BRAGI

(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 hourOther Heka Costs:
Area: 1 drinkR&D: Nil
Distance: 1 rodOther: 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 ATOther Heka Costs:
Area: 1 subjectR&D: Nil
Distance: TouchOther: 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 STEEPOther Heka Costs:
Area: SelfR&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: SelfR&D: Nil
Distance: 0Other: 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 STEEPOther Heka Costs:
Area: SpecialR&D: Nil
Distance: SpecialOther: 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)