Kauss said:
My information comes from A) I helped find the old ritual and was there then it was put back up. B) the magistratum put it back up the first time, and have told me some of what they know about the ritual. In addition when I was visiting them recently, I also was informed that the nighthag was rifting spiders into the protected area.
If possible, could you delineate which bits of information come from which source? I'm having rectifying the reliability of the information with its potential sources.
For example, I would agree that the spiders were rifting into the region that was considered to be off-limits to spiders. However, the idea that the Night Hag was responsible for the rifting runs counter to how that ability works. Rifting is a personal ability, not something that you do to others. While others can be included in the rift, it still requires the individual to be included in the rifting. (
Lest anyone ask, I have, in my extended past, possessed the ability to rift, thus my knowledge comes from firsthand experience with the procedure.) As the Night Hag was not part of the rifting process of those that attacked us during our attack on her, we can thus conclude that the spiders rifted to our specific location under their own power. This doesn't actually answer the question of whether or not the pseudo-proscribe is still currently in effect.
So, what you've listed as sources are as follows:
1) You helped recover the scroll.
2) You were present when it was put up.
3) The Magistratum told you. Caveat - The Magistratum did
not tell you everything they are aware of involving the ritual.
Now, as bits of information surrounding the ritual, here is the information you've given:
1) The pseudo-proscribe didn't extend from the circle in which it it was cast, rather, it apparently rose like a fence out of the "ground".
2) The Night Hag rifted the spiders in.
3) "The magistratum put it back up the first time."
4) The ritual is a really old one, so, the magic just works that way.
5) The ritual was used because it was suggested.
6) The ritual is still in effect. (This is inferred from statements made, rather than an overt statement on anyone's part)
Which source from the prior list is responsible for which items on the latter?
With regards to the statements made:
1) Did it rise like a fence, a dome, or a globe? What are the complete dimensions? If the ritual is "shell-like" in nature, rather than "aura-ish", what prevents a creature capable of rifting itself from simply bypassing the shell? What is the thickness of the shell or fence?
2) This runs counter to how the ability works. Given that the source you initially identified, I'd have to pass that off as either miscommunication, or else your source is less than reliable in this matter.
3) I'm trying hard not to get nitpicky on the language, but i want to be sure that I understand your intent. Dreams being the fickle things that they are, I'd rather avoid confusion if possible. The magistratum put it up the first time, or it was up once, and then they put it
back up, and then it failed again, and someone else put it back up a second time? How many times has the ritual been put up?
4) This one doesn't make any sense either. Almost all of my artificed magics, both internal and external, have been rendered useless in the world of Fortannis. Ancient rituals that existed prior to the splitting of the worlds into Fortannis and Tyrra simply don't work. For instance, if the arguement were to hold weight, I should still be able to Fire Shield myself. Likewise, everytime the power of the universe that is magic is altered, anything that did exist shifts into a comparable new form. For instance, fire shield and ice shield, both spells with which I am sure all of the elder races are familiar, became elemental shield. When it happened, it happened to everyone everywhere, period. This occurred with everything from scrolls written by grand dragons and shadow mages to simple things like vorpal coatings.
5) I'd be very interested in knowing the source here. I'm not blaming anyone, except maybe the people who should have known better and spoken up, you make with what you can, obviously, but given that proscribes clearly were plentiful at one time, and this scroll apparently required some great amount of questing, I think there may be much more at work there than meets the eye. As we all know, nothing in Iyave is ever simple, and people familiar with the territory often take advantage of those who are not for reasons that pass common understanding.
6) This one would also be interesting to know the source of. I'm sure Derek would be able to see it, but I'm not sure how many of his kind are around that we can trust.
Some other questions that plague me, and I thank whomever can answer the knowledgably by experience or study in advance and so indulges my curiosity:
How many and what components were used in the casting? Did it require a catalyst? Verbatim wording of the scroll would be great, if anyone with the ability to read them has a handle on that. What was its duration? Did it require any extension rituals? What aspect was the ritual? Was it spellcraftable? Who did the casting? How difficult was it? Did the caster utilize any assistants?
