Eternals and rituals
Overview
Some formulaic rituals in Imperial lore draw directly on the power of an eternal. A formulaic ritual or arcane projection that involves an eternal allows magicians to perform magic with the active assistance of an intelligent power of the realm, rather than simply drawing on the realm's natural resonances. These rituals can only be created with the explicit cooperation of the eternal in question.
This cooperation gives magicians the potential to create effects that might not normally be possible. No ritual can exceed limits of magic, but an eternal's involvement allows the creation of effects that might not otherwise be possible, so such rituals can be very valuable. The rituals are vulnerable however - they become illegal to cast if the eternal is under the enmity of the Imperial Conclave. They also include an assurance - a promise made to the eternal at the time the ritual was created - which can cause the ritual to lose all power if it is broken.
This page talks about ways that eternals interact with mortal ritual magic. The ritual theory page deals with the process and general limitations of creating new rituals or spontaneous magical effects.
Eternal Assistance
- Rituals can use the aid of an eternal to perform magic that draws on their specific abilities
- The eternal must provide the aid it has agreed to, but they are free to affect the way the ritual works
- The eternal always knows when a ritual that draws on their power has been cast, who cast it, and how the magic was used
Each eternal has a palette of abilities that come from an innate connection to the magic of their realm. If Imperial magicians work directly with an eternal they may be able to create rituals that draw on these abilities to produce effects that would otherwise not be possible with the magic of the realm. For example, Winter magic has little affinity for the sudden, swift destructive magic of fire, but Surut, the Burnt Steward, can help magicians create rituals that invoke fire to devastate wide swathes of land.
Paradoxically, a coven of magicians is often capable of a wider array of magical effects than an eternal is. For example, while Leviathan has a range of powers related to divination, he shows little facility with, or interest in, purifying venom or helping a warrior master the sword. Attempting to secure Leviathan's assistance to create a personal combat enchantment, for example, is doomed to failure.
Once an eternal has agreed to help with the casting of a ritual, they cannot withdraw that support but they remain free to affect how how the ritual works. For example, the ritual Swim Leviathan's Depth allows a magician to ask Leviathan a single question. The question must ask why something has happened or is happening, but provided that condition is met, the eternal will answer the question based on what it knows. How thorough and detailed the answer is, however, is at the discretion of the Deep One.
These variations can be very significant. A recent series of incidents involving the eternal Sadogua indicated that while the ritual Dripping Echoes of the Fen would always deliver magical protection to a region, he could ultimately decide how potent that protection was. While the ritual usually provided protection to an entire territory, he was able to stay within the remit of the ritual by providing lesser protection focused entirely on the region. He also claimed that the structure of the ritual meant that he could go "above and beyond" and use the ritual to provide a ward that would also flood an area with mischievous boggarts; it's not clear if this is true or whether it was an empty threat. Presumably these same freedoms apply to Cathan Canae and her Frozen Citadel, and to the Wooden Fastness created with the aid of Irra Harah.
An eternal always knows when a ritual that draws on their power is performed, who performed it, and how the magic is used, and they may respond accordingly. The Winter eternal Kaela has shown in the past that the use of Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust by a coven that has incurred her enmity will result in her offering aid to the enemies of the Empire, for example.
Expertise
- Some eternals can provide expertise that will help a magician create a new ritual
- These rituals must still be negotiated with the eternal, but do not need their ongoing support or help
- These rituals always have another cost associated with them, but may otherwise reproduce effects described above
Some eternals have access to eclectic knowledge of a realm or an ability to experiment with magic that mortal magicians cannot reproduce alone. This expertise allows them to help with the creation of a ritual that could not be created without their involvement. These rituals require the same negotiation that other rituals involving an eternal require and follow the same process. A magician must get an audience with an eternal, presents their wishes and find a way to convince the eternal to help. If they are successful, then the eternal will provide an arcane projection that produces the desired effect or something similar.
The advantage of these rituals is that they do not draw on the power of the eternal when they are cast, so there is no assurance and rarely any stipulation. The eternal won't automatically know when the ritual is cast, and it is not illegal to cast such rituals while the eternal who helped create it is under enmity. These rituals always have other disadvantages instead.
For example, Thunderous Tread of the Trees was created with the help of the eternal Yaw'nagrah, who shared their expertise with mortal magicians to help them create a way to unleash spirits of the Spring realm on a territory. These spirits are not controlled by Yaw'nagrah - or anyone for that matter. The ritual summons spirits from the Spring realm to fight but it has the drawback that they cannot be controlled in any way.
An earlier incarnation of Azoth shared their expertise with Imperial magicians to help them discover how to Distill the Serpent's Stone. This powerful ritual boosts a magicians ability to perform ritual magic without calling on the ongoing help of Azoth or any other eternal, but it has the drawback that a ring of ilium is required to fuel the alchemical transformation.
Most eternals will not share expertise in this way, either because they don't want to, or because they don't have anything to share.
Negotiation
- It is not possible to create a ritual that involves an eternal without their solemn agreement to be bound to that ritual
- It is not possible to create an arcane projection that involves an eternal providing their aid
A magician who wishes to create a ritual involving an eternal must procure their consent. The nature of this consent varies from one eternal to another, but it always involves a degree of negotiation and it must secured in advance. If the negotiation is successful, then the eternal will provide an arcane projection to the magician that allows them to cast the ritual. It is not possible for the magician to create the arcane projection - that must be done by the eternal. Anyone who possess the arcane projection the eternal provides can use it normally, and it can be formulated into a ritual text using a College of Magic. Eternals who understand the nature of the Empire and the workings of the Conclave are likely to discuss whether a ritual is to be added to Imperial lore or not before they agree to be bound to it.
The length and nature of the negotiations are likely to be dependent on the nature of the eternal and are almost never cheap. Some will request payment from the magician looking to create the ritual. Others may ask for political favours that further the eternal's agenda, such as specific commissions or Imperial titles, or statements from the Imperial Synod or Imperial Conclave at the very least.
The nature of eternals is such that once their agreement to support a ritual is procured it cannot easily be renounced, so most eternals are cautious about entering into such arrangements. Imperial magicians who abuse these rituals will soon incur the wrath of the eternal whose patience they try. This means that eternals may be careful about allowing such rituals to be entered into Imperial lore. Just because an eternal can support a ritual is no indication that it will.
OOC Note about Communication
We have deliberately restricted the options available for communicating with eternals. Our plot team must read and choose how to react to every communication that is sent to an NPC by a player, so we have to be careful to ensure we can meet that requirement. The Archmage power of plenipotentiary exists so that the ability to communicate and negotiate with an eternal is a political issue that characters can roleplay over in the field. The game of Empire is about the process of determining who gets to negotiate with an eternal and what that negotiation is about, not the actual negotiations themselves. The more communication we allow with eternals, the greater the risk that game is undermined.
If we have an ongoing plot involving an eternal, it is an easy matter to create a mechanism whereby characters involved have a limited ability to let their ally know what they are doing, or that they have achieved their goal. We deliberately limit these mechanisms to decrease the likelihood that the eternal is swamped by requests for aid that have nothing to do with the ongoing plot and so that we can shut the channel down once the plot is over. We don't want players being frustrated by wasting their time trying to initiate communication with an eternal when that being isn't active in any plot at the time.
Plenipotentiary
- Plenipotentiary is the only reliable way to initiate negotiation with an eternal
By far the best way to negotiate with an eternal is for an archmage to arrange a plenipotentiary specifically to talk about the ritual. Every eternal of the realm is bound to recognise it, and it's use and effects are common knowledge and standardized. Using this method means that even if the eternal is not prepared to support the specific magic proposed they may be prepared to offer alternatives. In such cases it is vital to make as clear what it is the eternal is being asked to do; a plenipotentiary is much more likely to bear fruit if the archmage asks Azoth for help formulating a magical ritual to create a universal solvent than if they just ask for a meeting to discuss alchemical rituals.
Other channels of communication are likely to fail, with the eternal ignoring the attempt. Asking a herald to carry a message or a gift back to their eternal master is certain to fail - unless it is the result of some prior agreement. Attempting to divert an agreed meeting with an eternal with a new request for aid with a ritual risks angering the eternal. Some eternals claim that they committed to recognise the power of plenipotentiary precisely to avoid every magician in the Empire bothering them with such requests. Others act as if it is an insult to their status to attempt to negotiate their aid without using this formal channel.
It is not essential to use plenipotentiary first; a citizen who has performed some valuable service for an eternal could use that opportunity to ask for help for example. Plenipotentiary is however the only reliable way to open negotiations with an eternal. Eternals are something like powerful rulers in their realms, akin to archmages, senators or generals. They are busy with many matters of their own and have only limited time to spare on the Empire.
Assurance and Stipulation
- Eternals may stipulate one or more elements in the performance of the ritual, or restrictions on its use
- An eternal cannot voluntarily withdraw their support for a ritual they have agreed to support
- Eternals will usually set an assurance that, if broken, causes the ritual to become uncastable
An eternal can stipulate certain requirements or conditions that will form the basis for casting the ritual - the obvious example is the precise method used for creating a Missive for Sadogua (the five-by-five grid and the inclusion of a rune). The eternal is free to ignore any attempt to perform the ritual without these components; this may mean the ritual will not function at all unless the conditions stipulated by the eternal are met. A ritual may also be designed in such a way that it stipulates tribute to the eternal - either in the use of valuable items or specific kinds of actions that must be undertaken. Rituals involving Winter eternals, for example, often stipulate that the casters invoke several of their common names in a way that is audible to everyone nearby.
It may be possible to cast a ritual without meeting the stipulation but doing so risks angering the eternal if the requirements they set for the casting were ignored. For example, the eternal Agramant has stipulated that magicians performing The Crimson Feast must invoke him by name three times during the casting of the ritual. Imperial magicians theorise it ought to be possible to perform the ritual without naming the Howler but since the eternal will know that the ritual has been cast and who has cast it, doing so would involve a terrible risk.
Eternals do not create promises that they themselves can choose to break. No matter what is said, the eternal is bound to the ritual once they agree to it, while the magicians who negotiate with them are free to act as they wish. If an eternal wishes to withdraw their aid, they must petition the magicians who own the ritual to permit it. For example, Roshanwe recently asked the Imperial Conclave to release her from her agreement to support Combing the Beach in return for providing a different ritual of her own design. If the Conclave had not agreed, Roshanwe would have been forced to continue responding to the thesis composed by Imperial magicians.
A spontaneous ritual projection has power only until it is performed, but if it becomes a formulaic ritual then the agreement is binding for as long as the ritual is practiced. For these reasons most eternals do not enter into these agreements lightly and will require an ongoing promise be made when the ritual is created. This promise is generally referred to as an assurance after the common Urizen hearth magic of the same name. If the assurance is ever broken, then the eternal is free to respond as they see fit, either by withdrawing their aid or setting new demands. An assurance can have a wide scope. It may require certain actions by the casters, or by the Empire as a whole. It may set demands that must be met or actions that must not be taken. Some may even be mysteries; the assurance for Wellspring of the High Peak involved the safety of a certain pool whose location is not generally known to Imperial magicians.
As a further example, the ritual Loosen the Shackles has an assurance demanded by Agramant - the Empire must not go a year and a day without any blood being spilled by an Imperial army. If that assurance were ever broken, the eternal would be released from their agreement. That might mean the ritual fails and could no longer be cast, it might mean that the eternal invites the Empire to make new arrangements or offer some concessions for their failure. How an eternal responds is entirely up to them. Sorin for example is known to allow magicians to keep casting their ritual until such time as they can teach them an appropriate lesson.
Mandatory Assistance
- There are six types of ritual that always require the agreement of an eternal
Imperial magicians have identified several types of ritual that always require the formal agreement of an eternal to work. In all these cases it is never possible to create these effects without the help of an appropriate eternal of the realm.
Rains of Fire
- Any ritual that summons unnatural energies to create widespread destruction requires the aid of an appropriate eternal
There are many rituals that cause damage or destruction that don't require the aid of an eternal. For the most part, these rituals work by using magic to amplify or speed up natural phenomena - for example the Winter ritual Inevitable Collapse into Ruin speeds up the natural decay that all things suffer over time. The ritual damages the fortification, potentially creating an opening that enemies might exploit, but it does so by warping wooden beams, and causing mortar to crumble, hawsers to fray and snap. The winter magic speeds up the process of decay so that what would have happened over centuries happens in a few minutes.
To unleash unnatural destruction on a wide scale, requires the aid of an appropriate eternal. For example, Surut, The Charred Prince, has been known to offer help to magicians who seek to unleash a rain of fire across a region or territory. It is not possible to use magic to create a raging inferno across a wide area without Surut's help.
Most eternals are not able to help in this way and the few that are often demand a high price for their aid. Surut may take delight in seeing the Empire burn, but there are limits to how much he can set fire to at one time, just as there are limits on every eternal.
Communication and Gifts
- Any ritual that sends a message or conveys an item to an eternal requires their prior agreement
Creating a ritual that communicates with an eternal always requires the binding agreement of the eternal involved - otherwise the effect cannot be performed either spontaneously or as a formulaic ritual. In Imperial lore, the best known example of such rituals is probably the Missive for Sadogua but many others exist.
Few eternals are prepared to offer their support to a ritual that lets any magician who wishes to make free use of their time in this way. Most prefer to use ad hoc methods to communicate with those they favour; providing magic items or other means to allow more limited contact. One common alternative is that an eternal will arrange matters so that magicians can use the operate portal cantrip to send messages, or give gifts, or engage in trade at a regio at a specific time, under strictly controlled conditions.
The same limitation applies to rituals that convey one or more items to an eternal, either as a gift or in exchange. Rituals such as Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court and Ephisis' Scale cannot be created without the prior agreement of the eternal in question.
Lineage
- Any ritual that grants or removes lineage requires the aid of an eternal
Purely mortal ritual magic cannot grant or remove lineage. It is possible to create such effects with the assistance of an appropriate eternal, but few are interested in providing their assistance. Some powerful enchantments can increase the likelihood that children born or conceived under their effects will manifest an appropriate lineage but it is impossible for mortal ritual magic to force or predict this. One ritual - The Twilight Masquerade - creates glamours that appear to grant or remove lineage, but they do not change the actual lineage of the character they are cast upon.
Empowerment
- Any ritual that boosts a magician's ability to perform magic requires an eternal
Any ritual that increases a magician's ability to perform magic by increasing their effective rank of realm lore requires the assistance of an eternal. A ritual like Crystaline Focus of Aesh could not be created without the help of an eternal of the Day Realm.
Some magicians believe the eternal provides insights and knowledge that can assist with the casting of rituals, making the magicians who receive the enchantment more effective. Others claim it is more fundamental than that - nothing can come from nothing, so the Day realm cannot be used to make it easier to use the Day realm. To achieve that always requires the help of an eternal from the realm who puts their own stamp on the resultant enchantment.
Divination
- Ritual magic can allow an eternal to focus their attention on the mortal realm and provide divinatory information
- Some eternals have access to eclectic sources or unique abilities to discover information
- Eternals are very cautious about allowing mortal magicians to monopolise their time so are reticent to support open-ended divinations
It is impossible to create divination rituals that ask open-ended questions without the cooperation of an eternal. The realms themselves are neither sentient nor sapient - the Day realm can be used to cast a number of important divinations but you cannot query the realm directly, you cannot ask the Day realm for its opinion.
It is however possible to create divinations that call on a specific eternal to deliver answers or provide information that the eternal knows. Not every eternal is appropriate to involve in divination, and they are unlikely to offer power to divinations that are not closely tied to their remit. Swim Leviathan's Depth and Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River are examples of divination rituals that call on the power of eternals. In each case, the ritual contacts the eternal and gives them an opportunity to converse with the ritualists on the matter of a specific question. The big advantage here is also a limiting factor - the responses to such rituals are restricted by the character and capabilities of the eternals themselves - none are infallible.
As with communication - which it often closely resembles - eternals are even more cautious about supporting rituals that require them to answer questions. Such effects are likely to operate within a tight window, as with Swim Leviathan's Depth, or provide very limited information.
Summoning Denizens
- You cannot summon the denizens of a realm without the agreement of an eternal of that realm
- You cannot summon a fortification, citadel or other structure from a realm without the agreement of the eternal that controls that structure
- Any ritual that transforms a mine, forest or mana site must summon denizens of the realm to work
A handful of rituals draw on inhabitants of the realms in some way. Common examples include Quickening Cold Meat, Knights of Glory, Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust, Conclave of Trees and Shadow, and Carve the Crystal Guardian. Such rituals cannot be created without the assistance of an eternal of the appropriate realm. In most cases, the inhabitants of the realms that are called forth are heralds, guardians or drudges that are in service to the eternal who supports the ritual. Without their patronage, there are no minions to call on. In other cases, the ritual calls spirits from a specific part of a realm, a land or location controlled by the eternal and which cannot be accessed without their permission. Whatever the reason, it is not possible to create a ritual that summons creatures from a realm to act in the mortal world without the aid of an eternal.
Rituals that summon fortifications, citadels or other structures, follow the same rules. Such rituals cannot be created with the explicit aid of eternal. The structure that is summoned comes from the realm and belongs to the eternal in question - it cannot be brought forth without their agreement.
Rituals that transform a forest, mine or mana site, allowing them to act as military units or similar, are not possible without calling heralds or similar from an appropriate realm. This means it is not possible to create a ritual that transforms a forest, mine or mana site into a military unit without the aid of an eternal and it is never possible to transform mundane resources like a congregation using ritual magic.
In all cases, it is very unwise to make a summoning ritual permanent using ilium without agreeing that with the eternal first.
Rituals that deal with Eternals
The following formulaic rituals are widely known to deal directly with an Eternal. In many cases, the assurances involved in these rituals were lost or known to only a limited number of scholars. A project by the Unfettered Mind Conclave order in 385YE and 386YE recovered the details of many of these rituals' assurances and made them common knowledge once again.
Rituals with an (1) are part of Urizen lore rather than Imperial lore. Rituals that are defunct - either withdrawn by the eternal or no longer functional - have a line through them.
| Ritual | Eternal | Explanation | Realm | Mag. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before the Throne of Estavus | Estavus | Swaps raw materials for Autumn mana. | Autumn | 4 |
| Ephisis' Scale | Ephisis | Allows trade with the eternal Ephisis | Autumn | 4 |
| Balanced Scales of Lann | Ephisis | Grants one rank of Autumn lore for a season, and allows the trade of metal for magical power. | Autumn | 20 |
| Fire on the Water | Estavus | Draws on a contract with the House of Fire and Flame to gain their aid | Autumn | 120 |
| Wellspring of the High Peak(1) | Ossegrahn | Trades measures of ambergelt with an eternal to produce Spring vis | Spring | 6 |
| Fire in the Blood | Arhallogen | Grants 1 rank of spring lore, and additional prowess with venomous rituals for a season, at the cost of lasting venom | Spring | 20 |
| Forge the Wooden Fastness | Irra Harah | Creates a temporary supernatural fortification in a forested region | Spring | 100 |
| From the Mouths of Babes | Meraud | Sends a message to the eternal Meraud. | Summer | 8 |
| Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords | Meraud | Grants one rank of Summer lore for a Season and additional prowess when performing powerful rituals | Summer | 20 |
| Raise the Dragonsworn Cohort(1) | Adamant | Provides a powerful military unit for a season in return for a mine | Summer | 20 |
| Challenge the Iron Duke | Barien | Binds an Eternal to provide a challenge and a reward | Summer | 30 |
| Hook of the Hoarfrost Guardian(1) | Cathan Canae | Grants four strikedowns a day with a pole-arm for a season | Summer | 40 |
| Golden Ramparts | Meraud | Summons servants of Meraud to defend a fortification. It increases the defensive strength of a fortification by 1500 points. | Summer | 75 |
| Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae | Cathan Canae | Creates a temporary supernatural fortification in mountainous region in a territory | Summer | 100 |
| Stone's Unyielding Defiance(1) | Adamant | Enchants a fortification, repairing it and increasing the combat strength by 1,500 for a season | Summer | 90 |
| Knights of Glory | Eleonaris | Summons supernatural troops to enhance a campaign army | Summer | 120 |
| Treacher's Quill(1) | Agramant | Sends a message to the eternal Agramant | Winter | 2 |
| Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court | The Thrice-cursed Court | Trades crafted items for Winter mana | Winter | 4 |
| Mark of Agramant(1) | Agramant | Places an enduring magical mark on a target that can only be detected with detect magic | Winter | 4 |
| Pallid Flesh of the Dead King | Tharim | Grants three ranks of endurance for a season at the cost of persistent venom. | Winter | 13 |
| Unleash the Beasts Within(1) | Agramant | grants significant strength to a military unit that supports an Imperial army | Winter | 13 |
| The Crimson Feast(1) | Agramant | Target gains three ranks of endurance for a season. | Winter | 15 |
| Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust | Kaela | Conjures unliving winter troops to greatly enhance the rank of a military unit when fighting in support of an army. | Winter | 20 |
| Sorin's Rite of Agony | Sorin | Grants 1 rank of winter lore for a season, and additional prowess with curses, at the cost of an unhealing wound | Winter | 20 |
| Thirst of the Devourer(1) | Agramant | Grants a target the ability to heal themselves when they successfully deliver an IMPALE | Winter | 24 |
| Loosen the Shackles(1) | Agramant | Enchants a campaign army, changing its quality and filling soldiers with murderous intent | Winter | 80 |
| The Basalt Citadel | Sorin | Creates a temporary supernatural fortification in ruined region in a territory | Winter | 100 |
| Quickening Cold Meat | Wise Rangara | Creates a force of animated corpses that enhance the fighting strength of an army by 1000 for a year. | Winter | 150 |
| Phaleron | Delivers book or scroll to Eternal for possible destruction | Day | 4 | |
| Gift of Knowledge | Phaleron | Delivers book or scroll to Phaleron in return for prismatic ink | Day | 4 |
| Swim Leviathan's Depth | Leviathan | Asks a specific question of the eternal Leviathan to divine a past cause or event that has led to a present-day state of affairs or consequence | Day | 18 |
| Kimus' Glaring Eye | Kimus | Grants the ability to use repel on two targets at once | Day | 19 |
| Roshanwe | Provides guidance from the eternal Roshanwe | Day | 20 | |
| Netweaver's Eye | Roshanwe | Determines if someone has cast a specific spell or used a realm of magic | Day | 30 |
| Crystaline Focus of Aesh | Kimus | Grants one rank of Day lore for a Season and additional prowess when performing divination rituals | Day | 20 |
| Missive for Sadogua | Sadogua | Sends a message to an Eternal | Night | 2 |
| Tithe of Bats | Sadogua | Exchanges measures of iridescent gloaming and dragonbone for Night vis | Night | 10 |
| Whispering Shadow Courtiers | Whisper Gallery | Enables limited communication with the Whisper Gallery | Night | 8 |
| Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River | Sung | Seeks aid from the eternal Sung in solving a mystery | Night | 20 |
| Distill the Serpent's Stone | Azoth | Creates a unique consumable alchemical item. | Night | 100 |
| Dripping Echoes of the Fen | Sadogua | Creates a temporary supernatural fortification in marsh territory. | Night | 100 |
| Sorin's Chastising Touch | Sorin | Grants a magician the ability to repeatedly call CLEAVE with a rod. | Winter | 14 |