Shadows of Tholendhu

The Shadows of Tholendhu is a legendary and feared spell, that is whispered of in hushed tones when the evil god Tholendhu is mentioned.

Description

The spell summons Shadows, creatures of the evil demon god Tholendhu. These creatures are summoned to perform some task for the caster, usually to slay one of the sorcerer's enemies. The spell itself is very complex and difficult, but to some evil sorcerers or priests it is worth the terrible price.

And a terrible price it has... Not only does the process of casting the spell require a number of hours of ritual chanting by a number of sorcerers as well as the main caster, it requires a ritual purging of that sorcerer himself. He must fast for a number of days, and inscribe ritual cuts upon his skin that leaves permanent scars. The dread nature of the spell also corrupts the very souls of the main sorcerer and everyone involved in its casting.

Finally, the spell can only be cast at the height of the new moon, where absolutely no moonlight can be seen. All preparations must be made before that fateful night, and the spell must be cast with no interruptions. If anything disturbs the spell casting, the spell will summon a Shadow, who will attack the lead caster, and anyone near him.

The spell was first known to have been cast in the year 3197, when the sorcerer-priest Elogio used it to kill his rivals within the cult of Tholendhu. Accounts of the time record that the spell was feared to have been cast no less than three times. After that, Elogio's fellow priests turned on him in horror, slaying him and all his servants, and putting his temple to the torch.

After that the spell fell into myth, only to be rumored to be refund during the dark days following the casting of the Great Death. The priests of Tholendhu were thought to have found the secret of the spell, but all succumbed to the plague of the Great Death before they could use it.

Since that time, people have whispered of the spell, and its use to kill, whenever someone dies horribly under strange circumstances. It is not known if it truly has been found, and the Priests of Tholendhu are not talking.

Stats

Magnitude: Second.
Arcane Cost: 6 AP.
Difficulty: Demanding (-4).
Range: N/A.
Duration: Until task is complete.
Damage: Per Shadow attack.
Grimoire: The Scrolls of Tholendhu.

Casting Requirements & Process

Thankfully the Shadows of Tholendhu spell has a number of difficult requirements that would cause the spell to be extremely rare.

Casting Time. The spell will take 3d6 hours of chanting, ritual burning of materials, etc. to correctly cast the spell. (10 AP cost).
Lunar Phase. The spell can only be cast at midnight on the night of a new moon. Absolutely no moonlight can be available. (9 AP cost).
Personal Ordeal. The main caster must fast for 2d6 days before the appropriate night. He must also undergo ritual scarring, with cuts being inscribed on his body, which mark him for his god Tholendhu. (8 AP cost).
Corruption. Because of the extremely evil nature of the spell, the main caster gains a Flaw: Greater Arcane Corruption. Any assistants gain a Flaw: Lesser Arcane Corruption. (7 AP cost).
Group Ritual. Casting the spell requires 2d6 assistants to perform the ritual, each of the Magician 0 level or higher. In addition, if the casting process is interrupted in any way, the Shadows will appear and attack the casters and anyone nearby. (6 AP cost).

This is obviously a spell suitable only for NPC Villains to even have access to, much less cast. The process is long and complex, and requires a great deal of planning. This gives any characters a lot of time to disrupt the casting.

Variations

There are no known variations to this spell. Many sorcerers have sought to obtain copies of the spell from the Temple of Tholendhu, but only those dark priests have a copy—and they are not talking.

Design Notes

OK, this is inspired by the shadows that the cult of Sitaki summoned in the Karl Edward Wagner book, Dark Crusade. I love that spell, and all the horrors that it implies. I simplified it a little here, and customized it for the rules I developed.

The cost of the spell is calculated as follows:

• The base cost for a Second Rank spell is 10 AP, with a 6 AP minimum.
• The target we are going for is the 6 AP cost. So, I picked some spell requirements to offset the 10 AP initial cost. I also wanted to make the spell really complex and difficult to cast, to reflect its evil and dangerous nature.
• The spell has a long casting time. This is the basic requirement—no cost reduction.
• The spell can only be cast during a particular lunar phase. -1 AP, for a cost of 9 AP. It seemed natural to require it be case on the darkest night, with no light.
• The spell requires the caster to undergo a personal ordeal. -1 AP, for a cost of 8 AP.
• The main caster as well as his assistants gain corruption. -1 AP, for a cost of 7 AP. Yeah, I’m all about the corruption! This takes the form of an arcane flaw.
• The spell requires a group ritual. -1 AP, for a final cost of 6 AP total.

I’ll write up something about corruption and the flaws soon.

(This Grimoire article appeared previously on my old untold-realms.com).

Marc