Sorin's Rite of Agony

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 have the Winter Lore skill.

During the ritual the target must be cut with an edged weapon, sufficient to cause the loss of 1 hit.

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

Effects

When the ritual is complete, after the target has lost 1 hit, they gain an enchantment that grants them one additional rank of Winter Lore. They do not gain any additional mastered rituals.

They also experience a roleplaying effect: the wound used to perform this ritual will not heal; at dramatically appropriate moments it will burn painfully sending waves of feverish pain through the character.

The wound created by this ritual continues to run with blood and will not heal naturally; most healing magic is likewise ineffective. It can only be healed through treatment by a physick, using the traumatic wounds rules.

The enchantment ends immediately if the wound is healed. Once the duration of the enchantment has expires, the wound can be healed normally.

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 14. Additional characters must be present throughout, and each must inflict a wound on themselves.

OOC Elements

The wound inflicted by this ritual continues to bleed; even if the character is a briar, it will not scab-over normally. One possible way to phys-rep such a wound would be with bandages wound around and treated with colouring or fake blood. Applying a little more liquid from time to time will help to maintain the illusion that the wound is continuing to bleed.

Description

This ritual creates a pact between the target and the winter eternal Sorin; in return for temporarily increased mastery of the Realm of Winter, the target suffers a lingering wound. Some magical scholars are of the opinion that the pain and discomfort somehow feeds Sorin's desire for suffering, while others claim this is a misunderstanding of the eternal's motives. Rather than feeding on pain, these scholars claim, Sorin simply reinforces his belief that all true strength comes from suffering. Either way, if magic is used to heal the enchanted wound the enchantment ends immediately.

Even though Sorin is often invoked with this ritual, there is no actual communion with the eternal. As with many similar rituals, Sorin's Rite of Agony seems to represent an agreed-on pact with the supernatural entity. If the ritual is performed in the correct way, then the enchantment is created; Sorin himself has no direct interaction with the ritualists or the target. Still, the eternal himself is said to show interest in those who come into his presence who have performed this rite.

A variant of this ritual is known to have been practiced among several inter-connected covens of League mountebanks in Sarvos in the second century of the Empire. Called Surut's Burning Brand it required the target to be burnt with beggar's lye and was connected to the Burnt Knight of the Thrice-cursed Court. Eventually the mountebank societies became embroiled in acts of malicious arson, performing increasingly extreme acts in return for more power from Surut; they were arrested and the majority executed for multiple murders. If Surut's Burning Brand were to resurface, anyone practicing it would likely attract a lot of attention from the Imperial Conclave and the Imperial Magistrates.

It is likely that other variants exist; a trade that weakens someone in one way while strengthening them in another is a key theme of the Winter realm, as is a sacrifice that brings power.

Common Elements

This ritual always involves inflicting a bleeding wound on the target. Some covens who use this spell regularly have a specific knife (or sometimes a sickle) that they use to inflict the wound. Some covens require that the target inflict the wound themselves, as an act of self-sacrifice, while others require that one of the ritualist strike the important blow. Some Varushkan covens accompany the wound with a promise or oath to use the additional power wisely, while the Highborn prefer an oath to remain vigilant against the machinations of Sorin or the other Winter eternals. The location and shape of the wound is important as well; a magister is likely to be a little suspicious of a target who wants to conceal the wound beneath clothing, for example. A Navarr caster is likely to carve the wound into a specific shape or design to increase its power, while among Marchers a common method of performing the ritual is for the target to clasp both hands around a sword-blade, inflicting deep cuts on each palm.

The runes Kyrop and Irremais are often used with this ritual.