SpellRelay/Emotions
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The Sixth theme is Emotions.
The theme is emotions, causing it... negating it, increasing it. What have you... from love, to hate to lust to envy to carefreeness. Just think of the fun you can have.
A Duet called Love - by Haku
Circle: Terresterial
Cost: 20 motes + 5 motes
This ancient spell is one often deployed by those chosen of Serenity, who need to make absolutely sure certain pairings occur and that they stay faithful, or reasonablely.
This spell is a ritual that requires that the exalt possess an exceptional or perfect string instrument and to spend the 1 willpower and 20 motes, while singing a song of the virtues of love, faithfulness, and devotion. This song is one that was reputedly composed by Venus before the Primordial War.
Once the song is finished, the instrument momentarily glows golden as sunlight on ripe wheat, before fading and appearing as nothing more then it is, an exceptional music instructment.
The secondary effect of the spell can only be activated by the exalt who blessed the instructment.
The second component involves the exalt hunting down his targets, who must be near enough to each other and still be able to hear the exalt as he plays his instrument (roll manipulation + performance) while spending 5 motes of essence. The targets are traditionally a pair, but it's not unknown for more then 2 people to be hit with the spell at once, if the situation warrants it.
This expenditure does not count as a spell or charm activation, and the performance may actually be enhanced by various charms and supernatural effects.
As the targets listen to the song, the world around them seems to darken while pillars of sunlight (or moonlight) shines down on them and they gaze at each other. Storms will quieten, flower petals or leaves get blown about romantically. This is ALL as seen by the targets, the world and the enviroment itself does not change for everyone else who isn't a valid target of the song.
As the two gaze at each other, they simply know that they love each other, that they're destined to be soulmates; even if they were the deadliest of enemies on opposing sides.
The targets amazingly can resist the effects of the spell if they so wish and can channel essence. To do so, requires that the targets make a Wits + Occult roll at a difficulty equal to the performing exalt's manipulation + performance roll. If the target fails that roll, they know that they were enchanted into doing or feeling something, but do not suspect that their love is it. If they should win the contested roll against the performing exalt, then they know what had nearly happened to them, and they gain a permenent immunity to any future usage of this spell.
This spell does not force the targets to throw themselves at each other in a frenzy of lust, rather, it gives them the emotion of love for each other... which is then typically reinforced by their loving behaviour to each other. It is possible for targets to fall out of love with each other if their behaviours do rub each other wrong, however they feel compelled for some reason or other to stay with each other for at least a full year from when they first heard the spell in action; if they don't kill each other during that time.
Once the 5 motes have been spent, the instructment is no longer blessed, but musicians believe that such instructments lend themselves to playing romantic songs of love better.
The effect can only be cancelled by a counter magicspell during the blessing and during when the instrument is being played. Once the targets fall in love, countermagic is of no help at all.
Ascending Scarlet Font - by DeathBySurfeit
Circle: Shadowlands
Cost: 15 motes
As this spell begins to be cast, the sorceress's hands sweat blood. She twirls on the spot and raises her hands high, the gore evaporating away to leave a spiral of softly phosphorescent, pungent red mist. All shed blood within sight of her mimics her actions, and as the wispy fountains fall away, a maddening bloody pall is left over the battlefield. Its scent ignites a thirst for violence in all who experience it.
All characters within (sorceress's Essence x 5) yards of the sorceress or any shed blood so affected feel themselves overcome by rage and hatred; creatures with no sense of smell are unaffected, whilst those covering their noses receive a Temperance+Resistance roll at a difficulty equal to the sorceress's Essence to resist the spell's effects.
For each character affected, if an enemy is within sight and combat has not already started, a successful Temperance roll is required to avoid attacking them immediately, regardless of social customs and circumstance. If combat has already started, mortals will not even consider retreat, defensive tactics or nonlethal approaches; they cease fighting only when there are no enemies left alive. Exalts and other magical beings must spend a point of temporary Willpower and fail a reflexive Valour roll in order to break away from combat; if this roll succeeds, they may spend as many points of Willpower as they wish to gain rerolls.
Baring the Heart - by FlowsLikeBits
Circle: Celestial
Cost: 20 motes
This spell makes the emotions of others visible as coruscant auras of light. Tendrils of emerald may signify envy and may even indicate its object in some way. Black bands wrap those who hate, while floating sapphire clouds cover the depressed and golden spheres orbit stately around the proud. One who is able to interpret these auras (and Intelligence or Wits + Occult roll at Difficulty 3) gain bonus dice to social rolls equal to the casting sorcerer's Essence vs those whose emotions they can see. This spell may be cast in two ways.
The first way, is the sorcerer may cast it on himself. In this case, the spell lasts for 24 hours or until the sorcerer ends it, and the sorcerer may see the emotions of those they encounter in this time. Constantly seeing others feelings is emotionally draining and the sorcerer takes 6 levels of bashing damage when the spell expires.
Alternativly, the sorcerer may ritually cast this spell into an area of no more than 10,000 times their Permanant Essence in square meters. In this case, the emotions of all in this area are visible to all. This is very entertaining for everyone. All are surrounded by shifting, colored halos. White threads or beams may dart between lovers when they are close to one another, while warm orange may link a mother and her child. Those who are affected by this suffer 3 levels of bashing damage when the spell expires or when they leave the area of effect for more than a scene. This version of the spell also lasts 24 hours, although a resources •••• expenditure of ritual materials will extend the duration to a year. A similar expediture every year will keep the spell in effect. This does not require the casting sorcerer and can be trivially taught to others.
Ode To Its Procession - by DeathBySurfeit
Circle: Labyrinth
Cost: 30 motes
Prior to the casting of this spell, the necromancer must paint over the bared flesh of a human within the hearthroom of an Abyssal Manse. The dyes used are brewed from the ashes of cremated bodies and dust of powdered bones (resources •••, or •• with a Deathlord's connections), and his work is not complete until all skin is overlaid in a slick veneer of black and white, an occult emblem calling to the Primordials that slumber below. Successfully painting the mortal so requires a Intelligence + Occult roll at difficulty 3, where failure means the dyes are wasted.
Having finished preparing the subject, the necromancer intones the ceremonious chant of the spell. With each stanza, another circle of dark Essence coalesces about him, the fifth and last bringing his anima to life where it meets. He need only touch the subject for the necromancy to begin.
The circles disappear with a gasp of dissipating power and the subject screams, sensing that the Void has them. They bleed profusely through the eyes, mouth, fingernails and anywhere else untouched by the Malfean sigils, losing a health level each turn. They go through agonising rictus as flesh and bone are dissolved and sluice bloodily through the gates of the flesh. Their skin collapses loosely where the body beneath is consumed.
What remains afterward is a pool of blood about the victim's heart. The one remaining part of the subject, it is frozen by terror into unfeeling iron and decorated by the sigils that once adorned it's bearer's skin. Slowly, its vessels grow back, with veins of chill metal creeping around furniture, running along nooks in the floor, feeling along the ceiling. Within a week, the entire Manse is within its grasp.
All within its walls hear it, a dull thumping of the heartbeat about the ears, slow and regular. It marks the slow bodily rhythm of the Malfeans themselves as they await their final dissolution, and mortal hearts follow its pulse. Thoughts and feelings count in harmony with the beating, before being drowned out entirely. Within the Manse, the living lose their appreciation of life and their connection to their own emotions, silently awaiting whatever fate they are commanded to. Mortal characters' Willpower is reduced by the necromancer's Essence whilst they are within the Manse, to a minimum of 0. It recovers at a point per night spent outside it. They may not channel Virtues. Even Exalted are unnerved by its effects, requiring two points of temporary Willpower instead of one to channel one of their Virtues.
The spell lasts until Calibration, upon which the heart beats its last and its veins crumble to blood-red rust. Thereafter, the necromancer must acquire a new subject to repeat the spell.
Blood-Forged Silken Chains Malediction - by WillCoon
Circle: Void
Cost: 30 motes - not committed
Choosing a target within a number of yards equal to ten times the necromancer's Essence who has directly opposed him, the caster reaches out along the threads that bind his target to the rest of humanity, chooses one that appears the strongest, and twists it.
The player of the targeted character must choose the person in all the world who they love the most. Only the most narcissistic individuals are allowed to choose themselves. This choice is not a conscious one for the character, only for the player. That person, the secondary target, makes an opposed essence roll with the necromancer. If the secondary target wins, or if they tie, both they and the original target are immune to the necromancer's casting of this spell from that moment onwards. If the necromancer wins, however, the object of the target's love is fed with that love mixed with the necromancer's own hatred of life. Thenceforth, they feel no love or even tolerance for the original target, and are filled with a burning rage and murderous violence. They seek to kill the target using whatever methods they are most predisposed towards, but are incapable of pretending the spell has had no effect - their loathing of the character is impossible to hide. Generally, they will engage in direct combat with the character, fighting with cold efficiency and heated brutality, with little regard for their own safety.
If the character is able to demonstrate their love for their would-be assassin in a way deemed appropriate by the storyteller, the secondary target may make a Willpower roll with a difficulty of the necromancer's essence in order to throw off the spell's compulsion. Even if they are successful in doing so, their relationship is greatly damaged, and will need to be repaired.
If the character is so narcissistic that they choose themselves, and fails the opposed essence roll, then this spell manifests more subtly. A seed of self-hatred is planted, and the character begins a series of ever more complex methods of self-assassination, though they cannot comprehend this schism within their own mind. They are incapable of simple suicide. They may attempt to poison their own meal in secret, to lay traps in their own path, or to take out a contract on their own life. However, in the crucial moment, they are able to fight back, by resisting the poison, avoiding the trap, or fighting the assassin. After every failed attempt on their own life, they may make a Willpower roll with a difficulty of the necromancer's essence to fight off the spell as above, and emerge from the spell with a more realistic, though often overly harsh, understanding of their own faults. If the roll fails, they redouble their efforts to kill their target.
Comments
I hope this is a kosher spell... - Haku
I can think of a Protocol... But offifially they're not allowed here. Resplendence
- Eh. I say go for it. It's not worth making another Relay just for Auto stuff. -FlowsLikeBits
- Yes, I think it's better to keep things moving and stopping at five spells, whatever circles or types they are. I'll try to put my idea on the screen later. Resplendence
- Go for it, it's all cool... 5 spells and what have you... hmmm... do we need to go from 1st circle - 2nd circle - 3rd circle or some equivilant or do we just go with what strikes our fancies?
~Haku
- Go for it, it's all cool... 5 spells and what have you... hmmm... do we need to go from 1st circle - 2nd circle - 3rd circle or some equivilant or do we just go with what strikes our fancies?
Calling in to add a fairly multi-purpose necromancy. My first attempt at spell design, so do say if I've muffed up...DeathBySurfeit
- Nice... very nice indeed... yeah, this has necromancy written all over it.
~Haku
Nice spell, FlowsLikeBits, but I don't know about the taking of damage from casting a celestial spell... after all, you're only -seeing or sensing- something, and if exalts can look at raw essence withour taking damage... ^_^ ~ Haku
- I'd agree. Perhaps also the ritual version would work in a radius no larger than the sorceror's Essence in miles? It seems easier to conceptualise than thinking in thousands of square feet...DeathBySurfeit
- Damage does seem rather odd. I mean... spells usually have safeguards built in. Otherwise, why don't you suffer health levels for turning your hands into gigantic wooden claws, your skin into bronze, or for any of the weird sense-affecting spells I can't remember.
-- Darloth
Ode To Its Procession: Perhaps a little flashy, but I'm fond of it. All comments appreciated...DeathBySurfeit
- I like it. It's flashy, and yet... delightfully evil.
~ haku who suspects that the theme may be tricker then thought...
There, my first submission to the Wiki. Got to jump right in, no?
That being said, there are likely problems with this. I'm thinking it might be better as a lower circle, for example. And I'm not certain about my numbers, they just seemed right. My writing might be a bit off, as I'm a little hazy right now from illness and healing, soothing drugs. In any case, I'm open to helpful criticisms.
Essentially, I thought this spell could just create some very dramatic situations. The target still loves his/her assassin, so combat becomes a difficult affair...
And then I realized what would happen were the spell cast on a complete narcissist, and it seemed just absolutely perfect - a descent into madness and paranoia as their victim keeps slipping through their fingers and their assassin weaves ever more horrible traps, seemingly knowing their every move even before they do...
~ WillCoon is evil
- It looks nice and does fit in with the theme and has a delightful necromatic feel. By the by... since you've crafted the 5th entry.. it's your turn to declare what the theme of the next spell relay is going to be... ~ haku
- All right, how's Dreams? ~ WillCoon
