Ephisis' Scale

Rules

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. It targets an opaque container.

Effects

When the ritual is performed, the ritualists put any amount of unliving material inside an opaque container up to 8" by 8" by 8" maximum volume. After casting the container is left closed; the contents have been conveyed elsewhere.

It will take at least an hour for anything to happen, potentially longer. Ritualists may receive a prompt when the box is no longer empty; when the box is opened, there is something new there.

The ritualists at this point have two choices; remove and keep the items, or refuse the trade and close the box again. The ritualists have a short time to examine and evaluate the offered trade before making a decision, but they cannot keep only some of the goods - it is an all-or-nothing proposition. If the box is closed, the contents will be swapped back for the original item(s) over a short period.

The best thing to trade using this ritual are game items such as materials or coins, ribboned items such as magic items, lammied items such as potions, or items with cards such as herbs or artisan's oil.

It is possible that not everything in the box will be considered for trade; if this happens it will simply be returned. Examples of things that are usually ignored by the City of Gold and Lead are unribboned and unlammied food and drink, ribbons that have expired or that expire at the end of the current event, unribboned props, and written items such as scrolls or notes that do not have a ribbon ID on them.

This ritual is sometimes used to arrange unique trades with the City of Gold and Lead, other Autumn eternals, or mortal magicians who have negotiated a deal with Ephisis or her heralds. In this case, there will usually be a token that can be placed in the box to indicate that the contents are part of a specific deal. For example, in the past there have been cases where including specific items and something marked with the Lann rune results in a pre-arranged exchange. These are invariably related to opportunities.

Description

This ritual allows magicians to engage in measured trade with the Realm of Autumn, specifically with the eternal Ephisis. Ephisis greatly desires goods and items from the mortal realm. Ephisis is known to be scrupulous in her commitment to fair trades - wherever possible, the goods she offers in return she (or her factotums) consider to have roughly equal value to the goods she has been offered. Sometimes her assessment is unbalanced, either due to a misconception about the mortal Realm or because the ritualists have inadvertently sent her something that has unexpected value to the Autumn eternals.Some ritualists attempt to influence Ephisis' counter-offer by including a scroll or letter with the submitted goods, but this never has any effect unless for some reason such correspondence has been specifically requested.

Common goods offered for past trades using this ritual have included examples of all the special materials known on the Mortal realm, as well as herbs, potions and other preparations (even liao on a few occasions), coins both Imperial and (occasionally) otherwise, magic items (especially talismans), and vis (most often warm ashes but occasionally other kinds as well).

More exotic items reported over the years have included unique substances; unfamiliar potions and narcotics; unique gemstones unknown in the mortal Realm; scrolls of unknown ritual magic; deeds of ownership, sometimes Imperial sometimes otherwise; a miraculous mechanical golden bird that whispered prophecies to its owner for seven years before slowly winding down; a copper-and-agate beetle with the ability to diagnose and treat illnesses; and a pair of rings that allowed instantaneous communication with no apparent limitation of distance.

It is common practice for ritualists who master this ritual, and plan to engage in it often, to place a gong, bell or chime next to or on top of the container in which their trade goods were offered. The magic of the ritual causes the gong, bell or chime to ring when the transaction progresses to the next stage. Some ritualists have reported odd sounds, smells or bursts of light accompanying the transition; all apparently designed to discreetly draw attention to the fact that there are goods to be considered, or that the transaction is over.

Some ritualists have bargained with Ephisis for larger containers in which to place goods. For example, the Marcher mage-smith Alan of Cotter's Barn was known to possess a weirwood case 6' long and 2' wide and deep with which he traded the fruits of his crafting with Ephisis. It is also possible to arrange special agreements with Ephisis or her factotums. The League apothecary Helena Jung von Holberg apparently possessed an oak-and-brass potion case, for example, that ensured that any trade with Ephisis that trades offered for potions would always involve herbs or other, more exotic, potions.

As with Missive for Sadogua and similar eternal-themed rituals, 'Ephisis' Scale' uses a small amount of mana to open a conduit to the eternal in question, allowing a small amount of material to be transferred. The additional magnitudes reinforce or recognise the nature of an agreed pact - in this case that Ephisis or her factotums will consider an object or objects offered in trade and offer something of equal value in return. The Freeborn scholar Serval i Riqueza of the Unfettered Mind, who made a study of several of these rituals, posited that the additional magnitude served as a 'handling fee' for Ephisis, to ensure that the eternal always made a slight profit even when the suggested trade was not accepted.

Common Elements

A box or sack, often of rare woods. fine silk or velvet, is the obvious focus used with this ritual, A coven or ritualist often has a specific container that they favour for use with this ritual, of the standard dimensions. The container is often inscribed with the rune Lann, or with symbols of weights and scales. Ink and parchment may be used to write down the exact contents of the box; it is common to draw attention to any special provenance or properties of the offered goods that might otherwise be overlooked. Placing a gong, bell or chime near the box may cause it to be rung as the ritual completes.