https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=BlackXanthus 2026-07-31T20:08:45Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.45.1 https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Power:Death&diff=169 2026-07-13T19:52:12Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* CAUSE DISEASE */</p> <hr /> <div>All invocations requires 10 words of vocals and a free hand to cast with. The vocals may be of your own choosing. They must be spoken out loud in a clear voice, not whispered or mumbled. They must include the Sphere you are casting, and end with the name of the invocation.<br /> <br /> There are no spell cards in use at Herofest, so you must keep track of your own spell usage.<br /> <br /> Each spell may be cast 3 times a day. <br /> <br /> The High Priest skills allow you to resist 3 invocations per day.<br /> <br /> You can select a skill in the same sphere as many times as you like. You may either choose to gain an additional 3 per day of the 2 spells you have originally chosen (to a total of 6 per day each), or you may pick up the third invocation for 3 uses, and one of your existing spell choices for an additional 3 per day.<br /> <br /> ==Level 1 Invocations==<br /> <br /> ===CAUSE MORTAL===<br /> <br /> Range: Touch with Weapon<br /> <br /> Description: You imbue your weapon with powerful necrotic energy<br /> <br /> Effect: Next blow struck causes the recipient to receive a Mortal Wound as well as the blow to that body part. Once cast, you have 10 seconds to strike<br /> FEAR<br /> <br /> Range: 20 Feet<br /> <br /> Description: You summon visions of death to strike fear into your foes<br /> <br /> Effect: Target runs in fear from the sight or sound of you for 60 seconds<br /> <br /> ===POWER WEAPON===<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You imbue a blunt weapon with spiritual energy<br /> <br /> Effect: For the next 15 minutes target blunt weapon blows deal a POWER hit as well as the blow to that body part<br /> <br /> ==Level 2 Invocation==<br /> <br /> ===CAUSE DISEASE===<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You channel the power of death to cause a disease to inflict your target<br /> <br /> Effect: Target now has the Disease effect upon them<br /> <br /> ===Mace of Woe===<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You empower a blunt weapon with greater spiritual energy<br /> <br /> Effect: For the rest of the day target blunt weapon blows deal a POWER hit as well as the blow to that body part</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Power:Death&diff=168 2026-07-13T19:50:37Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>All invocations requires 10 words of vocals and a free hand to cast with. The vocals may be of your own choosing. They must be spoken out loud in a clear voice, not whispered or mumbled. They must include the Sphere you are casting, and end with the name of the invocation.<br /> <br /> There are no spell cards in use at Herofest, so you must keep track of your own spell usage.<br /> <br /> Each spell may be cast 3 times a day. <br /> <br /> The High Priest skills allow you to resist 3 invocations per day.<br /> <br /> You can select a skill in the same sphere as many times as you like. You may either choose to gain an additional 3 per day of the 2 spells you have originally chosen (to a total of 6 per day each), or you may pick up the third invocation for 3 uses, and one of your existing spell choices for an additional 3 per day.<br /> <br /> ==Level 1 Invocations==<br /> <br /> ===CAUSE MORTAL===<br /> <br /> Range: Touch with Weapon<br /> <br /> Description: You imbue your weapon with powerful necrotic energy<br /> <br /> Effect: Next blow struck causes the recipient to receive a Mortal Wound as well as the blow to that body part. Once cast, you have 10 seconds to strike<br /> FEAR<br /> <br /> Range: 20 Feet<br /> <br /> Description: You summon visions of death to strike fear into your foes<br /> <br /> Effect: Target runs in fear from the sight or sound of you for 60 seconds<br /> <br /> ===POWER WEAPON===<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You imbue a blunt weapon with spiritual energy<br /> <br /> Effect: For the next 15 minutes target blunt weapon blows deal a POWER hit as well as the blow to that body part<br /> <br /> ==Level 2 Invocation==<br /> <br /> ===CAUSE DISEASE===<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You channel the power of death to cause a disease to inflict your target<br /> <br /> Effect: Target now has the Disease effect upon them<br /> Mace of Woe<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You empower a blunt weapon with greater spiritual energy<br /> <br /> Effect: For the rest of the day target blunt weapon blows deal a POWER hit as well as the blow to that body part</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Power:Death&diff=167 2026-07-13T19:47:15Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Created page with &quot;All invocations requires 10 words of vocals and a free hand to cast with. The vocals may be of your own choosing. They must be spoken out loud in a clear voice, not whispered or mumbled. They must include the Sphere you are casting, and end with the name of the invocation. There are no spell cards in use at Herofest, so you must keep track of your own spell usage. Each spell may be cast 3 times a day. The High Priest skills allow you to resist 3 invocations per day....&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>All invocations requires 10 words of vocals and a free hand to cast with. The vocals may be of your own choosing. They must be spoken out loud in a clear voice, not whispered or mumbled. They must include the Sphere you are casting, and end with the name of the invocation.<br /> <br /> There are no spell cards in use at Herofest, so you must keep track of your own spell usage.<br /> <br /> Each spell may be cast 3 times a day. <br /> <br /> The High Priest skills allow you to resist 3 invocations per day.<br /> <br /> You can select a skill in the same sphere as many times as you like. You may either choose to gain an additional 3 per day of the 2 spells you have originally chosen (to a total of 6 per day each), or you may pick up the third invocation for 3 uses, and one of your existing spell choices for an additional 3 per day.<br /> <br /> Level 1 Invocations<br /> CAUSE MORTAL<br /> <br /> Range: Touch with Weapon<br /> <br /> Description: You imbue your weapon with powerful necrotic energy<br /> <br /> Effect: Next blow struck causes the recipient to receive a Mortal Wound as well as the blow to that body part. Once cast, you have 10 seconds to strike<br /> FEAR<br /> <br /> Range: 20 Feet<br /> <br /> Description: You summon visions of death to strike fear into your foes<br /> <br /> Effect: Target runs in fear from the sight or sound of you for 60 seconds<br /> POWER WEAPON<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You imbue a blunt weapon with spiritual energy<br /> <br /> Effect: For the next 15 minutes target blunt weapon blows deal a POWER hit as well as the blow to that body part<br /> Level 2 Invocations<br /> CAUSE DISEASE<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You channel the power of death to cause a disease to inflict your target<br /> <br /> Effect: Target now has the Disease effect upon them<br /> Mace of Woe<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You empower a blunt weapon with greater spiritual energy<br /> <br /> Effect: For the rest of the day target blunt weapon blows deal a POWER hit as well as the blow to that body part</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Power:Life&diff=166 2026-07-13T19:44:50Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Main_Page | Home]] &gt;[[Rules:Rules| Rules]] &gt; [[Rules:Power:Life | Life Power]]<br /> <br /> '''All invocations requires 10 words of vocals and a free hand to cast with. The vocals may be of your own choosing. They must be spoken out loud in a clear voice, not whispered or mumbled. They must include the Sphere you are casting, and end with the name of the invocation.'''<br /> <br /> * There are no spell cards in use at Herofest, so you must keep track of your own spell usage.<br /> * Each spell may be cast 3 times a day.<br /> * '''The High Priest skills allow you to resist 3 invocations per day.'''<br /> * You can select a skill in the same sphere as many times as you like. You may either choose to gain an additional 3 per day of the 2 spells you have originally chosen (to a total of 6 per day each), or you may pick up the third invocation for 3 uses, and one of your existing spell choices for an additional 3 per day.<br /> <br /> == Level 1 Invocations ==<br /> <br /> === CURE MORTAL ===<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You summon forth the power of life to halt the impeding grasp of death<br /> <br /> Effect: Cures a Mortal Wound upon the target. Does not cure any injuries the target may have<br /> <br /> === REMOVE FEAR ===<br /> Range: 20 Feet<br /> <br /> Description: The power of the life sphere imbues them with courage and wipes away fear<br /> <br /> Effect: Ends any fear effect (e.g. the death invocation Fear) on the target<br /> <br /> === POWER WEAPON ===<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You imbue a blunt weapon with spiritual energy<br /> <br /> Effect: For the next 15 minutes target blunt weapon blows deal a POWER hit as well as the blow to that body part<br /> <br /> == Level 2 Invocations ==<br /> <br /> ===== PROTECTION FROM DISEASE =====<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You call upon life itself to protect them from virulent and deadly diseases<br /> <br /> Effect: Target is protected from any form of disease and cleansed of disease for the next 15 mins<br /> <br /> === HEAL ===<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: The full power of life flows through their body as you renew them entirely<br /> <br /> Effect: Cures any Mortal Wound as well as instantly healing any injured limbs including body and head to full</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Power:Life&diff=165 2026-07-13T19:41:07Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Changes for layout</p> <hr /> <div>'''All invocations requires 10 words of vocals and a free hand to cast with. The vocals may be of your own choosing. They must be spoken out loud in a clear voice, not whispered or mumbled. They must include the Sphere you are casting, and end with the name of the invocation.'''<br /> <br /> * There are no spell cards in use at Herofest, so you must keep track of your own spell usage.<br /> * Each spell may be cast 3 times a day.<br /> * '''The High Priest skills allow you to resist 3 invocations per day.'''<br /> * You can select a skill in the same sphere as many times as you like. You may either choose to gain an additional 3 per day of the 2 spells you have originally chosen (to a total of 6 per day each), or you may pick up the third invocation for 3 uses, and one of your existing spell choices for an additional 3 per day.<br /> <br /> == Level 1 Invocations ==<br /> <br /> === CURE MORTAL ===<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You summon forth the power of life to halt the impeding grasp of death<br /> <br /> Effect: Cures a Mortal Wound upon the target. Does not cure any injuries the target may have<br /> <br /> === REMOVE FEAR ===<br /> Range: 20 Feet<br /> <br /> Description: The power of the life sphere imbues them with courage and wipes away fear<br /> <br /> Effect: Ends any fear effect (e.g. the death invocation Fear) on the target<br /> <br /> === POWER WEAPON ===<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You imbue a blunt weapon with spiritual energy<br /> <br /> Effect: For the next 15 minutes target blunt weapon blows deal a POWER hit as well as the blow to that body part<br /> <br /> == Level 2 Invocations ==<br /> <br /> ===== PROTECTION FROM DISEASE =====<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You call upon life itself to protect them from virulent and deadly diseases<br /> <br /> Effect: Target is protected from any form of disease and cleansed of disease for the next 15 mins<br /> <br /> === HEAL ===<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: The full power of life flows through their body as you renew them entirely<br /> <br /> Effect: Cures any Mortal Wound as well as instantly healing any injured limbs including body and head to full</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Power:Life&diff=164 2026-07-13T19:40:15Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* Heal */</p> <hr /> <div>'''All invocations requires 10 words of vocals and a free hand to cast with. The vocals may be of your own choosing. They must be spoken out loud in a clear voice, not whispered or mumbled. They must include the Sphere you are casting, and end with the name of the invocation.'''<br /> <br /> There are no spell cards in use at Herofest, so you must keep track of your own spell usage.<br /> <br /> Each spell may be cast 3 times a day. <br /> <br /> The High Priest skills allow you to resist 3 invocations per day.<br /> <br /> You can select a skill in the same sphere as many times as you like. You may either choose to gain an additional 3 per day of the 2 spells you have originally chosen (to a total of 6 per day each), or you may pick up the third invocation for 3 uses, and one of your existing spell choices for an additional 3 per day.<br /> <br /> == Level 1 Invocations ==<br /> <br /> === CURE MORTAL ===<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You summon forth the power of life to halt the impeding grasp of death<br /> <br /> Effect: Cures a Mortal Wound upon the target. Does not cure any injuries the target may have<br /> <br /> === REMOVE FEAR ===<br /> Range: 20 Feet<br /> <br /> Description: The power of the life sphere imbues them with courage and wipes away fear<br /> <br /> Effect: Ends any fear effect (e.g. the death invocation Fear) on the target<br /> <br /> === POWER WEAPON ===<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You imbue a blunt weapon with spiritual energy<br /> <br /> Effect: For the next 15 minutes target blunt weapon blows deal a POWER hit as well as the blow to that body part<br /> <br /> == Level 2 Invocations ==<br /> <br /> ===== PROTECTION FROM DISEASE =====<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You call upon life itself to protect them from virulent and deadly diseases<br /> <br /> Effect: Target is protected from any form of disease and cleansed of disease for the next 15 mins<br /> <br /> === HEAL ===<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: The full power of life flows through their body as you renew them entirely<br /> <br /> Effect: Cures any Mortal Wound as well as instantly healing any injured limbs including body and head to full</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Power:Life&diff=163 2026-07-13T19:38:42Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Page Creation</p> <hr /> <div>'''All invocations requires 10 words of vocals and a free hand to cast with. The vocals may be of your own choosing. They must be spoken out loud in a clear voice, not whispered or mumbled. They must include the Sphere you are casting, and end with the name of the invocation.'''<br /> <br /> There are no spell cards in use at Herofest, so you must keep track of your own spell usage.<br /> <br /> Each spell may be cast 3 times a day. <br /> <br /> The High Priest skills allow you to resist 3 invocations per day.<br /> <br /> You can select a skill in the same sphere as many times as you like. You may either choose to gain an additional 3 per day of the 2 spells you have originally chosen (to a total of 6 per day each), or you may pick up the third invocation for 3 uses, and one of your existing spell choices for an additional 3 per day.<br /> <br /> == Level 1 Invocations ==<br /> <br /> === CURE MORTAL ===<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You summon forth the power of life to halt the impeding grasp of death<br /> <br /> Effect: Cures a Mortal Wound upon the target. Does not cure any injuries the target may have<br /> <br /> === REMOVE FEAR ===<br /> Range: 20 Feet<br /> <br /> Description: The power of the life sphere imbues them with courage and wipes away fear<br /> <br /> Effect: Ends any fear effect (e.g. the death invocation Fear) on the target<br /> <br /> === POWER WEAPON ===<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You imbue a blunt weapon with spiritual energy<br /> <br /> Effect: For the next 15 minutes target blunt weapon blows deal a POWER hit as well as the blow to that body part<br /> <br /> == Level 2 Invocations ==<br /> <br /> ===== PROTECTION FROM DISEASE =====<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You call upon life itself to protect them from virulent and deadly diseases<br /> <br /> Effect: Target is protected from any form of disease and cleansed of disease for the next 15 mins<br /> <br /> === Heal ===<br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: The full power of life flows through their body as you renew them entirely<br /> <br /> Effect: Cures any Mortal Wound as well as instantly healing any injured limbs including body and head to full</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Power:Life&diff=162 2026-07-13T19:35:54Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Created page with &quot;Level 1 Invocations CURE MORTAL Range: Touch Description: You summon forth the power of life to halt the impeding grasp of death Effect: Cures a Mortal Wound upon the target. Does not cure any injuries the target may have REMOVE FEAR Range: 20 Feet Description: The power of the life sphere imbues them with courage and wipes away fear Effect: Ends any fear effect (e.g. the death invocation Fear) on the target POWER WEAPON Range: Touch Description: You imbue a blun...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>Level 1 Invocations<br /> CURE MORTAL<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You summon forth the power of life to halt the impeding grasp of death<br /> <br /> Effect: Cures a Mortal Wound upon the target. Does not cure any injuries the target may have<br /> REMOVE FEAR<br /> <br /> Range: 20 Feet<br /> <br /> Description: The power of the life sphere imbues them with courage and wipes away fear<br /> <br /> Effect: Ends any fear effect (e.g. the death invocation Fear) on the target<br /> POWER WEAPON<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You imbue a blunt weapon with spiritual energy<br /> <br /> Effect: For the next 15 minutes target blunt weapon blows deal a POWER hit as well as the blow to that body part<br /> Level 2 Invocations<br /> PROTECTION FROM DISEASE<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: You call upon life itself to protect them from virulent and deadly diseases<br /> <br /> Effect: Target is protected from any form of disease and cleansed of disease for the next 15 mins<br /> Heal<br /> <br /> Range: Touch<br /> <br /> Description: The full power of life flows through their body as you renew them entirely<br /> <br /> Effect: Cures any Mortal Wound as well as instantly healing any injured limbs including body and head to full</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Newspaper:26July&diff=161 2026-07-13T18:42:46Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>[[File:The_Witness_Vol_3.pdf | The Witness, July 2023]]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Newspaper:26July&diff=160 2026-07-13T18:42:28Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Created page with &quot;[File:The_Witness_Vol_3.pdf | The Witness, July 2023]&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>[File:The_Witness_Vol_3.pdf | The Witness, July 2023]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=159 2026-07-13T18:42:04Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Undo revision 158 by BlackXanthus (talk)</p> <hr /> <div>&lt;strong&gt;Welcome to the Unofficial Herofest Wiki&lt;/strong&gt;<br /> <br /> Here you will find information about Herofest. This is designed to a be information that is known by the players, which means that the information herein is only trustworthy in as much as a player might know it. The information as such, should not be relied upon. <br /> <br /> Any information you find in here is to be considered 'hearsay'. It is as accurate as we have it at the time of writing, but things change and change fast. A page should not be considered 'canon' (that is, can be accepted completely) unless it contains a 'verified' tag.<br /> <br /> == Sections ==<br /> ===Orin Rakatha===<br /> * The world [[World:OrinRakatha | Orin Rakatha]]<br /> * The [[World:Nations | Nations]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> * The [[World:Prions | Prions ]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> ===Player-Created Information===<br /> <br /> ===The Newspaper===<br /> <br /> * [[Newspaper:26July |July, 2026]]<br /> <br /> ===General Information===<br /> * [[Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro |Sir Rogers' Introduction to Rituals]]<br /> <br /> ===Discord===<br /> * [[Discord:Roleplaying | Roleplaying on Discord]]<br /> * [[Discord | The Setting: A Knot In Time]]<br /> <br /> ===Rules===<br /> * The [[Rules:Rules | Rules]] of Herofest<br /> <br /> = Using The Wiki =<br /> <br /> Consult the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software.<br /> <br /> == Getting started ==<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]<br /> * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/postorius/lists/mediawiki-announce.lists.wikimedia.org/ MediaWiki release mailing list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=158 2026-07-13T18:41:24Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* The Newspaper */</p> <hr /> <div>&lt;strong&gt;Welcome to the Unofficial Herofest Wiki&lt;/strong&gt;<br /> <br /> Here you will find information about Herofest. This is designed to a be information that is known by the players, which means that the information herein is only trustworthy in as much as a player might know it. The information as such, should not be relied upon. <br /> <br /> Any information you find in here is to be considered 'hearsay'. It is as accurate as we have it at the time of writing, but things change and change fast. A page should not be considered 'canon' (that is, can be accepted completely) unless it contains a 'verified' tag.<br /> <br /> == Sections ==<br /> ===Orin Rakatha===<br /> * The world [[World:OrinRakatha | Orin Rakatha]]<br /> * The [[World:Nations | Nations]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> * The [[World:Prions | Prions ]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> ===Player-Created Information===<br /> <br /> ===The Newspaper===<br /> <br /> * [[File:The_Witness_Vol_3.pdf |July, 2026]]<br /> <br /> ===General Information===<br /> * [[Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro |Sir Rogers' Introduction to Rituals]]<br /> <br /> ===Discord===<br /> * [[Discord:Roleplaying | Roleplaying on Discord]]<br /> * [[Discord | The Setting: A Knot In Time]]<br /> <br /> ===Rules===<br /> * The [[Rules:Rules | Rules]] of Herofest<br /> <br /> = Using The Wiki =<br /> <br /> Consult the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software.<br /> <br /> == Getting started ==<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]<br /> * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/postorius/lists/mediawiki-announce.lists.wikimedia.org/ MediaWiki release mailing list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=File:The_Witness_Vol_3.pdf&diff=157 2026-07-13T18:25:14Z

<p>BlackXanthus: The Witness Newspaper - Volume 3. July, 2026</p> <hr /> <div>== Summary ==<br /> The Witness Newspaper - Volume 3. July, 2026</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=156 2026-07-13T18:17:29Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* The Newspaper */</p> <hr /> <div>&lt;strong&gt;Welcome to the Unofficial Herofest Wiki&lt;/strong&gt;<br /> <br /> Here you will find information about Herofest. This is designed to a be information that is known by the players, which means that the information herein is only trustworthy in as much as a player might know it. The information as such, should not be relied upon. <br /> <br /> Any information you find in here is to be considered 'hearsay'. It is as accurate as we have it at the time of writing, but things change and change fast. A page should not be considered 'canon' (that is, can be accepted completely) unless it contains a 'verified' tag.<br /> <br /> == Sections ==<br /> ===Orin Rakatha===<br /> * The world [[World:OrinRakatha | Orin Rakatha]]<br /> * The [[World:Nations | Nations]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> * The [[World:Prions | Prions ]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> ===Player-Created Information===<br /> <br /> ===The Newspaper===<br /> <br /> * [[Newspaper:26July |July, 2026]]<br /> <br /> ===General Information===<br /> * [[Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro |Sir Rogers' Introduction to Rituals]]<br /> <br /> ===Discord===<br /> * [[Discord:Roleplaying | Roleplaying on Discord]]<br /> * [[Discord | The Setting: A Knot In Time]]<br /> <br /> ===Rules===<br /> * The [[Rules:Rules | Rules]] of Herofest<br /> <br /> = Using The Wiki =<br /> <br /> Consult the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software.<br /> <br /> == Getting started ==<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]<br /> * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/postorius/lists/mediawiki-announce.lists.wikimedia.org/ MediaWiki release mailing list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=155 2026-07-13T18:16:32Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* Player-Created Information */</p> <hr /> <div>&lt;strong&gt;Welcome to the Unofficial Herofest Wiki&lt;/strong&gt;<br /> <br /> Here you will find information about Herofest. This is designed to a be information that is known by the players, which means that the information herein is only trustworthy in as much as a player might know it. The information as such, should not be relied upon. <br /> <br /> Any information you find in here is to be considered 'hearsay'. It is as accurate as we have it at the time of writing, but things change and change fast. A page should not be considered 'canon' (that is, can be accepted completely) unless it contains a 'verified' tag.<br /> <br /> == Sections ==<br /> ===Orin Rakatha===<br /> * The world [[World:OrinRakatha | Orin Rakatha]]<br /> * The [[World:Nations | Nations]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> * The [[World:Prions | Prions ]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> ===Player-Created Information===<br /> <br /> ===The Newspaper===<br /> <br /> <br /> ===General Information===<br /> * [[Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro |Sir Rogers' Introduction to Rituals]]<br /> <br /> ===Discord===<br /> * [[Discord:Roleplaying | Roleplaying on Discord]]<br /> * [[Discord | The Setting: A Knot In Time]]<br /> <br /> ===Rules===<br /> * The [[Rules:Rules | Rules]] of Herofest<br /> <br /> = Using The Wiki =<br /> <br /> Consult the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software.<br /> <br /> == Getting started ==<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]<br /> * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/postorius/lists/mediawiki-announce.lists.wikimedia.org/ MediaWiki release mailing list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro&diff=154 2026-07-13T18:01:45Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Main_Page | Home]] &gt; [[ Players:SrR Ritual Intro | Sir Rogers' Guide to the Ritual Circle]]<br /> <br /> ='''Sir Roger’s Guide to the Ritual Circle'''=<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> Welcome newest initiate to the wonderful role of Ritualist. Whether you be novice, or returning to work after a break, I hope that you will find this pamphlet of use, and its contents instructive. I plan to cover the basics of the ritual circle, but no introductory guide can be exhaustive. I will, however, aim to keep you, dear reader, as safe as possible. As such, I include herein rules that, if followed, will keep you safe. Know, however, that all such rules may be bent, or broken with experience, but experience will not save you from the consequences. <br /> <br /> ===About the Ritual Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Ritual circles can be found throughout Orin RaKatha. They are usually constructed on places of natural power, and are connected together. This connection, known as the ‘Circle Network’, or occasionally (and wrongly) as the ‘portal network’. This connection allows for communication through circles, both magically and, for example, by the sending of letters. DO NOT attempt to send living things through the network. They will not be the same, if they survive at all. <br /> <br /> All the circles are connected to the primary, or great circle. Known simply as The Ritual Circle. This grand circle is the nexus of all the power. The other circles are all connected to it, and their power may wax and wane. This connection, however, does not make all circles the same. Some circles attuned to different elements, or areas, or, many of the hundreds of different sections of the world. There are circles attuned to fire, some to water, some to the storm, and some to wind, some to death, and some to life. The list is nearly endless. This gives each circle its own ‘personality’. While the circle is not alive as you may normally understand it, it has a sentience. It understands, it learns. It reacts to those that have known it and shaped it, often in a stronger way than others. They each have a name. They each have their own secrets. To truly call oneself a High Incanter, you should have been privy to at least 3 circle secrets, and perhaps even, the name of a circle. <br /> <br /> All circles have an ‘affinity’, or, as some call it a ‘leaning’, though I find affinity to be more accurate. Much of this comes from the powers and magics most regularly used within them, which in turn often comes from their location and the visual natural affinity. Circles in forests are often seen to have an affinity with nature, those on cliff-tops with air or sea. Some circles have connections with magical elements, of fire and air and water. It is helpful to find circles that match your own affinities, and the affinities of the rituals that you do most often. It can ease the learning, and be of help in your early rituals. <br /> <br /> You cannot enter a Ritual Circle without permission from the Ritual Mistress/Master. They have a special connection to the ritual circle, and it is they that are able to raise and lower the wards around the circle from the outside. These wards keep the circle safe from stray magical effects that are often seen around the world. They are powerful – they have been known to keep gods at bay. Touching these wards leads to instantaneous death. While it may look instantaneous on the outside, that instant seems like aeons of pain to the unfortunate soul who touched it. <br /> <br /> A ritual itself is made up of several smaller sections, herein called ‘rites’. These rites are distinct sections of the ritual as a whole. Many of these rites are ones that a ritualist will practise until they are able to do them without much thought or much preparation. It is important to note that the skill of the ritualist is in weaving these individual rites into a single unified whole.<br /> <br /> ==1. The Basics==<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Cleansing a Ritual Circle===<br /> <br /> A circle can often accrue magical detritus. This can be from previous rituals, or the very web and weave of the circle network itself. The circle needs to be prepared before you do any ritual work inside it. <br /> <br /> Each cleansing is as unique as the mutualist, and this is the first part of your journey. Every ritualist has a connection to a power beyond themselves. Be it the sphere they have aligned themselves with (Death, Life, Nature, Flame, Water etc.), or perhaps something that comes from their faction itself – like the tree of life, or the dark of the crypt. Each of these are things that can be called upon to aid in the cleansing of the circle. At its most basic, the cleansing of the circle is an action of action and chant. <br /> <br /> It is always best to begin with a thorough cleansing, imagine that this is taking a metaphorical broom and sweeping away the detritus. In its simplest form, this is a slow circular walk around the edges of the circle. Imagine that you have created a ball of energy around yourself, and it is this power that is sweeping the circle. Some hold their arms wide, as though gathering, or pushing all the unwanted energy from the circle. <br /> <br /> It should be remembered that you can enter the circle with ritualist props. If you need a broom, take a broom. If you feel it works better for you with a stick, or fire, or candles or whatever, take those with you. They may seem like props to the outsider, but if they allow you to connect you with the actions of the ritual, then take them. Of course, take caution, do not take too much in, it can get in the way. As a guide, take no more than one item in each hand. <br /> <br /> As for the chant itself, this is often ritualist-specific, and inspired by their faction. A call for cleansing from the elements, say, water or fire, or perhaps from powers can often be heard. Be careful here not to channel these magical elements too powerfully in the cleansing. Remembering it is YOU, the ritualist who does the cleansing. “I cleanse this circle from all negative effects”, or again “I cleanse this circle from all residual magics and return all unused power to the circle”. You may be as imaginative or as flowery as you like. <br /> <br /> A novice might be tempted to try and use this untempered energy in a ritual. Do not. Drive that thought from your mind. That energy is wild, unknown. It could have been used in a ritual of death, or resurrection, and the energy could attach itself to you. It could cause untold harm to you. Do not think this, cleanse the circle. <br /> <br /> <br /> ===Raising the wards===<br /> <br /> Once you have been granted access to the circle, your first act is to raise the wards. The wards around the circle come with the circle itself, and are best raised by loudly, and firmly saying ‘I raise the wards on the circle’. These wards will be enough for the most basic of rituals. <br /> <br /> However, it is often best to raise the wards with a bit more effort, and here beings your personal journey into understanding yourself as a ritualist. Some will face each of the cardinal directions, and open their arms wide and proclaim “I raise these circle wards”. Some may add the power of a deity or magical sphere “I raise these words and strengthen them with the power of life”, though it is often best to remember that it is the circle that raises the words, and that the circle wards are raised by the power of the ritualist in the circle. <br /> <br /> These wards are there to protect whatever ritual action you are about to perform from interference from the outside. A stray magical spell through an unprotected ritual circle can have dire effects on the ritual itself, and of course, on the ritualist if the spell is directed at them. <br /> <br /> The wards also contain your ritual. Rituals are often about gathering together, and harnessing vast amounts of magic. These vast amounts of magic, without the wards, will leak beyond the circle, and can cause damage to people beyond, the circle itself, and to allies. This can cause you to lose control of the ritual. Many a ritualist has been lost to their own ritual by forgetting this simple, but necessary step. <br /> <br /> When raising the wards, remember that you are raising the wards for a circle. For many ritualists, this involves a small walk around the circle, activating the wards with words, and actions. Often more than one walk around the circle, empowering each ward as they pass. <br /> <br /> It should be noted that a novice ritualist may not be able to see the arcane writing that guards the ritual circle, but they should trust that it is there. Imagine yourself pushing power into these wards, and imagine, in the eye of your mind, that they are glowing with power. Imagine how it would be to push that power from yourself, feel it flow through you. Imagine the words that it would take to do it. For some it is easier with actions, some with words, some with song or dance. <br /> <br /> ===The Ritualist and the Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Once the circle is cleansed, a ritual may now partake of the most important rite. That is, to commune with the circle. One of the gifts of being a ritualist is the communing. DO NOT ask any great questions of knowledge; DO NOT ask questions of ritual help. Simply be. Seek to get to know the circle, to feel how they are. This requires a question, but wording is one of the first challenges. A simple question like “How fares this circle” will suffice. This rite is as individual as the ritualist – from expressive dance, to deep drumming, to an eastern tea ceremony. The circle’s answer may be nothing, may be just a sense of a feeling, or you may be gifted an insight shared by the circle. It will no doubt take many blinding headaches until you perfect the power of this simple ritual. This simple ritual, however, is what will allow you to take the first steps towards attuning yourself to a circle. <br /> <br /> ====A Warning on STUPID QUESTIONS====<br /> <br /> Every ritualist in their time will ask something stupid of the circle. It is as inevitable as the rising sun. However, I seek to aid you with the benefit of experience, so that you may learn from my hard-earned experience. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle its ‘name’. The Name of a circle is considered a secret, and must be earned. Generally, a circle often takes its common name from its location. It would be stupid to ask a circle its name as this is something that the circle will share once you are deserving. To become deserving is beyond this pamflet. If you are unsure how to address the circle, you can ask the ritual Master/Mistress. You can oftn address the circle simply as ‘ritual circle’ or ‘circle. <br /> <br /> NOT NOT use words like ‘great’ when describing the circle unless you stand in THE ritual circle. <br /> <br /> USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. If a circle is obviously corrupted or on fire or screaming, do not ask it how it is. <br /> <br /> DO NOT OFFER the circle things that you don’t mind losing. I have seen many a ritualist disappear into the circle for ‘offering’ their life to the circle instead of ‘dedicating’ their life to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT expect the circle to understand your implied ‘sense’. The context of the question may be obvious to you, but it may not be to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle for things easily obtained in other ways. The circle should not be used as a replacement almanack. <br /> <br /> ===Thank the Circle===<br /> <br /> Once your communing is done, remember to thank the circle. Use words. If your communing involves food or liquid, leave a portion on the ground at the base of the offering stand. For liquids, you can often pour these into the ground. <br /> <br /> DO NOT put food offerings or liquid offerings in the offering bowl. <br /> <br /> At the end of this communing, you may wish to cleanse the circle. It can be possible for events happening later to affect you if you have a strong connection to the circle. <br /> <br /> As you leave, thank the ritual Master/Mistress for their time. Be sure to check with them for any further clarification, or even pointers on your recently finished ritual. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==2. Intermediaries – Towards your first practical ritual.==<br /> <br /> You have now seen the basics of the very first ritual. You know a ritual is made up of smaller sections, called herein ‘rites’, and we are aware of some of the basics in being safe. Those who are still reading are those most likely to make it as a ritualist. One of the primary things a ritualist needs is patience. The first section will have, in most cases, been harmless enough for even the most hot-headed, but they may have found themselves with a few negative effects from outside influences. These influences could have been anything from a passing spell, or even bad actors. Even the sudden arrival of wildlife can throw off a ritual. It is the reason why many sensible ritualists raise the wards. In the first section we spoke briefly about this practice, but let us now spend a bit more time with this most important first step. <br /> <br /> ===Raising The Wards===<br /> <br /> DO NOT cross raised wards. It is always painful, and often fatal. <br /> <br /> DO NOT leave the ritual circle until every ritualist who has raised the wards lowers them. <br /> <br /> Raising the words is a rite that follows the same basics as the rite of cleansing. It uses movement and somatics (Somatics being ‘sound’ or ‘voice’). The raising of the wards ask that the ritual circle protect both those within and without from harmful effects crossing the barrier. It ensures that the rites that follow are contained so that their magics can be used for its intended purpose. It also ensures that entities, being, magic and influence from outside cannot enter. <br /> The power of the wards can be directly linked to the power and experience of the ritualist. That said, it is unlikely a new ritualist would be able to raise enough power to overwhelm their own wards accidentally. It is therefore advisable for ritualists to be aware of the amount of power they seek to manage, and whether or not they might need to pay more than cursory attention to the wards they have raised. <br /> The process of the rite is as the rite of cleansing (above), but it imagines, instead, a dome over the ritual circle and uses words similar to “I raise the wards of this ritual circle”. It does not here do harm to signal the kind of power you imagine to be flowing through those wards, the power of flame, or fire. Perhaps that of the mighty oak, or the everlasting night. For example, “I raise the words of this ritual circle, that they may stand tall and strong like the mighty oaks. That no wind or storm mundane or magical may stand against them”. <br /> <br /> This rite will often see a practised ritualist moving. It is wise at this stage of learning to use your whole body in movement. The raising of your arms, perhaps a dramatic version of a strong tree. These movements will at first seem odd, and in their exaggerated form, you will gain strange looks from those unfamiliar with the ritual circle. However, you will feel the power of the circle course through you as you use them. You will touch on depths of power that will connect you in a very real and tangible way with the circle. If you find that your circle is ‘silent’ and unresponsive, try more movement. <br /> <br /> I have found that it is often better to try these movements outside of the circle. There are a number of different forms that people use, and you can occasionally see a ritualist performing them as part of their morning acts. Each ritualist develops their own, and each ritual master/mistress will have yet more ways of adding movement. My advice on this topic will be to practise what feels natural, and to watch others, if you are able. Certainly as you seek to move past the more cursory ritual actions it is best to find yourself someone that you may shadow. Many ritualists are happy to aid in someone exploring the ritual circle, especially if it is one they themselves use – even if it is to stop you exploding in the ritual circle and forcing them to clean it up. <br /> <br /> ===A word about Commodities===<br /> <br /> Every ritual requires commodities. This simple rule will keep a new ritualist safe, and ensure that their rituals have a better chance of success. The commodities are placed into the offering bowl upon a stand, or an altar inside the circle. <br /> <br /> It can be a good idea for the ritualist to separate the offerings to be connected to the request (if making multiple requests), but be careful to not suggest that the offerings are bribes or payments. The offerings are part of the powering of the rituals. As such offerings should be made with an eye to their role and affinity. <br /> <br /> Fay hair, for example, is connected to strong natural magical power. Gold would be good for sphere-based power magics. A rite should have multiple different commodities all seeking to inform and support each other. Be aware, though, that commodities have different, but overlapping natures. Do not look at them through the eyes of others. Tin is near worthless outside of the ritual circle, but properly used is as powerful an ingredient as any other. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise together, and work best in groups, or sets. 2 at a push, but 3 of the same is ideal. <br /> <br /> It should be said here that commodities and rituals are a part of a whole. Powerful commodities can make up for a lack-lustre ritual and, by extension, a powerful ritual can make up for lack of required commodities. While theoretically this extends to both extremes, DO NOT run a ritual without commodities. In extremis, Fey Hair can stand in for most commodities – yet even then it would be best to include other commodities for variety, even if their connection is dubious or non-existent. It can, in these cases, be best to ‘over-offer’ commodities. <br /> <br /> ===The Role of the Ritualist===<br /> <br /> By now, I hope, I have impressed upon you the importance of the ritualist. <br /> I would like to take this moment to help you examine what kind of ritualist you will be. This is a decision as unique and as varied as grains of sand. You must get to know yourself and how the rituals will flow through you. How will you control that power, what in you speaks to the circle, and what in you listens when the circle speaks. <br /> Broadly speaking, there are two ‘types’ of ritualists. There are those that lead, and those that direct. <br /> <br /> A ritual is most often done with others. Often, the ritual will be acting on behalf of others, empowering, disempowering, resurrecting, faction ritual and the like. This means that the ritualist must know how they plan to act in that situation. It is here that the type of ritualist becomes important, and helps in how you, dear reader, will plan and conduct the ritual. <br /> <br /> DO NOT attempt to plan your ritual in the ritual circle. This ebbs the power away, and can often cause the ritual to fail, or backfire before you’ve even begun. <br /> <br /> DO NOT plan your ritual outside the ritual circle. Your time-slot is when the ritual begins, not when the planning begins. Not only does this run the danger that you may miss your slot entirely, but it also angers and irritates the ritual master/mistress. The ritual circle is very attuned to their ritual master/mistress and can, and will, refuse to help those who do not treat their ritual master/mistress with respect. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist As Leader====<br /> <br /> These ritualists are often gregarious, willing to encourage other participants. They bring their own personal energy and personality force. By their encouragement they entice, cajole and inspire other participants to raise their voices or offer their actions to the ritual or rite. They will dance, cheer, shout, wave their arms, call on these within and without – all seemingly in acts of madness. Yet in this they are responding to the feel of the rite. Does it need more movement? Does the circle need more direction around this element? Balancing a rite is a delicate business and changes with the ebb and flow of power. For those that lead, they are the ones often seen in the centre of the ritual, loud and aware of the attention. They are the ones who are happy to take speaking roles, and to move around the circle picking up the slack given to others. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist as Director.==== <br /> <br /> Some ritualists find that they are better able to follow the flow of the rite by maintaining their own inner peace. Often stoic and softly spoken, they become one with the rite. They direct others in the circle with command and well prepared scripts. Confident of their ability they are able to direct the ritual from that still small space inside them. It is from this place of quiet peace that they encourage others to move around the circle, that they direct others to become elements of the rite – becoming a living set-piece under the watchful eye of the ritualist. For those that direct, the visible ring-master style role is something that they find uncomfortable. For them they need to ensure that others are able to step forward. While some speaking is inevitable- only they can raise the words, only they can hold the power, and only they can direct the magics within the circle – it is possible to make much of the speaking work something done by others. <br /> <br /> ====The Person of the Ritualist====<br /> <br /> Between these two examples are there shades of grey, and these two are used here as straw-people so that you are able to see that all can be valid ritualists. Each has its own benefits and pitfalls, and both kinds of ritualist can do well to learn from the other. <br /> <br /> This should, for those that are beginning to think like a ritualist, show that planning of a ritual is important in whatever role you take. Everyone entering the ritual circle should have a role in the ritual. It can be as simple as placing commodities in the altar, or saying a short phrase – or it can be as elaborate as having them form a band and sing sea shanties. It is here that props can be of great help. Giving people props that they can place as symbols of things (a twig as a symbol of a tree, or a candle as a symbol of fire) can give them a meaningful role in the ritual circle. Ritual circles respond better to those that it knows, so the offerings of props here can become two fold, for example “My name is Reginald Goodman, and I bring the offering of light”. With such a simple line, they cover both their reason for being there, and introduce themselves. Of course, with this line it would be the ritualist (you) that would need to explain why the offering of light is necessary. “Ritual circle, we seek to banish the darkness, and to empower hope and light. We offer to you this offering of light” - Reginald would here step forward, and say their line. The ritualist might continue “as this candle banishes the darkness around it so too may this ritual banish the darkness”.<br /> <br /> The ritual is planned by the ritualist, and it is important to remember this important fact. A ritualist can find themselves acting on behalf of other factions, or standing in when their usual ritualist is absent. It is important that you take the time to understand each section of the ritual. <br /> <br /> First, let me be clear, whatever experience you have with rituals, if you are the only ritualist present, YOU ARE IN CHARGE. They may be wealthy, or a faction leader, but they must, for their own safety, listen to you. While it is tempting to just let them reap the rewards for their folly, only do so if you have protected yourself first. The worst, in my experience, are old faction leaders who have seen ‘A thousand rituals’, and wish to insist that it goes the same way. Rituals, and the collection of rites that make them up, are often tailored by the ritualist that does them often. If it is not you, do not be tempted away from your ritual style. Your focus is a successful ritual. Listen to what has gone before, yes, but to it your own way. By now you should be aware of how much won’t be shared by those who do not know of the deep magic of the circle – simply because they don’t have the time, the skill, or the inclination to learn.<br /> <br /> ==3. Planning Your Ritual==<br /> <br /> We have now covered much of the basics. The next step lays in the practical – and the most common ritual will be that of a faction ritual. We will therefore finish out this small pamphlet by taking a practical look at building your own faction ritual. This will cover the basics of rituals in general. By the end you will have a functioning and planned faction ritual.<br /> <br /> ===Preparation===<br /> <br /> Before we begin, you must know the faction. What is it that they are known for? What elements leap out at you? These elements are those that will be essential for the ritual. For example, do they spend time in the trees? Then take some leaves. Are they people of mud? Then take some mud. <br /> These are the elements most often overlooked as part of a ritual by new ritualists. Offerings are not just commodities. These elements help the ritual circle get a feeling for the faction, and to understand the sense, nature and flow of their faction powers. Do they have chants? Or phrases, songs, or dances? Are they known for particular weapons or clothes? Those need to be seen, and brought to the ritual circle. It is important that the faction be present for the ritual – not just the ritualist. <br /> It is understanding these sympathies that is important for any ritual. These sympathies give space and direction. They help build and summon the power needed to link a faction to their powers. <br /> It is best to assume that the ritual circle has never met your faction, and that you need to introduce its spiritual essence to the circle. How would you describe the feel of your faction? Or the emotional bond between faction members? You will find that these are ephemeral ideas, things that are very difficult to put into words and so it is to the ritualist to find symbols and elements that convey this idea. <br /> <br /> ===Commodities===<br /> <br /> As a rule of thumb you will need 5 commodities per faction power. As a new ritualist you may not (yet!) be able to do more than a single faction power in a single ritual. It is a good idea to ensure that the faction is aware of this, as it will help manage their expectations. It is a good idea to try and harmonise your commodities. Remember that it is always best that at least one of these is fay hair. For the others, look at the faction affinities and find, if you can, a harmonious link. Perhaps silver for those connected to the moon, or fay hair for those connected to nature. Again, perhaps gold for those seeking healing from the sun, or tin for those looking to empower base emotions. Gather these together. They can be a helpful meditation on the ritual you are planning. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise around meanings and associations, and they also harmonise together. It is better to have two or three commodities the same. Thus think in terms of twos and threes to build your five commodities. Remember, here, the fay hair. It can be beneficial to offer more for the sake of including the right commodities. <br /> <br /> ===First Steps===<br /> <br /> When planning any ritual, it helps to know what it is that you are asking. This step is often left to assumption, especially with faction rituals. Do not assume that the circle is able to divine from your words and actions what it is that you want the circle to do with the power. <br /> <br /> It helps for the ritualist to fully understand the faction power that they are looking to enable upon the festival lands. Let us consider the following (fictional) faction power. <br /> <br /> “I ask the circle to grant to our faction the power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase may be self-explanatory to the faction, but in and of itself makes no sense to you or I. What exactly is that the ritualist seeks to achieve with this? If the ritualist seeks to empower a magical weapon that is able to conjure the sun, the ritualist will need to know why this weapon does this. Is it to banish the darkness? Or is it a bane against undead? Is the weapon used for violence, or protection? Is the weapon a symbol of leadership, or is it a symbol of divinity? Consider these questions, and seek to answer them as you build your central theme for the ritual. This is the heart of your ritual, the central rite about which all other rites and actions will hang. Be clear in your intention. <br /> <br /> Building this rite will require explaining precisely what this faction power does. <br /> <br /> “Ritual Circle, we the faction of the Sun Warriors, come to you seeking to empower our Sun Hammer. The Sun Hammer is a beacon of hope to the festival lands. It brings the sun into a dark and lightless world. It can drive away even the most powerful darkness, it drives away those without souls, without life. It turns the undead to ash. I ask the ritual circle to grant our faction power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase seeks to explain what the Sun Hammer does, and explains specifically what it is, and its importance. You should already see that this central section begs many questions. Who are the ‘Sun Warriors’, Why is darkness something that they are against? Why do they need a weapon to do this? <br /> <br /> These questions then offer you simple examples of what minor rites you need to be preparing. Something simple to answer what the Sun Warriors are, what they stand for, and why they need a weapon. <br /> <br /> Here we run into our first tension. We are seeking to explain yes, and we are seeking to do so in a way that is able to build the power of the circle, yes. However, we are limited here by the amount of power that a new ritualist can hold in one go – and to the rule of brevity. More words do not make a better ritual. Longer rituals are not necessarily better. We will then need to look again at these other sections to see how they fit into our overall plan. <br /> <br /> Let us now turn to the elements that we know we need in our ritual at this point. <br /> <br /> ===A brief Ritual outline.===<br /> <br /> * 1. Everyone in the circle<br /> * 2. Cleanse Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> * 3. Raise the Wards – Rite<br /> * 4. Outline what you intend to do – Minor Rite<br /> * 5. Introduce the faction/scope – Minor Rite<br /> * 6. Empower the faction power – Rite<br /> * 7. Offer commodities – Minor Rite<br /> * 8. Give thanks – Minor Rite<br /> * 9 Lower the wards – Rite<br /> * 10. Cleanse the Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> <br /> ====A Note On The List====<br /> <br /> A Minor Rite here is something that has a clear and definite purpose, but may not stand as a complete rite in and of itself. They point to a section that cannot be missed, but they are often areas that can be covered in a few sentences, or a simple action. <br /> <br /> A Rite is something that is complete in and of itself. Something that has a clearly defined start and end, and the task(s) inside of it are all complete and connected to fulfilling that end. <br /> <br /> ====Planning Outline====<br /> <br /> When planning the ritual in this way, you can see at a glance which bits, and in what order you need to proceed to achieve your goal. You may find as you write it out that you have two minor rites that could be placed together to create a rite in and of themselves. This is always the more preferred way of dealing with the ritual, as it ensures that you don’t forget something. <br /> <br /> ====Record Keeping====<br /> <br /> It is at this point that I suggest something that should now be very obvious. Invest in a good notebook. Rituals have many steps, and in the heat of the moment, especially under pressure, it can be very easy to miss an important and vital step. It can then be very difficult to go backwards. A notebook can help you keep the ritual in order, and help you know which step is next. <br /> <br /> Ritualists should also keep a note of the rituals that succeed, and the rituals that don’t. Knowing what mistakes you made the last time is one of the best teachers. You may also find rituals written out by those ritualists that have gone before. <br /> <br /> A written ritual should include the following: <br /> Goal:<br /> Required payment:<br /> Power/Colours to be called upon:<br /> A list of rites contained within the ritual:<br /> Key points you Must say or achieve in the ritual:<br /> <br /> Optional extras - <br /> Number of ritualists required:<br /> Depictions of any symbols or runes to be drawn/called on:<br /> Nature/affinity that a circle has to make it easier:<br /> Minimum power/action a circle requires:<br /> <br /> From this common form, you can see that there is much more to a ritual than what we have yet covered. These things will be covered in a later pamphlet, but they are things that you should bear in mind when you write your own summary of a successful ritual. <br /> <br /> ====Towards a Planned Ritual: Notes on the order====<br /> <br /> I will not cover the rites that we have covered earlier in this pamphlet, suffice to say that they are likely to become part of every ritual that you ever do. They are often so common that those writing rituals do not include them in the list of rites required for a ritual. That said, we will pick up on the other points in order. <br /> <br /> ====4. Outline What You Intend To do====<br /> <br /> This outline is NOT a ‘telling those present how the ritual is going to do’. That should have already been done. This is perhaps a few short sentences announcing your intention to the ritual circle. “We come to you today to perform our faction ritual”. It is important because it informs the circle what it is that it needs to get itself ready for. It need not be more than a few lines, but it is vitally important that this is said clearly, and loudly. <br /> <br /> <br /> ====5. Introduce the Faction/scope====<br /> <br /> As your faction ritual’s tone is set by your faction, your introduction will be heavily based on your faction. It is here that you outline your faction’s strengths, which should naturally lead into the faction power that you request. You are a faction of healers, who believe that all life is sacred, and you work ceaselessly to drive away death and disease. You could then offer the circle a bandage, to show your healing, perhaps some medicine to show your fight against disease. You do not need, at this point, to offer to the circle anything of magical, or intrinsic value beyond their value as symbols of your nation. This is the point where you are giving the scope, the feel of the ritual to the circle. In non-faction rituals, this would be where you might explain why you need the ritual to take place, what are the drivers for that ritual. In more complex rituals, this could become a rite, and may very well be linked with 4 (above). <br /> <br /> ====7. Offer Commodities====<br /> <br /> We have spoken of the danger of this section, be careful with your wording. Again, some place this in the section before, and place them when powering the rite for the faction power. However, I suggest that you always have this as a minor rite in every ritual you do. It is incredibly easy, even for a trained ritualist, to simply forget to place the commodities in the bowl – even more so when this job is given to someone else. Write out the minor rite in your list, even if you intend it to be part of the earlier rite. This will ensure that the commodities are, in fact, paid, and you don’t all suffer dire consequences for missing this small but vital step. <br /> <br /> ====8. Give Thanks====<br /> <br /> It is very possible that your ritual will have no visible effect, or even no sense that your ritual has been successful. You must still offer your thanks. While there are many theories as to why this is, many rituals succeed as you leave the circle, and you cannot, then, re-enter the circle to give thanks. You would not want a ritual that had, until this point, been successful to fail on a point of rudeness. <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> You now have the basics of the most oft-used ritual. I would suggest you study this pamphlet, and become familiar with it. Take your own notes, and you will no-doubt have questions. Direct these to your Ritual Master/Mistress, or seek out other ritualists who have tread this well-worn path before you. Remember, that each ritualist is as individual as waves on the ocean, but there is always knowledge to be had.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=153 2026-07-13T18:00:31Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* =Player-Created Information */</p> <hr /> <div>&lt;strong&gt;Welcome to the Unofficial Herofest Wiki&lt;/strong&gt;<br /> <br /> Here you will find information about Herofest. This is designed to a be information that is known by the players, which means that the information herein is only trustworthy in as much as a player might know it. The information as such, should not be relied upon. <br /> <br /> Any information you find in here is to be considered 'hearsay'. It is as accurate as we have it at the time of writing, but things change and change fast. A page should not be considered 'canon' (that is, can be accepted completely) unless it contains a 'verified' tag.<br /> <br /> == Sections ==<br /> ===Orin Rakatha===<br /> * The world [[World:OrinRakatha | Orin Rakatha]]<br /> * The [[World:Nations | Nations]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> * The [[World:Prions | Prions ]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> ===Player-Created Information===<br /> <br /> * [[Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro |Sir Rogers' Introduction to Rituals]]<br /> <br /> ===Discord===<br /> * [[Discord:Roleplaying | Roleplaying on Discord]]<br /> * [[Discord | The Setting: A Knot In Time]]<br /> <br /> ===Rules===<br /> * The [[Rules:Rules | Rules]] of Herofest<br /> <br /> = Using The Wiki =<br /> <br /> Consult the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software.<br /> <br /> == Getting started ==<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]<br /> * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/postorius/lists/mediawiki-announce.lists.wikimedia.org/ MediaWiki release mailing list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro&diff=152 2026-07-13T17:56:08Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* Sir Roger’s Guide to the Ritual Circle */</p> <hr /> <div>='''Sir Roger’s Guide to the Ritual Circle'''=<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> Welcome newest initiate to the wonderful role of Ritualist. Whether you be novice, or returning to work after a break, I hope that you will find this pamphlet of use, and its contents instructive. I plan to cover the basics of the ritual circle, but no introductory guide can be exhaustive. I will, however, aim to keep you, dear reader, as safe as possible. As such, I include herein rules that, if followed, will keep you safe. Know, however, that all such rules may be bent, or broken with experience, but experience will not save you from the consequences. <br /> <br /> ===About the Ritual Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Ritual circles can be found throughout Orin RaKatha. They are usually constructed on places of natural power, and are connected together. This connection, known as the ‘Circle Network’, or occasionally (and wrongly) as the ‘portal network’. This connection allows for communication through circles, both magically and, for example, by the sending of letters. DO NOT attempt to send living things through the network. They will not be the same, if they survive at all. <br /> <br /> All the circles are connected to the primary, or great circle. Known simply as The Ritual Circle. This grand circle is the nexus of all the power. The other circles are all connected to it, and their power may wax and wane. This connection, however, does not make all circles the same. Some circles attuned to different elements, or areas, or, many of the hundreds of different sections of the world. There are circles attuned to fire, some to water, some to the storm, and some to wind, some to death, and some to life. The list is nearly endless. This gives each circle its own ‘personality’. While the circle is not alive as you may normally understand it, it has a sentience. It understands, it learns. It reacts to those that have known it and shaped it, often in a stronger way than others. They each have a name. They each have their own secrets. To truly call oneself a High Incanter, you should have been privy to at least 3 circle secrets, and perhaps even, the name of a circle. <br /> <br /> All circles have an ‘affinity’, or, as some call it a ‘leaning’, though I find affinity to be more accurate. Much of this comes from the powers and magics most regularly used within them, which in turn often comes from their location and the visual natural affinity. Circles in forests are often seen to have an affinity with nature, those on cliff-tops with air or sea. Some circles have connections with magical elements, of fire and air and water. It is helpful to find circles that match your own affinities, and the affinities of the rituals that you do most often. It can ease the learning, and be of help in your early rituals. <br /> <br /> You cannot enter a Ritual Circle without permission from the Ritual Mistress/Master. They have a special connection to the ritual circle, and it is they that are able to raise and lower the wards around the circle from the outside. These wards keep the circle safe from stray magical effects that are often seen around the world. They are powerful – they have been known to keep gods at bay. Touching these wards leads to instantaneous death. While it may look instantaneous on the outside, that instant seems like aeons of pain to the unfortunate soul who touched it. <br /> <br /> A ritual itself is made up of several smaller sections, herein called ‘rites’. These rites are distinct sections of the ritual as a whole. Many of these rites are ones that a ritualist will practise until they are able to do them without much thought or much preparation. It is important to note that the skill of the ritualist is in weaving these individual rites into a single unified whole.<br /> <br /> ==1. The Basics==<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Cleansing a Ritual Circle===<br /> <br /> A circle can often accrue magical detritus. This can be from previous rituals, or the very web and weave of the circle network itself. The circle needs to be prepared before you do any ritual work inside it. <br /> <br /> Each cleansing is as unique as the mutualist, and this is the first part of your journey. Every ritualist has a connection to a power beyond themselves. Be it the sphere they have aligned themselves with (Death, Life, Nature, Flame, Water etc.), or perhaps something that comes from their faction itself – like the tree of life, or the dark of the crypt. Each of these are things that can be called upon to aid in the cleansing of the circle. At its most basic, the cleansing of the circle is an action of action and chant. <br /> <br /> It is always best to begin with a thorough cleansing, imagine that this is taking a metaphorical broom and sweeping away the detritus. In its simplest form, this is a slow circular walk around the edges of the circle. Imagine that you have created a ball of energy around yourself, and it is this power that is sweeping the circle. Some hold their arms wide, as though gathering, or pushing all the unwanted energy from the circle. <br /> <br /> It should be remembered that you can enter the circle with ritualist props. If you need a broom, take a broom. If you feel it works better for you with a stick, or fire, or candles or whatever, take those with you. They may seem like props to the outsider, but if they allow you to connect you with the actions of the ritual, then take them. Of course, take caution, do not take too much in, it can get in the way. As a guide, take no more than one item in each hand. <br /> <br /> As for the chant itself, this is often ritualist-specific, and inspired by their faction. A call for cleansing from the elements, say, water or fire, or perhaps from powers can often be heard. Be careful here not to channel these magical elements too powerfully in the cleansing. Remembering it is YOU, the ritualist who does the cleansing. “I cleanse this circle from all negative effects”, or again “I cleanse this circle from all residual magics and return all unused power to the circle”. You may be as imaginative or as flowery as you like. <br /> <br /> A novice might be tempted to try and use this untempered energy in a ritual. Do not. Drive that thought from your mind. That energy is wild, unknown. It could have been used in a ritual of death, or resurrection, and the energy could attach itself to you. It could cause untold harm to you. Do not think this, cleanse the circle. <br /> <br /> <br /> ===Raising the wards===<br /> <br /> Once you have been granted access to the circle, your first act is to raise the wards. The wards around the circle come with the circle itself, and are best raised by loudly, and firmly saying ‘I raise the wards on the circle’. These wards will be enough for the most basic of rituals. <br /> <br /> However, it is often best to raise the wards with a bit more effort, and here beings your personal journey into understanding yourself as a ritualist. Some will face each of the cardinal directions, and open their arms wide and proclaim “I raise these circle wards”. Some may add the power of a deity or magical sphere “I raise these words and strengthen them with the power of life”, though it is often best to remember that it is the circle that raises the words, and that the circle wards are raised by the power of the ritualist in the circle. <br /> <br /> These wards are there to protect whatever ritual action you are about to perform from interference from the outside. A stray magical spell through an unprotected ritual circle can have dire effects on the ritual itself, and of course, on the ritualist if the spell is directed at them. <br /> <br /> The wards also contain your ritual. Rituals are often about gathering together, and harnessing vast amounts of magic. These vast amounts of magic, without the wards, will leak beyond the circle, and can cause damage to people beyond, the circle itself, and to allies. This can cause you to lose control of the ritual. Many a ritualist has been lost to their own ritual by forgetting this simple, but necessary step. <br /> <br /> When raising the wards, remember that you are raising the wards for a circle. For many ritualists, this involves a small walk around the circle, activating the wards with words, and actions. Often more than one walk around the circle, empowering each ward as they pass. <br /> <br /> It should be noted that a novice ritualist may not be able to see the arcane writing that guards the ritual circle, but they should trust that it is there. Imagine yourself pushing power into these wards, and imagine, in the eye of your mind, that they are glowing with power. Imagine how it would be to push that power from yourself, feel it flow through you. Imagine the words that it would take to do it. For some it is easier with actions, some with words, some with song or dance. <br /> <br /> ===The Ritualist and the Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Once the circle is cleansed, a ritual may now partake of the most important rite. That is, to commune with the circle. One of the gifts of being a ritualist is the communing. DO NOT ask any great questions of knowledge; DO NOT ask questions of ritual help. Simply be. Seek to get to know the circle, to feel how they are. This requires a question, but wording is one of the first challenges. A simple question like “How fares this circle” will suffice. This rite is as individual as the ritualist – from expressive dance, to deep drumming, to an eastern tea ceremony. The circle’s answer may be nothing, may be just a sense of a feeling, or you may be gifted an insight shared by the circle. It will no doubt take many blinding headaches until you perfect the power of this simple ritual. This simple ritual, however, is what will allow you to take the first steps towards attuning yourself to a circle. <br /> <br /> ====A Warning on STUPID QUESTIONS====<br /> <br /> Every ritualist in their time will ask something stupid of the circle. It is as inevitable as the rising sun. However, I seek to aid you with the benefit of experience, so that you may learn from my hard-earned experience. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle its ‘name’. The Name of a circle is considered a secret, and must be earned. Generally, a circle often takes its common name from its location. It would be stupid to ask a circle its name as this is something that the circle will share once you are deserving. To become deserving is beyond this pamflet. If you are unsure how to address the circle, you can ask the ritual Master/Mistress. You can oftn address the circle simply as ‘ritual circle’ or ‘circle. <br /> <br /> NOT NOT use words like ‘great’ when describing the circle unless you stand in THE ritual circle. <br /> <br /> USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. If a circle is obviously corrupted or on fire or screaming, do not ask it how it is. <br /> <br /> DO NOT OFFER the circle things that you don’t mind losing. I have seen many a ritualist disappear into the circle for ‘offering’ their life to the circle instead of ‘dedicating’ their life to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT expect the circle to understand your implied ‘sense’. The context of the question may be obvious to you, but it may not be to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle for things easily obtained in other ways. The circle should not be used as a replacement almanack. <br /> <br /> ===Thank the Circle===<br /> <br /> Once your communing is done, remember to thank the circle. Use words. If your communing involves food or liquid, leave a portion on the ground at the base of the offering stand. For liquids, you can often pour these into the ground. <br /> <br /> DO NOT put food offerings or liquid offerings in the offering bowl. <br /> <br /> At the end of this communing, you may wish to cleanse the circle. It can be possible for events happening later to affect you if you have a strong connection to the circle. <br /> <br /> As you leave, thank the ritual Master/Mistress for their time. Be sure to check with them for any further clarification, or even pointers on your recently finished ritual. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==2. Intermediaries – Towards your first practical ritual.==<br /> <br /> You have now seen the basics of the very first ritual. You know a ritual is made up of smaller sections, called herein ‘rites’, and we are aware of some of the basics in being safe. Those who are still reading are those most likely to make it as a ritualist. One of the primary things a ritualist needs is patience. The first section will have, in most cases, been harmless enough for even the most hot-headed, but they may have found themselves with a few negative effects from outside influences. These influences could have been anything from a passing spell, or even bad actors. Even the sudden arrival of wildlife can throw off a ritual. It is the reason why many sensible ritualists raise the wards. In the first section we spoke briefly about this practice, but let us now spend a bit more time with this most important first step. <br /> <br /> ===Raising The Wards===<br /> <br /> DO NOT cross raised wards. It is always painful, and often fatal. <br /> <br /> DO NOT leave the ritual circle until every ritualist who has raised the wards lowers them. <br /> <br /> Raising the words is a rite that follows the same basics as the rite of cleansing. It uses movement and somatics (Somatics being ‘sound’ or ‘voice’). The raising of the wards ask that the ritual circle protect both those within and without from harmful effects crossing the barrier. It ensures that the rites that follow are contained so that their magics can be used for its intended purpose. It also ensures that entities, being, magic and influence from outside cannot enter. <br /> The power of the wards can be directly linked to the power and experience of the ritualist. That said, it is unlikely a new ritualist would be able to raise enough power to overwhelm their own wards accidentally. It is therefore advisable for ritualists to be aware of the amount of power they seek to manage, and whether or not they might need to pay more than cursory attention to the wards they have raised. <br /> The process of the rite is as the rite of cleansing (above), but it imagines, instead, a dome over the ritual circle and uses words similar to “I raise the wards of this ritual circle”. It does not here do harm to signal the kind of power you imagine to be flowing through those wards, the power of flame, or fire. Perhaps that of the mighty oak, or the everlasting night. For example, “I raise the words of this ritual circle, that they may stand tall and strong like the mighty oaks. That no wind or storm mundane or magical may stand against them”. <br /> <br /> This rite will often see a practised ritualist moving. It is wise at this stage of learning to use your whole body in movement. The raising of your arms, perhaps a dramatic version of a strong tree. These movements will at first seem odd, and in their exaggerated form, you will gain strange looks from those unfamiliar with the ritual circle. However, you will feel the power of the circle course through you as you use them. You will touch on depths of power that will connect you in a very real and tangible way with the circle. If you find that your circle is ‘silent’ and unresponsive, try more movement. <br /> <br /> I have found that it is often better to try these movements outside of the circle. There are a number of different forms that people use, and you can occasionally see a ritualist performing them as part of their morning acts. Each ritualist develops their own, and each ritual master/mistress will have yet more ways of adding movement. My advice on this topic will be to practise what feels natural, and to watch others, if you are able. Certainly as you seek to move past the more cursory ritual actions it is best to find yourself someone that you may shadow. Many ritualists are happy to aid in someone exploring the ritual circle, especially if it is one they themselves use – even if it is to stop you exploding in the ritual circle and forcing them to clean it up. <br /> <br /> ===A word about Commodities===<br /> <br /> Every ritual requires commodities. This simple rule will keep a new ritualist safe, and ensure that their rituals have a better chance of success. The commodities are placed into the offering bowl upon a stand, or an altar inside the circle. <br /> <br /> It can be a good idea for the ritualist to separate the offerings to be connected to the request (if making multiple requests), but be careful to not suggest that the offerings are bribes or payments. The offerings are part of the powering of the rituals. As such offerings should be made with an eye to their role and affinity. <br /> <br /> Fay hair, for example, is connected to strong natural magical power. Gold would be good for sphere-based power magics. A rite should have multiple different commodities all seeking to inform and support each other. Be aware, though, that commodities have different, but overlapping natures. Do not look at them through the eyes of others. Tin is near worthless outside of the ritual circle, but properly used is as powerful an ingredient as any other. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise together, and work best in groups, or sets. 2 at a push, but 3 of the same is ideal. <br /> <br /> It should be said here that commodities and rituals are a part of a whole. Powerful commodities can make up for a lack-lustre ritual and, by extension, a powerful ritual can make up for lack of required commodities. While theoretically this extends to both extremes, DO NOT run a ritual without commodities. In extremis, Fey Hair can stand in for most commodities – yet even then it would be best to include other commodities for variety, even if their connection is dubious or non-existent. It can, in these cases, be best to ‘over-offer’ commodities. <br /> <br /> ===The Role of the Ritualist===<br /> <br /> By now, I hope, I have impressed upon you the importance of the ritualist. <br /> I would like to take this moment to help you examine what kind of ritualist you will be. This is a decision as unique and as varied as grains of sand. You must get to know yourself and how the rituals will flow through you. How will you control that power, what in you speaks to the circle, and what in you listens when the circle speaks. <br /> Broadly speaking, there are two ‘types’ of ritualists. There are those that lead, and those that direct. <br /> <br /> A ritual is most often done with others. Often, the ritual will be acting on behalf of others, empowering, disempowering, resurrecting, faction ritual and the like. This means that the ritualist must know how they plan to act in that situation. It is here that the type of ritualist becomes important, and helps in how you, dear reader, will plan and conduct the ritual. <br /> <br /> DO NOT attempt to plan your ritual in the ritual circle. This ebbs the power away, and can often cause the ritual to fail, or backfire before you’ve even begun. <br /> <br /> DO NOT plan your ritual outside the ritual circle. Your time-slot is when the ritual begins, not when the planning begins. Not only does this run the danger that you may miss your slot entirely, but it also angers and irritates the ritual master/mistress. The ritual circle is very attuned to their ritual master/mistress and can, and will, refuse to help those who do not treat their ritual master/mistress with respect. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist As Leader====<br /> <br /> These ritualists are often gregarious, willing to encourage other participants. They bring their own personal energy and personality force. By their encouragement they entice, cajole and inspire other participants to raise their voices or offer their actions to the ritual or rite. They will dance, cheer, shout, wave their arms, call on these within and without – all seemingly in acts of madness. Yet in this they are responding to the feel of the rite. Does it need more movement? Does the circle need more direction around this element? Balancing a rite is a delicate business and changes with the ebb and flow of power. For those that lead, they are the ones often seen in the centre of the ritual, loud and aware of the attention. They are the ones who are happy to take speaking roles, and to move around the circle picking up the slack given to others. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist as Director.==== <br /> <br /> Some ritualists find that they are better able to follow the flow of the rite by maintaining their own inner peace. Often stoic and softly spoken, they become one with the rite. They direct others in the circle with command and well prepared scripts. Confident of their ability they are able to direct the ritual from that still small space inside them. It is from this place of quiet peace that they encourage others to move around the circle, that they direct others to become elements of the rite – becoming a living set-piece under the watchful eye of the ritualist. For those that direct, the visible ring-master style role is something that they find uncomfortable. For them they need to ensure that others are able to step forward. While some speaking is inevitable- only they can raise the words, only they can hold the power, and only they can direct the magics within the circle – it is possible to make much of the speaking work something done by others. <br /> <br /> ====The Person of the Ritualist====<br /> <br /> Between these two examples are there shades of grey, and these two are used here as straw-people so that you are able to see that all can be valid ritualists. Each has its own benefits and pitfalls, and both kinds of ritualist can do well to learn from the other. <br /> <br /> This should, for those that are beginning to think like a ritualist, show that planning of a ritual is important in whatever role you take. Everyone entering the ritual circle should have a role in the ritual. It can be as simple as placing commodities in the altar, or saying a short phrase – or it can be as elaborate as having them form a band and sing sea shanties. It is here that props can be of great help. Giving people props that they can place as symbols of things (a twig as a symbol of a tree, or a candle as a symbol of fire) can give them a meaningful role in the ritual circle. Ritual circles respond better to those that it knows, so the offerings of props here can become two fold, for example “My name is Reginald Goodman, and I bring the offering of light”. With such a simple line, they cover both their reason for being there, and introduce themselves. Of course, with this line it would be the ritualist (you) that would need to explain why the offering of light is necessary. “Ritual circle, we seek to banish the darkness, and to empower hope and light. We offer to you this offering of light” - Reginald would here step forward, and say their line. The ritualist might continue “as this candle banishes the darkness around it so too may this ritual banish the darkness”.<br /> <br /> The ritual is planned by the ritualist, and it is important to remember this important fact. A ritualist can find themselves acting on behalf of other factions, or standing in when their usual ritualist is absent. It is important that you take the time to understand each section of the ritual. <br /> <br /> First, let me be clear, whatever experience you have with rituals, if you are the only ritualist present, YOU ARE IN CHARGE. They may be wealthy, or a faction leader, but they must, for their own safety, listen to you. While it is tempting to just let them reap the rewards for their folly, only do so if you have protected yourself first. The worst, in my experience, are old faction leaders who have seen ‘A thousand rituals’, and wish to insist that it goes the same way. Rituals, and the collection of rites that make them up, are often tailored by the ritualist that does them often. If it is not you, do not be tempted away from your ritual style. Your focus is a successful ritual. Listen to what has gone before, yes, but to it your own way. By now you should be aware of how much won’t be shared by those who do not know of the deep magic of the circle – simply because they don’t have the time, the skill, or the inclination to learn.<br /> <br /> ==3. Planning Your Ritual==<br /> <br /> We have now covered much of the basics. The next step lays in the practical – and the most common ritual will be that of a faction ritual. We will therefore finish out this small pamphlet by taking a practical look at building your own faction ritual. This will cover the basics of rituals in general. By the end you will have a functioning and planned faction ritual.<br /> <br /> ===Preparation===<br /> <br /> Before we begin, you must know the faction. What is it that they are known for? What elements leap out at you? These elements are those that will be essential for the ritual. For example, do they spend time in the trees? Then take some leaves. Are they people of mud? Then take some mud. <br /> These are the elements most often overlooked as part of a ritual by new ritualists. Offerings are not just commodities. These elements help the ritual circle get a feeling for the faction, and to understand the sense, nature and flow of their faction powers. Do they have chants? Or phrases, songs, or dances? Are they known for particular weapons or clothes? Those need to be seen, and brought to the ritual circle. It is important that the faction be present for the ritual – not just the ritualist. <br /> It is understanding these sympathies that is important for any ritual. These sympathies give space and direction. They help build and summon the power needed to link a faction to their powers. <br /> It is best to assume that the ritual circle has never met your faction, and that you need to introduce its spiritual essence to the circle. How would you describe the feel of your faction? Or the emotional bond between faction members? You will find that these are ephemeral ideas, things that are very difficult to put into words and so it is to the ritualist to find symbols and elements that convey this idea. <br /> <br /> ===Commodities===<br /> <br /> As a rule of thumb you will need 5 commodities per faction power. As a new ritualist you may not (yet!) be able to do more than a single faction power in a single ritual. It is a good idea to ensure that the faction is aware of this, as it will help manage their expectations. It is a good idea to try and harmonise your commodities. Remember that it is always best that at least one of these is fay hair. For the others, look at the faction affinities and find, if you can, a harmonious link. Perhaps silver for those connected to the moon, or fay hair for those connected to nature. Again, perhaps gold for those seeking healing from the sun, or tin for those looking to empower base emotions. Gather these together. They can be a helpful meditation on the ritual you are planning. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise around meanings and associations, and they also harmonise together. It is better to have two or three commodities the same. Thus think in terms of twos and threes to build your five commodities. Remember, here, the fay hair. It can be beneficial to offer more for the sake of including the right commodities. <br /> <br /> ===First Steps===<br /> <br /> When planning any ritual, it helps to know what it is that you are asking. This step is often left to assumption, especially with faction rituals. Do not assume that the circle is able to divine from your words and actions what it is that you want the circle to do with the power. <br /> <br /> It helps for the ritualist to fully understand the faction power that they are looking to enable upon the festival lands. Let us consider the following (fictional) faction power. <br /> <br /> “I ask the circle to grant to our faction the power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase may be self-explanatory to the faction, but in and of itself makes no sense to you or I. What exactly is that the ritualist seeks to achieve with this? If the ritualist seeks to empower a magical weapon that is able to conjure the sun, the ritualist will need to know why this weapon does this. Is it to banish the darkness? Or is it a bane against undead? Is the weapon used for violence, or protection? Is the weapon a symbol of leadership, or is it a symbol of divinity? Consider these questions, and seek to answer them as you build your central theme for the ritual. This is the heart of your ritual, the central rite about which all other rites and actions will hang. Be clear in your intention. <br /> <br /> Building this rite will require explaining precisely what this faction power does. <br /> <br /> “Ritual Circle, we the faction of the Sun Warriors, come to you seeking to empower our Sun Hammer. The Sun Hammer is a beacon of hope to the festival lands. It brings the sun into a dark and lightless world. It can drive away even the most powerful darkness, it drives away those without souls, without life. It turns the undead to ash. I ask the ritual circle to grant our faction power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase seeks to explain what the Sun Hammer does, and explains specifically what it is, and its importance. You should already see that this central section begs many questions. Who are the ‘Sun Warriors’, Why is darkness something that they are against? Why do they need a weapon to do this? <br /> <br /> These questions then offer you simple examples of what minor rites you need to be preparing. Something simple to answer what the Sun Warriors are, what they stand for, and why they need a weapon. <br /> <br /> Here we run into our first tension. We are seeking to explain yes, and we are seeking to do so in a way that is able to build the power of the circle, yes. However, we are limited here by the amount of power that a new ritualist can hold in one go – and to the rule of brevity. More words do not make a better ritual. Longer rituals are not necessarily better. We will then need to look again at these other sections to see how they fit into our overall plan. <br /> <br /> Let us now turn to the elements that we know we need in our ritual at this point. <br /> <br /> ===A brief Ritual outline.===<br /> <br /> * 1. Everyone in the circle<br /> * 2. Cleanse Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> * 3. Raise the Wards – Rite<br /> * 4. Outline what you intend to do – Minor Rite<br /> * 5. Introduce the faction/scope – Minor Rite<br /> * 6. Empower the faction power – Rite<br /> * 7. Offer commodities – Minor Rite<br /> * 8. Give thanks – Minor Rite<br /> * 9 Lower the wards – Rite<br /> * 10. Cleanse the Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> <br /> ====A Note On The List====<br /> <br /> A Minor Rite here is something that has a clear and definite purpose, but may not stand as a complete rite in and of itself. They point to a section that cannot be missed, but they are often areas that can be covered in a few sentences, or a simple action. <br /> <br /> A Rite is something that is complete in and of itself. Something that has a clearly defined start and end, and the task(s) inside of it are all complete and connected to fulfilling that end. <br /> <br /> ====Planning Outline====<br /> <br /> When planning the ritual in this way, you can see at a glance which bits, and in what order you need to proceed to achieve your goal. You may find as you write it out that you have two minor rites that could be placed together to create a rite in and of themselves. This is always the more preferred way of dealing with the ritual, as it ensures that you don’t forget something. <br /> <br /> ====Record Keeping====<br /> <br /> It is at this point that I suggest something that should now be very obvious. Invest in a good notebook. Rituals have many steps, and in the heat of the moment, especially under pressure, it can be very easy to miss an important and vital step. It can then be very difficult to go backwards. A notebook can help you keep the ritual in order, and help you know which step is next. <br /> <br /> Ritualists should also keep a note of the rituals that succeed, and the rituals that don’t. Knowing what mistakes you made the last time is one of the best teachers. You may also find rituals written out by those ritualists that have gone before. <br /> <br /> A written ritual should include the following: <br /> Goal:<br /> Required payment:<br /> Power/Colours to be called upon:<br /> A list of rites contained within the ritual:<br /> Key points you Must say or achieve in the ritual:<br /> <br /> Optional extras - <br /> Number of ritualists required:<br /> Depictions of any symbols or runes to be drawn/called on:<br /> Nature/affinity that a circle has to make it easier:<br /> Minimum power/action a circle requires:<br /> <br /> From this common form, you can see that there is much more to a ritual than what we have yet covered. These things will be covered in a later pamphlet, but they are things that you should bear in mind when you write your own summary of a successful ritual. <br /> <br /> ====Towards a Planned Ritual: Notes on the order====<br /> <br /> I will not cover the rites that we have covered earlier in this pamphlet, suffice to say that they are likely to become part of every ritual that you ever do. They are often so common that those writing rituals do not include them in the list of rites required for a ritual. That said, we will pick up on the other points in order. <br /> <br /> ====4. Outline What You Intend To do====<br /> <br /> This outline is NOT a ‘telling those present how the ritual is going to do’. That should have already been done. This is perhaps a few short sentences announcing your intention to the ritual circle. “We come to you today to perform our faction ritual”. It is important because it informs the circle what it is that it needs to get itself ready for. It need not be more than a few lines, but it is vitally important that this is said clearly, and loudly. <br /> <br /> <br /> ====5. Introduce the Faction/scope====<br /> <br /> As your faction ritual’s tone is set by your faction, your introduction will be heavily based on your faction. It is here that you outline your faction’s strengths, which should naturally lead into the faction power that you request. You are a faction of healers, who believe that all life is sacred, and you work ceaselessly to drive away death and disease. You could then offer the circle a bandage, to show your healing, perhaps some medicine to show your fight against disease. You do not need, at this point, to offer to the circle anything of magical, or intrinsic value beyond their value as symbols of your nation. This is the point where you are giving the scope, the feel of the ritual to the circle. In non-faction rituals, this would be where you might explain why you need the ritual to take place, what are the drivers for that ritual. In more complex rituals, this could become a rite, and may very well be linked with 4 (above). <br /> <br /> ====7. Offer Commodities====<br /> <br /> We have spoken of the danger of this section, be careful with your wording. Again, some place this in the section before, and place them when powering the rite for the faction power. However, I suggest that you always have this as a minor rite in every ritual you do. It is incredibly easy, even for a trained ritualist, to simply forget to place the commodities in the bowl – even more so when this job is given to someone else. Write out the minor rite in your list, even if you intend it to be part of the earlier rite. This will ensure that the commodities are, in fact, paid, and you don’t all suffer dire consequences for missing this small but vital step. <br /> <br /> ====8. Give Thanks====<br /> <br /> It is very possible that your ritual will have no visible effect, or even no sense that your ritual has been successful. You must still offer your thanks. While there are many theories as to why this is, many rituals succeed as you leave the circle, and you cannot, then, re-enter the circle to give thanks. You would not want a ritual that had, until this point, been successful to fail on a point of rudeness. <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> You now have the basics of the most oft-used ritual. I would suggest you study this pamphlet, and become familiar with it. Take your own notes, and you will no-doubt have questions. Direct these to your Ritual Master/Mistress, or seek out other ritualists who have tread this well-worn path before you. Remember, that each ritualist is as individual as waves on the ocean, but there is always knowledge to be had.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro&diff=151 2026-07-13T17:55:10Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>=Sir Roger’s Guide to the Ritual Circle=<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> Welcome newest initiate to the wonderful role of Ritualist. Whether you be novice, or returning to work after a break, I hope that you will find this pamphlet of use, and its contents instructive. I plan to cover the basics of the ritual circle, but no introductory guide can be exhaustive. I will, however, aim to keep you, dear reader, as safe as possible. As such, I include herein rules that, if followed, will keep you safe. Know, however, that all such rules may be bent, or broken with experience, but experience will not save you from the consequences. <br /> <br /> ===About the Ritual Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Ritual circles can be found throughout Orin RaKatha. They are usually constructed on places of natural power, and are connected together. This connection, known as the ‘Circle Network’, or occasionally (and wrongly) as the ‘portal network’. This connection allows for communication through circles, both magically and, for example, by the sending of letters. DO NOT attempt to send living things through the network. They will not be the same, if they survive at all. <br /> <br /> All the circles are connected to the primary, or great circle. Known simply as The Ritual Circle. This grand circle is the nexus of all the power. The other circles are all connected to it, and their power may wax and wane. This connection, however, does not make all circles the same. Some circles attuned to different elements, or areas, or, many of the hundreds of different sections of the world. There are circles attuned to fire, some to water, some to the storm, and some to wind, some to death, and some to life. The list is nearly endless. This gives each circle its own ‘personality’. While the circle is not alive as you may normally understand it, it has a sentience. It understands, it learns. It reacts to those that have known it and shaped it, often in a stronger way than others. They each have a name. They each have their own secrets. To truly call oneself a High Incanter, you should have been privy to at least 3 circle secrets, and perhaps even, the name of a circle. <br /> <br /> All circles have an ‘affinity’, or, as some call it a ‘leaning’, though I find affinity to be more accurate. Much of this comes from the powers and magics most regularly used within them, which in turn often comes from their location and the visual natural affinity. Circles in forests are often seen to have an affinity with nature, those on cliff-tops with air or sea. Some circles have connections with magical elements, of fire and air and water. It is helpful to find circles that match your own affinities, and the affinities of the rituals that you do most often. It can ease the learning, and be of help in your early rituals. <br /> <br /> You cannot enter a Ritual Circle without permission from the Ritual Mistress/Master. They have a special connection to the ritual circle, and it is they that are able to raise and lower the wards around the circle from the outside. These wards keep the circle safe from stray magical effects that are often seen around the world. They are powerful – they have been known to keep gods at bay. Touching these wards leads to instantaneous death. While it may look instantaneous on the outside, that instant seems like aeons of pain to the unfortunate soul who touched it. <br /> <br /> A ritual itself is made up of several smaller sections, herein called ‘rites’. These rites are distinct sections of the ritual as a whole. Many of these rites are ones that a ritualist will practise until they are able to do them without much thought or much preparation. It is important to note that the skill of the ritualist is in weaving these individual rites into a single unified whole.<br /> <br /> ==1. The Basics==<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Cleansing a Ritual Circle===<br /> <br /> A circle can often accrue magical detritus. This can be from previous rituals, or the very web and weave of the circle network itself. The circle needs to be prepared before you do any ritual work inside it. <br /> <br /> Each cleansing is as unique as the mutualist, and this is the first part of your journey. Every ritualist has a connection to a power beyond themselves. Be it the sphere they have aligned themselves with (Death, Life, Nature, Flame, Water etc.), or perhaps something that comes from their faction itself – like the tree of life, or the dark of the crypt. Each of these are things that can be called upon to aid in the cleansing of the circle. At its most basic, the cleansing of the circle is an action of action and chant. <br /> <br /> It is always best to begin with a thorough cleansing, imagine that this is taking a metaphorical broom and sweeping away the detritus. In its simplest form, this is a slow circular walk around the edges of the circle. Imagine that you have created a ball of energy around yourself, and it is this power that is sweeping the circle. Some hold their arms wide, as though gathering, or pushing all the unwanted energy from the circle. <br /> <br /> It should be remembered that you can enter the circle with ritualist props. If you need a broom, take a broom. If you feel it works better for you with a stick, or fire, or candles or whatever, take those with you. They may seem like props to the outsider, but if they allow you to connect you with the actions of the ritual, then take them. Of course, take caution, do not take too much in, it can get in the way. As a guide, take no more than one item in each hand. <br /> <br /> As for the chant itself, this is often ritualist-specific, and inspired by their faction. A call for cleansing from the elements, say, water or fire, or perhaps from powers can often be heard. Be careful here not to channel these magical elements too powerfully in the cleansing. Remembering it is YOU, the ritualist who does the cleansing. “I cleanse this circle from all negative effects”, or again “I cleanse this circle from all residual magics and return all unused power to the circle”. You may be as imaginative or as flowery as you like. <br /> <br /> A novice might be tempted to try and use this untempered energy in a ritual. Do not. Drive that thought from your mind. That energy is wild, unknown. It could have been used in a ritual of death, or resurrection, and the energy could attach itself to you. It could cause untold harm to you. Do not think this, cleanse the circle. <br /> <br /> <br /> ===Raising the wards===<br /> <br /> Once you have been granted access to the circle, your first act is to raise the wards. The wards around the circle come with the circle itself, and are best raised by loudly, and firmly saying ‘I raise the wards on the circle’. These wards will be enough for the most basic of rituals. <br /> <br /> However, it is often best to raise the wards with a bit more effort, and here beings your personal journey into understanding yourself as a ritualist. Some will face each of the cardinal directions, and open their arms wide and proclaim “I raise these circle wards”. Some may add the power of a deity or magical sphere “I raise these words and strengthen them with the power of life”, though it is often best to remember that it is the circle that raises the words, and that the circle wards are raised by the power of the ritualist in the circle. <br /> <br /> These wards are there to protect whatever ritual action you are about to perform from interference from the outside. A stray magical spell through an unprotected ritual circle can have dire effects on the ritual itself, and of course, on the ritualist if the spell is directed at them. <br /> <br /> The wards also contain your ritual. Rituals are often about gathering together, and harnessing vast amounts of magic. These vast amounts of magic, without the wards, will leak beyond the circle, and can cause damage to people beyond, the circle itself, and to allies. This can cause you to lose control of the ritual. Many a ritualist has been lost to their own ritual by forgetting this simple, but necessary step. <br /> <br /> When raising the wards, remember that you are raising the wards for a circle. For many ritualists, this involves a small walk around the circle, activating the wards with words, and actions. Often more than one walk around the circle, empowering each ward as they pass. <br /> <br /> It should be noted that a novice ritualist may not be able to see the arcane writing that guards the ritual circle, but they should trust that it is there. Imagine yourself pushing power into these wards, and imagine, in the eye of your mind, that they are glowing with power. Imagine how it would be to push that power from yourself, feel it flow through you. Imagine the words that it would take to do it. For some it is easier with actions, some with words, some with song or dance. <br /> <br /> ===The Ritualist and the Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Once the circle is cleansed, a ritual may now partake of the most important rite. That is, to commune with the circle. One of the gifts of being a ritualist is the communing. DO NOT ask any great questions of knowledge; DO NOT ask questions of ritual help. Simply be. Seek to get to know the circle, to feel how they are. This requires a question, but wording is one of the first challenges. A simple question like “How fares this circle” will suffice. This rite is as individual as the ritualist – from expressive dance, to deep drumming, to an eastern tea ceremony. The circle’s answer may be nothing, may be just a sense of a feeling, or you may be gifted an insight shared by the circle. It will no doubt take many blinding headaches until you perfect the power of this simple ritual. This simple ritual, however, is what will allow you to take the first steps towards attuning yourself to a circle. <br /> <br /> ====A Warning on STUPID QUESTIONS====<br /> <br /> Every ritualist in their time will ask something stupid of the circle. It is as inevitable as the rising sun. However, I seek to aid you with the benefit of experience, so that you may learn from my hard-earned experience. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle its ‘name’. The Name of a circle is considered a secret, and must be earned. Generally, a circle often takes its common name from its location. It would be stupid to ask a circle its name as this is something that the circle will share once you are deserving. To become deserving is beyond this pamflet. If you are unsure how to address the circle, you can ask the ritual Master/Mistress. You can oftn address the circle simply as ‘ritual circle’ or ‘circle. <br /> <br /> NOT NOT use words like ‘great’ when describing the circle unless you stand in THE ritual circle. <br /> <br /> USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. If a circle is obviously corrupted or on fire or screaming, do not ask it how it is. <br /> <br /> DO NOT OFFER the circle things that you don’t mind losing. I have seen many a ritualist disappear into the circle for ‘offering’ their life to the circle instead of ‘dedicating’ their life to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT expect the circle to understand your implied ‘sense’. The context of the question may be obvious to you, but it may not be to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle for things easily obtained in other ways. The circle should not be used as a replacement almanack. <br /> <br /> ===Thank the Circle===<br /> <br /> Once your communing is done, remember to thank the circle. Use words. If your communing involves food or liquid, leave a portion on the ground at the base of the offering stand. For liquids, you can often pour these into the ground. <br /> <br /> DO NOT put food offerings or liquid offerings in the offering bowl. <br /> <br /> At the end of this communing, you may wish to cleanse the circle. It can be possible for events happening later to affect you if you have a strong connection to the circle. <br /> <br /> As you leave, thank the ritual Master/Mistress for their time. Be sure to check with them for any further clarification, or even pointers on your recently finished ritual. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==2. Intermediaries – Towards your first practical ritual.==<br /> <br /> You have now seen the basics of the very first ritual. You know a ritual is made up of smaller sections, called herein ‘rites’, and we are aware of some of the basics in being safe. Those who are still reading are those most likely to make it as a ritualist. One of the primary things a ritualist needs is patience. The first section will have, in most cases, been harmless enough for even the most hot-headed, but they may have found themselves with a few negative effects from outside influences. These influences could have been anything from a passing spell, or even bad actors. Even the sudden arrival of wildlife can throw off a ritual. It is the reason why many sensible ritualists raise the wards. In the first section we spoke briefly about this practice, but let us now spend a bit more time with this most important first step. <br /> <br /> ===Raising The Wards===<br /> <br /> DO NOT cross raised wards. It is always painful, and often fatal. <br /> <br /> DO NOT leave the ritual circle until every ritualist who has raised the wards lowers them. <br /> <br /> Raising the words is a rite that follows the same basics as the rite of cleansing. It uses movement and somatics (Somatics being ‘sound’ or ‘voice’). The raising of the wards ask that the ritual circle protect both those within and without from harmful effects crossing the barrier. It ensures that the rites that follow are contained so that their magics can be used for its intended purpose. It also ensures that entities, being, magic and influence from outside cannot enter. <br /> The power of the wards can be directly linked to the power and experience of the ritualist. That said, it is unlikely a new ritualist would be able to raise enough power to overwhelm their own wards accidentally. It is therefore advisable for ritualists to be aware of the amount of power they seek to manage, and whether or not they might need to pay more than cursory attention to the wards they have raised. <br /> The process of the rite is as the rite of cleansing (above), but it imagines, instead, a dome over the ritual circle and uses words similar to “I raise the wards of this ritual circle”. It does not here do harm to signal the kind of power you imagine to be flowing through those wards, the power of flame, or fire. Perhaps that of the mighty oak, or the everlasting night. For example, “I raise the words of this ritual circle, that they may stand tall and strong like the mighty oaks. That no wind or storm mundane or magical may stand against them”. <br /> <br /> This rite will often see a practised ritualist moving. It is wise at this stage of learning to use your whole body in movement. The raising of your arms, perhaps a dramatic version of a strong tree. These movements will at first seem odd, and in their exaggerated form, you will gain strange looks from those unfamiliar with the ritual circle. However, you will feel the power of the circle course through you as you use them. You will touch on depths of power that will connect you in a very real and tangible way with the circle. If you find that your circle is ‘silent’ and unresponsive, try more movement. <br /> <br /> I have found that it is often better to try these movements outside of the circle. There are a number of different forms that people use, and you can occasionally see a ritualist performing them as part of their morning acts. Each ritualist develops their own, and each ritual master/mistress will have yet more ways of adding movement. My advice on this topic will be to practise what feels natural, and to watch others, if you are able. Certainly as you seek to move past the more cursory ritual actions it is best to find yourself someone that you may shadow. Many ritualists are happy to aid in someone exploring the ritual circle, especially if it is one they themselves use – even if it is to stop you exploding in the ritual circle and forcing them to clean it up. <br /> <br /> ===A word about Commodities===<br /> <br /> Every ritual requires commodities. This simple rule will keep a new ritualist safe, and ensure that their rituals have a better chance of success. The commodities are placed into the offering bowl upon a stand, or an altar inside the circle. <br /> <br /> It can be a good idea for the ritualist to separate the offerings to be connected to the request (if making multiple requests), but be careful to not suggest that the offerings are bribes or payments. The offerings are part of the powering of the rituals. As such offerings should be made with an eye to their role and affinity. <br /> <br /> Fay hair, for example, is connected to strong natural magical power. Gold would be good for sphere-based power magics. A rite should have multiple different commodities all seeking to inform and support each other. Be aware, though, that commodities have different, but overlapping natures. Do not look at them through the eyes of others. Tin is near worthless outside of the ritual circle, but properly used is as powerful an ingredient as any other. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise together, and work best in groups, or sets. 2 at a push, but 3 of the same is ideal. <br /> <br /> It should be said here that commodities and rituals are a part of a whole. Powerful commodities can make up for a lack-lustre ritual and, by extension, a powerful ritual can make up for lack of required commodities. While theoretically this extends to both extremes, DO NOT run a ritual without commodities. In extremis, Fey Hair can stand in for most commodities – yet even then it would be best to include other commodities for variety, even if their connection is dubious or non-existent. It can, in these cases, be best to ‘over-offer’ commodities. <br /> <br /> ===The Role of the Ritualist===<br /> <br /> By now, I hope, I have impressed upon you the importance of the ritualist. <br /> I would like to take this moment to help you examine what kind of ritualist you will be. This is a decision as unique and as varied as grains of sand. You must get to know yourself and how the rituals will flow through you. How will you control that power, what in you speaks to the circle, and what in you listens when the circle speaks. <br /> Broadly speaking, there are two ‘types’ of ritualists. There are those that lead, and those that direct. <br /> <br /> A ritual is most often done with others. Often, the ritual will be acting on behalf of others, empowering, disempowering, resurrecting, faction ritual and the like. This means that the ritualist must know how they plan to act in that situation. It is here that the type of ritualist becomes important, and helps in how you, dear reader, will plan and conduct the ritual. <br /> <br /> DO NOT attempt to plan your ritual in the ritual circle. This ebbs the power away, and can often cause the ritual to fail, or backfire before you’ve even begun. <br /> <br /> DO NOT plan your ritual outside the ritual circle. Your time-slot is when the ritual begins, not when the planning begins. Not only does this run the danger that you may miss your slot entirely, but it also angers and irritates the ritual master/mistress. The ritual circle is very attuned to their ritual master/mistress and can, and will, refuse to help those who do not treat their ritual master/mistress with respect. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist As Leader====<br /> <br /> These ritualists are often gregarious, willing to encourage other participants. They bring their own personal energy and personality force. By their encouragement they entice, cajole and inspire other participants to raise their voices or offer their actions to the ritual or rite. They will dance, cheer, shout, wave their arms, call on these within and without – all seemingly in acts of madness. Yet in this they are responding to the feel of the rite. Does it need more movement? Does the circle need more direction around this element? Balancing a rite is a delicate business and changes with the ebb and flow of power. For those that lead, they are the ones often seen in the centre of the ritual, loud and aware of the attention. They are the ones who are happy to take speaking roles, and to move around the circle picking up the slack given to others. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist as Director.==== <br /> <br /> Some ritualists find that they are better able to follow the flow of the rite by maintaining their own inner peace. Often stoic and softly spoken, they become one with the rite. They direct others in the circle with command and well prepared scripts. Confident of their ability they are able to direct the ritual from that still small space inside them. It is from this place of quiet peace that they encourage others to move around the circle, that they direct others to become elements of the rite – becoming a living set-piece under the watchful eye of the ritualist. For those that direct, the visible ring-master style role is something that they find uncomfortable. For them they need to ensure that others are able to step forward. While some speaking is inevitable- only they can raise the words, only they can hold the power, and only they can direct the magics within the circle – it is possible to make much of the speaking work something done by others. <br /> <br /> ====The Person of the Ritualist====<br /> <br /> Between these two examples are there shades of grey, and these two are used here as straw-people so that you are able to see that all can be valid ritualists. Each has its own benefits and pitfalls, and both kinds of ritualist can do well to learn from the other. <br /> <br /> This should, for those that are beginning to think like a ritualist, show that planning of a ritual is important in whatever role you take. Everyone entering the ritual circle should have a role in the ritual. It can be as simple as placing commodities in the altar, or saying a short phrase – or it can be as elaborate as having them form a band and sing sea shanties. It is here that props can be of great help. Giving people props that they can place as symbols of things (a twig as a symbol of a tree, or a candle as a symbol of fire) can give them a meaningful role in the ritual circle. Ritual circles respond better to those that it knows, so the offerings of props here can become two fold, for example “My name is Reginald Goodman, and I bring the offering of light”. With such a simple line, they cover both their reason for being there, and introduce themselves. Of course, with this line it would be the ritualist (you) that would need to explain why the offering of light is necessary. “Ritual circle, we seek to banish the darkness, and to empower hope and light. We offer to you this offering of light” - Reginald would here step forward, and say their line. The ritualist might continue “as this candle banishes the darkness around it so too may this ritual banish the darkness”.<br /> <br /> The ritual is planned by the ritualist, and it is important to remember this important fact. A ritualist can find themselves acting on behalf of other factions, or standing in when their usual ritualist is absent. It is important that you take the time to understand each section of the ritual. <br /> <br /> First, let me be clear, whatever experience you have with rituals, if you are the only ritualist present, YOU ARE IN CHARGE. They may be wealthy, or a faction leader, but they must, for their own safety, listen to you. While it is tempting to just let them reap the rewards for their folly, only do so if you have protected yourself first. The worst, in my experience, are old faction leaders who have seen ‘A thousand rituals’, and wish to insist that it goes the same way. Rituals, and the collection of rites that make them up, are often tailored by the ritualist that does them often. If it is not you, do not be tempted away from your ritual style. Your focus is a successful ritual. Listen to what has gone before, yes, but to it your own way. By now you should be aware of how much won’t be shared by those who do not know of the deep magic of the circle – simply because they don’t have the time, the skill, or the inclination to learn.<br /> <br /> ==3. Planning Your Ritual==<br /> <br /> We have now covered much of the basics. The next step lays in the practical – and the most common ritual will be that of a faction ritual. We will therefore finish out this small pamphlet by taking a practical look at building your own faction ritual. This will cover the basics of rituals in general. By the end you will have a functioning and planned faction ritual.<br /> <br /> ===Preparation===<br /> <br /> Before we begin, you must know the faction. What is it that they are known for? What elements leap out at you? These elements are those that will be essential for the ritual. For example, do they spend time in the trees? Then take some leaves. Are they people of mud? Then take some mud. <br /> These are the elements most often overlooked as part of a ritual by new ritualists. Offerings are not just commodities. These elements help the ritual circle get a feeling for the faction, and to understand the sense, nature and flow of their faction powers. Do they have chants? Or phrases, songs, or dances? Are they known for particular weapons or clothes? Those need to be seen, and brought to the ritual circle. It is important that the faction be present for the ritual – not just the ritualist. <br /> It is understanding these sympathies that is important for any ritual. These sympathies give space and direction. They help build and summon the power needed to link a faction to their powers. <br /> It is best to assume that the ritual circle has never met your faction, and that you need to introduce its spiritual essence to the circle. How would you describe the feel of your faction? Or the emotional bond between faction members? You will find that these are ephemeral ideas, things that are very difficult to put into words and so it is to the ritualist to find symbols and elements that convey this idea. <br /> <br /> ===Commodities===<br /> <br /> As a rule of thumb you will need 5 commodities per faction power. As a new ritualist you may not (yet!) be able to do more than a single faction power in a single ritual. It is a good idea to ensure that the faction is aware of this, as it will help manage their expectations. It is a good idea to try and harmonise your commodities. Remember that it is always best that at least one of these is fay hair. For the others, look at the faction affinities and find, if you can, a harmonious link. Perhaps silver for those connected to the moon, or fay hair for those connected to nature. Again, perhaps gold for those seeking healing from the sun, or tin for those looking to empower base emotions. Gather these together. They can be a helpful meditation on the ritual you are planning. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise around meanings and associations, and they also harmonise together. It is better to have two or three commodities the same. Thus think in terms of twos and threes to build your five commodities. Remember, here, the fay hair. It can be beneficial to offer more for the sake of including the right commodities. <br /> <br /> ===First Steps===<br /> <br /> When planning any ritual, it helps to know what it is that you are asking. This step is often left to assumption, especially with faction rituals. Do not assume that the circle is able to divine from your words and actions what it is that you want the circle to do with the power. <br /> <br /> It helps for the ritualist to fully understand the faction power that they are looking to enable upon the festival lands. Let us consider the following (fictional) faction power. <br /> <br /> “I ask the circle to grant to our faction the power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase may be self-explanatory to the faction, but in and of itself makes no sense to you or I. What exactly is that the ritualist seeks to achieve with this? If the ritualist seeks to empower a magical weapon that is able to conjure the sun, the ritualist will need to know why this weapon does this. Is it to banish the darkness? Or is it a bane against undead? Is the weapon used for violence, or protection? Is the weapon a symbol of leadership, or is it a symbol of divinity? Consider these questions, and seek to answer them as you build your central theme for the ritual. This is the heart of your ritual, the central rite about which all other rites and actions will hang. Be clear in your intention. <br /> <br /> Building this rite will require explaining precisely what this faction power does. <br /> <br /> “Ritual Circle, we the faction of the Sun Warriors, come to you seeking to empower our Sun Hammer. The Sun Hammer is a beacon of hope to the festival lands. It brings the sun into a dark and lightless world. It can drive away even the most powerful darkness, it drives away those without souls, without life. It turns the undead to ash. I ask the ritual circle to grant our faction power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase seeks to explain what the Sun Hammer does, and explains specifically what it is, and its importance. You should already see that this central section begs many questions. Who are the ‘Sun Warriors’, Why is darkness something that they are against? Why do they need a weapon to do this? <br /> <br /> These questions then offer you simple examples of what minor rites you need to be preparing. Something simple to answer what the Sun Warriors are, what they stand for, and why they need a weapon. <br /> <br /> Here we run into our first tension. We are seeking to explain yes, and we are seeking to do so in a way that is able to build the power of the circle, yes. However, we are limited here by the amount of power that a new ritualist can hold in one go – and to the rule of brevity. More words do not make a better ritual. Longer rituals are not necessarily better. We will then need to look again at these other sections to see how they fit into our overall plan. <br /> <br /> Let us now turn to the elements that we know we need in our ritual at this point. <br /> <br /> ===A brief Ritual outline.===<br /> <br /> * 1. Everyone in the circle<br /> * 2. Cleanse Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> * 3. Raise the Wards – Rite<br /> * 4. Outline what you intend to do – Minor Rite<br /> * 5. Introduce the faction/scope – Minor Rite<br /> * 6. Empower the faction power – Rite<br /> * 7. Offer commodities – Minor Rite<br /> * 8. Give thanks – Minor Rite<br /> * 9 Lower the wards – Rite<br /> * 10. Cleanse the Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> <br /> ====A Note On The List====<br /> <br /> A Minor Rite here is something that has a clear and definite purpose, but may not stand as a complete rite in and of itself. They point to a section that cannot be missed, but they are often areas that can be covered in a few sentences, or a simple action. <br /> <br /> A Rite is something that is complete in and of itself. Something that has a clearly defined start and end, and the task(s) inside of it are all complete and connected to fulfilling that end. <br /> <br /> ====Planning Outline====<br /> <br /> When planning the ritual in this way, you can see at a glance which bits, and in what order you need to proceed to achieve your goal. You may find as you write it out that you have two minor rites that could be placed together to create a rite in and of themselves. This is always the more preferred way of dealing with the ritual, as it ensures that you don’t forget something. <br /> <br /> ====Record Keeping====<br /> <br /> It is at this point that I suggest something that should now be very obvious. Invest in a good notebook. Rituals have many steps, and in the heat of the moment, especially under pressure, it can be very easy to miss an important and vital step. It can then be very difficult to go backwards. A notebook can help you keep the ritual in order, and help you know which step is next. <br /> <br /> Ritualists should also keep a note of the rituals that succeed, and the rituals that don’t. Knowing what mistakes you made the last time is one of the best teachers. You may also find rituals written out by those ritualists that have gone before. <br /> <br /> A written ritual should include the following: <br /> Goal:<br /> Required payment:<br /> Power/Colours to be called upon:<br /> A list of rites contained within the ritual:<br /> Key points you Must say or achieve in the ritual:<br /> <br /> Optional extras - <br /> Number of ritualists required:<br /> Depictions of any symbols or runes to be drawn/called on:<br /> Nature/affinity that a circle has to make it easier:<br /> Minimum power/action a circle requires:<br /> <br /> From this common form, you can see that there is much more to a ritual than what we have yet covered. These things will be covered in a later pamphlet, but they are things that you should bear in mind when you write your own summary of a successful ritual. <br /> <br /> ====Towards a Planned Ritual: Notes on the order====<br /> <br /> I will not cover the rites that we have covered earlier in this pamphlet, suffice to say that they are likely to become part of every ritual that you ever do. They are often so common that those writing rituals do not include them in the list of rites required for a ritual. That said, we will pick up on the other points in order. <br /> <br /> ====4. Outline What You Intend To do====<br /> <br /> This outline is NOT a ‘telling those present how the ritual is going to do’. That should have already been done. This is perhaps a few short sentences announcing your intention to the ritual circle. “We come to you today to perform our faction ritual”. It is important because it informs the circle what it is that it needs to get itself ready for. It need not be more than a few lines, but it is vitally important that this is said clearly, and loudly. <br /> <br /> <br /> ====5. Introduce the Faction/scope====<br /> <br /> As your faction ritual’s tone is set by your faction, your introduction will be heavily based on your faction. It is here that you outline your faction’s strengths, which should naturally lead into the faction power that you request. You are a faction of healers, who believe that all life is sacred, and you work ceaselessly to drive away death and disease. You could then offer the circle a bandage, to show your healing, perhaps some medicine to show your fight against disease. You do not need, at this point, to offer to the circle anything of magical, or intrinsic value beyond their value as symbols of your nation. This is the point where you are giving the scope, the feel of the ritual to the circle. In non-faction rituals, this would be where you might explain why you need the ritual to take place, what are the drivers for that ritual. In more complex rituals, this could become a rite, and may very well be linked with 4 (above). <br /> <br /> ====7. Offer Commodities====<br /> <br /> We have spoken of the danger of this section, be careful with your wording. Again, some place this in the section before, and place them when powering the rite for the faction power. However, I suggest that you always have this as a minor rite in every ritual you do. It is incredibly easy, even for a trained ritualist, to simply forget to place the commodities in the bowl – even more so when this job is given to someone else. Write out the minor rite in your list, even if you intend it to be part of the earlier rite. This will ensure that the commodities are, in fact, paid, and you don’t all suffer dire consequences for missing this small but vital step. <br /> <br /> ====8. Give Thanks====<br /> <br /> It is very possible that your ritual will have no visible effect, or even no sense that your ritual has been successful. You must still offer your thanks. While there are many theories as to why this is, many rituals succeed as you leave the circle, and you cannot, then, re-enter the circle to give thanks. You would not want a ritual that had, until this point, been successful to fail on a point of rudeness. <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> You now have the basics of the most oft-used ritual. I would suggest you study this pamphlet, and become familiar with it. Take your own notes, and you will no-doubt have questions. Direct these to your Ritual Master/Mistress, or seek out other ritualists who have tread this well-worn path before you. Remember, that each ritualist is as individual as waves on the ocean, but there is always knowledge to be had.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro&diff=150 2026-07-13T17:54:57Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>=Sir Roger’s <br /> Guide to the Ritual Circle=<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> Welcome newest initiate to the wonderful role of Ritualist. Whether you be novice, or returning to work after a break, I hope that you will find this pamphlet of use, and its contents instructive. I plan to cover the basics of the ritual circle, but no introductory guide can be exhaustive. I will, however, aim to keep you, dear reader, as safe as possible. As such, I include herein rules that, if followed, will keep you safe. Know, however, that all such rules may be bent, or broken with experience, but experience will not save you from the consequences. <br /> <br /> ===About the Ritual Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Ritual circles can be found throughout Orin RaKatha. They are usually constructed on places of natural power, and are connected together. This connection, known as the ‘Circle Network’, or occasionally (and wrongly) as the ‘portal network’. This connection allows for communication through circles, both magically and, for example, by the sending of letters. DO NOT attempt to send living things through the network. They will not be the same, if they survive at all. <br /> <br /> All the circles are connected to the primary, or great circle. Known simply as The Ritual Circle. This grand circle is the nexus of all the power. The other circles are all connected to it, and their power may wax and wane. This connection, however, does not make all circles the same. Some circles attuned to different elements, or areas, or, many of the hundreds of different sections of the world. There are circles attuned to fire, some to water, some to the storm, and some to wind, some to death, and some to life. The list is nearly endless. This gives each circle its own ‘personality’. While the circle is not alive as you may normally understand it, it has a sentience. It understands, it learns. It reacts to those that have known it and shaped it, often in a stronger way than others. They each have a name. They each have their own secrets. To truly call oneself a High Incanter, you should have been privy to at least 3 circle secrets, and perhaps even, the name of a circle. <br /> <br /> All circles have an ‘affinity’, or, as some call it a ‘leaning’, though I find affinity to be more accurate. Much of this comes from the powers and magics most regularly used within them, which in turn often comes from their location and the visual natural affinity. Circles in forests are often seen to have an affinity with nature, those on cliff-tops with air or sea. Some circles have connections with magical elements, of fire and air and water. It is helpful to find circles that match your own affinities, and the affinities of the rituals that you do most often. It can ease the learning, and be of help in your early rituals. <br /> <br /> You cannot enter a Ritual Circle without permission from the Ritual Mistress/Master. They have a special connection to the ritual circle, and it is they that are able to raise and lower the wards around the circle from the outside. These wards keep the circle safe from stray magical effects that are often seen around the world. They are powerful – they have been known to keep gods at bay. Touching these wards leads to instantaneous death. While it may look instantaneous on the outside, that instant seems like aeons of pain to the unfortunate soul who touched it. <br /> <br /> A ritual itself is made up of several smaller sections, herein called ‘rites’. These rites are distinct sections of the ritual as a whole. Many of these rites are ones that a ritualist will practise until they are able to do them without much thought or much preparation. It is important to note that the skill of the ritualist is in weaving these individual rites into a single unified whole.<br /> <br /> ==1. The Basics==<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Cleansing a Ritual Circle===<br /> <br /> A circle can often accrue magical detritus. This can be from previous rituals, or the very web and weave of the circle network itself. The circle needs to be prepared before you do any ritual work inside it. <br /> <br /> Each cleansing is as unique as the mutualist, and this is the first part of your journey. Every ritualist has a connection to a power beyond themselves. Be it the sphere they have aligned themselves with (Death, Life, Nature, Flame, Water etc.), or perhaps something that comes from their faction itself – like the tree of life, or the dark of the crypt. Each of these are things that can be called upon to aid in the cleansing of the circle. At its most basic, the cleansing of the circle is an action of action and chant. <br /> <br /> It is always best to begin with a thorough cleansing, imagine that this is taking a metaphorical broom and sweeping away the detritus. In its simplest form, this is a slow circular walk around the edges of the circle. Imagine that you have created a ball of energy around yourself, and it is this power that is sweeping the circle. Some hold their arms wide, as though gathering, or pushing all the unwanted energy from the circle. <br /> <br /> It should be remembered that you can enter the circle with ritualist props. If you need a broom, take a broom. If you feel it works better for you with a stick, or fire, or candles or whatever, take those with you. They may seem like props to the outsider, but if they allow you to connect you with the actions of the ritual, then take them. Of course, take caution, do not take too much in, it can get in the way. As a guide, take no more than one item in each hand. <br /> <br /> As for the chant itself, this is often ritualist-specific, and inspired by their faction. A call for cleansing from the elements, say, water or fire, or perhaps from powers can often be heard. Be careful here not to channel these magical elements too powerfully in the cleansing. Remembering it is YOU, the ritualist who does the cleansing. “I cleanse this circle from all negative effects”, or again “I cleanse this circle from all residual magics and return all unused power to the circle”. You may be as imaginative or as flowery as you like. <br /> <br /> A novice might be tempted to try and use this untempered energy in a ritual. Do not. Drive that thought from your mind. That energy is wild, unknown. It could have been used in a ritual of death, or resurrection, and the energy could attach itself to you. It could cause untold harm to you. Do not think this, cleanse the circle. <br /> <br /> <br /> ===Raising the wards===<br /> <br /> Once you have been granted access to the circle, your first act is to raise the wards. The wards around the circle come with the circle itself, and are best raised by loudly, and firmly saying ‘I raise the wards on the circle’. These wards will be enough for the most basic of rituals. <br /> <br /> However, it is often best to raise the wards with a bit more effort, and here beings your personal journey into understanding yourself as a ritualist. Some will face each of the cardinal directions, and open their arms wide and proclaim “I raise these circle wards”. Some may add the power of a deity or magical sphere “I raise these words and strengthen them with the power of life”, though it is often best to remember that it is the circle that raises the words, and that the circle wards are raised by the power of the ritualist in the circle. <br /> <br /> These wards are there to protect whatever ritual action you are about to perform from interference from the outside. A stray magical spell through an unprotected ritual circle can have dire effects on the ritual itself, and of course, on the ritualist if the spell is directed at them. <br /> <br /> The wards also contain your ritual. Rituals are often about gathering together, and harnessing vast amounts of magic. These vast amounts of magic, without the wards, will leak beyond the circle, and can cause damage to people beyond, the circle itself, and to allies. This can cause you to lose control of the ritual. Many a ritualist has been lost to their own ritual by forgetting this simple, but necessary step. <br /> <br /> When raising the wards, remember that you are raising the wards for a circle. For many ritualists, this involves a small walk around the circle, activating the wards with words, and actions. Often more than one walk around the circle, empowering each ward as they pass. <br /> <br /> It should be noted that a novice ritualist may not be able to see the arcane writing that guards the ritual circle, but they should trust that it is there. Imagine yourself pushing power into these wards, and imagine, in the eye of your mind, that they are glowing with power. Imagine how it would be to push that power from yourself, feel it flow through you. Imagine the words that it would take to do it. For some it is easier with actions, some with words, some with song or dance. <br /> <br /> ===The Ritualist and the Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Once the circle is cleansed, a ritual may now partake of the most important rite. That is, to commune with the circle. One of the gifts of being a ritualist is the communing. DO NOT ask any great questions of knowledge; DO NOT ask questions of ritual help. Simply be. Seek to get to know the circle, to feel how they are. This requires a question, but wording is one of the first challenges. A simple question like “How fares this circle” will suffice. This rite is as individual as the ritualist – from expressive dance, to deep drumming, to an eastern tea ceremony. The circle’s answer may be nothing, may be just a sense of a feeling, or you may be gifted an insight shared by the circle. It will no doubt take many blinding headaches until you perfect the power of this simple ritual. This simple ritual, however, is what will allow you to take the first steps towards attuning yourself to a circle. <br /> <br /> ====A Warning on STUPID QUESTIONS====<br /> <br /> Every ritualist in their time will ask something stupid of the circle. It is as inevitable as the rising sun. However, I seek to aid you with the benefit of experience, so that you may learn from my hard-earned experience. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle its ‘name’. The Name of a circle is considered a secret, and must be earned. Generally, a circle often takes its common name from its location. It would be stupid to ask a circle its name as this is something that the circle will share once you are deserving. To become deserving is beyond this pamflet. If you are unsure how to address the circle, you can ask the ritual Master/Mistress. You can oftn address the circle simply as ‘ritual circle’ or ‘circle. <br /> <br /> NOT NOT use words like ‘great’ when describing the circle unless you stand in THE ritual circle. <br /> <br /> USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. If a circle is obviously corrupted or on fire or screaming, do not ask it how it is. <br /> <br /> DO NOT OFFER the circle things that you don’t mind losing. I have seen many a ritualist disappear into the circle for ‘offering’ their life to the circle instead of ‘dedicating’ their life to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT expect the circle to understand your implied ‘sense’. The context of the question may be obvious to you, but it may not be to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle for things easily obtained in other ways. The circle should not be used as a replacement almanack. <br /> <br /> ===Thank the Circle===<br /> <br /> Once your communing is done, remember to thank the circle. Use words. If your communing involves food or liquid, leave a portion on the ground at the base of the offering stand. For liquids, you can often pour these into the ground. <br /> <br /> DO NOT put food offerings or liquid offerings in the offering bowl. <br /> <br /> At the end of this communing, you may wish to cleanse the circle. It can be possible for events happening later to affect you if you have a strong connection to the circle. <br /> <br /> As you leave, thank the ritual Master/Mistress for their time. Be sure to check with them for any further clarification, or even pointers on your recently finished ritual. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==2. Intermediaries – Towards your first practical ritual.==<br /> <br /> You have now seen the basics of the very first ritual. You know a ritual is made up of smaller sections, called herein ‘rites’, and we are aware of some of the basics in being safe. Those who are still reading are those most likely to make it as a ritualist. One of the primary things a ritualist needs is patience. The first section will have, in most cases, been harmless enough for even the most hot-headed, but they may have found themselves with a few negative effects from outside influences. These influences could have been anything from a passing spell, or even bad actors. Even the sudden arrival of wildlife can throw off a ritual. It is the reason why many sensible ritualists raise the wards. In the first section we spoke briefly about this practice, but let us now spend a bit more time with this most important first step. <br /> <br /> ===Raising The Wards===<br /> <br /> DO NOT cross raised wards. It is always painful, and often fatal. <br /> <br /> DO NOT leave the ritual circle until every ritualist who has raised the wards lowers them. <br /> <br /> Raising the words is a rite that follows the same basics as the rite of cleansing. It uses movement and somatics (Somatics being ‘sound’ or ‘voice’). The raising of the wards ask that the ritual circle protect both those within and without from harmful effects crossing the barrier. It ensures that the rites that follow are contained so that their magics can be used for its intended purpose. It also ensures that entities, being, magic and influence from outside cannot enter. <br /> The power of the wards can be directly linked to the power and experience of the ritualist. That said, it is unlikely a new ritualist would be able to raise enough power to overwhelm their own wards accidentally. It is therefore advisable for ritualists to be aware of the amount of power they seek to manage, and whether or not they might need to pay more than cursory attention to the wards they have raised. <br /> The process of the rite is as the rite of cleansing (above), but it imagines, instead, a dome over the ritual circle and uses words similar to “I raise the wards of this ritual circle”. It does not here do harm to signal the kind of power you imagine to be flowing through those wards, the power of flame, or fire. Perhaps that of the mighty oak, or the everlasting night. For example, “I raise the words of this ritual circle, that they may stand tall and strong like the mighty oaks. That no wind or storm mundane or magical may stand against them”. <br /> <br /> This rite will often see a practised ritualist moving. It is wise at this stage of learning to use your whole body in movement. The raising of your arms, perhaps a dramatic version of a strong tree. These movements will at first seem odd, and in their exaggerated form, you will gain strange looks from those unfamiliar with the ritual circle. However, you will feel the power of the circle course through you as you use them. You will touch on depths of power that will connect you in a very real and tangible way with the circle. If you find that your circle is ‘silent’ and unresponsive, try more movement. <br /> <br /> I have found that it is often better to try these movements outside of the circle. There are a number of different forms that people use, and you can occasionally see a ritualist performing them as part of their morning acts. Each ritualist develops their own, and each ritual master/mistress will have yet more ways of adding movement. My advice on this topic will be to practise what feels natural, and to watch others, if you are able. Certainly as you seek to move past the more cursory ritual actions it is best to find yourself someone that you may shadow. Many ritualists are happy to aid in someone exploring the ritual circle, especially if it is one they themselves use – even if it is to stop you exploding in the ritual circle and forcing them to clean it up. <br /> <br /> ===A word about Commodities===<br /> <br /> Every ritual requires commodities. This simple rule will keep a new ritualist safe, and ensure that their rituals have a better chance of success. The commodities are placed into the offering bowl upon a stand, or an altar inside the circle. <br /> <br /> It can be a good idea for the ritualist to separate the offerings to be connected to the request (if making multiple requests), but be careful to not suggest that the offerings are bribes or payments. The offerings are part of the powering of the rituals. As such offerings should be made with an eye to their role and affinity. <br /> <br /> Fay hair, for example, is connected to strong natural magical power. Gold would be good for sphere-based power magics. A rite should have multiple different commodities all seeking to inform and support each other. Be aware, though, that commodities have different, but overlapping natures. Do not look at them through the eyes of others. Tin is near worthless outside of the ritual circle, but properly used is as powerful an ingredient as any other. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise together, and work best in groups, or sets. 2 at a push, but 3 of the same is ideal. <br /> <br /> It should be said here that commodities and rituals are a part of a whole. Powerful commodities can make up for a lack-lustre ritual and, by extension, a powerful ritual can make up for lack of required commodities. While theoretically this extends to both extremes, DO NOT run a ritual without commodities. In extremis, Fey Hair can stand in for most commodities – yet even then it would be best to include other commodities for variety, even if their connection is dubious or non-existent. It can, in these cases, be best to ‘over-offer’ commodities. <br /> <br /> ===The Role of the Ritualist===<br /> <br /> By now, I hope, I have impressed upon you the importance of the ritualist. <br /> I would like to take this moment to help you examine what kind of ritualist you will be. This is a decision as unique and as varied as grains of sand. You must get to know yourself and how the rituals will flow through you. How will you control that power, what in you speaks to the circle, and what in you listens when the circle speaks. <br /> Broadly speaking, there are two ‘types’ of ritualists. There are those that lead, and those that direct. <br /> <br /> A ritual is most often done with others. Often, the ritual will be acting on behalf of others, empowering, disempowering, resurrecting, faction ritual and the like. This means that the ritualist must know how they plan to act in that situation. It is here that the type of ritualist becomes important, and helps in how you, dear reader, will plan and conduct the ritual. <br /> <br /> DO NOT attempt to plan your ritual in the ritual circle. This ebbs the power away, and can often cause the ritual to fail, or backfire before you’ve even begun. <br /> <br /> DO NOT plan your ritual outside the ritual circle. Your time-slot is when the ritual begins, not when the planning begins. Not only does this run the danger that you may miss your slot entirely, but it also angers and irritates the ritual master/mistress. The ritual circle is very attuned to their ritual master/mistress and can, and will, refuse to help those who do not treat their ritual master/mistress with respect. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist As Leader====<br /> <br /> These ritualists are often gregarious, willing to encourage other participants. They bring their own personal energy and personality force. By their encouragement they entice, cajole and inspire other participants to raise their voices or offer their actions to the ritual or rite. They will dance, cheer, shout, wave their arms, call on these within and without – all seemingly in acts of madness. Yet in this they are responding to the feel of the rite. Does it need more movement? Does the circle need more direction around this element? Balancing a rite is a delicate business and changes with the ebb and flow of power. For those that lead, they are the ones often seen in the centre of the ritual, loud and aware of the attention. They are the ones who are happy to take speaking roles, and to move around the circle picking up the slack given to others. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist as Director.==== <br /> <br /> Some ritualists find that they are better able to follow the flow of the rite by maintaining their own inner peace. Often stoic and softly spoken, they become one with the rite. They direct others in the circle with command and well prepared scripts. Confident of their ability they are able to direct the ritual from that still small space inside them. It is from this place of quiet peace that they encourage others to move around the circle, that they direct others to become elements of the rite – becoming a living set-piece under the watchful eye of the ritualist. For those that direct, the visible ring-master style role is something that they find uncomfortable. For them they need to ensure that others are able to step forward. While some speaking is inevitable- only they can raise the words, only they can hold the power, and only they can direct the magics within the circle – it is possible to make much of the speaking work something done by others. <br /> <br /> ====The Person of the Ritualist====<br /> <br /> Between these two examples are there shades of grey, and these two are used here as straw-people so that you are able to see that all can be valid ritualists. Each has its own benefits and pitfalls, and both kinds of ritualist can do well to learn from the other. <br /> <br /> This should, for those that are beginning to think like a ritualist, show that planning of a ritual is important in whatever role you take. Everyone entering the ritual circle should have a role in the ritual. It can be as simple as placing commodities in the altar, or saying a short phrase – or it can be as elaborate as having them form a band and sing sea shanties. It is here that props can be of great help. Giving people props that they can place as symbols of things (a twig as a symbol of a tree, or a candle as a symbol of fire) can give them a meaningful role in the ritual circle. Ritual circles respond better to those that it knows, so the offerings of props here can become two fold, for example “My name is Reginald Goodman, and I bring the offering of light”. With such a simple line, they cover both their reason for being there, and introduce themselves. Of course, with this line it would be the ritualist (you) that would need to explain why the offering of light is necessary. “Ritual circle, we seek to banish the darkness, and to empower hope and light. We offer to you this offering of light” - Reginald would here step forward, and say their line. The ritualist might continue “as this candle banishes the darkness around it so too may this ritual banish the darkness”.<br /> <br /> The ritual is planned by the ritualist, and it is important to remember this important fact. A ritualist can find themselves acting on behalf of other factions, or standing in when their usual ritualist is absent. It is important that you take the time to understand each section of the ritual. <br /> <br /> First, let me be clear, whatever experience you have with rituals, if you are the only ritualist present, YOU ARE IN CHARGE. They may be wealthy, or a faction leader, but they must, for their own safety, listen to you. While it is tempting to just let them reap the rewards for their folly, only do so if you have protected yourself first. The worst, in my experience, are old faction leaders who have seen ‘A thousand rituals’, and wish to insist that it goes the same way. Rituals, and the collection of rites that make them up, are often tailored by the ritualist that does them often. If it is not you, do not be tempted away from your ritual style. Your focus is a successful ritual. Listen to what has gone before, yes, but to it your own way. By now you should be aware of how much won’t be shared by those who do not know of the deep magic of the circle – simply because they don’t have the time, the skill, or the inclination to learn.<br /> <br /> ==3. Planning Your Ritual==<br /> <br /> We have now covered much of the basics. The next step lays in the practical – and the most common ritual will be that of a faction ritual. We will therefore finish out this small pamphlet by taking a practical look at building your own faction ritual. This will cover the basics of rituals in general. By the end you will have a functioning and planned faction ritual.<br /> <br /> ===Preparation===<br /> <br /> Before we begin, you must know the faction. What is it that they are known for? What elements leap out at you? These elements are those that will be essential for the ritual. For example, do they spend time in the trees? Then take some leaves. Are they people of mud? Then take some mud. <br /> These are the elements most often overlooked as part of a ritual by new ritualists. Offerings are not just commodities. These elements help the ritual circle get a feeling for the faction, and to understand the sense, nature and flow of their faction powers. Do they have chants? Or phrases, songs, or dances? Are they known for particular weapons or clothes? Those need to be seen, and brought to the ritual circle. It is important that the faction be present for the ritual – not just the ritualist. <br /> It is understanding these sympathies that is important for any ritual. These sympathies give space and direction. They help build and summon the power needed to link a faction to their powers. <br /> It is best to assume that the ritual circle has never met your faction, and that you need to introduce its spiritual essence to the circle. How would you describe the feel of your faction? Or the emotional bond between faction members? You will find that these are ephemeral ideas, things that are very difficult to put into words and so it is to the ritualist to find symbols and elements that convey this idea. <br /> <br /> ===Commodities===<br /> <br /> As a rule of thumb you will need 5 commodities per faction power. As a new ritualist you may not (yet!) be able to do more than a single faction power in a single ritual. It is a good idea to ensure that the faction is aware of this, as it will help manage their expectations. It is a good idea to try and harmonise your commodities. Remember that it is always best that at least one of these is fay hair. For the others, look at the faction affinities and find, if you can, a harmonious link. Perhaps silver for those connected to the moon, or fay hair for those connected to nature. Again, perhaps gold for those seeking healing from the sun, or tin for those looking to empower base emotions. Gather these together. They can be a helpful meditation on the ritual you are planning. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise around meanings and associations, and they also harmonise together. It is better to have two or three commodities the same. Thus think in terms of twos and threes to build your five commodities. Remember, here, the fay hair. It can be beneficial to offer more for the sake of including the right commodities. <br /> <br /> ===First Steps===<br /> <br /> When planning any ritual, it helps to know what it is that you are asking. This step is often left to assumption, especially with faction rituals. Do not assume that the circle is able to divine from your words and actions what it is that you want the circle to do with the power. <br /> <br /> It helps for the ritualist to fully understand the faction power that they are looking to enable upon the festival lands. Let us consider the following (fictional) faction power. <br /> <br /> “I ask the circle to grant to our faction the power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase may be self-explanatory to the faction, but in and of itself makes no sense to you or I. What exactly is that the ritualist seeks to achieve with this? If the ritualist seeks to empower a magical weapon that is able to conjure the sun, the ritualist will need to know why this weapon does this. Is it to banish the darkness? Or is it a bane against undead? Is the weapon used for violence, or protection? Is the weapon a symbol of leadership, or is it a symbol of divinity? Consider these questions, and seek to answer them as you build your central theme for the ritual. This is the heart of your ritual, the central rite about which all other rites and actions will hang. Be clear in your intention. <br /> <br /> Building this rite will require explaining precisely what this faction power does. <br /> <br /> “Ritual Circle, we the faction of the Sun Warriors, come to you seeking to empower our Sun Hammer. The Sun Hammer is a beacon of hope to the festival lands. It brings the sun into a dark and lightless world. It can drive away even the most powerful darkness, it drives away those without souls, without life. It turns the undead to ash. I ask the ritual circle to grant our faction power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase seeks to explain what the Sun Hammer does, and explains specifically what it is, and its importance. You should already see that this central section begs many questions. Who are the ‘Sun Warriors’, Why is darkness something that they are against? Why do they need a weapon to do this? <br /> <br /> These questions then offer you simple examples of what minor rites you need to be preparing. Something simple to answer what the Sun Warriors are, what they stand for, and why they need a weapon. <br /> <br /> Here we run into our first tension. We are seeking to explain yes, and we are seeking to do so in a way that is able to build the power of the circle, yes. However, we are limited here by the amount of power that a new ritualist can hold in one go – and to the rule of brevity. More words do not make a better ritual. Longer rituals are not necessarily better. We will then need to look again at these other sections to see how they fit into our overall plan. <br /> <br /> Let us now turn to the elements that we know we need in our ritual at this point. <br /> <br /> ===A brief Ritual outline.===<br /> <br /> * 1. Everyone in the circle<br /> * 2. Cleanse Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> * 3. Raise the Wards – Rite<br /> * 4. Outline what you intend to do – Minor Rite<br /> * 5. Introduce the faction/scope – Minor Rite<br /> * 6. Empower the faction power – Rite<br /> * 7. Offer commodities – Minor Rite<br /> * 8. Give thanks – Minor Rite<br /> * 9 Lower the wards – Rite<br /> * 10. Cleanse the Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> <br /> ====A Note On The List====<br /> <br /> A Minor Rite here is something that has a clear and definite purpose, but may not stand as a complete rite in and of itself. They point to a section that cannot be missed, but they are often areas that can be covered in a few sentences, or a simple action. <br /> <br /> A Rite is something that is complete in and of itself. Something that has a clearly defined start and end, and the task(s) inside of it are all complete and connected to fulfilling that end. <br /> <br /> ====Planning Outline====<br /> <br /> When planning the ritual in this way, you can see at a glance which bits, and in what order you need to proceed to achieve your goal. You may find as you write it out that you have two minor rites that could be placed together to create a rite in and of themselves. This is always the more preferred way of dealing with the ritual, as it ensures that you don’t forget something. <br /> <br /> ====Record Keeping====<br /> <br /> It is at this point that I suggest something that should now be very obvious. Invest in a good notebook. Rituals have many steps, and in the heat of the moment, especially under pressure, it can be very easy to miss an important and vital step. It can then be very difficult to go backwards. A notebook can help you keep the ritual in order, and help you know which step is next. <br /> <br /> Ritualists should also keep a note of the rituals that succeed, and the rituals that don’t. Knowing what mistakes you made the last time is one of the best teachers. You may also find rituals written out by those ritualists that have gone before. <br /> <br /> A written ritual should include the following: <br /> Goal:<br /> Required payment:<br /> Power/Colours to be called upon:<br /> A list of rites contained within the ritual:<br /> Key points you Must say or achieve in the ritual:<br /> <br /> Optional extras - <br /> Number of ritualists required:<br /> Depictions of any symbols or runes to be drawn/called on:<br /> Nature/affinity that a circle has to make it easier:<br /> Minimum power/action a circle requires:<br /> <br /> From this common form, you can see that there is much more to a ritual than what we have yet covered. These things will be covered in a later pamphlet, but they are things that you should bear in mind when you write your own summary of a successful ritual. <br /> <br /> ====Towards a Planned Ritual: Notes on the order====<br /> <br /> I will not cover the rites that we have covered earlier in this pamphlet, suffice to say that they are likely to become part of every ritual that you ever do. They are often so common that those writing rituals do not include them in the list of rites required for a ritual. That said, we will pick up on the other points in order. <br /> <br /> ====4. Outline What You Intend To do====<br /> <br /> This outline is NOT a ‘telling those present how the ritual is going to do’. That should have already been done. This is perhaps a few short sentences announcing your intention to the ritual circle. “We come to you today to perform our faction ritual”. It is important because it informs the circle what it is that it needs to get itself ready for. It need not be more than a few lines, but it is vitally important that this is said clearly, and loudly. <br /> <br /> <br /> ====5. Introduce the Faction/scope====<br /> <br /> As your faction ritual’s tone is set by your faction, your introduction will be heavily based on your faction. It is here that you outline your faction’s strengths, which should naturally lead into the faction power that you request. You are a faction of healers, who believe that all life is sacred, and you work ceaselessly to drive away death and disease. You could then offer the circle a bandage, to show your healing, perhaps some medicine to show your fight against disease. You do not need, at this point, to offer to the circle anything of magical, or intrinsic value beyond their value as symbols of your nation. This is the point where you are giving the scope, the feel of the ritual to the circle. In non-faction rituals, this would be where you might explain why you need the ritual to take place, what are the drivers for that ritual. In more complex rituals, this could become a rite, and may very well be linked with 4 (above). <br /> <br /> ====7. Offer Commodities====<br /> <br /> We have spoken of the danger of this section, be careful with your wording. Again, some place this in the section before, and place them when powering the rite for the faction power. However, I suggest that you always have this as a minor rite in every ritual you do. It is incredibly easy, even for a trained ritualist, to simply forget to place the commodities in the bowl – even more so when this job is given to someone else. Write out the minor rite in your list, even if you intend it to be part of the earlier rite. This will ensure that the commodities are, in fact, paid, and you don’t all suffer dire consequences for missing this small but vital step. <br /> <br /> ====8. Give Thanks====<br /> <br /> It is very possible that your ritual will have no visible effect, or even no sense that your ritual has been successful. You must still offer your thanks. While there are many theories as to why this is, many rituals succeed as you leave the circle, and you cannot, then, re-enter the circle to give thanks. You would not want a ritual that had, until this point, been successful to fail on a point of rudeness. <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> You now have the basics of the most oft-used ritual. I would suggest you study this pamphlet, and become familiar with it. Take your own notes, and you will no-doubt have questions. Direct these to your Ritual Master/Mistress, or seek out other ritualists who have tread this well-worn path before you. Remember, that each ritualist is as individual as waves on the ocean, but there is always knowledge to be had.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro&diff=149 2026-07-13T17:52:52Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* A brief Ritual outline. */</p> <hr /> <div>=Sir Roger’s <br /> Guide to the Ritual Circle=<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> Welcome newest initiate to the wonderful role of Ritualist. Whether you be novice, or returning to work after a break, I hope that you will find this pamphlet of use, and its contents instructive. I plan to cover the basics of the ritual circle, but no introductory guide can be exhaustive. I will, however, aim to keep you, dear reader, as safe as possible. As such, I include herein rules that, if followed, will keep you safe. Know, however, that all such rules may be bent, or broken with experience, but experience will not save you from the consequences. <br /> <br /> ===About the Ritual Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Ritual circles can be found throughout Orin RaKatha. They are usually constructed on places of natural power, and are connected together. This connection, known as the ‘Circle Network’, or occasionally (and wrongly) as the ‘portal network’. This connection allows for communication through circles, both magically and, for example, by the sending of letters. DO NOT attempt to send living things through the network. They will not be the same, if they survive at all. <br /> <br /> All the circles are connected to the primary, or great circle. Known simply as The Ritual Circle. This grand circle is the nexus of all the power. The other circles are all connected to it, and their power may wax and wane. This connection, however, does not make all circles the same. Some circles attuned to different elements, or areas, or, many of the hundreds of different sections of the world. There are circles attuned to fire, some to water, some to the storm, and some to wind, some to death, and some to life. The list is nearly endless. This gives each circle its own ‘personality’. While the circle is not alive as you may normally understand it, it has a sentience. It understands, it learns. It reacts to those that have known it and shaped it, often in a stronger way than others. They each have a name. They each have their own secrets. To truly call oneself a High Incanter, you should have been privy to at least 3 circle secrets, and perhaps even, the name of a circle. <br /> <br /> All circles have an ‘affinity’, or, as some call it a ‘leaning’, though I find affinity to be more accurate. Much of this comes from the powers and magics most regularly used within them, which in turn often comes from their location and the visual natural affinity. Circles in forests are often seen to have an affinity with nature, those on cliff-tops with air or sea. Some circles have connections with magical elements, of fire and air and water. It is helpful to find circles that match your own affinities, and the affinities of the rituals that you do most often. It can ease the learning, and be of help in your early rituals. <br /> <br /> You cannot enter a Ritual Circle without permission from the Ritual Mistress/Master. They have a special connection to the ritual circle, and it is they that are able to raise and lower the wards around the circle from the outside. These wards keep the circle safe from stray magical effects that are often seen around the world. They are powerful – they have been known to keep gods at bay. Touching these wards leads to instantaneous death. While it may look instantaneous on the outside, that instant seems like aeons of pain to the unfortunate soul who touched it. <br /> <br /> A ritual itself is made up of several smaller sections, herein called ‘rites’. These rites are distinct sections of the ritual as a whole. Many of these rites are ones that a ritualist will practise until they are able to do them without much thought or much preparation. It is important to note that the skill of the ritualist is in weaving these individual rites into a single unified whole.<br /> <br /> ==1. The Basics==<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Cleansing a Ritual Circle===<br /> <br /> A circle can often accrue magical detritus. This can be from previous rituals, or the very web and weave of the circle network itself. The circle needs to be prepared before you do any ritual work inside it. <br /> <br /> Each cleansing is as unique as the mutualist, and this is the first part of your journey. Every ritualist has a connection to a power beyond themselves. Be it the sphere they have aligned themselves with (Death, Life, Nature, Flame, Water etc.), or perhaps something that comes from their faction itself – like the tree of life, or the dark of the crypt. Each of these are things that can be called upon to aid in the cleansing of the circle. At its most basic, the cleansing of the circle is an action of action and chant. <br /> <br /> It is always best to begin with a thorough cleansing, imagine that this is taking a metaphorical broom and sweeping away the detritus. In its simplest form, this is a slow circular walk around the edges of the circle. Imagine that you have created a ball of energy around yourself, and it is this power that is sweeping the circle. Some hold their arms wide, as though gathering, or pushing all the unwanted energy from the circle. <br /> <br /> It should be remembered that you can enter the circle with ritualist props. If you need a broom, take a broom. If you feel it works better for you with a stick, or fire, or candles or whatever, take those with you. They may seem like props to the outsider, but if they allow you to connect you with the actions of the ritual, then take them. Of course, take caution, do not take too much in, it can get in the way. As a guide, take no more than one item in each hand. <br /> <br /> As for the chant itself, this is often ritualist-specific, and inspired by their faction. A call for cleansing from the elements, say, water or fire, or perhaps from powers can often be heard. Be careful here not to channel these magical elements too powerfully in the cleansing. Remembering it is YOU, the ritualist who does the cleansing. “I cleanse this circle from all negative effects”, or again “I cleanse this circle from all residual magics and return all unused power to the circle”. You may be as imaginative or as flowery as you like. <br /> <br /> A novice might be tempted to try and use this untempered energy in a ritual. Do not. Drive that thought from your mind. That energy is wild, unknown. It could have been used in a ritual of death, or resurrection, and the energy could attach itself to you. It could cause untold harm to you. Do not think this, cleanse the circle. <br /> <br /> <br /> ===Raising the wards===<br /> <br /> Once you have been granted access to the circle, your first act is to raise the wards. The wards around the circle come with the circle itself, and are best raised by loudly, and firmly saying ‘I raise the wards on the circle’. These wards will be enough for the most basic of rituals. <br /> <br /> However, it is often best to raise the wards with a bit more effort, and here beings your personal journey into understanding yourself as a ritualist. Some will face each of the cardinal directions, and open their arms wide and proclaim “I raise these circle wards”. Some may add the power of a deity or magical sphere “I raise these words and strengthen them with the power of life”, though it is often best to remember that it is the circle that raises the words, and that the circle wards are raised by the power of the ritualist in the circle. <br /> <br /> These wards are there to protect whatever ritual action you are about to perform from interference from the outside. A stray magical spell through an unprotected ritual circle can have dire effects on the ritual itself, and of course, on the ritualist if the spell is directed at them. <br /> <br /> The wards also contain your ritual. Rituals are often about gathering together, and harnessing vast amounts of magic. These vast amounts of magic, without the wards, will leak beyond the circle, and can cause damage to people beyond, the circle itself, and to allies. This can cause you to lose control of the ritual. Many a ritualist has been lost to their own ritual by forgetting this simple, but necessary step. <br /> <br /> When raising the wards, remember that you are raising the wards for a circle. For many ritualists, this involves a small walk around the circle, activating the wards with words, and actions. Often more than one walk around the circle, empowering each ward as they pass. <br /> <br /> It should be noted that a novice ritualist may not be able to see the arcane writing that guards the ritual circle, but they should trust that it is there. Imagine yourself pushing power into these wards, and imagine, in the eye of your mind, that they are glowing with power. Imagine how it would be to push that power from yourself, feel it flow through you. Imagine the words that it would take to do it. For some it is easier with actions, some with words, some with song or dance. <br /> <br /> ===The Ritualist and the Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Once the circle is cleansed, a ritual may now partake of the most important rite. That is, to commune with the circle. One of the gifts of being a ritualist is the communing. DO NOT ask any great questions of knowledge; DO NOT ask questions of ritual help. Simply be. Seek to get to know the circle, to feel how they are. This requires a question, but wording is one of the first challenges. A simple question like “How fares this circle” will suffice. This rite is as individual as the ritualist – from expressive dance, to deep drumming, to an eastern tea ceremony. The circle’s answer may be nothing, may be just a sense of a feeling, or you may be gifted an insight shared by the circle. It will no doubt take many blinding headaches until you perfect the power of this simple ritual. This simple ritual, however, is what will allow you to take the first steps towards attuning yourself to a circle. <br /> <br /> ====A Warning on STUPID QUESTIONS====<br /> <br /> Every ritualist in their time will ask something stupid of the circle. It is as inevitable as the rising sun. However, I seek to aid you with the benefit of experience, so that you may learn from my hard-earned experience. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle its ‘name’. The Name of a circle is considered a secret, and must be earned. Generally, a circle often takes its common name from its location. It would be stupid to ask a circle its name as this is something that the circle will share once you are deserving. To become deserving is beyond this pamflet. If you are unsure how to address the circle, you can ask the ritual Master/Mistress. You can oftn address the circle simply as ‘ritual circle’ or ‘circle. <br /> <br /> NOT NOT use words like ‘great’ when describing the circle unless you stand in THE ritual circle. <br /> <br /> USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. If a circle is obviously corrupted or on fire or screaming, do not ask it how it is. <br /> <br /> DO NOT OFFER the circle things that you don’t mind losing. I have seen many a ritualist disappear into the circle for ‘offering’ their life to the circle instead of ‘dedicating’ their life to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT expect the circle to understand your implied ‘sense’. The context of the question may be obvious to you, but it may not be to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle for things easily obtained in other ways. The circle should not be used as a replacement almanack. <br /> <br /> ===Thank the Circle===<br /> <br /> Once your communing is done, remember to thank the circle. Use words. If your communing involves food or liquid, leave a portion on the ground at the base of the offering stand. For liquids, you can often pour these into the ground. <br /> <br /> DO NOT put food offerings or liquid offerings in the offering bowl. <br /> <br /> At the end of this communing, you may wish to cleanse the circle. It can be possible for events happening later to affect you if you have a strong connection to the circle. <br /> <br /> As you leave, thank the ritual Master/Mistress for their time. Be sure to check with them for any further clarification, or even pointers on your recently finished ritual. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==2. Intermediaries – Towards your first practical ritual.==<br /> <br /> You have now seen the basics of the very first ritual. You know a ritual is made up of smaller sections, called herein ‘rites’, and we are aware of some of the basics in being safe. Those who are still reading are those most likely to make it as a ritualist. One of the primary things a ritualist needs is patience. The first section will have, in most cases, been harmless enough for even the most hot-headed, but they may have found themselves with a few negative effects from outside influences. These influences could have been anything from a passing spell, or even bad actors. Even the sudden arrival of wildlife can throw off a ritual. It is the reason why many sensible ritualists raise the wards. In the first section we spoke briefly about this practice, but let us now spend a bit more time with this most important first step. <br /> <br /> ===Raising The Wards===<br /> <br /> DO NOT cross raised wards. It is always painful, and often fatal. <br /> <br /> DO NOT leave the ritual circle until every ritualist who has raised the wards lowers them. <br /> <br /> Raising the words is a rite that follows the same basics as the rite of cleansing. It uses movement and somatics (Somatics being ‘sound’ or ‘voice’). The raising of the wards ask that the ritual circle protect both those within and without from harmful effects crossing the barrier. It ensures that the rites that follow are contained so that their magics can be used for its intended purpose. It also ensures that entities, being, magic and influence from outside cannot enter. <br /> The power of the wards can be directly linked to the power and experience of the ritualist. That said, it is unlikely a new ritualist would be able to raise enough power to overwhelm their own wards accidentally. It is therefore advisable for ritualists to be aware of the amount of power they seek to manage, and whether or not they might need to pay more than cursory attention to the wards they have raised. <br /> The process of the rite is as the rite of cleansing (above), but it imagines, instead, a dome over the ritual circle and uses words similar to “I raise the wards of this ritual circle”. It does not here do harm to signal the kind of power you imagine to be flowing through those wards, the power of flame, or fire. Perhaps that of the mighty oak, or the everlasting night. For example, “I raise the words of this ritual circle, that they may stand tall and strong like the mighty oaks. That no wind or storm mundane or magical may stand against them”. <br /> <br /> This rite will often see a practised ritualist moving. It is wise at this stage of learning to use your whole body in movement. The raising of your arms, perhaps a dramatic version of a strong tree. These movements will at first seem odd, and in their exaggerated form, you will gain strange looks from those unfamiliar with the ritual circle. However, you will feel the power of the circle course through you as you use them. You will touch on depths of power that will connect you in a very real and tangible way with the circle. If you find that your circle is ‘silent’ and unresponsive, try more movement. <br /> <br /> I have found that it is often better to try these movements outside of the circle. There are a number of different forms that people use, and you can occasionally see a ritualist performing them as part of their morning acts. Each ritualist develops their own, and each ritual master/mistress will have yet more ways of adding movement. My advice on this topic will be to practise what feels natural, and to watch others, if you are able. Certainly as you seek to move past the more cursory ritual actions it is best to find yourself someone that you may shadow. Many ritualists are happy to aid in someone exploring the ritual circle, especially if it is one they themselves use – even if it is to stop you exploding in the ritual circle and forcing them to clean it up. <br /> <br /> ===A word about Commodities===<br /> <br /> Every ritual requires commodities. This simple rule will keep a new ritualist safe, and ensure that their rituals have a better chance of success. The commodities are placed into the offering bowl upon a stand, or an altar inside the circle. <br /> <br /> It can be a good idea for the ritualist to separate the offerings to be connected to the request (if making multiple requests), but be careful to not suggest that the offerings are bribes or payments. The offerings are part of the powering of the rituals. As such offerings should be made with an eye to their role and affinity. <br /> <br /> Fay hair, for example, is connected to strong natural magical power. Gold would be good for sphere-based power magics. A rite should have multiple different commodities all seeking to inform and support each other. Be aware, though, that commodities have different, but overlapping natures. Do not look at them through the eyes of others. Tin is near worthless outside of the ritual circle, but properly used is as powerful an ingredient as any other. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise together, and work best in groups, or sets. 2 at a push, but 3 of the same is ideal. <br /> <br /> It should be said here that commodities and rituals are a part of a whole. Powerful commodities can make up for a lack-lustre ritual and, by extension, a powerful ritual can make up for lack of required commodities. While theoretically this extends to both extremes, DO NOT run a ritual without commodities. In extremis, Fey Hair can stand in for most commodities – yet even then it would be best to include other commodities for variety, even if their connection is dubious or non-existent. It can, in these cases, be best to ‘over-offer’ commodities. <br /> <br /> ===The Role of the Ritualist===<br /> <br /> By now, I hope, I have impressed upon you the importance of the ritualist. <br /> I would like to take this moment to help you examine what kind of ritualist you will be. This is a decision as unique and as varied as grains of sand. You must get to know yourself and how the rituals will flow through you. How will you control that power, what in you speaks to the circle, and what in you listens when the circle speaks. <br /> Broadly speaking, there are two ‘types’ of ritualists. There are those that lead, and those that direct. <br /> <br /> A ritual is most often done with others. Often, the ritual will be acting on behalf of others, empowering, disempowering, resurrecting, faction ritual and the like. This means that the ritualist must know how they plan to act in that situation. It is here that the type of ritualist becomes important, and helps in how you, dear reader, will plan and conduct the ritual. <br /> <br /> DO NOT attempt to plan your ritual in the ritual circle. This ebbs the power away, and can often cause the ritual to fail, or backfire before you’ve even begun. <br /> <br /> DO NOT plan your ritual outside the ritual circle. Your time-slot is when the ritual begins, not when the planning begins. Not only does this run the danger that you may miss your slot entirely, but it also angers and irritates the ritual master/mistress. The ritual circle is very attuned to their ritual master/mistress and can, and will, refuse to help those who do not treat their ritual master/mistress with respect. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist As Leader====<br /> <br /> These ritualists are often gregarious, willing to encourage other participants. They bring their own personal energy and personality force. By their encouragement they entice, cajole and inspire other participants to raise their voices or offer their actions to the ritual or rite. They will dance, cheer, shout, wave their arms, call on these within and without – all seemingly in acts of madness. Yet in this they are responding to the feel of the rite. Does it need more movement? Does the circle need more direction around this element? Balancing a rite is a delicate business and changes with the ebb and flow of power. For those that lead, they are the ones often seen in the centre of the ritual, loud and aware of the attention. They are the ones who are happy to take speaking roles, and to move around the circle picking up the slack given to others. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist as Director.==== <br /> <br /> Some ritualists find that they are better able to follow the flow of the rite by maintaining their own inner peace. Often stoic and softly spoken, they become one with the rite. They direct others in the circle with command and well prepared scripts. Confident of their ability they are able to direct the ritual from that still small space inside them. It is from this place of quiet peace that they encourage others to move around the circle, that they direct others to become elements of the rite – becoming a living set-piece under the watchful eye of the ritualist. For those that direct, the visible ring-master style role is something that they find uncomfortable. For them they need to ensure that others are able to step forward. While some speaking is inevitable- only they can raise the words, only they can hold the power, and only they can direct the magics within the circle – it is possible to make much of the speaking work something done by others. <br /> <br /> ====The Person of the Ritualist====<br /> <br /> Between these two examples are there shades of grey, and these two are used here as straw-people so that you are able to see that all can be valid ritualists. Each has its own benefits and pitfalls, and both kinds of ritualist can do well to learn from the other. <br /> <br /> This should, for those that are beginning to think like a ritualist, show that planning of a ritual is important in whatever role you take. Everyone entering the ritual circle should have a role in the ritual. It can be as simple as placing commodities in the altar, or saying a short phrase – or it can be as elaborate as having them form a band and sing sea shanties. It is here that props can be of great help. Giving people props that they can place as symbols of things (a twig as a symbol of a tree, or a candle as a symbol of fire) can give them a meaningful role in the ritual circle. Ritual circles respond better to those that it knows, so the offerings of props here can become two fold, for example “My name is Reginald Goodman, and I bring the offering of light”. With such a simple line, they cover both their reason for being there, and introduce themselves. Of course, with this line it would be the ritualist (you) that would need to explain why the offering of light is necessary. “Ritual circle, we seek to banish the darkness, and to empower hope and light. We offer to you this offering of light” - Reginald would here step forward, and say their line. The ritualist might continue “as this candle banishes the darkness around it so too may this ritual banish the darkness”.<br /> <br /> The ritual is planned by the ritualist, and it is important to remember this important fact. A ritualist can find themselves acting on behalf of other factions, or standing in when their usual ritualist is absent. It is important that you take the time to understand each section of the ritual. <br /> <br /> First, let me be clear, whatever experience you have with rituals, if you are the only ritualist present, YOU ARE IN CHARGE. They may be wealthy, or a faction leader, but they must, for their own safety, listen to you. While it is tempting to just let them reap the rewards for their folly, only do so if you have protected yourself first. The worst, in my experience, are old faction leaders who have seen ‘A thousand rituals’, and wish to insist that it goes the same way. Rituals, and the collection of rites that make them up, are often tailored by the ritualist that does them often. If it is not you, do not be tempted away from your ritual style. Your focus is a successful ritual. Listen to what has gone before, yes, but to it your own way. By now you should be aware of how much won’t be shared by those who do not know of the deep magic of the circle – simply because they don’t have the time, the skill, or the inclination to learn.<br /> <br /> ==3. Planning Your Ritual==<br /> <br /> We have now covered much of the basics. The next step lays in the practical – and the most common ritual will be that of a faction ritual. We will therefore finish out this small pamphlet by taking a practical look at building your own faction ritual. This will cover the basics of rituals in general. By the end you will have a functioning and planned faction ritual.<br /> <br /> ===Preparation===<br /> <br /> Before we begin, you must know the faction. What is it that they are known for? What elements leap out at you? These elements are those that will be essential for the ritual. For example, do they spend time in the trees? Then take some leaves. Are they people of mud? Then take some mud. <br /> These are the elements most often overlooked as part of a ritual by new ritualists. Offerings are not just commodities. These elements help the ritual circle get a feeling for the faction, and to understand the sense, nature and flow of their faction powers. Do they have chants? Or phrases, songs, or dances? Are they known for particular weapons or clothes? Those need to be seen, and brought to the ritual circle. It is important that the faction be present for the ritual – not just the ritualist. <br /> It is understanding these sympathies that is important for any ritual. These sympathies give space and direction. They help build and summon the power needed to link a faction to their powers. <br /> It is best to assume that the ritual circle has never met your faction, and that you need to introduce its spiritual essence to the circle. How would you describe the feel of your faction? Or the emotional bond between faction members? You will find that these are ephemeral ideas, things that are very difficult to put into words and so it is to the ritualist to find symbols and elements that convey this idea. <br /> <br /> ===Commodities===<br /> <br /> As a rule of thumb you will need 5 commodities per faction power. As a new ritualist you may not (yet!) be able to do more than a single faction power in a single ritual. It is a good idea to ensure that the faction is aware of this, as it will help manage their expectations. It is a good idea to try and harmonise your commodities. Remember that it is always best that at least one of these is fay hair. For the others, look at the faction affinities and find, if you can, a harmonious link. Perhaps silver for those connected to the moon, or fay hair for those connected to nature. Again, perhaps gold for those seeking healing from the sun, or tin for those looking to empower base emotions. Gather these together. They can be a helpful meditation on the ritual you are planning. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise around meanings and associations, and they also harmonise together. It is better to have two or three commodities the same. Thus think in terms of twos and threes to build your five commodities. Remember, here, the fay hair. It can be beneficial to offer more for the sake of including the right commodities. <br /> <br /> ===First Steps===<br /> <br /> When planning any ritual, it helps to know what it is that you are asking. This step is often left to assumption, especially with faction rituals. Do not assume that the circle is able to divine from your words and actions what it is that you want the circle to do with the power. <br /> <br /> It helps for the ritualist to fully understand the faction power that they are looking to enable upon the festival lands. Let us consider the following (fictional) faction power. <br /> <br /> “I ask the circle to grant to our faction the power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase may be self-explanatory to the faction, but in and of itself makes no sense to you or I. What exactly is that the ritualist seeks to achieve with this? If the ritualist seeks to empower a magical weapon that is able to conjure the sun, the ritualist will need to know why this weapon does this. Is it to banish the darkness? Or is it a bane against undead? Is the weapon used for violence, or protection? Is the weapon a symbol of leadership, or is it a symbol of divinity? Consider these questions, and seek to answer them as you build your central theme for the ritual. This is the heart of your ritual, the central rite about which all other rites and actions will hang. Be clear in your intention. <br /> <br /> Building this rite will require explaining precisely what this faction power does. <br /> <br /> “Ritual Circle, we the faction of the Sun Warriors, come to you seeking to empower our Sun Hammer. The Sun Hammer is a beacon of hope to the festival lands. It brings the sun into a dark and lightless world. It can drive away even the most powerful darkness, it drives away those without souls, without life. It turns the undead to ash. I ask the ritual circle to grant our faction power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase seeks to explain what the Sun Hammer does, and explains specifically what it is, and its importance. You should already see that this central section begs many questions. Who are the ‘Sun Warriors’, Why is darkness something that they are against? Why do they need a weapon to do this? <br /> <br /> These questions then offer you simple examples of what minor rites you need to be preparing. Something simple to answer what the Sun Warriors are, what they stand for, and why they need a weapon. <br /> <br /> Here we run into our first tension. We are seeking to explain yes, and we are seeking to do so in a way that is able to build the power of the circle, yes. However, we are limited here by the amount of power that a new ritualist can hold in one go – and to the rule of brevity. More words do not make a better ritual. Longer rituals are not necessarily better. We will then need to look again at these other sections to see how they fit into our overall plan. <br /> <br /> Let us now turn to the elements that we know we need in our ritual at this point. <br /> <br /> ====A brief Ritual outline.====<br /> <br /> * 1. Everyone in the circle<br /> * 2. Cleanse Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> * 3. Raise the Wards – Rite<br /> * 4. Outline what you intend to do – Minor Rite<br /> * 5. Introduce the faction/scope – Minor Rite<br /> * 6. Empower the faction power – Rite<br /> * 7. Offer commodities – Minor Rite<br /> * 8. Give thanks – Minor Rite<br /> * 9 Lower the wards – Rite<br /> * 10. Cleanse the Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> <br /> ====A Note On The List====<br /> <br /> A Minor Rite here is something that has a clear and definite purpose, but may not stand as a complete rite in and of itself. They point to a section that cannot be missed, but they are often areas that can be covered in a few sentences, or a simple action. <br /> <br /> A Rite is something that is complete in and of itself. Something that has a clearly defined start and end, and the task(s) inside of it are all complete and connected to fulfilling that end. <br /> <br /> ===Planning Outline===<br /> <br /> When planning the ritual in this way, you can see at a glance which bits, and in what order you need to proceed to achieve your goal. You may find as you write it out that you have two minor rites that could be placed together to create a rite in and of themselves. This is always the more preferred way of dealing with the ritual, as it ensures that you don’t forget something. <br /> <br /> ===Record Keeping===<br /> <br /> It is at this point that I suggest something that should now be very obvious. Invest in a good notebook. Rituals have many steps, and in the heat of the moment, especially under pressure, it can be very easy to miss an important and vital step. It can then be very difficult to go backwards. A notebook can help you keep the ritual in order, and help you know which step is next. <br /> <br /> Ritualists should also keep a note of the rituals that succeed, and the rituals that don’t. Knowing what mistakes you made the last time is one of the best teachers. You may also find rituals written out by those ritualists that have gone before. <br /> <br /> A written ritual should include the following: <br /> Goal:<br /> Required payment:<br /> Power/Colours to be called upon:<br /> A list of rites contained within the ritual:<br /> Key points you Must say or achieve in the ritual:<br /> <br /> Optional extras - <br /> Number of ritualists required:<br /> Depictions of any symbols or runes to be drawn/called on:<br /> Nature/affinity that a circle has to make it easier:<br /> Minimum power/action a circle requires:<br /> <br /> From this common form, you can see that there is much more to a ritual than what we have yet covered. These things will be covered in a later pamphlet, but they are things that you should bear in mind when you write your own summary of a successful ritual. <br /> <br /> ====Towards a Planned Ritual: Notes on the order====<br /> <br /> I will not cover the rites that we have covered earlier in this pamphlet, suffice to say that they are likely to become part of every ritual that you ever do. They are often so common that those writing rituals do not include them in the list of rites required for a ritual. That said, we will pick up on the other points in order. <br /> <br /> ===4. Outline What You Intend To do====<br /> <br /> This outline is NOT a ‘telling those present how the ritual is going to do’. That should have already been done. This is perhaps a few short sentences announcing your intention to the ritual circle. “We come to you today to perform our faction ritual”. It is important because it informs the circle what it is that it needs to get itself ready for. It need not be more than a few lines, but it is vitally important that this is said clearly, and loudly. <br /> <br /> <br /> ====5. Introduce the Faction/scope====<br /> <br /> As your faction ritual’s tone is set by your faction, your introduction will be heavily based on your faction. It is here that you outline your faction’s strengths, which should naturally lead into the faction power that you request. You are a faction of healers, who believe that all life is sacred, and you work ceaselessly to drive away death and disease. You could then offer the circle a bandage, to show your healing, perhaps some medicine to show your fight against disease. You do not need, at this point, to offer to the circle anything of magical, or intrinsic value beyond their value as symbols of your nation. This is the point where you are giving the scope, the feel of the ritual to the circle. In non-faction rituals, this would be where you might explain why you need the ritual to take place, what are the drivers for that ritual. In more complex rituals, this could become a rite, and may very well be linked with 4 (above). <br /> <br /> ====7. Offer Commodities====<br /> <br /> We have spoken of the danger of this section, be careful with your wording. Again, some place this in the section before, and place them when powering the rite for the faction power. However, I suggest that you always have this as a minor rite in every ritual you do. It is incredibly easy, even for a trained ritualist, to simply forget to place the commodities in the bowl – even more so when this job is given to someone else. Write out the minor rite in your list, even if you intend it to be part of the earlier rite. This will ensure that the commodities are, in fact, paid, and you don’t all suffer dire consequences for missing this small but vital step. <br /> <br /> ====8. Give Thanks====<br /> <br /> It is very possible that your ritual will have no visible effect, or even no sense that your ritual has been successful. You must still offer your thanks. While there are many theories as to why this is, many rituals succeed as you leave the circle, and you cannot, then, re-enter the circle to give thanks. You would not want a ritual that had, until this point, been successful to fail on a point of rudeness. <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> You now have the basics of the most oft-used ritual. I would suggest you study this pamphlet, and become familiar with it. Take your own notes, and you will no-doubt have questions. Direct these to your Ritual Master/Mistress, or seek out other ritualists who have tread this well-worn path before you. Remember, that each ritualist is as individual as waves on the ocean, but there is always knowledge to be had.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro&diff=148 2026-07-13T17:50:43Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* 3. Planning Your Ritual */</p> <hr /> <div>=Sir Roger’s <br /> Guide to the Ritual Circle=<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> Welcome newest initiate to the wonderful role of Ritualist. Whether you be novice, or returning to work after a break, I hope that you will find this pamphlet of use, and its contents instructive. I plan to cover the basics of the ritual circle, but no introductory guide can be exhaustive. I will, however, aim to keep you, dear reader, as safe as possible. As such, I include herein rules that, if followed, will keep you safe. Know, however, that all such rules may be bent, or broken with experience, but experience will not save you from the consequences. <br /> <br /> ===About the Ritual Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Ritual circles can be found throughout Orin RaKatha. They are usually constructed on places of natural power, and are connected together. This connection, known as the ‘Circle Network’, or occasionally (and wrongly) as the ‘portal network’. This connection allows for communication through circles, both magically and, for example, by the sending of letters. DO NOT attempt to send living things through the network. They will not be the same, if they survive at all. <br /> <br /> All the circles are connected to the primary, or great circle. Known simply as The Ritual Circle. This grand circle is the nexus of all the power. The other circles are all connected to it, and their power may wax and wane. This connection, however, does not make all circles the same. Some circles attuned to different elements, or areas, or, many of the hundreds of different sections of the world. There are circles attuned to fire, some to water, some to the storm, and some to wind, some to death, and some to life. The list is nearly endless. This gives each circle its own ‘personality’. While the circle is not alive as you may normally understand it, it has a sentience. It understands, it learns. It reacts to those that have known it and shaped it, often in a stronger way than others. They each have a name. They each have their own secrets. To truly call oneself a High Incanter, you should have been privy to at least 3 circle secrets, and perhaps even, the name of a circle. <br /> <br /> All circles have an ‘affinity’, or, as some call it a ‘leaning’, though I find affinity to be more accurate. Much of this comes from the powers and magics most regularly used within them, which in turn often comes from their location and the visual natural affinity. Circles in forests are often seen to have an affinity with nature, those on cliff-tops with air or sea. Some circles have connections with magical elements, of fire and air and water. It is helpful to find circles that match your own affinities, and the affinities of the rituals that you do most often. It can ease the learning, and be of help in your early rituals. <br /> <br /> You cannot enter a Ritual Circle without permission from the Ritual Mistress/Master. They have a special connection to the ritual circle, and it is they that are able to raise and lower the wards around the circle from the outside. These wards keep the circle safe from stray magical effects that are often seen around the world. They are powerful – they have been known to keep gods at bay. Touching these wards leads to instantaneous death. While it may look instantaneous on the outside, that instant seems like aeons of pain to the unfortunate soul who touched it. <br /> <br /> A ritual itself is made up of several smaller sections, herein called ‘rites’. These rites are distinct sections of the ritual as a whole. Many of these rites are ones that a ritualist will practise until they are able to do them without much thought or much preparation. It is important to note that the skill of the ritualist is in weaving these individual rites into a single unified whole.<br /> <br /> ==1. The Basics==<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Cleansing a Ritual Circle===<br /> <br /> A circle can often accrue magical detritus. This can be from previous rituals, or the very web and weave of the circle network itself. The circle needs to be prepared before you do any ritual work inside it. <br /> <br /> Each cleansing is as unique as the mutualist, and this is the first part of your journey. Every ritualist has a connection to a power beyond themselves. Be it the sphere they have aligned themselves with (Death, Life, Nature, Flame, Water etc.), or perhaps something that comes from their faction itself – like the tree of life, or the dark of the crypt. Each of these are things that can be called upon to aid in the cleansing of the circle. At its most basic, the cleansing of the circle is an action of action and chant. <br /> <br /> It is always best to begin with a thorough cleansing, imagine that this is taking a metaphorical broom and sweeping away the detritus. In its simplest form, this is a slow circular walk around the edges of the circle. Imagine that you have created a ball of energy around yourself, and it is this power that is sweeping the circle. Some hold their arms wide, as though gathering, or pushing all the unwanted energy from the circle. <br /> <br /> It should be remembered that you can enter the circle with ritualist props. If you need a broom, take a broom. If you feel it works better for you with a stick, or fire, or candles or whatever, take those with you. They may seem like props to the outsider, but if they allow you to connect you with the actions of the ritual, then take them. Of course, take caution, do not take too much in, it can get in the way. As a guide, take no more than one item in each hand. <br /> <br /> As for the chant itself, this is often ritualist-specific, and inspired by their faction. A call for cleansing from the elements, say, water or fire, or perhaps from powers can often be heard. Be careful here not to channel these magical elements too powerfully in the cleansing. Remembering it is YOU, the ritualist who does the cleansing. “I cleanse this circle from all negative effects”, or again “I cleanse this circle from all residual magics and return all unused power to the circle”. You may be as imaginative or as flowery as you like. <br /> <br /> A novice might be tempted to try and use this untempered energy in a ritual. Do not. Drive that thought from your mind. That energy is wild, unknown. It could have been used in a ritual of death, or resurrection, and the energy could attach itself to you. It could cause untold harm to you. Do not think this, cleanse the circle. <br /> <br /> <br /> ===Raising the wards===<br /> <br /> Once you have been granted access to the circle, your first act is to raise the wards. The wards around the circle come with the circle itself, and are best raised by loudly, and firmly saying ‘I raise the wards on the circle’. These wards will be enough for the most basic of rituals. <br /> <br /> However, it is often best to raise the wards with a bit more effort, and here beings your personal journey into understanding yourself as a ritualist. Some will face each of the cardinal directions, and open their arms wide and proclaim “I raise these circle wards”. Some may add the power of a deity or magical sphere “I raise these words and strengthen them with the power of life”, though it is often best to remember that it is the circle that raises the words, and that the circle wards are raised by the power of the ritualist in the circle. <br /> <br /> These wards are there to protect whatever ritual action you are about to perform from interference from the outside. A stray magical spell through an unprotected ritual circle can have dire effects on the ritual itself, and of course, on the ritualist if the spell is directed at them. <br /> <br /> The wards also contain your ritual. Rituals are often about gathering together, and harnessing vast amounts of magic. These vast amounts of magic, without the wards, will leak beyond the circle, and can cause damage to people beyond, the circle itself, and to allies. This can cause you to lose control of the ritual. Many a ritualist has been lost to their own ritual by forgetting this simple, but necessary step. <br /> <br /> When raising the wards, remember that you are raising the wards for a circle. For many ritualists, this involves a small walk around the circle, activating the wards with words, and actions. Often more than one walk around the circle, empowering each ward as they pass. <br /> <br /> It should be noted that a novice ritualist may not be able to see the arcane writing that guards the ritual circle, but they should trust that it is there. Imagine yourself pushing power into these wards, and imagine, in the eye of your mind, that they are glowing with power. Imagine how it would be to push that power from yourself, feel it flow through you. Imagine the words that it would take to do it. For some it is easier with actions, some with words, some with song or dance. <br /> <br /> ===The Ritualist and the Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Once the circle is cleansed, a ritual may now partake of the most important rite. That is, to commune with the circle. One of the gifts of being a ritualist is the communing. DO NOT ask any great questions of knowledge; DO NOT ask questions of ritual help. Simply be. Seek to get to know the circle, to feel how they are. This requires a question, but wording is one of the first challenges. A simple question like “How fares this circle” will suffice. This rite is as individual as the ritualist – from expressive dance, to deep drumming, to an eastern tea ceremony. The circle’s answer may be nothing, may be just a sense of a feeling, or you may be gifted an insight shared by the circle. It will no doubt take many blinding headaches until you perfect the power of this simple ritual. This simple ritual, however, is what will allow you to take the first steps towards attuning yourself to a circle. <br /> <br /> ====A Warning on STUPID QUESTIONS====<br /> <br /> Every ritualist in their time will ask something stupid of the circle. It is as inevitable as the rising sun. However, I seek to aid you with the benefit of experience, so that you may learn from my hard-earned experience. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle its ‘name’. The Name of a circle is considered a secret, and must be earned. Generally, a circle often takes its common name from its location. It would be stupid to ask a circle its name as this is something that the circle will share once you are deserving. To become deserving is beyond this pamflet. If you are unsure how to address the circle, you can ask the ritual Master/Mistress. You can oftn address the circle simply as ‘ritual circle’ or ‘circle. <br /> <br /> NOT NOT use words like ‘great’ when describing the circle unless you stand in THE ritual circle. <br /> <br /> USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. If a circle is obviously corrupted or on fire or screaming, do not ask it how it is. <br /> <br /> DO NOT OFFER the circle things that you don’t mind losing. I have seen many a ritualist disappear into the circle for ‘offering’ their life to the circle instead of ‘dedicating’ their life to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT expect the circle to understand your implied ‘sense’. The context of the question may be obvious to you, but it may not be to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle for things easily obtained in other ways. The circle should not be used as a replacement almanack. <br /> <br /> ===Thank the Circle===<br /> <br /> Once your communing is done, remember to thank the circle. Use words. If your communing involves food or liquid, leave a portion on the ground at the base of the offering stand. For liquids, you can often pour these into the ground. <br /> <br /> DO NOT put food offerings or liquid offerings in the offering bowl. <br /> <br /> At the end of this communing, you may wish to cleanse the circle. It can be possible for events happening later to affect you if you have a strong connection to the circle. <br /> <br /> As you leave, thank the ritual Master/Mistress for their time. Be sure to check with them for any further clarification, or even pointers on your recently finished ritual. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==2. Intermediaries – Towards your first practical ritual.==<br /> <br /> You have now seen the basics of the very first ritual. You know a ritual is made up of smaller sections, called herein ‘rites’, and we are aware of some of the basics in being safe. Those who are still reading are those most likely to make it as a ritualist. One of the primary things a ritualist needs is patience. The first section will have, in most cases, been harmless enough for even the most hot-headed, but they may have found themselves with a few negative effects from outside influences. These influences could have been anything from a passing spell, or even bad actors. Even the sudden arrival of wildlife can throw off a ritual. It is the reason why many sensible ritualists raise the wards. In the first section we spoke briefly about this practice, but let us now spend a bit more time with this most important first step. <br /> <br /> ===Raising The Wards===<br /> <br /> DO NOT cross raised wards. It is always painful, and often fatal. <br /> <br /> DO NOT leave the ritual circle until every ritualist who has raised the wards lowers them. <br /> <br /> Raising the words is a rite that follows the same basics as the rite of cleansing. It uses movement and somatics (Somatics being ‘sound’ or ‘voice’). The raising of the wards ask that the ritual circle protect both those within and without from harmful effects crossing the barrier. It ensures that the rites that follow are contained so that their magics can be used for its intended purpose. It also ensures that entities, being, magic and influence from outside cannot enter. <br /> The power of the wards can be directly linked to the power and experience of the ritualist. That said, it is unlikely a new ritualist would be able to raise enough power to overwhelm their own wards accidentally. It is therefore advisable for ritualists to be aware of the amount of power they seek to manage, and whether or not they might need to pay more than cursory attention to the wards they have raised. <br /> The process of the rite is as the rite of cleansing (above), but it imagines, instead, a dome over the ritual circle and uses words similar to “I raise the wards of this ritual circle”. It does not here do harm to signal the kind of power you imagine to be flowing through those wards, the power of flame, or fire. Perhaps that of the mighty oak, or the everlasting night. For example, “I raise the words of this ritual circle, that they may stand tall and strong like the mighty oaks. That no wind or storm mundane or magical may stand against them”. <br /> <br /> This rite will often see a practised ritualist moving. It is wise at this stage of learning to use your whole body in movement. The raising of your arms, perhaps a dramatic version of a strong tree. These movements will at first seem odd, and in their exaggerated form, you will gain strange looks from those unfamiliar with the ritual circle. However, you will feel the power of the circle course through you as you use them. You will touch on depths of power that will connect you in a very real and tangible way with the circle. If you find that your circle is ‘silent’ and unresponsive, try more movement. <br /> <br /> I have found that it is often better to try these movements outside of the circle. There are a number of different forms that people use, and you can occasionally see a ritualist performing them as part of their morning acts. Each ritualist develops their own, and each ritual master/mistress will have yet more ways of adding movement. My advice on this topic will be to practise what feels natural, and to watch others, if you are able. Certainly as you seek to move past the more cursory ritual actions it is best to find yourself someone that you may shadow. Many ritualists are happy to aid in someone exploring the ritual circle, especially if it is one they themselves use – even if it is to stop you exploding in the ritual circle and forcing them to clean it up. <br /> <br /> ===A word about Commodities===<br /> <br /> Every ritual requires commodities. This simple rule will keep a new ritualist safe, and ensure that their rituals have a better chance of success. The commodities are placed into the offering bowl upon a stand, or an altar inside the circle. <br /> <br /> It can be a good idea for the ritualist to separate the offerings to be connected to the request (if making multiple requests), but be careful to not suggest that the offerings are bribes or payments. The offerings are part of the powering of the rituals. As such offerings should be made with an eye to their role and affinity. <br /> <br /> Fay hair, for example, is connected to strong natural magical power. Gold would be good for sphere-based power magics. A rite should have multiple different commodities all seeking to inform and support each other. Be aware, though, that commodities have different, but overlapping natures. Do not look at them through the eyes of others. Tin is near worthless outside of the ritual circle, but properly used is as powerful an ingredient as any other. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise together, and work best in groups, or sets. 2 at a push, but 3 of the same is ideal. <br /> <br /> It should be said here that commodities and rituals are a part of a whole. Powerful commodities can make up for a lack-lustre ritual and, by extension, a powerful ritual can make up for lack of required commodities. While theoretically this extends to both extremes, DO NOT run a ritual without commodities. In extremis, Fey Hair can stand in for most commodities – yet even then it would be best to include other commodities for variety, even if their connection is dubious or non-existent. It can, in these cases, be best to ‘over-offer’ commodities. <br /> <br /> ===The Role of the Ritualist===<br /> <br /> By now, I hope, I have impressed upon you the importance of the ritualist. <br /> I would like to take this moment to help you examine what kind of ritualist you will be. This is a decision as unique and as varied as grains of sand. You must get to know yourself and how the rituals will flow through you. How will you control that power, what in you speaks to the circle, and what in you listens when the circle speaks. <br /> Broadly speaking, there are two ‘types’ of ritualists. There are those that lead, and those that direct. <br /> <br /> A ritual is most often done with others. Often, the ritual will be acting on behalf of others, empowering, disempowering, resurrecting, faction ritual and the like. This means that the ritualist must know how they plan to act in that situation. It is here that the type of ritualist becomes important, and helps in how you, dear reader, will plan and conduct the ritual. <br /> <br /> DO NOT attempt to plan your ritual in the ritual circle. This ebbs the power away, and can often cause the ritual to fail, or backfire before you’ve even begun. <br /> <br /> DO NOT plan your ritual outside the ritual circle. Your time-slot is when the ritual begins, not when the planning begins. Not only does this run the danger that you may miss your slot entirely, but it also angers and irritates the ritual master/mistress. The ritual circle is very attuned to their ritual master/mistress and can, and will, refuse to help those who do not treat their ritual master/mistress with respect. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist As Leader====<br /> <br /> These ritualists are often gregarious, willing to encourage other participants. They bring their own personal energy and personality force. By their encouragement they entice, cajole and inspire other participants to raise their voices or offer their actions to the ritual or rite. They will dance, cheer, shout, wave their arms, call on these within and without – all seemingly in acts of madness. Yet in this they are responding to the feel of the rite. Does it need more movement? Does the circle need more direction around this element? Balancing a rite is a delicate business and changes with the ebb and flow of power. For those that lead, they are the ones often seen in the centre of the ritual, loud and aware of the attention. They are the ones who are happy to take speaking roles, and to move around the circle picking up the slack given to others. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist as Director.==== <br /> <br /> Some ritualists find that they are better able to follow the flow of the rite by maintaining their own inner peace. Often stoic and softly spoken, they become one with the rite. They direct others in the circle with command and well prepared scripts. Confident of their ability they are able to direct the ritual from that still small space inside them. It is from this place of quiet peace that they encourage others to move around the circle, that they direct others to become elements of the rite – becoming a living set-piece under the watchful eye of the ritualist. For those that direct, the visible ring-master style role is something that they find uncomfortable. For them they need to ensure that others are able to step forward. While some speaking is inevitable- only they can raise the words, only they can hold the power, and only they can direct the magics within the circle – it is possible to make much of the speaking work something done by others. <br /> <br /> ====The Person of the Ritualist====<br /> <br /> Between these two examples are there shades of grey, and these two are used here as straw-people so that you are able to see that all can be valid ritualists. Each has its own benefits and pitfalls, and both kinds of ritualist can do well to learn from the other. <br /> <br /> This should, for those that are beginning to think like a ritualist, show that planning of a ritual is important in whatever role you take. Everyone entering the ritual circle should have a role in the ritual. It can be as simple as placing commodities in the altar, or saying a short phrase – or it can be as elaborate as having them form a band and sing sea shanties. It is here that props can be of great help. Giving people props that they can place as symbols of things (a twig as a symbol of a tree, or a candle as a symbol of fire) can give them a meaningful role in the ritual circle. Ritual circles respond better to those that it knows, so the offerings of props here can become two fold, for example “My name is Reginald Goodman, and I bring the offering of light”. With such a simple line, they cover both their reason for being there, and introduce themselves. Of course, with this line it would be the ritualist (you) that would need to explain why the offering of light is necessary. “Ritual circle, we seek to banish the darkness, and to empower hope and light. We offer to you this offering of light” - Reginald would here step forward, and say their line. The ritualist might continue “as this candle banishes the darkness around it so too may this ritual banish the darkness”.<br /> <br /> The ritual is planned by the ritualist, and it is important to remember this important fact. A ritualist can find themselves acting on behalf of other factions, or standing in when their usual ritualist is absent. It is important that you take the time to understand each section of the ritual. <br /> <br /> First, let me be clear, whatever experience you have with rituals, if you are the only ritualist present, YOU ARE IN CHARGE. They may be wealthy, or a faction leader, but they must, for their own safety, listen to you. While it is tempting to just let them reap the rewards for their folly, only do so if you have protected yourself first. The worst, in my experience, are old faction leaders who have seen ‘A thousand rituals’, and wish to insist that it goes the same way. Rituals, and the collection of rites that make them up, are often tailored by the ritualist that does them often. If it is not you, do not be tempted away from your ritual style. Your focus is a successful ritual. Listen to what has gone before, yes, but to it your own way. By now you should be aware of how much won’t be shared by those who do not know of the deep magic of the circle – simply because they don’t have the time, the skill, or the inclination to learn.<br /> <br /> ==3. Planning Your Ritual==<br /> <br /> We have now covered much of the basics. The next step lays in the practical – and the most common ritual will be that of a faction ritual. We will therefore finish out this small pamphlet by taking a practical look at building your own faction ritual. This will cover the basics of rituals in general. By the end you will have a functioning and planned faction ritual.<br /> <br /> ===Preparation===<br /> <br /> Before we begin, you must know the faction. What is it that they are known for? What elements leap out at you? These elements are those that will be essential for the ritual. For example, do they spend time in the trees? Then take some leaves. Are they people of mud? Then take some mud. <br /> These are the elements most often overlooked as part of a ritual by new ritualists. Offerings are not just commodities. These elements help the ritual circle get a feeling for the faction, and to understand the sense, nature and flow of their faction powers. Do they have chants? Or phrases, songs, or dances? Are they known for particular weapons or clothes? Those need to be seen, and brought to the ritual circle. It is important that the faction be present for the ritual – not just the ritualist. <br /> It is understanding these sympathies that is important for any ritual. These sympathies give space and direction. They help build and summon the power needed to link a faction to their powers. <br /> It is best to assume that the ritual circle has never met your faction, and that you need to introduce its spiritual essence to the circle. How would you describe the feel of your faction? Or the emotional bond between faction members? You will find that these are ephemeral ideas, things that are very difficult to put into words and so it is to the ritualist to find symbols and elements that convey this idea. <br /> <br /> ===Commodities===<br /> <br /> As a rule of thumb you will need 5 commodities per faction power. As a new ritualist you may not (yet!) be able to do more than a single faction power in a single ritual. It is a good idea to ensure that the faction is aware of this, as it will help manage their expectations. It is a good idea to try and harmonise your commodities. Remember that it is always best that at least one of these is fay hair. For the others, look at the faction affinities and find, if you can, a harmonious link. Perhaps silver for those connected to the moon, or fay hair for those connected to nature. Again, perhaps gold for those seeking healing from the sun, or tin for those looking to empower base emotions. Gather these together. They can be a helpful meditation on the ritual you are planning. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise around meanings and associations, and they also harmonise together. It is better to have two or three commodities the same. Thus think in terms of twos and threes to build your five commodities. Remember, here, the fay hair. It can be beneficial to offer more for the sake of including the right commodities. <br /> <br /> ===First Steps===<br /> <br /> When planning any ritual, it helps to know what it is that you are asking. This step is often left to assumption, especially with faction rituals. Do not assume that the circle is able to divine from your words and actions what it is that you want the circle to do with the power. <br /> <br /> It helps for the ritualist to fully understand the faction power that they are looking to enable upon the festival lands. Let us consider the following (fictional) faction power. <br /> <br /> “I ask the circle to grant to our faction the power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase may be self-explanatory to the faction, but in and of itself makes no sense to you or I. What exactly is that the ritualist seeks to achieve with this? If the ritualist seeks to empower a magical weapon that is able to conjure the sun, the ritualist will need to know why this weapon does this. Is it to banish the darkness? Or is it a bane against undead? Is the weapon used for violence, or protection? Is the weapon a symbol of leadership, or is it a symbol of divinity? Consider these questions, and seek to answer them as you build your central theme for the ritual. This is the heart of your ritual, the central rite about which all other rites and actions will hang. Be clear in your intention. <br /> <br /> Building this rite will require explaining precisely what this faction power does. <br /> <br /> “Ritual Circle, we the faction of the Sun Warriors, come to you seeking to empower our Sun Hammer. The Sun Hammer is a beacon of hope to the festival lands. It brings the sun into a dark and lightless world. It can drive away even the most powerful darkness, it drives away those without souls, without life. It turns the undead to ash. I ask the ritual circle to grant our faction power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase seeks to explain what the Sun Hammer does, and explains specifically what it is, and its importance. You should already see that this central section begs many questions. Who are the ‘Sun Warriors’, Why is darkness something that they are against? Why do they need a weapon to do this? <br /> <br /> These questions then offer you simple examples of what minor rites you need to be preparing. Something simple to answer what the Sun Warriors are, what they stand for, and why they need a weapon. <br /> <br /> Here we run into our first tension. We are seeking to explain yes, and we are seeking to do so in a way that is able to build the power of the circle, yes. However, we are limited here by the amount of power that a new ritualist can hold in one go – and to the rule of brevity. More words do not make a better ritual. Longer rituals are not necessarily better. We will then need to look again at these other sections to see how they fit into our overall plan. <br /> <br /> Let us now turn to the elements that we know we need in our ritual at this point. <br /> <br /> ====A brief Ritual outline.==== <br /> <br /> 1. Everyone in the circle<br /> 2. Cleanse Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> 3. Raise the Wards – Rite<br /> 4. Outline what you intend to do – Minor Rite<br /> 5. Introduce the faction/scope – Minor Rite<br /> 6. Empower the faction power – Rite<br /> 7. Offer commodities – Minor Rite<br /> 8. Give thanks – Minor Rite<br /> 9 Lower the wards – Rite<br /> 10. Cleanse the Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> <br /> ====A Note On The List====<br /> <br /> A Minor Rite here is something that has a clear and definite purpose, but may not stand as a complete rite in and of itself. They point to a section that cannot be missed, but they are often areas that can be covered in a few sentences, or a simple action. <br /> <br /> A Rite is something that is complete in and of itself. Something that has a clearly defined start and end, and the task(s) inside of it are all complete and connected to fulfilling that end. <br /> <br /> ===Planning Outline===<br /> <br /> When planning the ritual in this way, you can see at a glance which bits, and in what order you need to proceed to achieve your goal. You may find as you write it out that you have two minor rites that could be placed together to create a rite in and of themselves. This is always the more preferred way of dealing with the ritual, as it ensures that you don’t forget something. <br /> <br /> ===Record Keeping===<br /> <br /> It is at this point that I suggest something that should now be very obvious. Invest in a good notebook. Rituals have many steps, and in the heat of the moment, especially under pressure, it can be very easy to miss an important and vital step. It can then be very difficult to go backwards. A notebook can help you keep the ritual in order, and help you know which step is next. <br /> <br /> Ritualists should also keep a note of the rituals that succeed, and the rituals that don’t. Knowing what mistakes you made the last time is one of the best teachers. You may also find rituals written out by those ritualists that have gone before. <br /> <br /> A written ritual should include the following: <br /> Goal:<br /> Required payment:<br /> Power/Colours to be called upon:<br /> A list of rites contained within the ritual:<br /> Key points you Must say or achieve in the ritual:<br /> <br /> Optional extras - <br /> Number of ritualists required:<br /> Depictions of any symbols or runes to be drawn/called on:<br /> Nature/affinity that a circle has to make it easier:<br /> Minimum power/action a circle requires:<br /> <br /> From this common form, you can see that there is much more to a ritual than what we have yet covered. These things will be covered in a later pamphlet, but they are things that you should bear in mind when you write your own summary of a successful ritual. <br /> <br /> ====Towards a Planned Ritual: Notes on the order====<br /> <br /> I will not cover the rites that we have covered earlier in this pamphlet, suffice to say that they are likely to become part of every ritual that you ever do. They are often so common that those writing rituals do not include them in the list of rites required for a ritual. That said, we will pick up on the other points in order. <br /> <br /> ===4. Outline What You Intend To do====<br /> <br /> This outline is NOT a ‘telling those present how the ritual is going to do’. That should have already been done. This is perhaps a few short sentences announcing your intention to the ritual circle. “We come to you today to perform our faction ritual”. It is important because it informs the circle what it is that it needs to get itself ready for. It need not be more than a few lines, but it is vitally important that this is said clearly, and loudly. <br /> <br /> <br /> ====5. Introduce the Faction/scope====<br /> <br /> As your faction ritual’s tone is set by your faction, your introduction will be heavily based on your faction. It is here that you outline your faction’s strengths, which should naturally lead into the faction power that you request. You are a faction of healers, who believe that all life is sacred, and you work ceaselessly to drive away death and disease. You could then offer the circle a bandage, to show your healing, perhaps some medicine to show your fight against disease. You do not need, at this point, to offer to the circle anything of magical, or intrinsic value beyond their value as symbols of your nation. This is the point where you are giving the scope, the feel of the ritual to the circle. In non-faction rituals, this would be where you might explain why you need the ritual to take place, what are the drivers for that ritual. In more complex rituals, this could become a rite, and may very well be linked with 4 (above). <br /> <br /> ====7. Offer Commodities====<br /> <br /> We have spoken of the danger of this section, be careful with your wording. Again, some place this in the section before, and place them when powering the rite for the faction power. However, I suggest that you always have this as a minor rite in every ritual you do. It is incredibly easy, even for a trained ritualist, to simply forget to place the commodities in the bowl – even more so when this job is given to someone else. Write out the minor rite in your list, even if you intend it to be part of the earlier rite. This will ensure that the commodities are, in fact, paid, and you don’t all suffer dire consequences for missing this small but vital step. <br /> <br /> ====8. Give Thanks====<br /> <br /> It is very possible that your ritual will have no visible effect, or even no sense that your ritual has been successful. You must still offer your thanks. While there are many theories as to why this is, many rituals succeed as you leave the circle, and you cannot, then, re-enter the circle to give thanks. You would not want a ritual that had, until this point, been successful to fail on a point of rudeness. <br /> <br /> ==Conclusion==<br /> <br /> You now have the basics of the most oft-used ritual. I would suggest you study this pamphlet, and become familiar with it. Take your own notes, and you will no-doubt have questions. Direct these to your Ritual Master/Mistress, or seek out other ritualists who have tread this well-worn path before you. Remember, that each ritualist is as individual as waves on the ocean, but there is always knowledge to be had.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro&diff=147 2026-07-13T17:46:50Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>=Sir Roger’s <br /> Guide to the Ritual Circle=<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> Welcome newest initiate to the wonderful role of Ritualist. Whether you be novice, or returning to work after a break, I hope that you will find this pamphlet of use, and its contents instructive. I plan to cover the basics of the ritual circle, but no introductory guide can be exhaustive. I will, however, aim to keep you, dear reader, as safe as possible. As such, I include herein rules that, if followed, will keep you safe. Know, however, that all such rules may be bent, or broken with experience, but experience will not save you from the consequences. <br /> <br /> ===About the Ritual Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Ritual circles can be found throughout Orin RaKatha. They are usually constructed on places of natural power, and are connected together. This connection, known as the ‘Circle Network’, or occasionally (and wrongly) as the ‘portal network’. This connection allows for communication through circles, both magically and, for example, by the sending of letters. DO NOT attempt to send living things through the network. They will not be the same, if they survive at all. <br /> <br /> All the circles are connected to the primary, or great circle. Known simply as The Ritual Circle. This grand circle is the nexus of all the power. The other circles are all connected to it, and their power may wax and wane. This connection, however, does not make all circles the same. Some circles attuned to different elements, or areas, or, many of the hundreds of different sections of the world. There are circles attuned to fire, some to water, some to the storm, and some to wind, some to death, and some to life. The list is nearly endless. This gives each circle its own ‘personality’. While the circle is not alive as you may normally understand it, it has a sentience. It understands, it learns. It reacts to those that have known it and shaped it, often in a stronger way than others. They each have a name. They each have their own secrets. To truly call oneself a High Incanter, you should have been privy to at least 3 circle secrets, and perhaps even, the name of a circle. <br /> <br /> All circles have an ‘affinity’, or, as some call it a ‘leaning’, though I find affinity to be more accurate. Much of this comes from the powers and magics most regularly used within them, which in turn often comes from their location and the visual natural affinity. Circles in forests are often seen to have an affinity with nature, those on cliff-tops with air or sea. Some circles have connections with magical elements, of fire and air and water. It is helpful to find circles that match your own affinities, and the affinities of the rituals that you do most often. It can ease the learning, and be of help in your early rituals. <br /> <br /> You cannot enter a Ritual Circle without permission from the Ritual Mistress/Master. They have a special connection to the ritual circle, and it is they that are able to raise and lower the wards around the circle from the outside. These wards keep the circle safe from stray magical effects that are often seen around the world. They are powerful – they have been known to keep gods at bay. Touching these wards leads to instantaneous death. While it may look instantaneous on the outside, that instant seems like aeons of pain to the unfortunate soul who touched it. <br /> <br /> A ritual itself is made up of several smaller sections, herein called ‘rites’. These rites are distinct sections of the ritual as a whole. Many of these rites are ones that a ritualist will practise until they are able to do them without much thought or much preparation. It is important to note that the skill of the ritualist is in weaving these individual rites into a single unified whole.<br /> <br /> ==1. The Basics==<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Cleansing a Ritual Circle===<br /> <br /> A circle can often accrue magical detritus. This can be from previous rituals, or the very web and weave of the circle network itself. The circle needs to be prepared before you do any ritual work inside it. <br /> <br /> Each cleansing is as unique as the mutualist, and this is the first part of your journey. Every ritualist has a connection to a power beyond themselves. Be it the sphere they have aligned themselves with (Death, Life, Nature, Flame, Water etc.), or perhaps something that comes from their faction itself – like the tree of life, or the dark of the crypt. Each of these are things that can be called upon to aid in the cleansing of the circle. At its most basic, the cleansing of the circle is an action of action and chant. <br /> <br /> It is always best to begin with a thorough cleansing, imagine that this is taking a metaphorical broom and sweeping away the detritus. In its simplest form, this is a slow circular walk around the edges of the circle. Imagine that you have created a ball of energy around yourself, and it is this power that is sweeping the circle. Some hold their arms wide, as though gathering, or pushing all the unwanted energy from the circle. <br /> <br /> It should be remembered that you can enter the circle with ritualist props. If you need a broom, take a broom. If you feel it works better for you with a stick, or fire, or candles or whatever, take those with you. They may seem like props to the outsider, but if they allow you to connect you with the actions of the ritual, then take them. Of course, take caution, do not take too much in, it can get in the way. As a guide, take no more than one item in each hand. <br /> <br /> As for the chant itself, this is often ritualist-specific, and inspired by their faction. A call for cleansing from the elements, say, water or fire, or perhaps from powers can often be heard. Be careful here not to channel these magical elements too powerfully in the cleansing. Remembering it is YOU, the ritualist who does the cleansing. “I cleanse this circle from all negative effects”, or again “I cleanse this circle from all residual magics and return all unused power to the circle”. You may be as imaginative or as flowery as you like. <br /> <br /> A novice might be tempted to try and use this untempered energy in a ritual. Do not. Drive that thought from your mind. That energy is wild, unknown. It could have been used in a ritual of death, or resurrection, and the energy could attach itself to you. It could cause untold harm to you. Do not think this, cleanse the circle. <br /> <br /> <br /> ===Raising the wards===<br /> <br /> Once you have been granted access to the circle, your first act is to raise the wards. The wards around the circle come with the circle itself, and are best raised by loudly, and firmly saying ‘I raise the wards on the circle’. These wards will be enough for the most basic of rituals. <br /> <br /> However, it is often best to raise the wards with a bit more effort, and here beings your personal journey into understanding yourself as a ritualist. Some will face each of the cardinal directions, and open their arms wide and proclaim “I raise these circle wards”. Some may add the power of a deity or magical sphere “I raise these words and strengthen them with the power of life”, though it is often best to remember that it is the circle that raises the words, and that the circle wards are raised by the power of the ritualist in the circle. <br /> <br /> These wards are there to protect whatever ritual action you are about to perform from interference from the outside. A stray magical spell through an unprotected ritual circle can have dire effects on the ritual itself, and of course, on the ritualist if the spell is directed at them. <br /> <br /> The wards also contain your ritual. Rituals are often about gathering together, and harnessing vast amounts of magic. These vast amounts of magic, without the wards, will leak beyond the circle, and can cause damage to people beyond, the circle itself, and to allies. This can cause you to lose control of the ritual. Many a ritualist has been lost to their own ritual by forgetting this simple, but necessary step. <br /> <br /> When raising the wards, remember that you are raising the wards for a circle. For many ritualists, this involves a small walk around the circle, activating the wards with words, and actions. Often more than one walk around the circle, empowering each ward as they pass. <br /> <br /> It should be noted that a novice ritualist may not be able to see the arcane writing that guards the ritual circle, but they should trust that it is there. Imagine yourself pushing power into these wards, and imagine, in the eye of your mind, that they are glowing with power. Imagine how it would be to push that power from yourself, feel it flow through you. Imagine the words that it would take to do it. For some it is easier with actions, some with words, some with song or dance. <br /> <br /> ===The Ritualist and the Circle.=== <br /> <br /> Once the circle is cleansed, a ritual may now partake of the most important rite. That is, to commune with the circle. One of the gifts of being a ritualist is the communing. DO NOT ask any great questions of knowledge; DO NOT ask questions of ritual help. Simply be. Seek to get to know the circle, to feel how they are. This requires a question, but wording is one of the first challenges. A simple question like “How fares this circle” will suffice. This rite is as individual as the ritualist – from expressive dance, to deep drumming, to an eastern tea ceremony. The circle’s answer may be nothing, may be just a sense of a feeling, or you may be gifted an insight shared by the circle. It will no doubt take many blinding headaches until you perfect the power of this simple ritual. This simple ritual, however, is what will allow you to take the first steps towards attuning yourself to a circle. <br /> <br /> ====A Warning on STUPID QUESTIONS====<br /> <br /> Every ritualist in their time will ask something stupid of the circle. It is as inevitable as the rising sun. However, I seek to aid you with the benefit of experience, so that you may learn from my hard-earned experience. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle its ‘name’. The Name of a circle is considered a secret, and must be earned. Generally, a circle often takes its common name from its location. It would be stupid to ask a circle its name as this is something that the circle will share once you are deserving. To become deserving is beyond this pamflet. If you are unsure how to address the circle, you can ask the ritual Master/Mistress. You can oftn address the circle simply as ‘ritual circle’ or ‘circle. <br /> <br /> NOT NOT use words like ‘great’ when describing the circle unless you stand in THE ritual circle. <br /> <br /> USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. If a circle is obviously corrupted or on fire or screaming, do not ask it how it is. <br /> <br /> DO NOT OFFER the circle things that you don’t mind losing. I have seen many a ritualist disappear into the circle for ‘offering’ their life to the circle instead of ‘dedicating’ their life to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT expect the circle to understand your implied ‘sense’. The context of the question may be obvious to you, but it may not be to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle for things easily obtained in other ways. The circle should not be used as a replacement almanack. <br /> <br /> ===Thank the Circle===<br /> <br /> Once your communing is done, remember to thank the circle. Use words. If your communing involves food or liquid, leave a portion on the ground at the base of the offering stand. For liquids, you can often pour these into the ground. <br /> <br /> DO NOT put food offerings or liquid offerings in the offering bowl. <br /> <br /> At the end of this communing, you may wish to cleanse the circle. It can be possible for events happening later to affect you if you have a strong connection to the circle. <br /> <br /> As you leave, thank the ritual Master/Mistress for their time. Be sure to check with them for any further clarification, or even pointers on your recently finished ritual. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==2. Intermediaries – Towards your first practical ritual.==<br /> <br /> You have now seen the basics of the very first ritual. You know a ritual is made up of smaller sections, called herein ‘rites’, and we are aware of some of the basics in being safe. Those who are still reading are those most likely to make it as a ritualist. One of the primary things a ritualist needs is patience. The first section will have, in most cases, been harmless enough for even the most hot-headed, but they may have found themselves with a few negative effects from outside influences. These influences could have been anything from a passing spell, or even bad actors. Even the sudden arrival of wildlife can throw off a ritual. It is the reason why many sensible ritualists raise the wards. In the first section we spoke briefly about this practice, but let us now spend a bit more time with this most important first step. <br /> <br /> ===Raising The Wards===<br /> <br /> DO NOT cross raised wards. It is always painful, and often fatal. <br /> <br /> DO NOT leave the ritual circle until every ritualist who has raised the wards lowers them. <br /> <br /> Raising the words is a rite that follows the same basics as the rite of cleansing. It uses movement and somatics (Somatics being ‘sound’ or ‘voice’). The raising of the wards ask that the ritual circle protect both those within and without from harmful effects crossing the barrier. It ensures that the rites that follow are contained so that their magics can be used for its intended purpose. It also ensures that entities, being, magic and influence from outside cannot enter. <br /> The power of the wards can be directly linked to the power and experience of the ritualist. That said, it is unlikely a new ritualist would be able to raise enough power to overwhelm their own wards accidentally. It is therefore advisable for ritualists to be aware of the amount of power they seek to manage, and whether or not they might need to pay more than cursory attention to the wards they have raised. <br /> The process of the rite is as the rite of cleansing (above), but it imagines, instead, a dome over the ritual circle and uses words similar to “I raise the wards of this ritual circle”. It does not here do harm to signal the kind of power you imagine to be flowing through those wards, the power of flame, or fire. Perhaps that of the mighty oak, or the everlasting night. For example, “I raise the words of this ritual circle, that they may stand tall and strong like the mighty oaks. That no wind or storm mundane or magical may stand against them”. <br /> <br /> This rite will often see a practised ritualist moving. It is wise at this stage of learning to use your whole body in movement. The raising of your arms, perhaps a dramatic version of a strong tree. These movements will at first seem odd, and in their exaggerated form, you will gain strange looks from those unfamiliar with the ritual circle. However, you will feel the power of the circle course through you as you use them. You will touch on depths of power that will connect you in a very real and tangible way with the circle. If you find that your circle is ‘silent’ and unresponsive, try more movement. <br /> <br /> I have found that it is often better to try these movements outside of the circle. There are a number of different forms that people use, and you can occasionally see a ritualist performing them as part of their morning acts. Each ritualist develops their own, and each ritual master/mistress will have yet more ways of adding movement. My advice on this topic will be to practise what feels natural, and to watch others, if you are able. Certainly as you seek to move past the more cursory ritual actions it is best to find yourself someone that you may shadow. Many ritualists are happy to aid in someone exploring the ritual circle, especially if it is one they themselves use – even if it is to stop you exploding in the ritual circle and forcing them to clean it up. <br /> <br /> ===A word about Commodities===<br /> <br /> Every ritual requires commodities. This simple rule will keep a new ritualist safe, and ensure that their rituals have a better chance of success. The commodities are placed into the offering bowl upon a stand, or an altar inside the circle. <br /> <br /> It can be a good idea for the ritualist to separate the offerings to be connected to the request (if making multiple requests), but be careful to not suggest that the offerings are bribes or payments. The offerings are part of the powering of the rituals. As such offerings should be made with an eye to their role and affinity. <br /> <br /> Fay hair, for example, is connected to strong natural magical power. Gold would be good for sphere-based power magics. A rite should have multiple different commodities all seeking to inform and support each other. Be aware, though, that commodities have different, but overlapping natures. Do not look at them through the eyes of others. Tin is near worthless outside of the ritual circle, but properly used is as powerful an ingredient as any other. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise together, and work best in groups, or sets. 2 at a push, but 3 of the same is ideal. <br /> <br /> It should be said here that commodities and rituals are a part of a whole. Powerful commodities can make up for a lack-lustre ritual and, by extension, a powerful ritual can make up for lack of required commodities. While theoretically this extends to both extremes, DO NOT run a ritual without commodities. In extremis, Fey Hair can stand in for most commodities – yet even then it would be best to include other commodities for variety, even if their connection is dubious or non-existent. It can, in these cases, be best to ‘over-offer’ commodities. <br /> <br /> ===The Role of the Ritualist===<br /> <br /> By now, I hope, I have impressed upon you the importance of the ritualist. <br /> I would like to take this moment to help you examine what kind of ritualist you will be. This is a decision as unique and as varied as grains of sand. You must get to know yourself and how the rituals will flow through you. How will you control that power, what in you speaks to the circle, and what in you listens when the circle speaks. <br /> Broadly speaking, there are two ‘types’ of ritualists. There are those that lead, and those that direct. <br /> <br /> A ritual is most often done with others. Often, the ritual will be acting on behalf of others, empowering, disempowering, resurrecting, faction ritual and the like. This means that the ritualist must know how they plan to act in that situation. It is here that the type of ritualist becomes important, and helps in how you, dear reader, will plan and conduct the ritual. <br /> <br /> DO NOT attempt to plan your ritual in the ritual circle. This ebbs the power away, and can often cause the ritual to fail, or backfire before you’ve even begun. <br /> <br /> DO NOT plan your ritual outside the ritual circle. Your time-slot is when the ritual begins, not when the planning begins. Not only does this run the danger that you may miss your slot entirely, but it also angers and irritates the ritual master/mistress. The ritual circle is very attuned to their ritual master/mistress and can, and will, refuse to help those who do not treat their ritual master/mistress with respect. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist As Leader====<br /> <br /> These ritualists are often gregarious, willing to encourage other participants. They bring their own personal energy and personality force. By their encouragement they entice, cajole and inspire other participants to raise their voices or offer their actions to the ritual or rite. They will dance, cheer, shout, wave their arms, call on these within and without – all seemingly in acts of madness. Yet in this they are responding to the feel of the rite. Does it need more movement? Does the circle need more direction around this element? Balancing a rite is a delicate business and changes with the ebb and flow of power. For those that lead, they are the ones often seen in the centre of the ritual, loud and aware of the attention. They are the ones who are happy to take speaking roles, and to move around the circle picking up the slack given to others. <br /> <br /> ====The Ritualist as Director.==== <br /> <br /> Some ritualists find that they are better able to follow the flow of the rite by maintaining their own inner peace. Often stoic and softly spoken, they become one with the rite. They direct others in the circle with command and well prepared scripts. Confident of their ability they are able to direct the ritual from that still small space inside them. It is from this place of quiet peace that they encourage others to move around the circle, that they direct others to become elements of the rite – becoming a living set-piece under the watchful eye of the ritualist. For those that direct, the visible ring-master style role is something that they find uncomfortable. For them they need to ensure that others are able to step forward. While some speaking is inevitable- only they can raise the words, only they can hold the power, and only they can direct the magics within the circle – it is possible to make much of the speaking work something done by others. <br /> <br /> ====The Person of the Ritualist====<br /> <br /> Between these two examples are there shades of grey, and these two are used here as straw-people so that you are able to see that all can be valid ritualists. Each has its own benefits and pitfalls, and both kinds of ritualist can do well to learn from the other. <br /> <br /> This should, for those that are beginning to think like a ritualist, show that planning of a ritual is important in whatever role you take. Everyone entering the ritual circle should have a role in the ritual. It can be as simple as placing commodities in the altar, or saying a short phrase – or it can be as elaborate as having them form a band and sing sea shanties. It is here that props can be of great help. Giving people props that they can place as symbols of things (a twig as a symbol of a tree, or a candle as a symbol of fire) can give them a meaningful role in the ritual circle. Ritual circles respond better to those that it knows, so the offerings of props here can become two fold, for example “My name is Reginald Goodman, and I bring the offering of light”. With such a simple line, they cover both their reason for being there, and introduce themselves. Of course, with this line it would be the ritualist (you) that would need to explain why the offering of light is necessary. “Ritual circle, we seek to banish the darkness, and to empower hope and light. We offer to you this offering of light” - Reginald would here step forward, and say their line. The ritualist might continue “as this candle banishes the darkness around it so too may this ritual banish the darkness”.<br /> <br /> The ritual is planned by the ritualist, and it is important to remember this important fact. A ritualist can find themselves acting on behalf of other factions, or standing in when their usual ritualist is absent. It is important that you take the time to understand each section of the ritual. <br /> <br /> First, let me be clear, whatever experience you have with rituals, if you are the only ritualist present, YOU ARE IN CHARGE. They may be wealthy, or a faction leader, but they must, for their own safety, listen to you. While it is tempting to just let them reap the rewards for their folly, only do so if you have protected yourself first. The worst, in my experience, are old faction leaders who have seen ‘A thousand rituals’, and wish to insist that it goes the same way. Rituals, and the collection of rites that make them up, are often tailored by the ritualist that does them often. If it is not you, do not be tempted away from your ritual style. Your focus is a successful ritual. Listen to what has gone before, yes, but to it your own way. By now you should be aware of how much won’t be shared by those who do not know of the deep magic of the circle – simply because they don’t have the time, the skill, or the inclination to learn.<br /> <br /> ==3. Planning Your Ritual==<br /> <br /> We have now covered much of the basics. The next step lays in the practical – and the most common ritual will be that of a faction ritual. We will therefore finish out this small pamphlet by taking a practical look at building your own faction ritual. This will cover the basics of rituals in general. By the end you will have a functioning and planned faction ritual.<br /> <br /> Preparation<br /> <br /> Before we begin, you must know the faction. What is it that they are known for? What elements leap out at you? These elements are those that will be essential for the ritual. For example, do they spend time in the trees? Then take some leaves. Are they people of mud? Then take some mud. <br /> These are the elements most often overlooked as part of a ritual by new ritualists. Offerings are not just commodities. These elements help the ritual circle get a feeling for the faction, and to understand the sense, nature and flow of their faction powers. Do they have chants? Or phrases, songs, or dances? Are they known for particular weapons or clothes? Those need to be seen, and brought to the ritual circle. It is important that the faction be present for the ritual – not just the ritualist. <br /> It is understanding these sympathies that is important for any ritual. These sympathies give space and direction. They help build and summon the power needed to link a faction to their powers. <br /> It is best to assume that the ritual circle has never met your faction, and that you need to introduce its spiritual essence to the circle. How would you describe the feel of your faction? Or the emotional bond between faction members? You will find that these are ephemeral ideas, things that are very difficult to put into words and so it is to the ritualist to find symbols and elements that convey this idea. <br /> <br /> Commodities<br /> <br /> <br /> As a rule of thumb you will need 5 commodities per faction power. As a new ritualist you may not (yet!) be able to do more than a single faction power in a single ritual. It is a good idea to ensure that the faction is aware of this, as it will help manage their expectations. It is a good idea to try and harmonise your commodities. Remember that it is always best that at least one of these is fay hair. For the others, look at the faction affinities and find, if you can, a harmonious link. Perhaps silver for those connected to the moon, or fay hair for those connected to nature. Again, perhaps gold for those seeking healing from the sun, or tin for those looking to empower base emotions. Gather these together. They can be a helpful meditation on the ritual you are planning. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise around meanings and associations, and they also harmonise together. It is better to have two or three commodities the same. Thus think in terms of twos and threes to build your five commodities. Remember, here, the fay hair. It can be beneficial to offer more for the sake of including the right commodities. <br /> <br /> First Steps<br /> <br /> When planning any ritual, it helps to know what it is that you are asking. This step is often left to assumption, especially with faction rituals. Do not assume that the circle is able to divine from your words and actions what it is that you want the circle to do with the power. <br /> <br /> It helps for the ritualist to fully understand the faction power that they are looking to enable upon the festival lands. Let us consider the following (fictional) faction power. <br /> <br /> “I ask the circle to grant to our faction the power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase may be self-explanatory to the faction, but in and of itself makes no sense to you or I. What exactly is that the ritualist seeks to achieve with this? If the ritualist seeks to empower a magical weapon that is able to conjure the sun, the ritualist will need to know why this weapon does this. Is it to banish the darkness? Or is it a bane against undead? Is the weapon used for violence, or protection? Is the weapon a symbol of leadership, or is it a symbol of divinity? Consider these questions, and seek to answer them as you build your central theme for the ritual. This is the heart of your ritual, the central rite about which all other rites and actions will hang. Be clear in your intention. <br /> <br /> Building this rite will require explaining precisely what this faction power does. <br /> <br /> “Ritual Circle, we the faction of the Sun Warriors, come to you seeking to empower our Sun Hammer. The Sun Hammer is a beacon of hope to the festival lands. It brings the sun into a dark and lightless world. It can drive away even the most powerful darkness, it drives away those without souls, without life. It turns the undead to ash. I ask the ritual circle to grant our faction power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase seeks to explain what the Sun Hammer does, and explains specifically what it is, and its importance. You should already see that this central section begs many questions. Who are the ‘Sun Warriors’, Why is darkness something that they are against? Why do they need a weapon to do this? <br /> <br /> These questions then offer you simple examples of what minor rites you need to be preparing. Something simple to answer what the Sun Warriors are, what they stand for, and why they need a weapon. <br /> <br /> Here we run into our first tension. We are seeking to explain yes, and we are seeking to do so in a way that is able to build the power of the circle, yes. However, we are limited here by the amount of power that a new ritualist can hold in one go – and to the rule of brevity. More words do not make a better ritual. Longer rituals are not necessarily better. We will then need to look again at these other sections to see how they fit into our overall plan. <br /> <br /> Let us now turn to the elements that we know we need in our ritual at this point. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> A brief Ritual outline. <br /> <br /> 1. Everyone in the circle<br /> 2. Cleanse Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> 3. Raise the Wards – Rite<br /> 4. Outline what you intend to do – Minor Rite<br /> 5. Introduce the faction/scope – Minor Rite<br /> 6. Empower the faction power – Rite<br /> 7. Offer commodities – Minor Rite<br /> 8. Give thanks – Minor Rite<br /> 9 Lower the wards – Rite<br /> 10. Cleanse the Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> <br /> A Note On The List<br /> <br /> A Minor Rite here is something that has a clear and definite purpose, but may not stand as a complete rite in and of itself. They point to a section that cannot be missed, but they are often areas that can be covered in a few sentences, or a simple action. <br /> <br /> A Rite is something that is complete in and of itself. Something that has a clearly defined start and end, and the task(s) inside of it are all complete and connected to fulfilling that end. <br /> <br /> Planning Outline<br /> <br /> When planning the ritual in this way, you can see at a glance which bits, and in what order you need to proceed to achieve your goal. You may find as you write it out that you have two minor rites that could be placed together to create a rite in and of themselves. This is always the more preferred way of dealing with the ritual, as it ensures that you don’t forget something. <br /> <br /> Record Keeping<br /> <br /> It is at this point that I suggest something that should now be very obvious. Invest in a good notebook. Rituals have many steps, and in the heat of the moment, especially under pressure, it can be very easy to miss an important and vital step. It can then be very difficult to go backwards. A notebook can help you keep the ritual in order, and help you know which step is next. <br /> <br /> Ritualists should also keep a note of the rituals that succeed, and the rituals that don’t. Knowing what mistakes you made the last time is one of the best teachers. You may also find rituals written out by those ritualists that have gone before. <br /> <br /> A written ritual should include the following: <br /> Goal:<br /> Required payment:<br /> Power/Colours to be called upon:<br /> A list of rites contained within the ritual:<br /> Key points you Must say or achieve in the ritual:<br /> <br /> Optional extras - <br /> Number of ritualists required:<br /> Depictions of any symbols or runes to be drawn/called on:<br /> Nature/affinity that a circle has to make it easier:<br /> Minimum power/action a circle requires:<br /> <br /> From this common form, you can see that there is much more to a ritual than what we have yet covered. These things will be covered in a later pamphlet, but they are things that you should bear in mind when you write your own summary of a successful ritual. <br /> <br /> Towards a Planned Ritual: Notes on the order<br /> <br /> I will not cover the rites that we have covered earlier in this pamphlet, suffice to say that they are likely to become part of every ritual that you ever do. They are often so common that those writing rituals do not include them in the list of rites required for a ritual. That said, we will pick up on the other points in order. <br /> <br /> 4. Outline What You Intend To do<br /> <br /> This outline is NOT a ‘telling those present how the ritual is going to do’. That should have already been done. This is perhaps a few short sentences announcing your intention to the ritual circle. “We come to you today to perform our faction ritual”. It is important because it informs the circle what it is that it needs to get itself ready for. It need not be more than a few lines, but it is vitally important that this is said clearly, and loudly. <br /> <br /> <br /> 5. Introduce the Faction/scope<br /> <br /> As your faction ritual’s tone is set by your faction, your introduction will be heavily based on your faction. It is here that you outline your faction’s strengths, which should naturally lead into the faction power that you request. You are a faction of healers, who believe that all life is sacred, and you work ceaselessly to drive away death and disease. You could then offer the circle a bandage, to show your healing, perhaps some medicine to show your fight against disease. You do not need, at this point, to offer to the circle anything of magical, or intrinsic value beyond their value as symbols of your nation. This is the point where you are giving the scope, the feel of the ritual to the circle. In non-faction rituals, this would be where you might explain why you need the ritual to take place, what are the drivers for that ritual. In more complex rituals, this could become a rite, and may very well be linked with 4 (above). <br /> <br /> 7. Offer Commodities<br /> <br /> We have spoken of the danger of this section, be careful with your wording. Again, some place this in the section before, and place them when powering the rite for the faction power. However, I suggest that you always have this as a minor rite in every ritual you do. It is incredibly easy, even for a trained ritualist, to simply forget to place the commodities in the bowl – even more so when this job is given to someone else. Write out the minor rite in your list, even if you intend it to be part of the earlier rite. This will ensure that the commodities are, in fact, paid, and you don’t all suffer dire consequences for missing this small but vital step. <br /> <br /> 8. Give Thanks<br /> <br /> It is very possible that your ritual will have no visible effect, or even no sense that your ritual has been successful. You must still offer your thanks. While there are many theories as to why this is, many rituals succeed as you leave the circle, and you cannot, then, re-enter the circle to give thanks. You would not want a ritual that had, until this point, been successful to fail on a point of rudeness. <br /> <br /> Conclusion<br /> <br /> You now have the basics of the most oft-used ritual. I would suggest you study this pamphlet, and become familiar with it. Take your own notes, and you will no-doubt have questions. Direct these to your Ritual Master/Mistress, or seek out other ritualists who have tread this well-worn path before you. Remember, that each ritualist is as individual as waves on the ocean, but there is always knowledge to be had.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro&diff=146 2026-07-13T17:41:49Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>=Sir Roger’s <br /> Guide to the Ritual Circle=<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> Welcome newest initiate to the wonderful role of Ritualist. Whether you be novice, or returning to work after a break, I hope that you will find this pamphlet of use, and its contents instructive. I plan to cover the basics of the ritual circle, but no introductory guide can be exhaustive. I will, however, aim to keep you, dear reader, as safe as possible. As such, I include herein rules that, if followed, will keep you safe. Know, however, that all such rules may be bent, or broken with experience, but experience will not save you from the consequences. <br /> <br /> About the Ritual Circle. <br /> <br /> Ritual circles can be found throughout Orin RaKatha. They are usually constructed on places of natural power, and are connected together. This connection, known as the ‘Circle Network’, or occasionally (and wrongly) as the ‘portal network’. This connection allows for communication through circles, both magically and, for example, by the sending of letters. DO NOT attempt to send living things through the network. They will not be the same, if they survive at all. <br /> <br /> All the circles are connected to the primary, or great circle. Known simply as The Ritual Circle. This grand circle is the nexus of all the power. The other circles are all connected to it, and their power may wax and wane. This connection, however, does not make all circles the same. Some circles attuned to different elements, or areas, or, many of the hundreds of different sections of the world. There are circles attuned to fire, some to water, some to the storm, and some to wind, some to death, and some to life. The list is nearly endless. This gives each circle its own ‘personality’. While the circle is not alive as you may normally understand it, it has a sentience. It understands, it learns. It reacts to those that have known it and shaped it, often in a stronger way than others. They each have a name. They each have their own secrets. To truly call oneself a High Incanter, you should have been privy to at least 3 circle secrets, and perhaps even, the name of a circle. <br /> <br /> All circles have an ‘affinity’, or, as some call it a ‘leaning’, though I find affinity to be more accurate. Much of this comes from the powers and magics most regularly used within them, which in turn often comes from their location and the visual natural affinity. Circles in forests are often seen to have an affinity with nature, those on cliff-tops with air or sea. Some circles have connections with magical elements, of fire and air and water. It is helpful to find circles that match your own affinities, and the affinities of the rituals that you do most often. It can ease the learning, and be of help in your early rituals. <br /> <br /> You cannot enter a Ritual Circle without permission from the Ritual Mistress/Master. They have a special connection to the ritual circle, and it is they that are able to raise and lower the wards around the circle from the outside. These wards keep the circle safe from stray magical effects that are often seen around the world. They are powerful – they have been known to keep gods at bay. Touching these wards leads to instantaneous death. While it may look instantaneous on the outside, that instant seems like aeons of pain to the unfortunate soul who touched it. <br /> <br /> A ritual itself is made up of several smaller sections, herein called ‘rites’. These rites are distinct sections of the ritual as a whole. Many of these rites are ones that a ritualist will practise until they are able to do them without much thought or much preparation. It is important to note that the skill of the ritualist is in weaving these individual rites into a single unified whole.<br /> <br /> 1. The Basics<br /> <br /> <br /> Cleansing a Ritual Circle<br /> <br /> Wards raised, your next act is to cleanse the circle. A circle can often accrue magical detritus. This can be from previous rituals, or the very web and weave of the circle network itself. The circle needs to be prepared before you do any ritual work inside it. <br /> <br /> Each cleansing is as unique as the mutualist, and this is the first part of your journey. Every ritualist has a connection to a power beyond themselves. Be it the sphere they have aligned themselves with (Death, Life, Nature, Flame, Water etc.), or perhaps something that comes from their faction itself – like the tree of life, or the dark of the crypt. Each of these are things that can be called upon to aid in the cleansing of the circle. At its most basic, the cleansing of the circle is an action of action and chant. <br /> <br /> It is always best to begin with a thorough cleansing, imagine that this is taking a metaphorical broom and sweeping away the detritus. In its simplest form, this is a slow circular walk around the edges of the circle. Imagine that you have created a ball of energy around yourself, and it is this power that is sweeping the circle. Some hold their arms wide, as though gathering, or pushing all the unwanted energy from the circle. <br /> <br /> It should be remembered that you can enter the circle with ritualist props. If you need a broom, take a broom. If you feel it works better for you with a stick, or fire, or candles or whatever, take those with you. They may seem like props to the outsider, but if they allow you to connect you with the actions of the ritual, then take them. Of course, take caution, do not take too much in, it can get in the way. As a guide, take no more than one item in each hand. <br /> <br /> As for the chant itself, this is often ritualist-specific, and inspired by their faction. A call for cleansing from the elements, say, water or fire, or perhaps from powers can often be heard. Be careful here not to channel these magical elements too powerfully in the cleansing. Remembering it is YOU, the ritualist who does the cleansing. “I cleanse this circle from all negative effects”, or again “I cleanse this circle from all residual magics and return all unused power to the circle”. You may be as imaginative or as flowery as you like. <br /> <br /> A novice might be tempted to try and use this untempered energy in a ritual. Do not. Drive that thought from your mind. That energy is wild, unknown. It could have been used in a ritual of death, or resurrection, and the energy could attach itself to you. It could cause untold harm to you. Do not think this, cleanse the circle. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Raising the wards<br /> <br /> Once you have been granted access to the circle, your first act is to raise the wards. The wards around the circle come with the circle itself, and are best raised by loudly, and firmly saying ‘I raise the wards on the circle’. These wards will be enough for the most basic of rituals. <br /> <br /> However, it is often best to raise the wards with a bit more effort, and here beings your personal journey into understanding yourself as a ritualist. Some will face each of the cardinal directions, and open their arms wide and proclaim “I raise these circle wards”. Some may add the power of a deity or magical sphere “I raise these words and strengthen them with the power of life”, though it is often best to remember that it is the circle that raises the words, and that the circle wards are raised by the power of the ritualist in the circle. <br /> <br /> These wards are there to protect whatever ritual action you are about to perform from interference from the outside. A stray magical spell through an unprotected ritual circle can have dire effects on the ritual itself, and of course, on the ritualist if the spell is directed at them. <br /> <br /> The wards also contain your ritual. Rituals are often about gathering together, and harnessing vast amounts of magic. These vast amounts of magic, without the wards, will leak beyond the circle, and can cause damage to people beyond, the circle itself, and to allies. This can cause you to lose control of the ritual. Many a ritualist has been lost to their own ritual by forgetting this simple, but necessary step. <br /> <br /> When raising the wards, remember that you are raising the wards for a circle. For many ritualists, this involves a small walk around the circle, activating the wards with words, and actions. Often more than one walk around the circle, empowering each ward as they pass. <br /> <br /> It should be noted that a novice ritualist may not be able to see the arcane writing that guards the ritual circle, but they should trust that it is there. Imagine yourself pushing power into these wards, and imagine, in the eye of your mind, that they are glowing with power. Imagine how it would be to push that power from yourself, feel it flow through you. Imagine the words that it would take to do it. For some it is easier with actions, some with words, some with song or dance. <br /> <br /> The Ritualist and the Circle. <br /> <br /> Once the circle is cleansed, a ritual may now partake of the most important rite. That is, to commune with the circle. One of the gifts of being a ritualist is the communing. DO NOT ask any great questions of knowledge; DO NOT ask questions of ritual help. Simply be. Seek to get to know the circle, to feel how they are. This requires a question, but wording is one of the first challenges. A simple question like “How fares this circle” will suffice. This rite is as individual as the ritualist – from expressive dance, to deep drumming, to an eastern tea ceremony. The circle’s answer may be nothing, may be just a sense of a feeling, or you may be gifted an insight shared by the circle. It will no doubt take many blinding headaches until you perfect the power of this simple ritual. This simple ritual, however, is what will allow you to take the first steps towards attuning yourself to a circle. <br /> <br /> A Warning on STUPID QUESTIONS<br /> <br /> Every ritualist in their time will ask something stupid of the circle. It is as inevitable as the rising sun. However, I seek to aid you with the benefit of experience, so that you may learn from my hard-earned experience. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle its ‘name’. The Name of a circle is considered a secret, and must be earned. Generally, a circle often takes its common name from its location. It would be stupid to ask a circle its name as this is something that the circle will share once you are deserving. To become deserving is beyond this pamflet. If you are unsure how to address the circle, you can ask the ritual Master/Mistress. You can oftn address the circle simply as ‘ritual circle’ or ‘circle. <br /> <br /> NOT NOT use words like ‘great’ when describing the circle unless you stand in THE ritual circle. <br /> <br /> USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. If a circle is obviously corrupted or on fire or screaming, do not ask it how it is. <br /> <br /> DO NOT OFFER the circle things that you don’t mind losing. I have seen many a ritualist disappear into the circle for ‘offering’ their life to the circle instead of ‘dedicating’ their life to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT expect the circle to understand your implied ‘sense’. The context of the question may be obvious to you, but it may not be to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle for things easily obtained in other ways. The circle should not be used as a replacement almanack. <br /> <br /> Thank the Circle<br /> <br /> Once your communing is done, remember to thank the circle. Use words. If your communing involves food or liquid, leave a portion on the ground at the base of the offering stand. For liquids, you can often pour these into the ground. <br /> <br /> DO NOT put food offerings or liquid offerings in the offering bowl. <br /> <br /> At the end of this communing, you may wish to cleanse the circle. It can be possible for events happening later to affect you if you have a strong connection to the circle. <br /> <br /> As you leave, thank the ritual Master/Mistress for their time. Be sure to check with them for any further clarification, or even pointers on your recently finished ritual. <br /> <br /> <br /> 2. Intermediaries – Towards your first practical ritual.<br /> <br /> You have now seen the basics of the very first ritual. You know a ritual is made up of smaller sections, called herein ‘rites’, and we are aware of some of the basics in being safe. Those who are still reading are those most likely to make it as a ritualist. One of the primary things a ritualist needs is patience. The first section will have, in most cases, been harmless enough for even the most hot-headed, but they may have found themselves with a few negative effects from outside influences. These influences could have been anything from a passing spell, or even bad actors. Even the sudden arrival of wildlife can throw off a ritual. It is the reason why many sensible ritualists raise the wards. In the first section we spoke briefly about this practice, but let us now spend a bit more time with this most important first step. <br /> <br /> Raising The Wards<br /> <br /> DO NOT cross raised wards. It is always painful, and often fatal. <br /> <br /> DO NOT leave the ritual circle until every ritualist who has raised the wards lowers them. <br /> <br /> Raising the words is a rite that follows the same basics as the rite of cleansing. It uses movement and somatics (Somatics being ‘sound’ or ‘voice’). The raising of the wards ask that the ritual circle protect both those within and without from harmful effects crossing the barrier. It ensures that the rites that follow are contained so that their magics can be used for its intended purpose. It also ensures that entities, being, magic and influence from outside cannot enter. <br /> The power of the wards can be directly linked to the power and experience of the ritualist. That said, it is unlikely a new ritualist would be able to raise enough power to overwhelm their own wards accidentally. It is therefore advisable for ritualists to be aware of the amount of power they seek to manage, and whether or not they might need to pay more than cursory attention to the wards they have raised. <br /> The process of the rite is as the rite of cleansing (above), but it imagines, instead, a dome over the ritual circle and uses words similar to “I raise the wards of this ritual circle”. It does not here do harm to signal the kind of power you imagine to be flowing through those wards, the power of flame, or fire. Perhaps that of the mighty oak, or the everlasting night. For example, “I raise the words of this ritual circle, that they may stand tall and strong like the mighty oaks. That no wind or storm mundane or magical may stand against them”. <br /> <br /> This rite will often see a practised ritualist moving. It is wise at this stage of learning to use your whole body in movement. The raising of your arms, perhaps a dramatic version of a strong tree. These movements will at first seem odd, and in their exaggerated form, you will gain strange looks from those unfamiliar with the ritual circle. However, you will feel the power of the circle course through you as you use them. You will touch on depths of power that will connect you in a very real and tangible way with the circle. If you find that your circle is ‘silent’ and unresponsive, try more movement. <br /> <br /> I have found that it is often better to try these movements outside of the circle. There are a number of different forms that people use, and you can occasionally see a ritualist performing them as part of their morning acts. Each ritualist develops their own, and each ritual master/mistress will have yet more ways of adding movement. My advice on this topic will be to practise what feels natural, and to watch others, if you are able. Certainly as you seek to move past the more cursory ritual actions it is best to find yourself someone that you may shadow. Many ritualists are happy to aid in someone exploring the ritual circle, especially if it is one they themselves use – even if it is to stop you exploding in the ritual circle and forcing them to clean it up. <br /> <br /> A word about Commodities<br /> <br /> Every ritual requires commodities. This simple rule will keep a new ritualist safe, and ensure that their rituals have a better chance of success. The commodities are placed into the offering bowl upon a stand, or an altar inside the circle. <br /> <br /> It can be a good idea for the ritualist to separate the offerings to be connected to the request (if making multiple requests), but be careful to not suggest that the offerings are bribes or payments. The offerings are part of the powering of the rituals. As such offerings should be made with an eye to their role and affinity. <br /> <br /> Fay hair, for example, is connected to strong natural magical power. Gold would be good for sphere-based power magics. A rite should have multiple different commodities all seeking to inform and support each other. Be aware, though, that commodities have different, but overlapping natures. Do not look at them through the eyes of others. Tin is near worthless outside of the ritual circle, but properly used is as powerful an ingredient as any other. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise together, and work best in groups, or sets. 2 at a push, but 3 of the same is ideal. <br /> <br /> It should be said here that commodities and rituals are a part of a whole. Powerful commodities can make up for a lack-lustre ritual and, by extension, a powerful ritual can make up for lack of required commodities. While theoretically this extends to both extremes, DO NOT run a ritual without commodities. In extremis, Fey Hair can stand in for most commodities – yet even then it would be best to include other commodities for variety, even if their connection is dubious or non-existent. It can, in these cases, be best to ‘over-offer’ commodities. <br /> <br /> The Role of the Ritualist<br /> <br /> By now, I hope, I have impressed upon you the importance of the ritualist. <br /> I would like to take this moment to help you examine what kind of ritualist you will be. This is a decision as unique and as varied as grains of sand. You must get to know yourself and how the rituals will flow through you. How will you control that power, what in you speaks to the circle, and what in you listens when the circle speaks. <br /> Broadly speaking, there are two ‘types’ of ritualists. There are those that lead, and those that direct. <br /> <br /> A ritual is most often done with others. Often, the ritual will be acting on behalf of others, empowering, disempowering, resurrecting, faction ritual and the like. This means that the ritualist must know how they plan to act in that situation. It is here that the type of ritualist becomes important, and helps in how you, dear reader, will plan and conduct the ritual. <br /> <br /> DO NOT attempt to plan your ritual in the ritual circle. This ebbs the power away, and can often cause the ritual to fail, or backfire before you’ve even begun. <br /> <br /> DO NOT plan your ritual outside the ritual circle. Your time-slot is when the ritual begins, not when the planning begins. Not only does this run the danger that you may miss your slot entirely, but it also angers and irritates the ritual master/mistress. The ritual circle is very attuned to their ritual master/mistress and can, and will, refuse to help those who do not treat their ritual master/mistress with respect. <br /> <br /> The Ritualist As Leader<br /> <br /> These ritualists are often gregarious, willing to encourage other participants. They bring their own personal energy and personality force. By their encouragement they entice, cajole and inspire other participants to raise their voices or offer their actions to the ritual or rite. They will dance, cheer, shout, wave their arms, call on these within and without – all seemingly in acts of madness. Yet in this they are responding to the feel of the rite. Does it need more movement? Does the circle need more direction around this element? Balancing a rite is a delicate business and changes with the ebb and flow of power. For those that lead, they are the ones often seen in the centre of the ritual, loud and aware of the attention. They are the ones who are happy to take speaking roles, and to move around the circle picking up the slack given to others. <br /> <br /> The Ritualist as Director. <br /> <br /> Some ritualists find that they are better able to follow the flow of the rite by maintaining their own inner peace. Often stoic and softly spoken, they become one with the rite. They direct others in the circle with command and well prepared scripts. Confident of their ability they are able to direct the ritual from that still small space inside them. It is from this place of quiet peace that they encourage others to move around the circle, that they direct others to become elements of the rite – becoming a living set-piece under the watchful eye of the ritualist. For those that direct, the visible ring-master style role is something that they find uncomfortable. For them they need to ensure that others are able to step forward. While some speaking is inevitable- only they can raise the words, only they can hold the power, and only they can direct the magics within the circle – it is possible to make much of the speaking work something done by others. <br /> <br /> The Person of the Ritualist<br /> <br /> Between these two examples are there shades of grey, and these two are used here as straw-people so that you are able to see that all can be valid ritualists. Each has its own benefits and pitfalls, and both kinds of ritualist can do well to learn from the other. <br /> <br /> This should, for those that are beginning to think like a ritualist, show that planning of a ritual is important in whatever role you take. Everyone entering the ritual circle should have a role in the ritual. It can be as simple as placing commodities in the altar, or saying a short phrase – or it can be as elaborate as having them form a band and sing sea shanties. It is here that props can be of great help. Giving people props that they can place as symbols of things (a twig as a symbol of a tree, or a candle as a symbol of fire) can give them a meaningful role in the ritual circle. Ritual circles respond better to those that it knows, so the offerings of props here can become two fold, for example “My name is Reginald Goodman, and I bring the offering of light”. With such a simple line, they cover both their reason for being there, and introduce themselves. Of course, with this line it would be the ritualist (you) that would need to explain why the offering of light is necessary. “Ritual circle, we seek to banish the darkness, and to empower hope and light. We offer to you this offering of light” - Reginald would here step forward, and say their line. The ritualist might continue “as this candle banishes the darkness around it so too may this ritual banish the darkness”.<br /> <br /> The ritual is planned by the ritualist, and it is important to remember this important fact. A ritualist can find themselves acting on behalf of other factions, or standing in when their usual ritualist is absent. It is important that you take the time to understand each section of the ritual. <br /> <br /> First, let me be clear, whatever experience you have with rituals, if you are the only ritualist present, YOU ARE IN CHARGE. They may be wealthy, or a faction leader, but they must, for their own safety, listen to you. While it is tempting to just let them reap the rewards for their folly, only do so if you have protected yourself first. The worst, in my experience, are old faction leaders who have seen ‘A thousand rituals’, and wish to insist that it goes the same way. Rituals, and the collection of rites that make them up, are often tailored by the ritualist that does them often. If it is not you, do not be tempted away from your ritual style. Your focus is a successful ritual. Listen to what has gone before, yes, but to it your own way. By now you should be aware of how much won’t be shared by those who do not know of the deep magic of the circle – simply because they don’t have the time, the skill, or the inclination to learn.<br /> <br /> 3. Planning Your Ritual<br /> <br /> We have now covered much of the basics. The next step lays in the practical – and the most common ritual will be that of a faction ritual. We will therefore finish out this small pamphlet by taking a practical look at building your own faction ritual. This will cover the basics of rituals in general. By the end you will have a functioning and planned faction ritual.<br /> <br /> Preparation<br /> <br /> Before we begin, you must know the faction. What is it that they are known for? What elements leap out at you? These elements are those that will be essential for the ritual. For example, do they spend time in the trees? Then take some leaves. Are they people of mud? Then take some mud. <br /> These are the elements most often overlooked as part of a ritual by new ritualists. Offerings are not just commodities. These elements help the ritual circle get a feeling for the faction, and to understand the sense, nature and flow of their faction powers. Do they have chants? Or phrases, songs, or dances? Are they known for particular weapons or clothes? Those need to be seen, and brought to the ritual circle. It is important that the faction be present for the ritual – not just the ritualist. <br /> It is understanding these sympathies that is important for any ritual. These sympathies give space and direction. They help build and summon the power needed to link a faction to their powers. <br /> It is best to assume that the ritual circle has never met your faction, and that you need to introduce its spiritual essence to the circle. How would you describe the feel of your faction? Or the emotional bond between faction members? You will find that these are ephemeral ideas, things that are very difficult to put into words and so it is to the ritualist to find symbols and elements that convey this idea. <br /> <br /> Commodities<br /> <br /> <br /> As a rule of thumb you will need 5 commodities per faction power. As a new ritualist you may not (yet!) be able to do more than a single faction power in a single ritual. It is a good idea to ensure that the faction is aware of this, as it will help manage their expectations. It is a good idea to try and harmonise your commodities. Remember that it is always best that at least one of these is fay hair. For the others, look at the faction affinities and find, if you can, a harmonious link. Perhaps silver for those connected to the moon, or fay hair for those connected to nature. Again, perhaps gold for those seeking healing from the sun, or tin for those looking to empower base emotions. Gather these together. They can be a helpful meditation on the ritual you are planning. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise around meanings and associations, and they also harmonise together. It is better to have two or three commodities the same. Thus think in terms of twos and threes to build your five commodities. Remember, here, the fay hair. It can be beneficial to offer more for the sake of including the right commodities. <br /> <br /> First Steps<br /> <br /> When planning any ritual, it helps to know what it is that you are asking. This step is often left to assumption, especially with faction rituals. Do not assume that the circle is able to divine from your words and actions what it is that you want the circle to do with the power. <br /> <br /> It helps for the ritualist to fully understand the faction power that they are looking to enable upon the festival lands. Let us consider the following (fictional) faction power. <br /> <br /> “I ask the circle to grant to our faction the power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase may be self-explanatory to the faction, but in and of itself makes no sense to you or I. What exactly is that the ritualist seeks to achieve with this? If the ritualist seeks to empower a magical weapon that is able to conjure the sun, the ritualist will need to know why this weapon does this. Is it to banish the darkness? Or is it a bane against undead? Is the weapon used for violence, or protection? Is the weapon a symbol of leadership, or is it a symbol of divinity? Consider these questions, and seek to answer them as you build your central theme for the ritual. This is the heart of your ritual, the central rite about which all other rites and actions will hang. Be clear in your intention. <br /> <br /> Building this rite will require explaining precisely what this faction power does. <br /> <br /> “Ritual Circle, we the faction of the Sun Warriors, come to you seeking to empower our Sun Hammer. The Sun Hammer is a beacon of hope to the festival lands. It brings the sun into a dark and lightless world. It can drive away even the most powerful darkness, it drives away those without souls, without life. It turns the undead to ash. I ask the ritual circle to grant our faction power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase seeks to explain what the Sun Hammer does, and explains specifically what it is, and its importance. You should already see that this central section begs many questions. Who are the ‘Sun Warriors’, Why is darkness something that they are against? Why do they need a weapon to do this? <br /> <br /> These questions then offer you simple examples of what minor rites you need to be preparing. Something simple to answer what the Sun Warriors are, what they stand for, and why they need a weapon. <br /> <br /> Here we run into our first tension. We are seeking to explain yes, and we are seeking to do so in a way that is able to build the power of the circle, yes. However, we are limited here by the amount of power that a new ritualist can hold in one go – and to the rule of brevity. More words do not make a better ritual. Longer rituals are not necessarily better. We will then need to look again at these other sections to see how they fit into our overall plan. <br /> <br /> Let us now turn to the elements that we know we need in our ritual at this point. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> A brief Ritual outline. <br /> <br /> 1. Everyone in the circle<br /> 2. Cleanse Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> 3. Raise the Wards – Rite<br /> 4. Outline what you intend to do – Minor Rite<br /> 5. Introduce the faction/scope – Minor Rite<br /> 6. Empower the faction power – Rite<br /> 7. Offer commodities – Minor Rite<br /> 8. Give thanks – Minor Rite<br /> 9 Lower the wards – Rite<br /> 10. Cleanse the Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> <br /> A Note On The List<br /> <br /> A Minor Rite here is something that has a clear and definite purpose, but may not stand as a complete rite in and of itself. They point to a section that cannot be missed, but they are often areas that can be covered in a few sentences, or a simple action. <br /> <br /> A Rite is something that is complete in and of itself. Something that has a clearly defined start and end, and the task(s) inside of it are all complete and connected to fulfilling that end. <br /> <br /> Planning Outline<br /> <br /> When planning the ritual in this way, you can see at a glance which bits, and in what order you need to proceed to achieve your goal. You may find as you write it out that you have two minor rites that could be placed together to create a rite in and of themselves. This is always the more preferred way of dealing with the ritual, as it ensures that you don’t forget something. <br /> <br /> Record Keeping<br /> <br /> It is at this point that I suggest something that should now be very obvious. Invest in a good notebook. Rituals have many steps, and in the heat of the moment, especially under pressure, it can be very easy to miss an important and vital step. It can then be very difficult to go backwards. A notebook can help you keep the ritual in order, and help you know which step is next. <br /> <br /> Ritualists should also keep a note of the rituals that succeed, and the rituals that don’t. Knowing what mistakes you made the last time is one of the best teachers. You may also find rituals written out by those ritualists that have gone before. <br /> <br /> A written ritual should include the following: <br /> Goal:<br /> Required payment:<br /> Power/Colours to be called upon:<br /> A list of rites contained within the ritual:<br /> Key points you Must say or achieve in the ritual:<br /> <br /> Optional extras - <br /> Number of ritualists required:<br /> Depictions of any symbols or runes to be drawn/called on:<br /> Nature/affinity that a circle has to make it easier:<br /> Minimum power/action a circle requires:<br /> <br /> From this common form, you can see that there is much more to a ritual than what we have yet covered. These things will be covered in a later pamphlet, but they are things that you should bear in mind when you write your own summary of a successful ritual. <br /> <br /> Towards a Planned Ritual: Notes on the order<br /> <br /> I will not cover the rites that we have covered earlier in this pamphlet, suffice to say that they are likely to become part of every ritual that you ever do. They are often so common that those writing rituals do not include them in the list of rites required for a ritual. That said, we will pick up on the other points in order. <br /> <br /> 4. Outline What You Intend To do<br /> <br /> This outline is NOT a ‘telling those present how the ritual is going to do’. That should have already been done. This is perhaps a few short sentences announcing your intention to the ritual circle. “We come to you today to perform our faction ritual”. It is important because it informs the circle what it is that it needs to get itself ready for. It need not be more than a few lines, but it is vitally important that this is said clearly, and loudly. <br /> <br /> <br /> 5. Introduce the Faction/scope<br /> <br /> As your faction ritual’s tone is set by your faction, your introduction will be heavily based on your faction. It is here that you outline your faction’s strengths, which should naturally lead into the faction power that you request. You are a faction of healers, who believe that all life is sacred, and you work ceaselessly to drive away death and disease. You could then offer the circle a bandage, to show your healing, perhaps some medicine to show your fight against disease. You do not need, at this point, to offer to the circle anything of magical, or intrinsic value beyond their value as symbols of your nation. This is the point where you are giving the scope, the feel of the ritual to the circle. In non-faction rituals, this would be where you might explain why you need the ritual to take place, what are the drivers for that ritual. In more complex rituals, this could become a rite, and may very well be linked with 4 (above). <br /> <br /> 7. Offer Commodities<br /> <br /> We have spoken of the danger of this section, be careful with your wording. Again, some place this in the section before, and place them when powering the rite for the faction power. However, I suggest that you always have this as a minor rite in every ritual you do. It is incredibly easy, even for a trained ritualist, to simply forget to place the commodities in the bowl – even more so when this job is given to someone else. Write out the minor rite in your list, even if you intend it to be part of the earlier rite. This will ensure that the commodities are, in fact, paid, and you don’t all suffer dire consequences for missing this small but vital step. <br /> <br /> 8. Give Thanks<br /> <br /> It is very possible that your ritual will have no visible effect, or even no sense that your ritual has been successful. You must still offer your thanks. While there are many theories as to why this is, many rituals succeed as you leave the circle, and you cannot, then, re-enter the circle to give thanks. You would not want a ritual that had, until this point, been successful to fail on a point of rudeness. <br /> <br /> Conclusion<br /> <br /> You now have the basics of the most oft-used ritual. I would suggest you study this pamphlet, and become familiar with it. Take your own notes, and you will no-doubt have questions. Direct these to your Ritual Master/Mistress, or seek out other ritualists who have tread this well-worn path before you. Remember, that each ritualist is as individual as waves on the ocean, but there is always knowledge to be had.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro&diff=145 2026-07-13T17:40:42Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Creation of Page</p> <hr /> <div>Sir Roger’s <br /> Guide to the Ritual Circle<br /> <br /> Introduction<br /> <br /> Welcome newest initiate to the wonderful role of Ritualist. Whether you be novice, or returning to work after a break, I hope that you will find this pamphlet of use, and its contents instructive. I plan to cover the basics of the ritual circle, but no introductory guide can be exhaustive. I will, however, aim to keep you, dear reader, as safe as possible. As such, I include herein rules that, if followed, will keep you safe. Know, however, that all such rules may be bent, or broken with experience, but experience will not save you from the consequences. <br /> <br /> About the Ritual Circle. <br /> <br /> Ritual circles can be found throughout Orin RaKatha. They are usually constructed on places of natural power, and are connected together. This connection, known as the ‘Circle Network’, or occasionally (and wrongly) as the ‘portal network’. This connection allows for communication through circles, both magically and, for example, by the sending of letters. DO NOT attempt to send living things through the network. They will not be the same, if they survive at all. <br /> <br /> All the circles are connected to the primary, or great circle. Known simply as The Ritual Circle. This grand circle is the nexus of all the power. The other circles are all connected to it, and their power may wax and wane. This connection, however, does not make all circles the same. Some circles attuned to different elements, or areas, or, many of the hundreds of different sections of the world. There are circles attuned to fire, some to water, some to the storm, and some to wind, some to death, and some to life. The list is nearly endless. This gives each circle its own ‘personality’. While the circle is not alive as you may normally understand it, it has a sentience. It understands, it learns. It reacts to those that have known it and shaped it, often in a stronger way than others. They each have a name. They each have their own secrets. To truly call oneself a High Incanter, you should have been privy to at least 3 circle secrets, and perhaps even, the name of a circle. <br /> <br /> All circles have an ‘affinity’, or, as some call it a ‘leaning’, though I find affinity to be more accurate. Much of this comes from the powers and magics most regularly used within them, which in turn often comes from their location and the visual natural affinity. Circles in forests are often seen to have an affinity with nature, those on cliff-tops with air or sea. Some circles have connections with magical elements, of fire and air and water. It is helpful to find circles that match your own affinities, and the affinities of the rituals that you do most often. It can ease the learning, and be of help in your early rituals. <br /> <br /> You cannot enter a Ritual Circle without permission from the Ritual Mistress/Master. They have a special connection to the ritual circle, and it is they that are able to raise and lower the wards around the circle from the outside. These wards keep the circle safe from stray magical effects that are often seen around the world. They are powerful – they have been known to keep gods at bay. Touching these wards leads to instantaneous death. While it may look instantaneous on the outside, that instant seems like aeons of pain to the unfortunate soul who touched it. <br /> <br /> A ritual itself is made up of several smaller sections, herein called ‘rites’. These rites are distinct sections of the ritual as a whole. Many of these rites are ones that a ritualist will practise until they are able to do them without much thought or much preparation. It is important to note that the skill of the ritualist is in weaving these individual rites into a single unified whole.<br /> <br /> 1. The Basics<br /> <br /> <br /> Cleansing a Ritual Circle<br /> <br /> Wards raised, your next act is to cleanse the circle. A circle can often accrue magical detritus. This can be from previous rituals, or the very web and weave of the circle network itself. The circle needs to be prepared before you do any ritual work inside it. <br /> <br /> Each cleansing is as unique as the mutualist, and this is the first part of your journey. Every ritualist has a connection to a power beyond themselves. Be it the sphere they have aligned themselves with (Death, Life, Nature, Flame, Water etc.), or perhaps something that comes from their faction itself – like the tree of life, or the dark of the crypt. Each of these are things that can be called upon to aid in the cleansing of the circle. At its most basic, the cleansing of the circle is an action of action and chant. <br /> <br /> It is always best to begin with a thorough cleansing, imagine that this is taking a metaphorical broom and sweeping away the detritus. In its simplest form, this is a slow circular walk around the edges of the circle. Imagine that you have created a ball of energy around yourself, and it is this power that is sweeping the circle. Some hold their arms wide, as though gathering, or pushing all the unwanted energy from the circle. <br /> <br /> It should be remembered that you can enter the circle with ritualist props. If you need a broom, take a broom. If you feel it works better for you with a stick, or fire, or candles or whatever, take those with you. They may seem like props to the outsider, but if they allow you to connect you with the actions of the ritual, then take them. Of course, take caution, do not take too much in, it can get in the way. As a guide, take no more than one item in each hand. <br /> <br /> As for the chant itself, this is often ritualist-specific, and inspired by their faction. A call for cleansing from the elements, say, water or fire, or perhaps from powers can often be heard. Be careful here not to channel these magical elements too powerfully in the cleansing. Remembering it is YOU, the ritualist who does the cleansing. “I cleanse this circle from all negative effects”, or again “I cleanse this circle from all residual magics and return all unused power to the circle”. You may be as imaginative or as flowery as you like. <br /> <br /> A novice might be tempted to try and use this untempered energy in a ritual. Do not. Drive that thought from your mind. That energy is wild, unknown. It could have been used in a ritual of death, or resurrection, and the energy could attach itself to you. It could cause untold harm to you. Do not think this, cleanse the circle. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Raising the wards<br /> <br /> Once you have been granted access to the circle, your first act is to raise the wards. The wards around the circle come with the circle itself, and are best raised by loudly, and firmly saying ‘I raise the wards on the circle’. These wards will be enough for the most basic of rituals. <br /> <br /> However, it is often best to raise the wards with a bit more effort, and here beings your personal journey into understanding yourself as a ritualist. Some will face each of the cardinal directions, and open their arms wide and proclaim “I raise these circle wards”. Some may add the power of a deity or magical sphere “I raise these words and strengthen them with the power of life”, though it is often best to remember that it is the circle that raises the words, and that the circle wards are raised by the power of the ritualist in the circle. <br /> <br /> These wards are there to protect whatever ritual action you are about to perform from interference from the outside. A stray magical spell through an unprotected ritual circle can have dire effects on the ritual itself, and of course, on the ritualist if the spell is directed at them. <br /> <br /> The wards also contain your ritual. Rituals are often about gathering together, and harnessing vast amounts of magic. These vast amounts of magic, without the wards, will leak beyond the circle, and can cause damage to people beyond, the circle itself, and to allies. This can cause you to lose control of the ritual. Many a ritualist has been lost to their own ritual by forgetting this simple, but necessary step. <br /> <br /> When raising the wards, remember that you are raising the wards for a circle. For many ritualists, this involves a small walk around the circle, activating the wards with words, and actions. Often more than one walk around the circle, empowering each ward as they pass. <br /> <br /> It should be noted that a novice ritualist may not be able to see the arcane writing that guards the ritual circle, but they should trust that it is there. Imagine yourself pushing power into these wards, and imagine, in the eye of your mind, that they are glowing with power. Imagine how it would be to push that power from yourself, feel it flow through you. Imagine the words that it would take to do it. For some it is easier with actions, some with words, some with song or dance. <br /> <br /> The Ritualist and the Circle. <br /> <br /> Once the circle is cleansed, a ritual may now partake of the most important rite. That is, to commune with the circle. One of the gifts of being a ritualist is the communing. DO NOT ask any great questions of knowledge; DO NOT ask questions of ritual help. Simply be. Seek to get to know the circle, to feel how they are. This requires a question, but wording is one of the first challenges. A simple question like “How fares this circle” will suffice. This rite is as individual as the ritualist – from expressive dance, to deep drumming, to an eastern tea ceremony. The circle’s answer may be nothing, may be just a sense of a feeling, or you may be gifted an insight shared by the circle. It will no doubt take many blinding headaches until you perfect the power of this simple ritual. This simple ritual, however, is what will allow you to take the first steps towards attuning yourself to a circle. <br /> <br /> A Warning on STUPID QUESTIONS<br /> <br /> Every ritualist in their time will ask something stupid of the circle. It is as inevitable as the rising sun. However, I seek to aid you with the benefit of experience, so that you may learn from my hard-earned experience. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle its ‘name’. The Name of a circle is considered a secret, and must be earned. Generally, a circle often takes its common name from its location. It would be stupid to ask a circle its name as this is something that the circle will share once you are deserving. To become deserving is beyond this pamflet. If you are unsure how to address the circle, you can ask the ritual Master/Mistress. You can oftn address the circle simply as ‘ritual circle’ or ‘circle. <br /> <br /> NOT NOT use words like ‘great’ when describing the circle unless you stand in THE ritual circle. <br /> <br /> USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. If a circle is obviously corrupted or on fire or screaming, do not ask it how it is. <br /> <br /> DO NOT OFFER the circle things that you don’t mind losing. I have seen many a ritualist disappear into the circle for ‘offering’ their life to the circle instead of ‘dedicating’ their life to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT expect the circle to understand your implied ‘sense’. The context of the question may be obvious to you, but it may not be to the circle. <br /> <br /> DO NOT ask the circle for things easily obtained in other ways. The circle should not be used as a replacement almanack. <br /> <br /> Thank the Circle<br /> <br /> Once your communing is done, remember to thank the circle. Use words. If your communing involves food or liquid, leave a portion on the ground at the base of the offering stand. For liquids, you can often pour these into the ground. <br /> <br /> DO NOT put food offerings or liquid offerings in the offering bowl. <br /> <br /> At the end of this communing, you may wish to cleanse the circle. It can be possible for events happening later to affect you if you have a strong connection to the circle. <br /> <br /> As you leave, thank the ritual Master/Mistress for their time. Be sure to check with them for any further clarification, or even pointers on your recently finished ritual. <br /> <br /> <br /> 2. Intermediaries – Towards your first practical ritual.<br /> <br /> You have now seen the basics of the very first ritual. You know a ritual is made up of smaller sections, called herein ‘rites’, and we are aware of some of the basics in being safe. Those who are still reading are those most likely to make it as a ritualist. One of the primary things a ritualist needs is patience. The first section will have, in most cases, been harmless enough for even the most hot-headed, but they may have found themselves with a few negative effects from outside influences. These influences could have been anything from a passing spell, or even bad actors. Even the sudden arrival of wildlife can throw off a ritual. It is the reason why many sensible ritualists raise the wards. In the first section we spoke briefly about this practice, but let us now spend a bit more time with this most important first step. <br /> <br /> Raising The Wards<br /> <br /> DO NOT cross raised wards. It is always painful, and often fatal. <br /> <br /> DO NOT leave the ritual circle until every ritualist who has raised the wards lowers them. <br /> <br /> Raising the words is a rite that follows the same basics as the rite of cleansing. It uses movement and somatics (Somatics being ‘sound’ or ‘voice’). The raising of the wards ask that the ritual circle protect both those within and without from harmful effects crossing the barrier. It ensures that the rites that follow are contained so that their magics can be used for its intended purpose. It also ensures that entities, being, magic and influence from outside cannot enter. <br /> The power of the wards can be directly linked to the power and experience of the ritualist. That said, it is unlikely a new ritualist would be able to raise enough power to overwhelm their own wards accidentally. It is therefore advisable for ritualists to be aware of the amount of power they seek to manage, and whether or not they might need to pay more than cursory attention to the wards they have raised. <br /> The process of the rite is as the rite of cleansing (above), but it imagines, instead, a dome over the ritual circle and uses words similar to “I raise the wards of this ritual circle”. It does not here do harm to signal the kind of power you imagine to be flowing through those wards, the power of flame, or fire. Perhaps that of the mighty oak, or the everlasting night. For example, “I raise the words of this ritual circle, that they may stand tall and strong like the mighty oaks. That no wind or storm mundane or magical may stand against them”. <br /> <br /> This rite will often see a practised ritualist moving. It is wise at this stage of learning to use your whole body in movement. The raising of your arms, perhaps a dramatic version of a strong tree. These movements will at first seem odd, and in their exaggerated form, you will gain strange looks from those unfamiliar with the ritual circle. However, you will feel the power of the circle course through you as you use them. You will touch on depths of power that will connect you in a very real and tangible way with the circle. If you find that your circle is ‘silent’ and unresponsive, try more movement. <br /> <br /> I have found that it is often better to try these movements outside of the circle. There are a number of different forms that people use, and you can occasionally see a ritualist performing them as part of their morning acts. Each ritualist develops their own, and each ritual master/mistress will have yet more ways of adding movement. My advice on this topic will be to practise what feels natural, and to watch others, if you are able. Certainly as you seek to move past the more cursory ritual actions it is best to find yourself someone that you may shadow. Many ritualists are happy to aid in someone exploring the ritual circle, especially if it is one they themselves use – even if it is to stop you exploding in the ritual circle and forcing them to clean it up. <br /> <br /> A word about Commodities<br /> <br /> Every ritual requires commodities. This simple rule will keep a new ritualist safe, and ensure that their rituals have a better chance of success. The commodities are placed into the offering bowl upon a stand, or an altar inside the circle. <br /> <br /> It can be a good idea for the ritualist to separate the offerings to be connected to the request (if making multiple requests), but be careful to not suggest that the offerings are bribes or payments. The offerings are part of the powering of the rituals. As such offerings should be made with an eye to their role and affinity. <br /> <br /> Fay hair, for example, is connected to strong natural magical power. Gold would be good for sphere-based power magics. A rite should have multiple different commodities all seeking to inform and support each other. Be aware, though, that commodities have different, but overlapping natures. Do not look at them through the eyes of others. Tin is near worthless outside of the ritual circle, but properly used is as powerful an ingredient as any other. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise together, and work best in groups, or sets. 2 at a push, but 3 of the same is ideal. <br /> <br /> It should be said here that commodities and rituals are a part of a whole. Powerful commodities can make up for a lack-lustre ritual and, by extension, a powerful ritual can make up for lack of required commodities. While theoretically this extends to both extremes, DO NOT run a ritual without commodities. In extremis, Fey Hair can stand in for most commodities – yet even then it would be best to include other commodities for variety, even if their connection is dubious or non-existent. It can, in these cases, be best to ‘over-offer’ commodities. <br /> <br /> The Role of the Ritualist<br /> <br /> By now, I hope, I have impressed upon you the importance of the ritualist. <br /> I would like to take this moment to help you examine what kind of ritualist you will be. This is a decision as unique and as varied as grains of sand. You must get to know yourself and how the rituals will flow through you. How will you control that power, what in you speaks to the circle, and what in you listens when the circle speaks. <br /> Broadly speaking, there are two ‘types’ of ritualists. There are those that lead, and those that direct. <br /> <br /> A ritual is most often done with others. Often, the ritual will be acting on behalf of others, empowering, disempowering, resurrecting, faction ritual and the like. This means that the ritualist must know how they plan to act in that situation. It is here that the type of ritualist becomes important, and helps in how you, dear reader, will plan and conduct the ritual. <br /> <br /> DO NOT attempt to plan your ritual in the ritual circle. This ebbs the power away, and can often cause the ritual to fail, or backfire before you’ve even begun. <br /> <br /> DO NOT plan your ritual outside the ritual circle. Your time-slot is when the ritual begins, not when the planning begins. Not only does this run the danger that you may miss your slot entirely, but it also angers and irritates the ritual master/mistress. The ritual circle is very attuned to their ritual master/mistress and can, and will, refuse to help those who do not treat their ritual master/mistress with respect. <br /> <br /> The Ritualist As Leader<br /> <br /> These ritualists are often gregarious, willing to encourage other participants. They bring their own personal energy and personality force. By their encouragement they entice, cajole and inspire other participants to raise their voices or offer their actions to the ritual or rite. They will dance, cheer, shout, wave their arms, call on these within and without – all seemingly in acts of madness. Yet in this they are responding to the feel of the rite. Does it need more movement? Does the circle need more direction around this element? Balancing a rite is a delicate business and changes with the ebb and flow of power. For those that lead, they are the ones often seen in the centre of the ritual, loud and aware of the attention. They are the ones who are happy to take speaking roles, and to move around the circle picking up the slack given to others. <br /> <br /> The Ritualist as Director. <br /> <br /> Some ritualists find that they are better able to follow the flow of the rite by maintaining their own inner peace. Often stoic and softly spoken, they become one with the rite. They direct others in the circle with command and well prepared scripts. Confident of their ability they are able to direct the ritual from that still small space inside them. It is from this place of quiet peace that they encourage others to move around the circle, that they direct others to become elements of the rite – becoming a living set-piece under the watchful eye of the ritualist. For those that direct, the visible ring-master style role is something that they find uncomfortable. For them they need to ensure that others are able to step forward. While some speaking is inevitable- only they can raise the words, only they can hold the power, and only they can direct the magics within the circle – it is possible to make much of the speaking work something done by others. <br /> <br /> The Person of the Ritualist<br /> <br /> Between these two examples are there shades of grey, and these two are used here as straw-people so that you are able to see that all can be valid ritualists. Each has its own benefits and pitfalls, and both kinds of ritualist can do well to learn from the other. <br /> <br /> This should, for those that are beginning to think like a ritualist, show that planning of a ritual is important in whatever role you take. Everyone entering the ritual circle should have a role in the ritual. It can be as simple as placing commodities in the altar, or saying a short phrase – or it can be as elaborate as having them form a band and sing sea shanties. It is here that props can be of great help. Giving people props that they can place as symbols of things (a twig as a symbol of a tree, or a candle as a symbol of fire) can give them a meaningful role in the ritual circle. Ritual circles respond better to those that it knows, so the offerings of props here can become two fold, for example “My name is Reginald Goodman, and I bring the offering of light”. With such a simple line, they cover both their reason for being there, and introduce themselves. Of course, with this line it would be the ritualist (you) that would need to explain why the offering of light is necessary. “Ritual circle, we seek to banish the darkness, and to empower hope and light. We offer to you this offering of light” - Reginald would here step forward, and say their line. The ritualist might continue “as this candle banishes the darkness around it so too may this ritual banish the darkness”.<br /> <br /> The ritual is planned by the ritualist, and it is important to remember this important fact. A ritualist can find themselves acting on behalf of other factions, or standing in when their usual ritualist is absent. It is important that you take the time to understand each section of the ritual. <br /> <br /> First, let me be clear, whatever experience you have with rituals, if you are the only ritualist present, YOU ARE IN CHARGE. They may be wealthy, or a faction leader, but they must, for their own safety, listen to you. While it is tempting to just let them reap the rewards for their folly, only do so if you have protected yourself first. The worst, in my experience, are old faction leaders who have seen ‘A thousand rituals’, and wish to insist that it goes the same way. Rituals, and the collection of rites that make them up, are often tailored by the ritualist that does them often. If it is not you, do not be tempted away from your ritual style. Your focus is a successful ritual. Listen to what has gone before, yes, but to it your own way. By now you should be aware of how much won’t be shared by those who do not know of the deep magic of the circle – simply because they don’t have the time, the skill, or the inclination to learn.<br /> <br /> 3. Planning Your Ritual<br /> <br /> We have now covered much of the basics. The next step lays in the practical – and the most common ritual will be that of a faction ritual. We will therefore finish out this small pamphlet by taking a practical look at building your own faction ritual. This will cover the basics of rituals in general. By the end you will have a functioning and planned faction ritual.<br /> <br /> Preparation<br /> <br /> Before we begin, you must know the faction. What is it that they are known for? What elements leap out at you? These elements are those that will be essential for the ritual. For example, do they spend time in the trees? Then take some leaves. Are they people of mud? Then take some mud. <br /> These are the elements most often overlooked as part of a ritual by new ritualists. Offerings are not just commodities. These elements help the ritual circle get a feeling for the faction, and to understand the sense, nature and flow of their faction powers. Do they have chants? Or phrases, songs, or dances? Are they known for particular weapons or clothes? Those need to be seen, and brought to the ritual circle. It is important that the faction be present for the ritual – not just the ritualist. <br /> It is understanding these sympathies that is important for any ritual. These sympathies give space and direction. They help build and summon the power needed to link a faction to their powers. <br /> It is best to assume that the ritual circle has never met your faction, and that you need to introduce its spiritual essence to the circle. How would you describe the feel of your faction? Or the emotional bond between faction members? You will find that these are ephemeral ideas, things that are very difficult to put into words and so it is to the ritualist to find symbols and elements that convey this idea. <br /> <br /> Commodities<br /> <br /> <br /> As a rule of thumb you will need 5 commodities per faction power. As a new ritualist you may not (yet!) be able to do more than a single faction power in a single ritual. It is a good idea to ensure that the faction is aware of this, as it will help manage their expectations. It is a good idea to try and harmonise your commodities. Remember that it is always best that at least one of these is fay hair. For the others, look at the faction affinities and find, if you can, a harmonious link. Perhaps silver for those connected to the moon, or fay hair for those connected to nature. Again, perhaps gold for those seeking healing from the sun, or tin for those looking to empower base emotions. Gather these together. They can be a helpful meditation on the ritual you are planning. <br /> <br /> Commodities harmonise around meanings and associations, and they also harmonise together. It is better to have two or three commodities the same. Thus think in terms of twos and threes to build your five commodities. Remember, here, the fay hair. It can be beneficial to offer more for the sake of including the right commodities. <br /> <br /> First Steps<br /> <br /> When planning any ritual, it helps to know what it is that you are asking. This step is often left to assumption, especially with faction rituals. Do not assume that the circle is able to divine from your words and actions what it is that you want the circle to do with the power. <br /> <br /> It helps for the ritualist to fully understand the faction power that they are looking to enable upon the festival lands. Let us consider the following (fictional) faction power. <br /> <br /> “I ask the circle to grant to our faction the power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase may be self-explanatory to the faction, but in and of itself makes no sense to you or I. What exactly is that the ritualist seeks to achieve with this? If the ritualist seeks to empower a magical weapon that is able to conjure the sun, the ritualist will need to know why this weapon does this. Is it to banish the darkness? Or is it a bane against undead? Is the weapon used for violence, or protection? Is the weapon a symbol of leadership, or is it a symbol of divinity? Consider these questions, and seek to answer them as you build your central theme for the ritual. This is the heart of your ritual, the central rite about which all other rites and actions will hang. Be clear in your intention. <br /> <br /> Building this rite will require explaining precisely what this faction power does. <br /> <br /> “Ritual Circle, we the faction of the Sun Warriors, come to you seeking to empower our Sun Hammer. The Sun Hammer is a beacon of hope to the festival lands. It brings the sun into a dark and lightless world. It can drive away even the most powerful darkness, it drives away those without souls, without life. It turns the undead to ash. I ask the ritual circle to grant our faction power of Sun Hammer”<br /> <br /> This phrase seeks to explain what the Sun Hammer does, and explains specifically what it is, and its importance. You should already see that this central section begs many questions. Who are the ‘Sun Warriors’, Why is darkness something that they are against? Why do they need a weapon to do this? <br /> <br /> These questions then offer you simple examples of what minor rites you need to be preparing. Something simple to answer what the Sun Warriors are, what they stand for, and why they need a weapon. <br /> <br /> Here we run into our first tension. We are seeking to explain yes, and we are seeking to do so in a way that is able to build the power of the circle, yes. However, we are limited here by the amount of power that a new ritualist can hold in one go – and to the rule of brevity. More words do not make a better ritual. Longer rituals are not necessarily better. We will then need to look again at these other sections to see how they fit into our overall plan. <br /> <br /> Let us now turn to the elements that we know we need in our ritual at this point. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> A brief Ritual outline. <br /> <br /> 1. Everyone in the circle<br /> 2. Cleanse Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> 3. Raise the Wards – Rite<br /> 4. Outline what you intend to do – Minor Rite<br /> 5. Introduce the faction/scope – Minor Rite<br /> 6. Empower the faction power – Rite<br /> 7. Offer commodities – Minor Rite<br /> 8. Give thanks – Minor Rite<br /> 9 Lower the wards – Rite<br /> 10. Cleanse the Ritual Circle – Rite<br /> <br /> A Note On The List<br /> <br /> A Minor Rite here is something that has a clear and definite purpose, but may not stand as a complete rite in and of itself. They point to a section that cannot be missed, but they are often areas that can be covered in a few sentences, or a simple action. <br /> <br /> A Rite is something that is complete in and of itself. Something that has a clearly defined start and end, and the task(s) inside of it are all complete and connected to fulfilling that end. <br /> <br /> Planning Outline<br /> <br /> When planning the ritual in this way, you can see at a glance which bits, and in what order you need to proceed to achieve your goal. You may find as you write it out that you have two minor rites that could be placed together to create a rite in and of themselves. This is always the more preferred way of dealing with the ritual, as it ensures that you don’t forget something. <br /> <br /> Record Keeping<br /> <br /> It is at this point that I suggest something that should now be very obvious. Invest in a good notebook. Rituals have many steps, and in the heat of the moment, especially under pressure, it can be very easy to miss an important and vital step. It can then be very difficult to go backwards. A notebook can help you keep the ritual in order, and help you know which step is next. <br /> <br /> Ritualists should also keep a note of the rituals that succeed, and the rituals that don’t. Knowing what mistakes you made the last time is one of the best teachers. You may also find rituals written out by those ritualists that have gone before. <br /> <br /> A written ritual should include the following: <br /> Goal:<br /> Required payment:<br /> Power/Colours to be called upon:<br /> A list of rites contained within the ritual:<br /> Key points you Must say or achieve in the ritual:<br /> <br /> Optional extras - <br /> Number of ritualists required:<br /> Depictions of any symbols or runes to be drawn/called on:<br /> Nature/affinity that a circle has to make it easier:<br /> Minimum power/action a circle requires:<br /> <br /> From this common form, you can see that there is much more to a ritual than what we have yet covered. These things will be covered in a later pamphlet, but they are things that you should bear in mind when you write your own summary of a successful ritual. <br /> <br /> Towards a Planned Ritual: Notes on the order<br /> <br /> I will not cover the rites that we have covered earlier in this pamphlet, suffice to say that they are likely to become part of every ritual that you ever do. They are often so common that those writing rituals do not include them in the list of rites required for a ritual. That said, we will pick up on the other points in order. <br /> <br /> 4. Outline What You Intend To do<br /> <br /> This outline is NOT a ‘telling those present how the ritual is going to do’. That should have already been done. This is perhaps a few short sentences announcing your intention to the ritual circle. “We come to you today to perform our faction ritual”. It is important because it informs the circle what it is that it needs to get itself ready for. It need not be more than a few lines, but it is vitally important that this is said clearly, and loudly. <br /> <br /> <br /> 5. Introduce the Faction/scope<br /> <br /> As your faction ritual’s tone is set by your faction, your introduction will be heavily based on your faction. It is here that you outline your faction’s strengths, which should naturally lead into the faction power that you request. You are a faction of healers, who believe that all life is sacred, and you work ceaselessly to drive away death and disease. You could then offer the circle a bandage, to show your healing, perhaps some medicine to show your fight against disease. You do not need, at this point, to offer to the circle anything of magical, or intrinsic value beyond their value as symbols of your nation. This is the point where you are giving the scope, the feel of the ritual to the circle. In non-faction rituals, this would be where you might explain why you need the ritual to take place, what are the drivers for that ritual. In more complex rituals, this could become a rite, and may very well be linked with 4 (above). <br /> <br /> 7. Offer Commodities<br /> <br /> We have spoken of the danger of this section, be careful with your wording. Again, some place this in the section before, and place them when powering the rite for the faction power. However, I suggest that you always have this as a minor rite in every ritual you do. It is incredibly easy, even for a trained ritualist, to simply forget to place the commodities in the bowl – even more so when this job is given to someone else. Write out the minor rite in your list, even if you intend it to be part of the earlier rite. This will ensure that the commodities are, in fact, paid, and you don’t all suffer dire consequences for missing this small but vital step. <br /> <br /> 8. Give Thanks<br /> <br /> It is very possible that your ritual will have no visible effect, or even no sense that your ritual has been successful. You must still offer your thanks. While there are many theories as to why this is, many rituals succeed as you leave the circle, and you cannot, then, re-enter the circle to give thanks. You would not want a ritual that had, until this point, been successful to fail on a point of rudeness. <br /> <br /> Conclusion<br /> <br /> You now have the basics of the most oft-used ritual. I would suggest you study this pamphlet, and become familiar with it. Take your own notes, and you will no-doubt have questions. Direct these to your Ritual Master/Mistress, or seek out other ritualists who have tread this well-worn path before you. Remember, that each ritualist is as individual as waves on the ocean, but there is always knowledge to be had.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=144 2026-07-13T17:38:09Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* Sections */</p> <hr /> <div>&lt;strong&gt;Welcome to the Unofficial Herofest Wiki&lt;/strong&gt;<br /> <br /> Here you will find information about Herofest. This is designed to a be information that is known by the players, which means that the information herein is only trustworthy in as much as a player might know it. The information as such, should not be relied upon. <br /> <br /> Any information you find in here is to be considered 'hearsay'. It is as accurate as we have it at the time of writing, but things change and change fast. A page should not be considered 'canon' (that is, can be accepted completely) unless it contains a 'verified' tag.<br /> <br /> == Sections ==<br /> ===Orin Rakatha===<br /> * The world [[World:OrinRakatha | Orin Rakatha]]<br /> * The [[World:Nations | Nations]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> * The [[World:Prions | Prions ]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> ====Player-Created Information===<br /> <br /> * [[Players:SrR_Ritual_Intro |Sir Rogers' Introduction to Rituals]]<br /> <br /> ===Discord===<br /> * [[Discord:Roleplaying | Roleplaying on Discord]]<br /> * [[Discord | The Setting: A Knot In Time]]<br /> <br /> ===Rules===<br /> * The [[Rules:Rules | Rules]] of Herofest<br /> <br /> = Using The Wiki =<br /> <br /> Consult the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software.<br /> <br /> == Getting started ==<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]<br /> * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/postorius/lists/mediawiki-announce.lists.wikimedia.org/ MediaWiki release mailing list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Rules&diff=143 2026-05-26T11:08:36Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Main_Page | Main]] &gt; [[Rules:Rules]]<br /> <br /> =Introduction=<br /> Herofest is a festival system. The rules are designed to be easy to use, and to play. The focus is on the roleplay, and exploring what threats, dangeres, and celebrations happen upon Orin Rakatha. <br /> <br /> =Character Classees=<br /> <br /> There are 4 main character classes: [[Rules:Class:Warrior | Warrior]], [[Rules:Class:Expert | Expert]], [[Rules:Class:Mage | Mage]], [[Rules:Class:Acolyte | Acolyte]]. They all have their own skills, unique to their class. Once you have chosen a class, buying skills from another class will cost you double. <br /> <br /> There are, however, a series of universal skills that can be purchased at the same rate regardless of your character class. <br /> <br /> ==Universal Skills==<br /> <br /> * 1 handed weapon<br /> * Forrage<br /> * First Ait<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Warrior | Warrior]]==<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Expert | Expert]]==<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Mage | Mage]]==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ===Magic===<br /> Upon Orin Rakatha, there are two types of energies that people often think of as magic. Elemental Magic, and Power. Elemental Magic, or simply 'magic' upon Orin Rakatha, is focused on the elemental power of the world. The other type, Power, comes from the [[World:Spheres]] by way of [[World:Prions]], what you from other worlds might call 'gods'<br /> <br /> ==Types of Magic==<br /> <br /> Magic breaks down into different types of elements that mages are able to access and manipulate. <br /> <br /> ===Elemental===<br /> <br /> * [[Rules:Magic:White | White Magic]]<br /> * [[Rules:Magic:Black | Black Magic ]]<br /> * Blue<br /> * Yellow<br /> * Green<br /> * Brown<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Acolyte | Acolyte]]==<br /> <br /> ===Power===<br /> Upon Orin Rakatha, there are two types of energies that people often think of as magic. Elemental Magic, and Power. Elemental Magic, or simply 'magic' upon Orin Rakatha, is focused on the elemental power of the world. The other type, Power, comes from the [[World:Spheres]] by way of [[World:Prions]], what you from other worlds might call 'gods'<br /> <br /> <br /> * [[Rules:Power:Life | Life Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Death | Death Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Nature | Nature Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Balance | Balance Power]]<br /> <br /> ===[[Rules:Ceremonies | Ceremonies]]===<br /> <br /> One of the abilities of an accolyte is to talk to their [[World:Prions | Prion]]. An Acolyte who is well-known to their [[World:Prions | Prion]] can perform a [[Rules:Ceremonies | Ceremony]] in order to garner aid. This ancient form of communitcating with [[World:Prions | prions]] is can be done alone, but it is often more succesfull with others. [[Rules:Ceremonies | Ceremonies]] are simple to learn, but difficult to master, as masterie requires a deep and abiding knowledge of the chosen [[World:Prions | Prion]]. What the world knows about [[Rules:Ceremonies | Ceremonies]] was delivered in a hand-written manual, as the world seeks to re-learn this ancient art.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Ceremonies&diff=142 2026-05-26T11:08:08Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Main_Page |Main]] &gt; [[Rules:Rules | Rules]] &gt; [[Rules:Ceremonies| Ceremonies]]<br /> <br /> =Introduction to Ceremonies=<br /> <br /> '''written by Aurenous Olaf Mericavil'''<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> A ceremony is a simple process of asking the aid of a Prion, what less civilised people think of as Gods.<br /> <br /> It is understood by this point that your studies will have covered the basics of Power, the interaction of the spheres, and the differences between the wills of the gods (Good, Neutral, Evil) and the powers of the Prions, coming as they do from the primary spheres (Nature, Life, Good, Evil, Balance). Having had this basic grounding, you may now couple that with the knowledge of your chosen prion, and within the realms, history, and sphere of influence of the prion be able to produce a ceremony that can call upon their favour and grace.<br /> <br /> A ceremony has five stages, The Address, The Praise, The Request, The Sacrifice, The Thanks. These stages here are laid out separately for ease of discussion, though in a real ceremony you may flow from one to the other, and back again. Particularly in the case of The Address and The Praise, these two in particular are sections that you will find yourself repeating. You are calling upon your Prion, and they need to hear you above the noise of others. This can be particularly important if your ceremony opposes another ceremony happening at the same time. Similarly, you may find that you move between The Request and The Sacrifice. The only exception is The Thanks, which, while lengthy, is often only required the once.<br /> <br /> == The Address. == <br /> <br /> This section is where an acolyte should name their Prion. This should be done using their full name and titles, and include any world-based and personal accolades for the Prion. <br /> <br /> ''I call upon sacred Dana, Prion of Tea and Biscuits. They who offered hospitality for guests, for those who have had a good day, those that have had a bad day, and those who have had a shock or a fright. I give you thanks, Dana, for your bounty in my time I'd darkness, your hospitality brought me joy and made everything look a little better.'' <br /> <br /> This section should be complete, and include the way in which you came to know your Prion. Remember that this should be positive about your connection with your Prion, frame difficulties as times is growth and learning, struggles as obstacles that have helped you to know your Prion better. It is often worth remembering here any chastisement by your prion, whether spent or unspent. They will know you by this, and it will keep you mindful of the sacrifices that are to come. Forgetting a chastisement, even a spent one, can make you seem haughty instead of humble. The chastisement itself is a chance for you to show your Prion what you have learned in their name. <br /> <br /> This section can be as long or as short as you like. Be aware that in more powerful ceremonies it may be necessary to expand the address, and you may need to revisit it. It is helpful to have an opening memorised, or written down that you can expand on. Name the Prion, using their multitude of names. Each prion will have titles that they payer, and in the case of dual-power prions, call the are most relevant to your request. Where there is a list of names consider repeating the names. Here it is worth remembering the mystical power of numbers. Prime numbers above one seem to be most effective.a<br /> <br /> == The Praise ==<br /> It is only fair and right that we offer praise to our chosen Prion. There is a reason that we have chosen our prion, and they have, in their wisdom and power, given us a share of their power, and invited us to take part in their mission in the world.<br /> <br /> This praise can take the form of song, or chant. Experienced Acolytes often have their own that they have written, or comissioned from the various scribes and bards about Orin Rakatha. I have gathered a selection of those that I have heard used, with various effect. Many songs will make passable chants, and many poems can be given a simple tune. <br /> <br /> It is possible to include instruments, and even to pay a bard or two to aid with the singing if you so require, though that will be more about personal flavour, than desire from the Prion. The prion cares not about the delivery, though mark that you deliver it with scinecrity, but rather on the focus of the heart. A song delivered by the most tone-deaf singer, yet delivered with deep an abiding intent will be better recieved than the best bard who has only come to sing for coin. <br /> <br /> For example, this could be sung or chanted directed at a Prion.<br /> <br /> (('''OOC Note:''' The idea here is to say away from religious songs (eg hymns). This is meant to be fun, and we have no wish to insult anyone's religious practice. The intent here it so show how songs about love, and poems about love can be repurposed to make passable chants or songs that work in a fantasy setting without insulting anyone. It can be sometimes be hard to avoid illusions of religious devotion in older poems, so please use with caution. If in doubt, please ask!)<br /> <br /> ===Come What May===<br /> ''(Prion’s Name)''<br /> ''I Never knew I could feel like this''<br /> <br /> ''Like I’ve never seen the sky before''<br /> ''I want to vanish inside your power''<br /> <br /> ''Every day I´m loving you more and more''<br /> ''Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings''<br /> <br /> ''Telling me to give you everything''<br /> <br /> ''Seasons may change, winter to spring''<br /> <br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Come what may'' <br /> <br /> ''Come what may''<br /> ''I will love you until my dying day''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly my life doesn´t seem such a waste''<br /> ''It all revolves around you''<br /> ''And there´s no mountain too high''<br /> <br /> ''No river too wide''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Sing out this song''<br /> <br /> ''I´ll be there by your side''<br /> ''Storm clouds may gather''<br /> <br /> ''And stars may collide''<br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, come what may, come what may''<br /> ''I will love you, I will love you''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> (Tune: Come What May, Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman)<br /> <br /> ===My First, My Last, My Everything===<br /> <br /> ''Ahh, the first, my last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''And the answer to all my dreams''<br /> <br /> ''You're my sun, my moon, my guiding star''<br /> <br /> ''My kind of wonderful, that's what you are''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way, they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''You're all I'm living for''<br /> <br /> ''Your love I'll keep for evermore''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''In you, I've found so many things''<br /> <br /> ''A love so new only you could bring''<br /> <br /> ''Can't you see if you''<br /> <br /> ''You make me feel this way''<br /> <br /> ''You're like a first morning dew''<br /> <br /> ''On a brand new day''<br /> <br /> ''I see so many ways that I''<br /> <br /> ''Can love you, 'til the day I die''<br /> <br /> ''You're my reality, yet I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''(Name of Prion) you're my reality''<br /> ''But I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''You and me''<br /> ''Just you and me''<br /> <br /> ''Ya you are the first, the last''<br /> <br /> ''My everything''<br /> <br /> [My First, My Last, My Everything, Barry White]<br /> <br /> ===Every Breath I Take===<br /> <br /> This one works well for the darker Prions, who may not wish such simple praise.<br /> <br /> ''Every breath I take''<br /> <br /> ''And every move I make''<br /> <br /> ''Every bond I break, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Every single day''<br /> <br /> ''And every word I say''<br /> <br /> ''Every game I play, every night I stay''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> <br /> ''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace''<br /> <br /> ''I dream at night, I can only see your face''<br /> <br /> ''I look around, but it's you I can't replace''<br /> <br /> ''I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace''<br /> <br /> ''I keep crying, (Name of Prion, Name of Prion), please''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> ''E''<br /> <br /> ''very smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Every move I make, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> (Police, Every Breath You Take)<br /> <br /> ===Sorry===<br /> <br /> Sometimes you need something that reaches a little darker than the above. This could also be used as a way of seeking contrition from a prion.<br /> <br /> ''You might kill me with desire''<br /> ''Wind me tighter than a wire''<br /> ''It's something that you do to me''<br /> <br /> ''I run away like mercury''<br /> <br /> ''And I know you think it's rough''<br /> <br /> ''When you're tryna patch us up''<br /> <br /> ''And I say, &quot;[Name of Prion], what is love?&quot;''<br /> <br /> ''You just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''And on the shirt that I wear''<br /> <br /> ''Pick the thorns out of my hair''<br /> <br /> ''I broke your heart so carelessly''<br /> <br /> ''But made the pieces part of me''<br /> <br /> ''And now it hurts what we've become''<br /> <br /> ''&lt;nowiki/&gt;'Cause you taught me how to love''<br /> <br /> ''It's me who taught you how to stop''<br /> <br /> ''And you just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> [Sorry, by Nothing But Thieves]<br /> <br /> === Clothes of Heaven ===<br /> While the above have the meter of song, you may find yourself in need of some form of praise that fills a gap between the two.<br /> <br /> ''Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,''<br /> <br /> ''Enwrought with golden and silver light,''<br /> <br /> ''The blue and the dim and the dark cloths''<br /> <br /> ''Of night and light and the half light,''<br /> <br /> ''I would spread the cloths under your feet:[My Prion]''<br /> <br /> ''But I, being poor, have only my dreams;''<br /> <br /> ''I have spread my dreams under your feet;''<br /> <br /> ''Tread softly because you tread on my dreams''<br /> <br /> [Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” by W.B. Yeats]<br /> <br /> ===I wish I could remember the first day===<br /> <br /> ''I wish I could remember that first day,''<br /> <br /> ''First hour, first moment of your meeting me,''<br /> <br /> ''If bright or dim the season, it might be''<br /> <br /> ''Summer or Winter for aught I can say;''<br /> <br /> ''So unrecorded did it slip away,''<br /> <br /> ''So blind was I to see and to foresee,''<br /> <br /> ''So dull to mark the budding of my tree''<br /> <br /> ''That would not blossom yet for many a May.''<br /> <br /> ''If only I could recollect it, such''<br /> <br /> ''A day of days! I let it come and go''<br /> <br /> ''As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow;''<br /> <br /> ''It seemed to mean so little, meant so much;''<br /> <br /> ''If only now I could recall that touch,''<br /> <br /> ''First touch of heart in heart – Did one but know!''<br /> <br /> [I wish I could remember that first day” by Christina Rossetti]<br /> <br /> ===The Summer Day===<br /> <br /> A chant or offering perhaps suitable for one following the nature sphere<br /> <br /> ''Who made the world?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the swan, and the black bear?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the grasshopper?''<br /> <br /> ''This grasshopper, I mean —''<br /> <br /> ''the one who has flung herself out of the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,''<br /> <br /> ''who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down —''<br /> <br /> ''who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.''<br /> <br /> ''I don't know exactly what a prayer is.''<br /> <br /> ''I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down''<br /> <br /> ''into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,''<br /> <br /> ''which is what I have been doing all day.''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what else should I have done?''<br /> <br /> ''Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what is it you plan to do''<br /> <br /> ''with your one wild and precious life?''<br /> <br /> [''&quot;The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver]''<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Conqueror Wormd===<br /> <br /> This one is easily adapted for Death, or Nature, depending on your want.<br /> <br /> ''Lo! ’t is a gala night'' <br /> <br />   ''Within the lonesome latter years!  '' <br /> <br /> ''An angel throng, bewinged, bedight'' <br /> <br />   ''In veils, and drowned in tears,  '' <br /> <br /> ''Sit in a theatre, to see'' <br /> <br />   ''A play of hopes and fears,'' <br /> <br /> ''While the orchestra breathes fitfully  '' <br /> <br />   ''The music of the spheres.'' <br /> <br /> ''Mimes, in the form of Prions on high,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Mutter and mumble low,'' <br /> <br /> ''And hither and thither fly—'' <br /> <br />   ''Mere puppets they, who come and go  '' <br /> <br /> ''At bidding of vast formless things'' <br /> <br />   ''That shift the scenery to and fro,'' <br /> <br /> ''Flapping from out their Condor wings'' <br /> <br />   ''Invisible Wo!'' <br /> <br /> ''That motley drama—oh, be sure  '' <br /> <br />   ''It shall not be forgot!'' <br /> <br /> ''With its Phantom chased for evermore  '' <br /> <br />   ''By a crowd that seize it not,'' <br /> <br /> ''Through a circle that ever returneth in  '' <br /> <br />   ''To the self-same spot,'' <br /> <br /> ''And much of Madness, and more of Sin,  '' <br /> <br />   ''And Horror the soul of the plot.'' <br /> <br /> ''But see, amid the mimic rout,'' <br /> <br />   ''A crawling shape intrude!'' <br /> <br /> ''A blood-red thing that writhes from out  '' <br /> <br />   ''The scenic solitude!'' <br /> <br /> ''It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs  '' <br /> <br /> ''The mimes become its food,'' <br /> <br /> ''And seraphs sob at vermin fangs'' <br /> <br />   ''In human gore imbued.'' <br /> <br /> ''Out—out are the lights—out all!  '' <br /> <br />   ''And, over each quivering form,'' <br /> <br /> ''The curtain, a funeral pall,'' <br /> <br />   ''Comes down with the rush of a storm,  '' <br /> <br /> ''While the Luxtem, all pallid and wan,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Uprising, unveiling, affirm'' <br /> <br /> ''That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”  '' <br /> <br />   ''And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.''<br /> <br /> == The Request ==<br /> <br /> There is much ink (and blood) spilled on whether The Request or The Sacrifice should come first. It is perhaps best to think of them as a single combined section. The Request outlines precisely what it is that you are requesting, and that, in it's main, will outline the what sacrifices and acolyte may need to make.<br /> <br /> State your request. state it with respect, and address your prion by name and with their relevant title. State your request clearly, and succinctly. If your request requires context, remember that you are drawing the prions attention to the context, not telling them what's going. Do not take lack of action for lack of knowledge. Remember, the Prion sees all things, and specificity helps the context of the request.<br /> <br /> == The Sacrifice ==<br /> <br /> Sacrifice has three parts, sacrifice of power, of wealth, and of devotion. Each ceremony will require different levels of each, but all must be present. These three are the Sacrifice of Power, the Sacrifice of Wealth, and the Sacrifice of Elevation.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Power ===<br /> <br /> Here a priest uses their Prion-gifted magick to form the band with their pPrion. This is offered freely, and without expectation of return. This is particularly important in ceremonies where acolytes of multiple spheres are interacting to achieve a goal.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Wealth, ===<br /> <br /> Here the wealth must be pleasing to the prion, and be in harmony with the request. Here, again, prime numbers over 1 should be your guide as to amount, and often more can produce a favourable response from a Prion who has found the ceremony thus for lack-luster, or the request is complex one.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Elevation ===<br /> <br /> This sacrifice can be the most difficult. It is in this section that sacrifices of magical items, limbs, people, and dedication to stricter following of a prions tenants go. It may seem that each ceremony may then be extracting a bigger and bigger sacrifice of devotion, however an imaginative cleric can find ways of linking the ceremony to the sacrifice.<br /> <br /> For example, a ceremony to defeat an ancient evil may contain the devotion that the cleric will ensure the evil is defeated or die trying. This would be a fine devotion and eminent by practical, with the consequences outlined and obvious.<br /> <br /> The sacrifice of elevation can be future tense-that the acolyte will raise 20 commodities for the poor; share of alcohol; give up cake for a year. Be careful to not save off things that you would not miss-if you do not drink, offering sobriety is not an act of devotion. It is important here that this is taken seriously, with the intention of making an active difference to the Prion. Many of the temples of Orin Rakatha were built by an acolyte seeking to achieve a difficult ceremony.<br /> <br /> == The Negotiation ==<br /> This is not a formal part of the ceremony, but it is an experience that many have had. A Prion may desire your ceremony to secede, but your sacrifice may be lacking.<br /> <br /> In these instances it's not unheard of for the Prion to seek greater sacrifices, or even a specific item offered in another ceremony to grant the request. It is rare here that you will speak directly with the Prion, but rather you will get perhaps a sense that your sacrifice has not yet reached the mark. Do not, in this instance, seek to simply 'add one' to 'get over the line'. Explore what you have already done, and consider where you can increase your sacrifice. It may be that you have offered much wealth, but little in the way of elevation, or power.<br /> <br /> === The Thanks ===<br /> As the ceremony ends, it behoves us to offer thanks to the Prions that attended our request: whether it was granted or not. This respectful thanks should be at least as long as the request offered, and it is sensible that this praise is vociferous and with gusto. It is helpful here to recall hymns of praise as thanks, as well as to voice your own specific thanks based on the granted request.<br /> <br /> A formal Ceremony ends with all present bowing to the centre. In ceremonies with many acolytes, take it in turns so that each can offer their complete thanks, and bow at the end of your thanks, then join in with others for a final bow to signify the end of the ceremony.<br /> <br /> == A Note on Ceremonies ==<br /> A ceremony can be held in any suitably-created space. Orin Rakatha itself is considered to be hallowed land, though you may find that ceremonies are easier if held near relevant places in the world. The site of a great battle may please a Prion of honour, a graveyard may please a Prion of death, a forrest a prion of nature. That said, any non-corrupted land will work.<br /> <br /> To create a space for your ceremony, you must mark the place out as prepared. This should be a circle, edged with something visible to ensure that mortals do not cross it. This can be done with rope, or cloaks, chalk or stones. Walking the circle and offering prayer to a Prion is enough to set this apart, but remember that once you leave the circle will be broken and you will need to start again. An acolyte will feel the sense of connection once the location has been suitably prepared. This barrier of power will protect those within from most dangers, but only while the ceremony continues.<br /> <br /> Ceremonies held in time of danger can include a chant for hallowed ground. This will petition the deity for protection during the Ceremony. This offers powerful protection, though this protection has limits -not because the deity has limits, but because it is only as powerful as can be channelled by the priests chanting the hallowed ground.<br /> <br /> === The benefits of Ceremonies. ===<br /> * A Boon: A specific power, support or blessing<br /> <br /> * A Vision: A vision can help a priest be guided by their god in times of uncertainty. Vision can be clear and direct, but they are rare. Most often they are emotions, or cryptic pictures to be interpreted by the priest.<br /> <br /> * Healings: Deities can offer healings for injuries. In extreme cases, even rare diseases and curses.<br /> <br /> * Resuscitations - In ancient times truly devout acolytes could resurrect worthy people in ceremonies.<br /> <br /> This is just a small list - the limits of ceremonies are often in the limits of the imaginations of the acolytes.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Ceremonies&diff=141 2026-05-26T11:06:08Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* The Praise */</p> <hr /> <div>=Introduction to Ceremonies=<br /> <br /> '''written by Aurenous Olaf Mericavil'''<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> A ceremony is a simple process of asking the aid of a Prion, what less civilised people think of as Gods.<br /> <br /> It is understood by this point that your studies will have covered the basics of Power, the interaction of the spheres, and the differences between the wills of the gods (Good, Neutral, Evil) and the powers of the Prions, coming as they do from the primary spheres (Nature, Life, Good, Evil, Balance). Having had this basic grounding, you may now couple that with the knowledge of your chosen prion, and within the realms, history, and sphere of influence of the prion be able to produce a ceremony that can call upon their favour and grace.<br /> <br /> A ceremony has five stages, The Address, The Praise, The Request, The Sacrifice, The Thanks. These stages here are laid out separately for ease of discussion, though in a real ceremony you may flow from one to the other, and back again. Particularly in the case of The Address and The Praise, these two in particular are sections that you will find yourself repeating. You are calling upon your Prion, and they need to hear you above the noise of others. This can be particularly important if your ceremony opposes another ceremony happening at the same time. Similarly, you may find that you move between The Request and The Sacrifice. The only exception is The Thanks, which, while lengthy, is often only required the once.<br /> <br /> == The Address. == <br /> <br /> This section is where an acolyte should name their Prion. This should be done using their full name and titles, and include any world-based and personal accolades for the Prion. <br /> <br /> ''I call upon sacred Dana, Prion of Tea and Biscuits. They who offered hospitality for guests, for those who have had a good day, those that have had a bad day, and those who have had a shock or a fright. I give you thanks, Dana, for your bounty in my time I'd darkness, your hospitality brought me joy and made everything look a little better.'' <br /> <br /> This section should be complete, and include the way in which you came to know your Prion. Remember that this should be positive about your connection with your Prion, frame difficulties as times is growth and learning, struggles as obstacles that have helped you to know your Prion better. It is often worth remembering here any chastisement by your prion, whether spent or unspent. They will know you by this, and it will keep you mindful of the sacrifices that are to come. Forgetting a chastisement, even a spent one, can make you seem haughty instead of humble. The chastisement itself is a chance for you to show your Prion what you have learned in their name. <br /> <br /> This section can be as long or as short as you like. Be aware that in more powerful ceremonies it may be necessary to expand the address, and you may need to revisit it. It is helpful to have an opening memorised, or written down that you can expand on. Name the Prion, using their multitude of names. Each prion will have titles that they payer, and in the case of dual-power prions, call the are most relevant to your request. Where there is a list of names consider repeating the names. Here it is worth remembering the mystical power of numbers. Prime numbers above one seem to be most effective.a<br /> <br /> == The Praise ==<br /> It is only fair and right that we offer praise to our chosen Prion. There is a reason that we have chosen our prion, and they have, in their wisdom and power, given us a share of their power, and invited us to take part in their mission in the world.<br /> <br /> This praise can take the form of song, or chant. Experienced Acolytes often have their own that they have written, or comissioned from the various scribes and bards about Orin Rakatha. I have gathered a selection of those that I have heard used, with various effect. Many songs will make passable chants, and many poems can be given a simple tune. <br /> <br /> It is possible to include instruments, and even to pay a bard or two to aid with the singing if you so require, though that will be more about personal flavour, than desire from the Prion. The prion cares not about the delivery, though mark that you deliver it with scinecrity, but rather on the focus of the heart. A song delivered by the most tone-deaf singer, yet delivered with deep an abiding intent will be better recieved than the best bard who has only come to sing for coin. <br /> <br /> For example, this could be sung or chanted directed at a Prion.<br /> <br /> (('''OOC Note:''' The idea here is to say away from religious songs (eg hymns). This is meant to be fun, and we have no wish to insult anyone's religious practice. The intent here it so show how songs about love, and poems about love can be repurposed to make passable chants or songs that work in a fantasy setting without insulting anyone. It can be sometimes be hard to avoid illusions of religious devotion in older poems, so please use with caution. If in doubt, please ask!)<br /> <br /> ===Come What May===<br /> ''(Prion’s Name)''<br /> ''I Never knew I could feel like this''<br /> <br /> ''Like I’ve never seen the sky before''<br /> ''I want to vanish inside your power''<br /> <br /> ''Every day I´m loving you more and more''<br /> ''Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings''<br /> <br /> ''Telling me to give you everything''<br /> <br /> ''Seasons may change, winter to spring''<br /> <br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Come what may'' <br /> <br /> ''Come what may''<br /> ''I will love you until my dying day''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly my life doesn´t seem such a waste''<br /> ''It all revolves around you''<br /> ''And there´s no mountain too high''<br /> <br /> ''No river too wide''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Sing out this song''<br /> <br /> ''I´ll be there by your side''<br /> ''Storm clouds may gather''<br /> <br /> ''And stars may collide''<br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, come what may, come what may''<br /> ''I will love you, I will love you''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> (Tune: Come What May, Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman)<br /> <br /> ===My First, My Last, My Everything===<br /> <br /> ''Ahh, the first, my last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''And the answer to all my dreams''<br /> <br /> ''You're my sun, my moon, my guiding star''<br /> <br /> ''My kind of wonderful, that's what you are''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way, they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''You're all I'm living for''<br /> <br /> ''Your love I'll keep for evermore''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''In you, I've found so many things''<br /> <br /> ''A love so new only you could bring''<br /> <br /> ''Can't you see if you''<br /> <br /> ''You make me feel this way''<br /> <br /> ''You're like a first morning dew''<br /> <br /> ''On a brand new day''<br /> <br /> ''I see so many ways that I''<br /> <br /> ''Can love you, 'til the day I die''<br /> <br /> ''You're my reality, yet I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''(Name of Prion) you're my reality''<br /> ''But I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''You and me''<br /> ''Just you and me''<br /> <br /> ''Ya you are the first, the last''<br /> <br /> ''My everything''<br /> <br /> [My First, My Last, My Everything, Barry White]<br /> <br /> ===Every Breath I Take===<br /> <br /> This one works well for the darker Prions, who may not wish such simple praise.<br /> <br /> ''Every breath I take''<br /> <br /> ''And every move I make''<br /> <br /> ''Every bond I break, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Every single day''<br /> <br /> ''And every word I say''<br /> <br /> ''Every game I play, every night I stay''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> <br /> ''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace''<br /> <br /> ''I dream at night, I can only see your face''<br /> <br /> ''I look around, but it's you I can't replace''<br /> <br /> ''I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace''<br /> <br /> ''I keep crying, (Name of Prion, Name of Prion), please''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> ''E''<br /> <br /> ''very smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Every move I make, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> (Police, Every Breath You Take)<br /> <br /> ===Sorry===<br /> <br /> Sometimes you need something that reaches a little darker than the above. This could also be used as a way of seeking contrition from a prion.<br /> <br /> ''You might kill me with desire''<br /> ''Wind me tighter than a wire''<br /> ''It's something that you do to me''<br /> <br /> ''I run away like mercury''<br /> <br /> ''And I know you think it's rough''<br /> <br /> ''When you're tryna patch us up''<br /> <br /> ''And I say, &quot;[Name of Prion], what is love?&quot;''<br /> <br /> ''You just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''And on the shirt that I wear''<br /> <br /> ''Pick the thorns out of my hair''<br /> <br /> ''I broke your heart so carelessly''<br /> <br /> ''But made the pieces part of me''<br /> <br /> ''And now it hurts what we've become''<br /> <br /> ''&lt;nowiki/&gt;'Cause you taught me how to love''<br /> <br /> ''It's me who taught you how to stop''<br /> <br /> ''And you just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> [Sorry, by Nothing But Thieves]<br /> <br /> === Clothes of Heaven ===<br /> While the above have the meter of song, you may find yourself in need of some form of praise that fills a gap between the two.<br /> <br /> ''Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,''<br /> <br /> ''Enwrought with golden and silver light,''<br /> <br /> ''The blue and the dim and the dark cloths''<br /> <br /> ''Of night and light and the half light,''<br /> <br /> ''I would spread the cloths under your feet:[My Prion]''<br /> <br /> ''But I, being poor, have only my dreams;''<br /> <br /> ''I have spread my dreams under your feet;''<br /> <br /> ''Tread softly because you tread on my dreams''<br /> <br /> [Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” by W.B. Yeats]<br /> <br /> ===I wish I could remember the first day===<br /> <br /> ''I wish I could remember that first day,''<br /> <br /> ''First hour, first moment of your meeting me,''<br /> <br /> ''If bright or dim the season, it might be''<br /> <br /> ''Summer or Winter for aught I can say;''<br /> <br /> ''So unrecorded did it slip away,''<br /> <br /> ''So blind was I to see and to foresee,''<br /> <br /> ''So dull to mark the budding of my tree''<br /> <br /> ''That would not blossom yet for many a May.''<br /> <br /> ''If only I could recollect it, such''<br /> <br /> ''A day of days! I let it come and go''<br /> <br /> ''As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow;''<br /> <br /> ''It seemed to mean so little, meant so much;''<br /> <br /> ''If only now I could recall that touch,''<br /> <br /> ''First touch of heart in heart – Did one but know!''<br /> <br /> [I wish I could remember that first day” by Christina Rossetti]<br /> <br /> ===The Summer Day===<br /> <br /> A chant or offering perhaps suitable for one following the nature sphere<br /> <br /> ''Who made the world?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the swan, and the black bear?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the grasshopper?''<br /> <br /> ''This grasshopper, I mean —''<br /> <br /> ''the one who has flung herself out of the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,''<br /> <br /> ''who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down —''<br /> <br /> ''who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.''<br /> <br /> ''I don't know exactly what a prayer is.''<br /> <br /> ''I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down''<br /> <br /> ''into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,''<br /> <br /> ''which is what I have been doing all day.''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what else should I have done?''<br /> <br /> ''Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what is it you plan to do''<br /> <br /> ''with your one wild and precious life?''<br /> <br /> [''&quot;The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver]''<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Conqueror Wormd===<br /> <br /> This one is easily adapted for Death, or Nature, depending on your want.<br /> <br /> ''Lo! ’t is a gala night'' <br /> <br />   ''Within the lonesome latter years!  '' <br /> <br /> ''An angel throng, bewinged, bedight'' <br /> <br />   ''In veils, and drowned in tears,  '' <br /> <br /> ''Sit in a theatre, to see'' <br /> <br />   ''A play of hopes and fears,'' <br /> <br /> ''While the orchestra breathes fitfully  '' <br /> <br />   ''The music of the spheres.'' <br /> <br /> ''Mimes, in the form of Prions on high,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Mutter and mumble low,'' <br /> <br /> ''And hither and thither fly—'' <br /> <br />   ''Mere puppets they, who come and go  '' <br /> <br /> ''At bidding of vast formless things'' <br /> <br />   ''That shift the scenery to and fro,'' <br /> <br /> ''Flapping from out their Condor wings'' <br /> <br />   ''Invisible Wo!'' <br /> <br /> ''That motley drama—oh, be sure  '' <br /> <br />   ''It shall not be forgot!'' <br /> <br /> ''With its Phantom chased for evermore  '' <br /> <br />   ''By a crowd that seize it not,'' <br /> <br /> ''Through a circle that ever returneth in  '' <br /> <br />   ''To the self-same spot,'' <br /> <br /> ''And much of Madness, and more of Sin,  '' <br /> <br />   ''And Horror the soul of the plot.'' <br /> <br /> ''But see, amid the mimic rout,'' <br /> <br />   ''A crawling shape intrude!'' <br /> <br /> ''A blood-red thing that writhes from out  '' <br /> <br />   ''The scenic solitude!'' <br /> <br /> ''It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs  '' <br /> <br /> ''The mimes become its food,'' <br /> <br /> ''And seraphs sob at vermin fangs'' <br /> <br />   ''In human gore imbued.'' <br /> <br /> ''Out—out are the lights—out all!  '' <br /> <br />   ''And, over each quivering form,'' <br /> <br /> ''The curtain, a funeral pall,'' <br /> <br />   ''Comes down with the rush of a storm,  '' <br /> <br /> ''While the Luxtem, all pallid and wan,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Uprising, unveiling, affirm'' <br /> <br /> ''That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”  '' <br /> <br />   ''And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.''<br /> <br /> == The Request ==<br /> <br /> There is much ink (and blood) spilled on whether The Request or The Sacrifice should come first. It is perhaps best to think of them as a single combined section. The Request outlines precisely what it is that you are requesting, and that, in it's main, will outline the what sacrifices and acolyte may need to make.<br /> <br /> State your request. state it with respect, and address your prion by name and with their relevant title. State your request clearly, and succinctly. If your request requires context, remember that you are drawing the prions attention to the context, not telling them what's going. Do not take lack of action for lack of knowledge. Remember, the Prion sees all things, and specificity helps the context of the request.<br /> <br /> == The Sacrifice ==<br /> <br /> Sacrifice has three parts, sacrifice of power, of wealth, and of devotion. Each ceremony will require different levels of each, but all must be present. These three are the Sacrifice of Power, the Sacrifice of Wealth, and the Sacrifice of Elevation.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Power ===<br /> <br /> Here a priest uses their Prion-gifted magick to form the band with their pPrion. This is offered freely, and without expectation of return. This is particularly important in ceremonies where acolytes of multiple spheres are interacting to achieve a goal.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Wealth, ===<br /> <br /> Here the wealth must be pleasing to the prion, and be in harmony with the request. Here, again, prime numbers over 1 should be your guide as to amount, and often more can produce a favourable response from a Prion who has found the ceremony thus for lack-luster, or the request is complex one.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Elevation ===<br /> <br /> This sacrifice can be the most difficult. It is in this section that sacrifices of magical items, limbs, people, and dedication to stricter following of a prions tenants go. It may seem that each ceremony may then be extracting a bigger and bigger sacrifice of devotion, however an imaginative cleric can find ways of linking the ceremony to the sacrifice.<br /> <br /> For example, a ceremony to defeat an ancient evil may contain the devotion that the cleric will ensure the evil is defeated or die trying. This would be a fine devotion and eminent by practical, with the consequences outlined and obvious.<br /> <br /> The sacrifice of elevation can be future tense-that the acolyte will raise 20 commodities for the poor; share of alcohol; give up cake for a year. Be careful to not save off things that you would not miss-if you do not drink, offering sobriety is not an act of devotion. It is important here that this is taken seriously, with the intention of making an active difference to the Prion. Many of the temples of Orin Rakatha were built by an acolyte seeking to achieve a difficult ceremony.<br /> <br /> == The Negotiation ==<br /> This is not a formal part of the ceremony, but it is an experience that many have had. A Prion may desire your ceremony to secede, but your sacrifice may be lacking.<br /> <br /> In these instances it's not unheard of for the Prion to seek greater sacrifices, or even a specific item offered in another ceremony to grant the request. It is rare here that you will speak directly with the Prion, but rather you will get perhaps a sense that your sacrifice has not yet reached the mark. Do not, in this instance, seek to simply 'add one' to 'get over the line'. Explore what you have already done, and consider where you can increase your sacrifice. It may be that you have offered much wealth, but little in the way of elevation, or power.<br /> <br /> === The Thanks ===<br /> As the ceremony ends, it behoves us to offer thanks to the Prions that attended our request: whether it was granted or not. This respectful thanks should be at least as long as the request offered, and it is sensible that this praise is vociferous and with gusto. It is helpful here to recall hymns of praise as thanks, as well as to voice your own specific thanks based on the granted request.<br /> <br /> A formal Ceremony ends with all present bowing to the centre. In ceremonies with many acolytes, take it in turns so that each can offer their complete thanks, and bow at the end of your thanks, then join in with others for a final bow to signify the end of the ceremony.<br /> <br /> == A Note on Ceremonies ==<br /> A ceremony can be held in any suitably-created space. Orin Rakatha itself is considered to be hallowed land, though you may find that ceremonies are easier if held near relevant places in the world. The site of a great battle may please a Prion of honour, a graveyard may please a Prion of death, a forrest a prion of nature. That said, any non-corrupted land will work.<br /> <br /> To create a space for your ceremony, you must mark the place out as prepared. This should be a circle, edged with something visible to ensure that mortals do not cross it. This can be done with rope, or cloaks, chalk or stones. Walking the circle and offering prayer to a Prion is enough to set this apart, but remember that once you leave the circle will be broken and you will need to start again. An acolyte will feel the sense of connection once the location has been suitably prepared. This barrier of power will protect those within from most dangers, but only while the ceremony continues.<br /> <br /> Ceremonies held in time of danger can include a chant for hallowed ground. This will petition the deity for protection during the Ceremony. This offers powerful protection, though this protection has limits -not because the deity has limits, but because it is only as powerful as can be channelled by the priests chanting the hallowed ground.<br /> <br /> === The benefits of Ceremonies. ===<br /> * A Boon: A specific power, support or blessing<br /> <br /> * A Vision: A vision can help a priest be guided by their god in times of uncertainty. Vision can be clear and direct, but they are rare. Most often they are emotions, or cryptic pictures to be interpreted by the priest.<br /> <br /> * Healings: Deities can offer healings for injuries. In extreme cases, even rare diseases and curses.<br /> <br /> * Resuscitations - In ancient times truly devout acolytes could resurrect worthy people in ceremonies.<br /> <br /> This is just a small list - the limits of ceremonies are often in the limits of the imaginations of the acolytes.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Ceremonies&diff=140 2026-05-26T10:59:51Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* Clothes of Heaven */</p> <hr /> <div>=Introduction to Ceremonies=<br /> <br /> '''written by Aurenous Olaf Mericavil'''<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> A ceremony is a simple process of asking the aid of a Prion, what less civilised people think of as Gods.<br /> <br /> It is understood by this point that your studies will have covered the basics of Power, the interaction of the spheres, and the differences between the wills of the gods (Good, Neutral, Evil) and the powers of the Prions, coming as they do from the primary spheres (Nature, Life, Good, Evil, Balance). Having had this basic grounding, you may now couple that with the knowledge of your chosen prion, and within the realms, history, and sphere of influence of the prion be able to produce a ceremony that can call upon their favour and grace.<br /> <br /> A ceremony has five stages, The Address, The Praise, The Request, The Sacrifice, The Thanks. These stages here are laid out separately for ease of discussion, though in a real ceremony you may flow from one to the other, and back again. Particularly in the case of The Address and The Praise, these two in particular are sections that you will find yourself repeating. You are calling upon your Prion, and they need to hear you above the noise of others. This can be particularly important if your ceremony opposes another ceremony happening at the same time. Similarly, you may find that you move between The Request and The Sacrifice. The only exception is The Thanks, which, while lengthy, is often only required the once.<br /> <br /> == The Address. == <br /> <br /> This section is where an acolyte should name their Prion. This should be done using their full name and titles, and include any world-based and personal accolades for the Prion. <br /> <br /> ''I call upon sacred Dana, Prion of Tea and Biscuits. They who offered hospitality for guests, for those who have had a good day, those that have had a bad day, and those who have had a shock or a fright. I give you thanks, Dana, for your bounty in my time I'd darkness, your hospitality brought me joy and made everything look a little better.'' <br /> <br /> This section should be complete, and include the way in which you came to know your Prion. Remember that this should be positive about your connection with your Prion, frame difficulties as times is growth and learning, struggles as obstacles that have helped you to know your Prion better. It is often worth remembering here any chastisement by your prion, whether spent or unspent. They will know you by this, and it will keep you mindful of the sacrifices that are to come. Forgetting a chastisement, even a spent one, can make you seem haughty instead of humble. The chastisement itself is a chance for you to show your Prion what you have learned in their name. <br /> <br /> This section can be as long or as short as you like. Be aware that in more powerful ceremonies it may be necessary to expand the address, and you may need to revisit it. It is helpful to have an opening memorised, or written down that you can expand on. Name the Prion, using their multitude of names. Each prion will have titles that they payer, and in the case of dual-power prions, call the are most relevant to your request. Where there is a list of names consider repeating the names. Here it is worth remembering the mystical power of numbers. Prime numbers above one seem to be most effective.a<br /> <br /> == The Praise ==<br /> It is only fair and right that we offer praise to our chosen Prion. There is a reason that we have chosen our prion, and they have, in their wisdom and power, given us a share of their power, and invited us to take part in their mission in the world.<br /> <br /> This praise can take the form of song, or chant.<br /> <br /> For example, this could be sung or chanted directed at a Prion.<br /> <br /> ===Come What May===<br /> ''(Prion’s Name)''<br /> ''I Never knew I could feel like this''<br /> <br /> ''Like I’ve never seen the sky before''<br /> ''I want to vanish inside your power''<br /> <br /> ''Every day I´m loving you more and more''<br /> ''Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings''<br /> <br /> ''Telling me to give you everything''<br /> <br /> ''Seasons may change, winter to spring''<br /> <br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Come what may'' <br /> <br /> ''Come what may''<br /> ''I will love you until my dying day''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly my life doesn´t seem such a waste''<br /> ''It all revolves around you''<br /> ''And there´s no mountain too high''<br /> <br /> ''No river too wide''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Sing out this song''<br /> <br /> ''I´ll be there by your side''<br /> ''Storm clouds may gather''<br /> <br /> ''And stars may collide''<br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, come what may, come what may''<br /> ''I will love you, I will love you''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> (Tune: Come What May, Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman)<br /> <br /> ===My First, My Last, My Everything===<br /> <br /> ''Ahh, the first, my last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''And the answer to all my dreams''<br /> <br /> ''You're my sun, my moon, my guiding star''<br /> <br /> ''My kind of wonderful, that's what you are''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way, they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''You're all I'm living for''<br /> <br /> ''Your love I'll keep for evermore''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''In you, I've found so many things''<br /> <br /> ''A love so new only you could bring''<br /> <br /> ''Can't you see if you''<br /> <br /> ''You make me feel this way''<br /> <br /> ''You're like a first morning dew''<br /> <br /> ''On a brand new day''<br /> <br /> ''I see so many ways that I''<br /> <br /> ''Can love you, 'til the day I die''<br /> <br /> ''You're my reality, yet I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''(Name of Prion) you're my reality''<br /> ''But I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''You and me''<br /> ''Just you and me''<br /> <br /> ''Ya you are the first, the last''<br /> <br /> ''My everything''<br /> <br /> [My First, My Last, My Everything, Barry White]<br /> <br /> ===Every Breath I Take===<br /> <br /> This one works well for the darker Prions, who may not wish such simple praise.<br /> <br /> ''Every breath I take''<br /> <br /> ''And every move I make''<br /> <br /> ''Every bond I break, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Every single day''<br /> <br /> ''And every word I say''<br /> <br /> ''Every game I play, every night I stay''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> <br /> ''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace''<br /> <br /> ''I dream at night, I can only see your face''<br /> <br /> ''I look around, but it's you I can't replace''<br /> <br /> ''I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace''<br /> <br /> ''I keep crying, (Name of Prion, Name of Prion), please''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> ''E''<br /> <br /> ''very smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Every move I make, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> (Police, Every Breath You Take)<br /> <br /> ===Sorry===<br /> <br /> Sometimes you need something that reaches a little darker than the above. This could also be used as a way of seeking contrition from a prion.<br /> <br /> ''You might kill me with desire''<br /> ''Wind me tighter than a wire''<br /> ''It's something that you do to me''<br /> <br /> ''I run away like mercury''<br /> <br /> ''And I know you think it's rough''<br /> <br /> ''When you're tryna patch us up''<br /> <br /> ''And I say, &quot;[Name of Prion], what is love?&quot;''<br /> <br /> ''You just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''And on the shirt that I wear''<br /> <br /> ''Pick the thorns out of my hair''<br /> <br /> ''I broke your heart so carelessly''<br /> <br /> ''But made the pieces part of me''<br /> <br /> ''And now it hurts what we've become''<br /> <br /> ''&lt;nowiki/&gt;'Cause you taught me how to love''<br /> <br /> ''It's me who taught you how to stop''<br /> <br /> ''And you just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> [Sorry, by Nothing But Thieves]<br /> <br /> === Clothes of Heaven ===<br /> While the above have the meter of song, you may find yourself in need of some form of praise that fills a gap between the two.<br /> <br /> ''Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,''<br /> <br /> ''Enwrought with golden and silver light,''<br /> <br /> ''The blue and the dim and the dark cloths''<br /> <br /> ''Of night and light and the half light,''<br /> <br /> ''I would spread the cloths under your feet:[My Prion]''<br /> <br /> ''But I, being poor, have only my dreams;''<br /> <br /> ''I have spread my dreams under your feet;''<br /> <br /> ''Tread softly because you tread on my dreams''<br /> <br /> [Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” by W.B. Yeats]<br /> <br /> ===I wish I could remember the first day===<br /> <br /> ''I wish I could remember that first day,''<br /> <br /> ''First hour, first moment of your meeting me,''<br /> <br /> ''If bright or dim the season, it might be''<br /> <br /> ''Summer or Winter for aught I can say;''<br /> <br /> ''So unrecorded did it slip away,''<br /> <br /> ''So blind was I to see and to foresee,''<br /> <br /> ''So dull to mark the budding of my tree''<br /> <br /> ''That would not blossom yet for many a May.''<br /> <br /> ''If only I could recollect it, such''<br /> <br /> ''A day of days! I let it come and go''<br /> <br /> ''As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow;''<br /> <br /> ''It seemed to mean so little, meant so much;''<br /> <br /> ''If only now I could recall that touch,''<br /> <br /> ''First touch of heart in heart – Did one but know!''<br /> <br /> [I wish I could remember that first day” by Christina Rossetti]<br /> <br /> ===The Summer Day===<br /> <br /> A chant or offering perhaps suitable for one following the nature sphere<br /> <br /> ''Who made the world?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the swan, and the black bear?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the grasshopper?''<br /> <br /> ''This grasshopper, I mean —''<br /> <br /> ''the one who has flung herself out of the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,''<br /> <br /> ''who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down —''<br /> <br /> ''who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.''<br /> <br /> ''I don't know exactly what a prayer is.''<br /> <br /> ''I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down''<br /> <br /> ''into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,''<br /> <br /> ''which is what I have been doing all day.''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what else should I have done?''<br /> <br /> ''Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what is it you plan to do''<br /> <br /> ''with your one wild and precious life?''<br /> <br /> [''&quot;The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver]''<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Conqueror Wormd===<br /> <br /> This one is easily adapted for Death, or Nature, depending on your want.<br /> <br /> ''Lo! ’t is a gala night'' <br /> <br />   ''Within the lonesome latter years!  '' <br /> <br /> ''An angel throng, bewinged, bedight'' <br /> <br />   ''In veils, and drowned in tears,  '' <br /> <br /> ''Sit in a theatre, to see'' <br /> <br />   ''A play of hopes and fears,'' <br /> <br /> ''While the orchestra breathes fitfully  '' <br /> <br />   ''The music of the spheres.'' <br /> <br /> ''Mimes, in the form of Prions on high,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Mutter and mumble low,'' <br /> <br /> ''And hither and thither fly—'' <br /> <br />   ''Mere puppets they, who come and go  '' <br /> <br /> ''At bidding of vast formless things'' <br /> <br />   ''That shift the scenery to and fro,'' <br /> <br /> ''Flapping from out their Condor wings'' <br /> <br />   ''Invisible Wo!'' <br /> <br /> ''That motley drama—oh, be sure  '' <br /> <br />   ''It shall not be forgot!'' <br /> <br /> ''With its Phantom chased for evermore  '' <br /> <br />   ''By a crowd that seize it not,'' <br /> <br /> ''Through a circle that ever returneth in  '' <br /> <br />   ''To the self-same spot,'' <br /> <br /> ''And much of Madness, and more of Sin,  '' <br /> <br />   ''And Horror the soul of the plot.'' <br /> <br /> ''But see, amid the mimic rout,'' <br /> <br />   ''A crawling shape intrude!'' <br /> <br /> ''A blood-red thing that writhes from out  '' <br /> <br />   ''The scenic solitude!'' <br /> <br /> ''It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs  '' <br /> <br /> ''The mimes become its food,'' <br /> <br /> ''And seraphs sob at vermin fangs'' <br /> <br />   ''In human gore imbued.'' <br /> <br /> ''Out—out are the lights—out all!  '' <br /> <br />   ''And, over each quivering form,'' <br /> <br /> ''The curtain, a funeral pall,'' <br /> <br />   ''Comes down with the rush of a storm,  '' <br /> <br /> ''While the Luxtem, all pallid and wan,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Uprising, unveiling, affirm'' <br /> <br /> ''That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”  '' <br /> <br />   ''And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.''<br /> <br /> == The Request ==<br /> <br /> There is much ink (and blood) spilled on whether The Request or The Sacrifice should come first. It is perhaps best to think of them as a single combined section. The Request outlines precisely what it is that you are requesting, and that, in it's main, will outline the what sacrifices and acolyte may need to make.<br /> <br /> State your request. state it with respect, and address your prion by name and with their relevant title. State your request clearly, and succinctly. If your request requires context, remember that you are drawing the prions attention to the context, not telling them what's going. Do not take lack of action for lack of knowledge. Remember, the Prion sees all things, and specificity helps the context of the request.<br /> <br /> == The Sacrifice ==<br /> <br /> Sacrifice has three parts, sacrifice of power, of wealth, and of devotion. Each ceremony will require different levels of each, but all must be present. These three are the Sacrifice of Power, the Sacrifice of Wealth, and the Sacrifice of Elevation.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Power ===<br /> <br /> Here a priest uses their Prion-gifted magick to form the band with their pPrion. This is offered freely, and without expectation of return. This is particularly important in ceremonies where acolytes of multiple spheres are interacting to achieve a goal.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Wealth, ===<br /> <br /> Here the wealth must be pleasing to the prion, and be in harmony with the request. Here, again, prime numbers over 1 should be your guide as to amount, and often more can produce a favourable response from a Prion who has found the ceremony thus for lack-luster, or the request is complex one.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Elevation ===<br /> <br /> This sacrifice can be the most difficult. It is in this section that sacrifices of magical items, limbs, people, and dedication to stricter following of a prions tenants go. It may seem that each ceremony may then be extracting a bigger and bigger sacrifice of devotion, however an imaginative cleric can find ways of linking the ceremony to the sacrifice.<br /> <br /> For example, a ceremony to defeat an ancient evil may contain the devotion that the cleric will ensure the evil is defeated or die trying. This would be a fine devotion and eminent by practical, with the consequences outlined and obvious.<br /> <br /> The sacrifice of elevation can be future tense-that the acolyte will raise 20 commodities for the poor; share of alcohol; give up cake for a year. Be careful to not save off things that you would not miss-if you do not drink, offering sobriety is not an act of devotion. It is important here that this is taken seriously, with the intention of making an active difference to the Prion. Many of the temples of Orin Rakatha were built by an acolyte seeking to achieve a difficult ceremony.<br /> <br /> == The Negotiation ==<br /> This is not a formal part of the ceremony, but it is an experience that many have had. A Prion may desire your ceremony to secede, but your sacrifice may be lacking.<br /> <br /> In these instances it's not unheard of for the Prion to seek greater sacrifices, or even a specific item offered in another ceremony to grant the request. It is rare here that you will speak directly with the Prion, but rather you will get perhaps a sense that your sacrifice has not yet reached the mark. Do not, in this instance, seek to simply 'add one' to 'get over the line'. Explore what you have already done, and consider where you can increase your sacrifice. It may be that you have offered much wealth, but little in the way of elevation, or power.<br /> <br /> === The Thanks ===<br /> As the ceremony ends, it behoves us to offer thanks to the Prions that attended our request: whether it was granted or not. This respectful thanks should be at least as long as the request offered, and it is sensible that this praise is vociferous and with gusto. It is helpful here to recall hymns of praise as thanks, as well as to voice your own specific thanks based on the granted request.<br /> <br /> A formal Ceremony ends with all present bowing to the centre. In ceremonies with many acolytes, take it in turns so that each can offer their complete thanks, and bow at the end of your thanks, then join in with others for a final bow to signify the end of the ceremony.<br /> <br /> == A Note on Ceremonies ==<br /> A ceremony can be held in any suitably-created space. Orin Rakatha itself is considered to be hallowed land, though you may find that ceremonies are easier if held near relevant places in the world. The site of a great battle may please a Prion of honour, a graveyard may please a Prion of death, a forrest a prion of nature. That said, any non-corrupted land will work.<br /> <br /> To create a space for your ceremony, you must mark the place out as prepared. This should be a circle, edged with something visible to ensure that mortals do not cross it. This can be done with rope, or cloaks, chalk or stones. Walking the circle and offering prayer to a Prion is enough to set this apart, but remember that once you leave the circle will be broken and you will need to start again. An acolyte will feel the sense of connection once the location has been suitably prepared. This barrier of power will protect those within from most dangers, but only while the ceremony continues.<br /> <br /> Ceremonies held in time of danger can include a chant for hallowed ground. This will petition the deity for protection during the Ceremony. This offers powerful protection, though this protection has limits -not because the deity has limits, but because it is only as powerful as can be channelled by the priests chanting the hallowed ground.<br /> <br /> === The benefits of Ceremonies. ===<br /> * A Boon: A specific power, support or blessing<br /> <br /> * A Vision: A vision can help a priest be guided by their god in times of uncertainty. Vision can be clear and direct, but they are rare. Most often they are emotions, or cryptic pictures to be interpreted by the priest.<br /> <br /> * Healings: Deities can offer healings for injuries. In extreme cases, even rare diseases and curses.<br /> <br /> * Resuscitations - In ancient times truly devout acolytes could resurrect worthy people in ceremonies.<br /> <br /> This is just a small list - the limits of ceremonies are often in the limits of the imaginations of the acolytes.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Ceremonies&diff=139 2026-05-26T10:59:05Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* Clothes of Heaven */</p> <hr /> <div>=Introduction to Ceremonies=<br /> <br /> '''written by Aurenous Olaf Mericavil'''<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> A ceremony is a simple process of asking the aid of a Prion, what less civilised people think of as Gods.<br /> <br /> It is understood by this point that your studies will have covered the basics of Power, the interaction of the spheres, and the differences between the wills of the gods (Good, Neutral, Evil) and the powers of the Prions, coming as they do from the primary spheres (Nature, Life, Good, Evil, Balance). Having had this basic grounding, you may now couple that with the knowledge of your chosen prion, and within the realms, history, and sphere of influence of the prion be able to produce a ceremony that can call upon their favour and grace.<br /> <br /> A ceremony has five stages, The Address, The Praise, The Request, The Sacrifice, The Thanks. These stages here are laid out separately for ease of discussion, though in a real ceremony you may flow from one to the other, and back again. Particularly in the case of The Address and The Praise, these two in particular are sections that you will find yourself repeating. You are calling upon your Prion, and they need to hear you above the noise of others. This can be particularly important if your ceremony opposes another ceremony happening at the same time. Similarly, you may find that you move between The Request and The Sacrifice. The only exception is The Thanks, which, while lengthy, is often only required the once.<br /> <br /> == The Address. == <br /> <br /> This section is where an acolyte should name their Prion. This should be done using their full name and titles, and include any world-based and personal accolades for the Prion. <br /> <br /> ''I call upon sacred Dana, Prion of Tea and Biscuits. They who offered hospitality for guests, for those who have had a good day, those that have had a bad day, and those who have had a shock or a fright. I give you thanks, Dana, for your bounty in my time I'd darkness, your hospitality brought me joy and made everything look a little better.'' <br /> <br /> This section should be complete, and include the way in which you came to know your Prion. Remember that this should be positive about your connection with your Prion, frame difficulties as times is growth and learning, struggles as obstacles that have helped you to know your Prion better. It is often worth remembering here any chastisement by your prion, whether spent or unspent. They will know you by this, and it will keep you mindful of the sacrifices that are to come. Forgetting a chastisement, even a spent one, can make you seem haughty instead of humble. The chastisement itself is a chance for you to show your Prion what you have learned in their name. <br /> <br /> This section can be as long or as short as you like. Be aware that in more powerful ceremonies it may be necessary to expand the address, and you may need to revisit it. It is helpful to have an opening memorised, or written down that you can expand on. Name the Prion, using their multitude of names. Each prion will have titles that they payer, and in the case of dual-power prions, call the are most relevant to your request. Where there is a list of names consider repeating the names. Here it is worth remembering the mystical power of numbers. Prime numbers above one seem to be most effective.a<br /> <br /> == The Praise ==<br /> It is only fair and right that we offer praise to our chosen Prion. There is a reason that we have chosen our prion, and they have, in their wisdom and power, given us a share of their power, and invited us to take part in their mission in the world.<br /> <br /> This praise can take the form of song, or chant.<br /> <br /> For example, this could be sung or chanted directed at a Prion.<br /> <br /> ===Come What May===<br /> ''(Prion’s Name)''<br /> ''I Never knew I could feel like this''<br /> <br /> ''Like I’ve never seen the sky before''<br /> ''I want to vanish inside your power''<br /> <br /> ''Every day I´m loving you more and more''<br /> ''Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings''<br /> <br /> ''Telling me to give you everything''<br /> <br /> ''Seasons may change, winter to spring''<br /> <br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Come what may'' <br /> <br /> ''Come what may''<br /> ''I will love you until my dying day''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly my life doesn´t seem such a waste''<br /> ''It all revolves around you''<br /> ''And there´s no mountain too high''<br /> <br /> ''No river too wide''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Sing out this song''<br /> <br /> ''I´ll be there by your side''<br /> ''Storm clouds may gather''<br /> <br /> ''And stars may collide''<br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, come what may, come what may''<br /> ''I will love you, I will love you''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> (Tune: Come What May, Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman)<br /> <br /> ===My First, My Last, My Everything===<br /> <br /> ''Ahh, the first, my last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''And the answer to all my dreams''<br /> <br /> ''You're my sun, my moon, my guiding star''<br /> <br /> ''My kind of wonderful, that's what you are''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way, they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''You're all I'm living for''<br /> <br /> ''Your love I'll keep for evermore''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''In you, I've found so many things''<br /> <br /> ''A love so new only you could bring''<br /> <br /> ''Can't you see if you''<br /> <br /> ''You make me feel this way''<br /> <br /> ''You're like a first morning dew''<br /> <br /> ''On a brand new day''<br /> <br /> ''I see so many ways that I''<br /> <br /> ''Can love you, 'til the day I die''<br /> <br /> ''You're my reality, yet I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''(Name of Prion) you're my reality''<br /> ''But I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''You and me''<br /> ''Just you and me''<br /> <br /> ''Ya you are the first, the last''<br /> <br /> ''My everything''<br /> <br /> [My First, My Last, My Everything, Barry White]<br /> <br /> ===Every Breath I Take===<br /> <br /> This one works well for the darker Prions, who may not wish such simple praise.<br /> <br /> ''Every breath I take''<br /> <br /> ''And every move I make''<br /> <br /> ''Every bond I break, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Every single day''<br /> <br /> ''And every word I say''<br /> <br /> ''Every game I play, every night I stay''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> <br /> ''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace''<br /> <br /> ''I dream at night, I can only see your face''<br /> <br /> ''I look around, but it's you I can't replace''<br /> <br /> ''I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace''<br /> <br /> ''I keep crying, (Name of Prion, Name of Prion), please''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> ''E''<br /> <br /> ''very smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Every move I make, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> (Police, Every Breath You Take)<br /> <br /> ===Sorry===<br /> <br /> Sometimes you need something that reaches a little darker than the above. This could also be used as a way of seeking contrition from a prion.<br /> <br /> ''You might kill me with desire''<br /> ''Wind me tighter than a wire''<br /> ''It's something that you do to me''<br /> <br /> ''I run away like mercury''<br /> <br /> ''And I know you think it's rough''<br /> <br /> ''When you're tryna patch us up''<br /> <br /> ''And I say, &quot;[Name of Prion], what is love?&quot;''<br /> <br /> ''You just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''And on the shirt that I wear''<br /> <br /> ''Pick the thorns out of my hair''<br /> <br /> ''I broke your heart so carelessly''<br /> <br /> ''But made the pieces part of me''<br /> <br /> ''And now it hurts what we've become''<br /> <br /> ''&lt;nowiki/&gt;'Cause you taught me how to love''<br /> <br /> ''It's me who taught you how to stop''<br /> <br /> ''And you just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> [Sorry, by Nothing But Thieves]<br /> <br /> ==== Clothes of Heaven ====<br /> While the above have the meter of song, you may find yourself in need of some form of praise that fills a gap between the two.<br /> <br /> ''Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,''<br /> <br /> ''Enwrought with golden and silver light,''<br /> <br /> ''The blue and the dim and the dark cloths''<br /> <br /> ''Of night and light and the half light,''<br /> <br /> ''I would spread the cloths under your feet:[My Prion]''<br /> <br /> ''But I, being poor, have only my dreams;''<br /> <br /> ''I have spread my dreams under your feet;''<br /> <br /> ''Tread softly because you tread on my dreams''<br /> <br /> [Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” by W.B. Yeats]<br /> <br /> ===I wish I could remember the first day===<br /> <br /> ''I wish I could remember that first day,''<br /> <br /> ''First hour, first moment of your meeting me,''<br /> <br /> ''If bright or dim the season, it might be''<br /> <br /> ''Summer or Winter for aught I can say;''<br /> <br /> ''So unrecorded did it slip away,''<br /> <br /> ''So blind was I to see and to foresee,''<br /> <br /> ''So dull to mark the budding of my tree''<br /> <br /> ''That would not blossom yet for many a May.''<br /> <br /> ''If only I could recollect it, such''<br /> <br /> ''A day of days! I let it come and go''<br /> <br /> ''As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow;''<br /> <br /> ''It seemed to mean so little, meant so much;''<br /> <br /> ''If only now I could recall that touch,''<br /> <br /> ''First touch of heart in heart – Did one but know!''<br /> <br /> [I wish I could remember that first day” by Christina Rossetti]<br /> <br /> ===The Summer Day===<br /> <br /> A chant or offering perhaps suitable for one following the nature sphere<br /> <br /> ''Who made the world?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the swan, and the black bear?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the grasshopper?''<br /> <br /> ''This grasshopper, I mean —''<br /> <br /> ''the one who has flung herself out of the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,''<br /> <br /> ''who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down —''<br /> <br /> ''who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.''<br /> <br /> ''I don't know exactly what a prayer is.''<br /> <br /> ''I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down''<br /> <br /> ''into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,''<br /> <br /> ''which is what I have been doing all day.''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what else should I have done?''<br /> <br /> ''Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what is it you plan to do''<br /> <br /> ''with your one wild and precious life?''<br /> <br /> [''&quot;The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver]''<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Conqueror Wormd===<br /> <br /> This one is easily adapted for Death, or Nature, depending on your want.<br /> <br /> ''Lo! ’t is a gala night'' <br /> <br />   ''Within the lonesome latter years!  '' <br /> <br /> ''An angel throng, bewinged, bedight'' <br /> <br />   ''In veils, and drowned in tears,  '' <br /> <br /> ''Sit in a theatre, to see'' <br /> <br />   ''A play of hopes and fears,'' <br /> <br /> ''While the orchestra breathes fitfully  '' <br /> <br />   ''The music of the spheres.'' <br /> <br /> ''Mimes, in the form of Prions on high,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Mutter and mumble low,'' <br /> <br /> ''And hither and thither fly—'' <br /> <br />   ''Mere puppets they, who come and go  '' <br /> <br /> ''At bidding of vast formless things'' <br /> <br />   ''That shift the scenery to and fro,'' <br /> <br /> ''Flapping from out their Condor wings'' <br /> <br />   ''Invisible Wo!'' <br /> <br /> ''That motley drama—oh, be sure  '' <br /> <br />   ''It shall not be forgot!'' <br /> <br /> ''With its Phantom chased for evermore  '' <br /> <br />   ''By a crowd that seize it not,'' <br /> <br /> ''Through a circle that ever returneth in  '' <br /> <br />   ''To the self-same spot,'' <br /> <br /> ''And much of Madness, and more of Sin,  '' <br /> <br />   ''And Horror the soul of the plot.'' <br /> <br /> ''But see, amid the mimic rout,'' <br /> <br />   ''A crawling shape intrude!'' <br /> <br /> ''A blood-red thing that writhes from out  '' <br /> <br />   ''The scenic solitude!'' <br /> <br /> ''It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs  '' <br /> <br /> ''The mimes become its food,'' <br /> <br /> ''And seraphs sob at vermin fangs'' <br /> <br />   ''In human gore imbued.'' <br /> <br /> ''Out—out are the lights—out all!  '' <br /> <br />   ''And, over each quivering form,'' <br /> <br /> ''The curtain, a funeral pall,'' <br /> <br />   ''Comes down with the rush of a storm,  '' <br /> <br /> ''While the Luxtem, all pallid and wan,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Uprising, unveiling, affirm'' <br /> <br /> ''That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”  '' <br /> <br />   ''And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.''<br /> <br /> == The Request ==<br /> <br /> There is much ink (and blood) spilled on whether The Request or The Sacrifice should come first. It is perhaps best to think of them as a single combined section. The Request outlines precisely what it is that you are requesting, and that, in it's main, will outline the what sacrifices and acolyte may need to make.<br /> <br /> State your request. state it with respect, and address your prion by name and with their relevant title. State your request clearly, and succinctly. If your request requires context, remember that you are drawing the prions attention to the context, not telling them what's going. Do not take lack of action for lack of knowledge. Remember, the Prion sees all things, and specificity helps the context of the request.<br /> <br /> == The Sacrifice ==<br /> <br /> Sacrifice has three parts, sacrifice of power, of wealth, and of devotion. Each ceremony will require different levels of each, but all must be present. These three are the Sacrifice of Power, the Sacrifice of Wealth, and the Sacrifice of Elevation.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Power ===<br /> <br /> Here a priest uses their Prion-gifted magick to form the band with their pPrion. This is offered freely, and without expectation of return. This is particularly important in ceremonies where acolytes of multiple spheres are interacting to achieve a goal.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Wealth, ===<br /> <br /> Here the wealth must be pleasing to the prion, and be in harmony with the request. Here, again, prime numbers over 1 should be your guide as to amount, and often more can produce a favourable response from a Prion who has found the ceremony thus for lack-luster, or the request is complex one.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Elevation ===<br /> <br /> This sacrifice can be the most difficult. It is in this section that sacrifices of magical items, limbs, people, and dedication to stricter following of a prions tenants go. It may seem that each ceremony may then be extracting a bigger and bigger sacrifice of devotion, however an imaginative cleric can find ways of linking the ceremony to the sacrifice.<br /> <br /> For example, a ceremony to defeat an ancient evil may contain the devotion that the cleric will ensure the evil is defeated or die trying. This would be a fine devotion and eminent by practical, with the consequences outlined and obvious.<br /> <br /> The sacrifice of elevation can be future tense-that the acolyte will raise 20 commodities for the poor; share of alcohol; give up cake for a year. Be careful to not save off things that you would not miss-if you do not drink, offering sobriety is not an act of devotion. It is important here that this is taken seriously, with the intention of making an active difference to the Prion. Many of the temples of Orin Rakatha were built by an acolyte seeking to achieve a difficult ceremony.<br /> <br /> == The Negotiation ==<br /> This is not a formal part of the ceremony, but it is an experience that many have had. A Prion may desire your ceremony to secede, but your sacrifice may be lacking.<br /> <br /> In these instances it's not unheard of for the Prion to seek greater sacrifices, or even a specific item offered in another ceremony to grant the request. It is rare here that you will speak directly with the Prion, but rather you will get perhaps a sense that your sacrifice has not yet reached the mark. Do not, in this instance, seek to simply 'add one' to 'get over the line'. Explore what you have already done, and consider where you can increase your sacrifice. It may be that you have offered much wealth, but little in the way of elevation, or power.<br /> <br /> === The Thanks ===<br /> As the ceremony ends, it behoves us to offer thanks to the Prions that attended our request: whether it was granted or not. This respectful thanks should be at least as long as the request offered, and it is sensible that this praise is vociferous and with gusto. It is helpful here to recall hymns of praise as thanks, as well as to voice your own specific thanks based on the granted request.<br /> <br /> A formal Ceremony ends with all present bowing to the centre. In ceremonies with many acolytes, take it in turns so that each can offer their complete thanks, and bow at the end of your thanks, then join in with others for a final bow to signify the end of the ceremony.<br /> <br /> == A Note on Ceremonies ==<br /> A ceremony can be held in any suitably-created space. Orin Rakatha itself is considered to be hallowed land, though you may find that ceremonies are easier if held near relevant places in the world. The site of a great battle may please a Prion of honour, a graveyard may please a Prion of death, a forrest a prion of nature. That said, any non-corrupted land will work.<br /> <br /> To create a space for your ceremony, you must mark the place out as prepared. This should be a circle, edged with something visible to ensure that mortals do not cross it. This can be done with rope, or cloaks, chalk or stones. Walking the circle and offering prayer to a Prion is enough to set this apart, but remember that once you leave the circle will be broken and you will need to start again. An acolyte will feel the sense of connection once the location has been suitably prepared. This barrier of power will protect those within from most dangers, but only while the ceremony continues.<br /> <br /> Ceremonies held in time of danger can include a chant for hallowed ground. This will petition the deity for protection during the Ceremony. This offers powerful protection, though this protection has limits -not because the deity has limits, but because it is only as powerful as can be channelled by the priests chanting the hallowed ground.<br /> <br /> === The benefits of Ceremonies. ===<br /> * A Boon: A specific power, support or blessing<br /> <br /> * A Vision: A vision can help a priest be guided by their god in times of uncertainty. Vision can be clear and direct, but they are rare. Most often they are emotions, or cryptic pictures to be interpreted by the priest.<br /> <br /> * Healings: Deities can offer healings for injuries. In extreme cases, even rare diseases and curses.<br /> <br /> * Resuscitations - In ancient times truly devout acolytes could resurrect worthy people in ceremonies.<br /> <br /> This is just a small list - the limits of ceremonies are often in the limits of the imaginations of the acolytes.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Ceremonies&diff=138 2026-05-26T10:58:34Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>=Introduction to Ceremonies=<br /> <br /> '''written by Aurenous Olaf Mericavil'''<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> A ceremony is a simple process of asking the aid of a Prion, what less civilised people think of as Gods.<br /> <br /> It is understood by this point that your studies will have covered the basics of Power, the interaction of the spheres, and the differences between the wills of the gods (Good, Neutral, Evil) and the powers of the Prions, coming as they do from the primary spheres (Nature, Life, Good, Evil, Balance). Having had this basic grounding, you may now couple that with the knowledge of your chosen prion, and within the realms, history, and sphere of influence of the prion be able to produce a ceremony that can call upon their favour and grace.<br /> <br /> A ceremony has five stages, The Address, The Praise, The Request, The Sacrifice, The Thanks. These stages here are laid out separately for ease of discussion, though in a real ceremony you may flow from one to the other, and back again. Particularly in the case of The Address and The Praise, these two in particular are sections that you will find yourself repeating. You are calling upon your Prion, and they need to hear you above the noise of others. This can be particularly important if your ceremony opposes another ceremony happening at the same time. Similarly, you may find that you move between The Request and The Sacrifice. The only exception is The Thanks, which, while lengthy, is often only required the once.<br /> <br /> == The Address. == <br /> <br /> This section is where an acolyte should name their Prion. This should be done using their full name and titles, and include any world-based and personal accolades for the Prion. <br /> <br /> ''I call upon sacred Dana, Prion of Tea and Biscuits. They who offered hospitality for guests, for those who have had a good day, those that have had a bad day, and those who have had a shock or a fright. I give you thanks, Dana, for your bounty in my time I'd darkness, your hospitality brought me joy and made everything look a little better.'' <br /> <br /> This section should be complete, and include the way in which you came to know your Prion. Remember that this should be positive about your connection with your Prion, frame difficulties as times is growth and learning, struggles as obstacles that have helped you to know your Prion better. It is often worth remembering here any chastisement by your prion, whether spent or unspent. They will know you by this, and it will keep you mindful of the sacrifices that are to come. Forgetting a chastisement, even a spent one, can make you seem haughty instead of humble. The chastisement itself is a chance for you to show your Prion what you have learned in their name. <br /> <br /> This section can be as long or as short as you like. Be aware that in more powerful ceremonies it may be necessary to expand the address, and you may need to revisit it. It is helpful to have an opening memorised, or written down that you can expand on. Name the Prion, using their multitude of names. Each prion will have titles that they payer, and in the case of dual-power prions, call the are most relevant to your request. Where there is a list of names consider repeating the names. Here it is worth remembering the mystical power of numbers. Prime numbers above one seem to be most effective.a<br /> <br /> == The Praise ==<br /> It is only fair and right that we offer praise to our chosen Prion. There is a reason that we have chosen our prion, and they have, in their wisdom and power, given us a share of their power, and invited us to take part in their mission in the world.<br /> <br /> This praise can take the form of song, or chant.<br /> <br /> For example, this could be sung or chanted directed at a Prion.<br /> <br /> ===Come What May===<br /> ''(Prion’s Name)''<br /> ''I Never knew I could feel like this''<br /> <br /> ''Like I’ve never seen the sky before''<br /> ''I want to vanish inside your power''<br /> <br /> ''Every day I´m loving you more and more''<br /> ''Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings''<br /> <br /> ''Telling me to give you everything''<br /> <br /> ''Seasons may change, winter to spring''<br /> <br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Come what may'' <br /> <br /> ''Come what may''<br /> ''I will love you until my dying day''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly my life doesn´t seem such a waste''<br /> ''It all revolves around you''<br /> ''And there´s no mountain too high''<br /> <br /> ''No river too wide''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Sing out this song''<br /> <br /> ''I´ll be there by your side''<br /> ''Storm clouds may gather''<br /> <br /> ''And stars may collide''<br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, come what may, come what may''<br /> ''I will love you, I will love you''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> (Tune: Come What May, Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman)<br /> <br /> ===My First, My Last, My Everything===<br /> <br /> ''Ahh, the first, my last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''And the answer to all my dreams''<br /> <br /> ''You're my sun, my moon, my guiding star''<br /> <br /> ''My kind of wonderful, that's what you are''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way, they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''You're all I'm living for''<br /> <br /> ''Your love I'll keep for evermore''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''In you, I've found so many things''<br /> <br /> ''A love so new only you could bring''<br /> <br /> ''Can't you see if you''<br /> <br /> ''You make me feel this way''<br /> <br /> ''You're like a first morning dew''<br /> <br /> ''On a brand new day''<br /> <br /> ''I see so many ways that I''<br /> <br /> ''Can love you, 'til the day I die''<br /> <br /> ''You're my reality, yet I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''(Name of Prion) you're my reality''<br /> ''But I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''You and me''<br /> ''Just you and me''<br /> <br /> ''Ya you are the first, the last''<br /> <br /> ''My everything''<br /> <br /> [My First, My Last, My Everything, Barry White]<br /> <br /> ===Every Breath I Take===<br /> <br /> This one works well for the darker Prions, who may not wish such simple praise.<br /> <br /> ''Every breath I take''<br /> <br /> ''And every move I make''<br /> <br /> ''Every bond I break, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Every single day''<br /> <br /> ''And every word I say''<br /> <br /> ''Every game I play, every night I stay''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> <br /> ''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace''<br /> <br /> ''I dream at night, I can only see your face''<br /> <br /> ''I look around, but it's you I can't replace''<br /> <br /> ''I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace''<br /> <br /> ''I keep crying, (Name of Prion, Name of Prion), please''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> ''E''<br /> <br /> ''very smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Every move I make, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> (Police, Every Breath You Take)<br /> <br /> ===Sorry===<br /> <br /> Sometimes you need something that reaches a little darker than the above. This could also be used as a way of seeking contrition from a prion.<br /> <br /> ''You might kill me with desire''<br /> ''Wind me tighter than a wire''<br /> ''It's something that you do to me''<br /> <br /> ''I run away like mercury''<br /> <br /> ''And I know you think it's rough''<br /> <br /> ''When you're tryna patch us up''<br /> <br /> ''And I say, &quot;[Name of Prion], what is love?&quot;''<br /> <br /> ''You just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''And on the shirt that I wear''<br /> <br /> ''Pick the thorns out of my hair''<br /> <br /> ''I broke your heart so carelessly''<br /> <br /> ''But made the pieces part of me''<br /> <br /> ''And now it hurts what we've become''<br /> <br /> ''&lt;nowiki/&gt;'Cause you taught me how to love''<br /> <br /> ''It's me who taught you how to stop''<br /> <br /> ''And you just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> [Sorry, by Nothing But Thieves]<br /> <br /> ====== Clothes of Heaven ======<br /> While the above have the meter of song, you may find yourself in need of some form of praise that fills a gap between the two.<br /> <br /> ''Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,''<br /> <br /> ''Enwrought with golden and silver light,''<br /> <br /> ''The blue and the dim and the dark cloths''<br /> <br /> ''Of night and light and the half light,''<br /> <br /> ''I would spread the cloths under your feet:[My Prion]''<br /> <br /> ''But I, being poor, have only my dreams;''<br /> <br /> ''I have spread my dreams under your feet;''<br /> <br /> ''Tread softly because you tread on my dreams''<br /> <br /> [Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” by W.B. Yeats]<br /> <br /> ===I wish I could remember the first day===<br /> <br /> ''I wish I could remember that first day,''<br /> <br /> ''First hour, first moment of your meeting me,''<br /> <br /> ''If bright or dim the season, it might be''<br /> <br /> ''Summer or Winter for aught I can say;''<br /> <br /> ''So unrecorded did it slip away,''<br /> <br /> ''So blind was I to see and to foresee,''<br /> <br /> ''So dull to mark the budding of my tree''<br /> <br /> ''That would not blossom yet for many a May.''<br /> <br /> ''If only I could recollect it, such''<br /> <br /> ''A day of days! I let it come and go''<br /> <br /> ''As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow;''<br /> <br /> ''It seemed to mean so little, meant so much;''<br /> <br /> ''If only now I could recall that touch,''<br /> <br /> ''First touch of heart in heart – Did one but know!''<br /> <br /> [I wish I could remember that first day” by Christina Rossetti]<br /> <br /> ===The Summer Day===<br /> <br /> A chant or offering perhaps suitable for one following the nature sphere<br /> <br /> ''Who made the world?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the swan, and the black bear?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the grasshopper?''<br /> <br /> ''This grasshopper, I mean —''<br /> <br /> ''the one who has flung herself out of the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,''<br /> <br /> ''who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down —''<br /> <br /> ''who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.''<br /> <br /> ''I don't know exactly what a prayer is.''<br /> <br /> ''I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down''<br /> <br /> ''into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,''<br /> <br /> ''which is what I have been doing all day.''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what else should I have done?''<br /> <br /> ''Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what is it you plan to do''<br /> <br /> ''with your one wild and precious life?''<br /> <br /> [''&quot;The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver]''<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Conqueror Wormd===<br /> <br /> This one is easily adapted for Death, or Nature, depending on your want.<br /> <br /> ''Lo! ’t is a gala night'' <br /> <br />   ''Within the lonesome latter years!  '' <br /> <br /> ''An angel throng, bewinged, bedight'' <br /> <br />   ''In veils, and drowned in tears,  '' <br /> <br /> ''Sit in a theatre, to see'' <br /> <br />   ''A play of hopes and fears,'' <br /> <br /> ''While the orchestra breathes fitfully  '' <br /> <br />   ''The music of the spheres.'' <br /> <br /> ''Mimes, in the form of Prions on high,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Mutter and mumble low,'' <br /> <br /> ''And hither and thither fly—'' <br /> <br />   ''Mere puppets they, who come and go  '' <br /> <br /> ''At bidding of vast formless things'' <br /> <br />   ''That shift the scenery to and fro,'' <br /> <br /> ''Flapping from out their Condor wings'' <br /> <br />   ''Invisible Wo!'' <br /> <br /> ''That motley drama—oh, be sure  '' <br /> <br />   ''It shall not be forgot!'' <br /> <br /> ''With its Phantom chased for evermore  '' <br /> <br />   ''By a crowd that seize it not,'' <br /> <br /> ''Through a circle that ever returneth in  '' <br /> <br />   ''To the self-same spot,'' <br /> <br /> ''And much of Madness, and more of Sin,  '' <br /> <br />   ''And Horror the soul of the plot.'' <br /> <br /> ''But see, amid the mimic rout,'' <br /> <br />   ''A crawling shape intrude!'' <br /> <br /> ''A blood-red thing that writhes from out  '' <br /> <br />   ''The scenic solitude!'' <br /> <br /> ''It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs  '' <br /> <br /> ''The mimes become its food,'' <br /> <br /> ''And seraphs sob at vermin fangs'' <br /> <br />   ''In human gore imbued.'' <br /> <br /> ''Out—out are the lights—out all!  '' <br /> <br />   ''And, over each quivering form,'' <br /> <br /> ''The curtain, a funeral pall,'' <br /> <br />   ''Comes down with the rush of a storm,  '' <br /> <br /> ''While the Luxtem, all pallid and wan,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Uprising, unveiling, affirm'' <br /> <br /> ''That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”  '' <br /> <br />   ''And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.''<br /> <br /> == The Request ==<br /> <br /> There is much ink (and blood) spilled on whether The Request or The Sacrifice should come first. It is perhaps best to think of them as a single combined section. The Request outlines precisely what it is that you are requesting, and that, in it's main, will outline the what sacrifices and acolyte may need to make.<br /> <br /> State your request. state it with respect, and address your prion by name and with their relevant title. State your request clearly, and succinctly. If your request requires context, remember that you are drawing the prions attention to the context, not telling them what's going. Do not take lack of action for lack of knowledge. Remember, the Prion sees all things, and specificity helps the context of the request.<br /> <br /> == The Sacrifice ==<br /> <br /> Sacrifice has three parts, sacrifice of power, of wealth, and of devotion. Each ceremony will require different levels of each, but all must be present. These three are the Sacrifice of Power, the Sacrifice of Wealth, and the Sacrifice of Elevation.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Power ===<br /> <br /> Here a priest uses their Prion-gifted magick to form the band with their pPrion. This is offered freely, and without expectation of return. This is particularly important in ceremonies where acolytes of multiple spheres are interacting to achieve a goal.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Wealth, ===<br /> <br /> Here the wealth must be pleasing to the prion, and be in harmony with the request. Here, again, prime numbers over 1 should be your guide as to amount, and often more can produce a favourable response from a Prion who has found the ceremony thus for lack-luster, or the request is complex one.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Elevation ===<br /> <br /> This sacrifice can be the most difficult. It is in this section that sacrifices of magical items, limbs, people, and dedication to stricter following of a prions tenants go. It may seem that each ceremony may then be extracting a bigger and bigger sacrifice of devotion, however an imaginative cleric can find ways of linking the ceremony to the sacrifice.<br /> <br /> For example, a ceremony to defeat an ancient evil may contain the devotion that the cleric will ensure the evil is defeated or die trying. This would be a fine devotion and eminent by practical, with the consequences outlined and obvious.<br /> <br /> The sacrifice of elevation can be future tense-that the acolyte will raise 20 commodities for the poor; share of alcohol; give up cake for a year. Be careful to not save off things that you would not miss-if you do not drink, offering sobriety is not an act of devotion. It is important here that this is taken seriously, with the intention of making an active difference to the Prion. Many of the temples of Orin Rakatha were built by an acolyte seeking to achieve a difficult ceremony.<br /> <br /> == The Negotiation ==<br /> This is not a formal part of the ceremony, but it is an experience that many have had. A Prion may desire your ceremony to secede, but your sacrifice may be lacking.<br /> <br /> In these instances it's not unheard of for the Prion to seek greater sacrifices, or even a specific item offered in another ceremony to grant the request. It is rare here that you will speak directly with the Prion, but rather you will get perhaps a sense that your sacrifice has not yet reached the mark. Do not, in this instance, seek to simply 'add one' to 'get over the line'. Explore what you have already done, and consider where you can increase your sacrifice. It may be that you have offered much wealth, but little in the way of elevation, or power.<br /> <br /> === The Thanks ===<br /> As the ceremony ends, it behoves us to offer thanks to the Prions that attended our request: whether it was granted or not. This respectful thanks should be at least as long as the request offered, and it is sensible that this praise is vociferous and with gusto. It is helpful here to recall hymns of praise as thanks, as well as to voice your own specific thanks based on the granted request.<br /> <br /> A formal Ceremony ends with all present bowing to the centre. In ceremonies with many acolytes, take it in turns so that each can offer their complete thanks, and bow at the end of your thanks, then join in with others for a final bow to signify the end of the ceremony.<br /> <br /> == A Note on Ceremonies ==<br /> A ceremony can be held in any suitably-created space. Orin Rakatha itself is considered to be hallowed land, though you may find that ceremonies are easier if held near relevant places in the world. The site of a great battle may please a Prion of honour, a graveyard may please a Prion of death, a forrest a prion of nature. That said, any non-corrupted land will work.<br /> <br /> To create a space for your ceremony, you must mark the place out as prepared. This should be a circle, edged with something visible to ensure that mortals do not cross it. This can be done with rope, or cloaks, chalk or stones. Walking the circle and offering prayer to a Prion is enough to set this apart, but remember that once you leave the circle will be broken and you will need to start again. An acolyte will feel the sense of connection once the location has been suitably prepared. This barrier of power will protect those within from most dangers, but only while the ceremony continues.<br /> <br /> Ceremonies held in time of danger can include a chant for hallowed ground. This will petition the deity for protection during the Ceremony. This offers powerful protection, though this protection has limits -not because the deity has limits, but because it is only as powerful as can be channelled by the priests chanting the hallowed ground.<br /> <br /> === The benefits of Ceremonies. ===<br /> * A Boon: A specific power, support or blessing<br /> <br /> * A Vision: A vision can help a priest be guided by their god in times of uncertainty. Vision can be clear and direct, but they are rare. Most often they are emotions, or cryptic pictures to be interpreted by the priest.<br /> <br /> * Healings: Deities can offer healings for injuries. In extreme cases, even rare diseases and curses.<br /> <br /> * Resuscitations - In ancient times truly devout acolytes could resurrect worthy people in ceremonies.<br /> <br /> This is just a small list - the limits of ceremonies are often in the limits of the imaginations of the acolytes.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Ceremonies&diff=137 2026-05-26T10:56:07Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* My First, My Last, My Everything */</p> <hr /> <div>=Introduction to Ceremonies=<br /> <br /> '''written by Aurenous Olaf Mericavil'''<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> A ceremony is a simple process of asking the aid of a Prion, what less civilised people think of as Gods.<br /> <br /> It is understood by this point that your studies will have covered the basics of Power, the interaction of the spheres, and the differences between the wills of the gods (Good, Neutral, Evil) and the powers of the Prions, coming as they do from the primary spheres (Nature, Life, Good, Evil, Balance). Having had this basic grounding, you may now couple that with the knowledge of your chosen prion, and within the realms, history, and sphere of influence of the prion be able to produce a ceremony that can call upon their favour and grace.<br /> <br /> A ceremony has five stages, The Address, The Praise, The Request, The Sacrifice, The Thanks. These stages here are laid out separately for ease of discussion, though in a real ceremony you may flow from one to the other, and back again. Particularly in the case of The Address and The Praise, these two in particular are sections that you will find yourself repeating. You are calling upon your Prion, and they need to hear you above the noise of others. This can be particularly important if your ceremony opposes another ceremony happening at the same time. Similarly, you may find that you move between The Request and The Sacrifice. The only exception is The Thanks, which, while lengthy, is often only required the once.<br /> <br /> == The Address. == <br /> <br /> This section is where an acolyte should name their Prion. This should be done using their full name and titles, and include any world-based and personal accolades for the Prion. <br /> <br /> ''I call upon sacred Dana, Prion of Tea and Biscuits. They who offered hospitality for guests, for those who have had a good day, those that have had a bad day, and those who have had a shock or a fright. I give you thanks, Dana, for your bounty in my time I'd darkness, your hospitality brought me joy and made everything look a little better.'' <br /> <br /> This section should be complete, and include the way in which you came to know your Prion. Remember that this should be positive about your connection with your Prion, frame difficulties as times is growth and learning, struggles as obstacles that have helped you to know your Prion better. It is often worth remembering here any chastisement by your prion, whether spent or unspent. They will know you by this, and it will keep you mindful of the sacrifices that are to come. Forgetting a chastisement, even a spent one, can make you seem haughty instead of humble. The chastisement itself is a chance for you to show your Prion what you have learned in their name. <br /> <br /> This section can be as long or as short as you like. Be aware that in more powerful ceremonies it may be necessary to expand the address, and you may need to revisit it. It is helpful to have an opening memorised, or written down that you can expand on. Name the Prion, using their multitude of names. Each prion will have titles that they payer, and in the case of dual-power prions, call the are most relevant to your request. Where there is a list of names consider repeating the names. Here it is worth remembering the mystical power of numbers. Prime numbers above one seem to be most effective.a<br /> <br /> == The Praise ==<br /> It is only fair and right that we offer praise to our chosen Prion. There is a reason that we have chosen our prion, and they have, in their wisdom and power, given us a share of their power, and invited us to take part in their mission in the world.<br /> <br /> This praise can take the form of song, or chant.<br /> <br /> For example, this could be sung or chanted directed at a Prion.<br /> <br /> ===Come What May===<br /> ''(Prion’s Name)''<br /> ''I Never knew I could feel like this''<br /> <br /> ''Like I’ve never seen the sky before''<br /> ''I want to vanish inside your power''<br /> <br /> ''Every day I´m loving you more and more''<br /> ''Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings''<br /> <br /> ''Telling me to give you everything''<br /> <br /> ''Seasons may change, winter to spring''<br /> <br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Come what may'' <br /> <br /> ''Come what may''<br /> ''I will love you until my dying day''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly my life doesn´t seem such a waste''<br /> ''It all revolves around you''<br /> ''And there´s no mountain too high''<br /> <br /> ''No river too wide''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Sing out this song''<br /> <br /> ''I´ll be there by your side''<br /> ''Storm clouds may gather''<br /> <br /> ''And stars may collide''<br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, come what may, come what may''<br /> ''I will love you, I will love you''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> (Tune: Come What May, Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman)<br /> <br /> ===My First, My Last, My Everything===<br /> <br /> ''Ahh, the first, my last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''And the answer to all my dreams''<br /> <br /> ''You're my sun, my moon, my guiding star''<br /> <br /> ''My kind of wonderful, that's what you are''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way, they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''You're all I'm living for''<br /> <br /> ''Your love I'll keep for evermore''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''In you, I've found so many things''<br /> <br /> ''A love so new only you could bring''<br /> <br /> ''Can't you see if you''<br /> <br /> ''You make me feel this way''<br /> <br /> ''You're like a first morning dew''<br /> <br /> ''On a brand new day''<br /> <br /> ''I see so many ways that I''<br /> <br /> ''Can love you, 'til the day I die''<br /> <br /> ''You're my reality, yet I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''(Name of Prion) you're my reality''<br /> ''But I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''You and me''<br /> ''Just you and me''<br /> <br /> ''Ya you are the first, the last''<br /> <br /> ''My everything''<br /> <br /> [My First, My Last, My Everything, Barry White]<br /> <br /> ===Every Breath I Take===<br /> <br /> This one works well for the darker Prions, who may not wish such simple praise.<br /> <br /> ''Every breath I take''<br /> <br /> ''And every move I make''<br /> <br /> ''Every bond I break, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Every single day''<br /> <br /> ''And every word I say''<br /> <br /> ''Every game I play, every night I stay''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> <br /> ''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace''<br /> <br /> ''I dream at night, I can only see your face''<br /> <br /> ''I look around, but it's you I can't replace''<br /> <br /> ''I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace''<br /> <br /> ''I keep crying, (Name of Prion, Name of Prion), please''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> ''E''<br /> <br /> ''very smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Every move I make, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> (Police, Every Breath You Take)<br /> <br /> &lt;nowiki&gt;===Sorry===&lt;/nowiki&gt;<br /> <br /> Sometimes you need something that reaches a little darker than the above. This could also be used as a way of seeking contrition from a prion.<br /> <br /> ''You might kill me with desire''<br /> ''Wind me tighter than a wire''<br /> ''It's something that you do to me''<br /> <br /> ''I run away like mercury''<br /> <br /> ''And I know you think it's rough''<br /> <br /> ''When you're tryna patch us up''<br /> <br /> ''And I say, &quot;[Name of Prion], what is love?&quot;''<br /> <br /> ''You just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''And on the shirt that I wear''<br /> <br /> ''Pick the thorns out of my hair''<br /> <br /> ''I broke your heart so carelessly''<br /> <br /> ''But made the pieces part of me''<br /> <br /> ''And now it hurts what we've become''<br /> <br /> ''&lt;nowiki/&gt;'Cause you taught me how to love''<br /> <br /> ''It's me who taught you how to stop''<br /> <br /> ''And you just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> [Sorry, by Nothing But Thieves]<br /> <br /> ====== === ======<br /> While the above have the meter of song, you may find yourself in need of some form of praise that fills a gap between the two.<br /> <br /> ''Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,''<br /> <br /> ''Enwrought with golden and silver light,''<br /> <br /> ''The blue and the dim and the dark cloths''<br /> <br /> ''Of night and light and the half light,''<br /> <br /> ''I would spread the cloths under your feet:[My Prion]''<br /> <br /> ''But I, being poor, have only my dreams;''<br /> <br /> ''I have spread my dreams under your feet;''<br /> <br /> ''Tread softly because you tread on my dreams''<br /> <br /> [Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” by W.B. Yeats]<br /> <br /> ''I wish I could remember that first day,''<br /> <br /> ''First hour, first moment of your meeting me,''<br /> <br /> ''If bright or dim the season, it might be''<br /> <br /> ''Summer or Winter for aught I can say;''<br /> <br /> ''So unrecorded did it slip away,''<br /> <br /> ''So blind was I to see and to foresee,''<br /> <br /> ''So dull to mark the budding of my tree''<br /> <br /> ''That would not blossom yet for many a May.''<br /> <br /> ''If only I could recollect it, such''<br /> <br /> ''A day of days! I let it come and go''<br /> <br /> ''As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow;''<br /> <br /> ''It seemed to mean so little, meant so much;''<br /> <br /> ''If only now I could recall that touch,''<br /> <br /> ''First touch of heart in heart – Did one but know!''<br /> <br /> [I wish I could remember that first day” by Christina Rossetti]<br /> <br /> A chant or offering perhaps suitable for one following the nature sphere<br /> <br /> ''Who made the world?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the swan, and the black bear?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the grasshopper?''<br /> <br /> ''This grasshopper, I mean —''<br /> <br /> ''the one who has flung herself out of the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,''<br /> <br /> ''who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down —''<br /> <br /> ''who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.''<br /> <br /> ''I don't know exactly what a prayer is.''<br /> <br /> ''I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down''<br /> <br /> ''into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,''<br /> <br /> ''which is what I have been doing all day.''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what else should I have done?''<br /> <br /> ''Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what is it you plan to do''<br /> <br /> ''with your one wild and precious life?''<br /> <br /> [''&quot;The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver]''<br /> <br /> This one is easily adapted for Death, or Nature, depending on your want.<br /> <br /> ''Lo! ’t is a gala night'' <br /> <br />   ''Within the lonesome latter years!  '' <br /> <br /> ''An angel throng, bewinged, bedight'' <br /> <br />   ''In veils, and drowned in tears,  '' <br /> <br /> ''Sit in a theatre, to see'' <br /> <br />   ''A play of hopes and fears,'' <br /> <br /> ''While the orchestra breathes fitfully  '' <br /> <br />   ''The music of the spheres.'' <br /> <br /> ''Mimes, in the form of Prions on high,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Mutter and mumble low,'' <br /> <br /> ''And hither and thither fly—'' <br /> <br />   ''Mere puppets they, who come and go  '' <br /> <br /> ''At bidding of vast formless things'' <br /> <br />   ''That shift the scenery to and fro,'' <br /> <br /> ''Flapping from out their Condor wings'' <br /> <br />   ''Invisible Wo!'' <br /> <br /> ''That motley drama—oh, be sure  '' <br /> <br />   ''It shall not be forgot!'' <br /> <br /> ''With its Phantom chased for evermore  '' <br /> <br />   ''By a crowd that seize it not,'' <br /> <br /> ''Through a circle that ever returneth in  '' <br /> <br />   ''To the self-same spot,'' <br /> <br /> ''And much of Madness, and more of Sin,  '' <br /> <br />   ''And Horror the soul of the plot.'' <br /> <br /> ''But see, amid the mimic rout,'' <br /> <br />   ''A crawling shape intrude!'' <br /> <br /> ''A blood-red thing that writhes from out  '' <br /> <br />   ''The scenic solitude!'' <br /> <br /> ''It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs  '' <br /> <br /> ''The mimes become its food,'' <br /> <br /> ''And seraphs sob at vermin fangs'' <br /> <br />   ''In human gore imbued.'' <br /> <br /> ''Out—out are the lights—out all!  '' <br /> <br />   ''And, over each quivering form,'' <br /> <br /> ''The curtain, a funeral pall,'' <br /> <br />   ''Comes down with the rush of a storm,  '' <br /> <br /> ''While the Luxtem, all pallid and wan,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Uprising, unveiling, affirm'' <br /> <br /> ''That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”  '' <br /> <br />   ''And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.''<br /> <br /> == The Request ==<br /> There is much ink (and blood) spilled on whether The Request or The Sacrifice should come first. It is perhaps best to think of them as a single combined section. The Request outlines precisely what it is that you are requesting, and that, in it's main, will outline the what sacrifices and acolyte may need to make.<br /> <br /> State your request. state it with respect, and address your prion by name and with their relevant title. State your request clearly, and succinctly. If your request requires context, remember that you are drawing the prions attention to the context, not telling them what's going. Do not take lack of action for lack of knowledge. Remember, the Prion sees all things, and specificity helps the context of the request.<br /> <br /> == The Sacrifice ==<br /> Sacrifice has three parts, sacrifice of power, of wealth, and of devotion. Each ceremony will require different levels of each, but all must be present. These three are the Sacrifice of Power, the Sacrifice of Wealth, and the Sacrifice of Elevation.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Power ===<br /> Here a priest uses their Prion-gifted magick to form the band with their pPrion. This is offered freely, and without expectation of return. This is particularly important in ceremonies where acolytes of multiple spheres are interacting to achieve a goal.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Wealth, ===<br /> Here the wealth must be pleasing to the prion, and be in harmony with the request. Here, again, prime numbers over 1 should be your guide as to amount, and often more can produce a favourable response from a Prion who has found the ceremony thus for lack-luster, or the request is complex one.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Elevation ===<br /> This sacrifice can be the most difficult. It is in this section that sacrifices of magical items, limbs, people, and dedication to stricter following of a prions tenants go. It may seem that each ceremony may then be extracting a bigger and bigger sacrifice of devotion, however an imaginative cleric can find ways of linking the ceremony to the sacrifice.<br /> <br /> For example, a ceremony to defeat an ancient evil may contain the devotion that the cleric will ensure the evil is defeated or die trying. This would be a fine devotion and eminent by practical, with the consequences outlined and obvious.<br /> <br /> The sacrifice of elevation can be future tense-that the acolyte will raise 20 commodities for the poor; share of alcohol; give up cake for a year. Be careful to not save off things that you would not miss-if you do not drink, offering sobriety is not an act of devotion. It is important here that this is taken seriously, with the intention of making an active difference to the Prion. Many of the temples of Orin Rakatha were built by an acolyte seeking to achieve a difficult ceremony.<br /> <br /> == The Negotiation ==<br /> This is not a formal part of the ceremony, but it is an experience that many have had. A Prion may desire your ceremony to secede, but your sacrifice may be lacking.<br /> <br /> In these instances it's not unheard of for the Prion to seek greater sacrifices, or even a specific item offered in another ceremony to grant the request. It is rare here that you will speak directly with the Prion, but rather you will get perhaps a sense that your sacrifice has not yet reached the mark. Do not, in this instance, seek to simply 'add one' to 'get over the line'. Explore what you have already done, and consider where you can increase your sacrifice. It may be that you have offered much wealth, but little in the way of elevation, or power.<br /> <br /> === The Thanks ===<br /> As the ceremony ends, it behoves us to offer thanks to the Prions that attended our request: whether it was granted or not. This respectful thanks should be at least as long as the request offered, and it is sensible that this praise is vociferous and with gusto. It is helpful here to recall hymns of praise as thanks, as well as to voice your own specific thanks based on the granted request.<br /> <br /> A formal Ceremony ends with all present bowing to the centre. In ceremonies with many acolytes, take it in turns so that each can offer their complete thanks, and bow at the end of your thanks, then join in with others for a final bow to signify the end of the ceremony.<br /> <br /> == A Note on Ceremonies ==<br /> A ceremony can be held in any suitably-created space. Orin Rakatha itself is considered to be hallowed land, though you may find that ceremonies are easier if held near relevant places in the world. The site of a great battle may please a Prion of honour, a graveyard may please a Prion of death, a forrest a prion of nature. That said, any non-corrupted land will work.<br /> <br /> To create a space for your ceremony, you must mark the place out as prepared. This should be a circle, edged with something visible to ensure that mortals do not cross it. This can be done with rope, or cloaks, chalk or stones. Walking the circle and offering prayer to a Prion is enough to set this apart, but remember that once you leave the circle will be broken and you will need to start again. An acolyte will feel the sense of connection once the location has been suitably prepared. This barrier of power will protect those within from most dangers, but only while the ceremony continues.<br /> <br /> Ceremonies held in time of danger can include a chant for hallowed ground. This will petition the deity for protection during the Ceremony. This offers powerful protection, though this protection has limits -not because the deity has limits, but because it is only as powerful as can be channelled by the priests chanting the hallowed ground.<br /> <br /> === The benefits of Ceremonies. ===<br /> • A Boon: A specific power, support or blessing<br /> <br /> • A Vision: A vision can help a priest be guided by their god in times of uncertainty. Vision can be clear and direct, but they are rare. Most often they are emotions, or cryptic pictures to be interpreted by the priest.<br /> <br /> -Healings: Deities can offer healings for injuries. In extreme cases, even rare diseases and curses.<br /> <br /> -Resuscitations - In ancient times truly devout acolytes could resurrect worthy people in ceremonies.<br /> <br /> This is just a small list - the limits of ceremonies are often in the limits of the imaginations of the acolytes.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Ceremonies&diff=136 2026-05-26T10:52:40Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* Come What May */</p> <hr /> <div>=Introduction to Ceremonies=<br /> <br /> '''written by Aurenous Olaf Mericavil'''<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> A ceremony is a simple process of asking the aid of a Prion, what less civilised people think of as Gods.<br /> <br /> It is understood by this point that your studies will have covered the basics of Power, the interaction of the spheres, and the differences between the wills of the gods (Good, Neutral, Evil) and the powers of the Prions, coming as they do from the primary spheres (Nature, Life, Good, Evil, Balance). Having had this basic grounding, you may now couple that with the knowledge of your chosen prion, and within the realms, history, and sphere of influence of the prion be able to produce a ceremony that can call upon their favour and grace.<br /> <br /> A ceremony has five stages, The Address, The Praise, The Request, The Sacrifice, The Thanks. These stages here are laid out separately for ease of discussion, though in a real ceremony you may flow from one to the other, and back again. Particularly in the case of The Address and The Praise, these two in particular are sections that you will find yourself repeating. You are calling upon your Prion, and they need to hear you above the noise of others. This can be particularly important if your ceremony opposes another ceremony happening at the same time. Similarly, you may find that you move between The Request and The Sacrifice. The only exception is The Thanks, which, while lengthy, is often only required the once.<br /> <br /> == The Address. == <br /> <br /> This section is where an acolyte should name their Prion. This should be done using their full name and titles, and include any world-based and personal accolades for the Prion. <br /> <br /> ''I call upon sacred Dana, Prion of Tea and Biscuits. They who offered hospitality for guests, for those who have had a good day, those that have had a bad day, and those who have had a shock or a fright. I give you thanks, Dana, for your bounty in my time I'd darkness, your hospitality brought me joy and made everything look a little better.'' <br /> <br /> This section should be complete, and include the way in which you came to know your Prion. Remember that this should be positive about your connection with your Prion, frame difficulties as times is growth and learning, struggles as obstacles that have helped you to know your Prion better. It is often worth remembering here any chastisement by your prion, whether spent or unspent. They will know you by this, and it will keep you mindful of the sacrifices that are to come. Forgetting a chastisement, even a spent one, can make you seem haughty instead of humble. The chastisement itself is a chance for you to show your Prion what you have learned in their name. <br /> <br /> This section can be as long or as short as you like. Be aware that in more powerful ceremonies it may be necessary to expand the address, and you may need to revisit it. It is helpful to have an opening memorised, or written down that you can expand on. Name the Prion, using their multitude of names. Each prion will have titles that they payer, and in the case of dual-power prions, call the are most relevant to your request. Where there is a list of names consider repeating the names. Here it is worth remembering the mystical power of numbers. Prime numbers above one seem to be most effective.a<br /> <br /> == The Praise ==<br /> It is only fair and right that we offer praise to our chosen Prion. There is a reason that we have chosen our prion, and they have, in their wisdom and power, given us a share of their power, and invited us to take part in their mission in the world.<br /> <br /> This praise can take the form of song, or chant.<br /> <br /> For example, this could be sung or chanted directed at a Prion.<br /> <br /> ===Come What May===<br /> ''(Prion’s Name)''<br /> ''I Never knew I could feel like this''<br /> <br /> ''Like I’ve never seen the sky before''<br /> ''I want to vanish inside your power''<br /> <br /> ''Every day I´m loving you more and more''<br /> ''Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings''<br /> <br /> ''Telling me to give you everything''<br /> <br /> ''Seasons may change, winter to spring''<br /> <br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Come what may'' <br /> <br /> ''Come what may''<br /> ''I will love you until my dying day''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly my life doesn´t seem such a waste''<br /> ''It all revolves around you''<br /> ''And there´s no mountain too high''<br /> <br /> ''No river too wide''<br /> <br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Sing out this song''<br /> <br /> ''I´ll be there by your side''<br /> ''Storm clouds may gather''<br /> <br /> ''And stars may collide''<br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, come what may, come what may''<br /> ''I will love you, I will love you''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> (Tune: Come What May, Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman)<br /> <br /> ===My First, My Last, My Everything===<br /> <br /> ''Ahh, the first, my last, my everything''<br /> ''And the answer to all my dreams''<br /> ''You're my sun, my moon, my guiding star''<br /> ''My kind of wonderful, that's what you are''<br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> ''There's no way, they could have made two''<br /> ''You're all I'm living for''<br /> ''Your love I'll keep for evermore''<br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> ''In you, I've found so many things''<br /> ''A love so new only you could bring''<br /> ''Can't you see if you''<br /> ''You make me feel this way''<br /> ''You're like a first morning dew''<br /> ''On a brand new day''<br /> ''I see so many ways that I''<br /> ''Can love you, 'til the day I die''<br /> ''You're my reality, yet I'm lost in a dream''<br /> ''You're the first, the last, my everything''<br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> ''There's no way they could have made two''<br /> ''(Name of Prion) you're my reality''<br /> ''But I'm lost in a dream''<br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> ''You and me''<br /> ''Just you and me''<br /> ''Ya you are the first, the last''<br /> ''My everything''<br /> [My First, My Last, My Everything, Barry White]<br /> <br /> ===Every Breath I Take===<br /> <br /> This one works well for the darker Prions, who may not wish such simple praise.<br /> <br /> ''Every breath I take''<br /> ''And every move I make''<br /> ''Every bond I break, every step I take''<br /> ''I'll be watching me''<br /> ''Every single day''<br /> ''And every word I say''<br /> ''Every game I play, every night I stay''<br /> ''You’ll be watching me''<br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> ''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> ''Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace''<br /> ''I dream at night, I can only see your face''<br /> ''I look around, but it's you I can't replace''<br /> ''I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace''<br /> ''I keep crying, (Name of Prion, Name of Prion), please''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> ''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> ''Every move I make, every step I take''<br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> (Police, Every Breath You Take)<br /> <br /> ===Sorry==-<br /> <br /> Sometimes you need something that reaches a little darker than the above. This could also be used as a way of seeking contrition from a prion.<br /> <br /> ''You might kill me with desire''<br /> ''Wind me tighter than a wire''<br /> ''It's something that you do to me''<br /> <br /> ''I run away like mercury''<br /> <br /> ''And I know you think it's rough''<br /> <br /> ''When you're tryna patch us up''<br /> <br /> ''And I say, &quot;[Name of Prion], what is love?&quot;''<br /> <br /> ''You just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''And on the shirt that I wear''<br /> <br /> ''Pick the thorns out of my hair''<br /> <br /> ''I broke your heart so carelessly''<br /> <br /> ''But made the pieces part of me''<br /> <br /> ''And now it hurts what we've become''<br /> <br /> ''&lt;nowiki/&gt;'Cause you taught me how to love''<br /> <br /> ''It's me who taught you how to stop''<br /> <br /> ''And you just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> [Sorry, by Nothing But Thieves]<br /> <br /> While the above have the meter of song, you may find yourself in need of some form of praise that fills a gap between the two.<br /> <br /> ''Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,''<br /> <br /> ''Enwrought with golden and silver light,''<br /> <br /> ''The blue and the dim and the dark cloths''<br /> <br /> ''Of night and light and the half light,''<br /> <br /> ''I would spread the cloths under your feet:[My Prion]''<br /> <br /> ''But I, being poor, have only my dreams;''<br /> <br /> ''I have spread my dreams under your feet;''<br /> <br /> ''Tread softly because you tread on my dreams''<br /> <br /> [Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” by W.B. Yeats]<br /> <br /> ''I wish I could remember that first day,''<br /> <br /> ''First hour, first moment of your meeting me,''<br /> <br /> ''If bright or dim the season, it might be''<br /> <br /> ''Summer or Winter for aught I can say;''<br /> <br /> ''So unrecorded did it slip away,''<br /> <br /> ''So blind was I to see and to foresee,''<br /> <br /> ''So dull to mark the budding of my tree''<br /> <br /> ''That would not blossom yet for many a May.''<br /> <br /> ''If only I could recollect it, such''<br /> <br /> ''A day of days! I let it come and go''<br /> <br /> ''As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow;''<br /> <br /> ''It seemed to mean so little, meant so much;''<br /> <br /> ''If only now I could recall that touch,''<br /> <br /> ''First touch of heart in heart – Did one but know!''<br /> <br /> [I wish I could remember that first day” by Christina Rossetti]<br /> <br /> A chant or offering perhaps suitable for one following the nature sphere<br /> <br /> ''Who made the world?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the swan, and the black bear?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the grasshopper?''<br /> <br /> ''This grasshopper, I mean —''<br /> <br /> ''the one who has flung herself out of the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,''<br /> <br /> ''who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down —''<br /> <br /> ''who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.''<br /> <br /> ''I don't know exactly what a prayer is.''<br /> <br /> ''I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down''<br /> <br /> ''into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,''<br /> <br /> ''which is what I have been doing all day.''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what else should I have done?''<br /> <br /> ''Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what is it you plan to do''<br /> <br /> ''with your one wild and precious life?''<br /> <br /> [''&quot;The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver]''<br /> <br /> This one is easily adapted for Death, or Nature, depending on your want.<br /> <br /> ''Lo! ’t is a gala night'' <br /> <br />   ''Within the lonesome latter years!  '' <br /> <br /> ''An angel throng, bewinged, bedight'' <br /> <br />   ''In veils, and drowned in tears,  '' <br /> <br /> ''Sit in a theatre, to see'' <br /> <br />   ''A play of hopes and fears,'' <br /> <br /> ''While the orchestra breathes fitfully  '' <br /> <br />   ''The music of the spheres.'' <br /> <br /> ''Mimes, in the form of Prions on high,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Mutter and mumble low,'' <br /> <br /> ''And hither and thither fly—'' <br /> <br />   ''Mere puppets they, who come and go  '' <br /> <br /> ''At bidding of vast formless things'' <br /> <br />   ''That shift the scenery to and fro,'' <br /> <br /> ''Flapping from out their Condor wings'' <br /> <br />   ''Invisible Wo!'' <br /> <br /> ''That motley drama—oh, be sure  '' <br /> <br />   ''It shall not be forgot!'' <br /> <br /> ''With its Phantom chased for evermore  '' <br /> <br />   ''By a crowd that seize it not,'' <br /> <br /> ''Through a circle that ever returneth in  '' <br /> <br />   ''To the self-same spot,'' <br /> <br /> ''And much of Madness, and more of Sin,  '' <br /> <br />   ''And Horror the soul of the plot.'' <br /> <br /> ''But see, amid the mimic rout,'' <br /> <br />   ''A crawling shape intrude!'' <br /> <br /> ''A blood-red thing that writhes from out  '' <br /> <br />   ''The scenic solitude!'' <br /> <br /> ''It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs  '' <br /> <br /> ''The mimes become its food,'' <br /> <br /> ''And seraphs sob at vermin fangs'' <br /> <br />   ''In human gore imbued.'' <br /> <br /> ''Out—out are the lights—out all!  '' <br /> <br />   ''And, over each quivering form,'' <br /> <br /> ''The curtain, a funeral pall,'' <br /> <br />   ''Comes down with the rush of a storm,  '' <br /> <br /> ''While the Luxtem, all pallid and wan,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Uprising, unveiling, affirm'' <br /> <br /> ''That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”  '' <br /> <br />   ''And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.''<br /> <br /> == The Request ==<br /> There is much ink (and blood) spilled on whether The Request or The Sacrifice should come first. It is perhaps best to think of them as a single combined section. The Request outlines precisely what it is that you are requesting, and that, in it's main, will outline the what sacrifices and acolyte may need to make.<br /> <br /> State your request. state it with respect, and address your prion by name and with their relevant title. State your request clearly, and succinctly. If your request requires context, remember that you are drawing the prions attention to the context, not telling them what's going. Do not take lack of action for lack of knowledge. Remember, the Prion sees all things, and specificity helps the context of the request.<br /> <br /> == The Sacrifice ==<br /> Sacrifice has three parts, sacrifice of power, of wealth, and of devotion. Each ceremony will require different levels of each, but all must be present. These three are the Sacrifice of Power, the Sacrifice of Wealth, and the Sacrifice of Elevation.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Power ===<br /> Here a priest uses their Prion-gifted magick to form the band with their pPrion. This is offered freely, and without expectation of return. This is particularly important in ceremonies where acolytes of multiple spheres are interacting to achieve a goal.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Wealth, ===<br /> Here the wealth must be pleasing to the prion, and be in harmony with the request. Here, again, prime numbers over 1 should be your guide as to amount, and often more can produce a favourable response from a Prion who has found the ceremony thus for lack-luster, or the request is complex one.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Elevation ===<br /> This sacrifice can be the most difficult. It is in this section that sacrifices of magical items, limbs, people, and dedication to stricter following of a prions tenants go. It may seem that each ceremony may then be extracting a bigger and bigger sacrifice of devotion, however an imaginative cleric can find ways of linking the ceremony to the sacrifice.<br /> <br /> For example, a ceremony to defeat an ancient evil may contain the devotion that the cleric will ensure the evil is defeated or die trying. This would be a fine devotion and eminent by practical, with the consequences outlined and obvious.<br /> <br /> The sacrifice of elevation can be future tense-that the acolyte will raise 20 commodities for the poor; share of alcohol; give up cake for a year. Be careful to not save off things that you would not miss-if you do not drink, offering sobriety is not an act of devotion. It is important here that this is taken seriously, with the intention of making an active difference to the Prion. Many of the temples of Orin Rakatha were built by an acolyte seeking to achieve a difficult ceremony.<br /> <br /> == The Negotiation ==<br /> This is not a formal part of the ceremony, but it is an experience that many have had. A Prion may desire your ceremony to secede, but your sacrifice may be lacking.<br /> <br /> In these instances it's not unheard of for the Prion to seek greater sacrifices, or even a specific item offered in another ceremony to grant the request. It is rare here that you will speak directly with the Prion, but rather you will get perhaps a sense that your sacrifice has not yet reached the mark. Do not, in this instance, seek to simply 'add one' to 'get over the line'. Explore what you have already done, and consider where you can increase your sacrifice. It may be that you have offered much wealth, but little in the way of elevation, or power.<br /> <br /> === The Thanks ===<br /> As the ceremony ends, it behoves us to offer thanks to the Prions that attended our request: whether it was granted or not. This respectful thanks should be at least as long as the request offered, and it is sensible that this praise is vociferous and with gusto. It is helpful here to recall hymns of praise as thanks, as well as to voice your own specific thanks based on the granted request.<br /> <br /> A formal Ceremony ends with all present bowing to the centre. In ceremonies with many acolytes, take it in turns so that each can offer their complete thanks, and bow at the end of your thanks, then join in with others for a final bow to signify the end of the ceremony.<br /> <br /> == A Note on Ceremonies ==<br /> A ceremony can be held in any suitably-created space. Orin Rakatha itself is considered to be hallowed land, though you may find that ceremonies are easier if held near relevant places in the world. The site of a great battle may please a Prion of honour, a graveyard may please a Prion of death, a forrest a prion of nature. That said, any non-corrupted land will work.<br /> <br /> To create a space for your ceremony, you must mark the place out as prepared. This should be a circle, edged with something visible to ensure that mortals do not cross it. This can be done with rope, or cloaks, chalk or stones. Walking the circle and offering prayer to a Prion is enough to set this apart, but remember that once you leave the circle will be broken and you will need to start again. An acolyte will feel the sense of connection once the location has been suitably prepared. This barrier of power will protect those within from most dangers, but only while the ceremony continues.<br /> <br /> Ceremonies held in time of danger can include a chant for hallowed ground. This will petition the deity for protection during the Ceremony. This offers powerful protection, though this protection has limits -not because the deity has limits, but because it is only as powerful as can be channelled by the priests chanting the hallowed ground.<br /> <br /> === The benefits of Ceremonies. ===<br /> • A Boon: A specific power, support or blessing<br /> <br /> • A Vision: A vision can help a priest be guided by their god in times of uncertainty. Vision can be clear and direct, but they are rare. Most often they are emotions, or cryptic pictures to be interpreted by the priest.<br /> <br /> -Healings: Deities can offer healings for injuries. In extreme cases, even rare diseases and curses.<br /> <br /> -Resuscitations - In ancient times truly devout acolytes could resurrect worthy people in ceremonies.<br /> <br /> This is just a small list - the limits of ceremonies are often in the limits of the imaginations of the acolytes.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Ceremonies&diff=135 2026-05-26T10:51:25Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>=Introduction to Ceremonies=<br /> <br /> '''written by Aurenous Olaf Mericavil'''<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> A ceremony is a simple process of asking the aid of a Prion, what less civilised people think of as Gods.<br /> <br /> It is understood by this point that your studies will have covered the basics of Power, the interaction of the spheres, and the differences between the wills of the gods (Good, Neutral, Evil) and the powers of the Prions, coming as they do from the primary spheres (Nature, Life, Good, Evil, Balance). Having had this basic grounding, you may now couple that with the knowledge of your chosen prion, and within the realms, history, and sphere of influence of the prion be able to produce a ceremony that can call upon their favour and grace.<br /> <br /> A ceremony has five stages, The Address, The Praise, The Request, The Sacrifice, The Thanks. These stages here are laid out separately for ease of discussion, though in a real ceremony you may flow from one to the other, and back again. Particularly in the case of The Address and The Praise, these two in particular are sections that you will find yourself repeating. You are calling upon your Prion, and they need to hear you above the noise of others. This can be particularly important if your ceremony opposes another ceremony happening at the same time. Similarly, you may find that you move between The Request and The Sacrifice. The only exception is The Thanks, which, while lengthy, is often only required the once.<br /> <br /> == The Address. == <br /> <br /> This section is where an acolyte should name their Prion. This should be done using their full name and titles, and include any world-based and personal accolades for the Prion. <br /> <br /> ''I call upon sacred Dana, Prion of Tea and Biscuits. They who offered hospitality for guests, for those who have had a good day, those that have had a bad day, and those who have had a shock or a fright. I give you thanks, Dana, for your bounty in my time I'd darkness, your hospitality brought me joy and made everything look a little better.'' <br /> <br /> This section should be complete, and include the way in which you came to know your Prion. Remember that this should be positive about your connection with your Prion, frame difficulties as times is growth and learning, struggles as obstacles that have helped you to know your Prion better. It is often worth remembering here any chastisement by your prion, whether spent or unspent. They will know you by this, and it will keep you mindful of the sacrifices that are to come. Forgetting a chastisement, even a spent one, can make you seem haughty instead of humble. The chastisement itself is a chance for you to show your Prion what you have learned in their name. <br /> <br /> This section can be as long or as short as you like. Be aware that in more powerful ceremonies it may be necessary to expand the address, and you may need to revisit it. It is helpful to have an opening memorised, or written down that you can expand on. Name the Prion, using their multitude of names. Each prion will have titles that they payer, and in the case of dual-power prions, call the are most relevant to your request. Where there is a list of names consider repeating the names. Here it is worth remembering the mystical power of numbers. Prime numbers above one seem to be most effective.a<br /> <br /> == The Praise ==<br /> It is only fair and right that we offer praise to our chosen Prion. There is a reason that we have chosen our prion, and they have, in their wisdom and power, given us a share of their power, and invited us to take part in their mission in the world.<br /> <br /> This praise can take the form of song, or chant.<br /> <br /> For example, this could be sung or chanted directed at a Prion.<br /> <br /> ===Come What May===<br /> ''(Prion’s Name)''<br /> ''I Never knew I could feel like this''<br /> ''Like I’ve never seen the sky before''<br /> ''I want to vanish inside your power''<br /> ''Every day I´m loving you more and more''<br /> ''Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings''<br /> ''Telling me to give you everything''<br /> ''Seasons may change, winter to spring''<br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Come what may'' <br /> <br /> ''Come what may''<br /> ''I will love you until my dying day''<br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> ''Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace''<br /> ''Suddenly my life doesn´t seem such a waste''<br /> ''It all revolves around you''<br /> ''And there´s no mountain too high''<br /> ''No river too wide''<br /> ''(Omit if Chanted) Sing out this song''<br /> ''I´ll be there by your side''<br /> ''Storm clouds may gather''<br /> ''And stars may collide''<br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> ''Oh, come what may, come what may''<br /> ''I will love you, I will love you''<br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> (Tune: Come What May, Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman)<br /> <br /> ===My First, My Last, My Everything===<br /> <br /> ''Ahh, the first, my last, my everything''<br /> ''And the answer to all my dreams''<br /> ''You're my sun, my moon, my guiding star''<br /> ''My kind of wonderful, that's what you are''<br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> ''There's no way, they could have made two''<br /> ''You're all I'm living for''<br /> ''Your love I'll keep for evermore''<br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> ''In you, I've found so many things''<br /> ''A love so new only you could bring''<br /> ''Can't you see if you''<br /> ''You make me feel this way''<br /> ''You're like a first morning dew''<br /> ''On a brand new day''<br /> ''I see so many ways that I''<br /> ''Can love you, 'til the day I die''<br /> ''You're my reality, yet I'm lost in a dream''<br /> ''You're the first, the last, my everything''<br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> ''There's no way they could have made two''<br /> ''(Name of Prion) you're my reality''<br /> ''But I'm lost in a dream''<br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> ''You and me''<br /> ''Just you and me''<br /> ''Ya you are the first, the last''<br /> ''My everything''<br /> [My First, My Last, My Everything, Barry White]<br /> <br /> ===Every Breath I Take===<br /> <br /> This one works well for the darker Prions, who may not wish such simple praise.<br /> <br /> ''Every breath I take''<br /> ''And every move I make''<br /> ''Every bond I break, every step I take''<br /> ''I'll be watching me''<br /> ''Every single day''<br /> ''And every word I say''<br /> ''Every game I play, every night I stay''<br /> ''You’ll be watching me''<br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> ''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> ''Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace''<br /> ''I dream at night, I can only see your face''<br /> ''I look around, but it's you I can't replace''<br /> ''I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace''<br /> ''I keep crying, (Name of Prion, Name of Prion), please''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> ''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> ''Every move I make, every step I take''<br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> (Police, Every Breath You Take)<br /> <br /> ===Sorry==-<br /> <br /> Sometimes you need something that reaches a little darker than the above. This could also be used as a way of seeking contrition from a prion.<br /> <br /> ''You might kill me with desire''<br /> ''Wind me tighter than a wire''<br /> ''It's something that you do to me''<br /> <br /> ''I run away like mercury''<br /> <br /> ''And I know you think it's rough''<br /> <br /> ''When you're tryna patch us up''<br /> <br /> ''And I say, &quot;[Name of Prion], what is love?&quot;''<br /> <br /> ''You just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''And on the shirt that I wear''<br /> <br /> ''Pick the thorns out of my hair''<br /> <br /> ''I broke your heart so carelessly''<br /> <br /> ''But made the pieces part of me''<br /> <br /> ''And now it hurts what we've become''<br /> <br /> ''&lt;nowiki/&gt;'Cause you taught me how to love''<br /> <br /> ''It's me who taught you how to stop''<br /> <br /> ''And you just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> [Sorry, by Nothing But Thieves]<br /> <br /> While the above have the meter of song, you may find yourself in need of some form of praise that fills a gap between the two.<br /> <br /> ''Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,''<br /> <br /> ''Enwrought with golden and silver light,''<br /> <br /> ''The blue and the dim and the dark cloths''<br /> <br /> ''Of night and light and the half light,''<br /> <br /> ''I would spread the cloths under your feet:[My Prion]''<br /> <br /> ''But I, being poor, have only my dreams;''<br /> <br /> ''I have spread my dreams under your feet;''<br /> <br /> ''Tread softly because you tread on my dreams''<br /> <br /> [Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” by W.B. Yeats]<br /> <br /> ''I wish I could remember that first day,''<br /> <br /> ''First hour, first moment of your meeting me,''<br /> <br /> ''If bright or dim the season, it might be''<br /> <br /> ''Summer or Winter for aught I can say;''<br /> <br /> ''So unrecorded did it slip away,''<br /> <br /> ''So blind was I to see and to foresee,''<br /> <br /> ''So dull to mark the budding of my tree''<br /> <br /> ''That would not blossom yet for many a May.''<br /> <br /> ''If only I could recollect it, such''<br /> <br /> ''A day of days! I let it come and go''<br /> <br /> ''As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow;''<br /> <br /> ''It seemed to mean so little, meant so much;''<br /> <br /> ''If only now I could recall that touch,''<br /> <br /> ''First touch of heart in heart – Did one but know!''<br /> <br /> [I wish I could remember that first day” by Christina Rossetti]<br /> <br /> A chant or offering perhaps suitable for one following the nature sphere<br /> <br /> ''Who made the world?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the swan, and the black bear?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the grasshopper?''<br /> <br /> ''This grasshopper, I mean —''<br /> <br /> ''the one who has flung herself out of the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,''<br /> <br /> ''who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down —''<br /> <br /> ''who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.''<br /> <br /> ''I don't know exactly what a prayer is.''<br /> <br /> ''I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down''<br /> <br /> ''into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,''<br /> <br /> ''which is what I have been doing all day.''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what else should I have done?''<br /> <br /> ''Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what is it you plan to do''<br /> <br /> ''with your one wild and precious life?''<br /> <br /> [''&quot;The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver]''<br /> <br /> This one is easily adapted for Death, or Nature, depending on your want.<br /> <br /> ''Lo! ’t is a gala night'' <br /> <br />   ''Within the lonesome latter years!  '' <br /> <br /> ''An angel throng, bewinged, bedight'' <br /> <br />   ''In veils, and drowned in tears,  '' <br /> <br /> ''Sit in a theatre, to see'' <br /> <br />   ''A play of hopes and fears,'' <br /> <br /> ''While the orchestra breathes fitfully  '' <br /> <br />   ''The music of the spheres.'' <br /> <br /> ''Mimes, in the form of Prions on high,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Mutter and mumble low,'' <br /> <br /> ''And hither and thither fly—'' <br /> <br />   ''Mere puppets they, who come and go  '' <br /> <br /> ''At bidding of vast formless things'' <br /> <br />   ''That shift the scenery to and fro,'' <br /> <br /> ''Flapping from out their Condor wings'' <br /> <br />   ''Invisible Wo!'' <br /> <br /> ''That motley drama—oh, be sure  '' <br /> <br />   ''It shall not be forgot!'' <br /> <br /> ''With its Phantom chased for evermore  '' <br /> <br />   ''By a crowd that seize it not,'' <br /> <br /> ''Through a circle that ever returneth in  '' <br /> <br />   ''To the self-same spot,'' <br /> <br /> ''And much of Madness, and more of Sin,  '' <br /> <br />   ''And Horror the soul of the plot.'' <br /> <br /> ''But see, amid the mimic rout,'' <br /> <br />   ''A crawling shape intrude!'' <br /> <br /> ''A blood-red thing that writhes from out  '' <br /> <br />   ''The scenic solitude!'' <br /> <br /> ''It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs  '' <br /> <br /> ''The mimes become its food,'' <br /> <br /> ''And seraphs sob at vermin fangs'' <br /> <br />   ''In human gore imbued.'' <br /> <br /> ''Out—out are the lights—out all!  '' <br /> <br />   ''And, over each quivering form,'' <br /> <br /> ''The curtain, a funeral pall,'' <br /> <br />   ''Comes down with the rush of a storm,  '' <br /> <br /> ''While the Luxtem, all pallid and wan,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Uprising, unveiling, affirm'' <br /> <br /> ''That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”  '' <br /> <br />   ''And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.''<br /> <br /> == The Request ==<br /> There is much ink (and blood) spilled on whether The Request or The Sacrifice should come first. It is perhaps best to think of them as a single combined section. The Request outlines precisely what it is that you are requesting, and that, in it's main, will outline the what sacrifices and acolyte may need to make.<br /> <br /> State your request. state it with respect, and address your prion by name and with their relevant title. State your request clearly, and succinctly. If your request requires context, remember that you are drawing the prions attention to the context, not telling them what's going. Do not take lack of action for lack of knowledge. Remember, the Prion sees all things, and specificity helps the context of the request.<br /> <br /> == The Sacrifice ==<br /> Sacrifice has three parts, sacrifice of power, of wealth, and of devotion. Each ceremony will require different levels of each, but all must be present. These three are the Sacrifice of Power, the Sacrifice of Wealth, and the Sacrifice of Elevation.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Power ===<br /> Here a priest uses their Prion-gifted magick to form the band with their pPrion. This is offered freely, and without expectation of return. This is particularly important in ceremonies where acolytes of multiple spheres are interacting to achieve a goal.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Wealth, ===<br /> Here the wealth must be pleasing to the prion, and be in harmony with the request. Here, again, prime numbers over 1 should be your guide as to amount, and often more can produce a favourable response from a Prion who has found the ceremony thus for lack-luster, or the request is complex one.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Elevation ===<br /> This sacrifice can be the most difficult. It is in this section that sacrifices of magical items, limbs, people, and dedication to stricter following of a prions tenants go. It may seem that each ceremony may then be extracting a bigger and bigger sacrifice of devotion, however an imaginative cleric can find ways of linking the ceremony to the sacrifice.<br /> <br /> For example, a ceremony to defeat an ancient evil may contain the devotion that the cleric will ensure the evil is defeated or die trying. This would be a fine devotion and eminent by practical, with the consequences outlined and obvious.<br /> <br /> The sacrifice of elevation can be future tense-that the acolyte will raise 20 commodities for the poor; share of alcohol; give up cake for a year. Be careful to not save off things that you would not miss-if you do not drink, offering sobriety is not an act of devotion. It is important here that this is taken seriously, with the intention of making an active difference to the Prion. Many of the temples of Orin Rakatha were built by an acolyte seeking to achieve a difficult ceremony.<br /> <br /> == The Negotiation ==<br /> This is not a formal part of the ceremony, but it is an experience that many have had. A Prion may desire your ceremony to secede, but your sacrifice may be lacking.<br /> <br /> In these instances it's not unheard of for the Prion to seek greater sacrifices, or even a specific item offered in another ceremony to grant the request. It is rare here that you will speak directly with the Prion, but rather you will get perhaps a sense that your sacrifice has not yet reached the mark. Do not, in this instance, seek to simply 'add one' to 'get over the line'. Explore what you have already done, and consider where you can increase your sacrifice. It may be that you have offered much wealth, but little in the way of elevation, or power.<br /> <br /> === The Thanks ===<br /> As the ceremony ends, it behoves us to offer thanks to the Prions that attended our request: whether it was granted or not. This respectful thanks should be at least as long as the request offered, and it is sensible that this praise is vociferous and with gusto. It is helpful here to recall hymns of praise as thanks, as well as to voice your own specific thanks based on the granted request.<br /> <br /> A formal Ceremony ends with all present bowing to the centre. In ceremonies with many acolytes, take it in turns so that each can offer their complete thanks, and bow at the end of your thanks, then join in with others for a final bow to signify the end of the ceremony.<br /> <br /> == A Note on Ceremonies ==<br /> A ceremony can be held in any suitably-created space. Orin Rakatha itself is considered to be hallowed land, though you may find that ceremonies are easier if held near relevant places in the world. The site of a great battle may please a Prion of honour, a graveyard may please a Prion of death, a forrest a prion of nature. That said, any non-corrupted land will work.<br /> <br /> To create a space for your ceremony, you must mark the place out as prepared. This should be a circle, edged with something visible to ensure that mortals do not cross it. This can be done with rope, or cloaks, chalk or stones. Walking the circle and offering prayer to a Prion is enough to set this apart, but remember that once you leave the circle will be broken and you will need to start again. An acolyte will feel the sense of connection once the location has been suitably prepared. This barrier of power will protect those within from most dangers, but only while the ceremony continues.<br /> <br /> Ceremonies held in time of danger can include a chant for hallowed ground. This will petition the deity for protection during the Ceremony. This offers powerful protection, though this protection has limits -not because the deity has limits, but because it is only as powerful as can be channelled by the priests chanting the hallowed ground.<br /> <br /> === The benefits of Ceremonies. ===<br /> • A Boon: A specific power, support or blessing<br /> <br /> • A Vision: A vision can help a priest be guided by their god in times of uncertainty. Vision can be clear and direct, but they are rare. Most often they are emotions, or cryptic pictures to be interpreted by the priest.<br /> <br /> -Healings: Deities can offer healings for injuries. In extreme cases, even rare diseases and curses.<br /> <br /> -Resuscitations - In ancient times truly devout acolytes could resurrect worthy people in ceremonies.<br /> <br /> This is just a small list - the limits of ceremonies are often in the limits of the imaginations of the acolytes.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Ceremonies&diff=134 2026-05-26T10:45:27Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Created page with &quot;&#039;&#039;&#039;Introduction to Ceremonies,&#039;&#039;&#039; &#039;&#039;&#039;written by Aurenous Olaf Mericavil&#039;&#039;&#039; == Introduction == A ceremony is a simple process of asking the aid of a Prion, what less civilised people think of as Gods. It is understood by this point that your studies will have covered the basics of Power, the interaction of the spheres, and the differences between the wills of the gods (Good, Neutral, Evil) and the powers of the Prions, coming as they do from the primary spheres (Natur...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>'''Introduction to Ceremonies,''' <br /> <br /> '''written by Aurenous Olaf Mericavil'''<br /> <br /> == Introduction ==<br /> A ceremony is a simple process of asking the aid of a Prion, what less civilised people think of as Gods.<br /> <br /> It is understood by this point that your studies will have covered the basics of Power, the interaction of the spheres, and the differences between the wills of the gods (Good, Neutral, Evil) and the powers of the Prions, coming as they do from the primary spheres (Nature, Life, Good, Evil, Balance). Having had this basic grounding, you may now couple that with the knowledge of your chosen prion, and within the realms, history, and sphere of influence of the prion be able to produce a ceremony that can call upon their favour and grace.<br /> <br /> A ceremony has five stages, The Address, The Praise, The Request, The Sacrifice, The Thanks. These stages here are laid out separately for ease of discussion, though in a real ceremony you may flow from one to the other, and back again. Particularly in the case of The Address and The Praise, these two in particular are sections that you will find yourself repeating. You are calling upon your Prion, and they need to hear you above the noise of others. This can be particularly important if your ceremony opposes another ceremony happening at the same time. Similarly, you may find that you move between The Request and The Sacrifice. The only exception is The Thanks, which, while lengthy, is often only required the once.<br /> <br /> == The Address. == <br /> <br /> This section is where an acolyte should name their Prion. This should be done using their full name and titles, and include any world-based and personal accolades for the Prion. <br /> <br /> ''I call upon sacred Dana, Prion of Tea and Biscuits. They who offered hospitality for guests, for those who have had a good day, those that have had a bad day, and those who have had a shock or a fright. I give you thanks, Dana, for your bounty in my time I'd darkness, your hospitality brought me joy and made everything look a little better.'' <br /> <br /> This section should be complete, and include the way in which you came to know your Prion. Remember that this should be positive about your connection with your Prion, frame difficulties as times is growth and learning, struggles as obstacles that have helped you to know your Prion better. It is often worth remembering here any chastisement by your prion, whether spent or unspent. They will know you by this, and it will keep you mindful of the sacrifices that are to come. Forgetting a chastisement, even a spent one, can make you seem haughty instead of humble. The chastisement itself is a chance for you to show your Prion what you have learned in their name. <br /> <br /> This section can be as long or as short as you like. Be aware that in more powerful ceremonies it may be necessary to expand the address, and you may need to revisit it. It is helpful to have an opening memorised, or written down that you can expand on. Name the Prion, using their multitude of names. Each prion will have titles that they payer, and in the case of dual-power prions, call the are most relevant to your request. Where there is a list of names consider repeating the names. Here it is worth remembering the mystical power of numbers. Prime numbers above one seem to be most effective.a<br /> <br /> == The Praise ==<br /> It is only fair and right that we offer praise to our chosen Prion. There is a reason that we have chosen our prion, and they have, in their wisdom and power, given us a share of their power, and invited us to take part in their mission in the world.<br /> <br /> This praise can take the form of song, or chant.<br /> <br /> For example, this could be sung or chanted directed at a Prion.<br /> <br /> ''[Prion’s Name]''<br /> <br /> ''I Never knew I could feel like this''<br /> <br /> ''Like I’ve never seen the sky before''<br /> <br /> ''I want to vanish inside your power''<br /> <br /> ''Every day I´m loving you more and more''<br /> <br /> ''Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings''<br /> <br /> ''Telling me to give you everything''<br /> <br /> ''Seasons may change, winter to spring''<br /> <br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''[Omit if Chanted] Come what may'' <br /> <br /> ''Come what may''<br /> <br /> ''I will love you until my dying day''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly my life doesn´t seem such a waste''<br /> <br /> ''It all revolves around you''<br /> <br /> ''And there´s no mountain too high''<br /> <br /> ''No river too wide''<br /> <br /> ''[Omit if Chanted] Sing out this song''<br /> <br /> ''I´ll be there by your side''<br /> <br /> ''Storm clouds may gather''<br /> <br /> ''And stars may collide''<br /> <br /> ''But I love you until the end of time''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, come what may, come what may''<br /> <br /> ''I will love you, I will love you''<br /> <br /> ''Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place''<br /> <br /> [Tune: Come What May, Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman]<br /> <br /> ''Ahh, the first, my last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''And the answer to all my dreams''<br /> <br /> ''You're my sun, my moon, my guiding star''<br /> <br /> ''My kind of wonderful, that's what you are''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way, they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''You're all I'm living for''<br /> <br /> ''Your love I'll keep for evermore''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''In you, I've found so many things''<br /> <br /> ''A love so new only you could bring''<br /> <br /> ''Can't you see if you''<br /> <br /> ''You make me feel this way''<br /> <br /> ''You're like a first morning dew''<br /> <br /> ''On a brand new day''<br /> <br /> ''I see so many ways that I''<br /> <br /> ''Can love you, 'til the day I die''<br /> <br /> ''You're my reality, yet I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''I know there's only, only one like you''<br /> <br /> ''There's no way they could have made two''<br /> <br /> ''[Name of Prion] you're my reality''<br /> <br /> ''But I'm lost in a dream''<br /> <br /> ''You're the first, you're the last, my everything''<br /> <br /> ''You and me baby''<br /> <br /> ''Just you and me''<br /> <br /> ''Ya you are the first, the last''<br /> <br /> ''My everything''<br /> <br /> [My First, My Last, My Everything, Barry White]<br /> <br /> This one works well for the darker Prions, who may not wish such simple praise.<br /> <br /> ''Every breath I take''<br /> <br /> ''And every move I make''<br /> <br /> ''Every bond I break, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Every single day''<br /> <br /> ''And every word I say''<br /> <br /> ''Every game I play, every night I stay''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> <br /> ''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace''<br /> <br /> ''I dream at night, I can only see your face''<br /> <br /> ''I look around, but it's you I can't replace''<br /> <br /> ''I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace''<br /> <br /> ''I keep crying, [Name of Prion, Name of Prion], please''<br /> <br /> ''Oh, can't you see?''<br /> <br /> ''You belong to me''<br /> <br /> ''How my poor heart aches''<br /> <br /> ''With every step you take''<br /> <br /> ''Every move you make''<br /> <br /> ''And every vow you break''<br /> <br /> ''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake''<br /> <br /> ''I'll be watching you''<br /> <br /> ''Every move I make, every step I take''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> ''You’ll be watching me.''<br /> <br /> [Police, Every Breath You Take]<br /> <br /> Sometimes you need something that reaches a little darker than the above. This could also be used as a way of seeking contrition from a prion.<br /> <br /> ''You might kill me with desire''<br /> <br /> ''Wind me tighter than a wire''<br /> <br /> ''It's something that you do to me''<br /> <br /> ''I run away like mercury''<br /> <br /> ''And I know you think it's rough''<br /> <br /> ''When you're tryna patch us up''<br /> <br /> ''And I say, &quot;[Name of Prion], what is love?&quot;''<br /> <br /> ''You just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''And on the shirt that I wear''<br /> <br /> ''Pick the thorns out of my hair''<br /> <br /> ''I broke your heart so carelessly''<br /> <br /> ''But made the pieces part of me''<br /> <br /> ''And now it hurts what we've become''<br /> <br /> ''&lt;nowiki/&gt;'Cause you taught me how to love''<br /> <br /> ''It's me who taught you how to stop''<br /> <br /> ''And you just say I drink too much''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've waited for this''<br /> <br /> ''I'm ready for it''<br /> <br /> ''I've been waiting so long''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm defective''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm dumb''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> ''Maybe I'm bad natured''<br /> <br /> ''Or maybe I'm young''<br /> <br /> ''I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done''<br /> <br /> [Sorry, by Nothing But Thieves]<br /> <br /> While the above have the meter of song, you may find yourself in need of some form of praise that fills a gap between the two.<br /> <br /> ''Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,''<br /> <br /> ''Enwrought with golden and silver light,''<br /> <br /> ''The blue and the dim and the dark cloths''<br /> <br /> ''Of night and light and the half light,''<br /> <br /> ''I would spread the cloths under your feet:[My Prion]''<br /> <br /> ''But I, being poor, have only my dreams;''<br /> <br /> ''I have spread my dreams under your feet;''<br /> <br /> ''Tread softly because you tread on my dreams''<br /> <br /> [Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” by W.B. Yeats]<br /> <br /> ''I wish I could remember that first day,''<br /> <br /> ''First hour, first moment of your meeting me,''<br /> <br /> ''If bright or dim the season, it might be''<br /> <br /> ''Summer or Winter for aught I can say;''<br /> <br /> ''So unrecorded did it slip away,''<br /> <br /> ''So blind was I to see and to foresee,''<br /> <br /> ''So dull to mark the budding of my tree''<br /> <br /> ''That would not blossom yet for many a May.''<br /> <br /> ''If only I could recollect it, such''<br /> <br /> ''A day of days! I let it come and go''<br /> <br /> ''As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow;''<br /> <br /> ''It seemed to mean so little, meant so much;''<br /> <br /> ''If only now I could recall that touch,''<br /> <br /> ''First touch of heart in heart – Did one but know!''<br /> <br /> [I wish I could remember that first day” by Christina Rossetti]<br /> <br /> A chant or offering perhaps suitable for one following the nature sphere<br /> <br /> ''Who made the world?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the swan, and the black bear?''<br /> <br /> ''Who made the grasshopper?''<br /> <br /> ''This grasshopper, I mean —''<br /> <br /> ''the one who has flung herself out of the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,''<br /> <br /> ''who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down —''<br /> <br /> ''who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.''<br /> <br /> ''Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.''<br /> <br /> ''I don't know exactly what a prayer is.''<br /> <br /> ''I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down''<br /> <br /> ''into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,''<br /> <br /> ''how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,''<br /> <br /> ''which is what I have been doing all day.''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what else should I have done?''<br /> <br /> ''Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?''<br /> <br /> ''Tell me, what is it you plan to do''<br /> <br /> ''with your one wild and precious life?''<br /> <br /> [''&quot;The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver]''<br /> <br /> This one is easily adapted for Death, or Nature, depending on your want.<br /> <br /> ''Lo! ’t is a gala night'' <br /> <br />   ''Within the lonesome latter years!  '' <br /> <br /> ''An angel throng, bewinged, bedight'' <br /> <br />   ''In veils, and drowned in tears,  '' <br /> <br /> ''Sit in a theatre, to see'' <br /> <br />   ''A play of hopes and fears,'' <br /> <br /> ''While the orchestra breathes fitfully  '' <br /> <br />   ''The music of the spheres.'' <br /> <br /> ''Mimes, in the form of Prions on high,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Mutter and mumble low,'' <br /> <br /> ''And hither and thither fly—'' <br /> <br />   ''Mere puppets they, who come and go  '' <br /> <br /> ''At bidding of vast formless things'' <br /> <br />   ''That shift the scenery to and fro,'' <br /> <br /> ''Flapping from out their Condor wings'' <br /> <br />   ''Invisible Wo!'' <br /> <br /> ''That motley drama—oh, be sure  '' <br /> <br />   ''It shall not be forgot!'' <br /> <br /> ''With its Phantom chased for evermore  '' <br /> <br />   ''By a crowd that seize it not,'' <br /> <br /> ''Through a circle that ever returneth in  '' <br /> <br />   ''To the self-same spot,'' <br /> <br /> ''And much of Madness, and more of Sin,  '' <br /> <br />   ''And Horror the soul of the plot.'' <br /> <br /> ''But see, amid the mimic rout,'' <br /> <br />   ''A crawling shape intrude!'' <br /> <br /> ''A blood-red thing that writhes from out  '' <br /> <br />   ''The scenic solitude!'' <br /> <br /> ''It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs  '' <br /> <br /> ''The mimes become its food,'' <br /> <br /> ''And seraphs sob at vermin fangs'' <br /> <br />   ''In human gore imbued.'' <br /> <br /> ''Out—out are the lights—out all!  '' <br /> <br />   ''And, over each quivering form,'' <br /> <br /> ''The curtain, a funeral pall,'' <br /> <br />   ''Comes down with the rush of a storm,  '' <br /> <br /> ''While the Luxtem, all pallid and wan,  '' <br /> <br />   ''Uprising, unveiling, affirm'' <br /> <br /> ''That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”  '' <br /> <br />   ''And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.''<br /> <br /> == The Request ==<br /> There is much ink (and blood) spilled on whether The Request or The Sacrifice should come first. It is perhaps best to think of them as a single combined section. The Request outlines precisely what it is that you are requesting, and that, in it's main, will outline the what sacrifices and acolyte may need to make.<br /> <br /> State your request. state it with respect, and address your prion by name and with their relevant title. State your request clearly, and succinctly. If your request requires context, remember that you are drawing the prions attention to the context, not telling them what's going. Do not take lack of action for lack of knowledge. Remember, the Prion sees all things, and specificity helps the context of the request.<br /> <br /> == The Sacrifice ==<br /> Sacrifice has three parts, sacrifice of power, of wealth, and of devotion. Each ceremony will require different levels of each, but all must be present. These three are the Sacrifice of Power, the Sacrifice of Wealth, and the Sacrifice of Elevation.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Power ===<br /> Here a priest uses their Prion-gifted magick to form the band with their pPrion. This is offered freely, and without expectation of return. This is particularly important in ceremonies where acolytes of multiple spheres are interacting to achieve a goal.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Wealth, ===<br /> Here the wealth must be pleasing to the prion, and be in harmony with the request. Here, again, prime numbers over 1 should be your guide as to amount, and often more can produce a favourable response from a Prion who has found the ceremony thus for lack-luster, or the request is complex one.<br /> <br /> === Sacrifice of Elevation ===<br /> This sacrifice can be the most difficult. It is in this section that sacrifices of magical items, limbs, people, and dedication to stricter following of a prions tenants go. It may seem that each ceremony may then be extracting a bigger and bigger sacrifice of devotion, however an imaginative cleric can find ways of linking the ceremony to the sacrifice.<br /> <br /> For example, a ceremony to defeat an ancient evil may contain the devotion that the cleric will ensure the evil is defeated or die trying. This would be a fine devotion and eminent by practical, with the consequences outlined and obvious.<br /> <br /> The sacrifice of elevation can be future tense-that the acolyte will raise 20 commodities for the poor; share of alcohol; give up cake for a year. Be careful to not save off things that you would not miss-if you do not drink, offering sobriety is not an act of devotion. It is important here that this is taken seriously, with the intention of making an active difference to the Prion. Many of the temples of Orin Rakatha were built by an acolyte seeking to achieve a difficult ceremony.<br /> <br /> == The Negotiation ==<br /> This is not a formal part of the ceremony, but it is an experience that many have had. A Prion may desire your ceremony to secede, but your sacrifice may be lacking.<br /> <br /> In these instances it's not unheard of for the Prion to seek greater sacrifices, or even a specific item offered in another ceremony to grant the request. It is rare here that you will speak directly with the Prion, but rather you will get perhaps a sense that your sacrifice has not yet reached the mark. Do not, in this instance, seek to simply 'add one' to 'get over the line'. Explore what you have already done, and consider where you can increase your sacrifice. It may be that you have offered much wealth, but little in the way of elevation, or power.<br /> <br /> === The Thanks ===<br /> As the ceremony ends, it behoves us to offer thanks to the Prions that attended our request: whether it was granted or not. This respectful thanks should be at least as long as the request offered, and it is sensible that this praise is vociferous and with gusto. It is helpful here to recall hymns of praise as thanks, as well as to voice your own specific thanks based on the granted request.<br /> <br /> A formal Ceremony ends with all present bowing to the centre. In ceremonies with many acolytes, take it in turns so that each can offer their complete thanks, and bow at the end of your thanks, then join in with others for a final bow to signify the end of the ceremony.<br /> <br /> == A Note on Ceremonies ==<br /> A ceremony can be held in any suitably-created space. Orin Rakatha itself is considered to be hallowed land, though you may find that ceremonies are easier if held near relevant places in the world. The site of a great battle may please a Prion of honour, a graveyard may please a Prion of death, a forrest a prion of nature. That said, any non-corrupted land will work.<br /> <br /> To create a space for your ceremony, you must mark the place out as prepared. This should be a circle, edged with something visible to ensure that mortals do not cross it. This can be done with rope, or cloaks, chalk or stones. Walking the circle and offering prayer to a Prion is enough to set this apart, but remember that once you leave the circle will be broken and you will need to start again. An acolyte will feel the sense of connection once the location has been suitably prepared. This barrier of power will protect those within from most dangers, but only while the ceremony continues.<br /> <br /> Ceremonies held in time of danger can include a chant for hallowed ground. This will petition the deity for protection during the Ceremony. This offers powerful protection, though this protection has limits -not because the deity has limits, but because it is only as powerful as can be channelled by the priests chanting the hallowed ground.<br /> <br /> === The benefits of Ceremonies. ===<br /> • A Boon: A specific power, support or blessing<br /> <br /> • A Vision: A vision can help a priest be guided by their god in times of uncertainty. Vision can be clear and direct, but they are rare. Most often they are emotions, or cryptic pictures to be interpreted by the priest.<br /> <br /> -Healings: Deities can offer healings for injuries. In extreme cases, even rare diseases and curses.<br /> <br /> -Resuscitations - In ancient times truly devout acolytes could resurrect worthy people in ceremonies.<br /> <br /> This is just a small list - the limits of ceremonies are often in the limits of the imaginations of the acolytes.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Rules&diff=133 2026-05-26T10:42:49Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* Ceremonies */</p> <hr /> <div>=Introduction=<br /> Herofest is a festival system. The rules are designed to be easy to use, and to play. The focus is on the roleplay, and exploring what threats, dangeres, and celebrations happen upon Orin Rakatha. <br /> <br /> =Character Classees=<br /> <br /> There are 4 main character classes: [[Rules:Class:Warrior | Warrior]], [[Rules:Class:Expert | Expert]], [[Rules:Class:Mage | Mage]], [[Rules:Class:Acolyte | Acolyte]]. They all have their own skills, unique to their class. Once you have chosen a class, buying skills from another class will cost you double. <br /> <br /> There are, however, a series of universal skills that can be purchased at the same rate regardless of your character class. <br /> <br /> ==Universal Skills==<br /> <br /> * 1 handed weapon<br /> * Forrage<br /> * First Ait<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Warrior | Warrior]]==<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Expert | Expert]]==<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Mage | Mage]]==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ===Magic===<br /> Upon Orin Rakatha, there are two types of energies that people often think of as magic. Elemental Magic, and Power. Elemental Magic, or simply 'magic' upon Orin Rakatha, is focused on the elemental power of the world. The other type, Power, comes from the [[World:Spheres]] by way of [[World:Prions]], what you from other worlds might call 'gods'<br /> <br /> ==Types of Magic==<br /> <br /> Magic breaks down into different types of elements that mages are able to access and manipulate. <br /> <br /> ===Elemental===<br /> <br /> * [[Rules:Magic:White | White Magic]]<br /> * [[Rules:Magic:Black | Black Magic ]]<br /> * Blue<br /> * Yellow<br /> * Green<br /> * Brown<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Acolyte | Acolyte]]==<br /> <br /> ===Power===<br /> Upon Orin Rakatha, there are two types of energies that people often think of as magic. Elemental Magic, and Power. Elemental Magic, or simply 'magic' upon Orin Rakatha, is focused on the elemental power of the world. The other type, Power, comes from the [[World:Spheres]] by way of [[World:Prions]], what you from other worlds might call 'gods'<br /> <br /> <br /> * [[Rules:Power:Life | Life Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Death | Death Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Nature | Nature Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Balance | Balance Power]]<br /> <br /> ===[[Rules:Ceremonies | Ceremonies]]===<br /> <br /> One of the abilities of an accolyte is to talk to their [[World:Prions | Prion]]. An Acolyte who is well-known to their [[World:Prions | Prion]] can perform a [[Rules:Ceremonies | Ceremony]] in order to garner aid. This ancient form of communitcating with [[World:Prions | prions]] is can be done alone, but it is often more succesfull with others. [[Rules:Ceremonies | Ceremonies]] are simple to learn, but difficult to master, as masterie requires a deep and abiding knowledge of the chosen [[World:Prions | Prion]]. What the world knows about [[Rules:Ceremonies | Ceremonies]] was delivered in a hand-written manual, as the world seeks to re-learn this ancient art.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Rules&diff=132 2026-05-26T10:38:57Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>=Introduction=<br /> Herofest is a festival system. The rules are designed to be easy to use, and to play. The focus is on the roleplay, and exploring what threats, dangeres, and celebrations happen upon Orin Rakatha. <br /> <br /> =Character Classees=<br /> <br /> There are 4 main character classes: [[Rules:Class:Warrior | Warrior]], [[Rules:Class:Expert | Expert]], [[Rules:Class:Mage | Mage]], [[Rules:Class:Acolyte | Acolyte]]. They all have their own skills, unique to their class. Once you have chosen a class, buying skills from another class will cost you double. <br /> <br /> There are, however, a series of universal skills that can be purchased at the same rate regardless of your character class. <br /> <br /> ==Universal Skills==<br /> <br /> * 1 handed weapon<br /> * Forrage<br /> * First Ait<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Warrior | Warrior]]==<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Expert | Expert]]==<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Mage | Mage]]==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ===Magic===<br /> Upon Orin Rakatha, there are two types of energies that people often think of as magic. Elemental Magic, and Power. Elemental Magic, or simply 'magic' upon Orin Rakatha, is focused on the elemental power of the world. The other type, Power, comes from the [[World:Spheres]] by way of [[World:Prions]], what you from other worlds might call 'gods'<br /> <br /> ==Types of Magic==<br /> <br /> Magic breaks down into different types of elements that mages are able to access and manipulate. <br /> <br /> ===Elemental===<br /> <br /> * [[Rules:Magic:White | White Magic]]<br /> * [[Rules:Magic:Black | Black Magic ]]<br /> * Blue<br /> * Yellow<br /> * Green<br /> * Brown<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Acolyte | Acolyte]]==<br /> <br /> ===Power===<br /> Upon Orin Rakatha, there are two types of energies that people often think of as magic. Elemental Magic, and Power. Elemental Magic, or simply 'magic' upon Orin Rakatha, is focused on the elemental power of the world. The other type, Power, comes from the [[World:Spheres]] by way of [[World:Prions]], what you from other worlds might call 'gods'<br /> <br /> <br /> * [[Rules:Power:Life | Life Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Death | Death Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Nature | Nature Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Balance | Balance Power]]<br /> <br /> ===[[Rules:Ceremonies | Ceremonies]]===<br /> <br /> One of the abilities of an accolyte is to talk to their [[World:Prions | Prion]]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Rules&diff=131 2026-05-26T10:35:18Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* Introduction */</p> <hr /> <div>=Introduction=<br /> Herofest is a festival system. The rules are designed to be easy to use, and to play. The focus is on the roleplay, and exploring what threats, dangeres, and celebrations happen upon Orin Rakatha. <br /> <br /> =Character Classees=<br /> <br /> There are 4 main character classes: [[Rules:Class:Warrior | Warrior]], [[Rules:Class:Expert | Expert]], [[Rules:Class:Mage | Mage]], [[Rules:Class:Acolyte | Acolyte]]. They all have their own skills, unique to their class. Once you have chosen a class, buying skills from another class will cost you double. <br /> <br /> There are, however, a series of universal skills that can be purchased at the same rate regardless of your character class. <br /> <br /> ==Universal Skills==<br /> <br /> * 1 handed weapon<br /> * Forrage<br /> * First Ait<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Warrior | Warrior]]==<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Expert | Expert]]==<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Mage | Mage]]==<br /> <br /> ==[[Rules:Class:Acolyte | Warrior]]==<br /> <br /> <br /> =Magic=<br /> Upon Orin Rakatha, there are two types of energies that people often think of as magic. Elemental Magic, and Power. Elemental Magic, or simply 'magic' upon Orin Rakatha, is focused on the elemental power of the world. The other type, Power, comes from the [[World:Spheres]] by way of [[World:Prions]], what you from other worlds might call 'gods'<br /> <br /> ==Types of Magic==<br /> <br /> Magic breaks down into different types of elements that mages are able to access and manipulate. <br /> <br /> ===Elemental===<br /> <br /> * [[Rules:Magic:White | White Magic]]<br /> * [[Rules:Magic:Black | Black Magic ]]<br /> * Blue<br /> * Yellow<br /> * Green<br /> * Brown<br /> <br /> ===Power===<br /> <br /> * [[Rules:Power:Life | Life Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Death | Death Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Nature | Nature Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Balance | Balance Power]]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Rules:Rules&diff=130 2026-05-26T10:26:03Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>=Introduction=<br /> <br /> Upon Orin Rakatha, there are two types of energies that people often think of as magic. Elemental Magic, and Power. Elemental Magic, or simply 'magic' upon Orin Rakatha, is focused on the elemental power of the world. The other type, Power, comes from the [[World:Spheres]] by way of [[World:Prions]], what you from other worlds might call 'gods' <br /> <br /> ==Types of Magic==<br /> <br /> Magic breaks down into different types of elements that mages are able to access and manipulate. <br /> <br /> ===Elemental===<br /> <br /> * [[Rules:Magic:White | White Magic]]<br /> * [[Rules:Magic:Black | Black Magic ]]<br /> * Blue<br /> * Yellow<br /> * Green<br /> * Brown<br /> <br /> ===Power===<br /> <br /> * [[Rules:Power:Life | Life Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Death | Death Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Nature | Nature Power]]<br /> * [[Rules:Power:Balance | Balance Power]]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Discord:Characters:Aurelius&diff=129 2026-05-16T23:09:50Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Created page with &quot;= Aurelius Mercia= ==Description== Aurelius is tall, but tends to stoop. He wares brown robes and cloak, and often carries a skull - sometimes affixed to a stick. He often appers to be talking to himself, or to an entity called &#039;Charlie&#039; that he seems to believe lives in/is the skull. ==Role== Aurelius has been brought (back?) to Orin Rakatha to help teach the lost art of religious ceremonies to the people of Orin Rakatha, and to tell them of the Prions, at least, th...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>= Aurelius Mercia=<br /> <br /> ==Description==<br /> Aurelius is tall, but tends to stoop. He wares brown robes and cloak, and often carries a skull - sometimes affixed to a stick. He often appers to be talking to himself, or to an entity called 'Charlie' that he seems to believe lives in/is the skull. <br /> <br /> ==Role==<br /> <br /> Aurelius has been brought (back?) to Orin Rakatha to help teach the lost art of religious ceremonies to the people of Orin Rakatha, and to tell them of the Prions, at least, those that are interested.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Discord&diff=128 2026-05-16T23:07:14Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Added NPC section</p> <hr /> <div>[[Main_Page|Main Page]] &gt; [[Discord| Discord]]<br /> <br /> = A Knot In Time =<br /> <br /> ==Introduction==<br /> <br /> A Knot in Time is a [[World:Waystations | waystation]] on [[World:OrinRakatha | Orin Rakatha]].<br /> <br /> ==Locations in the Waystation==<br /> <br /> * [[Discord:The_Courtyard | The Courtyard]]<br /> * [[Discord:Tavern_Hall | Tavern Hall]]<br /> * [[Discord:Private_Room_East | Private Room East]]<br /> * [[Discord:Private_Room_West | Private Room West]]<br /> * [[Discord:The_Cellar | The Cellar]]<br /> * [[Discord:Crafting_Room | Crafting Room]]<br /> * [[Discord:Ritual_Circle | Ritual Circle]]<br /> * [[Discord:Mage_Cottage | Mage Cottage]]<br /> * [[Discord:Temple | Temple]]<br /> * [[Discord:Market_Place | The Market Place]]<br /> * [[Discord:The_Reading_Room | The Reading Room]]<br /> * [[Discord:The_Barracks | The Barracks]]<br /> * [[Discord:The_Cell_Block | The Cell Block]]<br /> * [[Discord:The_Mill | The Mill]]<br /> * [[Discord:Treetop_Firepit | Treetop Firepit]]<br /> * [[Discord: Outside_The_Waystation | Outside The Waystation]]<br /> <br /> ==Non-Player Characters (NPC's)==<br /> <br /> Here are some of the characters that you might meet around the waystation. <br /> <br /> * [[Discord:Characters:Aurelius | Aurelius, reuluctant temple guardian]]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Discord&diff=127 2026-05-16T23:06:52Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Main_Page|Main Page]] &gt; [[Discord| Discord]]<br /> <br /> = A Knot In Time =<br /> <br /> ==Introduction==<br /> <br /> A Knot in Time is a [[World:Waystations | waystation]] on [[World:OrinRakatha | Orin Rakatha]].<br /> <br /> ==Locations in the Waystation==<br /> <br /> * [[Discord:The_Courtyard | The Courtyard]]<br /> * [[Discord:Tavern_Hall | Tavern Hall]]<br /> * [[Discord:Private_Room_East | Private Room East]]<br /> * [[Discord:Private_Room_West | Private Room West]]<br /> * [[Discord:The_Cellar | The Cellar]]<br /> * [[Discord:Crafting_Room | Crafting Room]]<br /> * [[Discord:Ritual_Circle | Ritual Circle]]<br /> * [[Discord:Mage_Cottage | Mage Cottage]]<br /> * [[Discord:Temple | Temple]]<br /> * [[Discord:Market_Place | The Market Place]]<br /> * [[Discord:The_Reading_Room | The Reading Room]]<br /> * [[Discord:The_Barracks | The Barracks]]<br /> * [[Discord:The_Cell_Block | The Cell Block]]<br /> * [[Discord:The_Mill | The Mill]]<br /> * [[Discord:Treetop_Firepit | Treetop Firepit]]<br /> * [[Discord: Outside_The_Waystation | Outside The Waystation]]<br /> <br /> ==Non-Player Characters==<br /> <br /> Here are some of the characters that you might meet around the waystation. <br /> <br /> * [[Discord:Characters:Aurelius | Aurelius, reuluctant temple guardian]]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Prions:Morgoth&diff=126 2026-05-16T23:04:53Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Initial Page Creation</p> <hr /> <div><br /> == Morgoth ==<br /> '''Name:''' Morgoth<br /> <br /> '''Sphere:''' Death,<br /> <br /> '''Prion Alignment:''' Evil<br /> <br /> '''Alignment:''' Pure evil<br /> <br /> '''Symbol:''' A burning eye<br /> <br /> '''Sphere of Influence:''' Destructive War, Orks Trolls, Nazgal and the Land of Mordor<br /> <br /> '''Description:''' A tall, many-horned armoured humanoid History<br /> <br /> '''Notable Features:''' God of the Morgothian Faction.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Discord:Temple&diff=125 2026-05-16T23:04:15Z

<p>BlackXanthus: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Main_Page|Main Page]] &gt; [[Discord| Discord]] &gt; [[Discord:Temple | Temple]]<br /> <br /> =Temple=<br /> <br /> ==Description==<br /> <br /> The Temple is a squat, timeworn ziggurat of reddish sandstone, partially overgrown with vines and carved in deep relief with spiraling glyphs, sun and moon motifs, and serpents coiled around calendar wheels. Its outer walls depict ancient rituals offering both blood and memory in sacrifice. Inside, a blackened stone altar sits at the center of a circular chamber, etched with grooves leading to the shapes of time-wheels.<br /> <br /> The temple shows signs of recent care. Fresh flowers stand near the altar. Around the room, in alcoves and corners, there are small shrines to various deities. One shrine that is adorned with black crow feathers is draped in a black cloth of mourning, covering the offerings and the shrine itself.<br /> <br /> The largest banner, that dominates the main room, is the banner of [[Prions:Morgoth| Morgoth]].</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Discord:Temple&diff=124 2026-05-16T23:03:48Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Updated description to include morgoth banner</p> <hr /> <div>[[Main_Page|Main Page]] &gt; [[Discord| Discord]] &gt; [[Discord:Temple | Temple]]<br /> <br /> =Temple=<br /> <br /> ==Description==<br /> <br /> The Temple is a squat, timeworn ziggurat of reddish sandstone, partially overgrown with vines and carved in deep relief with spiraling glyphs, sun and moon motifs, and serpents coiled around calendar wheels. Its outer walls depict ancient rituals offering both blood and memory in sacrifice. Inside, a blackened stone altar sits at the center of a circular chamber, etched with grooves leading to the shapes of time-wheels.<br /> <br /> The temple shows signs of recent care. Fresh flowers stand near the altar. Around the room, in alcoves and corners, there are small shrines to various deities. One shrine that is adorned with black crow feathers is draped in a black cloth of mourning, covering the offerings and the shrine itself.<br /> <br /> The largest banner, that dominates the main room, is the banner of Morgoth.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Discord:Roleplaying&diff=123 2026-05-16T23:02:48Z

<p>BlackXanthus: updated wording for sense</p> <hr /> <div>= Introduction =<br /> <br /> Roleplaying on the Herofest discord is a really good way to get to know your character, and strengthen some in-character bonds. While there is plot on discord, generally speaking, what happens on discord does not affect the main game. Any major changes to your character, money earnt, quests completed are only for the story. no XP can be earned, or other in-game benefits like renown. <br /> <br /> == Roleplaying ==<br /> <br /> Roleplaying is done through a text-based medium. There are a few conventions. <br /> <br /> * Setting up your server name: Please set your Discord server name in the form of: Character / Other Character (if applicable) / (Real First Name)<br /> * Please ensure you have chosen your faction correctly, as this will give you access to special discord rooms only your character can see. <br /> * Character Actions: Italics are used when your character is doing something, or to convey information , like a facial expression. Your character can 'walk' into the main courtyard, and then describe what it's doing other characters will respond. Italics are done with * at the beginning and end of the message.<br /> * Multiple Characters: Some people have multiple characters. If you are playing a character who is not your 'main' character (That is, first one listed in your name list), please let people know with square brackets []<br /> * Storytellers will preface their actions with [The World] so you know it's part of the descriptive support to the story.<br /> <br /> The best way to get involved is to dive in.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Discord:Roleplaying&diff=122 2026-05-16T23:01:47Z

<p>BlackXanthus: Created page with &quot;= Introduction = Roleplaying on the Herofest discord is a really good way to get to know your character, and strengthen some in-character bonds. While there is plot on discord, generally speaking, what happens on discord does not affect the main game. Any major changes to your character, money earnt, quests completed are only for the story. no XP can be earned, or other in-game benefits like renown. == Roleplaying == Roleplaying is done through a text-based medium. T...&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>= Introduction =<br /> <br /> Roleplaying on the Herofest discord is a really good way to get to know your character, and strengthen some in-character bonds. While there is plot on discord, generally speaking, what happens on discord does not affect the main game. Any major changes to your character, money earnt, quests completed are only for the story. no XP can be earned, or other in-game benefits like renown. <br /> <br /> == Roleplaying ==<br /> <br /> Roleplaying is done through a text-based medium. There are a few conventions. <br /> <br /> * Setting up your server name: Please set your Discord server name in the form of: Character (Real First Name)<br /> * Please ensure you have chosen your faction correctly, as this will give you access to special discord rooms only your character can see. <br /> * Character Actions: Italics are used when your character is doing something, or to convey information , like a facial expression. Your character can 'walk' into the main courtyard, and then describe what it's doing other characters will respond. Italics are done with * at the beginning and end of the message.<br /> * Multiple Characters: Some people have multiple characters. If you are playing a character who is not your 'main' character (That is, first one listed in your name list), please let people know with square brackets []<br /> * Storytellers will preface their actions with [The World] so you know it's part of the descriptive support to the story.<br /> <br /> The best way to get involved is to dive in.</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=121 2026-05-16T22:56:01Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* Discord */</p> <hr /> <div>&lt;strong&gt;Welcome to the Unofficial Herofest Wiki&lt;/strong&gt;<br /> <br /> Here you will find information about Herofest. This is designed to a be information that is known by the players, which means that the information herein is only trustworthy in as much as a player might know it. The information as such, should not be relied upon. <br /> <br /> Any information you find in here is to be considered 'hearsay'. It is as accurate as we have it at the time of writing, but things change and change fast. A page should not be considered 'canon' (that is, can be accepted completely) unless it contains a 'verified' tag.<br /> <br /> == Sections ==<br /> ===Orin Rakatha===<br /> * The world [[World:OrinRakatha | Orin Rakatha]]<br /> * The [[World:Nations | Nations]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> * The [[World:Prions | Prions ]] of Orin Rakatha.<br /> <br /> ===Discord===<br /> * [[Discord:Roleplaying | Roleplaying on Discord]]<br /> * [[Discord | The Setting: A Knot In Time]]<br /> <br /> ===Rules===<br /> * The [[Rules:Rules | Rules]] of Herofest<br /> <br /> = Using The Wiki =<br /> <br /> Consult the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software.<br /> <br /> == Getting started ==<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]<br /> * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/postorius/lists/mediawiki-announce.lists.wikimedia.org/ MediaWiki release mailing list]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language]<br /> * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki]</div>

BlackXanthus https://herofest.jara23.co.uk/index.php?title=World:OrinRakatha&diff=120 2026-05-16T22:53:03Z

<p>BlackXanthus: /* More Information */</p> <hr /> <div>[[Main_Page|Main Page]] &gt; [[World:OrinRakatha | Orin Rakatha]]<br /> <br /> =Orin Rakatha=<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Introduction==<br /> Orin Rakatha is a paradise. A place of plenty, where nations escaping from the terrors of their own world come to settle and build a-new. <br /> <br /> ===More Information===<br /> * A [[World:Map | map]] of Orin Rakatha<br /> * The [[World:Laws | Laws]] of Orin Rakatha<br /> * The [[World:History | History ]] of Orin Rakatha<br /> * The [[World:Mystics | Mystics]]<br /> * The [[World:Prions | Religions ]] of Orin Rakatha<br /> * The [[World:Oracles | Oracles ]] of Orin Rakatha<br /> * [[World:Magic | Magic]] of Orin Rakatha</div>

BlackXanthus