Spellbook

11 entries found.

Rank 2

Death Blessing
KeywordsSustain
DurationFixed
EL2
fatigue10
difficulty-8
Using this spell it is possible to enhance the duration of another spell using sacrifice. The other spell is cast first, then a willing sacrifice is led to a specially prepared spot and slain. The energy of their death flows into the spell and lengthens it's duration significantly, turning a spell that lasts hours into one that lasts days, days to weeks, weeks to months, months to years, and years to Long Years. Death blessing can only be cast to enhance a spell with a duration of at least 1 hour, and only one that targets a place and not a person.

Alternatively the Black Mage may use this spell to ignore one burden incurred by casting some other spell. The burden is instead attached to the spirit of the sacrifice, which is held as a Tornrait or Ghost until the burden is released.

Rank 3

Blood Sorcery
KeywordsSustain
DurationInstant
EL3
fatigue10
difficulty-12
This powerful enchantment is used by the Mages of the Black Order to offset the disabling effects of some of their more powerful spells. By using the fresh blood of a living creature, animal or Keldian, cut with a bronze knife and poured into a bronze bowl, the spell enables a Mage to ignore the attribute reducing effects of spells such as Sword of Night or Lesser Binding, or the Lethal / Weakening damage inflicted by spells on their caster. It cannot offset attributes lost to bind Demons, since that sacrifice is part of the Demon's price.

The spell can prevent one point of attribute loss for each 10 Health's worth of blood sacrificed. The blood may come from multiple people but the total points of blood obtained from each person is reduced by the number of people. For example to get 30 points of blood from 3 people requires doing 13 damage to each of them! From 6 people it would require 11 points to each (5 + 6). This spell is cast just before the spell to be enhanced, which must be begun in at most 10 minutes after the Blood Sorcery. Note that the spell to be enhanced and the Sorcery need not be cast by the same person.

Blood Sorcery can also be used to offset the cost of a burden. In this case the burden is divided between each of the people who donated blood (10 points worth for each burden). Each of these people gains Flaw : Burdened but does not suffer an attribute loss.
Holding
KeywordsSustain
DurationFixed
EL1
fatigue5
difficulty-8
This spell can be used to hold another spell so that it can be instantly released at a moments notice. Using holding a Mage may delay a single 1EL spell indefinably. Only one spell may ever be held at a time no matter how many times Holding is cast. The Mage must cast this and then the spell to be held. If the second spell fails then the Holding is also wasted. Holding is Subtle if the spell to be held is Subtle.
Imprinting
KeywordsSustain, Creation
DurationPermanent
EL2
fatigue9
difficulty-7
With this power the Black Order can imprint magical power into an object, so that the portion of his mind trapped within will provide it with energy. A Mage must (willingly or otherwise) sacrifice a point of Spirit, which is bound into an Obsidian item, this portion of their soul can then provide a power source for another Black Order Mage, who uses 1 less fatigue per spell and has their power level increased by 2 while holding the item. Each time used the item must roll a 12 or less on a D20 or be shattered. It is possible to use your own Imprinted object, but the save to avoid shattering must be made against at -5, since the energy within is eager to return to the Mage's soul. If your own Imprinted object shatters in use gain 2CP in Spirit.

It is also possible to use Imprinting to place a burden into an existing imprinted object. This reduces it's shattering resistance by 4, and then requires a shattering test. If an imprinted object carrying a burden shatters then all the burdens are shed. An imprinted object cannot carry more than one burden.
power+1 save vs. shattering per 6 power levels
Ritual Bond
KeywordsSustain
DurationFixed
EL6
fatigue32
difficulty-14
A lesser version of the 5th Circle spell Mass Life Bond, Ritual Bond can tie the maintenance of a magic spell to a particular place, so long as complex rituals are regularly enacted. Should the rituals fail, the magic will start to do the same. This spell only affects area and protective Magics, such as Sun's Blessing or Sun's Shield.

To create the Ritual Bond the Mage must first cast the spell to be maintained, and then follow it with the Ritual Bond. The Ritual Bond takes a number of days equal to the Difficulty + Circle + Burdens of the spell to be bonded (the spell need only be in force at the end of this time, so it is possible to begin the bond before the spell it will maintain). The Mage needs to pick a focus for the Bond, usually a living object (such as a tree), or a stone (obelisks, standing stones and the like are popular), which must be connected to the earth and long living. At the end of the ritual the Mage casting the bond loses 1 Spirit.

Once the Bond is established the bonded spell can be maintained by the enacting of regular rituals centred on the focus. For example an obelisk might need to be washed with Crdlu milk ever day, followed by 2 hours of spoken rituals. By default the ritual requirements are :
  • frequency : daily
  • duration : 2 hours
  • materials : value 6
  • fatigue : 12
  • skill : academics / sorcery 5
Increasing the power level of the Ritual Bond can make for a less demanding set of rituals.

Should the rituals be missed the bonded spell will begin to suffer. Each time a Ritual is missed the spell takes one damage. Once the damage reaches 10 - the Circle of the spell, it fails entirely. At the point the bond is broken forever. Before this time it is possible to repair the damage. Restarting the rituals halts the accumulation of damage (but does not remove any of it). Points of damage may be removed by extra rituals. Each extra ritual requires people equal to the Circle of the spell with at least Sorcery 1 to enact (as well as materials equal to the circle times 3 in value). Each extra ritual removes one accumulated damage.
powermaterials : -1 per power level
duration : halve the duration of the ritual per 2 power levels
fatigue : -3 per power level
skill : -1 skill per power level
+4 power levels, rituals are twice a week
+7 power levels, rituals are weekly
+10 power levels, rituals are monthly
+15 power levels, rituals are annual
Waiting
KeywordsSustain
DurationFixed
EL3
fatigue10
difficulty-10
This spell can be used to hold another spell in waiting at a specific place or upon a specific object, to be released when some condition is met. The object or place protected must be engraved or carved with a complex rune, a process requiring at least a day of work and an appropriate Craft roll. Alternatively a quicker rune may be drawn in ink or wax but the difficulty increases to -12 in this case. Once the Waiting spell is cast the second spell may be cast into it as normal. Should the second spell fail then the Waiting spell too is broken, though the rune may be reused.

Unlike Holding, Waiting may define complex conditions, involving anything physical that happens within the protected area. The Waiting spell acts with the same level of knowledge as the Mage who casts it, as if someone with the Mage's senses and memory were standing at the location. It can be set to trigger on the appearance or action of anyone that they Mage would know or recognise, but not anyone they could not (for example it cannot be set to trigger on the arrival of someone the Mage knows only by name). It cannot be triggered by anything that happens outside the warded area, nor by anything which requires reasoning or judgement about what it sees (so it can be triggered by the arrival of a Keldian, but not by the Keldian speaking a lie, since that requires a judgement about the Keldian's actions).

The maximum Energy Level of spell the Waiting may hold is 1, and the maximum area protected is 5 by 5 strides.
power+1 EL of spell can be held per +4 Power Levels
+1 stride area per Power Level

Rank 4

Fire Pit
KeywordsSustain
DurationPermanent
EL3
fatigue12
difficulty-12
Over a period of a week a Red Cloak may create a Fire Pit from red stone and iron. The Fire Pit is like a Mage, in that it traps the power of the Sun and allows it to be used for Red Order magic. To light the fire one or more Keldians must be burnt to death in the pit. The Casting Mage must sacrifice 3 Health.

Once the fire is lit it can maintain up to 2 Energy Level's of spell or burdens (each burden uses 1 EL), such that the total ranks of the spells involved are not greater than the number of Keldians sacrificed (burdens count as rank 1). Any spell with a duration of Maintained or Extended cast on a Fire Pit that has free Energy Levels becomes Sustained, and has it's duration extended for as long as the fire continues to burn. Similarly a burden passed to the Fire Pit is maintained for as long as the fire burns.

After that the pit must be tended constantly to function, requiring a constant supply of fuel equal to Wealth 6.
power+1 Energy Level / Burden sustained per 8 Power Levels.
Life Bond
KeywordsSustain
DurationMaintained
EL3
fatigue15
difficulty-11
This spell is used to sustain a spell with the life force of a single person. The spell must be a single target spell that affects only one person, the target of the Life Bond, and has a Circle less than the Circle of the Life Bond. Once both spells are cast the target is subject to the effects of the other spell for as long as he lives unless the bond is broken. If the sustained spell normally places burdens on the caster, then they are placed on the target instead.

To achieve the bond the subject must consent, and make a simple Spirit roll, followed by a simple Phys roll. A failure on either roll causes both spells to fail and the subject loses 5 Phys forever. The Life Bond counts as a maintained spell for the target and the caster.
power+1 Phys, or +1 Spirit on the rolls to accept per Power Level
Star Iron Imprisonment
KeywordsSustain, Creation
DurationPermanent
EL3
fatigue13
difficulty-10
With this spell Black Order Mages can imprison someone’s soul within a Star Iron weapon. The target must remain still and in contact with the weapon for the entire duration of the casting. At the end of the spell the target must fail a simple Spirit roll (assuming they choose to resist). If they do their soul is sucked into the weapon, otherwise the spell fails. Either way the casting Mage loses a point of Health permanently.

One bound the soul is only dimly conscious and aware of the outside world. It can sense the presence and orders of its wielder, and struggles to resist them. Unless it can beat the wielder in an opposed Spirit test it must obey any orders. In some cases sentries are made from warriors placed in such weapons, but more normally it is some unfortunate Gifted or Mage who is imprisoned. Such a soul can then be commanded to use their powers, and they will be trapped forever unless the weapon is destroyed.

Once trapped the spirit has little in the way of conciousness, but can still use its powers if commanded to do so by one who wields the weapon. A Gifted soul uses its Gift on command, while a Mage casts its spells. A Mage soul retains all but its highest Circle of spells, but is reduced to a pool of only 15 fatigue, which it regenerates at the rate of 1 a day. Spells cast by a bound soul require no channelling roll, but always use the maximum fatigue, and must affect the blade or its wielder (spells which summon creatures, act at range, or require a targeting roll cannot be used). If the bound soul bears any burdens they are shed when it becomes trapped.

Although being bound into a blade is seen as a great honour for an aged Mage, most Black Order Mages are unwilling to become Star Iron creatures, and there are always stories that Red Order Mages have been forcibly imprisoned. The Red Order takes a dim view of this, and anyone wielding a Star Iron weapon that displays Red Order powers will find themselves under attack.
power+1 Spirit for the wielder's control per power level

Rank 5

Mass Life Bond
KeywordsSustain
DurationPermanent
EL6
fatigue32
difficulty-16
As with the 4th Circle Life Bond, but this spell binds a magic to the entire population of a place. This spell only affects area and protective Magics, such as Sun's Blessing or Sun's Shield. The spell is a ritual requiring 5 weeks to cast and a number of sacrificed Crdlu equal to the Difficulty + Circle + Burdens of the target spell. Once the Spell is cast the Mass Life Bond follows and forever maintains that spell so long as the people it was bonded to, or their descendants, remain in the protected place. Should the place be destroyed or the people leave the Life Bond ends. The Life Bond accepts a certain turnover of population. Up to 1/4 of the population may leave per year, as long as overall population remains at the minimum level required for the maintained spell. Mass Life Bonds are used in the founding of new towns and villages, providing protection and ensuring that the population remains where the Order desires.

The spell requires a population of at least 10 people per Energy Level + Circle + Power Level of the target spell. For example Sun’s Blessing requires at least 60 people to maintain.
Obsidian Sphere
KeywordsSustain
DurationExtended
EL3
fatigue25
difficulty-14
The Black Order equivalent of the Red Order’s Fire Pit, the Obsidian Sphere is a large black ball (Value 14) mined from the Dark Side obsidian hills, and enchanted over the course of 3 weeks. The magic trapped within the sphere can then be used to sustain up to 4 energy levels of magic, whose areas of effect are doubled. Unfortunately the sphere must be covered in the blood of three Keldian sacrifices each year to continue working, otherwise it needs no tending, though Star Iron Imprisoned minds are sometimes set to watch them (if the bound magic requires some choice or guidance). The Mage’s involved in making the sphere must all sacrifice 1 Health forever.

Occasionally Obsidian Spheres are discovered in the ruins of the Ancients. These spheres are often dead, but sometimes appear to be maintaining effects millennia after their construction, with no sacrifices required. These spheres generally cease to work if moved from their original location. Many Black Order Sages have quested for the means to making such spheres. So far none have succeeded.
power+1 level of magic or +1 year of free functioning per power level, at +1 week per level. Free years are deferred until sacrifices stop.