Sorcery/Kraken
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Contents
Emerald Circle
Lantern of Scintillating Spirits
Cost: 15m
The sorceror holds out his hands and begins to cast the spell. As he finishes his casting, he claps his hands together, and there appears before him an indistinct golden form, which holds a brass lantern on the end of a short stick. The lantern is elaborately decorated with a design unique to each sorceror, reflecting something of his self image. The flame that burns within the lantern is always coloured in hues that reflect the dominant colours of the Sorceror's anima.
The light from the lantern illuminates dematerialised spirits of all kinds within the Caster's Essence+Occult yards from the lantern, showing them as a indistinct golden form - visible enough to fight without difficulty, though harder to identify. In addition, the light from the lantern has a strange, euphoric effect on the spirits of Creation. Unless the spirit succeeds at a Willpower roll, difficulty of the Caster's Essence this effect overwhelms them somewhat, inflicting a 2 dice penalty on all tasks requiring concentration or reasoned thought.
The servant remains within the Caster's Occult in yards of the Caster, or designated master. While it obeys instructions in Old Realm, it rarely needs them as it does it's best to remain in an unobtrusive, but still useful position. If attacked, it is immune to all attacks that cannot kill gods and those that can destroy it utterly leaving just the lantern lying on the ground. If someone not its master attempts to take the lantern, it resists with the caster's Occult in dice and if it is bereft of its lantern at the end of a scene, it vanishes. Anyone using an alternate method of spirit sight upon it finds that the spirit's true form is the indistinct golden haze. Lantern and spirit both fade into golden mist at the next time the sun rises or sets
Loyal Protector's Regalia
Cost: 25m
Being a sorceror is a dangerous task, few would argue with that. But being responsible for the safety of a sorceror, to guard them as they consort with demons, fair folk and other, stranger beings is no less dangerous. Many sorcerors, of course, select demons or elementals as their guards but for some that is simply not practical. Demonic soldiers are rarely suitable escorts for a visit to court and even elementals only add to the distrust a sorceror already suffers from. But those of mortal stock needs arms and equipment ... and it's better of course, if they match.
To cast this spell, the sorceror first marks out a circle a few metres across with sigils for protection, loyalty rewarded and creation. If he desires at this stage he should also set out ingots of precious metal and bolts of fine cloth - while the spell can incorporate them if they are present, conjouring such luxury is beyond the Emerald Circle. At dawn, he should call his chosen protectors to him, no more than his Occult score, and they stand naked at designated points on the circle, arms outstreatched. The sorceror himself stands at the centre of the circle and works his magic for six hours.
As the sun reaches his zenith, there is a blinding flash of light from the sorceror, and his protectors find themselves clad in armour and with a weapon and shield at their sides. The armour is a suit of Exceptional Lamellar armour, with the caster's personal device over the heart. The weapon is most typically an Exceptional Straight Sword with the caster's personal device on the pommell. The shield is a Target Shield, and again, bears the caster's device. If gold or other luxurious materials were present in the circle, these will be incorporated into the design as trim or a fine cloak - if not, the magic does its best with lacquer and cotton. The items created by this spell are set in the instant of its completion - no different from any other item, though with a lack of tool marks. This means that countermagic will have no effect, though also that they require maintenence as any other armour or weapon might.
Myriad Tongue Appropriation
Cost: 10m
To cast this spell requires a willing participant or a target that is restrained or very recently dead. At the conclusion of the spell, a gem must be pressed to the target's throat. The target's voice is sucked into the spell, where it is visible as a faint, twisting sliver of light that looks particularly beautiful when used with precious gemstones. The target looses the use of their voice for a complete cycle of the sun if exalted, or five cycles if mortal. By swallowing the gem produced by the spell, a person may speak with the captured voice for a week.
Terrible Crystalline Razor
Cost: 15m
The caster holds her weapon in front of herself and calls on the ultimate cold of the furthest North. As she completes the spell, a whirlwind of ice spirals down from the sky, coating her weapon in a sheath of ice that glistens in the sun. The surface of the ice is wickedly barbed and cruel, refracting the light in odd ways, and is cold enough to cause breath to steam if blown across it. This magical ice lasts until the sun next crosses the horizon even in the heat of the South before melting off the weapon, even in a blizzard.
While the weapon is wrapped in the ice it is impossible the sheath in a normal sheath and will cause numbness if the blade or head is held. The caster adds her Essence to the raw damage of every attack that she makes with the weapon. In addition, any injury with the weapon causes a numbing cold to spread outward from the wound, slowing the enemy and causing him to loose a dice from all actions for the rest of the scene. These penalties do acrue with successive hits, but only up to a maximum penalty of the caster's essence.
Sapphire Circle
Scale In Her Eyes
Cost: 30m
The air must be clear and the stars shining to cast this spell.
The caster gathers a scale of her most devoted troops and annoints their forehead and palms with oil she has blessed. The troops then spar with each other, while the sorceror performs a ritual, burning a small sacrifice to each of the five Maidens. The ritual takes five hours - one for each maiden - beginning with Venus and ending, of course, with Saturn. As each ritual is completed, the oil on the soldier's foreheads and palms flashes with the colour of the maiden. At the conclusion of the ritual, a scant few seconds after the sacrifice to Saturn, the oils pulse through each of the five colours and then turn white and spread over the surface of the skin, and when they have covered the entire body there is a brilliant flash. When those present can see again, they find themselves clad in amour and with weapons in their hands.
The weapon and armour created are of Perfect quality, and are typically a suit of Lamellar and a straight sword, though if any of the chosen scale are Martial Artists, then they will instead find themselves with arms compatiable with the style they practice, even if that means they are wearing merely a gi. In addition to its consumate quality, the equipment is blessed by the five maidens. Journey's Blessing grants a die to Survival rolls for travelling at speed, and in addition tassels and cords will not get snagged on passing undergrowth. Serenity's Blessing eases the hurts of the wearer, allowing them to ignore wound penalties for a scene, if they commit a wp point. Mars' Blessing adds 2 to the soak values of the armour, granting a soak if it merely a gi and acts to protect the armour from damage, at least a little. Secret's Blessing negates a die of penalties for sneaking in armour, or adds a die if there is no penality. Ending's Blessing adds 2 to the damage of the weapon, though only against those Outside of Fate or who have commited crimes against Heaven.
While the equipment created is real, the blessings fade after Calibration and may be dispelled with Sapphire Countermagic
Adamant Circle
Rainament Of Sol Invictus
Cost: 60m
While her troops parade around of her, the sorceror sings a battle-hymn to the Unconquered Sun, calling on him, luna and the five maidens to watch over and protect the troops she has gathered before her. This process begins at dawn, and continues throughout the day. While it must started with clear skies, the magic will keep the sky clear thereafter, at least from natural storms and weather magics of the Terrestrial Circle. At dusk, assuming the sky has been kept clear and the troops have been marching all day, the spell ends with a final glorious flame from the sun that pours over the assembled troops, burning away their existing garments and replacing them with the Rainament of Sol Invictus.
This spell effects 1000 troops per dot of the sorceror's Essence and they must actually be an army with a Drill of at least 2 (Equivalent in training to a good militia), though this training does not have to be natural - Conscription through a Charm or Spell is just as valid, so long as it lasts the duration of the ritual.
As the twilight dies away, each man and woman in the army finds themselves equiped beyond compare, their clothing and equipement of before now gone - though items made of the MMs are unharmed. The troops will be equiped according to their role in the army assembled - if the sorceror is not the general, then she should be present, to direct the drill appropriately. This extends to things such as unit leaders gaining appropriately ornate helms, relays recieving banners - the army could be marched off to war the very next day. A rank and file trooper finds himself clad in gleaming plate, the general's device over his heart and his unit insignia engraved on his back. In his hand he carries a blade perfectly balanced for him, and on his other arm, a sturdy shield is strapped, bearing the device of the nation for which he fights. All of this equipment is Perfect and more than that, it is wrapped with a little of the magic. It will rarely become uncomfortable, except in the deepest South, the blade will be nigh unbreakable, at least to any stresses it's weilder is likely to put it through. Each finds a talisman around their neck, protecting them from many foes beyond Creation that Solars call on their troops to fight. The ST may determine how these blessings affect the army's marching speed and effectiveness in battle, but the overall impact should be significant. Archers, cavalrymen, skirmishers - they too will find equipment suited to their roles. In addition, a basic baggage train will be formed, or at least the material components of it, lacking people. No Solar requires his army to march without the basic supplies that they need.
While the equipment created will endure as long as it can, the more mystical enhantments fade after a Season, or if the army finds itself targeted by Adamant Countermagic - though backlash of such a spell is unlikely to be too severe.
