Mal at Riess
The Sigil Mal at Riess- An initiation and construct of Sorcery in the Jeweled_Amber game.
Contents
Mal at Riess[edit]
Pronounced (Maul ot rees)
In Amber there are many initiations of power. Sorcerers at both end of shadow tend to be mighty. They have many paths to power and often pay dark prices and pay terrible prices for their ambitions.
The Sigil Mal At Riess is often called the least of the High Order Initiations or the Greatest of the Lesser Initiations.
All spells usable with Amber and broken pattern sorcery are adaptable to Mal at Riess. Spells cast from either source are of similar power levels.
The Sigil is of ancient and uncertain origin. Versions of the Sigil are created as a masterwork by Mal at Riess adapts. A master creates a forging surface from fine materials of a receptive form. Quartz, marble, Ruby and Diamond are common stones used and are considered especially good by users. The more strong the surface, the less likely the finished piece can be destroyed. Manipulating the structure till the surface is flawless then magically sculpting it till it is perfectly round. The stone is then prepared to create a sigil. The master sorcerer then uses blood and the creation spells to make his own sigil.
Having created the artifact the Master can then power his spells at a high order of power. He may also allow others to study on his Sigil and assay it in a manner magically similar with assaying a high order construct such as Patterns, Marks, and the Logrus. A person who "Assays" a Sigil gains the power to use it in magical practices. It does not convey the ability to manipulate shadow or to shadowwalk. The Master of a Sigil has the ability to interfere with the magic of adapts who have assayed their sigil. One of the most famous Sigils is engraved in a cross cut of a giant redwood tree.
If a sigil is destroyed beyond repair the Master and any adapt of that stone lose their ability to use magic based on that construct.
Reputation effects caused by holding a Mal at Riess sigil[edit]
There is wide-spread prejudice against Mal at Riess sorcerers.
The perception among high order sorcerers is that Riess sorcerers are somehow not legitimate sorcerers on the high order stage. This is mostly due to the political history of wielders and is not a function of the sigils themselves. Because Riess practitioners use full sorcery spells at a greatly lower power level they are perceived as somehow cheating by sorcerers of high order initiations.
Among non-sorcerers Mal at Riess sorcerers are often considered unsavory or disreputable. Not necessarily violent or crazy, but unreliable. This has more to do with the disdain of sorcerers for them, which non-sorcerers misunderstand, then a actual unreliability. it also has to do that in many worlds with little or no history of magic there have been travelers and practitioners of Mal at Riess that have become embroiled in local politics and conflicts. "In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king." In a land with no magic, even low powered high order sorcery is a mighty weapon.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Sigil[edit]
Advantages to Mal at Riess sorcery.
- It is a fairly easy way to begin learning Sorcery. A person with Human or Chaos level Psyche can manage complicated sorcery. Practitioners with Human or Chaos Psyche and Endurance can easily use Mal at Riess powered spells. They are far less powerful then those of pattern or Logrus level but are not to be disregarded in a fight. Despite the lack of inherent power levels a well used spell can be just as dangerous.
- There is little to no danger in assaying the Sigil. It does not have the dangers of Broken Pattern or Pattern sorcery.
- While an initiate of the Sigil can not shadow-walk in a manner similar to Pattern adapts the bearer of a Sigil imprint can sense the direction of other Sigils and may follow paths though shadow toward them. In time and with practice they can learn which version of the sigil is where.
- One of the greatest advantages to the Riess, and one reason higher order sorcerers take it, is that spells hung on a Riess rack do not degrade in the same manner as other High order initiations. This causes their spells to be called "rugged". Spells on a Mal at Riess rack do not deteriorate. The stability of a spell frame is a strong advantage and why many high order sorcerers of other initiations often assay the Mal at Riess to hang less power oriented spells. Spells that function without a need to attack other power sources do well. Spells such as invisibility, Ease-drop, Long Eye, Levitate, fly, and transmute non-magical items can be hung and left indefinitely on a Mal at Riess frame.
Disadvantages to Mal at Riess Sorcery.
- A sorcerer can rack 12 or more spells on a pattern rack. The Mal at Riess practitioner rack may contain 4 to 6 spells. A Master's rack can hold 8.
- The Sigil is a lesser initiation, and while its spells may be considered rugged for the sake of use and longevity the inscription on the user can be erased in many ways.
- sigil holder, having walked a higher order initiation such as the pattern, mark, or Logrus, for the first time will have their Mal at Riess wiped away but they may retake it and reinstall the sigil. A master, having created an inscription of the sigil of his own, will not have his imprint removed by taking a higher initiation but there are sometimes complications between the two imprint.
- Mal at Riess and trump artistry work well together for communication but not for transportation. Also, after a trump conversation both communicants have headaches only lessened by their Psyche.
Transfer of the Sigil's Mastery
When the creator of a Sigil inscription dies the person of their closest blood relation can take control. There is some relationship of the many versions of the Sigil in shadow caused by Adapts of a sigil creating new ones, gaining Mastery, and training others. However, all accept that the Sigil in the Fortress of the Family Mal at Riess in Amber has seniority, and oldest existing inscription. Duke Cogswell Mal at Riess is the current ruler of the house.
Spoken Usage In spoken usage a person "bears" or "wears" the Sigil Mal at Riess unless they have assayed the Sigil at the Manor Cogswell. Then the are said to bear the the Sigil at Riess. A Master of the Sigil, having created his own, is called a "Master Mal at Riess" or occasionally a "Sigil Lord"
Powers of Mal at Riess Sorcery[edit]
- High order Sorcery-Sorcery of a high order can be worked with the sigil. between 2 and 8 spells may be held on a Sigil Frame, depending on their power. Mal at Reiss spells do not degrade.
- Channel Power for Defense. Powerful shields can be created able to deflect many forms of magical attacks
- Channel Power for Attack. Raw power can be channeled to act as primal assaults to the level of the wielder's psyche
- Mal at Riess Tattoos
One of the common uses of Mal at Riess sorcery is the creation of tattoos of power.
A mal at riess sorcerer who has trump artistry can create one time trump tattooes that rack a single spell. The complexity of the spell determines the time it takes and its duration. Most Mal At Riess spell artists have enough psyche to make a spell last about a year. The more complicated the spell, the less time it lasts, the less complicated the longer it lasts.
A person can have multiple spell tattoos but they start itching and have reliability issues depending on the psyche of the wearer.
Mal at Reiss Imprint[edit]
- Imprint-10 pips. 2 to 8 spells depending on power level
- Advanced Imprint 20 pips. 5 to 15 spells depending on power level
- Master Level Imprint-40 pips. Must assay the Sigil in Cogswell Manor9 to 18 spells depending on power level.
- Sigil Master-80pips. Must have Master Level Imprint, and create a Mal at Riess construct.
