The Blade Bites Back

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The target Biting Blade must be present throughout.

Effects

This ritual targets a Biting Blade crafted item that has been used already today. It only targets an item of that specific type.

At the completion of the ritual, the daily power of the biting blade (the ability to call CLEAVE with the item) is recharged and can be used one more time today.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional Biting Blades. Every additional item increases the magnitude by 2. All target items must be present throughout..

Description

This specific ritual was added to the body of Imperial lore, and came into common use, due to the activities of a Sarvosan troupe associated with one of the League free companies. The Biting Blades company made a point of equipping as many of its members as possible with the crafted weapon of the same name, and gained a reputation for quickly and efficiently crippling enemy warriors on every battlefield where they fought. With the use of this ritual, the magic of the enchanted blades was quickly and efficiently restored, while still permitting the soldiers themselves to benefit from various additional enchantments such as The Swan's Cruel Wing or Strength of the Bull.

The ritual endures partly because it represents a broad classification of ritual and serves as an example of one of the limitations of formalised magic. The ritual only replenishes the power of the Biting Blade; it has no effect on a Vorpal Sword, a Bloodsteel Barb or a Butcher's Bill. In each case, a different ritual would be required to restore the magic of those weapons. Likewise, ritual magic could be used to replenish the use of a suit of Tombshroud Guardian chain or a Caress of Arhallogen staff - but in each case a different ritual tailored to the specific enchantment of the target item would need to be used.

On occasion, when the need is especially great, a coven may use spontaneous magic to replenish the powers of a useful magic item, and occasionally formulaic versions of those rituals are developed or discovered in collections of ritual writings. Unless a coven sees an obvious use for the magic, however, it is rare to find coven that masters one of those rituals; recharging enchanted items is much more likely to be within the purview of a lone magician.

Common Elements

The ritual usually involves a symbolic transfer of power. It may involve careful handling of the target item, evocations of the runes Pallas, Lann or Verys, or of the names of Paragons and Exemplars associated with crafting. The ritual often includes the presence of either artisans who can make a Biting Blade or raw orichalcum. In Urizen natural light is often focused onto the weapon, while in The Brass Coast it may be passed over a fire.