Coil of the Black Leech

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.

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

Effects

Whenever the target casts the weakness spell and strikes a target, they immediately regain up to three lost hits. The ritual does not grant the target any ability to cast the weakness spell.

While under this enchantment, the target experiences a roleplaying effect: whenever they gain hits due to this enchantment, they feel a rush of pleasure. Once they have used this ability once, they feel a constant urge to use it again even when they are not injured, and in full knowledge that doing so will weaken them in turn.

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 8. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This vampiric ritual takes advantage of the way the weakness spell works to revitalize the caster when they strike a foe. It brings with it a dangerous, gnawing hunger to experience the pleasant taste of another's strength. Targets are often advised to seek out a priest to remove the tainted hunger that accompanies the enchantment. A cautionary tale suggests that the twisted, accursed leech-priests of the Sacrophan Delves were created using a variant of this ritual, or fell into the clutches of an Eternal of Winter after their reliance on this magic became too pronounced.

This enchantment is sometimes coupled with the use of a Wendigo's Bargain or similar enchanted implement. The magic also has an obvious synergy with the Splintering Gorget mage armour.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes leeches, bats and other creatures that feed on the blood of the living. They may shed blood into a goblet of sweet wine for the target to drink, or offer gifts or tokens that represent the power to take strength from others. The runes Kyrop and Naeve are commonly evoked, and some magicians favour the name of Wendigo or even Sorin (whose philosophy of growth through suffering seems a peripheral match for this ritual).