(Balance, Benign, Ordered, Minor God)
Bragi, husband of Idunn, was the Skald of the
Aesir. It was he who played in the halls of Valhalla (much to the delight
of the other Aesir and the mortal spirits awaiting their day of glory at
Ragnarok), and his songs are often echoed in ceremonies on Ærth.
His name is often called upon by those composing music or writing lyrics,
especially those who wish to create a lasting saga.
Bragi's priests are few in number, and all are musically inclined.
Virtually all can sing well, and most can play at least one instrument.
Many take up the studies of Spellsongs as well, for obvious reasons,
and many of the greatest skalds have been priests of Bragi. The priesthood
is indigent, travelling wherever the mood (and the need for their
ministrations) take them, spreading music and sagas as they go. There is
a loose hierarchy at best, and new priests are trained on the road as need
be.
Grade I:
Drink of Singing Formula |
Time: 1 hour | Other Heka Costs: |
Area: 1 drink | R&D: Nil |
Distance: 1 rod | Other: 10:1 additional hour |
E/F/M: This formula allows the priest to cause one normal-sized
drink (such as a normal stein or flagon) to imbue those who consume at least
half of it to sing better than they would normally. This manifests itself
as a temporary +10 to the imbiber's singing ability, or a base STEEP of 10
if the person has no skill in the matter. It is most often applied to the
drinks of those who have no sense of pitch, a problem that is partly
alleviated for the duration of the casting (and thus saves the priest's
delicately trained ears from horrible caterwauling).
Ease Composition Spell
|
Time: 1 AT | Other Heka Costs: |
Area: 1 subject | R&D: Nil |
Distance: Touch | Other: 10:1 additional AT |
E/F/M: This short-lived casting clears the mind of the subject of all
distractions, allowing him to concentrate on the composition at hand. While
it is of brief duration, that is often all that is necessary to get the
creative process moving, and this casting will usually remove any instance
of writer's block that the subject may be laboring under. For short
compositions (such as a ditty, ode, or short commemorative song), this
casting decreases the DR of the subject's work by one (such as from
"Difficult" to "Hard" if the composer is under intense
time pressure), and multiple applications or a lengthy duration (in excess
of an hour or more) will serve similarly for longer works. Truly major
works, such as a full opera, symphony, or similar, will rarely be helped
at all by such a minor casting (although a given aria or overture might
stand out from the rest of the work if it were composed under the
application of this spell).
Grade II:
Wellspoken Formula
|
Time: 1 AT per 10 STEEP | Other Heka Costs: |
Area: Self | R&D: Nil |
Distance: | Other: Nil |
E/F/M: By means of this Casting, the priest improves his verbal
abilities such that he cannot mis-speak or offend those to whom he is
speaking (although if the casting is woven with a critical failure, he
shall mis-speak at every step, insult those to whom he is speaking, and
generally incite them to great anger). While statements made under the
influence of this casting will leave a favorable impression with those to
whom the caster spoke, they will only marginally have a positive long-term
influence, and no more than gentle persuasion (such as nudging a generally
warlike king into declaring war) will actually be effective.
Grade III:
Silvertongue Spell
|
Time: 1 AT per 10 STEEP | Other Heka Costs: |
Area: Self | R&D: Nil |
Distance: 0 | Other: Nil |
Special Materia Cost: A sip of mead brewed by the caster's own hand,
taken from a drinking vessel worth no less than 100 BUCs and dedicated to
Bragi's talents
E/F/M: This impressive spell will allow the caster to speak flawlessly,
persuade listeners easily, and generally favorable impress those around him so
much that they may be talked into nearly any reasonable action. For the duration
of this Casting, the priest will act as if he had a bonus of one half his
Priestcræft STEEP to either Charismaticism or
Influence, with the immediate temporary granting of all sub-areas,
depending upon the action taken at any given point in time. For instance, if
the caster were attempting to persuade someone, the bonus would apply to his
Influence STEEP. Note that the bonus may go back and forth as long as the
duration lasts, but it may not be used twice for the same action (i.e. using
Charismaticism to double Influence). In such a case, the bonus must be
applied to one or the other, but not both.
Grade V:
Mead of Composition Ritual
|
Time: 1 hour per 10 STEEP | Other Heka Costs: |
Area: Special | R&D: Nil |
Distance: Special | Other: 10:1 additional AT |
E/F/M: This short ritual of but 1 AT, when performed over a suitable
container of mead, will render it a potent assistant for the act of composition.
The magick will persist in the liquid for one hour per 10 STEEP possessed by the
caster. It is most effective when consumed entirely by one person (although
obviously not too quickly), but it may be spread among many people with
suitable lessening of effects. In the case of a single imbiber, it will imbue
him with incredible concentration, and nothing short of a major catastrophe will
be able to distract him from the composition at hand. Further, the DR of any
attempt at composition shall be lessened by two, and the speed of composition
doubled. While under the influence of a single application of this ritual, it
is perfectly possible for a skilled composer to create even a work of such
length as a medium-length symphony in a single day. Of course, if the mead is
taken too quickly, the composer might pass out before completing his magnum opus
(depending on his tolerance of alcohol).
No one may partake of this special beverage and reap its benefits more than
once per year, although multiple drinks in a single year will simply result in that
portion of the benefits being lost.
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Castings by:
Mike Phillips
(msphil@widomaker.com)