Hunger of the Draughir

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

The target gains one additional rank of fortitude, and experiences a roleplaying effect: they feel hungry all the time, and no amount of food can satisfy them, although they suffer no physical disadvantages.

In addition, however, the target gains the draughir ability to eat carrion: the target can get sustenance from anything they can eat or drink, even if it would normally cause them to become sick, and don’t need as much food, drink or sleep as normal. They can eat rotting meat, spoiled vegetables and uncooked flesh ir drink blood, stagnant water or rancid milk without ill effect.

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

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same band. Every two additional characters increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

The target of this ritual is imbued with a splinter of the Winter Realm's relentless hunger; it lodges in their gut and writhes there, leaving them ravenous. Yet at the same time it causes some of Winter's cold, hard resilience take root in them, turning their blood cold and thick.

In today's Empire it is rare for anyone to starve; yet this has not always been the case. In pre- and early-Imperial times this ritual would sometimes be performed by a runesmith or a volhov on volunteers from an isolated community, who would them be able to live on leftovers and carrion while their families and friends shared out the best of their meagre provisions through periods of drought, poor-harvest or long winter. It is a common tale that some of those who volunteered sired or gave birth to draughir as a consequence of the ritual, and even today there are magicians who counsel against being intimate with others while under this enchantment. In times of reasonable plenty, this spell is mostly useful for enhancing the constitution of an individual who is already quite tenacious, or as an adjunct to the use of an Abraxus Stone.

This ritual is sometimes associated with the Eternal Sorin; some ritualists evoke the name of Wise Rangara and claim that this ritual represents hard decisions and sensible, practical solutions to problems. A very few ritualists invoke Wendigo; those who do so, do so secretly and use the fortitude this ritual grants them to engage in unspeakable feasts. When such ritualists are uncovered, they are often declared sorcerers by the Imperial Conclave, or at the very least brought before magistrates to answer charges of murder or desecration.

Common Elements

As with many enchantment rituals, common elements include the consumption of food and drink; unlike many such rituals, it is common to use spoiled food or drink rather than wholesome sustenance. Unsurprisingly, the rune of hunger is often used, painted onto the skin especially the skin of the belly. Likewise an evocation of The Drowned Man, or of carrion beasts such as crows, rats or even hyena may be appropriate. Navarr ritualists may mark the target with the blood of a draughir,but usually only if one of the ritualists is of that lineage.