a priest to use a musical performance to draw on the power of a consecration of Courage to inspire an audience. The enchantment strengthens the target's ability to draw on that consecration, even if they are not a priest. Through their impassioned words, woven with Summer magic, they help their audience connect with the power of the consecrated area, and create a resonance between them and the spiritual power that surrounds them.

The power of the ritual does not provide any ability to actually create a consecrated area. Unless the recipient is a priest dedicated to Courage already, they will need the assistance of an individual trained in the ceremonial use of liao. The enchantment works only with the consecration of Courage – it does not work with consecrations drawn from other spiritual powers nor with magical auras of any kind. Further, as with auras such as those created by Chamber of Delights, it cannot help individuals who have lost the ability to replenish themselves with sleep - those subjected to Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt for example.

A side effect of the enchantment is that it fills the recipient with the certainty that they can undertake great deeds, and change the world even, provided they do what they know to be right. In some ways it is as if the recipient carries a portion of the consecration of Courage with them at all times.

The sutannir for whom this ritual is named are a specific kind of priest found in the Brass Coast. Pious Freeborn place an emphasis on celebration, rather than sermons. They celebrate sacred festivals with entertainment, feasting, and dancing. The sutannir embrace that tradition, often painting their faces and limbs with stylised flames in bright colours or donning flamboyant costumes.

When it comes to preaching, or speaking about the Way, sutannir keep their words short and evocative, knowing that their audience wishes to be inspired rather than lectured. This approach has an obvious resonance with the magic of of the ritual. Summer magic is spontaneous, inspirational, and of-the-moment. Long, droning speeches have little resonance with Summer. Yet at the same time the enchantment requires that the recipient inspire the people who will benefit from its magic for a specific period of time.

To combat this, the enchanted recipient can take a leaf out of the sutannir's book. Short speeches about the Virtues interspersed with musical performances, or dramatic recitation of poems or songs can easily fill the required time with entertainment that keeps the audience focused and engaged with the preacher. Such activities work regardless of culture; a Wintermark audience will appreciate inspiring tales of past heroes, while a Highborn audience can be inspired by stories of the paragons and exemplars of Courage.

Common Elements

Drawing as it does on the role of the sutannir, when performing this ritual, flames may be painted on the face and limbs of the target, or especially around the eyes. They may be girded in flamboyant, brightly coloured costumes, or bound with crimson or golden cloth. The nature of the magic is to help inspire one's allies, so anything that draws attention, or grants confidence, especially the colour red, is appropriate.

As during a ceremony, the ritual may involve the slow rhythmic beating of drums – symbolic of the hearts the target wishes to touch with their magic. Horns may be blown, or the ritual may involve the singing of hymns of Courage or songs about inspirational courageous figures. The recitation of a tale of a heroic figure by the target of the ritual is also resonant.

While Courage is sometimes represented by the rune Jotra, this ritual is much more resonant with the Rune of Majesty – Feresh – which is also called the eagle and is associated with the Virtue of Pride. By enhancing what is present, Summer magic strengthens that quality of the target that inspires others. A practitioner of totem magic may evoke the eagle, the swan, or the heron as well as the more obvious symbolic animals such as jackdaw, bear, or boar. In the time since the ritual was codified into Imperial lore it has proved popular with martially-minded theurgists who greatly appreciate the way it combines magical prowess with virtuous behaviour. They, obviously, evoke the spirits of paragons and exemplars known for their Courage such as Inga Tarn and Gilda Ashwine.

A dramaturgist will find this ritual resonates well with the Bishop, especially in the aspect of Couros (for magic that inspires and encourages). The Throne of the Battlefield is likewise resonant.

As part of the ritual, it is also natural for the target to receive an anointing of Courage, especially the Purity of Courage. The Light of Courage may be a poor fit for this ritual, depending on the circumstances – it takes a skilled public speaker to inspire an audience while simultaneously confronting them with truths that may be deeply unpalatable.