Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw

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 be a contributor participating in the performance of the ritual.

Effects

This enchantment allows the target to call MASS WEAKNESS once during the duration.

While under the effect of the enchantment, the target experiences a role-playing effect: the target finds themselves urged towards savagery. They feel an urge to mercilessly slaughter anyone who threatens them, their friends, or their family. They find it easy to suggest courses of actions that others might view as atrocious, if those actions would destroy or weaken their enemies. The longer the enchantment remains without being unleashed, the more bloodthirsty they become. When they do use the power granted by the ritual, they feel an almost irresistible urge to voice a savage howl, yell, or bellow. This effect is particularly pronounced among characters of the draughir lineage, and has in the past prompted physical violence between high lineage winterborn and anyone they perceived as threatening "their" people.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner. The power of the ritual can be invoked only once during this time.

Additional Targets

The ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude of the spell by 30. Additional characters must be present throughout, and each must contribute to the performance of the ritual.

Option

The ritualists may burn up to 20 measures of beggar's lye as part of the ritual. Every two measures used in this way reduces the magnitude of the ritual by 1.

Description

This battlefield ritual allows a powerful magical attack to be unleashed against a group of enemies, weakening them and leaving them incapable of casting spells, using enchanted items or performing heroic deeds.

For many Winter ritualists, the Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw is superior to both the weakness spell and rituals such as Hungry Grasp of Despair because it spreads the curse of weakness among many enemies at the same time. Used wisely, this ritual can neutralise an elite band (such as an orc chieftain and his bodyguards), or cut-off an entire enemy coven from their magic. It is at it's most useful when combined with a keen awareness of enemy capabilities.

The late enchanter Bauris d'Werwell made good use of the ritual when facing the Jotun on the eastern front. His knights would identify and taunt groups of barbarian Ulvenwar, luring them into a charge against their apparently exposed position. At the last moment, the Earl would unleash the power of this ritual, depriving them on their strength and making it impossible for them tosmash through the Dawnish defences. The startled orcs could then be quickly slaughtered. Eventually, the Jotun refused to charge any group they saw in the black-and-silver cockatrice heraldry of House d'Werwell at all - which the canny strategists of the house quickly found new ways to exploit. Sadly the majority of the noble house died fighting the Thule alongside Empress Britta during the fall of Skarsind.

Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw also sees some use when fighting supernatural threats. It can prevent a mob of husks from rising again when they are struck down, for example. While it is an expensive option, the curse the ritual unleashes can weaken a magician, magical healer, or creature with dangerous powers lurking within a group of other opponents - the ability to weaken everyone within range should not be overlooked. There are very few other ways for magicians to exert their power beyond the reach of their implement, after all.

When the power of this ritual is unleashed, the ritualist doing so often feels an overpowering urge to unleash a screaming howl. This has lead to some concern that the ritual in some way draws on the power of the Wendigo, and calls for it to be subject to interdiction, given Wendigo has the enmity of the conclave. Extensive research by Torval of Highwatch was presented to the Conclave in Autumn 348YE that demonstrated that the ritual is not associated with Wendigo directly, despite the boons that creature claimed to be able to offer to enhance its performance.

In the Marches this ritual is sometimes called Topple the Lofty Pedestals, while in The Brass Coast it is referred to as Calling the Black Wind.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes forces of despair, fear and hunger. Oppressive music or thundering rhythms that begin fast and become slower and slower, symbolic of the way power ebbs from those effected by this curse, are common; so are frenzied dances that reach a climax with the performers collapsing as if from exhaustion. The slow ringing of bells often accompanies this ritual.

The target of the ritual is always a contributor, and the ritual should reflect that. Some ritualists, especially in Varushka use the target's implement as a focus, passing it from magician to magician, whispering curses and dire promises of doom to the tool before returning it to the ultimate target. Others might prepare an infusion of bladeroot which is drunk by the magicians, and causes them to experience momentary symptoms of nausea, weakness, and uncertainty.

Other elements might include the runes Kyrop or Naeve, or a dramaturgical scene in which the Captain succumbs to despair and frailty. For an astronomancer, the ritual has a clear correspondence with the Drowned Man constellation. Some Dawnish - and even a few Highborn magicians - consider evoking the spirit of the malign manticore.

If the coven intends to draw additional power through the use of beggar's lye, it is not uncommon to dilute the lye in water and use it to paint designs on the skin of the target. If the concentration is high enough, the caustic solution will cause slightly painful minor burns that fade over the course of an hour or so - tracing runes in this way is especially appropriate. Some covens take the risky decision to prepare an extremely dilute solution, often in a central cauldron, which the target drinks a little of at the climax. Any physick would counsel against consuming what amounts to a poisonous acid, but the belief is that the magic of the ritual protects the subject from the worst effects of consuming dilute beggar's lye.