Art of Spirit Beckoning

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Nasamara: Brief Flight of Glory
Potrimpos: Serpent God's Invocation, Potrimpos' Favor, Beckon Serpent-and-Egg, Herald's Blessing, Beckon Storm Serpent
Scales Beneath the Water: Beckon Scales Beneath the Water, Yellow Scales Blessing
Taruzake: Taruzake's Blessing
Unconquered Sun: Prayer of the Laurel-Seraph, Prayer of the Horn-Seraph, Prayer of the Shield-Seraph, Prayer of the Spear-Seraph Voharun: Food for Crows

Apprentice Procedures

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Initiate Procedures

  • Taruzake's Blessing (1, Charisma + Performance, 2, miscellaneous action): Speaking the quick, whimsical rhyme of this blessing and pouring a little of the spicy rice wine that Taruzake is god of on the floor in tribute, this prayer prevents the thaumaturge from having any nasty hang-over effects the next day. It affects one additional person who also pours the tribute per success over the difficulty rolled.
  • Serpent God's Invocation (1, Charisma + Performance, 3 - Resources, two hours): Invoking this prayer to Potrimpos, the god of serpents, the thaumaturge may call serpents within one mile per dot of his Essence. This rite is usually performed with a sacrifice of a simple egg (Resources 1) or a bit of gold (Resources 2). Each success may reduce the ritual's casting time by 15 minutes (to a minimum of fifteen minutes), or double the number of serpents called (the base is one).
  • Potrimpos' Favor (1, Charisma + Performance, 3 - Resources, miscellaneous action): This ritual grants the thaumaturge the ability to give a single command to any kind of snake or serpent and have it obey, as long as the command is within its ability and nature to do so. This rite is usually performed with a sacrifice of a simple egg (Resources 1) or a bit of gold (Resources 2). Extra successes may be used to double the number of serpents that obey the command (the base is one).

Adept Procedures

  • Beckon Scales Beneath the Water (2, Charisma + Performance, 6 - Resources, one hour): This invocation to the god of Yellow River serpents, Scales Beneath the Water, must be either performed in the city of Great Forks, or on the Yellow River proper. Those using this invocation are considered priests of Scales Beneath the Water in praying to him.
  • Beckon Serpent-and-Egg (2, Charisma + Performance, 6 - Resources, one hour): The God of Serpents' power extends to more than normal serpents. The elemental known as the serpent-and-egg will obey those who invoke this ancient prayer once used only by initiates of the Cult of Nagaraja. The most common sacrifice used in this prayer is an offering of malachite (Resources 2), although a piece of malachite that has been carved into the shape of a serpent around a copper egg (normally Resources 3) is worth Resources 4 for the purpose of this prayer. The serpent-and-egg will appear, drawn along dragon lines, although this prayer grants only the presence of the storm serpent. The elemental is quite aware of dark emotions, and futures in an area that will result from those kinds of emotions: jealousy, rage, hatred and the like. They are also sometimes used as portable curses, as they can inflame the worst in people around them.
  • Herald's Blessing (2, Charisma + Performance, 6 - Resources, ten minutes): Once invoked by the Solar Exalted who were adherents to the Cult of the Nagaraja before they spoke before large gatherings, this prayer is still quite efficacious. For each success on this prayer roll, the Solar Exalt may increase the limits on the First or Second Performance Excellencies, allowing him to spend one additional mote per success garnered on this ritual, to a maximum of his (Essence + Spirit Beckoning specialty). This does not actually gain any additional dice; it simply raises the maximum number of motes that can be spent on the activation of those Excellencies.

Master Procedures

  • Beckon Storm Serpent (3, Charisma + Performance, 6 - Resources, one hour): The God of Serpents' power extends to more than normal serpents. The elemental known as the storm serpent will obey those who invoke this ancient prayer once used only by initiates of the Cult of Nagaraja. The most common sacrifice used in this prayer is either a pinch of the powder that storm serpents leave behind when their lives end (Resources 3 for the purpose of this prayer) or an intricately piece of carved oak that has been struck by lightning, and inset with copper (Resources 2). This prayer can only be used while there is a thunderstorm on the horizon somewhere, and the serpent exists only for as long as the thunderstorm which birthed it. The storm serpent will be drawn along dragon lines to the thaumaturge, pulling its birthing storm with it, and bargain with the thaumaturge. This prayer grants only the presence of a storm serpent; it does not compel its obedience. This elemental is quite prodigious in battle, and can wreak untold devastation on an area.
  • Brief Flight of Glory (3, Charisma + Performance, 3, special): The recipient swears to Nasamara that he desires victory more than life itself. The character receives a pool of bonus successes equal to the number of successes on the (Charisma + Performance) roll. The recipient’s player can assign these successes, as many as she wants, to whatever actions the character takes in her next battle. If a mortal, the character can also stunt like an Exalt. Each time the player spends a success, however, the character loses a health level. The character does not suffer the normal penalties for the lost health level, but comes steadily closer to death. Represent the special losses through a little circle in the health level box; aggravated, lethal and bashing damage levels push these special losses further down the health level track. These “phantom” losses become real, lethal wounds under three circumstances: when the phantom losses reach the first Dying health level, one action after the player spends the last of the bonus successes or when the battle ends.
  • Food for Crows (3, Charisma + Performance, 3, special): The recipient pledges that if he dies in a coming battle, he leaves his eyes and tongue to Voharun’s crows. The warrior’s higher soul passes to the body of a crow that feeds upon him. This turns the crow into a three-dot familiar; the crow can speak like a human (by themselves, crows can learn to mimic human speech) and retains the warrior’s memories and personality, albeit filtered through the instincts of a crow. Tampering with a soul’s passage through death is ridiculously illegal. The Battle Crow gets away with it because, technically, the mortal performs the transmigration himself. Voharun has a cadre of such crows to carry his and Nasamara’s messages to Creation. People who pray to the two gods (without attempting thaumaturgy) usually receive their response through a crow. The new familiar may instead attach itself to another devotee of the Twins. A worshipper rewarded with such a familiar can use it for scouting and surveillance, stealing battle plans from an enemy commander’s tent and other tasks that fall within the abilities of a bird with near-human intelligence.
  • Prayer of the Laurel-Seraph (3, Charisma + Performance, 6 - Resources, ten minutes): This prayer, found on the wings of the Laurel-Seraph of Great Forks' Shrine of Forgotten Light, invokes the qualities of heroic mercy adored by the Unconquered Sun. The one intoning the prayer blesses either himself or another in the name of the Seraph of Laurels, promising that they will uphold the mercy of true heroism in the coming day. Successes on the roll may be spent to either gain extra channels for the Compassion Virtue, or to gain one additional die per success spent when channeling Compassion (maximum dice added equals Essence of blessed one). Only a special, sun-gold anointing oil may be used as the sacrifice for this prayer (Resources 2 - 5, depending on its purity). This pool of successes remains for twenty-four hours; if this pool is not used at all during that period, the one so blessed may not receive this prayer's benefit for a full month. Solar Exalted may learn this ritual as an Adept Procedure, rather than a Master Procedure.
  • Prayer of the Horn-Seraph (3, Charisma + Performance, 6 - Resources, ten minutes): As the Prayer of the Laruel-Seraph, except it applies to Conviction.
  • Prayer of the Shield-Seraph (3, Charisma + Performance, 6 - Resources, ten minutes): As the Prayer of the Laruel-Seraph, except it applies to Temperance.
  • Prayer of the Spear-Seraph (3, Charisma + Performance, 6 - Resources, ten minutes): As the Prayer of the Laruel-Seraph, except it applies to Valor.


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