Summons of Evil

[Tupper]

I'm a bit confused by this spell. It seems to do two things: create an effigy for the adventurers to fight *and* summon a powerful adversary.

My read of the spell is that the adventurers don't fight the effigy until the end of the ritual. However, presumably the powerful adversary could arrive before the ritual finishes (e.g. you do a 1 day ritual, but the most powerful adversary is 3 hours away). Would that interrupt the ritual?

My main confusion, however, is why to do this in the first place. I get that when the effigy is destroyed, the adventurers might get back a load of ritual points (which could be handy), but I don't see how the magic resistance bonus could ever be used. The caster's posse gets it when the effigy is destroyed, and it lasts for the duration of the "ceremony". Isn't the effigy's destruction the end of the ceremony? In which case, this bonus would never be in effect.

[metcalph]

27 minutes ago, Tupper said:

My read of the spell is that the adventurers don't fight the effigy until the end of the ritual.

They don't destroy the effigy until the end of the ritual but the effigy will be casting evil magics against the summoners, trying to kill them or to provoke its destruction.

27 minutes ago, Tupper said:

However, presumably the powerful adversary could arrive before the ritual finishes (e.g. you do a 1 day ritual, but the most powerful adversary is 3 hours away). Would that interrupt the ritual?

I think the adversary receives the summons not at the start of the ritual but at the point where he summons his available forces and marches on the summoners to arrive at the ritual's completion.  For your example, the adversary will receive the summons three hours before the ritual's completion time.  If the adversary had to summon his troops, he will receive the summons earlier but spend the extra time summoning his troops.

27 minutes ago, Tupper said:

My main confusion, however, is why to do this in the first place. I get that when the effigy is destroyed, the adventurers might get back a load of ritual points (which could be handy), but I don't see how the magic resistance bonus could ever be used.

The effigy is destroyed just before the enemy arrives.    If the enemy is on foot, then the summoners may receive five minutes warning and the ritual is still in effect.  If the enemy teleports, well, the summoners are going to have some difficulty.

 

[Jenx]

The Summons of Evil is a preparation ritual, really. It is often used when a community wants to perform a much larger ritual or heroquest. When you perform the Summon of Evil it helps you define your enemy, it gives them a concrete shape and known powers, which is very useful when you then plan on venturing into the other world on a dangerous heroquest, and you're unsure what enemies you might encounter.

If you have the Book of Heortling Mythology, that actually has the origins of the Summons of Evil - Orlanth asked Lhankhor Mhy to come up with it, as this new enemy that the gods were facing (Chaos) could not be fought in the usual way - it would strike and then vanish. So Orlanth needed a way to bring the enemy to him, and make that enemy stay there so he can defeat it.

Edited June 19, 2018 by Jenx

[soltakss]

On 6/19/2018 at 12:25 PM, metcalph said:

The effigy is destroyed just before the enemy arrives.    If the enemy is on foot, then the summoners may receive five minutes warning and the ritual is still in effect.  If the enemy teleports, well, the summoners are going to have some difficulty.

Our PCs used the Summons of Evil in a HeroQuest game, effectively to lance a boil, but Granny Keeneye possessed the effigy and went apeshit on them.

It can be a useful tool, but can also summon very nasty foes directly into the clan hearth. It is one way that Chaos HeroQuestors can get inside an Orlanth Clan, they simply hijack a Summons of Evil and insert themselves in, so the clan members are expecting Gnorri Badgut, the local Broo thug, but instead get Ralzakark King of the Broos, oops!

Edited June 22, 2018 by soltakss

[EricW]

I love the description of the Summons of Evil from Orlanth is Dead.

Quote

 

The Summons of Evil

Earth 1 (Dark Day/Disorder Week/Earth Season 1622)

On this day, King Broyan starts his Summons of Evil at Twotop in the Aurochs Hills. This is a powerful, fearful ritual that at- tracts the celebrants’ worst enemies. Broyan knows that if Or- lanth and Ernalda and their people are to be saved, it has to be soon. Thus, he has opted to force the Lunars to come to him at a time and place of his choosing, to increase the odds of victory.

As soon as Broyan begins his ritual, the Lunar commander, General Tashkeveth, loses contact with Tatius and the rest of the military leadership. This disturbs him, but he has orders to fight, and feels he can end this whole damned mess once and for all. He calls his troops together, keeping scouts out who con- sistently report that these foes have no magic. He learns that Broyan is at the Aurochs Hills, and he grows determined.

Lunar combat groups start to converge, cautiously, since they are few and the Moon is in its Black phase.

 

The key for me is the Summons appears natural to the target of the summons, they probably usually have no idea that they are being summoned - events are arranged so they come to the field of battle of their own free will.