====== Rituals: ====== // The below rituals were all given out to at least one player, or mentioned as example rituals in that god's brief. // Interesting facts: * Several rituals are given out by different gods in modified forms. * Some rituals called upon no god in particular, but are instead described as Ancient Rites. These were given out by the sleepers and Dythaem, and were somewhat dodgy ;). * Some were created by PC gods. * St Edith was not a real god. She was a fae Dythaem forced to become dangerously unstable by nicking power from other gods and focusing it through a relic she created whilst still living. ===== Special (1+) ===== === Divine Dominion (Ancient Rite) === //Sacrifice:// Relics of other gods\\ //Effect:// The priest enshrines the artefacts into reliquaries bearing the chosen God's image, or otherwise modifies them demonstrating the chosen God's dominion. The power invested in the relic by its owner is forcibly redirected to serve the chosen God. The owner of the relic will be aware their power is being stolen, but not by whom or how. If the icongraphy of dominion is broken, so is the hold of this ritual on the God's power.\\ //Faith:// Special. The higher the faith of the caster, the more power can be extracted from a relic.\\ //Special:// Though this ritual is unaligned, specialisations in the god to be empowered increase your effective faith, whilst specialisations in one of the oppressed god will reduce it. //GM Commentary: This was the workhorse of Dythaem/Edith and the basis of dodgy.// === Edith's Purifying Flame (St Adela) === //Sacrifice:// Item to be purified.\\ //Effect:// Acts as the Purification ritual. Item to be purified is melted in holy fires of Edith. Any precious metal in the item pools and collects in pools below ready for reuse. Anything else is consumed (relics are unaffected unless you have faith 5+).\\ //Faith:// Same as effect to be removed //GM Commentary: Stolen from Nantosuelta.// === Evoke the Gilted Protection (St Adela) === //Sacrifice:// The caster sacrifices a significant amount of wealth (i.e. Riches 1)\\ //Effect:// The priest prays to Edith for protection of a living target (potentially themself) against those who would seek to harm them, offering her wealth in return for her assistance. The gold evaporates into the air around them, creating a shimmering shield that slowly fades from view - but not from existence. The shield protects the target against faith-based effects indiscriminately, but may be temporarily disabled through a prayer to Edith should they wish to benefit from a positive effect. When blocking an attack, the shield returns to visibility. The spell is effective against all rituals cast by someone of lower faith than the priest, and in cases where there is a sufficient gap in power levels, the effect may be reflected back upon its caster. The ritual must be maintained by a substantial tithe (i.e. Riches 1) to St Edith each year.\\ //Faith:// 1+ (see description) //GM Commentary: Not actually stolen from anybody!// ===Purification (Your preferred saint/god) === //Sacrifice:// Undergo fasting and ritual scourging.\\ //Effect:// The priest performs a ceremony of exorcism on a target person or area. Any outside religious influence not of their particular god or saint is forcibly removed. The priest will be able to tell when the ceremony has completed, but should be aware that for heavily corrupted areas this may take some time. The performance of an exorcism is very apparent to the corrupting influence, that may well send guardians to stop the priest.\\ //Faith:// Same level as effect to be cancelled. === Stare into the Holy Flame (Nantosuelta) === //Sacrifice:// The supplicant stares into the sun for a day. (This will reduce your effective combat in another action of your choice).\\ //Timing:// During the hours of daylight.\\ //Effect:// By staring upon the powerful face of their god as it crosses the heavens (i.e. staring into the sun) and opening their mind to its terrible power the druid is able to divine one piece of information that has been laid open before the light of Nantosuelta (ie literally has been exposed to direct sunlight). However when one stares into the face of a god, one invites the god to stare back, and where such a being's gaze falls nothing is left unchanged.\\ //Faith: 1// (but higher faith levels may allow you to reduce or eliminate any downside effects) === Stare into the Starry Void/Commune with the Void (Ancient Rite/Horror) === //Sacrifice:// The supplicant suffers terrible nightmares the following three nights.\\ //Specific Requirement:// You may either (a) use a suitable ancient megalith at night; or (b) use your own personal "connection" to the entity that fulfils the role of "the void".\\ //Effect:// By opening their mind to the terrible void the supplicant is able to divine one piece of information that has been laid open before the stars (ie literally has been exposed to star light). However when one stares into the void, the void stares back, and where its gaze falls nothing is left unchanged. The occasional user of this ritual suffers merely night terrors, but continued and repeated use leads to madness and worse.\\ //Alternative Effect:// You commune with the mad conciousness you have previously connected to. This may end badly if you have not taken suitable precautions before doing so.\\ //Note:// If this ritual is cast using a megalith, it is unaligned (i.e. is not affected positively or negatively by any faith specialization). If cast using a personal connection, it will be negatively affected by any faith specialization that is not the "correct" one.\\ //Faith:// 1 (but higher faith levels may allow you to reduce or eliminate any downside effects) //GM Commentary: Most people only got the plain Stare into the Starry Void ritual. Some special people got the fuller version when they established a fuller connection with the Totalising Will...// ===== Faith 1 ===== === Call Forth the Soil's Bounty (St Rhesus) === //Sacrifice:// A loaf baked of previous year's harvest\\ //Timing:// Christian Harvest Festival\\ //Effect:// The following year's harvest is significantly improved --- at least so long as Saint Rhesus is not offended in the intervening period.\\ //Faith:// 1 //GM Commentary: Never given out to a player, just mentioned in the priest brief.// === Dredge the Thames (Dii Casses) === //Sacrifice:// A body\\ //Site:// A large river used as disposal for a large settlement past or present\\ //Effect:// The priest discards a dead (or soon to be dead) body into the river in a ceremony dedicated to Dii Casses. They then cast a net into the river weighted such that it sinks to the bottom, and spend the next hour in prayer to Dii Casses, before recovering the net. Dii Casses will have ensured some //intresting// refuse has ended up in the net. //Using this ritual more than once every few months is likely to anger Dii Cassess.//\\ //Faith:// 1 //GM Commentary: Of course, sometimes you dredge up a rotting corpse possessed by Dii Casses there to deliver a message.// ===Feed the Faithful (St James/St Edith/Agrona)=== //Sacrifice:// Five loaves of bread and five fish (St James/St Edith version). Five human hearts, still beating (Agrona version).\\ //Timing:// Harvest festival. \\ //Effect:// The loaves and fish are passed amongst the congregation, each taking as much as they need. At the end of the ceremony there are is still some left over.\\ //Faith:// 1 ===Flushing out Game (Robor) === //Sacrifice:// Hunt one of the animals yourself, and kill it using only weapons made from the gifts of the forest (i.e., no metal, etc.)\\ //Effect:// a small slew of small game will be flushed from the surrounding area and run off, which can with skill be corralled or directed for either hunting or perhaps distraction.\\ //Faith:// 1 === Gift of Tongues (St Bernard) === //Sacrifice:// A month spent in meditation and prayer.\\ //Effect:// You miraculously gain the ability to understand a previously unknown tongue.\\ //Faith:// 1\\ === Lay the Keel (Esus) === //Sacrifice:// Sufficient seal blood to impregnate the keel\\ //Effect:// The priest performs a ceremony in which the keel is soaked in the blood of seals sacrificed in the name of Esus. The ritual seals the blood into the wood, forever marking the wood. The boat that uses such a keel is blessed by Esus and outperforms similar boats.\\ //Faith:// 1 //GM Commentary: And noone went after Osmund for clubbing so many seals for their blood.// === Pulse's Slumber (Artio) === //Sacrifice:// Feed your last meal to a bear, and say a prayer to Artio.\\ //Effect:// Your body slows and rests, as in hibernation, allowing you to survive hunger and wounds that would kill you through bleeding out for longer. However you do not have the energy to fight off any which may try to attack you. This ritual lasts until you next taste meat: willingly or not.\\ //Faith:// 1\\ //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in the priest brief.// === Scavenger's Gloves (Dii Casses) === //Sacrifice:// Building a shrine to Dii Casses out of the refuse as you proceed\\ //Effect:// The priest proceeds to sift through the leavings of civilization looking for whatever they wish. They build the items they are not interested in into a shrine to Dii Casses. In return, Dii Casses grants them protection from plague and other diseases they may have otherwise acquired as a result of doing so.\\ //Faith:// 1 === Tithes of the Faithful (St Edith) === //Sacrifice:// Coin taken forcibly from enemies of the church\\ //Effect:// The priest performs a ceremony dedicating the coin to the church, to help fight against the enemies of the church. The coin may then be shown as part of a service to significantly increase the tithes those attending will pay in the next few months to support the church.\\ //NB:// Whilst the original coin must be used to fight against said evil, the increased tithe may be used as desired.\\ //Faith:// 1 //GM Commentary: Stolen from Boniface.// === Turn the Cheek (St Bernard/St James) === //Sacrifice:// When attacked, do not retaliate, and offer forgiveness to the attacker.\\ //Effect:// Your attacker is drawn unto the notice of God. Until they repent and beg the forgiveness of the almighty they shall pay a price for their sins.\\ //OOC:// Please state explicitly whether you are using this spell - you can state it is your default response if you wish, though note it offers no actual protection, only the promise of retaliation.\\ //Faith:// 1\\ ===Winged Justice (Tiw)=== //Sacrifice:// You must perform a judgement under the auspices of Tiw, and for the purpose of no other miracles.\\ //Effect:// You may call one of Tiw's owls to you to carry a message: the message must be short enough to be written on a scrap of bark or parchment that the owl can easily carry, and must contain //at least// the outcome of the judgement. This message is then delivered - swiftly, and for the most part covertly - to a person within a day's flight that is named by you. Note that this effects of this ritual may be unusual if it is carried out in a location that doesn't have a nearby population of owls.\\ //Faith:// 1\\ //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in the priest brief.// ===== Faith 2 ===== === Artio's Fury (Artio) === //Sacrifice:// Spend at least a week guarding a bear and enacting regular dedications to Artio in an area sacred to her (this is most of the British Isles). This miracle takes effect when you next leave the bear's sight range.\\ //Effect:// You are driven into a rage from which you cannot be calmed until the rage passes or until you are knocked unconscious: you are given the strength of the bear but can not tell friend from foe.\\ //Faith:// 2\\ //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in the priest brief.// === Blessed Mast of Esus (Esus) === //Sacrifice:// Burning of a ship\\ //Effect:// The druid burns a ship (either built for that purpose, captured from an enemy, or beyond the end of its useful life, etc.) and maintains a vigil. When the last ember is extinguished an albatross will appear. The druid follows it and selects the first tree on which it alights to be used as the mast for a new ship. The resulting ship need not fear losing its mast in a storm, and will generally be able to cope with weather much better than an unblessed ship.\\ //Faith:// 2 //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in the priest brief.// === Coin of the Merchant (St Edith) === //Sacrifice:// 10% tithe from the merchant\\ //Effect:// The merchant's trade is blessed for the next six months - they always find the right customer for their goods, or the right goods for their customer. Profits from trade are significantly increased.\\ //Faith:// 2 //GM Commentary: Stolen from Ritona/St James.// === Eyes of the Wolf (Wilfrida) === //Sacrifice:// The druid openly declares their intent to hunt down a named target, and dedicates the hunt to Wilfrida.\\ //Effect:// The druid channels the power of their faith into seeking a single living target. The druid will find their natural tracking ability improved, and the ritual will also help them to see through any faith magic attempts by the target to conceal themselves. Once the hunt has begun, the druid cannot stop for food or rest until they reach their target. The druid must be physically touching their target for the hunt to be considered over.\\ //Faith:// 2 (higher levels will improve the druid’s tracking ability) === From the Floor to the Surface (Esus) === //Sacrifice:// Ashes from a burnt figurehead and a large live fish\\ //Effect: //The priest scatters the ashes into the sea in a ceremony dedicated to Esus, then releases the fish. They then cast a net into the sea weighted such that it sinks to the bottom, and spend the next hour in prayer to Esus, while slowly sailing in the direction taken by the fish, before recovering the net. Esus will have ensured some valuable or otherwise interesting items have ended up in the net. Using this ritual more than once every few months is likely to anger Esus\\ //Faith:// 2 ===Heart of the Forest (Cernunnos/Robor)=== //Sacrifice:// A shrine must be erected to Cernunnos. After the shrine is complete, the priest must wait for a deer to appear and follow it through the forest.\\ //Effect:// The priest will be lead to a part of the forest which cannot be found unless you have been there before, or are following someone who has.\\ N.B. The deer must be followed over any terrain. Cernunnos will not be impressed if the priest gives up or loses track of the animal.\\ //Faith:// 2 //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in the priest brief. This is effectively what the Tower of London ended up becoming.// === Hunger of Agrona's Favoured (Agrona) === //Sacrifice:// 24 hours of complete fasting, interspersed with battle in the name of Agrona.\\ //Effect:// At the end of the aforementioned period you must take your first bite of food while looking your intended victim in the eyes. From then to a week hence the victim will be overcome with a deep insatiable hunger. This is especially true for meat and human flesh, and they are weakened as if they are actually malnourished. The weakness begins at the same level of weakness you have from your fasting and fighting.\\ //Faith:// 2\\ === Nature's Instinct (Artio) === //Sacrifice:// Mark a living target with some blood of the last creature to attack you.\\ //Effect:// You embody some aspect of Artio as the bear with cub, and while the mark is still visible on your target you will be empowered to fight off any physical threats to them. You are only strengthened when keeping your ward away from direct harm: you could not be empowered to chase down and capture a fleeing assassin for example.\\ //Faith:// 2\\ //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in the priest brief.// === Path to Ritona (Ritona) === //Sacrifice:// You must perform a rite honouring Ritona upon your arrival.\\ //Effect:// You call upon Ritona to guide your way. Ritona will then guide **you** on a //safe// path to her nearest shrine. Others, friend or foe, may pursue you - however you cannot be harmed through mundane means until you arrive. Upon arrival you must perform a rite thanking Ritona for her guidance. Failure to do so promptly (within a few minutes), regardless of whether it is safe or sensible for you to do so, will bring down her wrath (not a good thing if you're standing in a shrine dedicated to her).\\ //NB:// Deviating from the path will be taken as a lack of faith in Ritona, and is also unlikely to end well.\\ //Faith:// 2 === Salt the Earth (Agrona) === //Sacrifice:// At least one pound of salt\\ //Effect:// The priest demarks an area clearly with salt and loudly denounces to the landowner (or closest analogue) the curse of Agrona upon it. Henceforth no crop shall grow but wretchedly upon it, no livestock shall breed, and any child born upon the land shall be held in contempt by Agrona. The curse can be lifted through a formal blessing ceremony by any of Agrona's priests. (Tit for tat retaliation has made this something of a nuclear option.)\\ //Faith:// 2 //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in priest brief.// ===Seek the Path of St James (St James)=== //Sacrifice:// Offering of bread at the start and end of the journey, must offer food and shelter to any who ask whilst on journey.\\ //Location:// Start and end points must be Christian shrines.\\ //Effect:// The priest makes an offering of bread at the altar of St James and requests the safe passage of he and his friends (yourself and five others) on their pilgrimage to another church. So long as the priest proceeds directly to his destination and acts as a good traveller on the road, offering food and shelter to thos he meets on the way, St James will assure his passage is as swift and safe as possible. //You may get warning before walking into an ambush.//\\ //Faith:// 2 ===Stand Firm (The Lady of the Shadows)=== //Sacrifice//:The priest must stand their ground, without moving to flee or attack, at the location of the casting of the ritual for at least ten minutes.\\ //Effect//: The priest stands at a chosen location and declares a person as the enemy of England. That person, if in proximity to the priest, will be thrown back, and may not approach the priest to a distance of less than five meters for as long as the ritual remains in effect.\\ //OOC: You may cast this up to twice per session, allowing you to use the Repel call.//\\ //Faith//: 2 ===== Faith 3 ===== === Battle Hymn of the Badger God (Moritasgus) === //Sacrifice:// Blood of a Badger taken without killing it \\ //Effect:// The priest drinks the badger's blood in a ceremony dedicated to Moritasgus, and then falls asleep. An hour of vivid dreams later the priest wakes embodying the spirit of the badger, its senses, its power in battle.\\ //Faith:// 3 === Call the Storm (Taranis) === //Sacrifice//: Having lived the previous week exposed to the elements\\ //Location//: High ground (or ship’s mast, etc.)\\ //Effect//: A great storm gathers overhead, a spinning vortex forming above the priests head, causing their clothing to flutter dramatically in the wind. The storm will cause significant damage in the vicinity, and will provide great cover to an army willing to manoeuvre in its area of effect. Note: this ritual no protection from the storm, or its effects.\\ //Faith: 3// === Clarity of Thought (Saint Bernard) === //Sacrifice:// Forsake rich food for preceding six weeks.\\ //Effect:// The priest recites a litany to Saint Bernard in order to achieve a deeply contemplative state. They become disassociated with their body, processing any stimuli in a detached fashion. In this state Saint Bernard blesses them with the clarity of a new perspective on their problems, often leading to resolution that might otherwise not occur. Many priest with access to this ritual swear off rich food entirely so that they can use the ritual at short notice.\\ //Faith:// 3 //GM Commentary: Mentioned in the St Bernard brief, but never actually given out to a player.// === Creed of Revolution (Dii Casses) === //Sacrifice:// The Creed must be signed in Blood.\\ //Effect:// The priest presides over a ceremony wherein a group of individuals signs up to a creed that seeks to upset the existing order. The priest need not sign the creed themselves. Once complete, the signatories instantly know if any of their number has betrayed them, and a vague sense of how. Whilst enacting the contents of the creed, Dii Casses shall smile upon them. However, should they turn from their path, no matter the adversity, they shall find she has turned against them.\\ //Faith:// 3 //GM Commentary: Mentioned in the Dii Casses brief, but never actually given out to a player.// ===Edith's Aversion (St Adela)=== //Sacrifice:// Goods equivalent to wealth 1.\\ //Effect:// All fires and sources of light in the area are suddenly extinguished and cannot be relit for an hour; any exchange of money for goods performed beneath them thereafter ends in a poor deal for all involved for the next 6 months.\\ //Faith:// 3 //GM Commentary: Stolen from Nantosuelta.// ===Embody Nature's Warrior (Artio)=== //Sacrifice:// Consumption of the raw heart of a bear's prey animal.\\ //Effect:// The druid ritually consumes the heart whilst attempting to commune with the spirit of the bear. Over the next few minutes his body transforms into that of a (normal) bear whilst he retains his normal state of mind. The effect lasts until the druid chooses to end the spell, to a maximum of 24 hours.\\ //Faith:// 3 ===Fair Game (Wilfrida, originally Cernunnos)=== //Sacrifice:// The priest drinks the blood of an animal hunted for sport by a non-believer.\\ //Effect:// The priest is given a hunting instinct which allows them to track the non-believer with ease. Upon reaching the target, the priest is granted unnatural strength with which to exact revenge for the meaningless death of the hunted animal.\\ //Faith:// 3 === Fury of St. Boniface (Inquisition)=== //Sacrifice//: The Inquisitor spends a day praying over his weapon of choice, reciting the rites and liturgies of St. Boniface.\\ //Location//: A church or other holy site\\ //Effect//: The next time the weapon comes in contact with the blood of Pagans or the Ichor of Fey its blade ignites in a nimbus of roaring flame. The wielder is filled with strength and fervour, often losing control and attacking in a blind rage. His weapon becomes almost weightless in his hands, and he is able to move and strike with greater speed and ferocity.\\ //Faith:// 3 === Joined in Body and Mind (St Rhesus) === //Sacrifice:// The target dedicates time and resources to building a small chapel dedicated to Saint Rhesus at the fringes of civilization.\\ //Effect:// The priest conducts a ritual at the shrine tying the target to a specific animal. The target is able to act in finely tuned concert with the specified animal for the next 3 years (6 turns) producing results slightly beyond the limit of what is naturally possible. For a war horse, this might create a preternatural sympathy between horse and rider, enabling them to act as one. For a cow the farmer would sense its moods and know just the right grass to feed it to obtain the best milk. If the target is parted from the animal for any significant length of time (>1 week), the effects wear off.\\ //Faith:// 3 === Pierce the Veil of Eternity (Ancient Rite) === //Sacrifice:// The bones of the deceased (blocking any future interaction with that target)\\ //Timing:// Solstice or Equinox\\ //Effect:// The priest grinds the bones to meal then burns them and ingests the ashes. They then fall into a coma that lasts three days and three nights. During this time they are visited with visions detailing important moments of the deceased's life. If a particular piece of information is sought, the priest can beseech the powers that be to ensure it is covered.\\ //Note:// This ritual does not appear to be aligned to any particular deity so far as you are aware (i.e. is not affected positively or negatively by any faith specialisation).\\ //Faith:// 3 ===Return to Nature (Cernunnos/Robor)=== //Sacrifice:// A number of Scot's Pine tree seeds planted by hand while the priest recites a dedication to Cernunnos.\\ //Effect:// When the sun rises on the morning following the completion of the ritual, the area in which the seeds were sown becomes forested, the trees grown and the ground covered in vegetation. Any buildings or other man-made structures deteriorate very quickly within the zone over the next few days, returning the area to a natural state. The trees must be planted at a density roughly equivalent to that at which they naturally grow. The priest must be present, but not necessarily the one to plant the seeds. The ritual must be completed within 24 hours and before the sun rises.\\ //Faith:// 3 //GM Commentary: What was Cernunnos doing in London you ask? The Robor variant differed in the type of seeds required - in this as in many things they competed for the same niche.// === Run Before the Storm (Esus) === //Sacrifice:// A human sacrifice\\ //Location:// Atop the main mast of a ship\\ //Effect:// The priest carves a prayer to Esus into the sacrificial victim, then throws them alive from the top of the mast into the sea. Should Esus approve of the sacrifice, a storm quickly forms in the sea around the vessel. The storm will blow the ship to a destination specified by the priest. So long as every scrap of sail possible is hoisted, Esus guarantees that it will not be harmed by the storm, merely driven before it. No such guarantee is granted to anybody aboard nor any nearby vessels.\\ //Faith:// 3 === Suborn the Divine Will (Ancient Rite) === //Effect:// A ritual that enables you to (temporarily, for one major action) subborn the power from a target divine entity. This power can be used either to enhance your own skills, or to other ends as you direct when performing the ritual [NB probably best to check with GMs if you want something specific]. You will need some link to the target (priest, shrine or relic). The target will be temporarily weakened, and will notice this, but will not be able to trace the source of the effect through divine means (they may well send mortal agents to find out however).\\ //Faith:// 3 === Summon the Pathless Waste (Ritona) === //Sacrifice:// The devoted spends the preceding week walking the boundary of the target area without the aid of any man made tool or cloth.\\ //Timing:// Sunset\\ //Effect:// All paths in the target area change to lead deeper into the wilderness. All attempts to find one's way out fail. The effect lasts for 30 days and 30 nights.\\ //Faith:// 3 === Sword of Tiw (Tiw) === //Sacrifice:// Sworn commitment to see the matter through.\\ //Effect:// The druid swears to carry out a punishment appropriate to a crime in the eyes of Tiw (normally being the outcome of a judgement), and calls upon Tiw to guide their sword in this matter. Whilst executing the judgement, the druid's sword burns with an eerie blue light, able to cleave through weapon, flesh or armour as a warm knife through butter. Tiw pays close attention to those who wield his sword, and shall judge them himself should they not pursue the matter expeditiously and with minimum harm to those who do not deliberately seek to prevent justice being done.\\ //Faith:// 3 ===== Faith 4 ===== ===Balanced Scales of Tiw (Tiw)=== //Sacrifice:// The matter must be judged fairly and without prejudice.\\ //Location:// Local high ground, i.e. top of a mountain.\\ //Effect:// The ritual is cast upon on an unresisting target (being tied up and at the mercy of the priest counts as unresisting). An unnatural silence settles upon the area and the priest may ask 3 questions. The target feels compelled to answer, however should they not answer truthfully or at all, the priest is granted a vision by Tiw that shows the heart of the matter. The priest must judge whether the man is guilty or not. If he is, then punishment must be enacted immediately according to the law, or else the defendant set free and given recompense for his treatment.\\ //Faith:// 4 === Beyond limit (St Rhesus) === //Sacrifice:// The animal ridden.\\ //Effect:// The priest ritually anoints the steed, before mounting. For as long as the priest prays for the assistance of Saint Rhesus, the animal shall keep moving, capable of galloping ten times faster than its normal top speed for the duration. 10 seconds after the priest ceases their prayer the beast staggers and collapses, passing in peace from its exhaustion.\\ //Faith:// 4 //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, just mentioned in the priest brief.// === Chains of Eternity (Ancient Rite) === //Sacrifice:// Power in some form\\ //Requirement:// Relic of target entity\\ //Effect:// The supplicant forges a physical prison around the relic, imbuing it with power from whatever source in perpetuity. He may well incorporate living people, ancestors or Gods to strengthen the binding. The power invested must be a match for the powers of the target entity. Upon completion the target entity is cut off from the world, however should the power or guardians be withdrawn, or the physical prison be destroyed, they may return to wreak vengenace upon the world and/or the supplicant.\\ //Faith:// 4 ===Cleansing of the Unclean (St Adela) === //Sacrifice:// The priest spends the following week sanctifying and cleansing the area in person.\\ //Effect:// The priest lights a censor, and where its smoke reaches, all flammable items catch fire, the heat building until they become towering columns of flame, setting alight other nearby items, rendering anything that will burn in the area to ashes. The priest alone is immune to the effects of these flames.\\ //Faith:// 4 //GM Commentary: Stolen from Nantosuelta.// === Custody of St Edith (St Edith) === //Sacrifice:// Sufficient molten gold to fill inscription.\\ //Effect:// The priest begins by sanctifying a stone altar to be protected, and inscribes deeply thereon a prayer to St Edith. Next the priest pours the molten gold into this inscription until they are full whilst chanting the rite of St Edith the Prosperous.\\ Once completed, the altar is enchanted as follows: the altar becomes extremely resistant to damage such that the prayer cannot be erased from its surface and items placed on the altar come under the custody of St. Edith. The items may be safely removed by one of her priests (i.e. someone with the relevant Faith specialization). Should someone else remove the item, they, and anyone who handles the stolen property, suffer grievously. Over the course of the next few days they develop a darkening and swelling of the body around the area where they touched the items, and over the course of the coming weeks and months develop a lingering fever before eventually succumbing to visions of creatures sent to punish them for their crimes.\\ The curse can be ended by either returning the items to the altar and making an offering of equivalent value to St Edith; or converting to the worship of St. Edith; or by casting the ritual //Purification// with sufficient power to cancel the effects of the ritual.\\ //Faith:// 3 (may be cast at higher levels to increase the cost of the resulting purification ritual) //GM Commentary: Or why you shouldn't go nicking stuff from Cathedrals. This was actually being subverted from St Boniface.// ===Expurgation of St. Boniface (St. Boniface)=== //Sacrifice: //The Priest must ritually burn a Fey creature or a follower of the Old Gods at the stake. Afterwards the priest must gather the ash and mix it with wax in order to mould a candle from it. The ashes of a single Fey or Old-God follower can make but one candle each. //Effect:// When the Priest lights the candle he the ritual proper commences. For so long as the candle burns he may wreath any man within a hundred metres of his person with ferocious flames. Should the candle be extinguished, burnt out, destroyed, or removed from the Priests grasp the spell ceases to function and the flames thus far created are doused. //Faith:// 4 === Expurgation of Averill (Averill) === //Sacrifice:// The ashes of a heretic or heathen are mixed with wax to make a candle.\\ //Effect:// The priest lights the candle and invokes the power of Averill to aid them in removing a threat to the church. As the candle burns the target slowly becomes uncomfortable before starting to burn up with a clearly supernatural fever. As the candle continues to burn their clothes spontaneously combust from the heat they put out, and finally as the candle reaches its end they die a fiery burning death in agony. The entire process takes about 15 minutes and is quite spectacular to behold. However, should the candle be extinguished, burnt out, be destroyed, removed from the priest's grasp or the target manage to get more than 300 yards from the priest in this time, the spell ceases to function - though the victim still maintains all the damage wrought. Should the spell complete successfully, all that remains are the target's bones, amidst a pile of ash.\\ //Faith:// 4 //GM Commentary: This ritual was totally not stolen from Boniface and used on a pope.// === Enmity of the Forest (Robor) === //Sacrifice:// Blood or flesh of the target\\ //Effect:// The target must have harmed the forest, for example by taking a weapon to live wood or setting a forest aflame. The druid performs this ritual by burning the blood or flesh of the target. The curse must be delivered verbally, cursing the one who did this. From that point on the transgressor and any who associate with them shall know no solace near or in a forest. Every tree or animal, large or small, shall do their best to drive them from sanity and this life. Should the target have burnt a forest, Robor takes an especial interest in their punishment.\\ //Faith:// 4 (discounted to 1 if the target has burnt a forest) //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in brief. However, this was the basis of a curse effect visited upon some who tried to violate the sanctity of the forest by Cernunnos early in the game.// ===Harmony (Robor)=== //Sacrifice:// Dedication of at least one in ten of the settlement's children to the ways of Robor.\\ //Effect:// The priest walks around the current or future settlement site, scattering seeds and invoking the presence of Robor. All then imbibe a sacred wine distilled from fruits of the forest and fall asleep. When they awaken at dawn the following day they find the forest has grown amongst the village, houses replaced or concealed within trees, wells replaced with natural springs and crops replaced with stands of edible foliage. Rabbits and deer frolic freely providing a source of meat if harvested with due thanks to Robor. The settlement will be very hard to find for anyone who does not either live there or have the favour of Robor (OOC it will require wilderness lore and high investigation).\\ //Faith:// 4 //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in brief.// === Illumination of Saint Bernard (Saint Bernard) === //Sacrifice:// The ability to enjoy mortal pleasures.\\ //Effect:// The priest may perform this ritual upon themselves, or a willing target. The target's ability to enjoy earthly pleasures is ritually given up, their senses dulled and their libido inhibited. To them now, the world is bland and grey, except where it is touched by the divine. In return for this dedication, they are able to innately sense divine magic at work and (in general terms) the core nature of the saint or god behind the effect. In some cases, they may also be able to deduce further details. \\ //OOC:// Note that the reduction in senses caused by this ritual may negatively impact on other skills, such as Craft or Combat, that are closely tied to the senses.\\ //Faith:// 4 === Multitude of Rebellion (Dii Cassess) === //Sacrifice:// The public killing a a senior oppressor before the mob.\\ //Effect:// Those members of the mob who feel they have been oppressed by the sacrifice or those of his class find those feeling intensified. They feel they are given an opportunity to embraces something greater than themselves and throw down the oppressors. Should they accept Dii Casses' offer, they are pushed into a killing frenzy. They join together as a powerful fighting force using improvised weapons and their bare hands to rip apart those they view as oppressing them, and anyone who gets in their way. They will often bring particularly well known individuals to the priest for him to kill in a repeat of the ritual, reinforcing the ritual and potentially increasing the size of the mob. Dii Casses guides their hands and blades, enabling them to work as a cohesive unit with an uncanny knack for binding an enemy's blade with their own flesh whilst a fellow takes out the wielder.\\ //Note:// Survivability of any individual in the mob is probably low, but as a whole they can overwhelm much better armoured and trained foes through sheer wait of numbers. The mob will disperse when they are all dead or they can find no more enemies to slay - attempting to stop them before this happens is likely to end badly.\\ //Faith:// 4 ===Part the Waters (Ritona)=== //Sacrifice:// The most valuable possessions of the first and last people to cross.\\ //Effect:// The druid calls upon Ritona and throws the offerings into a body of water to be crossed. The waters part ahead of the nominated leader of the crossing, creating a ford with a solid bottom and about 6 inches of water. The water returns to it previous level immediately behind the nominated rear guard. The spell lasts at most 15 minutes. The effect applies to the bodies of the nominated individuals, which may be carried should they cease to be able to move of their own accord.\\ //Note:// If used by a single individual, only one sacrifice is required.\\ //Faith:// 4 === Prisoned in the Deep (Esus) === //Sacrifice:// You must spend at least a few hours soaking in sea water, contemplating your devotion to Esus, then cast an anchor and the target into the depth of the sea, while chanting prayers.\\ //Effect:// For as long as the priest is praying/chanting, the target is immobilised under water, unable to move, however they **won't** drown.\\ //Note:// swimming in the sea in winter may have some effects on your health.\\ //Faith:// 4 ===Pull to Earth (Agrona)=== //Sacrifice:// The still beating heart of the head priest(s) of a church.\\ //Effect:// You must remove all of a Saint's relics and artefacts from a church to remove their protection, and then ritually consume the leader of the congregation. In larger cathedrals there will usually be multiple leaders linked strongly enough to it for them all to be needed for the ritual. This links their lifeblood to the structural strength of the building. As their flesh is consumed by you, so too will the building weaken and crumble. The ritual must be obvious, loud, and bloody: Agrona does not reward those who skulk in the shadows when they could stand proudly in death and glory.\\ //Faith:// 4 === Reap the Dark Harvest (Agrona) === //Sacrifice:// Human sacrifice(s)\\ //Timing:// Sunset\\ //Effect:// The priest makes a series of savage cuts upon the victim(s) in the name of Agrona, and forces the victim(s) to walk amongst a crop field until they pass out from blood loss. The fruit of any plant so watered shall come to perfect ripeness with the next dawn. Any bird, beast or man that consume the produce of the dark harvest is shortly overcome by a (temporary) unreasoning killing rage.\\ //Faith:// 4 //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in brief. We're very disappointed.// === Release the Kraken (Esus) === //Sacrifice:// A pint of blood\\ //Location:// In deep water\\ //Effect:// A kraken appears. It knows neither friend nor foe, sparing only those who have entirely dedicated themselves to Esus (who may still drown when it destroys their ship).\\ //Faith:// 4 //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in brief. We're very disappointed. Again.// ===== Faith 5+ ===== === Adopt Agrona's Anger (Agrona) === //Sacrifice:// One enemy per soldier\\ //Effect:// Each follower rips their enemy's throat out using their teeth and swallows the flesh as part of a ritual dedicated to Agrona. The priest themself must devour the still beating heart instead. Following this the participants are overcome with a raging blood lust and fervour for battle, forming a nigh unstoppable fighting force. They will follow directions of their leader, but fine tactical control is difficult, as is stopping them from committing horrific acts in battle. Should the leader end the campaign before they have all killed at least two of the enemy (or been killed themselves) then the followers will turn on him to feast upon his flesh. \\ //Faith:// 5 //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in the priest brief.// === Ascend the Steps of Heaven (Ancient Rite)=== //Sacrifice:// Self\\ //Effect:// The supplicant dedicates themself to a concept and then kills themself in an act of ultimate faith. They may call upon zero or more deities or other powers to assist in their ascension. The active worship of the supplicant by many mortals during the process may also help in some cases. If completed successfully the ritualist is believed to ascend to a higher plane of existence. If completed unsuccessfully, for example if the ritualist calls upon the power of a god who dislikes them, any manner of divine revenge is possible.\\ //Note:// Your character is aware that performing this ritual is possibly the last action they may ever take, and with that in mind, the GM team do not recommend this unless you are prepared for the possibility of character death or unplayability, though we make no guarantees of either.\\ //Faith:// 6 (NB: Faith 5 + self sacrifice) ===Chains of Eternity (Ancient Rite)=== //Sacrifice//: Power in some form\\ //Requirement//: Relic of target entity\\ //Effect//: The supplicant forges a physical prison around the relic, imbuing it with power from whatever source **in perpetuity**. They may well incorporate living people, ancestors or Gods to strengthen the binding. The power invested must be a match for the powers of the target entity. Upon completion the target entity is cut off from the world. However, should the power or guardians be withdrawn, or the physical prison be destroyed, they may return to wreak vengenace upon the world and/or the supplicant.\\ //Faith//: 5 //GM Commentary: The best solution to god problems.// === Curse of Cernunnos (Cernunnos) === //Sacrifice:// The target of the ritual\\ //Effect:// The druid performs a ritual that mixes together sap collected from the heart of the forest with the blood of the intended victim, stirring it with either the antler of a stag or the branch of tree. When the potion comes into contact with the victim, they slowly, over the course of an hour, turn into either a deer or tree as appropriate to the stirring implement.\\ //Faith:// 5 ===Descend to Dirt and Ash (Dii Casses)=== //Sacrifice:// Self\\ //Effect:// The supplicant dedicates themselves to Dii Casses and then kills themself in an act of ultimate faith. They may call upon Dii Casses to assist in their ascension. The active worship of the supplicant by many mortals during the process may also help in some cases. If completed successfully the ritualist is believed to ascend to a higher plane of existence. If completed unsuccessfully, for example if Dii Casses dislikes them, any manner of divine revenge is possible.\\ //Note:// Your character is aware that performing this ritual is possibly the last action they may ever take, and with that in mind, the GM team do not recommend this unless you are prepared for the possibility of character death or unplayability, though we make no guarantees of either.\\ //Faith:// 6 (NB: Faith 5 (or 4 with spec in Dii Casses) plus self-sacrifice) //GM Commentary: The Vulture promises to eat you last!// === Downfall (Dii Casses) === //Sacrifice:// The priest must have been personally and significantly wronged by the target.\\ //Effect:// The priest publicly curses the target, informing them that they will pay for their crime, which must be specified. Over the course of the next few months, anything that can go wrong and that can reduce the target's social status, does go wrong. This does not stop until they have reached the same social status as the priest. The curse fades if the priest dies.\\ //Faith:// 5 === Judgement of Edith (St Adela) === //Sacrifice:// Enough gold to cover the victim when melted (wealth 1)\\ //Effect:// Target willingly submits to Judgement by Edith. They are enveloped by a shimmering expanse of molten gold. Should they be found worthy, Edith's power shall enhance their best qualities, the gold plating sealing their worst. Should they be found unworthy, they remain encased in gold, a statue demonstrative of their folly.\\ //Faith:// 5 //GM Commentary: Stolen from Nantosuelta.// === Pyrrhic Victory of Edith (St Edith) === //Sacrifice:// Everything outwith the settlement for a mile; also a golden candlestick.\\ //Location:// Settlement boundary must have been marked every 30 feet with stout staves of oak capped at both ends with iron and driven into the ground.\\ //Effect:// The priest melts down the candlestick, sacrificing the gold to Saint Edith, and casts the liquid gold over the boundary. Where it falls the ground ignites in a blaze of fire that quickly spreads to cover an area extending 1 mile from the settlement in all directions that burns until dawn the following day. It will not pass into the settlement, but may devastate a wider area if local conditions are conducive to such.\\ //Faith:// 5 //GM Commentary: Compare and contrast with the following...// === Pyrrhic Victory of Totatis (Totatis) === //Sacrifice:// Everything outwith the settlement for a mile; also the best livestock animal living within the boundary.\\ //Location:// Settlement boundary must have been marked every 30 feet with stout staves of oak capped at both ends with iron and driven into the ground.\\ //Effect:// The druids sacrifice the best livestock animal of the settlement upon an altar dedicated to Totatis, and casts the blood over the boundary. Where it falls the ground ignites in a blaze of fire that quickly spreads to cover an area extending 1 mile from the settlement in all directions that burns until dawn the following day. It will not pass into the settlement, but may devastate a wider area if local conditions are conducive to a normal forest fire.\\ //Faith:// 5 === Service to Saint Edith (St Edith) === You don't know much about this ritual save its existence. Apparently an elaborate ritual whereby the faithful swear their allegiance eternal to Saint Edith and in return are richly rewarded. //GM Commentary: Stolen from Ankou, where the spell would basically turn you into some half-dead creature. We never had to figure out what either version did exactly however, as this remained just a note on the St Edith brief.// ===Shipwright’s Star (Shipwright)=== //Effect:// This ritual empowers you to focus on a place which can be reached through water or air and send a vessel directly there, as long as it need pass through no solid objects.\\ //Faith:// 5 ===Spirit of the Wolf (Wilfrida)=== //Sacrifice:// The druid must be accepted into a wolf pack and ensure the success of their next hunt. The druid may take a single portion of meat from the prey, which they can then eat to activate the effect. (Faith in Wilfrida makes acceptance by the pack easier than would normally be expected.)\\ //Effect:// Upon eating the meat, the druid is transformed into a large supernatural wolf, giving them sharp senses and enhanced agility. The wolf is a great hunter and strong in battle; the sight of it strikes fear into the hearts of both enemies and prey alike. Additionally, the druid may choose to summon a pack of wolves to aid them. They will follow simple commands and be able to tell friend from foe, but will otherwise behave as normal wolves. If the druid is sufficiently wounded, the effect will end and the druid will return to their mortal form. The effect may also be cancelled at will by the druid, and will end after a maximum of 24 hours.\\ //Faith:// 5\\ === Walk the Paths of Esus (Esus) === //Sacrifice:// 100 fish caught by the hand of the druid\\ //Effect:// The druid scatters the fish into a navigable river or sea as an offering to Esus, calling upon her for safe passage to a named destination. The waters start to boil and form a whirlpool forms, into which the druid and up to 10 others step. They are instantaneously transported to the named destination and washed up on the shore by an abnormally large wave.\\ //Faith:// 5 //GM Commentary: Never actually given out to a player, only mentioned in the priest brief.// ====== Selected Other Rituals ====== The below rituals never actually featured in the game, but are a selection of the more interesting ones we had brainstormed. === Agonising Embrace of the Sun (Ancient Rite) === //Sacrifice:// Supplicant's sight\\ //Location:// Suitable megalith\\ //Timing:// Midsummer's day\\ //Effect:// At sunrise the supplicant sacrifices his eye lids to the sun, and then dedicates himself to staring into the sun until it sets (supplicants often have themselves tied into position to aid this). Should they outlast the agonising pain without their sight wavering from the sun, they are granted an extraordinary second sight to replace that which they have lost. They become able to see lines of magic that flow through the world, to find holes in such magical defenses and to perform unparalleled acts of craftsmanship. They are also, for all other intents and purposes, blind. ===Beatification=== //Sacrifice:// A month's fasting. Worship of a large congregation.\\ //Location:// A cathedral or Greater Basilica.\\ //Other Requirements:// Relic of the target.\\ //Effect:// The priest performs a ritual. The effect is to raise the target (possibly themself) to sainthood at the cost of their own life. If you wield the powers of the Pope, you know the ritual that will do this to another person. This ritual creates a saint which is an emodiment of the symbols used in the ritual. \\ //Faith:// 6 === Blind Faith === //Sacrifice:// 24 hours spent without seeing light of any kind for every 5 minutes of effect.\\ //Penance:// You are magically blinded for the 24 hours for every 5 minutes of effect. Your god may not appreciate having to do this.\\ //Effect:// The priest puts on a blindfold and follows his faith to reach his desired destination at a slow and steady walk. Any pursuit is lost, and he cannot be spotted by his enemies or allies until he has reached his destination. This will not get you through locked doors or over walls, but will stop guards seeing you.\\ //Faith:// 3 ===Bond of St. Nonnata (St. Nonnata)=== //Sacrifice:// Two members of the Inquisition meet and swear a holy oath to never reveal a particular piece of information beyond the bounds of their order. Thereafter they are struck mute for a week.\\ //Location:// A church or other holy site\\ //Effect:// Should either of the members knowingly (or through negligence) reveal the information beyond the bounds of their order they are struck with a terrible wasting affliction. It begins at the eyes and mouth, rendering both gangrenous and necrotic within a few days. Within a week the disease will have consumed the body entirely, causing a painful death. It can only be combatted by the most potent healing magic (and even then victims are usually deprived of speech and sight thereafter). === Certain Lover's Return === //Sacrifice:// Dedication of the first born child to be trained as a priest of Frige.\\ //Effect:// In return for the first-born child, Frige guarantees that one member of a couple will definitely return alive from battle to see their partner. Should the target be destined to die, someone else will take the blow in their stead. === Taranis's Forge (Taranis) === //Sacrifice:// The Blade is carved with the runes of Taranis and quenched in the blood of an enemy.\\ //Timing:// The forging must begin on the new moon, and be completed when it reaches its full.\\ //Effect:// As the sword is quenched for the final time in the blood of your enemy, a storm gathers overhead, leaving only a gap for the light of the new moon to shine through. The sword is removed from the quench, and its wielder raises it to the sky, where it is struck repeatedly by lightning. The wielder shall be protected by their faith in Taranis. Once forged, lighting constantly flickers up and down the blade. It can be used once to devastate an army or to bring down the gates of a castle. === Service to Ankou (Ankou) === //Sacrifice:// The priest swears themself to eternal service of Ankou - and all that entails.\\ //Effect:// The priest imbibes a potent blend of herbs they have personally gathered from the forest in a ceremony dedicated to Ankou, and asks a single question of the Goddess. Shortly there after they fall into a sleep and then cease breathing. In this state they are completely ignorant of the world around them and cannot be awoken through outside stimuli. After 30 days and 30 nights they awaken with glimpses and half seen truths garnered from the dreams of others in the world that address the question they posed. From now until the day they die, they enter into the same state each time they sleep, though normally any memories they retain from their dreams are relatively meaningless. === To Watch Eternal (Ancient Rite) === //Sacrifice:// Ritually prepared bodies\\ //Requirement:// Ritually prepared grave (eg Long Barrow)\\ //Effect:// In this ritual interment ceremony the dead are laid to rest with their arms and armour such that they may be called to arms when the time is right. Upon the sealing of the grave, an instrument is fashioned (traditionally a war horn). The first time this horn is blown by a man or woman in desperation, the dead are stirred from their sleep to fight their final battle. //GM Commentary: Those sleepers...// === Withdraw the Protection of Ankou (Ankou) === //Sacrifice:// Living the first nightmare themselves. Blood for a potion. \\ //Effect:// Whilst standing in front of the target, the priest loudly declares them to have fallen out of favour with Ankou, and flicks a specially prepared potion containing their own blood over them. From that point on, the target suffers nightmares each night. To prevent this gift being used likely, Ankou forces the priest to live the first, and occasionally other future nightmares themself. It is said that a person so cast out from Ankou's protection shall lack any guidance when they die, as no other God will touch one so marked.