Hand of the Dhomiro

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 Autumn 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 is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

As with many Autumn enchantments this ritual works in a multitude of subtle ways working in unison towards a common goal. In this instance, that goal is protecting an individual's wealth from being forcibly taken.

Those attempting to flee or traverse the region may find themselves subtly guided towards the best path to avoid enemy patrols, their cart running unusually smooth and shrugging off potholes that might otherwise have broken axles or thrown wheels. Meanwhile enemy patrols may find their luck quite the opposite, or themselves arriving just too late to catch a merchant.

If a wagon, business, or home is being ransacked the ritual won’t stop the most obvious or largest valuables being stolen, but might subtly protect smaller valuables, purses of coin, jewellery or other trinkets from being taken.

The effects of the ritual are obvious to anyone living in or passing through the territory. As with any effect that targets an entire territory, there may be unanticipated consequences to this ritual. The nature of the area and the current situation there may prompt additional unpredictable effects, often resulting in an entry into the following seasons Winds of Fortune.

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

Description

This ritual was based on work performed by Carlos of the Navigators of Virtue, initially when they were a Freeborn citizen before they became Highborn. The ritual was actually cast several times before codification, using a series of arcane projections. It was used very effectively on the Brass Coast to protect the people in the west from the raids of the Corazón raiders from the Lasambrian Hills, and the people in the east from the raids of the Grendel. The ritual was eventually formulated under the guidance of the Dean of the Lyceum, Palaphon Ankarien, and completed shortly before the Spring Equinox 387YE. It was made part of Imperial Lore following a declaration by Grandmaster Arsenio of the Golden Pyramid.

The ritual was codified with the assistance of Sadogua. At the time the work was done the Lyceum was still contained within the wall of impenetrable mists, meaning the only way to easily bring the arcane projection to the scholars there was for heralds of the Brother of Wizards to carry it in along with assorted vital supplies, and then carry the finished ritual text out along with some letters to loved ones from the magicians trapped within.

The ritual is a masterful piece of work that draws heavily on Autumn's resonances for prosperity and travel. It works subtly, carefully nudging fortune and serendipity to help those who might otherwise be robbed to escape their attackers or steal their possessions. A raiding force – a gang of bandits or brigands, a crew of pirates, or a plundering army – will generally be unaware of what is happening but as their frustration grows they will surely come to realise that they are being stymied by an enchantment. Likewise, the folk in a territory may initially believe their own skill, or simple good fortune, allows them to avoid the depredations of the burglar, the outlaw, the thief. But it is likely they will eventually realise it is magic that is aiding them as the unlikelihood of their escapes slowly grows.

The limitation of the enchantment is that, subtle as it is, it is much more effective at providing protection to small collections of wealth than large ones. It is ineffective at protecting mithril mines, or great tower-vaults of mithril, or the grand paradors of glass, or salt, or sand. It will help a widow conceal her jewels from a band of Corazón in a way it will not protect a quarry of white granite from their grasping hands. In part this is because the smaller wealth, the lesser prosperity, is more mobile – easier to hide or miss, easier to move around even without the protection of the Autumn Realm.

It is also effective at protecting people whose primary wealth lies in their lives, and the bond between their families. Those who take slaves find it harder to capture those who they would enchain, thanks as much to the way the enchantment helps people move to safety. Sadly, that magic also has limitations – the more people there are in a single place the more of them will be captured before they can escape. If there is nowhere safe to run to, the resonance of travel cannot help people to flee.

As with all ritual enchantments that operate over a large area – an entire territory – the ritual's actual effects can be very difficult to predict. Performed on a territory where there are no raids or organised bandits, it's main effect will be to cause difficulties for thieves and burglars. Performed on a territory under attack by an enemy army bent on plunder, it will protect the people from the ruinous impact of those raids on their personal property.

Common Elements

The ritual is an enchantment cast on a territory; even though the ritual does not strictly require one it is often appropriate to include a map or other representation of the territory. Likewise, the presence of citizens that live in the targeted area can prove particularly helpful in creating the bonds between the Autumn magic and the land and its people. A senator is a particularly fine example of someone whose presence can help – either in person or through their blood (for those who practice blood magic). This blood might be dripped onto actual soil, or mixed with actual water, from the territory to be protected.

As a ritual that protects people from thieves, the tools of Vigilance (especially the warning bell and the watcher's lantern) are useful to the performance, especially if they are made more powerful by being included in a dramaturgical performance as Instruments. Likewise, weapons and armour, or soldiers prepared to swear oaths to protect the people of the land to be enchanted can help speed the ritual along its way. In the same way, the personae of the Prince and the Bishop are very significant to this ritual, embodying as they do concepts of pride, stewardship, and the like.

The Rune of Wealth, Pallas, and the Rune of Victory, Tykonus, both have resonance with the ritual. There is no particular constellation that has been identified as being more or less resonant with the ritual, but there is speculation that [[the Mountain] – which embodies the law that things are difficult, or can be made difficult – has some circumstantial connection to the Hand of the Dhomiro.