Ritual Magic in the Khanate
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Ritual magic is a highly specialised and somewhat theoretical art which is rarely performed in the wider world outside the Vale.
A few rituals are known, but the scarcity of mana makes it difficult to obtain the power necessary to utilise magic in this way, so they seldom work. Even where sufficient mana crystals can be gathered to power the ritual, finding places where working such magic is possible is not easy - only a handful have ever been reported and they tend to be inconsistent, coming and going as the mana ebbs and flows.
More often than not, the mana put into the ritual simply leaks away without much effect or occasionally, where a lot of mana has been used, causing unintended random and sometimes disastrous consequences. As a result, the study of these rituals has historically been the preserve of eccentric mages, shamans and necromancers, convinced that they hold the key to great power but unable to reliably produce anything but the most minor effects at great effort. Historically, such magic users have often been thought of as more than a little deluded by their colleagues.
Among the orcs and goblins, tales are passed down via their oral tradition of the power of their ritual magic.
Before the cataclysm there were certain highly guarded places where the rituals could be performed. The demons have warned the shaman that the cataclysm has changed things and that their old techniques will no longer work. The goblin sorcerers don’t care: they have always been happy to experiment.
If the ancient Lichs know what to expect they are not saying anything but instead have instructed the necromancers with ritual training to experiment and report back.
Among those versed in ritual magic, the discovery of the Vale has caused a great stir. Since its initial discovery it has been thought likely that the greater concentration of magical energy in the Vale might make rituals a more practical form of magic, particularly if places can be found where magical energy can be confined and focused, therefore, allowing it to be be funnelled and bent to the ritualist's will rather than flowing away in an uncontrolled, sometimes dangerous fashion.
It is greatly hoped that rituals will work more reliably and more powerfully at such places, and that the abundance of magic might open up the possibilities of rituals which could create great and mighty effects. Though whether this is in fact the case remains to be seen and experimentation will be needed once the expedition commences to see just what ritual magic is capable of.
The early scouting efforts In the Vale seem to have confirmed the initial hopes of ritualists from both camps. The much higher levels of magical energies in the Vale create the rare resources and high levels of mana. This mana however, seems to pool and flow like water flowing to a single point. The scouts, however, are a superstitious bunch and have reported unusual tracks in the area, but sightings of strange creatures moving in the high mana areas must surely be inaccurate as nothing can live in the Vale when the mana storms tear the ground and lightning rends the air.
The shamans have theorised that this place will have sufficient magical energy to allow ritual magic to be performed. The goblin spell casters are somewhat more disorganised but the shaman have brought them word from the demons that rituals can be performed there. The necromancers have been informed by the voice that they will be able to create greater Undead at this site.
Example Rituals(top)
Below are some simple examples of rituals. These are designed to help Players understand the sorts of things we are looking for in a ritual, and the types of things which are encouraged. The list is by no means exhaustive, and Players are welcome to use this as a springboard for other ideas, and to express their character's own personality through the rituals they perform.
Ritual to raise an Undead minion's power level(top)
Sharog is a necromancer who wishes to increase the power of one of her minions, transforming him into a skeletal knight. To perform this ritual, Sharog and her minion make their way to the ritual site, along with three fellow mages who will assist Sharog in the ritual, and a group who will defend them from attack while the ritual is performed.
First, Sharog ensures that the ritual site is laid out in the inwardly directed ritual form which she knows and intends to use. She asks her minion to stand at the centre of the site, within the inner triangle, so that the power of the ritual will be directed onto him. Her three helpers space themselves out equally around the ritual site. Then Sharog sacrifices the mana she has brought along to power the ritual, along with some of the shards and souls used as currency within the Khan's camp, so activating the ritual site and beginning the ritual itself.
An orc in life, Sharog draws from her former heritage for her rituals, and bases them on the drummings and chantings of the Plaines Tribes, often performed at their Naddam gatherings. At a pre-arranged signal, Sharog's three helpers begin a slow, rhythmic drum beat on the simple drums they have brought with them. “DUM-de-dum-dum, DUM-de-dum-dum.” This drum beat continues throughout the entire ritual, starting slow and soft and growing, almost imperceptibly slowly, over the course of the ritual in both volume and speed until it reaches a crescendo at its culmination.
Sharog walks slowly in a circle around her minion, shaking a tribal bone rattle over the ground and around each of her three helpers. To each of them she says “I am Sharog, mighty necromancer, who are you who aids me in my task?” To this, each reply “I am [name], powerful mage, and I aid you in your task.” Lastly, she approaches her minion and shakes her rattle over him, saying “I am Sharog, mighty necromancer, who are you who comes before me?” To this he replies “I am Gurak, your humble minion, and I come before you.” “Tell me, Gurak, what do you seek?” “Mighty Sharog, I seek power, strength and fortitude, that I might serve you better, that I might defend you better, and that I might strike fear into the souls of your enemies, as I strike my sword into their hearts!” “I hear you, Gurak. I, Sharog, will make it so.”
Then Sharog inscribes three runes. First, she draws d.jpg as she says “With this rune I bind the magic of this ritual, and harness its power to transform my minion.” Next, she draws f.jpg saying “With this rune I bind the magic of this ritual, and harness its power to imbue my minion with strength.” Last she draws Z.jpg saying “With this rune I bind the magic of this ritual, and harness its power to increase the fortitude of my minion.”
The runes drawn, Sharog proceeds to dance a slow circle around her minion, still shaking her bone rattle, in time to the beat of the drums. As she dances she appears to enter a trance-like state as she works to mould and direct the magical energy within the circle to her wishes, using her physical movements to direct it. Her movements are accompanied by a series of calls, to which her drumming assistants respond. Some are wordless whoops and cries, while others echo the meanings of the runes. “I transform you!” to which the echo comes: “Transform you, transform you...”; “I empower you! (Empower you, empower you...)”. “You will be mighty! (Mighty, mighty...)”. The faster and louder the drumming becomes, the faster and more frenetic her dancing, and the louder her calls and the responses of her assistants. Her minion at the centre of this whirlwind sways and moans as the magical forces assail him. Suddenly, and without warning, Sharog drops to the ground as the drumming stops dead. After the immense noise and movement the quiet and stillness is dramatic and unnerving. As one, the three assistants lay down their drums and walk silently towards the centre of the ritual site, coming to stand around and behind Sharog's minion. On the ground, the still form of Sharog shudders, then heaves upright, standing to face her minion as she intones loudly “I AM SHAROG, mighty necromancer. With these runes I bind the magic of this ritual, and harness its power to transform you, to imbue you with strength, to increase your fortitude, and to change you into something more mighty than your current meagre form!” As she says the last words Sharog shakes her rattle one last time, using it to direct the magical energy towards her minion, who reacts as if hit by a physical force, falling backwards into the waiting arms of Sharog's assistants who lay him gently on the ground.
The ritual complete, Sharog turns to pull a chit from the ritual ref's bag, to determine its outcome.
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