Chimes of Annulment

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 5 minutes of roleplaying.. This ritual targets a Druj miasma pillar which must be present throughout.

Option

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute weltsilver for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of weltsilver spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Effects

This ritual will cause a Druj miasma pillar to be deactivated for one minute. In the event that all nearby pillars are de-activated at the end of that minute, then the piller will not re-activate.

Description

The development of this ritual was overseen by Octavius of the Spire of the Auric Horizon, the Provost of the Halls of Knowledge during the Spring of 379YE; it's creation was most likely prompted by a failed attempt to destroy the central miasma focus in Grey Charge during the Spring Equinox. It was added to the body of Imperial lore by declaration of the Imperial Conclave in 379YE.

The ritual focuses purifying the corrupt energies of one of the Druj fear miasma pillars or foci. The "dread miasma” (as it is coloquially called), was encountered by the Imperial armies engaged in the liberation of Reikos towards the end of 378YE. The armies that entered the barbarian-conquered territory encountered the miasma as a nearly tangible spiritual presence that appeared to hang over the whole of Reikos.Described as an almost physical pall of dread and despair, it infested the air, the water, and the soil. It was described by those exposed to it in fanciful terms; “clawing at the spirit”, “slowly grinding away every positive emotion”, and “threatening to undermine every virtuous thought”.

At night, the effects of the miasma intensified. It seemed to take advantage of the long hours of darkness to play upon the natural fears, doubts, and uncertainties that come naturally to mortal minds. Some exposed to the miasma describe hallucinations, especially of deceased loved ones. There is no suggestion, however, that this effect is actually producing images of the dead – several soldiers reported catching sight of loved ones they knew were alive and safe at home, but seemingly murdered and weeping.

The Druj do not appear to have used conventional ritual magics to create this effect; rather, it bears more similarity to a massive consecration associated with the malign spiritual presence of fear or dread. Yet the existance of a magical method to deal with the aura (coupled with orc inability to use liao ceremonies) points to it being more than a purely spiritual effect.

The question of the precise construction of these miasma pillars is one that still remains to be answered – much of the work on creating this ritual was done through extrapolation from the experiences of the Imperial heroes when they attempted to weave spontaneous magic to destroy the pillars in Grey Charge. As near as can be established, the Druj use a combination of drugs or potions, herbs, torture, and terror tactics to create feelings of terror and despair. Using the so-called “miasma pillars” as focal points, the Druj appear to harness and amplify these feelings, reinforcing them over and over until they generate a spiritual “gyre” that propagates across the territory.

While the miasma is unpleasant in the wider territory, the miasma pillars themselves are surrounded by the aura of dread in its most primal form. Even approaching a misama pillar will prove extremely difficult without significant precautions such as ceremonial anointing; the use of a ritual protection such as Crystal Clarity of the Rational Soul; or the use of magic items such as a Banner of the Bold, or a Circlet of Falling Snow.

One element that became clear during the abortive battle at Reikos was that the pillars appear to reinforce or supplement one another when they are close together. Removing the potence of a single pillar is ineffective if there are other pillars nearby – all nearby pillars will need to be deactivated simultaneously. If a single pillar is deactivated, there is little noticable effect on the local miasma – it is theorised that once all the pillars in a location are deactivated, the miasma will quickly fade from the region where they were placed. .Obviously, the magicians who wish to perform the Chimes of Anulment will need to attack each pillar simultaneously creating a significant challenge for both the ritualists and the soldiers protecting them.

Given that the pillars supplement and reinforce each other, it is believed the Druj have constructed them in a limited geographical locale within each region of Reikos. So far, only the Grey Charge pillars have been located

Common Elements

The ritual ideally uses a musical instrument, preferably a metal percussion instrument such as bells, cymbal or chime that is struck with a hammer. The rhythmic notes of a simple instrument are invaluable in helping ritualists focus past the fear evoked by the Druj miasma to weave the magic for this ritual. Instruments of weltsilver are especially suited to this ritual - each pure note resonates with the symbollic power of this valuable material.

Symbols associated with purification are especially appropriate. Pure water gently splashed on the target column, or open flames used to ring the device, both make suitable foci for the magic although care must be made not to set the item alight – it is not clear what effect a physical attack on one of the pillars might have.

As befits the concepts of purification used in the design of this ritual, the rune Cavul is especially well suited – but so is the Rune of Ending. Evocations of paragons and exemplars of courage, or even potentially the name of the eternal Ylenrith, would also help in the performance of this ritual.

With regard to dramaturgy, the persona of the Bishop in particular has a strong resonance with the Chimes of Anulment. This would be especially true if the dramaturgist (or the character) were capable of performing the rite of consecration, or dedicated to the virtues of courage or possibly vigilance.

Finally, the astronomancy constellation of the phoenix has a strong connection to the magic of this ritual. It exemplifies concepts of transformation through wisdom and learning – and has an immediate connection to the symbollogy of purifying flame and rebirth.