The Circle
Of Adamant
Spells of
the
Abjuration Of The
Maidens
Cost: 40 motes + 1 lethal health level
Target: Area of effect
With Abjuration of the Maidens, the caster
may protect an area up to one mile in diameter per point of permanent Essence
she possesses. The sorcerer must inscribe a circle around the area to be
protected and, at 25 points around the circle, mark a sigil one foot across that
bears the runes of each of the Five Maidens. At the center of this circle, the
caster places a smaller circle two yards across that bears the words of
abjuration and the runes of the Maidens.
When this is complete, usually after five
hours of preparation, the caster places her hand at the center of the inner
circle. She then must cut herself so that her blood spills upon the marks of
the Maidens, dealing one lethal health level of damage to herself. This damage
is a cost to be paid, and cannot be soaked and does not invoke any Charms or
other sorcery.
For three turns, the blood runs across the
marks within the circle, filling the runes of the Maidens, while the sorcerer
chants and expends the necessary motes of Essence. When the spell is complete,
the runes begin to glow, and each mark at the edge of the outer circle shoots a
shaft of multicolored light into the sky. These lights then expand into a wall
of shimmering Essence that marks the boundary of the abjuration.
No sorcerous effect may cross the boundary
of light into the protection of the abjuration. Any spell with an area of
effect that occurs near the boundary will still work, but where the area of
effect would cross the abjuration, it fails utterly. Any Essence effect that
enters into the area of the abjuration ceases to have any effect while it is
within the boundaries of the spell. No Essence-wielding creature may use Charms
or sorcery within the abjuration, though Essence is not expended when they try
to utilize their powers. Hearthstones, effects generated by Hearthstones, the
Five Magical Materials and the powers of any spirit whose permanent Essence is
greater than that of the caster of the abjuration are unaffected by this spell.
The spell’s effects last for five days and
can be renewed at any time by the sorcerer paying the same costs at the
centermost circle of the spell. The Abjuration of the Maidens can only be
countered by a creature with a permanent Essence greater than that of the
sorcerer ― and only at the centermost markings of the spell.
Adamant Countermagic
Cost: 20 or 25 motes
This spell is similar to Emerald or
Sapphire Countermagic, save that it is more expensive and protects against
spells of the third circle. However, the side effects of countering Solar
Circle spells are very impressive — the shattered fragments of Essence are
themselves as powerful as many first circle spells. The effects of shattering a
spell of the third circle can kill unprotected mortals and lay waste to the
countryside — but compared to the effects of a spell such as Rain of Doom, they
are nothing.
In addition to its ability to counter magic
of the second circle, Adamant Countermagic can also overpower magics of the
Terrestrial or Celestial Circles totally. A first or second circle spell
countered through the use of Adamant Countermagic is stifled totally, without
any side effects from the thwarted Essence.
Benediction Of
Archgenesis
Cost: 40 motes
Target: Area of effect
The blessing of the Unconquered Sun is
great and generous and never more apparent than in the use of this spell. A
sorcerer casting the benediction uses her Essence to call upon the very
creative forces that shaped the world prior to the First Age in order to spark
and propagate life in the most harsh and unforgiving conditions. At the whim of
the sorcerer, deserts are converted to fertile fields, and barren valleys
become lush jungles.
To cast this spell, a sorcerer must first
procure the still-living heart of a taproot from a tree at least 1,000 years
old and shape it with her hands and her magic into a tall staff. The caster
then stands on a
The casting sorcerer arrives at the area
she wishes to transmute at the sunrise on the new moon of Ascending Water.
Until the next sunrise, she chants and channels her Essence through the taproot
staff she has created, forming a nimbus of crackling golden light around her.
She then casts the staff down onto the land to be transformed, and the living
taproot burrows into the ground at that point to disappear from view. As the
sun touches the sky at the end of the ritual, dark gray clouds form, and a
soft, warm rain begins to fall upon the targeted terrain. This rain lasts until
dusk, when the clouds disperse and vanish.
The effects of the benediction become
apparent to the naked eye just after the rain stops. Any snow or ice on the
ground will have melted completely, and any flowering plants already in the
region will bloom for the next day only. After the rain and bloom, any
climactic conditions that were interrupted by the casting of the ritual will
return to normal. Players of those who observe the unnatural rain or the sudden
flowering of plants out of season may make a Perception + Occult roll,
difficulty 4, for their characters to understand the ramifications of these
effects.
With the arrival of spring (usually during
Resplendent Earth) comes the next visible effects of the benediction. Plants
that already live in the area grow a little more quickly than normal, and
foliage returns earlier and more lush. Sparse or barren areas fill with new
sprouts. Where the taproot staff landed, a sapling tree will burgeon. Animals
will come from miles around to partake of the new bounty, and they come into
season earlier and for longer while they are there.
By early summer, every inch of the targeted
area will be covered with thriving, reproducing life. Animals will give birth
to unusually large litters. Weather patterns will favor the region with the
best possible rainfall and sunny days. The sapling that grew from the taproot
staff will become a full-grown young tree and remains unmolested by wildlife.
Late summer will see harvests of fruits, nuts and grain that would feed the
The Benediction of Archgenesis is most
often used to turn infertile regions into productive farmlands or to end famine
and drought in an afflicted region. Though the most drastic effects of the
spell only occur on the year after the spell is cast, the region is forever
changed, and if managed well, it will remain fruitful for hundreds of years. If
the ritual is cast on an already healthy and fertile area, it will cause life
to grow beyond the resources of that area and bring a famine that will last for
a decade to an otherwise blessed region.
Chariot Of The Blazing
Sun
Cost: 45 motes
Target: Conjured chariot
A legendary ― and exceedingly
dramatic ― method of transport, this spell calls up a chariot and horses
made from living flame and Essence, which will carry the sorcerer and up to
five other people (or equivalent cargo) to wherever he may wish to go.
This spell may only be cast between sunrise
and sunset. The sorcerer closes his eyes and chants, and a triple helix of red,
gold and white Essence rises about him into the sky, toward the sun. Where they
disappear from sight, a flame flares, and out of it rides the chariot with its
five fiery steeds. The chariot itself is made of pure, golden Essence
solidified into a framework that will hold the caster and up to 2,000 pounds of
creatures or cargo, though it only has enough room for five other people. The
outside of the chariot is a violent red-and-orange inferno, with four wheels
that scorch the earth where it lands and leave a smoky trail in the sky where
it flies.
The chariot must be commanded by the
caster, who cannot use any sorcery or Charms while he concentrates on
controlling the vessel, though he may still converse with the passengers or do
other simple tasks. The chariot flies at a rate of 750 miles per hour and can
be directed to anywhere in Creation the sorcerer can name. In addition, if the
sorcerer wishes to travel through the Wyld, to the elemental poles or even the
Celestial City of Yu-Shan, the chariot is capable of taking its passengers
there.
The chariot’s sorcerous nature will protect
passengers from any extremes of weather, from the mutating effects of the Wyld
and even from the chaotic elemental nature of the poles. In addition, the
chariot will harmlessly absorb any sorcery of the Emerald or Sapphire Circles
that is cast against it or its passengers.
While the chariot travels at such a rapid
rate that it makes it nearly impossible for attacks to be made against its
passengers, some flying spirits and creatures that can match its speed may be
able to successfully strike. Any creature making a successful hand-to-hand
attack will take three health levels of aggravated damage from the magical
flames that surround the chariot. Ranged attacks made with missiles that are
not formed of Essence, of the Five Magical Materials or otherwise enchanted in
some way will be incinerated upon nearing the chariot or its cargo. Those in
the chariot are treated as having 90 percent cover for purposes of those shots
that can strike them.
The chariot lasts until it reaches the
sorcerer’s destination, the sorcerer dispels it or until sunset. If the sun
leaves the sky while the chariot is still in the air, the steed will falter and
buck the reigns, causing the caster to loose control and crash the vessel into
the ground. This causes 45L to anyone and anything within the chariot at the
time of the crash.
Curse Of
Unyielding Mist
Cost: 40 motes
Target: One city, town or region
The sorcerer who invokes this vile
malediction inflicts upon an area a fog that will not lift. The mist blocks out
most light and casts the region into a perpetual twilight, a gloom of
unparalleled strength. From the outside, the unyielding mist appears to be a
single thick gray cloud 100 feet high, similar to a normal mist but more
substantial. Inside, it is quite different from normal fog.
Light is dimmed during the day, but the fog
is slightly luminescent at night, and a diffused light fills the air at all
times. Night and day merge into one dour pall, making it difficult to tell
time. The mist also has an unusual, acrid scent to it that is reminiscent of
brimstone.
To cast the curse, a sorcerer must stand at
the border of the region toward which she wishes ill and name that area in a
spell that takes only a minute to recite. While she speaks, her Essence forms a
hazy silver outline about her, through which tiny sparks of purple lightning
trace. As she continues the conjuration, small tendrils of fog form within this
aura and begin to snake out along the ground toward the targeted region. The
targeted region can be no larger than 10 square miles per point of permanent
Essence the caster possesses, and the area must all fall under a single name by
which the common people know it. When she completes the spell, the sorcerer
names a condition by which the curse may be lifted, such as a marriage, pregnancy,
admittance of guilt to a crime or action or some other suitably dramatic event.
While the mist holds sway over a territory,
several effects occur:
• Visibility is severely hampered. Clear
vision ends at about a yard in the mist, and murky vision at about five yards.
Beyond five yards, it is nearly impossible to make anything out. Murky vision
increases any attack difficulties by 1. Beyond the murky vision range, attacks
are made as if blind, with a +2 increase in difficulty. These difficulties are
environmental. In addition, tracking foes through the mist becomes nearly
impossible, adding 3 to the difficulty of any mundane attempt to track a
creature. Due to its sorcerous and confusing nature, supernatural trackers
suffer a +1 difficulty to any rolls made for them to track an opponent through
the unyielding mist.
• Moods are altered. The perpetual pall of
fog, day in and day out, begins to depress and dishearten all of those within
it. Soon after the mist takes hold, social interactions with and between
residents of the afflicted region become strained. Dice pool rolls involving
social interactions all suffer a two-die penalty. Make a Valor check each day
for Exalts and other Essence wielders within the mist for them to ignore this
penalty.
• Plant growth is inhibited. Without
sunlight, the flora of the cursed area slowly withers and dies. Crops are
ruined, and even ancient forests cannot withstand the power of the mist for
more than a few years.
• Fungus proliferates. As indigenous plants
die, many bizarre species of fungi spread rapidly. After only a few days
beneath the mist, mildew can be found growing on untended surfaces. After a
week, a blacking film similar to rust covers the façades of buildings. Tree
bark produces ear-shaped shelf mushrooms, while dark places become home to
nameless slimes. After a month, these foul growths begin to erode the surfaces
on which they fester. Even if the fungus is removed, stonework and metalwork
appears discolored and pitted. After six months, the fungi reach inside houses
and domiciles, spreading overnight to the floors and walls of any except the
most frequented of chambers. After a year, sleeping people have to clean
germinated spores off of themselves when they wake in the morning. All fungi
that grow in the mists taste foul and are inedible.
Slaying the caster of the curse is not
enough to forcibly end its reign ― it is susceptible only to the
intervention of the Incarna and to Adamant Countermagic cast during the initial
casting. Otherwise, the unyielding mist remains for eternity ― or until
the caster’s condition is met.
Demon Of The Third
Circle
Cost: 40+ motes
A very powerful and dangerous spell, this
magic calls up one of the demons of the third circle, powerful and dangerous
beings who serve as the chief lieutenants and generals of the Yozis. The demon
princes themselves cannot be summoned, for the power of the gods imprisons them.
As with Demon of the First Circle, this
spell is a complex ritual that is difficult to perform outside of the confines
of a specially prepared ritual space. It must be started at sundown and end at
the stroke of midnight, and it can only be performed during the Calibration,
when the powers of light are at their weakest. In the Old Realm, all magicians
gathered together at sunset during every night of the Calibration for a great
feast that lasted until dawn, so that none might be tempted to dabble with the
powers of darkness. This tradition continues to this day among the Dragon-Blooded,
though none of them have the power to summon forth such creatures of evil.
The casting of Demon of the Third Circle
itself costs 40 Essence. The sorcerer and demon engage in a contest of wills,
as per Demon of the First Circle. As with Demon of the Second Circle, the cost
to reduce the demon’s dice pool is 10 motes per die, not 5. The roll to send
the demon back to Malfeas if the binding fails is difficulty 5. A character who
forces a Demon of the Third Circle to bow its head to him had best be prepared
to deal with the sort of enemy he has just earned.
Essence Inversion
Cost: 50 motes
Target: One creature
All things in Creation were formed out of
the vast chaos of Essence that came before time, shaped by the dreams and the
will of the Primordials and governed by the Celestial Hierarchy. A savant who
has studied Creation closely understands the interactions of the Essence that
make up all things ― and how Essence fuels life. That understanding led
to the creation of this spell, which starts a chain reaction in the target’s
own Essence that, if left unchecked, will annihilate it utterly.
The sorcerer’s player must make an
Intelligence + Occult roll for the Exalt when the spell is cast, in case the
victim wishes to parry or dodge the attack. Creatures targeted by Essence
Inversion can only parry or dodge this spell with Charms, and no mortal
creature can escape the sorcerer’s wrath. The caster gathers her Essence into a
twisting beam of dark purple and black, which shoots forth from her hands to
strike the spell’s target. When it hits, it explodes into bands of the same
dark purple and black that wrap around the victim’s torso and constrict, fading
as they merge with the target’s own Essence.
On the turn after the spell is cast and the
beam strikes, the target feels its Essence begin to churn and rebel within him.
If he is an Exalt, his anima banner will flare, but instead of the usual color,
it will be flecked with purple and black blotches, like bruises. The victim
then suffers 10L damage every turn after the spell is cast, until he dies,
until the spell is countered or until the caster dispels the inversion. This
damage can be soaked only with Stamina and Charms. As the spell’s effects
progress and the victim takes more damage, its aura or anima banner will turn
completely to the dark purple and black colors with which the sorcerer struck
the target. When the victim finally dies from the Essence Inversion, its body
implodes, leaving no physical remains.
Gaia’s Rebuke
Cost: 50 motes
Target: One creature
With this spell, a sorcerer can cause
Creation itself to reject the target. The caster supplicates herself on the
ground when casting Gaia’s Rebuke, and her Essence travels along the earth,
causing cracks to appear as it speeds toward the target. When the caster’s
Essence reaches the place where the target stands, a circle of earth one yard
in diameter larger than the creature and 10 yards thick lifts up into the sky,
supported by a column of brilliant red-and-yellow Essence, until it is a mile high.
The section of earth then turns upside down and smashes back into the ground,
crushing the target and dealing 150 dice of lethal damage to him and to
anything he carries. This effect occurs in the space of one turn, and when it
is complete, it leaves a circle of broken earth piled on top of the creature
that has been rebuked. Any creature standing directly next to or being carried
by the target is shaken free when the cylinder of earth breaks free of the
ground and begins to rise, so that it will not be damaged by the spell’s
effects.
Incantation Of The
Invincible Army
Cost: 50 motes
Target: One army
Through the use of this spell, the sorcerer
invokes the blessing of the Unconquered Sun and the Five Maidens for her allies
and removes such favor from her enemies. By channeling the light of the sun and
stars toward friendly forces, the caster both increases the skill and might of
allies and decimates the power and morale of their opponents. Allies of the
sorcerer targeted by this spell gain one dot to all Physical Attributes for the
duration of the spell, while any being opposing a target of the incantation
suffers a one-die penalty to attacks, dodges, parries and Valor checks while
engaged in combat. If using the Mail and Steel rules, increase by 1 the Valor,
Drill, Attack Traits and Might of all stacks allied with the caster.
The caster chants with her arms raised for
the three turns it takes to cast the spell, and her anima banner flares toward
the heavens. A golden aura rises to the sky to clear any clouds and rain from
the battlefield and to allow the light of the sun and stars to shine down over
the battle. When the incantation is complete, the flow of light is reversed,
and the light from the heavens pours down on the sorcerer. Then, it strikes out
in narrow beams that illuminate each of the targets of the spell. The caster
may invoke the blessing for up to 5,000 creatures per point of permanent
Essence she possesses. She must keep her hands raised for the duration of the spell
and can take no other actions for the scene except concentrate on the blessing
and the battle at hand. For each hour the battle persists, the caster’s player
must make a reflexive Stamina + Endurance roll, with a difficulty equal to the
number of hours the battle has lasted, for the sorcerer to remain in position.
If the sorcerer suffers an attack, her player must make a successful Stamina +
Resistance roll, with a difficulty equal to the number of health levels of
damage she takes, for the Exalt to keep her concentration, or she loses control
of the spell. If a roll to maintain concentration fails, then, for the
remainder of the turn, the blessing is lost, but she may regain control of it
by her player making another Stamina + Endurance or Stamina + Resistance roll,
with the same difficulty +1. If successful, the sorcerer is able to regain
control of the spell, but if she fails again, or if any roll botches, then the
spell is ended, and the blessing is lost.
The effects of the invocation end if the
sorcerer loses concentration or is slain, if the spell is countered, if the
caster dispels the effect or at the end of the battle in which the targets are
participating. At the end of the spell’s effects, the caster’s player must make
a successful reflexive Stamina roll with a difficulty equal to the number of
hours that the sorcerer remained in concentration, or she passes out from
fatigue. If this Stamina roll fails, then the sorcerer must sleep for a number
of days equal to the amount by which the Stamina roll was failed.
Rain Of Doom
Cost: 60 motes
This spell calls down a supernatural storm
of vast proportions on the target. A rain of corrosive venom falls from the
sky, while sickly green lightning lashes the ground. The venom falls in sheets
from dusk till dawn and is corrosive enough to pit stone and warp glass. Wood bursts
into thick red-orange flame at its touch, and metal simply dissolves. Living
creatures exposed to the venom suffer terrible burns, and most humans and
animals die shortly thereafter in convulsions.
For years or even decades after the storm,
nothing but stunted scrub will grow on the land washed by the rain, and those
areas that catch the runoff of the storm will be similarly blighted. The venom
is neutralized by the touch of daylight, and it evaporates easily, so the
devastation is limited. However, even several days after event, the venom can
be dangerous to areas near the target that are not warmed or lighted by the
sun. The mechanical effects of the venom are as follows:
• Those exposed to the rain must soak one
point of lethal damage on the first turn, two points of lethal damage on the
second turn, three points in the third turn and so on. However, after the
character leaves the rain, the damage ceases to increase every turn and stays
steady at the damage the character received during her last turn of exposure. After
a character leaves the rain, she continues to take damage until she has removed
her soaked clothing (generally the matter of a single turn’s dice action).
A character’s armor adds to her soak.
However, it is much harder to remove armor than clothing. An armored character
will have to take the regular amount of time to remove her armor. Anything not
made from Essence or one of the Five Magical Materials is ruined by exposure to
the rain. Characters exposed to the runoff take lethal damage only once. The
amount of damage is determined by how much the character is exposed to and how
diluted the runoff is with pure water. A character splashed with diluted runoff
may only take 1 die of lethal damage, while a character full immersed in a pool
of the pure venom might take 20 or more.
• Further, players of unExalted characters
who come in contact with the rain or runoff must make a Stamina + Resistance
roll at difficulty 2 or succumb to a painful, convulsive death over the next
several hours.
• Also, characters outdoors have a 1 in 10
chance of being hit by lightning on any given turn. Characters hit by lightning
suffer 12 dice of lethal damage, which can be soaked only with Stamina.
The Rain of Doom spell is somewhat complex
to cast. The spell itself takes only three turns to cast, but the magic must be
performed after the sun has touched the horizon during the evening. When the
casting is complete, the sky beings to darken at unnatural pace with thick,
oily clouds. The sorcerer must immediately begin traveling. He can walk, run or
ride a beast, but he cannot fly or transport himself magically — he or his
mount must actually tread the ground around the target.
The caster has from the time he finishes
the casting of the spell until night has fallen fully to circumnavigate the area
of effect. For the purposes of the spell, this sunset period lasts about an
hour. The sorcerer cannot recross his path, and he must reach his starting
point before night falls fully. If the character crosses his path or fails to
reach his starting point by the time darkness falls, the magic is wasted, and
the gathering storm dissipates as though it had never been.
However, if the character successfully
describes a circuit, then from an hour after nightfall to the rising of the
sun, the area within it is lashed by the Rain of Doom. Outside of that area, a
thick rain falls, mixed with sleet and hail, but nothing compared to the horror
within the area of the spell’s effect. Character who are outside the spell’s
area of effect — for example, a besieging army manning the siege lines — must
take steps to protect themselves from the spell’s venomous runoff, which is as
lethal as the falling rain.
Rune Of Singular Hate
Cost: 10 motes
This curse is the blackest and most foul
that an Exalted can utter, and it sears and twists the soul of the target and
of the sorcerer who pronounces it as well. The Rune of Singular Hate is but a
single word, a word so sharp edged and hateful that a tongue can give it voice
but once in a lifetime. As a result, the casting time is near-instant. A
sorcerer who has sufficient Willpower and Essence can pronounce the Rune of
Singular Hate as a reflexive action, so long as she is able to speak.
To speak the Rune, the character must be
within earshot of the target, though the target need not hear the words. Even
magical stillness will not prevent the target from hearing the curse in his
heart if the sound would normally have reached him. The Rune of Hate can target
only single individual, but if he is less than a god, a Yozi or a Malfean, the
Rune will sear him.
The player of the target of the Rune
immediately rolls the value of each of his character’s Abilities,
Attributes and Virtues — including Essence and Willpower — that he possesses a score
in, one at a time. The player cannot botch these rolls, and 10s do not count as
two successes on them. For every success the player rolls testing an Ability,
Attribute or Virtue, his character retains one dot in it. Dice on which the
player does not roll a success represent a dot that is lost, immediately and
forever, from that Ability, Attribute or Virtue.
A character who is left without any dots in
his Wits or Intelligence is reduced to a mindless vegetable. A character who is
left without any dots in his Perception is deprived of all senses and cut off
forever from the outside world. A character who is left without any dots in
Willpower is reduced to will-less automaton, similar to what remains after the
Fair Folk consume a being’s dreams and hope. A character whose Essence is
reduced to zero dies as his life force is snuffed out. An Exalted character
whose Essence and Abilities are reduced below the minimum levels required to
learn a Charm is unable to use it until he raises his Essence and Abilities
back to the requisite levels.
The sorcerer pronouncing the Rune loses one
dot in every Attribute, Ability and Virtue that she possesses a score in. As
implied earlier in the description, a character can pronounce the Rune of
Singular Hate but once in her life.
Total Annihilation
Cost: 65 motes
Target: Area of effect
No single spell demonstrates the sheer
power and destructive force of the Solars like this one does. The sorcerer
holds out her hand, and an emerald mist of Essence swirls about her, gathering
into an opalescent green orb about the size of an apple in her palm. The caster
then hurls the orb up to 200 yards away, her player making a Dexterity + Occult
or a Dexterity + Thrown roll for the sorcerer to hit her target. Where the
emerald sphere strikes, it explodes into a column of bright green light 50
yards wide and five miles high, which deals 50 lethal health levels of damage
to everything it touches. The destructive energy then expands on the same
initiative count as the explosion occurred at a rate of 50 yards in diameter
each turn for a number of turns equal to the caster’s permanent Essence.
Everything caught in the expanding emerald field of destruction takes 25 lethal
health levels of damage for every turn it is bathed in the emerald energy.
Creatures near the explosion may abort their actions to try to outrun the
lethal energy.
The orb created in the casting of Total
Annihilation can only be parried or dodged through the use of Charms. Any
mortal weapon that attempts to parry the sphere will trigger its explosion. If
the orb is successfully parried with a Charm and an enchanted weapon, then it
is deflected away from the target and will land in a random direction 1,000
yards away. Once the orb explodes, the effect cannot be parried even with the
use of Charms and can only be dodged by a perfect defense such as Seven Shadows
Evasion or soaked with a Charm such as Adamant Skin Technique. Though this
spell’s damaging effects last for more than one turn, such perfect-defense
Charms will protect an Exalt from all damage.
Total Annihilation may be countered
successfully only while it is being cast. Once the orb of Essence is created,
then casting Adamant Countermagic against it will only reflect the spell as if
it were parried with a magical weapon, not interrupt it.
Wrath Of The Five
Elements
Cost: 45 motes
Target: One creature
This spell calls upon the power of the Five
Elemental Dragons to smite the caster’s enemy with five sorcerous attacks. When
the spell is cast, the sorcerer’s player makes a single Intelligence + Occult
roll, marking the number of successes, which becomes the difficulty to resist
the spell’s effects. If the caster fails to garner any successes, then his
prayers have been unanswered, and the Essence cost of the spell is expended
with no effect. If the sorcerer is successful, then the spell’s elemental
attacks will follow the target wherever she goes and strike the victim on the
sorcerer’s initiative.
The sorcerer chants a prayer to the Five
Elemental Dragons and points at the being he wishes to target. The air around
that creature heats and sparks for a moment before a tongue of livid red flame
lashes the victim. This magical fire deals 15L damage to the target and also
incinerates her belongings. Any unenchanted flammable material that the
creature bears is destroyed, including the straps and bindings on non-magical
armor. This fire reduces the target’s armor soak by 3.
At the beginning of the next turn, after
the flames subside, the air turns chilly, and a blue mist rises, just before a
solid chunk of ice forms about the body of the victim. This cold deals 15L
damage that may only be soaked with the target’s Stamina and any effects that
add to natural soak. If even one health level of damage is successfully
inflicted, then the target has its movement rate and jumping distance halved
until the end of the scene.
At the beginning of the turn after the ice
forms, it melts into the ground and thorn-covered vines sprout to wrap about
the target, prying beneath any remaining clothing and armor. The thorns on the
vines deal 5L damage that can only be soaked by the creature’s Stamina (plus
any appropriate Charms) but are envenomed. The victim’s player must make a
successful reflexive Stamina + Resistance roll, or her character is stricken by
this venom, which deals no damage, but causes the target to suffer a four-die
penalty to all actions until the end of the scene. The difficulty of this roll
is equal to the sorcerer’s player’s successes on the Intelligence + Occult
roll.
The vines quickly dry and crumble at the
beginning of the next turn. Then, the earth quakes, and three giant pillars of
stone, each eight feet tall, rise from the earth and slam together against the
victim, dealing a total of 20 health levels of bashing damage. The victim’s
player must make a successful Dexterity + Athletics roll to avoid having her
character knocked down by the pillars, with a difficulty equal to the caster’s
successes on the Intelligence + Occult roll.
On the final turn of the spell’s effects,
the pillars slide back into the earth, and a geyser of water erupts beneath the
target. The rushing water batters and chokes the victim, causing five lethal
health levels of damage, which ignores armor. In addition, when the water fades
and evaporates at the end of the turn, the victim is left unable to speak or to
invoke Charms for a number of turns equal to the caster’s permanent Essence.
Each of the elemental attacks of this spell
may be dodged or parried only with the use of Charms, and since each attack is
separate, the target’s player must make the appropriate roll for each spell
effect.