Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. If the ritual is cast using the Imperial Regio it requires at least 5 minutes of roleplaying instead.

During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Spring regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.

This ritual targets a specific region. During the performance of the ritual the casters must name a region within the target territory which has the coastal keyword.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

The ritual effects a single territory. Over the course of the next few days a powerful curse settles over the area. Spring spirits associated with storms and gales issue forth from the region attacking shipping throughout the territory indiscriminately.

The ritual targets a single coastal territory. Over the course of the next few days a powerful curse settles over the area. Terrible weather appropriate to the time of year pounds the coast with treacherous waves, gale-force winds and torrential rain. At the same time destructive energies drawn from the Spring realm itself are unleashed to attack ships moving through the area battering the coast and ships at sea.

Every season, 500 casualties are spread out over all navies in the territory.

500 casualties are spread amongst all navies in the territory or that move through it during that downtime. A navy that moves through the territory, rather than remaining there for the entire season, suffers half damage. If this damage would be sufficient to cause a navy to sink, then the navy will automatically withdraw from the territory rather than taking damage.

Any fleet based in the target territory has its production reduced by a quarter for the coming season - and their military strength is likewise reduced.

The civilian population of a territory will certainly be affected by this ritual.

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

Description

This ritual has been used historically for dealing with Grendel war-fleets, and with occasional harassment by organised pirates or the Iron Confederacy raiders. With sufficient mana, it can be used to protect large swathes of the coastline - provided the Empire is prepared to accept the damage to foreign trade. The ritual fell out of common use in the Empire, due to the fact the Grendel had not been seen in decades, and there are no foreign war fleets currently threatening the Empire.

The effect causes some difficulties for smaller fleets, but they are usually better able to ride-out the effects and outrun the worst consequences of exposure to the storms created by this ritual.

The forces unleashed bear some resemblance to the forces employed by the more powerful Thunderous Tread of the Trees ritual. Sailors in the area have described brief encounters with barely-corporeal shapes composed of mist, fog and animated water that attack the ships themselves, or somehow direct lightning bolts to strike vessels caught in the area.

Common Elements

A map of the target territory is often a focus for performing this ritual. It is often drenched during the casting in fresh water or wine, sometimes mixed with blood. Sometimes the map is created by pouring liquid onto dry sand, quickly tracing the rough contours of the coastline of the target territory, then washing it away.

The rune Mawrig is commonly used during this ritual, as are dangerous marine beasts such as kraken, or legendary personalities such as the Old Man of the Sea. Some texts refer to a Spring Eternal called Siakha, lady of storms and blood - but there are few remaining Imperial records describing this entity.