Most of Hel's priesthood is hidden and secretive, and they do not advertise their allegiance. In addition, a subset of her priests have also taken up the dark arts of Necromancy and Witchcraeft, which reflects poorly on what aspects remain semi-public. It is said that the largest gatherings celebrating her influence occur on the nights of the one-quarter and three-quarter moon (when half is light, and half is dark, mirroring her appearance), and that the spirits of the departed moan in accompaniment to the rites.
Hel's priests will actively seek out and destroy Necromancy which is practiced without the sanction of Hel's approval, seeing it as unwarranted torturing of the dead.
E/F/M: By means of this Casting, the priestess of Hel is able to endure much lower temperatures than would normally be permitted. The priestess is able to bear any natural cold temperature, regardless of what it might be. Further, this casting grants the priestess 2 points of armor per 10 STEEP vs. any form of cold damage. Additional AT's of protection may be gained by expending 10 Heka per additional AT of duration, not to exceed 1 AT per 10 STEEP possessed by the caster.
Spirit of Guarding Ritual
Time: 1 hour
Area: 1 object
Distance: 0
Other Heka Costs:
R&D: Nil
Other: 10:1 additional hour
E/F/M: This casting allows the priest of Hel to temporarily bind a spirit to guard an object (whether it be a door, a chest, a sword, or a table) or reasonable size (i.e. not a house, or a ship). The spirit is unable to directly attack those who approach the guarded object, but it is able to create a disturbing atmosphere around it which sends chills through the bodies of those approaching the object. This feeling reaches out 1 yard per 10 STEEP possessed by the caster, and for every BT spent within this radius, those approaching the object must make a check vs. SMCap at DR "Easy" or be possessed by an eerie, indescribable sensation and will suffer chills (no damage, but a temporary -5 to all STEEP checks because of the distraction). Once the feeling begins, it does not go away until the person leaves the radius of the effect.
If the object is moved, stolen, or opened, the spirit immediately vanishes. However, the priest who activated this casting will know as soon as the spirit departs, whether because the duration has expired, the object was stolen/opened, or the casting was defeated.
E/F/M: This cantrip allows the caster to breathe a cone of incredible cold. The cone begins at the caster's mouth and reaches three rods, with the end being 1 rod in diameter. The cold will cause 1D6 points of Cold damage from the unearthly chill, plus an Exposure roll. The cantrip allows the caster to breathe this cone once and only once, although it can be held for a brief while before being used. The damage may be increased at a cost of 25 Heka per additional D6, not to exceed 1D6 per 10 STEEP possessed by the caster.
Coldmist Cantrip
Time: 1 AT
Area: 1 chain radius/10 STEEP
Distance: 1 chain/STEEP (sight)
Other Heka Costs:
R&D: Nil
Other: 10:1 additional AT
E/F/M: This cantrip will cause an icy mist to come into existence, which will decrease the range of vision to no more than a rod within the shifting, freezing vapors (assuming bright light to begin with, otherwise sight will be nigh impossible). Further, items exposed to the mist for more than 1 AT will be coated with a sheen of ice, assuming that they do not possess the heat to melt the forming coat, and fire-based attacks are only half as effective as normal (although a major fire-based casting, such as a Fireflash Cantrip will burn the Coldmist away, ending the casting, but not before its effects are halved). The casting endures but 1 AT, although the caster may extend this by expending 10 Heka per additional AT desired, not to exceed a total duration of 1 AT per 10 STEEP possessed by the caster.
E/F/M: This casting creates a sphere of incredible cold. Before the casting is activated, the caster must determine area to be affected (distance, radius, etc). Note that it will affect *only* the designated area, which may include solids such as walls, and it will not alter its shape to conform to barriers. In order to cause any damage, the caster must spend 20 Heka per 1D6 of damage desired, not to exceed 1D6 per 10 STEEP possessed. This casting does gain an Exposure roll for all affected by it, and extremely hot items (such as heated stone or metal) might crack or warp from the sudden shock of the cold, as judged by the JM.
E/F/M: This ten-minute ritual calls forth a snowserpent, a servant of
Hel, to serve the priest for a brief duration. The snowserpent will have
the following statistics:
Base Scheme (+/- 2D10)
M: 60, EL: 48 P: 200, CL: 180 S: 60, EL: 48 MM: 30 MR: 30 PM: 100 PN: 100 SM: 30 SP: 30 MMCap: 12 MRCap: 12 PMCap: 60 PNCap: 60 SMCap: 12 SPCap: 12 MMPow: 9 MRPow: 9 PMPow: 25 PNPow: 25 SMPow: 9 SPPow: 9 MMSpd: 9 MRSpd: 9 PMSpd: 15 PNSpd: 15 SMSpd: 9 SPSpd: 9
Armor Scheme:
Area Pierce Cut Blunt Fire Chem Stun Elec Ultra 40 20 40 12 16 40 12 Super 30 15 30 9 12 30 9 Vital 20 10 20 6 8 20 6 Non 10 5 10 3 4 10 3 Average 25 12 25 7 10 25 7
The snowserpent may be commanded to fight for the priest, although if it is slain, Hel will be displeased. More commonly, it will be summoned for a show of force, for desperate defense, or for a brief stint as a guard (especially as a triggered casting). Some particularly powerful priests have been known to bind snowserpents to their service for longer periods of time.
A snowserpent may not be summoned by a given priest more than once per month.
E/F/M: This powerful, hour-long ritual will slay the victim with no hope of the spirit being conducted into Valhalla. The spirit will instead travel to Nifleheim, from which it cannot be returned or reached by any means. The victim may attempt to resist this ritual, which requires a successful roll vs. SMCap at DR "Difficult", in which case the spirit will go wherever it is destined to go, although the victim still dies. A successful roll vs. SMCap at DR "Extreme", however, allows the victim to stay alive, albeit severely Mentally, Physically, and Spiritually wounded (take damage equal to three-quarters of each TRAIT before any current wounds are counted), and a special success on this roll allows all damage to be resisted. Note that those whose lives have been judged forfeit by a priest of Forseti with due process of law have *no* chance to resist this Ritual.
Rumors persist of a Grade VII or VIII version of this ritual which takes less time and allows no chance to resist.
Whew. The way Hel is presented here places her as the 'evil' of the Norse pantheon, something which strikes me as a logical extension of her original place in the pantheon considering the extra centuries of civilization, worship, and development that the Norse nations on AErth get. Keep in mind, however, that she will fight with the AEsir against the Giants at Ragnarok, whereas Loki will guide the Giants to the battlefield. So, in the end, she is tolerated better, despite her darker nature.