A Goblet of Stars

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This ritual is part of Urizen lore rather than Imperial lore.

Rules

Urizen Lore

This ritual is part of Urizen lore rather than Imperial lore. Any Urizen character with the appropriate lore can master or perform this ritual. A character from another nation who mastered the ritual before it became part of Urizen lore may still perform it, but does so under the usual rules for performing a ritual learned from a ritual text.

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must possess the physick skill.

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

Effects

The target of this enchantment gains the ability to use a dram of any healing herb - bladeroot, cerulean mazzarine, Imperial roseweald, or marrowort - as if it were a dram of true vervain when using the physick skill. This means they can use any of the five herbs with thirty seconds of appropriate roleplay to restore a target to full hits.

They also experience a roleplaying effect: you see death as the ultimate enemy whose victory must be prevented at all costs. You feel an urge to offer assistance to anyone who is on the brink of death and the idea of killing any person or animal makes you nauseous.

Note that the enchantment does not apply to other uses of true vervain; an apothecary could not use it to substitute another herb for true vervain when making a potion for example.

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

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 6. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

Each of the five herbs used by physicks and apothecaries contains an amount of healing power. That power allows a trained herb master to restore vitality, purge venom, and other miraculous effects. The Goblet of Stars enchantment allows a physick to capture the healing power of a herb and turn it to another use - specifically to heal wounds as True Vervain does. The benefits are obvious, if a little niche. Generally, keeping a patient alive is the first and most important step of any medical procedure; venom or weakness can be treated at leisure, while most traumatic wounds allow a generous window for an injury to be addressed. In situations where True Vervain is not available, the enchantment allows another herb to be substituted without loss of potency.

This ritual became part of Urizen lore in 383YE alongside Fountain's Bounty, Woven Strands of Life, and Wellspring of the High Peak. All four rituals were contained in The Well of Nine Stars, a grimoire belonging to Cassirra Greenwell, a refugee from Grendel-occupied Spiral. The book was given to the founders of Fountainhome Spire in the reign of Empress Richilde and handed down from generation to generation. It contained a wealth of Spring lore relating to green growing plants. The survivors of Fountainhome Spire proposed that the book be entered into lore as much to reconnect their fellow Urizeni with their pasts as to swell their understanding of the realm of Spring. Arbiter Cyrus of the Bleak Tower agreed, and worked with Cassirra and her fellows to arrange for the rituals contained within to be shared with the rest of URizen.

As with the other groups with rituals to propose for Urizen lore, however, The Well of Nine Stars did not come without complications. As a requirement before the book can become part of Urizen lore, Cassirra Greenwell and the members of Bleak Tower wanted the then-newly formed Silver Chalice Conclave order to make a significant change to its manifesto. Specifically they wanted it to officially remove the statement that it existed to "Look into supporting long term efforts to aid the infrastructure (and foundations) of the Empire." Both were quick to make clear that they and their spiremates bear the Order no ill-will. On the contrary, they are concerned that the Silver Chalice has erred by choosing four goals rather than the traditional three. Three is an ideal number, claims Cassirra Greenwell; more than three and the order risks becoming unfocused - especially with a goal that is so open ended as to be functionally meaningless. For the order to be truly successful it must have focus. The Senate ultimately modified the manifesto, and the Well of Nine Stars became part of Urizen lore shortly thereafter.

Common Elements

TBC