Hallow of the Green World

Rules

Spring Magnitude 160

The magnitude of this ritual may fluctuate as the Empire expands or contracts.

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets the entire Empire. It must be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil. The ritual requires a map of the entire Empire which is used to harness and focus its power.

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

Effects

The ritual enchants the entire Empire. Every herb garden in the Empire produces three additional herbs over the next season. The type of herb must be chosen and named as part of the ritual.

In addition, fertility increases across the Empire for animals, plants and people. While this is not immediately noticeable, in coming seasons there will be many more healthy children born.

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

Description

This old and dramatically powerful ritual enchants the entire Empire for a short time. It affects every herb garden in every region within the Empire, giving them a significant boost to both the fertility and general health of plants and animals.

During a season when this ritual is in effect, there are increased incidences of people encountering Spring regio, or the heralds of Spring eternals. Indeed, the eternals of Spring themselves seem to become more active after periods when this ritual is performed, and more interested in the activities of Imperial citizens. There is a superstitious belief that more of the children conceived during this period will express the briar lineage in later life, but the way the briar lineage develops has made a definitive study extremely difficult. There is some anecdotal evidence that especially high-lineage briar feel especially vigorous and during this period, and are a little more likely to lash out at those who anger them.

Along with Wondrous Forests of the Night and Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths, Hallow of the Green World is an Imperial enchantment - it floods the entire Empire with powerful magic. The ritual was the second of the three existing Imperial enchantments to be codified. Following the success of Wondrous Forests of the Night, there was a groundswell of enthusiasm for more enchantments that could empower the entire Empire. The Imperial Military Council of the time was especially interested in a Spring magic ritual that would allow Imperial soldiers - and by extension Imperial armies - to heal and resupply more quickly. There were many spirited debates in the Imperial Conclave as to the wisdom of creating such an enchantment - and of tying up the resources of the Lyceum for four years working on a single project at a time when the Empire, under Empress Varkula, was engaged in a period of expansion and conquest. The proposed ritual encountered stiff opposition from a faction lead by Highborn and Navarr magicians; in the end however the Varushkan Dean of the Lyceum, Magne Ursin Lossevich, committed the resources of the college of magic to exploring the possibility of duplicating the effectiveness of Wondrous Forests of the Night with Spring magic. There is some speculation that Magne was emboldened to begin the project despite the concerns raised by his peers in the Conclave by tacit approval from the Throne herself. The ritual was codified more quickly than had been anticipated - taking only thirteen seasons rather than the expected sixteen - and while Magne claimed in the Conclave that this was due to the research following a path trailblazed by the earlier ritual the general consensus of arcane historians is that he received covert assistance from one or more eternals in speeding the codification process.

Regardless of how the formulation was completed, Hallow of the Green World was performed for the first time in 154YE, immediately after the conquest of Skarsind, by a Varushkan coven called The cabal of the Green Forest. While potent and far-reaching, it's effects were not what the Military Council might have wished. Whatever else the ritual did, it clearly did not provide the universal magical healing that the generals were hoping for. Magne Ursin Lossevich was called to inquisition by the Imperial Synod where he stated in no uncertain terms that the magic the generals wanted was impossible - although not all of his peers agreed. Either way, the ritual was completed and entered into Imperial lore in 155YE - despite a last ditch effort to have it instead interdicted.

Since it's completion it has been cast only three more times - most recentlyt in Spring 380YE by the Sherard Hunters of Wintermark who took advantage of a powerful conjunction of the Fountain to enact the challenging ritual. Later that same year - during the Winter Solstice - the Imperial Conclave chose to interdict the ritual. The interdiction was reconciled during the Autumn Equinox 381YE.

Common Elements

This is a powerful ritual, and few covens can perform it by themselves. When this ritual has been performed in the past, it has usually been achieved with the use of at least one Web of Celestial Attunement and with supplies of crystal mana from the Imperial Conclave. A coven that plans to perform it often spends several days in preparation, knowing that the eyes of the Empire are likely to be on them.

Ritual performances often include the evocation of the runes of Spring especially Bravash, and of the constellation of The Fountain. Hearth magics and symbols associated with health and Prosperity are also commonly evoked, such as shedding small amounts of blood or offering libations of wine or milk. The eternal Yaw'nagrah may be mentioned, but it is more likely that Imperial heroes and the names of paragons and exemplars will be called upon. The ritual often initiates, takes place during or culminates in a raucous feast or festival that can last long into the night,