Sepia snake sigil (originally called Hersent's sigil[1]) was a conjuration spell from the creation subschool that left a symbol on a page that would later turn into a snake and attack a reader, immobilizing him or her with a field of force.[2] Guardian genies, a type of tasked genie, had an innate power to inscribe something similar to a snake sigil.[6]
Effects[]
After ten minutes of preparation and casting, this spell left the invisible symbol of a serpent on the page of a text, provided said text contained enough words. The symbol would remain hidden on the page until triggered. Triggering the sigil involved simply reading the text of the page. It was not enough to simply see the words; they must have been read.[2]
A triggered snake sigil would become visible, and the sepia-colored image would spring from the page, as if a living snake, and attempt to bite the reader. If the sepia snake succeeded in biting the reader, he or she would suddenly become enveloped in a powerful, amber-colored field of force that would immobilize and preserve the target in suspended animation. If the snake missed its prey, it would loudly burst into a cloud of dull brown smoke and a flash of light.[2]
A suspended victim would remain in such a state, not aging, breathing, moving, or requiring any physical necessities for six days or longer, depending on the power of the caster. Alternatively, the caster could release a victim from the magic suspension by command.[2]
It was possible to harm or kill an entrapped victim of a sepia snake sigil, but an injured victim would neither worsen nor recover until the effects of the spell were ended.[2]
A page with a sepia snake sigil would glow with a magical aura if magic were used to detect its presence, but such magics would not reveal the presence of the sigil. The sigil could be removed, however, by the dispel magic spell or by using magic to erase the whole page of text.[2]
Components[]
In addition to verbal and somatic components, the spell typically required powdered amber valuing at least 500 gold pieces, the scale of a snake, and a tiny bit of spores from a mushroom as a material component.[2]
History[]
The spell was invented by the Netherese arcanist Hersent in −1009 DR.[7]
In the month of Eleasis, of the Year of the Unstrung Harp, 1371 DR, the city of Ravens Bluff's Ministry of Art and Wizards Guild jointly declared it illegal to cast sepia snake sigil within city limits due to a raging unnatural storm at the time called the Soulstorm. In addition to threatening arrest for those that broke this decree, it was declared that breaking this prohibition would result in a permanent expulsion from either organization.[8][note 1]
In the late 14th century DR, the shopkeeper Xara Tantlor defended her shop with snake sigils hidden among the scrolls she had for sale.[9]
Appendix[]
See Also[]
Notes[]
- ↑ The events of the Living City Ravens Bluff campaign took place on a timeline that advanced together with the real world's time. Even though all Living City adventures and issues of Ravens Bluff Trumpeter were dated with real-world dates, there were events that received a DR year. The Living City timeline can be derived from Myrkyssa Jelan's historic events of the late 14th century DR. Myrkyssa Jelan attacked Ravens Bluff in 1370 DR, according to The City of Ravens Bluff and Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition; these events are chronicled in an in-and-out of universe issues of Ravens Bluff Trumpeter. This places the real world year 1997 as 1370 DR, and in 1998 (1371 DR), Myrkyssa was at last arrested and tried and said to have been executed, only to reappear in 1372 DR in The City of Ravens novel. As the real world's months and the Calendar of Harptos are virtually identical, we can also date all events of the Living City Ravens Bluff as close as an in-universe month.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 23. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (July 2003). Player's Handbook v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 276. ISBN 0-7869-2886-7.
- ↑ David "Zeb" Cook (August 1989). Player's Handbook (2nd edition). (TSR, Inc.), pp. 152–153. ISBN 0-88038-716-5.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb and Andria Hayday (April 1992). Arabian Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 152. ISBN 978-1560763581.
- ↑ slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 121. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ Wolfgang Baur, Steve Kurtz (1992). Monstrous Compendium Al-Qadim Appendix. (TSR, Inc). ISBN l-56076-370-1.
- ↑ slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 27. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ Daniel S. Donnelly ed. (August 1998). The Trumpeter 2, no. 8 (link). (RPGA), p. 2.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood and Jason Carl (July 2002). Silver Marches. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 65. ISBN 0-7869-2835-2.