Devra

Power

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  The following is simply to help understand what Devra is capable of. Not all information is available in character and none strictly found here can be used.
  
  
  
  
  Blood magic, or Sanguimancy, is the practice of sacrificing blood in exchange for magical energy. This power can be harnessed through rituals, spells, and alchemy. Uses range from general manipulation to healing or harming. It is, however, most commonly used to extend the lifespan of the user.
  
  All blood mages, or sanguimancers, must have a blood altar. It does not need to be near them at any particular time, but most tools of the craft require it for their creation. Altars consist of a stone basin with runes carved into the base. Stronger altars are augmented by pillars and blood imbued stones set into the floor in circles around the altar. (Devra created a ritual when she was younger to turn her tail into something resembling a blood altar. Its not very strong, but it allows her to store small amounts of energy in her body at all times.)
  
  Blood orbs can be used to store excess energy from the blood altar. These are created by imbuing precious stones and/or metals with sacrificed blood. By placing the orb into the altar, it absorbs all energy currently stored in the structure. This allows for excess blood to be gathered in the 'network' for the blood mage to use. The strongest blood orbs can hold many times more energy than altars, but blood can not be directly sacrificed to a blood orb. (The gem on Devra's necklace is one of her blood orbs.)
  
  All blood sacrifices must be made with a bound blade. This can be anything from a knife to a sword or anything else with a surface that can be carved into and sharpened to an edge. Bound blades gain durability and the ability to call to the blood in those they have cut. The owner of the blade can pull the blood from the body of their victim to be sacrificed no matter the size of the wound. (Devra has turned the spade of her tail into a bound blade.)
  

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  Manipulation -
  Blood magic's most basic form comes in manipulation. It is the command over blood, the will and energy to make it do as it is told. Manipulation can take the form of calling blood from a body, sealing it within, or even commanding the flow of it inside a victim's body. A blood mage could not stop the heart, as that is an organ, but they could freeze the blood in the veins and that would be just as deadly. Manipulation of the blood in the bodies not the mage's own does require an intimate knowledge of that blood. The easiest way to know the blood of another is to cut them with a bound blade and pull a small amount of their blood into the blood network. This does, however, sometimes create a bond between victim and mage. Allowing the mage to become more attune to the body and energy of the other in more intimate ways.
  
  Augmentation -
  Augmentation is a very common use for sanguimancy. Blood magic, through runes and rituals, can not only enhance the senses of the users, but can enhance those the user wishes to. A blood mage could just as easily cast a ritual on a comrade as they could on themselves. It does have strict limitations in this regard. Enhancements are not extreme. No one is suddenly going to have superhuman strength. What they will have, is access to their body's full potential at all times. (A stronger, healthier body is going to have more power than a frail one.) It would be unintelligent to use these rituals without also using them on the muscle and bone beneath. The full potential of the body can also be very harsh.
  
  Binding -
  Beginner blood mages all made a bound blade. It is part of the bread and butter of the magic. However, binding a sharpened weapon to the blood network is not the end of binding. All it requires is a ritual connection to the user and the blood network, allowing the bound to draw on the network in times of need. Armor that is bound is formidable. It has a far higher durability than the material it is placed upon, nearly doubling the use of the armor previous as the rune placed in the armor take a constant draw from the blood network, using it to reinforce and even repair damage to the original state of casting. Bound weapons are the same, but another being could also be bound to a network. This could be mages working in conjunction, sharing their resources, or be the work of a mage wishing to have living sources of energy at all times, no matter the proximity to that source. This always creates a bond that the mage can feel very keenly. The sanguimancer will be aware of that other figure at all times unless mentally shielded against them.
  
  Healing -
  Healing and life are not things considered to have anything to do with the death and pain of blood magic, but it is a powerful use. While healing can not take place anywhere, the Ritual of Regeneration can take someone from the brink of death to full health in a matter of hours, though it can not revive those that have passed that point. The ritual takes a good deal of energy to first create, demanding the use of a high level altar or high end blood orb. After being cast, the spell goes dormant unless needed. To reawaken the ritual, a minor sacrifice of blood is needed, powering it for an hour or longer, depending on potency. Healing will only take place where the ritual is located. The wounded must be within the circle of runes for it to have any use. Those bound to the blood network have minor access to the energy stored within to heal their bodies, like armor repairing itself to its original state. It does not, however, have the ability to create living tissue. At best, it can stop the bleeding and further damage from occurring.
  
  Longevity -
  Possibly the most common desire for blood mages, maintaining an extended life is a powerful and difficult process. The blood mage must be bound in the most intimate way to their blood network and altar. If the altar is destroyed, this may not kill the mage, but it could very seriously drain their body's energy until it was restored or until death. It is not uncommon for blood mages that seek longer lives to have more than one altar and several blood orbs to carry excess power to continue fueling their personal life energy. Living for an extended period of time, however, does not ensure a long and comfortable life. Blood mages bound to their altars can still die, though it must be through total destruction of the brain and heart, and while they are capable of pulling on the power available to them to heal, they must be placed within the Regeneration Ritual if they desire full renewal. A blood mage taken to only brain and heart, would need, at least, two full death sacrifices to the Ritual to be healed. If they have no one to see to this for them, they are as good as dead.
  

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  The following is a list of spells.
  Spells are cast by channeling life energy through a wand or staff. This channeling powers and activates dormant runes to achieve different effects.

  
  

  Equal Trade • Replaces one substance with a predetermined other substance (Example: Water for Lava) Excavation • Blasts a hole into a solid surface. Size determined by power used Fire • Creates a fireball to be used as an offensive projectile that explodes on contact Frost • Creates a freezing air to be used to freeze targets. Severity determined by power used Nine Hells • Summons fire bats to hone in and attack that explode on contact

  Pech's Curse • Causes brief pain and a random negative effect. Effect severity determined by power used Portable Hole • Briefly creates a hole through solid objects to walk through Primal • Creates a glowing projectile with a random path that explodes on contact Shock • Creates a blast of lightning. Distance determined by power used Warding • Allows for shielding of a zone to prevent damage and entrance.

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  The following is a list of rituals and their expense in Life Energy(le).
  (500le = 4oz of blood. Approx. 192oz/average human)
  (1 human = 24,000le)
  (I.e., Convocation of the Damned requires 625 human sacrifices)

  
  

  Ritual of the Full Spring • 500le • Creates 32oz of water Interdiction Ritual • 1,000le • Repels entities with harmful intentions towards the caster Ritual of the Green Grove • 1,000le • Increases plant growth speed Ritual of Containment • 2,000le • Contains entities Ritual of Magnetism • 5,000le • Summons bound objects Ritual of Binding • 5,000le • Creates bound weapons, tools, armor, etc. Blood of the New Moon • 10,000le • Pulls up an orb of earth to block out the sun Ritual of the Pavilion • 10,000le • Temporary structure to keep out elements Ritual of the Shepherd • 10,000le • Increases mammal growth rate Song of Evaporation • 20,000le • Evaporates all water within ritual bounds Ballad of Alchemy • 20,000le • Enhances potency of alchemical creations Focus of the Ellipsoid • 25,000le • Provides rituals guides for rune placement

  Ritual of Unbinding • 30,000le • Unbinds bound weapons, tools, armor, etc. Well of Suffering • 50,000le • Extracts life energy over time from entities. Can kill. Ritual of Regeneration • 100,000le • Heals entities within ritual bounds Ritual of the Feathered Earth • 100,000le • Prevents harm from falling Requiem of the Satiated Stomach • 100,000le • Feeds nutrients to entities to replace food. Veil of Evil • 150,000le • Summons evil entities from beyond the veil Ward of Sacrosanctity • 150,000le • Repels evil entities from beyond the veil Aura of Expulsion • 1,000,000le • Teleports away entities with harmful intentions towards the caster Ritual of Gaia's Transformation • 1,000,000le • Transforms an area of land into rich forest Cry of the Eternal Soul • 2,000,000le • Transfers life energy from the blood network to the blood mage Convocation of the damned • 15,000,000le • Creates a demonic portal