Glorious Crown of Enchantment

Rules

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 have the magician skill.

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

Effects

The target gains the ability to cast the empower spell four times per day as if they knew it without spending any mana.

They also experience a roleplaying effect: You feel driven to take command of any situation in which you find yourself, and to take charge of the people around you. The more dangerous or desperate the situation, the stronger this drive becomes.

If the target regains all spent personal mana by resting in a magical aura such as that provided by the Chamber of Delights, or drinks an Elixir of Empyrean Art, they also regain all spent uses of this ability at the same time. Other methods of restoring personal mana do not restore uses of the ability to cast empower. 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 11. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Option

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute orichalcum for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of orichalcum spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Description

This enchantment allows the target to inspire their allies to strike decisively against their enemies. It is equally potent when driving the foe back with a triumphant charge, or launching a last-ditch defense against overwhelming odds. By speaking words of encouragement or command, the magician grants strength to the warriors alongside whom they fight; the greenest recruit or the wiliest veteran alike can be granted the strength to strike devastating blows with the power of this enchantment.

The ritual evokes themes of nobility and majesty. Many magicians enchanted with this ritual speak of a physical sensation of being "garbed in power" - as if they were actually wearing a crown. They tend to carry themselves more proudly, unconsciously enacting mannerisms that their culture associated with leadership or command. This is especially true for magicians of the changeling lineage, some of whom find that this enchantment perfectly complements their instincts to command others. Interestingly, some draughir who have experienced the enchantment have reported similar feelings - although in their case the urges fostered by the Glorious Crown of Enchantment are a little darker, encouraging them to order their allies around for their own good - and to deal harshly with anyone who questions their instructions.

The ability to replenish the magical prowess granted by this enchantment should not be underestimated. While it is usually a little tricky to take advantage of this additional power on the battlefield, the Elixir of Empyrean Art will not only replenish the magician's reserves of personal power but also restore their ability to empower their allies, making that rare potion even more powerful in the right hands.

Some eternals are known to offer boons that further enhance the use of this ritual. Eleonaris is said to favour those with truly noble souls who make use of it to command their allies. Barien on the other hand is known to offer those who use the enchantment to support and encourage allied heroes foci that make the ritual easier to perform, or to provide those who make use of it with magic items similar to a Roaring Chimera Rod to use the empower spell even more frequently.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes proud or ferocious animals such as lions, bears, gryphons, unicorns or chimerae. Loud, inspirational music or the sound of horns are common accompaniments to the performance.

Any coven, but most especially a coven of witches, is likely to engage in girding the recipient of this magic. They might present the target with actual regalia representative of nobility, or mime placing a crown on their head while wrapping them in an invisible cloak of majesty. Anointing the head with oil (or for a blood mage the blood of a respected leader or changeling) is also particularly appropriate with this ritual.

Other elements might include the rune Feresh. A dramaturgic coven may focus their working around an inspirational speech from The Captain, or a more subtle exhortation from The Witch, usually delivered on the Battlefield, and using the Ring or the Blade. The astronomantic constellations of the Phoenix or the Chain may also empower the effectiveness of this ritual.